# Ana's thread - Adventures in Morgan Horse Ownership



## frlsgirl

I thought I'd start a thread about little Ana. We've had her for 5 days now. I go see her every night after work to check on her. 

She's quite the little busy body. I noticed that her halter is laying in the dirt every time I stop by. I hung it back up last night and stood there talking to the BO for a minute when I saw her pick it up and throw it back in the dirt. "So that's what's been happening to my halters" said the BO :lol:

She's very interested in people. When others show up to do whatever she runs up to the fence and tries to get their attention.

I snuck into her paddock last night to check her water and she came running out of her stall like a bat out of hell to say hello.

The BO really likes her "she's the most jovial horse I've ever met" he said. I would have to agree.


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## Viranh

Yay! I'm glad you found something. She looks like a nice horse. Very cute!


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## 4hoofbeat

yay! congrats on the Morgan. 

that's a morgan personality right there. friendly and curious. 

have fun!


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## frlsgirl

We tried out 3 saddles 2 girths and 1 saddle pad today. The saddle pad is definitely a big score - it fits her, it looks good on her and it provides some extra cushion. 

The other stuff, not so much. The hunt saddle fits her but the girth doesn't, one of the dressage saddles doesn't fit at all, one kind of fits except the billet straps are too long or the dressage girth is too short.

I lunged her today for the first time. I wouldn't call it an epic fail but I wouldn't exactly call it a success either. 

She was really spunky and would only trot, canter or stop. But it was super cold out today so it might be related to that. We had some trouble with the footing. There is just so much stuff around there so you have to find just the right area to exercise. I underestimated how much lunge line she would take up so we got a little close to the tennis court and tree stump but she's a smart girl and just knew to avoid them. 

She was cute though when she stopped. I told her whoa and she didn't stop right away but continued for another circle and then came to a dead stop and looked at me at which point I slowly walked up to her, petted her, moved the lunge clip to and lunged her going the other direction. She acted pretty much the same way on the other side, hurried trot, spunky canter, hurried trot, dead stop.

Lessons learned today: overestimate the amount of space you need, figure out a way to maintain control of her gait. She seems to know the word "canter" but not "walk" and I'm getting a very delayed response on "whoa". Her default gait is trot.


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## frlsgirl

Well we got a lot accomplished this weekend and it's only Saturday. We tried out and returned two trial saddles. We did some lunge work. We worked with the BO to get a tack area established and moved and organized all my horse supplies.

I visited her this morning and she's doing great. She had a few strands of straw stuck to the mane on her forehead giving her that fresh "rolled out of stall" look. Should have taken a picture - it was so cute. 

Now more winter weather is coming our way so I won't get a chance to do much until it clears up. 

I'm planning on riding her next weekend in the Pessoa I have on loan. That should give me enough time to get her girth exchanged and soften up the stirrup leathers.


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## frlsgirl

*Saddle Fitting Session*

Here is a picture of her trying on saddles. She was so patient standing there in the cross-ties. There was a yearling in the stall next to her and a big horse in front of her; didn't bother her one bit.


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## frlsgirl

*Ana in Snow*

Here is a picture from Sunday


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## Kelli

Oh my gosh! I think your at my old barn! I use that term loosely since we left after a couple of weeks. I had to send my horse to a trainer, but we will be back. I love that place! Shady creek, right? The BO is the best and the boarders are all very nice!


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## frlsgirl

Kelli said:


> Oh my gosh! I think your at my old barn! I use that term loosely since we left after a couple of weeks. I had to send my horse to a trainer, but we will be back. I love that place! Shady creek, right? The BO is the best and the boarders are all very nice!


Yes, we are at Shady Creek. We like it so far except the weather has been too crappy to do much. The BO is great - he's taking super great care of my little girl.


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## Kelli

I can't wait for them to put in the arena! It's going to be fantastic. I had to take my horse to Saddleback for 30 days of training. She's a great horse, but has been in the pasture for over a year before I got her. Thinking of selling her and getting an easy going trail horse so I can board back at Shady Creek. Ditto that on the weather, it has been horrible!


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## frlsgirl

Kelli said:


> I can't wait for them to put in the arena! It's going to be fantastic. I had to take my horse to Saddleback for 30 days of training. She's a great horse, but has been in the pasture for over a year before I got her. Thinking of selling her and getting an easy going trail horse so I can board back at Shady Creek. Ditto that on the weather, it has been horrible!


Ditto on the arena. Let me know how it goes at Saddleback; I've driven by there a 100 times but haven't ever used their services.


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## frlsgirl

So I had planned on doing a bunch of stuff with Ana today but the weather just wouldn't cooperate.

So I just gave her a really good grooming and did some light ground work with her. Of course as soon as I turned her loose in her paddock she went and rolled in the dirt. 

BO is in the middle of moving horses around so Ana got to run around on the big paddock for a little bit, and boy can that girl run - she had the best time. She kept trying to play with the horse in the neighboring paddock; it was really cute!

I worry that I won't get to work with her as much as I want to because of the weather and lack of arena, so I'm trying to come up with different things I can do with her. I figured that if I can at least groom her and do ground work with her on bad weather days and then always try to ride on good weather days - even if it's just trail riding around the property, that should be enough to keep her in ridable condition.


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## frlsgirl

Had a super productive weekend working with Ana. Friday, I walked her through the scary pasture with all the strange horses and she did fine. I got her groomed and the girth fitted with the saddle and then walked her back without incident.

I rode her for the first time Saturday. It went really well. It was super windy and a really hyper horse was stalled within a few feet of our riding area - didn't bother Ana one bit. 

After that we turned her out with the rest of the herd - no problem at all. She was more interested in finding the nearest hay bale. Some of the horses stared at her from a distance; others stopped by to check her out.

I rode her again today and made a little video:

Riding Ana - YouTube

Despite distractions, she did very well. There were dogs and kids running around and a lady was cracking the whip on a horse in the paddock next to her. Ana perked up but didn't spook. I can't believe she is only 6 years old. She acted like a total pro.

Had the farrier look at her feet - he said they look great and she moves great so no need to trim her feet today. She will just get added to the regular rotation schedule. 

Seriously I need the Staples Easy button. She's just so cool.


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## Kelli

She is super cute!


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## frlsgirl

Kelli said:


> She is super cute!


Thanks


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## Zexious

Glad to hear you two are getting along well ^^


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> Glad to hear you two are getting along well ^^


Thanks - have you been re-united with your horse yet?


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## frlsgirl

I just bought Ana a dressage saddle of a tack trader FB page. I hope it works out. I didn't pay a whole lot for it so if it doesn't, I'll have a back-up or extra saddle. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time making a decision; I spend probably 1 hour each day researching saddles...just can't really pull the trigger on anything solid.


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## frlsgirl

I got off work early Friday so I stopped by to visit her. This was my second time retrieving her from the pasture so I was curious to see where she would be and how she would react to seeing me. I found her half-way down the pasture fiddling with the BO's satellite dish! As soon as she saw me she turned and walked to me - yay. I didn't have time to ride her so I just groomed her before walking her back.

I went back Saturday and found her in one of the shelters sleeping. I put the halter on her and signaled for her to get up and she just looked at me...like "do we really have to work today?" After thinking about it for a minute, she decided to get up so I walked her to the barn where I discovered that that my only set of reins had destroyed by some random barn critter. BO let me borrow his split Western reins so I decided to go trail riding since arena work seemed a little too complicated with all that extra rein. 

She did pretty good; only spooked once but didn't try to bolt or anything. I rode her right back to the spot that scared her and she was fine. It's so nice to be riding such a level headed horse. 

Went back on Sunday. This time she was way down at the other end of the pasture. She's been hanging out with the two new TBs. Nice horses; one of them always follows me around. She didn’t walk to me this time but let me approach her and put the halter on her. 

I was too tired/run down to ride yesterday; plus I didn't feel like fiddling with Western reins again. Hopefully my replacement reins will arrive soon. Note to self: always buy two of everything. When I walked her to the barn I discovered that the perpetrator responsible for destroying my reins had been apprehended  It would probably be easier if BO just invested in a barn cat; he said he's thinking about it. 

I ended up just giving her a really good grooming and turning her back loose in the pasture.


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## Zexious

^It's great that you're getting so much riding time! Are you just loving being a horse owner?? (8
And sometimes going out and grooming can be fun. I think it helps build a bond, since then they don't always associate your presence with work. xD

I have been reunited with my horse.  But, because of my little accident, I still can't ride. I go out a couple times a week and love on him and feed him and groom him and (and and and x.x) turn him out. If all goes well (and it has so far) I can ride starting in March. I am stoked.

I posted new pics recently; here's my thread if you ever want to check it out 8D

http://www.horseforum.com/member-journals/gator-country-337377/


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana today. Couldn't find the BO and since there's a horse in the paddock that I wanted to ride in, I just decided to trail ride around the property again. She did ok but was a little spicy today. I think the drop in temperature gave her an extra pep in her step. We just did walk/trot work in circles, straight lines, serpentines and weaving around various objects and going up and down hills. A tractor with hay pulled in toward the end of my ride and she didn't spook or anything so that was good. All in all a good ride.


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## frlsgirl

Back before everything became automatic

So I've been listening to "Automatic" by Miranda Lambert and it's really making me miss the good old days and it made me wonder about how technology and innovation has evolved riding and horse ownership. Just opening the Dover catalog is overwhelming…50 different bit types, 10 different types of horse blankets, and don't forget to buy 3 different types of leg wraps to match your saddle pads, Really?


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## frlsgirl

The weather finally cleared up so I got to ride Ana today. She did pretty good. Another boarder arrived to feed her horses right as I was saddling Ana and she got a little antsy but was still controllable - I always welcome such training opportunities . The paddock was too muddy so I rode her in the open field area. We did the usual stuff: circles, serpentines, straight lines, up hill, down hill, walk, trot, halt, spirals. I had some trouble bending her as she would evade by moving haunches out. We will need to work on that. Considering that I hadn't ridden her in 7 days, the footing was not ideal, and there was distracting activity going on during our ride, I guess she did pretty good!

I'm hoping that the paddock will dry up so that I can ride her in there. She always does better in a closed-in space.


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## frlsgirl

I cantered Ana for the first time yesterday and she did great. She picked up the correct lead both times - so proud of her. We also worked on stretching down at the trot. She's starting to figure it out. Turn on the forehand is also progressing. She still has trouble bending and relaxing so we will continue to work on that. Overall a great ride!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

I took the afternoon off yesterday, and after stuffing my tummy with good German food, I headed straight for the barn. Ana was half-way down the pasture with her micro group; I called her name and she stopped grazing and took a couple of steps toward me then stopped again, waited for me to get closer and then approached me – yay!

I hadn’t seen her in 3 days so it was good to spend time with her. After a quick grooming, I threw the new dressage saddle on her and took her for a test ride. It’s quite comfortable – well, for me anyway. At first she walked fine then we trotted and when I tried to walk her forward again, she pinned her ears slightly and resisted my leg. She has never done that as she is ueber-obedient; my only conclusion is that it has to be the saddle. I didn’t even attempt to canter her knowing that it would probably hurt her.

I had started a separate thread about the saddle and the general consensus is that it doesn’t fit her. So this weekend I’m headed back to the tack store to pick up 2 more trial saddles. This time I’m taking the Pessoa with me as it’s the only saddle that fits her well. That way I can hold it up next to potential saddles to find one that most closely resembles the tree-shape of the Pessoa. I’m determined to find a solution for her; even if I have to spend more than what I had planned.

So it’s going to be a busy weekend. Farrier will be at the barn at 8am; from there it’s off to the schooling show to support my RI as she shows her Friesian, then run down the street to the tack store to grab saddles, then back to the barn. If the weather is good we are supposed to have a barn BBQ for lunch plus I would also like to ride her in the new trial saddles and hopefully make a decision. I was also hoping to clean/organize my tack and riding equipment while at the barn. I don’t know how I will fit all this into one Saturday but I will give it my best shot.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Zexious

Glad to hear things are coming along.  Let us know how the weekend pans out~


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## frlsgirl

Boy what a busy weekend!

Started with meeting the farrier at 8am on Saturday. Found out that she has early stages of white line disease and therefore pulled her front shoes off and decided to leave them off for a while. So now I got to clean her hooves every day and treat them with lysol every other day. That's not so bad, right?

Then it was off to the schooling show; I had just missed Dante's ride but got to see my RI debut Prince at training level twice. Dante won Intro (no surprise there, he got a 9 on his entry!). I was really surprised to see how low key the schooling shows are and how novice the riders are...I could have totally showed Ana at Intro level and gotten a good score. It gave me the courage to really consider entering schooling shows THIS year instead of NEXT year. 

While I was there I ran into a lady that used to board her horses where I board and she started to tell me how much she loves the new place and how she's getting ready to show her horse. That got me thinking, maybe it is worth it to spend the extra $ and upgrade to better boarding facility.

From there it was off to the tack store to pick up 2 more trial saddles. Then I raced back to the barn for the BBQ and to throw the saddles on Ana and take a few pics. I was hoping to taker her for a spin but then it started raining and pretty much rained and stormed all weekend. While there the BO made some comments that were concerning...if saddles get stolen it's not his fault, anybody could just walk in and steal them, he may not get the arena done until much later this year etc.

After the BBQ we decided to check out the other boarding facility that the lady at the show had recommended to us. What a nice place. But it is a H/J barn and is crawling with children. Not that I have anything against children but it just results in a different atmosphere and experience.

Today I ran back to the barn and grabbed all the saddles I had stored there as I'm now concerned that they might get stolen or damaged. So now my kitchen looks like a tack shop, but the added bonus is that it smells great. Don't you love the smell of leather?

I'm a little worried about Ana now. What if the BO is not taking good care of her? She looks a little haggard and has all kinds of marks on her. Is it the food? Are other horses picking on her? I'm still not any closer to making a decision on a saddle...they are either too big, too small, too narrow, too wide, too long..you name it anything with a "too" in front of it....sigh...I would like to put this saddle thing to rest soon. I'm going to test ride both of them before I make a decision. 

The vet is coming out to see her on the 27th - I will check with him to see if we need to change her feed, or increase it or? She might just be burning a lot of calories cause she's out on a huge pasture and I'm sure I'm riding her more than the previous owner. I'm hoping that's it. 

Anyway, I've been debating all weekend what I should do next. Should I move her to a different barn? Should I try long distance saddle fitting? Should I keep riding her in the Pessoa and wait for our saddle fitter to return? Should I start to feed her myself to make sure she's getting enough? Should I enter the schooling show in April or wait until summer? Should I add a hoof or coat supplement to her feed? So many decisions to make.


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## Viranh

I'm glad you made the decision to move her. I imagine what he was feeding her wasn't very nutritionally balanced, so that could explain the dull coat. Did he have a good parasite control program (deworming, regular fecals, manure handling?)? You might want to get a fecal and deworm again. Even if there weren't health and safety issues, I bet you will be happier having good footing to ride in. Hope the new place is awesome!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks. Yes the new place is awesome. The old place did not have any kind of worming program and there were some safety concerns as well. I got a new vet scheduled to check on Ana next week to do her routine annual stuff so I will inquire about doing a fecal egg count at that time.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

So I got Ana moved to the new barn on Tuesday. She is settling in well. They decided to put her in with the mini-horse, mini-donkey and elderly TB – all geldings. It seems to be going ok. The mini horse is in love with her; stands close to her, follows her if she moves, wants to eat hay with her. Ana is taking it in stride although she seemed a little annoyed with her new “boyfriend” – she pinned her ears at him but he didn’t budge so she ever so gently tried to bite him…well it was more like a gentle nibble so that didn’t deter the mini at all. Poor Ana…she’s just too nice for her own good sometimes. I was hoping that they would pair her up with two mares, but the BO thinks that Ana is too nice for them; they would just walk all over her and steal her food. If the mini-horses unwanted advances become too much for her, there are other options as they have multiple pastures.

I rode her in the indoor arena for the first time yesterday. It was AWESOME. I had the whole place to myself. I had picked up 2 trial saddles last Saturday that I will need to return this coming Saturday so I tried out the Passier on her yesterday. It seems to fit her ok; even sweat marks, no pinned ears, it didn’t shift during my ride. I hated it though; it was hard as a rock and the seat was not balanced; it put me in a chair seat as the pommel was higher than the cantle. The billet straps are too long for her; kept interfering with my leg aids. So tonight, I’m going back to try out the Luxor on her; can’t be worse than the Passier. Come to think of it, I rode Vince in the Passier; not sure which model it was but I had the exact same problem; the flaps were too long for my leg and the pommel was higher than the cantle so I had to ride in more of a fork seat to counter-act the ill-fitting saddle.

Ana must have been a little nervous because she pooped three times – twice while I was grooming her and once in the arena. It was a little runny too; could be from the much healthier feed she’s getting now. I had the BO mix in her old feed for a couple of meals to get her slowly used to the new feed and reduce the chance of belly aches.

Ana behaved very well (as expected). I walked her around the arena one time before I mounted so that she could see everything. At first I told myself I was only going to have her walk and maybe if she felt up to it try some trotting. But she did so well that I ended up trotting and cantering her. She missed the departure cue for left lead canter twice before she picked it up. She instantly picked up the departure cue for right lead canter. So far the only cantering problem with her that she sometimes misses the departure cue, she’s always picked up the correct lead and it’s easy to keep her cantering; it’s also easy to collect her; downward transitions aren’t always pretty but considering that she has less than 2 years under saddle and didn’t get ridden much at her last home, I think she’s doing awesome! Of course she tried to do some rubber necking as everything is new to her and it’s just so tempting to look around; heck I was doing some rubber necking myself!

So all is well with Ana and me and I’m looking forward to many more enjoyable rides with her at the new barn. Now, I just have to find the perfect saddle for us and we will be all set.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

*Trial Saddle*

I tried this saddle tonight but didn't like it so it's going back to the tack shop. Next stop: long distance saddle fitting.


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## frlsgirl

*Ana & her new Gang*

Here is a pic of Ana hanging out with her new buddies.


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## frlsgirl

Yesterday was the first day that I didn't go visit Ana. I figured she could use a day off. So I was super eager to see her today. She seemed happy to see me too. She immediately stepped away from her hay and walked over to me in a hurried stride.

I had intended on riding her in yet another trial saddle but the billet straps were too long for the girth. So I took confo pics and started another saddle fitting thread to see what others have to say while I figure out where I can get a shorter girth for my trial ride.

Since I was already there and dressed to ride, I threw the good old trusted Pessoa on her and rode her in that. We had the whole arena to ourselves again. She was in a hurry today. Her trot was out of this world. It could be because it's a little cooler and she's been getting higher quality food. 

I'm just starting her dressage training so I don't want to slow her down too much because I don't want to hinder her stride length and rhythm so I figured I just let her trot it out of her system, but she apparently has more endurance than me. After trotting around for what seemed like an eternity I brought her back to a walk just so that I could get a break.

It's also only her third time in this arena so she's still doing some rubber necking. The gate at the other end of the arena was open and I didn't see it until I was already riding around - good training opportunity though. 

Since she was in such a hurry today I only cantered her briefly for a couple of circles; she missed the initial canter depart cue as usual but then picked it up the second time; correct lead, just hurried stride, stiffening and huffing and puffing and grunting.

I made her do a lot of walking which caused her to want to jig which I won't let her do so then I made her halt or do tight circles or a turn on the forehand.

It took probably 30 minutes before she was finally relaxing a bit and stretching down seeking the bit. By then I was too tired to do much more so I only did a few more minutes of on the bit work and then I let her cool off and took her for a spin outside. She stretched down nicely and grunted quite a bit, so I guess that felt good to her.

I also took some pics of her and her new pasture buds; will need to post.


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## frlsgirl

*Ana & her new Gang*

Here are some pics of Ana out in the pasture. Her and the mini are best buds now. When I brought her back from my ride she immediately walked up to him to say hello.


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## Kelli

I can't believe how cute she is with her lil buddy. I'm glad I got on here and saw that you had moved . I guess I should reconsider returning. If you are where I think you are, that place is AWESOME! Hope you really enjoy it and good luck!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Kelli said:


> I can't believe how cute she is with her lil buddy. I'm glad I got on here and saw that you had moved . I guess I should reconsider returning. If you are where I think you are, that place is AWESOME! Hope you really enjoy it and good luck!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Thank you. I liked my old barn initially but they just didn't have the amenities that we both need in order to progress.


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## Viranh

That mini is really cute! They look like they're getting along well, too!


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## frlsgirl

I finally test rode Ana in the Laser Amulet trial saddle and I really liked it. It was comfortable and it fit her well. I felt really secure in it especially at the sitting trot plus my back didn't hurt. I think it's a keeper. I just need to negotiate a better price with the consigner, shorten the billet straps and send it off to be re-finished or re-finish it myself (most of the black color as worn off). I'm ready to put a check mark on my saddle hunt, that's for sure.

She moved pretty well in it. She spooked at a truck driving by the open side of the arena but she recovered quickly. There was a jumping lesson in progress just outside of the arena so Ana was a little distracted by that as well. When they were done they walked through the arena and untacked on the other side of the arena gate - great distractions = great training opportunities. 

I want her to experience as many scenarios as possible because when we start showing we won't know what we will run into, so we are better off practicing the unexpected at home.

She's starting to flex better for me as she relaxes; it takes her a good 10 minutes before she starts to relax and 20 minutes before she's relaxed enough to do any real work, so I will need to lengthen my training sessions with her. 

For the first time yesterday, we were trotting along, and she picked up the canter from the trot; I think the extra long billet straps were slapping her in the belly and that caused her to break into a canter. I brought her back to a trot but was happy to see that she could make the transition into the correct lead canter. 

So we are making progress but it doesn't always go as planned; which is good because it will prepare us for the chaos of the show world.


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## frlsgirl

Viranh said:


> That mini is really cute! They look like they're getting along well, too!


I wonder if Ana thinks that it's a foal since he's so small? She used to babysit weanlings at her previous owner's barn, so she might be missing her big sister responsibilities and has found an outlet in the mini.


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## frlsgirl

*Riding Pictures*

Here are some recent still shots from our riding sessions this month. We are making progress


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## frlsgirl

I've had a super productive day and it's only 4pm.

I got to the barn a little early so I groomed her, hand walked her around the arena, had more time to kill, so I hand-walked her outside, still had more time to kill, so I lunged her with just the halter and lead rope - she did awesome. No more running around like a chicken with her head cut off.

I've been teaching her words during our riding session so I was able to use that when I lunged her. I got her to walk calmly, stop, trot and change direction - everything was very much under my control; just the way I like it.

Vet came out and gave Ana her annual shots and coggins draw. He also did an overall physical - her back is fine (no issues due to ill fitting saddles). She does not have white line disease as the farrier had diagnosed. Her weight is good now, but she needs muscle. He rated her a 5 or 6 on the weight scale so that's encouraging. She did awesome during her shots and blood draw, didn't even bat an eyelash.

When the vet was done he suggested that I work her lightly to prevent stiffness, so I threw a saddle on her and walked and trotted her in the arena. There were two other riders in there already so it was the first time having to really watch out for others during our ride. 

It has been a super windy day which brought us all kinds of great training opportunities. The arena makes lots of scary noises when it's windy - heck I was scared myself. The horse ahead of us spooked which caused Ana to spook; nothing major, just her usual "WTH" reaction. When I trotted her she was extra hot but I managed to keep her under control.

On the way home from the barn I called the tack shop to negotiate a lower price for the saddle. They will call the owner and get back with me. I hope my saddle hunt is over.

I met some more boarders today. So far all very nice people. One of the ladies commented that Ana has a cute trot. Yup, she's a cutie!


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## frlsgirl

Had another productive ride with Ana. 

The arena was a little crowded so I took her for a trail ride around the property. She only had 2 minor spooks - no biggie. We also tested out the two outdoor arenas. I figured it would be good for Ana to get used to different types of footing; she did great! We even walked over a pole.  

Then we headed back to the arena. I noticed that I hadn't been working Ana's bad side as much so this time I focused on going clockwise which is her stiff side. We did lots of little loopy figures and practiced moving off my leg. She really started to chew on the bit and stretch the outside rein!

We then did a series of walk trot transitions going both directions and finished with 2 circles of left lead canter. For the first time, she picked up the left lead canter depart on the first cue - yay. 

When I let her cool off, she really stretched her neck and grunted like it felt really good to be done with today's workout 

When I took her bridle off, I noticed that her mouth was really foamy which is a really good sign that she's accepting the bit.

I can't believe how much we've progressed in such a short amount of time. I'm looking forward to each and every ride with her.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana again on Sunday. For some reason, it seemed as though the Laser saddle is suddenly too narrow for her so I threw the Pessoa on her b/c I didn’t feel like fiddling with the adjustable tree.

We did half arena work and half outside work. I worked on my two big seat issues (using leg from the hip instead of the knee and following arms from the elbow joint). I’m sure it will be a whole lot easier to ride in a perfect seat when I’m back in the properly adjusted Dressage saddle. She actually moved better for me when I was using my arms/elbows properly. There was foam on her bit when I removed the bridle at the end of our ride, so a good sign that we are making progress.

I tested her a little bit by making her trot for a solid 5 minutes all over the arena to see if I could wear her out and it sort of worked. Her trot was getting slower and slower  Of course I gave her a good break afterwards, which she gladly accepted. 

We did three different canter attempts. The first one was so ugly I immediately brought her back to a trot; then we went on a circle and cantered twice; it was ok. The good news is that she’s always picking up the correct lead and she didn’t miss any of the depart cues; but she still gets stiff and sort of throws herself into the canter. After a couple of messy, hurried strides, she calms down a little and sort of gets into a “dressagy” looking frame. She’s still grunting a lot and swishing her tail around. 

Then we sort of transition into a rushed trot before bringing her back to a “jiggy” walk and then a relaxed walk. I need to figure out something different for her. I did notice that when we picked up the canter from a trot she’s not as manic, so I will work on trot/canter transitions on a circle. I’m currently studying “Common Sense Dressage” by Sally O’Connor and she advocates for trot/canter transitions at the end of the arena work. She also mentions “forward first” so I’m not supposed to ride her in too short of a frame, but she acts to manic that my impulse is to bring her back. I need to learn to let go.

We did manage to get some nice bending lines and the shoulder fore done; mostly at the walk but a little bit at the trot. Then we moved to outside work. No spooking this time despite windy conditions and resulting miscellaneous objects blown over/laying around. She was very looky but didn’t even twitch at anything. We walked around the jumper course again and walked over a pole and then we walked the long way around the property before returning back to the arena to finish up.

Overall, a good ride. She’s bending more and working more on the bit providing I use my arms and elbows correctly. She’s less spooky outside. She’s consistently picking up the correct canter lead and is no longer missing departure cues. Her canter is still a bit frantic especially during the upward transition but I have a good learning plan to help her feel more comfortable. I now know that it takes approx. 5 minutes to wear her out at the trot. Of course she recovers quickly, after all, she is a Morgan 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Viranh

Sounds like she's working out to be a lovely horse for you.  I wanted to comment on you feeling like she's "manic" sometimes. Maybe she isn't fit yet or doesn't have her balance. I wonder if doing a lot of transitions might help her be steadier? That's what my trainer has me do with my TB when he goes zooming off.


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## frlsgirl

Viranh said:


> Sounds like she's working out to be a lovely horse for you.  I wanted to comment on you feeling like she's "manic" sometimes. Maybe she isn't fit yet or doesn't have her balance. I wonder if doing a lot of transitions might help her be steadier? That's what my trainer has me do with my TB when he goes zooming off.


You are right. I've been conversing with a lot of Morgan owners who ride dressage and they all suggested lots of transitions to steady her. Apparently the canter is the last gait to develop even for horses with ideal conformation.
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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> You are right. I've been conversing with a lot of Morgan owners who ride dressage and they all suggested lots of transitions to steady her. Apparently the canter is the last gait to develop even for horses with ideal conformation.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yes, and the canter for many Morgans is the hardest gait. They are/were bred to be trotters and some/ a lot of them find cantering to be more difficult.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Yes, and the canter for many Morgans is the hardest gait. They are/were bred to be trotters and some/ a lot of them find cantering to be more difficult.


Ana tries her hardest to please. That's the most important ingredient; a horse that wants to do everything right.
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## frlsgirl

I had a couple of hours to kill yesterday between work and dinner so I decided to go to the barn and do some work on the longe. This is the 3rd consecutive day of work for Ana. Usually, I keep an every other day pattern, so when she saw me coming today, she was like “Umm, I just had this fresh bale of Bermuda delivered, so can you come back later?” She usually rushes to the gait when she sees me eagerly waiting for me to come get her but this time she just kept munching away, lifted her head briefly to look at me and kept on munching. Of course she let me put the halter on her and lead her to the barn with no issues but a general lack of enthusiasm was noted.

In an attempt to make work more interesting, I mixed things up a bit. I started out in the big arena, just WTC on both sides. Then I took her for a walk to the outside arena where we did WT work. Then I took her to the fancy jumping arena and just walked her around and made her walk over poles. After that we returned to the indoor and I put down a trot pole for her. I walked her over the pole first to help her get the idea before loosening the line to let her try it on her own. At first she walked around it but then she understood that she’s supposed to go over it. We tried it at the trot; she did go over it, but didn’t seem too excited about it.

Poor thing has no idea that I’m going easy on her with just one pole; wait til I bust out a whole set of poles for her to trot over (evil laugh).

Overall, I’m very happy with our 30 minute session. I feel like I have control over her; I know exactly where to stand and how to position my body to stop her or to make her move forward.

I’m going to give Ana the day off today. She deserves it!
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## frlsgirl

I took Ana on a mini-trail ride today. As nice as it is to have an indoor arena, I needed to just get out today and enjoy Ana without worrying about achieving the correct bend, engagement and all that other nerdy Dressage stuff. 

She did good; she's a brave girl. It was super windy which provided a lot of spooking opportunities, but she only twitched once. It's interesting to see how she perks up when we venture out of the arena. Suddenly her walk is very engaged and forward .

I did take her for a quick spin in the outdoor arena as I wanted to get some trotting done. She was really looky at all the blown over obstacles; she always had at least one ear on something. At least her ear muscles got a good workout 

We rode by a pen with a couple of handsome geldings who were trying to get Ana's attention. She took one look at them and carried on. I swear I heard her say "As if!" 

On our way back we ran into a nice lady who was riding her Haflinger mare back to the barn so we ended up riding back together. 

Hopefully I can arrange for a bigger trail ride soon in a group setting. She did well with the Haflinger mare, so I would imagine she does well with most horses.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana for 2.5 hours today. I'm exhausted. I was having so much fun, that I didn't realize time flying by. First we rode outside by ourselves, then we did some arena work, then I ran into the lady with the Haflinger and we ended up trail riding together. Ana did pretty good although the Haffy had a hard time keeping up with Ana's hasty walk.


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## frlsgirl

Well I haven't ridden Ana since Friday. We had company all weekend and now I'm sick. I'm hoping to be back up and running by Wednesday. Hopefully Ana will enjoy her mini vacation. I did lunge her briefly on Saturday and introduced her to DHs parents. They are not horse people so I was curious to see how she would do with them and she did great!
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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana on Wednesday and Thursday and hope to ride her some more over the next couple of days. I didn’t want to overwhelm her on Wednesday so we just did 30 minutes of W/T and half of that outside since she likes that better. I think she might be in season as some of the geldings went nuts over her and she was more interested in them then she usually is. 

I worked her a little harder yesterday and rode her for 40 minutes. I did throw in a deliberate trot to canter transition and she did pretty well. This was a first one for us; previously we did walk-canter transitions and accidental trot-canter transitions. We also did a lot of trot-walk-halt transitions and I even got brave and did a halt-trot transition. I’m teaching her to halt from my seat alone. It works well from walk to halt if she’s paying attention. 

She’s still doing quite a bit of rubber necking. There was a jumping lesson in progress and she was REALLY interested in it. Maybe she’s telling me she wants to learn to jump? Even when I was untacking her, she kept watching the lesson. Maybe she was taking mental notes? I took a couple of pictures of her as she was watching them. I will have to get them uploaded; it’s quite comical.

Ana’s pasture mate, the little mini horse, keeps escaping. At first I thought the barn had multiple minis of the same color but after talking to the BM it turns out Buddy likes to mix it up a bit and visit other horses in their pastures. He just scoots underneath the fence. He goes back to his “home” pasture at feeding time. He’s kind of like a cat; he decides where he wants to hang out. Hopefully he won’t get hurt. Yesterday he got into the wrong pasture and was getting chased around by an angry gelding. He sure is cute though. I wouldn’t mind having a little mini horse myself one day.
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## frlsgirl

*Ana "auditing" a jumping lesson*

Here is a picture of Ana auditing a jumping lesson


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana yesterday and today. We got a lot of good arena work done yesterday. She's making progress in several areas.

Today was not such a productive day. She was kind of moody and tired. I only worked in the arena for a little bit and then went trail riding with a friend. Ana was all over the place so I decided to take her back to the arena and call it a day. 

Then I tried to take her in the wash stall but Ana was NOT having it. This is the first time that we had a disagreement that we couldn't seem to solve. We ended up compromising; I took her outside to hose her off there which she hated but at least tolerated.

She seemed happy to be returned to her pasture. I noticed that Jessy was missing so I walked around looking for him and found him in the shelter. He greeted me with a gentle nicker so I stood there and petted him for a while. Ana saw and rushed over as if she was saying "Hey! You can't pet him! You're my mom!" I finished petting him and walked away and Ana escorted me just to make sure that I wouldn't pet another horse on the way out!

I'm giving her tomorrow and maybe Monday off so she can recover from being worked "so hard" these last four days


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## frlsgirl

*Schooling April 2014*

Here is a picture from last week. She's starting to come together. Of course this picture was a brief beautiful moment in time. She always starts out in a giraffe frame and slowly starts to relax, drop her head and hopefully lift her back.


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## frlsgirl

I had an hour to kill so I ran to the barn and cleaned up my tack supply in preparation for the tack room renovation. I also free-lunged Ana for the first time and she did great! She still gets walk-on and whoa mixed up because they kind of sound the same but if in doubt she is more likely to whoa then to walk. She picked up the correct canter leads and her trot seems to have a little more swing to it so I was very pleased with that.


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## frlsgirl

I rode her in the dressage saddle yesterday. She was kind of a mess but I did manage to get inside flexion going counter clockwise out of her. She also did a good job trotting on a loose rein. For the rest of my 45 minute ride she looked more like a giraffe than a dressage horse. Sigh.
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## frlsgirl

*Free Lunging Pic*

I did some free lunge work with her today. Here is a picture. She did very well. When given a choice, she prefers to go clock wise. That's definitely her better side.


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## frlsgirl

I drove my saddle to the fairgrounds this morning to see if I could find a leather worker to fix my billet straps. Not only did I find one, but he fixed my saddle up in a matter of minutes and didn't charge me a dime!

Then I drove straight to the barn to work with Ana. She is back to normal as far as her behavior goes. She approached me half way in the pasture and seemed interested in me and what I was doing. 

Armed with my newly fixed up saddle, I decided to ride her in the arena today and film my ride. It looks MUCH better than our ride from Tuesday.

My trainer gave me some tips to incorporate in our schooling and it made a big difference. We trotted a LOT and I didn't give up on her; I kept half halting and raising my inside hand, and doing circles and serpentines. She didn't come completely on the bit but we managed to get regular rhythm, impressive hind leg engagement and some straightness going counter clockwise.

I tried to canter her and she did good on the first try but I got nervous and brought her back to a trot after half a circle. Then I put her back together and tried again but she ran through my aids. I put her back together, did a couple more nice trot circles and transitioned down to a nice walk and called it good.

Since I had the arena to myself, I decided to let her cool off/walk around in the arena while I put our stuff away. She was not interested; she was however very interested in all my stuff. First she knocked my helmet down, then she headed for my camera which I caught just in time, and she finished by knocking over the chair. 

I decided to do some liberty and stretching work with her instead since she clearly needed my guidance. She did excellent. She follows me around like a puppy and works off minimal pressure. I got a good neck stretch with the apple wafers, but really need to get some carrots if I want her to stretch further; the wafers aren't long enough to hold between her front legs. 

I took some more comfo shots and compared them to the pictures from last month and OMG - she looks so much better. She actually has a top line now. Part of my lunging gear arrived today so that will give us something more challenging to work on while they do construction behind the arena next week. 

All in all a fabulous day!


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## frlsgirl

We did some free lunge work today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQJY1bYTacY

I'm trying to not bore her to death with constant dressage schooling so I do a mix of trail rides, free lunging, arena work and regular lunging. While trail riding, I try to find a good spot to school some figure 8s or turn on the forehand.

I put up a very small jump for her today. She jumped over it twice and then decided it's easier to go around it. So I moved it really close to the wall and she still went around it and took a small chunk of hide off her leg in the process. Really?!? It would have been way easier just to jump over it! Oh well, maybe jumping is not in her future. That's ok. I'm not planning on jumping with her anyway but I thought she might like to try something new.

It was a really productive day though. We started with a fresh pedi from the new farrier. She did very well for him although I had to stand and hold the rope the whole time because she will not go in the wash stall where the cross ties are.

Then we free lunged and did some arena work. There was so much commotion today. The farrier was making a bunch of noise, they were shooting a commercial just outside of the arena and massive dump trucks kept driving around the grounds. The only thing that was missing were flying monkeys and a stray bull! Needless to say our riding wasn't very productive from a Dressage schooling perspective but at least she's one step closer to being bombproof!

I also wormed her today all by myself without any problems (yay).

Another boarder was riding her horse and I offered to switch with her and she declined to ride Ana but offered for me to ride her horse, so after I got Ana back to her pasture I rode her TB around for a little bit. It's a totally different feeling from Ana, that's for sure. I never pass up the opportunity to ride another horse; it makes one a better rider. 

Hopefully I'll get some productive riding done with her tomorrow. All my lunging equipment arrived so I can slowly get her used to the cavesson and side reins as well.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana yesterday for the first time since Saturday. I gave her Sunday off, lunged her Monday and gave her Tuesday off. When I got to the barn I ran into my friend who is getting ready to ride the BOs horse so we decided to go trail riding together. She usually rides Tandy, a slow moving Haflinger, but Millie, the BO’s horse, is a lot faster and more dominant. It’s a Rocky Mountain horse, so it’s gaited. I don’t think Ana has ever seen a gaited horse because when we met up she looked at her like she had seen a ghost. What a funny looking gait! 

Ana did really well with her; she actually relaxed for a change and for once Ana was not the fastest horse! They were doing construction near the trail area so it was a good bombproofing experience. I don’t think she spooked once. We even trotted part of the trail and since Millie is so dang fast, Ana had to pick up a canter to keep up with her. I discovered that the breaks don’t work so well when she’s trying to keep up with another horse, so we will have to work on that.

We stopped at the pasture where Ana’s boyfriend is so that they could stop and sniff each other. I don’t even know his name, but it’s a beautiful paint gelding with sparkling blue eyes. Whenever I ride Ana in the outside arena, he will stand there and watch her. As we ride along the fence line, he follows us all the way to the end of the fencing and then just stands there and watches us as we disappear. 

Since both of are horses are so fast we ended up riding the trail around three times in under an hour! She was acting kind of dressagy toward the end so I took her for a 10 minute spin in the arena. We did Figure 8s, serpentines and spirals, then down the long side over a pole and back to the middle of the arena where we repeated the same sequence. She did really well, stretched down to the bit, stepped under with her inside hind and didn’t trip over the poles once. She looked like a real dressage horse! I figured I better stop while I’m ahead as I don’t want to make her ring sour.

Before turning her back out, I fed her treats in the wash stall since she’s been having issues getting in there. For the first time in two weeks she was able to put all her feet in there without panicking! 

Atta girl!
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## frlsgirl

*Picture Time*

Took some stunning pictures of Ana today. Here is one of them:


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## frlsgirl

When I arrived today, Ana was way at the other end of the pasture. I couldn't find Jessie at first so I went looking for him. Poor old man. He was standing in the shelter covered with flies, stomping his feet at regular intervals. I petted him for a little bit and decided to ask the BO if I could groom him and spray him down with fly spray.

As soon as I started approaching Ana, she stopped grazing and walked over to me. This was day 3 in a row of work for her and that's usually the point where her enthusiasm dwindles  so I was pleased to see that she was ready to go.

Since we had the arena to ourselves I did some free lunging. She was a little less obedient at first; kept trying to change direction without my prompting and wouldn't transition swiftly, so I cracked the whip (in the air, not on her) and she took of like a freight train...it was like she was thinking "crap, she really means it this time." She got a good swift workout and I took some pictures of her as well.

Next, it was time for some riding. As I was getting her tacked up, I ran into the trainer who has keys to the tack shop. I asked her if I could try out one of those apple flavored bits on her - she agreed. Since I was already switching out bits, I decided to try out my new dressage reins too. Loved the dressage reins, Ana didn't like the bit too much. She made a funny face when I first put the bridle on, it was hilarious! She was a lot more responsive to down transitions and arched her neck forward as she was playing with the bit but when we went outside for a little trail action, I had a hard time steering her; it felt as though the bit was going to slide right through her mouth.

We rode around for a while and visited her boyfriend, it turns out his name is Uno. He had found plastic bag in the pasture and was twirling it around in the air, he's such a funny guy!

Before turning Ana out we did our wash stall routine with apple wafer treats; she's continuing to make progress.

After obtaining approval from the BO, I brought grooming equipment out to the pasture and after turning Ana loose I gave Jessie a good grooming and sprayed him down fly spray. He looks so much better; I didn't realize how much winter fur was still stuck on him. It practically fell off his body.

All in all a good productive day. I'm still bit shopping and I'm currently bidding on a Myler comfort snaffle bit on Ebay. I hear those work well for Morgans and are now legal for Dressage. The old bit will do for now; she tolerates it but doesn't love it.


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## frlsgirl

I’ve been riding Ana so much, I can hardly keep up logging everything in my journal. 

I submitted a video of me riding Ana to Dressage trainer Jane Savoie for critique and to get some ideas for how to proceed with her training. She sent me a 17 minute long audio recording response. I was very impressed. I immediately ran out to the barn and implemented her suggestions and some of them worked immediately! Ana is now reaching down to the bit at the posting trot. At first, it was only a couple of strides at a time, followed by several strides in her usual Giraffe frame and then back down for two or three more strides. I’m happy to report that she just keeps getting better and better. As of yesterday she is starting to carry herself like a real Dressage horse. I wish I would have filmed yesterday’s session. She did awesome. 

With all this focus on getting her round at the walk and trot, I’ve slacked off on the canter work a little bit so I’m trying to incorporate that back into her training here and there. It still feels awkward to me because she’s so collected that it seems like we are cantering in place. She is still consistently picking up the correct lead and we have about an 80% success rate at responding to the first cue. So I guess I can’t really complain; most young horses cross canter, run into canter or only pick up the canter 50% of the time.

As of yesterday, she is also getting better about down transitions after I implemented some more of Jane’s techniques. My goal is to get clean transitions without jigging in between. It turns out it can be done!

So now I’m thinking about just working with Jane long distance and not hiring a local trainer since we’ve made such significant progress with Jane.

I also ordered her a Myler bit to see if she likes it better than her current bit. Although she is getting better about her current bit now that I’m using real dressage reins and holding them differently after Jane suggested it.

She’s also making progress on accepting the wash stall. Yesterday she went in without hesitation. The next step is to cross-tie her for a few minutes and see if she tolerate it. I’ve been hosing her off outside which she is also starting to accept now that it’s getting hotter out; I’m sure she’s realizing that the water actually feels pretty good. 

She does insist on her post-bath roll as I found out when I tried to walk her back to the pasture without letting her roll in the arena dirt first. She dropped to the ground on a grassy patch, rolled, sat up, ate some grass, rolled some more. I’ve created a rolling monster! 

She’s been really needy the last few days, I’m not sure if it’s because one of her pasture mates is on stall rest or if she’s just eager to work, but she’s really happy to see me when I arrive and she doesn’t want me to leave when I turn her back out. I have to physically walk her over to Jessie, the big TB, otherwise she follows me around the pasture and tries to leave with me. The little mini horse that’s on stall rest, whinnies for his friends all day long; he has the most heart piercing voice. I had Ana stop by and visit him; it was so cute, they talked to each other. Hopefully little Buddy will be able to join his herd again soon.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Ana is doing great. I rode her 3 days in a row followed by an unplanned day of rest due to weather. It's pouring rain and thundering so I figured we better skip today.

We've added canter work back to our schooling and she's able to canter for two full circles before she looses her balance and breaks back into a trot. So I'm hoping to keep expanding on that while still focusing on keeping her in the correct frame for her level.

She looks amazing by the way; her fur is shiny and she has muscles like an athlete. She looks taller all of the sudden; I wonder if it's because she filled in around the withers; I'll need to get her measured soon. I remember being worried that she was going to be too small of a horse for me when I first looked at her - silly me 

I had the H/J RI jump on her after my ride on Saturday. Ana was very confused and didn't want to move forward at first. Once she did move, she kept turning her head to look at me like she was thinking "Are you sure this is ok?" The RI liked her but had trouble using the "gas pedal" - she's used to riding big lazy WBs and TBs so she wasn't quite sure how to channel Ana's energy


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## frlsgirl

Well the Myler bit arrived and Ana gives it "two hooves down" - she hates that thing. I rode her 3 times with it and even adjusted the setting on the bridle to see if she would prefer to carry it lower or higher in her mouth, but she was very much opposed to it. I put the french link back on her today and she liked that a lot better. Fortunately Dover said they will let me return it.

I'm still trying to connect with this Dressage instructor for a lesson at my new barn but so far our schedules have not worked out.

I'm very happy that I've been able to school Ana all by myself so far; she makes it easy as she's eager to learn. I remember when I first got her and I tried to lunge her and it was an epic fail; she didn't know verbal commands other than "whoa" and was too excited to really listen to me anyway. She now also knows walk on, teerot, canter and easy.

I got the GoPro as an early birthday gift. Here is a short video of Ana lunging over trot poles. This is the first time that she's trotting over two poles in a row so she really had to pay attention where to put her little feet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NO2nZAm1AU

We also did some free-lunging:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bopW_Y9wLRg&feature=youtu.be

We also rode around in the arena a little bit and then hit the trails but by then I had drained the battery so I didn't capture any of that. Oh well, maybe next time.


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## frlsgirl

Ana has been really spooky the last couple of rides because our barn is getting ready to host a big H/J show so they are busy preparing for everything. It bothers her that the jumps are all dismantled and leaning against the arena wall. On top of that, during our last ride the BM was zipping around the property in his riding lawn mower. Of course these are all good training opportunities and bring us a step closer to bombproofing her, but I feel like I have to be on gremlin patrol so it’s hard to relax and get any good schooling done. She was so frazzled that she started spooking at normal things like another rider tried to enter the arena and it spooked her so bad that she shot across the arena in what seemed like a mili-second. I’m excited about the event because Ana will get to experience the hussle and bussle of the show world for the first time. I don’t know if I’ll be brave enough to ride her but I plan to at least walk her around and maybe lunge her in the warm-up ring. 

I gave her yesterday off and I’m hoping to make it to the barn this afternoon to get some work done. I got some great news yesterday – I have my first real Dressage lesson with Ana this coming Friday. It’s been difficult trying to find someone who’s willing to come to a H/J barn since I don’t have a trailer. I did like my previous two trainers but they are too far away and aren’t willing to travel. So I’m willing to give this new person a shot. I’ve been doing pretty much everything on my own with Ana so it will be good to get some instant feedback from someone more knowledgeable than me.

Speaking of not having a trailer, DH almost bought one yesterday but I told him to hold off. We have one picked out but need to get money matters squared away first. There might also be an upcoming opportunity to trailer to shows with another boarder so I want to explore that first before we make such a large purchase. 

DH is eager for me to start showing Ana but we aren’t ready yet. I think I want to take her on field trips first while we polish up our Dressage skills during private lesson, and then maybe go to a show and pay the non-compete fee so that she can get used to going to a busy place without losing her marbles. If that goes well, then maybe we can enter a small schooling show and move our way up from there. I don’t want to stress her or myself out too much; she’s not even six years old yet so we have time on our side.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Had a great first lesson on Ana with the new instructor. She had a lot of good things to say about Ana. I even had her ride her for me so that she could get a feel of how she responds.

She said that Ana is very sweet, highly sensitive, hasn't quite accepted the bit or my leg yet, steps under herself well naturally, and is stiff to the left partly because I collapse my waist on that side. She also said I'm too soft handed with her; I shouldn't try to meet her at the bit; instead, I should let Ana seek the bit and let her figure it out. She also noted that Ana is a wall hugger as she doesn't seem comfortable in the middle of the arena.

She had me make some changes to my riding with her including planting my hands on her withers instead of following her everywhere with the reins. At first Ana was ****ED! But then she figured it out. She learned a lot in one session so she told me to quit for the day so that she can absorb everything. 

She also said to trust myself; that I know what I'm doing; I'm a very balanced rider and that Ana is already starting to build a top line which indicates that we are on the right path.

She also helped figure out the best way to get her started on lunging with the sliding side reins so I'll be adding that to my weekly routine. 

Ana was soaked in sweat at the end of our session. So I took her in the wash stall and ever so carefully hosed her off while quietly feeding her treats. As a reward for being so good, she got to roll in the arena dirt which she LOVES to do.

Almost forgot, Buddy was released to the pasture today and Ana was so happy to be reunited with "her" baby.


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## frlsgirl

Very happy with Ana right now. We've been practicing what we learned in our Dressage lesson all weekend; I discovered that if I start our ride with hacking around outside and then go in the arena and practice Dressage for 5 to 10 minutes max, she does way better; probably because she's all loosened up from the trail work and her mind is more settled.

Yesterday she gave me perfect left flexion which seemed impossible previously. She's starting to feel, look, and move like a real Dressage horse. 

She's also doing better on trail; less spooky and less looky. Yesterday I rode her past the scary construction house, she was tense but didn't spook so I reached down to pet her and tell her good girl and she spooked at my hand - silly girl. She was like "What the heck?, Oh wait it's just you!" 

She just seems to be accepting the reins/bit a lot more; it's not a constant fight like it was before; and she moves off my leg a lot better especially going to the left which is her stiff side. 

The wash stall is no big deal anymore. We go in there every day now. Sometimes I cross tie her and brush her. Other times I just lead her in, pet her, and feed her treats. I've even hosed her off and she went right back in the next day. She always pauses for a second to think about it which I do allow her to do and then she goes right in.

I'm giving her a day off tomorrow. She deserves it!


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## frlsgirl

*Wash Stall Picture*

Here is her "annoyed" face. This was after being in the wash stall for 15 minutes


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## frlsgirl

Going to a clinic with a BNT from Colorado. I can't wait. I hear she's really good. I'm just going as an auditor as I don't want to stress out Ana. It's the same weekend as the big hunter jumper show at our barn.


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## frlsgirl

*Pictures from Today*

We've had a productive weekend so far and it's only Saturday. I took Friday afternoon off and worked Ana pretty hard since I gave her Tuesday and Thursday off. I started with free lunging; she was being pretty silly, not listening and zipping around the arena like a young colt. She even jumped at liberty over a random obstacle in the middle of the arena. Silly girl. That was preceded by trail work and arena work. 

We did the same routine today only I didn't work her quite as hard and captured some of it on video. She was still a little silly during free lunging so I decided to practice transitions with her by lunging her on the lead rope. 

Anyway, here are some still shots from today. I look terrible in most of them but Ana looks good which is what counts! She's starting to look like a real Dressage horse, yay!


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## frlsgirl

I just realized I haven’t updated my journal since May! 

Let’s see…where to start….

Ana did great for the farrier; she went into the wash stall and cross tied like a champ. He commented again on what a nice mare she is and couldn’t believe she’s only 5, well almost 6. He said he’s the farrier for a Morgan show barn and they are not nearly as well behaved as Ana is and that the young ones are all crazy. 

I rode her bareback on Sunday for the first time. We just did lateral work at the walk and loops and circles at the trot. She did great and most importantly, I didn’t fall off! This was my first time trotting bareback since 1989! 

I had reached out to some knowledgeable Dressage people to evaluate my work with Ana and got some very contradictory feedback. Everything from “you’re doing just fine” to “you’re doing everything wrong” so now I’m a little frustrated. How can there be such a range of opinions? I wish all Dressage instructors would get on the same page! I don’t know who to listen to anymore. I guess this is where I need to learn to TRUST MYSELF. This is hard for me so maybe that’s what my journey with Ana is all about; learning to trust myself. It’s funny; many people have told me that over the course of my life. I’ve had Ana for nearly 5 months now, in that time, I taught her to stretch on command and the walk and trot, I also taught her a vocabulary of words which I use under saddle and while lunging. She’s no longer stiff going to the left and she does seek and accept contact while riding, just not consistently, but that’s all pretty normal. She’s also put on some serious muscling. I trail ride her regularly around the property whereas most others at the barn refuse to because they don’t trust their horse. I also retrained her to go into the wash stall after scaring her half to death with an out -of- control water hose. So I guess I’m doing all right. 

Yesterday, Ana worried me a little bit because she wouldn’t stop twitching. A friend suggested an electrolyte imbalance so I had intended to go to SouthernAg on my way home and get her some electrolyte paste when my husband called to inquire about dinner. I told him that I needed to get Ana some supplies and not only was he understanding but he offered to go to the store for me. He got her new fly spray, apple wafers and two tubes of paste. Husband of the year! Hopefully we can get this twitching under control with some electrolytes.

A new opportunity presented itself yesterday that would allow me to get some horse show experience and could lead to a paying part-time job. I’m going to explore that some more over the weekend. I’m also headed to the Dressage clinic as an auditor to meet some other Morgan Dressage riders. So a lot of change and opportunities on the horizon; can’t wait to see where it all leads.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

*Saddle shopping....again*

The clinic was great; I met some other Morgan Dressage riders and was extremely impressed with what I saw.

After speaking to some knowledgable people, it seems that the Laser I had picked out for Ana, works well for her but not for me; apparently, I need a saddle with a narrow twist. So it's back to the drawing board. Fortunately, I have an idea of what might work based on speaking to other Morgan riders with similar conformation so I'm looking at Albions now. I currently have one on trial, but it's a little too small and this particular model has more of a moderate twist. I'm trying to find a 17 inch SLK with a wide gullet as that should work for both Ana and I.

It's starting to get warmer outside which makes it kind of uncomfortable to ride after work; there is an option to switch to mornings but I don't know if I can get all the logistics to work out. For now, we will just suffer through it but come July and August we may be forced to switch.

DH keeps hinting around about a trailer so I don't know what all he got planned but he's up to something. 

Ana is continuing to progress in several areas. We recently focused on establishing correct tempo and rhythm at the trot as well as establishing and maintaining contact, while also working on transitions. We are continuing to solidify her lunging skills and associated vocabulary, and of course, we are doing lots of ground training around water since the princess prefers not to get her feet wet.

We've done very little cantering and really need to get that back on track. I've thrown in ground poles here and there and even weaved around cones yesterday but we really need to get some serious cavaletti work done so those things are next on the agenda.

She's been testing me recently, probably because she's getting a little ring sour, so of course I have to get her past that as well. If she plants her feet by the arena gate and refuses to move, I find a way to make her move and then I find another spot in the arena where I stop and dismount. I'm trying to make work as fun as possible for her, but it is still work. If I can sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, she can certainly do 30 minutes of arena work a day. The school horses at the barn work MUCH harder than she does. Of course if it was up to her, she would be sipping umbrella drinks and sunning in her pasture all day


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## frlsgirl

*Saddle Trial*

Here we are testing out the Albion Original Comfort in a 16.5 MW. It feels so much better than the Laser but I really need a 17 and Ana really needs a wider gullet.


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## frlsgirl

We cantered 4 times tonight. Three times going left and once going right. It wasn't pretty but we did it! We are both wiped out now. I may give her/me tomorrow off.


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## frlsgirl

I tried out two new trial saddles yesterday. None of them worked. A golden retriever ran out in front of us as we were working. Ana was really annoyed by him and at one point turned to chase him out. So if this Dressage thing doesn't work out she may have a career as a cow sorting horse, or at least retriever sorting


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## frlsgirl

I captured her retriever sorting on video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJR6TeHv4n4


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## frlsgirl

*Picture of Ana & Me*

I finally got a semi-decent picture of me on Ana.


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## Viranh

She's such a cute horse!  Sorry to hear you're back to saddle shopping. It's miserable if you're in a rural area and/or there's something vaguely non-standard about you or your horse. How I envy average sized people with average sized horses. 

If you ever get to the point of getting a new saddle, Custom Saddlery is awesome. They will make something that fits both you and your horse, and they do more than just shorten the flap for a short rider.  

Also, many nice saddles, like possibly that Albion, are adjustable up or down at least one tree size, and possibly two as long as the channel is wide enough and the fit is otherwise good. Anyway, I wish you a short and successful saddle hunt!!


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## frlsgirl

Viranh said:


> She's such a cute horse!  Sorry to hear you're back to saddle shopping. It's miserable if you're in a rural area and/or there's something vaguely non-standard about you or your horse. How I envy average sized people with average sized horses.
> 
> If you ever get to the point of getting a new saddle, Custom Saddlery is awesome. They will make something that fits both you and your horse, and they do more than just shorten the flap for a short rider.
> 
> Also, many nice saddles, like possibly that Albion, are adjustable up or down at least one tree size, and possibly two as long as the channel is wide enough and the fit is otherwise good. Anyway, I wish you a short and successful saddle hunt!!


Thank you! We have only 1 saddle fitter in the entire state of Oklahoma and he's gone 11 months out of the year. The Amulet fits her ok, but I just have a hard time getting my leg around her, in the proper "Dressage" way. Maybe I've just been feeding her too many treats


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## frlsgirl

I had made the mistake of inviting DH to the barn on Tuesday. It was complainorama 2014! He did however take a few good pictures which I will have to post later. So I was in a horrible mood yesterday, as I was still recovering from the day before and questioning myself a lot especially since Ana hasn't been all the jolly lately.

However, I was determined to not let it affect my work with Ana. 

My MDC stirrups had arrived the day before so I decided to try them out and OMG - I love them. Best investment ever. 

I only rode Ana in the arena for a few minutes as I noticed an continued problem trotting to the right and a general lack of enthusiam for work. I took her outside and we trotted all.over.the.place. We usually just walk, so when I asked her to trot, she was like ..."really!?!" I was like "Yes, really!!!" I feel like she got a good work out and didn't resist as much as she does in the arena, and I did get her to stretch down and seek the bit for a few strides, so I will call that progress.

All these developments are starting to make me feel a little better about my journey with Ana again. Some days I just get a little down because I'm so driven to succeed but don't always have the resources required to get there, and I'm still trying to find the balance between pushing Ana enough to develop but not pushing her to the point that she becomes ring sour. I'm also concerned about her health; I don't want her to develop IR, so she needs to keep fit. So some days when she's not enthusiastic, I wonder if I'm pushing her too hard or if she's going through her cycle, or if she's not tolerating the Oklahoma heat as well, or if she didn't sleep well, or if the girth is too tight, or the saddle hurts her, or if she's just trying to convince me to go the easy route, because why work harder than required?

I'm trying to find some things for her that she enjoys. I turned her out in the arena with another mare and she did seem to enjoy that. I gave her a ball to play with but she just looked at me like "what am I supposed to do with that?" She does love to explore so I don't discourage that even though it may create more work for me. Yesterday she dumped out the contents of the grooming box. Silly girl


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## frlsgirl

I just ordered her a Back-on-Track saddle pad; hopefully that will resolve our trotting problem. I'm curious to see if she notices a difference. She is very sensitive about everything; even when I hose her legs off, she will lift each leg as if the water hurts her...such a drama queen


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## SaddleUp158

Something I have had to learn this year (been a hard lesson, personally) is to take the pressure off of myself. When I do that, I lessen the pressure I put on my mare. I have taken both of us back to the basics beginning this spring and we are just now starting to incorporate a small bit of cantering in our works about once a week. It has really helped both of us get back to enjoying riding and has helped my mare to relax greatly. At first it was difficult to only walk some days (mentally for me that is), other days we walk and trot, now we are adding in the canter maybe once a week- but it is working. You haven't had Ana all that long so no worries, you all are doing great! Just keep having fun!


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## frlsgirl

*Picture and Update*

We had a great schooling session yesterday. Since the BM hadn't fed her yet, I opted to feed her myself before we worked. I think that helps a lot because she seems more willing to work when her tummy is full and when I'm the one who controls the food.

I made her trot all over the country side including over a hill to help her build some muscle. I've been playing with my upper body position to find just the right alignment to keep the energy flowing forward. I finished by taking her into the arena and doing some very concentrated bending work. She's still struggling to bend properly to the right but I didn't give up on her; I just kept playing with different loops and circles and stopped working at just the right spot.

I'm still loving my MDC stirrups and can't wait for her Back-on-Track saddle pad to arrive.

Tomorrow is the big schooling show at the barn, for which I volunteered to work. I'm hoping I can sneak away to take Ana for a spin since she hasn't been exposed to the crazy show world yet. It should be interesting.


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## frlsgirl

*H/J Show*

Ana did great at the H/J show. She only spooked once at the judges stand. She was very suspicious of some red lawn chairs but didn't let that rattle her. I walked her around Friday during the warm up once and twice during the actual show on Saturday. She just loves to watch horses jump.


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## Viranh

That's great! My TB thinks other horses jumping are terrifying... very irritating.


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## frlsgirl

Viranh said:


> That's great! My TB thinks other horses jumping are terrifying... very irritating.


I have her boarded at a H/J barn so she's seen lots of horses jump by now. She's never seemed spooky around them; just very interested/looky. Maybe your TB just hasn't been exposed much to the jumping world?


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## Viranh

No, he hasn't. He just sat in a field after coming off the track. I found out that other horses jumping scare him while hanging on to a panicked monster horse at our last schooling show, lol. He got a little better about it after a little while, but it's something we'll have to work on.


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## frlsgirl

We had a productive day yesterday. First she was not happy to see me and I had a hard time getting the halter on her because I was squished between her and Jessie, the big TB. Lately these two have been quite literately attached at the hip, so I will need to figure out a way to detach her and have her respect my space a little more. 

Once I took her to the grooming area, I unpacked my new side reins so that I could hold them up to her to make sure they fit, and it scared her. She pulled back on tie and panicked, but settled down quickly when she realized it was nothing to be afraid of.

We rode outside first; walked and then did our trot/walk routine. I can only get her to trot for 5 minutes before she needs a break. So we did that three times; we trotted all over the place, including up a small hill. Then we went into the arena and did some light bending work. I had intended to only walk her but she decided to pick up a trot in order to avoid bending. That’s ok, I’m not supposed to punish any attempt at “forward” but then I’m not supposed to go back to a walk until it’s MY idea. She didn’t like that all; she prefers for everything to be her ideaJ We still managed to stop on a good note. 

I then lunged her for a few minutes on each side before slowly and carefully introducing the scary side reins. I kept her close on a small circle and had the side reins on the loosest possible setting. We only did walk and trot and I praised her immensely. 

So all in all a very productice "Learning" day for both of us.


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## zett

I really enjoyed reading this thread. I sat here and read the whole thing in one sitting. I saw Morgan in the title and couldn't resist. Now I want a Morgan more than ever, and I hope to find one as sweet and sensible as Ana. I'll just have to watch out for the neighbor's satellite dish.


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## frlsgirl

zett said:


> I really enjoyed reading this thread. I sat here and read the whole thing in one sitting. I saw Morgan in the title and couldn't resist. Now I want a Morgan more than ever, and I hope to find one as sweet and sensible as Ana. I'll just have to watch out for the neighbor's satellite dish.


I'm glad you like it. Morgans are generally known to be great, all-around horses, but I got especially lucky with little Ana . They will find ways to entertain themselves if they get bored, so you want to keep everything valuable away from them; otherwise, it becomes a "play-thing."


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## frlsgirl

The new saddle pad finally arrived so I took it for a test-ride. I like it a lot better than me simple Roma pad. It seems to fit her better, too. When I took the saddle off, she was slightly sweaty but her back felt very warm. The only drawback is that the deep black color makes my faded saddle look brown instead of black. 

We did an abbreviated version of our new routine since I was feeling really drained from the heat. The arena had a bunch of crap laying around everywhere which was perfect because I used it to practice bending her. We did ride outside some as I wanted to trot hills with her, but my allergies were so bad, I could hardly see where I was going from my eyes watering. 

I briefly talked to the head trainer at the barn. She said that Ana’s back looks good but she still needs more neck muscles. She told me to do bending work, lateral work and hill work – which is exactly what I’m already doing so I guess it just takes time. I ordered her some Quiessence from SmartPak which will hopefully prevent her from developing IR and may also help with her occasional muscle twitching fits and overall muscle development. The trainer also mentioned that in the summer time, they work the horses in the morning because it just gets too miserably hot for them in the afternoon, which could explain why she’s been so “Blah” lately. So I’m going to switch my work schedule around so that I can ride her first thing in the morning. 

When I walked her back to the pasture Jessie was already standing at the gate hollering for her. He was playing with the water again, although not very successfully, as there just wasn’t enough to make his usual muddy mess. I turned on the water hose to refill the buckets and noticed that he really enjoyed the water spray, so I hosed him off from top to bottom; he just stood there enjoying every minute of it, making funny faces, and grunting.


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## frlsgirl

*New Saddle Pad*

Here are some pics. Makes my saddle look really brown, doesn't it?


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## frlsgirl

*Update and new Pics*

I had a great weekend with Ana. I finally got her new bit and bridle fitted for her and took her for a test ride in the arena; since she did fine we decided to hit the trails. I discovered a steep hill on the property and decided to get brave and climbed up there. Ana handled it like a champ. Once we got up there, I was like "crap, how are we going to get back down"? Lol. I'm sure Ana thought the same thing. We ended up having to go side-ways at an angle. Later, I discovered that I could have just gone down the front of the hill as it's not steep at all. Felt like an idiot. 
Here is a link to our adventure on top of the world:





While we were out and about I noticed a sick horse in the pasture so I hurried back to the barn to investigate further. I untacked her and tied her up like I always do and ran off to check on the horse. The horse is fine - just a major allergic reaction - his skin looked like bubble wrap!

Anyway, so I walk back to the barn and I notice a horse standing in the stall with the door open, and I thought why would anybody leave a horse unattended like that?...but as I got closer....I realized...crap, that's my horse! Somehow she figured out a way to open the clasp on the tie. Now I will have to figure out a different way to tie her...sigh.
Then I decided to clean/organize my tack which included taking the pad home to wash. I figured if I throw it into the washing machine by itself and set an extra rinse cycle, it would be fine, right? NO. I spent over an hour so far cleaning horse hair. It's everywhere. 

I changed my work schedule starting this week so that I can ride in the morning before work as it is freaking hot in Oklahoma right now and that won't change until September/October. 
Today was the first day of my new morning riding schedule. She was already waiting for me at the gate (actually she was waiting for the BM to bring her feed but I like my version better). I decided to ride her outside first. She was mighty frisky and turned into a high strung, high stepping saddle seat horse. While I was riding, the BM was driving around with the feed truck dispensing the morning meals, so that didn’t help at all. It was good to see her so spunky but it was a struggle to keep her enthusiasm contained. We then finished with some light arena work and she actually did really well, suddenly, trotting clockwise is not a problem anymore. I wonder if the hill-work I did with her worked out some kinks? Maybe it’s the new bit? Anyway, we had to call it quits for the day because I needed to feed her and get ready for work. I’m happy to report that I made it to work with time to spare so now I know that my new morning routine should work out just fine. 
I attached some pics from our trail ride. (The quality is not that great as I took Iphone pics from the GoPro video).


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## Zexious

I'm glad to hear that horse was ok! Seeing a horse like that can be scary, for sure 

Ana seems like such a smart little thing. Your thought process is so funny--I've done very similar things before. xD

My favorite pic is the one of her with the Mini... adorns <3 I'm also pretty jelly of your GoPro. Have you had it long?


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> My favorite pic is the one of her with the Mini... adorns <3 I'm also pretty jelly of your GoPro. Have you had it long?


I just got the GoPro for my birthday last month. I still haven't figured out all the buttons yet but it comes in quite handy.


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## frlsgirl

*Fantastic Ride*

Ana was eager and ready to go this morning. Here is a picture of her. Isn't she cute?

We rode outside again and she was very forward, had no issues bending left or right. 

We rode with a friend of mine and her giant Hanno. It was awesome to start the day that way. I took the Hanno for a test ride as I will be riding her while my friend is on vacation. It was like going from an Acura TL to a Lincoln Towncar. She is freaking huge, and her neck is sooo long. It should be interesting.


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## tinyliny

I chuckled when I read about your adventures on top of the world, and the "hill". you are probably not used to hills, so that one felt huge. but of course, horses can manage hills just fine. I have found that going almost straight down is often easier for them than traversing, like we might do. (unless there is a trail chiselled into the side of the hill that zigzags)
you should try walking her up and down that hillock, to build her balance and strength. making her walk up it is harder work than allowing her to trot up.

love her cute perky ears!


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> I chuckled when I read about your adventures on top of the world, and the "hill". you are probably not used to hills, so that one felt huge. but of course, horses can manage hills just fine. I have found that going almost straight down is often easier for them than traversing, like we might do. (unless there is a trail chiselled into the side of the hill that zigzags)
> you should try walking her up and down that hillock, to build her balance and strength. making her walk up it is harder work than allowing her to trot up.
> 
> love her cute perky ears!


Thanks. It did feel like the top of the world to me, I guess I don't get out of the arena very much. I tried to make her walk up the hill but the last part is steeper so she felt like she needed to trot to hoist herself up there. I've since found a path that is less steep so we will be exploring that next .


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## tinyliny

See, I'd feel like Im "naked" out in so much open, flat space. I grew up with hills and trees all around, and though I love a good "vista", I get nervous when it's nothing but flat, for as far as one can see. it's like there is no reference point from which to navigate.
but, that dike (it looks like a dike) top road will make for a nice canter when you are ready.


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## frlsgirl

Ana had a super-busy and eventful day yesterday.

We started with a private Dressage lesson with my trainer. She mentioned that although Ana has made several improvements since the last lesson, I wasn’t pushing her hard enough and allowing her to take advantage of me. I had my trainer wear the GoPro so I have my entire lesson on film and it was very educational. I can really see now what my trainer was talking about. She did actually move well for me in a fairly relaxed manner, but she doesn’t really “try” to give me her best because I’ve accepted a lower standard of performance from her. My trainer loves my position, she said it has nothing to do with my riding it’s just a mental block that I need to overcome. I was exhausted after only 20 minutes so I had my trainer jump on her for some “serious” schooling and OMG can my horse move well. I totally get it now. She pushed her really hard and made her kind of mad to the point that she almost reared on her, but after that, OMG…Ana was the picture of Dressage perfection. Forget schooling shows, forget local rated shows…she’s got the moves to make it to the top. She took my breath away; I couldn’t stop watching her, she’s just so elegant and expressive. As we walked back to the barn I noticed that Ana’s eyes had changed; the trainer said that she is processing a lot of information right now and it takes time for that to sink in. 

So now I’m more motivated than ever to get her Dressage career started; I still have doubts, not doubts about Ana, but I still doubt myself. What if I can’t push her hard enough? What if I push her too hard? How will I know where that fine line begins and ends? My trainer knew exactly how far to push her to get 110% from Ana. When I ride her, she’s like “la, la, la, I’m trotting…la,la,la I’m walking”; she enjoys working with me because I let her determine how much to give. Can I get 110% from her without ruining my working relationship with her? Lots of things to think about. 

Next the farrier came for her regular trim. He finished much sooner than I had expected so I asked if she could be put in a stall while we waited for our next appointment. She seemed a little confused by it; after sniffing everything, pooping, and looking out the window, she was ready to go. 

Then the vet arrived to give her the rhino booster and to float her teeth. This was a first for me so I was halfway between nervous and excited. The sedative kicked in really fast and poor Ana was off in lala-land. I had to hold the lead-rope that he had rigged up to use as a lever to keep her head held up. I had no idea a horse’s head weighs that much. Thankfully, the actual floating part of the procedure didn’t take very long. Then it was time to turn her back out but she was still very loopy from the sedative so we decided to move her into the nearest stall to let her sleep it off. She couldn’t even walk straight; I was afraid she was going to collapse so I was very happy that the BM let me use the stall for a few hours. 

Then I headed to my trainers barn to talk to her some more and pick up some lunging equipment. We decided that I should lunge her for the next three days instead of riding her as she is learning the concept of contact and lunging would continue to build on that. Then I grabbed lunch to go and headed back to the barn to check on Ana. She was still groggy but at least was standing straight and looking at me. I decided to wait a little longer to turn her out and ate much lunch first. I checked on her again and she seemed like her normal self except a little slow and tired and really sweaty for some reason. 

I walked her back to her pasture where she drank like a gallon of water before wandering off to graze. Her herd-mates were glad to have her back; the geldings can’t seem to function without her. They just stand by the gate and whinny for her. 

Completely exhausted I drove home, showered and took a well-deserved 3 hour nap. We had made plans to meet our friends at the German restaurant for dinner, otherwise I could have slept until the following day. Our friends’ daughter really wanted to see Ana so we drove over there after dinner to check on her. She came right up to the fence; pinned her ears at Buddy and chased him around a little bit, before walking back up to us for some lovin. I was happy to see her back to her normal self. She did great with my friends’ daughter, as she always does. What a sweet girl. 

Although I was supposed to lunge her today (pssst, don’t tell my trainer), I decided to give her the day off. Yesterday was stressful enough for both of us. I have lots of pictures from the lesson, the farrier visit, the dental appointment and others that I need to get loaded.


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## frlsgirl

*Dental Appointment Pics*

Here are the pictures from her dental appointment. Poor thing, was totally out of it. You can kind of see the lead rope on the left hand side of the picture that I'm using to hold her head up.


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## frlsgirl

*Pictures from our visit*

Here is Ana with her new little friend. She does very well with children


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## frlsgirl

*July Lesson Pics*

Here are a couple of pictures from Tuesday's lesson. She's starting to stretch down more but doesn't always stretch the entire topline; but we are making progress. The picture quality is not very good as these are still shots taken with my Iphone from the GoPro video, but at least you can see her outline.


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## frlsgirl

I worked Ana on the lunge this morning after giving her two days off. She was very happy to see me and let out a friendly nicker. She has never talked to me so this is very exciting! 

I tried out the surcingle that I'm borrowing and it fits - yay. Per my RI's suggestion, I threaded the lunge line through the inside ring, over her head and attached it to the outside bit ring. I used the sliding side reins and her old bridle. I started off by lunging her without clipping the sliding side reins to her bit so that she could get used to the noise and feel of the equipment. We did a few circles going each direction. Then I clipped the side reins in place on the loosest setting and lunged her for 3 minutes going each way, rinse and repeat. 

Then, the HJ RI showed up and needed the arena for a lesson so I took Ana outside and repeated the same sequence out on the grass. It actually worked out well because she had to work through some distractions.

She's really getting it - such a smart girl. She knows that when she reaches down and stretches, she gets more breathing room. She stretched several times and for several strides at both the walk and trot. She is still not relaxed enough at the canter to stretch but I have no doubts that she will get there. 

I'm so happy that I finally have a lunging system that works as intended!


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## frlsgirl

Today was kind of a weird day. Didn't make it to the barn until almost 10am and by then it was already too hot to do much. I've been sick with an ear infection so that's making me a little sleepy and dizzy; hence the late start to our day. I lunged her for a little bit on both sides; with the side reins still on the loosest setting. She did really well, as expected. 

A little girl was just finishing her lesson and told the RI that she wants to ride my horse next  The RI was like "umm, no she's not a school horse, so you can't ride her" lol. She did ask me if it was ok to pet her, of course Ana agreed.

A lady came up to me and asked me all kinds of questions about the lunging equipment. Next thing I know, I'm riding her horse for her; a 15 year old HOT Arab. The lady is going through cancer treatment right now and doesn't have a lot of energy to do much. I've never ridden in an endurance saddle or with a bit-less bridle before so it was a little awkward, I nearly fell off at my first trot attempt as my slippery sneakers just slid right out of the funky stirrups. Then I got the hang of it and did some trotting with diagonal changes, and walking with small circles and turns before handing the reins back over to the owner. 

I was glad to ride my super-chill Ana after that. We just fit together like two peas in a pod. Although I jump at the chance to ride another horse, I always feel my best when I'm riding Ana. We did a little arena work, then mosied around the trails on the property; visited with a not-so-friendly horse, she also stepped in a rabbit hole, but I think she's ok. I took her back into the arena and trotted her and she seemed fine.

Then we continued with our normal routine of bath in wash-stall, roll in arena dirt, hand-graze, and go back to the pasture.

I would like to do more work with her tomorrow, but I'm so tired and my ear is still bugging me. I hate being sick, especially when I have so much to do! Sigh.


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## frlsgirl

*Better Lesson Pic*

Here is a better lesson picture. I finally figured out how to do screen-shots on a mac - duh!


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## frlsgirl

*Sunday schooling session*

Sunday was a good productive day. We lunged and she is learning to really stretch down and I learned a better way to use the clips on the sliding reins.

We also did some riding; nothing heavy, just 20 minutes of walk and trot in the arena. The lunging is paying off because she is stretching down more and seeking the bit a lot more. She is no longer fighting the bit; idk if it's due to her teeth being freshly floated or if her recent schooling has anything to do with it.

I tried out a Max Hopfner Dressage saddle on her. It fits her, and it sort of fits me. It's interesting how saddles affect your position. I was no longer tipped forward like I am in the Amulet, however, it still didn't feel or look quite right.

She's getting today off since she learned a lot in the last 3 days.

Here is a picture from our lunging session yesterday. Good-bye under-neck muscle and hello top-line!


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## frlsgirl

Miss Ana had a pep in her step this morning! Probably because it's 20 degrees cooler and she had a day off. I didn't even have to walk all the way down the pasture as she approached me half-way.

I decided to ride outside first since we've been doing a lot of formal schooling. We turned the corner and were immediately confronted with dismantled jumps. Miss Ana was like...la, la, la, going on a trail ride...la, la, la...wait WHAT THE **** IS THAT? She ran backwards so fast I could hardly contain her. She really scared me; I though she was going to rear! So I did manage to calm my fire-breathing dragon and we ended up going around to the other side of the jumps. She was still super suspicious and blowing her nose like a dragon, but we managed to walk around all the jumps without further incident. If I give her a chance to look at them, she usually gets over it pretty fast. I'm glad we were both brave enough to confront the obstacles; we can't be avoiding stuff like this.

A bunch a kids started arriving for a jumping lesson so I decided to go back to the arena and do some schooling. She did ok; was very opinionated but did carry herself reasonably well. We ended by letting her trot and walk on a super loose rein which is her favorite thing to do (she grunts like an old dog when we do this, it's kind of funny).

I'm thinking I need to alternate lunging and riding during the week. Today would have probably been a better lunging day since she was full of hot air, but it's also good for me to ride her when she's like this because it sharpens my riding skills and reminds me that she's still a greenie.


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## frlsgirl

Today I lunged a fire-breathing dragon. She was hot, hot, hot. We didn't get much top-line building done; she did however get a great cardio work-out. I had to lunge her outside since the RI was using the indoor for a lesson. I decided to use the outdoor arena instead of the north-lawn. That's the outdoor with all the scary dismantled obstacles which probably explains why she was so hot. 

She scared me a little as she reminded me of my dogs when they get the zoomies. I just told myself, that I can't help her if I panic so I just stood there calmly at let her work the crazy out. 

I made sure we lunged in both directions and I moved around the arena a little bit so that she could see everything and not wear down the freshly dragged footing. 

I'm still playing around with the different clips on the sliding side reins to find the ideal setting for her. I don't want to strap her head down; I want to use the sliding mechanism as intended so that she can teach herself to get relief by reaching down and stretching from back to front. 

Maybe she needed a day to just be silly; can't be a perfect lady all the time


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## frlsgirl

*Update on Ana with Pics*

I went to the barn after work as I wanted to see the new foal that had arrived overnight. While I was there, I figured I might as well work Ana. Since the weather was terrible, we had the whole place to ourselves. It was awesome! I lunged her, free lunged her, and rode her bareback.

I also took some pics and compared them to when we first arrived at the barn back in March. She has sure gained a lot of muscle. The dip behind the withers is now filled in. She no longer looks like a yearling. Yay!


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## frlsgirl

*Busy Weekend*

Here are a couple of pics from this weekend.

Saturday, my friend came out to visit me and Ana. She rides Western so it was kind of entertaining to watch her ride Ana. She did really well though.

After my friend left, I carried on with some serious schooling.

We've been working on transitions which realy get her wound up but also help her use her body in a more correct way.

Sunday we did some more schooling followed by endurance work. Basically, I took her outside and we trotted all over the place. The longest she can trot without needing a break is about 7 minutes.

Then I rode my friends giant horse; she's been out of town and her exercise rider has not had time to work her so she sent me a fb message asking me to ride her. It went well, but it really made me appreciate shorter horses. I needed a step-stool to get the saddle on her. Once mounted, it took a lot of energy to ride her. I only did walk and trot and then took her on a short little trail ride. I was EXHAUSTED by the time I got home. 

All in all a great weekend. Now Ana has a day off before it's back to work tomorrow.


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## egrogan

I know what you mean about shorter horses! I had to ride a huge Irish Sporthorse a few weeks ago and I felt completely out of balance after getting so used to my little mare. It was a good reminder of how important it is to ride a lot of different horses though- in some ways, I felt like a complete beginner, which was really embarrassing. I realized that in the past 3 years, I've really only ridden my own horse, and that has definitely not made me a better rider. It's just hard enough to find the time to ride MY horse, let alone make time to ride others!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I know what you mean about shorter horses! I had to ride a huge Irish Sporthorse a few weeks ago and I felt completely out of balance after getting so used to my little mare. It was a good reminder of how important it is to ride a lot of different horses though- in some ways, I felt like a complete beginner, which was really embarrassing. I realized that in the past 3 years, I've really only ridden my own horse, and that has definitely not made me a better rider. It's just hard enough to find the time to ride MY horse, let alone make time to ride others!


No kidding! Here is a picture of me on her horse. It's an 18 hand Hanno. I look like I'm sitting on a high chair. She's by far the biggest horse I've ever ridden. So it's kind of comical that I rode the smallest horse and the biggest horse in the barn all in the same day.


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## frlsgirl

We got some serious lunging done today. She cantered 5 times on each side with lots of walking and trotting in between. Since she got kind of sweaty, I decided to cool her down well before allowing her to eat breakfast as I’m sure it’s not good for them to eat when they are all worked up. I had her walk around in circles without the side reins. Right about that time, the BM pulled up with the feed truck, which resulted in a very entertaining discussion between Ana and I.

Me: “Walk on”!
Ana: (stops walking, raises head, watches BM) “But breakfast is here”!
Me: “Walk on”!
Ana: (stomps around the circle like a child and stops again, turns and looks at me) “How about now”? “Can we stop now”?
Me: “Walk on”!!
Ana: (stomps around the circle some more) “This is ridiculous, I demand to speak to my butler”!
Me: “Walk on”!!!
Me: (a minute or so later) “Whoa”…”atta girl”
Ana: “finally, geez, can I eat now, please”?!?


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## frlsgirl

I finally rode Ana today. It seems like it's been an eternity (last Sunday). Monday was her day off, Tuesday I lunged her, I gave her Wednesday off bc it was DHs birthday, didn't feel well enough to ride yesterday so I only groomed her an turned her back out.

She did really well for me today. I tried out the indirect rein on her as described by Jane Savoie, and it worked! I wish I would have caught that on camera; it really works. She ignores most other rein aids, especially the HH, and sometimes the downward transitions. I can't wait to get out there and practice some more.

On another note, my paddock boots broke so I decided to wear my backup/crappy $25 boots while I wait for my replacements boots to arrive in the mail. They hurt my left foot so bad. It's so hard to ride in them; I'll probably be black and blue by the time my new boots arrive. Note to self - never skimp on boots.


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## Zexious

That white Hano is gorgeous <3 One of my first leases was a Hano x TB, and he was a dream.

Glad to hear you and Ana are doing well!


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> That white Hano is gorgeous <3 One of my first leases was a Hano x TB, and he was a dream.
> 
> Glad to hear you and Ana are doing well!


It's my friend's horse. Would you believe she bought her for $1? She came from a H/J barn and they were looking for a non-jumping home for her, as she is getting up there in age and her joints can't hold up to jumping anymore. My friend only rides her maybe once a week and just showed her at a Dressage show; first rated show ever and she scored in the 60s! Atta girl!


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## Zexious

Wow, that's awesome! What a steal ;D


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana all weekend so I'm giving her a day off. We are expecting cooler temperatures this week - yay! She did pretty good Saturday but was kind of a turd yesterday. I rode her in the outside arena. She was very distracted and just not interested in schooling at all. It didn't help that I rode her while the BM was driving around dispensing breakfast. 

I wonder if she's in heat because her pasture mate Jesse is being very protective of her. A new gelding moved into the neighboring paddock so Jesse spends all his time making sure that Ana doesn't get too close to him. The poor new gelding just hangs out in his shelter all day because every time he tries to come out Jessie runs to the fence line, ears pinned and teeth showing. I had to get after Jessie with the lead rope because he was trying to stop me from taking Ana out. Then he just stood there and whinnied for her the whole time I was trying to work her. 

My trainer texted me and asked me to ride Ana in a clinic with some BNT from Europe next weekend. I haven't decided yet if I should go. It sounds like it would be stressful and I don't want Ana's first outing to be a stressful event. Plus we are getting ready to go on vacation so we are spending next weekend packing and planning. I don't know how I can squeeze a clinic into an already busy weekend.

I hate making decisions. It could be a good opportunity but it could also be a disaster. I just don't know. I made the mistake of texting a friend who is also a student of this trainer to see if she is going to the same clinic. I think that maybe she wasn't invited and now I let the cat out of the bag. Oops!


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## SaddleUp158

I think you should do it! What a wonderful opportunity! Ana is a level headed girl, she will be fine if you are calm. I hope you go and have a wonderful time.


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## frlsgirl

My trainer just texted me this morning - the clinic got cancelled. This is probably a good thing because my usually well behaved 6 year old Morgan mare completely lost her marbles this morning.

Everything started out normal. I got her from the paddock and tied her up in the grooming area. I started grooming her and noticed that she was a little fidgety today but nothing out of the usual. 

Then the barns H/J RI showed up and opened the barn door so that her student could meet the new foal that arrived about a week ago. Since I had not petted it yet I asked if it was ok for me to pet the foal. I slowly approached the foal barely touched her when my mare, 20 feet away still tied up in the grooming area, went completely insance. Pawing, screaming, throwing her head around, lifting her tail. I excused myself and walked back over to her and tried to calm her down. I doulbe checked her markings because for a moment I thought I had grabbed the wrong horse from the paddock because my horse doesn't act this way. 

I proceeded to groom her and she continued to dance around, scream and paw. I went to pick up her right hind and she kicked at me. I whacked her good, and proceeded without incident. When I got to her left hind, the same thing happened, so I whacked her again and she stopped. 

She was still kind of hot, pawing, dancing, screaming so I put just the lunging surcingle and pad on her, grabbed the lunge line and the whip and moved her into the arena.

She completely exploded...we are talking bucking bronco...she was like an unbroke horse that was getting lunged for the first time. I did all I could to hang on to her . Once she settled down, I worked the SNOT out of her. After about 30 minutes, my calm, well-mannered horse was back.

Just to check her obedience level, I hand walked her by the pen where the mare is turned out with her foal, made her back up, walked some more, made her stop, backed her up again. Although she is still very interested in the foal, she was completely well behaved and did everything I asked her to do. 

So what was her deal this morning? Why so obsessed over this foal? 

I may need to cut back her grain some more and work her a little harder. The way she acted this morning, you wouldn't believe that it's the same horse that a six year old girl can ride and lead around without incident.


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## egrogan

Yikes, that doesn't sound like a fun morning. Has she seen or interacted with the foal at all? Is that the only thing that was different today?


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Yikes, that doesn't sound like a fun morning. Has she seen or interacted with the foal at all? Is that the only thing that was different today?


Yes, I showed her the foal a few days ago and she walks by her stall every day but I've never petted the foal and it's never been that close to her out in the open. She was fine until I petted the foal. 

She used to baby sit a foal at her last owner's place which made me wonder if she thinks it's her long lost foal friend.

Also, I wondered if maybe she's in heat and seeing the foal just kind of sparked marish behavior in her.


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## egrogan

So full disclaimer that I don't have any experience with foals, but I do know that hormones can make horses do weird things. Of course it's no excuse for her behavior, but it does seem like too much of a coincidence that she acted so uncharacteristically while the foal was in plain view for her. I would guess it was less about you touching the foal and more just about being close to it and wanting to get closer. Or was the other mare sending a "defensive" vibe Ana's way and she felt challenged? 

But I will let more experienced people say more about what they think might explain it...


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> So full disclaimer that I don't have any experience with foals, but I do know that hormones can make horses do weird things. Of course it's no excuse for her behavior, but it does seem like too much of a coincidence that she acted so uncharacteristically while the foal was in plain view for her. I would guess it was less about you touching the foal and more just about being close to it and wanting to get closer. Or was the other mare sending a "defensive" vibe Ana's way and she felt challenged?
> 
> But I will let more experienced people say more about what they think might explain it...


Yeah, it was really strange for her to act this way. That's why I double checked her markings - I thought I had grabbed the wrong horse 

I did end up getting control over her after working the snot out of her for a good 30-40 minutes.


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## frlsgirl

*Ana is back to normal...sort of*

I free lunged her this morning and then rode her. To avoid the foaliasko, I walked her the long way through the arena so that she didn't get to see it. She did know it was there though because she called out once and then settled down.

I rode her in my friends saddle again. I think I really like it. Ana didn't move to well today under saddle, but it could be because she's in season or it could be that she doesn't like the saddle. My new paddock boots arrived so I took them for a test ride this morning - love them.

I asked her to canter today and she had a really hard time...neck raised, ears pinned and running at a fast paced trot. I couldn't give up on her because once we start with something we have to finish it. It took 4 tries before she cantered half a circle...that was good enough for me. 

I'm really undecided as to what to do with her now. She has days where she just doesn't move well and then other days she looks like she's ready for the show ring. If I could only pinpoint what's causing this discrepancy. Do mares not move well when they are in season? She kept stopping like she was going to poop but then never pooped. Maybe she's in pain?

My saddle fitting book arrived. It will be feverishly studying it while on vacation next week. I will also have my RI ride her. I'm having the BM reduce her daily feed ration again as she's starting to look chubby.

On a positive note, she performed a perfect flying change while she was free lunging today so that is very encouraging.


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## SaddleUp158

Not sure if you have palpated her entire back when she is in season, but I know my mare gets sore over her ovaries. Most years, I will have her ovaries injected (fairly inexpensive) and it takes care of the girly soreness. Something to keep in mind. Not many vets know how to do this from my experience, but if you want the name of the lady who we go to let me know. She has her own "recipe" if you will. She is in OKC, though not sure if she travels.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Not sure if you have palpated her entire back when she is in season, but I know my mare gets sore over her ovaries. Most years, I will have her ovaries injected (fairly inexpensive) and it takes care of the girly soreness. Something to keep in mind. Not many vets know how to do this from my experience, but if you want the name of the lady who we go to let me know. She has her own "recipe" if you will. She is in OKC, though not sure if she travels.


I've never heard of that. Does it work for people too? Ana and I seem to be on the same cycle...weird, right? I'm giving her the day off, only because I'm in too much pain to ride.


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## frlsgirl

I lunged Miss Ana today. I made sure she didn't see the foal at all and she did just fine. I'm pushing her harder at the canter as she tends to fizzle out after a couple of circles. She has a beautiful canter but it's hard for her to canter in circles without being strung out. I don't have the sliding side reins tight at all so she still has room to breathe but at least she's not totally strung out. She's so funny though because after a couple of circles she'll check with me if it's ok to trot yet...of course I push her on, and she's just huffing and puffing like I'm asking her to run a 10k 

I had my trainer meet me at the barn this morning so that I could show her around, as she will be riding Ana for me while I'm on vacation. She's only going to work her once or twice so Ana will still enjoy a mini staycation.

I need to lunge AND ride her this weekend. I haven't been feeling well enough to ride (had a minor medical procedure on Wednesday) but at least I'm upgright and was able to lunge her this morning. Maybe I can try some light riding tomorrow and build up from there. We both need the exercise.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> I've never heard of that. Does it work for people too? Ana and I seem to be on the same cycle...weird, right? I'm giving her the day off, only because I'm in too much pain to ride.


I have no idea if it works for people as well. Wouldn't that be wonderful if it did?!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Well, Ana is definitely in season! Every time we walk by Gabriel’s pasture, she has to stop and pee. Gabriel is a big black and beautiful Friesian gelding. This has got me dreaming about a Moriesian foal; they are supposed to make excellent Dressage mounts. Maybe in the very distant future, as I have lots of things planned with Ana. 

Despite her current “condition”, she has been a joy to handle and ride; no more behavioral problems, yay! I worked her all weekend as I’m getting ready to go on vacation so she will get some time off then. I’m just very pleased with how obedient she is especially during lunging. Perhaps her behavioral outburst last week and our subsequent CTJ meeting, was just what we both needed.

We did Dressage schooling on Saturday, formal lunging on Sunday followed by bareback lateral work. I rewarded her with a trail ride this morning. It was so nice to watch the sun rise with Ana. I can’t think of a better way to start my Monday! She enjoyed it too and even offered a canter but we were about to turn a sharp corner on wet grass so I had to bring her back down to a walk; maybe next time. 

I’m hoping I’ll have time to see her tomorrow before I leave for vacation Wednesday. My trainer is stopping by over the weekend to ride her for me. I’ll be visiting Ana’s breeder next weekend. I’m secretly hoping I will get to ride one of the many beautiful Morgans. I’m also going to a big tack store in Washington; and might buy Ana something nice if it will fit in my suitcase!
The first picture is Ana with Jessie and Hercules; the second one is a head shot of Gabriel - Ana's newest love interest.


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## frlsgirl

*I'm back from our trip*

We had a great time cruising around the Pacific Northwest. I did get to ride Ana's dad and briefly sat on her mom. I also met her Grandfather and many other awesome Morgans.

Now it's back to work. I saw Ana this morning. She was hotter than a fire cracker. My trainer only rode her once the whole time I was gone. I ended up lunging her for 30 minutes before riding her just to get all that hot air out of her. She was a perfect angel after that.

Hopefully I can arrange another lesson soon so that we can continue to progress.

Ana's dad rides like a dream. This gives me great hope that we can get Ana trained to move just like him .


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana all weekend so she's getting a day off. It's been miserably hot, so I don't know how much riding I'll get done this week. I think the kids are back in school starting this week so hopefully I'll have the arena to myself again if I go early enough in the mornings.


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## frlsgirl

Ana did pretty well today. Since I gave her Monday off, I decided to start by lunging her just in case she was feeling frisky. She was a little peppy but very managable. Then the BO moved the mom and her foal to the round pen which Ana could easily see through the opening in the arena wall. She perked up, whinnied a couple of times but still behaved herself.

The best part: the kids are back in school so I have the whole facility to myself.

I decided to do a little bit of riding since she seemed so cooperative. I'm currently working on establishing and maintaining contact. I had sent a video to Jane Savoie with our contact issues and she replied with a 5 minute long audio response which included a step-by-step action plan for how to fix the problem. So I eagerly implemented her suggestions and I think Ana is starting to get the hint. It's very simple, but I have to be very quick with my corrections. Whenever she comes below the bit, I bump her forward, when she's above the bit, I nag her with suppling exercises, and when she stretches forward and accepts the bit, I praise her. Considering that she was a bit distracted by the foal, she did very well.

I just have to make sure that I'm very consistent with her. So I can't really ever relax and tune out because that opens the door for letting a undesirable behavior go unaddressed. 

I also finally ordered her the vienna reins that I've been eyeing in the Dover catalog. That should help her further develop correct muscling and acceptance of contact on the lunge line.

Here is a little confo shot from this weekend: Her muscles are coming along...I would still like to see a more defined topline but that will come with time.


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## frlsgirl

*We had a breakthrough today!*

She started out very uncooperative; walked away when she saw me entering the paddock, was fidgety during saddling, and completely distracted and almost unresponsive under saddle. The foal was out, the feed truck was going around dispensing morning meals, constructions work is continuing on the east side of the grounds and she hadn’t been worked in a couple of days; a good recipe for a non-productive ride. I attempted to do some basic schooling in the arena with her, but she was such a mess, it was just a total waste of time. After she nearly ran me into the wall because she was busy looking at the foal and not watching where she was going, I had had enough! 

I took her in the outside arena where she immediately started whinnying for the foal, so I put her butt to work! We did lots and lots of loops and circles around all the obstacles. Basically, I circled until she softened, then proceeded straight and if she even thought about getting distracted or unresponsive we did more circles or figure 8s around obstacles. I continued applying the new techniques that Jane Savoie had recommended. At first, I did have to open my inside hand to get her to turn around the obstacles, but she very quickly softened and started to pay attention. We even did some leg yields at the trot which we had never done before. After 15 minutes of continuous trotting and looping we finished with a nice leg yield left, I let her chew the reins out of my hand, and I finally let her walk and patted her. She was soaked in sweat. 

It’s hard to believe when we started out just 30 minutes earlier, she couldn’t even do basic intro-level Dressage work and when we were finishing up, she was doing picture perfect 1st level work. 

She is capable of so much more than what I give her credit for, but the challenge is to get her focused and supple so that she can perform at a higher level. I’m sure glad I was able to figure this out on my own today; working with a challenging horse can be so frustrating but it also makes the little victories so much sweeter 

Here are a couple of sweaty pics from today:


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## frlsgirl

I had a great lesson today. Trainer showed me how to hook up the German martingale. I was skeptical at first because I didn’t realize that it’s vastly different from a regular martingale, as the horse still has full range of motion and the straight line from bit to hand is maintained. 

We worked on straightness by turning down the quarter line and trying to go straight to the other end. I never realized how hard that is to do with her as she likes to drift to the wall. Also, since she’s so short-bodied, I have to be careful to not over-steer when I first make the turn, otherwise her back end fishtails behind me. I never had this problem when I rode bigger horses so it was an eye-opening experience for me.
I still had to really push her forward and bend her especially going to the left (her stiff side). 

She was her usual resistant self at first but after about 15 minutes she finally loosened up and softened up nicely for me. Trainer was beside herself with excitement. She said she’s never seen her move this well. 

I told her about yesterday’s breakthrough with her; she agreed that it’s mostly a mental thing with me and her. I need to insist that she moves properly, and not ride her like a ready-made horse. I need to stay focused ALL the time and correct every error and reward every effort toward improvement. 

I had some time to kill before the lesson so I gave her a really good grooming today:


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## frlsgirl

*Ana says hi*

Ana wishes everyone a great Monday!

She's continuing to progress. No more excuses! I had her working over her back and accepting contact within 15 minutes despite the feed truck going around, other horses running around, and the dreaded foal zooming around less than 50 feet from her. Of course my trainer can get her into the correct frame in under 5 minutes...but hey...I aint no trainer....15 minutes is good enough for me...for now anyway.


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## frlsgirl

*The Vienna Lunge Reins Arrived*

They worked like a charm. She was stretching her top line within 10 minutes. She has much more freedom to stretch and move forward. I'm not even going to bother with the sliding or regular side reins anymore. Vienna reins are da bomb! 

In the first picture, I had just started lunging. You can see she is starting to stretch but her back is still dropped. In the 2nd and 3rd pic, she is stretched forward, bending her haunches and her back is lifted.


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## Zexious

^Jealous of the new reins. Every time I browse the Dover catalog I want to buy nearly everything, despite the fact that I'm not even riding xD

Ana is looking great, and I'm so happy to hear about your breakthrough with her 8D


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> ^Jealous of the new reins. Every time I browse the Dover catalog I want to buy nearly everything, despite the fact that I'm not even riding xD
> 
> Ana is looking great, and I'm so happy to hear about your breakthrough with her 8D


I know just what you mean...if I ever win the lotterly, I will have to buy my very own Dover store. That reminds me...must hide packing material and bill for the Vienna reins before DH comes home :wink:


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## Zexious

What he doesn't know (in regards to Ana-related purchases) won't hurt him ;D!


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## frlsgirl

So Ana coliced yesterday; consequently, we didn't ride today. Probably won't for a couple of days:

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/ana-coliced-today-471930/

I think she's fine now. I will check on her again in a couple of hours. Poor thing; that was so scary.


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## frlsgirl

*Ana is doing well*

She's pretty much back to normal. 

I did some ground work and light lunging with her last night, and also hand grazed her and hosed her off to help keep her cool. She was sooo tired and kept yawning.

This morning I lunged her some more, this time, I added some canter work back into the mix, she did well. I made sure that she didn't even break a sweat. I also tried some in-hand work with her; she didn't quite get it and thought it was dumb so we'll have to work on that 


I fed her just a handful of grain this morning. She will get her full serving for dinner minus the supplements and then she'll be back to her normal feeding routine tomorrow. She was really dissappointed when there wasn't a feed bucket waiting for her. She kept following me along the fence and nickering at me.

I'm hoping I can just go straight home without any phone calls from the barn tonight. I'm so overdue for some serious sleep! I'm sure y'all don't want to see pics of me yawning, so here are a couple of Ana from yesterday.


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## Zexious

I commented on the thread you made about Ana's colic, but just wanted to reiterate I'm happy that this turned out well. I know how scary a colic can be.

And, PS--those faces!! xD


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## frlsgirl

I stopped by after work to see what she was doing. She was grazing with her herd so I just left her alone. I didn't go see her this morning. I needed a day to just sleep in....I will stop by after work to see her though. Hopefully they will let us go early since it's a holiday weekend. 

Now that she's had this episode I worry about her constantly. I need to get back to a place in my mind where I trust that she will be ok. I can't constantly monitor her. The previous owner suggested adding probiotics to her diet. SmartPak has a supplement that's supposed to be great...will need to research.


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## frlsgirl

Ana is doing well. She's enjoying a couple of days off while I got to spend some time with DH over the holiday.

I had sent a picture of her trotting on the lunge line to Jane Savoie, and received some very encouraging feedback from her.

I rode her Saturday and considering all the distractions, she did pretty good.

I lunged her on Sunday and captured some lovely pictures of her.


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## frlsgirl

Ana seems to be doing well. I rode her today after giving her 2 days off. She was a little antsy but managable.

I'm still trying to stabilize my lower leg so that I can give more effective aids, and after studying some Mary Wanless material and consulting with other riders, I decided to ride with shorter stirrups. Although it was uncomfortable for me, my lower leg was much more stable and I was able to communicate very effectively. 

We did lots of trot work following the usual pattern of suppling, rewarding and pushing forward when she tried to duck. She's really getting it but it does kind of annoy her. She would prefer to just zone out and run all over the arena without direction. She likes to give me outside flexion when we ride past the window so that she can look outside, but I'm determined to keep her focused on me. Schooling is not a sightseeing tour!

She gave me some really good transitions and softened up nicely so I called it quits, as I always want to end on a high note. I cooled her down at a marching walk on a loose rein for 10 minutes.

My poor legs are going to hurt. I may need to let the stirrups down one hole. Those darn long thighs are so much trouble!

I tried to take some pictures of her loose in the arena but she always follows me like a puppy; but here she had stopped for a minute to look out the window again:


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## Zexious

^No pain, no gain


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## egrogan

I have that constant fight with stirrup length too. I'm unfortunately short, so I like the idea of letting my leg be as long as it can so I can actually reach down and feel the horse down there- but I know sometimes it's counterproductive as it makes me less stable.


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## frlsgirl

So Miss Ana coliced again. Vet came out and took care of her. She's back to normal. It seems to be related to her diet; too much food and not enough water. I'm working with my vet and Smartpak rep to design a meal plan that gives her everything she needs. Hopefully this will put an end to her colic episodes.

So yesterday, I was the first one at the barn and the last one to leave. I'm exhausted. I'm sure Ana is tired too. I had to go to work for a few hours but will stop by to see her again when I get off.

2015 show season is only a few months away; I haven't even had time to plan for any of that. Between my mom being sick, Ana's colic, work, the house and the dogs, I just don't know if we'll be ready. I guess if I wait until everything is perfect, I will never be ready. 

I need to kick our training regimen up a notch to get back on track. Worst case scenario, she will complete Intro A & B in a giraffe like frame and our figures won't be accurate. And she might spook at the judges. Oh well.


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## frlsgirl

*First Trail Ride*

Took Miss Ana and Madam Ophelia for our first off-property trail ride. They did fantastic. The big grey hanno ended up being a big chicken so Ana was the fearless trail leader.

We encountered dangerous plastic water sharks, deer gone wild, boats, dogs, motorcycles, squirrels....but nothing would stop Ana. She even tackled her water demons and bravely put one foot in the shallow waters of Lake Keystone. She even played a little bit with the scary lake water.

We are both exhausted today. I'm just glad she was so good about going into the trailer twice, sharing the trailer space so well with big Ophelia, not bolting at all the scary things we saw, sort of standing still for mounting. 

Very proud of my girl.


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## egrogan

What a brave girl Ana!

Isabel says she completely understands how scary the trails can be- yesterday she had a turkey fly out of the corn field right under her nose, and jumped straight sideways when we rode past the manufacturing facility and some sort of air compressor discharged right as we walked past


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## Zexious

I saw the pics on the Trail Riding thread, but she looks great. It doesn't surprise me that she is more fearless than the Hano--funny how that works out.

Glad to hear she's doing well after the second colic--how scary ):


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. I was surprised that my little pony ended up being the leader of the two; they have an interesting relationship. Ophelia would walk two steps and stop; Ana got tired of waiting, so she charged forward and showed Ophelia how it's done 

After two colic episodes in 10 days, I'm a little on edge, and find myself checking on her a lot more than I did previously. Hopefully, her new meal plan along with the cooler temperatures will keep those belly aches in check.


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## frlsgirl

We had a very close encounter with the foal this morning, and Ana handled it very gracefully. I walked into the barn right as the handler was walking mom and foal out. The foal stopped right in front of us, got scared, turned and ran the other direction. I tied Ana up and blocked the foal from running off at which point it turned around and rejoined its momma. Ana was very perky and alert but very quiet; it's like she knew that the foal was scared and she didn't want to make it any worse.

I was pressed for time so I just lunged her this morning. She had an extra pep in her step; must be that alfalfa. 

I was very careful to cool her down good before feeding her very wet alfalfa mush with added iodized sea salt. Bring it on, Oklahoma heat!


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## frlsgirl

Ana is doing well. I rode her yesterday; started adding in canter work again. I guess we can't avoid cantering forever. I have lots of ideas and tricks up my sleeve to get her to settle into a balanced canter. I just need more opportunities to practice. 

I wanted to go to the barn this morning but it's raining, so I'm changing my work schedule to allow me to ride in the afternoons again. Of course, I'll have to share space with all the lesson takers, but surely I can figure out a way to work around them.


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## frlsgirl

Ana is doing great. We enjoyed a full weekend of activities:

Friday - lunge work
Saturday - schooling 
Sunday - trail

She's enjoying a well-deserved day off before it's back to work tomorrow.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> Ana is doing well. I rode her yesterday; started adding in canter work again. I guess we can't avoid cantering forever. I have lots of ideas and tricks up my sleeve to get her to settle into a balanced canter. I just need more opportunities to practice.


I would love to hear what you're trying. Before the chiro came for Isabel, I could barely keep her cantering for a full lap of the arena, so we weren't doing much canter work at all. Post-chiro, she is feeling much better, and can sustain regular ring work at the canter again. But since we went so long without really working in that gait, in some ways I feel like we need to start from scratch and rebuild her balance.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I would love to hear what you're trying. Before the chiro came for Isabel, I could barely keep her cantering for a full lap of the arena, so we weren't doing much canter work at all. Post-chiro, she is feeling much better, and can sustain regular ring work at the canter again. But since we went so long without really working in that gait, in some ways I feel like we need to start from scratch and rebuild her balance.


I've been doing canter work with her on the lunge, focusing on balance and endurance. She self-corrects if she accidentally picks up the wrong lead. If she ca-trots, I push her forward to get her into a true canter. Frequent trot-canter transitions help. I'm very positive and encouraging with her; if I see her stretch down and relax, she gets a big verbal "atta" girl from me which she loves.

I started adding canter to our under-saddle schooling routine on Thursday. It wasn't pretty. I reached out to Jane Savoie and she gave me some helpful tips. Thursday, she only cantered half a circle but Saturday I got a full circle out of her so I praised her immensly and quit for the day.

If you're having trouble with the canter transition, try setting it up in a corner, making sure she's slightly flexed to the inside. You might do a series of transitions to help you make sure she's on the aids. She needs to hot off your leg. 

If you're having trouble with endurance, I would gradually build on it; half a circle one week, full circle the next week and so on. What's even better is if you can bring her back to a trot before she falls apart, then let her trot for a few strides and pick up the canter again. That is my next step.


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## frlsgirl

We cantered a full clock-wise circle after only one missed departure cue! Very happy about that. That was Tuesday night. I haven't been able to see her since then as I've been sick and busy with work. 

I'm hopeful that I will get to ride in the next day or two. I'm sure Ana is enjoying this little mini-vacation!


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night for the first time in two days. The arena was packed with lesson takers and both outdoor arenas flooded during the last rain storm so we ended up just plodding around the property. I try not to school her when I'm not 100% so that actually worked out really well. 

She is suddenly looking a little skinny to me so I will need to rethink her feed again. Maybe I can have them mix just a handful of grain into her alfalfa mush. Maybe I can pre-measure the grain in little baggies and give them to the guys who dispense the meals...

She was kind of crabby yesterday...must be her time of the month. Lots of tail swishing during grooming and I think she tried to bite me when I hosed her off in the wash-stall after our ride. I'll have to watch for that. She's enjoying another day or two off from work since I'm still kind of sick and should probably just take it easy.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana yesterday for the first time in 3 days. She did really well; we cantered around the entire length of the arena, on the correct lead! I'm so proud of her! I sent a video to Jane Savoie to see if she has any additional advice for regarding improving the quality of her canter. 

I took some pics of her hanging out with her friends in the pasture. She seems to be caught in a love triangle between Jessie, the elderly TB and Gabriel, the handsome Friesian


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana Monday and Tuesday so she's getting a day off.

Monday was bad. She was in a really bad mood, her canter was dreadful. The H/J trainer was walking through the arena as I was working with Ana and she commented "Ana just looks really ****ed off." Even during walking and trotting she was kind of ****y and irritable. I asked her for one clean trot/walk transition and called it a day because we always end on a good note.

I hadn't planned on riding yesterday but it just sort of worked out that I had 2 hours to kill so I went to the barn. It was the best ride we ever had. She was so soft, forward, responsive, relaxed. For a moment I thought I was riding her daddy; she was that good. I didn't want to ruin all her greatness with cantering so I omitted that from our schooling session.

Jane Savoie messaged me an audio response regarding her canter and gave me some really good instructions that should be fairly easy to implement. Basically her canter is lateral, my position is wrong, and I need to set her up well before I even ask for a canter.

I had also reached out to some other Dressage folks who suggested it might be the saddle and/or she needs a chiro. So I'm tackling this from all directions.

Here some pics of Ana and her new friend:


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## frlsgirl

Is it Monday already? Ugh. We had a good weekend; started Ana on the new supplements and they seem to be working already and she's been drinking a lot more water. We also cut back on alfalfa as it was going straight to her head; she was running around on the longe like she was possessed or something, but then she settled down and we got some nice, correct movements:


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## SaddleUp158

Ana is really looking nice. Amazing the transformation in how she is carrying herself in the time that you have had her. Good job!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you SaddleUp 

Speaking of saddle, I finally got Ana's tracings done. She was a real trooper; had to stand square, with sticky tape on her back while I measured and took pictures. I've already sent the photos off to Cordia and the tracings are getting shipped out today.

I so hope that I can find a saddle that works for both of us and that DH will not have a heart-attack when he sees the bill :shock:


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## SaddleUp158

Good luck with the saddle fitting. That is my least favorite thing. I am actually waiting on a dressage saddle to arrive. My fingers are crossed that it fits Mia nicely.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Good luck with the saddle fitting. That is my least favorite thing. I am actually waiting on a dressage saddle to arrive. My fingers are crossed that it fits Mia nicely.


What kind did you get? Are you planning on doing some Dressage work with her? You'll have to let me know how it fits her.


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## egrogan

I am happier by the day with the Trilogy Debbie MacDonald- it's been great for my short legs and seems to fit Isabel well (saddle fitter is coming for adjustments on 10/6 so should be even better then). I really didn't think I could move away from the County Competitor, and if I find a short flap one in the future I may just go back to it, but the Trilogy is really nice.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I am happier by the day with the Trilogy Debbie MacDonald- it's been great for my short legs and seems to fit Isabel well (saddle fitter is coming for adjustments on 10/6 so should be even better then). I really didn't think I could move away from the County Competitor, and if I find a short flap one in the future I may just go back to it, but the Trilogy is really nice.


That's great news. Hopefully, I will have equally good news to share when I get my new saddle.


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## SaddleUp158

I ended up getting a Stubben Maestoso, 18" with a 32 cm tree (Stubben's wide tree). I have had two other Stubbens on her with a 32 cm that fit her pretty well, so I hope this one does too. Luckily I do have it on a trial basis so if it doesn't fit either one of us, I can send it back. 

As far as dressage work with Mia, I have taken her back to the basics this year hoping to fill in some holes. Up to now I have been doing it in a western saddle. Though the saddle was made for her and fits her perfectly, it is difficult for me to really ride her the way I need too, just not close enough contact for me to be very effective. Ideally, I want to ride/work her dressage and eventually show her western again as a by-product.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I ended up getting a Stubben Maestoso, 18" with a 32 cm tree (Stubben's wide tree). I have had two other Stubbens on her with a 32 cm that fit her pretty well, so I hope this one does too. Luckily I do have it on a trial basis so if it doesn't fit either one of us, I can send it back.
> 
> As far as dressage work with Mia, I have taken her back to the basics this year hoping to fill in some holes. Up to now I have been doing it in a western saddle. Though the saddle was made for her and fits her perfectly, it is difficult for me to really ride her the way I need too, just not close enough contact for me to be very effective. Ideally, I want to ride/work her dressage and eventually show her western again as a by-product.


Less leather between you and your horse is definetely a better way to go. Keep me posted on how you like the Maestoso; even better, feel free to share a photo


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## SaddleUp158

I sent you a PM with the link to the saddle. It was the link from my ebay purchase so I didn't post it here. I rode her in it last night and I really liked it. It is a tad bit wide I think, so I may need to get a thinline pad with inserts to lift it a smidge in front. Luckily I think there is plenty of room for a fitter to reflock it in the future if needed.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I sent you a PM with the link to the saddle. It was the link from my ebay purchase so I didn't post it here. I rode her in it last night and I really liked it. It is a tad bit wide I think, so I may need to get a thinline pad with inserts to lift it a smidge in front. Luckily I think there is plenty of room for a fitter to reflock it in the future if needed.


I saw the pic; very nice. Are they built on a hoop tree? I'm still waiting to hear back from the saddle fitter regarding my potential new saddle.


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## frlsgirl

I haven't seen Ana since Tuesday as I've been a little sickly since getting the flu shot. Today is the first fall-weather day with temps in the 60s so I bet Ana will be extra frisky. I'm hoping that I will have the arena to myself so that I can safely work the crazy out of her


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## SueC

Flu shots can be like that. Plus, they can hit your nerve, and then you can't lift your arm for weeks! :shock:


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Flu shots can be like that. Plus, they can hit your nerve, and then you can't lift your arm for weeks! :shock:


I'm guessing that's what happened to you? Ouch!


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## SueC

When it happened two years in a row, I gave up on flu shots...


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> I saw the pic; very nice. Are they built on a hoop tree? I'm still waiting to hear back from the saddle fitter regarding my potential new saddle.


I honestly have no idea. I don't think mine is. Just the typical Stubben tree.


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## frlsgirl

I hope a new saddle and a vist from the chiro will solve all my problems. (It probably won't but a girl can dream, can't she? )

Here are some fun pics from this weekend. Ana was not with it. Friday was yawn fest (see pic), Saturday we did some schooling and I could barely get her in front of my leg. I thought maybe she was bored, so I only schooled for 20 minutes and then tried liberty work. I layed down a pole, jumped over it and waited for Ana to follow me. Well, she did follow me; she nonchallantly walked over the pole. :? I also took her for a walk around the property to explore new grazing spots and visit some of her other horsey friends.

Sunday, I did longe work and bareback lateral work; she didn't seem too excited about that either although I got some good canter work out of her, and I think our leg yields are getting a bit straighter.

I don't know if it's the saddle that's making her give me less than 100% or if she's not sleeping well, or maybe her lower back and/or hips are in need of an adjustment. It could also be the feed. I had the BM cut back on her alfalfa a little bit because she was completely crazy the week before and was looking chubby. She's not looking chubby anymore, but now she has no energy. I feel like I'm the most difficult customer at the barn,....I don't want to be "that" person who is always requesting, complaining, changing things.

I was laying in bed last night dreaming about the perfect saddle, and maybe winning the lottery so that I can buy her the new Passier Compact saddle. Hopefully, I will hear back from the fitter today, that will certainly cheer me up. Obviously the Passier is way out of my price range, but maybe a Thornhill will work.

I remember what Kathy, Ana's breeder said to me: "Morgans are the kind of horses, that keep you awake at night, wondering what you can do to keep them engaged"...so true.


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## SueC

They're all great photos you just posted, but that first one is a classic! Haha!


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## SaddleUp158

Yep, these guys keep you on your toes, that is for sure. Don't blame the alfalfa too quickly. We are starting to get cooler days and that has woken some of our guys up as well, now it is warm again and they are a bit quieter. Horses are like us, can't give 100% all the time. Makes it frustrating for us though! lol.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Yep, these guys keep you on your toes, that is for sure. Don't blame the alfalfa too quickly. We are starting to get cooler days and that has woken some of our guys up as well, now it is warm again and they are a bit quieter. Horses are like us, can't give 100% all the time. Makes it frustrating for us though! lol.


I know the change in climate can affect them greatly, but I would just feel terrible if a nutritional imbalance was to blame for her behavior, so I'm looking into that.

She had Monday off so I'm curious to see what she will be like today.


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## frlsgirl

Saddle fitter emailed back. So far she's found two saddles that would work well but are way out of my price range:

Strada - $3000
Avanti - $2795

She's checking on the Thornhills next since they are a lot more affordable.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> Saddle fitter emailed back. So far she's found two saddles that would work well but are way out of my price range:
> 
> Strada - $3000
> Avanti - $2795
> 
> She's checking on the Thornhills next since they are a lot more affordable.


Not sure exactly what you're looking for or price range, but I highly recommend Fine Used Saddles (Patricia Cooper) in Houston. Their trial policy is great, and she has some really nice stuff. Was a breeze to work with. She was recommended by another forum member, and I was not disappointed.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for the tip - egrogan! If this one doesn't work out, I'll give Patricia a try.


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## frlsgirl

Drum roll please....we may have found a saddle in my price range that works:

http://saddlefitter.com/klasse.htm

Cordia is checking the inventory to see if they have one that would fit her specs. Ana is basically a propane tank with legs; super broad, small withers, almost sway back when she doesn't engage her core, and almost completely flat with her core engaged. I'll see if I can post pictures so you all can see the difference.

Cordia also said that Ana is really back sore because my current saddle is all wrong for her; it puts pressure on her loins. So I'm trying to get the new saddle finalized asap. In the meantime, I'm planning on doing a lot of longe work with her, but I can do some light riding in my current saddle if I put some sort of cushion underneath. 

I did a lot of walk and a little bit of trot work with her yesterday using my friend's memory foam Dressage pad. We need to start working on our walk/halt transitions anyway so that will keep us occupied in between the longe sessions. Ana doesn't quite see the point in halting so we are working on patience 

She's already growing winter fur, which is a little problematic because we are getting 90 degree weather again. When I went to fetch her from the pasture she was already sweating. So when I finished our 30 minute walk/halt/trot ride she was soaked from head to hoof. I hosed her off real good before turning her back out. I don’t always wash her face because she HATES that but she got sweaty around her ears, so I had to do it:


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## frlsgirl

So here are the side shots of Ana's back. The first picture is with her back relaxed (dropped). In the second picture she is flexing her core which causes her back to engage. Quite a difference, huh?


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## SaddleUp158

So, how does the fitter suggest working with her confo? Just curious because my mare has much more of a dip (I am sure most horses do) when standing relaxed vs engaging her core. Though she does have a lot more wither than Ana.


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## egrogan

Wow, that is a huge difference!


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## frlsgirl

From what I understand, she uses the pictures and wither tracings that I provided to create a template of her back. She then uses the template to find a saddle that would accomodate her back whether it's raised or dropped. She said it has to do with how the saddle distributes the riders weight.

Last I heard, she was searching the Thornhill inventory to find a Klasse saddle that matches Ana's criteria. I haven't heard back from her yet, I will give her a call today if she doesn't reach out to me first.


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## SaddleUp158

That is really interesting. I can't wait to hear what she finds.


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## frlsgirl

She found a saddle! She also highly recommended the sheep-skin thin-line saddle pad. I paid for everything last night so hopefully she will ship my stuff out today. Can't wait! I will take lots of pics and maybe even a video of my first ride in the new gear.

Meanwhile, Ana is enjoying a light work-week. I did 20 minutes of ground-work with her yesterday...carrot stretches, some straightness training stuff (bending properly on a small circle), turn on the forehand, backing up. She seemed to enjoy that; probably because it involved treats. 

I'm heading to the Morgan horse show in OKC tomorrow. 

SaddleUp158 - maybe I'll see you there?


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## egrogan

Oh, have fun at the show. Post lots of pictures! If you happen to see any of the Tara Farm horses and it doesn't make you feel like a stalker, I'd love to see pics of them  that's Isabel's breeder...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

I was just browsing around on the Morgan Dressage Association website and found a list of all the current Morgan horses who are successfully showing at 3rd level or above.

Well Ana has 4 great grand-cousins competing at 4th level and 1 great grand-cousin at 3rd level. Ana is also a distant descendant of Waseeka and those distant cousins are competing all the way to Intermediate 1. 

Maybe, one day, Ana will be on the list


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## frlsgirl

*Morgan Grand National Show*

Here are pictures from the show on Saturday. It was a long day but totally worth it. We watched Dressage, Western Pleasure, Hunter Pleasure, Driving, and Western Dressage. 

I missed the in-hand section; I think that was early in the morning and I didn't get to see Ana's previous owner ride in the Saddle Seat division...I think that part is in the middle of the week but I'm sure I'll see pics on Facebook later.

I got to meet SaddleUp158 in person finally, that was cool. It sure is a small world.


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## frlsgirl

I had planned on going to see Ana before the show but the weather was really crappy that day so I decided to give her another day off. I finally saw her Sunday. As I approached her paddock she looked up and stared at me like she was thinking "well, well, well...nice of you to show up." 

Then, while I was grooming her, another boarder arrived, so I stepped away from her for only a couple of minutes so that I could talk to the other boarder, and she started screaming her head off to let me know she did NOT approve. 

So I did a lot of work with her; free lunging, regular lunging, short hack around the property followed by a short little schooling session in the arena. 

I talked to the BM about changing lockers to accomodate my new Dressage saddle; fortunately, he agreed. Lockers are a hot commodity so I'm glad that he volunteered to give me his personal locker...I know, I know...I'm so difficult. I'll have to bake him a batch of my oatmeal cookies or something.

So in preparation of moving lockers, I took most of my stuff home so that I can clean and sort through everything. I can't believe how much stuff I've accumulated considering I've only been a horse owner for 10 months!

Today is supposed to be another rainy, crappy day so I'll skip the barn and designate tonight tack cleaning/horse movie watching night!


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## frlsgirl

I got all my tack cleaned and organized on Monday!

I took Tuesday morning off as the weather was unusally nice. I longed Ana; it was so nice, had the whole freshly-dragged arena to myself. Ana was unusally good. Could it be that she actually enjoys longe work; it was like she was trying to get more "atta girl" out of me.

So I gave her Wednesday off and then met my friend at the barn Thursday. I had planned on doing more longe work with her but there was too much going on in the arena, plus I miss riding her, so I decided to do some light schooling with her. She's really making progress, even with an ill-fitting saddle. 

Speaking of saddle, my new saddle pad arrived. It looks nice and expensive. I never thought I would ever spend $250 on a saddle pad so I expect to hear angels sing the first time I ride on it. My new saddle is scheduled to arrive Tuesday.

Now the weekend is here and I was hoping to do a lot of work with Ana especially since DH is out of town, but I just found out that our barn is hosting the biggest H/J show of the season so it will be total chaos. It’s a good opportunity for me to ride Ana in the warm up ring so that she can get used to the craziness of horseshows. My absolute dream would be to show her at Morgan Grand National in OKC one day so we might as well get her desensitized now. 

It’s also the first weekend of the National Arab show so I might go check that out as well. They usually have a lot of tack and clothing vendors there, although DH will most definitely murder me if I spend another dime on anything horse related. 

My next giddy-up-flix video should arrive today. It's about activating your horse's core muscles which will hopefully give me some new ideas to incorporate into our routine.


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## frlsgirl

Some pics from the weekend. Ana did really well tolerating all the distractions in the H/J show. I rode her all over the grounds, stopped and watched a few rides, took her into the ring and did some schooling, dismounted, re-mounted...bascially I tried to do everything that she might experience at a real show (screaming children and suspicous judges tents included)

Sunday, I decided to give her a mini make-over; basically groomed her like I never groomed her before and trimmed some excess hair off her ears, mane and tail. Then we did some longing.

While we were there, we ran into Duke, the H/J trainers bulldog. Ana just adores him.


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## SueC

Nice photos. It's funny how Morgans look so similar to SBs in many ways. Their relatedness does come through.  Your mare looks lovely, and looks like she has a sweet disposition. Are you happy with how she's come along for you?


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Nice photos. It's funny how Morgans look so similar to SBs in many ways. Their relatedness does come through.  Your mare looks lovely, and looks like she has a sweet disposition. Are you happy with how she's come along for you?


Absolutely. She has made a lot of progress. My friend was watching us yesterday and couldn't believe how Ana follows me around; no need to use a lead rope; she goes wherever I go


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## SaddleUp158

Hey frlsgirl, it was great meeting you at Nationals!


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Hey frlsgirl, it was great meeting you at Nationals!


You too, SaddleUp158! You are actually the 2nd horse person I've met through a horsey forum


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Absolutely. She has made a lot of progress. My friend was watching us yesterday and couldn't believe how Ana follows me around; no need to use a lead rope; she goes wherever I go


That's great, isn't it? It's so rewarding working with a horse!  I think you guys look like a good team, and she's such a pretty, expressive mare.


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## frlsgirl

Yes, Sue, it's very rewarding. I really didn't believe that a horse could bond with a human but Ana definitely knows that I'm her person. One time, she got bored waiting for me, so she un-tied herself from the grooming area and came looking for me in the tack room


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## SueC

:rofl:


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## SueC

The funniest place a horse ever looked for me was in the snowheap I had got stuck in head-first after falling off the same horse as a child in Germany. I still remember the black muzzle coming down into the white snow tunnel!


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## frlsgirl

*The saddle arrived!*

It was delivered last night while we were at dinner. I was so excited I simply couldn't wait. So we skipped desert and rushed home. It's a nice looking saddle. DH insisted that I condition the saddle first with leather balm before taking it for a spin. 

So by the time I actually arrived at the barn with the saddle, it was almost dark. I had the whole place to myself but I wondered how I would find Ana without adequate lighting. Fortunately, she was hanging out right by the gate, and the BM forgot to turn off the tack store lights so it was just adequate lighting to get her out of the paddock without any of her pasture mates slipping out unseen.

She seemed a little nervous; it's rare that we have the whole place to ourselves and it was the first time riding in the indoor at night so she was a little looky, especially after she discovered her reflection in the arena window.

I must say I LOVE the new saddle. Ana's trot was so lofty and forward; it was like riding a Warmblood. I wasn't sure that I wanted to canter her since she was acting a little fresh, but I did it anyway. OMG. She cantered on the first try..AND...she didn't want to stop. That has never happened before. Her canter had a lot of spring to it. That's also new. She did pin her ears as soon as I gave her the canter cue but I don't think it was pain related; it was probably just anticipation. 

So I'm over the moon excited about this! I took a few pics, but it was dark and I was by myself so they didn't turn out all that well. I'm planning on getting more pics over the next few days and video my riding this weekend. 

The saddle is so comfortable. Usually cushy, comfortable saddles have resulted in more of a beach ball effect; not with this saddle. My stirrups were a little too long but I was too excited to stop and adjust them. 

Anyway, all good news :lol:

So here are the pics. Ignore the hideous white baby pad; I only used it so that I could get a sweat pattern for the saddle fitter.


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## SueC

I bought my first new saddle ever (all others were second-hand acquisitions) two years ago - an Ascot Romana AP, properly fitted to the horse and me - and that's heavenly for both of us... shoulder freedom for my big-striding horse, and weight nicely spread out across his back, plus a nice deep seat for me that's made sudden appearances of kangaroos far less an issue out on the trail! ;-) So I get how nice it feels, even if you have to eat lentils for years to make it happen! ;-)


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## SaddleUp158

Yay! That is awesome. What kind did you end up getting? I can't remember.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Yay! That is awesome. What kind did you end up getting? I can't remember.


Thornhill Klasse
Seat: 17.5
Tree: 36


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## frlsgirl

Here are some pics from yesterday. She was a total pill; defiant and crabby. I doubt it's the saddle, it must be her time of the month. When I got there, she was all by herself in the corner of the pasture. Usually, she hangs out with her pasture mates...so that should have been an indication that she was not feeling very social :?

We rode outside; she was fine as long as we were going where she wanted to go. There was a lot of traffic so I took her into the outdoor arena. She was not having it. I got some great trot lenghtening out of her but she was not happy about it. Of course she was happy as soon as we left the arena.

She's getting a day off and Friday I plan on doing longe work. I was hoping to do some schooling on Saturday and film my ride. We shall see.


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## frlsgirl

We had a very productive weekend. She ended up having Friday off too because DH wanted me to stay home to clean house in preparation for his parents' arrival. 


I did sneak to the barn for just a few minutes as I wanted to work on arranging my new locker but ran into the BM on the way in who told me that Ana had been a very, very, bad girl; it turns out he had caught her red-hoofed stealing Jessie's food . Since Jessie has been getting skinnier and Ana has been getting bigger, we concluded this must have been going on for a while. So they moved Jessie in a paddock by himself so that he can gain some weight. Meanwhile, Ana is pacing in her big paddock yelling for him. So the barn staff is trying to find a way to rearrange the herd so that everyone's social needs are met and everyone gets their designated ration of feed. More to come on that.


Saturday I schooler her outside and took some lovely pics. I started out with a mini trail ride and she was so forward that she decided to canter up a hill when I thought we had planned on trotting :-|. I didn't let her canter for very long as we had to turn a sharp corner; she was so overzealous she tripped and nearly fell flat on her face. 


So then I took her to the little grassy area to do some schooling and shoot some video and pics. For some reason, she had trouble with the canter so we didn't capture much of that. She did however, perform a nearly perfect, turn on the forehand. We also got some lovely trot work done and some tight walk serpentines.


I rode her again on Sunday, but this time only schooled for 15 minutes and then hit the trail. I tried a technique that Jane Savoie taught me to improve her canter; and it worked...but only for a few strides and then I dropped the ball so she fell back into her normal lateral canter. It's good to know that there are things I can do to help her, but I really have to pay attention and ride every stride. I also set up some trot poles for her and a cone that I used to circle and yield around. I'm just trying to mix it up so that she doesn't get bored.


I also worked on carrot stretches with her all weekend; I made the mistake of buying baby carrots; those don't work very well but we did manage to get a few correct stretches done. 


I sent a portion of Saturday's video to Jane Savoie for the Hot Seat critique on Dressage Mentor. She emailed me this morning to let me know she would get it critiqued this week. Yay.


So all in all a very productive weekend. Not sure what all I'm going to do with her this week; probably some longe work since we've been neglecting that and some more canter under saddle.


Here are some pics from our schooling on Saturday, a picture of her tacked up in all her new gear, and a pic showing her propane tank of a belly from all the extra calories she's been sneaking.


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## SueC

Is your DH taking your riding photos? That's a great shot, and I can so tell you had European riding school training. It's in your seat and your nice soft contact with the bit. Not that people can't learn that elsewhere, but that's so drilled into people in Germany...


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Is your DH taking your riding photos? That's a great shot, and I can so tell you had European riding school training. It's in your seat and your nice soft contact with the bit. Not that people can't learn that elsewhere, but that's so drilled into people in Germany...


Thanks Sue; I'm fortunate that I got a good riding foundation in Germany; we weren't allowed to even steer a horse until we had developed an independent seat on the longe. I remember showing up for my first lesson; I nearly peed my pants when the RI showed me the giant WB that I had to ride for my longe lesson; I thought for sure I was going to die :lol:

I use a GoPro to film some of my riding and then create still shots from that.


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## frlsgirl

I found this "old" picture from May on my computer yesterday. It' a little dark but you can see that she carried herself in a totally different frame. 

Doing longe work in the vienna reins has really helped her reach down into contact instead of ducking behind it. Her neck looks so much longer now.


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## frlsgirl

I secretively scheduled a chiro appointment for next week. Got to keep it on the DL so that DH doesn't find out. 

I rode her yesterday and man she was a total pill! She pulled all kinds of evasive tactics to get out of work...her personal favorite is trotting very nicely and right as you pass the gate, she tries to jump out. Sneaky, very, very sneaky. So needless to say we had to practice going past the gate from all angles without sneaking out. Of course she didn't try it again because she loves to use the element of surprise. I can just hear her giggle to herself; silly, silly girl.


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## SueC

Yeah, your horse is a lot more relaxed now and there is greater length of rein. I've just been trying to explain to someone why hack show head carriages are usually not on the bit in the dressage sense - just horses with heads clamped vertical.

Haha, huge WBs. The first horse I ever got on as a child was a 17hh head-tossing WB called Viola, and they didn't even give me a ladder. :rofl: Fell off first lesson. The head tossing was due to an unsympathetic bit, by the way... poor thing was in a ring snaffle and getting her cheeks trapped in the ring-holes... you remember that old style snaffle bit?

Got to tell you a German horse joke. It doesn't work in English! Ein neuer Reiter bringt das Schulpferd nach dem Reiten wieder in den Stall, und der Reitlehrer sagt, "Nimm ihm das Gebiss heraus!" Und der neue Reiter sucht dann eine Zange... :rofl:


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Ein neuer Reiter bringt das Schulpferd nach dem Reiten wieder in den Stall, und der Reitlehrer sagt, "Nimm ihm das Gebiss heraus!" Und der neue Reiter sucht dann eine Zange... :rofl:


:rofl:


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## frlsgirl

We decided to go bareback yesterday. It was so nice. We rode all over the property before finishing with some trot work and shoulder-in work in the arena. My friend happened to be at the barn so she tooks this pic of us:


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## frlsgirl

Happy Halloween. 

I heard back from Jane Savoie. She really likes my position in the new saddle and didn't have any position correction tips for me except she wants me to puposely overexaggerate my "following" arms at the walk to help her track up more.

The biggest issue is that Ana needs to be more in front of my leg. She needs to respond to the slightest leg pressure so that I don't have to nag her; that may also help with the ring sourness. 

However, Ana is pretty smart and she has figured out that she can also run from my leg, so I have to be a step ahead of her and catch which ever way she uses to evade me. It can be done. I have done it before, but it requires 100% focus on my part. It's kind of like a video game where things are coming at you from all sides.

It's actually easier to "treat" her running evasion method because at least I have some forward energy to work with, whereas when she drags herself around the arena I can't do anything until I've created more energy. Of course I don't have her running evasion on video because all you see is a cloud of dust 

I have never ridden her with a dressage whip or spurs; I'm not ready for spurs but I will need to introduce her to the dressage whip sooner or later anyway, it might as well be now. I'm obviously not going to beat her with it, but if she ignores my leg, I'm supposed to tap her to wake her up. 

Another really cool excercise that Jane suggested is to do leg yield zig zags at the posting trot which is challenging for both the horse and rider. 

I'm hoping to go to the barn tonight and for sure this weekend to try out some of Jane's suggestions.


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## frlsgirl

We had a very productive weekend. I introduced Ana to riding with a Dressage whip which immediately corrected our forward problem and her ring sourness. I also introduced trot zig zags which she seems to enjoy because after a couple of zig zags, she tried to do them on her own when we got to the next long side. I really have to always keep an eye (aka leg) on her; otherwise, she tries to do things on her own. Same thing with the canter, I asked once, on a circle, and when we came to the same part of the circle, she said "I got this!" 

So not only was she forward physically but she's thinking forward mentally.

I really wanted to ride her again on Sunday but I'm not supposed to repeat the same stuff over and over again so I decided to do longe work and bareback schooling instead.

She was a little overzealous with the trot poles and jumped over them.

I discovered a couple of weeks ago that Ana ground ties and follows me on command. Yesterday, I made her stand in the middle of the arena while I cleaned up my trot pole mess. She patiently waited for me. Then when it was time to walk back to the tack area, she followed me.

I really can't complain much right now. The canter is still not quite right but much better since getting the new saddle. The chiro is coming Thursday so hopefully she can fix whatever is holding her back from achieving a good working canter.


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## frlsgirl

Ana was full of hot air today. She seemed to really enjoy longe work and showing off. We also got a little bit of riding time in; hopefully we will ride some more tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

Chiro came out and adjusted Ana. It turns out no major damage but her hip was locked in the down position which explains our cantering problem. She explained that when she pushes down on her hip, it should come back up. Well she pushed and her hip didn't seem to budge at all. Her vertebrae on her back were also locked, and her left front shoulder was a bit stiff. She had some mild irritation around the wither area which apparently most horses have. There was no muscle inflammation anywhere and nothing at all wrong with head or neck or hind quarters. 

People have told me that the horse will relax and chew during the adjustment process, but Ana just looked worried and suspicious the whole time. I guess she just didn't understand what the doc was doing with her.

Doc also said her conformation is good; she agreed with me that Ana would rate about a 6 on the body condition scale and could stand to loose a few pounds but doesn't exactly have a drastic weight problem. 

She said to give Ana 24 to 48 hours of rest, or do longe work with her. She also said that Ana may continue to pin her ears during canter because she remembers it as being uncomfortable and that should work itself out over time. She said it's important that I ride her in a comfortable frame and not even try cantering unless I can get her nice and round in the trot. 

Overall a good experience; I guess I won't know the full effect until I work with her over the weekend. Best part, the lady at the office over-stated the price for the visit by $40 so it was less than I expected.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> People have told me that the horse will relax and chew during the adjustment process, but Ana just looked worried and suspicious the whole time. I guess she just didn't understand what the doc was doing with her.


I bet the next time you have her adjusted she will relax a lot more. Our guys were all pretty suspicious the first time around as well, but now will relax once the adjustment is made.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158: That's what I figured as well. I guess H never had her adjusted when she was at your farm? I doubt the breeder ever did. It was kind of funny though when she went to adjust her head and neck. She put her arms around her like she was giving her a hug, and Ana looked at her like..."um, I don't hug on the first date" :lol:

Well I can definitely see improvement in Ana's canter. She is more relaxed and bending her inside leg instead of just sticking it under herself like a tooth pick.

Trot is awesome as always.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a better picture. See how far she can now reach under herself with the inside hind leg? She couldn't do that before.


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## SueC

Frlsgirl, I loved that photo of Ana in the contest. She looked like she was impersonating a hippopotamus!


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## SaddleUp158

That is awesome! Yeah, I don't think we ever had Ana adjusted when she was at our place. Pretty much did the ones in heavy training.


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## Viranh

It's kind of fun to watch them get adjusted. My TB was so shocked and offended, lol. Poor guy. I think they get better about it over time, though.


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## egrogan

Viranh said:


> It's kind of fun to watch them get adjusted. My TB was so shocked and offended, lol. Poor guy. I think they get better about it over time, though.


My mare too. She was pretty antsy the first time around, but as soon as the chiro started working on her hips/pelvis, she just closed her eyes and leaned right into it. That's where she's always really tight.

I can't remember if I mentioned it on this thread, but the weirdest thing to me is always the "tongue grab." I will have to take a video of it next time, it such a strange thing. Isabel agrees, she makes very funny faces during that part.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I can't remember if I mentioned it on this thread, but the weirdest thing to me is always the "tongue grab." I will have to take a video of it next time, it such a strange thing. Isabel agrees, she makes very funny faces during that part.


Hmmm, my chiro didn't do anything with her tongue. She touched her all over her head and neck but couldn't find any tight spots or issues. I wonder if they only do the tongue thing if there is a known issue in that area? This particular chiro was kind of expensive because she's also a vet so I wonder if vet chiros do things differently from regular chiros.

She said that Ana may not need another adjustment for a while...good thing because I will need to save up for it.

I finally came clean and told DH; he war surprisingly cool about it, especially after I showed him the before and after canter pictures.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a picture from this weekend. Ana was hot, hot, hot. It took an hour of warming her up before she finally relaxed became round as shown in the picture. 

I rode her around the property yesterday; as soon as we hit the grass strip she wanted to gallop :shock: but it's just not long enough for crazy horsey behavior, so we trotted and cantered for a few strides. It's kind of hard to stop her when she really wants to go; the only thing that slows her down are circles. I don't want to put a harsher bit in her mouth or hang on her mouth in her current bit.

She's getting a couple of days off while I try to get caught up at work. I did get a lot accomplished during my stay-cation. I finally submitted my paperwork to join the local Dressage society, renewed my USDF and Morgan horse membership. I also cleaned up and organized my tack area at the barn, washed her BOT pad and cleaned/oiled her bridle and my boots and chaps.

We are bracing for snow-mageddon, hopefully it won't be as bad as they are forecasting; I really want to keep Ana in the pasture if at all possible. She has a nice walk-in shelter there plus access to water and hay, so she should be fine. Fingers crossed.


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## frlsgirl

*New Pasture Mate*

I almost forgot...Ana has a new pasture mate. It's her old friend Ophelia. So far they are getting along ok although Ophelia has a couple of bite marks on her now . I guess it's normal for them to work out who's boss....in case you haven't figured it out...Ana is the boss.


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## frlsgirl

Wanted to load some canter pics from last weekend. It's not perfect yet but we are doing it! Best part, Ana keeps memorizing the last spot where I asked for the canter and then she tries to do it on her own! It's great that she's mentally engaged and trying to show me that she can do it on her own. Obviously, I can't let her run the show but in this case, it's actually a good thing. I told Jane Savoie about it and she suggested to continously mix this up so that she doesn't get a chance to memorize but I definetly should not correct her when she tries to do something by herself.

I have not cantered her under saddle in front of an instructor yet but Ophelia's owner just had an amazing lesson with a BNT and so we are planning on going together next time a spot opens up. That way I can get immediate help and feedback. They use an indoor arena with mirrors so that should be interesting. I'm not sure that Ana has ever seen a mirror before so hopefully it won't freak her out too bad.


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## frlsgirl

I finally braved the cold last night and rode my horse! She seemed shocked to see me; I guess she didn't know whether I was there to rob her (I looked like a black marshmellow), or ride her. 

The handful of people who came out to ride all decided to use the arena so I rode outside. It was pretty miserable but I cherished every minute of it. We only did a little bit of trot and a lot of walk work as I had to blow my nose every couple of minutes. 

It's supposed to be a few degrees warmer tomorrow so I'm planning for a longer ride. If only I can figure out a way to keep my face warm, that might also help me with my snotty nose...maybe I can get one of those masks that bank robbers wear?


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## Zexious

Yay, cantering  That headset could use a little work, but it's definitely coming along. Let us know when you get in to lesson, and definitely take some pics


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> Yay, cantering  That headset could use a little work, but it's definitely coming along. Let us know when you get in to lesson, and definitely take some pics


Thanks. I'm not worried about the head right now; I only care that her legs are moving in the correct order. Can't fix the head if the engine isn't working


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## frlsgirl

*My little dictator*

Ana has been ruling her little herd with an iron hoof. We have three different hay piles so that each horse can have their own but Ana wants to have all the hay to herself. Here you can see her push Ophelia out of the way in the first two pictures. The last picture shows her stuffing her face with hay after pushing everyone else away. That was Saturday.

I purposely fed her yesterday because I wanted to further examine the herd dynamics and make sure she understands that I'm lead mare when I'm in the paddock. Ana came rushing to the gate, but I made her back way up while I distributed the hay. Ana immediately started to attack Ophelia so I chased her off and stood by Ophelia's side so that she could eat. As soon as I left the paddock, Ana came running over like a bat out of hell, bucking, ears pinned, and kicking out at Ophelia again. 

I don't know what her deal is lately. It only takes a little ear pinning to make Ophelia move so Ana is going WAY overboard with the bucking and running 

Do you see the marks on Ophelia's side in the first two pictures? That's from a week ago. Apparently also a hay related injury. It's just hay!


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## frlsgirl

Ana was a total rock star under saddle Saturday. 

She started out kind of squirmy, ran up to me in the paddock to say hello...then didn't want to stand still for grooming or saddling, kept pawing, walking, spooking. I longed her for a bit which seemed to freak her out even more. So I said a little prayer, and climbed on board. She was very forward and spooked a couple of times but nothing bad. We did haunches in/out at the trot! and we cantered left lead down the long side! and we finished by trotting over 6 trot poles that were spaced for Ophelia (the big WB)! I was over the moon excited about the trot poles...it felt like floating through the air, it was just awesome...she didn't miss a beat. I took a picture of the trot poles when I finished and measured the distance as well so that I can set them up exactly like that next time. 

I rode her again on Sunday. She was all over the place and just seemed generally annoyed that I made her work on a Sunday when all the other horses had the day off. I tried to find something easy for her to do so that we could end on a good note. It was our first snow day of the season so that could have contributed to her I-dont-wanna-work attitude.

She's getting a day off while I try to defrost. Warmer temps are coming our way, so hopefully we can get back to a more normal riding schedule soon.


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## Zexious

^Yay  Sounds like she's coming along really well :> She's such a pretty girl


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## frlsgirl

*Ana has a new Rider*

So Ophelia's owner's step daughter recently started riding again. She is 4'11 and I'm guessing in the 90 pound range. I watched her ride Ophelia a few times and asked if she wanted to ride Ana - she jumped at the chance.

Her story is similar to mine...rode a ton as a kid and then stopped abruptly and rediscovered the joy of riding in her 30s.

So yesterday we both happened to be at the barn at the same time so I asked her if she wanted to ride her. She did very well with her. 
She is not used to riding in a Dressage saddle but managed to get around just fine. They cantered all over the place; straight lines, circles, on both leads! Of course right lead canter was the best and left lead was a little choppy but she still managed to push her on.

I tried to take some pics but they didn't turn out very well as she was zipping past me at lightning speed :lol:

It was very informative for me to see someone else ride her because I can now see what problems are Ana's problems and which ones are mine. 

I now know that Ana hates the indoor arena, that her left lead canter still needs a lot of work and that she tests people to see what she can get away with. 

I've been way too easy on Ana; she can do a lot more than what I give her credit for, but that's all my fault, not Ana's. I was worried for a while that I was maybe too heavy for her and that's why she struggled with the canter, but after putting a 90 pound rider on her and encountering the exact same choppy, pogo stick canter, I know that she can carry me just fine.

Also, I don't make schooling interesting enough for her which leads to ring sourness and spooking. From now on, if I don't have my head in the game, I will just go trail riding or not ride at all.


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## frlsgirl

It's been a busy week. Ana got worked Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday and is enjoying a day of rest today.

I'm planning on working her some more this weekend. It's supposed to rain so I'm not sure what we are going to do. I might run to the tack store and buy some more gadgets/tack. I'm toying with the idea of setting up a little obstacle course in the indoor but that depends on traffic and what sort of fun things I can find.

We've been doing a lot of cantering under saddle; that is now part of our regular routine. I tried what JS suggested; go on a circle, leg yield in and out at the trot and immediately transition into the canter; it worked as Ana lept forward into an enthusiastic left lead canter but we couldn't sustain it for very long. Part of it is my fault; I need to give her more room to canter. I'm toying with the idea of changing my stirrups out and just cantering around in two-point for a while, although her canter is a lot easier to sit now that she's not so stiff/lateral. 

She scares me sometimes because she is so HOT off my leg that she just leaps into trot and canter and that freaks me out a little bit. I need to RELAX and just let her go. It's a good thing that she's hot off my leg. That's what we want. Since it's been colder, she's been spooking more so that's made me more tense because I'm constantly anticipating her next freak out. She's like a border collie on crack right now; pawing in the grooming area, practically self-bridles, stomping around the mounting block and her halts are more like piaffes. I need to figure out a way to channel her energy in a positive way...that will give me something to work on this weekend.


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## SueC

About the hay piles: Have you got enough room to space them so far apart that Ana stops running from one to the other?


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## Viranh

I feel you about the canter departures! My TB launches like a rocket into canter most of the time, and it is very unnerving. He's also sticky in the left lead, so I end up getting tense when I ask, which makes everything harder. Hopefully we both figure it out soon!


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> About the hay piles: Have you got enough room to space them so far apart that Ana stops running from one to the other?


Ana is at a boarding facility where everything is standardized. The guys drive around in their gators and throw piles of hay over the fence. If I happen to be there and see that Ana is not sharing, I'll go around and make several smaller piles but it's not something that I can keep on top off since I'm not always there.

Usually the horses don't fight much over hay. But we have bigger problems now...Ana has been caught stealing Ophelia's grain. One of the helpers has to stand next to Ophelia so that she can eat in peace. Since they have 48 horses to feed, they will probably be looking for another solution...I'm guessing Ana will end up in solitary confinement since she's become a little too pushy for her current pasture mates.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> It's been a busy week. She's like a border collie on crack right now;


I love this description, I am going to have to remember this one!


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## frlsgirl

We had another busy weekend and took lots of pics.

Here is a picture of how she jumps into left lead canter under saddle. Pretty crazy looking, right ? I'm actually happy about it, because it shows that she can articulate her hind end enough to really step under herself and jump forward...she couldn't do that a couple of months ago.

The next picture is of what Ana does best...trotting under saddle 

At one point during filming I had parked her right in front of the camera while I was putting up the stirrups; she must have seen the red flashing light on the camera...she was like "wait, you're filming this!?!"...so I had to take a still shot and share it with y'all 

The beautiful picture of her cantering naked was from Saturday...she was full of crazy so we had to work that out of her system by chasing her around the arena.

The last picture is with her new halter and lead rope; I got both for $17...pretty good deal, right?

Forgot to mention...we did 7 trot poles in a row! It took a few tries but she finally got over all of them. We also cantered 5 times. It wasn't always pretty, but we did it and she is actually moving forward now instead of cantering in place.


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## frlsgirl

So many new developments I don't even know where to start....I guess I'll start with a couple of cute pics of my girl. 

There was a young girl longing her horse CA style which Ana found fascinating. Every time the girl flicked the whip Ana twitched but still couldn't tear herself away from the action. We longe VERY differently, so I also watched in amazement. The CA method just seems so fast and furious; I was always taught to do everything very calmly; I think Ana would have a heart attack if I tried to longe her that way, but there are certain horses who seem to respond well to this method.

Let's see....what else is going on....oh yeah I rode Ana in a H/J lesson yesterday; it wasn't planned, it just kind of happened. I happend to get into the arena right at the beginning of a lesson and the RI shut the gate so I was trapped. It's difficult to do your own riding when there is a lesson in progress so we just sort of inserted ourselves. We walked and trotted over the poles and when it was time to canter and jump and we just skipped that part. When the other riders left, the RI was still sitting there so I asked her to audit my canter work with Ana. It was good to get some feedback from a H/J perspective. Her canter seems huge and super fast to me but she said she can walk faster than we are cantering, lol. She said I need to give her more room to canter instead of keeping her in this tiny little box...typical H/J perspective on Dressage so I took that with a grain of salt. She did say that her canter looked good as far as footfall sequence and leads are concerned so I was very happy about that.

Lots of other things happening...too much to write about now but will update soon


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## SueC

Ana makes me laugh. She has this wide-awake, slightly mischievous expression. She's not going to just plod along, she's going to jump into life with abandon each day.


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## frlsgirl

You described her very well, Sue, which is why I became concerned when she seemed a little down on Friday; but I'm getting ahead of myself, let me start from the beginning of the story - warning, it's a very long one.

The news that I was excited about is that I got permission to build my very own Dressage arena...the catch is that I could only use it through Mondday bc that's when they are dragging the arena and putting up the jumps again. So I worked 5 hours on Wednesday night in the wind and cold to tear down all the obstacles, measure and lay out all my stuff... I even bought cones and letters and measured out the exact distance between each marker. I didn't quite get it finished since I was loosing day light so I figured I could just finish up on Friday.

When I turned Ana out Wednesday night there was no food bucket waiting for her by the fence. So I asked the barn helper and he said that they are out of chopped alfalfa! So, if I hadn't asked about it, would they not have fed her? The main barn helper said that they would find some alfalfa hay to give to her until they could get some more of the chopped kind. He even offered to run by the feed store on the way home to buy her some more and I was supposed to write him a check and drop it off the next day. The next day was Thanksgiving and my DH refused to let me go to the barn. I figured, no big deal, I'll just pay him on Friday. 

So guess what happened on Friday? I raced to the barn with the check in hand and the main barn guy wasn't there. So I asked the other barn helper and he told me that they couldn't find any regular alfalfa in storage and that the feed store was out. So I asked "what did you feed Ana then" - "nothing since Wednesday"…are you freaking kidding me!?! I called the BM…I could barely dial the numbers I was shaking with anger, and he said that she was given regular hay as always so it's not like she's starving and I'm responsible for supplying extras such as chopped alfalfa and that the girl that usually buys it for us as a favor, was busy with the H/J show and just forgot. 

I understand that I'm responsible for it but if someone had communicated to me that she is out and the regular alfalfa supplier girl is not reliable, then I would have stocked up on alfalfa long before she ran out. I thought that they were going to feed her regular alfalfa hay until they got more chopped alfalfa. He suggested that I try a local feed store. I raced over there, picked up 40 pounds of chopped alfalfa, drove back to the barn, and carried it what seemed like a mile from the barn to the feed storage. I wrote her name on the bag with a big black marker. I also bought her a feed bucket and put her name on it also and loaded everything on the feed truck. Since she was hungry, I mixed up a tiny amount and fed it to her. I didn't want to give her a full amount since she hadn't eaten any in a couple of days plus dinner was only a few hours away. She nickered at me when she saw me with the feed bucket and gobbled it right up. I let the food settle for a while as I needed to finish constructing the arena. 

A couple hours later, I took her for a spin and noticed that she was really sluggish; probably because she hadn't been fed properly in a couple of days. She also coughed a few times but I thought it was just the wind. So I took her to the dressage ring, rode a short Intro test, tried cantering in the neighboring ring but she just wasn't quite with it, so I took her back to the indoor and dismounted. As I was leading her to the grooming area, I ran into my friend and her son. I offered to have him take a spin on Ana since she was so quiet and already tacked up and ready to go. She did awesome with him as expected, although she did give me the "I didn't sign up for this" look. She is so good with kids; even if she doesn't feel well, she will tolerate a little one bouncing around on her without any issues.

So the plan for today was to set up the video camera and ride through all the Intro tests and film everything. But it wasn't meant to be. When I fetched her from the pasture this morning, she was laying down... not normal for her to do in the morning. She did get up and greeted me with a snotty nose. I walked her to the grooming area and noticed that she seems unusually warm as I was brushing her. Then she started coughing again and blew a greenish snot bubble from her left nostril. I called the vet and he came out 3 hours later. It turns out, there is a rhino virus going around that got started at the H/J show last weekend. Although Ana didn't attend the show, several horses from the barn did. The barn helper mentioned that there are 3 other horses on the property with the exact same symptoms; the vet is coming out on Monday to treat them. 

Ana's temp is 104. The vet gave her a shot of benamine and I have to give her this antibiotic paste every morning for the next 6 days and also take her temp to make sure it's declining. The snotty nose should be gone in a week but I can't work her at all for 2 whole weeks! The vet said that there is no sense in separating her from the herd as everyone has already been exposed. I did let the BM know in case he wants to make some kind of announcement, quarantine horses, etc. I also texted Ophelia's owner who is quite upset that the illness has spread to horses that didn't even attend the show. 

So I thought I would spend my holiday weekend riding all kinds of dressage tests, doing some filming, maybe even going on a little trail ride; isn't it funny how life just throws you a curveball when you don't expect it? 

I must say I learned a lot over the past few days:

I can't rely on others to take care of Ana.
Building an arena is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
Tearing down jumps is hard physical labor.
When Ana acts unusually calm; something is wrong!
I know my horse better than anyone.
I must never give up; expect the unexpected and keep on making lemonade.


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## frlsgirl

Here is the Dressage ring that I built:


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## frlsgirl

This pic is a little better. I was loosing day light so I had to finish it on Friday.


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## frlsgirl

My DYI Dressage cones. Each cone was $1.29 at Hobby Lobby and I found the stickers at Lowes for $1.99.


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## egrogan

Aww, sorry to hear about your bad luck. I think your "lessons learned" are probably right, but it really is hard when you have to board and rely on others to be doing the right thing. I actually got to the barn today and also found Isabel out of her flaxmeal supplement. Usually the BM is great about letting me know, but she's out of town for the holiday weekend and I guess the barn assistants just didn't think of it.

Hope Ana gets to feeling better soon! Glad the vet is on top of it.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Aww, sorry to hear about your bad luck. I think your "lessons learned" are probably right, but it really is hard when you have to board and rely on others to be doing the right thing. I actually got to the barn today and also found Isabel out of her flaxmeal supplement. Usually the BM is great about letting me know, but she's out of town for the holiday weekend and I guess the barn assistants just didn't think of it.
> 
> Hope Ana gets to feeling better soon! Glad the vet is on top of it.


Thanks egrogan. For the most part, the barn staff takes good care of the horses, but they have 48 heads to feed, so I can understand that something can get lost in the shuffle. I guess I'm just a little on edge, because Ana coliced twice over the summer, and now she has this nasty virus.


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## frlsgirl

Mini-update:

Went out to see Ana this morning and she ran away from me. She probably associates me with yucky medicine and temperature checks now :?.

I caught her and dragged her back to the grooming area with me. She looked very unhappy, was coughing the whole way and had giant snot ******s hanging from her muzzle. I didn't have the heart to shove the syringe in her face, so I grabbed her breakfast from one of the barn guys, and mixed in the anti-biotic, crossed my fingers and handed her the bucket. She gobbled it right up. The vet said that most horses refuse to eat their food if you try to mix it in...so glad I tried it so I don't have to torture her anymore.

Well, I still have to torture her a little by checking her temp - it was 102. 

I texted the vet and he didn't seem concerned but told me to keep checking it every morning. 

So I'm gonna just have the barn guys feed her the antibiotics with breakfast and I'll still stop by every morning to take her temp...I'll just take treats with me. Once her temp is more normal again, I can check it every other day.

Here is a picture of her after I cleaned up all the ******s - note, baby wipes work really well and she likes getting her nostrils cleaned. Doesn't she look annoyed? Poor girl 

I had given her a really good grooming Saturday when I was waiting for the vet and took some top line pics...really happy with what I'm seeing...but now that I can't work her for 2 weeks I hope she doesn't loose too much muscling.


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## SueC

Sorry about your bad run there, Frlsgirl - hope Ana gets 100% well soon!

Curious about something: Why did they give you antibiotics for Ana for a rhino_virus_ - or did they think she already had a secondary infection?

I'm also currently making an arena, for the first time on our property. Because we cut some paddocks for hay this year, we ended up with a nice surface and I measured out a 25 x 50m plot: Bigger than the 20 x 40m standard around here, so I have a little extra room. Have one side left to put a temporary fence up and then the midpoints, and will have to get some markers sometime also. Reading about your job and seeing the photos has inspired me to do a better job!


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## frlsgirl

Sue - you are not the first person to ask me about the medicine....her temp was 104 on Saturday and the vet detected some noise in her lungs, so to prevent a secondary infection, he put her on Uniprim, which is a antibiotic mixed with expectorant to help get the mucus out. I can't work her at all for 2 weeks to give her lungs a chance to heal.

Regarding the DYI Dressage ring, the biggest pain was measuring everything by myself; it was so windy, the tape kept fluttering all over the place and one cone actually flew away...fortunately, it was the cone with the letter "A" which I didn't need anyway. Also, I didn't account for the time and effort it would take to tear down the jumps....those things are difficult to move for a little person like me.

Mini-update with pic 

Temp is down to 98.9, less mucus, and no coughing. She didn't run from me this morning; I showed her the treats and as she was munching, I quickly took her temp; and gave her a few more treats before turning her back out. I also talked to the barn helper to make sure he understood that the medicine needs to be mixed in well with her breakfast. 

As I was walking around the grounds, I could hear several horses coughing, so I think the virus is spreading...I guess there isn't much you can do about it...how would you keep 48 horses away from each other?

I hope everyone at the barn will recover quickly so that we can get back to our normal routine.


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## SueC

Hey Frlsgirl, you win an award today for being one of the rare people who correctly spell the word "mucus".










Thank you. You wouldn't believe how many people spell it "mucous" (which is correct usage for "mucous membranes").

It's one of my pet peeves, along with incorrect use of the singular and plural forms of bacterium / bacteria...


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## frlsgirl

Thanks Sue  I'm sure I have lots of other typos on this thread. I'm still not quite sure about the word "lunge" or "longe" and is it "lunging" or "longing" or "longeing"? I wonder if it comes from the German word longieren and that's why some spell it with the "o"?

Ana is on the mend; her temp was 98.8 this morning, I didn't see any mucus but she had her head burried in the feed bin; I did hear her cough once, but it could be from catching a tickly piece of hay. She still had half of her alfalfa mash left when she started munching on her hay ration...I hope she eats the rest of her alfalfa because all her supplements and medicine is mixed in with it.

On another note, I casually inquired on a boarding advertisement I found on a horse website; it's a Morgan barn on the southside of town, so I might go check it out. I would like to keep Ana where she is now but it's good to have a back-up place, just in case, and it's also good to know more Morgan people. DH and I had talked about moving further south in the future, in which case we would also have to move Ana.


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## frlsgirl

A lot has changed in the past 48 hours. 


I have some urgent family issues that I need to address...in Germany. So I'm flying out on Wednesday and returning Sunday night.


Ana is doing well but I can't ride her until 12/13 so that works out kind of well with my trip. My friend already volunteered to look after Ana for me. She's so popular...everybody at the barn seems to know her; I had several people come up to me last night and ask about her. I didn't stay long; just wanted to see her and hug her. She is the best therapy ever. I also gave her a quick brushing and practiced some ground work; she's getting really good at putting her head between her legs for a treat...so much so...that she's keeps double checking if she missed any. I'll have to film it one of these days...it's pretty funny.


I'm hoping to spend some more concentrated time with her this weekend. 


The lady at the Morgan barn invited me out to check out her ranch tomorrow, so I'm kind of excited about it.


My Dover order finally arrived...I just love getting new goodies for Ana..of course, I can't use them until she's ridable again; I hope she doesn't unlearn anything on her two-week break, or loose any signficant muscle tone...that's probably my biggest concern.


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## SueC

Have a safe trip, Frlsgirl, and all the best with the family situation. 

...and I thought 400km was a long way to travel... 

Lunge here - Longieren in German - as in "I will lunge Mr Ed" / "Ich werde Mr Ed longieren" - also "I am lung(e)ing [seen it spelt both ways in horse training books] Mr Ed" / "Ich longiere Mr Ed"....

If I do German typos, excuse! ;-) A bit rusty and what gets me the most these days is some of the obscure applications of capitals, and the new-fangled language changes in the last 30 years that I've missed, like I think "Fraeulein" (no umlauts here, sorry) has been abandoned and everyone is "Frau" now? Plus they got rid of the S-Z (scharfes S)? Those are some of the rumours...


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## frlsgirl

Had a busy weekend.

Saturday, I spent over an hour grooming Miss Ana...and what does she do? As soon as I turn her out, she rolls in the mud; and when she got up she stuck her tongue out at me :lol:


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## frlsgirl

I finally caught a picture of Ana looking for any missed treats between her legs :lol:


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## frlsgirl

I visited the Morgan farm on Saturday; the lady was really nice. The place is small but seems well organized and has everything we need. It's the same distance from my work but quite far away from home. If we ever pull the trigger on moving further south, it would be a good place to board her. The owner is a vet, so that's a bonus, as I'm sure she knows how to prevent and treat accidents and illnesses. Her daughter does eventing at a nearby barn.

I showed her pictures of Ana and described some of her background; she suggested that if I decided to board with her, that I can trailer with her to the eventing barn for shows, lessons etc.

Sunday morning she texted me and said she already spoke to the owner of the eventing barn and they would be happy to have me on their team. She also sent me contact info. 

I don't want to move Ana right now; she has everything she needs plus she is settled in and has found her place in the herd; plus my friend boards her mare there and we like to ride together and will hopefully show together in the spring.

Speaking of my friend's mare, I got to ride her yesterday. When I grabbed Ophelia from the pasture, Ana seemed very confused and followed us all the way to the gate and tried to walk out the gate with us. When I shut the gate in her face she nickered at me.

I decided to ride outside. It felt so good to be back in the saddle again (after a lengthy 7 day break, lol), although Ophelia is a very different ride; she has a gigantic trot so I practiced sitting trot with her, by posting three strides and sitting three strides. While I was practicing, I suddenly hear commotion coming from the back pasture....it was Ana, galloping, bucking and farting! There is a reason she's on pasture REST, not pasture PLAY.

Ophelia was coughing quite a bit so I told my friend I didn't want to ride her any longer just in case she's getting sick. When I turned her back out, Ana rushed over to see what was going on. Although I had just groomed her the day before, I figured I might as well grab her, and brush her one last time before going on my trip. That way she doesn't feel left out.

You can tell she's starting to get bored and wants to work. She kept playing with the cross ties and practicing her bow. I'm so ready to work her again; but I want to make sure she's 100%. My plane lands at 11pm Sunday night; I figured, if I can get 4 hours of sleep, get up at 5am and go to the barn first thing to play with her, I can still make it to work on time. I'm crazy, I know


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> If I do German typos, excuse! ;-) A bit rusty and what gets me the most these days is some of the obscure applications of capitals, and the new-fangled language changes in the last 30 years that I've missed, like I think "Fraeulein" (no umlauts here, sorry) has been abandoned and everyone is "Frau" now? Plus they got rid of the S-Z (scharfes S)? Those are some of the rumours...


I will have to check with my sister on that; I haven't lived in Germany since 94 so I get laughed at a lot for using "old" terms like Groschen and Knollen.

Groschen - an old term for Pfennig which are no longer in circulation since the Euro was introduced.

Knolle - an old term for a traffic citation, back in the day when speeding tickets were hand-written.

I feel old now :?


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## SueC

:rofl:

I'd never heard the expression "Knolle" - how funny!  Which part of Germany was that again? There is so much regional variation in language. Did annoyed people in your part of Germany say, "Ach, rutsch mir doch den Buckel herunter?" I always thought that was amusing...

I thought it was nice to read about your alternative barn possibility. It's always good to have a "Plan B" - and how cool you could go eventing with others. So if you did have to move barns, you'd have something to look forward to.

I'm going to send you a link here of something cute: Someone with a very gentle horse training method who is teaching a mustang from scratch and who is currently teaching him to "sit"!  (He has also learnt to lie down on cue.) Great film clips there:

http://augustusthemustang.wordpress.com/

While Ana is ill, maybe this is something you could try.  And what a party trick it is. I'm very tempted myself to start doing this stuff when our house is finished (very busy on that just now). Hope you enjoy this one!


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> :rofl:
> 
> I'd never heard the expression "Knolle" - how funny!  Which part of Germany was that again?


My family is from the Frankfurt area; my mom taught me that word and she was born in the 1930s, so no telling how outdated this term is :wink:



SueC said:


> I'm going to send you a link here of something cute: Someone with a very gentle horse training method who is teaching a mustang from scratch and who is currently teaching him to "sit"!  (He has also learnt to lie down on cue.) Great film clips there:
> 
> http://augustusthemustang.wordpress.com/
> 
> While Ana is ill, maybe this is something you could try.


Very cool. I might give that a try. Thanks for sharing


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## frlsgirl

*I'm back *

I'm back from Germany, sigh. I bought Ana a spanish style longeing cavesson at my favorite store: Kraemer Reitsport. I didn't get home until midnight on Sunday but that didn't stop me from running to the barn in the morning. 

I missed my girl so much. The cavesson seems to fit but we are working out some minor issues with the clasp/rings. She was a little annoyed because the clasp and ring kept bouncing around on her nose. 

She didn't cough or sneeze once so she appears to be 100% recovered. We started with free longing, then moved on to regular longing with the new cavesson and then I rode her for 20 minutes. 

You can tell that she missed being worked because she was extremely animated/flashy in her movements ...wish I would have captured her trot on video...she lifted those legs up so high that she appeared to be gliding through the air; simply stunning.

We are still perfecting the bow, but I may need to take a break from it because she is constantly trying to bow on her own during the most inconvenient times like grooming and saddling :?

Here are some pics from yesterday...one is with the head handler at the barn, the other two are her annoyed facial expressions...so adorable.


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## frlsgirl

*My old barn*

While I was in Germany, I visited my old barn where I spent most of my early riding endeavors.

The RI has and all the horses have passed away; his son runs the place now. His son didn't remember me but he did remember the horses.

...I remember taking a private lesson on Brabant, a small Hessen Warmblood... when his dad asked me to canter around the arena 6 times; I figured, I might as well do 7 rounds, but guess what happened? Brabant stopped dead in his tracks after 6 rounds...what a great lesson horse he was


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night in her new bit. I think she liked it as evidenced by the foam. She was also a lot quieter and seemed more relaxed. I had a hard time getting her in front of my leg so she wasn't truly connected from back to front; there just wasn't enough room to really drive her forward because there was a lesson in progress and trying to squeeze 4 horses and 1 jump into a small arena just doesn't leave enough space for much.

She's taking a little break today because DH has a Xmas light tour planned tonight.

I'm thinking I may need to change my riding schedule to mornings again so that I have the arena to myself. Ana really needs more longe work now to build her back up but they don't allow longing if there are other horses being ridden in the arena.

I figured out that catching and returning her in the dark is really no big deal, so the only downside to morning riding in the winter is dealing with cooler temps.

Yesterday, she left her pile of hay when she saw me and met me at the gate. Although she is an easy catch, she rarely budges when she's eating, so I was pleased to see that. I think she was dissapointed when she realized that we were doing arena work which may be another reason I had a hard time driving her forward into connection. Once the RI shut the gate, she was like....Ohhh mannn...this sucks!


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## frlsgirl

Well, we are still trying to figure out a good time to ride; so far I always seem to show up when the arena is full so I've been half-way participating in the H/J lesson because there just isn't enough space to do my own thing. Yesterday, there were 5 of us going, around and around in the arena. I could tell Ana was getting bored; I tried to detour whenever possible but gave up after 20 minutes of going in endless circles. 

It's interesting to see how she does in a group riding situation; she just looks really annoyed and will pin her ears at certain horses if they get too close. 

Fortunately, my schedule is a lot more flexible over the weekend so I'm hoping to get some "real" work done. She really needs to work; I can tell she's totally bored; she's been leaving her hay pile to come meet me at the gate. It's like she's saying "Thank God you're here...now entertain me!" 

Oh, and if I don't keep an eye on her, she will find ways to entertain herself. When I bring her into the stables and stop to close the door, she tries to eat the christmas decorations. Once she's in the grooming area, and I leave her alone for even a minute, she nibbles on anything that's laying around, including saddles, blankets, bridles...yesterday she started to nibble on the H/J instructor . I can tell that others are getting annoyed with her, so I try to work as fast as I can before she tears down the barn. I guess the place isn't quite "Ana-proof" :-|


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> Well, we are still trying to figure out a good time to ride; so far I always seem to show up when the arena is full so I've been half-way participating in the H/J lesson because there just isn't enough space to do my own thing. Yesterday, there were 5 of us going, around and around in the arena. I could tell Ana was getting bored; I tried to detour whenever possible but gave up after 20 minutes of going in endless circles.
> 
> It's interesting to see how she does in a group riding situation; she just looks really annoyed and will pin her ears at certain horses if they get too close.


I am really in the same boat right now. Seems like I can't ever get to the barn and just have the arena to myself, with no jump standards or other folks. Right now Isabel needs to just go FORWARD and I really need to focus on that, not staying on the rail and riding nice circles. She's so stiff and has lost a lot of fitness, I just want to do tons of long trotting and let her be a little sloppy about staying on the track, etc. I am so missing the extra hours of daylight and good outdoor footing! How many days until it's spring again?!?


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## frlsgirl

Well, I had this great big update planned for today, but, sadly, my mother passed away last night, so I'm not quite myself today.

My mother's name was also Anna. How ironic is it, that I gained 1 Ana and lost 1 Anna in 2014? When I woke up 1/1/14, I had no idea that my mother would be diagnosed with cancer and pass away the same year or that a cute little Morgan mare named Ana would gallop into my world.

They say, when God closes a door, he opens a window. Maybe that also means that if God has to take one Anna, he brings you another one?

Anyway...this thread is about Ana, my cute little pony, so here a couple of pictures from the weekend:


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## egrogan

So sorry to hear this news. I have not experienced the loss of a parent, so can't say I can understand how you're feeling, but sending you virtual good thoughts. It's sometimes nice to have animals around to focus our attention on during tough times though. Hope Ana (the horse) brings you some comfort as you remember your Anna.


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## SaddleUp158

So sorry to hear about your mom.  Glad you have Ana, though to help you through it!


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## frlsgirl

*Snow pics*

Hope everyone had a good Christmas!

We got some snow over the weekend so I took Ana for a little spin around the property:


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## egrogan

I love when there's a gorgeous blue sky like that behind fresh snow!


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## frlsgirl

The blue sky was definetly a bonus.

Ana sure is a funny horse...she loves going away from the barn but she hates going back. With all the construction in the area, there is only so far we can go, so when we had to turn around, she planted her feet and refused to go; I had to push her really hard to get her back to the barn.

You can see her expression switch from happy to mopy:


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## frlsgirl

I've been working Ana quite a bit lately; everything from longe work with her new cavesson, to arena work, to trail. 

Friday, before the snow hit, I decided to take her on the big loop around the property; we didn't get very far before she started spooking and then the ground started to give away under us so I did my first ever emergency dismount with her without any problems. 

At first I was going to turn around since the footing was giving away but after she started spooking I decided to hand-walk her the rest of the way so that she could confront all those scary plastic bags, card board boxes and worst of all....a truck-bed canopy cover propped up on wooden slats.

Fortunately, I had treats in my pocket so I was able to get her really close to it. I don't know why that was so scary for her; she piaffed almost the entire time. 

Last night, I rode her in the arena, with two other horses…both geldings. Ana just looked ****ed off the whole time, and pinned her ears any time we had to pass one of them. Then, in the middle of our ride, the lights went out! I always forget about the darn timer. Good news is that Ana didn’t freak out, so we can add that to our list of unintentional, yet successful desensitizing sessions.


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## frlsgirl

I had the most puzzling ride on Ana today. 

When I walked her to the grooming area she kept neighing under her breath; then she decided that she needs to be able to see me at all times or she will scream. So I left the door to the tack room propped open so that she could properly monitor me. She was fine otherwise until I tightend the girth; she actually turned her head and nipped me! That has never happend before. Of course I corrected her immediately and she didn't try it again but I thought it was very strange for her.

Under saddle, she was a pill, just a total pill. Ears pinned, running through my aids. At one point I halted and she turned her head to look at me like she was saying "why are you doing this to me?!?"

Since I had the arena to myself, I decided to take the saddle off and ride bareback. OMG; she was like a different horse; so round, so soft, so pretty. Don't get me wrong; I had to work for it but she actually responded to my aids instead of just plowing through them. At the end we were doing lovely trot loops around the arena and even a text book shoulder-in down the long side, with white, frothy foam just dripping from her muzzle. It was like a dream; kind of like watching Steffen Peters ride a GP horse; it was so smooth, like a dance. I wish I would have remembered to bring my GoPro.

What is her deal? I can't figure her out! Some days she goes so well that I see GP in our future, whereas other days, I don't even feel right entering her in an intro-level schooling test. 

I'm going to do more bareback riding with her to see if I can re-produce today's performance.

Sometimes, I think it's ulcers...other days I think it's PMS...then I think it could be the saddle. But that doesn't explain why she's perfectly happy and forward on the trail. If the saddle hurts her, why would it only hurt during arena work? That doesn't make any sense.


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## LittleBayMare

Could it have to do with the types of exercises you do in the arena vs on the trail? I know a lot of people do the intricate training exercises in the arena and then just ride in a bunch of straight lines on the trail. So maybe if the saddle is pinching it doesn't pinch so much when trail riding because you aren't asking for the same type of movement.
Could her ovaries be hurting her sometimes but not others?
I don't know. I'm just throwing things out there. I'm fairly new to mare ownership myself. :lol: Your girl is gorgeous btw. The improvements in her appearance since the first page are astounding.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you LittleBayMare. Aren't mares fun?  The vet comes out in March for her annual physical so I will have him check her hormones. I didn't think that mares cycle in the winter time, but her breeder told me that some mares do and other don't. 

I'm going to film myself riding Ana with and without a saddle and send it to Jane Savoie; maybe she can help me pinpoint if it's something that I'm doing different without even realizing it. I would think that riding bareback would be uncomfortable for the horse, but she seems to take to it really well.


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## LittleBayMare

1 ton of fun in a 1/2 ton bag. Lol. 
Mares don't cycle in the winter? :shock: Could someone please come explain that concept to my horny little hoe? She is driving my geldings batsh!t crazy.


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## SueC

Related thread here:

www.horseforum.com/horse-tack-equipment/there-any-kind-pants-breeches-chaps-526114/

That's about the opposite problem: Horse works OK under saddle, not OK bareback. Underlying reasons could be similar though.

I agree with LBM that arena riding has a lot more bending and transitions than you'll do on a trail, and this could therefore well be a saddle fit issue.


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## frlsgirl

*Ana - the runaway horse*

So Ana got away from me. Usually she stands quietly next to me while I get myself organized, but thanks to the freezing cold, I can hardly feel my fingers even with gloves, so as I was fiddling with the snap on the longe line, Ana made a run for freedom. She didn't get very far. When I walked outside she was with a group of horses munching on hay.

She was kind of crabby all weekend; I noticed that she didn't have any fresh hay yesterday so I brought her some to hold her over until feeding time. Ophelia walked up and wanted to share but Ana charged her like a stallion defending his herd. Then the donkey backed up toward Ana and tried to kick her. What is going on? Why is everyone so crabby? I climbed back into the pasture, made Ana back up a few steps, at which point Ophelia was able to step closer and eat a few bites.

I'm guessing maybe they are not getting enough hay? It's my understanding that they bring them fresh hay twice a day, but sometimes they have extra hay left over and other times they don't. If I happen to be there and see that they are out, I will bring them some especially if it's really cold.

Now it's supposed to get really cold on Wednesday; I will request to have Ana moved to a stall for at least one night. I'm hoping that spring will come soon.


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## frlsgirl

Despite the cold, we did some bareback work. She didn't go as well as the previous day but I was still able to get a few decent moves out of her.

I'm not quite sure where to go from here. She seems crabby with or without a saddle but maybe it's hay and cold related. She's no longer neighing under her breath, so if she was in season, it seems to be done with now. She pins her ears a lot and fights me tooth and nail on accepting contact so I begged my friend to call that BNT so that we can arrange a lesson; I need an expert to help me figure this out.

In my desperation, I finally read the free copy of Straightness Training. I tried some of the beginning steps with Ana and had a hard time getting her to move to the left on a small circle. At first she wouldn't go left at all; would only do turn on the forehand, so we tried the right side, which worked fine, and with some pushing I was finally able to get her to move left.

I'm thinking that I need to establish some kind of set training regimen for her; one that involves contact acceptance, straightness training in hand, long and low longe work, with only limited mounted work until I have a chance to ride in front of an expert. Most importantly, I need to make sure that she isn't starving or freezing her butt off in this cold.


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## Viranh

Do you blanket? It is something to consider if she is standing out in the wind and does not always have hay in front of her. Horses stay warm largely through the digestion of hay and grass, so if her hay supply isn't consistent, maybe she is getting cold. This would be particularly true if she doesn't have or use a wind shelter. I never used to be a big proponent of blanketing, but my mare was really sick the year I moved her to my house from my parents and she would stand and shiver looking miserable so I had to get her a blanket. She is mostly recovered and in good weight, but she has a fit if I try to make her go without it (she screams her shrill pony mare screams at the gate until I come put it on), and she has two inches of thick coat. She is a miniature woolly mammoth and is still obviously more comfortable blanketed in the wind here in MO. I've found this to be true with my other horses, too. They clearly prefer to be blanketed. I'm sure your mare can go without a blanket (most horses can), but it is possible she would be more comfortable with one, even if she isn't being harmed by not having one. 

That aside, going better bareback than with the saddle sort of points to saddle fit. You may not even need a different saddle, but just an adjustment to the one you have. I remember you had trouble getting a fitter, so you might have to send it to someone with tracings and pictures. Another option is one of the Ecogold half pads. They are supposed to be very good at reducing pressure points and I had good luck with one before I was able to get my saddle fitted. 

Maybe it is none of those things and she's still feeling run down from being sick or just having a bad few days. Maybe she strained something playing in the pasture. If it seems to go away in a few more days, I would not worry too much about it. I hope she feels better soon!


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## frlsgirl

Hi Viranh :wave:

Ana has a nice shelter that is completely closed on 3 sides (you can see it on in the background here); its' deep and has a divider in case she isn't on speaking terms with her pasture mates. I rarely ever see her in there, so I'm guessing she's not that cold. When it's raining, she will put her herd in the shelter and then she stands guard at the edge.

I haven't seen her shiver at all, but I will put her in a stall on days when it's unreasonably cold...like what they are forecasting for Wednesday..21 for the high and 12 for the low....yikes!

Regarding her crabby behavior, I'm just going to give her some time off, and only work her when it's well above freezing.


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## egrogan

Sorry to hear you're in a bit of a funk. Sounds like it will be good to have an extra set of eyes when you take a lesson with that trainer. It's frustrating to hit a wall like that. 

I have a question for you- I think somewhere in this thread, you mentioned that you found a lunging cavesson that you really liked. Would you mind sharing where it came from? We have an old beat up "general use" cavesson at the barn, but it's never really fit Isabel's tiny head correctly and I'm considering getting her one of her own.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Sorry to hear you're in a bit of a funk. Sounds like it will be good to have an extra set of eyes when you take a lesson with that trainer. It's frustrating to hit a wall like that.
> 
> I have a question for you- I think somewhere in this thread, you mentioned that you found a lunging cavesson that you really liked. Would you mind sharing where it came from? We have an old beat up "general use" cavesson at the barn, but it's never really fit Isabel's tiny head correctly and I'm considering getting her one of her own.


Regarding the Cavesson, I bought it in Germany, here is the link:

SHOWMASTER Kappzaum - Longen und Kappzäume - Krämer Pferdesport

I'm going to take it to a leather worker to add a few additional holes. The biggest issue I've encountered is that the clasp on the longe is too big and bounces on her nose, which she is not happy about. So I need to take it in and get a smaller clasp attached. 

Sometimes you can buy cavessons from Germany on Ebay, but shipping is pretty high.


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## frlsgirl

So I finally figured out what's bothering Ana; the farrier trimmed her feet too short. She's still on the 6 week summer schedule, and I need to move her to the 10 week winter schedule. I was walking her to the temporary stall, which involved walking over some small gravel and she had a hard time navigating through it. 

Plus I had put the saddle further back to free up her shoulder some more, but since she was going through a heat cycle, she didn't appreciate my leg touching her further back. 
So ouchy feet, plus ouchy sides equals crabby mare. Plus she’s cold and probably not getting all the nutrients she needs from the alfalfa.

Note to self, if it aint broke don't fix it. There was no need to put the saddle further back, it just made her feel worse, not better. Her feet didn't need trimming but got trimmed anyway, because I had her on this rigid schedule; the farrier wants to make $ so he isn't going to turn her away even if she doesn't need trimmed.

Also, now that I know for sure that the coliced last summer because she got too much grain, there is no need to keep her on a special diet anymore, so we will slowly switch her back to grain; I think she's happier on grain. I will continue the probiotics just in case but I will buy a big bottle of that stuff and measure it out myself; Smartpack is way too expensive.


If it's bitterly cold out, I won't work her; I will pay for stall boarding on those days.

I'm not planning on introducing any new gear/gadgets; the vienna reins worked fine for longing, so no need to make any changes there either.

I did wash her saddle pad again and detailed her bridle and cavesson just in case there was a sticker or something that bothered her.

She’s enjoying a couple of days off and is staying in a cozy stall right next to her best friend Ophelia.

The 2015 show schedule was just announced; looks like we are planning to go to the 3/14 show in Stillwater. We are also trying to schedule a private lesson with that BNT; she has an open spot on Monday; hopefully the weather will hold. I would like the BNT to evaluate us and let us know which class we should enter; they do have a suitability class and an equitation class in addition to the traditional Dressage tests, so if nothing else fits, I can at least do those classes. I don’t expect her to do well; I just want her to gain some show experience.

Regarding her performance, she does really well if we do a lot of canter work first; so I will put my big girl pants on and do lots and lots of canter under saddle as a warm-up; that seems to really loosen her up. I don’t think I need to drill her on arena work; I’m going to substitute quality for quantity. I will also expand my horizons and maybe try some cattle sorting, or trail obstacle course with her.

Most importantly, I need to learn to trust my instincts. I’ve ridden so many horses and had so many lessons; I just need to always bring my big girl pants to the barn with me and then everything will be ok.


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## frlsgirl

I just signed myself and Ana up for a biomechanics clinic next week, off property, at a huge facility just south of town, with a certified RI...now I just need to find my big girl pants :shock:


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## evilamc

Aloe may be a cheaper alternative as a probiotic for you, you can get it in liquid for pretty cheap and they just top dress it on her grain, or you can buy it in a powder form. Its great for their bellies for ulcers an helps the immune system!

Need to start logging you miles again on our trail forum! Glad to here you figured out what was going on with her and have a plan to get her back on track


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## frlsgirl

:wave:

Hi Evilamc! I will check on Aloe. I wish I had some miles to log but it is super cold here right now. Hoping we can get some actual trail riding done in the spring.


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## frlsgirl

Ana is still acting like she may be in season, because as she walked up to see me last night, she stopped and lifted her tail like she was going to potty but nothing came out and then the donkey gelding got all excited over that.

I’m not sure what to make of all that; I thought she was done because she isn’t neighing under her breath anymore.

Under saddle last night...she was HOT, HOT, HOT. It's been super cold here in Oklahoma so I haven't been working her as much, and she spent a couple of nights in a stall which she is not used to, so she was totally bonkers when I rode her last night. 

She never rears or bucks or anything like that, but her breaks don't work when she's like this and the gas pedal is stuck on full speed ahead. So I try to slow her down with loops and circles until she finally relaxes, which can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes...ugh! But I guess it's better to have a horse with excess power than a slug. 

I've tried to let her run it out of her system before, by going into two-point and letting her run around in her Saddle Seat trot, but the girl has endless endurance. The only thing that helps, is loops and circles at a semi-controlled trot and cantering. But I'm too chicken to let her canter until I feel like she's somewhat controllable. That's where the big girl pants will come in handy.

I did work up the courage to let her canter twice last night, so yay for me; it was scary; she just leaps into canter and snorts and grunts like a stick of dynamite that's about to explode. This is great actually, considering that I want to show her in Dressage, so she needs lots of power but it's not so great for my nerves. 1 Mississippi , 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi...lol.

I do feel like we made progress last night as I implemented some suppling exercises that actually worked, and we both survived a powerful canter.


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## frlsgirl

Today is lesson day! I have no idea how she's going to go; yesterday she was crabby and stiff under saddle but softened up after we cantered both directions. We were sharing the arena with Ophelia and Ana pinned those ears all the way back every time we got close to her, which makes me think that part of her stiffness/attitude is just that...attitude.

She didn't do so well on the longe; she's been randomly cantering wrong (correct lead in front, wrong lead in the back) but she usually corrects herself. She hasn't done that under saddle so I'm not too terribly worried about it. 


She is doing excellent at Straightness training, she really understands what I'm asking and I can totally see how uncomfortable she is going to the left, but she gives it her best shot. I love it when something works just as intended.


I'm hoping the BNT can help me help her; I want to know exactly what I'm doing wrong and how I can fix it.

I had this random thought that if the BNT says she's no good at Dressage, maybe she might make a great Hunter, but she would have to share the arena with others without making ugly faces at them. 

We were trying to take pictures yesterday and those ears of hers were all over the place; I guess she is just one of those expressive mares.

We managed to get a couple of good ones with her ears forward/looking friendly:


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## frlsgirl

*Lesson pics*

We had a GREAT first lesson with new BNT. 

Ana got spooked when we first put her on the trailer so she jumped back out; it was my friend's fault as she was trying to help by showing her the longe whip; so after I explained to my friend that Ana doesn't need that kind of help, she went in without any problems. She did scrape the bottom of her tail dock on the divider but didn't draw any blood. It scared me though to see her jump out like that; she could have really hurt her legs so I will need to invest in some serious shipping boots, just in case. 

When we got there Ana was pretty hot and talkative so we decided that I should go first. I walked her all over the arena and let her inspect the mirrors from both sides. 

The BNT is really nice. She had me make a few tweaks to my seat and really took her time and explained everything really well.

We worked on halting from seat and stepping through the right doors while respecting boundaries.

Trainer suggested that I enter her into Intro A & B as well as Group Equitation class at the upcoming schooling show.

BNT is also a Dressage judge, so I was floored when she said that Ana has a very nice, clear, four-beat walk. Do you know how awesome that is to hear from a Dressage judge? The walk is one of the most undervalued gaits, yet very important for a Dressage horse. We already know the girl can trot all day long 

She said that everything that Ana is doing is completely normal teenage behavior; sometimes they behave well, and other times they go a little cray cray.

She said for the next lesson, we will do ground work. It was my friend's turn next and Ana was supposed to stand quietly by the trailer so that I could watch her lesson; let's just say the quiet part didn't work out so well so I didn't get to see much of her lesson; considering that this was her first off property lesson, and that she is still a hormonal teen, I guess she did really well.


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## frlsgirl

*Mirror, mirror on the wall....*

...who is the prettiest little Morgan of all? 

The instructor was talking to me while Ana admired her reflection in the mirror, so adorable.


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## SaddleUp158

At Nationals this year, a friend of ours stalled with us and her horse was pretty nervous when he couldn't see his stablemate. So we hung a mirror outside of his stall and he would just stand there and stare at his "new friend." It did the trick he was calm as long as his "buddy" was with him. lol


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night for the first time since Monday. I didn't longe her first and I wondered if I would be able to control her. I'm happy to report that all the tools that I learned at my lesson are WORKING! I'm so happy! 

I can control her trot with my seat
She's learning to halt from my seat 
I can get her to step into my outside rein by riding with wide hands

Best of all, I feel like I can just get on her and ride her correctly; no need to wear her out with endless trotting or longing.

The barn was busy last night. A whole bunch of little kids bouncing around on their ponies in a beginner H/J lesson; I had no choice but to join them. Ugh!

At one point they turned on the outdoor arena lights so I asked the RI if she wouldn't mind opening the gate so that I could ride outside. Well, there is a tiny 2 inch ditch in the dirt, probably from opening and closing the gate so many times; Ana wasn't sure if she could cross it; it was so cute. I'm sure it looked like a 10 foot opening in the dirt when in reality it was just a a tiny divet. Fortunately, she had her big girl pants on and was able to cross it after closely inspecting it.

They had just completely cleared the outdoor arena and dragged it so it was probably the biggest open ring she's ever seen. First we had to make it past the pile of jumps at the gate entrance; after close inspection with big eyes, snorting and dancing, Ana determined it was safe to proceed.

A lot of the horses were acting up; bolting and spooking so I said a little prayer as I entered. Although she was forward and distracted, I could still control her with my seat and get her to step into contact. I have to be careful now and still allow her little stretch breaks in between because she's using new muscle and I'm sure that's hard for her; she did throw a mini fit when I waited too long between breaks by bobbing her head up and down, so I got her to behave for a couple of strides and then gave her a stretch break. We did have a little spook during the cool down phase but it wasn't a big deal.

We spent some more time inspecting the dismantled jumps on the way back to the indoor and then bravely stepped over the 10 foot drop (2 inch divet) and then we called it a night. 

Adda girl!


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## SueC

SaddleUp158 said:


> At Nationals this year, a friend of ours stalled with us and her horse was pretty nervous when he couldn't see his stablemate. So we hung a mirror outside of his stall and he would just stand there and stare at his "new friend." It did the trick he was calm as long as his "buddy" was with him. lol


My father stopped letting stallions into his farmhouse garden when they started attacking their own reflections in the house windows! 


*FG*: Nice progress there. You guys are looking very, very good together!


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## SaddleUp158

SueC said:


> My father stopped letting stallions into his farmhouse garden when they started attacking their own reflections in the house windows!
> 
> 
> *FG*: Nice progress there. You guys are looking very, very good together!


Oh my! That would be concerning!


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## frlsgirl

Ugh. I had the vet come out yesterday to look at Ana's feet cause I just had a feeling that something wasn't quite right. She would act like she's walking on egg shells whenever I brought her up from the pasture; she just had a hard time navigating through the gravel.

I love my vet; he knows I'm a worrier so he shows me what signs to look for to check for laminitis. He didn't even want to draw her blood because he said she shows absolutely no signs of it. Weight is good, no increased digital pulse in front hooves, no increased temperature in front hooves either. Plus he said with the diet she's on, it's very unlikely that she will develop any carbohydrate-overload induced conditions. 

So I can stop going around the barn and asking other people if I can check their horse's hoof temp...yes I was actually doing that, just to make sure Ana's hooves weren't any hotter than everyone elses.

He said that the farrier had trimmed them too short and her soles in the front are too soft. My instructions are to change her trimming schedule to every 8 weeks for now, get some sole hardner, and only ride her on soft ground for the next 2 weeks.

The weather is supposed to be perfect for trail riding this weekend so we were going to trailer Ana and Ophelia to a nice place and get some R&R. 

After the vet left, I longed her in the indoor and then rode her bareback; for once, both of us were longingly staring outside wishing we could go out there with everyone else. Now I know how Ana feels when I want to do arena work and she wants to go outside.

I might drag the mounting block out to the outdoor this weekend so that we can at least get a little bit of sunshine.

I've ordered her Durasole and shipping boots. I still need to get her some trail boots if the hoof hardner doesn't work.


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## Zexious

Darn, I was so pleased with the succession of positive posts, and now a little setback ): At least it's nothing too serious!

I can't tell much from the sole (I'm no expert~) but I definitely think that her feet do look a tad short in the first pic.
Keep us updated! <3


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> Darn, I was so pleased with the succession of positive posts, and now a little setback ): At least it's nothing too serious!
> 
> I can't tell much from the sole (I'm no expert~) but I definitely think that her feet do look a tad short in the first pic.
> Keep us updated! <3


It really is just a minor setback; the diagnosis could have been much worse...laminitis, navicular...etc.

I will figure out a way to ride Ana outside this weekend; I may just have to get creative with mounting.

I just dread talking to the farrier about this...


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## frlsgirl

Guess what you guys?

Ana won a photo contest!

Morgan Stallions, MHAO Stallion Service Auction Foal Photo Contest

Well actually, her breeder won the photo contest using a picture of Ana when she was a foal with her momma. I love how she stands there looking all proud of herself


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## SueC

Hi Frlsgirl, how long after the trim was Ana sore for? It is extremely easy for horses to be sole-sore on certain sorts of gravel, and it's considered normal for them not to be able to walk comfortably through such stuff for a couple of days after a trim, especially in seasons where there is a lot of moisture in the ground and therefore in the hooves as well. My father does corrective trimming on harness horses to fix gait problems, and his horses are all very short - riding horses tend to be left too long compared to race horses and indeed compared to how wild horses' hooves look. My father trims his harness racers every 3-4 weeks - the more often you trim, the less "ouchy" they will be on the soles, as less will be taken on each trim, plus there is the advantage of preserving the correct angle and length of the hoof more easily, leading to healthy feet, little gait interference, and less stress on the rest of the horse's legs.

Maybe the farrier took a tad too much, but I'm going to side with him over the veterinarian here - I'd rather see short hooves than hooves that are too long - and your horse's hooves look better than a lot of riding horses' I have seen. I trim myself. When I started trimming regularly 4 years ago, I was too chicken to take off as much hoof as I should have done, so when my dad popped by for a visit and I mentioned our retired ancient gelding was getting underrun heels, I got scolded for not keeping his hooves short enough! Dad's corrective trim resulted in him being more "ouchy" for a couple of days on rocks than he was when dad was trimming him all the time...but hooves deforming are a bigger problem - and his undershot heel (a deformity of growth caused by leaving the hoof too long) was almost completely corrected in that one trim. A decent farrier will have a better understanding of a horse's hooves than a veterinarian: We have both in the family, and our veterinarian always defers to our farrier on hooves...(but it's a good farrier!). I reckon it's worth chatting to your farrier independently about the problem next time you see him, rather than waving the veterinarian's opinion in his face. I think it's worth seeing what he says about the matter.

Our local master farrier (doing mostly TBs) where DH and I live says the number one reason for sole soreness and general hoof problems in shod horses (your Ana is barefoot, right?) is going too long between trims, and letting hooves get too long... and the longer it's left, the more sensitive the hooves will be when trimmed short again... just some food for thought. There are crappy farriers for sure, but also crappy veterinarians... (not that I'm applying that to your specific professionals here, I don't know them - it's just a general rule)...


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## SueC

That's young Ana? Veeery cute!  Nice mare too!

The pair of them have super shoulders, don't they? And very good overall conformation. We don't see many Morgans over here, but of course, our harness breeds are related...


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Hi Frlsgirl, how long after the trim was Ana sore for? It is extremely easy for horses to be sole-sore on certain sorts of gravel, and it's considered normal for them not to be able to walk comfortably through such stuff for a couple of days after a trim, especially in seasons where there is a lot of moisture in the ground and therefore in the hooves as well. My father does corrective trimming on harness horses to fix gait problems, and his horses are all very short - riding horses tend to be left too long compared to race horses and indeed compared to how wild horses' hooves look. My father trims his harness racers every 3-4 weeks - the more often you trim, the less "ouchy" they will be on the soles, as less will be taken on each trim, plus there is the advantage of preserving the correct angle and length of the hoof more easily, leading to healthy feet, little gait interference, and less stress on the rest of the horse's legs.
> 
> Maybe the farrier took a tad too much, but I'm going to side with him over the veterinarian here - I'd rather see short hooves than hooves that are too long - and your horse's hooves look better than a lot of riding horses' I have seen. I trim myself. When I started trimming regularly 4 years ago, I was too chicken to take off as much hoof as I should have done, so when my dad popped by for a visit and I mentioned our retired ancient gelding was getting underrun heels, I got scolded for not keeping his hooves short enough! Dad's corrective trim resulted in him being more "ouchy" for a couple of days on rocks than he was when dad was trimming him all the time...but hooves deforming are a bigger problem - and his undershot heel (a deformity of growth caused by leaving the hoof too long) was almost completely corrected in that one trim. A decent farrier will have a better understanding of a horse's hooves than a veterinarian: We have both in the family, and our veterinarian always defers to our farrier on hooves...(but it's a good farrier!). I reckon it's worth chatting to your farrier independently about the problem next time you see him, rather than waving the veterinarian's opinion in his face. I think it's worth seeing what he says about the matter.
> 
> Our local master farrier (doing mostly TBs) where DH and I live says the number one reason for sole soreness and general hoof problems in shod horses (your Ana is barefoot, right?) is going too long between trims, and letting hooves get too long... and the longer it's left, the more sensitive the hooves will be when trimmed short again... just some food for thought. There are crappy farriers for sure, but also crappy veterinarians... (not that I'm applying that to your specific professionals here, I don't know them - it's just a general rule)...


Thanks for all that info Sue! It's been 2.5 weeks and Ana is still sore if I hand walk her over gravel. The vet showed me how soft her hooves are; if you press on her sole, right around the frog, it gives to pressure.

I think what I'm going to do is not say anything to the farrier, and start using durasole and see what happens.

I had very casually mentioned to him that Ana was a tad sore after the last trim and if we could change the schedule to every 8 weeks and he was very upset over it so I'm not going to rock any more than I have to :wink:.

It's so hard to figure out what to do sometimes because I have to trust others to take care of her and we can't ask our horses what's bothering them so we just kind of have to learn to listen to what they tell us. 

After spending a lot of time working with Ana over the last year, I know when something bothers her but I may not always know how to fix it or who to trust to fix it. I guess that's a live and learn kind of thing.


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> That's young Ana? Veeery cute!  Nice mare too!
> 
> The pair of them have super shoulders, don't they? And very good overall conformation. We don't see many Morgans over here, but of course, our harness breeds are related...


Yup that's her. I love how facial markings really stand out on foals. That star looked gigantic on her and now that her face grew around it, it's just a small little speck of white hair.


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## Zexious

Gah, baby Ana is so adorbs <3 I wish we all had access to our horse's baby photos, you lucky dog ;D!


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## SueC

2.5 weeks is a *long* time to be sore after a trim! ...it's winter where you are, right? Is there a lot of moisture getting in her feet? The area around the frog is very susceptible to thrush and general erosion in wet weather. That's the bane of our lives with free range horses over the wet season. When that happens, you can't hand walk them on gravel for months. To prevent that as best as possible over the wet months, we Stockholm tar them regularly. In really bad cases, formaldehyde is very helpful (yep, it can help more than harm in such cases). Peroxide is somewhat less effective...


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## frlsgirl

Sue - we've had a strange winter, it was wet, then ice and now it feels like spring outside; yesterday we hit the 70 degree mark - crazy! I'm sure the constant changing conditions are not easy on the pasture dwellers, so I wouldn't be surprised if that had anything to do with Ana's tender tootsies.

You would think with all this great weather I would be spending all my time at the barn...but....husband came home deathly ill Friday night and begged me to stay with him all day Saturday. I tried to sneak out of the house, but I got caught 

So yesterday, I finally managed to escape for a couple of hours; I received several protest texts from him, but I tried my best to ignore them :?

When I got to the barn I had decided I was going to work on trotting properly, you know the kind where the horse accepts the bit, stretches down, relaxes and uses his body correctly. Ana had other plans. 

She hadn't been worked in 3 days so she was ready to go! It was a little windy and the BO was doing a bunch of construction outside so we had lots of desensitizing opportunities. She was so forward, she kept wanting to gallop off but I wouldn’t let her; so she actually protested by cantering on the spot...I didn't know horses could canter without moving forward, but Ana can....oh yeah, Ana can also trot backwards...yup...she's a special little horse. 

We got a lot of desensitizing done and I really worked on my seat. 

She is really helping me become a better rider; there is no snoozing at the wheel with her, and no sloppy aids allowed either; so I’m really working on whispering my leg aids, while teaching her to listen to my seat aids.

What Ana lacks the most is balance; she can’t carry herself properly for more than a few strides because she doesn’t have enough muscle yet; add a few distractions to the mix such as a random flying plastic bag and I’m riding a giraffe.

So that is our next major goal; achieving physical and mental balance. I’m not quite sure how to tackle this but I have some ideas:

Straightness Training
More lessons with BNT
Implementing a regular training schedule
More lateral bareback work


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## frlsgirl

I had a GREAT ride on Miss Ana last night.

We cantered three whole circles to the left and 3 long sides to the right. The best part is that I didn't feel like I was going to die. Yay for big girl pants!

I'm still working in whispering my leg aids and being patient with her and it's paying off big time. 

She was pretty tired when we got done; she was grunting, blowing her nose and hanging her head like she had just ran a marathon. For some reason she is a lot more relaxed after cantering; I think she holds her breath when we do walk and trot work which causes her to be tense; cantering forces her to breathe deeply which in turn helps her relax. Maybe I just need to enroll her in a horsey yoga class 

Almost forgot, I also had a major breakthrough...after years of riding and lessons, I finally figured out how to use my leg inwards instead of backwards; I though I was never going to figure this one out; but since the RI tweaked my position, my aids just seem a lot smoother.


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## SueC

Horsey yoga with an exercise ball:

https://augustusthemustang.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/learning-to-sit/

Apologies if I've posted a link to that site before. I can never remember who I posted it to...and I post it a lot as it's so cool!

About leg position: You learnt in Germany like I did, but I didn't learn one trick till I read an Australian book: To pull the muscle between your thigh and the saddle backwards with your hands to decrease the bulk there and allow you closer contact. It does make a difference.


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## frlsgirl

Hi Sue - yes I've seen that video before; it's very cute. I might try that with Ana if I had a ball or a stall corner 

Here is how the RI fixed my seat:

The pic on the left is my "before" seat; long leg, slightly tipped forward, resulting in a gap between my foot and her barrel; also very ineffective for seat aids.

The pic on the right is my "after" seat; I had to really open my hips to get my whole butt in the saddle and my lower leg flat against her sides; my stirrups are also a bit shorter. 

I'm still trying to get used to this new way of riding; it's a lot harder than it looks; I feel like I'm doing the splits :lol: but Ana seems to like it as it's a lot more effective.


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## egrogan

I think really opening up the hip is the hardest part. I did something to my hip during my adolescent sports career, and even now, I still sometimes feel it get "stuck" when I try to push my seat in the saddle as you describe. It's very uncomfortable, it almost needs to pop back into place in order for me to be able to continue riding.

Sue- I had a dressage instructor who once gave me that "thigh pull" tip as a critical part of my warm up, and it really did help get my leg in a better position.


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## SueC

My biggest problem is keeping my head up and not slouching my shoulders - on and off the horse - tall person syndrome (and weight of the world ;-)). When I started riding, my biggest problem was learning to yield out of my elbows - I was forever yielding out of my shoulders, which made me slouch more when yielding!


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## frlsgirl

Ugh - Ana is now completely lame on her left front. I rode her last night and kept thinking/feeling that she's off but after a few strides it seemed like it was getting better and then it would come back. So I cut my ride short. I put her on the longe and asked her to trot; she gave me her evil mare look and and proceeded with an extremely lame trot. Fantastic.

On a brighter note, her shipping boots arrived and they fit! Her hoof hardner also arrived and I had no problems with application.

My co-worker and friend Lisa who has a whole herd of horses told me to fire my farrier; she can't stand the guy. He charges way too much, and is not that great, plus he's kind of a grump. $45 for a 5 minute trim that causes my horse to go lame is not a good deal.

I'm now wondering if I should put shoes on her. I'm also wondering if maybe she has an abscess, in which case I probably shouldn't put hardner on her feet as that would seal it in even more. Maybe I watch too many youtube videos. Dr. Google seems determined to cause me more anxiety.

I'm waiting for Lisa to get in the office so that I can get a recommendation for a new farrier.

Almost forgot, she is missing a whole chunk of mane and has a small cut on her right hip; I'm not as concerned about the cut; horses get those all the time; I put vetericyn on it so that should help heal it, but where did her mane go? How can she be missing an entire chunk/section of mane?

It was too dark to investigage, but I'm going to walk through her pasture tonight to see if I can find her missing pieces.


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## frlsgirl

Mini-update: had a lead on a few farrier but he turned me down 

So I texted my vet and he is going to meet me out there tomorrow afternoon; he thinks the same thing that I'm thinking....stone bruise that turned into abscess.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a picture of her mane. You can see how the middle section is shorter than the front and back section; it's like it's been trimmed or chewed off. I'm not sure what to make of all this.

Monday I rode her and she was completely fine and had all her mane.

Wednesday she's lame and is missing mane; I might have to install a nanny cam to see what goes on there when I'm not around. 

They recently opened a day care/school right next to Ana's pasture; I've seen the kids at the fence several times trying to pet the horses...I wonder if they are riding her on gravel and trimmer her mane?

I hope not. I'm really happy there otherwise; it's such a nice place.


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> My biggest problem is keeping my head up and not slouching my shoulders - on and off the horse - tall person syndrome (and weight of the world ;-)). When I started riding, my biggest problem was learning to yield out of my elbows - I was forever yielding out of my shoulders, which made me slouch more when yielding!


Us short people aren't immune to slouching either :wink:


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## frlsgirl

The vet determined that Ana is exaggerating her sole pain to get out of work. I longed her in front of him and she was clearly off; then he longed her and she was perfect; she actually lifted her tail and was showing off. 

He also reexamined her legs and hoofs and found that her sole tenderness has significantly decreased since he saw her a week ago.

He told me I should have bought a "dumb blood" (WB) because they aren't smart enough to fake lameness. 

He also said that I can continue with the durasole as it seems to be helping and that if I plan on doing more outdoor riding I might consider shoeing her.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> The vet determined that Ana is exaggerating her sole pain to get out of work. I longed her in front of him and she was clearly off; then he longed her and she was perfect; she actually lifted her tail and was showing off.


Excuse my scepticism here: Horses warm out of pain, and excitement (different person etc) can also distract them from pain. Does your vet have some way of reading horse minds that nobody else in the world has? Pain still means an underlying problem, and if a horse that's normally keen and sparky doesn't want to work and shows you it's in pain, then that's what I would call "attempting to communicate"....


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## frlsgirl

I hear you Sue. She is a tricky little pony. She can be quite manipulative so it's hard to say if she's experiencing valid pain. He did put the testers on her feet and got a very minimal response. Obviously, I want what's best for her, but if you asked Ana, she would tell you that she would be perfectly happy just being a pasture ornament that gets to go for the occasional trail ride :?.

I worked her hard all weekend but only on excellent surfaces and she didn't show any lameness.

I didn’t apply any more durasole as her hoofs were quite damp; they have to be perfectly dry or the application doesn’t work. 

I’m checking around for a new farrier and got a couple of good leads so far.

Her sursingle finally arrived; I’m now figuring out why I should have gotten a quality surcingle the first time; this one has weights on the top that conform to the shape of the horse; I always wondered why some surcingles have these and others don’t; turns out they keep it from sliding around on the horse…duh! 

I’m doing more and more canter work under saddle and it’s going really well. I’m asking for the canter depart in different places and I’m mixing up straight lines with circles. I’m focusing on looking where I’m going instead of looking down at her; while concentrating on my seat and feeling for engagement. I can tell when she’s about to break into a trot and I’m able to just give her a slight nudge with the inside leg to keep her going. I’m also making sure that I do just as much right lead as I do left lead canter. For some reason I was really fixated on left lead canter for a while and I’m letting go of that. I’m also less fearful about cantering in general so that helps.

Ana broke her cavesson yesterday, sigh. It was my fault. I tied her up in the grooming area by clipping the rope to the center ring. Suddenly, the wind blew through the arena and knocked over all the chairs; Ana got spooked, pulled back and broke one of the leather straps. Apparently, I like to learn everything the hard way. Always put a cheap nylon halter on her cause it’s less likely to break and if it does, it’s not a big deal. Oh well. I was really pleased with how she dealt with the spook though. She pulled back and then stood there quietly while I approached her and put her in a stall. I’m sure most horses would have bolted. I ended up riding her outside and doing some hill work. She did pretty well; she’s such a smart cookie; she knows that when we go down a hill, we stop first and then we go very, very slowly. When we came upon this tiny hill she planted her feet and was like “Hey! It’s a hill! I’m supposed to stop first!” :lol:

She’s enjoying a day of vacation while I get caught up on stuff at home.


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## frlsgirl

I had a fantastic ride with Miss Ana last night. In preparation for the spring Dressage show, we worked on trot/walk/halt transitions; she's really starting to understand my seat aids. 

Funny thing happened: My RI told me to always exhale when halting so I started exhaling audibly, kind of like a loud sigh; after the 5th halt, Ana started sighing at the halt; don't know if it was a coincidence but it made me chuckle.


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## frlsgirl

Had another fantastic practice ride with Ana...what the heck is going one? Why are my aids suddenly working? I actually was able to transition from trot to walk and back to trot WHILE ON THE BIT...I was totally shocked. 

I think it's because the RI tweaked my seat in such a way that I can give her very clear aids and free up her back so that she wants to round to the bit. As a result, I'm also a lot firmer with my half-halts which makes it really uncomfortable for her to invert. 

I've been practicing for only 20 minutes and then I let her walk around the property on a loose rein; and she really seems to need that because she stretches all the way down while grunting and blowing her nose.


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## Bondre

What a pretty horse Ana is! I love her elegance and her wise face. Are all morgans like her? Gorgeous, and she sounds really smart too.

I'm glad to hear that her lameness seems to have been a false alarm. Well done on your riding successes! It's always so satisfying when something you've been working on suddenly comes together.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Had another fantastic practice ride with Ana...what the heck is going one? Why are my aids suddenly working? I actually was able to transition from trot to walk and back to trot WHILE ON THE BIT...I was totally shocked.
> 
> I think it's because the RI tweaked my seat in such a way that I can give her very clear aids and free up her back so that she wants to round to the bit. As a result, I'm also a lot firmer with my half-halts which makes it really uncomfortable for her to invert.
> 
> I've been practicing for only 20 minutes and then I let her walk around the property on a loose rein; and she really seems to need that because she stretches all the way down while grunting and blowing her nose.


That's fabulous! I had a moment of clarity last night as well. I really concentrated on relaxing through my thigh and seat and was amazed at the different in my mare. 

Keep up the good work!


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## SaddleUp158

Bondre said:


> What a pretty horse Ana is! I love her elegance and her wise face. Are all morgans like her? Gorgeous, and she sounds really smart too.
> 
> I'm glad to hear that her lameness seems to have been a false alarm. Well done on your riding successes! It's always so satisfying when something you've been working on suddenly comes together.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



Ana is the epitome of a Morgan. As a breed they are beautiful and have quite the personality. They love to work, but have to be asked correctly and fairly.


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## frlsgirl

Yes Morgans are indeed awesome; a lot of personality in a small package. 

On another note, some things are happening at my job that our out of my control which means I may need to relocate; which means finding a new barn, a new trainer etc. Ugh. There is talk of moving to OKC; I just don't know. I hate change. At least OKC would be great place for Ana; lots of Morgan things going on down there. I hate driving around there though; everything is so far away and spread out. 

There is also talk of moving to Houston; which is great job wise but if I hated driving in Oklahoma, I'm gonna be really upset with the commute in Houston. Lots of big Dressage barns down there, so that would probably be the only other plus. Neither Ana nor I like the heat here in Oklahoma so I'm sure we would miserable down there.

Ugh. I guess all I can do is wait and see what happens.


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## frlsgirl

Well it looks like I get to keep my job...for now at least; 50% of my office got laid off Friday and 20% total, nationwide. Yikes. So I'm casually looking at other options. The rest of our group was so distraught that management decided to let us go home early; I went straight to the barn.

Had a good ride on Ana although she was quite forward; so after finishing our walk/trot portion I took her into the indoor to work on canter. I always feel safer in the indoor when she gets a little fresh. Unfortunately, I have been schooling her outside for the last two rides so as soon as she steps into the indoor she assumes she's done. So she got a little ****y when I told her we needed to do a little more work. I got a decent canter out of her and called it good. It's such a delicate dance with her; I can't push her too hard to where she get's cranky but I can't let her be in charge either. So I have to finish at just the right moment.

I went to untack her and treat her hoofs with durasole when I noticed a damp spot on her left front...couldn't figure out where it was coming from at first but after I cleaned her hoof really well I could see, that she clipped herself from overstepping. Ugh. I guess that means she is moving correctly under saddle now. One of the boarders is also a vet tech so she helped me doctor it up with iodine.

I guess I'll need to invest in bell boots or polo wraps now.

Saturday, the weather was kind of crappy so I rode her in the indoor. There was a left over pole on the ground from the jumping lesson so we worked it into our routine. She was a little touchy; kept trying to run from my inward leg pressure and at one point actually spooked at it. Strange. 

I decided to work on the left since that is really hard for her; and OMG; she transformed into the most wonderful horse; it was like I was riding one of those spanish horses, she was so perfect and floaty and collected, all while flexing correctly to the left. Too bad I didn't film this; it was awesome. 

I got a little carried away and tried to canter her to the left, but Ana was not having it. She pounded her hooves on the ground, like a real angry and overly collected canter. I really wished I would have filmed this; it was really strange; she's only done that one other time in the indoor and once outdoors. I think that maybe she's getting wore out more quickly because she's having to use her muscles correctly all the time now because when I do give her a stretch break she grunts and huffs and puffs and stretches like she just ran a marathon.

Of course we couldn't finish on a bad note, so I asked her to do something real easy and had her trot over the pole; it was wonderful, so floaty and pretty and then we called it quits.

She's enjoying a day off today and then it's back to work on Monday.


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## frlsgirl

A couple of fun pics from this weekend.

The lady next to us accidentally turned on our water...Ana is NOT a fan of water so she started going sideways as far as the cross-ties would reach :lol:


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## frlsgirl

My favorite scene from one of my favorite movies 

Last night was kind of like that. I was zipping around the barn trying to get Ana ready, and she just looked at me with her big brown eyes like "You should really lay off the caffeine, mom"


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## frlsgirl

I finally rode Ana today after a 3 day break. Here is a little pic. I'm hoping to ride again Sunday.


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## DraftyAiresMum

frlsgirl said:


> A couple of fun pics from this weekend.
> 
> The lady next to us accidentally turned on our water...Ana is NOT a fan of water so she started going sideways as far as the cross-ties would reach :lol:


These pics made me laugh!

"Ermahger!! I'ts gonna get me!!"

"Excuse me! Did you see this water try to attack me?! Where did it come from?!"


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## frlsgirl

DraftyAiresMum said:


> These pics made me laugh!
> 
> "Ermahger!! I'ts gonna get me!!"
> 
> "Excuse me! Did you see this water try to attack me?! Where did it come from?!"


You should see her when it gets warmer and I actually have to hose her off.


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## frlsgirl

Perhaps my favorite pic from the weekend:

Ana is great at :hug:


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## frlsgirl

I had a fantastic second lesson with BNT this morning. We spent the beginning of the lesson doing in-hand work using the bridle and Dressage whip. Well, I should have warned her that Ana is still a little scared of the whip so we had to start with desensitizing work first. Once we got Ana to accept the whip, she taught me how to get Ana to give to bit pressure while standing still, give to pole pressure to help her relax, and then we walked side by side while maintaining bit contact and focus. We ended with backing up while on the bit. 

For the under-saddle portion of the lesson, we worked on the four-leave clover exercise to help me learn and apply the spiral seat while teaching Ana to flex and give to bit pressure.

She said that Ana is still very green, has holes in her training, has a strong flight response, and is very easily offended, but she is also a very smart cookie and learns new concepts very fast.

Several times I said "well Ana doesn't like this or Ana doesn't like that" to which BNT replied that if Ana doesn't like something we need to do MORE of it not LESS. She said that I'm a very soft, fair rider, I'm not doing anything wrong, and Ana is just being a teenager with all the ear pinning and tail swishing. The clover excercise was great for that because it required a lot of contact with my inside leg which Ana doesn't like but I just kept with it and eventually she relaxed because she realized that I wasn't giving in to her and just calmly went about my business.

So I have a lot of homework again between now and my next lesson. This is working out really well; I'm learning new concepts in my lesson that I can continue practicing on my own. BNT said my position is so much better from the last lesson and that Ana's halts are also tons better. 

I didn't tape any of my riding so I don't have any pictures but I did take footage of my friend's lesson with the same BNT; don't they look great togehter? I hope one day, me and Ana will look like this:


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## frlsgirl

I just dropped my registration in the mail for the 3/14 Dressage show; Intro A & B. There is no turning back now :hide:
I have so much to do to prepare.

I want to set up a mock arena with judges booth at home and ride through each test at least once. 

I need to get her cavesson fixed asap; if she's too high strung at the show, I can drain some of the anxiety out of her by doing longe work.

I want to set up a fake arena in my living room so that I can memorize every move.

I need to work on the clover exercise and in-hand work to get her to respond to bit pressure and accept my leg without ear pinning and tail swishing.

So much to do...4 weeks and 2 days to go.


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## Zexious

Your friend looks dandy on her horsie, and it sounds like the lessons are going really well! It truly sounds like she "gets" you and Ana as a pair, and things are moving in a really positive direction. 
I'm certainly a little jelly, but stoked for your upcoming horse show! Best of luck 8D


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> Your friend looks dandy on her horsie, and it sounds like the lessons are going really well! It truly sounds like she "gets" you and Ana as a pair, and things are moving in a really positive direction.
> I'm certainly a little jelly, but stoked for your upcoming horse show! Best of luck 8D


Thanks Z 

Hopefully you will be able to get back on your horse soon, or at least get him out of his stall and groom him.


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## frlsgirl

I finally got to ride my girl on Friday; she was back to her old sweet self; was eager to see me; left her food to meet me at the gate. We just went for a lovely little trail ride around the property. We got brave and climbed up and down that really steep hill on the other side of the fence. She was sooo good.

Saturday, I set up the clover exercise and filmed our ride. Here are a couple of pics:


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## frlsgirl

*Why we need bell-boots*

I happened to capture this image on film; I'm glad she's stepping under herself well, but she is clearly making contact with her front hooves. I got her a pair of bell boots. I guess she is not used to wearing them because she performed a perfect spanish walk all the way down the barn isle. Oh how I wished I would have captured that on film; it was hilarious :lol:

I haven't been out to see her since Sunday as we got hit with some serious snow over the weekend. I'm hoping to stop and see her tonight.​


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## Zexious

It's nice to see that you're a very aware horse owner--wish I could have witnessed the famed spanish walk ;D


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## Bondre

frlsgirl said:


> I happened to capture this image on film; I'm glad she's stepping under herself well, but she is clearly making contact with her front hooves.​


If she's actually overreaching you'd notice hair loss or grazes on her heel bulbs. While she's just touching the underside of her front hoof I wouldn't worry too much. It looks like she's tracking up very nicely.

You two look like a great pair in the photos you've posted. The dressage show sounds fun. It'll be a good goal to work towards. Sounds like you've got your preparation all planned out!

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Bondre said:


> If she's actually overreaching you'd notice hair loss or grazes on her heel bulbs. While she's just touching the underside of her front hoof I wouldn't worry too much. It looks like she's tracking up very nicely.


Hi Bondre! Yes she is stepping under herself well and she's actually already clipped herself once:


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## frlsgirl

Despite our crappy weather, I made it out to the barn last night. We finally got some in-hand work on film:

Here Ana is demonstrating backing up, the pole release, and accepting the whip:


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## SueC

Hey Frlsgirl, if you don't want to use bell boots long-term, just tinker slightly with the hoof angles and shortnesses, so that the horse steps clear. When my long-striding boy starts getting gait interference, I know it's time to shorten his hooves with the rasp, and check his angles. My dad (corrective trimmer) is now so confident in that approach that he's not worked or even raced his harness horses with bell boots for many years, and he's had no injuries. And in harness racing, bell boots are considered basic tack...


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## frlsgirl

Good idea Sue. I'm still trying to set an appointment with the new farrier. I've only left 2 vm and sent 3 text messages...you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find a good farrier that will actually respond to your messages and come to your barn.


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## SueC

Yes, they're too busy trimming horses... The ones who will come readily often don't have that much clientele... (in some cases because they are new to an area, but in many because they're not so super).


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## frlsgirl

I made it to the barn last night; unfortunately, the arena was packed. I managed to take her for a little spin outside; it was cold, breezy, and muddy so at one point I dismounted and dragged her into the indoor. She was not happy about it. It's as though she thinks that when I dismount we are for sure done so if I take her someplace else and get back on, she's like "what the heck?!?"

This concerns me because when we go to a show I will have to ride in multiple arenas with breaks in between so she will need to learn to accept that. Hopefully, going off property will help because her mind is too busy chasing rabbits. At home, she's used to her surroundings so her mind focuses on being ticked off :-|.

She's looking awful scruffy right now; not at all show ready. Hopefully I can spend some time doing a mini-makeover this weekend. It's impossible to get her clean right now; she has so much winter fur that brushing her just swirls the dirt around in her coat; I can't really get it off her.

Plus she's looking a little chubby; I'm sure glad that she's getting plenty of hay right now as it helps her stay warm; maybe I just need to work her harder.

Toes are looking a little long too; I tried to get a hold of the new farrier again; no luck! I might have to give up and go crawling back to my old farrier


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## frlsgirl

I think I found a new farrier! We have an appointment scheduled for Monday afternoon; he only charges $30 for a barefoot trim, was very quick to respond to my text and even called me m'am  Oh how I hope this works out. 

More good news...the weather tomorrow is supposed to be decent and DH is going out of town...so you know what that means? I will get to spend as much time as I want at the barn. Yay.


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## frlsgirl

Ana was quite playful today:


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## frlsgirl

I made it to the barn Saturday!

We had set a date with Ophelia's owner for a horsey make-over day, but she overslept and forgot her clippers. So I free lunged Ana and then took her for a bare-back spin while she got Ophelia ready and had her BF bring the clippers. Ana held perfectly still while she clipped her bridle path; apparently, the previous owners had used clippers on her before so it was no big deal.

Ana was quite sassy; lots of tail swishing and showing off for the camera. It's like she knew she had a make-over and wanted everyone to see it.


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## egrogan

She's looking great. She really has filled out since you got her. Nice to see the transformation.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> She's looking great. She really has filled out since you got her. Nice to see the transformation.


Thank you; she actually lost a little bit of her top line over the winter so we are working on building her back up. I'm so ready for spring! I bet you are too


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## frlsgirl

Ana got her feet trimmed. The farrier was so nice; made a special trip to the barn just to see my horse in the ice and snow. I like him. He explained everything he was doing and why he was doing it. He did say that her soles are kind of thin, so we are considering putting shoes on her. Since she got trimmed outside of his normal 6 week schedule, he said he would make special trips for her and would slowly work her into the regular 6 week rotation. 

Yay!


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## SueC

Hi FG, lily-pads in hoof boots are great for that problem!  Shoes will probably be easier, but won't improve the hoof structurally. Swings and roundabouts. If you already rode (trails) with boots anyway (don't need in arena), then sticking lily-pads in them wouldn't be a hassle. Changing your system, however, can be...

Love all the snow photos you posted this winter. Heatwave here...


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## frlsgirl

Lily-pads? Hmmm...haven't heard of that....must do some research.

I'm hoping to get some riding time in today and tomorrow before the next round of snow hits...ugh...snow...I'm so over snow.


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## frlsgirl

I finally got to ride my girl last night. The arena was full as expected so we ended up going for a spin around the property; the outdoor arenas are way too muddy to ride in so we stuck to the grassy areas. We mostly did walk halt transitions since the footing wasn't stable enough for much trotting. She is REALLY learning to listen to my seat which is awesome.

I'm starting to practice braiding; I wanted to do button braids but after watching numerous tutorials I discovered that I would have to trim or pull her mane which I won't do. So I tried out a running braid on her; I do like how it accentuates her neck. I'll keep playing with it to see what works best.


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## SaddleUp158

I am right there with you regarding the braids. I love the look of button braids, much more so than a running braid, but I really don't want to pull/cut my mares mane, which is much like Ana's. Ana has a pretty thick mane, right? I am having trouble remembering. If so, you could try the running braid that is essentially two running braids, I have seen pictures of that and think it looks nice on a horse that would otherwise have a really thick single braid.


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## egrogan

Isabel has that super thick Morgan mane, but it tends towards being a bit dry (especially this time of year). I really like using the running braid on her, as I too typically keep her mane longer. Here's one example where you can sort of see how it works for her:








We don't show at all so I've never been particularly worried about wispy parts that fall out, especially towards her withers, but for a show I'd guess you probably need some sort of spray or pins or something to keep it all put together and looking neat.


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## frlsgirl

Oh wow, that looks really good Egrogan! Yes SaddleUp158, Ana has a very thick mane; it's gotten very dry over the winter so I've been using detangler to keep it under control; she also has a ton of little fly-away stragglers that I'm trying to figure out what to do with; if I cut them, they will look neat for a couple of days and then grow back even thicker.

I'm checking with other Morgan peeps to see what they do. One lady said that per USEF regulation, Morgan's are not required to have their manes braided for shows; it looks a lot neater though; plus I always get my hands tangled up in her mane when I'm riding or doing ground work.

They do have these "braideenee" tools for people that's supposed to make french braids easier....wonder if it would work on horses?

I'll just keep playing with it to see if I can find a solution.


----------



## SaddleUp158

I don't know about the sport arenas, but in the pleasure arena, I have never seen a Morgan hunter not braided. Not to say that they have to, I just never have seen one show with braids. The running braids are easiest if you take very very small sections of hair and keep pulling it tight to the crest of the neck with each crossing of hair, they also look the nicest since the small tight sections help keep the hair under control. It's been a while since I did a running braid but I should probably start practicing again. 

I don't know anything about the "braideenee" tools, but we have used hair gel (a certain kind, will have to ask Caitlin which one) to help with the tightness and fly aways when braiding.


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## frlsgirl

Well, Ana has pink eye. The vet came out this morning and got her all fixed up; fortunately, someone else from the barn had an appointment with the same vet so we split the call charge. I thought it was just allergies at first but her eye was looking mighty crusty last night, so I decided to have the vet look at it. Since her annual vet check is coming up in a couple of weeks, I had him do all that stuff early; that way she'll be freshly immune against all kinds of diseases when we take her out of town in March and I won't have to pay another vet bill next month.

Poor Ana knows the vet all too well by now. She was relaxing in the cross-ties when he walked in; her head shot up and her eyes got all big. She was a trooper though considering all the poking and prodding he did today. I did give her an extra treat for being such an "adda" girl!

Did you know that when you put a liquid in the eye it flows out the nostril? That was a cool science lesson! I guess he was checking to see if her tear duct is clogged, which it isn't.

My instructions are to apply triple-antibiotic ointment to her eye twice a day...we shall see; I'm kind of screamish when it comes to eyes. He showed me what to do and my eye teared up just watching him do it. 

She was unusually hard to lead this morning, probably because of the extreme wind and cold; it reminded me of the days when I was tasked with leading the yearlings from the barn to the walker; it was more like flying a kite :-|. Hopefully, she will settle down as it gets warmer.


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## SaddleUp158

Poor Ana, but I LOVED the flying a kite analogy!!!


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## frlsgirl

Ana's eye looked so much better last night; that's some fast working ointment!

To my surprise, she actually walked up to the gate when she saw me; I figured after all the poking and prodding she had endured she wouldn't want to be messed with again. She held perfectly still for me as I struggled to get the ointment in; it's like she knew I'm not comfortable having to do this to her.

I'm heading back out there on my lunch break for another round of ointment. 

The show is only two weeks away and I haven't gotten much riding done. Wednesday night was the last time I rode her; I don't know when I'll be able to work her again...maybe I can at least do some in-hand work this weekend.


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## frlsgirl

Ana's eye is looking normal again; so I'm going to discontinue the ointment. She's been a total turd over the last couple of days; I spent 5 minutes chasing her all over the pasture yesterday before she finally decided to come to me; she thought about running from me again today but changed her mind.

We have so much snow it's hard to get around anyway. I'm probably going to leave her alone for a couple of days until it warms up. We did do some in-hand work today; she was doing well at first but then got crabby so I quickly shifted to something easy so that we could end on a good note.

So now I'm stuck in the house with my two dachshunds who keep whining under the breath every 5 minutes because they are also tired of being stuck indoors.

Since I have extra time on my hands, I went through some old pictures and was surprised to see how much Ana has changed last year:


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## frlsgirl

I was on my way to work this morning when I got a message from work stating that the office wouldn't open until 10am due to snow...so you can guess what I did? I drove straight to the barn.

Keep in mind I hadn't ridden Ana in 8 days; I did in hand work and she seemed fine, so I decided to ride her bareback for a few minutes...she was HOT, HOT, HOT...she spooked at her own poop. I wanted to work on trot/walk/halt transitions but she was too excitable, kept prancing every time I tried to stop.

So I jumped off and tried to longe her; it was supposed to be only for a couple of minutes at a trot, or maybe a slow canter but.....Ana took off like a rocket, she was so full of herself. It was below freezing so I didn't want her to get all worked up like that but there was nothing I could do about it. A couple of times, it looked like she was going to wipe out, but she would just slow down enough to buck and then resumed with her crazy gallop.

Took me like 15 minutes to cool her down at the walk; I didn't want to take her back outside until her respiration had returned to normal; she almost made me late for work.

So we clearly have a LOT of work to do before the show; warmer temps are coming so I'm planning on working her every day...she clearly needs it.


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## egrogan

Love the innocent look on her face in the first pic:

_ME _hot and crazy?! Never!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Love the innocent look on her face in the first pic:
> 
> _ME _hot and crazy?! Never!


yeah, don't let that innocent face fool you :lol:


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## jaydee

Off topic I know but I love the flooring in that barn
Ana looks great too!!!


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## DraftyAiresMum

I seriously just burst out laughing in my office at the "spooked at her own poop." :lol:

I love Ana! She's so pretty and feminine.


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## frlsgirl

jaydee said:


> Off topic I know but I love the flooring in that barn
> Ana looks great too!!!


Hi Jaydee :wave:

Yes the flooring is nice; the barn definetely gets an A+ on style.


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## frlsgirl

DraftyAiresMum said:


> I seriously just burst out laughing in my office at the "spooked at her own poop." :lol:
> 
> I love Ana! She's so pretty and feminine.


Yeah, she is very "special" in that way; I have spooked at very obvious things like a horse kicking the stall door, while she won't even blink; but her own poop seemed scary yesterday...she also routinely spooks at her own farts :rofl:


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## jaydee

What is it with some horses?
I've watched Looby push a stepladder over that was left close to her stable and just calmly watch it crash to the floor with great interest then 'jump' at absolutely nothing when the mood takes her


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## frlsgirl

We got a lot of work done this weekend; lots of riding, organizing, grooming, braiding.

She went just ok for me Friday so Saturday I decided to stick to my system that RI had suggested and she want soooo much better (see pic in blue sweater).

So then Sunday I wanted to do more of that but I wasn't quite as organized and I was in a hurry trying to get her ready so that I could do a practice run of the test. Needless to say, it didn't go well. I made it through both the tests just fine but it just didn't look good cause Ana just looked ****ed off the whole time (see pic in green sweater).

We did a little cantering Saturday and then a lot Sunday; at some point, she had completely lost her right lead, which is odd cause it's her better lead. So I ended with a left lead canter, petted her and took her for a long relaxing cool down outside. I did put her on the lunge line and had her canter to the right just to make sure that she could still do it. 

I feel bad that I pushed her to the point of just mentally and physically shutting down :-(

I wasn't feeling well myself and had taken 3 Advil, plus half a flexeril and sat down with a heating pad; I was so sore from all that riding and standing on concrete working on her mane. I should really learn to listen to my body and listen to Ana; I should not have ridden her yesterday or at least not as hard as I did. Sometimes, I just get tunnel vision because I'm so focused and driven to get a certain task accomplished that I ignore all warning signs. 

I'm giving her and me today and Thursday off; I want her to be in good spirits and enjoy herself at the show.

I practiced braiding on her; a chunky braid seems to look best; I don't think she likes it because she kept stretching her neck forward, like maybe the braid was too tight and it made her uncomfortable. I also trimmed her tail.

I may end up not braiding her at all for the show. I want her to be comfortable.


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## frlsgirl

Spring has suddenly sprung and Ana hasn't had a chance to shed her winter coat yet, so she is sweating just standing in the pasture.

So I took her for a nice relaxing stroll around the property yesterday; I did practice a few things while we were out and about; halting from my seat and turning; I only trotted a couple of times; mostly bc the footing is all yucky right now but I also wanted her to just relax and take it easy.

My sheepskin half-pad keeps disappearing and then suddenly one of the RI's magically "found" it...I think they are using it for their lesson ponies...so irritating. I locked it up last night. There are certain items that I can't lock up bc they are way too big so I hope none of those items come up missing.

We are leaving for the show in two days and I'm trying to keep everything as low key as possible; no need to stress ourselves out cause this is supposed to be fun!


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## frlsgirl

I found this adorable illustration online; the horse's facial expression in the bottom right corner is EXACTLY what Ana looked like Sunday:


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## frlsgirl

Here are some pictures from yesterday.

I braided her mane again because I still need more practice and I hadn't actually ridden her with a braided mane so I wanted to see what she would do.

She did shake her head a few times, like maybe the braid was bothering her. We just strolled around the property and worked on listening to my seat aids; I'm trying to not say "whoa" out loud as that will cost you points at the show so I've trained her to listen to me mumbling "mmm" which hopefully the judges won't be able to hear :lol:.

So I've still got a few more things to do before we leave for the show tomorrow morning...I still have no idea what shirt/top/coat I'm going to wear and I'm still undecided on braiding her because I don't want her to shake her head. 

I did give Ana a quick bath last night and took some of her stuff home and washed it. She's spending a couple of nights in a stall while they work on her pasture.

I hadn't planned on going to the barn tonight but since she's cooped up in a stall, I do feel like I need to let her out so that she can stretch her legs, plus I brought all my leather cleaning stuff so I can get all my tack prepared.

So much to do...so little time...thank God it's only a schooling show.


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## egrogan

The braid is coming along. I'm sure she'll get used to it, I would give it a try at the show. 

I laughed when I saw the picture of her with the button in her forelock, her ears look way bigger than they are. Reminds me of someone else I know:









Good luck at the show! Can't wait to see the pictures and hear how you do.


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## frlsgirl

Day 1 of the show. Ana is being a really good girl. She's looky but no spooking or nonesence.


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## frlsgirl

Day 2 of the show. We did it! She was screaming quite a bit during Intro A and the judge noted "needs more submission" lol. We still got a 60.938 score. 

By the time we did Intro B she had settled down quite a bit so we got 61.562. It would have been 62.815 but I made an error on entry which cost us 2 points. Not Ana's fault; that one was on me. 

Speaking of needing more submission Ana escaped from her stall this morning while I was refilling her water. She ran around, greeted a few horses and then we finally caught her. 

Silly, silly girl.


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## egrogan

Yay Ana!  

Glad it was a good experience
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Poor Ana; she's totally wiped out today.


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## SueC

That show seems to have been a good experience for you both! Love the photos. Also love those cartoon horse faces, and especially what "Winchester" is saying. I wish every rider read that!


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## frlsgirl

Yesterday, it was back to work for Ana. We need to start prepping for Intro C and Training A but I didn't want to overwhelm her so I took her for a for a leisurely stroll around the property followed by 10 minutes of work in the outdoor ring; we cantered once each direction, practiced listening to aids and finished with another leisurely walk back to the indoor.

I'm trying to school without making her ring sour, so I'm going to mix things up a bit. I'm thinking of setting up a mini obstacle course including cones, trot poles, maybe a tiny jump...I haven't done any longe work with her at all recently so we need to get that back on track as well.

I'm hoping to schedule another lesson with my RI soon; she is really good at coming up with exercises that benefit both horse and rider.


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## jaydee

Well done.


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## frlsgirl

There was no professional photographer at the show but I finally did some more video editing and found a great screen shot:


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## frlsgirl

Here are some pics from the weekend. Ana is quite popular with the geldings; she couldn't care less about all the attention.

We did some arena work yesterday; even cantered a couple of times. I was pretty happy with the left lead canter however the right lead canter just wasn't happening for us. They had overwatered the indoor so it was too slippery to press the issue; hopefully the outdoor will dry up soon as she goes MUCH better in the outdoor anyway.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana bareback on Monday as I was pressed for time; I got to sit through my first bareback spook so I was pretty happy about that. It wasn't a big spook; the dog jumped down from the podium, and neither of us knew he was there. So Ana did her "WTF" stance 


We did some more serious work yesterday. I cantered the entire long side of the outdoor arena; it seemed to take forever to get from one end to the other; in reality it was probably like 30 seconds but it's the longest long side that we've cantered. Left lead is coming along. She pinned her ears in preparation for the right lead; she picked up the canter right away, but on the wrong lead again. 


I was too exhausted to keep pressing, plus Ana was getting really ticked off. She threw a huge temper tantrum because she wanted the reins but I wanted her to keep working for 20 more seconds; so she stopped dead in her tracks and said "I will not go another step unless you give me the reins!" - silly girl. It turns out she CAN walk for 20 more seconds without me giving in to her.


The temper tantrum continued after I hosed her off and let her roll in the dirt; she decided that she MUST graze after every roll. But I said no! Usually one "no" is enough but she was being a total teenager about this so we had to stop and talk it out. Turns out she doesn't need to graze after every roll.


I'm currently renting "A matter of trust" by Walter Zettl. He talks about riding to the limit but not over the limit. If you go over the limit than the horse shuts down and nothing productive happens. If you never ride to the limit than the horse doesn't develop. 


What do you do with a horse that likes to malinger? I'm really not pushing her THAT hard, but she will make you believe that I do. 


I ordered "Way of the Horse" - hopefully that will give me more insight. 


I'm also feverishly awaiting a response from my RI to schedule another lesson. I'm hoarding as much money as I can to spend on lessons. The problem is the scheduling; Ophelia's owner is the one who sets up the lessons with the trainer because we trailer out together, so I don't know if it's her or the RI that is slowing down the scheduling.


On another note, I ordered a pair of Dressage boots for me; they should arrive on Friday. This is my 5th attempt at trying to find tall boots that fit that are in my price range. I did find a pair of Cavallo's that fit like a glove at a local tack shop, but they want over $1000! 


I'm giving Ana a couple of days off while I get caught up at home and come up with a new training plan for my princess.


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## Mercy98

How's Ana doing?


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## jaydee

It's quite possible that Ana and my Looby are exchanging ideas by pigeon post because I have a similar problem with her. I was discussing it with my Equine Physio/massage friend yesterday because the riding season's coming back and although she'll start out enthusiastic she seems to get bored and loses focus. I can force her to go but riding an unwilling horse is no fun. She sharpens up on the trails and at present that's my 'go to' solution for her


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## frlsgirl

Mercy98 said:


> How's Ana doing?


She's good, but being a bit of a stinker at the moment ^^^^


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## frlsgirl

jaydee said:


> It's quite possible that Ana and my Looby are exchanging ideas by pigeon post because I have a similar problem with her. I was discussing it with my Equine Physio/massage friend yesterday because the riding season's coming back and although she'll start out enthusiastic she seems to get bored and loses focus. I can force her to go but riding an unwilling horse is no fun. She sharpens up on the trails and at present that's my 'go to' solution for her


Yup; same with Ana....when I try to enter the outdoor arena she starts to go sideways because she is trying to pull me towards the trail. I'm trying to keep life as exciting as possible for her, but she is a tough nut to crack. 

I also wonder if pasture boarding is backfiring on me because she seems more interested in work whenever I stall her for a night; probably because she needs me to let her out, so she's all excited to see me and work with me. 

She doesn't really need me for anything when she's out and about in her pasture. She probably thinks she's a retired show horse because all the elderly retirees are pasture boarded, whereas the "working" horses are mostly stalled.


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## SaddleUp158

I definitely see where you are coming from with the pasture boarding thought. My mare has become more herd bound since she has been pastured 24/7 for the last 2 years. Before, she was up during the day and out at night or vice versa depending on the weather. We didn't have near the issues with being herd bound then (not that Ana is, but it is all in the attitude). I am finding that working Mia hard, mentally, literally we are at a walk and a little bit of trot, and I am beginning to get her attention more and more with less attitude. She is having to put all her energy to what is being asked of her, less time to cop an attitude.


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## frlsgirl

These Morgan mares sure are tricky!

For a while, I was avoiding everything that Ana didn't like, but both my previous and current RI have told me that if Ana doesn't like something, that means that we need to do MORE of it, not less.

The last RI also said that Ana is bored with the simple schooling stuff we are doing; I'm supposed to mix it up and keep it interesting for her, for the same reason that you mentioned; if she's focused on the task at hand then she doesn't have any energy to spare toward copping an attitude.

This is probably why my new RI has me do seemingly endless cloverleaf excercises; it forces me to keep my inside leg on her, which Ana HATES, in the hopes that she will eventually just get over it. 

I have another lesson coming up Wednesday, so I'm super excited about that.


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## frlsgirl

Lovely pic of Ana. I spent an eternity working her over with the de-shedding blade. Even her star is shedding! And here we are just trotting along. We also cantered. It was ugly. 

Can't wait for my lesson on Wednesday.


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## frlsgirl

Ugh. Having some boarding issues again:

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-boarding/pasture-boarding-how-do-you-handle-561746/#post7241338

If y'all can think of any suggestions, please feel free to share.


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## frlsgirl

I think we have found a solution. We are moving Ana to a different pasture with two other mares. One mare, does not get any grain and the other mare gets only a little bit of grain. That mare happens to be a boss mare, so if Ana tries to steal her grain, she will get put in her place. While the boss mare is eating her grain, Ana should be able to eat all of her alfalfa mush without getting bullied away.

