# Step by step



## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

So this Saturday I was at the barn all day, since there was an official competition going on and the lady i lease Moro from asked me to help out in the food tent. I helped her in the morning, at the same time learning many names of people who ride on days outside my lesson days who i hadnt met. Their horses' names too of course, and lots of other barn gossip  

At 11 I had my last lesson on my usual school horse, he was such a sweetheart for me (he's usually a lazy bum, really hard to get and keep moving!), it was like he knew it was my last time. We just did walk/trot, focusing on rhythm and bending. It went really well! My trainer also gave me some tips on questions I had about the things I struggled with the few times I rode Moro, mostly on how to get him to slow down at a trot and what kind of things I should keep in mind on him, that are different than what I'm used to from the school horses. She also reassured me that she will help me out with any and all questions or problems I might have, so I feel a lot more secure now! I was actually pretty nervous about this whole thing... 

I spent the afternoon by the ring, watching the competition and chatting with the 'core group' of the barn. As soon as I confirmed I would be leasing I was updated on all the barn drama... Not the nicest thing if youve been riding at a barn you thought was drama free for over 4 years!! Luckily al groups mix, so the drama isnt something I'll be worrying about or paying attention to. 

Apart from the lessons in drama they were al VERY welcoming, saying they have been talking amongst themselves, saying it was time I move up and joined the group that hangs out together. (the 'owners' stay pretty separate from the 'lesson kids'). A big part of the group are people who lessoned with me before, but got around to ownership earlier. They too told me to ask them any and all questions I might have, and to not worry and just enjoy! 

At the end of the day I had a chat with the lady I'm leasing from, and she said to go whenever I want. Her daughter will still be taking the horse to some shows, but if that happens they'll let me know and I can ride any other day of the week to make up for it. She will be texting me the exact figure I am to pay, so I can bring the money for this month next weekend when I go. 

Her daughter rode Moro at the show, and had two clear rounds at 80 and 90cm heights, so it looks like I got myself a pretty cool pony! 

I might go over on Thursday as I have an exam and might take the day off work for that. And the university is RIGHT across the street from the stable so...  Saturday my lease officially starts and I will have my first lesson with new horse AND new trainer! 

EXCITED!!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

what a face! adorable.


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## GMA100 (Apr 8, 2016)

What a sweet face!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Ok so I went out to ride today, and since the trainer was there and it is supposedly gonna rain a lot on saturday, I had my first lesson today!! It went really well, the trainer explained about getting the horse on the bit and impulsion from behind and receiving in the hand. I trotted around working on that for a long time, and managed to get him on the bit for a few steps at a time  (thats a big deal, i've never ridden a horse who is on the bit lol) I had SUCH a big smile on my face. 

Then I cantered him a bit, and the trainer told me to focus on the same contact at the canter as at the trot, by this time i was pretty tired (one 45 minute lesson a week plodding along doesnt really prepare you for a 90 minute lesson of HARD WORK) so focusing on one thing meant i forgot to look where I was going. Result: Near-collision with another horse, big scare to the side and me on the ground lol. He stopped and waited for me, while attacking the bushes around the ring for snacks... I will have to bring cake on saturday. I was fine luckily, just got the wind knocked out of me a bit. I got right back on, and walked and trotted some more. Then I hosed his feet and put him up. 

I got lucky and fell off under some overhanging trees where the ground was dry, as the rest of the arena was something between a mudbath and a swimming pool. Hopefully I've learnt my lesson and will pay more attention where I'm going from now on! 

Moro is a sweetheart, he's quite mouthy and will nip at you if you invade his space without bringing sugar, so no cuddles, but once youre on his back he really tries his best and is a really good teacher. He is a bit spookier than the schoolhorses, so I'm gonna have to learn to really RIDE him instead of just pointing him in the right direction, to keep him busy. I did notice that when he has a job he's not spooky at all so that should improve a lot with time. 

My new trainer is amazing, he explains very clearly, and will explain something with different examples until you get the concept. He also answers all the questions, and will tell you the full concept of what youre working towards, before explaining the first step you're supposed to be working on. LOVE! 

Saturday and sunday, if its not raining too much, I will be focusing on not cutting corners, getting a feel of Moro and getting the impulsion from behind back through the hand. Also on not falling off lol.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Saturday I went out to the barn with a carrot and spice cake to pay for falling off on thursday. It was a grey day and lots of rain was expected, so I got to riding right away, in the hopes of avoiding getting wet. 

At the beginning of the ride, Moro was quite stiff, head in the air, small trot steps and kind of hot, ears up and shying at things in the bushes around the arena. I kept him moving around the middle, not in any specific pattern, just cruising around, trying to get the trot slowed down and more relaxed. I worked on the contact and 'kneading' of the reins my instructor told me to work on thursday, and after about 15 minutes he relaxed, lowered his head and I had him going nicely at a trot!! When my trainer arrived a bit later he gave me lots of compliments on the horses position and relaxation. 

Since most people stayed home due to the crappy weather, my trainer gave me another lesson! Worked a bit at the trot first, and then cantered on a big circle. With my trainers tips from the ground I managed to get Moro in a frame at the canter too! Although this didnt last too long of course, a few steps at a time. It helps a LOT to ride a horse that knows his job, that way its much easier to tell when youre doing things right. I'm loving this pony more every time I ride him. 

On thursday we had a bit if trouble with riding into the corners (I should say I had trouble steering him into the corners lol), mostly because I was concentrating on 20 new things at a time and forgot to steer. That was much better now, he really was a dream to ride once he relaxed after warming up for a bit. 

At the end of the lesson I had a big smile on my face, and my trainer said to walk him a bit, catch our breaths and then take a gallop around the whole arena. I asked if I could just walk Moro and skip the canter, as I was quite tired and had been feeling a bit crappy after my fall on thursday mentally. I felt i needed to end it on a good note! Luckily my trainer had no objections. We walked for about 10 minutes and then I put him back in his stall. 

I asked my old trainer who makes saddle pads and bonnets for prices, and will be asking for a set of my own for my birthday in august. Looks like I'm already getting infected with the tackshopping addiction! 

My current trainer said that I had Moro going so nicely that when weather (and the arena) dries up, we can start popping over some jumps! I hope that means next weekend, but as friday and saturday are holidays, I'm not sure the barn opens. My lessons were always cancelled on holidays, but I dont know how it works with the private horses. 

Yesterday I couldn't get out as it was POURING rain all morning. Of course it dried up for a bit at 11.15, but with the barn closing at 12 on sundays there was no way I was gonna make it out there and ride in 45 minutes. I was sad about that until a thunderstorm hit at 11.45 and it started pouring again haha. Hopefully next weekend I'll be able to go ride as the weather is supposed to be really nice then. 

For now I will get back to work, luckily it's only a 4-day workweek! Yay!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Friday was a holiday here, so I went to the barn instead of to work (YAY!). I went after lunch, and got on as soon as the groom had Moro tacked up for me. I worked him for about 10-15 minutes at walk and trot, he seemed a lot heavier in the hand than he had been the other days, leaning on me, and I was wondering if I was doing something wrong. When my trainer arrived and started the lesson I asked him and he laughed and said, yeah, he's in a snaffle today (as opposed to this bit http://www.culturedcowboy.com/images/454.jpg which he usually wears). Ok so I need to pay attention to what tack they're putting on my horse lol! 

We did some trot and canter, no stirrups for a couple of laps and then we hopped over some jumps!! We jumped a crossrail, which turned into a vertical and ended up at about 70cm. He jumps AMAZING! No matter how crappy the distance I set hime up for he just jumps it. He's really the perfect horse for me to get confident on and to start working on my jumping. The school horses did 3-5 lessons a day, so we almost never got to jump them over more than a tiny crossrail. 

The trainer was very happy with my position and ability to translate what he yelled at me into riding. Mostly I have to relax my arms more, and not lose the contact on takeoff. After popping over the vertical several times, at both a trot and a canter, from both hands, my trainer pointed to a small oxer and said "Now jump that". He said to ride it the same as a vertical and not to worry cause I wouldnt notice the difference. So I pointed Moro at it and we flew over it! Its true that the difference was not very obvious, though I could feel him stretch out over the jump a bit more. We jumped it about 4 times (2 on each hand) and then I walked him for 10-15 minutes. 

So thats the story of me jumping my first oxer!!  

Saturday he went off to a show with his owner, and jumped the 80cm, 90cm and 1m classes (as far as I can tell from the videos she uploaded). So I didnt get to ride. Sunday morning I went to the barn to ride and there was a show for ponies going on. SO CUTE, tiny ponies with even tinier riders. There was one girl on a medium pony who I think must have been around 5 years old haha. 

Due to the show the main arena was occupied, and I rode in the arena behind the barn. It was unfortunately a big pool of mud, and it was clear that Moro was tired after jumping two days in a row and having been trailered on saturday. I mostly just walked him on a medium rein and did a little bit of trot. I only rode him for 25-30 minutes and then put him back up and fed him sugar cubes. 

My trainer was at the barn and asked if I cant come by the barn on a weekday this week to do some more jumping as he thought I rode really well in my lesson on friday and he would like to keep working on that! Saturday morning the arena is more crowded so jumping is a bit difficult. We arranged that I would go on thursday as I have an exam and will take a study day from work. In the afternoon I found out the exam is at a different time than I thought it was, so I texted him and asked if I could go later. He had JUST answered my text, saying it was no problem, when I realized the exam is on FRIDAY. *facepalm*. I assumed it was on thursday as all other exams of this subject have been on thursdays so far, and I didnt read further than the time. So I'm gonna have to text him back again lol. 

I'm so happy with my 'own' pony, every time I ride him I love him more. Sunday there was a lady at the barn looking at the horses and talking to another girl and me. As the lady pointed to Moro and asked the girl 'That's your horse right?' (her horse is also a grey), the girl said: "No thats hers *points to me* The one two stalls over is mine". BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

edit: put the wrong link for his usual bit http://www.equestrianandhorse.com/images/main/gag-snaffle.jpg this is the right one  It doesnt let me edit the post anymore.


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## edf (Dec 20, 2013)

Looks like you are having a blast with him! Keep it up!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

As someone that just got back into the saddle at 20 (a lot like you did), this was really awesome to read! I'm so glad that you're liking your lease horse and I'm excited to hear more about your adventures with Moro. It sounds like you guys are doing FANTASTIC, so keep up the good work.

Subbed.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks guys!  I hope I wont bore you to death haha. 

Quick update, I texted my trainer to say i have the day off on friday instead of thursday, so he said to come thursday after work AND friday morning  I'm only paying him for one lesson a week but now it will be 5 lessons in 3 weeks! I'm getting a pretty good deal here haha! 

Also the owner told me the other day I can ride every day if I want, even if I'm only paying 1/4th of board (half leasing with another guy i havent met yet so 1/4th each, and the owner pays the other half). The owner only rides him at shows, and the other guy rides in the morning, so theres no issue if I want to go out ion the afternoon. Definitely getting a great deal on ALL fronts  Unfortunately I cant take too much advantage of it yet as when I get out of work its getting dark already, but we'll see how much time I have thursday and how quick I can get in the saddle after work. If it works out I'll be going after work more often!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

So I'm a bit late with this update but ok.. 

Thursday I went and had a lesson after work, I took a cab to get to the barn in time before dark and had a bit of a problem with the driver. (I had been given wrong change ($5 instead of $50) earlier in the day and didnt realise it until I went to pay) The guy was just plain mean about it, even though I managed to get nearly the full amount together (was missing $5 ars (about 30 cents USD). He yelled at me and I offered to go borrow some money from the barn administration. He said ok, so I grab my bag and go to get out and he STARTS DRIVING OFF saying I have to leave my stuff or I wont get out at all. Now I have NO problem leaving a guarantee to come back, but the fact that it was over 30 cents, and he yelled at me and treated me like a total criminal really got to me. So I ran into the barn, and borrow some money (ARS$50 cause she didnt have any change). I go back to the taxi and hand him the money, and wait for my change. He just looks at me until I say 'And my change? I owed you 5, not 50..' And he says ' i charged you for the wait' I WAS GONE 2 MINUTES. I grabbed my bag, called him some names and slammed the door lol. Then I ran in case he decided to run me over or come after me lol. Later I realized he had made the first $20 I gave him dissappear, so he stole around $70 extra from me D: (5 USD). Needless to say i was UPSET after this, and got to the barn trembling and crying. The people that were hanging around the office calmed me down, offered me something to drink and talked some about similar stories happening to them. NOT taking taxis anymore lol! 

I went to change and got on to ride, but was still feeling really riled up. Luckily Moro is a saint and didnt act up despite my weird energy. After trotting for about 15 minutes I calmed down and was ok. We then cantered for a bit and then my trainer made us jump a course!  

There was first an oxer, 8 strides to a vertical, bend to the left to another oxer at 5 strides to a one-stride, right bend to another oxer 8strides to a vertical. Pretty much long side, diagonal, long side. 

The first time around the first line turned into a 6-stride LEAP cause I didnt wanna pull on his mouth too much to get him back after the first oxer lol. Sat it well and circled back to try again, we ended up going through the course twice correctly before calling it a day since it was getting dark and has started POURING rain. My first encounter with a one-stride was sort of scary since I wasnt aware of the extra impulsion needed for it and although we kept it to a one-stride, it was like a hop in one stride leap out. The second time around we galloped at it a bit more confidently and got through the whole course with nice distances!! 

Friday I had an exam and went to the barn after (exam day = no work, and the barn is across the street from my uni), though I didnt ride. I just hung out a bit, and watched Moro's owner ride him and jump him. 

Saturday I went in early despite the freezing cold, and when I went to get on one of the grooms warned me to sent in my cinch since the stitching was coming loose D: He told me it would be ok to ride with now but to send it off for fixing after my lesson. I was not convinced and asked my trainer, who immediately told me to get off and found me another cinch to use while they fixed mine. The groom 'joked' that he had been hoping for cake... I was not impressed with that particular joke, and neither were the other people standing around who overheard lol. 

With the new cinch, I trotted and cantered Moro for about an hour when he suddenly started throwing his head up in the air, nodding up and down and generally acting uncomfortable. I stopped and asked my trainer (who was working with another girl then) and after checking my tack it turned out the new cinch didnt fit right and my saddle had slipped back. So once again, off the horse, change the cinch, back on the horse... Luckily this time we found a cinch that used to be Moro's but was sold to another girl. So that one fit. 

More trotting and cantering, I was about dead by now, considering I am used to riding 45 mins a week and Moro was in a mood where you really have to ride him (He was lazy, but if you dont ride him forwards into the bit he starts acting up and getting spooky lol). My legs felt like rubber bands haha. I tried doing some walking until it was my turn for my jumping lesson (I was supposed to just warm him up at 10.15 and have my lesson 10.30, but with all the tack trouble I ended up waiting until 11.45 to start my lesson!). My trainer said to keep working Moro hard as it was windy and he gets excited when we jump, so he was hoping to tire him out a bit with flatwork before jumping. 

The only one who got tired out was me... 

By the time we got around to jumping, my arms and legs didnt cooperate too well anymore, and I was feeling a little weak/with low blood pressure. We jumped a single vertical a few times, then an oxer, and then we did the same course as on thursday, but while circling before the first jump Moro heard something and took off for a bit. I had him back in a few moments, but he was a bit riled up then. We circled a bit more and set off around the course, but he drifted right over the first jump of the one-stride, and I realized it too late to be able to correct him. We ended up nearly taking out the standard, and moro hesitated before jumping it awkwardly (I LOVE him for trying!), and I ended up getting left behind which resulted into a little crowhopping and speeding fit. I ended up around his neck for a moment but stayed on lol. We then did the whole course again, a lot nicer, without incidents. 

After we were supposed to keep jumping but I asked my trainer if we could call it quits as I felt I was too tired to ride correctly, and the quality of our jumping was suffering. I wanted to end on a good note as I tend to overthink the bad parts of my lessons and forget how well it went in the rest of it!! 

My trainer will be on holidays from saturday until the next sunday, so this was probably my last lesson this month, unless he tells me to come one more time during the week. I've been thinking of going out once or twice on weekdays after work, just to do some trotting/canter. Not to work Moro (other people ride him during the week too) but just to work on my own muscles and general fitness. I was thinking some no-stirrup trotting. I'll see if I can get there in time without taking any taxis (lol) tomorrow. I have to go pick up my half-chaps as I gave them to my old trainer for fixing (she has a sewing machine and the thread was coming loose). 

Oh and Moros owner took some cool pictures of us jumping!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

And more pics:


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Would you be willing to fill us in on your situation? I mean, yoiu are in Argentina, yet you speak English as a native. are you Argentinian?

another question:

if you take this horse out in the afternoon, canter and trot him for an hour THEN start jumping him, . . .what if that's on top of the other leaser having done similar in the morning? would that be fair to this horse?


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Hi Tiny, 

i am actually from the Netherlands, but moved to Argentina 6 years ago. Thanks for the compliment on the english speaking as a native lol. 

As for the horse, on the days another leaser rides him (during the week) I wouldn't be jumping him or working him hard. On saturday only I rode him. We only jump in lessons and my trainer is also the trainer of the owners daughter, so he makes sure the horse isnt overworked. As for the other leasee as far as I know he's not very experienced, and I think he just does some walk/trot pleasure work. The horse is used to being worked hard (1.5-2hs a day + jumping 3x a week) by the owners daughter, but since shes not riding him much anymore, maybe once a week to keep a feel of him, and once a week at shows, the horse gets his exercise this way. 

I would also like to add so far I have ridden him about 40 minutes per session, except for this last saturday. 

My trainer knows the horse and who rides him and when, and told me to work him hard because when he doesnt get enough exercise he gets harder to handle. He's boxed when he's not out riding, so its also his only exercise. 

All in all I dont think it will hurt him to be ridden twice a day lightly (w/t maybe a bit of canter) and on other days have only one lesson. I did decide not to ride on friday as the owner was jumping him, and he would be jumping 4 days in a row. I understand the concern though, as you said, jumping and cantering him for 2 hours AFTER someone else has done the same thing in the morning would be TOO MUCH!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

So after worrying a whole lot about if it would be ok to go out to the barn yesterday, thanks to the encouragement of people on here I decided to just go and enjoy my horse! To my surprise the groom had told my trainer I was coming out, so noone had ridden Moro yet when I got there at 17.10. I changed and got on, and Moro was a little firecracker! He just wanted to go go go go and GO! I trotted him a while and then cantered on both hands, throwing in lots of circles to try to get him to slow down and relax a bit. It seemed he relaxed after a while, and I had him working nicely on the bit at a trot and canter. 

My trainer set up a couple of jumps and we started by trotting over a small vertical. All good for the first three pops, then my trainer put the jump up a bit higher, we had nice relaxed trot up to the base of the jump and.... 

An explosion of energy straight into the air and a buck and run on landing. He was REALLY hard to stop! You could just hear him think "ok enough with the slow stuff, if we're jumping we're gonna have some FUN!". He wasnt hard to sit but he just wanted to play and be crazy. Since we didnt have a lot of time to work the excess energy out my trainer decided to clip on a lungeline and let him buck around for a few minutes. 

Off he went, Full speed, falling over his own feet, throwing in some happy jumps and bucks for good measure lol. I'm sure glad I was no longer on his back haha. I took some pictures and then my trainer handed me the lungeline and gave me a mini lesson on lunging, mostly explaining how to hold the line, and how to send the horse out and forward. Once Moro was done being a crazy goof my trainer whistled and he stopped on the spot and turned towards the middle and just stood there waiting. He's such a sweetheart. 

I got back on and we popped over the same small course as the other day, at a nice relaxed canter all the way through. Moro felt really adjustable and I felt comfortable jumping him around. There was one moment where I felt him tense up and hesitate halfway through a line, but i just had to put my leg on slightly for him to move forward again. I LOVE this horse!! 

My trainer said that the next show he's around for I will be jumping Moro. I'm not sure if the shows minimum height is 60 or 70 cm, but one of those. This saturday there is a show at my barn but my trainer is going on holidays so I will be riding in the next one. Moro's owner will be riding him in the show and I will be riding again on sunday. I will go out saturday with my camera to practice taking pictures at horse shows and play a bit with the settings. If I get any good shots I'll post them on here  

Here is a picture of Moro tearing around like a maniac on the lunge.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

So I unexpectedly had to travel back to the Netherlands, and am therefore not riding right now. I did however go to this huge tack/equestrian store near here and bought a lot of stuff! So I figured I'd share pictures. 

I got: 
- White competition breeches
- Light blue/dark grey schooling breeches
- A Pikeur competition jacket (<3 <3 <3) 
- A hairnet
- PVC Stirrups (Because I've ridden in them on another horse before and I find them SO comfy!!) 

My grandpa paid 'the left leg' of the white breeches (he gave me some money to spend on them as an early birthday present) and my parents bought me the jacket. I got some good discounts as there was a summer sale and the jacket was in the outlet corner. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

There's nothing like a good, partially funded trip to the tack store. Sad to hear you're not riding right now, but retail therapy is always a good way to handle time away from horses. Can't wait to see some competition pics of you and Moro with those new show clothes one of these days!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Sooo I'm back home, and will be riding again this afternoon! I actually went out to the barn yesterday to give Moro's owner a jacket I brought her for her daughter, and to work out payment for this month. Moro was more interested in his hay than in me, but I forgive him lol. 

Turns out the other guy that was leasing Moro gave up, so its just me and the daughter. Since I cant really ride much during the week,and daughter only rides him wednesdays and Fridays, they offered to trailer him in on wednesday, and then again on friday, leaving him overnight till sunday. That way we only pay 2 nights of board and I get to ride ANY of those 4 days  

Double riding time half the price lol. This horse is in GOOD condition and is fine with 2 people riding him on the same day btw. Also the daughters lessons (aka jumping) are on different days than mine, so he wont be worked hard twice on the same day, just maybe jumped in the morning and then walk/trotted in the afternoon. Our trainer agrees that its fine, so I'm not worried about that. 

The cool thing is, I'll get 3-4 days of riding for around HALF of what I was paying for 2 days of riding  YAY! 

---

I'm currently wearing my new breeches under my jeans, and my new boots (I didnt actually post that yet but I bought leather paddock boots and my grandpa got me calfsleather half-chaps, prettiest things i ever owned!!!) and have my backpack with stuff here at work, I'll be going straight to the barn after work, so I can squeeze in around 45 mins of riding before closing time


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I rode for about 25 minutes yesterday, partly because I got there late after work, but mostly because NEW BOOTS AND CHAPS HURT!! My boots give me blisters and my half-chaps are so tight that my calves cramp up after half a circle of posting D: Gotta work them in I guess, was NOT counting on that!! 

I will lower my stirrups a hole today, see if that helps some, and then I'll just wear both boots and chaps around the house over the weekend in the hopes of stretching them. I might actually try the bathtub soaking method on the boots, but I'm not sure I dare try that on my chaps, as they are calf leather and I'm not sure its ok for that? Also I would need to find some conditioner first, will try for that tomorrow morning. 

For now I have blisters lol, but I'm still wearing the boots hoping to break them in. 

On the other hand, FULL-SEAT BREECHES ARE THE BEST!!! Seriously I dont think I've ever sat the trot or canter so well! I just 'stick' to the saddle, as the breeches have a full-seat of suede thats pretty sticky. LOVING those!! I ended up doing mostly no-stirrup work because my boots were so uncomfortable, even though Moros trot is terribly bouncy and really hard to sit if he goes any faster than a snail pace. So yay breeches!  

Going for another short ride today, hoping to break in the boots/chaps combination a bit at a time. Luckily my trainer is out of town so I can take it easy LOL! I'll ride tomorrow as well, and will be putting my new stirrups on my saddle then, when there is more time and I'm not rushing after work. 

Moro was a saint yesterday, trying so hard to understand what I was asking even though I was less than comfortable and I'm sure that affected my position. At one moment he sped up his trot and I started bouncing to the side and he just came back without me asking, it really seemed he was trying to stay under me <3. I only did a bit of walk-trot, and one circle each side of canter, as he had jumped earlier in the day and had gotten pretty sweaty then, so I figured I'd take it easy on both of us. It was more of a workout for me than for him. We also did some exercises at the walk, like spirals and figure-8s and walking 5 steps-stopping-walking 10 steps-stopping. He did really well, he actually flexed around the circles, and was really responsive off my inside leg when he started to drift inwards. We tried the few-steps stop at a trot too, but his stop from trot is not that responsive, think 5 more steps of trot and then about 3 of walk before he stands. He gets excited when trotting, so I guess we can work on that a bit more. I'm reluctant to do much work focused on him though, as I am not exactly experienced and I don't want to accidentally create problems. It did seem to make him more responsive to my aids though, so we might keep trying these little things, along with me training myself with sitting trot and no-stirrup work  

Any suggestions on breaking in boots are very much appreciated!!


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Half-leasing (or leasing, period!) is awesome. I'm currently leasing as well. Saves me money too, I get a lesson & I can pretty much ride whenever I want. 
You guys look awesome! Moro is stunning. So glad you are back in the saddle! The stuff you got at the tack store is lovely. Love those breeches! Super stylish! 
Great ride yesterday too, yay!!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

*Friday: *
Friday after work I headed to the barn and had about 40 minutes to ride. I tried unzipping the top of my chaps a bit and it helped a great deal with the cramping legs problem, so i'll be doing that until they're worked in a little more. I got on Moro, and as I hadn't brought a watch and my phone battery had died I asked the groom to give me a shout at around 5 to 6 so they could go home on time. He laughed and said I would know when it was time to finish... 

We worked on transitions again, got some really nice walk-trot-walk ones and even one halt to canter! This pony is the actual best, he knows how to do it, which means that once I figure out how to cue for it he will give me the positive reinforcement of doing what I want. I'm pretty sure he's the one training me! And he's doing a good job of it too, I feel more and more secure on him and am actually looking forward to jumping him again. I was feeling a bit like it was all going too fast, new horse, going up in height, jumping oxers and doubles. While it was all very excited I was getting more and more nervous, especially after a few near-falls. I think I really needed some time to just ride him in circles and get to know him better. Now I know where the brakes are I feel much better lol! 

He was a star the whole time, until I asked for a halt and he refused to stand. He kept trying to push through my hand, or move backwards or sideways. I insisted with my leg on and hand closed to lock him in place and he actually stood for a few seconds after which i asked him to move forward and he fell into a canter (not a bolt) I pushed him at a fast canter twice around the arena before asking for a halt again, and then he walked off calmly. By then I had realised the reason for the sudden change in behaviour... they had started feeding, which means it was 6 and I was supposed to get off lol. The groom was right that I would know when it was time to come back, Moro made sure of that! I walked him once more around the arena on a loose rein and brought him in. I untacked and hosed the dirt off his hooves before putting on his blanket (there was a little exercise involved called 'stand still while I hook these straps up') and letting him loose in his box. I gave him his well-earned treats and left. With the treats I have been waiting till he turns his head away from me to give them and making sure I give them with my arm stretched to where he takes it away from my body, in an attempt to curve his enthusiastic and entitled nibbling and nipping if you don't have anything. He doesn't bite, just kind of nips the air in your direction, but its annoying, and not exactly well-behaved. My attempt at getting rid of this behaviour probably wont do much, since the owner still spoils him rotten, but maybe he's smart enough to understand that *I* don't want his mouth in my space. 


*Saturday: *
Saturday I got to the barn around 10, and his owner's daughter had to ride him first for about half an hour to pop him over some jumps as she had a show on sunday. Afterwards I rode him around a bit, mostly trotted and a bit of canter. Once you canter him he trots faster and faster every time. Not just when transitioning back from a canter, but also after walking for a while. Canter = race time. It wakes him up or something. I tried to insist on an easygoing trot but will be reading up on how to avoid this issue happening. For now I made him walk every time he sped up and then tried a slow trot again. I know the general rule is make him work until he begs to stop, and then ask for a slow trot, but I'm not sure there is an end to the stamina of this horse D: After I got a nice slow trot from him I walked him out and took him back in the barn. The groom will be putting my new stirrups on my saddle, so supposedly the next time I go out it will be in new stirrups! Yay! 

Since his owners are travelling this weekend he will be at the barn Wednesday till Sunday, I will be riding Wednesday through Friday, and maybe on Sunday as well, but I've been told to keep my schedule free on Saturday and possibly Sunday for my birthday? Idk what's been planned, but I'm excited! I'm trying to schedule a lesson some time this week and then hopefully I'll be able to compete at a show in 2 weeks! I'll keep you all posted!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I forgot to add: during our ride on Saturday I was working on getting him on the bit and at one point I felt him actually stretching all the way through and lifting up his back! I had no idea he wasn't doing that before, until I felt the difference! It only lasted a few seconds but I will be trying to get that feeling back next ride.


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> I'm pretty sure he's the one training me! And he's doing a good job of it too, I feel more and more secure on him and am actually looking forward to jumping him again.


That's how you know that you have a good one, when you feel like you're both getting something positive out of the experience! Experienced schoolmaster types are invaluable simply for their confidence-building skills.



Luce73 said:


> Once you canter him he trots faster and faster every time. Not just when transitioning back from a canter, but also after walking for a while. Canter = race time. It wakes him up or something. I tried to insist on an easygoing trot but will be reading up on how to avoid this issue happening. For now I made him walk every time he sped up and then tried a slow trot again.


Don't let him walk. You're teaching him that if he just blasts through your aids and ignores your requests, he gets to have a break. Either that or you're frustrating him because he wants to go forward (and is showing enthusiasm for the work) and instead he's being yanked back to the walk and forced to plod around.

Two approaches:

1. Redirect his energy via circles, lateral work, serpentines, etc. Give him a reason to slow down and think about his feet instead of blasting around at an unorganized trot/canter. Don't break the gait, but make him have something to work on until he settles into a correct trot. You could also lay down some ground poles. Don't discourage energy, just find another way to utilize it!

2. If he's really blowing through your aids and charging around willy nilly, don't walk, HALT. Halt hard and halt fast. If you don't have the muscle for it, but you've got the skill, you can run him into a wall (he won't hit it, but it sure will stop him fast—I've had to do this on a couple of naught TB's). Pull him up and make him back up until he's got some respect for your aids again. Make him go backwards instead of forwards! Then, when you've got his attention, ask for the same gait again. If you were trotting when you slammed on the brakes, trot off. If you were cantering, pick up the canter from the halt. If he blasts through you again, repeat. Eventually he'll get the idea. It sounds hard and I know I was nervous the first few times I did it (under my trainer's guidance), but I've fixed many a charging horse like this.

I base which method I use around the horse I'm on. If I feel like their energy comes from a positive place (say they're excited to go around a course of jumps, but they're still trying to listen, for example) I might use the first method. If I feel like they're blatantly/belligerently ignoring me, I use the second. The second method's more of a trainer type move, so you may want to talk to your trainer about how they would handle the situation if you feel uncomfortable implementing a tactic like that, but the first method is tried and true. A million circles can be very hypnotic and relaxing!

I only ever use the "run them out of energy" idea (AKA a lot of extended trot around the ring) under saddle when I feel like my horse isn't hot, per se, but mentally frustrated, like after a lot of lateral work. It's a way to blow off frustration and steam, not necessarily get energy out.



Luce73 said:


> The groom will be putting my new stirrups on my saddle, so supposedly the next time I go out it will be in new stirrups! Yay!


Oooh, what kind did you get? I'm riding in standard irons, but have thought about an upgrade in the semi far future. 



Luce73 said:


> I'm trying to schedule a lesson some time this week and then hopefully I'll be able to compete at a show in 2 weeks!


Excited for a possible show for you guys!



Luce73 said:


> I forgot to add: during our ride on Saturday I was working on getting him on the bit and at one point I felt him actually stretching all the way through and lifting up his back! I had no idea he wasn't doing that before, until I felt the difference! It only lasted a few seconds but I will be trying to get that feeling back next ride.


All about the right combo of rein and leg. Aim for that every ride and before you know it he'll be doing it consistently!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Wow thanks for the detailed advice!  I will try to make him work in patterns so he has to think about his feet more. I do think its really just an excited mindset of 'we cantered so its go-time!' so that might help. Now I have to figure out how to stay balanced enough in that supertrot to be able to steer properly lol. 

I got the Thorowgood Tuff ones! Yesterday I rode in the owner's saddle, so didnt get to try mine out yet, but she has composite stirrups too and MAN ARE THEY COMFY  They are kinda hard to find if you lose them though, they dont hang the same way as the standard irons. I read you get used to where they are and it gets easier, so I'm not too concerned. The saddle was amazingly comfy too, it has a really deep seat and kind of holds you in place, certainly felt very secure in it! Its a shame I dont get to ride in it usually. 

Rode the pony yesterday, walked, trotted, cantered. Did a bunch of transitions and cantered as well as trotted without stirrups (I dont know why I insist on torturing myself, everything hurts lol! It better help me build some muscle in my legs  ) I did get to halting him when he starts 'charging' at the trot, but it just seems to frustrate him, although it does bring him back on the aids a bit more. One thing he does when charging is pull his nose in so the bit is not as effective anymore. Little punk. I am working at riding the transitions with my seat and legs only, and that does seem to help a bit, as well as doing lots of transitions between as well as within the gaits which seems to keep him listening better. 

Near the end of my ride I was walking him and made him halt, as soon as we stopped he started throwing his head up and down, so I tried to put him to work by pushing him into a fast canter on a circle, and then halted from canter in the exact same spot. He stood quietly that time. I dont know if I'm doing things right but it seems to work lol. 

When I had just arrived someone commented to his owner how well he's doing, she said he's doing great since I ride him...  I dont know if it was a joke or serious (a joke = not sarcastic, but exaggerating lol), but it made me pretty happy that at least I'm not ruining him LOL! 

Have a lesson tonight and another tomorrow. Gonna be doing some jumping!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We jumped a course last night and it was awesome, though kind of scary since he was happy and a freight trein at the jumps. I have to get over my nerves of him jumping like a maniac and RIDE HIM! Once i did that I was able to get him to add another stride pretty easily, but we did have two leap-into-space moments where I ended up on his neck. One where I almost fell off and the other I recovered quickly. The third time he leaped like that I sat it a lot better and was able to bring him back to a normal canter within the 5-stride line to a double. Luckily, since I was NOT looking forward to jumping that double at a neck-break gallop thank you very much. Hopefully he'll be a bit calmer today. My trainer said I handled him well though, so that was good  

I rode in my own saddle, with my new stirrups which are awesome and a lot easier to find than the ones I rode in the other day. I dropped them on purpose while trotting and while cantering a couple of times to practice picking them back up, and although its a tad more difficult to find them, its not hard. I think mine are heavier than the ones on the owner's saddle as well, so that probably helps. 

After jumping we did some more trot and he did his usual speedy trot routine, so I tried circling and figure-8s around some jumps and he came back easily to a relaxed balanced trot  Thank you for the tip @StephaniHren !! 

Gonna go ride again tonight, and tomorrow is my birthday! So I wont be riding this weekend cause apparently a 'surprise' has been planned... I'm intrigued... I'll tell you next week lol!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Just got back from my lesson and it went REALLY well! I was more relaxed and less nervous and that made for a relaxed and listening pony. We warmed up and then my trainer came and made us jump a single vertical a couple of times, I really had to work on the approach as for some reason every time i thought I was perpendicular I ended up jumping it at an angle... Interesting lol. We then moved on to jumping a single oxer, and then did the oxer on the right hand, a circle around and the vertical on the left hand. By the end of the lesson I asked how high the jumps were as they seemed a bit higher than usual, and it turns out I was casually jumping an 85cm vertical and an 80cm oxer  I LOVE MY PONY!! 

After my lesson I untacked and went to put on his blanket. He was pretty antsy and moving about as he was trying to get to his oats that had already been served, and in my attempt at keeping him steady I put the blanket on backwards >.< I proceeded to be throughly confused what happened to the clasp that goes on his chest, before realizing my mistake and quickly turning the whole thing around. LOL. 

Moro was a bit silly at the beginning of the lesson, we were riding in the secondary arena, which is really just a big patch of sand in the park my stable is built in, there's no fencing or anything, and there was a jogger doing stretches by a tree next to the far corner... sorry, not a jogger, a horse-eating MONSTER! At least in Moro's mind lol. He was a good boy and passed the guy anyway, albeit with a VERY worried look on his face, silly pony!

Adding a picture my sister took of Moro when she came to visit last August with my mom. She was going through her photos from that trip and suddenly realized she had pics of my pony! So now I have a new phone wallpaper  I really should go out with the proper camera myself soon, see if I can get some good pictures!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> Did a bunch of transitions and cantered as well as trotted without stirrups (I dont know why I insist on torturing myself, everything hurts lol! It better help me build some muscle in my legs  )


I keep telling myself I need to do more of the posting trot without my irons and a lot more of my two point, but I hate leg day lol. It's definitely worth it, though. You build so much natural balance working without irons, and it's George Morris approved!



Luce73 said:


> One thing he does when charging is pull his nose in so the bit is not as effective anymore. Little punk.


Ahhhhhh, a curler. My buddy's got a cute Arabian that does the same thing. Does he lean against your hands, too? My bet is that he's bracing off of you instead of balancing himself. It's a sign of stiffness through his neck and shoulders. Lots of shoulder-in and flexion through his throatlatch might help. Anything that might bump him off so that he's not bracing against you.



Luce73 said:


> When I had just arrived someone commented to his owner how well he's doing, she said he's doing great since I ride him...  I dont know if it was a joke or serious


Take the compliment, silly! Gosh, you underestimate yourself.



Luce73 said:


> We did have two leap-into-space moments where I ended up on his neck. One where I almost fell off and the other I recovered quickly.


Yeah, I've been having a few of those this week, too. Sigh.



Luce73 said:


> After jumping we did some more trot and he did his usual speedy trot routine, so I tried circling and figure-8s around some jumps and he came back easily to a relaxed balanced trot  Thank you for the tip @*StephaniHren* !!


Good to hear it helped!



Luce73 said:


> He was pretty antsy and moving about as he was trying to get to his oats that had already been served, and in my attempt at keeping him steady I put the blanket on backwards >.< I proceeded to be throughly confused what happened to the clasp that goes on his chest, before realizing my mistake and quickly turning the whole thing around. LOL.


You guys are adorable and I think more pictures are definitely always in order. I'm also curious about this "surprise" you talked about...


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had a great lesson yesterday! We jumped a course, and despite Moro going a little up in speeds I managed to stay calm throughout the ride and stay with him, except over one oxer where I totally hung on his mouth (I feel so bad for this but it was a 'got left behind' situation). My trainer said that I'm doing really well with handling him and staying on, and put some emphasis on the fact that less than two months ago I was jumping (mostly) crossrails on a school horse who just cantered over the jumps, and that Moro is VERY different. That made me feel better about my crappy position, and it made me realize that maybe I'm expecting too much from myself. I have to take it step by step, I cant hope to get all my distances right with perfect position and a relaxed horse if I'm so new to all of this. We ended the lesson with a nice 7-combination course (one double 4a+b), that we went through pretty quietly, although Moro sped up in the lines, I managed to calm him down in the turns and approach the next line nice and calm again. Once we were over the last oxer he gave a nice big happy buck which landed me on his neck and kind of took the 'wow I sat that nicely' i earnt over the course out of me LOL. 

After realizing how much I look down at my hands all the time, i spent the last week repeating 'Eyes up' like a mantra whenever walking/sitting somewhere. Apparently that worked as I was a LOT better at looking where I was going, hopefully that stays through todays lesson as well  

The chaps I bought back home are not fitting very well, they still cut off my circulation and make my leg cramp, especially my left leg. Ive tried storing them around some fat soda bottles (where they zip up about as difficult as on my legs) but it hasnt helped much on that left leg. Maybe I'll store both on the same bottle with the left one on top, so it has to stretch around the extra width of the other chap.. im not sure what else to try. 

My boots do seem to be more flexible now as, despite walking on them all day yesterday, i didn't get blisters this time. For my lesson tonight I went back to my old boots and chaps so I can focus more on riding correctly. I figured I'd try to do half/half for now and then slowly start using my new set more often. 

My cinch has finally been fixed, and my new stirrups are pretty awesome. My trainer said I should have an extra hole made in my stirrup leather as they are never exactly equal length (one has an extra 'and a half' hole, the other doesnt). unless they are either too long or too short for me. 

After my lesson I hosed Moro off as it is getting warmer and he was pretty sweaty. The groom told me to put him in his stall wet to dry up while eating, and that they would put his blanket on later. I did wipe off most of the excess water with my hand so he wasnt dripping anymore. 

A friend took a picture for me post-lesson


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> Ahhhhhh, a curler. My buddy's got a cute Arabian that does the same thing. Does he lean against your hands, too? My bet is that he's bracing off of you instead of balancing himself. It's a sign of stiffness through his neck and shoulders. Lots of shoulder-in and flexion through his throatlatch might help. Anything that might bump him off so that he's not bracing against you.


I actually started trying to just keep my hands more quiet and driving him into them instead of 'kneading' his reins to get him to bring his head down, and if I am balanced and riding forward for a few strides (half a circle more or less) he does seem to bring his head down to a nice position with more contact, although not as round as he does when 'kneading'. My trainer still tells me to move the reins, but I'm thinking he curls because my hands are too busy and I'm annoying him. Gonna try the steady contact for a few rides, maybe with a little half halt thrown in every now and then to ask him to round up a bit more. 




StephaniHren said:


> You guys are adorable and I think more pictures are definitely always in order. I'm also curious about this "surprise" you talked about...


The surprise was a weekend at an 'Estancia'! There were horses, lots of awesome food, and we spent the night in a castle  See my post with pictures here


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Had an AWESOME ride tonight! Moro was calm and relaxed (mostly due to his owner riding him before and tiring him out a bit for me so I could jump him with less crazy) and I was more relaxed and riding a lot better than yesterday! I got pictures! AND VIDEO!  (Dont judge my riding, I know I have a long way to go still lol)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Ok so I'm ashamed that I havent updated in a month. In my defense, a lot has been happening, with my house getting the gas shut off, needing renovations and my bathroom ceiling coming down (noone was harmed luckily). We're looking to move, I had to deal with renewing my visa (got a permanent one! Yay! no more yearly paperwork!), and work was a mess with a new complicated project using new technologies. Then on top of all that I was ill for 2 weeks straight with some kind of relentless flu. D:

So I missed some rides and some lessons, but overall its been a great month in the pony department! We've advanced quite a bit, gotten to more consistent calm jumping of rounds, and will have our first show (this time confirmed!) next saturday  

This tuesday I rode Moro with his snaffle bit, which worked great until we started jumping and he touched a pole, 'woke up/freaked out' and turned into an unstoppable force. With the snaffle I wasnt even able to steer him as he would just tuck his chin and hold the bit and runnnnnn. After running him into the fence (which ended with him stopping and dunking his head in the bushes for a snack, giving me and all the onlookers a good laugh) we called it quits and resumed my lesson yesterday with his slightly harsher leverage bit (i dont know bit names, its like a snaffle but with a short shank and a chain under the chin, i dont think its too harsh, most people here use it, especially when jumping. Something like this, the mouthpiece is just a thinner version of a snaffle: http://galeon.hispavista.com/caballosypastoreo/img/P6082909.JPG). 

Yesterday he was an angel, i even needed to work to make him move out enough at the canter to get him through the one-stride comfortably. We went through the 7-obstacle course twice, and did some single jumps and separate lines as well. And we went up to jumping 75-80cm courses now  He was great!! I think its definitely a case of once he figures out that you dont have the extra control while riding with the snaffle he goes all-out, but with the other bit one small correction is enough for him to realize you're in charge and he cant pull anything. I'm getting better at slowing him down with my seat rather than my hands as well, so hopefully we will hit a point where i can jump him in a snaffle soon. 

Show next saturday!! EXCITED!! Video and pictures will be posted afterwards for sure 

p.s. I stumbled across a video of me competing in a jumper competition last year, my last competition on a schoolhorse, and my position hurts my eyes, poor thing I have no idea how he put up with me lol! The good thing is comparing it to the video posted above I've come a long way!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had our first show today! We jumped both the 60 and 70cm rounds, and went CLEAR BOTH TIMES! We even WON the 60cm!!!! My pony is the best pony <3 

Moro's groom had braided his mane with pink elastics, and his owner insisted I use the bonnet-saddlepad-polos set they have for him, so he was looking his best!! It was just an internal show, so I didn't wear my jacket, but I did get to use my new white breeches!! (clearly they are now no longer white LOL) 

We warmed up for about 20 minutes and then we just walked around the warmup ring for a while until my class was called in to walk the course. We walked the course with my trainer, then we popped over a few jumps in the warmup ring and it was my turn! I was second to go out of four, and as I walked into the ring suddenly the nerves appeared, i had been wondering why i wasn't nervous... Luckily as we cantered to the first fence all nerves disappeared and I had a BLAST going around! We went clear, and I came out with the biggest smile on my face. Then I heard we WON THE CLASS!! So we went for our pretty blue-and-white ribbon and got to do a victory lap! 

After a short photoshoot it was time to walk the course for the 70cm class, jump five was now a two-stride combination, but the resto of the course was the same. We popped over an oxer in the warmup ring and then it was our turn again. Moro jumped big over the second fence, throwing me off balance a bit, but the rest of the ride went perfect! Clear again!! Unfortunately this time not fast enough to place, but who cares, I'm sooo happy especially as it was our first show and my only goal was not to fall off lol. 

Once I cooled him out and got him untacked, I took him for a well-deserved snack!! 





































60 cm:





70 cm:


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Ahhhhhh! You guys look so good together!

I think you've got a really good attitude about showing. Whenever I go to a show, I usually have similar goals (my big two are always 1.) don't fall off of the horse, and 2.) try to remember the course—ribbons are great, but no big deal if I don't win). I know a few people at my barn who are pretty serious even when they're just going to schooling shows, and they always seem so stressed that I wonder if it's even fun for them...

Congrats on the victory (and you look pretty snazzy in those white breeches, I must say!).


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

So we've progressed some more, we're jumping a bit higher now (courses at 80-85cm in lessons). And I'm starting to find my confidence when riding him. I used to still be very nervous, especially when he has one of his hot days, but the other day I rode and jumped him in a snaffle, and was able to calm him down just by sitting deeeeeeeep in the saddle lol. So that boosted up my confidence and since then we haven't really had any runaway train incidents. 

My trainer has been nagging me to ride without stirrups on my non-lesson days (as I have one lesson a week and we jump then, he'd rather I tire myself out on the other days lol), so I figured No-stirrup November is as good a place as any to start. Tuesday I rode nearly the whole ride without stirrups, and although we had to take lots of walk breaks (for my sake, not Moro's!) I managed to sit his super bouncy trot for a couple of laps! I think the fact that I washed my breeches the day before and they were not dry (at all lol) yet helped a lot, as they have a grippy fabric on the seat that gets more grip as it is wet. I felt like I was superglued to the saddle lol! Might actually look into doing the wet-breeched thing on purpose a couple of times until I build up more legmuscles. 

Monday I went to the barn for a bit to take Moro out to handgraze him, as I took the day of work for an exam I had. The barn is oficially closed on mondays, but the stablehand who was on guard duty said there was no problem so I took Moro out for a bit of grass (there is no turnout at my barn as were in the city ((( ) 

Needless to say, he was very happy, and once I got him back to his stall I tried to find his itchy spots or where he likes to be cuddled, as he is pretty stand-offish and not a cuddlebug! I found out that he likes to be massaged behind his ears and on his poll, and then today I went down the top of his neck, squeezing softly what would be the 'crest' and he fell asleep on me lol. Cute cute, and it makes me feel like he tolerates me more now, and like we're finally getting more of a bond, both in and out of the saddle. 

I probably wont update very regularly as life has been and will continue to be crazy, but I'll try to pop in every now and then to keep some sort of log for the future.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

> And I'm starting to find my confidence when riding him.


Ok so the ride after I posted this we were jumping, executed a beautiful leadchange on a bending line to an oxer and then we *think* Moro got scared by his own feet changing leads, and he bolted off at a full gallop... I hung on for two laps around the (rather big) jumping arena but he refused to circle, even pulling on one rein with all my weight. He had his neck locked and went faster and faster... So when we headed on a diagonal towards the hedge, with a car parked on the other side of it, I decided to pull once more hard on the left rein to make him rethink jumping it. He didnt jump, thank god, but he did swerve to the side so suddenly that i was catapulted right over his shoulder into the recently cut hedge.. Ouch. 

Luckily I was fine, just pretty cut up from the sticks and trunks sticking out of the hedge there. It's pretty much all healed up now, two weeks later. Moro proceeded to race towards his stall and slipped on the asphalt, he got two small cuts on his leg, but a bit of wound powder had those healed up within two days. He was never lame, thank god. 

After putting some iodine on the cuts and my trainer making Moro work out his crazy on the lunge for a couple of minutes, I got back on and we walk-trot-cantered and popped a vertical a couple of times before I gave up since my back was cramping where I hit it on a big trunk. The next day I was back in the saddle, luckily I didnt lose my confidence! 

Since then I've been trying to do more focused riding, lots of circles and transitions, since I noticed that Moro's crazies come out when he gets bored, which leads to him looking for monsters and getting all tense. He's doing better since I've been riding him like that, he now trots off from just my seat and leg, and transitions off of my seat. I've also found the button to shorten his canter without falling into a race trot. 

This was all two weeks ago, and we've been jumping once a week as before. Yesterday we jumped three parallel jumps in different patterns in the smaller warm-up ring. I found out I dont know how to steer xD We kept landing on a diagonal line away from the jump, until my trainer stood where i was supposed to turn and told me "If you run me over, you're turning too early". Then we got it right and even landed on the correct lead three times in a row  

Tomorrow we have our second show, we're jumping 70cm, and its a rated show (though we're jumping without the option to classify, since I'm not rated, though Moro is). That means full monkey suit! I get to try out my new jacket and shirt  I will post pictures tomorrow, if I can find anyone willing to get up at 6am to take them as the show starts at 8 and I ride in the first class >.<


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> Ok so the ride after I posted this we were jumping, executed a beautiful leadchange on a bending line to an oxer and then we *think* Moro got scared by his own feet changing leads, and he bolted off at a full gallop...


Ahhhhh, horses—ever humbling and unpredictable. Glad to hear that you and Moro both came out of it unscathed. And good on you for mounting back up right afterwards! You guys are doing so well together. 



Luce73 said:


> Tomorrow we have our second show, we're jumping 70cm, and its a rated show (though we're jumping without the option to classify, since I'm not rated, though Moro is).


Hey, I've got one tomorrow, too! Just schooling, not rated, but cool coincidence. Man, I'm dying to get back to 70cm... I'm taking my greenie tomorrow to put some miles on him in a couple of flat classes, but it's not the same (sigh). It sounds like you guys have been schooling really well, so I bet you guys are going to do great!

Good luck and can't wait to see more pics (if you can find someone, that is!).


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> Hey, I've got one tomorrow, too! Just schooling, not rated, but cool coincidence. Man, I'm dying to get back to 70cm... I'm taking my greenie tomorrow to put some miles on him in a couple of flat classes, but it's not the same (sigh).


Good luck to you as well!! And you share pictures too please!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I got to the barn at 7am, and pulled the sawdust out of Moro's mane and tail while waiting for the groom to give me a hand to tack him up. Once he was tacked up I waited for my trainer to come take him out, sicne he told me to wait so we would check his energylevel on the lunge before hopping on. 

By the time my trainer, who is also the course designer for most shows in the province, had time to come help me, there were only 15 minutes left before the start of my class, and I was 3rd to go. We quickly lunged Moro, who luckily was in a lazy mood, and then I got on and did some trot and canter before hopping over a couple of jumps. (a crossrail, two verticals and an oxer, which we jumped twice as the first time I got my distance completely wrong and he launched over it from a stride away). Then we went down to the ring and I ended up going in 2nd as the person before me wasn't ready yet. 

They swapped out my bit, as Moro's owner and I share the same leverage bit for jumping, and she jumped in the class after mine with her mare, and was already warming up. The bit they gave me was quite a bit stronger than what I'm used to, it has more or less the same leverage (length of shank-wise) but its thinner. This combined with my crazy nerves from running to get to the ring on time resulted in moro slowing down and even trotting when turning, and we ended up trotting an oxer *facepalm*. I don't remember most of jumping the course, and only found out later that we had no rails down. I know I didnt see ANY distances and ended up just focusing on keeping the rhythm to the jump and praying that Moro would save me. He did, he's an angel. If I were him I would have ditched me after the first two jumps lol. 

So, my first rated show, we had a clear round, but no thanks to me, all the credit goes to Morito <3 As far as I know this was the last show till around february next year, since most horses are going to the countryside for the summer. We decided to leave Moro at the barn since I'm not taking holidays, and my trainer keeps giving lessons, so that gives us a chance to progress a bit. 

I stayed at the barn all day, and at the end of the day I won a blue halter in a lottery of one of the tackshop stands  Also my favourite mare who has been away for two years having a foal, and is now ridden at a different barn, was trailered in for the show, so I got to give her a cuddle too <3 

Pics and video below!

Video: The first 4 jumps are missing unfortunately, but the rest is there


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

I always say that it's better to have a lazy horse on show day than it is to have a horse with too much energy (but then I'm the type that prefers a lazy horse anyways). Sounds like Moro really took care of you out there, which is why it's so great to ride a horse that's well versed over fences. Before I bought my green horse I rode a pony who would literally pause in mid take off at the very base of a jump for you to get your balance before she sprung... horses like that are invaluable! And even though there was some troubles, I think you guys still look good together. Especially since this is only your second show with him! You'll get better and better the more shows you do with him.

Also, super jealous of that warm looking weather right now, lol.

My show went well! I only signed up for one class since my horse has never been to a show before and I wanted to make sure that he wasn't going to have a mental break down from the environment. I ended up being mad that I didn't enter more classes because he was chill as a cucumber. Plus I took him over the cross rail in the warm up ring several times and he did really well (he just started jumping a couple of weeks ago), so I regretted only entering a flat class. Still had fun, though! I wrote a whole post about it on my blog (plus there's video/GIFs of my class), but here's some pics of my doof:


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

@StephaniHren I admit I checked your blog already to see if you had posted about your show! Congratulations on your ribbon! And on the new pony, which I completely missed you bought *facepalm*. He's cute as a button!! 