They are going to test them out tomorrow; hopefully everyone will get along. 

Fingers crossed!


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## jaydee

Hope the new set up works out OK
I have always stabled my riding horse/ponies either at night or in the day depending on the season because it suited the way I worked them and what I did with them so even now they're mostly just for 'fun' I still manage them that way
I think growing up with two older generations of horse people affected me too - they regarded horses as work animals even though they loved and respected them and their work horses (in the UK) were stabled for at least part of the day or at night


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## frlsgirl

Ana loves the new arrangement. They had to move the other alpha mare out of there because Ana would not let her eat...my sweet little Ana is now the boss. The other mare doesn't eat any grain and Ana won't let her near the alfalfa mush; this seems to be the best solution for everybody.

So now it's just Ana and Tammy; Tammy is a Halflinger/QH and very easy going. They seem to get along just fine. The new pasture is on a hill, which is good because grazing on a hill can help with top line development. The pasture also has lake-front view (actually it's just a tiny pond but lake-front view sounds better).

Yesterday, Ana came right up to me. Today, she waited until the Tammy greeted me. 

Fingers crossed that this arrangement continues to work.


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## frlsgirl

I had a FANTASTIC 3rd lesson with new RI. She showed me what I need to work on when I lunge her and then we moved on to under-saddle work.

I have lots of homework to do! Ana needs a riser pad for her saddle; it's leaning forward ever so slightly, which causes me to tip forward, puts Ana on her forhand, and causes my leg to be too far back; apparently, Ana is very ticklish back there and that might be part of the reason she pins her ears.

Under saddle homework, are 10 meter voltes, to prepare her for shoulder for, and mini-leg yields.

I also have lunge homework.

I'm supposed to work her 3 days a week, and do fun play type stuff the other two days. I'm only supposed to canter on play days and only for a short while as she is not balanced enough at the trot, to be able to carry herself well at the canter.

This is what I love about my new RI, she teaches me new skills that I can actually implement on my own...and they actually work, as evidenced by fairly decent scores at the Dressage show. 

I asked the RI if she does training rides and if she would ride Ana for me some time, and she replied "maybe when she's a little more broke"....umm, have I been riding an unbroke horse all this time, and nobody told me...?


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## frlsgirl

Ana's new digs. She's getting along well with Tammy and is flirting with the geldings next door. 

We did some hill work today and explored the pond.


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## frlsgirl

Here are a couple of pics from yesterday. I've been sick all weekend so I haven't been able to do much with her; I did discover a new lunging trick with a trot pole square; bascially I stand in the square and she trots around me; it keeps her shoulder from falling in.

She's in season right now so she's flirting with the gelding next door:


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## SaddleUp158

OOh that is a wonderful idea! I have been working on a ground work/lunging exercise as well and was told to touch Mia's shoulder every time she dropped it (on a small circle) but this is really beginning to annoy her. I can't wait to try the square idea!!!


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> OOh that is a wonderful idea! I have been working on a ground work/lunging exercise as well and was told to touch Mia's shoulder every time she dropped it (on a small circle) but this is really beginning to annoy her. I can't wait to try the square idea!!!


The square worked really well for Ana. I also point the whip towards her shoulder whenever she falls in on the circle; the pole square just makes it a lot easier.

I'm hoping to do more lunge work with her this week; might even get some video or pics.

Let us know how it goes with Mia; feel free to post pics of your work with her


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> The square worked really well for Ana. I also point the whip towards her shoulder whenever she falls in on the circle; the pole square just makes it a lot easier.
> 
> I'm hoping to do more lunge work with her this week; might even get some video or pics.
> 
> Let us know how it goes with Mia; feel free to post pics of your work with her



I am hoping the square will help us. Mia is not near so sensitive as Ana is and I find myself having to really poke her, not just hold the whip up.


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## jaydee

The square looks like a good idea - I might try it with Honey maybe just putting a right angle in each corner of the manege when I lunge her because she has a tendency to cut in if she thinks she can


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## frlsgirl

I made a little lunging video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smXOY3WMLdc

I wasn't able to use the trot poles tonight as there was too much traffic of people going in and out of the arena. 

My focus here was to get her to stretch down and relax her topline; I also wanted to keep her moving forward with some engagement without compromising her balance. At the same time I was also trying to keep her from falling in on the circle. 

You can see at the beginning she's stretching down nicely but she's kind of poking around with no engagement; when I ask her to pick up the pace, she momentarily loses her balance and then begins to stretch down and relax again. 

It's such a delicate balancing act, but I feel like we are moving in the right direction. I may need to invest in a shorter lunge line as she's clearly not ready for a larger circle and I'm constantly wrestling with the extra line length.

SaddleUp158: you mentioned that Mia is not as sensitive as Ana; is Mia relaxed when you lunge her? That's what my RI wants me to focus on the most with Ana; relax, relax relax, then slowly add impulsion without losing relaxation or balance.


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## frlsgirl

I also did some in-hand work with just the Cavesson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj8aFXdqZ4E

Ana couldn't do this a month ago. RI taught us how to do this during our second lesson. We had been working on this with the bridle on the left side; then we moved on to the right side. A few days ago I tried it with just the cavesson, and she did it! I couldn't believe it! So now we are continuing to practice; next step is to do this from the right. Then we need to try and do this next to a wall to see if we can get her to move a little more straight. 

This is great for building up the top line! Now I just need to work on my posture


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## frlsgirl

I love this picture from yesterday's lunging session. You can see how her whole top line is stretching forward and out:


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> SaddleUp158: you mentioned that Mia is not as sensitive as Ana; is Mia relaxed when you lunge her? That's what my RI wants me to focus on the most with Ana; relax, relax relax, then slowly add impulsion without losing relaxation or balance.


Totally depends on her environment. When we go for out lessons in the indoor she is super relaxed, at home she can be very relaxed, but well you know how scary our arena is with all the trees creaking next to it...so we can sometimes lose the relaxation if it is really windy.


----------



## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Totally depends on her environment. When we go for out lessons in the indoor she is super relaxed, at home she can be very relaxed, but well you know how scary our arena is with all the trees creaking next to it...so we can sometimes lose the relaxation if it is really windy.


Yes I do remember Ana spooking during my test ride :lol:


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## frlsgirl

We put shoes on Ana today. She was such a good girl:


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## tinyliny

love those "hills".


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## frlsgirl

Ana is adjusting well to her new shoes. We did pole box work today:


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## SaddleUp158

So I tried the box idea this weekend. I loved it. It really did help Mia keep her shoulders up, I had to to do way less "poking" when we were working on the ground. Thanks for the great idea.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> So I tried the box idea this weekend. I loved it. It really did help Mia keep her shoulders up, I had to to do way less "poking" when we were working on the ground. Thanks for the great idea.


That's great! I can't take credit for it; saw it on YouTube :lol:


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## frlsgirl

So Ana gets really sleepy this time of year and I couldn't figure out why; so I checked with some other Morgan peeps and someone suggested "Grass Coma" so of course I started a thread about it to see if other horses experience this:

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-nutrition/grass-coma-567562/

Ana gets so sleepy that I feel like I'm literately dragging her from the pasture to the grooming area; and then she falls asleep while I'm grooming and tacking her; she has her eyes closed and lower lip just takes on a life if its own (it's kind of cute).


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## frlsgirl

I had a lovely ride on Miss Ana last night. She's really starting to understand her Dressage training now. She still gets bored during halt transitions and if I happen to halt by a window, she will turn her head and peak outside...so cute.


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## frlsgirl

Ok. I have finally put together a training plan for Ana:

Alternate between, outdoor play, indoor in-hand work, and under saddle work. At least one day of rest; but not more than three. Don’t do the same routine two days in a row. Don’t do the same type of routine two days in a row. Coordinate rest day after the most strenuous day; or do the lightest routine after the most strenuous day.

In-Hand Routine 1
Longe around pole square.
Do both walk and trot.
Do both left and right twice.
For the in-hand portion, alternate between in-hand walking and in-hand backing.
Also do desensitizing exercises on this day: touch all over with longe whip, Dressage whip and introduce to plastic bag.
Focus: proper form, relaxation, working over top-line, building trust.
My job: standing still, watch for falling in on the circle and correct as necessary.
Result: light cardio exercise, moderate muscle exercise, trust, desensitization, increased flexibility. 
Difficulty Level/Strain Level: 1 of 5
Considerations: Can be modified to do on the north lawn without poles if arena is full but weather is nice.

In-Hand Routine 2
Longe over 3 to 5 trot poles.
Do both walk and trot.
Do both left and right twice.
For the in-hand portion, alternate between in-hand walking and in-hand backing.
Also do desensitizing exercises on this day: touch all over with longe whip, Dressage whip and introduce to plastic bag.
Focus: proper form, relaxation, working over top-line, building trust.
My job: standing still, watch for falling in on the circle and correct as necessary.
Result: moderate cardio exercise, moderate muscle exercise, trust, desensitization, increased flexibility. 
Difficulty Level/Strain Level: 2 of 5
Considerations: Can only be done in the indoor and only if arena is empty, need poles.

Under-Saddle Routine 1
Clover Leaf in center of arena.
Full circle each direction at both walk and trot.
Clover leaf circles each direction at both walk and trot.
Walk and trot over 3 trot poles on only 1 side of arena in both directions.
Also practice halting from walk on the other long side and turn on forehand.
Focus: proper form, bit acceptance, working over top-line, inside hind leg engagement.
My job: spiral seat, long leg, do not let her break into walk when she gets tired. Only use designated walk breaks for stretching and relaxation.
Result: moderate cardio exercise, moderate muscle exercise, leg aid acceptance, flexibility.
Difficulty Level/Strain Level: 4 of 5
Considerations: Can only be done in the indoor and only if arena is empty, requires poles and cones.

Under-Saddle Routine 2
Complete 3 voltes around cones on one long side.
Leg yield on other long side.
Do both at walk and trot in both directions.
Also practice halting from walk on the other long side and turn on forehand.
Focus: proper form, bit acceptance, working over top-line, inside hind leg engagement.
My job: spiral seat, long leg, do not let her break into walk when she gets tired. Only use designated walk breaks for stretching and relaxation.
Result: moderate cardio exercise, moderate muscle exercise, leg aid acceptance, flexibility. 
Difficulty Level/Strain Level: 3 of 5
Considerations: Can only be done in the indoor and only if arena is empty; requires cones.

Outdoor Play Routine 1
Hack out on a loose rein.
Go all over property.
Go over and around obstacles (hills, construction equipment, trash, etc).
Result: light muscle exercise, stretching/relaxation, desensitizing, trust.
Focus: relaxation, stress reduction, working over top-line.
My job: relax, enjoy the ride, have the courage to expose her to new experiences if opportunity arises.
Difficulty Level/Strain Level: 1 of 5
Considerations: No arena or supplies required; does require good weather. 

Outdoor Play Routine 2
Convert obstacles on east outdoor ring to trot-jumps.
Walk and trot over entire course in both directions.
Canter on long side, both directions, from both walk and trot.
Hack back on a loose rein.
Focus: riding forward with impulsion, more hind leg engagement. 
My job: overcome apprehension and keep moving forward.
Result: heavy cardio exercise, heavy muscle exercise, coordination. 
Difficulty Level/Strain Level: 5 of 5
Considerations: Can only be done in the east ring during good weather and only if empty. Footing must be reasonably dry. No supplies required but must reset existing jumps.

Other things to do
Occasionally, braid her mane before working so that she can used to moving with a braid and so that I can get more proficient at braiding. Also book one Dressage lesson per month and coordinate field trips at least quarterly; this can include an off-site lesson, a schooling show, a clinic or an off-property trail ride. Also encourage friends with children to visit/play with her/ride her.


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## frlsgirl

I ordered Ana a fancy new bridle. The one I have now is just a cheap used bridle of EBay. The new one is a brand new Bobby's bridle with thick quality leather and a very fancy browband. This will be our "show" bridle.


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## frlsgirl

We've been working on our new training plan which includes desensitizing work; here I'm introducing her to a Target plastic bag:





 
I'm hoping to progress to a Wal-mart bag soon


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## egrogan

I'm interested to see how easy you find it to stick to that training plan. I've been daydreaming about having something similar, a curriculum to stick to if you want to call it that, but I've had a hard time getting something down on paper. So will be interested to know if it feels like the right amount of structure, or if if eventually starts to feel too restrictive for you.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I'm interested to see how easy you find it to stick to that training plan. I've been daydreaming about having something similar, a curriculum to stick to if you want to call it that, but I've had a hard time getting something down on paper. So will be interested to know if it feels like the right amount of structure, or if if eventually starts to feel too restrictive for you.


So far I've been able to stick to the plan for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I think the trick is to have plan A B and C lined up ahead of time; cause a lot of times I get to the barn and find out that they are having a lesson so I can't use the indoor and the outdoor is flooded so then I'm standing there scratching my head trying to figure out what to do...lol. 

I'm going to run this plan by my RI and will likely change up the routine once a month based on new stuff that we learn in lessons. Also going to the barn early in the morning means that I have the place to myself so I can use the indoor, the equipment etc...now if I could just wave a magic wand and fix the weather so I can use the outdoor whenever I want.


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## Hailey1203

Can I just ask why you dont canter her on the lunge line?


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## frlsgirl

Hailey1203 said:


> Can I just ask why you dont canter her on the lunge line?


That's a great question; I've actually cheated and cantered her on the lunge even though I'm not supposed to. My RI would like to see Ana more balanced at the trot before we tackle canter.


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## Hailey1203

frlsgirl said:


> That's a great question; I've actually cheated and cantered her on the lunge even though I'm not supposed to. My RI would like to see Ana more balanced at the trot before we tackle canter.


Fair enough!

I had major issues with my Morgan gelding cantering under saddle. He would race through the transition and was terribly off balance. But cantering on the lunge line has worked wonders for him! Its given him a chance to figure out how to canter nicely without my added weight on his back, so now when I do canter him under saddle its much nicer.

It'd be something to think about once you've got your trot perfected


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## frlsgirl

All the work we've been doing is paying off:


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## frlsgirl

It's been a busy week!

We had a play date Wednesday night with BFF Ophelia; we rode around outside for a good hour.

Yesterday we did some outdoor schooling including cantering. 

Ana is going so much better now that the saddle is lifted off her shoulders thanks to the shim pads, which makes me sit better in the saddle, too. 

She's enjoying a day off while I'm planning a weekend full of activities; maybe some outdoor lunging, perhaps an off property trail ride with Ophelia. 

I've been watching GiddyUpFlix and participated in a Webinar about Straightness Training so I'm full of ideas right now. I'm thinking about removing the stirrups from my saddle and just riding without them for a while. 

I also need to set some goals for myself....I would love to be able to canter her bareback in an open field; maybe I can start by cantering without stirrups in the outdoor arena.

As always, we have lots of things to ponder and work on.


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## frlsgirl

We went trail riding today; 5.6 miles in just under two hours. It was quite treacherous and Ana struggled with the water obstacles. I had to dismount for the first obstacle and tried to lead her over it when she suddenly decided to jump it! She nearly knocked me over; didn't see this coming at all. She was getting better with each obstacle; I basically held on for dear life while she leapt through the air. Who knew she could jump like this?!?

I might have to sign her up for a jumping lesson.


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## SueC

Nice trail photos and hindquarter muscles! I see your weather has fined up at last!


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Nice trail photos and hindquarter muscles! I see your weather has fined up at last!


Yes, it was 82 degrees yesterday; I actually got a little sunburned.


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## frlsgirl

It fits!


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## Mercy98

Anna is looking so good! Glad she did good on the trail ride


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## frlsgirl

Mercy98 said:


> Anna is looking so good! Glad she did good on the trail ride


Thank you


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## frlsgirl

So many new developments...where to start....

My Dressage lesson got moved to Monday so I'm looking forward to that. 

I've decided to do an intro jumping lesson with Ana; nothing big, just tiny obstacles in case we ever encounter an obstacle on the trail. Hopefully I can get that scheduled some time next week.

I'm pondering an offer from my employer to move to Houston or Denver; both have lots of horse related activities; Houston is bigger on Dressage. I haven't decided yet and I don't have to make a decision for another 6 months or so.

I had casually mentioned to my neighbor that he should bring his daughter to the barn some time to meet Ana; he's been hinting about that recently so I guess I need to schedule something with him...maybe this weekend. Ana loves kids, so that will be fun for her.

I discovered a down-side to going to the barn early in the morning: one of the stalled horses had escaped overnight; apparently he has figured out how to open the latch to the half-window/half-door. So I'm running around chasing a big WB at 6:30 in the morning...ugh. When the BM arrived he told me that several of the horses have figured this out recently so they are trying to find a way to keep that from happening.

I'm hoping to get some un-interrupted riding done in the next couple of days.


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## jaydee

Sounds busy
I have one that has to have a clip on her bolt as she's out in seconds and another that has a top grill over her door because she just barges her way out if she feels like it - she doesn't go outside but harasses the other horses that are in.


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## frlsgirl

Great lesson today. We worked on proper bend and acceptance of aids. 

Ana did get offended a couple of times but recovered quickly. She has a high sense of self-worth and justice so her first response is always "how dare you" :lol: and from there she moves to "I suppose we could do that" :lol:

We cantered for the first time and RI showed me some tricks to get the correct lead. I was too preoccupied with giving proper aids to worry about being afraid. So now we have permission to school cantering on our own. 

I had a mini breakthrough with my position; my outside elbow likes to drift away from my body and that causes an interference in our connection. So now I'm really aware of my outside arm and I could see an immediate improvement in her balance and connection. 

Can't wait for our next lesson!

Here is a picture. I like this one because you can see her butt muscles working and we are both looking toward the instructor for guidance


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Great lesson today. We worked on proper bend and acceptance of aids.
> 
> Ana did get offended a couple of times but recovered quickly. She has a high sense of self-worth and justice so her first response is always "how dare you" :lol: and from there she moves to "I suppose we could do that" :lol:


:rofl:

You're both looking great in the photo, BTW.


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## frlsgirl

I signed up for a jumping lesson. RI wants me to use a school horse before I try jumping with Ana. It's scheduled for Saturday. I'm half-way excited, and half-way nervous. I'm also a little offended that the RI thinks I shouldn't jump with Ana yet. I don't want people to underestimate her; she has a ton of potential. I just need to work her a little more so that they can see how great she is.


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## Mulefeather

Sounds exciting! I don't think the RI is doubting Ana's potential, it's probably more so that she hasn't really been trained over jumps (that I'm aware of anyway), so the RI probably just wants you to know what riding a horse that is entails and what a "proper" jump feels and looks like. That way when you want to try Ana in jumping, you'll know what you're looking for from her, rather than both sides trying to figure out at once.


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## frlsgirl

I had a FANTASTIC ride with Miss Ana last night. We cantered left in the indoor and I was able to push her farther without loosing the quality; her inside hind continued to bend, flex and push! It's so much easier to sit her canter when her inside hind steps under properly. I briefly tried the right lead but we couldn't get it; there was too much equipment in the way to try and leg yield out on a circle into the canter. So I took her for a spin outside while I pondered our next steps. I took her back in the indoor and I ever so gently leg yielded both directions on a loose rein! No ear pinning, no attitude! That was a first. Couldn't be any happier right now.

The H/J instructor happened to be there so we discussed the upcoming lesson. I feel a lot better about it now. She wants to help me get my timing just right on a school horse first before I try it with Ana.


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## frlsgirl

We did some in-hand, and lunge work this morning. Ana is struggling a little with the trot poles; she does way better under saddle. It's as though she thinks because she's on the lunge, the trot pole is merely a suggestion, not a requirement. So she half-heartedly stumbles over it or tries to partially go around it. 

So we ended up working on other things, like the LFS that M. de Jong teaches. Ana was confused at first because she wasn't sure that she could walk next to me that closely without turning away from me; but she picked it up after a couple of tries. Around that time the feed truck arrived so it was hard to get her to focus on work; I had her back-up a couple of times and called it a day. 

The timing was perfect because it started to rain...again! The outdoor arenas are completely flooded so we are stuck in the indoor for a while. More severe weather is forcasted for this weekend.

I don't know if they will still have lessons tomorrow considering the weather forcast but I need to go to the barn either way to drop off another load of alfalfa for Ana.


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## Zexious

Wow, you two look great in that photo! <3 
I am a little curious about the "permission to school at the canter" bit.. I thought you were doing that before? Did something change that I just missed? D: 

Wanted to quip for Denver--it's an /awesome/ place. It's true we have a larger H/J population than Dressage, but there's quite the little Dressage/Eventing hub in Parker, which is just 15/20 minutes south. 
Plus then, you could come meet Gator ;D


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> Wow, you two look great in that photo! <3
> I am a little curious about the "permission to school at the canter" bit.. I thought you were doing that before? Did something change that I just missed? D:


I had started with a new Dressage instructor in January; because we were preparing for Intro A & B we had focused on walk and trot; RI wanted to make sure that she's really supple at the trot before moving on to cantering. Monday my RI noted that Ana is a lot more steady at the trot now so it's a good idea to start "schoolling" canter now. Previously, she only wanted me to canter her outside during "play days"




Zexious said:


> Wanted to quip for Denver--it's an /awesome/ place. It's true we have a larger H/J population than Dressage, but there's quite the little Dressage/Eventing hub in Parker, which is just 15/20 minutes south.
> Plus then, you could come meet Gator ;D


Yes, I've heard of the Dressage community in Parker. My biggest concern with moving to Denver is the cost of living. And yes, it would be cool to meet you and Gator


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## frlsgirl

I did it! I jumped! Like 5 times. And I liked it!


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## Zexious

Awww, cute leetle cross rails <3 
I'm guessing the lesson was a success, then? ^^ You'll be jumping with Ana in no time 

And yeah, it's definitely there... Denver is one of the priciest places to live right now :X 
No matter where you end up, I'm sure you'll be happy ^^


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## frlsgirl

The lesson horse has the most unusual coloring. He is part flea-bitten grey and part plain grey. He also had a patch of red hair on his shoulder. I've never seen a coloring pattern like this.


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## SueC

What might have happened there (speculating) is that when he was a very young embryo, and his skin was forming, one of the early skin cells could have undergone a mutation, and then gone on to produce the entire patch that's not flea-bitten. That's why you sometimes get inexplicable patches that are different to the rest of the animal. If my speculation were actually correct, then this horse would have had an unpigmented belly from birth, even before the rest of him greyed out.

Sometimes, too, cells lose the ability to make pigmentation in an adult. This can happen due to trauma (it's how freeze branding works) or irritation (e.g. halter rubbing on the nose resulting in white hairs there) or disease, like vitiligo (one of the theories out there is that it's an autoimmune disorder, i.e. the body attacks its own melanocytes).

The coolest pigmentation variation thing, to me, is the Siamese cat, which is a living thermal map. The ancestors of the Siamese were like the chocolate-brown Burmese, but a mutation happened that made the pigmentation process thermally sensitive, and only work in the cooler parts of the body (nose, ears, extremities). Siamese who need a cast because of a broken leg often get a light-coloured leg if the cast is on during a moult, which will revert back to normal when the cast comes off and the cooler temperature once again allows pigment to form in the new hairs growing. Conversely, a spayed Siamese may have a temporarily darker belly when the hair first grows back.


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## frlsgirl

A couple more funny pictures; the RI is trying to explain the difference between the jumping position and the Dressage position :lol:


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> What might have happened there (speculating) is that when he was a very young embryo, and his skin was forming, one of the early skin cells could have undergone a mutation, and then gone on to produce the entire patch that's not flea-bitten. That's why you sometimes get inexplicable patches that are different to the rest of the animal. If my speculation were actually correct, then this horse would have had an unpigmented belly from birth, even before the rest of him greyed out.
> 
> Sometimes, too, cells lose the ability to make pigmentation in an adult. This can happen due to trauma (it's how freeze branding works) or irritation (e.g. halter rubbing on the nose resulting in white hairs there) or disease, like vitiligo (one of the theories out there is that it's an autoimmune disorder, i.e. the body attacks its own melanocytes).


Coloring and all the related gene mutations are very interesting; it looks like God had left over scraps of fur and patched him together


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## Zexious

Is it a "bloody shoulder" marking, like on this horse?









I don't know the genetics behind them, but they're pretty common in fleabits :>

Haha love the pics!


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Coloring and all the related gene mutations are very interesting; it looks like God had left over scraps of fur and patched him together


Well, _there's_ another possibility! ;-)


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## frlsgirl

The rain finally stopped; so can you guess what I did at 6am today? I ran out to see Ana of course. I felt a little guilty for cheating on her with the school horse; I hadn't ridden her since Wednesday and hadn't worked her since Friday so we were way overdue.

We had to ride indoors since everything is muddy and flooded outside. She did great! She's really accepting contact now that I've got my floating outside elbow under control. No need to give any sort of rein aid; I just ride with wide hands, keep elbows by my side until she steps into the outside rein and then I just keep her there. That's all. It's so simple; I don't know why it took a whole year to figure this out.

We leg-yielded left and right at the walk, trotted over a stray pole on the ground, practiced halting from the seat (which is really hard when the feed truck is going around dispensing breakfast :shock, we cantered just a few strides, rode some loops and turns at the trot and finished with shoulder-in at the walk. 

I really, really, appreciate my very sensitive and forward horse, especially now that I wore myself out trying to get a school horse to move forward. I just breathe on Ana and she moves; I felt like I was beating the poor school horse trying to get him to be more forward. I'm sure it didn't look like it at all, but it was just a drastic difference from Ana that it really stood out in my mind.


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## Zexious

Aw, sweet mare <3 Riding another horse always makes us appreciate our own! Glad the weather turned around for 'ya <3


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## frlsgirl

Ana is feeling really good today  We did ground work as it's still too wet to ride outside, and it didn't want to ride her in the indoor two days in a row.


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## Zexious

'Dat tail! Are you sure she isn't part Arab?


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## Mulefeather

Ana looks like a Breyer horse model when she's all stretched out like that  Such a pretty girl!


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## frlsgirl

Mulefeather said:


> Ana looks like a Breyer horse model when she's all stretched out like that  Such a pretty girl!


OMG, she totally does look like a Breyer horse model! She's got incredible range of motion when she gets herself all worked up like that.


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> 'Dat tail! Are you sure she isn't part Arab?


You know, people confuse her for an Arab all the time...it must be the tail :lol:


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## frlsgirl

Another picture from this morning; here, she is demonstrating uphill balance and hind leg engagement :lol:


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## Zexious

Haha, Breyer is a good example!

Like the good ol' Black Beauty mold~


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> I felt a little guilty for cheating on her with the school horse;


:rofl:

It really does get like that, doesn't it? :lol:




frlsgirl said:


> Another picture from this morning; here, she is demonstrating uphill balance and hind leg engagement :lol:


:rofl:


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## SueC

Frlsgirl, you know how both of us learnt to ride in Germany as kids and then emigrated to faraway wide countries? I was going to ask you to look back on your riding life and evaluate the kind of start learning to ride in Germany gave you?

...I had a bit of a rant here (http://www.horseforum.com/horse-tack-equipment/bit-training-577874/page3/#post7451282) tonight. I doubt your change of country experience was that drastic?


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Frlsgirl, you know how both of us learnt to ride in Germany as kids and then emigrated to faraway wide countries? I was going to ask you to look back on your riding life and evaluate the kind of start learning to ride in Germany gave you?
> 
> ...I had a bit of a rant here (http://www.horseforum.com/horse-tack-equipment/bit-training-577874/page3/#post7451282) tonight. I doubt your change of country experience was that drastic?


Oh boy...do you want a short answer or a long one? I could write a whole separate journal 

The short answer: 

I think Germans are more adamant about teaching and refining your skills in the saddle and don’t confuse you with a bunch of choices. Here in the States, they are quick to send you to your first show, even if you haven’t found your seat yet. 

The long answer: 

There are a lot of differences between my riding experience in Germany (from 1984-1992) and my riding experience in the US (since 2011).

I was started on the lunge line or “longe” line on a school master; that was pretty common; you didn’t get to pick your horse or your discipline; there really wasn’t much choice. The saddles were very plain, old, hard, with pretty much nothing to hold on to. After a few lunge lessons, you got put in a group. The lessons were 30 minutes long; we basically followed the lead horse around as the instructor called out schooling figures “aus der naechsten Ecke kehrt” for example. At some point it was time to canter and we would each canter one at a time. Sometimes, the instructor would surprise us with jumps or cavaletties; there were not separate jumping and Dressage lessons, it was all intermingled. You knew you were doing well if the instructor asked you to be the leader of the group, or if you got asked to ride a more difficult or higher level horse. Speaking of horses, I started on gigantic WBs, some schools also had a few Welsh Cob types so that the really little kids had something to ride. This particular school was very formal and I think it was a little too much for me at such a young age; I only lasted a year maybe before I asked my mom if I could try something different. 

I later switched to an Islandic horse farm where we rode bareback in group lessons or would do a group trail ride with full tack. It was there, where I kept falling off and getting hurt; I never got hurt riding those big scary WB but those silly Islaenders knew just how to ditch me.

As I got older, I wanted to return to more formal training but not quite as formal as the first school I tried, so I ended up riding at Reiterhof Messerschmidt in Altenstadt for several years. They were formal, but had a better mix of people and horses; my mom would drop me off Saturday mornings and pick me up at night; I spent the whole day riding and playing and would fall asleep in the car on the way home. 

During school breaks, my mom would pay for me to go on “Reit Urlaub” which is basically riding camp. One such place, I ended up going to repeatedly until they asked me to work there as a helper in exchange for free room and board, which I did until 1992 when I met my first husband and quit riding altogether. At some point I also had a lease horse, a fire breathing Trakehner named Cherry; needless to say, that relationship didn't last very long, lol.

When I started riding in the US I was overwhelmed by the choices in disciplines. Do you want to ride English or Western? English? Ok! Jumping or Dressage or (fill in the blank)? I wasn’t even sure how to answer that but somehow ended up taking private lessons on a big Arab in an English saddle, so I think that worked out pretty well, lol. I remembered all my training; I literately did a perfect posting trot within five minutes of sitting on the Arab. The biggest difference was that I was very scared so I was very stiff and reluctant to ask for a more engaged trot or God forbid the canter. After a year with the Arab, I found a formal Dressage barn and took lessons there for a year before I bought Ana.


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## SueC

What a wonderful bio, Frslgirl! And you know I'm going to ask: Are there any photos you'd be willing to share? (I've seen the one of you on the big Wllshie.)

It's interesting they started you on the lunge, I think that's a great way to start a rider, and I've done that with friends/guests who wanted to start with/improve their riding (on my late mare). At our Reiterhof, which was small and rural, it was all military group drill, and cavaletti and low jumps were integrated with basic dressage as well. And yes, giant Warmbloods, no ladders etc, and the saddles were so hard I used to have tears coming out of my eyes when I got in the bath after a riding lesson...

And yes, I got to go on Reiturlaub for the school holidays once, that was lovely and lots of trail riding on that one! (since we had graduated from the basic course) - Ironically, in Germany, with its high population density, you can usually get better trails rides than in Australia unless you live next to a State Forest. Here, all the agricultural land is fenced - not so in Bavaria (which is where we rode).

I look back at my experience over three decades later with great affection, and with a lot of respect for how much we were taught in comparatively little time, thanks to the military drill, high expectations and the teachers' refusal to let up on you. They'd see everything and could always be relied upon to let you know what you needed to do better - the forthrightness of the German culture is a real advantage here - I imagine in many cultures, people would feel picked on if they heard, "Absatz runter! Kopf hoch! Sitz nicht wie ein Sack Kartoffeln! Leichte Haende!!! Vorwaerts Marsch!" and so on ad infinitum...

A pen pal I had as a kid from the North Sea coast actually started her riding with Voltigieren. Now that's something I've not seen over here in Australia!


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## tinyliny

I have seen vaulting before. it's fun to watch, and much, much harder to do than it seems . those girls (and guys) are STRONG!

and, I wish I had had HALF the experiences learning how to ride that you two have!


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## SueC

You know, looking at vaulting, I'm thinking: These guys will never be afraid of spills. They'll just turn them into an elegant backwards somersault and land lightly on their feet, ready to bow. I'm not vaulting material, I know that much!  I walk into furniture on a regular basis and horses make up for my natural deficiencies! :rofl:


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## frlsgirl

Yes, vaulting, I remember partaking in that as well. They offered it at the first school where I initially learned to ride as well as in riding camp. I only did some very basic vaulting like standing up while the horse is walking and doing a couple of poses at the canter; so nothing fancy at all but it was fun. Vaulting is more for those strong and super flexible types; I never had the upper body strength to lift myself onto a big horse like that either. 

Sue - I don't have a lot of pictures from back then; that was before Iphones and digital cameras  I'll see what all I can dig up and will share it with y'all.


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## frlsgirl

Ugh. I was rear-ended on my way home from work Wednesday; initially I thought I wasn't hurt but then my lower back started bothering me; went to my normal PT appointment the next day for my pre-existing shoulder injury and doc determined that my lower back needs at least 4-6 treatments; he said I can ride (hooray) but no bending, or any high-back impact activity (so no jumping, sitting trot, picking up hooves). Since I had worked Ana Monday through Wednesday, I was going to give her Thursday and Friday off anyway, while I get caught up at work and my back healed up a little bit.

He said I may not feel up to riding since impact injuries take a few days to fully manifest; I'm definetely feeling worse today; but hobbled to work anyway, as we are just too busy to call in sick.

If the pain is too bad tomorrow, I can always do ground-work with her; I'm hoping to start working on haunches-in from the ground, so I'm excited about that.

Wish me luck!


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## frlsgirl

I played with Ana all weekend; indoor schooling on Saturday, ground work on Sunday and today I took her for an early morning trail ride. She was fantastic!

We had a tornado come though town Saturday night but everyone survived; it just added to the mudd and muck in her paddock.

I noticed when I was grooming her that her ears are looking a little crusty...I'm thinking maybe she has mites. I cleaned them with a baby wipe and sprayed some fly spray onto a papertowles and wiped her ears with it. A friend suggested some sort of ear powder specifically to treat mites, so I will need to research and keep an eye on it.

I'm hoping the weather will settle down so that I can spend some more time in the saddle this week.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Ugh. I was rear-ended on my way home from work Wednesday; initially I thought I wasn't hurt but then my lower back started bothering me; went to my normal PT appointment the next day for my pre-existing shoulder injury and doc determined that my lower back needs at least 4-6 treatments; he said I can ride (hooray) but no bending, or any high-back impact activity (so no jumping, sitting trot, picking up hooves). Since I had worked Ana Monday through Wednesday, I was going to give her Thursday and Friday off anyway, while I get caught up at work and my back healed up a little bit.
> 
> He said I may not feel up to riding since impact injuries take a few days to fully manifest; I'm definetely feeling worse today; but hobbled to work anyway, as we are just too busy to call in sick.
> 
> If the pain is too bad tomorrow, I can always do ground-work with her; I'm hoping to start working on haunches-in from the ground, so I'm excited about that.
> 
> Wish me luck!


My gosh, Frlsgirl, these kind of crashes are not fun and I unfortunately know what it feels like, as three years ago someone ran up the back of my car on a highway doing 140km/h (30km/h over the speed limit) when I was doing 30km/h turning off the highway. I was lucky to be alive.










I was really lucky not to suffer major injuries - the car wasn't just crushed from behind (it felt like a bomb had gone off), it also got spun into the opposite lane, where thankfully there was a gap in the oncoming rush-hour traffic. I was very sore from contusions and unfortunately, because the car was crumpled so severely that the interior fittings all smashed together and hit the front seats, received an impact to the spine that caused a significant relapse of an old lumbar region injury.

So those symptoms and precautions, that's identical to what I went through. While I walked away at the time, the next day I could barely walk, and my spine was doubling over. I was in a soft back brace for months whenever I had to do physical work. We were just starting to build our house...

I really wish people didn't tailgate, and left enough distance to stop safely (two seconds nice, but hardly anyone does it, they think a few seconds of their time is more important than potentially injuring another road user.)

The guy who hit me was probably charged with dangerous driving. There were lots of witnesses... he said he didn't even see me, and there was no attempt to brake. It was a sunny afternoon and I was in a yellow car, and indicating, for goodness' sake...

I wish you a speedy recovery. These kinds of injuries really aren't good.


----------



## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> My gosh, Frlsgirl, these kind of crashes are not fun and I unfortunately know what it feels like, as three years ago someone ran up the back of my car on a highway doing 140km/h (30km/h over the speed limit) when I was doing 30km/h turning off the highway. I was lucky to be alive.
> 
> 
> 
> I was really lucky not to suffer major injuries - the car wasn't just crushed from behind (it felt like a bomb had gone off), it also got spun into the opposite lane, where thankfully there was a gap in the oncoming rush-hour traffic. I was very sore from contusions and unfortunately, because the car was crumpled so severely that the interior fittings all smashed together and hit the front seats, received an impact to the spine that caused a significant relapse of an old lumbar region injury.
> 
> So those symptoms and precautions, that's identical to what I went through. While I walked away at the time, the next day I could barely walk, and my spine was doubling over. I was in a soft back brace for months whenever I had to do physical work. We were just starting to build our house...
> 
> I really wish people didn't tailgate, and left enough distance to stop safely (two seconds nice, but hardly anyone does it, they think a few seconds of their time is more important than potentially injuring another road user.)
> 
> The guy who hit me was probably charged with dangerous driving. There were lots of witnesses... he said he didn't even see me, and there was no attempt to brake. It was a sunny afternoon and I was in a yellow car, and indicating, for goodness' sake...
> 
> I wish you a speedy recovery. These kinds of injuries really aren't good.


Oh wow, Sue; mine wasn't nearly that bad; the bumper is split open on one side; I was sitting at a stoplight waiting for the light to turn green and the lady behind me didn't see that I was stopped. I don't think she was going very fast though. 

My back is holding up ok; I did have trouble with the canter to trot transition and dismounting; I basically plopped to the ground like a sack of potatoes and Ana turned and looked at me as if she was saying "what the heck was that?!?"

I feel like I'm 90% healed; going back to PT tomorrow to confirm. 

This is my 3rd time getting rear-ended so you would think I'm an expert at this by now. The other two time were way worse, with severe back pain for weeks. 

Glad you are ok Sue; from the looks of your car, you could have easily been killed.


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## frlsgirl

I haven't seen my pony in 2 days. Ugh. It's supposed to be really nice tomorrow so I'm going to the barn first thing in the morning, come hell or high water, lol.


----------



## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Oh wow, Sue; mine wasn't nearly that bad; the bumper is split open on one side; I was sitting at a stoplight waiting for the light to turn green and the lady behind me didn't see that I was stopped. I don't think she was going very fast though.


You know, this is so ironic, it happened to my father-in-law the year after I had my accident. It was just him sitting at traffic lights and someone who wasn't paying attention rear-ending him at a relatively slow speed, but his car was also totalled and he ended up in hospital with broken ribs and a broken nose and had to have surgery. That was ironic because my crash involved far greater forces and I didn't go to hospital (except immediately after for the obligatory check-up - they have a policy here of only letting you leave in an ambulance at major crashes even if you can walk at the time and say you feel OK).




> My back is holding up ok; I did have trouble with the canter to trot transition and dismounting; I basically plopped to the ground like a sack of potatoes and Ana turned and looked at me as if she was saying "what the heck was that?!?"


Aren't horses hilarious?  Glad your back is holding up. The trot to canter transitions and sitting trot are very challenging with a lumbar injury, as is, actually, getting on and off the horse in case you turn just the wrong way. That kind of ******ed up my riding as well as my ability to get seriously involved in house-building for nearly half a year after the crash.




> I feel like I'm 90% healed; going back to PT tomorrow to confirm.
> 
> This is my 3rd time getting rear-ended so you would think I'm an expert at this by now. The other two time were way worse, with severe back pain for weeks.


You're kidding, three times already? Man, that would turn me into a major misanthrope. I mean, I already kind of am. Sounds like people in the US don't pay any more attention to road safety than people here in Australia. I stressed out for months whenever anyone tailgated me after the accident, especially when I had my dog in the back (who thankfully wasn't in the car crash). People are so rude. We have signs here to put on the rear of cars that say, "RU2Close?" - from the police department, or others from car accessory ships that say, more to the point, "The closer you get, the slower I go"... but I find that doesn't work with road bullies (and I find it especially annoying because I'm usually dead on the speed limit when someone aggressively starts to make as if they're going to drive into me on purpose). But you know what does work, I found? When someone deliberately does that to you, just take of side of your car into the gravel verge (if you have them where you are). The only things that make these ******s back off is self-interest, not abiding by the official rules of the road or the antiquated concept of manners and courtesy and respect for other people's safety.




> Glad you are ok Sue; from the looks of your car, you could have easily been killed.


Well, that's what pretty much everyone who saw the car said. When we went to take a look at it the next day, the people there said, "Oh, you're not in hospital?" And the guys checking me out in the ER said, "We expect major trauma with a crash like that, perhaps you had divine intervention."

But sheesh, I would be so miffed if I'd been rear-ended three times already. Glad you're OK.

I've never driven in Germany - have you? Do you think the proportion of cowboys on the road there is about the same as where you live now, or actually less? I have this idea that Germans would enforce their rules more than what they do here.

Well, this will make you laugh, and it's topical. It's comedian Bengt Washburn comparing driving in Germany with driving in America. I have this on an album but on the Internet could only find it as part of an extended interview. The clip is at 39.20, so fast forward to there.






It's a shame that this clip isn't available as a specific short because it is so funny - but worth digging for here in this fringe Mormon interview. 

As a person of German heritage living in an American-style country, this made me laugh till the tears came out of my eyes.


----------



## frlsgirl

Ugh; went back to doc for another adjustment and now my back feels worse again; I guess doing jumping jacks earlier that day didn't help.

I finally went to the barn this morning; the plan was to do indoor schooling with the cones, but the indoor was cluttered up with jumps so we made lemonade out of lemons. How you ask? I converted all the jumps into trot poles. 

So we trotted and trotted all over the arena; Ana understood very quickly and would speed up whenever I turned her toward a jump; as if it requires THAT much more power to trot over a pole or two. Makes me wonder what she's gonna do when we get ready to jump mini fences and cross rails.

Half of the arena was fairly clear so I decided to try and canter her there; I tried about 4 times, there just wasn't enough space; she pushed off the inside hind really well but then can't maintain it because there isn't enough room to propel herself forward; so she canters a few mini strides and then breaks into this horrid, back aching trot. 

My back was hurting so bad but I had to keep trying because I wanted to end on a good note; the 4th time I was able to get her to go past the jumps down the long side for a few strides and then I brought her back to a trot and gave her a break.

Ana seemed really annoyed in general; probably because the feed truck was going around dispensing breakfast and I made her work through it. I guess with summer coming, they dispense breakfast a little earlier.

We have a long weekend coming up and I'm hoping to get more saddle time then; I wish the outdoor arena would dry up so we can work on her canter; she does so much better out there.


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## egrogan

I hate those less-than-satisfying rides. Those kinds of days make me wish the horses could just talk to us and tell us what's going on!

I am very much looking forward to the long weekend as well, and in fact am taking all of next week off for a "stay-cation." I've been sick most of this week so haven't even been out to the barn at all. Next week I'm hopeful I'll be there every day-just what the doctor ordered


----------



## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I hate those less-than-satisfying rides. Those kinds of days make me wish the horses could just talk to us and tell us what's going on!
> 
> I am very much looking forward to the long weekend as well, and in fact am taking all of next week off for a "stay-cation." I've been sick most of this week so haven't even been out to the barn at all. Next week I'm hopeful I'll be there every day-just what the doctor ordered


Oh I could use a stay-cation with horsey; or any kind of "cation" - ugh. Sorry to hear you are sick; maybe the staycation will help you recover.

I'm glad Ana can't talk because some days she would say "I hate everybody and everything - now feed me" lol. Other days she might say "me want to go outside, and me want treats" 

I can't say that the ride was unproductive as she did get a lot of exercise going over those poles, plus it gave me an idea what she will do when we start jumping; but if she's already rushing toward a pole, what will she do when confronted with a cross-rail? :shock:


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## frlsgirl

Love this picture from today. You can really see all her muscles flexing.


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## frlsgirl

This one is from our last outdoor ride Friday morning. We've had a crazy amount of rain since then so we won't be riding outside again anytime soon.


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## frlsgirl

Speaking of rain, here is a before and after picture of the little pond by Ana's pasture. 

We have a lot of damage around town. One horse from a neighboring barn went missing during the flood. 

All of our horses are safe and sound; however, the water is seeping into the indoor arena on the east end of the barn. If we get any more rain we won't be able to use the indoor anymore either


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## frlsgirl

We turned Ana and Ophelia out in the indoor yesterday; they used to share a pasture together and are still very fond of each other:


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## frlsgirl

Ana says she's tired of this weather


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana at 8pm last night; it was nice because the there was hardly anyone at the barn.

It was quite muggy which made Ana very sleepy; she fell asleep while I was tacking her up, with her head resting on the railing. 

The arena is still cluttered with obstacles so we couldn't really use most of the arena so we ended up just doing a lot of leg yielding; turning and transitions. 

I totally get what M D Jong is saying about how every horse has a hind leg that pushes more but doesn't bend well, and one that bends well but doesn't push well. Ana can do a lovely leg yield going left because her hind leg actually bends and steps under. She is always a bit calmer and slower on the left because her engine (leg) on that side is just not as strong. She can canter better going that direction as well but it's slow going; we almost canter in place.

When we leg yield to the right, her head comes up, she tries to pop her shoulder and then rushes toward the wall because she's trying to avoid the benefit of the exercise which is bending of the right hind; she's very clever like that. She currently has trouble picking up the right lead canter but when she does, oh boy, hang on, cause that hind leg is mighty strong.

I was reading an article about how common evasions are really just a way for horses to avoid the benefit of the exercise because it causes muscle fatigue and discomfort; it doesn't mean that we are doing anything wrong, the horse is just experiencing exercise induced discomfort which is totally normal and necessary in order to grow and progress.

Ana is just very vocal about this; so I'm trying to find middle ground between getting the benefit of the exercise, and keeping her in good spirits. So yesterday I was a little harder on her in that I didn't give her a break right when she asked for one; instead I changed the subject (switched to transitions) and waited until she gave me a nice clean transition without a hissy fit; that's the hardest part; I can't give her a break when she's being a brat because then she thinks that her behavior worked; but I can't keep working her without a necessary muscle recovery break either; it's a very delicate balancing act. 

I do feel like we are making significant progress because I now have the tools and experience to get where we need to go; we are always learning and adding new tools to our tool belt.

Now if it would just stop raining so that we can ride outside again...sigh.


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## SueC

That MD Jong reflection is really interesting. I've always found it hard to see where my horse is sided and where it's my sidedness transferring to the horse. I've always had a far easier time circling left, on a horse or even on a bicycle. So my asymmetry kind of imposes on the horse, and I always thought that was a major influence on the horse being more comfortable on one side or another (on top of their own sidednes). Because the funny thing is, every single horse I've ridden I found it easier to circle left than right, and if I am transitioning from sitting to posting trot I will invariably automatically rise as the horse's right shoulder goes forward, and for me to rise on the left shoulder instead I have to make myself mentally "sit one out"... and all I could ever do about it is spend lots of time practicing on my worse side, more than 50% (but not too much more or the horse probably gets more sided). It's also one of the many reasons I think bareback riding is excellent practice for me. I'm actually far less asymmetrical when I'm riding bareback...


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## frlsgirl

That's a very good point Sue; MD Jong actually has you check your horse by doing in-hand work first because we as riders can easily transfer our own imbalances to the horse; sometimes it's good if you have opposite imbalances because you can balance each other out; if you have imbalance on the same side, it's going to be harder to fix.

When I circle Ana in-hand to the right, she rushes and doesn't want to step under; when I turn her to the left, the left hind steps under nicely.

What's helped me a lot with my own imbalances is regular chiro and PT as well as practicing my spiral seat; I try to do some extreme spirals for my own benefit every time I ride; not that Ana isn't getting any benefit from it at all, but it's a good way to check in with my own body to make sure that I'm not collapsing on either side.


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## frlsgirl

Some pics from yesterday.

I cantered Ana all the way around the indoor once without breaking into a trot or cantering in place. This is a big deal because she always looses her balance on the short side and then her canter falls apart. 

We also had some great halts. 

All this happened in the indoor (which she hates), with a jumping lesson in progress. 

I promised Ophelia's owner that I would look after her horse; so that's the big grey horse in the pictures. 

We still have a serious mud problem and we are all tired of being confined to the indoor. It's supposed to dry out this week, so hopefully next week we can hit the trails again. 

Farrier came by yesterday to do Ana's pedicure; he was shocked at how great her feet looked. He said he spent all week resetting shoes, as the moisture in the ground makes it difficult for the shoes to stay put. 

I also signed up for Straightness Training yesterday and I'm feverishly studying the material; can't wait to practice this stuff with Ana!


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## SueC

Are you building an ark yet? ;-)

Congratulations on your canter improvements!


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## SaddleUp158

I hear ya on the rain and mud. We haven't been able to ride for close to a month now. Unfortunately our arena is located in the lowest part of the property. Hoping it will dry out so we can start riding again next week.


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## frlsgirl

So I watched the beginning steps of the Straightness Training tutorial all weekend and tried it with Ana this morning.

I took video of it so I will have to pull stills when I get off work today.

It's a lot harder than it looks on the tutorial; I made the mistake of giving Ana a treat before we really got started because she followed me so willingly and at liberty over to the practice area.

So when I was trying to do the "stelling" she kept tilting her head because she was searching for a treat. I tried to distract her by backing her up a few steps, changing sides...but she's just too smart. 

We did the LFS in hand....well sort of. It wasn't perfect; I'm supposed to walk my own circle and take her with me, while she has her head low and her body bent (kind of like a crescent roll). Because she is so short, it was challenging to give the correct cavesson aids; I have to hunch over to be able to guide her head down which then messes up my pretty little circle, but Ana understands what I want, so after a while, I'm only hunched over for two steps, then she goes down, and I can come back up, and continue my pretty little circle.

Man, I'm gonna need straightness training for my own body after leaning over her all morning.

Another problem I discovered...well I don't know if it's really a problem, is that Ana hasn't been wanting to run and play; she always wants to follow me and be by my side; she is no longer scared of the whip, so even if I tap her and run, she won't do it. She just pins her ears and tries to follow me anyway, or stops dead in her tracks.

One positive aspect of this, is that Ana now has a self-park feature. I walk over to the grooming area where her halter is, and she follows me, parks her butt by the halter and waits for me to put it on her


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## frlsgirl

Video from this morning; here we are practicing stelling; it's quite tricky because the horse has to stand fairly square; Ana was being such a wiggle worm, ha,ha, so I kept having to adjust until we got it right:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhQVbJYurl0

LFS Left and Right:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVyAK9yHTko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NtBLeod_ys


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## frlsgirl

We are on day 3 of LFS now; she was really dragging this morning. I've never been able to sneak up on her because she's usually very aware of her surroundings; but she was dead asleep when I approached her this morning. I had to call her name to wake her and she raised her head and said "who, what where?!?"

She nearly fell asleep during the stelling portion of LFS. Hopefully she can get caught up on much needed Z Z Zs so that we can get more work done before I go on vacation next week.


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## frlsgirl

We had a red tent scare at the HJ show this weekend


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## frlsgirl

I almost forgot....the princess celebrated her 7th Birthday Friday:


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## egrogan

Happy birthday Ana!


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## Mulefeather

She is looking wonderful! I can't get over how pretty she is sometimes.


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## Rob55

Love Morgans.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BigNickMontana

frlsgirl said:


> I thought I'd start a thread about little Ana. We've had her for 5 days now. I go see her every night after work to check on her.
> 
> She's quite the little busy body. I noticed that her halter is laying in the dirt every time I stop by. I hung it back up last night and stood there talking to the BO for a minute when I saw her pick it up and throw it back in the dirt. "So that's what's been happening to my halters" said the BO :lol:
> 
> She's very interested in people. When others show up to do whatever she runs up to the fence and tries to get their attention.
> 
> I snuck into her paddock last night to check her water and she came running out of her stall like a bat out of hell to say hello.
> 
> The BO really likes her "she's the most jovial horse I've ever met" he said. I would have to agree.


Sounds like the kind of horse that would come in the house sit down and watch TV with you.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Miss Ana in the outdoor this morning. The barn still has all the decorations and obstacles up from last week's schooling show; Ana was a little looky but otherwise ok; she was mostly suspicious of the two unicorn statues so we had to do a lot of circles to get around them; I gotta say, these H/J folk sure are creative; I need to see if I can find a picture of the jumping course.

My plan this morning was to focus on cantering; we cantered one large circle before my back started to spasm again, so we had to continue with just walk and trot work.

We did get some good transitions, but she was also putting up some resistance again, so I'm careful to give her breaks at reasonable intervals and not just every time she demands one. 

I worked hard on keeping the "inside leg to outside hand" concept going; I still have to monitor my outside elbow as it likes to drift away if I'm not watching it. It's amazing how seemingly little things make such a significant difference.

I have two more days before I head out on vacation so I'll be doing some more straightness training and perhaps one more ride in the indoor.


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## frlsgirl

BigNickMontana said:


> Sounds like the kind of horse that would come in the house sit down and watch TV with you.


Yes, she certainly is a busy body


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## frlsgirl

Here is the bronze statue:


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## frlsgirl

I adore this picture from Saturday; this time of year I usually have to hose her off after our ride, so she always has to roll in the dirt just as soon as she gets back to her pasture:


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## frlsgirl

So, it's been an eventful day already, so I'm going to have to do three separate posts; starting with Miss Ana Grumpy Face; apparently she is not a morning horse:


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## frlsgirl

Ok, so the reason why is was taking pictures in the first place is because Ana has got some weird skin issues going on; the skin on her leg is coming off and it kind of looks like she's lost some hair on her face by the muzzle area.

I couldn't get a good picture in the grooming area so I took her back to the pasture for pics and that's where the fight broke out between her and Slick (see previous post).

I talked to the assistant trainer and she gave me some MTG to put on it. That stuff stinks to high heaven so I hope it works.


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## tinyliny

I love your journal!


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> I love your journal!


 
I'm glad you like it Tiny! I started it mostly for myself, so that I can keep track of my day to day adventures :cowboy:


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## lostastirrup

Looks like what happens when their pee splashes on them. I usually work off all of that hair rub some DMT into the spot (after giving it a thorough washing) and that usually clears it up. 

don't know about the muzzle thing- check bridle fit maybe?


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## lostastirrup

Looks like what happens when their pee splashes on them. I usually work off all of that hair rub some DMT into the spot (after giving it a thorough washing) and that usually clears it up. 

don't know about the muzzle thing- check bridle fit maybe?


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## frlsgirl

lostastirrup said:


> Looks like what happens when their pee splashes on them. I usually work off all of that hair rub some DMT into the spot (after giving it a thorough washing) and that usually clears it up.
> 
> don't know about the muzzle thing- check bridle fit maybe?


 
That's probably exactly what it is! Duh; I didn't even think of that; I was horrified when I brushed her legs and her skin/hair just came off in chunks. Thanks for chiming in


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## frlsgirl

So we tried some more challenging exercises today including LFS on a straight line and ridden LFS on a straight line. We also played with leg yielding, and even did a couple of baby steps of haunches in!

She seems to enjoy this work; relaxed with ears forward.


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## SueC

Frlsgirl, could be rain scald on the rear cannons, it's a typical place to get it, and would explain chunks of skin and hair coming off. Rain scald is caused by a microbial infection. Has it been wet or humid where you are lately?


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## SaddleUp158

I notice the loss of hair on their faces in the summer if I am not diligent in rinsing their faces after we ride. I think it is all the sweat that just irritates their skin.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I notice the loss of hair on their faces in the summer if I am not diligent in rinsing their faces after we ride. I think it is all the sweat that just irritates their skin.


Yeah, I don't always rinse her whole face because she hates it; I guess I will have to be a little more diligent about that.


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Frlsgirl, could be rain scald on the rear cannons, it's a typical place to get it, and would explain chunks of skin and hair coming off. Rain scald is caused by a microbial infection. Has it been wet or humid where you are lately?


Yes it's been hot and humid for about 2 weeks; prior to that we had lots of rain.

Apparently Ana is not the only horse at the barn with this exact same skin issue; hers is actually not as bad as some of the other horses; the MTG stuff worked wonders already; no more peeling and only slight shedding this morning.


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## frlsgirl

So we did some more ground work today; she was being a total cuddle bug so it was difficult to get much done. It was hard to say good-bye to her this morning as I won't see her for a whole week. I'm sure she'll be doing summersaults in her pasture while I'm gone :wink:


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## frlsgirl

I didn't even get home from my trip until 10pm last night, but my very first stop this morning was the barn at 6am:

I think Ana was happy to see me; she came right up to me, practically self-haltered, and was very eager to walk back to the barn with me :loveshower:

I guess it rained a lot while I was gone, so I was surprised to see Ana still has both shoes on. The indoor is partially flooded along with all the oudoor arenas so we did just a little bit of walk and trot and called it a day. 

I can tell she had a week off because she was very stiff on the left again. It's not as evident at the walk, but as soon as you ask for a trot, the head comes up and she tries to counter flex. No biggie; we will work on that this weekend. I'm kind of stiff myself; had a hard time opening my hip flexors wide enough to accomodate her stout frame.


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## frlsgirl

We've done all kinds of fun stuff this weekend. We hit the local trails, participated in a HJ class, did in-hand work, and went for a long walk. 

I tried haunches in with her today: 






You can see her pause at the 18 second mark as she's thinking about where to put her feet. So adorable.


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## frlsgirl

Here are a couple of pics from yesterday as well; LFS on the longside and patiently standing/waiting for a treat. Love this horse :loveshower:


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## frlsgirl

Something strange happened this morning during our ride.

I was working on our cantering issues; she is generally tense and hollow, has trouble picking up the right lead and carries her haunches inward going to the left. Both her and I also hold our breath when we canter so we never get very far before we have to take a breathing break.

Over the last year I've received numerous tips and instructions as to how to improve her canter so I've been radomly implementing these suggestions.

Today, we did trot, walk, volte, canter depart; it actually worked pretty well; we both remembered to breathe; we did left first which always works, followed by right which also worked. 

So then I tried to repeat that sequence; it worked on the left but not the right; so I tried the right again and she picked up the left lead again, so I did something new:

While cantering on the wrong left lead, I changed directions, thinking that this would put us on the correct lead.

Can you guess what happened?

She did a flying change to the incorrect lead!  I didnt' even know that she could do flying changes under saddle. So I'm halfway excited, halfway confused. 

I'm happy that we got a lot of cantering done and I could hear her breathe.

I also have some new ideas for working on her canter


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## frlsgirl

We did in-hand work outside for the first time today; I didn't realize that the summer campers had decorated all the jumps; one of them has ghosts attached to it (plastic bags with a knot). I was very proud of Ana for being so cool with all these distractions:

I also got one excellent in-hand work pic:




PS: On another note, I threw my hat in the ring for the Denver transfer. I don't know if it will all work out; if we can't come to an agreement on the particulars, I still have the option of backing out. Husband has applied for one job in Denver so far and I've reached out to some of my horsey contacts about possible boarding locations and price quotes. We are keeping this quiet for now as we don't want to spook my husbands employer or some of my local horse connections.


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## egrogan

Good luck with the job prospect. Applying for new jobs is exciting and nerve wracking all at once!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Good luck with the job prospect. Applying for new jobs is exciting and nerve wracking all at once!


Thanks Egrogan! I have job waiting for me since I would be transferring within the company; we just need to agree on the terms and find husband a job. I've already been doing a lot of barn hunting and have found several options that I think Ana would enjoy. The cost of living is my main concern; if I can't get a decent cost of living adjustment then we can't really afford to live there.


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## frlsgirl

i finally got a close up canter picture. Still a bit tense in the front but I love how far the inside hind is stepping under. 

I think part of our canter issues are solved! I rode her without the sheepskin half pad and risers and she picked up the right lead on second try and seemed a lot smoother.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a funny blooper pic from yesterday. Look at Ana's tail!:rofl::rofl:


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## egrogan

Love it! Is that a "get away from me flies!" picture, or a "I'm soooo done with this photo shoot" picture?!


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## frlsgirl

Haven't done much with Ana this week as I haven't been feeling well. I don't like to work her unless I'm firing on all cylinders because she will take advantage of me when I'm not careful. She's just so darn smart. 

I only did ground work with her Sunday and she was rude and pushy and I just wasn't quick enough with my corrections. The worst part is leading her back to her paddock; she tries to drag me back there as fast as possible and if I don't watch her she will stop to graze. 

So now we are working on walking back politely; I make her stop when she gets too pushy and back up a few steps. It's really bad right in front of the gate because the grass is so lush and green; it's like crack for horses. So if she's really, really good, she gets to graze for a few minutes.

I didn't work her at all Monday; Tuesday I didn't even go to work and hadn't planned on going to the barn either, but felt so guilty that I went just to check on her. I ended up giving her a good brushing, a coat of fly spray and made her walk back politely.

Today, we actually rode for the first time since Saturday. It was great! We climbed up the hill at the end of the property, trotted in between the arenas, and took the long loop back by the wooded area. 

I walked her back to her paddock right as the guys were dispensing breakfast which adds an extra layer of complexity, because all the horses go a little nuts and try to bite at her as we make our way back to her paddock. She was reasonably polite, and didn't try to bite back but did pin her ears at them in disagreement.

Horses crack me up; one minute they are best friends, the next it's World War 3 and then they go back to being best friends again.


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## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> Very happy with Ana right now. We've been practicing what we learned in our Dressage lesson all weekend; I discovered that if I start our ride with hacking around outside and then go in the arena and practice Dressage for 5 to 10 minutes max, she does way better; probably because she's all loosened up from the trail work and her mind is more settled.


That is such a great idea! And it's true, being outside is not only relaxing but they can really move out.

I will be borrowing your idea!



frlsgirl said:


> Video from this morning; here we are practicing stelling; it's quite tricky because the horse has to stand fairly square; Ana was being such a wiggle worm, ha,ha, so I kept having to adjust until we got it right:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhQVbJYurl0
> 
> LFS Left and Right:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVyAK9yHTko
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NtBLeod_ys


So what is stelling? I've never heard of it and I'm ever so curious!



frlsgirl said:


> So, it's been an eventful day already, so I'm going to have to do three separate posts; starting with Miss Ana Grumpy Face; apparently she is not a morning horse:


Hahaha that last photo cracks me up "Mom, see what I put up with?"

But definitely looks like rain rot (scald) and glad the MTG helped. I clean it with betadine scrub diluted in a bucket of water, use a sponge, towel dry, then slather diaper rash cream on it. My horse gets it all over his back legs and sometimes the pasterns on his fronts


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## frlsgirl

Hi Sky!

Here is info on stelling:

Stelling and Bending | Straightness Training

About the rain rot:

It pretty much resolved itself as soon as things dried up outside; I only applied the MTG a couple of times and it was gone. Skin conditions are probably more obvious on your horse since he's so fair skinned; Ana's legs are black so you almost have to search for skin problems in order to find them.

And about her adorable angry face; one minute she'll be fighting with her herd, and 5 minutes later everybody is BFFs again


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## frlsgirl

Pic from today. We did cone work, a few trot poles and a prompt and fairly relaxed left lead canter.


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## frlsgirl

Today was ground work day; I'm getting pretty excited about her progress with haunches-in left. Watch that white hind foot stepping under:

https://youtu.be/K5YGp6fbV3U
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

So Ana told me today that part of the reason she can't relax well under saddle is because her withers are bothering her. The current saddle pad doesn't have much wither clearance so it causes quite a bit of pressure. She requested that I go saddle pad shopping. So far I've ordered her a PRI pad which had both wither clearance and wither padding. I'm looking at another pad that is thick and reversible with significant wither clearance. I'll let Ana decide which she likes better. She does have a BOT pad with plenty of clearance but it's too hot to use in the summer time. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skyseternalangel

PRI pads are awesome! Hopefully either pad does the trick!


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## frlsgirl

Some more pics from this weekend. 

I finally got a hold of a measuring stick; Ana is 14'2 and 1/4th with shoes, so I guess she'll be just 14'2 without shoes. I think she's short enough to qualify for the USDF pony division; not that we are ready for rated shows, but I always wondered how tall she is.

Per SaddleUp158's suggestion, I've been more diligent about rinsing Ana's face; she is NOT happy about it.

We are slowly progressing on ST training; she's learning to carry herself on a circle without falling on the inside shoulder.

Finally, another cone work picture; she's not really all that engaged in this pic but I do love how the light from the outside kind of creates a glow on Ana; plus I'm rocking my new breeches - navy blue Kerrits!


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## Skyseternalangel

Ahahahaha she's so angry in that bath picture! What a cutie 

Sky hates when I wash his face too. I just rinse with water and soap it maybe once every 4 months or something. Sponge doesn't do anything unfortunately so I just have to manually cover his eyes and he folds his ears. It is what it is, but it is definitely necessary.

And LOVE your breeches. Navy blue is my weakness


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## frlsgirl

I haven't seen Ana all week and I miss her! Between work and weather, I just haven't made it over there. One of her saddle pads arrived in the mail today so I'm eager to test it out on her. I'm hoping I can sneak away early tomorrow morning for a quick ride before work.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana this morning. It was great! We are progressing in our cantering; this time we made it 1.5 times around the whole arena on the left lead without breaking into trot AND I tried giving her the reins AND she took them and stretched forward! That is huge for her. 

It took 3 tries before we got the right lead so I was happy with just a single long side.

She's experimenting with the outside rein right now. I taught her that if my elbows stop moving, my seat stops moving and I give a light squeeze on the outside rein it means halt. 

Well, now that I discovered how to use my outside elbow correctly, I'm trying to keep her connected to the outside rein all the time which Ana doesn't quite understand yet. So she keeps trying to halt when I just want her to walk. I used my Dressage whip this morning and even though it offended her greatly, she's starting to understand what I want, so I made sure I praised her immensly as soon as she stepped into the outside rein. 

It will probably take a lot more time before she can keep connected for the whole ride but she's getting there.


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## frlsgirl

Sweet victory! It took 2 minutes to get her across this little mud puddle but we did it!

http://youtu.be/35XQcyloLmI
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## egrogan

Good job Ana!

You know what's really funny, I found myself tightening up and clenching my teeth watching that video-guess I've seen a similar scene from the same vantage point a time or two 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Yes egrogen, that's pretty much what I was doing; hoping and praying that she would keep going while trying to remain positive and encouraging. She's a funny horse; on one hand, the fearless leader who takes much more experienced horses on trail rides, and on the other hand, having a breakdown over a little mud puddle.


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## frlsgirl

I finally tried out the PRI saddle pad on her. She was scared of it at first so it took me like 5 minutes before she would even let me put it on her. She doesn't like it when I spring new things on her; she always wants it to be a joint decision; so I let her sniff it for a little bit and then suddenly she approved and all was good :icon_rolleyes:

I think she likes it; it does seem more comfortable/provide more space and cushion in just the right areas:


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## frlsgirl

*More Pictures from our trail ride*

Here are some more pictures; I hadn't really planned on trail riding today but the arena was full, so I figured why not strap the GoPro on and hit the trail. We climbed up our favorite hill; they are building a fancy house over there and I heard that once the owner moves in we won't be able to climb up that hill anymore, so I'm trying to get my hill work in while I can.

The insects were out thick today; at one point, something flew up Ana's nostril and she went crazy for like 10 seconds while she tried to get it out, and then she was fine again.

Anyway, here are the pics.

:cowboy:


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## tinyliny

what hill?


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> what hill?


This hill:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KssK_VhXtuI&feature=youtu.be


:cowboy:


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## tinyliny

ok. I was just teasing you, since you don't have any hills. but you do have some mongo houses there.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> ok. I was just teasing you, since you don't have any hills. but you do have some mongo houses there.


Bahaha; yes compared to the hills and mountains in Washington, everything is pretty flat in Oklahoma; so we get ver excited over a 10 foot pile of dirt :happydance:


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## frlsgirl

I love this picture from today; we were overdue for ST work; here she is bending and carrying herself nicely.

Tomorrow is under saddle work day. She will be off on Tuesday; she's getting a trim/new shoes either Friday or Saturday; I also have a canter lesson with her on Saturday; next week I'll need to get her teeth floating scheduled. My Dressage team mate is coming back from NJ soon so we will start prepping for the September schooling show.


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## frlsgirl

Some pics from this morning. I moved the saddle further back which really freed up her shoulder. 

She was kind of sluggish so I had to ride with the Dressage whip to help her stay awake. It must be the heat; all the horses just look kind of hung over and sleepy right now.


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## tinyliny

can you say "Western Pleasure"?


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> can you say "Western Pleasure"?


 
:rofl: 

OMG I totally see it now! This is how she likes to be cooled down #princess


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## frlsgirl

I went and rode Ana first thing this morning to clear my mind. She was in a suspiciously good mood today; couldn't wait for me to get the gate open because she was ready to go. Usually I'm greeted with "oh god, not her again" especially in the summer when all she wants to do is eat and sleep.

It was already 80something degrees, so all we did was walk and trot work in the outdoor; focusing on correct bend, responsiveness, and better contact. Her halts are outstanding; I just have to figure out how to improve the up transitions. Especially, going to the left, she has a hard time with up transitions in the corner, going from walk to trot seems impossible, but walk to canter is doable, but ugly. Going to the right, walk to trot is fine but canter doesn't work very well; halting works everywhere, all the time. On a straight line walk to trot is never a problem; there is something about adding bend to the mix that somehow causes a disconnect in the up transition. I'm not sure what all that is about but it's a clue that I can add to my collection of symptoms.

We are overdue to ST work, so we will be working on that next. Saturday is my canter lesson with the H/J RI; I'm a little nervous about it because I don't deal well with the heat and have fainted before while riding in similar conditions. There is a sports store across the street; maybe they sell gadgets to keep you cool, like one of those scarfs.

On a different note, I had a job interview today for a position in Tulsa; which means if I get the job, I don't have to move to Denver. I had put in for the transfer 2 weeks ago and haven't heard a thing. If this deal in Tulsa ends up working out, I would much rather do that then relocate. We'll just have to wait and see what develops.


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## frlsgirl

I arrived to complete chaos at the barn this morning.

The horses were running around like crazy in their paddocks; when I got closer, I could see why; constructions workers had climbed over the fencing and were chasing the horses around! I was fuming mad. One guy had wrapped a belt around Buddy's face and was dragging him! So I yelled over to them, asked what they were doing, who they are, do they have permission...bla,bla,bla. 

The owner of the property had given them permission, but nobody had told the horse owners and on top of that, these clearly novice horse handlers were trying to move a whole herd of horses by themselves. I would think that the right thing to do is to have the barn workers move the horses and also inform the owners.

So I helped them get the herd back together and got Ana so that I could get started on our ST session. She did pretty good. When I took her back to the paddock, the construction workers had ran a wire through her paddock; so I asked about the wire and they said, that they need it to get the fencing straight and that they would take down Ana's fence and move her tomorrow.

Oh hailllll noooo!

So I spent the last hour on the phone with barn management trying to get Ana moved to a different paddock; they don't have one open, but they did find a stall; supposedly they are moving her in the stall today.

Since I don't trust them, I'm going back out there over my lunch break to make sure she really is in a stall. I don't have the phone number of Tammy's owner anymore; I would love to let her know what's going on so that she can decide what she wants to do with Tammy.

Needless to say I'm furious right now. On top of that, my Dressage buddy is not giving me an answer on the September schooling show which makes me think that the answer is "no" but she doesn't want to tell me.

So....I'm seriously thinking about moving Ana to my Dressage trainers barn. 

I'm just so frustrated and ticked off right now and I can't even focus on work. Grrrr.


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## Mulefeather

Holy hell, Frls – I’m literally sitting here FUMING after I read that. I would be through the ROOF if I walked in on that situation, especially poor little Buddy! That just sounds like some insanely poor planning on the barn management’s behalf. The way things are going, if you don’t trust them to put Ana in a stall when they say they will and are basically telling inexperienced non-horse people to handle your horse, rather than doing it themselves, I would be calling the trainer today. I wonder what they would have done if one of the workers got hurt by a horse and decided to sue the property owners?


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## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> I arrived to complete chaos at the barn this morning.
> 
> The horses were running around like crazy in their paddocks; when I got closer, I could see why; constructions workers had climbed over the fencing and were chasing the horses around! I was fuming mad. One guy had wrapped a belt around Buddy's face and was dragging him! So I yelled over to them, asked what they were doing, who they are, do they have permission...bla,bla,bla.
> 
> The owner of the property had given them permission, but nobody had told the horse owners and on top of that, these clearly novice horse handlers were trying to move a whole herd of horses by themselves. I would think that the right thing to do is to have the barn workers move the horses and also inform the owners.
> 
> So I helped them get the herd back together and got Ana so that I could get started on our ST session. She did pretty good. When I took her back to the paddock, the construction workers had ran a wire through her paddock; so I asked about the wire and they said, that they need it to get the fencing straight and that they would take down Ana's fence and move her tomorrow.
> 
> Oh hailllll noooo!
> 
> So I spent the last hour on the phone with barn management trying to get Ana moved to a different paddock; they don't have one open, but they did find a stall; supposedly they are moving her in the stall today.
> 
> Since I don't trust them, I'm going back out there over my lunch break to make sure she really is in a stall. I don't have the phone number of Tammy's owner anymore; I would love to let her know what's going on so that she can decide what she wants to do with Tammy.
> 
> Needless to say I'm furious right now. On top of that, my Dressage buddy is not giving me an answer on the September schooling show which makes me think that the answer is "no" but she doesn't want to tell me.
> 
> *So....I'm seriously thinking about moving Ana to my Dressage trainers barn.
> *
> I'm just so frustrated and ticked off right now and I can't even focus on work. Grrrr.


I don't blame you!!! I honestly would. If the BO gave them permission and you caught them doing THAT to the horses, I would never trust her again. Even my BO wouldn't do that, and she doesn't particularly like me, but she has crazy respect for the horses!


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## egrogan

What in the WORLD??? There were no barn staff there moving horses around? That makes absolutely no sense. Random construction workers moving horses? I am just speechless, I can't even picture a world in which that would be ok at our barn.


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## frlsgirl

The barn guys usually arrive around 7:30 but the constructions workers get there at 5am because they want to get done early because of the heat. I'm so upset; I can't wait for my lunch break so that I can go check on Ana.


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## frlsgirl

So I ran out there on my lunch break and walked about and down the hallway to see which stall Ana is in; couldn't find her. So I asked the head trainer and she said, "we decided not to move her because the contstruction guys said that they removed the wire" - hmmm. So I stomped out to Ana's pasture in my high heals and work clothes and sure enough, the wire was still there. I grabbed Ana, walked her into the barn and told the trainer. She said "oh, I didn't actually go look to see if they removed the wire, I just took their word for it" - grrrrr. 

She pointed me to one empty stall so that 's where Ana is now. I had to bring her water and hay as the barn help is nowhere to be found. I used google translate to send a text in spanish to the barn guys so that they know where Ana is and that they don't overlook her at feeding time. I swear if I don't do everything myself, things just don't get done right.

On a much lighter note, my head hunter just called to let me know I got the job; and the offer is much better than expected so I didn't even have to come back with a counter offer. I start on August 3rd. I haven't even given my notice yet cause I can't find my boss.

What a crazy day.


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## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> So I ran out there on my lunch break and walked about and down the hallway to see which stall Ana is in; couldn't find her. So I asked the head trainer and she said, "we decided not to move her because the contstruction guys said that they removed the wire" - hmmm. So I stomped out to Ana's pasture in my high heals and work clothes and sure enough, the wire was still there. I grabbed Ana, walked her into the barn and told the trainer. She said "oh, I didn't actually go look to see if they removed the wire, I just took their word for it" - grrrrr.
> 
> She pointed me to one empty stall so that 's where Ana is now. I had to bring her water and hay as the barn help is nowhere to be found. I used google translate to send a text in spanish to the barn guys so that they know where Ana is and that they don't overlook her at feeding time. I swear if I don't do everything myself, things just don't get done right.


My goodness, what a crazy day! Glad that Ana is safely in a stall! What about her pasture mate?



> On a much lighter note, my head hunter just called to let me know I got the job; and the offer is much better than expected so I didn't even have to come back with a counter offer. I start on August 3rd. I haven't even given my notice yet cause I can't find my boss.
> 
> What a crazy day.



CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## frlsgirl

So after I accepted the position with the other company, my current employer's recruiter called me and tried to talk me into staying. Then my cell phone rang and it was another recruiter from another company trying to schedule me for an interview; I was like, wow, maybe I need to buy a lottery ticket tonight.

After a celebratory dinner at my favorite restaurant, I ran back out to the barn last night just to check on her again and tell her the good news. That's right, I visited Ana 3 times yesterday; I bet she's feeling pretty special. 

I was pleased to see that she was in a turn out paddock stuffing her face with fresh green grass; she had a whole pile of hay to herself and a bucket full of water. Her pasture mate had been moved to another turnout paddock and the assistant RI had apparently received a phone call to find Tammy a new pasture for a few days. So I'm glad that the barn management is getting their act together. The assistant RI had no idea about all that had transpired earlier in the day so I was glad to fill her in  She was shocked and understood my frustration.

I'm not planning on visiting Ana today; I have a canter lesson Saturday with a H/J RI who transferred there from another barn; she used to ride with the Lippizaner USA circuit so she has a little bit of Dressage training.

The farrier is coming Tuesday and the vet is coming the following Saturday to do her teeth so she'll be all fixed up and looking pretty! She kind of looks a little chunky in some of the pics, so I'll have to talk to the vet about that. Summer time is tough because it's so hot that neither myself nor her want to do a bunch of endurance work.

I'm still contemplating making some changes in regards to Ana, training and showing; I'm not sure if I want to buy a trailer and trade it my car for a truck, or move her to a barn that's further away but would allow me access to a certified RI and transport to shows. Plus I've lost faith in my barn's management so I may want to move her to another barn anyway.


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## SueC

Congratulations on your career moves! And isn't it funny how employers don't often think about what you are worth until they are about to lose you! My husband said his father, when young, had an alternative job offer and then his original employer offered him two pounds more an hour. He said, "Well, I wasn't worth that to you yesterday!" and went to his new job!


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## frlsgirl

Great lesson today! Here is my RI riding Ana:

http://youtu.be/rL8Moubnv6Y
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## egrogan

SueC said:


> Congratulations on your career moves! And isn't it funny how employers don't often think about what you are worth until they are about to lose you! My husband said his father, when young, had an alternative job offer and then his original employer offered him two pounds more an hour. He said, "Well, I wasn't worth that to you yesterday!" and went to his new job!


This is such a serious problem! My organization actually wrote a big report about this issue for public school teachers-virtually none of the best teachers have ever had their principals tell them how important they are to the school and try to talk them out of leaving if they're considering it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Well, a lot has happened this weekend.

Saturday, I decided to try out the new, resident RI at the barn. She's a H/J but does have some Dressage background; I figured I can test her out by asking her to help me on my canter issues with Ana. Well she helped me out A LOT. First she jumped on her to get a feel for what the problem is:






Then I jumped back on her and we trotted nicely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXEWwkCv2HU

And then cantered nicely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMK6mmXAT8M

So long story short; she is my new trainer. I will have a lesson with her once a week and she will also ride Ana for me; either once during the week as a separate training ride or for part of our lesson Saturdays.

I'm so glad I got this solved! Such a huge relief; I no longer have to rely on my Dressage barn buddy to schedule lessons, beg her to share the trailer etc. and on top of that I'm getting more lessons and training rides for Ana; my other RI did not want to ride Ana. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE L but it's very difficult and expensive to schedule a lesson with her, so I'm hoping that I can use her every once in a while in a clinic type setting.


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## Zexious

Love the pasture pics <3


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## frlsgirl

Update on the boarding situation. Here is what Ana's paddock currently looks like; completely uninhabitable.


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## frlsgirl

I spoke to the BM today; he agreed not to charge me the extra $10 a day for stall board. So that's where she's been spending most of her day. They turn the horses out at night and bring them back in the morning. It's just too hot to be out there all day without shelter from the sun.


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## frlsgirl

The BM texted me earlier that he had spoken to the construction manager and he said that her paddock will be fixed by noon tomorrow. We shall see. Here is what Ana thinks about that:


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## frlsgirl

I've done some research on other boarding option and have decided that L's barn might be a good option for us if things don't improve at Ana's current barn. They currently don't have any pasture spots open but I'm on a waiting list. I would have more access to L there, a regulation size indoor with letters and mirrors plus a wash bay with cold and hot water; so certainly an upgrade from what we have but the price is the same. 

It would be a longer drive but now that we are for sure staying in Tulsa, husband wants to move further south over the next year so that may work out just perfectly because by then maybe a boarding spot will be open and my current trainer will have Ana in good enough shape that L can put the finishing touches on her.


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> Love the pasture pics <3



That's why they call Tulsa "green country" lots and lots of green around here which is great for pictures!

BTW; don't know if you have kept up with my thread, but I got a job offer locally that I accepted so we won't be moving to Denver after all.


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## frlsgirl

And here are some pics of my new RI "M" riding Ana. Doesn't she make Ana look fantastic?!? I was just blown away by how well Ana can move.


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## Zexious

^Ana does look good there!

And no, I haven't kept up with all of the pages~ I try my best, but there are so many I read that I usually just read a page or two at a time.
I thought it was your hubby that got a job offer? I guess I was confused!


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## frlsgirl

Zexious, my current position is getting transferred to Denver and my husband had a promising lead on a job in Denver, but I decided to leave my current company and stay in Tulsa and husband never heard back about the job in Denver.


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## frlsgirl

The fence is fixed and the girls are back in their pasture. I've been in constant contact with Tammys owner, we are both going to switch off doing wellness checks while the construction continues.


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## Skyseternalangel

Glad she's back out safe and sound!


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## egrogan

I might have missed it, but what was the massive construction equipment doing? Is the BO upgrading the property?

By the way-congrats on the job. It's nice to have multiple options to chose from!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I might have missed it, but what was the massive construction equipment doing? Is the BO upgrading the property?
> 
> By the way-congrats on the job. It's nice to have multiple options to chose from!


It's complicated. So barn management is comprised of two people; the rich BO who is not involved in managment/only fronts the money, and the BM who manages the property. 

Wealthy BO is always building something new on the property; think helicopter pads, a zip line, and most recently I gigantic mansion. He would like his own private driveway to said mansion. So they are converting our riding trail into a private driveway, which is why they had to move the fence line back a few feet so that there is enough room for the driveway.

I've been at this facility since March 2014 and it's been under continuous construction; which actually does have its advantages because I'm getting Ana exposed to bulldozers, noise etc.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> It's complicated. So barn management is comprised of two people; the rich BO who is not involved in managment/only fronts the money, and the BM who manages the property.
> 
> Wealthy BO is always building something new on the property; think helicopter pads, a zip line, and most recently I gigantic mansion. He would like his own private driveway to said mansion. So they are converting our riding trail into a private driveway, which is why they had to move the fence line back a few feet so that there is enough room for the driveway.
> 
> I've been at this facility since March 2014 and it's been under continuous construction; which actually does have its advantages because I'm getting Ana exposed to bulldozers, noise etc.


Interesting- I wonder why someone like the BO would want to have a boarding operation on his/her property. People I know like that often set up their land as a fortress to keep the mere mortals away 

Have you ever had a helicopter land while riding??


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## frlsgirl

I've heard the helicopter fly by; it wasn't very close though. I think the BM had asked BO to relocate his heli-pad.

It must be nice to be rich; he always comes up with crazy ideas. There are lot of things we could use at the barn: mirrors, letters, regulation size outdoor dressage arena, running cold AND hot water in the wash stalls, a new wall clock because the old one died.

You know what he bought us? Hideous pergo flooring for the tack room that is so slippery that I will surely bust my a** on it sooner or later, and a bronze horse statue for the outdoor jumping arena :icon_rolleyes:

Here is "Slick" with the bronze statue and "TC" aka tackroom cat on our lovely new floor.


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## Zexious

Hahaha! Those certainly are some practical "gifts" !


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## frlsgirl

So I only rode Ana once this week; I visited her Monday, Tuesday she got a fresh pedicure and a good grooming, I left her alone Wednesday, rode her Thursday, giving her another day off today because tomorrow is going to be stressful for her.

We have a quick 30 minute lesson at 8:30 after which I will probably take her for a quick hack around the property. At 10:30 the vet is coming to float her teeth.

The pic is from yesterday; the first ride after the CTJ meeting about accepting contact.

She's getting better about it but you have to watch her like a hawk; normally, you ask the horse to accept contact, the horse accepts and you soften to let the horse know he/she responded appropriately.

With Ana it's more like this:

Me "accept contact"

Ana "hail no! I like my freedom, thank you!"

Me "Come on, you can do it"

Ana "WTF!, I hate this, I hate this :x!"

Me "it's going to be ok, just do it :wink:"

Ana (accepts contact for one second to test it out, I mistakenly soften too much at which point she rips the reins from me)

Me "ugh! why is this so hard"

Ana " :rofl: "

Ana "come on mom, let's just go for a trail ride and forget about contact" :cowboy:


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## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> The pic is from yesterday; the first ride after the CTJ meeting about accepting contact.
> 
> She's getting better about it but you have to watch her like a hawk; normally, you ask the horse to accept contact, the horse accepts and you soften to let the horse know he/she responded appropriately.
> 
> With Ana it's more like this:
> 
> Me "accept contact"
> 
> Ana "hail no! I like my freedom, thank you!"
> 
> Me "Come on, you can do it"
> 
> Ana "WTF!, I hate this, I hate this :x!"
> 
> Me "it's going to be ok, just do it :wink:"
> 
> Ana (accepts contact for one second to test it out, I mistakenly soften too much at which point she rips the reins from me)
> 
> Me "ugh! why is this so hard"
> 
> Ana " :rofl: "
> 
> Ana "come on mom, let's just go for a trail ride and forget about contact" :cowboy:


Love the commentary :lol: 

Sky was the SAAAAAAME way except his 'rip reins' was literally put his face straight up and then run away with me or balk. It was so frustrating.... but we got there eventually

She looks great in that photo


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## Zexious

^Yes, I love the pic as well <3 She has come so far!


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## frlsgirl

Had a great lesson. RI was gracious enough to film our ride. Here are some pics!


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## frlsgirl

This one is probably my favorite.


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## frlsgirl

A couple more from today


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## frlsgirl

Did u all know that Ana is obsessed with ponies? Here she is pestering Ginger, a welsh pony. 

I think Ana would love to have her very own pony. Can you just picture her walking her pony around on a lead rope?


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## frlsgirl

Canter improvement: the picture on the left is from early June and the one on the right is from yesterday. I'm really pleased with our progress  

Maybe Intro C or even Training A is a possibility? Next show isn't until September/October.


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## Zexious

She looks like she's really come a long way!

Also, I /love/ the pony pictures. Gator is the same way. <3


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## Bondre

Ana looks good. She's come a long way with her head and neck. The trot picture is great - lovely extended movement and a relaxed head position. But at the canter she looks rather tense and resisting to me - and what's with the ears back? I've noticed my own horse typically trots with her ears forward and canters with them back too, so wondering if Ana always does this and if so, whether you have any idea why.

She's so sweet with the pony. But the pony looks bemused with all the attention! Like "I'm just taking a nap by the rails here but this dame won't leave me alone" lol.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skyseternalangel

I know you're working on contact, but have you ever tried riding with almost no rein contact at all? Sky used to freak but now he relaxes and that's kind of how we warm up (w/t/and now c)


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## frlsgirl

Bondre said:


> Ana looks good. She's come a long way with her head and neck. The trot picture is great - lovely extended movement and a relaxed head position. But at the canter she looks rather tense and resisting to me - and what's with the ears back? I've noticed my own horse typically trots with her ears forward and canters with them back too, so wondering if Ana always does this and if so, whether you have any idea why.
> 
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Hi Bondre:wave:

I have several theories about why some horses look rather tense at the canter/have their ears back; I think it's 50% tension, and 50% listening. Whenever I teach Ana something new and difficult, she puts her ears back like that; she's actually not pinning them in anger, but she's intensely listening. She looks like that every time we work on haunches in which we are doing from the ground with just a cavesson/no bit.

As the canter becomes easier for her, she's able to relax a little bit more. Here she has her ears forward at the canter because she's distracted by the horses that just started a lesson in the outdoor ring. I'm very excited about this because it means that the canter is getting easier for her/she's able to mentally check out for a minute, while continuing to canter :wink:


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## frlsgirl

double post


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> I know you're working on contact, but have you ever tried riding with almost no rein contact at all? Sky used to freak but now he relaxes and that's kind of how we warm up (w/t/and now c)


 
Hi Sky :wave:


When I first started working with Ana, I thought that if I give her the reins, we could get rid of some of this tension. Well, she won't pick up the canter at all with loose reins, and if I transition to canter and then give her the reins, she falls back into trot.


After speaking with some very educated horse trainers, it turns out that young horses, that aren't fully trained/can't carry themselves yet, need a to be connected to the rein at all times; as they become more educated and fit, you start to ride with less contact; I believe it's Training 3 where you introduce the stretchy trot circle. Once you get to Grand Prix level, you can see that one or both reins are kind of loose for some of the movements.


But I totally see what you're saying because my first instinct was exactly the same, to give her the reins to see if it would help. One thing we started doing Saturday, is to give her half an inch of rein every few strides; basically whenever she showed that she's willing to step into contact, you release the reins every so slightly.


Keep in mind that this is only her second training ride with this trainer, so I would assume that a year from now she'll be cantering like a pro :wink:


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## frlsgirl

Speaking of cute ponies; meet Cinderella. Ana is even more obsessed with her; they haven't had a chance to meet nose to nose yet but every time we walk by her paddock, Ana wants to stop and look for her.

You can't really get a sense for how small she is from this picture, except that the cross ties are probably at the lowest possible setting. I'm guessing she's 12 hh? Only the 6-8 year olds fit on her.


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## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> Hi Sky :wave:
> 
> 
> When I first started working with Ana, I thought that if I give her the reins, we could get rid of some of this tension. Well, she won't pick up the canter at all with loose reins, and if I transition to canter and then give her the reins, she falls back into trot.
> 
> 
> After speaking with some very educated horse trainers, it turns out that young horses, that aren't fully trained/*can't carry themselves yet, need a to be connected to the rein at all times; as they become more educated and fit, you start to ride with less contact;* I believe it's Training 3 where you introduce the stretchy trot circle. Once you get to Grand Prix level, you can see that one or both reins are kind of loose for some of the movements.
> 
> 
> But I totally see what you're saying because my first instinct was exactly the same, to give her the reins to see if it would help. One thing we started doing Saturday, is to give her half an inch of rein every few strides; basically whenever she showed that she's willing to step into contact, you release the reins every so slightly.
> 
> 
> Keep in mind that this is only her second training ride with this trainer, so I would assume that a year from now she'll be cantering like a pro :wink:


Well that makes sense since self carriage requires a lot of muscle and balance, two of which younger or greener horses have not developed yet

What I meant was in between your contact session, incorporating some loose rein walk and trot (canter is hard, as you brought up because it requires a LOT of power, muscle, balance... trust) to reset her mind a little. 

It was only a question, since I am not sure of what you do when you ride her only what I do with my own horse


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> What I meant was in between your contact session, incorporating some loose rein walk and trot (canter is hard, as you brought up because it requires a LOT of power, muscle, balance... trust) to reset her mind a little.
> 
> It was only a question, since I am not sure of what you do when you ride her only what I do with my own horse


Yes, we do loose rein at the walk only right now; I'm hoping that we can do the "gently chew the reins out of hands at trot" in the near future. Right now Ana does "rip reins out of hands and and transition down to walk" thing. She's an expert at the stretchy walk though. That's probably her favorite Dressage movement.


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## Bondre

frlsgirl said:


> I have several theories about why some horses look rather tense at the canter/have their ears back; I think it's 50% tension, and 50% listening. Whenever I teach Ana something new and difficult, she puts her ears back like that; she's actually not pinning them in anger, but she's intensely listening. She looks like that every time we work on haunches in which we are doing from the ground with just a cavesson/no bit.


That's interesting, it makes sense. My mare is just like that, and she never pins her ears in anger so I was a bit surprised to see her ears back on video (I hadn't noticed her ear position when I'm riding). But yes, it's concentration I see on her face. 

I like what you say about young horses needing contact too. Mine is a green five y-o, and she looks for contact at trot and canter (though I ride bitless so the contact is different). If I give her a loose rein at the trot she reaches down to find the contact.

I don't have a trainer or any sort of professional assessment, so it's great to read about your experiences here and get ideas from them 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

You will find that there are many different theories out there about rein contact which depends on the discipline and who you ask. It also depends on the horse's preference, conformation and training level, type of bit, etc.

Many people ride with a harsh bit and little contact; to the untrained eye, it looks as though the rider is being really gentle with the horse, when in actuality, the horse knows to duck behind the bit slightly, because, otherwise, it will feel the effects of the bit. 

So it's one of those catch 22/depends on who you ask situations


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## frlsgirl

Second training ride for Ana 


http://youtu.be/c81lGFLS5qA


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## thesilverspear

My opinion, for what it is worth: 

Ana looks much tighter up front in the recent photo and in the video of the trainer riding her. I don't see her softening or coming forward into the contact. I'd be interested in seeing how the rest of the training ride progressed: if she got softer and more open in her gait. Any short video is just a moment in time, and if you filmed me riding a sticky bit, it would not look great, either! In the section you filmed, even though she's on -- and sometimes behind -- the vertical, she's hollow through her back, bracing the muscle underneath her neck, and not stepping under herself. 

If this were my horse, I would be getting her relaxed and moving forward from behind in a steady rhythm, then thinking about contact and outlines. Would not bother with the latter until I had the former. Her trot in the lunging videos is what I like to see under saddle. It's much more relaxed and even. When they are relaxed and forward, it's not difficult to teach them to go on the bit.


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## frlsgirl

thesilverspear said:


> My opinion, for what it is worth:
> 
> Ana looks much tighter up front in the recent photo and in the video of the trainer riding her. I don't see her softening or coming forward into the contact. I'd be interested in seeing how the rest of the training ride progressed: if she got softer and more open in her gait. Any short video is just a moment in time, and if you filmed me riding a sticky bit, it would not look great, either! In the section you filmed, even though she's on -- and sometimes behind -- the vertical, she's hollow through her back, bracing the muscle underneath her neck, and not stepping under herself.
> 
> If this were my horse, I would be getting her relaxed and moving forward from behind in a steady rhythm, then thinking about contact and outlines. Would not bother with the latter until I had the former. Her trot in the lunging videos is what I like to see under saddle. It's much more relaxed and even. When they are relaxed and forward, it's not difficult to teach them to go on the bit.


Hi Silver

Thanks for dropping by and constructive criticism is always welcome here.

First off, let me tell you that I totally agree with you.

I spent over a year trying to chase Ana into contact by activating her hind end hoping she would step into contact. I mostly worked with Jane Savoie, the famous gold medalist, via video submissions and emailing back and forth. 

When that didn't work, I had a bronze medalist ride her who told me that she was just spirited/had trouble with submission and that’s why she didn’t want to accept contact; she had me ride her in special reins/similar to draw reins but not quite as severe. I was still not satisfied with that plus I suddenly could no longer reach that instructor for lessons.

Thinking that maybe Ana’s problems are physical in nature, I worked with a certified saddle fitter to get her a new saddle and hired a chiro to do body work on her. The chiro couldn’t find anything major wrong with her, other than some tension in the left front leg, slight tightness in her back and left hip.

I then connected with the Silver Medalist, who declined to ride her but showed me some strategies to get her slightly better connected, which got us through our first schooling show, but of course, the judge commented that Ana needs to be more submissive, accept contact, and work in more of a round outline. 

I’ve continued to take lessons with the silver medalist whenever she’s available, which is rare, as she’s very busy plus she is very expensive. She also noted that Ana has not fully accepted aids yet; in other words, she’s still green because she won’t just submit to what you ask her to do. She has shown me some strategies that I can implement from the ground to help her become more relaxed and submissive.

It was also suggested to me that I mix up Ana’s schedule a little bit to encourage her to WANT to participate and learn new things.

In my never ending quest to work through Ana’s issues, I then signed up for Straightness Training, which I implemented a few months ago. It’s based on the premise that all horses are crooked by nature, some more than others, which can result in performance problems and behavior problems. It’s a progression from ground work to ridden work. Most of the videos on my YouTube channel are a combination of Straightness Training and the ground work methods that the silver medalist taught me.
We currently alternate between ground work days, under saddle days, and hacking/trail riding days. Ana gets anywhere from 2 to 4 days off per week.

A couple of weeks ago, I tried out our new instructor at my barn; she has a background in breaking WBs for show jumping and Dressage. She also used to ride the Lipizzaner stallions when they did the U.S. tour 15 years ago. She has since shifted her focus to strictly H/J but does flat work training rides for her client’s horses if they need a refresher.

A few minutes into my lesson she asked me if it was ok to ride Ana because it would help her better assess the problem. I was blown away by what she was able to do with Ana in a matter of just a few minutes. I was a little put off by the tight frame that she was riding Ana in, but she explained that Ana has to go through this process, because we are trying to teach her that she cannot get out of contact by putting up a fight. So the first lesson was very ugly; but the second lesson already looked a bit better. The goal is to immediately soften as soon as Ana responds/steps into contact, which means that with each ride, her way of going will improve/she won’t be ridden so tight in the front.

As Ana begins to understand that if she softens, we will soften, she will start to reach into contact, and will move more properly. At that point, we will continue to encourage her stretching into contact, relaxing, stepping under, and releasing her back with transitions and trot poles.

Keep in mind that the trainer is very tall so it may look a little strange to see her work with Ana.

We already saw her responding, relaxing and reaching during the last lesson; I might have some footage of that on my GoPro, but it’s a little fuzzy.

Anyway, thanks for popping in Silver, I totally agree with you; Ana is just very spirited and a hard nut to crack


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## thesilverspear

Yeah, I've seen that approach done. It may well be effective with a sensitive, challenging horse like Ana. But I'd keep an eye on it; in my experience, it is very good for getting a horse on the forehand and behind the leg, and then you get the fun of fixing that. But with a hotter horse, it might work.


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## frlsgirl

Speaking of how spirited Ana can be, it made me think back to the day I test rode her. She kind of gave me this once over look like "Who are you, and who authorized this injustice?!?" 

She let me ride her ok but she was a bit distracted and probably didn't quite understand what was going on. When I dismounted and wanted to walk her back to the stall area, she planted her feet and looked at me like "I don't know you from Adam, so I'm not going with you" but after a couple gentle nudges she caved in and followed me.

I knew right then that I had found my dream pony; a little bit of spice, a lot of cute, and a lovely mover


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## lostastirrup

I had a similar experience with your last method and the TB I ride. He had been babied for far to long and he had terrified and broken limbs of the people who usually rode him. So if he didn't want contact no body would insist. I took a lesson with a new instructor to my area (I was also new to this horse and had a disproportionate amount of guts to brains) and oh my goodness did he fight the contact- the audacity of someone to ask him to step under and stretch over his topline! The instructor asked midway through before things got nasty (and they did) 'You know how to ride out continual bucking right?' luckily I did. the one thing that was key and I'd make sure of with Ana is that she steps under big and not given the chance to curl up as this method can either send a horse well through or stiffen them terribly. Also lots of walk and stretches in between...don't want her to die of exhaustion or anything.

PS.
I've really enjoyed reading your journal as it's fun to hear about someone actually working toward an objective with their horse with knowledge and instruction. and am terribly jealous of your little morgan. She reminds me of a mare I ride.


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## tinyliny

You've described the plan beautifully. I look forward to seeing the changes.


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## frlsgirl

lostastirrup said:


> I had a similar experience with your last method and the TB I ride. He had been babied for far to long and he had terrified and broken limbs of the people who usually rode him. So if he didn't want contact no body would insist. I took a lesson with a new instructor to my area (I was also new to this horse and had a disproportionate amount of guts to brains) and oh my goodness did he fight the contact- the audacity of someone to ask him to step under and stretch over his topline! The instructor asked midway through before things got nasty (and they did) 'You know how to ride out continual bucking right?' luckily I did.


Hello LostAStirrup, and welcome to Ana's thread :wave:

Oh my the bucking part sounds a little scary; good for you for working through it. 

Fortunately, Ana doesn't buck or rear or anything like that; she mostly prances and snorts when she doesn't like something. The worst thing she's ever done is spook with a mini bolt; she'll startle at something, gallop for 2 strides, then her brain kicks in and she's back to normal. Sometimes she startles and then carries on. 

If we are trail riding and she sees something that she doesn't understand, she may plant her feet and snort at it; she likes to take her time to process what she's seeing, and experiment with it. So it takes us 2 minutes to cross a water obstacle because she's doing complex calculations in her brain trying to figure out how to cross without getting her princess feet wet.



lostastirrup said:


> the one thing that was key and I'd make sure of with Ana is that she steps under big and not given the chance to curl up as this method can either send a horse well through or stiffen them terribly. Also lots of walk and stretches in between...don't want her to die of exhaustion or anything.


Ana gets lots of stretchy breaks; every 5 or 10 minutes we walk on a loose rein and then at the end of our schooling session, we often go hack outside on a loose rein to cool down. It's probably more likely that I'll die from exhaustion, because I'm usually the one begging for a stretch break during a lesson 



lostastirrup said:


> I've really enjoyed reading your journal as it's fun to hear about someone actually working toward an objective with their horse with knowledge and instruction. and am terribly jealous of your little morgan. She reminds me of a mare I ride.


Glad you enjoy it; visitors and comments are always welcome here.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> You've described the plan beautifully. I look forward to seeing the changes.


Thanks Tiny! We are a continous Work in Progress :wink:


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## frlsgirl

We had a great ride this morning. 

I told myself I was going to be firm but fair and I was really, really going to focus on my hands; I have a tendency to let the reins slip through my hands, so I was determined to figure out a way to keep that from happening. So I found the little nubs and held the reins in such a way where the nub was in the palm of my hands; that way if I let the reins slip, it will hit me in my little finger and hurt; and it did hurt 

Funny thing is, I thought I was riding her in a super tight frame, and was super firm with her; then I watched the video footage and it looks nothing like what it looked like in my head. Isn't that weird? Will I ever be as good as a trainer? I think I'm firm but I'm really not; so I guess I'll have to progress to evil firm in my mind so that I'm actually being kind of firm in reality? Ugh! 

I have a lesson Saturday so I will have the RI talk me through being a little more firm; it always looks so different from the ground then when you're sitting on a horse.

Here is a lovely trot picture where she had properly stepped into contact. Also included is a picture of me standing in front of her so you can get a sense of how we fit together size wise.

PS: On a funny note, just to show you how smart Ana is, when I walked Ana up from the pasture, she pretend-spooked at a pile of sand, because a bale of hay was conveniently laying next to the scary pile of sand; I let her sniff the sand and she reached over and tried to eat the hay!


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## tinyliny

you'll be treading the fine line between having her step into the contact, and having her pull behind it with her head.

the horse I lease, X, is a bit like this . he has had a lot of dressage training , with too much of focussed on where his head was and making him "collect", and do lateral work, but it only served to make him "contract" rather than collect. he becomes very worried about contact, and will not meet the bit honestly. he does a lot of dodging behind it, and gaping his mouth and swinging his mouth from side to side, and this when the very lightest of contact is asked of him. I try to get him to meet the bit, so that I can then have him carry it forward and bring HIMSELF out of that contracted position he puts himself in. I can get it at the walk, for short periods of time, but it's a very ingrained habitual reaction to any contact. since I do not any longer ride dressage, or even in an arena, I have mostly given up trying to change him that way. instaed, I just ride him forward, on a mostly loose draping rein. he is much happier with that. however, if I were to show in dressage, I could not do soley that, I'd have to pick up some contact, and his forward then evaporates. the trick is to encourage a horse to have contact while still feeling ok about being nice and forward.

it's a delicate line, and the smaller, more sensitive hroses are all the harder to convince to go forward into contact. but, she's smart, and she will seek the release. if you keep that seeking attitude in her alive (meaning have small rewards /releases frequent, and big lavish rewards from time to time) she will become more willing to risk contact to get that reward that she knows is out there.


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## frlsgirl

Yes, it's a very fine line! I know how to release and when to release but I lack the finesse. 

Here is what he had this morning:

50% above the bit
30% on the bit
5% behind the bit and 
15% free walk

When trainer rides her, Ana is:

0% above the bit
50% on the bit
40% behind the bit
10% free walk

I would like to get to a point where she's:

10% above the bit
5% behind the bit
75% on the bit
10% free walk 

Before I started working with this new trainer, we had:

70% above the bit
10% on the bit
0% behind the bit 
20% free walk

So we've made a little bit of progress.

I think I need some sort of visual aid when I sit on her so that I can have some sort of point of reference that tells me the aids didn't go through; I will ask my trainer to literately call out the aids to me during the next lesson.

Here is a lovely above the bit picture and a relaxed free walk pic :wink:


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## thesilverspear

I wish I were closer than 8000 miles away. I guess my approach is different. I do not care where a horse is putting its head until it's relaxed and forward. And by forward, I don't mean charging along in a rushed, frantic pace, but simply moving off the leg and you not feeling like you're having to nag it along every other stride. I would not want it using its body in an incorrect manner for the sake of contact or being on the bit. 

I'm really intrigued by your trainer's approach; it goes against a lot of what I know about dressage, but there's a lot I don't know. In a few months time, it will be interesting to see if both of you have made progress. If it does work, it's always a tool to keep in mind.


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## frlsgirl

thesilverspear said:


> I wish I were closer than 8000 miles away. I guess my approach is different. I do not care where a horse is putting its head until it's relaxed and forward. And by forward, I don't mean charging along in a rushed, frantic pace, but simply moving off the leg and you not feeling like you're having to nag it along every other stride. I would not want it using its body in an incorrect manner for the sake of contact or being on the bit.
> 
> I'm really intrigued by your trainer's approach; it goes against a lot of what I know about dressage, but there's a lot I don't know. In a few months time, it will be interesting to see if both of you have made progress. If it does work, it's always a tool to keep in mind.


It might help you to know that when I say "on the bit" I mean that she feels like a strung bow from back to front meaning that I feel like I have her engine in my hands and can direct it at any given moment. She is not fighting me, or ignoring me; she's ready to respond to whatever I ask of her. So it's not a head set reference; it refers to her complete way of going and carrying herself.


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## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> It might help you to know that when I say "on the bit" I mean that she feels _*like a strung bow*_ from back to front meaning that I feel like I have her engine in my hands and can direct it at any given moment.


That's a beautiful comparison! I really like that imagery and the connotations that come along with it

You're ready to make music together, or you're ready to fly steady


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## frlsgirl

*Beautiful start to a bittersweet day*

I took Ana trail riding this morning; we were out and about at 6:30; I wanted to do something easy and relaxing because it's going to be a tough day for me.

It's my last day at my current job; I start my new job on Monday morning. I'm excited but also sad. Lots of hugs and tears today I'm sure.


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## Bondre

That's a sweet photo of Ana  . She must have wondered why she was up and out so early.

Hope your new job turns out well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Lovely ride on Miss Ana today. I learned quite a bit during today's lesson that I can actually implement when I ride by myself


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## egrogan

Love that first picture! She looks like she's concentrating hard and really using her body.


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## frlsgirl

Inlaws came up from OKC to visit us over the weekend. I took MIL to the barn with me so she could socialize with my pony. She tried to brush her and Ana turned her head and looked at her like "you're not my mom" lol.


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## Skyseternalangel

How was your first day at work?!


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## frlsgirl

Hi Sky!

Thanks for thinking of me 

It's good. Love my new office. People are nice and the job seems doable. Unfortunately the son in law of the owners who also worked there fatally shot himself over the weekend so most people took yesterday off.


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## Zexious

I love the pic--three lovely ladies <3

That's truly a tragic thing to have happened, and I imagine would have been quite the damper on the office. 
Best of luck with your new job!<3


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## frlsgirl

First morning ride since starting new job. I made it to the barn at 5:45 and was at my desk at 7:50 so I think this will work out just fine.


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## Zexious

^Now that's dedication :O

Looking great, as always  She's really coming along nicely!

EDIT--I wanted to add that I could never do this because, no matter what I do, I always get heinously stinky and dirty at the barn xD


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## egrogan

Zexious, I agree. It's not just horse hair/smell, I am always covered in sweat with dirt streaked across my face by the time I'm done riding  I don't know how some people can get to the barn, groom, ride, etc. and still look like they just stepped out of the car when they're done!

frls-Congrats on the new job, though sorry to hear about the boss' family.


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## Zexious

^Absolutely this! I just don't get it x.x The same for the gym--I sweat and am gross and have to immediately shower. I envy the barn/gym goers that look squeaky clean from start to finish!


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## frlsgirl

I shower at the barn and then drive to work from there. The water pressure kind of sucks so I can't wash my hair there so I wear a pony tail with lots of hair spray and then I wash my hair at night. I do my makeup in the car or at my desk because it's too hot for that at the barn; the make-up melts off my face faster than I can apply it


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## Zexious

^Gah, I want a shower at my barn! Jealous haha.


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## frlsgirl

It's not as glamorous as it sounds. I have to climb over the tack room cat to get in the shower while trying not to slip on our lovely pergo flooring and sometimes the water pressure is so low that u can't even wash your hands. Plus I have to yell "ocupado" every 5 minutes


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## Zexious

xD Gotta take the good with the bad, I suppose. Your facilities are beautiful, though, and sketchy water pressure is better than none :>

EDIT--And, for what it's worth, I feel spoiled even with just my indoor potty xD


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## frlsgirl

Very true zexious! I discovered that if I shower while others are using water, the pressure drops, so going super early in the mornings does help since I'm the only one there. I've also befriended the tack room cat so I can usually pick her up and move her without any issues. I found her inside my tack trunk the other day; sure glad I saw her before locking it for the day.


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## Zexious

She is adorable (though not as cute as Ana, of course!)! What's her name?

We have the sweetest barn cat where I board--her name is Callie (because she is a calico... so original, I know xD) and it always makes me smile to see her. I feel like barn cats are a staple--never feels quite the same without them.


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## Skyseternalangel

Your shower adventure cracks me up! I don't think I have a bathroom at my new barn... better make sure I don't drink a lot of coffee or water anytime I'm debating going to the barn haha


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## frlsgirl

Zexious, we named the tack room cat "TC" not to be confused with "OC" the office cat. The kids are voting on a new permanent name for the tack room cat but OC will remain OC.


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## jaydee

Very posh barn to have a shower!!
I used to have to do my shopping on the way home from work (horse job) and an aunt who saw me rushing around the town told all the relatives that I'd turned 'Punk' - must have been the sweaty sticky up hair and dirty face!!!


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## Zexious

Oh my, OC is adorable xD And such creative names!










I think Spoopy would make a great lounge/office cat :>!


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## frlsgirl

I haven't seen Ana since Wednesday. I had planned on going after work today but it was over 100 degrees so I just drove home and have been hiding out in our dark, air conditioned living room. 

I was supposed to have a short lesson tomorrow at 8:30 but the instructor texted me saying that she wants to devote more time to us so now we are doing a one hour lesson at 9. I hope Ana and I can tolerate the heat; it's supposed to reach 102 degrees by lunch time tomorrow.


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## Zexious

Looking forward to hearing about your lesson <3

I can say, the heat is killer. When I had Gator in Texas, the trainer where I boarded would have our lessons in the late evening, before it got dark or cool... Always seemed like such a bad idea to me. 
Here in CO, I would lesson with one of those super absorby rags under my collar to keep my back and neck cool. I think they're for golfers, worth looking into~


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## frlsgirl

Fantastic lesson today. Trainer even commented about how much Ana has improved since our first lesson 4 weeks ago. We worked on transitions and introduced the stretchy circle. Ana figured it out in a matter of minutes. She's so freaking smart. Trainer commented that Ana comes across as intimidating because she has a lot of "bark" but very little "bite" lol. She noticed that we seem to feed of each other's tension which has hindered our progress with cantering. So we worked on that today; lots of transitions while I practiced breathing and keeping my wrists soft. Trainer said that is the best right lead canter she's seen from us #sohappy.


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## frlsgirl

Ana practicing the stretchy circle with my trainer.


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## frlsgirl

Here is my trainer riding her:

http://youtu.be/tom6JJ_byAU
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny

I know you've answered a lot of questions about this trainer and the approach, and done so with aplomb, but may I ask again, why is the trainer riding in such a light seat, so tipped forward?


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## frlsgirl

Hi Tiny! Thanks for dropping in 

To answer your question, she is a HJ trainer so that's her normal way of riding. Also keep in mind that she is very tall relativ to Ana so no matter how she sits on her, it will always look somewhat awkward.


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## frlsgirl

Just a fun comparison picture. The one on top is from April 2014 and the other one is from today. Good bye saddle seat horse and hello Dressage pony :faceshot:


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## Zexious

^Wow, look at the difference! You must be so proud <3


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## frlsgirl

Thanks Zexious! We still have a long way to go but seeing progress like this is encouraging.


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## Zexious

Most definitely--if everything were flawless, you'd be competing in the Olympics, not posting on Horse Forum (or, maybe you would because we're so awesome ;D!). My point is that having something to strive for makes it all the more worth while, and all the more fun.
And it's fun for us readers, too, to enjoy your journey and share your excitement when things are coming along so nicely!


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## SueC

Very satisfying progress, I'm sure, Frlsgirl!  That's a big jump in just over a year - well done. 

...while I'm here, how is your photo archive project coming along?


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## frlsgirl

Sue, I have not forgotten about my photo project; I'm about 80% done with assembling pics.


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## frlsgirl

Today was ground work day. She was a good girl; I introduced halting on the longe without turning in. She understood that something was different but didn't quite know how to respond. So she started to turn in on the circle and then stopped and looked at me like "what the heck, mom""?!?" Lol.


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## frlsgirl

Love this pic from today. Ana was being a cuddle bug :loveshower:


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## Zexious

You two look like a pair of models <3! Gorgeous~


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## frlsgirl

Lovely trail ride this morning.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a short video of our stretchy circle from Saturday; I'm having trouble with the GoPro settings, so the quality is kind of fuzzy, but you can still see how much smoother she moves now:


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## frlsgirl

A couple of videos from this morning; she is looking a little WP here; will need to work on more forward:

http://youtu.be/SPhQ4NHfbtM

http://youtu.be/rpY8_M1efbw

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Love this picture from today. Her trot is so lovely after we canter.


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## Skyseternalangel

Frs, compare your arms from earlier photos to the most recent one.

You, too, are improving! It's apparent in both of you, well done.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks Sky! I have elbows now. Well, I've always had them but didn't know how to use them 

Now if I could just learn to relax those shoulders...


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## frlsgirl

Ana showing off her fancy moves


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## frlsgirl

Ana being sweet and inquisitive


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## frlsgirl

*Scientific Experiment*

So I did a little experiment with Ana; I longed her with full gear to see if the gear actually helps or hinders.

The only thing it helped with is when I halt her on a circle, she is usually inclined to turn in and walk towards me; with the gear, I have a chance to keep that from happening. 

Other than that, it provided zero benefit. In fact, I lost 15 minutes of precious training time because I was busy fiddling with the gear.

So we are going back to naked longing.


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## frlsgirl

We are having some really strange weather this week so my riding schedule got all mixed up; I ended up going last night, and then trainer will likely ride her Thursday, followed by a lesson on Sunday.

So..... I had THE BEST ride with Ana last night; I rode her bareback up the hill on the property just in time to watch the sunset. For a moment, the world stood still and it was just me and Ana watching that beautiful sunset :cowboy:

I have ridden her up that hill several times but never bareback so I was kind of scared that I would slide ride off her; her summer coat is so shiny and slick that she feels like a slippery bar of soap. But, we both survived.

I then took her in the freshly dragged outdoor and schooled for 5 minutes; at first she tried to plant her feet in disagreement, but after a gentle nudge she caved in and did a really good job. I was amazed by how good her body felt; I could really feel her back muscles working.

I'm still not brave enough to canter her bareback; but it's on my bucket list, so I'm hoping to at least try it before the end of the year :gallop:


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## frlsgirl

So I got a frantic phone call from Tammy's owner last night; she thinks that Ana beat up Tammy because Tammy has a bloody bite mark on her along with lots of other marks that are at various stages of the healing process. She told me that she was going to move Tammy out of there and that she left a message for the BM. I'm not saying it's not possible that Ana did all this but it's also possible that the two neighboring geldings are to blame. She said she's going to review the video footage and see who's responsible.

So after work today, I'm going to drive up there and figure out what to do. I would hate to have to move her to yet another pasture. The BM might just tell me to take my bully mare someplace else; or he may offer a private pasture which runs $550 a month. 

I'm trying not to panic and wait and see what the video footage reveals.


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## frlsgirl

The video showed nothing. She thinks it might be Archie, the unruly gelding in the neighboring pasture. She reset the camera and is hoping that the next round of videos will provide some clues. I really don't think it's Ana; I've seen them interact and they really like each other; Ana does wear the pants in their relationship but she gently nips her when a correction is required. 

We did find out why Ana's face is so scratched up; she's been eating the leaves of the trees! As if she didn't get enough calories between, hay, pasture grass, alfalfa and treats. I just hope she doesn't poke an eye out. 

I had a lesson again today with M. Now that Ana understands contact better, we are incorporating more long and low work, as well as extended work. We constantly have to mix things up bc Ana memorizes the exercises and tries to turn and transition before I have a chance to ask for it. Then she pins her ears and says "you idiot! we are supposed to turn after this corner! " lol

I also figured out why my saddle pads have been scattered all over the tack room:


----------



## frlsgirl

Rode bareback tonight. I love how she's carrying herself here:


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## ksorensen

Shes Cute! Con-grads!


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## frlsgirl

Haven't seen Ana since Monday night, and I'm not sure when I can sneak away to visit her. Maybe tomorrow? 

My new job is just very draining right now plus it seems like I'm working more hours, even though on paper I'm not if that makes any sense. Once everything settles down I can go back to working with Ana 5 days a week, instead of 3. I'm sure Ana is just fine without me.

Next show is tentatively scheduled for October 3rd; trying to get all the details squared away right now. Ana is going so well I might show her in Training Level instead of Intro; we are supposed to do a practice run Saturday to determine which tests to ride. I might just sign her up for Intro B, C, Training A and B; that way I can still scratch if she's acting too cray cray. The show is outdoors with a judges booth at the end of the ring; she was really freaked out about the judges booth at the last show but due to weather, the show got moved inside so there was no scary judges booth to worry about.

With Ana, you just never know how she's going to act; sometimes she acts like a green horse that's never been off property and other times she's a total pro. So if she can get her spookiness worked out during Intro B and C; she should be back to her pro-like self by Training A and B. That's my theory anyway.


----------



## frlsgirl

I did groundwork with Ana last night. I filmed it with my new GoPro (the old one broke already) but I'm having trouble getting it downloaded, so I don't have any pics to share right now.

Ana was quite sassy but not in a playful way; she was kind of grumpy. I always carry a whip so that I can direct her better and she seemed really offended by it. I remembered thinking, I wonder if she's in season? Halfway through our session I decided to do liberty work instead so I closed the gate and Ana stopped to pee; so yeah...she's in season! 

She actually did really well with liberty work; I got her to longe around me with only minimal dirty looks/pinned ears. I'll have to see if I can get that part of the video downloaded cause that was pretty cool!

We have a lesson in the morning, so I hope she is over her grumpiness/sassiness by then.


----------



## frlsgirl

frlsgirl said:


> I did groundwork with Ana last night. I filmed it with my new GoPro (the old one broke already) but I'm having trouble getting it downloaded, so I don't have any pics to share right now.
> 
> Ana was quite sassy but not in a playful way; she was kind of grumpy. I always carry a whip so that I can direct her better and she seemed really offended by it. I remembered thinking, I wonder if she's in season? Halfway through our session I decided to do liberty work instead so I closed the gate and Ana stopped to pee; so yeah...she's in season!
> 
> She actually did really well with liberty work; I got her to longe around me with only minimal dirty looks/pinned ears. I'll have to see if I can get that part of the video downloaded cause that was pretty cool!
> 
> We have a lesson in the morning, so I hope she is over her grumpiness/sassiness by then.


Here is the video of her longing at liberty:


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## frlsgirl

Had a great lesson today; we ran through Intro B and C; both seem doable; even though it wasn't perfect.

I finally figured out my new GoPro; and I came across a couple of awesome pictures:


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## frlsgirl

My trainer rode her for a few minutes today. Don't they look great together? She mentioned that she's considering going back into Dressage! She's testing out a potential lease horse this week. So we may end up going to clinics and competitions together!


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## SueC

No disrespect to your trainer, she's good, but I prefer you on that horse, you just look more natural together.

The liberty lungeing looks nice! I used to do that in a roundyard when my mare was still alive (I don't bother lungeing Sunsmart). How do you get her to go in standard circles around you in a rectangular space?


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## frlsgirl

So proud of Ana! Today was hack out day, so we got brave and ventured out a little farther when two pit bulls came running up to the fence just three feet away from us. Ana froze and started to turn like she was going to bolt but I just petted her loosened my grip on the reins and talked her out of it. I just tried to stay calm and not pull on the reins. One step at a time we made it past the scary pit bull house. 

As soon as we turned the corner Ana let out this big grunt/snort and dropped her head. 

Tears of joy began streaming down my face. Every fiber in her body told her to run but she chose to listen to me and trust me to keep her safe.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny

that is so sweet. your love and growth are inspirational.


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> No disrespect to your trainer, she's good, but I prefer you on that horse, you just look more natural together.
> 
> The liberty lungeing looks nice! I used to do that in a roundyard when my mare was still alive (I don't bother lungeing Sunsmart). How do you get her to go in standard circles around you in a rectangular space?


 Yeah, my trainer makes Ana look kind of small; or maybe Ana makes my trainer look big? She is an excellent rider and trainer but clearly Ana is not the best fit for her; she usually rides 17 hand WBs. I think even the best riders in the world such as Ingrid Klimke or Steffen Peters would look awkward on Ana.

About the liberty work; I think Ana is just conditioned to go in circles because I have longed her so many times; her circles were not perfect on the video, so I was trying to use body language to draw her back in when she ventured out too far.


----------



## frlsgirl

So Tammy looks worse every day; yesterday I found a new set of scratches on her; they don't even look like a horse bite. I texted Tammy's owner and she's going to review the next set of videos to see if she can determine the source of these mystery injuries; maybe she's just really clumsy?


----------



## frlsgirl

The next show is 33 days away; yikes!

We have so much to work on; coming down the centerline and halting was really ugly when we ran through the tests; she got a 7 for her centerlines during her last tests so we need to get her back to that.

She's also behind my aids; probably because it's summer and she just doesn't feel like working; so I need to work on that as well.

We need to work on transitions...lots and lots of transitions. I've developed this terrible habit of gripping with my legs at the canter because I'm anticipating disaster...I need to stop doing that. How do I stop that?

The summer temps are back which means I have to go before work; maybe I can go tomorrow morning, because trainer is riding Ana on Thursday. We have a 3 day weekend coming up so I'm hoping to get lots of time to practice.

I'm hoping it will be cold on October 3rd because that always puts a pep in Ana's step. Hopefully, just enough pep to keep her on the aides and not too much pep to where I'm waterskiing through the tests.


----------



## frlsgirl

I rode Ana this morning; it was still dark outside when I got there at 5:45 and Ana was laying down sleeping; so she was NOT happy to see me. Poor girl; now she knows how I feel when my alarm goes off in the morning bc I have to go to work.

She was quite resistant today but we did fix our forward issue with the help of my Dressage whip; I barely touch her with it and she gets the message; it doesn't hurt her physically, it just really, really offends her psychologically. It took about 20 minutes before she gave in and decided to work with me instead of against me. I rewarded her with a couple of spins around the property. I have this morning's ride recorded on my GoPro; will need to pull stills tonight and post them.


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## frlsgirl

frlsgirl said:


> I rode Ana this morning; it was still dark outside when I got there at 5:45 and Ana was laying down sleeping; so she was NOT happy to see me. Poor girl; now she knows how I feel when my alarm goes off in the morning bc I have to go to work.
> 
> She was quite resistant today but we did fix our forward issue with the help of my Dressage whip; I barely touch her with it and she gets the message; it doesn't hurt her physically, it just really, really offends her psychologically. It took about 20 minutes before she gave in and decided to work with me instead of against me. I rewarded her with a couple of spins around the property. I have this morning's ride recorded on my GoPro; will need to pull stills tonight and post them.


Instead of pictures; here is a little video; she actually carried herself quite well here; except at the end when I was trying to have a smooth down transition lol:


https://youtu.be/Sa725o2_Jvo


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## frlsgirl

*More barn drama*

Tammy's owner called me in a panic yesterday; they have tore up the pasture so they had to move Ana and Tammy to a temporary turnout paddock. I'm just glad that I'm on good terms with Tammy's owner and that we seem to have opposite barn schedules so that we can look out for each other's horses.

I get off at noon today so I will head over there to see what's going on.


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## Skyseternalangel

They have got to stop messing with your paddock/horses without telling you

But this might be a good thing

Keep an eye on Tammy, for those bites. If no new ones show up then you know it's likely not Ana!


----------



## frlsgirl

*Construction Update*

So the construction is done; they had hit a water line and needed to dig up Ana's pasture to repair it; they did a pretty good job leveling out the surface when they were all done.

E05179E0-5C30-4B16-9D4F-FD90EBF61ADB_zpsoxi7n9mf.jpg Photo by tanjaacox | Photobucket

I ended up staying most of the afternoon yesterday because I wanted to make sure that Ana and Tammy were returned safely to their home pasture.

Ana likes the trail of dirt; it's great for rolling :icon_rolleyes:


----------



## frlsgirl

*Pictures*

I was trying kill some time while waiting for the construction crew to finish. So after we did ST work, we worked on trick training. She's learning to bow on command; at least that was the plan, but I accidentally taught her to nicker on command, because she gets excited whenever we do the bow exercise so she nickers her way through it. It's so cute.

The construction crew still wasn't done so I turned her loose in the arena and took some pictures:


FCCB2737-7F48-4F87-8974-CAD97459DD3C_zpsvfwledlk.jpg Photo by tanjaacox | Photobucket

58BBCE67-E73D-44EC-B21E-FFBD4A0A625E_zpsuwmghwdd.jpg Photo by tanjaacox | Photobucket

53FD436E-348F-4637-810F-A1C6217AC9A7_zpske5xetv9.jpg Photo by tanjaacox | Photobucket


----------



## frlsgirl

Had a very productive lesson today. 

Our forward issue is resolved with the help of my Dressage whip. Basically, I ask her for an up transition early in our ride. If she doesn't respond within 2 seconds I reinforce with the Dressage whip. I don't have to use the whip again after that because she's so offended that she received a correction in the first place. 

Another major issue that we worked on today is our canter. Transitions haven't been prompt, she's tense, falls over the outside shoulder, picks up the wrong lead, and I grip with my legs. 

So now that she's more forward we suddenly have prompt upward transitions and I focused on letting the weight sink into my heels. We also tried to set her up more straight, to make it easier for her to pick up the correct lead. Here I'm transitioning from a shoulder for to canter. Going the opposite direction we set her up with a counterbend on a circle and that did the trick. Regarding the general tension at the canter, RI said that gets better the longer she canters. 






We ended with a very forward stretchy trot. She was more forward than stretchy but forward is good! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmcTS4kQtw

With all this progress my position suffered a set back; I've lost my elbows. If anyone has seen my elbows please return them to me at your earliest convenience! Thanks!


----------



## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> But this might be a good thing.
> 
> Keep an eye on Tammy, for those bites. If no new ones show up then you know it's likely not Ana!


No new bites to report on Tammy; I did however observe Tammy violently scratching her neck on one of the fence posts; so that could account for maybe some of the scrapes. Also, the main barn guy suspected Ana because supposedly "Tammy never ever hangs out with the geldings", well, I brought Ana back after our ride and Tammy was touching noses with them over the fence line. Of course as soon as Ana entered the paddock she pushed Tammy away from the geldings, like she knows they are up to no good and Ana can't guarantee for Tammy's safety if she keeps hanging out with them.


----------



## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> Had a very productive lesson today.
> 
> Our forward issue is resolved with the help of my Dressage whip. Basically, I ask her for an up transition early in our ride. If she doesn't respond within 2 seconds I reinforce with the Dressage whip. I don't have to use the whip again after that because she's so offended that she received a correction in the first place.
> 
> Another major issue that we worked on today is our canter. Transitions haven't been prompt, she's tense, falls over the outside shoulder, picks up the wrong lead, and I grip with my legs.
> 
> So now that she's more forward we suddenly have prompt upward transitions and I focused on letting the weight sink into my heels. We also tried to set her up more straight, to make it easier for her to pick up the correct lead. Here I'm transitioning from a shoulder for to canter. Going the opposite direction we set her up with a counterbend on a circle and that did the trick. Regarding the general tension at the canter, RI said that gets better the longer she canters.
> 
> http://youtu.be/no0c_cR3Q6g
> 
> We ended with a very forward stretchy trot. She was more forward than stretchy but forward is good!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xmcTS4kQtw
> 
> With all this progress my position suffered a set back; I've lost my elbows. If anyone has seen my elbows please return them to me at your earliest convenience! Thanks!


I hope I don't sound rude but she doesn't seem really that forward to me! But quite a lovely upward transition


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> I hope I don't sound rude but she doesn't seem really that forward to me! But quite a lovely upward transition


Hi Sky!

She was forward in the stretchy trot video; what I mean by that is that she would move off the lightest driving aids; and I was able to ask for more engagement. Certainly, the word "forward" is very relative; is she forward like a young horse after 2 days of stall rest? No. But she was forward in comparison to her recent trot performance record :wink:


----------



## frlsgirl

So we had a visitor today! My friend's 8 year old daughter "Kat" came out to ride Ana. An a was so good with her; Kat kept wanting to ride on her own without me following her around, but Ana would not leave my side. So I tried to slowly direct her away from me on a circle, then went on a straight line while I stopped, hoping that Ana would keep going. Ana took just a few steps without me and then turned around and came looking for me. You can almost hear Ana say "mom, mom, where did you go? Don't leave me alone with her! 

That's what I love about mares; they are just so wise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq7bOOdPaZE&feature=youtu.be


----------



## frlsgirl

Is it Wednesday already?!? Yikes! 

Haven't seen Ana since Monday; we've had a whole bunch of rain last night so I probably won't be able to ride her outside. I might go tonight; I could technically take her for a relaxing hack around the property, or I could school her in the indoor again. 

We really need to school more but I don't want to wear her out. 

What we need most of all is exposure to new situations; we talked with Ophelia's owner about going to a clinic in November. Clinics might be a good alternative to schooling shows although they are more expensive.

L texted me this morning about trailering Ana to her for lessons; I feel like I cheated on L with M; if I had an endless stream of cash I would hire L to be my full-time trainer; but I also really like M; I've made a lot of progress with her in just a short time.

Not sure what to do; trailering to L for a lesson is going to run me $115 plus I have to take off from work to do it. A lesson with M is $45; and I don't have to take time off from work. Obviously, L is A LOT more experienced in Dressage than M; but with M I'm making visible progress, whereas with L I learn new concepts that I integrate into my every day riding.

Speaking of progress, I re-measured Ana because she suddenly seems taller to me; could this be top line growth? It's not hoof growth because I measured her 4 weeks into her trim schedule both times. I even changed shoes because I thought maybe I've shrunk; she just looks so different to me.


----------



## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> Not sure what to do; trailering to L for a lesson is going to run me $115 plus I have to take off from work to do it. A lesson with M is $45; and I don't have to take time off from work. Obviously, L is A LOT more experienced in Dressage than M; but with M I'm making visible progress, whereas with L I learn new concepts that I integrate into my every day riding.


Maybe you could do a lesson from L sometimes, and M on a regular basis.


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> Then do a lesson from L sometimes, and M on a regular basis.


That's the plan; but I do feel like I'm cheating on L with M, or vice versa


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## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> That's the plan; but I do feel like I'm cheating on L with M, or vice versa


I changed *my* original post since it sounded a little sassy to me!


----------



## frlsgirl

Looks like "Winter Ana" is back! "Winter Ana" is bright eyed and forward; "Summer Ana" is a sleepy slug.

I took her for a very forward bareback hack around the property; unfortunately, it was getting dark so we had to finish with some indoor work; she is really starting to look and feel like a Dressage horse, so round, so pretty, so elegant. We worked on transitions, legs yields to get her into the outside rein and halting.

She's starting to look a little chubby to me; I'm thinking we need to do some longe work with canter, trot, canter transitions to burn some calories. I might do that tonight or tomorrow night.


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## frlsgirl

We did longe work last night. Lots of trotting and cantering. We ended with LFS on the long side. 

She's enjoying a day off while I get caught up at work.


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## SueC

She's looking very fine!


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## frlsgirl

We had a wonderful lesson in the outdoor arena today. The sky was blue, the air was crisp; it was just perfect.


----------



## frlsgirl

I love all the colors in this pic!


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## frlsgirl

Another good one from today (minus the tail swish)


----------



## SueC

Lovely photos! Why do you think she held her head behind the vertical in those photos? In past photos I've seen of her, she was more vertical with her face. Just wondering.

You seem to have super autumn weather where you are! I guess you're all breathing a sigh of relief that temperatures are going to be gradually cooling off?


----------



## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Lovely photos! Why do you think she held her head behind the vertical in those photos? In past photos I've seen of her, she was more vertical with her face. Just wondering.


Hi Sue! Thanks for bringing this up; I've been wanting to write about this, but just haven't taken the time to put all my thoughts in writing in an organized fashion.

What I'm trying to achieve with Ana, is to make her into a Dressage horse. A properly moving Dressage horse:

A) Accepts contact
B) Moves forward freely in a clear rhythm 
C) Bends through the body
D) Swings its back
E) Bends its haunches

When you put all this together, the horse moves forward by pushing from behind with flexible haunches, the back is swinging freely, the energy flows over the topline into the bridle, where it can be recycled and sent back to the hindlegs.

When I first got Ana, she only partially accepted contact and she was very forward and moved in a clear rhythm. She was stiff as a board; there was no bending her whatsoever. Through various exercises, she would occasionally swing her back and bend her haunches; but it was a rare occasion. 

As I was working with Ana, I realized that some of these desired movement patterns seemed to be closely linked to one another, whereas others needed to be worked on separately. For example, a swinging back appears to be linked to bent haunches; so the question is, do bent haunches cause the back to swing, or does a swinging back lead to bent haunches? 

Contact, seemed to be separate from the other components; however, you can't seem to get bend through body without contact. Also, you can have a horse that's forward, without good contact, but then the other movement patterns are unachievable.

I signed up for Straightness Training where I learned various exercises to get Ana more supple aka produce bend in her body. 

I was also taking occasional lessons with "L" who taught me exercises to bring all the desired movement patterns together. The clover leaf exercise is a good example. Basically your ride four small circles within a large circle; the horse is forced to bend through the body, the inside hind leg steps under the center of mass which is easier to do with a swinging back and bent haunches.

I was still missing one important ingredient: the acceptance of contact.

This one is tricky because a degree of submission is involved; mares do not like to submit. Also, the rider has to be very skilled at releasing pressure the moment that the horse accepts contact without actually disconnecting contact. That way, the horse learns that "hey, if I step into contact, it's not really that bad, because I get rewarded through a slight release. I still have to maintain contact though, and that is hard." 

Why is it hard? It takes muscle to maintain contact; a horse that hasn't been ridden in long periods of contact will get tired and then tries to find ways to escape.

So the key is to slowly develop acceptance of contact by pushing the horse a little further each ride before allowing a break. This leads to exercise induced discomfort; the horse gets tired and tries to disconnect from contact. In Ana's case, she will nod her head up and down; if you take a picture of her while she's nodding, you will either see a horse that's right on the vertical or somewhere behind the vertical.

These pictures were taken 30 minutes into a 60 minute lesson; she was warmed up and had stepped into contact but was reaching a point of fatigue so she began nodding. 

We don't want a horse that's behind the vertical but we are trying to develop Ana; that means she has to experience exercise induced discomfort in order to progress. To keep her from disconnecting her body, we use circles and trot poles; this encourages the back to swing & the haunches to bend while maintaining contact.

So you see it's just a very delicate balancing act of developing movement patterns and putting them together; then pushing the horse a little bit to develop strength, then allowing a stretch break.


----------



## frlsgirl

Here is the full video from which the pictures were taken; you should be able to see the nodding that I was describing above:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGi_gNaaqoU


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## frlsgirl

Today was hack day! I took her over to the new construction house. She seems really intrigued by it.


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## frlsgirl

I haven't seen Ana since Sunday so I'm planning on going tonight after dinner and doing some schooling. It's still summerish here in Oklahoma but its getting darker sooner and evening temps are more reasonable.

The Dressage show is 2.5 week away. I keep telling myself "it's just a schooling show, not the Olympics" lol.

My trainer will not have much time for me the rest of the month so I must do some schooling on my own. In my never ending quest to get my hands on more riding resources, I signed up for Dressage Academy (it's the Australian lady with the Friesian; she's quite popular on Youtube).

I feel like both Ana and I have now filled those critical holes in our training. 

I was lacking the outside rein and didn't know how to use my elbows to get Ana into the outside rein. I was also hesitant about contact because from a very early age it was drilled into my head that you must have a light/soft contact. I mistook that for not having contact. I was also gripping with my legs at the canter; partly due to fear from my old riding accident and partly because Ana can be quite bouncy at the canter. 

Ana was lacking understanding and acceptance of contact; she was also lacking canter experience. I didn't canter her much and when I did, I nearly strangled her with my legs which put this thought in her head that cantering is not fun.

The two other components I'm lacking are more stomach muscling and confidence; both will just need to be developed over time.

One important component that Ana and I have established is trust. We trust that we will keep each other safe. As a result, I feel more comfortable exposing her to new situations, and asking her to do new exercises without having an instructor hold our hand/hoof


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## frlsgirl

We had a great schooling session tonight. We cantered 9 times! Both directions! I think we only the lead wrong once or maybe twice. Doesn't matter really, because our focus was on forward first, everything else is secondary. Even during walk stretch breaks I made sure she was forward. 

I think this is the most we ever cantered. 

Of course we still have lots of things to work on, but we are moving in the right direction!


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## frlsgirl

I was pretty happy with this loose rein walk; forward and fairly relaxed:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ST2LqkwXtE&feature=youtu.be


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## tinyliny

nice.

I remember going to a Charles De Kumfy (spell?) clinic once as an auditor. he spoke about ways to ampliphy the hrose's walk. he said to move YOUR shoulder forward with your horse's shoulder, on the same side, as he walks out. 
most peole instinctively want to advance the opposite shoulder from the one that is swinging forward for the horse, so it gets to be like two halves of a pole that are twiting back and forth iin opposite directions, thus they cancel each other out.

not moving your shoulders at all is preferable to that, by far. but, he said you can even amplify the horse's walk by advancing that same shoulder WITH his walk. i've tried in out walking on the trails, and as long as I don't get overboard and start looking forced,it really does seem to encourage the hrose to move bigger and freer.

try it some time for yucks and giggles.


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## frlsgirl

That is interesting! I never even think about my shoulders while I'm riding. I will definitely give this a try!


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## frlsgirl

My idea of the perfect Friday evening: relaxing on the couch with my doxies while watching horse videos on TV.


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## frlsgirl

Ana enjoying a post-ride poll massage:


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## frlsgirl

I gave her a mini spa makeover (good brushing, mane de tangling, and bridle path maintenance):


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## frlsgirl

So I've been wanting to try a KK Ultra bit forever. Turns out that our local tack shop has a Herm Sprenger test center. So I took this bit home today for a $75 deposit. I have a full week to try it out. If I decide to keep it then they'll just run my credit card for the remainder due. If Ana doesn't like it, I can return it and get my deposit back. I can't wait to try it on her tomorrow!


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## frlsgirl

So I tried this today. It works but the bandage kind of rolled on me so it looked a lot thinner than the picture in the book. It really helped my tipping forward issue and it also provided a more stable outside rein for Ana to step in to.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> I gave her a mini spa makeover (good brushing, mane de tangling, and bridle path maintenance):


She looks all grown up here. She's really filling out and looking a lot more solid!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks Erin!

I rode her in the KK for the first time today and was blown away by how well she moved:

http://youtu.be/9-pnkT_9M7Q

We even got brave and played with more advanced moves including haunches in and turn on the haunches.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

So about the turn on the haunches; I was practicing leg yielding away from the wall and noticed that she wasn't really crossing her hind legs; only moving the front, so I thought, what the heck, I wonder if she'll do a turn on the haunches/walk piourette:

https://youtu.be/ZqxIGEdFG8o

Not perfect, but not bad considering that we have never done that before. Of course she got lots of praise afterwards which she soaks up like a sponge; you can almost hear her say "Yeah, I'm all that and a bag of chips!" lol.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night after giving her Monday off. It was hack day; I didn't feel like putting a saddle on her so we rode bareback again. 

Ana tested my balance when she accidentally stepped into a puddle and went "EEK, water touched me!"...somehow I managed to stay on 

Then I took her to the north lawn because I wanted to play around with something I learned in Dressage Mastery; Natasha says that one step in the Dressage rider progression ladder, is the ability to move parts of your horse independently. So I wanted to play with that and see what happens.

First I put my inside leg on, and she just drifted toward the wall by crossing only her front feet. So then I tried the same thing with my inside leg a little further back; she still drifted but this time she started to also move her haunches. So then I tried the same thing again but this time held my outside leg slightly back to see if that would inhibit the drifting while keeping her on the bit with slight inside flexion; that seemed to work.

I was pretty happy with that; we are both learning and progressing. Yay!


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## egrogan

That's a cool moment! I wish I had more of that "body control" with Isabel but neither of us are refined enough to really accomplish it- intentionally anyway


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> That's a cool moment! I wish I had more of that "body control" with Isabel but neither of us are refined enough to really accomplish it- intentionally anyway


 LOL; you just have to play around with it and see what works. Whenever Ana picks up the wrong lead, I just tell myself she's so advanced that she can do counter canter already :wink: 

When she drifts during a leg yield and someone is watching, I just turn it into a turn on the haunches, because, ahem, I meant to do that :wink:

So don't be afraid to play around and see what works best for you and Izzy.


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## frlsgirl

So I bought two additional months of Dressage Mastery because I really wanted to get to the "Contact" section which is covered in month three.

Holy cow! Getting a young horse on the bit is not pretty. She starts the video with her GP horse and of course everything looks perfect; like she's not even doing anything, which is of course what Dressage riding is supposed to look like. 

In the second part of the video, she rides a young horse that's been shown to 2nd level; it has trouble lifting its back and likes to give you that fake head carriage which make it look like the horse is on the bit but he's not really "through."

She further explained that most people can fake their way to second level because the movements don't really require a great deal of proper carriage; you can do them with a fake head set and probably get away with it, which of course is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

So she's trying to retrain this horse to lift his back, engage the hind end and not run through the bit. The ride was not pretty but was completely necessary to get horse moving correctly which prevents undue stress on the back and joints, and will help the horse progress in his Dressage journey.

She ended with a student riding this cute little Friesian mare X with a huge belly. This mare liked to curl under and overbend, so she talked her through some exercises to get her to move properly. It was really amazing because whenever she lifted her back, that big belly suddenly disappeared; because a lifted back requires the core to activate.

So I learned a TON from the videos. I thought that maybe I was this horrible rider for trying to make Ana move more properly and/or Ana was maybe incompetent. I just didn't know that you have to go through this not so pretty phase if you ever want to get somewhere with it.

If you think about it, this is what contestants on "The biggest looser" go through; one day the trainer is their BFF, the next day they are crying and yelling and want to quit. Those that stick it out end up making it to the winners circle.

I'm just always afraid that I'm doing something wrong when Ana disagrees with me, I just need to develop more skills and more confidence to respond correctly to each training situation.


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## frlsgirl

That face!


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## frlsgirl

Some pics from last night.

She carried herself pretty well; of course I had to really work for it and ride every stride. We cantered once each direction and she picked up the correct lead each time. yay. Also, it seemed easier to sit her canter; so either I'm getting better at sitting a bouncy canter or her canter is less bouncy. Either way, yay!

Did I mention I got a new helmet? I love it. I've been wearing these cheapo ugly lego character helmets forever so I was way overdue for something nice.

When I was finishing up, my trainer stopped by; she seemed really focused/busy so I didn't want to bother her so I just said "hi" and waited for her to strike up a conversation with me. It turns out her poor elderly horse is very sick; he's 27 with an injured leg and now also has a staph infection. She was there to give him another round of shots. She said he's not responding to the medication and that it may be "time" . 

I just tried to patiently listen; I could tell she was upset. She's had him all her life; they did Grand Prix jumping together.

It must be so hard to own a horse your entire life and then watch them get old and trying to figure out when to let them go. I can't even imagine. Fortunately Ana is still very young so hopefully I'll have at least 20 years with her.


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## SaraM

frlsgirl said:


> So I bought two additional months of Dressage Mastery because I really wanted to get to the "Contact" section which is covered in month three.
> 
> Holy cow! Getting a young horse on the bit is not pretty. She starts the video with her GP horse and of course everything looks perfect; like she's not even doing anything, which is of course what Dressage riding is supposed to look like.
> 
> In the second part of the video, she rides a young horse that's been shown to 2nd level; it has trouble lifting its back and likes to give you that fake head carriage which make it look like the horse is on the bit but he's not really "through."
> 
> She further explained that most people can fake their way to second level because the movements don't really require a great deal of proper carriage; you can do them with a fake head set and probably get away with it, which of course is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.
> 
> So she's trying to retrain this horse to lift his back, engage the hind end and not run through the bit. The ride was not pretty but was completely necessary to get horse moving correctly which prevents undue stress on the back and joints, and will help the horse progress in his Dressage journey.
> 
> She ended with a student riding this cute little Friesian mare X with a huge belly. This mare liked to curl under and overbend, so she talked her through some exercises to get her to move properly. It was really amazing because whenever she lifted her back, that big belly suddenly disappeared; because a lifted back requires the core to activate.
> 
> So I learned a TON from the videos. I thought that maybe I was this horrible rider for trying to make Ana move more properly and/or Ana was maybe incompetent. I just didn't know that you have to go through this not so pretty phase if you ever want to get somewhere with it.
> 
> If you think about it, this is what contestants on "The biggest looser" go through; one day the trainer is their BFF, the next day they are crying and yelling and want to quit. Those that stick it out end up making it to the winners circle.
> 
> I'm just always afraid that I'm doing something wrong when Ana disagrees with me, I just need to develop more skills and more confidence to respond correctly to each training situation.


This is so true! It kills me on this forum when people ask these questions and the answer is always "oh, just ride them correctly". Sometimes dressage isn't pretty, sometimes your horse will not do what you ask and you have to try a lot of things to get them to understand, but someday you'll always have that soft and pretty.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Just a little picture from today's ride. I'm feverishly studying the Dressage mastery program and learning lots!


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## frlsgirl

So this is freaking adorable; its Ana playing with the light that's reflecting off my watch:


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## frlsgirl

frlsgirl said:


> Just a little picture from today's ride. I'm feverishly studying the Dressage mastery program and learning lots!


Ugh; can't figure out why the picture won't show up...so let's try this again:


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## frlsgirl

*Some pictures from Sunday*

It was our final lesson before the show. She did really well; trainer said she can tell we've been working on our canter as it's much less tense and she's able to keep trotting afterwards without needing a walk break. Trainer asked me to describe what I'm doing different; I told her I don't know if I'm getting better at sitting her bouncy canter or if she's suddenly less bouncy. Trainer said I'm softer in my arms and legs so Ana is able to relax more which makes her canter less bouncy.

I've been braiding her mane so that I can see her left shoulder better; it makes it a lot easier to see if she's on the wrong lead; plus my hands and Dressage whip handle don't get tangled up in all that hair.

Bonus: when I take the braid out at the end of our ride, her mane remains curly; I think the curls look really good on her.

Did I mention I got new Roeckl gloves? I love them; I've never had a pair of Roeckls that I didn't like. My previous pair is starting to show some serious wear and tear and I'd like to preserve them for as long as I can because my mom got them for me; it's the last piece of riding gear that she ever bought me.


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## egrogan

I love the Roeckle gloves! I have them for summer and winter (fleece lined) and they're great. I have tiny hands and they fit...well...like a glove


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## ChitChatChet

frlsgirl said:


> My previous pair is starting to show some serious wear and tear and I'd like to preserve them for as long as I can because my mom got them for me; it's the last piece of riding gear that she ever bought me.


Me thinks you need to get yourself some type of shadow box and do some type of a neat display with those gloves!


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## tinyliny

i, too, love Roeckle gloves. 

Ana is ridiculously cute. it almost hurts to look at her face, due to the cuteness volume turned up so high.


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## frlsgirl

Ugh! The show is three days away and the weather forecast keeps changing. Now it's back to partly cloudy; yesterday they forecasted pouring rain. I keep checking the website for the riding schedule; she has a riding schedule posted but I'm not on there; I think it's the schedule from the last schooling show. 

So I'm going to wait patiently until tomorrow; I just want to know asap if the show is going to be cancelled because that will tell me if I should be happy and stressed or relaxed and depressed...lol.

I sort of rode Ana last night; I just wasn't quite with it; it was dark so we were forced to ride in the indoor; I ended up doing bareback lateral work; I just like to dedicate at least one day a month to tinkering with new movements; so we worked on haunches in, shoulder in, turn on forehand, turn on haunches, leg yielding away from the wall.

I was a little worried about her halts so I partially rode through Intro B so that I could practice our centerlines. The halts are pretty good but I'm having a hard time going straight; but then again or arena is not level nor regulation size and it doesn't have any letters so there isn't a good visual focus point to work with. 


I made the mistake of facing outside the arena during our entry, so that when we resumed trotting down centerline she wanted to bust out the door instead of turning left or right. That won't be a problem at a show since the judges booth will prevent her from wanting to run through C.

I'm meeting my friend at the barn tonight; we haven't ridden together in months so that should be fun; I want to try something from Dressage Mastery; but I'm not sure if it will work since Ana is still fairly "green" when it comes to Dressage; Natasha demonstrated that you should be able to ride your horse with only the outside rein; so one of our homework assignments is to drop the inside rein and try to ride with only the outside rein. That should be interesting; especially trying to ride past the door; hopefully Ana won't take me for an unscheduled trail ride 

Here is Natasha demonstrating the concept:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kSQz3FWxFBc


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## frlsgirl

Ride times are posted! Weather is supposed to be lovely 

I really need to get my act together; my brain just isn't working right at the moment. I rode Ana last night; we missed the canter departure cue twice and I thought I could run her into canter; it didn't work  I kept working on it and we got some good cantering done; but missing the departure cue does worry me. I should have immediately brought her back to a trot and tried again. 

Then I found myself questioning what diagonal I'm supposed to post the trot on. Really?!? What is wrong with me? I've been taking a lot of medicine lately for a sinus infection and cramps so maybe that's what's messing with my mind.

I barely tried the riding with outside rein only concept; we are not ready for that yet; maybe I just need to slowly release the inside rein instead of throwing it completely away like Natasha does.

I'm giving her today off. I get off work at noon tomorrow so I'm going to head to the barn and take her for a relaxing hack around the property. That will still give me plenty of time to finish cleaning/organizing my tack, running to the store if need be and still be home in time for dinner. 

I'm exited to take Ana off property for the show; so that's what I'm going to focus on - enjoying the fact that I'm taking Ana someplace new. If we can get through the tests without any major disasters, that will just be a bonus. If we can score above 61% for Intro B I will be ecstatic. If she picks up the correct canter leads when asked I will be on cloud 9.


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## Hailey1203

Good luck at the show


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## frlsgirl

Hailey1203 said:


> Good luck at the show


 Thank you! Hopefully, I'll have pictures and/or video to share when I return


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> I barely tried the riding with outside rein only concept; we are not ready for that yet; maybe I just need to slowly release the inside rein instead of throwing it completely away like Natasha does.



Maybe try "punching" the inside rein forward towards her ear for a stride or two. That is an exercise our dressage instructor has us do some to test how much the horse is on the outside rein. All of our guys are pretty green at dressage as well so, honestly probably at the same level as Miss Ana. This way you get to release the inside rein but before she can come all apart you have contact again. 

On another note, are you planning on coming to watch Nationals at all?


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## Hailey1203

SaddleUp158 said:


> On another note, are you planning on coming to watch Nationals at all?


I'm coming all the way from Edmonton, AB to watch nationals! I'm very excited


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Maybe try "punching" the inside rein forward towards her ear for a stride or two. That is an exercise our dressage instructor has us do some to test how much the horse is on the outside rein. All of our guys are pretty green at dressage as well so, honestly probably at the same level as Miss Ana. This way you get to release the inside rein but before she can come all apart you have contact again.


I've been praising her during our schooling sessions by sliding my inside hand forward and patting her on the neck while keeping the outside connected; I'll have to try your suggestion as well.



SaddleUp158 said:


> On another note, are you planning on coming to watch Nationals at all?


I'll have to check my schedule; I would love to come for at least one day like I did last year. Are you riding in the show?


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## frlsgirl

*Show Results and Pictures*

Ana was a rockstar today! We rode through Intro B and C without any mistakes what so ever; got 4th place for Intro B and 1st place for Intro C!

My overall scores weren't that great 58.5 and 58.75; but that's ok because I was sick as a dog with the stomach flu, so I was slightly hunched over, plus my boots were rubbing me on my ankle bone so I pulled my heel up to minimize the pressure; that was a big deduction on my position score. 

But she was so good; no spooking, no problems loading or unloading in the trailer, and she picked up the correct canter leads perfectly! That was my biggest worry; those darn canter departs. She was very looky through both tests because it was her first time riding a test outside at a new place so her submission score reflected that; but that's completely expected with a green horse like Ana.


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## frlsgirl

*More pics*

Here are more pictures from today:


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## lostastirrup

Congratulations! some days are a struggle, I let my motto always be "stay on the horse and in the arena" everything beyond that is a bonus! and 50s and above are pretty darn good for her first time out if you ask me.


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## SaddleUp158

Great job! Looks like you all had a good time.

No, none of us are showing this year. We have taken all of our horses the dressage route this year and have a long ways to go before we can try the pleasure classes again. My goal is to eventually be able to show in a pleasure class in just a snaffle and for Mia to ride/perform like she (hopefully) will perform in dressage classes. It is an amazing journey.


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## egrogan

Glad you had a good experience! Thanks for sharing the pictures.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> It is an amazing journey.


Dressage is indeed a journey! When I first got back into riding, I thought that you could just move up a level after each show; silly me:rofl:

In reality, it takes about a year of riding/training and showing before you can move up to the next level; we spent the first year just getting to know each other, and taking lessons.

Now we are in year two; rode 4 intro level tests at 2 schooling shows, had a lot more lessons and would like to attend one clinic before the end of the year.

Year three, we are planning on going to at least 3 schooling shows riding at least two tests each show and 2 clinics. The goal for next year is to show training level.

Year four will be 1st level, year five will be second level and year 6 will probably be the first year that we will perform at a rated show so that we can start our work towards bronze. 

Once we start showing rated, we will drop down two levels though, because you want to show two levels below of what you are capable of; so we will start at training level and move up from there.

Half the battle of showing is the training, and the other half, the one that nobody tells you about, is exposing your horse to the show environment which is why schooling shows are so great. If your horse is going to be a giraffe, you will want that to happen at a schooling show and not a rated show.

So hopefully we can make our rated show debut at the Morgan show in OKC in 2019.


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## frlsgirl

*More cute photos....*

...I just pulled these off the GoPro from yesterday's show; they are too cute not to share


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## egrogan

Very cool to hear your plans. I didn't realize Morgan nationals was your goal, but that's very exciting to focus on.


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## SaddleUp158

I love your outline of your goals. You are way ahead of me in that department. You and Ana will clean up at Morgan shows! Me, I will be happy if my instructor will tell us we are ready to canter in our lessons by the end of this year (we are cantering at home a little, just not in the lessons). lol, little things in life. We are leg yielding and using shoulder-ins now.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Very cool to hear your plans. I didn't realize Morgan nationals was your goal, but that's very exciting to focus on.


 I could show her at a rated show up here in Tulsa but the Morgan show makes more sense for us because I can trailer down there, stay with my in-laws, knock out several tests in a matter of a week, all while being surrounded by other Morgan lovers; I will just feel more welcome there.

Not that people up here are Morgan haters or anything, there are a lot of nice people, but there are some people I'm trying to avoid. 

Eventually, I will just need to get over this; I can't let my fear of dealing with mean people dictate my show aspirations. I know a lot of this is my own insecurity; that little voice inside my head that says "we aren't good enough to share an arena with WB's; they will laugh us out of the arena"....just some personal baggage I need to work through.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I love your outline of your goals. You are way ahead of me in that department. You and Ana will clean up at Morgan shows! Me, I will be happy if my instructor will tell us we are ready to canter in our lessons by the end of this year (we are cantering at home a little, just not in the lessons). lol, little things in life. We are leg yielding and using shoulder-ins now.


 Leg yielding and shoulder in? That's 1st and 2nd level stuff so you might be ahead of Ana and me and not even realize it :wink:


----------



## lostastirrup

frlsgirl said:


> Dressage is indeed a journey! When I first got back into riding, I thought that you could just move up a level after each show; silly me:rofl:
> 
> In reality, it takes about a year of riding/training and showing before you can move up to the next level; we spent the first year just getting to know each other, and taking lessons.
> 
> Now we are in year two; rode 4 intro level tests at 2 schooling shows, had a lot more lessons and would like to attend one clinic before the end of the year.
> 
> Year three, we are planning on going to at least 3 schooling shows riding at least two tests each show and 2 clinics. The goal for next year is to show training level.
> 
> Year four will be 1st level, year five will be second level and year 6 will probably be the first year that we will perform at a rated show so that we can start our work towards bronze.
> 
> Once we start showing rated, we will drop down two levels though, because you want to show two levels below of what you are capable of; so we will start at training level and move up from there.
> 
> Half the battle of showing is the training, and the other half, the one that nobody tells you about, is exposing your horse to the show environment which is why schooling shows are so great. If your horse is going to be a giraffe, you will want that to happen at a schooling show and not a rated show.
> 
> So hopefully we can make our rated show debut at the Morgan show in OKC in 2019.


Just so you know, you need two scores of 60% or above at first,at second and at third. I'm gonna try for it next show season- actually the third level test 1 is not horrible. Just thought id let you know, wouldn't want you to go get your third level scores then realize you have to show more basic classes....
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

lostastirrup said:


> Just so you know, you need two scores of 60% or above at first,at second and at third. I'm gonna try for it next show season- actually the third level test 1 is not horrible. Just thought id let you know, wouldn't want you to go get your third level scores then realize you have to show more basic classes....
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 Yup, hoping to have all my scores by 2022. Good luck with Third 1! Keep us posted on how you do!


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## frlsgirl

Going to be brave here and show you Intro B from the Stillwater Show in March; my equitation was so much better here; I got a 7 on seat; Ana was also a lot more focused here as she didn't have many outside distractions to focus on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFb5cF8Olcw

So here is Intro B from last weekend; as you can see my equitation is pretty bad here; I got a 5.5 on seat; Ana was all over the place; there was just so much to see and I'm not skilled enough yet with my aids to keep her more focused:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5spGvW4AsQ

Here is Intro C from last weekend; still very happy with this test; despite my dreadful equitation; got another 5.5 on seat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zHWGWe6PLo


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## frlsgirl

I'm getting better at this braiding thing:


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## SaddleUp158

Hey your braid looks great! 

Well, Mia is also a few years older than Ana, so we have done leg yielding, just not always correctly, :/ . We have the same battle that Ana did - needing to learn to de-contract. They both liked to get all balled up at times, that has been one of the biggest issue for us. The biggest issue is ME! I have no idea how to truly use my body, so I know I am holding my mare back because when my trainer hops on, Mia goes "Ah OK, I get it now." lol. Maybe we will be ready to join you at some of the Morgan shows next year. They had one in Tulsa this summer, not sure if there was dressage offered or not.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> We have the same battle that Ana did - needing to learn to de-contract. They both liked to get all balled up at times, that has been one of the biggest issue for us. The biggest issue is ME! I have no idea how to truly use my body, so I know I am holding my mare back because when my trainer hops on, Mia goes "Ah OK, I get it now." lol.


That part is so frustrating; the harder I try the more balled up she gets; if I even think about becoming tense, Ana knows about it and totally feeds into it. It's very hard to find that sweet spot between absolute tension and complete relaxation.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> That part is so frustrating; the harder I try the more balled up she gets; if I even think about becoming tense, Ana knows about it and totally feeds into it. It's very hard to find that sweet spot between absolute tension and complete relaxation.



I found the same thing, but I also realized when I tried a different saddle that I was able to keep my butt muscles relaxed when riding in a saddle that had the correct seat shape for me. My Stubben was great but my seat bones would fall off the side of the seat, thus I constantly had a tight seat. The harder I tried the more tense both of us would get. 

Does your instructor have you only lifting the bit "up" no backwards motion at all? This has been a huge help with our horses.


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## Zexious

Your braids look gorgeous!
I was never good at that sort of thing--I always paid someone else to do it /die.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I found the same thing, but I also realized when I tried a different saddle that I was able to keep my butt muscles relaxed when riding in a saddle that had the correct seat shape for me. My Stubben was great but my seat bones would fall off the side of the seat, thus I constantly had a tight seat. The harder I tried the more tense both of us would get.


Interesting! I think I had a similar problem with my previous saddle and didn't even know it. I will have to "audit" my butt to see what it does in my current saddle.




SaddleUp158 said:


> Does your instructor have you only lifting the bit "up" no backwards motion at all? This has been a huge help with our horses.


Yes! She always says "don't pull back"; if her head goes up, I'm suppose to follow it up and resist hard so that she learns going up is not pleasant, but my hands just automatically go down/back whenever she goes up. I will need to dedicate some serious thought to that because it's not helping. It was really evident during the show last weekend; her head was all over the place and I was just trying to keep her contained; the judge commented I need to have a better connection and shorter reins, and maybe an exorcist :wink:


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Interesting! I think I had a similar problem with my previous saddle and didn't even know it. I will have to "audit" my butt to see what it does in my current saddle.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes! She always says "don't pull back"; if her head goes up, I'm suppose to follow it up and resist hard so that she learns going up is not pleasant, but my hands just automatically go down/back whenever she goes up. I will need to dedicate some serious thought to that because it's not helping. It was really evident during the show last weekend; her head was all over the place and I was just trying to keep her contained; the judge commented I need to have a better connection and shorter reins, and maybe an exorcist :wink:



This is the same thing all 4 of us at our place are having trouble with. Start off on the ground first with your hands on either side of Ana's face and slowly and gently rock her back and forth until she releases forward. Once she gets this do with the bit, but lift the bit UP. When she releases forward release the bit. You want an open throatlatch and relaxed neck. 

Once she understands that start off your ride, as soon as your butt touches the saddle, asking her to release her topline by lifting the bit up with the reins (not necessarily her head, but the bit) you want her to release and relax down, follow her her head down. Then start doing it at the walk, EVERY SINGLE TIME she lifts her head up take the bit up and gently lift each side, she will relax into the bit and you follow her down. You will feel ugly and a bit like a saddleseat rider, but that will eventually go away. As you work on a circle continue doing this, as soon as she releases put your hands back at neutral. The horse learns when you go to neutral because the correction has ended. Constant repetitions will most likely be needed.

These Morgans have hamster wheel brains, always going and looking. I hope this helps. You may already know all of the above, but I had to share because it has made a world of difference for us.


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## SaddleUp158

I know there are multiple styles of dressage, our instructor is very classical. Very soft, there is no force or resistance with her instruction. It also helps that she is very familiar with the Morgan brain! She has us sitting the trot almost exclusively. My understanding is because it is easier to contain/control the speed. (Take what I say with a grain of salt. I am sure my instructor would be cringing if she heard how I am trying to explain what she has us do. lol. I am very much a newby at this!***


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## frlsgirl

This is very interesting. L taught me something similar by having her do a poll release at the beginning of our ride. Whenever I touch her poll, the head goes down. M just wants me to make it uncomfortable for Ana's head to be up so that she would rather keep it down. I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

L has me post the trot and M has me sit the trot, lol. Ana doesn't go full speed anymore like she used to so I don't really need to sit the trot for control, but I will sit for small schooling figures just because it's easier.


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## frlsgirl

I rode with wrist weights last night. I would say it made a significant difference in my overall seat and ability to establish/maintain a better connection. It was especially noticeable at the canter. I filmed my ride but due to camera angle and another horse being in the arena, I only captured a few strides. I'll have to try that again some other time when I'm riding in the outdoor where I have more room to ride and film.


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## Zexious

^Wrist weights? How interesting! That's not something I've ever heard of. Was this your or your trainer's idea?


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> ^Wrist weights? How interesting! That's not something I've ever heard of. Was this your or your trainer's idea?


 I had heard of it before but most recently saw an article under the horse collaborative by Wendy Murdoch. You wear them just above your elbows to create heavy elbows.


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## frlsgirl

I only rode Ana once this week; hoping to go a couple of times this weekend but we are hosting the fall H/J schooling show which means there is no place to school BUT we get a lot of exposure therapy done. I might need to wear my GoPro so that y'all can see all the craziness. 

I discovered that Ana can trot backwards during the last H/J show at our barn when she got spooked by a red tent.

Sometimes I go ride and think that I'm not accomplishing anything but those end up being the most productive rides. 

Especially for a young inexperienced horse, show exposure plays a huge role; Ana can go so well at home in a familiar arena, and turn into a total giraffe when I take her some place new.

So.....I'm taking Ana to a clinic in Claremore on 10/18 and another one on 11/2 in Stillwater. Should be good exposure for her AND hopefully I will learn something new.

Forgot to mention; Ana will be sharing a trailer with Thor, the handsome gelding that she's always flirting with when I walk her up to the barn. Hopefully there won't be no hanky panky going on in the trailer while we are driving.


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## frlsgirl

So, Ana totally freaked at the H/J schooling show today:

https://youtu.be/qQe1IW7HFn8

This was probably the worst freak out I've experienced with her in that she wouldn't stop going backwards. I had already planned an emergency dismount but because she kept going I was looking for my opportunity to jump off and it just wasn't happening fast enough for me. As you can see I ended up walking her the rest of the way.

I did get back on a few minutes later and took her for another short spin around the property; mostly for my own sanity. I didn't want to be afraid to get on her again.

I'm mad at myself for not knowing that she would be this scared; I usually have a pretty good sense of how she's going to react, but this one really startled me.


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## frlsgirl

I'm feeling a lot better about Ana's freak out yesterday; I guess it was a learning experience and it's time to move on and worry about other things.

So the schooling show ended up with over 100 entries for Saturday! That's probably the best turnout that our barn has ever had, so that is great news. The weather was absolutely perfect, which of course makes for great footing and comfortable riding conditions for everyone.

Today should be a little slower as everyone prepares to pack up and head home. I'm not sure what happened this morning but by trainer texted me and told me that she broke her hand pretty badly in a horse accident, so we probably will not be going to the clinic on Friday, not sure about lessons, training rides or the other clinic in November.

I'm planning on going to the barn later this afternoon, hopefully there will be enough room for me to get some actual schooling done.

I've been so frustrated about not finding enough time to work Ana; so I might have to suck it up and get up at 5 in the mornings again to work her; at least until the morning temps drop below freezing. I'm constantly having to choose between friends, my husband and time with Ana and it doesn't feel all that good; I just always feel like a horrible person all the time. Then my friend wants to ride with me at least once a week and she talks the entire time, so I can't focus on Ana. I like riding with her but I have work to do with Ana and just don't have time for that at all....I know, I sound like a horrible person again.

Anyway, so today I have to pick between going to the movies with my friend and her daughter, or going to the barn or spending time with my husband. I would rather stay on good terms with husband so I'm going to ditch the friend, go to the barn and have dinner with husband afterwards.

I would also like to stay on good terms with my friend, so I'm going to make some kind of promise that I probably won't be able to keep, ugh. 

Like I said...the only solution is for me to ride early in the mornings before work so that I'm 100% available for everyone after work.

How do you all manage people and spending time with your horse?


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## Bondre

She's so cute in her freakout , her ears are really busy assessing her surroundings. She had almost got past the nasty trailer tent thing when she decided it was too much for her. If that's the worst she's given you then she's not doing bad.

I know just what you mean about juggling commitments to have time to spend with your horse. I personally don't bother with a lot of people time outside of family, or I would end up without horse time. But you obviously have stronger moral fibre than me if you are contemplating getting up at 5am to have Ana time.... I guess I should take your example. 

Sometimes when I feel I have spent too much time on everyone else I just say to hell with it, I'm going to have some horse time. And let everyone else sort themselves out. You have to be selfish at times, because not many other people are going to do it on your behalf, or Ana's.


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## frlsgirl

Ana confirmed that I need to work her more. She was so wound up when I brought her up from the pasture that I didn't feel comfortable riding her until I longed her. Good thinking on my part because she went tearing through the arena like she was being chased by the devil:


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## frlsgirl

Here I finally got her stopped and somewhat calm; you can tell by her body language that she was still on high alert:


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## frlsgirl

Finally got her relaxed enough to do some actual work:


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## frlsgirl

Had a fantastic ride with Ana this morning. She was forward, responsive and gave me the most beautiful left lead canter. I only got a few seconds on film but worth sharing:


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## frlsgirl

A couple of cute pics from yesterday


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## frlsgirl

http://youtu.be/7ihFEgBxqGQ

We worked on stretchy trot today. I think that's her favorite Dressage exercise aside from stretchy walk 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

So...we went to our first Dressage Clinic today and learned a lot:

https://youtu.be/VU0l40DGuj0

Firstly, Ana stepped on my foot when I was unloading her; I don't think I broke anything but it still hurts a little. Once I got her into the arena, she started freaking out because she saw the 3 week old foal in a neighboring paddock; I think she misses the foal she used to babysit at her previous owner's place. The foal and Ana started whinnying back and forth, so the BO put the foal in the stall. 

So then I was finally able to safely get on Ana and walked her around for a couple of minutes before the clinician showed up.

We started out just showing him what we do at walk and trot. Then we worked on Ana maintaining her own walk without me constantly driving her forward which is why he was walking next to me with a Dressage whip. Poor Ana swished her tail with every step; but she was a good sport about it.

Then we worked on contact followed by steering. It turns out, I'm not steering her correctly because she's not in the outside rein like she's supposed to be. So we worked on quarter turns on the haunches.

At the end we put the whole thing together and got some beautiful, forward, on the bit trot circles.

I have to admit that I was quite frustrated for parts of the lesson because I had such a hard time keeping her between my aids but I tried not to show it. Now that I'm reviewing the video footage, it doesn't look as frustrating as it felt. Plus, towards the end, it all made more sense when we put all the pieces together; I've just never dissected individual movement patterns like that before; very interesting stuff!

On the way home, we almost ran out of gas and couldn't find a gas station with diesel. We finally located one just in the nick of time.

A lot of excitement for one day! I must say I'm pretty happy with Ana; she got on and off the trailer without any problems and behaved herself fairly well once the foal was out of sight.


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## frlsgirl

*Some pictures from yesterday *

We started with in-hand work; we are getting really good at that, even though we don't practice it often enough. Too bad there are no "Dressage in-hand" competitions. 

Then we moved on to under-saddle work. We focused on making Ana responsible for maintaining which ever gait we are in. She was so cute; she trotted for a little bit and then she said "ok, I've had enough" and dropped to a walk, so I immediately got her back to trot with the whip. The clinician said it's important to use ONLY the whip when she tries to change the gait on her own because it's a correction. Apparently, the horse is supposed to work harder than the rider;...... mind blown 

We also worked on the quarter turn exercise; she remembered it! I didn't even have a chance to get my reins/whip organized and she was already turning! The clinician said that Ana is a little frustrated with me because I'm a little slow with my aids; great, now I got a smart-a** horse making me look stupid :neutral: but it just means that I need to get better at riding and guiding her.

During the clinic, we had only turned to the left due to time constraints, so I wanted to try it to the right as well, and it worked! She's so freaking smart. So then I tested if the exercise worked by slightly touching her neck with the outside rein while turning with my seat, and she did it! She circled off the outside rein and my seat! Love this girl :loveshower:


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## egrogan

That first picture is beautiful!

Glad she's making such good progress.


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## frlsgirl

I tried something different this morning; got up at 4:55 (yawn), rode Ana from 5:45 - 6:15, drove home, showered and made it to work at 7:55. 

Showering at the barn has become a little complex with all the cats...did I mention we got more cats? We have 2, well actually 4 but 2 are currently missing in action. What's strange is that around the same time the 2 cats went missing, a terrible smell developed in the tack room...so we are thinking that they somehow got into the crawlspace and died. The BO is supposed to open up the wall this week to see what he can find. So between the terrible smell, climbing over litter boxes and two cats, showering at the barn is no longer doable for me.

Today I wanted to focus on riding the neck forward into my hand; it's so challenging to get her on contact without the neck coming short; so the clinician had me separate half halts to encourage that neck to stretch out. It is VERY challenging. I can only get a step at a time, if I'm lucky, maybe two. 

We are continuing to work on Ana accepting responsibility for maintaining whichever gait I set; she needed a couple of reminders this morning but it wasn't a big deal. 

I also wanted to work on circles in conjunction with my spiral seat. Here is a nice picture from that exercise:


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> That first picture is beautiful!
> 
> Glad she's making such good progress.


 Thanks Erin! It kind of looks like we are saying our prayers  but I was actually just getting the reins untangled from her mane.

Speaking of too much mane, I love the running braid that you did on Izzy in your avatar picture; any tips or links to youtube videos for how to do that? My trainer is supposed to show me but she broke her hand.


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## egrogan

Hmm...trying to remember how I first learned to do the braid. I started putting it up to keep her neck cooler in the summer, or now when she has a thick coat and works up a sweat. I just started playing around with it- at first I did what I think people would call the "running braid," the version that "flows" down the neck. But then I tried doing something similar but keeping it tight to the top of her crest, and I like that better.

Here's a video that shows both versions (on a beautiful horse!). In full disclosure, I am sitting in an airport so watched the video without sound, and am not sure how well she described what she did. But around minute 9, she does what I think she calls a "french braid," which is how Izzy's mane looks in my avatar picture. Her method looks like what I do:





The key with Isabel, because her mane is so thick and heavy in the middle, is to keep each chunk of the mane really small as it's pulled in to the braid, otherwise, it falls out halfway through a ride, starting in the middle of her neck. The end usually gets a little raggedy since she perpetually rubs her withers in her stall and her mane is really scraggly where it meets her withers.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks Erin! Husband just informed me that he's going to be gone all weekend so that means lots of barn time for me! Yay! That should give me plenty of opportunity to practice braiding. I've had days where I contemplated chopping it all off because I keep getting tangled up in it and I don't always have time to braid; but if I can get super fast at braiding or figure out a braid that can stay in for a few days, that will keep me away from the scissors.

Arabian Nationals are also going on this weekend; they have an entire building just dedicated to shopping so it's a good opportunity to find cool stuff for Ana as Arabs are built very similar to Morgans. As a matter of fact, people tell me all the time "What a cute Arab" Grrrrr...."She's a Morgan!!!"


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## Zexious

Yikes, that's too bad about the kitties... Hopefully it's something else. Eep.

What size circle were you doing in that picture?


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> Yikes, that's too bad about the kitties... Hopefully it's something else. Eep.
> 
> What size circle were you doing in that picture?


 I didn't measure the circle....I'm guessing 10 meters? Why?


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## frlsgirl

I found a couple more cute pics from the October 3rd show 

I just got news that the clinic with Debbie Riehl-Rodriguez is full :x

I'm totally bummed and freaking out a little because I want to show Ana in Training 1 & 2 and possibly 3 in either the February or March show.

With winter coming, that means that there will be days where I can't work her at all because I physically can't get to the barn, and then there will be days where I can get to the barn but it will be to cold to work her in anything except the walk.

I'm trying to come up with a training plan; last winter she lost some of her condition because I didn't work her enough; I can't have that happen if I want to show her in the spring.

So here is the plan:

If it's too cold to ride but I can make it to the barn, we will either do in-hand work at the walk, hack out on a loose rein at the walk, work on the longe at the walk, do bareback lateral work at the walk. I can also practice braiding and time myself to see how fast I can do different types of braids.

If it's too snowy to get to the barn, I can work on memorizing the Dressage tests, work on my abs and hip flexors and watch instructional Dressage videos.

Whenever the weather is decent, I NEED to go the barn and work on trot and canter; if I don't feel well enough to ride, I'll just have to do longe work at trot and canter. I've been sickly all week and only rode her Tuesday; so I'm going to work her Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Hopefully my trainer's hand will be all healed up by December so that she can put training rides on her again.


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## frlsgirl

So I dipped Ana in white chocolate and she grew overnight! Just kidding; this is Ophelia, my friend's horse ☺


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## egrogan

Nice! She looks so soft and relaxed
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

So this was Ana's stretchy forward trot 4 weeks ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53nG3lvZ0n0

This is Ana's stretchy forward trot today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDCoyfefQfE


We sacrificed a little bit of relaxation for a lot more hind leg engagement, so we will need to work on that. 

It's so hard to find the exact balance, so played with transitions within the gait a lot as well as transitions between gaits. She got quite tense when I tried to collect the trot but gave me a really nice and forward big trot when I let her loose. She didn't quite understand that when I put my leg on but don't give with the reins that she's supposed to collect within the gait, so she cantered for one step, but that is actually great news because that means she's in front of my leg and was just experimenting with this new request. 

We also did several canter trot transitions; canter long side, trot short side back to original canter spot and repeat. This was followed by mini-circle, canter long side, trot short side, mini-circle, canter long side, trot short side.

We cantered once on the right side but it didn't work out; honestly, I didn't have it in me to try to get the correct lead because I was too tired from cantering on the left side. The problem with the right lead canter in the indoor is that because she throws her shoulder toward the wall, we have actually physically hit the gate and almost the wall before. I'm waiting for it to dry up outside so we can practice this again in the outdoor. Hopefully I will have a lesson again soon and the instructor can talk me through it without dismantling the indoor in the process. Maybe the answer is to canter on the center circle so that way I have fewer chances of running into something. I feel really dumb that I can't solve this; and that I don't have the courage to work this out by myself. It's a freaking circle of right lead canter, not rocket science!

On the plus side, we have improved a lot in several areas; I didn't think that I would be cantering in front of a judge this year at all. I would have never tried a series of trot canter transitions on my own 6 months ago. I can sit her canter now without feeling like I'm going to fall off. I can actually get her to step into contact fairly easily and maintain it for several strides on my own; once she pops back up, I can get her back; it may take a couple of strides but I can do it. Best of all, I'm no longer kicking her in the sides with every stride because I've made her responsible for maintaining the trot on her own.

Here is some nice trot and walk work from Saturday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqEgiUOVX0Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2etBnxHR5hQ


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Nice! She looks so soft and relaxed
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Ha, ha, you should have seen her 10 minutes before this picture was taken. She's been sitting in the pasture because all 3 of her riders are injured and can't ride right now; the owner had a car accident, the instructor broke her hand, the student who rides her fell of her horse and is recovering from a head injury.

So, even though Ophelia is 19 years old, she was quite spunky and responded with a wild head shake whenever I asked her to trot. It took a few transitions before she finally settled down. Did I mention she's 18 hands tall?!? My feet are right at the biggest part of her belly. In contrast, on Ana, my feet are below her belly.


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## frlsgirl

So we had a super productive weekend.

Longed Ana twice, and rode her twice. Rode Ophelia once. Bought Ana a new fancy halter at the Arab show. Vet came out and gave her booster shots on Saturday. It's only fair that I should get my shots as well so we can both be sore, so I got my flu shot and tetanus shot yesterday.

She also got her fall wormer yesterday. I always get so nervous when I have to deworm her. Some people say deworming is wrong and more harmful then helpful; others say deworming is necessary. I'm trying to find a happy medium so I only deworm her 3 times a year instead of 6 times. I gave her Quest Plus; apparently a lot of horses have had trouble with Quest because it's so strong. So just to play it safe, I stayed with her for 30 minutes after giving it to her, then the barn staff checked on her 3 hours later and then I drove out in the evening and checked on her one more time. Her temperature was normal, she wasn't dehydrated, she seemed alert and I could hear gut sounds on both sides. I brought her some more hay before I left and checked her water. I texted the barn staff this morning and they said she's fine, so I'm giving her the day off and will resume training tomorrow morning.

Here she is with her new fancy halter:


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## frlsgirl

When I checked on her last night, I did a walk through of her pasture and took some pictures. Our riding trail has been replaced with a paved driveway and a fancy gate. Ana was so cute; she kept looking at me trying to figure out what the heck I was doing:


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## frlsgirl

Here is a nice picture from our schooling session yesterday. I'm still trying to find the best place to set up the GoPro so that the light doesn't interfere with the picture quality. I wonder if I can hang the camera from the rafters and get a bird's eye view and avoid the glare from the light at the same time?


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## frlsgirl

So I rode Ana at 5:45 this morning; I was really eager to test out my center canter circle idea; it worked! We didn't hit anything. We cantered 3 times on each side; she was VERY obedient and prompt to the canter depart aid so I was happy about that but she was quite hollow; she gets tense at the canter anyway but whenever I do something new or different her initial reaction is always tension. She picked up the correct right lead only once but the left was correct all three times. We didn't take a walk break in between the left and the right side so that was really good. So I feel like we are both making progress. I can sit her canter even if it's bouncy. She now understands that just because we cantered once doesn't mean that she gets a walk break.

We also worked on transitions within the trot; I don't think that was a good idea because it causes her to be tense and she was already tense from the new canter exercise. 

Speaking of tension, I had just started my ride, when this happened:





 
I thought the tack room cat would settle down once we let her have free reign of the barn, but she does these little pretend/play attacks on the horses in the arena. Fortunately, Ana doesn't seem scared of her but she does like to keep an eye on her, so forget getting her to relax into contact.

Maybe we can try canter transitions again tomorrow morning, minus the barn cat!


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## egrogan

We used to have a barn cat that would do that same crazy run around the ring, but end with a flourish of climbing up your body to sit on your shoulder if you were an instructor in the middle of the ring!!

Silly cat- he was a great one, sadly one night he went the way of many barn cats and just didn't make it home. We do still miss him being around.


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## frlsgirl

We had a good ride this morning. The crazy barn cat was flying through the arena again so I instead of working on the canter, we worked on focus. 

In reviewing the footage I can see an improvement in her way of going as I'm trying to catch and correct every evasion; in reality I'm only catching every other evasion and correcting every third. When I don't focus on focus, I only catch maybe every third evasion but only correct every fifth. Part of it is that I'm not skilled enough yet to recognize every evasion as it happens and I don't always correct them correctly, if that makes any sense? 

But compared to a year ago, I'm definitely more skilled at making corrections and preventing mistakes before they happen. Heck, when I first started riding her, I didn't even know about all the different ways that horses can evade, and I didn't understand how to adapt my corrections to her tiny, squirmy body.

So lots of learning taking place on both parts; like Natasha always says, Dressage is difficult, otherwise everyone would do it. I do have days where I'm frustrated because I feel like she slips through the tiniest cracks of every door that I'm desperately trying to keep closed. My trainer, who has been riding and training horses for 20+ years calls Ana "The master of evasion" lol. So when I catch and properly correct an evasion and redirect Ana into something more productive it's like a magic.

Here are couple of magical moments from this morning:


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## SaraM

frlsgirl said:


> Dressage is indeed a journey! When I first got back into riding, I thought that you could just move up a level after each show; silly me:rofl:
> 
> In reality, it takes about a year of riding/training and showing before you can move up to the next level; we spent the first year just getting to know each other, and taking lessons.
> 
> Now we are in year two; rode 4 intro level tests at 2 schooling shows, had a lot more lessons and would like to attend one clinic before the end of the year.
> 
> Year three, we are planning on going to at least 3 schooling shows riding at least two tests each show and 2 clinics. The goal for next year is to show training level.
> 
> Year four will be 1st level, year five will be second level and year 6 will probably be the first year that we will perform at a rated show so that we can start our work towards bronze.
> 
> Once we start showing rated, we will drop down two levels though, because you want to show two levels below of what you are capable of; so we will start at training level and move up from there.
> 
> Half the battle of showing is the training, and the other half, the one that nobody tells you about, is exposing your horse to the show environment which is why schooling shows are so great. If your horse is going to be a giraffe, you will want that to happen at a schooling show and not a rated show.
> 
> So hopefully we can make our rated show debut at the Morgan show in OKC in 2019.



I always stalk your thread and look forward to updates. I used to have a little Arab/lippazan guy that reminds me of Ana, and I really would like to see you guys succeed. 

Try not to get down on having a "small" off-breed; I showed my Arab to Pre St George and went through all the same stuff, lots of judge comments saying he had a short neck at the beginning, having fellow competitors look down on me and crowd me out of warm up rings, and you know what, having a little horse is great. Right now, I've moved on to a giant lofty Trakehner, and Somedays I really hate it. Yeah, he just steps in the ring and judges swoon, but it feels a little fake. My little Arab had to EARN IT, he had to be perfect every single stride and it felt good to make people say "hey, I didn't expect it, but you guys showed them up". My little guy was hardy, never had the endless soundness problems that my Trake does. And really, a lot of the bigger horses can feel heavy and dull. Not to hate on the big guys, I've done them both, but nothing makes you less competitive unless you let it. 

These plans are great and all, but please, please don't hold yourself back!! The levels are written with general training goals in mind, but they aren't a set in stone way to train a horse. I think of it this way, when I was in college I had a bad time in physics 200, I almost failed. A year later I took calc 300, which was more advanced and suddenly everything in that physics class would have been cake. College said I need to do the easier classes first, and I suffered because I did. In the same way, horses do not learn in written plans and sometimes you need to think outside the box to maximize their potential. 

A Grand Prix trainer would probably never have a yearly plan like that (although it does sound nice!); a gp trainer gets on a horse everyday and feels out how the training questions need to be asked. If you're having problems with canter leads (training level), maybe you need to teach her counter canter (second level), so when she picks up the wrong lead, you can say "no, I do not want a counter canter right now, I want the other lead", and it's more clear to make a distinction. At a clinic with my gp trainer, my horse was having problems sitting in a haunches in (second level), so we worked on piaffe, which shocked me! My horse wasn't ready for that! But the trainer was telling him, this here is a lot of sitting on the hind end (piaffe) now we just want a little sitting on the hind end (haunches in), and it was easier for my horse to do the easier movement after being shown that we could ask for a lot more. Maybe, if Ana is having problems stretching into the outside rein, you should teach her shoulders in, to show her a different way to understand what you want, even if it's way more advanced than your current training schedule. 

Another thing to consider, you would likely do better at higher levels as long as you have a basic competency of the movements. Ie. You get a bigger ring and more space between movements, you get more total movements so mistakes don't hurt your score as much, and they're going to want a higher (ie for Ana, a more natural) headset at the higher levels, so you won't get points off for not stretching like a quarter horse. I personally started my boy at first level for those reasons, and really could have started him at second, he also needed to be kept more busy and training level circles weren't going to cut it, lol. I don't know anything about your trainers, but if they are pushing you to keep focusing on training level as your "big goal", I'd ride with other people, or at least definitely keep riding clinics that push you. 

You guys really are progressing great, don't hold yourself back


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## frlsgirl

SaraM said:


> I always stalk your thread and look forward to updates. I used to have a little Arab/lippazan guy that reminds me of Ana, and I really would like to see you guys succeed.
> 
> Try not to get down on having a "small" off-breed; I showed my Arab to Pre St George and went through all the same stuff, lots of judge comments saying he had a short neck at the beginning, having fellow competitors look down on me and crowd me out of warm up rings, and you know what, having a little horse is great. Right now, I've moved on to a giant lofty Trakehner, and Somedays I really hate it. Yeah, he just steps in the ring and judges swoon, but it feels a little fake. My little Arab had to EARN IT, he had to be perfect every single stride and it felt good to make people say "hey, I didn't expect it, but you guys showed them up". My little guy was hardy, never had the endless soundness problems that my Trake does. And really, a lot of the bigger horses can feel heavy and dull. Not to hate on the big guys, I've done them both, but nothing makes you less competitive unless you let it.
> 
> These plans are great and all, but please, please don't hold yourself back!! The levels are written with general training goals in mind, but they aren't a set in stone way to train a horse. I think of it this way, when I was in college I had a bad time in physics 200, I almost failed. A year later I took calc 300, which was more advanced and suddenly everything in that physics class would have been cake. College said I need to do the easier classes first, and I suffered because I did. In the same way, horses do not learn in written plans and sometimes you need to think outside the box to maximize their potential.
> 
> A Grand Prix trainer would probably never have a yearly plan like that (although it does sound nice!); a gp trainer gets on a horse everyday and feels out how the training questions need to be asked. If you're having problems with canter leads (training level), maybe you need to teach her counter canter (second level), so when she picks up the wrong lead, you can say "no, I do not want a counter canter right now, I want the other lead", and it's more clear to make a distinction. At a clinic with my gp trainer, my horse was having problems sitting in a haunches in (second level), so we worked on piaffe, which shocked me! My horse wasn't ready for that! But the trainer was telling him, this here is a lot of sitting on the hind end (piaffe) now we just want a little sitting on the hind end (haunches in), and it was easier for my horse to do the easier movement after being shown that we could ask for a lot more. Maybe, if Ana is having problems stretching into the outside rein, you should teach her shoulders in, to show her a different way to understand what you want, even if it's way more advanced than your current training schedule.
> 
> Another thing to consider, you would likely do better at higher levels as long as you have a basic competency of the movements. Ie. You get a bigger ring and more space between movements, you get more total movements so mistakes don't hurt your score as much, and they're going to want a higher (ie for Ana, a more natural) headset at the higher levels, so you won't get points off for not stretching like a quarter horse. I personally started my boy at first level for those reasons, and really could have started him at second, he also needed to be kept more busy and training level circles weren't going to cut it, lol. I don't know anything about your trainers, but if they are pushing you to keep focusing on training level as your "big goal", I'd ride with other people, or at least definitely keep riding clinics that push you.
> 
> You guys really are progressing great, don't hold yourself back


Sara, thank you so much for all your encouragement and tips. I'm glad I'm not the only one riding "the little horse" amongst the giants.

I know what you mean about that heavy feeling you get from a much larger horse. It sure felt strange when I rode that 18 hand Hanno.

Yes, the neck issue; it's not really an issue at the upper levels, as they are supposed to be more upright, but, I do think that riding a horse like Ana long, deep, and round (not to be confused with Rollkur), does help her build the right back muscles which will help her later at the higher levels.

Getting her long, deep, round and connected to the outside rein is a different story. I worked really hard on that this weekend and got some really good results.

I do think I might score better overall at certain levels just because of how the different movements are scored; she has a great stretchy and medium walk and she halts square like a champ 

Speaking of working on higher level movements, we worked on passage Saturday. Say what ?!? We did elevated trot poles so Ana really had to lift those legs high and stay suspended in mid air - it was awesome!

My training plan is not set in stone; I don't want to rush Ana but I also need some kind of timeline/goal to work towards. Otherwise, we will just piddle around in the arena and not get anything done :wink:

I won't show her rated, unless I can get awesome scores at schooling shows; I just don't have that kind of money to waste.


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## frlsgirl

We did a lot of work this weekend. We had our first lesson since September and did elevated trot poles; Ana did really well; no refusal, only got stuck once but I let her work it out and she was fine. It's an awesome feeling to be suspended in mid air like that.

I spent most of the weekend at the barn; and when I was home, I was studying Dressage online. I'm just determined to get her in the outside rein. So I went to the barn Sunday and told myself that there are no more excuses; I will get her in the outside rein, and I did. I felt victorious and guilty at the same time. I always think that I'm hurting her when I really get her connected. I immediately reached out to my Dressage support group and they reassured me that I'm not hurting her; this is something normal that all ammies go through. So here is what it looks like when Ana is connected to the outside rein.


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## frlsgirl

We also did liberty work Saturday and finished with some cute poses for the camera


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## frlsgirl

We were way overdue for ST work; so that's what we did this morning; there was a moment when Ana got frustrated with me; I had set her up for haunches in when she threw her head up and yelled "I don't know what you want!" So we broke it down into steps; first I had her lower her head, then I created the hollow in her neck with my hand which encourages the haunches to move on the inside track. Then I asked her to step forward; just one step, and she gave me two good steps. We immediately stopped the exercise, I praised her and we called it quits. MDJ always says to end on a high note so that your horse feels like superman, or in this case, supermare


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## frlsgirl

I almost forgot to tell y'all about the cats. We have three of them now. Our barn is slowly turning into a petting zoo. When I was grooming Ana, the little red cat started playing with Ana's tail and biting her in the leg. Ana is so sweet; she didn't want to hurt the cat so she gently lifted her hoof and slowly extended it backwards to deter the cat without hurting it. She is so good with little ones.

Then, in the middle of our lesson, I was cantering down the longside, minding my own business, when suddenly, out of nowhere, one of the cats jumped out in front of us! Ana threw her head up and for a moment she looked more like a lama than a Dressage horse:


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## frlsgirl

I just wanted to share a progress picture with y'all. The top picture is from 2014; neither Ana nor I had any concept of inside leg to outside rein. My main concern was just contact acceptance and having her not run away from under me.

The second picture is from a lesson a month or so ago; I was just playing around with inside leg to outside rein and had captured this perfect moment.

The next step is to become proficient in this inside leg to outside rein business. I made some progress with this last Sunday, when I got her connected and kept her there for 10, 15, and even 20 seconds at a time.

It's a lot of hard work, but it pays off when you can actually see progress:


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## frlsgirl

Even though I overslept this morning, I was determined to practice this outside rein business with Ana; so that's what we did, and it worked! Adda girl!


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## frlsgirl

This was after I had taking her for a hack around the property. She spooked four times in a 30 minute ride so I turned her loose in the indoor in case she had some extra energy to burn:

http://youtu.be/vRrrA8slJxs


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## frlsgirl

So we schooled outside today for the first time in over a month. It was windy and Ana was very suspicious of fluttering flower decorations. She only spooked once but it was difficult to get her to relax into the bridle. This was a great learning experience for me because it means I have to work a lot harder to keep her connected. We finished with cantering once each way without any problems.


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## frlsgirl

Here are some pics from yesterday. We rode outside again; we really needed to take advantage of this nice weather. Since she's been so wound up and spooky lately, I free longed her, then longed her with full equipment and then rode her. She didn't spook once so that was good. 

I'm getting much better at holding the outside rein steady but sometimes it messes with my position as the bit to elbow line gets broken in the process. I have a private off-property lesson with Laurie on Wednesday (yay!) so I will address that with her. Her canter is still tense at times but continuing to improve. It definitely has a up-hill quality which is good. She will stretch down into the contact for a stride or two and then come up again. She picked up the correct leads without any issues, and her departs are prompt and obedient and the down transition is looking less rigid.

I finally figured out how to keep my lower leg still and on her barrel, during the posting trot, so I'm no longer kicking her with every stride; I can use it only when needed and in a much more effective way.

So the big things to work on, is maintaining elbow to bit connection while keeping the outside rein steady, getting more relaxation and strength in the canter, while continuing to clean up the down transition.


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## tinyliny

i want to reach into those photos and tweak the one and only thing that doesn't look perfect; raise your hands and put a slight bend in your elbow so you aren't breaking the line to her mouth.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> i want to reach into those photos and tweak the one and only thing that doesn't look perfect; raise your hands and put a slight bend in your elbow so you aren't breaking the line to her mouth.


Yes! Like I said in my post, I'm working on maintaining the line from bit to elbow AND keep the outside rein steady at the same time. I'm actually supposed to ride with low hands though to help her find the contact. I'm not supposed to raise my hands until she's steadier in the contact (my instructor said once she reaches FEI lol).


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## frlsgirl

Ana was kind of resistant and not into riding this morning; I got zero foam, which is strange because some days she produces so much foam that she leaves little foam flakes all over the arena. The bit was clean and I put a little bit-butter on it; maybe she doesn't like the taste of it?

We did canter once each way, correct lead and super forward; whenever we canter straight down the long side, it feels more like flying than cantering; perhaps she should come with a disclaimer:

"Thank you for flying Ana Airlines. Please ensure that you are securely fastened to your seat as you may experience turbulence during takeoff" 

Anyway, I only got one decent picture from this morning's ride:


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## egrogan

That kind of canter feels so good though! Love that feeling.


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## frlsgirl

I had a great lesson today; I filmed everything and need to pull stills and maybe a short video; in the meantime, I wanted to record everything I learned in my lesson today so that I don't forget:

Some notes about my lesson with Laurie on Wednesday, November 11:

We worked on spiral seat; we did nothing with our hands; we simply sought a light and steady contact with the horses mouth and then we used our spiral seat; this time we opened our inside hip which rotated my inside leg closer to the girth and then we gently pulsated at the girth in the rhythm with the horse.

Very important continue to swing your hips side to side even though the inside hip is now open you have to continue to swing side to side or you will block the horse from going forward. 

Also important when trotting put more weight in the outside stirrup when going to the right. This will counteract my right-sidedness. When the horses head comes above the bit simply activate the inside hind at the girth and back up with the whip if necessary to make the horse go forward again. 

Also when doing posting trot gently only use the inside leg at the girth in rhythm with the trot; the outside leg simply lays quietly and prevents the haunches from swinging out. 

Very important when opening the inside hip, make sure that your lower leg doesn't slip back - it has to be at the girth! 


Whenever the horse falls in on the circle use the inside leg at the girth with the open hip to activate the bend which will cause her to straighten up again by bending at the rib cage and/or put more weight into the outside stirrup. 

It's all about activating the inside hind leg to step forward and under the horses weight and quiet trusting hand so the horse will stretch over his back into contact.

Also, when Ana drops too far down, do not worry about it, she's just playing with her own balance and trying to figure this out, simply carry on with what I'm doing.

Also important Ana's saddle needs to be re-flocked it is I'm lumpy and flat in the front which causes pressure on the withers and it's causing her to not want to stretch over her back. Saddle fitter is coming Sunday, December 6th to the farm in Pryor; will need to catch a trailer ride over there so we can get the front reflocked. In the meantime, I need to use the thinline pad again.


Here is a picture of Ana ppatiently waiting for her lesson:


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## frlsgirl

The first round bale got delivered; I think the girls are in hay heaven:


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## frlsgirl

So here is a video from yesterday's lesson; you can see how she starts out hollow and then begins to stretch down more and more; she even over stretches which I'm supposed to just ignore because Ana is experimenting with her balance. I love how she grunts and shakes at the end because this was really, really hard for her:

https://youtu.be/QEHL3qvwnUk

I feel like I discovered the holy grail of Dressage and I'm very eager to get back in the arena and practice this some more. Laurie explained it like this:

When my inside leg touches a certain spot on Ana's side, it causes her inside hind to activate; the haunches bend and take a bigger step UNDER the center of mass; this then causes the back muscle to lengthen, which connects to her neck muscles; which then causes the neck muscles to stretch forward, down and out; the horse is now working over his topline. Of course Laurie used the technical terms for all the different muscles which I can't remember, but I got the concept.

Sounds simple right? Well it's hard work, it's hard work for me in the sense that I have to have 100% control of my inside leg without stiffening anywhere else; I have to open my inside hip in a way I've never done before, I also have to keep my hands still so that when she stretches down, she's not blocked by unsteady hands, at the same time, I can't throw contact away either.

It's hard for Ana because it's like a doing squats at the gym. In the video, you can see Ana trying to break into walk several times because she's getting so tired. You can also see her inside hind stepping closer and closer under the center of gravity; she's working on becoming base narrow instead of base wide. You can see in the halt picture how wide she normally carries her hind legs; that's base wide, we don't want base wide, we want base narrow.

I bet she's sore today, I know I am.


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## frlsgirl

Here are a few more pictures that I pulled off the GoPro last night. 

I'm hoping I can arrange a lesson with Laurie more often, maybe every other month or so. It would be nice because we always learn so much from her and taking Ana off property is always a good exposure/learning experience for her.


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## frlsgirl

Some pictures from today. We worked on Ana's inside hind leg and my position. She was completely exhausted. I thought I was going to have to carry her back to the barn


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## frlsgirl

Did I mention it was windy today? 

Here is Scarlet O'Ana saying "Im gone with the wind!"


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## frlsgirl

So I had ordered a DVD from Karin Blignault; she specializes in biomechanics. She is based out of Africa so it took almost a month to receive the DVD; it finally arrived yesterday. 

She suggested a fun exercise:

Go down centerline and change bend every few strides. It's great because the rider gets to practice switching aids from side to side and it's great for the horse because the inside hind has to stay active and it has to switch sides!

We practiced this today and it was fun to see how many changes in bend we could get before reaching the other side.


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## SaddleUp158

I am going to have to try this! We normally do this through serpentines or figure eights, but I love the idea of trying it on a straight line.


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## frlsgirl

A couple more pictures from this weekend; working on topline stretching and changing bend.


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## frlsgirl

We've had torrential downpours these last couple of days; I have images in my mind of Ana floating away in a canoe, lol. Fortunately, her pasture is built on a slope so hopefully she's hanging out at the top of her pasture and not standing in mud at the bottom.

I haven't seen/ridden Ana since Sunday so she's gonna get worked hard the rest of the week; starting with a 5:30am ride tomorrow


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## frlsgirl

So husband suggested that I go see Ana last night instead of this morning; we worked on spiral seat; cantering with open inside hip, turn on forehand, changing bend on straight line, halting from seat.

The canter felt so much better when I sit with my inside hip open; it's just much softer; there was an inconveniently placed jump in the arena, and I turned a little too early on the circle so were suddenly parallel with the jump and at the last second Ana managed to turn around it. Good girl!









Turn on the forehand works well on one side but not the other; I'm checking with biomechanics expert Karin Blingnault to see what I'm doing wrong so I had to make a little video to demo the problem:









I'm still struggling with the spiral seat at posting trot; I just hate my lower leg; it's still too busy and not effective enough, so I felt really bad about that, but then I watched a video of me riding Ana a year ago and I can see that I've made progress but I'm just not where I want to be yet. So I just need to keep working at it. I wish we had mirrors in the arena, that would help me a lot because I could immediately correct it when I see it. Instead, I have to video it, go home and yell at myself for my bad lower leg and vow to do better next time, lol.


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## frlsgirl

I found a really good article that wanted to share with y'all in case you find it helpful:

Perfecting the Posting Trot

I especially identify with this:

*5. Problem:* Involuntary Leg Movements 
*Culprits:* Dressage Riders 
Have you ever heard your trainer drone on and on about your constant kicking or "nagging" with your leg, but you know for sure that you haven't been? If your upper leg is tight and gripping, your lower leg will pop away from the horse's barrel as you rise and strike against it as you sit. Sounds a bit like kicking doesn't it? Well, it looks like it, and your horse won't know the difference between a honest-to-goodness leg aid and a mistaken thump. It's very difficult to give a clear aid if your leg is always involuntarily bebopping against your horse's side. To the horse it feels much like communication through static. 

*Cure:* This is a case of too much tension in your upper leg and not enough in your lower. Keep thighs and knees soft and lower leg on. Focus on holding your calves lightly against your horse's barrel, and don't let them come off as you rise. Have a friend point out when your legs are moving and make a mental note of how this feels.


I think I didn't have this problem when I was riding the Arab because his barrel was slimmer so I didn't strain to get my legs around him; when I rode that bit Lippizaner/Trakehner cross is when this all started because I'm struggling to get my legs around a wide barrel, so I tense up in order to make it happen. I'll just have to really work on this.


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## SaraM

frlsgirl said:


> Turn on the forehand works well on one side but not the other; I'm checking with biomechanics expert Karin Blingnault to see what I'm doing wrong so I had to make a little video to demo the problem:
> 
> 
> 
> http://youtu.be/32htxh9u5Ho


Ana looks so healthy and shiny, she's just glowing. One thing to think about when you do those turn on the forehands, it's not about bending her head to the inside to hold the turn on a pivot point, it's her supporting the outside rein to keep her body straight around a pivot point. Think about it like this - when you're using the inside hand to create more bend, you're pulling her head towards your inside hand and her outside shoulder drifts towards the outside in response. In a turn on the forehand, she should be filling your outside rein so it feels almost like a leg yield on a tight circle. Usually I feel like I close my outside rein softly each step, so it feels like she moves over - close outside - move over - close outside, so I'm encouraging the forward, but also telling her not to drift through my outside rein. If you think about asking like that, it makes sense that you guys would struggle with it, since you're working on outside rein in other ways too 

Just out of my curiosity, I felt like when I was training a young horse I never taught them to turn on the forehand, and was never taught as a rider to teach them that during our way up the levels. Is it something your trainer brought up or you're doing on your own? Just curious what the next step up from that is, like what do you hope to use that as a stepping stone towards in their training? (Like if they understand a TOTF that helps them understand something else better? Maybe it is just a leg yield / outside rein thing?) My horse only learned them because we showed some real casual saddleseat and that was the official way to switch directions.


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## frlsgirl

SaraM said:


> Just out of my curiosity, I felt like when I was training a young horse I never taught them to turn on the forehand, and was never taught as a rider to teach them that during our way up the levels. Is it something your trainer brought up or you're doing on your own? Just curious what the next step up from that is, like what do you hope to use that as a stepping stone towards in their training? (Like if they understand a TOTF that helps them understand something else better? Maybe it is just a leg yield / outside rein thing?) My horse only learned them because we showed some real casual saddleseat and that was the official way to switch directions.


This was one of the first exercises that Laurie had me do with Ana; TOF teaches young horses to yield the hind quarters; it's not really a "rein" exercise. It basically teaches them, that when my hind leg goes back and pulsates, it means I want the hind quarters to move; it also teaches the rider to direct the hindquarters. So my hands are purposely not doing much because I'm trying to get Ana to solve the puzzle; I am however trying to keep her within the frame of the video because I wanted Karin to see the entire turn 

Speaking of Karin, it's also one of the 4 corner stones of her bio-mechanics program; you control the shoulders with the outside rein, the haunches with your legs behind the girth, the stop and go with your seat, and then you add bending lines to get the horse round. She's not re-inventing the wheel or anything, but she does break the most important aspects of controlling a horse's movement into steps.


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## frlsgirl

SaraM said:


> Ana looks so healthy and shiny, she's just glowing. One thing to think about when you do those turn on the forehands, it's not about bending her head to the inside to hold the turn on a pivot point, it's her supporting the outside rein to keep her body straight around a pivot point. Think about it like this - when you're using the inside hand to create more bend, you're pulling her head towards your inside hand and her outside shoulder drifts towards the outside in response. In a turn on the forehand, she should be filling your outside rein so it feels almost like a leg yield on a tight circle. Usually I feel like I close my outside rein softly each step, so it feels like she moves over - close outside - move over - close outside, so I'm encouraging the forward, but also telling her not to drift through my outside rein. If you think about asking like that, it makes sense that you guys would struggle with it, since you're working on outside rein in other ways too


That's a really good point Sara, I really appreciate your feedback. it's always the outside rein, isn't it? :wink:


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## frlsgirl

So I was supposed to go ride Ana this morning, but our friend's car broke down in our driveway last night, so we spend most of the night trying to get it up and running again; needless to say, getting up at 4:45 am was not going to happen today.

The good news is that most of our barn is at the H/J show at the fairgrounds which means that I can ride tonight because I'll have the barn to myself. Yay!

Now the not so good news; I have a doctor's appointment today to set up surgery for me; best case scenario, I will only be out of the saddle for 2 weeks; but I can do ground work during that time. Worst case scenario, I will not be able to ride for 6 months; with a lot more restrictions, not even ground work for a few weeks. So I'm trying not to panic and think positive thoughts; 2 weeks out of the saddle is not that bad and won't set us back on our training if I can continue to train from the ground.


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## knightrider

Awwww, so sorry about the surgery, and hope it heals quickly.


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## frlsgirl

Rode Miss Ana last night; I had the whole arena to myself which was great except that they had watered the footing and didn't run the spreader over it, so we could only do walk and little bit of trot.

Her winter fur is growing fast; wonder if that means we are going to have an extra cold winter? It was nice to have some extra time to spend with her so I took a few pictures. Ana is really good at selfies except that she hogs the camera so I have take 10 pictures in order to get 1 with both of our faces in it:


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## egrogan

Sorry to hear about the surgery, but sending good vibes for a successful procedure and fast healing.


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## frlsgirl

Had a lovely ride on Ana Friday. She seems really content in her work and I occasionally see her beaming with pride when she knows she's done a good job. 

Here we were practicing halting from the seat. You can almost hear her say "yeah, I nailed this one!" 

https://youtu.be/rcjmXS2TteQ


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## frlsgirl

Had some really good rides on Ana this weekend; she was perfect Friday. I think she might have been a little sore on Saturday but she still pushed herself and did her best she could; I tried to reward her with a hack around the property but she wasn't into it; so I took her back to the arena. I hope she's not becoming a Dressage Diva


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## frlsgirl

I gave her Sunday off but I convinced my husband to come to the barn with me, so we stopped by and gave her a treat; the gelding next door was getting a little too close, so Ana set him straight. She just loves her daddy; he only comes by every once in a while to pet her and feed her treats, so it's the ideal relationship for Ana 

PS: is it just me or does it seem like her mane is getting shorter? She keeps getting tangled up and even though I remove the tangles carefully, I always end up pulling a few hairs out.


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## frlsgirl

Something awesome happened last night: I rode Ana without a bridle and I didn't die :happydance:

We started bareback with the bridle; I wanted to do some obstacle work like turning around a cone and weaving through poles. Then I took the bridle off and just used the leadrope around her neck; since she was being so good I dropped the leadrope on the ground and rode a couple more circles without anything. It was awesome. I need to buy one of those leather neck reins now; I think they are called balancing reins? Anyway, she walks so much better without a bridle. It took a couple of minutes before we got the steering thing figured out; once the leadrope came off she wasn't as good about listening to seat aids; it's like she knew something changed; she kept wanting to walk to the gate but I convinced her to ride a couple of circles instead.


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## egrogan

Very cool!

For a neck strap, just use an old stirrup leather. No need to buy a special piece of tack. I use the stirrup leather trick all the time when teaching kids 2-point so they have something to help them at first.


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## tinyliny

your horse would really be cute in Western gear.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> your horse would really be cute in Western gear.


Lol - I think a western saddle would swallow her whole :wink:


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## SaddleUp158

tinyliny said:


> your horse would really be cute in Western gear.


Her mama was a beautiful western horse when she showed as a 4 yr old, I think it was.  That mare was a tank!


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Her mama was a beautiful western horse when she showed as a 4 yr old, I think it was.  That mare was a tank!


Speaking of Ana's mom, here are the pictures I took with her when I visited the breeder; she's indeed a tank:


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## frlsgirl

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. It's been a while since I've updated the journal so I'll need to split it into several posts.

Wednesday 11/25/15:

We had a really good ride in the indoor; I feel like we have progressed to another level; we are working together in harmony and I have much more control over my body and how I apply various aids; Ana seems happy in her work.

I took her back to her paddock where she was making nice with Slick; you can see Archie hanging out in the background going "How come I'm not included in this love fest?"

So he walks over to make out with Ana but she has no love for him, what so ever.


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, 11/28/15

I gave Ana a couple of days off and was very eager to check on her; she was hiding out in her shed looking all pitiful; I took her to the indoor where she blew off some steam. She was acting mighty sassy; probably from being cooped up in the shed:





She only pooped once and it was a pathetic tiny poop which tells me she hasn't been grazing/eating because she's been hanging out in the shed. With more rain in the forecast, I upgraded her to stall board for a night so that she could dry out and fill up on some fresh hay; Ophelia's owner thought it was a great idea and had me put her mare next to Ana as they are BFFs and keep each other company.

It was miserably cold and wet; by the time I got home I was drenched and exhausted from carrying water buckets, hay, etc.

I checked on the girls again at night; brought them more hay and picked out Ana's stall which was covered in poop (yay). Both girls seemed content and happy to get a break from the continuous rain.


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## frlsgirl

Sunday, 11/29/15:

I raced to the barn to check on the girls; Ophelia was completely out of water so I brought her another bucket, which she drank before I had a chance to hang it up; so I got her one more bucket and quickly hung it up before she had a chance to drink; did I mention carrying water buckets in the rain is just miserable?

I was eager to do some actual work with Ana and apparently she needed it because she was HOT, HOT, HOT; pawing while I was trying to saddle her, prancing around, snorting, whinnying. I let her run around the arena before I even tied her up to groom her thinking that it would help her settle down; it didn't. So I longed her before riding her; which did help a lot, but when I got on her, she was still in a big hurry: You can almost hear her say "I'm late, I'm late, I'm really, really late!" as she marches away from the mounting block in the fasted walk ever; so we worked on walk and trot for a little bit before I put her back up in the stall. 








The rain had stopped by the afternoon so I drove by the barn again and let the girls out. Her pasture mate was just munching away on her hay, and of course, Ana took over the entire hay pile. So I brought Ana's left over hay from the stall to the paddock and threw it in a different corner. Can you guess what happened? Ana wouldn't let Tammy have that hay either. Ana says "It's mine, it's alllll mine!"


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## frlsgirl

:happydance:I'm so excited! I contacted the saddle fitter in Texas and he has agreed to stop by our barn for saddle fitting! This will be the first time that me and Ana will work face to face with a saddle fitter; he is supposed to be the best; all the top Dressage riders in our region utilize him. Laurie had mentioned that the stuffing towards the front of the saddle is a little lumpy and flat; he said he can fix that for me!

Also, I got some great Black Friday deals online; I finally bought the Dressage jacket that I had tried on at the Horse of Course, I got it even cheaper at SmartPak; I also get a fancy pair of white breeches at the Horse of Course at a discounted price. 

All I need now are white gloves which seem to be impossible to find; a friend had suggested purchasing a left and right hand golf glove; apparently they are nicer than Dressage gloves for half the price. A shirt and stock tie should be fairly cheap and easy to find.

The balancing reins that I had ordered from Tellington T Touch arrived; they look SO NICE; I'm hoping to try them tonight.

I had emailed my Morgan Dressage group about what I should do regarding the "Ana not wanting to graze when it's raining because she would rather stand under the shed" situation; and mentioned that I'm against blanketing a perfectly healthy horse. Well, one of the members who lives in Kansas, has a high dollar turnout sheet that she's not using because her Morgan died and she wants to get rid of it because it reminds her of her old horse. She's giving it to me for FREE! 

Apparently turnout sheets don't interfere with winter fur growth or trap heat; so I'm going to try it on Ana. I don't think Ana has ever hand a turnout sheet on her so it should be interesting; she will probably be scared of it considering that she's afraid of new saddle pads. :icon_rolleyes:

So we will accomplish a couple of things; it will be a good de-spooking opportunity, it will keep the saddle area mud free so I can actually ride her on days when it's wet, and I'm hoping that she will be willing to graze when it's raining #diva

I'm gonna film introducing the turnout sheet to Ana; should be interesting.

I haven't ridden in a couple of days so I'm hoping to go tonight; but I did find a nice picture from a week or so ago:


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## SaddleUp158

Awesome deals! So much fun when stuff like that happens. Let me know how you like this saddle fitter. We have been using a lady from Texas as well, but it is always good to have a back up.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Awesome deals! So much fun when stuff like that happens. Let me know how you like this saddle fitter. We have been using a lady from Texas as well, but it is always good to have a back up.


Thanks! I can't wait for him to get here; I'm surprised that he's willing to drive all the way up to the Tulsa area for a few fittings. He actually makes his own saddles; Ophelia's saddle was custom made by him and it's quite comfortable.


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## frlsgirl

I went and saw Ana last night; I love it when I have the barn to myself and I'm not in a hurry to leave because I have to be somewhere.

She was NOT in a good mood; I found her standing by herself in the pasture; not grazing or doing anything. There was a lot of ear pinning throughout the night; she did poop twice so I don't think it was colic or anything like that. She pinned her ears when I tried to fasten the girth which initially made me suspect colic; I never have it super tight so it shouldn't hurt her at all. I don't think it would be related to her cycle as it's winter here. 

I rode her with the balance rein; it seems to fit her well; she really likes it for walking; she really stretches over her back; I'm not sure how it works but it does work.

I think the saddle is bothering her because her canter was horrible and when we were trotting, she only wanted to do straight lines; it was difficult to get her to turn on a circle; when she suspects that I might turn on a circle, she speeds up her trot to make it harder for me to turn her; it was really strange how resistant she was. We did manage to get a few decent circles:






I'm not planning on riding her again until Friday; depending what kind of mood she's in, I might only do bareback work, or stroll around outside. The fitter is coming Saturday so hopefully he will be able to fix any saddle fitting issues; Laurie did say that the front of the saddle is too low so that could be causing extra pressure on the withers. It's possible that she avoids circles because her haunches are getting tired as the inside hind has to carry more weight; so it could just be exercise induced discomfort.


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## lostastirrup

> All I need now are white gloves which seem to be impossible to find; a friend had suggested purchasing a left and right hand golf glove; apparently they are nicer than Dressage gloves for half the price. A shirt and stock tie should be fairly cheap and easy to find.


Chiming in: these are my favorite white gloves. Synthetic- clean easy, mesh is so comfy. doesn't feel like you have anything on your hands. and cheap too!
Horze Air Flow Riding Gloves


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## frlsgirl

I had a very odd experience yesterday that I want to share with you all in case it helps you; I'm part of this online support group for amateur dressage riders; we post about our struggles and joys and cheer each other on; we sometimes give constructive and supportive feedback if desired;at least that's how it's been for the year that I've been an active member.

So yesterday, I posted about exercise induced fatigue; and showed the above circle video as an example; and one of the members just unloaded on me; I'm torturing poor Ana; horrible rider; who taught me how to ride, I should leave whoever is instructing me etc. Well, I did some research on this member and she has zero Dressage qualifications, no scores, no medals, no licenses, certifications or anything. 

So it just goes to show you be careful who you listen to on the internet. It also shows you that there are different training methods; some are complimentary to one another and others are completely oppose each other.

I look at qualifications but I also go with my gut; I trained with a gold medalist and I didn't think she was a good fit for me; so now I train with a silver medalist who is a much better fit; both are highly qualified but one just fit better than the other. So be careful about what people tell you on the internet; do your research and make sure you are interacting with qualified pros.

I'm not qualified to give instruction, so anything I post on here are exercises that I choose to do because someone qualified had taught them to me; or I read about them, or saw a video and decided to try it. What I may or may not do with Ana may work well for some horses and not others; I'm not torturing Ana; I'm simply trying to find my way in the complex world of Dressage. Ana is well taken care of; food, water, shelter, companionship, regular exercise, vet visits, farrier service etc. I'm not God's gift to riding; but I'm not horrible either; most instructors feel comfortable enough to have me ride their own personal horses. Whenever I feel like something isn't working, I try to investigate and find a better way of doing something; sometimes the answer is to keep doing what I have been doing; other times change is in order. 

Anyway, just wanted to get that out there. We all have our own ways of doing things; there are many grey areas in Dressage training; what's right for me and Ana may not be right for you and vise versa. I support everyone who is using reasonable training methods even though they may not work for me. Ride on and most importantly enjoy yourself


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## frlsgirl

Now on a much lighter note....

My show jacket and breeches arrived and they both fit! I had tried on the jacket at the store before so I was reasonably sure that it would still fit but the breeches are kind of a surprise. I can't tell you how many times I've sent breeches back because it's so hard to find ones that fit me; I'm smallish but I do have curves and a lot of small breeches are made for small and flat/skinny people. So if I order a larger size, it ends up looking like I'm wearing a diaper underneath.

Ana's turnout sheet is supposed to arrive today, so I can't wait to show it to her; should be a great learning opportunity; something so large, noisy and scary. It's almost equivalent to tarp training.

The weather is perfect again; sunshine, dry and cold; so I should be able to ride outside all weekend.


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## frlsgirl

Tammy's owner just texted me this; I guess the new round bale got delivered today


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> I had a very odd experience yesterday that I want to share with you all in case it helps you; I'm part of this online support group for amateur dressage riders; we post about our struggles and joys and cheer each other on; we sometimes give constructive and supportive feedback if desired;at least that's how it's been for the year that I've been an active member.
> 
> So yesterday, I posted about exercise induced fatigue; and showed the above circle video as an example; and one of the members just unloaded on me; I'm torturing poor Ana; horrible rider; who taught me how to ride, I should leave whoever is instructing me etc. Well, I did some research on this member and she has zero Dressage qualifications, no scores, no medals, no licenses, certifications or anything.
> 
> So it just goes to show you be careful who you listen to on the internet. It also shows you that there are different training methods; some are complimentary to one another and others are completely oppose each other.
> 
> I look at qualifications but I also go with my gut; I trained with a gold medalist and I didn't think she was a good fit for me; so now I train with a silver medalist who is a much better fit; both are highly qualified but one just fit better than the other. So be careful about what people tell you on the internet; do your research and make sure you are interacting with qualified pros.
> 
> I'm not qualified to give instruction, so anything I post on here are exercises that I choose to do because someone qualified had taught them to me; or I read about them, or saw a video and decided to try it. What I may or may not do with Ana may work well for some horses and not others; I'm not torturing Ana; I'm simply trying to find my way in the complex world of Dressage. Ana is well taken care of; food, water, shelter, companionship, regular exercise, vet visits, farrier service etc. I'm not God's gift to riding; but I'm not horrible either; most instructors feel comfortable enough to have me ride their own personal horses. Whenever I feel like something isn't working, I try to investigate and find a better way of doing something; sometimes the answer is to keep doing what I have been doing; other times change is in order.
> 
> Anyway, just wanted to get that out there. We all have our own ways of doing things; there are many grey areas in Dressage training; what's right for me and Ana may not be right for you and vise versa. I support everyone who is using reasonable training methods even though they may not work for me. Ride on and most importantly enjoy yourself



Very true. This kind of mirrors what my instructor has said, "I don't want you to think that "this" (whatever we are working on) is necessarily correct riding or form, but a stepping stone to get to X point. It may look ugly, (hands up high for rebalancing/straightening, etc) but eventually as both horse and rider learn you will be able to minimize everything. Baby steps.


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## SaraM

Have you gotten a chance to try your balancing rein yet? I googled it after seeing your post, because I had never heard of it, but I have tried other LTJ ideas before. Last night, I used a lead line and held it like a double bridle curb rein on my boy. And you know what, it worked so great for him... I was skeptical, but he is the type to get up tight and behind the bit so I tried it and I was impressed. The lead line was not ideal to hold or give clear signals, but he was reaching down into contact and lifting his back with the balance rein in combination with half halts. He was super happy about it and very positive, was licking his lips more than normal. I don't want to get super hyped yet, but the official balancing rein is going on my Christmas list for sure! Definitely update on how yours goes, and thank you for mentioning it briefly, I'm glad I saw that.

To be fair, my horse already understands half halts and how to use his back, but he is coming off an injury, so I was surprised to feel him work so well right off the bat with it. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

SaraM said:


> Have you gotten a chance to try your balancing rein yet? I googled it after seeing your post, because I had never heard of it, but I have tried other LTJ ideas before. Last night, I used a lead line and held it like a double bridle curb rein on my boy. And you know what, it worked so great for him... I was skeptical, but he is the type to get up tight and behind the bit so I tried it and I was impressed. The lead line was not ideal to hold or give clear signals, but he was reaching down into contact and lifting his back with the balance rein in combination with half halts. He was super happy about it and very positive, was licking his lips more than normal. I don't want to get super hyped yet, but the official balancing rein is going on my Christmas list for sure! Definitely update on how yours goes, and thank you for mentioning it briefly, I'm glad I saw that.
> 
> To be fair, my horse already understands half halts and how to use his back, but he is coming off an injury, so I was surprised to feel him work so well right off the bat with it.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


That's great Sara! I don't know how it works but it does work. Maybe it touches a muscle that causes them to have this rounding reflex?!?


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## tinyliny

I think you're doing a fine job of torturing Ana. just keep up the good work!


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## frlsgirl

So much has happened this weekend; I'm so exhausted; and it's not over yet!

Saddle fitter came out yesterday; turns out Ana's current saddle is all wrong for her and there is nothing he can do to fix it! Just shoot me now! It gets better; I bought a brand new saddle from him. I test rode her in the walk and trot and she goes noticeably better. I had to max out my credit card and borrow money from savings to make all this happen. 

I still needed to break the news to my husband. He's ****ed and currently not speaking to me. Fantastic!

So I go to ride Ana this morning and walk and trot work is beautiful; I got the best stretchy trot ever. So then I cantered her and it was the worst canter ever. I'm so confused. The saddle is gorgeous. I called the fitter and my friend who helped me pick it out; they both said that because the saddle puts me in a totally different position; the canter is going to feel very different to her and that she just needs time to adjust. 

I think it might be something else. She's been crabby all week and her canter has gotten worse over the last couple of weeks. She's crabby with people, other horses and she actually bucked when I put my leg on her at the canter. 

So I'm thinking ulcers, bad PMS or maybe a cyst on her ovaries. I got the buck on tape. 

We also made a before and after video to compare the saddles. Top video is old saddle bottom is new saddle. I'm stretching my arms out bc saddle fitter wanted me to scratch her withers as a reward for stretching down.






Here is her best stretchy trot ever:


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## frlsgirl

Gonna contact the vet tomorrow. I have lots more pictures and details to share about saddle, experience with fitter etc but will need to do that tomorrow when I have more time.


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## frlsgirl

Here is some info on the saddle; it's a 17.5 medium Corcoran Merit Dressage saddle with serge panels and special wither gussets; I got a free saddle cover and saddle pad to go with it. The shocking thing is that the previous saddle was a 36 cm tree whereas this is close to a 30cm tree; so the previous saddle, that I rode her in for over a year was 6 cm too big for her :shock:

The saddle fitter is legit; he knows his stuff; he currently rides with Laurie and used to ride with "A" (just like me!) and has been doing this for many many years; he was very professional and helpful, and I got a full education on saddle fitting; when I test rode her, he warned me that she may not immediately react favorably, because it's such a different feel; I could tell she wasn't sure about it but then stretched down and seemed really ok with it; usually her trot can be choppy and up and down with the head whereas with this saddle, the rhythm and tempo stays even and her head pretty much stays down. 

It's part buffalo and part doe skin; so fancy and nice! It has a much narrower twist than my old saddle so I'm not fighting to keep my leg at the girth; the fitter said that I was basically straddling a 50 gallon drum in my previous saddle and he could tell that it was too wide for my hips because of the wear marks on the flaps; I always had to do stretches before my ride so that I can get my hips open and then I had to concentrate really hard to keep my leg long and still; this is completely resolved in the new saddle; no more fighting to stay in the right position! I just naturally fall into the correct spot!

So here are some pictures:

PS: Husband is speaking to me again but I'm on probation; I don't suppose this would be a good time to bring up that I'll eventually also need a trailer? :icon_rolleyes:


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## frlsgirl

So I got Ana an appointment with my vet for Saturday; I'm really thinking it's hind gut ulcers:

https://youtu.be/ot_958Nlm8w

https://youtu.be/JBeOU14BvTM

She is still crabby and listless; I found her standing in a corner of her pasture; just standing there, not grazing, not sleeping, not really interested in me either. We took her in and brushed her, she wasn't really into that either; my friend's son wanted to ride her so we put him up on her for a couple of circles; then they wanted me to turn her loose in the indoor so that they can watch her run but she didn't feel like running. That is not normal behavior for her; so listless and disinterested and just barely tolerating our presence. She does eat, drink, pee and poop and doesn't feel like she has a fever. So I'm curious to find out what the vet says.


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## Skyseternalangel

Could you message me the saddle fitter's name? I'm trying to find one for Sky but they're rare around here


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> Could you message me the saddle fitter's name? I'm trying to find one for Sky but they're rare around here


Will do. He travels through the US quite a bit so he may even be willing to drive out to your neck of the woods.


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## frlsgirl

So we have company from Alaska staying with us until Thursday; I took yesterday off because the little boy wanted to meet/ride Ana. I figured it would be ok since she's been really calm. Although she was careful with him like she always is with little ones, she seemed quite irritated.

I'm so worried about her! She must be feeling really sick because that is not how she normally acts! I don't know if it's a simple fix of adjusting her feed and maybe adding Ulcergard as a supplement or if it's going to be this big expensive mystery that will take forever and many $ to figure out. Considering my extravagant expenditure on the saddle, I'm hoping we can get her fixed up fast and on the cheap.

She got irritated when he gently brushed her sides and got really ****ed off when he tried to lead her back to her pasture; so I took the lead rope from him and we ended up walking together. I've never experienced her so ticked off around little ones. She was still super careful though.


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## frlsgirl

But on a positive note, I still love the saddle. Ana can finally move unrestricted and I'm not fighting with my position anymore. Husband came to the barn with us and looked at it and agreed that it is indeed very nice.


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## DraftyAiresMum

It may have been something as simple as the fit of the saddle. I know a couple of years ago when I still had my Aussie, Aires got super ****ed one day when I saddled him, which was totally unlike him. Even bit my boob HARD when I went to tighten the cinch. Switched saddles and got my sweet, even-tempered boy back.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

DraftyAiresMum said:


> It may have been something as simple as the fit of the saddle. I know a couple of years ago when I still had my Aussie, Aires got super ****ed one day when I saddled him, which was totally unlike him. Even bit my boob HARD when I went to tighten the cinch. Switched saddles and got my sweet, even-tempered boy back.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Ouch Drafty! 

I think it's something else with Ana because she has been crabby for a couple of weeks now; she's not interested in running or playing, doesn't enjoy grooming anymore, goes better in the new saddle, but bucks when I put my leg behind the girth, is meaner than usual to her pasture mates, and stands around the pasture looking depressed; she's been dripping water after pooping, which is a common symptom for colonic ulcers, but can also just be a sign of too much alfalfa or worms. She twitches when you touch her sides and turns her head and looks at her belly. She pins her ears a lot when handling her which is not like her; she usually loves being groomed and handled. She still eats, drinks, peeps and poops and can still be handled, so I'm holding off til Saturday to see the vet bc I don't think it's an emergency but it's also not normal.


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## DraftyAiresMum

Hmmmm...then yeah, I'd definitely get her checked for ulcers. Aires did some of that, but not nearly that extreme.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny

this is not a pretty picture:









hope you get her feeling better soon.


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## SaddleUp158

Her coat is gorgeous, love her coloring!


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> this is not a pretty picture:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hope you get her feeling better soon.


I know! I took the lead rope away from him and walked her the rest of the way because she was making such ugly faces; she never tried bite or anything like that, but was really, really moody.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Her coat is gorgeous, love her coloring!


Oh thank you. Way to look at the bright side of things! :wink:


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## frlsgirl

I visited her after work yesterday because I wanted to see how she's doing. I think she's somewhat better because she seemed to be interacting with her environment again: ears forward, looking at different things, sniffing things. 

She still flinched when I touched her belly; and there was still a little ear pinning when I handled her but not like she had done earlier in the week. I walked her up to the barn because I had just enough time to groom her; she seemed very interested in the the two little girls who were riding their horses in the arena; ears forward, auditing their every move; that's more like my Ana! 

She even pawed the ground a little bit, which I know is a bad habit but she does it when she's anxious because I'm taking too long to saddle her/get her ready. I never give her treats before we ride so I don't think she's begging; she just gets impatient with me sometimes because I like to take my time with grooming and saddling. She never paws after our ride which is when I usually give her a treat. Strange right? We have a gelding at the barn who paws continuously after every ride until he gets his treat; Ana has never pawed for treats. Anyway, in her case, I see pawing as a good sign because she's alert and interacting which she hadn't been earlier in the week.

Speaking of treats, since she's been pinning her ears at me when I handle her, I decided to not indulge her; I just ignored her and went about my business. When it was time for treats, I grabbed a crop, untied her and made her back up several steps before I gave her one single tiny treat. I'm not saying that her behavior is related to my babying her too much, but just in case I wanted to play it safe and make sure she understands that treats are a privilege that must be earned.

Hopefully her symptoms will continue to improve; I'm still going to have the vet come out to check for ulcers and enlarged ovaries; maybe take in a poop sample and do some blood work.


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## frlsgirl

I guess I never posted the bucking picture; it's hard to believe that she was so tense in the canter/buck picture and completely relaxed 10 minutes later when we worked on the stretchy trot:

Strange right? I was trying to counter balance when she went up in the front so I'm leaning forward way too much in this picture. It was such a strange feeling; like she was hopping like a bunny with her hind legs moving together.

On a brighter note, I didn't fall off!


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## frlsgirl

I've been talking to some of my Dressage friends and they mentioned that the canter depart cue for mares can be a source of tension. So they suggested asking for the canter with just my seat and using a voice cue as backup. 

I'm planning on seeing her tonight; if she seems back to normal again, I would like to ride her at just walk and trot and see what we get; if she's completely back to normal, I might try to either run her into canter or try out the verbal cue to see if it makes a difference.

I've reviewed footage of my rides from the last few months; I don't like how Ana goes when "M" rides her; she just creates too much tension in Ana. I don't know if I still want to use her as an instructor; it's convenient to have her right there at the barn and she has some good ideas; I guess I might try one more lesson with her to see if I feel comfortable enough to continue with her.

I love Laurie and wish I could do weekly or even monthly lessons with her but it's a logistics problem because I have to take time off from work and pay for someone to trailer me over to her barn; anyway, something for me to think about for 2016; 1 lesson per month with Laurie or 4 lessons per month with M. I don't really need weekly lessons because I can do a lot of stuff on my own, but I don't want to cut off M because she trailers me to clinics, shows, etc.


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## SaddleUp158

I know it is a touchy subject, but have you talked to M about the tension? Cantering creates tension in my mare to, one thing that has helped, since we aren't quite there yet with cantering just off my seat, is to give her a bit of a half halt and a slight bump bump with my outside leg to tell her something is getting ready to happen and then cue for the canter (I am bad and normally give a verbal cue as well). I have found with the "heads up" that I give her I get a bit more of a relaxed transition, not sure if it is correct though.

An idea for when you trailer out, have you considered leaving Ana at L's overnight and taking two lessons back to back, more bang for your buck. 

Not sure what your vehicle situation is, but I picked up a little 2 horse bumper pull for no more than $2000, I found it easier to borrow a truck at the time than finding a ride whenever I had a lesson.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I know it is a touchy subject, but have you talked to M about the tension? Cantering creates tension in my mare to, one thing that has helped, since we aren't quite there yet with cantering just off my seat, is to give her a bit of a half halt and a slight bump bump with my outside leg to tell her something is getting ready to happen and then cue for the canter (I am bad and normally give a verbal cue as well). I have found with the "heads up" that I give her I get a bit more of a relaxed transition, not sure if it is correct though.


It's the opposite with Ana; as soon as she suspects that I might ask for a canter, she turns into a bundle of nerves; so we try to sneak in the canter when she doesn't suspect it.



SaddleUp158 said:


> An idea for when you trailer out, have you considered leaving Ana at L's overnight and taking two lessons back to back, more bang for your buck.


That's a good idea; I'll have to see if that would work; sort of like a mini 2-day clinic.



SaddleUp158 said:


> Not sure what your vehicle situation is, but I picked up a little 2 horse bumper pull for no more than $2000, I found it easier to borrow a truck at the time than finding a ride whenever I had a lesson.


Lucky you! That's a good deal for a trailer! It makes more sense for us to just pay someone to trailer us. We have a truck but husband won't let me drive it :icon_rolleyes:


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## frlsgirl

I rode Miss Ana last night. It went ok. Her poop looked normal and she didn't react as much when I brushed her sides so I figured it was safe to ride her. She still doesn't seem quite right though; I'm not sure if it's just attitude or something physical. I just can't get her in front of my leg without causing excessive tension. She just drags herself around the arena and has a look on her face like someone just ran over her puppy. She might just be bored with riding in the indoor so I'm hoping to ride her outside this weekend, assuming that the vet gives me the "all clear" tomorrow.

On the plus side, her canter was only moderately tense as opposed to extremely tense, so I'm going to call that progress. Also, I've been riding so many loopy figures that Ana is really paying attention to my turning aids now; sometimes when we reach X, she goes "Quick, tell me, are we going left or right, quick, I need to know NOW!" lol. She is also staying more balanced when we change bend within the loop.


My GoPro died before I had a chance to get any footage so all I have is this grainy Iphone footage:



















I'm not exactly feeling that great myself; surgery is Wednesday and I'm not allowed to take my normal vitamins until after surgery; worst of all, starting Tuesday morning, I'm only allowed clear liquids; and I was planning on working all day Tuesday, ugh! Husband's parents are coming up to take care of me in case he gets called to work.

So I'm sounding a little bit like a country song right now "my GoPro died, I feel like crap and my horse is moody"

I might go ride after work today; I was thinking of trying my usual pad under the saddle; the new pad is super stiff and kind of feels like cardboard; maybe that's what's making her uncomfortable? Also, I might have had the girth tighter than what she likes (although I could still get my hand in between her belly and the girth). She did stall out at one point and pooped; and then she was a little more forward.

My expectations might be a little high considering that I'm not feeling good, we are both trying to get used to a new saddle and we don't really know what's wrong with Ana.

I'm gonna have the vet check her for Ulcers, heat cycle problems, worms, EPM and lime disease. The farrier confirmed that he's coming next week for a trim & new set of shoes. So between a full vet workup, and custom fitted saddle and a fresh pedicure, we should be able to get her all fixed up and then I won't be able to ride for 2 weeks while I recover from surgery. I'm planning on doing longe work with her; especially cantering with the new saddle on her back so that she gets used to how it feels. 

Here she is looking all down in the dumps:


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Lucky you! That's a good deal for a trailer! It makes more sense for us to just pay someone to trailer us. We have a truck but husband won't let me drive it :icon_rolleyes:


For just a basic 2 horse straight load BP you can find them pretty easily in that price range, they are just not fancy. Bummer that your husband won't let you drive the truck.


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## knightrider

My heart goes out to you that you are going through these worries. Ana is such a lovely horse. I hope you get to the bottom of this quickly!


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## frlsgirl

I think I figured it out! She's lame in the hind. I think it's the right side. I took her for a mini hack around the property and she was stumbling all over the place. Explains why she pins her ears when I ask her to engage her hind end. It also explains why she doesn't want to run and play and why the canter is particularly difficult for her. 

You can see the lameness in this video I took today; so we just need to figure out what part of her hind end is hurting so we can fix it. 

http://youtu.be/b4hQHorhWaA
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny

surgery? did I miss something?


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## tinyliny

I can see it, but I vacillate between thinking hind left and hind right. my first thought was hind left.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> surgery? did I miss something?


Just a laparoscopy for endometriosis. I go home the same day and should be back to work Friday but I can't exercise or ride for a couple of weeks depending on how well I heal and feel.


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## frlsgirl

The vet spent an hour with us; analyzing her gait, flexing, longeing and going over her history. He agrees with me that she's off in the right hind. There are three possible reasons. Most likely, she twisted her right hind while she was running and playing around in her pasture. I then made it worse by riding small loops and circles. The second possible but not very likely cause, is DJD in her right hock. Ana is only 7 so that just doesn't make any sense. The third and least likely reason is EPM. 

So here is the plan: he wanted to bute her for several days and have me work her as usual because if she suddenly goes a lot better that could help us rule out EPM. 

Since I won't be able to ride after Monday, we are going to have her rest for a week and see if she feels better and then slowly start her back to work. 

Week 1 - rest
Week 2 - hand walking
Week 3 - longe work but only on large circles. 

So that's the plan! She was in pretty good spirits today; happy and inquisitive and friendly. So let's hope it's just a twisted hock and not DJD or EPM although I'll take DJD over EPM. If she gets worse I'm supposed to let him know immediately because that would point more strongly to EPM. He didn't want to test her for it because 70% of the horses in Oklahoma test positive for it but show no symptoms. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Some pictures from the weekend. Temperament wise she seems completely back to normal; alert, happy, inquisitive and friendly. I'm still kind of worried about her though. What if it is EPM? Will she become completely unridable? What will I do then? Move her to a much cheaper barn? 

Some symptoms pointing toward EPM:

1) Tripping on uneven surfaces and sometimes on even surfaces:

Of course that could also be due to the fact that she is overdue for a trim and the footing in the indoor has been horrible because the tractor broke and they haven't been able to properly drag it. Tripping during our post schooling hack could be because her hocks are tired and she's just not picking up her feet high enough to clear the uneven ground.

2) Lack of muscle development or loss of body condition: 

She appears to be loosing weight/condition but the vet said she looks perfect the way she is; in some pictures she looks stout like she works out and in others she looks like a little wienie; so maybe it's just my perception with the different camera angles. She did loose a little condition on her neck as evidenced by the dip between her neck and her withers BUT the saddle fitter said that it's a tell tail sign of a horse that's been ridden in a saddle that pressed on the withers because that causes those muscles to not develop.

3) The marked change in behavior and mood:

I've never seen her so consistently grumpy; sure, she's had a day here and there where she was sleepy and/or not as friendly but never for a long stretch like this. However, her attitude is completely back to normal, so it could have been the weather, or hormonal fluctuations, or pain from a possible hock injury.

All that said, the vet did spend an entire hour trying to find something wrong with her; everything just came back normal; she even pranced around him with her tail held high when he longed her. Even her vet note/receipt said everything is normal only a very slight lameness was observed in her right hind and only after a battery of longeing, flexing, and prodding.

I've since talked to several people in person and on the internet; some say "oh, she will be fine, every horse goes lame sooner or later, in one or multiple legs, that's nothing to worry about"...whereas others are sending me their condolences, telling me that all signs point toward EPM. The vet almost didn't tell me about his thoughts about EPM because he knew I would freak out. He even said, "Now don't go running off telling people she has EPM, it's not very likely, but it is a small possibility; so just keep an eye on her and call me immediately if she gets worse"...so what did I do? I immediately started researching EPM and talking to people about possibly EPM. He also said that she looks really good right now; like a really well muscled Morgan; he said that her belly twitches are because her abs are activated when we do Dressage schooling, so her abs are kind of on overdrive right now.

Symptoms pointing toward localized hock discomfort/injury:

1) 4 weeks ago when I arrived at the barn, she had a chip in her right hind hoof; which makes me think she tripped on something in the pasture; shortly after that the symptoms started.

2) I've been focusing almost exclusively on her hocks during training; doing lots of small circles and turns, trying to get the hocks to carry more weight.

3) From what I've observed, the tripping/lameness is localized to the right hind.

4) If I rest her for a day, she suddenly goes better; if I ride her two days in a row, she gets worse; typical of injuries that start to heal and then get re-aggravated again.

5) She's been 100% better temperament wise over the last 2 days and her lameness is not worse; if it was EPM it would be getting progressively worse, not better.

6) Hock injuries/lameness are common in Dressage horses due to the focus on shifting the weight to the hind legs.

7) Most horses, sooner or later, will come up lame due to an injury, soreness, etc, but most horses will not come down with EPM; although most horses will probably get exposed to EPM especially in certain states such as Oklahoma.

So now, one lady in my Dressage support group is saying that her feet look sore in general, pointing toward founder - not likely, she's not fat, doesn't eat grain, feet look great, normal digital pulse.

Anyway, I needed to get this all typed out so that I can read it if I feel the need to panic about this again. Thanks for listening.

She was so sweet today; dropped what she was doing and eagerly walked over to me, seemed happy to see me, followed me like a puppy, gladly posed for selfies, and seemed disappointed when I left; I just love her.


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## gottatrot

I hope it's not annoying if I bring this up, because I've talked about it on other threads. But I went through a very terrible and frightening ordeal last winter and spring with my mare, and if I can help anyone avoid it, I will.
I haven't read through your entire journal, just the end, so I might have missed somewhere you talked about your horse's diet.

Anyway, my mare last winter had progressive weakness and muscle loss, and I thought maybe EPM as well. She had never bucked in the years I had her, and she began bucking and acting very upset on rides. I didn't realized at first it was weakness, because it would come and go at first, and she would trip sometimes. 

Then it got really bad and I had to stop riding her. I brought her out to lunge one day to check for lameness and she fell down when I asked her to pick up the canter, and I'd never seen a horse fall down with the hind legs going out behind: she landed on her belly. It wasn't slippery, and the surface was flat. Then she was scared so she ran forward when she got up, and fell down again. I knew I couldn't ride her, and worried I would have to put her down.

I read everything about every condition possible, and tested her for PSSM, etc. Then I stumbled on information about Vitamin E deficiency, which seemed too simple to be true. Within a week after giving high dose Vitamin E, my mare started putting muscle back on and getting her strength back. She is totally normal now, and what I learned is that horses don't get enough E from hay or grain, but only from fresh, green grass. So if you're not supplementing enough Vitamin E (2,000-5,000 IU daily), the horse will be deficient whenever they are not grazing on a lot of green pasture. Some horses do not show signs of deficiency, but other horses can die from it. 

Another horse at our barn had weight loss but normal labs and appetite. The owner started giving Vitamin E after hearing my story and he put the muscle back on after several weeks. 

There are many things that could be going on with your horse such as a degenerative joint condition in the hock, which could mean chronic pain and the horse not wanting to use her body/loss of muscle. A friend of mine had a 12 year old horse put down for a hock that had degenerated and fused. But this is just a possibility.