I agree that a lazy horse on show day is a blessing, but Moro wasn't really lazy (he doesnt really do lazy lol), he was actually pretty forward, I just confused the hell out of him because of the strength of that bit, poor boy. He did take great care of me though!! While trotting at that oxer I was sure he wasn't gonna jump it, and he actually was in the process of stopping (doesnt really show on the video, but you know when you feel the horse's muscles tense up to stop?), all it took was a smooch from me for him to go "Oh so you DO want to jump this, why didnt you just say so" and he jumped it. I had doubts when I was looking into leasing him as I was told he was a schoolmaster, and I expected a lesson pony, lazy and with no work ethic, but he's the opposite. He's a challenging ride for sure, but he will get you out of trouble when its most needed!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Quick side-by-side of two pictures that were just sent to me, one by my dad, and one by the show photographer (I ordered it)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I went to ride after work yesterday, as the other leasee is busy with exams and couldn't go. I got to the barn to find Moro looking all Dutch with his red polos, white coat and shiny new blue halter haha. He looked so cute <3 I went to change while the groom tacked him up for me and then I got on. 

I was supposed to have a lesson but my trainer wasn't around (happens sometimes, since we're all there more than once a week, and he is there every day he'll just give the lessons when you happen to both be there at the same time). So I decided to work on my legs. I had done some research during the day (at work *ahem*), and found some cool exercises other than just riding without stirrups. We started out with some transitions to get Moro going off my leg, since he tends to pretend he doesn't know what leg means until you remind him. I do 2 seconds of asking with my leg, and then I back it up with the crop right behind my leg, after which he shoots forward, I let him trot a little bit, and then back to walk, rinse and repeat. After two or three times he cuts the crap and listens when I ask him to move out lol. (He knows what he's supposed to do when I ask, he's not green in any way, and he goes fine for his owner, he's just trying to get out of work lol) 

Once he woke up we jogged a bit without stirrups. I'm working up to being able to sit his trot with no stirrups but he's bouncy as hell, so for now we jog and every now and then speed up a few steps until I start bouncing and bring him back to a jog. After doing some sitting trot I took my stirrups back and did the up-down-down exercise, where you basically change diagonal every stride, and then we tried the up-down-up-up-down, where every other 'post' I stayed up another beat. When reading about it it sounded simple but wow its hard to keep your balance! Once I got it my seat felt a lot more secure though, I had to sink wayyyyy down in my heels to have the flexibility to stay up. 

After all this I decided to take a walk break as I couldnt feel my legs xD 

Of course, as I was walking, my trainer pulls up in his car and yells across the ring "Give him a good gallop to get his kinks out, we're jumping today!!" I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... I cant feel my legs lol. But I did a little canter and handgallop on each hand while he set up the jumps. 

We started trotting a small vertical, then cantering it. Then it became a bigger vertical (don't you just love it when they crank up the jumps when you're not looking and you come out of the turn and there's this wall in front of you xD). We jumped it very nicely, Moro was very adjustable and calm. So we went on to doing a line, vertical and 7 strides to an oxer. We did six and a half, Moro threw in another stride at the end and we jumped kind of awkwardly. So we did it again, we got seven this time, because I asked him to shorten the last stride and it was slightly less awkward, but we came to the conclusion that if I'm gonna shorten strides its probably best to start 3 strides out... 

We took a walk break (more for me than for Moro haha) while my trainer pointed out the course to me. The line we had just done was the start, so it was: 

Vertical on the left lead, 7 strides to an oxer, land on the left lead and make a full turn to another oxer on the diagonal, 6 strides to a one-stride combination, turn right, oxer and 5 strides to a vertical. 

We went in and did everything in the right amount of strides right off the bat. the six-stride to the combination ended up a bit awkward as we jumped into the line big and Moro turned on his turbo, so it was 5 and a half again, but we made it out of the combination ok. 

After jumping around twice, another walkbreak while they started cranking up the jumps. My head went something like this *Wait what, why are you doing that, no NO NOT THAT HIGH, jesus NO NOT THE ONE-STRIDE TOO HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET OVER THAT IN ONE PIECE. I DONT WANT TO DO THIS!!! THATS FRIGGIN HIGH!!* 

But i kept my mouth shut and we went round. We went a bit too fast and left some strides out due to my nerves at seeing giant jumps and my brain going *it's bigger so we should go faster right? RIGHT?* (even though I know that's a no lol) 

So we did it again. My trainer asked me to see if we could do 8 strides in the first line instead of seven, so we went at it in a nice short but active canter, and after landing I started counting: 1... 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7.. 8.. TAKEOFF. I got the biggest smile on my face as I realised we nailed a perfect distance ON PURPOSE  

Of course then I forgot I was supposed to also steer so our turn was a bit bigger than intended lol. But all good, we went through the rest of the course in one piece, and walked again. My trainer was not happy with my righthand turn between the combination and the last line, so we had to do it again. Now instead of turning on landing, leaving us with no time to change the canter lead and organize before the next jump, we went on to the rail, simple lead change, and continued on. The final line was in the direction of the door, and they had started feeding so Moro REALLY wanted to go fast, but I held him back and we managed to fit in the 5 strides sort-of comfortably. 

My trainer complimented me on my riding, and said there is another (internal) show on the 23rd. Which is a friday and I work *facepalm* I'll see if I can figure something out maybe, cause he promised me stone-oven pizza and champagne as it is the end-of-the-year show and there's a lunch/party afterwards. 

Just before he left, I asked him what height we just jumped. He said 'well, that first jump is 80cm. The rest is at 90'. WHAAAT I JUST JUMPED A 90CM COURSE!! AND DID WELL!    After last week's show I decided my goal was to get to 90 by june next year, and to 1m by december 2017... Guess I'm on track for that!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

@Luce73 Thanks for the compliments! He's doing really well, considering he'd never really been worked in an arena before I got him.   

Those pictures of tiny you and current you are adorable. I would get those framed side by side!

Good on you for doing more leg work! I keep thinking that I should be doing squats and planks and stuff at home... _sigh_.

I haven't heard of the different posting exercises (I might have to try those!), but seated trot with no irons is almost my constant state of being (short legs + big green horse = not enough leg to communicate about complex things unless I kick my irons off). I think mastering the seated trot without irons is one of the most important things you can do, because it fosters natural, core-based balance versus bracing off of your irons for balance. I've found that the best thing to do is to stretch your legs really, really long and relax your thighs, focus on your core and on moving with motion. My trainer has me do an exercise where I point my toes down like a ballet dancer while I'm trotting without my irons (to stretch my leg as much as possible) and then lift my toe once my balance is solid.

Congrats on the surprise 90cm! You guys are making awesome progress, I bet you'll end up blowing those goals out of the water.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Ok so the past 2 weeks I havent really ridden due to work being an absolute mess, and having a couple of difficult moments due to that. Of course just when you need riding the most to help with your mental stability when going through crap at work... is when you cant go riding due to TOO MUCH WORK. So well. 

This weekend I was supposed to go on a holiday but I missed my flight, due to long-weekend traffic combined with some factors like the subways weren't working and one of the big avenues was closed off, which caused my bus to the airport to take 4 hours instead of the normal 1.5. I got a voucher for the full amount of the flight luckily, and will be using that towards my summer holidays. 

I did get to ride thanks to that, and rode Thursday, Friday and this morning. My trainer will be away next week, so we did 3 lessons, Jumping thursday and today, and yesterday we did a flatwork/dressage focused lesson where we worked on getting Moro on the bit and working through his back. It all went really well! Though after two weeks off and now three days of hard work in a row, my legs are complaining lol. 

We actually galloped a course today, something that was hard for me as I'm still apprehensive about Moro taking off on me (in his happy 'let's jump all the jumps' mood, not necessarily bolting). We are also consistently jumping a mix of 80-90cm verticals and oxers now, which is awesome. 

In the dressage lesson Moro was in slowwwww mood, and wouldnt make the canter transition, so my trainer told me to tap him hard with the dressage whip. I tapped him, not that hard, but how I would tap him with my crop, and apparently I didnt take into account the smaller point of impact as Moro nearly pooped himself and bolted. I managed to keep him on the circle we were on, and calm him down to a nicer canter and then to a trot, and back on the bit after a few rounds. It was a learning experience as to different forces of different aids (I havent ridden with a dressage whip ever) and an eye opener on how much the no-stirrup and legwork I've been doing pays off in a most stable and confident seat. When he took off like that last time I couldnt stop him with a leverage bit, and now I calmed him down with a snaffle, purely thanks to my more stable seat. Yay for that! 

Adding some pics and a video from a crappy round we rode on thursday, purely because its the only one I got on film xD The one before was a lot nicer and we got all our distances spot on, but unfortunately there's no video of that 

Moro is a lot more sociable than he used to be, I'm not sure if it's the warmer weather or the fact that I'm at the barn at different hours (non-dinnertime hours lol), but maybe he's warming up to me.. I sure am to him. Thursday after our ride I put him in his box, and he grabbed the broom that was leaning against the wall next to him and pulled it all the way into his box, and shook his head playing with it. I had to take it away so he wouldnt break it, but I was tempted to video him first. SO CUTE!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Happy new year everyone! 

Before the holidays we jumped a couple of 90cm rounds in training, and one that my trainer said was 90cm but theres no way I'm believing him, those things were HUGE. Especially an oxer at the end lol. The 23rd I had my last lesson till February, and we jumped that same big course 3 times, Getting all the striding (we fitted one extra on the first line, the first time around), distances and turns right 3 times in a row! A great way to end the year!! 

My trainer is on holidays till February, and so is the rest of the barn. There are maybe 5 horses, and only 4 people who come to ride (myself included). I started a new job this past monday, and now have all the mornings free to ride since I start at 1pm! 

We've been taking it pretty easy, since we were both 'on holidays' last week. I was away, and Moro was ridden only once, and lunged or let loose in the small arena the rest of the days. We started back up on tuesday, He was quite fresh, so we had a fun long handgallop to get the crazies out. After that we worked on backing up and started trying to get turns on the forehand. He took a while to get what I was asking, but now, after 3 days he's getting pretty good at them! We did a square at a trot, stopping halfway each side, backing up a few steps, and trotting off again, then, after doing the full square, we did a turn on the forehand to reverse, and did it again. 

Yesterday was a REALLY hot morning, so we mostly walked. We did some circles and worked some more on the turn on the forehand thing. He gets it about 70% of the time now, though sometimes he still confuses it with backing up (I need to be more consistent with picking up both reins and using both legs equally to back). 

In order not to get bored or doing the same thing too long, I also started trying to teach him to stop when I pick up a single rein. He started out spinning, but today he just stopped and felxed his nose to my boot. We even tried it from a trot today! 

Today he was really calm and listening, so we ended with a little walk-trot-canter on a long loose rein, which was really cool cause he slowed and turned off my seat and legs 

And I got pony stuff for christmas!! (I picked it out myself lol but it turned out SO pretty! My old trainer made it for me, based off a picture I found online) 



















We got a really nice round circle yesterday:


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Luce73 said:


> I rode for about 25 minutes yesterday, partly because I got there late after work, but mostly because NEW BOOTS AND CHAPS HURT!! My boots give me blisters and my half-chaps are so tight that my calves cramp up after half a circle of posting D: Gotta work them in I guess, was NOT counting on that!!
> 
> I will lower my stirrups a hole today, see if that helps some, and then I'll just wear both boots and chaps around the house over the weekend in the hopes of stretching them. I might actually try the bathtub soaking method on the boots, but I'm not sure I dare try that on my chaps, as they are calf leather and I'm not sure its ok for that? Also I would need to find some conditioner first, will try for that tomorrow morning.
> 
> For now I have blisters lol, but I'm still wearing the boots hoping to break them in.


Ok so, today I finally zipped up the chaps ALL THE WAY! Whoohoo! Only took 4 months of riding 3-6 times a week to break them in xD 

Unfortunately, I noticed yesterday that because I didnt have them zipped all the way up, the zipper scratched the saddle I'm using... Which is not mine. Oops... Gonna buy some Cow's foot oil (is that what its called in english?) that the groom recommended to try and at least camouflage the scratches a bit... If I cant fix it I might just buy the saddle from the girl who lends it to me, its comfy and fits both me and Moro, and a few scratches dont bother me lol. (Really I feel so bad about scratching it up that I have no idea what else to do if I cant fix it... This girl doesnt even know me and is lending it to me for free. I mean, its not a new saddle by any means, must be about 15-20 years old, but its still her property and she's really nice for lending it to me, really hope I can fix it!)

p.s. I gave up on the boots xD Using my rubber boots with the new chaps


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

is the zipper on the back or side, (which side) of the chap?


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

tinyliny said:


> is the zipper on the back or side, (which side) of the chap?


It's on the back, when it's all the way zipped up it has a piece of leather that clips over it so it doesnt damage the saddle.

Edit: After checking, it's slightly to the inside as well, but on the back of my knee still


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

interesting. the half chaps I have all zip on the outside of the leg. some zip from top down, some from bottom up. I prefere from top down.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

@tinyliny These are the chaps I have. See here also: Chaps: Sport Chap : Cavallo


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Saturday my plan for our ride was to work on riding into the corners, and not letting him fall in on circles and turns. As usual when you have a plan with horses, they change it lol. Since it was a windy day, the lesson on riding into the corners turned into a lesson in 'The corner is not going to eat you. NO REALLY ITS NOT GOING TO EAT YOU. Dude act cool, youre about 500 times the size of that bird. Seriously, its just the wind, there is no monster hiding there.' 

Once we got that lesson down it turned into a lesson on 'You're not going to eat the corner. I know that overhanging bush looks really yummy but we're working now, this is not snack time. Ok if youre gonna act all innocent and only slightly tilt your nose to get that leaf in your mouth I'm still gonna notice you know.' I made him canter (fast) in a small circle every time he tried to sneak a snack, after two such 'corrections' he didnt try to eat the plants anymore lol. I even halted him with a loose rein next to the yummy looking bush, and though he eyed it for a bit, just lifting my rein slightly made him give it up. Once we changed directions he tried once more, but another circle of feet-moving and he was a good boy in that direction too. He learns so quickly!! (Though I'm not sure if it's learning or just realizing he cant take advantage of me lol) 

After our ride we had a little scary incident. He was tied to a tree, with a ditch on one side and the path on the other. I went ot gave him his post-ride treat, which caused him to shift around, closing the exit towards the path off with his butt. When I asked him to move his butt over so I could walk around him he moved his butt towards me instead of away, pushing me into the ditch in an attempt to get away. 

Now, this was mostly my fault for being in a place where I couldnt get away easily, and too close to his bum when I asked him to move it over (if I had been at his shoulder nothing would have happened). I will be LOTS more careful about where I am, where my exits are and what his mood is. It all happened very quickly, but from what I remember it seemed he decided to be a brat (he tends to when he wants food) and moved his butt into me like horses to, threatening to kick. He actually tucked his butt under himself a bit while turning towards me. Not sure how to explain it, but its that buttpushing thing horses do to each other that ends with little kick bucks. I kept my hand on his hip, keeping an armlength between me and him, to know which way to go so as not to end up behind him. I moved away from him, into the bushes/ditch. Which luckily made a noise of breaking twigs that sacred him and made him swing his butt away from me again, so I could get out of there. 

I know I shouldnt have let him move my feet, but it was a safety issue and it happened so quick that it caught me off guard. It was a pretty scary moment. I remember thinging 'if he kicks me, I'm really screwed' thank got he didnt kick at me, I dont know if I was far enough out of the way to not get hit if he would have tried that.

Once I got out of there I was shaking and full of adrenaline. It's one of the scariest moments I've had around horses, even though nothing happened, it was scary how intentional it seemed on his part. He had his ears pinned, butt scooted under ready to kick out. I did move his feet around on my terms for a bit after I took a couple of deep breaths, just to reinforce that he cant do what he wants/move me where he wants. 

I'm quite sure it was related to his very rude behaviour when food is involved, as he usually tries to nip or push on you with his head after receiving treats. He's not getting anymore of those, not from me anyway, and if he does they will be in his feedbucket when he gets to his stall, not coming from me directly. 

It scared the crap out of me, but I guess we all need a reminder every now and then that they are huge and strong animals with a mind of their own we are working with, and that we can never let our guard down, no matter how many times things go perfectly fine. I sure will be more alert from now on. Thankfully nothing happened, neither of us was hurt and it was just a scare. 

Sunday it was raining a lot, and on mondays the barn is closed, so I'm going back tomorrow. Hope things wil go better then! I bought him a bottle of flyspray and a bottle of oil to condition my saddle after leaving the barn saturday, and promptly forgot my wallet at the vet where I bought it. Didnt realize till I had reached my home in the taxi either... I'm blaming it on the scare lol!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Today we rode in the mud. It rained pretty terribly yesterday, and the ring was a big mudpool. On a thread here where I asked about doing new things with Moro, someone recommended to learn some dressage tests, unfortunately I only remembered about that on my way to the barn today, so I quickly looked one up on my phone, and set it as my wallpaper to be able to quickly check it while riding. It was a fairlysimple test, so I memorized it pretty quickly. 

We warmed up a bit at a walk and a bit of a trot around the perimeter of the ring, and then we did the first runthrough of the 'test'. Halfway through I realized I had trotted the canter part, so we took a walk break while I rechecked the correct patterns and then we tried again. Completed it this time! 

We took a break and walked around a bit. Then I saw that there was a single pole laid out, so we trotted and then cantered over it a few times on each side, then walked some more and trotted a few circles to get Moro to flex and bend a bit better before attempting the pattern again. 

Things to work on: 
- Staying straight in the transitions, especially canter-trot. The muddy ring allowed me to see exactly where we passed since the footprints were really clear, and our perfectly straight diagonals turned into a squiggle as soon as I asked for trot. 
- We also need to work on halting straight, as his butt tends to swing left for some reason when halting (making him end up in a banana shape lol) 
- And as usual we need to work on not falling in on circles. 

So it seems we've got plenty to do tomorrow! After our ride I hosed the mud off his feet, legs and belly, and put him in a sunny spot to dry. I sprayed him with the new flyspray and left him there for a bit while I went to chat with one of the regulars who came to visit (since her horse is on holidays she isnt around much these days). When I got back Moro was in his box, so I threw a treat in his feedbucket. He didnt really get what he was supposed to do with it. I had to point at it and push his head away from me in that direction. In the end he stretched his neck allllllll the way out, to sniff the bucket, and then realized there were treats there xD He's cute lol.

The test









The ring after we rode the test









The pony (Picture is from last week but whatever, he's still jsut as cute <3)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Got some cute videos of Mr Pony! 

Having a nice roll in his freshly made bed after riding: 






And showing off the cutest muzzle moves (gotta kiss that nose <3): 






And finally, him taking a looooong drink after untacking him. (I took this video because it's so cute how he always keeps a mouthful of water after finishing his drink, for anywhere between 20-30 seconds, and then he kind of slobbers and drops it all over):


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Grr I had a whole post typed out and it deleted as it said it didnt have connection to post it 

Summary as I dont feel like typing it all out again lol: 
- It was rainy today but we just managed to squeeze in a ride before the worst of it came down
- We worked on trot-canter and canter-halt transitions today
- Moro tried a peppermint today and wasnt really sure what to think at first, but then he looked for more by licking all around his feedbucket (which he didnt get as I dont know if theyre good for him) 
- I talked to Moro's owner to see when she comes to pick him up, since we arranged to split the board bill and board each horse 2 weeks this month. She said to go ahead and keep him at the barn and ride him, on the condition that I have to enjoy him and have fun and be happy! That we can do! She doesnt even want me to give her back the other half of board she paid. YAY! 
- I dropped my stirrups a hole to see if it puts my leg in a better position, which it totally does (and now everything hurts). Giving aids without lifting my heels (bad habit) is a lot easier now, since if I lift my heels I lose my stirrups, so I have the constant reminder there. I feel it has made my position a lot more stable already, even though I still need to stretch and work some muscles to accomodate for the longer stretch through my legs. Moro went great with more leg on him, also because having the stirrup longer avoids my tendency for a chair-seat and makes me put my leg slightly further back. Thanks to @StephaniHren for the inspiration (I read your blog about how you dropped your stirrups a couple of holes the other day ) 
- Since Moro is staying I no longer have an excuse to just putz around. I have been telling myself it doesnt matter if I dont do no-stirrup work since I'll have 2 weeks off riding and lose the muscle anyway. Starting no-stirrup hell tomorrow! I will thank myself later i guess lol. 

I HAVE TO STOP LOOKING DOWN AT MORO'S SHOULDER. I dont even know why I do it, but I keep catching myself at it. I'm gonna try putting a colorful elastic in his mane in the spot where I usually look, in the hope that will work as a reminder that I shouldnt be looking there. 2017 resolution, look where you're going!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

I think it's really great that you're working on some dressage stuff with Moro! Dressage is wonderful, it can improve any partnership. And your cute videos were adorable, he's such a handsome horse! 



Luce73 said:


> Moro tried a peppermint today and wasnt really sure what to think at first, but then he looked for more by licking all around his feedbucket (which he didnt get as I dont know if theyre good for him)


Ezhno did the same thing when I tried to convince him that he should eat peppermints. At first he was like, "Hell no." Then I started eating them instead, since I had a whole bag of them, and he was instantly more interested ("Uhm, Mom, whatever you're eating, it's mine, right?"). I started giving him pieces of mine and now he's excited whenever he hears the wrappers. I don't think they're any worse for them than normal treats, I would think the only thing you have to worry about is the sugar content and their teeth (and usually there's a good amount of sugar in regular horse treats anyways). And peppermints are ridiculously cheap around the holidays!



Luce73 said:


> I dropped my stirrups a hole to see if it puts my leg in a better position, which it totally does ... Giving aids without lifting my heels (bad habit) is a lot easier now, since if I lift my heels I lose my stirrups... Moro went great with more leg on him, also because having the stirrup longer avoids my tendency for a chair-seat and makes me put my leg slightly further back.


This sums up everything I feel about putting my stirrups down! I had the same problems with lifting my heels to cue and sitting in a bit of a chair seat. And it's amazing how much difference just an inch or two of leg can make in the communication you have with your horse. I feel much better now—less perched, more connected with my horse.



Luce73 said:


> I HAVE TO STOP LOOKING DOWN AT MORO'S SHOULDER. I dont even know why I do it, but I keep catching myself at it. I'm gonna try putting a colorful elastic in his mane in the spot where I usually look, in the hope that will work as a reminder that I shouldnt be looking there.


Another one of my biggest problems, and the colorful band thing is a good idea. I might try it, too!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> I would think the only thing you have to worry about is the sugar content and their teeth (and usually there's a good amount of sugar in regular horse treats anyways).


Especially since his usual 'treats' are actual sugar cubes.. No such thing as real 'horse treats' here. So its apple, carrot or sugar. I just have a bag of sugarcubes I bought for him with my stuff in the tackroom, so he gets that (1 after the ride, its not like i give him a dozen of them lol) 



StephaniHren said:


> This sums up everything I feel about putting my stirrups down! I had the same problems with lifting my heels to cue and sitting in a bit of a chair seat. And it's amazing how much difference just an inch or two of leg can make in the communication you have with your horse. I feel much better now—less perched, more connected with my horse.


YES! Exactly! Everything hurts though, especially my thighs. They were actually burning while posting with stirrups, which never happens, but I did feel a lot more balanced. I think it will get better with some no-stirrup work. 



StephaniHren said:


> Another one of my biggest problems, and the colorful band thing is a good idea. I might try it, too!


Hehe I like how we're at a similar point in our riding and keep running into the same problems. It really helps to have a different perspective on some things to try and fix them a different way than people here would usually do.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Yesterday I posted a thread on here about how I was having trouble with getting Moro to bend left. He would turn, but brace his neck and stick his nose to the right, and after about a million circles, trying to add more or less inside leg, trying my outside leg more back or more forward, trying a loose rein or a firmer guiding inside rein. Contact or no contact with the outside rein etc etc etc, I posted on here and the next day... He's bending both sides like a champ. *facepalm* It feels like he was just waiting for me to give up and ask for help (how he know I asked for help I have no idea lol) 

On a more serious note, I think something was off/doubled over/not straight about his saddlepad, since the groom usually throws it all up there together, sometimes it ends up not exactly straight under the saddle. Sunday we took his saddle apart for a deep cleaning, and then reassembled the set, so it might be its straight and more comfy now. The other possibility is that he was a little sore (from what idk) and that his day off on monday helped him feel better. Either way all is good now  

So sunday I learnt how to oil my saddle. About time 6+ months into my lease, but noone ever told me I was supposed to be doing that until I saw the scratches from my chaps the other day and asked about it. OOPS. So the groom helped me out, showing me how to oil it, and the saddle sucked that oil up really quick. We went through a third of the 800ml bottle in one go! We're gonna oil it every sunday for now, until its back to a good condition. That way it has the monday to dry up a bit. Today I cleaned it with saddlesoap for the first time, something I was also never told I was supposed to be doing xD So from now on it's cleaning with soap every day after a ride (just sponging off, although I took a bit longer today to get caked dirt and sweat off the bridle), and then conditioning on sundays! Yay for an excuse to spend more time at the barn lol. 

Moro was an angel during our ride today, bending and listening to my leg really well. He just got back to his habit of drifiting to the inside when riding circles to the right, so since the arena was flattened by last night's rain, we mapped out a nice big circle at a walk, and then trotted in our own tracks to both sides, so I was able to better notice when we started drifting. We're gonna work on that some more tomorrow. 

I had forgotten to grab a colorful ribbon to remind me not to look down, so I looked in my bag if I had anything, and found a fancy elastic that I left in there after new year's. So he got to look handsome  Of course after the ride I had to put it in his forelock... and that gave me the idea to try and braid his mane... pics of his cute face below lol. I need to practice! But I love that now that his mane is longer I can do a running braid  

Finally people are coming back to the barn, today I cooled down with another girl who was just walking her horse who had been on stallrest, and we chatted a bit. Nice not to be the only one around!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had a bit of a fight on 'Leg means forward' today. He was having a lazy day and was just ignoring my leg. We ended up doing a bunch of transitions where I'd ask with my leg for 3 seconds, tell (still with my leg, squeezing harder/bumping) and then he'd get a smack with the crop behind my leg. I dont like having to do that at all, but after doing that once he got over his laziness and moved off my leg like he usually does. He did get a bit of a scare when I smacked him (didnt smack him particularly hard, its just that I hardly ever use the crop as he usually doesnt need the extra pressure) and sort of surged forward at a canter. I managed to stay out of his mouth and let him canter for a few strides before bringing him back to a trot. He was a good boy after that  

We spent most of our ride trotting and cantering a large figure-8, with simple changes in the middle, and sometimes repeating one side of the 8 a few times to avoid him anticipating the transition to trot (for the simple change) and change in direction. He did REALLY well with not falling in to the middle of the circle.

I read an article yesterday that mentioned trying to put more weight to the inside of your stirrup, as that puts your leg in a better position, and focusing on that and keeping my heel down made my leg SO much more effective. I think that's what made the difference in being able to not cut corners or fall in on circles! 

We're setting a new fashion trend with all the ribbons I'm putting in his mane lol, here's today's ribbon (an actual ribbon!) It worked a lot better than yesterday as the color pops so much that I really notice it. I still only notice and correct myself every now and then, but a lot more than yesterday. Let's fix this bad habit of looking down!! 