One other thing: When my mare had the weakness in her hind end, she didn't want to canter anymore and she always preferred the canter over the trot. That is back to normal now. Also, she got really flinchy about having her abdomen touched and her back muscles got overdeveloped. Apparently, she was having to use her abdomen and back to support her hind legs due to the weakness, and this gave her sore muscles.


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## frlsgirl

gottatrot said:


> I hope it's not annoying if I bring this up, because I've talked about it on other threads. But I went through a very terrible and frightening ordeal last winter and spring with my mare, and if I can help anyone avoid it, I will.
> I haven't read through your entire journal, just the end, so I might have missed somewhere you talked about your horse's diet.
> 
> Anyway, my mare last winter had progressive weakness and muscle loss, and I thought maybe EPM as well. She had never bucked in the years I had her, and she began bucking and acting very upset on rides. I didn't realized at first it was weakness, because it would come and go at first, and she would trip sometimes.
> 
> Then it got really bad and I had to stop riding her. I brought her out to lunge one day to check for lameness and she fell down when I asked her to pick up the canter, and I'd never seen a horse fall down with the hind legs going out behind: she landed on her belly. It wasn't slippery, and the surface was flat. Then she was scared so she ran forward when she got up, and fell down again. I knew I couldn't ride her, and worried I would have to put her down.
> 
> I read everything about every condition possible, and tested her for PSSM, etc. Then I stumbled on information about Vitamin E deficiency, which seemed too simple to be true. Within a week after giving high dose Vitamin E, my mare started putting muscle back on and getting her strength back. She is totally normal now, and what I learned is that horses don't get enough E from hay or grain, but only from fresh, green grass. So if you're not supplementing enough Vitamin E (2,000-5,000 IU daily), the horse will be deficient whenever they are not grazing on a lot of green pasture. Some horses do not show signs of deficiency, but other horses can die from it.
> 
> Another horse at our barn had weight loss but normal labs and appetite. The owner started giving Vitamin E after hearing my story and he put the muscle back on after several weeks.
> 
> There are many things that could be going on with your horse such as a degenerative joint condition in the hock, which could mean chronic pain and the horse not wanting to use her body/loss of muscle. A friend of mine had a 12 year old horse put down for a hock that had degenerated and fused. But this is just a possibility.
> 
> One other thing: When my mare had the weakness in her hind end, she didn't want to canter anymore and she always preferred the canter over the trot. That is back to normal now. Also, she got really flinchy about having her abdomen touched and her back muscles got overdeveloped. Apparently, she was having to use her abdomen and back to support her hind legs due to the weakness, and this gave her sore muscles.


Thanks for the intel gottatrot! 

I was actually just talking with another Morgan owner about supplementing with vitamin E. I'm going to call Smartpak this week and see if they have a multi vitamin that contains a large amount of vitamin E.

Ana gets two buckets of alfalfa mush a day; she gets a multi vitamin in the morning with her first bucket of mash. She also has free choice bermuda hay.


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## gottatrot

I feed this Vitamin E from Smartpak. 
https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/vitamin-e-pellets-by-smartpak-8917
I actually feed a double dose because I don't want her to ever get into trouble again, and you can safely feed large amounts.

But that is an expensive source, and other people at my barn feed the capsules you can buy at the grocery store. For example, even though this source is the synthetic form, you can feed 10 capsules or 2,000 IU (1,000 absorbable) for only about 28 cents a day. All the horses eat the capsules with their grain, no problem. 
http://www.amazon.com/Kirkland-Sign...=1450103264&sr=8-7&keywords=natural+vitamin+e


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## frlsgirl

I did some more research and decided to order her this:

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=9fe845d6-1b5b-4e18-aff4-df290778ed10&gas=vitamin e

It's supposed to be the best and costs about $34.48 a month or $1.15 per day.


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## tinyliny

is alfalfa a source of Vitamin E?

they feed alfalfa primarily at our barn.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> is alfalfa a source of Vitamin E?
> 
> they feed alfalfa primarily at our barn.


Here is what I found on Wikipedia:

"Alfalfa is high in protein, calcium and other minerals, vitamins in the B group, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfalfa#cite_note-108"

I was told that Alfalfa is mostly protein but does contain some other minerals; so I'm not sure that it has the recommended amount of minerals needed for a horse in work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfalfa#cite_note-108


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## frlsgirl

On a positive note, it is good to have horsey friends; I now have two friends who have volunteered to look after Ana for me this week; with the surgery on Wednesday, I might not be able to check on her for a couple of days. 

Ophelia's owner just did a full wellness check on Ana; gave her a cookie, backed her up, watched her walk, had her turn her neck each direction. I didn't expect a full wellness check; I just wanted someone to look at her to see if she is acting normal, which she is. 

So despite the EPM & DJD scare, I'm feeling really blessed right now


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## gottatrot

tinyliny said:


> is alfalfa a source of Vitamin E?
> they feed alfalfa primarily at our barn.


Alfalfa can be a good source, but it is variable. Here is a quote from Kentucky Equine Research:

"While roughages such as alfalfa, green pasture and good quality green hays are excellent sources, the content is variable and is reduced by maturity, harvesting and storage. In the process of hay making, between 30 and 80% of vitamin E activity is lost between cutting and baling the hay and even more is lost during storage."

I've read one analysis of some good alfalfa that had 150 IU/lb when tested. So if you were feeding 15 lbs of that, your horse would get adequate Vitamin E just from the hay. Many hays are not that green to start out though, and get stored for a long time. 

Since horses can store Vitamin E in the muscles for several months, it seems that many horses seem to come down with this "failure to thrive" in the winter, after having been off grass for a little while. 

Vitamin E and the Performance Horse | Equinews


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## frlsgirl

Here is what Ana eats twice a day:

US Alfalfa - Product Information

She really seems to like it; and so does her pasture mate; when Ana is done eating, Tammy carefully walks over to the feeder and licks it clean.


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## frlsgirl

Ana seems to be well; somebody checks in on her every day. 

My surgery went well; checked in at 530am and was back home lunch. I'm in a lot pain today so I'm not sure when i go back to work or ride again. 

It's my turn to check on Ana tomorrow, but I don't know if I'll be able to drive myself so my in-laws have offered to drive me. Currently, my pupils are dialated and making it from the couch to the kitchen seems like a lot work.


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## egrogan

Glad things when well for you today. Sending you healing vibes.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## knightrider

Hope you are feeling better soon.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks everyone!

I'm slowly getting better; in-laws drove me to see Ana yesterday; she was knee deep in the round bale when I arrived, she saw me, dropped the hay, and slowly walked over to the gate to greet me  I was very happy to see that!

I also dropped off her fancy Vitamin E supplement; I'm curious to see if it makes any kind of noticeable difference. 

We stopped at our favorite restaurant for a bite to eat before heading home and I spent the rest of the day in bed.

Today is my first day back to work; I'm only planning on working until noon though; then it's back to bed for the remainder of the day.

Maybe by Monday I will be back to normal functioning; but I wont be able to ride or exercise for 2 weeks and I'm not supposed to lift anything over 10 pounds.

If I feel up to it, I'm planning on driving myself to the barn tomorrow, putting a halter on Ana and walking her up to the barn, maybe groom her, maybe even hand walk her in the arena before I have to take her back to her pasture. Ana sure seems ready to go back to work.


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## egrogan

So glad to hear that both you and Ana are feeling well!


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## frlsgirl

Today was Ana's first day of groundwork. We went to the outdoor ring and did LFS on a straight line to the left, followed by backing up a few steps, followed by LFS to the right and then we repeated the sequence one more time.

She seemed really impatient; I guess she didn't understand why we had to do groundwork after a whole week off; she just wanted to go, go, go. I can't walk that fast yet so I kept trying to slow her down. A lot of gremlins were out today so that just added to her fire.

I'm glad she back to her old, full of beans self; now I just need to figure out how to work with that so that I don't get myself hurt. I'm feeling a little better every day; today was the first day that I could move almost like a normal person again; picking up things off the floor is still a challenge, and I can't run or lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. The swelling has finally gone down so I can actually fit into jeans except that the buttons rub on my incision. I'm still really, really tired; I can only be active for a little bit and then I need to lay back down; hopefully that will improve over the next few days; post-op appointment is Tuesday.

I'm skipping ground work tomorrow, but would like to resume on Monday if I'm up for it; I really need to start adding ground poles to her work but I can't lift them. Hopefully, Ana will be more cooperative in the indoor as there is less to look at; I know ground work is boring but that's what we have to work with right now. 

Here is what her top line looked like today; I'm hoping we can get more muscle added over the next few weeks.


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## frlsgirl

Haven't made it back to the barn; I really need to go tonight; I haven't even managed to work a full day yet; started running a fever yesterday so I went home after lunch. My post-op is today. Hopefully, I will get cleared for riding. 

I can move around perfectly fine; I'm just tired and feverish. Stitches are starting to itch, too.

I'm supposed to slowly bring Ana back to work but she's too fresh to handwalk or longe so I'm hoping to get cleared for riding; I was thinking that maybe I can just ride at a forward walk/long and low. That should help her build muscle without putting undue stress on her hock. I can just do 20 minutes a day starting with straight lines, then slowly add large curved lines, then slowly add smaller curved lines depending on how her hock is doing. I don't feel up to trotting, cantering etc right now anyway. Maybe by the time she's strong enough to start trotting, I will be healed up enough to where my body can handle the extra stress.

Today is the 1 year anniversary of my mom's death, so I really need to go see Ana tonight; she's so good at cheering me up and distracting me from whatever ails me.


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## frlsgirl

Well, good news is that I'm sort of cleared to ride; just can't lift anything heavy yet. So that means I might be riding bareback tonight; just at a walk though.

I'm going to find myself a new doctor though cause this one just ain't gonna cut it. Couldn't find my chart; didn't know why I was there, didn't realize he accidentally left stitching string hanging off my skin; and wanted to put me on a hard-core cancer drug called Lupron; when I told him I wasn't interested in something that aggressive, he got condescending. He was kind of rude to my husband, too. Called him "bro" and don't even get me started on the nurse; it's impossible to have a normal and friendly interaction with her.

Anyway, didn't come here to vent; just wanted to share the good news that I'm gonna attempt to ride tonight, for the first time in 10 days! Yay!


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## egrogan

Good luck, just make sure you respect your limits  I know how much you want to be on that horse!! I'm glad that she will be welcome comfort as you remember your mom.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night! It was awesome! We just slowly walked through the arena for 20 minutes or so. She didn't trip once, and I couldn't detect any sign of lameness. We finished with carrot stretches; I'm hoping to ride her some more over the long weekend. I didn't have any problems mounting or dismounting; the hardest part was opening and closing the sliding doors to the barn, and dragging the mounting block into position.

Ana was in good spirits but very calm; she did everything I asked her without any resistance.

It's funny how riding Ana bareback at a slow walk seems like such an accomplishment and positive experience; a month ago, I wouldn't have been happy unless we were schooling training level and attempting 2nd level movements.


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## frlsgirl

I was reviewing iPhone footage from our little bareback ride and really like this part:

http://youtu.be/xLm7-4MVAsY

She just seems so calm, willing and balanced; most importantly, we are working as a team 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

We are continuing with our every other day bareback rides. Today was a little more eventful than I had anticipated as a storm rolled through town just a few minutes into our ride. Ana started freaking out so I jumped off and walked her through it. I've never seen her so scared. I spent a good 20 minutes just walking and talking to her. At first, I could hardly hold her as she pranced around me in tiny circles; then she switched to a hasty high-headed walk and finally settled into a slow, low-headed relaxed walk. 

https://youtu.be/M4vNl0uiI30

We have only one more bareback ride planned for Monday as I will be cleared to resume all my normal activities Wednesday. Yay!


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## frlsgirl

Well I'm not sure if our scheduled bareback ride will happen today as we got hit hard with some winter weather; she's spending a couple of nights in a stall so that she can warm up and dry out.

If the roads aren't too bad, I'm planning on driving over there to let her out and do some ground work.

Speaking of ground work; I found another clip from Saturday where you can see Ana get a little frisky; that's exactly what she did when I was riding her so that's where I jumped off; I know that playful head shake and I don't want to ride through that without a saddle. I remember Vince used to do that in the middle of our lesson and it would freak me out every time; it's the universal "I'm about to loose my sh**" head shake.

https://youtu.be/-5heHAuflRw


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## evilamc

frlsgirl said:


> Hope everyone had a great Christmas!
> 
> We are continuing with our every other day bareback rides. Today was a little more eventful than I had anticipated as a storm rolled through town just a few minutes into our ride. Ana started freaking out so I jumped off and walked her through it. I've never seen her so scared. I spent a good 20 minutes just walking and talking to her. At first, I could hardly hold her as she pranced around me in tiny circles; then she switched to a hasty high-headed walk and finally settled into a slow, low-headed relaxed walk.
> 
> https://youtu.be/M4vNl0uiI30
> 
> We have only one more bareback ride planned for Monday as I will be cleared to resume all my normal activities Wednesday. Yay!


Sounds like you had fun  Whenever a horse starts trying to prance around me in concern I get their feet moving and brain working..with LOTS of changes of direction on lunge line. They usually forget about whats going on around them after a few abrupt changes because they realize they need to focus on you to keep YOU from going after them lol! If I don't have a long enough lunge, I'll work on sending them back and forth between things, like me and the wall...or mounting block, or doing little half circles...I just keep them moving and mind engaged.


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## frlsgirl

Hi Evilamc :wave:

Thanks for dropping by; yes your way is certainly effective. Ana is recovering from a hock injury so I have to be somewhat careful with moving her around me; the thing is; one day, we are going to be in an indoor Dressage show and it will rain and thunder like this, I need her to trust me, and I need to be able to calm her down; my instructor wants me to get her head down low because that causes the brain to flood with calming chemicals. I'm hoping that I will get brave enough, and that Ana will be obedient enough that I can ride through such events; but without a saddle and me not 100% sound, no way 

Speaking of being brave, I drove out to the barn last night in the snow and ice cause I was dying to see my girl! I'm so glad I went out cause I ended up doing ground work with my friend and her horse. I got there first and was trying to get Ana started but she was so full of beans, it was hard to contain her. So friend suggested I let her loose to let off some steam. I took the halter off, and walked toward the gate while continuing to converse with my friend, when she suddenly busted out laughing and said "I think you've done too many join-up exercises with Ana; look who's behind you!" She followed me all the way to the gate and just wouldn't leave my side; I even got a longe whip and signaled her to leave; she just made a small loop and came right back to me.

So we ended up doing a rehab exercise program for laid up horses; you start with carrot stretches, then have the horse back up 30 steps and then you finish by walking over a set of 5-8 poles, up to 25 times. It was unclear who was walking who but we both got our exercise in.

The weather is supposed to clear up now so I'm going to let BM know to turn Ana loose; she really needs to go back to her pasture where she can roam free and let some of this pinned up energy out.

Tomorrow I'm 14 days post op which means I'm cleared to ride! I can't wait!


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## evilamc

Ohh I forgot about her injury! Yes keeping the head low def helps too! If my horses are sometimes super looky about something I'll bring their heads down to the floor lol! It does work! I need to teach a head down cue from the saddle though still.

Cute that she follows you everywhere!


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## frlsgirl

Just wanted to share some awesome Morgan news; I always love it when the little guy succeeds 

Turns out a Morgan is nominated for horse of the year; most notably is her performance in the Dressage ring; this is from the USEF website:

"PVF Peace of Mind, the charismatic eight-year-old Morgan mare, reached unbelievable heights in 2015 and has proven to be unbeatable with owner Suzy Stafford. In the carriage, in an astonishing feat of competitive excellence, “Hunny” won in each of her three FEI combined driving events this year, including the CAI2* Hermitage Classic in Goshen, Ky., the prestigious CAI2* Kentucky Classic in Lexington, Ky., and a second consecutive win at the CAI2* Live Oak International in Ocala, Fla. Most importantly, Hunny’s dominating performance in all three phases of competition at Hermitage earned her and Stafford the 2015 USEF Single Horse Driving National Championship by an incredible 14-point margin over their closest rival._* PVF *__*Peace of Mind holds the current FEI high score dressage record in the CAI 3* B HP1 Dressage test in the United States and all of Europe. *_ _*Hunny has been undefeated in the dressage arena this year with Stafford. *_Demonstrating her versatility under saddle,_* Hunny was undefeated at First Level ridden dressage and crowned First Level Show Champion *_at the popular Massachusetts Morgan Horse Show this summer."


You can read more about the nominees here:

USEF Announces Nominees for 2015 USEF Horses of the Year - USEF Network

PS: OMG this mare is in the same group of nominees as Verdades; Laura Graves' Dressage mount. Pretty awesome!


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## frlsgirl

Had my first official post surgery ride! 

Didn't have any problems but I was tired after just 20 minutes so we called it quits; the arena was packed so there wasn't really a place to go anyway. 

A very tall person took this picture so it makes Ana look really small :riding:


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## frlsgirl

When I returned her to her pasture she wanted to stop and kanoodle with her boyfriend :loveshower:


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## frlsgirl

After all the rain, ice and snow, her pasture is a muddy mess:


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## frlsgirl

So a while back we had worked with an outside vendor to get roundbales for Ana and Tammy's pasture. After another boarder also inquired about roundbales, the BM has decided to switch all the pasture horses to roundbales and got a special hay ring for each of them.


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## frlsgirl

Wow, what a year 2015 has been for Miss Ana and I! First Dressage show, first blue ribbon, first clinic, first time getting fitted in person by a professional saddle fitter.

We dabbled with Straightness Training and continue to utilize some the these concepts in our training.

We both learned so much this year; controlling the outside shoulder with the outside rein was a big one for me; it makes riding so much easier and prettier. 

I finally got my floppy leg under control and then I found out it was the saddle all along; now I don't have to "try" to keep my leg quiet; it just happens.

We continued to improve rein contact and most importantly, contact acceptance; while playing around with different "frames" or ways of going in order to find her ideal way of using her body. Now we just need to work on endurance; her ability to tap into her correct frame more quickly and being able to maintain it for longer.

Eager to progress more quickly and on a more solid time table, I signed up for Dressage Mastery; I learned some new concepts and was able to incorporate that in Ana's training.

Frustrated with my lack of access to shows, clinics, lessons, I experimented with a new instructor that had moved to our barn. The new instructor helped us work through some issues and get transportation to events which we otherwise would not have been able to attend.

We continued to tackle our canter demons with the help of the new instructor; which improved to the point that I was willing and able to canter in a test. Just as we thought her canter was improving and it began falling apart again.

I had the opportunity to ride with Laurie again which helped me see that she is really the best instructor for us although the barn's instructor has helped us with some important concepts.

Then I thought I had all of our remaining problems solved with the purchase of the new saddle only to find out that she's lame in her right hind; then came a big pause as I was attempting to rehab her injury while recovering from surgery.

Now 2016 is knocking on our door. What will the new year bring? What are we going to do different? What shall we build on? What should we discontinue? Will we be going to more shows? What level should we show at? Which shows should we go to?

I don't know about you guys but I'm super excited about 2016 as I hope to continue to learn from my greatest teacher, the mysterious Miss Ana; part wiggle worm, part horse, and a whole lot of personality. 

Just wanted to thank you guys for your support and helpful comments. Have a happy new year!


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## frlsgirl

After riding her Wednesday, I gave her Thursday off and rode her Friday with saddle followed by just a light bare-back ride on Saturday. Since I don't want to ride her more than two days in a row, I gave her Sunday off. 

I did stop by the barn though to check on my supplies as they keep disappearing; nobody wants to admit to it, so I go to the barn every day, look for my stuff, and put it back where it belongs. It shouldn't be that way, but that's how it is. I spent a week looking for my longe whip and found it outside laying in the dirt. A day later, I was casually looking through my FB feed, and I see one of the boarders posted a video on FB using my longe whip to teach the cats how to jump. I messaged her and she said that she found it sitting in the corner and thought it belonged to the barn :x.

So I told myself I was just going to move on as it's just a little annoyance that I can deal with; as long as my saddle doesn't disappear I'm ok with it.

So then I walk out to Ana's pasture I find the most disgusting molded hay I've ever seen. With all the rain we've had, some mold is expected and most horses know to eat around it but this mold is pretty bad.

Long story short, I'm casually barn shopping again; I have a lead on a barn far away that might work; I wouldn't get to see Ana as much but Laurie is out there on a regular basis so I would get more lessons and maybe even training rides. There is another barn that's even further away where Laurie also teaches on a regular basis. 

Anyway, keep all your fingers and toes crossed that we find something suitable for both of us.


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## frlsgirl

BIG NEWS!

I'm moving Ana to another barn!

I'm making arrangements right now for transportation, date of move, etc.

Stay tuned


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## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> BIG NEWS!
> 
> I'm moving Ana to another barn!
> 
> I'm making arrangements right now for transportation, date of move, etc.
> 
> Stay tuned


First it was Wallaby, then Elle, then you! I am also moving my horse soon as well

Funny thing I think!


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> First it was Wallaby, then Elle, then you! I am also moving my horse soon as well
> 
> Funny thing I think!


Oh I didn't know about the others...will have to check out their journals.

The move will be good for us as I no longer have to worry about Ana's safety and the BO rides/teaches Dressage and has her bronze medal.

I just want Ana to be safe and happy.


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## frlsgirl

Ok, so here is an update regarding the move:

We are moving Saturday morning; I used to take lessons at the barn before I got Ana and continued with lessons there for the first month I had Ana. It's a small barn with 18 horses; the owner is also the manager, trainer, barn help, feeder, etc. She has her bronze medal in Dressage and attends Dressage shows on a regular basis; once a year, the barn hosts a Dressage schooling show.

The indoor is bigger than regulation size; it's open on two sides to help with ventilation; they have letters but I can't recall if they have mirrors. They also have a very large outdoor arena.

Ana will be on stall board with daily turnout. I will be able to take Dressage lessons from her AND trailer to some Dressage shows and events with her. She is close to Laurie's main barn so there is a possibility of trailering to Laurie's for an occasional lesson kind of like what I'm currently doing.

The place is not as big and fancy as my current place, but I won't have to worry about Ana falling through the cracks of the system; she won't get in trouble for stealing food any more because she will be fed her in stall. 

She likes the idea of a stall but she's not used to spending a lot of time locked up so we will need to see how that goes.

There is a possibility to have Ana in full-time training with the owner but I will also inquire on occasional training rides.

I'm saving $25 a month on board so that's another plus. The barn is exactly 20 minutes of highway miles from my house whereas current barn is 20 minutes of in town miles; so it's further away but way easier to get to than to weave through the back roads of Tulsa.

They have a wash stall with running warm water; another feature that is missing from my current barn.

The new barn is small and private; it's less likely that my supplies will grow legs and wonder off.

Best of all I have a knowledgeable person at my disposal who can help me get unstuck; she'll be able to tell me if Ana is lame, if she's not behaving right, if the bridle doesn't fit, if she needs a chiro etc. whereas right now I have to figure these things out on my own and end up spending a lot of money trying to find a solution.

Ana and I have made so many friends at my current barn that it will be sad to say good bye to them; my closest friend, Ophelia's owner is meeting me at the barn tonight for one last ride together; I'm sure there will be more crying than riding.

So it's a bitter sweet move, but will help us progress in our Dressage journey and Ana will be safer there; I just hope that she will adjust and be happy.


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## frlsgirl

I couldn't wait to get to the barn last night to tell Ana the good news. She was waiting for me by the fence and called out to me as soon as she saw me! She was super excited to see me; it was almost as though we had set an appointment together and I was running late and she was letting me know. She stuck her head over the fence to make it easier for me to get the halter on. I told her that she would soon be starting a new adventure at another barn; she seems open to it.

Since the temp kept dropping we decided to just do some light riding; I put the saddle on her and immediately thought it was too far behind the scapula but couldn't prove it; this is one of those moments where I wish I had a knowledgeable Dressage instructor by my side to help me fix it; this will be remedied with the move to the new barn, yay. 

But I digress, back to last night....the cleaning crew showed up right as we were about to ride and made quite a lot of noise; I really wanted to work on her unsteady rein connection; an instructor at another barn had made a little video for me to show what to do if the horse goes above and below the contact; since Ana was so excited and looky she gave me lots of opportunity how to practice fixing above the contact and you know what, it WORKS! 

So at one point the cleaning crew was cleaning the upstairs window that looks over the arena and it basically looked like someone was waving a white towel, Ana's head shot up and I immediately went back to the rein connection exercise and FIXED IT! It was so cute though because Ana was trying to be obedient while still keeping one ear on the window; she corrected herself and twisted the outside ear as far as it would go.

So this gave me a great deal of confidence because now I feel like I can fix/prevent/manage spookortunities. 

This is probably the best ride I've had with her in that she was so eager to work with me, listened, corrected herself before I had to correct her with a stronger aid, and all that while the cleaning crew was twirling around us.

So it was a wonderful ride with Ana and BFF Ophelia.

I'm glad the cleaning crew was there because it's just another annoyance that I won't miss when I move to a much smaller and quieter place Saturday plus I got to practice how to keep Ana's attention on me when she wants to be looky.


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## Skyseternalangel

And what exactly is this technique for fixing rein connection?


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> And what exactly is this technique for fixing rein connection?


I'm sending you a PM :wink:


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## frlsgirl

Wanted to make a full pro and con list for this move; as you can see the pros outweigh the cons; of course I won't know the full weight of pros and cons until I'm moved in and settled into a routine. Also, some of the cons are only possible cons, I just won't know until I've been there for a while.

Pro:
Save $25 a month on board 
Easy fast drive from home or work 
Stall boarding with daily turnout
Bigger than regulation size indoor arena 
Smaller barn 
BO lives on property 
BO personally handles/feeds horses 
BO is bronze medalist 
Barn hosts one dressage show a year 
BO is capable & available to instruct Ana and I 
BO is capable & available to help me with misc questions 
BO is capable & available & small enough to ride Ana 
BO regularly travels to Dressage shows - open to trailer together 
Running cold and hot water 
Less crowding; more room to ride 
Possibility to trailer to Laurie's other barn for clinic type lessons 
Tack storage is safer 
Access/chance to try supplies that are actually useful 
BO is a proponent of non traditional Dressage horses 
Less stressing/worrying about Ana's safety 
Less stressing/worrying about going/getting to Dressage shows 
Less stressing/worrying about unanswered horse care or training questions 
Opportunity to ride other well schooled Dressage horses
Already know the owner & barn & feel comfortable and safe there 
It's exciting to start a new adventure and meet new people
A better more consistent routine for Ana

Con:
Don't know how Ana will handle stall boarding long term/could be good or could be bad 
Some highway noise is noticable 
Less room for tack storage 
Not as fancy and pretty as old barn 
Proximity to the hwy could pose a safety issue if Ana were to break free 
Might have to get new farrier - this one is a bummer as he's doing such a good job with Ana's feet
Might have to get new vet/might be a good thing to get another vet's perspective/but I do love Ana's current vet
More restricted in riding times/visiting but because I'm no longer fighting for space it may not be an issue 
Barn is farther away although the drive time remains the same 
Arena may freak Ana out - but it's also a great learning opportunity 
It's sad to leave my friends behind!


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## frlsgirl

Looks like it might snow Saturday so we are going to move Ana on Friday instead. I'm so nervous I haven't really slept since Sunday; just running on sugar and caffeine. I hate change but I know it needs to happen. Especially now when it's so cold outside at night, it will be comforting to know that Ana is tucked away, safe and sound in a freshly cleaned stall.


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## frlsgirl

Last selfie at old barn.....

...we did just a little longe work last night; and packed, and packed; where did all this stuff come from? 

I contacted Ana's previous owner who assured me that she would be fine on stall board.

I feel better now; I'll feel even better tomorrow afternoon when we are finally moved!

Working 7 to 11 tomorrow; then run to barn, grab lunch on the way, pack Ana's feed, and supplements, one last bucket full of supplies, meet Ophelia's owner there; hopefully she'll have the truck hooked up and be ready to go, then I just need to grab Ana, load her, say good bye and move on.


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## frlsgirl

*Ana has been successfully moved to the new barn!*

Day 1 at new barn!

The move is complete! It was a really good experience. Ophelia's mom hauled Ana for me and I lead the way in my car.

Ana loaded and unloaded without any issues; she was really high headed when we arrived as she was taking it all in; I walked her around a bit and hand-grazed her, before walking her to her freshly made up stall; she went right in, like she knew that this is her stall now.

Then the BO invited us to join the barn's group luncheon. We went to this Amish place; it was a whole bunch of really nice and normal women just chatting about horses while enjoying lunch.

Then we drove back to the barn; Ophelia's mom left while I stayed behind and got the rest of my stuff unloaded and then I turned Ana out in the indoor so that she could stretch her legs and look at everything.

Then I walked around and took some pictures. I was pleased to see that Ana is not the only Morgan there! The BO has a Morgan gelding named Trooper whom she uses for lessons.

The arena is huge!!! The place is not as fancy as the last barn but a lot more functional. I'm really impressed with the quality of care as well as the friendly family atmosphere.


Day 2 at new barn! 

Ana slept well, had just finished her breakfast, and was contently munching on fresh green hay when I arrived. She seemed happy to see me but not in a "thank God you're here please get me out of here" kind a way.

We did some longe work; she was very frisky but still obedient; I should have brought my GoPro and filmed it; she was very flashy today.
BO came into the arena to work one of her horses so I moved to the other end of the arena; the arena is so freaking huge that we never got in each other's way.

Ana got a little spooky on that side because the wind and snow made a funny noise on the arena wall so we finished by hand walking up and down that side until she was willing to lower her head and relax.

Then I tucked her back into her freshly cleaned stall.

I chatted some more with BO and BM and was just very impressed with the standard of care and all the different options available to us there.
The boarders there are very similar to me; working class women with normal, non-traditional horses who like to compete but also like to just hang out and have a good time. Ana is no longer the oddball at the barn; she just fits right in.

The weather is supposed to be crappy for the rest of the weekend. I may or may not go out there tomorrow but that's ok because I have 100% confidence that my horse is in great hands.


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## frlsgirl

Day 3 at the new barn. It was super cold today; 12F at am with a high of 28F! Burr!

Needless to say, riding was not on the schedule today but I wanted to spend time with her anyway.

She was turned out in the indoor when I arrived; I would recognize that sweet face anywhere!

I was trying to find something for us to do so we started with ground work in the arena; basically I walk around in different patterns and Ana follows me. One of the boarders came up to me and said "How do you get your horse to follow you around like that?"

To be honest, I don't know how I taught her that. I guess when you work with your horse enough, eventually they all do that, don't they? I guess it helps to have a in-your-pocket, puppy dog personality kind of horse.

So I stopped walking and just hung out by the fence chatting with the other boarder and Ana got bored. She kept creeping closer and closer to me and eventually had her muzzle in my face as if she was saying "mom, mom, mom!"

So I excused myself and continued walking with Ana.

We ended with hand grazing all over the property before I tucked her back into her freshly cleaned stall.

I haven't sat on her since last Monday due to the weather and being preoccupied with the move.

I'm planning on riding her tomorrow night for the first time since moving there Friday. I'm kind of nervous but also really excited.

This picture is so funny; notice the two disgruntled mares in the background saying "thanks for blocking our view!"


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## frlsgirl

We survived our first ride at the new barn! I hand walked her around for a good 15 minutes; it started to get dark so BO showed me how to turn the lights on; I'm glad I wasn't mounted yet because Ana twitched as the lights made a funny noise. Then she held Ana for me so that I could get on. 

For some reason, I was real nervous and expected Ana to bolt all over the place; didn't happen. She watched me ride her for a minute and left us. When she walked out the gate, Ana's head shot up and she started to get hasty, which made me worry that she was fixing to act silly; so I did lots of loopy figures to keep her mind on me.

Here is the thing with loopy figures: it's great to get the horse's attention, and can help loosen them up BUT if you do too many loops, at some point your horse turns into a pretzel, and then a simple command of going forward suddenly seems really complex. I'm glad I filmed our ride because it felt like she wasn't going forward enough and like she was really buldgy with her shoulder; the video doesn't look half as bad as it felt to me, except that she still doesn't quite want to go forward at the trot. 

So I wonder if it's her, or if it's me? I wonder if my expectations exceed Ana's abilities at the moment? Or if my expectations exceed my ability to get Ana to move correctly? Am I holding her together too much that she feels like she can't move forward? Are her hips bothering her and that's keeping her from moving more forward? Her walk is great as long as I leave it alone. Her trot, just seems so hesitant. I don't know what to do with it.

When I longed her Saturday, she was my perfect flashy Morgan, forward, graceful, playful and showing off. I need that trot under saddle.

Planning on a lesson this week to get to the bottom of it. BO did mention that she saw me ride briefly and thought she looked good; not sure if she saw me trot her though.

It could be all me; holding her back without even knowing that I'm doing it. I might just need to let her go on a loose rein and ask her to trot and not pick up the reins and see if I can just get her forward; in Dressage, without forward you have nothing; you can't do anything else unless the horse if forward. That means I can't be worried about her spooking or bolting; I just need to let her be.

Today will be the first day that she won't see me; I'm sure she'll be fine. I'm sure I'll be fine, too.


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## Mulefeather

So glad the new place is working out for you and Ana! Being at a barn where there's more of your "people" (aka people who've got the same goals/viewpoints towards horses) makes such a big difference.


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## frlsgirl

Mulefeather said:


> So glad the new place is working out for you and Ana! Being at a barn where there's more of your "people" (aka people who've got the same goals/viewpoints towards horses) makes such a big difference.


YES! Funny thing, Sunday it was too cold to ride but I wanted to see Ana anyway, so I was hand grazing her and two other boarders showed up and decided to do the exact same thing. So there we were, 3 normal ladies hand-grazing our non-fancy horses, and then we had to leave because we had plans with our husbands


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## frlsgirl

Some more interesting facts about the new barn:

They feed at 8am and 8pm; that way the meals are equally spread out; it also makes it easier for the people who want to ride after work because you don't have to wait around for the horses to eat before you ride them. At the old barn, they fed breakfast between 7am and 8:30am and dinner between 2:30pm and 4:30pm; I didn't think it was a good idea to feed dinner so soon in the afternoon because then the horse would be starving by breakfast time.

They feed Purina Equine Senior; once Ana is down to her last bag of alfalfa, we will slowly switch her over to that. Apparently, it's higher in vitamins than regular feed so there is no need to add supplements anymore; it's also made to be more digestible than regular horse feed, which will be good because she had coliced twice at the last barn, but they were feeding cheap grain and she got way too much of it, which is why the vet had suggested switching her to alfalfa to begin with. Problem with the alfalfa is that it doesn't provide complete all around nutrition so then you have to add supplements and if you don't know what you're doing, you can cancel out nutrients that are already in the alfalfa. 

They have several different types of turnout options; they have a small pasture, the indoor, the outdoor, a round pen and two large pastures; so they try to find the best option for each horse; and rotate horses around depending on what is needed. 

Sunday she was in the indoor; Monday she was in the outdoor, I can't remember what they did Saturday but I was there for a good chunk of the day and worked her in the indoor. One lady has her horse turned out at night and in the stall during the day. So they really try to customize based on need, which is nice. Ana seemed bored in the indoor, like she didn't know what she's supposed to do. She was pretty muddy from the outdoor turnout so she must have done some running and playing. Ana would probably be happiest in the small pasture, since it's similar to what she had at the old barn; I will ask BO about that. BO will not turn horses out together because she doesn't want them to play or fight and get hurt. Ana would love to have someone to play with so that's a bummer but I totally understand.

They have a normal sized mounting block as opposed to the giant mounting block that I'm used to which means I have to step into the iron and swing my leg over; I'm always so nervous that the saddle is going to slide so I had BO put weight in it; I really need to get over that anyway, because most places do not have gigantic mounting blocks.

I discovered that there is a saddle hanger thing outside of Ana's stall so that's gonna make tacking up a lot easier as the tack room is a separate little building outside of the barn. 

Speaking of tack room, it is equipped with a small kitchen; fridge, sink, microwave and coffee maker; that's gonna come in handy on days when I want to spend extra time with her. There are more saddle holder things and bridle hooks than tack, so I everyone can spread out.

The bathroom does not have a shower, but it has two full length mirrors which comes in handy come schooling show season, so you can check for TP hanging out of your pants


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## frlsgirl

We had a great first lesson!

You know you've found a good instructor when this happens:

Me: "Well, can you fix her canter?"

Instructor: "It's not a matter of fixing her canter; it will improve as her overall balance improves; focus on getting better balance at the trot first; use cavaletti; work on getting the back swinging consistently; don't canter her very much; I would only canter her maybe twice a week."

So I'm realizing some things; firstly, I'm not working her hard enough during our rides; and I'm not working her often enough. I'm glad I video'd our ride because now I can see how long she had us trot without a break; we were both getting tired but kept pushing through. 

Also, I think I now know how Ana twisted her hock; it was that exercise that M had me do; she had me trot over a pole and do a sharp turn left or right which would cause her inside hind to really twist and take on heavy weight. Most of the horses under M's care are lame; some so severely that they are getting retired; another reason why I wanted to get out of that barn; I wasn't sure if it was the training or the footing or both. M is in the business of quick fixes, *good* Dressage instructors build up horses so that they can use their bodies more effectively while minimizing the risk for injury.

I'm glad that we are on the right path now; a much less glamorous path, but much healthier for Ana and I.


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## frlsgirl

We had our first alone, day-time ride. It was awesome; my biggest fear was mounting as I'm not used to putting weight in the stirrup; she did fine. The saddle didn't slide but the pad moved a little bit; no big deal.

The arena is so awesome; so much freaking space! I'm learning to really get my act together; I know how to ride her correctly but it's so much work that I don't always want to put in that much effort. Does that make sense? BUT, if we ever want to get above intro level, I need to suck it up and ride her correctly ALL the time. No more excuses! So we worked really hard!

See the pic where she's above the bit? That's me just casually trotting along, not even trying to fix anything. I can't do that. I need to fix it; otherwise, she will never learn.

See the foam pic? That happened when I decided to really work her.

I had felt stuck in my training because Ana is such a wiggle worm that she can go above and below the bit in a split second; I didn't know how to correct the below the bit without compromising her willingness to accept the bit. The BO taught me to give her a good bump with my leg, to wake her up and send her forward; instead of pulling her head back up with the reins; that way she has no excuse to not accept the reins.

It's tough, but we can do it. 

If I only want to ride casually sometime, then I need to just ride her on a loose rein, that way she knows the difference between casually strolling and doing real work.

It's a matter of planning our rides and not deviating from the plan.


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## frlsgirl

I love these pics from Saturday :loveshower:


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## frlsgirl

:clap::happydance:Guess who won international horse of the year:

PVF Peace of Mind and Brunello Earn 2015 Horse of the Year Titles - USEF Network


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## tinyliny

sorry, I missed the connection between that morgan mare and yours. are they of same breeding?
\
\
\


and this:










is a lovely picture of a horse in self carriage. not as collected or rocked back as she can be, but in light, effective balance.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Very good. I'm glad you've found a good instructor, it sounds like she'll take you guys in a good direction. Good luck! Keep up on the progress.

She's definitely a cute mare and cavaletti and poll work is very helpful.

And yes with trainers that are in the business of "quick fixes" and covering up they do tend to have barns of hurt or lame horses. It's really a shame but some trainers don't care to take their time. They'd rather show at a higher level that makes them "look good" than have that horse progress properly. Glad you've found a good trainer


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> sorry, I missed the connection between that morgan mare and yours. are they of same breeding?.


I don't think they are related; might be distant cousins as most Morgans are

I had posted about this Morgan a couple of weeks ago when I found out she was one of the nominees. She was the only Morgan nominated; other contenders included Laura Graves' Verdades, and others. I just get super excited when a Morgan succeeds, and wanted to share the news with y'all.





tinyliny said:


> and this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> is a lovely picture of a horse in self carriage. not as collected or rocked back as she can be, but in light, effective balance.


Thanks for the kind words. Her canter is actually her most unbalanced gait; I call it the pony express; her legs just go flying through the air so fast, kind of like knifes at a hibachi steak house. I just really like the picture from an artistic standpoint.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Very good. I'm glad you've found a good instructor, it sounds like she'll take you guys in a good direction. Good luck! Keep up on the progress.
> 
> She's definitely a cute mare and cavaletti and poll work is very helpful.
> 
> And yes with trainers that are in the business of "quick fixes" and covering up they do tend to have barns of hurt or lame horses. It's really a shame but some trainers don't care to take their time. They'd rather show at a higher level that makes them "look good" than have that horse progress properly. Glad you've found a good trainer


Hello DanteDressageNerd :wave:

Welcome to Ana's thread and thank you for the kind words. I've certainly learned my lesson when it comes to boarding and training.


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## frlsgirl

I raced out to the barn last night to ride Ana; I was so stressed out from work that I told myself I was only going to ride casually on a loose rein; but Ana had other plans. She was worked up to the point that she was scared of her own poop; so I had to switch into work mode and really, really work her. 

We only rode for 20 minutes because it was so cold and I had a very drippy nose. When I finally let her relax and stretch, she was totally calm and compliant. BO walked over to us and said that Ana looked really good tonight! Yay!

I'm glad I ran into her because I needed to ask her if she could ride Ana for me this week and I wanted to show her where I keep Ana's tack. She will probably ride her Thursday.

Work has just been so crazy busy that I'm not sure if I'll make it out there again before Friday.

I'm learning that it's not necessary to ride Ana for long stretches of time; I'm much better off riding her really well for 20 minutes, than letting her run all over me for 45 minutes. She is a sweet horse but she WILL take advantage of you if you are not 100% focused on her.

I'm curious to see what BO has to say after she rides her


----------



## egrogan

^^Just want to say I can sympathize- work is so crazy for me right now, I'm getting almost no time at the barn. I am very eager for the daylight to really start extending so I can actually get out there in the evenings again. And for it to be above 20*F too!! 

Love the picture of Ana on the longe line- among her other talents, apparently she can also _fly! _


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> ^^Just want to say I can sympathize- work is so crazy for me right now, I'm getting almost no time at the barn. I am very eager for the daylight to really start extending so I can actually get out there in the evenings again. And for it to be above 20*F too!!
> 
> Love the picture of Ana on the longe line- among her other talents, apparently she can also _fly! _


Hang in there Erin! The first day of spring is only 60 days away :thumbsup:


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## frlsgirl

I haven't seen Ana since Monday but I am planning on going directly to the barn after work tomorrow; it's supposed to warm up a little bit over the weekend and husband is planning on going hunting which means lots of free time for me to spend with Ana. 

BO is planning on riding her today; since Ana had Tuesday and Wednesday off, she should be nice and fresh for her 

:runpony:


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## frlsgirl

fftopic: Ugh! I had the craziest work week EVER! So out of the blue, the president of the company invites me to lunch; I'm somewhere between terrified and curious because I wonder why. I've never exchanged more than 10 words with him since starting my job last August. In a down market where everyone is losing their job, I'm thinking this can't be a good thing.

So he tells me that I'm doing such a great job that he wants to promote me; I'm thinking ok, that's not so bad, but he wants to promote me to CFO!!! My boss is the current CFO; so how awkward is that!?! Current CFO told me when he hired me that there are zero growth opportunities because the next step up would be CFO and he ain't going anywhere.

Honestly, I'm totally ok with sitting in my office and doing current job until I die or retire; I don't need or want the stress of CFO; most importantly, I'm the kind of gal who wants no trouble; it's more important to me to get along with everyone than to rock the boat by taking someone's job.

My husband is over the moon excited about the possibility that I might soon be a CFO and is already looking at air planes to buy! Yikes!

I'm not sure if president already talked to CFO, but this morning CFO was kind of rude and off-standish towards me; I hope he doesn't think that I'm trying to backstab my way to the top! 

So suddenly my happy work place has become a place of great stress. I texted my old boss to see how her new job is going and she quit and is now working with our old team from previous job at a new company; I miss my old team so much; we texted back and forth a little bit, and I asked if they are fully staffed yet; she didn't respond.

I think I'm going to keep in touch with my old team and try really hard to fly under the radar at my current job as much as possible and avoid any weird interactions with president or CFO. Then when the market stabilizes, I'm going to see if I can jump ship and work with my old team again. Husband is totally against this as his pupils have turned into dollar signs.

Money isn't everything; as long as I have a comfortable job where I can support my princess and have plenty of barn time, that's really the ideal situation for me.

Sorry about the long off topic post.


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## gottatrot

I can understand your perspective on your work situation. I was offered a supervisor position a couple months ago which I turned down, and I haven't regretted it. For one thing, the supervisors at my job are kind of stuck between levels - they're not really management and not staff either. So that puts them in an awkward place trying to make everyone happy. For another thing, I would have had to change my work time from 7 pm to 6 pm, and I prefer going to work later so I can feed the horses later. More stress and more responsibility takes up more of your time and energy, and for me time is more important than money. Hopefully your husband will understand.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks everyone. Gottatrot - I'm glad I'm not the only one who considers how job changes could affect horsey time.

I rarely go this far off topic but in this case it would significantly impact my life with Ana and my future Dressage goals; on a CFO salary, I would be able to afford that fancy WB but then I wouldn't have time to train it, and ride it. 

However, I'm not sure that investing in a cookie cutter Dressage horse is for me; I kind of feel like I'm meant to do this with Ana; I've just learned so much from her; maybe my journey with her is not about moving up the levels in Dressage quickly but rather learning how to bring out the best in her; and that might take a little longer.

Speaking on working with my spirited pony, we had our first spook under saddle yesterday; it turns out the corner gremlins have relocated to the middle of the arena wall by letter B. I hate how I reacted by pulling back like I did but we were able to recover fairly quickly and move on (spook happens toward the end of video):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26XZw_LCxek

We ended with some really nice loose rein walk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqJHMrGclPI


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## gottatrot

That was a lovely walk on the second video and she is tracking up very nicely.


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## frlsgirl

gottatrot said:


> That was a lovely walk on the second video and she is tracking up very nicely.


Thank you; even though she is trotting breed, her walk consistently gets higher marks than her trot. 

I realize it's partly my fault as I'm not riding her well enough at the trot, but we are getting there.


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## frlsgirl

It was in the 50s yesterday with 20mph winds, so I decided the christen the outdoor arena; she had been worked pretty hard Friday and Saturday so I wanted to just take it easy and work on getting her more in tune with my seat. 

I had posted an update in my amateur Dressage group with this picture and an international Dressage judge commented that Ana looks really good - "open" is the word she used. This judge frequently comments on people's post but I've never, ever seen her write anything complimentary or positive so I was over the moon excited to get this comment from her. 

Now we just need to improve her trot and canter. Her trot was nice and open when I first got Ana BUT her back was dropped; so we had to deconstruct her, to get her round first before bringing her up again. Her canter was adorable but it was a tiny western pleasure horse canter; her footfall sequence was mostly correct, but the hind legs didn't have any pushing power; now that we have power, we've lost relaxation so we are working on putting all the right pieces back together; easier said than done.

In other news, 2 years ago today, Ana became my very own pony. :loveshower:


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## frlsgirl

Here is a pic of the BO's geldings:


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## frlsgirl

Do you ever get this feeling that someone is watching you? :wink:

I try to hurry when I'm tacking her up but she always manages to slide the lead rope from side to side so that she can follow me/watch me. 

I have my second lesson tonight; I'm so excited! :happydance:


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## frlsgirl

I had an eye opening lesson last night.

We had taken a walk break after some extensive trot work and when instructor asked me to pick up the reins again Ana threw a huge fit because she equates stretchy walk with being done for the day.

So instructor had me alternate between hard exercise, stretchy exercise and moderately difficult exercise to get Ana more mentally flexible.

She was ****ed at first but after riding through a few cycles of the alternating exercises she finally realized that it's not so bad.

We did small circle at C then turn on quarter line proceed straight and when lined up with B leg yield toward F; at A begin stretchy trot circle when returning to A pick up reins again and do a regular trot circle.

I'm exhausted today and I'm sure Ana is, too.


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## frlsgirl

Lots of pictures to share from the weekend. She is looking so much better; the dip that had formed between her withers and neck has finally filled in. She seems really content with her new home; enjoys turnout but also looks forward to going back into her stall. 

I rode her three days in a row; she did show some lameness in her right hind yesterday; she is fine if I work her two days in a row, but three is too much. I didn't feel the lameness when I was riding her, but could see it when I reviewed the video footage; she basically steps short on the right hind if I ask her to carry more weight at the trot; she is totally fine to walk and trotting straight lines if fine too; it's just weight bearing exercises; she is fine if I give her a day of rest in between. So I'm not sure if it's a legitimate lameness or just muscle soreness from working too many days in a row. If I give her a day off, she is totally fine to bear extra weight on it again. I'm going to discuss with BO and see if she would suggest a chiro.

Speaking of BO; she was on vacation from Thursday through Sunday; she had mentioned that a young lady would be house sitting; I had no idea that the young lady is MB; a bronze medalist whom I had met at the Sand Springs show; I spent a lot of time conversing with her and observing her ride; she is REALLY good! 

Cold weather is supposed to return this week so Ana will be getting a couple of days off; going forward, I may just need to make sure that she only gets worked every other day or two days in row at the most.

What do you all do? Do you work your horse every day? Every other day? Do you have a system or do you just ride when you can?


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## CityslickerfrFla

Have to say your horse is beautiful!! I have no comments re: working your horse every day - talk to your BO or vet. It's great you recognize the right hind issues now though than waiting until some injury may happen.


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## frlsgirl

:welcome: Hello CitySlickerfrFla - thanks for dropping by and your kind words about Ana 

It used to be years ago, trainers said you are supposed to work out every other day to give your muscles a day to recover; then they changed their mind and said to work out every day but to work on different things each day (leg day vs, upper body day); recently, they discovered that short burst of exercise is more effective (HIIT). 

I was just curious if the same holds true for horses and how these new findings may be implemented in horse training; I guess alternating workouts doesn't work for horses since every day is leg day :wink:


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## knightrider

For years I only had one horse and rode it every day, giving it one day off a week just because I should.

Now I have 3 horses and alternate riding 2 of them, ride my daughter's filly only one day a week as she rides 2 other days. I don't know if it matters that much. I never rode as intensely as you do--just trails for an hour or two. 

I laughed out loud when you said, "Every day is leg day."


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## egrogan

In the past year or so, I've finally had to admit to myself that right now, I'm "just" a pleasure rider, so I ride when I can. It's the reality of where I am with my career right now. But seeing all these journals, with all of you beautiful riders working seriously towards specific training goals, gives me something to aim for in the future- how far in the future is anyone's guess 

Since you and Ana have goals you're working towards, I'd just talk with your trainer about the best schedule.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies; I left a message for a chiro who is coming to our barn in the next couple of weeks. I haven't had a chance to converse much with BO because she's been out of town; hopefully I will see her sometime this week and then I will talk to her about her philosophy on training schedule.


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## frlsgirl

I almost forgot, Ana made a new friend! Her name is Alex; she's a palomino paint and has the sweetest disposition. If only I were independently wealthy; I would buy her as a companion for Ana.


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## frlsgirl

I'm still trying to solve Ana's mystery lameness and some people had mentioned saddle fit; ironically I just got her a brand new expensive custom fitted saddle; I had even made a before and after video where you can clearly see that she goes better and that my position is better. 

Her original saddle was completely wrong for her and was actually pushing on her withers which caused some atrophy in her neck muscles; so the fitter mentioned that her lameness could be caused by the fact that she's used to carrying me on her withers and has just adapted to that and now that I'm sitting in a more correct position, she has to relearn how to balance me on her back.

I left a message for the chiro; he's supposed to come out in the next couple of weeks; she's already had a lameness exam by a vet who couldn't find anything significantly wrong with her; except that she likes to use her right hind in a twisty motion which is not good so I'm supposed to avoid small circles to discourage her from twisting.

I'm going to try something different tonight; I still have that big BOT pad in the trunk of my car; I'm going to start riding her with it to see if it makes a difference; maybe longe her in it first and then just ride her on a loose rein walk and see if there is any change to her way of going. 

She walks like a champ, her trot starts out good but becomes more tense as we go along, unless I drop the reins and let her stretch and then everything is golden again. She doesn't go lame unless I ride her three days in a row and only if I do exercises that require her to engage her right hind more.

I'm just trying to do right by her; I do have to push her little bit so that she can build muscle and progress but I don't want to push her beyond her abilities.

BO rode, she trained her horse from pasture pet to 3rd level Dressage and even earned her bronze medal on him so I trust her judgment. She just said that she doesn't want to engage her right hind as much but didn't detect any actual lameness. Since every horse has a stiff side, I wonder if that's just normal, but then I can feel her stepping short and bopping her head up and down when I'm circling right at the trot on day 3 of riding, and I wonder if that's normal; so then I drop the reins and ride a straight line and she's fine again. 

I just don't know what to make of this. I'm just going to try to only do hard work two days in a row at the most, and either rest on day 3 or do loose rein walk only; and start using the BOT pad and see if any of it makes a difference.


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## SaddleUp158

Do you think the RH short stepping could be weakness? My mare is bad about short stepping but according to my dressage instructor many horses do this initially, it eventually goes away as they get stronger. Plus as a generalizations go, most horses find going right more difficult, maybe this is why? Idk. If she starts this on her third ride of the week I wonder if it is just tired, weak. (I have had my mare checked out, she isn't lame).


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Do you think the RH short stepping could be weakness? My mare is bad about short stepping but according to my dressage instructor many horses do this initially, it eventually goes away as they get stronger. Plus as a generalizations go, most horses find going right more difficult, maybe this is why? Idk. If she starts this on her third ride of the week I wonder if it is just tired, weak. (I have had my mare checked out, she isn't lame).


Yes, I could just be over-analyzing things; I've been known to do that. 

Hopefully the chiro can shed some light on this; in the meantime, I'll try the BOT pad in combination with an altered work schedule. I will also talk to trainer next time I see her.


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## Skyseternalangel

Can you provide pictures of her standing square, including clear hoof pictures from all angles.

I want to see what she actually looks like, from all views. 

The "twisty" RH... I don't understand how avoiding tight circles will help with the movement. Tight circles when a horse is lame put more pressure on it, sure, but if a horse has been moving that way their entire life then it's not going to be as big of an impact.

Sky's rear feet are both twisty. He's not lame in the slightest, never has been... and is able to trot any size circle.

He's not strong enough for cantering though, he needs more muscle to canter smaller circles


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## thesilverspear

Have you spoken to a vet? Given that you have been riding pretty consistently for a while and the horse is not unfit, she should not be showing lameness after three days of work. A sound horse ought to be able to manage three days of dressage schooling without any trouble. 

I usually work my 22-year old mare in the arena (kind of Second Level-ish stuff) two or three days successively, then we go hacking, and she has a day off somewhere. In the winter, it's a bit more scatty because the weather can be dire and she might get extra days off, as we don't have an indoor. I don't usually do dressage for more than three days in a row because I get sick of it, but the horse is certainly capable of it.

A vet with an interest in physio or chiro would be your ideal person. But either way, I would start with the vet doing a lameness work-up, and if they don't find anything, move on to a chiro or physio. 

The only other thing I can think of is that she may need more warm-up in the winter, but that doesn't explain why she is okay for three days, and then becomes unlevel.


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## frlsgirl

thesilverspear said:


> Have you spoken to a vet? Given that you have been riding pretty consistently for a while and the horse is not unfit, she should not be showing lameness after three days of work. A sound horse ought to be able to manage three days of dressage schooling without any trouble.
> 
> I usually work my 22-year old mare in the arena (kind of Second Level-ish stuff) two or three days successively, then we go hacking, and she has a day off somewhere. In the winter, it's a bit more scatty because the weather can be dire and she might get extra days off, as we don't have an indoor. I don't usually do dressage for more than three days in a row because I get sick of it, but the horse is certainly capable of it.
> 
> A vet with an interest in physio or chiro would be your ideal person. But either way, I would start with the vet doing a lameness work-up, and if they don't find anything, move on to a chiro or physio.
> 
> The only other thing I can think of is that she may need more warm-up in the winter, but that doesn't explain why she is okay for three days, and then becomes unlevel.


Yes, she's already had a full lameness exam by a vet; he couldn't find anything significant wrong with her. I had a pro ride her who confirmed that she doesn't like to engage her right hind as much but couldn't detect any actual lameness.

Chiro is coming tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> Can you provide pictures of her standing square, including clear hoof pictures from all angles.
> 
> I want to see what she actually looks like, from all views.
> 
> The "twisty" RH... I don't understand how avoiding tight circles will help with the movement. Tight circles when a horse is lame put more pressure on it, sure, but if a horse has been moving that way their entire life then it's not going to be as big of an impact.
> 
> Sky's rear feet are both twisty. He's not lame in the slightest, never has been... and is able to trot any size circle.
> 
> He's not strong enough for cantering though, he needs more muscle to canter smaller circles


I don't have any pictures of her standing square because she doesn't stand square and still without a helper :wink:

If I can find a helper at the barn tomorrow, I will certainly take some conformation pics for you


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## frlsgirl

Update: Chiro is coming tomorrow! 

I longed and rode her last night with BOT pad; she was very forward but that is to be expected when she's had two days off and the temperature dropped 15 degrees.

I only rode her at the walk with a longish rein because I wanted to work on her responsiveness to my seat aids while maintaining a forward relaxed walk. 

I also want her to have a more positive relationship to the reins; right now it seems as though reins are there to restrict her and I don't want her to think that way about reins. 

So I did this exercise from the ground where I basically put slight pressure on the bit and as soon as she flexes/responds I completely drop the reins and pressure and let her think about it for a minute. She responded really well. 

As soon as I mounted she ripped the reins from me and as I was busy mounting I didn't have the coordination/strength to prevent that. Argh! When she pulls I'm supposed to plant my hands on her neck so that she's basically pulling against herself and then as soon as she stops pulling, I'm supposed to drop the reins. I need one of those saddle horns that I can tie the reins around when mounting; that would ensure that she's pulling against herself and not me.

She did ok once we started working on a loosish rein; I was even able to halt and walk on without her even trying to pull the reins. Halting became a fun game; I would really connect my seat to her, walk forward and then ask to halt from my seat at random places in the arena; the idea is to not come to a grinding halt but to halt immediately. It took a few repetitions before she got it and then she became almost competitive about it 

She is so funny; she does listen to my seat unless she disagrees with the direction; I was trying to make a center circle which would have required us to walk toward B; everyone knows that B is where all the gremlins live, so she started out following my seat on the curved line but when we reached X, she decided to bail out and suddenly tried to turn and go the other way. Silly, silly girl!

So I think it all comes down to leadership; who is in charge? She lets me be in charge most of the time so then I make the mistake of thinking that I am in charge, when in reality, she's in charge. Does that make sense? Is anyone ever in charge of a mare? Or is it just an illusion?


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## frlsgirl

*I figured out what's wrong with Ana!*

What do all these pictures have in common?


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## SaddleUp158

She holds her right hind and right fore closer together and her left hind and left fore further apart. Man, I just read something about this and what it signifies, I found it interesting because my mare stands crooked as well until I insist on standing square when in cross ties. Some sort of discomfort in the neck I believe- be that musculature or chiro wise. Don't hold me to that but that seems to be what I am remembering. Actually it was a short video clip that I watched of someone who was stretching out a horse, horse yoga and they were explaining something like this. Sorry it I am so vague. I will try to find that video for you.


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## frlsgirl

I think her hip/pelvis is twisted to the left which brings the right inside hind too far under her body, thus carrying too much weight, where as the left side is not carrying enough weight; it makes sense that she would go lame on her right because it's doing double duty, trying to compensate for the left.

I had her chiro'd once before in November 2014; chiro said that she was out in her left hip; back then it wasn't as pronounced as it is now.

It also explains why her canter is suddenly worse on the right again because her hips are pointing too much left when I'm cantering right; it's like the front of her body and her rear are cantering in two different directions. That's why she feels like she's going to hit the rail because her shoulders are literally getting thrown to the left because her inside right hind is heading left.

Chiro is coming today; I can't wait to show him the pictures and share my theory with him!

I will post an update when I get back from the barn tonight!


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## frlsgirl

In an ironic twist (literally and figuratively) my chiro recently mentioned that my hip is also twisted to the left causing me to lead with my right foot. But I haven't gone lame yet 

So I wonder if she made me crooked, or if I made her crooked or if we are both naturally inclined to be twisted to the left and we make each other worse? :think:

I've been doing haunches in at the office all morning trying to untwist myself.


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## Golden Horse

frlsgirl said:


> So I wonder if she made me crooked, or if I made her crooked or if we are both naturally inclined to be twisted to the left and we make each other worse? :think:
> 
> .


Probably both!
http://www.horseforum.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> In an ironic twist (literally and figuratively) my chiro recently mentioned that my hip is also twisted to the left causing me to lead with my right foot. But I haven't gone lame yet
> 
> So I wonder if she made me crooked, or if I made her crooked or if we are both naturally inclined to be twisted to the left and we make each other worse? :think:
> 
> I've been doing haunches in at the office all morning trying to untwist myself.


Hmmm... maybe I should start doing haunches in as well. I am very stiff and crooked, pretty much mirror my mare. lol. I will ask my chiro next week if this is something that will help.

Does your chiro give you stretches to do to help correct problem areas on Ana? Our horses didn't really start holding their corrections until 1) correct riding, obvious answer lol, & 2)we started incorporating stretches that our chiro gave us that targeted the problem areas.


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## frlsgirl

Update: per chiro her pelvis was twisted just as I suspected but she also had something stuck on her neck that caused her left shoulder to not rotate correctly. Poll, jaw, head is fine. She was really stuck in her rib cage, too. I'm supposed to do carrot stretches every time before I ride and have her do one full belly crunch with the hips engaged. Only ride walk trot on loose rein and only straight lines for a few days. Then start adding in large circles and cantering. Absolutely no lunging. He will check on her again in a month but said that if I follow his suggested routine she should make a full recovery.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Hmmm... maybe I should start doing haunches in as well. I am very stiff and crooked, pretty much mirror my mare. lol. I will ask my chiro next week if this is something that will help.
> 
> Does your chiro give you stretches to do to help correct problem areas on Ana? Our horses didn't really start holding their corrections until 1) correct riding, obvious answer lol, & 2)we started incorporating stretches that our chiro gave us that targeted the problem areas.


Actually my chiro was working on my shoulder and just happened to notice the slight pelvic twist; the only exercises he gave me are my shoulder and lower back.

When I changed jobs, my insurance changed as well; I don't have chiro coverage anymore and paying full price seemed a little extravagant.

Interesting that I'm willing to pay $95 to get my horse adjusted but I won't spend $85 to get myself adjusted!


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## frlsgirl

She got bored waiting for the chiro, so she convinced this poor gelding to feed her his hay through the stall door:


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## frlsgirl

She was thrilled to see me :neutral:


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## tinyliny

mare glare supreme!


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## Skyseternalangel

Funny you mention you were twisted! I think I am too, like in my right hip. I noticed Sky and I do beautiful 20m circles to the left, bending and whatnot but to the right, my left leg has a mind of its own and typically isn't even on him, my inside leg is mondo on, and I feel SUPER crooked.

Thankfully the chiro comes out later this month.


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## frlsgirl

Had a productive day with Ana! 

Carrot stretches - check
2 belly lifts - check
30 minutes riding on loose rein at walk and trot - check
Desensitization work with tarp and big scary ball - check.

Here she is getting introduced to big scary ball with the help of her gelding friend:

http://youtu.be/xmEgSvTxXw0

I even got her to push the ball to me once! 

http://youtu.be/gs1imv1SgLs


And please join me for a short shadow ride:

http://youtu.be/s-D2SwUDrSU
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Actually my chiro was working on my shoulder and just happened to notice the slight pelvic twist; the only exercises he gave me are my shoulder and lower back.
> 
> When I changed jobs, my insurance changed as well; I don't have chiro coverage anymore and paying full price seemed a little extravagant.
> 
> Interesting that I'm willing to pay $95 to get my horse adjusted but I won't spend $85 to get myself adjusted!



I hear ya on that one. My insurance will pay for part of my visit once my deductible is met. I put off the chiro for a while, but I finally had to go because of an injury not getting better and was afraid that the next step would be surgery or monthly injections by the doc. Funnily enough, the chiro was actually for a foot injury, but has turned into a whole body experience. I was more messed up than I realized. Now I am glad I am putting the money into myself for once, we need to be in max condition just like the horses (though I know I am no where near fit enough). I hate spending money on doctors, esp for myself.

There is an insurance that pays about 30% of chiro visits for self payers. I had to enroll in that in December by my insurance ran out on the allotted visits for the year. It was $30 for a year. If you are interested in looking into it let me know and I will look for the paperwork I have on it and let you know what it is so you can ask your chiro about it.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I hear ya on that one. My insurance will pay for part of my visit once my deductible is met. I put off the chiro for a while, but I finally had to go because of an injury not getting better and was afraid that the next step would be surgery or monthly injections by the doc. Funnily enough, the chiro was actually for a foot injury, but has turned into a whole body experience. I was more messed up than I realized. Now I am glad I am putting the money into myself for once, we need to be in max condition just like the horses (though I know I am no where near fit enough). I hate spending money on doctors, esp for myself.


Couldn't agree more; I'm also realizing that I need to take better care of myself; I always put Ana first and myself last. When I get tired I just drink more tea and coffee; when I'm hurting I just take another pain pill; it can't go on like this or I won't be able to move up the levels with Ana.



SaddleUp158 said:


> There is an insurance that pays about 30% of chiro visits for self payers. I had to enroll in that in December by my insurance ran out on the allotted visits for the year. It was $30 for a year. If you are interested in looking into it let me know and I will look for the paperwork I have on it and let you know what it is so you can ask your chiro about it.


Chiro visits go against deductible for my insurance, and I only get a certain number of visits per year, so I will be basically paying out of pocket for each visit. Yes, please PM me the chiro insurance info when you get a chance.


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## frlsgirl

This weekend has been an eye opening experience; I knew that Ana was right bended, meaning that the right side is shorter/contracted, but I didn't know it was impacting her every step of going.

Since the chiro left, she's been standing with the left hind under at liberty; she switches back and forth between left and right whereas before she stood exclusively with the right hind under. She still looks a little awkward using her left hind; hopefully that will improve over time. 

In order to help her hold all the tensions that the chiro released, we are doing carrot stretches and loose rein/straight line walking and trotting for a few days. 

As I was walking her on a loose rein yesterday, I observed something very interesting: whenever I tried to cross the diagonal to change to the left, she would try to turn back to the rail; like she knew that crossing the diagonal would cause her to have to lengthen the right side and she wanted to avoid it. When I finally had her going left, she kept trying to halt or turn around and go the other way. At one point she even pretended she was interested in playing with the red ball, but only when I was going to the left.

So for the last few months I've been working on fixing symptoms; controlling bulging shoulder, nursing ouchy right hind, working through contact acceptance issues with fancy rein aids, giving her vitamin E because I thought her staggering across the diagonal like a drunk when trying to switch to the left was a neurological problem, when all along it's been her right bendedness that's been the cause of all this.

Next weekend, we can start incorporating our regular Dressage stuff BUT whenever we are going to the right, I will be making sure that we are counterbent to the left; that way she has to stretch the right side of her body even when going to the right. 

That way she won't try to trick me into going right, because suddenly going right won't be all that much fun anymore. I know, I'm just so evil :twisted:


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## frlsgirl

Speaking of re-balancing, I'm also taking a half-halt in my life; I need to take better care of myself. I have a hard time saying "NO" kind of like Jim Carey in "YES Man":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h6iCn0301M

So I'm taking some measures to slow down and take care of myself; it's hard because last night Ophelia's mom texted me and wants me to go to this clinic in Edmond at the end of the month; I can't afford to go and it's not the best thing for Ana right now as I'm rehabbing her, so I said "NO" but I will go as an auditor; I think Ophelia's mom was counting on me so say yes and now is stranded without a helper so I'm gonna go to help her and hopefully learn something while I audit.

Also, former trainer texted me this morning about Thor, the recently retired jumper; he's an 18 year old Oldenburg with osteitis who would make a beautiful Dressage horse; I've been secretively dreaming about leasing a fancy WB to get some of the needed scores with, but don't have the money; he would be practically free but needs a year off to heal. I told her I would think about it; maybe I can talk to BO about him to see if she wants to take him. I really need to focus on Ana though and not get distracted by a fancy WB.

So I'm trying to be better; one baby step at a time.


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## frlsgirl

So most of you probably know that I've tried a variety of online Dressage resources: Dressage Mastery, Straightness Training, Jane Savoie, Dressage Training Online, USDF E-track and most recently......DN (Dressage Naturally with Karen Rohlf).

I must say, most of the concepts in DN are spot on; I like how she shows videos of people who are worse riders than me (that sounds kind of wrong, but it does help me).

The only aspect of her training that I don't like, is the Parelli way of lunging, with quick turns and a lot of hussling; I just don't think that it's the best way for Ana; I prefer slow and controlled; quick turns can easily lead to injuries especially considering that her right hind is a little over-stressed right now; but that's just the German in me who fights everything Natural Horsemanship related 

She shows how to work through some training issues such as pulling on the reins, refusing to go into an arena, responding too slowly to the aids. 

She also shows some work she's done with her own horses; one of those horses is Atomic; a National Show horse. He looks and acts exactly like Ana; very elegant, but wants to be hollow, friendly, yet flighty and too smart for his own good. Watching her work with him has given me renewed confidence that I can train Ana through the levels. 

She doesn't just show fancy Dressage training with him but also working through his flightieness; in one video she's riding him in the outdoor and she's trying to get him around the ring just once without spooking; she talks to him and sings and hums just like I do. She doesn't edit out the spooks because she wants you to see what happens and that not everything is perfect all the time.

So between my recent realizations about Ana's issues, the chiro's prognosis, and DN videos, I'm feeling pumped about 2016!


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## frlsgirl

I took yesterday afternoon off so I could play with my pony! The sun was shining, the wind had died down and I had the barn to myself; it was heaven! (although when the barn is "full" with people, it means there are 5 people there, lol).

We started with carrot stretches. Actually Ana started carrot stretches without me. I tied her to the hitching post, went to grab the carrots and when I returned she had lined herself up with the post and was showing me how far she can stretch with the rope still attached! As soon as she saw me she started nickering like she was saying "hurry up and untie me so I can stretch all the way and collect my carrot!" She was very pushy about the stretches, like I wasn't going fast enough for her. :icon_rolleyes:

It's incredibly difficult to maintain leadership position with her because she wants to be in charge of everything including stretching; I don't want to put a damper on her enthusiasm but I also can't have her telling me that I'm doing her carrot stretches all wrong, or not fast enough. :icon_rolleyes:

Since she was so antsy, I turned her loose in the arena to see if she needed to let off some steam; she didn't.

So back to the hitching post for saddling and then we rode in the indoor; I wanted to try some of my new ideas and Karen's techniques; it was AWESOME! 

Basically, I rode around the arena at walk and trot while constantly changing bend; most horses are used to going around the ring with inside flexion, whether that's flexion at the rib cage, the head, the neck or all of the above. Playing with flexion at the rib cage while only "suggesting" head/neck positioning with the reins can really loosen up the horse. 

I wanted to have her go with outside flexion while going to the right so that she uses her body more evenly, i.e. stretching that tight right side; Karen suggested just playing with flexion going both directions.

The first time I flexed her to the outside, Ana's head shot up like "What the heck is going on up there, have you been drinking?!? It's not possible to flex to the outside!" but I just kept calmly playing with the flexion and she began relaxing more and more; I kept the reins kind of loosish because the idea is that the flexion comes from my leg (i.e. her rib cage). 

3 really awesome things happened:

She became really loose and supple in her body; I could feel parts of her body moving that I rarely get to feel.

Her mouth began to foam like a Starbucks milk foamer even though I felt like I had just tiny contact with the reins, so none of the foam was the result of any fancy rein aids.

She softened mentally; I could give her frequent stretch breaks and she didn't seem ****ed to go back to work.

Per the chiro's suggestion, I asked her to canter just for a short time so she would realize that it's not uncomfortable; the left lead was fantastic, the right lead, not so much, but she wanted to keep cantering to show me it could be done even though I kept telling her to transition back to trot; so A+ for effort but F for execution. So we will keep working on that.

I've been playing with my balance as well; try to sit more to the left, or more to the right, or sit more straight, or more behind the vertical or more in front of the vertical to see how she responds to it. The only noticeable difference in her way of going is when I lean forward too far she wants to move forward, probably in an attempt to rebalance herself.


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## egrogan

Carrot stretches have been suggested to me for Isabel a number of times, but she got way too pushy and rude about it so I stopped doing them. It didn't seem right to put her in a situation where I knew I was just going to end up correcting her.


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## frlsgirl

Busy weekend with Ana; will have to split this into 3 posts!

Friday, February 12, 2016:

I got off at lunch time and raced to the barn; it was quiet and the sun was out. I decided to do some arena work; I wanted to focus on exploring different ways of going; more up and open, more long and low, left bend, right bend etc.

So I get in the arena and leave Ana standing there for 30 seconds while I close the gate; apparently she forgot how to groundtie because she went trotting off with her tail up in the air!

So we had to have a little talk! She claims temporary insanity!

The under saddle work is continuing to improve now that I'm more open minded and willing to explore; and implementing some of DN ideas. I feel like I'm finally able to coax her into using her body differently; I'm not forcing her to do anything; I'm just presenting her with different puzzles and then it's up to her to solve them.


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, February 13, 2016:



I had the BEST time today at the barn's party lesson. 

They do them just about every Saturday; it's basically a big group lesson but the topic changes every time; sometimes it's desensitization work; last time it was Cowboy Dressage patterns; this time we did drill team exercises and equitation patterns.


There were 8 of us; Ana was the only mare. We walked trotted and cantered both ways on the correct lead!

Some of the participants were Western riders and Ana got irritated because they were going so slow; so I got to practice channeling her forward energy into circles; its kind of funny that the second smallest horse in the group is the fastest and most forward. 

Instructor likes the new way I ride Ana now; more up and open to give her space to breathe. She asked us if we wanted to canter; I agreed; would you believe we got both leads the first time? Instructor liked her canter; more balanced and correct even though Ana continues to pin her ears; hopefully that will resolve itself over time. It was so funny, I'm cantering along and instructor goes "That's very nice, a lot more relaxed, except....I can't see her ears, where are her ears?" 


There was a young gelding named Diego who kept nickering at Ana every time we got close to him but Ana just gave him the cold shoulder. 

After the group lesson/clinic everyone went to lunch together; we had Mexican.


Such a neat experience and good exposure for Ana, too. 

I wish I would have remembered to bring my GoPro; all I have is this picture of Ana after the lesson.


We will definitely do this again!


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## frlsgirl

Sunday, February 14, 2016:

Happy Valentines Day! I finally convinced my husband to come to the new barn with me; we ate lunch in a neighboring town first and we visited with Ana, he took this lovely picture of us. 

I'm still sore from Saturday's 2 hour long party lesson ride so I elected to skip riding; I'm sure Ana is sore too, so we just did our carrot stretches and crunches.


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## frlsgirl

So Ana and I have taken up fox hunting now!

Well, we went on an impromptu group trail ride through rough terrain with two rowdy dogs leading the way, that counts as fox hunting, right? 

These are NOT well behaved dogs that carefully walk next to you; they go tearing through the fields while biting at each other. Ana gave them one stern warning look and off we went. There were 4 of us; BO on Friesian gelding ; fellow boarder on TB gelding, student on QH gelding and me on little Ana; can you guess who was leading the pack? 

I've never half halted so much in my life. I was still half halting on the steering wheel on the way home from the barn. 

I'm thinking I should do this more often; the terrain is ideal for some serious muscle building; plus there is one big water obstacle that's perfect for tackling her water fears. I just need to make sure I always pack a spare pair of big girl pants for myself first


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## egrogan

So fun! I love a good gallop with some friends.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> So fun! I love a good gallop with some friends.


Oh, there was no galloping; the footing is too questionable and the horses are too excitable; but Ana was the fastest walker of the bunch :wink:


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## tinyliny

when ever I trail ride in a group larger than 3 it ends up being a bit exhausting. the dynamic just gets hairy if the hroses move faster than a walk. where we ride, the trails are through heavily forested areas, so we pretty much HAVE to go single file. it can get the horses in the back quite riled up when the leaders start a trot or a canter. a canter becomes an all out gallop, and you can't keep the followers from running up the bums of the horse in front.

so, we end up opting for an all walk ride. 

instead, for a nice brisk ride, going out with only one other riders works much better. and no loose dogs! (against the law in the park where we ride)


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## Skyseternalangel

How fun!!! I've always wanted to "fox hunt" or dragging as they call it without a fox


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> How fun!!! I've always wanted to "fox hunt" or dragging as they call it without a fox


The dogs didn't find any foxes; but the Neufandland always finds something and drags it back to the barn; everything from dirty diapers to dead mice.


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## frlsgirl

I found this cute screenshot from last Friday; I think she's trying to do a rocking horse impression here


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## frlsgirl

So I finally went to see my chiro; I hadn't been since July of last year so I was way overdue. He got me all fixed up and handed me a sheet of exercises I can do at home to help keep the adjustments he made in place. 

I love my chiro; the office dragon, not so much; she insisted that I pay full price even though my insurance is going to discount it to a lower amount; on top of that, my insurance rep said that they are using the wrong billing code on purpose so that it goes against deductible; other people on the same plan just pay the $20 office fee because it gets billed as an office visit. So I get to pay $85 whereas others pay $20 - fantastic! I asked office dragon why they bill the way that they do and she said that the other chiros are committing insurance fraud and that office dragon is one of the few who actually bills correctly.

My insurance rep is pretty fired up about all this and said she wants me to email my EOB to her as soon as I get it and she will personally go visit office dragon and get the difference back; insurance rep implied that office dragon is the one committing insurance fraud by billing chiro work as if it was physical therapy work when they are probably not licensed to do PT.

It was a pretty ugly scene yesterday; it's hard to get me really ticked off; as I'm very easy going but I wasn't exactly quiet when I was arguing with office dragon.

Long story short, I'm all adjusted, I know what I do to keep myself adjusted, my insurance rep is at least going to get me a few dollars back and I will probably be looking for another chiro.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl, I am so sorry, I keep forgetting to dig out that supplemental insurance thing I was telling you about. Feel free to harass me until I remember to do it when I get home from work.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> frlsgirl, I am so sorry, I keep forgetting to dig out that supplemental insurance thing I was telling you about. Feel free to harass me until I remember to do it when I get home from work.


No worries  I just need to find a chiro who bills adjustments as office visits (99% of all chiros), that way I only pay $20 and the insurance will cover the rest.


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## SaddleUp158

I am trying to think how my chiro bills...I know until I hit my deductible I pay 100% of the visit, but once that is met, I honestly don't remember what I pay per visit, partly because I just pay monthly on a payment plan.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I am trying to think how my chiro bills...I know until I hit my deductible I pay 100% of the visit, but once that is met, I honestly don't remember what I pay per visit, partly because I just pay monthly on a payment plan.


If it goes against deductible first, that means he's billing as treatment instead of office visit. Once you hit the deductible, co-insurance will kick in; I'm on a 20/30/40 plan; so depending on which network the provider is in, I either pay 20%, 30% or 40% until I hit my out of pocket maximum; then insurance pays 100% of covered services; my chiro does sports taping which is never covered by insurance; so I usually skip that part.


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## SaddleUp158

Ahh, OK, that makes sense.


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## frlsgirl

I ran out to the barn Friday to ride Ana; I'm glad I longed her first because this happened:


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## frlsgirl

The fun continued under saddle:


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## frlsgirl

I finally got her relaxed enough to walk on a loose rein:


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## frlsgirl

All was well, until I asked her to walk nicely next to Jill; look at that sour face!


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## frlsgirl

We figured out what the problem was; Jill is slower than Ana, so we switched places and all was well in Ana's world again:


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## frlsgirl

We had to have a little chat about her silly behavior; barn manager pulled me aside to inform me that he caught Ana running around the arena with all three longe whips in her mouth flailing them around like she was chasing someone. They've since installed a rubber holder thingy to keep her from running off with the whips.


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## frlsgirl

I gave her Saturday off (a rare treat) and longed and rode her again Sunday; her trot is looking really lovely and her canter is making good progress:


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## egrogan

She is too funny- her body language says it all in those pictures; love that flagging tail!

And the story about the whips- I had to suppress a laugh reading this while I was on a conference call!


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## CityslickerfrFla

Aaaw, wish I could see video of her trot and canter! She is very expressive - guess she's making a point how she feels about those whips. hahaaa


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> She is too funny- her body language says it all in those pictures; love that flagging tail!


Yes, that tail of hers almost needs its own journal


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## frlsgirl

CityslickerfrFla said:


> Aaaw, wish I could see video of her trot and canter! She is very expressive - guess she's making a point how she feels about those whips. hahaaa


I'll see if I can post one; all you see is a cloud of dust and legs flying through the air; I think Ana missed her calling; she should have been a race horse.


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## frlsgirl

Here is the video from a week ago when she forgot how to ground-tie and ran off:


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## frlsgirl

*Piaffe or not?*

This looks like we are working on Piaffe; we obviously were not working on Piaffe; but can you guess what we were doing?


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## egrogan

Rein back?

ETA: I'd say piaffe and stick with that


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Rein back?
> 
> ETA: I'd say piaffe and stick with that


BINGO! You wouldn't believe how many people got this wrong; including a Pro Dressage trainer :wink:

But yeah, if anyone less knowledgeable asks, I'm sticking with accidental Piaffe


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## egrogan

I only got it because I recognize that same opinion about it from Izzy 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## frlsgirl

Ok, since you asked for longe videos; she is doing a very advanced movement here; transition from walk to gallop (I asked for trot and got gallop); and another slightly longer video showing WTC; as you can see she's not always balanced and graceful; at times her legs go flying through the air like cooking utensils at a Hibachi Steakhouse, all the good balanced stuff usually happens toward the end or in between her outbursts.







_
_


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## frlsgirl

*2 year comparison pictures*

So this picture popped up on my FB yesterday; it's from two years ago; yikes, Ana was so skinny back then; and her legs looked like tooth picks. I know it's a weird angle anyway, but by chance I had taken a picture from the same weird angle last weekend; here is the side by side comparison. 

Her topline is still not perfect but you can't really see that from this angle anyway; but notice how parked out her stance was back then; she rarely stands that parked out anymore.

So, quite a bit of progress; still quite a ways to go but comparisons like these keep me encouraged!


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## frlsgirl

I had a lesson on Ana last night. I arrived 30 minutes before the lesson was supposed to start because it doesn't take much time to get her ready; just a quick brushing, throw the saddle on her, put my boots on and off we go.

I didn't expect her to be caked in mud from head to toe! BO said that Ana had a grand ol' time running, playing and rolling in the mud during her turnout time.

I was already exhausted by the time I hit the saddle; Ana seemed tired as well, probably from her turnout shenanigans.

It was a very informative lesson; everything was going so smoothly; we would ride a certain pattern, change rein, and do the pattern in reverse; apparently Ana memorized the pattern because when RI suddenly changed the pattern, Ana threw a huge fit; ear pinning, snorting and blowing through my aids; RI said "aha! So she believes in the pattern but she really needs to believe in your aids!" We changed the exercise slightly to make it a little easier but she still needed to listen to me; it was a good compromise; she did what I asked albeit some ear pinning and tension. 

It was getting to the end of our lesson and we hadn't cantered yet; RI asked to pick up the reins and pick up a trot; can you guess what happened? Major ear pinning and tension because Ana knows that when RI asks for a trot at the end it means cantering; so we tried to trick Ana by doing a trot spiral first and then cantering, she didn't fall for it, she knew, that as soon as we reached the track I was going to ask again. So we cantered anyway, both directions, correct leads; it was a little messy; but we did get some scopy strides; it's really hard for me to relax when Ana is so tense; and it's hard for Ana to relax when I'm so tense, so we get tangled up in each others nerves; RI talked me through some of that and it did help.

We talked about the upcoming show on 3/12; she said that the arena might be too scary for Ana because it's a rodeo ring with advertisements; so now I'm not sure if I should go or not; taking Ana to shows is as much about exposure as it is about Dressage so I don't want to baby her and only take her to places that seem less scary; so I thought maybe I'll go and just ride one test, because all I'm really trying to do is get her around the arena without freaking out. If by random chance we get some kind of ribbon, that'll just be icing on the cake; plus I'll get feedback from the judge regarding handling a reactive horse. That way the pressure is off; I'm just there to get a green horse around the ring; I'm not there to showcase her talents. Thoughts?


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## SaddleUp158

I think you should go, at the very least just to have her there in another atmosphere. Are there any places at your new barn that Ana still wants to get high headed and tense at? Maybe start by working there in your lunging cavesson and ask her to stop and relax everywhere she picks her head up and gets tense. I have a very reactive mare as well. We have spent all winter walking through the scary places (lots of them where we are at) and learning to relax and release in all those places. It is amazing how much it is translating to our working in the arena. Can't wait to try it out at a schooling show. Though we do have one coming up soon, so fingers crossed. lol


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I think you should go, at the very least just to have her there in another atmosphere. Are there any places at your new barn that Ana still wants to get high headed and tense at? Maybe start by working there in your lunging cavesson and ask her to stop and relax everywhere she picks her head up and gets tense. I have a very reactive mare as well. We have spent all winter walking through the scary places (lots of them where we are at) and learning to relax and release in all those places. It is amazing how much it is translating to our working in the arena.


Yes, I've been trying to get her desensitized to everything around her as much as I can; she's been a lot more reactive though, now that she's on stall board and has excess energy to burn (not sure if you saw my walk to gallop transition video? lol)




SaddleUp158 said:


> Can't wait to try it out at a schooling show. Though we do have one coming up soon, so fingers crossed. lol


You are going to show Mia? When, where, in what classes? I'm so excited for you!


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## SaddleUp158

Well, the schooling show is more because we committed last October to going in order to help the numbers get high enough to allow people to qualify for Nationals. We may honestly just do an in-hand class if we aren't where we need to be to ride. We haven't ridden at all this winter, only been doing ground work. The show is next month I believe. 

Lol, yes, I saw your gallop transition video! It is so fun to see the similarities in all our Scandia horses. They all have so much personality and are willing to go anywhere fast! Lots of try though.

Here is the link to the show. You could bring Ana if you wanted. http://www.soonermorgan.com/ssmha-showcase.html


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> The show is next month I believe.
> 
> Here is the link to the show. You could bring Ana if you wanted. SSMHA Showcase - Sooner State Morgan Horse Association


I will be in Dallas that weekend for our 10 year anniversary. 

As long as you pack a good dose of humor with you, you will be fine.

I never know which Ana shows up when I take her somewhere; there is flashy Ana, spooky Ana, inquisitive Ana, and the I-hate-everyone-and-everything Ana.

So I set expectations really low, pack a spare bag of humor, and just go for it. So far we've always been in the ribbons; the first show she actually did really well and earned her ribbons, the second show she was all over the place but got ribbons anyway because others just did worse than us; and because we signed up for a hard test, so there were very few entries.

PS: I'm so sorry about the loss of Scout; I don't know what exactly happened, but heard there was a terrible accident. It's hard enough to loose a horse, but he was just a little guy, it must be so very difficult.


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## frlsgirl

*Is your horse a Rock Star?*

I bought Ana a book; 

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Horse-Understanding-Horses-Personality/dp/1419666053

it's basically a personality test for horses; I haven't completely finished the test yet, but preliminary findings show that she is a Goddess, as she is inquisitive, high energy and demands attention.

Ana says, "Oh look, someone finally wrote a book about me!"


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## frlsgirl

*Party Lesson 02/27/16*

We participated in another party lesson Saturday! This time, Ana's friend Ophelia joined us. It would have been a lot of fun but I had a hard time getting Ana forward, and she didn't want to go to the left at all. It was really strange, because during the last party lesson I could hardly hold her back. On the plus side, we cantered a lot, going both directions on the correct lead; and we had a fantastic time at our post ride luncheon.

Here is a long boring video of our little group; you can see Ana is almost falling asleep over the trot poles; and excuse our little fights when we try to go left; she had a lot of trouble turning left for some reason:





 
I wonder if I had the saddle too far forward on her shoulder? Ana does have massive shoulders. It's so strange because she went so well for me Wednesday that we were doing zig zag leg yields at the trot; then on Saturday, I couldn't even get her to turn left without throwing a fit. Strange. BO suggested that she may be in season because the other mares at the barn are and mares tend to cycle together.


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## frlsgirl

Speaking of saddle position and her left shoulder, here are a couple of great pictures from the previous weekend.

I had longed her before I rode her so I bet the saddle slid back a little before I actually got on her; you can really see how massive especially her left shoulder is.

I'm going to riding tonight and will make extra sure that the saddle is far enough back without sitting on her bum! She did ride really well for me that day, so maybe that's the trick; always put the saddle back farther than I think it should be.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> I will be in Dallas that weekend for our 10 year anniversary.
> 
> As long as you pack a good dose of humor with you, you will be fine.
> 
> I never know which Ana shows up when I take her somewhere; there is flashy Ana, spooky Ana, inquisitive Ana, and the I-hate-everyone-and-everything Ana.
> 
> So I set expectations really low, pack a spare bag of humor, and just go for it. So far we've always been in the ribbons; the first show she actually did really well and earned her ribbons, the second show she was all over the place but got ribbons anyway because others just did worse than us; and because we signed up for a hard test, so there were very few entries.
> 
> PS: I'm so sorry about the loss of Scout; I don't know what exactly happened, but heard there was a terrible accident. It's hard enough to loose a horse, but he was just a little guy, it must be so very difficult.


I hear ya on the humor that is needed. We found out that we don't have to go to this one since they have plenty of entries. I am honestly relieved because my saddle needs fitting and we have only ridden once since taking the winter off for ground work. We have made a lot of progress on the ground but haven't seen yet how it will translate to under saddle. 

So pleased that Ana has been doing so well. She looks like a totally different horse. It is amazing how much longer her neck appears now. Just goes to show you what consistent and correct work will do for a horse.

I will PM you about Scout.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night; I made extra sure that the saddle was behind the shoulder. She's standing kind of funny in this picture with her rear up on the mat and her front off the mat but it's the only good picture I could get. 

She was whinnying so excuse the big nostrils. I'm really thinking she must be in season because she is so busy talking to the other horses and seems nervous; I don't know if you can see the chew marks in the wood but Ana did that. She also went through my grooming bag, ate bark off the tree and tried to pick up the shovel that's laying on the ground. She has no energy under saddle; it's almost like riding a WP horse.

I tried riding a circle; it was dreadful; like she's never ridden a circle before.

I tried some bending exercises I had seen in the DN videos; one side worked, the other side didn't. She can't seem to bend to the right very far with the saddle on; she does fine without the saddle; the left is fine with and without the saddle. Strange. I can hear the leather squeaking when she tries to bend either way, so the saddle does appear to have some "give" to it.

I also tried some yielding exercises from the DN videos and shoulders are perfect but hind quarter yield only works in one direction. I reinforced with the whip and she tried harder but it still didn't quite work.

However, when I tried to ride a circle again after completing all these exercises, there was a noticeable improvement in her alignment; so all the HQ and shoulder yields did help to soften her up. 

She did start tripping towards the end of our ride, so I asked for something really easy, praised her and called it good. Praise is really important to her; she wants to know that she did good; you can see her whole body language change when I praise her.

The farrier is coming Friday, which should take care of some of the tripping thing (she's a little overdue for a trim as I had to change farriers when moving barns). The chiro is coming the same day for a follow-up adjustment so if she's hung up somewhere in her shoulder again, he will be able to fix that. I will be out of town for my 10 year anniversary but BO agreed to hold the lead rope for both.

I'm gonna take a lesson on a school horse Wednesday as Ana is clearly not feeling well enough to work, AND I can benefit from the experience of a school master. We might even run through Intro B on the school horse.

When I get back, I might run through Intro B bareback with Ana because that will tell me if she can't turn on the circle because of the saddle, or because of a general stiffness in her body. I might just always have to longe her before riding with the girth kind of loose so that it can slide into the ideal place. The saddle fitter is coming sometime in the spring for the first adjustment so we will be addressing that.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> So pleased that Ana has been doing so well. She looks like a totally different horse. It is amazing how much longer her neck appears now. Just goes to show you what consistent and correct work will do for a horse.


Thank you so much! It is helpful to read because I was having a really bad day yesterday; the kind of day where my thoughts go to places like..."maybe she's just not cut out to be a Dressage horse"...."maybe I can buy a second horse to do Dressage horse, and just use Ana as a spare"..."maybe I'm just not cut out to be a Dressage rider"...."maybe I just need to quit Dressage and only ride for fun..."maybe I need to send Ana away to a real Dressage trainer"...."maybe I need to put her in full-time Dressage training with BO" and only ride her in lessons"..."maybe Morgan mares don't do well at Dressage".....

I tried to push all these dark thoughts aside and go about my day; and the most incredible things happened:

I scroll through FB to find an announcement about a Morgan mare who competed all the way to GP; the owner earned her Bronze and Silver medal on her and was one score shy from Gold when she decided to quit; this is the only Morgan mare to ever compete at GP.

I open my email to find an announcement from a fellow Morgan Dressage rider who finally earned her Bronze on her Morgan after 99 recognized shows; she ended the email with "never give up"

I open my YouTube account, to find a new video from Natasha titled "If the plan doesn't work, change the plan but NEVER change the goal"

I go back to my FB account, and a post pops up from Tim McGraw; something about staying humble and positive.

I was like WOW - OK I HEAR YOU! Pitty Party is officially over! 

I do feel better equipped to handle Ana now than I did when I first got her; but sometimes my expectations grow faster than my ability to help her perform at her best. 

I have to stay humble and remind myself that it's a privilege to ride and train her; she lets me on her back and tries to figure out what I want most of the time; she doesn't always agree with my ideas but is at least open to suggestion.


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## frlsgirl

mg:

Natasha answered my question in this week's episode; this is great information for Dressage riders who ride baroque type breeds such as the Morgan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBpalSt1VP8

She even said my name right!:happydance:


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think a lot of people sometimes forget that everyone starts somewhere in dressage. We all had to learn, we all had challenges to over come. And we're all at different places in our riding and that's okay. Where riders may make it look easy now or may show what appears to be effortless work on their horses. I think it's important to think about how many hours that rider has put into the saddle and how much time they put into that horse. Every moment of every ride is not perfect, even the best in the world are not perfect every second of every ride. Trust me when I was a working student I used to cry myself to sleep because I thought I wasn't good enough and sucked and would get so frustrated but I kept at it and kept going. 

Different horses of different breeds are capable. It is never the breed but the horse. When I bought my horse (quarab) my trainer told me he'd never go past 3rd level and I was like well I'm going to prove you wrong. I knew he wasn't going to be fancy or super phenomenal but I knew he was capable. He's not going upper level and I haven't shown him yet but I know we'll get there and sometimes you just have to have faith in yourself and say well maybe today won't be my day but what about tomorrow? Or the day after that? or next month? or next year? You can make it and do well, just take a step, no matter how small a step can make all the difference in the world. Just gotta believe you can make it. Set backs and disappointments happen to everyone, no matter who they are. It's a part of the sport but it's okay because again there is always another day. You don't have to accomplish it all in one ride. And should never define yourself as a rider by a single ride.

I don't know if humble is necessarily the answer but confidence that you can and will. I think sometimes humble can become self defeating or counterproductive. So I usually try to avoid focusing on humility and work towards being confident. Competence builds confidence and confidence makes you believe you're competent and capable. 

And that's really cool that she answered your question. I really like how she explained and answered that problem in the video. It's out there not held back, that is where the contact is met, the leg sends the horse out. She did a wonderful job explaining it. She made it simple and accurate.


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## SaddleUp158

Just look back through this thread of all your pictures and videos of Ana through the last couple of years and see the improvements you all have made when you get a bit down on your progress. 

Dressage is a journey, a long one as I am coming to realize more and more. I think as you work harder and harder you also start to work smarter and smarter. Which leads to more productive and encouraging rides. I already see that in your process with Ana. Just keep learning and thinking, you will get there. This is something that I have to keep in mind myself. Picking up on the nuances of your horse and know your limits for the day and when to push and when something is hindering progress and how to address it.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Just look back through this thread of all your pictures and videos of Ana through the last couple of years and see the improvements you all have made when you get a bit down on your progress.
> 
> Dressage is a journey, a long one as I am coming to realize more and more. I think as you work harder and harder you also start to work smarter and smarter. Which leads to more productive and encouraging rides. I already see that in your process with Ana. Just keep learning and thinking, you will get there. This is something that I have to keep in mind myself. Picking up on the nuances of your horse and know your limits for the day and when to push and when something is hindering progress and how to address it.


Thank you; yes, I really should make use of the 5 tetra bite of Ana videos (we had to buy an external hard drive because all my Ana videos were crashing the computer) 

I guess Dressage is like Golf in that you are playing against yourself; it's about progressing not how you compare to someone else. 

I think I panicked a little bit because the show is coming up and I found out that it's the same judge from the October show who gave me a 58 for Intro B with a comment that I need to ride with shorter reins, which goes back to Tash's video; I can ride her with her head in my lap but then she would be behind the bit which I don't want! So do I ride her behind the bit so that it looks prettier and scores better or do I ride her out to the rein knowing that I'm going to get a lower score and negative feedback on rein length?

Of course I'm assuming that she will step in the ring; none of this will matter if she refuses to set foot in the ring or go anywhere near the judges table. I would be happy if I could score at least a 59 and/or not end up with the lowest score of the group. I just want to know that we improved, somehow, somewhere, even if I just improve one thing, that would be fine. The problem with this way of thinking is that my level of happiness is dependent too many variables that are out of my control and that creates anxiety in me. 

So I need to dig really deep and think about how I want to define this experience for us so that I don't feel so defeated before even stepping foot in the ring.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I think a lot of people sometimes forget that everyone starts somewhere in dressage. We all had to learn, we all had challenges to over come. And we're all at different places in our riding and that's okay. Where riders may make it look easy now or may show what appears to be effortless work on their horses. I think it's important to think about how many hours that rider has put into the saddle and how much time they put into that horse. Every moment of every ride is not perfect, even the best in the world are not perfect every second of every ride. Trust me when I was a working student I used to cry myself to sleep because I thought I wasn't good enough and sucked and would get so frustrated but I kept at it and kept going.
> 
> Different horses of different breeds are capable. It is never the breed but the horse. When I bought my horse (quarab) my trainer told me he'd never go past 3rd level and I was like well I'm going to prove you wrong. I knew he wasn't going to be fancy or super phenomenal but I knew he was capable. He's not going upper level and I haven't shown him yet but I know we'll get there and sometimes you just have to have faith in yourself and say well maybe today won't be my day but what about tomorrow? Or the day after that? or next month? or next year? You can make it and do well, just take a step, no matter how small a step can make all the difference in the world. Just gotta believe you can make it. Set backs and disappointments happen to everyone, no matter who they are. It's a part of the sport but it's okay because again there is always another day. You don't have to accomplish it all in one ride. And should never define yourself as a rider by a single ride.
> 
> I don't know if humble is necessarily the answer but confidence that you can and will. I think sometimes humble can become self defeating or counterproductive. So I usually try to avoid focusing on humility and work towards being confident. Competence builds confidence and confidence makes you believe you're competent and capable.
> 
> And that's really cool that she answered your question. I really like how she explained and answered that problem in the video. It's out there not held back, that is where the contact is met, the leg sends the horse out. She did a wonderful job explaining it. She made it simple and accurate.


Hello!

Thanks for all the feedback; I rode for a Gold Medalist for a whole year and spent more time crying than riding although I never let her see me cry, it was "yes mam" and "thank you mam" so I can totally relate to what you went through; she was schooling her horse in GP while I was schooling through 2nd level on one of her other horses. 

I often ask myself why I stuck it out as long as I did; I did learn A TON from her; and I'm a much better rider because of that experience. 

I like what you wrote about confidence and humility; although I do hope to stay sufficiently humble to enjoy my magnificent Morgan, while gaining proficiency and confidence in my ability to help her become the best she can be.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Thank you; yes, I really should make use of the 5 tetra bite of Ana videos (we had to buy an external hard drive because all my Ana videos were crashing the computer)
> 
> I guess Dressage is like Golf in that you are playing against yourself; it's about progressing not how you compare to someone else.
> 
> I think I panicked a little bit because the show is coming up and I found out that it's the same judge from the October show who gave me a 58 for Intro B with a comment that I need to ride with shorter reins, which goes back to Tash's video; I can ride her with her head in my lap but then she would be behind the bit which I don't want! So do I ride her behind the bit so that it looks prettier and scores better or do I ride her out to the rein knowing that I'm going to get a lower score and negative feedback on rein length?
> 
> Of course I'm assuming that she will step in the ring; none of this will matter if she refuses to set foot in the ring or go anywhere near the judges table. I would be happy if I could score at least a 59 and/or not end up with the lowest score of the group. I just want to know that we improved, somehow, somewhere, even if I just improve one thing, that would be fine. The problem with this way of thinking is that my level of happiness is dependent too many variables that are out of my control and that creates anxiety in me.
> 
> So I need to dig really deep and think about how I want to define this experience for us so that I don't feel so defeated before even stepping foot in the ring.



If and when you show or go to a clinician already have in mind what "answers" or "tests" you need for yourself and Ana. Not necessarily what the judge thinks because even though you do get a score sheet, it is still somebody's opinion. The judge does not know where you are in your journey and what your specific battles are at that time. They have no idea that in your mind you just went World Champion just by stepping one foot in the dressage court. Take the advise they give you and use what you can but don't let it define the way you think of your's and Ana's progress. From my interpretation of everything you have posted, you are very much going about dressage from a classical point of view (this is how my instructor teaches as well and it is working nicely for our Morgans). 

There are many paths and ways of training, unfortunately they don't all mesh well. That is one of the reasons I pulled out of the rest of the clinics I had signed up for last year. I went to one and while it was good and I did pick some things up, it was in direct contrast to how my instructor teaches. Doesn't mean it was wrong, just not right for us at that time.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> If and when you show or go to a clinician already have in mind what "answers" or "tests" you need for yourself and Ana. Not necessarily what the judge thinks because even though you do get a score sheet, it is still somebody's opinion. The judge does not know where you are in your journey and what your specific battles are at that time. They have no idea that in your mind you just went World Champion just by stepping one foot in the dressage court. Take the advise they give you and use what you can but don't let it define the way you think of your's and Ana's progress. From my interpretation of everything you have posted, you are very much going about dressage from a classical point of view (this is how my instructor teaches as well and it is working nicely for our Morgans).
> 
> There are many paths and ways of training, unfortunately they don't all mesh well. That is one of the reasons I pulled out of the rest of the clinics I had signed up for last year. I went to one and while it was good and I did pick some things up, it was in direct contrast to how my instructor teaches. Doesn't mean it was wrong, just not right for us at that time.


Good points; I might just buy a tiara for Ana so that she can still be a winner and get a prize for just stepping one foot in the arena; and maybe I can even write my own performance score sheet that I take to each show so that I can evaluate from my point of view.

Glad you are able to see the difference between the different training methods; shows that you are making progress, too!


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Good points; I might just buy a tiara for Ana so that she can still be a winner and get a prize for just stepping one foot in the arena; and maybe I can even write my own performance score sheet that I take to each show so that I can evaluate from my point of view.
> 
> Glad you are able to see the difference between the different training methods; shows that you are making progress, too!


Hehe! Thanks! I am enjoying the process of developing my eye. Though my eye is coming faster than my body awareness unfortunately. 

You should get Miss Ana a gemstone browband. I like your idea of the personal score sheet. I will have to do that. I am already documenting all of my lessons in a journal but will definitely remember the personal score sheet. Fabulous idea.


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## DanteDressageNerd

frlsgirl said:


> Hello!
> 
> Thanks for all the feedback; I rode for a Gold Medalist for a whole year and spent more time crying than riding although I never let her see me cry, it was "yes mam" and "thank you mam" so I can totally relate to what you went through; she was schooling her horse in GP while I was schooling through 2nd level on one of her other horses.
> 
> I often ask myself why I stuck it out as long as I did; I did learn A TON from her; and I'm a much better rider because of that experience.
> 
> I like what you wrote about confidence and humility; although I do hope to stay sufficiently humble to enjoy my magnificent Morgan, while gaining proficiency and confidence in my ability to help her become the best she can be.


Understandable. I think we stick through things until we feel we've finished the course or seen it through or learned from the person what we were meant to. And then we've had enough or move on. 

I wish you and Ana the best. I'm sure you'll do great at your shows but I think believing in yourself and being a calm-cool kind of confident makes a difference. I don't think it's talked about enough but our mind sets really affect their outlook, they look to us for assurance. Like oh mom's nervous, maybe I should be too? Oh mom's upset, why is mom upset I'm worried. I had a clinician who said to me think of yourself as your horse's guide, role model and fearless leader, he is looking to you for guidance think of riding as what you are going to say and how you're going to say it. I think it's good advice.

I think you have a good outlook on that, humble enough to know you don't know everything but confident enough to know you know something. 

I'm also for flashy tiaras, I have a gelding but he's still has a bling princess crown. It adds a little fun to the arena


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## frlsgirl

Thanks everyone for your encouraging comments! I really appreciate it and it gave me some new ideas to work with.

I had the most fantastic lesson on the schoolmaster last night; I feel a lot more capable now; we did W/T/C, leg yield, shoulder in, counter-bend on circle and my personal favorite: trot lengthening on the diagonal. I can't even verbalize how awesome that feeling is when the horse revs up his engine and goes shooting across the diagonal; it's like you're flying and dancing at the same time. He is so easy to ride; instructor said I make him look good but in reality he's making me look good 

Here is a short video of our ride:





 
Of course I spent time with princess Ana before I rode Dante; took her out of her stall, gave her a good grooming, did our carrot stretches and took some pictures.

She didn't quite understand why I was messing around with another horse and tried to bite at him over the stall wall (not sure if you can see her giving Dante the evil eye in this picture by the hitching post). 

After our ride, I wanted to give him a couple of treats and noticed that someone was watching me through the cracks in the wood slats; so I had to give her a couple of treats just to keep the peace.

Farrier and chiro are coming tomorrow to work on Ana; Saturday BO is going to ride her for me and hopefully I will have enough time to run out on Sunday and ride her or at least say hello.


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## frlsgirl

I can finally cross the Dover store off my bucket list:


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## gottatrot

Lucky!!!


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## frlsgirl

Our trip to Dallas was fun but it's good to be home with this girl:


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## frlsgirl

Schooling show is Saturday :eek_color:

I have so much to do before then! Boots are dirty, and I still need to see if I can get them to fit a little better; I bought some gel stuff at the Dover store that I need to get figured out.

The weather is supposed to be bipolar all week; storms, rain, wind with occasional sunshine. 

Husband said that Thursday is the only day that looks promising so I should only go riding on that day...silly, silly man...horses are not like golf clubs that you just take out of the bag when YOU are ready to play. 

Planning on doing schooling tonight, practice the test Wednesday night in a lesson, and doing most of the prep work Friday afternoon; it just doesn't make sense to clean the saddle, bridle etc before then. 

If the weather could make up its mind, I could pick out an outfit to wear. I now have all the pieces to show in full Dressage get-up; but with this being an iffy show for us; I'm not planning on stressing myself out with keeping show clothes clean. Instead, I'm just going to put aside my favorite short sleeve and long sleeve riding outfit and call it good.

I have a clean white saddle pad ready to go; just need to take my gloves and helmet liner home and get them washed.

I'm starting to figure out a plan to get Ana supple and comfortable so that she rides better for me; under saddle, I change bend a lot, even if it looks awkward, and then I let her straighten out and charge forward, really pushing from behind.

Before I even hit the saddle, I bend her left, and right, and check her responsiveness to bit pressure; I also back her a few steps if she feels pushy; she was fine here, so we skipped backing up, but then when we got to the mounting block, she walked past it, so I made her back up all the way to the mounting block again. Now that she's had her chiro adjustment, she can bend, both left and right again! Her feet look great again and she didn't trip once although she seemed a little ouchy, which is understandable considering that she hasn't been barefoot in a year.

https://youtu.be/tHaxKfo26ds


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## frlsgirl

Monday, March 7th, 2016

Just last week I was thinking that I've not ridden Ana in the indoor while it's raining/storming. 

God must have heard me because we had some major storms come through the area this afternoon with more storms in the forecast for the remainder of the week.

Perfect de-spooking opportunity!

It sounded like the roof was going to blow off! I had to really watch my body language so that I could convey the message of relaxation to her even though there was chaos all around us. I noticed that I like to draw my shoulders up when I get tense, so I had to make myself relax them back down.

We started with our normal routine but I had to scale it back as Ana got anxious and wasn't using her body correctly. She just had chiro work done last Friday so I didn't want to risk messing that up. 

So we went back to just hand walking. My goal was to have her be completely bored with her head low. Mission accomplished! 

Then we went back to longeing; a few calm walk circles each way and we called it good!

I hope I can get her this relaxed on Saturday, when she gets exposed to a whole bunch of new sights and sounds at the schooling show. 

My theory is, that if I can get her to relax during extreme chaos (storm) then surely she will be able to relax during moderate chaos (schooling show).

When I walked her back to the barn, I could see that the wind scattered lawn furniture all over the place! So proud of Ana for being such a good girl and listening to her momma despite being scared!


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## frlsgirl

This just popped up on my Facebook feed; I guess it was exactly a year ago today, that I practiced for my first Dressage test.

All King Edwards Horses Can Make Big Fences but not all have Snoopy to help! :riding:


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## frlsgirl

The show is only 3 days away, eek!

My stomach has been in knots all morning! I keep checking the website to see if ride times are posted yet.

Got my final lesson tonight; brought my camera so I can film our ride through Intro B.

Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself; I spend so much anxiety, time, money, and energy preparing for shows; you would think I'm preparing for a GP test at the Olympics, lol....but it's only Intro B at a Schooling Show in some tiny cow town in Oklahoma. It's NO BIG DEAL and it's supposed to be FUN! 

I wonder if it will get easier, the more I show; especially if I start going to the same venues over and over again. I still need to work on a score sheet for myself and Ana...and invest in a tiara.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I didn't know there was another Dante on here but it looks like you guys had a good lesson! Even if Ana wasn't thrilled to see you with another horse, it's funny how possessive some horses can be. They're kinda like kids with but that's MY mom, I was here first!!

lol I think it's normal to get show anxiety or put a lot of pressure on ourselves to show but I will say I always had my best test rides when I just didn't care about the results and focused on riding. When I learned to keep cool and collected mentally it completely transformed my experience but it is a very hard thing to learn, especially if you're a perfectionist. But I think the more you do it, the calmer you get and the less pressure you put on yourself. 

Yes tiaras are great :lol: Dante has a tiara, I get teased a lot for it but I think it's beautiful. I forgot who does them but they're 130 dollars, made in the UK and sewn on swaroski crystal you can have custom made. I had mine with a sapphire blue, white crystal then a light blue crystal.

But Ana is a very pretty mare. She looks like she's very expressive face!


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I didn't know there was another Dante on here but it looks like you guys had a good lesson! Even if Ana wasn't thrilled to see you with another horse, it's funny how possessive some horses can be. They're kinda like kids with but that's MY mom, I was here first!!
> 
> lol I think it's normal to get show anxiety or put a lot of pressure on ourselves to show but I will say I always had my best test rides when I just didn't care about the results and focused on riding. When I learned to keep cool and collected mentally it completely transformed my experience but it is a very hard thing to learn, especially if you're a perfectionist. But I think the more you do it, the calmer you get and the less pressure you put on yourself.
> 
> Yes tiaras are great :lol: Dante has a tiara, I get teased a lot for it but I think it's beautiful. I forgot who does them but they're 130 dollars, made in the UK and sewn on swaroski crystal you can have custom made. I had mine with a sapphire blue, white crystal then a light blue crystal.
> 
> But Ana is a very pretty mare. She looks like she's very expressive face!


Dante belongs to the barn owner; I'm not sure what his registered name is but everyone just knows him as Dante. He is turning 21 this year, but still acts like a youngster in turnout. 

My show anxiety is two-fold; riding a green horse means I never know how she's going to react, and, yes I'm a perfectionist, so that doesn't help at all, lol. I'm actually working through a program right now which is based on NLP principles to help me with all my riding anxieties. 

Ana's tiara will not be that fancy, lol, although I suppose when it comes to tiaras it's go big or go home, lol.


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## frlsgirl

We had a very educational lesson last night.

Firstly, I arrive to find a horse caked in mud on the right side, completely clean on the left, with a pesky itchy spot on her neck:





 
I go to longe her before our ride, and she is moving like a snail; which makes her trot look terrible but her canter much better.

I get on, and she is behind my leg, and just not feeling this whole riding thing. Instructor comes in and rides next to me on her Frisian "Prince" since she is also practicing for her ride on Saturday.

I ask instructor what's the one thing I need to improve and she said getting her soft and supple so that she will step into contact correctly, especially to the left. So she has me start out with circles to the left and it was so awful I wanted to cry. I kept doing these tiny half halts but they just didn't go through; so instructor and I halted and had a good talk; I told her that it feels like Ana keeps conning me into doing all the work for her, and she replied "that is EXCACTLY what she's doing, and you are ENABLING her by letting her get away with it! You are an ENABLER!" :eek_color:

She said that Ana likes to lean on the left rein, so that the rider has to hold her head up, and that this needs to stop; so if tiny half halts don't go through, then I need to escalate to get her to respond; once she responds I can go back to tiny half halts. 

So I learned how to escalate connecting half-halts correctly, and it worked! I didn't get intimidated by her resistance; I just kept at it and suddenly I seemed to have developed perfect timing for my aids because I could get her to really give and align her whole body correctly; and as soon as I figured that out I knew exactly when to ask and how much to ask and when to reward. So towards the end of our lesson, our work on the left actually looked really good, as in, it's never looked this good before.

Bonus benefit: for once my left shoulder didn't hurt when I got home; this whole time I thought lifting the saddle is what was causing my shoulder pain, turns out I've been carrying Ana's head for the last two years. 

She did try to drop behind my leg several times so we had to correct that as well; I just feel like last night was a big break through for me because I can suddenly see through that smoke screen of evasions and know how to fix them.

We did run through Intro B once, it wasn't spectacular but I can get her to do everything that's required in the test.

I didn't have a chance to load the riding video or even pull stills; so that will have to wait.

Ride times are posted so we talked about logistics for Saturday; right now it looks like I will barely make it there on time to ride the test, there will probably not be enough time to actually hand-walk her through the arena. So I'm not even worried about getting her supple or forward; if she can get in the ring and sort of complete the test, I will be thrilled!

I think this year will not be about test scores, but show logistics and exposure; actually making it to the different venues on time, and getting Ana in that ring, and for me to get used to showing without worrying about it so much.


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## CityslickerfrFla

Good luck frlsgirl!! It's all about the practice and don't forget to enjoy the ride! Sounds like you're both working hard and sure you'll do splendid. And even if there are mistakes, don't fret - it's all about the learning experience of it all. Can't wait to read how it went.


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## tinyliny

just out of curiosity, how did you "accelerate" the half halts? I mean, by holding the rein harder? longer? bumping the rein? ?


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> just out of curiosity, how did you "accelerate" the half halts? I mean, by holding the rein harder? longer? bumping the rein? ?


Did I write accelerate? I meant escalate; like with any other aid; you ask kindly at first with the smallest aid possible, if that doesn't work, you escalate your request.

For example, when I ask her to transition from walk to trot and she is slow to respond, then I immediately back up my request with the whip; then I trot a few strides and ask her again because you always want to give the horse a chance to do the right thing; wouldn't you know it, she always trots immediately after she's been corrected.

As for as explaining the rein aid: ride horse forward into the outside rein; then, do a half halt on the inside rein (squeeze and release which slightly shortens the inside rein for a moment), if she doesn't respond, escalate in terms of asking for more bend (not squeezing faster or harder but shortening the inside rein more for just a moment). She softens for a couple of strides and starts to stiffen again so I ask her kindly, no response, I escalate, she responds, this time for three strides, she gets stiff again, I ask kindly and she responds. Does that make sense?

Natasha does it all the time when her Frisean is hanging on her...I'll see if I can find a video.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> just out of curiosity, how did you "accelerate" the half halts? I mean, by holding the rein harder? longer? bumping the rein? ?


This shows the rein action; not necessarily the escalation steps; but you won't be able to see the lightest rein aid anyway, but when Natasha escalates you can really see the rein action here (between the 3 and 4 minute mark):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khCHYA0JikI


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## frlsgirl

I rarely give a 5 star rating to a product; but I wore these yesterday with my Dressage boots and I had zero discomfort while walking or riding:

EquiFitÂ® GelBandsâ„¢ | Dover Saddlery


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## tinyliny

frlsgirl said:


> This shows the rein action; not necessarily the escalation steps; but you won't be able to see the lightest rein aid anyway, but when Natasha escalates you can really see the rein action here (between the 3 and 4 minute mark):
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khCHYA0JikI



it looked like she was doing some "see-sawing", but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

her video series is cute, though at times hard for me to follow due to her strong Australian speech pattern.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> it looked like she was doing some "see-sawing", but I'm sure there's more to it than that.
> 
> her video series is cute, though at times hard for me to follow due to her strong Australian speech pattern.


She is methodically suppling; using her leg to create bend and reinforcing with the reins; then checking to see if the exercise worked; then creating bend on the other side and repeating; see-sawing would be if you just pull the bit from side to side.

And yes her accent is quite amusing; my husband can't stand her voice so I'm not allowed to watch her videos on the big TV when he's home; the tile just carries her voice through the entire house, lol


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## frlsgirl

I reviewed the video from Wednesday's lesson and tried to pull a few stills; the GoPro is awesome in natural light but at night the quality is just awful; these are the only decent pictures I was able to get; I love the hock action in the trot pole shot and I think Prince and Ana are adorable together:


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## DanteDressageNerd

It looks like you pulled some good stills. Ana and you look great! I love her face in the last picture. It looks like you were scratching her wither and she was like YES that's the spot. Right there!


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## frlsgirl

*Back from the schooling show....*

BO and I decided to drive separately; we didn't have much trouble loading Ana even though it was her first time on this trailer; she hesitated for a second; I gave her a treat, she started to get in the trailer, so I gave her another treat, and that's all it took to get her in there.

I wanted to drive my car over there so that I could get us checked in, so that once BO arrived with horses, all we had to worry about is get Ana in that arena before the first class started. Ana was looky but totally manageable; we walked for what seemed like an eternity. We only warmed up for 10 minutes before the gate steward waved us in.

Ana rocked the test; it's like she knows that she's being evaluated and gives it her all! She did lift her head when we turned at C; she always does that; it's as though she's trying to be polite and greet the judge.

I couldn't be any happier with my girl; 67.5 for Intro B! The same judge, gave us a 58 for the same test in October! That's almost a 10 percentage point improvement! Ana rocked it! My friend got the exact same score but I got higher rider remarks so we took 2nd place and my friend took 3rd. Did I mention that my friend rides a Hanoverian which has been trained by Laurie and shown through 1st level? So it feels really good to know that my amateur trained, non-traditional Dressage horse did as well as purpose bred, professionally trained Dressage horse.

It also feels really good to know that we've improved so much since October!

We ended up staying for the whole day, and lots of other interesting things happened so I will have to make a separate post for that.....


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## frlsgirl

....so we ended up staying for the whole day because BO was scheduled to be the last ride of the day. We put Prince and Ana in stalls next to each other at the other side of the property. I didn't want her to be worried or bored so I hand walked her every two hours; we met cattle, a trick rider, and my friend's Morgan Charley. She didn't seem too fond of cattle and acted a little looky but didn't completely freak out like some horses do.

For lunch I volunteered to drive us all to town for a hot meal; it's so much fun to hang out with other horse people; we just totally understand each other!

After lunch I was starting to look tired so BO suggested that I go on home and that she would load Ana and drive her back without me. Since BO got up early for me so that she could get Ana there on time, I declined because it's only fair that I stay to the very end and help her with Ana. Good choice on my part; because we didn't leave until 8pm, it was dark and Ana refused to load! It was pitch black so it must have felt like stepping into a black hole! She would put one foot on the trailer and then change her mind and back out. BO grabbed a butt rope and that's how we ended up getting her in the trailer. It felt like an eternity but in reality it was probably only 10 minutes.

BO suggested I drive home because she could easily unload Ana by herself and I could unload my stuff from her trailer on Sunday; so that's what we did. 

I had no idea how to get home and was relying on my phone for directions but didn't have any service; I got lost a couple of times but just kept telling myself to drive towards the orange glowing sky and eventually made it back to town. My nerves were just completely shot; 12 hours at the horse show; over 80 entries total. I stopped by Walmart on the way home and got a small bucket of lactose free chocolate ice cream and ate the whole thing. Now I need to diet for a whole week to burn all those calories!

I went back to the barn yesterday to check on Ana; she seems fine; came right over so she's not mad at me over the trailer fiasco. We did carrot stretches at liberty and all her limbs are working fine. I left her alone after that because she deserves a day off!

I'm planning on doing trailer training with her before we go to the next show; this trailer is really dark inside and her section is kind of small since Prince takes up so much room. I just don't want to have any problems in the future and hated that we had to use a butt rope to get her in there.


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## egrogan

Go Ana go! Glad you had such a positive experience. Nice comments from the judge


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## Tazzie

Nice work! I've been lurking for a bit, but I was hoping you'd just go and have fun! It sounds like you did great! Congrats on your score and placing


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## frlsgirl

So the next show is 4/30 but Ophelia's owner talked me into going to the 4/2 show as well; she doesn't want to go by herself so she's agreed to swing by my barn and pick us up and is only charging us a tiny amount of gas money; looks like we will be getting LOTS of show exposure this year; even if I don't go off property after that; our barn has 2 schooling shows scheduled in the fall so that will put me at 5 shows for the year. I'm hoping to go to a couple more off property but we will have to see how it goes; even schooling shows can get expensive once you add in gas money and private lessons leading up to the show.


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## frlsgirl

Schooling Show Blooper Picture: Ana says: "Hello again judge!" Did you see my awesome center circle? Be sure to give me extra high marks for that one!"


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## frlsgirl

Another blooper! Ana says "Look mom, I can turn right and bend left all at the same time!"


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's awesome!! It looks like you had a really successful outing with Ana!! Way to go! You guys look really cute together. She looks like she really enjoyed the show ring.

Kudos on a 67.5% that's really exciting! You should be proud with a 10pt percentage improvement! Good luck with the rest of the show season, I hope it goes just as well!


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> That's awesome!! It looks like you had a really successful outing with Ana!! Way to go! You guys look really cute together. She looks like she really enjoyed the show ring.
> 
> Kudos on a 67.5% that's really exciting! You should be proud with a 10pt percentage improvement! Good luck with the rest of the show season, I hope it goes just as well!


Thank you!


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## frlsgirl

I found another itchy spot on Ana:


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## frlsgirl

With all the excitement about the show, I almost forgot to tell you guys.....a week ago a young lady had a lesson on Dante; he spooked, she fell and broke her back in two places! Ambulance came and took her to local hospital but they weren't equipped to deal with such a complicated break so she was life-flighted to a hospital in the city. She is will be able to ride again once she's all healed up. 

Then, a fellow boarder showed up at the barn bruised and battered; of course everyone assumed it was a horse riding accident! Turns out, she tripped over a rug in the kitchen and fell head first into a drawer full of dishes; broke ribs, knocked some teeth loose and bruised one side of her face.

It just goes to show you that you can get hurt doing anything and there are only so many precautions you can take; boarder is probably not going to wear a helmet every time she enters the kitchen; Dante's rider wore a helmet but ended up breaking her back; without the helmet she might have gotten hurt a lot worse though.


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## Drifting

frlsgirl said:


> With all the excitement about the show, I almost forgot to tell you guys.....a week ago a young lady had a lesson on Dante; he spooked, she fell and broke her back in two places! Ambulance came and took her to local hospital but they weren't equipped to deal with such a complicated break so she was life-flighted to a hospital in the city. She is will be able to ride again once she's all healed up.
> 
> Then, a fellow boarder showed up at the barn bruised and battered; of course everyone assumed it was a horse riding accident! Turns out, she tripped over a rug in the kitchen and fell head first into a drawer full of dishes; broke ribs, knocked some teeth loose and bruised one side of her face.
> 
> It just goes to show you that you can get hurt doing anything and there are only so many precautions you can take; boarder is probably not going to wear a helmet every time she enters the kitchen; Dante's rider wore a helmet but ended up breaking her back; without the helmet she might have gotten hurt a lot worse though.



Eeeeek. Scary things


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## frlsgirl

We did longe work yesterday; we can actually do trot-canter-trot transitions now; she used to be too frantic to do this; she's actually learned how to regulate herself. Yay!









Something has been bothering me. New BO/RI has never offered a forecast on Ana's potential in Dressage; she's never said that Ana can't do Dressage either; she's just been really reserved with her commentary so I assumed that's just how she is. I've even tried to entice some sort of opinion by telling her that I eventually want to show her at rated shows so that I can start earning scores towards Bronze - no comment. I figured, ok, she's just not one to comment on that sort of thing.

So I talked to Ophelia's owner yesterday and she was telling me what an awesome lesson she had with RI; I thought, oh good, I'm really happy for her, but then she says that RI thinks that Ophelia could potentially go all the way to 4th level. I'm thinking...hmmm...that's interesting, as she's never commented on Ana's potential. 

She did say that the arena at the schooling show might be too scary for Ana because of all the banners, but Ana showed her! Highest score of anyone at our barn and tied with Ophelia!

So I don't know how I feel about all that; obviously I believe that Ana could go all the way to GP, but I'm her mom so I'm going to cite with Ana; I would think that at the very least, she can do 1st level which is where you start earning scores towards Bronze.

Anyway, I feel like I can't even be mad at BO/RI because she hasn't really said anything discouraging at all but just hasn't offered an opinion either way. She does show non-traditional horses in Dressage, so perhaps she just knows how hard it is to compete against WBs; but for the purpose of earning scores towards medals, you are really just competing against yourself. Also, Ophelia's owner is not exactly super driven like me, so maybe she just said that to encourage her a little bit; I don't exactly come across as someone who needs a lot of encouragement.


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## DanteDressageNerd

It's very unfortunate to hear about the young lady who broke her back :-( that is never a good thing. I'm glad she'll be able to ride again but I hope she makes a full recovery. That's truly tragic :-(

You can always ask her what she thinks Ana can do, though I think a lot of times you don't always know until later on in training. It's hard to say because a lot of it depends on the horse, training and rider.

It depends on the horse, some horses improve very minimally with good training and some make phenomenal, unexpected changes. I think on these non traditional horses it can be harder to predict. But the thing I look at is how the neck is tied into the shoulder and set, how they use their hocks, their walk and canter has to have a good basic rhythm walk 4 beats and canter 3 beats. The trot is the most dynamic, then canter and walk is the least. Some things can be fixed but not everything. It's not really about how pretty or flashy they move but "how" they move. I rode a trakehner gelding who was a gorgeous mover but he'd never go past 2nd level because he lacked the ability to sit and collect enough for more than that.

An example of a super star made from good riding and training is Valegro. Naturally he is obviously capable and talented but he's not a horse most top riders in Europe would have looked at and said that's going to be the Worlds #1 dressage horse. That's an olympic horse. I saw a video of him ridden long and low and while he's nice, he's relatively plain compared to how brilliantly he's been ridden and trained by Carl and Charlotte. He wouldn't look nearly so spectacular had he not been ridden and trained the way that he has.


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## frlsgirl

Agreed Cass; there are just so many aspects to consider; Ana's current strong points are her walk, her halt, overall elegance, and her ability to suck it up and bust out her best moves at shows. Her current weak points are her canter and unsteadiness in the bridle. 

So despite 30 mph winds, we rode today. We worked on transitions, bending and turn on the haunches:


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## frlsgirl

Turn on the haunches picture from Saturday:


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## frlsgirl

After having been ill most of the week; I was finally feeling better Sunday so we got some serious schooling done.

We are working on improving her balance at the trot; not leaning on the bit, not going above the bit, engaging her hind hand and not falling on the forehand, without me having to drive her forward constantly; it's a delicate balancing act; whenever I try to engage her hind, she slows down and goes above the bit, so then I push her forward which then throws the balance back onto the forehand; you can see us playing with this concept here:





 
The instructor from the Sand Springs show is always posting interesting exercise videos; this one involves changing direction through a circle while keeping the same bend; so I had to give it a try:





 
Overall, I'm seeing improvement in how she carries herself and my ability to influence her way of going; now we just need to work on consistency and challenging her a little bit to keep an open mind; she is very much a diva and makes it known when she doesn't agree with something or when she thinks I'm going to ask too much of her; Karen Rohlf talks about this; the horse isn't sure what's going to be expected so they go into efficiency mode; they aren't giving 100% because they are saving their energy, in case something more challenging is asked later. 

Here I was simply asking her to walk in contact with the reins so that we could practice turning; it was at the end of our ride and she believed that we were done so she resisted my efforts to put her back together, but did manage to listen to my turning aids, so I stopped and praised her:







And here is a picture of Miss Grumpy Pants:


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## DanteDressageNerd

Awww her expression in the grumpy picture reminds me of Dante :lol: grumpy can be endearing in it's way.

Training is definitely a series of stages but it looks like she's learning and your both improving which is pretty fantastic!

The S curve with counter flexion sounds like a very good exercise. I'm a fan of counter flexion exercises. Not all the time but it definitely helps with shoulder control, body awareness and straightness in the body. She'll get better with time and training. It's always a process but you're doing well and I'm glad your pursuing dressage with her  she's a cute girl.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks Cass! Sometimes Ana just acts like this whole Dressage business is just a big inconvenience to her; she seems to enjoy going to shows but doesn't understand why we have to practice this stuff at home :icon_rolleyes:


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## frlsgirl

Ana's poor hooves have taken quite a beating! 

We pulled her shoes on 3/4, got her all trimmed up and she was looking good. A week later, I noticed that a tiny piece had split off and was just kind of hanging there. Saturday, I go to the barn and find that she broke two huge chunks of hoof wall from both of her front feet! 

I immediately contacted her farrier who responded that this can happen when the nail holes are growing out; apparently it creates a weak spot and sometimes a crack forms there and other times chunks actually break off. He said that it looks ugly but doesn't interfere with her soundness at all so that I can continue riding as normal.

I just feel bad because her feet look like I've been taking her rock climbing! I only ride her in good footing and I usually only ride 20-40 minutes unless I'm taking a lesson in which case we could ride up to 60 minutes. But I can't control what she does when I'm not there; I know she's been running and rolling around in her turnout because I hear stories from the barn manager and I see the sand and mud that's caked in her mane.

Speaking of her mane, it keeps getting shorter as she keeps rolling around in the sandy turnout! I've been careful when brushing it and using spray on conditioner but it continues to get shorter as more strands break off.

The sand dust is so deeply imbedded in her fur that she looks more like an garulla (sp?) than a bay at the moment.

I'm hoping it will be warm enough this weekend to give her a full bath with shampoo and everything so I can get her looking like a civilized pony again.


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## evilamc

Looks like shes trying to self trim to get rid of all that extra toe  Thats good! Orianna's feet are looking rough right now too  She was so overgrown when I bought her and its just a process to get her back right!


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## frlsgirl

*Ana had an accident....*

Ana had an accident last night. I feel so bad. I was lunging her, she spooked; next thing I know she's on the ground. She jumped back up and I was able to calm her down enough to get her untangled from all her lunging gear. 

I'm so glad she listened to me and let me untangle her. Otherwise she could have gotten seriously injured. 

She came right over to me like she was saying "OMG, MOM! What just happened?!?" 

I hand walked her through the arena for a bit because I was trying to assess the damage while calming both of us down and I also wanted to make sure that she's not scared of the arena. 

Her left knee is a little banged up so I took her into the new and still scary wash stall to hose her leg. Poor thing was shaking like a leaf but complied with the help of well timed carrots. 

BO walked up and I had her check over Ana; I was worried that she hurt her tongue but couldn't find any evidence. 

I turned her out for a few minutes because I was hoping she would roll but she couldn't find a good spot; she did give a good shake and blew her nose so hopefully that was enough to cleanse herself from the experience.

Took her to her stall and did a few carrot stretches to make sure she can still move her body ok. 

BO will text me this morning to see how she's doing and then I'm going back out after work for a little PT. 

Still trying to exhale. This was so scary.


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## frlsgirl

I texted BO and BM; hopefully one of them will text me back so I can stop worrying. I'm just glad I moved her to this barn because she gets a lot more individualized attention.


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## frlsgirl

Yay! Ana seems fine this morning; BO actually lunged her for me and texted me a video of her; I didn't expect that kind of special attention; so glad I moved Ana there.


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## frlsgirl

Had a crazy busy day yesterday; I'm exhausted!

Started the day worrying about how Ana was doing but then thankfully BO texted me that video which indicated she was clearly fine. 

Then I had the bright idea to run all the way to Bixby on my lunch break to finally pick up the promotional baseball cap I had ordered from Laurie; so I get out there and I'm early so I decide to stop and grab a bite to eat, but I can't find my freaking wallet! So I call husband who confirms that it's sitting on the kitchen counter, ugh. So I text work to let them know I'm going to be really late, pick up my cap, drive all the way to my house which is on the opposite side of town, grab lunch and drive back to work; I was supposed to be gone for one hour instead was gone for two.

So I get to work and all hell is breaking loose about some stupid tax thing that I had no control over, but guess who gets to fix all this? Me! Oh well, that's my job I guess.

So I hightail out of the office at 4:30 and drive all the way to Inola to see Ana; I decide to work on a couple of Karen Rohlf's suggestions: communicating posture and fixing her rooting behavior. We start with the posture thing on the ground and Ana seems to totally get it. So then I decide to ride her bareback in the outdoor and continue the posture thing and add the rein rooting thing; it goes really well; I then challenged her at the halt; it took 5 tries but she finally let me drop and pick up the reins without rooting! Yay! So I dismount and praise her and she looks at me like "What did I do that was so great?" lol.

It's 6:15 now and I rush back to my house to change because we had a thing to go to at 7:30.....that thing was the season finale of Venom Hunters with the stars of the show: Hannah Lockhart and Kevin Baker. I had a blast meeting them and watching the show together. My husband knows Hannah from years ago when he was teaching aviation management at our local community college and Hannah was one of his many students. Both Hannah and Kevin are super cool. 

It was 10:30 before we finally got home; I'm tired and my day has barely started. Ana has the day off; planning on working her tomorrow and Saturday.

We got a picture with Hannah; my husband is on the left, my tired looking self is in the middle and Hannah is on the right.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad Ana is doing alright after her incident. I think it's normal for horse moms to be a little paranoid. One time saw Dante galloping in a field (actually last year Easter) and he crashed on his hip and skidding a few feet. I was like oh crap but he got up and kept galloping and had a visit with the chiropractor but was fine. Amazing how delicate and yet how resilient they are. I'm glad Ana is doing well 

And I've very fond of posture. Dante will still root if he thinks he can get away with it and I just stay firm in my core, close my hands and add leg. But it sounds like it was a good ride, bareback can be a lot of fun. But that sounds like a mare, a little perplexed by praise for what seems like a small accomplishment. 

lol tax season and all the catastrophe that brings. Yikes. I hate accounting, finance and taxes. I get it to a basic extent but not my thing, I watched my parents do it and was like nope I will avoid working with taxes like the plague. So I can imagine your pain.

But I'm glad you had a good time with your husband, Im not familiar with that show but I'm glad you had a good time! It's a nice photo!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks Cass! Yes, sometimes I wish I could wrap Ana in bubble wrap but then she would probably try to eat it, colic and die! She's just always so sure footed; I've never seen her fall; she only trips if she's getting close to her next trim appointment and I ride her on bad footing.

The posture thing really works; I wonder if that's the reason she does so well at shows; I probably ride with much more erect posture/engaged core than I do at home; so I'm trying to really monitor myself to make sure I'm not sending her mixed signals.

I finally figured out the source of the unsteady connection with Ana; Karen Rohlf has a video on it; she did a clinic with a horse who goes EXACTLY like Ana; and it all makes sense now; the horse is blocked in the wither area; either physically or mentally. You can tell because that's the only area where muscles don't seem to develop even though the rest of the horse develops just fine. Laurie had mentioned that to me; that Ana is really lacking muscles at the lower part of her neck, and then pointed out that the saddle is pinching her there. Then when I got a properly fitting saddle, the fitter mentioned that she may still be mentally blocked in that area because she just doesn't know that she can move through her withers now. He said to scratch her withers to encourage her to stretch down, which I did initially and it helped maybe 20% but it also pushed her on the forehand. 

Karen explained it beautifully using a sailing analogy; you have to have wind (energy) to push the wind into the sail; the mast (rider) has to be very straight and erect to hold up the sail, otherwise the wind can't fill up the sail; the sail (front end of the horse), has to be able to fill with the wind in order to work.

In other words, my mast is working sufficiently, I have sufficient wind most days, but my sail keeps flopping around because it's not aligned in front of the mast to receive the wind. Does that make sense?

So my number one goal is to make sure my sail is aligned; and my number two goal is to make sure I consistently create enough wind.

How do you do that?  She said "something sideways"...she takes up a light connection with the horse, and pushes him forward; as he moves his head up and down she keeps shortening and lengthening the reins in an attempt to stay close to him; whenever he begins to struggle, she moves his haunches sideways to work through the blockage; when he begins to take shape she leaves him alone and only moves him sideways when the sail goes flat or pushes him forward when he looses energy. In just a matter of a few minutes, the horse looks significantly better.

I can't wait to try this today! I've been doing lateral stuff with Ana for a while now and it does help but I didn't use it in the way Karen did. I have Ana go down the longside wishing her head was steadier so then on the next longside we leg yield, she gets a little steadier, so I go straight again, she begins to struggle, I let her struggle, and then try another lateral move. What I need to do is go forward and as soon as she takes one wrong step, move her sideways.

I brought my camera; so I can try this today and see if it works.

In other news.....my friend and head trainer at my former barn, said goodbye to her horse yesterday; she had him for 25 years. I don't think there was a dry eye in the Tulsa horse community; everyone knew Jazz and had stories to share about him. She had made the decision to put him down last fall, and had the BM dig a grave for him but she just couldn't go through with it until yesterday. He was 28.


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## frlsgirl

Friday, March 25th, 2016:

I couldn't wait to get to the barn so that I could try some of KR training ideas with Ana. 

When I got there, the barn's vet had just arrived to look at another boarder's horse. I stopped and introduced myself since I'm planning on using them in the future; the vet seems nice; he said that Ana looks nice but he was concerned about her hooves; I told him what the farrier had told me and that I only ride on good surfaces; she didn't react at all to the testers so he agreed that she should be fine to keep riding. He gave me his business card and told me to call the office on Monday to get her set up in their system and get all the old vet records transferred.

I eagerly walked her into the arena so that we could get to work; she seemed very open and responsive to my requests; I was able to get "the sail up" several times and was able to keep it up for several more strides (see walk picture; although I hate my posture in that one, yikes); the only issue is that she gets tired and wants to be on the forehand (see trot picture), which I guess is just a common phase that horse's go through as they work out their balance. We also worked on her rooting behavior; we were able to fix the rooting during our work phase but struggled at the halt again but did eventually conquer that hurdle as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHjPunvwdAk


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, March 26th, 2016:

We had a party lesson Saturday! I think I had more fun than Ana did; we always get stuck behind slow horses and then she gets a mouthful of sand in her face! 

Here you can see the whole group; I end up doing a lot of circles to keep from running into the horse in front of us; you can see how Ana bobs her head after the circle; she was getting tired so I gave her a stretch break; this is the typical bobbing that I see when she just can't hold it together anymore; when I school her by myself I ride her differently now (see previous post) with lots of lateral work to loosen up her wither area; but in a group setting there is only so much customizing I can do:





 

After the stretch break, her trot improved:





 
We did get some nice high quality pictures taken; this is the closest I have to professional pictures; a lady from our group took these with her Samsung phone; I can't believe the pixel quality; I might have to ditch my Iphone and become a Samsung girl!

I love our trot picture; wish she would have had her eyes open and I should have taken off my bulky jacket, yikes! She is a little on the forehand here but at least she's not forging. Her crest looks really good here as well.

The picture where she's stuck behind the gelding really sums up how Ana feels about these group lessons :icon_rolleyes:


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## evilamc

Lol! Last picture shes like "Ugh this freaking dust!!!!!!!!!"


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'd agree Ana doesn't look impressed with all that dust!! Awfulness. I don't blame her. I make that face when dust is blowing in my face too :lol:

But it's a nice little video. I like watching people with their horses just enjoying them and doing things. 

I'm also really impressed with the pixel quality! One of these days I'm going to have to invest!


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## frlsgirl

After a long crappy day at work yesterday, I couldn't wait to get to the barn; I had the most lovely bareback ride on Miss Ana; we played with leg yield on a circle, shoulder in, turn on forehand, turn on haunches, counter-bend on curved and straight lines and backing up. A quiet ride is just what the doctor ordered! Love my pony :loveshower:

PS: Dapples are back!


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## Skyseternalangel

I wish Sky would dapple... maybe when he's healthy it'll happen. I've seen pintos have dapples before so it's not impossible!


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> I wish Sky would dapple... maybe when he's healthy it'll happen. I've seen pintos have dapples before so it's not impossible!


I was reading up about dapples; apparently some horses don't have the dapple gene so no matter how healthy they are, they are not able to dapple; so chances are Sky is in perfect health :wink:


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## DanteDressageNerd

I agree. Even when healthy, not every horse dapples. Some just have a natural dappling effect. Like Dante's brother is MORE dappley than he is but I'm waiting for his dapples to show up because he's had a really dappled coat.

And a lot of healthy horses don't dapple but are perfectly happy. Nothing wrong with that, though dapples are perty :lol:


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## tinyliny

that 'arena' is HUGE!!!


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> that 'arena' is HUGE!!!


I know! I just love having all this space to really stretch our legs!


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## frlsgirl

So yesterday was a crazy day!

I got violently sick at the office yesterday morning; I ended up going home for a couple of hours and then came back after lunch. I'm still not 100% but managed to drag myself back to the office this morning.

Then we had a tornado hit the Tulsa area last night! Thankfully, Ana's barn and our neighborhood were spared. The vet was supposed to come out to today to float Ana's teeth but his office got hit by the storm so he cancelled appointments today so that he can clean up debris around his facility.

The ride times are posted; the storm was near the show facility to I messaged the show secretary this morning to see if the show will continue as planned; haven't heard anything yet.

I did manage to sneak to the barn in the afternoon before the storm hit; and caught this adorable gelding cuddling with the barn cat; I was frantically trying to get my phone out of the pocket without disturbing them; that's the same gelding who feeds Ana hay through his stall door; I've never met such a caring and nurturing gelding before; he's only 4 years old but acts like an old soul.


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## frlsgirl

I realized something as I was riding Ana last night: I’m entering a new stage in my journey with her.

There was a time when I would randomly do exercises that various people had taught me hoping that this would magically turn her into a Dressage horse; I would occasionally capture a glimpse of it in a screen shot before losing it again; that was early 2014. Her canter was quiet and somewhat balanced at the time, albeit kind of slow.


Then I began to learn the purpose of the different exercises and was able to use them more deliberately; again I would occasionally capture a glimpse or maybe two or three glimpses of a Dressage horse in Ana before losing it again; that was later in 2014. Her canter became more forward but also more tense and difficult to control. I would only do exercises that a trainer had suggested to me; I was too scared to experiment because I was afraid that I would “break” her, lol.


At the same time I realized I had trouble keeping my lower leg still against her barrel, it was always sticking out and swinging around violently; I also noticed that I didn’t know how to post trot through my elbows, so I started working on those skills; the elbow/arm/hand connection didn’t take very long to master but my lower leg was still giving me fits and causing Ana to tense up. It was now summer of 2015. I searched and searched for exercises to stretch my hip flexors to the max to keep my legs quiet; and I finally reached that point in the fall of 2015; granted I was sore but my legs were quiet. Her canter improved enough for me to try out Intro C; it was still too tense for the judge’s liking but it was a canter I could live with plus I knew it would continue to improve. Her mouth would sometimes show signs of foam but it would be very inconsistent; I had no idea what caused her to foam and what didn’t. I had ridden my first couple of shows by then and barely achieved acceptable scores; all I cared about was getting through the tests so that I could go home, sure I tried to sit up straight but I wasn’t really “riding” Ana; I was more or less gently guiding her from point A to point B.


Then came the realization that the saddle is partly to blame for Ana’s excessive tension and my lower leg instability; the fitter said that the saddle I was riding in is so wide that it’s designed to fit a 25 gallon drum and Ana’s barrel isn’t even close to being that wide. So I invested in a fancy saddle for Ana; lower leg stability is not a problem at all anymore; I don’t even have to try so hard to keep it quiet any more; it just happens. She seemed calmer and more relaxed at the walk and trot; the canter on the other hand was the worst it had ever been. I contacted the fitter who assured me that it’s because the saddle puts me in such a drastically different position that Ana has to relearn to balance me all over again. She also seemed off somewhere in her body so a vet was called but he couldn’t find anything significant wrong with her. That was December 2015.


Now it’s spring 2016 and we moved to a new barn and thanks to the new chiro and more research and training on my part, I’m able to exercise Ana on the ground to make sure she’s loose and supple before I even get in the saddle. Thanks to online training from KR and NA and new trainer at the new barn I’m finally learning how to get Ana really “through” in her body; I know exactly what exercises to do to get her nice and forward, soft and supple and round; she is consistently foamy when we are done with our ride. I’m no longer afraid to experiment; we do all kinds of exercises now; how she responds to them tells me if they are helpful/working or not. I don’t need permission from an experienced instructor to try riding with a counter bend, or try a turn on the haunches; we just do it and have fun with it. We had our first show of the season and I actually “rode” Ana meaning that I worked hard to get her through before entering the ring and riding every single step she took; it showed; my score went from 58% to 67%. 



We are now slowly reintroducing the canter; I’m already seeing some improvement especially on the longe line; she’s able to do a series of canter trot transitions without issue; no side reins or gadgets required. I’m realizing that I still need to work on myself; I still have some riding fear issues that I need to get resolved and my body condition is not up to par for anything higher than Intro level at the moment, so I’m feverishly working on getting my body into better shape.


Long story short, I feel like I can actually methodically exercise Ana from the ground and in the saddle to make her a better moving horse; before it was more of a hit or miss; I know exactly what to do to get her forward, soft and supple; I know what I need to do to get my body into better shape so that I can continue to train her and advance, and I’m doing the Fearless Rider program to work on my fear issues.


Wow, this has been a lot of work! I don’t know that I’ve ever worked so hard on anything in my life! But it’s totally worth it!


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## DanteDressageNerd

There you go. Dressage really is a journey and I'm so glad you have this journal to mark your journey together. I really wish I had one from 15 years ago to now. It's really amazing the things you work out and how your perspective changes over time. 

But that's really beautiful you can mark your journey together  I think dressage is really an intimate journey of self discovery, as well as developing a close bond with the horse and how to educate the horse, as we get to know ourselves and them better, so we can grow to become a stronger unit.

I think fitness will also improve your confidence. Balance and muscle work is great, I'm in favor of dance for riding :lol: the only reason I learned belly dancing was to gain better core control and awareness. It's amazing how it helps. 

Another thing I think of with exercises, I use a lot of them to improve training and re-affirm whatever aid I'm giving, so they know the expected response when I apply an aid. It just makes things more clear to them. Like walking them through the reasoning of a math problem. 

Keep it up! It sounds like you're making a ton of progress and doing a really good job with Ana!


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I think fitness will also improve your confidence.


I think so too! I'm so tired by the time I get to the barn, then I still have to groom and tack her, and by the time I set foot in the stirrup I'm already spent; my instructor thinks it's because of the way I breathe; too shallow and too fast; but it might just be my body going "Oh god, another trot circle, I'm going to die!" So my mind knows that I'm getting tired, then I start to panic because I wonder if I can finish the lesson without fainting (yes that's happened), so I breathe faster and more shallow which gets me even more out of breath. I have low BP and low blood sugar so that doesn't help.

I had a full physical done including 2k worth of blood work in January and everything was perfect except my vitamin D is low despite supplementing; so now I take 10,000 units a day and will get retested soon to see if it's making a difference yet.

I've started working out at the office; push-ups, tricep dips, squats, jumping jacks etc. and then at home I've been taking the dogs for walks; anything to keep the blood flowing and build strength.

I have a lead on a naturopathic doctor; hoping to see her this month; maybe she can find something that regular doctors haven't been able to find.

I do have stage 3 endometriosis but I wouldn't think that it's causing me to be exhausted.

I also saw a groupon for pilates lessons on those special machines that help you engage your core and muscles that you can't easily isolate, will need to research some more and see if I can fit that into my schedule.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Good luck with figuring out what's going on with your health. It's never fun to have something going on that you can't quite put your finger on.

I can say I used to feel fatigued fairly often for no reason I could find (I also have low BP, I usually have bananas before I ride especially during summer). I never found out what was wrong but I started taking a supplement orange triad plus greens and the symptoms went away. But good luck with a naturalistic doctor hopefully they can lead you down the right path and offer some answers!

Pilates and yoga are also great. I did some yoga a while back, it's awesome! And definitely difficult but helpful! Really anything is good and cardio (I know cardio sucks) but it's amazing how it is all helpful. Again I just like dance because it's fun, uses a lot of core strength and balance, flexibility and cardio.

Genuinely good luck with your health! I hope they can offer you some answer that are helpful!


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## frlsgirl

Man, it's been an EVENTFUL weekend; gonna have to do multiple posts.

Let's start with Friday, April 1, 2016

So it's the day before the show and time for one good grooming and one last ride; she seems a little hyper and actually nipped at me while I was grooming her but only caught the jacket. She's nipped me a grand total of 3 times in the 2+ years I've owned her so that's really strange for her, but I correct her and we move on. I finish grooming and take a picture; she actually looks really good; like a real Dressage horse!

I longe her and she goes really well. I then ride her and she is magnificent.

I then had had the bright idea to do trailer training because I didn't want to have any problems the next morning when we would be short on time. I could get her to put her front feet in the trailer and then she would back out; so we get to a point where she puts front feet in trailer, rests and then I make her back out because I wanted to take control of the situation and be in charge of her feet. I run out of treats so I calmly walk her back to her stall, and call my friend to tell her that we wouldn't be coming to the show because I can't get her in the trailer. 

BO walks into barn so I ask her if she wouldn't mind sparing 5 minutes of her time to practice loading with Ana; it worked! We had to use the butt rope again and really ticked off Ana but we were able to load, unload and reload! Yay! Crisis averted! 

BO reassured me that Ana's apprehensions aren't all that bad, she's seen a lot worse, and that she will just always need two people to load until she gets more comfortable with this particular trailer. In Ana's defense, this trailer is almost black on the inside so it must feel like stepping into a black hole.

I call friend back to let her know we are coming to the show after all, lol.


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, April 2, 2016.

Show time! Ana loaded with BO's help; we made it to the show grounds with plenty of time to spare, or so we thought. Ana was the most hyper she's ever been so I decided to hand walk her through the ring like I always do and then longe her because I thought I had all this time. I then finish tacking her and move to the warm up ring by the show ring and find out that there is no gate person and that it appears I might be up sooner than I had calculated. I warmed up for 5 minutes before I had to enter the ring. I was forewarned that there are footing issues.

It was not a good test. The footing was terrible, we sunk into the footing twice; then when I go down the longside, the videographer falls off the stool! Ana's head shot up and she gave him the "what the heck" look. I got all tense, and was just trying to keep her in the arena. She never tried to jump out or spook but was the most looky she's ever been and rightfully so! I gave her a big hug at the end of our test and was very happy to exit this boobytrapped ring.

I got horrible scores; especially the collective remarks were pretty awful; a final score of 60.312; which earned as 3rd place and a yellow ribbon. Yellow was the only color I didn't have yet, so I was actually happy to round out my collection, lol.

So happy with Ana; what a scary day for her; riding in that spooky trailer, riding a test in terrible footing, with flying videographers to round out the experience. 

We trailered back with my friend and her horse so we made up back to the barn by noon, where Ana was happy to enjoy a few hours of turnout with her BFF before retreating to her stall.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Good luck with figuring out what's going on with your health. It's never fun to have something going on that you can't quite put your finger on.
> 
> I can say I used to feel fatigued fairly often for no reason I could find (I also have low BP, I usually have bananas before I ride especially during summer). I never found out what was wrong but I started taking a supplement orange triad plus greens and the symptoms went away. But good luck with a naturalistic doctor hopefully they can lead you down the right path and offer some answers!
> 
> Pilates and yoga are also great. I did some yoga a while back, it's awesome! And definitely difficult but helpful! Really anything is good and cardio (I know cardio sucks) but it's amazing how it is all helpful. Again I just like dance because it's fun, uses a lot of core strength and balance, flexibility and cardio.
> 
> Genuinely good luck with your health! I hope they can offer you some answer that are helpful!


Thank you; I'll have to look into the "orange triad" supplements.

I was doing some research and decided that I'm Vitamin B deficient; so I overloaded on Vitamin B this weekend and can you guess what happened? My heart has been pounding like crazy; at first I thought it was show nerves but my heart continued to race the next day while I was just laying on the couch watching a move; did some more research and it turns out Vitamin B is a stimulant much like caffeine! No wonder I was so tense during our test! 

So I no longer feel exhausted but I'm standing up in bed and can't sleep, ugh! 

I'll need to play with the dosage to see if I can find a happy medium.

I bought a lesson package at a pilates studio; will need to call this week and set my first appointment.

Also going to my regular doctor first for my annual check up and see if she has any insight on finding the right level of calm energy; not climbing walls and not crashing on the couch; I need something in between, lol. 

If she can't help then I'm going to follow up with the NP doctor.


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## frlsgirl

This picture deserves its own post 

The clinician that Ana and I frequently lesson with, is selling custom baseball caps with her business logo on the front and you can get your horse's name monogrammed on the back; I simply had to take a picture and send it to her; doesn't Ana just look thrilled :loveshower:


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## frlsgirl

Sunday, April 3, 2016:

I usually give Ana the day after the show off, but the weather was so beautiful and husband was leaving town for a few days, I simply had to go see her.

She was very happy to see me; lots of nickering and hollering; she's been this way ever since she slipped and fell in the arena. Even if I just step away for a second to get her saddle from the tack room, I return to a screaming horse and fellow boarders saying "your horse is calling for you!" Hopefully, that will subside a little bit; I mean I'm flattered that my horse wants to be near me but I don't want her to be totally co-dependent on me.

We had the most lovely bareback ride in the outdoor arena. I had a serious talk with my elbows as they were completely absent from the show on Saturday and I got heavily marked down for that. 

It's nice to just ride and relax and focus on one or two things as opposed to a million things. So our ride was all about contact: elastic elbows, holding the little bird in my hand without crushing it or letting it fly away, and riding Ana out to the bit rather than shortening the reins every time she shortened her neck. I catch myself trying to correct her a lot rather than setting firm boundaries; so I end up correcting her agenda rather than asking her to follow MY agenda. 

My mantra was "my circle, not your circle, you follow my circle, with elastic elbows, holding that little bird, my circle, not your circle, following arms, don't let that birdie fly away, still my circle, not your circle"....it's so tempting to just constantly fix her rather than just ride her, so I had to really convince myself to stick to my plan. It worked really well, there was a lot less rooting once she realized I wasn't going to fight with her. 

I might start riding with my elbow wrap again at least until the next show so that I can reprogram my brain to always, always, use those elbow.

Talked to BO who said that I really need to start riding multiple tests per show; so that's the goal for the 4/30 show; Intro A & B; and then for the May show, I'm planning on doing Intro A, B & C.


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## evilamc

Sorry the show didn't go as well as planned  Have you ever tried Ana on a magnesium supplement? My favorite is magrestore. It seems to really help calm nerves and can help with soreness. If you go to Home - Performance Equine Nutrition | Focus, MagRestore you can even take their questionnaire about being magnesium deficient! Should check it out though, if she is deficient and you put her on it, it may help her keep a more level head at shows. I got a BO to try it with her 50k warmblood who would buck going around the jump course...after two weeks of having him on it he was quietly going around like trained to do. Good stuff!


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## frlsgirl

evilamc said:


> Sorry the show didn't go as well as planned  Have you ever tried Ana on a magnesium supplement? My favorite is magrestore. It seems to really help calm nerves and can help with soreness. If you go to Home - Performance Equine Nutrition | Focus, MagRestore you can even take their questionnaire about being magnesium deficient! Should check it out though, if she is deficient and you put her on it, it may help her keep a more level head at shows. I got a BO to try it with her 50k warmblood who would buck going around the jump course...after two weeks of having him on it he was quietly going around like trained to do. Good stuff!


Thanks for stopping by!

I tried a magnesium paste on her once because she had these bizarre muscle twitches around her withers; turned out her mane was stuck under the pad, so now I keep her mane trimmed around her withers and she hasn't twitched since; it did make her really drowsy; she's generally well behaved and doesn't bolt or buck but can get very looky; I might try that magnesium paste at our next show.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> on her once because she had these bizarre muscle twitches around her withers; turned out her mane was stuck under the pad, so now I keep her mane trimmed around her withers and she hasn't twitched since


I love how horses convince us they might be dying, only to discover the real cause of a problem is nothing close to it...;-)


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## evilamc

I've never tried the pastes! That's interesting. I feel like that's just dosing them like a sedative almost? With the magrestore it's always in her system and prob at a lower dose then the paste so won't make her sleepy but help her use her head more?


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## frlsgirl

evilamc said:


> I've never tried the pastes! That's interesting. I feel like that's just dosing them like a sedative almost? With the magrestore it's always in her system and prob at a lower dose then the paste so won't make her sleepy but help her use her head more?


I'll have to give it a try at some point to see if it makes a difference; I've had her on Quiessence before which is similar I think, I can't say that I saw a significant difference but the paste affected her noticeably.


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## evilamc

Crazy I just never even knew they made a paste lol! Wonder if you started giving it to her in very small doses day or two before show it would help calm her but not make her too sleepy?


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## DanteDressageNerd

I really like the orange triad plus greens, I take one scoop a day because I don't need it and I dont workout nearly enough for 2. It helps a lot with my joint pain. It had probiotics, joint supplement, multivitamin, etc. I also like it because it's helped me maintain my weight, otherwise I gain really easily. It's improved my energy levels and mood.

It might not be a good fit with your other health issues. Just a review on it. There's a warning label.

https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/bodybuilding/controlled-labs-orange-triad-plus-greens.html

I'm not a health expert by any means but I hope you can find something that helps you as well as what is going on. It's frustrating when you don't know but would you be able to just take it in the morning? Maybe that would make a difference? 

But Ana looks extremely pretty in her conformation shot. I get the impression she's well aware of her own loveliness :lol: 

I'm sorry the show didn't go as planned but it sounds like Ana did very well despite the bad footing and all the commotion. She maybe was scared but didn't react. Definitely a plus! You should be proud!

I'm also glad you had what sounds like a really productive ride on your own. Self talk can really help communicate what you should be feeling and pay attention to. Glad it helped! Bareback is always good in my book lol.


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## Skyseternalangel

Hey you went to the show, you put in a solid test with what you were given, and there weren't any crazy spooks!! Well done!!!

Was that Intro B.. C?

She's so pretty in the confo shot. That cap is adorable too haha!


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## frlsgirl

You guys...a lady at the show took professional pictures of us and posted them on FB for me; didn't even charge me anything. I've never had professional pictures taken so I'm over the moon excited about these: :loveshower:


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> Hey you went to the show, you put in a solid test with what you were given, and there weren't any crazy spooks!! Well done!!!
> 
> Was that Intro B.. C?
> 
> She's so pretty in the confo shot. That cap is adorable too haha!


Thank you Sky! Yes, my whole attitude about showing has changed; I'm there to enjoy Ana and to ride her to the best of my ability given whatever circumstances that I'm presented with; so I smile a whole lot now, because I'm just so happy to be there.

It was intro B again, for the fourth time...once her canter gets better we will move to Intro C and Training level.


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## evilamc

Ohhh those pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!!! The straight on picture you need to frame


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I really like the orange triad plus greens, I take one scoop a day because I don't need it and I dont workout nearly enough for 2. It helps a lot with my joint pain. It had probiotics, joint supplement, multivitamin, etc. I also like it because it's helped me maintain my weight, otherwise I gain really easily. It's improved my energy levels and mood.
> 
> It might not be a good fit with your other health issues. Just a review on it. There's a warning label.
> 
> https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/bodybuilding/controlled-labs-orange-triad-plus-greens.html
> 
> I'm not a health expert by any means but I hope you can find something that helps you as well as what is going on. It's frustrating when you don't know but would you be able to just take it in the morning? Maybe that would make a difference?
> 
> But Ana looks extremely pretty in her conformation shot. I get the impression she's well aware of her own loveliness :lol:
> 
> I'm sorry the show didn't go as planned but it sounds like Ana did very well despite the bad footing and all the commotion. She maybe was scared but didn't react. Definitely a plus! You should be proud!
> 
> I'm also glad you had what sounds like a really productive ride on your own. Self talk can really help communicate what you should be feeling and pay attention to. Glad it helped! Bareback is always good in my book lol.


I visited with my doctor this morning who is a DO with additional training in NP; she thinks that my heart isn't pumping the blood out with enough force causing the low BP high heart rate combo; she could put me on meds to raise BP but there are side affects, so she did some more investigating and thinks that the Zoloft I take for GAD, is depleting my body of CoQ10 and B Vitamins. So for now, she wants me to stop taking the cheap grocery store vitamins, and recommended a higher grade vitamin such as the Triad but she also wants me to add pharmaceutical grande CoQ10; try that for a month or so and if I still feel exhausted, add B12 shots. 

She also gave me an RX for phentermine, which I had ironically requested for weight loss but it also raises BP which is why so few docs prescribe it, so it might make me feel better immediately. I can only take phen for a short time though because of addictive properties.

So the Triad has been ordered, I got a 90 day supply of CoQ10, a RX for phentermine and I'm checking with my insurance about the B-12 shot coverage.

I also signed up for private pilates classes with the fancy Pilates machines; my initial assessment and first lesson is tonight; can't wait 

Yes I'm super proud of how Ana behaved herself; a lot of other horses didn't do so well.


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## frlsgirl

evilamc said:


> Crazy I just never even knew they made a paste lol! Wonder if you started giving it to her in very small doses day or two before show it would help calm her but not make her too sleepy?


There are several brands of paste; I think it's designed to work quickly so you would want to give it to your horse right before the show:

https://www.horseloverz.com/horse-h...rk=gdfv27555_a_7c1161_a_7c2883_a_7c5_d_107181


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## frlsgirl

Almost forgot...had a great ride on Ana last night; I'm really taking the judges comments and what I could see in the test video to heart and working on all that stuff:

1) Ride forward, forward, forward; can't do anything else unless the horse is forward; I don't let her give me less than what I requested; she has to trust me that I will give her sensible rest breaks.

2) Relaxation; everything else lacks quality and is difficult to do without relaxation.

3) Work on my position; really loose thighs help keep my legs under my hips and keep me from squeezing her to death when we canter. Keep my elbows and my baby bird.

4) Canter and not feel like I'm going to die; this goes back to forward and relaxation. We probably had the best canter in a long time; because we both were quiet and relaxed; trotting is so easy for me, I want canter to be like that, it's just another gait, I should be able to canter around forever like it's no big deal. That's what we are both working towards.

I worked very little on contact; if she's truly forward, she has surprisingly little energy or time to resist contact.

To get her more through, I did my usual flexion exercises but only every other longside, in between I rode her forward so that she doesn't have a chance to get herself tangled up like a pretzel.

She's getting today off since I have worked her four days in a row! The horsey dentist is coming tomorrow so I will just visit her and maybe do some ground work.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I hope your Pilates class went well. It is possible the medication inhibit your body from absorbing certain vitamins (kinda fascinates me how our bodies react to different chemicals or hormones or anything) but I hope with all her suggestions it will help so that you start feeling better soon. 

You should be proud! Always a bonus when they have "grown up" moments and are calm in a nonthreatening but scary situation.

Positive imagery and self talk is good, really helpful. Good luck with the dentist. Hope all goes well!


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## frlsgirl

Pilates class was interesting! 

The instructor was one of those totally zen types, with a very quiet voice and demeanor; I think of myself as someone calm and quiet but compared to her I'm like a border collie on crack! Everything she does is slow and methodical; and I was frantically trying to follow her instructions; I was able to do everything she asked of me and she was surprised at how flexible my hip flexors are; I just have a hard time being so quiet and zen for an entire hour; she kept saying "It's ok, just relax, there is no right or wrong here!"

It's very eye opening how tiny adjustments in posture affect different muscle groups; she kept using words like "wrapping" and "zipping" and I was like "huh?" but I just kept experimenting until I felt what she was talking about.

I have some homework exercises to do in preparation for our lesson next Tuesday. Maybe I shouldn't have any caffeine at all the day of the lesson so I can be more calm and focused.

In other news: Ophelia's owner just texted me that she was exposed to strangles! Yikes! And she took her to Ana's barn for a lesson yesterday because she didn't find out about the exposure until after she returned! Most of the horses at her barn (my old barn) have been quarantined. Ana and Ophelia did hang out together Saturday, so depending on when Ophelia was exposed, Ana may have been exposed to it as well.

Keeping all toes and fingers crossed that our barn doesn't get hit with this!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Your Pilates class sounds really cool! I like the border collie on crack analogy lol I just figure border collies are always on something. I totally understand that restless feeling though. When I did some yoga, I'd begin really restless and gradually fall into it. I actually love yoga but can't afford it. But it sounds like a really good class, great for centering yourself!

I'm also sorry to hear about the strangles. If Ana's up to date on her vaccines, hopefully all will be fine and hopefully nothing is serious or develops. Unfortunate circumstances :-(


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## frlsgirl

I've been in constant contact with Ophelia's owner; she decided to put her into quarantine at a local vet clinic just as a precaution; they don't know for sure if she has strangles; so far she's running a slight fever. They did the strangles test but won't know results until today or tomorrow.

I couldn't wait to get to the barn so that I could check in on Ana! I snuck up on her as she was dozing in her stall; she greeted me with an enthusiastic but raspy sounding nicker. She had just had her teeth done earlier that day and the sedative hadn't quite wore off yet. 

I wanted to groom her so I took her to the hitching post where someone had spilled some hay, she kept trying to eat it but couldn't quite get her mouth to cooperate so I took her to a fresh patch of green grass to see if the moisture in the grass would make it easier for her to eat; it worked; she devoured it. 

The flies were bothering her so I decided to take her back to the hitching post so that I could groom her and give her a good covering with fly spray; we did our normal carrot stretches and her pelvis/ab engagement exercises; her dapples were looking so pretty so I wanted to take a nice confo shot but I couldn't get her to stand still; she kept trying to paw the bag of shavings. 

So all I got are these pictures of her prancing around; what is the line on her stomach? I hope it's not a heave line? We had just finished the ab workout so hopefully it's just her post-workout look.

I also took her in the indoor so I could hand walk her around, and do some ground work so that I could better assess her functioning and level of awareness; we walked over ground poles, backed up, and flexed both directions without any problems; sometimes after a dental she can be a little stiff from hanging in that head strap so I like to do ground work afterwards to make sure she isn't tight anywhere.

I took her back to her stall where I ran into BO; she didn't seem to be worried at all about the possible strangles exposure; she said that Ana has been acting totally normal but it wouldn't hurt to check her temperature every day for the next week or so; it was 98.6 yesterday, so totally normal. 

There wasn't any poop in her stall but she did pee; BO hadn't given her any hay after the dental so that she wouldn't choke on it which makes sense; she did poo while I was hand-walking her so that is a good sign; she also drank some water while I was hanging out with her; she didn't have any trouble with the carrots or the grass; I'm assuming because the moisture content made it easier to chew.

Pee + poo + drinking water + willing to eat + 98.6 temp = healthy horse = mom can sleep at night.

She was still acting very needy and nickered every time she thought I was leaving her, so I hung out in her stall for a while and found something interesting: a secret stash of cat food that had spilled into her stall and was stuck in between the wood slats! She had clearly been licking it because of the obvious tongue scoop marks; so I took a bucket and a hoof pick and chiseled it out; Ana seemed upset that I found her secret stash of contraband, lol. 

I checked with Ophelia's mom who assured me that a small amount of cat food won't hurt her. 

It was 7:30pm before I finally left despite Ana's protesting nickers; I'm hoping I have time to go see her tonight so that I can keep monitoring her.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Your Pilates class sounds really cool! I like the border collie on crack analogy lol I just figure border collies are always on something. I totally understand that restless feeling though. When I did some yoga, I'd begin really restless and gradually fall into it.


Oh good, so there is hope that I will get used to this!




DanteDressageNerd said:


> I'm also sorry to hear about the strangles. If Ana's up to date on her vaccines, hopefully all will be fine and hopefully nothing is serious or develops. Unfortunate circumstances :-(


My vet just texted me; she was not vaccinated for strangles; I guess the effectiveness of the strangles vaccine is debatable; hopefully Ana will continue to present in perfect health.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad to hear Ana is doing well and her health seems good with no signs of strangles. I hope it continues to go that way.

She look lovely in her photos. It looks like she's definitely gaining muscle tone. She looks good! I'm not sure what the line is but sometimes that line appears when they're holding their tummy muscles.

And yes there is always hope! I think yoga, meditation, zen, Pilates type stuff takes some time to get into the "mind set" and frame of. I'm sure you're instructor didn't start out the way she is now. I think of it as we all have to start somewhere and trying is better than not trying, even when we feel like the elephant or hippo among ballerinas. We have to have faith we too can be ballerinas and make it look so effortless and relaxing.

I hope Ana stays healthy and shows no signs!

That's also really funny about the cat food :lol: I've heard of horse's stashing things but I imagine it's like a child whose been hoarding candy and suddenly mom finds it and they're very distressed about losing their yummies.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night; her temp was 99.6 which according to the BO is still considered within the "normal" range.

It was so windy; gusting up to 30mph; I wanted to get some serious work done but found myself riding with one hand on the reins and the other trying to cover my face; Ana was really distracted; there was a lesson going on in the indoor and someone had pulled their trailer right up to the gate so that was way more interesting than doing Dressage. :icon_rolleyes:

I wanted to do my new routine of riding forward on one longside and then doing flexion work on the other, but another boarder entered the arena and was longing her crazy TB gelding; so I was trying to avoid colliding with him going down the longside and eventually gave up; there were several obstacles on the ground on the far side of the arena so we played with those instead; leg yield on a circle, counter bend on a circle, weave through ground poles, circle around mounting block, and side pass around a cone. 

Although it was fun playing around with different exercises, I felt like I hadn't really accomplished anything, so I didn't want to leave the arena without "fixing" at least two things; recently, she's been swinging her haunches out when I ask her to walk forward from a halt; so I worked on that; going forward enthusiastically without doing anything funky with her hind end. I know why she's been doing it; it's because we've been doing so much lateral work, that she knows that legs does not always equal forward, sometimes my legs talk to her haunches, asking them to step sideways. 

So if I do too much lateral work, it seems as though simple things such as going forward confuse her because she's wondering if I'm asking her to go sideways; so I'm super careful about my leg placement and the way I use them now so that she doesn't get confused; that's another reason why I'm switching back and forth between lateral and forward; so that she doesn't get herself tangled up. 

So we fixed that; but I still wanted to fix at least one more thing; I decided to work on canter; we got a lovely left lead relaxed canter; I left it at that; didn't want to keep pushing and get both of us frustrated; That's the hardest thing about horse training; knowing when to ask for more and when to quit; if you don't ask enough, the horse doesn't develop; if you ask too much, the horse shuts down. No horse is the same, and the same horse is going to act different on different days; she was very fussy and distracted yesterday, so I think I picked a good place to end our session.

As I was untacking her I was talking to the lady with crazy TB; she does fox hunting, which I know very little about; somehow we go to talking about Dressage and she said "To me Dressage seems to be about looking perfect all the time"....I can see why she might think that but it's so far from the truth; it's all about the athletic development of the horse; a perfectly developed horse and balanced rider might look perfect together but there was a lot of ugly they had to go through to get to that seemingly perfect image; and in most cases that image isn't all that perfect; that's why even at the Olympics nobody ever scores 100%; but the untrained eye doesn't see faults such as overlexed horses, rhythm mistakes in piaffe, or disengaged hind quarters. The rider doesn't sit perfectly balanced for the sake of looking perfect; it's to help the horse move to the best of his ability.

Of course I didn't tell her all that; I just agreed with her that it might look like that on the surface, but the point of Dressage is to develop the horse.

After I returned Ana to her stall, I decided to check on the cat food situation, and look what I found; more kibble, argh! It must have just fallen down because it wasn't totally caked and gross like the last stash so I was able to remove it pretty easily.

Hoping to do more serious riding this weekend; we have so much to work on, but I also need to set aside some time for just a chill loose rein ride; but even loose rein work can be beneficial because I can really get her back to swing when she's nice and forward; plus she doesn't know that I'm working her so she gives me very little 'tude 

The vet tech called this morning to let me know how Ana's dental appointment went since I couldn't be there; he said they used her as an example of what good equine dental health looks like; she only had a few sharp points which they were able to easily file down; he said she was a joy to handle - proud momma moment :loveshower:


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## frlsgirl

I finally loaded the video from Saturday's test; here is the part where the videoagrapher fell off the stool; Ana didn't notice him falling but she did notice him getting back up! Be sure to have the volume on so you can hear his commentary


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> And yes there is always hope! I think yoga, meditation, zen, Pilates type stuff takes some time to get into the "mind set" and frame of. I'm sure you're instructor didn't start out the way she is now. I think of it as we all have to start somewhere and trying is better than not trying, even when we feel like the elephant or hippo among ballerinas. We have to have faith we too can be ballerinas and make it look so effortless and relaxing.


Definitely! It's just so hard for me to relax and just "be"; I feel like I always have to "try" and that's what messes me up when I'm riding as well; I need to relax when cantering, not "try" to relax, if that makes any sense?


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## DanteDressageNerd

It's alright. I think a lot of are that way when we're learning something new. Especially if we're perfectionists and put a lot of pressure on ourselves. I think we all start out trying too hard, especially if we're hard workers :lol: I know with riding it was my pit fall for a long time because I'd try too hard to make it work or do a good job and because I put that pressure on, it would just come out as tension. Rather than that relaxed=fluidity we strive for. It used to frustrate me because other people seemed to pick up on how to ride intuitively and I had to learn the hard way because I was so literal and got in my own head too much.

I'm glad Ana's health is still going well and you had a good ride. I agree trying to explain dressage to someone who doesn't do it and doesn't understand it, is very difficult. None of it I feel is about being "perfect." I mean we aim for perfection but a good dressage rider isn't "posing." They're actively riding to be more aware of themselves, their horse and being able to communicate more effectively in a way the horse can understand. It's all about clarity and improving communication skills. It appears "perfect" on a finished horse because that rider is so precisely communicating with a horse who has been taught to understand. Like computer programming but it's educating a horse and rider.


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## egrogan

The cat food in her stall is so funny. 

Gross but true story- last week, my husband and I had a new couch delivered. When we were getting ready to move the old couch out, we found a huge stash of cat food like that under the cushions! We live in an old house, and you can't ever completely get rid of the mice, but that was just really nasty to discover. Our fat cat needs to work a little harder to protect his precious food


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> The cat food in her stall is so funny.
> 
> Gross but true story- last week, my husband and I had a new couch delivered. When we were getting ready to move the old couch out, we found a huge stash of cat food like that under the cushions! We live in an old house, and you can't ever completely get rid of the mice, but that was just really nasty to discover. Our fat cat needs to work a little harder to protect his precious food


Eek! Makes you wonder what else they have hidden that you haven't found yet! :eek_color:


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## frlsgirl

Lots of learning happened this weekend! 

Let's start with Friday April 8, 2016:

We had a great ride in the indoor; we did our normal routine of practicing suppleness exercises and forward exercises separately and then trying to combine them; you can see how she carries herself very differently in these two trot pictures; one is more relaxed but on the forehand, the other is more upright but also more tense. 

I decided that I needed to do at least a right lead canter since we had only done left lead Wednesday; it was kind of frightening; she picked it up and I decided to go straight instead of on the circle; she took off like the mad pony express; I got that weird panicky feeling and brought her back to a trot. Crap! That's is not how it was supposed to go! We took a walk break and I decided I absolutely had to get the right lead canter one more time without panicking; so we did just a circle, it was ok, I'm just happy I was even willing to try it because it's hard to recover from that icky panicky feeling.

So I went home feeling defeated thinking that I just panic way too easily and that I probably wasn't as bad as it felt...and then I saw the video - YIKES! No wonder I felt panicked - that pony can run!

So then I felt a little better; I mean all the other stuff we practiced went as planned plus I was willing to try cantering again, so all was well again.


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, April 9, 2016:

I was still a little bothered about our canter issues. Why can't I solve this? I've ridden so many horses, had so many lessons, this isn't rocket science, right? I had a stern talk with myself and decided that I needed some sort of canter goal that I can work towards; I remembered DanteDressageNerds post about reading Dante's Inferno and the nine circles of hell; so I decided my goal is nine canter trot transitions on a circle on each lead, because cantering is hard but transitions are even harder.

I started out with our normal routine but noticed that I had a very difficult time getting her really through; it was weird, the same exercises that worked the previous day, only loosened her up to the point that she was maybe 40% through; whereas the previous day I could get about 80% throughness. 

I didn't want to wear myself out further with trying to get her more through because I still needed to do our nine circles of hell exercise. Well, we did 3 trot, canter, trot transitions going left and 2 going right, without a break in between; bonus, I didn't faint or panic! Her lack of throughness made this exercise even more challenging so I didn't feel the need to do all nine transitions especially considering that she wasn't using good biomechanics to accomplish the task.

I went home and watched the video and that's where I saw the problem; when circling left, her left hind is supposed to step under the point of gravity but her right hind is carrying all the weight instead because her hip is pointing to the left again! And it's my fault; I didn't pay attention to her body positioning when I did the ab/pelvis engagement exercises! 

Argh! So I'm a little mad at myself but I'm also realizing that I'm growing in my ability to pinpoint the source of issues that come up under saddle; so a lot of learning and personal growth happened this weekend. Once her hip is better alignment we can keep working on the nine circles of hell exercise.


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## frlsgirl

Sunday, April 10, 2016:

Yesterday was the BO's surprise birthday party; well, it was supposed to be a surprise but she showed up too early. I got my DH to agree to come with me (that rarely happens, he's not a horse person), so I was stoked! Lots of good food, fellowship and laughter; DH finally got to meet BO and agrees with me that Ana is in the best hands; he could see that she clearly treats and cares for the border horses like they are her own. 

While I was there, I snuck in her stall to do check her temp and do our exercises; I made sure her alignment was better before engaging her abs and pelvis; her temp has been pretty consistent; 99.6, 99.5, 99.3 but yesterday it was 99.9; not shockingly high or anything but higher than it has been; she was also acting marish toward other horses so I thought maybe she's about to ovulate, that would explain the behavior along with the temp; BO assured me 99.9 is totally within the normal range.

Before we left, I got DH to take a picture with Miss Ana; she seems to like him and was happy to stand still for the photo op:


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## frlsgirl

Ophelia's owner notified me that all the horses at the barn that had been quarantined due to a possible strangles outbreak, tested negative except for one; that horse has been completely isolated so that it can't infect others.

Although the others tested negative, several of them are still running fevers so they are continuing to run tests but haven't been able to pinpoint the cause; strange right?

She still has not received the test results for Ophelia, but is taking her to that new barn today; she will still be separated from other horses but at least she can stretch her legs a little bit in a private pasture, while they keep waiting for the test results. 

The barn's regular farriers is supposed to come today and do Ana's feet; we shall see; he's not texted me back at all but hopefully BO can get him to come out and get a few horses trimmed.

I'm not sure what all I'm going to do with Ana this week; maybe longe work tonight, and ride Wednesday and Friday. I do need to go out there every day if possible and take her temp and do her stretching exercises; we also need to do cavaletti work on the longe; the equipment is in the outdoor where the footing isn't quite as good so if she is freshly trimmed she maybe not appreciate doing longe work in less than perfect conditions.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I like it 9 circles of hell for canter :lol:

But it's a point of learning. It's hard to get it all in the right spot all the time. And some days horses just have a harder time or aren't there as mentally as we'd like. You get better with time and they get better with strength and coordination. It's hard for them too. I'm a big fan of lateral work. 

Canter can be a hard gait to develop in a horse, especially if that's they're weak gait. It takes time but I'm sure you'll get there. Dante's canter isn't perfect but his used to look like a western lope with too much hind end action. It's improving all the time as he gains strength, coordination and learns to carry behind. I did a lot of counter canter, laterals, etc but it just takes time. Rhythm is always the big one. And sometimes it's good to just do it an allow your body to follow a natural rhythm and work threw it but always depends on what you're comfortable with.

I think we all get mad at ourselves sometimes. We're not perfect and that's the part I think that is hard. One day doesn't mean a career  

Lunging and polls or cavaletti can also be good for developing a canter. But Ana is a very feminine and pretty mare!


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I think we all get mad at ourselves sometimes. We're not perfect and that's the part I think that is hard. One day doesn't mean a career


Sometimes I just need to yell at myself in order to get out of a rut; it goes something like this "Get your a** on that horse and ride her! You know how to do this, so just do it already!" 

And since I don't want to tick myself off, I just go and do it


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Lunging and polls or cavaletti can also be good for developing a canter.


That is exactly what we did yesterday; I think it's her hind end that is a little slow to develop; fortunately, I have access to actual cavaletti now, so we can incorporate them into our routine.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Canter can be a hard gait to develop in a horse, especially if that's they're weak gait. It takes time but I'm sure you'll get there. Dante's canter isn't perfect but his used to look like a western lope with too much hind end action. It's improving all the time as he gains strength, coordination and learns to carry behind. I did a lot of counter canter, laterals, etc but it just takes time. Rhythm is always the big one. And sometimes it's good to just do it an allow your body to follow a natural rhythm and work threw it but always depends on what you're comfortable with.


Her canter has evolved a lot in the last two years; it's strange how it keeps changing; it seemed to get pretty solid last summer when I was working with previous trainer; we ended up going our separate ways because she was more of a quick fix front to back rider whereas I wanted to do things the right way; so we made a whole bunch of changes including trainer, barn, saddle, feed, farrier, and that's where her canter got worse again; but if we had to take a temporary step back in order to progress correctly and gain a very nice solid canter in the future, it was worth it. 

Her canter on the longe is looking quite lovely; under saddle, well...when I ride her it's not great but she has a few good strides; but I bet I'm at least 50% of the problem because I tend to panic when she becomes too quick, and so we psych ourselves out; I'm working on it; also going to have trainer canter her and I will film/watch to see if she goes better/feels better for trainer.

My new trainer is very chill; she's probably a 1 on the freak out scale, whereas I'm more of an 8; so when I think something is a disaster, she thinks it's not even a problem. So she is really good for the both of us; nothing seems to rattle her.


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## frlsgirl

Monday April 11, 2016:

I rushed to the barn to check on Ana; apparently the farrier did make it out finally because her feet had been done; not overdone either; he just rebalanced the broken off parts with the intact parts.

There was a group lesson in the indoor so I decided to longe her in the outdoor; I've been wanting to do cavaletti work anyway, plus the footing was nice and soft from the rain earlier in the day, so that couldn't have worked out any better.

There aren't a lot of cross ties or hitching posts, so I decided that I would just put Ana in the outdoor while I got her cavesson and longe line, because I was anticipating that group to finish and scramble to find a place to tie up their horses.

The outdoor arena is Ana's normal turnout spot so you would think she would have been ok with that but NO! She screamed her head off while I rushed to get my longing gear; when she saw me coming she did the snake neck thing to further express her displeasure. 

I started longing her and she was very sassy; tail swishing, rollkuring herself, floating through the air like she was trying to impress someone; she picked up the most beautiful balanced canter without my prompting; I wanted to correct her because I hadn't asked for canter but it was so pretty, so I let her go for a bit before asking her to whoa back to a walk.

Once she settled down a bit, I had her trot over a single cavaletti at the lowest setting; no problem; she went over it 5 or 6 times each way. So then I flipped it over to the highest setting; that's where she started to struggle a bit; but the most awesome thing happened; she relaxed her topline and produced the most beautiful trot; after the 5th time going to the left, she decided she had enough and went around it and gave me the most pitiful look, like "mom, I'm tired, can we do something else, pretty please?" "Ohhh, Ana, we are not done yet."

I brought her back to a smaller circle, had her trot the other way before I made the circle larger again which put the cavaletti in her path; she knew exactly what I was doing and pinned her ears as soon as she realized the cavaletti was in her path; she went over it 5 times or so, again with the most beautiful trot in between only this time her ears were pinned the entire time; then she was fed up with the exercise and went around it and said "I'm done!" "Ohh, Ana, I know you want to be done!"

I couldn't let her win, but I did realize that she was getting tired so I had her trot a small circle without the cavaletti, then I turned it over to the lowest setting and hand walked her over it a couple of times.

I unclipped her from the longe line and walked around the arena to rearrange the poles and things I had moved; she was right behind me following me like a puppy, so we walked over a few poles and called it good.

Wow - it's rare to see her so sassy and opinionated.

I did notice that her temp had climbed to 100.1; which I took before we started so I know it's not exercise related. I wonder if she might be ovulating? Could explain why she is squealing at other horses, too.

Ophelia's mom called me while I was at the barn with the good news - her strangles test was negative, yay!


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## frlsgirl

I had my second pilates lesson yesterday; she's really starting to push me a little and parts of my body started shaking half way into the lesson; everything felt like mashed potatoes by the time I got home.

The package I bought only came with 2 private lessons so now I have 5 group lessons; I hope I can keep up with everyone!


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## frlsgirl

I had a really disturbing experience yesterday:

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

While I was riding Ana, a new boarder started working her horse, only it was very clear that she didn't know what she was doing. She kept yelling at it and smacking it on the butt and in the head with a whip; in between she was running it around the arena in crazy circles; it appears that she was trying to do CA type training although she didn't understand that you can't just put pressure on the horse; you also have to release. 

She made so much noise with the whip poor Ana was totally disturbed by what was going on. Ana has never been whipped or handled roughly so this was completely foreign to her. 

I took Ana to the opposite end of the arena and tried to calm her down with some walk circles which worked really well.

Eventually we worked up the courage to use the whole arena but every time we got close to them Ana would try to look at them or at least keep an ear on them. 

I was recording my ride so I have footage of me doing the circles while you can hear some whipping in the background. I have another clip where you can see how Ana just can't stop staring at them and you can hear the lady yelling at the horse in the background. 

The horse is a 9 year old mare who was recently weaned from her colt; I briefly talked to the boarder earlier while I was tacking up Ana; she introduced herself, seemed nice and said that she's trying to decide if she wants to get back into horses so she's borrowing this mare from a friend. She also said that she used to ride as a kid and then got married, had children and just didn't have time for horses and that her children always came first; I was like um, ok, strange statement to make but ok. She also told me that she realizes she needs to loose weight, and she's working on that, again, I was like, ok, strange thing to say; I did notice that she's way too tall for the mare; the extra weight is more of a secondary concern and really none of my business. I told her about our party lessons that we have once a month and told her to think about coming some time because it's a good way to meet people. She agreed and thanked me for the suggestion; she grabbed the halter and said "I'm going to try and catch her now; it should be interesting. We are going to have a lesson on respect today because she reared up on me yesterday." I was thinking, um, strange, the mare seems really sweet and easy to handle (P had tied her up by Ana's stall the other day so I had a chance to pet her and interact with her). I had NO idea that she was going to be this far off on her training technique to the point of being abusive.

I didn't know what to do so I found "P" the barn owner and told her what was going on. She said that she was going to take a look. So P goes into arena with her lesson kids and their horses and crazy boarder leaves arena and moves the poor mare into the round pen where she continues to beat her and yell at her. 

It took all the self control I had to keep me from going into that round pen and beating crazy boarder with a whip. 
I got in my car and called Ophelia's owner who talked me off the ledge. She was still torturing that poor horse as I drove away; so for at least one hour this horse was run around in circles, hit in the head and smacked on her butt, and had to listen to her yell and smack the whip in the air. What is wrong with people?

Ophelia's owner said I did the right thing because if I had approached the crazy lady that it would have escalated and that P needs to handle it. If this continues and P doesn't handle it, I WILL do something about it. I just don't know what; I thought about secretively video taping her so that I would have proof that this is going on; or just taking the whip away from her and beating her with it, that's what I REALLY want to do.

What would you do?

PS: I'm really proud of Ana for handling this so well.

Here is our cool down; towards the end of the video you can see Ana looking over to watch the crazy lady; then you can hear her yelling at the poor horse as I'm walking Ana to the camera:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pP6uVwAXZU

Here we are doing circles to calm Ana down; if you turn up the sound you can hear whipping noises:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOEdX162Y8Q


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## evilamc

I think you did the right thing by walking away. You probably just don't want to get involved. Hopefully you don't have to witness it again.

I had someone tell me I was abusing my horse when I was teaching him how to self load. It looked really ugly, he was throwing a huge temper tantrum but I was working with a trainer and she told me I just have to keep the pressure on till he gets over his temper tantrum. To an outsider I just looked like I was beating my horse and that he was "scared" but really he was just being a spoiled brat. While she does sound obsessive sometimes things look worse then they really are. Sometimes you just have to get through that temper tantrum a time or two and then they'll be respectful and no longer fight it. I'll say I much rather go through the temper tantrum then spend an hour trying to get him on the trailer lol! It was terrible! Now I just walk him up, point his head in and he gets up...if he does resist any just a twirl of the rope and he steps right on in. 

I guess what I'm getting at is unless YOU'RE actually working with the horse and know the horses history sometimes its hard to say when is too much? Horse I used to board with seemed sweet as can be when she was getting loved on and what she wanted..Second you asked her to do something "not on her agenda" she was literally rearing up being a complete jerk and DANGEROUS (She did this with their KIDS too). She actually turned around and double barreled me once when I was trying to get Jax out...she was mad I was taking him...Completely disrespectful. If she were my horse, we would of been in a round pen and yes I prob would of been getting after her like a mad woman anytime she even THOUGHT about pinning her ears. Disrespect is not ok and if that mare really was rearing up on her sounds like she is disrespectful and did need a good ground work session. But running the horse around for an hour does sound like too much...You did the right thing by walking away, hopefully it doesn't continue in that manner.


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## frlsgirl

evilamc said:


> I think you did the right thing by walking away. You probably just don't want to get involved. Hopefully you don't have to witness it again.
> 
> I had someone tell me I was abusing my horse when I was teaching him how to self load. It looked really ugly, he was throwing a huge temper tantrum but I was working with a trainer and she told me I just have to keep the pressure on till he gets over his temper tantrum. To an outsider I just looked like I was beating my horse and that he was "scared" but really he was just being a spoiled brat. While she does sound obsessive sometimes things look worse then they really are. Sometimes you just have to get through that temper tantrum a time or two and then they'll be respectful and no longer fight it. I'll say I much rather go through the temper tantrum then spend an hour trying to get him on the trailer lol! It was terrible! Now I just walk him up, point his head in and he gets up...if he does resist any just a twirl of the rope and he steps right on in.
> 
> I guess what I'm getting at is unless YOU'RE actually working with the horse and know the horses history sometimes its hard to say when is too much? Horse I used to board with seemed sweet as can be when she was getting loved on and what she wanted..Second you asked her to do something "not on her agenda" she was literally rearing up being a complete jerk and DANGEROUS (She did this with their KIDS too). She actually turned around and double barreled me once when I was trying to get Jax out...she was mad I was taking him...Completely disrespectful. If she were my horse, we would of been in a round pen and yes I prob would of been getting after her like a mad woman anytime she even THOUGHT about pinning her ears. Disrespect is not ok and if that mare really was rearing up on her sounds like she is disrespectful and did need a good ground work session. But running the horse around for an hour does sound like too much...You did the right thing by walking away, hopefully it doesn't continue in that manner.


Thank you for your response! I'm actually quite familiar with NH and the CA technique, so I've seen used effectively; but with every technique there is usually a pressure and release sequence when the horse responds appropriately; this lady was using a whole lot of pressure and very little release. The mare is broke to ride and the BO and BM have been handling her daily for the past week; haltering her and leading her between her stall and her turnout pen without any issue.

I don't think this is a case of classical perspective and NH perspective colliding; it's a case of someone just getting back into horses, probably watching a few CA videos, and letting all her frustrations out on a perfectly broke and easy to manage mare.

But I get where you are coming from; sometimes you do have to be tough and work through an issue which may look abusive to an outsider, I just don't think that this is the case here.


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## evilamc

Yeah sounds like she was probably a bit obsessive with it! Hopefully it will get better


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## Tazzie

I definitely agree you did the right thing by not approaching her. I'm guessing P is the barn owner? That is definitely her territory to step in.

Shame there are people that get that obsessive.


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## frlsgirl

Tazzie said:


> I definitely agree you did the right thing by not approaching her. I'm guessing P is the barn owner? That is definitely her territory to step in.
> 
> Shame there are people that get that obsessive.


Yes, "P" is the owner and trainer. I'm just hoping that this will be resolved by the time I go to the barn tomorrow.


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

frlsgirl said:


> I had a really disturbing experience yesterday:
> 
> Wednesday, April 13, 2016
> 
> While I was riding Ana, a new boarder started working her horse, only it was very clear that she didn't know what she was doing. She kept yelling at it and smacking it on the butt and in the head with a whip; in between she was running it around the arena in crazy circles; it appears that she was trying to do CA type training although she didn't understand that you can't just put pressure on the horse; you also have to release.
> 
> She made so much noise with the whip poor Ana was totally disturbed by what was going on. Ana has never been whipped or handled roughly so this was completely foreign to her.
> 
> I took Ana to the opposite end of the arena and tried to calm her down with some walk circles which worked really well.
> 
> Eventually we worked up the courage to use the whole arena but every time we got close to them Ana would try to look at them or at least keep an ear on them.
> 
> I was recording my ride so I have footage of me doing the circles while you can hear some whipping in the background. I have another clip where you can see how Ana just can't stop staring at them and you can hear the lady yelling at the horse in the background.
> 
> The horse is a 9 year old mare who was recently weaned from her colt; I briefly talked to the boarder earlier while I was tacking up Ana; she introduced herself, seemed nice and said that she's trying to decide if she wants to get back into horses so she's borrowing this mare from a friend. She also said that she used to ride as a kid and then got married, had children and just didn't have time for horses and that her children always came first; I was like um, ok, strange statement to make but ok. She also told me that she realizes she needs to loose weight, and she's working on that, again, I was like, ok, strange thing to say; I did notice that she's way too tall for the mare; the extra weight is more of a secondary concern and really none of my business. I told her about our party lessons that we have once a month and told her to think about coming some time because it's a good way to meet people. She agreed and thanked me for the suggestion; she grabbed the halter and said "I'm going to try and catch her now; it should be interesting. We are going to have a lesson on respect today because she reared up on me yesterday." I was thinking, um, strange, the mare seems really sweet and easy to handle (P had tied her up by Ana's stall the other day so I had a chance to pet her and interact with her). I had NO idea that she was going to be this far off on her training technique to the point of being abusive.
> 
> I didn't know what to do so I found "P" the barn owner and told her what was going on. She said that she was going to take a look. So P goes into arena with her lesson kids and their horses and crazy boarder leaves arena and moves the poor mare into the round pen where she continues to beat her and yell at her.
> 
> It took all the self control I had to keep me from going into that round pen and beating crazy boarder with a whip.
> I got in my car and called Ophelia's owner who talked me off the ledge. She was still torturing that poor horse as I drove away; so for at least one hour this horse was run around in circles, hit in the head and smacked on her butt, and had to listen to her yell and smack the whip in the air. What is wrong with people?
> 
> Ophelia's owner said I did the right thing because if I had approached the crazy lady that it would have escalated and that P needs to handle it. If this continues and P doesn't handle it, I WILL do something about it. I just don't know what; I thought about secretively video taping her so that I would have proof that this is going on; or just taking the whip away from her and beating her with it, that's what I REALLY want to do.
> 
> What would you do?
> 
> PS: I'm really proud of Ana for handling this so well.
> 
> Here is our cool down; towards the end of the video you can see Ana looking over to watch the crazy lady; then you can hear her yelling at the poor horse as I'm walking Ana to the camera:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pP6uVwAXZU
> 
> Here we are doing circles to calm Ana down; if you turn up the sound you can hear whipping noises:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOEdX162Y8Q


Unfortunately there really isn't a lot you can do but let the BO know and if you can that mare's owner. she's lucky that mare is so kind. I guarentee Dante would have flipped over on top of her or bucked her off. That is completely unacceptable to me, she needs to be in a lesson program until she can learn to handle a horse fairly or not be around them at all. That is NOT how you cure rearing, that's how you make it worse. I bet from all her aggression is why the mare reared in the first place. Horses understand horse logic, when you're beating and flailing on them for a prolonged, they don't understand what they did wrong or why they're being punished and have no idea what the expectation is. They just knows they're getting smacked around and don't know what's going on. Again she's extremely lucky that mare is so sweet, I know a few horses who would have come down on her and seriously hurt her. 

I hate seeing the yelling and kicking. I'm not against getting their attention, especially if a horse is a jerk. I've ridden a few jerks you had to get after on the ground and undersaddle or they'd hurt you. But no chasing in circles screaming, just firm. Assertive, quick aids that are decisive and over with. It doesn't teach them anything but to shut down, get scares or get hostile when you go after them like that. Same with spooking, I've never seen beating a horse get they over spooking, just make them more afraid. 

I agree with not approaching her yourself. People that hostile and in a fit you can't really help. You say something won't do any good, they don't listen or internalize it. Just get defensive and start to justify the behavior. It wouldn't have accomplished anything to say something. You cant reason with crazy. That's the BOs and trainers job.

I'm glad Ana was so good through that whole ordeal. You should be really proud of her. You should be proud of yourself too, for helping Ana be pretty secure about it too. I think Dante would have been very upset. It's sad when people through ignorance and lacking empathy can cause so much destruction.

I've also retrained horses from abusive situations, so that stuff makes me angry. I had one who was a trakehner/TB who was super nervous because he'd been hit in the head and smacked around so much. He was rushed through his training, so he really wasn't naughty but he'd bolt, spook, just side ways off aids and needed a lot of help. I got him where he would let me ride him and not spook, half halted and wouldn't take off. He really trusted me and I actually thought about buying him because we got along so well, then he sold. He was really neurotic but meant well. He needed lots of encouragement because he was so used to getting a beat down when he'd get scared or make a wrong guess. He was a jumper. I thought he'd have made a good eventer.

Another one was a mare who came from an FEI trainer, she had callouses the size of rocks from spur marks. She couldn't be fixed, had shown 3rd-4th level. She had too much psychological damage but she's a trail horse now. It's just sad. This mare was very sweet and had a good personality/mind set. Just would panic about self carriage and didn't understand half halts. Couldn't put any pressure on her what so ever or shed lost it. Back breaking canter transitions. Poor lady. She was a good horse.


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## frlsgirl

Yeah, it is really sad; she seem like such a sweet mare; hopefully this will stop soon before she does some permanent psychological damage to her.

I really lucked out with Ana; I didn't take a pro with me to check her out, but I just had a really good feeling about her. She has a really good mind; you can tell she's never been treated badly by a human.

And yikes, Cass, on the retraining projects; retraining a "broken" horse is often more challenging than training a baby horse from the ground up. I don't think I would have the guts to work such projects.


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## tinyliny

I've NEVER seen a really good horse trainer yell at a horse. hit them, jerk on the line, swing a whip at them, well, at times, . . . but no yelling. yelling is a human anger response, and usually happens when a human loses rational control.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I've seen extremely good handlers manhandle stallions or jerk horses. I agree with not seeing the yelling. But discipline and firm action, absolutely. When I was in Germany with the young stallions, they definitely handled firmly and swiftly when needed. They didn't just beat the snot out of them but they made sure those stallions knew their place and did as much as was necessary. I also rode a few, you had to be assertive with. You didn't smack them around or beat them but you had to be assertive, firm and strong at times or they'd just not cooperate or listen at all and then on the ground you'd have to watch all 4 legs were on the ground at all times. Not all horses are kind. Some are brutish, dominant and dangerous. With them it's not really beat downs but firm, decisive action. I don't miss handling stallions at all. Some are really good but some are just awful. That's one of the many reasons I decided I didn't want to be a professional.

The mare doesn't sound like that at all though and it sounded like she just needed someone who knew what they were doing or someone just patient and kind to help her. A lot of horses do better with encouragement and confidence/trust building exercises. 

I'm glad you found Ana too. You guys make a really good pair and seem to suit each other really well  

At that time I rode what I rode. I generally have a pretty calm presence so I get along with the higher energy/nervous horses. And I like the retraining projects. Sometimes too much damage is done but a lot of the times they're just happy to be treated fairly. That said there are horses you couldn't pay me enough to ride. And I agree. It's harder to undo bad training than to train from scratch. And there are definitely ones that are easy to bring back, it just depends on the horse and the situation. Sometimes the ones that come from upper level riders that are excessively harsh are way worse or impossible to fix over the ones who just came from rough amateurs.


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## frlsgirl

Busy weekend for Ana!

Let's start with Friday, April 15, 2016

Went to the barn for the first time since the unpleasant encounter with crazy boarder, so I was a little nervous.

I was hoping I would run into P so I could ask her if she had a chance to address it, but she wasn't there; instead I run into M the barn sitter and fellow Dressage competitor; turns out P is out of town til Friday so I confided in M regarding the situation; glad I did; she seemed understanding and said that she would keep an eye on her.

So Ana and I decided to focus on lateral work and forward/stretchy work; here are some pictures.

PS: remind me to burn that hideous shirt. Also, what is up with my position? Yikes!


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, April 16, 2016

I wanted to do something different today; so we started with liberty work; Ana did pretty well although you can tell she really dislikes going to the left and is always trying to figure out a way to turn around or escape:






 

She's still a champ at backing up:








I also wanted to work on my position so we moved on to bareback work; I really wanted to focus on my spiral seat, also notice the cat sitting on the mounting block:







 
Now brace yourself for cuteness overload; this cat just insisted on hanging out with us:


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## frlsgirl

Sunday, April 17, 2016:

It was kind of a strange day; we were supposed to take neighbors to meet Ana so that their daughter could groom and ride her, but storms started to roll into town, so I hightailed it out to the barn so I could squeeze in one last ride; again I wanted to break it up a little and do something different. So we rode outside and focused on pole work:

Afterwards, I just unsaddled her and left her in the outdoor since it's her normal turnout spot and it wasn't time to come in yet; you might say she's a bit of a velcro horse:





 

While I was there, I got to talking to the Foxhunter lady again; it turns out that her TB is not fresh off the track; she used to ride him all the time and compete with him in hunter paces. She said that stall board wasn't working out for him so she's looking for a place to move him to.

She told me to watch for signs in Ana that stalling might be affecting her in a negative way; half of the boarder horses have ulcers, so that's not good BUT that half consists of young, hot horses that don't get worked very much and/or are on limited turnout so that kind of makes sense.

Ana goes out at 8ish and comes back in at 1ish; then she gets worked between 5 and 6 during the week, and usually sometime in the mornings on the weekends. She does have a couple of days off per week. If the weather is bad, I either make a special request to have her turned out in the indoor or I make a special trip to the barn to let her out/do longe work with her. So far, she seems fine. Ideally I would love a 12/12 turnout schedule, but that doesn't work there because there aren't enough turnout spots per horse.

Anyway, I feel like I can't win; first boarding place she was not getting fed and was getting the crap kicked out of her by the other horse, the next barn she ended up being the bully plus she had to stand in her own muck, and was eating moldy hay. 

This place seems to be the best so far as long as she doesn't mind spending extra time in her stall. P takes such good care of the boarder horses; whenever I take her out to ride, P sneaks into her stall and cleans any new poop that appeared since the BM cleaned her stall in the morning. The other day they decided to try Ana on the grass turnout and decided to bring her in early because they didn't want her to founder; it just goes to show you they actually care and pay attention to your horse's specific needs. 

A nutritionist came to the barn the other day to do research on feed and she said that P feeds the highest quality of feed that's available. 

Ana has never received so much personal care and attention, sure the place isn't fancy but I feel comfortable leaving Ana there. I just have to make sure that I pay attention to the weather and make arrangements for her daily exercise.


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## DanteDressageNerd

The liberty work was pretty fun to watch. Interesting to see what you can do with them but I LOVE the cat. I'm a cat lady but I LOVED that. The cat is so cute. He was like love me and Ana seemed to like him too. Very cute.

Bareback is great. It's nice to just be with them, without saddle interference. She looks very relaxed and happy  you look good!

If you're happy with the barn and they provide such great care and look after Ana. I wouldn't worry. It never hurts to look around but if she's eating good grain and hay and being looked after with turnout, even 5hrs is still a lot better than a lot of places offer. I know places that don't turnout at all or they only get an hr on a dry lot.

But that's cute. She's like Mom I'm done, can I play with you now? That's cute!


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## evilamc

The liberty work was cool! I should do more lungeline stuff with Jax and try doing that...I could see him just taking off if I tried it now LOL! That cat is a lot like my two! If I ride a little around the house they just follow me or sit on the mounting block watching. Some cats are so funny, want to just know everything going on and be a part of it!

That stinks about the low amount of turn out time at the barn but she seems to be doing really well so I wouldn't stress it too much, as long as you can keep up with your routine.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies - yes the cat is very cute; she's NOT declawed which I felt when she jumped up on my leg - ouch!

Liberty work is fun! It really highlights physical imbalances that you may not see as clearly under saddle; like she really kept trying to change direction whenever I wanted her to go to the left.

I talked to BO about turnout situation and she's working with me to get Ana some extra turnout; Ana hasn't really shown any signs of mental distress at all but I would want to prevent it rather than fixing it later. 

She turned her out in the afternoon after the rain had stopped; she said Ana ran around and played in the mud which I love to hear; I don't care if she gets dirty; she needs to let off some steam; she also turned out her buddy in the grassy paddock next to Ana's turnout which keeps Ana from screaming her head off; she's become super attached to that mare.

So that's where I found Ana when I arrived yesterday. She was happily walking around and interacting with turnout buddy over the fence line. 

Unfortunately, the crazy boarder lady was there again. She walked her borrowed pony into the stall and was talking to her as I walked Ana to the hitching post. It was awkward; she doesn't know that I've already formed a not so pleasant opinion about her, so I felt a little guilty. She was super nice and talkative; she asked me if I was riding today to which I replied "No I'm just doing longe work today" to which she replied "do you show in longe?" ....."Umm, no, you can't really show in longe unless you are doing equestrian vaulting"....

I didn't know what else to say without sounding conceded. She was watching me as I was grooming Ana and doing stretches with her which made me kind of nervous. She then said again that she's still working on respect issues with her mare and that she's gotten away with a lot in the past, to which I replied "Really? She seems like a really sweet mare." 

I was continuing with Ana's grooming, stretching and ab exercises so she excused herself and said something like "I'll let you get back to it now, or I'll leave you alone now"....which made me wonder if maybe she could sense that I was uncomfortable around her.

So then I took Ana into the indoor for longe work where BO was just finishing a group lesson. She had all the kids line up on the other side of the ring and used the opportunity to teach the kids about longeing. She said "What's the lady doing with that horse?" "What is that long rope called?" "What is she holding in her other hand?" "What are some reasons you might want to longe a horse?" I was like OMG the pressure is on, we better do a good job, lol.

Ana did ok, she was really falling over her shoulder and we had to work quite a bit to get a good canter going.

When I finished, I had the opportunity to talk to BO by herself; turns out she hasn't had the chance to talk to crazy boarder yet because she just got back from her trip; I told her that I wasn't planning on saying anything to any of the other boarders because I don't want to cause barn drama, which she appreciated. I did tell her that I spoke to barn sitter about it just to give her a heads up, which she seemed ok with. I told her that I thought the lady is really nice, and that she just may not know what she's doing. 

Then we moved on to talking about scheduling another lesson; I would like to have a lesson where she rides her first and I watch and then I ride her. She said she's never done that before to which I replied that it helps me see how Ana goes differently for her, to which she replied that she doesn't believe that Ana goes any differently for her than she does for me. She reluctantly agreed, so we are doing that tomorrow night. I'm sure she goes better for her; she's a much better rider than me, I mean the lady has her bronze medal.

So I'm super pumped to do that tomorrow! I'm also not as worried about running into crazy boarder; she is really nice but she just doesn't have a lot of experience or skills; hopefully P can help her with some of that.


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## frlsgirl

Ooh, everything looks so different.

Quick update:

I haven't been to the barn since Monday; still planning on special lesson tonight where P rides Ana first, and then I get on for an abbreviated lesson; can't wait. 

In other news, I posted here about my friend's horse Ophelia; she has moved her to this really nice facility and was enjoying life there up until yesterday afternoon; horse had a freak accident in the hot walker. She has a hair line fracture in her skull and her face had to be stitched back together; the pictures are awful; on top of that, she just texted me that there was another related problem later last night and the vet had to come out again and put a compression bandage on her head. I can't even imagine the amount of stress Ophelia's owner is feeling right now; plus I'm sure two emergency vet calls were not cheap. Assuming that everything heals correctly, Ophelia needs to be off work for 8 weeks while the fracture heals. How frustrating! 

I've been pretty fortunate with Ana; no major injuries as of yet! I don't know what I would do if she were to get hurt in a freak accident like that. Horse ownership is not for sissies!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Either way I love the cat!! She looks wonderful!

I'm sorry the crazy boarder lady came back. I hope she's open to taking some lessons or open to learning a new approach, so she can find a better way to approach that pony. She is INCREDIBLY lucky that pony is so tolerant of that treatment.

Though I can imagine the pressure having a bunch of kids watching you being used as an example to show them how to lunge. That's certainly pressure. But Ana looks really good. I hope the kids were happy to watch!

That's incredibly unfortunate to hear about your friends mare, poor Ophelia. Definite prayers will be sent! But I'm glad to hear it's something that will heal and it sounds like she'll make a full recovery? 

I'm going to knock on wood for you on that. Horse ownership is not for sissies, it's rough. Anything can happen at any time for no reason at all or in the best of situations. It's incredible. Anything can happen at any time and that's the heart breaking part of it all.


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## frlsgirl

We had a great lesson last night! We started with our normal warm-up routine:


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## frlsgirl

Then RI rode her; she is really good with her. She has much better control of the outside rein/shoulder then I do; I focus more on forward and up and open whereas she focuses more on roundness:


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## frlsgirl

Then it was my turn to ride. 

We also got some cantering done; and it didn't look totally hideous so here is a short clip:






What is up with my back? Why is it so hollow/curved?!?


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## frlsgirl

And just so you can see how compact Ana's back is, here is a good visual of me standing by her tightening the girth and a confo pic from before our ride:


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## egrogan

Poor Ophelia! Sending good vibes


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Poor Ophelia! Sending good vibes


Thanks - she can use them! She's having more issues with her so she's going to call the vet again today. I'm staying in constant contact with her.


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## Tazzie

Yikes, hope she heals well!


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## DanteDressageNerd

It's all good with the curved/hollow back. I have a lot of curve in my spine, it took me a long time to sort that out. It was hard.

But the canter video shows progress! It looks like a hard canter to organize but you're doing great! Keep it up! She's looking really good and I agree she does have a small saddle placement. Definitely makes saddle fit more difficult.

I'm glad you had a good lesson. Best wishes for Ophelia.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> It's all good with the curved/hollow back. I have a lot of curve in my spine, it took me a long time to sort that out. It was hard.


Yeah I'm really confused about the whole back situation. Natasha says in order to really plug into the horse and ride like a Dressage rider, you have to take the curve out of your spine and flatten your back. Pilates instructors used to be all about creating a flat back but have recently changed their position (pun intended) on this flat back business; apparently a slight natural curve is fine. Physical therapist says the whole flat back business is really bad for your spine, and that you should actually encourage the curvature rather than trying to minimize it. So I'm totally confused now and don't know that to do.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think flattening the spine is bad imagery. I think sometimes people brace more in their hips and lock up when they try to flatten their lower body. 

I feel like I strengthen my core and by engaging my core, my spine naturally sort of flattens but not totally. You still use the curve to absorb and move but it's like you engage your core and supple your hips and put your weight down into your heels. I notice a big difference in my position when I dont force my shoulders down and back but it makes a difference in engaging my whole body. Pam had to show me how to do it properly or it can lock up your elbows and shoulders but it's kinda like I put the shoulder blades forward, roll them back and think of them almost touching as a I draw my elbows into my side. It takes some getting used to and I don't always do it (have to remind myself) but I feel like my over all position is a lot more stable and when my upper body is better, my lower body is better but suppleness. It's not forced or tense. If that makes sense?

But I do a lot of planks and on my pull up bar because I do pull ups I will hang while I hold my lower legs out in front of me for as long as possible and do exercises to engage my core. That helps a lot. I couldn't sit my horse's trot if I didn't. He's super bouncy. And with my hips a lot of time when walking around I'll lift them sideways off the saddle and up in front and try to loosen the tension in there so I can sit deeper but not stronger or heavier. My hips tend to get really tight and lock up. The whole thing riding and improving position and little things is really hard and sometimes it's figuring out what works for you and what imagery and exercises works best for you. Every body is different.

The good thing about a curved spine is it is naturally more supple. It might make the sitting trot appear "louder" or harder but it makes riding the canter a lot easier than if you have a straight back.


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## frlsgirl

A lot of posts to catch up on; I finally had some uninterrupted video editing time over the weekend and was able to pull a couple of my trainer riding Ana:

Cantering and Trotting:






Trotting and Walking:






Obviously she rides her a lot better than me, lol. Of all three trainers who have ridden her, she's my favorite so far. She fits on her and she puts the appropriate amount of pressure on her and she rides her back to front. N was too tall and put way too much pressure on Ana. M was even taller, rode her front to back and also put too much pressure on her. P fits on her and rides her correctly.


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## frlsgirl

Friday, April 22, 2016:

It was so pretty outside and I didn't feel like doing any Dressage stuff; so I put my big girl pants on and took her for our first solo trail ride. I had the BM hold her for me while I mounted and close the gate behind me. He kept saying "are you sure you want to do this?" and "are you sure you will be ok out here by yourself?" lol.

She was quite forward and a little worked up which is to be expected; we had a great time. We even got brave and rode to the top of the hill; it was like a dream, the tall grass under my feet, and blue sky above:


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## frlsgirl

This deserves its own post: So I get back from our trail ride, put Ana up and wander over to the feed storage area where P keeps bottled beer; she uses it to mix into the feed of her Frisean (apparently, it helps him sweat in the summer so that he doesn't get overheated).

And here is what I found; after a wild night of catnip and booze:


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## egrogan

I can't "like" your post, but I like it. Doesn't it feel great to get out in the fresh air?!


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, April 23, 2016:

We were supposed to participate in the 10am party lesson but somehow our groups got mixed up so we all rode together.

I didn't expect to accomplish much as these lessons are more for fun, BUT we did so much cantering that I finally figured out how to sit her canter. Someone had said to me "lean back and imagine the canter passing through your abs"....so that's how I was able to do it. P was so pleased with this progress that she had us refrain from cantering the last part of the lesson as she didn't want us to overdo it. 

Ana and I were completely exhausted; riding for 2 hours in the heat was a little too much for me; I left at noon while the rest of the group continued. 

I thought that we were supposed to ride in the indoor so I didn't apply any sunscreen which I'm regretting now.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I can't "like" your post, but I like it. Doesn't it feel great to get out in the fresh air?!


Yes it was awesome! I had to switch back to the classic view so that I could "like" posts again (go to the bottom left of the HF screen).


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## frlsgirl

The next schooling show is Saturday! I haven't even done any Dressage type stuff since last Wednesday, so we have a lot of work to do this week.

On top of that, I started a fitness challenge Saturday and a clean eating challenge today (since my life isn't complicated enough), as I'm trying to fit back into my pretty show breeches, and I would like to start my 40s fit and fabulous instead of flabby and exhausted. Plus I'm sure Ana would appreciate a lighter load to carry


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I think flattening the spine is bad imagery. I think sometimes people brace more in their hips and lock up when they try to flatten their lower body.
> 
> I feel like I strengthen my core and by engaging my core, my spine naturally sort of flattens but not totally. You still use the curve to absorb and move but it's like you engage your core and supple your hips and put your weight down into your heels. I notice a big difference in my position when I dont force my shoulders down and back but it makes a difference in engaging my whole body. Pam had to show me how to do it properly or it can lock up your elbows and shoulders but it's kinda like I put the shoulder blades forward, roll them back and think of them almost touching as a I draw my elbows into my side. It takes some getting used to and I don't always do it (have to remind myself) but I feel like my over all position is a lot more stable and when my upper body is better, my lower body is better but suppleness. It's not forced or tense. If that makes sense?
> 
> But I do a lot of planks and on my pull up bar because I do pull ups I will hang while I hold my lower legs out in front of me for as long as possible and do exercises to engage my core. That helps a lot. I couldn't sit my horse's trot if I didn't. He's super bouncy. And with my hips a lot of time when walking around I'll lift them sideways off the saddle and up in front and try to loosen the tension in there so I can sit deeper but not stronger or heavier. My hips tend to get really tight and lock up. The whole thing riding and improving position and little things is really hard and sometimes it's figuring out what works for you and what imagery and exercises works best for you. Every body is different.
> 
> The good thing about a curved spine is it is naturally more supple. It might make the sitting trot appear "louder" or harder but it makes riding the canter a lot easier than if you have a straight back.


Yeah, I had a breakthrough with my position over the weekend; I finally figured out how to engage my abs in a helpful way and it made the canter so much easier. Someone had suggested imagining that the canter passes through my abs; that's what did it!

Ana's trot is pretty smooth so I've never struggled with that but I've always been able to sit trot better than post trot on pretty much every horse I've ever ridden.

I don't know how you post trot bareback; I've never even seen that done before so I'm totally impressed; you got mad skillz, girl! :wink:


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## DanteDressageNerd

Of course. We always train with people who are better than us, so they have something to teach us. But she's doing well with Ana. Her canter looks difficult to organize the rhythm/tempo and balance on.

The outdoor riding looks like a lot of fun. Some days it's good to just have a break. it's good mentally and physically! But I love the cat! He looks like he passed out in the right spot lol. He must have had a late night. And yes Guiness helps with sweating in horses that have trouble lol.

Good luck at your show this Saturday! I'm sure you'll do well! 

Cleaning eating and fitness challenge sounds good. Never hurts to try, especially if you benefit from it and are happy. There are some really good "clean" food recipes out there. But I understand, I used to be quite a bit heavier. It feels good when you feel good about how you look in your breeches and feel good in your body.

But I'm glad you had some good break throughs this weekend. Always nice when something clicks and you can suddenly build from that. But I'm glad someone gave you a good "visual" like the canter passing through your abs one. Sometimes having the right visual can make the idea or feeling someone else is trying to describe seem clear. It's hard to describe a feeling. But I'm glad it helped you with her canter and that her trot is smooth, definitely is not a bad thing. 

I can two point bareback as well but I don't like doing it or posting much. And Dante hates it. If you do a little he's fine but too much he gets upset about it. I only did it because I thought I was going to do the dressage show bareback and on long and low you have to post the circle. lol but thank you. You don't brace at all, just use the momentum of the horse posting, two point your brace a little but more in the calf, knee, thigh, rather than the knee if that makes sense like your leg bows around the horse vs gripping into the horse. When I evented I'd sometimes get my stirrups taken away to make sure I had the ability to "stick" :lol: it's a valueable skill as an eventer, never jumped higher than 2'6 bareback though and NO desire to. But thank you


----------



## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night. It wasn't great as she was very evasive and I didn't have the physical or mental strength to correct her appropriately as I'm feeling the effects of my new diet and exercise program. It was odd, she would only do awesome or terrible; there was no middle ground. We had two awesome transitions followed by a terrible stuck in the mud trot. We practiced the tests and they were mostly terrible, as in we could maybe score a 45% if the judge is generous. 

I pulled stills off the video and could see why; her hip is completely twisted to the left; when I was circling left, her right hind was stepping way under; really strange looking like her hind end belongs to another horse. I haven't had a chance to download the still yet, but will post those later; it's pretty odd looking. 

There is no time for a chiro visit before the show so we will just have to muddle through the tests. I have a couple more rides planned this week so I will try to use P's method to see if I can get her more through at the walk first before proceeding to trot; I usually use the benefit of the forward motion of the trot to help me get her supple, but her trot was so awful yesterday, I couldn't really do anything with it.

If that doesn't work, I'll see if I can get Patty to do a training ride/warm up at the show, it depends on how much time we have before the tests.

On another note, I did canter both directions to practice my newly found canter seat and I'm happy to report that it's still working, yay!

Plus I should be over the worst part of my diet by Saturday so I'm hoping that means I will feel better; ketosis is rough!

In the future, I may have to time her chiro adjustments with upcoming shows, and learn how to ride her evasions better, lol.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Are you feeling drained or ill from your new diet? I know I've tried some super clean diets and had to quit because I started feeling cognitively slow and lethargic. I'm sorry you had a hit and miss ride, it definitely happens. Focus can be a big part of that. I know if I'm not totally focused my rides don't go well either.

Laterals like leg yield are also very helpful, particularly for getting her consistent in the outside rein. It can help with the crookedness, especially if she has the ability to a horsey contortionist. Forward and outside rein half halt, suppling inside leg yielding. It can be hard to ride/train a "contortionist" but some of the more supple horses are like that. It can be hard to work out because they're more innovative with evasion techniques. But I hope your rides get better and you have a great show!

I'm glad your canter seat is still working and helping you  always a great feeling! 

What is ketosis? And the diet sounds rough. I'm pretty sure I'd be incredibly irritable without proper sustenance :lol:


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Are you feeling drained or ill from your new diet? I know I've tried some super clean diets and had to quit because I started feeling cognitively slow and lethargic. I'm sorry you had a hit and miss ride, it definitely happens. Focus can be a big part of that. I know if I'm not totally focused my rides don't go well either.
> 
> What is ketosis? And the diet sounds rough. I'm pretty sure I'd be incredibly irritable without proper sustenance :lol:


Here is a link with more info on ketosis; you basically switch your body from sugar burning mode to fat burning mode by drastically withdrawing sugar while eating nutrient dense proteins, fats and a small amount of "good" carbs. I've done this before and had great success with it; but like the article says, people going through ketosis hate life for about three weeks or so because it's miserable but so worth it if you can stick it out. Previously, it got easier after three days so I'm hoping I don't have to be miserable for much longer.

Beginners Guide to Ketosis: Investigating Ultra Low Carb Eating


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> It can be hard to ride/train a "contortionist" but some of the more supple horses are like that. It can be hard to work out because they're more innovative with evasion techniques.


My contortionist in action; instead of the inside hind stepping under, the outside hind is taking all the weight. My position looks like crap in this picture, so that probably didn't help her.


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## frlsgirl

I do have some nice/fun pictures from Monday's ride:

She's a little low in the trot picture but I still like it. Her walk pic is looking pretty ok. I love the one of us walking next to each other; our footfalls are in sync! The last one is her just being all lovey dovey at the end of our ride.


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## frlsgirl

Rode Ana last night. It was better than Monday; partly because I'm over the "hump" of the ketosis flue so I'm functioning better although still not 100%; if I can stick it out I'll feel even better than I did before, so I'm clinging to that thought whenever I pass the candy jar at work, lol.

I decided to ride without gloves because it would force me to pay more attention to my hands and that helped as well.

We started with a lot of walking; so since the ride went better I'm going to incorporate more walking into every ride.

Here we are riding a Pax De Deux with Prince:






I still have some trouble with riding accurate circles; so last night I played with weight aids to see if I can keep her from falling in; I have trouble getting her into the right rein so I can't steer her because she's falling over the left shoulder; so then I do suppling on the left rein to entice her to step into the right rein so I can get my power steering back. Monday I was quite pushy with my suppling and didn't get a good response so yesterday I tried to give more than take and let my weight aids do the rest which seemed to work better; at least it looked and felt more seamless; the circle is still not perfect but better than it was Monday.

I also ran through both test again; it was smoother but I did compromise on geometry a little bit. I sometimes wonder if part of the geometry problem at home is that she doesn't want to go to certain places in the arena so that's why it seems as though my power steering is broken; because then I go to the a show and I don't always have the same problem.

I wanted to end with transitions but Ana was ready to be done so and made it kind of challenging so I had to wait a little longer to find a good stopping point; she wants to run the show and let me know when she's ready to be done, but training doesn't work that way, lol.

Once she realized I wasn't going to cave in, she complied and after a beautiful half trot circle, I let her be done. She's so tricky; gets all huffy and puffy when she's upset so then I think I'm doing something wrong, lol. She did have the last laugh though because when I took her back to her stall for un-tacking, she ran off, which she NEVER does; she didn't go far; just to the other end of the barn, turned and looked at me like "Who's in charge now?" Well played mare, well played. :clap:

Before P could get a bucket of grain to help catch her, she was already back in her stall.

Ran into crazy boarder while I was there; she was super nice again, which makes it really hard to dislike her; she asked me how my ride was so I asked her if she was riding to which she replied "that was the plan but she won't let me catch her" gee I wonder why :icon_rolleyes:

She also said that P gave her some pointers on ground work; that she's supposed to catch her, put the halter on, and then take it off and let her go again and that P doesn't have any trouble catching her like she does. 

I used that as an opportunity to suggest further training; I told her that even though I already knew how to do longe work before I got Ana, that I paid for longe work lessons to refine my skills and get another perspective and that she might consider asking P if she could do some ground work lessons with her. She agreed that this seemed like a good idea. So I think she's on the right track.

I do have a separate issue question I need to ask you all. This sounds really dumb but here it goes. I'm having trouble mounting; I don't know what the problem is. At the old barn the block was so tall that I slid into her back so I never had to put my foot into the stirrup. I don't have a problem mounting the old fashioned way on taller horses, but using a mounting block and stirrups with Ana makes me feel really off balance. I wonder if it just puts me too far above her center of gravity and that's why it feels so odd? Here is a video of me mounting from last night; it actually didn't feel as terrible last night even though I had to stand on the mounting block for a few seconds and just talk myself into it:


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## Zexious

Ana is coming along so nicely <3 This thread always brings me so much joy <3

I agree it can make a difference to ride without gloves--especially if that's what you usually do. Changing up your routine can be a good way to draw attention to areas that need it.
I rather dislike them for a number of reasons, and never use them when hacking. Only lessons/clinics/shows, for obvious reasons. 

I see what you're saying about mounting. 
She's not a very tall horse, and that mounting block has an extra step on it. Does your barn have one of the two step ones? Maybe worth a shot~

Best of luck on your show this weekend! 
It's unfortunate about her alignment issue, but I have high hopes for you regardless! I'll just continue to live vicariously through these threads xD


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## frlsgirl

Sometimes I wonder what it would look like if we could look through the computer and see all of the people we converse with on a regular basis; so here is me looking at you! (actually I was checking the timer on the camera but it just made for a great kodak moment). On another note, Ana looks thrilled that I'm interrupting her very important training session to check the time


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## frlsgirl

Zexious said:


> Ana is coming along so nicely <3 This thread always brings me so much joy <3
> 
> I agree it can make a difference to ride without gloves--especially if that's what you usually do. Changing up your routine can be a good way to draw attention to areas that need it.
> I rather dislike them for a number of reasons, and never use them when hacking. Only lessons/clinics/shows, for obvious reasons.
> 
> I see what you're saying about mounting.
> She's not a very tall horse, and that mounting block has an extra step on it. Does your barn have one of the two step ones? Maybe worth a shot~
> 
> Best of luck on your show this weekend!
> It's unfortunate about her alignment issue, but I have high hopes for you regardless! I'll just continue to live vicariously through these threads xD


Thank you Zexious; I had originally started this thread to keep track of Ana's progress; then other HF members started chiming in and it's become a safe place for me to converse with others who support us; so I really appreciate you and all my subscribers


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## frlsgirl

Ride times are posted! I wasn't nervous at all until I saw my name on the schedule; yikes! At least we are not riding first thing in the morning, so we will have more time to warm up and get settled.


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## phantomhorse13

you and ana will kick butt!


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> you and ana will kick butt!


Thank you! I'm feverishly studying "Competition Success" by Natasha Althoff to brush up on my skills


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana looks like she's doing really well Congratulations! I love the picture of you kissing Ana's nose, that's really cute!

And you're going to do great at the show!! Can't wait to hear how it goes!


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## frlsgirl

The show for tomorrow is cancelled; apparently the show is indoors but the warm-up ring is outdoors and it has been flooded due to all the rain.

I'm 50% bummed and 50% relieved. I don't know what I was thinking starting a fitness challenge and clean eating plan one week before a show, I'm totally drained but I'm happy to report as of this morning I've lost 3 pounds. Only 6 more pounds before I'm in the acceptable weight range again but I would love to lose 10 total. 

The next show is scheduled for the end of May; lets hope it doesn't get weather cancelled as we are well into tornado/crappy weather season.


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## frlsgirl

On another note, I just realized that one of my Instagram friends was named and pictured in USDF annual magazine because she was region 4 First Level Champion on her Morgan - Rocky.

And guess what? Rocky and Ana have the same grand sire: UVM Tennyson!


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## frlsgirl

OMG - so much stuff happened this weekend! Where do I start?

Maybe I'll start with Friday, April 29, 2016:

We had a lovely ride in the indoor; worked on bending around cones and trying to achieve the perfect center circle (which still eludes me, but more about that later). 

I also wanted to work on my spiral seat, so we started with stretching first, because I can't align Ana if I'm not aligned myself.

I set up two cones so that we could do figure 8s around them; I worked on using my spiral seat to navigate and really get a feel for where she tries to slip out the box. I just kept asking myself the same questions: where is she falling out? Where am I leaving her too much room to slip out the box? Which side is easier? Walk was somewhat challenging but trot was really challenging, so I finished with a nice stretchy trot on a loose rein. 

This is a great exercise not just for the horse but also for the rider because you have to switch your "box" of aids around as you cross in the middle; it's great for the horse because the inside hind has to really step under.

She did well but you can tell it was really challenging for her so I gave her lots of praise which was received with mixed results (see her annoyed face when I reach down to pet her :icon_rolleyes.

The camera showed we recorded for an hour but part of that was setting up the arena so I probably rode 45 minutes of that. Still, quite a bit of work for Miss Ana so she was ready to be done.


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## frlsgirl

Something really exciting happened Saturday, April 30, 2016:

I was scrolling through FB and saw that Jane Savoie had a 30% off sale on all her programs; I used to be a member of Dressage Mentor when I first got Ana and really enjoyed it; Ana wasn't at a stage where she could benefit from that program so I discontinued my membership. While I was a member, I exchanged emails with Jane several times regarding topline development questions; I included pictures as examples. In one of her last emails to me she mentioned that she's coming up with a new program called "How to develop your horse's topline" and that I should consider purchasing it. At the time I couldn't afford it but put it on my "must get later" list.

So "later" was Saturday because with the steep discount, I could finally afford it!

As I was studying the material, I suddenly saw that ANA AND I ARE IN THE STUDY MATERIAL! under the recorded coaching call section. That's where people could call in with their questions and Jane posted pictures of horses in different "frames" to illustrate her point. Ana is in all 3 of the conference calls!

I sent Jane an email to thank her and to give her a current picture of Ana so that she can see that she's tracking up a lot better now; she emailed me back!

Here is a link to the program:

Build Your Horse's Topline

I attached screen shots of the coaching call sections with Ana's picture and Jane's email:

PS: HOW COOL IS THAT?!?


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## egrogan

You're famous  How exciting


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## frlsgirl

So then on Sunday, May 1, 2016...
...I wanted to try some the exercises that Jane used in her topline program with Ana.

We did 30 minutes of mostly walking with a tiny bit of stretchy trot; the idea is to use the connecting and suppling aids to ride deep and round, and also let the horse stretch forward, down and out.

Obviously, Ana didn't respond as perfectly as Moshi and I obviously didn't give the aids as perfectly as Jane but she got the idea and I could really feel Ana's back come up; it's like sitting on a deflated air mattress and the suddenly someone hits the air pump and you are sitting up. It was really cool.

My only problem with this is that you are actually teaching the horse to pull the reins out of your hands; Natasha Althoff also talks about the same thing in the DM program; you basically box the horse in with aids and the horse tries to solve the puzzle. The correct answer is to stretch the neck forward down and out; but how in the world does the horse distinguish between rooting and forward down and out? 

Both Natasha and Jane say the same thing: with a high headed horse you have to get the neck down so that the back can come up or you will never get past second level. Both use an aid to teach the horse that sometimes leg means reach forward into contact. If you ever watch Natasha's videos with Abe you will see that he roots at the reins quite a bit. I bet it's because of this exercise; but maybe with high headed horses you have to pick your battles; you can't have it both ways? 

So I'm a little stumped right now as Ana was just getting better about rooting until yesterday. But her back did come up which is what we wanted, so maybe it is just a matter of picking your battles.

Here is Natasha's explanation again based on the question that I had submitted (Abe is not rooting as much in this as he usually does but if you look up her other videos you will see it):






Here is Jane's explanation in a video except that she doesn't specifically address the "riding the neck out" like she does in the Topline program (note that the horse is rooting):


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## frlsgirl

In other news...I've lost 4 pounds as of today and I'm feeling better every day.

Also in other news...crazy boarder was there yesterday and her horse is lame; gee I wonder why? I'm surprised it took that long for her to go lame considering how she hussles that poor pony through terrible footing.

At least she's not using excessive force with her anymore as she's finally learning that you catch more bees with honey. 

Also, there were lots of people at the barn including NH people who were talking to her and given her pointers about what to do. So she's learning and trying to do the right thing; hopefully the pony won't have permanent physical damage. 

She is still dead set on riding her even though she is way too tall and heavy for this poor mare. Not my circus, not my monkeys; as long as she's not being abusive I need to be ok with it.


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## frlsgirl

I almost forgot to add this; Ana didn't want me to leave yesterday; she kept nickering at me as I was putting away her tack  So I spent some time hanging out with her and giving her a good rub down which she seemed to appreciate:


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## tinyliny

adorable! she's so expressive, and you're such a good 'listener'.

reading your earlier post about rooting verses reaching forward and down . . . I think the difference is that you "invite' the stretching. horse responds to that invitation. the other one, it's horse demanding to have freedom from the contact.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> adorable! she's so expressive, and you're such a good 'listener'.
> 
> reading your earlier post about rooting verses reaching forward and down . . . I think the difference is that you "invite' the stretching. horse responds to that invitation. the other one, it's horse demanding to have freedom from the contact.


Yeah, but there is such a fine line between training a horse to follow the bit down and the horse deciding it's just going to take the bit down all by itself. That's what I'm struggling with. 

And yes she is cute


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## frlsgirl

*My journey from unconscious incompetence to conscious competence*

Time for some reflection; no need to read this; it's just for my own benefit 

Before I started riding again 2010 I as suffering from unconscious incompetence in general riding; I wasn’t aware how out of shape I was and how much I had forgotten about riding.

In 2011 when I started riding again, I realized that I needed to learn a lot more than what I thought I knew; I was consciously incompetent in my general riding ability and was eager to learn.

So I took general English lessons on this little Arab from May 2012 to March 2013 where I became consciously competent about my riding again. We dabbled a little bit in Dressage and I told my trainer that I wanted to ride at the Olympics one day; a clear sign of unconscious incompetence when it comes to Dressage.

So in March 2013, I left the Arab barn so that I could really focus on Dressage and found this gold medalist who agreed to let me lesson on some of her personal horses. It wasn’t long before I entered the conscious incompetence stage; there is so much to learn and understand about Dressage, I was so frustrated most of the time I was there. But if you look at before and after pictures of when I started with her to when I discontinued lessons with her, you can see a noticeable difference. I learned so much from her; how to exercise a horse, how your position directly affects your horse, and I learned lots of useful exercises some which are included in Dressage tests (shoulder-in; leg yield; stretchy trot circle). It was now December 2013 and I ended up reaching a point where I felt like I couldn’t progress because I was having trouble with the horse she was having me use for lessons, then on top of that lessons got cancelled due to weather.

I wanted to learn and feel successful; I wanted to be operating in the conscious competence realm. So I did some extensive research before finding a new instructor; she had a 3rd level schoolmaster who was older, more educated and more settled than the gelding I was riding previously. I started lessons on him in December 2013 and I was so happy riding him because I was now fully operating in a state of conscious competence; although conscious incompetence set in as we started working on more challenging movements; there was still enough fancy Dressage stuff that I felt consciously competent with, so it kept me coming back for more; I was now working on halt-rein back-canter departs, haunches in, and extended trot. I was in Dressage heaven.

As much fun as I was having with Dante, I knew that I really needed my own horse if I ever wanted to compete in Dressage; so January 2014, in a state of complete unconscious incompetence, I bought Ana; a fiery but sweet little Morgan mare with zero Dressage training. The first few months I had Ana, I couldn’t do much with her as I had no tack, no supplies, no indoor, no trailer and no way to get a trainer to come and give me lessons.

So I continued lessons on Dante until April because I wanted to keep working on myself while I tried to figure out how to tackle Ana’s training.
To recap, I had now become unconsciously competent in my general riding, I was achieving conscious competence through 2nd level Dressage schooling, but was also fully conscious of my incompetence regarding anything above 2nd level.

I was also constantly anxious because I was a new horse owner and wanted to do everything perfectly, there was so much to figure out and so much training to do. For one, she doesn’t move like any of the big WBs I had been riding so I had to get used to how she felt. Secondly, she was not trained to do Dressage so she didn’t know how to respond to my aids, which totally baffled me because I didn’t understand that aids had to be taught like the alphabet – one letter at a time. It’s now May of 2016 and we have had a lot of lessons, a few training rides, been to 4 shows and I’ve spent a LOT of money and time researching and learning training methods, exercises and aids. 

My mind is completely blown; I thought I was consciously competent at Dressage but I was unconsciously incompetent in training Ana. I’m now at a stage where I’m consciously competent in riding her and working through her quirks although I still have moments and days of conscious incompetence, where I struggle to put her together. Through my studies, I learned a lot about conformation and movement and now realize that there is both a physical as well as a mental aspect to training. 

I don’t freak out anymore when I’m struggling with conscious incompetence because I know it’s all part of the process and sometimes I’m actually doing everything right and she is not responding due to physical issues, and other times my riding is terrible and Ana is not one of those horses that goes well automatically; you have to ride every stride or you are SOL.
So I’m reaching a point where I’m ok with all of that; neither Ana nor I are defective just because sometimes our rides don’t go as planned; I’m also fully conscious that I’m still lacking competence to move up the levels on the same time table as a professional trainer would be able to do. Natasha Althoff trains her horses to GP by the time they are 8; Ana will be 8 in June and we are still puttering around at Intro level. 

The problem with this natural progression of competence is that I’ve become so aware of how Ana is supposed to move and look but I can’t always produce that so I’m constantly trying to perfect lower level movements; scoring a 5 or 6 for a movement is not good enough; even though collectively we may end up with a total score as high as 67.5%, it doesn’t mean that we are ready to move up.

The more involved I get in this Dressage journey with Ana; the more obsessed I become about it; I’m constantly studying movement patterns of not just Ana but also other horses; I probably spend 4-8 hours a day on Dressage (riding, conversing, reading, watching training videos). To me it’s not so much about showing; it’s more about “What can I do to make Ana move to the best of her ability?” That is my constant question to myself.


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## tinyliny

frlsgirl said:


> Yeah, but there is such a fine line between training a horse to follow the bit down and the horse deciding it's just going to take the bit down all by itself. That's what I'm struggling with.
> 
> And yes she is cute



well, if the horse makes the decision on it's own, you just say, "Nope! not that." with your hands. let her make the mistake becuase at least she is searcvhing out for answers.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think the way we learn and go through our journey as dressage riders is fairly similar. It's always about discovering new heights and learning new things. Not so much about the levels but the intimacies of riding and getting those basics concrete, so you can develop a horse. It gets very frustrating with setback which are very normal to the training process. I think after training a few horses you get used to it but it can get unsettling. I find as you progress up you find a lot of the training has very little to do with the movements or levels and everything to do with communication and correct/good basics. There is such an immense depth to learning dressage and to recognize what riders are doing, it seems surreal when you go into explanations. I'll give an example Dante is schooling 2nd level. He has haunches in, shoulder in, shortening, lengthening, counter canter, simple changes, can do some baby half pass, etc but in our lessons you'll rarely see us school all that and you'll see more emphasis placed on what is seen as very basic things but it's about doing those basics very-very well because doing those basic exercises very-very well is what is going to improve everything. Lee had an awesome explanation on this, you might see a rider going around and around on a circle and you see the horse looks good and think oh I could easily do that on that horse but what you don't see is how much riding and communication goes on in a simple circle or how much that rider has gone through to get the horse to that point. If that makes sense. It's all about developing and demonstrating good basics because it all builds on top of each other, like mathematics. You can't leave a piece out or the solution is wrong. 

You can't compare yourself to a professional trainer either, from what I've seen most dressage trainers don't have a horse turned out to GP until they're 10+ and the ones who are younger than that have top riders or are very skilled. I've seen horses brought to GP incorrectly but fast as well. Plus those top riders who develop those horses that quickly have probably developed multiple horses to the level already. It honestly takes more time to develop horse who isn't naturally as gifted. Take your time, enjoy the journey. There is a reason it takes years to develop riders and horses and to develop the subtleties. It's easy to be hard on yourself when you're ambitious but I think sometimes it's very important to take a step back, take it in stride and write your own journey without comparing yourself to others and say this is where I am now. I've come along and still have a ways to go but that's okay.

With rooting, I agree. We want the horse to learn to stretch into the contact consistently first but in the next step we want to keep that seeking the bit and engaging the whole body to extend to the half halt and self carriage. A rooting horse isnt in self carriage but pulling you out of balance to be able to take control of the situation and their balance. Where as the horse reaching forward into the contact hasn't taken that measure and is still in self carriage without trying to compromise the rider's balance. With that, I usually just half halt and send them forward while staying firm in my core and steady in my hand, when they lean and hit the bit and don't get the reward or with Dante because he can be a piggy, I'll just go into shoulder in or leg yield and make it so he can't. He doesn't do as much now but he still looks for opportunities to control the situation, rather than listen.

For connection I kinda feeling like I'm sending him out out with my leg and my core is almost radiating the energy forward and away from me to send him out to the contact while my leg reaffirms that idea.

Dressage is a journey. Setbacks are normal and frustrations are normal. It takes time and I find when you stop pressuring yourself and allow yourself to learn and enjoy it, while still setting out to improve and learn you find yourself more successful because the horses go better when they dont feel the pressure or stress from you, if that makes sense? It's all interconnected.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I think the way we learn and go through our journey as dressage riders is fairly similar. It's always about discovering new heights and learning new things. Not so much about the levels but the intimacies of riding and getting those basics concrete, so you can develop a horse. It gets very frustrating with setback which are very normal to the training process. I think after training a few horses you get used to it but it can get unsettling. I find as you progress up you find a lot of the training has very little to do with the movements or levels and everything to do with communication and correct/good basics. There is such an immense depth to learning dressage and to recognize what riders are doing, it seems surreal when you go into explanations. I'll give an example Dante is schooling 2nd level. He has haunches in, shoulder in, shortening, lengthening, counter canter, simple changes, can do some baby half pass, etc but in our lessons you'll rarely see us school all that and you'll see more emphasis placed on what is seen as very basic things but it's about doing those basics very-very well because doing those basic exercises very-very well is what is going to improve everything. Lee had an awesome explanation on this, you might see a rider going around and around on a circle and you see the horse looks good and think oh I could easily do that on that horse but what you don't see is how much riding and communication goes on in a simple circle or how much that rider has gone through to get the horse to that point. If that makes sense. It's all about developing and demonstrating good basics because it all builds on top of each other, like mathematics. You can't leave a piece out or the solution is wrong.
> 
> You can't compare yourself to a professional trainer either, from what I've seen most dressage trainers don't have a horse turned out to GP until they're 10+ and the ones who are younger than that have top riders or are very skilled. I've seen horses brought to GP incorrectly but fast as well. Plus those top riders who develop those horses that quickly have probably developed multiple horses to the level already. It honestly takes more time to develop horse who isn't naturally as gifted. Take your time, enjoy the journey. There is a reason it takes years to develop riders and horses and to develop the subtleties. It's easy to be hard on yourself when you're ambitious but I think sometimes it's very important to take a step back, take it in stride and write your own journey without comparing yourself to others and say this is where I am now. I've come along and still have a ways to go but that's okay.
> 
> With rooting, I agree. We want the horse to learn to stretch into the contact consistently first but in the next step we want to keep that seeking the bit and engaging the whole body to extend to the half halt and self carriage. A rooting horse isnt in self carriage but pulling you out of balance to be able to take control of the situation and their balance. Where as the horse reaching forward into the contact hasn't taken that measure and is still in self carriage without trying to compromise the rider's balance. With that, I usually just half halt and send them forward while staying firm in my core and steady in my hand, when they lean and hit the bit and don't get the reward or with Dante because he can be a piggy, I'll just go into shoulder in or leg yield and make it so he can't. He doesn't do as much now but he still looks for opportunities to control the situation, rather than listen.
> 
> For connection I kinda feeling like I'm sending him out out with my leg and my core is almost radiating the energy forward and away from me to send him out to the contact while my leg reaffirms that idea.
> 
> Dressage is a journey. Setbacks are normal and frustrations are normal. It takes time and I find when you stop pressuring yourself and allow yourself to learn and enjoy it, while still setting out to improve and learn you find yourself more successful because the horses go better when they dont feel the pressure or stress from you, if that makes sense? It's all interconnected.


Thank you for your insights Cass! I didn't write my post out of frustration; it was more a sense of enlightenment, as in, I'm realizing that these stages are an important part of the process; so even though I'd like to move up the levels with Ana, I know that there is more benefit in taking it slowly. My non-Dressage riding barn mates are asking me why I'm not showing her at the rated show Saturday because we look so "good" together; their idea of "good" is not my idea of "good" because the more I learn the more I realize that our basics aren't good enough yet. If you had asked me a year ago to watch us ride today, I would have said to nix Intro level and move on to Training, because it's good enough. So even though there is an element of bio-mechanical progression, there is a level of rider progression and expectations; sometimes these don't progress in a parallel fashion and I think that's where the most personal growth happens.

Training a horse to GP by 8 does seem a little ambitious even for a pro because you have to wonder if the horse has developed the strength to execute the movements without straining himself, but that's what Natasha's timeline is; I think 12 is a more reasonable age to aim for assuming that you are showing them in training level at 4.

I don't see my obsession with Dressage as a bad thing because fortunately there are others who are equally obsessed as me and they help me feel normal :wink:


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## SaddleUp158

How exciting!


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## frlsgirl

Had a good ride on Ana last night; we practiced getting her lined up just right so that the connecting half halt could go through; while trying to discourage rooting without disturbing her ability and willingness to stretch forward; it was much easier to do this at the trot; we also added the "surge onto smaller circle" exercise to really help her understand the aids. So I got to experiment with how much I needed to add of each ingredient to get different results; it's kind of like baking cake with Ana; too much flour (leg) causes her head to come up; not enough flour (leg) causes her to drag herself around on her forehand. 

You could tell it was really challenging for her; a lot of grunting and nose blowing.

It was probably one of the best rides I've had with Ana lately; I'm feeling better so I'm more focused; I had a clear plan of what I was going to play with and she responded really well to circle exercise which gave me confidence to keep experimenting.


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## frlsgirl

Having trouble getting all my pictures to attach to a single post; so here is part 2:

I give up, it keeps loading the same picture over and over again. I'll come back later and add the others.


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## frlsgirl

Lets see if I can load pictures again....nope still not working.


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## frlsgirl

Testing to see if the correct picture displays; nope still not working. So bummed! I have so many cool pics to share. Argh!


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## frlsgirl

Testing
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k205/tanjaacox/AddaGirl050216_zps3st73uvv.jpg


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## frlsgirl

So I'm trying out something different so that I can finish my post from yesterday. 

I was talking about trotting, long and low, and getting the horse connected from back to front:

Here we are connected and adding more impulsion; note the tail swish to indicate that this is hard for her:










Here she is looking more long and low because I didn't add enough drive from behind; note that she is more relaxed here:


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## frlsgirl

While I was riding, one of the nice boarders came up to me and offered to take our picture. Of course you can take our picture! She's a little overflexed here as she was posing:


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## frlsgirl

Here are some more pictures from our ride; this was at the beginning when we were warming up:










This was at the end of our ride; poor thing was completely exhausted:


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## frlsgirl

In other news, Ana has a new neigh-bor 

He is a four year old Fjord cross; with the sweetest disposition; it belongs to the trainers daughter; it's at our barn for a bit of training so that she can sell him. I hope Ana is hospitable as they have to share a stall wall.


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## frlsgirl

And I love this picture; barn mate held out a bag of carrots in front of her so that we could get her to stand quiet for a confo shot; unfortunately, she took a step forward with her right hind so she's not square, also, the pic is at a slight angle with the hindquarters closer to the camera so her booty looks a little bigger than it really is; still a lovely picture though:


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## egrogan

@frlsgirl-photo success!  looking lovely as usual!


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## frlsgirl

Yay - thank you. I like this method much better anyway


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## evilamc

Hehe I cheat with pics because I have my own website, I just upload them to my own website from my phone 

Very cute pics! Glad you figured out a better way to share them with us!


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## frlsgirl

@evilamc - very cool; one of these days I might splurge on Ana's very own webpage; especially if HF keeps having all these tech issues


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## tinyliny

frlsgirl said:


> I don't see my obsession with Dressage as a bad thing because fortunately *there are others who are equally obsessed as me and they help me feel normal *:wink:



that's so true, and can be applied to anything, just take out "dressage' and put in "----------" and it applies to about anything.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> that's so true, and can be applied to anything, just take out "dressage' and put in "----------" and it applies to about anything.


:think: hmmm, you might be on to something here 

I think Dressage is such a big puzzle that it keeps me wanting to come back and learn more; it's like a never-ending book; there is no last chapter, because there is always more to know.


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## frlsgirl

I swear Natasha reads my journal! I was just talking about this very thing:







Here we have the "pretty head" but she's not really through; notice that she is forging a little bit here; her head is actually too low and she's leaning on the reins for support:










Now let's look at this picture in comparison; she is way more through here and tracking up nicely because I was really riding her forward; she is connected but not leaning on the reins:


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## DanteDressageNerd

It looks like you guys have made a lot of advances. She's looking good! Keep it up!

And it is most definitely a puzzle with many-many-many pieces. It's a puzzle that's never complete because there are always more pieces to discover and every horse in itself is a new puzzle. Most are generally similar or have similarities to other horses but some really make you pick your brain and test your skills. It's a neat sport/art/experience.


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## frlsgirl

I'm a little behind on updating my journal!

Wednesday, May 4, 2016:

Had a crappy day at work; when I stopped at home to let the dogs out and grab dinner, they gave me the post pitiful look, so I just couldn't leave them, but I did need to go to the barn so I decided to take them with me. 

Here is Loui meeting Ana:










And here is Sadie meeting Ana:










Here they are meeting some of the other horses:


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## frlsgirl

While I was there, I decided to start with longe work as Ana seemed a little hyper.



















And then I decided to ride outside; she didn't go as well for me as she had on Monday but she was more supple in her jaw and showed me that she really understood the connecting aids; I had trouble getting her in front of my leg because I couldn't catch my breath; it was like breathing through a straw, so every time I got her to step through from behind, I had to take a break to keep from passing out. I did take a Claritin several hours before I went to the barn so I don't know what the problem was; anyway, most of the video was really dark anyway so I only get one semi-decent picture:










I took Thursday off to recuperate; hopefully I'll be able to do some serious riding this weekend as the weather is supposed to be fantastic. The rated show is in Tulsa this weekend and I had signed up to volunteer but never heard back so I guess I'll have time to ride my pony and maybe attend at least part of the show as a spectator.


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## evilamc

Ahhh you have Dachshunds!!!! <3<3<3 I just finished up making a website for a Doxie breeder....I've been like drooling over all her puppy pics!

Like the cuteness...its overwhelming!


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## frlsgirl

Totally cute! They are tiny little terrors when they grow up though  Major Napoleon complex!


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## evilamc

Hahaha yeah! Back home my favorite dog to groom was a doxie! Miss him! I've always wanted one but will probably never get one  unless I got a wire hair one...they're shedding would drive my husband crazy lol!


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## egrogan

I have a vague memory of being a small child and playing with my great-grandmother's little dachshund called Skippy. Yours are adorable!


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## frlsgirl

evilamc said:


> Hahaha yeah! Back home my favorite dog to groom was a doxie! Miss him! I've always wanted one but will probably never get one  unless I got a wire hair one...they're shedding would drive my husband crazy lol!


My husband tried to lint roll Loui when he was a little puppy; he didn't appreciate that at all.


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## frlsgirl

Friday May 6, 2016

She led out a big scream when she saw me so that made my heart happy. She was a little more on the up side as her turnout time was limited because they were fixing the fencing in her turnout paddock. 

We had a good ride. Big focus was on spiral seat and elbows; I'm using the visual of "hugging myself" to remember to keep the elbows with me. We did walk trot and canter. On the plus side she didn't anticipate the canter and I got a prompt transition; on the downside, I had to really work to sustain it which tired me out rather quickly so we only did a circle each direction. After reviewing the video footage I discovered that my elbows where too locked at the canter which probably inhibited her movement.

Wheee:










Here are some walk, trot and stretching pictures; you can really see the variety of ways in which she carries herself:









































































I discovered that my stretching exercises in conjunction with spiral seat seem to keep my legs in much better position.

We shared the arena with another rider and her unpredictable gelding; she didn't let his excitement affect her so yay.

We continued to practice the connecting aids and everything seems to be going smoother.

We finished with her very first bath of the season; it took about 4 carrots to get her in there and she twitched every time the water touched her:









On another note, I have been thinking about my hollow posting trot position and I think I figured out what's wrong; the shape of the saddle kind of swoops up towards the back which means that my pelvis tilts forward if I sit too far back; so I tried sliding forward as much as possible to discourage my pelvis from tilting; it worked ok, but I have to really pay attention to it. 

The saddle is covered in deer skin which almost looks and feels like suede so it's not as easy to slide around; I was supposed to cover it with oil and let it soak which would smooth out the leather but due to the miscommunication, I never received the oil from the saddle fitter; Laurie mentioned that Passier leather balsam works just as well so I'm going to order a can of that


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, May 7, 2016

She was back in her regular turnout spot and didn't act too excited to see me although she approached me willingly. 











We rode inside again; I'm still struggling with mounting and nearly fell off her; landed halfway on her neck and dropped the whip. Great - what to do without a whip if she drops behind my leg? So I made a conscious decision to not let her drop behind my leg and to not wear ourselves out with endless trot circles so that I would have the strength to correct her with a stronger leg aid. And it worked! I'm so glad I accidentally dropped the whip! Now I know it can be done! 

Before I got on I made a mental note that the saddle seemed a little further back than usual so that I could reflect back and see how it affected my ride.

We started with stretching again; for some reason I was pretty tight; probably residual effect from post-Pilates muscle soreness. Will need to continue with stretching at the beginning of every ride since it does make a positive difference.

Super strong focus on spiral seat with elbows "hugging" me; secondary focus on connecting aids which seem to work better every day. I'm still trying to figure out how to keep my hands forward AND elbows by my side so that I don't steal power from the hind legs - so this is a work in progress. Spiral seat with elbows is where it's at so I just need to do some fine tuning here.










We only trotted one circle each direction because I didn't want to wear myself out since we still needed to canter and I didn't have my whip.


Super uphill and fancy here; almost like a warrior pony:










Of course we stretched in between:










And a cute picture of her exploring the water bottle:











The canter was pretty terrible but we did it; one circle each direction. BONUS: we picked up the canter from a walk going to the right!

Reflecting back on saddle placement: freed up shoulders so walk and trot was more expressive but canter was very tense and hard to maintain. Need saddle further forward to encourage better canter; need saddle further back for better walk and better trot - do you supposed judges would let you dismount, reposition saddle and continue with test? Just kidding, of course not.

After getting home from barn I did some more reflecting; I found the old audio that Jane had recorded for me regarding improving Ana's canter. She said Ana has a "lateral" canter so I googled that and only found discouraging material which led to a panicked post in my Dressage support group. 

I got some good responses; basically it's not the end of the world, so yay! For some reason I've been really insecure about Ana's progress lately; I think it might be because the rated show is in Tulsa this weekend and it's making me realize how far we still have to go and I have this lofty goal of getting my bronze on Ana by my 50th birthday; which is only 10 years and 10 days away. 

I need to stop panicking and work on figuring this out. I sent an email to Natasha; I need to mix things up a bit; maybe canter over cavaletti; canter in two-point, maybe canter on the longe, maybe more training rides for Ana, maybe canter with a different saddle and see if it makes a difference, maybe canter bareback knowing that I'm going to fall off because it's impossible to sit, maybe just canter on a loose rein.

They say insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I need to do something different. 

On the plus side, my canter seat is getting better, she always pick up the correct lead, she understands the canter depart cue, she does offer a more relaxed stride in between the tense strides and she gave me a nice walk to canter transition.

Also I'm getting more and more winded now that it's getting warmer and more humid; I don't know if I want to go back to doctor; heart meds have so many side effects that it would probably just make things worse; maybe I just need to implement and cardio conditioning program for myself so that I'm not gasping for air after a circle of canter.


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## frlsgirl

Sunday May 8, 2016

Ugh! What a day; never made it to the barn or the Dressage show because our washer decided to break at the worst possible time and we spent most of the day tinkering with it with only limited success. So I've been following my friends on Facebook to see how they scored; one of my friends got a qualifying score for Regionals; the other one needed one more score for bronze but sadly didn't get it this time.

Seeing all the posts makes me excited and sad at the same time because I'm realizing the long hard road that still lies ahead. I've been whining about it all weekend so I decided instead of crying about it, it might be more helpful to have a firm goal and a corresponding action plan laid out. 

The goal is bronze by my 50th birthday, which is in 2026.

Proposed Timeline: 

2026 receive final score for bronze & continue to show at PSG at schooling shows
2025 debut at 3rd level at rated show & debut at PSG at schooling show
2024 debut at 2nd level at rated show & continue to show 4th level at schooling shows
2023 debut at 1st level at rated show & debut at 4th level at schooling show
2022 debut at TR level at rated show & continue showing 3rd level at schooling show
2021 continue to show 2nd level and debut 3rd level at schooling shows
2020 continue to show at 1st level at schooling show and debut 2nd level
2019 debut at 1st level at schooling show 
2018 continue to show at training level at schooling show
2017 debut at training level at schooling show & keep building/refining basics
2016 continue showing at Intro Level & keep building/refining basics

The rest of 2016:

May 21st - Intro A & B
*June-September - work on basics and building topline
Sept - Nov: Intro B & C

* I may just do the topline program from the beginning which means only riding deep and on loose rein and only riding at a walk for several weeks until that is solid and then slowly adding trot and then slowly adding canter. I could also do W/T/C on the longe on a regular basis along with riding, so that way Ana can learn better balance without a rider. I could also take lessons on Schoolmaster during that time and get myself in better shape with Pilates. That way when show season starts up again in September, we will both be in excellent shape.


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## frlsgirl

Almost forgot, Ana has this strange rash her on the left side of her booty; I didn't think much of it but now the right side is starting to look similar; a fellow boarder said that her horse got the same thing a year ago and it turned out to be a fungal infection and to keep spraying it with anti-fungal. It's suddenly bothering Ana a lot as she managed to stretch all the way back there to itch it with the saddle on.


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## Bondre

Haven't had time to read properly but it's great to see Ana's photos inserted in the text. She's looking as beautiful as ever!
:thumbsup:


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @Bondre


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## frlsgirl

Love this picture; the grass looks so green! There is something about green grass, blue skies and horses that's good for the soul.


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## frlsgirl

Ana says "I see you reading my thread! Feel free to comment, I don't bite!"


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## egrogan

She's too cute


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## frlsgirl

Monday, May 9, 2016:


I decided to ride Ana bareback in the indoor. There was a group lesson in progress; little girls riding big horses at W/T/C; I loved watching them; I finally got to see Trooper (the other Morgan at the barn) in action; he has the most beautiful canter. I made a mental note that I was going to ask P if I can have a lesson on him.


It was time to climb on Ana and get started with our ride; it was windy and the birds kept tapping around on the metal roof. The two elderly Arabs were turned out in the outdoor which shares the fence line with the indoor. They must have sensed that a storm is coming because they suddenly started galloping around and practicing sliding stops; I didn't know they had it in them! The craziest one of the two is Apollo - a 29 year old!


Needless to say Ana was more tense than usual and suddenly I regretted my decision to go bareback; but I was determined to ride this out; she had so many "almost" spooks that I kept managing with insanely fast half-halts; she was so round and foamy and blowing her nose; if I hadn't been so terrified I might have enjoyed it. I just kept telling myself "I'm not eating dirt today, so get with it!" lol.


I didn't eat any dirt; we did get lots of lovely lateral work done; to a spectator it probably looked like we were drunk because I had to throw in so many different exercises to keep her from jumping out from under me; the one time I didn't bring my camera....sigh.


After I put Ana back up, I had a heart to heart with P. She thinks that my horse doesn't have a problem with cantering - I have trouble managing her canter. Ana has learned that if she puts up a big fuss then she doesn't have to do it. So we only canter one large circle at a time before we go back to trot; if I try to canter longer than that she breaks into trot and I don't have the strength to correct her. I'm just so out of breath and tense that I feel like I might pass out if I canter any longer. It's all my fault. Only I can fix this. 

So I'm fixing it! Taking a lesson on Trooper since he has such a great canter so that I can learn to organize myself better. 

I'm using visualization to recreate cantering Ana when I'm working out on our elliptical machine. I close my eyes and picture myself riding at a walk; I have the machine at the lowest setting. 

Then I pick up the canter (change machine setting to the highest setting) and I do a circle; flying change; another circle plus one long side. Then I go back to loose rein walk (change setting back to 1) and rest for a minute before I do the whole set again. 

I'm hoping to work up to 10 canter circles or 5 times around the whole ring. 

Next time I canter Ana, I'm going to have a firm plan in place like canter for 2 circles and we will not break into trot to catch our breath! If she does break there will be a correction!


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

frlsgirl said:


> Saturday, May 7, 2016
> 
> She was back in her regular turnout spot and didn't act too excited to see me although she approached me willingly.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We rode inside again; I'm still struggling with mounting and nearly fell off her; landed halfway on her neck and dropped the whip. Great - what to do without a whip if she drops behind my leg? So I made a conscious decision to not let her drop behind my leg and to not wear ourselves out with endless trot circles so that I would have the strength to correct her with a stronger leg aid. And it worked! I'm so glad I accidentally dropped the whip! Now I know it can be done!
> 
> Before I got on I made a mental note that the saddle seemed a little further back than usual so that I could reflect back and see how it affected my ride.
> 
> We started with stretching again; for some reason I was pretty tight; probably residual effect from post-Pilates muscle soreness. Will need to continue with stretching at the beginning of every ride since it does make a positive difference.
> 
> Super strong focus on spiral seat with elbows "hugging" me; secondary focus on connecting aids which seem to work better every day. I'm still trying to figure out how to keep my hands forward AND elbows by my side so that I don't steal power from the hind legs - so this is a work in progress. Spiral seat with elbows is where it's at so I just need to do some fine tuning here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We only trotted one circle each direction because I didn't want to wear myself out since we still needed to canter and I didn't have my whip.
> 
> 
> Super uphill and fancy here; almost like a warrior pony:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Of course we stretched in between:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And a cute picture of her exploring the water bottle:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The canter was pretty terrible but we did it; one circle each direction. BONUS: we picked up the canter from a walk going to the right!
> 
> Reflecting back on saddle placement: freed up shoulders so walk and trot was more expressive but canter was very tense and hard to maintain. Need saddle further forward to encourage better canter; need saddle further back for better walk and better trot - do you supposed judges would let you dismount, reposition saddle and continue with test? Just kidding, of course not.
> 
> After getting home from barn I did some more reflecting; I found the old audio that Jane had recorded for me regarding improving Ana's canter. She said Ana has a "lateral" canter so I googled that and only found discouraging material which led to a panicked post in my Dressage support group.
> 
> I got some good responses; basically it's not the end of the world, so yay! For some reason I've been really insecure about Ana's progress lately; I think it might be because the rated show is in Tulsa this weekend and it's making me realize how far we still have to go and I have this lofty goal of getting my bronze on Ana by my 50th birthday; which is only 10 years and 10 days away.
> 
> I need to stop panicking and work on figuring this out. I sent an email to Natasha; I need to mix things up a bit; maybe canter over cavaletti; canter in two-point, maybe canter on the longe, maybe more training rides for Ana, maybe canter with a different saddle and see if it makes a difference, maybe canter bareback knowing that I'm going to fall off because it's impossible to sit, maybe just canter on a loose rein.
> 
> They say insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I need to do something different.
> 
> On the plus side, my canter seat is getting better, she always pick up the correct lead, she understands the canter depart cue, she does offer a more relaxed stride in between the tense strides and she gave me a nice walk to canter transition.
> 
> Also I'm getting more and more winded now that it's getting warmer and more humid; I don't know if I want to go back to doctor; heart meds have so many side effects that it would probably just make things worse; maybe I just need to implement and cardio conditioning program for myself so that I'm not gasping for air after a circle of canter.


You really CAN improve a lateral canter. The frisian crosses I used to ride had lateral canter and it definitely improved. They were never "fixed" but it can get better and her canter isn't as laterals as the frisians I rode were. I'll just say shoulder control and inside hind leg, outside rein connection makes a big difference. Guiding the outside shoulder. It'll work it out. It just takes time. It's one of those things that isn't an overnight fix.

I'll show Dante from when I tried him (he was barely broke) he looks like he steers better than he actually did. I was a baby rider so I was used to babies. He was broke but barely. His canter literally felt like my whole body was being tossed around which is part of why it's so ugly, it's hard to ride babies:lol: maybe that's inspirational. I don't know. I'm just saying there is hope and I think your bronze medal is very realistic/doable in the next ten years on Ana! And happy early birthday!! 

Video from Dec 25th 2014 when I tried Dante.





From April 14th, 2016.





She really is a pretty girl! I love how expressive she is! 

With canter it is likely learning to manage and organize it. It can be really hard to learn to do, especially if you have a greener horse.

It sounds like you did really well on your ride with Ana managing spooks. That should give you confidence to know you can, you CAN DO THIS! And are progressing. Do whatever imagery helps you and gives you confidence. Whatever works right?


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## frlsgirl

Thank you Cass! That is really great progress in a just a short amount of time; you should be proud of yourself and Dante! Ana's canter feels like riding a pogo stick; there is a lot of up and down and huffing and puffing; it takes us like 25 strides to complete a 30 meter circle, so it's exhausting for both of us. 

I have a lesson on Trooper tonight at 5 so I'm super excited; brought my camera so hopefully I will get some really good footage. Itty bitty kids ride him; P says he's such a steady Eddy; you just tell him what to do and he does it; and doesn't argue with you over it and doesn't try to get out of it. Ana is really good with little ones, but I don't think she would do well in a lesson program; maybe when she's older.

Also he will be the second Morgan I ever sat on; so it will be a good comparison to see how another Morgan feels.


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## DanteDressageNerd

You're welcome and thank you  It takes some coordination and organization. I found as they got stronger and learned to carry more behind they became less lateral. And having enough forward energy but it is challenging to organize but you guys can do it!

Well that should be pretty fun. I hope you have a good lesson.


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## frlsgirl

So when I arrived for my lesson, I decided to take Ana out of her stall for a few minutes so we could do our stretches, grooming and so that I could give her another coating of anti-fungal spray. She seemed confused when I put her back in her stall, but it was so hot outside she also seemed half-way relieved that she didn't have to work.

I had a great lesson on Trooper! Now I know why they call him that; he is such a Trooper; he does what you tell him to do and he won't try to do anything different until you tell him otherwise. A true push-button horse. He is kind of set in his way though; he only does the things he is programmed to do; if you try to do anything different or new he panics a little bit; I tried to do some stretches with him before I got on and he had no idea what I wanted and couldn't figure out that his neck is flexible. P had me ride him in my saddle; I've never had my saddle on another horse before since it's custom fitted to Ana; but since Trooper has a similar confo we figured it couldn't hurt; well he is a little wider so it was a little narrow on him which meant that the saddle wanted to lay tipped backwards a little bit so I had to really fight to keep my position.

We cantered A LOT! I've never cantered so much in one lesson on any horse. We did simple canter circles from both walk and trot; then we cantered large figure 8s with a simple change; then we did canter serpentines with simple changes; at the end we did trot, canter, halt, walk, canter on a circle. He does have a rocking horse canter although Ana's feels smoother to me, albeit bouncier. We also did a trot lenghtening which was pretty awesome; Ana doesn't understand lenghtening yet; what she does, is she changes from a not-tracking-up trot to a tracking-up trot. He also has a nice walk but Ana's is a bit better. He is a little taller and longer than Ana, too. 

Speaking of Ana, I tried to hide my infidelity by taking Trooper to the outside hitching post hoping that Ana wouldn't see me; while I got the saddle, he halfway walked into the barn from the post and that's when Ana saw me. Then I had to walk back and forth to get grooming supplies and his bridle and Ana nickered at me and followed me as much as her stall space would allow. I felt kind of bad so I gave her an extra carrot when I finished with Trooper.

It was really cool to ride not just another horse, but another Morgan; it was neat to see the similarities and the differences; it was also a good education for me because Trooper was trained with a false head set whereas Ana is not; so contact felt and looked different than it does with Ana. So now my eye is more educated in spotting this difference.

So here are some pictures of us cantering:




















And walking: 











Here is a short canter clip:






PS: I did have to take a few breaks to catch my breath but I seemed to be getting better with each canter; it was the first hot day of the year so I'm using that as an excuse; whenever we took a walk break, my body just collapsed like a folding lawn chair; my darn torso is so long that it's difficult for me to hold it up all the time; I brought my yoga mat to work today so that I can do planks several times a day - no excuses! I am really sore today from all that riding and have already hit the Advil bottle at work; I feel old!


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## frlsgirl

I had some more time to fiddle with the video footage so here is the canter serpentine (excuse my collapsed position during the down transition; I was so tired):






Been doing more thinking; I'm sure glad I got to take a lesson on him because it gives me a different perspective of Ana; he was so easy to handle; he went right into the wash stall after our ride; no arguing no prancing. I'm just so used to working with Ana that her behavior is the norm and other horses are "odd" for lack of a better word. 

I don't know if that's the difference between geldings and mares or just a different personality type; when you ask Trooper to do something, he says "yes mam" and when you ask Ana she says "why - convince me why I should do it!”

Under saddle, Trooper is quite the perfectionist; he knows his job and he doesn’t really want you to interfere with it too much; we tried TOF and he freaked out a little because he didn’t understand as its not part of his regular routine; Ana is more moldable and more expressive than he is but she does memorize patterns and then gets agitated when you try to change it. She is more open to trying new things, even though they might not be perfect, although she does try to take over and do it by herself when I haven’t even finished my aids yet.

Trooper is a lot less spooky than Ana; I was able to ride him on a loose rein despite noise that would have normally set Ana off; I even remarked to P that it’s so nice to just sit on a horse and relax whereas with Ana I’m always managing her every step.

He is not as flexible as Ana yet he was able to ride a better shaped circle; so now I wonder if Ana’s flexibility is actually working against me sometimes.
Even P said I do way too much work when I’m riding; I need to do less, which was easy on Trooper but not with Ana; I’m always steering, balancing, counter balancing, half halting; flexing…if I just let Ana go by herself, she will run around with her head in the air, hollow back and will do egg shaped circles as she’s always falling over her shoulders; even worse, if going to the left she will try to change direction and only go to the right.

I also learned more about saddle fit and how my confo is affected by it; the tree was a little too narrow for Trooper so it wasn’t balanced; it was basically tipping backwards, which caused my pelvis to tip backwards with my seat bones facing forward, which then caused me to ride with a collapsed posture which I tried to fight for the entire ride. When I rode Ana in the Thornhill which was way too wide for her, it was tipped forward which caused my pelvis to tip forwards with my seat bones pointing backwards; it made my back look really hollow and stiff but I was more upright.

When I put the saddle on Ana, it doesn’t move at all, it fits her like a glove; on Trooper, you can put it on him and move it around; it doesn’t want to stay in place. This was reassuring because it told me that the saddle really does fit Ana like a glove.

The shape of the seat still affects the tilt of your pelvis though, so I’m going to have to keep working on sliding forward so that my pelvis is more level; I wonder if more flocking in the panels could help lift my pelvis up a bit while still fitting Ana; it has been six months so I’m going to reach out to fitter to see if he can come out and re-flock-re-fit.

Lots of learning and epiphanies, lately.


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## frlsgirl

I almost forgot...my 40th birthday present came in the mail today, so my husband decided that I could have it now so I can play with it all weekend. It's a brand new Mac desktop! So I will finally be able to do some serious video editing! The old machine couldn't handle it so I could only crop videos and post them; now I can cut and paste several videos together, add slides, voice overs, music etc. That should keep me busy most of the weekend as I now have 3 tetra bites of Ana videos!


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## phantomhorse13

woohoo to new comp! good DH. what one did you get?

look forward to the improved videos.


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> woohoo to new comp! good DH. what one did you get?
> 
> look forward to the improved videos.


It's a new Mac Desktop with a huge monitor and retina display; don't know the actual specs yet since DH has been hiding the receipt from me


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## frlsgirl

So much to catch up on....

Friday, May 13, 2016 was a tough day for me so I decided to take it off; it would have been my mom's 80th birthday :sad:

I decided to fill the day with fun activities which of course included a ride on Ana. It was good to see her and spend my morning with her although she was really itchy and difficult to ride; she was really sucked back; did not want to move forward at all; even the whip didn't help. It was strange...

We got a few decent pictures:


































She was super itchy:










Me looking all defeated because I couldn't get her in front of my leg:










Pretty head shot:









Afterwards, I decided to hang out with her in her pasture and take some pictures:









I also took some pics of her itchy spots so I could send them off to the vet:


















Even though I had ridden her and turned her out, she still wanted to hang out with me so that made my heart happy:


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, May 14, 2016:

I was hoping that Friday's ride was just a fluke and that she would go better for me today; just in case, I set up cones so that I could get her round without actually asking too much of her; she was not impressed; she did really listen to my spiral seat so that made me happy; going forward though - hail no!










We did get a few decent moments:










Really concentrating around those cones:



















Not sure what to make of all this; next show is less than a week away and Ana is now on day 2 of complete defiance. 

The vet texted me back that she might be developing a fly allergy; I'm supposed to do a better job with the fly spray and bathe her in oatmeal shampoo; a concerned barnmate gave me some of her tea tree oil ointment to try; I rubbed it on all her bald and itchy spots; Ana didn't seem to mind.


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## phantomhorse13

*hugs*

my guess is she is reading your anxiety. can you go out and just hack someplace? best place to find forward IMO is out on trail.


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## frlsgirl

Sunday, May 15, 2016:

Instead of being defiant and completely sucked back, she decided to be super spooky and only partially sucked back.

I spent 15 minutes just hand-walking her before I felt safe enough to get on. I thought Ana might appreciate a change of scenery by riding in the outdoor but she was not impressed with any of this:




















I thought she might enjoy cavaletti work; I was wrong:










On a positive note, we got some serious cantering done - it ain't pretty but we did it; over 40 something strides each direction and I never once felt like I was going to die - yay. That was a huge breakthrough for me so even though Ana was less than thrilled with any of this, I left the barn feeling victorious.

I finally had some time to play with the video editing app on my new computer and put everything together in one video; her spooking, a decent trot, and our victory canter laps; (brace yourselves; it ain't pretty, but this is what I've got to work with right now):


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## frlsgirl

Yeah, I was trying to figure out if it's her or if it's me; I tried to provide her with variety and praised every effort; I also tried riding in the afternoon vs in the morning so that it doesn't interfere with her turnout time, it didn't make a difference; I tried riding outdoor vs indoor; the only difference was that she was spooky. I tried riding differently; looser reins, working on forward and totally omitting rein aids, nothing. I did stretching exercises before I got on to make sure I was balanced - nothing.

The barn manager pulled me aside and told me that Ana tried to kill the barn owner's dog Saturday! She had him pushed into a corner and was trying to trample him - I was like, WTH?!? She's always so sweet and tolerant. She just doesn't seem like herself, and even others are noticing.

After talking to a multitude of horse people over the weekend, we have two theories:

1) She's about to release a follicle and is in a sense PMSing and her skin condition is a separate issue

2) There is something in the grass turnout that's affecting her negatively; because the skin condition started around the same time she was moved to that new pasture. A grazing muzzle or new turnout spot was suggested. 

P said she would try to ride her today to see if she goes any better for her; if she does than it was either me or Ana has made a miraculous recovery since yesterday. The show is 5 days away, and I can't take sour faced Ana into a ring like this. If it is PMS; chances are the follicle will be released by Saturday and she'll be my happy and jovial horse again.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


>


Haven't read any of the journal entry, but just wanted to say this picture is gorgeous- she looks so relaxed and balanced here. Lovely walk.


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## frlsgirl

Double post.


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## frlsgirl

@egrogan -thank you, she loves her stretchy walk almost as much as eating


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## frlsgirl

P just rode Ana and didn't have any problems with her; so she is either feeling better from whatever was bothering her or it was me. Who knows. Looking back through my journal entries it appears that she's been like this before, once in the springtime and then once in the winter time, and it just resolved itself; she was crabby for a while and then she was back to normal. We will never know why, but I'm just glad she's back to normal, unless of course, if I go to ride her Wednesday and she's back to crabby again, in which case it must be me.


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## frlsgirl

It looks like there is a good chance that Saturday's show will get rained out again, which means no more shows until the fall. So I'm happy and bummed at the same time.

Been doing more thinking....my biggest struggle with Ana has been keeping her between the aids without getting suckered into a cycle of correcting her every step. So if I keep my circle of aids tight, she doesn't want to move forward but she also doesn't slip through the cracks and I don't have to correct her. If I leave my circle of aids looser, she is more willing to go forward but then I find myself correcting her too much as she just lets her body fall all over the place. Trained horses like Dante and Trooper don't try to slip out; you can have your circle of aids tighter or looser; it makes virtually no difference; their bodies feel like clay, you can mold them without them flopping all over the place; Ana feels like jello; you push a little right and everything falls to the right, you make a slight correction to the left and all the jello falls to the left.

Try carrying a bowl of jello without having it jiggle; then carry a ball of clay without having it jiggle - it's much easier.

So how do I get from jello to clay? Add less water? Is jello better than clay and I just need to learn how to balance jello without jiggle?

I do recall an exercise that former trainer had us do on her horse; ride about a foot or two off the edge of the arena wall so that you are always riding both sides of the horse; I think I'm going to try that tomorrow; that way I'm having to control the jiggle with every step; since I can't change Ana, I just need to become a better rider and learn to control the jiggle.


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## frlsgirl

Just a quick journal note to myself; try the "oops dropped the rein" exercise on DN with Ana tomorrow. I might be trying to hard to hold her together when she needs to learn to carry herself and then I won't have so many problems trying to keep her contained, because she is partly responsible for how she carriers herself. Try at trot first and then canter.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I was going to say with Ana being very flexible, that is something she always will be. Dante is very flexible, even though he's further along he will likely always be like that. It's more ridable with training, once they have that strength and coordinatation but it's something you're always aware of.

You can't micromanage their parts but you can say have control of the outside rein and outside shoulder and organize their balance with enough forward motion but maybe half halts to keep swing and some laterals to think of inside leg, outside rein for organization. It is harder with horses like this but they're good horses. We have PSG horse who is still very flexible and you have to be very mindful of everything. It just comes back to feel, timing and organization like everything but youre getting it!


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## frlsgirl

Wednesday, May 18, 2016:

I had a fantastic 40th birthday! First, my admin baked me a gluten free and dairy free cake; it was surprisingly delicious: 










I took the afternoon off so that I could ride Ana; she was completely back to normal and we had a very productive ride; I only had to correct her once; other than that she was a perfect angel; we played with the "oops I dropped the reins" exercise which worked really well; we also did our normal flexing to the inside and outside exercise and I practiced cantering with loose/open thighs; pretty much everything I tried and worked on actually worked as intended.

We trotted:










And walked:










Took stretch breaks:










And cantered; we even got one relaxed stride of canter:










And stretched some more:










And took selfies:











Then it was time to get my tack cleaned and oiled with Passier's Lederbalsam in preparation for Saturday's show:










I was exhausted when I got home and took a little nap; while my husband made dinner reservations; throughout the day, people called me, texted me, and FBd me to wish me a happy birthday; the only person I hadn't heard from was my best friend Marlene (Ophelia's mom).

So DH and I are sitting at dinner, we had just ordered, and suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was Marlene and her significant other! I was totally shocked and happy to see her! After dinner she took me for a ride in her sports car:










What a great time we had; this was probably my best birthday since becoming a grownup!

Now it's back to reality and time to do more prep work for the show; gonna go to the barn tomorrow to practice our tests, pack and do last minute touch ups on our gear.


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## egrogan

Happy birthday! Sounds like a great one


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @egrogan; I can't complain


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## Skyseternalangel

I'm glad you had such a nice birthday!!


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## frlsgirl

Ride times are posted for Saturday's show and I'm not shaking or freaking out; maybe I'm finally learning to manage my show nerves? 

I ride at 10:17 and 10:30.

Can't wait!


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## Skyseternalangel

Which level/classes are you showing?


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> Which level/classes are you showing?


We showed Intro A & B.


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## frlsgirl

OMG! What a weekend full of ups and downs. I don't even know where to start!

I had a terrible last practice ride Friday; I was just fighting with her the whole time and couldn't get her in front of my leg. I knew then that something was wrong, but couldn't prove it. Of course the people I confided in told me that I'm exaggerating and that it's just show nerves; Cass was the only one who agreed that something might be wrong but it's not clear what exactly it is.

So Saturday morning, I get Ana ready as we wait for the lady with the trailer; at the last minute I decide to pick out Ana's feet; she had trouble lifting her left front because she was carrying all her weight on it and nearly tippled over when I did finally get to pick it up. I thought....hmmm....so strange....I wonder if something is wrong with the hind legs...hmmm.

She did trailer really well for me:










We get to the show venue and warm up in a mushy slushy ring; Ana starts to feel lame to me; I ask trainer who tells me that she's fine. So we go to the show ring and wait in the little designated area where Ana feels increasingly lame to me. We ride Intro A - it was a major struggle to get through the test as she just didn't want to move forward; was hollow with her ears pinned and her head held crooked (classic sign of hind end lameness). Trainer said she's fine.



















We go back to designated waiting area as I await my turn for Intro B; now Ana is visibly lame and trainer finally agrees with me that she's indeed lame but tells me to keep moving her around to see if we could get it worked out; a few minutes later it was our turn for Intro B; it was pretty terrible, I mean we did it but I felt like I had to beat Ana to get through the test so it wasn't pretty.










I dismount and walk Ana back to the trailer; she stands tied to the trailer and is holding up her right hind the whole time; the lady that trailered us shows up and is like "what's wrong" and I'm like "my horse is lame" of course she's like "no she's not" so she tries to pick up her left hind to prove to me that the right hind is fine and Ana couldn't do it. Why does no one listen to me?!? I know my horse better than anybody, if I say my horse is lame, then my horse is lame!











So I'm trying not to break down into tears or get into arguments with trainer or trailer lady; I picked up my test and was shocked by my surprisingly high score for the worst test of my life. Me thinks the judge was a little generous; of course everyone disagreed with me and said that I rode the test well; when the final scores were posted, I saw that someone got an 80! Com on! Nobody gets an 80! The judge was clearly super generous with the scores.

Ana definitely deserved her tiara:










I left feeling really upset and defeated; I got 2nd and 4th place, good scores, but my horse is lame and I let others talk me into riding her anyway even though she was lame. There is something really wrong with that! I have to listen to me before anybody else; I am my horse's advocate, so if Ana tells me she's in pain, I need to listen to her, and not minimize it in order to make trainer and others happy.

Oh yeah, and then I got into an argument with trailer lady after all, because I told her I was planning on doing a reading with a psychic (I meant animal communicator) and she went off on me about how she had once scheduled an appointment with a psychic for herself and how God was showing her signs that it was wrong so she cancelled and that I should consider doing the same; I told her that I'm a Christian as well and don't really believe in psychics but I do believe that there are highly sensitive people who can read a horse's energy - and she said "fine, go talk to your psychic then!"

So yeah, that was fun. I didn't even have time to digest any of this because inlaws came up from OKC to celebrate bday with me; I tried to put on a happy face but DH could tell that something was wrong...."Would you please cheer up" I probably heard that 100 times this weekend.

So yesterday I told DH we NEED to go to the barn because I needed to check on Ana; trainer came out and suggested I longe her; yup, she's definitely lame going to the right. So we discussed action plan; I'm calling the vet today; we are going to do nerve blocking, hoof testing, flexing, MRI and Xray..whatever it takes to find out what is wrong with her right hind because this is not the first time she went lame on it. 

So I try to put Ana back up but DH stops me and says we need to wait...wait for what? Turns out more family was on their way to the barn to meet Ana because they were all coming up to celebrate my birthday with me.

Ana loved having all the attention; she just adores little ones; I told them they couldn't ride for very long and only at the walk since Ana isn't feeling well; they seemed disappointed but tried not to show it.




























Then we were supposed to go to a family dinner; but they had a huge surprise party for me; all kinds of people showed up; I feel so blessed:



















What a weekend of ups and downs! I'm emotionally drained and trying to prepare for the worst; including possibly retiring Ana and keeping her as a companion horse while I figure out a way to get a second horse. I just could never part with her; she is my heart horse.

To top it off; I decided to post a before and after picture to show how far Ana has come in her training; I don't know why I posted it; probably because I felt guilty about riding her when she was clearly lame; well, I managed to offend Ana's breeder with my post, so after messaging back and forth with her I had to take it down. 

So yeah, I am drained today and trying not to cry.


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## SaddleUp158

I'm sorry you had such a roller coaster of a weekend. Just listen to your gut about what your mare is telling you. Believe me, I have been in similar situations and honestly, I am normally correct that something is wrong. With Ana though, hopefully it is just an abscess that will clear up with some attention and she will be back to normal quickly! Let us know what the vet has to say. Happy Belated Birthday!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @SaddleUp158 - I will provide a full report once I've met with the vet which will probably be sometime this afternoon.


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## Skyseternalangel

How did you offend her breeder with a photograph?!


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## frlsgirl

@*Skyseternalangel* : Here is how I did it:










The before picture was not exactly flattering and Ana did not look like that when she left the breeders farm; I totally get that. The before picture was after a harsh winter, so Ana was super fuzzy and looking a little lean which was my fault; I had just moved her to the new barn; she did put on weight shortly there after but her topline, neck, and butt took a while to grow and develop and isn't nearly where it needs to be.

I said something about "even horses not built for Dressage can benefit from Dressage training"....because I've gotten so many raised eyebrows when I told people I was going to do Dressage with her - she was not bred to do Dressage but that doesn't mean she can't do it and benefit from the training. I never said that the breeder did a poor job breeding her but she was never intended to be a Dressage horse; her natural confo is butt high and ewe necked which is the opposite of what a horse that's bred to do Dressage is supposed to look like. Anyway, that's all I was trying to say. She breeds the most beautiful, jovial, and typy Morgans and some of Ana's relatives have competed in Dressage but most do Western Pleasure or Saddleseat.


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## Skyseternalangel

I don't think it's offensive... every horse goes through changes especially when they move barns. Breeder shouldn't take offense... morgans, arabs, heck even drafts are not "ideal dressage horses" according to the purpose they were bred for but there are some dang good horses out there who love it regardless and do a fantastic job with the right training. Ana is definitely one


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## egrogan

Wow, @frlsgirl- what a weekend you had! Sounds very stressful worrying about Ana while also trying to enjoy your celebration.

I can completely relate to how you were feeling about asking your trainer for her opinion on Ana's soundness while disagreeing with her diagnosis. A lot of the health issues Izzy's having right now are things I'm having to make decisions about for the first time since I've been around horses, and I keep second guessing myself. I know she's got soreness in her hock, even though I also know the BM thinks I'm crazy and being an overworried first-time horse owner. But when you ride just one horse enough, you feel when they take a bad step or just feel "off."

I hope your vet visit goes well this afternoon. I know your mind wants to race to worst-case scenarios, like having to retire her, but I bet you will find that whatever's bothering her will not be that extreme. Glad you're getting the full lameness workup, as that will help eliminate a lot of the "what ifs." Good luck and let us know what you learn!

PS- What in the world with Ana's breeder's reaction?! So strange- nothing you said in your post about her being offended seems offensive to me. People definitely get bent out of shape easily on the Internet!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think some people take a great deal of pride in what they produce as a "breeder" and consider any kind of criticism as offensive because all their "creations" are absolutely perfect and anything contrary to this belief is upsetting to them but odd that she'd be so upset about that :-/ very petty.

But with lameness issues, I've had several instances where a horse looked sound but it didn't feel sound or something just wasnt right. Or seen horses with a "leg lameness" that was actually in their back or neck. Or horses who couldn't sit and articulate their hocks having SI problems, etc. It's always a mystery with these guys and sometimes they just played rough in the pasture or are adjusting to the temperature changes or get really stiff when not worked regularly *shrugs* always something. But the important thing is you learned to trust yourself over everyone else's opinion when you felt wrong doing it.

As for horse we all do things we regret sometimes or feel bad about, we're human we make mistakes even with the best of intentions but the important things is we learn from it and learn to trust ourselves when we know something and not brush it off as well I'm really sensitive and being paranoid or well this person knows more than me, so they must be right. 

And might as well see what a psychic might have to say. I agree even though there is scientific evidence or it may contradictory from faith but I think there is something we can't explain that perhaps certain people are very sensitive to or can pick up on. I've heard some really odd stories. My other trainer knows a girl who is an animal communicator and I guess the girl walked by their barn cat asked why her mom threw something at the cat and I guess the mom hadn't thrown anything at the cat on purpose but had thrown something down and didn't realize the cat was there but the cat took it as something was being thrown at it. And how she would know that is interesting to me. There are things that we arent' able to explain yet, not everything can be quantified or rationalized but I think we have to be open to the possibilities. And that's a really nice photo of you and your hubby  it looks like you guys had a great time!


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## frlsgirl

Wow that's interesting about the cat; not just that it happened but how the cat interpreted the incident. I think the lady that I'm planning on using charges like $45 for a 15 minute reading; that's less than a vet visit, so it might just be worth it.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Certainly. I hope she's good and can offer some answers. With that stuff my other trainer knows some people and is very interested in psychics. I think they do feel something, I think there are probably genuine ones out there who maybe pick up on things who maybe have a sense of something but I'm sure there are plenty of frauds too. I don't know I'm a little leery or side with caution on that stuff but always open to it and if they have answers then that's awesome!


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## Mulefeather

So sorry about Ana not feeling well - but, Happy Birthday!!

The breeder went over the top in my opinion, but some people really are just that sensitive about things like that. The "friends" filters are some of the best creations FB ever put into place  

As far as the animal communicator goes - there's no proof it works, and no proof it doesn't. In the end, it's your horse and your money. You can do with each exactly what you please.


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## frlsgirl

Update on Ana:

It's an abscess that's already really close to the surface of the heel bulb. 

Unfortunately, the infection had already spread up her leg, so she's also running a slight fever. 

She got IV antibiotics and pain meds as well as her leg wrapped. 

Stall rest for 1 week; pain meds and antibiotics twice a day; bandage change every two days. 

The vet is coming back Wednesday to check on her. 

I'm allowed to hand walk her up and down the isle but she's not allowed to leave the barn 

I learned a valuable lesson: always trust your gut over the opinions of others and don't hesitate to get the vet out. 

I knew something wasn't right with her Friday and it just went downhill from there. 

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes.


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## egrogan

Yay for "just" an abscess! I'm sure you'll get her healed up and feeling better in no time.


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## frlsgirl

Pictures from yesterday's vet visit.

Ana sort of patiently waiting for the vet to arrive:










And starting to paw because she's bored:










And starting to yawn because now she's really bored:










The vet finally arrived and pointed out that her right leg is hot and swollen relative to the left leg; you can kind of see it here:










And here:










So the vet disinfected the area:










And got her all bandaged up:










Now we wait for it to rupture; he said it should happen any day now; hopefully by Wednesday when he comes back.

My plan is to go out every day and hand walk her, do carrot stretches with her, groom her, and if I have time I might read to her. I'm just trying to keep her from losing her mind since she will be confined to the barn for whole week


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## Skyseternalangel

What was his thought behind wrapping?


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> What was his thought behind wrapping?


Soften up the skin to encourage it to rupture and keep it clean.


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## frlsgirl

I visited Miss Ana last night. She seems back to her normal self; alert, inquisitive, energetic and a little pushy which is understanding considering she's been locked up in her stall for 24 hours. I took her out and started walking her up and down the isle; she seemed confused like "how come we keep turning around" - since the footing around the outside of the barn was dry and fairly clean, I decided to take her outside. I hand grazed her for 15 minutes and then walked her around for 5 minutes which was difficult because she wanted to charge forward and take over - that actually made me happy because that's my happy and healthy Ana! BO agreed and said that the abscess probably already ruptured because she is clearly feeling so much better.

Then I took her back inside, gave her good grooming, a massage, a coat of fly spray and did a round of carrot stretches. I did notice that she was a little sensitive on the right middle of her back; I think the panels need to be adjusted a little because her body has changed so much since we got fitted in December; the fitter is supposed to come out next month.

She didn't give me any trouble when I put her back in her stall; I think she's knows that something is wrong and she's supposed to stay in there.


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## frlsgirl

I just talked to the office assistant at the vets office because I still don't have Ana's dental bill from over a month ago....BO estimated that it would be about $100....it's $167.50! 

And I have two more bills coming from Ana's abscess......eeek....all my birthday money and the rest of Ana's show and lesson budget will be going towards vet bills; she did pick the perfect time to abscess though...no more shows planned until September; there are a few shows in neighboring Dressage societies that I could take Ana to over the summer, but that ship has now sailed. 

As the vet was giving her shots, and working on her, I could just hear the cash register ding with every move he made...I'm hoping it's under $500 and that he will let me pay it over a couple of months.

hoof tester - ding
physical exam - ding
lameness exam - ding
One shot of benamine - ding
One shot of antibiotics - ding
1 roll of vet wrap - ding
1 diaper looking thingy - ding
3 containers of medicine - ding, ding, ding
trip charge - ding

On a positive note, BO/trainer came to my birthday party and gave me a coupon for one free lesson; that will certainly help!


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## egrogan

I feel your pain, just got the bill from the vet for the emergency visit for the choke incident. Fun times. The things we do for these horses!

Seriously though, glad she is back to her spunky self and I hope she's looking good under the bandage when you see the vet later.


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## Tazzie

Glad to hear she's back to her normal self.

I had a friend that had a BAD abscess in her foot. It, too, moved up the leg. This one, however, got into the mare's joint and they ended up needing to put the girl down. I think she was only 2, so it was extremely rough. Now I get a little nervous when people talking about abcesses, especially when they move up the leg. And she had the highly regarded Rood & Riddle working on it. They did the medical maggots (aka sterile) to try to eat the infection. She was a nice horse too.


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## frlsgirl

Tazzie said:


> Glad to hear she's back to her normal self.
> 
> I had a friend that had a BAD abscess in her foot. It, too, moved up the leg. This one, however, got into the mare's joint and they ended up needing to put the girl down. I think she was only 2, so it was extremely rough. Now I get a little nervous when people talking about abcesses, especially when they move up the leg. And she had the highly regarded Rood & Riddle working on it. They did the medical maggots (aka sterile) to try to eat the infection. She was a nice horse too.


Oh no! It's shocking how a fairly common and seemingly easily treated abscess can turn into something this ugly. Poor horse!

Hopefully, this is not the case for Ana! I think the fact that she was feeling so much better in such a short amount of time is a good indication that her recovery is headed in the right direction.

PS: The receptionist at the dental office got a paper cut that ended up becoming infected and moved into a tendon; she needed antibiotics and physical therapy; all that over a paper cut!


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## Tazzie

It was awful. She'd raise the filly too. Foaled her out at Monticule and everything. It was a tough blow. I do think it's a good thing she seems so rambunctious on it though!

It is terrifying what such small things can do! I do clean out paper cuts very well for that reason :lol:

This was her blog. Shortly after the last post she had to put her down. Hard to believe it's been 5 years at this point.

Adventures with George: April 2011


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## DanteDressageNerd

It's crazy how such minor things have the potential to become something much-much more serious. The body is a mysterious thing and incredible, one small process doesn't go right and the whole body isnt' right.

But I'm glad to hear she has an abscess and should soon make a steady recovery! I wish you both well!

And I entirely understand about medical bills. It's really-really rough when you think how much it adds up to. I don't even look at what I've spent already.


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## frlsgirl

Just got back from the vet visit; it broke open on its own so yay for that but it left a very large opening that needs a long time to heal; 2-3 weeks; I can handwalk Ana as much as I want but it has to be in solid dry footing so that dirt doesn't work its way under the bandage. Ana seemed quite irritable and pushy today; I bet she's tired of being stuck in a stall and tired of people messing with her hoof.

I don't know if I can drive out there every single day to walk her and we've had so much rain that it's difficult to find a dry area where I can safely walk her. Plus she's really hard to stop right now; she dragged me around the property like a young stallion looking for a mare; she's all about that green grass right now.

Here you can see how deep the opening is; the abscess is about an inch to the right of that; you can still see the rounded shape:










Ana trying to be a good sport about all this:










Sporting her stylish green bandage:


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## egrogan

How's Miss Ana feeling @frlsgirl?


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## frlsgirl

I hope she's fine @egrogan - I was sick yesterday and couldn't make it to the barn so BO agreed to walk her for me. I'm hightailing it to the barn at 11am today and hope to spend most of the afternoon with her.


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## egrogan

Sorry to hear you're not feeling well- the flu went around my house a couple of weeks ago...conveniently wiping us out for the weekend of our 10th wedding anniversary! 

Enjoy your afternoon with Ana and let us know how she's doing.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Sorry to hear you're not feeling well- the flu went around my house a couple of weeks ago...conveniently wiping us out for the weekend of our 10th wedding anniversary!
> 
> Enjoy your afternoon with Ana and let us know how she's doing.


Oh dear! Sorry you had to spend your anniversary that way!

I don't think it's the flu; went to urgent care and they think it's a kidney stone or some sort of infection but their blood testing machine broke so they couldn't give me a firm diagnosis. I've just had terrible pain in my left side 

Taking pain meds, drinking lots of water and just trying to grit my teeth through it.

It seems like Ana and I are always laid up at the same time; last time she went lame was in December right before my surgery. 

Maybe it's just sympathy pains


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## frlsgirl

Ana has been worked over from top to bottom:

Bandage changed
Groomed
Whole-body massaged
Fly sprayed
Carrot stretched 
Abdominal crunched 
Hand grazed
Hand Walked
Ground worked
Introduced to farriers formula
Tucked back into a freshly cleaned stall where she's munching on fresh hay and drinking clean water 

You might say she's one pampered pony!

She seemed in good spirits; alert, playful and interactive:


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## frlsgirl

I spend a good part of my 3 day weekend with Ana. Friday, BO changed her bandage for me while I assisted; her hoof already looks so much better:










We had planned on doing red and blue bandages for Memorial Day:









But by the time we were done, we had covered up the red part with black vet wrap; so she was black and blue for a couple of days:









Saturday, I stopped by in the morning to let her out; the party lesson had just started so I took pictures while I tried to handgraze her; she was alert and spicy:


















She was happy as long as I let her graze:










We also did some ground work; mostly backing up, added some carrot stretches and crunches and of course a good grooming.

Sunday, it was time to change the bandage again; I couldn't find the BO so I had to man up and do this myself; the BM was around so he assisted me; I decided to forgo the leg wrap since her leg wasn't swollen anymore; so I only wrapped the hoof: wet poultice directly over the wound, then rolled gauze, then vet wrap:










I spent a good hour handgrazing her before the bandage change so she was ready to go back into her stall; we stopped by later in the afternoon and took her out of her stall to let her stretch her legs and graze a little bit:










Yesterday, we stopped by in the afternoon; she got to graze for about an hour while we audited a jumping lesson; she got groomed and scratches:










Then after talking to BO, we decided to turn her out for a bit since the footing was dry, she was so happy:










Hoping it will dry enough some time this week so that she can spend some serious uninterrupted time in turnout. That has been the biggest problem; she wants to run and play but she can't get her bandage muddy or dirt caught in it; so we are trying to follow the vets instructions without compromising her state of mind.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad to see Ana's doing better and had plenty of hand grazing time. But she looks like she had a great time spending her weekend with her family and getting scratched and love on! The hoof bandages look fun but I hope she's back in action soon and can get some un interrupted turnout time soon! I think of turnout as horse being horse, horse therapy for horses.


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## frlsgirl

The vet tech called this morning because he wanted to stop by today for a "courtesy"visit; I told him that's fine as long as this courtesy doesn't cost me anything since Ana is clearly doing fine and it's just a matter of giving her time to mend. He called back this afternoon and said that he wouldn't make it out today after all and that I no longer need to do the wet poultice; only rolled gauze directly over the wound and then vet wrap to seal everything and hold it in place. So yay for progress!


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## frlsgirl

So yesterday was bandage change day; it looks so strange; see the gab between her foot and her hoof?










The leg doesn't look swollen anymore but some of the skin is peeling off probably from the leg wrap we had on there previously:










We decided to go with pink:









Happily grazing:










She was super eager to see me; her friendly nickers quickly escalated to hysterical screaming when I walked past her stall to drop something in the mail box; she seems so eager to see me and worried that I'm going to leave her; she got groomed, stretched, crunched, fly sprayed and hand grazed. When it was time to go back in her stall the nickering started again; "Mom, don't go...please mom! MOM!" Ugh...she makes me feel like the worst mom ever. She did get turned out for an hour in the morning plus 40 minutes of hand grazing with me in the evening.

I have a lesson booked tonight on Dante; if it's not muddy, I will turn her out while I ride Dante, otherwise she will scream at me for ignoring her. She is fine by herself on a grassy turnout; she will settle right down and eat; but if you put her in the arena, even with hay, she will get bored and lonely, start pacing and screaming.

I'm hoping to start working her again sooner rather than later; maybe I could start with longe work on the big grassy patch next to the indoor. That will give me an idea of how her foot is doing. If that goes well, maybe I can ride her only at a walk on the same grassy patch; starting with only large figures to avoid excessive pressure on the hind end. Just trying to bring her back slowly and methodically to keep her in good mental and physical shape without compromising her healing hoof.


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## frlsgirl

*Full Report on Animal Communicator*

I just got off the phone with her; she was very helpful and nice. Ana had A LOT to say. 

Ana said there is a new routine or a new person at the barn and none of the horses like it.

Ana says she loves me and would do anything for me; whether it's Dressage or trail or chase cows, she will do it.

Ana said that there are a lot of dumb horses at horse shows; communicator thinks she might be talking about sharing the warm-up ring.

She said that the saddle feels fat on the right side behind my seat bone; like there is too much stuffing on that side.

She's heal sore on the front and her pelvis is twisted again and she has TMJ and the C3 and C4 is out.

Ana says her favorite thing is trail riding.

Ana says she doesn't like the new indoor because the wind blows up her tail; I think what she's talking about is that arena is open on two sides so when the wind blows just right it makes noise and she can feel the wind; she's spooked several times in there.

Ana says her injured hoof doesn't hurt at all and she doesn't understand why she has to be on stall rest.

This surprised me: she said that she wasn't happy at her previous owners - she wouldn't elaborate why, just that she's a lot happier with me. I do more with her than her previous owner but I would think that living with other Morgans, spending most of her time relaxing was way more fun than training with me.

This sort of surprised me: the new trainer is asking her to do things that she physically can't do because of the twisted hip issue; she said that she twisted her hip when she was outside; she couldn't say for sure if it was during turn out or during riding but it was quite a while back and despite 3 chiro adjustments it just keeps going out again; working with an osteopath was suggested or chiro in tandem with a massage therapist.

The communicator told me to always listen to my gut and just tell the trainer "no" when I feel like Ana can't or shouldn't do something.

Ana doesn't like her new bit - she says it's too heavy and makes her TMJ worse.

Ana doesn't like it when I ride other horses so the communicator told her that I have to ride others for my own education; she said that was fine.

Communicator also explained to Ana why she is on limited turnout, that it's for her own benefit and that we would try to get her more time outside.

We talked about foals; she said that Ana thought the foal at her previous owners was hers, and so she has separation anxiety and when she sees another foal she thinks that it's her foal. So the communicator told her that the foals she sees when we are out and about are not hers. Ana argued with her that people wean them too soon, and the communicator agreed but told her that it's not for her to worry about.

At the end, we came up with an action plan to get Ana well again; no need to buy a new saddle just yet; it just needs refitted on the right side and she needs to get adjusted by the osteopath; she also suggested some flower essence to help Ana with her anxiety about foals; kind of like rescue remedy for horses, and trying a new and lighter bit, and always listen to my gut about Ana.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think it's really interesting to hear what the animal communicator had to say. I emailed her after you sent me the link. I think it sounds like it's worth a try and see what has to be said.

It's really interesting to hear what Ana's assessments were of different situations and how she perceives things. I'm not a 100% believer in these things but definitely curious and open to the possibilities. It's interesting what she knew about Ana without you telling her or briefing her on details and things you said weren't on here that she couldnt' have known otherwise. That's really neat!

I'm glad you got more insight into Ana's assessment and how she's feeling!


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## greentree

That foot looks like it needs to dry out. Glad you heard from the animal communicator! Please do NOT tell her where my horses live....I do not want my horses communicating with her! Lol!


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## Skyseternalangel

I once had an animal communicator talk to Sky for me through a photograph. It was chilling, I literally didn't tell her much and she was spot on... even years later.


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## frlsgirl

I don't know that I'm a believer in these things either; I don't believe in psychics but I do believe that there are people who can read animals; just like there are people who can get a good feel of others just from being around them; this particular communicator connects with your pet and interprets what she's feeling or seeing; so when she said that the new bit makes Ana's TMJ worse; Ana didn't say that; Ana showed her that the bit is too heavy and is making her uncomfortable in parts of her head and jaw which the communicator then interpreted to mean TMJ and the bit is wrong for her.

She was definitely spot on when she said that I'm Ana's favorite person (turn the sound up so you can hear her talking to me):






And she was spot on when she said that the hoof is no longer bothering her; I turned her out, she was fine; I left for 30 seconds and came back to this:






It did make for great Kodak moments though:










She would not settle down until I entered the paddock:





























Ana shredded her bandages in a matter of minutes:









So I got them changed again and hand grazed her to help her settle down:










At this rate I'm gonna need a lot more vet wrap and gauze. I told BO to resume Ana's normal turnout schedule unless it's excessively muddy out. She agreed.

While Ana was flipping out in the paddock, I had this bright idea to capture one of the barn cats so that she could have a companion. It didn't go well:










So there I was at 6:30pm; all scratched up and exhausted and I still needed to lesson on Dante. 

He was filthy; I spent forever brushing him and barely made a dent; here is a short video of us doing some trot work; I'm so out of shape, I was exhausted from just a little trotting:






Afterwards, I hosed him off in the wash stall hoping that I would get some of the grass and urine stains out of his fur - no such luck; I'm SO GLAD I didn't get a gray horse! I always wanted one but oh my are they a lot of work.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I used the same animal communicator with Dante and it's really interesting. I can believe there are people who are perhaps more conscious or aware. Its amazing what people can pick up on! That's for sure.

That video is super cute! It reminded me of the one I took with Dante. It just melts your heart when you mean that much to them. And they treat you differently then they treat others. It's nice to have that kind of bond.

Ana looks really happy in the video! She looks like she's having a blast! She's certainly full of herself! But I'm glad she's back on regular turnout, definitely a good thing!

Sorry you got cat attacked, they are peculiar creatures. Can be so loving and turn on a dime. 

The video on Dante looks good! I'm glad you got to ride him  but yes grey horses are a pain, regular baths are a must when I rode a grey I bathed at least once a week, at clinics. I used spot remover if it was too cold for a full bath. And the tails, keeping on top of that makes a big difference too but lol greys are for people who love to groom.


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## frlsgirl

I had a full weekend with Ana!

Friday I decided I was going to try and ride her; BO suggested I try riding her in her turnout since the footing is best in there. I had the BM hold her for me while I got on and stand by just in case it didn't go well, lol, but she was totally cool:



















Saturday was kind of a weird day; BO had invited me to the party lesson and asked me to ride Dante for her. It ended up getting moved to later in the day due to rain in the morning. I somehow screwed up my meal schedule and had terrible hypoglycemia when I arrived at the barn. I looked up towards the hill where Dante was turned out and he rolled! I was like "there is no way that I can treck up this hill to get him, spend an hour grooming him and then ride him in this heat."

Since I had already make the drive out there I decided I would just groom and tack up Trooper and text BO to make sure it was ok. Well, it was ok, except that she had promised Trooper to another lady who ended up not showing up because she got into a fight with her friend (long story) but we didn't know that until much later, so at the last minute, I decided to give Ana a try. She came galloping up to me like out of a scene from a movie so that made my heart happy.

She was her usual speedy Gonzalez self and did lots of ear pinning towards the other horses which made me happy because that's pretty normal for her (I recall the animal communicator saying that Ana thinks other horses at shows are dumb, lol; the same probably goes for group lessons)










We took lots of stretch breaks, and sat out some of the exercises:









We had a lovely left lead canter; I didn't grip or panic and I was able to reach down and scratch her withers while we were cantering! I'm getting better at this!

Not bad for our first real ride in 2 weeks; I was pretty happy with her:










When we were finished, I hosed her off in the washstall and redid the bandage all by myself for the first time; I'm gonna get really good at this, just in time for her to heal and not need it anymore, lol.

Sunday was Ana's 8th birthday!

I spent a lot of time with her; I turned her out in the morning and sat in the pasture with her:








I had arrived early because I wanted to take her for a ride but since she hadn't been turned out yet I just couldn't do that to her, especially on her birthday! So after I turned her out I decided to organize some of my stuff and re-oiled her saddle:










Then I went back home because I had a ton to do before going back out there in the afternoon. When I arrived she was in her stall and was very chatty and happy to see me. She got a good grooming, a fresh coat of fly spray, carrot stretched, ab crunched and then we practiced walking forward and backing up. We finished with some hand grazing and pictures.

Her mane is a frizzy mess from the previous day's bath:










I decided to pick out her stall for her and caught this picture of her:










Quiz time: What do you notice in all of the pictures where she's standing, whether at liberty or under saddle?


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## egrogan

Hurt foot placed forward underneath her


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## frlsgirl

@egrogan :clap:

Correct! When Ana's foot first starting hurting she didn't want to put weight on it; so I'm happy to see that she's going back to her old way of standing even though it's not the most correct way to stand.


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## frlsgirl

So since Ana told the animal communicator that she's all twisted up in her body again and the previous chiro wasn't really working out, I was able to secure an appointment with our favorite chiro who adjusted her in 2014; she's also a vet so I feel more comfortable with her anyway; I thought it was going to cost me a fortune to have her come all the way out to Ana's new barn but was quoted $170; and I had $175 budgeted so we are all good!

Farrier is supposed to come Friday; so I will make sure he knows to trim Ana and to be very gentle with ouchy hoof - animal communicator said she was heel sore on the front, so I'm not sure how to tell him that...but she did say that it could be a temporary thing; that she was compensating with her front hooves for the ouchy back hoof. 

She's been on double strength farrier's formula for 10 days now which will hopefully aid the healing process for her front heels and right hind. 

It's supposed to be sunshine and dry all week so she is back on her regular turnout schedule which will help her feel more normal and less anxious. 

As far as the bit is concerned; I talked to trainer/BO about it; she said that there is nothing wrong with my bit and how it fits Ana and it' doesn't seem unusually heavy to her; she did say that heavier bits help build a stronger topline which made me wonder if the discomfort Ana is feeling is just her building muscle, and the remainder of the discomfort is just due to her being out of whack which will be fixed next week when the chiro comes out. After talking to some other horse people, I've decided to try her in a single jointed bit; it's one I already have and use as a back-up bit. BO said I'm welcome to try any of her bits as well; so we have some options to play with; I don't want to make too many changes all at once because then I can't tell what's working and what's not, if that makes sense? Plus most of her head discomfort might be alleviated once the chiro gets her adjusted.

Once she is adjusted the saddle might fit better as well, so I'm holding off on the saddle adjustment until later this summer; since she lost a little bit condition from her little vaca, the saddle seems to fit better again anyway.


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## frlsgirl

So a friend of mine is horse shopping right now and that reminded me of when I was shopping and posted this thread about Ana:

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-conformation-critique/morgan-mare-confo-critique-341898/

It's so funny how I said "if we never make it past training level, that's ok"...now I have her on a 10 year plan to 3rd level. I think once we can get her chirod and the saddle reflocked she'll be as good as new; even with her being all out of whack we are making progress on her canter. It's also interesting to see how differently she moves now compared to her sales video.

I also started doing ab crunches/hip engagement exercises with her in February and was amazed when I looked at the before and after pictures; the top pic is from February and the bottom pic is from May:










I was listening to Domino by Jessie J this morning and decided I wanted to eventually do a musical freestyle with her; that song is just so fun and it would be great for the trot and canter part of the test.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I agree with not making too many changes at once.

But with the bit do you have a picture of it? Sometimes horses do better with a thinner mouth piece. They're find the thick-fat-heavy its can cause more discomfort in horses because it rubs their gums vs the thinner bits and a french link communicates better but it depends on the horse and their mouth shape and what is comfortable for them. What may be fine for most horses, may not be fine for Ana. I'll have to find a video but it was a really neat video about bits and how they work in the horses mouth and affect how the jaw lays and poll pressure, etc. But they found thick bits are often more uncomfortable for horses then thinner to medium ones, depending on the horse.

Ana looks WAY better!! Wow that's really incredible how dressage makes such a big difference in their top line. 

And a freestyle would be lovely! You'll have to sometime!


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night; I had planned on changing her bandage but when I arrived the previous bandage was gone. The BOs husband emerged to let me know that P had thrown her back out and she wanted me to know that Ana lost the bandage in her turnout and she didn't think that it's necessary to continue to bandage Ana's hoof. It does look like it's trying to heal, so I agreed to leave it off:



















I rode her all by myself in the indoor; it was 90 degrees but thankfully with low humidity; we just rode for 30 minutes, lots of walk and trot and a short canter each direction, focusing on just willingness on her part and complete relaxation and joy on my part; using my voice and seat for the down transition rather than a panicked sharp rein aid. It was a good first solo training session post hoof abscess. She's so funny though; when she thinks that we should be done, she keeps trying to come to the middle of the arena because that's where we usually halt to dismount, so I'm trying to keep her guessing by dismounting in unusual places. I'm having to change up my patterns quite a bit to keep her from anticipating.

After our ride, I checked her hoof and legs, no swelling or heat or ouchyness; hoping it continues to progress.

I'm getting a chiro adjustment today so that should help me with my alignment; Ana's chiro/vet is coming next week. I was thinking about making a little video about Ana's issues and bringing my Ipad so I can show her what I'm seeing under saddle. I just need to find a volunteer this weekend to film us.

Planning on riding again tonight. 

*********************************************************************************

Cass, it's the KK Ultra, I got the thinner version:

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/herm-sprenger-kk-ultra-aurigan-loose-ring--16mm-7105

I'll try to get a better picture tonight, but here is what it looks like on Ana:










Would love to see the video about bits if you find it. 

BO/trainer said I'm clearly very consciences about tack and that everything Ana has seems to fit her really well; she said a lot of people that trailer their horses in for lessons have tack that obviously does not fit the horse and are totally unaware of it. She said my money is better spent on a gym membership for myself because the best thing I can do for Ana is to get myself into better shape


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana again last night and remembered to take video/pics. She was very happy to see me which always puts a smile on my face 

She's most definitely in season right now as she's been peeing in the arena, and she is very sluggish and slow moving; plus she was wearing her famous "annoyed" face 










We just did walk, trot and transitions as it was too hot to do much else:










Cass, I got a picture of the bridle and bit:



















Her hoof appears to be drying out and healing just fine; no swelling or heat or oozing or any other indication that it's regressing.

She's getting today off and I'll be back out there tomorrow afternoon; hopefully in time to catch the farrier.


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's kinda odd. Her bit looks good and like a good fit to me, maybe it is just the muscles are tense or she needs an adjustment? It's a good bit. And it's good to be conscientious about tack and things, it just means you want to make sure Ana is happy with everything and are concerned about her well being. It means you're a good horse mom. 

It sounds like you had a good back to riding session! Always a plus! But that's funny she's like uh mom, we're done right? How about now? Are we done? Are we done now? that's funny :lol:

The picture of you and Ana is so adorable, you both look great!


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> That's kinda odd. Her bit looks good and like a good fit to me, maybe it is just the muscles are tense or she needs an adjustment? It's a good bit.


Yeah, the only thing I can think of is that the weight of the bit kind of adds to her TMJ discomfort; but once the chiro gets her adjusted next week, that will hopefully resolve itself.

She sometimes clamps onto the bit and won't respond at all; so I've been doing these pre-ride checks to make sure she responds to bit pressure.

It's weird, she will kind of space out, clamp onto the bit, and drool; normal rein aids don't work when she gets like this.

I'm putting together a video for the chiro this weekend of all the problems and issues I see under saddle. Hopefully that will give her a few more puzzle pieces to work with when trying to figure out the mysterious Miss Ana.


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## evilamc

Does she maybe like rollers in her bits? My last horse got sore TMJ and we switched to a myler loose ring snaffle and he was so happy in it. Any other bit he would toss his head around and grab on to. I think some websites do bit rental programs, maybe you could try a few out just to be sure its not the bit making her unhappy?


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## frlsgirl

Hi @evilamc - I've looked into that; for now I'm just going to leave it alone until after the chiro visit; I still have the option of trying some of my trainers bits and the old one that I have. I did try a Myler with the roller when I first got Ana; I sent it back; can't remember why, I think it was too big. I'll have to look through my journal again.


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## frlsgirl

Ugh. It's been quite a weekend and it's only Sunday. I spent 3 hours crying in the middle of the night because I'm worried for Ana's future as a Dressage horse; at the same time, I can't part with her and I can't afford to have 2 horses; so it's either part with Ana and get another horse that is physically able to do Dressage, or keep Ana and find something else that we can do together that doesn't cause her any physical discomfort; she's too eager to just be a pasture ornament; she needs a job, but what? She's good with kids but I wouldn't leave her alone with one. Maybe I could teach her tricks and make her a birthday party type horse? Where we trailer her to events to perform tricks and give pony rides? I don't know. So much to think about. Do I really want to give up on Dressage? This was my second big try in life to make this dream come true; maybe the dream was never to make it in Dressage, maybe I'm missing the point? I don't know. I can't part with Ana; she is my heart horse. Maybe the point was to find my heart horse regardless of what we end up doing.

I'll have to do some more thinking about all this.


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## evilamc

Aw sorry you're feeling so down. Could you maybe spend the summer just enjoying the trails? School a little on trails to help keep her mind engaged but still keep it simple. Then maybe in the fall try and pick back up where you left off? Who knows maybe she'll really shine on the trails and you'll learn to love them just as much!


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## egrogan

Echoing evilamc and sorry to hear you had a bad weekend. Anything in particular happen?


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## DanteDressageNerd

I wish I had answer for you regarding Ana but I wouldn't give up yet. You can still learn and do quite a bit with Ana and maybe some days she needs a different job like trails or jumping to keep her happy and refreshed or like evilmc suggested maybe take a break for a little bit and come back to it and see if she enjoys it more. 

Regarding dressage, I don't see a reason why Ana can't do lower level dressage and teach you and you guys to bring each other along. I might be missing part of the story but I believe you guys will pull through and you'll learn a lot from each other!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for your words of encouragement ladies. Let me fill you in on all that transpired this weekend.

I had a very bad ride on her Friday; I felt like she was screaming at me "I can't do it! I told you I can't do it! Why won't you listen to me when I tell you I can't do it?" So I felt really bad that I rode a horse who is clearly broken and can't do the job. I don't know exactly where she is broken but something isn't right. I made the mistake of reaching out to my dressage support group where of course the negative nellies told me that she's way too small of a horse to carry me comfortably; which made me feel even worse...am I too tall and heavy for her? Is she not built to carry a small adult? Maybe she can only carry children comfortably? 










After our ride, I took all of her tack off and set her loose in the arena, I wanted to see how she moves without anything on. As I sat there looking all defeated, Ana must have noticed; because she came over and nuzzled me like she was saying "it's gonna be ok mom."






I took her back to the barn where of course I ran into the BO/trainer. "How was your ride?" "It was ok" I was trying not to cry; I wanted to just go sit in Ana's stall and ball my eyes out but I didn't want trainer to think that I'm just being an over-dramatic, new horse owner who just coddles her pony too much.


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## Tazzie

I think your group is full of nutcases. You are nowhere near too tall/heavy for Ana. Not at all. You both actually look very balanced together.

If she was screaming at you she can't do it, have her checked by a chiro. When Izzie's sacrum is twisted, she screams she can't either. And she literally can't. The sacrum being twisted blocks them from using their hind end properly.

I would get her worked over with a chiro before making any rash decisions. And I would let those negative comments fall on deaf ears. They are totally uncalled for.


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## SaddleUp158

Chin up. Go back through your journal and look at the ups and downs in your's and Ana's journey so far. I am sure you will see a yo-yo effect there. You will get through this tough point and move forward. I am where you are right now. Keep telling yourself that if you have had her checked for pain and your saddle fits, that the two of you will eventually figure things out. Mia and I had a horrible last week of rides. Our last ride there was no try (luckily no try to get me off either!), she was pretty much giving me the middle finger. You know when the less than stellar rides are confusion or maybe even just the rider or the horse not wanting to work, and when it is a physical issue. I have the osteopath coming out on Wednesday and an appointment with the saddle fitter in a couple of weeks. Once that stuff is addressed, I won't feel bad pushing through the bad rides. You are great about staying on top of Ana's physical well being and saddle fit. Just keep working on the both of you, you will get there. Oh, and no you are not too big for her! You guys are a perfect fit.


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## frlsgirl

Saturday rolls around; I had committed to participating in the party lesson; Trooper wasn't available so I decided to just take it easy with Ana; we participated in the walk work, but sat out some of the trot work. It was an awesome group; and we had a lot of fun:










We had a total of 3 Morgans in the group which is very rare; Breathright who used to be boarded there, came by for a visit:










We kept trying to get them next to each other; but Breathright was nervous to stand that close to Ana 










After we took pics, we still needed to canter; I asked one of the teenage twins if she wanted to canter Ana; I wanted to get another perspective; it wasn't pretty but she tried:






Notice all the tension; the tail swishing and held off to the side, and how hard the poor girl had to work to keep her going; also notice how Ana nearly pulls her out of the saddle trying to snatch the reins from her at the end.

They did have a few good moments though:










She only rode her for about 7 minutes; when she dismounted, she showed me that her half chaps had slid all the way down her calf from pushing Ana so hard; a few minutes later, I turned around to talk to her and found her slumped over her horse. She said riding Ana was absolutely exhausting. Interesting; a 15 year old fit teen who rides multiple horses and competes is exhausted from riding Ana for 7 minutes; maybe I shouldn't feel so bad that at age 40 find myself exhausted after riding her for 30 minutes.

I decided that I wanted to canter her myself as well; it was ugly; but we did it.

When the lesson was over, I did some more thinking, watched the video and came to this conclusion:

It' is NOT normal for a horse to be THIS evasive unless the horse has some serious physical discomfort. It's gotten so bad that even trotting is difficult and she feels off to me. So what could this be and how can I prove that there is something really wrong?

I did some more research.....all signs point to SI or stifle. The vet is coming Thursday to do a chiro on her but I will inquire about ultrasound guided SI injections and other ways to diagnose and manage this. 

In the meantime, I'm compiling footage to show the vet all the weird things I'm feeling and seeing; the way she holds her tail funny when she canters, how she has trouble separating her legs at the canter, how she feels uneven at the trot, how her hind end sometimes disappears from under me when we are walking; her general tension, always falling over her left shoulder, her dramatic head dropping motion when trotting, it's just NOT normal.

Here is what I have so far; notice how at the trot, the left hind doesn't push off like the right hind does and she also slightly drags her left toe:






I also reached out to a famous Morgan Dressage rider, let's call her LC, who actually emailed me back! She said that she had to have a saddle customized to fit her GP Morgan; it's a Trilogy Verago with a special short gusset; she also likes the Custom Icon Star. She is about my size and rides short-backed Morgans at GP, so maybe it's possible for a Morgan of Ana's size to carry me comfortably after all and it's just a matter of finding a different saddle.


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## frlsgirl

So Sunday rolls around I wake up with the tissue still in my hands from crying over Ana; DH is distraught and trying to be helpful. He promises me that we will find a way to keep Ana even if she's not ridable anymore. 

He spent most of the day trying to cheer me up; so convinced me that we should call a realtor and look at horse property; so that's what we did. We looked at 2 places and got a game plan together for how we can keep Ana and possibly get a second horse, one that is physically able to do Dressage in case Ana is no longer able to be the Dressage star that I wanted her to be.

I still have hopes that what Ana is going through is just a minor set back and not anything career ending but I'm also trying to be realistic. 

He agreed to stop at the barn so that I could visit with Ana for a bit; she got groomed, fly sprayed, carrot stretched, ab crunched, and hand grazed:










For now, I'm just going to ride her at a loose rein walk; either outside or in the covered arena; since her hoof is still healing and she doesn't have shoes, I don't want to take her trail riding; there is that fenced in field that I can ride her on, which sort of feels like a trail ride, the footing is nice and soft so she should be able to handle that. That's the game plan until we meet with the vet on Thursday. 

I'm still going to participate in the party lessons, but I will ride either Trooper or Dante; that way I can continue to ride trot and canter it just won't be on Ana; that will make her happy, I will feel less guilty, and I will enjoy the benefits of riding a schoolmaster at about half the price of a private lesson. Everybody wins.

When show season rolls around, I will ask if I can show Dante or Trooper; that way I get the benefit of competing at a higher level without stressing over Ana's well being and lack of progress.

I'm just trying to mentally and logistically prepare for the worst case scenario; I may still be able to compete with Ana at some point; but she is not well enough for that right now.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'll respond to your last comment later, I'm t work and can't give a long one but you ARE NO where near too tall or too heavy for Ana. Not at all, they don't know what they're talking about if that's what they think.

I also feel at this stage of training there isn't a reason why Ana can't for a while longer. I'd check to make sure nothing is wrong, which I know youre doing. At training and 1st most horses can and maybe she's having a mental block and was confused or frustrated? That's normal with green horses and sometimes you just have to push through and show they can but still be encouraging. Don't bully or pressure excessively just say you can and here you go. Dressage isnt easy and there are lots of ups and downs but I have faith Ana can take you a while longer and teach you a lot more and you to her. Could someone put a few training rides on her a week?

For me I'm selling Dante because he's not going to make it to FEI and I can tell now that he won't. He doesn't have the drive that way. It's not his fault or mine, it's just not what he wants to do or be.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I'll respond to your last comment later, I'm t work and can't give a long one but you ARE NO where near too tall or too heavy for Ana. Not at all, they don't know what they're talking about if that's what they think.
> 
> I also feel at this stage of training there isn't a reason why Ana can't for a while longer. I'd check to make sure nothing is wrong. At trainin/1st most horses can and maybe she's having a mental block and was confused and frustrated? That's normal with green horses and sometimes you just have to push through and show they can but still be encouraging. Don't bully or pressure excessively just say you can and here you go. Dressage isnt easy and there are lots of ups and downs but I have faith Ana can take you while longer and teach you a lot more and you to her.
> 
> For me I'm selling Dante because he's not going to make it to FEI and I can tell now that he won't. He doesn't have the drive that way. It's not his fault or mine, it's just not what he wants to do or be.


Oh no! I didn't know you are selling Dante! I've been so wrapped up in my own drama I haven't caught up on your journal yet but I will today!

With Ana, it's not a mental block, right now she can't even trot a straight line on a loose rein without issues.


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## DanteDressageNerd

frlsgirl said:


> DanteDressageNerd said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'll respond to your last comment later, I'm t work and can't give a long one but you ARE NO where near too tall or too heavy for Ana. Not at all, they don't know what they're talking about if that's what they think.
> 
> I also feel at this stage of training there isn't a reason why Ana can't for a while longer. I'd check to make sure nothing is wrong. At trainin/1st most horses can and maybe she's having a mental block and was confused and frustrated? That's normal with green horses and sometimes you just have to push through and show they can but still be encouraging. Don't bully or pressure excessively just say you can and here you go. Dressage isnt easy and there are lots of ups and downs but I have faith Ana can take you while longer and teach you a lot more and you to her.
> 
> For me I'm selling Dante because he's not going to make it to FEI and I can tell now that he won't. He doesn't have the drive that way. It's not his fault or mine, it's just not what he wants to do or be.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh no! I didn't know you are selling Dante! I've been so wrapped up in my own drama I haven't caught up on your journal yet but I will today!
> 
> With Ana, it's not a mental block, right now she can't even trot a straight line on a loose rein without issues.
Click to expand...

I didn't get to watch the videos (I'm at work) but I think a lot of members are going through a lot right now and I'm glad we can all be so supportive of one another through these time. I hope you figure out what's going on with Ana and she feels well soon!


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## egrogan

I will also respond to the "can she carry you" question- which seems absolutely ridiculous to me. Isabel is 14.2 and less fit than Ana, and she carries me over varied terrain at ~150 lbs. You look totally fine on her and she does not look like she's struggling to carry you in any of the videos you've posted. 

It's hard for me to see what you're describing in the videos, but given how much you ride, you know when she feels just not quite right. I will be interested in what the vet says.


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## Tazzie

Is she head bobbing every time she puts her left hind down? Or is she bobbing it every which way no matter which foot is going down? Greenies tend to be very inconsistent with their heads and will bob them all over the place. As for the toe dragging, check the ligaments/muscles in between her hip and stifle. Izzie wasn't fully reaching under with her left hind, but there was no head bobbing so it wasn't joint lameness. I had my best friend watching from the sidelines who is an eagle eye for lameness. She spotted that while the muscles/ligaments in her right hind would tighten and release at the trot, her left were not. A quick rubdown (mini massage) of the area found a VERY tight ligament that caused Izzie to actually swing her head around and try to bite. Lots of massaging, stretching and liniment and she's good as new. Just something we are cautious of and stretch before every ride.

As for the tail wringing at the canter, it doesn't seem as bad as you'd think. You've also just started riding her at the canter, and it's hard for her. Of course she isn't going to want to stay in it. After you rule out all physical issues, I would just start really strengthening her. She is also just coming back from a hoof abscess that sidelined her for a bit of time. Naturally, she'll have lost some fitness and will regress with that amount of time off. After a clean bill of health, I'd just start asking for more to gain more fitness. It's hard with greenies to tell if they are saying "no" because they truly can't, or if they are saying "no" because it's hard and they would very much rather just do nothing.


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## frlsgirl

On another note, none of this is tragic or world ending; it just feels like that to me right now; when you pour your heart and soul into one thing and then it doesn't work out, it's just a huge blow. How much more money and effort do I want to to pour into making her into something that she physically can't be? It doesn't feel right not just from a financial standpoint but also from an ethical perspective. Plus a horse like Ana needs a job and her own person so I want to provide that for her; I'm just a little lost right now as I'm trying to find a plan that is beneficial to both of us.

There are terrible and tragic things that happen in the world every day; my issues with Ana seem tiny in comparison, but she is a big part of my world so I'm just trying to do the right thing.


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## frlsgirl

Tazzie said:


> Is she head bobbing every time she puts her left hind down? Or is she bobbing it every which way no matter which foot is going down? Greenies tend to be very inconsistent with their heads and will bob them all over the place. As for the toe dragging, check the ligaments/muscles in between her hip and stifle. Izzie wasn't fully reaching under with her left hind, but there was no head bobbing so it wasn't joint lameness. I had my best friend watching from the sidelines who is an eagle eye for lameness. She spotted that while the muscles/ligaments in her right hind would tighten and release at the trot, her left were not. A quick rubdown (mini massage) of the area found a VERY tight ligament that caused Izzie to actually swing her head around and try to bite. Lots of massaging, stretching and liniment and she's good as new. Just something we are cautious of and stretch before every ride.
> 
> As for the tail wringing at the canter, it doesn't seem as bad as you'd think. You've also just started riding her at the canter, and it's hard for her. Of course she isn't going to want to stay in it. After you rule out all physical issues, I would just start really strengthening her. She is also just coming back from a hoof abscess that sidelined her for a bit of time. Naturally, she'll have lost some fitness and will regress with that amount of time off. After a clean bill of health, I'd just start asking for more to gain more fitness. It's hard with greenies to tell if they are saying "no" because they truly can't, or if they are saying "no" because it's hard and they would very much rather just do nothing.


Thank you! She's actually not THAT green; she's been in fairly consistent work with me for the past 2.5 years and we've been cantering this whole time; I even showed her Intro C last fall.

For the longest time she was mostly happy to work; she would sometimes say "no" or be difficult but not to this extent; if a horse puts that much effort into saying no there is something else going on; she tends to chose the path of least resistance; so if the task at hand is easier than fighting me on it, she will just do it without a fuss; until we reach a task that is worth fighting over; and then she will try to convince me that it's too hard and that she would rather not do it; that's pretty normal to me. Trotting a straight line or a 20 meter circle with light contact shouldn't feel like pushing a boulder up a hill; that's what she feels like to me right now.

So we are just going to try loose rein walk for 20 minutes or so per day until the vet comes Thursday. That way she feels like she's doing something important without hopefully doing any more physical harm to her.


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## frlsgirl

Here is something interesting; I took a picture of Breathright when he was at the barn; he sure is a handsome young ladd; he doesn't get worked on a regular basis so he is super eager and happy to give it his all when he comes over for a ride; I saw a lot of similarities in how he behaved under saddle; but he has more of the typical Morgan confo compared to Ana.

The typical Morgan does not have withers; well, he does but they run at a different angle and tie into the neck; this makes saddle fitting more difficult because saddles tend to roll on a horse with no withers; so thank you Ana for having withers. His under neck is more developed than Ana's as Morgans tend to brace and use that to balance themselves. He sure is a handsome dude though; I just love his face. They call him Breathright because he has marking on his nose like breathright nasal strips; they are scars from having his head forced down with some sort of tie-down device that a previous owner used on him.


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## Tazzie

Ah, sorry! Wasn't aware you guys were cantering this whole time :lol: that's my fault!

That's true. I'd see what the vet says and continue your stretching. It may be something as simple as what was going on with Izzie, and just need her hind end stretched out before riding. Mares will frustrate the heck out of us though, so I know what you mean about her fighting but then picking which is less work.

Sounds like a good plan. Maybe weave between some cones so she's listening to your seat asking her to go places. Make it fun and interesting until she's seen. Hopefully she'll be good as new to get back to work!

I do understand though when you feel like your world is crumbling in on you. You just don't want it to be the end, but things just keep coming at you and you wonder if it's even worth it and why should you keep trying. I do think you'll push through this. Hopefully the vet, or the chiro, or a saddle fitter could help pinpoint what could be causing such resistance to work.

I am a little envious of looking at horse property though :lol: that's an amazing husband to suggest that!


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## frlsgirl

Tazzie said:


> I am a little envious of looking at horse property though :lol: that's an amazing husband to suggest that!


Yeah, I think I might keep him! :wink:


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## evilamc

Ohhhh your own little farm! That would be awesome 

You could measure up Ana's feet and try and get some boots for her for trails? Thats what I do until their feet are strong enough to go barefoot and I SWEAR BY durasole. Theres a group on facebook for buying/selling used boots even. Riding in the pasture sounds like it could be nice though, a nice break from the same ol scene of the arena. She shouldn't need shoes though if just riding in pasture and if you are able to get your hands on some boots then she would be fine everywhere. I mainly just boot the front feet, rarely do you need to boot all 4.

I also agree no way in he** are you too big for her. I'm about 170 + tack and ride my little 14.3 and 15h TWH for hours all over rough hilly terrain. Some people are such snobs!


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## Skyseternalangel

frlsgirl said:


> He spent most of the day trying to cheer me up; so convinced me that we should call a realtor and look at horse property; so that's what we did. We looked at 2 places and got a game plan together for how we can keep Ana and possibly get a second horse, one that is physically able to do Dressage in case Ana is no longer able to be the Dressage star that I wanted her to be.


That is a keeper for sure, and I hope you do get your own little place!


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## frlsgirl

I'm just going to leave this link here as I find the illustrations very helpful; it's about saddle fitting:

TRILOGY


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## frlsgirl

@SaddleUp158 - I tried to get that same Osteopath to come to our barn (KR I assume?) ; I hear she's awesome. She needs 8 people though or she won't make the drive. The next best thing is the vet who is also a chiro and she's coming Thursday; hopefully she can figure out what's wrong with her. 

You'll have to let us know if you see a difference in Mia post adjustment. Sorry to hear she's being such a turd! 

I do feel like I can kind of tell the difference now between physical and behavioral issues; as she always chooses the path of less resistance; so she would rather comply with a simple request to trot on a loose rein then to fight me on it; but cantering or lateral work is worth fighting over, lol. Well Friday, she was just totally broken; like nothing except loose rein walk worked; and I do feel this little bobble, under me; like one leg isn't stepping the same way as the other one; and when people ride behind me they will tell me "your horse just did something odd, what was that?" I think what they are seeing is the toe dragging because the stifle is locking and it makes it look like her butt is sinking to one side. 

I can also tell how she's going to behave just from handling her prior to our ride; when she comes galloping up to me in the pasture; I know she's happy to see me and ready to ride; other times, I call her name, she lifts her head and looks over her shoulder like she's not sure if I'm talking to her or another horse named Ana - silly girl.


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## phantomhorse13

DanteDressageNerd said:


> you ARE NO where near too tall or too heavy for Ana. Not at all, they don't know what they're talking about


This. Anybody telling you otherwise doesn't have a clue. Our ayrab Sultan is 14.2 with shoes on and weighs about 820lb (we sometimes have a horse scale at our events, so that weight is not just pulled from the air). He's carted 175lbs (weight of me and tack, also weighed on a scale at rides) over 100 mile courses.. and been doing so for years. Ana should be able to carry you with no issues - assuming she is healthy.




Tazzie said:


> She is also just coming back from a hoof abscess that sidelined her for a bit of time. Naturally, she'll have lost some fitness and will regress with that amount of time off.


Horses do _not_ lose fitness that rapidly (unlike people). A horse given a couple weeks off may need some reconditioning mentally if they are that type, but they won't have lost any fitness - even cardio, which is the first to drop. Our endurance horses get weeks off between rides and are only the stronger for it, as the rest period gives them time to heal all the subclinical stuff that happens that we don't even realize.




frlsgirl said:


> she's been in fairly consistent work with me for the past 2.5 years and we've been cantering this whole time ... if a horse puts that much effort into saying no there is something else going on


If your gut says something isn't right, then listen. If Ana has been happy in her work until now, something has changed and first thing to check out is physical. I think its a great idea to have the vet look at her and have all the videos available. I also think hacking her outside will help you to feel more comfortable in that she isn't just ring sour.

Hopefully you can get to the bottom of her issues and get her comfortable with the dressage work again. While she may never be the next GP horse, you can work to her level. I love that your DH is so supportive. Horse property is super exciting!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @phantomhorse13! Ana has certainly had bad days where she acted up or didn't want to work, but generally speaking, she is compliant with simple requests and depending on the day will try to solve more complex requests or will just give you push back to see if she can talk you out of it, or she will partially solve it to see if it's good enough for you. She does expect praise for a partially solved problem or she give you extra push back the next time you ask for something complex. 

I tested her willingness when we rode last night.

She was happy to see me initially until she saw the saddle; she turned her head away and pinned her ears as I put it on her; which could mean that she didn't feel like working or that she doesn't like the saddle.

We did loose rein walk focusing on listening on my seat aids; then I challenged her a little and got a whole lot of push back. I had her halt, I shortened my reins and asked for a rein back. She tried to solve with a TOF which is not what I had asked for so I straightened her up and asked, and asked harder; she curled way under, her back came up and I was like "Oh, oh, she's going to either rear or buck" but she didn't, she took two steps back. I immediately dropped the reins and praised her. Her response? "Bite me!" We continued walking on a loose rein and we repeated the exercise 2 more times; it got easier each time.

I noticed that she was anticipating the rein drop by trying to root so now we opened another can of worms that we needed to work through. I started with the "oops I dropped the reins" exercise, and each time varied the timing so that she couldn't anticipate; she got mad and tried to violently rip them from my hands; I was like "oh hail no" so I pulled up with the same force that she pulled down; she tried it again, so I pulled again with the same force and then she stopped; I could pick them up, drop them, leave them long and pick them up and she didn't try to root again. So I stopped, praised her and dismounted. I had won two major disagreements so I wanted to quit while I was ahead.

I'm going to ride her tomorrow night, then Thursday she will get adjusted which means she will need to a couple of days off; so I will ride her again Sunday.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> @SaddleUp158 - I tried to get that same Osteopath to come to our barn (KR I assume?) ; I hear she's awesome. She needs 8 people though or she won't make the drive. The next best thing is the vet who is also a chiro and she's coming Thursday; hopefully she can figure out what's wrong with her.
> 
> You'll have to let us know if you see a difference in Mia post adjustment. Sorry to hear she's being such a turd!
> 
> I do feel like I can kind of tell the difference now between physical and behavioral issues; as she always chooses the path of less resistance; so she would rather comply with a simple request to trot on a loose rein then to fight me on it; but cantering or lateral work is worth fighting over, lol. Well Friday, she was just totally broken; like nothing except loose rein walk worked; and I do feel this little bobble, under me; like one leg isn't stepping the same way as the other one; and when people ride behind me they will tell me "your horse just did something odd, what was that?" I think what they are seeing is the toe dragging because the stifle is locking and it makes it look like her butt is sinking to one side.
> 
> I can also tell how she's going to behave just from handling her prior to our ride; when she comes galloping up to me in the pasture; I know she's happy to see me and ready to ride; other times, I call her name, she lifts her head and looks over her shoulder like she's not sure if I'm talking to her or another horse named Ana - silly girl.


Yes! That is who we use. She is wonderful. She comes out tomorrow morning. I wonder if Kim knows anyone in Tulsa to recommend? 

Mia has done some of the same things with taking a shorter step on one hind leg. I always thought it was something physical...until my dressage instructor pointed out that I am blocking the hind leg whne that happens. It has been multiple different reasons, stiff ankle, blocking with a hip, seat bone, whatever excuse Mia wants to use on a given day, and I am full of tension (don't really realize it at the time - working on it!). 

Trilogy saddles are wonderful. That is what our saddle fitter has recommended for all of our guys. She also uses them on the couple of Morgans she has as well. Let me know if you want her name/number. If you tell her you are interested in them she may be able to bring one or two with her for you to try. We have all 3 models between the 3 of us if you are ever in the area. lol


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## frlsgirl

@*SaddleUp158* Yes, please send me the saddle fitters contact info. Kim is the only osteopath in Oklahoma; everybody up here either trailers their horse to her or gets on a waiting list in case she comes back up her. Dr M is the next best thing because she is an actual equine vet & has the equine chiro certification.

Ana does the short stepping with the trainer as well; that's why I wanted to see how she goes if someone else rides her because they likely won't have the exact same body issues that I have. Has your trainer ridden Mia? I always try to get at least 2 different people to ride Ana so that I can observe if she is displaying the same issues that I'm seeing; that kind of helps me rule out rider issues; because what are the chances that 2 different riders would have the exact same body issues that would transfer to Ana? The only problem is finding small people to ride her; thankfully the trainer is as small as me so that helps. Have H or C ridden Mia?


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm really sorry I don't have time to read more in depth

But I wanted to say, your husband is really sweet to suggest investing in property so you can keep Ana regardless of what happens and also have a dressage horse. That's really great he's so supportive of you and understand how much horses mean to you 

I hope you guys can figure out what is going on with Ana. I have faith you'll have plenty of time to spend with Ana in dressage yet!

I was going to say, I agree trilogy is a GREAT saddle brand. I actually know/have met Debbie Witty (the maker of Trilogy saddles) and she's a wonderful/knowledgeable and down to earth woman. I learned an UNBELIEVABLE amount about saddles and saddle fit from her. She's amazing :lol: sorry to elaborate but they're wonderful saddles. From the ground she didn't love Dante but saw him move and she was like oh wow he's really nice, he looks like an upper level type and just said you know conformation can shock you. Sorry I have a TON of respect for her, she's a very smart woman as well and such a wealth of knowledge. I've never seen her bad mouth ANYBODY, even competition. And she's talked people out of buying her saddles before because the horse was still gaining topline and weight and told them it's not a good time to be fitting the horse for a saddle. Wait until he's in better shape and has a good weight.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> @*SaddleUp158* Yes, please send me the saddle fitters contact info. Kim is the only osteopath in Oklahoma; everybody up here either trailers their horse to her or gets on a waiting list in case she comes back up her. Dr M is the next best thing because she is an actual equine vet & has the equine chiro certification.
> 
> Ana does the short stepping with the trainer as well; that's why I wanted to see how she goes if someone else rides her because they likely won't have the exact same body issues that I have. Has your trainer ridden Mia? I always try to get at least 2 different people to ride Ana so that I can observe if she is displaying the same issues that I'm seeing; that kind of helps me rule out rider issues; because what are the chances that 2 different riders would have the exact same body issues that would transfer to Ana? The only problem is finding small people to ride her; thankfully the trainer is as small as me so that helps. Have H or C ridden Mia?


Yes, my instructor has ridden Mia, and she will do it for her at times but it is more out of reluctance to really use herself. She always gets her moving evenly pretty quickly. The problem is definitely me! lol. H & C have both ridden Mia, but it has been a while since H has been on. C gets on occasionally for me so I can see Mia from the ground.

Wow! I didn't realize that about Kim. Good to know. Now I really feel blessed that she is close enough to work on our horses whenever is needed. 

I will PM you with the saddle fitter's info.


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## frlsgirl

I figured out what's wrong with Ana! I reviewed some more riding footage yesterday and finally saw it; the saddle is lifting off her back with every trot and canter stride and then smacking her in the back! 










This is why it's happening: when I bought the saddle, her back was more banana shaped; now her back is flatter. So I'm trying to ride in a curved tree saddle on a slightly flat backed horse:










I contacted the saddle fitter that @SaddleUp158 had recommended; she's coming over the July 4th weekend. I'm still going to have the vet check her over tomorrow and adjust her if necessary.

I'm going to do only do walk work with her since the saddle is stable at the walk, and maybe do some longe work with her at the trot and canter to keep up her cardio fitness. The irony in all this is - if I don't work her at all in the next two weeks, her back will be banana shaped again and then the saddle will fit again! Argh!


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## egrogan

Definitely a reasonable hypothesis- I hope this leads to a clear answer and solution for you both!


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## SaddleUp158

Next time we have KR out to our place you are more than welcome to bring Ana to the barn and have her looked at by KR. My guess is we will have her back out this fall for C's horse since he didn't get done yesterday.


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## frlsgirl

Now that I'm finally able to log back in; here are a couple of updates:

I rode Ana bareback last night - it was heavenly; she was so good! That's the Ana I know! Happy, eager, alert and responsive, with only occasional push-back. So happy to have my old horse back.

I just got back from the chiro/vet visit. 

Ana was twisted in her hip again and once that got adjusted pretty much everything else fell into place; she did have some tightness in the right side of her jaw. Overall Ana has great range of motion and is well muscled; it's possible that there is something else going on in the left hind; but the stifle is fine and the hip is fine, so it might be the hock, but it could just be that the hip was out which put extra strain on the left hind which should now be resolved. She was sore over her withers and her back which makes sense since we are having saddle fitting issues again and I just rode her bareback. She also did a meridian test with her which showed that she's uncomfortable in both front fetlocks and also left hock.

She said to give Ana bute once we get the saddle refitted because it's possible that she might still hold on to pain in her back, because she now associates saddle with pain; and then slowly wean her off the pain meds until Ana learns that saddles don't have to cause pain and that she CAN relax.

If after getting a properly fitting saddle and following all her instructions Ana is still not any better, she said the next step would be to do the lameness locator; they can bring it to the barn and do the test right there; because the body is always compensating for something and that machine can find the source of the problem rather than treating symptoms.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Overall that sounds like positive news! 

I'm glad to hear she was so good bareback. Sometimes a poorly fitted saddle causes more issues than it helps. But I'm glad she had a good attitude and seemed happy!

Also good she had a good chiropractor visit, no doubt that will help and hopefully her hocks will be alright.

I hope it all works out well and you don't have to resort to a lameness locator. They're good gadgets but hopefully it's a simple fix!


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## phantomhorse13

tried to like your post but HF won't let me. (guess i should be glad it let me log in at all).

sounds very encouraging! hopefully the adjustment will stick and she can start using herself properly again.

and hey, bareback is good for rider balance, right? :wink:


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## Skyseternalangel

Wow I'm so glad that the possible cause of her dragging that hind leg/toe is resolved. Poor Ana, she must do a number in the field to keep getting her hip all twisted up


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## frlsgirl

We had an interesting weekend.

She got Friday off per the vets instructions. Saturday I lightly rode her in my trainers saddle:










It's a Sommer Esprit; it seemed to fit her reasonably well although the flaps are little too long for my short legs and it's hard as a rock:










This was the first time riding her in a saddle since the chiro adjustment; it was in the 90s so we kept it very light; 80% walk and 20% trot; we weaved through cones and walked over ground poles. I didn't use a whip; I worked on keeping her in front of my leg without nagging her; I'm trying to teach her to maintain whatever gait I set her in; she likes to fizzle and then have me push her along but that's not going to work for Dressage; she needs to maintain speed and rhythm on her own.










Overall a good first ride; no ear pinning or disagreements; lots of relaxation, but she seemed a little short strided at the trot; but it could just be the heat.










So Sunday rolls around, and it's still hot but not quite as bad; I decide to ride her in my saddle; paying close attention that I put it behind her shoulder as far as possible without sitting on her bum; we walk and trot and weave through cones and go over ground poles; in between we take walk breaks on a loose rein; she still feels a little short strided at the trot but I'm able to rev her up a little without compromising relaxation; we even cantered a couple of times each direction; it was ok; not a total fight but not terribly pretty either; again, I'm thinking that's quite alright; it's warm out and the saddle needs adjusted so that's probably good enough. Here you can see her just kind of shuffling along at the trot; she's accepting contact and maintaining relaxation but she's not exactly giving it her all here:










So I take a walk break and then this happens (wait for it, watch the left hind, it happens a couple of strides after she passes the mounting block):






She does this toward the end of almost every ride; if I ride her for an extended period of time, like a 2 hour group class or a 3 hour trail ride, she may do this a couple of times. So now I'm back to "should I worry about this?" 

She was in good spirits though and acting like her usual inquisitive self:










Notice that the saddle is not where it started out; I think I need to reverse the girth again to keep it from riding up on her shoulders.

So I was scratching my head trying to figure out if I should be worried about this or not, the trainer approached me to inform me that Pascha, one of the boarders horses, had coliced and it didn't look good; she's at the vet hospital and will die if she doesn't get surgery. Ugh! That's heavy! Suddenly, Ana's little stumble doesn't seem like a big deal anymore, well it is, and it isn't.

When I was a kid, all I wanted is a horse of my own; that I could ride whenever I wanted to; one that I could have a good relationship with; like in the movies, where the horse dramatically gallops up to you. I have that now; maybe that just needs to be good enough.


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## phantomhorse13

I hope the boarder's horse had a miraculous recovery - always something to give perspective. 

Has Ana needed time to reset (so to speak) after chiro adjustments in the past? Did the chiro suggest coming out again in a week or whatever to check on the adjustment? Part of me wants to blow off the stumble/misstep as no big deal, but knowing everything else going on I am not sure I could actually do that if she was mine.

Do you work Ana from the ground before riding? I ask only to know if she was short only under saddle or any time at the trot. Certainly saddle fit can make a huge difference in how they move.. but could she also be anticipating pain because she was saddled? Nothing can be easy! I think to set my mind at ease, I would work her a bit at liberty at the trot to see how she moves, then a bit on the line untacked, then on the line tacked, then under saddle, then if you think she was short only under saddle, bareback a bit. See when/if her movement changes. Maybe its the saddle.. or maybe she is still trying to get back into it after the adjustment.


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## frlsgirl

Yeah good point @phantomhorse13 - my plan was to give her Monday off and do longe work on Tuesday: I hadn't considered doing a with tack and without tack test; I was going to longe her with the sursingle rather than the saddle though.

Vet thought she was actually in pretty good shape and didn't offer to come out for a second adjustment; she was more concerned about saddle fit and how that affects her behavior and movement; i.e. tensing up which makes everything worse, so she suggested giving her bute when we start doing serious schooling again with the freshly adjusted saddle. 

I'm not doing any serious schooling right now; just trying to keep her moving and in shape without stressing her too much; we did do our normal crunches and carrot stretches and she did fine. 

The stumbling could just be laziness due to the heat; I tripped over a tree stump as I was carrying the saddle to the barn; the heat just kind of puts me in this mental fog; maybe it's having the same effect on Ana? 

The only rest period the vet wanted her to have was Friday, which she got.

Update on Pascha; she's been transported to the surgery center in OKC; the surgeons think there might be a way to clear the blockage without doing actual surgery; hopefully something will materialize today.


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## frlsgirl

I thought this was fitting today:






Except that with me right now I'm trying to determine if Ana is even sound enough to do anything at all and if so how much and for how long and can it be fixed or maintained and how much is going to cost to maintain it.

Part of me says, oh it's just a training issue and she's lazy but then I see the video of her stumbling and I cringe and feel bad that I even cantered. When I only walk her on a loose rein then I feel like I baby her too much and I need to work her harder. Whatever it is, I just want to be ok with the outcome and most of all I want her to be ok and live happily ever after. 

The worst part for me is not knowing what's going on with her. Is it all saddle fit related? Will it work itself out in 2 weeks after the fitter gets her all comfy again? Is saddle fit only part of it? Is there something else going on? Could it be that she has lyme disease or EPM? Has she had it this whole time? Wouldn't I have seen a stronger escalation of symptoms? Is there something mechanical going on with her left hock? The vet did say that she's very flexible...is there such a thing as being too flexible? Is there a broken bone or loose muscle or tendon? Does she have DJD in her hock? Does she have stifle issues? The vet said she has really great range of motion in her stifle area. Could it be a trimming issue? I always use good farriers though and I've had 3 different farriers during the time she's been stumbling. Could they all be equally bad and doing a poor trim job? I doubt it; that makes the least sense.

What should I do? Work her super lightly? Not work her at all? Put her out to pasture for a year and see if this clears up? What if it doesn't clear up then I've lost a year of training and muscle work and the saddle won't fit any more either.

I guess the next step is to see how she goes on the longe; and do the minimum required to keep her in physical and mental shape, and do more observation to see if I can see any other abnormalities or symptoms. 

I need to get a quote on a second lameness exam; this time using Dr. M followed by the lameness locator. Then I need to go find a pot of gold to pay for all of this. Maybe I should have gotten vet insurance after all.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I was about to say have you considered getting her tested for EPM or lyme disease to rule out them as possibilities because some of her symptoms to me sound like EPM. And horses can have EPM and show minimal symptoms. 

Dante had barely any symptoms, except an occasional stumble but after he was on steroid treatment for his stifle, the symptoms magnified and we had to treat. 

My friend's horse who was diagnosed with EPM, the only symptom she showed was depression and crabbiness when the mare was usually a happy camper. 

I'm not saying that's what it is. Just it might be worth having her tested.

I also wouldn't feel bad about what you've done. Depending on what's going on with her sometimes it's better to work vs not work.

Also I'm sorry you're going through all of this with Ana :-( I know exactly how hard it is to not know what's wrong with them and wondering what the answer is going to be. I hope you guys get this figured out and it's a simple fix.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @DanteDressageNerd for your kind words. Yes, unfortunately, you DO know exactly what it's like to be going through this. 

I'm feeling a little bit better about all this today; I'm learning a lot from this situation. I tend to get stuck when things get too complicated; it's like I'm paralyzed with the "what if's" and can't make a decision. Horse ownership has forced me to jump into the deep end of the pool rather than just standing on the ledge forever. 

Plus even the worst case scenario is not the end of the world; if she's not ridable anymore, then we'll just make her a companion horse for my next Dressage horse. In the interim I can ride my trainer's horses and sharpen up my skills. 

I'm going to get price quotes from Dr M. on EPM & lyme disease tests as well as lameness exam and lameness locator test.


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## frlsgirl

It's done. Tuesday July 5th at 1:30 Ana is scheduled for the following:

Lyme disease test - $100 + $38 shipping
EPM test - $275
standard lameness exam - $55
lameness locator - $70

The saddle fitter is coming July 2nd. 

In the meantime, I'm going to keep a close eye on her and try to entertain her with minimum strain while also trying to maintain her topline. Tonight will be either longe work or trail ride depending on what all is going on when I arrive; sometimes it's difficult to longe when there is a big group lesson in progress, and other times there are horses turned out in the field that I want to ride her in, so I have to always be somewhat flexible.


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## knightrider

So sorry you are having to go through this. I've been away for a long time and haven't had a chance to catch up with the journals. Your situation is heartbreaking. I hope you get to the bottom of it . . . and soon. Ana is a lovely horse and you look grand on her.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @knightrider - that's really sweet of you


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## frlsgirl

Ugh! So Ana's lameness is getting a lot worse; when I longe her, she's really slow on the left; she's fine and flashy on the right but then trips in the down transition; riding to the right at the walk is fine, trotting is also ok; however, she cannot trot going to the left at all; she pins her ears and sort of walk-trots.






To make matters worse, before I even had a chance to tell DH that I'm going to have a full lameness workup done; he tells me that he doesn't want to spend any more money on her. Great! So do I want to have this fight now or later? GRRR! 

Since her lameness is so much worse, I actually called the vet to get on a waiting list to see if she can come out before July 5th; depending on what happens in the next week, I might have to reschedule the saddle fitting since she is too lame to trot, never mind canter.

So yeah, not a happy camper right now.


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## Skyseternalangel

She's better without a rider, I'd venture it's her back.


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## knightrider

What a bummer. So sorry.


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## frlsgirl

Good news! The vet just called and will meet me at the barn tomorrow afternoon! So we can finally figure out what's wrong and fix it and then I can make a decision on the saddle fitting, because if she's no longer ridable, I don't need a saddle fitting; if she just needs time off, then I can delay the saddle fitting until she's ridable again.

Now I just need to get DH on board; which is easier typed then done, lol.


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## frlsgirl

Skyseternalangel said:


> She's better without a rider, I'd venture it's her back.


Yeah but she tripped in the down transition on the longe; I'm thinking it's her left hind; she can trot straight but as soon as I asked her to bend and put the left hind under is when she started having trouble. 

I just don't know what part of her left hind.


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## phantomhorse13

I am glad the vet is able to come out sooner so hopefully can find the root of the problem. Good luck with your DH.


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## tinyliny

I feel for you , caught between your caring for the horse and the husband. but, it will work out in the end.


anyway, here's waht I see . . . 

she looks to move BETTER going left on the lunge line, w/o rider. not hugely better, but certainly not worse than going right. pretty even. there is a hint of favoring the right fore.

with rider (mind you, there's so little video time of in-saddle time), she seems resistant going left, but, maybe doing that in tha saddle might have been better than bareback.

she is high headed and a bit defensive, so 'back' issues might be what you are dealing with, if anything.

tripping while down transitioning is , to me, just her not paying attention. not being fully engaged. not a big deal.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> she is high headed and a bit defensive, so 'back' issues might be what you are dealing with, if anything.


But she is fine trotting to the right and trotting straight lines; she only becomes high headed and defensive trotting to the left. :confused_color:


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## egrogan

I agree with @tinyliny, I thought she looked better in the video going left too. I had to go back and re-read your post a couple of times to make sure I was reading your description correctly.

Anyway, glad you'll have the vet there soon to give you some more specific answers and advice!


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## frlsgirl

So I confessed to DH and he's sort of ok with it; he just doesn't want me to keep sinking large chunks of money into her without seeing some sort of positive result. So a big sigh of relief that I don't have to keep hiding this from him.

I ran out to the barn to see her last night; she got groomed, stretched and crunched; here she is posing for the camera:










Then I saw that the arena was open so I decided to do some ground work; at first she was suspicious of the red flag and plastic bag:










But she learned to accept it and walked calmly next to me while still keeping on eye on it 










Then I took the halter off and let her roam around a little bit:










Now I just need to make it through the morning and then I get to go to the barn and spend the entire afternoon with her and the vet. I'm so anxious to find out what it is. I'm dead set on keeping her if she's not sound for riding anymore. We will just make her a companion horse.

I do have a theory of what's going: 

A while back she injured her left hind; from that day on she started to favor the right hind; which is why her hip was always twisted into that direction. For the most part it wasn't noticeable as she was using the right hind to compensate. As I kept training with her, her right hind started to get tired of carrying the extra burden; so in December she started to appear a little lame on the right hind; the vet was called, a flex test was done and she was given two weeks off. All was sort of well again, she again twisted her hip so that she could put more weight on the right hind to avoid using the left; the chiro was called and she was adjusted; within days she had again twisted herself to favor the right hind. Then she got a stone bruise which turned into an abscess in the right hind; at that point I was seeing a lot of trouble under saddle because she was no longer able to compensate for the left hind with the right hind; lots of ear pinning and resistance. The abscess was discovered and treated. Ana was put back to work and lameness or hesitation was noted and again the hip appeared to be twisted to the right; the vet came to adjust her and she was perfectly straight again, she's not willing to retwist herself to the right because she's still babying the right hoof a little as it's still healing so it can't compensate for the left at the moment which is why I'm seeing such a marked difference going to the right versus going to the left. 

Anyway, just wanted to throw my theory out there; it could be something totally different; whatever it is we will surely find out today.


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## knightrider

Anxious to find out what the vet said. I keep checking on here. I hope it is good news. Fingers crossed.


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## Jan1975

I stopped by hoping for an update, too!


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## egrogan

Agreed, we're all thinking of you and Ana!!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks guys! I finally have an update:

I spent most of the afternoon with the vet. 

Here is the verdict:

Hoof tester showed mild sensitivity across the sole of the left front foot; more on the medial side, right foot was negative. 

Lameness locator initially showed left front and right hind, so they blocked the hoof to see if they could narrow it down to the shoulder or hoof. I appeared to be the hoof but then the other hind looked more lame so we moved on to flex testing the hind end and here are the results:

L Hock: Mild positive
R Hock: Moderate positive
L Stifle: Moderate positive
R Stifle: Moderate positive

So Ana got joint injections in both stifles and both hocks yesterday; the vet thinks that Ana has been overloading the front to compensate for the hind end so she thinks to front will correct itself; if in two weeks the front is not better, we will put shoes on the front. If she's still lame after that, they will move on to testing the shoulder.

Here she is getting the lameness locator put on:










Here they are prepping her for injections:










Here she is getting very sleepy:










And here she is sleeping off the sedative in her stall:










Based on the findings, we skipped lyme and EPM test; she said horses with EPM to flex positive because the lameness originates in the spinal cord.

She said that Ana should be 100% again in 2 weeks and she may not need injections again for a long time and when she does, she may only need stifles or hocks, not both.


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## SaddleUp158

It could have been worse! Glad everything was easily treatable.


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## frlsgirl

Agreed @*SaddleUp158* ! Although I am shocked that she was off in so many places! The vet said that she sees this a lot in Dressage horses; the rider works really hard to hold the horse together and learns to compensate for the horse. I didn't realize how much work I was doing when riding Ana until I rode some other horses and remembered thinking "Why is riding a simple circle with Ana rocket science?" - it's not because she is still green it's because she was hurting! Argh! Feel bad that I waited so long. The vet said that this is likely the cause of her canter issues as well; so I should see a much improved horse in 2 weeks. I can't wait! Is it wrong to be skeptical? Lol. 

I'm willing to put shoes on her if she's still sore in the front and I'm probably also willing to get on the waiting list for KR; but if it comes to the point that she needs like surgery on the shoulder, plus joint injections every six months, plus shoes on all 4s, plus chiro every 6 weeks, then I'm going to just retire her and use her as companion horse; the vet did say that the needle went it fairly easy which indicates very little arthritic changes, so yay.

The vet thinks I'm getting way ahead of myself and that Ana maybe totally fine for a year or two since we caught it fairly early.

Going to the barn after work to check on her; I'm supposed to watch for heat and swelling in the legs; she's on bute for 3 days so that should help with the discomfort.


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## Jan1975

I hope the injections help! Great news! It just takes a couple days right?


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## frlsgirl

Jan1975 said:


> I hope the injections help! Great news! It just takes a couple days right?


3 days of bute and no riding; she can have her normal turnout though as walking is good.

Then I can slowly start riding again; starting with just hacking on a loose rein and be back in full work within 2 weeks.


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## egrogan

Yes, glad to have answers and a plan.


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## frlsgirl

It was funny though, I asked if it was ok for me to take pictures because Ana has followers and they all want to know how Ana is doing


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## greentree

Hope she is on the mend quickly! 

What is KR?


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## frlsgirl

greentree said:


> Hope she is on the mend quickly!
> 
> What is KR?


The initials of the Osteopath that Saddleup158 and Ana's previous owner uses.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Id still test for lyme/EPM, neuro symptoms can often be a-symptomatic or a-typical but the prices you listed for those tests is crazy to me. I think I paid maybe 60 to have Dante tested. It wasn't expensive at all but the test prices you listed were crazy to me and if they're that high I get not wanting to do them unless necessary but sometimes it's just off beat symptoms that dont' add up. Even just moodiness can be a symptom but it can mean she's uncomfortable or who knows. 

I'm glad you had Ana tested and had the injections done. I hope she's a new horse after this treatment is done and no more comes up, except maybe put shoes on or it's a one time deal where she won't need injections or treatment often. 

I'm glad Ana is on her way to recovery and I hope things go better for you both!! And this is the solution!


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## tinyliny

wow. that's a lot to digest. but, I really hope this helps you get your beautiful girl back to being a happy ride. she's such a lovely horse and you ride well.

I am kind of in a similar boat right now; horse that I am leasing still has a mystery 'offness' at the trot, but walks out like a champ. however, the offness seems to be diminishing, so maybe he is improving as I condition him with long walks and hill work. yesterday we did some trotting and he was less ****y about it and seemed almost totally even. the owner did xrays, ultrasound and injections, with no obvious reason for being off on the front. six months off, and he's a bit better now, so it's not like she hasn't tried to make him 100% sound.


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## frlsgirl

If only they could talk and tell us exactly what's hurting @tinyliny! Wishing you continued success with your lease horse. 

I visited Ana today; she looked miserable; they had just brought her in from turnout so she was soaked in sweat and just ready to cool off in her stall. I didn't want to interrupt her routine too much so I just checked her legs and gave her a quick grooming, a couple of treats and tucked her back into her stall.

Planning on visiting her again tomorrow; hopefully she will show signs of improvement/feeling better.


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## greentree

frlsgirl said:


> The initials of the Osteopath that Saddleup158 and Ana's previous owner uses.


Gotcha!


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## frlsgirl

Saturday Ana was in much better spirits:










Sunday was our first ride:










We only walked; some on a loose rein and then later I brought her up a little and tried to get her round and supple. She never missed a step. I'm cautiously optimistic that we have fixed the bulk of her issues. Hoping to try a little trotting tonight, or tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

In other news....it looks like Ana will soon be home with us. What? We are looking into building a new house out in the country with stables, paddocks and an arena. We've been looking at horse property for the past two weeks and just haven't found anything that we can agree on. So now we have a builder, a realtor and a mortgage company that we can all agree on; we just need to find the right acreage. DH found a 9 acre lot that he likes but I'm not sure about it yet. We spent the weekend pulling ticks, burrs and chiggers off of our clothing. So many things to think about; I'm 50% excited and 25% depressed and 25% nervous. Is that normal?

Of course there are lots of logistics to work out especially when it comes to keeping Ana at home, because that also means buying a second horse and a horse trailer, and I also need to invest in a pair of big girl pants. DH wants to build a gigantic indoor arena, but I would be happy with an outdoor arena because if I can put my big girl pants on, then I can just trailer my horses to an indoor for an occasional lesson.

That also means I need to decide if I want to make Ana my main Dressage horse and get a companion horse, or get a Dressage horse and make Ana the companion horse. Somehow I can't imagine that Ana would be very happy if another horse were the star of the show; she enjoys being the center of attention too much.

It will all depend on how she progresses now that she's had joint injections and is getting the saddle refitted Saturday.


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## egrogan

Very exciting! My first thought is that Ana could make you a very nice horse for hacking around the property and beyond. Even if she can't hold up for competitive dressage, surely she's sound enough for less intense recreational riding? 

Not sure if it's common where you live, but in my area, many larger acreage properties connect to parks or trails, or even country roads that are safe to ride-so even if your property isn't hundreds of acres, you may very well have access to that much rideable land.


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## frlsgirl

No parks nearby @egrogan but yeah I could certainly hack her around the property.


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## Mulefeather

Perhaps Ana could go in a different direction besides Dressage that's less hard on her physically, but would also allow her to be a companion. I guess it's all going to depend on how much time you have to devote! Ana seems like she'd love trail classes, as well as something like equine agility or ACTHA rides. She has such an active mind and seemingly loves to explore!


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## frlsgirl

I just found out that Bridlecreek will no longer host Dressage shows; it makes me really sad. Bridlecreek was the highlight of our spring schooling show season; hopefully it's not the last highlight of our Dressage career together. We were both on our game that day; and we knew it, and it showed. I still can't believe that we tied with a with a professionally trained purpose bred Warmblood, and that I moved ahead of her because my rider scores were higher. My proudest day with Ana for sure!

This is the screen saver on my phone:










I like this one too:


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## frlsgirl

First real ride on Ana last night...drum roll please....much better hind-leg engagement when I ask for more power, especially going to the right BUT now more noticeably lame on the left front:






I also took her outside of the arena and trotted her up and down the grass strip and got even more power and engagement and the left front wasn't as lame; I don't know if the left front lameness is all about the sole or if it's a combo of sore sole and sore shoulder. She is still transitioning from shod to barefoot plus she is on double strength farrier's formula, so I would think that the sole soreness would continue to improve. Her muscles are always super sore around her shoulder - she LOVES it when I massage her in that area; I wonder if the saddle is sliding forward and pinching something up there, so the saddle fitter is coming Saturday and hopefully a correctly fitted saddle will help make her shoulder feel better. The other option is to put shoes back on the front and further investigate the shoulder with Xray, ultrasound, nerve blocking etc. I think that's overkill at this point. I'm going to pull up old footage of her trotting to the left with shoes and compare to without shoes and see if there is a difference. Dr. E, the chiro that adjusted Ana twice said that her left shoulder is always "out" and that causes her leg to not fully extend/make the full rotation, so I might educate myself more about equine massage to see if I can add that to our regular routine. 

But it's hard to say what came first, the chicken or the egg, did the saddle pinch something causing her to not fully extend the leg which then caused more pressure on her sole which then caused her to appear lame? 

Either way I'm feeling positive and happy again, because we are getting somewhere with Ana's issues. 

Some fuzzy pictures from the end of our ride; my GoPro broke so I'm having to use iPad for video and pics.


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## SaddleUp158

Woo hoo! So much good news! Glad to hear Ana is doing better. 

If your husband is willing to put in an indoor or at the very least a covered arena go for it! Speaking from experience in OK, you will not regret the covered arena. With the spring storms, ice in the winter, and at times torrential rain in late spring going into summer there are many times we cannot use our arena for days (part of the problem is our drainage issues though). A covered arena would give you protection from some of the elements and more importantly the sun in the summer. It can also be used as a turnout when it is icy in the winter. Can we clone your husband?


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## frlsgirl

Lol @SaddleUp158 - He used to not be this agreeable; I've put nearly 12 years of training on him 

Back in 2011 when we came from our trip to Turks & Caicos, I remember telling him that I wanted to take riding lessons and he said "Fine, but we are not buying a horse!" Fast forward to 2014 and we have a horse. Now it's 2016 and we are contemplating moving to the country so that we can have Ana home with us and possibly open our own boarding facility. We are meeting with mortgage broker tomorrow to go over logistics.

It's interesting how one innocent little ride on the beach in August 2011 evolved into this.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I don't know what's wrong with Ana's front leg but I wonder if front shoes would fix that. I can't say but I can say with a few of the babies, they were off in front or sometimes behind and as soon as we put front shoes on they were fine but that's not true for every horse or every situation depending on the reason.

But behind Ana is moving a lot better and looks a lot freer overall in her movement. Also massage and stretching is VERY helpful. Dante gets tight in his left shoulder too which extends into his neck. Doing work on that has helped a lot. Carrot stretches, etc. Good luck. I hope you can figure out all the pieces to the puzzle and help her.

Another one people sometimes do but ask your vet is methocarbamol (muscle relaxer for temporary use) for a little bit and see if that relaxes her muscles enough to help, so you can see if it's a muscle issue.


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## frlsgirl

Lol @*DanteDressageNerd* - I do feel like getting Ana better is kind of like putting Humpty Dumpty back together; most of the pieces ARE now in place, just need to fix the left front and then hope the superglue holds 

I'm glad you are able to see that she is a lot more free in her movement, so it's not my imagination.


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol something like that! I'm glad she's moving a lot better and she looks a lot happier. I hope you figure out what is going on with her shoulder and it's something simple like front shoes that fixes it. It's good when there is a solution!

And nope. It's definitely not your imagination, she is more free in her movement and looks happier!


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## evilamc

I think I've mentioned it to you before, but if shes still having some sole sourness, durasole would help a lot with that. The farriers formula is GREAT STUFF! But it takes almost a year to grow a whole new hoof. The durasole will help work from the bottom to strengthen her soles, its good stuff! She is looking much better though 

Very exciting looking at your own place!! I love having mine at home. Sadly we bought for location for me to open my grooming business/high speed internet for husband, so no trails had to be the compromise for me getting everything else we wanted  I'm sure you could manage first few months without a trailer, some trainers will travel to you as long as your ring is set up for it.


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## frlsgirl

@evilamc - that's a great idea about the durasole; I have a bottle somewhere, I only used it once as it was very messy and it ended up staining the concrete purple. I didn't realize that the durasole works faster than farrier's formula. Her feet are growing like weeds so I am seeing a difference already.


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## evilamc

If you can take a hair dryer with you, you can actually layer durasole. You put it on, use like an old tooth brush to brush it in...then heat dryer...and layer it up like 6x. I did it on my new mare because her feet are a work in progress, it helps a lot. It may also give more instant comfort if you layer it up to make a "durasole" haha!


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## frlsgirl

I took Ana for our second solo trail ride since moving to the new barn:



















One of the barn dogs decided to join us:










There were some unexpected rocky parts so I hope Ana's hooves will be ok. I texted farrier and told him I want to put shoes back on her front; I just don't want to take any more chances for things that are easily and affordably fixed.

Ana seemed to love the trail ride; she was ready to go go go and whenever we turned back towards the barn is when she decided to put the breaks on. We finished with some Dressage on the grass strip; it was interesting; trotting away from the barn was super forward and engaged; trotting towards the barn was like moving through molasses. We finished with walk loops and then I took her back to her stall. She still seemed really energetic and interactive so I decided to get into the stall with her and give her a little massage. That's when I smelled it and saw all the flies - Ana hadn't eaten her alfalfa mush and it was fermenting in her feed bin - absolutely disgusting. I scooped it out; it was an entire bucket full so that told me that she hasn't eaten any alfalfa since Tuesday morning - 2 meals. I alerted the BO who helped me clean the bin and told me she would keep an eye on her. There was plenty of manure in Ana's stall so she's just been living on hay, grass and the occasional treat. Based on her alertness and energy level and poop in her stall, I would say she's totally fine. I dropped off a new supplement for Ana so that gives me a good excuse to call the BM as he will be back in the barn to dispense breakfast; he is off on Wednesday's so BO fills in for him.

I might go out there again tonight to check on her; I'm also wanting to do some longe work complete with sursingle, cavesson - the works. I still haven't cantered her yet so I want to see what it looks like on the longe first before I attempt it under saddle. 

In other news, meeting with mortgage lady went well and we just found out that we qualify for the most favorable option; we still haven't decided on a lot yet so that's on hold until we hear back from one of the sellers.


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## frlsgirl

In other news...look at this neck; it's finally filling in a the base so now the base is the widest part and the the op is the narrowest part - yay! The comparison pic is from December 24, 2014.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I hope the front shoes solve the problem!! And during summer, I like shoes just because even horses with good feet stomp because of the flies and crack their feet when they're work horses.

But I'm really glad you had a really nice trail ride, even though you had to clean Ana's "house" of dirty stuff. I hope she continues to do well and thrive!! But Ana's neck and mane look a lot better!

That's also really great about the mortgage *fingers crossed* everything goes well!!


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd - the comparison picture was in the middle of winter - her mane gets pretty crazy if I don't groom it especially during cooler months.

The BM texted me that Ana ate all of her breakfast - yay!


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## frlsgirl

Ana got a mani pedi yesterday:










He did a really nice job:










I decided to longe Ana:










She was feeling a little too good:






A storm was passing through and that spooked her a little. I'm still super stoked at how well she's moving and how well she seems to be feeling. I took her back to the stables to wait for the storm to pass and she was not happy about the delay; kept pawing the ground and fidgeting like a TB at the racetrack. Sure it gets annoying BUT it also means she's feeling good; it's so great to have my old girl back!

I need to actually ride W/T/C today because saddle fitter is coming tomorrow and need to be able to demo that for her. Hopefully I can tame my wild pony long enough to squeeze in a little ride over lunch.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Wow! Ana looks tons better. I understand she was spooked and perhaps the adrenaline is a factor but she looks sounds and so much more free in her movement, shoulder and hind end. 

I'm also glad the shoes seems to be making a difference. She looks sound and free! I'm so happy to hear she's doing better!


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## egrogan

She looks so Morgany with that high-stepping trot 

Hope the shoes do end up being a part of the puzzle!


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## frlsgirl

It's been a long and interesting weekend.

Saturday morning, I wake up looking like I got chicken pocks all over my legs:










I had taken Ana for a ride through the fields Wednesday night and noticed some tiny red bumps the next time; didn't think much of it until they blew up into these horrid looking things; turns out it's chigger bites! They are the larvae of mites and live in tall grass. Lesson learned - always use bug spray before trail rides.

Saturday evening, the saddle fitter came and adjusted Ana's saddle and also gave me a free riding lesson along with it. I was really blow away by her; she rides PSG on WBs and also rides Dressage on Morgans so she knows exactly the kind of problems that I'm having and she knows how to fix them! 

First of all Ana's girth is way too long; she equated it to having your pants pulled up to your ears, so I will need to invest in one two sizes smaller than what she's currently in. She also changed the balance of the saddle so that I'm sitting more level and not so far back. She said that with Morgans you do not engage their backs by sitting heavy on your seat bones; Morgans will squat away from that kind of pressure; instead you lift you sit perfectly straight and lighten your seat bones. She said that's why she's having stifle issues; Morgans that squat away from pressure will get stifle problems. So we worked lifting my seat bones in tandem with her walk so that I could draw her under me without sitting heavy on her - it was mind blowing. We also cantered a lot and I kept wanting to show her the left lead and she finally said "what about the right lead?" well....it doesn't work quite as well but she helped me figure out why the right lead is challenging - she takes a shorter step with the right front so circling while cantering is nearly impossible - she showed me how to fix it! By lifting the inside hand to remind her to take a bigger step! Fitter was so pleased that she clapped out loud which sent Ana bolting down the short side of the arena, lol.

Anyway, mind blown, we talked training canter, how it's about shifting balance rather than inside hip forward, outside leg back, and that if I train the balance right from the beginning that I will basically already teach flying changes. She said that the trainers in region 9 just don't teach basic balance and that's why hardly anyone makes it past 2nd level. She also said that when I get ready to buy a second horse, to go outside of region 9 because for every decent horse in Oklahoma, I can find 40 like that in PA. 

So here is the newly adjusted saddle:










And me riding in the newly adjusted saddle:










And here is the before and after; top is before and top is after:










She also said to just let my leg hand from my knee; not to force it back like they teach you when you ride WBs; Morgans require a longer more naturally hanging leg and an upright balanced seat. She said other teachers will try to "fix" my position; she suggested to just smile, say thank you and then go right back to what I was doing before, because I have to do what works best for my horse.

So yesterday, I rode her by myself and we cantered a lot. It was awesome. No more ear pinning, and no more up and down. We just need to adjust her balance a little more, so that she can carry herself more round instead of up.






We also worked on other stuff:












And posed for the camera:










And trotted:










And stretched:










She was a good girl and she knew she rocked it:


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> First of all Ana's girth is way too long; she equated it to having your pants pulled up to your ears, so I will need to invest in one two sizes smaller than what she's currently in.


Where did she want the buckles on the girth to be? I was always taught the buckles should not be behind the elbow, so I am intrigued by her advice (and seeing how well everything else she told you worked, sure seems like the girth suggestion would be a good one).




frlsgirl said:


> She also said that when I get ready to buy a second horse, to go outside of region 9 because for every decent horse in Oklahoma, I can find 40 like that in PA.


I have a guest room! :wink:


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## frlsgirl

@phantomhorse13 - I might just take you up on that  

Regarding the girth length, she said that the shorter the girth the more shoulder freedom the horse has; so when she teaches a horse lateral work, she will switch to a shorter girth, until the horse has figured out how to move properly and then she goes back to a longer girth; she said that she has 4 girths total and she rotates them; she never uses the same girth two rides in a row.

In Ana's case, the anatomical girth doesn't fit right because it's made for a bigger horse, so the cut outs that are supposed to allow freedom in the shoulders aren't hitting in the right place. So it's not so much about where the buckles hit (it is and it isn't), because it's an anatomical girth, the cut-outs need to hit in the right place.

If you google images of Olympic Dressage riders, you will see many different girths, none are longer than Ana's, many are shorter, and a few are about the same length as Ana's.


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> In Ana's case, the anatomical girth doesn't fit right because it's made for a bigger horse, so the cut outs that are supposed to allow freedom in the shoulders aren't hitting in the right place. So it's not so much about where the buckles hit (it is and it isn't), because it's an anatomical girth, the cut-outs need to hit in the right place.


If its not too much of a hassle, I would love to see close up pics showing this next time you are riding. I am currently having some girth issues with Phin so am trying to learn all I can about alternatives. I am not sure I have ever even seen an anatomical girth in person! And of course, if you read the sales pages, that girth is the Best Girth Ever, but no real explanation as to why or how.


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> If its not too much of a hassle, I would love to see close up pics showing this next time you are riding. I am currently having some girth issues with Phin so am trying to learn all I can about alternatives. I am not sure I have ever even seen an anatomical girth in person! And of course, if you read the sales pages, that girth is the Best Girth Ever, but no real explanation as to why or how.


The only great thing about them is the cut outs for the shoulders but if the cutouts are not in the right place, then you might not see any benefit, but I will try to get some close up pictures for you.


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## egrogan

Interesting about the girth, I too will be curious to see more details. So can you still use an anatomical girth, if a shorter one, or is that style not going to work at all? I've struggled with girths over the years with Izzy too, and may copycat what you decide for Ana


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## frlsgirl

Yeah, I don't know when tack became this complicated; back when I was a kid, we used string girths and nobody ever questioned if the horse was comfortable.


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## frlsgirl

Had a lovely ride on Ana last night. We worked on pedaling with the seat at the walk; it's a new muscle memory for me so I wanted to really practice that by itself. 










We finished with a trail ride in the groomed parts of the pasture as I'm still recovering from chigger bites, yikes!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Glad to hear Ana is doing better and you had a good ride on her. Though a shame about the chigger bites. I understand, those insects love me too if I hike through tall grass :-(


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## frlsgirl

I almost forgot! I got the GoPro fixed so I have the footage from Ana's lameness evaluation ready; this is obviously the condensed version as the whole process took over 3 hours!






And here are some pics to go along with it:


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## Rainaisabelle

Did you already find out the results for the lameness eval?


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## frlsgirl

Rainaisabelle said:


> Did you already find out the results for the lameness eval?


Yes, if you go back a few pages you can read all about it; my GoPro broke right after the eval so I wasn't able to load video until now.

She's lame in both hocks and both stifles; she's also tender on the left front sole.

So she got joint injections in both hocks and both stifles, she got shoes put on the front and Saturday the fitter came and adjusted the saddle.

A week prior to the lameness eval she also got a chiro adjustment.

So she should be all fixed up now, except that the fitter said her girth is too long and that might cause her to step short and feel uncomfortable; she equated it to having your pants pulled up to your ears and trying to move 

So I'll be investing in a new girth soon.


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## Rainaisabelle

Oh! I saw that I thought this might be something different. Glad she's doing better !


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @Rainaisabelle


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## frlsgirl

@phantomhorse13 I got girth pics for you:




























I didn't feel like riding last night, so I just gave her a good grooming, stretching, crunching and finished with hand grazing:











We ran into these grumpy mares:










Planning on going riding after lunch providing the weather holds.


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## frlsgirl

Super eventful weekend with Ana; 

Friday, she was super spooky and not into working at all; apparently a hail storm had moved through the area earlier in the day and rattled her nerves; the BO said she was doing spins in her stall so they put Trooper next to her to calm her down.

I longed her to see if she was still spooky and she seemed fined; if anything, she seemed lazy and crabby; lots of ear pinning. I rode her inside first and had to show her that there are no gremlins in the arena:










She didn't quite believe me and nearly lost her mind when the BO turned on the hedge trimmer:






Once we got that out of the way, we had some good moments:




























Canter was not happening though; so I made her do just a few strides each direction and then I took her outside thinking that this would be a good reward; I was wrong; she was even more spooky outside:

Me trying to calm her down:










Enjoying a good moment:










I didn't push it; I managed to stay on and keep her from bolting so I called it a day.

Saturday was our party lesson; since Ana had been such a pill the day before, I asked if I could ride Dante and I'm SO GLAD I did; we was AWESOME!




























We cantered a lot:






And even did a flying change! My second ever flying change! It was awesome:






So when it was time to ride Ana again on Sunday; I was like "game on! No more excuses!" I made her canter; she didn't think I had it in me. She would canter a stride or two and fall back to trot so I got a whip with one of those bat leather things at the end, asked for canter and tapped her on the shoulder when she tried to fall back out; she was like "Holy ****ake! My mom ain't playing no more!" I didn't get any good pictures but here she is still thinking about our ride and looking a little annoyed:










So yeah, I won that battle. I've fixed everything physical and tack related so now it's just a training issue; she thinks she can just apply herself a little bit and that I'll be ok with it; no more. A horse at her level should be able to canter one long side each direction without any issues or fuss.

I did order her a new shorter girth with fleece and I'm also trying a Myler bit on her which will be returned if I don't see a noticeable difference. Other than that, all tack issues have been addressed so she just needs to pull it together and perform; I'm not asking anything unreasonable of her.


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> I did order her a new shorter girth with fleece


Thank you for the girth pics! I find it super ironic that you bought a shorter girth with fleece when I may be looking at buying a longer girth without fleece. :wink: If only we lived closer and could just swap stuff to make sure it worked.

Wish you had video of the first time Ana got a tap with the crop (which I refer to as a 'beating stick' after someone commented on my use of one to pull down spiderwebs on trail) - I can only imagine her insult! :rofl:


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> Wish you had video of the first time Ana got a tap with the crop (which I refer to as a 'beating stick' after someone commented on my use of one to pull down spiderwebs on trail) - I can only imagine her insult! :rofl:


It was very much like this:


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## frlsgirl

I rode Miss Ana last night; well, we almost didn't ride at all because as I was grooming her the BO tells me that she just wormed her earlier in the day, sigh. I don't usually ride the day that I worm. It was cooler than it had been so I we did some very light walk and trot work. 

I'm still trying to figure out how to keep her entertained so I tried to do something different each long side; turn down quarter line and go straight, turn down quarter line and leg yield, zig zag away from the wall to the middle and back to the wall, do only one zig zag and then go straight. Her walk leg yields are kind of ugly still; she does respond to my leg which is nice but she falls over the outside shoulder and when I try to half halt that shoulder she comes to a grinding halt; so we tried trot and that's looking a lot better; probably because the 2 beat rhythm of the trot makes it easier to keep all her body parts in one line. 

She's been really locked in her jaw so I tried Trooper's headstall/bit on her; she was slightly less fussy BUT her jaw was locked down like Alcatraz; at least with my bit I can get some suppling done even though it makes her really fussy. Hoping the Myler bit will arrive soon so I can test it out on her. 

The other thing that I'm struggling with is her sucking back and trying to halt when she doesn't understand something or doesn't agree with it; this happened last night as I was turning and just at the right moment I gave her a swat on the shoulder and it was enough to snap her out of it but without offending her; I have that moment on camera so I'll need to get that loaded on YouTube. 

My to do list with Ana for the remainder of the summer:

Get her jaw unlocked and keep it there
Fix the sucking back problem with improved timing of my aids
Continue to work on canter - she needs to pick it up when asked and not fall out of it, she needs to canter by herself without me pushing her along every step, if she falls out of it there will be a swat on the shoulder; I will not get distracted by her attitude; she can pin her ears and huff and puff and it doesn't mean that I will let her trot; eventually she won't need corrections anymore which will hopefully improve her attitude and the way she carries herself.

Things have been crazy busy at work so I'm hoping to get a couple more rides in this week but I'll have to see how it goes.


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## frlsgirl

I took Ana for a trail ride last night. It was great; just what I needed after a long stressful day at work. BO came along on one of her project horses and showed me some new areas that I hadn't explored before. Ana was happy and forward and only had two minor spooks.


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## frlsgirl

frlsgirl said:


> The other thing that I'm struggling with is her sucking back and trying to halt when she doesn't understand something or doesn't agree with it; this happened last night as I was turning and just at the right moment I gave her a swat on the shoulder and it was enough to snap her out of it but without offending her; I have that moment on camera so I'll need to get that loaded on YouTube.


Here is the video: you can see when I come past the camera how she sucks back so when I switch the whip to the other side I give her a little tap on the shoulder and she snaps out of it; I also included a short segment of trot work and our cool down. Note that she's wearing a Troopers bridle which is a little too big for her.


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## egrogan

I love seeing their manes blowing in the summer breeze  Looks like a nice night to ride!


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## Jan1975

I'm glad things have been going so much better for your two. She's such a beautiful horse. In every pic you post of her, I'm amazed.


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## frlsgirl

Jan1975 said:


> I'm glad things have been going so much better for your two. She's such a beautiful horse. In every pic you post of her, I'm amazed.


Thanks - I only post the pretty pics; I do have some unflattering pictures of her as well....hmmmm that gives me an idea....I'll have to make a "bloopers" post


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## frlsgirl

@Jan1975 this is for you:

Ana looking not so cute and oblivious to the gelding who's very interested in her:










Failed attempt at a confo pic:










Not so flattering liberty pic:


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## frlsgirl

Rode Ana Friday and Sunday. By Friday the new girth had arrived so I was eager to give it a try. Ana wasn't feeling this whole riding thing:










But after a couple of circles she finally relaxed:










And she did a lovely canter down the longside and a nice TOF in both directions:






Then I had the bright idea to hose her off in the wash stall; she was not having any of it. So I tied her to the gate and dragged the hose out of the wash stall to hose her off outside and she pulled on the lead rope so hard that the gate dislodged from the concrete blocks. So I told her to whoa which she did so that I could free her and walked her back to her stall. 

I don't know what to do with her sometimes; she can be so stubborn! Chunks of fur keep falling off her face because I haven't been able to rinse her face off after every ride like I used to be able to do at the other barn. Granted, this wash stall is a little more scary but I didn't anticipate this much push back from her. 

I'm gonna need to do some serious ground work with her to break her of this stubborn streak; otherwise her face will be completely bald by the end of the summer.

Saturday, I had to cancel my ride on Dante in the party lesson because I had to take one of my dogs to the vet; he's fine, just a badly infected paw.

By Sunday, the new bit had arrived as well so I was eager to try it out. I had a really nice ride on her:

















She does appear to like this bit better as she wasn't quite a fussy with it. I decided to end with some lateral work and when she reached the long side, she didn't pick up her left hind toe high enough and it folded over under her; it looked terrible on film. I hope that doesn't cause any long-term damage; she continued on without any signs of lameness.

I decided to take some pictures after our ride but Ana decided she wasn't in to the whole model thing and proceeded to just walk off:










So yeah, we need to do some groundwork asap.


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## egrogan

Which girth did you end up going with?

re: face washing. Maybe I missed it, but will she let you sponge off her face? I just use one of those little circular tack cleaning sponges in a bucket of cool water on Izzy's face.


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## SwissMiss

egrogan said:


> re: face washing. Maybe I missed it, but will she let you sponge off her face? I just use one of those little circular tack cleaning sponges in a bucket of cool water on Izzy's face.


ditto about using a sponge. I use a small sponge intended for dishes...
Not that it does us any good with regards to keeping fur on her face. She gets so goopy under her fly mask, that the fur just comes off when I wash her face off. But it's either no fur or horribly swollen, teary eyes...

Oh and your not-as-perfect-shots: Ana is still sooo shiny and beautiful! Her attempts at hiding it don't work


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## frlsgirl

@egrogan - I got the 22" Smartpack Fleece Dressage girth. It seems to fit her a lot better; plus I would imagine that soft fuzzy material is more comfortable than solid leather.
@egrogan & @SwissMiss - I'm going to include sponge baths in my regular summer routine. She will let me clean her face with a damp paper towel so I would think a sponge would be fine as well. 

Ultimately, it's a training issue though; she lets me be in charge to a certain extent and then she takes over and makes decisions; so we need to work on that. She's been challenging me a lot recently so I need to get that under control.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana looks like she's going SO much better! She looks a lot happier and more compliant. Her coat looks great! She looks really healthy! She's such a pretty girl, even if she can be sassy with an opinion about everything she does! You'll work through it!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks Cass. She has been going a lot better but she still stumbles on occasion:

https://youtu.be/isZRiAXmppQ

I guess it's somewhat normal for horses to stumble here and there but it still worries me; the way her foot turned over it just looks like her joint is not a stable as it should be or if it was stable to begin with then maybe stumbling causes the joint to be more flexible causing more stumbling? 

Anyway, I'm not a vet but I cringed when I saw this.


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## tinyliny

I think I've felt that sort of stumble happen, under me, at times. it feels like the whole hind end is going to drop out from under you for a split second. it looks worse on film than I realized. I've always just kept on. but, if a hrose is doing that a lot, then it could mean they aren't feeling the ground correctly, or that the there is some nerve impingment that is keeping them from lifting the front of the hoof?

(I am sorry that I have not kept up on what sort of vet work you'd had done on her recently, so I may sound really stupid )


you are so lucky she didn't pull that gate right off the hinges and toward herself, and have a major wreck on your hands. 

is it possible to wash her outside, on the lawn, perhaps? sometimes, if a horse can move around a little bit, they are more accepting of the water. I usually don't even try to squirt the face, jsut do the sponge or wet rag thing. 
we've been having a lot of hair loss issues at our barn, too, but vet said it was due to fly bites, which are bad this year due to cool , wet weather.


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## frlsgirl

@tinyliny 

Yes "water gate" was scary! Not doing that again!

In regards to the stumble, she doesn't do it all the time; maybe 2 times a month at the most. She only does it when she gets tired and/or in deep footing. We had just finished a leg yield and hit some deep footing when she stumbled.


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## frlsgirl

Took Ana trail riding Tuesday night:



















Afterwards, we did wash stall training with BO's help; here she is looking mighty proud of herself after her bath:










The wash stall is a pretty scary place so I was very proud of her. Also happy to see that the gate was an easy fix:










I took yesterday off and we went and visited her:










I love this pictures; look at that tail!










And a close up grazing pic:










Would love to get at least one good schooling session in this week; just don't know when I can squeeze it in; got plans everyday through Saturday night. Maybe I can sneak away Sunday.


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## carshon

She is just so pretty- but I have a soft sport for a Morgan horse!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @carshon


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## DanteDressageNerd

She looks really happy and perky!! That tail is certainly a nice feature!

As for the stumble. That kind of stumbling is why I treated Dante for EPM. It was scary, after treatment no more issues but it's definitely something worth considering. Or perhaps she had a weak moment? Especially if it is rare and not becoming more frequent.


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## frlsgirl

That's what I'm trying to figure out @DanteDressageNerd; was it just a weak moment that every horse has on occasion or is it cause for concern. My vet does not seem too concerned about it; but since I have my GoPro, I film almost everything so I capture little mishaps like this as well. And since I'm one of those neurotic, analytical people I have to investigate everything. I'm going to maybe keep a calendar of stumbles and share with my vet to see if she wants to investigate or leave it alone. Also, this could be just stifle related which we know is a problem area for her anyway so it could be simply explained by that.


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## SaddleUp158

In my experience that stumble or forgetting a leg behind (as I often think of it) will most likely get better as she uses her hind end better and better. Mia use to lose a hind leg all the time, but now rarely does it. Come to think of it is hasn't been until this spring/summer that she has quit doing it for the most part, though it does show up occasionally when she isn't paying attention.


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## DanteDressageNerd

It may just be weakness that will fix itself as she gets stronger but if it is more frequent and she trips or stumbles more and starts losing her balance I'd get her tested. If this happens very rarely like you say, Id focus on getting her stronger behind and see if that helps. 

Trust me I'm neurotic and analytical too with an expectation it will all go to doomsday but it helps to be objective and try to take yourself out of it without rushing into scenario consequences.


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## frlsgirl

What a long weekend; I'm exhausted!

Ran out to check on Ana Friday night; let her graze for a bit, got her groomed, stretched, crunched and fly-sprayed before I had to head back home to prep for DH's birthday party. 

It went fairly smoothly except that very few people showed up; the cake was a big hit though:










It was miserably hot all weekend; I guess that's why they call it the dog days of summer:










I finally got to ride Ana yesterday; it was very hot again so we just did some bareback work:










And did some wash stall training:










And practiced smiling for the camera:










Hoping to get some actual saddle time in this week; it's supposed to be slightly cooler so that helps!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Im glad you had such a pleasant weekend. Your husband looks pretty happy. 

But Ana's smiling picture is priceless! I absolutely love that picture! That is adorable. Dogs seem amused :lol: not so much with this heat.


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## frlsgirl

I finally got some actual arena work done with Ana. It had cooled off to like 89 degrees; almost jacket weather 

She was so happy to see me; lots of nickers; even BO said "someone is happy to see you" 

I started in the indoor but it was so windy that she kept spooking so I decided to finish up outside.










We cantered once each direction; she seemed really free in her movement so that made me happy. Her left-sided stiffness was very apparent and I haven't really taken the time to soften that up because I'm always in such a hurry to get x y z done that I forget she needs to be supple to do x y z well; but who has time for all that? So I need to come up with a better plan to work on suppleness AND get all the other things done. The next schooling show is 9/17 and I would like to show her training level. She can do everything required separately, but we just need to string them all together and make sure that she can do the schooling figures correctly so therefore I need to work on her suppleness. At the end of our ride she was maybe 30% to 50% more supple but that's not enough to ride a test. I can literally spend an entire 40 minute ride just on suppleness and get nothing else done; and that only gets me to about 90% suppleness which is enough to squeak through a test.

Hoping to ride again later this week.


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> I can literally spend an entire 40 minute ride just on suppleness and get nothing else done; and that only gets me to about 90% suppleness which is enough to squeak through a test.


Is it a bad thing to only work on suppleness during the ride and not multiple things? If you work exclusively on suppleness one ride, will it not carry over into the next, so you wind up working for 20 minutes on that and then 20 minutes on something else?

What specific things are you doing when you work on suppleness? [And that question is purely my own interest in learning, not looking to critique your choices!]


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## frlsgirl

Usually what happens is that I try to make a circle going to the left and she starts to fall in and then I go "Oh, oh, we need to work on that!" Part of it is just her rightbendedness working against me and the other part is carrying too much weight on the shoulders. 

We worked on shoulders Sunday because I had trouble circling to the left; I halt her, put whip into right hand, move the shoulders over (Turn on the haunches), if it doesn't work back-up with whip on the shoulder until she moves. Keep working on it until you've done a complete 360. Then go back to walk work but when she doesn't expect it, ask her to do a square and back-up with whip; rinse and repeat on other side. Then try to circle to the left again and notice that it's suddenly easier.

General suppleness: I have a new favorite exercise which is to bend left for a few steps, bend right for a few steps, go straight, and continue, change rein and repeat. Leg yielding is also a good one or Shoulder In, but those are a little uglier to do with her.


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## frlsgirl

So I guess DH had a meeting with our builder regarding a lot that's located near Ana's current barn. So I'm sitting at my desk yesterday, when I suddenly get the following pictures via text:




























I think he has finally fallen in love with her. He has never gone to visit her by himself just because. That just made my whole day.


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## egrogan

Love those cute pictures.

re: stiffness/suppling. When Izzy was very "sticky" working in the arena, I would do a couple of walk/trot warmup laps in the arena, go ride outside for 10-15 minutes doing lots of circles, serpentines, and up/down little hills, and then go back to the arena to do the "real" work. She always cantered much better if I did that after loosening up outside, where she moves much more freely.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Love those cute pictures.
> 
> re: stiffness/suppling. When Izzy was very "sticky" working in the arena, I would do a couple of walk/trot warmup laps in the arena, go ride outside for 10-15 minutes doing lots of circles, serpentines, and up/down little hills, and then go back to the arena to do the "real" work. She always cantered much better if I did that after loosening up outside, where she moves much more freely.


LOL I've tried that but it makes Ana really mad because she believes that you can't do arena work after a trail ride. You can do arena work and then do a trail ride but never the other way around. The girl has rules! :icon_rolleyes:


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## Skyseternalangel

Cutest selfies ever!!!


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's great your husband came out just to take selfies with Ana. That's pretty awesome!! I'm so glad Ana is slowly gaining his affection!


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## frlsgirl

We had a great ride last night; we played a game called "where is my outside rein" - it's kind of like musical chairs but with the outside rein. 

I started by pretty much letting go of the inside rein and just using my outside rein and seat to steer; once she was truly in the outside rein, I made things more complicated by turning in places where she didn't expect. As she got better, I shortened my inside rein a little and only used it for suppling purposes along with my inside leg. 

Then we added another layer of complexity by moving on to the trot. We also cantered each direction but kept it simple by just going along the rail. Somehow we got a couple of trot to halt transitions; I have no idea how that happened; maybe because she was lighter in the shoulders? Anywho, no complaints here.

Then I wanted to take a good selfie because I was trying out one of those cooling scarfs and wanted to show you all. But this is what I got instead:



























I usually go straight to the barn after work on Friday's but I'm so so tired today as I stayed at the barn til 9:30 last night and we are supposed to ride in a party lesson tomorrow morning. So I think I will just go home after lunch and crash on the couch as I'm just totally exhausted. :beatup:


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol I'm glad you're finding the outside rein!! It is truly a god send!

On the plus. Those selfies are precious!!


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## frlsgirl

We had a super fun party lesson Saturday.

When I got there she was trotting the fence line snorting and screaming because someone brought a mini horse to the barn. So I wasn't even sure that she would be ridable but we introduced them from a safe distance and then I walked her past him several times and she finally settled down and accepted his presence. They call him "land shark" because most horses freak when they see him and he's been known to go for the jugular on other horses. 

I had discontinued group lessons with her a while back because she just seemed so miserable and exhausted but she's really turned a corner in both her physical abilities and attitude. 

She still gets a little irritated when we get stuck behind a Western horse (OMG Western horses move much slower than English horses)but she looked happy for most of the lesson. 






























We got applause for our canter work (usually we get "um, what was that" or "that's ok I guess" or "are you sure you want to canter") lol. 

We cantered a longside plus one circle each direction while navigating around a group of 10 people. We got a fairly quick up transition and correct leads both times with minimal ear pinning. So I'm on cloud 9 right now. 

We finished with trail obstacles next to "land shark" and by that time she was tired and just ready to be done. 




















So so happy with her right now. All the work and money we've invested in her is paying off!

Hoping to go ride again tonight. Show season is only 6 weeks away and we have so much work to do!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Aww that's great to hear!! I'm so glad Ana's canter work is improving! That's wonderful! I'm glad you guys are happy with each other and she's feeling better after all the medical stuff you two have been through.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana Monday night; it was really good to see her; I was greeted with very eager nickering. I took her out of her stall so that I could groom her and get her ready but then noticed BO was cleaning a stall two stalls over so I stopped to talk to her; Ana was not happy about it and kept nickering to let me know "Hey, you are here to see me not the BO!" 

Here are some pictures of Miss Impatient; I'm loving the neck muscling in this pic:










And this is her typical accusatory "where have you been" look 











We had an OK ride; got a few things accomplished but I had a hard time stringing them all together; it was just too hot and I was too tired to mess with it so we finished with a little trail ride through the fields.

I didn't go yesterday; I might go tonight. Have been struggling with terrible allergies and the heat doesn't help at all.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Oh Miss Ana. her neck does look really-really good! Little miss Princess Ana! I hope you can work something out with your allergies. Allergies are no fun, nor is the extreme weather!


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## frlsgirl

Just wanted to share a mini victory:


Yesterday, for the first time ever, I was able to make a center trot circle to the right with minimal aids. Usually that left shoulder is stuck on the rail like superglue and turning her seems impossible. 



So we've been working on steering with the outside rein at the walk and reinforcing the concept with TOH. 



I love it when an exercise works as intended!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Congratulations! I'm glad you've found a new exercise that's working for both you and Miss Ana!

Also glad the outside rein is being found! It's very helpful and is so useful for accuracy and balance and organization. Just helpful.


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## frlsgirl

Had a blast at our party lesson Saturday.

We started with in-hand work:










Then it was time to get in the saddle:










We did lots of trot work:













































My absolute favorite:










She was exhausted:



















She was a good girl:



















We said hello to other horses:










So happy with her. Here is a longish video of our group lesson; we were working on TOF, walk, trot and changing direction:






We got quite a bit of canter work done but it was towards the end of the 2 hour lesson so both Ana and I were super tired and had to break to trot several times; we didn't finish until I initiated the down transition.










We had a potluck after our lesson. We decided to shave the neighbor dog as he has terribly matted fur and the neighbors don't take care of him:


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## frlsgirl

Just got back from the doctor as my allergies have been getting worse; got a B12 shot as well as a new supplement called AllerDQ; she also called in a steroid pack and some Clarinex; hopefully that will be enough to get me through the rest of the allergy season.


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## frlsgirl

Wow I feel so much better already; and I'm only on my first dose of meds. I took Ana for a little spin around the property last night.

Here she is all tacked up and ready to go:










We got started right as the sun was setting:



















The BO had mowed part of the pasture so we trotted up and walked down a few times as I've been dying to do hill work with her but didn't trust the footing. You can tell it was challenging for her because she lowered her head and let out a big snort when we got done. It's not terribly steep; just long.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> Here she is all tacked up and ready to go:


She looks great here- so solid, yet fit. She really is a great looking horse!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @egrogan!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad whatever you are taking is helping you feel better. I hope it continues to keep you feeling well.

I'm also really glad you got to do some hill work! I wish we had more hills to work on. When I lived in Oregon and Washington state there was a ton of great places to do hill work but Ana looks like she had a good time hacking around. She's such a pretty girl and I'm pretty sure she knows it lol.


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## frlsgirl

Oh it's difficult to find hills in Oklahoma that I feel comfortable trotting on; the few that we do have are overgrown so I can't see the footing; and if I can't see the footing then I don't want to trot or canter on it just in case there are rocks or holes. Washington and Oregon are gorgeous places to live and ride; I lived in Salem for 10 years but wasn't riding at the time so I never got to take advantage of the hills. Some eventing barns purposely build hills and such to help condition the horses; nothing like that around here though.


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## frlsgirl

So I got some sad news last night. Jesse, the elderly TB that was pastured with Ana from March 2014 to September 2014 has passed away; he was well in his 30s so that's good; he died from colic, probably related to the heat which I imagine was a pretty miserable way to go 

He was such a kind and sweet soul; he would watch over Ana and Buddy when they napped; he would share his feed with Ana which is why she ended up colicing so we had to separate them. I'll have to look back on my earlier entries from 2014; I'm sure I have more pictures of him.

They made such a cute little family; elderly TB, a sassy Morgan, and a cantankerous mini:


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## DanteDressageNerd

I believe it! The midwest is unfortunately quite flat and that's funny you lived in Salem. Most of my family is still in Salem. It's so beautiful there, I LOVE Salem. I miss it SO SO much. It's my home.

I'm also sorry to hear Jesse passed. He sounds like he was a really sweet horse :-( I find a lot of tbs have really kind hearts and good natures. Poor guy may he rest in peace.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night; it was cool enough that we could use the outdoor arena; it has all these fun trail obstacles set up so we played around with that; we also did serpentines around cones and barrels; some leg yield work; I noticed she wasn't turning well so we stopped and did TOH and then later we did TOF because sometimes she gets confused if I drill one or the other too much and then she forgets how to do the other one. We cantered once each direction; going to the left we did our normal longside canter, but going to the right, the arena has a downhill slope, so we cantered the shortside and trotted the longside; that's kind of a big deal because she wasn't expecting it so it shows that she was listening to my aids instead of saying "we never canter the shortside, it can't be done!" Of course it also requires a greater deal of balance as the turn comes up much faster. So I was pretty happy with that.

I also hand walked her over the tarp again which she was fine with; and I successfully walked her over the platform, but she still struggles riding over it; like she's not sure all her feet will fit. So that's something will still need to work on. I didn't want to over drill her; I just needed to get some basics done as show season is just around the corner.


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## egrogan

Sorry to hear about your old TB friend


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @egrogan and @DanteDressageNerd - he will be dearly missed. I gave Ana an extra long hug.


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## frlsgirl

I found more pictures of Jessie:

The first picture I took of them together after Ana got introduced to her new herd:










Months later, he had become her shadow; she was trying to kanoodle with the handsome neighbor, but Jesse was always by her side.










Another attempt to get close to a new neighbor derailed by Jessie:










So long Jessie!


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## frlsgirl

I actually got to ride Ana twice this weekend!

Saturday, we did arena work; it was *only* 91F so we decided to ride in the afternoon; it was super windy which made Ana a little worried:










She did settle down and we had a decent ride:










As she started to relax she got a little heave on the forehand:










We finished with a spin outside; I just happened to see this on my GoPro; I guess I was setting up the camera; she actually has a crest now!










We finished with some wash stall training. 

Yesterday we did trail work; I wanted to canter up the freshly mowed hill but she refused so I ended up taking her into the outdoor as I couldn't let her get away with that. It took a couple of tries backed up with a tap on the shoulder before she decided to canter. We cantered once each direction; and then weaved through some of the trail obstacles; I got brave and steered Ana towards the tarp obstacle; that's the one that most horses struggle with. She pawed it a couple of times and then walked over it! Lots of praise and carrots for Ana!

Then I showed BO Ana's hooves as they are in desperate need of a trim; I pointed out a little cut she has on her front hoof and she suggested that I rinse it off and put ointment on it. Rinse it off?!? I just got her to go into the wash-stall; I haven't even tried to turn the water on yet! So we practiced and practiced, got her in and out a few times, then I turned the hose on the lowest possible setting and ever so gently washed off her legs and her cut. Then let her back out and made her go back in where she finished off a couple more carrots.










As you can see, she wasn't happy about any of it but learned to tolerate it.

I'm starting to freak out a little bit; the next show is 4 weeks away and I have no idea what I want to do. I want to show Training Level but now that Ana and I have been cantering all over the big arena, the Dressage court suddenly seems tiny! I don't think she's balanced enough to do a tiny 20 meter circle; and I'm tired of doing Intro B over and over again. Plus I haven't really worked on getting her a 100% through and it's difficult to navigate a dressage test if she's not 100% with me. The show is at our barn so it seems like a waste to not participate. I could try to wing a Training level test on her knowing that it's going to be ugly; or I could ask if I can ride one of BO's horses at a higher level. Still thinking about it; need to make up my mind soon. Hopefully cooler temps will put a spring in Ana's step so that we can properly practice. I really want to show HER but if it comes down to not showing at all or showing another horse, then I would love to show another horse. I don't even know if that's an option as I haven't asked BO.

Really stressed out over the land purchase/building process; we were supposed to sign papers Saturday but the land owner didn't agree to the terms; hopefully we can come to an agreement this week. It's starting to affect me because I'm having nightmares; dreamed that a little girl in a green truck stole Ana from me and I went door to door looking for her. Woke up at 3am drenched in sweat and couldn't go back to sleep. Then I started thinking about Ana and worrying that maybe she's not up to doing Dressage; maybe she's not through and forward because she's hurting? But it's also been so hot, so it could be just that. I don't know. Her canter is so much better; but her reluctance yesterday made me worried. She's getting a day of rest and the farrier is coming Wednesday.


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## PoptartShop

So sorry to hear about Jesse.  On Friday night, we had to put down a mini at the barn (he was only 3 years old, sadly) because he had a really bad case of colic. Colic can go very badly. So sad.
Jesse lived a long happy life, I am very sorry for the loss.

Ana is so beautiful. Yay Ana for getting over that tarp obstacle! Hooray! Sure she enjoyed the carrots.  4 weeks isn't that far away at all, I'm sure you will make the right decision. I would show her anyway, plus it's at your barn so there won't be too much pressure. If showing another horse at a higher level is an option, that works too but I'm sure you'd like to show Ana! It has been very hot, which is definitely a factor I'm sure. The humidity is really bothersome.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Jessie had a really kind eye. What a sweetheart.

I'm glad you had a good ride but no reason why you cant ride Ana at training and work on getting 20m circles. And gaining the organization as you do it. Small challenges. But if it's too much for you guys, you could probably ask if you can ride another horse and show *shrugs* whatever you're comfortable with and will give you the most positive experience.

And good luck with the land agreement/contract/purchase. I hope it goes well for you guys!!


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## frlsgirl

I've been totally preoccupied with this:




























She showed up at our office Monday morning; she's really shy and at first wouldn't let me near her but after a bunch of strangers showed up and tried to catch her she decided that I was the safest bet and would only let me touch her. After I handled her for a little bit I introduced her to strangers and now she's more accepting of others. She spent a couple of nights at the vet and now is staying at the office with me. I can't take her as my dachshunds would never forgive me; so she's going to be an office dog; a co-worker is taking her home at night. We are still trying to find the perfect situation for her but no luck so far except the business owner's son is interested in her but he's always traveling.


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## frlsgirl

I did manage to run to the barn last night and got a quick ride in before it got dark:



















We didn't work all that hard; mostly walk and trot focusing on switching back between poll high/carrying herself to stretching forward down and out. We did canter a couple of times; once each direction. Our rides seem to work better when I have a specific goal/focus. She tends to get heavy on the forehand and wants me to carry her head; this makes turning difficult as all the weight is on her shoulders. She loves to stretch so I don't want to take that away from her but I do want her to also carry herself; so I worked on communicating that to her via my own posture so that there is no confusion. With the canter we worked on continuing trot and walk work as normal as opposed to falling apart, sprawling out and walking on a loose rein; again using my own posture to communicate the difference between game on and game over.

Here she is pretending to be totally exhausted "someone come carry me back to the barn!"


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## PoptartShop

Awww sucha cute pup!  I wish we had an office dog where I work. My boss brought in his dog like once...best day ever LOL. An office dog will keep things fun! After all, animals>people haha.
Glad you got to get a nice ride in. That last picture is so cute, she's like...Mom...are we done now? LOL they are such little stinkers!


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## frlsgirl

@PopartShop Our office is pretty laid back and everyone is allowed to bring their dog; it can get quite harry here sometimes, literately and figuratively


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## DanteDressageNerd

Awww that dog is precious! I remember seeing pictures of her being like aww. I'm glad you guys are looking after her and giving her someplace to stay for a little while. She's darling, I hope a proper situation can be found!

But glad to hear Ana is well and doing well in work and you're working out things with your posture and position to influence Ana better. And finding a system that works for you both.


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> I've been totally preoccupied with this:


OMG what a face!! That is my kind of dog. Perhaps a good thing we are so far apart or she may not stay your office dog for long. :wink:

Tho really, with the way she found you.. sounds like she has already chosen her new person.


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> OMG what a face!!
> 
> Tho really, with the way she found you.. sounds like she has already chosen her new person.


Yeah, that's what everybody has been saying but husband said absolutely no dogs; I even had him come by the office to meet her and he really likes her but he made me promise that I won't try to sneak her into the yard or house while he's out of town. Plus my dachshunds would never forgive me; especially the male is very territorial and sensitive; if I pet a strange dog in front of him it crushes his little soul. He refused to sit with me last night because I smelled like a strange dog so he took his doggie bed and dragged it to the other end of the house and sat in there protesting.


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## frlsgirl

@phantomhorse13 - Shipping can be arranged to NE PA :wink:


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## SaddleUp158

If only we could fast forward one year! I would totally take her. She is precious!


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> He refused to sit with me last night because I smelled like a strange dog so *he took his doggie bed and dragged it to the other end of the house* and sat in there protesting.


Awww...this image is both hysterical and heartbreaking all at the same time. What a dog!


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## frlsgirl

So Josie spent the night at our IT guys' house and loved it; she played well with his dogs; was very gentle with his kids and even slept in bed with his oldest son. His son cried when he had to say good bye to her this morning. She's now running around our office again greeting everyone and getting scratches. We are taking her to the rescue group later today where she will stay for 2 weeks while they try to find her a home.

Despite all this excitement, I managed to sneak away to the barn; my brain was fried so I didn't feel like riding; we were overdue for longe work anyway.

She had some amazing moves at the trot:



















Then when she was cantering, she got too close to the barrel so she got mad at it, bucked, and kicked out "take that stupid barrel!" 










We finished with some liberty work:


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## PoptartShop

Aww, I hope they find her a good home. That's so cute! She got lots of lovin's!

Lunging is great. She looks lovely! Looks like a really nice mover. LOL that's so funny she got mad at the barrel. Stupid barrel, get out of the way! Hahaha!

Liberty work is really rewarding, it's one of my favorites. <3 So adorable you two!


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## frlsgirl

We had a great party lesson Saturday! Here are my favorite pics:




































After the lesson I cooled her down outside and was trying to get a nice picture of the two of us but her BFF Taco decided that he wanted to be part of the picture:










I also have a couple of videos:

This one is mounted exercises that the instructor had us do while our horses cool off:






This is a video of everybody cantering; they had most canter in groups of 2 but myself and another lady cantered by ourselves; I'm at the very end of the video at the other end of the arena.






Speaking of cantering; I was very happy with that; we did a circle of trot, a circle of canter, a circle of trot and another circle of canter in both directions. We've really never been able to do transitions; because she usually falls apart to the point that I can't put her back together to get another canter going. So I'm super stoked about this.

Another major breakthrough: we achieved trot leg yield with a relaxed topline.

So yeah super happy with her right now. Hoping to go see her tonight.


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## egrogan

Wow, that roany horse looks _so _similar to my trail buddy!


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## frlsgirl

@egrogan - that's Splash; a very lazy Appaloosa gelding  And yes they DO look a lot alike!


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## frlsgirl

Yesterday was super stressful; it started with a 3 way conference call with the bank as they had sent me paperwork over the weekend that didn't make any sense which then led us to realize that we forgot a very important clause in the land contract that we were supposed to sign last night. So at the last minute we contacted the land owner to see if he would be ok with putting that contingency clause in there - crickets since then. So now we are thinking that the land contract fell through. We are meeting with the bank later this afternoon to iron out some details and discuss our other options. I had no idea that it's so difficult to buy "usable" land in Oklahoma within a reasonable driving distance from town. We are finding a lot of land that is in in floodplain, or odd shaped land off dirt roads that are too many miles from town.

So after all of that I really needed to go to the barn to deflate; I told myself I wasn't in any shape to do serious training, so we hit the trails; we did manage to trot up that one hill twice which was very challenging for Ana; you could really see the base of her neck puff up as she dragged herself to the top; so it made me feel good that I was able to give her a physical workout without expending too much mental energy on my part since I really didn't have any left to give anyway. She's so funny though; she was grunting half way up the hill and her trot got slower and slower and when I finally told her to walk she was like "oh thank GOD" and just collapsed into a walk. It's really not that steep of a hill; I'm gonna need to set up my GoPro sometime so you all can see it. 

It doesn't help that she's in season right now, as are all the mares at the barn; the BO said it's pretty common for all of them to cycle together. She let out the biggest pee I've ever seen right at the entrance of the arena; oh well, the arena needs watering anyway.


----------



## PoptartShop

Love the pictures and videos!  You guys are sucha great team! Love it!
Glad the cantering is getting better too. Woot woot for progress! LOL, Taco is like 'wait, let me photobomb this'.

I'm sorry to hear about the land contract.  I hope the meeting with the bank goes well, let us know! There has to be some other options!

Glad you got to go out on a nice smooth trail to clear your head. That always helps. LOL that's funny, she was grunting up the hill. Hey, she got a little workout in that's what matters.


----------



## frlsgirl

Lol @*PoptartShop* - Taco was totally photobombing; we took several pictures and he made an appearance in each one!

I did some proper longe work with Ana last night; she goes much better in full gear as opposed to free style. I have much better shoulder control although she still falls in a little going to the right; but I didn't use solid side reins; I used the neck stretcher instead which gives her a little more wiggle room while still encouraging a round frame. We focused on trot canter transitions; she's starting to look really nice; my husband was supposed to film us but he got distracted with phone calls and such. I was like "You had ONE job!" lol. 

Ana started out a little hasty and tried to throw in a little buck but suddenly realized that she can't get a proper buck done with the gear on plus I kept asking for transitions so she suddenly realized that she had to pace herself and pay attention; sometimes she's still like a big kid and wants to get all of her energy out by bucking and running and then has no energy left for working. So yeah, I wish I would have filmed this cause you can see her go from "Yipee" to "Oh crap, I better pace myself cause more work is coming!" 

I let her cool down without the gear as she asked to stretch all the way down and couldn't do so with the neck stretcher on. She was walking a little funny and I thought "Oh no, I worked her too hard and now she ruptured or broke or tore something" but before I could finish my thought she stopped to poop; then she walked normal, and then walked funny again, but this time she had to pee. Once all that was done with she seemed 100% so I had husband hand graze her while I got her gear put up. She's enjoying a little vaca before I work her again either Thursday or Friday.

Regarding our move to the country, the land owner finally agreed to our terms so we are supposed to sign the contract tonight. Note, this is our third time trying to get this contract signed so I'm not celebrating until all parties have signed. Then comes the fun part; the 60 day close. That's where they do title opinions, appraisals etc. So things can still go wrong during the closing period which is why we insisted on having the contingency clause added to the contract; we don't want to get stuck with a piece of land that doesn't qualify for financing due to valuation or title issues. If all goes as planned we will be breaking ground in October.


----------



## PoptartShop

Men...can they ever do anything right? LOL Jk, I hope he gets to video it next time and has no calls to distract him! 
Glad you got her to know hey, we're working, use that exciting energy for work not play right now! Like, you have so much energy...why not use it to work! LOL. They're so silly. OMG I guess she was carrying a heavy load. Bet that felt good to get out, they sure give us some scares sometimes. Whew! 
I really hope nothing else goes wrong concerning the land contract. I hope it all goes smoothly within the next 60 days. Fingers crossed for you!


----------



## frlsgirl

Thanks @*PoptartShop!


*I'm a firm believer in that everything works out the way it's supposed to so I'm going to lose too much sleep over it.


----------



## frlsgirl

I totally forgot to mention:

November 11th through the 13th Ana and I will be at a Dressage Camp! We will get to lesson with 3 different experts plus there will also be lectures by other equine experts. 

I also signed ups up for the September 17th Dressage show and the clinic on Sunday with Laurie. I haven't lessoned with Laurie since last November so I'm really excited! She is the judge for the show and will then go over the results in more detail at the clinic; I've never cliniced with the judge from the previous day's schooling show before so it will be really nice to get some immediate feedback and tips.

Also, I just found out about this today....Friday we are trailering Ana and a horsey friend from the barn to our friend's house so that we can go ride together. This is the friend who owns Ivan and is living next door to our future home so it will be cool to explore the surroundings. Plus Ivan has been hollering for Ana as they are BFFs so he will be happy to spend some time with her. She just recently moved Ivan home with her for the summer so he's still adjusting to being alone. 

Lots of things in the works!


----------



## SaddleUp158

Your dressage camp sounds like a blast! C and I need to look into something like that. How awesome to get to ride more than once time in a row with a clinician.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Your dressage camp sounds like a blast! C and I need to look into something like that. How awesome to get to ride more than once time in a row with a clinician.


I think they still have a couple of spots open; you can check with [email protected]; it's down the street from Ana's barn.


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## frlsgirl

And.....we are officially in escrow! Papers got signed last night without any issues so now we have to wait for title opinions, abstracts, appraisals etc.


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## frlsgirl

What a fun weekend! 

Here are pictures from our trail ride Friday:

Ana says "I'm ready momma! What fun things are we going to do today?"










Discovering other horses:










A nice group pic:










Blooper pic of Ivan and Major:










Ana nursing on her wad of grass:










Ana suspiciously monitoring the cattle in the neighboring field:










The rest of the group:










We always look so small when someone on a regular sized horse takes our picture:










Happily reunited with BFF Ivan:










Ivan's owner invited us in for snacks and drinks after our ride; I was looking out of the window watching the horses; when I couldn't see Jill anymore, I walked outside and saw that she was next to the trailer; here is Ana saying "Mom, don't pay attention to other horses, pay attention to meeeee!"


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## frlsgirl

We had a party lesson Saturday; I almost didn't go as I was still exhausted from the day before. 

We started with our normal group stuff:














































Then we decided to try out some drill team maneuvers:










We were supposed to do a Pax de Deux with Trooper; it was more like a Pax de Grrrr; lots of ear pinning if we got any closer than this:










Here is a 9 minute video of our little make-shift drill team:







We finished by posing for pictures with other horsey friends:


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## PoptartShop

Ana is just so beautiful. I love her pictures and the videos.
OMG Dressage Camp sounds like so much fun!  That's awesome. Haha I love the drill team!!!!


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## frlsgirl

So we had a great learning opportunity last night. 

It started storming as I was leading Ana into the arena. She got spooked and started trotting circles around me. 

Barn owner was in the arena and her Frisean had just spooked sideways and almost ran into us. 

Even though my heart had migrated to my throat, I decided to work through this. 

I got her settled down pretty quickly and we walked up and down the arena as rain violently pelted the arena roof. I just kept thinking "must communicate calmness and relaxation to her" so I was very careful with my posture and it worked! It sounded like the world was ending around us but Ana walked next to me calmly with her head hanging. 

I kept waiting for the right moment to get on her and she finally felt safe enough so I hopped on. 

We only got a little bit of practice done as I wanted to end on a good note and was already starting at a deficit since I didn't have my whip and the storms rolling around us. 

So we worked mostly on easy things because we wanted to feel successful, plus we were sharing arena with Frisean so I wanted to be respectful of his space. 

So mission accomplished I guess...really wanted to work on canter transitions but I would have risked relaxation in exchange for my agenda and I really needed her to walk away from this experience thinking "working during a storm ain't so bad!"

I didn't film my ride so here is a cute picture of Ana with her BFF barncat.


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## DanteDressageNerd

The dressage camp sounds really fun and like a good opportunity to pack in some lessons. Should be fun!

I love the cat in the hay! That is too cute! Awww but it looks like Ana is friendly with cats and is nice to him which is adorable  so glad she has a friend! She's such a pretty girl!

I also agree with set you both up for success, push outside the envelope some but if it's stormy and doesn't feel like a day to do it. I agree it's wise to just keep it positive and low key with good results.


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## frlsgirl

So Ana has this bizarre crusty rash on her left ear:



















I had the BO and a vet tech look at it and both are puzzled as to what it could be. I thought initially that maybe it's a rub mark from the bridle but it's only on one side and it's spreading to other parts of her ear. She doesn't have this anywhere else on her body; just the left ear. We put argon oil on it and a little bit of antibiotic ointment; hopefully I'll have a chance to check it tonight before we head to Dallas for the weekend.

After I doctored her up, we had a pretty good ride. We probably had the best canter ever (see first 9 seconds of video) followed by a pretty decent trot:






The rest of the video is kind of boring; we did some walk/trot transitions and she pinned her ears almost every time because she was anticipating. 

Other than that, she seemed in good spirits:



















In other news; I have a little helper at work today:










Lou is at the vet getting his sneezing problem looked at; the vet thinks it's dental related so I had to drop him off this morning so that they can put him under and investigate, so Sadie is spending the day at the office with me as I don't want to leave her at home by herself.

Hope everyone has a great labor day weekend!


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## egrogan

Could her fly mask be rubbing? Did she wear it while it was raining or wet, maybe some weird fungal thing?


----------



## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Could her fly mask be rubbing? Did she wear it while it was raining or wet, maybe some weird fungal thing?


She doesn't wear a fly mask; and she only has her halter on for a few minutes a day; the other weird thing is that it's only on 1 ear.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> She doesn't wear a fly mask; and she only has her halter on for a few minutes a day; the other weird thing is that it's only on 1 ear.


Hmmm...well that is a mystery then! My first step with strange skin things is to spray down with Vetricyn for a couple of days. That has generally resolved most of our problems. If not, I guess I'd want the vet to investigate.

On a different note- I'm on the hunt for a new dressage girth. I remember awhile back you bought a new one, but can't find the post. Do you mind sharing what you bought, and did you go with a 24"?


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Hmmm...well that is a mystery then! My first step with strange skin things is to spray down with Vetricyn for a couple of days. That has generally resolved most of our problems. If not, I guess I'd want the vet to investigate.
> 
> On a different note- I'm on the hunt for a new dressage girth. I remember awhile back you bought a new one, but can't find the post. Do you mind sharing what you bought, and did you go with a 24"?


22 inch fleece girth from Smartpack


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## frlsgirl

Yawn...is it already time to go back to my normal life?

We had a fantastic Labor Day weekend in Rockwall, Texas:



















We met some wonderful people, and dogs. Did I mention that dog whispering is a full time gig?










As fun as it was, I'm glad that we got back a day early so that I could spend some quality time with this girl:



















I think she missed me too:
















































I'm also glad I had time for a ride as the schooling show is only 10 days away:




























Her tail is looking worse, so I did a little argon oil treatment; the stuff works amazingly well:









Her ear is looking so much better after treating it with Argon oil a week ago:


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## PoptartShop

Awww that looks like a good time!
But there's definitely nothing like being back at the barn and reunited with your special friend!  She's so cute, I'm sure she definitely missed you.
Glad her ears are looking better too. Argon oil works wonders!! I use it on MY hair LOL.


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## frlsgirl

What a day! I came up with this crazy idea to bust Josie out of doggie jail; bought a crate, got a guy at work to come with me to bust her out, was already looking for excuses that I could come up with to explain all of this to my dear husband. So I get there, fill out all the paperwork, write and check and the lady says "Ok, let me get her and I'll grab her medicine, too." I'm like, "what medicine?" and she's like "oh she has kennel cough!" So I'm trying to figure out how we can make this work; how I could keep her isolated from all the other dogs that come to the office and most importantly my little dogs. I talk it over with guy from work and we decide to isolate her into my office. Phew, crisis averted. Then she lady disappears and comes back without Josie and says "Did you know that she tested positive for heart worms?" I was like "say what????" I talk it over with guy from work, and we agreed that it's just a terrible idea to take her; I guess heart worms are pretty difficult to treat; some die during treatment, others die after treatment, and the ones that do make it have permanent heart damage. Plus it's $300+ to treat. So I told the lady that I won't be able to take her then to which she says "What, just because she has kennel cough and heart worms you are not going to take her now!?!" Guy from work was furious. How dare she try to make us feel guilty when all we've done is help; we are simply trying to spare her undue suffering and protecting other dogs from getting kennel cough. So I got my money back and walked with my head hanging out of there while guy from work yells "That's the government at its finest, right there!"

Ugh! So I post a follow-up on FB because many have inquired and tried to help Josie. I basically said that it's done; we've done all we can, the most humane thing is to let her go. People freak out, and I wake up this morning to two ladies conversing with each other about getting her from the pound, putting her up at a vet office for two weeks to help her heal from kennel cough and then treating her for heart worms. Hopefully it's not too late for Josie. I did talk to my vet yesterday and he confirmed what I already knew: heart work is treatable, it costs around $400, some dogs die during or after treatment, and all have permanent heart damage. I don't know what to hope for at this point; if they put her down, her suffering will be over; if they treat her for heart worms she will suffer but she might have a chance at a fairly normal life assuming someone adopts her; keep in mind I spent 3 weeks trying to get her adopted as a healthy dog; so trying to adopt a dog with permanent heart damage is going to be even more challenging.

Going to return the crate on my lunch break today. My dear husband must never know about all this.

After all this craziness, I couldn't wait to get to the barn for some much needed equine therapy. We rode outside; My mantra was: Are you ready to trot (energy)? Are you ready to shoulder-in (balance)? Are you ready to stretch (relaxation)? We got 2 out of the 3; I'll let you guess which ingredient we were missing. My main goal was to get her really supple, flexible, and stretchy and we most definitely accomplished that.










I've been sickly and haven't addressed that at all because I've been running around trying to take care of everything and everybody else. Forcing myself to call my doc today; maybe she can put me on some antibiotics and give me another B12 shot to get me through the schooling show on the 17th, and clinic on the 18th.


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## egrogan

Our newest dog (adopted around the holidays last year) had been heart worm positive and successfully treated. Of course it's not a good thing, but very treatable and for his laze-around-the-house mutt lifestyle, not really a big deal. Once treated, there's really no reason she shouldn't be adoptable.

I don't get why the guy from work got irate and was angry at "the government?" Maybe you had to be there?


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Our newest dog (adopted around the holidays last year) had been heart worm positive and successfully treated. Of course it's not a good thing, but very treatable and for his laze-around-the-house mutt lifestyle, not really a big deal. Once treated, there's really no reason she shouldn't be adoptable.
> 
> I don't get why the guy from work got irate and was angry at "the government?" Maybe you had to be there?


That's encouraging to hear! The reason my co-worker got so mad is because they are so disorganized and took a very accusatory tone with me. Like how dare you not take this dog just because she's sick. I'm just trying to help without causing harm to others; if I pay for heart worm treatment for a foster dog then I will not have the money to take care of my existing critters; and that wouldn't be fair; it's also not fair for me to expose my existing critters to kennel cough; especially considering Loui just had surgery. I had called the pound before we drove all the way out there; nobody told me that she was sick; that might have been an important thing to mention. Then, they didn't tell me any of this until after I filled out the adoption paperwork, and paid. So I had to cancel the paperwork and get the check back. It's a government run shelter. I'm guessing he's a republican :wink:


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## egrogan

Oh yeah, totally understand not wanting to expose your existing dogs to an active infection- we got our dog after he had already been quarantined/treated/recovered. It's too bad the shelter was so disorganized- if they're anything like the one here, they're probably chronicling understaffed and underfunded, but it doesn't help their case to leave a bad impression on someone who just wanted to help. They probably take it hard when an adoption falls through, even though the reasons are totally understandable!


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## phantomhorse13

Very poor form on the part of the shelter to not tell you about the dog's medical issues first thing - they had to know it would make a huge difference.

As other have said, heartworm is not always a death sentence. While the treatment _can_ cause problems in and of itself, normally its well-tolerated (though its def very expensive). If the dog is currently not symptomatic then the damage likely isn't bad and will have little to no long-term effects. [I spent several years working for a veterinary cardiologist, so have been a part of the treatment process firsthand.]

I hope the people on your FB are able to get her out of the shelter and treated. But you should not feel guilty for not wanting to put your current animals at risk (either physically or financially).


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm so sorry to hear how people are treating you in regards to Josie. I think you've done more than enough and I entirely agree on heart worms. I wouldn't have agreed to pay for heartworm medication on my own either, not at $400+ with a decent chance of the dog dying from treatment and permanent damage. I hope there is something that can be done or maybe everyone could pool funds together to pay for it but I think it was very wrong of the shelter to try to guilt you into taking the dog when you have pups at home that just had surgery and can't be exposed to potentially infectious. I'd be careful too.

:lol: also I've worked for the government, so I know what he means. Lots of waste and chaos, disorganization that used to drive me up the wall. People get too comfortable and complacent and stop trying or taking the work seriously. Trust me I hate it when people are chaotically disorganized, just get everyone on the same page and communicate. It REALLY isn't hard but government jobs I really don't know what it is but it's like people stop trying or caring about doing a good job. I can't even explain the amount of waste and disorganization, it literally used to drive me up the wall. I kept my books, records everything clean and on top of it but if you do a great job and the next in line people don't bother to do their job it makes progress painfully slow. I used to have to hustle and get on people's case about it all the time :neutral:


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## frlsgirl

Encouraging news: A lady from a rescue group in OKC saw my post on FB; she is stepping in to help Josie. They are planning on picking her up today and taking her to a vet clinic where she will live for a couple of weeks until she's healthy enough to mingle with other dogs. Hopefully everything will work out.

I rode Ana last night; the 20x60 Dressage arena was set up from an earlier lesson, so I used the opportunity to practice for my test. We cantered 5 times; correct lead each time with fairly quick transitions. The transitions aren't all that pretty but they are happening; at least she's not pinning her ears for the entire circle anymore. BO used to say "where are her ears?" lol. Her post canter trot is so great; before cantering, her trot is just barely there; no engagement. We might just need to get to a point where we start with canter work in order to get the trot better. 

Even her walk gets better after canter work:


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## PoptartShop

I really hope everything works out with Josie. <3

Sweet ride! LOL omg, I feel that way about Redz too sometimes. Last night we did some cantering and his trot at first wasn't so peppy, but then after the canter it was like 'let's do this!'. I have to work on that as well.
Yay, glad her ears aren't going back either and correct leads, YAY!!


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## frlsgirl

OMG you guys - I had the best ride EVER on Ana Saturday and had a very strange experience with another boarder at the same time.

Doesn't Ana look fantastic here:










And here:










So proud of her:










I think we rode so well because it was so much cooler out AND I was fired up from the conversation I had the with the boarder:

I experienced my first dose of small horse rider judgment today. 

Was tacking up Ana this morning when fellow boarder tells me that she's selling her TB because he would make a better Dressage horse than fox hunter. 

I get excited "Really?!? Because I'm looking for a second Dressage horse. To which she replies "oh, he wouldn't be a good fit for you because he needs a good rider!" 

Then she proceeds to tell me that riding big horses is very different from riding ponies, and that TBs have a lot of energy. Geez, really? I had no idea. Thanks for clarifying. 

Funny thing is that Ana is the smallest horse I've ever ridden; all the others have been in the 16 to 18 hand range but she wouldn't know that because she doesn't really know me. 

It's interesting though that just because she's only observed me ride my small horse she automatically assumed that I don't have any experience or capacity for riding big horses. 

So here is the to the mean lady who judges pony riders:


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## SaddleUp158

Those little guys are like sports cars!


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## egrogan

Wow, I'm not very easily offended, but that would have really riled me up!


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## Skyseternalangel

Hah... that's such an ignorant opinion for that lady. What did you say to her??


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## DanteDressageNerd

This was literally my face when I read that incredibly rude statement :eek_color: 

That's incredibly rude and wrong and to me only indicates that she isn't competent and doesn't really know what she's talking about. Sorry HUGE pet peeve of mine when people are condescending, especially when it's uncalled for. I've mostly found people like that due it due to a lack of security within themselves or their abilities. Sorry just irritates me when people are ignorant and rude.

Anyway I'm sure you'd have done fine on this "high energy" thoroughbred. I really don't think of thoroughbreds as being that high energy, just sensitive, forward thinking with a desire to please. They're usually very fair horses from my experience and honest which is what I like about them. Might have some quirks but they're usually for a reason.

Anyways Ana looks great! Good job!


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## frlsgirl

I think the lady realized that she stuck her foot in her mouth because she kept following me around and cornering me in the arena and going on and on about TBs, and how it's so different from riding ponies, and that one day, when I get to ride I big horse, I will understand. 

Here is the really funny part...she said that she likes TBs because they are so forward and don't require kicking to go..so she starts to ride her TB and she couldn't get him forward, so she begged the barn manager to bring her spurs. 

Anyway, the more she talked, the more I just politely smiled, nodded, and tried to get away from her; because she is clearly clueless; and she is not that great of a rider; she has trouble posting the trot; mostly flops around for a couple of circles and then gives up. I've never seen her canter. 

She's always made weird comments so I mostly avoid her; like she made fun of my feet; she said that they are unusually small, really, I'm a size 6.5...that's not unusually small. And at one point she asked me what kind of riding I do and when I told her mostly Dressage, she said she doesn't like Dressage because all we ever do is sit up there and try to look pretty and she prefers to actually ride the horse and doesn't want to worry about how she looks. Ummm, ok. Have a nice day.


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## greentree

To which you should have replyed with a completely straigh face, Well, then I CERTAINLY understand why YOU would be selling him!"

Horrible, but Ana does look wonderful!!!


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## Skyseternalangel

Yep, the ignorance continues. I used to be super ignorant too, and arrogant. I'm glad I snapped out of it for Sky's sake


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## PoptartShop

Screw that lady. What an arrogant a-hole.
She had no right to say that to you. I would avoid her too...I swear, there's always that ONE person who always has so much to say, but can't back up what they say. And they're always clueless, exactly.

The more they talk...the more stupid they sound LOL. 
Ana looks great!!!!  As always!


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## egrogan

What a bizarre interaction. Good for you for taking the "high horse" (or "low horse," in this case :wink and just avoiding her. I kind of wish you had put her on Ana though and seen how well she could ride your "little pony." Grrr...I'm so irritated for you!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> What a bizarre interaction. Good for you for taking the "high horse" (or "low horse," in this case :wink and just avoiding her.




Yes, I took the high road on a low horse :rofl:


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## egrogan

^^ Ah yes, my Monday brain was mixing metaphors.  But you got what I meant!


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## phantomhorse13

Wow, you are much more polite than I would have been. I quite liked @greentree 's response. I am sure I would have had a hard time not snarking back.. esp if she continued to follow you around!! Hopefully if she is selling the horse, that means she is leaving the barn and you won't have to deal with her any more?

Loved the pics of Ana. Perhaps you should try doing some canter as part of your warm up and see if doing so consistently improves the other gaits. Could be the canter specifically is helping her stretch out/warm up something that makes the rest of the work easier.


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## frlsgirl

The lady has 3 horses spread over 2 barns so I think I will still have to tolerate her for a while. She is actually quite nice but says the strangest things; like Anglo Arabs were bred to drag their feet behind them, and other things like that. This is giving me lots of opportunity to practice my polite nod and smile. :iagree:

In other news, I've been sickly since Saturday; went to the urgent care and turns out I have 2 different infections at the same time. So the doc hooks me up with all these meds, and I have an allergic reaction to one of them; turned lobster red, so yeah, that was fun. So I called my regular doc who swapped one of the meds out and I've returned to my normal color so yay for that. I'm not sleeping well and I feel kind of hung over during the day; I made myself drive to the barn last night because I can just visualize Ana's muscle atrophying when I'm not there to work her. I didn't have enough strength to lift the saddle on her so we did bareback lateral work; we were overdue for that anyway. It was really nice. Going to rest tonight, and try this again tomorrow. The show is Saturday so I need to get it together.

@*phantomhorse13* - I have never really included the canter in my warm-up because warming up consist of walking and stretching, flexing and bending. I was talking to my trainer about the benefits of the canter, and she said that the canter causes the horse to articulate their abs and hips in a very engaged way, plus they have to lift up front to gain shoulder freedom; so that's why the post-canter trot feels so much better because she is more loose in her body, I guess.


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## PoptartShop

Oh no, I hope you feel better & recover soon girly!  Seems like everyone's getting sick lately.
I've had a reaction to meds before, it's scary, not fun at all. & having to remember what you're allergic to, to tell the doctor isn't fun either. 
I'm glad you got to do some bareback stuff with Ana. Sure that made you feel better seeing her. <3

Rest it up! The show is going to be a blast!


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## carshon

Just reading the post about the lady and it made me laugh. We get these ideas in our heads about disciplines and the horses that do them - my husband takes lessons at a show barn. The owner is great and gives great lessons no matter if you show or not. My daughter just started cleaning stalls there and one of the boarders was talking to her and asking her if she rode and what she rode. When she said she was a trail rider that rode a Fox Trotter my daughter said the lady smiled a weird smile and turned around and walked away! She got the double whammy because she rides trail and rides a gaited horse! Not sure what she would have done if she found out the FoxTrotter is only 14.2 H maybe fallen over.

People never cease to amaze me! 


Ana looks excellent and I am so happy for your good ride. Please take care of yourself being sick sucks. Being sick X2 sucks even more


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## phantomhorse13

carshon said:


> When she said she was a trail rider that rode a Fox Trotter my daughter said the lady smiled a weird smile and turned around and walked away!


Ah yes, I know that one well. Only when I say "arab" people's eyes often get big and they eek out an 'oh' as they back away.

Cause ya know, only a crazy person rides an ayrab! Imagine if I was to tell them I rode _endurance_.. :grin:


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## frlsgirl

Sorry, I haven't posted in a while; keep getting these "script running" error messages.

We rode Wednesday in preparation for tomorrow's show; we got to the arena just in time to watch the sunset:










Been trying to stretch at the beginning of every ride:










So the show might get moved to Pryor due to rain; the clinic will still be at the home barn. So I'm scrambling trying to come up with a contingency plan. Also, we had some canter issues Wednesday, so I have no idea if I can get her to canter during Intro C; it's all good. I'm not going to panic about it. It is what it is. 

This is our big annual team competition and I'm on the "black" team which works out well since everything in my wardrobe is pretty much black anyway. 

So when I get off at 11 today, I'm gonna run some errands and then to the barn to prep for tomorrow and discuss the plans for tomorrow. I also signed up to volunteer for a few hours. It's going to be a long exhausting weekend; especially Saturday. I ride at 9 and at 10. Sunday, I ride at 3 in the clinic. 

Should have some pics and/or video to share Monday.


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## phantomhorse13

Have a blast at the show!!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @phantomhorse13


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## PoptartShop

Aww have a good time at the show girl!


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## Skyseternalangel

Best of luck, can't wait to see an update!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Good luck at the show!! Hope all goes well. Can't wait to hear how it went.


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## frlsgirl

You might say the show was a success:










Highest scores I've ever received for both tests; the blue ribbon in Intro C was a given as I was the only entry; there were a total of 3 AAs for Intro B so I actually earned that one, lol. I'm sure glad I decided to do one last training ride Friday because Ana was NOT going anywhere near that trailer/judge's booth. It took 40 minutes of hand walking and riding before she was finally totally relaxed, standing next to it, with her head hanging.

Did I mention that we also won a high point award? I'm not quite sure how the math works on those but we won so that was cool:










Here is our gift bag; lead rope, sponges, and a horse pin:










Here is a pic from our Intro C ride:










Even though I was tired after all that, I decided to volunteer for the afternoon shift; it was a great learning experience and I made some new contacts in the Dressage world. Yesterday, we had the clinic with Laurie. We learned some new tricks to get Ana's canter more forward in the up transition; she likes to suck back which then makes it difficult to get a nice canter going. I was exhausted from all that cantering so I asked Laurie if she would like to ride her and she finally agreed, yay! They struggled for a bit before Ana finally started to relax and stretch down into contact:










Watching them struggle made me realize how tricky Ana really is to ride; I've been riding her for 2.5 years now so I've really adjusted myself to her and whatever we are doing seems to be working because her scores are going up and she seems happy, relaxed and healthy. It was great to work with Laurie again; she has so much knowledge and was very impressed with our progress since our last lesson in 2015. I'm really looking forward to the adult rider camp in November where Laurie and 2 other experts will be teaching us all weekend long.


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## PoptartShop

YAYYY!! Great job!  Glad you had a good time at the show! Go Ana & you of course!!!! That's so awesome! Nice gifts too!


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## frlsgirl

Here is our Intro B test. Funny points to note: Ana pooped at C and Laurie (the judge) said "I see how she feels about me" lol. Also, after I salute Laurie, Ana drops her head and raises it again making it look like she's also saluting Laurie:






Here is Intro C. I was mostly worried about this test because the day before her canter was still sketchy; I was trying to figure out what I would do if she didn't canter. She did. When asked. Correct lead. Sure she was tense and fell in on the circle; if I had corrected her falling in then she would have stopped cantering and right now we are working on baby steps; canter when asked and stop cantering when asked. Extra brownie points for correct lead  Funny points to note: Hello random spider at beginning of the video and who the heck is this random guy with random baby? I have no idea but they seemed to enjoy watching


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## greentree

Congratulations!!!!! I will watch the videos later, but you look AWESOME in the pictures!!!!


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## phantomhorse13

Congrats!! You must be thrilled to see all your hard work creating results.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks guys; yes I'm stoked! I'm still trying to come down from horse show high, lol. Back to the real world I guess. It was just so much fun to spend an entire weekend with Ana. I'm giving her a couple of days off since she worked 3 days straight and she was pretty frazzled after the ride with Laurie. I think when I ride her next, we are going to just do a relaxed trail ride to help her re-calibrate and do lots of carrot stretches; her hind end muscles were pretty tight by Saturday; I guess every day is leg day for horses.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Congratulations on the show success! That's excellent! Also glad you were able to ride with Laurie and get a lesson in. I'm glad you guys are doing well together and also glad you've found a program that makes Miss Ana happy!


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## frlsgirl

So here is a video of the clinic; it wouldn't let me upload the whole thing so I had to cut it down to 9 minutes; fast forward to to about the 5 minute mark; that's where the action starts:






She had me do this exercise to get a really good push into the canter transition as she tends to suck back; this exercise was really exhausting especially considering that it was 88 degrees with high humidity. 

Start with normal trot down the long side to first cone, then leg yield to second cone, then lengthen stride by posting really high at the next cone and then as I turn the corner, ask for the canter; so it wasn't so much about sustaining the canter or getting a really good canter going, it was more about the up transition. I hate my position in this video; oddly Laurie complimented me on that and said I had come a long way; she didn't even make a single tweak to my position which is usually the first thing she does. Anyway, I feel like I'm just really hunched over because I was so very exhausted.


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## phantomhorse13

I didn't see any hunching. I did see you in what looked to be a more allowing almost-forward seat in a couple places.. but that makes sense to me if you are trying to get Ana to move forward!

Dressage makes me tired in general - so much work! - so the weather would just be icing on the cake.

I think you need to take what your instructor told you to heart and try not to over-analyze your position. IMO, better to be slightly shoulders ahead on a forward-moving horse than sitting ramrod straight on one all sucked back and not wanting to go.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @*phantomhorse13* ! When we go to the adult rider camp, we will have a couple of sessions with a biomechanics coach so I'm sure we can address any imbalances then. It's just funny if you watch me ride from the very beginning to the end, I start out really perfect and upright and by the end of the ride my shoulders are more rounded and I'm sitting more forward, like the leaning tower or Pisa


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> It's just funny if you watch me ride from the very beginning to the end, I start out really perfect and upright and by the end of the ride my shoulders are more rounded and I'm sitting more forward, like the leaning tower or Pisa


That could be. We are always our own worst critics.

Now, go watch it again and look only at ANA. What difference do you see from beginning to end?


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> That could be. We are always our own worst critics.
> 
> Now, go watch it again and look only at ANA. What difference do you see from beginning to end?


Hmmm, more engaged and forward trot and canter is looking a little better/lighter.


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## phantomhorse13

Exactly! 

:runninghorse2:


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## PoptartShop

You guys look great!!!


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## knightrider

Congratulations on your show!
This month's Equus has a great article about Morgans by Deb Bennett. I love the way she writes and I couldn't wait to read the article because I love Morgans. I hope you can read it.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @knightrider and @PoptartShop.

Knightrider - someone else was telling me about it; I'll need to pick up a copy asap!


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## frlsgirl

I had some time to review the rest of the video footage. My goodness we did canter a lot. No wonder I was so exhuasted. I actually got a semi decent canter picture:










And I found another good one of Laurie and Ana on my GoPro:










In other news; Lou's stitches didn't heal right from the last surgery so he had to go back and have another surgery on his gums; the food keeps leaking into his sinuses causing some pretty serious sneezing fits and infection in this mouth.

Here he is taking a nap after surgery under Sadie's watchful eye:










Also, I'm going to the barn tonight to ride my pony! Yay!


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## PoptartShop

Love it! Awww, I hope Lou heals asap! <3 So cute, Sadie's protecting him!

Have a good ride tonight. Ahhhh I can't wait to go to the barn either!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @PoptartShop; like your signature line says "ride more, worry less!"


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## SwissMiss

Congrats again on the successful show! Ana and you look great together!

And the comment about riding a "short horse/pony"? :eek_color:

I hear similar stuff when people learn I ride a Peruvian: "Oh, you ride a gaited horse? You don't need to know how to ride then!"

Even my riding instructor told me when I got Raya that it was a pity, because I will loose all my core strength and balanced seat riding only a gaited horse. :confused_color:


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## frlsgirl

Yes the horse world is not lacking opinionated people @SwissMiss; I just smile, collect my ribbons, and ride on


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## Mulefeather

Congratulations on your show!! All that hard work is paying off  

And some people just do not know when to stop talking, apparently! I feel as though the horse world has given me endless patience - I mean, it's that, or you hit somebody with a shovel :lol:.


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## frlsgirl

I took Ana for a trail ride Wednesday night; she seemed to really appreciate that. Funny thing happened - I always mount in the indoor and then open gate and go outside. This time I left the gate open since I knew that we were going for a trail ride; my butt barely hit the saddle and Ana had already turned around and was heading for the gate. It's like she wanted to make extra sure that we were going outside; can't take any unnecessary risks, lol.


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## PoptartShop

LOL that is a riot! I do the same- always mount on the indoor then go outside & open the gate. She was probably like...LET'S GO WOMAN!! LOL


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad you and Miss Ana are doing so well and cantering a lot more! That's really awesome! I know that has been difficult for you guys and it's coming together. Congratulations!

Though I hope Lou starts to feel better and things go better for him, his sister looked worried. Poor guys though hopefully he feels better soon.


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## frlsgirl

Spent lots of time with Ana this weekend!

Friday, I just wanted to give her a good grooming, stretching and let her hand graze a bit. I discovered this on her shoulder:










BO thinks it's a love bite from BF Willard; looks more like she scraped up against something sharp. I'm treating it with Argan oil.

Looking all smooth and pretty after her make-over:










She enjoyed handgrazing among the other barn critters:



















Remember the abscess from May that left a crack in her hoof? Look how far it has grown out already:










Saturday we had a party lesson:



















She was her usual cuddly self:










Sunday the weather turned from summer to fall; I ended up just doing grooming/stretching/groundwork with her; the BO had texted me and was concerned about the mark on her shoulder so I wanted to put more ointment on it anyway, it hasn't gotten bigger but the oil has softened the rough brownish skin which makes it look more pink and therefore bigger now. 

She seemed really happy to see me:










And didn't mind posing for pictures (excuse the weird comb over; I was waiting for the ointment to dry):



















Since the weather was so crappy yesterday I spent some extra time on my computer and found this old video of us practicing for our first IntroB test in March 2015:






Crazy how much we've improved, ey? We got a 61 something for our first Intro B; compared to 67.8 for last week's test. So we are moving in the right direction. I knew those 5 tetra bites of Ana videos would be worth keeping (much to husband's dismay who can't figure out why the computer is running so slow).

I'm planning on riding Ana tonight; we will probably do some more schooling. The next show is 12 days away!


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## PoptartShop

Awww glad Ana's abcess is going away!  Another show? YESSSS!!! Go girl!! Well, GIRLS! 

You guys look better & better each time! She's sucha cuddlebug. That's so adorable.


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## frlsgirl

Yep; fall show season is in full swing @PoptartShop  After the 10/8 show, we have rider camp in November, and then the final show of the year in December. I might skip the December show, depending on weather and finances. It's been an expensive year; abscess treatment, joint injections, saddle fitting, chiro, lessons, shows, membership fees - I will need to sell some tack or something so that I can afford stuff again. I made an impulse buy last night; Manolo Mendez in-hand program was on sale for $40, so yeah, that didn't help, lol.


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## frlsgirl

So this happened:










It started to innocently; I woke up Saturday morning with a couple of itchy spots; this one on my arm and one on my stomach; well the one on my arm morphed into the above picture yesterday so I left work early to go to urgent care. The doc said it could have been a blister beetle which freaks me out because if we have blister beetles at the barn that would be a very bad thing for the horses. He said we will likely never know for sure what bit me but it's definitely infected so he called in an RX of antibiotics for me. 

Since the urgent care clinic is kind of close to the barn, I decided to go riding and pick up my RX later:

It was such a beautiful fall day; perfect for riding in the outdoor. but first we had to clean up some barrels that Ana was concerned about:










We trotted some:










We also cantered a lot and took lots of stretch breaks in between:










The canter is getting better; I can get much better up transitions and more power overall; I didn't spend as much time warming up and did notice that her canter was a bit lateral; so next time I'll make sure I do the full warm-up so that I can get her to bend in her body a little better. But I'm not having to hold her together so much with my legs anymore so that is a big improvement; I just set her up, ask for the transition, and off we go. Before it was, ask for transition, keep asking, keep squeezing to keep her from falling apart and then fall apart after a few strides and take a stretch break because we were both exhausted. She's still doing the ear pinning and an occasional head shake which makes me think there is still a mental block there and perhaps some physical strain so I'm trying to decide if it's just exercise induced discomfort or something else. Karen Rohlf had mentioned that in one of her videos, that if the horse is feeling strain in the left hind for example, you'll see the corresponding ear kind of tip that way and can result in a full head shake. Laurie and the vet had both recommended a bute trial for 3 days to see if the ear pinning goes away because that would indicate a pain response. Ana is very animated with her ears in general which makes me lean toward a mental thing. 

Anyway, I only rode for 30 minutes because my arm was bothering me so I needed to get home and pick up my RX. Planning on riding again Wednesday.


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## frlsgirl

My arm is feeling and looking better. I had some more time to pull stills from Monday's session; this is so cute; Ana says "Barrels?!? You didn't say there would be barrels!" lol
She didn't mind the barrels when they were spread throughout the arena but when the BO stacked them up in the corner, Ana became highly suspicious:










My favorite trot picture:










And another updated topline development picture:










I'm still hoping to ride tonight.


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## SwissMiss

She looks like a completely different horse! Awesome!


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## carshon

She is just breath taking!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies 

I rode Ana at sunset yesterday which me for some awesome lighting #bloodbay










I got invited to a big trail ride with potluck Saturday; I'm not sure that I'm going to go; it involves water obstacles and it's only a week before the next show. I don't want her to get hurt; especially with iffy footing. Plus if DH is home he will not be happy if I disappear for an entire day to go play with pony. I might just take a solo trail ride through the fields around the barn.


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## PoptartShop

A solo trail ride sounds like a good idea. Nothing wrong with that. 
The potluck would be fun but I'm sure you are a bit nervous because of the show coming up! Love the lighting in that photo!!


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## frlsgirl

The chiro is coming tomorrow; it's the same guy who showed me how to do the pelvic tuck exercises with her. I asked him to add me to the list; I found a weird bump on Ana's spine yesterday; hoping it's nothing. Maybe just an unfortunate insect bite. 

Ana is a right bended horse meaning that the muscles on her left side are longer and the muscles on the right are shorter, so when I bend her to the left, the tight right muscles interfere with her ability to move freely. This isn't anything unusual or cause for concern; but I've been doing exercises to loosen up that side and I'm hoping he can show me some other things I can do to really free that side up. This shows up when I ride to the left as she will bend towards the wall and fall in towards the middle of the arena unless I correct it with my inside leg. So we do a lot of sideways type movements; shoulder for, shoulder in, leg yield, TOF, TOH to help her be more ambidextrous.

I noticed yesterday that she is memorizing movements again and not really listening to my aids; I don't know why she would rather perform something from memory than simply listen to me. It's almost like "oh my God, what does she want now?!? Can we just do something that I already know?" I was trying to do something different with her and she started to offer alternating left and right bend because we do that a lot in the warmup; so we did leg yield away from the wall, half circle back to long side, leg yield away from the wall and repeat. At first she was like "Oh, my God, oh my God, something new, I hate new things!" but once she got over that she actually did well. I guess we are more alike then I would like to admit; I also hate change. We finished with TOF going both directions with lots of praise in between; TOF left is kind of sketchy so she gets all uptight and closed off so I stopped and praised her a lot. You can almost see her go from "Oh God, I hate this, this is stupid" to "hey, I did it, and I'm a good girl...yeah, I AM a good girl" lol. I'll have to load a video so you can see the transformation.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Wow what a difference in Ana's topline! She looks like a new horse. She's looking good, I'm glad you guys are having some solid rides and getting better and better canter work. But a trail ride sounds nice. 

And I hope the chiropractor helps with Miss Ana and lets you know about the bump on her back. And glad Ana's enjoying her job and you feel good about her enjoying it too.


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## frlsgirl

Wow; it's been an eventful weekend! 

I had a good ride Friday:











Afterwards, I hung around the barn for a bit because I got Ana on the list for the monthly chiro visit. 



We played with black background photography; of course she had her eyes closed in the best shot:












We also did some liberty work and carrot stretches:










She seems to enjoy that the most and wasn't ready for it to be over 










So I let her hand graze for a bit:










And made a new friend:










And hung out with the other barn critters:










So then the chiro finally arrived.

He said that her pelvis was all locked up again and that's why she pins her ears, swishes her tail and gets tense. When he pushed down in her SI region she grunted and when he adjusted her pelvis she literately screamed out. I've never heard her audibly release like that before. 

He recommended that I continue with the carrot stretches and pelvic tuck exercises. I was hoping he had an additional exercise to show me but he just recommended that I do light riding tomorrow and baby step her back to full functionality by next Saturday. 

So starting the next day, it's loose rein walk and trot. No canter. No lateral work. By Tuesday reintroduce the canter. Thursday reintroduce lateral work. Saturday back to normal. 

He wanted her to move around a bit after her adjustment so I hand walked her through the arena for 20 minutes. I could tell Ana was still really affected by the adjustments. Her eyes looked weird, like she had checked out for a minute and was slowly coming back. She even pooped twice and peed once. All in a 20 minute walk!

I hope the adjustment sticks this time! I realize that the muscles need to adjust as well otherwise she will pull herself out of alignment again. So we will really watch our biomechanics and baby step our way back!


So then Saturday, we went for a light hack around the property; we only walked and trotted a bit.











I also bought her a massager thingy that I tried out on her; anything to keep her muscles from pulling the skeleton out of alignment again:






We also did her normal stretches and pelvic tuck exercises.

Sunday I wasn't feeling well so I just hand walked her, let her graze for a bit, and repeated our normal stretch/massage/tuck routine.

Tonight, it's arena work; walk/trot only, incorporating large bending lines. Tomorrow we reintroduce Canter. Wednesday is rest day/hand walk day. Thursday is arena work day again W/T/C and we will reintroduce a bit of lateral work. Friday we will actually practice for our test W/T/C and Saturday is the show.


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## carshon

I am sorry if you posted it before you can go over the pelvic tuck? My new horse has a very weak and bony topline. Looks like many years of poor fitting saddles. I am currently riding her in a wide tree with a lot of padding and have seen some improvement but am looking of suggestions on filling the rest of her top line in.


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## frlsgirl

@carshon - I found a video on YouTube that explains the pelvic tuck exercise:






I do it a little different in that I run two combs diagonally up Ana's hind so that I get a full pelvic tuck. I've tried to film myself doing the exercise but it's kind of hard to see.

Also, regarding building the topline, the pelvic tuck may help but what ultimately caused Ana to develop the topline is moving correctly bio-mechanically when riding her; so carrot stretches and pelvic tuck exercises may help your horse move more correctly but it's only one piece of the puzzle. I make sure that Ana is aligned correctly, that the saddle fits her correctly, that she is pushing from behind into my hand and that I'm not carrying her head for her; she has to carry her own head. You will notice that the bottom of the neck will suddenly bloom when the horse is carrying itself correctly; when you look down on the neck, the bottom will get big and it will look narrower on top. I hope this helps.


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## frlsgirl

Oh, I just found this really good illustration of a correctly developed neck:

Develop Your Dressage Horse's Topline | Dressage Today

Ana's still needs to fill out more at the base of the withers; that part was completely hollow for the longest time because the saddle was pinching the withers; you can see Ana's neck "bloom" really well in this pictures when Laurie rode her (although she is a bit low here):










Or here where I'm riding her; note that Ana is carrying herself here as evidenced by light contact:










But back to Ana's rehab....last night was walk/trot only; loose rein and contact. She was confused and kept trying to offer me other things like lateral work and at one point pinned her ears and tried to pick up a canter in the canter corner of the arena. Silly girl. I was pressed for time so no video or picks; she just got a quick grooming and carrot stretches; no pelvic tucks or massage. Hoping to have more time tonight; we are re-introducing canter work.


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## frlsgirl

*Can we talk about training horses in general?*

I would like to think that I'm training Ana well but I'm wondering what ingredients make a well trained Dressage horse?

I make sure she goes off a light leg aid; if she doesn't respond when asked she gets a tap with the whip. I then re-test to make sure she understands why she got corrected. This goes for up transitions as well as maintaining the gait that she's in. This one is tough because sometimes I find myself getting suckered into maintaining her gait for her.

I make sure she steers off the outside rein; this one is a tough one because I just learned about this a year or so ago. So when I do training rides on her I make it very clear to her that I want her to turn off the outside rein; even if that means I have to exaggerate the aid and put a loop in the inside rein. This one can be tough when she drops the shoulder so that's also a red flag for me that she is too much OTF.

Circling off my spiral seat; I make sure she listens to my "spiral" which she is usually pretty good about. Laurie helped me train this with cones when I very first got her.

Whoa! I make sure she understands both the word and the aid, so I use them together a lot; and then I remove the verbal to test the aid by itself.

Yielding the hind end; I make sure I can displace her hind quarters in whatever direction I want; this works well at the halt and walk; trotting and cantering is still sketchy and met with a lot of resistance.

Leg yielding; she basically has the concept down but wants to lead with her shoulders and when walking and when trotting she can get tense first before she relaxes.

Carrying herself: This is new for us; I will not carry her head when we are trotting; she needs to do that herself.

Basic vocabulary: She knows "and" which is like a half halt, and she knows walk, trot and canter. The previous owners taught her what whoa means. 

Cantering: she understands the aid, anticipates and canters on the correct lead when asked. She's getting better about maintaining it without constant reinforcement on my part. I can steer while cantering but it's not as exact as walk or trot. She can do a really nice down transition if I combine the verbal aid with a seat aid. I can't do much else with it right now; I can't supple her because she interprets that as whoa; I basically leave her alone and let her canter hoping that this will help her find her balance. I recently started Walk/Canter/Walk transitions and that appears to be helping her somewhat; it also helps to make her trot nicely after cantering BEFORE I bring her back to a walk and let her stretch. I'm cantering her for the first time since chiro adjustment tonight so I'm curious to see if there is a difference.

Back: she understands the verbal cue combined with the aid/gesturing from both the ground and under saddle; I can't use the cue's independently yet; she still needs both to make sense of them.

Exposure: I try to expose her to as many situations as possible; trailering her to different places, introducing her to new critters, and things.

Mounting block: she's getting better standing at the mounting block as long as the gate is closed; if the gate is open she tries to sneak out as quickly as possible. She's kind of a fidgety horse in general so I suppose that will always show up in different ways; like trying to sneak out the gate when mounting, mouthing and exploring everything, trying to pull her lead rope loose when tied so that she can sniff/eat things, trying to eat grass while mounting outside.

The previous owners gave her a pretty good start as grooming, farrier, vet etc has never been a problem.

What am I forgetting? What else does she need to know?


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## frlsgirl

We had a really good ride last night. Her :gallop:is much improved; although I only have a weird angled picture to prove it. Note that I didn't photoshop her ears; they are actually pointing forward because she had just spotted Prince in being ridden up on the hill:









Her trot is always so lovely after we canter:










Of course we did a lot of walk work as well; we are working on going into contact. In my efforts to get her lighter up front, she now wants to back off the bit completely so if she feels contact she interprets it as whoa. We are actively working on fixing that.



















And watched the sunset together (well, I was watching the sunset; she was watching Prince):










When I unsaddled her I noticed that the bump is back; it's so strange because it was gone when the chiro was here and now it's back:










Weird right? Could it be an insect bite? It doesn't seem to bother her.

As I finished untacking her, I kept hearing commotion coming from the stall in the corner. It's a new horse! A 4 year old Gypsy Vanner who is very unhappy about being stalled. She's been doing spins in her stall, dumping out the water bucket and trying to break out by crawling through the gap between the stall door and floor. So BO came up with a way to block her in:










Apparently they found her running around the property the night before; I wouldn't be surprised if BO tells owner to come pick her up, if she doesn't settle down soon. Ana seems rather entertained by her; watches her with great interest as she munches on her hay.


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## SaddleUp158

Mia has gotten those bumps, and the saddle fitter said it is just part of the process of her gaining strength and learning to keep her back up. Once she is using her back better those should go away. Something to do with the effect of the saddle/pad and movement. Her bump shows up after a ride and is gone by the time our next ride comes around.


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## frlsgirl

@SaddleUp158 - Oh, thank you so much for letting me know. I thought I was losing my mind because one day it was there, then it was gone again and now it's back!


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> @SaddleUp158 - Oh, thank you so much for letting me know. I thought I was losing my mind because one day it was there, then it was gone again and now it's back!


Nope, I thought the same thing as you. Bug bites? No...they weren't there before our ride. Next day, oh good the bumps are gone...after ride, why are they back?


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## frlsgirl

We stopped by the barn last night so that I could grab her saddle pads and blanket and get them cleaned. Of course we had to stop by her stall and say hi to her. She's so stinking cute; she likes to stand on her tippy toes so that she can get her head over the stall door and then she whinnies at us like "I'm down here mom! Just follow my whinny!"










I checked her spine and the bump is gone again  I'm going to ride her the next 3 days so I'm sure the bump will magically reappear.


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## frlsgirl

When I pulled into the parking lot Friday, I finally captured Ana making out with her BF Will:










It had stormed the night before so I was eager to see if there was any flooding in the barn; it was a little muddy but not too bad:










I wanted to run through some elements of the test including centerlines; she ended up tripping pretty bad at X which worried me because I thought maybe she hurt herself and might be lame the next day. So I took her in the wash stall which is a whole exercise in itself and cold hosed her legs:


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## frlsgirl

All things considered, the show went pretty well Saturday. No sign of lameness. She trailered well with Jill, a new to her trailer buddy, in my friend’s trailer which is also new to her. The show grounds were just breathtaking – I had been there before for a saddle fitting clinic so I was familiar with the barn. As a matter of fact, when I moved Ana, I had called that barn first but they didn’t call me back until after I had already committed to the barn she’s at now. The current barn works out better anyway, because Ana gets a lot more personal attention and it’s a shorter driving distance. Plus the BO is awesome; you really can’t go wrong with a great BO.


So we arrive there just in time for the lunch break which gave us plenty of opportunity to get ready and hand-walk Ana in the show ring. Silly me, I thought the show ring was in the covered arena so I wore all black and long sleeves; turns out it was outside. I was already overheated as I was hand walking Ana through the show ring; I noticed that they had that fancy all weather footing which I had always been curious about. I feels very cushy when you walk on it. Ana seemed fine, of course she peed in the middle of the arena as she seems to be forever in season.


I spent some time trying to cool myself off by sitting in the truck with the AC blasting and drinking water. I ended up only having 15 minutes to warm up Ana because I spent too much time putzing around with other things.


So we get to the ring, the buzzer sounds and I pick up a trot; holy granola – what was is noise? It turns out the black chunks in the footing is not cut up rubber, it’s gravel! So with each trot step we took, chunks of rock pelleted the railing. Needless to say we were not lacking “forward”, lol. It wasn’t our worst performance but it wasn’t our best performance either. The judge was very complimentary of Ana but had less than flattering things to say about me, that’s fine. We got the scores we needed to advance to year end championships, we got a new experience under our belt and we got some nice still shots from the video footage my friend recorded for me. Plus since I did most of Ana’s Dressage training, she was in a roundabout way complimenting me, lol.


Intro B: 63.75% - 3rd place out of 3 or 4
Intro C: 60.5% - 1st place out of 1; the other person scratched


She loved Ana’s stretchy walk and kept raving on about it in the comments section: 7.5!
































































































Of course she got to wear her tiara for being such a good sport about everything:


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## frlsgirl

I saw Ana last night; she was chowing down on a fresh flake of hay so she wasn't too excited to see me, although she did squeeze out a little nicker in between stuffing her face.

I'm trying to cut my weekday visits shorter so I won't be filming and I won't be riding for very long. The plan is to arrive there at 5; be on her by 5:30 at the very latest and dismount by 5:50 at the latest so that I can be in my car by 6 and home by 6:30 for dinner. So if I can get her groomed and ready faster, that would allow me a longer ride. Yesterday was a test run. Since she worked so hard last week, I decided a quick trail ride was in order. As I was getting her tacked up, I was thinking how lucky I am to have such an easy going horse that I never have to lunge before getting on. 

So I get on her at 5:25 and she's in a hurry. I figured she would settle down once she realized we were going trail riding, but nope. It was like riding a bomb that could explode at any given moment. I even considered an emergency dismount when we got to the top of the hill because she froze and had this "I'm getting ready to explode; you have 10 seconds to get to safety" stance. I didn't feel like walking back so I managed to talk her out of exploding. But let me tell you, that was a close call. Since she had so much energy to burn I used that opportunity to trot up the hill several times except she wanted to gallop; after going up and down about 5 times she finally settled down a little. 

So I took her to the other field which is a little more spooky and all she wanted to do there is eat grass. I figured I let her build up her usual wad and then we can continue. We continued on and reached a nice patch of grass and Ana tried to rudely rip the reins from me so we had a little talk about that. She wasn't allowed to eat again until I invited her. That really ticked her off; stomping around like a 3 year old who had just lost her game boy privileges. It was about time to dismount so I turned her towards the arena where she spotted BO with wheelbarrow and that really freaked her out. I carefully navigated her to a safe spot on the grass while talking to her where I safely dismounted.

Wow! Talk about eating my words/thoughts. She's not usually this cray cray but the cooler temps combined with a day off from work have really put a pep in her step. So I guess this means "Summer Ana" is gone and "Winter Ana" is back. "Summer Ana" is great for trail riding but "Winter Ana" is better for arena work.

Hoping to do arena work Wednesday.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm really happy to hear you and Ana had such a good show weekend. She looks like she's improved a lot since the last show. Kudos! Glad you had a good time together. I LOVE her tiara. That is excellent. This is dressage, a sense of humor is a must!

The girls can be so dramatic about not getting their way sometimes. It's pretty funny. But certainly, sometimes adjusting to temperature change can make them a little hot or anxious, just depends. Dante was pretty hot to ride during winter. Some days, it's just patience but glad it sounds like even though it wasn't the best ride and maybe made you nervous that you were able to work through it and build confidence in each other as a team.


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night - OMG she was on FIRE! Super impatient and forward like she hasn't been since when I first got her. 

I wanted to start with our normal neck bending exercise from the ground but she decided that she can do them by herself and dramatically flung her head left and right and then leaned in for a treat. I was like, "um ok, that's not really how this works Ana!"

Then while mounting she decided she was ready to go before I could get on so she dragged me for a couple of steps and stopped, turned her head and said "what are you doing down there?" So we went back to the mounting block and practiced putting weight in the stirrup without running off; it seemed to make her more antsy so I quickly swung my leg over and off we went. This is the first time that she actually dragged me; I mean I was still upright, with one foot in the stirrup and the other one dragging on the ground. She's never been rock solid on the mounting block but I could always judge the situation but this time she just took off so fast there was no time to react.

Half embarrassed and half excited I remarked to my friend who was riding her Arab in the arena and watching the whole thing "maybe I should have lunged her first!"

Holy cow, we had a great ride. She was so forward and full of herself. At one point, we had to pass the Arab gelding on a circle, and Ana pinned her ears at him "Grrr, my circle, my arena!" 

Her canter was fantastic but I had to shut it down once to avoid colliding with the Arab; so I took her to the other end of the arena where I knew I could let her canter for a while without the risk of running into Arab. It was great. When I asked her to transition back to trot she dramatically cantered on the spot and then glided into trot. We ended up doing right lead twice and left lead only once. I'm more comfortable with the left lead; I've always felt more coordinated cantering left, probably because my right side is dominant and that's the side that cues the canter depart.

Anyway, so we called it quits after that as I'm trying to get home at a decent time for dinner. She seemed like she could have kept going forever; she was still high-headed and antsy as I led her back to the barn and made sure I didn't forget to give her carrots.


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## phantomhorse13

LOL, gotta love a mare!


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## PoptartShop

LOL such attitude! Bahahah. She's adorable.
Glad you had a great ride!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Glad you had a good ride, despite Ana having ants in her pants. I think the changing weather hypes up some horses. I guess winter Ana will be very enthusiastic!


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## frlsgirl

Speaking of changing weather, now we are back to warm and windy.

So this made for a spooky ride Friday; we were by ourselves in the creaky covered arena. We started with our usual ground work:










She was very up and alert:










We did manage to get some nice trot work done:










And finished with stretchy trot:










We finished with some liberty work:



















Saturday was even windier so I decided to ride outside. Ana was very aware of the pokemons on the premises:










But we still got some nice trot and canter work done in between spooking here and there:



















So I stopped to let her look at stuff:










And we looked at more stuff once I dismounted:










On a positive note, we progressed in our canter work; we picked up the canter on the longside rather than in a corner. We cantered right, transitioned to trot, changed direction, cantered on the other lead, trotted again and called it quits. This is kind of a big deal since we started out not cantering and progressed to cantering for a few strides and then immediately breaking into a stretchy walk. From there we progressed to trotting nicely after cantering and then breaking into a loose rein walk, and then finally from canter to trot, to a nice walk and then loose rein walk. So we ARE progressing. Her canter isn't as bouncy as it was before injections, and she's not picked up the wrong lead in a really long time. She doesn't need a corner to pick it up anymore. She picks it up easier and keeps it going a lot better. 

The only two big problems still are her anticipating and her balance at the canter. It's still high headed and tense and she drops the inside shoulder if you try to circle. I was able to work on the shoulder dropping problem by lifting the inside rein but it caused her to be more tense. I'm not really able to adjust her balance once we are cantering or she will just break into a trot. However once she's cantered for a couple of strides, her balance improves slightly even without me doing anything. So it's like a catch 22; let her canter in bad balance or fix her balance and sacrifice the canter. She does seem to adjust herself after a few strides which kind of makes me think I need to leave her alone and let her work it out. So I'm not sure what to do; I've just been praising her for picking up the canter promptly even though it doesn't look good; but responsiveness is so important; can't do anything will dull horse. 

The way I see it I have 2 options: continue as I have been making tiny adjustments like lifting my inside hand and letting her work out the rest knowing that she's cantering in bad balance which could potentially create undesirable muscle memory. Or I can be super forceful about the balance requirements and risk her not cantering at all and losing her confidence and creating more tension, hoping that she will soon realize it's not necessary to be so tense and end up with a beautiful balanced canter at the end.

I feel like a pro would pick option 2; especially someone who doesn't know Ana well. Option 1 seems less confrontational but I don't know how much damage I'm doing by letting her work it out very slowly and incrementally. 

I guess that's the difference between a pro and and ammie; a pro always knows what to do and gets it done, where as an ammie like me chooses the path of least resistance by default.

I'm going to Dressage camp next month and I'm hoping I can get some of my questions and concerns answered. In the meantime I'm working on getting myself fit and healthy so that I have the stamina to work on our issues; I've been running every morning for the last three days and I've been planking every day. I'm starting Paleo to get my blood sugar and weight under control.

But there is always time to have a little fun so yesterday our friends brought their daughter over to meet Ana and learn about grooming, leading and riding:



















side note: Ana was all about that pink helmet; she probably thought it was something to eat lol


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think there is a mixture of both. A time to address head on and a time to gradually make adjustments. You can't fix everything at once. It depends on the horse.

I think you'll work it out. I know for myself riding youngsters whose rhythm, focus, and balance is kinda everywhere (they need a lot of help, like Dev wanted to run away with me at trot and canter). His canter is hard to ride because he likes to suck back in his neck so much (he does the same on the lunge line but worse) that you're constantly sending him out to the bit while trying to ride him up so he doesn't suck back, it's a lot of make an effective correction and leave him alone, make an effective correction and leave him alone and it might not be perfect all at once but there are break through moments and it gets better step by step. If you mechanically try to put all the parts in the right spot and hold it together they don't learn to do it for themselves or shut down, so I understand the dilemma and playing around with what works for you and Ana and what doesn't. But I think you guys will work it out and you're doing the right thing, encouraging her responsiveness and building her confidence, then working with her balance but not being forceful about it. I think rhythm helps with balance and balance helps with confidence and security. I'm not sure if that's helpful or not but something to think about. 

It sounds like you've made a lot of progress and had some really good moments. her stretchy trot picture looks amazing! She looks really happy and pleased with herself!


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## frlsgirl

Yeah that's a good point about how rhythm, balance and confidence all relate to each other.

I re-instated my Dressage Mastery membership yesterday because on the the new "reloaded" program, they show the progression of a young horse from first day of arena work to 6 months of consistent work. I happened to see the episode that I needed to see the most; working on balance at the canter; Natasha said "fix it, leave him alone, fix it, leave him alone" eventually he can go well for 2 strides before you have to fix, then 3 and so on. But let me tell you it ain't pretty! It's so helpful to see the resistance you have to work through to get somewhere, and knowing when you have reached their limit. At one point the pad and liner came flying out from under the saddle and they expected him to buck, but he didn't however when he came across them he freaked because they hadn't been there before. So it was interesting to see how they worked through that and then when they decided to call it quits because he had had enough. Natasha also said that if you don't get resistance then you're doing it wrong because you are asking the horse to do something that is new and uncomfortable so resistance is expected.

So I think I'm going to try that with Ana, fix, leave alone, fix leave alone; the problem with Ana is that she freaks out about pressure and so when I try to put aids on she goes "Oh my God, what the heck is that? I can't handle it!" 

Here is Ana losing her shiitake because Laurie asked her to bend in the rib cage:





































Yet 5 minutes later:



















So Ana will put up quite a fight if she thinks it's not possible; but Laurie just waited her out patiently and got some good results. Our rides don't get this ugly but our results aren't as great either. However, towards the end of the 15 minute ride Ana started to shut down and couldn't remember anything; she forgot basic things like yielding away from pressure; her eyes had glazed over and she had checked out mentally. When I ride her she doesn't reach the point of shutting down. So it's a delicate balancing act; put on too much pressure and you get a few minutes of fighting followed by a few minutes of glory followed by a horse that shuts down. If you just go along quietly, you don't fight too much, you don't get too much glory and the horse never shuts down but progress is slowww.

On a lighter note, I was going through some more video footage and I found this lovely collected walk pic; I was walking to next to BO on her horse so since I was on the inside track I had to go way slow to stay by her side which led to this nice collected walk picture:










And I also found this really nice trot picture:


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## frlsgirl

I'm just noticing this..check out Ana's tail in the above pictures; maybe I should rename this thread "The many adventures of Ana's tail" lol.


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## phantomhorse13

She's a mare.. she will make her opinion known!


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night. She was not into the whole riding thing and she had to have the last word; this is possibly the most stubborn she's ever been under saddle. As soon as we walked in the arena she had to pee; that should have been a clue. She seemed calm and lazy yet spooky. Even her stretchy walk was just so so.










It was hard to get her really forward and through. Plus it seemed like she was making decisions for us although I can't prove it. Like I would think that we should walk when we get to the next corner and she would walk before I had a chance to tell her with my aids. Which left me wondering if my thoughts are translating into tiny aids that only Ana can feel, or was she just thinking the same thing and made the decision for us. So I couldn't really correct her on it since I wasn't sure. 

So I wanted to try something a different: shoulder in at the walk even though it wasn't going to be perfect and after we completed two long sides on both reins, I picked up a trot and told myself that we are going straight down the long side while keeping the feeling of a shoulder in without actually doing a shoulder in. Something magical happened in her body and she started to go really well for me; usually I can capture an occasional awesome stride here and there but she actually went down the entire long side perfectly awesome with each stride. I guess by keeping the feeling of shoulder in without actually doing a shoulder in I was able to capture her perfectly between my inside leg and outside rein. When I "try" to get her between the leg and rein it doesn't happen but by just keeping the feeling it actually happened. I don't know else to explain it so I hope it makes sense.










I didn't want to overdo it and needed to work on other stuff anyway so we took a break and then proceeded to do loops and bending lines at trot. Suddenly Ana decided she no longer turns to the right. She just flat out refused to listen to my turning aids so we had to have a little talk; and then we tested and retested to make sure she was willing to listen before moving on to canter work on a circle; the left was fine, the right, you guessed it, she refused to turn. So I brought her back to a trot and we talked about it some more and tested and re-tested. Just to be sure she was really getting my leg and rein aids we finished with turning at the walk; TOH and backing up then going forward again. Sometimes she just tunes out and then when I put my aids on she's like "who, what, where?" So by keeping her busy with turning, backing and going forward she had to listen. 

And then I had to stop and praise her for actually listening.










Sorry about the terrible picture quality; the GoPro is great for daylight filming but is terrible in artificial lighting.

So when I took her back to the stall she had to pee again. Could she be in season again or still?


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## evilamc

Have you ever tried her on mare magic? I think its supposed to help regulate and moodiness lol! 

"Mare Magic supplements are an herbal remedy developed to help the moody, cranky, uncomfortable mare.
Features:

May also help your mare become more comfortable during her cycle
Contains dried Raspberry Leaf, which has been known to help alleviate the effects of hormonal changes"

Maybe she just gets really uncomfortable at that time? I think the raspberry leaves are also like a magnesium supplement? If I remember right? Could be interesting to try to see if it helps! I'm sure all of us girls here can admit to sometimes having bad cycles and needing a little help haha!!

Shes so cute though when she gets rewarded, shes like "yeahhhh I'm the best girlie everrr!" Love the pic of her giving a pony ride


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## egrogan

Good point @*evilamc* . It could be an easy thing to try with Ana. I've been giving Isabel raspberry leaves since I've owned her- one heaping tbs once daily. I buy them in bulk at my local food co-op, a $20 bag lasts me months. 

Does it actually work? Who knows. Isabel was labeled as "nervous and high-energy" before I bought her, but I think most of her mellowing out has to do with becoming a one-person horse vs. a lesson horse.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for popping it @evilamc! Yes I have heard of Moody Mare 

I have considered starting her on a mare specific supplement but I'm already giving her two other supplements so I don't know how I could work that out financially although buying raspberry leaves in bulk as @egrogan suggested may work.

She currently gets farrier's formula which I started her on after the hoof abscess and because her her mane keeps breaking off and it's supposed to just help in general with connective tissue. Then she also gets Actiflex after she flexed moderately lame in hocks and stifles. 

So I need to do some research and see how I can fit in; plus with winter coming, I'm assuming she will not cycle so it wouldn't be the best time to test a moody mare type supplement.

Her feed has also changed a little bit; she now gets half alfalfa mush and half equine senior. I'll need to sit down and figure out what vitamins/minerals/supplements she's currently getting to see what if anything she might be lacking.


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## evilamc

You should check out Jeffer's Got Hoof supplement, its pretty equivalent to Farriers Formula but half the price. Its my "go to" hoof supplement now, I've researched and researched and its hard to find something better with its price. Maybe if you switched to that you could swing the mare magic or the raspberry leaves in bulk?

Have you ever looked into feedxl? @Skyseternalangel and I share an account on there so we can plan out our horses diets. For just a month its $20 and you can run lottttts of numbers in a month.

I swear by horsetech's vitamin mineral supplements. Mine get there high point and Sky is switching to the Fuel, which is high point with a little more. I just feed that with mushy hay pellets so it all mixes in.


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## frlsgirl

Ok, so I ran some preliminary numbers on Ana's nutrition profile and it appears she's is lacking magnesium. So I might try adding a magnesium type supplement like Quiessence back into her program and see if it helps. I'll check on the other products @*evilamc* - thanks for the info.


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## PoptartShop

Mares will definitely be mares! LOL she has to be on her cycle! She's like 'nah I don't feel like it...I'm crampinggggg noooo':dance-smiley05:

Glad you guys ended the ride on a good note! Silly stubborn Ana LOL


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## evilamc

Quiessence is pretty pricey, check out magrestore! https://shop.performanceequinenutrition.com/equine/magrestore-p45.aspx. If you do their questionnaire you get free shipping too.

Or check with your feed store, you may be able to get straight magox (magnesium oxide). My old farrier did that, she'd get a 50 lb bag for I think less then $20, it lastest forever.


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## frlsgirl

I just ordered it @evilamc - thanks for the info! Got the free shipping too!


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## evilamc

Yay!!! Awesome! I hope it does help!!


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## frlsgirl

Looks like I haven’t updated in a while.

Thursday, October 20th:

I went to the barn for a quick ride. Ana seemed a little anxious so I decided to ride in the outdoor arena but needed help to get mounted because she wouldn’t stand still. She just seemed anxious yet behind my aids. At one point we were cantering down the long-side as the BO was lunging one of her project horses and Ana pinned her ears so far that there literately was no air space between her poll and her ears. 