By the end of our half-hour ride (with about 15 minutes of walking lol) Moro had enough and pretended to be EXHAAAAUUUUSTEDDD with his nose almost on the floor lol. He did work on the bit, with nice bend and rhythm the whole ride, and we did do a lot of circles, but I dont really think that 15 minutes of trot and some canter was gonna kill him lol. It was pretty hot out though, so we called it quits and I gave him a nice cool shower and let him drink at the trough before tying him in the shadow of a tree so he could dry up before putting him in his stall (if I put him in wet he immediately rolls and all the dirt sticks to him). 

I'm loving my new post-ride routine, untacking, giving him a drink and a shower, then I tie him at 'his' tree and remove the excess water from his coat with a sweat scraper. Then I put flyspray on his legs and belly, and go to clean my tack, saddle first, then bridle, and finally my chaps (with the leather soap I use for the tack as well). I then save everything, put Moro in his box (he's dry by then) where I put a sugarcube in his feedbucket - he knows to look for it now and has stopped mugging me, yay! Victory! - and then I go home! This means an extra 30-45 minutes at the barn with something to do, which is just the best thing ever 

Picture of his ribbon and video of his dramaqueen "i'm SOOOOOO tired" walk at the end of our ride.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

This past week we took it easy on our rides, maybe 40 minutes a day with lots of walking. I worked on getting him more in front of my leg last weekend, lots of transitions and going from ask directly to demand (he knows what I mean when I put my leg on, its not like he's still learning with his 18 years of experience lol) This resulted in finding a gorgeous extended trot (which we didnt do much of since he's due for a trim and he touches his hooves together when stretching out) and an amazing forward long-stepped walk, which I didnt know he had. Happy! 

Today my trainer came back from holidays so we JUMPED! WHEEEEE! Pony agreed. Literally WEEEE JUMPIIIING LETS GO FAAAASSSTTT AND OVERJUMP THIS LIKE ITS A 1.20m FENCEEEE. smh. He's cute lol. 

We did a vertical a couple of times at a trot, then an oxer from a canter, and then an 8-stride line away from the gate. My trainer asked me to count the strides and we did a perfect 8 both times. Then we went to a 6-stride TOWARDS the door, which caused Moro to start his weee let's go fast attitude, and made me have to hold him back. I was so focused on not running through fence #2 at a full gallop that I forgot to count... both times lol. The second time we jumped this line at jump 1 he sped up a little and my trainer whistled to slow him down a bit (voice command while lunging), and my crazy horse actually spooked at that and took off. Idiot. I pulled him on a circle and once he relaxed into a normal canter again we tried again. He sped up toward the door, but I held him under control and he jumped great, if a bit fast lol. Of course I forgot to count my strides again, but my trainer revealed that we had done the perfect 6 both times (time #1 and time #3, obviously not the bolting disaster that was time #2 where we didnt get to the second jump, guessing that was more like 3 strides xD)

Then we went to a 2-stride corral, towards the door. And there Moro went wild... we jumped it 4 or 5 times (i lost count) and every time he would approach quietly, jump in HUGE, BOLT to the second jump and fly over it like something was chasing him. Happy to be jumping again i guess *sigh*. I dont know how, but at least we managed to keep it a 2-stride (well, one-and-a-half stride one time). Little crazy pony. 

There was supposed to be a show the 25th of feb, but since its a long weekend there probably wont be that many people around, so theyre gonna cancel that one and have one the 18th of march. I'm hoping I'll get to jump 80cm this time! 

After my lesson I talked to my trainer a bit about good places to buy a SADDLE! With my new job and the money from my end-of-year bonus+vacation money at the last job I have a bit saved up, so I'm gonna start looking around what I can find! SO EXCITED! 

During the week I handgrazed Moro a couple of times, and worked on getting him to lift his head from grazing by me lifting the lead (no actual pressure, just lifting it up) and saying his name. We are now at a point where he listens around presure level 3 (slight pressure on the lead and saying his name loudly) 99% of the time. Gotta keep working on that to get him listening at try 1. He's gotten a LOT more respectful on the ground, and will now back up when I walk up to him and shake a finger at him, turn his butt away just by slightly bending his head and wiggling a finger at his butt (no touching) and he will stand and wait until I tell him its ok to go when I put sugar in his feedbin while he's in the stall! In that last case I make him back away and stand parallel to the back wall while I put the sugar in his feedbin, then make him wait with my hand up in a 'stop' gesture, until I say ok, and release my body language. He waits and then calmly walks to get his treat! Good pony


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

YAYYY for progress that is great!  Love the pictures. 
Awww he is so cute! Showing will be good time. You got this!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Saturday I was riding and struggling (again) with moro drifting to the right CONSTANTLY. (always the right, not drifting to the inside or outside, just the RIGHT, so annoying.) My trainer came in riding moro's 'sister' (the owner's new mare, not actually his sister but they have the same 'mom' right?) and I asked hime how to fix it. TRAINERS ARE AWESOME GUYS. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ONE. I tried to work on this for the past 2 weeks, but my trainer suggested I flex Moro to the RIGHT and then push him over with my right leg. The stuff of miracles, Moro's circles were suddenly even, we did figure 8s and 3 and 4 loop serpentines with a lovely bend and without fighting and constant corrections. 

Does anyone know WHY it works to bend them to the side you DONT want them to go? I needed a lot less leg to push him over to the left this way, but I wondered why, wouldnt the logical thing be fore him to turn even further right if I bend him there? I have a theory that its like when someone pokes your stomach: 
- If your abs are relaxed it will hurt/be really annoying
- if your abs are tightened you'll hardly feel it, and you'll even be able to push back/through it

If a horse is flexed to the right that makes his left side 'longer' and therefore the muscles on that side stretch/tighten, giving the effect of tightened abs, allowing him to blow through your leg much easier, while the right side will be compressed and therefor much looser, making the aid more 'annoying'/creating more pressure. 

Does that make sense or did I get it completely wrong? Whats the reason bending him to the right helps keep him straight if not this? 

---

After that ride I went to Buenos Aires (about 50km away) to pick up a grooming set I had ordered, my so came with me and after we went shopping and to a concert. Then we had indian food for dinner! YUM! 

Yesterday a ginormous storm came through, with an average of 75km/h winds, but with isolated speeds of around 117km/h (thats a 12 on the beaufort scale, hurricane speed D I stayed in and played boardgames (no electricity either) lol. 

Today I went to the barn to see if there was any damage and to try out the grooming kit. The roof blew off in some places D: But nothing that cant be easily fixed, and noone, horse or human, was hurt luckily. The handyman wouldnt let me help out with the cleanup, insisting that I go enjoy my horse (he's a really sweet old guy). So I took moro out, and 'tried' to groom him. He's not used to it though (usually gets a quick rub with a towel) and wasnt really enjoying the currycomb (the round rubber type). So I took out the normal brushes and he only likes the soft brush. Tolerates is more like it lol. Grumpyfaced guy. He was already grumpy and kind of disrespectful when I arrived, so I kept it short, and focused on the spots where he did like it (side of his spine and the top of his butt). He actually kicked at me when I tried to brush lower on his side (towards his belly) but I forgave him for that, he's never really been 'groomed' like that, we'll work on it. For now I'll stick to the soft brush and just use it on the spots he likes, maybe he'll learn to like it. And maybe not, that's fine too. 

Then I took him to eat some grass and worked a bit on respect (he was desperate to get eating, and nearly pulled me over to the grass) I made him stop, backup, turn his butt away from me both sides, walked him over to the grass and made him stand a bit more until he was focused on me instead of trying to rip the lead out of my hands. Once he was standing calmly I let him go eat. He was really good after that! We even worked some more on lifting his head from the grass when I ask, and he's doing it on the 1st or second try now  

And a couple of pictures!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> Does anyone know WHY it works to bend them to the side you DONT want them to go?


It's all about the shoulder! Horses typically lead with their shoulders, so when he wants to go right he pushes his shoulder to the right. So his right shoulder popping out is the cause of the drifting to the right. The best way to fix it is to block that shoulder movement and correct it by forcing his shoulder to move left, which pops that right shoulder back in (always do the opposite of what they're doing to correct! like how you halt if your horse is rushing or use more leg if they're being pokey/slow). He's over bending and the counterbend fixes it.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> It's all about the shoulder! Horses typically lead with their shoulders, so when he wants to go right he pushes his shoulder to the right. So his right shoulder popping out is the cause of the drifting to the right. The best way to fix it is to block that shoulder movement and correct it by forcing his shoulder to move left, which pops that right shoulder back in (always do the opposite of what they're doing to correct! like how you halt if your horse is rushing or use more leg if they're being pokey/slow). He's over bending and the counterbend fixes it.


It took me getting on the horse and re-reading your post on my phone to understand it with all the lefts and rights, but it totally makes sense now! Thanks for explaining 

So would it be fair to say that the reins move only the poll/nose and the rider's leg moves the shoulder/hips depending on placement (on vs behind the cinch)? I think it seemed counterintuitive because I was for some reason under the impression that the reins point the shoulders in the right direction and that the rider's leg then managed from the shoulder back (shoulder not included), so, bend in the 'ribcage' and the hindquarters. I'm guessing I got that wrong. 

Or maybe what I saw as 'bend' in the ribcage actually positions the shoulders and hips both, rather than just making the hips follow the shoulders at a particular angle, having set the direction of the shoulders with the reins. 

(by bend in the ribcage i mean, the bending line between the shoulders and hips, or the bend of those two relative to each other, i dont think the actual ribcage bends, though now I'm doubting that too  )

I think I'm not making sense anymore, but just trying to work through this 'out loud' to see if I can get the concept right! 

-----

I had a quick ride today, and Moro was being a good boy for the most part. I took out my phone to check the time (i had to go to class after riding so I was a bit hurried), and some money fell out of my pocket. So I got off to pick it up, and then the pony refused to stand still for mounting, so I had to take him all the way back to the mounting block to get back on. Of course when I took him back to the arena after that he threw a hissy fit with his ears pinned, kinda dancing sideways and throwing his head around, because 'MOM WHEN WE GO THERE IT MEANS IM DONE THIS IS NOT FAIR'. But a bit of extra leg and he got over it fast lol. 

Hoping the farrier comes out soon, his hooves are REALLY long. He hasn't been shoed/trimmed since december and tripped a couple of times (not excessively, but i think his toe catches in the sand when he's being lazy and not picking up his feet) and he's clipping his back with his front (not sure how that works, but the back hooves shows 'scratches' where the front hooves hit it, i guess he shoves his back foot under his front when stepping and then clicks the top of te back hoof with the back of the front he's lifting up). Supposedly my trainer called the farrier to come out for all horses in the barn, I'll ask tomorrow when that's happening. 

Lessonday tomorrow!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> So would it be fair to say that the reins move only the poll/nose and the rider's leg moves the shoulder/hips depending on placement (on vs behind the cinch)? I think it seemed counterintuitive because I was for some reason under the impression that the reins point the shoulders in the right direction and that the rider's leg then managed from the shoulder back (shoulder not included), so, bend in the 'ribcage' and the hindquarters. I'm guessing I got that wrong.


Spot on! Your reins are there to maintain the bend in the horse's neck, it's your legs that should be doing the driving (they push the horse to the outside rein, which guides the turn, while the inside rein is only for the slight bend). Generally your leg should have three different positions: forward (almost at the girth) controls the shoulder, middle (just behind the girth) controls the barrel, and back (slightly towards the flank) controls the hindquarters. That's how advanced horses can do travers/renvers, and it's the basis behind turns on the hind/forehand, too. Honestly, it's the basis of all lateral work, since lateral work is all about controlling individual pieces of your horse.

So, for example, that green 16.2hh APHA I was telling you about on my blog has a steering problem because sometimes her shoulder control goes out. We'll be traveling along and suddenly her shoulder will bulge out and I've got to physically push it back into place or she hits the outside rein and then just blows through it. Or she leans against my inside leg, which usually causes really flat, non-bendy turns because I lose my outside rein entirely, so I've got to push with my inside leg to put her back up against the outside rein without letting her bulge back past it again.

Your reins and legs should be like the walls of a hallway and your horse should stay centered between them no matter how the hallway twists or turns. Green horses (or horses that wander off like Moro) are hitting the walls and need to be course corrected by being pushed off of whatever leg they're "leaning" against. Lots of counter flexion and leg yielding away from leg pressure to fix it (and you look like a drunken sailor while you're working on it, too, lol). But it's something that gets better the more consistent you are with it!

HERE'S A BAD DRAWING FOR YOU BECAUSE I LOVE THIS STUFF. Little pink boxes are feet, red lines are reins/where the pony should be, arrows are what part of the body needs to be fixed (by bringing the foot to the forward position and pushing the shoulder over).










The hindquarters is a different problem and usually makes you feel like you're in a car doing donuts because your rear end is "spinning out". Or it just doesn't exist at all because it's lagging behind the rest of the horse.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> Spot on! Your reins are there to maintain the bend in the horse's neck, it's your legs that should be doing the driving (they push the horse to the outside rein, which guides the turn, while the inside rein is only for the slight bend). Generally your leg should have three different positions: forward (almost at the girth) controls the shoulder, middle (just behind the girth) controls the barrel, and back (slightly towards the flank) controls the hindquarters. That's how advanced horses can do travers/renvers, and it's the basis behind turns on the hind/forehand, too. Honestly, it's the basis of all lateral work, since lateral work is all about controlling individual pieces of your horse.
> 
> So, for example, that green 16.2hh APHA I was telling you about on my blog has a steering problem because sometimes her shoulder control goes out. We'll be traveling along and suddenly her shoulder will bulge out and I've got to physically push it back into place or she hits the outside rein and then just blows through it. Or she leans against my inside leg, which usually causes really flat, non-bendy turns because I lose my outside rein entirely, so I've got to push with my inside leg to put her back up against the outside rein without letting her bulge back past it again.
> 
> ...


This is awesome, thank you! Love the drawings, they really make it clear


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had a nice ride and did some jumping yesterday, Moro saved me from a few impossible distances lol. We got videos









If anyone has tips and exercises to tighten my lower leg over jumps theyre more than welcome to share, I notice mostly on landing that my leg flops forward. 

And today i went to the barn cause i had to go to uni anyway, but im feeling crappy and about to get sick, so i didnt feel up to anymore than just walking around on a loose rein. So we walked for 30-40 minutes. I think its good i went as moro came out really stiff after jumping courses yesterday for the first time in about 2 months, and he loosened up nicely after walking for a while. 

https://youtu.be/pbypa4H4cys

https://youtu.be/f8kHSdWSfD8


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Great illustration and a solid explanation, Stephani!

Luce, your pony is the cutest <3
Best of luck with your upcoming show!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Your lower leg looks a little wobbly all around, and your irons look a little low. That would probably be what I would use as my flat length (I like having lots of leg, it helps me because I'm short with short legs, lol), but the golden rule for jump height is that your knee should make a 90 degree angle. I think that's a silly golden rule and that you should do what's comfortable, but I also do think you'd be served well by going up a hole or two so that you don't have to stretch your leg down quite as much to really anchor through your heels.

Do you not half seat? It doesn't look like it, it looks like your butt is pretty planted in that saddle between jumps... When I jump I barely ever sit (and when I do it's to slow my horse down or power through corners). I find it's a lot easier to keep your weight down in your heels and really prepare for the jump when you ride in a half seat, since it naturally puts more weight down through your lower leg.

Moro's lovely and you ride him well! You both look pretty awesome together, I've got to say.

Also, thanks, @Zexious!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> Your lower leg looks a little wobbly all around, and your irons look a little low. That would probably be what I would use as my flat length (I like having lots of leg, it helps me because I'm short with short legs, lol), but the golden rule for jump height is that your knee should make a 90 degree angle. I think that's a silly golden rule and that you should do what's comfortable, but I also do think you'd be served well by going up a hole or two so that you don't have to stretch your leg down quite as much to really anchor through your heels.
> 
> Do you not half seat? It doesn't look like it, it looks like your butt is pretty planted in that saddle between jumps... When I jump I barely ever sit (and when I do it's to slow my horse down or power through corners). I find it's a lot easier to keep your weight down in your heels and really prepare for the jump when you ride in a half seat, since it naturally puts more weight down through your lower leg.
> 
> ...


I do not halfseat as Moro has a tendency to think that if he doesnt feel your butt up there he's free to run off at top speed, my trainer has been telling me to sit deep between jumps to have the extra control if I need it. Since back when I wasnt used to him, once he started to speed up I tended to panic, and that made me lean forward/lift my butt out the saddle, we've been working on making it a habit to stay deep. It might also have something to do with different jumping styles, I know the US is known for teaching a forward/half seat. I half-seat at a trot for a couple of laps, and at a canter/hand gallop, just to work on my leg strength, but not for jumping (except over the jump obvs) 

I actually put the stirrups UP a hole before jumping! I have them even longer for flatwork lol. But I do tend to ride with fairly long stirrups. With this saddle (which I have on loan, not mine), if I shorten them anymore my knee pokes over the edge of it and i'm really uncomfortable and unbalanced, since its small for me, so I'm looking into buying my own soon to fix that! Maybe that will help my leg over jumps. 

Thanks for the compliment! Still lots to improve but the learning is 99% of the fun when riding horses


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I might have some big news soon...


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

luce73 said:


> i might have some big news soon...


what kind of big news


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Moro FINALLY got new shoes yesterday! He was so happy with them that today he threw in a couple of happy bucks when going into our first canter  No more tripping and clicking when trotting either! Farriers are important.  

We had a jumping lesson today and he did amazing, it was a 9 jump course (with one combination, so actually 10 efforts), so we only did it twice. The first time around we were going pretty easy the first few jumps and got really awkward distances due to the lack of tempo, but halfway through i got my courage back and Moro got into his usually 'oh were jumping!' mood, so then we finished nicely! The second time around we nailed all distances except in the last line, which was a pretty tight turn to a 5-stride. we went deep on the first one and then I had to push him a bit to the second, and as I saw a distance and went to jump.. he put in another stride. So that was awkward, but the jump stayed up and i stayed on. 

I talked to my trainer about getting Moro some more feed, since he's gotten pretty thin over the summer. We've decided on upping his hay to free-choice instead of 4-5 meals a day (not sure since im not there at night) and I gave him an armful before I left to start that off. I also handgrazed him for about half an hour after riding, which wont do much for his weight, but it made him happy lol. 

I also finally got the number of the saddle guy who sells cheap (but good quality) saddles that was recommended to me by my trainer. Apparently this guy fabricates for top brands, but also sells saddles (the same saddles, made by him, same materials but without the brand name) on the side, and those are CHEAP. Couldnt get a hold of him today but I will try again tomorrow! Still not sure if I want a black or brown saddle. I kind of like the more 'authentic' look of brown saddles, but I think black will look nicer on Moro, especially since I wont be buying everything at once and right now all my tack except the saddle is black. I'll see if there's a price difference between the two, maybe that helps me decide. 

Ok so now for the big news... see the next post since it deserves a post of its own! xD


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

*Important news!*

Yesterday I crossed through the barn on my way home from uni, and Moro's owner was there. She called me over and said she had something serious to discuss with me about Moro.. I kind of freaked out inside, thinking something happened to him, or that they were selling him or that the other girl leasing him didnt want to anymore and they would take him home to be a lawn ornament since the board is so expensive... 

Right then her daughter (who rode Moro before, he's actually her horse) passed and they said they wanted to tell me together. I was really getting worried now!! 


... so then they said... We have to tell you what we're gonna do with Moro... We're giving him to you. 

WHAT WHAT WHAT!!! THEY GAVE HIM TO ME!!! FOR FREEE! HE'S MINE NOW! HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE I THOUGHT THIS ONLY HAPPENED IN CRAPPY TEENAGE HORSE MOVIES!! :loveshower::loveshower::loveshower::loveshower::loveshower:

So there you have it, no more lease, he is now MY horse. And I am a horse-owner. WOW that sounds good  My biggest dream, the thing I secretly hope for every birthday and christmas, that dream I have researhed and read about and made lists of pros and cons, and general costs per month since I was 7 years old. It has come true. And in a crazy crazy way. Seriously, who gives away a perfect schoolmaster horse that jumps up to 1.10!! 

His owner (ex-owner i guess now!) said she wanted me to have him because they wont ride or use him anymore, and she knows that i take good care of him and that I love him. When I, in my total shock, said that this doesnt happen in real life, she said "Good things happen to good people, and I know you'll take great care of him."

I told her I had to think about it, but really, whats there to think about? I'm an adult with a steady job, and he's at a barn with lots of people that are willing to teach me how to do this. I talked it through with my SO and my parents, and they all said go for it. So today I let her know I would be accepting her offer, of course. Everything will go on the same for now, he's taken care of at the barn, the other girl will keep leasing and paying half his board and regular vet/farrier costs. I just have to keep an eye on when he needs to get de-wormed. Even the vaccinations are handled by the barn. But just knowing that he's MY horse now, is the best feeling in the world. 

His owner and my trainer had talked about it before she made me the offer, and they, and Moro's regular groom, promised they will help me figure it all out, and learning all there is to learn. 

HE'S MINE!!! :loveshower::loveshower::loveshower::loveshower:


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## Abstang2002 (Feb 16, 2017)

*You kind of made it sound like you dont know how to tack up and prepare for a ride? Do you? if not.... you cant "Learn about it later" its one of the basics when it comes to horses and you need to be taught how to ASAP. ANyways, congrats. owning or leasing for the first time is always awesome *


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

Congratulations! What an exciting thing to happen!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Abstang2002 said:


> *You kind of made it sound like you dont know how to tack up and prepare for a ride? Do you? if not.... you cant "Learn about it later" its one of the basics when it comes to horses and you need to be taught how to ASAP. ANyways, congrats. owning or leasing for the first time is always awesome *


I know how to, but my barn is full-board so usually they tack him up for me while I put on my boots and stuff. On the weekends I do it myself, and I always did it myself at my old barn. I do the tacking off and all the post-ride care, including bathing, grooming, and taking care of the saddle. It's a great environment to learn in, and definitely better than just buying a first horse off the bat and sticking him in a backyard. When I say I have a lot to learn its things like how to give a dewormer (which they will also do for me, but I will be asking them to show me how so I can do it if needed) how often to have the vet out for shots etc. I have a bunch of people that are like family helping me out, and the horse is not 'dependent' on me knowing how to do things, since there are other people who will do it by default, unless I ask if I can do it. If it were any other way I wouldnt have said yes, as I know I still have a lot to learn and I would never want a horse to suffer because of my ignorance.


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Holy cow CONGRATULATIONS! 

Edit: Don't forget to have them write a bill of sale, just in case!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> Holy cow CONGRATULATIONS!
> 
> Edit: Don't forget to have them write a bill of sale, just in case!


Totally! I will ask about all the paperwork and stuff on saturday when I see them at the barn


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## Abstang2002 (Feb 16, 2017)

LOL, Thank God! its kind of annoying when people get a horse and just ride, and dont even know the basics...lol... im not sure what kind of wormor you use, i use the paste kind, and its really easy, i just put the syringe in my mares mouth (Holding her) and push it all it, i let her shake around her moth (She doesnt like the flavor) and then give her a treat. A lot of people do stuff like hold the horses head way up so that they "Get it all down" but i just dont see the need to force your horses head in the air. its hrd for them to spit it out, and they can swallow just fine with their heads like normal. lol, maybe that helped idk   And (I live in America so idk what the laws and regulations are where you live) i just to vacc. by myself. the needle is to micro tiny they barely even flinch, unless this horse is crazy, he shouldnt care. I just pop it in and push it all in, and thats it. fast and easy. You can do it in 2 places, the muscle in their butt or in their neck, i prefer the neck area, because i can keep an eye on their ears and how they are feeling. There is a wiki how page about how to know where in the neck, its hard to explain but you have to make a triangle area and thats the space you have to give the shot, If you can, it would be bst to learn how to do it on your own, at my old barn, the owner paid hundreds of dollars to have the vet out for 5 minuts to do it, when i did mine for free (except the price of the shot, i buy at my local farm store, i do the 5 way shot) and the vet wayy over charged her for the shots. But again, it depends on what your laws are and if you can administer it yourself. (Ive done tons of medications and vacc, and all kinds of stuff in my horses, it become a runtine thing thats a pain to do, like a chore lol) (Be safe and dispose of the needles etc correctly...also dont poke yourself if you decide to do it yourself) 
WIKI HOW PAGE: How to Give a Horse an Injection (with Pictures) - wikiHow

I hope maybe this helped, maybe not.. i just like to help people out


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Abstang2002 said:


> LOL, Thank God! its kind of annoying when people get a horse and just ride, and dont even know the basics...lol... im not sure what kind of wormor you use, i use the paste kind, and its really easy, i just put the syringe in my mares mouth (Holding her) and push it all it, i let her shake around her moth (She doesnt like the flavor) and then give her a treat. A lot of people do stuff like hold the horses head way up so that they "Get it all down" but i just dont see the need to force your horses head in the air. its hrd for them to spit it out, and they can swallow just fine with their heads like normal. lol, maybe that helped idk   And (I live in America so idk what the laws and regulations are where you live) i just to vacc. by myself. the needle is to micro tiny they barely even flinch, unless this horse is crazy, he shouldnt care. I just pop it in and push it all in, and thats it. fast and easy. You can do it in 2 places, the muscle in their butt or in their neck, i prefer the neck area, because i can keep an eye on their ears and how they are feeling. There is a wiki how page about how to know where in the neck, its hard to explain but you have to make a triangle area and thats the space you have to give the shot, If you can, it would be bst to learn how to do it on your own, at my old barn, the owner paid hundreds of dollars to have the vet out for 5 minuts to do it, when i did mine for free (except the price of the shot, i buy at my local farm store, i do the 5 way shot) and the vet wayy over charged her for the shots. But again, it depends on what your laws are and if you can administer it yourself. (Ive done tons of medications and vacc, and all kinds of stuff in my horses, it become a runtine thing thats a pain to do, like a chore lol) (Be safe and dispose of the needles etc correctly...also dont poke yourself if you decide to do it yourself)
> WIKI HOW PAGE: How to Give a Horse an Injection (with Pictures) - wikiHow
> 
> I hope maybe this helped, maybe not.. i just like to help people out


No worries! I'm one of those horse crazy girls that has been researching this since I was 7 years old lol. I've taken lessons for 8 years total (3 when I was younger, 5 recently) and have been leasing this horse since june (see this journal lol). So all that in mind I think we'll be fine! I have a bunch to learn but I'll figure it out along the way with the help of others!! 

I know 'in theory' how to give the dewormer, but havent done it before, so I'll ask someone to show me the first time. I think it's the paste one yes! not sure which brand he's due for since they switch between two brands. 

The vaccines are done by the vet for all horses at the barn at the same time! So I dont have to worry about that, not sure I'd be confident enough to stick a needle in him, i heard not long ago about a lady who had bought a super good horse from europe for 100.000+ dollars and in the first week the groom wanted to give it a bit of ace to calm him down for the farrier, stuck the needle in the wrong place and bam, dead horse. Guessing that guy had a bad day D: Feel bad for the horse too... 

-- 

I talked to the people that gave him to me today, about papers and vet schedules and stuff. His hooves get done when the farrier comes out once a month and trims all the horses/gets them new shoes. He's due for dewormer end of march (they gave the last one just before christmas, and its every 3 months, so around the 20th), and the vet will come and give him his shots in the next couple of weeks. 