Our ride just kind of felt unproductive; I was going through all the gears and made sure we did everything both directions evenly but it felt muddled instead of clear. That was my fault though because I should have set very clear intentions before setting foot in the stirrups. So I made myself a mental note that I needed to study up on planning rides and setting goals for each ride. 

So I get in my car to drive home and notice that my phone is lit up with text messages. Hmmm, who might that be? I turns out it was my BFF “M”; you know her as Ophelia’s mom. Well she sold Ophelia a few weeks ago because she had lost her confidence on her and had just bought this seemingly lovely little QH that she was having fun with all week; well, until Thursday. Turns out he didn’t pass his PPE; he was totally fine for 3 days but then fell completely apart on Thursday; he was so lame that he had to lean up against a hay bale to keep himself upright. When the vet came for the PPE, it turned out he had a previous suspensory injury, previous tie-back surgery, a swollen stifle, and extremely thin front soles. 

So needless to say “M” was devastated. I went straight from the barn to her house as she was all by herself balling her eyes out. So we talked for a couple of hours and tried to make sense of the situation and plans for the future. Fortunately, I had suggested a trail period to her which the previous horse owner accepted so she still had 2 more days if she wanted to return him to get her money back. As far as I know, all that went well, but she is so upset because she liked him so much and she can’t believe that she basically bought a lemon and nobody noticed anything until Thursday.

When I finally got home after 9pm, I texted my boss that I was taking Friday off and collapsed in bed.


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## frlsgirl

Friday, October 21st:

I didn’t even get out of bed until after 9am; I’m usually up at 5:45am, so sleeping til 9 felt like a real treat. I needed to get it together because I wanted to have a good productive ride on Ana so I turned on YouTube and studied videos over breakfast.

It was a beautiful day; sunny, not too warm but not too cold with only a slight breeze. I decided to ride Ana outside again, but this time I had a very clear plan of what I was looking for and I marked all our “yes” moments with a little pat on her neck. 

We worked on leg yields at the walk which we don’t always incorporate and I was very clear as to what I was looking for and what I was going to do if it didn’t go as planned. She likes to pop her shoulder and just kind of fall to the side so I decided to sacrifice rhythm for correctness, which meant stopping her completely, then moving haunches over and then going back to leg yielding; it was very hard for her because it’s so much easier to just lead with the shoulders and let your body weight just fall to the side; but since I was very clear she quickly caught on and tried her best which of course was marked with a “yes” moment, a pat and then we ended on that. 

I immediately noticed that her stretchy walk after that was awesome; her back was swinging and free and she was traveling freely forward. 


So BIG MENTAL NOTE TO MYSELF: USE LATERAL WORK TO GET HER TROUGH; DON’T BE AFRAID TO SACRIFICE RHYTHM FOR JUST A MOMENT IN ORDER TO HIGHLIGHT CORRECTNESS AS LONG AS YOU GO RIGHT BACK TO FINDING RHYTHM. 




















Lots of praise for a job well done:










Look who groundties:


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## frlsgirl

Saturday, October 22nd:


 Saturday was our big group trail ride at our friend’s 100+ acre ranch. I was nervous and didn’t RSVP until the last minute because there was talk of water obstacles and steep ravines. I’m so glad I did. The whole group warmed up in their outdoor ring before hitting the trail:











This was not a beginner trail; lots of ups and downs and part of the trail was near rail road tracks; fortunately, no water obstacles though as everything had dried out recently; Ana was all fired up and I just tried to keep her from running over all the other horses; this girl has no concept of personal space; if she can’t be in front she will be on top of all the other horses until they get out of her way. The only way to calm her down is to let her eat grass.











At one point someone said “oh, oh a train is coming” which is all I needed to hear to make an emergency dismount. No way, I was going to sit through a train rattling by. Another rider had also dismounted and was waiting with me for the train to pass. Fortunately, her horse stands still for mounting so she was able to help me back on and then she climbed back on and we continued on.











I was so happy when we returned as I really wanted to do some trot and perhaps even canter work on this nice acreage of grass. Well we got brave and cantered up the hill 5 times; I haven’t cantered in wide open spaces like this since 1989; I couldn’t stop smiling, my face hurt all night. I kept hearing “What a feeling” by Irena Cara and “I had the time of my life” from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack playing in my mind. She was so obedient; when I wanted to stop, I just told her to teerot and she gladly did.




















My co-riders couldn’t believe it either and offered to film my last canter up the hill; by then she was all out of steam so it looked a lot more controlled than the first one:







We had such a great time; afterwards we tied the horses to the trailer and had a wiener roast by the camp fire. I haven’t had this much fun since the 80s. Cantering up a grassy hill has been on my bucket list for a long time; glad I was finally able to cross it off and can’t wait to do this again. Arena work is going to seem mighty boring after this. I might have to change disciplines to fox hunting; except Ana doesn’t jump or do water. On a more realistic note, I would think that cantering in wide open spaces like this ought to help her balance at the canter when we go back to doing arena work.

Ana says "does this fly mask make my butt look big?" - yes I finally broke down and bought her one because someone told me that horses are supposed to wear them for trailering so that rocks and things that might fly into the trailer during transport can't hurt their eyes. She didn't put up too much of a fuss when I put it on so I wonder if previous owners had one for her. I got "arabian" size which seems to fit her perfectly.


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## PoptartShop

Awww great job with the leg yields!  She's so beautiful! & yay for groundties you guys are awesome!!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @PopArtShop; she isn't a 100% proficient at ground tying especially if I walk too far away from her so I needed to capture this moment so that I could show you guys how good she was


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## DanteDressageNerd

Looking good! So glad to see you and Ana out having fun. I think the gallop and hills are great for dressage horses. I'm VERY envious of the trail ride, when I lived in Oregon and Washington state I trail rode all the time but the midwest isn't so abundant in trails. It looks like loads of fun!

Also glad you had a productive ride and learned a valuable way to think about riding. Get the laterals then return to rhythm.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @DanteDressageNerd ! 

Finding good footing for cantering outdoors is challenging in Oklahoma as well but these people have a 100+ acre ranch and they keep about 10 of those perfectly manicured like a golf course so that was the perfect opportunity to let Ana stretch her legs.


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## frlsgirl

I had an educational ride yesterday. First, I arrive at the barn and Ana says "oh, hi there" whereas usually she says "MOM! MOM! MOM!" it just seemed like she was so much calmer; so I check her supplements and I see that they started her on the loading dose of magnesium "Ah ha!" This makes a lot more sense. She was totally chill. 

She even stood still for mounting. Needless to say we were lacking "forward" in our ride and her breaks worked perfectly. I only had 30 minutes to dedicate to my ride so I had originally started with our new routine but then I saw the BO was starting a lesson on one end of the arena so I halted for a second to regroup and that's when it came to me: Ana was sucking back/interpreting rein contact as halting so we needed to work on legs to hands. 

So we spent the last 15 minutes of our ride just walking working on going into the hand from my legs and once she was there trying to get her longer, deeper, rounder. It's very tricky but we are getting better at it. It's not like we get it and then have it; we reach a certain percentage of roundness, then lose a little, then gain a little back, then lose almost all of it when the BO's lesson spilled into our corner of the arena, then get it back partially etc. It's a constant work in progress.

Now I get what the judges and BO/Trainer have been saying: Ana needs to go more from legs to hands; I'm suddenly understanding this. To test the concept I halted a few times so that she could feel the difference between halting with rein contact and walking on with rein contact. Each time we halted Ana got nervous like she was expecting me to ask her something really complicated and she was trying to prepare for it.

But it felt like a really good productive session; one of those "aha" moments, that will help us progress to the next level. This is why her canter is so slow to improve during arena work. I can't really have rein contact because she interprets reins as stop or reins as trying to hold her back from what she really wants to do. I need to teach her to step through the door; she only wants to step through into wide open space; she does not want to be contained by aids. I can't wait to go back and work on this some more.


----------



## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> I haven’t had this much fun since the 80s. Cantering up a grassy hill has been on my bucket list for a long time; glad I was finally able to cross it off and can’t wait to do this again. Arena work is going to seem mighty boring after this.


Yay! Glad you had such a great time. I totally relate to this. It's how I got sucked in to swearing off the arena and embracing our "happy hacker" lifestyle. 

I definitely think you'll find Ana's canter improves if you can do more work like this outside every now and then. I can't manage to get Izzy to move the same way in the arena, but it is better than before we started hacking out so much. I think that's due to my lack of skill as a rider more than anything. She is comfortable and balanced outside, and that's what matters most to me.


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## frlsgirl

I hope we can do more outside work like this; the challenge has been finding a stretch of solid footing; we mostly walk around the barn property because the footing is just too sketchy; sometimes the BO mows a small stretch going up the West hill which is just enough for a trot or maybe 2 strides of canter lol.

The owners of the 100 acre property told us we are welcome to come out when the water levels are a higher so that I can work with Ana on water obstacles; she would previously refuse them or try to jump them; their water obstacles are so wide that horses can't jump them so it's ideal for training. 

Other than that Ana did pretty good except that she's always trying to get to the front of the group. One of the Arab riders had to dismount several times because her horse was freaking out; a couple of other horses spooked. Ana didn't spook once; she was just very strong in the bridle because she kept trying to get to the front. My level 1 Dressage legal Myler bit was no match for her at all, so next time we go trail riding, she's going back in a standard snaffle. But if you let her stop and eat grass then she's content with not being first anymore. I'm guessing grass has a calming affect on her; much like what "grass" does to people, lol. But now that she's on Magnesium she will hopefully settle down a little.


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## frlsgirl

So the Magnesium is definitely having a positive effect on her; she was pretty chill yesterday despite only getting one hour of turnout; she's usually pretty cray cray on days that her turnout is limited. 

We continued to work on the leg to hand concept; I thought I would have to do a refresher with her but she picked up where we left off Monday, I was impressed! I was very careful to mark the 10 moments with a "Yes" a scratch and a slight release; her crest was really blooming! She did start to suck back a bit once we worked on up transitions which was fixed pretty quickly with a tap of the whip. Now if I can just get her to stay connected in the transition, lol. I guess that's the next level that we are working towards; I'm trying to get to a point where I can just release into an up transition; I was able to do that once earlier this year; I can't even remember what I did but I somehow connected with her in such a way where I could build up the energy and then just let it out into a trot. It was fantastic; I just need to get more skilled and consistent in harnessing the energy from behind and carefully recycling it when it reaches my hands; this is where "10" transitions come from; although I doubt many people ever get a 10 in anything, lol.

I'm also getting better at organizing my time; I have so many things to do during our ride but I only have 30 minutes total to work her during the week; so I'm trying to tick off my list as we are riding without sacrificing quality which is tricky! Yesterday we had finished with the left lead and I wanted to do the right lead but her trot to the right suddenly got crappy and she wouldn't turn; so instead of cantering right we worked on trotting right while keeping her shoulders lifted so that I could easily turn her; once we got that, I let her stretch down at the trot, changed rein and let her cool down at the walk for a few minutes.

Friday through Sunday I have more time so I'm hoping to accomplish more and work through some of these issues.

When we prepared for canter left, she got tense and started to drop the shoulder so I had her halt and backup and then walk, trot and THEN canter; this only reduced her tension by maybe 20% BUT the canter was amazing; so powerful; probably from loading up the hind legs during the rein back.

So if I set her up better and do things she doesn't expect we sometimes succeed in re-establishing quality but it also takes more time which is limited during the week. I still felt like it was a good ride with many 10 moments and improvements.

Then I get home from work and see that Loui, my dachshund, had a swollen cheek. So I dropped him off at the vet this morning and took Sadie to work with me; as you can see she's trying to be helpful:


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## evilamc

Aw poor Loui! When do you think you'll hear from the vet?

Thats great you're seeing a positive change in her with the magrestore  Once things get leveled out too it will be even better. Sounds like shes trying to think more though which helps so much.


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## frlsgirl

@evilamc - thanks for asking about Lou - he had an impacted molar that needed to be pulled plus the stitches from the previous surgery needed to be redone. Poor guy; I can pick him up this afternoon.


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## egrogan

Ouch! Poor pup. That sounds like it hurts.


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## DanteDressageNerd

30min rides to fit in through the week sounds tricky. But I guess you can make up for it over the weekend to help out. But I'm glad you're able to access 100 acres of property and work on water stuff, I wish we had more hacking space. It's so good for horses to work on things in the arena and out of the arena. Gives them something more to think about and work on things in a morale boosting way and make it fun or present it differently. Sounds like a lot of fun!!

I hope Loui feels better, poor baby :-( but I'm glad Sadie is there to help you out, seems as helpful as my pets :lol:


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## frlsgirl

Lou is doing a lot better; he's been running around and playing so I think he's on the mend.

I rode Ana Friday and Saturday. Friday, we focused on the leg to hand concept again and only did a little canter as the ground was kind of hard:










Since I had extra time, I decided to take more pictures; Ana seemed kind of annoyed with it:










So I took some pictures around the farm; here is Ana's boyfriend Willard; isn't he handsome?










I couldn't resist an attempt at a confo shot; I took like 20 pictures and this is the best one 










Saturday I stopped by the Riverbend arena on my way to the barn to audit the Ken McNabb clinic, cheer on my Western riding friends, and check out the facilities as the adult amateur camp will be held there and is less than 2 weeks away now. Really nice place, the arena is gigantic! 










Then I was off to the barn. I decided that we really need to work on our canter; I wanted to see how long/far we could canter before needing a break; we cantered 1.5 times around the whole arena in 40 seconds; someone tell this girl it's not a speed event, lol. Then we went the other direction; we only made it once around in 30 seconds. This is a big arena; slightly bigger than 20x60. We took lots of walk breaks in between. I don't have any good canter pics as all you would see a cloud of dust lol, so walk and trot pics will need to do:



















We also spent some time just hanging out:










We cantered the most we've ever cantered in a single session and my back is freaking killing me now; I really need to work on my position so that I can sit better and hopefully ride her better!


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> I couldn't resist an attempt at a confo shot; I took like 20 pictures and this is the best one


While I think Ana is gorgeous from any angle, you are too far forward for a true confo photo. You want to be truly broadside to her, standing just a touch closer to her shoulder than her hip (unless you want her to look like a stock horse, then stand closer to her hip to make her booty look bigger).

Trying to take confo shots without a friend as handler is next to impossible!


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## frlsgirl

True that @phantomhorse13 - especially if you have a wiggle worm for a horse!


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## frlsgirl

My new obsession: Improving my rising trot biomechanics; this seems to be an ongoing debate between the dressage riders:

Keep lower leg completely still by rotating your upper thigh around your knee. This method seems to keep the lower leg really still which is great because that frees you up to give more precise leg aids. However, how is this not the same as pinching with the knee/hoisting yourself up from the knee? Doesn't that impede the horse's forward movement if you have so much weight and pressure on the side of the saddle?






Or let the weight drop in your heels, which is what I've been doing. This leaves the horse open to move freely forward as nothing gets pinched around the thigh or knee area. The downside to this approach is that it creates instability in the lower leg which can be irritating to the horse and can interfere with giving precise aids:

Me riding:






Karen Rohlf riding (fast forward to 30 second mark to see rising trot)






She appears to be doing a hybrid version; weight in the leg; but then she suggests rising trot without stirrups which makes me think pinch with the knee; either way, her lower leg isn't perfectly still:






So yeah, I'm super confused; it seems like everybody is doing it different; some judges love my position and others hate it; I've gotten everything from a 5.5 to 7.5 on my seat; one judge even felt the need to comment on how awful my seat is under the judges comment section.

We will have a session with a biomechanics specialist at the adult amateur camp so I'm hoping to dissect my posting trot in great detail.


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## frlsgirl

In other related news; I went to the chiro yesterday because my back was still hurting from all of the cantering we did this weekend. He said I did a number on my back and covered me up with athletic tape; he said I'm supposed to keep my back straight so that it can heal; I can't believe I actually injured myself from cantering. So that's why I'm so obsessed with correct biomechanics right now. 

I haven't ridden/seen Ana since Saturday. I'm planning on riding her tonight but probably only at the walk depending on how my back feels. I'm also going to experiment with shorter stirrups. If my back feels up to it, I might try to post like Charlotte and see if I feel a difference. I don't know how I will get on her or off her without bending; should be interesting.

Then I'm going to wrap myself and Ana in bubble wrap to keep ourselves intact for AA camp next week.


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## phantomhorse13

I will be interested to look at those videos when I have a moment. I know how I post, which is def the weight into the leg method.. will be fun to see all the ways I am doing it wrong. :wink:

Glad your back is better. Please take it easy and give it a chance to heal!!


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## frlsgirl

lol @phantomhorse13 - let me know what your thoughts are once you've watched the videos!


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## PoptartShop

Definitely going to check out those videos!  Really interesting.
Ah, it feels good to go to the chiro. I have some lower back issues myself (from car accidents) & riding can definitely cause some more pain. I cantered last week & whew I was feeling it. I guess it's because of the riding position. 
I hope your back feels better so you can get back into the swing of things pain-free!  LOL I need some bubblewrap too please...& my car!


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## frlsgirl

@PoptartShop - truth be told most of my back issues are also car accident related but when I overdo it with running or riding is when it starts to bother me again. I ran yesterday but didn't ride; today I'm going to ride but I didn't run. Tomorrow I'm gonna try to do both and really watch my biomechanics! Sending spare bubblewrap your way


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## DanteDressageNerd

Glad you're doing more canter work with Ana and having fun! But I hope you feel better and your back heals. That's rough! 

Just something to think about, I agree with being able to post without stirrups and allowing the horse to push you out of the saddle, rather than relying on your stirrups or mechanically rising. I don't think you really grip to get yourself out of the saddle but the horses back pushes you out and allowing the momentum to bring your out and then you allowing yourself to come down but think of landing on the back like your landing on eggshells and don't want to crack the egg. I think it's finding the rhythm in the posting trot and allowing your body to go with it vs mechanically going up and down. Weight down in your heels helps but not shoved down, just weight and center of balance and I think some touching in the knee. It shouldn't be a pinching or gripping knee, nor an overly open one and it does change. I pinch a smidge more with both knees when I ask a horse to come back or half halt and help me to control my post. If I want a slower tempo or rhythm I might sit a hair longer in the down phase and if I want a faster tempo I'll post higher and sit on the back a hair less. Then when riding for a more suspension stride, I post with the motion of the horse and half halt in the down phase, leg in up phase, and kinda feel it in the rhythm of having the large-forward stride but slow enough so I don't lose the back and get the swing, then kinda organize it in my core and half halts if that makes any sense at all. There is a lot of detail in dressage and it's always finding more subtle and better ways to do something. The leg is never totally still, especially in sitting trot. It always moves because if it's too rigid and held still then the hip, lower back and body lock up and then the person is often bracing off the horse's back vs moving with the back. Enough rigidity to be quiet and clear, relaxed, supple, flexible enough to be encouraging and move with the horse. But the biomechanics expert should be fun to listen to and spend time with.

I think a lot of dressage is finding the balance between doing something to be effective but not too much as to be something you shouldn't do, for example pinched knee, knee touching but not pinching. lol I'm the same way though, I need to dissect things down to the raw but I sometimes think it gets in the way too of how to improve but not over think to where I feel disabled and lose confidence if that makes any sense? I'm really neurotic though, so I spend a lot of time trying not to over think things or get so obsessed I stop riding, if that makes sense. Dressage and riding in general is really hard. A big one I'm working on is how to sit as deep as possible while being as light as possible.


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## frlsgirl

I hear you @DanteDressageNerd - I actually didn't think I had a problem until I started riding Ana; her trot is so small that there is no momentum to help me get out of the saddle, so I have to mechanically post since she doesn't have enough punch to push me up. When I ride Dante, the big moving Hanno, none of this is a problem; although I'm sure there are some mechanics that could be improved at a micro level, but generally speaking it feels and looks pretty solid. 

I recall the olden days (80s) when strong knee closure was emphasized by placing beer coasters between the saddle and riders knee; whoever lost the coaster first was the big loser of the group, no peer pressure though, lol! 

There are high level dressage riders who keep their lower leg perfectly still and won't let you ride their horses if you can't do the same because their horse will literately bolt if your lower leg moves when riding. One such high level rider claimed that you are supposed to absorb the movement through your hips so that you can keep the lower leg still. I've never been able to figure out how to do that.

I guess this is a case of trends changing as we are learning more about how the horse moves but then you also have to consider the saddle and the rider's confo and how the horse was trained. Ana struggles to go forward if I ride with "closed" legs; she prefers I keep everything open; to her closed legs means collect or slow down whereas open legs mean go forward.

Then there is that Enlightened Equitation movement which based on French classical principals; this group emphasizes riding with a really long leg and doing everything as quiet and open as possible.

Mary Waneless is the total appositive of that; short stirrups and bearing down, using you knee as a lever; I think her methods are a spin-off from Sally Swift's Centered Riding principles. The biomechanics coach at AA camp has a background in Centered Riding so I can't wait to see how her ideas relate to the others. Oh, and there is a new spin-off now called Connected Riding, which appears to be mostly based on Centered Riding principles. The most popular clinician in this subgroup is Randy Thompson and she's coming to our area the weekend after camp; I would love to ride with her as well but maxed out my budget between the AA camp and equine osteo.

Here are example videos of the different biomechanic principles at work:

Enlightened Equitation:






Centered Riding:






Mary Waneless:






Connected Riding:






And here is Natasha Althoff from Dressage Mastery:


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## frlsgirl

Ohhh, this is the best one; it really highlights the difference in riding style; it's another Randy Thompson Connected Riding Video:


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## SaddleUp158

Not sure if this will help or not, but my instructor is always telling us to rotate our thigh in from the socket, the hip. This will put your whole upper leg in the appropriate position, then you have your weight on the ball of your foot in the stirrup (this may be because I sink too far into my heels and lock my ankle up) creating a fairly steady lower leg. When I rotate my thigh in I find I end up with a longer leg, instead of bordering on a chair seat, my thigh points more straight down than forward. It is a constant readjustment, I am really tight in the hips so this is hard for me, but when I get it, my mare goes beautifully.


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## DanteDressageNerd

There's a lot of conficting information out there and different styles, so many systems but I think picking a system and sticking to it helps. I know myself, I can't have too much conflicting information or it overwhelms me. But I agree the horse's conformation, rider's conformation and saddle all influence/affect where the balance is. 

I think there's a difference between quiet and still. I know for me quiet and still mean different things to me. Even Charlotte Dujardin, Carl Hester, Hubertus Schmidt, or those type of riders. I never see a still leg. They're quiet but not still. Ive seen riders who stay perfectly still but usually the riders I see who do that are tight through their hips and lower body and bracing against the horse's back stopping all their horse's back movement. They're still but the horse's back can't come up or move because it's blocked by the rider's stiffness and tension because they're so locked into a position. 

I think you have to have an open, relaxed hip and a relaxed pelvis then worry about how quiet you can be but I've seen a lot of trainers make their students so stiff and tight focusing on them being still that if they rode a truly hot horse they'd probably get bucked off because they're so tense because they've been taught where to put their body parts but not how to feel and influence the horse's balance/body effectively, if that makes sense?

I don't know if this is helpful or not but I know for myself I have to have a certain picture in my mind or idea in my mind of what it should feel like and what I want to feel. I know if I put too much pressure on myself because I'm a perfectionist, I shut down because I get so consumed with but it has to be perfect vs just doing it and doing the best I can. If I focused too much on my eq or where my body parts are, I'd stop riding and shut down because I'd get so stuck on but it's not perfect and get rigid vs riding, feeling and experiencing. Allowing myself to make mistakes and get better.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Not sure if this will help or not, but my instructor is always telling us to rotate our thigh in from the socket, the hip. This will put your whole upper leg in the appropriate position, then you have your weight on the ball of your foot in the stirrup (this may be because I sink too far into my heels and lock my ankle up) creating a fairly steady lower leg. When I rotate my thigh in I find I end up with a longer leg, instead of bordering on a chair seat, my thigh points more straight down than forward. It is a constant readjustment, I am really tight in the hips so this is hard for me, but when I get it, my mare goes beautifully.


Thank you! I can't wait to see you guys next week!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you for your feedback @*DanteDressageNerd* 

Also thanks for the videos; there are so many different styles; I guess whatever works best for you, your saddle and your horse. It's so difficult changing existing muscle memory if you leave it alone for too long; it seems like you have to work twice as hard to change it because your body accepts it as normal. But my main concern is to help Ana move to the best of her ability; so I'm playing around with my seat to see how I can make it a more comfortable experience for her. On that note, here is a long boring video of me riding Ana last night:






It was my first time back in the saddle since overdoing it last Saturday; we only did walk and a little bit of trot. I shortened my stirrups and it felt really odd, like a bird perched on a stick; so I think I'm going to try riding with my normal length stirrups and perhaps even remove them completely. Laurie says what's keeping me from scoring 70+ is that Ana needs to show more consistency in going to the hand; so even though it looks like I'm not doing anything, I'm actually working really hard reinforcing the leg to hand concept; making sure that she doesn't duck behind the contact and that she responds appropriately when I close my calves. While I'm working on her, I'm also telling myself over and over again:

Spiral seat
Long leg
Level pelvis
Move with the horse - don't shove with seat
Use calf pressure inwards rather than drawing leg back and kicking with heels 
Elongate across my front while shortening the back
Armpits down
Elbows by my side
Breathe

So yeah, it was an intense 30 minute ride for me even though it looked like I was just walking around doing nothing.


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## frlsgirl

Wow - I had a really great ride on Ana last night. Of course I have no video footage to prove it, lol. We are both really getting the leg to hand thing down which means I can now work on half halts; I'm able to recognize and correct if she sucks back or goes above the bit; and I'm able to correct it faster so as soon as I feel her back off I'm already half halting to get her back so that there isn't such a dramatic disconnect. I was able to teach her that I will come at her with the leg first to give her a chance to correct herself and if that doesn't work, then half halt on the outside rein, and if that doesn't work then inside rein bend while holding inside leg on. She caught on pretty quickly and would usually correct herself before I had to resort to inside leg/inside rein. 

I also played with my position some more, working on pointing the knee down, sliding my seat forward first and then making sure I'm level. I think what happens usually is that my seat slowly migrates back, causing my pelvis to tip forward giving me that undesirable hunter's duck butt, which then cause me to tip forward in the rising trot. You can kind of see that here:






So yeah feeling pretty good right now because I feel like we are both learning and making progress even though it's very slow. 

I was the only human soul at the barn last night and that was a little creepy; especially when it got dark and then Ana and I were riding by ourselves in the arena. When I put her back up all the horses and cats started hounding me because it was their dinner time and they assume if you are the only human out at dinner time it must be for only one reason - dispense dinner. It's not unusual for me to be the only one riding but it was strange that I didn't see BO at all even though all vehicles were in the garage, so I sent her a text message just to make sure she wasn't dead. Turns out she's been sick and cancelled all of her lessons and has just been on the couch for most of the day. Phew! Can you imagine if she had died? Maybe I watch too much Criminal Minds.


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> My new obsession: Improving my rising trot biomechanics; this seems to be an ongoing debate between the dressage riders:
> 
> How to do Rising Trot (Part 1 of Trot Series) - Dressage Mastery TV Ep63 - YouTube


This one is definitely the closest to what I do.. especially the fact that with stirrups, her lower leg actually goes out/away from the horse with each stride. However, I don't have no contact/pinch with my knees and/or thighs, because I will help stabilize myself on uneven terrain using them as well as the stirrups.

I also found it interesting that when she drops her stirrups to continue the posting, she did not lower her heel. In fact, in some cases she actually lowered her toe a bit. I have always found this to happen to my leg if I posted without stirrups and was always fussed at for it. The weight is supposed to flow down the leg into the heel.. or is it? Is that perhaps the fundamental difference between this and posting with a still lower leg?




DanteDressageNerd said:


> The leg is never totally still, especially in sitting trot. It always moves because if it's too rigid and held still then the hip, lower back and body lock up and then the person is often bracing off the horse's back vs moving with the back. Enough rigidity to be quiet and clear, relaxed, supple, flexible enough to be encouraging and move with the horse.


I always felt trying to keep something totally still meant you were fighting the horse's motion versus moving along with it. It seems to me that trying to force yourself to be still made the cycle of bouncing that much worse! My newest guy has the most animated trot I have ever ridden.. I am not doing well trying to even sit it, forget ride without stirrups. I can make maybe 3 strides of sitting trot before feeling like the next step will make me airborne.. I am hoping as I practice and remind my core muscles that they do work, I will be able to relax and absorb the motion better. But no-stirrup November is sure not happening here. :wink:



frlsgirl said:


> I recall the olden days (80s) when strong knee closure was emphasized by placing beer coasters between the saddle and riders knee; whoever lost the coaster first was the big loser of the group, no peer pressure though, lol!


I remember doing a similar thing with a piece of paper during lessons at summer camp.. and I was always miserable at it. Would still be miserable at it under normal circumstances, unless I make a point to rotate my leg and pinch with my knees. I toe out very badly, which means my natural leg position has little to no knee contact, but contact along the back of my calf vs the side (makes finding half chaps and knee patch riding pants entertaining, as often I am right on the seams!). I am sure this must change the dynamics of everything when I post and makes "opening the thigh" something I do without even intending to.



frlsgirl said:


> There are high level dressage riders who keep their lower leg perfectly still and won't let you ride their horses if you can't do the same because their horse will literately bolt if your lower leg moves when riding. One such high level rider claimed that you are supposed to absorb the movement through your hips so that you can keep the lower leg still. I've never been able to figure out how to do that.


This seems ridiculous to me - a horse that is so over-reactive that it will bolt if your leg moves?! Guess they never ride outside of the arena, because wouldn't riding in bushes or low-branched trees be exciting?! Also better hope the rider never needs to sneeze, etc. :icon_rolleyes:



frlsgirl said:


> Here are example videos of the different biomechanic principles at work:
> 
> Enlightened Equitation:
> 
> Centered Riding:
> 
> Mary Waneless:
> 
> Connected Riding:
> 
> And here is Natasha Althoff from Dressage Mastery:


Interesting viewing.

I liked the stretching exercises in the Enlightened Eq, but when the woman got to the trot, it seemed to me she was pinching with her knee a lot, as her lower leg was always back. I couldn't tell from the instructors comments if she was trying to correct the leg placement forward/back vs contact/away.

The centered riding one might as well have been in a different language.. very specific terminology that I could only guess at the meaning of. Was the voiceover added after the actual lesson I think? It was fascinating to see some sort of actual physical (energenic?) manipulation during the lesson.

The mary waneless one was hard for me to watch.. between the odd noises going on in the background of the video and the rider fussing at the horse's mouth, i had trouble focusing on what the instructor was saying. i did like that she stopped the rider and had her physically change her position.

I like that the connected riding instructor talked about the sides being different and physically changed her leg to a more correct position. i did raise an eyebrow about the no tension or tightness though, as i think there has to be at least some tension to change the muscle into a non-natural shape.. but maybe she meant don't FORCE it as hard as you can? i also wonder at the use of two point (versus standing upright in the stirrups) in someone who wants to focus on dressage, as wouldn't training your leg down in the half seat tend to make you want to lean forward once you returned to a full seat?

I have to say that the dressage mastery woman is by far my favorite! perhaps because she is speaking in simple terms at a basic level which matches my own. :wink:

I also liked the Randy Thompson video you posted. It was interesting to think about posting/half seat not as rump out of the saddle but knee going down. I am going to have to concentrate on that next time I am on, as I think it may help my jumping (where I tend to jump ahead badly). 




DanteDressageNerd said:


> I think you have to have an open, relaxed hip and a relaxed pelvis then worry about how quiet you can be but I've seen a lot of trainers make their students so stiff and tight focusing on them being still that if they rode a truly hot horse they'd probably get bucked off because they're so tense because they've been taught where to put their body parts but not how to feel and influence the horse's balance/body effectively, if that makes sense?


This! This statement sums up what I have seen/experienced in the handful of dressage lessons I have taken. It was fine on the schoolmaster, but I had problems trying apply it to my more sensitive arabs. I am trying to find the happy medium, putting my body in a more effective place but still being able to be soft and move with my horse.


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## frlsgirl

@*phantomhorse13* - glad you got something from the videos! My two front runners are Natasha Althoff and Randy Thompson. Natasha's videos are higher quality and she speaks in simple terms but she doesn't explain position at a micro level; Randy Thompson really dissects every part of your position which I like but her video footage quality is pretty crappy so I can only watch a little bit at a time. I like that both ladies are positive and encouraging and say things like "it's ok, it takes time, practice, practice" as opposed to "you idiot why are you doing things wrong?" lol. Not that the other ladies are like that but Randy and Natasha are especially very encouraging and understanding.


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## Rainaisabelle

Natasha is amazing ! Love her videos but sometimes I feel like she doesn't always connect to the beginner rider portion but I love her!


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Thank you! I can't wait to see you guys next week!


I know! It will be fun to be able to talk in person and see Ana now that she is all grown up.


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## frlsgirl

I only got to ride once this weekend  It was a good ride though, still working on my position as well as Ana's acceptance of leg to hand.





































Here is a comparison picture so that you can see the progress in my position; still not perfect but we are on our way to making big improvements:










So I was really pumped and excited Friday afternoon and looking forward to riding at least once more either Saturday or Sunday but then got into a huge fight with DH about how I allocate my time to include mostly Ana with no time for anything else.

So I'm working on a time management system: as you can see it's still in the beginning stages, but to appease DH I did not go to the barn all weekend, that was really hard 











I'm trying to work smart; so I'm training for Dressage in my car while I'm driving to work by listening to audios on the subject. I also do ab engagement exercises while driving. Then yesterday, DH was working on the house plans so I did laundry and dishes while streaming German shows on TV; so I got chores and R&R done at the same time.

I cannot fault DH for being frustrated with me; it's very difficult to work full-time job, ride, and keep house clean, and husband happy, and myself in shape, so that I can do all those things without collapsing from exhaustion.

On that note, I get to ride tonight! I can't WAIT! I miss my princess so much!


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## evilamc

Haha thats great that you're trying to make a time management system. I consider myself very lucky...My husband likes to stay inside playing video games...I like to play outside with ponies. I let him play all the games he wants and he doesn't complain about how much time I spend with ponies! He does get a little frustrated with my lack of house chores sometimes.....but he works from home theres no reason he can't help more!


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## frlsgirl

That's great @evilamc! Hey, whatever works; DH has been super busy working on the house plans which is kind of like a really elaborate video game so he doesn't notice or complain when I'm gone to the barn a little longer or when I want to watch one of my "annoying" shows, lol.


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## phantomhorse13

I hope you had a good ride today. I can only imagine your frustration at not being able to ride all weekend. I am spoiled that my DH is also horsey, so never complains about my saddle time.

Hopefully your time management plan will help your DH to see that you do make him/your home a priority too and that all of that can balance with Ana. Does your DH have a hobby that he likes to spend time doing?


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## kathykit

frlsgirl said:


> I thought I'd start a thread about little Ana. We've had her for 5 days now. I go see her every night after work to check on her.
> 
> She's quite the little busy body. I noticed that her halter is laying in the dirt every time I stop by. I hung it back up last night and stood there talking to the BO for a minute when I saw her pick it up and throw it back in the dirt. "So that's what's been happening to my halters" said the BO :lol:
> 
> She's very interested in people. When others show up to do whatever she runs up to the fence and tries to get their attention.
> 
> I snuck into her paddock last night to check her water and she came running out of her stall like a bat out of hell to say hello.
> 
> The BO really likes her "she's the most jovial horse I've ever met" he said. I would have to agree.



Wow! Hi!
I am actually new in horse forum,
but i really found love and interested in your thread!
Its just like i am part of your audience. :loveshower:


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## frlsgirl

:welcome: @kathykit


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> I can only imagine your frustration at not being able to ride all weekend.


The worst part was that we drove right by the barn as they were having a party lesson that I was supposed to be part of; so I could actually see all my friends riding and laughing through the car window. It was torturous!


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> The worst part was that we drove right by the barn as they were having a party lesson that I was supposed to be part of; so I could actually see all my friends riding and laughing through the car window. It was torturous!



Ugh, certainly can't like that!! Hopefully with a bit of time, your DH will calm down and things can shift back to how they were so you won't keep missing out on that kind of thing.


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## frlsgirl

I did have a fantastic time riding Ana last night! Ana was snoozing in her stall when I arrived on this dreary fall evening. Her head shot up like "Who, what, where...oh it's you, hi...where have you been?" 

BO was finishing up a lesson so just a few minutes into our ride I had the place to myself; not that we needed all that room - the arena is huge! It was raining so there were funny noises in different corners of the arena as the rain was flowing off the roof into designated run-offs outside the arena. She seemed a little hesitant; like she was aware that there were perfectly suited spookortunities, but she didn't really have the energy to devote to spooking; so she did these mini shys.

We worked on our normal stuff; leg to hand without ducking or pulling down; listening to half halts, escalating half halts and retesting to make sure she understood the correction, and of course my position and timing of aids. Half-way into our ride I decided to do leg yields on a circle; it was really hard; she kept wanting to lead with her shoulder so I had to stop the front end so that the back end could catch up; we only did a few steps but WOW did it make a difference when we continued on straight again, so engaged, with her crest in full bloom.

I was so busy trying to get the walk perfect that we only trotted a little and then there was no time for canter. Sigh. I kind of want to canter at least one more time before camp because I don't really know how she's going to go. Oh well, maybe Wednesday!

I like her neck and my position in this picture but her back is dropped and the hind legs are out behind her:










Not quite as dropped here but she's backing off the bit a little trying to evade:










Really engaged all the way around; back is up, legs are active and under her, contact is looking good, my position is good:










Taking a well deserved stretch break:










In hindsight, I probably should have grabbed the whip to wake her up a little bit; I rarely regret grabbing a crop; sometimes I don't even have to use it; I think it just sets the tone for the ride.


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> Hopefully your time management plan will help your DH to see that you do make him/your home a priority too and that all of that can balance with Ana. Does your DH have a hobby that he likes to spend time doing?


Thank you, all I can do is try harder! The biggest problem is that he works on an on-call basis, so sometimes he's home for days before he's gone again. When he's home, he's eagerly waiting for me to come home because he's bored; he's already done housework, had lunch with a friend, played a around of golf and played on the computer. It would be different if he worked a regular 40 hour week like everyone else.

He actually worked a full day yesterday so he was pretty laid back and understanding and everything went pretty well.


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## PoptartShop

Love hearing about your awesome rides! So glad you're back at the barn. 
You look lovely! The time management plan is also a great idea. Glad he ended up being understanding. Being on-call can definitely get boring! 
Nice to have the whole arena to yourself too!


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## DanteDressageNerd

You and Ana look really good! So glad to see your progress, youre a lovely team


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies @DanteDressageNerd and @PoptartShop - Dressage is a never ending journey of discovery and learning


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## frlsgirl

I had a great ride last night; she was a lot more forward which I loved; I didn't ride her as well as I did on Monday as my attention was kind of split between Ana, myself and the others in the arena. BO was teaching a lesson from horseback and the cat kept running into the arena so I had to improvise and ride wherever I could find the room:

This is kind of cool; you can see how she's lovely round and engaged in this picture; her frame is shortened but not in a bad way:










In contrast, she is all stretched and strung out here:










Her body is kind of like a slinky; she can transform herself into all these different shapes; it's quite amazing. So I wasn't as happy with my position yesterday but I felt like we still got some good work done because at least she was forward. At one point, the girl in the class dropped a white sweater and Ana's head shot up, slammed on the breaks and said "WTF!" 

We did manage one canter and I was quite pleased with it, not because it was great or anything but I found myself to be very capable of riding and influencing her correctly; previously all I could think about was dying, falling off, how much by back hurt, or focusing on how far we could get before I would tire out. Yesterday something clicked and I was only focused on helping Ana and I somehow knew what to do, I felt physically and mentally comfortable and competent. So I was very happy with that.

Here is a short video of my ride; again my position is not great here but I felt like we worked on things that needed work and I was able to navigate mostly successfully around everyone else. See if you can spot the cat!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Very true. It's a never ending journey but that's what keeps us coming back right? :lol:

I spotted the cat! I don't think the cat realized she wasn't meant to be in there! 

With Ana's canter that's awesome! It's pretty incredible when things start clicking and you're like wait I think I've figured something out! Confidence and feeling like you can goes a long way.


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## frlsgirl

We had the best time at camp!


Friday was move in day! We were the first ones there and Ana settled into her stall fairly quickly:











The venue is mostly used for Rodeos and Barrel races so the arena is set up with all kinds of things Ana hasn’t seen before; so while I was waiting for the others to arrive I decided to let Ana look around and a little:











More and more people started to arrive and finally Ana’s previous owner and Saddleup158 showed up; neither of them had seen Ana since I purchased her nearly 3 years ago; they brought their Morgans to participate in camp so I was super stoked to see them again and to have other Morgans in the group. It was also neat to see that Ana recognized her previous owner and Saddleup158’s mare Mia, who was her pasture mate before I purchased her.











Then we all had orientation, welcome and dinner together; our guest speaker was our Region 9 director Sherri Guess; her presentation was on the biomechanics lesson that we had planned for the next day. She actually met and studied under Sally Swift many years ago and uses her techniques in riding and training. She had us do all get up and do different exercises such as sit on your hands to feel seat bones; hip engagement exercises, chair scoots, etc. pretty much your standard Centered Riding stuff; it was really cool. I have both books but I’ve never had an actual centered riding lesson before.


Then it was time to feed dinner, tuck the horses in and go to sleep as we had a big day ahead of us.


Saturday was a very busy day; starting with getting up at the crack of dawn to feed horses in the cold; yikes! Did I mention how much I appreciate boarding? I’m sure if Ana was home with me and I was settled in a routine it would be no big deal but caring for her by myself in the cold with minimal prep was very stressful; I nearly lost my mind wrestling with the slow feeder net; it didn’t help that my fingers were frozen and I couldn’t feel anything; fortunately SaddleUp158 had some tricks up her sleeve and rescued me from the tangled mess.
My first lesson was with Sherri Guess; it was very enlightening with emphasis on the “lighten” part lol. Apparently my stirrups were too long and I was carrying way too much weight in my ankles because I was always told to keep all the weight in the heels. This totally changed my posting trot bio mechanics. The idea is to open the joints in the rise and close/fold joints in the sit phase; with a much lighter foot that was now level instead of pushed down.


Then we worked on a couple of half halts; as you probably know there are a 100 different versions:


TOF halfhalt; I was supposed to ask her very lightly and she just pinned her ears and ignored me so then I increased the pressure slightly and she spun around like a Western horse; Sherri said Ana reminded her of a teenage girl; she either ignores you or completely overreacts, lol. She also liked to run away with her front legs so we worked on keeping the front legs so that the hind end had to do all the work.


Half halt twitch: This one is kind of weird; you grow tall from spine up and your seat down which looks and feels like a twitch.



















Next we had a lesson with Laurie; my lesson mate wasn’t familiar with some of her concepts so we worked on basics like the spiral seat and halting with your seat; we then expanded on that to slow down the front end and engage the hind end; and then we added the vibrating inside bend which is her version of the half-halt; basically you count out each step 1 2 3 while twinkling on the inside rein and putting on the inside leg at the same time; you then give the horse one stride of freedom and then go back to twinkle/bend 1,2,3 until the horse gives; as soon as the horse gives you stop and restart again when the horse stiffens. Ana was kind of resistant at first because she was already ticked off that I wouldn’t let her front legs run off with the hind end but she gave up pretty quickly and came fairly nice and round. Laurie was very impressed with us and said that we have already improved a lot since the last time she saw us in September.




















Next Ana was picked to be one of the demo horses for Massage therapy; she absolutely loved all the attention; the therapist would work on a part and then have others come over and feel what she was feeling; Ana was a little tight in her poll and over her hips which is apparently pretty common for Dressage horses. 










Then Dr M came and gave a presentation on acupuncture; we used my friend’s easy going Appaloosa as the demo horse; I didn’t take any pictures; I was so cold all I wanted was dinner and bed; so we ate dinner and then of course I still had to take care of Ana before I finally got to go home.

Sunday was the final day of camp; after I fed Ana and had a bite of breakfast myself I decided to let her hand graze in the morning sun so that we could both warm up a little.











Our first lesson was with Robert Hayes on NH and desensitization; I really enjoyed that part; I wasn’t sure that I would but I learned a lot and Ana got braver with each try; the hardest obstacles was the one with the streamers and she didn’t like how the pool noodles touched her when we went through the tires. At one point Robert asked me if I did anything else with Ana besides showing her in Dressage and I told him that I was doing Natural Dressage with Karen Rohlf and he said that explains why Ana is so soft. I’m not sure what we meant by soft but I’m guessing that’s a good thing.




























Then it was time to say good bye to Ana’s previous owner and Saddleup158 but not before we got a chance to swap horses, I got to ride Roo and the previous owner took a spin on Ana; and then we took a group pic:


















I was really sad to see them go it was just so much fun.

Then we had our final lesson with Laurie; my lesson mate had decided to take her horse home early as he was having some lameness issues so I essentially got a private lesson for the price of a semi private one. 



We expanded on the concepts from the previous day and worked on improving transitions by using the twinkle exercise into the transition.
Down transition: twinkle bend x 3 and then on the 4th leave the inside leg on so that she doesn’t let herself plump down into the transition.
Up transition: twinkle bend x 3 and on the 4th close both calves and then resume twinkling once in trot.
We ended by having her look at the canter; she said I can use the same exercise at the canter and that I need to spiral with my seat more at the canter; she said that I’m sitting too straight; and I need to use my seat to slow down the front; basically her front legs are running away with the back legs.


She was very complimentary again on how much we’ve improved in such a short amount of time; I really like lessoning with her because she teaches you skills that you can take home and practice on your own; in a way she helps you become an independent learner; you don’t need constant lessons; she teaches you a new set up skills, you go home and practice and get better and then you go have another lesson where you learn more skills and so on.




Very proud of this girl; she was a rock star; hoping to do this again next year











Monday was our appointment with the equine osteo. I’m glad I arrived early as I was able to audit her work; very thorough and detailed. 

Then it was our turn; she said Ana was well behaved and well muscled; nothing terribly wrong with her body; the scapula on the left was down and the sacrum was up; a few ribs and a few vertebrae were tight but not worse than any of the other horses. 



She showed me some exercises that I’m supposed to do with Ana to help her sacrum stay level which will help with the canter. I have to push on a certain spot on her butt until she releases on leans into me and hold for 90 seconds on each side. I’m also supposed to do belly lifts without the pelvic tuck for a while and then I’m supposed to do front leg lifts/should flexions. I practiced with her standing there critiquing me as I wanted to make sure I understood everything and could replicate in on my own.
She wrote on her progress notes that I’m supposed also back her up with her head collected, work on circles to the left and right and bend her neck to the left and right while keeping the neck fairly low.


I can start riding her again on Thursday.


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## frlsgirl

Since HF limits the number of pictures you can post per post; here are some more random pictures from camp:


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## egrogan

Love the first picture in the second set!


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## frlsgirl

Not sure if this works but it's a link to a video:

http://vid89.photobucket.com/albums...9-5B37-489A-96B4-1F075254D758_zps9jfxjwae.mp4


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## carshon

Gosh Ana is so beautiful! I have to admit I don't understand a lot of the technical - spriral your seat, twinkle your rein but it sounds very informative.


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## SaddleUp158

We had to leave before your last lesson with Laurie. What is the twinkle thing you were talking about?

Glad to hear Ana just needed a little fine tuning by Kim today! It was great catching up this weekend and seeing Ana again.


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## Skyseternalangel

Love all the photos!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Wow! It looks like you guys had a lot of fun at the camp! The mattress hopping looks fun. 

Ana's a really lovely girl, it looks like you guys had a great time. The desensitization stuff looks interesting but I think it's good for horses to get exposed to different things and not just drill, it looks like a lot of fun!


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## tinyliny

I am sorry I haven't kept up on your journal. wish I had, but I read your description of camp. how cool! I"d love something like that. 

and, I just wanted to say what a nice picture of harmony and good positin this is:












great leg position, horse on bit with a hint of drape in rein , horse marching forward off the leg, no obvious tension.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Love the first picture in the second set!


Thanks Erin! Ana was pretty agreeable to most of the exercises except the obstacle with the streamers.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Wow! It looks like you guys had a lot of fun at the camp! The mattress hopping looks fun.
> 
> Ana's a really lovely girl, it looks like you guys had a great time. The desensitization stuff looks interesting but I think it's good for horses to get exposed to different things and not just drill, it looks like a lot of fun!


Ana had to paw the mattress a few times before she deemed it safe to walk on :smile:


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> I am sorry I haven't kept up on your journal. wish I had, but I read your description of camp. how cool! I"d love something like that.
> 
> and, I just wanted to say what a nice picture of harmony and good positin this is:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> great leg position, horse on bit with a hint of drape in rein , horse marching forward off the leg, no obvious tension.


Thank you Tiny; correct biomechanics are a never ending pursuit for both Ana and I.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> We had to leave before your last lesson with Laurie. What is the twinkle thing you were talking about?
> 
> Glad to hear Ana just needed a little fine tuning by Kim today! It was great catching up this weekend and seeing Ana again.


It was great to see you guys as well; I almost cried on the way home because I'm sad that it's over :|

The twinkle thing is just squeeze and release with the little finger and ring finger only; not sure why she referred to it as a twinkle; maybe because she was trying to highlight the lightness of the rein aid.

I was very impressed with Kim; she was so thorough and gentle and I can't wait to try out the stretches by myself on Ana tonight; I brought a giant bag of carrots in case in doesn't go well :smile:


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## frlsgirl

carshon said:


> Gosh Ana is so beautiful! I have to admit I don't understand a lot of the technical - spriral your seat, twinkle your rein but it sounds very informative.


Thank you - spiral seat is a Sally Swift/Centered Riding term; it basically describes how your body should spiral up in the direction of travel. Twinkling is just another way to explain the rein portion of the half halt.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> It was great to see you guys as well; I almost cried on the way home because I'm sad that it's over :|
> 
> The twinkle thing is just squeeze and release with the little finger and ring finger only; not sure why she referred to it as a twinkle; maybe because she was trying to highlight the lightness of the rein aid.
> 
> I was very impressed with Kim; she was so thorough and gentle and I can't wait to try out the stretches by myself on Ana tonight; I brought a giant bag of carrots in case in doesn't go well :smile:



On the plus side they are having another one in March! 

Makes sense about the twinkle thing. Glad you enjoyed the session with Kim, can't wait to see what you think of the results long term.


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## frlsgirl

@SaddleUp158 - I'm hoping to go to the one in March but it will depend on how broke I am; they already have a date set and 1 instructor lined up; I listed a bunch of instructors and ideas on the feedback form so I'm curious to see what the final line up will be.

BO texted me last night and said that Ana is doing fantastic - running around and playing; not sure if it's the residual effect from her adjustment or the cool temps


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> @SaddleUp158 - I'm hoping to go to the one in March but it will depend on how broke I am; they already have a date set and 1 instructor lined up; I listed a bunch of instructors and ideas on the feedback form so I'm curious to see what the final line up will be.
> 
> BO texted me last night and said that Ana is doing fantastic - running around and playing; not sure if it's the residual effect from her adjustment or the cool temps



Do you know anything about the person they already have lined up?


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## frlsgirl

@SaddleUp158 I have not personally met her or ridden a test under her but here is a link to her website:

https://claudiamisnerdressage.com/


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## tinyliny

spiral, like her image of the old fashined barbar pole? meaning, while staying perfectly vertical, turn from your seat bones all the way to your head top, in the direction of your turn?


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## frlsgirl

Yes @tinyliny - the idea behind the spiral seat is that you are opening and closing the right doors for your horse and you don't have to memorize which body part to turn where. Spiral up is much easier to remember then turn shoulders this way, turn torso that way, move left leg here, right leg there, etc.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a video from our Centered Riding Lesson:






We were working on ourselves here so we are not trying to make the horses look good; the instructor uses Seat Coach which are the little backpacks with ear pieces; so we could hear her but she couldn't hear us; even though it looks like we are just riding in circles, she is actually telling us to do different things with our body. It was my first time riding with shorter stirrups so I was experimenting with how that felt and how I could use my leg effectively. I still think my lower leg moves too much but not as bad as it did with longer stirrups.

Please note that the horse in the lesson with me was retired after camp due to lameness issues (navicular).


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## frlsgirl

I visited Ana last night; I can't ride her until today because we are supposed to wait until 3 days after the adjustment. 

So we did ground work and practiced the stretches that the osteo showed us; she really likes the one where you press on their booty; she leans into me with all her weight; osteo says it feels good to her and should help improve our canter. The front leg stretch is probably the most awkward but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it; Ana kind of hesitated at first but then I could suddenly feel the release in her shoulder; she wouldn't release the left; only the right. The belly lifts worked ok except that I'm not able to get a dramatic reaction like I get when we do the pelvic tuck; but maybe it doesn't need to be dramatic in order to be effective.

I stopped and talked to my friend who also had her horse adjusted by the osteo for the very first time; she seemed really disgruntled; apparently after I left some barrel racer showed up and talked to the osteo while she was having her horse adjusted; she said for the money she really wants her full attention which is understandable; granted she could have been more aggressive and said something; I spoke up when she showed me the stretches because I wanted to try them while she audited me to make sure I'm doing them right; sometimes you just have to speak up and ask for help. So I feel like I got my money's worth and I haven't actually ridden Ana yet to see if she moves any differently. I'm not sure what I would have done about the barrel racer; maybe stay and talk through his horse's session


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## frlsgirl

_Follow-up Q&A with Centered Riding Instructor:_

*Q: Do you recommend posting trot without stirrups or do you think that activates the wrong muscles/causes pinching?*

A: I am not a fan of posting without stirrups. It tends to make people use their adductors (inside thighs)
and you're right -- pinch at the knee with them. It also tends to make people think a 'tiny' post is
beneficial because that's about all they can do in a controlled manner.

*Q: I recall you mentioning opening the joints to rise and closing to sit; I can't remember when I'm supposed to put my lower leg on; was it in the closing/sit phase or the opening/rise phase?*

A: The use of the lower leg depends on which of the horse's hind legs you want to affect. If you are
posting on the inside diagonal, you need to use your inside leg on the rise or your outside leg on the
sit. That doesn't mean you only use one leg, but the primary force should come from the leg that
is capable of influencing the hind leg that is in flight.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Overall it sounds like camp was really beneficial for you guys and you were able to ask a lot of good questions and get some answers that should be helpful.

I hope the osteo and adjustments helps Miss Ana.


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## frlsgirl

How cute is this picture?!? photo credit: Camille Fuller


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## PoptartShop

Omg that's a gorgeous photo!!!! You should frame it!


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## frlsgirl

I just might do that! @PoptartShop


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## frlsgirl

I had 3 days of riding! I loved it!

Friday we worked on incorporating everything we learned at camp; heavy focus on my position and influencing her correctly with my spiral seat; I felt like I had the most effective ride ever; I could give precisely timed aids, I seemed to know when to give aids and when to let her go alone. So I was pumped; I mean look how effective my seat is here; I'm talking to her hind legs asking them to come more under:










Oh and look at how well she is going here and how my leg is me in the rise:










Enjoying a well deserved stretch break:















With all this awesomeness I didn't want to ruin it with cantering but I felt like we needed to do a quick canter just so I could get a feel for doing less work driving her and rocking back and forth without holding on with my legs; so that's what we did; just a quick long side so I could calibrate my body to do things differently.

Saturday she was very distracted and I had to work a little harder to get her attention; I also wanted to try cantering again so that I could add another element of complexity; the spiral seat; we cantered twice each way and I really focused on spiraling rather then sitting straight; I wasn't really worried about her cantering a certain way; I just wanted to calibrate my body to work differently. 

We did more trot work after that and she looked awesome; she was really using herself well BUT because we had just cantered by lower legs had slipped way forward so that's something I will need to address later:










Still really happy with her although I was mad at myself for letting position issues slip back into the mix.










So then yesterday I was in this "we need to get this done" mood which is a double aged sword for me; I'm good at getting things done but not always in a good way. But I digress, here are a couple of nice pictures:



















So Ana looks really good right? But look at my position - yikes. I was pressed for time so I rushed through the warm up so that we could do trot canter transitions. Well, we did them all right. Correct lead and everything. We did canter half a circle, trot half a circle X 3 then took a break aid the other side. Then we went back and did the same exercise X 2 but this time we didn't take a stretch break in between. Then she got a long stretch break and then we did one long side plus a circle on the short side. 

So all this is great news right? So what's my problem?

This is my problem: 










When I tell my body that we need to get something done all my position issues come back and things get messy and ugly. So I'm not sure what to do; been thinking about this a lot.

I was thinking maybe I should dedicate one session a week to just suppleness, my position, harmony and perfection (SPHP); if that means we only do walk work the entire session, then that's what we have to do; kind of like what we did in Friday's session.

Then we always have one "get it done" (GID) session and hopefully begin to find harmony in that; even if it's one stride of harmony and ten strides of hell; maybe it will eventually morph into 2 strides of harmony and 8 strides of hell. 

The idea is that the SPHP sessions will slowly calibrate my body to have a better position even when I'm doing a GID session and maybe a year from now we can combine SPHP with GID.

I think my problem with the canter is that I'm so determined to get it done that my body just kind of follows suit; I tell myself she must canter when I ask or I will correct her so my body screams the canter depart aid at her because I don't want her to fail by not cantering. So then she's tense and ticked off because I'm essentially screaming my aids at her; I'm nervous to just let her go on her own because she might trot and then I have to correct her and we have failed our mission. So hopefully I can reach a point where I can have a little chat with my body while we are cantering to make sure that I'm not doing the work for her; I can't hold her together, she has to go by herself and I have to trust that she will do it.


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## frlsgirl

On a more amusing note; here is a clip from Saturday's SNL episode; Ana reminds me so much of Cecily Strong and Kristin Wiig's characters in this skid:


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think in riding everything is about finding that fine line between not doing enough and doing too much and finding your personal crookednesses as well as identifying theirs and working with it. Unfortunately that line is different on every horse and sometimes situation to situation or ride to ride. 

I'll say position is something that'll always be worked on. I know for me my right hip tends to be more forward and my belly tend to turn right so when I ride left I have to focus on turning my belly in without over turning my shoulders and preventing my right pelvis from coming too far forward. Turning the belly helps so much with finding that alignment in your pelvis and getting the right bend. It's hard, I'll say I'm very thankful to my trainers because what I can't feel or what I'm not aware of they point out to me and sometimes I'm skeptical because sometimes it seems counter intuitive than I try it and am like OMG how did I not know this? I think that's forever the life of a dressage rider lol.


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## frlsgirl

@*DanteDressageNerd* - Speaking of crookedness, when I first tried the spiral seat at the canter I could really feel WHY the canter is such a problem; instead of yielding her rib cage to my inside leg, she throws herself against it with all her might; so we cantered once, I made a mental note, then we did lateral work (leg yield on a circle) to see if I could loosen that up a bit and then we tried again and I noticed an improvement. So in a way using my seat correctly is a diagnostic tool as well corrects her way of going if that makes any sense. I'm so thankful for Laurie; she has taught me SO much in just a handful of lessons.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> @*DanteDressageNerd* - Speaking of crookedness, when I first tried the spiral seat at the canter I could really feel WHY the canter is such a problem; instead of yielding her rib cage to my inside leg, she throws herself against it with all her might; so we cantered once, I made a mental note, then we did lateral work (leg yield on a circle) to see if I could loosen that up a bit and then we tried again and I noticed an improvement. So in a way using my seat correctly is a diagnostic tool as well corrects her way of going if that makes any sense. I'm so thankful for Laurie; she has taught me SO much in just a handful of lessons.


You mention Ana throwing her rib cage against your inside leg. That is one of the things I addressed with Laurie on Sunday. Mia is really bad about it in the trot, until we get it fixed at the trot we don't canter. Once it is fixed in the trot our canter is much better AND she responds better to the correction/aid to move off the inside leg at the canter better after the work in the trot. So Laurie's solution for Mia was to wait her out while still asking her to soften and bend while also asking for some form of lateral - be that shoulder-in or a leg yield. It really worked for us. It sounds like Ana has a similar issue but not sure if it is the the same as Mia or not. Hope this helps a bit.


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## frlsgirl

@SaddleUp158 - glad you are also learning a lot from Laurie and progressing; Ana is able to yield the rib cage at the walk and trot; just not at the canter but after doing difficult lateral work right before cantering, it loosened up some of the stiffness. Ana is more stiff on the left than the right; not sure if you've experienced that same lopsidedness with Mia?


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> @SaddleUp158 - glad you are also learning a lot from Laurie and progressing; Ana is able to yield the rib cage at the walk and trot; just not at the canter but after doing difficult lateral work right before cantering, it loosened up some of the stiffness. Ana is more stiff on the left than the right; not sure if you've experienced that same lopsidedness with Mia?



Yes, Mia is definitely more stiff on the left, but more evasive on the right. lol, a conundrum. Mia will and does know how to yield her rib cage, but some days takes a bit more reminding from me. Each time we canter (we don't canter every ride, sometimes not at all for a week) it is better and better. We only canter when she is going nicely at the walk and trot. Using the whip to lightly touch behind my leg helps her to remember to keep from pushing against my left leg when going left. More contact through the rein and more half halting has helped as well. My instructor also reminds me to pull my inside shoulder back a bit more (which ties in to the spiral seat) and that definitely helps.

One exercise you can do that helped me with Mia's cantering is to break your circle down into 4 quadrants. Begin at the walk or trot and develop a pattern of stopping at each of the 4 points of the circle or at 2 opposite points. Once she is recognizing your pattern pick one of your points and half halt there instead of stopping. Do this at the walk and trot. Once you have her responsive to your aids and bending on the circle well without bulging against your leg ask for a canter for either a 1/4 of the circle (one quadrant) or for half a circle and halt at the same point you had been halting at previously. Rinse and repeat the same cycle you did at the walk and trot at the canter. It will be ugly at first, but as she figures it out it will force her to rock more of her weight back to her hind end which is much of both our mare's problems at the canter. When you come down from the canter into a trot immediately fix the issues you had in the canter and ask her to canter again. Rinse and repeat. The idea behind this is that you won't be able to allow her to continue long in the undesired carriage (bulging out into the circle) and you keep insisting/correcting her by fixing it in the trot before cantering again and trying to maintain the desired contact/bend you had in the trot. I find with Mia that cantering from the trot is easier for her at the moment. Eventually we will attempt the walk canter transition. Baby steps for us! As you do this more and more you will find that she begins to get it at the canter as well, but she never is allowed to get the steamrolling engine point.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad Laurie is able to help you and Ana, I agree lateral work, shallow loops, circles, counter canter really help with canter rhythm, balance and with bend, connection, etc. 

Sometimes it takes a lot to fix a canter or to condition. They all seem to want to over flex one way and not bend the other or have different coordination strengths/weaknesses. I wish youtube hadn't deleted the video but Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester were doing a symposium or demonstration talking about how most horses when you're riding one way you're riding for straightness and the other for bend because they all seem to want to over flex one way and throw their shoulders out and the other way not bend much.


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## frlsgirl

Oh, I like that quadrant exercise! Thanks for sharing @SaddleUp158 - can't wait to try it.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Oh, I like that quadrant exercise! Thanks for sharing @SaddleUp158 - can't wait to try it.


I love it. Anytime I am having trouble getting and keeping Mia's attention it is my fall back exercise. It's great because you can modify it however you need to in order to accomplish your tasks. For us it works best to start off with fewer sections on the circle and add more as the horse catches on until you have it broken into 4 quadrants. Too much too soon has the opposite effect on Mia. We are better off with less stops on the circle and work our way up to the 4 quadrants. I like to think of it as warming up her brain as well as her body!


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## frlsgirl

Well I rode Ana in the dark last night; I was the only boarder there; I guess everyone else is off for Turkey day. When I got there the tractor was parked in the arena like they had started working on it and then just quit; so I ended up riding in the outdoor in the half-dark. The BO did come out and finish it; I guess she wasn't feeling well. So now I feel really bad like I was rushing her. 

We've never ridding in the outdoor after dark so I guess it was good exposure therapy; there are a couple of street lights that light up one long side so we tried to stay close to that area. Ana was definitely nervous and got that worried Morgan look on her face as soon as I led her in there. Fortunately, the BOs daughter in law was walking out right as I was trying to get on so I asked her to hold Ana for me. 

We mostly worked on circles and my seat; she was kind of sucked back especially whenever we trotted towards the darker areas of the arena. For some reason circles on the left were easier than on the right; not sure what that was all about; could have been the saddle; everything just felt "off" to me; she was distracted, I was trying to navigate only the well lit areas of the arena, the saddle felt different, I forgot my watch so I had no idea what time it was. I still tried to highlight our 10 moments and managed to end on a good note, even though she was giving me a lot of push back. Some days she just gives me the bare minimum; kind of like an unmotivated employee; she does just enough to avoid getting fired but not an inch more and it's hard to reward that. We didn't even bother with canter; everything was just too messy for that. When I got back to barn I saw that I rode exactly 30 minutes so my inner clock worked even though I didn't have a watch to keep track of it.

On a positive note, I tried my new posting trot seat with "foot light, thighs on, foot back" and it did feel like I was able to suck her back up with my seat just like the biomechanics coach and Mary Wanless said. I'm hoping to try that some more and maybe film it; I wish I had someone who could stand in the middle of the circle and film me as I call out the different things I'm doing with my body so that I can then see for myself how that affects her way of going. I can feel it and see what it looks like from above but I would love to have a side view; Maybe Santa will bring me a soloshot this year 

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and that you get to spend lots of time with your loved ones including your ponies.


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## PoptartShop

Riding in the dark definitely makes things a bit different, even 'off' sometimes. I rode in the dark myself last night with a friend & even though I wasn't alone I could tell it was definitely interesting for Redz. Lol. It is good experience for her and you though.

Aww all that matters is that you ended on a good note.  I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving too!!!


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## SaddleUp158

I like your description of the different posting technique. I will have to try that!


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## frlsgirl

@*SaddleUp158* I do feel like my seat is a whole lot better after working with both Laurie and Sherri: here is a good before and after illustration at the walk and trot; it just seems like I can influence her now whereas before she was just kind of going along going, la,la,la 

Before I had all my weight in my heels with thighs and knee off the saddle; now I keep my foot light and back and close my thighs like an A-frame around her without pinching. I still have to think about it really hard as my muscle memory wants to go back to the old way. I'm hoping to debut my new seat at the championship show on 12/10 - I can't wait to get my position score; up til now it's been between 5.5 to 7.5 - all over the place.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad you had what sounds like a pretty good morning ride, despite the lack of focus. I think those are good days to learn from. I hope you can get someone to take video while you call out what you're doing with your seat, so you can see how it affects her. It's always helpful to have eyes on the ground.


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## frlsgirl

4.5 days off was nice and now it's back to reality. I got to ride 2 out of 5 days and did ground work on another day. So not too bad especially considering that it was a holiday with multiple family commitments. 

Wednesday:



















Friday: I just did some ground work with her in the pasture and took a pic of her topline so that I could compare it to last year's topline pic:










Saturday I had time to squeeze in a ride:










Slowing down the front legs so the hind legs can catch up:










I got a little scissor happy and cut Ana's tail a little too short; it's not as noticeable in the walk pic but you really see it in the trot pic. Oh well, it's just hair and fly season is over so it shouldn't impede her day to day activities too much.


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## carshon

Her topline looks so much healthier! Jealous! that is my winter goal is to help my new mares topline.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @carshon - it was a lot of hard work to get just a little bit of topline improvement; there are so many aspects that impede development from nutrition to saddle fit, to the type of exercises you do with your horse. Grass grows significantly faster


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana's come a long way in the last year. She's looking good! 

As for the tail, I like a little shorter tail. I think it looks fuller and more professional. The pictures look good too!


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## PoptartShop

She looks so good!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks guys! 

I had a really good ride on Ana last night; she was super forward which is so much easier to work with. We did trot/canter/trot/canter transitions on a circle and it's actually starting to feel like a more "normal" canter. The BO was teaching a lesson at the time and stopped to cheer us on "Woohoo, look at Ana go!" I'm not sure if it's because I'm riding her better of if it's the osteo adjustment and subsequent stretching exercises; probably a combination of both.

Hoping to ride again on Wednesday and maybe even Thursday.


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## frlsgirl

Ana begging for attention last night:










It was so cold! We only had 30 minutes of ride time so I was trying to be effective while riding with a very drippy nose. DH bought a bunch of hood scarfs for hunting; I might have to try one for riding.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana appears to need re-assurance that she's your number one, though I suspect she may have been asking for treats too. 

As for the weather, I don't know many who like the cold-winter months. It's nice to be sipping hot coco with schnaups by the fire and the holidays but it puts a damper on outdoor enjoyment. Hope you had a good ride!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @DanteDressageNerd - all things considered we did have a good ride. And yes, Ana is a one person horse; she does not like it when I pay attention to other horses; the other day I walked into the barn and stopped to talk to another boarder who's horse is across from Ana; I could hardly get a word out because Ana kept going "Hello! Hello! I'm over here; you are in front of the wrong stall!" So I had to stop and acknowledge her first before she would let me carry on.


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## DanteDressageNerd

:lol: little miss possessive. She says you're mine and mine alone, don't look at that horse. That horse isnt me! No cheating on me Mom! Like a little kid :lol:


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## PoptartShop

Ack, December is here & there's probably more cold weather coming your way!  Hard to get in enough ride time since the days seem shorter too. Just gets so darn cold! I feel your pain.
LOL she is so adorable, she's like...mom, give me more treats please?!


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## frlsgirl

Yep she's pretty special.

On another note, I tried this yesterday. 






It's so hard! I have no idea if I'm doing it right. I really need someone to film me. You don't want to slow down your horse with your seat and you don't want to move around too much where it impedes your horse. I can separate my seat bones and move them individually but I don't know how to maintain perfect stillness without locking up in other areas.


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## tinyliny

I can't wrap my head around all that of having your bones move seperate from your 'skin'. but, the plugging in image is one I have used. I like to also think of plugging in my feet, too. plugging them in to the stirrup, or , rather plugging them in PAST the stirrup, into the 'ground' right below them. a visula image, not a reality.

however, I do think about this thing of how to reduce the movement of my body in the saddle. how to reduce the movement of my body that doesn't perfectly match the movement of the saddle. I think of it more as sine waves.

as the horse is walking, the saddle moves in in one wave. there are some sudden variations, as he steps over something, or leans a bit to one side, or speeds up, but for the most part, it is a predictable wave of movement.

my body is being moved along , but since I am vertically aligned, and my center of gravity higher than the saddle, it is likely my wave will be 'behind' his wave by a milisecond. you know it is when you feel your butt bump the saddle enough that you feel the saddle 'move' on the horse's back. it will move forward or backward a tiny bit. if you are sensitive, you can feel when your lack of perfectly following the saddle in unison has caused the saddle to be shoved forward or backward a tiny, tiny bit. 
however, the horse feels it! for sure.

I will be walking along (riding him at a walk, I mean) and about every 5th step I feel that bump. that's because of the offset of my body's wave and his wave. when they get far enough apart, you are off enough to cause a bump in the saddle, then you usually rematch the rythm and carry on to the next one.

really getting your wave to match the saddle's wave requires lowering the pivot point in your movement as far as possible. the pivot point must be a joint, like elbow or hip, or spine, as we animals with skeletons can only bend or absorb movement where we have bony joints to do it .

so, the more you can absorb the back/forth/foreward/backward mvmement in your HIPS, not your WAIST, the closer your movement can match the saddles.

so, yes, your upper body needs to be firmer, especially the waist, but you have to be looser at the hips to ALLOW following to happen in sync.

one thing I learned long ago at a Charles de Kumnfy clinic to help one keep the upper body aligned and avoid needless 'noise' movmemtn was to think of advancing the leading shoulder with the leading hip , at the walk. this means, when the horse walks, you feel each of your hips being advanced with each push of the horses rear leg on each side. you actually ever so slightly move the SAME side shoulder forward with that hip.

most people do a tiny bit of a counter twist. the right hip goes forward, so they move the right shoulder back to counter balance. it is a way of absorbing or deadening the motion. but, in reality, it makes it harder for you to GO WITH the horse. by minutely advancing the same shoulder with the hip, your whole body moves forward in a quiet vertical alliance that amplifies the horse's walk, rather than continually dragging it back by killing counter motion.

I know this is odd, and the motion is MINUTE. but you will feel how your whole body lines up, and things get quiet. and your horse will walk more freely as she feels less drag from your seat.


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## frlsgirl

Interesting; thanks for sharing tiny. I've always just followed the movement or so I thought. Now I'll have to really scan myself to see what's actually happening.


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## frlsgirl

I want to do this with Ana some day; this is in Oregon. How ironic is it that I used to live in Oregon but didn't ride at the time and Ana is from Oregon but we didn't meet until we both lived in Oklahoma.

I wonder if something like this exists in other areas of the country? I especially love the water fall.


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## egrogan

That facility is pretty incredible, so not sure how many others like it are out there. But, trail obstacle/trail challenge clinics and show classes are pretty common. A quick search brought up this one in OK: Trail Horse Obstacle Challenge- Bridlewood Equestrian Oklahoma

I would love to do something like that too! A trail club had a clinic day with tons of crazy obstacles at my old barn, but for some reason I wasn't able to participate. I wish I had though.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I don't particularly like that video explain motion. I know what she's saying but listening to it, it was just very confusing and not to the point.

I think it's best to follow the motion but not go in excess. I agree with tinyliny, your hips need to follow the motion. The hips need to be soft. I think a better way the video could explain is a lot of people get busier in their hips and do excess motion in the saddle because they have their shoulders moving in excess and are unstable in their core and balance. You have to allow yourself to move, you dont want to be too still or rigid. I've seen riders that are still as can be but because they're so still they've severely reduced the quality of their horse's gaits and basically stopped the back movement or allowing the hind leg to come under because they were taught to be still. Sitting trot looks so still and their leg doesn't move but they're so jammed up and rigid the horse cant move underneath them. Stability comes from the core and being able to engage the core but you never want to hold yourself still. 

When I look at position or how I want to ride, I look a lot at who I admire riding young horses because you can't hide the aids as well on babies. They're more unbalanced, they don't have all the training and need the education. Much like most people's horses at home. Personally I watch a lot of Charlotte and say I want to ride like that, even though I know I'll never be that good of a rider but I look at how light and effective her seat is. And you can see she's not still. 










lol also funny because I'm from Oregon too.But that looks like fun!


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## frlsgirl

So we had a pretty good weekend; I got to ride a couple of times; Friday we got some really lovely work done. 










When I was finished I had the bright idea to have a barn mate film me going in circles around her. Ana was not very cooperative; she knew it was the end of our ride so she completely sucked back when my friend filmed me so it looked pretty awful; when she decides she is done you have to squeeze every step out of her. So brace yourself; this is not how she usually goes so I'm having to use a lot of leg. In hindsight I should have given her a tap with my whip but that would have ticked her off so bad that it would have taken 5 more trot circles to calm her down again. 

I started on the left which is bad her side; you can see me opening my outside hand trying to keep her from falling in so much. You can kind of see a typical pattern in our work where she gets distracted and pops her head up so I put her back together and we have a couple of lovely strides and then she drops her head down and wants me to carry it so I have to half-halt up to get her level again. This is a very regular occurring pattern in our work. I really just wanted to capture posting trot and call out different things I was doing with my body.







So after that the vet came and Ana got her annual vaccinations and teeth floated; they didn't look too bad.

Saturday it was dreary and rainy; I was the only one at the barn which I kind of enjoyed; Ana was a bit jazzed up so I decided to start with longe work:










Afterwards we had a real nice ride. 

You can see how lovely she moves when she is forward and motivated. And you can clearly see from the video what a PITA she can be when she does not want to go. Like I said, a good tap with the whip could have fixed that but I only had 2 minutes with my videographer and decided to forgo the correction due to time constraints. What I really need is a soloshot or pixio so you can see the difference between ticked off/uncooperative Ana and free-flowing forward moving Ana.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I don't particularly like that video explain motion. I know what she's saying but listening to it, it was just very confusing and not to the point.
> 
> I think it's best to follow the motion but not go in excess. I agree with tinyliny, your hips need to follow the motion. The hips need to be soft. I think a better way the video could explain is a lot of people get busier in their hips and do excess motion in the saddle because they have their shoulders moving in excess and are unstable in their core and balance. You have to allow yourself to move, you dont want to be too still or rigid. I've seen riders that are still as can be but because they're so still they've severely reduced the quality of their horse's gaits and basically stopped the back movement or allowing the hind leg to come under because they were taught to be still. Sitting trot looks so still and their leg doesn't move but they're so jammed up and rigid the horse cant move underneath them. Stability comes from the core and being able to engage the core but you never want to hold yourself still.
> 
> When I look at position or how I want to ride, I look a lot at who I admire riding young horses because you can't hide the aids as well on babies. They're more unbalanced, they don't have all the training and need the education. Much like most people's horses at home. Personally I watch a lot of Charlotte and say I want to ride like that, even though I know I'll never be that good of a rider but I look at how light and effective her seat is. And you can see she's not still.
> 
> https://youtu.be/KFVmpsgmMCA
> Flyinge Breeders 2016 Charlotte Dujardin 2 - YouTube


Honestly, I love Charlotte and I love watching her ride, but in these videos her posting trot mechanics remind me of a saddle seat rider. It could be the saddle fit and the fact that she's riding the horse very uphill.

I love her posting trot and overall riding in this video:






I'm one to talk though; I'm still killing it at Intro Level Schooling shows with my little opinionated Morgan, whereas Charlotte is winning gold at the Olympics! So you can pretty much disregard anything I say, lol.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think everyone has a valid reason to point things out or notice things, it's how we all learn. For example if I see someone I admire do something I might question, I'll think I wonder why they're doing that? Maybe there is a lesson there. I think Charlotte's post on the grey mare is pretty valid for how the mare moves and her age. To me this mare looks like a hot-tense horse that's a bit difficult to ride and organize. I know I post a lot higher on Frankie than I do on Dev because with Dev I want a smaller trot and him to come back and with Frankie I'm trying to get her more forward, so I post higher to say hey onward and forward.

I like your new way of posting better but I can see why Ana would be difficult to post on. She looks like one of those horses that's so smooth, it's a lot of work to post and easier to sit. But you're doing a lot better together, she's getting a lot more consistent. Your new way is a lot smoother and you can tell Ana is sensitive and responds better to it. She's like lightly please mom, she's pretty opinionated but when she settles into the bridle she looks a lot happier. Is she more coordinated left than right?


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd - I feel more coordinated riding her on the left; I don't know if it's her of if it's me. She does tend to carry more weight on the left shoulder which I notice when we circle left because she tends to fall in and when I'm trying to turn right that left shoulder feels like an anchor sometimes that keeps us glued to the arena wall. But since we started doing shoulder stretches she is becoming easier to turn. If I rode more horses I would be able to give you a better assessment. And yes her trot is very smooth and pretty easy to sit but she was very sucked back in this video so I had to use all my strength to create energy and shape the energy. Usually she creates her own energy so I only have to shape it, if that makes any sense? So my riding looked more labored because I had to do too much work which is not always the case.

That makes sense about adapting your posting to the horse. I know when I ride Dante, I don't really worry about my biomechanics because everything just kind of falls into place; he has so much push from behind that I don't have to try to post; it just kind of happens.


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## DanteDressageNerd

That makes sense. I'm more coordinated to the left than right too when I ride. And that's fair, sometimes it's hard to say whether it's a you issue or it's the horse's balance/coordination when you don't have a lot to compare it to. To see what is consistently something you do vs what they do but my guess would be it's both, I think it's usually somewhere between but we should take responsibility for it. But it makes sense with creating the energy and having to rev the engine vs her taking herself. I have to do that a lot with Frankie atm because she's learning to move forward off the leg.

But it makes sense too, every horse feels different and their body is different so it takes something a little different to ride. There are a lot of similarities and a lot of difference but I think every horse has their own manual. Some have more similar manuals than others and some have a manual that is almost entirely original but always something to work on and develop.


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## frlsgirl

I had a really great ride on Ana last night. She seemed stoked to see me; she actually squealed when she saw me!

I decided to ride in my show boots again as I’m still trying to break them in without actually wearing them out so that they still look good for shows. They are kind of stiff and I mostly notice that when mounting. As usual, I was within an inch of eating dirt because Ana does not believe in standing still for mounting. She stands still until you swing your leg over and then she walks off so you awkwardly tip forward and then back into the saddle. 

It was cold and we mostly had the arena to ourselves. 

I came up with a new pattern based on the exercises we learned at camp.

I basically pick a long-side; note that our long side is VERY long; like 80 meters or so. 

Then I start with:

3 circles; one at each letter using the vibrating bend/spiral seat combo and return back to the long-side with a tear-drop loop (in Germany, we call this “Aus der naechsten Ecke kehrt”). Repeat the same exercise on the other rein.

Return through the loop and then do 3 halts using my seat; one at each letter, return to the track through the tear-drop loop and repeat on the other rein.

Return through the loop and do 3 almost halts through my seat (basically bringing the hindlegs under while stopping the front legs from running off) which is basically the beginning of a rebalancing half-halt; then let her walk out of it again and repeat at each letter

Return through loop and do the same thing on the other rein. Now, when you get to the end of the long-side do a halt and TOF to turn around.

This time combine all three exercises on the long-side; circle by first letter, almost halt at the second letter and halt at the last letter, then TOF and repeat.


Then I gave her a stretch break before we moved on to trot work; trot work is basically a whole bunch of loops through the arena; whenever she gets too fast we do a smaller loop or circle to help her rebalance. Then another stretch break. 


Then sitting trot, using the half halt from the previous walk exercise to rebalance if she gets too fast, then go on a circle, and canter for half a circle and trot again, wait until she regains her balance and canter again for half a circle or so then trot again wait until she’s balanced and then let her have a stretch break.


Repeat on the other rein except at the end let her chew the reins out of my hand and go to posting trot and then transition down to walk and cool down.


I have to say I’ve never felt her this connected ever; I could instantly correct her if she was losing her balance, she was just so through and connected and didn’t fight me on anything. I felt like Charlotte riding a GP horse. I tried to film it with my Iphone but the footage quality was horrible and then my phone died. I will need to have a serious chat with Santa about getting me a SoloShot or Pixio!


We then picked up the reins again and trotted because I needed to practice a few center lines. Those clearly need more work. So we are going to put heavy focus on centerlines during our next couple of rides.

Funny side note; I nearly died from heat stroke; I wanted to take my second jacket off before starting trot work but Ana was freaked out by the noise so I kept it on for the first part and then the BO came into the arena and held Ana for me so that I could shed a layer. At the end we practiced sacking out with my noisy jacket. I wish my phone hadn't died, we had some awesome Kodak moments with Ana wearing my jacket on her head!


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## PoptartShop

That is too cute that she was so happy to see you & squealed of happiness! 
Also having the arena to yourselves is great. Can do as you please with no distractions. Sounds like you guys had a great ride and worked on a lot of stuff! Yay! 

LOL gah! I bet she looked so cuuuuuute lol. You guys worked up a sweat!


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> do 3 almost halts through my seat (basically bringing the hindlegs under while stopping the front legs from running off) which is basically the beginning of a rebalancing half-halt


Can you explain (preferably in simple words my non-dressage self can visualize) what 'the front legs running off' means? Is that another way of saying the horse is moving on its forehand? As in pulling itself along instead of powering from behind? Is that term a Centered Riding phrase? I understand the premise of a half halt, but cannot get my head around the rest of the concept. :-?

(I am mentally storing some of your exercises for when I school Phin, so want to make sure I am at least understanding the basics of it.)


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## frlsgirl

Sure @phantomhorse13

First you have to teach your horse to halt from your seat. So you need to make sure that you have good contact and that your arms and seat are following the motion very well. Then you close your elbows and stop following the motion with your arms and hips and sit very tall; this should cause your horse to halt. You might have to reinforce with a verbal whoa at first if you horse knows that word. You want to make sure that he understands this version of the halt very well before you move on to the next step.

So in the next step you are walking with following arms and seat and then you slow down your seat and arm motion and sit very tall; this should cause your horse to start the halt process without finishing the halt; you only do a couple of strides like this and then you let your horse walk out of this again; you basically apply the breaks with your seat and then let off the breaks; this is basically the beginning of the re-balancing half-halt; whenever you feel your horse run away/lose balance you can shift that balance back to the hind legs by doing this.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Please do :lol: I hope Santa grants your wish but I'm really glad to hear you and Ana had such a fantastic ride. Really awesome to make those improvements and gain that confidence.


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## frlsgirl

Long exciting weekend; too much to type it all out so I’m just going to share the cliff notes:


Thursday, I arrive at the barn to discover that Ana has loose shoe; we call the farrier but he can’t come until the next day; we have Championships Saturday so I absolutely must practice so we end up ductaping the shoe. 



It works at first:













Then the shoe with ductape comes flying off in the middle of our schooling session; she handles it like a pro.




















Friday, I get there and the farrier hasn’t made it out yet; we agree that I should practice sans the shoe in the indoor since the footing is good in there.
We had a great practice ride although she was so full of energy that I had to trot for a long time to drain some energy out of her.










Farrier showed up later that day and tacked the shoe back on.

Saturday we get there early as I was trailering with BO who was scheduled to show early. Glad my ride time was later in the day because that gave me plenty of time to prepare. Ana was totally pumped up so it took me a while to get her settled down enough where I could tie her to a hitching post. Of course as soon as I turned my head and walked away to get her supplies she started screaming for me “Mom, I can’t see you, where did you go?” when I returned with her hay bag she was knee deep in the neighbor pony’s haybag; the pony just looked at me like “excuse me, could you help me get my haybag back?” 



I ended up hand-walking her a couple more times because she was too jazzed up to stand quietly for that long.










Then it was time to saddle up and warm up for our test. Turns out I was the only Adult Amateur entered in this class so as long as we didn’t scratch or disqualify the title was ours. 

She was still really jazzed up so I didn’t even bother bringing my whip. I found a volunteer to hold Ana for me so that I could get on safely and she also agreed to read my test for me.

I was pretty exhausted by the time the bell rang. Ana was still hyped up so my only job was to keep her energy under control and try to make it look good at the same time.

I was so pleased with the result: 63.5; highest score we ever received for Intro C; and this judge is NOT generous when it comes to scoring. I also had my best rider scores ever. Ana’s canter scores are also up from 5 and 5.5 to a 6. So I gladly accepted Ana’s giant ribbon and my medal.

The cute photobomber is the poor pony who's hay Ana had stolen earlier in the day; so I guess he got his revenge 



















My ride on video:





 
Glad this chapter is done with; now we are busy preparing for training level tests in 2017!


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## PoptartShop

Looks like a great ride. Go you and Ana!!!!!  That's so exciting!!!! Such a great team you guys are. LOL duct tape works wonders...you'd think it would've lasted all day haha. Hehe at the pony photobomber! :rofl:
So cute how excited she got, love it! Such a happy horse! WOOOT!!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @PoptartShop - yes she is a pretty awesome pony!


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## frlsgirl

I've been casually foal shopping on the internets and found the cutest little dude:






Isn't he adorable? Put a bow around his neck and put him under my Christmas tree please!


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## egrogan

I hate his name  But he is adorable! Those LEGS go on forever.

Online horse shopping is a dangerous thing!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I hate his name  But he is adorable! Those LEGS go on forever.
> 
> Online horse shopping is a dangerous thing!


LOL; indeed.


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## frlsgirl

OMG: this just happened last night; @SaddleUp158 did you see this? So scary!

Deputies investigate stabbing in Rogers County | FOX23


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## DanteDressageNerd

Congratulations on your best score at Intro C! That's so exciting!! I like the medal and ribbon, that's really cool!! Also neat that you've improved your scores by quite a lot! You should be really proud. A lot of improvement!

The colt is adorable but he looks like trouble :lol: he has a very cheeky expression.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Congratulations on your best score at Intro C! That's so exciting!! I like the medal and ribbon, that's really cool!! Also neat that you've improved your scores by quite a lot! You should be really proud. A lot of improvement!
> 
> The colt is adorable but he looks like trouble :lol: he has a very cheeky expression.


That might be why I like him; reminds me of Ana :loveshower:


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## SaddleUp158

Omg! NO, I had not heard about that! So scary. Glad you, Ana and the other participants were gone by then!


Congrats on a great show. You and Ana have had a wonderful year this year! Can't wait to see what you all accomplish next year!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks - you as well @SaddleUp158 - it was great to ride with you guys at camp and meet the lovely Mia! Hoping to show in Stillwater next year; maybe we will see you there!


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## SaddleUp158

We are hoping to show some next year since Mia will have the following year off to raise a baby. Hopefully we are able to make it to some of the same shows as you, including the clinic in March.


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## PoptartShop

OMGOSH the colt is so adorable!!! Look at those little legs. Oh, we can dream!


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## frlsgirl

I had to put my big girl pants on yesterday! Talk about feeling the fear and doing it anyway! 

Ana was totally hyped up last night; I had planned on a casual ride in the indoor but as I was leading Ana from the barn to the arena I could tell it wasn't going to work out that way.

I tried to handwalk her to calm her down, lined her up by the mounting block and she wouldn't stand still. Walked her back to the barn, got the longe line, did 10 minutes of walk/trot on both sides focusing on listening and then lined her up again.

My heart was pounding out of my chest because I just had images of me face planting in the dirt as Ana has a history of walking off in the middle of the mounting process.

I just sucked it up, swung my leg over and she stood still like a statue; like she never stands this still ever. Even with someone holding her for me. Note to self: always longe Ana before getting on.

So by then I was short on time but she was going so well for me I just couldn't get off! Does that ever happen to you? You plan to ride a certain amount of time but it's going so well so you just can't get yourself to dismount?

She was so forward yet obedient and mostly compliant. And here is the best part: I've been doing these little hind end engagement exercises with her and she always finds them really hard but she does them. Well last night, she was able to engage her hind end without losing any suppleness or relaxation. 
I've always wondered about this; instructors tell me do this or that exercise and eventually the horse learns to xyz, you want to believe it but it seems like it takes forever or that nothing is happening. And then one day: BAM - it happens. And you're like Holy shiitake what just happened?!?

So yeah, pretty happy with her right now!


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## frlsgirl

Planning for shows:

So in 2016 I attended 6 shows and ended up with 9 tests/scores total.

The 2017 schedule just came out; there are 14 schooling shows total that I could go to; of those I'm going to try to go to 10; chances are 1 will get cancelled and I won't be able to arrange transport for another 1; that leaves me with 8 shows; if I ride 2 tests per show that will give me 16 scores. One show is at our barn so if I'm running low on scores, I could try to do 3 tests then.

So my goal is 15 tests/scores for 2017; all at Training level; starting with T1 and T2 for the first few shows and then switch to T2 and T3 as I need at least 2 scores of 60 and above at T3 in order to qualify for championships and year end awards.


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## PoptartShop

That sounds great!  Those are good goals. Schooling shows are awesome. I also plan on doing some next year, since this year I had just got back into riding/was rusty haha.
You & Ana will do well! <3


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## frlsgirl

PoptartShop said:


> That sounds great!  Those are good goals. Schooling shows are awesome. I also plan on doing some next year, since this year I had just got back into riding/was rusty haha.
> You & Ana will do well! <3


Thanks - schooling shows are indeed fun. Most people who are just starting are probably totally ok at Intro A & B, so don't wait until you're prefect :wink:


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## DanteDressageNerd

Good luck in show season 2017. I hope all goes according to plan!! Sounds like there will be a lot of shows this coming season!


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## frlsgirl

I had planned on going riding yesterday but it didn't work out that way. I found an old unread FB message yesterday from a family member expressing how much he hates me and suggesting that I send him my email address so that he could send me the full list of all the reasons that he hates me. So needless to say I was pretty rattled and upset after that; I did drive out to the barn and hand walked and stretched her but I just wasn't in any shape to ride. It's pretty upsetting to find out that someone hates me that much and that he has an actual "list!"

So after I walked it off and cried about it and talked about it, I decided to just let it go; instead I'm going to focus on all the good people I have in my life who care about me; handed out Christmas cards and candy at work today, then I'm off to the barn to hand out more cards and candy there, and probably ride as well.

We are supposed to get snow tomorrow so I'm going to spend some time writing Christmas cards to all the remaining good people. I would love to ride in the snow; maybe I can convince husband to drive me to the barn in his truck; that would be so much fun!


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## egrogan

What in the WORLD @frlsgirl??? Why would anyone ever do something like that? I hope you just ignored the message!


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## frlsgirl

Yeah, really strange. I wonder if he was drunk. How do you respond to something like that? "Um, ok, have a nice day!"


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## PoptartShop

frlsgirl said:


> I had planned on going riding yesterday but it didn't work out that way. I found an old unread FB message yesterday from a family member expressing how much he hates me and suggesting that I send him my email address so that he could send me the full list of all the reasons that he hates me. So needless to say I was pretty rattled and upset after that; I did drive out to the barn and hand walked and stretched her but I just wasn't in any shape to ride. It's pretty upsetting to find out that someone hates me that much and that he has an actual "list!"
> 
> So after I walked it off and cried about it and talked about it, I decided to just let it go; instead I'm going to focus on all the good people I have in my life who care about me; handed out Christmas cards and candy at work today, then I'm off to the barn to hand out more cards and candy there, and probably ride as well.
> 
> We are supposed to get snow tomorrow so I'm going to spend some time writing Christmas cards to all the remaining good people. I would love to ride in the snow; maybe I can convince husband to drive me to the barn in his truck; that would be so much fun!


Wow that's just terrible. I hope you didn't respond! They don't deserve a single word from you. Ugh. People are so effed up. Like who even thinks of something like that?! Definitely focus on all the good in your life. That's all that matters. You don't need any negativity. 

We're going to get some rain/snow here too in the morning. Christmas cards sounds like a great idea. I need to send mine out too. He's lucky he has a truck...I won't be able to get to the barn this winter if it snows a lot since I have a car LOL.


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's pretty disturbing that someone in your life is that disturbed and that hateful. That's entirely unfair and uncalled for and I promise is not a reflection of you but them and who they are as a person. I'd feel sorry for someone that full of hate and who is that emotionally disturbed to write a hateful message. It's sad they don't realize their problem is their own and they cant blame or hate someone else for what is THEIR problem. Some people are very emotional thinkers and not at all rational or reasonable. 

I don't blame you for being upset, I would be too even knowing that person's problem is their problem and that hateful letter is not a reflection of you but the person who wrote you has a problem. Very emotionally disturbed, unhealthy person to be that hateful and towards someone who probably never did anything to them. You cant help someone that full of hate but pray and hope they can get help to over come their issues. Ive had people do some truly awful things to be me and I dont hate them, hate is such a toxic emotion and truly illogical. People who fall into hate will lose themselves to it because it's all consuming. I feel sorry for whoever is so filled with hate. That's obviously a very miserable, unhappy person who is reflecting what is likely hate towards themselves and blaming another for whatever. You are a much healthier person and probably because you're living a life you enjoy and not filling yourself with hate or vile toxicity. The best revenge is a life well lived. 

Sorry to rant I'm sorry that happened but unfortunately people like that are not rational and you cant reason with them because they're consumed in emotion. But the Christmas Cards sound like a fabulous idea and I'm glad you went out and saw Ana  enjoy her as much as possible, enjoy your family and fill your life with love and positive emotions.


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## frlsgirl

PoptartShop said:


> Wow that's just terrible. I hope you didn't respond! They don't deserve a single word from you. Ugh. People are so effed up. Like who even thinks of something like that?! Definitely focus on all the good in your life. That's all that matters. You don't need any negativity.
> 
> We're going to get some rain/snow here too in the morning. Christmas cards sounds like a great idea. I need to send mine out too. He's lucky he has a truck...I won't be able to get to the barn this winter if it snows a lot since I have a car LOL.


Yup, no time for hate in my life. About the car situation; when I lived in Colorado I got studded tires and felt completely safe driving on main roads; maybe that's an option for you if you get a lot of snow?


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd - thank you for your kind and reassuring words! I made the mistake of sending a really nice response thinking that this was done, but no, now he messaged me back that I'm pathetic for responding so late and to quit bothering him and now he's turned it into a group message so that the rest of my family can see how I'm harassing him. I responded that it's indeed very sad for how he's conducting himself and that I've already deleted and blocked it. Sad thing is now that he dragged others into it, I had to block these people as well, which means any minute I should get an email from Germany telling me to stop harassing him; I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to put a restraining order on me; and now my sister will likely get dragged into this which means that I will have to be very careful as to how proceed with her. Just sick and sad.

Oh well, like I said, I have so many good people in my life who care about me and would never do that to me. 

I hope everyone has a happy and pony-filled weekend! Stay safe!


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## PoptartShop

frlsgirl said:


> Yup, no time for hate in my life. About the car situation; when I lived in Colorado I got studded tires and felt completely safe driving on main roads; maybe that's an option for you if you get a lot of snow?


That sounds awesome but my tires are new, gahhhhhhh lol


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## DanteDressageNerd

You're welcome. I'm so sorry they're behaving in such a petty manner and without honor. Truly if I were them I would feel ashamed and absolutely would be giving the one who started the hate a hard time. Because the whole mess is something that would drive me crazy because 1. it's totally illogical, 2. it's unnecessary, 3. it's irrational and without any kind of objectivity 4 they have no honor and 5 it makes no sense. I think it's hard to be a rational, well meaning person and trying to sort out how a person's brain works that is so angry, hateful and spiteful. That person will spend their entire life angry and blaming others when the person they're really upset with is themselves but lack the courage to face it. It's a deep routed, self serving coward who behaves that badly and towards someone who would be a good ally and friend if they just asked for it. Not someone to keep around. My father has a saying, surround yourself with those you want to be like and another one is screwed up people will you screw up, they just can't help it. 

It's sad to say and hard to imagine but they want to hate, they want to be miserable and they want to be filled with that toxic, negative loop because for whatever reason it's easier than making an effort or actually being honest or being happy. Their hate is not at all a reflection of you or anything you are. You have done NOTHING wrong, nothing wrong at all. Some people defy all rationality and reason and live in a parallel world that is unpenetrable by truth or reason. In fact I find truth, honesty and kindness actually makes them more angry, as though you displaying anything authentic that defies their perception makes them furious. They hate when the truth uncovers their lies or the lies they tell themselves. I'd just cut off all ties and keep it clean, you dont need that in your life. At least they pointed out to you the sort of people they are and that they cannot be reached and if they want to live in a cesspool of toxicity they can do so but you wont be a part of it. It's a losers mentality to blame others, to be hateful, spiteful and create friction where there wasn't, that's a lost soul. Only think I think helps is prayer and hoping one day they find help and do some deep soul searching. I think prayer and love from a distance, not saying a word to them does the most good. Im honest about who people are but I pray for a lot of people who have no idea I'm praying for them because it's the only way I know how to help them. Me saying anything to them would be met with animosity. That's a good thing about the church and God (I don't know if you're religious or not) but I think it helps a lot with forgiveness and soothing our anxieties and helping us find peace within ourselves and our relationships with others. To be a better person than we were yesterday and to look past the present and be genuine.

And as you know you're living a good life with good dogs, a loving husband, Ana, and yourself and your career. You are happy and for whatever reason some people resent happy people. Keep being happy and spreading cheer. The fact that they're behaving so poorly is only a testament of how well you're living. Keep being kind and generous but don't pay them any mind, they lost the right to know a wonderful and good person that they should have been grateful and lucky to have in their life.


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## frlsgirl

You are very wise @DanteDressageNerd ! Praying for them is a very good idea; at least there is something I can do without letting their toxicity affect me. I did go ahead an cut all ties; all family members have been blocked from every social media site; that way they can't take innocent pictures and posts and turn them into something hateful; if they want to have contact with me and find out how I'm doing, they can contact me the old fashioned way. I did call my sister and explain what happened as I thought she was part of the group FB message; she had no idea and was glad that I filled her in because she is supposed to spend Christmas with them; surely they will try to bring this up and at least she has all the facts now. I've also partially restricted her access to my posts and pictures on social media as I'm not sure if that provides her with possible talking points; which are probably totally innocent, but talking points nonetheless. 

I did hand out a bunch of cards and candy at the barn and it felt really good.

I also rode Ana and hung out with the barn sitter on Friday which was a total blast. It was really nice to get a good productive ride in before the weather hit. We drove out there yesterday as it started to freeze and found Ana snug as a bug in her blanky with a freshly cleaned stall and a huge pile of hay in front of her. I didn't have the heart to pull her out of her stall as she looked so cozy in there so we just did some free style carrot stretches (she just came in from turnout so her muscles were still warm enough for that), gave her a couple of scratches and headed home.

Now it's 3 degrees and everything is covered in a beautiful white coating of snow. I promised my husband that I wouldn't try to drive to the barn by myself while he is out working for a few hours; so I probably won't see Ana again until tomorrow, which gives me plenty of time to get caught up on some things around the house and the remaining Christmas cards.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I wish you only the best. I've dealt with some interesting characters too, the only thing I know is all that negativity and toxicity is from the person harboring all the negative thoughts and to keep peace, you have to keep distance because they are beyond reason. Hate is a strange consuming thing, people who live there arent happy, good people. A person either makes an effort to heal or gets trapped there, the longer they're trapped there the harder it is to get out and heal. It's a mindset and choice. But I'm glad you explained the situation to your sister and she was understanding. I also hope they do get help and learn to figure out their issues. Prayers is some of the best therapy and has incredible healing capabilities. I'm glad you're away from that toxicity and moving forward.

I'm really glad you had a good ride and enjoyed Ana before the weather took over! But I'm glad you still went out and spent time with her, even if it didn't turn into a ride.

We're experiencing the same kind of weather lol. It has a lot of bite! I hope you enjoyed your snow day and will get to see Ana tomorrow!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @*DanteDressageNerd* !

I didn't take a lot of pictures this weekend due to being mostly stuck at home; here is Ana snug as a bug in her blanket Saturday before the storm hit:










Yesterday morning we could see that we just got a little bit of snow overnight:










Since husband wouldn't let me drive to the barn; the barn sitter sent me this pic of Ana during her turnout:










Then I was sitting on the couch, when I suddenly noticed Sadie pawing at her face; when I took a closer look, I could see why: her cheek is swollen:










Called the vet - he thinks it's an impacted tooth so we gave her some of Lou's left over pain meds and then I dropped her off at the vet's office on my way to work this morning.

I'm hoping to get out of here at a decent time so that I have enough time to pick up Sadie and go to the barn; not sure if that will happen but I'm gonna try; haven't ridden her since Friday and haven't seen her in person since Saturday.


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## PoptartShop

Aww Ana looks so cute & comfy in her blanket! 
Even though the snow can be annoying...it actually looks kinda purdy! I hope Sadie feels better after the vet, poor girly.  Hope you make it out to the barn too, I know the feeling I haven't had a chance to ride since Wednesday.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @PoptartShop - yes the snow is pretty to look at for sure. Hope you get to make it out to the barn as well!


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## frlsgirl

My favorite Ana moments from 2016:

Spring/Summer:










September/October










November/December:


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## PoptartShop

Way to go!!!!! Awww love the little collage. 2016 was a great year for you two, 2017 will be even better.


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## frlsgirl

@*PoptartShop* - 2016 was a very productive year for us for sure; I'm so glad I decided to move Ana to this new barn - it's opened so many opportunities for us, I never have to worry about Ana not receiving proper care, and I've met so many awesome people. I also finally got over my fear of cantering - that was a big one for me. I would have to say that the best part are the party lessons - I remember the conclusion of my first official party lesson and BO asked me if I enjoyed myself; my reply "I've not had this much fun since becoming an adult" lol. And camp was so much fun; it was difficult to go back to my normal life after having such a blast.

I was reviewing video footage last night and was shocked at how much we've improved since summer; here is a longish video comparing a recent ride to a ride from May when we were having lameness issues:






So the lameness issues obviously made her more difficult to ride but I don't think I rode her as well as I do now. Adult Amateur camp was one of those eye opening experiences for me; my stirrups were too long; I carried too much weight in my heels and I didn't keep a solid enough outside rein. Mary Waneless says that if the horse doesn't go right then the rider can't ride right so if you have a horse that doesn't go well by itself the rider has to be extra skilled to bring everything back in balance; I'm finally learning how to do that and can see improvement. We still have a long way to go but I feel like we are over the proverbial "hump" and now it's just a matter of or practice and minor adjustments here and there. 

It's also making me appreciate the gift of riding a difficult horse; I'm learning so much from her that a ready-made Dressage horse would not be able to teach me. There were days where I would observe others ride their tests and bring home a 70+ and a blue ribbon and everything just looked so easy; and I would get kind of mad and think "why can't it be this easy with Ana?" well Ana is not an easy horse to ride and I'm just now learning how to ride her well. A little girl at our barn scored a 70 in Intro C with Trooper; all she had to do is sit there - Trooper is just such a fantastic horse, he does everything by himself. It would be difficult to get a 60 on him because he's just that good. So now I know every 60 something earned on Ana is a testament to all the blood, sweat and tears and sheer determination to figure this thing out; no matter what color the ribbon!

PS: Sadie is home from the vet and doing well; I never made it to the barn last night as I was busy taking care of her. Hoping to go tonight!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad to hear Sadie is doing better. Hopefully the teeth removal will help her feeling more comfortable!! 

I'm glad the adult dressage camp helped and puts some things into perspective. It's a constant journey, you're always learning and progressing. Every horse has something to teach but I'm glad you're appreciating what Ana has taught you and the skills she's providing. 

Also kudos on all the improvement! Keep up the good work!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @DanteDressageNerd !

Finally rode Ana last night! She kind of gave me the cold shoulder but then when she thought I was ignoring her quickly set me straight with a demanding nicker followed by pawing.

I did longe her first since I hadn't sat on her since Friday and she only had limited turnout due to weather; she seemed kind of sluggish so I only longed her a couple of circles each direction and then climbed on. She stood solid as a rock for a mounting and got big praise again! 

We usually start with loose rein but I had the reins short for the mounting process so as soon as we took the first step she rooted them from me like she was trying to remind me that we are supposed to warm up on a loose rein. Since she seemed so calm and we hadn't ridden in 4 days, I remember thinking that maybe that's all we'll do, loose rein walk, but I could barely finish that thought when she spooked and shied sideways towards the middle of the arena. 

Got her settled down and we proceeded with our normal walk work routine except I made sure that we went right back to that spooky corner and approached it from both directions. She remembered all of her training but her responses weren't crisp if that makes any sense. The only thing that didn't work at all were circles to the right when we have to move away from the wall; there is so much weight on her shoulders that they are glued to the arena wall and it takes everything in me to turn her. We usually do extensive shoulder stretches before riding but since her muscles were cold I didn't want to overdo it with stretches. I think next time I will have to take the time to warm her up and then do shoulder stretches. It gradually got better but not to our usual standard.

We only trotted a little bit; I wanted to focus on "stuffing" - a Mary Waneless term; meaning that I'm toned through my thighs and can post in a very light and controlled manner without gripping of course. I also focused on not getting suckered into pushing her along. I ask her to go once and then I put my legs away again. That seemed to go pretty well but she had trouble engaging her hind and was carrying a lot on her shoulders again so I decided to quit trotting and concentrate on just walk work.

Things gradually got better but not exactly to our usual standard; I suppose that is to be expected after 4 days off with limited turnout. We will build on what we worked on yesterday in tonight's ride. Hopefully I can get her back to her usual working order. 

She's been stomping around angrily in her turnout because the new gelding that is turned out next to her shows no interest in her. I wonder if all that stomping isn't good for her. That gelding isn't worth her time anyway, totally passive aggressive; I observed him pulling on her cross ties - what a shady move, when she can't defend herself he tries to engage her but at liberty he just ignores her. Ana's boyfriend moved back to Texas


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## DanteDressageNerd

With a few days off rides back usually arent quite the same. They're usually stiffer or less responsive and sometimes getting their brain engaged can be more tricky. But it sounds like it was a good ride for getting her brain back in gear and work through some spookiness and focus. Hope you enjoy your next ride together!


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## frlsgirl

I wish @*DanteDressageNerd* ! Ana was just not herself; still really unsettled and frustrated with herself and her surroundings; she even pinned her ears at the cat - that's her best friend! She was more responsive when we rode but then lost her mind over a stack of folded up lawn chairs; it was so bad that she just had a melt down and started running backwards at which point I bailed. That's rare for her to lose it like that; she spooks frequently but she always gets over it and moves on. So I hand walked her in endless circles around the corner where she saw the chairs then took a deep breath and got back on. We had a pretty good ride after that. When we were finished I took her outside of the arena where the lawn chairs are so she could sniff and inspect them some more before putting her back in her stall. Even though we ended with a good ride, she still seemed really unsettled; the cat stopped by her stall and Ana pinned her ears at him - I've not seen her do that before. I thought that maybe her muscles are tight so I tried to give her a good rub down with the hand massager but she was afraid of it so I resorted to using just my hands and she seemed to tolerate it but didn't enjoy it. 

So yeah, not sure what exactly is bothering her but she's unsettled; I'm thinking she's not getting her social or exercise needs met right now along with the crazy weather. I'll talk to BO about finding a new, more sociable turnout buddy for her and as long as the weather stays decent I'll try to get back to a 5 day week riding schedule.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I hope you can figure out what's bothering her. Maybe it's the drop in temperature and change in weather? Or as you said, perhaps she needs a buddy or someone to be her friend? I'm glad you had a good ride after her meltdown but I hope she gets more secure in her environment. Lots of breathing lol.


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## frlsgirl

Well, I wish I could say that Ana improved but she went completely cray cray on me Friday. I made a crucial mistake in asking someone else to hold her for me; I think he made her feel claustrophobic so she was trying to get away from him and kicked the mounting block in the process and then the noise from that sent her into a spin:







We had a surprisingly decent ride after that; although my head was hurting as we had bumped heads during her freakout.










I went straight to the feed store afterwards and bought her calming supplements to replace the Magrestore that was running out.

Oh yeah, and this happened: had to use scissors to cut myself out of them:










Then on my way home I discovered cattle running all over the main road - nobody bothered to stop, so I pulled over and called the police. While I was waiting for the cops a good Samaritan in a bigger vehicle pulled up and was able to push them back into their pen while I blocked the other side with my car. The police finally showed up and thanked us and blocked the road for us so that we could get turned around and head home. Man what a day!

Then I left her alone for a couple of days and rode her yesterday - she was a completely different horse, so calm, so cuddly, so sweet. Even the barn sitter who was riding that cute pony during Ana's freakout Friday remarked that she seems like a completely different horse. I initially assumed it was a combination of weather, supplements, reduced turnout time, and problems with the new turnout buddy.

But as I was grooming her I noticed some mysterious discharge "back there" - so after speaking to some other mare owners I concluded that she must have been going through a transitional heat cycle. One lady said that her mare is too dangerous to even handle on the ground during her transitional cycle - the rest of the year she's sweet as pie.

No matter what it was, I have my sweet little Ana back. We even did some extra mounting block practice just to make sure that I can trust her to stand still for mounting and that we do not need to involve a 3rd person; I even made it extra tempting for her to walk off by dragging it to the middle of the arena - she was a solid citizen:










And we had a lovely ride:










PS: On a totally unrelated note - a friend of mine who filmed my Championship ride from the bleachers sent me the video over the weekend. It's nice to be able to see the ride from a different perspective. Here is a nice screenshot; a little tense but I feel like I'm riding her better now:










Hope everyone had a great Christmas!


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## egrogan

Guess you got all your bad luck out of the way on one day. I couldn't help but laugh a little at your boot though- I have been in that situation and felt completely helpless. And it never even occurred to me to cut through the boot, I just wriggled my foot/ankle around pathetically until I managed to slide it out. I will file your smart tip away for future moments of being trapped in my own shoe 

When I first got Izzy, she was really annoying to ride when she was in heat...but not in the typical mare way. I always wondered if she had some sort of pain during her heat cycles because she would move sooooo slowly under saddle. She became the polar opposite of "fire breathing," she was so dead to the world it almost wasn't worth trying to ride. I don't know if/how mare's heat cycles change as they get older (horsey menopause?) but it doesn't seem like she's had those problems the past year or so.

Anyway, glad you've gotten in a couple of good rides after your bad one.


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## PoptartShop

I've had boots like that & it always would happen to me. Ugh. I stick to the ones that have laces now. :rofl: I can't be trusted with the zippers hahah. Glad she's back to her normal happy self!  Hope you had a good Christmas as well! Nice ride!


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## frlsgirl

@Poptartshop & @egrogan - I was totally panicked when I realized that I was stuck in my boot; I was hoping they would last me another season but the backs already had holes in them so I didn't feel too bad about cutting myself to freedom 

So here is a short video from our mounting block practice Monday; you can see how totally chilled she is; I can even groundtie her and she's completely calm:


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## DanteDressageNerd

Again Merry Christmas!!

I'm glad you had a really good rider on Ana following the difficulty mounting. Also really good that you and another person stood around to get the cows back into their pen and waited for the police to show up. 

That really sucks about the boot! I can say I've never been locked into a boot before, that would be pretty irritating! Time for new ones?


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## frlsgirl

Yep already ordered them from Dover @DanteDressageNerd - I'll just be riding in my show boots until they arrive.


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## frlsgirl

Ana says "don't I look spiffy in my new pad?" - it's the Eskadron pad I ordered from Europe last month; it's a little too big for her but oh well, at least she has something fancy to wear now 









We rode outside last night as it was getting dark; she got spooked a few times as there was a lot going on and everything looked so different to her as the sun started setting. She was mostly good except those darn lawnchairs again - no emergency dismount though; after we finished I hand walked her over there so she could inspect everything and she seemed ok with it. She was kind of sucked back for most of the ride so we mostly walked with just a couple of trot attempts in between. I was too tired and exhausted to push her on so we just did a lot of concentrated walk exercises. To my surprise we ended with a very foamy mouth; usually she doesn't foam as much in this bit; she foamed more in the Herm Sprenger bit; I think it has something to do with the metal.

Saddle fitter is coming today to adjust her saddle as it's not as sturdy on her as it was - I'm assuming it's because she's changed shape over the past 6 months.


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## PoptartShop

Love the saddlepad. So cute, & the color looks really pretty on her. 
Aww, riding in the dark can definitely be a different experience for them. Like ah, can't see anything. Oh no! I'm glad you walked over with her, that's the best way to desensitize & to let her know, it's okay. The chair isn't going to hurt you. Redz hates lawn chairs too. :rofl: They're scary monsters apparently! 

Awesome you're having the fitter come out. Definitely could be from her changing shape, it happens.


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## frlsgirl

@PoptartShop yours hates lawnchairs too ey? She was totally fine with them when they were sitting outside of the arena but ever since the BO folded them and leaned them up against the railing they have turned into saber-toothed tigers.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I really like the new saddle pad and like ordering products from Europe too. So much cheaper for the quality. It's lovely! Hope the saddle fit goes well!


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## frlsgirl

Saddle fitting was very informative; her topline has changed quite a bit so that caused everything to shift around which explains why my saddle suddenly didn't want to sit in the right spot. Whenever I was circling her to the right, I felt like my right leg was shorter or she was pushing against me causing my leg to stick out. Saddle fitter explained that horses compensate for discomfort by overdeveloping muscles; she showed me that her right scapula muscles were overdeveloped compared to the left; so that's what I was feeling. She spent 1.5 hours working on the saddle, going back and forth between trying it on Ana and hammering away at her work station. Poor Ana didn't understand what was taking so long; lots of nickering and pawing. Then the fitter kept shocking her with static electricity so Ana was wound up tight by the time we were all done. I handwalked her around the arena to help settle her down before I put her in her stall for the night.

Hoping to go ride when I get off work today. Brought my GoPro so hopefully I can capture the saddle fit difference on camera.


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## frlsgirl

Hope everyone had a great New Years!

I got to ride Ana Friday in the outdoor. I intended to film the whole thing but it was so windy that my camera got knocked off the railing and landed upside down in the dirt so I only have a handful of still shots. She was kind of sucked back but it could have been the head-wind:





































Some of my friends joined us and one of them took this picture:










Not sure why my stirrups look off here but it could be the way she was standing.

Sunday we got invited to the annual new year's day ride. Apparently it's a long standing tradition at our barn; I had no idea what I was in for; I knew it would be several people from our barn and neighboring barns and that we would be riding on pasture land and *might* see some cows.

Well there were 18 total:










And Ana was quite worked up:










I needed help getting on because she was so wound up. I had even longed her at home before we left and brought my longe gear but we were running late so I opted to not longe when we arrived. Not only did we see cows but we actually rode through cow pastures. Ana's eyes got bigger and bigger and at one point her front feet actually lifted off the ground. I wanted to cry and turn around but decided to just suck it up and keep going. I ended up getting control of her by doing lots of circles followed by loose rein walk and letting her munch on grass whenever she wanted to. She finally settled down:











Faking a smile while frantically grabbing the reins because Ana suddenly realized that she needed to catch up with the group:










Taking a quick snack break:










The last pasture we ended up crossing, the cows suddenly decided that they were going to do some horse sorting and came charging at us; I got the heck out of there. When we got back to the main grass strip where the trailers were parked I took Ana for a little gallop hoping to drain some more energy out of her as we still had a potluck dinner to go to and I needed her stand by the trailer and behave herself. The gallop was fun but it didn't do much to settle her; she spent most of our potluck cow watching. 

When we got back home she started acting weird in her stall; doing circles, squatting and turning to look at her bum; I let the BO know; she thought that maybe she was in heat again or still - never know with her. She said she would call me if she thought she needed a vet but I never heard from her so I assume Ana is ok.

I'm sure Ana she slept well that night and had lots of things to dream about and process. I was completely exhausted. We are supposed to ride in the poker run next weekend but I don't know if I have the nerves for that, lol. The ride was a lot of fun but also very taxing.

Hoping to do some arena work with her tonight.


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## PoptartShop

That sounds like an awesome fun ride!  Awwwww. Ana is too beautiful. You guys look so good!
Glad you got outta there just in time for the cows. Whew. That would've freaked me out LOL.


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## frlsgirl

I figured cows would just know to stay away from horses so I was surprised when they suddenly came running at us.


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## egrogan

Sounds like an intense "fun" ride! I can feel my heart beating a little faster imagining having to ride through some of those moments. I think it must be seeing pictures of Ana's head held on high alert, it reminds me of when Izzy goes high-headed like that and starts to scramble. Not so fun. I've never ridden in a large group like that and imagine I would have to do it a few times to feel comfortable with so much energy all around.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Wow! That trail ride looks awesome! What a great way to celebrate the holiday season, it looks like it was a great outing! Ana looks really happy


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## phantomhorse13

Congrats on braving out the trail ride on hyper Ana! I know with each successful outing you will be more confident for the next one and so will she.


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## frlsgirl

Rode Ana last night. She was on FIRE! I even longed her for a few minutes before getting on; she stood still for mounting and then she was ready to Go, Go, Go. It was cold and windy and just miserable outside. Riding in the partly covered arena helps except that the wind creates extra gremlins; as if we needed extra things to spook at. I spent a lot of time talking and singing to her to keep her ears on me instead of on gremlin patrol. I was sharing the arena with BO and Prince, at one point he passed us a little too close and Ana started to panic a little and then when BO finished cantering, Prince let out this big snort which startled Ana so bad that she jolted forward. As if she has never heard a horse snort before.

On a positive note, I felt like the saddle fit her perfectly and I fit perfectly in the saddle, like a plug connected to an outlet. Because she was so forward, I could focus on other things; when she's sucked back, I spent all my time creating energy and can't do anything else. I did have to circle her a lot to keep her from running off with me. Her legs were flying so fast - like knifes at a hibachi steak house. Cantering seemed easier too as I just had to focus on her balance; usually I'm trying to keep her cantering AND influence her balance; when she's forward like this she maintains the canter by herself so all I have to do is steer and keep her from tipping over, as she likes to canter like a race horse instead of yielding at the rib cage. I had to do a lot of self talk to keep myself from panicking - I worked really hard to overcome my control/fear issues and when she acts out of control that fear wants to make a reappearance. So I just reminded myself to breathe and that I could always slow her down with circles if needed. It helped.

It's supposed to be even colder and more miserable over the next two days; I'm completely overwhelmed at work and need to have evenings where I just sit on the couch and eat bonbons. So I asked BO if she could ride Ana for me; she agreed. I did mention to her that Ana is a little enthusiastic right now and that maybe we could reduce her feed but she said she already reduced it to the minimum and with the upcoming cold spell she doesn't think it's wise to cut it back more. Oh well, I'm hoping she will see the light when she goes to ride her, he, he.

I'm planning on riding Ana again on Friday; can't wait to hear how the ride went.


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## PoptartShop

Awww sounds like Ana was in one of those on-edge moods! Glad you worked her through it though, whew she had a lot of energy apparently. Breathing & 'blobbing' it can really help when you feel nervous. Redz can get fast like that at the canter sometimes too. Especially on one side, it's like holy crap! You just have to remember to breathe, instead of thinking 'omg am I gonna die?!' & holding your breath. Easier said than done of course, it definitely takes a lot of practice.  It's still a struggle for me too.
You definitely need to have at least one relaxing night to yourself to unwind. Pop in a movie and relax! Ana hopefully will be good & well-behaved for your BO! If not, well, she's in for it. :rofl: Let us know how it went! On Friday Ana better be in a better mood too, hopefully she gets all that energy out haha.


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## frlsgirl

So yesterday afternoon I found out that Ana and I also won the Year End Award for our local Dressage Chapter for Intro C; I'm not quite sure how they determined that but I'll take it, lol. I don't know if it's the highest average of all Intro level scores or the highest average for all Intro C Scores, or just the highest Intro level score or the highest Intro C score. Oh, well; we won and we are getting an award at the upcoming banquet, so yay us, lol.

I haven't seen Ana since Tuesday; hoping to ride tomorrow but the expected high for tomorrow is only 24  I might still go and just do walk work; or I could wait until Saturday when the expected high is a toasty 36!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Congratulations on your year end awards! That's really exciting! You must be feeling proud!

I'm also glad the saddle is fitting better and Ana is feeling her oats. I imagine when a saddle doesn't fit right it's like trying to go running in shoes a bit too tight or too wide or not supportive enough vs when we have that right fit and feel free to move.


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## frlsgirl

That's a good point @DanteDressageNerd - I hadn't really considered that a well fitting saddle could contribute to her enthusiasm under saddle.


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## PoptartShop

Congrats on your award! Bravo!!!  You deserve it, all the hard work you & Ana have done this year. The banquet will be fun too. 
Ah, the cold really ruins everything. I'm sure she will be happy to see you and get some treats.


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## frlsgirl

Ugh! Got roped into a phone conference this afternoon which means I won't have time to stop by the barn and ride Ana - it's way too cold anyway plus it snowed overnight so the roads will be slick.

Called BO yesterday to see how her ride went with Ana and she hasn't ridden her yet because it's been too cold to ride, sigh. So I cleared with husband that I will definitely ride Saturday and Sunday as she desperately needs to be worked and the weather should be relatively cooperative. 

This is the longest break from riding she's had in a while. The next show is only 5 weeks away so we need to get ourselves in gear!


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## PoptartShop

I second you on that one, it snowed here last night so it's all yucky.  Awww that sucks she didn't get to work with her but hey, winter is here, always screwing everything up. :lol:
I hope you do get some nice rides in this weekend though.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think shoes are the best analogy for comparing saddle fit in horses to people. It makes a big difference in their willingness to perform, their movement, comfort, ability to turn and regulate gait. Some horses refuse to move forward or run off if a saddle is too tight or if a saddle isn't quite right absolutely refuse to be ridden. Dante refused to be ridden with an 1/8 of an inch thick pad under a saddle once. Very sensitive horses show a lot more quirks and are that much more difficult to work with or absolutely cant' come up and work over their back. But it makes sense to me. If I had to work in shoes that were much too small and too tight I'd not want to move out either or too big would be painful and uncomfortable. 

But hopefully the weather will improve for riding!


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## Suni

I used to raise Morgans and did many years of endurance with them. They are a very special breed with lots of personality!


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## Rainaisabelle

frlsgirl said:


> Rode Ana last night. She was on FIRE! I even longed her for a few minutes before getting on; she stood still for mounting and then she was ready to Go, Go, Go. It was cold and windy and just miserable outside. Riding in the partly covered arena helps except that the wind creates extra gremlins; as if we needed extra things to spook at. I spent a lot of time talking and singing to her to keep her ears on me instead of on gremlin patrol. I was sharing the arena with BO and Prince, at one point he passed us a little too close and Ana started to panic a little and then when BO finished cantering, Prince let out this big snort which startled Ana so bad that she jolted forward. As if she has never heard a horse snort before.
> 
> On a positive note, I felt like the saddle fit her perfectly and I fit perfectly in the saddle, like a plug connected to an outlet. Because she was so forward, I could focus on other things; when she's sucked back, I spent all my time creating energy and can't do anything else. I did have to circle her a lot to keep her from running off with me. Her legs were flying so fast - like knifes at a hibachi steak house. Cantering seemed easier too as I just had to focus on her balance; usually I'm trying to keep her cantering AND influence her balance; when she's forward like this she maintains the canter by herself so all I have to do is steer and keep her from tipping over, as she likes to canter like a race horse instead of yielding at the rib cage. I had to do a lot of self talk to keep myself from panicking - I worked really hard to overcome my control/fear issues and when she acts out of control that fear wants to make a reappearance. So I just reminded myself to breathe and that I could always slow her down with circles if needed. It helped.
> 
> It's supposed to be even colder and more miserable over the next two days; I'm completely overwhelmed at work and need to have evenings where I just sit on the couch and eat bonbons. So I asked BO if she could ride Ana for me; she agreed. I did mention to her that Ana is a little enthusiastic right now and that maybe we could reduce her feed but she said she already reduced it to the minimum and with the upcoming cold spell she doesn't think it's wise to cut it back more. Oh well, I'm hoping she will see the light when she goes to ride her, he, he.
> 
> I'm planning on riding Ana again on Friday; can't wait to hear how the ride went.


Sorry I'm just catching up on your thread so not sure if anyone's asked ? What is your BO feeding her? In my experience theirs a couple of reasons a horse is super hot from grain they are either not getting enough exercise/turn out to burn off the grain or they can take handle feeds high in NSC therefore need to be switched to some kind of grain with low NSC. I'm just curious what she's being fed?


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## kathykit

kathykit said:


> Wow! Hi!
> I am actually new in horse forum,backdrop
> but i really found love and interested in your thread!
> Its just like i am part of your audience. :loveshower:


really like it


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## frlsgirl

Hello @*kathykit* - Glad you like it. Welcome to the forum!

Hi @*Suni* – welcome to the forum; you are right, Morgans are very special indeed!

Hi @*Rainaisabelle* – thanks for popping in. I actually just addressed the feed issue with BO; I had asked her to cut it back some but she said she’s already reduced it so much that it wouldn’t be wise to cut it back any further especially considering the cold temperatures. She gets just a handful of Purina Equine Senior twice a day; in the evening meal she also gets a scoop of Vitacalm, Farrier’s Formula and Cosequin. She also gets hay pretty much all day long. 

The problem doesn’t appear to be feed related – it’s limited turnout and crazy temperature fluctuations; from 9F to 60F in a matter of days and then back down and up again. She usually gets turned out about 4-5 hours a day. When the weather is bad she might only get 3 hours and on really bad weather days just 30 minutes. That’s not enough for a hot headed Morgan.

So, we are in the process of building a house with barn so that we can bring Ana to our own land and get a better set up for her; a barn with stalls that are attached to pasture so she can be outside 24 hours if she wants to.

@*PoptartShop* – yep snow can make everything yucky indeed. I like it when we get just a nice coating of fresh white snow; it’s so much fun to be the first one at the barn to put fresh hoof prints in the snow. After that I’m ready for it to be all gone and dry again.

@*Dante*DressagNerd – I do like the shoe analogy; I’ve used that myself to try to justify spending $$$ on saddles; I don’t think it worked, lol.
I’m stealing your forum post format here @*DanteDressageNerd* – hope you don’t mind.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Update: didn’t go to the barn Friday which left me with some time to fiddle with iMovie. I finally figured out how to play 2 videos at the same time which really shows a difference in Ana’s progression. 

The top portion of the video is from December and the bottom from May; my rein contact is a lot better; Ana is more steady in the connection and she is moving more like a Dressage horse with more hind leg engagement; in the summer trot video she just kind of drags herself along whereas in the winter trot video she is moving freely forward with a purpose; the canter comparison isn’t much better except my position is slightly improved and the down transition improved a lot.





 
Saturday I got roped into a party lesson; don’t get me wrong, I love riding with the other ladies but it doesn’t help Ana much; it just seems to irritate her; so we frequently end up doing our own thing but then we still have to pay because we were technically part of the lesson. It makes a lot more sense for me to school Ana on my own and ride a different horse during the party lesson, but I really needed to work Ana so I just went with it.

Ana was NOT in a good mood; she was both sucked back and yet running away from my aids; that’s new; usually she picks one or the other, not both. We had some good moments but I was mostly frustrated. Then BO had as walk over these offset ground poles and Ana stumbled all over them and ended up chipping a hoof. So yeah, probably not gonna ride Ana in party lessons anymore. She kept threatening to bolt; not sure what that was all about; well after Sunday’s ride I think I figured out what’s bothering her but I digress. So here are pictures from Saturday; I had the camera set up in the shade which made for some art inspired screen shots:







































Sunday I was invited to ride in a benefit poker trail ride but I declined knowing that Ana was just a little too fresh for me to take out on the trail.

So we decided to school by ourselves in the outdoor. I had this grand plan of working on canter; but as usual, when you have plan it doesn’t go according to plan, and if you ride without a plan then you feel like you are wasting time because you don’t have a plan, lol.

It was windy and I was all by myself. I longed her successfully, kept everything really calm and positive. I got on and she stood still. Yay. We started riding and she was up and alert, ok, no big deal we can work through it. Then my friend G who is a State trooper pulled into the driveway, the barn dogs went nuts and Ana totally freaked; snorting, prancing, neck high, ears pricked, eyes bulging out of the sockets; I decided I wanted to live to see another day so I dismounted. I walked Ana to the fence and asked G if she wouldn’t mind stepping out of the vehicle and helping me. Ana knows G but she’s never seen her in the ominous looking Trooper SUV and uniform. So G came in and talked to her and let her sniff her uniform and then ever so slowly and calmly helped me get back on and she very quietly pulled out of the driveway.

After that Ana was on even more high alert and my canter plans fell apart. Not sure what happened here; wrong lead and high headed:










We had some good moments:




























This one would have been a nice pic if her head and feet hadn't gotten cut off, and what's with my hollow back - yikes:










Then the dogs found a piece of cardboard that they started fighting over and Ana had another mini meltdown, this time I decided I was going to wait her out and stay on. After that I just needed to quickly find a good moment to stop because we always have to stop on a good note. 

I’m glad I survived; I was pretty scared because she seemed so out of control; like she was within an inch of bolting with every step she took.

In reviewing the video footage and still shots from the weekend I think I’ve discovered the problem; my lower leg is too far back which is both irritating her and causing her to pick up the wrong lead. It’s good to know that she’s so willing to pick up counter canter on command; that will come in handy when we get to 2nd level. If I live long enough to make it there, lol.

It’s supposed to warm up during the week and then get cold again this weekend. I’m planning on riding her Tuesday and Wednesday night; the warmest days of the week. Pray for me, lol.

Kind of deflated now; was gung ho on improving our canter so that we can do really well at T1 and T2 and now I'm more worried about surviving each ride. Thinking about skipping 2/18 show, going to Dressage Camp on 3/4 and not showing until later in March or April. I gotta get this girl under control first.


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## SaddleUp158

Our mares have been in freak out mode this week too. I agree with you that the bipolar temps and high winds are not helping things at all. Please come to camp. C & I just sent in our entries.


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## frlsgirl

I just dropped my entry in the mail today @SaddleUp158 - I'm glad you decided to go again.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> I just dropped my entry in the mail today @SaddleUp158 - I'm glad you decided to go again.


Yay! Now hoping for some riding weather between now and then so maybe we can progress a little from last November, hehe.


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## frlsgirl

@SaddleUp158 A from GCC just confirmed that they have all of our camp applications and have a spot saved for us - yay. I hope you got to ride last night because it was actually decent outside; at least up here in our neck of the woods.

Ana was surprisingly calm; which is just what I needed. It's strange though how she can be totally out of control one day, and then sweet as pie and totally chill the next. We rode in the covered arena; I do recall a feeling of utter dread wash over me as I lined her up by the mounting block to get on; like I didn't want to ride but felt like I had to; I just wasn't feeling too well so we just did a little of everything, walk, trot and just a few strides of canter. I just didn't have the energy to manage a longer canter. We did some leg yielding at walk and trot which really helps to get her in the outside rein but it's quite a tricky process; especially at the trot. It's something we really need to work on but it seems like other things have been more pressing. I still felt full of dread as I was putting her up and putting her stuff away. Strange. I don't know why I felt so awful. I hope I can look forward to riding her again.


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## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl Yay! That is great.

Glad to hear Ana was a lady for you last night. No, I didn't get to work Mia last night, I was suppose to have workout class and then dinner with my grandma, aunt and cousin. I am going out tonight to bring in more hay before the possible ice this weekend. I will at the very least work her on the ground, I know I won't have time to ride before it gets dark. 

I have felt like that before too, where riding is a chore and not an elective. Just keep pushing through but also give yourself a little leeway. Sometimes a break or reduced workload can help a lot. Then when you come back you are refreshed and ready to tackle the issues again since you are coming at it with fresh eyes. We always give our guys the majority of the winter off, partly by choice and partly because we don't have much of a choice without lights or an indoor. But we always are chomping at the bit to get started again. The break has always proved beneficial. Even if it is just for a month.

You know, I use to worry about the canter all the time and how much work we still needed to do to improve. Take a step back and maybe really concentrate on the canter on the line working on transitions. Then when riding just walk and trot + lateral work for a couple of weeks before readdressing the canter under saddle. Mix it up a bit. I know there are days that I won't even attempt cantering Mia under saddle because I know it will be 1) a fight in some way, 2) I will be in her face too much, 3) I might be risking my life (j/k...kinda) but that is when we make up for it on the line. It is amazing how much this has helped her, but I know not all horses are the same and different techniques will click with different horses. Part of it boils down to me upping my trust in her. She is really beginning to prove herself and I need to forget the past and move forward.


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## frlsgirl

That's encouraging to read @SaddleUp158 - I wondered if there was something wrong with me because I wasn't looking forward to riding; as if a sensor within me was malfunctioning. Riding correctly takes physical and mental stamina and I'm lacking both atm; I've been working really hard at my job and then I've also been working really hard on Ana; so I don't really have anything left that I enjoy doing anymore; I just run from home to work and from work to the barn and back to my home where yet more work awaits and at some point I just collapse on the couch and then drag myself to bed. 

I'm so worried that if I relax and enjoy riding that I'm un-training Ana so I'm always very serious and carefully auditing myself and her and making adjustments accordingly. The only time I used to relax is during loose rein work which is mostly at the warm up but because Ana has been so spooky, I dread letting go of the reins because I'm just always expecting her to jump out from under me.

I do feel like I'm a bit of an underdog in my "group" because I'm working mostly on my own and since I'm limited on time and skills I'm expected to fail or expected to progress very slowly; so there is that pride factor of "I'm gonna show all those doubters that it can be done!" So getting both the championship and overall Intro C title for 2016 is very encouraging that hard work does indeed pay off. But there are so many more levels to achieve and I'm already exhausted and don't know where I'm going to get the stamina to climb the rest of the ladder. It's those little irritating comments from trainers such as "you're not working her nearly hard enough" and "if I were you I would show both intro and training next year" that make me want to scream "Do you have any idea how much drive and self discipline it takes to work a 10 hour day and then drive to the barn, ride a spooky horse correctly, then drive home where more work awaits and then do the same thing over again the next day? So what if we are not super successful at training level? The only way we are going to get better is to keep practicing and keep putting ourselves out there. If we don't try to move up because we are afraid to fail we will never move up. I fully expect low scores to start with and then as we improve the scores will improve. That's how we went from a 61 to 67 in Intro B and from a 58 to a 63 at Intro C.

Rant over lol.

Anyway, I rode Ana last night and she was still really calm and sweet. We rode outside and she only spooked once. I didn't have the stamina to do much so I focused on making the best of it and do little things well.

Now it's supposed to get really cold with a possibility of wintery weather. Hoping to ride or longe Ana either Friday or Saturday.

I need to do more longe work with her at the canter but I'm having equipment issues; most devices work well at the trot where the head doesn't move; so I was using longish donut side reins because it gave me enough restriction to control the shoulder without tying her head down so she could still choose to stretch down or not and allow for the telescoping motion of the neck during walk and canter; the only problem is that the donuts slap her in the neck during canter and that scares her. If I longe her naked she will canter in horrible balance because I have zero shoulder control so that is not an option. Sliding side reins scare her because the metal rattles as she moves. So I will need to spend some time tinkering with the equipment over the weekend to see if I can find something that will work for her.


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## SaddleUp158

I hear ya. Really, I do. I think we have all been there more than once. What I have found is continuing to push myself through those times has actually made us stagnate even more. If your heart isn't in it, it is even harder to get the horse into it. That is when I take all pressure off. I tell myself I will ride on Saturday and Sunday and do a ground work session at least once during the week, preferably prior to Saturday when I plan on riding. 

Does Ana decontract on the lunge line at the walk and trot? It is hard to put into words how, but we spent last winter learning how to lunge in a lunging cavesson without any side reins or any other tack and get the horse to decontract. Now, does that mean Mia canters everytime in perfect balance and stretching over her topline, NOT AT ALL, but it is getting so much better. Some days she is more responsive to moving her rib cage over when on the line (she likes bulge out and then the canter is awful - which is also an issue under saddle) when she does this she responds nicely to the request to bend on the circle and canter nicely. When she isn't cooperating we spend a lot of time at the walk and then the trot until she is responding with the correct bend. By the time we get to the canter again she is "hopefully" responding the the whip to move her rib cage out when I ask (if she is bulging into the circle with her midsection). I try to do a lot of trot-canter-trot transitions on the line, some days it is fairly good and other days awful, but she is able to work through these issues without having to deal with a rider on her that may be throwing her off balance as well. Mixing in leg yielding and shoulder-ins while working on the ground also helps them to shift their weight, much like you will be asking them on the line. Gets them thinking and responding with their body in the way you want them to respond.

You mention she is afraid of the side reins movement and noise. Try not using them and using different sizes of circles to control her speed and bend instead. You may have her on a pretty small circle for a while, it is very hard for them to go around like a crazy giraffe on a small circle. It will be easier for her to round down on a small circle, it is also easier for YOU to manipulate her body (asking her to bend, shift, etc) if she is close to you. As soon as she relaxes let her go down a gait. Start with the walk, as soon as she is walking softly and correctly in a small circle praise her and ask her to move out on the circle a little bit. As soon as she looses her bend bring her back in closer to you and rinse and repeat. When she has it at the walk move to the trot. This is a version of the spiral circle but on the ground. Once she has it at the trot, move on the to the canter. Keep in mind the small circle is hard even when going correctly so when you can allow her onto a wider circle that is a huge praise for them.

You mention shoulder control. Believe it or not, with the above method you will gain control of her shoulders on the line. Play around with whether using the whip at her inside shoulder or inside hind leg gives you better results in using her shoulders correctly. With Mia, going to the left on the circle I have to use the whip by the inside hind leg to drive her forward and keep asking her to bring her outside shoulder around the inside. Now going to the right I have to keep the whip at her inside shoulder because it is easier for her to drop and spin around it.

I hope this helps a little. Like I said before I know every horse is different so this may not work for you like it has for us. Sorry I am struggling to put it into words, I hope you are able to glean the idea out of my essay.


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## frlsgirl

hmmm I'll have to give it a try @*SaddleUp158* - I'm also thinking I can build myself another box out of ground poles like I did at the other barn to keep her from falling in. I usually feel terribly uncoordinated when I have to hold both the whip and the line so I usually use the end of the line as a whip except that it doesn't do anything to affect her shape, plus she runs away from the whip especially on days where she's really hot headed. So I think I need to just slow everything way down so that I can hold both without getting tangled up or having her run away from me.

And if I can't figure it out then you can show me at Dressage camp


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## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl- It is hard to figure it all out at first, I felt like all thumbs for a long time, still do at times. But I have also found that I have absolutely no control on her shape, bend, way of going if she is out of reach by more than a step or two. Once she is agreeable close to me she gets more line, it is like a yo yo effect, some days she doesn't get much line at all. I love standing in a box, it definitely helps control the shoulders. Don't worry yourself over spending a week or more at a walk only. I learned the hard way that staying a walk does not mean less progress, many times it increases your progress. Part of that helps train the mind (of the horse) to slow down and listen, they stop thinking "I must go and go fast!" 

Maybe on Friday of camp, if there isn't a rodeo there we can mess around with it a bit.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Congratulations on winning Intro! That's really exciting! Hard work goes a long way! 

Ill also say with the side reins, I don't use regular side reins, I usually use the reins. Sometimes I put them under the stirrup irons which I do with Saturday and Frankie or you can also tie them at the billets. But never tight but making contact, shorter on the inside than the outside and with a few of them with the canter I'll add polls canter stride apart to help improve and organize the canter from the ground. I'm also big into spiral circles, leg yielding in and out and showing them how to bend. Lunging is definitely an art form I have a lot of respect for. I did quite a bit of it to correct Saturday's bend by putting the lunge through the bit and connection it to the saddle pad to help show him how to bend while leg yielding out pushing his shoulder and hind legs out so he bend through his rib cage without dropping behind to avoid using his back. Lots of in hand work. Has been helping a lot with contact. I like using the reins better because they're not as heavy and unnatural feeling as side reins. I don't like the donut ones they just swing too much, vs the reins are lighter and more adjustable.

I think sometimes the trouble with shorter reins in the line of progression. Is the shorter the reins, the better the timing needs to be. It's sometimes hard for people to adjust to. It's less forgiving than a long rein.


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## frlsgirl

I've been sick so I haven't done much with Ana. Husband drove me to the awards ceremony Saturday as I didn't feel comfortable driving in ice. 










Me with BO:










Me and others with Laurie who is our "main" trainer:











We drove by the barn on the way home to say hi to Ana; she was quite agitated as she had been locked up for 24 hours; I talked to Barn Manager who agreed to turn her out in the indoor for a little bit.

Sunday I finally felt like I had enough strength to actually do some work with her but riding still feels out of reach; which is fine as we wanted to do some work on the lunge anyway. She was really happy to see me.










We did some of the spiral stuff that @SaddleUp158 mentioned, I don't know how successful all that was but we ended up with a really nice floaty trot with correct bend while stretching forward down and out; we also did some backing up in hand. Ana is so cute; I taught her to lower her head when we back up and then she gets a treat. When I finished backing up at the end of this video, she put her head back down and tried to do more backing up 

Also, I got a little scissor happy and accidentally cut a chunk of mane right above her wither; so that looks really odd (someone hide the scissors from me).






I'm still too sick to ride so BO agreed to ride her for me twice this week. Depending on how I feel, I might drive out to see her Wednesday and do something with her. First I got to get through work today; first full day of work since Wednesday.


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## PoptartShop

Awwww congrats!  Even though you were sick I'm still glad you went! 
I'm glad you still saw Ana even though you couldn't ride, I'm sure she did miss you. She's so cute! I hope you feel better asap so you can get back into it.
That's nice of your BO to help with Ana this week too. Getting through work today sick will be tough, I really hope it goes by fast.


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## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl - Yay! I am so glad it helped. The more you play around with it the more comfortable you will get. One tip, as she is going around the circle, you should see her outside shoulder/leg coming around the inside shoulder/leg. The idea is to get her to stretch/bend that deep around the circle. She has the decontraction part down, that is half the battle, now it is fine tuning.


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## frlsgirl

So I guess we are famous now:

2016 Year End Award Winners ? Green Country Dressage


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## frlsgirl

I can finally see the end of the tunnel - I'm starting to feel better. Still don't want to overdo it so I'm not going to the barn until Wednesday, and even then I'm only planning on visiting with her. If I feel up to it, I might lunge her, or ride for a bit, but I don't want to put too much pressure on myself too soon. If I can just drive out there, groom her, stretch her and go back home without feeling like I'm going to pass out from exhaustion, I will call it a successful day.


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## SaddleUp158

I hope you start feeling better soon and stay well. No fun to feel crummy.


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## frlsgirl

I was reviewing old pictures of Ana last night and feeling really bad that I butchered her mane by not taking proper care of it; so in a state of complete guilt I went on a mad SmartPak spending spree; here is what she looks like now; short, thin uneven mane with lots of broken off strands sticking up; plus I cut a chunk out of her withers that will hopefully grow back soon:










I ordered a special brush that's supposed to de-tangle without pulling hairs out; a special expensive mane and tail treatment, and some other cool grooming tools including a glove that's also a grooming/massage tool, and a sheepskin glove which is supposed to get rid of the dust. In the winter her coat is like a dust magnet; it's impossible to get her clean, so hopefully that will help.

Still planning on going to the barn tonight; don't feel quite as well as I did yesterday; I think I accidentally ate gluten. I packed my riding clothes but I may not ride, depends on what's happening when I get there tonight.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I love all the pictures they look like awesome additions to a memory book. Ana looks pretty pleased with herself in the pictures! She looks super happy 

For mane and tail grooming. San Juan has some AMAZING products that are not super expensive and do not contain silicone and are really good for the mane/tail. For conditioner I generally use a high grade, deep conditioning human conditioner. But San Juan has some great grooming products!!

https://www.scahealth.com/scah/browse/Equine-Equine-Equine-Grooming/_/N-1uks91q


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for the tip @*DanteDressageNerd* !

I did go to the barn last night even though I wasn't feeling great. I just told myself I was going to give myself plenty of time with everything and not rush or watch the clock. Her jaw dropped when she saw me walk in like she wasn't expecting me at all, lol. I walked past her stall to get the carrots and that's when she started nickering, like "Hey, come back!"

She was really dirty so it took a while to get her clean; I resisted the temptation to groom her mane, I just used a soft brush to knock off the shavings. I decided to lunge her first and then see how I felt about riding. She did ok. Of course I let her warm up a long time at the walk and she kept turning and looking at me like "Umm, excuse me I'm ready for other stuff now!" A few times she offered to trot when I wasn't ready for it yet so I made her walk again and she would walk another circle and then try to sneak in a tiny trot and then I made her walk again and when she didn't expect it, I asked for trot and she pinned her ears at me, like it made her mad that I was in charge. We switched sides like 4 times just to make sure I wasn't wearing out one side more than the other before we kicked it up a notch with more serious trot and canter. I actually saw a hint of a balanced canter but then I asked for a series of trot canter transitions she lost her balance and things looked messy; I would wait for her to regain her balance at the trot and then ask for canter but she just couldn't maintain a nice canter; that's ok. 

I did play around with different methods to see if I could control the shoulder a little better; at the walk just flicking the whip towards her shoulder helped although it made her mad. At faster paces, I noticed that if I walk small circles with her while staying with her shoulder yielded the best shoulder control. When she tried to put too much weight on the inside shoulder resulting in going around with outside flexion, I would just pull on the lunge line which caused her head to tip inwards which helped re-align her.

When we finished she hadn't even broken a sweat but seemed really loose in her body and relaxed which was my end goal. I texted husband that I would be late as I was chomping at the bit to ride her.

We only rode for 10 minutes at walk and trot. I just wanted to feel her out a little especially since she had a training ride a day before and a bunch of lunging before our ride. She felt steadier in her head position which I'm going attribute to being overall loose in her body from lunging. She wasn't super forward and not super sucked back either; kind of somewhere in the middle. I had switched bits back to the Myler which she seemed to appreciate as I recall her being more fussy in the KK Ultra. Overall a good first ride back in the saddle. 

I did talk to BO briefly and she did say that when she first got on Ana was really sucked back but that once she got her in front of her leg she did really well. That's the thing with Ana, she's either behind the aids or running away from aids; Summer Ana is more likely to be sucked back whereas Winter Ana is more likely to be forward. It's a very delicate balancing act to get her just right where you want her. BO agreed to ride her again today. She does really well with her; understands about putting Ana together without putting excess pressure on her that would cause Ana's eyes to pop out of her head, which has been the case with some other trainers.


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## PoptartShop

I hope you feel better today. 
Ana is so cute. She's gonna love being pampered with all that new stuff!  Glad you didn't let her try to rule you!  Silly girl! Even if you only rode for 10mins, it's good you got a ride in. That's awesome your BO is riding her too, it's always good to get a different perspective. Always good to end on a nice relaxed note.


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## SaddleUp158

Sounds like you had a great work with her. I bet as she figures more and more out she will become more even keeled, temperament wise. That is what I am finding with Mia. Yay for good rides and lunges!


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## tinyliny

this is such a nice picture of a healthy horse; neither too fat or too thin, nice coat, overall relaxed stance:










I can appreciate your description of how she is either too much in front of the leg, or . . behind it sucking back, and the area in between those is razor thin. that is kind of how X is, though he spends much mnore time behind the leg than in front of it. it feels like just as soon as I've found that place where he goes in front of my leg, he zooms a sec, then gets irritated and sucks back again. i go past the 'good' spot so fast I hardly know how to find and keep it.


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## DanteDressageNerd

You're welcome!

Even though your ride was short, I'm glad it was productive and felt like it was going down the right path. Sometimes short and sweet is truly better!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @*tinyliny* - glad you can relate 

I had a lovely ride Friday; we only rode for 30 minutes; mostly walk, with a little bit of trot and only one longside of canter. She seemed psyched to see me and was ready to go to work.





































Ana being a cuddlebug after our ride:










Saturday I was feeling a bit run down so I only did lunge work with her and finished with some liberty work; we are getting better at lunging; I felt like I had much better shoulder control and her canter had improved as well. It also helps to lunge in the corner of the arena because it helps with falling out of the circle. 



















I didn't go to the barn yesterday as we had made plans with friends. I might go tonight after work depending on how I feel. I re-started the ketogenic diet yesterday, so I didn't feel all that well yesterday but I know that if I stick with it I will end up feeling better than before; it's just the first few days are brutal. I also started working out again Saturday.


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## PoptartShop

Yay! That's awesome you had a great ride. Perfect start to your weekend I'm sure.  She is so cute & cuddly!
I hear you about the diet thing, I slipped up this weekend but I'm back on it today. :lol:
She's so beautiful! I love her eyes! You guys look so good together.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @PoptartShop  Good luck with the diet thing; the first few days are so hard but it's worth it if you can make it through.


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## DanteDressageNerd

The pictures are darling! Ana looks very happy to be with you and enjoying the in hand work! 

Good luck with the diet. I was curious why you're on this diet and why you're trying it?


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd - 2 reasons: reactive hypoglycemia and doctor wants to me to loose weight. I just feel better when I'm totally off sugar but the first few days are just miserable. 

I rode Ana last night even though I was totally wiped out, she did very well; we only walked and trotted. She's really starting to feel like a Dressage horse; we played with more lateral work and it's starting to feel like it's coming together. 

I'm trying to get myself in better shape so that I can work on canter with her; I'm just too weak right now. I did weighted lunges Sunday and OMG I can still feel it today!

Planning on going back to the barn this afternoon; not sure if we will ride or do lunge work; depends on how I feel and what else is going on when I get there.


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## frlsgirl

Today is my 3 year anniversary with Ana!

I visited her yesterday afternoon - it was 70 degrees! In January!

She seemed psyched to see me:










We did lunge work; I was very pleased with her progress; her canter is getting better with each session; I'm getting better at controlling her shoulder and I even managed to hold the lunge line and whip in the same hand so that I could take pics/video:



















I'm not coordinated enough yet to get canter pics; so these trot pics will need to suffice.

She actually broke a sweat so I spent some time hand-walking her around trying to cool her off before putting her back in her stall; the wind made for some nice Loreal moments:



















Her mane looks a little punk rockerish atm; I have not attempted to groom it except for knocking the shavings out of it with a soft brush.

When I got home I saw that my Smartpak order arrived with all my fancy new grooming tools. Hoping to go to the barn tomorrow night or Friday afternoon to try them out.


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## SaddleUp158

Good job! She looks great in those lunging pics.


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## egrogan

She really does- those trot pics on the lunge are gorgeous!


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## PoptartShop

Aww happy 3 years! :happydance::loveshower::smile:

She's so gorgeous!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies


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## DanteDressageNerd

Happy 3rd Anniversary!! Congratulations!! I'm glad Ana's learning more and it coming along better and better. Always a good feeling. She looks great in the pictures! She's a very feminine pretty mare!

And that makes sense. I hope the new diet helps!


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## frlsgirl

Well, I got to ride Ana twice this weekend as planned but now she's on stall rest  but I digress.

Friday we rode in the indoor. My stupid camera kept getting knocked into the dirt from the wind so I had to dismount and remount a couple of times which was actually a good training opportunity; she stood still like a rock so I was very happy with that.

She was a bit evasive which is kind of normal for her.

"I will not relax and step into contact!"










"Fine, I'll step into contact but you can carry my head for me!"










"Ok, I'll step into contact and carry my own head but I'm going to disengage my hind end a little"










"Ok, you can have it all, contact, carrying myself and full engagement!"










This pretty much sums up my regular riding conversation with Ana 

"Finally we are done with this nonsense!"











"Yes you may now pet and worship me!"










Saturday, I got brave and rode Ana outside by myself; it was a little scary because it was windy; a new trail obstacle was out and all the horses had been upset about including Ana; you can kind of see it in the background here - it's the white wooden thingy which is basically a bridge for the horses to walk over.










She was kind of more sucked back then the day before which I attributed to just muscle soreness and perhaps a bit of marishness; she let out a big scream when I had led her out to the arena and she didn't like me touching her with my leg at all. I hand walked her over the bridge a few times before climbing on.

So we had some decent moments:





















You can tell she seems kind of sluggish so I told myself I was going to really ride her forward; and then it happened; she sort of tripped funny so we ended the ride except that I made her walk over the bridge a couple of times just to make sure we wouldn't have problems later on. At that point I still didn't know what that tripping thing was about. When I took her back to her stall something told me to check her front hooves and that's when I saw:



















She overreached and stepped on her brand new shoe - brand new as in she just got a new set Tuesday. It's not loose just bent to hell. Flipping fantastic; so I call farrier - he's out of town until Monday.

So I went home and reviewed the video footage to see when/how this happened. (I added the mounting block part at the beginning only to show how much progress she's made in that area. A month ago I probably would have died or at least ate dirt doing this.) She stepped on her shoe during our intense trot work; I was really trying to get her forward and moving freely which she finally did only to step on her shoe :x







So after conversing with barn manager she agreed to tape it with duct tape and contact farrier. I thought, ok, no biggie if I can't ride her for a few days. So then I call the barn yesterday to see how Ana is doing and the BM tells me that she's on stall rest because of her shoe. Apparently she could really injury herself if she stepped on it funny. Fanflippingtastic! :x A Ana on stall rest is NOT a happy Ana; and if Ana ain't happy, her momma certainly is not!

So I've been researching what I could do, I don't want to come of pushy or manipulative to the BM or BO so I decided this: I'm going to stop by Tractor Supply on my way to the barn and buy a pair of nippers and bell boots. Then I will casually stroll into the barn, check to see if farrier has been there to fix her hoof, if not, I will remove it by myself and let her out of her stall for a little bit. That way I won't drive anyone nuts with my constant text messages and Ana can go outside again. I just won't ride her until he comes and puts it back on which is fine by me.

So yeah, I'm kind of mad at myself for not knowing what to do and not realizing the severity of the situation sooner. Soon Ana will live with me and I will be in charge of taking care of her 24x7 - I need to be more resourceful and not rely on others so much.


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## carshon

Be very careful - nippers are not the same as nail cutters. Nippers are not really meant to cut nails and you could do more damage to the hoof wall by pulling the nail out instead of uncleating it and removing it.

Not that nippers cannot be used but most nippers do not have a wide enough opening (the O formed when the nippers are closed) to get around the shoe and to wedge in between shoe and hoof. It will take some arm strength to cut those nails.

Good Luck!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @carshon - I feel like I need to take a farrier course just in case this happens again, lol.


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## frlsgirl

Problem solved! BO is turning Ana out in the round-pen each day until the farrier can come and then I'll stop by on my way home from work and hand walk her. BO thinks she's safe to walk on her but doesn't want her to run or jump around on it. So when I got there last night Ana seemed in pretty good spirits; not super hyper at all.

I let her hand-graze, while I groomer her, we also did some carrot stretches and I finished by backing her up a hill; the duct tape job is holding up well:










I found her old bell boots so I didn't buy nippers or new bell boots. The rubber smell is a bit overwhelming so I'm letting them air out a little.










Hopefully the farrier will be able to fix her up tonight.


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## PoptartShop

Good!!! Glad you found a solution.  I hope the farrier takes care of her tonight, let us know. 
Such a pretty girl!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @PoptartShop - me too!


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## Zexious

Don't you love how horses have a knack for "pulling" crap like this--even unintentionally (?)
So glad you were able to find a solution!

I'm behind (story of my life) on your thread, but I didn't realize Ana was coming to live at home! How very exciting!!


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## frlsgirl

@Zexious - Oh, hey! I've missed conversing with you! How are you? How is Gator? How is your health?

Regarding moving, we decided last May that we should probably just get horse property instead of driving back and forth between work, home and barn especially since I would like to get a second horse and boarding prices are bit too high to support more than 1 horse. We were looking at existing properties for a while but couldn't find anything that would have worked for us, so we decided to build but that's been just a big headache; we had one property locked down and then it didn't work out because the owner wanted way more then what the property appraised for so we had to back out of the deal as the bank won't let us pay anything above appraised value. Now we are trying this whole thing again with another property; the appraiser was at our house this morning so it's moving along but if the appraisal comes back too low again then we are back to square one again. Of course everyone likes to believe that their property is worth way more than it really is, lol. 

But it's all good. If it doesn't work out then it just wasn't meant to be; I can't really complain; lots of adult amateurs deal with the same issues of having to work a full time job, having to pay for board, having to drive around between boarding barn, work, and home and feeling like they are always neglecting either the horse, the job or their home life. It's just part of the deal and I'm learning to be ok with it. If only I wasn't so horse obsessed, dang it, lol. Would be really cool to live out in the country though.


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## Zexious

Hello there, friend 
I missed keeping up with your thread! I mentioned this in a pm discussion with another user, but I took a hiatus from the site because I felt as though (given that I'm not riding at the moment) I didn't have much to offer. But I couldn't stay away, haha!
Gator is well--he's so wooly! It's strange seeing him that way, as I diligently had him clipped every season when we were competing. 
And I'm doing alright! I finally graduated, and am in the beginning stages of moving to Texas for Grad School--we're looking at early April. My health is...the same D:? I am still recovering from another surgery that I had in late December. I am starting to lose track, and cannot remember if this is number five or number six xD I'm hopeful I will /someday/ be able to ride again.

I hope that you'll be able to sort out some property, soon! Purchases that large are never easy--it seems even less so when we want them so badly!
I've gone in "spurts" I guess I would say--dreaming, as a child, of owning property with dozens of horses; after years of doing grunt work at stables, I solemnly swore I would always be a boarder; now, as an adult, having property is sounding more and more promising. 

What is the saying? Horses are like potato chips? xD


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol Ana is such a mare. She definitely has to express her opinions before execution of anything that is done. She's looking really good though! 

I hope the farrier was able to come out and fix her feet. I can't imagine she's happy being in a stall while her friends gets to go out and play. She's a really pretty mare!


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## frlsgirl

Farrier came before I got there yesterday and got Ana all fixed up. It turns out that he put bigger shoes on her because he's trying to get hoof to grow a little bigger. The downside to this is that she is more likely to step on herself. 

I was super eager to get on her and take her for a trail ride before the sun set so I didn't mess with the boots until later. I guess I forgot that the last trail ride we went on she was a bit of a basket case; she wasn't much better yesterday but I think I handled it better; we did lots of serpentines up the hill because going straight caused her to break into a trot. I didn't want to trot without bell boots but we did trot a few times but only in a straight line and only very slowly; she's most likely to step on herself trotting in bending lines and trotting really forward into a bending line. She seemed to think that we were there to eat grass but I really wanted to work her and enjoy the trail ride so I didn't let her have a single strand of grass. So she got a really productive workout; her mouth was foaming like a milk frother, she got really supple through her body as we worked our way up and down the hill. 

Afterwards we tried on the bellboots:










And practiced walking in them:










After the shipping boot fiasco I haven't dared to put anything around her legs or feet. She's walking ok in them but she is aware that there is something different on her feet. Next step is to lunge her in them at the trot and canter and eventually ride her with them on.

I'm wondering if they are a bit too small for her as they don't entirely cover the back of her hoof. I might get a bigger size to try since they are so inexpensive.

@*Zexious* - congrats on graduating! Hopefully your health will improve soon so that you can enjoy Gator again. Will he be moving with you to Texas?

@*DanteDressageNerd* - yes! A total mare lol!


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## frlsgirl

I figured out how to do printscreens from FB videos; I really like this still shot from the December show, so I'm just going to leave it here:


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## Zexious

^Yes, girl, yes! I love it, too!
You really can't post too many photos of you and Ana--you're both so photogenic! I swoon!

Thank you so much for the congratulations! It feels like a big accomplishment, after all the setbacks.
I'm still on the fence about Gator--He's such a hard keeper and trailering such a long distance is so stressful, I worry about him. Even if he stays here, I'll still remain his owner and fund his upkeep, I'll just get to see him way less ):


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## frlsgirl

Awww thanks @Zexious; we actually take like a thousand pictures at a time and maybe one or two will turn out well 

Finishing school is indeed a big accomplishment! Students drop out of college every day and most haven't suffered the hardships you have! A friend of mine just bought a horse in Texas and had him trailered to her in Colorado; he's adjusted ok so far. Since there is such a drastic climate difference between Colorado and Texas, maybe you could transport him in the spring or fall when temperatures are not so extreme at either location? Did you ever find and exercise rider for him or is he retired now?

Update:

I didn't go to the barn last night but I'm planning on going tonight; even though it's miserably cold outside; 39 degrees in Oklahoma feels like -10 in Colorado; the humidity just chills you to the bone! 

Not sure what we're gonna work on yet. Probably lunge with bell boots and or ride for a bit. 

Dressage Camp is 4 weeks away and we really need to get ourselves fit again. 

I had signed up for Natasha's online goal setting program and I'm supposed to set goals at the beginning of every month in all aspects of life; my riding goal for February is ride at least 3 days a week and canter at least 2 times a week. BO mentioned that Ana's canter IS indeed improving; I just need more endurance to be able to canter longer so that she has a chance to find her balance and practice cantering in balance; usually by the second circle I'm spent and ready for a break. In that regard, I just got the audio book "How bad do you want it? Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle" - I just started listening to it and it's pretty interesting. I also started working out again but can't say that it's affected my endurance yet.


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## Zexious

It's funny--I actually trailered him to Texas once before to a Hunter barn in the same town I'll be moving to. He adjusted well, and was used in their lesson program. There are threads on the topic from back in the day, if you do a little digging! He went before I did for the reason you mention: because I didn't want him trailering in the heat of the summer. I had plans to move there before my accident--when it happened I knew a move wasn't realistic in the foreseeable future, so I hauled him back. It's been a several thousand dollar endeavor so far, haha! It's a lot when I'm unable to work, for a horse I'm not able to ride.

But we'll see what happens! I'll likely base my decision off of what my vet advises.


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## frlsgirl

Never made it to the barn last night but I did arrange for me to go today and tomorrow; that will make 4 trips to the barn in one week; 3 riding trips and 1 ground work trip; just like my February goal sheet says. I do need to ride both today and tomorrow and I do need to canter both today and tomorrow if I want to stay on track with my goals. Also, I did 22 minutes on the elliptical last night and I'm down another 1/2 pound.

Since I didn't go to the barn I had extra time on my hands to pull more still shots:


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## PoptartShop

Aw she looks good in the boots!  Glad the farrier came.

Get it girl!! That's great! You look good. I love the pictures  Ana will be very happy to see you today!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @PoptartShop! She is happy to see me most of the time except when I interrupt her afternoon nap for a ride


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## Zexious

As usual, you both look fabulous 

Can you tell me a little more about your goal sheet? I like the way it seems to be broken down into "bite sized" goals to keep you on track, rather than large goals. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to keep track of my own goals without getting discouraged!


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## frlsgirl

Sure. Here is a link to the program:

Your Goalsetting Success | Your Riding Success

They are out of the diaries but you can get the PDF version for like 20something dollars which is what I have. I'm actually part of the program though so I have FB meetings with Natasha and my group and weekly accountability.

The program in a nut shell - you start by analyzing what's really important to you so that you can set appropriate goals. You then set overall goals, monthly goals, weekly goals, daily goals etc. For now I'm just doing monthly goals and then try to meet those goals weekly and do the weekly accountability.

The goals are based on 7 different areas of your life (the examples are based on weekly or monthly goals)

Work - example: update resume
Health - example: work out 3 days a week and go to all scheduled doctor appointments
Love - example: go to one date night a week
Hobby/Sport (Riding) example: go to one show per month
Financial - example: save $100 a month
Friends/Family - example: go to one friend's dinner per month
Lifestyle - example: go on one mini-trip per month

So if your overall work goal was to land a new job, then you would break it down further into smaller steps, like spend one month to update resume , submit resume to 1 employer per week, go to one networking thing a month etc.)



So although the program is geared to help riders be more successful with their riding goals, it's actually more about balance then it is about riding goals. That's why I joined because I got all kinds of riding goals worked out but I tend to sacrifice everything else to meet my riding goals. So your hobby goal could be scrapbooking, and the system still works.

We also celebrate successes - and GUESS WHAT? My team chose ME as the winner for January, so that was really cool because Natasha had a video chat with us and read the winner's accomplishments out loud so it was really kind of spooky to hear Natasha talk about me. Anyway, then they took each winner from each group and we had to vote on the overall winner and the overall winner got a price - I didn't win this one but I was surprised to be nominated at all since I started the program late and felt like January was not that great of a month for me.


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## frlsgirl

Update:

Friday I rode Ana in bell boots for the first time. I started out by lunging her in them so she could get used to the feeling; here she is inspecting them while trotting for the first time:










Starting to get the hang of it:




























We had a pretty good ride after that; there is a sense of awkwardness with the boots but it's already getting better. Here is some post canter trot work from Friday:






When I first got on her, she was really sucked back and not wanting to go forward off my leg and also really stiff laterally. I hadn't ridden her in 3 days so I expected to work a little harder to get her through. This video is after getting her supple and working better into my hand. 

But after our ride I wondered how much actual time I spend to get her through vs how much actual work we do. At least I can now say with confidence that no matter how stiff or sucked back she is, I know how to fix all that to get her through but sometimes it takes a little longer then other times it happens pretty fast. That inspired me to do some more investigating over the weekend.....to be continued


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## PoptartShop

Awww, she's probably like, what the heck is on my feet?! :lol: I'm glad you ended up having a good ride though.  It is definitely going to take some time for her to get used to the boots.


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## frlsgirl

So I ended up riding her again on Sunday instead of Saturday which gave me plenty of time to research other training plans and exercises. I ended up finding some interesting stuff in the "101 Dressage Exercises for Horse and Rider" book that I had bought a while back but forgotten about. I book marked several exercises that seemed doable just to test how well they would work. There is one with ground poles that I had bookmarked but the author strongly suggested splint boots in addition to bell boots. Still feeling guilty that I had ridden Ana over offset poles last month where she ended up stumbling and chipping a hoof, I ended up ordering her Dressage boots as well as fancier bell boots with sheepskin lining, so we will forgo pole work until she's fully outfitted for battle, lol.

So I had picked out a couple of exercises for us to do when I arrived but there was a little girl in the arena with her pony which narrowed it down to one doable exercise: ride a large oval while changing bend from left to right with a few straight steps in between; first at the walk and then at the trot. We had previously done that on a longer rein and only on longsides so I wanted to try this version.

I was impressed with the level of throughness we achieved in a relatively short amount of time. We even got brave and tried a more advanced exercise, but I digress.

So here are Ana's issues in order of importance:

Either not going into the hand by sucking back or running away from the aids
Lateral stiffness
Carrying too much weight on the shoulders making her difficult to turn her away from the wall especially moving the left shoulder to make a right turn.
Not wanting to engage her hind end/lift her back
Not listening/making her own decisions and then getting ticked off when she gets corrected

I'm happy to report that the flexy oval exercise addressed the first two problems and then we worked on riding squares to address the turning problem and then we worked on walking the legs under by doing almost halts to address the hind end problem and then we did halt - back up and immediately walk forward exercise to lift her back, which is a more advanced exercise but she totally rocked it.

So I was all smiles yesterday especially when I saw the video/still shots because she looks amazing:




























Not sure what she's looking at here but it clearly has her undivided attention:










Eagerly waiting to get saddled:










Now this week will be a little different as we are supposed to go on a trip Friday to Tuesday so I'm going to try and ride her 3 times before we go and then she'll have 4 days off.


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## SaddleUp158

Thank you for the reminder about the halt and back up and almost halts! I needed that.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana looks really good! I'm glad you guys were able to make a lot of progress this week! Keep up the good work! One thing I got pointed out to do this clinic was to hold my line and stick to the exercise and focus on the accuracy, no matter how everything else is. Focus on the accuracy first then organize the rest.


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## PoptartShop

She looks so good!  Really glad you had a good ride, she really does look amazing! Just keep at it. You will get there.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Thank you for the reminder about the halt and back up and almost halts! I needed that.


The almost halt exercise was from Laurie; when she first had me do those I didn't understand the purpose and it just seemed a good way to tick off Ana so I didn't do them for a while and then at the camp she explained that it was to bring the hind end under so we've been doing them ever since; on good days we can do 6 strides at a time before I let her walk back out of it. It's also a good exercise for when she's stuck in her back because when she walks back out of it she really starts to swing her back.

The halt reinback exercise walks best if you immediately walk on again; it felt like pumping up an air mattress; each time her back came up a little higher. If you halt in between the air will leak out again


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Ana looks really good! I'm glad you guys were able to make a lot of progress this week! Keep up the good work! One thing I got pointed out to do this clinic was to hold my line and stick to the exercise and focus on the accuracy, no matter how everything else is. Focus on the accuracy first then organize the rest.


Oh yes, good point. Glad you had a successful clinic. One thing I learned from Natasha is don't be afraid to try something even if your horse can't really do it yet; for example haunches in and shoulder in; Ana can't really do those yet but each time we do bending exercises she gets a step closer to being able to do them. Obviously you wouldn't try a canter piourette on purpose with an intro level horse as that could cause possible injury because the horse can't carry that much weight on the hind legs yet but dabbling in exercises 1 grade higher is totally fine. So we are playing with 1st and 2nd level stuff now even though we will only compete at training level this year.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Exactly. You introduce the basic exercises earlier on and it helps with getting a better rhythm, more lateral suppleness, clearer aids and better communication. Definitely good to dabble with shoulder in and haunches in. And exactly, you can't be afraid to try something new. It's all in the system of building them up and developing them to understand and develop. Plus I think there are a lot of horses who enjoy it a lot more when they get to play with more exercises or ideas, especially smart horses.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> The almost halt exercise was from Laurie; when she first had me do those I didn't understand the purpose and it just seemed a good way to tick off Ana so I didn't do them for a while and then at the camp she explained that it was to bring the hind end under so we've been doing them ever since; on good days we can do 6 strides at a time before I let her walk back out of it. It's also a good exercise for when she's stuck in her back because when she walks back out of it she really starts to swing her back.
> 
> The halt reinback exercise walks best if you immediately walk on again; it felt like pumping up an air mattress; each time her back came up a little higher. If you halt in between the air will leak out again


That is exactly why I need to start incorporating those again. I also suspect my saddle needs fitted again, which Laurie is going to on Friday before camp starts. I don't feel like I am getting anything right now through Mia's back, even having a hard time with belly lifts on the ground. Our shoulder ins were coming along so well and we are really stuck right now going to the left. I don't know if it is an attitude issue (been super spooky and reactive this week) or a physical/training issue to work through.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> That is exactly why I need to start incorporating those again. I also suspect my saddle needs fitted again, which Laurie is going to on Friday before camp starts. I don't feel like I am getting anything right now through Mia's back, even having a hard time with belly lifts on the ground. Our shoulder ins were coming along so well and we are really stuck right now going to the left. I don't know if it is an attitude issue (been super spooky and reactive this week) or a physical/training issue to work through.


Oh man, these Morgan mares are so tricky to figure out sometimes; glad that Laurie can get you fitted before we get started with camp. Maybe Mia has a "Winter Mia" and a "Summer Mia" version just like Ana does? I'm almost hesitant to plan my rides in advance because I don't know which Ana I'll be riding from day to day.


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## egrogan

Totally hear you on the winter shape vs. summer shape! I'm in a bind because I _finally_ found my dream saddle through Dressage Tack Trader (it's taken me almost two years to find one with a short flap) that someone close to me is willing to let me take on trial for a week. However, given how weirdly shaped Izzy is right now, it's not a great time to test a saddle. Ahh...what to do?!


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## frlsgirl

I rode Ana last night. The indoor had the Dressage arena set up so I wanted to take advantage of that while I had the chance. But first we started with suppling/warm-up; loose rein just walking forward trying to get her back swinging and her neck telescoping freely forward, then we moved on to the flexy oval exercise which seemed to work well; I was kind of surprised at how well she could do that at the trot; she's basically switching from baby shoulder in to baby haunches in and it seemed a little too easy. 

The left shoulder was still sticky so we rode a few squares followed by halt-backup-immediately walk forward exercise before I felt I had her sufficiently through and in my hand before we worked on schooling figures. 

The center trot circle remains the most challenging exercise for us along with going back to work after stretchy trot. I mistakenly taught her that we are done after stretchy trot but the Training level tests calls for stretchy trot followed by picking up the reins again and continuing on with the test. I can just see Ana dropping to a walk and heading for the exit in the middle of the test, lol. So we combined the two challenges; trot 1 normal center circle, trot it again but this time feed the reins to her and pick her back up before reaching the end of the circle then trot a 3rd circle while keeping the reins, then continue straight and do something else; doesn't matter what the next schooling figure is, it's just so Ana learns that stretchy trot circle does not equal being done for the day.

We also practiced several center lines. She always pins her ears on center lines. I wonder why; I think it's because I'm pushing her forward at the trot to X and then making her halt and she's probably thinking "why are you pushing me when we are about to halt?" And then she halts pretty nicely and stands quietly but when I trot on the ears go back again, sigh. So the first thing the judge sees coming at her is one ****ed off Morgan mare as we approach C, lol.

How would you like to see this face coming at you?










This was from the April 2016 Schooling show.


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## PoptartShop

Ahhhh look at that diva mare face!  You don't wanna mess with her!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Totally hear you on the winter shape vs. summer shape! I'm in a bind because I _finally_ found my dream saddle through Dressage Tack Trader (it's taken me almost two years to find one with a short flap) that someone close to me is willing to let me take on trial for a week. However, given how weirdly shaped Izzy is right now, it's not a great time to test a saddle. Ahh...what to do?!


Oh man, I hope you can figure out a way to keep the saddle or be ok with not getting it.

When I was referring to Winter or Summer I was actually talking about the attitude; Summer Ana is a slug and Winter Ana is on the run, lol. But I can see how that would also apply to shape as most people ride less in the winter.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> Oh man, I hope you can figure out a way to keep the saddle or be ok with not getting it.
> 
> When I was referring to Winter or Summer I was actually talking about the attitude; Summer Ana is a slug and Winter Ana is on the run, lol. But I can see how that would also apply to shape as most people ride less in the winter.


Ahh...totally misunderstood what you meant!! Sorry to derail the conversation!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Ahh...totally misunderstood what you meant!! Sorry to derail the conversation!


No worries :thumbsup:


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Oh man, these Morgan mares are so tricky to figure out sometimes; glad that Laurie can get you fitted before we get started with camp. Maybe Mia has a "Winter Mia" and a "Summer Mia" version just like Ana does? I'm almost hesitant to plan my rides in advance because I don't know which Ana I'll be riding from day to day.



Possibly! I think part of it is attitude/evasions. I finally got tired of it this past weekend and kept my whip ready for the side of the circle that is closest to our scary rail in the arena and as soon as she started to hollow out and raise her head while dropping her shoulder I gave her a gentle pop behind my leg. She ended up doing much better after a few circles of that. Part of me is wondering if she has my number on that.  If it is all an act, it is going to be discontinued. No more being understanding and managing of fears. Tough love here we come (including full seat breeches for the process)!


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## SaddleUp158

egrogan said:


> Totally hear you on the winter shape vs. summer shape! I'm in a bind because I _finally_ found my dream saddle through Dressage Tack Trader (it's taken me almost two years to find one with a short flap) that someone close to me is willing to let me take on trial for a week. However, given how weirdly shaped Izzy is right now, it's not a great time to test a saddle. Ahh...what to do?!



I wonder if good saddle fitters are able to look at a horse in their unfit stages and see how they will muscle up and how it will affect the saddle fit? Do you have a saddle fitter you could call and pick their brain?


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## DanteDressageNerd

Honestly I'd probably laugh about how angry Ana gets if I were a judge. I would still lower the score for it because it doesn't display willing obedience but I'd understand where it came from. I think intelligent horses sometimes get set in their ways and sticking to a routine and get upset when they think they know what they're doing and are shown otherwise. Some horses memorize the whole test and you constantly have to keep them guessing and not let them predict. lol different personalities and different styles of learning. It's fun though!


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## egrogan

SaddleUp158 said:


> I wonder if good saddle fitters are able to look at a horse in their unfit stages and see how they will muscle up and how it will affect the saddle fit? Do you have a saddle fitter you could call and pick their brain?


That's a good question! I am not very talented when it comes to fit but greatly respect people who have that kind of eye.

I have worked with a saddle fitter for the past few years who does a decent job of keeping the horse happy, but quite honestly is a sexist jerk who makes me feel like an idiot who has no business around horses (for example, last time he was out, he lectured me on how my "loose" girth was going to get me killed- in reality, he had taken off my sheepskin pad, so the girth was on it's normal setting but obviously a bit looser without the pad on, and we were walking a 15 foot straight line to see how the saddle fit without the pad. I obviously would not go hacking out for hours with the girth like that! :eyeroll 

I liked the fact that he wasn't a brand rep and could look at a few different makes and models, but I've always had bad personal interactions with him (he's come out maybe 4-5 times in the five years I've had Isabel) and he's not _that_ good, so I think I need to find someone else.

The seller of the saddle I have my eye on let it out on trial for the next week with someone who contacted her first, so not sure if I will even get the chance to try it. That may be for the best, but at the same time would be sad.


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## frlsgirl

I'm so glad @SaddleUp158 got me in touch with a great saddle fitter. Good saddle fitters are so hard to find @egrogan. I hope it all works out for the best.


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## frlsgirl

I'm having the worst week ever! It started with a health scare; I have to go in for another test at the end of the month. In the meantime all I can do is wait and ponder "what if it's really bad/terminal?" So to take my mind off of things we planned a trip to Florida, was so excited to go, then it gets cancelled at the last minute. So then we start planning a trip to Branson which also got cancelled. 

So then I go to the post office to mail a Dover saddle pad back because it's way too big for Ana. I hate going to the post office; I always feel like such an idiot! As I'm helplessly digging through different boxes trying to figure out how to squeeze the oversized pad into the smallest box possible, customers start to make suggestions "use this one" and "they have boxes over there" lol - I must have looked pretty desperate - even the post man who was helping other customers started chiming in and gave me his tape dispenser to use while I was still trying to cram the pad into the smallest possible box. It gets better! I finally make it to the counter to ship and pay the darn thing and I can't find my wallet! I run out to the car and it's not there. So I run back in and tell him I'll be back in 30 minutes, when another customer chimes in and says "I'll pay for it!" I was like "wow, thank you so much!!" I think all the customers and post master were just happy to be rid of me, lol.

So yeah, had to run home on my lunch break and get my wallet.

On the bright side, I'm still taking Friday and Monday off and I'm going to spend all weekend with Ana!

The house building/approval process is moving right along; we might even be able to close next week if things keep moving along like they have been. But if I'm terminally ill or even if it's curable, is this a good time to build a house? Still hoping it was a false positive test - that can happen sometimes. But man, what a health scare. 

Oh yeah, and with the way the economy is right now I don't know if I'll be in a position to afford building a house; it's such a gamble. I don't know what's worse, knowing that a train is about to hit you or not knowing and just being surprised by it. The worst part is that I know the train is about to hit and I can't say anything; I have to keep quiet about it. It's such a burden to walk around with this knowledge every day and still keep positive. I don't know how others in my position deal with this.

But that's life - you just don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or later today! So I'm just trying to count my blessings right now and live in the moment. Lots of good moments coming up this weekend with Ana, so yay!


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## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl - Fingers crossed that your test at the end of the month comes back with good news! Sorry to hear you are having a crummy week. But hey, a long weekend at the barn sounds good to me!

Mia says "Hope your week gets better!"


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## frlsgirl

Awww - how cute @SaddleUp158 - hope you get to enjoy this nice weather with Mia!


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Awww - how cute @SaddleUp158 - hope you get to enjoy this nice weather with Mia!


Thanks, I am looking forward to tomorrow and Saturday's pretty temps! Would really love to be able to bathe the horses or at least wash some tails on Saturday.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Tanja I hope your week starts improving. I guess we're back on our parallel lives track lol. It'll get better. Without the bad times we wouldn't appreciate the good times, life is precious. I hope the test results come back with a false positive or at least good news, rather than terrifying news.

Social anxiety doesn't help at all. I wish they had some kind of climate control ap for how crowded places are. We have a climate of a full house tonight or the coast is clear, sunny skies and few people at the post office :lol:

I wont make a public statement about the economy but with how much the federal reserve has been printing trying and the increasing debt I've been wondering when it was going to hit. It's been coming for a while.

I'm glad you're at least having good moments with Ana! There has to be a light at the end of a tunnel.


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## PoptartShop

You are having one heck of a week. I'm sorry!  I hope it turns around fast. 
I hate when I get weeks like that, seems like nothing goes right. It's just a bummer.

But yes, on the bright side you will have all weekend with your favorite mare!  She will cheer you right up!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. I had a lovely, long weekend.

Friday, we tried out her new leg gear:










Since this is new to her I lunged her first to make sure she wouldn't freak out on me:










Then I took the Dressage boots off and rode her with just the bellboots - the dressage boots are only for pole work.

She was a bit sucked back but we did have some good moments:




















Saturday I rode the BO's Hanno Dante in the party lesson. He was a good boy.










Then I rode Ana by myself in the afternoon:










Sunday I came to the barn and found this:










It's not as bad as last time so I decided to ride her very lightly and carefully and notified BO.

We had a productive ride:










Then I had my weekly online meeting with Natasha from Dressage Mastery Academy. She assured me that I'm on the right path; I had asked about spending quite a bit of time putting Ana together each ride before we can do any real work and if that's normal, if the horse gets easier to put together or if the rider just gets better at putting horses together. She replied that the rider gets better/faster. She said she rode her GP horse Abe the other day and that he was like a cement block when she first got on him; I guess most horses don't ever offer throughness on their own; it's something that the rider has to constantly work on. I also wonder if it's just the type of horse we both ride; the carriage horse type with the high neck set and tight backs.

I conversed with BO later and she suggested that I keep bell boots on her all the time now because this latest shoe problem must have happened during turnout as I check her shoes before and after each ride.

So yesterday I drove to the barn to put bell boots on her. She was happy to see me but was not interested in sharing me with her turnout buddy:

"Back off, buddy; that's my human!"










The farrier is coming tomorrow to fix her shoe again. It's raining today so I'm going to skip the barn until tomorrow evening. I'm sure Ana won't mind having 2 days off from work.


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## frlsgirl

Also, I did another confo comparison picture:










She has definitely put on more muscle over the past 6 months which is especially great because most horses lose condition over the winter.

I showed this to my husband and he said "Da** - she looks like she bench presses Warmbloods in her spare time" lol - made me laugh.


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## Rainaisabelle

Roy has to wear bell boots 24/7 as he pulls his shoes by stepping on the fronts. I have to ask the farrier to roll his hinds so he stops doing it.


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## PoptartShop

Ana looks good in her leg gear. Oh my though, her and those darn shoes! Farrier will fix her right up though. Wonder how she did that. Silly girl.

I'm glad you had a good online meeting too. Sounds like you are on the right track.  She has definitely gained a lot more muscle, she looks really really good. Look at that!
LOL love the photo of her pinning her ears back to let her buddy know hey, she's mine back off! So cute. Love her!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana looks great! She's putting on a lot of muscle. You guys are looking good!

And I agree with Natasha. The rider getting better makes the biggest difference in being able to get on and have them there. I wouldn't say any horses are truly automatic but a more educated horse understand the connection better and has the musculature and muscle memory and background to understand aids. But it's the rider being able to feel, recognize, react and organize their aids, position, balance, etc in conjunction with the horse that really does it. It's a constant process of learning and improvement. Constant, it never ends and I think that's why dressage it really meant to keep us humble. You're never "complete."

For example if you were to ride Frankie who is VERY green, she doesn't "really" steer. It's more I guide her balance and shoulders and then assist her balance. Everything she does is mostly from my position and communicating to her how to do things and setting her up for success and showing her the way. It's a lot of suggestions and reinforced expectation. I don't think any horse is through on it's own or just magically connects to the bridle. It's a process. I think for the higher head carriage "baroque" types it's more rhythm control and bringing the back up and in balance to get throughness (too quick lose swing, too slow lose connection) vs say a Dev where it's collection that brings him through or Frankie where it's an uphill balance that allows her to balance well enough to hold any kind of rhythm in order to steer. Or Saturday where it's a very stable condition, bend, impulsion and uphill balance that helps him come over his back and come through. Every horse/type has their weaknesses and strengths and ride somewhat differently. There are trade offs for example the warmbloods with the massive movement are much harder to organize and ride through movements, transitions, etc but they take less time to develop/take up the levels. 

Im really glad you got to ride another horse, I think it helps so much to get on a bunch of different horses and pick up things from each of them or it makes you more aware of the things you're doing or weren't aware you were doing or a feel you were't aware of before. I think almost every ride I feel something new to pay attention to or pick up on something I didn't know. It's a really cool process.


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## frlsgirl

Yes good points @DanteDressageNerd - I really felt this when I rode Dante who is the polar opposite of Ana; he's old, he's big, he's well trained and pretty easy to put together BUT he's super responsive and sensitive to aids so I have to really audit myself so that I don't accidentally push buttons that I wasn't ready for. He is easy to post the trot on because he has a big push from behind that just automatically sends you up from behind; Ana is tough to post on because there just isn't enough push so I'm having to create my own post with little help from her. 

I asked if I could try trot lenghtenings on him because he's so good at it and it's such a magical feeling. First I make a 10 meter circle at A while sitting his gigantic trot then I come out of the circle in a shoulder in position, then I set him up on the diagonal and OMG - he takes off like a freaking rocket; we made it to a medium trot; it felt like flying. I felt like I needed wind goggles like they use for sky diving. Not everybody can ride him because he's so powerful and gets strong if you try to hang on to him too much; I can see why that would cause someone tt feel a bit panicked to have such a powerhouse to ride. His canter is so huge and uphill; it almost feels like I'm jumping; he's cantering around my seat while my seat stays in the same place; it's hard to explain but I feel like if I were to look down, his saddle is rocking around my seat.

I'm a bit concerned that if I ride only Ana I will learn to ride her really well and everything else will just feel really foreign and awkward to me so riding a completely opposite type of horse ought to fix that.

Here is a short canter clip from last summer; I really need to ride him more often. The BO is always pushing me to ride him so I should really take advantage of it while I have the chance; he's 22 so who knows how much longer he will be around:


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'd take advantage of getting on another horse and one with more training to help you. It helps to ride a schoolmaster type who can give better feel. Keep riding anything and everything you can get on (that's safe) it helps a lot to get on and get a feel for a variety of horses.


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## frlsgirl

I try to whenever I can @DanteDressageNerd 

I went to see Ana last night; I don't usually go on Thursday nights since I ride Fridays and Saturdays and sometimes even Sundays but my riding schedule got a little mixed up this week due to Ana's shoe problem and I didn't want her to sit another day; every day she sits that's an extra 10 minutes of suppling I have to do when I get on her next time if she even lets me get on because if I leave her sitting too long she can get a little fresh. 

I had had a really crappy day and just needed to see her. You know those days where everything just kind of sucks and you feel like if the world ended it might actually be a good thing because then you don't have to deal with your problems anymore, lol. She whinnied at me when I entered the barn and all my stress just melted away. We had a good ride in the outdoor; we got a bunch of rain on Tuesday so the footing was actually soft for once. We didn't do any "real" work - we just worked on suppling, listing and staying in front of my leg and we got all those things solved. That's usually the point where I start the real work like centerlines or trot/canter transitions etc. but was running short on time so I just tested her to make sure everything worked; and it did; back was swinging, I could steer with my seat alone and she was nicely forward. Adda girl.

Only working half day today then heading home to rest for a bit before I head out to the barn to spend some serious time with her. I'm also downloading a bunch of self-help audio books to help me destress - so much drama around me and I have to work really hard to not get sucked into it. I've been taking breaks and going into an empty office to just sit in silence and do some stretches. I've tried shutting my door at work but it freaks people out because then they think something is wrong and then they want to talk to me even more. Oh the struggles of an INTJ at work....sigh.


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## egrogan

I have been fortunate to work for a company that is primarily virtual (consulting type company). After 10 years leading a team in this kind of environment, I truly can't imagine having to work in an office environment full-time.


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## frlsgirl

@egrogan - wow that sounds awesome!


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## egrogan

It is! The flip side is that I travel a lot, but it's a good balance because I live in a really rural place but get all the benefits of being in big cities pretty frequently.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I understand. I am INTP, it makes it hard to deal with people because they don't understand the concept of space and please let me be so I can figure it out. I don't need coddling to feel better, I need distance and alone time. I also understand not wanting to deal with so much drama, it's just a negative drain in energy levels and distracting.

But I'm glad you were able to spend time with Ana! It's excellent stress relief! I think the quotation of "I pay my therapist in hay" becomes relevant sometimes.


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## frlsgirl

Yes very true, ha, ha @DanteDressageNerd !!!

Had a good ride on Ana yesterday which prompted me to put together a little comparison video; or should I say Ana asked me to put this together since she doesn't have thumbs


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## frlsgirl

So I had a very productive weekend with Ana; I ended up riding 3 days in a row, Thursday night, Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon and then she had a rest day Sunday.

Friday I felt like we really pushed ourselves to a new level with the cantering; for the first time in a long time, I still had energy left and she was starting to get tired on me. It was interesting to see the difference between “I don’t wanna because it’s hard” and “I’m trying mom but you’ve pushed me to my physical limit” and then still trying to find a good place to stop. 

She definitely got more evasive to see if she could deter me from asking too much of her. I just needed her to trust me that I wasn’t going to ask her things she couldn’t do. I knew she was done physically and I just needed to do one more little thing just so we could stop on a good note. We ended up doing a trot circle then went down the long side and let her stretch down and chew the reins out of my hands. But at first Ana was like “no way, you’re gonna ask me to canter, I just know it and I just can’t anymore!” and I was like “no Ana, just trust me and relax, you waste so much energy fighting me, if you just relax and listen to me, everything will be fine!”

So I think this is a new level for us, where she’s not just being evasive because she just doesn’t feel like working hard, and actually being physically spent yet still having to trust me and listen instead of making her own decisions and most importantly, my ability to recognize the difference; to know when to push her and to know when to let her rest.

This theme carried into Saturday; we did more canter work which I know was tiring but the exercises were a bit easier than Friday and I really just needed her to believe me that I was not going to push her over the top.































My fitness level also plays into that; I need to work on cardio endurance so that I have to strength to open and close the right doors for her to push through. Husband finally agreed that I can get a temporary health club membership until we move out to the country. I need to get on that this week! I just wrote down my even schedule for the next 6 months and oh my goodness, my schedule is action packed with camp and show after show from March to May.


I'm also working on my position; I keep losing my left stirrup even though they are the same length; also I feel like duck butt is coming back! I do know that my hip flexors are tight so I've been doing the flipper exercises where you lift your legs off to the side while the horse is walking or standing and oh my that hurts!











So a great weekend with lots of learning. When we finished our ride, I decided I wanted to spend some time on de-spooking training since I had the place to myself. The BO has this stick with streamers and glitter attachments that she uses on the horses in her program; she said she had never tried it on Ana so I wanted to see if I could get Ana to accept it. It took a little bit but she finally accepted it; I’m not going to lie; it took quite a few treats to convince her that it’s no big deal.
















































Hoping to get lots of saddle time this week as Dressage Camp is just around the corner.


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## PoptartShop

Sounds like a great weekend!  De-spooking is always good to work on. She looks so calm like she doesn't even mind it.


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## frlsgirl

I almost forgot, the barn manager was making fun of Ana's mane; saying that she looked like a mule with all the broken off pieces, so I tried to do a running braid and incorporate the shorter hairs, it did not look good:










Hoping that the shorter pieces will grow enough in the next two weeks that she will look decent for camp; if not, I can certainly use more braiding practice!


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## frlsgirl

PoptartShop said:


> Sounds like a great weekend!  De-spooking is always good to work on. She looks so calm like she doesn't even mind it.


You can see her expression change from "what the heck is that" in the first picture to "oh, no big deal" in the last picture.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Im glad you and Ana had such a good weekend. You guys have made quite a bit of improvement! That's awesome! Can't wait to see how her new canter looks! I bet it's good!

But I entirely agree. Cardio, strength training and stretching makes a huge difference. I swear by it. I wish more riders would have the initiative to work out, it makes such a big difference. I couldn't ride the babies as effectively at all if I didn't work as much as I do or work on my upper body and legs. I remember with Dante I had to have a really powerful core because he was so bouncy it felt like getting tossed up into the rafters every stride. So helpful.

lol braiding takes a lot of practice but here's my braiding tutorial attempt before I pulled Dante's mane. Maybe that'll help with ideas.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @DanteDressageNerd - my problem was the broken off pieces; her mane starts off nice and smooth and then in the middle there are these chunks that stick straight up; by the time I got to the middle, the braid was too low so then the only way to include the shorter pieces was to braid closer to the crest again which is why it looks so weird; I need to just braid along the crest and not let it get too far down her neck. I'll see if I can watch the video at the barn so that I can have your virtual hands on site


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## SaddleUp158

For those broken off sections a wet mane and gel will help wonders when you go to braid for a show.  

Yay for your and Ana's break through! That is always so encouraging. Love the progression of photos that show her accepting the streamers. Robert would be so proud of her!


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## PoptartShop

Looks WAY better than what my braids look like. I'm so rusty, I need to start learning how to do it again. :lol: Such a gorgeous face she has!!! 

So exciting for camp too, it'll be awesome. @DanteDressageNerd I'm going to have to save that video for future reference, because I need some help too! LOL


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## DanteDressageNerd

You're welcome. I hope it helps! The spanish braid is my favorite. It's the easiest to get tight against the neck and also make them comfortable. Sometimes horses need to be worked in braids to get comfortable with them (like Dante). I braided him before every lesson, so LOTS of practice. I also had to rubber band the first part for a while because he had an arab bridle path and it took a while to get it grown out enough to braid in without rubber bands but practice, practice, practice. I actually didn't use water or any styling products because water stretches the hair and when it dries it ends up tight and pulls the horse's hair and Dante hated that lol and if you braid tight enough, you really don't need it.

Anyways I hope it helps anybody interested in learning to do a Spanish running braid. It's a 4 strand braid.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> You're welcome. I hope it helps! The spanish braid is my favorite. It's the easiest to get tight against the neck and also make them comfortable. Sometimes horses need to be worked in braids to get comfortable with them (like Dante). I braided him before every lesson, so LOTS of practice. I also had to rubber band the first part for a while because he had an arab bridle path and it took a while to get it grown out enough to braid in without rubber bands but practice, practice, practice. I actually didn't use water or any styling products because water stretches the hair and when it dries it ends up tight and pulls the horse's hair and Dante hated that lol and if you braid tight enough, you really don't need it.
> 
> Anyways I hope it helps anybody interested in learning to do a Spanish running braid. It's a 4 strand braid.


Yeah Ana started moving around and arching her neck forward as soon as I started braiding; and as you can see my braid is far from tight; she's like a little girl that's getting her hair braided for the first time "ouch mommy, that hurts!"


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## DanteDressageNerd

Good luck!! I hope it goes well!


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## frlsgirl

Had an interesting conversation with my therapist who specializing in equine assisted psychotherapy. I told her about how Ana doesn't like other people riding her and gives even accomplished pros a very hard time, but she's fine with me riding her and she also doesn't seem to mind when the barn owner rides her. She said that's because me and the barn owner have proven ourselves to be trustworthy. She said that letting a human on your back is a very personal and intimate thing for a horse; that's why school horses seem to have no spirit/are closed off; they are like prostitutes! I was like, wow prostitute is a strong word; I will never look at a school horse the same way again. It makes sense though that they would just shut themselves off to keep from getting hurt. I do recall when I test rode Ana she was very aloof towards me; like "ok I will sort of do what you want because it's the right thing to do but otherwise I will try to pretend that you don't exist and that this isn't really happening!" It all makes sense to me now; although "prostitute" still seems like a strong word; I guess that would make someone who runs a lesson program with a school horses a pimp? 

She also pointed out how similar Ana and I are in our personalities; we are both very resistant to change and don't like to have others be in charge of us; we both waste a lot of energy "fighting" others when it would make much more sense to just give in and accept our fate.

After my counseling appointment, I went to the barn to check on Ana and to deliver a 5 pound bag of carrots. The BO greeted me on my way to the tack room and asked me if I could do her a huge favor and be a demo rider for her Saturday; apparently our Dressage chapter is hosting a volunteering event, and they need people to ride tests in front of the guest judge for scribing practice purposes. This particular judge had given me my second lowest Intro B score ever so I'm pretty pumped to be able to ride in front of her again and maybe improve our marks. BO suggested that I ride Intro C; this is kind of a good way to kick of the show season since we haven't actually ridden through a test since December. I told her I would have to double check with husband but basically "YES!"

So by then it was getting late, but I was itching to ride her. I hadn't sat on her since Saturday so I figured I could just take her for a quick spin the outdoor while we watched the sun set. She was happy to see me but didn't seem interested in arena work so when the BO invited us to a quick trail ride around the property we both perked up and agreed to tag along. Well, I thought we would "tag" along, Ana decided she was gonna run the show and tried to march her way to the front of the line. We spent a lot of time circling, jigging and speed walking; she is so rude to other horses; she just has no patience for slow poking school horses; the barn dogs tagged along and Ana got lots of ear pinning practice. It was nice to see her so forward and enthusiastic though. Again, we are so similar; I'm constantly running over people because I have not patience for slow pokes.

As I was finishing up with Ana, my barn mate walked her horse "Jill" back into the barn; I noticed that her hind legs were wrapped in bandages so I asked what had happened. OMG. She was in her turnout Sunday morning, kicked at another mare and got both hind legs tangled up in the fencing. When she got her legs free she was so upset that it caused another bout of laminitis. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the poor thing had a port in her neck so that they could administer intravenous medication. I quickly put Ana in her stall and just stood in shock in front of Jill while others began to gather around her as we listened to Jill's owner recount the horrific details of the incident. We had all noticed a strange smell at the barn, turns out Jill had been given DMSO (sp?) and it was just oozing out of her pores. We took turns feeling for a digital pulse and doting on poor Jill; a while back they had given her the barn name "Calamity Jill" because there is always something wrong with her; from bizarre accidents, to mystery illnesses, this horse has become somewhat of a science project. She seemed to really soak up all the attention, so I joking said "I wonder if she has munchausens" (sp?) - hopefully I didn't offend anyone, but seriously, how can a single horse be in constant vet care for various unrelated incidents?

Then I remembered my friend in Colorado who bought a horse months ago and hasn't been able to ride him because he has incident after incident causing him to be on constant stall rest. It made me feel really, really lucky/blessed that Ana is relatively (knocks on wood) healthy.

So with all the craziness in my life right now, I'm counting my blessings; as long as Ana is happy and healthy, I'm ok. That being said, I am noticing an increased rate of head shaking during up transitions and occasionally she holds her tail funny which has me a bit worried, but the BO hasn't said anything about it so it's one of those subtle/not urgent appearing cases. I'm guessing her hind end needs to be adjusted again soon. I have been asking more of her so that could just be her way of expressing exercise induced discomfort.


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## evilamc

So are you saying my sweet girl Orianna isnt just a normal hor......se? Rude! LOL! Shes the horse I can put anyone on, shes so safe. Doesn't have anywhere near the personality Jax has!


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## frlsgirl

lol @*evilamc* - not my words, but I can kind of see the idea behind her statement. I'm suddenly having a hard time making eye contact with the school horses at my barn  I keep picturing them in cartoon form with cigarettes hanging from their muzzles and the barn owner with a giant gold chain around her neck counting through a wad of cash 

I got some good news yesterday! No cancer! I'm gonna live! I just have to go back in 6 months and get re-checked! I feel like I got a new lease on life; I was debating what I should do first, skydive or go to the barn. I chose the latter.

I really needed to do a little bit of arena work as my demo ride is only a few days away. BO had just dragged in the covered arena so that seemed like a logical choice. Everything was great until we got to the spooky corner and discovered that the she had stacked the ground poles back there. I managed to successfully navigate her past them several times before I decided the coast was clear and I picked up a trot, she seemed to relax a little bit until we had to pass the last stack of poles and then she flipped out and shot forward like a rocket; I got her calmed down again and went to the non-spooky corner to do a couple of canter circles and then I took her outside to ride up and down the hill a few times. She's getting better at listening to me during hill work; mostly because she tires herself out and realizes that compliance takes a lot less effort. She is very smart and thrifty when it comes to expending energy.

We finished by hand-walking her back to the spooky corner in the arena so that she could sniff and paw at the poles; then we did carrot stretches in her stall. She's enjoying a day off and then she will get worked Friday, we'll do the demo ride Saturday and then I might ride her again Sunday.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Im so glad you and Ana are enjoying each other so much and going into show season!

I agree prostitute is a strong word but I think I see the comparison she was trying to draw regarding intimacy. People who tend to be promiscuous or have hired their bodies out or had been violated as children tend to be "emotionally damaged" if that makes sense. It affects someone emotionally and they can't have an emotional connection in the same way to protect themselves. I'll say I agree lesson horses tend to learn a lot of defensive strategies against their riders and tune out for their own protection, though some horses genuinely have little personality. Just like people. Some are the epitome of beige. Some are smart, some are not. Wide variety of different personalities.

I also think horses, just like some people are more prone to random and weird things for whatever reason. Like I know a lady who had her uterus fall out while she was riding 0-0 I didn't even know that could happen.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I also think horses, just like some people are more prone to random and weird things for whatever reason. Like I know a lady who had her uterus fall out while she was riding 0-0 I didn't even know that could happen.


Eeek :eek_color:!!! I guess she saved money on a hysterectomy? I've heard that women who have had children or had major surgery on their uterus can have things like that happen. Not something you want to have happen while you're riding!


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## frlsgirl

Long exhausting weekend. Friday I worked Ana in the covered arena as BO had the judge's table set up in preparation for Saturday's demo rides. I spent a good 10 minutes just getting Ana used to the table; it didn't hurt that BO had left us some cinnamon treats in the middle of the table. 










We didn't practice for too long as I didn't know where exactly the arena letters would be set up and I didn't want her to memorize the wrong markers for circles etc.

Saturday started with a party lesson. I usually don't ride Ana in party lessons anymore because I feel like we don't get much out of it, it just wears her out and really ticks her off as she's more of a solo artist, but it seemed like a good way to warm her up for the demo ride.

While I was tacking her up, the BO's husband was loading his gun because a skunk had just appeared in the trap that they had set by the tackroom and he wanted to shoot it before the dogs got a hold of it. I'm glad I knew about it ahead of time so I hand walked Ana until the gun fire concluded.

We had another Morgan join our group; his name is Bandit and he's six years old. He has the most amazing story; he ran away from home a while back and swam across the Arkansas river!!!!

Can you tell which one is Ana and which one is Bandit? It was like looking in the mirror!










We had a decent ride I guess except that I really struggled to keep up and started to find myself conserving energy because I still had a practice ride and demo ride to get through. One exercise that I found really helpful was leg yielding along the wall; usually Ana throws her shoulders all over the place and bends herself into a pretzel to avoid crossing her hind legs; this time BO stood with us and made sure she was actually crossing her legs and then we let her walk back out of it after only a step or two. 

Ana is very clever; when she doesn't want to do something she will first run through a list of evasions; if that doesn't work, she threatens to blow up but never actually does, before she actually attempts what is asked of her, which is why I only ask her for a step or two because I'm trying to reward willingness to try rather then the perfect execution of the exercise. So I found that super useful in suppling both her body and mind. My goal is for her to ask herself "Oh, was that all? Why did I fight you on this again?"

A decent walk moment:










Then we decided to practice our tests in the arena. I was getting tired and really just wanted to run through it really quick, mostly because I needed to re-orient myself to all the letters because everything had shifted.










I guess BO didn't like my small canter circle so she had me do it over and over and over again:






You can really see how tired Ana is coming across the diagonal, she kept trying to walk and I was trying to just push her along.

Lord was I tired. People started to arrive, more tables got set up along with chairs, paper and extension cords etc. I quickly put Ana up and grabbed a bite to eat because I was scheduled to do the first test as soon as the judge arrived. Then I ran back to the barn and got Ana tacked up again, she looked at me like "wait, didn't we just do this?" but I had no time to explain it to her before I rushed her into the arena. Lots of people began to gather around the judge's table, the BO's husband was dragging a chair through the leaves and one of the boarders was messing around with a plastic bag. I started warming up and suddenly, flash, flash! We had a photographer taking pictures! I was half way excited and half way annoyed because Ana hasn't been exposed to flash photography and I was sporting my intense resting ***** face.

It was finally our turn to go; the judge had forgotten her whistle so someone whistles loudly with their fingers sending Ana jolting forward towards A. The judge stood by the letter C and blurted all her comments and scores out loudly while volunteers feverishly sribbled away. It was all very distracting, but again, good exposure training for Ana. Before I knew it, it was all over. We didn't make any mistakes even though the judge had asked us to make various errors on purpose so that she could explain to the scribes what to do in such cases. I just wanted to be done and not confuse Ana.

Exhausted, I put Ana up and ran back up to the tables to practice scribing a couple of tests myself. It was very educational. When I got home I could barely walk I was in so much pain. I had ran out of joint supplements and ALA the day before and thought I could just wing it without supplements - big mistake. 

Sunday, I was so exhausted I couldn't even get in my car to get lunch so I ordered a pizza; I had wondered if part of the reason for my exhaustion was the low carb diet and wanted to try carbo loading anyway.

I did start to slowly feel better, went to the store and restocked my supplements, and had a serious discussion with myself and how I need to be more proactive about my health.

On that note, I got up early this morning and did 10 minutes of interval training on the elliptical. Horse camp is 5 days away and I need to be in good shape to get the most out of it. It's really embarrassing when 60 year old ladies can keep up better than I can


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## egrogan

Sounds like a fun weekend! Is Bandit new to the barn or was he just there for the weekend activities? What a crazy story he has- what inspired him to have to put a whole river between him and home?!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Sounds like a fun weekend! Is Bandit new to the barn or was he just there for the weekend activities? What a crazy story he has- what inspired him to have to put a whole river between him and home?!


He was trailered in for the party lesson. 

The owner thinks that something must have chased him because he was not fond of water prior to his disappearance; she didn't actually witness his swim but he was found on the other side of the river a few days later and there is no other way to get across unless he took the highway bridge which would have probably made the news. She said that he's no longer afraid of water.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I don't think she ever had kids or had any kind of internal surgery, was just unlucky :-( she was a really nice woman. I know another Lady who is an incredibly lovely, intelligent woman who has the weirdest random accidents. She had a brain tumor one year, nearly died of some kind of infection (one rare) in a single year, then she broke her leg by dismounting (so weird, her horse is 15h) and then after she healed from that she broke her hip. She is the most beautiful and remarkable person but very-very unlucky.

It sounds like a busy, frantic weekend. I think it's normal to get a little frazzled with all of that going on. Sounds hectic! But fun!! Bandit and Ana look a lot like! Hard to tell the two apart! She looks like she was having more fun in the test and seemed to try really hard for you!

And no don't forget the joint supplement! Winging it doesn't work! I've done that and was in so much pain! Can't forget that stuff. Always stock up!


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## PoptartShop

Aw that sounds like a fun-filled weekend.  I would've been exhausted too! 
I totally get it with the being out of shape, I'm the same way. Sometimes I catch myself outta breath running up and down the stairs. :lol:
Sure you are beyond sore and exhausted. Pizza sounds delicious too!
The elliptical was always my favorite machine at the gym. I never really liked the treadmill (unless I was like doing walking on an incline, I'm not much of a runner). It helps to put some fast-paced music on, gets you moving.


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## frlsgirl

Rode Ana last night - 30 minutes in the covered arena; we started around the perimeter of the dressage ring as BO was finishing up a lesson in there, which meant we had to pass other horses a few times so Ana got lots of ear pinning practice again. She seemed more sucked back than usual. I ran through all of our normal suppling exercises but nothing worked except the almost halt/walk on exercise followed by leg yielding. Note to self: skip all the other stuff and go straight to these to exercises when pressed for time. Then we worked on Training level stuff: center trot circles, let horse stretch at trot and pick reins back up again, canter at A and C plus add half a long side, and a couple of center lines. 

Next time we need to practice center canter circles. I mistakenly practiced the stretchy trot on the center circle; I need to practice normal center circles with stretchy circles at A and C. Also, her loose rein walk was looking terrible and that's usually her strongest asset; she was just wandering around like a drunk from point to point. The first show is 10 days away and surprise, surprise my barn is NOT going to this show. It's 4 miles from my barn so I could almost ride to it but it's a little dangerous with stray dogs and cars and stuff. So I need to find a trailer ride asap or I need to skip this show. I really wanted to go to this one because it's right after camp and it was my first attempt at T1 and T2. The next opportunity is a week later in Stillwater, but I really wanted to try new things in the comfort of my local Dressage group; we are super supportive of each other and even if we end up a total mess I know they will support me.

Also, dragged myself out of bed this morning and did another 10 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical. Day 2 was definitely harder. I'm doing this for me and Ana. I know I'm the one holding her back from progressing because she needs a lot more conditioning work which I can't provide her if I constantly need walk breaks.


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## frlsgirl

A video from Saturday; I could hear her running around in the paddock but it took me a minute to get my phone out and by then she had half-way settled down.


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## PoptartShop

Ooooh she was feeling herself! :lol: Love it!!!:loveshower:


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## frlsgirl

We got the pictures from the demo ride.

This was in the warm-up; I had just realized that commotion was going on by the table thus the intense resting ***** face and my abrupt turn away from perceived threat before horse blows up, lol










A quick pat to thank her for not loosing her shiitake:










Looking friendly and inquisitive:










I don't know WTH this is supposed to be; maybe it was my center trot circle from the test or me just randomly trotting during warmup:










Not sure what I was doing with the reins here but Ana looks like her usual intense self:










Salute at beginning of test; I'm smiling to make up for Ana's crabby face:











The only actual "good" picture at the end of our test; massive praise for enduring all the stresses of the day:


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## knightrider

Great pictures! Ana is so beautiful!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad you guys are intending to head to the show and know you have a supportive group for your guys break into training level. 

Those are really good pictures. Ana is a really pretty girl! Hope you can find a ride!


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## frlsgirl

Wow - I typed up a long negative post and never hit the post button - lol. Well it wasn't really negative, it's just that Ana is a mare and I'm a mare so sometimes we lock horns, lol. :twisted:

On that note, I booked another session with the animal communicator for tomorrow afternoon. Last time Ana had a whole bunch of complaints from saddle fit, to sore feet, to discomfort in her hip, to a headache from her bit. I'm curious to see what laundry list of complaints she has for me this time around 

fftopic:I'm on day 4 of HIIT on the elliptical and super hormonal right now which is probably why our rides have been less than spectacular. To make matters worse, due to a glitch with my pharmacy, I'm out of my pain meds and this is the time of the month when I need them the most so I've been on the phone every day with my doctors office and the pharmacy to get this resolved. I got camp coming up in 24 hours, I need to get this resolved!

On a positive note, we are scheduled to close on our dream house/land in the country this coming Tuesday. 

I did ride Ana yesterday. I wanted to focus on untangling my aids. I don't know how to explain this but sometimes I feel like I'm not sure who is doing more work; I don't know if she is trotting a circle because I put on 100 different aids to make it happen or if she is actually participating. So that was our focus, and I think we accomplished that. I'm noticing that I need to be more assertive and be very clear when I need her to yield her hind quarters, etc. When I'm asking to do something, I don't need to nag, I need to me very clear even if it startles her and then let her do the work. 

I think this is the downside to becoming a better rider; I put on so many aids unconsciously which is great except that I've taken on too much responsibility - Ana needs to do some things on her own.

But I'm excited about the weekend. Hopefully my RX situation will get resolved today; I'm also meeting with my gyno to discuss logistics for the upcoming hysto; maybe she can prescribe me something to keep my hormones under control until the surgery. 

I got an unexpected boost in Ana's bank account so I'm looking at a new girth for her:

https://www.vtosaddlery.com/product/SESDG.htm?gclid=CPytzu-CuNICFYi4wAodkOYBww

There is this YouTube star in Germany who recently bought this for her mare and she said she noticed a significant difference.

So yeah, lots going on right now.


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## frlsgirl

I got her this girth today:

https://totalsaddlefit.com/shop/srg/stretchtec/?nabe=4529802824646656:1,5575480392810496:0

Apparently the Stubben is very bulky and only works on larger horses.


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## PoptartShop

Wow, gorgeous pictures.  Very photogenic!
Hope the doctor goes okay.  They need to get that resolved asap. Can't be comfortable at all. Ugh.
Lots going on for sure. I hope it slows down for you!


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## DanteDressageNerd

A boarder has the shoulder relief girth like you're looking at, it's great. I have the regular shoulder relief girth and like it.

I hope you and Ana can figure each other out and make it through the disagreements. Sometimes it happens. I rode a paint mare for a while who was incredibly marish and we butted heads but eventually got along and worked it out. Constant redirection and a certain amount of firmness and get over yourself but discussion and answering questions if that makes any sense. Or redirect, give a clear direction and leave alone then another suggestion and allow so it's easier for them to do as you suggest then to do it the way want to.

Major kudos on the house closing that's SO exciting! When do you move in?


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Major kudos on the house closing that's SO exciting! When do you move in?


We are closing on the construction loan and land on Tuesday; so we will start building next week and hope to move in before Christmas. Now we have to put our house up for sale and hope it sells before the new house is ready but not too soon because we don't want to end up homeless and move twice.


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## frlsgirl

Wow – what a long and exciting weekend of learning and fun! I’m gonna have to separate this into two posts!

Friday I had my phone call with the animal communicator. Here is the picture I sent her of Ana. I didn’t want her to see her whole body because I didn’t want her to be able to analyze her conformation and have that affect her reading:










She said that Ana is overall a happy and well-adjusted horse and didn’t have much to say or complain about so she didn’t want to keep me on the phone for too long and charge me for minutes that I didn’t need to use. So we only talked for 15 minutes.

She said that she might need an adjustment again soon; nothing too pressing, just slight discomfort in her sacroiliac region, a little tightness in her poll, and she even pointed out the unevenness in her shoulder development on the right side which the saddle fitter had pointed out, but it’s just because she’s a right handed horse. Ana told her that the right side feels higher than the left, lol. 

She also said that her hind end feels “wobbly” but not EPM wobbly more like a weakness, which makes sense because we’ve been doing a whole lot of hind end engagement exercises. 

She said Ana kept showing her a bit and smiling which prompted her to ask me if by any chance I got her a new bit. I did get her the Myler bit a while back and she does go much better in it so I assumed she liked it which apparently Ana confirmed. 

I asked her if she was happy with her barn and she said that she likes it there and feels part of the herd. There is a chestnut gelding who makes snarky comments sometimes but she has no problem putting him in his place. Gee I wonder who that could be? And I wonder what exactly he says to her that ticks her off so much?











I then asked her if Ana likes what we do together and she responded “I’m beautiful when I move” which prompted communicator to ask me what exactly I do with her. I’m guessing Ana loves Dressage as well much as I do or at least the showing off part. She did say that she doesn’t need to do circles anymore because she can do them really well, lol. I’m sure that’s what every Dressage horse says.

The communicator suggested that I do Dressage on the trail so that Ana doesn’t know she’s being schooled. Good idea.
It made me really happy to know that Ana is basically happy and doesn’t hate her job.


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## frlsgirl

So then we went off to camp. Sadly @*SaddleUp158* couldn’t be there so Ana’s previous owner came in her place. I haven’t seen her since the day I bought Ana but we had been keeping in touch. Camp wasn’t as packed as last time so two of the participants ended up bringing two horses to ride. That’s 8 rides in 2 days, whereas everyone else “Only” had 4.

After everyone got settled in, we had dinner and introductions and Sherry Guess gave her lecture on biomechanics and then our saddle fitter gave a brief overview of her saddle fitting journey.

Then I fed Ana and went home to rest up for the next day.

Saturday we had 2 lessons plus a saddle fitting demo and an equine conformation lecture. My first lesson was with Claudia Misner where I learned to create a wall with my outside aids to keep Ana from drifting with her shoulders during leg yields. It was quite frustrating but I finally figured it out. I was using way too much inside rein and I was only using outside rein to block instead of using my entire body. Then she had me trot circles and pet her with the inside hand to get me to release the inside rein and to my surprise Ana responded by relaxing her dropping her head. So I briefly tried it at the canter and it worked! 

Then we had the saddle fitting demo and I learned some more interesting information. You guys probably don’t want to hear this but, as your horse moves through the levels his/her confo and balance point will change dramatically at certain intervals, so if you are going all the way to GP you will likely need 2 to 3 saddles from Training level to GP. That’s why my saddle needed so much flocking and balance adjustments; Ana’s shoulders are a lot more up now. Once we get to 2nd or 3rd level, we will probably need a new saddle because there is only so much flocking can do to fix balance issues and our position will need to change a bit as the horse develops so you would be uncomfortable in a saddle that fit at the lower levels. She said she usually sees this especially in horses when they make the jump from 3rd to PSG; massive shift in balance point and the way the rider has to sit to give effective aids. 

Then we had a quick lunch break before we had to hurry back to the stables and tack up for our biomechanics lesson with Sherry Guess.

I guess Ana was still tired from the previous lesson and was getting her beauty rest:







She had us do a circle with leg yields on the open side at walk and trot and the medicinal turn on the forehand. She said that TOF forces the horse to engage their abs and it reinforces the interplay between the rider’s aids and the horse’s responsiveness to the aids. She had has TOF until we felt like we had a good communication set up and then we immediately trotted out of the TOF and Ana became really round which I loved.








The conformation demo was very interesting. This lady is a judge at Hannoverian inspections. Volunteers from camp brought out two very different horses and the she went over every body part and what she looks for and what it indicates; and what angles are desirable in a Hunter horse versus a Dressage horse for example. Very interesting stuff. 

Then it was time for dinner and I left a little early and got Ana fed and tucked in for the night.

Sunday morning started with another lesson with Claudia Misner. Oh my goodness, that lady tired us out. We cantered 11 times with her; 9 times without a break. Trot a circle, pet Ana with inside hand, canter a circle, pet Ana with inside hand, rinse and repeat 5 times on one side and 4 times on the other. At one point she had me alternating petting with inside and outside hand at the canter. Claudia is quite the pistol and an audience began to gather as we were flying through the arena. 

Claudia “Where are you going? Get back here on the circle, we are not done yet. Also, you should be cantering, why are you trotting?”
Audience: Laughs
Me to audience: “help”
Me to Claudia: “but she’s running”
Claudia: “She is not running. Audience, is she running?”
Me: sneaks in a trot transition
 Claudia: “I didn’t tell you to transition yet! Now we have to do it again!”
Me to audience: “help”
Audience: Laughs.

I have never cantered her so much in my life. I was totally spent after that, but still had to go to Pilates class and one more lesson.
Pilates class was tiring. I cheated a whole lot.

Then I dragged myself to my final lesson with Sherry Guess. She addressed some position issues that I had questions on. She actually didn’t tweak my seat too much; but she did want me to use my leg a little differently which frustrated me a bit. One thing that helped me tremendously is “toe up” instead of heels down. 

She also wanted us to try something new to help establish thoroughness; she calls it the bowtie exercise; something about circles and half circles and then trotting out of the circle; I was so confused; I think my brain was just shutting down. But guess what? We still had to work on my canter seat and since I needed to also work on steering at the canter, we ended up doing several canter circles in the center of the arena. I thought I was going to die. My hip started locking up, I was gripping with my thighs and my body had basically checked out. We discovered that my canter depart aid is way too strong for Ana so we resorted to voice aids. This is something we will need to work on by ourselves; not something that can be fixed in one lesson.

She let us finish a bit early as we were both getting very tired; the lady I was sharing the lesson with also had to finish early because her horse started going lame from fatigue.

Then it was time to pack up and head out.

Here are some more random pictures from camp.


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## frlsgirl

Biggest take-away from this weekend: I need to become a better rider and not drill Ana so much.

On that note, I'm only going to ride Ana on Wednesday out in the fields - no need for any more arena work this week. Friday she will get trailered back to the show grounds where I might tack her up and ride a few movements but not the entire test.

Then I will put her away again and ride 2 tests Saturday.

The shoulder relief girth already arrived so I was able to try it out yesterday. I noticed some peddaling at the trot which I'm guessing points to shoulder freedom? But it's not desirable in a Dressage horse right? We will just have to watch that.

Also, I think I'm going to put her in a proper Dressage bridle as the little Hunter bridle that I have her in leaves an indentation on her nose even though I adjust it properly with the 2 finger gap. I think the narrow leather just shifts around a bit during riding and then she doesn't drink enough water and that's how she keeps getting this mark on her face. I'm guessing that's not very comfortable. The proper Dressage bridle won't do this but it's heavier so it's a bit of a trade off. I guess it doesn't hurt to try it.


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## carshon

I just think Anna is beautiful!~ and so much of your riding is above my head but I enjoy your posts.


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## frlsgirl

carshon said:


> I just think Anna is beautiful!~ and so much of your riding is above my head but I enjoy your posts.


Thank you. That's very kind of you!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Good luck on building a new home and selling your old one. That's going to be really awesome when it's completed! That's super exciting!!

It sounds like dressage camp was great and offered a lot of good education and lessons. It sounds like a blast! You guys look really good and like she's really pleased with herself lol. She looks like she's like this "showing off bit." 

And definitely rhythm of the seat makes a HUGE difference. When I ride Frankie's canter I think about rhythm a lot because atm being a baby she doesn't have a truly developed rhythm. So in my head I think 1, 2, 3 and follow the sequence with my body and organize her balance up to help her have a rhythm. Holding my core muscles but keeping relaxed in my lower body to stabilize my core and rhythm to organize her rhythm and balance because if her rhythm is poor she'll fall onto the forehand, become unbalanced, lose confidence and shut down and then not steer and be a big mess of legs lol.


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## SaddleUp158

I am so glad you all had a great time at camp. So bummed I had to hurt my back and couldn't make it. H said that you and Ana looked great! Is Claudia someone you would recommend going to a clinic under in the future? I was excited to see what her lessons were like working up to camp.


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## PoptartShop

Glad you had a good time at the camp. :smile: That sounds like fun. 
Beautiful pictures too. Looks like a good time & a happy Ana!!!


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## frlsgirl

Yes lots of learning taking place @*DanteDressageNerd* ! Sherry said that Ana "volunteers" herself a lot and I shouldn't shut that down; instead I should only practice exercises up to 3 times and then change them. That's where some of her perceived resistance is coming from. The rest of her resistance is just her not giving in to me or me not releasing fast enough when she does give so I need to get a lot better and faster. Also, and this is what I worked on with Claudia as well, don't sacrifice my position in order to correct her; Ana won't be able to do anything well if I contort myself because I'm trying to push her over with leg strength. The horse can only carry his rider well if you side perfectly in the middle of him. And most importantly, let go of that inside rein. 

We keep getting stuck in this cycle:

Me: "Ana go sideways"
Ana: "No, that's stupid"
Me: "Oh yes, you will go!" (contorts herself to put on more pressure)
Ana: (falls over outside shoulder)
Me: (tries to slow her by shortening inside rein)

Result: a complete tangled mess

Solution: Ask once, do not contort, if she doesn't respond, a tap with the whip, then the most important part: let go of inside rein and create a stable wall with outside aids (leg, seat, hand) to keep her straight. Then do not repeat this 27 times because she will memorize it and form an opinion about it and then when you try to do something else she will stiffen again.

Also, use leg aid on the "up" part of the rising trot because it corresponds with the inside hind leg moving forward. Resist the temptation to hold her up with the inside rein; instead pet her with the inside hand a few times. In order to do that, I have to sit correctly in the saddle and think toe up with a feeling of pushing up against a barrier behind my heel and wrapped thighs. 

OMG now that I wrote it all down we have so much to work on. And I haven't even addressed the canter yet. We need to canter a lot, transition a lot and I need to pet her a lot with the inside hand, and my canter depart aid needs to be a lot gentler and quieter, and I do not need to pinch with thighs and I shouldn't hold her yet not throw the reins at her either. My head hurts. 

Don't get me started on center lines, we had to practice those as well; most importantly not halting at X because she memorized that as well. I have a very ugly video of us working with Claudia on center lines. She said that she has a GP horse who always tries to halt at X even though she didn't ask for it. So she no longer practices halting at X with him; instead she goes down center line, and does half circles each way or simply trots or canter all the way down the centerline without stopping.

So lots of stuff for us to work on except we can't work on any one thing too much because Ana memorizes everything which is what we are trying to avoid.


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> I am so glad you all had a great time at camp. So bummed I had to hurt my back and couldn't make it. H said that you and Ana looked great! Is Claudia someone you would recommend going to a clinic under in the future? I was excited to see what her lessons were like working up to camp.


Ummm, yes BUT get ready to get your a** handed to you. She is German so she's loud and will tell you exactly how it is. I learned a lot from her; she is very different from Laurie. Laurie is quiet and gentle and gives you exercises that you can then do at home on your own. Claudia watches you to see which dynamics are not working for you and then has you work through them. There will be yelling, lol, but I didn't feel offended or like I might want to cry, just exhausted. I need to get the video loaded of us working on the center-lines because you can hear her screaming even though the GoPro usually doesn't pick up sound very well. Ana got startled by her a few times, I'll see if I can include that on the video footage. Claudia is just a pistol! Very entertaining and effective. She had by far the most auditors watching her lessons; not that Sherry isn't great but Sherry doesn't bring the entertainment value that Claudia does.


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## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl - Claudia sounds like a hoot! I wonder if she ever does any clinics around here? Something to keep in mind for the future. Anyways, glad to hear you enjoyed the lessons.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I agree. I think a lot of horse's hate drilling, get the idea across and move on. I think a lot of smart horses like to keep their mind busy and have things to think about.

But it sounds like you got some really good information to work with and incorporate into your training program. Should be fun!


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## frlsgirl

Had some time to work on videos. Here is the centerline training video with Claudia. It starts out kind of boring but towards the end she has me do a series of walk trot transitions and you can really see Ana get ticked off and express her opinion 
@SaddleUp158 - you can also see some of the work with H and Mia here; I messaged you another video where H works Mia on trot circles.


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## frlsgirl

Diet & Fitness Discoveries


When I eat gluten I usually feel somewhere between fine to fantastic immediately after but horrible the next day; at minimum bloated and brain foggie, if it’s really bad I’ll also have body aches and allergy type symptoms especially itching.


When I don’t eat gluten I don’t have any of these symptoms but I struggled with ups and downs in my blood sugar which would lead me to feel fantastic one minute and unable to function the next to the point that I had actually fainted a few times.


So next I cut out carbs and I felt terrible initially but then started feeling good. I didn’t feel fantastic initially but I didn’t have extreme highs and lows either. I did have to think really hard about what to eat and what not to eat and do more meal planning, which didn’t bother me especially as I started dropping weight; about 5 pounds in a 4 week period.


Then a routine started to settle in; I no longer had to think really hard about what to eat or what not to eat, I felt well, and weight loss began to slow down, but it didn’t bother me because I didn’t feel or look fat so I was fine with where I was at.


Then I started doing some heavier riding in preparation for show season and noticed that I had a hard time keeping up. After speaking to a doctor friend she suggested carb cycling. I guess when you do low carb, you don’t have glycogen to burn for extra energy and that can make one feel fatigued more easily during exercise.


So then I started adding in exercise first; HIIT. It felt very tiring and I found my body just glowing with heat the rest of the day. Since HIIT only takes 10 minutes, I just kept with it because it seemed doable. 



So then I experimented with adding carbs during days where I was expending a lot of physical energy and I was amazed at how well I was functioning. I was able to access every ounce of energy in my body to participate in a few hours of heavy exercise BUT I did notice that my energy would drop off in the afternoon. So then I started adding 7 Keto DHEA and found that I was able to sustain a high level of functioning all day.


Now I’m back to lower activity, so I dropped the 7 Keto DHEA and carbs and started HIIT again. 



So I feel like I’m finally figuring out how my body works best and I’m able to stick with all the requirements that make my body work at its best most of the time. 10 minutes of HIIT is super effective for me and it’s so fast I can’t really complain about it. Also I’ve found acceptable treats that I can have throughout the day that make me feel like I’m cheating without actually cheating. If I was on a typical strict diet and exercise program then I wouldn’t be able to stick with it for very long and I would end up yo-yoing. 



I need to double check with my doctor on the 7 Keto; I know you are not supposed to use it for more than 25 days in a row but I’m only using it 3 days in a row max and then I go off it for several days before the next show or event. I’m using the cream version and rotating application site.


I did have unplanned carbs yesterday and noticed that when I did HIIT this morning, it wasn’t as tiring and I’m not burning hot today; I’m guessing that’s because my body is burning up the carbs from last night instead of fat. So that was kind of an interesting experiment.


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## frlsgirl

Things are super weird; or at least I'm feeling very weird and unsettled. I checked the calendar, it's not a full moon. I rode Ana last night. She was happy to see me. She seemed very calm which is a little strange considering that she hasn't done anything since Sunday; I would have expected her to be a little more lively. I took her for a ride in the fields because that's what she likes but she was argumentative which is strange; if I wanted to go straight she kept to go sideways; if I asked for the tiniest trot she pinned her ears. I mean this is normal behavior in the arena but not necessarily out in the fields. So I put her up and started talking to BO and that's where things got really weird. 

I just sometimes get this sense that BO is really frustrated with me and I don't know what to do, so I just excuse myself and walk away. I've always assumed that it's just my own anxiety playing tricks on my mind but at the awards banquet my husband came up to me and asked "How come BO is so cold towards you?" and I was like OMG he notices it too! I think what it boils down to is that BO is a very strong lead mare and I'm not part of her pack and I forget that sometimes. 

So my counselor had me write down some rules on a piece of paper and keep it in my wallet. I would rather not say what one of the rules is because someone could take it the wrong way, but basically emotionally separate myself from people at the barn; be cordial, speak when spoken to, and then leave. So only exchange necessary information and perhaps and innocent comment about the weather and such. Do not discuss training or riding or philosophies and especially not others. If others ask me my opinion, point them to BO; do not give opinions about tack, Dressage or anything in front of BO even if asked - avoid, avoid, avoid and get out of there. If faced with a training situation, do not talk back. Take the information, thank her for information even if I don't agree with it and move on. My problem is that I forget; I confuse niceties with friendship.

BO is giving Ana a ride to the show grounds tomorrow and then my friend is giving her a ride back Saturday after the show. The thing is, they just announced a 20 degree drop in temperature from Friday to Saturday with over an inch of rain Friday night. I kind of wish I hadn't signed up for this show. This is going to severely limit our warm up possibilities; plus riding in the cold is not fun. I wonder if they are going to cancel the show now.

On the plus side, I watched more video footage from the clinic last night and I'm seeing a noticeable difference in Ana's ability to move more freely with the shoulder relief girth so I need to set some time aside and make a comparison video.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I hope you can get your diet figured out. It's really a pain in the butt to have a sensitive system that is painfully fatigued and sore when you don't eat exactly the right thing and have to be so careful with food. It's a pain! Anymore I mostly make my own food and I don't like eating out because my gluten free and health conscious food tastes WAY better than at a restaurant. Stupid sensitive systems lol. Figuring out what exercises and foods make you feel better or worse is a pain too.

With barn stuff. I'm the same way, I might offer some little advice but I generally stick to myself and exchange pleasantries and am friendly enough but I don't expect or engage past that. Like semi informal but not quite bosom buddies. And with advice, generally I take it with a grain of salt. Sometimes I'll try things just to see if they help or not and if not I'll put them away for another day or a different horse or sometimes something that doesn't work on the same horse today works down the road. It just depends *shrugs* can't break down training and riding to an exact science. I think it's more of an art in a lot of ways because it's so based on feel, emotional communication and body. Training and developing the right emotional and physical reaction and being able to feel. There are riders who can ride the GP at the national level who have no feel but can take direction and have good enough mechanics to get around.


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd - my biggest problem is that others at the barn come up to me and ask me questions right in front of BO and then I don't think and just answer them when I should have re-directed them to BO. For example, someone was asking me about saddle fit and because I'm saddling up Ana during this conversation, I will try to answer using Ana as an example and I shouldn't have; I should just tell people that they need to talk to BO. The other day some lady wanted me to help her figure out if she had the Western saddle on correctly and I told her that I didn't know but that BO will be free to answer her questions if she can just wait a few minutes. 

Even more awkward; I was in a party lesson with a bunch of Western riders; the newest rider to the group was in front of me and was asking about the letters so I just blabbed on about how 100s of years ago in Europe knights would assemble in the courtyard and tie up their horses in designated spots and that experts aren't sure if the letters stood for the knights names or the horse's names or ranks; as I'm blabbing out all this info we happen to pass the BO and so she corrects me and says that it's just one of many theories. So then I was like, crap I shouldn't have said anything. I don't mean to offend BO but I just answer questions without thinking that it might offend her.

I think she's just a strong lead mare and I'm just a lower ranking mare yet I keep accidentally stepping on her hooves.

I do disagree with her somewhat as far as how she wants me to ride Ana; generally I agree, but I disagree with her on one thing mainly, so I just nod and smile and say thank you and walk away and then I do it my way which is also how other experts have told me to ride her.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I guess I think that's a little silly. Ive helped people with saddle fit before then would say but you should also ask "insert name" because they're more experienced but it seems petty to me that the BO would get so upset about something relatively harmless. 

That's fair enough. I generally don't get along with "strong" alpha mares because I'm a very independent person and someone who constantly tries to "put me down" or squash me, I have a tendency to "speak my mind." Be respectful and want equality, I'm fine but try to force me into being a subordinate and we'll just say I get pretty irritated. I'd hate being in that environment, so I understand. I just think that's pretty petty of your BO that she needs to be in that much control and can't handle someone giving small tid bits of advice or ideas. I can't stand controlling people but at least you'll have your own property soon and won't have to worry about it for too long. Smiling and nodding I also find to be the best way of handling "controlling" people, you cant reason with them, just have to tolerate them sometimes.

That makes sense. I've worked with people who have tried to tell me how to ride horse like Dante for example and I'd get so irritated because they didn't have a clue what they were talking about. You can't just get on and "make" them do it, you have to work with them, encourage and direct. Be firm and clear but it isn't as though you just do everything "right" and all the pieces fall into place.


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## frlsgirl

Agreed @DanteDressageNerd - don't get me wrong, the BO is a wonderful person; takes such great care of the horses and her boarders; she made up little feed bags for me to take to the show, she cleans Ana's stall when I'm riding her in the evenings even thought the Barn Manager already cleaned it in the mornings, she transports me places etc. She's just used to having more dependent boarders instead of independent. I'm very dependent on her when it comes to Ana's care but more independent when it comes to riding and training, so I'm sure that's confusing for her as well. She'll watch me wrestle with a hay net and offer her help, or she'll see that I forgot to bring this or that to a show and let me borrow one of hers but then I jump on Ana bareback and take her for a ride by myself; I don't think anyone in the barn rides by themselves. They only ride in lessons or only ride when BO is with them. When the barn sitter was there I was riding Ana in the arena and she finished with one of the project horses and asked if it was ok to leave "Um, yeah, why wouldn't it be ok?" "Some horses don't like to be by themselves in the arena." "No, Ana prefers to be alone." Lol.

Well, we had a great first show of the season.

Intro C - 62.5 - 2nd place
Training 1 - 62.391 2nd place

I didn't exactly have high hopes for this show because it was our first time showing training level, Ana had been super crabby/resistant all week, and we had some crazy rain and hail pelleting the arena roof during most of the show.

We did have some nice moments during Friday's practice:










This was trot work right after canter work; really impressed with her range of motion in front:






Then I got Ana prepped for transport and she seemed pumped and ready:










We didn't know what we were in for; the GCC president had offered us a ride in her trailer; it's a Turnbow (sp?) which is a very different set up then you're traditional trailer. It took 3 people and 30 minutes to figure out how to get 2 horses on the trailer; the horse enters from a side door, then rides backwards and walks down a ramp to unload. Ana seemed a little confused and it took a couple of treats to get her loaded. She ended up bringing a different horse because the Haffie she was supposed to bring injured his eye during the loading process so I was very thankful that I had remembered to put a fly mask on Ana.

We got her unloaded safely and she settled in well next to her neighbor; they bickered like an old couple but then tired themselves out:






Saturday it was time to get ready for the test and I swear as soon as I got on, her face looked like this:










High headed, ears pinned, against all the aids - your basic nightmare. I was determined to get through the tests and no amount of ear pinning was going to stop me. We had some nice moments:










The canter was actually better then most of her trot work and I had no trouble starting or stopping exactly where I intended:










We got a 7.5 for the stretchy walk which was double marked so that helped our overall score a lot.










A nice trot moment:










I really can't complain. It's good to know that we can pull a 62 on a resistant day. The judge remarked "very capable pair but needs more relaxation" - you think? lol. I also made the mistake to turn onto the center line coming from the left which set her up kind of crooked as that's her stiff side. My shoulders were rolled forward a bit which hurt my position score. If I had remembered to turn from the right and wear my shoulder back bra we would have gotten a 63. 

Then she was really ready to go home:










Got her settled in at home where she was greeted with nickering from her barn mates. I unpacked and cleaned my car a bit and then dragged myself home. So tired!


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## frlsgirl

I found more intel on the Turnbow horse trailers; here you can see how they are set up:

Grand Prix Floor Plans 4 - Custom Horse Trailers | Horse Trailer Manufacturers - Turnbow Trailers


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol Ana is definitely an alpha mare lol. She looks quite territorial.

And I'm glad the BO is a good woman and you enjoy her. It's just a minor thing that you both have to deal with. Im sure it'll all resolve itself. I'm glad she's as helpful as she is.

I entirely agree. I think the shoulder relief girth has contributed to her change in movement. She looks a lot more free in her shoulders and hind end. She looks much more willing to be through. Overall I think she looks a lot happier! You guys are really coming along, you both look great!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @*DanteDressageNerd* ! I don't know about her looking happy but she's moving better. She's been super crabby all last week so I was hoping that a new week would bring a more cheerful Ana. Nope. 

We had 30mph wind gusts yesterday so I thought we do a little lunge work. I'm not sure who was lunging whom; she was defiant to the point that it actually took careful planning and listening on her part to object my requests; I would ask her to walk, she would do a sassy thing with her head, pin her ears and trot. I would ask her to canter, she would completely ignore me and when I reinforced my request she would take off like a bucking bronco. In between she would give me a couple of beautiful flowty dressage trot steps before she would go insane again. It's like she had an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other and they were arguing with each other, and for half a circle the devil would win, and the other half the angel stepped in. At one point, she tripped over a wooden pole that we were using as a marker for the Dressage tests; that made her even more mad so she bucked at it "Take that, stupid pole!" And then she decided she was done so she would go from galloping to a flowty trot to an abrupt halt and park herself in front of me with nostrils flaring and head held high; I couldn't even react that fast; I just didn't expect her to go completely nuts like that.

Desperate to take control of the situation, we tried a walk halt transition which worked so she got massive praise and then I hand walked her through the arena to cool her down.

By then my husband had pulled up so it was time to go and since it seemed like I was in control again and she was sufficiently cooled down, I put her back in her stall. The BO saw me and remarked that Ana was bucking and galloping during her morning turnout as well. As soon as I closed the stall door, she stood on her tippy toes nickering for a carrot, but I made her wait until I put all my stuff away; I could hear her stomping around her stall mad as hell because she wanted her carrot and she wanted it now! But she had to wait, and then I made her back up a few extra steps before I gave her just a medium sized carrot.

I'm gonna leave her alone for a day; hopefully she didn't injure herself yesterday with all that running but BO will call me if she ends up with a swollen leg or lame.

Wednesday I'm going to attempt to ride her but we will do a bunch of ground work before I get on. She always behaves better under saddle anyway but I really need to reinforce my leadership role since she's clearly testing boundaries right now.

So I'm really mad at myself today for not correcting this when it first showed up. I was so determined to work on canter that I overlooked warning signs that this was not going to be a productive canter session. I need to be able to adjust my plans. I'm hoping I learned my lesson! If she doesn't show me respect on the ground Wednesday, I will not get on until I feel like I can trust her again. And if we can't achieve that, I will untack her and put her back in her stall.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Well in Ana's defense it is tough to be a girl. Fluctuating hormones and all that fun. Some mares get really sore/painful ovaries *shrugs*

But I hope you can figure out what's going on with Miss Ana, have you looked at any mare supplements or depo? But I wouldn't beat yourself up about it, sometimes you make mistakes but you always learn something. Just do your best and keep going. It's okay.


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## PoptartShop

Aww, glad you did pretty well, even though you didn't have the best moments but hey it happens.  She definitely has some 'tude. Maybe some supplements will help her? 

Hope you figure it out soon!


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## frlsgirl

Ugh. So Ana is lame and I'm sick. I tried to ride her Wednesday and she was fine at the walk but very strange at the trot; ran really fast with her head up and a hitch in her step.

So here is what I'm thinking...she stepped on a rock at the show because I recall her tripping several times in the warm up and from that moment on she hasn't been quite herself. 

BO put her on bute and I gave her a couple of days off and put vet on notice that I might call her today. I've been sickly all week and yesterday woke up and just couldn't get up or do anything so I went to doc and I got a sinus and ear infection. I really wanted to go to work and the barn but I just wasn't in any shape to do anything productive. BO texted me that Ana seemed fine in her turnout.

I'm at work this morning, then I'll go home and nap and then to the barn to check on Ana and possibly call the vet.

I feel like such an idiot. I hope it's just a stone bruise and that her joint injections aren't wearing off. I'm researching Adequan right now. I just have a feeling that it's her front left that's bothering her; sometimes when I pick up her hoof to clean it, she gives it to me funny and then when I slightly move it so that I can pick it, I can hear and feel this little popping sound.

So it's either a stone bruise, or she's had this problem in her left front this whole time and it's just now really flaring up or her joint injections in her back end are wearing off.

From trotting her, it feels like the left front.

Just when I had a small overage in her horse account to buy her nice things, I'm gonna probably end up spending the rest on a vet call. 

But that's all par for the course; it's all part of horse ownership. I'm just glad I wasn't signed up to compete this weekend so I'm not out any show fees.


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## frlsgirl

Since I was stuck at home yesterday, I played around with more video editing; I learned a new trick on iMovie which allows me to do better comparison videos:


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## frlsgirl

Really worried about Ana; she's really lame; this is her trotting today on 2 grams of bute: 






Surely that can't just be a stone bruise; called the vet but she's not available until Tuesday the 28th. Keeping a close eye on Ana to see if symptoms progress. The more I watch the video the more I'm thinking EPM or multiple joint inflammation; like all 4 legs need to be injected. Her left front fetlock bothers me; it's like it doesn't turn over all the way. She stumbled really badly twice during our 10 minute ride; I didn't catch either of the stumbles on film.

BO says she doesn't look specifically lame but she looks like she's just not wanting to move forward. Going to visit her again tomorrow and try riding bareback to see if it's a gear issue.

I can't see doing joint injections again so soon or in multiple joints; I would rather do Adequan; the risk of laminitis with all the steroids is just too great, plus the cost is just out of my budget at the moment.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I hope you start feeling better soon and Miss Ana.

Have you had her back looked at? It may not be in the legs? OR as you said it could be neurological lyme or EPM or who knows but I hope it gets figured out and she feels better soon. Mystery lamenesses and issues are beyond frustrating :-(


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## frlsgirl

Yes, very frustrating. Vet is coming Wednesday to do lameness exam; meanwhile I'm visiting her every day trying to collect more clues; rode her bareback to eliminate tack issue and detailed all my tack. It's not a tack issue. Lunging to the left makes it look like she's lame on the left front. BO did tail pull test and she failed on both sides.