He doesnt have any papers except for the 'passport' thingie that the competition organization here gave him so he can compete, that just has his medical details, when he got his shots etc. It doenst have any owner mentioned as far as we know, but once I get it I'll call the organization and ask if I need to move him over to my name. They didnt get a bill of sale for him, they basically got him out of a field by the road and paid the guy in cash. They got lucky I guess lol! I'm trying to decide if it's worth asking for a 'bill of sale' type thing. I know it's standard practice in the US/Europe, but here deals are made on a trust kind of level. I dont think I ever even signed a contract or waiver to start riding at this barn, whether in lessons or when I started leasing Moro. People are just good people, and if theyre not, the horse (Especially jumping-) world is SO SMALL here that there is no escaping lol. Since his current owners dont seem to have anything to indicate he's actually theirs, other than his medical booklet thing (which they'll give to me of course) I wonder if it's necessary. I'll ask my trainer and figure it out. 

Don't worry, i get that it's a must-have over there, but things do work differently here, and people arent as hung up on contracts and waivers and other kinds of defenses against legal action. It's all a big family, everyone knows everyone (and every horse!) and horses get moved around, lent out etc, without anything more than a verbal agreement. I'll make sure to ask my trainer what he thinks though  I think the most I can get is a receipt of some kind, which I dont think will have much legal value anyway lol.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Congratulations! how very exciting. I think you two are a wonderful pair.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Congrats, how exciting! I got my current horse at the end of a free lease (though I had to pay for her :wink, and it does just _feel _different when they become yours, even if you've been working with them and taking care of them for awhile.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

egrogan said:


> Congrats, how exciting! I got my current horse at the end of a free lease (though I had to pay for her :wink, and it does just _feel _different when they become yours, even if you've been working with them and taking care of them for awhile.


It does, though it hasnt really sunk in yet, i have random moments where I suddenly realise it and get super happy and then other moments where i randomly start freaking out about everything that could go wrong, and in between i just sort of feel like i dreamt it and its not real? idk lol. 

Also I need a new excuse not to buy all the tack and things because my excuse used to be 'but I dont own him, its weird to buy him stuff he doesnt really need'... oops, there goes my wallet


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## RedDunPaint (Aug 23, 2015)

How exciting that you own Moro now!! Congratulations!:loveshower: I know what you mean about the difference between leasing and actually owning the horse, even if there are no changes in routine. There's just something about being able to say "MY horse" and make decisions for "YOUR own horse." And you never have to worry about what the owner will decide to do with the horse. So, congratulations again! And it's so hard to resist pampering the horses with all new things. I think I bought 5 or 6 new halters within the first week haha. It'll probably take time to sink in...I knew it took a good several weeks before it sunk in for me!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Went to the barn today with a proper camera to get some pictures!! Of course when I let Moro into the paddock to take some loose pictures of him he took the opportunity to roll in the muddiest corner... lesson learnt, if you have a grey horse, either check if the paddock is dry before letting him loose or prepare for a cleaning session!! Luckily it was a hot day and by the time we got to grooming him most of the mud was dry and brushed right off haha. 

I love my pony


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I juist bought my first bit!! I took the snaffle i've been borrowing as an example and got one the same size but slightly different. it has a bit more curve to it, the ends are wider and the o-rings are smaller. My trainer said its good though, and we'll try it out tomorrow. The lady in the shop said i can have my money back if its not what i need as well  

I also went and printed and framed some of the pictures i took yesterday, as a gift for Moro's owners to thank them for giving him to me. Hoping to see them at the barn tomorrow!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Let us know how the bit works out for you 

And, most importantly, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW BOY!
I am so very excited for you! Be sure to keep us updated!
And a framed photo is a very thoughtful gift <3


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

CONGRATS!!!!!  Gahhh how exciting. He is so handsome and you guys look so great together.  Awww I'm super happy for you.
Such a beautiful framed gift too. Very sweet. Yay!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Tried out the new snaffle today! Moro loved it, he went so well in it  It's softer than the other snaffle i used on him a couple of times, and a lot softer than his leverage bit (duh) which i used all of january as they had taken the other snaffle with them on holidays. 

It was HOT out even though I got to the barn at 8.30am. We decided to go ride in the 'warm-up ring' which is usually a sand arena but summer made the grass grow, so now its liek a field behind the barn. It's surrounded by trees so there was some shade we could ride in. I borrowed a dressage whip and we worked on a circle for about 30 minutes (? i think...) trying to get Moro to accept the bit by lightly playing with the reins while really pushing him forward and into it. After a bit of warm up and resistance at the beginning of the ride, he started to really bend and flex on the circle, and I was able to maintain the bend and 'position' (which is when the horse is on the bit, its not like we're pulling them in a head position, its just the spanish word for it) through transitions and when changing hands on the circle. We worked hard, even though it was just a short lesson, and both Moro and I ended up drenched in sweat because of the heat so I walked him out in the park between the trees and then he got a nice cool bath afterwards! I must have had him under that hose for about 20 minutes, he even let me wash him up on the top end of his neck, where he usually starts pulling faces. He was just loving that cool water. I admit I kind of gave myself a bath too lol. 

Hopefully the temps will go down a bit tomorrow, either way I'll try to get to the barn even earlier (it opens at 8am, maybe if I'm ready to ride by then it will be cooler? today I got on around 8.45...) And we'll take it easy anyway. After Moro dried from his bath I put him in his box and gave him a flake of hay. 

So yes, the bit was a success despite the ridiculous heat! It really helped with the lateral drifting issues we've been having as well, but that might be due to the fact that we were working really forward on a circle. Also my trainer noticed two bad habits I've picked up, one of which is totally likely to be the cause of the drifting... ups.. 

1. When I want to ride a turn I put on inside leg, flex his nose in with the inside rein and give with the outside rein, but forgetting to keep contact! I basically throw away my outside aids... no wonder he's pushing through my outside leg. 

2. When walking off from a halt I've gotten in the habit of pushing my hands forward, again, losing all contact. Gotta work on me!! Just goes to show that these kinds of problems are never the horses' fault... Thank god my trainer is back from holidays!! 

My trainer also had me halt when I lost the 'on the bit' contact, and then play softly with the reins until Moro accepted the bit again, and then walk off, keeping that contact with his mouth (and brain lol) the same. We also did this walk-trot trot-canter and back, as well as tempo changes within the trot, rising to sitting etc. Moro behaved super! And when my triner told me in a moment to keep my back straight and stretch up I felt a balance and 'being one with the horse' that just felt *RIGHT*. Yay!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Today we worked in the snaffle again, but my trainer isnt at the barn on wednsdays so we were on our own. I worked him on circles and around figure-8s for a bit, getting him moving forward and into the bit. After a while he softened nicely and did really well! Yay we can do it on our own! (i secretly feel so cool now lol) 

Once he softened and was flexing nicely I worked him for about 10 minutes more and then gave him a long walk-break. Then he decided to be a butt about passing the door, trying to stop and turn to go back to the barn, so we had a little lesson of we walk past the door a hundred times and if you so much as think about turning without me asking you to you're gonna canter. That little exercise showed me how well he was listening to my leg from our work in the previous half of our ride lol, leg on and he shot forward like a cannonball. I swear this horse knows when he's doing something he shouldnt be doing, and scares himself half to death when he realizes you caught him at it! I managed to stay out of his mouth despite the sudden speed burst, and we cantered half a circle and came back to a walk in the corner before the door. Once again walking past it, and correcting in the same way. After the third time he kiiind of eyed the door, but with one ear back to me and trying to be sneaky about looking at it, so just a little leg straightened him out and he walked past it like a good boy. We repeated on the other side (2 more corrections) and then he walked past it calmly. I made him walk past it once in each direction, then walked him just past where we would usually turn to leave the arena, and made him stand next to the door for a bit. Then he got to back up back to the turning point, and we turned and left the arena. Good pony! 

I gave him a half-bath, just his legs and where the saddle goes, as he wasn't really sweaty and it was humid and with a fresh breeze today, so I didnt want him to take too long to dry up. Took him grazing after, and while he was eating I chatted a bit with Moro's usual groom, who said the guy I've been trying to contact to buy a saddle owes him a couple of favors, and he might be able to get me a saddle cheap!! Yay! We agreed that next time there's a show at the barn where this guy works I'll go along and choose one, pretending to be my groom's niece (not looking for a saddle) and then he'll buy the saddle 'for himself', so he can get the price down easier and further. He also sent a message to a girl that quit riding and is selling a full set of saddle/bridle/cinch/stirrup leathers/reins/martingale etc etc. The full package, apparently in like-new condition. Gonna see how much she's asking and if I can try it before buying. 

----
In another thread on here, some people suggested Moro looks like he might have a hunter bump and I should have a chiro out to check him over, which kind of scared the crap out of me since there is no such thing as an equine chiropractor here... I checked his back for soreness today after watching videos and reading up on where and how to check, and got no reaction at all, so I'm thinking he's fine. (I'm knocking on wood before writing this next bit) He's also been completely sound and the old owner never had issues with him in the past 5 years, they actually said they only ever had the vet out for his regular shots... so I'm not too worried! If he starts to act up or feel uncomfortable I will ask the vet to check him, but he's had that bump on the top of his hips (his bone sticking out) since he got to my barn 5 years ago and is jumping regularly with no soundness issues. (knocking on wood again just to be sure lol). They dont really know anything about his past as they bought him from a field by the side of the road and he had no papers or even a name (they named him), so we dont have a way of finding out about his history either. I'm just gonna quit worrying unless there are signs there is actually something wrong!! I appreciate the input on here of course (a lot!!), but I have to trust my trainer, the grooms and other knowledgable horsepeople around me at the barn that have known the horse for a while, rather than letting comments on the internet freak me out!! 

--- 
Moro has gotten so much better at being respectful while leading and handling him. He lifts his head when I ask him to while grazing, backs away and turns to face me when I walk up to him when he's tied or in his stall, and even when I go to give him hay he backs a few steps and waits for me to give him the first handful for him to nibble on while I detangle the rest of the flake. Seeing him like that after seeing him pin his ears and throw his head around at the grooms at feeding time, catching the hay mid-air or even grabbing it from them (ears pinned) is such a great change! No more hand-feeding has really helped I think! 

He still gets ****y if I ever give him anything from my hand and then dont give him more, but he's fine if I give it in his feedbin and then hang around without giving him more. Is there a reason for that? Is there some psychological connection that separates the person holding the food from the person putting the food down? Or is it just about not letting him in my space to get his food? Either way, he's doing a lot better and I can actually love on him now without having to watch out for his nippy mouth! Yay!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Moro was a good boy for most of today, we rode around a bit, he stood quietly while I fixed my stirrups, and then we did some circle work and he came onto the bit beautifully. We did a lot of trotting, takign some walk breaks in between, until he was no longer spooky, looking at everything throwing his head up like a giraffe at every little noise. He was working calmly, and we moved on to the canter, trying to 'collect' and 'extend' (not implying we actually know how to do that correctly, its more of a speed thing at this point, slow/small vs fast/big canter). A slow canter on a circle, then a bigger canter around the arena, and back to a slow canter on the same circle again. This went really well, until we switched leads and when I asked him to move out after the circle to go into a bigger canter someone laughed on the other side of the treeline that separates the arena from the street, and he ran off on me. The good news is I'm a lot better at not freaking out whn he does this!! I just sat deep and steered him into a big circle, and just talked to him softly until he was listening to me. Once he came back to me I made him trot a bit to catch my breath and get organized, then asked for a big canter. We cantered/hand galloped around the arena a couple of times each side until he was slowing down on his own, and then I walked him out until he cooled down and untacked and gave him a bath. 

I'm REALLY happy with how he goes with the new bit! He seems a lot happier, moving forward and bending/turning easily. He's no longer pushing to the right as much, and I can actually get him on the bit pretty easily! I'm happy I could stop him in it when he ran off too, that shows it has enough control in those kinds of situations as well  

While he was drying up tied to a tree I made the mistake of giving him a sugarcube from my hand (WHEN WILL I LEARN *facepalm*) since I had to leave quickly and didnt want to put him in his box wet, but he was whinnying at me asking for his treat. He took it quietly, to my surprise, and was a good boy about it. I went to clean up my mess and change, and by the time I was ready to leave he was dry, so I put him in his box and let him loose before going to get him a flake of hay. When I got back to his box with the hay he was making a ****y face at me and trying to push into my space to snatch the hay from me. A loud 'EH!' and a 'Back up!' worked to get him move over so I could get into his stall. He then stayed away from me until I threw him a bit of hay and then I just unraveled the rest as usual while he ate. He's still pushing limits though, gotta be consistent! Dont know if this was related to the sugar but I'm thinking yes, since he gets like this when I hand feed him treats. 

Tomorrow I have a lesson, so we'll probably be jumping then. I've also started running (last night, gotta see if I stick with it) and am starting up Tai Chi tomorrow morning! Thats an hour, 3 times a week. Excited to get started on that  

On saturday I'll be going to Buenos Aires to pick up breeches I bought off of facebook (mine are getting holes in them), and then on sunday a girl that is selling a saddle is coming to the barn to show it to me. it's REALLY cheap, even for a used one, and from what Ive heard its in good shape, so we'll see how that works out!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I forgot there are 3 tiny kittens at the barn and theyre so cuuuuteeeee!!! Pictures coming soon!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Did some jumping today! Moro was really strong and forward, even though it was bloody hot out, and after fighting with him for control during our first two attempts, he listened better the last time. My trainer had me do the whole course except the last jump, which was on a line to the door so moro wanted to race there, and made me halt before that jump. Halting was HARD!! Pony ignoring my input grrrrr haha. (This was with the leverage snaffle, with a chain under his chin, not the new bit. My trainer doesnt let me jump him in a snaffle... yet, my goal is getting there!!). 

We got ok distances most of the time, except one over jump #3, which was after a rollback, that I calculated a bit tight and the jump came up too suddenly to adjust the stride. Moro went for the big one (he always goes for the big one lol) and I got jumped out of the tack, so instead of doing the 5-stride to the next jump we circled back so I could get my balance and position back in order. Then we did the line again and finished the course with no issue. 

Due to Moro's antics of running through my aids and doing his own thing (going fast...), we ended up jumping the course 4 times (8 jumps each) before my trainer liked it. By the time we finished we were both drenched in sweat, as it's around 30 degrees out today. Moro got a nice cool bath, and didnt even protest when I sprayed him in the face! He liked it actually lol. I also might have given myself a bath with the hose lol, TOO HOT OUT!! 

After his bath, and scraping the excess water off (almost none, he dried that fast!) I let him into his box and brought him his well-earnt hay. I got pinned ears again so he got an OI! and he got to wait in the corner until he calmed down. *Sigh* 

-- 

This morning I had my first Tai Chi class, and loved it! I had a couple of classes last year, but that guy kept telling me I wasnt trying hard enough while I just couldnt go any further (I'm not that flexible lol). At this place its a lady and she's really nice and told me and 2 other newbies that its totally normal we cant do it all yet, and that she's giving us a month to get used to the movements and build up stamina in our legs before she expects us to work on perfecting our technique. So excited to go again on saturday! The only thing is that its the same 3 days my trainer is at the barn, so we're gonna have to figure something out if I dont want to keep riding at noon in Argentine Summer temperatures (I DONT!! TOO HOT!). 

All in all I'm floored now, lying on the couch working on my laptop lol, I dont think I'll move again today! An hour tai chi + 10km biking + jumping lesson with a strong pony is a biiiit much for one morning, maybe


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Aww so happy for you.  Making so much progress! Sounds like you had a lovely (but tiring) day!
Tai Chi is probably no joke! I'm not that flexible either. :lol: That's good, I love nice instructors like that. I've taken a Zumba class before and I quit because the instructor was so bossy. I ended up going to a new place and the instructor was quite the opposite, he was like 'as long as you're having fun, who cares if you're doing it 'right'?!' Like EXACTLY!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Saturday afternoon we had a fairly quiet ride, first we did some circle work at a trot, and then we had a bit of a canter around. The pony was feeling his oats and decided to shy and have a mini bolt/breakdown at one of the jumps that was set up in the middle of the arena (the 10th time we passed it) so we had a bit of a discussion about listening to my 'slow down' cues, and then I cantered him for a fair while until he stopped being so looky and shying at random things. (Two police horses walking by on the road next to the arena were OBVIOUSLY out to get him... never seen a horse been so scared of other horses before ****. 

Sunday was an easy ride, pretty much just walked around on a loose rein. A girl was supposed to come out to show me a saddle she had for sale, but she never showed up. So I passed the time by taking moro out for some grass, combing and braiding his mane (I made a giant dutch braid from the withers down to the forelock, which actually looked quite good, but I didnt have an elastic, nor did I have my phone on me), and cleaning all my current borrowed tack throughly (they bought a new kind of saddle soap, it smells like coco!!) 

Then sunday afternoon a friend from the barn called me saying he knows a guy who makes really good saddles, and that he would drive me there with his girlfriend (who also rides and is a good friend!) TOMORROW! They got me a pretty good deal for a FULL set of NEW tack, saddle, stirrup leathers, cinch, breastplate, martingale, bridle, reins, the whole thing. It even includes a saddlepad from what he told me! They're picking me up at 8am tomorrow morning to drive to the workshop where the saddles are made so I can try some and pick one out, it's so so nice of them to do that! He said the saddles are 

From what people here have told me the saddles come only in one 'horse' size and are then padded with blankets etc to make them fit the horses. I think it is because we have so little 'variation' in horses. They are all either thoroughbreds or warmbloods, and have a pretty similar build. Then there's the criollos, and some ponies/quarter horses, but they are ridden in gaucho saddles (comfy as hell, but not really a sizing issue either!). So saddles come in 'tiny shetland pony', 'polo pony (polo saddles)' and 'jumper saddles' sizes. One less thing to worry about when buying the saddle I guess! Though it might get a bit more complicated with the blankets and pads later on  

I'll update tomorrow on whether or not I found a saddle!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I bought a SADDLE! And a full set of tack! Pics below  The friends from the stable picked me up at 9.30, and it was about an hour and a half drive through back roads and through kind-of-crappy neighborhoods... But we made it! The place was a saddlefactory inside a house, garage and shed, with saddles and tack piled to the ceilings of each room! The guy who makes them makes saddles for really big name people here and also exports. I tried a couple of saddles at 17.5, but none of them were super comfortable, and then I tried a size 18, and it was just perfect <3 That saddle was one of a few new one he had made as a 'test' to try out working with carbon fibre trees instead of wood, and he had actually sold it already! But since I could pay on the spot, and the guy he had sold it to didnt need it right away he sold it to me instead and is going to make another one to post to the other buyer. YAY! 

Bought: 
- Saddle (new, carbon fibre tree, buffalo leather) size 18. 
- Bridle (with a cute little d-ring snaffle on the browband!) 
- Reins (rubber anti-slip) 
- Breastplate (with a tiny bit of sheepskin where the straps meet in the middle, and several d-rings to attach the martingale to at different heights, even though i wont be using any but the loosest lol)
- Cinch (two-colors leather, SO PRETTY!) 
- Stirrup leathers
- Martingale (running)

They also gave me a storage/transport bag for the saddle, a bottle of saddle oil and 2 sets of bitguards (the little rubber rings) for free  AND THEY STAMPED MY INITIALS IN THE SADDLE! I'll be oiling and moisturizing everything today (the guy said to just use any moisturizing handcream i had laying around to moisturize the bridle, no matter if it was scented, so now my bridle smells like vanilla LOL), and will try it on Moro tomorrow!! So excited! AND SO HAPPY! 

edit: the guy who makes the saddles is called Miguel Acuña. Here's his website: http://www.monturasmiguel.com/ They used to mostly do polo saddles, but in the last couple of years theyve been expanding into jumpers and dressage saddles as well!


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Congrats on the new saddle! It looks nice! I like the saddle pad too.  That's so awesome you got all of that with it. So cool!  
Yayyyy! Can't wait until you try it out!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

PoptartShop said:


> Congrats on the new saddle! It looks nice! I like the saddle pad too.  That's so awesome you got all of that with it. So cool!
> Yayyyy! Can't wait until you try it out!


Thanks! The saddle pad I got for christmas along with a bonnet and wraps in the same colors


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Tried all the new stuff out today! The saddle seems to fit Moro very well luckily, he didnt move any different than usual under it, and the knowledgable horse people at the barn all said it fit him well! It looks different when I look down because the part where my knees go (whats that called?) is more forward than in the other saddle I used, so I was a bit worried it might be too close to his shoulder, but it doesnt seem to interfere and the people I asked said it's all good. 

Me on the other hand... It's a struggle adjusting!! I went 3 sizes up from a borrowed 16.5 saddle to a size 18, and its SO BIG lol. I spent half an hour riding almost in tears thinking i totally screwed up when buying this saddle, as I was slipping all over the place (new, just-oiled leather didnt help either..) and it felt huge and I couldnt find my balance at all. Then I remembered something @StephaniHren said here, that the knee should be at or near a 90-degree angle. DUH! I spent so long riding in a way-too-small saddle that I'm used to having my stirrups super long to avoid my knee going over the edge of the saddle... I got off, put my stirrups up 2 holes, and got back on and YAY! a comfortable, balanced and 'anchored' seat! I love my new saddle now lol. 

I adjusted the breast collar as well, as it was set to a really loose hole, and was flopping all over the place. Its on the tightest now. it has two metal clips to attach it quickly, but I might take those off and just use the leather strap and buckle (its buckled through the clips, so i have both options), since the clips move around and its kind of annoying. 

So, now that I found the right stirrup hole, I'm gonna have to start working on my ankle flexibility to be able to keep my heels down!! It's like learning to ride all over again haha. We mostly just walked around, and trotted for a while. Then I cantered him a bit on each rein just to get a feel for the saddle. I have a lesson tomorrow so we'll see what my trainer thinks of the new saddle and if I can jump in it at all! Kinda nervous... xD

Edit: YAY 100th POST!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Terrible electric storms and thunder that was so loud I woke up several times because you felt it vibrating all through the house (even with the windows closed!!) combines with torrential rains all night turned the rings into a mushy mudpool. So my lesson was canceled. I went anyway as I had to go pay board, and i arrived at the same time as my trainer, who told me to saddle up and just walk and trot around a little bit so moro wouldnt be locked up all day. We took the opportunity to check the fit of my new tack (all good! Although he said my martingale is a bit on the short side, but not so much I have to change it. it doesnt actually interfere with Moro's head and neck position/movement, but my trainer likes to see it hang a bit looser.) 

While I rode I told my trainer about my discomfort in the saddle yesterday, and he actually lengthened my stirrups again to see what I was feeling. He took my leg and put it in the right position, and then had me walk and trot around a bit, which felt just weird, but not as awkward as yesterday, and then he laughed and said 'your leg isnt moving, and neither is your knee, what you're feeling is that your knee is not in constant contact with the saddle, which apparently isnt an issue while doing flatwork. Once i stopped trying to shove my knee inwards (pinching...) i actually felt a lot more stable! So my trainer said to use the length I found comfortable yesterday for jumping, and 1 hole longer for flatwork. 

After riding with that new stirruplength for a while, my hip and thighs were hurting pretty bad, but I guess that's just building up the right muscles for the new position!

Instead of my lesson today, I'm going to participate in a 'training' show (not a schooling show) where they've set up a course and we'll just go around it a couple of times at different heights and stuff, but there's no prizes or real 'competition'. Its just to practice riding a full course, and warming up in the warm-up ring and all that stuff! Should be fun!  

The girl that leases Moro is busy with finals this week, so I have him to myself till sunday  *happy dance*


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> He took my leg and put it in the right position, and then had me walk and trot around a bit, which felt just weird, but not as awkward as yesterday, and then he laughed and said 'your leg isnt moving, and neither is your knee, what you're feeling is that your knee is not in constant contact with the saddle, which apparently isnt an issue while doing flatwork. Once i stopped trying to shove my knee inwards (pinching...) i actually felt a lot more stable! So my trainer said to use the length I found comfortable yesterday for jumping, and 1 hole longer for flatwork.


Your trainer is :thumbsup:

Also, the mock show sounds like a lot of fun! Take pictures for us of Moro in all of his swanky new tack~


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Moro was an absolute STAR today. So well-behaved, responsive to my aids while riding, not crowding or pulling while leading, he stood completely still while I groomed him (he usually fiddles and moves around a lot), picked up his feet without me touching them, just by me saying 'voet' (dutch for foot lol, the command i was taught to use when i was little, it stuck. Moro will be multilingual ), and standing back with his head low and relaxed, without pushing or pinning his ears when I came in with his hay, just patiently waiting till I gave it to him. And he let me love on him!! (he usually gets annoyed after about 20 seconds of scratches/cuddles) Good pony!! 

I went to the vet to buy a dewormer (he's due the 21st), flyspray, and a liverprotector the groom told me to buy for him? I'm not really sure what its for (apart from obviously protecting the liver lol, but from what idk). Apparently you give it once a month, 3 days in a row. We're gonna wait with that and the dewormer until next week as he's not due for deworming yet, and this sunday the vet is coming out to give him his regular shots (vaccines).

I also bought a leverage bit (like that one but steel) that the girl who leases him will pay me back for, and left it with the tack guy at the barn to assemble. It didnt come with the little chain that goes under the chin, so i bought that apart, and I dont have the tools to assemble it. He had no problem to do it as I had run some errands for him as well since I had to go to the vet anyway! 

I'm finally finding the right 'happy' spot in my new saddle, and Moro was going beautifully, he was relaxed, coming on the bit without me having to 'ask' with half-halts and playing with the reins, and staying on the bit through transitions and direction changes. The arena ground was pretty crappy still, half swamp and half hard sand (kind of like clay, or the sand on the beach closest to the sea) I went to ride in the jumping arena first, but there the ground had been torn up (by me lol) yesterday while it was wet, and had dried all uneven, so that moro stumbled every other step. So I decided to just go ride in the 'warm-up ring', and try to ignore the waves of mosquitos >.< You get used to them after a couple of minutes they dont bother you anymore lol. 

After our ride Moro enjoyed getting to pretend to be a trail horse in the tiny bit of park behind the ring lol (picture below) 

I got some pictures, will get better ones tomorrow at the mock show (I like that name for it! thanks!), when I will also be using his new saddle pad and bonnet.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

The Mock show was SO MUCH FUN! And Moro was really well behaved! We rode first thing in the morning, so there wasnt really anyone else around. Moro's ex-owner arrived halfway through my warmup, so they filmed a round and took some pictures of us. We jumped 60/70 (not sure) and then 80 in the second round, but we didnt get that one on film  Left everything up except the last jump in the 80cm round, as we went a little deep, and his back hoof just clipped the front rail of the oxer. We re-jumped that one jump after (pros of a mock-show) and left it up, so all good! Very happy with Morito and how he is behaving lately, he's respectful, listening, waiting for my input, and going with one ear back and focusing on me. He's also a star on the ground <3 Best pony ever! 

On sunday they had taken down the poles, but the standars were still up. We went into the ring for a canter (as the warm-up ring was small and there wasnt much room to canter comfortably in there, plus the footing was pretty torn up from all the horses the day before), and circled around and through the standards for a bit. When we went between the standards for jump 2 moro sort of shortened for a stride and then did a weird kind of hop. I thought maybe he had spooked at something, or kind of tripped, so I took him through there again to see what was going on. He now lengthened one stride and then hopped again in the same spot (right between the standards :/ I didnt get what was going on until I came back to a walk and walked up to that spot, the shadow of the left-hand standard stretched across the ground right to the other standard, making it look like a pole on the ground... <3 Cute pony thought he was supposed to jump it and made an effort to get a comfortable stride. Love this guy hahaha. 

Supposedly the vet was gonna come out to vaccinate yesterdaymorning, but she didnt show up while I was still there (till around 11.30), so I missed the chance to talk to her about Moro's diet and getting him something to gain some more weight without spiking his energy. I need to talk to her about getting his paperwork in order as well, as she left a message for me with the barn administrator that I can actually transfer ownership to my name, even if the horse has no papers, so we're gonna be doing that with her help soon. Yay! 

Moro's ex-owner invited me to get up at 4am next sunday to accompany them to a show about 2 hours away, and im ridiculously excited, even though i wont be riding lol. It looks like a really cool venue too, they have a grass ring!! 

In the meantime I'm browsing dover's website to pick out things I can bring back when I go to NYC in may for work and holidays (since the company pays my ticket anyway... lol). Most stuff here is imported, so its usually a lot cheaper to buy horsey things outside the country. So far I'm set on jumping boots (front and back), a gel half-pad (if it has a sheepskin border even better lol) and a sweatscraper. Possibly a body-protector as well (family and SO keep asking about this lol). Moro needs a warm blanket as well, now that the temps are finally dropping below 20s, especially since he's needing a bunch of groceries to get back to a good weight. He has one that his ex-owner will lend me until I can buy one, but a blanket is something I'll be buying here, since otherwise itll fill up my suitcase all at once lol. 

Is Dover Saddlery a good place to shop? or are there cheaper places? Buying online and having it sent to my hotel, or picking it up at a shop in NYC if necessary, would be ideal. Any suggestions are welcome!

EDIT: FORGOT THE PICTURES AND VIDEO! 

Video:


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

If you're going to be shopping online and getting it delivered to your hotel, I'd shop around so you get a good deal on the stuff you need. Dover, SmartPak, Stateline Tack all generally have good prices and frequent sales on the gear you mentioned. 

Folks here on Horse Forum have turned me into a convert to Schneider Saddlery for blankets though- I can't imagine ever buying another kind. Schneiders has all the other stuff you mentioned as well.

Will you only be in NYC? There are potentially other options for going to stores in person depending on where you'll be.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

egrogan said:


> If you're going to be shopping online and getting it delivered to your hotel, I'd shop around so you get a good deal on the stuff you need. Dover, SmartPak, Stateline Tack all generally have good prices and frequent sales on the gear you mentioned.
> 
> Folks here on Horse Forum have turned me into a convert to Schneider Saddlery for blankets though- I can't imagine ever buying another kind. Schneiders has all the other stuff you mentioned as well.
> 
> Will you only be in NYC? There are potentially other options for going to stores in person depending on where you'll be.


Thank you so much for the tips! Thats really helpful  

I'll be in Lake Placid for work (flying into Boston), and will then fly from Boston to NYC for holidays. Wont have any free time in Boston I think, maybe a couple of hours, but since tackstores tend to be away from the center not sure I'll be able to make it there. I guess if I'm ordering online I could buy from anywhere and have it delivered to NYC? Not sure how that works. The plan is to stay in NYC for 2 weeks, with one or two daytrips nearby (no flights).


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Had an easy ride today, my trainer was around but giving lessons to tiny kids on tiny ponies (CUTE!) so we're gonna do my lesson on saturday, since thursday I have a work thing in buenos aires that I have to leave early for. 

We just WTCed around a bit, trying to work on bend, and even circles and no drifting or pushing his shoulder out. My trainer told me to work on getting him working on the bit as well, so we worked on that too. Moro was great again, apart from a tiny argument on actually moving, as mister was fine with a slow walk, but refused to trot so he got a smack with the crop which caused him to take off -.- I let him canter for a few strides (I did ask for forward after all), and then made him come back to a walk, and asked for a trot again. He gave me a nice calm transition that time . 

After tacking off, giving the pony a quick bath and putting him away I cleaned my saddle (the tack guy said he had done it, but my cinch was all dirty and sweaty still :/) and rest of the tack, and my trainer came over to say he had watched me ride and that Moro and I were doing well, but to work on getting more impulsion before asking him to come on the bit, as that would make it easier for both of us.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Glad you had a fantastic time at the show. I love all his pictures, & he looks great in his new gear!  Love the bonnet on him too, great color.  Matches him very well.
Awwww. He is such a cutie & a good boy! 

I shop at Dover Saddlery a lot. I usually get a LOT of deals there, & there's always sales.  I got a pair of breeches for less than $30!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks @PoptartShop, are the deals at Dover available online as well? From my quick google the nearest actual shop to NYC seems to be on (in?) Long Island :/ 

Worked with a dressagewhip today to activate the motor behind and work on recieving that energy through my reins, getting the pony to bend and relax his neck nicely. He did amazing on the left rein, we even walked around the arena with flexion, without leaving the rail (flexion means turning with this pony usually, so that was a good step forward). But when we went to the right rein it turned into a struggle of getting him to follow the circle and not drift inward while sticking his nose the opposite direction  I decided to not try to 'pull' him around, and released pressure on the inside rein, so he would stop fighting against it. That helped some, and we at least got to the point where his head was straight, and he had a nice relaxed trot. We'll work up to bending slowly. 

After our ride the groom showed me how to deworm him, and gave him a liquid liverprotector afterwards. Pony was a supergood boy for it, so he got to eat my half of the apple we usually share as well  I'm not going to make it out tomorrow or friday as I have to travel for work, but they will turn him out in the small arena for a bit so he gets some fresh air. 

I'm asking around to get him a blanket, since its cooling down a bit at night now. The lady who made my saddlepad also makes blankets, and while not very high-tech, several horses at the barn have those, and they are good quality, durable and warm. I asked her for the price just now, so hopefully theyre relatively affordable as well!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Soooo I canceled the work thing and went to the barn today xD Just had a really busy week, and didnt really feel up to the 2 hour trip to get to Buenos Aires. It was just a get-together and work in the same place thing though, since we all work remotely we rent an office every now and then, so it wasnt obligatory. 

I went to the barn only because after deworming the pony yesterday I kept playing all the scenarios of what could go wrong in my head (totally illogical, he's been getting these dewormers for years lol), since i had tried to research deworming and how to do it, and came out on a bunch of sites saying dewormers killed their horses or gave them colic etc etc... needless to say I was a nervous wreck last night xD So I went to the barn just to check on him, with the intention of taking him out for some grass, and maybe letting him loose in the paddock for a bit. I ended up riding though, since I wont be going tomorrow or sunday, so i saddled up, changed into my breeches (which were still in my backpack after yesterdays ride, not being organized and saving my stuff when I get home paid off lol), and then I walked him around the arena on a loose rein for about an hour. Just so he could streth his legs a bit. We didnt really 'work' on anything, but I did correct the right-shoulder-popping-out thing, and we did a tiny bit of trot on each rein, just because he kept walking faster and faster. After trotting a bit to take the edge off we walked walked walked some more, and then I put him in his box with some hay, and made him do some carrot stretches (both sides, and down between his frontlegs. He's flexible to the left, not so much to the right (which I knew already, hello poppy shoulder) and didnt get very far down with the downward stretch, but I'll be repeating these from now on, trying to get him a biiit more supple, mostly to the right because this shoulder popping, drifting, and bending to the opposite side thing is getting on my nerves lol. We've been riding loads of circles to try to work on that, but so far it hasnt made much of a difference. He gets slightly straighter after warming up for 30-40 minutes, but never really bends to the right :/ 

I've tried feeling for pain in his back and neck, but there was just no reaction at all (except a turn of his head to see what crazy stuff I was up to back there lol), no earpinning, no flinching nothing. there are no equine chiropractors out here, or massage therapists, (i think there's one that works with expensive racehorses, pretty sure I cant afford them..) so for now we're just throwing it on 'he's stiff on the right side and we need to help him work through it by doing lots of circles'. Any other exercises or suggestions we can try are very welcome! At this point I'm tempted to put a tiny spur on my right leg, just to stop him from blowing right through it :/ 

He's wearing his old blanket today, as I havent heard back from the lady yet, and the temperatures just DROPPED overnight. From a 30 degree summer (celcius) to cold and windy need-3-sweaters-to-go-outside weather. Brrrrr. 

AND MY WORK(business conference)+VACATION TRIP TO THE US HAS BEEN CONFIRMED TODAY! I GOT THE TICKET IN MY MAIL! YAY! (I'll miss the pony though!!)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Had a jumping lesson saturday and another one today. On sunday I worked without stirrups a bit. 

Jumping is going well! I'm starting to be able to see my distances every now and then (lol). Saw one 5 strides out today!! Usually I see them 2-3 strides out, and its more of a 'well get there ok' vs 'we'll either go really deep or REALLY long', and usually at that point the only thing I can do is halfhalt to get the deep spot, but it tends to end with a super awkward halfstride before take-off. Moro has been a star so far this year, he is calm when jumping, with the motor going, so I can ask him to go forward and he will, but he listens well and is really adjustable. That brings the challenge that I need to learn how to ride to get him to the jumps though (so many awkward take-offs on saturday! And both today and saturday we turned the two-stride into a three-stride... oops). 

He got his feet done yesterday, and I got him a new blanket. His old one has denim outside and the liner is a blanket like this one. His new one is weather proof on the outside and a thin fleece liner. It's also bright purple!! He got hot in it last night, as the temps stayed higher than they were supposed to, so I talked to the groom today and told him only to blanket if its actually gonna get cold. (temps stayed around 20C last night). Now I know most people only blanket when the temps drop below 0C, but they almost never do here, currently the temps have been around 28-34C for the past 3 months, and they have started dropping down to aroun 13-15C at night (from 28 during the day). All horses at the barn are blanketed at this point, (with blankets like Moro's old one, or fleece-lined as well) and stalled 24/7 (we dont have turnout). I dont necessarily agree with blanketing at these temperatures but I also dont want to change what has been working ok for Moro for the past 5 years. Of course, as long as it doesnt cause issues with him overheating etc, so we're gonna keep an eye on that.

The good news is the pony is definitely gaining a bit of weight! Most of the time you cant see his ribs now, (unless he stands weird and crooked), and they dont poke out when you touch his sides, and his spine doesnt stick out as much as it did. 

I got some video and photos, but i need to upload those first, so will post them later.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

No-stirrup work can be a pain, but it helps a ton.  That's awesome you had a good ride, & you are doing well with the jumping.
Glad he's gaining weight!  Definitely can't wait to see pictures & videos!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had a nice and easy little ride today, lots of walk. I did some more no-stirrup work at the trot, and managed to stay really balanced, even without my sticky full-seat breeches. Yay new saddle! Of course that only lasted about once around the ring, but we walked a bit after and then tried again to the other side, and so on. 

There was a liverpool folded up next to the rail, and the first time we walked past it I hadnt really noticed it, so I was surprised by pony suddenly jumping to the side and standing still snorting at it. I made him walk past it a couple of times, until he didnt even flick an ear at it anymore, and then another girl came in with her horse. I gave her a heads-up about the liverpool being there and she told me that her horse is completely bomb-proof and wouldnt care about it at all, but thanks for the warning. We walked around the ring, chatting a bit, with Moro and I on the outside track, just behind her on the inside track. When we came to the liverpool her horse stopped and dropped his head, super tense and ready to spin and bolt if that thing moved. Guess he wasnt so bomb proof after all lol. Moro on the other hand, walked on calmly, head low, ears turned towards me, relaxed, right between the liverpool and the spooking horse. I WAS SO PROUD! 

Also I FINALLY found the key to his bending to the right problem. It's FIGURE-8's! Seriously, I can do 50 circles to the right and he WONT bend, sticking his head out and popping his shoulder in. We did 3 figure-8's and he was bending perfectly, moving off my leg instead of falling in, curved ribcage, just perfect. I'm sure it's because I ride differently when I ride figure-8's (maybe I'm not able to get into a 'stuck' position with my legs and rein because I have to change rein all the time? preventing me from getting into a fight with him? idk). He didnt hold it for very long, since he is stiff on that side, but we managed almost a whole circle with a nice bend (until he got distracted by a giant YELLOW jeep parked by the ring lol). 

I also asked him for some flexes (his nose to my boot) on both sides. It took him a bit to get that since I wasnt puttng my leg on I didnt want him to turn on the fore, but once he got it he did really well. He flexes further and easier to the left than the right (which is not surprising at all) So I think I'll be incorporating those in my rides. Maybe 2 or 3 'sets' of one flex on both sides dispersed throughout the ride? (after warming up?) See if that helps any to limber up his right! 

The weather is back to warm and humid today (summer weather), so I took this chance to give him a full-body bath (just water) instead of just hosing off his legs. Afterwards I braided his mane while he was eating his hay (and took it out right after). Lesson learnt: if you make a running braid while your horses' head is down, when he lifts his head it will be all wobbly!! haha. (I cheated and took a picture while his head was down so it didnt look horrible xD)

Pictures from yesterday (except the braid one, that was today)


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

what's a 'liverpool'?


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

tinyliny said:


> what's a 'liverpool'?


This!! (might not actually be what the blue plastic thing is called, I'm pretty sure its what we call the jumps that have that (or actual water) under them though..)


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

oh. I see. I don't come from a jumping background, so I thought it was some kind of rain coat, with an English name, like the boots we sometimes call "Wellingtons".


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

So I havent really posted much in the past week, but then again, not a lot happened lol. We worked a bit on no-stirrup trotting (keep going as long as I can maintain my balance, then walk, rinse, change directions, and repeat). Did a bunch of figure-8s and circles and counterbend on the long side (to the right) as well as flexing 2-3 times a ride (Moros nose to my boot on both sides, hold 3-5 seconds, really as long as he wants to, if he asks to release earlier I let him to avoid overdoing it). We worked a bit on moving off my leg yesterday as well. 

Today I had a lesson and we started off with my trainer asking me to prove I worked on no-stirrup work... As trainers do lol. He made me trot around for about 10 minutes and then asked me to canter D: My legs hurt so much xD 

Then we went to jumping! We did a single jump on a diagonal a couple of times to warm up, and had to re-do it twice because I kept turning too tight and jumping it at an angle (oops). Then we went on to jumping an 80cm course: 

Vertical with plank (Moro hates the plank lol), 7 strides to a vertical, left turn to an oxer, 6 strides to a one-stride (vertical-oxer), right bend, around another jump to the oxer on the diagonal we used for warmup, left bend to a vertical, 4 big strides to an oxer, and then shorten for a tight 5 strides to the final vertical. 

The last line was pretty hard as Moro is hard to shorten once he gets going anyway, and this was after a galloping 4 to an oxer, and downhill, AND towards the door... We did great though, and it went up to 90cm. 

My trainer told me to ask for the leadchange over jumps by looking where we were turning to, and just slightly picking up the (new) inside rein. We did it again, got stuck after the oxer on the diagonal because I turned too early and ended up having to take an inside turn to avoid hitting a jump (with was set to like 1.30, we werent jumping that one xD) and had a horrible approach to the last line. We did it again and it went great this time, and we got all our leads on purpose!! 

Then the last line went up to 1 METER!!! We re-did the full course, but after FLYING over the 1m oxer I forgot to ask Moro to come back for te five strides, we went deep and dropped the pole on the last jump. So we did it again, the diagonal oxer (90 cm) left turn to the line at 1m, vertical, oxer, vertical. We just flew, with a nice forward gallop and the airtime over that oxer was the best feeling in the world. I didnt get Moro back quite enough, so we tapped the last pole again but it didnt fall so who cares right? xD 

YAY! We made it to the 1m mark!! (3'3 according to google). After our ride Moro got to stay outside in one of the little outside paddocks, with a flake (ok maybe i snuck him two haha) of hay and he got a carrot. I ride tomorrow and then, unless I can get a ride in on sunday, i wont ride until next thursday as I have a three-day work event at the beginning of next week


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

OH MAN, CONGRATS ON 1M! :mrgreen:



Luce73 said:


> My trainer told me to ask for the leadchange over jumps by looking where we were turning to, and just slightly picking up the (new) inside rein.


My trainer also says to put more weight in the outside leg so that the horse's outside side is heavier. It encourages the horse to reach with the other, more free shoulder for that inside lead. So if you're going over a fence and you want the left lead, you push more weight into your right heel.

Just my $0.02


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> OH MAN, CONGRATS ON 1M! :mrgreen:
> 
> 
> My trainer also says to put more weight in the outside leg so that the horse's outside side is heavier. It encourages the horse to reach with the other, more free shoulder for that inside lead. So if you're going over a fence and you want the left lead, you push more weight into your right heel.
> ...


Exactly! My trainer explained it by saying to look where I'm going and taking the inside rein + slightly putting on my outside leg, which has the same effect of moving the weight to the opposite stirrup


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

That is AWESOME on the 1 meter mark!!   That's great! So happy for you guys.  Glad you are doing well.
Keep it up! And he is just the cutest!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

So saturday I got to the barn to find the groom and the vet with Moro :/ He had been turned out at around 8 am, and by 10am all four of his legs had swollen up to about double their normal size. The vet said its probably an intoxication due to the dewormer hurting the liver in some way and making him more susceptible to that, combined with the amount of flies. He had also slipped in the washrack on thursday, so we figured that explained why his left hind was more swollen than the rest, he probably made a weird move there. The vet gave him a corticoid shot and then had me ride him to see if he was lame under saddle (he wasnt). She told me to exercise him normally but to hold off on jumping for a few days. 

I walked and trotted him around for about half an hour, in which he stopped to pee twice, and then put him back in his stall, where he peed again. The swelling had gone way down by then, and his legs were looking almost normal, except the left hind which remained a bit more swollen than the others, but was also a lot better. 

I went back in the afternoon to check on him and give him some carrots. We wrapped his legs with some wraps the groom had lying around from a horse that left the barn, since my polos are a fabric that tightens over time (I didnt know this, reasons why you shouldnt have your first horse at home lol). Apparently the excessive peeing is a normal effect from the corticoids, and nothing to worry about. 

On Sunday I stopped by the tackshop to buy him some wraps of his own and then I went back to the barn. Since it had been pouring rain all night and morning the barn was a giant mudpool, so I just handwalked him on the paths between the stalls (still outdoors, but asphalt, so a bit more dry). He was looking a lot better, only had some swelling left on the inside of the legs. I tried to pick his hooves and he was fine with me touching and picking up his legs, except that left hind, which he pulled away from me. I told the groom that it seemed like he was hurting there and he said he was just being an ***, and picked up his leg. Moro kept pulling it away so I do think he was hurting some, but not as bad as he did with me picking it up. The groom maintained that he was ok, I think partly so I wouldnt worry too much. Either way today he was fine with me touching and picking up that foot, so whatever it was seems resolved now. We wrapped him up again and left him to his hay. 

Today I went out early because I start work at 10, so I walked him in the pouring rain and got both of us soaking wet. But hey, the vet said to walk/exercise him every day to stimulate circulation in his legs, so thats what were gonna do! Halfway through our walk a horse they were shoeing got loose and knocked over a bunch of stuff in the shed, Moro spooked a bit at that, but stood like a pro when I told him 'Stand'. We stood quietly until they caught the horse again, even when he trotted up behind us in the aisle trying to get to his box (in front of us). We also had a little accident with a treebranch that hangs over the path (more of a twig really) that Moro fits under fine, but he decided to do a giraffe impression and say 'BUT MOM IF I CANT PASS HERE WITH MY HEAD IN THE AIR IM NOT PASSING AT ALL'. A bit of coaxing got him to give in and lower his head back to a normal position. He walked under it fine the rest of the time lol. I put him in his stall and gave him some hay. His groom is going to stop by later today to wrap him again (on his day off!! I will bake him a cake for looking after my pony so well! He volunteered to do this btw, I wouldnt ask that of him.) and the 'security guard', who is actually the barn handyman and works with the horses too, will put his blanket back on once his coat dries up from the rain. I will have to learn how to wrap his legs soon so I can do it in the future, but didnt want to risk making things worse by doing a crappy beginner wrap job. 

His legs looked pretty much back to normal today, which is good!! Hopefully it stays that way. The girl that leases him told me she used to wrap her horses' legs with wraps soaked in diluted vinegar and apparently that helps prevent swelling, has anyone heard of that? I will ask around before considering that seriously. Sounds like vinegar would be an irritant, and not sure if wrapping wet is a good idea? Any insights are welcome! 

For now the plan is to keep his legs wrapped when he's not working, and to make sure to always spray him with flyspray when he's loose outside. We also gave him another 3-day treatment with the liverprotector we had given him when we dewormed him. Hopefully we can prevent this from happening again!! Thankfully he didnt seem to be hurting or lame at any point <3 *knocks on wood*

edit: leg pictures and red polos are saturday (day 1) and blue polos are sunday (day 2)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Luckily my baby is all back to his normal self!! His legs are back to their normal size and since he was never lame in the first place we jumped in our lesson today  (The vet had said we could jump on saturday when he was all swollen up, but that for his comfort she recommended waiting until the swelling went down, she never said to rest his legs or anything, of course otherwise i wouldnt be jumping him). 

Whats more, after spending time with him on the ground, handwalking and grooming him the last few days, I now get greeted with a nicker and a cuddly nose <3 I feel like he suddenly cares a lot more that I'm around, rather than just tolerating me and acting interested when I have food. I might be imagining it of course, or maybe he was just particularly sweet today, but I felt more of a bond, and 'love' (or at least interest lol) from his side, than I ever have before. 

Our lesson went well. Due to the cold (its COLD out all of a sudden!) and not having been worked since last thursday (except 20 minutes of w/t on saturday), he was a little timebomb ticking away to a big explosion when I got on, so we redirected that energy in a nice forward trot and worked on not stiffening and sticking his nose to the outside in turns a bit. Just enough to get him working with me instead of against my aids. Since we were jumping he was in the leverage bit and not the snaffle, so lateral aids were not as subtle as I like them for bending work. 

After trotting for a while we took a walk break and then cantered him around a couple of laps. My trainer came in and asked how he was behaving, and when I said he was a little fresh, Moro decided to prove my point and did a spook-and-sprint in the far corner (next to the street, a car drove by *facepalm*). I managed to stay balanced and get him back within a few strides. My trainer said I handled it well, and after another two laps of canter Moro's tense spooky canter started to slow down to a normal rhythm. Once he was cantering like a normal horse we took a walk break. 

After walking for a couple of minutes to catch our breath (me more than Moro lol), we started over a small vertical at a trot (once on each hand) then at a canter. Then we jumped an oxer-six strides-vertical line, where we went in a little big, but that helped us get the six strides instead of making it a seven. 

Another walk break was followed by a two-stride (oxer-vertical) which we took at an angle because i miscalculated the turn, and I had to pull Moro right in the two strides to avoid hitting the left standard of jump #2. We made it over, but wayy on the left side. (I really need to learn to steer...). We then did a little course: 

Oxer - six strides to a vertical (away from the door) - turn left
Vertical - 5 strides to an oxer (towards the door) - turn right
Oxer - 7 strides to a vertical (away from the door) - rollback to the left, crossing the previous line
Vertical, perpendicular to the previous line - turn right
Oxer - 2 strides - vertical, parallel to the previous vertical. 

The first time around Moro left out a stride at the first oxer and I got jumped out of the tack a bit, but managed to get organized again before jump #2. 

The second time I was starting to get tired in my legs, which causes me to tense up when jumping and lean forward/stay up out of the saddle between jumps, causing me to not be able to ride effectively. After jump #4 we landed on the wrong lead, and my trainer told me to do a simple change, but due to the fact that I was not balanced I couldnt get Moro back, and we ended up with a crappy canter to the huge oxer at #5. Moro jumped it BIG, because he's a saint and puts up with my inability to ride properly  I slipped my reins and got thrown off balance, and wasnt able to get my reins and seat back in time for jump #6, so I circled and earned another lecture from my trainer. Got chewed out pretty good today, but I totally deserved it. 

We did it one more time and I remembered to sit back this time. We still missed our leads a couple of times, which apparently we're going to be working on consistently now (my trainer just explained how to ask for them over jumps a couple of weeks ago, so I wasnt focused on it too much yet), but we got around slightly nicer-looking now. Then we called it a day. My trainer told me some more how important it is that I ride without stirrups A LOT when I'm not jumping, so apparently the no-stirrup work Ive been doing so far hast paid off yet. Oh well, fun times ahead! lol. 

After I walked him for a few laps until he dried up (he was a bit sweaty on his neck) and then untacked him, hosed the mud off his legs (up to the knee), and brushed the dried sweat off his coat so it wouldnt rub under his blanket. He was still a bit damp in the saddle area, and his legs werent dry yet after hosing them off, so his groom will wrap and blanket him in a while. a GIANT truck of new shavings was delivered today, so Moro gets a completely CLEAN bed today! Yay! They clean his stall every day of course, and add some new shavings in with the old ones, but they only replace all the shavings once a month or so. Once they doo it looks SO comfy, it makes me want to lie down there lol. Of course the first thing Moro does in there is pee xD 

Saturday is another mock show, though it seems this one is going to be set up more like an actual show. We're gonna do the 70 and 80cm courses. I have Moro to myself the rest of the week as the other girl has gone home to her town for easter. 

We're going to keep wrapping his legs as a standard now, but I'm happy to report he's all back to his old self!! I love this pony <3


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Dont post or say that your horse is 100% now, because within half an hour you'll receive a call from the BM that theyre calling the vet out...  

I got a call last wednesday, literally half an hour after posting here, that Moro's nose was bleeding and they were calling the vet out. I went back to the barn, and by the time I got there they had cleaned him up, and the bleeding had stopped (luckily). They told me it hadnt been a massive amount of blood, more like a little trickle, and only from the right nostril. The vet had given orders to keep an eye on him and keep his head up until she got there, so he was tied in his box. His ex-owner then told me his nose bled several times while they had him, after exercise, but since it had always just been a little bit, and it had stopped on its own, they hadnt paid any attention to it. After talking a bit to them and the groom I went back home since I was supposed to be working (i work from home), and the vet wasnt going to make it out until 6-7 pm since she was in Buenos Aires (50km away). We texted the vet so she could let me know when she was en-route so I could be there when she arrived. 

The vet never saw that message, so at 6 I got two separate calls (one from the groom, one from the BM) to tell me the vet had arrived. I jumped in a taxi, but with rush hour and the long weekend starting it took me half an hour to get to the barn. When I got there Moro was standing in front of his box, clearly sedated, and the vet and the groom were standing by him talking. When I arrived the vet took her time to explain what she had done, what she had found and how we were gonna solve it. 

She had done an endoscopy into his nose, and seen that the blood seemed to originate from the guttural pouch. She hadnt been able to enter the guttural pouch to see what was causing the bleeding since her endoscope was too thick to pass through the entrance (apparently a special, thinner, one is needed to enter there). She said the other vet in the area has one she can use if we end up needing it, but that for now we're going to proceed with treatment, since blood originating from the guttural pouch is a 99.9% chance of a fungal plaque weakening an artery in there. She said going in with an endoscope is not something she likes to do before trying treatment for the fungal plaque, as it is a bit more risky than a normal endoscopy, due to the arteries running through there. 