She appears to be in season right now which could explain her lethargic behavior. Maybe it's just a stone bruise on the left front, plus fatigue from being in season, plus maybe being overdue for a chiro adjustment in her back:








BO said EPM test is inconclusive and very expensive so some vets just treat for EPM just based on symptoms and balance tests. IDK.

I don't want to throw money out of the window but I also don't want her to suffer. She seems fine in turnout, runs and plays according to BO; I'm usually not there when she gets turned out in the am so I don't get to witness that. I was grooming her Friday and she suddenly started to drift sideways into me which was weird; like she's on a cruise ship and trying to balance herself. She's still doing strange things with the left front when I pick out her feet. 

Going back out there later, gonna try to film her giving me her left front.


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## DanteDressageNerd

EPM is REALLY expensive to treat. I spent $1000 on Dante's treatment but he was tripping up behind and clearly symptomatic. He tested low positive and a low positive test isnt' that uncommon. It's such an expensive treatment but if they need it, don't delay because it progresses. I've rehabbed horses who had so bad they were falling down in the cross ties and had a stiff/uncoordinated hind end. Riding them was HARD. But lyme tests can be pretty inconclusive as well but can create all kinds of wonky lameness and back issues. Good luck with figuring out whatever is going on!


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## frlsgirl

Even though her vague symptoms may suggest lyme disease, based on her environment, this is just not a likely diagnosis. I've never found a tick on her and her turnout doesn't have any trees; plus it's just now getting warm enough where critters such as ticks would make an appearance. This is something you mostly see at the east coast where horses are surrounded by lots of trees.

I'm thinking there is something wrong with the left front, plus her back is out and needs a chiro adjustment. Even though she's doing weird things here and there, she's still coordinated enough to do a TOF.

But I'm gonna let vet look at her Wednesday and decide where we go from here; we will probably start with hoof testers and then move on to flexions.


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## frlsgirl

I apologize for all my rambling posts; my anxiety is really high right now. Ana's vague symptoms just make me really nervous plus we are knee deep in the building process now so that is a bit of a nail biter.

So here is a more cohesive weekend update, lol.

Firstly, here is an update on our house in the country. They are digging ponds right now to build the pad that the house is going to be built on, so it looks like a bit of a mess right now. Husband and I walked the property to discuss where the barn, arena etc is going to go.



















We spent 3 hours on Saturday deciding on light fixtures. Or should I say, I spent 5 minutes and he spent 2 hours and 55 minutes, lol. Building a house is not for every one; especially if you tend to be indecisive. 

Ana seems content and pasture sound. Per my previous post, I rode her Friday and she was off somewhere, not sure where.

Still got a nice picture here but you can tell she is lacking engagement:










Saturday I lunged her and rode her bareback and also cleaned and oiled all my tack. She didn't want to go forward but seemed coordinated enough to do TOFs.










We played with some liberty work:










She seemed to perk up a bit:










Sunday I picked up some more barn supplies for her and then organized the rest of my tack. It always makes me feel better when I can pick up some things from the "must have for Ana" list without breaking the bank. 

We did more lunge and liberty work.










Husband had to fly to Colorado for the week so I'm in charge of the dogs and the house, which means I probably won't be going to the barn tonight.

I'm just trying to keep myself occupied and focused so that I don't keep spinning on an endless list of possible ailments that Ana could have. Per occam's razor, it's more likely something injury related rather than systemic. She worked really hard at camp, she was tripping over rocks and things at the show and she is not built to do Dressage so at some point her joints are not going to withstand the ever increasing load on the hind end. Horses were totally fine until we domesticated them and started riding them. So to some extend, every horse regardless of conformation is going to suffer the concussive effects of riding. It's just a question of how much do I want to invest into keeping her sounds; at what point does Dressage training cause more harm than good? Hopefully Dressage causes less harm than other sports such as 3 day eventing and barrel racing, at least I would like to believe that, but I don't know. There are just so many variables that play into this, such as footing, gear, rider skill level etc.


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## egrogan

I am so jealous of all that beautiful flat land- it just doesn't exist here! And, I know I could never withstand all the decisions that come with building a house. I just don't care about so many of the things that need to get decided- but my husband is great at that, so I know he'd keep it moving. My concerns are pretty much: as big a kitchen as possible with as nice as stove as we could afford 

Hope you get some answers for Ana!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I am so jealous of all that beautiful flat land- it just doesn't exist here! And, I know I could never withstand all the decisions that come with building a house. I just don't care about so many of the things that need to get decided- but my husband is great at that, so I know he'd keep it moving. My concerns are pretty much: as big a kitchen as possible with as nice as stove as we could afford


Not sure if the kitchens at the east coast are open into the living area or if they are a separate room? In Germany kitchens are generally a separate room, but in Oklahoma, everything is wide open. My biggest concern is having a vented hood; right now, whenever I cook bacon, thanks to the open floor plan, the entire house smells like bacon including the sheets. So I don't cook a lot of things on the stove; I use mostly the oven or microwave. 

Do you cook and bake a lot? I usually get the baking itch when it gets cold outside but my current low-carb lifestyle pretty much excludes all baked goods.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> Not sure if the kitchens at the east coast are open into the living area or if they are a separate room? In Germany kitchens are generally a separate room, but in Oklahoma, everything is wide open. My biggest concern is having a vented hood; right now, whenever I cook bacon, thanks to the open floor plan, the entire house smells like bacon including the sheets. So I don't cook a lot of things on the stove; I use mostly the oven or microwave.
> 
> Do you cook and bake a lot? I usually get the baking itch when it gets cold outside but my current low-carb lifestyle pretty much excludes all baked goods.


We've always preferred to live in old houses (our current house was built in the 1790's!) so the kitchen is generally in a separate space. The "open floor plan" new construction style isn't really my thing, so I do like a big kitchen that allows for people to congregate. 

We do cook and bake a lot. My husband is actually a phenomenal baker (breads, pasta) and we do a lot of cooking with friends. I'm a vegetarian, and I can't imagine my life without breads and grains! I could never be low carb or gluten free. We like to joke that some day we're going to open a bakery and call it "Gluten" so all the trendy gluten free people stay away  We do have a couple of friends who are gluten free for confirmed health reasons, and of course we always factor that in to dinner parties (King Arthur gluten free flour is a great alternative), but the bandwagon health fad people are harder for me to understand. To each their own- I just don't understand why anyone would willingly deny themselves a homemade English muffin if it wasn't health related! (truly, I'm just kidding and no judgement to the gluten free folks- as a vegetarian, I know plenty of people say the same thing about me not eating a big juicy steak!)


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## frlsgirl

I love old homes @egrogan ! Obviously not a lot of those around here, lol. 

No offense taken; I love baked goods too but had an allergy test done a while back which confirmed that I'm moderately gluten intolerant; so I can have a small amount here and there. I've been eating pumpernickel bread lately which is wheat free but not exactly GF, but I'm tolerating it well so I'm sticking with it. Thanks for the tip on the flour; there are so many substitute flours available now but not all of them work well; I've used ground oats in a pinch and it actually turned out to be quite tasty, albeit crumbly.


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## PoptartShop

Wow beautiful area! I'm super jealous. :O That view is amazing. 
Love that open space. Aww, glad she's perking up a bit. That's a plus. She looks so cute putting her nose to the camera! :lol: Such a cutie.

I hate anxiety, I deal with it myself. Ugh.  Hopefully it subsides, try to keep busy while the hubby is gone & distract yourself. 
I found that adult coloring books is actually relaxing & beneficial, it helps me with my anxiety.


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## DanteDressageNerd

So are people. Any athletic exertion has it's costs but does that mean we shouldn't be athletes or horse's shouldn't work? I also find good dressage training seems to help older horses stay sounder longer. Working in balance, over the back, developing good posture, etc puts less stress on the joints and soft tissues and is support more and more by muscle. At some point it does becomes strenuous but I think there is a lot of good dressage does for horses, much like yoga or Pilates does for people. Sure some people would prefer to lay on a couch all day but they also end up developing issues anyway because of lack of use and strain on their body from sitting all the time with minimal muscular support. And some horses live for their job. I know a few horses who have recovered from incredible injuries and the only time I see them really happy is when they're working. The event horses I've known need their jobs, they get a kind of high from it. They LOVE what they do.

I have strenuous injuries from over use but keeping fit allow me to be a lot more comfortable than I would be if I didn't. If I didnt have a strong core and back, I would need to be on pain meds and probably need a cane to get around because I will limp and get unsteady.

Anyways just food for thought. I can say with the 20+ year old horses at my barn and the horse's I've rehabbed became sounder and more "youthful" with dressage work. The upper level stuff is harder on them but the lower level training-1st isn't too strenuous. 2nd can be depending on the horse. Bailey (QH) it was too hard for him to sit even though he loved doing it but the degree of collection was too much for him and we felt it was unfair to ask for. Magellan (tb who had severe EPM) before being treated came very stiff and unable to move properly (super stiff behind, unable to connect with his body/be self aware) and after a year he became a normal horse, was self aware, could control his hind end and wasn't so stiff in his body. He seemed more comfortable in himself. 

Anyways just food for thought and hopefully you can get down to the bottom of whatever is causing Ana's discomfort. I hope she feels better soon! THe new property looks exciting!


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## evilamc

How exciting about starting on your house! Man I thought MY land was flat! 

Not to scare you or put more ideas in your head, just wanted to point out that ticks can be anywhere, tall grass, short grass, fields, woods...Now the ticks that carry lyme diesase are deer ticks and are EXTREMELY small! It can be very hard t see/find them on your horse especially if they don't get a little bump where the tick bit in. Not saying Ana has lyme just wanted to point that out  Now if you're still concerned you may be able to get a simple snap test done when vet comes out? It usually only runs like $25, it pretty much will just say if shes positive or not. If she WERE to be positive then you'd want to send her sample out to do a multiplex test to see if shes in acute or chronic stage and how severe. So for $25 you may be able to put your mind at rest about lyme.

Stinks when they don't feel well though, hope the vet figures out whats going on and she heals up quickly!


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## frlsgirl

Good points @*Dante*DressagNerd - I would like to think that the work we do is helping her become more athletic and affect her strength and coordination in a positive way. Her hind end isn't built to sit but because her back is short it makes up for some of that. I just want to make sure I stay fair to her and that my grand aspirations to become a GP Dressage rider do not harm her in any way. I would rather quit riding her all together if it meant that I could keep Ana safe and sound forever. But then I remember those days where I had lessons on school horses, and Ana would get all offended because I was getting the "wrong" horse out of the stall; which makes me think that she does like the work that we do together. 

I've also witnessed other horses, all geldings, get really excited about their jobs. There was a very lame TB at the last barn who would get all excited when he saw the jumps getting set up; he would start pawing and prancing like he wanted to jump but they couldn't let him anymore because his joints were so damaged. So they ended up having to move him to a barn without jumps so that he wouldn't get so excited.

Whenever I approach the school horse barn, the two geldings that I sometimes ride, get themselves all puffed up; they are stalled next to each other so you can tell they are trying to figure out which of them I'm going to pick. Dante especially is like "pick me!" lol. I really need to film the two of them; it's really cute. 

A girl was giving Dante a bath Sunday and he looked at me like I just caught him in bed with another woman  So I just briefly greeted him and her and then walked away so that they could have "their" time. By then Ana was hollering at me from her turnout, so it was time to bring her in. As soon as I brought her in, Ivan, her turn-out neighbor, started running and freaking out because he can't be without Ana, so I brought him in. Then Sawyer started freaking out because Ivan was gone, lol. It's interesting how herd dynamics are still applicable even within a domesticated herd at a boarding barn.

Planning on going to the barn tonight; I might give Ana another full-body massage with those massage gloves; maybe that will help me locate sore spots.

Thank you for the intel on the lyme disease test @*evilamc* - I will mention it to the vet tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

Ok, so I might sound crazy to you BUT I just talked to animal communicator and she said I should get Ana checked for lyme disease tomorrow; she said it doesn't feel like EPM or an injury to her; it feels more like she's really twisted up in her body and because she seems to feel twisted in different places every time she examines her, and that it's so difficult to pin point what exactly is bothering her, that's classic lyme. She said that EPM horses don't talk to her/and or don't have any complaints because they can't really feel anything.

She also said that horses with lyme don't hold chiro adjustments well, so it's good that I'm having a separate vet and then chiro appointment. That way we can test for lyme tomorrow, and get the results back in time for her chiro appoinment; if she's positive for lyme, we will just cancel the chiro. If it's negative, we will keep the chiro appointment.

So either she has lyme which explains why she feels off in different places on different days, or she just does a number on herself during turnout which would account for her being off in different places on different days in which case a chiro would actually help, plus a change in her turnout routine, which will get remedied when she moves home with us because she will be able to be outside 24/7 if she chooses.

I have a call into the vet to get quotes on the different lyme tests and treatments.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Well I hope the communicator is right and it's something really treatable. Lyme is a lot more cost effective to treat.

I hope you can figure out what's going on with Ana and can make her happy again and happy to work. 

Horses can be funny about their people and behave differently, depending on whose with them or riding them. It's always interesting but they're aware of whose their friend or not lol.


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## frlsgirl

Ana failed the neurological exam.

Vet is testing for Lyme first; if that comes back negative, then EPM test is next.

If both are negative then she's going to take radiographs of her neck to check for spinal cord injury or congenital defects such as wobblers.

She said I shouldn't ride her at all right now because it's not safe for me. I can groom her and take her for walks and do carrot stretches and lightly lunge her.

We have to change her turnout to a smaller space so that she can't run and injure herself, so she's going into the round pen.

I'm ok. Just trying to adjust and stay positive.

On a positive note, she passed all the flex tests but did have some fluid in the stifles, suggesting inflammation, however, it doesn't seem to bother her. Her toes are a bit long and hooves are uneven side to side but that's something that the farrier has to correct over time; not something that can be fixed in one trim.

Ana was a really good spirits for most of the day; inquisitive and sweet, until she had to trot in hand and that's when she started making ugly faces, lol. I was a bit irritated with the BO; at first she was politely answering questions but then she kept trying discredit my answers, and described Ana as generally marish which I disagreed with but I think vet understands that I'm the more reliable source. Trying to play it cool with BO as I'm hoping she will let me ride some of her horses while Ana recovers; don't you just love barn politics, lol.


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## evilamc

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Well I hope the communicator is right and it's something really treatable. Lyme is a lot more cost effective to treat.
> 
> I hope you can figure out what's going on with Ana and can make her happy again and happy to work.
> 
> Horses can be funny about their people and behave differently, depending on whose with them or riding them. It's always interesting but they're aware of whose their friend or not lol.


Lyme honestly is not more cost effective to treat. I spent THOUSANDS treating my last gelding and since his was chronic the flare ups would never stop. We'd have 6-8 good months....then another flare up. In my experience any vet that tries to just treat it with Doxy alone is throwing your money away. Sadly there is still a lot unknown about it and its able to change and hide in crazy ways. You have to hit it STRONG.


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## DanteDressageNerd

evilamc said:


> Lyme honestly is not more cost effective to treat. I spent THOUSANDS treating my last gelding and since his was chronic the flare ups would never stop. We'd have 6-8 good months....then another flare up. In my experience any vet that tries to just treat it with Doxy alone is throwing your money away. Sadly there is still a lot unknown about it and its able to change and hide in crazy ways. You have to hit it STRONG.


I believe you. Just from what I've seen where I am, the horses will go through lyme treatment will be fine (no flare ups), where as horses with EPM I've seen people go through multiple courses and spend thousands trying to get it under control. Ulcer treatment is also very expensive. 

That said I hope the results give you a direction to go to treat Ana. 

Barn politics are irritating IMO lol. I understand the needs for politeness but I think it was rude of your BO to assert Ana is merely marish but at least the vet listened and there is a plan for testing and treatment. I hope you can find what is causing her neuro issues and can treat it. Good luck!


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## SaddleUp158

Fingers crossed for the best possible outcome for Ana! You know your mare best, perhaps call the vet when your BO is not around and explain things more clearly from your point of view that way you aren't stepping on the BO's toes but you are able to convey all your concerns and reasons for your concerns to the vet freely.


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## PoptartShop

Crossing my fingers that everything goes OK with Ana. I agree, Lyme is definitely expensive. One of the horses at my barn had it, not cheap. I guess it depends on how severe though, I'm not too experienced with it.
The BO needs to but out! It's your horse, and you do know her best & have her best interests in mind. Ugh. I hate that. Hopefully she doesn't try to turn against you & not let you ride other horses during this time. :icon_rolleyes: Barn politics is definitely annoying.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies.

Yeah, when BO said "She's always been like this" I was like what the heck? She's only known Ana for 1 year; I've known Ana for 3 years. She's ridden Ana 5 times; I've ridden her approximately 900 times. So yeah, I know her a "bit" better, lol.

A couple of posts ago, I told you about the geldings, Trooper and Dante. Here is a short clip of me approaching their barn. They are so cute.






I hardly slept last night; I don't know if I can't sleep from being worried or because I'm still a bit under the weather and the antibiotics are making me sick. I had posted a quick update about Ana on FB and now I almost have to hire part-time help to respond to all the FB posts and messages and text messages that I've been getting. When I couldn't sleep at 3am this morning, I made the mistake of opening FB and a very distant friend from Germany started messaging me; I haven't talked to her since 1992 and we weren't exactly close friends or anything but she was super concerned about Ana. I was like, wow, one nice thing about horses is that it really brings people together. It was challenging to explain EPM to a German as I don't think that disease exists over there, plus I was half asleep and didn't have my glasses on, and my German is a bit rusty anyway, so I finally told her I have to go back to sleep, lol.

Even though I seem to be ok with all of this, I'm really not. I'm spinning a lot on thoughts such as "What if she's always been like this, and I didn't know?" "What if she wasn't like this before I got her and I made her that way?" "What if non-WBs really are not meant to do Dressage?" "What if you are actually hurting them with suppling exercises?" "How am I gonna explain all this to my husband?" "He was reluctant to move to the country anyway; we are only doing this because of Ana and now Ana might never be usable again"

So yeah, kind of questioning everything right now. Fortunately, work has been crazy so that's keeping my mind really occupied so that I can't spin so much on negative thoughts.

And I'm trying to put together a positive list; as in here are the positives in my life and here are the good things that came as a result of Ana being in the shop:

I can lesson on school masters which will help improve my fitness and skills
I can spend some more time detailing and oiling Ana's tack; that was way overdue anyway
I will likely spend a bit less time at the barn which will make husband happy
I can spend time volunteering at shows; maybe I'll meet new people and learn new skills that way

I'm finally building my dream house
Ana doesn't know she's sick and is not suffering
What she has is likely treatable and we will be able to resume our normal life at some point
If we are not able to resume our normal life, I can keep her as a pet/pasture mate
I still have a job
My dogs are still in good shape


That's about it. None of this is world ending. There are much worse things in life. Still happy to have Ana in my life no matter what happens.


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## phantomhorse13

Wow! I can certainly see why you would be so worried. Try not to make yourself crazy until you start getting some results back.

Did you decide to to the multiplex test versus the snap? Guessing so as otherwise your vet would have been able to tell you about the Lyme either right there or once she got back to the clinic.

I am not sure if I hope she is positive for Lyme or EPM.. both are expensive nightmares to treat and often have lasting affects on the horse. I def hope you get some type of clear answer though. Sure better than not knowing.


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## egrogan

I've been following along and haven't been able to come up with the right thing to say, having not experienced this myself. I just sincerely hope you get Ana to a good place, and really sorry you're going through this with her.


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## Rainaisabelle

frlsgirl said:


> Thanks ladies.
> 
> Yeah, when BO said "She's always been like this" I was like what the heck? She's only known Ana for 1 year; I've known Ana for 3 years. She's ridden Ana 5 times; I've ridden her approximately 900 times. So yeah, I know her a "bit" better, lol.
> 
> A couple of posts ago, I told you about the geldings, Trooper and Dante. Here is a short clip of me approaching their barn. They are so cute.
> 
> Visiting the geldings - YouTube
> 
> I hardly slept last night; I don't know if I can't sleep from being worried or because I'm still a bit under the weather and the antibiotics are making me sick. I had posted a quick update about Ana on FB and now I almost have to hire part-time help to respond to all the FB posts and messages and text messages that I've been getting. When I couldn't sleep at 3am this morning, I made the mistake of opening FB and a very distant friend from Germany started messaging me; I haven't talked to her since 1992 and we weren't exactly close friends or anything but she was super concerned about Ana. I was like, wow, one nice thing about horses is that it really brings people together. It was challenging to explain EPM to a German as I don't think that disease exists over there, plus I was half asleep and didn't have my glasses on, and my German is a bit rusty anyway, so I finally told her I have to go back to sleep, lol.
> 
> Even though I seem to be ok with all of this, I'm really not. I'm spinning a lot on thoughts such as "What if she's always been like this, and I didn't know?" "What if she wasn't like this before I got her and I made her that way?" "What if non-WBs really are not meant to do Dressage?" "What if you are actually hurting them with suppling exercises?" "How am I gonna explain all this to my husband?" "He was reluctant to move to the country anyway; we are only doing this because of Ana and now Ana might never be usable again"
> 
> So yeah, kind of questioning everything right now. Fortunately, work has been crazy so that's keeping my mind really occupied so that I can't spin so much on negative thoughts.
> 
> And I'm trying to put together a positive list; as in here are the positives in my life and here are the good things that came as a result of Ana being in the shop:
> 
> I can lesson on school masters which will help improve my fitness and skills
> I can spend some more time detailing and oiling Ana's tack; that was way overdue anyway
> I will likely spend a bit less time at the barn which will make husband happy
> I can spend time volunteering at shows; maybe I'll meet new people and learn new skills that way
> 
> I'm finally building my dream house
> Ana doesn't know she's sick and is not suffering
> What she has is likely treatable and we will be able to resume our normal life at some point
> If we are not able to resume our normal life, I can keep her as a pet/pasture mate
> I still have a job
> My dogs are still in good shape
> 
> 
> That's about it. None of this is world ending. There are much worse things in life. Still happy to have Ana in my life no matter what happens.


Your BO may have noticed it before you did, it's not uncommon. People on the outside can usually see more things then people that are on the inside .


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## frlsgirl

Thank you for all of your kind words.
@Rainaisabelle - that might be true in some cases but I ride Ana on my own a lot; meaning BO rarely sees me ride her and therefore can't really judge how she goes under saddle for me; she had been going super well up until camp. She might be able to see things in turnout that I'm not seeing because she sees her more at liberty than I do. 

As you all know I have an extensive collection of video footage and pictures of Ana so I've been able to go back through everything to see when the tail wringing started; she's been doing it off and on for a couple of years but the side ways tail carriage started in approx February. I have a video from December where her tail is completely quiet and flat. She has always been a tail talker which is quite common of Morgans and other high strung breeds such as Arabs.

I even went back to the video where I test rode Ana over 3 years ago and she moves very differently now. Her head was very quiet and didn't move at all but I don't think she was truly stepping into contact at that time; so I do like the quiet head she had back then but I like that I can get her to step into contact now and mold her a little bit. Back then she seemed to move better at first glance but only on straight lines, she would always lose her balance on curved lines. Her canter was really nice back then though; I wonder why her canter is worse now that she's more through?

Who knows what's wrong with her; maybe she's just never been riding horse material; I'm not really worried about it anymore. I've gotten several comments over the years that I've owned her and especially "pretty is as pretty does" stands out to me. I would like to think that I'll be able to ride her again one day, but if that's not in the cards, I'll be ok. I'll be able to keep her as a pet. I just need to find some kind of job for her so that she doesn't feel neglected. Maybe she'll be my trick pony. A year ago I would have been devastated because that would have meant that I wouldn't be able to keep her because paying expensive board on a pet doesn't seem feasible. I'm gonna hold off on selling her tack in case she becomes ridable again.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I like your positivity list. I think sometimes we have to do that to remind ourselves of what's going right when things don't go right. 

I think the suppling and dressage exercises are for the most part very beneficial for most horses. Especially in horses that are older or have had injuries. If it helps, it helped me rehab the ottb who had had really bad EPM before he was treated. Starting his hind end was so stiff and he wasn't super coordinated, after a couple months he started improving and becoming increasingly less and less stiff and eventually felt like a normal horse. It just took a bit. And the older horses I've seen become more flexible, less stiff and sounder/look more comfortable moving around in the pasture. I rode a 27yr old 17.2h hanoverian for a while who when he did dressage moved comfortably around the pasture, sway back was less pronounced and was happy. When he wasn't worked, he was stiffer and looked more uncomfortable in the pasture. We had another horse who had-had 3 injuries on 3 different legs and had struggled with soundness and the more dressage work he did, the sounder and more regular he became. He actually got to show a few times, which we thought would never happen because we thought his gimp was permanent but he became sounder as he went. Same with Dooley and Count.

I think there are plenty of non-warmbloods that are capable. It just depends on their conformation and mind set. Warmbloods have been purposefully bred for generation for their temperament, structure, movement, etc. There are non purpose breds who can do well but I dont know that they'll be the "top of the sport." But I'll say we have a welsh cob whose doing 3rd-4th level and a welsh cob/paint cross who is showing PSG and earned his owner her bronze and is 1 score shy of her silver. It's harder to make the scores on him because he doesn't have as natural ability as horses bred to do it but he does pretty well. It's just acknowledging that she might be the best rider in the arena but probably wont make the best scores.

But I hope it all works out and goes well. I think it's really exciting before long you'll have your own property, so you can have Ana on your own property and maybe get a 2nd horse to work with.


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## frlsgirl

Those are some encouraging examples - thank you @DanteDressageNerd

Friday I did some ground work with Ana. She seemed a little confused by the whole thing. I can't ask anything too complex of her because she lacks the coordination to execute and I don't want to frustrate her but I also want her to think that she's being worked so that she doesn't get bored. So we did some backing up, walking over a single pole, TOF and then I started teaching her Spanish walk by just tickling her with a stick and praising her whenever she picked up her foot. She seemed bored and frustrated; she reminded me of myself when husband took me shopping for light fixtures. So I walked her around a bit longer and put her back up.










I got to ride Dante in a private lesson Saturday; it was awesome but I'm really sore now. He is so opposite of Ana; old, tall, well trained, purpose bred, with an amazing suspension. I had to completely adjust myself; my stirrups felt just right but then my knees popped over the saddle, instead of falling into chair seat, I kept falling into more of a fork seat. It's very interesting how different horse/rider/saddle combos can create a whole new riding experience. While I was riding him, the BO had turned out Sawyer in Ana's normal turnout spot and put Ana in the round pen. 










Sawyer is not used to this much freedom and went galloping around like a maniac practicing his sliding stops right next to the arena which got Dante a little bit excited to so we moved to the center of the arena hoping that both of them would settle down but Sawyer continued to run around so BO put him up and everyone was calm again. It was cool and a bit unnerving when Dante got his big flashy trot going, it's very floaty and powerful and very foreign yet exhilarating. 

You can see how big he is next to me; or how small I am next to him:










I also put another coat of oil on my saddle:










I was supposed to attend the musical freestyle clinic at our barn today but we got behind on housework and stuff so decided to just stay home.

Hoping to go to the barn tomorrow and do some light lunging. The vet said we should have the blood test results back either tomorrow or Tuesday; @phantomhorse13 I can't recall what the test is called but it's a complete panel for all tick born illnesses and it goes to either UC Davis or Cornell; if that comes back negative, then we will send off for the EPM test and wait several more days for that test result to come back. I just want to know what's wrong already so we can fix it. I'm also looking into Platinum Performance supplements; they were recommended by the vet; doing some research and comparing ingredients and levels right now.


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## frlsgirl

Vet called. It's not Lyme disease or any other tick born illness. The blood test for EPM is getting sent to Kentucky today; should have results by Friday


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## egrogan

I guess it's good to be able to rule something out. But still frustrating to have to keep investigating when what you really want is an answer. Keep us posted!


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## frlsgirl

Will do @egrogan

I made a little video Friday so I could show you all how "off" she is; when I ask her to back-up, the legs are not moving in perfect diagonal pairs and she just kind of awkwardly slides her hind legs back. Then when I tap her front right leg she moves the left leg, then looks away as if she can't even feel the right leg, and when I redirect her attention she looks down and can see that I'm tapping her right leg and then moves it.

Definitely not normal.


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## phantomhorse13

Can't really 'like' any of the most recent posts. Hoping you get some answers as to what is going on.


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> Can't really 'like' any of the most recent posts. Hoping you get some answers as to what is going on.


Me too  I don't like seeing her like this!


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## DanteDressageNerd

You're welcome. I wouldn't give up. 

Here is a pintabian in my area who has shown through GP (now) and earned his owner her bronze, silver and gold medal.






welsh cob GP





Here is a welsh cob and his amateur owner





paint competing 4th level





shagya arabian stallion





Morgan stallion





Thoroughbred stallion/former race horse that competed in Europe to I1





another thoroughbred stallion in europe





So there are definitely horses out there that "break the mold" but I think Ana will get better when you find what's going on and hopefully she'll feel better soon! I'm sure she's anxious to get back to work! I hope the results are good/treatable. I'll say my Dante scored a low positive on EPM but he didn't really show neuro symptoms until he was put on a steroid which weakened his immune system and the symptoms became apparent, so he was treated with a 6wk course and was fine. He ended up wanting to be a jumper but he's doing well and I think there is positive hope for Ana too!

I'm glad you were able to take a lesson on Dante. Perhaps this will be an opportunity to learn and ride other horses?


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @*Dante*DressagNerd for all the encouraging videos. I actually follow Northfolk Cardi on FB - he is pretty awesome! It took me a minute to figure out what a pintabian is, lol, duh, makes sense now.

Saw Ana last night; she seems unchanged; not better and not worse. I tried to lunge her but it didn't work very well; so I let her offer me what she wanted to show me and that worked a bit better. I just wanted both of us to feel accomplished instead of frustrated; it's like she no longer understands the language we developed or she does understand but keeps telling me that she can't do what I'm asking. I took her to the bridge and she put both her front feet up and stood still like a statue like she was waiting for applause, lol. So this is the tricky part right now; making her feel like she's being worked and that she's successful, without asking her to do things that are hard for her so she doesn't feel frustrated. She's still pinning her ears at me whenever I groom her head, she's still doing weird things with the left front when I'm simply trying to pick out her hoof, and she drifted into me again while I was grooming her.

As I was leaving, I ran into BO and I made the mistake of filling her in on the newest; she seemed agitated and discounted everything I shared with her; as soon as I realized that she was in one of those moods, I quit offering her data as it had clearly become a fun game for her to just shoot me down, so I wrapped up the conversation and left. It's so confusing; I wonder what was going on; sometimes she seems so easy to talk to and understanding and other times she's super dismissive, like it's a game of how many things can I say that are wrong. So it's time to retreat a bit and let her be the boss mare while keeping myself safe; that's when smiling and nodding is really helpful. 

I usually notice a shift in her personality when she's spent time with another lead mare in training; I'm avoiding them like the pest; without letting them know that I'm avoiding them. I smile, nod and greet them and then quickly get the heck out of there. One of those lead mares in training, I thought was my friend; but she's clearly not. That goes back to the list my counselor has me keep in my wallet "Women at the barn at $%^&*; they are NOT my friends." There is that sense of I'm making all this up, there is nothing wrong with Ana other than she's a wichy Morgan mare who is not suitable for Dressage and I'm not willing to realize it so I keep throwing money at her and trying everything from saddle fitting to joint injections, when I just need to realize that she's better off as a pasture pet. I think that's what the BO wants to tell me with all of her comments. That goes back to trainers having a "that'll do" attitude whereas AAs just want to do everything right by their horse which always comes across as overdoing it from the trainer's point of view.

But then I look at this and I smile:


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## DanteDressageNerd

If that is what your BO thinks, I think she is wrong. I can't even begin to say how many horses at my barn would have been given up on had someone written off their symptoms so briskly and not bothered to listen to what the horse was telling them. I think it's poor judgment to automatically say, the horse is just witchy or the horse is just a jerk or the horse is just moody or whatever, rather than saying hey there may be a pain or neuro issue. 

Even with Dante who ended up not enjoying dressage, I don't regret looking into what was causing his discomfort. Saddle fit DOES affect performance, I know a lot of people think horses should just get over a little discomfort but a horse can't use itself as well or fully if something is causing them pain or putting pressure into their back when they come over their back. It really affects their quality of movement and ability to perform movements, especially if you sit on something super sensitive. An incorrectly fitted saddle will make them unable to use themselves as well. Same with how the saddle is fitted to the horse affects horse the saddle feels to the rider and whether or not they're seated in the correct place or spot on the saddle. My saddle for example isn't so wonderful when it's not fitted correctly or level on Frankie's back but when it's correctly fitted it's my favorite saddle that fits me perfectly. It matters and I think it's very old fashion to say saddle fit is not an "excuse." It isn't it's an actual affect that affects the horse and I think it's understandable. If I'm working physically hard but something is putting pressure on my back so I can't use myself as well, I wouldn't use myself as completely either or may come to resent the work because it caused me pain. Punished for the right reaction. 

That said I don't think you're being silly exploring what may be wrong, especially if the vet noted neuro symptoms. I say let the BO be bitter or have whatever attitude/perspective she pleases. Ana is YOUR horse, you make the financial decisions and choices. I also think a lot of good professionals want their amateur owners to look at what may be causing trouble with their horse. Image (PSG cob/paint cross) tore a ligament in his hoof and was acting a little funny but not lame and he went through a 7-8 month rehab and is back showing PSG. Grover (a dutch wb) they couldn't put their finger on what was wrong with him for a while, he wasn't lame but had funny responses, so they took him to a vet in Kentucky and he was diagnosed with something and is now being rehabbed with good results. And the list goes on. I think it's not normal but not abnormal for horses to have a pain issues or injury or something going on that once treated are fine. It might not cure "everything" but if you sense something is wrong, explore that, if anything just for peace of mind.

But she's improved a lot and I also think some people with a more controlling, like being center stage type people become incredibly unhappy with people who think for themselves and are "inward seeking" because they're harder to control and make do what they think is right.


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## frlsgirl

Agreed @*DanteDressageNerd* 

BO and I had a long talk Saturday during my lesson about the economics of Dressage. She admitted that pretty much every one of her school horses is lame but it's not worth it to her to spend the money to keep them 100% sound all of the time because they can still do their jobs and do them well. I can sort of agree with that; so I just nodded and smiled a lot, lol. But I'm not running a riding school; I have ONE horse, only ONE shot to get this right; and I'm not willing to throw in the towel yet.

She also warned me that the more success we have in the show ring that the more criticism we will receive, but that's true in general across all aspects of life.

So I think it's partly that my efforts to take the best care possible makes her look/feel like she's not taking care of her horses AND we somewhat disagree on the economics principle. Just like she tried to talk me out of joint injections last year because those are only worth it for horses who are winning every class. At the time Ana had just started showing and only had 1 successful test with a 67% before she went lame. 3 months after the joint injections she won both of her Intro Level classes AND high point for the show followed by double Intro C Champion; both at the show and the highest average scoring Intro C horse in Green Country for 2016. I took only 1 actual private lesson on Ana during that time; plus we went to Dressage camp, the rest was just me and her working on improving all by ourselves. You might argue that winning Intro C is not that great of an accomplishment as there are so many more levels in Dressage BUT give the poor mare a fighting chance to show what she's got in her, for crying out loud!


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## phantomhorse13

DanteDressageNerd said:


> If that is what your BO thinks, I think she is wrong. I can't even begin to say how many horses at my barn would have been given up on had someone written off their symptoms so briskly and not bothered to listen to what the horse was telling them. I think it's poor judgment to automatically say, the horse is just witchy or the horse is just a jerk or the horse is just moody or whatever, rather than saying hey there may be a pain or neuro issue.


:iagree: This. This. This.



OMG, the more I read of your BO and the "ladies" at your barn, the more I want to throw things at my screen. They are not only not your friends, they sure as h#ll aren't Ana's friends either.

That a horse can be "not suitable for dressage" .. isn't that the very opposite of the entire premise of _true_ dressage?! I thought real dressage was working with the horse you have and improving it with correct training. It would be one thing if you came in saying you planned to take Ana to the Olympics.. but to insinuate your mare can't manage lower level tests makes me angry and she isn't even my horse.

How much longer until you can take Ana home?!


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## frlsgirl

I don't mean to bad mouth my BO; we just have a slightly different view of Dressage economics; she is just saying that spending nearly $1000 on a horse that is barely cutting it at Intro level doesn't make sense from a purely economical perspective; however a 100k Grand Prix horse, is definitely worth that kind of expense. If Ana were a machine, I would agree with her; it's the PCP principle that Steven Covey talks about in his book "7 habits of highly effective people" - you definitely want to have a balance between getting utility from an asset and maintaining such asset; if you don't maintain it, it will break down and then you're spending more in repairs than it would have cost you to get a new functioning asset, but if you maintain the asset well and it's always breaking down, then it's time to replace the asset.

But Ana is not a machine, she is my princess. When we reach a point where I feel like what we do is harming her and causing her distress, then it's time to retire her and find a new job for her. It's tricky balancing my hopes and dreams with Ana's abilities, so I just want to make sure I always keep perspective of that as I don't want to over-face her. Right now she is showing me that she wants to work, so I'm giving her very simple things to do so that she can feel successful.

So yeah, long story short, this is a case of clashing perspectives as BO is coming from a business perspective and I'm looking at Ana as my friend. I'm not the only one who struggles with this; there is another lady at my barn who takes great care of her horse and she's clashed with BO over this as well, it's tricky to keep the balance and make BO feel like we respect her opinion; just wish she would respect ours as well.


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> How much longer until you can take Ana home?!


It will be a while; if everything goes smoothly, this fall at the very earliest. I was going to leave Ana at the barn and put her in full time training with BO as I had planned on having surgery during the winter show break. But now that Ana is sick, everything has changed; I might end up having surgery over the summer instead. Don't know, so much undecided right now; I need to get Ana's test results back, a treatment plan established etc. That will give me a better idea of what and how I want to arrange everything for the rest of the year.


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## egrogan

I totally understand what you're saying about justifying your decisions to BO. I have a lot of respect for people who chose to make a living running a big barn, particularly the BOs who truly do treat boarder horses as their own. 

But I had a dicey experience with my BO earlier this week because I brought in my own trimmer to work on Izzy (vs. continuing to use hers as I've been doing for the past few months). I knew that she would be offended by it, even though she's told me before it's ok for boarders to use their own service providers. Sure enough, the day after I had a new trimmer in, she confronted me about why I was unhappy with her farrier and how I should have gone to her first. As I told her, at the most basic level, I made the switch because my work travel schedule is nuts and it's important for me to be a part of the farrier care- to do that, I need to be able to schedule around my work travel rather just be part of the barn schedule, when I can almost never be there. Now I feel like I'll have to pay the price for going on my own by walking on eggshells for awhile- it's like I've violated some unspoken element of trust. Sigh. 

She cares so much about all the horses in her barn, she sees an owner making a different decision as a judgement on her and the standards she has, and I wish that wasn't true. I think her standards for care are amazing- hence why I'm thrilled to have my horse there. I'm learning that I'm probably the kind of person who will do better with horses at home vs. horses that are boarded once my job/schedule allows that- I don't like feeling like I'm under a microscope and have to justify my decisions to anyone else. Though while I'm still boarding, I completely respect that when it's someone else's barn, that's just going to be a part of it. 

I am sorry you're dealing with all this on top of trying to get things figured out for Ana. What I can't understand is why anyone would care about how someone spends their money. Like you need one more thing to worry about!


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## frlsgirl

oh wow @egrogan - that sucks. Hope you can get it worked out! Barn dynamics can make life really complicated; I'm generally happy there. 

Anyone should be able to use whatever service provider they wish unless it creates some sort of problem, such as farriers who insist on smoking while working on horses when barn owners runs a non-smoking barn. Or if the barn owner has a restraining order against the service provider and boarder is not aware of it. Other than that, if it doesn't present a problem or inconvenience to the barn owner, why not? Especially when that was previously agreed upon? Weird. 

So it sounds like you are considering moving Izzy home? Is that a possibility?


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## DanteDressageNerd

It makes sense to me. Your BO is coming from a business, pragmatic perspective and you're coming from an emotional, heartfelt perspective but what I say is, Ana is your horse and you will do what you feel is best by Ana and your conscience. 

My trainer's thought the same of me with Dante but you know it's better to do what you feel is right, than what is practical sometimes and there is nothing wrong with that. Give Ana her best shot and you're realistic in what you're expecting. She may not go past 1st level but that's okay because you two had a beautiful journey together and if it's not her that you progress with. It'll be another horse and Ana will still be in your life as a reminder of all that you've learned and how far you have come. It's a beautiful thing really. Love isnt always practical but if it's right, it's right and you dont have to justify doing the right thing.


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## frlsgirl

This looks interesting:

| STRAIGHT, STRONG, and BALANCED with the EAGLE PROSIX

My favorite Dressage rider in Germany uses something similar, she ties ace bandages around the horse's behind. She swears by it; apparently it helps them become aware of their hind quarters. Obviously Ace bandages are a lot cheaper than this gadget, lol.


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## PoptartShop

So sorry you are going through this. Your BO isn't making it any better, either. But at the end of the day, it's YOUR horse, YOUR money, YOUR decision not hers!  She is definitely giving you her opinion from a business standpoint. I get that as well. You have come such a long way with her and you should be proud of that. No matter what happens, she will always be your girl and you will always be her person.  
I hope the test results come back soon and everything gets figured out. So sorry you are going through this, along with everything else.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> So it sounds like you are considering moving Izzy home? Is that a possibility?


It's an interesting question :wink: In the short term, given my crazy work travel schedule right now, it's not a realistic option. While I would have loved to have brought her here, rather than another boarding barn, when we had to move in November, I simply travel too much right now to have her at home without help. My husband is great taking care of the rest of our menagerie (two dogs, a cat, and chickens) while I'm gone, but adding horse care on top of all that just isn't feasible since his job is also demanding and requires a lot of in-state travel.

So, he and I are talking about our 'medium term' plans- say, the next 12-18 months, and thinking about whether we might move to a new property that has an apartment on site where we could have a tenant who agrees to do some of the animal care. We have a few friends with a similar set up for other farm properties, and it seems to work well for everyone. Right now, it's more of a daydream than a solid plan, but I'd give it a 60-70% chance of happening.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> It's an interesting question :wink: In the short term, given my crazy work travel schedule right now, it's not a realistic option. While I would have loved to have brought her here, rather than another boarding barn, when we had to move in November, I simply travel too much right now to have her at home without help. My husband is great taking care of the rest of our menagerie (two dogs, a cat, and chickens) while I'm gone, but adding horse care on top of all that just isn't feasible since his job is also demanding and requires a lot of in-state travel.
> 
> So, he and I are talking about our 'medium term' plans- say, the next 12-18 months, and thinking about whether we might move to a new property that has an apartment on site where we could have a tenant who agrees to do some of the animal care. We have a few friends with a similar set up for other farm properties, and it seems to work well for everyone. Right now, it's more of a daydream than a solid plan, but I'd give it a 60-70% chance of happening.


It all starts with a day dream. :blueunicorn:


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## frlsgirl

Saw Ana last night; I swear she's losing topline muscling; but I could just be imagining it. We had a break in the crazy Oklahoma weather so I took her outside so that she could graze while I groomed her. She got a good extra hour of outside time so that made me happy.










I've been really "off" this week. Not only am I worried about Ana, but there was a problem filling my meds at the pharmacy so I'm not getting my usually dosage to manage my endo. Supposedly I can pick it up today. We shall see. I just feel like I want to run my fingernails down my face until I bleed. Last night, I went to sleep at 9:30pm then woke up at 10:00pm and thought that it was 6:00am so I tried to get up and get ready for work until my husband talked some sense into me and then I realized it was still night time. I must have been sleep walking.

It doesn't help that the FEI Cup is going on right now and that half of my friends are prepping for Saturday's schooling show and the other half is in Omaha. I'm in Natasha's goal setting program and I purposely skipped my weekly check in because I don't have anything good to report. Plus it really ticks me off when I see people check in with their really expensive WBs and their perceived problems. It makes me want to say "oh yeah, you think you have a problem because your canter pirouettes are holding you back? Try dealing with a neurologic Morgan who on her best day will probably never score above a 6 on a canter circle." But I know that's not fair. I'm just being a ****y mare right now because I don't feel well and Ana is sick and I don't know what's wrong and I can't fix it and that's driving me insane. Plus I knew very well that buying a Morgan would mean an uphill battle in Dressage land, and I was willing to take on that challenge. So I can't discount others for trying to do things the right way with a purpose-bred horse. More power to them. Who knows, a few years from now I might be the one complaining about canter pirouettes.

Still waiting for the phone to ring...tick tock...tick tock...


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## frlsgirl

PoptartShop said:


> No matter what happens, she will always be your girl and you will always be her person.


Yes, that is very true. Thank you for your encouraging words.


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## frlsgirl

What if it's kissing spine?

it explains:

the tightness in her back
why she sometimes gets lumps in her back after riding which mysteriously disappear overnight
unwillingness to go forward
lameness
overdeveloped muscles in her front end in comparison to her hind end

I bet that's it.


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## evilamc

Usually horses with kissing spine are VERY reactive to pressure on their backs. They act cold backed, will buck when people first get on and such. That wouldn't be my first guess at all for her!

Hopefully that helps? Its so hard waiting for answers


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## PoptartShop

Ugh, it's so hard when you don't know yet, so you go insane trying to think of what it could be.  I'm so sorry! I hope you get answers soon.
Also sorry to hear about the other things you're dealing with, I hope you can get your medication asap!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'd be surprised if it is kissing spine but it is possible depending on where it's located. I had a friend with a mare with kissing spine who showed mild symptoms like occasional soreness, very picky about saddle fit, over reactive to certain aids, sensitive to certain positions, etc. I've also heard of horses who had no particular symptoms and had kissing spine at their vet check but the horse never showed symptoms *shrugs* it can literally be anything which unfortunately sucks. Horses can have a chip or something in their legs and never show a symptom, than others have nothing structurally wrong and always have a problem. Horses. I'm sorry you're struggling with diagnostics. I hope something can be worked out.

The symptoms you listed don't make me think kissing spine but you never know. Depending on location can depends on symptoms. It could be saddle fit, it could be a great deal of different things *shrugs* I'm not a vet. I've seen some weird stuff but I see a small sample compared to a sport horse vet. I know in Kentucky they have some really phenomenal vets who are great diagnosticians but it's an expensive route to go down. Diagnostics are expensive in general.

I don't blame you for being frustrated. It's how I felt with Dante, struggle after struggle, obstacle after obstacle, all the vetting and puzzles of what's wrong? I think a lot of times when we're most affected and upset we have to center ourselves with perspective and remember we have no idea what others have been through to center ourselves on our journey, rather than comparing ourselves to others or what they have. I used to get really jealous of a friend because she had so many incredible opportunities on really nice, well trained horse that earned her- her bronze and silver medal, etc but I'll say I learned a lot of lessons and while it didn't earn me any grand titles or scores, it gave me a fantastic opportunity to become a more tactful and skilled rider who can ride babies and get more movement from horses than she can. I realize that kinda sounds petty but sometimes going the long, hard, uphill way makes you develop a skill set you wouldn't have if you didn't ride the "less talented, difficult temperament horses" who you have to work your butt off to develop any kind of rhythm or swing over the back or develop better laterals. I'll say the most difficult horses I ever rode taught me the most, even if they made me cry and made me doubt myself in every way or how frustrated I'd get seeing people get "ahead" of me in terms of showing and levels they showed at because they think what level you show at is a direct representation of rider ability and skill when it isn't. 

I think it's the nature of the sport, especially when you can't afford a 100k horse with all the training and buttons already installed and a trainer who is more than happy to teach you the tricks and get you going well enough to push you up the levels but not develop riding ability or skill *shrugs* there is a great deal of variation in the sport and it depends on what people want to learn and accomplish and what they really value. Some people have all the opportunity in the world and don't use their opportunities well and some don't have nearly so much and accomplish a lot. Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester for example neither came from wealthy families, they became what they did a good deal by chance, hard work and seizing opportunities when they came. But they had to have the talent, drive and dedication to make it, as well as an interest in learning.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @DanteDressageNerd for your insight. I do realize we all have a different path and it's easy to be upset and petty when that path is littered with obstacles; heck even a jumper doesn't encounter this many obstacles on a regular basis ;0)

I'm just struggling with gaining perspective right now. Is it all worth it? Why continue? What if I quit showing and just enjoy Ana? Is it possible to enjoy Ana and now show? Could I just volunteer at shows? Or should I leave that world behind and I completely withdraw from my circle of horse showing friends? Should I completely shut down my FB account? Should I cancel all my Dressage memberships? Why do people show horses? Are the ribbons, medals scores worth all of this? Why did I pick up riding again in 2011? Why did I quit riding in 1992? Are horses meant to be ridden? Is it wrong to train horses?

Lots of WHYS right now and very few answers. I do suddenly feel free to enjoy Ana though; strange things are happening. I think it will be so nice when we can bring Ana home and I can quietly and peacefully work with her without the background noise of the local Dressage world. I can just make it my own private paradise.

My counselor suggested that part of the reason I feel so tortured right now is that I have both a strong right brain and left and the two sides are fighting with each other right now. There is the logical left side; that's the accountant with the glasses and calculator; she likes to use words like "can't" "shouldn't" and "no." Then there is the free spirited hippie on the right side asking "why" and "let's go gallop up a hill cause it's fun."

She suggested that I let the two sides voice their opinions without judgement; so that they both feel heard; I'm supposed to take two pieces of paper; let the left side speak on one and then let the right side speak on the other without judgment. "Sounds very new agey hokus pokus to me" says me left brain. "That sounds like fun" says my right brain.

Still waiting for the phone to ring. But I'm not nearly as anxious as I was; could also be because I finally got my meds filled so I'm a lot friendlier right now, lol.

But I've decided that if I never go to another show again, it's ok. I just want to be able to gallop up the hills of my new property with Ana and practice classical Dressage with her at my leisure. No need to chase ribbons or medals.


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## frlsgirl

Test results are in: positive for EPM; starting treatment tomorrow.


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## egrogan

Ok, with an answer comes a plan. Feel good about the vet's course of action?


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## frlsgirl

Yes @egrogan - they seem really up to date on the newest technology, tests, treatments etc; yet they don't go completely overboard on anything; they look at what the most likely cause is and then work their way through the list strategically. My previous vet would have slapped Ana on the butt and said "Oh, look she's feeling better." There is another vet in this region who does go completely overboard on stuff; as in, the horse has a grade 2 lameness lets MRI the whole body; not that it wouldn't be helpful to MRI the whole body but you end up finding things that don't cause problems; like opening a can of worms. So that's what I like about this vet; not overboard, not underboard lol.

Also after the 28 day treatment, she will come out again and do another neuro exam and compare results to first one so that we can decide if she's better or not. I'm not going to keep throwing money out the door though; I might get a neck X ray and back X ray and maybe an Osteo adjustment; I'm not going to pay for surgery.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think we have to practice the thoughts we want to reflect (Easier said than done) but I think there is a lot of value in branching out and continuing education, even if you don't get recognition for it or maybe don't meet "pre set" goals. I'll say I absolutely love training with my trainers because Im always shown something new I didn't know before or I'm put into a position to think of something differently. I love the stimulus and new things I learn that allow me to ride better, be fairer to the horse and do things in a way I never knew or knew to recognize before. I think there is a lot of learning that comes from discomfort and frustration. Growth can be painful but then you reflect on it and you realize it was those uncomfortable moment of entire self doubt and unhappiness that helped you grow the most or were an important part.

I also look at it as if we didn't ride horses, very few of us would keep horses because they are SO expensive. I also think a great deal of horses need a job to be happy. I know quite a few horses who are MISERABLE without a job because they get bored. A lot of horses like having something to do, to use their minds, bodies and be occupied, as well as for the connection and bonding which I feel that much stronger in a ridden horse vs a pasture horse. You understand each other better I think because you have to listen and reflect one another in a very intimate way. Lots of communication and understanding.

That said I'm glad you have a go plan and I hope it's the solution for Ana. I've heard of horses whose only symptom for EPM was depression. Where a usually perky, enthusiastic horse became down trodden, low energy and sad. I hope you start feeling better soon!


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## frlsgirl

Certainly a lot of growing going on right now @DanteDressageNerd lol!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, as always for your kind encouraging words.


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## DanteDressageNerd

You're welcome. I'll say even though my adventures with Dante were very draining all I l learned from that experience has greatly improved me as a horseman, owner and rider. I think sometimes the long road is the best because of all the experiences and growing that is done along the way. I know had I had it easy like some of the people I know, I wouldn't be the rider I am today. I might not have the accomplishment records they do but I am a more skillful rider and when the time comes I know I can make the same accomplishments. Just later. The struggle is growth and it's painful but I think it makes the best of us!


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## frlsgirl

Visited Ana last night:










She seems ok. Per BO she is eating her meds ok with dinner. 

I downloaded a new audio book that I'm excited about: School of Horsemanship by Franciois Robinchion de la Gueriniere. That will keep my mind occupied while I drive back and forth from the barn. It's raining again this morning which means Ana will either not get turned out at all, or only for a little bit. So I'm going to drive over there later to let her out and let her graze for a while. She seems to appreciate that.

I'm making some other changes. Platinum Performance CJ has been ordered. I'm leaving Dressage Mastery. I'm also leaving several FB groups and currently taking a break from Facebook and Instagram altogether. I started studying Dressage Naturally and Straightness Training again. With our move to the country, I will have a lot more responsibility to be present in the real world; especially if we get a second horse. I'm considering transitioning Ana from shoes to going barefoot again, but I will need to discuss with farrier again. 

I'm more careful with barn people, just being nice is not enough; I have to be careful which info I share with them when they ask me stuff. I was asked some details yesterday about Ana's EPM diagnosis by a barn mate, which I shared with her privately via text; later when I went to the barn it seemed like BO was mad at me again which tells me that the person I was texting with ran straight to BO with info and now BO probably thinks that I'm spreading EPM panic throughout the barn which I'm not. I even told this lady that it doesn't sound like EPM especially if the horse is performing well and getting good scores but the only way to know for sure is to get a neuro evaluation complete with blood test. The BO and her husband came out of the house to move horses and I said hi and they turned around looked at me and didn't bother to even say hello to me. So yeah, I've ruffled feathers again. So the only way for me to keep out of trouble is to limit intel; therefore no FB, no Instagram, play dumb or absent during text messages, deflect and not answer questions when confronted in person. Nod and smile a whole lot. Avoid all conversations.

I just want to move on; bring Ana home and enjoy her and not be subjected to the scrutiny and opinions of others.


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## phantomhorse13

I am glad you have a diagnosis. I hope Ana responds to the treatment and is back to her old self in no time. I know several endurance horses which were treated for it and are back on trail doing their thing like nothing happened.

I am sorry the drama at your barn continues. I think your limiting your exposure to them is a good thing. I am still unsure how Ana having EPM is in any way a mark against your BO, but people who thrive on drama will find a way to cause it. That is not your problem - try not to take it personally.


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## PoptartShop

I am glad you finally got an answer. One of the horses at my barn has EPM. It is manageable, just have to keep a watch on it of course. He was back to his old self in no time, which I'm hoping Ana will be too.  Now you know what is going on and you are going to help get her feeling better. <3 Let us know how the treatment goes.

That sounds like a good plan. I'm sure she enjoys being with you.  She loves you!
That's a shame your BO would be mad at you, especially when it wasn't even your fault. The person you told shouldn't have even said anything. Yeah, it's best to just keep your distance & focus on Ana. People always want something to talk about/always want drama.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @phantomhorse13


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## frlsgirl

Will do @PoptartShop - thanks for your encouraging words.


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## tinyliny

I'll be checking in from time to time to hear about the treatment and return to health. I don't know anything about EPM, so it will be good for me to learn . I am glad you now have a clear pathway, and knowing how much focussed energy and passion you have, I am sure you will proceed along it with great success. Ana will be 'her highness' again soon.


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## frlsgirl

Hi @tinyliny :wave:

Thanks for dropping by. I hope it ends up being a clear path back to full function. I'm trying to stay positive; just watching her graze is a blessing. It's crazy how life changes. One minute you are worried about perfecting canter transitions and the next minute you just want your horse to live happily ever after as a pasture pet. I'm still trying to adjust; I think I'm still in shock; I feel like I'm watching a movie right now; like this isn't really happening. 

Feel free to drop by any time.


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## tinyliny

thanks, 

I try to keep up, then I miss a few days and feel overwhelmed. but, I get the gist of things.

how long does it take before , in typical cases, she will be ready to be ridden again?

I have a friend whose horse has been sort of 'wierd' lately, in movements. the vet did the cross the hind legs test, and says he failed. I kind of am a bit sceptical, since out walking him for some hand grazing, he is totally normal. but, seeing how your situation turned out, I shall reserve judgement until she gets him tested, IF she does.


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## SaddleUp158

I hope Ana responds well to the treatment. We had a young Morgan gelding diagnosed with EPM a few years back. He was treated and responded well and went on to continue trail riding in the mountains with no problem.


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## frlsgirl

@*tinyliny* 

Ana is on a 28 day course of treatment after which she will receive another neuro evaluation to determine if she's better/safe to ride again. In a recent study, this particular course of treatment has shown to reduce clinical signs in 93.6% of horses after 10 days with an 89.3% decrease in titer post treatment. 

http://www.jarvm.com/articles/Vol10Iss1/Ellison.pdf

The problem with presumed neuro issues is that it can be caused by a garden variety of issues; and sometimes the symptoms are only noticed by the regular rider/owner of the horse. When she's out grazing you can't even tell that anything is wrong. The noticeable problems start when I groom her, do ground work with her, longe her and especially when I try to ride her. The barn manager was surprised when I dropped off her EPM meds, stating that she seems perfectly fine and healthy; that's because he has limited daily interaction with her; he puts her halter on, walks her to her round pen, takes the halter off and leaves and repeats the same sequence when he walks her back to her stall. 

Neuro symptoms are linked to the following conditions:

EPM
Wobblers and other cervical defects
EHV1,
Lyme Disease, 
West Nile Virus, 
Cushing's Disease 
Certain nutritional deficiencies

I've also heard of a horse who had a pinched nerve in his back which was remedied by an osteopathic adjustment; I don't know if he had neuro symptoms though; @*SaddleUp158* should be able to answer that.

So the best course of action is to strategically work your way through the list of possible causes; here is where we are:

EPM - currently receiving treatment
Wobblers and other cervical defects - consider testing if not better after EPM treatment
EHV1 - very possible - suspected infection in 2014 but no neuro symptoms until 2017
Lyme Disease - tested negative
West Nile Virus - possibility but not very likely
Cushing's Disease - consider testing if not better after EPM treatment
Certain nutritional deficiencies - not likely but upgrading vitamins

I wish it was more black and white; all we can hope for is that she feels better and that her neuro symptoms improve and hopefully disappear completely.

Mini Update:

I visited her last night. She apparently knows the sound of my car because as I was making my way to the barn from the parking lot I could hear her screaming for me and then as soon as I sat foot in the barn, I could see her standing on her tippy toes looking at me nickering. It does feel good that she's so happy to see me, but then it also makes me feel bad because I can't always be there.










I took her out to graze and saw the BO was riding in the grazing area so we moved to the far end to avoid interaction; at some point she passed us and said hello. While grazing, Ana spooked at the barn cat and I was impressed with how agile she was during her spook; hopefully that's a good sign. I put Ana back up after 30 minutes and wanted to hang with her for a bit but BO came in so I got out of there. I made the mistake of stopping in the tackroom to wash my hands and another boarder who was riding in the arena saw me and called for me from the arena. I thought maybe she needed help but turns out she just wanted to know about Ana. Ugh. Here we go again. I got to practice my newly learned communication skills: smile, nod, give very little detail and then quickly change the subject and leave before she notices that I didn't really answer any of her questions. I was so relieved when I finally left the driveway, it takes a lot of finesse to keep good boundaries with barn mates especially when your horse is sick.


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## SaddleUp158

@frslgirl - regarding the horse with the pinched nerve. Are you thinking of C's horse Roo? I don't believe there were any neuro signs with him at all, just lameness. 

The young gelding that was diagnosed with EPM did show some neuro signs and was tripping and falling to his knees in the pasture prior to receiving treatment.


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## tinyliny

Thank you, @frlsgirl . that write up will be something I share with this friend. Said friend is not on this forum.

are you being so detached because the other boarders don't believe you , about Ana? it seems that she was only expressing concern for her? no?


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## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> @frslgirl - regarding the horse with the pinched nerve. Are you thinking of C's horse Roo? I don't believe there were any neuro signs with him at all, just lameness.
> 
> The young gelding that was diagnosed with EPM did show some neuro signs and was tripping and falling to his knees in the pasture prior to receiving treatment.


Yes, I was referring to Roo; H told me about his story but I couldn't recall if he was only showing lameness or neurological signs as well. Glad it was "just" lameness and that he is all better now.


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## frlsgirl

tinyliny said:


> are you being so detached because the other boarders don't believe you , about Ana? it seems that she was only expressing concern for her? no?


There is another horse at the barn who was recently diagnosed with EPM by the same vet and is undergoing the same treatment as Ana. In the past it has been expressed to me that I tend to go overboard with Ana and that there really isn't anything wrong with her, and that she's basically just a difficult witchy mare. So when I have appointments with saddle fitter, vet, chiro I get raised eyebrows because that just feeds their conception that I go completely overboard. Because I'm generally friendly and unsuspecting, I answer people's questions, text messages etc. not realizing that this is causing other horse owners to be more involved/conscientious about their horses which then in turn drives BO crazy. So this plays out in the following manner "So frlsgirl told me that her mare has EPM, maybe mine does too?" I can see why that would be upsetting to BO; most of the boarders there are very dependent on BO and her opinions; they ride for fun, and if they ever think something is wrong with their horse they will ask BO who has more of a "that'll do" attitude, where as I have more of an intuitive, investigative and reflective mind set. Ana is my one and only horse so I want her to be well, not kind of well.

So I've been off FB and Instagram since Sunday and I must say I don't miss it. Yesterday as I was quietly sitting outside with Ana, I could actually hear the birds sing. Previously I would have my head buried in my phone completely oblivious to the world around me.

Problem with FB was that some people would see an update about Ana and then go to BO and say "So I heard Ana has this and that" which of course was not received well. So I'm hoping by keeping a lower profile, I won't ruffle so many feathers.

So that was a very long winded answer to your question @tinyliny


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## tinyliny

I can somewhat relate to that. I tend to be very open and talkative about things at the barn, which ends up getting misconstrued as gossip. Over the years I've been working at training myself to say less than I want to say. It's a lifelong goal of mine and to be honest, I've made far less progress that I hoped. Saying too much or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time after and goes hand-in-hand with being friendly outgoing person, such as I am.

I have this little motto I say to myself to help me stifle the urge to say the first thing that comes to my mind. It's K I T Y. It stands for, keep it to yourself . And I pronounce it "kitty". So when I have the presence of mind to think of it, I say to myself "here kitty kitty kitty". Theoretically, that will make me pause and rethink whether or not I should say it. Judging by the often blunt comments I make on this forum, it isn't exactly successful. Ha ha ha


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## frlsgirl

@tinyliny :rofl: That is hilarious!


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Yes, I was referring to Roo; H told me about his story but I couldn't recall if he was only showing lameness or neurological signs as well. Glad it was "just" lameness and that he is all better now.


Yeah, his was hard to figure it out. Because it wasn't all the time, it would come and go depending on what was being asked of him. I know "just" lol, probably not the way to phrase it. It was definitely a trying time for them trying to figure out what was wrong.


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## frlsgirl

@SaddleUp158 - lameness is very frustrating. Glad Dr K was able to help.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Woo lots of updates while I've been so busy lol. I fell pretty far behind.

I'm really glad you have an answer and a go plan for Miss Ana. I hope the EPM treatment is all she needs to feel well and be through with the neuro symptoms. I hope this is the solution.

I also understand being considered "blunt" or saying more than you should for proprieties sake. I'm not particularly good at it either. I think of myself as being honest and genuine but sometimes it comes off as saying too much. I'll sometimes seem really mousy or insecure, so I don't have such an overwhelming presence or don't seem like too much of a "know it all" or like such an opinionated person. I try to keep my head low and say less than I know or state my opinion or thoughts than tell people to reference so and so. It's hard sometimes but sometimes it's necessary....though most everyone knows I don't really have a filter, I do but I don't so what I think often times comes out even when I don't mean it too. The art of being a socially acceptable human...they need a few books and movies like that...


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## frlsgirl

I just got notification that Platinum Performance was shipped and should arrive Friday. Can't wait to try out on Ana. I had switched Ana from Cosequin to Actiflex around the same time as she started showing lameness and neuro symptoms, which makes me wonder if the switch in supplements is related to her symptoms or if it's just a coincidence. Platinum Performance is pretty much the best thing on the market so even if her symptoms are 100% EPM related, it probably can't hurt to also give her a high grade supplement; I would think it would make her feel better overall. With this particular supplement, Ana also gets 8k of colic surgery coverage.

We had some crazy storms move through the area yesterday so I didn't go to see her yesterday because neither of us wants to be grazing out in the rain. I hope she got turned out in the morning; no matter what the weather does today, I will go see her tonight.

I'm still off FB and Instagram; I might just turn it off completely but sometimes I get tagged in pictures from shows and such and that's the only way for me to see them.


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## frlsgirl

How cute is this pony?!?

I'm still signed up for the Master Dressage website and I'm glad I didn't cancel this one because it's neat to see a horse like little Lotte progress; I don't know what breed she is; since she's in England I'm thinking Welsh but her high head carriage and overall built makes me think Morgan; maybe Morgan, Welsh X? 

@SaddleUp158 - does she remind you of anyone?


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## tinyliny

that mare DOES look like your Ana!

the rider is so soft and lovely. look at how quiet her lower leg is, though I keep wanting to lower her stirrup a bit. it would be fun to see the whole thing.


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## SaddleUp158

She is cute! She kind of reminds me of Mia. lol, but maybe I am just seeing the dark color and white stripe. lol


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## PoptartShop

What a pretty mare! 

I hope the new supplement helps Ana as well. Glad you get to see her tonight, too! I'm sure she missed you!!!


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## frlsgirl

So Ana appears to be feeling much better.

Firstly, when I arrived, Ana's neighbor was turned out in the round pen and as I got out of my car, the mare called out to Ana and then Ana whinnied back and was already waiting at the stall door. So I think that Ana doesn't really know the sound of my car but the mare in the round pen is acting as her informant, lol.

I took her out to graze for an hour while I tinkered around the tack room, or should I say she took me to graze, she was trotting in hand, a skill which I had previously tried to teach her without success. At one point other horses were being brought in from the field so I stood with Ana so that she didn't interfere and she was really good, but then when I grabbed the lead rope to move her to a more advantageous spot, she did something I haven't seen her do in a long time: the protest roll! Whenever she wants to graze somewhere and thinks that you are about to prevent her from grazing, she throws herself to the ground and pretends that she needs to roll, well she does roll, but with each turn, she grabs another mouthful of grass! She used to do this a lot at the other barn, because we would pass this spot of luscious green grass and she would pull on the rope to sneak a bite and when I tried to urge her along she would just drop, roll, and eat.

So I was impressed that she had the foresight and agility to pull off a protest roll. At one point during grazing, she spooked at the water hose which had jumped off the ground as BO's husband was clearing air through the line, and Ana did her typical Morgan stance: head high, nostrils flared, tail up. Once the perceived danger passed, she attempted to walk over to the hose to check it out at which point I realized she seems alert and agile enough to be worked, so I took her inside to get her prepared to do some work.

She seemed really excited and alert. When I emerged with the lunging equipment she nickered with excitement. I took her to the arena and again she was so excited that she was nearly trotting in hand. So I began lunging her and OMG I have my old Ana back. She didn't stumble or sway, or refuse to move or look at me, she just went right to work. I only walked once on each side before I asked for a trot as I was still trying to feel her out; she trotted without any issues; at one point we encountered a fresh horse poop spot and she slowed down to check it out and as I urged her forward she pinned her ears at me, which honestly made me happy because that is a perfectly normal response for her. I brought her back to a walk and then the halt which she did perfectly and I was getting myself organized to turn her the other way she actually started pawing the ground to let me know that she was really ready and if I could please hurry up. I was like "wow, who is this horse?" I turned her around, we walked and trotted nicely and then I brought her to a stop and asked her to back up, she backed up perfectly straight which she hadn't been able to do in a while. I decided I better put her back up since she's doing so well and I wanted to end on a good note.

Could the medicine have worked this quickly? I don't know, but this is my normal, sassy, inquisitive, expressive Ana. Not the stoned, surfer dude Ana that I was dealing with previously.

I hope she continues to progress; she hasn't even started on her super high power vitamins yet; if the medicine continues to work this well and then we add the supplements, she might be too much horse for me to handle when she's done with her treatment!


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## SaddleUp158

Yay! That is awesome. So glad to hear Ana is responding so well!


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## frlsgirl

Me too @SaddleUp158 although she wasn't quite as lively yesterday. She still did well on the lunge and responded to all my requests. She did have trouble giving me her left front again; I don't think it's disobedience because she gives me all her other legs just fine; I'm glad she did that in front of the vet during her exam so that she could see for herself what I was trying to explain to her. It's always easier when the vet can see symptoms for herself. Since Ana was calmer yesterday, we tried haunches in and she actually seemed to comprehend what I was asking; she still feels a little wobbly behind but her brain seems to relay messages to her back end better.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm so glad to hear Ana is responding well to the medication. I think it can work pretty quickly depending on the horse and how long they've had it, how long it's affected them, etc. 

Glad to hear she's feeling better, bright eyed and bushy tailed!


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## PoptartShop

Aww, glad to hear that she's adapting well to the medication & feeling a bit better.  That is good news. Feels like you are getting your girl back!
She's probably feeling happier because she's feeling better, win-win!


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## frlsgirl

So in true Accountant fashion, I started a spreadsheet for Ana where I'm keeping track of her symptoms, improvements and how that lines up with EPM meds and new supplement.

Friday, she was calmer again; I was really impressed with this:






Her ability to square herself up impressed me because I would think that it takes brain/hoof coordination.

I got side tracked with errands Saturday and by the time I was done it was too late to drive to the barn. So I made a point to spend extra time with her Sunday. It as insanely windy and she kept moving around a little too much during hand grazing so I had the bright idea to turn her out in this little pasture. Within minutes of letting her loose in there I remembered why we don't use this pasture during the day:











I forgot about the geldings. They were grazing way up on the hill and as soon as they saw Ana they came galloping down the hill to check her out. Since the fencing isn't great I didn't want them to end up getting hurt so I pulled Ana out of there.

We went back into the barn and did some extensive stretching exercises followed by backing up twice. I was thrilled that she gave me her left front without any problems and her pelvic crunch reflex seems to be working again although it's not nearly as strong as it was a couple of months ago. 

She is backing up straighter although she's still crab walking. I went through a bunch of video footage and found that the last time she backed up nicely was in early February - or at least that's the last time I was able to capture a nice non-crab-walk backing up on film.

Makes me wonder when all this started....

Ran into the two lead mares (BO and her side kick) Friday and worked really hard to stay quiet and neutral; I felt that this worked well with BO but side kick kept asking me stuff and trying to socialize with me and I was just trying to stay as neutral as possible without seeming rude. At one point she was like "Are you ok? You look like you're about to cry, let me give you a hug!" I was like, "umm, ok?" So yeah, that was totally weird. Then she went on to tell me that they are testing her mare for EPM as well since two horses now have it so there is a good chance that hers has too. Sigh. That's what I was trying to avoid. People freaking out. But that is out of my control, all I can do is remain neutral, avoid, without seeming rude. And of course she asked, "So is Ana getting better yet?" What a loaded question. In an attempt to be politically correct I replied "I don't know, maybe she's a little bit better, but she's not worse. We don't know that the symptoms I was seeing are directly related to EPM. All we know is that she tested positive for EPM with a titer high enough to warrant treatment, and some of those symptoms appear to be slightly better but we won't know for sure until she's cleared for riding again and I start working with her again." To which she replied "Well how did you know that something was wrong?" "Ummm, (crap, must be politically correct), she started doing some weird things and then went lame." "What kind of weird things?" "(Oh geez) some stumbling and other odd behavior and then she went lame" that finally seemed to satisfy her. The thing is if I list the things she was doing, then she would tell me that it's normal behavior or she wouldn't say anything, run to BO with intel who would then discredit me. So the less intel I can provide without seeming rude or unkind is the best course of action. Phew - I was glad when THAT conversation was over.

I thought Sunday would be safe but ran into other boarder who wanted specifics about Ana, as in percentages of recovery rate. Sigh. Totally didn't see that coming. I was like, "umm, what do you mean?" She said "Well they told the other barn mate an exact percentage, did they not give you one?" "Ummm, no, but Ana appears to be doing better, thanks for asking. So are you gonna ride today?" See what I did there? Quickly thanked her for her concern and then redirected to talk about her, not me. It worked.

I don't want to be rude. I don't want to be unkind. I just simply want to avoid putting too much intel out there because the more is out there the more people talk behind your back. If you don't give people ammunition then they don't have anything to talk about. 

Speaking of ammunition, I did go on Instagram once and posted one updated picture and couldn't help but scroll through the news feed which I immediately regretted because I saw my friends attending a Dressage thing that I considered attending before Ana got sick. It just reminds me of the life I once had. I do support all my friends out there progressing and having fun but right now it's all just too raw for me. So I deleted Instagram again and haven't been on it since.

That brought me to Facebook; I decided to log in real quick to see if I have any direct messages or direct posts on my wall which I didn't. Phew. I did have 64 notifications though, I started to look through them but then decided to stop. I don't need to know everything, and I don't need to see everyone's comment or like or dislike. I think I'm just going to do this once a week - log on to see if there are any messages and then log off again and move on. My husband did say I seem calmer and less distracted since leaving Facebook behind. I was sitting in the Starbucks drive through and got bored so I opened LinkedIn and saw that there is an opening where my friend works which sent me into high anxiety. "What if this and that?" I immediately logged off as I realized that it was causing me anxiety. Having too much information when you don't need it can throw someone like me completely off course. I could have spent all night stewing over this new intel but I decided to let it go. Online intel is not always what it seems but we take it at face value and then react to it. I get totally overwhelmed and confused when too much is coming at me from too many directions. I do like this forum because it's somewhat controlled and I enjoy conversing with other like minded horse owners, and I like the ability to have a free journal that I can use as a point of reference.


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## frlsgirl

Also, I'm totally obsessed with this song right now:






Oh how I miss the 80s. Life was so much simpler! My parents were married and alive. Riding was not complicated. Ponies lived forever (or so it seemed).


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## frlsgirl

Also, I've been looking at different barn configurations. If we wanted to get her to our property quickly without investing time and money into a formal barn, we could do something like this:










Or this:










I like the first one because the horse can choose to just go around the corner and be left alone. That's great for sleeping and such; but it still has the freedom to move around. With the second one, it can hang out in the stall or the shelter. I really would like a hybrid option; like the first one with a door so that you can contain the horse in the oversized stall if needed but it can still look outside.

The only problem with this set up is that there isn't room for tack and feed storage and where would you tie up the horse? We would almost need a second shed just for the feed and tack plus a hitching post somewhere. Also, I don't think I want my tack in the same space as the feed because what if the feed attracts critters and then the critters chew on my tack? That's what happened at the first barn. Of course we could get a barn cat but what if it scratches up my tack? Maybe we could get a second shed that's divided into two rooms: one for tack and one for feed. But where would we store hay? Hay probably takes up the most space. So then we would need a 3rd shed just for hay. And by then we will have spent enough money that we can just get a formal barn with stalls and attached runs. Lots of logistics to still consider. Oh yeah, and we would have to get a second horse to keep Ana company, and where would we keep it?


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## evilamc

What if you got something like one of those, then a shelter logic portable shed for a hay shed? Thats what I used to use, they're only like $360 or so for 10x20. Also, just have a tack LOCKER inside the feed room and that will keep critters and cats out. I know they make 2 stall little barns like that too, so not a huge deal about the 2nd horse. They may have a 2 stall option with large overhang or something.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for the tip @evilamc - I will look into it. The other problem is that we need everything to be super solid due to high winds and tornados. A tack locker might work if I can find one big enough to hold my Dressage saddle. I will have to do some serious google research!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I LOVE the 2nd one that is darling!! Gah that sounds so exciting!! I'd love to have my own property someday. I'm SO excited for you guys! Congratulations!

Will you guys be getting a 2nd horse or pony or goat for when Ana moves, so she isn't alone?

Ana looks a lot happier and healthier. 

I like that song as well. I think of the 80s as happier, healthier, more prosperous times with optimism but I wasn't really around in the 80s lol.

I also understand with anxiety and depression that you have to be careful of what "send you over the edge" or triggers. I know my meds make it a lot more manageable and not as long lasting but you still have to be careful/mindful to triggers and what sets it off. I'd have logged off as well. I hope everything continues to go well with Ana. She looks SO much happier and enthusiastic. It amazes me how oddly EPM can affect them, my friends mare who was usually happy as a clam became really depressed and moody with EPM and that was her only symptom. After treatment she was back to her old self.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a long boring video of some of the stuff I do with Ana; mostly stretching and muscle activating type exercises and picking up her feet when asked. You can kind of see her demeanor here; she seems alert and eager to participate.


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## frlsgirl

@*DanteDressageNerd* - don't they just make the cutest little barns? I love how they try to make them look like a real house. There is even more cute stuff on Pinterest under "small horse barns"

About the second horse/companion - boy I could give you a different answer every day, lol. Depends on so many factors; what kind of shape Ana will be in, how we are doing financially, how happy or unhappy I will be with having her boarded, the weather, how I will be doing after surgery which is scheduled for November 8th, how eager I will be to get back to Dressage, or if I find that I'm happy to just ride around the property with Ana. So my answer could be anything from a stuffed animal to keep Ana company to a fancy, flashy WB or something in between, lol.

And yes, recognizing triggers and negative patterns, and knowing how to avoid them is where it's at.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Aww Ana looks happy 

They really do. It looks like there will be alot of good options. Those are too cute!

Well I guess time will tell. Good luck with the direction you decide on. It should be a neat journey!

Definitely. You have to. Sometimes people think the meds fix everything, they don't they just give you the ability to "cope" or "manage" it before it elevates. It gives you some control over it. Glad you're doing well and recognizing what works for you or what sets you off. I'm still working it out.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @DanteDressageNerd

Visited Ana last night; much later than usual because husband wanted to meet me for dinner, then he drove home and I drove out to see Ana. Then I ran into a bunch of people at the barn of course, so that slowed everything down. I had planned to just let her graze for a few minutes and then move on to stretching and then lunging but she ended up grazing for nearly an hour before we did any actual work. While she was grazing, I noticed that she was really dirty "back there" and then when BO emerged riding Prince, Ana suddenly had to pee :icon_rolleyes: she has only peed in front of two geldings during hand grazing; both Frisians. I think she's telling me she wants a Morisian foal  Prince is extremely handsome so I totally get it. He's like a big teddy bear yet graceful like a gazelle and so polite; I was feeding Ana carrots in her stall and he started pawing and arching his neck. With BO's permission, I let him have a carrot. I guess he doesn't get very many carrots because he didn't know how to bite off part of it while I hold the bottom; that's what I do with Ana and it works really well.

I found some cute Morgan/Frisian babies on YouTube:











Ana did well with all of her exercises and even picked up the canter accidentally during a little spook and it didn't look like a total disaster so that was good to see. I logged everything in my spreadsheet and hope to see continued improvement. :gallop:


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## PoptartShop

Oh my gosh those are so cute!  I like the second one especially. Perfect!
Aww, Ana looks good.  Very alert which is a good sign.

Oooh those babies are so cute! She probably does want one LOL. :lol:
Glad she did well with her exercises  Hopefully everything is on the up & up from here!!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'll say I'm not a big fan of friesian crosses (if you're really looking to breed one day) because a lot of the times they inherit a lateral canter for whatever reason. I've worked with a few friesian crosses lol. And they also sometimes develop anhidrosis more often than other types Ive seen, as well as genetic respiratory and other issues I havent seen in other types or crosses. One mare was a georgian grande, GORGEOUS and had a lovely canter but she had so many health issues she'd never really be a sport horse. As a 5yr old, always well taken care of had anhidrosis, thyroid issues, and some kind of respiratory issue. 3 other crosses had the lateral canter, had either thyroid issues, respiratory issues or anhidrosis. None of them were related and various crosses. 

The babies are really cute though and I can see where she might have the "hots" for a handsome boy paying attention to her. But those babies are really cute!


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## Rainaisabelle

I'm personally buying a Friesian X which will be born August. Majority have gone onto be sport horses in various disciplines including hackings, jumping cross country, western and I've spoken to quite a few owners of the foals from where I'm buying from and they've never had a problem with any of them including with any health issues but I suppose it's where you're buying from etc.


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## frlsgirl

I hear you both @*DanteDressageNerd* and @*Rainaisabelle* - I can certainly see both sides of the coin. 

Here is a picture of Prince with Ana from last year when they were stabled next to each other at a show. Don't they make a cute couple?











@*DanteDressageNerd* - it's funny that you mention the sweating problem - my friend from the barn called last night because Dr M is coming out to try acupuncture on Prince because it's shown to be helpful in horses who don't sweat and they wanted to know if Ana needs a chiro. I'm really curious to see if it helps him. She's tried everything else. He used to get beer every night with dinner because it's supposed to help but it didn't - nice way to end the work day though, lol. That is probably his biggest health issue. I've heard of the lateral canter problem in some Frisians; Natasha Althoff also spoke of this when she went Frisean shopping in Holland; trying to find one with a good canter. He did have his patella blistered to help with a sticking stifle - don't quote me on that. He had something blistered.

@*Rainaisabelle* - Prince is currently ranked 3rd in the Nation for Western Dressage. He is super talented and you just can't help but admire him when he enters the ring; he just has such a presence! A dressage judge from Florida recently called BO and asked her if she would ever consider selling him, so yeah, he's hot stuff! So there are certainly many Friseans and Crosses that do well in many disciplines and not all have debilitating health issues. Congrats on the upcoming foal! That is so exciting! What are your future plans for the new baby?

I'm personally not set on a Frisean - I'm really open to explore many options; obviously I want a horse that's healthy and is not likely to develop health issues, but horse ownership is such a crap shoot. BO recently told my friend "You can spend $500 on a horse, unload it from a trailer, and it colics and dies. Or you can spend 15k on a horse, it steps of the trailer, colics and dies" - so true.

But then there are those horses that are very very special. It doesn't really matter what breed they are, how old they are, what health issues they have; they are just very, very special to their owner:









I talked to my counselor about this last night. I always wondered about those people who enjoy horses without riding them; why have a horse if you don't ride it. I get it now.


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## frlsgirl

How cute is this little guy? I'm thinking a Section D Welsh Cob might be a good choice for me as a second horse. I don't know if Ana would accept one that's cheeky like this one appears to be:

Clearview Kedric : 2016, Welsh Sport Horse, Colt at Warmblood-Sales.com


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## Rainaisabelle

Definitely a gamble with any horse you buy. I considered buying another TB which I could get for basically nothing but I really wanted something for myself that I could pick and go on my own journey with. 

Hoping to do dressage and cross country but probably a bit of everything to be honest. I personally wasn't set on a Friesian either I really wanted a Irish sport horse but they sell for something like 15000 a weanling over here and I can't afford that unfortunately but I love the stud this Friesian X is coming from and so many of the babies have gone to beautiful homes in multiple disciplines.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Anything can happen no matter what you spend on a horse but similarly whatever you invest in a horse in training is similar regardless of "quality." 

But welsh cob are really neat horses and can really move exceptionally well. It depends on the horse but there are a lot of nice welsh cobs. I've been impressed with the ones I've known. We have one at the barn who is schooling 3rd level and got pretty high marks in Florida. They're neat horses!


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## Rainaisabelle

Each to their own! You find your own niche


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## SaddleUp158

I love that welsh cob baby!


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## frlsgirl

A really cool thing happened last night. But I digress....

First I get there, and Ana is not nickering for me because she is making out with Prince who is tied to the hitching post as BO was cleaning his stall. So I open Ana's stall door and she looks at me, then looks at Prince, then looks at me again. So I grab her halter and open the stall door a little more and she finally decides to come to me.

So I drop her off at the grazing area and as I make my way to the tack room to grab some supplies, BO flags me down and says "You know, since you're not going to be riding Ana for a while, you are welcome to help me ride some of my horses; they need the exercise anyway. You don't even have to ask. You can ride Jojo or that mare in the round pen; they aren't a whole lot of fun but they are great to just putz around on; you can even take them trail riding if you want, and if you want one that's fun, you can always ride Dante." I was like "Oh, thank you very much, I appreciate that!" - How cool is that!?! I honestly have lost the itch to ride but I bet if I get back in the saddle, it may just come back. So I'm probably gonna ride tomorrow after work, like I used to do before Ana got sick. And we are supposed to have a group lesson Saturday so I'm hoping to join them for that as well.

So then my phone rings and it's Ana's vet - I've been trying to get a hold of her because I wanted to see if we can move Ana back to her normal turnout spot and if she's ok with a chiro adjustment. To my surprise, she wants Ana to stay in the small turnout because if she runs and twists something just right the inflammation in her spinal cord could get worse. I guess it's not the protozoal that are the problem, it's the resulting swelling in the spinal cord. She did however speak to the chiro/vet since she works in the same vet clinic and they both agreed it's safe for Ana to have a chiro adjustment next week. So I was happy to hear that.

Then I brought Ana back in to do some stretching; it's really cute how she tries to line herself up when she sees me coming because she knows she has to stand a certain way for me to do the exercises and the quicker she gets aligned, the quicker we can stretch and she can get that carrot. She makes sure I never cheat; one carrot after each exercise, lol.






She seemed really alert and hyper, you can kind of see that in this video, she's just really anxious and wants to do more work. There was a lesson going on behind me in the outdoor, and I could see her watching the lesson, and then acting like she wanted to join them; wiggling and pawing, and nickering. But I had spent too much time just putzing around the barn and really needed to head home, so I had her back up nicely a couple of times before I put her back in her stall.


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## frlsgirl

Rainaisabelle said:


> Definitely a gamble with any horse you buy. I considered buying another TB which I could get for basically nothing but I really wanted something for myself that I could pick and go on my own journey with.
> 
> Hoping to do dressage and cross country but probably a bit of everything to be honest. I personally wasn't set on a Friesian either I really wanted a Irish sport horse but they sell for something like 15000 a weanling over here and I can't afford that unfortunately but I love the stud this Friesian X is coming from and so many of the babies have gone to beautiful homes in multiple disciplines.


I see you're in Australia - I'm sure the horse market is very different over there. Does Australia have its own native horse? But doing a little bit of everything is always a good thing. You'll have to let us know when the little one has arrived! I love baby pictures!


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## Rainaisabelle

frlsgirl said:


> I see you're in Australia - I'm sure the horse market is very different over there. Does Australia have its own native horse? But doing a little bit of everything is always a good thing. You'll have to let us know when the little one has arrived! I love baby pictures!


Pretty sure brumbies are our native horse although technically they're escaped horses from European settlements.


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## frlsgirl

I decided to check FB real quick to see if I had any posts on my wall or messages. I had two missed messages. One was from Ana's previous owner who seemed concerned because I hadn't posted anything in a while. So after I assured her that everything is ok I decided to post a quick innocent update for everyone so that people don't worry; that's the downside to going off line if you've been really active previously; if you're not really active and then go offline, nobody notices anything. But if you've been really active like I had been and then suddenly not post anything, people assume you died, lol. So that's totally my fault. Hopefully my innocent little post puts everyone at ease.


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## DanteDressageNerd

It makes sense that people might be worried, if they're used to you being actively involved with the thread and sharing updates and things. I think people who bred the horses enjoy following their progress and story and enjoy just knowing how they're doing. 

Hope Ana is still doing well and will soon be back to work!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @*DanteDressageNerd* - we are hopeful that she will make a full recovery.

I visited her a couple of times this weekend. I can't remember what all we did; probably just the usual stretching, grooming, pelvic crunches etc. Everything went well except Saturday she didn't want to give me her left front again. So I tried it again later and it wasn't a problem. :think:

Saturday I rode Dante in a lesson; hadn't sat on a horse in 3 weeks and he was the last horse I sat on. Man, I always feel like I get my a** handed to me when I ride him. He is so big and powerful. And he's so motivated and pumped! It's like he hears "Eye of the Tiger" playing in the background all the time. It's neat to see a horse so motivated to do his job.

We worked on new material that BO had learned at the recent Lee Tubman clinic; he was one of the judges at the FEI cup. It's all about the hind legs; the ability to carry weight and shift that weight back to the hind legs. So we worked on transitions; walk-halt, walk-trot, transitions while leg yielding, collected trot - extended trot. It was really neat to see Dante build up more power in his hind end with each exercise; by the time we got to the extended trot I felt like I needed wind goggles.:racing:




































Ana was in her stall as I got him ready and she made sure he knew that he was not welcome at "her" hitching post. She kept trying to bite him through the feeding hole. Since he's so much taller than she is, he just stuck his head over the stall wall which irritated her even more because she couldn't reach that high. When I returned him to the hitching post after our ride he stood there and was patiently waiting for a treat while Ana stomped around her stall nickering at me. I gave him his treat first since he deserved it; I mean he really worked for it, and I could feel her piercing eyes through the wood slats so I quickly retrieved another treat and fed it to her. Once I had him put up in his stall I let Ana out for a bit to graze and stretch her legs.

I didn't see her Sunday but I'm planning on visiting her tonight. 

One thing that worries me a little, is that when Ana gets frustrated, she bites her feed bin really hard; I hope that this isn't the precursor to cribbing. :icon_frown: She's been doing that quite a lot lately. I'm sure the lack of exercise is causing some built up energy that she needs to let out somewhere. The vet said she needs to stay in her small turnout because if she starts to run and play she could aggravate the swelling in her spinal cord. We are on day 17 of her 28 day treatment so hopefully we can get her back to work the first week of May. She really wants to work; lately when I've taken her into the indoor for some light lunging and in-hand work, she stops when she realizes I'm trying to finish up and leave the arena, like "no mommy, I don't want to go yet, look at me I can back up on command, don't you want me to back up on command?"

Vet is coming Wednesday to do a chiro so I'll pick her brain then about what else I can do with Ana and how soon I can start working her a little harder.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> And he's so motivated and pumped! It's like he hears "Eye of the Tiger" playing in the background all the time. It's neat to see a horse so motivated to do his job.


This is such a great image. I do sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a horse with that kind of work ethic. As much as I love Isabel, she really just would not care at all if I never rode her again (as long as I still visited her for beauty sessions regularly :wink.

While it sucks that Ana is still out of commission, it is great to be able to ride other horses, especially ones that are so different from her. Glad you had a good ride!

After our trail ride yesterday, my friend Ida let me jump on her mare, Jazz. She's a Lippitt Morgan, but pony sized. I'm not even sure if she is 14.0 hands. Izzy is not a big horse, but I have gotten so used to having that bulbous belly right against my legs that it was weird to get on a more compact, leaner horse where I felt leg wasn't actually really touching her. I've never felt tall on a horse before, but I did on her! 

Jazz may be small, but she was mighty! Her trot was quick and efficient, and her canter was SO comfortable and smooth compared to Izzy. I only rode her around the ring a few times because we had been out for awhile and the horses were hot and sweaty, but every time I ride another horse I remember how much how I ride is tailored to how Izzy goes- and that's not necessarily a good thing! It's so easy to fall into bad habits when they "work" on a horse you ride all the time.


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## frlsgirl

Agreed @egrogan - it's really good education for the rider to work with different horses. I feel like a tiny flea on Dante's back and people are not used to seeing me on a big horse so I get comments like "Can I get you anything? A ladder? A parachute?" :icon_rolleyes:

Glad you got to ride another Morgan; isn't it funny how even seemingly similar horses can feel very different? I've sat on about 4 other Morgans since getting Ana and they were all different. Ana just feels very comfortable to me; like an old slipper. I'm sure Izzy feels that way to you as well.


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## frlsgirl

Regarding Dante, he is by Der Radetzky and I've had the privilege to ride 2 of his offspring. Here is more info on him:

*Home Again Farm Hanoverians ? Reference Sires ? Der Radetzky
*


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## PoptartShop

I hope Ana continues to feel better, she was probably like 'why are you with another horse momma?!' That's good she wants to work too. She misses her job! <3

I'm glad you got to ride though, even if it wasn't Ana it's still good that you got to get on a horse. Plus it's nice to ride different horses sometimes.  Dante is cute!


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## frlsgirl

PoptartShop said:


> That's good she wants to work too. She misses her job! <3


It's really funny because we were training so hard before she got sick and she was always acting a little work sour and now she's like "Please mom, let me back up one more time or do just one more circle on the lunge!" I cannot wait to ride her again; I'm sure there will be tears. I miss it so much!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm really glad you got to sit on Dante! Hopefully you'll be able to ride him some more while Ana is on the mend. Dante sounds like a really neat, fun horse to ride. I love horses who when you're on them they're right there with you going what do you need? Do you want me to do it this way? How about this? Is this what you want? Horses like that are worth their weight in gold!

Lee Tubman is a great clinician. I've ridden with him a few times, he's a wealth of knowledge. He's a good teacher. Transitions are really useful as well as transitions within the gait, super useful. Awesome that its being applied!

Poor Ana. I hope she can start working again soon. I hope when she gets back to work she feels a lot better and is happier! I'm sure she misses having a job.


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## frlsgirl

Glad you got to ride with Lee @DanteDressageNerd - I heard he's very helpful to auditors; that the demo riders get less out of it than the audience; which is kind of rare because I feel like I don't learn anything unless I'm riding. I also heard that he's kind of tough and that you need to have thick skin if you want to be a demo rider for him. I feel like I learned a ton just from getting the info second hand through BO; and it's giving me new ideas and clues for when I start working with Ana again.

I haven't been doing well at all. My anxiety is through the roof; so much so that I've had to leave work a few times in the middle of the day; and yesterday was particularly stressful. So it was great to go to the barn for some therapy. I'm feeling a bit like Dr. Doolitle; I was hand grazing Ana and Mike the barn dog sat down by my side; Ana gave him a dirty look, they can't stand each other, so he left and two of the three barn cats showed up and one just decided to sit on my lap.

I took some pictures of Ana and compared them to previous pictures; she still has most of her muscling but her body doesn't look as buff as she used to. It's like the muscles are there but they are not smooth and puffy like they used to be and she has looked like this for a while now. Then I thought back to when we switched her diet from alfalfa mush to regular feed - I think that's it! I wonder if the lethargic behavior is related to her diet and not EPM at all. I will discuss with vet when she comes out tomorrow to do a chiro on her. BO said Ana stopped eating the alfalfa and would push it out of the way and pick out the supplements and grain. I wonder if Ana is carb sensitive like I am? Maybe a bit insulin resistant? In which case, alfalfa is kind of like Atkins for horses which is what I'm on and I feel so much better.


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## DanteDressageNerd

That kinda surprises me. I never thought of needing a thick skin to ride with him. He's objective and honest but he's fair and encouraging. He's not a jerk or unfair, he's just not going to tell you you're perfect and you have nothing to work on. But he's really good. 

Some of Lee, if you want to listen. He's very philosophical. A lot of what he's saying to me he tended to say to everyone. And with him I feel that what you take from his clinics is more of a different way to think about a situation or a different way to perceive and approach a problem. 

























My trainer with Lee





I'm sorry to hear your anxiety is getting the best of you. Sometimes you cant do too much about it, except ride it out or just take a break. I'm glad you got to spend a lot of time with Ana though! Horses are always good therapy!!

I can't say about the diet, I'd talk to your vet and see what he thinks but I can say I've noticed a big difference in horses I have on a natural source vitamin E with enough IU. 

This is one of the supplements I use. I give it to Frankie at half a dose because 4000IU a day is plenty! But I will say I've noticed Frankie when she was in full work didn't get sore or muscle knots the way Raphael or Friday sometimes do. It also helped with Dante, so he didn't tie up as often and I didn't have to give him a full body massage twice a week. It's supposed to be good for neuro horses, as well as muscular development. 

https://www.scahealth.com/scah/product/ultracruz-equine-vitamin-e-horse-supplement
https://www.scahealth.com/scah/browse/equine-products-equine-supplements/_/N-1nhwubr
https://www.scahealth.com/scah/product/ultracruz-equine-lysine-pure-horse-supplement
https://www.scahealth.com/scah/product/ultracruz-equine-iron-charge-plus-horse-supplement


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## frlsgirl

Just typed this lengthy update and then internet crashed - oh well, let's try this again.

Not Ana, but Prince:










I was putting away stuff when I heard noise behind me and there he was! He is like a big dog! Love him! If you look closely you can see Ana through the wood slats. Ana loves having her stall right there because that's where all the action is!

Vet came to do chiro on Ana - all good. No major outages; a little tight through her lower back and sacrum but she was able to put everything back where it belonged. She said I should be able to start riding Ana again a week after her treatment ends; so that would be around May 7th but I'm doing a follow up visit with the vet who's treating her for the EPM around May 1st.

We discussed other conditions which could mimic EPM but nothing really fits; she gets plenty of vitamin E but we are going to add an additional supplement, just in case. She's too old and too little for Wobblers, she's not showing the typical symptoms for kissing spine, she's looking too good and is too young and is already eating low carb for IR. She's too healthy for the infectious diseases which could induce neuro symptoms. 

She said sometimes horses have EPM for a while before it gets diagnosed so little things that I saw for weeks or months may have gone unnoticed until she went completely lame.


Thanks for all the intel @*DanteDressageNerd* - will watch the videos later!


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## evilamc

Awww Prince is so handsome! Glad chiro went well and shes in good spirits 

Why did you opt out of doing a spinal tap to test for EPM? Just curious why you decided to just treat for it without knowing for sure? Just seems to leave open so many questions since you don't know for sure!


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## frlsgirl

We did the blood test. Spinal tap is very invasive and expensive and not without risk to the horse. In this part of the country, the vets draw blood and look at the titer to determine if it's high enough to warrant treatment. Some vets will treat just based on symptoms. It's extremely prevalent around here.


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## frlsgirl

Was looking through my thread because I recall an episode where I thought that Ana had EPM; it was back in 12/2015; it's on page 89 of this journal. At the time she looked terrible and she was in such a terrible mood and tripped quite a lot. I put her on Vitamin E and shortly thereafter her symptoms improved; I had also switched barns right around that time and gotten a well fitting saddle, and also changed farriers so it's hard to say if her improvement was specifically due to the vitamin E. 

This is the product I had her on for a month or two:

https://www.statelinetack.com/item/health-e-maximum-strength-vitamin-e/E016406%20180/?srccode=GPSLT&gclid=CL_0hoDms9MCFcW1wAodTAsJfQ&kwid=productads-adid^160636394091-device^c-plaid^61813390163-sku^521411-adType^PLA


But here you can see how crabby she was; she's usually good with kids so this shocked me:


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## frlsgirl

Usually Ana is really good with kids and will gladly pose for a selfie:


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## DanteDressageNerd

You're welcome. I tend to like to hear things "from the horse's mouth" so to speak and can sort of hear his ideas first hand.

It may all just be tied to the EPM and taking the medication which can be hard on the body. It messes with their whole neurological system is affected, so it makes sense it might be a while before she returns to her normal self but I hope she keeps feelings better and better!

I wonder why she was so crabby with the little boy if she's usually kid oriented. Also glad she's on vitamin E. I'm not familiar with that product, so I can't say too much.

But I'll say for muscle development (if that's a concern) I've been REALLY impressed with a supplement my trainer has recommending for a few horses called Purina SuperSport. If that's what you're looking for.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @*DanteDressageNerd* - we put Ana on Platinum Performance CJ - it's supposed to be one of the top equine vitamins; endorsed by vets and Verdades lol. I just ordered the Santa Cruz Vitamin E supplement so we will start adding that to her feed as well. It's supposed to arrive Tuesday. The picture with the little boy was from 2015 that was the first time I had suspected that she might have EPM but then we changed a bunch of things and suddenly she was back to her friendly self. Since we changed so many things at once it's hard to say what caused the improvement.

Saw Ana last night and decided to do some lunge work and selfies 




























She is not bending as well through the rib cage as I would like but she's moving freely forward, engaging herself and accepting direction from me.






It was hard to say goodbye to her last night because we are supposed to leave for Florida today but we are waiting for a break in the weather; so we might not leave until tomorrow which means I get to spend one more day with her - yay!


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## evilamc

frlsgirl said:


> We did the blood test. Spinal tap is very invasive and expensive and not without risk to the horse. In this part of the country, the vets draw blood and look at the titer to determine if it's high enough to warrant treatment. Some vets will treat just based on symptoms. It's extremely prevalent around here.


Ah I see. Yeah I know the spinal tap is way more invasive, I've just always thought it gave more accurate results. Some vets back home in VA just treat based on symptoms for lyme. I'm sadly vet shopping now in Ohio..my current vet claims hes never seen a case of lyme so doesn't even carry the cheap snap tests that I like to have done yearly! My aunt thats a nurse said they're seeing more and more cases of lyme in people....if people are getting it here obviously the animals are too! So now I have to find a more knowledgeable vet, ugh. Vet my friend uses apparently told her, her horses teeth wont need floated if she feeds a little whole corn...to keep teeth ground down....so not sure if I want to trust that vet with my children either!!

Glad you get to spend an extra day with her! Enjoy vacationing while you can though, once horses live at home its SO much harder to get away!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Aww I love the selfies! Ana looks so happy to be working and doing something. Platinum Performance has some great supplements.

I hope you get to enjoy Florida and you vacation! Sounds like a nice break!


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## frlsgirl

Eek @evilamc - I would be vet shopping as well. We are also seeing an increase in tick born diseases in Oklahoma; in both people and pets.

Florida was great! The only thing whiter than the sand were my legs; apparently a common problem for equestrians; my super white German genes don't help either, lol. Needless to say I got sunburned pretty badly.










I was super eager to run to the barn to visit Ana. She couldn't have cared less  She didn't nicker at me or anything and seemed annoyed that I was taking her away from her hay pile. I let her graze for a bit, gave her a quick grooming and worked on pelvic stretches and crunches. All her reflexes worked well. The vitamin E supplements arrived so I dropped those off as well and BO said she would start adding them beginning with last night's dinner.

Hopefully that chunk of missing mane will fill in soon; it's such an eyesore:










The vet is coming on May 3rd to hopefully clear her for riding. She only has 3 more days of EPM meds, yay!

There is a big show this weekend and they are in desperate need of help so I agreed to volunteer for half a day; they need scribes and scorers, I picked scribing because that's pretty much the only thing I haven't done yet so hopefully I get the opportunity to do that.

I bought a big bag of carrots last night so I'm planning on visiting with her tonight; hopefully she will start to warm up to me again. I haven't left her for this long in probably 2 years.


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## PoptartShop

I'm glad you had a good time in FL!  OMG, my legs are super pale too. :lol: I need some color asap before letting them see the light of day. :rofl:
Looks beautiful!

Awww, that sucks Ana didn't give you a warm welcome back. Ugh. Maybe she wasn't feeling like herself that day or something, but I am glad you are going to see her tonight & I hope she's in a better mood.  Yay for only 3 days left of the meds! 
Volunteering at the show will be good, at least you'll still get to be involved in it in someway.  Let us know how tonight goes with her!


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## frlsgirl

Visited Miss Ana last night and she was in good spirits and happily greeted me 

We did normal stretching, crunches and pelvic stretches. She is getting really good at this especially the pelvic stretch; she lines herself up and really engages her abs like she's trying to show me how well she can do it. She is getting so strong that it's hurting my wrist to push for very long. I really need to have someone film it because it's really cool to watch her.

The only thing that didn't work again yesterday was that sticky left front.

Then we moved on to lunging; I didn't ask too much of her since she hadn't been lunged in over a week. She did well except she was really committed to falling in on the circle and I had to work harder than usual to keep her out. She was super eager to participate though and every time we stopped to change rein she started pawing like "Tell me already, what are we doing next!" She did trip once at the trot but the arena had just been watered so she could have just slipped a little. I did have her backup once and she really put some effort into that, although it wasn't perfectly straight.

It seems like overall she's really trying to show me what she can do and is almost demanding about wanting to work. One more week. I can't wait.


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## egrogan

Please do film the crunches! Would love to see how you do it.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Florida looks Amazing! lol and I hear you German blood and light complexion do not help in the Florida rays! Id be so ripe looking, it'd look like a tomato ready to come off the vine lol. But glad you got to spend time with your girl and she's feeling better! 

Ana will be happy to be to work and I think the falling in will help quite a bit when you can ride her again to help her get stronger and more coordinated!


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## frlsgirl

Decoding Ana:

I've been pondering lots of things, trying to figure out when/where/how discrepancies in performance showed up.

January 2014: When I first got Ana, I was told that her canter wasn't "finished" so I never tried cantering her during my test ride. 

February 2014: Once I had her at home and began riding her, I cantered her and thought that her canter is really cute and comfortable and didn't really understand what she meant by "not finished." At the time I was riding her in a borrowed 16.5 Pessoa. 

March 2014-October 2014: Then I started to try out Dressage saddles on her and eventually ordered a Thornhill Klasse for her. At the time the saddle fitter strongly urged me to get an ultra thinline pad; the kind with all of the fluff underneath. 

October 2014 - November 2014 Ana's canter seemed a little more frantic. A chiro was called to adjust her in case she had hurt herself in the pasture somehow. 

January 2015: It was pointed out to me that the saddle is too wide for her and hitting her in the withers; also her Trapezius muscle was lacking development. It was unclear whether the saddle fit or my lack of riding skill caused her lack of correct development. She was always very tense and did a lot of head nodding/pulling/rooting.

February 2015 - November 2015: We continued to ride in the Thornhill and always used to half pad; her canter started to improve although it still was not the nice canter she had in early 2014. I began to work with a H/J trainer who unfortunately tried to fix the symptoms I saw in contact by focusing on fixing the contact. At the time I didn't know any better. I entered her in a couple of shows but didn't score very well.

December 2015: I had began to suspect that her head/contact issues were related to back discomfort; I left the H/J trainer and got Ana a high quality custom fitted saddle. The fitter at the time pointed out that the Thornhill was indeed hitting her in the withers and that this would be the cause of all the head symptoms I was seeing under saddle. I test rode her in the new saddle with the fitter right there and immediately noticed an improvement. She seemed a lot more comfortable. Unfortunately I did not attempt to canter her during his visit. A couple days later I asked her to canter and it was a disaster. I called the saddle fitter who said that we completely changed my balance point and that Ana just needed to get used to the new feel/weight distribution. So I began just riding her at walk and trot and everything was great except I didn't dare ask for canter and eventually she went lame at the trot and would stumble here and there. The vet was called and he said there is nothing major wrong but she might be developing early stages of DJD in her hock. Her behavior started to change. She seemed crabby and depressed all of the time.

January 2016: Frustrated with the lack of Dressage resources and declining standard of care at the H/J barn, I moved Ana to a Dressage barn. We started her on Vitamin E, changed farriers and began taking lessons with the BO.

February 2016 - April 2016: Things began to look up. Her muscles began developing correctly. My riding skills improved. I entered her in a show at Intro B and we got the highest score we ever received; we went from a 58 to a 67 under the same judge from the previous year. I was elated! Things were looking up!

May 2016: Suddenly her performance began to decline and she actually went lame during a test and was favoring her left hind. The vet was called and he discovered that she had a bad abscess in her right hind that had caused an infection in her leg. She was treated, and enjoyed some time off.

June 2016: I began riding her again; the abscess had healed but she still seemed lame. A vet was called to do a full workup. She discovered that Ana was moderately lame in both stifles and both hocks. We opted for injections.

July 2016: I began riding her again and he was going almost perfectly; she still seemed tight in her back. The saddle fitter was called and she made some major adjustments to the flocking and gave me a quick riding lesson. A significant improvement was noted.

July 2016-December 2016: Ana began to improve all the way around; my skills improved as well. We began winning at shows or at least getting decent scores. I started showing her Intro C as her canter had improved from a 5 to 6. It still was not the canter she had when I first got her in 2014 but it was decent enough to show. In between she got chiro adjustments and we worked with an animal communicator to address minor discomforts before they became major problems. We changed bits.

January 2017-March 2017: We continued to do well practicing on our own although I noticed some strange behavior here and there. The saddle fitter came out and tweaked the fit some more. The osteopath came out and adjusted Ana for the first time. We went to camp and did well. When we returned from camp Ana seemed different; a week later she was completely lame and still doing strange things. The animal communicator was called but she couldn't pinpoint the problem; just noted that Ana seems overall happy but twisted up in her body.

April 2017: She was diagnosed with EPM and is currently finishing up treatment. During her initial exam it wasn't clear whether the symptoms under saddle were caused by lameness or had neurological basis; although she definitely displayed neuro symptoms. She was started on Platinum CJ which is supposed to help with joint and muscle discomfort as well as improve the overall wellness of the horse. We also added a high quality Vitamin E supplement to support her neurological recovery.

Going forward: it appears that at least some of the symptoms were based on neurological issues so now that she's completed EPM treatment and started on Vitamin E, that part should be covered. The PPCJ should take care of mild to moderate muscle and joint discomfort. I ordered a shock absorbing half pad that doesn't interfere with saddle fit which should make her back feel more comfortable. I'm planning on riding her a lot more carefully with a focus on her comfort and correct development instead of my showing goals. 

I still think that there is something wrong with her back, or that her back is shaped in such a way that no saddle will ever allow her to move comfortably. She is a very dainty horse with an impossibly small saddle bearing surface. Maybe there is a better fitting saddle out there or maybe not. If you look at videos of show Morgans, the saddles are practically sitting on their kidneys and their heads are up in the air with the back dropped and legs behind them. Maybe the way show Morgans are bred makes it nearly impossible to get them to move in a relaxed way; and in the show world they don't want them to be relaxed anyway. So no matter what I do she will never be able to move 100% correctly; all I can hope for is an improvement; maybe I can get her from uncomfortable to somewhat comfortable and that will need to be enough. There are simply too many conformational obstacles in our way. But I'm excited at the prospect of helping her feel and move better even if it's not perfect by competitive Dressage standards; I just want her to move bio-mechanically correct for HER conformation so that I can enjoy her for years to come without ruining her physically.

I have zero showing goals right now. Should Ana improve dramatically to the point that she can move 100% comfortably through a test, I'm open to showing her again. If she can only move partially comfortably, I will not expose her to the rigors of showing.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I hope the saddle pad helps. I can't say what the answer is. I think most horses can do low level dressage without it damaging their bodies but help keep them sound long term. I rehabbed quite a few horses who were MUCH sounder and more able/comfortable in their bodies with basic dressage work, I wasn't asking for collective work (2nd level and above stuff because that can be too much for some horses) for example Bailey (a qh) has a sacroiliac issue and needs it injected once a year to be comfortable and he's shown 2nd (only one season because it was too much on him) schooled through 3rd (he has back and hip issues), he's always had a super sensitive back and has gone through multiple saddles trying to make him comfortable but we ask for 3rd level type stuff (changes, half pass collected canter/trot, he LOVES medium and extended work and seems to feel better when he does that) but we do it very reservedly, just a little bit to help develop the muscle and help keep him elastic and supple to help with conditioning then we let him have it easy. When I rode him, I always stretched him before and after, then did some massage work on him and he seemed more comfortable that way. I also rehabbed an old game horse who stayed a lot sounder going but I mostly did walk-trot with her because she'd been used so hard, it wasn't fair to ask too much. I asked she basically trot in rhythm, be balanced and met the contact. I rehabbed several horses from a suspensory, a tb who had advanced EPM before he was treated, dressage totally changed his way of going and made him a lot stronger, more coordinated and able to move his hind end better. He was SUPER stiff behind and was pretty uncoordinated and awkward to being with and after a year he became like a normal horse and was much sounder and able to keep his footing, etc. Another horse called Andy who had his check ligament cut, various surgeries and was basically damaged in 3 legs but doing basic dressage work made him progressively sounder until he could go to a show and not look lame. He wasn't lame but he was short in 3 legs because of scar tissue but he had to work or it'd get tighter and make him lame and stiff. Clyde was a 27yr old hanoverian 17.2h and he became more arthritic, stiff, and uncomfortable moving in the pasture when he didn't work, with basic dressage work (to about 1st level, except for shoulder in, haunches in) he was much sounder and more comfortable moving in the pasture. He moved much more fluidly and confidently rather than with hesitation. When you start introducing a lot of collective work and steep laterals, that can be hard for certain conformation types but I dont think relaxation is impossible or a basically correct outline of meeting contact, consistent rhythm and in balance. Though I'll say at training and 1st level Bailey is a rock star and will scores in the 60s and 70s. I got a 73% on him 6-7yrs ago.

But good luck figuring out what is best for Ana and I hope it all works out. I hope the pad works, which one did you order?


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## frlsgirl

That is all very encouraging information @DanteDressageNerd - I hope my previous post wasn't perceived as me saying that Dressage training is bad for horses; I totally agree with you that it has therapeutic benefits. I guess what I was trying to say in my previous post is that maybe Ana specifically cannot benefit from *some* of Dressage training because maybe she is not conformed to accommodate a rider comfortably. I can get her to walk in a relaxed manner and I can get her to trot in relaxed manner some of the time but I cannot get her to relax at the canter. I'm just considering the possibility that no matter what else I throw at her, she may never be able to do above Intro B Dressage without causing her serious physical damage. My show ambitions got the better of me and I pushed her too hard. I told myself that I was going slow because 2 years at Intro level is a long time, but I didn't consider that every horse is an individual and she may never be able to canter comfortably. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm ok with the possibility of never riding above Intro B with her as far as Dressage showing is concerned. I'm also ok with never showing her in Dressage again. I would like to figure out a way to one day canter her up the hill on my new property; I'm considering training exclusively in 2 point to see if that helps her. 

I still would like to know why she could canter seemingly comfortably in early 2014 and not now. 

I do understand that there is always some exercise induced discomfort and that's how horses can break through plateaus and improve and that *some* tension will show up here and there but then should dissipate as the horse gets used to the exercise. I'm just not sure where that delicate line is between helping and hurting and because I want to keep Ana happy and sound for a long time I'm going to be a lot more careful from now on.

I have some old footage of her canter from 2014; it's a little grainy because it was pre-GoPro but you can really see a difference; I need to put a YouTube video together and post it.

Anyway, really long explanation lol, but yes, correct Dressage training is good for all horses, but some horses may have some sort of deficit that will cause them discomfort at different levels. As you pointed out, for some horses that is 2nd or 3rd level, but maybe for a select few such as Ana, we will need to end it with Intro B.

Maybe, once Ana is cleared for riding she will suddenly canter like Valegro in which case you can scrap this entire post, lol. Horses, such majestic yet delicate and complex creatures, sigh.

Regarding the pad, I got the Ultra Thin-line; I know your are not a big fan but I had one of those before and she did seem more comfortable in it then she is now. I also needed something that adds cushioning without creating bulk because her saddle is perfectly contoured to her body and adding bulk could throw all that off.


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## frlsgirl

OMG you guys!!!!!!!!!!!

I figured it out !!!!!!!!

I know what's wrong now!!!!!!!

See for yourself:









Can you see it? It's the Mike Corcoran saddle! Ever since I switched from the Thornhill Klasse to the Mike Corcoran Merit she is unable to lower her croup to bring the legs under; instead she sticks her butt out and pounds the hind legs into the ground!!!! 

No wonder she went lame and needed injections!!!!!!

I'm such an idiot!!!!

I hope it's not too late to fix this!!!!

How do I tell my husband I need a new saddle? :|

Here is a screenshot where you can really see the difference in her pelvic rotation; Thornhill rotated under and stepping under; MC no rotation, sticking out backwards!


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## DanteDressageNerd

That makes a lot of sense about the saddle. 

Her canter is much more useful in the 1st than the 2nd. The 2nd looks like she's hollowing her back and avoiding pressure points from the saddle. Usually I see it like that when the pressure in the back of the panels and front is much more than in the center (Bridging). Lots of tail swishing. I see the pelvis rotation as well as though she's trying to move her back around the pressure. 

But good luck with the saddle fit headache. I'd be curious what the pressure is like on her back. It should be an even pressure across the back with no increase of pressure along the back, just even, consistent and not overly hard or lacking. But good luck. Saddle fit is a head ache and a half, especially when you have clear restrictions like back length. Some of the french saddles might be something she'd like? They're put on more of a "jumper" type tree and while I'm not a big fan of french saddles, I think on some horses, especially if they have a short or somewhat curved back it helps but hard to say. The antares I know sits a little more forward than a typical dressage saddle and sits closer to the horse's back which some horses like but then some horses hate the foam panels because their harder and less forgiving than the wool panels and they're not really adjustable but *shrugs* hopefully there are some good option or perhaps your saddle can be reflocked or perhaps a thick pad may help or who knows *Shrugs* I hope you can figure it out. 

And no lol. I haven't been particularly impressed with the thinline. I haven't noticed that it makes much of a difference. The prolite has been tested and makes a difference but thinline under testing is better than nothing but for the price there are better options. I think it's mostly hype and advertising but that's my opinion. They're very popular.

Prolite® - pads, girths, boots and other protective cushioning accessories for the horse

Prolite® - Balance Altering Relief Pads

some pads under testing if your scroll down
Invictus Equestrian Performance


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## frlsgirl

Yeah, although I was initially excited that I figured this out, now I'm getting hit with the realization that I might need another saddle. I can't tell you how upset my husband was when I splurged on Ana's current saddle without discussing it with him first. 

So here is the game plan: hopefully we will get the green light on Wednesday, at which time we will start with walk first, and then slowly over time add in trot. We can use her current saddle for that since she can walk and trot in it very well. Then if/when we reach a point where we want to work on canter, I can do two point in my current saddle or I can try one of BO's many H/J and Dressage saddles.

I also reached out to the osteopath with my dilemma; because now Ana has learned to canter this way, she may try to continue cantering incorrectly even if we end up getting her a better fitting saddle. So we will probably need to create some new muscle memory. Come to think of it both the osteo and chiro have said that Ana's pelvis keeps getting stuck in the upright position, and then they fix it, and then it's stuck again by the next visit. 

I've reached out to the previous saddle fitter; the one who sold me the Thornhill; I do think my position was much better in it and Ana was clearly more comfortable in her back but unfortunately not in her wither/neck region. I'm going to reach out to Ana's current saddle fitter as well to see if she has any ideas.

Either way, it's going to be a team effort of osteo or chiro helping Ana unlock her pelvis again and create new muscle memory, me experimenting with 2 point and some of BO's saddles, and possibly with one or two saddle fitters to either tweak current saddle or get a new one. I'm not going to spend a significant amount on this though. Since I no longer have showing goals, I'm open to trail saddles, H/J saddles, all purpose saddles etc. 

Update:

Spend some time lunging Ana this weekend. She was hotter than a fire cracker on the 4th of July. We had some crazy rain move through the area which means horses were either not turned out at all or only for a few minutes. Ana was so cute though "Pardon me, I'm going to lose my shiitake now, please stand by!" (Canters, trots, bucks, settles down) "Sorry about that, I'm ready to work now!"

Due to the weather, the show was cancelled this weekend which means I didn't get to scribe, boo! I really want to learn to scribe. Maybe next show.

She did really well for the ground work; she is just so pumped about showing me what all she can do and she seems to memorize the sequence of the exercises and tries to start without me. She audits me carefully and does not tolerate interruptions; if I stop to talk to someone, she starts nickering and pawing. 

I finally rode Cayenne; the QH mare that BO had suggested I ride for her. Let me just say that she is NOT Ana. It's a treat to ride different horses but I do miss riding my girl so much. Cayenne was a children's horse for most of her life so she has just about every bad habit a horse can have. If she doesn't feel like riding anymore, she stops and walks backwards. She didn't try that with me but she didn't stand still for mounting; it took about 6 tries and 2 serious discussions before I finally got on. Another thing she does, that's actually kind of cute, is she starts calling for other horses even though there are other horses in the arena, so we spent some time in shoulder in so that she couldn't see the horses in the pasture. She is very attached to the arena wall and will almost run you into the railing if you let her so we spent some time on the quarter line. Even though she has all these habits, she does take direction very well. Her trot is really nice; really big and ground covering. She also has a nice leg yield; she is very adjustable. One thing I didn't like is that she's kind of down hill; it just gives me a funny feeling; I can't explain it, kind of like riding in the front of a bus. I might ride her again if Ana ends up being off longer, but I would prefer riding Ana. Ana just feels like "home" 

She was so cute yesterday, I gave her a kiss and then she turned and tried to give me a kiss, so cute:


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> We can use her current saddle for that since she can walk and trot in it very well. Then if/when we reach a point where we want to work on canter, I can do two point in my current saddle or I can try one of BO's many H/J and Dressage saddles.


If your saddle does not fit, then doing two point is not going to make it better. In fact, depending on what the fit issue is, it may actually make it worse as all the pressure would be focused on the stirrup bars/tree points. Gait also does not change the way a saddle fits - the results of poor fit is just more pronounced as the speed increases. Think about wearing a pair of sneakers that is too tight in the toe; you may be able to walk around without visible limping, but when you run you find yourself lurching a lot. When you go back to walking, you probably won't limp any more, but that doesn't mean the shoes _fit_.

Touching base with your saddle fitter sounds like a good idea. Perhaps your current saddle can be reflocked to match Ana's present shape.


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> If your saddle does not fit, then doing two point is not going to make it better. In fact, depending on what the fit issue is, it may actually make it worse as all the pressure would be focused on the stirrup bars/tree points. Gait also does not change the way a saddle fits - the results of poor fit is just more pronounced as the speed increases. Think about wearing a pair of sneakers that is too tight in the toe; you may be able to walk around without visible limping, but when you run you find yourself lurching a lot. When you go back to walking, you probably won't limp any more, but that doesn't mean the shoes _fit_.
> 
> Touching base with your saddle fitter sounds like a good idea. Perhaps your current saddle can be reflocked to match Ana's present shape.


So I should clarify, the saddle fits her well from an anatomical perspective; but the saddle design puts the balance point further back than the Thornhill and she doesn't seem to like it. She has gotten somewhat used to it and canters slightly better than she did when we first switched to the MC. She moves much better in the walk and trot; I have a couple of videos....

3 + years of canter videos in different saddles with different people riding; here you can see that her canter significantly deteriorated with the MC saddle but then as she got used to it, she's moving slightly better but not nearly as well as she did in 2014-2015.






Ana trotting and walking in old Thornhill saddle; she was totally restricted up front and couldn't move forward and her trapezius atrophied as a result.






I'm working with several experts on this (osteo, chiro, vet, 2 saddle fitters) - I'm sure we will find a solution. But for now she's not even cleared to ride yet and once she gets cleared we can only walk for a while, before we add trot, and if that all goes well we may eventually add in canter.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a strong contender:

Fidelio

They make these with 2 types of panels; standard and a curvy one for short-backed curvy horses.

It's not insanely expensive like Ana's current saddle.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Good luck figuring out what all you need for Ana. I have my fingers crossed for you with all the saddle stuff if you decide to get a new one and if you'll be selling your current one or not. Good luck! 

I'm also glad you're riding other horses. No they're never quite like riding your own, there really is a special feeling when you get to ride your very own horse but it's great you get to ride a few others while Ana is resting. 

But the kiss video is really cute. Gotta love affectionate ponies!


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd - Yep Ana loves all forms of attention including selfies 

Almost forgot the video from Friday; we were doing pelvic stretches. Note that I'm not actually pulling on her tail, I'm simply holding it off to the side to give myself more room. Note that I'm pushing really hard and and you can see her belly muscles activate on the left side to stabilize herself. A month ago, she lost her ability to do this; she would shake and lose her balance with just a small push from me. 

She seems really proud of herself and eager to show me what all she can do. Yesterday, while I was getting the carrots, she lined herself up to let me know that she's really ready, lol.






@egrogan - couldn't find anyone to film the pelvic crunches; it's really hard to film from a distance. I'll try again some time this week.


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## egrogan

Her expression is certainly bright and interested- she looks like she's enjoying herself!

I can't quite tell where you're positioning your hands in those stretches, but it looks further back than what my chiro was showing me last time she was out. Will be curious to see the difference with the crunches, but assuming that's when you sort of run your fingertip down the rounded part of her butt on either side of the tail to get her to tuck under and "scrunch up" her belly?


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Her expression is certainly bright and interested- she looks like she's enjoying herself!
> 
> I can't quite tell where you're positioning your hands in those stretches, but it looks further back than what my chiro was showing me last time she was out. Will be curious to see the difference with the crunches, but assuming that's when you sort of run your fingertip down the rounded part of her butt on either side of the tail to get her to tuck under and "scrunch up" her belly?


Yes, for the stretches, I find the bony bit on her butt and push on it and then she pushes back/leans into it. For the crunches, I run two identical combs diagonally across her but through the hollow areas which causes this crunching reflex. When you first start with the crunches, you start slowly with just 1 or 2 and then you can build up from there. I'll try to get a video for you but I'm no expert, so please run it by Izzy's vet or chiro first.


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> ...but I'm no expert, so please run it by Izzy's vet or chiro first.


Haha, you sound like me at work, where I am forever telling people when they ask my advice: _I'm not a lawyer, and I don't pretend to play one on TV_ :wink:

But yes, Izzy is good to do the crunches per both vet and chiro, though she thinks they are quite ridiculous and not worth her time!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Haha, you sound like me at work, where I am forever telling people when they ask my advice: _I'm not a lawyer, and I don't pretend to play one on TV_ :wink:
> 
> But yes, Izzy is good to do the crunches per both vet and chiro, though she thinks they are quite ridiculous and not worth her time!


Ana gets a carrot after each exercise so she's more than happy to cooperate; she knows the carrots only come out of the bag when we do stretches and crunches :wink:


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## frlsgirl

@egrogan

https://youtu.be/Of4sGrn-5k4


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## frlsgirl

Visited Ana last night and managed to get a quick video for @egrogan ^^^^^^

All her reflexes worked well; she was a little annoyed that I pulled her away from the grass to make the video so when I walked her back she trotted in place with ears pinned to let me know she really wanted some serious grazing time. Silly girl. It finally dried out a little and we could actually see the sun all day. Today it's supposed to be just as nice but then tonight we are under a flash flood watch again, sigh. Hopefully the weather will be decent enough for Ana's neuro exam tomorrow. 

I'm supposed to hear from the saddle fitter today to see if there is a way we can change the balance point of the saddle. Fingers crossed!


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## egrogan

Thank you thank you!

Love the combs you used- I've used straws and hoofpicks, but that seems much better. I've also done it with a downward motion and slower, so this is a different technique. Excited to try it out!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Thank you thank you!
> 
> Love the combs you used- I've used straws and hoofpicks, but that seems much better. I've also done it with a downward motion and slower, so this is a different technique. Excited to try it out!


The chiro showed me using quarters; I couldn't quite hold them right plus I never have coins on me. You just need to be careful that you don't dig into the skin; you need just enough pressure to get a reaction. The chiro is taller than me and he can get an insane reaction out of her with just the quarters. I think I did 4 crunches in this video but we've been doing this for a while. I was warned to only do 1 or 2 in the beginning.


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## frlsgirl

Do you think this saddle would fit Ana and me:

http://www.doversaddlery.com/pds-showtime-xch-dressage-saddle/p/Z1-15740A/

It sure is a great deal; and you can get it in alto panels for the short-backed horse. It's less than half of what I spent on Ana's current saddle.

I wish I had unless supply of cash then I would just buy 50 different saddles; my husband said I should become a saddle fitter....:think:


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## frlsgirl

We are cleared to ride:
https://youtu.be/x0gfQXlwngA

Vet was impressed with how well Ana is doing. 

She wants her back to her regular level of riding in 2 weeks!

Today, we just walked. Well she broke into a trot a couple of times and spooked once. She's just really excited.


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## frlsgirl

Vet was really impressed with how good she looks and how well she did during her exam. Even her coat looks better and her spirit seems to be back to normal. I had a hard time holding her as she just wanted to go. We will need to reinstall the whoa button. When I tried to halt for a picture she got really antsy and annoyed as evidenced by sour face in picture :icon_rolleyes:

The vet wants me to ride her a lot. She said I shouldn't go too easy on her because consistent work is best; start with walking only and get back to normal work load in 2 weeks. How am I gonna do all that? I might need to pay BO to help me ride her. She's gotten very spoiled and picked up bad habits during her time off; she needs to have a CTJ meeting!

Here is part of her neuro exam:






She is a lot steadier than she was before but she still lets herself get pulled off balance a bit but the vet said she will continue to improve and get stronger as her neural tissues continues to heal.


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## PoptartShop

Glad to see you back on your girl!  Just gradually work her, as advised. Your BO helping would be a good thing too, to get her continuous work.


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## egrogan

Totally agree with @poptart- you look so happy up there


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> you look so happy up there


I am totally happy; Ana's face though :rofl:


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> I am totally happy; Ana's face though :rofl:


But that's how you know she's feeling better! :wink:


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## frlsgirl

Ugh. Been reaching out to saddle fitters, osteo etc. So far what I'm hearing is not encouraging:

"We do not have a saddle on the shelf that meets your criteria. I am not aware of any supplier that makes a standard saddle that will meet those specifications, what you are looking for is a pretty unique saddle that will need to be custom ordered, and I am afraid will cost well over your price target. Regards R"

My original message:

"Looking for a new saddle to fit a petite Morgan with a normal wither and short back. 

Here are the specs:

Dressage Saddle
17.5 seat size 
MW tree size
Hoop tree
Shoulder gussets
Rear gussets
Adjustable stirrup bar
Upswept panel shape
Short panel made for short-backed horses
Flap length: 16 max
Panel shape: not flat and not banana/something in between 
Color: prefer black but will consider brown
Budget: $1000 

Do you have anything in stock that would fit her?"


Honestly, if I can't find something that works for both of us for a reasonable price, I'm just going to use her as my occasional riding horse (walk,trot only) because I'm better off investing 5k into a new horse instead of another saddle.


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## evilamc

Hm are you sure Ana needs a hoop tree? Usually hoop trees are for wider horses, if you DON'T need a hoop tree that will probably open up a LOT of options! I know a lot of people don't agree with treeless but properly padded and WELL MADE treeless saddles can be very nice.

Glad she passed her neuro exam though and is doing better!


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## egrogan

In my experience wanting the short flap makes the search extraordinarily difficult. Have you ridden in a Trilogy Debbie MacDonald? It seems to work pretty well for both Izzy and I, and the short flap is standard. I got mine used for $1200.

I also loved an older model County Competitor, but short flap is _not _standard and when I finally admitted a 16.5 in seat was too small for me, I couldn't find a used short flap that met Izzy's measurements. Though I am always sort of looking as I loved the simplicity of that saddle!


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## crimsonsky

frlsgirl said:


> Do you think this saddle would fit Ana and me:
> 
> http://www.doversaddlery.com/pds-showtime-xch-dressage-saddle/p/Z1-15740A/
> 
> It sure is a great deal; and you can get it in alto panels for the short-backed horse. It's less than half of what I spent on Ana's current saddle.
> 
> I wish I had unless supply of cash then I would just buy 50 different saddles; my husband said I should become a saddle fitter....:think:


I'm late to the game here so please excuse some of my comments/questions if they've been addressed previously.
1. the PDS might work for you - the flaps are on the longer side so depending on your leg that could be good.
2. the alto panels are for high withers and have more panel depth at the back/cantel end of the panels
3. if you want a short panel you need the corto which is designed for a more compact round back
4. these saddles all come equipped with the x-change system from Pessoa so if your horse doesn't fit into one of those plate sizes/shapes then it may cause you more issues

the video compliation you posted of the mare at canter from 2014 - 2017 shows a mare that's working decently in the beginning with the previous owner in a pessoa (so might be good for your saddle hunt!) however i could wish for more forward (that's a tiny thing in the grand scheme of things). then as time goes on your riding and your horses comfort deteriorates at the same level video clip by video clip. i will say i also imagine your mare wasn't happy with the trainer ride you posted with the see-sawing of the reins. things just get progressively worse as it goes along. some of it may be saddle fit but i'm willing to be it all stems from training, especially if you've been with that trainer in the video throughout this 3ish year period. 

clearly you want the best for your horse as you're spending $$$ on vet, chiro, body work, tack, etc. but really - take a look at the $ you're spending on training. maybe load the mare up and go take a lesson with someone else and see what their second opinion is.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for your feedback @crimsonsky

I wish it were that simple; we've switched barns 3 times and trainers multiple times. This trainer is actually really good; she doesn't usually see saw like that so I'm not sure why that happened there. The reason why my riding looks worse is because the new saddle puts me behind the balance point so I'm having to compensate with all sorts of funny adjustments. Towards the end of the video her canter gets a little better because the fitter changed the balance of the saddle a bit and I shortened my stirrups. The only problem with the shorter stirrups is that it puts my lower leg too far back. It's one of those situations where you fix one thing and something else falls apart.

But I'm not worried; we will figure something out that works for everyone.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> In my experience wanting the short flap makes the search extraordinarily difficult. Have you ridden in a Trilogy Debbie MacDonald? It seems to work pretty well for both Izzy and I, and the short flap is standard. I got mine used for $1200.
> 
> I also loved an older model County Competitor, but short flap is _not _standard and when I finally admitted a 16.5 in seat was too small for me, I couldn't find a used short flap that met Izzy's measurements. Though I am always sort of looking as I loved the simplicity of that saddle!


That's a really good deal on a Trilogy - you must be so thrilled!


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## crimsonsky

i'd be willing to bet you could find a nicely cared for used Prestige with a short flap for at or under $1000 that would work for your mare.


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## DanteDressageNerd

If you can, I'd give the PDS a try. I've never ridden in one or seen one but they look like they'd be worth looking into and trying. Especially if they have a curved back option. 

I love trilogy, I love my verago but their saddles are designed for a straight back and are generally a little long for a short backed horse. They have short panels but it may be a unicorn to find one used and if she doesn't need a banana tree a skilled fitter could fit it to her but good luck on your hunt. I think the PDS is a good candidate and worth a try. 

I personally wouldn't worry about finding a short flap, so much as finding something that fits. Good luck! Finding a horse is easier than finding a saddle to fit that horse lol. 

I'm really glad to hear you're back on Ana! That's wonderful! Congratulations!


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> Good luck! Finding a horse is easier than finding a saddle to fit that horse lol.


No kidding! I've seen some horse ads where they are selling a custom fitted saddle with the horse; I'm thinking it's totally worth it. That way you can ride the horse right away and spend 3 years trying to find a saddle that fits so that the horse can move properly. Of course it didn't help that I bought the smallest possible horse; she's just so darn cute. Who can resist that sweet Morgan face?


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## frlsgirl

Rode Ana last night in the outdoor. The Thinline pad came in so I was eager to try. I heard some horses spook at the sheepskin rolls so I was going "please don't spook, please don't spook" but she accepted it without any issues. She had the full sheepskin pad before with the Thornhill and she was fine with it as well. I immediately felt a difference when I sat in the saddle.

I rode her in the outdoor; it was windy, there were obstacles, other horses, people driving by, dogs fighting, lots of things for her to look at. She didn't spook once. We worked on switching from regular walk to loose rein walk. I have not tried to put Ana back on the bit since I just started riding her again. So I simply shorten the rein while moving my elbows so that she doesn't get bumped in the mouth and ask her to accept that for a few strides and then I let the reins slip through my fingers and let her stretch for a few strides and then pick them up again. This is a bit of struggle for Ana right now. She's quite spoiled and doesn't want me to tell her what to do. She's only known me as the carrot dispenser for over a month and now I'm sitting on her and asking her to do things. In her mind, we are either relaxing or I'm taking things away from her. I need her to understand that she can relax even when she's working. It got better as we moved along but then I got greedy and wanted to try just one more time and she argued with me which is what I was trying to avoid. There is no need to argue because I'm not taking things from her. 

We also worked on steering and thanks to the many obstacles, we got lots of practice. She's re-learning to listen to my weight and leg aids. I also got the sense that she understands more than what she's actually showing me because her personal opinion gets in the way. So we need to work on that. I would ask her to go left and she would pin her ears and rush towards the right like she's trying to say "oh, oops, your aids didn't work fast enough so lets just go right instead" or "yeah I get that you want to go left but trust me right is better"

I'm gonna ride her in the covered arena today; she usually is more compliant in there as there aren't as many distractions and the footing is consistent. 

I do tend to baby her a lot especially since she's been sick so I'm just trying to find the right way to have a CTJ meeting with her or somehow let her know that I'm not taking things from her. Dressage is a good thing. It's fun. It's good for her. Resistance is futile. If I can work 40 hours a week then she can walk nicely for 30 minutes 5 days a week.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm really glad you're having a good time bringing Ana back. I think sometimes having a break helps them out too to bring them back eager to please and work. Just keeping it fun and rewarding. Good luck! Keep having fun with it!


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## frlsgirl

Spend lots of time with Ana this weekend. We tried on another saddle; a really old dusty Wintec that I found in BO's tack room. It fits her surprisingly well; it's a lot less material, yet fits her all the way around and the balance is further forward which I had been looking for:



















Compare that to her current saddle; it also fits her well but it's a lot of leather with balance further back:



















I didn't actually ride her in the Wintec yet; don't want to make too many changes while she's so early in her recovery.

She has definitely lost a lot of strength in her hind end. She can walk, trot and apparently spook:






We are only trotting a little bit right now. Here, I was trying to trot on a loose rein but she got spooked at who knows what. But, hey, at least it put a pep in her step.

She can do large bending lines at walk and trot but she fizzles out quickly at the trot. Small figures and lateral is out for now; she's still too weak for that. We did lots of walk pole work yesterday and she handled that really well. I could really feel her hips moving. So we are going to do a lot more walk poles since it seems to help. 










Today is Ana's day off. Platinum Performance shipped my order too late but thankfully my friend is letting me dip into her supply. I called PP this morning and they agreed to send me free sample packs so that I can repay her. I can't really afford PP long term especially if Ana just ends up being my occasional trail horse, pasture pet. But I do want to giver her the opportunity to really replenish all her nutrients while she's healing. I will probably switch to SmartPak once she's feeling better.

I've been working on myself a lot; mostly mind set. Mind set is so important. I can let myself get overwhelmed easily. So I'm trying to change that. Listening to a couple of audio-books "The Secret" and "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" - I'm just trying to figure out what I want instead of what I don't want. It's helping, but it takes work.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Mind set is definitely important. It makes a big difference in outlook and how you approach life and I also think the way you approach life/circumstances. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn't and you just keep going but I hope it helps.

Might as well try the wintec, it looks like it fits her a little better. I hope she likes it. 

She looks well. Hopefully it won't take too long to bring her back into shape and get her going and happy in her work. You can look at san juan supplements as well. They're more cost effective than PP and smartpak (depending) but higher quality than smartak and close to PP. More pure traces and derived from natural sources.

Good luck I hope she continues to progress well!


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## PoptartShop

Aww, she looks good. 
I also think the Wintec would be good to try soon.  Hopefully it feels as good as it fits! I also get overwhelmed easily sometimes, it's hard. But props to you for working on that, and I hope Ana continues to feel better! 
Let us know how the saddle works!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies, it's weird though that a cheap, old, dusty Wintec would fit her just as well as my super fancy leather saddle. 

Regarding supplements, I was thinking about transitioning her to either this:

Grand Premium Plus - Maximum Support Horse Supplement Formula

or

horse joint supplements, equine joint supplements

But I will look more into San Juan...thanks @*DanteDressageNerd*


Almost forgot, husband caught me looking at saddles online yesterday. He was like "why are you looking at saddles?" I was like "um, just mind your own"...lol

Currently looking at this one:

https://www.statelinetack.com/item/thornhill-pro-trainer-danube-saddle/E001109/

"Thornhill Pro-Trainer® DANUBE™ Saddle
Elegant styling with soft curves and classic lines. Soft seat, narrower twist and close contact wool stuff ed panels make this saddle extremely popular. A great design and value. Available in premium smooth black bridle leather. Girthing: point and V billets for balanced girthing. 10 year spring tree warranty.
Features:


Fits broad backed horses best such as Arabs, Quarterhorses, Morgan, etc.
Deep seat with narrower twist and close contact wool-flocked panels. 
Wider flaps with moderate 3/4" thigh blocks permit more bend in the knee. 
Popular among shorter riders."


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## frlsgirl

Had a good ride on Ana last night; for the first time, I felt like I could put her back together and keep her together for a bit without her freaking out or backing off too much. We are still just doing walk and trot and mostly straight lines and large curves. She's starting to feel like the old Ana under saddle. Yay!

She has been coughing every day so BO wanted me to take her temp: 99.9 - perfect. Some of the other horses at the barn are coughing as well but none have a temp either. She said that tree pollen count is really high right now so it's probably just allergies. I personally didn't hear her cough until we started trotting; she coughed maybe 7 times and then she was good and didn't cough again. A friend told me then when a horse is off work for a long time and then you bring them back they will cough because their lungs aren't used to the work anymore but then it gradually goes away. Since the other horses are coughing as well and they have been in work it must just be allergies. It did make me feel good that BO was so insistent on me taking her temp; like she was worried that I might ride a sick horse. 

A really funny thing happened. So I bring Ana back to the barn and decide to untack her in her stall. It goes well but she keeps getting closer to the door and then just stands there with her ears half way pinned...I was like, what on earth does she want? She does that when she's trying to tell me something. Then I remembered - recently I had been untacking her at the hitching post because I then put her halter on and take her hand grazing. She was trying to present her head so that I could put the halter on and take her out again. The halter was still tied to the hitching post. So I stepped away, with the stall door wide open and got the halter; she stood like a statue. She's so funny though. She does not let me forget anything.

Also, Ana's new neighbor is getting more neighborly every day. Even BO commented that he really likes Ana. He nickers and paces when I take her out and he nickers and goes to the hole in the wood slats when I bring her back:


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## tinyliny

It must be frustrating to be right next to someone you want to 'meet' and be able to do no more than a small sniff through a wee hole in the wall.


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## DanteDressageNerd

This is one of there all in one supplements, so you can see their ingredients and compare
https://www.scahealth.com/scah/product/ultracruz-equine-wellness-joint-care-horse-supplement

https://www.scahealth.com/scah/prod...t/ultracruz-equine-probiotic-horse-supplement

Maybe she'd be happier with the thornhill? Sometimes more expensive isn't better. But that's funny with your husband. He was probably like didn't we just buy a custom saddle? 

I'm really glad Ana was so good and is doing so much better undersaddle. That's really good news! 

Her nosy neighbor is precious! That's too cute! I guess he has a kind of crush on her?


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## egrogan

tinyliny said:


> It must be frustrating to be right next to someone you want to 'meet' and be able to do no more than a small sniff through a wee hole in the wall.


But that hole has certainly seen a lot of sniffing! :wink: Wonder how small it was originally?


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## frlsgirl

Yep that's why they always put a friendly horse in the first stall because that's where the hitching post and the hole in the wall is. BO did mention that he REALLY likes Ana. She just kind of tolerates him "Ugh, another admirer; take a number and get in line!"

Never made it to the barn last night 

Hoping to go tonight.

One of the saddle companies emailed me back with 3 viable suggestions:

KN Olympic
Stubben Scandica
Kent & Masters

All at reasonable prices!

I also narrowed down the list of saddles that I want to try at our local tack shop. I just haven't had time to work on this at all. I did talk to BO about the Wintec and she said that everyone loves that saddle. So I'm hoping to ride Ana in it soon.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Good luck finding a saddle Ana likes! I'm not a big stubben fan but good luck finding a saddle that suits you both. 

lol poor Ana doesn't like all the male attention anymore than the rest of us. lol go Ana, men are annoying anyway lol.


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## evilamc

That hole for her neighbor is too funny!

Idea for you! Since you say you want to check out your local tack shop, have you thought about making wither tracings to take with you? Then you can try the saddle on almost without having her! If you get one of those flexible rulers, mold it over her withers, then trace it onto a large piece of card board. Cut it out and you got her withers! Then take a few more tracings down her back so you can see how the saddle fits all the way down! Just an idea! May save you some time and hassle of returning saddles that don't work. It will almost be like you have Ana with you to try them on


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for the suggestions @*evilamc* 
@*DanteDressageNerd* - with so many geldings at the barn, Ana has her pick of the litter; she only has eyes for the Prince the Frisian 

Finally made it to the barn and a storm was brewing. I was determined to ride her though so we hurried into the arena and had a really good 20 minute ride when we heard the first thunder. So I quickly found a good point to stop, with a few minutes of grazing time to spare.

Busy weekend lies ahead but I'm determined to squeeze in a ride today and tomorrow. She's supposed to be back to her normal level of work by next Wednesday but I don't see that happening. We haven't even cantered. She is making steady progress though.

When a storm is brewing but you need your grazing time:


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## PoptartShop

LOL that's too funny about her neighbor. She has a little crush! :lol: So cute.
Glad she is doing well & felt better when you rode her. Sounds like she has really improved & I hope everything continues to go well. :smile:
Hopefully her allergies get better. I'm dealing with them myself!


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## egrogan

Those are some mean looking clouds! 

Glad she's coming back into work well.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I agree. The weather looks ominous! Yikes! I hope it didn't do too much damage. Storms make me nervous. Sometimes you don't know what you'll wake up to but I'm glad you and Ana are well and doing well together!


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## frlsgirl

Got a quick ride in Friday and we accidentally cantered; it wasn't pretty but she offered and I didn't want to shut her down. None of the riding pics turned out but here are couple of cute ones from after our ride:



















Saturday I had planned on trying the Wintec, but once I put the saddle pad on I could see that the saddle was bridging, so I decided to ride Ana with the sheepskin pad instead. As you can see she's still quite weak; she can only trot forward if I carry her head for her:










If I get her to carry her own head, then I can't get her forward:










After all that work, stretching always feels really good to her:










Since she offered to canter the previous day, I decided to try this again. We worked on transitions and then instead of asking for trot again I asked for canter. It's so much better with the Thinline pad; I can sit her canter without my back hurting and I'm not out of breath from pushing her on and bracing. She didn't shake her head once. She is still tense and somewhat braced but it feels like a noticeable improvement. I ordered rear riser pads per saddle fitter suggestions. 

Another cool thing we worked on is giving the rein in the down transition. She likes to brace against me to hold herself up; by giving the reins, she doesn't have anything to lean on and has to carry herself. At first it made her mad but then she caught on "Hey, you're supposed to catch my head!" lol. Of course, I'm a bit weak in my core so it's easy for her to pull me off balance. As we keep riding I'm sure my strength will come back and that will help her as well.

I did give her Sunday off since it was Mothers day and in laws were in town. Plus Ana worked quite hard on Saturday so I figured a day off wouldn't hurt. Planning on going tonight though and working on more canter.

Overall I would say she is improving. She is letting me put her together which wasn't happening a week ago. She's cantering again which she offered by herself and is able to do without shaking her head providing I use the Thinline pad. It's just a matter of continuing to build strength of endurance.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Aww Miss Ana. She looks lovely! I hope the EPM treatment helps make her life a bit easier. It's interesting how the treatment can effect their body, especially when bringing them back. 

A soft transition is a good thing to work on as well. Always able to give in the transition and organization but not hold or mechanically structure. 

I hope you have a good ride out tonight and can do a little more canter with her. I hope it continues to improve. Leo's canter hurts my back as well. I'll do a few shallow loops and shoulder in to help him organize his canter better and help him maintain a correct rhythm and stay engaged over his back but still soft, sometimes I give one rein then the other or in the leg yield, bend, ask over, soften, so it doesn't bother my back. It's definitely gotten better but the canter takes a while to develop and organize. Dante's canter was rough too for awhile. Ana will get there too!


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## frlsgirl

Had a good ride on Ana last night:



























I was able to get her a lot more forward which was good. She's carrying herself in more of a intro level frame right now. Hopefully, as she gets stronger she will start sit more in the back and lift the shoulders. I'm working on engaging my core more and it's making a difference for her as well. It started to get crowded in the arena and then husband showed up so on a whim I decided to finish up with hill work which we hadn't done since before she got sick. She did really well but then I asked for canter and she jumped forward enthusiastically and I got scared and grabbed the reins tight which of course shut her down so we only cantered a few strides and then trotted the rest. I feel really bad about this. She has trouble going forward in the canter anyway so it doesn't help if I grab at her and shut her down. I had previously conquered my canter fears or so I thought. I think I've just lost my confidence in general with so much craziness going on in my life that it's spilling over into my riding. I don't know what I'm gonna do about this. Maybe take a lesson on Trooper since he has such a nice canter; or Dante since his canter is so big that Ana's canter seems tiny compared to him. I did have a really crazy day yesterday and was totally frazzled by the time I got to the barn. I thought riding would take my mind off everything else that's going on, which it did, but the lack of confidence spilled into my riding. 

So I have some serious making up to do with Ana. She did so good with the serpentines down the hill; a clear indicating that she knows exactly where her feet are. A month ago she couldn't even go straight up the hill. Also, she was a lot more respectful about eating grass; usually it's a big fight of her going "Oh my God, I have to eat right now, let me eat right now!" Instead, I told her no once, she didn't fight me, I unsaddled her and brought her back to the same spot, she didn't pull on me because she knows now that if you pull on me you don't get any grass. Very happy with her and unhappy with me right now.


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I hope you have a good ride out tonight and can do a little more canter with her. I hope it continues to improve. Leo's canter hurts my back as well. I'll do a few shallow loops and shoulder in to help him organize his canter better and help him maintain a correct rhythm and stay engaged over his back but still soft, sometimes I give one rein then the other or in the leg yield, bend, ask over, soften, so it doesn't bother my back. It's definitely gotten better but the canter takes a while to develop and organize. Dante's canter was rough too for awhile. Ana will get there too!


Thank you for sharing that insight. Glad I'm not the only one. It seems like the canter is the most individualized gait of all. A lot of horses have similar walk and trot dynamics but all seem to have very different canter dynamics. Dante the Hanno, has a huge telescoping neck action during the canter. He takes your arms with him; I don't have to think about giving my arms - he is so strong that he will just take you with him. Ana will canter around your arms. If you don't give she will try to work around you. Her canter depart is similar to getting launched into outer space which the judges are really impressed with because they don't expect that from a little horse, lol. But then her canter fizzles. Dante's canter is consistent from the first stride to the last.


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## frlsgirl

I'm signing up for the next Schleese saddle fitting clinic; with trailer fees the event is going to cost me about $200 - $250 plus possibly the cost of a new (used) saddle.

Someone talk me off the ledge, worth it? Or not?


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## egrogan

Can you get the fitter to come to you for the cost of a barn call, and essentially get your own hands-on clinic? I don't have any experience with that brand so don't know how hard it is to find one of their reps in your area.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana looks like she's doing a lot better! She looks really good! 

Sometimes confidence can be a fickle thing. Whenever I struggled with confidence, I'd stop focusing and stop trying because Id shut down unsure of what I can do or not do, rather than going for it and going with it. It took a while. For a long time I used to cry myself to sleep almost every night because of riding. I felt awful and like I would never be good enough or work it out. I used to think about quitting because I struggled so much. But going to trainer who let me make mistakes rather than putting me on edge making it seem like I couldn't do anything other than hold a contact and then would get after me for riding, it made me really timid to ride in front of that trainer for a while because I felt like I couldn't do anything right and I'd second guess everything I did. Other coach walked me through step to work out how to influence a horse's jaw and it was a more handsy way to learn but that trainer was like you have to go through this step to understand influence. I don't know. Many possible roads but I'll say I got a heck of a lot more confidence until I started feeling like I could do it and that is was okay to not be perfect and just do it.

It does. I think all horses feel really different from one another. Some feel really similar but I agree canter is probably the most unique. But it can take a while. Ana doesn't have a natural pure rhythm and so the responsibility is more so yours to create that because in the canter her natural reaction isnt to come through over her back and maintain that pure rhythm. It's the 1, 2, 3 that can be hard. On the babies I always have to count 1, 2, 3 in my head as we're cantering to keep a purer rhythm and help with the balance because otherwise the rhythm is legs everywhere and they're throwing their bodies around in and out. But it'll work out. It just takes time and patience.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Can you get the fitter to come to you for the cost of a barn call, and essentially get your own hands-on clinic? I don't have any experience with that brand so don't know how hard it is to find one of their reps in your area.


Not enough people at my barn; they won't come unless you have a certain number of folks signed up :neutral:


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## frlsgirl

*Omg*

You are not going to believe what happened. I was supposed to go directly to the barn from work but for some reason decided to stop at home first. I'm glad I did. I opened the garage door and immediately noticed a strange chemical smell. When I entered the kitchen I could see thick black smoke, a glowing light coming from the stove and the smell was just awful. 

My husband had left the house at noon and turned the stove on with plastic gel packs in it. We use them for muscle aches and pains. When you're done using them you either put them in the freezer if you want them cold or you boil them for a couple of minutes in hot water if you prefer heat. He turned the stove on boiling at around noon, left the house and I arrived at 5pm; by that time all the water had dispersed and the plastic was melting and smoldering. The dogs were running around, the fire alarm was going off and all I could think about is get the back door open to get the dogs out, and turn off the stove. After we caught our breath I went around the house to assess the damage. The AC has quit working because the smoke had clogged the air filter so bad that it triggered the AC to shut down. So I had to run to the store and get an air filter; while I was there I also got a much needed baby gate for the dogs.

Then I spent the night trying to clean up the mess. Nothing much is visible any more except this awful chemical smell. I called the vet and he told me to keep an eye on them and if they start coughing to take them to the emergency vet. They usually sleep in the living room which is in the same open space as the kitchen. I ended up having them sleep on the floor next to my bed so I could keep an eye on them while also partially shielding them and me from the persistent chemical smell. 

So I had to bring them to work with me today. I had some allergic reaction to the chemicals and my eyes are red and swollen and my throat is sore so I hope this won't turn into something worse. I left the kitchen window open and the fan running while me and dogs are gone today so that hopefully the smell clears.

Man what a night. So thankful that I went home when I did otherwise the dogs would not have survived. DH feels really bad; he was rushing to get out of the house because he needed to fly to Minnesota. I had just told him earlier in the day that he needed to slow down, he was doing too much and that's when attention to detail gets lost and things like this happen.

Here is a picture of the pot and the yellow air filter. The filter was white before the fire.


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## carshon

So thankful you went home! Wow! disaster averted. I hope you feel better after you are away from the smell for awhile


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## egrogan

Wow, that is terrifying! Sometimes the universe is on our side. Hope you and the pups get feeling better soon.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Oh my gosh! That's terrifying! Thank God you got home when you did and were able to salvage the situation! 

Sometimes things just happen for a reason and we come home to see what we needed to. Thank God you went home though and you and your puppies are all alright. Hopefully it's an easy thing to completely fix and the chemicals air out quickly!


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## frlsgirl

Kitchen still smells like an oil rig 

Today is my birthday and I'm hoping to get some R&R at some point today. I might check with boss man to see if I can take pm off and get a massage or something; I'm all locked up again; I'm moving like a 60 year old when I'm only 41 today.

I did pull myself together yesterday and went to the barn to ride Ana; since I got there so late we only did a 25 minute schooling session. It went really well; I worked on engaging my core and practicing petting her at walk and trot while keeping core engaged. She is going really well. Still really stiff on the left but is accepting suppling exercises well.


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## egrogan




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## carshon

Happy Birthday! Hope you are able to leave work for some "me time"


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## frlsgirl

Awww - thanks ladies!


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## SaddleUp158

Happy Birthday! Hope it is a wonderful day!


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## phantomhorse13

Happy Birthday! Play hookie and go ride!!


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## PoptartShop

Happy birthday girl!  Enjoy yourself!!!!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Happy Birthday Tanja!! Enjoy your special day!! 

But wonderful to hear you had such a good ride on Ana! Always positive! 

I hope the kitchen reverts back to it's old self sooner rather than later and I hope you your massage. It always helps or chiropractor. Very helpful!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. I had a great birthday. Only worked half a day then went home and nerded out on a new episode of "Lindenstrasse" over lunch. Went to my massage after that, then home to get cleaned up and my BFF surprised me for dinner. Sadly, that didn't leave any time to visit Ana but I got an entire weekend ahead of me which will include at least 2 trips to the barn; maybe even 3!

I can't decide if my shoulder is any better. I was doing arm circles while warming up Ana the other day and suddenly my shoulder wouldn't turn and when I tried to force it this awful pain traveled down my arm. It's been acting funny ever since. Like I can do stuff all day and be fine and then suddenly certain movements just hurt; like pushing open a door. It's a strange pain; kind of like a tooth ache in my shoulder, and it comes and goes depending on what I'm doing. The massage therapist said that maybe I irritated a nerve and that if the massage doesn't help I should go see a chiro. DH was in panic mode and said "OMG I bet you tore your rotator cuff!" I highly doubt it; I was just doing innocent arm circles and I can still do most things without any pain whatsoever. So we'll see how it feels over the weekend.

DH won't be home til later tonight and I'm only working half day; I might go home and sleep some more before heading to the barn.

When BFF stopped by to pick me up for dinner she did say the kitchen smells a little bit like a machine shop. I guess it's will take a while to get rid of the smell. I might have to change the air filter again.


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol I think your husband is being a little dramatic, you might have tweaked something. Hopefully it feels better soon and is a simple fix. 

But I'm glad you had a really good birthday and got to enjoy yourself  but hopefully you'll get plenty of Ana time this weekend!


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## frlsgirl

Weather was too sketchy to ride Friday but I got brave and squeezed in a quick lunging session in between the storms. I feel bad for Ana; two of the turnout areas are flooded right now and there are more horses than turnout spots so that means reduced turnout times for some of the horses and Ana always seems to get shorted on her turnout time because her primary turnout spot is the outdoor arena and when someone wants to ride during her turnout time it means she may only get 15 minutes of turnout.

Saturday I arrived at lunch time and she hadn't been out at all since I lunged her the previous day. We had a lovely ride. Firstly, she wouldn't let me set up the camera without interrupting me with a spontaneous cuddle session:










I really worked on myself; engaging my core and opening the hip flexors:










We started to play with walking the hind legs under again to bring her up in the shoulders; it needs more work but pretty pleased for the first day:










She ground ties really well which comes in handy when you need a water break:










She seemed a little tight in places so we ended with a good massage:






I arrived Sunday at lunch time to discover that Ana had not been out again since I rode her the previous day, so I let her graze for an hour before riding her. I noticed a marked improvement in her canter when we cantered with transitions in between and when I gave my arms as if she was moving her neck; she actually started moving her neck back and forth when she sensed that my arms were moving. So I think that's going to be the key to develop the canter.











Not sure how many times I will get to see her this week; we are planning a trip out of town over the weekend so I might contact BO to see if she can ride her for me and if she would consider turning Ana out with the group of mares; they seem to get the most turnout; as in 12/12. I just can't bear the thought of Ana sitting in her stall depressed.


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## frlsgirl

Just talked to BO; she's agreed to test Ana with the group of mares; she wants to do it when I'm around so either tonight or tomorrow night. She should get along with everyone except the lead mare is a bit of a wild card; it will be interesting to see who emerges as the leader.

She said she should be able to ride Ana a couple of times while I'm gone over the weekend. They are actually having a clinic with Claudia from Dressage camp and I had hoped to have a lesson with her but to be honest, I don't think Ana and I are at a point where an intense lesson would benefit either one of us. I'm just happy with where she is now and don't want to push her too much too soon.


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## frlsgirl

This is pretty cute. I follow Annica on YouTube and Instagram and here she's testing out a new line of horse treats; it's in German but it's really cute to see the horse's reactions to the different flavors:


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## phantomhorse13

That horse seems pretty unimpressed with any of the flavors!

Was one of those banana (think I caught that word but maybe it means something else in German)? We got a bag of banana based treats at a ride once and none of the horses would eat it. My mare, in particular, seemed highly offended that I would even offer her such swill!!


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## frlsgirl

phantomhorse13 said:


> That horse seems pretty unimpressed with any of the flavors!
> 
> Was one of those banana (think I caught that word but maybe it means something else in German)? We got a bag of banana based treats at a ride once and none of the horses would eat it. My mare, in particular, seemed highly offended that I would even offer her such swill!!


It was Pomegranate, Walnut, Hemp, Coconut, and 2 other flavors for which I can't find a proper English translation. Woelbchen (the first horse) was initially drawn to coconut probably due to the strong smell but then didn't want to eat them. She didn't appear to like any of them. The second horse wasn't quite as picky but didn't seem thrilled with any of them either. It's a new line of treats that's free of fillers and chemicals. She taught Woelbchen to smile for treats a while back and now she spontaneously smiles in the middle of her videos; it's just adorable.


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## PoptartShop

Aww that is a cute video! :mrgreen: LOL so adorable.


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## frlsgirl

Ana got introduced to the big group of mares last night:






From the looks of it, it went well. The buckskin lead mare tried to confront Ana but quickly retreated when Ana reared up at her.














































If this continues to go well, Ana will be enjoying a new schedule of 12/12 which is exactly what I wanted for her. It looks like the Gypsy Vanner is her new buddy.


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## egrogan

That's great! The thing I dislike the most about my current boarding situation is that it's all individual turnout. I'd so much prefer a herd situation. Hope it continues to go well!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Aww look at Ana go! She looks really happy to be in a herd and with friends. I think most horses are happier with a friend. She's a very lovely and expressive girlie!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks! They treated her like an alian and kept running from her; and all she wants is a friend. She finally found a buddy in CJ, the little gypsy.


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## frlsgirl

Visited Ana last night. It was her first full day being outside with the mares. Ana was off by herself grazing, a few feet away was the Gypsy munching on a hay bale, and the rest of the mares were huddled in a corner.

I was worried that being part of a herd would change our relationship but she came right up to me. The other mares seemed relieved that I took her out of there, even though it was only for an hour or two. Ana seemed concerned about her new herd and called out loudly to them as we entered the arena; nobody answered. She seemed unusually distracted, as in, she was really focused on what other horses were doing and where they were going and with whom. I guess that's the downside of having her run with a herd, but it's so much better for her and she seems to happy; I just can't take that from her.

She also seemed more tight in her back. She did run around a lot the previous day so she was probably sore from that. We did have some good moments. Sometimes negatives overshadow positives so I'm following Karen Rohlf's tip: I'm either searching or enjoying. So I'll do suppling exercises searching for her to give and move forward freely and straight, and when that happens I'm simply enjoying. Then she fizzles and I start searching again, and then enjoy again and that cycle is the essence of my training rides with Ana. I could just say she's being difficult and she's being good; but that's not a productive way to approach training. So I will literately talk to myself and say "searching, searching, enjoying, enjoying, searching, enjoying" It also helps to pet Ana during the "enjoying" part so she knows what I'm looking for when I'm searching. So yesterday I did a lot of searching and did some enjoying 

When I brought Ana back to the herd, the Gypsy was waiting close by, ready for me to return her friend and the other mares just gave us dirty looks from the other side of the pasture. I was hanging out by the gate watching Ana wander off when the Gypsy decided to come up to me to check me out so Ana did a U-Turn and blocked her "Pardon me, but my mom is off limits, got it?"


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## carshon

So glad she is in a herd now. And it sounds like it was not as dramatic as it could have been


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## PoptartShop

Aww, that's good she's in a herd with the other mares now! Yeah, she was probably a bit distracted because of the other horses, she's probably still adjusting. But she did come up to you which is good!  She knows you're her momma!
LOL she is so protective of you, that's adorable. Like back off, that's MY Momma! :lol: Glad to hear she is doing well!


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## frlsgirl

Yeah no wonder Ana was sore. I went through some more video footage and pulled some still shots. She was sure feeling good and not afraid to show it. Look at her standing up on her hind legs; glad to know her hind end has that much carrying power. At one point she threw herself onto one of the round bales; kind of like a concert attender throwing himself into a mash pit. I guess she hadn't seen a round bale in a while and just wanted to hug it. 

Hoping to go see her tonight as we leave for Florida at 6am tomorrow and won't be back til late Monday night. BO is going to put a couple of rides on her while I'm gone.


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## SaddleUp158

Glad Ana is enjoying having a herd to run with. 

I have found that those dominant mares tend to worry about their herds when they are taken from them but still in the same vicinity. This is an issue I have with Mia, but when I take her away from the property by herself I have all of her attention, whereas when her buddies are nearby I am fighting to keep her attention on me and not "what are they doing, where are they going, etc." 

Enjoy your vacation!


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## frlsgirl

That makes sense @SaddleUp158 - Thank you.


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol it looks like Ana is having a great time and is so happy to be out there with other horses. She looks so happy to be a horse! Life is good she says lol.


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## frlsgirl

Florida was great, albeit a bit crowded; we mostly had lovely weather:










I was eager to go home though and check on Ana. Over the weekend, one of my friends had to put her Morgan mare down; she had severe breathing problems and they tried everything to help her. I'm just heartbroken for her. So I was extra eager to run to the barn and dote and love on Ana:










She was her usual impatient self 










I've been studying "Dressage Naturally" by Karen Rohlf; I bought the book a while back and just felt compelled to reread it. She has such a simple and methodically approach while always keeping the horse's welfare first; personal ambitions always come second to what the horse needs, and most horses she works with have been discarded by society or would be considered your average back yard type of horse. Very opposite of Dressage Mastery where it's all about methodically training a purpose bred horse to GP in 4 to 8 years regardless of how the horse feels about it; it's all about the rider's ambitions. 

Karen suggests riding the horse without reins to start with or in order to assess how well the horse can respond to leg and seat aids. So I was eager to give it a try:



















A lot of problems come to light when you take the reins away; it made it really apparent that Ana kind of listens to my seat unless she has a preference and would rather do something different. Also, we already knew that Ana is stiff to the left because she is a right bended horse, but part of that is stuck in the left shoulder; she likes to keep more weight on the left than the right because she is right handed, so she's always trying to keep that right front leg free by overloading the left front. So when I want to turn to the right, there is so much weight on the left front leg that I need to do fancy rein aids to convince her to turn.

So what happens then, is over months and months of riding the same horse, we begin to compensate for the horse's dysfunctional dynamics. At first everything seems fine but as you get more and more into Dressage and the movements get more complicated, you suddenly find yourself stuck because you are using way too many aids to compensate. That's the point where you either give up or go back to basics and work out individual dynamics and when you have a couple of things worked out, you try to challenge the horse by re-combining. 

So that's where we are at. A lot of our basics are just not good enough to move on; I'm compensating too much for her and I'm not always focused enough to work on things that need work, and then I try to have a really productive ride and work on too many things in a single ride that many things are just kind of ok and then we get ourselves all tangled up with aids.

Back to basics we go: can she stop and go from my seat? If so does she always listen? Are my aids crystal clear or does she have to guess?


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana looks really good! Florida also looks like an amazing trip!

I'm sorry your friend had to put her mare down, that's tragic :-(

I'm not a huge fan of dressage mastery. I think she explains some basics pretty well but I don't think she's very correct. Her horses dont really reach out and take the contact and there is a bit too much take and not enough give and no throughness or reach over the back and swing. Horses are stiff and hollow, don't really bend through the turns. There are a lot of details that are quite important missing. It's like she's missing the feel of bend and connection and whole body and actual connection between the inside leg and outside rein, she tends to organize parts more than the whole. It doesn't need to be that complicated. 

Like for teaching the woah, she uses a lot of her whole body and arms to brace back against the horse and it really doesn't need to be more than fingers. She's very hand and pull to me. For example even with Frankie who doesn't like to woah, I close my thigh, slightly arch my back to stop my hip and hold my hip and exhale and soften my hand and she comes down. You should be able to soften as they step into the downwards and step up to the upwards. 

Dressage naturally is a bit gimicky to me. I agree with quite a bit of it but then there are definitely holes to it as well. She reminds quite a bit of a trainer/rider in my area who is very nice on the surface but is very her way in the only way. She ruined a few horses, including Comet a young trakehner I trained because her methods didn't work with him. She basically made him to where amateurs couldn't ride him anymore and he became very spooky, high strung and lacking in confidence when before he was a really good boy. Occasional spookiness but never naughty, never even offered. So I have no idea how she got him to rear and get that nervous/anxious.

Dressage Scores for Karen Rohlf






But you're absolutely right. If the homework is done well, it's not that hard to do the more advanced movements. If you have to fight it and make it happen, there are holes in the homework. If you have to force it something is off and it's a question of at what stage was something misunderstood? 

Between go, stop and lateral what is it they don't understand or are protesting. What aids to apply for go, what do they not understand about contact or meeting the connection and sometimes going through ugly spots to help them understand. If I step into my inside stirrup or outside stirrup where do they go? Do they follow? And if not an open rein in the direction your want them to go and leg pressure on and off, leg in the upward phase of post or as your hip slides forward in canter and half halt in the downward phase of post or as your hip comes back in canter. If I post very low and hold my core strongly do they come back to me. If I post and in the up phase hold the up a few seconds longer do they get bigger? If I'm cantering and hold my core and organize my half halts do they come back and if I release the pressure do they carry themselves and remain in balance and in the collected pace? If I open my thigh, sit slightly back and send them forward with my leg and allow my hip to follow do they lengthen? If I ask for a turn on the forehand can I do it between my inside leg, inside bend, and outside rein and do a 12m square with a turn on the forehand at each turn? Is leg yield clear? Because everything else is kinda between those things or is built off of those basics. Leg to hand and soften.






I'll say when you take the reins bridging your reins can really help as well to be sure you're really using yourself properly and keep the contact more steady. I do that sometimes. Not sure if that's helpful or not but food for thought. I used to ride on a dropped rein a lot, it definitely helps make you more aware of yourself and your position and how you influence the horse.


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd - that's what I was trying to say about Dressage Mastery; she just rides with a heavy driving seat and it's all about me, me, me, how quick can I get to GP? Can I skip some stuff to get there because that would be even better. I had subscribed to her program but then during one of the videos she got into an all out fight with a young gelding and then I didn't like how she was antagonizing her poor mare. I think she is going to ruin all her horses because she just drives, drives, drives, and pushes and shoves and holds. She showed a video of Gretchen when she tried her out in Germany and her movement was so beautiful and open; now that she rides her, she's totally shut her down and the brilliance is just gone. It's so sad. But I'm not here to bash the lady; she does have some good and useful info and insights but I just do not agree with her on her overall mentality and how she treats her horses. She idolizes Isabell Werth and I'm sorry but I can't stand her; another one of those "technically excellent" riders but she gets results with a strong seat and strong aids; it's just not necessary to use that much strength. Both her and Natasha lack that certain something that lets horses be brilliant; they are focused on technique not on feel. You know who's great technically, has the feel and the scores and puts the horse's welfare first? 

Cathryn Rippelbeck: "Dressage with Harmony and Lightness; aids should be whispered not screamed" is her motto






Yes Karen Rohlf has some gadgets that she can sell you but you don't need any of them; her training videos are fantastic; it doesn't even matter what kind of horse you ride, what kind of saddle you have, if you ride bitless or bitted, she is someone who can quickly spot dysfunctional dynamics and help you find a better way.

Thanks for the video links by the way. Ana's big problem which shows up in every ride but is really highlighted with lateral work is her core crookedness; so that's something for us to work on.


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## Janet Cherry

Just like the Robert Frost poem about the Morgan colt in the snow!

Sorry I meant to respond to a much earlier post in the midwinter with the pic of Ana in the snow.....haven't quite got the hang of this yet. Still Ana is gorgeous and I am enjoying your posts.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @Janet Cherry  Feel free to stop by any time.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I don't disagree. I've never been a big Isabell Werth fan. There are things Isabell does very well and is technically very skilled at but she isn't someone I would train with because I agree she's very strong and very mechanical and puts a lot of pressure in the horses. I 100% agree on she gets results off of technique and not feel and loses expression and softness. She's not a sympathetic rider. Carl Hester is a very sympathetic, compassionate rider.

But I entirely agree. That's how a lot of people in my area ride. They can manipulate horses to do things but they have no feel or compassion or empathy when they ride and make brilliant horses look like they have no movement and are just tense, tight and look miserable. I used to have to fix horses from those types of riders and the nervousness and anxiety that came from the horses shocked me. I couldn't understand how a rider could damage a horse so badly that they entirely lack self confidence and are VERY defensive against a rider. It was very sad. With patience and reassurance, some of them were turned around but I'll say the geldings fixed, the mare's were heads or tails. Frankie's mom was pretty harshly ridden with exactly the type of rider's you described. She had callouses the size of my palm from spurs which I have never seen before or since. The person who had her I can't stand, very self absorbed and NO empathy what so ever. Very fake person. It's sad when a horse has developed so many mechanisms to combat or tune out a rider.

We have a mare here named Grace who was in the same situation she looked like junk under a local GP rider and he couldn't get anything from her. She just shut down and they wrote her off as a bad horse, she's hot and nervous and has anxiety in the show ring from how she was ridden but if your fair to her she'll give 110%. Now in a different program and situation, the mare is still hot but she has so much try and heart and is really a phenomenal mover. She's getting her expression and brilliance and happiness in work back. 

I'll say it amazes me how some riders demotivate horses and shut them down and spend all their effort and energy trying to make horses work and force them and pressure them to work rather than figuring out how to ride and motivate horses so they want to work. David (the olympian who rode Leo) made Leo nothing but combative against him. He was scared of Leo but Leo hated him from the get go. Leo is VERY choosey about people and David was very rough with horses even though he was MORE than capable of riding with sensitivity, lightness and kindness but instead he'd rough horses up. He was so hard on one horse he made it sit down and he fell off. Another trainer I know ruined every young horse she ever touched and made them have all kinds of weird issues. It's just sad.

I'm glad her training videos are good and helping. I hope she's not a propaganda type. I'm always very weary of online educators.


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## frlsgirl

@*DanteDressageNerd* I understand your weariness regarding online educators. She's actually not exclusively online; she does clinics all year long throughout the US and that's how she gets most of the training videos in the online portal. What's great is that she tags the videos with key words like "connection" "bending" etc; so if you have a specific issue that you're working with you can just sort by the tags and that brings up videos from lessons she's taught where she helped students work through the same issues, and they are not fancy horses; Mustangs, Arabs, some WBs, rescues, TBs, and everything in between. It's more like being an auditor but you just happen to see the lesson online instead of in person and you can filter down to what you need help with. And it's not just riding lessons; she sometimes has guests that give lectures on different topics or she'll do a video at home with her horse to demo something; I also really like that she addresses horse personalities, how to tell what kind you have and how you might have to adjust your training and expectation. She doesn't force you to align your beliefs with hers; she encourages the student to form his/her own opinion and find his/her own solution.

The only thing I don't like about her is that she uses quick turns on the lunge kind of like Western people do and I wouldn't be able to do that with Ana because I'm sure all her tendons and ligaments would just snap; that Western stuff is really made for Western type horses with good bone who aren't going to get hurt doing a quick turn.

What are your thoughts on Cathryn Rippelbeck? She sometimes gets criticized for being a model and giving the impression that you have to be ultra skinny to be a Dressage rider and the other thing people say about her is that she has access to the best horses Germany has to offer so it's easy to ride/teach those type of horses. She recently posted some things of her riding a pony and she made that pony look just as good as the WBs without forcing him into any kind of a frame. Anyway, I like her, consider me a fan; she is pro horse and that's something I can get behind.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I hope she's helpful and is able to help a lot of people with different things people are struggling with and can help with lunging. I'm also not a fan of doing tight turns. I'll bring them in to a 10m circle and leg yield them out to help them balance and figure out their legs or I'll make a slight square shape of a 20m circle on the lunge to help them balance but not a fan of the spin them. 

I think it's sad when people pick at petty things, rather than actual things. It's actually a lot harder to ride/organize the big-elaborate movers than the smaller-plainer movers. Riding Frankie is way harder than riding say a green thoroughbred or OTTB. The big movers are harder to organize. To develop up the levels, I think the purpose bred horses are easier to keep sound and comfortable but it depends. I think sometimes there are extra steps in training with non purpose breds like say Dante because he has a swan neck and is very downhill and is VERY dramatic to, especially bit aids like he feels a tinge like you barely flexed your index fingers and will react like you just strong pulled him. It took a lot more to get him to take contact and reach to it and to learn how to come over his back and build strength behind to push off. It also took a lot to develop his canter, it took a good year or so to really get him cantering well and now it's his best gait but I guess it's just a different process. I also don't think say a Dante would stay sound at the upper levels. It put way too much stress on his stifles and hips. 

With Cathryn. I think she has a lot of good qualities but I'm not really in awe of her riding. She's not particularly good with rhythm or organization. She doesn't bring the horses better quality of gaits out in them. She has very good qualities and is a nice rider, she kinda gets the movement that's there or their free gait but doesn't really improve it (which is a lot more than a lot of riders) or bring out the extra and I think that stems from her not being very good with rhythm control and I wonder if that's part of why she sometimes uses the elastic and neck stretchers as well. As for having the boy body type, it's her build. A lot of professionals are thin because of how hard they work. Riding is very demanding but a lot of riders have thighs and strong builds as well. 






























Her riding Furstenball vs whoever the other rider is but she lacks rhythm control and organizational skills to me. The circles are very unbalanced, especially for a horse as schooled as Furstenball. Not totally through or well balanced, organized, even if he were Frankie green those circles are not very balanced. He looks like an anybody horse with her riding. He looks ordinary vs as nice as Furstenball really is.











If this is her it's better than the other videos I've seen. I always try to be as fair as possible when watching someone because you don't know how green the horse is or if it's an off day or if she's re schooling a horse which if you're re-schooling a horse sometimes you go through some ugly parts to break through. For example I wouldn't want to be judged as a rider from my last video on Dante because we were working through stuff, he hadn't done it in a long time, he's dramatic/tricky and most people dont understand what we were working through. So I try to look at a large sampling and be as a fair as possible. 

Again she's a very nice rider with a lot of good qualities but there are definite holes that do become problematic at horses progress.






I really like Hubertus Schmidt. I've been following him for years and I've heard very good things about him as a trainer. My trainer's trainer trains with him in Germany during summers. 






This horse is VERY VERY hot









I also like Dorthee Schneider


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## Janet Cherry

Janet Cherry said:


> Just like the Robert Frost poem about the Morgan colt in the snow!
> 
> So here is the poem, in case you haven't come across it:
> 
> "THE RUNAWAY"
> 
> "Once when the snow of the year was beginning to fall,
> We stopped by a mountain pasture to say, 'Whose colt?'
> A little Morgan had one forefoot on the wall,
> The other curled at his breast. He dipped his head
> And snorted at us. And then he had to bolt.
> We heard the miniature thunder where he fled,
> And we saw him, or thought we saw him, dim and gray,
> Like a shadow against the curtain of falling flakes.
> 'I think the little fellow's afraid of the snow.
> He isn't winter-broken. It isn't play
> With the little fellow at all. He's running away.
> I doubt if even his mother could tell him, "Sakes,
> It's only weather." He'd think she didn't know!
> Where is his mother? He can't be out alone.'
> And now he comes again with the clatter of stone,
> And mounts the wall again with whited eyes
> And all his tail that isn't hair up straight.
> He shudders his coat as if to throw off flies.
> 'Whoever it is that leaves him out so late,
> When other creatures have gone to stall and bin,
> Ought to be told to come and take him in.'
> 
> Robert Frost


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## frlsgirl

@*DanteDressageNerd* - she's actually not riding Furstenball, she is riding Felini by Furstenball 

Agreed on that she doesn't try to organize the horses too much but that's actually just how she was taught; to let the horse be free and not interfere too much. I don't know about the lack of feel for rhythm; she rides the horses very forward, almost out of balance but that's because she's trying to achieve the opposite of riding in a contracted frame, so then when she goes into a test situation, it can get a little messy because she doesn't have the horse collected enough to do certain movements at times.

Hubertus is certainly a great role model; the right combo of technical skill, feel and balance between getting the horses forward without running away. Also, his legs are like a mile long, seriously, how tall is this guy?

Anyway, I like her and I would let her ride Ana any time 

@*Janet Cherry* - thanks for sharing that lovely poem!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm writing to try to explain what I see with the rhythm. We ride "forward" as in they're all in front of our legs but when we ask them to come back it's from core and organization of the aids between core, leg and half halts. For example if I do a lot of collected work, it's in my core and not really from my hands at all, (it's like close fingers and soften with the thigh closed and core held and then almost a feeling of drawing their back up into your seat) with the leg applied bringing up the back and legs breathing with the movements to accentuate it, if that makes sense. It's hard to explain a feeling. Following collection I'll send them forward into medium or extensions because you have to keep impulsion or push power where as too much collected can cause them to compress and lose expression. I don't stay in collected gaits for too long because then it tends to shut down their movement. But transitions within the gait is how you develop impulsion and cadence. If you just go big all the time you lose the quality and don't develop true impulsion, connection or suppleness where they're really with you and your seat. She's missing cadence and developing the horse's gaits. It's also hard on the horse because it puts them increasingly more on the forehand and more stress on their body, rather than developing the muscle support for the paces if that makes sense. With that style they don't learn to come from behind, so instead of pushing from behind they pull on the front or drag themselves on the front which is actually harder on their joints and body. When I did rehab I had a horse who would go lame if ridden like that. He needed to be ridden in rhythm, if you just sent him all the time with no organization or balance he wouldn't stay sound, so he couldn't be used in lessons despite his good temperament. 

For example with Frankie because she is so green and learning we're teaching it with for big trot if I hold the up phase of my post 2 beats and to shorten I hold my core stronger and post lower and lower to help her understand to go with my seat and then let her go and we do changes like that around the ring because that's how you develop cadence and true rhythm. That piece is what's really missing in her riding and that feel for the rhythm and the whole horse in her core. And that is really important in all upper level movements, especially piaffe and passage. It's cadence and having the horse with you in that way. With her riding there is a disconnect and that is what I meant by lacking a feel for rhythm. They're not really with her, they're disconnected and she follows which to me is really an AMAZING feeling (when they're in sync, listen and you're intuned to one another) where it feels like you and the horse are one exchanging in a conversation no one else can hear. It's training horse and rider to listen and understand one another.

It's also in coordination of the circles and you can really tell the lack of feel for rhythm in the canter because the horse's don't have a true consistent gait. For instance this is very important with a horse like Ana who in the canter need to be shown how to have that pure rhythm of 1, 2, 3 and can help organize her into the bridle so she can organize herself and develop a true 3 beat canter and gain confidence in the canter. Frankie for example shuts down if she's off balance and wont go forward because she loses confidence and trust in the rider. If the rhythm is off the balance can't be found with the job of the rider to show the horse where their balance is. It's in the rider's position and organization of aids. And being able to have her connect to the bridle, engage her hind legs and core and take the contact to help her gain the strength to maintain the canter rhythm. For me at least it's basically staying neutral until the horse shows they need help with their balance or meeting the connection but they must always be in front of the leg. 

And you can play with tempo and size of stride. Quicker tempo, smaller stride, slower tempo, bigger stride, big and fast or slow and small. Tons of changes. Moments of sending forward and bringing them back. And keeping the swing over the hind end or sway in the rib cage which you can keep in the walk by alternating legs following the motion of the rib cage and feeling it or in trot and canter with rhythm control and laterals. 3 loops serpentines, shallow loops, etc. Changes of direction and bend. 

And no I wouldn't be worried about buying a horse from her. She's not a bad rider at all, there are a lot of good qualities.

Hubertus is 6ft I think? He's a really nice guy from what I understand though I guess he had to ride a certain horse I met as a 3yr old in Germany with a bat which I understand because that particular horse is mean and dangerous. Not just naughty, he's MEAN. An expert handler had their face mawled off for a split second mistake. The particular horse is a stallion and I'm kinda glad they don't ship to the US :-/ and I guess his offspring aren't like him at all but I want nothing to do with mean horses.


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## frlsgirl

I hear you @DanteDressageNerd ! There are elements to correct Dressage training that require the rider to help the horse find better balance and then there are elements where the horse must go alone to find his/her own balance; don't hold them, but don't let them run around in bad balance; teach them to want to go in better balance and eventually develop the strength and coordination where they can move in their best balance without help from the rider. Funny that you mention Ana; the BO recently told me "don't hold her too much, you are not a German auction rider!" lol.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Exactly! It's sometimes hard to explain because so much of riding is feel and sensation and those split second things you don't know you're doing. Like breathing. And I have a hard time articulating in general because I see things in pictures and sensation and how they connect together vs words. 

And definitely it can be hard when they're unbalanced and having a hard time with rhythm with the "holding." Mari often tells me with Frankie, influence and let go. Influence or make the change and let her be. She says I understand the tendency when they're so unbalanced and feel like legs are flinging everywhere but the release is as important as the aid but now she's trying to get me to not do quite so big of releases. It's all the grey area of situational circumstances, what works for one horse doesn't work for another and how you ride a horse in one situation is different in a different situation, do this to help with this then let them be, it's not always one way or the other which I think gets confusing when trying to explain perspective. Sometimes if I'm riding something greener or can be funny with contact I'll bridge my reins to make sure I don't get lulled into things which you end up doing subconsciously when you feel that inconsistency (Ingrid Klimke used to have a video on it but I can't find it) I did it quite a bit with Raphael to help him with contact and sometimes I still do it just for myself to be sure I'm not relying on what I shouldn't if I feel inconsistency.

It's like influence or guide them to improve their way of going then be neutral, influence and let them be and influence a step or so later, so they can be self going more than needing a rider that's micromanaging every step which I cant imagine doing.


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## frlsgirl

Rode Ana last night; she seems to be lame again on the left front right hind diagonal. I think the joint injections are about wore off. It's been a year. We never did do xrays, just injected based on positive flexion test. I don't want to randomly inject body parts. Also, if she's lame at intro level is it fair to continue?

I can't decide if should have the vet out, x ray the left hock and then maybe do Adequan based on the findings or just retire her and accept that she is a little off.

It's tough; there is a show at our barn next weekend and people are starting to show up and practice; it got me really excited and pumped. I miss showing; cheering each other on, helping each other out; seeing others succeed; volunteer and having fun with my horse "friends." One of my horse friends brought her newly broken in horse and OMG he's simply stunning. So much push from the hind legs; I couldn't stop drooling over him. He's a paint/appendix cross and I swear he looks like a WB; and his personality, I just like him a lot. He's a bit of a diva, lol.

Anyway, here is a short video from my ride which shows the lameness I was talking about. The first part is unedited so it's kind of long and boring and the last part I edited to slow motion so you can really see her throw her head up as she tries to engage her hind leg; like it's really bothering her. Note that I purposely do not try to fix this with my hands. In hindsight I think she was trying to show me that her right hind is hurting when I was picking out her hooves; she was lifting it really dramatically 






I don't know what to do. I'm trying to do the right thing. I'm not even worried about saddle fit anymore. Just trying to decide if we can keep her sound enough for lower level Dressage without wrecking her body or my pocket book. I guess most horses are a little off; not grade 3 or even 5 off but maybe a 1 or a 2; well enough for the casual rider but too off for the discerning Dressage rider.


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## frlsgirl

Decision made, well, sort of. Vet is coming next week and I told her to bring the Xray machine. I absolutely want to see hock x rays on Ana. Period. Where we go from there I don't know yet. I'm against joint injections but would consider intra muscular type of injections depending on cost etc.


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## SaddleUp158

I hope someone with a more developed eye than I have will comment, but I am not seeing a whole of offness in the video. She starts off a little stiff and uneven but then seems to work out of it and move pretty evenly. I will have to go back and watch it again. My mare will start off almost every trot at the beginning of a ride looking lame behind, it is just because she is not really working behind and as she warms up and starts using herself a little better she evens out (unless I am doing something that is blocking her, then if I fix myself she moves evenly). 

In any event though, having the x-rays will be good to have for comparison sake in the future and if there is anything wrong right now it would be good to know so you can address the problem. Plus peace of mind.


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## frlsgirl

@*SaddleUp158* - yes peace of mind, is exactly what I need, lol. At the beginning of our ride BO noted that Ana looks lame but then I rode her more forward and she seemed to be working out of it. I never did get Xrays last year so I just want to see for myself what it looks like. She does not like to put too much weight on that right hind; it's even more apparent when we do TOF; I'll see if I can get that video loaded later. It's been a year so it would make sense that the joint injections have wore off.

It's difficult to get a continuous shot of trot work with the GoPro; I really need one of those following cameras like a solo shot or a volunteer to film me. I'll see if I can con someone into filming me this weekend; how many more days til Christmas?


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## SaddleUp158

I hear ya! I need to do some research and figure out what camera/recording device I should get. My bday is in August and am hoping to have that on my list! I would love one that follows your progress around the arena.


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## tinyliny

I am not discerning enough to be able to see where she is off. she does seem stiff in the hind end, though.

I can relate to your frustration knowing that something isn't right, but not being able to pinpoint it. I have similar feelings about my lease horse's movement; that is at times fine, and others there's a sort of occasional 'hitch' in the front that feels 'off' to me. yet, when I watch someone else ride him, he moves evenly, and when we are heading HOME, he will pretty much not have this odd movement. off? attitude? . . . h m m m m


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'd be interested to see what the vet says. I can see a slight "offness" but it's very subtle which can mean so many different things. It could have been just that day, she stubbed her toe on a rock or any number of things. Hope it all comes back alright with the vet. 

I know we've had a few mystery subtle lameness stuff here with horses. One went to Kentucky and had a strained ligament (I can't remember where). His mom spent a crazy amount of money to get him sound, he's purpose bred and structurally has a good conformation but just hasn't stayed sound and needed iwrap, injection, etc. Another is a PSG cob/paint cross and he tore a ligament and is back to full work and is looking at competing PSG again this year.


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## frlsgirl

Ok, she went from slightly off to really off:






See when I'm trotting around the corner how she starts nodding her head? 

Also during TOF, watch how awkwardly she moves the little white foot. It just seems like she's trying to baby that foot all the time.

We did have a few good moments. Her walk halt from the seat is getting better and the verbal whoa is solid as a rock.


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## frlsgirl

Long eventful weekend. Friday's ride is shown in the YouTube video above ^^^^^.

Since Ana is obviously lame now, I decided to ride Cayenne Saturday:



















As you can see she moves totally different from Ana; very flat, like a Hunter type. It was a good ride but I did have some embarrassing rental car moments with her. Like I put the wrong halter on her and it was very obviously too small for her; this never happens with Ana; everything fits or is too big, lol. Oh yeah, and then the saddle rolled when I tried to remount after moving to the outdoor arena; I guess she holds a lot of air and always needs re-girthed after a few minutes of riding; Ana never does. Of course BO was right there to witness and comment on my faux pas 

We have a new boarder horse, who was not afraid to photobomb our ride; a 19 hand Frisian/TB cross mare aka Turbo Frisian. She looks like a real handful.












Sunday we spent 6 hours cleaning and staging in prep for Open House. The fire place is definitely one of my favorite parts of the house:










Then I needed to leave with the dogs for a couple of hours so that visitors could look at the house without getting their ankles bitten off by our rowdy dachshunds. I had this great idea of taking them to the barn with me. They were so much trouble; barking non-stop and running off in different directions. That left me little time to fiddle with Ana. We did manage some hand grazing while I ran after the dogs, and a few carrot stretches as well. Ana seemed annoyed by all the barking but it did help with keeping her ears forward for pics:










Then on my way home, I saw this. Just some guy riding his horse down a busy street. I've seen him and a few others out several times but I've never gotten close enough to take a pic.












Today is Ana's 9th birthday. Last year in the single digits. I guess time flies when you're having fun.

Taking off work early tomorrow to meet the vet at the barn for X-rays and hopefully a script for Adequan.


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## crimsonsky

i don't see lame so much as rein lame and bored horse. :/ 

granted she might be somewhat ouchy on that right hind but i'm not a vet so it's good to have a full lameness exam done. good luck!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I don't think she looks rein lame but she's definitely off. I hope the vet is able to figure it out and it's an easy diagnosis. 

I think Cayenne and Ana look pretty different but I'm glad you got to ride another horse and enjoy riding over the weekend, even if you had to leave the house with the ankle biters! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANA!!


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## frlsgirl

Fact: So Ana got more happy birthdays than I did :rofl:

When Ana was recovering from EPM, I kind of retreated from FB and I can't tell you how many "How's Ana?" questions I received. Not, "how are you" but "how's Ana" - and the gold medalist that I trained under for a year who never likes any of my post (as in not in 3 years since I quit training with her) liked my two Ana updates. She was really shocked when I left her WB for a Morgan, lol.

The vet is coming out today. I already cried this morning going over every possible what if scenario. I just want to ride my pony and I want her to be well; is that too much to ask? I wonder if I should offer to ride Ana in front of her so that she can see what I'm seeing. Or if I should go straight to X rays in Adequan. The nice thing with Adequan is that it goes to where it's needed so even if we X-ray many body parts and don't find anything, the medication will find its way to the right place.


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## egrogan

Happy belated birthday Ana!

I would just be upfront with the vet about what you're seeing/feeling and let them tell you how they want to investigate. I think x-rays are great to have, even if just as a point of reference for the future. I got Izzy's hocks x-rayed about two (?) years ago now and will probably do it again during fall check-ups to see what changes are there and if it's time for injections vs. the oral Cosequin she's been getting for awhile now.

When I described her arthritis symptoms to the vet when he came out for x-rays, I did ask if he wanted to see her ridden, but he said it wasn't necessary. He preferred to see her trotted out on several different surfaces- in the arena, on the hardpack driveway, and on the grass. So I'd just ask your vet- I'm sure s/he will have a preferred way of watching Ana move.

I know it's hard not to let your mind go to all the "what ifs," but there's really no point since you'll have some solid answers today or tomorrow :wink:


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## frlsgirl

The thing is we already did all of this a year ago; lameness locator, trotting in hand, trotting on the lunge, flexions and then joint injections. She never saw me ride her though and she never did X-rays because she said that low-grade DJD doesn't show up on X-rays although they may flex lame. But this time I really really want X-rays. I want to see for myself! She also said that sometimes things show up on X-ray that don't seem to bother the horse and then you end up treating something that doesn't even phase them and you overlook something that's really bothering them. I get it, but I still want X-rays.


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## PoptartShop

Ahhh sorry I'm late, happy birthday to Ana!!!   :mrgreen:
Hopefully the vet can figure out what's going on with her, she does look off.


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## frlsgirl

Diagnosis: Synovitis
X-rays: clean
Flexions: lame on both stifles and hocks 
Treatment: Adequan


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol ALWAYS and forever, the animals are more likable than we (the human servants) will ever be lol. A fur baby is much friendly to greet and congratulate! 

I'm glad it's a simple enough treatment and her x-rays are clean, what a relief! Hope it makes the difference!


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## frlsgirl

Here is a quick video; she was actually flexing the fetlock here but that was after everything else had already been flexed and you can really see Ana dragging behind the vet tech; I think she was just mentally and physically over the whole thing:






Ana being dramatic:






She said I can ride her but I'm not supposed to push her very hard. I'll have to confirm with her what that means; I guess I can ride her at the walk since she's sound for walking? She just does not want to trot; whether in hand, on the lunge or under saddle.

I ordered the Adequan this morning and got a tutorial on how to give injections. Hopefully this won't be too difficult.


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## egrogan

Yep, glad that it's fairly straightforward and you have a plan to get her feeling better.


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## frlsgirl

Vet says Ana can be on her normal turnout schedule; also she feels that Ana can do a little bit of trot and canter; if she becomes really resistant and difficult, then reduce riding to only walking until the Adequan has a chance to take effect; which is in 6 weeks. In 6 weeks she should be walking, trotting and cantering without any problems; if problems persist, then she needs to see her again. She said not to wait too long because Ana may try to compensate and then it becomes even more difficult to treat/manage her symptoms.


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## PoptartShop

Glad you got answers, and I hope she starts to feel better soon with the treatment. 
Hopefully all goes well! I think walking is best, I am glad you know what is wrong now, and you definitely don't want to push Ana too hard. The injections should help.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a cute picture I took yesterday while we were waiting for the vet:


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## frlsgirl

Totally obsessed with this song right now; it's an oldie by goodie. 






I signed up to scribe all day Saturday at our barn's schooling show; I just saw the ride times, lots of entries including free styles which I understand are hard to scribe for.

It will be really hard to watch everyone ride and not being able to ride myself. I mean I could sign her up for Intro B and she could probably get through it but it wouldn't look very good because she's behind the aids from being sore.

Also, remember how I said that Ana is now turned out with the mares all day? Well, apparently I was mistaken, because every time I go to the barn I find her in her stall  So I called the BO and she told me that she has Ana out all night, brings her in for breakfast, and then at some point in the afternoon she gets turned out again. If that's really true then why is she always in her stall no matter what time I arrive?

Since I will be there early for the show I guess I will see if Ana is really outside all night. She said it's better for Ana to be out at night because it gets too hot during the day and she might get sunburned. Ok, so she's a bay horse, bay horses don't get sun burned. There isn't a shelter per say but there is a treed area where the other horses all hang out when it gets hot. The other horses miss her and call for her so I've been turning her back out when I arrive. I just don't know why the BO is so stingy with turnout.

I just got notification that my Thinline inserts arrived so I'm eager to see how that affects the saddle point and what Ana thinks about it.

Here is a random thought:

What if the reason Ana needs joint support in the hind legs is because the saddle balance is too far back so she has to carry too much weight behind? If we changed the balance would she no longer need joint support?


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## frlsgirl

So depressed. Had someone film my ride yesterday. She just does not want to go forward. Also, hello position issues, I thought we had you conquered:






Trotting right isn't quite as bad but still not good:






Compare that to this from March of this year:






This is just so depressing. Why did I sign up to volunteer as a scribe? What was I thinking. I'm already getting comments from BO that I really need to study the tests especially the freestyle. I guess she's really worried that I'm going to mess up her score sheet. Great. Just great. It's sad enough that I can no longer contribute as a competitor; now I'm not even feeling like I can contribute as a volunteer. I just want to go hide under a rock. I better get of HF and study to that tomorrow isn't a complete disaster.


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## carshon

Don't be depressed - and I think you may have something about the balance point. I had issues with Tillie's hind end "giving out" sometimes when we rode- I am on my 3rd saddle since I have owned her and purchased a different pad - and the difference is amazing. I think she feels better - the saddle fits her well and the seat of the saddle is large enough I can find my own center of balance and not get wedged into some of the trail saddles I had.

Experiment. You know your horse better than anyone.

As for being a scribe - I thought they just wrote down what they were told - why would you have to know patterns?


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## frlsgirl

carshon said:


> As for being a scribe - I thought they just wrote down what they were told - why would you have to know patterns?


It's different for free style tests because the scribe or judge don't know the order of the movements. So you have to watch what the rider is doing to know what movement they are on and then the scribe has to quickly find that spot on the score sheet. The show organizer reassured me today that the judge is good to work with.


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## frlsgirl

carshon said:


> Don't be depressed - and I think you may have something about the balance point. I had issues with Tillie's hind end "giving out" sometimes when we rode- I am on my 3rd saddle since I have owned her and purchased a different pad - and the difference is amazing. I think she feels better - the saddle fits her well and the seat of the saddle is large enough I can find my own center of balance and not get wedged into some of the trail saddles I had.
> 
> Experiment. You know your horse better than anyone.


Thank you. That's encouraging. 3 saddles, wow, glad I'm not the only one.

Yeah, it's frustrating because I'm such a strategic planner and because she is kind of inconsistent I don't know if I'm working on plan A or B. My counselor said, do not plan anything for Ana. Just enjoy her one day at a time. 

Plan A would be to slowly get back to where we were before she got sick and went lame. Plan B is to make her just a leisurely riding horse; you know the kind that you can take for a spin in the field after a stressful day at the office, or if a friend brings a little kid over to ride, that would be a good task for her as well.

If I don't plan then I will never make it out to the barn to ride, and when I get there, I won't know what to do.

I think a good interim plan would be to only ride her 2 to 3 times a week and only out in the field and only at a walk until she feels good enough to trot. If after 6 weeks, she still doesn't feel any better, instead of calling the vet out for more shots etc, I think I'm just going to keep riding her casually out in the field, pull her off the expensive joint supplements, pull her shoes and just continue to enjoy her as my leisure pony. 

That will leave me enough funding in my budget to take weekly Dressage lessons again on a school master like I used to do before I got Ana. I just really need to rebuild my confidence, get fit and sharpen my skills. This will help me figure out if I really want to invest in a fancy Dressage horse and have Ana just be the pasture mate, or if I'm ok just being a leisurely rider.

I just feel lost without a plan. It's hard for me to let go. In a way, I'm letting go of the old Ana, the Dressage Ana; I still have Ana but it's different now and I have to learn to live with it. My counselor says I have a hard time letting go and I tend to try to keep things even if they don't work any more just so I don't have to let go. Well the Dressage thing is clearly not working for Ana right now, so I have to let it go for now. It's hard.


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## DanteDressageNerd

You're definitely an INTJ lol. But I think lessons on a schoolmaster would probably be good and for you to focus on you for a bit, rather than trying to figure out what is making Ana uncomfortable. It could be the saddle is too tight, she may not like the balance or who knows *shrugs* Frankie is very particular about saddle fit as well. Her saddle is a very close fit but it is a little wide (intentional as she's growing) but she loves memory foam pads *shrugs*

But the leisure pony maybe a good option for Ana. Perhaps she needs a little break before being brought back? I don't know but hacking and trail riding can be very beneficial. She may really enjoy that and honestly you do learn things just going out on the trail or hack and going for a gallop or two point through trotting up and down hills. I really miss doing that, so maybe Ana will enjoy that.


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## frlsgirl

If it was the saddle then why does she not want to trot on the lunge or in hand:






She just does not want to go forward period. She is ok with walking and she is ok with trail riding. I'm ok with just casually trail riding her. I don't want to force her to do something that she just does not want to do. If trotting a circle is too much for her mentally or physically, then I have to be ok with that. She is my horse. She is my best friend. I have to do what's best for her. Maybe this is a short term problem. Maybe it's mental. Maybe it's physical. Maybe Adequan will help. Maybe it won't. I'm ok with whatever comes. There are lots of ways I can enjoy her, it does not have to be in a Dressage arena. 

But yes @DanteDressageNerd, the INTJ part of me is struggling with this right now, lol. Maybe this is good for me. I don't need a plan for her. I can just learn to enjoy her without a plan. Maybe Ana is just rebelling against my plans and teaching me to relax. Maybe I will thank her for this one day.

Lots of maybes and very little concrete facts. Life as an INTJ is hard.

************************************

Update:

I scribed yesterday and it was a very good experience. It was very eventful; one rider dismounted in the middle of the test due to cramps. Another one had a horse freak out and rear by the gate so another competitor had to lead her through the rest of the test. It was windy and a lot of horses spooked. We had a lot of scratches especially in the afternoon. The judge was great, very sympathetic but at the same time very fair. There were a few 4s and a few 9s; it was an honor to score the lady with the 9s; her horse is for sale and in my budget, lol. We even had one gaited horse, the judge was scratching her head trying to figure out how to score her, lol.

I raced home afterwards because I got a notification that my Adequan order was sitting on the front porch and I needed to get it into the fridge asap. Plus my hand was killing me; I just wanted to stick it into an ice bucket. Holy cow did the judge have a lot of comments! I also have a blister on my index finger, lol. I took 800mg of Ibuprofen and was in bed by 8:30; slept nearly 12 hours. Note to self, next time only volunteer for half a day. I don't even need volunteer hours for anything since I'm not really showing Ana this year. If I did show her, we need 2 high scores at T3 and that seems very much out of reach for now.

I messaged with the lady who's horse was rearing yesterday; she's had a lot of ups and downs with her as well, and lots of money invested in saddles, supplements, lessons etc. I guess I'm not alone. There are lots of ammies struggling to make it at schooling shows because the horse has various problems. At least Ana doesn't rear or buck or anything like that. I could have fudged my way through a test but it just wouldn't have looked very good when you are pushing a horse to go when it doesn't want to. There are worse things in life; definitely a first world problem. I'm not scared to ride Ana; I feel safe on her. There are lots of ammies who are scared to ride their horse or at least ride it when nobody else is around. The few times she's spooked so bad that it scared me, my stubbornness, always trumped my fears and we either worked through it or I dismounted for a few minutes and then got back on. So that is one thing we have going for us.

The lady did mention trying magnesium on Ana since she seems so tight everywhere and this is the time of year where lots of horses become magnesium deficient. Since it's an inexpensive fix, I'm game for trying that.


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## frlsgirl

Magnesium has been ordered.

Saw Ana last night. My focus for yesterday is to do little things really well, starting with bringing her in from the pasture. She did come to me willingly even though she was turned out with the mares and knee deep into a bale of hay, so I was happy with that.

We just did a quick grooming, carrot stretching and then I led her to the hitch post by the tack room; this is very challenging because she wants to eat grass and I need her to listen to me and not try to eat. She was a model citizen. 

I decided to ride her in the fields; the mounting block was on a grassy patch outside of the arena. I didn't want to push my luck so I had someone hold her for me. Yanking the reins from me while mounting in order to eat is just too tempting for her. You don't even have to hold her per say, just stand in front of her and she'll be good.

We had a nice ride out in the fields focusing on obedience, going nicely forward to the bridle. She did get herself distracted when we passed the field of mares and she tripped on her left front which made her really mad so she stomped angrily the rest of the way. She only offered to trot once when we had to go uphill so I let her but then she wanted to walk again and I was good with that. I did try to sneak in some Dressage by doing a couple of nice circles. You can almost hear her say "I know what you're doing up there, I wasn't born yesterday!"
She walks forward nicely but if you try to walk to the same spot more than once she slows down like "We've already been here, next please!

I dismounted on her favorite grazing spot focusing on obedience because that's where she likes to yank the reins from me and eat. She complied but you could tell it took a lot out of her. Because she was so good, after unsaddling her, I walked her back over there, made her halt and stand nicely and then she got to graze.

Mares, I tell you, it's all about negotiations, lol

Off topic, here is a cute picture from Saturday's show. Because it was so windy, we were feeding horses treats from the judges box (trailer) to help them accept us:


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## evilamc

Yay for magnesium! Did you buy the magrestore again? Why did you ever stop using it? I had told you all about the great benefits of it 

Glad you had fun at the show!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @*evilamc* - indeed you did! Bad frlsgirl! I can't even remember why I stopped it. I need to keep better track of her supplements and why I ordered them in the first place and how she responds to them. I'll buy one thing and then someone recommends another supplement and pretty soon I'm drowning in supplements and can't remember what is for what. Prime example: I got a notification that a package from Smartpak arrived yesterday, only I couldn't remember what I had ordered.

I guess I got a lot going on right now. I'll be glad when my head hits the pillow tonight; so much happening today, most I can't even talk about but my day ends with Ana's second Adequan shot which I will likely have to give her myself because BO has been at the Pinto World show since Sunday. I'm so nervous. I hate needles.

I'll need to go back to the part in the journal where I ordered the Magrestore and look at pics and videos of how she went while she was on it.

Edit: Magrestore has been ordered!


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## DanteDressageNerd

It sounds like you had a really nice time being a scribe and an interesting experience. 

The magnesium should be good to try, I hope it helps. I'm putting Frankie on it as well because I heard it can also cause painful cycles and odd cramping in their muscles if they're deficient and nervousness. 

I think everyone is struggling in some way or trying to get a horse going. My trainer's I1 horse was off/being brought back for about 2 years and just now has been able to have him compete PSG at a CDI and I1. Another lady has been fighting soundness issues with her gelding and finally decided she'll keep him and buy another horse for performance. 

I'm glad you and Ana had a good time out in the field. It sounds like a nice outing overall. Just compliance and harmony are good goals. And no reason why you can't throw in a few circles, it's helpful for her balance and feel. I hope she continues being happy and I hope magnesium makes a difference in her.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks! I'm curious to hear how the magnesium works for Frankie.


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## evilamc

frlsgirl said:


> Thanks @*evilamc* - indeed you did! Bad frlsgirl! I can't even remember why I stopped it. I need to keep better track of her supplements and why I ordered them in the first place and how she responds to them. I'll buy one thing and then someone recommends another supplement and pretty soon I'm drowning in supplements and can't remember what is for what. Prime example: I got a notification that a package from Smartpak arrived yesterday, only I couldn't remember what I had ordered.
> 
> I guess I got a lot going on right now. I'll be glad when my head hits the pillow tonight; so much happening today, most I can't even talk about but my day ends with Ana's second Adequan shot which I will likely have to give her myself because BO has been at the Pinto World show since Sunday. I'm so nervous. I hate needles.
> 
> I'll need to go back to the part in the journal where I ordered the Magrestore and look at pics and videos of how she went while she was on it.
> 
> Edit: Magrestore has been ordered!


I can't even count how many times I've gotten a notice that an orders arrived from Amazon and I can't remember what I ordered LOL!!!!!!! So glad you're trying it again though! I probably sound like one of there sales reps as much as I tell people about it....but I've just seen it work on SO MANY HORSES!


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## frlsgirl

Magrestore has been shipped.

Ana got her second Adequan shot yesterday as scheduled. BO did it for me as I was too chicken but next week I have to do it myself.
Talked to her about taking weekly lessons on school master and she said she can work that into her schedule; so beginning next week, I'll be taking regular Dressage lessons again on an educated school master. I'll continue to ride Ana out in the field a couple of times a week.

Lots of other non-horse stuff going on right now. I'm just really frustrated right now and trying to keep it together when I just want to go hide under a rock. I don't need this kind of stress in my life; I'm so over dealing with severely dysfunctional people. I do my best to get along with everyone and I do a good at that, it's just those select few that are looking for conflict; I'm not good and handling those.


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## frlsgirl

Got some good news just now about the non-horsey frustrating stuff in my life. Please keep all your hands, hooves, and toes crossed that this works out. I hope to have an answer tomorrow night or Friday morning.

Thanks!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm really glad you're able to do lessons on the schoolmaster, that sounds like it'll be really fun for you! I always enjoy lessons on a schoolmaster!

Trust me I get it. It's incredibly stressful when it's stuff that's out of your control and people are being petty or unfair or unreasonable, it's rediculousness. I have no patience for it either, I handle it better because I realize it's THEIR problem. Especially if my intentions were good and I did my best. Owning up for what you do wrong and learning from it but at the same time recognizing when it's not you, it's them. Anyways that same thing drives me nuts too, it makes NO sense to me. You CANNOT rationalize the irrational! You CANNOT rationalize the insane! And to me it's insane to be petty and underhanded. And always remind yourself in the back of your mind, THIS TOO SHALL PASS!! And things will start looking up!

*prayers* I hope it goes well!


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## frlsgirl

I got the job! I'm so excited to be starting a new adventure! I gave notice at my current job this am and it didn't go so well; president became belligerent and said some very unreasonable things, which, case in point, is why I'm leaving. I cannot deal with unreasonable people on a daily basis. Anyway I just need to put up with them for 2 more weeks and then I never have to see them again. Yay! The new place is more my speed; professionals who are working together towards a common goal. I've never had such a good time during an interview; they are so nice. 

Anyway, just pray for me that the next two weeks go smoothly, that I won't have any more nasty confrontations with the president, that he won't try anything stupid, and that I can just move on.

I might not be able to be on HF as much with everything that's going on right now but I will update at least weekly.

Planning on going to see Ana today and tell her the good news. I'm sure she'll be happy for me.


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## egrogan

Hey, congrats! Very exciting. I have never understood why bosses try to bully people who are leaving- it's so obvious that the time to tell people how valuable they are is when they're working hard for you every day, not when you freak out at the thought of them leaving! My company has its problems, like all do, but I am so fortunate to be in a place that truly values good management, and I work every day to make sure I live up to that for my team too!


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## SaddleUp158

That is wonderful news! Congrats on the new job.


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## evilamc

Aw congrats on the new job! Hope the next two weeks go smoothly


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. I've always worked for very big professional organizations; when my last job came to an end because the business was relocating to another state, I panicked and took my current job which is a small unprofessional place. For a long time I didn't see how problematic this work environment had become because my direct boss was shielding me from a lot of the drama that was going on. Earlier this year my boss had enough of the BS and left overnight, agreeing to work only long distance. That was the day that I realized I had been working in a less than ideal work situation and it's only gone downhill since then. You know you're in trouble when your boss says that you should probably be looking for another job. 

Anyway, he's still trying to protect me from some of the BS and said he would talk some sense into the president; it was completely unprofessional and unnecessary for him to go off on me the way he did. I have a lot of people pulling for me, including current employees at my current job. One offered me an additional reference and another one who is 6 foot tall man offered to be my bodyguard in case the president gets out of hand next week (turns out the president has a wrap sheet a mile long including kidnapping, assault and battery, illegal possession of a firearm etc). Anyway, I didn't know all these things. I thought I was working for a professional place until my boss left and suddenly I find out all these crazy scary things and I immediately began looking for another job. I really wanted to quit the day I found out all this stuff but we are building a house and I got Ana to take care of so I simply could not just up and quit. So I'm taking steps to protect myself in case things get out of hand next week. If they do I will probably not finish my two weeks because it's not worth my personal safety.

I'm just so ready to put this behind me and move on. It just seems like a bad dream and I just want to wake up and move on.

I went to see Ana last night. I was so excited to see her; I wanted to ride but it was in the 90s still. So I decided to give her a bath instead. She was not amused:


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## frlsgirl

PS: Don't forget to vote for Ana in this month's photo contest: She's photo #5


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## egrogan

^^ That face!!! So cute.

And I'm sorry...kid napping?? Assault?? Firearms?? How is this person leading a company?! Sounds like there are a lot of very good reasons you're leaving.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> And I'm sorry...kid napping?? Assault?? Firearms?? How is this person leading a company?! Sounds like there are a lot of very good reasons you're leaving.


I guess I was just very naive and believed that he was always on extended important business trips when he was actually in jail. I've just never worked for an organization where anything like this could even happen. I'm used to having employers do background checks on their employees; I didn't know that employees should probably do background checks on their employers as well. This experience has certainly made me more cautious and suspicious. I did learn a lot in this job which has helped me build my skills and I've met some nice normal people there as well.

I know my new place of employment will not just allow me to build on my current skills, but the people and overall environment is more my speed: normal, structured, successful, educated individuals. 

I just want to move on and put this whole mess behind me. I'm going to get my hair cut today and buy some new clothes, so that's exciting.


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## frlsgirl

Update:

I rode Ana in the indoor yesterday. I know, I know I said I would only ride her out in the field for the next 6 weeks but ran into a small logistics problem: sometimes the fields are closed and since I ride her so little right now anyway, I don't want to turn around and drive back home just because the fields are closed. So we are going to improvise and just focus on doing something different every time. So ride in the fields when they are open, ride in the arena or do groundwork when the fields are closed. I think the key is to not do the same thing back to back so that Ana doesn't get bored and so that her body doesn't get worn out; kind of like not repeating leg day two days in a row for people, although every day is leg day for horses, I guess. :tongue:

She actually did quite well; we mostly did walk and I only asked for trot toward the end; I thought that overall she was marching forward towards the bridle a lot better; a lot less sucking back. The trot still feels like walking through water; the right still seems better than the left. 

But overall, mission accomplished. She seems more obedient and willing; I'm getting better at asking the right questions and knowing what to accept and when to move on. I felt like she understood what I wanted and attempted to answer and push through even when it got a little harder. We've just been working on partnership stuff a lot lately and it's making a difference all around. The idea is to have a willing partner in your horse, someone who wants to do what is asked and shows willingness to apply effort to accomplish the task at hand. Again, I don't know how much of all of this is mental and how much is physical as she's only on week 2 of Adequan and day 2 of Magrestore, but I bet there is definitely a mental component to all of this. 

Barn manager pulled me aside to let me know that Ana is the new boss out in the pasture. In the morning, when he brings them in, Ana is always first and if another mare tries to get too close to the gate she puts them in their place. It's funny to watch her after I turn her back out; it's kind of like watching Moses part water, she will make her way towards a hay bale and all the other mares just scatter :grin:

They say working with mares can be challenging and it's probably even more challenging working with a boss mare. So it's really important that we get this partnership stuff right which it appears to be on the right path now. My counselor says I can learn a lot from Ana; I don't need to let people bully me; I just need to stay calm and collected and not show fear and if they get too out of hand, they get two hooves to the chest. 

The next 2 weeks, it's going to be critical that I stay strong and follow Ana's pasture management principles at work.

Random thought: Maybe the reason I have Ana is not because I'm supposed to earn Dressage scores on her; maybe it's because she's teaching me to become a better, stronger person and help me destress with an occasional ride in the fields.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Congratulations on getting the new job! I hope it's a much healthier work environment for you! Some people no matter how reasonable you are or how well you've done will always be nasty and you can't reason with psycho.

It very well could be. I think various animals come into our lives for different reasons. They're there to teach us something and help us through the hard times. Another thing Ana may be teaching you is sensitivity and tactfulness which can always be worked on and you won't learn it on a horse who goes with anything.

I can see Ana being a boss mare lol. She's taken control. 

As for what happened with your boss. That's terrifying!! I'm on the naive side too but man I didn't think anyone that high up could get away with that [email protected] and still be in charge, thank God you're moving on!


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## phantomhorse13

So pleased to hear about a new job for you - and that was before that horrifying info about your current boss!! I hope the remaining time goes quickly and smoothly. When it does get to be your last day, make sure you document your work/office space being left appropriately - I would hate for the psycho boss to accuse you of stealing things or trashing the office, etc.

I am glad you are riding Ana again. What does she do if you drop the reins to the buckle and then ask her to go forward? Don't try to get her into the bridle or even steer at first - simply focus on letting her trot in her own way in her own direction. I know you don't like not having a plan, but perhaps try to channel your inner 6 yo and just sit on Ana (versus _riding_ her) as she finds her way around and see what happens.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. Today wasn't too terrifying; he did buzz my desk to chew me out over a report that was supposedly incorrect; while he was chewing me out my trainee interrupted him and told him that he was looking at the wrong report; it turns out someone else in the company sent it and he was chewing out the wrong person, oops. I've already cleaned up most of my desk and just spending my time training my replacement and updating notes and such. People always comment on how immaculate my office looks so if it were to turn up trashed people would know that it was staged as that is just not me. 
@phantomhorse13 - I did let Ana just chew the reins out of my hands and she grunted, stretched down and fizzled; I thought that maybe her lack of forward was attributed to not wanting to go into the bridle but it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, whether I ride her with no contact or fully into the bridle or just gently follow with my arms/hands without asking her to do anything else.

What does make a difference as I discovered tonight is gates; she wants to go through gates, and she wants to power ranger walk through gates. Once she is through the gate she can't remember why she was power walking and is already looking for the next gate, until she finds the next gate, she just kind of fizzles around and then gets a pep in her step as soon as the next gate is in sight. So we worked on that tonight. I made her halt before going through a gate, then I acted like I wanted to go through the gate but then made her turn the other direction. She did offer to trot once and the other time I asked her she was quite forward, so that was good.

Also, one really amazing thing happened. We walked to the grassy patch where I usually dismount and she slowed down on her own which I did not ask for so we had to make another loop, then I had her halt just before the dismount spot and asked her to back up a few steps; it was the best backing up under the saddle she had ever presented me; she did a full 6 steps and if she could do it exactly like that in a test we would probably get a 9; so I immediately dropped the reins, praised her and dismounted. She just blows my mind sometimes because she will offer me Dressage stuff that is just excellent but then she will just change back into an elderly school horse that doesn't want to go forward. So weird. There is definitely a mental component as evidenced by power ranger walk through gates, and spontaneous ability to back up perfectly when green grassy dismount patch was in sight. 

I'm going to withhold opinion on this for now as it's too weird and too early in the Adequan and Magrestore treatment process.

I do have a private lesson booked on Trooper tomorrow night and I'm over the moon excited! Then I remembered that tomorrow is also Adequan shot day and this time I have to do it myself, yikes! With all the excitement last week I completely forgot to get needles; Walgreens only had the really small ones last time so I will probably need to find a feed store on my lunch break tomorrow. Also, totally random and off topic, but I discovered that Ana's crest is dry and scaly; I though it was just dusty but it's actually kind of crusty; I wonder what's causing this. I put some leave in conditioner on it tonight; we'll see what it looks like tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

Great lesson on Trooper yesterday. Lots of learning taking place. My canter seat needs a lot of work but I made progress with each canter. 

We took him for a trail ride afterwards and he was suddenly very forward which gave me a lot to think about in regards to Ana. 

The most challenging thing yesterday was getting needles and syringes to give Ana her Adequan shot. One place is sold out and two other places wouldn't sell them to me without an RX; finally found what I needed at an Atwood's on my way to the barn. 

Then I still needed to work up the courage to actually give her the shot. I did it! 

One of the BOs horses was collapsed in his stall when we returned from our ride so she was busy doctoring him up. Thankfully he will live another day. But his time is drawing to a close. He's old and has lots of problems. 

So with all of that going on I didn't return from the barn until 10pm. 

So tired today...


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## frlsgirl

More thoughts on yesterday's lesson:

Based on Trooper's reactions and way of going inside the arena versus outside the arena I'm thinking that it's very similar to Ana's way of going; however he is a highly trained school horse. So maybe it's normal to be somewhat sucked back inside vs outside.

Also, BO kept telling me that I need to put more effort/more energy into my trot; why should the horse put in more effort if I'm not willing to apply effort? Hmmm, what if Ana is picking up on my lack of enthusiasm and is simply reflecting back what she's getting from me? So she had me try a few things with my body and all of the sudden he really became more engaged.

Also, when we changed reins I noticed a bobble in his trot and said "Miss P. I think he's a little off on this side!" Can you guess what she said? "Tanja!!!! He's 23, of course he is lame!!!! Just work him through it, he can do it!" 

Maybe I'm too careful and sensitive. I don't know. It could be a bad thing, but it could be a good thing, too. I can just tell right away if a horse is lame. But there are so many different degrees and types of lameness. I guess for Dressage purposes I expect 100% soundness; but maybe in real life that isn't always possible. Maybe what I think is a problem is within the normal range.

Also, I noticed this at the canter, Trooper has a cute little canter and I kept trying to push like my body didn't want to accept his little canter and make it bigger when I just needed to accept his canter and really focus on my body position. What if Ana's canter is fine the way it is but I keep pushing for WB canter, which she just can't give me? What if I'm placing WB expectations on her and just not accepting her perfectly fine way of going?

I don't know. Lots of questions. 

All I can do is work on myself, give the Adequan and Magrestore a chance to work and then reassess. And I do need a lot of work. I've changed a lot this year; my entire appearance just screams "I'm exhausted and I don't want to be here but my schedule says I'm supposed to be here at this time, so here I am!" I look and feel terrible yet try to squeeze out a smile. I guess I don't feel authentic right now. I'm just glad that I'm soon done with this dysfunctional environment and maybe once I'm in my new job where I don't have to worry about all this craziness, my body and spirit will recuperate. I had no idea my current situation was weighing me down the way that it is. Only 7 more days....

Edit: one more thought - I've been working so hard to improve my seat with this Centered Riding stuff; well I give up on that; it turns out my leg is now way too far under me; that might work well if I'm on a bigger horse where there is more barrel to work with but for a smaller horse my leg needs to stay closer to the girth even if that pushes me into a chair seat. Oh well, can't win!


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## SaddleUp158

Sounds like you had a successful lesson, eye opening in some ways. I love those days. I think your BO hit the nail on the head regarding Trooper being a little off. Dr. K essentially said the same thing about a paint gelding at our place. It is no different for them than it is you when you are a little sore. You work through it. Sometimes you have to take an anti inflammatory to help. 

Don't put too much pressure on yourself this summer. I would give yourself the rest of the year off. Keep up with the lessons on the schoolies so you can concentrate on you and keep pleasure riding Ana, until one day you find yourself wanting to really work with her again. You have a lot on your plate right now. There is nothing wrong with easing up on yourself. I find that most of the time I come out better in the end if I don't put a lot of pressure on myself to push through when my body, heart and mind just aren't there for a season. I think the horses need/enjoy the break as much as we do.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @saddleup158 that's certainly some solid advice. You are right; I have way too many irons in the fire right now and just need to prioritize instead of attempting to do everything. It's a bit depressing though because we worked so so hard to build up all the right muscles and she's looking more like a pasture horse every day. 

I thought about putting her in full time training with BO but something in me is telling me that she needs time off as well. 

I'm still trying to squeeze in Dressage type stuff out in the field like asking her to go forward into a contact and then we do serpentines down the hill and walk straight up and finish with collected walk down the hill where she really has to sit on her behind. 

I'm just glad that she's out and about with the mares all day so that she's mentally and physically occupied. Although I did get demanding nickers and paws when I brought her in after my lesson with Trooper.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Thank you @saddleup158 that's certainly some solid advice. You are right; I have way too many irons in the fire right now and just need to prioritize instead of attempting to do everything. It's a bit depressing though because we worked so so hard to build up all the right muscles and she's looking more like a pasture horse every day.
> 
> I thought about putting her in full time training with BO but something in me is telling me that she needs time off as well.
> 
> I'm still trying to squeeze in Dressage type stuff out in the field like asking her to go forward into a contact and then we do serpentines down the hill and walk straight up and finish with collected walk down the hill where she really has to sit on her behind.
> 
> I'm just glad that she's out and about with the mares all day so that she's mentally and physically occupied. Although I did get demanding nickers and paws when I brought her in after my lesson with Trooper.



She still looks great! Sounds like a good plan for throwing in dressage stuff in the field in a low pressure sort of way. I wouldn't worry about her losing her condition, she will pick it back up quickly. We run into that at the end of every winter. Without an indoor it is hard to squeeze in enough work to maintain fitness and tend to be back at square one by spring. You can always put her in training sometime this winter if you want. I bet you find the break from training this summer but still riding for fun will do you both good.


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## frlsgirl

@SaddleUp158 I imagine that must be very challenging when you don't have a covered arena. Plus getting to the barn is quite a drive for you and then you run out of daylight and you still have to do barn chores. 

I guess I will soon have the same problem when I bring Ana home except I don't have to then drive to a barn to see her as she will literally be at my back door probably begging for dinner, lol. 

Are you able to get more time in the saddle now that it's summer?


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## DanteDressageNerd

I know several older horses that is takes a bit to warm them up and they look "off" but aren't really "lame" when they warm up but after they warm up and arent' so stiff work out of it. Leo is like that and a lot of horses with prior injuries are like that too. They don't just get out of the stall and bounce out like fresh babies. Just like us. Wear and age takes it's toll.

It takes time to get a feel and figure it out and a lot of it is trial and error and trying to figure out what works and what doesnt. If it helps, rather than focusing on size of gaits, focus on mechanics. Improve the mechanics first then you can expand and improve the gaits but mechanics and correct responses comes first. You can't go bigger and bigger or they just tend to get tense and develop incorrect mechanics but look more expressive and sometimes you go for less expression to improve mechanics and understanding of the aids but it's something to trial and error and figure out. Glad you're enjoying your lessons and getting to ride a schoolmaster. That's really exciting!!


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## SaddleUp158

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I know several older horses that is takes a bit to warm them up and they look "off" but aren't really "lame" when they warm up but after they warm up and arent' so stiff work out of it. Leo is like that and a lot of horses with prior injuries are like that too. They don't just get out of the stall and bounce out like fresh babies. Just like us. Wear and age takes it's toll.
> 
> It takes time to get a feel and figure it out and a lot of it is trial and error and trying to figure out what works and what doesnt. If it helps, rather than focusing on size of gaits, focus on mechanics. Improve the mechanics first then you can expand and improve the gaits but mechanics and correct responses comes first. You can't go bigger and bigger or they just tend to get tense and develop incorrect mechanics but look more expressive and sometimes you go for less expression to improve mechanics and understanding of the aids but it's something to trial and error and figure out. Glad you're enjoying your lessons and getting to ride a schoolmaster. That's really exciting!!


I wish I could double like this post! This is how my mare is, though she is only 10. Everything gets better as the mechanics improve within both me as a rider and the horse.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> @SaddleUp158 I imagine that must be very challenging when you don't have a covered arena. Plus getting to the barn is quite a drive for you and then you run out of daylight and you still have to do barn chores.
> 
> I guess I will soon have the same problem when I bring Ana home except I don't have to then drive to a barn to see her as she will literally be at my back door probably begging for dinner, lol.
> 
> Are you able to get more time in the saddle now that it's summer?


We are definitely getting more saddle time now that it is summer. Plus with our summer hours, four 10hr days and a day off plus the weekend, that really helps. You will love having Ana at home, though I know you will miss the covered arena in inclement weather. Luckily, having one or two horses will not take you near so long to do daily chores as 10ish horses do.


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## frlsgirl

Oh wow. I didn't realize you have 10nish horses to take care of @saddleup158 that would take some time to tend to all of them; especially demanding Morgan mares 

Thanks for your feedback @DanteDressageNerd. Trooper definitely worked out some of the lameness but again he's old and creaky so that is to be expected. Ana doesn't feel old or creaky. It's a consistent unwillingness to go forward and only improves when a gate is involved; as soon as she's through the gate she fizzles again. Plus there is this consistent bobble at the trot like one leg is shorter; she doesn't work out of it. But maybe this is her new way of going post EPM illness. I know some EPM horses have a hitch in their step for the rest of their lives although it doesn't seem to bother them and some even still compete at lower levels. 

I rode Ana out in the field yesterday and filmed it. Here are some screen shots. I wanted to get trot pics but had a hard time getting her going and the camera was set up in such a way that I was trotting towards it so it's hard to see. I'll play some more with camera set up over the weekend so I can get better pics.


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## PoptartShop

Glad things are going well with Ana.  Riding in the field sounds like fun, She looks good!!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @poptartshop! She doesn't look terrible or anything but she's not as built up as she was at the beginning of the year and that's a little depressing. 

Update:

I found another patch of green grass to ride on; unfortunately it's Ana's favorite grazing spot so she was not amused and kept trying to halt. I'm sure she was wondering why we were trampling all over her salad bar!

What's the most creative or unusual place you've ridden your horse at?


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## evilamc

Haha! Poor Ana, destroying all her delicious grass!

I've been lucky to ride at a lot of fun and interesting places...I'd say besides riding in the caves at Hocking Hills the most interesting thing I've done is ride through railroad tunnels! You literally can't see your hands/horse in front of you...


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## frlsgirl

Wow thats really cool @evilamc ! what is the stuff on the ceiling? Is that limestone? I don't know that Ana or myself would be brave enough to go through there by ourselves; maybe with a group of others like you did but not by ourselves.


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## frlsgirl

Ok; I made some videos from yesterday to illustrate some of the points I've brought up in my journal recently:

Here is a longish unedited video; this is toward the end of our 20 minute ride. You can kind of see her fizzling and not really wanting to go forward all the time. She dig give me a really nice back up so I was happy with that but then she tried to rip the reins from me when I've already given her quite a bit of extra space. Mares I tell ya! you offer them an inch and they take a mile! 

Can you see when she's trotting how she's almost walking? It's more like a Western Pleasure, lets-see-how-slow-I-can-trot-without-getting-in-trouble kind of trot with a few bobbly steps in between.








Here you can see how the horse's perception can influence gait quality:






I'm really excited about this one. That's the partnership stuff we've been working on. Only letting her graze when I say so and she needs to have a good attitude about it. Otherwise her privileges are revoked!






Overall I think it was a successful ride; she's not doing anything new or unusual. Her backup is continuing to look good. She has an opinion about where we are going and what we are doing which is noticeable when she fizzles as soon as we turn from the direction she wants to go in. The partnership stuff was successful; I felt like my timing is good and she was gracious enough to demo her ear pinning for video purposes, lol. She did come to me willingly when I went to bring her in from the pasture although she hesitated for a moment. Oh yeah and she did nicker at me the entire time I was grooming her, like "mom, I love you" may I please have another carrot?" 

If I had ridden her with a whip maybe the trot would have been better. I feel like a lot of the problems I have with her are my fault because she has learned how to manipulate me a bit. It's difficult to tell how much of this is just ring-sourness and her testing me with how little she can do and still get a carrot. I don't know. The vet thinks there is definitely a physical component as evidenced by flexing lame and unwillingness to go forward on the lunge or in hand, which at least rules out saddle fit as the main culprit.

I'm working really hard on my position which I hope is evident in the video. I've lowered my stirrups a hole so that has helped and I installed the riser pads after yesterday's ride so that should help going forward.


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## evilamc

frlsgirl said:


> Wow thats really cool @evilamc ! what is the stuff on the ceiling? Is that limestone? I don't know that Ana or myself would be brave enough to go through there by ourselves; maybe with a group of others like you did but not by ourselves.


It was an old train tunnel! Not sure entirely whats on the ceiling. It was funny, my two friends on OLDER seasoned horses...their horses would not go in the tunnel at first!! Baby Jax at 6 years old had to lead the way


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## frlsgirl

Wow, what a proud momma moment for you @evilamc


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## frlsgirl

Had an appointment with animal communicator today. She just echoed what I already knew. Ana is ring sour, she said she doesn't need to do circles because she already know how to do them. She's just really burnt out on Dressage. 

She said Ana doesn't feel out anywhere just a little weak and wobbly in her hind end which explains the lack of forward. It's unclear whether this weakness is a residual effect from EPM, if it's because she had some time off or if it's normal hind end weakness that most Dressage horses experience as we are always challenging them to carry more behind. 

I then told her what I've been doing with her recently, doing work in the field 2 to 3 days a week, and she agreed that it's a great idea because it builds her up mentally and physically without actually drilling her. 

I asked her what Ana thought about her new turnout situation without giving away details. She said that Ana gets turned out more now and is happier and she said all the barn horses are much better behaved now which she wasn't sure what Ana meant by that. I then revealed that Ana now lives with a group of mares and that Ana is the boss which made sense to her. I guess Ana felt like the barn horses didn't have proper leadership and now that she gets to be in charge, all is well. 

I did ask her about Ana's Dressage future and asked if we could eventually school more but only out in the field and then take her to a show and she said Ana might just be ok with that. But right now she seems too burned out to even consider it. 

So everything I suspected appears to be true and I can definitely stick to our current plan since it works for both of us. 

I wonder though if I can sneak in sufficient Dressage moves out in the field and still ride a proper test. I'm thinking our schooling figures might not be very accurate. 

I might have to teach her higher level movements sooner as she's clearly bored with circles but I don't want to overtax her physically. 

But for now we are just taking it easy...here is a cute pic from Saturday


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## carshon

@frlsgirl I think it is just awesome that you spoke to an animal communicator! I have a few times in the past and always felt better afterward. I think it speaks volumes for the kind and compassionate owner you are!


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## frlsgirl

Awww thank you @carshon !

Just trying to do right by her


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## frlsgirl

Lesson on Trooper tonight!!!! Can u tell I'm excited?!? 

Also I have to give Ana another Adequan shot tonight


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## frlsgirl

Great lesson on Trooper last night. I learned a lot. We worked on being effectively assertive which is something I struggle with in real life as well as in the saddle and some horse (aka Ana) will take advantage of that. 

We also worked on my canter seat and discovered that I can only keep my leg long when I'm tipped forward and when I lean back my leg comes up. So she had me go back to a walk, drop the stirrups and do some stretching. Then we picked up the canter again and voila my seat issues went away. 

She asked me if I would be interested in a lesson with Aaron Wilson who had previously helped me with Ana's ring sourness. He's coming in 3 weeks so I'm hoping to get a lesson with him.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad Ana is doing well and you were able to take a lesson on Trooper. Effective assertiveness is definitely a skill to gain. Have to be to insure proper communication and mutual understanding. The clinic/lesson should be really fun. I hope you get to go!


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## frlsgirl

Me too @DanteDressageNerd - the clinic is filling up fast so I'm rushing to get my sign up sheet in!

Effective Assertiveness Demonstration:

So the video starts with me trotting Trooper in a circle and I'm working way too hard; he's just giving me the bare minimum effort to get by. So I stop and grab a whip and immediately his walk is forward and he picks up the trot very easily...but after a circle he fizzles...so at the 1:50 mark when he's not respecting my leg I give him a good tap and he jolts forward; since he responded so well and willingly, trainer had me reward him with a walk break. He was good the rest of the lesson.






Hoping to take Ana for a short trail ride tomorrow night. Haven't sat on her since last Saturday


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's a good example of just be forward. Forward first, respecting the aids and reward. I'm glad you're having good lessons with Trooper and taking a lot out of each one, always a good thing!


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## frlsgirl

I enjoy riding Trooper a lot. He's pretty easy to practice different skills on. I can really work on my canter seat because he's so smooth and just easy going. I can practice being assertive and he responds appropriately.

Today was my last day at my old job. I'm so relieved. I feel like a boulder has been lifted off my shoulders. My new job doesn't start until Wednesday. There is always a bit of anxiety around starting a new job but that usually passes quickly especially after I have survived the first day and the first week.

Heading to the barn to spend some time with Ana.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad you're able to enjoy Trooper and continue with lessons learning with a horse with appropriate reactions.

I'm so glad to hear you're leaving this old job where you were unhappy. I hope you are much happier in your next one! Onto bigger and better things!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @DanteDressageNerd !

Alright, wanted to share a canter video from my lesson on Trooper; we cantered maybe 12 times or so, here is a short segment of left and right. Funny thing, after I had that conversation with him about respecting the leg aids, he offered to canter while my body was still posting the trot; trainer said to just go with it and let him canter since he was showing so much willingness.

Can you tell how stiff my back is though? I'm well overdue for a chiro visit and just haven't kept up with stretching exercises or diet for that matter. I tried to do the twist stretch after this ride and my body can't twist to the left; it gets hung up on something. I started doing some hip flexibility exercises I found on FB and they really seem to work; I'm slowly able to stretch to the left again, but it's going to take some time to get equally flexible on both sides.


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> Can you tell how stiff my back is though? I'm well overdue for a chiro visit and just haven't kept up with stretching exercises or diet for that matter. I tried to do the twist stretch after this ride and my body can't twist to the left; it gets hung up on something. I started doing some hip flexibility exercises I found on FB and they really seem to work; I'm slowly able to stretch to the left again, but it's going to take some time to get equally flexible on both sides.


I notice a huge difference when I get lazy and don't stretch daily like I should. Do you have a link to the hip exercises? I am always looking for more or better stretches.

I keep saying I need to find a local place to do yoga, but still somehow never get around to it..


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## frlsgirl

@phantomhorse13 it's on Atlantic Physical Therapy FB Page. I found it as a link under the Fit for Dressage group.


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## frlsgirl

So the BM called me Sunday to inform me that my horse is three legged lame. I was already on my way when he called so I got there within 10 minutes of the call. 

Fortunately the BM had already figured out the problem: she had a sharp rock stuck in her foot and also lost a shoe. Once he picked out the rock she was totally fine. 

I went back the next day to look for the shoe but couldn't locate it. 

We ended up just doing groundwork Sunday, and grooming with stretches Monday. 

I didn't make it out there today as I'm busy prepping for my first day at new job tomorrow. 

I did discuss options with BO regarding Ana's feet; she's said that the supplements are causing her feet to grow faster which is causing the nails to pop out in different spots and now the lost shoe. 

Maybe some of the bobbles under saddle are actually related to the shoes not fitting right/coming loose. 

Of course this always happens during a holiday when you can't get a hold of the farrier. BO said he's coming out next week anyway. Gonna try to reach him tomorrow to discuss possibly trying the barefoot thing again. 

Also, no lesson today due to the holiday - boo!

Lesson has been tentatively rescheduled for Saturday morning. 

BO did confirm that I'm on the list for the Aaron Wilson clinic on the 13th.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Oh God that would have given me heart failure if I got a phone call like that. I'd drop everything and rush out. Thank God it was something simple and nothing major, that's scary!!

Go see the chiropractor and possibly a massage therapist too. Back pain is horrible :-( I always try to go as soon as I start feeling stiff or it escalates to I can't bend over to horrible knee and hip pain. I hope you can be seen by a chiropractor. It makes such an incredible difference!

I'm glad you're taking lessons on Trooper, he looks like a fun horse to work with and ride. Good man!


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## frlsgirl

Cassandra: Yeah, when I saw the BMs name on my caller id I was pretty freaked! I don't know if I'll have time/money/insurance to go see chiro until Octoberish. I tend to guard my lower back but I'm not in any actual pain; it does interfere with my ability to have a following seat but just doing stretches at home as helped.

Update: I got a hold of the farrier, he's coming Monday and we will try the barefoot thing again then. I can't wait to see how she goes.

Also, today was my first day at my new job! I'm really loving it! Such nice, decent, good people. Everything is so well run and organized, it's such a great fit for me; I'm no longer the odd man out, everyone is just like me, just naturally motivated, organized and driven. To my surprise, they have a gym! I thought today was mostly administrative type stuff but we actually delved into real work already. Can't wait to get settled.


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## phantomhorse13

I second having had a heart attack over a call like that. Tho good the BO noticed and found the problem.

So glad to hear your first day at work went well!


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## frlsgirl

First day Selfie. Super pumped about my new adventure!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Good luck! Make it a great day(s)!


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## egrogan

Really glad the first day went so well. What a relief to be in a functional work environment!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. 

I finally got some barn time. I rode Super Trooper in a party lesson. The highlight was doing 4 loop canter serpentines with simple changes. 

Afterwards I visited Ana in the pasture; gave her a carrot and some scratches and then just observed her interact with her herd. She certainly rules them with an iron hoof.


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## frlsgirl

Got a couple of good short videos. Remember the assertiveness thing I was talking about in a previous post? Well I had to have another talk with Trooper because he was ignoring my leg and it just so happened to be right where the camera was set up so you can really see his reaction here (it happens right as we go around the orange cone):






And then just a quick video of our canter serpentines:


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## frlsgirl

I got to admit ladies, I'm pretty frazzled with everything that's going on right now. The new job is awesome but it is full on; takes a lot of my mental energy. Boss called me into his office Friday to ask me how it was going from my perspective and I said that I really like it but just trying hard to keep up. He said that from his perspective I'm doing fantastic and shouldn't be so hard on myself as it takes time to learn everything. 

This week is going to be tough cause it's my first full week of work, plus I got a wedding to go to Friday night and then the Aaron Wilson clinic is Saturday and in between I need to keep the house perfect as our listing just hit the MLS and we need to keep it in show condition at all times.

I haven't been totally frazzled like this in a long time; I find myself just staring at the wall totally checked out when I should be doing stuff to get ready for the week. Friday I left the house and forgot to close the garage door and thankfully husband was home and closed it for me.

Do you ever get frazzled like this? Where you know you should be doing something but instead you just stare at the wall and do nothing at all? It's freaking me out a little bit. My sister says it's normal, that it has happened to her as well.

I'm having nightmares like I was supposed to trailer Ana to Florida for the Aaron Wilson clinic and on the way there lots of things happened and I ended up being 15 minutes late and so my session was cancelled and I spent the rest of the dream just screaming and throwing a big fit because I had to miss out on the clinic.


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## evilamc

Oh man I totally know what you're going through!!!

Before we moved to Ohio in Sept 2015...well we went under contract on our farm in Ohio in like April 2015...sight unseen. We had family check it out but we werent able to view it ourselves because we were 6 hours away and BUSY!

So that was a nightmare on its own being so far away trying to close on a house. To top it off my parents were in the middle of selling the family business *where I worked* so they could retire to their beach house. They made the decision to sell their house in Jan 2015...so ended up moving in with my husband and I in my little 3 bedroom condo!!!! Luckily it was only a few nights a week. 

So we were paying double everything because two houses....my parents living with us....everything was crazy with the business trying to make sure THAT sale went through...I listed my Condo in like July and it went under contract within 30 days....so our plan to move got bumped up...so then my mom was FREAKING out because I was moving before the business sale was finalized. Well and that they werent going to be able to stay at my condo anymore a few nights a week. So they had to start commuting 2 hours each way every day. But it all worked out. Sale finalized in October, they got to retire and I got to move to my farm in September.

yeah it was a mess. Just hang in there, hopefully in a few months it will all get easier!!!!! Thats what I had to keep telling myself!


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## frlsgirl

Yeah that does sound very stressful @evilamc - usually if one aspect of your life is out of control you can at least find solace in other areas but when all aspects of your life turn into a mess, you just want to scream and run away. Glad everything worked out for you and you can finally breathe again. It kind of feels like I just finished putting together a 10000 piece puzzle and someone just walks in and throws it up in the air and I'm frantically trying to put all the pieces back together.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think you're very type A and like to be on top of everything and have it all set up in an easy going way otherwise it triggers stress and anxiety. I get that. Part of being an INTJ I guess. 

I get stressed out with change and adjusting to expectations because I'm a perfectionist and want to do it all perfectly and right. I'll work myself into the ground. But it'll get better as you feel more comfortable and understand the routine. It takes some time. I'm the same way, to be comfortable I have to know exactly what I'm doing and learn as much as possible, so I know what I need to when I need to. Have to be over prepared. Competence equals confidence.

I'm glad you're enjoying your lessons and got to spend some time with Miss Ana! She is definitely a boss mare. Wow she is nasty to them. I think she's an A type alpha.


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## egrogan

Just chiming in to say I think it's totally normal to feel overwhelmed when you're dealing with two major life changes- a new job and selling a house. 

I think if your new boss tells you things are going great, you have to let yourself hear that positive feedback and believe it :wink: Doesn't mean getting complacent, but let it help you figure out their expectations. 