I had googled possible causes all afternoon, and according to the internet this was the most severe possible cause, so i was freaking out by this point. I told her that I had seen that it was resolved by going in and purposely clotting up that artery (since there is another artery that brings blood/oxygen to the same places, this can usually be done without causing further problems) to avoid the horse bleeding out if the artery ends up breaking/bursting (google made it sound like a death sentence unless we operated immediately). She laughed and asked if I had ever googled why i might have a headached and found out I had at least 3 different types of cancer. She then told me not to google anymore because it was just going to scare me. She took her time really explaining and drawing out what was going on, and told me she has had at least 30 cases like this in her lifetime as an equine vet (she's like 70) and 25 were ok after the first set of meds and treatment, and the other 5 she had to go in with the other endoscope and give them another treatment, but they were fine after that too. 

She prescribed Moro 3 meds, and asked me to take blood and manure samples in to the lab the next day. Its an intramuscular injection, a intravenous injection and a powder that we have to give him orally. (I'll check later what its all called and post, I dont have the papers around now). She said to work him lightly walk/trot until we finish the treatment, and she has seen him again. She said the bleeding should only occur when he starts breathing heavy so to avoid working him so hard that happens. Kind of like how our nose/throat can hurt if we run in cold weather, while being fine if we walk at a normal pace. She gave me a ride home and said she wasnt entirely happy with Moro's condition (he's still on the thin side and has no topline), so we'd use the lab results to see if there's anything we can do about that as well. 

Thursday I took the samples in and picked up the meds, then I rode him for about half an hour, mostly walk, with a few circles of trot, where I tried out something I had read about asking a horse to come on the bit, put on leg, close outside hand for 3 seconds, and use the inside hand only to ask for bend if he looses it. It felt a lot more calm and clear than the pumping the reins with both hands one after the other ALL the time my trainer told me to do (it may be he explained it like that as a first step to getting Moro chewing on the bit, i dont know, but my trainer isnt big on dressage, so reading helps). This new method made moro drop his head and use his back (more) right away, and even though we only held it for one circle, it was nowhere near the fight it usually is to keep him there. I'm pretty sure with the old method he just curled his neck in, without engaging his back, because this felt like floating on a cloud. 

We walked most of the ride, and only had 3 short trots of 1-3 20m circles at a time, but after our ride Moro's nose was bleeding again (it started after the ride, when he put his head down to eat hay, though that probably means it started before but didnt make it down his nose until he put his head down). It was just a little trickle, and actually put me at ease a bit, as I had imagined him bleeding all over the place the day before. I called the vet to be sure and she told me it was probably not all healed up from the day before yet, so it was normal, and to just keep working him as I was, walk with some trot. 

The groom and I agreed, with the vet's blessing, that since Friday was a holiday for him, we would start treatment on saturday so he didnt have to come in specifically. (He still came in specifically yesterday on easter, and he's gonna be there today at noon, while the barn is closed and monday is his day off, he's the best and earned some fresh baked cinnamon rolls yesterday). 

Friday I went out and saddled up myself (called a friend who's very experienced over just to check if I hadnt messed anything up before mounting, and all was fine). I only walked Moro around for about 30 minutes, no trot, to try and avoid him bleeding again, and luckily that worked! After untacking I put his blanket on, and asked the same friend for help wrapping his legs, since the groom had explained it to me the day before, but I was afraid to do it too tight or too loose and screw up the pony's legs. She did both fronts, helped me start the left hind, and then I finished the left hind and did the right as well (with her watching). 

On saturday I arrived at the ban around 11, and we gave Moro the meds. The groom showed me where the muscle and the vein are, and how to measure in what area of muscle you can poke and how to tell if you've hit the vein. He then gave Moro his shots, and we gave him the oral powder as well. Moro was an angel through all that poking, especially since both the vet and the groom told me he doesnt like being poked and can act up sometimes! He just stood quietly, only pinning his ears slightly when the groom moved the needle around a bit to find the vein. 

The groom then asked me if I had wrapped Moro's legs the day before, and when I said I did with help from the friend, he said to never ever do it again. His front legs (the ones I didnt do) had been wrapped a tad too tight, and he had a touch of heat on his tendons. Nothing bad, I walked him around, and did a little circle of trot here and there (the queue to come on the bit worked again! cant wait to play around with that more when he gets better) to wake him up (he was sleepwalking) and then hosed his legs with cold water for a good 10 minutes before putting him up. We're leaving the wraps off for a few days, but he was all good yesterday (sunday). 

Yesterday i got to the barn really early as the groom had the day off and was going to come in at 8.30 just to give Moro his shots. Moro was a good boy through it all. We gave the shots on the opposite side of the neck this time, and will be alternating to avoid irritating the muscle and 'hardening' (whats this called in english?) the vein. 

I then took Moro out to the grassy park behind the barn in-hand on a lunge line, and let him graze, and worked a bit on paying attention to me while leading. Lots of backing, standing and we even did some in-hand trotting, which was cool  I then hosed his legs off again (just in case, the groom had declared them fine already), put on his blanket, gave him some hay and waited a bit to see if he wasnt bleeding before going home for easter brunch. 

Now I have to go to the lab to pick up the results, and then to the barn to meet the groom to give Moro his meds. I'll keep you guys posted on his progress.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that about Moro. :sad: I hope he recovers smoothly, yes please keep us posted on his progress. Poor boy.
I'm glad you still got to spend time with him & keep him company though. Glad he was a good boy with the shots.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks @PoptartShop. 

He was grumpy today, and when I untied him for his shots he noticed what was going on and started blowing loudly through his nose and curling his neck lol. He was still a good boy, though he tried to move his head around and there was a lot of ear pinning as the needle went in. The groom got it done quick and clean though, so hopefully he'll be calmer tomorrow. 

His hindleg was a bit swollen again (the vet warned that the meds might cause this), but my polo wraps were in the tackroom which is closed on mondays and noone at the barn today had the key. So we're back to wrapping tomorrow, hopefully he doesnt swell up too much more. 

I also picked up the results from the lab and while some things were just outside the 'normal range' they put behind the numbers, I dont know if any of those things mean something bad (sometimes things fall out of the normal range for normal reasons) so I'm not going to google and make assumptions lol. I sent a picture of the results to my vet to see what she thinks.


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Awww man, you know what they say: when it rains, it pours. First his legs, now the nosebleeds... poor guy and poor you! Sounds like you're doing all the right things, though. Hopefully that first set of meds will do the trick for him.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Today I went out to give the pony his meds and ride him around a bit at a walk/trot. We gave him his meds (he was a ****y snorting beast, but technically stood still, even though his head was flopping up and down in protest for a bit), and then I went to change into my breeches and was about to start tacking up when I got a message from the girl that leases him that she was going to make it out today. (She has been away for 2+ weeks, and had told me she was going to be away until friday, but made it back early. Tuesday is technically her day). I decided to leave the pony alone and let her ride him in the afternoon. 

On the way home the vet called me, and said she wants me to go back to riding him normally (yay!) to see if the treatment fixed things. Today the lease girl is going to ride him, so I am going to wait with going back to normal exercise until tomorrow so I'm there to see how he does and relay that info to the vet. She also commented on his lab results and said everything looks great (the 'normal range' values are for racehorses in training, since the lab usually tests those LOL, no wonder he scores below normal range xD). He does have a low red bloodcell count so she's going to give me some supplements to give him to help with that, and she's going to talk to the groom about his diet to get his weight up some more. Things seem to be looking up *knocks on wood*. 

I'm leaving for the US in less than 2 weeks, and the groom told me he'll send me updates through whatsapp, but I really hope the pony decides he's done being broken for now, I hate the idea of going away when he's not ok!! (again, knock on wood before I jinx this thing)

Tomorrow is the last day of treatment! Then we only have to keep giving the intramuscular one for another 5 times, every other day. The pony will be happy the poking is almost over (or at least reduced lol) 

For completeness' sake, here's what he was getting: 
EB365 - 10cc intramuscular daily for 5 days, then every other day until finishing the bottle (100 cc, so 10 dosis total)
Cumiodine - 10cc in the vein, daily Until finishing the bottle (I have to call the vet about this, not sure what size bottle she wanted me to buy, the one I have contains 10 doses but they had a smaller one (5 dosis) too)
Griseofulvina - powder to give orally daily for 5 days


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Happy things are starting to look up for him, poor boy has been through a lot! :sad: Hopefully when the lease girl rides him it goes well.
He is super cute.  The meds better kick in & yes, things better keep looking up!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Yesterday the lease girl rode him normally and this morning after giving him his meds I rode him. So far so good! We did quite a bit of trot (no stirrups for me!!) and then had a lovely canter both ways. Moro was kind of nervous, but the excess energy from being 'stalled' (and walked but that doesnt really help him burn energy lol) really helped him stay in front of my leg. We managed to channel that energy into some lovely 'through the back' trotting, and even managed to keep that feeling through our trot-canter-trot transitions! (He stills dumps on the forehand when I ask for walk though, gotta work on that one). 

I finally figured out a good seat for no-stirrup and sitting trot, thanks to a youtube channel I've been watching (she talks a lot but makes a lot of sense of things I never really understood! I need a trainer like this!) Turns out I was gripping with my thighs and then wasnt ever able to hold it for longer than one lap at a time because my thighs tired out and cramped up and just generally HURT. I really liked how she explains to 'plug in' to your horse (like in Avatar!) and think of it more as a side-to-side motion (one seatbone down, then the other). That combined with turning my pelvis lightly forward and really concentrating on letting my legs hang LOOSE and I managed to hold it for 4-5 laps (i lost count lol) And then I still wasnt really tired, but it was time to give Moro a walkbreak and change directions lol. We did the same thing the other way and even did a bit of canter with no stirrups, but since I'm not so good at that (yet) Moro kept falling back to a trot (think trotter with a sulky speed + unbalanced) which makes me bounce all over and forced me to pull him up to walk or halt to get organized again. We'll work on canter later LOL. 











After warming up with no stirrups (Moro was already coming over his back more at the trot than he usually does, probably because he wasnt having to brace against my bouncy seat lol) we trotted some more and I asked him to come on the bit. He did stretch down a bit more and used his back, and was responsive to my aids, but he was quite heavy in my hands, I think because I was riding him in the elevator/leverage bit (precaution after having him stalled for a week lol), and he tends to brace down against that. 

We have also found a solution for the pushing-right-shoulder-out, using my right rein if I make a 'turn the key' kind of motion (turning my hand so my thumb is on the right and my fingers are pointing up) he immediately brings his shoulder back in and straightens out. It's just a correction move, i dont have to hold it in that position, its like a halfhalt the other way. Yay for internet research paying off! 

So riding-wise we're really making a lot of progress, and we have the all-clear from the vet to start jumping again tomorrow! He's done with the powder he had to take orally, and both injections are now every other day until next saturday. 

Fingers crossed things keep on this track! (if they do there _might _be a show next saturday... )


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> We gave him his meds (he was a ****y snorting beast, but technically stood still, even though his head was flopping up and down in protest for a bit)


Ezhno was like this when I had to give him bute orally at the start of his lameness. Now if he's even slightly suspicious that I might have something to force down his throat he sticks his head straight up into the air so that I can't reach it, LOL

Glad to hear that Moro's feeling better!

And mastering the sitting trot is definitely counter-intuitive. You feel like you should be trying to hold yourself in the saddle with your thighs/calves, when what you really should be doing is loosening up through your hip and stretching your leg down for balance. Sometimes when I get off balance at the seated trot I still have the urge to clamp up, so I really have to focus on loosening up and stretching whenever I feel like I might be getting into trouble. It's hard, but it's one of my favorite things to work on!

Hope you guys make it to the show, but if not nbd. You're doing great!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> Ezhno was like this when I had to give him bute orally at the start of his lameness. Now if he's even slightly suspicious that I might have something to force down his throat he sticks his head straight up into the air so that I can't reach it, LOL


Haha, Moro is fine with the oral stuff actually! He actually likes it, not sure why LOL. He just hates the poking needles, poor baby! 

And yes it takes a lot of conciously trying to loosen up through my hips/legs. Especially since I trained myself to hold myself in the saddle with my thighs and though that was the right way for the longest time, so its a habit now. The good news is that once I get that supple looseness through your legs I can actually sit his big 'normal' trot, rather than only his tiny prancey jog  We'll get there, definitely lots of practice ahead! 

-

I forgot to mention we cut his tail today, as it was so long he was stepping on it. I'm going to have to go out to buy some shampoo so I can wash it because its YELLOW (eww) Any tips for washing a white tail are welcome (i hear ketchup is good?? I wonder if thats because of the vinegar..)


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> Haha, Moro is fine with the oral stuff actually! He actually likes it, not sure why LOL. He just hates the poking needles, poor baby!


Needles are fine for my guy, he just gives you a blank look (then again, he's pretty good at ignoring pinching/poking/jabbing with elbows/etc. in general, he's a brute). Doesn't hurt that the past few times he's gotten a needle poked in him it's been sedatives that made him feel _mighty_ good. :razz:


Luce73 said:


> I forgot to mention we cut his tail today


Where I'm from this sentence is heart attack inducing, LOL. It's like... a cardinal sin to cut a tail at my barn. We all routinely wrap tails year round and then unveil them for show season. ANYWAYS. We usually use Quic Silver shampoo (it's purple!), leave it on for like 10 minutes and then rinse and boom, white. Not sure if it's available in your area, though?


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Lol we just cut about 5cm off the bottom cause it was so long he kept stepping on it and the bottom was really uneven We didnt cut it all off dont worry!! haha. Quick silver is not available here i think, were gonna try with common dish soap! If the weather is ok ill get to that on sunday  

The vet prescribed 2 more injections (in the vein) and Red Cell (i think ive seen that mentioned on here before?) orally to get his red blood cell count up and get him feeling a bit better. My trainer said not to get him that and not to feed him more because he gets hot when he's feeling good and will be harder to ride. Whatever, i want my pony to be ok physically, if that makes him hard to ride im gonna have to learn to be a better rider. I get not feeding him lots of oats and other hot calories, but im not gonna leave him untreated if he needs vitamins. That comment really rubbed me the wrong way, but since there arent really any other trainer options right now im just going to ignore it and do my thing as far as care goes! He can tell me how to ride and that i will listen to! 

Im gonna call the vet today to see if we can start that treatment when im back from the US so im around in case anything comes up, and so we're not increasing his energy levels while he's out of work (the other girl will come and ride him but she only comes 2-3 times a week). Its not a super urgent thing so that might work out better. 

Yesterday i warmed him up and walked him around for an hour and a half while waiting for my trainer (i arrived early and his lesson before mine ran late). We popped a few warm-up jumps and did a small 5-stride oxer to vertical line once on each hand and then called it a day. 

Today we had a lovely ride, the weather is gorgeous. Moro was very well behaved, if a bit tense (still getting him to calm down after being out of work for a week). He refused to canter, getting into a powertrot (and not slowing down when i asked him) so he earned a smack with the crop. Of course that then scared the crap out of him and we ended up on the other side of the arena with him soaked in sweat (he only sweats when he's nervous, i can jump him for a whole lesson without a drop, and he spooks at somethig and hes drenched). I swear i didnt smack him hard lol. After that he gave me perfect trot-canter transitions when i asked for it (on the cue, not 3 strides later like he usually does!) I rode for about an hour total, with a lot of walk, and walked him out until he dried up. then he got a bath and got to dry out in the sun while munching on a carrot. 

I'm gonna miss his face!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

ITS SO COLD! 

Temperatures dropped overnight and its FREEZING here (well actually its around 10C but shhhh  ). 

I went out early this morning to pick up my cinch which I took to be shortened, and then stopped by the vetshop to pick up the supplements for Moro. One of the injections was out of stock so I'll have to go back later for that. 

I talked to the vet yesterday and we're starting this new treatment after I'm back, so after May 21st. Mostly because it's not urgent to treat it, and the treatment will give Moro a lot of extra energy, so it just doesnt make much sense to have him stalled up during all that. I asked the vet about dosis and what to give when, and we can give both injections at the same time, same needle, different syringe (to only have to ***** him once), every other day. One of the injections has the effect that it will make him pretty hyper, forward and strong (and if I know my horse, spooky), so if we notice he gets hard to handle we are lowering the dose to 1 or 2 times a week. Its only 5 doses total of each of those though, so he should be fine. If he really gets out of hand we can consider (have to talk to the vet again but she said it was an option) putting him on a special feed that will up his weight without making him hot. That doesnt help with the anemia i think though. 

I also asked her what could cause Moro to be sweating so much since we started riding him again. He comes out of every ride soaked from his flanks to his poll, and even the back of his hindlegs. (and im not riding him any harder than i was before). She said none of the meds we're giving him could cause that, and that its probably due to the fact that he is in poor condition, but it didnt happen before the whole nosebleed thing. She said it might be that his winter coat came in now that temperatures dropped, but that if it keeps happening we can do a full set of tests when I get back. I asked the groom about it and he said most horses are having that problem this week because wintercoats are coming in, so it might just be that. The vet also mentioned it might be a lack of salts, so I threw a saltlick in my amazon cart xD (the total list has surpassed $700 worth of horse stuff, oops)

The footing was horrible today from all the rain we had last night so we just did some walk-trot until Moro calmed down from his 'I've been stabled for TWO DAYS' high. The other girl that rides him couldnt make it out yesterday and I went out early in the morning to hold him for his shots, but then had to leave because IM LEAVING ON SUNDAY AND OH **** PREPARATIONS!

If the arena dries up a bit we're supposed to be jumping tomorrow with my trainer, though at this point I'm ok with just a ride too, as today Moro was pretty high-energy from being stalled since sunday, and I couldnt really work him in the mudpool that was the arena today. Plus jumping makes him even more hyper. We'll see how he is tomorrow and I'll decide then if I'm brave enough to point him at a jump like this LOL.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Had a lovely lesson today! I warmed Moro up at a nice trot without stirrups and am happy to report I seem to have figured out the secret to sitting the trot without stirrups! Yay! It's so comfy actually, I love it now xD 

My trainer arrived a bit later and we cantered Moro a bit to get the crazies out (though there were no crazies today! but sometimes they dont show up until we start jumping so we do prevention canterlaps just in case lol). The arena was still pretty crappy, making it pretty tiring for Moro to keep going, and pretty tiring for me to keep him in a good rhythm. My trainer yelled 'MORE CANTER' and just then Moro spooked at another horse that spooked on the opposite side of the arena and took off, so once I got him back under control I asked if that was enough canter and we had a good laugh. 

We took a walkbreak and I talked to my trainer about getting some bellboots for Moro (since I'm ordering stuff anyway lol), and he agreed thats a good idea since Moro has a tendency to overreach (especially when he's being lazy and on the forehand and doesnt pick up his front feet quick enough). I also told him the plan we made with the vet to start him on the supplements once im back. My trainer will make sure he gets out when the other girl cant come, either on the lunge or my trainers daughter will take him out for a bit of walk/trot. 

We started by jumping a little vertical, first at a trot, then a canter. Then we did an oxer twice (Fun fact: this oxer is babypink and babyblue and its the most hideous thing I've ever seen, one of the stablehands painted it that way because a group of girls at the barn kept saying we needed a pink jump. Its so ugly and doesnt match with any of the other jumps LOL). After that, and jumping a single line oxer-vertical we did the full course. 

Oxer-5 strides-vertical away from the door, right hand turn to a vertical-7 strides-oxer, left turn to a onestride (oxer-vertical)-6 strides -vertical, right turn to a vertical-oxer towards the door. Total of 9 jumps. 

Our first time around went REALLY well, the only comment my trainer had was to ask for the correct lead on landing. We agreed that I can practice asking for the change over a tiny crossrail when I'm riding alone, so I will be incorporating leadchange training once a week once I get back. Right now I can ask Moro for the left lead over a jump but he will ignore me when I ask for the right lead, which is his stickier lead and stiffer side anyway, so that makes sense. 

We then went again, trying to ask for the leads, and went around really well except at one oxer where we somehow left a stride out, but were both fine. When we jumped the last jump my trainer yelled to keep going and do it again, so we circled back to jump #1 and did it again. We went around wonderfully, I never felt out of control even though we had a pretty strong canter going, Moro was easy to bring back, and easy to open up, and we got all our distances (ok maybe we got a slightly smaller last stride a couple of times, but nothing awkward!) on the first fence of the last line Moro stumbled on landing, and for a second I saw us both flying into the dirt. Luckily he recovered and I managed to use the next 3 strides to pick my reins back up and we managed to jump the last fence just fine  After that we just walked until Moro was breathing calmly and mostly dried up, and then I took him to untack, hosed the mud off his hooves and put him in his box. 

We're almost done with the nosebleed treatment, we finished one bottle today (the intramuscular one) and have only one dosis left of the intravenous one. Last pinch for a couple of weeks on saturday! Poor pony is getting sick of being prodded lol.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I had the BEST holidays in NYC, and met some supercool people up in Lake Placid at my company event. In NYC I got to meet Sara Bareilles and Laura Osnes (OMG!! Still freaking out about that!) And totally fell in love with the city to the point of bawling when we walked over Times Square on our last night there (ok so maybe I was a *little* drunk lol). Can't wait to go back someday <3 

I also earned some very weird looks when i told the hotel clerk that yes all 9 of thos packages were for me, and yes they contained stuff for my horse... oops, I might have overdone it a little bit... haha

Here's what I bought: 

Saddle Pad (Green and Gold because it was PRETTY!)
Lunge Line (because it might be useful if I learn how to lunge, sometime...) 
Adjustable Halfpad (because I didnt have one and was using an old one that we found lying around the barn that had the flocking worn down in some places)
10' lead (purple and black...)
Fleece Sheet (purple...)
Polo Wraps (purple...)
Halter (purple - because I needed everything to combine, and yes, thats totally a valid reason)
Veredus Front Boots...
... and the hindboots too (because the boots we were using were small for him!)
A new bridle (because the bridle the leassee brought to use with the elevator bit broke)
Bell boots  (because the pony knocks his fronts with his hinds)

Ok so I think everyone is happy there's no amazon in Argentina xD To be serious for a second though, everything was so cheap over there that I had to take advantage of that. Plus there is a LOT more choice! 

Of course afterwards I ended up paying a visit to Manhattan Saddlery and found their Bargain corner... I might need therapy xD I picked up some awesome breeches, a competition shirt and a long-sleeved shirt for schooling. Oh and some fingerless gloves. 

This morning I finally got to see the pony again! He looked so good and was very well behaved! I arranged to switch days with the girl that leases him so I can ride tomorrow, since wednesday (usually my day) I have to go to Buenos Aires for a meeting, and I didnt wanna wait till thursday to get back in the saddle! 

Attached is a picture of my handsome pony in his slightly-large-but-itll-do new sheet, and his new halter! I got everything in purple this time to match the blanket I got him before I left  More pictures to come


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

So glad to hear everything has been going well! 
He is so cute in his new sheet. Can't wait to see more pictures! Buying new stuff is so much fun!!!  So exciting. Love it!


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## seabiscuit91 (Mar 30, 2017)

I just found your journal! am loving it! Moro is so handsome!

I went to NYC last year, I totally understand the NEED to KEEP shopping!   
Sounds like you got HEAPS! I'm in Australia, and everything is waaaay more expensive here as well!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

seabiscuit91 said:


> I just found your journal! am loving it! Moro is so handsome!


Thank you! I know, he's just the cutest <3 

--

I went out to the barn to ride this morning, and when Moro's groom saw me coming with my bags full of stuff he laughed at me. He agreed it was a good thing that I took advantage of the low prices though. That is, until I started unpacking the bags, apparently I bought brands that are considered 'super expensive fancy stuff' here. The jumping boots I bought are of a brand that only one other person uses at my barn and that dude is a pro with top horses. He laughed once Moro was decked out in his fancy new stuff and said the stuff was worth more than the horse. I had to politely disagree with him there LOL. (Hey, it wasnt that expensive!! Just maybe the jumping boots... the rest was under 30usd a piece!) 

Everything luckily fit Moro well, and after giving him some Acedan and tacking up, we were ready to ride. We decided to give him a bit of Acedan to take the edge off as he had been stalled for the past 5 days and he's hot if he's stalled ONE day, so both groom and trainer told me it was that or get thrown in the mud. From what I heard the girl that leases him only went out twice and didnt let anyone know she wasnt going the rest of the time :/ Kinda ****ed about that because it means Moro basically ended up stalled for 2 weeks (and I had asked her before I left how often she was gonna go and she said she'd go out 4-5 times a week minimum, otherwise I would have asked someone else to take him out on 'my' days). Another girl took him out a couple of times (on my trainers' orders, I knew he might ask her so that was fine), but used my saddle, which I also wasnt too happy about, but ok. Told everyone not to let other people use my saddle anymore (horses are all built pretty much the same here, all saddles fit all horses at the barn, with exception of the two ponies, saddles dont actually come in different 'horse' sizes, just seatsize, so no reason to use mine), and I'll just have to hope the girl that leases him will let someone know if she isnt gonna make it out from now on so the poor pony doesnt stay locked in.

We had a super nice ride though, he looked SUPER cute in his new stuff (didnt get a picture unfortunately) and he seemed to really like the fit with the new halfpad, was stretching down and rounding up almost on his own. Getting behind the bit every now and then ('curling') so we're gonna work on that, but he was a really good boy! We did a bit of no-stirrup sitting trot which was surprisingly easy after such a long break, and I asked for some transitions walk-trot-walk, and was getting such nice and prompt answers, without alling on the forehand that I decided to push my luck and see if I could get a walk-canter. I got two strides of trot and then canter but HEY that's closer than we've ever gotten! And he stayed really nice and balanced through it too!! 

Friday I'm jumping him in a lesson, next weekend (3-4 june) there's a show, but we'll see if we're ready to jump in that by then. The pony got a carrot and I cleaned out my 'mess bag (which has all my stuff except my tack) and took home his old halter, wraps and saddle pad to wash and save them until needed again. I also convinced the groom that 'save the jumping boots for competition because theyre too nice for everyday use' wasnt gonna help protect Moro's legs, especially since I compete maybe 3 times a year xD So we'll be using them for daily flatwork (on the front) and for jumping (front and hind). 

I'll go out on thursday, even though its a holiday here and the barn will likely be closed (so no access to tack), I'm thinking of bringing my new lungeline (which is still at home as i dont lunge him ever) and take him out for a walk, maybe work on some groundwork and then let him graze a bit.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I woke up to pouring rain yesterday, so I had to wait until it stopped raining about 10am to hop on my bike and ride over to the barn. I had pretty much given up on getting a ride in with how wet the arena must have gotten, but figured I'd go and at least take Moro out on the lunge for a bit, or let him loose in the small arena. Of course 15 minutes into my 25 minute commute to the barn, the rain started pouring again and I arrived soaked from top to toe. I ended up just hiding out under the overhang for about 45 minutes, and then I fixed Moro's blanket which had shifted to one side, threw him some hay, and raced back home when it stopped raining for a bit. 

This morning I had an early lesson, and found Moro already tacked up for me (such great service! ), so I just threw on my boots and got on. I walked him about halfway around the arena and then started trotting. The arena was wet, but not too muddy, that is to say the ground was pretty firm, not the crazy sucking vacuum mud we sometimes get. I trotted without stirrups for a bit while waiting for my instructor, and when he arrived he told me to in the future not do sitting trot/no stirrups in my warmup, so Moro's back muscles warm up first. I guess that makes sense, though I dont know how that would work out if you ride bareback  I'll make sure I do a few laps of posting first in the future. 