As far as selling a house, I have yet to do that without finding it stressful from beginning to end, so not much advise except make sure you trust your agent, and if you don't feel like they're meeting your expectations, make a change sooner than later.

PS- that photo of Ana bossing around that big roan?appy? mare is too funny. Small but mighty.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies! I'm feeling better about everything. Spent a good chunk of my weekend just getting prepared to help me feel more in control of the situation. 

@egrogan 
We actually don't have an agent; we are doing the for sale by owner thing; we just had to pay a fee to this agency that put our house on the MLS; but we did all the pictures, the description, the staging, showing and paperwork etc. We've really had to learn to work as a team; he will give me a 2 hour warning that we have a showing; I race home and clean the inside while he races home and mows the lawn. 15 minutes before the showing I load up the dogs into the car and drive to the Walgreens parking lot where I sit the the A/C blasting waiting for him to tell me that I can come back home. So that's been a little stressful; the first showing was the worst, I think we spent 8 hours cleaning, staging, and moving things into the storage facility. Now we just try to keep everything semi-perfect all the time so that I can get it show ready in 2 hours. And yes, Ana was bossing the blue roan QH mare around; her name is Blue; she likes to hang out with Ana even though Ana beats up on her all the time.

@DanteDressageNerd
I guess Ana and I have the type A thing in common; although I don't bite/draw blood on my co-workers, lol. Actually, most of the time Ana just threatens to kick and bite, she usually starts with a dirty look and then escalates from there. It was really embarrassing though when that lady wanted her bay mare to meet the grey mare and Ana turned and bit the grey mare right in front of her; she didn't know that Ana is mine so she's like "OMG, did you see what that mare just did?!? I can't believe the grey mare would put up with this!" I was like "umm, yeah, unbelievable" >>>>quietly exists stage left...lol


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## Tazzie

Hahahaha, that picture of Ana! She is definitely the alpha mare!

I hope this week goes better! I HATE changing jobs! High stress and anxiety until I finally realize on my own that I'm good and I know what I'm doing. I'm glad you made the change! Good luck selling your house!


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol I love the comparison similar but you don't bite or draw blood on your coworkers lol. Ana just has to be in control of the situation. Frankie is at a morgan barn and I'm noticing the morgan mares like to be in charge lol. They have the tude but they seem really sweet. 

lol but that's hilarious! No doubts in Ana's self confidence. Wow. Small but mighty. She keeps them on a tight leash!

But I get wanting to be prepared. I think the hard work pays off in the end or at some point, maybe just not initially. I think putting in the work up front makes it easier long term!


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## frlsgirl

I took Ana for a group trail ride yesterday. She was full of it which , although annoying to deal with at times, I like to see because it means she's feeling well. 

She was very ouchy going over rocks but she seemed happy and forward on grass; we tried trotting and that seemed normal. 

We started out in the arena because that's where the mounting block was and you could just see her energy drop immediately and then we opened the gate to start our trail ride she was ready to go!

BO told me she was cantering around her turnout in the middle of the day so I had expected her to be more on the forward side. 

Energy as a doubleheader edged sword with Ana; a whole bunch of attitude usually shows up when her energy is high which can be very good or very bad. In a Dressage test, this could mean a higher gait and impulsion score but then we get dinged on the submission score as she prances around with lots of tail swishing and ear pinning.


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## frlsgirl

Ugh I'm so far behind on everyone's journal including mine. 

I rode Trooper last night; we cantered a lot and we tried different things to improve my canter seat. Stretching helped but trotting without stirrups helped the most. While I was riding Trooper, a fresh round bale got delivered to Ana's pasture. When it was time to bring her inside for dinner, she was hiding behind it like she didn't want to come in; it's really comical how much she loves her hay.

I'm probably not going back out to the barn until Saturday for my lesson with Aaron; I had planned on going Friday but I'm going to a wedding and I need to spend the next two evenings at home taking care of things other than horses, boo.


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## frlsgirl

Alright. Wanted to share some pics of Trooper and I from yesterday's ride. 

Ever since Photobucket quit working I've found it much easier to attach pics using my phone but it makes I think challenging to write a lot of text and I also can't "like" any posts on the phone version. So if my responses seem short or I seem slow to respond, that's why


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## DanteDressageNerd

The pictures look great! I'm really glad you're accomplishing so much in your lessons and having such a good time! 

I'm glad Ana is enjoying her time off trail riding and being a horse. I hope she's happy!


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd - Yes I think Ana is happiest when she gets to live outside in a herd where she gets to boss everyone around. I don't think she enjoys being ridden as that entails submitting to the rider and a boss mare never truly submits. She does keep an eye on me when I'm messing around with other horses; I try to keep a low profile but she always seems to know when I'm there. I don't think she cares that I ride other horses; she just doesn't like that I'm doing things with other horses like grooming or giving them treats. When I do ride her, it's more of a "I scratch your back if you scratch mine" agreement; she gets a good grooming, lots of doting and carrot stretches and in exchange she agrees to carry me around for a while. She definitely has me on a timer though and is not afraid to let me know when time/her patience has run out lol. Saturday's lesson should be very interesting; definitely bringing my GoPro to record Ana's tail swishes, lol.


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## frlsgirl

Here is a funny picture sequence from last weekend. Ana was snoozing next to Blue and then she heard my voice...


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## DanteDressageNerd

That makes sense. "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" definitely sounds like Ana. She wont give more than is absolutely necessary because that is "beneath her." She's a very proud mare as can be seen when she's out with her comrades. Can't be dominated but can be worked with. I can't say I blame her lol.


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## frlsgirl

So....I almost died today:






but as you can see we recovered and she went perfectly after that. I was working on effective assertiveness with Aaron Wilson, so when Ana decided to stop and poop he told me to make her keep going and if she didn't respond to my leg that I needed to correct her with the whip, and boy did she respond! For a second I thought we were going to slam into the railing but somehow we didn't. 

I really had to work on editing my aids; a light press with the calf and if no response immediately correct with the whip and then take legs off. Once we had that down we worked on adjustability; slow trot down to a 3 gently press with calf just once to bring her back to 7 and if no response to light calf, correct with whip, immediately remove leg when she responded. Pretty soon she was so forward that I had a hard time bringing her back to a 3. He did want to take a look at her canter which went surprisingly well, except that I was holding my legs on too tight which made her tense and that also is confusing to her because we had just taught her that gentle leg pressure means go forward and if she responded the pressure would come off and I wasn't able to do that at the canter because my subconscious just told me to hang on tight, but that was 2 minutes after her big blow up so my subconscious was guarded. I'm just now learning to let go in my canter lessons with Trooper so letting go on Ana after a blow up was not happening. Long story short, her canter is actually really nice, but I'm sitting in a very guarded clingy way which is causing her to be tense.

It does seem like I know exactly what's wrong and what needs to be fixed and how those things affect Ana, I just needed someone to audit me talk me through the steps and then talk me through the blowup. He did say I was adequately assertive, so even though it looked and felt really dramatic I didn't over-correct her, she really needed to be corrected even though it looks awful. She was fantastic after that. The only time she got really mad was in the beginning when I bumped her with my leg, he said not to bump her, she's too sensitive for that, just lightly squeeze and then correct with whip if necessary and she learned very quickly that if she wanted to avoid the whip she just had to listen to my leg and I had to work on taking my legs off so that she could experience the reward of the release. 

The only thing that confused me is that he wanted me to keep her head more up so when she offered to stretch he had me block her from doing so and I didn't have a chance to ask him more about that, because when I first got Ana she didn't want to go towards the bit at all so any sign of going towards the hand was reinforced with release but for some reason he wanted me to keep her more up. Maybe the going towards the hand/release thing is only used in the beginning stages and once they understand that concept, the next step is to keep them more up. I don't know. I hope I get to go out there again tomorrow so that I can ask him. I wanted to squeeze in another lesson with him but he's booked solid and the only slot he has open is during our house showing tomorrow so I can't abandon my husband just so I can go ride. 

I also have some screen shots from today that I will attache in a separate post.

PS: how cute is this Draft X? His name is Latte!


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## frlsgirl

Pics from the clinic with Aaron Wilson. The first few are from my lesson and the last 2 are from the following lesson which I audited. How cute is the cat passed out in one of the auditor's chairs?!?


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's fantastic Tanja! I'm really happy for you and Ana! It sounds and looks like you guys had a really productive clinic with lots of good information! That's fantastic!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @DanteDressageNerd - it was definitely one of those "big turning point" lessons. Now I feel confident that we can continue to pursue our Dressage goals together however I'm going to keep offering her a variety of work rather then go back to 100% Dressage.

I went back today and audited the clinic some more and then we all had lunch with Aaron and I got to talk to him some more and ask about the contact question. He said that the reason he wants me to ride her more up is because it's a control thing; I'm supposed to be in charge of her head and by letting her stretch down too much I'm letting her take charge. I was just always so excited when she offered to stretch that I encouraged it because I thought it was a good thing, and it is a good thing but in her case, now that she knows how to stretch very well, she's using it against me to evade and take charge of the situation. So along with me taking charge of her legs I also need to take charge of her head. She did get pretty ticked off when I wouldn't let her stretch but by standing my ground she gave up quickly. I think in general she is more opposed to my legs then my hands; I can't bump her, just gently squeeze followed by a sharp tap if she doesn't listen is all that's needed and then in the canter I need to let go so that she can relax.

I'm super pumped to try this on my own with her. A simple center trot circle used to feel like rocket science as she fought me every step of the way now it's just so easy. Hopefully we can continue on this path when we ride by ourselves. I might just record an audio where I keep repeating the things that Aaron said so that I can listen to it while I'm riding.


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's fantastic advice! I'm so glad you enjoyed and got a lot out of this clinic, it sounds super productive and gave you more confidence and tools to really feel like you and Ana can do this together! I hope the progress continues like this! I love clinics, it's like you take massive leaps forward in a small period of time!


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## PoptartShop

Great job at the clinic. Ana looks very happy.  So glad you had a good time!


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## frlsgirl

I guess Ana does look happy in the pics; I hadn't even noticed that. Thanks for pointing that out @PoptartShop ! I think she likes having very clear direction and even though the corrections with the whip seem to startle her a bit, she seems to prefer that over being nagged all the time. Yes @DanteDressageNerd - definitely a large leap forward for us. 

I rode her instead of Trooper in Tuesday's lesson because I was eager to try the stuff we learned in the clinic. Trainer was very pleased with us; we did end up focus on stretching whereas Aaron had me ride her more up but we used it more as a tool to work on adjustability. So she would have me trot with short reins and then slowly feed the reins to her and then slowly take her back up without changing tempo or anything else. We then incorporated that with trot-canter transitions.

I'm sorry I've been so absent but my new job is taking a lot of extra time; fortunately we get paid OT - if the work stays this busy I might be able to afford that fancy WB after all 

I'l try to get caught up on all the threads over the weekend.

Here are a couple of pics from Tuesday's lesson. Planning on riding her tomorrow night and either Trooper or Dante Saturday and then Ana again Sunday.


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## DanteDressageNerd

You and Ana look fantastic!! I'm so happy for you both and so glad you're having such good, productive lessons together! That's awesome! 

lol I like the equation of YES more overtime and I can afford my fancy pony!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @DanteDressageNerd - with each hour of OT I work, I imagine my dream horse filling in different body parts; like 1 hour = 1 hoof; 2 hours = 1 leg and so on, lol.

Here is a short video clip from our stretchy ride:


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol yes I like it! I think of work like that too! Alright 1 hr = I can have food and not just pay off a vet bill lol.

But Ana looks really happy. It makes me happy to see her happy which I'm sure makes you happy. She seems a lot more at ease. Good work!


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## frlsgirl

Yes happy horse = happy owner @DanteDressageNerd !

I worked nearly 6 hours of OT this week which equates to half of a shetland pony, lol. I was supposed to go to the barn tonight but I had a major headache by the time I got home and napped almost the entire afternoon. We are under an excessive heat advisory so that was probably a good call anyway. I think I drank too much water and depleted myself of electrolytes because I drank some magnesium water with dinner and already feel a lot better.

So the revised plan for tomorrow is to ride Ana at like 8:30am and then either Dante or Trooper at 10am. I might ride Ana Sunday morning instead of Sunday night; I'll have to see how that all works out tomorrow. Sometimes if I get there too early, she hasn't had breakfast yet and then I end up interrupting the whole barn feeding/turnout routine. If I go too late, then the gates to the pastures are closed which limits my riding space to the covered arena unless they are using it for turnout. BO said that Ana has become really attached to "her" mares and doesn't like to come inside anymore unless it's feeding time and/or the other mares also get to come inside at the same time. It's funny how horses are just like people, they don't want anyone messing with their system/routine. 

It should be interesting when we move Ana home because feeding/stall cleaning routine is going to be slightly different on weekends vs during the week; no way that I'm getting up at 5am on a Saturday just so she can get fed on time. Apparently, you are supposed to feed horses at the same time every day but I don't know how I'm going to work that out yet. Maybe feed right before I get in my car to drive to work, like at 6:30am and then on weekends, I can be out to feed by 7:30am so that would only be a 1 hour difference, surely that won't bother them? I guess I can clean stalls whenever I can fit it in; I just need to come up with a semi consistent feeding schedule that works every single day whether I'm working or at home that day. Ana is good about reminding BO when it's time to feed; she will usually bring them in right before feeding at 8pmish but if she gets to talking to other boarders/students then the horses are all standing there, nickering at her, like "hey lady, quit chit chatting and feed us!" lol


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## DanteDressageNerd

Definitely!

The heat is so excessive this week, I hear you. It's draining! I gave Frankie the week off while under the heat advisory because it's so awful! But I hope you have some good rides tomorrow morning!

lol well have a good time tomorrow. It sounds like Ana is a Queen Morgan mare (Frankie is at a Morgan barn) and they have a mare that reminds me of Ana lol. She was a world champion and she is pretty opinionated and dominant as well. She's the Queen Bee! But with the feeding routine, I think you'll work it out and 1hr difference on the weekends isn't too big. At the morgan barn they do 1 hr difference during the weekend as well and the horses all seem fine and well cared for. I bet you can't wait to take her home!


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd A stay-cay for Frankie sounds like a good plan. 

As planned, I rode Ana early in the am followed by the party lesson on Trooper. 

Ana had just gotten turned out when I arrived but to my surprise she was eager to come with me. Since the gates to the pasture were open and it was only 80something degrees, I opted for a ride in the fields. 

She did pretty good except for the occasional rooting. She was light off my leg despite not having a whip so that was nice to see. 

Halfway through our ride this butterfly landed on my hand and hitched a ride with us. It flew off a few times and kept coming back. So I stuck my hand out and it landed on me. I was like "nobody is ever going to believe this!" so I carefully navigated back to the camera with the butterfly still on my hand, dismounted, showed it to Ana, and as I reached for the camera the darn thing flew off! It was so adorable how Ana checked it out; would have been a perfect Kodak moment. 

The party lesson on was a lot of fun but man was it hot! Someone on FB said the heat index got up to 110 today! We only cantered a little bit and finished with drill team maneuvers. 

Planning on doing arena work with Ana tomorrow.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Jeeze the heat is terrible everywhere. It was 114 heat index here :-( it's awful!

The ride in the fields sounds lovely for Ana. Sounds like fun but it's a shame you lost the butterfly. It sounds like it was a special moment!


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## frlsgirl

We had a successful first solo schooling session today. We worked on changing postures while maintaining rhythm and tempo; letting her stretch all the way down and slowly bringing her back up. 

We also did the little walk - big walk exercise that Laurie taught us a while back. 

My main focus though was being crystal clear with my aids and boundaries. Not letting her putter around or ignore my aids, and most importantly, taking the pressure off when she responded appropriately so that she could experience the benefit of the reward. 

I probably won't have time to see her tomorrow and I have a lesson on Trooper scheduled for Tuesday. I'll have to see how the rest of my week goes as I definitely want to ride her at least once before Friday. 

@DanteDressageNerd - the butterfly was mesmerizing. It was weird how it kept following us. I'll have to do some googling to see what it means. Maybe my Dr. Doolittle powers have expanded into the insect sector.


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## evilamc

> It should be interesting when we move Ana home because feeding/stall cleaning routine is going to be slightly different on weekends vs during the week; no way that I'm getting up at 5am on a Saturday just so she can get fed on time. Apparently, you are supposed to feed horses at the same time every day but I don't know how I'm going to work that out yet. Maybe feed right before I get in my car to drive to work, like at 6:30am and then on weekends, I can be out to feed by 7:30am so that would only be a 1 hour difference, surely that won't bother them? I guess I can clean stalls whenever I can fit it in; I just need to come up with a semi consistent feeding schedule that works every single day whether I'm working or at home that day. Ana is good about reminding BO when it's time to feed; she will usually bring them in right before feeding at 8pmish but if she gets to talking to other boarders/students then the horses are all standing there, nickering at her, like "hey lady, quit chit chatting and feed us!" lol


I don't believe in that at all. I HATE the horses telling ME when its time to feed. They get fed whenever I feel like it, usually within a few hours difference...but I don't like to do a same exact time every day because then they expect it. If I want to take a late ride and not feed till after? I will! And they have to go along with it because they never know when dinner is lol! Breakfest is usually fed sometime between 7:45-10am...then dinner sometime between 5-7:30...sometimes a little later and every now and then a little earlier. As long as they have hay so arent just standing around with no food...its not an issue. Grain shouldn't be the main part of their diet but more so a supplement for nutrients they arent getting in their hay/pasture. So free choice hay in hay nets is the best!

Glad to see you guys working together again though! Must feel so good to be back at lessons with her!


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## frlsgirl

Yeah good point @evilamc - can't let them run your life; but I also don't want them to colic and die either. 

A couple of years ago the vet had me switch her diet from pellet feed to alfalfa. Even though Ana liked the alfalfa, she would get really upset at feeding time because she felt left out. It seems that horses get accustomed to the sound of the grain hitting their bucket and they get excited. So we ended up making a mash out of the alfalfa so that she could still participate with the other horses at feeding time. We switched her to Equine Senior when we moved to her current barn; I guess it's forage based but it's pelleted so she gets really excited when BO makes her rounds and you can hear pellets hitting the feed bucket and horses eagerly munching away.

Fortunately, we still have several months to work out the details regarding feeding routine. We still need to finish the house, which will hopefully be done next month or September. The builder ordered too much brick and the manufacturer won't take back the extra pallet so we are going to incorporate the brick into the the new barn; maybe make a little pony wall around the edge of the building. I'm going to ask BO to come visit our property before we get started to get her input as far as layout and logistics. I'm sure there are lots of things that I haven't even thought about and she's been doing this for 40 plus years so I'm sure she knows exactly where everything should go and why.


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> It should be interesting when we move Ana home because feeding/stall cleaning routine is going to be slightly different on weekends vs during the week; no way that I'm getting up at 5am on a Saturday just so she can get fed on time. Apparently, you are supposed to feed horses at the same time every day





evilamc said:


> I don't believe in that at all. I HATE the horses telling ME when its time to feed. They get fed whenever I feel like it, usually within a few hours difference ... As long as they have hay so arent just standing around with no food...its not an issue.





frlsgirl said:


> Yeah good point - can't let them run your life; but I also don't want them to colic and die either.
> 
> It seems that horses get accustomed to the sound of the grain hitting their bucket and they get excited ... so she gets really excited when BO makes her rounds


I am with @evilamc , ours get fed in the same basic window of time (4-5am & pm weekdays), but that window changes on weekends (when its more like 7-8am and then 6-7pm).. and some mornings we are hauling to rides, they can get fed as early as 3am. They have access to pasture and hay 24/7, so have something in their stomachs at any given moment. Horses going without _any_ food for long stretches can be more prone to ulcers and therefore colic, but they sure aren't going to colic from lack of grain at a precise time assuming they have hay all the time.

Our horses have their stall doors open all the time and I have to laugh when I go out into the barn at 2pm and the horses see me and come in and stand in their stalls, hoping maybe the food fairy is just on an early schedule that day. I just go about my business and within a few minutes they give up and wander back out to the pasture. We have never had even a minor colic *knock wood* from them doing that.

While horses certainly understand the sounds of feeding time, when Ana is at home there isn't going to be other horses getting huge grain meals while she isn't getting any.. so that also shouldn't be an issue.


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## evilamc

> Our horses have their stall doors open all the time and I have to laugh when I go out into the barn at 2pm and the horses see me and come in and stand in their stalls, hoping maybe the food fairy is just on an early schedule that day. I just go about my business and within a few minutes they give up and wander back out to the pasture. We have never had even a minor colic *knock wood* from them doing that.


LOL mine too! When I get up to go take care of dogs I have in for boarding, Jax will see me outside and start nickering like "OHH MOM YOU'RE UP...BREAKFAST SOON?" Or if I ever walk in their paddock they'll leave the hay and come up in hopes I'm feeding...they give up pretty quickly though when they realize I'm not yet.

As @phantomhorse13 says though, as long as you have hay out 24/7 their bellies are never actually empty. Also you aren't feeding large grain meals, thats where people get in trouble in my opinion. Some people are just very set in their ways/habits and stick to a strict schedule...I can't stand being on a strict schedule though, life is too hectic for that!


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## frlsgirl

I rode Dante last night. It was wonderful albeit exhausting. BO said that I can ride him anytime I want as he rarely gets ridden and could benefit from regular exercise. 

He takes so much strength and power to organize so it will be good for me to get accustomed to that.


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's awesome the BO offered for you to ride Dante and keep him in work. It sounds like it'll be really good for both of you. And yep the bigger, more springy and powerful they move the harder they are to organize. Looks good though! Keep it up!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @DanteDressageNerd. I need to load the canter video. It was superb. Perfect up and down transitions; he's usually good about the up trans but tends to sprawl out on the down. BO said it was one of the best down trans she has seen him do! The best part: I didn't grip with my legs!!!!

I should have time to load the video tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

And here is the video:






I'm beyond exhausted. Haven't seen Ana since Tuesday and haven't sat on her since Sunday. And I'm behind on everyone's threads. Hoping to get caught up on everything over the weekend.


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## DanteDressageNerd

You and Dante seem to make a pretty good team! Congratulations! I'm glad you're getting to ride a variety of horses and developing! Always positive! I'm really happy for you


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## Zexious

Dante is gorgeous, and you look great on him!!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies! 

I did arena work with both Dante and Ana yesterday. Both did really well. Dante was really looky. He prefers to be an arena horse as he gets really nervous and distracted by his external world. They were working the fields while I was riding him and his ears got really pointy. It made me nervous at first but his idea of spooking is taking a slow sideways step whereas Ana will fly across the arena in half a second. 

So we did lots of walking and lateral stuff whenever he got nervous. We cantered at the end of our ride. 

With Ana we built on what we previously worked on with Aaron and BO; adjustability and obedience. We also worked on leg yielding into up and down transitions which was a bit messy. We cantered about 5 times; she feels really strong to me like she's 100% sound. 

This am I took Ana for a spin in the fields. We trotted some and cantered 3 times. She again felt really strong to me, like she's got some serious horse power.


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's awesome Tanja!! So glad to hear Ana is doing so well and feels so good! Really super! Also glad you had a great ride on Dante too! I'm happy for you guys!!


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## frlsgirl

Had a lesson on Ana last night. It cooled off enough that we could use the outdoor arena. We worked on communicating the difference between asking her to move forward and sideways and trying different levels of rewards i.e. dropping everything as soon as she responded and releasing pressure without dropping everything. 

It was interesting. I definitely have to step up my timing of aids. 

Not sure when I'm riding again. Maybe Friday? Been working a lot. Last Thursday I worked from 6:45am until 8:30pm with an hour lunch. I love how busy and challenging my new job is although on some days it leaves me with little time for anything else.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks guys. I might share a lot of nice riding pics but not all of our moments are perfect. 

Just to keep things real, I present to you bitchy resting face times two:


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## egrogan

^^Hilarious!


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol I LOVE that last photo. That's too funny. Perfecting timing lol! Love it!

I'll say being at a morgan barn, I understand the opinionated sassiness of the Morgan mare, they're fun but definitely require a fair amount of tact that makes you hypersensitive yourself. They're very smart!


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## frlsgirl

Rode Ana out in the fields this morning followed by a group lesson on Dante. 

I'm exhausted. I feel like I got walking pneumonia. I haven't felt right since Wednesday and now I can barely get up and walk. 

Even the urgent care is closed now so I gotta wait til tomorrow morning to go get some meds. I got to get well by Monday because I don't get paid unless I work; that's the downside of being hourly and not qualifying for PTO yet


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## frlsgirl

Change of plans. A tornado hit in Tulsa last night which means Urgent Care is flooded with injury cases. I found an old RX from my last sinus infection that I filled but apparently never started. Tomorrow I'll call my doc to see if she can call in a steroid pack for me or if I can stop by for a B12 shot. 

The tornado hit right by my new work place so I'm not even sure if the office is open tomorrow or still standing.

I checked with the barn and Ana and others are ok. Husband went to the new house this am and everything is ok there as well. Since I'm stuck at home sick and bored, I thought I work some more on video editing and stuff. Here is a fantastic pic of Dante and me. And here is a video of W/T/C from yesterday. 

There are riders who make horses look good and then there are horses who make riders look good. Dante definitely makes riders look good. If you can half-way ride, and don't get intimidated by his power, he will make you feel like you are riding a unicorn. 







I'm still not strong enough in my abs to do advanced Dressage stuff with him but the basics look and feel pretty good.


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## Zexious

Oh my goodness, so scary about the tornado! Just glad to hear you and yours are all safe. <3

Keep on trekking, your abs will get there


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## egrogan

So glad you are safe and have no damage around. Feel better soon!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. It's kind of late in the year for a tornado. We usually see them in the spring.

Since I'm still bored and stuck at home, here is a video I meant to show you last week; it's Ana's trot work from last Sunday. Doesn't she look fantastic?


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm so sorry to hear about the tornado, it is really late in the season for that [email protected] Glad you and everyone is okay but jeesh, scary when you realize how it could have been had it been a large tornado that did more damage!

Ana looks like she's swinging in her back and coming from behind a lot better. That's gotta be exciting! Definitely making progress together, also glad you had another good ride on Dante! Always good to have a productive lesson!


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## phantomhorse13

Hope you are feeling better and that the tornado didn't damage your work building.

I can't imagine having such a mellow attitude about a tornado!!


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## frlsgirl

Yep, definitely excited about the progress @DanteDressageNerd - just wish I wasn't sick and could continue building on last week's success.

Thanks Dawn @phantomhorse13 - I drove by my work this pm and everything seems to be in order. When I first moved to OK in 2005, I would freak out every time I heard a tornado siren. After a while, it's almost like background noise, which is scary because you become so accustomed to it that you almost don't take it seriously anymore. The property where our new house is, was hit by a tornado a couple of years ago and wiped out the neighbor's barn; the horses survived. That's probably the scariest part, is worrying about your critters. All material things can be replaced, but not my animals.


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## frlsgirl

Finally made it to the barn tonight but only stayed for 20 minutes; enough for a quick groom and cuddle. 

She was so happy to see us which made me happy. 

She sure loves her daddy:


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## frlsgirl

Someone talk me off the ledge...I've been messaging with Woodrige Farm all morning. I'm looking for Der Radetzky offspring and she has a mare for 40k and a gelding for 25k; I would have to cash out my 401k and work til I'm 90...Der Radetzky is Dante and Ophelia's sire. The gelding was bred with the last remaining frozen semen...you guys know how much I like Dante...


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## frlsgirl

I messaged some more with Woodridge Farm and they have an unstarted 4 year old filly for sale for 12k; she's dark brown and only about 15 hands; she's not directly related to DR but honestly all of her horses have done well in jumping and Dressage. Dam is Em Roccoca and sire is ES Arrian; she is gorgeous. The gold medalist that I used to lesson with bought pretty much all of her horses from that breeding farm and many of them are competing at FEI level and others are headed there. Haven't even talked to DH about this yet but based on what the bank told us today we might be able to start on the barn sooner rather than later; which means second horse will need to be purchased sooner rather than later 

I'm planning on spending some serious time with Ana this weekend; I have totally neglected her this week; I've never seen her so happy to see me yesterday. I signed up for the clinic with Aaron Wilson next week; this time, a private lesson. I really need to get back into show shape. The next show is in September; I need to decide if I want to go back to Intro B or continue on the Training level path. It's really a matter of time commitment. If I don't have much time to ride her, I feel confident that we can rock an Intro B test and win whereas Training level is kind of a gamble but T2 and 3 have stretchy trot circle which she absolutely rocks! it's her favorite and best gait! So even if we only get a 5 for canter, we can make it up in other ways.

I tend to stay in my comfort zone which is basically ride Intro B for the rest of my life and only at schooling shows, lol.

I don't know. What do you think? Training level or Intro level?


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## egrogan

You work in finance and I don't, but I'll just say please don't cash in your 401k!!

I know you've had some disagreements and unpleasant moments with your trainer-would you want to bring the unstarted filly to her? Would you start her yourself? Go elsewhere?

I don't know WB bloodlines so I can't help you there. Maybe you should send Ana to me and that will free up your options?


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## egrogan

^^PS-I suddenly felt the need to clarify I was just kidding about that so it wasn't misconstrued to mean anything weird. I know how much you love Ana!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Honestly I'd try your hand at training level and see how it goes. Not worry about scores or marks but just do it for you and your learning. I think sometimes you have to take a plunge and dive a bit out of your comfort zone to grow. And think of every test as an opportunity. And most importantly just have fun. I think you'll make your best marks that way! But hopefully you'll have plenty of time to ride, I know the new job keeps you busy but hopefully they'll be plenty of time before the show!

But for 2nd horse purchase be patient and I'm convinced the right one will come along when it's meant to without having to give up your 401k. The right one will be there when the time is right, I have no doubt about it! But I'd avoid an unstarted mare if you can. It's a TON TON of work and can be really-really frustrating. I broke Frankie and developed her and we have some glorious moments but then there are frustrating moments too and they can be really testy to the point of being dangerous sometimes. Frankie isn't naughty at all but she can be pretty testy and can bronc, bolt, and can be pretty spooky, so I have to basically nip that stuff in the bud and keep her confident/trusting/listening so it doesn't escalate to being dangerous. It's really nice when you can just get on, feel safe and go out and enjoy your horse without having to go through all the baby antics and reminding them to focus. Baby brain is different. Plus they're a time commitment. You can't leave a young horse several days without doing something with them, they need constant work, not necessarily riding but it's constant or they back step a lot. I'm not sure you'd be happy in that situation. 

But if you're seriously looking at a new horse. I'd actually suggest Friday. He's 15.3h 2011 hanoverian gelding, sire was an alternate for the olympics. He's smooth, definitely has FEI potential. He can be sassy but he's a good boy and SUPER personable. Chestnut with a big blaze and 4 white stockings. Plus he's super cuddly and sweet. Doesn't have a baby brain but he is young.

This is Friday from May. Keep in mind when we did this video, he literally hadn't been ridden in a week so was fairly sassy. He goes a lot better now but so you know who he is.






About his sire. I actually got to ride him, he was SUPER cool. SUPER ridable.
http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2011/02/15/tiamo-trocadero-passed-away

and is dam is by DeNiro out of a Rhodiamont mare.


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## frlsgirl

@egrogan - lol, no offense taken. About the BO; I feel like I'm a really good place with her right now; not sure why or how; but everything with her and me is working smoothly now.

@DanteDressageNerd - agreed on training level, provided I can make it through a test without passing out from exhaustion. Also, I really like Friday; if he's still available when I'm ready to pull the trigger, I would love to come up to KC and test ride him. A small registered Hanno that's already safe for me to ride would be the ideal situation; I'm just looking for bronze, possibly silver medal material. I can get used to bigger gaits but it's exhausting so a horse that's more on the smooth side is better long term. Of course he would have to get along with a cantankerous Morgan mare, and would be going on regular short trailer rides to lessons, clinics, and local shows. I'm definitely more of a sensitive rider as opposed to a strong rider, which is why I get along with Ana so well. I'm looking for one with a nice canter and judging from the video, his canter seems pretty nice. Also, the horse must be friendly; I do not want to be afraid for my life every time I have to bring him in from the pasture. Based on all your descriptions and videos he does sound like a solid contender. Thanks for all the details. I'm not quite ready to pull the trigger yet; but here is our approximate time line.

September - move into house, ride Ana more and go to shows
October - begin construction on fencing and barn, ride Ana more, and go to shows
November - surgery; continue to work on fence and barn; put Ana in full time training with BO; no more riding for 6 weeks
December - conclude construction on barn/fence, start riding again part-time and have Ana in part-time training
January - begin test riding other horses, make a decision, purchase horse
February - new horse arrives and goes to BO for training/board; I start riding new horse in lessons & lesson on Ana in prep for Spring show season
March - new horse and Ana move home with me (barn with attached run and separate pasture); Spring show season starts for Ana; new horse will be trailer buddy


Anyway, that's the plan for now. It could change slightly depending on weather, and my post-op recovery etc.

==================================================================================================

So you know how I've been sickly all week and didn't ride once and didn't go to boot camp either. Wait, did I tell you guys I started boot camp? It's pretty awesome, I only went once and then got sick. Anyway, I digress....so it turns out there are several ladies at my work who all got sick with respiratory problems on the same day; so Tuesday, I'm sitting at my desk, and boss walks by and says we need to evacuate the building. Hmmm. I guess enough people complained about not feeling well, that they thought it might be a gas leak. So we stood in the parking lot for an hour and it wasn't a gas leak after all. So then the next day A/C people showed up because if it's not the gas line then it must be in the ventilation system somewhere. I'm staring to feel better so I don't if they found anything in the vents and cleaned it. The building was empty for 6 years so I wouldn't be surprised if they found a bunch of dust or rodents in the ventilation system. But, in a desperate effort to feel better and also lose some weight (148 pounds is my current weight!!!), I signed up for Isagenix. My stuff arrived yesterday so I got started on it last night and I must say I feel pretty fantastic. Even went riding today but didn't feel well enough to do 2 rides so I skipped the party lesson. My main concern was getting a ride in on Ana as the Aaron Wilson clinic is only a week away and I need to be able to trot and canter without feeling like I'm going to pass out.

Anyway, I'm hoping I can start with boot camp again on Monday, if not on Wednesday. And hopefully, I'll be well enough to do a lesson Tuesday.


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## frlsgirl

Some pics from today's ride.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Friday is a really good boy. He's definitely a cuddler and likes kisses. If I kiss his nose he lifts his lip to kiss back, it's pretty cute. He's comfortable. He moves like he'd be bouncy but he's not at all. He's a little downhill and his natural tendency is to pull on the forehand but he easily comes up, sits and collects. He definitely has a great canter, all his gaits are better than in the video now. His 4 white stockings are all even up to his knees and hocks. He's definitely good to handle, cross ties, good for farrier, etc. He doesn't clip or we haven't clipped him but he's good in hand, on the lunge line (he is whip sensitive) and good to ride if the rider is sensitive, he takes a strong core but needs to be ridden with a firm expectation but fair. He's not one that can be dominated or bullied, to me he rides like a mare but without the hormones. He's a girls horse, not a boys horse. The tricky thing with his is rhythm control and straightness, his natural talent is the laterals, straightness is tricky but he's gotten better. He'll need an extra wide saddle lol. We're outside of Saint Louis.

Good luck with the plan, not sure how well it all sticks but if it sticks I hope it all works. 

I LOVE the picture of Ana with the cat, it seems a lot of mares like to have cat friends. Frankie loves cats and my friend's mare ALWAYS finds a cat friend to sleep in her hay with. The pictures look really good. I'm really glad you and Ana are doing so well together and coming along happily. 

Hope they figure out what's going on at work, especially the ventilation. Respiratory problems aren't something mess with. Hope they clean it up! 

Pics of Friday as a baby and as an adult, as well as his ugly leg from his check ligament surgery as a yearling to fix his crooked leg. It's never bothered him.


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## frlsgirl

Awww what a cute foal he was @DanteDressageNerd! Thanks for sharing. 

I was determined to ride Ana again and so we went for a 30 minute ride through the fields. 

It had rained the night before so only one field was open so we made the best of it by looping around it several times. At one point Ana accidentally stepped into a puddle that was hidden under tall grass and started freaking out but her brain quickly switched back on and she realized she could solve the problem by taking a big step forward. 

The remainder of the ride was uneventful and we even trotted some. I was happy to see her so forward. Hopefully she continues to remain forward and strong.


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## frlsgirl

Having trouble attaching pictures. Here is a pic from today's ride in the fields.


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## frlsgirl

So you guys remember how last Tuesday we had to evacuate the building due to a suspected gas leak? Well today, also Tuesday, someone hit a power pole and knocked the power out to our building and everyone else on our street. So we all sat in the dark for an hour and waited. After talking to my boss, I went home; I think some others did as well. This means I'm going to have to work extra long tomorrow to make up for the lost time today. I just hope the power is back on when I try to go to work at 7 tomorrow; I have so much to do and no time for evacuations and power outages. I wonder what will happen next Tuesday? It's just so bizarre and random.

On a brighter note, I have a lesson on Ana tonight if it doesn't get rained out; looks kind of dark out there; I better check the weather before I head to the barn. 

Also, really happy with Isagenix so far. I worked a 10 hour day yesterday and felt pretty good afterwards, usually, I would be shaking and exhausted. I was also able to ride twice last weekend and still had energy to spare. I do get hungry sometimes but I'm not starving, or shaking or ravenous or making bad food decisions. I've lost 2 pounds so far and my skin is just glowing. I talked to my rep today because on physically demanding days such as shows, lessons, clinics, I need more for dinner than a shake; so she suggested having a shake and a light dinner; gonna try that tonight in preparation for strenuous lesson; we really need to work on canter and steering at the canter; also I haven't ridden a center line on Ana since March. Yikes. So much to work on.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Isagenix sounds interesting. I'm glad it's working so well for you. 

The clinic sounds like it'll be a lot of fun! I hope you enjoy your lesson and had a good ride!


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## frlsgirl

AW clinic was amazing:

https://youtu.be/x_YeI3TW4GE


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## DanteDressageNerd

You and Ana look fantastic! I think that's the best I've seen you guys go! Really awesome!! I'm so glad you guys are having such a good time and had such a great clinic, really awesome  Congratulations!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you Cass @DanteDressageNerd ! 

I was going to say the same thing; when I saw the footage I thought I accidentally filmed another rider, lol. I can't believe that we trotted for 4 minutes straight in the heat and humidity and then pulled off the best canter we've ever done. All the lessons on school horses have really helped me with my position. A month ago he said my position wasn't good enough to do any canter work on her; yesterday he said it was perfect; there was nothing he wanted to correct about my canter seat. Yay! He did have me shorten my stirrups to correct my posting trot seat because my pivot point was too high up my leg. So he had me practice posting from the new pivot point before we tried it at the trot. 


Totally off topic:

What does everyone think about the solar eclipse? What do you think the horses will do?


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## DanteDressageNerd

That's really wonderful Tanja! I'm so glad you had such a productive clinic and are having such great rides with Ana! Can't wait to see how you two continue to grow!

I don't know that the horse's will care all that much about the eclipse, they'll be like huh this is a funny time for night to fall but in general I'm kinda excited about the eclipse and REALLY want to see it. I'm excited to see this thing!


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## frlsgirl

Me too @DanteDressageNerd! I'll be at work when it happens but planning on watching from my window. 

I stopped by the barn yesterday to give her a carrot and tell Ana that she's appreciated. 

Not sure when I'll get to ride this week as my work hours are insane ATM. Friday I worked from 5am to 6:45pm and I've been at work since 5am again today. 

I'm riding in the Claudia Coley clinic Sunday and Saturday we are doing a Pilates class for Dressage riders. Should be fun!


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## DanteDressageNerd

That picture is lovely! You and Ana are a lovely couple ;-) I'm sorry this week is going to be as busy as it is but I'm sure Ana appreciates you making time from your busy day to see her


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## frlsgirl

Had a lesson on Ana last night. I don't think it went well especially after watching the video footage. We kept overshooting the target when she had me put her together. 

It's difficult to get her on the bit with super short reins as she likes to come short in the neck. 

I suppose it's all about finding that happy medium.


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## frlsgirl

So there's a mini horse farm just outside our new neighborhood and one of them just had a foal:


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## DanteDressageNerd

The baby mini horse is way too cute, that's just adorable! 

You'll find the happy medium with Ana. Becoming comfortable and confident in taking more contact while maintaining her freedom, it'll happen. Just have to play some trial and error for what works and what doesn't. Good luck!


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> The baby mini horse is way too cute, that's just adorable!
> 
> You'll find the happy medium with Ana. Becoming comfortable and confident in taking more contact while maintaining her freedom, it'll happen. Just have to play some trial and error for what works and what doesn't. Good luck!


Thank you for your encouraging words. I don't know why it worked so well at the AW clinic but not so well at my normal lesson. I'm thinking we didn't have enough energy from the hind end. We will try again at the CC clinic tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

So WOW what a week. I just submitted my timesheet yesterday and I have over 18 hours of overtime for the week and a total of 30.5 for this pay period. I worked from 5am to 7pm yesterday and I still wasn't done; my boss felt bad for me so he volunteered to finish it for me. Such a nice guy. My bosses boss came stopped by my office on his way out to thank me for all of my hard work. They are so supportive; they know that I'm giving it all I have. I've just never been responsible for such a massive project. I think I've finally found my match; at most previous jobs, I ended up being bored. I just tend to work really fast so I get done really fast which then ticks off others because I make them look bad because they are not as fast as me. So then I find other projects to do which also makes me look bad because then others feel like I'm trying to one-up them; I'm really not, just bored, anxious and need to work fast. I guess I'm the human version of a Morgan.

Speaking of my lovely Morgan, I haven't seen her since Tuesday, but I officially have the weekend off and DH is out of town so I'm declaring this "All about Ana" weekend! Gonna take her for a casual trail ride, and do lots of grooming, physical therapy type stuff and lots of loving on her today. But first I'm meeting the girls from our Dressage society for a "Pilates for Dressage Riders" session followed by a luncheon where we will learn about para dressage.

Tomorrow morning, I'll have to get up early and go back to River Bend with Ana for a clinic with Claudia Coley. 

It's so nice to not have to rush around like I did all week. I can just enjoy Ana without needing to rush off to anywhere.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and if you are in Texas, stay safe out there!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Wow! Sounds like you've been busy, busy, busy. I hope you're able to get some time for yourself and with Ana but if your husband is out of town than that will help. 

lol I think you are the human version of a morgan. Overachiever, figures it all out fast and needs a job constantly. Yep that's a morgan or a German. Most members of my family are like that too. Glad you have finally found a job that fits your work ethic and makes you happy. 

I'm not familiar with Claudia Coley but I hope you have a great time. Can't wait to hear how it went! 

Good luck.


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## frlsgirl

Well, it's been a great weekend filled with fun horsey and non-horsey activity.

Saturday we had Pilates for Dressage riders which was super interesting, educational and OMG am I sore today. It looks like you're hardly doing anything but it works those underused non-predatory muscles and once you activate those things be ready to be sore! Afterwards, we all went to a lunch and learn where we learned about Para Dressage; we have a few Para riders in our local club and two of them came and gave a speech about that and we got to ask questions afterwards. One lady comes to our barn quite frequently, I noticed that she has special reins but I didn't know why or how they help her. At the clinic last weekend, she was struggling with the dismount so I offered to help, but she declined. I just wasn't sure what to do and apparently everyone else wondered the same thing so it was good to hear that it's ok to offer help.

Then I ran out to the barn to spend the afternoon with Ana. She was way far away in the pasture; when I opened the gate to get her, the old grey mare greeted me first since she was closest to the gate and Ana turned to walk into my direction but then stopped and just watched me. Once I got past the grey mare I signaled Ana to come to me and she DID! When she got close she threw in a loud nicker like "Hi Mom!" I was so so happy to hear that. I'm glad she's not mad at me over Tuesday's lesson. I spent a lot of time grooming, massaging, doting, and tacking her. Then we went for a quick ride in the fields. I was not concerned with getting my usual 30 to 40 minutes of saddle time in; my only concern was to have a nice ride, where I'm still the leader, she listens and we are both relaxed and everyone is happy. Mission accomplished!

This morning was the Claudia Coley clinic which went fantastic. At the last minute they changed the location from Riverbend to my home barn which of course was super convenient. Claudia remembered us from camp and knew about the EPM episode on Facebook and asked some really good questions about how this is affecting her today if at all. I explained to her that I was focusing on riding in the fields to build up strength and coordination and had just recently started to put her back to "normal" work and that we are working on stretching correctly into the contact; not ducking behind it, yet not rooting, not sucking back, staying in front of the leg, and an overall steadier connection.

She had me do a quick warm up so she could observe and of course Ana was high headed and trotting at full speed ahead. Good to know that we got the forward issue fixed. Claudia remarked that her trot is too rushy and although forward is good, she needs to engage the hind end and get a bit more air time in her stride and that when I ask her to stretch forward to the hand to not throw the reins at her, to just very gradually feed them to her. And if I want her to trot in a normal outline I can still entice the stretch towards the hand by giving the reins a millimeter and I have to let her know with my seat that I want her to sit back more on my hind legs. I tend to go with her in the trot instead of setting the tempo with my seat. Here is a better trot although she's rushing just a hair here:






Then we worked on the canter; it was the same thing; I need to bring her to me with my seat instead of going enthusiastically with her. I can do a strong half halt with my seat which I use on Dante all the time but when I try it with Ana it usually shuts her down completely so I had to play within my body to see how I could bring her to me without totally shutting her down. So we had some awkward moments where our timing was just off:

"Come to my seat"
"No"
"Seriously, do it"
"ok"
"never mind I'm already trotting"
"no, it's ok, look I'm following you now"
"oh Ana"

During the canter we also discovered that I'm having to use the reins too much for steering because she likes to run through the shoulder. She said my seat was perfect, but too perfect. She wanted me to feel free to experiment more with my arms and such. She liked my following arms but could see that my forearms were tense. 






After we went flying through the arena a few more times I asked Claudia if she would get on and ride her and she did. I'm very selective as to who I let on Ana because she requires a sensitive rider; Claudia is a bit of a pistol; when she asks a horse to do something it better do it or all hell will break loose but then as soon as the horse responds she massively praises the horse. So when she first got on she immediately noticed the shoulder problem; how it's difficult to keep Ana on your seat because she literally pushes against your aids so Claudia let her know that it's not ok; and Ana reared up in response but then immediately did what Claudia asked and she got massive praise as in she was posting the trot and rubbing her neck all over so then Ana was like "Hmmm, this ain't so bad!" So yeah, I actually liked the way she handled Ana; strong, she didn't hold her together either; the only thing she worked on is keeping Ana following her seat. She even got her to trot square turns without the reins. She said that I need to work on this shoulder issue with her by pretending I'm a Western rider, long, loose reins, ask her to turn from my seat and get after her if she doesn't do it and watch what happens.

So that was interesting. I feel like we accomplished a lot. I don't feel bad like Ana got abused or anything like that. Ana seemed to feel really good about herself too like her spirit wasn't broken by what just happened and she gobbled up all the praise. I'm really happy that I'm back on a good path! Those are the best rides, where both you and the horse learn something and you still feel good afterwards, like your spirit isn't broken and neither is your horse's.


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## DanteDressageNerd

It sounds like you and Ana had a fantastic weekend with a lot of learning opportunities and realizations. Those are always the best! It sounds like Claudia gave you a lot of good, productive advice for you and Ana. 

I can see in the canter why she'd make you want to brace in your forearms, she kinda throws herself everywhere in the canter and avoids the aids. Really difficult to learn to "create" a good rhythm and 3 beat canter on (I had to do that on a saddle seat trained saddlebred, super hard and took months) but it looks uncomfortable but I understand why it's tricky and Im really glad Claudia was able to help you and Ana with it. The trot work looks really good, I agree a bit quick but I think a lot of morgans find it easy to run their legs rather than take behind and slow down. I wonder if it has something to do with saddle seat lines? Millie tries to run too but as she's gotten stronger has been doing it less and less, I just always have to half halt in my core to bring her back and maintain her rhythm.

Most importantly I'm glad Ana feels good about it and so you know you're on the right path with her, that's wonderful


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## frlsgirl

I know her canter is a mess here but I like her enthusiasm and energy. Her canter departs feel like getting launched into outer space. My canter seat is getting better and I'm learning to bring her to my seat without shutting her down completely; that's the tricky part we are working on right now. I hesitate to slow her down because I'm afraid she will break gait so then we have these awkwardly timed conversations where I hesitate and then she hesitates and then we are either trotting or running off at the canter. Kind of like a cell phone conversation with bad reception where you are always one sentence behind. I'm kind of glad that it's been such a lengthy process because I'm learning so much from her.


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## frlsgirl

I made a really cool video; I hope you like it; it shows a Morgan transform into a WB aka Ana's trot progression:


1) Starting with the high headed choppy, distracted, almost lame trot
2) Then she starts to relax a bit and stretch down but she is by no means following the hand or connected or through
3) Then I start to put her together; ask for more forward while inviting a micro stretch into the bridle, she starts to transform into a small WB as her strides have more air time
4) Then we trot after cantering and that's when she really starts to look like a small WB; swinging, connected, good air time.


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## frlsgirl

I missed my Tuesday lesson because I had to work late. But I did make it out there last night for a quick spin around the arena. 

Ana says hi:


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## egrogan

LOVE the extreme nose picture :grin:


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## frlsgirl

Took Ana for a spin around the fields today and then gave her a bath.


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> LOVE the extreme nose picture :grin:


Ha ha, isn't she cute?!? It's funny to watch her interact with the camera, it's like she knows what it is and what I use it for.


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## DanteDressageNerd

You and Ana look so happy out in the field. So glad you're able to hack her around inbetween arena work, I think it really makes a big difference. Glad you're having fun


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## frlsgirl

Had a so so ride on Ana today. It wasn't bad or anything; walk halt was great. The first canter down transition was great. I was able to stretch her down and sort of bring her back up at the trot.

But then she slipped at the second canter; the one going to the right; and then she didn't want to circle there any more probably because she was worried about the footing. So I took her to the other corner of the arena and the canter there wasn't great either. I hope she didn't pull anything. It was weird, like her hind end just kind of slid and then she fell into a trot. I would normally correct this and make her canter again immediately afterwards but I wasn't sure if she hurt herself.

I hope she's ok and that I can ride her tomorrow. The next show is in 2 weeks. I was hoping to do T2 and T3 but now I'm thinking Intro C and T2.

I fell off the wagon with my diet a little and I'm regretting it. Just don't feel good; aches and pains everywhere, fatigued and grouchy. Husband dipped into my Isagenix and now I'm running low. Next order won't get shipped until Tuesday. Hopefully I can be fully back on track by the next show. It really helps with stamina, confidence and focus.


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## frlsgirl

Trotting through the years; I thought it would be nice to see Ana's trot progression from 2014 to 2017:


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## frlsgirl

My trainer wanted me to read this article. It's too good not to share:


The Chronicle of the Horse


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## DanteDressageNerd

"Embrace the suck" is definitely a Marine saying. When I was in the Marine Corps, I used to say it all the time as a mentor. Embrace the suck and get over yourself would be things I'd say an awful lot because a lot of the girls were so stuck on being entitled and thought they were owed something and I was furious because I grew up relatively in privilege while some of these girls grew up on welfare, etc but acted more entitled. Granted standing duty in 8degree weather on 4hrs of sleep was AWFUL but I didn't complain and they just would moan and whine and I'd become furious at them. Suck it up buttercup is another big one. Suck it up or get over it.

You and Ana have come an awful long way together, you should be awfully proud! The pictures of you and Miss Ana are very sweet, so glad you two had this time together. She looks so much happier in her work


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @DanteDressageNerd. I would like to think that she's much happier in her work. It's kind of hard to tell when she's having one of those sassy Morgan moments

We started out with arena work today. I wanted to address her bulging shoulder and not wanting to turn in one area of the arena. I also wanted to play with getting a great walk before attempting to trot to see if it would improve her trot which it did. 

Then I had the bright idea to work on centerlines which is where the sassy Morgan mare reappeared. I don't know why she despises centerlines so much. She hates them even more than cantering. I tried the trick that AW suggested by riding a half circle and then slowly drifting towards the centerline. It worked in theory but man was she mad. To calm her down I wanted to go large but she threw her head up and tried to go down centerline without me as if she was saying "Hello! We are supposed to turn here! Amateurs I tell ya!

I wasn't sure if I should be amused, appalled, or ?

Luckily right around that time the BM came up to me to tell me that the neighbor invited me to try the new arena so we made our way through the fields to the neighbors house. 

She does have a nice arena. Ana was a little confused how we could go for a trailride and then end up in another arena. Lots of things for her to look at out there; it seemed like her neck was getting bigger every time I looked at it. But she was a good girl.


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## frlsgirl

Well. I'm all signed up for our first show post EPM. It's the team competition on 9/16. 

She wasn't exactly going that great Monday so that made me loose confidence. 

So we signed up for Intro C as a warmup class and then T2. 

I have no idea how she's going to go. I have had some spectacular rides on her recently but then I've also had rides that made me think even Intro A might be out of our league. 

She generally has always performed better at shows than at home so let's hope the "show" Ana reappears during our test. 

My biggest concern is that we get DQd if the judge notices that she's lame. She just has a permanent hitch in her step from EPM but she generally works out of it. 

Let's hope the smooth trotting not lame Ana shows up:


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## frlsgirl

I cheated on Ana last night. I tried out a little Appaloosa mare. Her name is Prim, she's 5 years old and she's with BM for a tune up as she's for sale. She has the sweetest disposition. Riding in a Western saddle felt like driving in a foreign country; awkward and uncomfortable. 

I also rode Ana and it went well.


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## frlsgirl

Ugh. Didn't have a good day yesterday. I'm out of Isagenix; so I tried to make up for the energy deficit by drinking 5 cups of coffee, 1 cup of tea, and diet soda. Needless to say I was climbing the walls by the end the day. I've never been so crabby, negative and agitated. Work was insanely busy yesterday; at one point I kept trying to go to lunch and people kept trying to stop me, with "oh, there you are, can you do xyz?" so guess what I did? I grabbed my purse and went out the back door hoping nobody would find me but one lady followed me halfway down the hall going "ummm, ok" and then she walked off. Like she was trying to tell me something but I walked so fast that she gave up, lol. This is probably the busiest job I've ever had, which is good, because it's job security and I like being busy, everyone is really nice, but man, can a girl not even leave for 15 minutes to grab a bite to eat? Next time I'm gonna try to rappel out my window, but someone will probably find me in the parking lot and escort me back inside 

Isagenix rep said that there was a delay in the warehouse with one of the products which caused my entire order to be held up; the irritating thing is that this product is an extra thing they throw in for free, as in I don't even care to have it that much and it's holding up the shipment of stuff that I do desperately need.

Then I was supposed to get go to the party lesson this morning, but as I was trying to eat breakfast, I realized that I couldn't lean forward without a terrible pain in my left upper abdomen. Dr Google says I have pancreatitis and that I should stop drinking and smoking, lol. Took some pain meds, getting caught up on HF and other stuff and hoping to ride this afternoon instead.


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## frlsgirl

Pic from Sunday. We've been working hard on improving her trot: getting more air time in her steps without going too low with her head. 

Yesterday we had our final lesson/practice ride before the show Saturday. It went fairly well except towards the end I had gone over her timer so she was letting me know that it was time to go back to the barn  

BO said all her school horses have timers as well and tend to go to the gate or the middle of the arena around the 45 minute mark. 

She said I should occasionally ride her past her timer mark so that she can learn that occasional overtime is a required part of the job


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## egrogan

They are so smart! I have started getting off of Isabel at different spots around the farm at the end of our rides because for awhile every time I rode passed the door to the barn, she thought we should be done. I realized I was getting off her every time we passed that spot so I had to put a stop to it!


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## frlsgirl

They really are very perceptive animal @egrogan. 

Ana had a great first show back since EPM. 

There were massive footing issues and many scratched their second tests. After watching Ana struggle through the footing, BO decided to scratch all of her tests. 

We've had problems with this arena before with broken glass and sharp rocks mixed in with the arena dirt but this time the actual dirt had turned into these rock like clumps and it felt like riding through gravel. 

Ana was not amused but we decided to keep going and had some lovely moments. 

We got the highest score ever for Intro C; then we did T2 and scored an 8.5!!! for the medium to free walk section of the test! Previously, the highest score we've ever received was a 7.5 so I'm elated!

For those of us who continued on with the show we all raced home to cold hose our horse's legs. Hopefully no bruised soles or blown suspensories. 

Our chapter president was furious about the situation and mentioned not using this place in the future which is kind of sad because the place is awesome; the only problem is the footing.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Congratulations Tanja! That's fantastic!! I'm SO happy for you and Miss Ana. I'm SO glad you decided to do training level, I knew you guys were ready. I'm so happy for you two


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## Tazzie

Congrats on an awesome show!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies @tazzie and @DanteDressageNerd

We've definitely progressed together. My position, and fitness/endurance level, and skill level is noticeably better. Last year I was hanging off her body like a sack of potatoes and this year I'm sitting on her like I kind of know what I'm doing now, lol. I guess that's the fun part about Dressage, it's a beautiful journey that you and your horse have to navigate together, full of ups and downs with lots of smiles and tears, too.

Here are the videos from yesterday:











Things to notice: can you hear how hard the footing is? The BO was filming me and could hear and see Ana struggle through the footing at which point she decided to scratch all of her tests. I woke up this morning with really sore feet and I only walked on it for a little bit while I helped set up the arena and walked Ana around; and I had shoes! I can't imagine how sore Ana is today. Gonna stop by the barn later for some wither scratches, treats and to inspect her legs and feet. I have some left over bute from last year's abscess; probably would be good to give her some.

Also, can you see how messed up Ana's mane is? She pulled a chunk out of the middle and I've tried to make her look presentable but it just wasn't happening. Should I roach her mane? Pull it? I tried a running braid but the short pieces are too short to make it look good.

I've been massaging this Equi-something mane and tail product directly onto her tail dock and the crest because everyone swears that it's like the best thing to regrow mane. Apparently she's been sticking her neck through the round bale feeder and pulling her mane out.

I'm open to suggestions.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I agree. The footing is bad, I can definitely see that. It makes Ana look sore or a little off when she's not but at least Ana was a trooper about it even if she had definite opinions about it! You should be proud, you and Ana have come a long ways since last year! The canter is SO much better! You should be proud 

For her mane, I'd probably cut it. Dressage people usually don't pull anymore because we want the thick dutch braids but if she ripped that much out, I'd probably cut and not roach it.

And yes. It's always a journey in dressage, filled with LOTS and LOTS of ups and downs no matter who you are or what you've done. Lots of learning to be done all the time, now and forever!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @DanteDressageNerd ! I definitely contemplated scratching the second test but when we returned to the warm up ring I asked her if she felt up to doing another test and she agreed but said "Ok, but you owe me big time!" 

She got lots of praise and carrots and a bag of hay while I collected my test sheets and ribbons. 

She was definitely annoyed with the footing like she wanted to stomp into the show manager office like "Who's in charge of this mess?!?" 

In the spirit of "owing her big time" we did extensive PT yesterday; carrot stretches, crunches, and a lengthy full body massage with the massage gloves she likes so much. 

I checked her legs and feet and thank goodness she is completely fine. 

I couldn't resist though trying on her new bridle which had just arrived from SmartPak. 

She was just thrilled:


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## Tazzie

Wow! That new bridle really accentuates her head! VERY nice choice!

And hahaha! You have to love mares! So opinionated!


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## DanteDressageNerd

The bridle is STUNNING on Ana. I LOVE it for her. She's a very lucky girl, lots of pampering and spoiling for her effort


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. Apparently Morgan Horse Magazine agrees and reposted my picture on their Instagram page. 

Also Natasha Althoff's team reached out to me to ask permission to use my pic and post from the goal setting program in their advertising. 

Hopefully all this fame won't go to my head...hey, at least nobody can accuse me of needing to get off my high horse 

Update:

We had a fantastic lesson last night. We used walk and trot poles and we worked on shoulder in! We actually got several correct steps on each side! Then we finished with trot-halt-TOF work. 

It was awesome! Ana was exhausted! 

She's enjoying a couple of days of vaca while I get caught up at work!


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> Hopefully all this fame won't go to my head...


Just don't tell ANA! :wink:


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## DanteDressageNerd

Sounds positive about the lesson and congratulations on the magazine! I wont tell Ana if you don't ;-)


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies @DanteDressageNerd and @phantomhorse13 and @Tazzie !

Apparently the fame did go to her head because she was total diva Friday; I got off work early (after working 50 hours in 4.5 days my boss insisted that I leave at 12:30 on Friday, don't have to twist my arm), ran to the barn, messed around with her mane to see if I could figure out a way to make her look presentable in preparation for the next show in 2 weeks. Then I lunged her with side reins, took video but it didn't turn out, but then I still wanted to ride so I thought we could go for a relaxing trail ride. Ana wasn't having it. We had just made our way up the first hill when she discovered that a chunk of plywood had been placed with the yard debris pile. She stopped dead in her tracks, her head shot up, eyes and nostrils got big and I could feel her weight shifting back at which point I jumped off because that's her warning signs that she's about to explode. So I practiced walking her past the debris pile but every time we got close she broke into canter and spun around. So we tried lowering her head while looking at it hoping it would reduce the endorphins and increase serotonin levels but nothing worked. I did get a couple of good pics though where you can see how she's on full Morgan alert and sort of relaxed with her head lowered but still gawking at the debris pile.

I was tired of cantering her in hand in circles so we piaffed our way back to the barn. I decided I needed to get back on her to make sure I could get her to listen. She did very well so we called it a day.

I really need to do a solo arena training ride on her but then yesterday we had a party lesson and since I had missed the last two and Ana was kind of naughty the day before, I decided to ride HER in the party lesson. She was in full DIVA mode, she hates party lessons; to her it's just a bunch of kindergarten stuff with the added annoyance of other horses. We did some drill team stuff which is just a really good way to ruin Ana's day; she's too fast for the other horses so BO keeps yelling "slow Ana down, she's going too fast" ...."matter of fact just halt Ana for a moment so the others can catch up" but this has the added benefit of improving Ana's walk. Her collected walk looks like GP material, but she's snorting with her ears half pinned because she's so irritated about having to slow down.

So yeah, mares are fun. You have to be careful that you don't ruffle their feathers too much but yet you can't let them get away with acting a fool. If you shut them down too much, you lose the brilliance, the expression, but somehow you still have to stay in control. It's a very delicate balancing act.

I was hoping to get a solo ride in on her today but the benefit show starts in less than 3 hours and I'm still in my pajamas. It's a fun show to benefit the horses affected by hurricane harvey so I definitely want to participate somehow but don't know if Ana would be ok in any of the classes. Ride a buck is out as it's a bareback class and my legs don't close around her tiny body so I would lose before even taking the first step.

Oh yeah, and the realtor is coming Wednesday to take pics and I'm also supposed to clean the entire house and because I left work early on Friday, I'm supposed to work a 14 hour shift tomorrow and then come home and...you guessed it, clean more house.

Since I'm overwhelmed and don't know what to do first, I decided to just to HorseForum while I ponder my next move.


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## phantomhorse13

Well Ana is certainly lovely when she is being a dope over the pile of debris! And oh did I laugh over your description of Ana's insult during the party lesson - got to love a mare!!

If the show today was just going to stress you out, I hope you decided not to go. You could always donate your entry fees if you want to help the cause without making yourself crazy.

For your next show, you can try doing this:


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol I guess Ana's park horse breeding shining through and she wants to be center stage of whatever space she in :lol: oh Ana. I think she fancies herself a queen bee!


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## PoptartShop

Ana is so beautiful. I LOVE her new bridle!  She's a classy lady!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. 

@phantomhorse13 - no I didn't listen to myself and ended up going to the benefit show. 

We entered 3 classes: water glass challenge, toilet paper challenge, and Simon Says. We did ok in the first two, and I almost won Simon Says but then lost at the very end. I was super proud of Ana though; she did everything that was asked of her even though she wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

A decent amount of money was raised, fun was had, and I scored a pretty decorative horse sign in the silent auction. I think it will fit well into the new barn if we ever build it.

I've been so busy, with work and trying to keep our current home presentable for showings and such. Haven't seen Ana since Sunday; got off work early and hoping to run out there tonight before DH comes home from his work trip.

I was supposed to be fasting today for cleanse day but my pizza is getting cold so I better go - so yeah, I'm not very good at fasting.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Here is a pic from the water glass challenge. Can you just visualize Ana rolling her eyes at all of this?


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## frlsgirl

Wow! What a day!

As of today, the Dressage society that I've been actively competing in, doesn't exist anymore. Apparently a lot of political drama went down. So now we are all scratching our heads and trying to regroup and figure out what to do. I was scheduled to ride Ana at next week's schooling show; just scratching my head trying to figure out what to do. Of all the things that can go wrong with show goals, I certainly didn't expect this.

I clearly do have bigger things going on in my life that I should probably focus on anyway, but I was so excited to finally be back in the show ring, and now it's over before it even started.

I'm so far behind on everyone's posts; I promise I'll catch up this weekend.

On a funny note, I rode Ana out in the fields today and set up my "half-broken-needs-to-be-replaced-soon" GoPro; when I returned it was gone, like gone! I finished riding Ana and then started digging through the grass and shrubs and it's just gone! I bet somewhere out there is a raccoon taking selfies with my GoPro! 

Our ride was good though; she got high headed a few times but I was able to get her back down to earth without any major melt downs. We did some lovely trot work up the hills and a couple of nice canters; it felt really good because the grass was kind of deep so Ana had to really lift her legs and it just felt really good; too bad I don't have any GoPro footage. Oh well, have fun lil' Raccoon! Thanks for giving me an excuse to finally buy a new one!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm really sorry to hear your dressage society has been shut down. It's a shame when adults choose to behave as children and choose to squabble over petty things that ruins the fun for everyone :-/

I'm so sorry it's not up and running anymore :-( that's really unfortunate. Can you get involved in the morgan circuit with Ana?

Im sorry to hear your GoPro was taken by some off creature that's really unfortunate!! But at least you had some good work with Miss Ana and a good ride!!


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## phantomhorse13

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I'm really sorry to hear your dressage society has been shut down. It's a shame when adults choose to behave as children and choose to squabble over petty things that ruins the fun for everyone :-/


This. How disappointing for you and the others who were showing the circuit.

I had to laugh at the idea of a **** with your Go Pro. Will your husband believe that when you tell him why you need a new one?!


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## frlsgirl

@phantomhorse13 - well, he kind of believed it; actually he suggested that a bird made have taken it; the camera was small and light enough where that could have happened. He knows that I've been wanting new one for a long time so he thought it was a little too convenient that a mysterious creature took it.

@DanteDressageNerd - couldn't agree more. I'm friends with the president of the group who announced the dissolution so I immediately called her and spent like 30 minutes on the phone with her listening to all the craziness that went down. I totally get why she quit and I would have done the same thing; she was just trying to make it a wonderful experience for the members by putting on lots of different events for us; she's been a wonderful president; thanks to her we finally had Adult Dressage camp; previously they only had Junior Dressage camp. We also had pilates for Dressage riders, which was really neat. Just a wonderful group of ladies and I honestly can't imagine my life without them. It's not about Dressage, it's the community; a group of ladies who support each other, like all adult women should. Too bad a few sour grapes had to spoil this for us. But this may be a blessing in disguise because they are starting a new group which will be independent from the sour grapes, which will allow us to do even more fun stuff. It just really sucks right now because many of us have our lives scheduled around the events; I postponed my surgery so that I could compete at championships. So yeah, I need to regroup and figure out what to do the rest of the year.

Update:

So I bought a new GoPro and I really like it. I wanted to check the cheap base model again but it was conveniently out of stock so I got the GoPro sessions; and OMG so far I love it; it has a lot of neat features that the old one didn't have; most importantly the pixel quality is amazing AND it takes better video in low light. I was super excited to ride out in the fields again today so I didn't get a chance to test the film quality in low light.

When we ride in the fields, Ana gives me this amazing trot, like we are stepping over trot poles; probably because the grass is so high in places that she really lifts those legs. She seriously feels like a WB; so much push from behind. All that work, made her really, really tired though, so I gave her lots of loose rein breaks. I bet she's gonna be sore tomorrow.

Her canter seems better out there as well; I can actually feel her neck extend so I can follow with my hands kind of like a jokey; usually that head is super still; probably because she is stuck in her back.

Anyway, here are some screenshots:


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## DanteDressageNerd

[email protected] that sucks I'm sorry it all happened but I hope this new group is even better without the sour grapes of obnoxiously childish adults!

I'm so glad you were able to channel Ana's engine and have such a fabulous ride and enjoy a new go pro!! She looks great!! Looks like a blast! Hill work is fantastic!


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## frlsgirl

The plot thickens. Now the parent organization wants to hold the show the after all. Things couldn't be more awkward. I asked the president of our previous chapter if she was going to come to the show and her exact words were "I'd rather support satan in a kitten kicking contest" - I'm guessing that's a "no!" Not sure if I should go or not since the entire purpose of the show is to show us that we are not worthy of even being there. I've never gotten anything below a 58 on a Dressage test; I guess it's time to go earn my first 40 something. 

Fortunately I just happened to have an appointment with my counselor tonight, who is also a horse lady so she knows all about barn drama and drama in general. She said wherever 3 or more women are gathered, there is always going to be drama. I was just hoping that our little jovial group could be exempted from that, but no, it doesn't work that way. She said to go to the show anyway just for practice purposes knowing that I'm going to get a 30 something or 40 something and still smile and hold my head up high because these women and their opinions do not define me or Ana. I have enough scores and shows under my belt from different venues with different judges that I kind of already know what my true weak areas and what my true strong areas are, so if I get an usually low score it doesn't really mean anything. I kind of feel like I should go for personal growth purposes; be the bigger person, smile at the haters, and enjoy my ride on Ana.

Speaking of Ana, here is a cute video clip of Ana discovering the new GoPro; it looks a little different and it stands out a little more so she really noticed it:


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol Ana. Definite morgan reaction lol there is a thing, look it's different ehh never mind it's no longer that interesting but wait it might be? Nah not that interesting.

I really like your therapists perspective and entirely agree. I love your attitude about the whole thing. Rise above the petty mischief of others, let them have the problem and go over them. You can't let the inferiority complex of others get in the way of your time. You've worked hard to get to this point and have come a long way. Have a great time, ignore the people with issues because they're the ones creating a problem where there doesn't need to be one. Enjoy your life!


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## egrogan

I feel that this sentiment applies to so many aspects of being a grown up 

_"I'd rather support satan in a kitten kicking contest"
_
Love it!


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## frlsgirl

Ana saw the chiro today. Nothing needed adjusted in her front end; poll, withers all ok. It was just her back end just as suspected and as based on her previous history. She grunted several times when he adjusted her like "Holy smokes, I felt that" 

I took her for a walk afterwards and got a cute confo shot. The chiro said she lacks topline development but I was just thinking that based on this pic it looks like her muscling is filling in nicely. I guess it's not a question of yes or no, it's more a question of how much; considering how pitiful she looked in April, she looks pretty darn good right now.

The show tomorrow is still on pending tonight's rainfall. I've been super sick since Tuesday and it seems to be getting worse. So I'm not sure if I'll go tomorrow; I've never scratched a test; I guess everyone scratches sooner or later. Also the chiro said I'm not supposed to canter her until at least Monday; I did tell him about the show tomorrow and he said if I can do a long warm up I she will probably be fine considering the small amount of canter in each test. But I'm not supposed to work her really hard until Monday; which is fine. I'm not in any shape to work hard either. Been trying all kinds of home remedies and raiding our medicine cabinet. I read that if you drink olive oil that it acts like a pain reliever; it sure burned the back of my throat. My tests aren't until 2pmish so if it doesn't get rained out and I have a miraculous recovery by tomorrow, I'm going to at least ride her in the warmup and see how she feels. The chiro said that I need to show her that cantering doesn't hurt so I shouldn't wait to canter her in the test; he agreed that long low and 2 point will help her. She won't really stretch down at the canter but I can at least help her out with 2-point.

I'm a bit panicked right now because I feel like my body and mind are not in synch. I have a [email protected] load of stuff to do in the next 4 days; starting with the show tomorrow, and open house on Sunday and two 12 hours shifts Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday we are supposed to leave for Florida for 2 days followed by 1 day in Mississippi. 

The following weekend is the Sarah Martin clinic and at some point we are supposed to move into the new house and oh yeah I'm also having surgery the first week of November and then I won't be able to ride at all for 6 weeks. The weekend before my surgery is the final schooling show of the year; I kind of want to go considering that it will be my last time riding for 6 weeks, my last time competing for like 3 months and my last time competing under this Dressage chapter.

Had our online meeting with Natasha from the goal setting group; she told me to stop looking for the perfect solution all the time because it doesn't exist; no matter which road I chose there will always be pros and cons. Good point.

But, one thing at a time; I just need to get through the next 5 days first....and oh [email protected], I just remembered I also got a dinner to go to tomorrow about the new chapter and such.


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## knightrider

Beautiful pictures! Hope you feel better soon!


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## egrogan

^^She's looking great- so shiny and her eyes are nice and bright. Glad she's feeling so good! Hope you get to feeling better soon too.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. I think I might be better. I'm just exhausted but understandable after the day I had yesterday.

Worst scores to date for both of us. The judge pretty much hated everything about us; lots of 4.5s and 5s; also for my rider scores 5s and 5.5s. We knew going in to this that it would not be pretty. On top of that I made a mistake by warming up Ana for too long so she was fizzled out by the time we entered the ring. We got 55 for Intro C and 55 for T2. Some of the comments and scores didn't make sense though. Like for the stretchy walk she marked us down to like a 5.5 with a comment that the horse needs to stretch when she did stretch and really well. Then she gave us a positive comment about her energy when Ana actually had zero energy which is why the test was so painful to watch from beginning to end. After talking to my trainer, she said that the judge had weird comments and scores on other people's tests as well, and that I'm actually probably lucky to get 55s but lots of people got scores in the 40s. One of my barn mates got a comment of "not enough trot shown" for a perfect trot circle, which was super weird. We had a lot of kids showing yesterday; the judge was super harsh on them as well and gave one kid a zero for one of the movements. Another girl had a decent test but then her horse bucked and she got marked down so severely that she ended up with a final score of 48.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not sour because I got low scores; I understand that some judges score higher or lower and that's fine but to mark a terrible movement as good and a great movement as bad with comments that don't make sense or are not applicable for the movement, that just seems really strange to me. I feel sorry for the kids; I'm sure lots of them went home crying yesterday. 

Like I got a 5.5 and I think a 5 for Ana's halt; it was square but one hind leg was slightly back. Another judge might have given me a 6.5 for that with a comment of "almost square halt" so that's fine. What really ticks me off though is that there was only 2 of us for Intro C and the other lady's horse did not even canter for one of the circles and she was hanging off that poor trusty school horse who basically did the test by himself. I rode my heart out, my pony did everything at exactly the right points not because she wanted to but I rode the crap out of her.

So yeah, not a good day yesterday. Ana seemed to know something was different; she kept nickering at me like "is everything ok" "did I do ok for you mom" and I was like "you did nothing wrong Ana; I'm sorry that I warmed you up for that long, here is a carrot"

What was also weird is that it was new people running the show; the ones that started the trouble with our Dressage group; plus a few familiar faces who were either forced to be there or have chosen their sides and it's clearly not with us.

We then went to dinner with the old president to discuss our future and how we are going to proceed and also to let us know who is part of the "dark side" and who is part of the "good side" so I know who I can trust and who I should avoid. It's really sad; I don't even know the half of it and what I know now is very disturbing. 

I can't let all this darkness affect my life with Ana; on that note, today will be a chill trail ride kind of day; but first I must clean the entire house top to bottom for open house today. Since I hate cleaning I thought I procrastinate by updating my journal 

Hope you all had a better weekend than me!


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## Tazzie

Sorry you had such a crappy experience yesterday :sad: and I think at one point in time we've ALL warmed up our horses far too early. It happens! Definitely try not to let this cast a shadow over your year. Overall it's been a good year with some speed bumps though! Hopefully next year won't have all that drama!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @Tazzie ! It's definitely just a tiny bump on a long beautiful road.


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## frlsgirl

So Ana was quite naughty for what was supposed to be a relaxing trail ride. She was so fired up that she was doing mini rears and even putting a loop in my reins wouldn't settle her so I dismounted and walked the first loop. The second loop wasn't quite as scary for her but she did turn into a high Stepping show horse a few times. 

So when we got back to the trailers I took Ana for a little work session. We practiced trotting, cantering and galloping up the hill. 

Poor thing was so exhausted that she needed to lay down to graze.


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## SaddleUp158

Are you going to make it down to watch Nationals at all?


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## frlsgirl

Don't think so @SaddleUp158 

Heading out of town tomorrow through Saturday. 

The following weekend is the SM clinic. 

How about u? Are u showing any horses at GC?


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## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl Nope not this year. Maybe next year. H is talking about maybe showing her mare that has been raising babies the last 6 years, if she takes her I might take Mia for the dressage. We will see. Just depends on where we are at in our training and finances. Hoping to buy a house by then... Ana's breeder is here for Nationals one of the horses they sold a few years ago is showing in dressage.


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## frlsgirl

@SaddleUp158 I saw the breeders posts on FB and wondered about that. You are going to buy a house? That's so exciting. Yeah, time for training and finances; I hear you on that.

Mini-update:

Back from 2 day vacation; it was supposed to be 3 days but DH's clients wanted to come home early because a concert that they were supposed to go to got cancelled; but, we then somehow ended up at a casino, and DH accidentally used the client's credit card to pay for dinner so DH tried to pay the client's back with cash and they said "hey, put it in the machine, if you win we will split the difference" - and guess what, I won $500! So yeah, that was kind of cool! I never gamble, I was just randomly hitting buttons on the machine because I just don't quite understand how it works and suddenly all the lights went off.

I wanted to go shopping but I'm too tired from traveling still. I also hadn't sat on or seen Ana in 6 days so I raced out there this morning all pumped up ready to ride but there was a gigantic party lesson going on; I guess I got left off the email invite because everyone knew that I was out of town, or was supposed to be anyway. So that was super awkward because it was too late to join them, not enough room to just go in there and do my own thing. So I decided to ride in the field but that was used as pasture for horses that were visiting. So then I decided to use the other field; tried to set up my camera but it didn't work. So by then I was pretty ticked off and was like "nothing is going to stop me from riding" so I rode her in the other field, and the wind suddenly picks up so bad that the fabric got pulled down from my helmet viser, so there I was riding in circles in the field, cussing to myself, holding the reins with one hand and the viser fabric with the other.
So I decided to finish up because it was just useless; she wasn't listening, I was too ticked off to ride well, and of course the party lesson finished at the same time which meant I got to answer like a 100 questions, like "are you ok" and "how come you didn't ride with us" and "how's the house" and "is Ana ok" and "are you going to eat lunch with us" and "are you mad at me? I thought you might be mad at me?" 

Ugh!!! All I wanted was a nice quiet ride without equipment malfunctions!

I guess I'm gonna try this again tomorrow.


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## phantomhorse13

Ugh how frustrating. Hope tomorrow is more peaceful!


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## frlsgirl

I finally got to ride in the indoor by myself!

I also finally got to try the new GoPro in the arena. It seems to be taking better quality video/pics.

We worked on a lot of different things; going from stretching to working to collecting and going back out of it again and playing with lateral work. In the pics you can really see her take on different body positions depending on what we are working on. 

Funny story time:

The last pic is of Prim, the cute little mare that I rode Western. She's back for sale because the people who bought her also had fainting goats and when the goats saw Prim they all dropped like dominos. 

A little girl tried her yesterday. Hopefully she will find a good suitable home soon. Otherwise I might be tempted to buy her; she's just so darn cute!


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## egrogan

Too funny about the goats- you can't make that up! Hope they find a good home for her!


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## frlsgirl

I know right?!? @egrogan horses get returned all the time for lameness and such but fainting goats?!? Isn?t the whole point of having a fainting goat to scare them so you can watch them faint?


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## frlsgirl

Update; Prim found a new home without fainting goats 


I have not been feeling well so I haven't been riding much or filming when I ride. I did ride tonight but only at the walk. I was able to get her really through and connected though and that felt really good; like I was holding her hind legs in my hands; a really neat feeling. She had lipstick when we finished but wasn't totally foamy or anything like that.

I told BO I would not be taking lessons the rest of the year except of course the SM clinic which got moved to Friday; I'm halfway excited and halfway dreading it. I didn't know that I would be feeling this run down; I'm gonna try to get my act together by Friday and just give it my all. But then I'm just gonna take it easy for 2 weeks and only ride casually; then I'll have surgery in November and won't be able to ride at all for 6 weeks. I'm trying to stay positive by just telling myself I'll have a great comeback in 2018, pain free, fit and full of energy. That's the grand plan: ride better, be healthier, be skinnier, go to rated shows, show without test readers and have energy to spare to ride other horses so that I can continue to improve my skills.

I'm also taking a sabbatical from FB and other social media with the exception of HF. It's kind of nice to not feel the urge to constantly check notifications.


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## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl

Sorry you haven't been feeling well. Hopefully after your surgery you will be feeling great! I think you will find the break from training to be rejuvenating come next year. Our horses end up with a lot of time off in the winter and it seems to refresh both man and beast. I also feel like if there is any micro injury or inflammation brewing the time off gives everything a chance to rest and do any healing that needs to take place naturally.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you and good points @SaddleUp158 ! 

Ana is actually going into full-time training with BO for one month; and then I'll slowly take over training again; will probably do lunge work week 5 and 6 or do walk work if I feel up to it/if doctor clears me. She won't ride her very hard; usually 20 minute sessions 5 days a week, enough to keep her muscles from atrophying but not so much that she will get bored or exhausted.


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## SaddleUp158

That is wonderful! I always worry about losing the condition over the winter after working hard all year. Plus it is always nice to get another perspective from someone else who knows your horse.


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## frlsgirl

Definitely @SaddleUp158 - my biggest issue is what a lot of Adult Ammies struggle with: I get to the barn after a long day and I just want my horse to go well without having to do very much. In other words, I?m not riding her like a boss and she takes full advantage of it by seeing how little she can give me without getting into trouble. If I do act somewhat bossy she then tries to find things to spook at to deter me from taking too much charge. 

I either have to be 100% in charge or not ride at all. On those rare occasions where I do ride her like a boss, my magical Dressage unicorn appears.


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## frlsgirl

The SM clinic was very productive. She?s really good about pinpointing the horse?s major issue and then gives you exercises to fix them. So some of the exercises aren?t anything you would ever see in a Dressage test but then you ride out into a schooling figure and suddenly everything seems to work better.


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## frlsgirl

So this is really cool; here we are doing a back-lifting exercise. I start out doing it incorrectly but then around the 20 second mark magic happens and I'm starting to get it and Ana is responding beautifully.






So what's neat about training with SM is that she knows exactly what major obstacle is holding you back from progressing, in Ana's case not wanting to lift her back and lack of suppleness in the ribcage, and then gives you exercises to work on them. It was a really neat feeling; it was like sitting on a deflated air mattress and then suddenly someone stepped on the pump and pumped her back up. What was really cool about this is that her back stayed up for the remainder of the lesson. She even had me canter at the end and it wasn't terrible because her back was lifted. Really cool. 

As far as my riding skills, she liked how centered I am over my seat bones; she said that will help her a lot in finding her own balance. She also liked my following arms and that I didn't give in when Ana started to bob her head around; she said that Ana is just looking for the middle so she is experimenting with the space I'm giving her. She wanted me to develop shopping cart feeling in my arms during the posting trot and to take the arch out of my lower back; shopping cart arms was pretty easy for me to do but getting the arch out of my back will be the death of me. I don't do it when I'm walking her but for some reason as soon we pick up the trot, the arch appears. She also wanted me to "fire up the bicycle shorts" a term she uses to engage the pelvis/upper thigh area for steering which is especially helpful at the loose rein walk. It was really funny she was like "Ok, get ready to fire up those bicycle shorts again, cause you're gonna need them for this next exercise" lol. 

I'm really eager to try the back-lifting exercises by myself. Hoping to squeeze in a little ride tomorrow. What's neat is that I don't have to film it in order to see it because I can feel it as it happens.


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## frlsgirl

So I tried the back lifting exercises by myself yesterday and I’m happy to report that they worked BUT two interesting things happened:

1) the back didn’t lift until a couple of steps after properly crossing legs which resulted in me releasing/praising with a delay

2) I didn’t have a clear plan as to where I would do what exercises and that kind of messed us up. 

Problem 2 is easily solved but I’m not sure what to do about problem 1; I guess I ended up praising her for lifting her back instead of crossing her legs which is the whole point of the exercise but crossing her legs is so difficult for her that I was hoping to catch that moment so I can release pressure promptly.

So here are some pics. Yes I know it looks awkward and I could have ridden this better but we are in the experimenting stages and we will get better at this.


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## frlsgirl

Update!

For the first time in a long time I didn't go to the barn at all during the week so I was pumped to go ride her yesterday, especially since it was the first official cold day of the year with day time temps in the 40s.

She seem surprised to see me but came to me somewhat more eagerly than usual like "hey, haven't seen you all week, what's up, is everything ok?"

She enjoyed being groomed but her expression turned sour when I emerged with the saddle. I got camera and everything set up and began walking her to the arena but she almost immediately planted her feet like she was telling me "no" so I urged her to walk on. We walked a few steps and then she saw a couple of feed bins turned over on the side of the path and she decided that she was going to fake spook at them. So I made her touch them; she was fine after that. It was just a delay tactic anyway because she did not want to be ridden. She's been more defiant lately; the more free time she has out in the pasture the more she believes she's a pasture horse that occasionally gets pestered by her owner with this annoying riding thing. When she was stalled, she believed she was a riding horse who occasionally got the privilege of going outside to play with other horses. 

We continued to work on the stuff we've learned recently; engaging herself properly so that her back comes up. She was a bit more defiant than usual and tried to fake spook at a new chair and when that didn't work she tried to spook at the turned over feed bins again even though they were far away. Once we worked through a little temper tantrum when I asked her to put her left hind under her body, she was fine and actually had some lovely moments, when she didn't allow herself to get distracted by the geldings galloping in the fields.

Here is her little temper tantrum; she likes to run backwards to get out of it and then she usually throws in a little rear but I was able to talk her out of that. It's funny how we always have to have an argument and then she's good after that.






When I turned her back out she immediately went to greet the geldings which of course turned into squeal fest. Then she gave them a tail swish as she walked away to pick on the mares; they were peacefully eating from the big round bale, but she made them all go away so that her and Blue could have the round bale to themselves. 

I think going into full-time training with BO will be a very good thing for her. The more free time she has the bossier she gets. Even just hand grazing her while I put my stuff up, has become an opportunity for her to act defiant so I've been extra careful to not let her pull on me or pin her ears at me.

Hoping to do another training ride this afternoon when it warms up. We are supposed to go on a big trail ride tomorrow with bon fire and wiener roast afterwards but I have concerns as she was really naughty last time and based on her behavior yesterday I'm assuming she's going to be naughty again tomorrow.

Edit: on the bright side, I've been doing these equestrian stretches at work to keep me limber and when I did the flipper exercise on Ana yesterday I was surprised at how far I could stretch my legs out and I didn't get a single leg cramp. I love it when things work as intended. Also, recently I noticed that I'm super aware of her shoulders and I can post the trot without looking down to make sure I'm on the correct diagonal. I can post just based on feel. Pretty cool, ey?


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## frlsgirl

OMG you guys won't believe what happened today. I walked into the barn to get Ana's halter when I heard commotion coming from one of the stalls. A new to me mare was thrashing around in her stall, she was sweating and alternating between rolling, getting up and bucking. I immediately called the BO who came rushing out and explained that she was "bagging up" - apparently she was weaned from her foal today so she was upset anyway but then her "bag" got so full that it became uncomfortable for her. I could have swore she was colicing. Anyway, so BO took her out of the stall, I cleaned her eye as she got dirt in it while rolling, she gave her some banamine, called the owner, discussed what she wanted done and then BO pointed to her bags and began milking the left side. She then said "have you ever milked a mare before?" I was like "um no" and just gave it a try on the right side and it worked. The mare seemed so relieved. She then hand walked her a bit and later turned her out with another mare to keep her company.

So yeah, didn't think I would learn to milk a mare today but it totally happened. It was actually pretty easy probably because she was so full.

After all that was done with I finally got Ana in so I could do another training ride. I tried various things and they worked semi ok but I was a bit irritated that BO decided to ride at the same time; as that limits our space, but she didn't stay long and then left to take Prince for a hack at which point I decided to break things down for Ana to make it easier. 

Forward, Halt, side ways, halt. Rinse and repeat. Stretch walk break in between.






This worked out really well, as we didn't run into each other like we so often do. Maybe that's the answer. slow things down into small chunks and then only combine 2 or 3 things. 

She looks kind of awkward though. Like she doesn't know what to do with those long legs.


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## frlsgirl

I survived the trail ride. 

We got there late so no opportunity to do ground work first. 

BO gave me a pep talk on the way. She said to not wait until Ana is all worked up before attempting to address it.

I did request to only ride the upper loop because the lower loop is just a trail of terrors. 

Everyone agreed. 

We were fine for a few steps and then another rider lost control of her horse and he came spinning into us. Since everyone seemed ok we continued. 

I practiced halting and circling whenever we got to an open area. That all worked ok. Then we had to do single file through a few narrow areas and that’s where my knuckles turned white as she got all worked up. Another more experienced rider was behind me and talked me through it: breathe, relax, take and give the reins. 

Phew! We made it. She was still wanting to jig so we made a grazing agreement: if she can halt when I ask she may graze. Can u guess what happened? Pretty soon she would just halt on her own to let me know she found a good grazing spot of course I urged her on until I found a good grazing spot but it did give me a chuckle. 

When we returned from the upper loop several wanted to do the lower loop at which point myself and 2 others decided to stay behind and do arena work as I wanted to end on a good note. And we did!


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## egrogan

Yay! So glad you had a good time on the trail ride. I love that last picture with fancy Ana marching her way through the trails at the back of the line :grin:

There have definitely been moments with Isabel out on trails where I am trying to keep myself breathing until I see an inviting grass patch and can tell her "okay!" her signal for grazing. It works really well for her too. Stopping or circling just **** her off and that's never worked for her. You do what works to get through the sticky spot!


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## frlsgirl

Yeah those Morgan mares are tricky @egrogan ! Ana can go from zero to 100 in what seems to be a millisecond. I don't think she's trying to be naughty to get me to dismount; I think she is seriously scared something will jump out of the bushes and eat her; I get this "eek something just touched my leg" feeling from her. She's fine in open fields, she just doesn't like narrow paths and will try to push all the other horses out of the way like "if I'm the last horse, I'll get eaten first! I'm outta here!" lol


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## phantomhorse13

Congrats on your successful trail ride with Ana!

How does she handle lateral work normally? I ask, because that has been a huge help with Phin when he gets himself all worked up on trail. When he wants to get too forward, I have learned that if I take a deep breath, half halt and ask for a sidepass or leg yield, it gets his brain thinking about what I am asking while still allowing him to move his feet. 

Another good thing to try when Ana gets silly is to sing to her. I prefer silly nursery rhymes (row row row your boat seems to be my go-to) as they are easy to remember the words and generally have a fairly steady rhythm. You can't hold your breath (thus getting even more tense) when you are singing. If you feel too self conscious to sing aloud, hum (loudly) instead.


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## frlsgirl

Lots of changes on the horizon for me.

Did I tell you all that I'm having surgery next week?

If I didn't: I'm having surgery next week, to remove some unnecessary organs that have been causing me pain for a long time, which will hopefully improve my riding and my overall wellbeing. One of my friends had the exact same surgery and she said she felt so great afterwards and her riding has improved so much. As my doctor reminded me today, it's still major surgery and I'm not supposed to work for 2 weeks and no riding or exercise for 6 weeks. So Ana is going into full-time training for 1 month with BO which I think will be very good for her.

Also, we finally closed on our dream house that we've been planning for and building for what seems like an eternity. DH is out there now scrubbing and getting everything ready so that we can move in next week. This means I'm closer to Ana but further away from town and work. We are still trying to sell our old house in town, which is very tricky especially when you live in it because you're trying to keep it in perfect show condition at all times.

With all the recent trouble regarding our local Dressage club, I'm changing teams so to speak and will be showing under a different org next year; it will mostly be the same people but some of the venues will be different and there will be opportunities for me to take Ana to a rated show.

With all of this craziness going on in my life right now, we are holding off on building the barn until next year; as I can't lift anything over 5 pounds for 6 weeks, and it would be unfair for DH to struggle in the cold and dark all by himself. Since Ana is well taken care of and happy where she is, and much closer to me as soon as we move, there isn't a big hurry on building a barn/pasture anyway.

So my major goal is to come back from surgery stronger than ever; more fit, more focused, ready to start the 2018 show year right. I'm just a bit bummed that I just now figured out how to get Ana through so we can progress, and I only get to ride her a couple more times before I have to hand over the reins to BO. Since I can only afford full time training for 4 weeks, yet I can't ride for 6 weeks, I will be doing lunge work week 5 and 6 unless I don't feel well enough and then I might just pay for part time training and let her have some time off.

I'm looking for horse related things I can do that are safe. So far I have:

tack cleaning/oiling
practice braiding mane
memorizing dressage tests
some stretching exercises 
liberty work/trick training 
some grooming

I really wanted to learn polo wraps but I won't be able to bend down that low, so this will have to wait.

Any other ideas?


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## frlsgirl

Pics from today’s ride. We alternated between lifting, stretching and forward exercises and played with combining forward with stretching and forward and lifting. 

As you can see she was not exactly thrilled to be doing arena work today. She also fake spooked at a blanket and pretended she had never seen horses outside of the arena before. 

Despite her shenanigans she actually did really well and showed that she was willing to try new things so we finished with a hack in the fields. 

Only 1 more ride on Ana and then I won’t be riding again until Christmas.


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## frlsgirl

Today was my last ride on Ana until Christmas. I cried all morning. But I'm ok now. Now I'm just bummed. 

We had a decent last ride; lateral work is really coming along. We rode in the arena first and then finished with a spin in the fields. It was so hard to dismount. I just hope I'm in riding shape by Christmas.


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## egrogan

Awww, I can't "like" that post and am sorry you've come to your riding break @*frlsgirl* . I'm sure it will be tough to have that time off, but glad you're taking care of yourself and have folks around to help out with Ana.


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## phantomhorse13

I am sure the 6 weeks seems like a long time right now.. but if having those unneeded organs out will make you more comfortable long term, it will certainly be worth it!

Jingles for an uncomplicated surgery. Def check in when you can. Good luck with the new house!


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## knightrider

One of the things I did when I had the surgery I think you are having (same lay-up time) was to drive my horse those final 2 weeks when I still wasn't allowed to ride. Since Ana isn't trained to drive, maybe you could drive with someone you know? Driving was very uplifting for me, being with my horse in the fresh air, having fun, but not stressing myself. I also boarded my horse for a month since I could not take care of her, and that was super depressing for me, not to have her outside in my pasture. I was so thrilled the day I brought her home (in four weeks after the surgery, like you).


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for your encouraging words @egrogan and @knightrider and @phantomhorse13

Hopefully between rest, work and the new house, the time will go by fast. 
@knightrider driving is a great idea. I’m pretty sure her previous owner taught her to ground drive. I might give it a try if I get bored with lunging.


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## Tazzie

Time off from riding does suck, but you'll feel SOOO much better in the long run!!

Thinking of you today (since I think today is the day)!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @Tazzie

Surgery prep is Tuesday; actual surgery today s Wednesday and I get to go home Thursday if everything goes as planned


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## PoptartShop

Aw, good luck with your surgery. Make sure you take all the recovery time you need, don't rush back into anything. It will be better in the long run that you are getting the surgery. You will feel a lot better.  Bye-bye, unnecessary organs! 
Glad you got to ride her beforehand though, and Christmas is not too far away. You got this.

Sending jingles to you!


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## frlsgirl

Update:

Surgery went fairly smoothly. Hoping to get released today. I can eat drink and walk on my own so if I can keep lunch down ok they will release me this afternoon. 

Hubby bought me flowers and barn mate sent me a current picture of Ana:


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## phantomhorse13

Glad all went well and hope you are at home recovering!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you ladies. Feeling a bit better today and can do more on my own. 

BO had barn mate text me video clips of yesterday’s training ride. 






I’m glad I found someone who can Train her for me. She rides very similar to me; not too much pressure so she doesn’t freak out yet not let her run the show either. 

Hoping to feel well enough to go visit her tomorrow.


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## egrogan

Sending you healing vibes! :grin:


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## PoptartShop

Glad the surgery went smoothly, sounds like you will have a smooth recovery as well. Aw, the flowers and picture were so sweet!  That's good you are already starting to feel a bit better.
Visiting Ana will be nice too if you are up for it, & that she is getting exercise while you are recovering.


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## frlsgirl

I finally felt well enough to visit Ana. 


I can’t do much; BM had to fetch her for me. I can brush her and do the sideways carrot stretch. That’s it. No picking out hooves. 

She seemed confused like “what is the purpose of this visit?!?” Lol. 

It didn’t help that she could see her herd from the hitching post and was worried that they would eat all of her hay. As soon as BM turned her loose she gave the mares a stern talk about touching “her” hay. MIL was with me and couldn’t believe that the smallest and sweetest horse could unleash such terror on other horses


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## Tazzie

I'm so glad you got to see your best girl  just keep taking it easy! Better to go easy now than to rush and injure yourself! Awesome picture too


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## PoptartShop

Aww I'm so happy you got to see her, even if you couldn't do much, still you being there made her happy I'm sure.  Cute picture! 

Take it easy & rest, don't overdo it!


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## frlsgirl

Ana was extra cuddly today.


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## frlsgirl

I’m finally able to drive again. My first stop after work was to see Ana. She’s been really happy to see me lately probably because I’ve been reclassified to carrot dispenser and selfie taker extraordinaire.


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## frlsgirl

Well, I had intended on a long update and multiple pictures but my computer is not being cooperative. 


I'm now 2 weeks and 3 days post op. I'm still in pain and taking OTC meds during the day and RX meds at night. The doc said it might be "port" pain which is where they shoved the camera into my abdomen. I guess it's more painful for some women than others; I'd like to think it's because of my tight six pack and who are we kidding, I'm looking more like Mrs. Clause every day! The doc said that's just swelling from the surgery and it will go down over time. Lord I hope so. I'm wearing pull on breeches and sweat pants to work because nothing else will fit. I'm trying to slowly get back to normal life but I might have overdone it a couple of times. 


I'm back to work but struggling, I'm just uncomfortable so I'm moving around a lot as doing anything for a long time begins to hurt. So I'll sit for a bit then waddle my way around the office before I go back to my desk. Also my brain is not working like I did before, my short term memory is terrible; I called DH by the wrong name, I missed the exit on the highway to get to work, and I accidentally printed a document on a co-workers check stock. I'll stop mid sentence because I can't recall what I was trying to say. Ugh!


I have to work a long day on Monday to finish something very important that's going to require a lot of brain power. I don't know how I'm going to do all of that since I can't even remember which exit to take to get to work.


Fortunately, I got to enjoy a few days off over the holidays. They had a party lesson at the barn today and I joined as a spectator. I think it was a bit too much for me though, as I had to increase pain meds to get through the rest of the day. It was my first time to get Ana from the pasture by myself, groom her and take her back. OMG her halter is heavy, why is it so heavy? Ana seems to know that something isn't quite right and is careful but still wants to get her way, so she threw herself on the ground to do a protest roll, as she wanted to graze but knew that she couldn't pull on me. So she pretends to roll when she's actually just laying down and grazing.


It was good to be out and about by myself like this and feel a bit independent again although it was a bit much for me and I'm not on the couch for the remainder of the day.


I'm just hoping to get back to my normal life sooner rather than later. I'll be cleared to ride December 20th so that's something to look forward to.


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## frlsgirl

By random chance I stopped by the barn as Ana was getting a training ride. Doesn’t she look lovely? She’s really making some serious progress. Now I just need to make sure I can keep up with her when I’m cleared to ride. Only 3 more weeks!!!


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## frlsgirl

Here are some pics from this weekend. Only 2.5 weeks before I can ride and exercise again so for now walking the dogs is my only form of exercise. I ended up walking 3 miles this weekend and I’m now understanding where the expression “chomping on the bit” comes from as I’m ready to get back to normal life!

I love walking up and down the hills of our little neighborhood; I feel like I’m living inside a Thomas Kinkaid painting. 

I decided to introduce the dogs to the neighbors cows. A disgruntled leader cow emerged as we got close and the others ran away. I guess cattle are like horses, where they have a leader who checks out intruders. 

I visited Ana yesterday for a quick grooming and to play with her mane. She was not happy about standing still for that long. I was really close to just cutting it all day off. 

When I turned her back out she stuck around by the gate and gave me guilt nickers as I was trying to walk to my car. 

She’s so funny. Some days she’s like “ugh what are YOU doing here” and other days she’s like “I’m so glad you’re here! Don’t leave me!”


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## phantomhorse13

Love the pic of your dogs going for the cow!

Hope you are feeling better and stronger every day.


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## PoptartShop

Aw, Ana has such a personality!  She's so cute. Love the pictures, I'm so glad you are doing better each day; soon enough you will be back to riding! 2.5 weeks isn't a long time at all. The dogs are so cute, too!


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## frlsgirl

Well I guess I’m going to attempt an update with pics. Between HF issues and finicky Internet out here in the country I’m way behind on my journal. 

First of all Merry Christmas! 

I was hoping to get cleared for riding last Wednesday but doc surprised me when she said I’m still not healed and need to come back in 2 weeks! Argh! How is that possible? I was feeling so well, I started exercising and riding I was so sure that she would clear me! I’m not even allowed to diet because according to her my body needs energy to heal and when I diet and exercise, my body is using energy the burn fat. Who knew?!?

So I agreed to behave (insert eye roll here) and I quit HIIT training and dieting and slowed down my riding to walking only. Between weather, work, and being busy with house stuff I’ve only managed to ride like 2 or 3 days a week for like 20 minutes at a time anyway (insert one more eye roll here)

Ana did really well in her training with BO so I’m thinking of scraping more funds together to buy one more month of training especially since it looks like I’ll be going to Germany for a unscheduled visit: family emergency

So I’ve just been really upset most of the month between family issues and not being able to ride or exercise and issues with the house; it’s just been a bitter sweet month. 

I’m just happy that Ana is doing so well.


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## frlsgirl

As part of my New Years Resolutions I’m going to discontinue a bunch of things including HF. I just haven’t been able to keep up with it. It’s been a fun ride! I’ve enjoyed interacting with you guys. 

All the best, 

frlsgirl and Ana


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## tinyliny

I tried to quit. several times. couldn't make it. But, I know the feeling; that HF takes too much of one's time, and it's hard to do in moderation.

I hope you heal well and find the balance that we are all searching for.
Happy New Year!


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## knightrider

Awwww, not the news I wanted to read. I will miss your writing.


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## Fimargue

I'm sorry to hear this. I haven't commented before and just came back on HF after being away two months myself, but I have been reading your journal. Ana looks really lovely now. Her muscles have changed.

I'm just really sorry to hear about your health struggles and hope you all the best in the future.


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## frlsgirl

Happy Easter from Ana and I.


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## carshon

So happy to see you back and riding! The pics are lovely!


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## knightrider

You're back!! Yay!!! Ana looks great. Hope you are feeling well. I saw one of your posts from 2014, and I thought, "Awww, I miss her journal."


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## SueC

:wave: Hello @frlsgirl &Ana!

Hope you're feeling much better! 

Lovely pics! Good to "see" you!


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## tinyliny

take it easy, Ana. stay sane, let HF stay in its place.


I just realized I called you by your horse's name. Sorry, but you knew what I meant.


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## frlsgirl

Wow thanks for the warm welcome back you guys!

Ana and I are doing well.

She won Training Level Champion at the last show with my trainer on board. Highest scoring English horse of the entire show. I watched from the sidelines and clapped and cried like a grandmother waiting for her first grand child to be born, lol. I had planned on showing her myself but Tuesday before the show I took a wrong step and threw my back out. I had already paid for the show and enrolled Ana in the Dressage clinic the following day so at the last minute I asked my trainer to ride her for me. 

Ana was funny though; after the first test, I was walking next to my trainer as she attempted to walk Ana back to the trailer, when Ana shifted over and decided to walk with me. So trainer was like "why don't you just take the reins; she clearly wants to walk with you and not with me, lol"

I'm still not a 100%, so I'm just riding 3 days a week and just by myself as I'm not well enough to do a lesson. I had a group lesson a couple of weeks ago and ended up spending the rest of the weekend in bed with a heating pad, and pain meds. I'm just too competitive for my own good so I will just keep going even if I'm hurting. If I ride by myself I'm a lot more careful and can listen to my body better.

I rode 35 minutes yesterday and cantered for the first time in weeks. Just half a circle each direction was enough for my back.

I decided to take the rest of the show season off and just work on getting myself and Ana in better shape. It's hard though; waving barn mates goodbye as they pack up and head to the show grounds. So I just try to focus on the small little victories. Like cantering for the first time yesterday, or trotting an extra circle. 

I'm probably well enough to do an Intro B test but what's the point? It just makes more sense to work on myself and work on improving the basics with Ana. 

It's good to be back. I missed you guys.


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## egrogan

So glad to see you back posting!


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## phantomhorse13

Glad to see you back here. Hope your back continues to improve!


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## frlsgirl

Wow. I found some old footage of Ana and me from 2014 and took some comparison shots. Even though progress always feels really slow, these pics are encouraging. 

I’m starting to ride a bit longer; did 45 minutes yesterday and trotted a bit more. 

Still struggling a bit with focus and Ana knows it! She’s so freakin smart. Going to doc later this month to get checked for ADD again. I just tend to space out a lot and it shows up in every aspect of my life. I cannot take lessons right now because if RI tells me a pattern to ride, I can only remember the first part and then I’m lost. Or I remember them in the wrong order or opposite direction. 

I did sign up to scribe Saturday but it’s only for 5 hours and it’s with my favorite judge so let’s hope I can do a good job. 

Ana has been getting in trouble lately. She is so bossy and mean to the other horses that BO had to put her in solitary for a few days last month. It seems to be related to her cycle. BM said Ana behaves like a stud horse and moves the other mares around a lot not because they are in her way but for entertainment purposes. She makes them do circles and straight lines, hmm maybe she’s trying to teach them Dressage?


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## DanteDressageNerd

It's good to have you back! Welcome back to the forum, so glad to see you and Ana doing well (even though I keep up on fb and instagram) but glad to hear it went so well at the show. 

There is a HUGE difference between Ana then and now. Musculature is entirely different. She sounds like an alpha mare :lol: bossy and controlling. Id hate to be a horse in a field with her. It'd drive me nuts.

I hope you feel better soon! You've been through a lot health wise, hopefully it will come out better.


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## Loner

Very nice looking girl.You did very well getting her.Good luck with her.


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## frlsgirl

Ana and I had a great weekend.

We rode Friday just as the storm was rolling into town. It was so windy and spooky. Eeek. It makes for a very lovely and forward walk; she pushes really hard with her hind legs. Eventually we want to develop that into carrying more with the hind legs but for now her default is to push.

When I took her back out, she had to investigate the feed bin which was of course empty and that made her so mad, so she started pulling on it like she was going to take it down, lol.

Yesterday I scribed for 5 hours in the cold. It was a very good experience. The judge was my favorite biomechanics instructor so I got to pick her brain a lot and she made it a very fun and educational experience.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana looks well! Glad she's doing well and you got to learn so much as a scribe! Education makes the cold worth it


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## frlsgirl

Had an excellent ride on Ana tonight. Really focusing on long arms/short reins while carrying my hands to engage my abs and keep from tipping forward and pushing the head away like the reins are sticks. All that while still keeping a bend in my elbows and following the telescoping heck motion. It helped that I put her old favorite bridle on, except that I had it latched incorrectly on one side so BO helped me get it fixed halfway through our ride. Ana didn't seem to mind. 

One of Ana's herd mates "Prim" was in the arena finishing up a lesson with her owner; a 12 year old little girl. The little girl decided she was going to take Prim for a trail ride; Ana usually doesn't care who comes into the arena or who leaves but she got upset when Prim left mostly because she could see the little girl struggling to keep control of her as she was navigating the back pasture. I'm not sure if Ana was worried for the little girl or for Prim but the fire breathing dragon came out to play. It was fantastic. I love it when she's really forward like that and we made good use of all that excess energy and did the most beautiful trot serpentines EVER. I wanted to ride for longer but because she did so fantastic I had to stop there. Prim was bringing the little girl back from their trail ride (or was the girl bringing Prim back?) right as we finished and Ana just seemed to relieved. Ana takes her job as herd manager very seriously 

Can't wait to go ride her again and continue with the long arm/short rein thing since that seems to be the next magical step towards progress.


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## Tazzie

I'm glad you had a great ride! YAY! And yes! I love days where there is even more forward!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Glad you're having such a good time with Ana and have good progress to mention in each ride. keep looking forward and hopefully there will be some video soon!


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## PoptartShop

Aw glad to see you posting!  Happy to see everything is going well with you & Ana. Yay for an excellent ride!!!


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## frlsgirl

@*DanteDressageNerd* - I'm hoping to be able to film and load to youtube soon. 

@*PoptartShop* - Hello, yes I'm back. Thanks for stopping by. 

@*Tazzie* - I'm sure you can relate to the "forward" part 


Took Ana for a spin in the outdoor yesterday as the indoor was full with people practicing for this weekend's upcoming Dressage show. I thought the outdoor footing had already been prepped but I was wrong; there was only a small area that was usable, the wind was blowing 20+ mph, I couldn't find my whip, the crank nose-band was all messed up and the fabric kept falling off my visor. Needless to say, not much got accomplished. I was briefly able to reconnect with that same arm/stomach/carrying hands feeling, then when stopped as I just couldn't get her forward in bad footing and I couldn't really concentrate with all the wind.

When I was grooming her, I noticed that she was really itchy. She managed to pull a whole section of her mane out and she rubbed her tail dock raw again. She just looks like a mangy wild pony right now; not at all like a Dressage queen.

I had asked around about what I should do regarding her itchy crest and tail dock. I thought about ordering a supplement like Omega Horseshine but everyone I talked to suggested topical stuff like MTG. I couldn't find my stinky bottle of MTG so I put blue stuff on her; she seemed to really enjoy it, like it felt good to her to get it massaged into her scaly skin.

I just miss her beautiful luscious mane; it's all gone; she's completely bald for like a 4 inch section, and then rest is maybe 5 inches long and really thin from all the rubbing.

On a brighter note, she the pearl brow band that I picked up in Germany fits her well and it's not as heavy as her previous brow band which I'm sure she appreciates. 

We are supposed to get really bad storms tomorrow and I have a saddle fitting appointment scheduled as Ana is way overdue for an adjustment. Hopefully we won't get blown away. 

Saturday is the show put on by the rival Dressage group so I'm probably going to stay away except to check on horses and tack.

I'm finally starting to feel like my old self again; getting stronger, have more energy and I'm not hurting as bad anymore so that is very encouraging.


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## frlsgirl

Ok @DanteDressageNerd since you asked for a video:






I wanted to ride today but the arena was being prepped as I arrived. So I gave her a bath instead (which really helped with her crusty crest and tail dock) and lunged her for a few minutes to help her dry. She was so sassy! 

Then saddle fitter came and helped me fit saddle along with sheepskin pad to Ana. She took the shims out and filled the sheepskin pad with wool in all the right places; hopefully it will make everyone more comfortable. Saddle fitter always takes about 45 minutes to an hour; poor Ana had to stand patiently which is super hard for her, lots of nickering, pawing, dancing, sighing and yawning lol.

I'm supposed to go to the barn tomorrow to make sure rivaling Dressage group doesn't mess with our horses and stuff. I'm kind of nervous to go. I hope nobody does anything stupid.


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd here is a short riding compilation video from today; starting with lateral work at the walk, then left canter with stretchy trot and the last part is more trotting.






So this is the first time riding with the newly adjusted saddle. I like it. My back does not hurt after cantering, which hasn't happened since????
The left lead was great, well "great" for us the right lead did not work at least not from the walk and she got so hot and bothered by the botched attempts that I ended up just asking for a nice trot to settle her down. She gets very upset when things don't quite work right.

I'm still working on the shorter rein, ab engagement thing; and mostly when to use it versus when to let her stretch down more.

I know the lateral work looks messy but honestly this is the best leg yield along the wall we've ever had; my weight aids are off as I'm sitting into the opposite direction, so I will need to work on that. But you can see how hard Ana concentrates and tries; her initial evasion is to change the angle so that the hind legs don't have to cross. This is where the shorter rein comes in; when I first tried this today she got mad and started running backwards and I was worried that she might rear but I stayed on task and didn't let her intimidate me and we did it. You can kind of see her try that here but then I fixed it and she was ok with it. After this particular sequence her back was wayyyy up. Like someone jumped on the pump of an air mattress and moved me to a 16 hand WB; just fantastic.

I know this all looks messy but it's actually really good for what we've been working with. So I'm really happy right now.

I'm also starting to feel better in general, like my outlook is more positive. I don't feel so defeated and trapped; even work is kind of fun again or at least very tolerable. I've made some changes to my vitamins/supplements and that seems to be helping. Also, I've been sleeping in the guest bedroom and that has helped a ton. Apparently I don't sleep well in my own bed; I don't know, why. Maybe it's the mattress, or the noise level (DH likes to watch TV really loud and the dogs bark and then the train rumbles by at 2am). I've also stopped the plank challenge; and that has helped with my back pain and I'm making some changes to my eating which is starting to help a bit with weight loss.

I'm still debating if I should ride in the 4/28 show at my home barn. Maybe I should do T1 and 2 since my back doesn't hurt? But what's wrong with the right lead and what if I can't fix it by then? Should I just do Intro B? I've wanted to ride a test from memory; so if all else fails I want to at least ride Intro B without a caller and then go home; not pick up the ribbon or test sheet, or have BO pick it up for me but not tell me what I got. I want to compete for myself and for Ana, and not be so up and down depending on what score I get.

What say ye?


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana and you look like you're doing well together! You should be proud of how well you two are doing together. I hope your back and body feel better soon so you can do the training level tests you want. She looks a lot more focused and determined in her work! You're a cute team


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for your encouraging words @DanteDressageNerd ! It means a lot! 

I was so excited about being able to canter again and having more energy that I rode Ana again yesterday and we cantered like 7 times. Both her and I were completely exhausted. 

Here is a cute blooper pic from the end of our ride:

“Seriously mom! Do you have to film everything?!?”


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## SueC

Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the lungeing and riding clips; looking good!  Nice to see you enjoying yourselves.

As to whether or not to compete and if, in what, my personal motto is just do what you're really going to _enjoy_ - not something you feel obliged to do for some reason. I think it's this Germanic thing to almost feel as if everything we do has to be improved by the same increments per unit time as we've done previously, for the next 50 years! How do I know this? ;-) It's kind of nice to ask instead, "What's really going to make me genuinely happy?"

Have an excellent week!


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## frlsgirl

Very good points Sue! Sometimes I can't remember why I do all of this; it's supposed to be fun, right?

Ugh. I was all pumped to go ride tonight; even listened to audios on Dressage and half halts etc. but Ana was not in a good mood. I can always tell what kind of ride we are going to have by the way she acts when I grab her from the pasture. She approached me half way and then stopped and looked at me like "show me your carrots!" I didn't have any so she wouldn't come any closer but then another mare approached me and since she didn't want to miss out on whatever the other mare was going to get, she marched forward and signaled to the other mare to "beat it" 

We just didn't click well tonight. She wasn't forward enough so I tapped her with the whip and boy that made her mad and then she has a hard time getting over it. I mean I don't beat her, just a light tap; it doesn't even hurt, but it's more of a hurt feelings kind of a thing. Then a bunch of people came into the arena which made it hard to navigate so we called it quits.

Only 3 pics from a 30 minute ride; Oh yeah, check out her mane. Looks pretty awful right?


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## SueC

@frslgirl, some follicle mite species can cause itching and scratching. Not all do - many humans have follicle mites living in their eyelash follicles, and we don't notice it. In one agistment place I was in before we had our own farm, a horse brought in lice and rubbed itself on a communal rubbing spot in the pasture, and soon other horses using that rubbing spot had itchy tail heads and were rubbing themselves raw. But it doesn't have to be little critters - it can be allergies etc as well. Whatever it is, I hope it goes away soon so Ana can grow her mane back. Thankfully mane hair grows quite quickly.

And she still looks lovely even with the punk hairdo! ;-)


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## frlsgirl

Mites in eyelashes? Yikes @*SueC* 

Yeah it could be so many things; she's been pulling chunks of mane out here and there on the round bale feeder but then she also rubs herself on hitching posts or whatever she can find. So I don't know if accidentally pulling the hair on the round bale feeder is causing a secondary itch and then her scratching it is causing the skin to be raw and dry or if it's some kind of parasite. I gave her a bath a week ago and really scrubbed her tail dock and crest with moisturizing shampoo and it looked less raw and flaky for a couple of days. I have special antimicrobial shampoo that I use for the dogs; I noticed that it can also be used for horses so as soon as it warms up again I'm going to try it on Ana because it really has helped my little female dachshund with her itchy flaky skin.

I saw a terrible video on FB today of the wildfire devastation in Western Oklahoma; someone drove by a pasture with dead/burned horses and put it on FB; it's just so upsetting. All these helpless animals had no hope for survival. It made me feel really petty for being upset about a chunk of missing mane and having a not so stellar ride on Ana. There are people who will go to the pasture to look for their horses only to find that they have all perished. I saw other posts about people looking for their horses and dogs because they had to let them loose and weren't allowed to go back to their homes to get them. It's so sad. 

So go out and hug your horses for me and your dogs. I stopped by the barn on the way home just to give Ana carrots and really appreciate her. I forget how lucky I am to have her and my precious little dogs, too.


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## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl Some of our mares did the same thing last year on the round bales, rubbing out huge sections of their manes. So this winter we put webbing of sorts around the round bale feeder so they can't stick their heads through it but have to eat from the top or pull from the bottom (where they can't stick their heads through). We have fully intact manes this spring!


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol what is it with morgan mares and their opinions? I rode one yesterday who didn't want to go forward when I asked so when she offered to back up I had her back up more than she wanted and when she wouldn't go forward, we just spun in a circle until when I asked she said yes m'am. She definitely had her own ideas but showed her just do as asked and it'd be easy and she was like oh well that is better than throwing a little fit. She is like Ana, in the pasture she's the alpha, boss mare and controls the herd. lol funny girls. They like to test everyone.

Ana is very A type isn't she lol? Much fun. Glad you two are enjoying each others, she's a very pretty girl.


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## frlsgirl

Oh hey @SaddleUp158 - glad to hear from you. How is Mia doing? Yeah the round bale feeder is surely to blame. How long did it take for the manes to grow back?

Yikes @DanteDressageNerd - yes they are very tricky; always testing you; but once you can get them on your side they are wonderful.

Ugh. Missed half day of work yesterday so I had to stay late today. Trying to work up the strength to go to the barn. Maybe I'll just groom her or graze her like I did yesterday. She seemed to appreciate that. She seems friendlier and less bossy when I just spend time with her instead of riding her all the time. I think it will help when we bring her on our property because I will have to do everything every day of the week. Hopefully I will still have time to ride.


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## frlsgirl

So guess who this is? I tried an energy drink this morning and then decided I was super woman and consequently needed to ride the most physically demanding yet best trained horse at the barn: Dante. 






I can't believe we cantered. And my back actually feels fine. He is the complete opposite of Ana; even though he's only 16'2 he rides like an 18 hand horse. He's just so massive. It takes so much strength to put him together and ride him from your seat. I was supposed to do walk to canter transition but he kept anticipating because my seat was not clear enough about walking; right before we pick up the canter you can see me really exaggerating the walk movement to tell him what I'm looking for. So not my best performance riding wise but considering that I have not ridden him since last summer and this is my first time riding him since surgery and back problems I'm actually quite happy with it.

Then I stopped by Ana's paddock to give her a guilt carrot but she wasn't all that interested; they had just delivered 2 giant round bales so she was busy stuffing her face; she did eventually make her way to the fence to grab the carrot but almost seemed annoyed like "can't you see I'm extremely busy right now?" lol mares

Afterwards I went to lunch with the girls and then took a 3 hour nap to recover from my 1 hour ride. The goal is for me to have 2 horses to ride hopefully some time next year. How in the world am I going to ride 2 horses a day if I require so much napping afterwards? There just aren't enough hours in the day for all of that.

Going to a functional medicine doc next week to see if she can help me figure out where my giant energy leak is coming from and how I can fix it. 

I got invited to a riding thing tomorrow; they are trying to put together a drill team so tomorrow is the first meeting/ride. I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to go or not. Ana is not particularly fond of sharing the arena spot light with other horses, but it sounds like it could be fun. We will see how Ana and I feel tomorrow.


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Oh hey @SaddleUp158 - glad to hear from you. How is Mia doing? Yeah the round bale feeder is surely to blame. How long did it take for the manes to grow back?



Mia is good, we are finally starting to get back to a consistent work schedule, been an odd spring this year and we are getting a late start. 

To be honest, I don't really know how long it took the manes to grow back. None of the horses were going to be shown so we didn't really worry about it, other than taking steps to prevent it happening again. :smile: Between the round bale feeder rubbing manes out and the foals over the last few years our mares have been missing some hair. Lol, some of the babies like to chew on the manes. :frown_color:


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## frlsgirl

Yes it's been a very strange spring @SaddleUp158 - even though we have a covered arena, it also affected our riding opportunities because they had to use the covered arena for turnout which meant less riding time for us. I can't imagine not having a covered arena; I've certainly gotten spoiled.

I didn't know foals chew on mane? So weird. 

So you know how yesterday Ana would barely acknowledge me? Well today she was a completely different horse; left her round bale as soon as she saw me pull up. And then patiently waited for me to come get her. She was pumped. Like "where have you been? I need to be exercised you know?" She was super forward, just go go go. I loved it. But after 45 minutes the quarter ran out and she let me know by stopping every few steps. I was hoping to ride her in the drill team but because she did so well and was clearly done, I decided to just put her up for the day. I did audit part of the exercises and volunteered to take pics. I might participate in the future.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad you had a good lesson on Dante, your riding is coming along! Ana looks a lot better than I've ever seen her go, she's much more engaged and through. You should be proud of your progress!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you kindly @DanteDressageNerd !

We are definitely getting better although it’s not always perfect.


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## frlsgirl

*“Unfortunate Spooking”*

So today's goal was to ride an easy test (Intro B) without a test reader; because it's time to take the training wheels off.

Well, Ana, who is always perfect, totally freaked out not once, but 3 times during the test. It's the darn trailer that they use for the judge's booth. I've ridden through plenty of spooks but never in a test; I just kept telling myself that I must keep going; get her back under control and continue and we did.

I'm so so so happy with this test. Not because it went spectacular. 

I'm happy because I kept it together and kept going when Ana lost it. I stayed on my horse and in the arena (which was not the case for some horses; one horse bolted twice and one jumped over the poles and got eliminated).

I'm happy because I made it trough a test without a reader despite the spooks.

I'm super happy that I got a 60% from a tough judge mostly due to high rider marks. I like getting good scores for individual movements but I like it even more when I get high rider marks.

The judge's comments: Nice mover & confident rider. Unfortunate spooks in this ride but the talent is visible.


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## egrogan

I love those judge's comments- congrats! And the nice moments of the test were indeed nice.

Yesterday I was warming Fizz up in the outdoor arena, and the two mares who are pastured on either side of it were galloping around snorting and blowing because BO had walked her horse passed them and into the woods and they were sure she had taken him there to sacrifice to the wolves. :icon_rolleyes: I could feel Fizz getting more distracted and worried the more circles those nutty mares ran. In that moment, I actually thought of something you said on here a long time ago, you just have to smile big and tell yourself you're having a great ride and all is going as planned. And you know what- it worked!


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## frlsgirl

Awww I’m glad you were able to ride through that @egrogan.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad you and Ana had such a positive time together at the show. High riders marks and positive judges comments are always nice to hear  Ana is super cute, I'm glad you two are finding success together and having fun!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. After I left more riders battled through the tests with spooky horses. My friends Haffie bolted during each of their 3 tests so they got eliminated twice and the third time the judge just let her finish the test. 

This is not our first show at home with this trailer/judges booth configuration so I don’t know why this time around the horses were running for the hills. 

I do have a theory that the first horse to spook, sends out invisible signals to all the other horses to put them on alert. 

The judge did ask me to come back to the trailer after my final salute so that she could see everything and know that the trailer is totally safe. Just a day earlier I showed Ana the trailer and she didn’t seem to care; in fact, she acted like she wanted to self load


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## frlsgirl

I went to the barn last night to pay board and take Ana for a quick spin. When I pulled up all the mares in the pasture fixed their ears on me but then when I opened the gate to get Ana all of them immediately looked away and relaxed their ears; it was like Ana said "Ok everyone, here she comes, remember what we talked about, do not make eye contact, and maybe she will just leave us alone" 

As I approached them, I could hear Ana think "Stay strong, everyone, remember, no eye contact" but then Cricket softened, looked at me and started approaching and I could hear Ana think "Ah geez Cricket, I could have guessed you would be the first one to break down" so as Cricket approached I petted her which then prompted Ana to walk up and then she signaled to Cricket to "get lost" and we went about our normal routine.

She's gotten really close with her little herd and seems happiest just hanging out with them. She doesn't need me anymore for anything which makes me sad but then I'm also happy to know that she's happy. 

The day of the show, the BM kept her stalled all morning and she was just furious by the time I got there. She made sure she told everyone who would walk by her stall what injustice she had endured. That was the only time she made me feel needed because she was like "Thank God you are here, I would like to report a case of animal neglect" and she wouldn't settle down until I let her out of her stall. When she gets upset like this, her whinny has a pleading, high pitch and anxious quality to it. She can be so dramatic at times.


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## phantomhorse13

frlsgirl said:


> The day of the show, the BM kept her stalled all morning and she was just furious by the time I got there. She made sure she told everyone who would walk by her stall what injustice she had endured.


Gotta love a mare!! :rofl:


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol it sounds like Ana wants to control the herd even when no there. She sounds very A-type. Alpha mares like to control everything at all times lol Ana is no different. She just wants to be in control all the time lol.


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## frlsgirl

Yep @phantomhorse13 and @DanteDressageNerd - we are definitely dealing with a diva mare here 

Went to see her last night. As soon as I opened the gate, Cricket started approaching and just mili-seconds behind her was Ana. You could almost here them argue "I'm going to greet her first" "no, I'm going to greet her first!" Cricket's enthusiasm for greeting visitors has certainly sparked the competitive spirit in Ana. I wish her walk was this forward in the arena.

We had a good ride. It feels good to be able to get her more through. We did trot-canter transitions, 3 in a row on a circle going to the right first and then the left. Thanks to the clinic with Claudia a couple of months ago, I now know why the left side always feels a bit sketchy to me: basically she doesn't want to fill up that outside rein when we are going to the left which makes steering difficult. So besides switching back and forth between engagement and forward exercises, I'm now also trying to incorporate movements to help her stretch the right side of her body more as well as move the shoulders more independently. It's a lot to think about and incorporate and I can't always get everything 100% due to time constraints and I also want to make her feel successful so I can't harp on one thing for too long. It's a catch 22; she needs to do what she can't do in order to develop but she also needs the confidence to try it and I need to know when to ask for more and when to back off. She gets very huffy and puffy and almost frazzled if you push too much. It's kind of like working with a personal trainer; if he asked me to do 20 push ups all at once, I would feel like a failure because I can't do it and I would lose my good form and probably hurt myself. But if he asked me nicely to do 3 lovely push ups and then let me do something I'm good at, then we would make some progress.

I'm also still experimenting with rein contact and releasing differently. It worked really well yesterday when we transitioned from canter to trot, I released my shoulders downward which resulted in a rein release without letting the reins out through my fingers; she stepped right into a lovely trot so I will have to play with that some more.


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## frlsgirl

So yesterday's ride didn't go quite as smoothly. I have this lofty goal hanging over my head that we need to be ready for T1 by Memorial Day; it requires a canter circle plus a straight line. For some reason we canter canter a circle, or we can canter a straight line followed by a circle, but not a circle followed by a straight line. I just cannot straighten her while cantering; she always breaks into a trot or at least that's how it was yesterday. So I think I need to change my goals and just focus on doing an awesome Intro C test. 


Like is said before I can't harp on any one thing or she shuts down; it's a very delicate balancing act; getting her nice and supple and even, and keeping her cooperative and happy.

She just didn't seem into riding yesterday. Didn't want to go into the arena and then when I hand walked her after our ride she kept stopping because she was trying to pee and poop but it took several tries. 

We finally figured out what she's doing to her poor scratched up face and tore out mane: she's trying to each grass on the other side of the fence and mutilating herself in the process. Need to talk to BO about changing her turnout situation; maybe the neighboring paddock so she can still be near her mares.

I'm still struggling with my weight and energy level; trying a new med and having some bloodwork done to see if I need hormone replacement therapy.


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## frlsgirl

I finally participated in Drill team practice, or if you ask Ana "ear pinning" practice. It's just not her cup of tea. Giving her a day off so her ears can recuperate.


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## tinyliny

do the test! the amount of points attached to the canter circle/straight line will be insignificant compared to your straight entry, you halt's, your free walk, etc. Those things where you get a double coefficient, those are the things you stress about.

besides, the judge will be overcome by your cuteness, as a pair.


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## Tazzie

frlsgirl said:


> I finally participated in Drill team practice, or if you ask Ana "ear pinning" practice. It's just not her cup of tea. Giving her a day off so her ears can recuperate.


I've always said this would be Izzie if we ever took up drill team stuff :lol: she is just NOT interested in being by other horses AT ALL!

And if it's just a schooling show, I'd go for it! Schooling shows are meant to help you grow and gain confidence. I say go for it


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## frlsgirl

Yes lol ear pinning practice is not for everyone. 

Sorry I’ve been absent I’m in sunny Florida for a few days. I will update and follow up on everyone’s journal when I return


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## DanteDressageNerd

I hope something can be done about your health. Health can be so frustrating, especially when it's a mystery. I really hope it's something simple and easy to fix! I hope you feel better soon, especially after some sun and a vacation!

Why not try for training 1 and just do it for the experience? It doesn't have to be perfect but sometimes just doing it and pushing the envelope is very helpful. You CAN do training 1! You and Ana CAN do it!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies! Back home and have been super busy. Rode Monday and Tuesday and will ride today and hopefully tomorrow. 

Got test results back and most things are looking really good except hormones so I started HRT yesterday. I should be much more energetic and thinner 3 months from now. I can’t wait!

The perimeters fencing is almost done:


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## frlsgirl

Alright. Time for a quick update. 

Ana is suddenly super shiny. Dirt won’t stick to her and her mane and tail are super soft. It must be the supplements. 

I’m doing Intro C next week and clinic the next day. 

We officially withdrew from drill team - Ana’s ears cant handle the stress. 

We did participate in a party lesson though yesterday. And we had a breakthrough with trot leg yields. I usually avoid lateral work at the trot because it’s a hot mess; she just starts jigging with ears pinned and head in the air. But RI insisted that we work through it and we had some beautiful moments. 

She’s getting a day off while I take care of some house stuff; getting cabinets redone tomorrow. 

Hope everyone has a good week.


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## Tazzie

She looks fantastic! The laterals will come. And I don't blame you for ditching the drill team :lol:


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana looks really good, as does the perimeter to your place! It's going to be so lovely when you have it all finished!


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## frlsgirl

I’m so ready to start my weekend. Still at work trying to get a last minute project done. Then hightail it to the barn to clean/organize/pack then home and do the same. 

Then up early to go to the horse show. We will be there all day so I’m getting a stall for Ana. It’s a beautiful facility so I’m hoping to get some really good pics. 

Then clinic with judge at 8am Sunday. 

Should all be fun. My friend is showing 2 horses so she’s riding like 5 or 6 times. Same with trainer. I’m just doing 1 test: I just don’t handle heat all that well. 

Finally feel like my health is improving; I’ve lost 6 pounds so far. 

Fencing is coming along and DH got me a bench so that I can sit outside for my am tea/coffee. 

I will update again after the show.


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## egrogan

Have fun at the show. Take lots of pictures :grin:


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## frlsgirl

Back from the show. Everything went smoothly except that she seemed a bit high headed so we got dinged on the submission score. I did get a 7 for position and Ana got 7.5 for her free walk! It was so hot; glad I only did one test. I rented Ana a stall; she loved having a window and requested that all her hay be moved to the window side of the stall so that she could eat while watching the scenery. 

So tired. Clinic is tomorrow morning at 8:15am. Yawn.


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## frlsgirl

Clinic went well. For the first time ever, I did not have to request a breathing break. I felt like I could have gone on forever. 

We worked on the basic stuff: stepping into contact without taking the contact down. I have to set stronger boundaries and let her come to me. I’m being too nice, too accommodating. She’s not a baby horse anymore. 

He said that he saw some improvements in yesterday’s test: better rhythm, the canter transitions looked cleaner. 

He had me do something different with my legs too; when I got her forward take thigh off and step the weight into heels. Ana liked that better. Interesting stuff.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Ana is looking really good! So glad you guys had such a successful outing together and time in the clinic. I hope you two continue on this uphill climb!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @DanteDressageNerd. I do feel like I’m finally on the upward spiral of success; I feel better physically, the weight is finally melting off my body, other aspects are going fairly smoothly most of the time. But Ana still makes me work for every inch lol. 

Update: did I mention that I’m riding before work now? Today was the first day. 

Scheduling wise everything worked out except that the horses always assume that the first person to show up at the barn must be there to feed them so I have an audience of nickering horses as I get Ana ready and she was mad that I left without feeding her. She yelled at me as I got in my car “ mom you forgot to feed meeeee!” So I texted BO to let her know that her majesty is ready for her breakfast. 

She appeared to be in season as she was hanging out with Prince when I got there and she kept gesturing that she needed to pee but couldn’t quite pull the trigger until after our ride. 

I wanted to work on the stuff from the clinic and boy is that a struggle. AW said I have to be the fence post. A fence post does not give to the horse; the horse gives to the fence post. Ana is very committed to doing things her way so I’m trying to wait her out and if that doesn’t work, trick her into giving by making her so smooth and supple with lateral work that giving is the more comfortable solution. 

It kind of worked. Then I tried a left canter and it was fantastic which then improved the trot. We quit on that because it was the high point of our ride.


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## frlsgirl

Forgot to add a short clip from clinic where we were kind of getting it. I was trying to do a slow motion version but it only reduced it by 10% so if we seem a little slow, that’s why


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## PoptartShop

Ana looks SO good.  I am glad you had a good time at the clinic!
It sounds like you two are on the up & up!! Very proud of you guys.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. 

Rode Ana again this morning. Interesting observation: if I do the almost halt exercise that L taught us at camp last year, I can get her more in my hand before I go into trot. 

Then I already have her in my hand at the trot and I can do trot Serpentines which help with more lateral suppleness and I don’t have to do much with my hands as the exercise does the work for me. 

Still struggling with: getting solid forward rhythm before putting legs away and then focusing on contact. Remember: rhythm, then put legs away, then contact. 

Continuing to string different figures together after canter instead of cantering, falling apart and quitting. Today we did trot circle right, canter circle right, trot to X change to left trot circle, then stretchy left trot circle, then normal trot circle, then walk and then take a break. 

We also introduced the loop today: first at walk then trot. Wasn’t terribly difficult except Ana was like “la,la,la going across the diagonal, wait, what why are we going back to the long side?!?” Lol


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## SaddleUp158

Interesting point about stringing different figures together after a canter instead of just cantering then falling apart and quitting/endless frenzy trot. 

I need to try to do what you are working on. Typically we canter and then come down to a trot and are stressed and in a frenzy so it takes me a minute to get her calmed back down and responsive. Maybe if I ignore the stress and go to other figures instead of endless trot circles trying to regain "control & relaxation" we will get there quicker. Good food for thought! Thanks!


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## frlsgirl

Hello @SaddleUp158 



So Mia and you are cantering now? That's great! I've found that more variety and complexity of schooling figures keeps both of us more relaxed and focused; plus it's more similar to a Dressage test so when we get ready to show, it's not such a huge difference from what we usually do at home.


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## SaddleUp158

Hi @frlsgirl

We are trying to. She is past the point of getting frazzled and losing her mind. Before if the nerves popped up I couldn't get her past them, now she will still get nervous/frazzled but eventually we can work past it, it might take 10 or 15 minutes at times but it is getting better. Nothing about cantering relaxes her but we were able to canter in the pasture the other weekend and we didn't get all bent out of shape after the first canter. The second lead we were frazzled afterwards, but that is still a big improvement. The canter itself can be decently relaxed until it isn't, then after the downward transition she gets nervous and frazzled while anticipating having to canter again.


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## frlsgirl

Well that sounds like progress @SaddleUp158 !

I used to always shorten the reins at the trot before asking for a canter and Ana caught onto that and would anticipate. AW is having me ride her with shorter reins in general so I’m no longer giving her a chance to know what’s coming. The other thing that helps is trot canter trot stretchy trot and back to normal trot and doing that a few times before I run out of breath. The stretching relaxes her and it makes it more difficult to get tense again when I ask for the canter again. Plus in her mind she knows stretchy trot is coming up and she loves that so she gets to anticipate something she actually enjoys 

Today is Ana’s 10th birthday! I rode her this morning and it was great!


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## SaddleUp158

Happy birthday to Ana!


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## frlsgirl

Yeah I cant believe she's 10! I've had her since she was 5 1/2 !


Rode her again this morning and she didn't quite go as well; just couldn't get her all that forward. Centerlines were awful; ear pinning, snorting but then as soon as she halts, she's fine again. I do think that she goes best if she's ridden every other day. We did do a three canter/trot sequences in a row and even though the canter was mostly bad, we had some solid trot moments and I'm mostly happy with the fact that I now have the stamina to even attempt it, and I didn't feel like I was going to faint afterwards. 



We also had one solid walk/halt transition; usually she marches forward and then uses the reins to lean into a stop.


I'm getting better at automatically combining schooling figures with transitions so that our rides resemble what she would be asked to do in a Dressage test.



I got a reminder email that she's due for her booster shots; I'll call the vet to see if they can combine the visit with a chiro adjustment; she hasn't had one of those in a while; it can't hurt to have one done. Meanwhile, I'm going to try out my every other day theory.


I'm out of Adequan; not sure if I'm going to refill it or if I'm just going to transition her back to joint supplements. My friend was shocked that I have Ana on Adequan; considering how young she is and how I don't have any gleaming lameness problems with her. Adequan is quite expensive so if Ana doesn't need it to be sound, then I should probably just discontinue it. I mean she's basically a part-time Dressage horse and part-time pasture horse. She gets worked 3 to 4 days a week, mostly only 30 minutes at a time, the rest of the time she's grazing with her friends.



When I took her back to her pasture, she stopped at the spot where we would normally turn to go to the barn; I think she's trying to tell me that she's ready for breakfast. I did give her a carrot and let her graze thinking that this would distract her from the fact that breakfast would be served later, but nope, she remembered.


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## frlsgirl

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t go back to sleep. Somehow my mind kept going over and over my riding with Ana and I suddenly thought that I’m just doing everything wrong because BO can make Ana look much better than I can especially at the canter. Why can’t I get the canter better? Why is it taking me a freaking eternity to improve? Why does Ana get so upset over Center lines? What am I doing wrong? Is it a respect thing as in she doesn’t want to be told what to do or am I too heavy for her? Or am I doing something wrong somewhere with my body?

So many questions. I wish I could ask her.


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## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl

I have realized this year that one of the big issues in my canter work is my seat. I have worked so hard on my walk and trot seat, but my canter seat is not as far along. As it gets better and less tense my mare relaxes more. Unknowingly I have been bracing and tensing when we canter which surprise surprise causes my mare to do the same thing. Slowly but surely I am beginning to feel the difference when I start bracing vs actually having a following seat at the canter. Now for the hard part of fixing myself. 

The nice thing is you have so many videos of you and Ana. Go back and watch some of them and really analyze your canter seat vs trot seat. Maybe that is part of the problem for you and Ana like it is for me and my mare. Now I will say, the horses we have had in the past with her line of breeding have all had a harder time cantering compared to C's horse R who was born with a lope installed.


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## frlsgirl

I got to canter Roo and it was fantastic. Just so balanced without needing any help from the rider. He didn’t care if you tensed or relaxed; he just kept going. 

I’m finally able to follow Ana’s canter with my back but I still don’t know what to do with my legs. I’ve tried thighs off calves on combo or reversed thighs on calves off. I’ve tried the stretch your legs down exercise with every jump like Natasha Althoff teaches. 

I thought about asking BO to lunge me on Ana in side reins but she hollows without a rider so I imagine adding me to the mix will only make it worse. BO said that she has to work really hard with each canter stride to make her look good, like most horses don’t require that much work so that makes me feel better I guess. I’m willing to do the work I just don’t know what “it” is.


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## SaddleUp158

When you figure it out let me know!  All we can do is keep an open mind to different methods and learning. It will eventually click for us!


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## lostastirrup

Nick had a hard time at first with cantering well bent and round. I found that a little bit of spiral in spiral out helped right before the transition, 

And also I make a "pocket" in front of me with my hips and the two small muscles right below my crotch, I lift it with the small of my back and tilt my hips up (imagine letting your hips be a ship, with the horse's back and rolling stride being the sea) and letting the movement go through that seat and the back of the horse come up. 


Isn't this riding stuff work? Sometimes I hate how I feel like I understand and what I have done has worked for other horses and it suddenly doesn't work on the one I'm sitting on. I've never struggled with laterals as much as I've struggled with laterals on Nick, but I think that's the joy of the journey, getting to learn new ways of doing things to "speak horse"


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## Fimargue

I have been developing my Arabs canter and all I can say that rein back and walk pirouettes have helped a great deal of getting that hind under. It is hard work when a horse is not naturally uphill and does not canter with ease. You might be also doing something to block her, I know I do. What is exactly the problem with the cantering?


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for all of your feedback ladies! 

Yes riding different horses really challenges you in different ways @lostastirrup ! It’s really helpful to ride different “types” of horses like maybe a TB and a WB or a Morgan compared to a Draft X ! You surely have the right attitude about this; it’s a journey of learning. 

@Fimargue I’ve ridden a few Arabs; mostly with good canters; they were the Polish lines. Since you asked about Ana’s canter I dug up a video from earlier this year; the canter happens at the 1 minute mark; the other stuff at the beginning of the video are exercises to get her back up. 






I’m suddenly realizing that I haven’t been doing these back lifting exercises before cantering as I’ve been a bit rushed in the mornings. 

Also this canter actually looks pretty good here. Not good as in an 8 or even a 7 in a test but it gets the job done and could get a 6 from a generous judge. Her current canter doesn’t look this good but I can sit it better so there is that. 

Maybe I need to refocus on back lifting exercises and not canter until her back is way up. 

@saddleup158 once I figure out the magic missing ingredient I’ll be sure to post about it here


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## frlsgirl

Informative ride on Ana today; I included some pics so you can see her different postures, from how up and contracted she is during lateral work, to how low she can stretch at the trot and also how up and forward she can be at the trot.


I worked on back lifting stuff and did not canter until I was 100% sure that her back was completely up in the air; it made the canter more ridable; like I was able to go down the long side and then turn on a circle but then she got her front legs scrambled up and broke into trot; no problem regrouped and re-cantered and had some lovely moments including a very nice down transition.


After that I was trying to repeat the same thing on the left side but it was feeding time and she was so agitated and distracted that I waited for a good trot moment before we called it quits.


I can't help but notice that she gapes her mouth open any time we have solid contact like it's uncomfortable for her. I guess I can try the other bridle again, but that one is too tight around her ears so she shakes her head a lot. I don't know if the bit on the other bridle is more comfortable or if the way it sits on her face with the leather is more comfortable. The rings on her current bridle are so big that they rest against the nose band. I watched a video of horses in pain due to poor bridle fit and of course I was like "oh my God, that's Ana" but it was an advertisement for the Micklem bridle and I don't know that yet another gadget/bridle would make her happy. She's just so particular about a lot of things and not afraid to make her opinions known. At least the leather on the current bridle doesn't pinch her anywhere.:icon_rolleyes:


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## frlsgirl

Super happy with today's ride!


I used her old bridle and she seemed less fussy. Also, my every other day theory is dis-proven because today was the 2nd day and she went better than yesterday.


We discovered a new way to get her more forward at the trot so that the canter transition is better: leg yield at the trot to the rail and then ask either in the next corner or take it on a circle after leg yield and if trot is still forward enough go and canter. It was really soft yet forward, I didn't lean forward in the transition because I wasn't chasing the canter, I knew the canter gear was ready and available so that helped. 



I'm getting better at reminding myself to sit more back at the posting trot and also during lateral work. I'm also working on using my calf instead of drawing up my heal; an old habit from childhood from kicking unruly ponies.



We are continuing to combine things before and after the canter before we take a break; about 3 to 4 minutes of trot/canter/trot! I pulled old video footage from a year ago, and we only trotted for like a minute before walking and even less if we were cantering so yay for progress.


One thing that was really ugly was the change rein across the diagonal at the trot. It's almost as though she's confused as to which direction she's supposed to throw her weight so she just throws herself forward into this ugly saddle seat trot; so that was really good information to let me know we need to work on that.


We practiced the V exercise from T2 and re-introduced the loose rein walk loop from T3, neither one was too bad, except that the first part of the V she is anticipating the 2nd part of the V so I'm trying hard to hide that. The T3 loose rein walk was kind of like "la, la, la, going across the diagonal, oh wait we are changing course, no big deal, la, la, la"


It was feeding time right as we finished so I did my normal un-tacking routine, where I let Ana graze in front of the tack-room while I put her stuff away. Only this time when I returned she was gone. Just gone. I freaked out and ran to the barn where the BM greeted me smiling "if you're looking for Ana she walked right by me into her stall!" - silly horse. I guess breakfast was more urgent than grazing. When I turned her back out she started pulling me towards the grass and I was like "yeah, your grazing privileges have been revoked!"


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## Fimargue

She seems to have a somewhat stiff back in the canter. I would do lots of lateral work and rein backs. Heaps of them. I do trot to halt, rein back two steps (sometimes more of course, but this really brings the hind under) and trot. Gets them more responsive as well.

Do you ask the canter with outside or inside leg? The canter transitions for me got way better when I started asking with the inside leg and the hip forward. Seems to make much more sense.

If you don't mind me saying, I think you could have you a tad longer leg. I see some tension.

Also want to precise that everything I say is from 'been there', and not because I'm some guru or think I know better. Ongoing process.

Ana is a very beautiful horse and has a bit of Andalusian look.


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## frlsgirl

Hi @Fimargue no offense taken; friendly feedback is always welcome here 

Her canter gets better the more back lifting exercises we do, which is the lateral stuff that we work on.


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## frlsgirl

Guess what I did to Ana’s mane?

It had to be done. It will grow back. 

Only rode once this week so far and it was kind of blah; humidity was nearly 100% and neither one of us felt up to doing too much. So we concentrated on walk stuff. I reintroduced TOH and then we switched back and forth between TOF and TOH. I also practiced giving with inside hand only to get a strong connection on the outside rein while clearly communicating the release to her in hopes of increasing cooperation. It kind of worked I think. 

That ride made me realize why it’s taking us so long to progress: lack of time and focus. Now that we are riding early in the morning it will help me with both the time and focus issue now if I can just get Ana to focus on the ride instead of breakfast. I have a clear plan now and I’m not distracted by others in the arena. I can work on exactly what I want without having to go around others or without getting involved in long conversations while riding around aimlessly at a loose rein walk. 

She tried to take herself back to the barn twice for breakfast only breakfast had not even been served yet. Then she nickered at me as I drove away. I’m such a bad mom. 

Vet is coming tomorrow for booster shots and chiropractic adjustment. Hoping to get at least one good ride in before this week is over.


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## lostastirrup

Aww. I like long manes , but she looks good roached. For a long time I thought our horses could be twins, little star, delicate face, lovely bay, long mane.. oh well.

I struggle with the same thing with Nick no time, no emotional strength, and minimal focus. Makes it hard to progress... I've had him 2 years and barely am schooling some 2nd level stuff. Barely. And I've pushed other horses farther and faster. I think it's okay though, because They learn to be 100% on going to the hand and always have the "infrastructure of dressage" from going slow. When other horses would be less consistent


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## frlsgirl

Oh my gosh they totally could be twins @lostastirrup ! Nick is super cute! And I agree Ana doesn’t look as bad as I had imagined; she kind of looks like an Andalusian as it really makes her neck stand out. 

Speaking of progressing slowly...the most AMAZING thing happened this morning: we achieved the perfect canter. It was soft and round and oh so lovely. Her back stayed up during both transitions; no fussing or tension anywhere. The down transition felt like a feather gently gliding to the ground. I think even Ana was surprised. I’ve been looking for this canter for 4.5 years! and today BAM there it was. 

I’m on cloud 9!!!!


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## Fimargue

I quite like the mane. 

Congrats on the perfect canter!! Now tell me, what do you think you did differently to get THAT canter?


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## frlsgirl

@Fimargue I started by really focusing hard on the inside leg to outside rein connection; first at walk then at trot. Next step was back lifting exercises at the walk while double checking that she was still forward thinking. I could really feel her come to my seat. Then picked up the trot with lifted back, re-established inside leg to outside rein connection and then ask for canter while asking her to stay lifted in her back. She just glided right into it like a beautiful GP horse. I didn’t let her disconnect during the transition and then it was easy to maintain that inside/outside aid relationship. I think it helped that I first asked her to stay lifted in the trot transition so then she believed me when I told her it could be done at the canter.


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## lostastirrup

Congratulations! Isn't that the best feeling. I always describe a good canter as one id be happy to live out my days in. If something smited me from above in a good sweet round canter I wouldn't care. I'd die happy. There's nothing like it.


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## frlsgirl

Ugh. I just got released from the hospital. But I digress...


Ana had a fantastic visit with chiro; she wasn't tight in most places; a little in the right hip and a little in the jaw. I can't ride her again until Sunday so I had this bright idea to start a new group workout thing. Today was my first and last session which ended with an ambulance ride to the hospital. It was supposed to be 60 minutes but I passed out after 10; it's the kind of class where you wear a heart rate monitor and my rate went up to 180 and then suddenly dropped to 40 and then all the lights went out. In front of 20 something people, it was mortifying. And then they had to get the monitor off of me so I laid there with a bunch of strangers hovering over me trying to undress me. Seriously, I just want to go hide under a rock.


After a long lists of tests, the doc advised that I'm not 20 anymore and shouldn't overdo it with strenuous exercise, drink more water and make an appointment with a cardiologist. Gee, thanks. The drastic drop in heart rate caused the fainting; the reason for the drop is either reduced blood volume or my body sending the wrong signals to my heart, they call it vasovagual when your body gets messages mixed up and drastically shuts down. I've fainted before but it's been a long time; usually the conclusion is pretty much the same. 



But I'm glad I'm alive, the people were all very nice and thank God for good friends who take care of me since I'm somewhat orphaned due to most of my family being deceased and/or living in Germany. My friend who recommended the workout to me picked me up from the hospital and drove me to my car. She felt so bad, lol. She's actually a year older than me and she's been doing this for 4 months with great results and no trips to the ER; however, the ambulance crew told me that they've picked up people at this gym before, I guess this high intensity stuff is not for everyone.


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## knightrider

Sorry, can't "like" it. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Hope it never happens again. EVER.


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## frlsgirl

@knightrider - thank you; it probably will happen again; I do faint about once every 5 years or so, most of the time I don't even go to the doctor but because it happened in such a public place, they called an ambulance before I had regained awareness. 



On a brighter note, I felt well enough to go riding this morning and of course everyone is really worried saying "be careful" and "are you sure you are ok to ride by yourself?" I'm fine!!!!!!!! Just a dumb thing that happens to me. I'm probably safest on a horse because I'm at least wearing a helmet. I fainted at home once and hit my head on the washing machine on the way down and ended up with a concussion. I drove myself to the hospital with a bag of frozen peas on my head.


So I was really eager to recreate our ride from Friday and get a great canter on video; which we did. I was a little tired so the up trans is not quite as pretty and the down trans was very bad but I just wanted to make a video to illustrate what I'm doing so that I can show you all. The second time I come by the camera at the canter you can see how I'm giving with my inside rein.








You can also see that the walk to trot trans is a lot better as I'm not allowing her to disconnect. Also excuse my messy get-up; I usually try to dress nicer when I'm filming but didn't have time to do laundry as yesterday's adventures threw a wrench in my system.


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## SueC

Sorry to hear about your ER trip. Looking lovely on Ana, though!  You look very supple and relaxed as a rider, and only you can tell me whether it feels like that from where you were sitting!

Did you ever have tachycardia as a teenager? I did sometimes - it's common in girls - and it freaked me out the first time it happened, at 15. I was sitting at a desk doing homework when suddenly my heart missed a beat and then went hammering at about 160bpm until I felt dizzy. It literally felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. The doctor reassured me that it wasn't dangerous. The occurrence became less common in adulthood for me; maybe once every two to three years. Sometimes I can trick it back into normal rhythm by inflating my lungs and holding my breath while bearing down, rinse and repeat so you don't run out of oxygen. When you do that during normal heartbeat, you can actually slow your heartbeat down if you're wired like me; lots of people apparently can do this. And sometimes that can help stop a hiccup too.

Freakier though: About 8 years back, I was lying propped on my elbows reading a book when a tachycardia episode started, and I thought, "Here we go again!" and waited for it to return to normal. Suddenly my heart missed several beats, and I was going, "Beat, dammit, beat!" And when it started beating again, it was beating at a mere 30bpm, half my normal resting rate (i.e. bradycardia). Not something I'd ever experienced before, or have since. Unlike tachycardia, it didn't feel unpleasant and I didn't go dizzy, but it was disconcerting. THUMP. Long pause. THUMP. Long pause. These were massive thumps and long pauses, and I was joking to my husband, "I now have an endurance horse's resting rate. But I'm not a horse. So weird." And I didn't dare move or get up, in case I wasn't getting enough oxygen with that heart rate. Four minutes later, end of episode. Never had it again since.

But when you think about it, it's pretty amazing that our heart doesn't make _more_ mistakes! 

Best wishes!


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## frlsgirl

OMG @SueC that would scare right into a panic attack! It sounds like you are dealing with this condition very well though. 

I’ve had fainting problems all my life so I’ve had lots of testing done. The doc in Colorado diagnosed me with “idiopathic tachycardia” which is a fancy we of saying “we don’t know what’s wrong” lol. Frustrated, I asked the doc what this diagnosis means and he said “that’s just the way God made you” - most amusing explanation ever!


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## frlsgirl

Some still shots from our ride. Really happy with how she’s opening the throat latch at the stretchy trot following the canter. That’s the hardest part about stretching correctly; not just down but out. Usually she goes just down.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> OMG @*SueC* that would scare right into a panic attack! It sounds like you are dealing with this condition very well though.
> 
> I’ve had fainting problems all my life so I’ve had lots of testing done. The doc in Colorado diagnosed me with “idiopathic tachycardia” which is a fancy we of saying “we don’t know what’s wrong” lol. Frustrated, I asked the doc what this diagnosis means and he said “that’s just the way God made you” - most amusing explanation ever!


That's such a good word, idiopathic, and it's fun to apply it! Idiopathic memory loss relating to medical textbooks. ;-) Intermittent idiopathic stupidity. Permanent idiopathic stupidity. That idiopathic banana in my refrigerator.

When you faint, are you out for long? Do you have much notice that it's going to happen, so you can lie down perhaps, or no such luck?

I've never fainted, that's why I ask, I've just gone black before the eyes, and typically when getting up quickly from a recumbent position. Orthostatic hypotension. Thinking about it, I've not had that in a long time and dehydration is supposed to be a factor. Maybe it's that we now drink our green tea out of the biggest soup mugs we can find, and have lots of repeats. Which also means lots of loo trips, but I do actually feel better overall with all these fluids despite the inconvenience...

Great photos you posted again. You and Ana are such a great combination! :runninghorse2:


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## frlsgirl

@SueC - i do get a about a 5 Second window before I completely black out but it usually happens when I’m doing something active and can’t always lie down, like when I was at the end of a riding lesson 5 years ago; there was just enough time to dismount and then I just dropped into the arena dirt. I’m not completely knocked out as I can hear people talking but they seem very far away and I think my eyes are open but everything is black. The whole thing takes about a minute and then I start to wake up again and after about 5 minutes I’m back on my feet like nothing happened. 

Off Topic:

My sister is traveling in Europe particularly the Tirol region which is where the Haflinger breed originated. I’ve been begging her for pictures and she sent me these today. Doesn’t it look like horse heaven? Also can’t believe how many cattle and horses they have together and yet they all seem to get along just fine. I always thought the rule was 4 acres per horse? But then I’ve also heard 1 acre per horse. I guess this doesn’t apply in Europe as there just isn’t enough space for that.


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## SueC

It's to do with the differences in pasture productivity. Different soils & climates = different production rates. The spring flush in the European alpine region is legendary!


They're also probably crash grazing then rotating before it gets damaged, and letting it regrow.


Beautiful photos, I need a TARDIS so I can go too!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for the feedback @SueC I know very little about grazing, herd management in regards to climate, space, etc. I feel like I need to take a class on agriculture before I bring Ana home so I don't mess anything up.

I made a better version of my canter video with slow-motion:






I rode yesterday and couldn't get the right lead, so I got brave and tried the left on purpose lol and I was able to get her round and connected just in time to run into the orange cones that BO had set up for lessons; I thought we are solid enough to where I could just wing it instead of setting up proper space and time; I guess it's too soon, we still need to prepare and plan.

Also having some technical issues with my whip; I'm having to open my inside hand quite a bit to show Ana the release and I end up accidentally touching her with my uber long Dressage whip; seriously it's so long I could whip the horse behind me; I'm kidding, it just feels like it's miles long relative to my little horse. I've tried pony crops but those are too short. I wish someone would invent a retractable whip; kind of like an umbrella, where you press the button and it expands and then you press the button and it collapses again. Even better, a hologram whip.

But overall it was still a good ride, I totally hadn't planned on cantering left since that's her sticky side anyway so it's good to know that it can be done I just need to plan it better. She also backed up a solid 10 steps; that was pretty hard for her but she pulled through. We really need to practice the change in bend that's required for center lines, the loop and going across the diagonal; you see i'm able to keep her nice and round by having a clear inside leg to outside rein connection which is super easy on a circle where the bend stays even but with the loop the bend switches, with the diagonal there isn't a super clear bend one way or the other, so I need to figure out how to keep her on the aids without a bend and then the same problem or even more so on the center lines.

We also figured out a better morning routine; I put her in her stall after our ride and give her just hay; that way she thinks she's getting breakfast, well at least the first course, and the other horses don't go insane thinking it's feeding time. By the time Ana is through with her hay and wondering when the 2nd course will arrive, the BO is up and about dispensing feed. So everyone is happy or at least not totally mad.

Hoping to go riding in the morning. DH left for a 9 day trip so I'm in charge of the farm - yikes! Who will kill spiders for me?


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Thanks for the feedback @SueC I know very little about grazing, herd management in regards to climate, space, etc. I feel like I need to take a class on agriculture before I bring Ana home so I don't mess anything up.


You'll do fine, I'm sure!  Information is readily available online through various agriculture departments / smallholder associations. Have you finally found a place where you can live _and_ keep Ana as well? I remember some photos on your journal of fences going up and some talk about bringing Ana home, but have missed the particulars. And in your last post you talked about being in charge of the farm, so clearly I missed something about your last house-moving!

That slow-motion is looking great. I personally am sided in such a way that I always prefer cantering circles to the left (my easy side) and have to work harder on the right. I realise horses are often sided too, but I know that much of that sidedness is actually me, for my case. Because it's the same for me on a bicycle, haha!  Want to do the "bicycle test" and ride Figure-8s and see how that goes? ;-)

Retractable and hologram whips sound uber-futuristic - you could be the inventor raking in the royalties if you play your cards right! ;-) It is possible to shorten the fibreglass part of the dressage whip while leaving a little "remainder" of braided covering so you can fashion another braided tip. Maybe your whip was made for 17hh Warmbloods... And maybe there would be creative uses for the excised bit of fibreglass... particularly in relation to unpleasant people! 

Good that you actually have some warning for your fainting. I gather though that you're not planning on adding free-climbing to your list of sports pursuits anytime soon?


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## SueC

And a nice song for you about spiders and being eaten by them! ;-) Robert Smith, the singer, was afraid of spiders and had recurrent nightmares about them as a young child, and was channelling this beautifully in this song. I actually love everything about this song. The first version is deliberately audio only and HQ. Hope you're hooked up to good speakers; you really need the bass right for this one.





 
Click directly on "Watch on YouTube" for this clip while HF problems are getting patched up...


Good live version with wonderful spidery theatrics here:





 

And just as an aside, the intro to this would be superb for a medley for Freestyle to Music... do you ever work Ana with music? 

PS: I have some Australian spider stories here involving hairy huntsmen! ;-) https://www.horseforum.com/member-j...ys-other-people-479466/page38/#post1970515647


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## frlsgirl

@SueC oh yes I remember “the cure” takes me back to late 80s early 90s. No, I will not be taking on any extreme sports anytime soon. Yes we built a house in the country last year; moved in last November. So far we only got the house plus perimeter fencing so it’s not quite ready for Ana yet. We are located 3 minutes from Ana’s current boarding place so I’m not in a hurry to move her. 

On second thought the retractable whip might spook horses but I’m still looking into hologram whip 

Had a good ride on Ana yesterday except BO had the same idea and on the inside I was like “noooo, my arena!” but on the outside I was like “oh ok” we never got around to cantering as I needed my full circle and just as I set her up BO came into “my” space. But we got some really good trot work done. 

I noticed at the end of our ride that Ana has white snot coming from her nose and I had just wiped a bit of white goop from her eyes when I had groomed her. Prince also had white discharge from his eyes and Troopers discharge was clear but he could barely open his right eye. BO said it’s just allergies but I always thought allergies is clear discharge whereas white points to a virus or infection. I hope we don’t have a virus going through the barn! I haven’t seen her yet today; might stop by tonight to check on her before I ride her this weekend. If there’s more white goop I will also take her temp.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> On second thought the retractable whip might spook horses but I’m still looking into hologram whip


Ana will be used to your retractable very quickly if you show her how it works. _Other_ horses you two meet around the place, however... (cue evil laughter)










http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFKPApU2Feo/TnouyqTcpLI/AAAAAAAAB9A/f8SOlbPs1UE/s320/tw+pony+spook.JPG


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## frlsgirl

Lol @SueC

Stopped by the barn after work to check on Ana and both eyes were gunky again. Cleaned them, put some eye ointment in them, brushed her and covered her in a fresh coat of fly spray. Checked her temp; normal. Checked her nasal discharge; also normal. By the time I turned her back out the gunk had already re-formed. Oh well. Went home to take a nap when I get a text. Barn mate told BO my concerns (geez, why?) so they apparently pulled Ana back out of the pasture to check her temp to inform me that it was normal, which of course I already knew. 

We got storms rolling in tonight but as soon as they pass, I'm headed to the barn first opportunity I get tomorrow to ride her; hopefully I'll have the place to myself; I've gotten so spoiled with my early morning solo rides. I will double check her nose then to see if she got white discharge again. Last time it didn't turn white until after our ride. She had just gotten the rhino booster vaccine so I'm concerned that maybe she's got a touch of the rhino virus from the vaccine. Can that happen? I know it can happen to people if they get the flu vaccine. if it was just eye discharge I wouldn't worry but the fact that it was both eye and nasal shortly after getting the vaccine made me think otherwise.


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## SueC

I wouldn't worry. In order for a vaccination to "take" the immune system has to mount a response to the antigen - in this case the vaccine, which is usually attenuated virus, so she won't get sick as such from it - a very mild variation of the full-blown thing. People can sometimes get that with the flu shot as well, just noticing the immune response.

Allergies versus infections, yes, late stage bacterial infections often give us lots of opaque and even yellowy-greeny mucus. Allergies, and early stage infections of everything, tend to just result in runny, clear stuff as the tissues try to wash away the allergen or "bug". The actual combat between the white cells and the offending invaders like bacteria, and the localised increased death of the body's epithelial cells when viruses rupture them, creates a lot of "muck" that gets clumped up and you know what that looks like...

Happy riding! Hope you get the place to yourself.


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## DanteDressageNerd

My thing wont let me like posts but I'm glad you and Ana are coming together so well and are getting the canter. It looks alot more regular in rhythm and with a more consistent 3 beat, so that's great! 

I think she'll be fine after the vaccine. A lot of horses react to vaccines, Wonder has a pretty bad reaction vaccines. Sensitive horses usually do.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you for your feedback @DanteDressageNerd - glad you're back!


As of this morning, Ana is back to normal; no discharge anywhere and no coughing (she coughed a bit yesterday during our ride). We did have a storm roll through overnight so maybe the climate change has helped her feel better? It's certainly helped with the flies.


Yesterday, for the first time since discovering this new way of riding, we did both a canter circle right and a canter circle left. She wasn't as willing to take the rein down on the left but her back stayed up and soft and her transitions were nice.


This whole time I've been concerned with my position, making tweaks here and there thinking that it's the key to making Ana go better for me. It turns out capturing and recycling the energy is what sets Ana up to go well and then I can make little tweaks like shifting my weight back; I had been working especially hard on my canter seat; turns out I don't need to do anything fancy; when her back is up, it's so pleasant to sit on, that I'm automatically sitting better.


Yesterday, after our ride, I went to the HofC to shop the sale bins; I got 5 shirts for $5 each! And they are not cheap shirts; one is Pikeur that was originally priced at $95! So I made out like a bandit. I also got new gloves but I paid full price; Roeckls are just not cheap but I love them, they are so pretty and have that extra reinforcement where needed.


Wore my gloves and one of the shirts for filming today; I was so determined to go to the barn that I found little window in between the rain and storms. Poor Ana had been kept up for 2 nights in a row due to weather so she was extra hot yesterday and today she full on spooked and nearly stopped by heart. Sometimes I can't tell that a spook is coming and that always freaks me out, she'll be like "la, la, la, going for a walk, WTF!!!!!!" (back drops out from under me). And then she'll walk on like nothing happened whereas I'm still trying to get my heart beat back to normal. 



Even though it was a bit cooler, the humidity was miserable. We ended up not cantering and doing less trotting than usual and focused more on walking and lateral stuff. At the end of our ride I remembered thinking "well this was a waste" and that moment I asked her to halt from my seat with no rein contact whatsoever and she halted like a pro and I was like "that was AWESOME!" - so sometimes I set out to accomplish XYZ during our ride and accidentally stumble across something awesome like that. So it wasn't a waste. 



To be honest I'm still a little freaked out about last week's fainting spell so I'm being a bit more careful than usual; I joined a support group for others who have the same condition and I think reading their posts is only causing me to be more concerned about this than maybe I need to be. After today's spook, it took an hour for my heart rate to get back to normal or at least it felt like that. DH is also concerned about me and has enlisted the neighbors to check on me. I was doing a 3 mile walk yesterday, and the neighbor's drove by 3 times and waved at me; I just had this feeling that DH phoned them and asked them to look in on me. It kind of made me feel like I'm on the Truman show, you know how they wave at Truman and he thinks they are just being friendly when they are paid actors? I need to get my independence and confidence back; I was looking into a heart monitor watch you can wear that will beep if your heart rate gets too out of control, but that might spook Ana so that's something to consider.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I can't like posts :-(

But I'm glad Ana is back to normal and you're accomplishing so much together in your riding! I'm really happy for you two, you look like a completely new team from last year! And that you're focusing more on feel rather than finding the perfect position. Sometimes I think thoughts get in our way and we just have to feel what we can and gradually work it out. Sometimes the right answer is counter intuitive from what we think it should be but just part of the fun


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## frlsgirl

Agreed @DanteDressageNerd ! My left brain wants to be in charge too much and that hinders our progress.

We rode yesterday and today. I got a fitness tracker that monitors not just steps but also heart rate. 

Interesting observations so far: it takes me 1800 steps to get Ana ready/arena ready for riding. Ana took about 4000 steps this morning in 25 minutes. My max heart rate while riding today appears to be 120ish. 

Speaking of riding, yesterday we added change in bend and more straight lines as well as a left canter circle after the right canter circle with only a short break in between. 

Today we did more changes in bend including the trot loop. After messing up the right lead canter we gathered ourselves into a nice trot, changed direction and picked up the left lead and today for the first time she was showing signs of wanting to stretch to the hand at the left canter. Her back was kind of up but head in the air but then with each stride as I asked for stretch she gave me an inch and another inch and another inch so I was super happy with that and had her come back to a trot then stretchy trot and then walk and cool down on loose rein. Also the halt from Seat alone button appears firmly installed now 

I did start to feel a bit sick after the last canter but by the time I checked the heart rate it was 120ish so I’m guessing it was actually higher than that. It was already 80 degrees when I left the barn with humidity so high that my fireplace glass is fogged over. :eek_color:

The cool down is more of a “get horses respiration and heart rate back to normal” as it’s impossible to cool down under those conditions.

I don’t know how anyone gets any serious riding done during summer without putting themselves and their horses health at risk unless they all ride at “oh God o clock” like I do. 

No riding tomorrow as DH is finally coming back from Florida but we’ll be back at it this weekend.


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## SueC

That weather sounds awful...

"Oh God o'clock" is a new one to me! :rofl:

We have tea o'clock at this house (7am) and the horses like bucket o'clock.


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## frlsgirl

@SueC I like “bucket o’ clock”  it seems that every horse knows exactly what a bucket means. In a cruel twist of fate I decided to use my pretty purple bucket to carry grooming supplies. Ana falls for it every time


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## frlsgirl

No riding this morning. DH came back from Florida late last night so I decided to stay home this morning to have breakfast with him. 

Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far with a high of 103F. So I stopped by the barn last night to drop off carrots and check on her. I hadn’t planned on staying but she was so sweaty that I decided to give her a good rinse followed by some hand grazing in the shade. She finished with a nice roll in the grass before being led to her stall for dinner. 

Planning on riding Saturday and Sunday and filming both rides. 

What’s everyone doing for the 4th? What do you do to keep your horses and other critters calm ?


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## DanteDressageNerd

Gosh I hope this summer heat comes down, it's been alright here but it gets dreadfully hot and sticky out and the horses seem miserable in it.

July 4th, the horses stay in while the fireworks are going off and the horses that really struggle with it get 2ccs of ace. Good luck!


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## egrogan

I don't know what to expect at our new place as far as fireworks, but at the old barn it was a big problem every year. The people who lived across the street (a narrow, rural dirt road, so basically their house is on the other side of the turnout fences) would do huge booming cannon type fireworks (legal in New Hampshire) and it was very hard for a lot of the horses. BO would actually bring all the stall boarded horses in really early and put black-out paper over the windows and doors.


The funny thing though is that Izzy's first boarding barn was across the woods from a military gun manufacturing facility. They would be testing _literal_ cannons and automatic weapons all year long, so the horses there got a pretty quick desensitization to gun fire and loud banging! Izzy never really minded the fireworks.


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd and @egrogan - how far away are the nearest neighbors? Are all types of fireworks legal in Missouri and Vermont?

Rode Ana today after a two day break; I made a little video. Today the right lead was not good; it went lateral; tried to fix it by riding her more forward but it seemed like her legs were just getting jumbled so I brought her back to a trot. The left lead though is looking and feeling better. I'm also really happy with the trot across the diagonal. That was always a sticky one for us. Can you just tell that toward the end of w/t/c on the left Ana was just so tired and asking "mother may I be excused yet" and I'm like 'no you may not" lol. I do give her plenty of stretch breaks each ride.






I did have her in a different girth today and I felt like that was maybe making her uncomfortable. So tomorrow we will try the right lead again with her regular girth. We also didn't do backing up exercise before asking for the right lead, so that's another thing I'll be sure today for tomorrow. 

My heart rate went up quite high today but I just now figured out that I need to push a special button if I want to do a special recording of my heart rate during our ride so I'll be sure to do that. I manually checked it during our last walk across the diagonal and by then it was down to 148 which makes me think it was at least 150 during canter work which is rather high.

Overall she seemed a bit behind the vertical today, like I couldn't get her forward enough. I will try to do a better job tomorrow of pushing her towards a longer outside rein. We will see.

For a fun comparison, here is where we were 10 months ago (no true outside rein connection, and a very bouncy canter):


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm not really sure what is legal in Missouri but it seems a good variety. I just don't buy or fire off fireworks, so I don't care because I can't control what other people do nor do I want the responsibility. Plus fireworks are really expensive.

I hope your heart starts feeling better, it's scary when something feels off. My heart has done weird things too that scares me but then it regulates. 

Overall she looks a lot better, sometimes when they're figuring out how to carry in a different posture they play around trying to figure out ways to be more "comfortable" but going back and forth like an accordion, shortening the frame getting their best for a few minutes to lengthening to long and low and gather back up and laterals in canter leg yielding in to a 10m circle off the outside aids and leg yield out to a 20m and back can help with rhythm and tempo too. Good luck!


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## knightrider

My daughter and I will be riding in our town's 4th of July parade at 6:00 p.m., which is always fun. At the parade there are usually a few people setting off little firecrackers and fireworks, but not much. Of all the parades we do, this one is the most challenging because of the fire engines and fireworks . . . but even so, it is an easy parade.

My daughter will take her filly, who has ridden in about 5 parades now and handles them well. I will take Acicate, who rode in his very first parade on June 2 of this year, so this will be his second parade. I think they will both be fine. My daughter is going to paint red and blue stars on her white horse. We have a stencil that comes out pretty nice.

In the evening, we live so far away from everybody that the horses don't have to worry about fireworks. Hope it's not too HOT!!!


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## frlsgirl

That sounds like fun @knightrider - I'm guessing your horses are very easy going to be able to handle all this excitement?

Thanks for the tip @DanteDressageNerd - I will play around with some of your suggested exercises next time we ride.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Good luck, I hope you have a good ride next!


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## SueC

That is looking so much more elastic and comfortable now - well done you two.  By the way, I love how you include Ana in your salute.


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## frlsgirl

@SueC isn't Ana's halt and salute adorable? I'm just waiting for her to drop on one knee and do a full bow. 


I rode her yesterday and it went ok; I forgot to do multiple TOFs which I regretted as soon as we picked up the left lead canter; you see if she's not supple she will push her left rib cage against my leg causing my foot to slide all the way to the outside edge of the stirrup to the point that it hurts. 

We did play with different frames as @DanteDressageNerd had suggested and that helped but if I had only remembered to add TOFs to the mix then it would have been much better.


I made a little video from today's ride; I wanted to capture how her trot changes; the first left trot was at the beginning of our ride; she was tired as we had just trotted like 3 minutes without a break. The second left trot we had done extensive suppling exercises (TOFs) and cantered, you can see she is a lot more free in her body which leads to more animated movement; with the way the camera angle was set I couldn't really capture the right trot except for the stretchy trot at the end of the canter, which was decent:






Her canter on both sides was just ok; the rhythm was good and forward but I felt like we miscommunicated a little bit; like I was always one aid behind what she needed me to do; I tried to connect her when she needed to be more forward and when she was forward I should have connected her better. But hey, she was forward, the rhythm was good, she was on the correct lead and we had a few moments where we semi-connected. Part of the problem is her sucking back in the canter transition which causes me to do weird things with my body to get her to go and then when it takes me a few strides to recover and settle into the canter and by then she's ran half way through the arena. So we need to work on prompt canter departs and a subtle easier depart aid. So we got plenty more things to work on this summer.

In Ana's defense, she was very tired today; I'm sure it had something to do with lack of sleep due to fire works. When she saw me coming she actually hurried away from me like "Oh no you don't, it's a federal Morgan holiday, you know?" She also let me know that she's in season and would rather eat hay and hang with the geldings than do anything remotely work related 

I think this picture sums up Ana's mood this morning perfectly:


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## knightrider

> My daughter and I will be riding in our town's 4th of July parade at 6:00 p.m., which is always fun. At the parade there are usually a few people setting off little firecrackers and fireworks, but not much. Of all the parades we do, this one is the most challenging because of the fire engines and fireworks . . . but even so, it is an easy parade.
> 
> My daughter will take her filly, who has ridden in about 5 parades now and handles them well. I will take Acicate, who rode in his very first parade on June 2 of this year, so this will be his second parade. I think they will both be fine. My daughter is going to paint red and blue stars on her white horse. We have a stencil that comes out pretty nice.


Well, THAT was a weird parade! It started pouring rain when it was time to load the horses, so we waited to see what the rain would do. When it looked as if it was slacking off, we loaded the horses, but knew when we arrived, we would have only minutes to spare before the parade would actually start. By the time we arrived at the form-up area, the rain was pretty much done. We had five minutes to tack and get in the line.

Windy and Aci are both young horses without a lot of experience. Windy has done about 5 parades, Aci only one very small tame parade. The streets were full of puddles and neither horse liked all the water everywhere, but they soon got used to it and did super well as we rode along. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still cloudy. It was the coolest 4th of July parade I have ever experienced, not the least bit hot, and I had been so concerned about the heat. Hah.

We got back to the trailers and I wanted a few pictures of Windy's cute red and blue stars on her butt. My daughter was dismounting to unlock the truck and get the camera, when the people across the street from the parking area started firing off Roman candle fireworks, very bright, very VERY LOUD! Of all the horses in the parade, there were only 2 adults. All the rest were kids. All the horses were standing around their trailers when the fireworks went off. There was a mad scramble of bolting horses and terrified kids. Windy and Aci both bolted. My daughter, already halfway off, leaped off and tried to hold Windy, who jerked her parallel to the ground. My daughter landed on her belly in the mud, stunned. The hackamore broke, and Windy bounded into the other horses, then stopped. I quickly got Aci stopped before we plowed into the bolting group. My daughter was shook up and sore, but OK. We were quite unhappy with the folks who set off the Roman candles. But, 4th of July parades are like that. Not the first time folks have set off fireworks under the horses' noses. You can kind of expect it.

We did end up getting the pictures, but I don't have them on the computer yet. As soon as we pulled in the driveway with the trailer, the rain started back up again. We unloaded in the rain. Weird parade!


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## frlsgirl

Oh my goodness @knightrider glad everyone is ok! Would love to see pics when u get a chance.


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## SueC

@*knightrider* , I see your parade was attended by that ominous Murphy, and some people lacking in grey matter as well! :shock:

Glad everyone is OK. (*mutters about some people should stick their Roman candles where the sun don't shine*) Looking forward to photos.

@*frlsgirl* , that salute is worth double points!


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## frlsgirl

Wow we had lots of fireworks on the 4th (move to the country they said, it will be quieter they said). Our usually peaceful country retreat sounded more like a war zone. The dogs barked themselves to sleep.


Rode Ana this morning after giving her Thursday and Friday off. I'm experimenting with different resolution settings on my camera; this is 1080 with 60 frames per second with a linear view filming; I don't like it; I'm definitely going back to 30 frames per second and wide angle. I might try 4k tomorrow.






Anyway, she was stiff going to the left as she usually is; the first time I trot past the camera you can see how she is just barely on the outside rein; the second trot around it was slightly better. So we improvised today and went to the right while being counter flexed and both walk and trot. You can tell it was really hard for her. I played around with different frames; short competition frame, stretched out, and something in the middle; just to see if she would let me adjust her into different positions. 


We didn't canter today as I tweaked my back again; same place just not as painful/bad this time around. I saw chiro Thursday and had a massage today; back to the chiro Wednesday; in between ice packs (frozen green beans in a ziplock bag); the injury site makes it convenient because I just stick the bag in my jeans; the dogs keep sniffing me trying to eat the green beans though 

Hoping to have better quality/more exciting video tomorrow. Maybe. If my back feels up to it. I wonder if I can ride with the ziplock bag under my breeches? If Ana spooks it will be raining green beans 

Just for kicks...I found a shockingly bad video of Ana and I trotting from last year; consider yourself warned it's horrid. what the heck was going on? She really didn't want to go forward, and I just threw my reins at her in hopes that she would go...and what the heck was I doing with my legs? I wonder if she was a little lame during this video and I just wasn't skilled enough at the time to hide it or ride her through it?


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## DanteDressageNerd

Well we have are older videos to look at how far we've come and feel encouragement that we CAN do this and continue to grow. You're both doing a lot better now and sometimes you have to be patient with yourself and Ana. I think she was foot sore or sore somewhere, perhaps in the wither area? It's hard to say.


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## frlsgirl

I can't remember what was going on at the time...I think we had a lameness workup done after that and started her on Adequan as we didn't know the source of the soreness; her rhythm was fine she just did not want to go. We do have videos from before that when we both looked a lot better together; I guess I could only make her look good back then if she was 100% fine and forward and when she wasn't, I always doubted myself thinking I just didn't ride her well enough. I remember the vet coming out for the lameness exam and she just refused to trot for them; they x-rayed her stifles and found nothing wrong. Since I didn't have the funds to x-ray every square inch of her body, we decided to give the Adequan a go along with some time off and chiro work and soon she was back to her forward self. This was right after she came back to work from her EPM recovery period. Horses are so complex. Was it residual stiffness from EPM? Was it a new lameness/soreness somewhere? Was it an existing soreness from prior to her EPM diagnosis that needed nursing? Was it her just not respecting my aids to go and move forward? I did work with AW a couple months after that to reinstall the "go" button and she does need occasional reminders which is why I always carry a whip.

Now she is 100% fine except that she's not always thrilled to be pulled out of her pasture at "oh God o'clock" in the morning. I did renew her Adequan RX because I don't want to make any changes to her care right now given that she's going so well; except maybe we could add a cup of coffee in the morning to help wake her up? just kidding; I know as soon as the temp drops and I ride her at a more reasonable time, she'll be hard to slow down again. We did add a probiotic to the mix as well as magnesium to prevent colic symptoms and manage any muscle related soreness. 

I do think that boss mares are especially difficult to ride because they don't really let you ride them until you've earned their respect and you have to meet them half way. I know Ana hates group lessons and she hates going in endless circles doing the same thing over and over again. So we ride by ourselves. only 30 minutes at a time during which she is expected to work with reasonable amount of short breaks built into the routine. Even though we still ride a lot of circles we do different things like transitions, or changes of direction, or changing her frame; keeping her supple and mentally pre-occupied.

I told my counselor friend who is also a horse person, that I feel like we've finally turned a corner, that she's actually letting me ride her now after 4.5 years; she congratulated me and said that many boss mare owners never reach that point or it takes them a lifetime to get there, so I guess 4.5 years is not that long. I have a friend who is a boss mare owner who recently retired her mare because she was just so uncooperative; she's now trying to bring her back with the help of a natural horsemanship instructor, working on building trust with her. She's thrown so much money at that mare, expensive saddles, surgery to get her fixed, body workers, etc. much more than I have with Ana; I hope she finally works it out with her. In her desperation, she bought a new less bossy mare and ironically named her "Hope" - I wish nothing but the best for them as I've followed her struggles over the past few years. I would love to see her succeed with the boss mare before it's really time to retire her due to advanced age.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Now she is 100% fine except that she's not always thrilled to be pulled out of her pasture at "oh God o'clock" in the morning. I did renew her Adequan RX because I don't want to make any changes to her care right now given that she's going so well; except maybe we could add a cup of coffee in the morning to help wake her up?


:rofl:

:runpony:


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol she's a sassy morgan mare. She is all morgan, I can say that much lol. Alpha mares seem to needs riders who are sensitive but also firm and hold a clear expectation. They're more difficult in their need to control and dominate and you have to "convince" them you're worthy of leading them. Some really don't like it, she reminds me of a morgan mare at the barn lol but Gracie is less mean lol.

I hope your friend has a better lot of luck with her horse in the next few years, that sounds rough and heartbreaking :-(


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## frlsgirl

A couple of pics: sunset last night on the farm and from our fantastic ride this morning. We worked on transitions and staying in front of the leg as well as contracting and expanding all while maintaining outside rein connection and throughness. 

No canter yet waiting for one more Chiro adjustment for me tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

Short video from yesterday.


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## DanteDressageNerd

The transitions seem to really help her. Each time she goes from walk to trot that really improves her loading of the hind quarters and lifting her shoulder. She definitely has her opinions about the whole thing but she looks much more agreeable than she used to. Sassy morgan mare lol. Her expressions and opinions are all morgan lol.


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## frlsgirl

Lol @DanteDressageNerd - I think this is agreeable as she’s ever going to get; otherwise she would lose her diva Morgan card


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## frlsgirl

I had planned on riding yesterday. Didn’t happen. Then I was supposed to ride this morning and that also didn’t happen. I’ve been in so much pain. Pretty sure it’s gluten related. My whole body just aches like I have the flu. No fever, chills or other symptoms. I had gluten twice this week because sometimes I think I might be cured and then it takes a really bad reaction to get me to realize that I’m most definitely not cured. My face is so puffy it looks like it belongs to a morbidly obese person. It even hurts to blink. Oh well I guess I like to learn the hard way. Trying to eat extra healthy today in hopes of feeling well enough to ride.


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## SueC

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, @frlsgirl. I hope you are feeling better today. :hug:


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## PoptartShop

I hope you feel better asap so you can ride again  

You & Ana look really good!


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## DanteDressageNerd

lol well morgans are known for their sass and opinions. 

I totally understand about when you consume gluten, I get aches and swell too. As well as the fatigue and absolute lack of energy or care for life. I do the same things sometimes and feel pretty sick. Though it could be the heat too. I have to sleep a TON in this weather. It's TERRIBLE. It was 42C today!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for your kind words ladies @PoptartShop and @SueC and @DanteDressageNerd

I'm starting to feel better. Forced myself to go riding Thursday morning even though I wasn't quite a 100%; she felt different to me like she didn't really want to go forward or step into the outside rein. I thought it's probably just me or maybe she's having an off day. So then I dismounted, and guess what I discovered? I feel like such an idiot. Of course she wasn't going to go well like that. I'm just going to let you guess.

Wanted to go Friday but it didn't happen; then I wanted to go today but that didn't happen either. So it's on my to do list for tomorrow.

I'm quite excited because I got a new book with some really cool exercises. The premise of the book is simple, horses have locomotive muscles and postural muscles; we as riders often overtrain the locomotive muscles and neglect the postural muscles leading to all sorts of imbalances. It's basically what my chiro/PT has been trying to get through my head, I can't expect my locomotive muscles to take on the job of the postural muscles; I need to train the postural muscles separately so that they can do their job.

The book is organized really well so that you can quickly jump into an exercise without feeling like you need to read the entire book; it even has a section for rehabbing horses coming back from injury or from an extended time off. It helps you pinpoint your horse's specific weak areas and then helps you figure out a plan; it includes in hand work, ridden work, and hands on massage type stuff. Anyway, if you can't already tell, I'm a fan  We already did the "Schaukel" exercise which "strengthens the core and promotes equal use of both hind legs" - Ana did surprisingly well but you could tell that she was like "um this is advanced type stuff which I don't really care to do, so yeah, can we go back to just trotting circles please?" 

Hoping to do more of this stuff tomorrow assuming I'm actually going to go ride and not make any more stupid tack related mistakes. :frown_color:


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> I'm starting to feel better. Forced myself to go riding Thursday morning even though I wasn't quite a 100%; she felt different to me like she didn't really want to go forward or step into the outside rein. I thought it's probably just me or maybe she's having an off day. So then I dismounted, and guess what I discovered? I feel like such an idiot. Of course she wasn't going to go well like that. I'm just going to let you guess.


 @frlsgirl, you're in great company! :rofl: There's a whole thread on this here:

https://www.horseforum.com/horse-riding/genius-moments-horsemanship-791663/

Very therapeutic reading! 

Happens to all of us. For instance, I quite regularly end up with the reins through the throatlatch and thinking, "Oh no, not again!" :rofl:

Glad you're starting to feel better! :hug: Looks like an interesting book too.


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## frlsgirl

Oh wow I don't feel like such an idiot now; thanks for sharing @SueC - when I dismounted I discovered that the girth had slid all the way into her elbow; poor thing couldn't move without the girth pinching her every step of the way. I should have double checked the saddle placement before girthing up.

I made a video of all the different stuff we did today. She was in full diva mode when I arrived this morning. Resistant every step of the way. I decided to try some of the massage releases I had read about in the book; at first she was fighting hard to maintain her Diva composure but when she realized how good that felt, the ice princess began to melt; even blinked, and let her lower lip quiver. 

Once in the arena, her attitude was somewhere between indifferent, annoyed, distracted and agitated, so we had to work through some of that and managed to have a few nice moments too:








She only got worked 3 out of 7 days so all that time off may have gone straight to her head; or it's the time of the month and no matter what I do or don't do she is not interested in any of it. I'm planning on working her more this upcoming week. Hopefully the ice princess will defrost soon.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Does Ana have painful or hard heat cycles? I know some mares are more touchy during their time of the month because their ovaries are sore or different things. Have you ever thought of trying depo or hormones for her? But I love your line of hopefully the ice princess will defrost soon. She sounds so morgan in her outlook of life lol it's charming!


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd - yes the BO strongly suggested it back in March when she came into her first heat cycle of the year she went completely insane and started attacking all the horses in her pasture and even went after the gelding in the neighboring pasture. Once she settled down she went straight into a colic episode. Took her to the vet. He said one ovary was slightly larger but it’s nothing to be concerned about yet. He said if this pattern continues I might consider getting an MRI of her ovaries and possible hormone treatment. 

We added a probiotic and magnesium to her supplements after that and she hasn’t gone insane or colicky since at least not that I’m aware of. 

The BO was kind of mad at me though because she had agreed to have Ana live with the mares as long as she behaves herself and she kicked one of boarder horses in the leg so hard that she was lame for a day. So that was kind of awkward. She ended up putting Ana in solitary turnout for a few days but as far as I know she’s been “fine” (not insane just not excited about work)

So I don’t know if it’s worth it to put her on hormones considering she is rideable just not her normal flashy forward self. 

I’m still thinking about it. She’s always going to be a bit of a diva; that’s just part of the Morgan lead mare package 

Here is a pic from her episode in March.


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## frlsgirl

Ugh. So stressed out. DH is coming home tomorrow and I'm not ready; house is a wreck; I need to ride one more time, put in at least an 8 hour shift at work, and at some point wash my hair, the dogs need a bath too. 

For some reason it's seemed like a good idea to sign up for an intensive online riding course on improving the canter. I thought it's online, how much work can it be? How hard can it be? Well I feel like I'm already behind. I submitted my second assignment this morning; I was so focused on doing the assignment that I forgot to stress out about cantering or running out of breath; Ana and I trotted and cantered for 6 minutes without a break which I'm pretty sure is a new record for us? Especially considering the heat. I'm only on module 1 and it has like 3 more parts that haven't done yet. Gonna try to do at least one more part tomorrow morning. :gallop:

I also signed up for competition mastery with N A; at least that one is not too intense...but why do I overload my plate like this? Also DH doesn't know any of this so gotta keep it on the down low; which will be hard considering the amount of work that's required for the canter course. :|

Also, it's DHs birthday Sunday and he wants both a cake and a pie! Who does he think I am? Betty Crocker ?!? I have been doing some baking lately mostly because I'm tinkering with gluten free options; so I baked some really yummy bread and made a Nutella like spread to go with it; DH liked it but said it looks like bird food  I don't want to ruin his birthday with my GF tinkering so I think I'm just gonna go buy them at the store.

On a positive note, the GF is working for me; down another pound and I look and feel so much better. Right pic is after 5 days of eating GF and coffee free.


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## SueC

Bird food! :rofl: Looks fine to me.

Here's an easily gluten free thing I made for my husband's birthday which was on Tuesday. I think you would love it. Choooocolate! Pears in spiced wine! Just don't make it for the first time this week, because you're already _somewhat_ overloaded!!! Do it when you are in the mood, and in stages. Once you get this down pat, you can do it in your sleep and it only takes around 20 minutes of actual work time in the kitchen, the rest is just waiting!

I think you've seen this before, but anyway - if you don't tolerate oats (some of my GF friends do, some do not), substitute GF flour for them in the pastry mix!




*CHOCOLATE PEAR TART WITH OATMEAL/ALMOND/COCOA CRUST*

_Cookbook concept adjusted to cut out refined flour, reduce sugar and butter, increase cocoa, and use nut meals and whole grains. (I like to upgrade recipes to more healthy and at least as delicious...)
_
*Crust:*
1 cup oats
1 cup almonds
70g cocoa
80g butter
3-5 tbsp water
A little flour if necessary

*Filling:*
200g dark Plaistowe or equivalent good-quality extra-dark cooking chocolate
300mL thickened cream
2 free-range eggs, lightly whisked
50mL brandy
Big dash natural vanilla essence

*Topping:*
4 pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges each
2 cups dry red wine (or dry white wine and two rosehip teabags, or just rosehip tea)
6 each of cardamom pods and cloves (or some vanilla beans and/or aniseeds if you prefer)
1 cinnamon quill

The evening before you want to eat this tart, prepare the pears and put them in a smallish saucepan with the wine and spices, so that the liquid mostly covers the pears. Put the lid on and bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 25-40 minutes, turning pears occasionally. Turn off when pears are tender and before they start falling apart – they need to keep their shape. Let them sit overnight in the spiced wine to develop colour and flavour.

Prepare the pastry: In a glass mixing bowl, soften the butter on low in the microwave. Use 1 cup rolled oats to make oatmeal by whizzing in your food processor; afterwards whiz the almonds until quite fine. Add to the butter, also add cocoa, stir with a spatula; gradually add the water until it comes together. Line a 22cm diameter tart tin with baking paper. If yours has a detachable rim, you only need to line the base and lightly grease the sides. Transfer dough to centre of tin and work outwards with hands and knuckles. Shape the pastry up the sides of the tin using your thumbs (fingers hold outside edge of tin), thick enough not to burn easily at the top. Put into middle shelf of oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes to pre-bake, but not brown (use the fan if you have one). Note: You do not need to use rice or beans to weight the pastry as in blind baking; this pastry does not deform. Do put an air hole or two into the baking paper though, to stop that from trapping air and buckling up.

Put into middle shelf of oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes to pre-bake (use the fan if you have one). 

Meanwhile, break the chocolate into pieces and put it in a glass mixing bowl, to microwave carefully on low until melted. Then add cream in batches, each time stirring gently with a whisk and returning the mix to the microwave on low for a small burst (to stop the chocolate going cool and congealing again when the cream is added). You could also do this in a saucepan on low, adding some cream from the start, but that’s a bit more tricky and requires extra washing up. Let the mixture cool a little (so you don’t make scrambled eggs) before whisking in eggs, vanilla essence and brandy. Pour your completed chocolate custard into the pastry case and return to the oven at 150°C for 15-20 minutes until just set. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, take the pears out of the spiced wine, and arrange them around the tart. No accompaniments are needed here, there are three different flavours and textures that complement each other perfectly: The bitter dark chocolate-almond crust, the sweet velvety chocolate custard, and the spectacular spiced wine pears, whose red hue offers a feast for the eyes to go with the tastebud fireworks of this luscious tart.

The spiced wine is super mixed 50/50 with orange juice as a hot drink on a winter’s night. Think _Glühwein.

_Do you make _Kartoffelpuffer_? Yummy and easily GF!


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## SueC

Oh yeah and please don't stress about calories in this food - this is nutrient-dense food, as opposed to empty calorie food. One little slice will fill you up and have you patting your stomach and grinning like the Cheshire cat for many hours. Perhaps even riding Ana with a cat grin! ;-)

Glad you are feeling better!


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## frlsgirl

Oh my gosh that looks yummy. I bet your husband loved it. Not much of a wine person but I do love chocolate. And of course I do love Kartoffel Pulver


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## SueC

Hullo @frlsgirl!

If you're not fond of the taste of wine (and we only are for cooking with), you can stain the pears in rosehip tea, or simply use a jar of drained morello cherries for the topping - chocolate and cherries is also so yum and then it sort of tastes like those _Mon Chéri_ cherry liqueur chocolates, but better!

Some very quick GF suggestions are:

*A homemade marzipan log:* No-bake! Put one cup of honey in a glass mixing bowl, microwave till warm and very runny, stir in 600g of almond meal, a dash of rosewater and enough brandy to make the dough pliable. Then shape into a log with your hands, refrigerate on some baking paper on a tray until cool, melt a good quality dark cooking chocolate carefully in the microwave and apply to top and sides of log. Return to fridge to set, then turn over and do underside. This one is a ten-minute recipe and soooo delicious and with only a third of the sugar as commercial marzipan, and all that Vitamin E, minerals, protein and good fatty acids from the almonds, plus antioxidants from the very dark very moreish chocolate! You can also shape this into a heart or anything else you want. Or you can skip the chocolate and make _Marzipankartoffeln_, by shaping tiny "potatoes" and rolling them in cocoa for "dirt", but that actually takes longer because fiddly (and doesn't have the chocolate).

*Macaroons:* Hazelnut macaroons are great, so are coconut macaroons or almond macaroons. Nutmeal / dessicated coconut, beaten eggwhites, and can make with half the sugar as usually suggested for tastier, nuttier, more nutritious macaroons.

Your lovely "nutella bread" is going to be so much healthier than the average bread. All those seeds etc are so nutrient dense and so full of all the things that refined flour products are lacking. No wonder you are feeling better!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I understand how the no gluten things makes a really big difference. I had gluten and am pretty fatigued.

I've never taken an online riding course, is it more academic? It seems like a lot of work. I've never been very "academic" with riding, I guess I focus more on the art than the theory. Feeling and communication vs tradition. But it makes sense, people learn different things in different ways.

Hopefully you were able to take care of everything before your husband returns. Hopefully it'll be a good weekend!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for sharing more yummy recipes @SueC 

@DanteDressageNerd - Yes it’s a very intense class: it runs from July to October and we have homework every week. Feel is an important part of riding and training so we modify and adjust depending on what we are feeling at the moment. 

I modified both of these assignments; 

SI to TOH to canter; we omitted the canter. 

CSI to canter; we did CSI to true alignment to CSI to canter to stretchy trot 












I’ve found that riding on my own let’s me focus on finding feel and most importantly developing the confidence to decide what needs to be done and how to do it. When I’m in a lesson environment, I’m so focused on pleasing the instructor that I can’t connect with my right brain, the feel side, at all.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Feel is so important and so hard to develop. I think it's really important to combine lessons and riding on your own time because I'm the same way. It's hard to focus on certain aspects when someone is talking at you then when you're on your own and can focus completely. I feel like it takes such a large degree of mental focus, sometimes I get annoyed in lessons on Wonder. Other horses not as much but on Wonder because he takes SO much mental focus to shift that focus to listening can interrupt the conversation. He responds off of mental intent like if you push energy forward, he can get really hot off of that or if your sternum isn't that right angle he will refuse to bend or if you don't have the right amount of weight in one stirrup or the other he won't connect to the outside rein. It's interesting how are and technique combine.


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## frlsgirl

Yep @DanteDressageNerd - right there with you; I can’t listen to instructor and horse at the same time. 

A fun picture from a Year ago popped up in my memories feed on FB. 

She’s carrying herself so much better now; much more up and no more forging. There is actually some air time between the trot strides instead of dragging all 4 feet across the dirt. 


So in true tough equestrian fashion, I’ve been dealing with a pretty serious tooth ache that I’ve been mostly ignoring until Sunday when I nearly fainted from the pain. Called dentist yesterday and he had me come in immediately: abscess under crown requiring immediate root canal and antibiotics. I got the meds but I’ve successfully delayed the dental procedure until Thursday. I’ve never had a root canal before so I’m a bit nervous. 

My online canter class is kicking my ****; so in addition to assignments there are also multiple choice and essay exams every week...say what?!? 

I failed the quiz the first time around and haven’t even looked at the essay questions yet. :icon_rolleyes:

But I’ve never learned so much about cantering in a life time of lessons and I feel like we are actually improving!

Hoping to complete another canter assignment tomorrow morning.

*Here is a quiz question that I got wrong: In the canter which leg(s) is/are on the ground when your seat gets pulled forward?*


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## lostastirrup

Hmmm. I think I'd fail that class in a heartbeat. My half halts ride during the "floaty bits of the inside hind" other than that technical facts are beyond me. Although to guess- one of the fores. Just one. 


Also I think Nick is channeling his doppleganger- your miss Anna and he's rubbing out his long and luxurious mane. So if they end up matching- we simply must find a way to do a pas-de-doux (I think that's how it's spelled. 

I find that good instructor's teach you a concept - which you initially have no hope in hell of putting to work, then they are your voice cue for the aids until to you get it, and then they turn you loose to do the feel part.


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## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup Yes we should totally do a pax de deux; but Ana hates all other horses except herself, lol mares.

I actually don't regret roaching her mane, it's so much easier and looks cleaner.

The correct answer is "Inside Hind leg and Outside Front leg"

Very true about teaching; this canter class is so far above my head, for now, but it will slowly sink in and I will be able to slowly apply what I learned and then eventually I can just feel what he's teaching, at least that's been my experience so far, but this might take me like 10 years to digest and apply.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I've never particularly been great with dressage theory. My thoughts are always well what if you're riding horse A who you can't follow the textbook with without ending up in the rafters or if you're riding an arabian or arabian cross with conformational issues that doesn't ride "textbook." I just think the theories sometimes get in the way of reality and distract from feel. I think a lot of riding and the most important aspects are in what you can't describe and just instinctively feel or pick up on over the years. Some people do better with an intellectual conversation.

But I'm glad it's helpful, I think theory has it's place and can be very helpful. I think sometimes instructors let their students down by not really helping them work to improve the canter or teaching them how to create a purer rhythm 1, 2, 3. One student I taught, I told her think of sitting the croup down with the back part of your hip (not weighing down) but when your hips comes to the back sitting the croup down and as the hip slides forward think of bring the shoulders and back up into your core and lightening of the seat with the core and opening of the hip.


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## frlsgirl

Agreed @DanteDressageNerd - which is why I'm resigning from the canter class; they do have a 30 day money back guarantee thing. My accountability partner messaged me yesterday to let me know that she's quitting and after reviewing week 2 exercises which include half pass at the walk, noticing myself getting more frustrated I decided to quit. I need to let my right brain guide our rides. 

Needless to say yesterday's ride didn't go so well; she was very committed to not accept the inside leg to outside rein thing, but this time I stayed strong, did a little exercise, and tried again and was happy to see that she suddenly decided to work with me even though she was still struggling to engage her hind end; she was overdue for her Adequan shot so I wonder if that had something to do with it. There is definitely both a physical and psychological component to our rides. If she's feeling good and forward, it's easier to get her through even if she doesn't feel like giving up power, it's just easier to give in. Days where she doesn't want to give in AND she may be sore somewhere, I have to be prepared to battle and I have to find a way to get her exercised without further straining whatever is hurting her. That's why it's both an art and a sport; there is just so much to it. And if you are riding a mare you also have to be a diplomat, or mare whisperer.

When it was time to untack and do our normal post ride routine, I noticed I was running low on carrots so I gave her only 1 of the 3 I had left. She ate the carrot and then looked at me like "I see there are more carrots, is there a good reason why they are not in my belly right now?!?" I then walked her to her stall where I normally give her hay but she already had hay in there from the previous day, the left over hay that always falls from the feeder which was more than enough for breakfast so I didn't bother putting any more in her feeder and she got upset like "pardon me, you don't expect me to eat the left overs off the floor do you?!?" 

She got her Adequan shot last night and today I'm letting her sit and chill and we will resume our regularly scheduled program either tomorrow or Monday.


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## lostastirrup

I'm curious what your course was- do you have a link. It might be a fun something for Nick and I come the school year when we have an arena. 

I think it's hard not to taylor your rides. Some days are not lateral days, some days are. Some days are not extension days. Some days are. I think the key to dressage is making the most of the horse's strength to help they're weaknesses.


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## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup 

Here is the link:

https://www.artisticdressage.com


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## lostastirrup

I've seen their ads up on facebook and read a few of their free pdfs. Theyre a bit "push" and less "through" than I'd like. I think you probably made the best move not making Ana do their program. They advertise "flying lead changes in 4 weeks" which is I think a lot to ask of someone taking an online course.


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## knightrider

Reading this reminds me why I enjoy your journal so much and click on it when I see new entries. Your discussion is really interesting--way far above what I do, but interesting to read about!


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## frlsgirl

Agreed @lostastirrup - the teaching is very good but it assumes that you are an excellent upper level rider and that you have a significant amount of time to devote to riding and that both you and horse do not have to take time off due to illness, injury, vacation etc.
@knightrider - hey, good to hear from you. Glad you are getting something out of this; to be honest a lot of Dressage stuff is above my head as well and if I just trust "feel" then everything seems to be going better for us anyway.

So this should be interesting for everyone; here is a short slow mo video from yesterday's ride, showing how we moved from total resistance, to acceptance, and free flowing movement (although she does drop onto her shoulders here a little bit)







If you have more time, here is the longer version:







You can see her go from "no,no,no" to "oh, ok I guess I can try " to "ok I'm going now"

I'm glad I film my rides because it helps me a lot especially when things don't go well and we have to work through them.

She was overdue for her Adequan shot and her feet were freshly trimmed so she could have been a bit foot sore or joint sore here or she could have just decided that she did not want to be told what to do. This is the first time that she's seen the Dressage arena since the last show so that could have created a bit of a mental block for her like "oh hail no, not this again" - who knows, horses are such mysteries; so many forces interacting with each other. Also now that she's carrying herself so much differently, it's possible that her saddle needs to be adjusted again.

Haven't ridden her since Friday; between thunderstorms, sore back from who knows what, and tooth ache from Thursday's root canal, attempting to go for a ride seems a bit ambitious. We are going to aim for Monday and if not Monday, Tuesday for sure. 

We invited BO and her husband over for dinner tonight. I'm really nervous. Why am I so nervous about it? I guess on some level I seek her approval. I also feel a bit guilty that i'm doing my own thing with Ana instead of taking lessons.

We stopped by the barn to drop off stuff right as the party lesson was ending so of course I got the "we missed you today' and "there's the girl that rises with the chickens" - I do miss my barn friends but Ana and I just do so much better on our own. If I had the time and energy I would have ridden Ana in the morning and then done the party lesson on a lesson horse. Which I'm hoping to do soon anyway.

Also show season is like 7 weeks away, yikes! So much to do to prepare!


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think seeking approval is natural and understandable. No sweat, I believe in you!

With paperwork for riding, I think it makes it really hard to learn different horses and apply a technique or system that works for them. Its very rigid in structure vs adjustable and open to experimentation. It can help with understanding goals and qualities to look for but isnt as broad as hands on application. Ana is all morgan, very sassy lady. Saddle fit changes constantly


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## lostastirrup

Oof. That's rough @DanteDressageNerd. I've never liked crossties, I don't think they're inherently bad it's just that I don't think they work particularly well with horse brains. The horse stands still most of the time because they're attached at both ends, but when something goes wrong they get pressure on both sides of the head that I don't think is clear. Nick had only ever been crosstied when I got him, and it hid a lot of bad habits he had on the ground- namely he couldn't handle being tied. Now he's all good if you tack him up at 5 am leave him tied in the barn and go inside for coffee and breakfast before working cows. I swear ranch life has been phenomenal for his mental health and his behaviour. 

Do you think you could teach wonder some "fail safe" behaviors. I find if they have a few things they know are okay 100% they tend to be more calm and less reactive. I like ground tying for that, because it makes the horse responsible for standing still. Took me 8 million repetitions with Nick, but it's been really good for us both.


*Woops. I thought I was on Dressage Talk... they were right next to each other on my subscribed. .. maybe an administrator can remove, mine won't let me delete.*


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## frlsgirl

So something very disturbing happened this morning....remember the mini horse farm across the street from our subdivision?

I found a naked man in their pasture doing inappropriate things to the mini horses. 

I was on my way to work so I called my neighbor who ran down there to confront him and called the sheriff. 

He’s been arrested. So sad. I feel so bad for those ponies.


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## lostastirrup

That is extremely shocking and disturbing. Thank goodness you go ride so early in the morning, otherwise it probably would have gone on.


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## SueC

@frlsgirl, exactly that kind of thing was reported to have happened down the road from us when we were living in Albany, years ago. Just he chose to pick on bigger horses, tied one up, got kicked (yes!!!!), and ended up running naked and injured down the local road with people driving to work. He certainly got reported; unsure if he was caught but probably discouraged from repeating his antics. The mind really does boggle. The whole town laughed about what happened to him. Served him right.


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## DanteDressageNerd

That is extremely disturbing, I hope he was arrested. Poor babies, that's terrible :-( people are So freaking sick.


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## frlsgirl

As of last night they have not set bail. The police called me to get my stats I’m assuming I will be called as a witness at the trial. 

Drove by the pony pasture on the way home from work and they all seem fine. DH said that they probably thought he was just a large shaved cat


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## frlsgirl

If you’re wondering how my weekend is going :frown_color:

Ana cut her face in two places. The one under her chin is so swollen that I can’t possibly put a bridle on her. 

I ran home to grab my phone so I could call vet, BO etc and in my haste I fell down the stairs in the garage. 

The BO offered me another horse to ride but my back hurt so bad from the fall that I could no longer lift my right leg so I couldn’t possibly “get on” a horse. 

So I drove myself to ER. They gave me two injections and pain meds to take. 

As I’m trying to post this update the police called requesting a written statement from me regarding Wednesday’s occurrence. 

I just want my normal boring life back


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## knightrider

Can't "like" this. So sorry about everything and hope you and Ana heal quickly. Horse Forum folks have had way too many injuries this summer.


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## SueC

Something to help you laugh (assuming you didn't hurt your ribs)...





 

Get better soon, both of you. :hug:


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## frlsgirl

Awww thank you for that delightful video @SueC and agreed @knightrider we all seem to go through bouts of bad luck at the same time. 

I finally felt well enough to ride today and Ana’s face almost looks normal again so for the first time in 7 days we rode! And it was awesome!

Onwards and upwards!


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## PoptartShop

Oh no, poor Ana. I hope she heals quickly. :sad: 

Just saw your new post, that is good to hear. Glad you got to ride.  Yes, I agree - only up from here!!


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## frlsgirl

Time for a proper update. 

Rode Ana Wednesday and she seemed a bit off in her right hind. Gave her 2 days of rest and rode her this morning and now she’s definitely lame on the right hind. I cut our ride short, un tacked her and cleaned her hooves really well. When I got to the right hind she pulled the foot away from me initially and then let me have it but pinned her ears the entire time I was cleaning it. The vet is coming Monday. I’m praying it’s an abscess. 

Then I rode Trooper in a party lesson - my first lesson since May. I struggled a bit to keep up as I’m not used to ride in the heat. But it was nice to ride such an easy horse that didn’t require much direction from me. We cantered quite a bit and that was great. 

There was a short Dressage theory session during the lesson. It was a bit awkward for me because I caught myself blurting out all the answers and I felt like people were getting a bit annoyed with me so then I played dumb and stayed quiet when she asked the remaining group questions. I study this stuff practically every day because I’m clearly hopelessly addicted to it. I wish I could edit myself more and not be so alpha about it as I’m sure it annoys people. I just need to really focus on letting the RI be alpha even if I sometimes know more about a certain subject, otherwise I ruffle too many feathers. I don’t want to upset anyone. I don’t know what comes over me but I suddenly become an encyclopedia. It’s so weird. Other times when I really need to sound smart I end up sounding really dumb like “what’s the metal thing you eat ice cream with?” “Umm you mean a spoon?!?”

Went to lunch with the girls afterwards and it was fun to catch up with everyone. 

I spent over 2 hours in the saddle; most of that was on Trooper since Ana is lame. 

When I went to hose off Trooper after our ride Ana caught me cheating on her and yelled at me. It was hilarious; I wish I would have caught it on camera. She has a very big whinny for a little horse. It’s especially loud when she’s mad :evil:


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> I don’t know what comes over me but I suddenly become an encyclopedia. It’s so weird. Other times when I really need to sound smart I end up sounding really dumb like “what’s the metal thing you eat ice cream with?” “Umm you mean a spoon?!?”


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

That's because you're clearly using your storage space for important stuff, not banality! 




> When I went to hose off Trooper after our ride Ana caught me cheating on her and yelled at me. It was hilarious; I wish I would have caught it on camera. She has a very big whinny for a little horse. It’s especially loud when she’s mad :evil:


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Horses are hilarious. Hope Ana gets better really soon! inkunicorn:


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @SueC - trying not to freak out. In a way it gives me time to relax and just spend quiet time with Ana instead of rushing through our morning routine. On the other hand I'm worried that it's something more complex and expensive than just an abscess. And of course my inner Dressage competitor clock is going "tick tock" as the next show is less than 4 weeks away.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Aww I'm glad you had a morgan party but hope Ana does better soon and hope you are feeling better after so much dental surgery. I'm glad you had more to rides and had a good time though 

I have no filter either and tend to have to shut up too. People don't like a "know it all" even though it's never to "show off" it's pure objective but this is how it is and here is the answer. Is it a German thing? lol I'm no different. I feel bad sometimes about it too because people really dont seem to like it when you know something. I think they feel threatened or they make judgments that are not true or fair because they feel threatened. It sucks being an alpha female, it's like you have to bite your nature or stop informing because people are more comfortable in what they know than what they don't or being around someone who goes the extra mile to know. I don't know why it threatens people so much.


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## frlsgirl

Oh, I'm glad you can relate @DanteDressageNerd - yeah she was going over the Training Scale which I know in my sleep and after rhythm and relaxation comes contact or connection depending on who you ask (translated from the German word Anlehnung which technically translates to "leaning on" but that's not what horses are supposed to do in true contact or connection or Anlehnung); and she wasn't sure and had to grab the book to make sure it was really the 3rd thing on the scale and I was like "um I'm pretty sure it is" what I was thinking is "absolutely 100% that's what it is" lol so I guess I did edit myself a little bit but not enough to avoid feathers getting ruffled. 

Some of the language just doesn't translate very well, like relaxation for Losgelassenheit which really means letting loose, letting go which is not quite the same as relaxation but it's the closest word they could find in the English language.


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## egrogan

Sorry to hear Ana’s off. Hope the vet visit is helpful!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @egrogan - yes I hope it's something straight forward and not one of those vague things. I don't think I want to do joint injections again. Plus some people don't believe me and think that I'm just being oversensitive or reactive to things but I've had Ana for 4.5 years now and I feel pretty confident that I know when something is wrong that needs addressing.


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## DanteDressageNerd

It doesn't always translate in a straight way. I'm learning Dansk but know more Deutsch though not that much. I think europeans are more understanding of that and perhaps are less threatened by knowledge and discussion than americans? It sometimes seems like that. But they should welcome your knowledge and insight, shame they don't. I think we all sort of amend ourselves for our company because we want to be accepted and heard. 

I agree. When you know your horse, you know when something isn't quite right. Most people might not have that much feel or sensitivity but when something isn't right you know and yes to an extent they push through minor discomfort but not if something is wrong and you know it.


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## frlsgirl

Yeah it helps that Ana is extremely outspoken about this stuff like “hello MacFly?!?” “Can’t you see that I can hardly move my right leg?!?” “Amateurs, I tell ya...!”

Of course she was putting more weight on it when I visited her yesterday. 

If the vet can’t find anything wrong with her hoof I will have her do a chiro because her right hip likes to get out of alignment and that could affect her giving me her right hoof to clean but it doesn’t explain why she doesn’t like me to scrape her hoof (with visible ear pinning and jerking away when I touch certain parts of her hoof) 

So we will see....

And yes it’s possible that it threatens people when I know more about one particular subject but it really wasn’t my place to take over the conversation I just get very passionate about this stuff. If I had been an observer or the RI I would have been annoyed with me too 

I have spent no less than 60 hours over the past year studying the training scale so it’s just right at the tip of my tongue ready to spill out of me with or without warning


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## frlsgirl

Good news. Vet agreed with me that Ana is babying her right hind. 

Did flexions which were negative. She did react quite strongly to hoof testers on the right hind and slightly on the left hind. Odd. Usually barefoot horses get foot sore on the fronts not the hinds but she didn’t react to hoof testers on the fronts. 

So we are doing liquid hoof hardener along with a short bute trial. We might consider shoes on all four feet since it would be weird to only have shoes on the hinds. 

She said Ana looks really good right now and doesn’t even need a chiropractic adjustment as all her usual tight spots are moving just fine. 

Yay


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## frlsgirl

So one of the geldings at the barn escaped yesterday and made a B line for the mare pasture which apparently had Ana all wound up as she was trotting the fence line snorting with tail in the air trying to protect the other mares from danger. 

Of course I wasn’t there to see it. I just always hear about stuff like this from others 

I thought about setting up a game cam but since there is so much movement with all the other horses it would run out of battery or memory on a daily basis. 

I’m so ready to have Ana home so I can spend even more time with her. 

DH is starting on the pad for the barn soon.


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## PoptartShop

I hope the hoof hardener helps & gives her some relief. Poor girly! I am glad she looks good though otherwise, that is good news.  You definitely know when something isn't right. After all, you know Ana better than anyone else.

That is nice you got to ride Trooper. It is good to ride different horses once in awhile. Great pictures. :smile:

Ugh, I hear you, it's like you miss everything!  Poor Ana was probably like what is going on! Sheesh!

I am sure you can't wait to have her home with you. Yayy!!! That is something to look forward to.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Do you know when you might be able to bring Ana home? How far is your place from being horse ready? Would you get her a companion?

I actually knew a horse who only had shoes on the hind feet, never knew the difference. I thought it was weird too but it didnt' bother him. He needed the hind support because he had a few ligament injuries. But do what feels right, I hope whatever is going on is easy to figure out.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @PoptartShop I also hope the sole relief works because it’s quite a chore to do this every day. Although Ana is delighted about all the attention. The vet also suggested a bute trial but it has to be timed just right with riding and we haven’t been able to make that work. 

@DanteDressageNerd that is the million dollar question. It’s a time and money and weather thing. 

Speaking of the recent damp weather, look what we found in our front yard! It was inside the guttering that DH had taken down to do some work and it slid right into our flower bed. 

Random pics because I haven’t been posting pics lately. Ana during vet visit Monday, the meds that the vet gave us and a lovely scary snake. 

I almost forgot, I rode Ana Wednesday afternoon and she was going better except whenever we got to the crunchy part of the arena footing. By then we were only 2 days into the sole relief so it’s probably not working yet. Also ordered a supplement with 50mg of biotin. Did you know that the most popular hoof supplements only contain like 20mg of biotin? Wouldn’t more be better?

I’m open to putting shoes on Ana if the supplement and sole relief don’t work


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## DanteDressageNerd

Well I hope the barn is built and ready sooner rather than later for your sake and hopefully you can get a good companion horse for Miss Ana. I also hope her feet fix and she feels better. I know for some horses they use shoes not for hoof protection but for stability and support of the ligaments, tendons and structure of the horse's legs. 

The snake is a bit scary looking, though I'm glad to hear it is of the harmless variety.


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## frlsgirl

Me too @DanteDressageNerd - I'm really ready to have her home.

Wow it's been like a month since I posted a video; between weather and various mishap, I haven't been riding as much as haven't filmed the few times that I did ride. So this morning we finally managed a "normal" ride, just the two of us working on our normal stuff without any signs of lameness. 

She did have some initial moments of sucking back/not wanting to let go of tension followed by some beautiful free flowing movement which I had to show her by really giving the inside rein. I was able to capture the difference between sucking back and nice forward movement in slow motion at the end of the video. 

We also cantered for the first time in like a month; only on the left; I totally lost connection with her in the up trans but then got it back; she remained forward thinking the whole time which is the most important element so I'm super happy with that. On the right she started to anticipate so I waited for a good trot moment and quit since we were going into overtime and I didn't want to push to the point that we wouldn't be able to get a successful ending. Also excuse my elbows in some of the clips; I must have left them at home this morning. I'll be sure to bring them for my next ride.






I had debated riding her in today's party lesson but I'm glad I decided to just ride her by myself because we always get so much stuff worked out; it's amazing. I was too tired afterwards to go to the party lesson and ride a school horse; of course I'm getting comments about that; and comments about why I don't want to ride Ana in the party lesson, and comments like "I haven't seen you ride Ana in forever" and "how come you don't want to ride Ana" well, I do ride her quite often when she's not lame and I'm not injured it's just that I would rather ride her by myself. How do you explain that without offending anyone? Me and Ana have a good thing going and I don't want to mess that up. She hates group things; she's just more of a solo artist. That's why I ride an agreeable gelding (school horse) when we do group stuff. I've tried to make the group thing work with Ana but 90% of the time it's not good; I can't get her through because I can't get her forward without running over the other horses; then they feel bad that they are in my way and Ana runs around with ears pinned as we pass the other horses. I get a lot of eye rolls and "you shouldn't let Ana determine what you work on and what you do with her" and yes I partly agree but we have an understanding now that I will only do solo schooling sessions and in return she has to be awesome under saddle and listen to me and do what I want. And she is doing that so why break something that doesn't need fixing? Sorry I'm totally venting. Some of you have mares and will understand.

Her 50mg biotin supplement arrived so she got started on that last night; she's on day 5 or 6 of sole paint. I'm still considering shoes all the way around just haven't been able to get an answer yet on cost and logistics; I guess our farrier does this "new balance" shoe and regular shoes so it depends on what she would get. I'm only planning on going to 3 shows this fall so is it really worth it to put shoes on now and then pull them for the winter? Or should I just try to make the sole paint and supplements work for the fall show season and then start the 2019 season strong with shoes all the way around? Idk. Good points about the structural support @DanteDressageNerd - I really need to actually talk to my farrier; I'm never at the barn when he comes; I just need to see if I can make an actual appointment with him.

I'm still trying to make a lot of changes to my health; I've been through the wringer this summer between 2 ER visits and 4 dental visits and now finishing up meds for a sinus infection that was discovered during dental X-rays. I look terrible right now. I saw myself walking on video and I was like "OMG I'm waddling like a pregnant woman or an elderly lady with back problems" I kind of look like my mom when she was in her 60s...and I'm 42. I am making positive changes and definitely eat better/live healthier than the average american but it's not enough anymore. I look at a carb and I gain weight. I look at a sharp edge long enough and a bruise shows up on my leg. I'm still wearing the BB bands that pregnant women wear to make their clothes fit only now I'm doubling them up to fit into my clothes. And I've started wearing husband's clothes because most of mine don't fit anymore. I gave up coffee a month ago. I gave up soda a week ago. I gave up gum yesterday. Pretty soon I'll just be living on ice cubes and still gaining weight. Yikes, I'm venting again. Sorry guys.


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## knightrider

> comments like "I haven't seen you ride Ana in forever" and "how come you don't want to ride Ana" well, I do ride her quite often when she's not lame and I'm not injured it's just that I would rather ride her by myself. How do you explain that without offending anyone? Me and Ana have a good thing going and I don't want to mess that up. She hates group things; she's just more of a solo artist.


Awwww, it's YOUR journal--vent all you want! I can really empathize with the above. Although I keep my horses on my own place, so I don't hear these kinds of comments very often, every once in awhile on a group ride, I'll be told some such judgement that annoys me mightily, like "Don't you teach your horse to stand still when mounted?"  I feel like saying, "Oh, really? Is that YOUR problem?" They are MY horses. I have a great time riding them. I don't need somebody's busybody comments about how they SHOULD act. (As long as they don't interfere with other riders' pleasure, and my horses don't. I'm just riding along minding my own business)


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @knightrider - sorry that this happened to you as well; I used to get the comment about the not standing still for mounting when Ana was younger; it's so annoying.


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## frlsgirl

Well it’s settled. I called the farrier. She’s getting 4 shoes. 

I tried to ride her in a “not freshly dragged” arena and she kept trying to avoid the crunchy parts. I just can’t get anything done this way. 

Also on way home from barn I ran into the neighbors girls riding their ponies. Can’t wait to ride Ana out here.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Aww Ana. I hope the 4 shoes helps a good deal and allows you both to be more confident in your riding and movement. It can make an impressive difference sometimes, I hope it does!


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## frlsgirl

I hope so @DanteDressageNerd !

Shoes all around is quite expensive but if it makes a significant difference then I’m all in! 

Her sore soles are so bad that we are only walking now and even struggling to do that! On top of that, as of yesterday, she’s in season. So all she wants to is snooze, eat, and flirt with Prince. 

On Monday she was walking well but struggling with trot work so We ended up leaving the arena for the first time since May and doing hill/ditch work. 

Yesterday even walking in the arena was a struggle so we went back out on grass and did the serpentine through ditch exercise and then trotted up a hill and snaked our way back down at a walk. 

I had a hard time getting the girth into the usual 5th hole; she just seemed uncomfortable all over. Her nostrils were slightly flared and she was swatting at invisible flies. 

We cut our ride short and I let her graze next to a Prince while I put up her stuff. Every time I walked by they had inched closer together. Then when it was time to bring her back in, she refused, planted her feet, squatted and peed right in front of Prince. 

Oh Ana! 

When she was back in her pasture she just stood there still in a slight squat position, nostrils flared, swishing her tail and just looking depressed. Hmmm is she trying to colic again?

I stopped by the barn a few hours later and she was eating and seemed fine. 

Hoping the farrier will come soon. 

Would love to do some riding this weekend!


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## frlsgirl

Ana has shoes! I think she likes them! She better, because they cost a small fortune! I have never spent that kind of money on shoes for myself and to think that this is a recurring expense every 6 weeks, yikes!

So I was eager to ride her in the arena yesterday. I thought she went better, but she's still in season and so she's a bit unmotivated atm; she pretty much wants to eat and sleep and be left alone. The other mares seem to know as they seem extra cautious around her. I also notice that she doesn't come to me, she just doesn't seem like she wants to do anything and seeing me usually means having to do something.

I digress; so I was pretty happy with yesterday's ride and today not so much; I swear she is still lame on the right hind. But that's not really news as she's had trouble with the right hind since December 2015; I guess I always notice this problem the closer we get to her next Adequan shot; and then a few days after her shot she is back to her forward moving self, assuming of course that she's not in season; if she's in season and due for an Adequan shot then it's like pushing a boulder up a hill.

She was in pretty good spirits yesterday; albeit a bit dramatic:






This prompted me look back at 2018 to see how Ana goes with me vs my trainer and how Ana went early in the year to how she goes now:






So I guess it's not a complete disaster; my expectations are just going up as I know she can go better; it's just not going to happen while she's in season, while the girth is pinching her and while she is running out of mileage on the last Adequan shot.

So she's getting an Adequan shot and a couple of days off and when I ride her again it will be in the regular girth; hopefully that will resolve lingering lameness/sucking back issues.

If that doesn't work the next step would be to do an actual bute trial to see if it's just habit or if it's actual pain. If pain we could isolate with nerve blocks. But since I don't want to do joint injections again it's probably not necessary to isolate the exact joint that's hurting since Adequan just goes to wherever the body needs it. So if pain we could try joint supplements in addition to Adequan; or always give her bute from the 22nd through the 26th if she has something important to attend; otherwise I will just know to not ride her during that time or not ride her super hard. If behavioral, we will just have to trick her into working out of it. Counter Shoulder In has helped us a lot; and working out in the field with various obstacles to keep her mind fresh and give her legs a new feeling.

Anywho, I digress....I just always get totally depressed and panicked when Ana is sick or lame, like it's the end of the world. When I'm lame, I just take a couple of ibuprofen and rock on. Weird, right? Why is it such a disaster that she's lame? BO said 90% of all horses are lame; it's just a matter of degrees of lameness and managing the lameness depending on their work load.

Thoughts?


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## frlsgirl

Well Ana’s feet are happier but she still doesn’t want to move all that much or do anything except eat and sleep. 

Had an interesting discussion with another mare owner which got me thinking....even though some mares may not act according to my definition of mareish when in heat (squealing, bucking under saddle or acting aggressive towards owner), they may still be so uncomfortable under saddle that they simply won’t perform well or show willingness to engage themselves, because when they squat a lot to pee or wink they are using the opposite muscles that are needed for Dressage. 

Long story short: Ana will be going on some sort of hormone therapy for the 2019 show season and we will just roll the dice with the remainder of 2018. It just doesn’t make sense to start her on it now when we are so close to both the end of show season and the end of her cycles.

This picture sums up perfectly how the poor girl has been feeling 

On a lighter note, progress on the barn (driveway and pad for barn)


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## DanteDressageNerd

I think she is moving a lot better with her shoes, I think shes happier with them. I sort of Wonder if maybe your saddle is a bit narrow or might be blocking her in the withers because when they come over the back and try to lift through the withers there back shape is different and fuller than when their stood in cross ties and it sort of looks that way to me if there is something that isnt' 100% to you.

But glad there is progress coming on the barn!


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## egrogan

Yeah, Isabel was a classic example of this. She never got hot, aggressive, irritable, any of the things I think of when I hear "mareish." She does get sluggish, lethargic, and unwilling to move forward when in heat. I got to the point where I just let her be when she was like that as it was clearly her way of saying she wasn't feel good, and why get after her to "make her go forward" when she was perfectly willing any other time. 



No experience with hormone therapy but will be curious to see what you choose.


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## lostastirrup

I usually am on Data, so i dont get to watch your videos, but im on wifi on campus so i looked them over.. she definitely seems off in how she is moving.. theres the weird unwillingness to stay in a frame- which is usually a pain thing or a very very green horse thing.... and then even with shoes it looks like she's uncomfortable behind, a little toe drag and a little disjointed, Like there is some kind of disconnect between her hip and where her ribcage starts. somewhere in those vertebra... its just a feeling. might not mean anything. But it makes me wonder if the channel on her saddle is too narrow, maybe she needs more clearance of the spine to be comfortable. who knows. just a thought. she certainly has improved since the beginning of the year, so perhaps its just a learning stage. 

I seriously think if I ever end up in that part of the states we MUST do a pas de deaux it would be so cute. and I promise I wouldnt let Nick get close enough to upset her.


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## PoptartShop

I am glad her feet are feeling better with the shoes, but hmm I agree it may be a saddle fitting issue? Sometimes their bodies can change & you may have to adjust the padding? Not sure.

When my mare is in heat, she isn't very 'mareish' either. Sometimes she has a little bit of attitude, but nothing major at all.
I do give her Mare Magic (I got it a few mos ago to try) once a day with her dinner & I feel like it has helped but then again, I am going to stop giving it to her once the bag runs out and see how she is. LOL. She was never really 'mareish' but sometimes she gets a little attitude when in heat. 

Sometimes I don't even notice when she's in heat because she sure doesn't act like 'most' mares. :lol: I have known some geldings that act way worse.
At my old barn, there was a mare that was 'mareish' ALL THE TIME...24/7. I mean, BAD! I was like sheesh, thank goodness my horse doesn't act that way lol. But there could be many reasons why they act that way.

I hope she feels better soon  But yay for the barn coming together!

I am also not too experienced with horse hormonal therapy, but that will be interesting!


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## frlsgirl

@PoptartShop - thanks for sharing your experience with Mare Magic - yes please let us know how she does once she's off the supplement.
@lostastirrup - we could do a digital Pax de Deux; film the horses separately and then edit them together, lol - that's the only way Ana would not get offended 
@egrogan - oh I'm glad Ana isn't the only mare acting like this; and yes I try to leave her alone as much as possible but her timing with the upcoming show, I'm like "geez, why now?!?" lol
@DanteDressageNerd - yes glad you can see that she's happier in shoes - I think so too!


Thanks for all of your feedback ladies! Looking back at my riding journey with her, it seems like whenever she had non-specific lameness, 90% of the time it was in summer/August. The three colic episodes she had were all either in August or during her first cycle of the year. Now that my riding with her is getting more solid and regular, I can definitely determine what I would consider a normal range of performance vs when she's really off due to whatever. The only two obvious physical factors are her feet which have been addressed and being in heat. It doesn't make sense to me that her saddle fit on the 18th of August and then didn't fit on the 22nd when her cycle started. Especially if her saddle suddenly fits again next week when her cycle should be over. If she's still uncomfortable after her cycle is over, then we will have to look at the saddle. But I do agree with everyone that she looks uncomfortable as if perhaps the saddle doesn't fit.

Horses I tell ya, such complex creatures 

She's enjoying more time off as we are heading out to a long holiday weekend with friends.


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## lostastirrup

Poor miss ana. She might need some midol. 😉. Or CBD oil. I'm serious. For some reason it works...


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## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup lol. I’ve actually tried CBD oil as well as hemp seed oil on myself and found that the hemp seed worked best for me, but it could also be related to quality as I ordered both online so no purity guarantees. 

Back from Dallas. Rode Ana after 6 days off. This time I rode her after breakfast and in higher temps. She seemed more forward/energetic. Not sure if it’s due to feed, time off or alignment of the stars 

We did work on some test patterns in preparation of Saturday’s show and for the first time ever I was able to combine the canter circle with a straight line although I could tell that Ana expected a trot transition so I had to give her an extra kick to keep her going. 

I got zero foam though. Like not even a drop. When I watched the video footage I could see that I was going for speed vs throughness and that my reins were too long. 

I’m hoping to get 2 more rides before the show. We need both throughness and speed/forward. But the fact that we could actually get through part of the patterns was encouraging. 

She’s still in season though. When we were done she kept stopping like she wanted to pee but couldn’t execute. I even loosened the girth and let her stand in the arena but she couldn’t do it until we got back to the stall.


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## DanteDressageNerd

She must have some powerful hormones or cycles, that sounds terrible. I really hope she is able to feel better once you start hormone treatment (if you do) the female body is so conflicting and so **** difficult to navigate, poor girl.


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## greentree

I have an easy, not too expensive way to test your theory. Tootsie had monster heats when she was younger. Constantly squatting, discharge that stained her entire hind legs, and always on the lookout for any male to tease. My vet suggested Testosterone injections. I would start one or two days before we were leaving for a show, and then the last show day was the last one. I think I gave her 10 cc. I never used a 100ml bottle in all the time we were showing. She will come right in as soon as she comes off of it, but it will give you the chance to see if that is the problem, and you can use it for events. 

Now, I rarely know she is in heat, unless she walks by the stallions stall.


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## frlsgirl

Interesting @greentree - I will run this by my vet and see what she says today. 

Thank you for the well wishes @DanteDressageNerd 

I did ride her yesterday and I was able to get a little more forward and throughness but it’s hard to say whether it’s related to my determination or her feeling better. 

The show is in 2 days. Hoping to ride once more. 

I’m a bit upset today. I just got dumped by my trainer. He said that I’m not committed enough to work out only because I can only do 1 session per week. I work full time. I have a horse. I have other responsibilities. At least I’m trying. But he said no and wished me luck. That’s fine. I would rather give my money to someone who appreciates my efforts despite all the obstacles.


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## egrogan

Ick. What kind of "trainer" is he?? Does he only work with olympians when he's not working out with you?!


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## knightrider

A bit upset? I'd be a LOT upset. That's really mean. Isn't your money good enough? I'd be really hurt. I think you are more committed than most horse owners. In fact, I think he's wrong. Probably you'll have more fun with a different trainer anyway.


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## greentree

I wish you could work with Fran Kehr....she is SO wonderful. No bias, works with whatever horse and rider are in front of her, always positive, no fancy dressage language....your videos are good, I wonder if she does video lessons? Her farm is Windy Knoll Farm, Magnolia, TX


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## PoptartShop

Wow, that is ridiculous that your trainer did that to you. A LOT of people who work full-time & have other responsibilities, not just a horse (which is a HUGE one in itself!) can only take lessons once a week...if that! 

His loss though. That's the kinda trainer you DON'T want anyway, if he's going to act that way...better off without him. It will suck having to find a new one, but there has to be one better than him, that was pretty crappy of him.


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## frlsgirl

Wow thanks ladies for all your support. This guy is a personal fitness trainer who also rides Dressage so he personalizes workouts to Riders and others. I really enjoyed the one session I had with him and he even insisted that I text him the next day to tell him about my ride, how I felt etc which I did and then he asked me if I wanted to buy a package and I told him I want to do 1 lesson at a time every week. Then it was crickets. So I reached out to him to book next week and he told me that he is not a good fit for my needs because I’m not committed enough 

Oh well. Live and learn. It just makes me feel uncomfortable because I invited him into my home to work out with me, insisted that I text him, told me that i could trailer with him to a show next month, and then all of the sudden it’s like “good bye” - umm ok.


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## frlsgirl

*Good news Bad news*

Good news: We made it through T1 and T2 without a test reader and without going off course. Yay!

Bad news: There is still something wrong with Ana which the judge noticed and noted: 54 and 57 with comments like “this horse is not a willing participant” and “uneven steps” and “perhaps the horse is hurting somewhere” “does not want to push from behind” and “very weak behind”

Barn mate thinks she has a cyst or a UTI - who knows 

Calling vet tomorrow and not planning on taking her to another show until I can confidently say that she’s 100%

October 6th is the show at my barn so it would be great if she’s better by then but if not, oh well.


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## Fimargue

Honestly, she might never be 100%. Her problem is a rigid back and something off in her hind end - she often seems uncomfortable. I have become much more critical with horses for dressage than I was before and I think she might never become the dressage horse you want her to.

Deeper dressage specific work just does not benefit some horses like my own, who is very similarly build with Ana.


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## frlsgirl

@Fimargue thanks for your feedback. I disagree. There is definitely something going on with her right now that’s making her uncomfortable. 

I know she can move really well when she’s feeling 100% - that’s not just my own obviously biased opinion but she’s won high point awards and many positive comments from various judges both before and after EPM and no she wasn’t the only horse in the class. Last March she was the highest scoring English Dressage horse of the entire show; and there were maybe 17 other horses who showed English Dressage that day. 

Will she ever move like a WB? No, but she can certainly hold her own in a Dressage show and occasionally even win high point.

If the vet tells me that Dressage is harmful to her in any way, I’m perfectly happy just to keep her as a pasture pet or transition her into a more suitable discipline. I’m just happy to have her in my life.


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## Fimargue

I have understood that there is quite often something going on. And my comment was from a longer period of time than just the recent videos. I mean no harm, and obviously don't think every horse should move like a WB. I wanted to be an ambassador for dressage Arabians, but after having two and facing countless problems with them that was so much easier and natural to other horses and feeling like going around the same circle over and over again, I decided is not worth the trouble. 

The main thing is of course that you are happy with her and enjoy the journey together. And I of course hope you will find what's bothering her!


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## frlsgirl

@Fimargue I understand. It is challenging.


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## lostastirrup

Hmm. I think the judge saw what most of us was seeing. 

I used to ride a hackney/clyde (very briefly for this reason) that had really horrid hormonal swings, great on the ground but really really bad under saddle just like she couldnt cope with leg, weight on her back etc. And when I think about what some human women go through with their cycles, I could very much see it becoming something the horse cannot cope with. 

I have also noticed that a lot of your "not so great" frames are usually in canter, with walk and trot being okay.. This is typical to me of saddle fit issues and back issues. The trot is not as motion dependent and hind end dependent and walk is not as impactful just in general. I really think something is weird just beyond her rib cage in those vertebra. like she cant use her hip to lift her back comfortably. maybe this means going back to not ridden work and in hand stuff until she strengthens or it could be a pain thing from hormone cycles. I would also recomend if it ends up being a muscle thing, to do less arena work and more hill work/ out and about work, it can be done at walk, with minimum impact, but great for muscle and back building. 

when she goes long and low does she stay 'down' or does she dodge up and down with her head? 

how does she go WTC bareback? better? worse? if its a saddle thing bareback should improve it.


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## frlsgirl

Hi @lostastirrup - I've been wanting to do more outside hill work and wasn't able to do so until we switched our riding schedule back to evenings because horses are turned out on the hills that we ride on. 

In addition to not being as forward as usual and being tight/stiff behind, she's been peeing a lot and also stopping to pee but then not being able to execute; like she has to try a few times before it actually comes out. She did that Thursday when we went trail riding; she stopped on the hill, squatted, lifted tail and nothing would come out. She couldn't execute unit later when I put her back in her stall.

Wednesday when I was done riding, I tried to lead her out of the arena back to her stall and she kept stopping like she was going to pee or poop but then nothing happened. 

I ran my hand over her hind quarters last night and she started twitching like they were super tight; I'm guessing from excessive squatting that she's doing right now.

Ana loves long and low and would stay in it all day if I let her but she couldn't do it yesterday for some reason. It was weird. It was just a strange day; even standing at the trailer she was all parked out which is not how she usually stands; the canter was crow hoppy like a quarter horse that's about to buck which is also weird for her because if anything she will go hollow and up instead of super round and down. Just strange. She just felt like someone else's horse.

I don't ride her bareback anymore to save her back; I've never cantered her bareback just seemed too sketchy.

I was watching the neighbor girls canter their horses in the fields today and that gave me the itch to bring Ana over here so I can explore the equestrian trails with her. Now that i'm riding evenings again I can finally go back to doing trail work around the property; hoping to book a trailer ride to our property once she's well and ridable again. I'm also game for taking a year off from arena work and only doing trail/endurance type work with her to get her stronger so that when I bring her back to arena work, it will seem like a cake walk compared to a normal trail routine. Calling vet first thing tomorrow.


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## DanteDressageNerd

That sounds really strange with what is going on with Ana. I'm not sure what the cause could be. Perhaps her SI if she's hoppy in the canter and doesn't feel like herself? Or maybe meso therapy?


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## lostastirrup

Hmm. Maybe she's got a UTI or a bladder stone? Bladder issues are never good. And could explain not wanting to use that hind end. My old qh I used to ride had bladder stones that required surgery, I was in charge of his rehab and recovery, which turned into showing, but it got to the point with him where he would grunt and not pee, then eventually pee blood. He went in a week later for surgery. Turned into a neat dressage packer


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## frlsgirl

Eek bladder stones - I hope not @lostastirrup and what a lovely picture! Thanks for sharing. 
@DanteDressageNerd - yeah idk she seems very unhappy right now. I wish she could get the peeing thing figured out. Hopefully the vet will be able to help her tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

Another pic from the show. She had one ear on the scary cows in the neighboring pasture; she was fine with them mooing and grazing but when they suddenly started running she was like “oh hail no” so I had to untie her and walk her around until she calmed down. 

I stopped by to see her today. She was happy to see me but OMG is she sore behind; just gently running my hand down her bum caused some crazy muscle twitching and a disapproving ear pin with side eye. She let me do it though like she wanted me to know what’s going on with her. 

Meeting vet at the barn tomorrow afternoon.


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## greentree

You two are adorable. She may have a kidney problem... the back of the saddle sits on them, or close... All our best for the vet visit!!


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## SaddleUp158

Fingers crossed for the vet visit. Hopefully you and Ana get a clear diagnosis.


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## frlsgirl

Update on Ana. Vet originally thought some mild lameness on the right hind due to possible arthritic changes could be the cause of her problems but I insisted that she do an ultrasound and then we found this.

One of her ovaries is twice the size of the other. 

The reason she keeps randomly squatting is because she’s probably trying to shed the follicle because it’s bothering her. That’s why her muscles are so sore behind and that’s why she doesn’t want to round her back properly.

Treatment plan: gave her pain meds, and meds to Induce shedding of the follicle. A few days off from work until she seems normal again.

Once the hormonal issues calm down, investigate the mild right hind lameness. Start with bute trial to see if it’s pain related. If not possible hill work and pole work to help her with proprioception.

If pain related consider other pain relieving alternatives: partial retirement, different work schedule, different type of work, other medications, supplements etc.

In December do another ultrasound. Depending on findings, pull hormone panel and consider possible surgery.

I'm relieved and shocked at the same time.
@SaddleUp158 doesn't Mia have problems with her cycles? Or was it another mare at the barn?


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## lostastirrup

Well that is relatively good news! Pms is serious business!


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## SueC

@frlsgirl, if you want to do a little supportive therapy to reduce muscle damage and soreness, you can try either putting her on a natural Vitamin E supplement, or upping her dose if you already have her on one. The Vitamin E will protect the cell membranes from being damaged by the inflammation. It's routinely done here when racehorses end up with sore muscles for whatever reason and it always helps - indeed, racehorses and endurance horses where we live are often on Vitamin E supplementation to _prevent_ a great deal of muscle soreness. As avid hikers, Brett and I can tell you that Vitamin E works very well for us, both as a preventative of sore muscles when doing strenuous mountain climbs, and as a treatment in case we've forgotten to take it beforehand. Taking it beforehand is obviously our preferred option! 

Hope Ana is back to normal soon. It's never nice to have something wrong with a beloved four-legs. :hug:


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> @frlsgirl, if you want to do a little supportive therapy to reduce muscle damage and soreness, you can try either putting her on a natural Vitamin E supplement, or upping her dose if you already have her on one. The Vitamin E will protect the cell membranes from being damaged by the inflammation. It's routinely done here when racehorses end up with sore muscles for whatever reason and it always helps - indeed, racehorses and endurance horses where we live are often on Vitamin E supplementation to _prevent_ a great deal of muscle soreness. As avid hikers, Brett and I can tell you that Vitamin E works very well for us, both as a preventative of sore muscles when doing strenuous mountain climbs, and as a treatment in case we've forgotten to take it beforehand. Taking it beforehand is obviously our preferred option!
> 
> Hope Ana is back to normal soon. It's never nice to have something wrong with a beloved four-legs. :hug:


Thank you for the advice and well wishes. Ana is on a vitamin e and magnesium combination supplement:

“E-Se-Mag Pellets are formulated to support sore muscles. E-Se-Mag Pellets contain a unique combination of 1,000 IUs vitamin E, 2 mg selenium, and 3,000 mg magnesium per serving. As reported in the Horse Journal, vitamin E and selenium supplementation, along with magnesium in the ration, may aid in nutritional support in the presence of sore muscle problems.”


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## PoptartShop

Oh wow, I am glad you insisted on the ultrasound. Poor girl, that has to be painful & annoying. :sad: 

I hope she feels better soon, she has had such a rough time being a mare!  Hopefully the meds kick in soon so she can have relief. I agree, PMS is no joke...even for horses!!


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## carshon

Poor Ana - glad that you found the issue but Wow!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you for all the well wishes. 

I rode Ana today for the first time since last show. She's fine to walk and we got some nice leg yield work done. Trot, not so much; didn't even bother trying the canter. And she coughed a lot during trotting too. Ugh. Idk what to do. I guess just walk her for now? I need to do a bute trial but it's challenging to arrange that scheduling wise because she has to have it with her feed and then I have to ride her two hours later. At this point I don't know if it's the right hind and PMS or if it's just the right hind. And if it's the right hind I don't know what to do about it. Previcox maybe? She's fine to trot in straight lines she just can't do circles. If it is arthritis then I would think regular work would be good? And that she would be able to work out of it? But I don't know. I wanted to do more work in the field but it was used for turnout this morning. I'm just kind of lost on what to do with her. I get the sense that some people still think this is all in my head or that I'm making excuses, that she would go just fine with a pro. But then why did we do so well over the summer and not now? I wish I had the time and money to take regular riding lessons on an able bodied horse so that I could get my head straight on what is actually going on. I just feel so lost.


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## knightrider

I would feel lost too . . . probably more than you. Best wishes for a speedy resolution.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @knightrider - I'm glad I film most of my rides; this happened today. I was trying to work on halting from the seat which I was very happy with but then she stumbled on that cursed right hind toe again:






I guess bute trial is the next logical step I just need to figure out the best way to arrange it. Maybe do 3 rides on bute and 3 rides off bute and film them all and do similar/same exercises so that I have a larger range of data to work with; it's just so difficult to get all the conditions exactly the same. I could technically do the first one tomorrow morning if I catch the BM in time before he feeds.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Thank you for the advice and well wishes. Ana is on a vitamin e and magnesium combination supplement:
> 
> “E-Se-Mag Pellets are formulated to support sore muscles. E-Se-Mag Pellets contain a unique combination of 1,000 IUs vitamin E, 2 mg selenium, and 3,000 mg magnesium per serving. As reported in the Horse Journal, vitamin E and selenium supplementation, along with magnesium in the ration, may aid in nutritional support in the presence of sore muscle problems.”


 Ah! Should have known that Germanic thoroughness would have this covered! ;-)

When people don't mention it I usually do, because it's so often overlooked yet so effective.

A vaguely related, funny story: When I was a teenager, we had a horrible heatwave and I ended up unable to eat and just drinking and in the end chucking up everything I tried to drink and feeling miserable. Can you guess what was wrong with me? I'd gotten electrolyte depleted, from all the sweating trying to cool down. Went out to the stables, worked out my dose relative to bodyweight, had a dose of horse electrolytes, and was feeling fine, eating and drinking normally half an hour later...

I hope you find what works for Ana and that this is a temporary issue. Arthritis does do better when there is at least light work with good warm-ups. Good thing she has turnout, and that you keep her warm in winter! Me, I love my electric blanket... and snuggling up to my warm DH. Being cold just brings out all sorts of aches and pains. :rofl:


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> @SaddleUp158 doesn't Mia have problems with her cycles? Or was it another mare at the barn?


Oops sorry for just seeing this @frlsgirl! Mia doesn't necessarily have problems with her cycles, but almost every year she will have one or two incredibly strong cycles that she is lethargic and marish (she is never marish during her cycles otherwise). We have in the past (including Mia) had mares that got sore in their back and we had a vet that recommended injecting their...oh wow, I am guessing ovaries, but it has been so many years since we had that done I am not positive now. It really helped those mares at the time, but that was also before getting into dressage so our training practices weren't exactly promoting correct development (little did we know).


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## frlsgirl

Thank you for your insight @SaddleUp158 - I didn’t realize that ovaries could be injected directly; vet gave Ana a regular intramuscular injection. Still not sure if she’s done shedding the follicle. I only rode her once this weekend. 

Probably gonna give her a couple more days off. 

Then regroup and come up with some sort of plan.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I hope you can figure out what is going on with Miss Ana. I am sorry it's been such a process, it seems every horse in dressage goes through a series of diagnostics and sometimes I wonder why but it's how it goes in dressage. Everything has to be perfect lol. I hope she shed the follicle soon, ovarian cysts sound so painful!!


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## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Thank you for your insight @SaddleUp158 - I didn’t realize that ovaries could be injected directly; vet gave Ana a regular intramuscular injection. Still not sure if she’s done shedding the follicle. I only rode her once this weekend.
> 
> Probably gonna give her a couple more days off.
> 
> Then regroup and come up with some sort of plan.



I may be remembering incorrectly, but I know it was a female organ that was injected, it has just been so many years since we have done this. Fingers crossed she starts feeling better soon!


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## greentree

Have you consulted a different farrier? She looks to me like she is landing toe first, instead of heel first(I have noticed this before, on previous videos) and it is extremely clear in slo- mo that it is what happened to that rear foot. She may have even caught her front with it, indicating her breakover is too slow(usually due to long toes).

I hope you can figure this sweet mare out!


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## frlsgirl

Interesting observation @greentree - I have not considered that! I will check with the farrier. There are apparently special shoes that help with break over called “new balance” shoes. Her toes are a tiny bit long because her feet are growing like crazy right now due to hoof supplements. 

Thanks for the well wishes @DanteDressageNerd. I just got news that there will be a party lesson next Saturday so that would be the perfect opportunity to do a bute trial and get feedback from trainer at the same time. 

Thanks @SaddleUp158 - mares lol.


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## frlsgirl

On a lighter note, my dog Loui has taken a liking to our neighbor’s horse Preacher 

He keeps pulling me towards the fence whenever he sees Preacher out. Of course we are very careful so that Lou doesn’t get stepped on.


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## PoptartShop

I really hope she feels better soon & you get to the bottom of everything. :sad: I know it's hard. But you are doing all you can & I agree maybe talk to the farrier.

& cute picture!


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## frlsgirl

Visited her Tuesday and she was in a great mood. We took several selfies together but I didn’t feel up to riding. 

Visited her again yesterday and she was still acting somewhere between happy and content so we went for a quick trail ride. 

She’s so funny - definitely has opinions on things. I asked her if she wanted to do another loop over the hill and she said no. So I said ok let’s go play in the pond then and suddenly the loop over the hill seemed a lot more appealing lol. 

When it was time to take her back to the pasture she planted her feet and told me no. I guess she didn’t want the fun to end. Either that or she wanted to be fed dinner 

PS Notice how soft her eyes are compared to the horse show selfie I posted last week


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## SueC

Awwww!  Lovely photos! That first one there needs a nice frame and to go up in a good spot in your house. (If it's not wallpapered in Ana photos already! ;-)) Light, colours, framing, facial expressions are all great. That third one with the peek-a-boo is very funny! 

So glad Ana is feeling a bit better!


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## DanteDressageNerd

Those pictures are really lovely! You should frame them! You two look super


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies @DanteDressageNerd and @SueC as you can imagine my house and office are already covered in Ana pictures

Ana had a LOT to say yesterday:






We rode in our first lesson since May. RI did give her bute with dinner. 

I didn’t notice the bobble that I often find when we trot going to the right so that’s encouraging. 

Overall she did look and feel pretty good. Our biggest obstacle right now is getting her to stretch to the hand consistently without throwing down/going too low; sometimes she looks correct but will suddenly disconnect herself which tells me that I didn’t have her on the outside rein to begin with. If I squish her between my inside leg and outside rein, then she’s more consistent in how she carries herself but it can then lead to tension and crookedness. So lots of stuff to work on. 

In light of that I asked BO if we can do regular weekly lessons again as I don’t feel competent to solve this on my own especially after getting such negative feedback at the last show. Yes she wasn’t feeling well but maybe I’m doing things wrong too. 

So we start lesson next week when BO returns from the world show. It will also give us an opportunity to do more bute trials and throw in a few placebo rides as well. The BO won’t tell me which days she gave Ana bute and then ask me after every lesson if she went better or worse.


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## SueC

Nice that things are definitely getting better!

...that's such a cute clip of Ana "talking"!:dance-smiley05:


_Andt vot happenet tou yourrr Gerrrman aczent?_


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## frlsgirl

Lol @SueC it’s still in there just ask me to say aluminum or January or February


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## SueC

...you might like this... :rofl:


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## frlsgirl

Quick update:

Ana is just getting over a bout of hives. It looks a lot better already and she’s not as itchy anymore. No clue what caused it. 

Took her for a spin in the fields this morning and actually remembered to bring my GoPro. 

Lots going on the next two weeks. Lesson Thursday, team competition Sunday and year end championships the following Saturday. 

Still contemplating on how to better manage her DJD. Current thoughts are restart Cosequin and discontinue Adequan over winter, continue to vary her workouts, occasionally use bute. 

Regroup with vet early December, recheck ovaries and reconsider joint injections. 

I will likely change my mind a hundred more times; I guess that’s why I keep a journal


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## lostastirrup

I really like that picture of her trotting out. She looks good.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @lostastirrup !


Video from lesson last week. I wish I would have caught the right lead canter on video because it was much better but battery had died by then

Second video is a comparison from today’s trot to the exact same video sequence from last year. What are the odds that I decided to trot hills exactly 365 days earlier and had the camera set up in the exact same spot?!?


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## lostastirrup

Thats a night and day difference from a few weeks ago. Much more willing, much more consistent. The trot work is beautiful. 

The canter work with the ringing of the tail and the "deer gait" has me still thinking saddle fit or pain, although it is very buoyant and active. It makes me wonder if the channel is too narrow for her. 

What happens when you ask her to go to your outside rein? Does she respond or resent that cue? I think she's miles better and she's on the right track and she has a nice topline- but I think the princess has a pea under her mattress somewhere.


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## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup Well on the lunge without any tack or anything she shows a mild degree lameness on the right hock/fetlock. When cantering on the left rein she has to strike off with that ouchy right hind and it just kind of looks like the canter is stuck/not going anywhere because the right hind can’t execute the required push forward. 

I don’t love the saddle either but when you strip everything away she still shows lameness on the right hind. The saddle might be a contributing factor as well but she canters just fine on the right where the right hind does more carrying not as much pushing. 

I do try to get her to fill up the outside rein more with each stride but it’s definitely a lot of work and not something she offers by herself. By the time I get her there I’m too exhausted to continue cantering. 

By the way she was on bute for the indoor video. She was not on bute for the outdoor video. 

I have a lesson Thursday and will discuss more options with BO too. 

Talked to a nice lady at Smartpak today who helped me get Ana set up for the correct loading dose of Cosequin and she suggested trying Legend as a maintenance/intramuscular injection. 

I’m also trying to come up with a training plan for Ana where her body gets challenged in different ways on a rotating basis (pushing vs carrying vs lifting vs stretching). For example: slowly walk down a hill so horse has to sit on hind legs then trot up the hill so horse has to push with hind legs.


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## egrogan

My local tack/feed store has their big anniversary sale this weekend, and they have online specials in addition to the in-person sale. Saturday is Cosequin day. Last year in-person, I got a FREE tub of Cosequin ASU+, something like $100 savings  Might want to check out their site Saturday to see what kind of online deals they offer. Both Izzy and Maggie are getting it and I do think it helps some. I haven't done injections with either yet, but of course they are basically retired.


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## frlsgirl

Oh my gosh that is indeed a great deal on Cosequin @egrogan ! The ASU version is more expensive than regular stuff. 

Speaking of Cosequin, would you believe the loading dose is 6 scoops per day ?!? I hope we can get her to eat all of that. It’s only for a month and then she’ll be on the maintenance dose of 2 scoops per day. 

The vet emailed me tonight. She thinks occasionally buting Ana is fine but long term I should consider joint injections or at least Eqiuioxx. 
@lostastirrup I checked out the Horse of Course website for new saddles today and it looks like they got some new ones that I haven’t tried yet so I’ll add that to my to do list over winter.


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## lostastirrup

I guess I'm used to completely sound horses with bad tack. Ifshe shows it on the lunge without the tack then you're definitely in the right. Where does her lameness come from? Does she have an old injury? She's a bit young for arthritis. 

My other wierd thought is that if it's impact that is hurting her could she maybe swim? It wouldn't even have to be at a fancy facility like a pond or something. 

She really is nice. I like her stride and her way of going, I hope she gets sorted out soon.


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## egrogan

Oh wow, I didn’t remember the loading dose being that high. That is A LOT of powder to mix in! Both of mine have been on maintenance doses for years so it’s much easier to get them to eat it. Fortunately all of my girls are great eaters and lick their bowls clean regardless of what’s in it :grin:


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## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup Ana won’t even step into a puddle willingly, so asking her to go swimming will probably not go over very well  

I took her on a big trail ride once where she had to cross a tiny stream of clear water and she acted like I was asking her to swim through shark infested waters. Seriously the stream was so tiny that she could have stepped over it, like a log on the ground. It took 30 minutes to get her to cross it. She did it by jumping over it as if it was a 3 foot oxer. 

Ana is 10 this year. The first time the word DJD in the right hock/fetlock came up was December 2015. Could be overuse, could be that she injured it while on turnout and nobody ever noticed it. Most Dressage horses develop some sort of DJD somewhere in the hind legs. It could be so many contributing factors (bad footing, running around in the pasture, conformation, Dressage exercises that are too difficult for her level of training)

Horses are just one big mystery.


----------



## lostastirrup

Speaking of footing, I have been thinking on the impact of varied footing on soundness and longevity. Nick has good structure, but he also has the benefit for going from dirt arena, to turf to hard rock hills. Each strengthens and strains a different part of the step. If maybe you could isolate what part of the step was too hard, maybe you could do training to accommodate. This is also a super article. https://thehorse.com/14085/footing-and-horse-performance/


----------



## frlsgirl

Thanks for the link @lostastirrup and I love your new avatar pic! One of these days I wanna do a pro photo shoot with Ana; just waiting for her mane to grow out, for me to lose 30 pounds and for my life to be perfect in general lol


----------



## lostastirrup

frlsgirl said:


> Thanks for the link @lostastirrup and I love your new avatar pic! One of these days I wanna do a pro photo shoot with Ana; just waiting for her mane to grow out, for me to lose 30 pounds and for my life to be perfect in general lol



I say you should go for it. There's no time like the present. Also even a patient friend with a quick finger and a smart phone takes lovely pictures. That's how mine were done. 

As a kid I hated pictures taken and now I love looking back on them. It's worth it to save the moments as they come I think.


----------



## frlsgirl

After talking to BO yesterday and thinking about it some more I left a message for my vet this morning. 

I’m hoping to start her on a low dose of Equioxx now plus the high dose Cosequin which should arrive in two weeks. We will continue Adequan injections until she runs out in December. 

Starting in December:
Joint injections 
Phase out Adequan 
Reduce Equioxx dose 
Reduce Cosequin to maintenance dose

And see how she feels after that.


----------



## frlsgirl

Had a great lesson on Ana today. First private lesson since May. 

After having BO observe horse during the lesson and provide me with feedback on how she’s going we both decided to go ahead and proceed with joint injections so we are going to forgo Equioxx altogether. 

We are going to bute for Sunday’s show if it doesn’t get rained out and I will likely skip the following show and try to arrange a trip to Stillwater later in the month for a group lesson once Ana is feeling 100% again. 

She did say that the good news is that I’m getting stronger in my riding and don’t need as many breathing breaks. Yay.


----------



## PoptartShop

That is great you have a plan for Ana.  That sounds good. The injections should make a big difference & help her feel better. She will do much better with some relief! I am really happy you had a good lesson on her today too. & YAY for getting stronger! :smile: That is awesome! She is so cute, she looks good!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @PoptartShop I just want Ana to feel better. I’m hoping that between joint injections, Cosequin and 2 remaining doses of Adequan we can get her back to 100%. 

She’s still a bit itchy and coughed several times during our lesson so I’m hoping that will resolve itself with cooler temps on the horizon.


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## frlsgirl

So I had more time to watch the video footage from yesterday’s lesson and discovered something cool: we trotted for 11 minutes without a break. That’s a new record for us. 

You can tell in this pic that we are both getting tired though; I’m starting to collapse forward and Ana isn’t tracking up anymore. But we were both troopers for hanging in there!


----------



## lostastirrup

frlsgirl said:


> So I had more time to watch the video footage from yesterday’s lesson and discovered something cool: we trotted for 11 minutes without a break. That’s a new record for us.
> 
> You can tell in this pic that we are both getting tired though; I’m starting to collapse forward and Ana isn’t tracking up anymore. But we were both troopers for hanging in there!



But on the good-looking: she's open in her body, shes looking happy and relaxed and you're ramrod straight in the saddle and allowing her to carry over her back.


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

Glad to see you and Ana are having a positive time together now. I hope the joint injections help and you're able to continue together. How is the farm coming? Are you searching for another horse?


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## frlsgirl

Our schooling show got rained out. Over 2 inches of rain in a matter of just a few hours. 

Since the trailer/judges booth was already set up, we decided to do some desensitization training. As you can see she was just thrilled about it :smile:

Thanks for the kind words @PoptartShop 

Thanks also @DanteDressageNerd for your well wishes. 

Regarding barn, so far the pad and dirt work are done. So no second horse until barn is completed...maybe next year?


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## frlsgirl

Went to the barn last night to take Ana for a spin. When I arrived I noticed rugs hanging in front of the tack room and assumed that BO was doing cleaning. I was very wrong. Remember the 2 inches of rain we got last weekend? The tack room flooded! Water was coming through the ceiling. Fortunately, BOs husband was in the tack room when it happened and was able to save everyone’s tack. Of course everyone’s stuff was in different places spread across the dry parts of the room so it took me a while to find everything I needed. 

When I brought Ana up to the hitching post she turned into a fire breathing dragon because the rugs are not supposed to be there and they moved with the wind!

So brushing and tacking was quite a chore as I was trying to find my stuff and at the same time keep Ana from flipping out. 

When we got to the arena she was super forward and just all pumped up. It was fantastic. I love it when she’s like this because I can get her really through and forward after we get the obligatory spooks out the way. I can really feel the lameness on the left front right hind diagonal though  

So ready for joint injections next week and for her joint supplements to come in. 

Giving the dragon a day off.


----------



## frlsgirl

*Pony Shenanigans*

Took Ana for a quick spin in the indoor last night. There was a lesson in progress; BO was teaching from horse back and little girl on Prim. Prim is the cute little mare that I test rode a year ago. The little girl’s parents bought her as a first horse. 

Well Prim has developed some naughty pony tendencies. 

Whenever girl was supposed to trot or canter a circle, Prim would grab the bit, and run straight down the long side and then stop in front of the arena wall. 

So I spent most of my short ride trying to avoid a collision. At one point we did collide which seemed to really confuse Ana. It’s like Prim didn’t even care who she needed to run over to avoid circling. 

BO even tried to create a blockade with her horse but Prim just went around her. 

So BO was like “come here and let me get on her” so little girl held BOs horse while BO circled Prim; it took some effort but of course BO got it done. 

Then Ana decided she was no longer going into the corner that Prim kept trying to run to. So she got all bug eyed, snorting, running backwards but we were able to work through it and eventually did trot circles back there both directions without any problems. 

Not sure I will ride in the arena again if Prim is in there. Neither one of us got hurt in the collision but that could have ended very differently.


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## lostastirrup

God love the ponies .. if they're are not wrecking havoc under saddle, a person better take a suspicious look around the feed room. 

I will say- I absolutely adore riding alone. I'll do just about anything for a clear arena with no one in it. Even if it means riding late in the evening. I would avoid riding with "wild pony" too.


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## frlsgirl

Me too @lostastirrup - riding alone is the best. I miss it. Maybe I’ll get a chance this weekend. 

We got terrible weather coming our way starting tonight and it’s supposed to last until next week so I made an impromptu barn run to visit Ana. I was trying to take selfies with Ana but someone decided to play shy


----------



## SueC

That's a lovely floral print! A black background can be so nice for florals. And it's a cute photo with Ana hiding behind you. Now you just need to get her a matching floral rug! ;-)


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## frlsgirl

Awww thanks @SueC - Ana only has one blanket that she wears only when it gets seriously cold outside, but matching outfits could be cute.

Some video footage from today; we worked on counter shoulder in to improve the trot:






Here is her trot after counter shoulder in; I think it's better. It felt better anyway:






I'm so ready for Tuesday's vet appointment! I just hope and pray that there will be a notable difference! I changed my mind on Cosequin; we are trying Equithrive for 4 months; if it doesn't work, then I'll try Cosequin. Ana has been rubbing her skin raw on her crest and behind; I'm wondering if the last order of supplements did not agree with her; I had added a mare support supplement with raspberry leaves and I had also changed the probiotic formula. Her hives started right around the time the new shipment came in. I changed her probiotic back to what she had previously taken, I discontinued the mare support altogether, put her back on basic vitamin E instead of the Mag E combo and now added the Equithrive. Hopefully we can get her completely healed up, skin, joints, and all.

Here are some still shots from yesterday’s and today’s ride.


----------



## SueC

Are you smooching with Ana there, @frlsgirl? ;-)


----------



## frlsgirl

Yes @SueC and this is the thrilled look she gives me every time


----------



## PoptartShop

Ughh that face!! She is so cute & you can tell she is opinionated! :lol:
& I love the selfie, how cute!

I hope everything starts to work so things can clear up for her. Fingers crossed, tomorrow is right around the corner!!


----------



## SueC

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: @*frlsgirl* ! 

It's all very cute.





 And I do it too. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone! ;-)


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

lol well then I guess Ana doesn't hold back on her feelings or expressions at all! lol too cute :-D


----------



## frlsgirl

Your secret is safe with me @SueC 

Ugh; one more hour tick tock. Starting to get anxiety. What if it's not DJD? What if she will always have a hitch in her step from the EPM? What if she never had EPM and it's been DJD all along? Should I X-ray? What if nothing shows up on X-ray as vet predicted? Why does she have a hitch in her step? Why does it come and go? Should I just roll the dice and inject hoping that it will help? What else could it be? Are her hocks fusing? Isn't that something that only happens to old jumpers? 

So many questions.


----------



## frlsgirl

Ana’s appointment went well. 

When I arrived my friend was riding her Friesan (spelling?) cross and I asked if I could ride him some time and she said “sure, hop on!” 

I couldn’t stop smiling. He rides very different from Ana. Very slinky like. It was a neat experience. 

Then it was time to bring Ana in for her appointment. She was worked up over being separated from her pack because there was construction going on and she wanted to protect her herd from the perceived threat. She was literally doing spins in her stall. 

Fortunately the vet pulled up right on time and they had to give her an extra shot of sedation to calm her down sufficiently for the injections. 

She didn’t have her X-ray machine with her so no films today. I asked her about fusing but she said that if they are fusing or already fused it makes it really hard for the needle to go in and she didn’t experience that with Ana. 

The vet commented on her hives that are still trying to heal and she said that the steroids in the joint injections will help with that as well. She said about 2 weeks ago they saw an increase in allergies with hives and coughing so chances are that’s what’s been bothering Ana. 

Now she’s in her stall sleeping off the meds. She can go back out tomorrow and will get bute for the next 2 days. I can start riding her again on Friday and slowly ease back into our normal routine over a week.


----------



## SueC

A paint Friesian cross! That's something I've not seen before. Looks a fun ride. Hope Ana will get to A1 health again soon.


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## frlsgirl

@SueC he’s actually 1/4 Arabian and 1/4 Standard Bred which they call a National Show horse. So I’m guessing maybe the Arab had some paint coloring? I’m not sure how colors work. If you breed two solids together, can you get something other than a solid color?

Also I don’t quite understand what a Standard bred horse is or a Saddle bred. But then again I used to think that a Quarter Horse is named that because it’s actually only 1/4 horse until someone explained to me that it’s because they can run 1/4 mile faster than any other horse.


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## lostastirrup

Usually NSH is saddlebred and Arab. I've never heard it being Standardbred. But the saddlebred would throw color, not the Arab though. And if we're talking Arab paint colors- your options are sabino or rabicano and they VERY rarely show up...


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## PoptartShop

Wow, he is beautiful. So awesome you got to ride one of those, I always wanted to!

I am glad Ana's appointment went well, that should help ease some of your anxiety.  Hopefully everything continues to improve with her.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for clearing that up @lostastirrup I’m clearly not an expert on breeding and coloring. 


As a kid I always wanted an Appaloosa just because I thought the coloring was cool. But I also like Knapstruppers because they remind me of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles. You know the typical priorities of an 8 year old lol. Now that I’m sort of grown up I don’t care about coloring as long as it moves well, is healthy and personality matches well.


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## lostastirrup

frlsgirl said:


> Thanks for clearing that up @lostastirrup I’m clearly not an expert on breeding and coloring.
> 
> 
> As a kid I always wanted an Appaloosa just because I thought the coloring was cool. But I also like Knapstruppers because they remind me of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles. You know the typical priorities of an 8 year old lol. Now that I’m sort of grown up I don’t care about coloring as long as it moves well, is healthy and personality matches well.



That horrible moment of adulthood when we realize a plain old Bay is the easiest maintenance ; and beauty is as beauty does. I wanted a beautiful Appaloosa too. Except mine was to a Lipizzaner Appaloosa. Which made sense at the time.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @PoptartShop I do feel better already. I will feel even better when I get to ride her again.


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## frlsgirl

This photo just popped up in my FB memories from 3 years ago. 

Wow so much has changed since then. Job change, moving, barn change, new saddle, Ana has shoes now, had a joints injected twice, survived EPM, I had surgery, gained weight. Back then we had only been to 2 shows and only at Intro level. Since then we’ve been to like 20 more shows or so, competed Training level, won high point and low point lol. 

Time just marches on. I wonder what the future holds for us.


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## frlsgirl

I forgot to post link to the 10/4 lesson:






This was at the end and I was absolutely spent!

But we still managed some nice trot moments despite Ana’s sore hocks. That was the day we decided on joint injections because RI could tell that she was stepping a bit short on the right hind despite being on bute. 

Update:

Went to visit her last night and she seemed totally fine; came right over for a scratch and some carrots. Speaking of scratching, her skin looks better so I bet the steroids in the joint injections are doing the trick just as vet predicted. 

I can officially start riding her today but I’m working all day and it’s raining and DH came home from a trip last night so sneaking away in the evening doesn’t seem feasible so I probably won’t ride her until tomorrow. 

She got her last dose of bute last night and I believe she’s getting her first dose of Equithrive tonight plus a shot of Adequan next week. 

If she’s still not 100% sound after all of that then I don’t know what else to do. 

I did talk confo with vet. She said she looks good overall but that her hocks are more on the straight side although she’s seen horses with much straighter hocks and that confo alone does not determine a horse’s abilities or soundness alone. She’s perfectly fine to do Dressage. 

BO said I can ride her as usual but I think I want to ease her back into work over the course of a week. Last time we eased her back in over 2 weeks which the vet said is not necessary. 

Part of me feels like I’m apologizing to Ana by babying her “sorry I’m making you do Dressage, please tell me if anything hurts and I will immediately stop and call every specialist in my Rolodex to help you feel better” 

It’s so hard to find that balance between developing the horse correctly, yet not overdoing it and also not babying the horse.


----------



## frlsgirl

*First ride after injections*

I think it went well. Gave her a longer than normal warmup, didn’t canter and only did large schooling figures at the trot. I didn’t want to do lateral stuff at the walk but she needed some serious suppling before proceeding so we did TOFs and leg yields. The subsequent trot was MUCH better. I didn’t feel the bobble at the trot today which tells me right front left hind diagonal is getting more air time as the right hind left front are better able to carry more weight. 

We worked on some of the 2019 T3 test which we are super excited about because they made it easier so we can show T3 at the first show. 

Here are some moments that turned out well along with a pic of Ana after our ride. She was a bit agitated because other horses were getting turned out and fed while she had to work so she was eager to get this over with. 

I’m trying to think of more/better suppling exercises; I think tomorrow we will work on counter shoulder in blending into a figure 8 so that she goes back and forth between shoulder in and true bend. 

I’m not loving how her saddle is fitting right now. Need to text the fitter to see when she can come out next.


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## frlsgirl

First canter since joint injections:






It was certainly forward, she didn’t have any trouble pushing off with the right hind so that made me happy. 

I’m not doing a very good job holding her together while riding the body forward into the bit. 

Something that I really need to work on; her default is to invert or come short in the neck so I try with each stride to push her neck out so that maybe after 10 circles her neck is where it’s supposed to be but I usually run out of stamina and confidence before then so I always think to myself it’s better to bring her back to a trot where I have more control over her. 

However my counter shoulder in strategy really worked well with the walk and trot work so I’m going to make that one of our regular go to exercises. 

Looking at still shots from her trot work it appears that both diagonals are getting equal air time so that is very encouraging that the joint injections indeed fixed that problem.


----------



## egrogan

Great to hear the injections seem to be making a difference for her.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @egrogan. I really think they did help.


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## frlsgirl

Preacher, the neighbors horse joined us for our nightly dog walk. His previous owners died in a planet crash so our neighbors took him in thinking that their teenagers might want to ride him. Well they are grown and mostly out of the house now so this poor guy is just starving for attention. He will spot us from from 100 yards away and walk over just to say hi and get scratches. Then he walks with us along the fence line until he reaches the end of the property line. He does have another horse, Mr. Ed, who is the kids retired show jumper but he’s not interested in peopleing the way Preacher is.


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## PoptartShop

Awwwww, I am sure he loved the attention.  That is sweet. He has kind eyes!

I know what you mean, it's hard not to baby her! I mean, she IS your baby after all! You just want her to feel better. I get it! I am glad the injections seem to be helping though, that is a good thing. It looks a lot better. YAY for improvement! Happy to see that.

I hope you can get the saddle fitter out soon, that will also help you both.


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## frlsgirl

Pics from tonight. Focused on shopping cart arms - riding the body forward into the contact. 

I used the shoulder relief girth; she did have more reach with her front legs. Could also be because she’s carrying more behind due to recent joint injections. 

Got big weekend plans: party lesson Saturday and big off property trail ride with bonfire potluck dinner. 

Can’t wait!


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## SueC

Have fun on your trail ride, won't you! :cowboy:


PS: I double took when I read about the _planet_ _crash_. Am I watching too much _Dr Who_? I reckon the _t_ is surplus to requirements. But my mind boggled! ;-)


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Have fun on your trail ride, won't you! :cowboy:
> 
> 
> PS: I double took when I read about the _planet_ _crash_. Am I watching too much _Dr Who_? I reckon the _t_ is surplus to requirements. But my mind boggled! ;-)


No planets crashed. It was a plane crash. Stupid phone keeps changing words :|


----------



## frlsgirl

Little voice in my head: “You might want to lunge Ana before getting on” 

Me: “Nah; she’s fine”

20 minutes and countless meltdowns later (the dog, a loud car, raindrops, pigeons, people in rain gear, another horses poop) 

“Anyone got a lunge line handy?”


----------



## SueC

Plane crashes are no fun. Lost a colleague on that crash over Ukraine. Just by coincidence (busy) we've not flown since, and I wonder how much I will be thinking about it when we do... :-(

Sometimes technology is very pushy, but clueless! Do you know how often I have to feed new words to the spellcheck dictionary? :shock:


----------



## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> Sometimes technology is very pushy, but clueless! Do you know how often I have to feed new words to the spellcheck dictionary? :shock:



Some are quite amusing. Try typing canter depart and you will likely get Canada parts :smile:


----------



## SueC

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


----------



## egrogan

Funniest one I've read in a long time was a couple of days ago on Facebook, someone posted something about their rooster and meant to call him a "gentle giant" but autocorrect made it a "genital giant"- you can imagine the hysterics before she even realized what the heck people were commenting about on her thread! :chicken:


Sorry about your friend and that crash @SueC. I have far too many close connections to people who were part of Sept 11th, both on planes and in buildings. It is an eerie thing to carry around.


----------



## SueC

egrogan said:


> Funniest one I've read in a long time was a couple of days ago on Facebook, someone posted something about their rooster and meant to call him a "gentle giant" but autocorrect made it a "genital giant"- you can imagine the hysterics before she even realized what the heck people were commenting about on her thread! :chicken:


And the real irony is that roosters don't have external, or even extrudable, genitalia. Male swans, however...




> Sorry about your friend and that crash @*SueC* . I have far too many close connections to people who were part of Sept 11th, both on planes and in buildings. It is an eerie thing to carry around.


Yeah, that must be awful. The imagining what their last moments were, which come up automatically for me. In Arjen's case, and his wife's, sitting on a plane as you do, and then the whole thing just disintegrates out of the blue. Did the initial shockwave of the disintegration render them instantly unconscious? (A cruise missile destroyed the plane.) We always hope so. We hope they didn't know what happened. We hope nobody even registered that everything was falling apart and that they were hurtling to earth. The depressurisation etc would have meant consciousness would not have been sustained long, but even ten seconds would be too much. So many entire bodies made it down to the ground that I've always been haunted by the thought that some of them perhaps had long enough to see and understand. :-(

Arjen was one of my close colleagues in my first job out of university. He did the piezometer stuff etc for the land salinity monitoring on the South Coast. Very lovely colleague, and I remember his little blonde kids racing around the office when they were knee-high. They're grown-up now, but still.

I don't know what some people are _thinking_... or _not_ thinking. It's so completely idiotic, doing stuff like this.


----------



## frlsgirl

*Equine activity packed weekend*

Party lesson Saturday. We swapped ponies at the end. Here is a clip from our canter work. 






Today we went on an off property trail ride. I’m using that term very loosely as we mostly stayed in the arena by the trails. :cowboy:


----------



## SueC

That looked like great fun!


----------



## frlsgirl

It was a lot of fun @SueC it’s really hard to go back to my quiet desk job on Mondays after having such a blast all weekend :smile:

Transformation Tuesday with an updated progress photo. Oh my gosh we are both learning so much right now. 

Saturday, I learned to ask lateral movements in a different way by moving the guarding leg back from the hip instead of the knee and that solved almost everything. It automatically causes me to put more weight in the corresponding seat bone which gives Ana a place to move towards. Mind blown! 

Taking 3 different classes right now: a nutrition and fitness class for riders that’s been really helpful along with seeing a nutritionist and getting customized nutrition plan. Had a follow up with my nutritionist today and I’ve lost 12 pounds total; most of it is pure body fat. I’m supposed to lose another 24 pounds of fat which is probably around 18 pounds of weight considering that I’m building muscle which weighs more than fat. 

I also just signed up for a couple of courses offered through DressagePro; the sustainability class and the Dressage fundamentals class; all very helpful. 

Lots of Dressage type classes offered everywhere but the sustainability class is centered solely around keeping your Dressage horse fit and healthy for the long term so that we can make informed decisions and don’t feel so helpless and dependent on experts. And it’s not your basic horse care class for beginners; this looks specifically at Dressage horses. 

Hoping to ride Ana tonight or tomorrow night. The first show of 2019 is in January and we’ve got lots of work to do before then.


----------



## lostastirrup

That is a stunning transformation. Your new profile picture/2018 photo begs the judges comment "well matched workmanlike pair" which always made me giddy reading through the tests. She looks really good. Is she feeling a little better with her hormones a bit more in check?


----------



## frlsgirl

Aww thank you @lostastirrup she is indeed feeling better; so much so that I tried PerfectPrep on her before we left for our field trip and she was still so full of it when we arrived that I didn’t go on the big group trail ride; I schooled her in the arena instead and once she was calm, I took her for a mini trail ride by myself. 

I’m not sure what exactly is causing her to feel so good and energetic; it’s likely a combination of factors like the joint injections, fall weather, and hopefully less ouchy ovaries. 

Here is some canter and trot work from that day:






Hope everyone has a frightastic Halloween!


----------



## frlsgirl

DH is finalizing the barn design :smile:

What do you all think? 

3 stalls on one side with Dutch doors leading to runs/pasture.

Other side has tackroom in the middle with a small bathroom next to it. There is open storage on each side for feed, wheelbarrow etc.

There’s also a farm sink just outside the tack room.


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## lostastirrup

Hmmm. 3 stalls = 3 horses right? 
If you build it they will come. 😄

It looks lovely. Does your hubby do architecture and design professionally?


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## frlsgirl

lostastirrup said:


> Hmmm. 3 stalls = 3 horses right?
> If you build it they will come. 😄
> 
> It looks lovely. Does your hubby do architecture and design professionally?


He “dabbles” in home design. 3 stalls for resale value is what I told him anyway :smile:


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## PoptartShop

So happy to see that Ana is feeling much better. I think it is probably the combination of those things. She's finally feeling relief, therefore is having more energy & just overall happier! So awesome.

I love the barn design, too. It looks very similar to my private barn, except ours has 4 stalls. Love it, it's always nice to have extra stalls anyway. My barnmate takes up the other 2 stalls, but the 1 extra we put bedding & whatnot in/use it for storage.  That is super nice, can't wait to see it become a reality!


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## frlsgirl

That’s what I was thinking as well @PoptartShop
We had BO tour our land and look at the barn pad and she gave us lots of good information; she said you can never have enough stalls because you can always use them for storage. I’ve seen some barn owners use it to lock up rowdy barn dogs, or storage for shavings or hay. 

My big thing was the Dutch door design with attached runs so the horse can decide if it wants to be in or out; at the same time, if horse needs to be stalled for some reason, you can just close the bottom door and the horse can still look outside. 

My other big must have is a tack room that’s an actual room with a door to keep critters from chewing through expensive tack. 

And lots of storage options; large space to the left of the tack room, shelving above the outside sink, and another area to the right of the tackroom. 

Plus the overhang on the other side can be used for future horse trailer, and tractor type equipment. 

About the 3 stalls, you can easily take out one of the partitions and make one a double sized stall; in case we get an usually large horse or a mare with a foal, or a horse with an emotional support goat


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## greentree

I love the barn design! I have a suggestion....From experience...put an alternate truck or tractor entrance under the shed roof, and make the barn doors and roof high enough to drive a tractor through. Also, make the aisle wider than 12’ , if possible.

I am thankful every single winter that I did the alternate sliding door under my eave, because we get rain storms that turn to ice before big snow storms, and the big barn doors ice shut. 

It is incredible what you have done for Ana!! She gets mor gorgeous every day!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you for your kind words and great suggestions @greentree 

I’ll pass it on to my design department


----------



## frlsgirl

Ana’s skin on her crest looks awful right now. I’m trying a different skin supplement with my next SmartPak shipment and BO wormed her with ivermectin today in case it’s caused by neck thread worms. I’ve smeared different topical solutions on it hoping it would help but no success thus far. 

I did ride her today which didn’t quite go as planned because today is the first day of dear hunting season so we had to deal with random gun fire all around us and the arena was rattling from the wind. 

I basically just spent 30 minutes trying to get her to relax even if it was only for a few strides at a time.


----------



## SueC

That doesn't sound like a nice ride... my ride yesterday was non-existent as I had low-level migraine all day and got confined to the sofa in low light and no music... :-( Some days are like that. Better luck next time for both of us. Jingles for Ana's skin!


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## frlsgirl

Oh no @SueC - that sounds awful. Hope you get to ride soon.

I'm finally back online, yay! For some reason, I can't get on the site with my phone anymore.

I guess Ana doesn't have thread worms because if she did, she would have been overcome with itchiness and we are not seeing that. She's growing some winter fluff so maybe that will help with the itch or at least conceal the flaky skin. Vet is coming next month for annual stuff and will have her look at her crest then as well. I am starting her on a skin supplement so maybe it will take care of it.

I've gotten to ride Ana twice this week so far, compared to last week where I only got to ride her twice in 7 days.

Monday's ride was awesome; she had just gotten new shoes and just seemed so free and forward and lovely. She seemed stuck at the canter to the left but the right was ok.

Todays ride wasn't quite as good as I decided to ride without a whip so she was really behind the aids. I didn't want to teach her bad habits so half way through the ride I did grab a whip; I applied my calves, no response, TAP with whip, pinned ears and hurried trot, lol. I think the whip just offends her ego, like "whips are for naughty young horses, not a seasoned diva such as myself" lol. I always give her a chance to show me that she understood the correction by bringing her back to walk and retrying without the whip and of course she was a perfect student. Canter was not working tonight; just really stuck. I've been working more than usual so I think maybe my back is stuck again and she might be protesting my stiff back. just and idea. But going to call chiro and get myself adjusted again.

I've been really stressing the stretching to hand thing, riding really forward and then trying to manage the forward with my seat and thinking of my arms/hands/reins as 2 parts; the shoulders, elbows, lower back belong to me and my lower arms, hands, and reins belong to Ana. I'm getting a much better connection that way, providing I have enough forward momentum and neither of us is spooking at random gremlins in the arena.

Anyway, sorry I'm so far behind with my posts and other journals. Hoping to get caught up over the weekend.


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## frlsgirl

Alright. An update. :cowboy:

Ana got new shoes Monday and we had our best ride ever. She was so forward and fluid and supple. 

We rode again Wednesday and it was not good. Tried again Friday and it wasn’t worse but we were both distracted by other riders in the arena. 

Today was our worst ride ever. Can’t get her through or forward or straight or anything. She’s just tense and choppy and crooked. Sure, I can get maybe a couple of nice walk or trot strides but the rest is pretty bad. The canter was the worst it’s ever been. Hollow, behind the aids and no steering. 

I don’t know how we could go from the best to the worst in 6 days. I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe she’s not feeling well?

I’m going to leave her alone for a bit and maybe she will just magically feel better. 

Vet is coming out soon for annual stuff and to check her ovaries again. 

We are preparing for winter weather so Ana is getting to wear her freshly laundered blanket much sooner than expected. 

I included a pic and of her awful choppy trot.


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## phantomhorse13

Hmm, not sure I can really like that post, though Ana looks cozy in her blanket. Hopefully the bad ride was a fluke.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @phantomhorse13 I do hope so as well. I’m guessing it’s a mare thing. My next horse will be a gelding lol, maybe.


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## frlsgirl

*We got snow!*

I know it’s just a few flakes but it’s pretty darn exciting!

I’m still taking the sustainability training class and it’s giving me some insights into the mysterious Ana. 

I rode her 4 days this week which is more than normal. I’m not supposed to increase difficulty and duration at the same time. I’m also supposed to ride lightly on day 2 after increasing difficulty to ward off soreness. I haven’t been doing that. I’m also supposed to vary the footing and type of workout. Haven’t been doing that. 

Signs that horse needs more variety in footing: tripping when introduced to different footing: yep!

Signs that horse is reaching peak performance and needs a break include slipping, tripping, irregular rhythm: yep!

I’m supposed to design a training plan for Ana in this weeks lesson. Hopefully I can come up with something that works for everyone. 

Also reached out to BO about scheduling a lesson on Dante. I need to get comfortable riding big horses again so that I’m ready when the time comes for that second horse and so that I can continue my riding education. 

Onwards and upwards!


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## egrogan

Glad someone is excited about snow :wink:


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## PoptartShop

Aww, poor Ana. I'm glad you had some good rides, but I know it's annoying when that happens then bam, the next one is bad. :sad: Maybe the next ride you have will go well, hopefully it was just an off day or 2 for her. Plus the distractions didn't help!

She looks so cute in her blanket, & she has such a pretty face!

Hmmm, hopefully designing the training plan will help you both. This way you will have a 'schedule'. That will probably make your rides go better!

Gosh, snow! It's pretty, but it's only November! Ahhh! :lol: Awesome about Dante, that is a good idea! That will be fun & something different for a change.


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## frlsgirl

Update. 

I was supposed to have a lesson on Dante but he’s lame so I rode Ana. Well first I had to get on Ana which proved to be difficult. I was close to tears so BO had me do mounting block training with her for the first 20 minutes of the lesson: climb on - whoa - back up to where we started, halt, make her stand still and pet her, then when she could stand quietly, walk on. Dismount, and try the same thing in a different spot of the arena until she could stand still perfectly. It took about 7 tries I think before she finally stood perfectly still. 

Then there were the birds. A flock of birds has taken up residence in the trees by the arena making noise at random times causing Ana and others to have little freak outs. They are not bad spooks. I think I caught one on camera so I might load that later but she feels like a bomb that’s been detonated and you’re just silently counting down to the explosion. It makes me really tense so it’s difficult for me to convey calm and confidence to her when I’m ready to jump out of my skin. It’s like when someone comes up behind you 10 times a day and yells “BOOOO”

We managed to calm her down sufficiently to proceed with the lesson. It actually ended up being kind of good. Do I dare to say we had some breakthroughs? We cantered a lot. I proved to BO that I can keep Ana completely round at the canter. We figured out how to fix the right side by counter flexing her slightly and keeping whip on the outside. It somehow loosened something up in her body where she suddenly felt more straight and supple. 

All in all a good ride. I think sometimes I just need to have a set back to be able to move forward.


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## frlsgirl

I hadn’t been to the barn since Wednesday so I decided that a light hack around the property was in order. Ana was so happy to see me that she yelled out loud and marched to the gate in a hurry but then when I went to grab the halter she started to walk away but stopped when prompted. Weird. Like “yay mom is here, wait does she have a halter or a treat?” Lol

It was very very cold and she was very alert so we started out in the arena and when she seemed fineish I opened the gate and off we went. 

We didn’t get very far before I jumped off because the only three gaites available were piaffe, passage and rear. Determined to make this a learning experience, I walked her all over the property while she spun around in circles snorting and prancing. 

I got her settled down eventually and we walked back to the arena, I hopped on, we walked a couple of calm circles and we called it quits. 

In related news, I ordered a lunge line today because I want to live to see 2019


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## frlsgirl

Happy turkey day!

I’ve been battling this head cold for nearly a week now but wanted to take advantage of the good weather and take Ana for a ride. 

She was MUCH better behaved; calm, sweet and just easy to handle. She even stood perfectly still for mounting; no need to dismount 7 times and retry. 

I’m kind of slow with my aids and physically weak from being sick so we only did a bit of arena work before I gave up and took her outside. She did fantastic on our hack! She even tackled a tiny water obstacle which is huge for her. I’m sure she told all her pasture mates that she crossed a raging river lol as she seemed super proud of herself snorting, grunting, and chewing on her bit like “yeah I’m really awesome” lol. 

So note to self: if I’m not 100% it might be more productive to do work outside of the arena as my lack of responsiveness actually helps Ana stay more calm.

PS: i finally invested in the Breyer Morgan horse Christmas ornament. I wish it was bay but this one will do.


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## frlsgirl

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and survived Black Friday!

I’m still battling this head cold so I’m currently sitting in the waiting room at a walk in clinic; hopefully they will give me something that will speed this along. 

Between not feeling well and crazy ups and downs in weather, I have not been riding as much as I want to and even when I do go it’s not always productive. 

So I wrote out a plan to help me make the most of my barn time; my biggest obstacles: lack of focus and lack of being able to make the most of changing circumstances. 

When I’m focused, I ride really well and we make lots of progress. When I’m not focused, we are just going in circles, not progressing, and I’m teaching her that it’s ok to ignore me because what little input I provide is probably very confusing to her. 

There are times where I am focused, but I arrive at the barn to find that I can’t use the arena for whatever reason, or I had planned to go for a trail ride but the gate is closed. So then I get ticked off and don’t know what to do or whatever alternative I pick doesn’t fit the situation so it doesn’t go well 

So I came up with a list of different activities to suit different circumstances and different levels of engagement. For example, schooling Dressage requires both high engagement on my part and on Ana’s part and can be done day or night as long as the arena is open. Trail riding requires little engagement from me and only light engagement from Ana but she needs to be fairly chill and we need day light and good weather and access to the trails. 

So today’s best choice was trail riding and it worked out really well. We tackled the small water obstacle 3 times; she crossed twice and jumped the 3rd time but all good just proud of her for being willing to try it. My being sick helps because I’m so checked out and slow to react that I’m not adding to her anxiety. 

Since I had to go into town anyway to see the doc; I stopped and got a pedicure. I always feel so much more together afterwards. Now just need to kick this head cold...


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## SueC

Very tidy feet!  And good that you got a nice trail in too... 



Yeah, it's good to make Plan Bs. Hope your head cold gets better soon. I've had another low-level migraine since yesterday - I had visitors and couldn't stop, so the thing has pursued me into another day. Probably should try to sleep it off but so much to do...


Good health to you - lots of hot honey and lemon. I think I'll try that myself too...


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## frlsgirl

*Hello and Happy December!*

@SueC hot honey and lemon sounds yummy. My go to drink recently has been hot green tea. 

Doc put me on antibiotics and prednisone as I had expected but I didn’t expect that a rattle had developed in my left lung so he also put me on an inhaler. 

So I didn’t ride Ana again until Wednesday. 

We lunged a little (see pic) and then did some light Dressage Schooling and drum roll please: guess who stood perfectly still at the mounting block for the first time ever?!? Very proud momma moment. Schooling went ok nothing spectacular but no problems or glaring issues. After reviewing the video footage I noticed that she was “throwing down” quite a bit which I didn’t catch while I was riding. Just a mental note for next time. I was just happy to be well enough to sort of school so I didn’t want to overdo it anyway. 

Then I rode her today in the party lesson. She had been stalled overnight due to storms, plus she had not been worked in a couple of days and now the temp started to drop and the wind picked up. She was a fire breathing dragon; even just tacking her up was quite a chore as she stomped around from side to side, screaming and snorting. There was no question: today was a lunge day!

I had intended on just quietly trotting her for a few circles; yeah, Ana had a different idea - picture galloping frantically in 5 meter circles as I’m trying to get her calmed down. She did finally calm down enough to do some quiet thoughtful lunging which meant it was finally safe enough to get on. 

She was still quite forward but soft and listening. We participated in most of the lesson and then called it quits when everyone decided to do some equitation pattern work. 

Overall I’m really happy with today’s adventure. She started out so crazy but was able to get her head in the game and almost stood still for mounting. She took one tiny step forward so I made her backup and stand quietly before we proceeded. I wish we could have avoided galloping in tight circles so hopefully she didn’t strain anything. 

Hoping to go ride tomorrow.


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## SueC

Gah, I hate being sick, sorry you're dealing with all that! As the pollen count is dropping here now, and the grass is starting to dry in some parts of the fields, I am actually getting days with normal energy and no sneezing again, after about two months of antihistamine-resistant hayfever that felt like the flu. So relief is on the horizon for me now. Stay rugged up nice and warm where you are - respiratory infections aren't much fun!

...I can just imagine us corresponding in our 80s: "Had to use the Zimmer frame today. Horse spooked at Zimmer frame. Had to lunge horse after that to get the adrenaline out of its system." :Angel:

It's quite a challenge riding a horse when it's whipped up by the meteorological events etc. Well done on your approach; fingers crossed your mare won't have done anything silly while racing around in circles. Good that you had a nice ride! 

Ana is such an _innocent_-looking fire-breathing dragon! :rofl:

Enjoy your hot green tea! & Gute Besserung! ;-)


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## greentree

Awww, what a darling picture! I am so happy you had a nice ride, and the drugs help you feel better quickly!!

I have question(I would not ask about this if you didn’t have intermittent lameness problems...) Do you know why her RF coronary band is so wavy? Her left side appears to be straighter.


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## frlsgirl

greentree said:


> Awww, what a darling picture! I am so happy you had a nice ride, and the drugs help you feel better quickly!!
> 
> I have question(I would not ask about this if you didn’t have intermittent lameness problems...) Do you know why her RF coronary band is so wavy? Her left side appears to be straighter.



I do not. Vet is coming tomorrow for annual vaccinations so I will ask her.


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## frlsgirl

Good news - no sign of lameness. 

Today seemed like the perfect opportunity to ride around the property and practice crossing water. The first crossing was the most dramatic one as she jumped it but then we kept going over it several times from both directions and even though she seems to need a few seconds to gawk and snort at it, she always crossed it albeit a few awkward looking steps. 

She seemed pretty pleased with herself and eagerly nickered at me when it was time to collect her reward: 2 organic carrots


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## SueC

Great photos! Do you have a photo-elf to take these?


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## egrogan

Beautiful day for a ride! Love the last picture..._Mom, we’re flyyyyyyyying!_


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## PoptartShop

Awww I love the photos. Looks like a great ride.  Glad there was no lameness, either. That is always good.

The last picture is my fav!


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## frlsgirl

No Elf @SueC just a GoPro  

Here is a short video; poor thing is so scared of water. You can really see her trying to work up the courage to go and then when she does she's like "eek, something touched my leg, eek" lol








Quick Update/Vet Visit:

Her ovary is back to normal - no surgery for Ana - woohoo!

@Greentree - no issues with coronary band; maybe the previous picture made it look wavy from the mud

Vet took a skin scraping back to the lab as we are still struggling with scratching on her crest - nothing was found; no mites, nothing. She thinks that she's just developed a bad habit now so it might have started as sweet itch for example but because she continued to scratch it, it's become a behavior now. So she got a cortisone shot, we are changing supplements again and she's getting a turtleneck to wear so that she can't scratch it anymore.

Everything else went well except that she has a broken tooth way in the back and a mysterious cut on her tongue; vet thinks that maybe she chewed on a rock and broke her tooth that way. Since it's not bothering her, she wants to leave it alone for now. The mysterious cut on her tongue is already half healed, who knows how she got that - I just imagine her running around the paddock with sharp objects trying to find new ways to injure herself


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## greentree

Oh, that IS good news on BOTH counts!! (Insert ‘hiding under chair’ emoji here) I am trying not to laugh at this new way that your mare has tried to kill herself.....munching on glass!


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## PoptartShop

Happy to hear the vet visit went well.  Thank goodness she doesn't need surgery!!! What a relief. Whew, that is great!! Goodness, who knows, Ana is always getting into some kinda trouble. :lol: Silly girl. Awww! She's like water? NOPE!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies! I’m so relieved that she won’t need surgery. Now if we can just keep her away from sharp objects...

So I finally bought Ana a slinky. It was a bit of a struggle to get it on but she handled it well; her pasture mates looked a bit perplexed like “is she here to rob us?”

PS: finally captured a rare good canter moment on camera


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## PoptartShop

Awww, she looks adorable! LOL she does look like a criminal! :rofl: Love the canter shot too. So happy to hear things are on the up & up with Ana.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @PoptartShop 

Well she managed to pull the fave part of her slinky off within a day. By the time I arrived to check on her today she had it half way down her neck and partially ripped. I give up. I pulled the remaining chunks of fabric from her and threw it in the garbage

I actually stopped by to go for a ride but she clearly needed to be lunged first. So we lunged, and lunged some more and more. Just trying to get her to listen to anything. We ended up having to do walk halt transitions to get her slowed down enough to listen. 

Then I got on. She stood still for mounting-yay. She was still quite fired up and forward but responsive to aids. She had two minor spooks but other than that it went well. I just kept her really busy with shoulder in, loops, etc. We didn’t canter; she was just too fired up and I was just happy that I could get some nice trot work out of her. When I dismounted I noticed that she had lipstick on both sides - yay


I need to ride her more 2 to 3 times a week is not enough.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad to hear Ana's ovary is back to normal and her issues are now residual habits. I hope she is happy in her work, in the field she looks much more uphill, alert and eager to please. So that's super! I'm glad you're happy 

How is the barn coming?


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## frlsgirl

DanteDressageNerd said:


> I'm glad to hear Ana's ovary is back to normal and her issues are now residual habits. I hope she is happy in her work, in the field she looks much more uphill, alert and eager to please. So that's super! I'm glad you're happy
> 
> How is the barn coming?


Hi Cass! Happy to hear from you :smile:

The barn...lots of obstacles to overcome still before that happens :|


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## PoptartShop

Oh gosh, silly Ana! That didn't last long!

Glad you lunged her beforehand, sometimes that is needed. I have to do that with Promise sometimes. They do have their moments. Glad you did have some positives in your ride, and I hope you get to ride more. I know 2-3x a week isn't much, but I know life gets busy too. But it is true the more you ride the better she will be, consistency is golden. 

Hopefully the next ride she will be more focused!


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## frlsgirl

We had a Christmas party at the barn yesterday starting with a party lesson, followed by a potluck and Dirty Santa Sock exchange. 

The ride was ok; we certainly had good moments but the best part was at the end; i finished my ride early and decided to take Ana for a spin in the field. Only one problem: I needed to close the gate behind me as others were continuing on with the lesson. So I got brave and tried it. She of course got a little worked up but I remained calm and focused and inch by inch we got closer and closer until I could reach the latch. We did it! We really did it! 

This may not be a big deal to others but ever since we had the accident with the gate at the last barn, she’s been really nervous around gates and I tried to close this particular gate before and gave up because she got too worked up. 

So that was the best part of the entire weekend :smile:

Ps: I’m thinking about getting the Custom Icon Flight on trial. I’m working up the courage to go for it. I may still chicken out. It takes me a long time to make big decisions.


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## frlsgirl

I did it. I got brave and ordered a saddle on trial. It’s in stock and will be shipped today. But let’s keep this on the down low; I don’t want to upset Santa so close to the holidays :hide:


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## SaddleUp158

You will have to let me know how you like it. I will be in the market for one this spring once I sell my Trilogy.


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## frlsgirl

Will do @SaddleUp158 !

A lot of people seem to love Icon Line by Custom Saddlery and they are extremely difficult to find used because people just hang on to them forever. I’ve just been dying with curiosity if they are really THAT great and just couldn’t stand it anymore so I ordered the Icon Flight because that particular model is supposed to be for riders with back pain. 

Part of me hopes that it will solve all of our problems but part of me hopes that we hate it because we can’t afford it right now. 

I was shocked at how much better I was able to ride in the Mac saddle I had on trial but Ana hated the flap design which just put this seed in my head that maybe in a far away land (New Hampshire) we can find something that we both love.


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## egrogan

Oohhh, where in New Hampshire did you get it on trial? Pelham Saddlery? Let me know if you need any on-the-ground help as it's a lot closer for me than you! My down the street neighbor is also a Custom rep/fitter if you need to connect with someone.


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## frlsgirl

Yep Pelham Saddlery @egrogan. The closest rep I found is based in Texas.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> No Elf @SueC just a GoPro
> 
> Here is a short video; poor thing is so scared of water. You can really see her trying to work up the courage to go and then when she does she's like "eek, something touched my leg, eek" lol



Now, if I'd kept Sunsmart entire instead of advocating he be gelded at age 11, he and Ana could have had babies, and then you would have had the _ultimate_ equine hydrophobes! The sort that aquaplane on puddles and turn into hovercrafts if you try to take them swimming! inkunicorn::blueunicorn:


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## frlsgirl

Deep Dressage thoughts lol:

You know what makes being successful so difficult in this sport? 

1) Everyone is on a different path so you can’t compare yourself to others at all. For example, my friends horse likes to bolt out of the arena during tests which of course results in an elimination. When he stays in the ring, he gets good scores. So in her case, a successful test means staying in the ring.

For someone else, it might mean getting a 70% at PSG as opposed to the usual 65%

In my case, keeping Ana relatively calm, thereby improving relaxation, contact, forward etc is what it’s all about. 

2) Success in working with horses happens very differently compared to having success in college for example. You study hard and you will likely receive good grades. The path the gratification is very clear. Working with horses, you can train all winter, have several excellent rides and then go to a show and the horse bolts out of the arena because it didn’t like that the judge was wearing a red sweater. 

Working with horses does not result in linear and or immediately visible success. But it’s the little things like being able to open and close and gate from horseback, being able to cross a puddle with a horse deathly afraid of water. Nobody sees those things except you and your horse. Nobody will run up to you and hand you a ribbon for closing a gate or crossing a puddle. You just have to be ok with that and find joy in these little personal successes knowing that you will receive zero recognition from the outside world. And that needs to be ok. It needs to be enough.

You need to be the kind of person who enjoys the process of working with horses more than how the outside world might judge your 5 minute test. A test is just a tiny fraction of your overall experience with your horse.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I completely agree with you Tanja. We're all a different path, we all have different goals, ambitions and ideas of what makes us happy. Nothing wrong with going at your own pace and being happy with yourself. I know it's hard, getting the basics down takes the most time and then the rest of your career. I remember spending a lot of nights in tears because I wasnt good enough or I didnt have the money to do the things I wanted and in general just being frustrated and filled with self hatred of "not being good enough." Now it's like well that's life, horses and training you have good days and bad days, good rides and bad rides, sometimes you take many steps forward and a few steps back. People will judge, people will be condescending and rude but you know what. Most the time the people I've met who are condescending and rude are the ones who dont know squat about what they're talking about or looking at. The most judgmental often know the least and the reason they are so rude is because they cant. Or sometimes people think they know way more than they do and criticize to make themselves feel mighty. Rather than being helpful or insightful! Everyone is struggling with something, not one of us are perfect. Everyday we make mistakes.

I've also known several ladies who get really frustrated because they're brilliant in their respective field but have REALLY struggled learning to ride and developing feel. They feel like they're not doing enough or suck or whatever and I've always been like hey don't think of it that way, enjoy YOUR journey. Dont look at me or so and so, etc and say why dont I ride like that, ride YOUR best ride and enjoy it. Else why do it? This sport is hard enough without being good moral support for each other imo. 

If it makes you feel better, I struggle with Wonder everyday. Many days I get ran off with and have to run him into a wall. And most of the time people can't understand him because they've never worked with or met a horse like him, so tend to be unfairly critical or incredibly judgmental because they have an ideology without experience and hold an unrealistic standard of perfection that simply doesnt exist. Or they dont understand the process of developing an upper level dressage horse and so have no idea what they're looking at or what the beginning steps are. And expect a horse developing piaffe to start off with a show ready piaffe.


----------



## lostastirrup

frlsgirl said:


> Deep Dressage thoughts lol:
> 
> You know what makes being successful so difficult in this sport?
> 
> 1) Everyone is on a different path so you can’t compare yourself to others at all. For example, my friends horse likes to bolt out of the arena during tests which of course results in an elimination. When he stays in the ring, he gets good scores. So in her case, a successful test means staying in the ring.
> 
> For someone else, it might mean getting a 70% at PSG as opposed to the usual 65%
> 
> In my case, keeping Ana relatively calm, thereby improving relaxation, contact, forward etc is what it’s all about.
> 
> 2) Success in working with horses happens very differently compared to having success in college for example. You study hard and you will likely receive good grades. The path the gratification is very clear. Working with horses, you can train all winter, have several excellent rides and then go to a show and the horse bolts out of the arena because it didn’t like that the judge was wearing a red sweater.
> 
> Working with horses does not result in linear and or immediately visible success. But it’s the little things like being able to open and close and gate from horseback, being able to cross a puddle with a horse deathly afraid of water. Nobody sees those things except you and your horse. Nobody will run up to you and hand you a ribbon for closing a gate or crossing a puddle. You just have to be ok with that and find joy in these little personal successes knowing that you will receive zero recognition from the outside world. And that needs to be ok. It needs to be enough.
> 
> You need to be the kind of person who enjoys the process of working with horses more than how the outside world might judge your 5 minute test. A test is just a tiny fraction of your overall experience with your horse.


I wish I could "love" this. I think one thing that crosses my mind- we always get told to train the tests, that the tests: Training, 1st, etc will prepare you for the concepts in the next level, or the German training scale will prepare your horse for the next concept building to collection, but unfortunately the horses didn't read the training scale or know that they should now be ready for half pass etc etc. For some reason Nick finds collection easy, extensions easy, but even the simplest work on three tracks agonizing. When we get on the horse we have to throw out "ought" and be okay with riding the paces underneath us to the best exhibition of the horse. You've got a powerful little mare who has opinions and aches and you've done beautifully developing her and building her based on her needs and strengths.


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## frlsgirl

I’m glad you guys can relate @DanteDressageNerd and @lostastirrup and hopefully find it reassuring. In today’s society we are so conditioned for immediate gratification and linear measurable progress that we just assume everything should work this way. Horses are here to keep us humble

Went to ride Ana tonight. She seemed so calm and innocent as I was tacking her up lol. 

As soon as we entered the arena, the fire breathing dragon emerged. In her defense the arena is a bit sketchy at night especially when it’s windy. Lots of random noises and movement. 

So we lunged, and hand walked before I felt safe enough to get on. There was a cone set up in the middle of the arena so we used it to do trot figure eights and then did a series of trot canter transitions while staying on the figure eight pattern. I think the added complexity actually helped us both because Ana was too busy listening to me that she couldn’t focus on the arena gremlins, and I was too busy focusing on riding that I couldn’t worry too much about anything. 

What was interesting is that after we broke through that initial defensive posture when I was lunging her, she transformed into this beautiful lofty Dressage horse. It’s like letting go of tension suddenly felt really good to her and she was finding a new level of loveliness, motoring forward in a relaxed, soft, giving kind of way. This carried over into our ride. When I dismounted I discovered she was wearing a solid white lipstick on both sides. Usually we get just a thin line on one side; very rarely on both sides. I hand walked her to cool her down before tucking her into her stall for dinner. 

I will do some more figure eight work with her in the near future as it really seemed to help.


----------



## greentree

This reminds me of how I got involved in my first dressage show.....

I had put my sweet mare down, and was SO depressed. I had a lesson scheduled, and I could NOT bring myself to call and cancel, so I pulled my big Paint gelding out and took him. 

Aside from bolting across the arena when the miniature donkey spotted him and started braying, we had a good ride. So Fran says, You know, this horse is doing pretty good.....you should show him at my show! (Two weeks away!!) Boy, was THAT a whirlwind 2 weeks!! The horse was registered in my son’s name, and it was a recognized show, so I had to do a lease, join USEF, USDF, HDS, and register the horse with all of them. 

The next week’s lesson was a bit challenging....and there were a couple of other ladies working in the arena at the same time. I told her all this work was probably for nothing...how was my big ol’ Paint horse going to fare against these gorgeous WB’s?? She is an ‘S’ judge, so she knows what she is talking about. 

She said, see that mare over there? She is going to get some 8’s, but she is ALSO going to get some 2’s.....Your horse is going to get 7’s straight down, and beat her!! I held my head high with that thought....she was RIGHT!! We got 2firsts, and 2 seconds, and she had put me in the team competition(I did not know this until I went to get my ribbons), and we had won that!! 

That is what taught me to ride my own horse, and not worry about what anyone else is doing. DQ’s can look down their noses at me all they want, but I know that MY horses are going to get 7’s , and that is respectable enough for me!!


----------



## frlsgirl

Yay @greentree I’m glad you were able to learn a valuable lesson from this experience!


----------



## lostastirrup

@greentree I had a similar experience except I was on the "fancy" horse (he wasn't fancy so much as tall and pretty) a gal was riding a good little QH, but kept scrapping because she was afraid to lose, I talked to her while I was there and she felt a little intimidated by me on big ol woodhead Rocket, and another gal on a persnickety WB. The thing was 1/3 of the time I was getting DQ'd and the other gal was fighting to have her horse keep it's tongue in it's mouth. If she'd ridden the tests, she would have won by a pile of points, but she wouldn't. 

Guess we all have to just ride the horse under us and hope for the best.


----------



## frlsgirl

Great stories, ladies. Thanks for sharing :thumbsup:

Ana and I have been riding all weekend :runninghorse2:

Here are some pics from today. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful equine filled Christmas :wave:


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## frlsgirl

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas! DH got me a custom weather vane (sp?) to go on top of future barn. 

The dogs got squirrels in a nest game which they loved; the best part is watching them open their presents:







I rode 3 days in a row so I gave her Christmas off but couldn’t resist stopping by to give her some scratches and carrots. 

Saddle comes today! Got riding gear packed so I can go straight from work to the barn. I finally broke the news to DH and he took it fairly well; it helps that I went overboard on gifts this year and that it’s only a saddle trial not a purchase.


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## egrogan

Your weather vane is beautiful! As I’m sure you know, the Morgan is the inspiration for classic American weather vanes :grin:

Good luck with your test ride! When I had a bunch of saddles on trial I actually had the fitter out to go over them with me on the horse and with me riding, and while he was not a pleasant guy to deal with (not very good “bedside manner”) he did help me make a good choice that needed minimal reflocking to fit Izzy. Hope this one works well for you both!


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Your weather vane is beautiful! As I’m sure you know, the Morgan is the inspiration for classic American weather vanes :grin:


I didn’t no this! That’s cool!


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## egrogan

frlsgirl said:


> I didn’t no this! That’s cool!


Oh yes, they were modeled on Ethan Allen as he looked in his trotting races. I've always thought that was pretty neat.

This is from an article in the _Morgan Horse Magazine_


> His races were the subject of many Currier & Ives prints, and he was also the model for several versions of the popular weathervanes manufactured by Cushing & White in Waltham, Massachusetts. These weathervanes were made entirely of copper and gilded with twenty-three carat gold leaf


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## frlsgirl

Really cool @egrogan. Now that you are in Vermont, are you seeing more Morgans, and have you been to the Morgan museum?

Update!

I rode in the saddle last night and so far I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

I want to ride in it a few more times and have someone film me up close. 

I can canter in it forever without back pain or feeling off balance in any way. 

Ana hasn’t given me much feedback on it yet but she was very distracted by the weather. We even had to do an emergency dismount as she flipped out when rain suddenly pelleted the roof. I was able to jump off without any problems. 

The only obvious feedback I got from her so far as that she could back up in it easier and I felt like I could get her round more easily which tells me that she is able to lift her back more easily. 

I messaged the saddle fitter and she says it looks good from what she could see at first glance. 

Yay.


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## SueC

:rofl: @*frlsgirl* , your dogs and those packages!  Our Jess got a soccer ball for Christmas, and a new tube of real tennis balls. She'd wrecked all the old ones...


 the photos of you and Ana. You look like you're feeling a lot better than you were earlier this year! Hope that saddle works out every bit as well as you hope it will. Sounds promising already!


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## frlsgirl

Our dogs take Christmas very seriously @SueC  

Alright a saddle update. 

I had hoped for a quiet ride in the covered arena so that I could get some good footage. 

It didn’t work out that way. We got kicked out of the arena because they wanted to water and drag in preparation for lessons today. 

So we got banished to the outdoor with terrible footing while BO was running scary machinery just feet from us and bonus: a construction crew was making all kinds of noise on the opposite side of the arena. So we had our choice of spookortunities. 

So it was basically the worst set up I’ve ever ridden Ana in but we still managed to get some decent footage in between the spooks. 

So keep in mind that I struggled to keep her calm, forward and focused. She actually rode a lot better the previous day. I’m hoping to get one more day of good riding and filming in good footing and non Armageddon like conditions. 

Here is a short slow mo canter clip. 







Here are some w/t/c pics and a close up of the saddle. My friend says Ana’s canter looks a lot more calm in this saddle. Also she can do sitting trot and back up easily without going hollow which she struggles with in my current saddle. 

I do think my stirrups are a hair too short so I will lengthen them for our next ride.


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## frlsgirl

Third ride in trial saddle. This time with longer stirrups. Ana is continuing to like this saddle. It doesn’t make sense...why after so many saddles did she finally find one that she likes? I honestly thought that Ana just doesn’t want to be ridden and that’s why she pins her ears so much especially at the canter. 

Also what are the odds that I would find a saddle on the internet that just happens to fit her? When I’ve had certified saddle fitters tell me that her current saddle fits well yet Ana doesn’t like it? 

I guess Ana didn’t read any of the saddle fitting books. She just likes what she likes. 

So I’m probably going to buy the trial saddle which means I’ll be selling the old one. I wish I could keep them both because the other one is great for trail and walk/trot work.


----------



## lostastirrup

That canter picture is a marked difference to how she usually goes. It's lovely. She's still over using her underneck, but you can see a stronger step under and that muscle at the base of the wither activate. 

When my pony out-rounded my saddle canter became not so nice. That was my sign. I had to work getting him through which is not normal for him. I think a lot of them will tolerate a lot in trot and walk but won't in canter- people too. The saddle has to fit you both for canter to work. 

Have you read any of the French works? Their emphasis on acceptance of the contact and lightness for some reason seems in my mind as a good fit for a feisty mare. I like some "forward first" training with Nick, but I really like the French way that is so "free choice" for horses who are athletic and sometimes against the contact. . I think Nick and Anna have similar evasions, so I wonder if she'd take to it too. I could be very wrong though.


----------



## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup thank you for taking the time to write such detailed feedback. 

She’s a feisty one indeed. I’ve looked into the French classical approach as well as the traditional approach and I would say generally speaking more forward helps her the most if applied correctly; letting her run around hollow does not work. I’ve recently learned how to influence her more with my seat so that I set the speed by simply rising the trot slower and holding the feeling in my core. 

The other problem with forward and contact is that she needs to be laterally supple or she will just run and evade. 

So what I do now is that I first ask myself how she’s feeling today. If she’s running I slow her down by rising slower, if she’s hollow, I loosen her up with lateral stuff, if she’s behind the leg I wake her up with transitions and reinforce with the whip if necessary but I use the whip sparingly as that can unleash the fire breathing dragon. It’s not that a tap with the whip hurts physically, it’s more like “how dare you correct me like I’m some common school horse!” 

The key is to be quick at recognizing the presenting problem and then fixing it quickly and efficiently without nagging or harping on a problem so then I will ask her something easy because I’m trying to get her to feel successful. 

It’s tricky because I have to consider both psychology and physiology. 

Also keeping her very busy helps so that she doesn’t get a chance to form opinions because she’s too busy with the complexity of the exercise. 

I’m glad you are experimenting with Nick to see what works best for him. If it’s one thing I’ve learned from Ana, is that she doesn’t care about what the text book says


----------



## lostastirrup

@frlsgirl

I'm not sure if that was the most detailed feedback lol. I really like the look and structure of Ana, she looks like a fun challenge. I understand she's not naturally very forward?


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## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup she is more speedy than forward; very sensitive to aids but she won’t offer a truly forward trot; you have to ask her for it. It only takes a light touch with the leg to trot but a lot of leg into hand to get it forward and through.

Here is a canter comparison pic between current saddle and trial saddle.


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## SueC

When they're more comfortable, they're calmer and less inclined to rush. Looks like Ana is giving the new saddle a thumbs-up!


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## frlsgirl

Well ladies. It’s done. I bought the trial saddle today. I took my old saddle home and detailed it yesterday and got it listed for sale. 

I think I may have uncovered a new talent. “Black hooves tack detailing services coming to a barn near you”

Before and after pics:


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## PoptartShop

Yeah, it looks like you have a better seat in the new saddle. Sounds like a winner and Ana-approved!
Congrats!!!  Wow, cleaned up pretty nice. You will sell it in no time.

A new saddle makes all the difference.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks @PoptartShop hopefully Dressage judges agree and give me better rider scores! But my number one goal is to make sure Ana is happy with the saddle cause if Ana ain’t happy, nobody is 

Ugh it’s Thursday. I haven’t sat on Ana since Sunday! She is feral by now for sure. Between work and freezing rain, I just haven’t made it over there!

I did stop by Tuesday only to pick up my tack cleaning bucket and drop off my board check. So I left my car running and was in and out in about 2 minutes. Ana was munching on a giant round bale and peaked her head over the top staring at me shocked like “what’s she doing here?!? It’s way too cold to ride!!!” I hadn’t planned on interacting with her at all but she spotted my car and like a nosey neighbor had to keep an eye on me.

I wanted to go tonight and at least lunge her but not sure if I want to get out in the snow and muck.


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## frlsgirl

Update:

We cantered, and cantered and then, you guessed it, we cantered some more. That is all. 

:gallop:


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## SueC

Great!  What a difference that has made! When I got a new saddle six years ago, it was so great not to be constantly have to correct it sliding to the right...


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## frlsgirl

Yikes @SueC a sliding saddle is no bueno !

I rode Ana 3 days in a row. This is what she was doing when I arrived on day 3 :ZZZ:






I always feel so awkward when I interrupt her nap time. 

Here are some random pictures from the weekend.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Yikes @SueC a sliding saddle is no bueno !


 Too right! :rofl: It was my mare's saddle, both of them were shaped like 44 gallon drums, but Sunsmart had one shoulder bigger than the other and this caused the saddle to tend to slide - not much, but enough to be annoying. It was especially bad before I added a nice sheepskin saddle blanket, which helped out until I could afford a new saddle. This was at its worst, pre-sheepskin, slidey slide to the right:










The new saddle I got for him back in 2012 is designed especially for horses who are built like tanks and have huge shoulders, so the saddle cuts well away from the shoulder, as you can see here:





Feels much better. Sort of like a magic carpet! ;-)




> I rode Ana 3 days in a row. This is what she was doing when I arrived on day 3 :ZZZ:
> 
> I always feel so awkward when I interrupt her nap time.
> 
> Here are some random pictures from the weekend.


Beautiful photos!  And had to laugh at the clip: Ana licking her lips and looking speculative. That's what my horse does when he's thinking, "Ah, here's the monkey who produces yummy treats at random!" :rofl:


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## frlsgirl

Interesting saddle design @SueC I’m glad you were able to find something that works.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I cant say why she likes her new saddle better, I think horses have their own idea of what feels right like how they like their pants to fit *shrugs* 

I think her canter is more true to rhythm in the new saddle. She has a clearer 3 beat. Laterals submission and true acceptance and respect of the outside rein is the trick to fixing the canter. It's all about laterals, many steps to fix a canter. It's always a delicate balance of allowing the forward and improving the scope and at the same time helping to sit the croup lower and raise the shoulder to help with the balance. 

I also think too forward you lose suppleness in the back and too slow you lose connection and energy. When schooling a horse that is too quick, I'll often focus more on the collection and keeping the hair slower than I want and a horse that is behind the leg I always think of go, I whisper and expect an extreme reaction but Good luck I hope this new saddle helps in your journey!


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## frlsgirl

:wave: hi Cass @DanteDressageNerd. Good to hear from you. 

Her canter feels night and day different to me in this new saddle. I do realize that it’s far from a high scoring canter but it feels so lovely to me like all I want to do is canter. 

We are finally at a place where we can work on the fine tuning - thanks for all your tips. We will keep playing with it!


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## PoptartShop

Awww, what a cute video! Ana is so pretty. She's like, fine...I'll wake up from my nap now & do some work...LOL. :lol:

So happy the saddle is working out. It really does make such a difference.  
When you feel better, and when she feels better, it makes everything better!!


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## frlsgirl

I’ve got an appointment with the saddle fitter Monday to fine tune the saddle. I hope she doesn’t tell me that the saddle doesn’t fit, cause Ana says it does. In that case I’m taking Ana’s word “whinny” over saddle fitters.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Im really happy that youre happy with the new saddle and that youre comfortable and confident now to canter. I know that's a big deal and you should be excited. It's not about getting a high scoring canter but enjoying it and feeling hope in the harmony. The "quality" isnt priority before the joy of it. You will get what you want, just have to have faith in the process. We all have our own journey to walk.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you kindly @DanteDressageNerd

Very wise words about enjoying the process. I’m listening to an audiobook right now that touches on precisely that. Focusing on systems design habits rather than outcome based habits. Too many people focus on achieving goals and only allow themselves to be happy when the goal is achieved. If I focus on system design with Ana then I have permission to be happy anytime I execute the system. 

It also talks about the aggregation of marginal gains which I was doing with Ana but I didn’t know the process had a name. 

And don’t get me started on the ice cube theory...mind blown, life changed. 

Yesterday I forgot about the system and the old goal focused Tanja re-emerged as I was feverishly practicing for next weeks show. Needless to say it didn’t go all that well. I mean we had beautiful moments but as soon as Ana felt that she was being drilled the oppositional defiant mare emerged. She kept trying to guide me to the dismount spot to let me know she’s done. She’s so tricky. We had such a beautiful left lead canter. It was like riding on a cloud. I just never thought it could be this lovely with her. So then I got greedy and wanted to do more and more and Ana was like “we are done now”

Silly girl. Really need to fix my system design so that she doesn’t know we are practicing for a Dressage test. We’ve been doing too much arena work lately but we don’t have many options as the pasture is flooded and it’s always dark. The full Ana entertainment package is simply not available right now. 

I got to think of some other things I can do with her...

Here are some pics from my second ride in the saddle that my barn mate took of us. My stirrups were a bit too short.


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## frlsgirl

Well I usually type up an update with lots of pics and fun stuff that we did. No pics. And no riding this weekend as it’s been bitterly cold and rainy. 

I did stop by to check on her yesterday as she had been stuck in her stall for several hours. I didn’t do much; just refilled her hay and water, picked out her stall, cleaned her hooves which were packed with frozen soil, started brushing her but it was too cold to remove her blanket so grooming was limited to her neck. I then had the bright idea to take her for a walk in the arena. She didn’t seem thrilled about it. She spent most of it whinnying to her pasture mates. I do feel like I’m interrupting her life whenever I go see her. Like she doesn’t need me or care to see me anymore. I’m simply an interruption to her routine. 

So today I decided I needed to focus on relationship building with Ana. Complete grooming with massage followed by carrot stretches and other body work exercises. I nearly caused a riot in the barn when I busted out the carrots. Cooped up horses are angry horses! I imagine this is what prison riots are like as they start to turn on each other out of shear frustration.

I’m signed up for T1 and T2 next week. The weather forecast looks grim. I’m secretly hoping it gets cancelled. I’m also hoping to get at least one ride in this week. 

Wishing everyone a happy riding week free from inclement weather.


----------



## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Very wise words about enjoying the process. I’m listening to an audiobook right now that touches on precisely that. Focusing on systems design habits rather than outcome based habits. Too many people focus on achieving goals and only allow themselves to be happy when the goal is achieved. If I focus on system design with Ana then I have permission to be happy anytime I execute the system.


You've put into words exactly what I got stuck on when we were building our house! :smile: I got so disheartened because the goals took so much longer to achieve than I thought they would / should. For a whole year I felt anxious and behind, before I realised I couldn't possibly make accurate time predictions for tasks I'd never done before, and switched to timetabling myself to priority tasks and just chipping away and refusing to answer the question, "When will this / that be finished?" As long as I was spending x amount of hours working seriously on a particular task, I was on my way, and therefore allowed to be happy with that and to relax. And we did end up finishing, and had a great outcome, without getting a heart attack first!  It just took longer than we thought it would...

I only set "do by time Y" goals now when I actually have enough familiarity with the tasks to know pretty accurately how long it will take...

And with horse training, it's hard to know exactly how long something is going to take, as well...

I'm about halfway through Charles Duhigg's "The Power Of Habit" at present, and finding that really interesting!


----------



## frlsgirl

@SueC you might also like “Atomic Habits” by James Clear - life altering, mind blown. 

I finally rode Ana last night after a week long break. 

She was in pretty good spirits; and then Prince left the arena to go for a trail ride without her and she got a little mad but then she got really soft and lovely. She actually stretched down at the canter. I have the entire sequence from temper tantrum to lovely soft canter on video. 






If you just want to see the canter part here it is






Still hoping Saturday’s show gets rescheduled.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad you're showing training level, I know you had questioned that earlier. I'm glad you're doing it. Her canter is much improved, much truer rhythm. You guys have improved a lot, you should be proud!!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you so much for your kind words @DanteDressageNerd

I was just looking back at pics from the May 2018 show compared with now and yikes a lot has changed for the better. I wasn’t comfortable or coordinated enough to really ride her through and then the saddle didn’t help either. I also didn’t have a concept of carrying my own weight in a way that could influence her positively. 

Not to mention I was about 20 pounds heavier back then. 

Update: show got moved to 1/26 yay


----------



## frlsgirl

It’s been a long weekend. Lots of things going on waiting to be resolved (not Ana related) so that’s been causing me a lot of anxiety. 

At times like this I like to spend a lot of time at the barn to help keep me sane but the weather has not been that cooperative. Saturday we woke up to 20mph wind and miserably cold temps. I was the only boarder to make a trip to the barn. I didn’t stay long; just enough for a scratch a carrot and a selfie. 

Today was a tad warmer and no wind so we rode and played with the ball. 

I didn’t ride too long as the cold was getting to me. Whenever I’m out in really cold air, my upper back starts to hurt. I don’t know if I’m holding my breath or stiffening in my body to counteract the cold but by the time I got done grooming and lunging I was already in pain. So we did a lot of walk, a bit of trot and a sprinkle of canter. 

On the way out Ana wanted to play with the ball some more: 






Now it’s buckle down time. I just gotta stay strong and focused and not get distracted by things that are out of my control. The show is coming up, I got some serious schedule finagling to do so that I can get everything done. 

Hope everyone has a great week.


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## SueC

You and Ana are both looking great, and even better when together: Horse-human synergy? 

I hope life gets a bit simpler for you soon. :hug:

Just _had_ to look up ice cube theory the other day after you mentioned it. Very useful - thank you!


----------



## PoptartShop

Sorry to hear things are a bit stressful and making you anxious. Anxiety is horrible. I suffer with it as well. :sad:

Glad you got to see Ana and do some work with her despite the cold. It could make you a bit more stiff and that's why it hurts more. I have the same issue.

She is so cute playing with the ball!  Love the selfie too!


----------



## frlsgirl

Thanks for your encouraging words @SueC and @PoptartShop 

Well tonight I got the text message that I’ve been dreading to receive all weekend. And you know what? it’s fine. No big deal.


----------



## SueC

You do realise I am now on tenterhooks! :Angel:


----------



## PoptartShop

Oh no. :hug: 

Sending hugs your way!


----------



## frlsgirl

*Guess what today is?*

It’s my 5 year Ana-versary!

5 years ago I said I do to becoming Ana’s owner. Hoping for many more years with my princess :Angel:


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## SaddleUp158

Ana hit the jackpot when you bought her!


----------



## frlsgirl

SaddleUp158 said:


> Ana hit the jackpot when you bought her!


Awww thanks @SaddleUp158 you are too kind!


----------



## SaddleUp158

frlsgirl said:


> Awww thanks @SaddleUp158 you are too kind!


We have said every since Ana was sold, that "if we could guarantee a home like Ana got it would be a lot easier to sell".


----------



## egrogan

Happy ana-versary :grin: I love all of our Morgan mares and am glad I've gotten to know Ana through your journalling.


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## PoptartShop

Aw! Happy ANAversary!!  You two are a perfect match!


----------



## carshon

Happy ANAversary!


----------



## frlsgirl

Thank you all for your kind words and for being part of Ana’s journal!

Update:

We ended up not going to the show as our trailer ride fell through so the BO arranged a massive party lesson complete with obstacles! 

Although that was fun, I really wanted to work with Ana by myself so I ran out to the barn early today and had the entire arena to myself! We went over and around stuff and finally had enough room to canter, so much fun. She tripped a couple of times over the poles but she is at the end of her shoeing cycle so her toes are a bit long. I checked her legs carefully afterwards and couldn’t detect any heat or swelling or anything unusual. 

She was really weird when I tried to take her back out she planted her feet and didn’t want to go so I waited thinking that she needed to pee but nothing happened. So I untacked her right there, walked away and left the camera running to see what she would do. She yawned, sniffed the bucket next to her and just watched me put away her tack. I came back with a carrot and then she decided she was ready to go with me. 

So I go to turn her back out and she doesn’t want to go; just stands there and tries to block me from closing the gate slowly stepping backwards like she’s trying to sneak out of the gate. I blocked her and gently moved her so that I could get the gate closed. So weird. She loves hanging out with her tribe. 

Here are some pics from yesterday and today:


----------



## frlsgirl

Ana was pumped to see me today. She was galloping around her pasture when I arrived. I was pumped to see her as well and then I noticed that she lost a shoe; A BRAND NEW SHOE that just got put on yesterday. BO and I walked through most of her muddy mess of a turnout but couldn’t find it while Ana stood tied to the hitching post whinnying “I’m over here mom!”

She was just full of enthusiasm. Everything was interesting: brushing, tacking, lunging, riding she was into everything. It reminded me of the scene in the movie “Yes Man” where Jim Carey drinks a bunch of Red Bull in an attempt to keep up with his new found zest for life. It was like she was talking in run on sentences and all caps. Like “OH HEY MOM...WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY...WE COULD TO THE THING WITH THE BRUSH...I LIKE BRUSHES DO YOU LIKE BRUSHES CAUSE I LIKE EM” 

BO said she should be ok to ride in good footing until the Farrier can come out and fix it. Hopefully later this week....


----------



## SueC

Those are lovely photos - and you look very comfortable in that saddle - that's the new one, isn't it?

Enthusiastic horses are so much fun!  Good luck with finding the shoe, and happy riding.


----------



## frlsgirl

Yes @SueC I love the new saddle. 

We gave up on trying to find the shoe as it could be stuck under layers of mud...I wonder how much a metal detector costs? I think every barn should have one.


----------



## PoptartShop

Ugh that sucks about the shoe! Come on, Ana!  Maybe that's why she was tripping a little the other day.

You guys look nice!  That saddle looks good too!
I love how happy she is when she sees you! <3


----------



## frlsgirl

Farrier came out Thursday and fixed up Ana; I stopped on my way to work Friday morning and put bellboots on her. Hopefully that will prevent her from pulling another shoe. 

I missed this mornings party lesson as I had to take my aging wiener dogs to the vet for their annual check up. Now that they are getting older (13 and 14 this year), annual checkups are a bit of a nail biter as I’m always nervous that the vet is going to find something horrible like cancer or diabetes. But aside from a mild ear infection, dirty teeth, and hook worms, all is well. 

They gave me Strongid to give them with a syringe. Interesting that Strongid works for both horses and dogs. With all the extra stuff the vet did this time around, the vet bill is was higher than expected. Actually, on a per pound basis, the dogs are costing a lot more in vet expenses than Ana. 

Speaking of Ana, I rode her today and she was VERY good. Look how cute she is doing a leg yield at a trot:


----------



## SueC

Beautiful movement... she looks like she has a ton of energy inside, like a little nuclear power station that could go critical mass at any moment...


----------



## frlsgirl

Today we had the arena to ourselves, or so we thought, until we came across this baby bird in the arena dirt. I was alive but couldn’t fly. So I attempted to scoop it up and move it but then it managed to crawl to the arena wall by itself where it stayed for the duration of our ride. 

We didn’t ride very long, maybe 20 minutes and then I took her for a quick spin outside. 

She seemed really chill today, like she was tired. It was difficult to get her super forward and through but sufficient for today’s agenda. 

When we were done I checked on the bird again and it was still in the same spot; Ana was not interested in getting anywhere near that thing. 

Tomorrow would be perfect riding weather but I gotta work late; hoping to find at least one day to ride her before the weekend.


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

SueC- I like it nuclear power station, too cute!

Tanja- she's looking really good, I'm glad you're getting so much more activity and like you two are continuing to come together and reach your goals step by step. Continue the good work! I'm glad you're gaining confidence and happiness together!


----------



## SueC

@DanteDressageNerd, the nuclear horses are the most fun.  I'm under the heavy impression that your steed has several megatons of fissile material at his reaction core! ;-)

@frlsgirl, hope you find lots of riding time and you-time this fortnight. :charge:


----------



## frlsgirl

Thank you for your kind words @DanteDressageNerd 

Thanks @SueC I was really hoping to ride today but I was pressed for time so planned to longe her instead. 

When I arrived she was in her stall so I walked her for a bit in the arena just to feel her out and warm up her muscles for longe work but she was so full of herself that I decided to just let her loose so she could blow off some much needed steam. 

Once she calmed down we walked some more to cool her down and did some ground work and body work before tucking her back into her stall.


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## PoptartShop

My mare gets like that sometimes. Sometimes you just need to let them tire themselves out. :lol: LOL. She is so pretty!!!


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## frlsgirl

Oh dear is it Sunday already?!?

We had a potluck at the barn followed by a freezing party lesson. It was so cold that I took turns sitting on each hand for a few walk strides desperately trying to warm up. Then I volunteered for every demo just so we could stay warm. At the end she had us canter and we managed 4 circles without a trot break; when I later watched the video footage I was shocked to see that we managed the 4 circles in 47 seconds; I guess Ana still believes that Dressage is a timed event :gallop:

Today we just did a light schooling session with lots of stretching. 

I got her a new saddle pad which fits surprisingly well; it’s an AP pad as most Dressage pads are way too big for her. 

Tuesday we got a private lesson to help us prep for the upcoming show and then I’m hoping to squeeze in one more light schooling session before the show.


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## lostastirrup

frlsgirl said:


> I got her a new saddle pad which fits surprisingly well; it’s an AP pad as most Dressage pads are way too big for her.


I have this problem too! 
She really looks well muscled and put together. I bet you'll do great at the show!! Pictures are a must!


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## frlsgirl

Oh thank you @lostastirrup I’ve actually received some unpleasant comments about Ana’s current body condition, so it’s nice to hear something positive. I don’t think they meant to offend, she does look kind of ruff right now as do most horses in the winter time. She’s got blanket rubs on her shoulder, a roached mane, with a bare white stripe in the middle from what we assume is either rubbing on the round bale holder or another horse chewing on her neck. Her fur is in that awkward between winter and spring stage so it’s not smooth and shiny like it is during the summer months. Her body condition score is still good but she’s not quite as buff as she was last winter when she was in full time training with BO. 

Just to be sure, because I heard the BO talk about her horse coming down with worms, I’m going to take a poop sample to the vet. She’s on the Barn’s deworming program so I never considered it but now that the BOs personal super star riding horse came down with worms, I’m anxious to get a sample analyzed ASAP.


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## lostastirrup

Yeah. She looks great! My guy is at the stage where he looks like a floaty puff ball. There's like 2" of fur.. God bless the pony in him it gets him through the winter. The other thing to keep in mind is that some horses are not built to be "muscly" in the halter-qh sense. They do muscle up (and id say she is) but they don't ever get beefy. And that's fine. As long as she's able to perform what's asked of her and there's nothing physical bothering her, I just think of it as "different body types" I work away at my pony and well, he never pops with muscle, but if you look at him his structure and general coverage improves, so I call that good enough. 

And while she may have been more "buff" last winter, from following your journal she is way more correct This winter. 

I think a different saddle made a world of difference for her and you. It's magic isn't it? Now to just build on her natural strengths and get going on the fun part of the dressage adventure.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you again @lostastirrup it’s definitely encouraging. 

Ana’s poop was negative for worms. 

We had a fantastic lesson tonight and I got some great still shots:


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## greentree

She does look WAY better!! I see lots of 8’s for you at the show!!


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## frlsgirl

Awww thanks @greentree !

We got another round of winter weather coming so the show might get rescheduled again; still waiting to hear from the show secretary. Oh the joys of Winter.


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## frlsgirl

Well as of right now the show is on and we are planning on going. I ride really late in the day so at least it will be 37 vs 20something which is what the morning riders have to contend with.


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## greentree

Good Luck!!!


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## SueC

From me too! Go get 'em!


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## frlsgirl

Well. It was an interesting day. It started sleeting on the way to the show. We arrived an immediately find out that they are running one hour ahead of schedule so the two ladies I was trailering with only had 20 minutes to get ready. Ana still had an hour so the show secretary suggested that I stick Ana into this empty stall fee of charge so that Ana doesn’t have to be by herself or get covered in sleet while we await our turn. 

So I stick Ana into the stall and start frantically carrying all my stuff to the stall. Then it was time to brush her and tack up. After I put the saddle pad on her I tried to slide the stall door open to get the saddle on her. But the door won’t budge. Ana is stuck in the stall tied up with the saddle pad slowly shifting towards her behind and I couldn’t get to her. I called for help. Several people tried to get the door open without luck. More people arrived with tools and ladders. No luck. The clock is ticking. I now have 10 minutes to get her tacked up and into the arena but she’s still stuck in the stall. The barn owner shows up and starts working on the stall door. Meanwhile Ana is watching us while the pad continues to slide back. 

Finally the BO is able to free Ana, Im able to finish tacking her and now I’m only 5 minutes late for open schooling. 

There were about 5 or 6 of us sharing a 20x40 space. Ana was hot hot hot. Just really worked up. Not in a “oh hey what’s this” way. More like “I hate everyone and everything” kind of way. As I’m trying to wrestle her through the warm up, another mare gets too close to Ana and she throws a full on canter on the spot fit. So I finished the remainder of our schooling in the little waiting room section. 

Then it was our turn for T1. It went fairly smoothly but she was tense. I thought maybe a 62? We got a 57. Right before the second test she threw a huge fit in the waiting area. She was hot to trot; she just seemed so angry. She picked up the wrong lead during the last canter circle. I think we got a 54 with a familiar comment “perhaps this horse is hurting somewhere?” 

I really don’t think she’s hurting. She gets so angry when she has to share space with other horses. She acted exactly how she does during group lessons. 

Maybe next time we will have a longer warm up and have time to lunge. Trainer thinks she just needs to get out more among other horses so she can get used to it.


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## lostastirrup

Sounds like a wild show experience. I do think if you'd had a less stressful prep time you would have done much better. It's a shame. Unfortunately the judges can only see what's there on the day of the show, in the 9 minutes you're in the arena. Third time's the charm. You've got this!


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## SueC

Why does Murphy's law always apply to horse shows? It starts with the weather - it'll be one from the following menu: Sleet coming down at a 45 degree angle, or a sauna day with humidity and you're supposed to be in a jacket and no antiperspirant works and you think you're going to faint as your brain is boiling away under that black velvet helmet, or it's 48 degrees Celsius with a dry gale from the Sahara, or a tornado, or endless drizzle, or a combination of those. Then lots of things go wrong. The ramp falls off the horse float, the towbar falls off the car, the lead rope gives up its ghost, the bridle is inexplicably dirty, the saddle is back home in the tack room, your horse is grey and rolled in poo while you left it in its box to collect your gear, the zipper of your riding pants breaks and you're wearing polka dot underwear and there's no safety pins in the car's first aid kit, or if there are, they malfunction and stab you while you're saluting the judge. :shock:

A midge enters your eye as you pass the judges and you are unable to see where you are going or to remember the next part of the test. You hope the horse is looking suitably well-trained as you squint to see where the arena markers are. Halfway through a volte, one of the girth straps breaks - you can feel it go _zooooinggg_ under the saddle flap, and you breathe a prayer that the remaining strap will hold for another ten minutes. A purple umbrella breaks away from a spectator in a gust of wind and gets blown into the arena, where it flaps like a dying bird. Simultaneously, one of your horse's shoes comes off. Meanwhile, at home, you left your iron on, and you remember this exactly as your horse is leaping over the purple umbrella. You gather the horse back into a working trot and realise one of the judges is a person who used to be your friend. In a paddock adjoining the showgrounds, someone starts doing target practice with a .22 rifle. And you're only halfway through your test...

Ah, horse shows... 

We all know the feeling... :hug:


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## egrogan

Wow @frlsgirl, sounds like a stressful day! Not sure I would have even gotten on in that scenario, so you're braver than me in that regard :wink: Does she act that way around other horses when you're out on the group trail rides, or is it just in the arena?


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## lostastirrup

SueC said:


> Why does Murphy's law always apply to horse shows? It starts with the weather - it'll be one from the following menu: Sleet coming down at a 45 degree angle, or a sauna day with humidity and you're supposed to be in a jacket and no antiperspirant works and you think you're going to faint as your brain is boiling away under that black velvet helmet, or it's 48 degrees Celsius with a dry gale from the Sahara, or a tornado, or endless drizzle, or a combination of those. Then lots of things go wrong. The ramp falls off the horse float, the towbar falls off the car, the lead rope gives up its ghost, the bridle is inexplicably dirty, the saddle is back home in the tack room, your horse is grey and rolled in poo while you left it in its box to collect your gear, the zipper of your riding pants breaks and you're wearing polka dot underwear and there's no safety pins in the car's first aid kit, or if there are, they malfunction and stab you while you're saluting the judge. :shock:
> 
> A midge enters your eye as you pass the judges and you are unable to see where you are going or to remember the next part of the test. You hope the horse is looking suitably well-trained as you squint to see where the arena markers are. Halfway through a volte, one of the girth straps breaks - you can feel it go _zooooinggg_ under the saddle flap, and you breathe a prayer that the remaining strap will hold for another ten minutes. A purple umbrella breaks away from a spectator in a gust of wind and gets blown into the arena, where it flaps like a dying bird. Simultaneously, one of your horse's shoes comes off. Meanwhile, at home, you left your iron on, and you remember this exactly as your horse is leaping over the purple umbrella. You gather the horse back into a working trot and realise one of the judges is a person who used to be your friend. In a paddock adjoining the showgrounds, someone starts doing target practice with a .22 rifle. And you're only halfway through your test...
> 
> Ah, horse shows...
> 
> We all know the feeling... :hug:




I think you've just described every horse show I've ever been to. "If I faint down centerline because the judge from Texas hasn't waived coats then I don't have to go through the embarrassment this ride is going to be"


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## greentree

@SueC is correct....we all know the feeling!!

We were in the dressage warm up ar a show, and 5 minutes before Tootsie’s ride, a saddleseat horse, being held by the curb rein, rears up, breaks the rein, falls over backwards, and takes the skin off of Toosie’s hind leg. The horse rolls across the w/u, headed straight for my friend, who is after me, and standing in the center on her stallion. He stats sidestepping to avoid the rolling horse; she goes into a FULL blown asthma attack, as he falls over!!! They graciously gave us 10 minutes to recoup....worst test EVER!


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## lostastirrup

@greentree

I think that takes the cake.


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## greentree

Sometimes I feel like that guy on the State Farm commercial about mayhem when I tell stories......


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## frlsgirl

Oh my goodness guys...I guess I’m not the only one with crazy horse show stories. As they were struggling to get the stall door open, I could already see the headline “Dramatic horse rescue at local schooling show” with images of firemen climbing over the stall wall, Ana fainting and getting carried out on a stretcher with an oxygen mask over her muzzle


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> Wow @frlsgirl, sounds like a stressful day! Not sure I would have even gotten on in that scenario, so you're braver than me in that regard :wink: Does she act that way around other horses when you're out on the group trail rides, or is it just in the arena?


I won’t do large group trail rides with her anymore because she gets way too worked up. She’s mostly fine by herself. It’s so strange, most horses feel safer with other horses around and they freak if they are by themselves. Ana is the complete opposite. This only applies when she’s under saddle; she does like to be turned out with her group of mares and gets agitated when we separate them. 

One of ladies at the show put pheromone cream in her horse’s nostrils. She said it helps them feel more comfortable. She gave me one to try on Ana but things got so hectic that it simply slipped my mind. I wanna try it for our next group lesson to see if it helps her be more accepting of others. 

It’s so frustrating that I can get her look so lovely at home as long as we are by ourselves. 

I just need to get a lot better at riding her so that she’s lovely 100% of the time. 

Onwards and upwards.


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## frlsgirl

Look who’s having spring feelings:


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## frlsgirl

Ana doing what she does best: bossing the other mares around while looking fabulous:






And here is our not so fabulous T1 test from last weekend:







Yeah been mulling things over. I need to make some changes. Maybe being a tag along at schooling shows is not really working out for us. 

I have some ideas. Still thinking about it. 

Ana has the week off. I rescheduled the saddle fitter. She’s supposed to come Saturday.


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## egrogan

Oooh...inquiring minds want to know!! :grin:

I love how at the salute, you literally see the smoke blowing out of her nose. 

I'm no judge so will leave substantive feedback to others. But thanks for sharing the video, I enjoy watching others ride and learning from it.


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## SueC

You really ride absolutely beautifully, @frlsgirl, and there's only so much we can do when a horse is tense for other reasons, like Ana that day. Milk and cookies for Ana! ;-) You know what though, I much prefer riding those lively horses to riding more automated, comatose ones. It's much more fun, but does come with this side-effect that situations outside of actual riding can significantly affect the ride.

It's a pleasure watching you ride.

Just going to add an anecdote: Chip, my family's most successful racehorse, was lively and fizzed over all the time. In a racehorse, it's not as much of a problem, as they get to run fast and nobody is scoring their relaxation. However, it was so so embarrassing when he fronted up to his maiden race, and took such great interest in the catcher's grey horse that he was neighing every time he passed near this horse, during warmup and during the actual race too, and was looking in the direction of this horse and didn't have his mind on the race at all. He actually slowed down in the finish straight because he wanted to veer off and visit the catcher's horse, and had no interest whatsoever in the actual race. The stewards returned him to trials after that performance, and the horse came really close to losing his family jewels at this point! :rofl: But he behaved at the next race - the catcher's horse wasn't grey at the next meeting...


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## frlsgirl

egrogan said:


> I'm no judge so will leave substantive feedback to others. But thanks for sharing the video, I enjoy watching others ride and learning from it.


Well the only thing to learn from this video is what NOT to do. Even though we didn’t make any mistakes, Ana was not forward or through or relaxed. She was basically the opposite of what is expected at Training level. T2 was even worse than T1. We were low point champions lol. Second lowest score of the entire show. 


So yeah I’ve got some thinking to do because things are not working out. No worries, Ana will be with me forever, that part will not change.


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## SueC

Dear @frlsgirl, there's actually a lot of water in your glass!  And a lot others can learn from your ride, including the many good things you do riding. Your posture is magnificent; I'm a lanky person with scoliosis who can never hope to aspire to that. You're elastic and supple and ride so well, and you also ride a tense horse very well! Try putting someone else on Ana in that situation you had that day, and you'll see what I mean! :hug:

We are all works in progress, and it helps to see what we're already doing right, not just what we need to improve. When I look at the farm, I need to make myself look at all the things we've already done, and done well, and not just the to-do list of jobs, some of which have been on that list for years...

If you shoot for the moon and miss, you'll still be amongst stars. 

Lots of  to you and Ana, and thanks for sharing your rides and progress!


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## frlsgirl

:wave: hi @SueC you are right. My glass is still very full. I just didn’t want people to get the wrong idea and think that I would describe this video as “good” 

I do realize that the situation was simply crazy, I mean what are the odds that ride times would get moved up by over an hour and that Ana would get trapped in a stall minutes before her test. I’ve never even heard of ride times getting moved up, pushed back yes, but moved up, no. 

Chances are something crazy like this will never happen again, but still I’m not sure that the stress of dragging Ana from schooling show to schooling show where I have such little control over anything is the right path for us. I’m so dependent on others for pretty much everything and just don’t have enough power to make Ana feel comfortable. 

But you are so kind and sweet, thank you so much for your wise words :Angel:


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## egrogan

I agree with @SueC, was watching you ride that difficult canter and thinking how quiet you were and how you managed to stay right with her despite her antics.


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## frlsgirl

I drove by the barn to check on Ana last night. She was up to her ears in a freshly delivered round bale. She looked so content just munching away, savoring every bite. I didn’t have the heart to interrupt her so I just drove back home. 

We are not so different; we are both very food motivated. Every day, I get a green tea frappe from Starbucks and I savor every last drop. I only wish the cups came in round bale size


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## frlsgirl

Spent some time with Ana last night. We did some grooming and body work. She looks like a hot mess right now. In addition to her scratched up neck, she’s also started to scratch her bum again to the point that she has a line in her fur and broken skin on her tail dock. 

Oh yeah and she’s also in season. 

The vet is coming to the barn on 3/4. I’m thinking about adding Ana to the appointment list. She also has two scappy crusty things; one on the front leg and one on the back leg that just won’t heal so I wanted the vet to look at it to determine if it’s actually abscesses that haven’t broken through yet. While she’s there I’ll have her do a range of motion exam on Ana to see if she’s in pain anywhere and have her do a full chiro adjustment. 

I’m now wondering if she maybe has something wrong with her neck because she won’t stop rubbing it and we’ve already eliminated the most obvious suspects. I do recall a trainer once saying that Ana’s neck is not coming straight out of the withers like it’s supposed to. 

I’ve also got a call into the animal communicator to see what Ana has to say. I’ve tried to reach her all week; maybe she’s out of town so I’ll keep trying. 

Plus the saddle fitter is coming tomorrow. 

I tried to do a before and after grooming pic. She looks worse body wise in the second pic; not sure how that’s possible.


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## egrogan

Izzy is shedding right now and starting into that nasty phase where the hair is matted and dandruffy as the new coat comes through. Also has had the neck cover on enough that the middle of her mane is getting rubbed out again this year after rolling tight into dreadlock mats that fall out when you tug on them. Ick.


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## frlsgirl

Sounds like neither Izzy nor Ana could win a beauty contest right now lol. Just glad humans don’t go through these hair problems.


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## greentree

I don’t think she looks worse....I see that line...Tootsie slams her haunches into the wall when she is in heat. DH’s TWH stands with her butt against the rough wood wall in the stall, so her tail is always crunched up strangely! She even poops like this, so it piles up right next to the wall!


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## frlsgirl

@greentree That should make it easier to clean the TWH’s stall :smile: mares I tell ya :smile:

Ana got lunged, ridden and saddle fitted today. 


She was full of it today after having a full week off from work. I hand walked her first which seemed like a good idea for her benefit anyway but then she got spooked by a bird and jumped against the side of my foot. Ive not been brave enough to take my sock off to assess the rainbow. 

Then I lunged her long enough to break through the tension but not long enough to completely tire her out. 

Then we rode with focus on forward into the outside rein. My posture is a bit collapsed forward probably from the Pilates exercises I did last night - my middle feels like mush today. 

I didn’t see or feel any lameness or pain response while working with her. 

She did kind of pull away from me when I was grooming her neck area; probably from all the scratching she’s been doing. We still don’t know why she is scratching. It’s not a skin problem and it’s not a worm problem and it’s not an allergy problem. So why is she doing it? 

Could she have pain in her neck due to injury, malformation or degenerative processes?

The saddle fitter agreed with me that the new saddle fits her much better; she only made a small adjustment to the flocking which should keep the saddle from sliding. She said the saddle was probably stacked on top of other saddles which caused the flocking to get a bit smushed on one side which in turn caused the saddle to slide a bit. 

The vet is coming on 3/4 so I will have her check Ana’s neck to see if there is an obvious problem or a blockage that can be released with a chiropractic adjustment. 

I’ve also got an appointment with the animal communicator to see what Ana has to say about her neck. 

After mulling over last weekends events and talking to others I’m thinking that the combination of going into transitional estrus, stressful show environment and lack of proper warm up resulted in Ana not being forward enough to achieve throughness which in turn affects the quality of her movement. 

I need to invest more resources in training (riding her forward and through) and not into showing especially if the environment is questionable due to weathers or other external factors. 

So we will be training a LOT this year, showing very little if at all, and going off property to get her used to performing in strange environments. 

I might leave schooling shows behind us altogether and focus on getting solid enough in our training that we can go to rated shows once a year where they can’t just move ride times or take warm up time away. Maybe I can pay someone to trailer us or maybe we will have our own trailer by then so I don’t have the added stress of tagging along with someone. 

So that’s where we are at right now. Onwards and upwards.

You can see her progression from tension to relaxation in this sequence of lunging pics:


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## lostastirrup

That second to last cantering picture is a stunner. 
She's pushing from behind and she's over her back. The trot pictures are absolutely beautiful. Does she still flick her tail at home at canter? 
She looks like one I'd push a little deep and ride in two point. Really not care about engagement and work on the stretch at canter and trot. Get that nice bounce. 

I'm thinking about showing this summer so thus reminiscing on what it was like to show. My thought is this: count on losing 30 rides worth of training, meaning- between the rider and the horse the nerves and the situation is going to set you back... The solution is making sure one's enough rides ahead. The other thing is- habitual behaviours will always persist. It's like relationships .. the best and the worst will come out. Which sucks when not doing the best means show fees lost and the wind out of the sails. 

You guys have got this.


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## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup yes there is still some tail talking going on but not nearly as bad as it used to be. 

I like what you said about the best and the worst repeating itself and showing up in stressful situations. That is very true. 

So you’re going to take the plunge and work on those bronze scores, ey?

Here is what I’ve learned from dragging Ana to 20 something shows over the last 4 years:

Schooling shows are a great way to do a dress rehearsal providing that they are managed well and you retain control over environmental factors. For example, trailering with other people seems like a good idea but it can actually add stress because you might end up arriving or leaving at a less than ideal time because you are on someone else’s schedule. The judges are not as educated in providing constructive criticism. 

You pay a lot more for rated shows and the standards might be higher but your ride times are guaranteed and your warm up time is guaranteed. Rated shows are often a multi day event so all the effort and prep work seems more worth it and there is less confusion and rushing around. The horse has more time to get used to the venue. 

If you’re not sure whether your pony will be relaxed enough at a strange place to do a test well, I would invest time taking him places to school so he can get the idea and learn that it’s no big deal. 

That’s what I’m going to focus on anyway, taking Ana off property for clinics and to school her. 

You are much more advanced in your journey with Nick so you will get the hang of this a lot quicker than Ana and I.


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## lostastirrup

@frlsgirl 
I think you've got us beat for shows. I can't for the life of me imagine it being old hat. Aqha schooling shows are Nick's sole experience. Which he obviously does very poorly in, unless he wins on accuracy. 
No one believes me but nick is actually not a bad horse put away from the familiar. Dare I say chill? He's gotten used to crawling off the trailer and going to work. So that's nice. Though he needs way more show exposure than I've given him. 

Clinics sound glorious. I think they're awesome for the experience since it's longer than a test and you're literally there for help. 
I don't know what it is but I hate it when everything you've worked at has gone put the window at the show. I have a pile of horror stories from just one summer with the mare and the TB. I'm hoping Nick is different.


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## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup If you can set your own riding goals the kind that are under your control, prior to going to the show that might help. Like “stay in the ring and on the horse” or “riding a warm up according to plan” that will help you achieve your own success independent from the circumstances that are outside of your control. 

Since I’m still a bit down in the dumps I made myself go through all of my dressage tests that I’ve ever done and write down one nice thing such as a good score, or a nice comment from the judge. 

Here is a recap:

I’ve ridden 27 tests on Ana between 2015 and 2019, in 7 different venues, under 13 different judges, and done 5 different types of tests (Intro A, B, C, T1 and T2)

Our highest score ever was an 8.5 for the free walk in T2 back in 2017. 

Most of the highest scores are spread between square halt and stretchy walk. 

Even the judges that scored as low overall had at least one nice comment or one nice score or both. 

So whenever I feel down in the dumps about our progress, I can re-read this page in my journal to keep me focused on the positive.

Here are more pics from this weekend. Suddenly Ana looks really well and healthy. Her fur is shiny, her neck looks better now that I trimmed her mane, and her weight and muscling looks better.


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## frlsgirl

I talked to animal communicator yesterday. I don’t know if it was helpful or not. If anything I’m more confused than ever. The hardest part about horse ownership is knowing what to do. It’s kind of like putting together puzzle pieces; some pieces come from trainer, others from Dressage judge, a few come from the vet and a few more from barn manager, my own observations and animal communicator. Now I’m just trying to figure out how these all fit together and what it all means. 

I feel like one of the interns on “House” the show about a cranky doctor who solves medical mysteries. 

He always gets out the white board and writes it all down and then uses process of elimination to reach a conclusion. 

Maybe it’s time to get out the white board...

Here is the other thing to consider: if the roles were reversed and Ana was ordering physicals on me, I would not pass. She would put me out to pasture, or even worse, on a truck bound for Mexico.


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## greentree

You need to get her home, to reduce the number of voices! What did the AC say?


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## frlsgirl

greentree said:


> You need to get her home, to reduce the number of voices! What did the AC say?


That she has some discomforts on the right side of her body and that perhaps her neurological issues aren’t quite resolved. She said Ana wasn’t very forthcoming with intel because she’s shut down emotionally and that she could benefit from a change like trail riding. 

She could use an adjustment on her neck and I should change farrier because her heels are under run and she has heel pain because of it. 

It just made it sound like Ana sees herself as this 80 hour per week Wallstreet hustler that is at the brink of burn out when in reality her days consist of eating, sleeping, running, playing and occasionally riding. 

So I just don’t know.


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## lostastirrup

Did you talk to the communicator over the phone? In person? With the horse? I'm curious how this all works.. 

You know one thing I think as dressage riders we forget- the horse isn't actually meant to canter and trot circles. They tolerate it- and some like it more than others, but even Charlotte Dujardin insists that her top horses hack out. 

My other thought - what does she do when you 'play' with her? Loose in the ring with nothing on.. does she enjoy goofing off with you? I think it's important to get a horse to the point where they look at you a little as a playmate- it makes the work less drudgery. Also I will add Nick's disposition changed dramatically when we introduced treats into the groundwork and rides. It let it be something that he really wanted to work at. I know you mentioned she's food oriented, it might be a good place to start. I have. +R book I could send your way if you like. 

Hope that helps. Could be she has a touch of the dramatic to her.


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## frlsgirl

@lostastirrup “a touch dramatic” lol it does sort of fit her, doesn’t it?!? In regards to playing with your horse, spoken like a true gelding owner lol. Mares don’t play; it’s beneath them. She does enjoy being groomed and doing carrot stretches. She also gets to hand graze after most rides.

I would love to ride Ana out in the fields again but everything is under water right now. I took her for a micro trail ride last Sunday on the “dry” parts of the fields; she seemed annoyed with the condition of the footing like “ok whoever is in charge of dragging the arena is fired” lol 

The reading was over the phone based on a recent picture that I sent her. Very nice lady; she goes into the body of the horse and tries to feel her way around and then explains what she’s feeling. I’ve used her before. I like to gather data from all types of different sources to help me formulate a plan although this time it seems it’s just all very confusing.


----------



## frlsgirl

Thinking about moving Ana to a different boarding place. Still mulling it over and gathering data. Ana is too stressed where she’s at and I’m not terribly happy there anymore either. I’m just tired of feeling this way and I’m tired of seeing my girl stressed.


----------



## lostastirrup

I didnt know mares wouldn't play! Maybe it's Ana's personal preference lol. I could swear it was the only thing my old QH mare project enjoyed. 

What's up with the present barn? Maybe the "energy" isn't right. I don't know why, but the whole barn temperment can mess with a lot of horses...


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## frlsgirl

Speaking of doing other activities with Ana, here she is reading a book and playing with a ball 






Yeah I don’t know if it’s an energy thing @lostastirrup but it could be. The care is great. The people are nice and appear to care. It’s not fancy but efficient and appears mostly safe. When I first moved Ana there, a couple of people left. I didn’t get to know the first one but the second one kind of pulled me aside one day and said something to the effect that high energy horses eventually go nuts there. I didn’t know what she meant by that but her horse was an OTTB and he developed some problems and she ended up moving her horse. Maybe it’s just the random opinion of one person or maybe it’s the setting. I don’t know. 

Just by me asking around I could potentially ruffle some feathers. I don’t want Ana to get kicked out with no place to go. 

Best to just pipe down, keep a low profile and spend a lot of time just hanging out with Ana to see if she might tell me what is bothering her. 

I’m definitely going to distance myself from barn dynamics. I can’t get mixed up in uncomfortable situations if I’m not present. I would rather live with in ignorant bliss. Time for earbuds.


----------



## frlsgirl

I visited Ana after work today; it was 27 degrees, consequently, I had the place to myself, yay! Ana was outside munching on the giant round bale. When she saw me pull up she looked over her shoulder like 'mom, is that you?" so I parked got out and she immediately left her hay to say hello to me I got into the pasture with her and just let her investigate me, find the treat like she always does and then just stood there with her and talked to her and let her decide when she was done peopling. I'm really trying to put myself into Ana's shoes "hooves" and see the world from her eyes. What are things she worries about? Who is part of her herd? We stood there for what seemed like 20 minutes probably because it was so cold and I was just trying to wait her out as it was important to me that she decide when to walk away. 

Usually, I do the same thing most stressed out Ammies do, I race to the barn, grab my horse, and omg where is my whip, and what did I do with the brush and oh shoot I have 5 minutes to get into the arena for my lesson and and and. There isn't a lot of time to just breathe. Today we just breathed. 

Hoping to go see her again tomorrow and breathe some more.


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## SueC

Fabulous photos, @frlsgirl ! 

Happy breathing!

PS: Have you seen this Dalek meditation? ;-) (Assuming of course you know what Daleks are!)


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## frlsgirl

:rofl: yikes @SueC that is so relaxing.


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## phantomhorse13

SueC said:


> Have you seen this Dalek meditation? ;-)


That scared the cat right off my lap!! :eek_color: :rofl:

@*frlsgirl* I am just now getting caught up on your journal. I give you lots of kudos for even getting on after all the pre-test craziness. I hope you are able to figure out what is going on with Ana and how to make you both happy.


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## PoptartShop

Sometimes it's nice to just go to the barn, & not have any type of agenda set. It's nice to take time out and just breathe! 
I know sometimes the barn can be tense, even for the horses. My last place ended up being pretty tense. Promise's attitude changed completely when I moved her.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> :rofl: yikes @SueC that is so relaxing.


Isn't it just! :rofl:

It's unfortunate that I can't find a sample track off this next thing anywhere, but _this_ really is relaxing, and sounds just like standard Gregorian chants, except the lyrics use pig Latin as well as Latin, and one of the tracks is a translation of the lyrics of _Old McDonald Had A Farm_ into Latin / pig Latin. You can hear the professional chanters going E-I-E-I-O! :rofl:

https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/5532181?

I have the CD, and played it in the background at a few extremely boring professional development sessions, with a poker face, and enjoyed people saying, "Aaaah, aren't Gregorian chants just so lovely!" while going like this :rofl: on the inside... Nobody twigged...


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## frlsgirl

At this point I’m too scared to click on your link @SueC :smile:

So this just happened:

I FINALLY SOLD MY OLD SADDLE yesterday. Such a weight lifted off my shoulders. It has found a great new home with a TB at HJ barn where I used to board Ana.

AND

IM GETTING MY OWN HORSE
TRAILER!!!!


DH tried to surprise me for our anniversary but then the dealership called me to confirm specs. So happy, I couldn’t stop crying. Well I did stop long enough to tell Ana and pose for selfies. 

I thought this year I would be the one giving the better gift but his pales in comparison: I got him a metal detector because I thought it would be fun to go exploring our property together for ancient relics. I didn’t know he was going to go all Oprah on me with a trailer! We are very competitive when it comes to gifting. He clearly won this time.


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## knightrider

Tell us about the trailer! What brand? What year? Two horse, I guess? Straight or slantload? What material? Ramp or step-up? Tack space? Dressing room? How long? How heavy? Gooseneck or bumper pull? That is sooooo exciting?


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## frlsgirl

We are still ironing out the details @knightrider

Here is what we know:

Bumper pull
Slant load
2 horse
Brand new 

Here is what we are still researching 

Brand/brand ratings 
Material/safety/tow rating

I’m nervous about aluminum due to safety concerns but steel trailers might be too heavy for our truck to pull (10000 pound tow capacity)

I don’t need a big fancy dressing room. Just a small area to store tack. 

I would love to have one with a ramp as I think it’s easier for Ana to get in and out of. 

So far we’ve looked at Hawk, CM, Trailer USA and Calico. 

Keep in mind I’m not driving cross country; I just need to be able to haul across the street for lessons, 20 miles to the vet and occasionally a show which is between 1 to 60 miles away. 

Ideas? Recommendations?


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## knightrider

@4horses extensively researched trailers just a few months ago. She can give you a lot of ideas.


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## greentree

Stay away from those off brands....I have owned a CM.....don’t recommend. I recommend Kiefferbuilt and 4Star. We had a nice, but HUGE Platinum. 

Interview the DEALER, and ask about warranty service, because that is what makes all the difference. My dealer got me a brand new ramp on my Kiefferbuilt, well out of warranty, yet I couldn’t get my brand new Featherlite worked on under warranty, because the dealer would not help.

ETA: my Platinum came from a dealer in OKC....trying to dig the name out of my brain....


----------



## evilamc

Out of those brands, Hawk is the only one I'd touch! Stay far away from CM and Calico! I agree with @greentree about the 4Star and KB, I have a Featherlite and absolutely love it as well...they're like a step down from a 4Star. When I was shopping back in 2014, it was quite a toss up between the Hawk and Featherlite, Hawks are really great trailers.

Thats so exciting that you're looking at trailers though, GRATS!!!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you for your input @greentree and @evilamc

Ana is jumping for joy because we finally made a decision on the trailer. 

We got a Hawk. Here are a couple of pics of the actual trailer. It’s currently located in Wisconsin so we are working out the logistics for getting it here. We are hoping to have it here by Thursday.


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## knightrider

Wow, nice!!! Hope it is everything you wanted!!!


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## greentree

Beautiful!!


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## PoptartShop

Congrats on the trailer!  It looks nice!!! It'll be so nice having your own!


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## carshon

What a sharp looking trailer. Congrats to you! I love the freedom a trailer gives me. here's to many miles for you and Ana


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. I’m pretty excited. 

Our vet appointment is in a couple of hours. I never know how to answer when she asks “well how’s Ana been doing?”

I could say “fine thanks” and muster a fake smile

What I really want to say is “omg the judge said that she’s in pain and I feel horrible that I’m riding her if I had known that she’s not well enough to be ridden than I wouldn’t be riding her but I don’t know if she’s well enough any more, she seems mostly fine and some days even happy, but she trips occasionally and omg is that normal, what’s the average acceptable tripping rate per hour, am I too heavy for her is that why she trips, am I not a good enough rider for her is that why she trips, I’m too tall, I bet that’s it I’m too tall, or I bet it’s because I ride her too much, or could it be not enough”

I think I’m going to stick with “she’s fine thanks” :frown_color:


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## greentree

I would give her the condensed version of the long answer.


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## evilamc

That trailer is BEAUTIFUL! Grats!!! You're going to love having the freedom to take her all over.

Maybe try talking to the vet about what the animal communicator said? You don't have to tell her you talked to the AC but maybe mention concerns about her feet, and you feel like something may be going on with the right side but you can't pinpoint it? You could take pictures of her feet to post in the hoof care section as well to get a second opinion.


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for your input ladies. 

Vet visit went well. I didn’t want to give the vet too much intel because I wanted to see if her findings line up at all with the AC. But we did talk about Ana’s neck extensively because she asked if I felt like her mane was growing back which it isn’t despite her skin and fur appearing otherwise healthy.

A new theory emerged that perhaps someone is chewing on her mane; she suggested setting up a camera because if there is someone chewing on her it could become a colic case for the chewer. 

Apparently some horses eat hair and then it turns into stone like material in their gut at which point they need emergency colic surgery. 

So I’m gonna try out DHs game cam; it may take several tries because it takes pics if it detects movements and if they are constantly moving around in the pasture then i might run out of storage before capturing any good action shots. 

Also made me realize how little I know about Ana’s life. I only see little snap shots of her day. Like an hour here and there. I can’t wait to have her home so I can have more oversight of what goes on with her on a daily basis. 

The chiro/vet found several “outages” on Ana mostly on the right side of her body which matches what AC said. Only one of them was significant kind of by her withers; like she fought her on that one but then released and her whole expression changed. Vet also said she’s coming into season and is very ouchy by her ovaries so we talked about options for hormones. She is sending me info on the marble which is like an IUD for horses.


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## frlsgirl

So something really cool just happened; I just had a private coaching session with....drum roll please.....all the way from Australia...Natasha Althoff

It was super helpful. She gave me some ideas of how I can work this out. She suggested something similar to schooling shows; they call it training days in Australia where you ride a test and then the judge comes out and talks to you and tells you what you should do differently, then you ride the test again implementing what the judge suggested that way you're not left wondering what the judge meant by this comment or that comment and they can help you address issues right then and there.

She also suggested taking her to shows as a guest horse, where I ride her around in the warm up ring and then go home. 

And most importantly, when I ride her at home my standards need to be really really high; and to alternate difficult things with easy things so that the horse has a chance to feel successful. 

Now that I have a trailer, its going to make things a lot easier for us to get around.


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## Elsie

I really enjoy Natasha Althoff's way of training. It is one of my dreams to meet her. Glad to hear it went well and that Ana is feeling better now after her visit with chiro/vet. You two make a wonderful team.


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## frlsgirl

:wave: hello @Elsie and welcome to Horse Forum and Ana’s thread and thank you for your kind words. 

It was really neat to talk to her, she is super nice and encouraging. I love that she had to struggle to get where she’s at and that she is willing to share those insights with us and that she actually shows us the ugly parts. 

I would love to meet her in person one day as well!


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## greentree

frlsgirl said:


> :wave: hello @Elsie and welcome to Horse Forum and Ana’s thread and thank you for your kind words.
> 
> It was really neat to talk to her, she is super nice and encouraging. I love that she had to struggle to get where she’s at and that she is willing to share those insights with us and that she actually shows us the ugly parts.
> 
> I would love to meet her in person one day as well!


Before long, you can trailer her to Australia! 😂😂🥴 I am so excited for your trailer!

Going to look up Natasha...never heard of her.


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## frlsgirl

greentree said:


> Going to look up Natasha...never heard of her.



She’s best known for her Dressage Mastery program. She has lots of free videos on YouTube as well.


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## phantomhorse13

Congrats on the trailer! Hopefully that will help reduce some of the stress of shows as at least you can get yourself there and back on your own schedule.

I really like the idea of doing a test and then having the judge make comments in person, then trying it again.

I hope the chiro helped Ana feel better. We all know how much fun hormones aren't, so marbling may be a great idea (and it's certainly a lot less messy than oral stuff).


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## SueC

If you trailer to Australia, you're always welcome at our place! 

PS: Happy Anniversary! :cheers: That was such a lovely story!  And how cool that you also have a metal detector now. If you do find ancient relics, please tell us about them!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @SueC it was our 13 year anniversary. I guess time flies when you are having fun. He does like his gift just hasn’t had a chance to play with it much as he’s on the road right now picking up my new trailer. 

Update:

DH should arrive with the trailer this afternoon. I’ll be sitting at work just itching to get home. 

I took the wienie dogs in for their dental and while they were under they also removed random warts and lipomas. I got a stach of medicine bottles to help them heal. My kitchen counter looks like I’m running a nursing home. 

They were both happy to see me when I picked them up. Lou, the red dachshund looks like “gimme some more drugs” whereas Sadie looks like she’s plotting her revenge 

I’m planning on riding Ana for the first time in a week sometime tomorrow. :cowboy:


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## lostastirrup

And? How's the trailer? 
Thats so so exciting to have wheels!


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## egrogan

Hehe, they look so out of it. Our dog Gus went in for his dental Friday too. He had to have two teeth pulled, surprising since he's young (probably 4-5 years old). Apparently one incisor had not grown in properly and was causing a nasty pocket to form behind it, and then he had a loose molar they also took out. Maybe he's older than we thought? But yes, the amount of medicine they come home with is astounding!


Can't wait to see Ana on the trailer :grin:


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## frlsgirl

DH arrived safely with trailer. It’s a beauty and quite roomy. We could probably fit a pony in the main tack room. It has a small tack area in the back too that’s for things like hay, shavings, muck bucket etc but we can easily remove it if we need more room. If Ana doesn’t have any problems getting on it the way it is set up currently, we will probably just leave it like that until we get a second horse. It’s real easy to open and close the doors, ramp etc yet it feels very sturdy and safe. It’s currently parked at our house as DH is still fiddling with it. He was waxing it when I arrived home yesterday. 

I had to go to work for a few hours today but managed to squeeze in some much needed barn time:


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## frlsgirl

I had my first trailering lesson today without Ana. 

Driving wasn’t that difficult; just the hitching part and backing part was tough. It’s weird how the trailer goes the opposite way of the steering wheel. 

It was starting to get dark and then it started to rain so we called it quits for the day. 

I’m definitely going to need a few more lessons before I’m ready to try this with Ana. 

How long did it take you guys before you were comfortable pulling a trailer by yourself?


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## evilamc

It’s beautiful!

I honestly just jumped right into trailering. My husband has never towed so I can’t look to him for help. My dad gave me a lesson then turned me loose pretty much. I just always made sure I had plenty of time to get everywhere and really took my time backing. Biggest thing is to not let yourself get worked up because then you’ll ALWAYS overturn the wheel while backing. I mostly taught myself to back using my mirrors, it was just too hard to look behind me constantly like my dad taught me. If I’m in a super open area I’ll do that but when I’m in tighter spaces I prefer to use my mirrors. 

If your truck doesn’t have a backup camera, I highly recommend one! They sell kits for less the $100 now and they come with their own little screen, like a gps screen. With a backup camera it makes hitching sooooooooooo much easier!! It’s a very good investment! Also, not sure what kind of truck you guys have? Do make sure it has the break controller and while you’re practicing towing you can get the breaks set. Once you add the weight of gear and horse you may have to bump of the break setting a little higher then what you have it at when trailer is empty.


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## greentree

My husband is a MASTER trailer driver and backer-upper. Before he had a drivers license, he could drive and back the big show trailer in the parking lot at shows.

One thing he taught me when backing that is MOST important? If you get confused..STOP. The over correction is nearly impossible to correct if you don’t. 

Keep your hand on the BOTTOM of the steering wheel, and turn the wheel in the direction you want the trailer to go.


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## SaddleUp158

This ^. 

Practice makes perfect. For me what helped was frequency. The longer amount of time between trailering sessions the worse I was and had more nerves. The hardest part for me was backing the trailer to park it. Eventually I got it down partly due to the fact I had the smallest trailer and was left the more difficult spot to park because of the size, lol. It was also the trailer used the most! 

I love your trailer!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks ladies. Here is a pic of our truck with the trailer hooked up to it. It can tow up to 10,000 pounds, the trailer weighs 3000 pounds and Ana with gear just over a 1000 so hopefully that should be enough power to do some local trailering. 

When DH was driving it back from Wisconsin he only got 8 miles to the gallon so that worries me a bit :frown_color:

It does have a back up camera so backing it to the trailer was super easy. The hard part about hooking up and unhooking is all the cables and metal thingies. I feel like such a ditz like I should know all the proper terms. It seems fitting that I recently got blonde highlights :smile:

I took a pic of all the cables in case I can’t remember where stuff goes. 

He did not want me to use the backup camera to practice backing because I’m supposed to learn the old fashioned way first so I got thoroughly confused. I was able to back it into our driveway with assistance but accidentally got the front tire muddy and he had just washed the truck so I offered to clean the tire for him with the garden horse. 

So yeah I definitely need more lessons unless I only go places where I never have to back up and only in light traffic under perfect weather conditions. 

And I need to learn the terminology so I don’t come across as such a ditz!


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## Tazzie

I was first taught by the guys I worked with when I worked on the research farm. The guy who was teaching me was great! But then my boss walked up and started shouting at me. Blew any and all confidence I had gained. I refused for years to drive a truck and trailer after that.

Thankfully, Nick was very careful and very methodical teaching me. I did put a dent in his truck when learning how to back a bumper pull trailer (we have a gooseneck for the horses), but he wasn't at all mad (he was outside guiding me, so it's both of our fault). I'm still not fantastic backing it up, but I'm A LOT better since he was so patient with me. I still get flustered on occasion, and will stop and breathe for a second. But it's important to realize when you need to stop and think for a second!

Hauling with a trailer isn't all that bad though. You just have to remember you are A LOT bigger/longer than you normally are, and to give yourself plenty of room when you can! I prefer sticking to the right lane and letting people in a hurry pass me lol


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## PoptartShop

It took my boyfriend a few times to get it right. LOL, even hooking it up was a struggle at first. It takes practice. Keep at it & you'll get it!


----------



## SueC

That trailer looks great! 

My trailer tips: Drive gently - really slow acceleration, and very careful braking, and leave lots of room between yourself and other people so you can avoid situations where you have to brake hard. Drive very gently and slowly around curves and corners. Avoid all sudden changes in speed and direction.

The best way to really "get" that is to get your DH to drive you around while you stand in the float, where the horse stands, hands near the breast bar if you have one - and try to balance on your two feet through acceleration, braking, curves and corners. This will give you an idea of what the horse has to do - and while it has four legs, it is less familiar with what's going to happen than you are! Horses will lean up against breast bars etc, but honestly, the horses of people who drive with a trailer as they do without one generally don't like trailering, because of their wild experiences in their little cabin out back. Have you ever had to be on a bus when there was standing room only? Gone through roundabouts, curves, corners, brakes slammed on, etc? Now do it without looking at the road... in your own float...  I've done that a couple of times, and I've never forgotten it. I drive horses as though I have fragile crystal loose in the back of the trailer.


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## Tazzie

SueC said:


> The best way to really "get" that is to get your DH to drive you around while you stand in the float, where the horse stands, hands near the breast bar if you have one - and try to balance on your two feet through acceleration, braking, curves and corners. This will give you an idea of what the horse has to do - and while it has four legs, it is less familiar with what's going to happen than you are! Horses will lean up against breast bars etc, but honestly, the horses of people who drive with a trailer as they do without one generally don't like trailering, because of their wild experiences in their little cabin out back. Have you ever had to be on a bus when there was standing room only? Gone through roundabouts, curves, corners, brakes slammed on, etc? Now do it without looking at the road... in your own float...  I've done that a couple of times, and I've never forgotten it. I drive horses as though I have fragile crystal loose in the back of the trailer.


I'm glad you made this point! One of my bosses growing up had me get in the back and ride with her horse to a clinic. She went max of 30, but I felt like we were doing 60 and she was throwing me everywhere. I knew how she drove, so that wasn't the case. I HIGHLY recommend doing this. You'll gain even more appreciation for the horse to step so willingly into the trailer, and learn what how you need to drive!


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## frlsgirl

Good points @Tazzie and @SueC 

Funny related story:

Many moons ago I was a working student at Reiterhof Osterade. It was basically a horse camp: parents would send their kids there for a week long of riding lessons and activities. One such activity was taking the kids to the pool in a nearby town. How do you transport 20 kids plus 1 responsible teenager (me) to the pool? In a horse trailer! Of course this is not legal and I do not recommend it so we all had to squat down so nobody could see us. My legs were sore for days. 

I’m pretty good about being gentle just struggle with hooking up (what cable goes where) and backing up (why is everything going the opposite way)

Hoping to practice some more this week. My goal is to bring Ana to our property for a visit and ride in the fields sometime in April.


----------



## frlsgirl

Visited Ana last night just to check on her. She was in her stall and let out a surprised whinny when she saw me. She seemed a bit upset. BO had decided to bring her in for the night as storms were forecasted and there is very little shelter in her group turnout. She much prefers to be with her group. I wish she wasn’t so attached to them. 

I need to start riding her again. I’ve only been riding one day a week...hoping to get in two rides this week.


----------



## frlsgirl

Rode Ana last night. It went well. We accidentally did a flying change from right to left; she was crooked so I put my inside leg on in an attempt to straighten her and she popped a change with the front legs anyway. I’m not sure if the hind legs came along because I immediately transitioned back to trot. The one time I don’t have a camera a set up!

We then worked on transitions within trot. She kept thinking walk when I was trying to come back at the trot so then I over exaggerated the big trot so that we could come back to a smaller trot without accidentally breaking into a walk. She caught on quickly and seemed pleased with herself. 

We have sunshine all weekend so I’m planning on riding outside and filming. Hoping to capture some fun stuff. 

Went to see doc today. She could tell I was really down physically and mentally so she’s checking my hormones again. I gained 1.5 pounds of fat when I’m supposed to be losing another 20 pounds and building lean muscle. She thinks low hormones could explain everything from my hair falling out, to low energy, no interest in anything, and super weird cravings. 

I’m hoping that sunshine will cheer me up and give me a much needed energy boost while I wait for the test results. All I’ve wanted to do lately when I get home is watch TV. I discovered that my favorite show “House” is on Amazon Prime so that will keep me entertained on “down” days.


----------



## carshon

I am sorry to hear you are still struggling with health issues. Hormones are crazy things. My DIL suffers from Hashimoto Syndrome and has struggles similar to yours. Sending healing thoughts.


----------



## frlsgirl

@carshon thank you - I’ve heard of that condition; sorry your DIL is dealing with this. Yes hormones are very tricky. The first time I had them checked by her which was almost a year ago, she was shocked at how low my T was; it was in the red zone. I felt soooo much better once she put me on HRT. 

DH is tired of cleaning clumps of hair out of the shower drain so hopefully getting new pellets placed will get me back on track.


----------



## SueC

I hope you get better soon, @frlsgirl. Malfunctions like that are no fun; I had a rough patch like that three years ago and it was... early menopause! mg: HRT and a bit of tinkering and back to nearly normal energy on that. But energy is such a complex thing and burnout also contributed for me. Maybe we should all go live in a cave somewhere... but where'd we put the horses?

By the way, if you've any old photos from being the responsible teenager at riding camp, I'd love to see them!


----------



## frlsgirl

@SueC I wish I had more pics. I only have one of me riding and then a bunch of pics that I took of the different horses in the pasture. This was before iPhones so we didn’t take a lot of pics back then. I will need to dig them out and post them here some time. 

Update:

Well, I had an exciting weekend! Rode Ana twice! And had a flat tire yesterday. I’ve never had one before and I always wondered when it would be my turn to have one. Of course this happened on a rural highway so it took a while before they could get to me. Now that I have the donut on I can’t drive all the way to Tulsa on it to get to work so I’m currently sitting in the waiting room of a small tire shop in a neighboring town. I’m supposed to be at work right now but oh well. 

Great. They can’t fix the tire. They have to order a new one. And it won’t be ready til this afternoon. I can’t wait that long.


----------



## frlsgirl

Update:

Dogs got their stitches out and seem happy to resume their normal activities which now includes going for walks as lovely spring weather has dried out our property sufficient for walking. :smile:

I got my tire fixed; apparently, I damaged it to the point that it needed to be completely replaced. Stuff like this always happens when DH is out of town which makes him worry that I can’t be trusted to take care of things when he’s gone. :frown_color:

Despite my personal property damage spree, he’s letting me do another trailer lesson tonight. Fingers crossed that I won’t screw anything up. 

Ana got a new set of pretty princess shoes so I took her for a spin in the covered arena last night. We rode with heavy emphasis on forward into the reins. We have to get better. I have to ride with high standards every schooling session; otherwise she gets confused when I only ask for perfection during horse shows and then we go home and just putter around the arena the rest of the time. I need to also have goof off time with her like going for hacks or stretch breaks in between schooling sessions. With much better weather on the horizon outdoor hacks are more likely to happen. 

Speaking of outdoor riding, we have a schooling show at the barn Saturday. I will NOT be entering the show BUT it would make for a great outdoor schooling session. The outdoor is rarely usable due to footing issues and it’s being used as a turnout. But for schooling shows they actually drag and prep the footing and kick the loose horsss out so I’m pumped to be able to ride in it while at the same time stress testing Ana to see how tense she will get with all the hoopla related to the show. 

My goal is to show Ana on 4/6 followed by the clinic the next day with same judge. That way I can get some detailed feedback which I’ve not been able to get. 

HRT is back on track so I’m feeling better which is probably obvious from the upbeat tone of my post :Angel:

Hope everyone’s week is going well and that you’re getting plenty of saddle time!

PS: almost forgot: did body work with Ana last night and I’m surprised at how strong she’s getting; she’s never offered so much pushing power with her hind end!


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## frlsgirl

I had another trailer practice lesson. DH wanted to focus on backing which i just don’t get. Needless to say I need a lot more lessons. 

Today’s schooling show got drenched in rain. I schooled Ana early in the morning and then volunteered the rest of the day. 

We started with hand walking and then moved on to longeing. She was so worked up about all the strangers at the barn that she galloped around frantically, nearly falling to the ground, before finally calming down enough to offer a nice trot and canter. I included some before and after pics. 

Here is a slow-mo of her stumble:






Then we went back to hand walking and then she was finally calm enough for riding. We only rode for 10 minutes as it started to rain and I desperately wanted to end on a positive, calm note which we did. 

So today’s recipe:

5 minutes hand walking 
20 minutes longeing 
2 minutes hand walking 
10 minutes of riding 

We didn’t use any calming paste or anything like that. 

The next show is 2 weeks away. I bought calming paste and I still have that pheromone sample my barn mate gave me. Thinking about using both supplements and and a longer hand walking session with a shorter longeing session next time in my never ending quest to find the perfect strategy to prep Ana for tests.


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## greentree

May I suggest longlining instead of lunging? It allows you to avoid that awkward and dangerous to motorcycle, head in the air phase altogether, and get right to walk/stretch/step to the outside rein /rhythmic work. 

Love the trailer! To back the trailer, even after YEARS of it, I have to turn off the radio! The least little diversion in concentration just screws the whole thing up! You will get it...just put your hand on the bottom of the wheel and look behind you. Push the wheel the way you want the trailer to go. Stop if you get wrong. Pull forward to correct.


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## frlsgirl

@greentree I would love to learn long lining! Nobody here does it but I wonder if the BO knows how....i will ask.


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## frlsgirl

We had a much more relaxed day today despite the scary judges booth at C; maybe I just need to work her more and then I won’t need to come up with a recipe of longe work and magical paste.


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## DanteDressageNerd

I'm glad you and Ana had a good session today. I also agree with trying long lining, I think it's a really good tool. I did a bit with Wonder. Havent in a while. I tried ground driving and being slow about it but....let's just say you couldn't pay me enough money to hook him to a cart.

The pictures and sunset are stunning! What a paradise to see!


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## frlsgirl

Snuck out of work early and rode :cowboy:

Hoping to ride again tomorrow.


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## carshon

I think Anna looks fantastic! And I worked with long lines for awhile (years ago) because my gelding was a maniac on the lunge line. I taught myself (I had drive pony carts some when I was younger) the worst part was teaching him that the line above his hock was ok. That being said I did not long line in many circles but used a lot of natural obstacles and cones - It really helped Steve (my gelding) to concentrate and listen to me. I think he even enjoyed it a little!


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for sharing @carshon I bet that would be a fun activity!


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## egrogan

A lot of Morgans are trained in lines as babies, so it's possible Ana's actually experienced them before. My previous BO did a ton of long lining with her dressage horses, and like @carshon said, she'd use the full arena and take them through grids/cavellitis, etc. at all gaits. I watched her a few times and did a little makeshift work with Izzy using a regular surcingle and two cotton lunge lines, so no special equipment really needed. Izzy was driven as a youngster so didn't mind the lines on her back or legs, but I did some "practice" in an arena when we started, and made sure to really move the lines all over her hind legs and up over her back and under her tail before I did anything else. I've liked it as a strategy here for Izzy, and will take her out on walks down the road with the lines (which I guess is technically probably more "ground driving" than long-lining, but we're not really going for style points).


I found this video helpful


----------



## egrogan

A lot of Morgans are trained in lines as babies, so it's possible Ana's actually experienced them before. My previous BO did a ton of long lining with her dressage horses, and like @carshon said, she'd use the full arena and take them through grids/cavellitis, etc. at all gaits. I watched her a few times and did a little makeshift work with Izzy using a regular surcingle and two cotton lunge lines, so no special equipment really needed. Izzy was driven as a youngster so didn't mind the lines on her back or legs, but I did some "practice" in an arena when we started, and made sure to really move the lines all over her hind legs and up over her back and under her tail before I did anything else. I've liked it as a strategy here for Izzy, and will take her out on walks down the road with the lines (which I guess is technically probably more "ground driving" than long-lining, but we're not really going for style points).


I found this video helpful


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## carshon

One helpful hint I will give with long lining is have 2 different colored lines when you start out - so that you always know right is "white" and left is "black" and so on. that really helped me - especially when asking for a change in direction


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## frlsgirl

Thanks for the tips @egrogan and @carshon - I like the idea about the color coded lines as I’m sure it’s easy to get confused. 

I rode Ana 4 times in 5 days. We are both exhausted. I can hardly sit up straight; my postural muscles are toast! Going to get adjusted by chiro tomorrow; that should help. 

I hope I didn’t bite off more than I can chew; I’m signed up to do all 3 Training level tests on 4/6 which I’ve never attempted. Plus the clinic. 

The good news is that Ana is a lot more settled the more I ride her. So at least I’ve got the dragon tamed for now. Even with cantering she’s offering to stretch more, probably because she’s too tired to put up a fight. So the right response feels easier to her than the wrong response. Now I just need to get myself fit enough to exercise her properly. 

Definitely NOT riding tomorrow. Heck I don’t even know how I’m gonna get from the couch to the shower. So exhausted :ZZZ:


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## DanteDressageNerd

I agree with Egrogan, I worked for a morgan trainer who drove and did saddle seat, as well as natural horsemanship. They long line EVERY horse and many morgan are broke to the cart as 2yrs olds to be ready to ride by 3. The long lining and starting them as 2yr olds pulling makes it super easy to break and start them. It's a good system. 

Good luck with the shows and clinics!! And glad Ana is settling down, should be a great adventure for you both. Enjoy all experiences!


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @egrogan :smile: I sent you a pm.


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## egrogan

I'm so glad it made it without the popcorn being crushed! Enjoy maple season :grin:


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## SueC

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:


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## frlsgirl

Windy cold day in Oklahoma. We tried the maple syrup that we got from @egrogan - it was yummy!

I longed Ana prior to riding as she was very worked up from the wind and the cold. I then rode her for 14 minutes. I overshot the target; wore her out on the longe and she had no go left under saddle. Oh well. 

I ordered her a few things. Been wanting to try a Micklem bridle on her and also a fancy bit for horses that are fussy in the bridle. 

Planning on riding her again tomorrow and hopefully find the right amount of forward and throughness.


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## frlsgirl

*Update: Mystery solved, lame again and show update*

So this picture explains what’s been happening to Ana’s mane :|

Aside from the obvious cosmetic issue, this is also dangerous and could explain some of her occasional neck and shoulder stiffness. 

I just received this pic late last night after I had already left the barn so I have not had a chance to discuss this with BO. I’m gonna ask if we can move Ana to a grass turnout: the barn has 4 of them. Either with a buddy or by herself next to a buddy. This would mean more stall time for her because they rotate horses through the turnouts. But she would be safer and happier while she’s turned out and she would be happier to see me when I come to ride because I will be her ticket to freedom rather than the fun police. 

The BO might tell me no so there’s that possibility because it would require her to change the rotation schedule and upset other horses and their owners. 

Also, Ana went lame on the right hind as I was riding her last night. I’m glad I got it on video so that I could reconcile what I was feeling with what I was seeing. Her right hind became wobbly and she couldn’t push off it in the canter so the canter felt like she was trotting with one leg. Super weird. 

Of course as my streak of bad luck would have it, this has to happen 4 days before my favorite show and clinic of the year was supposed to happen. But we only have 24 rides scheduled so far which is not enough to make a show and it will likely get rained out anyway. 

So maybe getting canceled will be for the best since Ana is lame anyway. But then I still need to figure out why she’s lame and how to prevent and fix it. It happened after lateral work; her legs became wobbly. She could still use her left hind just fine but the right was too unstable to push off into the canter. 

Sigh. 

Hope everyone is having a better week than me. I’ll see if I can the footage of her wobbly leg loaded at some point.


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## carshon

Holy smokes! Her head in those gates is scary! I am so sorry she is lame. Maybe she needs adjusted? All of the longing can make her SI joint go out.

Fingers crossed for a quick recovery for Ana.


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## frlsgirl

Good point @carshon - we just adjusted her on March 4th so I was hoping to wait a few month. I usually get her adjusted about twice a year. 

Update:

I talked to BO. She understands my dilemma regarding turnout and had agreed to try her out on the grassy pasture by the manure pile; doesn’t sound very glamorous I know, but Ana loves grass and won’t be bothered by the manure. Fingers crossed that this works. 

I do recall learning somewhere about how lateral work can be destabilizing to the horse if it crosses midline, so shoulder in and TOFs are probably safest for her; for now anyway. We did leg yields yesterday at quite a steep angle. So hopefully she will just recover from this with rest. I do realize that she will eventually need joint injections again but I’m trying to squeeze as much mileage out of them as I can. 

When I start doing rated shows once a year I will make sure that I time joint injections, chiro, saddle fitting and shoeing with each show so that she’s got the best shot at being 100% comfortable. 

I shaved her mane yesterday hopefully for the last time and reclipped her bridle bath. That should make her more comfortable in the poll area. She loves it when I rub her between her poll and her ears; definitely an area of tension for her. 

The new bridle and bit are scheduled to arrive tomorrow which will hopefully make her even more comfortable.

Trailer lesson number 4 scheduled for tonight. Hoping to make some progress with it. 

No news regarding the show yet. If it does happen I will just learn to make the best of it; giving Ana some rest and might bute her if she needs it. 

Life with horses I tell ya, it’s always something. Just gotta keep my and Ana’s chin up and keep riding on :cowboy:


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## carshon

@flrsgirl I haul a trailer quite a bit (a 18ft trailer with lawn mowers on it and a 3 horse with tack room slant load trailer) here is my advice. Just take a deep breath. The hardest part of backing a trailer is remembering to breath through it. My husband made me all kinds of nervous when I started pulling a trailer. And I started out with the horse trailer with horses in it. I just never backed it in anywhere! Then we started our mowing business and I had to learn to back up a trailer. I am still way better when no one is with me. Good practice is to start really using your mirrors even without a trailer behind you - I never did well with the hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. I do my left hand at 10 and right at 2 most of the time and just take my time. You will get the hang of it!


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## frlsgirl

Thank @carshon I’m working on it. Just parked this beast at the restaurant. 

Ana is still a bit unsure about the new barn routine so I went to visit her and talked her through it. I took her for a trail ride through the fields so she could tell me all about it. We practiced halting and breathing and she finally settled down.


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## frlsgirl

Update:

I’m touring a potential new boarding place Sunday. I really don’t want to move barns as I need to maintain a good relationship with current barn and barn mates. 

But, I called yesterday on my way to work to find out how Ana was adjusting to her new turnout and learned that the barn manager had not been informed of this change yet by the barn owner. Grrrrr. Fortunately Ana was in her stall overnight anyway due to storms so she had not accidentally been turned out in the wrong spot. 

So I waited a few hours and called back to find out how Ana was adjusting to her new turnout spot and the barn owner says “she doesn’t like being in the stall” so I’m like “um why is she still in her stall?” “Because it’s too wet to put her in the grassy pasture...unless of course you want me to put her back in the lot with the mares...” Grrrrrrrrr!!!
“Oh no, I don’t want her out with those mares; no worries I’ll be over there later to let her hand graze for a bit” Grrrrrrr!!

So I message my boss at 2pm that I need to leave work early and make a mad dash to the barn in high heals and dress clothes; on the way there I called my BFF who can totally hear the frustration in my voice and suggests that I come watch her show Sunday at this new boarding place that everyone loves. 

So I arrive at the barn visualizing Ana doing spins in her stall desperately whinnying for someone to let her out....the barn is silent. The princess is laying down sleeping :ZZZ:. She wasn’t even interested in going out. I opened the stall door, showed her the halter and she just looked at me like “umm can you come back later this isn’t a good time” So I just drove 30 miles, missing 3 hours of work (unpaid) standing in the mud in my office clothes and it wasn’t even a problem or emergency. 

She did eventually decide to get up and I hand grazed her for 90 minutes. 

Something needs to change...boarding facility or my work schedule, or the weather or???? We are even considering training DH to let Ana out when he’s home. 

Another option is to do what @egrogan did and quickly finish fencing, throw a run in shed on our land and bring Ana over in a matter of a couple of weeks and then trailer across the street once a week for a lesson/access to an arena. 



I don’t know; just super frustrated right now.


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## frlsgirl

Update. 

The Micklem bridle and new bit seem to be a good fit. 

I toured the potential barn and it won’t work for us. They have a stallion and foals on the property and turnout options aren’t any better there. 

However Ana seems to be settling into her new turnout routine and everyone is on board with it. She is still doing some pacing along the fence line and she is suddenly super attached to me and a lot more agreeable under saddle. 

Can’t tell yet if it’s made a difference on her mane as I had just freshly shaved her right before changing turnouts. Maybe we will see a difference in a month?

Hope everyone had a great weekend 

:cowboy:


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## SueC

This is why we have dogs.












They comfort us, and we get to do more laundry.

Sorry you had a rough time, good that things are looking up now!

The other day when you posted the maple syrup photos, it just reminded me of something. I used to staple chocolate freddo frogs to really good assignment efforts, and back in 2000 I had this kid called Fred, in a class of 14-year-olds. During Year 8 and Year 9, the genders usually self-segregate when allowed to choose their own seats - not until around age 15 do some of them start to mix, generally. But, Fred sat at a bench with a girl either side of him. And whenever he got a chocolate frog on his assignment, he'd carefully break it into three and share it with the girls either side. It was so cute to watch them. It was entirely platonic and soooo sweet. I used to have to turn my face away from the class because I didn't want my automatic reaction to draw attention to them.  I just really like it when things like that happen!


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## frlsgirl

Awww that is a sweet story @SueC 

I wish I could post more stuff and read and respond on other posts; I have a bug on my phone that won't allow me to go to this website. Our internet at home is down so I'm using a jet pack with just a few minutes of juice left before it dies again.

That's one downside to living in the country; it's like going backwards in time. But I can't imagine living in the city again.

I better go before the jet pack runs out....hope to have internet and phone fixed soon.


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## frlsgirl

Ok trying something out. Using iPhone as a mobile hotspot so that I can use iPad to post on HF as Internet is still down at our house and phone won't let me go to HF directly. How did we ever live without Internet? Did I actually ride my horse if it's not documented online somewhere !?! :smile:

All is well in Ana-land. She's getting used to the new turnout routine although she still whinnies to her former pasture mates whenever they cross paths. I do feel a bit guilty for separating her from her BFFs. But we knew this would have to happen eventually anyway. The good news is that her mane is growing back and the dapples are starting to bloom :smile:

But she's had a couple of training rides last week and then I rode her over the weekend and we have a lesson scheduled tomorrow. 

Hope everyone has a great week!


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Ok trying something out. Using iPhone as a mobile hotspot so that I can use iPad to post on HF as Internet is still down at our house and phone won't let me go to HF directly. How did we ever live without Internet? Did I actually ride my horse if it's not documented online somewhere !?! :smile:


Ah yes, if a tree falls in the forest and there's noone there to hear it, does it still make a sound? ;-)


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## PoptartShop

Glad Ana is doing well and adjusting to the new routine. 
I hope your lesson goes well today!


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## frlsgirl

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. 

We finally got to do hill work outside. I just love galloping around out there. Poor Ana was huffing and puffing like "Im a dressage queen, not an eventer!" :gallop:

I volunteered at the show Saturday for half a day and that was a lot of fun! I finally found my favorite job: gate steward 

I'm hoping to have another lesson before the end of the month. May is going to be packed with lots of fun stuff; lessons, clinics, shows and I'm starting a fitness program for Dressage riders. Also hoping to bring Ana over for a day so she can see where she'll be living.


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## frlsgirl

It looks like my technical problems are resolved and I can post from my phone again :smile:

So here are some more recent pics. I tried riding with the shoulder back bra but I’m not sure that it makes a noticeable difference in my posture. 

Also Ana’s dapples are coming in.

DH got elected to be the new president of our HOA so maybe we can bend the rules a little and get Ana an emotional support donkey? Currently the rules state only equines and no more than 5 per property....

Found out that the new neighbors have 4 horses and one is a Shetland pony and one is an 18 hand quarter horse. They should move in some time next month.


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## egrogan

Why is a donkey not an equine?! :think:

Ana is looking lovely. Not sure if I missed it, but is there a "homecoming" date set for her?


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## frlsgirl

No official date although we are going to bring her over soon just to hang out and ride around for a day. Fence work is resuming in May. We are waiting to discuss logistics with new neighbors since we will be sharing fence lines and potentially a gate. 

I wondered about that too but outgoing president is certain that only horses are allowed per the covenants...but since I’m married to the new president I’m sure I could get that amended


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## frlsgirl

*Warning - cutenesses overload*

We visited the mini horse farm across the street from us where they have a 4 day old mini foal! 

They were all so friendly and sweet. I want one!


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## SueC

egrogan said:


> Why is a donkey not an equine?! :think:


I took a video of what the likely issue is today. :rofl: I just have to upload it, then I'll post the link!
@frlsgirl, those minis look like they could live in a bathroom! :Angel: Cute colours!


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## SueC

OK, here's why donkeys are often banned from high-density areas:






This is a minor exchange. You should hear him when he _really_ gets going, which he does at least three times a day, including early in the morning!


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## frlsgirl

Oh dear; Ben does have a few things to say, doesn’t he @SueC ? Their donkey was quiet at first until we went into the mare pen and he tried to follow us in but the owner blocked him...and then he got upset and started complaining. DH’s comment “yeah, we are not EVER getting a donkey” sigh


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## frlsgirl

*Party Lesson*

Here are some fun pics from today’s party lesson. I was taking confo shots of Ana when my friend Cathy decided to photobomb; Ana pinned her ears like “hey, you are ruining my shot” :smile:

Cathy tried a friend’s horse today as she’s trying to find a suitable replacement for her previous riding partner. I really like him; just look at how well he can articulate his hock. He’s definitely one that I would consider if I were ready to pull the trigger. He checks most of the boxes: color, height, temperament, movement but he’s 13 and has been sitting in a pasture for the past year.

She might bring him again if he doesn’t sell and then I might take him for a spin. He’s a very big mover and very forward but I’m pretty used to that run-a-way train feeling thanks to Ana 

Speaking of my little speed demon, her right lead canter was on fire today; we cantered for what seemed like an eternity before she started to relax and stretch down a bit. She’s definitely getting more fit and i have to work her pretty hard to get the dragon tamed to the point where she moves properly. 

Of course group lessons add a layer of tension as she’s very busy expressing her feelings towards the other horses. Lots of tail swishing and ear pinning :gallop:


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## SueC

That hair! :rofl: I love spoof photos!


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## frlsgirl

In other news...we finally transported Ana in our trailer! We brought her to our property so she can see where she will be living! 

I think she liked it!


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## PoptartShop

Gorgeous place!  Love it! She will be very happy!


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## egrogan

What a fun outing. You will love seeing her out your window when she's there for good :grin:


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## frlsgirl

So my lesson got rained out :frown_color:

We had over 20 tornadoes hit in Oklahoma last night. We lost power 3 times but other than that all is well. All horses are safe. DH comes home later today; I expect he will be doing a walk around our property but at first glance everything looks good. 

:cowboy:


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## SaddleUp158

Not sure about your area, but we got an incredible amount of rain yesterday! Talk about waterlogged! Glad you all are safe.


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## egrogan

Scary! Glad you all are ok.


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## phantomhorse13

Glad all is well. The reports on the news were very scary.


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## frlsgirl

Well the tech gremlins are back on my iPhone so I can only post on the computer when we have internet, which is still spotty at best. 

Not much new to tell. Started the 12-week Dressage Rider Training program. So far I'm impressed; seems like a very logical progressive approach. I already did the first homework assignment: riding for 10 minutes without stirrups at a walk while trying to stack your ribs while keeping bottom relaxed. Easier said than done. I thought I would get bored but I actually worked on it for 15 minutes; it made a noticeable difference; Ana seemed a lot more relaxed and willing to go forward. Have I been holding her back all this time with my seat issues? 

Go ahead and try it; try to sit up straight not hollow not collapsed while keeping the lower half of your body completely relaxed. The harder you try to more difficult it is to do. I worked on it again today. It just seems like a good way to start your ride; really wakes up the right side of your brain.

I have a lesson Tuesday assuming it doesn't get rained out again. The arena is still partially under water but we've been able to use the back half and the outdoor arena.

Hope everyone has a great week.


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## frlsgirl

Let’s see if this works. 

Had a lesson Tuesday. We had a breakthrough - I was able to get and keep her on the bit for half circle plus leg yield from quarter line to wall. It felt amazing albeit exhausting. RI said that’s what makes Ana kind of tricky because she appears to go forward from very light aids but to truly ride her through you have to really use a lot of strength. Probably because she still views rein pressure as a big stop sign so you really have to put your legs on to push her past that reluctance. It was an usually hot and humid day so we both just struggled to keep it going. 

Plus I kept having strirrup issues. I overstretched one side so I switched them around but couldn’t get the opposite side to stretch. Long story short: I have them on different holes while I wait for my new stirrups to come in. 

But then I rode her last night after the temp had dropped to 54! and I was able to get more throughness and forwardness without wearing myself or her out. I modified the exercise slightly by walking the half circle and then leg yielding a few steps before picking up the trot and then just riding a slightly smaller circle and then just leg yielding a couple of steps towards the rail and then blending that exercise into serpentines. 

That’s what’s so tricky. In theory lateral work is supposed to make her more supple and reinforce that inside leg to outside rein connection BUT if I overdo lateral stuff she actually becomes disjointed for lack of a better term where she almost becomes lame. But throwing in just a hint of a leg yield combined with frequent changes of direction while avoiding sharp turns is the magic recipe for her. 

The DRT class is going well. We did Yoga Wednesday which I thought would be easy but it was definitely challenging yet doable. Strength training is on today’s agenda. 

I’m hoping to ride at least once this weekend.


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## knightrider

Ana is sooooo cute. That last picture is so adorable, I want to hug her.


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## frlsgirl

Awww @knightrider - Ana would love that. She likes to throw herself on the ground to do a pretend roll when she's really just sneaking extra bites of grass lol.


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## frlsgirl

Hope everyone is doing well. Ana and I have been working hard at getting better at this Dressage thing. DRT class is going well - progressed to sitting trot without stirrups. My abs are constantly sore. Yoga Mobility class tonight. 

Everything is super green all around us thanks to massive amounts of rain. This also means lots of mud; in fact so much mud that next weeks show and clinic might get canceled as the trailer parking area is too soggy. Oh well. Learning to roll with the punches which is pretty easy right now as Ana has been going fantastic under saddle. Don’t know if it’s her or if it’s me but somehow she’s looking and feeling more and more like a real Dressage horse.


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## frlsgirl

Update. I finally figured out the new video editing software.. well kind of; I can’t figure out where the weird music is coming from but anyway, this is from Tuesday’s ride. 






Haven’t ridden since then as Wednesday’s yoga class didn’t go as planned. I was trying to do this downward dog pose with hip extensions and now I’m an injured dog lol. Chiro/physio said I pulled several muscles including hamstring. 

Needless to say I had to cancel my lesson yesterday. I’m still gimping around albeit much better compared to Wednesday. 

Tomorrow is my birthday so I was hoping to ride but maybe I should take it slowly and just go for a loose rein hack instead. 

Also got massage and pedi scheduled so that should make me feel better. 

Also I’ve decided that one day a year I can eat whatever I want. I haven’t had any type of baked goods since I started this diet back in September of 2018 except for 1 bite at last years Christmas party. 

So if you could eat anything, what would that be?

I’m thinking tiramisu from the Cheesecake Factory but not sure yet.


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## egrogan

Happy almost birthday! My "last meal" request will always be classic New York Style pizza or eggplant parm with homemade ziti and garlic bread. I can't imagine a life without carbs :grin:


Enjoyed the video, her canter is looking much more comfortable and fluid.


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## frlsgirl

Both yummy choices @egrogan 

I do eat carbs but it’s the non starchy kind like many veggies and some fruit. I’m allowed to have 1 brand of crackers “Mary’s Gone Crackers” but only the original flavor and only up to 16 crackers per day although doc wants me have 8 max.


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## RidingWithRuby

Happy almost birthday!

Ugh, too many choices! If I had to pick just one, maybe crab. We go to Red Lobster maybe once a year, and my mom and I always share crab. Mmm.

Also, lots of garlic bread, too much fruit, and maybe a nice coffee. 😉

This, of course, is assuming whatever I eat will cause me no digestive upset. Because I can assure you I could not eat the above combination all in one day!


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## frlsgirl

Hello @RidingWithRuby and welcome to Ana’s thread 

Garlic bread - yummy! I agree if I ate all of that in one day my tummy would be upset too but I do like to think that just 1 day per year, you should be allowed to eat whatever


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## SueC

:happy-birthday8:

...and may there be maaaaany more!

Have a wonderful day! :hug:


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @SueC 

Had a whirlwind of a birthday weekend; literally. Friday, I ran to the barn after work to take Ana for a spin in the fields. Barn mate et. al. joined us and it was a great time. Until we get back. BO suddenly yells for us to hurry to the barn. Another barn mates’ horse is colicing and cast in her stall. Long story short, we got her out and took turns walking her until owner and vet arrive. So it ended up being a late night. 

Saturday, my birthday arrived with thunder lightning and tornado sirens. We got to try out the tornado shelter for the first time. We make it just in time to my massage and pedi appointment. All that was great. 

So then DH decides that we need to stop at a store on our way to the Cheesecake Factory. No problem. We are in there for not 5 minutes and a man and his wife start acting crazy, she runs out of the store with merchandise, the man yells threats at store personnel and the store is on lock down. They still allowed us to complete our purchase and leave. 

Cheesecake Factory was uneventful. Food was so delicious. We split a chicken dish, I ate bread with butter and an entire tiramisu dessert cake all by myself. I think I’m gonna do this every birthday and diet the remaining 364 days lol. 

Rode Ana today. She was so adorable. BM brought her in early because she was having a little too much fun playing in the mud. So I decided to only brush the top half and rinse the bottom half in the wash stall. This was a little confusing for Ana because I was doing things out of order. So when I tried to finish tacking her she kept nickering for a carrot because she always gets one at the end of our session. She wouldn’t stop talking until I agreed to give her half a carrot now the other half later lol. 

We had a very good ride. I was nervous that I would be in too much pain to ride properly but actually riding made it better. 

It didn’t start hurting again until later. It seems to be traveling down my leg. 

Went home to get ready for big dinner plans but DH got called to work. So I visited with new neighbor instead. They have huge horses! Like 17 hands and above. They also have a pony but it hasn’t arrived from Ohio yet and one more OTTB. They are eventers! So cool to have real horse people right next door. He is a trauma surgeon; should come in handy considering how clumsy I am! Hopefully i won’t ever need his services but it’s good to know that it’s available lol.


----------



## SaddleUp158

Wow! That was an eventful birthday weekend. I am glad you all are safe and were able to still enjoy your celebratory dinner! 

Stay safe today. Weather looks like it is going to be scary!


----------



## frlsgirl

I know yikes @SaddleUp158 ! I’m hiding out at the office today and praying that Ana will be ok!

Stay safe!


----------



## SaddleUp158

We are dismissed at noon today so I will be heading home to gather the dogs. Praying Mia is fine...I realized she doesn't have a tag on her and her halter doesn't have her name/number. Huge fail on my end, I will fix that for the next storm.


----------



## frlsgirl

Update. 

We survived last nights storms. Now stuck at home waiting for the next round of storms to pass. I have reached out to BO to make sure Ana is ok but haven’t heard anything. 

Here are some pics I took this morning of the storms rolling in. 

Hope everyone in OKC area is ok @SaddleUp158 ?


----------



## SaddleUp158

@frlsgirl

Everything is good in the OKC area. There are areas/roads that are flooded due to all the rain, but we were missed by the worst of the storms, thank you Lord! 

Those pics are amazing! Glad you all are safe and sound. Hopefully that was the worst of the season...


----------



## PoptartShop

Gosh, that's scary! :O Hopefully Ana is okay. Stay safe!!!


----------



## frlsgirl

Update!

Ana and all her barn mates are fine. The arena flooded and most horses didn’t get turned out today so I’m letting her hand graze for a bit. 

The schooling show is definitely canceled but we might do a 2 day clinic with the judge instead. It depends on what the judge wants to do and if the arena will dry out in time. 

BO said it’s the worst flooding they’ve ever had and she’s had this place for 40 years. 

Just glad everyone is ok.


----------



## SueC

mg: @frlsgirl! That arena is going to take some fixing, no? Great lightning photos. Glad you're OK.


----------



## frlsgirl

Update 

@SueC yes they’ve had to pump some water out and then waited for the rest to dry before they dragged it just in time for the 2 day clinic

Day 1 we actually did in the outdoor as they were still putting the finishing touches on the indoor. My ride time was 6pm Friday. 

My main goal was to not faint from the heat and humidity. I wore my Fitbit which showed my heart rate peaked in the 180s which is usually my fainting zone but I somehow managed to stay upright probably due to the 8 bottles of water I drank earlier in the day. 

We worked on riding her more from my legs; spiraling in an out on a circle at both trot and canter without using rein aids whatsoever which forced Ana to use her body in a more honest, correct way. She broke to trot several times during the exercise as it was really difficult for her to stand up on that right shoulder. 

Day 2; I was supposed to ride at 8:45 am immediately after BO but BM had a tree fall on his house during the night so I got a phone call early in the morning, if I could please swap with BO and take the 8am slot so that BO could do barn duties for BM. 

We rode in the covered arena continuing on the same theme from the day before: keeping the neck straight in relation to her shoulders. I’m supposed to ask myself “what if I took the head and neck away, could I steer the shoulders with my seat?”

I recall her touching on that in previous sessions, that Ana’s neck needs to be more straight so she can connect more honestly. 

Also responsiveness from my left leg; she needs to try harder - I accept 60% from her when she’s capable of giving me more but she won’t offer 100% if I’m ok with less. 

And my upper body issues: my elbows need to be heavier yet more elastic whereas my mid section needs to be more stable. 

Overall she was very pleased with our progression though; lots of improvements since our first lesson in March 2017 horse camp. 

She also commented on her willingness; she definitely does everything asked of her without naughtiness which is really good because there were other horses in the clinic that struggled with motivation much to the dismay of their riders. These were bigger, heavier type of horses though. I sure like my little sports car; fast, smooth and flashy. 

We talked about my bronze medal plans and she agreed that it’s definitely possible for Ana to make it to 3rd level. 

So I’m pretty pleased with our learnings. Definitely things I can keep playing with when we ride on our own. 

Here is a short video from Day 2






After 2 days of riding I was pretty exhausted; my Fitbit was going nuts sending me congrats on all my activities lol. I burned 5000 calories in 2 days! Maybe another trip to the Cheesecake Factory is in order lol. 

Ana seemed pretty happy to have me around so much and was constantly talking at me and trying to get me to do things for her. 






Then came more severe weather. DH was flying back from Canada at 1am and called my neighbor from the airplane phone to alert them about the tornado threat and asked them if they could drive to my house and wake me up. So the dogs and I spent part of the night in our safe room yet again. 

Fortunately, no damage or injuries in our immediate area but parts of Oklahoma got torn up pretty badly and there were some fatalities as well. We keep getting alerts that they are releasing more water into the river so we could potentially go under water like some parts of Oklahoma. Overall we’ve been extremely fortunate so far whereas others in Oklahoma have not. 

In addition to the obvious damage to homes and businesses, many have missed days of work; BO had to cancel all lessons for the week and farmers have been unable to bale hay as it’s too wet for the tractors. This means that our barn is going to run out of hay soon as is everyone else. How will we feed our horses?


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## egrogan

The weather you all are having just boggles the mind. So happy you all are safe and got to have some normalcy in the middle of all the storms. Looking foreword to watching your videos-love seeing Ana go and encouraged to read the comments from the clinic!


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## frlsgirl

I had a lesson yesterday and BO surprised me with the nicest compliment ever; she said that we get the most improved award :smile:

We spent most of the lesson testing and challenging Ana’s balance with tiny serpentines, changes of direction and spirals. 

We are supposed to have a show on the 8th but it looks like it will get rained out. The arena is almost completely dry but there is no trailer parking atm as the ground is too soggy. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend of uninterrupted riding :cowboy:


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## DanteDressageNerd

The pictures look amazing!! 

You and Ana look absolutely amazing!! Major congratulations on your most improved award, you two have definitely earned it!


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## SueC

Yes - fantastic stuff, you & Ana! Looking excellent!


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## frlsgirl

Guess who’s 11 today?!? Miss Ana!!!

I can’t believe she’s that old already. I’m hoping to get a lot more miles out of her. 

Update:

We had another storm hit so the show this weekend is canceled. I do have a lesson tomorrow so that’s something to look forward to. 

Here is a comparison pic from 2016 and now at the stretchy trot. She used to throw down and really pull me out of the saddle whereas now she can stretch not just down but also forward without losing her balance.


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## frlsgirl

So I’m going through some major life changes. I don’t know how things are going to play out yet but I got a lot of thinking and planning to do. 

That being said, Ana is doing well so no need to worry about her and I still have my fantastic job and friends and some family left so I’m going to be ok. 

Going to a party lesson this morning which will hopefully cheer me up sufficiently to get through the day. 

I will update more when I know more. If you’re the praying kind feel free to send some my way or positive thoughts, cyber hugs etc.


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## knightrider

Sending prayers and thoughts and ((((cyber hugs))))) your way.


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## greentree

Lots of hugs!!


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## egrogan

Sending good thoughts and hope all works out as you want!


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## Tazzie

Thinking of you! I'm sorry you're going through some major changes, but thank goodness for Ana being there for you <3


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## carshon

sending more thoughts and prayers your way


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## PoptartShop

Hope everything is okay. Sending hugs! And happy belated birthday to Ana. <3


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## DanteDressageNerd

I know we've talked but if you need any more help, let me know. I'm always here for you. And when you come to Europe, let me know so we can hang out. Germany and Denmark are so close!


----------



## frlsgirl

Update

Here are a couple of pics from Sunday. 

The big change is that my DH will soon be my DEH 

I’m going to counseling trying to deal with this shocking news. 

I never thought this would happen to me...at 43...I guess better now than at 63, right?


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## DanteDressageNerd

I have nothing I can say but I will say I think everything happens for a reason. At the time we may be angry, bitter, and hurt but I truly believe these harsh, shocking blows are what leads us to something so much better than we could ever have imagined. Maybe Im being too optimistic but I believe these major changes lead to something special. We just have to go through all the emotions, every single one. The screaming and crying in the shower, wailing, the anger, the depression, all of it and it leads to something grand. 

The good thing is you have Ana and a home to go back to. Maybe there is something waiting over here for you, not necessarily a man but something far better for you and for Ana. Men kinda suck, horses are forever. You've got this! I believe in you and Im glad you have counseling. I think that helps a lot.


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## Tazzie

Tanja, I'm so sorry to hear this. I'm glad you're going through counseling for it. That had to be a huge shocker 

I think going back home will be a good idea, and bringing Ana with you. I know how much she means to you, and it'd be good to have her with you when you make that trip.

I have to believe there is something out there that's better for you. That this happened for a very valid reason. While it sucks now, I do hope your future brightens up in tremendous ways.


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## egrogan

A huge change for sure. I'm sure it will be a difficult time, and am glad you have access to a counselor. Am I reading correctly that you'll be moving back to Germany?


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## PoptartShop

I am so sorry to hear this. :sad: Going to counseling is a good idea though. You will get through this & you will come out of it 10x stronger. Bringing Ana with you will be a good thing, and a fresh start. Take care of yourself and things will get better. :hugs:


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## carshon

I am so sorry to hear this. As others have said it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel now - but know that there is light and things will get better. Hugs to you and thinking of you.


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## greentree

I am so sorry. It is horrible now, but the sun will come out in your life again....hugs!


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## jaydee

Sorry to hear that.
I've followed your journey with Ana since you bought her so I hope you can find a way to work through this.
The way to get over partners who mess up your life in a certain moment in time, is to not let it mess up the rest of it. They aren't worth it.


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## AndyTheCornbread

Know that it definitely gets better. My ex went on vacation and e-mailed me from her vacation spot to let me know she wasn't coming back and that I should file for divorce. She never came back even for the divorce proceedings, just let the courts handle everything. Up until then I had thought we were doing fine, so I know how big of a shock stuff like this can be. Making everything work again by yourself is an unwelcome challenge but it does indeed get better over time. The up side is that the person who left didn't waste any more of our time so we can get on with living our lives.


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## frlsgirl

Wow thanks everyone for your support and kind words. 

I’m going to Germany at the end of July until beginning of August just to visit and explore what my options are for moving back. 

Should the option arise that I can move back, then I will definitely take Ana with me. 

So many things to work out still...I’m just so shocked and overwhelmed still.


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## AndyTheCornbread

frlsgirl said:


> Wow thanks everyone for your support and kind words.
> 
> I’m going to Germany at the end of July until beginning of August just to visit and explore what my options are for moving back.
> 
> Should the option arise that I can move back, then I will definitely take Ana with me.
> 
> So many things to work out still...I’m just so shocked and overwhelmed still.


Is moving back something you would like to do, or is it something you might have to do, or is it a reaction to the sudden upheaval of your life situation right now?

One of the best pieces of advice I got when I got divorced was to not marry the first long term relationship I got into after the divorce and to wait at least a year before making any major life decisions after the divorce was finalized. 

I did end up moving but it was to take advantage of my new found freedom to move to where I had always wanted to live and raise my kids, and we didn't move until about four years after my divorce was final.

Moves can be good for many reasons including a fresh start in a place with no bad memories but remember there is a lot of the US where you could start over and maybe have something you have always dreamed of like living on a lake or living in the mountains etc. I don't know what your work situation is but many companies allow telecommuting or maybe once the divorce is final you want to simply quit your job and go after one you have always dreamed of in another place? 

There can be a lot of upside to a divorce even if it wasn't something we wanted in the first place. It's a lot of lemons to be handed as a surprise but the upside is it can make a lot of lemonade if we respond to the challenge in a positive way.

Remember what Wayne Dyer said: "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.". I don't know a whole lot about Wayne but that right there has been a good piece of advice for me over the years to remember to put a positive spin on troubled times and some of them have ended up being the best times of my life.

I wish you a ton of good luck in your travels to Germany and I hope you find a path that makes you really happy. Be it in Germany or here in the US.


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## frlsgirl

@AndyTheCornbread I’ve always wondered how my life would have turned out had I chosen door one instead of door 2. I’m 43. Time to find out what’s behind door 1. 

Door 1 presented itself in 1993 when I was supposed to choose a profession and wanted to become a Pro Equestrian which is an actual formal program in Germany. It takes 3 years and you have to pick 1 of 3 or 4 majors, can’t remember now as things have changed since I looked into it the first time. 

I picked Door 2 and moved to the US. 

I need to look into it and see if it’s a possibility and if it’s for me. They may not take me. I might research it and find out that I’m not interested but I need to know what’s behind the door I never opened.


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## SueC

Big :hug: from me, @frlsgirl. I'm so sorry you're going through all that, it's never fun, but I do agree with everyone who has said that good things can come from bad circumstances. Your life will get better than ever. It just doesn't look like it from where you're sitting right now - it's a really stressful situation that you have to get through first, and that's the horrible bit. Then it will improve, and you'll feel good again.

Don't worry about being 43. There a truckloads of cool people over 40, and it's a great BS filter that some of the general population over 40 don't want to go out with their own age group! :rofl: You new life is only just beginning, and birth is always the painful part. Be you, and enjoy Ana, and the simple wonderful things in life. :hug:

And we're all here if you want to talk / vent / hypothesise / run through options / want to hear about the terrible low points we've experienced, and gone on to thrive after.

 to you.


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## frlsgirl

@SueC you are so sweet and funny - thank you for that. 

What’s really unfair is that men usually date younger so if a man is in his 40s, he’s gonna date someone in their 20s or 30s. So what does that mean for 40 something women? That we have to date someone in their 60s! I just keep picturing going on a date with an elderly man in a walker, and his dentures falling out as he’s slurping his clam chowder. No thank you :frown_color:


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## AndyTheCornbread

frlsgirl said:


> I need to look into it and see if it’s a possibility and if it’s for me. They may not take me. I might research it and find out that I’m not interested but I need to know what’s behind the door I never opened.


Well I wish you the very best in your exploration of that and I hope whatever makes you happiest is what it turns out to be. At the very least you won't have this "what if" in your life after you look into it. Getting rid of a "what if" is a pretty big plus out of the whole situation. Hopefully you will keep us posted on what you find so we can read what happens with this part of the story of your life.


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## frlsgirl

For sure @AndyTheCornbread. I got a lot of planning to do in the next 5 weeks so I can make the most out of this trip.


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> @SueCWhat’s really unfair is that men usually date younger so if a man is in his 40s, he’s gonna date someone in their 20s or 30s. So what does that mean for 40 something women? That we have to date someone in their 60s! I just keep picturing going on a date with an elderly man in a walker, and his dentures falling out as he’s slurping his clam chowder. No thank you :frown_color:


Ah, but I think that men who think like that are basically thinking with their dicks, or at least their enlarged senses of entitlement. And you would, eventually, when you're feeling good again, want a man who is thinking with his brain, and men who think with their brains and who have their hearts in the right place don't do that sort of double standard...

Also it can go the other way. You might end up with someone five years younger! ;-) You just have to be careful, with significantly younger guys, that they're not looking for a mother substitute... but of course, men of any age can do that too... ;-)

The reality of life is a little different to what's being put about on that issue - and there's still good ones! I thought, once I got into my 30s, that all the good ones were already taken, but of course, that wasn't true whatever gender. I mean, I wasn't taken, and I was a good one, in the sense that I'm caring, and not a slob, and not duplicitous, and I've got a brain and a heart and a conscience and a sense of humour. And so does Brett, whom I did not meet until I was 35. He wasn't "taken" either. And actually, I'm two years older than he is, but that's never been an issue either way. He was, by the way, happy to date up and down five years from his own age, according to his profile. Reasonable men are, and you're not looking for an unreasonable man. Databases can be helpful for finding them - I never found one like that in a "meat market" because neither of us hung out in such places. Not that you're necessarily going to want to find one immediately - relationships work better in the long term if you're not on the rebound etc, and also, you'll be choosier when you're over this, and choosy is good in dating. Be extra choosy when you're ready to date again - you're worth it! 

Cyberhugs from the Antipodes! :hug:


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## AndyTheCornbread

I have found in my dating life that 6 - 7 years younger or older than myself is about my max. Any younger than that and your maturity levels, energy levels etc. aren't close enough to put your values in line and you just end up annoying each other. I did date a girl who was 12 or 14 years younger than myself once who swore she was very mature for her age. That lasted two dates before I nixed that nonsense. The problem with dating people significantly younger than yourself is eventually they start talking and you have to listen to them and that gets old real quick when there is a big maturity difference. Not to mention all the other problems that come up like priority differences in things you buy, directions you want to go in life etc.

My ex wife is 4 years older than I am. Like Sue said if the guy or girl is chasing after dates significantly younger than themselves you probably don't want any of that drama anyway as you aren't looking for the same things in life e.g. they aren't thinking past the bedroom and you are trying to plan a future. It's a recipe for disaster. 

If you do end up staying in the US I have a single 43 year old brother :smile: in North Dakota, who has never been married, I could introduce you to. I think he is one of the good guys, just lives in an area where there isn't much for dating around his age.


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## frlsgirl

AndyTheCornbread said:


> The problem with dating people significantly younger than yourself is eventually they start talking and you have to listen to them and that gets old real quick


:rofl:

Thanks for the laugh, I needed that today.


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

I cant talk as I am a younger woman who dated older men because that's who I relate to. But I will say women reach their sexual peak in their 40s and a lot of men prefer a woman who knows herself and what she wants. They like a woman who is self confident, knows who she is and has it for herself. Gotta focus on what you market in yourself, youre still young, still hot, you still got it. Dont sell yourself short. Confidence can take you far. 

Also when you get a chance watch "Man Up." I think you'll like that movie.


----------



## frlsgirl

Update

Had a lesson on Ana yesterday. She hadn’t been worked since Sunday except for a quick spin in the fields on Wednesday so she was a bit challenging to put together. Plus I’m not exactly on my a game right now. Not eating much or sleeping well. Lost over 4 pounds in under a week.

We had some good moments though. 
We introduced new fun things like shoulder in on the centerline :blueunicorn:

I just gotta make sure that I take really good care of myself right now. Can’t afford to get sick.


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## DanteDressageNerd

Congratulations on the weight loss! That is quite a bit to lose in a week but maybe you are like me and simply cant eat much under stress and when upset? I lose a lot of weight when Im upset too. I know what I went through/am going through isnt even close to the same but I understand.

Im so glad you have Ana, love yourself and remember you deserve the best. These circumstances are unfortunate but they do not define you. Feel everything and make no apologies. You will grow from this and be the iron woman lol granted I think strong women sometimes wish they were a little less strong but I think of it as the light at the end of the tunnel. Being sure in yourself and being fine to walk alone. It's liberating. I am also absolutely serious about the screaming, wailing and crying in the shower, as well as doing things JUST FOR YOU. Spoil yourself. 

I have a friend who was married for a long time and they used to raise foster kids together, really amazing woman. Super smart, masters in molecular biology or something like that. Her husband of over a decade with their adopted daughter cheated on her and she said to me, it took a year for her to get over it but when she did she met her now husband who is SO amazing to her and her daughter. He's a better husband and man than her previous husband ever was.. She's in her 40s too. So YES there is love out there. She was the one who told me do all your screaming, crying and wailing in the shower and make no apologies, it doesnt make you less of a woman or less strong. Just gotta do it sometimes.


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## frlsgirl

@DanteDressageNerd That’s encouraging to hear about your friend.

Yesterday was the first day where I was partially happy or maybe just felt a senses of relief. I didn’t cry last night and I mostly slept well. I actually started thinking about what it would be like to date again and what I would be looking for if I would ever consider letting another person that close to me again. 

If you ask my left brain, it would suggest an equine vet because that makes the most sense lol

As for my right brain, I don’t know....my right brain is kind of like a squirrel that almost gets run over by a car because it can’t make decisions

I am trying to spoil myself a little bit; getting massage tomorrow, going to counselor Monday and might stop by the Horse of Course and buy something cute but practical


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## phantomhorse13

Just catching up and very sorry to hear about the divorce. I, too, can say in hindsight that divorcing my first husband was really the best thing that happened in that entire relationship - though at the time it felt like my world was ending as I had no idea it was coming. You are a strong woman. You will get through this. Be kind to yourself - treat yourself as you would a friend going through the same thing (I found I expected very unrealistic things of myself, so was constantly having to step back and ask would I require the same thing from a friend as I was requiring from myself).


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## frlsgirl

Thank you @phantomhorse13 for your kind words. Definitely something to consider.


----------



## lostastirrup

I'm so sorry that your D(E)H is putting you through this. I'm too young to empathize, but I can sympathize. By the grace of God, horses were made with soft silky necks and liquid eyes for such times as these.


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## PoptartShop

I am glad Ana is doing well and that you had a good lesson. I'm sure it's hard to stay focused with all of this going on, but stay strong. Definitely take care of yourself. It's important. Thank goodness for Ana though. Everything happens for a reason & things will get better. They will, in time. You got this. Focus on yourself & Ana of course, all you need right now.  Enjoy that massage too!! That will be good!


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## SueC

Dear @frlsgirl, I wish I could cook you a meal and get it to you.  Unfortunately I do not have the technology... it kind of sucks that we can give emotional and mental support here, but not practical support for times like this. Still, I guess, it's already pretty amazing that we have the technology to reach each other mentally and emotionally, no matter where we live on this planet - even if we can't magic food to each other.

:tardis:


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## frlsgirl

Agreed @SueC I’m already dreaming about all the yummy things I’m going to eat in Germany 

After battling through another rough 12 hours dealing with you know who, a couple of quotes came to mind:

“Nothing has meaning except the meaning I assign”

“Nobody can hurt me without my consent”


----------



## AndyTheCornbread

frlsgirl said:


> Agreed @SueC I’m already dreaming about all the yummy things I’m going to eat in Germany


I am the same way when I go back to Finland. I start craving black rye bread stuffed with muikku (it's a little salmonid fish) and a ton of other foods I just can't find here in Montana. If they sold traditional Finnish food right outside the gate where you get off the plane from a cart I bet they would be millionaires  

We have a lot of German cuisine in my family because my mom is half German but the one thing that is almost impossible to get here in Montana is a good Weihenstephan Hefe Weissbier. I suppose I could order on the internet but man it would be nice to be able to just buy some at the local grocery store.


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## frlsgirl

@AndyTheCornbread Have you checked for German Restaurants in your area? Most of them also have a section where they sell German goodies like chocolate and beer.

:cheers:


----------



## SueC

Mmmmm... Bienenstich... Brezen... Gulasch... Roggenbrot... Bauernbrot... Nusshörnchen... Knödel... Kartoffelkroketten...


----------



## frlsgirl

Rode Ana yesterday. It was very humid and I was just feeling to weak to do much except walk and a little of trot. 

Eventually we need to get back in the groove but for now I’m just trying to manage day by day. 

:cowboy:


----------



## knightrider

@frlsgirl, just want to say that I have walked in your shoes and it was super tough. My first husband for 23 years was wonderful to me, told me all the time how much he loved me, how he would never leave me, he was so lucky, blah, blah. Then one night he announced that he had fallen in love with another woman, wanted to marry her, and wanted a "quickie divorce". 

It was the hardest 2 years of my life, getting through that. I thought he hung the moon and suddenly he was gone . . . leaving me with almost no explanation.

Like everyone has said, it made me 100 times stronger to get through it. One night, about 2 years later, I was standing by my basement door looking at a beautiful sunset, all the chores were done, horses happily put away for the night, all good. I realized I was contented. That I actually felt pretty good. And I knew then that I would make it.

My heart is with you and I wish you all the best. (I lost 15 pounds and was skinny to start with . . . but I gained it back as things got better)


----------



## frlsgirl

Oh wow @knightrider I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Glad you are in a better place now. 

I’m just starting my new life so I’m not sure what my new “normal” will be like. I do already have moments where I think “you know I’m actually doing good” and other moments where I’m just kind of functioning. But I haven’t cried and wallowed In self pity for 24 hours so I’m calling that progress!


----------



## frlsgirl

Please say a little prayer for my dog Loui. He’s not feeling well. Taking him to vet tonight after work. He’s been my faithful companion for nearly 14 years.


----------



## egrogan

Sending tons of good thoughts for Lou (and you!).


----------



## PoptartShop

Day by day, that's all you can do. That is a very good way to look at it. 
I'm sorry to hear about Loui, please keep us posted on the vet visit. :sad: Sending thoughts your way.


----------



## frlsgirl

***Update: Lou is fine. A little gastroenteritis. Got special food, anti nausea meds, antibiotic shot, and pain meds. Thank you for your positive thoughts and prayers***


----------



## SueC

Big sigh of relief. I was thinking, mg: what else can go wrong? Often, trouble arrives in clusters, which is really perverse. I'm so glad your dog is OK!


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

Glad to hear Lou is going to be fine and it wasnt something minor! Super


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## carshon

poor Louie - I am sure he is feeling the effects of the high emotions in his home. I have a 15 1/2 yr old Dachshund and he is the first one to know when something is off with any if his family. So glad he is feeling better


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## PoptartShop

Whew. That is a relief about Lou. Glad to hear. :hug:


----------



## frlsgirl

Thanks for all your well wishes. 
@carshon awww yep most dachshunds are sensitive creatures. Lou for sure knows that the vibe is off at our house.


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## SueC

That's a great cartoon, @frlsgirl.

And now I have to tell you a joke, because you are able to understand this one - it won't translate into English.

In der Konditorei - der Kunde: "Ich möchte Rumkugeln!" Der Konditor: "Bitte schön, tun Sie das, der Boden ist sauber!"


----------



## frlsgirl

Lol @SueC ! It does kind of translate into English....a guy goes into a bakery says he wants a roll so the baker replies sure go ahead the floor is clean


----------



## frlsgirl

Update!

Lou is back to his normal demanding dachshund self. 

I’ve had an exhausting week: I’ve worked 12 days straight which is a new record for me. 

So I had BO ride Ana for me Tuesday and then I had a lesson Thursday and the plan is to ride her again in a party lesson tomorrow. 

I’ve included some pictures. We are working on riding her in different frames for lack of a better word; stretch down, bring her back up, ask for more engagement without running away. We continued the shoulder in work and added trot zig zags. 

BO is pleased with our progress. 

We got the great news that my favorite clinician AW is coming in 3 weeks! I will have 2 lessons and audit the remaining lessons. 

The week after, I’m heading to Germany!

I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching and working on myself. Learning lots, still have a lot of questions and things I don’t know. And maybe it’s ok to not know everything. 

I’m learning that if I’m open and actively participating in real life then maybe the correct paths will open and the right people suddenly show up. Just trusting that things will be ok instead of controlling everything and forcing things. 

I’m also learning that I have a lot of healing to do; a lot of hurt to work through, deprogramming myself from false beliefs. 

Ok enough of the deep stuff. Here is a Dressage rider I’ve been following on YouTube. I can’t decide if I want to have his babies or if I want to hate him because he’s such a great rider and horseman:


----------



## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Lol @SueC ! It does kind of translate into English....a guy goes into a bakery says he wants a roll so the baker replies sure go ahead the floor is clean


Oh, that's a good one! 

Although I prefer Rumkugeln to rolls. :Angel:

How about this one?

Der Tourist fragt, "Warum heisst diese Strasse Waldweg? Ich sehe keinen Wald!"
Der Einwohner antwortet, "Ja eben - dort ist der Wald weg!!!"


----------



## frlsgirl

Update. 

Do you remember me blabbering about showing up for life and participating and then things just kind of align themselves?

So we had a party lesson Saturday and one of our regulars brought friends from GERMANY; a mother and daughter. The daughter rode with us while the mom cheered her on from the side lines. 

Due to language barrier I ended up translating to the point that I ended up teaching a small part of the lesson. And you know what? I’ve never been so happy! I love this kind of stuff. I’m just excited that I’m slowly reconnecting with my true self. Figuring out what I want to do when I grow up :smile:

Sunday we had another downpour so I stopped by the barn at the end of the day to let Ana out for a bit. She always migrates towards this row of trees. I sure hope the leaves aren’t poisonous because she loves them!


----------



## SueC

That's excellent, @frlsgirl!  It's good to be able to dust off hidden talents at times, and have them be useful. I'm happy you had a good experience - and there'll be more coming. inkunicorn:

What formal things would you need to do to instruct - in the US, versus Germany? And where would you rather be, five years from now?


----------



## frlsgirl

@SueC right now I’m just kind of feeling my way through life so I’m just trying to be present, experience things, have thoughts and feelings about things and enjoy wherever the wind takes me. No I’m not on drugs. Just trying to reconnect with my gut. Doing what my gut tells me to do. Living while suspending judgment. I know it’s so weird.


----------



## SueC

Nothing weird about it - just unusual for our culture. Very Zen!


----------



## frlsgirl

Sorry I haven’t been as active on here; been feeling blah lately. 

DH officially filed papers to become DEH this week. I guess he’s in a big hurry to get rid of me. 

And then he does random frustrating things like kicking me off the household phone plan. 

So I’m trying to work full time, handle all the little annoyances he throws at me, ride Ana when I can, plan my new life and curl up into a ball and cry in between. Although im not crying near as much as I did 3 weeks ago so I guess that’s progress. I’m sleeping ok aside from nightmares; I woke up drenched in sweat at 4:30am yesterday because I dreamed that a red snake was following me and trying to bite me. It doesn’t take a psychologist to figure out who the snake is. 


So yeah I’m just in this weird mental state right now. I wake up every day hoping that all this mess was just a bad dream. But it’s not. It’s reality. 

I’m still taking lessons every Thursday so here is a pic of Ana stretching at the canter and one of her pruning the trees and a recent pic of me which sums up my
mood perfectly.


----------



## lostastirrup

What a strange man to go buy a trailer for you and then weeks later decide he was done. What an A-hole. But Ana is beautiful and you both look really good.


----------



## AndyTheCornbread

I went to school in Finland with a girl who could be your twin sister. Her first name was Paivi but I would have to look up her last name. I believe she is an orchestra conductor now somewhere in mainland Europe. I am not a fan of red snakes either so I am glad this one at least bought you a nice trailer before he decided to go full retard. :smile:


----------



## frlsgirl

Fun fact @AndyTheCornbread I actually have a half sister or brother out there somewhere in Europe whom I’ve never met. My father died unexpectedly many years ago before I could get the stats from him so I will probably never meet him or her. 

@lostastirrup yes very strange and to top it off he spelled my name wrong in the divorce papers. How can you not know the proper spelling of my name after 15 years?!?

Here are some pics from this morning. We danced to music today. I think she liked it. 

Also her mane is still
desperately fighting gravity.


----------



## SueC

Sending you a :hug: from the Antipodes.

You look lovely in that photo, even though you're sad.


----------



## PoptartShop

Despite all you are going through, you look great.  Even though you may not feel so great. The fact that he even spelled your name wrong is ridiculous. He's not right in the head. Clearly! :icon_rolleyes: Glad you are keeping busy, that is the best thing you can do. :hug: Hugs!


----------



## SueC

How are you today, @frlsgirl? We're thinking of you in Australia and wish we could magic some nice food to you so you don't have to cook when you don't feel like it (this often happens to me when something bad happens). It would be great to be able to visit people in person at times like this especially. :hug:


----------



## frlsgirl

@SueC thanks for thinking of me and for wanting to feed me :smile:

I could surely use some food. The last 24 hours have been life changing. 

I packed up all my stuff and moved out today. Old life in rear view mirror, new life straight ahead. 

I don’t know what the future holds for me. I’m currently not riding because I’m too sick/weak/messed up to attempt it. So I canceled my lesson for tomorrow but I’m planning on making the long drive over there to check on her.


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

Men...people, some of them are just so petty and cruel in their petty ways. I dont know what I can say of him as I dont know him but he sounds like a deeply confused, conflicted person and thank God you're getting away from whatever mess is going on within him. Some people just cant be helped. The only thing you can do is get away. Healing always takes a while but I really believe what is coming is so much better than what has been left behind.

Also youre gorgeous inside and out. Feel what you need to feel, make no apologies to anyone. You owe no one an explanation. Just walk proud, own who you are, you're life and it'll all come together to reveal a better you. Just keep walking. All the petty BS he's going to throw at you, all the small cruelties let it be.


----------



## SueC

@frlsgirl, do you have comfortable accommodation? It kind of sucks I think when the person who breaks up the relationship gets to keep the home; and that happened to me in my first relationship breakup too. On the other hand, I thought that I wanted a fresh start anyway, a place that was uncontaminated by all that had gone before. But that's just how _I_ feel about it - you know, I wanted to scrub myself with disinfectant all over when that happened (a long time ago, 7-year relationship, first serious relationship). And then, after three months of misery because breaking up is physiologically very like drug withdrawal (and that's why people tend to do rebound relationships before they know better), I woke up one morning and thought, "What did I actually see in him?" and realised I was better off without him and would have been for years before. I know that's not always the case to the extent it was in mine, but I do think you're always better off without a person who does not appreciate you for who you are. It just takes a few months to feel better because of all that biochemical mess...

Are you feeling better, @DanteDressageNerd - and if so, how much improvement would you say so far? The biochemical withdrawal is a thing and it gets easier when you're over that. It's not just psychology and thoughts etc, there is actual drug withdrawal type biochemistry involved. It's cold turkey, essentially, and apparently this is never fun, with actual drugs either.

It's in part to do with endorphins, and in part to do with the biochemical equivalents of amphetamines that the body releases when pair bonded. To get extra endorphins naturally, @frlsgirl, you can cuddle your dog, and Ana, (and DDN, Wonder), and look at photos like this:



















...and exercise gently when you feel like it. To naturally get extra amphetamines equivalents, I suppose you could go bungee jumping or parachuting or skydiving or basejumping, but you know, I never actually felt the need for that personally; post breakup was too delicate for that sort of thing for me. Perhaps men are more inclined to do it.

However, indoor rock climbing is apparently a good one for focusing you and getting good chemicals back through your brain, to take you out of the loops etc.

That's my sciency way of looking at it; hope it is helpful or at least amusing! ;-)

Very best wishes to both of you! :hug:


----------



## frlsgirl

Thank you for your kind words and nuggets of wisdom @SueC

Today I showered, brushed my teeth, ate actual food, and visited Ana. 

While I was brushing her, BO banded Ana’s mane in an attempt to make her look like a civilized Dressage pony again. Only time will tell if it worked. I’ve actually gotten used to her choppy style. It kind of fits her personality. 

Tomorrow is my first day back to work since big blow up and subsequent move. Hoping to just get through the day.


----------



## greentree

Ana looks adorable! I know you will get through work. All my best to you! Hugs.


----------



## SueC

I don't know how wise I am, @frlsgirl, all I know is that when that happened to me, it was a very isolating experience and I wish somebody had talked to me, who had been through that sort of thing themselves in the past. It seemed like I was surrounded by happy couples and the odd one out in that experience, when statistically of course this is not the case, I think people just don't like to talk about these things. It often feels like failure too, especially when some people tell you that you should have tried harder etc (this is generally people who know little about a situation). It would have been good to have someone say to me, "I've been there too!" and not judge me; of course, in your early 20s, you don't know as many people who have broken up from long-term relationships as you do in your 40s and later!

So I know I'm just a random person typing away at a keyboard in Australia, but I hope that everyone here who is typing away at their keyboards sending you well-wishes helps to make this awful time just a bit less awful for you, and that you don't feel totally alone in this.

Ana is looking lovely. Her personality just shows in her face!

The other day I heard Boris Becker in the commentary box when watching Wimbledon. I didn't know who he was at first, having just switched on; and then when they named names, I was going, "Oh, so that's The Accent!" It reminded me of something funny you will understand because you have the language. About 20 years ago, I was watching him playing in the Hopman Cup, televised; and they had a really British commentator on, with a real cherry-in-the-mouth accent, like a BBC newsreader. And Boris Becker missed a ball, and jumped up and down yelling, "Mist! Mist!" ...and the commentator said, "Boris Becker is remarking on the fact that he missed the ball." I was going, :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: ... it was so perfect, because nobody could have proven if he was speaking English or German. (For non-speakers; _Mist_ is German for _crap_...)

There was also a horse running in Perth at the time called Pogue Mahone, quite a well-known, successful one. They don't allow you to name your horse just anything, but the registration people obviously couldn't recognise or speak Irish Gaelic. I was just taking a Gaelic course at the time at the Irish Club in Perth, and I knew it was Irish for "Kiss my ***"... which just goes to show what you could do if you named your horse in Swahili etc... :runpony:


----------



## frlsgirl

@SueC you are my favorite stranger from Australia so keep on typing away :smile:
@greentree thank you. Just trying to get through it one day at a time. 

Speaking of getting through it one day at a time, something shifted in me yesterday. I spent the better part of the day surrounded by friends, riding, talking, crying and laughing and listening to the audio book “Whole Again” - I’m suddenly realizing that my life was not that great and that what I was mourning was actually not real; it was just an illusion and others close to me could see that, even though I thought I did a pretty good job of hiding it. 

Not having to walk on eggshells anymore, and enjoying the things that ARE real, that ARE good, is a pretty awesome feeling. 

Ana has always been great at “Carpe Diem”


----------



## PoptartShop

That's a great way to think of it - old life in rear view mirror, new life straight ahead. That's right!  Keep up the positive thoughts, even though it's not easy. Ana is so beautiful. I hope grooming her & seeing her helped you. Horses are therapy. Love the picture of her rolling LOL. So adorable.

I hope work goes well, it will be good to keep busy & get back into the swing of things too though. Let us know how everything goes.


----------



## SueC

That photo of Ana with her legs sticking up in the air is hilarious, @frlsgirl! :rofl:

It's great to hear you're having a breakthrough already. That took me so much longer than you when I went through it - although I think for very young people it really can feel like the end of the world, especially if they've never been through a breakup before...

Today I'm going to send you some sunflower photos from our garden over past summers - sunflowers always lift my heart and remind me of all the beautiful things in the world! 





Last year we even grew a red variety:



Hope you're having an OK week. :hug:


----------



## frlsgirl

Ugh. Struggling. I just need to hang in there for 2 more weeks then I can finally go home. I just want to go home. I never thought my life would become one of those unbelievable Lifetime movies. Yet here I am rocking the starring role of my own personal nightmare. 

I miss Ana so much. Maybe seeing her tomorrow will get my mind straight again.


----------



## frlsgirl

Feeling better today after riding Ana :runninghorse2:


----------



## SueC

It's really therapeutic to be on a long haul flight going awaaaaay physically from a place where unpleasant things happened. It's like a weight coming off the shoulders. And think of the good things that await on the other side of the pond:























































I hope you can snaggle a window seat!


----------



## frlsgirl

Agreed @SueC ! Hopefully my body won’t reject all the deliciousness. Bahaha I don’t think there will be any cattle riding where I’m going.


----------



## SueC

But there will be cattle, no, so you could always improvise! :Angel:

Are you going at the right time for the heather to be still in flower?


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

Horses are always good therapy, especially in times of need.

I think you will feel SO much better when you go home, see your family and friends who support and love you. It helps so much to have people in life there to listen and talk back and forth. Being able to share energy and read body language, them reading you. It's a more fulfilling experience. I think it'll help a lot.


----------



## PoptartShop

Sometimes, a good ride is all you need!  Going home will be good for you, it'll help cleanse your mind!


----------



## carshon

Sending you Cyber Hugs and well wishes. One day at a time - and I hope your trip home gets here quick!


----------



## frlsgirl

Update. 

Day 1 of Dressage Clinic

It was a good day. I’m exhausted but in a good way :smile:

My only two goals: no fainting and no crying (I had a rough week and cried every single day including a very public nervous breakdown at a fast food restaurant - yeah I won’t be eating there again).

He was pleased with our progress. (The last time we cliniced with him was 14 months ago when we were still mostly hollow and above the bit)

We worked on getting a better quality trot from the first stride and then played with adjusting the trot; think lengthening for a few strides and then coming back to working trot. 

We also worked on the canter; mostly just getting more consistency.

I’m super happy with today’s ride especially after watching the video footage and seeing how lovely she looks. 

One more ride tomorrow :smile:


----------



## frlsgirl

Clinic Day 2

We worked on more shoulder control with riding a square. AW had to help a bit from the ground as she wanted to step out instead of under. 

Then we ended with cantering the perfectly round circle. 

AW comes back in September for a show and clinic. Can’t wait. 

I gave horse trailer back to DEH but my barn friends said I can hitch rides with them just like I did before. 

I cried when I had to say goodbye to Ana Sunday because I won’t see her again until August 5th as I leave for Germany in 2 days. I miss her already. BO will ride her for me while I’m gone.


----------



## carshon

Enjoy your trip home - let your family take care of you.


----------



## frlsgirl

*Germany*

I’m sitting at the Frankfurt airport waiting to board the plane to Chicago so I figured I update you guys on my trip to Germany. 

It was fantastic. I ate a lot, rode once, toured a boarding facility, went Nordic walking, swimming, to a football game, and visited with friends and family. 

I’m exhausted and at the same time recharged ready for upcoming challenges including my upcoming court date with DEH. 

Also ready to see Ana and my wieners.


----------



## DanteDressageNerd

I love the nordic walking poles, I always thought it was more for Scandinavia and Finland :-D 

Glad you had such a wonderful time, I hope it helped you and showed you how very loved you are and how blessed you are too


----------



## greentree

So glad you had a good trip!! I know the animals will be glad to see you!


----------



## PoptartShop

So happy you had such a good time!  I know Ana is probably dying to see you! You look great! I think that was good for you, to get away for a bit & be around people who care about you and love you. Great pictures! Have a safe flight!!


----------



## AndyTheCornbread

On the pictures, [email protected] your DEH is an idiot, excuse my French but he is. His loss though when he realizes what he lost and it's too late. It's really true what they say I guess, you can't fix stupid. Glad to hear you had a good time back home.


----------



## carshon

You look so much like your Mom - what a beautiful lady! Glad you had some time to relax and recharge.


----------



## frlsgirl

*Ana Visit*

Thanks everyone. 
@DanteDressageNerd Nordic Walking is a common sport among the older generation in Germany. I had never tried it before so it was fun to do something new. 
@carshon The lady in the pictures is my sister. Our mother passed away in 2014. 
@AndyTheCornbread thanks  I’m still terribly worried about dying a lonely cat lady. After conversing with friends and family, I’m realizing that I’m still too upset about my situation to even consider dating. Apparently I come across as very jaded and sarcastic, sigh. Need to work on my attitude I guess. 

But yesterday I finally got to see Ana and it was wonderful albeit hot. She was shocked to see me like she couldn’t believe her eyes and then began nickering which turned into screaming. I rode her for just 20 minutes but it was fantastic. I just love her so much and most importantly I love riding her. She’s just perfect for me. Like a plug fitting perfectly into an outlet. 

Can’t wait to see her again Saturday. We have a party lesson planned!


----------



## AndyTheCornbread

frlsgirl said:


> I’m still terribly worried about dying a lonely cat lady. After conversing with friends and family, I’m realizing that I’m still too upset about my situation to even consider dating. Apparently I come across as very jaded and sarcastic, sigh. Need to work on my attitude I guess.


No worries you need to process this at your own speed. When you are ready though I will just put it out there that I have an available younger brother who is a very successful businessman and has never been married. I could make introductions :wink:


----------



## frlsgirl

AndyTheCornbread said:


> When you are ready though I will just put it out there that I have an available younger brother who is a very successful businessman and has never been married. I could make introductions :wink:


Would he be willing to complete a 20 page psych eval?


----------



## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Would he be willing to complete a 20 page psych eval?


:rofl:, @frlsgirl!

Glad you had a good trip back to Germany. :hug:

Here's a song you could alter a few lyrics to, to make "girl" into "boy" etc, and "breasts" into whatever you happen to choose ;-), and then sing to yourself, just for some comedic relief...


----------



## AndyTheCornbread

frlsgirl said:


> Would he be willing to complete a 20 page psych eval?


Given how hard of a time he has had trying to find someone I am betting he probably would. Besides he just finished his masters so he is used to typing a lot and filling out long tests :smile:


----------



## frlsgirl

*Food for SueC*

Special German food post for @SueC

I’m surprised that I didn’t make myself sick eating all the delicious food. 

I miss it already. Maybe you recognize some of these foods?

Rats. Computer gremlins preventing attachments. 

I will try again later.


----------



## frlsgirl

Maybe my much anticipated food post will finally work?

Here are some yummy things I ate while in Germany.


----------



## frlsgirl

*Ana*

Ana is doing well. We had a 3 hour party lesson last Saturday that included obstacle work including some working equitation stuff. I was surprised at how well she handled everything.


----------



## frlsgirl

In light of new information that I just received i will not be able to continue posting or participating in HF. Rest assured Ana and I are doing fantastic. 

I will miss conversing with all of you. 

Take care.


----------



## carshon

What? Noooooo!!!!! I enjoy your Ana updates and watching you progress. I hope all is well and know that you have friends on HF


----------



## AndyTheCornbread

Hopefully this is just the usual lawyer advice stuff of "_stay off social media until your divorce is final_" type of thing and we will see you back here after everything is all buttoned up.


----------



## knightrider

So sorry. I love your journal.


----------



## PoptartShop

So sorry to hear this...I really enjoyed your updates & seeing how Ana is doing. But, I understand. :sad: Hope all goes well with everything & this is not goodbye!


----------



## frlsgirl

I think it’s safe to come back. Ana is doing fantastic. Me not so much. But I just live day by day now. Sometimes minute by minute. 

I’ve had the wildest 3 months. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. The highest highs and the lowest lows. 

Hope everyone is doing well.


----------



## lostastirrup

YOUrE BaCK!!! Yay!


----------



## frlsgirl

Hi @lostastirrup - it's good to be back.


So much has happened in the last 3 months I don't even know where to start; so here is the cliff note version:


Divorce is final. I moved into my own apartment last month.



I had found love again or so I thought with a cattle rancher I met on a dating website. We broke up for the second time last Friday, this time it's final. 



Due to some other problems related to all the stress,I spent a couple of days in the hospital. Now I'm just trying to put myself back together again. I lost more weight; when I left the hospital I weighed 119 pounds. I'm still struggling with the breakup and all the life changes. I'm trying to find better coping strategies; going to bed at night is difficult; I wake up drenched in sweat at 4am; been working out at the gym a lot, going to therapy twice a week, riding on weekends. Evenings in the apartment are brutal; I want to text him, but I know it's not the right thing to do. I found an EFT program geared towards heartbroken women; and I'm actively working through it. It does help especially when I have panic attacks.


Interestingly, despite being at my absolute lowest point in my personal life, my riding life with Ana is freaking amazing. I will try to load some pictures. I just returned from a 2 day clinic with my favorite clinician AW and even he was pleasantly surprised at our progress especially considering that I have had zero lessons and I have not been riding that much on my own either. 



Work life is also going better and I was offered to take on a brand new client by myself.


I'm leaving for Germany in 3 weeks to spend Christmas with my family. This will probably be our last Christmas together as my sister's health is continuing to decline so it will probably also be time to say my final goodbyes to her.


So yeah it's been a trying year, heaven and hell. I had one month of absolute bliss; it's difficult to go from misery to bliss back to even worse misery. I've just never experienced such extreme highs and lows so close together.


Anyway, it's good to be back; I'll post some pictures.


----------



## lostastirrup

So sorry to hear of the stuggles. It seems like 2019 has been everyone's year to be Sisyphus and push their stones. The decade could not end sooner. Glad you are back on HF and that you and Ana are going well. Something about a horse is at least a little comfort in the ups and downs.


----------



## frlsgirl

*Pics from AW clinic*

Here are some pics from this weekend


----------



## frlsgirl

*Photo Shoot pics*

I had a semi pro photo shoot a week ago. Here are some pics.


----------



## frlsgirl

*Random Recent Pics*

Pics from my happiest time this fall. 

Did I mention Ana is 2019 Training level champion for the schooling show division? 

Yeah I’m pretty happy with my super pony. We’ve been doing a lot of galloping in the fields and very little actual arena work. She seems really happy and content.


----------



## SueC

Dear @frlsgirl, it's lovely to hear from you, and I'm sorry that life is so hard for you at the moment. The photos are fantastic.  I once heard the saying, "Want true love? Buy a dog." I wonder if this also applies to a horse.

Very best wishes and good luck to you, and I hope you have a good Christmas in Germany. :hug:

One of the best sources of information on the human condition I ever found was this:

https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/

Their clips are also really good, especially when one is too tired to read:

https://www.youtube.com/theschooloflifetv

It's just philosophy, and doesn't push any belief system barrows. I enjoy it.


----------



## knightrider

@frlsgirl, so glad you are back! I always looked forward to your updates and am delighted to be reading about Ana again. I am so sorry that you've had so many difficulties and hope they are behind you. Wishing you unicorns and rainbows! :blueunicorn:inkunicorn:


----------



## egrogan

Agreed, it's wonderful to see you back here! You and Ana are looking phenomenal. Glad she's there as a positive during such a rocky time.


----------



## carshon

I am so happy you are back and so sad for you that things have not smoothed out. Hang in there and always know you have friends here. Your photos are amazing Ana looks fantastic.

Sending healing and soothing thoughts your way.


----------



## PoptartShop

So happy to hear from you.  You and Ana look absolutely fantastic. I love the pictures. I am glad riding is going well & she also looks very happy. I am so glad that you have her. They truly are our therapists. 

I am so sorry that things are still not going smoothly for you, although I do feel like you are doing your best & it will get better. You got this! Just have to keep looking forward. You do always have us. *hugs* :hug: Sending good vibes your way. 2020 will be your year, I just know it! Keep your chin up. Make sure you take care of yourself.


----------



## phantomhorse13

One day at a time, one hour at a time, one moment at a time if that is what it takes. You are stronger than you think and will find your way through this. You and Ana look amazing.

Welcome back!


----------



## SaddleUp158

Glad to see you are back. All of those pictures are amazing! Ana looks like a totally different horse, isn't fun to see the changes?! 

Sending prayers and good thoughts to you. I hope things get easier for you and there is only bright sunshine ahead!


----------



## frlsgirl

Awww thanks guys for the warm welcome back. It’s going to take a while to find my new “normal” especially since my life changed like 3 times this year. 

I started the year as a pilot’s wife with a mansion and a family. 

Then I was suddenly homeless and single and under constant legal attacks by my ex. 

Then life turned around; divorce process was going smoothly, I had found a new home living with friends and thought I found the man of my dreams. 

Now it’s just me, divorced, heart broken, and all by myself in an apartment. 

But I still have hope; hope for a new life, a fresh start, a better life. 

Here is my absolute favorite picture from Sunday. It’s so inspiring to me. Little Ana and little broken me rocking this Dressage thing. We may be small and people probably don’t expect big things from us but when we come together, magic happens.


----------



## PoptartShop

There is always hope. Just focus on you, forget these men! You will get through this! 

You and Ana look great!


----------



## AndyTheCornbread

Glad to see you are back on here again!


I can't give you relationship advice because according to my ex's (yes plural) I am really bad at marriage and relationships in general but I am however really good at divorce  This is mostly due to my large amount of practice at it. Not going to say how many times I have been married but it is more than three. So if you ever want help dealing with divorce, ping me, I have had loads of practice, even though I never wanted it.

The two best pieces of advice I have ever been given about coming back around from a divorce are these:

1.) Don't marry anyone you date within the first year of your divorce, and never under any circumstances marry the first person you date after a divorce. We tend to overcompensate in looking for the things missing from the marriage and it blinds us to the other problems that exist in these rebound relationships.

2.) Divorce may suck but nobody ever died from divorce. It is emotionally taxing but you will get better and things will settle down and you will recover and be fine.


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## SueC

Here's a cartoon for the bad times in life.










And here's something just nice.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you for the inspiring cartoons @SueC

Thanks for your advice @AndyTheCornbread 
I’m definitely not getting back together with ex BF; he doesn’t know what he wants and that just doesn’t work for me so I ended it. I’m still very confused about the whole thing. He was the one who reached out to me exactly a week ago. He could have just ghosted me, disappeared, whatever but he didn’t. Then we talked on the phone for 2.5 hours about everything. The conversation ended with us back together as a couple and the plan to meet up over the weekend. Then he texts me at 6am on Friday that he can’t go through with meeting me because it “feels wrong” so then I’m like “look I can’t keep waiting for you to make up your mind; if you don’t want to meet up with me this weekend then we just need to go our separate ways” to which he replies “I understand, good luck to you” to which I replied “good luck to you as well”

My friends said to block him because he is so wishy washy that there is a betting pool on whether or not he’s going to contact me again. I’ve already lost $10 on the bet that he would contact me last week which I was sure he wouldn’t yet he did. 

I just don’t get it, why reach out to me? Why keep me tied up on the phone for 2.5 hours? Why invite me to meet up and then cancel again? What is the point?!?

We just had a very strong connection right from the start. I remember our first date like it was yesterday, that Saturday in September when I drove to Stillwater to meet him for dinner and my car was acting up on the way there. 

When we met in the parking lot I remember thinking “wow he looks better than his pictures” but then we sat down to eat and I could immediately tell that he was a very jaded. But then we just kept talking and talking and talking and suddenly 2 hours had gone by. I told him about my car situation and he offered to take a look. He determined that I had a massive oil leak and suggested that we should take his truck across the street to Atwood’s and get oil. At some point during this process I remember looking over at him and it was like I got struck by lightning. 

From that day on I couldn’t stop smiling. We spent two wild weekends together in October and spent hours texting and talking on the phone in between. He was scheduled to drive up November 8th so I kept my phone out at my desk because he was supposed to text me his arrival time. 

Instead he texted “I don’t think we should see each other any more” bla bla bla. I don’t remember much after that. There was a short phone call, several texts back and forth and then everything stopped. 

I was just so shocked, I didn’t know what happened. 

A week later I reached out to him via text to get some closure. We had a very strange exchange that lasted into Sunday morning. I sent him a final text wishing him all the best to which he replied “wanna meet up next weekend?” I asked him twice if he was serious and he confirmed. I agreed but then left it alone. Didn’t text anymore thinking he would for sure flake out on me again, disappear or whatever. 

So I lost $10 when he reached out to me a week ago today. 

I still don’t get it. If a guy doesn’t like you, he disappears, he doesn’t invite you on a date or texts you days later or spends hours on the phone with you only to cancel again 7 hours later. 

How does all this madness benefit him? I’ve just never met anyone like him; he’s so unpredictable. 

I also don’t get why I’m more upset over the 2 month relationship with him than the 15 years with my ex husband. 

Part of me is still holding out hope that he will just magically show up at my door because I would totally take him back which is very disturbing because why would I put up with such a flake?

I did have a good therapy session yesterday and I feel like I’m finally turning a corner, I don’t spend my entire day thinking about him and I’m refocusing on me and what I want and need and flakes like him have no place in my present or future. 

I didn’t wake up filled with anxiety today and I haven’t cried yet today so I think I’m finally on the mend.


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## SueC

@frlsgirl, regardless of flake or not (and I would say his aspirations were different from yours in regards to the future), the hellhole after a major relationship breakup is not usually a great time to start another serious relationship. Heal first, and reconnect with yourself, is what I would say. When you're comfortable with life again, and with your own self and being on your own, you'll be in a far better position to build a good relationship - and you will be less likely to attract, and be attracted to, the wrong sorts of people for you. And don't panic about getting older either - people compatible with you are also getting older, everyone is. You actually have plenty of time to re-partner, and good things are worth the wait. 

Ana is just looking fabulous - I've been watching you two progress for five years now! 

I'm sorry to hear about your sister. :hug:


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## frlsgirl

Wow @SueC 5 years already. Time sure flies. I agree with you 100% - working on putting myself back together again. I started a EFT program that I really like. Going through bad relationships is not such a terrible thing because he helps me narrow down what I really want. I know life is not over at 43 even though it feels that way right now. So my therapist suggested that I write letters to my amygdala, the organ responsible, for producing such feelings. Like a crack addicted mouse, the amygdala wants to keep pressing that same button over and over again to produce the same high. So I have to use my prefrontal cortex to convince the amygdala, that pressing the button is not in my best interest.


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## AndyTheCornbread

What a weirdo! I may not be good at relationships but even I can tell there is something not right there. Run away from relationships where things don't add up. You may not know what is wrong for sure but the sense of wrongness tells you it is there and it is big whatever it is. Give those the big hard pass and move on and don't look back.


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## SueC

It's good you're aware of how our brains work in situations like that, @frlsgirl. It's so helpful to understand that when going through that rough stuff. At least you know that's all normal brain behaviour for the situation, and you're not going mad. Having a brain is a bit like having an exotic pet to look after - a lot of effort sometimes and a lot of walking on the leash when there's traffic around! But ultimately worth it, just like your four-legged ginormous exotic pet. :gallop:

And since you know how to soothe an anxious horse, you can apply the same to an anxious brain in need of TLC. It's funny that if we treat ourselves as we would our horses, in circumstances of disaster or illness, we'd feel so much better, sooner.

I was wondering - who got custody of the dogs? From memory, didn't you have two dachshunds? I hope that part of the separation wasn't a nightmare.

Und jetzt einen Witz auf Deutsch. Was haben ein Klodeckel, ein Jahrestag und eine Klitoris gemeinsam? ...Männer verpassen sie oft. Warum sind Blondinenwitze so kurz? ...damit Männer sie verstehen können. :Angel: :evil:


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## frlsgirl

Lol @SueC I ended up with custody of the dogs  
And yes taking care of my overly anxiety brain is a bit like taking care of an exotic pet.

Agreed @AndyTheCornbread that’s why I officially ended it with him a week ago today. 

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. It was my first major holiday as a single woman so I’ve been dreading this day for a while. It wasn’t that bad. 

Went to the barn this morning to let Ana out. It’s been raining steadily for 2 days which means no turnout for any of the horses. I hand walked her for 15 minutes; hopefully that will hold her over until tomorrow.


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## frlsgirl

My good riding streak continues; I participated in a party lesson today, first one since September maybe? This was the best she’s ever been in a group lesson environment. Even BO commented on how good she’s moving and that maybe some time off did her good. 

I had really dreaded this weekend but I haven’t cried since Thursday, and my anxiety level is much better. I still think about him 80% of the time which I guess is better than 100%. I’m still working on the EFT program and just signed up for a law of attraction program. 

I’m willing to do the work to move on to bigger and better things. My goal would be to be 100% healed and ready by spring.


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## knightrider

> I’m willing to do the work to move on to bigger and better things. My goal would be to be 100% healed and ready by spring.


Not sure that 100% is a reasonable goal. I think for serious break-ups, there will always be a residual pain way back in your mind. For many folks, including me, twenty years later, that pain can come back in little bits. Not just romances, but all relationship losses. I even ache for horses that I owned and lost 30 years ago. I miss my blind friend who died. The heart gets scarred and healed, but the scars are there and surface a bit from time to time. I hope you don't expect too much of yourself. Cut yourself some slack, just like you would for Ana when she messes up.


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## frlsgirl

It sounds like you’ve been hurt a lot @knightrider sending you lots of love. 

Agreed, 100% healed like nothing bad ever happened is not possible; BUT I’m finally taking the time for myself to address old wounds so that I can be the best version of myself which then attracts the right people into my life. 

Who knows what will happen when I am who I’m supposed to be instead of pretending to be someone I’m not...


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## SueC

Dear @frlsgirl, do you know about kintsugi?










It's a really interesting Japanese practice - repairing broken pottery items and then valuing them even more afterwards. More lovely photos here:

https://mymodernmet.com/kintsugi-kintsukuroi/

https://www.lifegate.com/people/lifestyle/kintsugi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi


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## frlsgirl

Wow that’s really cool @SueC what a great concept. Thank you for sharing.


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## SueC

How are your dogs doing, @frlsgirl? OK in their new environment?


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## frlsgirl

The dogs are adjusting ok to their new life @SueC 

In between moving out of the marital home and the apartment, we lived with an older couple on a horse ranch, with all kinds of other critters including parrots, cats, a raccoon and other dogs. There was always a lot of activity going on, lots of interaction and things to see and explore. I think the dogs miss that. 

When I got out of the hospital we moved back in with them for a week; the dogs loved it so they will be taking the dogs when I go to Germany. 

They’ve sort of become my adopted parents and the dogs new grandparents.


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## SueC

Wow! A raccoon!!! 

Isn't it great how there's always new lovely people to discover who can become your adopted family. Your dogs are extremely cute!


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## frlsgirl

*It’s been 2 weeks*

2 weeks ago today he texted me and we talked on the phone for 2.5 hours about getting back together. 

I wish I could just snap my fingers and move on but my amygdala remembers how happy I was for the 2 months that we dated. Here is a picture from probably the happiest day of my life. It was October; 2 days before what would be our last weekend together. Of course I had no idea at the time that I would never see him again after that. 

I just wish I could hit the rewind button and go back in time....

Dear amygdala: please stop torturing me :|


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## PoptartShop

Probably won't like what I'm going to say, but, listen, you can be happy without him too (the new guy) remember that. You need to find happiness within yourself. It may take a bit, but it can happen. You got this! 

There's guys back then that I thought I could never imagine being without, but now look at me, living and whatnot! You will get there too. 

I've had many guys act like they liked me, then they just ghosted me...most definitely cowards. It hurt, believe me. But then after going through it so many times, I was like...screw them, their loss. Not mine. 
Not the type of guys you'd want around anyway. Not consistent. I've been ghosted so many times before I met my current BF. I became pretty numb, honestly, because it was just the story of my life. Then they always tried to come back months later. :icon_rolleyes: Nope, instant block! :lol: 

Don't go backwards. As much as you want to, you can't. Just keep moving forward. You have Ana, & she will never let you down like these men have.  I honestly wouldn't even try to date for the moment. You need to focus on yourself, & take some time for self-care. You were with your ex-husband for 15 years. It may not seem like it matters, but you do need to take time to heal from that. By yourself. It's not going to be an overnight thing, but I think you have been doing pretty well with getting your own place & focusing on Ana. Your dogs are so cute, too!! Furbabies are the best cuddlers. 

I'm also very happy to hear you are doing therapy. That's a good start.  Things will get better. They already are! Don't give up. You survived without a man before, you can do it again. Trust me.


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## frlsgirl

Thank you for your words of wisdom @PoptartShop He didn’t ghost me, he just started acting super weird, so I ended it. I’ve been ghosted before by another guy and that does suck. I’m so sorry that happened to you. 

I totally agree with your advice on an intellectual level. It’s just such a jolt to the system to go from complete devastation to absolute bliss to nothingness. My amygdala is like a toddler going “I want, I want, I want !” And my prefrontal cortex is like the adult going “Listen, this can’t happen; it’s not good for you” 

Realizing that my toddler is trying to take over again, I signed up for another self-help program. 

I’m also hoping that going to Germany in a couple of weeks will help me process and heal. 

Update on Ana:

Vet came out for her annual stuff. To my surprise, her teeth looked perfect so she got to skip teeth floating today but they had already sedated her so I stayed with her for a while. 

PS: I was petting her a lot and now I feel super sleepy....I wonder if I absorbed some of the sedative through the skin? Can that happen?


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## SueC

frlsgirl said:


> Thank you for your words of wisdom @PoptartShop I totally agree with your advice on an intellectual level. It’s just such a jolt to the system to go from complete devastation to absolute bliss to nothingness. My amygdala is like a toddler going “I want, I want, I want !” And my prefrontal cortex is like the adult going “Listen, this can’t happen; it’s not good for you”


Absolute bliss to nothingness sounds like an addiction - that's not what happens in a healthy relationship (but you know that). And dysfunctional relationships are actually addictions, on the brain chemistry level. They make you feel the relationship is everything (like a drug) and without it is nothing (like drug withdrawal). How do I know this? Because I've been there, done that. The most important thing is to give yourself a break from all dating until your brain chemistry settles down and you find stability and happiness on your own (animals and friends allowed and no limit on those ). I spent seven years on my own from age 24 to age 31 and that was actually a really enjoyable time, and important for my development so that I could go on to have a healthy relationship. I'm not suggesting you take seven years off dating - it doesn't necessarily take that long - but I think six months would be a great start - a year even better - which you perhaps don't want to hear if you aren't used to being on your own, without a partner.

Those bad feelings are just like projections on a screen - although they feel really real. They won't kill you, even though they may try to convince you they can. It's like the childhood fear of being left alone in the dark; but now you are an adult and you can handle it, even if you don't know it yet. If you tough it out, they go away eventually, and then you'll have a real boost in how you think about yourself because you've beaten the bogeymen - you're brave and independent and can look after yourself and battle the dark forces and make them surrender! 

And you're right, it is a toddler thing, going back into that part of our brain, which makes those feelings. And toddlers can be distracted! When you start to feel bad - or even before that - go riding, walk your dogs, dance a boogie, watch a comedy film, make some food, whatever it takes to distract yourself, and take your brain out of that bad feelings loop. This is not the same as avoiding processing your feelings and situation and stuff - those need to be processed, of course, but are usually better processed when you're not grappling with panic and darkness and horrible feelings. Alternatively, if you don't want to distract yourself when you feel like that, start a paper journal and start writing - this is an active and adult thing, which avoids you being passive and feeling like an abandoned child in the face of those horrible feelings.

Sleeping? That can be tough, because then there's so much space and the mind goes back to its problems. Listening to podcasts can lull my brain to sleep. Maybe some other people reading could share what has worked for them to get sleep happening again during their tough times? Exercise during the day helps me heaps in situations like that, for instance. Really get the heart rate up and get physically tired.




> PS: I was petting her a lot and now I feel super sleepy....I wonder if I absorbed some of the sedative through the skin? Can that happen?


Nope. That's the endorphins your own brain makes when cuddling a horse / dog / uncomplicated being / _appropriate_ male partner!  Enjoy. It's a good thing you don't need a human partner for your brain to make them. ;-)


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## PoptartShop

He’s definitely not someone you want around anyway. So it’s good it’s done with. Nothing wrong with that at all, that program will be good. I think the reason why most people don’t seek therapy or help (it’s not easy!) is because they’re embarrassed or don’t think they can benefit from it which is just silly. It helps a lot to talk about things. I think it will help you a lot. It’s good to talk about your feelings instead of bottling them in. Just keep your head up! 

Ana is so cute! Horse cuddles are the best, her being sleepy probably rubbed off on you! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SueC

I was just going to add - that internal child is not your enemy, not someone you should try to banish because you're an adult - it's a valuable part of who we are, and if it creates problems for us, it just needs to be nurtured properly. It's like, the adult part of you learns to parent and nurture the child part of you - instead of ignoring it, or outsourcing its care to somebody else (usually an intimate partner or someone who temporarily makes us feel good because they / the relationship with them triggers the brain addiction chemistry), which is always a bad idea, because both the adult part of us and the child part of us belong to us and are our own responsibility, and if we hand that over to someone else, that leaves us open to co-dependency and other really unpleasant, unhelpful relationship patterns. Therapy is fine, if it's good therapy, because it helps make you aware of what's going on for you, and helps you to address those issues for yourself. A good therapist is basically a catalyst and a mentor, who also shows you different ways of looking at things or various strategies that can be employed for dealing with various situations, which you can then try out to see how they work for you. Sort of like a good riding teacher.

:charge:

The child in us usually needs hugs and kindness and being heard and taken seriously, when it shows up sad. And lots of positive nurturing. It's totally OK to do that for yourself - it's crucial, actually - and taking proper care of ourselves means we can also take better care of others in the long run.


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## frlsgirl

Time to get back to the main topic of this journal: the fabulous, fantastic Ana and related subjects :blueunicorn:

We had our barns’ Christmas party last night; great food and fellowship. 

This morning we had a party lesson. Ana is continuing to impress. I don’t know if I’m riding better or if she’s going better or if we just get along better....but everything is just clicking.


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## frlsgirl

I was so productive yesterday that I just assumed it would continue Sunday; nope. Took me forever to get up and around this morning. Just felt so negative and sad. Then I remembered that I have a horse. So I dragged myself to the barn. It really helped  my mood improved almost immediately and the benefits lasted for most of the day. 

Ana has discovered stretching at the canter; she stretches almost too much for show riding purposes but I’m just letting her play with this new feeling for now as it is much more desirable than a horse that’s overly tight and contracted. 

We continued to play with some of the exercises we learned at the AW clinic; I especially like the exercise where you go across the diagonal and then shift the shoulders over by turning it into a leg yield. It really helps me gain control of the outside shoulder.

We finished with some liberty work and carrot stretches.


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## SueC

Haha! That look on Ana's face when you're on the ground with her! She's got so much personality!


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## PoptartShop

Told you, Ana is probably the best therapist you'll ever have! I'm glad you ended up going to the barn even though you didn't feel like it at first. 
It feels like all our troubles go away when we're at the barn/with our horse. 

So cute, love the pictures!


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## frlsgirl

PoptartShop said:


> Told you, Ana is probably the best therapist you'll ever have! I'm glad you ended up going to the barn even though you didn't feel like it at first.
> It feels like all our troubles go away when we're at the barn/with our horse.


She’s probably also the most expensive therapist I’ve ever had  but she’s definitely worth every penny :Angel:

Funny related story: when I moved into my apartment I was shocked when I found out that the pet deposit is $400 per pet! So, it was suggested to me that I get a letter from my doctor certifying Lou as an emotional support dog. This is funny because if you all knew Lou, he is the most conflicted, emotional little dog ever; if anything, I’m HIS emotional support dog (person) :smile:


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## SueC

:rofl: ...very funny that you're your dog's emotional support dog!

Speaking of dogs:


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## frlsgirl

That’s a cute cartoon @SueC

Speaking of dogs, I caught Lou tping the bathroom again  He wasn’t even a little bit sorry!

We had another great, albeit cold, party lesson today. For the first time ever, we cantered a circle combined with a straight line while staying completely round. We even had to throw in a leg yield while we were going down the long side in order to avoid the other horses. 

First Level 2020 here we come!


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## frlsgirl

*Sparkly Browband and Stretching*

Yesterday I did a little experiment and switched back to her normal bridle with the cheap bit. I wanted to see if she goes differently in it vs the Micklem with fancy bit. 

I was still able to get her to do everything I’m able to do in the Micklem but it did feel like whenever I tried to bring her up more into a competition frame, it was more challenging to keep her through. She also seemed a little pushier about the stretching but that could also be because it’s day 2 of work. She’s usually more into stretching when I ride her two days in a row. 

I guess I still don’t know if it’s the bridle design or the bit itself. I’ll have to switch bits for a ride or two to see if there is a difference.

Her regular bridle is just a lot prettier with the sparkly browband and fancy leather and it fits a lot looser on her because it’s made for a bigger horse. 

I wish Micklem would make nicer bridles. I know they have one with a nicer browband but that’s all they have. 

Perhaps something for 2020 goals is to find Ana a nicer ergonomic bridle. Lots of other manufacturers make them but they are soooo expensive.


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## frlsgirl

*Horse Gear Shopping in Germany*

Stopped at my favorite store and snagged some good deals for Ana and me.


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## SueC

Ah, also in Deutschland!  Ich wünsche Dir eine schöne Weihnachtszeit mit Deiner Familie. :hug:


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## frlsgirl

Vielen Dank @SueC


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## frlsgirl

*The blanket fits!!!*

I got back from Germany last night and couldn’t resist running to the barn first thing this morning to take Ana for a spin and to try the blanket on her. It fits!!!


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## SueC

Your horse always looks 100% alert, @frlsgirl. Does she have access to a coffee machine? :Angel:


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## frlsgirl

*I missed my girl*

It’s good to be back. I missed her so much.


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## frlsgirl

Lol @SueC no I think she was expecting carrots.


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## SueC

How was Germany?


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## frlsgirl

SueC said:


> How was Germany?


It was good. Didn’t do any other equine related activity aside from shopping. Spent lots of time with family and extended family and ate wayyy too many carbs. 

Now ready to get back to my new normal. Still determining what will be part of my new life. Excited about 2020. 

Anyone got any equine related New Years resolutions?


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## PoptartShop

Ana is so cute in her new blanket!  I know you missed her, but I am glad you enjoyed Germany. I know those carbs were totally worth it! Yum!!


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## frlsgirl

I took Ana to the annual group trail ride. It was so windy that about half the horses freaked out early on in the ride so we turned around and went back to the arena. One lady couldn’t even control her horse on the lunge line. Ana settled down as soon as we separated from the big group. 

She always does so well on the trail by herself but if we are in a group and one horse crowds her or spooks, it’s pretty much all downhill from there.

We did some loose rein walk and some Dressage trot work and called it good. I was already feeling a bit under the weather and was trying to get myself out of the wind and cold. 

We usually do a bonfire potluck afterwards but with the wind we would have burned down half the county lol so we were glad to be invited inside the house on the property for hot tea and yummy food. 

Ana stood tied to the trailer like a champ but gave me an earful of reprimand when I returned “where have you been?!? I would like to file a complaint!” lol 

She’s definitely more of a Dressage diva than a rough and tough trail horse. 

Hope everyone had a great New Years filled with lots of ponies.


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## carshon

She looks fantastic! I hope you are feeling better.


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## SueC

@frlsgirl, I don't make New Year's Resolutions, they jinx me. I find it better to put my head down and my tail up and get on with it - better results! 

Ana's looking lovely and I hope you have lots of wonderful riding coming up. :charge:


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## frlsgirl

I like your strategy @SueC !

Super busy weekend with lots of riding. Here are some pics from yesterday. 

Princess gets new dancing shoes today :blueunicorn:


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## frlsgirl

*Eventful Weekend*

Sorry no pics today. Snow and ice Saturday meant no trip to the barn. 

The weather was more cooperative yesterday but only me and one barn mate showed up which was a good thing because shortly after our arrival THE BARN MANAGER HAD A HEART ATTACK!!!! Barn mate and I got him settled on a chair, called 911, flagged down the ambulance, put up the critters and notified everyone else. 

So yeah, not how we wanted to spend our Sunday but it was one of those divine intervention things. Had we not been there....he might not have survived. Later we got word that he has blockages and they were prepping him for surgery to put in stints. 

Once the ambulance took him away we couldn’t do much more so we rode our horses. I had a really good ride on Ana. She’s my little rock star. The engine that could. 

Then I went home and did some serious thinking.


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## carshon

Wow! So sorry to hear about your BO. And thankful you were there to help!


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## egrogan

Yikes, so scary @frslgirl. Hopefully your BO will make a quick recovery!


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## PoptartShop

Omg that's so scary about your BO. :sad: I hope he has a smooth recovery.  So glad you guys were there.


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## phantomhorse13

Many jingles for a swift and complete recovery for your BO!


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## frlsgirl

BO is doing better. He’s back from the hospital and slowly starting to work again. 

A friend sent me this cute video of Ana sleep eating:



https://youtu.be/SoHryK_GkW0


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## carshon

I think Ana is my spirit animal! Sleep eating is my next goal in life.


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## frlsgirl

*AW Clinic*

We just finished another AW clinic.

Ana was full of **** and vinegar; so forward and engaged! We started working on walk canter transitions. She acted like she’s done them all of her life. I was just shocked that she could execute something that we haven’t even practiced at home. She did get very very excited a couple of times and even threw in a rear and buck combo. 

On the way home a tire blew out on the trailer but it happened just a few miles from home and the other tire held up the trailer on that side so we made it home safely. 

Then yesterday, we got stuck in the mud and the property owners had to pull us out with their skid steer. 

So then we get the horses loaded and head home and suddenly we realize the truck is stuck in 1st gear because we couldn’t figure out how to disengage the 4 wheel drive. So we drove at 35mph with the hazards on while everyone passed us until we found a good place to pull over. We finally figured out how to switch back to 2 wheel drive by looking through the owners manual. 

I was so relieved when we finally arrived at home, safe and sound. 

I’m ready for a more relaxing weekend. My nerves are just shot!


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## carshon

those action shots are awesome! Sorry to hear about the truck and trailer. How scary and frustrating.


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## frlsgirl

I’ve been sick all week so I didn’t get a chance to see or ride Ana until the weekend. We only walked Saturday as I was still too weak but we did some decent under saddle work yesterday. 

She managed to scratch her neck down to the skin. Not sure what’s causing it. She’s getting antihistamines in her feed plus a bunch of topical stuff. We are supposed to get a good hard freeze with snow this week so hopefully that will clear up her skin problem.


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