We did a bit of canter on each hand, Moro was nice and forward, and we were getting really nice trot-canter transitions (and back!). Then we walked while my trainer set up a vertical for us. 

I asked about clipping Moro's wintercoat, as the groom had asked me if I wanted him to do that and I said I'd ask my trainer. He said it wasnt necessary at all, as long as we make sure not to leave him standing with a wet blanket after work. We're gonna be using the new fleece sheet for him to dry up under, and then switch it to his normal blanket once he's dry. 

We jumped the vertical a couple of times, at a nice forward canter. After my trainer moved it up a couple of times it ended up at about 90cm. Then we did a single line vertical-5 strides-oxer, we got in 6 strides, but got a nice distance. We then continued with a course of that 5 stride, rollback to the left to a one stride (oxer-vertical) and then a rollback to the right to a 6 stride with 2 verticals towards the door. We went around three times in all, with walkbreaks in between, and the last line ended up looking HUGE (though it probably wasnt that big lol). We go through pretty nicely, even galloped around at a pretty high tempo once after my trained yelled at me to get a move on and I tapped Moro with my crop before going to hte first jump, that really woke him up and we had a nice fly-around the course, but with me in control and him still being adjustable, we managed nice distances at speed!! I also seem to have gotten better at keeping my wieght in the saddle, which calms Moro down, and at looking where I'm going. I dont know if its the new halfpad balancing my saddle better or my time off his back resetting some of my bad habits, but I feel much more balanced since I got back  

We've come to the conclusion that to avoid Moro not getting out at all, I will ride or lunge him early in the mornings on the days that the girl that leases him is supposed to come out (since she doesnt show up 3 out of 4 times, and doesnt let anyone know). I'll just take him out for some light walk/trot, and then if she wants to rie him in the afternoon that's fine, but if she doesnt show at least he wont be locked in a stall all day (and giving me a hard time the day after because he has too much pent-up energy). This is especially going to be important now that we're going to be starrting him on vitamins and red cell next week to get his fitness and red bloodcell count up, the vet warned me that he will likely get pretty hot with that anyways, so regular exercise will be even more of a must than it is now. 

With a bit of help from the weather there will be a small show at my barn next saturday, and my trainer said today that we are more than ready to participate in the 80cm and 90cm divisions! Whoo! A pretty big step since the last real show (not counting the mock show where we did a 70-80 round with mixed heights) we jumped 70


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Went out around 10.30 yesterday, and arrived to find the bag that holds my boots/helmets and other stuff to have a nice layer of Hepatoral in the bottom >.> Had to wash everything off and put it out to dry in the sun, and then it still smelled! The bottle wasnt closed right, even though it was standing up, but it probably fell over at some point and then leaked out of the plastic bag it was in afterwards. 

Brushed Moro and cleaned out his hooves (Any tips for teaching him not to kick when cleaning out his hindfeet? He will pick them up, but then he will do a sort of slow motion cow kick/try to pull it away from you before holding them still.. It isnt a huge bother if you know he's gonna do it, but its annoying lol) Then tacked him up and got on. 

We took it pretty easy, warmed up with some trot, then did some walk-trot transitions (he earned a smack with the crop behind my leg when he pretended he didnt know what forward meant, silly pony. So we worked on transitions to get him listening to my aids better) Then did some transitions within the trot, and moved on to trot-canter transitions and shortening and lengthening the canter. He did really well with those for a while, but then he got excited and started running through my aids, so we went back too a walk for a bit and then tried one more walk-trot-lengthen trot-shorten trot-canter-hand gallop-canter-shorten canter even more-trot-walk sequence, where he listened very well. I then walked him out for a few laps and got off. 

Untacked, hosed off his feet (just the hooves cause it was COLD, but his feet were muddy), put on his blanket and let him loose in his stall. I went to clean my tack (since it was after 11 on a sunday, the tackroom guy had left for the day), and noticed it had a lot of sweaty buildup, especially on my cinch, so I'm going to have to be more vigilant about how well they clean it. It is also due for oiling (starting to squeak a little bit while posting) so I will buy some oil this week and give it a rub down next sunday. 

After cleaning everything up and putting together my new bridle with my snaffle bit I threw Moro some hay and went home  

I'm very happy with how Moro is doing lately, he's very responsive to my aids, he seems more balanced (not running into the canter, and coming to a nice trot when transitioning down from a canter), and his transitions are almost instant now, I can ask for canter with my seat and a bit of leg and he will go right into it, same with trot once he wakes up a little lol. He also stretches down and into the bit every now and then, and will hold a nice head/neck position at a trot, which comes paired with his trot feeling bigger (not faster) and 'floatier' so I'm assuming he's also using his back better when he does that. I need to ask someone to look at it from the ground and tell me. 

I feel like we are a lot more 'connected' in a way, than we used to be. He's listening better and I'm better at asking. Not sure where that came from, but I have always been the sort of person who suddenly improves after taking a break from practicing things (since I was little, and not just with horses), so that might be part of it. I'm pretty sure the new saddlepad and halfpad make him more comfortable too, so that probably helps a lot as well  I'm excited to see how we do at the show next week! I hope we can hold on to this phase of connection until after xD (Knowing my luck it will be there until the morning of the show and then it'll all fall apart lol)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Just had a quick walk-trot ride this morning, to make sure he gets out in case the other girl doesnt show this afternoon. We started a tiny bit on turns on the hind end, he gets really confused ad tries to swing his butt over to turn on the fore, so I tried to block that by moving my outside leg back a bit. If he moved his hind he got to move back into his original position. If he moved his front (just one step for now) he got lots of praise and he got to move off and stop having to try to figure out what I wanted for a bit. 

After our ride I worked a tiny bit on leading with no pressure on the rope, and he is doing really well, following me, turning both ways, and stopping when I stop (about 50% of the time, but thats more than before). He doesnt really back without pulling on the lead, but we'll get there! 

I let him graze a few bites and then I got some serious attitude when I tried to take him to his stall - planting his feet, throwing his head up and his ears back, he got to move his feet, back up, turn, turn, yield hind quarters, back up some more, and once we were off the grass he behaved haha. 

We tried his new bridle with the snaffle today, and he was good in it, but the rubber reins are a bit wide and stiff for my taste. I feel like I cant really keep a nice contact with his mouth, I might sell them and get a normal pair. 
Cute pictures of my boy in his new stuff below


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had a nice ride on wednesday, just the usual W/T/C but he behaved very well. Yesterday I couldnt get out to the barn as I was away for work. 

This morning (and what a gorgeous morning it was weather wise!) I took Moro out behind the barn to the warm-up arena. Its like a sandy ring in a park, with no fences or anything, just a sandy bit with no grass. There were about 10 guys with grassmowers cutting down the grass in the park, and on the edges of the ring, so I went in with my reins shortened and a deep seat in case of any unexpected acrobatics. Moro didnt pay them any attention (not even an ear flicking in their direction). Good boy haha. We walked and trotted for a bit. He was a bit stiff and drifting to the left, but after some circles and spiraling (and a couple of taps on his shoulder with my crop to remind him not to drift through my leg into the bushes) he straightened out. 

We went on to a canter, by this time the sun was up a bit higher and there were a couple of rays shining through the trees near the center of the ring. We got a lovely transition into the left-lead canter off of my seat alone, and stayed on a circle for a bit as they were cutting grass at the edge of the ring on the other side. We circled past the jumps that were set up in the middle of the ring and the pony decided jumps were scary and shied away from them. Inside leg, half halt, and i managed to avert a bolt. Next circle, again, except now he spooks further to the side, neck bent, eyes bulging out looking at that spooky thing. I sigh, push him on and steer him past it again, with legs on and half halting to keep his attention on me. All good now. Next circle, he goes past it with his ears turned towards me, doesnt even look at me then suddenly jumps forward and tries to bolt off. Small circle, brought him back to a trot and made him trot past it a couple of times, tapping him on his opposite shoulder (inside of the circle) from whre the jump is when he tries to shy sideways again. After a couple of times he goes by it nice and easy so he gets lots of pats and a walk break... Then I realize that 'the jump' isnt what he shied at, while we were circling time passed and the sun moved up higher, and I realize that he kept shying there because while the whole ring was in shadow, there was a single ray of sunlight there that, with the curve of our circle, would have hit him right in the eye unexpectedly. He's still a dummy for spooking at sunlight but at least he wasnt spooking at a jump hes seen 500.000 times before xD 

Then my trainer came out and we jumped a bit. My trainer noticed that when I put my leg on I turn my toes out, and told me to be careful not to do that. I corrected that and he put the vertical we were jumping up some to around 90cm.

At first my approach was wrong because the jump was on a slight angle, but looked straight, that combined with moro's tendency to drift right caused me to need to correct not to hit the standard and we landed on the left lead instead of the right. We tried again, turning later to make the approach in a straight line, but I overcorrected and we eneded up circling because there was no way we could jump from where we ended up... oops  Third time's the charm though, we jumped it nicely and landed on the right lead! I practiced asking for the lead a lot today because we were jumping a single jump (and later 2 jumps) since the course was set up in the main arena already for the show tomorrow. It's easier to think about your lead if all you have to do is turn and walk! 

My trainer moved the jump up to about 1m and we jumped it two or 3 times at that height. Then he moved up the other jump (which was next to the vertical, in the center of the arena), an oxer at 90cm. We jumped it once but I screwed up and tried to leave out a stride, causing Moro to have to do some really quick and unbalanced footwork to get us over the jump (he dropped the back pole but it was so my fault lol) My trainer berated me for that and stressed to make sure that if I get nervous because the jumps look bigger, to ADD strides and go SLOWER, not to throw myself at them and try to 'attack' them. So yeah... oops again lol. We did it again and did better, I asked Moro for the lead over the jump but didnt get it. My trainer said that can happen and not to worry about it. Then he moved the oxer up too, and we did vertical-oxer and then oxer on the left rein - circle back - oxer on the right rein. Moro caught me by leaving a stride out once (because I hesitated and didnt make it clear to him that I wanted to add another one in) and dropped the back pole again as his leg came down because I got left behind. My trainer said that will happen thousands of times while I'm still learning to see distances and the only thing that will make it better is getting it wrong and doing it often. He reminded me that I have a pony who knows his job and ill get me out of sticky situations, so when in doubt let him handle it <3 

We jumped the oxer once more, got a nice distance, left it up, and got the leadchange over the jump. YAY! We left it at that, I walked Moro out, untacked him, put his new fleece sheet on so he wouldnt get cold while drying up (he was pretty sweaty, wintercoat and all), and hosed off his feet and legs below the knee (they were yellow this morning, idk what he did but I think he lied down in his shavings which are pretty dirty and broken down by now, supposedly a truckload of shavings is coming in next week and they'll change it all out). Then I put him in his box and cleaned up my stuff before leaving. 

I paid my trainer for last week's lesson (i only had one lesson in may so i paid it separately) and for the farrier which had come by last month as well. 

I have to be at the barn at 9.30 tomorrow for the show (so I'll be there at 9 lol) and i'll probably ride around 10.30 in my first class (0.80). We're doing 80 and 90cm! the 80cm category is for 'School' riders, basically lesson kids, but the 90cm category is divided in 3 categories, 3rd level, Children and Amateur. I'm riding in the 3rd level division! (not like i paid any fees or anything, but its a schooling show so who cares )

I'm excited for tomorrow and feell like we have a good chance of doing well if i dont lose my **** and get nervous  I'm hoping for a clear round at 80cm and <8 faults at 90cm. If we classify thats a nice bonus but im reaaally not counting on it because I'm out of the beginner divisions now and there are some really good riders and horses around!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We did our first show at the 0.80cm level today and we WON IT! He got a bit (too) fast so halfway through I had to sit back and stop him from running off with me (see video), but other than that he was a saint all day! There was a big mess of spooking horses about 2 meters in front of him in the warmup ring and he just halted and stood there. Then there was a super loud bang (like a firework bomb or something) while we were walking the course and he didnt react <3 


THEN we jumped 90cm and that looked HUGE (especially jump #6, a giant oxer where I almost chickened out and pulled him up lol) and we only had one fence down! My fault of course, he was getting fast again after jump #2 because I steered wrong and we took it at a bit of an angle and from a long spot and that made him all excited  So I tried to get him back and fit an extra stride in to jump #3 but I wasnt firm/clear enough so we ended up with a bit of an awkward takeoff. He touched the pole with one of his fronts and it dropped. Other than that we had an AWESOME round though! I managed to keep my nerves, and most of my horse under control! YAY! Consider our first 90cm show conquered and a success! 

Some pictures and video below 

80cm: 





90cm: 





90cm again, different angle:


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We started pony's vitamin/supplement meds today (Idocolina -20cc and Hemofield -10cc in the vein. and Red Cell - 20cc orally, all to be given every other day). He was a good boy standing for his shots and he loooved the Red Cell haha, tried to lick the bits he dropped off the floor. 

Then we had an easy ride. I didnt really feel like worrying about headset and him working on the bit, as long as he was listening. I did a lot of no stirrup (at the trot AND CANTER!) and then we had some awesome handgallops around the arena in two-point. Moro was very happy I let him run for once haha. 

Another girl is going to ride him on the days neither I nor the leaser can go (she's a friend of mine who used to lease a horse at the barn but is looking for a different horse now and doesnt have anything to ride at the moment). She has ridden Moro several times when he was still with his previous owner, and a couple of times since I have him as well, so she knows his buttons, and she's a way better rider than i am, even though she's young lol. She'll take him out tomorrow since I have to go to Buenos Aires for work again (looks like thats a weekly thing now, mehhhhh. the 3-hour one-way trip is pretty exhausting, so I'll be trying to go only when needed.) She'll just w/t/c him, just to let him stretch his legs. Quite happy she's willing to do that! 

I'll go out on friday to pay board and give him his meds again, and then we'll see if I ride or if the girl that leases him comes out  Maybe I'll take him for a little w/t in the morning and she cn ride in the afternoon if she wants. We wont be jumping this week as our trainer is away building courses at a show all week (big show!). 

Today I started trying to teach Moro to smile, we'll see how that works out. For now he's just wiggling his lip and trying to get the treat. I will probably have to mix in some firm lessons on taking treats carefully so he doesnt end up biting my fingers off LOL. If I notice he gets too disrespectful and eager I will stop trying to teach him this, but for now he's doing ok!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

It was COLD and Moro was excited today. We gave him his meds and then saddled up. I took him out and walked around for about 10 minutes because he felt all stiff coming out (probably the cold). After walking for a while we went to trot and Moro decided taking the bit beteen his teeth and sticking his head in the air like a giraffe while pulling on it and running through my hands on the forehand sounded like a fun idea, so I responded by giving him the rein and trying to balance his trot with my seat. It took a couple of circles trotting on a loose rein but then he started to stretch more and stopped the hollow back head in the air dragging me around act. Once he was more balanced I picked the rein back up and we did a lot of figure 8's and circles/weird loops around some jumps that were set up in a shape like this: _ |_| _ (top view) 

Once he relaxed and started to stretch into the contact and working less downhill we took a little walkbreak and then we went to canter. Again, he was excited, so we did a bit of a handgallop around the arena before i asked him to come back to me on a circle. He dropped to trot which got him a (tiny!) tap with the crop behind my leg, which cause him to throw his head around and run into the canter again. I brought him back to trot and asked for a nice transition and he was a good pony then haha. 

We made use of a tiny crossrail (pretty much two groundpoles that were just raised to the lowest hole on the side) and I tried to ask him to change leads over it. He did it beautifully twice and then he changed only in front once. We went over it two more times after that to try and fix it but he was getting excited again and not changing leads at all, just either running off with his head down after the jump or getting unbalanced and falling back to a racing trot. So instead we worked on trot-canter and canter-trot transitions until he stopped running. 

I walked him for a bit afterwards and then I untacked, put on his new fleece sheet and put him in his stall. I threw him some hay, and the groom will add his winterblanket (on top of the sheet!) later today. YES it's THAT cold! 

I sold the crappy rubber reins and am looking to buy some normal rubber grip reins. I'll go to the vet/tackstore tomorrow to see if they have any i can afford. I need to buy dewormer too, as well as a detangler spray for his tail. (which i will need to wash when the weather gets a bit warmer because it's yellow and gross!)


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Congrats on the show!! You guys look awesome.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

DISCLAIMER: I just realized my posts are turning into huge walls of text lately, but what the heck, it's my journal xD Dont read if it looks too long 

------------------------------------------------------------------

I ended up riding him both days over the weekend, we had some super lazy rides not really working on anything. We did a bit more crossrail jumping to try and ask for leadchanges, and had a really nice long (hand)gallop on sunday because the pony is seriously starting to feel those vitamins xD 

On sunday the vet came out for vaccines, yesterday i went out just to get him his shots and then the girl that leases him rode him. 

Today we had a really really lovely ride, even though it didnt start out that way. When I got on Moro was tense, taking tight, short steps, head in the air, ears and attention going every direction except back to me. I started working to get his focus on me right away by asking him to maintain a nice forward walk (I usually let him slog around the arena for a few laps, we dont work on our walk nearly enough!). I corrected him every time he slowed down, and after 2 laps he was maintaining the rhythm I asked him for. 

Time to trot. I asked for the transition and 10 steps later he was sticking his head in the air, speeding up, but still walking... So back to the previous nice walk we had, ask again. He did the same thing so I backed it up with the crop to his bum. He stuck his head up and sideways and kind of shuffled sideways, but at least he was trotting. I let him trot around 10 strides, asked for a walk transition, and walked a few strides before asking for trot again. We kept doing this 10 steps trot, 5-10 steps walk until the upward transition was SO NICE (about 20 transitions later LOL) He trotted off right on cue, and stayed relaxed through the transition. 

So then we did the same thing for the downward transition, until he came back to a walk right away, and I felt him stop with his hindend instead of dropping his front and pulling the reins out of my hands. Transitions are my new best friend xD 

One we had the transitions right it was time to ask him to come onto the bit some more, I hadnt really asked him to stretch or round up yet, so I started asking him to step under a bit more with his hindlegs (I found that putting my leg just a tad further back and asking him there will make him step under further, whereas asking him in my usual leg position he just speeds up!). I asked him to use his back some more and stretch down and round into the bit (for as far as he can, he's not a dressage horse obviously xD It probably isnt even visible from the ground but he feels a lot better lol.) 

That was quite a test of patience, asking again and again, doing lots and lots and lots of circles around jumps, we even stopped and I asked him to bend his nose around to my boot on each side in an effort to loosen him up. After about 10 minutes he dropped his head down to a normal position, stopped bracing off my hands and lifted his back into a lovely relaxed trot. I asked him to hold it for about half a circle and then praised him loads and gave him a walk break. 

After the walkbreak I asked him to trot again, and mister was once again behind my leg (grrrr) so we were back to practicing transitions! He got it quickly now though, and at the 3rd upwards transition he was staying relaxed and on the bit through the transition. VICTORY! haha. We trotted around a bit, changed reins, and checked if we had the same nice transition on the other hand, WE DID! YAY! 

Another walkbreak and we did a little canter just for the fun of it. He stayed round through the trot-canter transition too and even IN THE CANTER!! We've never really done that outside of a lesson. Yay pony! We cantered over two poles that were in the middle of the ring, two strides apart just for fun, and we managed to do it with a perfectly steady rhythm where he didnt even have to stretch to get over the pole. Just a nice even canter all through  

Of course we only cantered about a lap on each hand after all that hard work at the trot, and then he got to walk for about 5 minutes. 

When I was taking him to the door to leave he sped up and racewalked through the door (which he doesnt usually do), so he got to stand, which he refused to do, running through my hands, so he got some firm cues for backing up back into the ring, where we did another lap before letting him walk halfway through the door and asking him to halt. He got to stand there for some 30 seconds until he relaxed and stopped trying to walk off, and then we walked back to the tack area where I untacked him and put his polar sheet on to dry him out. It was a fairly warm day today, so that + hard work+a pony with a winter coat meant he was pretty sweaty. I took him for a drink at the water trough and left him tied to a tree in the sun to dry out while his shavings were turned up to dry/air out.

Tomorrow its time for the last dose of his shots, and then we have a jumping lesson


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had a jumping lesson yesterday, and it was one of those days where you get off your horse with a smile and feeling all happy inside, but when looking back on the ride you dont actually know why you're so happy because its not like it went all that well xD 

We started with the usual warmup over a single vertical, upping Moro's canter a few notches because he was basically sleepwalking. Then we went around the course but I felt kind of unstable/unbalanced, and had trouble finding a nice rhythm so we ended up getting super awkward distances along the way. There was a line with a vertical to a two-stride, and the first jump of the two-stride was an oxer with a dark green plank filler. Moro looked at it and went to stop, but a tap on the shoulder got him to re-think stopping and running out to the right (thank god my crop was on that side!) and we jumped it, of course we ended up dropping the second element of the two-stride but at least I got him over it. 

I got some pointers on really letting Moro gallop around, just making sure to rebalance after every jump, but without losing impulsion. My trainer raised the jumps a bit and we went around great this time (after a bit of a stern talking to and a re-do of our approach of fence #1... which we approached with way too tight a turn and a countercanter the first time *facepalm*). When we got to the two-stride Moro pointed his ears up, lengthened his stride to jump it, and then stopped and ran out to the right. I had no chance to make him jump as there were 0 warning signs!! D: The good news is I didnt get unseated and immediately turned in a circle and approached again. This time I was ready and put my leg on before and tapped him (twice!!) on the right shoulder. He ended up kind of jumping it from a standstill, but at least he jumped it this time >.> Silly pony thinking he can get away with running out!! 

We walked a bit and re-did the whole course, and had a pretty nice round except for a line consisting of a vertical - 7 strides - big oxer, where I screwed up the distance to the vertical, asked him to go big (but didnt actually ask him, i just threw myself forward... hey i wasnt having the best day lol) and he fit in another stride and dropped the pole with his front legs as my weight was on his frontend getting in his way. Then he kind of spooked out of that (he doesnt like to be uncomfortable lol) and we ended up getting over the oxer with a HUGE leap that left me too far behind, making him drop his hindleg and tapping the backpole of the oxer. I need to get my sh*t together... 

We re-did that line and got nice striding this time and then I walked him around for a bit before taking him to untack, putting his cute purple sheet on and letting him drink some water and washing the mud off his feet (and the yellow poopstains off his knees, dont get a grey horse you guys, he'll find a way to get dirty even if he has a blanket on >.<) 

So I still got off super happy, even though I dont know why LOL. I just love this horse and I was glad I didnt fall off when he ran out. 

I'm not sure if feeling unbalanced and 'perched' has something to do with the fact that based on critique I received here (coinciding with something my trainer has suggested a couple of times too), I shortened my stirrups a hole. I dont feel nearly as comfortable. On the other hand, today I lengthened them again and it just felt wayyy too long, so I went back to shortening them... Maybe I just have to get used to it? 

Today we had a nice ride with a very nice relaxed trot (pony stretching to the bit and through the back almost as soon as we started trotting! Yay!) and some nice quick canter around the arena with a couple of circles. We also cantered over the 2 groundpoles that are still lying in the ring (2 strides apart) and got perfect distances 3 out of 4 times. The 4th time he had to stretch a bit to get over the first one but then we got a nice stride for the 2nd pole. He was soaked after our ride (yesterday too but I had chalked it up to all the jumping). It was like 20 degrees C today though, and humid (big storm coming in) and Moro has a full wintercoat, so its not surprising. I wait and see how the weather behaves this winter and may decide to pay for a bodyclip (or maybe some kind of half-clip?) if the temps stay up this high. Last week was a lot colder though, and he didnt sweat... Gonna wait and see if its necessary to clip him, for now we'll make do with his fleece sheet after rides until he dries up (obviously not necessary with todays temps though lol), and then changing his blanket to his heavy blanket (which is probably a light or midweight blanket for US standards lol) once he's dry. 

Once again a very long post, I apologize


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Saturday it was 20C and humid, and Moro came out of the barn already sweating on his shoulders (They hadnt taken his blanket off >.>) I had a Tai Chi lesson in the morning, and then a special 2 hour Tai Chi seminar in the afternoon. So we just gave him his meds and then I turned him loose in the small arena for a bit while I got eaten by mosquitos. He had a good roll and promptly started eating lol. I chased him around a little bit to get him moving some (it was like 20 degrees, not like it was actually hot, just hot for winter lol) and at one point he decided to go ahead and jump the crossrail that was set up in the arena by himself lol. He was so cute, running away when I chased him but then turning around and walking back to me <3 

Sunday it was suddenly below zero, and I left at 7.45 to go ride early. it was SO COLD! We did a bunch of trotting, Moro was a bit spooky/feeling the weather at first but he got over it quickly. We cantered a nice bit, with some groundpoles thrown in for good measure, and then we put 2 blankets on him and dewormed him because he was due for that. The groom showed me how to give him the oral meds and I practiced by giving him the Hepatoral that we give with the dewormer. He loves that stuff lol, I was giving it a little at a time to avoid him drooling all over the place and he actually tried to get the syringe in his mouth himself xD After that I threw him some hay and went home to spend the day in bed watching Jane the Virgin and try to warm up. 

Today I went out just to give him The 3rd dose of Hepatoral and his Red Cell. And I brought my photocamera with me because I have been watching videos and reading tips, and wanted to give it a try. The early morning light made for some beautiful pictures! I started a thread here. I have only edited one of them so far, but I will add more later  Guess who has a new laptop wallpaper? After the little photoshoot and letting him have fun for about half an hour I put his blankets back on and put him in his stall. 

I started the first step of 'clucker training' (i have no clicker so I just cluck my tongue in a way I dont use normally lol), just the having a treat, wait for him to relax and turn his head away from me, cluck and give the treat. He got it REALLY quick! He's so smart lol, now to see if it sticks, and I'm gonna be keeping a close eye on his manners. If he starts getting pushy about treats at any point were stopping this! 

The idea is just to teach him some basic things like smile, nod yes, shake no. Nothing dangerous and nothing too complicated  I'm thinking of using Dutch words for the commands to avoid him doing tricks when other people are trying to handle him lol. Seems like it'd be less confusing that way!

Edit: forgot to add the image


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

*Today marks a year since I started leasing Morito, and a year (well, tomorrow) since I started this journal. I cant believe how far we've come, we jumped a 1m course today! I'm so happy and lucky to have this guy in my life. Here's hoping our second year will be just as full of adventures, learning moments and bonding opportunities. Thank you all for coming along for the ride! 
*


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had a lovely ride today, both put in a lot of hard work  I stole (well not really, more like borrowed) a dressage whip from Moro's previous owner and we got to work! Just having the whip in my hand made him SO forward and working off my leg in all directions to the point that once he was all warmed up I snuck in an attempt at asking for a leg yield (never really learnt how) and actually got a couple of diagonal steps before he went crooked lol. Experimenting is fun  

We warmed up with a brisk walk and then a looooot of trotting on a large circle, both ways on a loose-ish rein (just enough to where I still had some contact but no weight on the reins). Moro was a bit looky and his head would come up every few steps to look at some leaf or bird or jump standard, but after a while he relaxed. While warming up I tried to focus on keeping my weight even in my stirrups, pushing him out with my inside leg, turning him with my outside leg and trying to keep an even rhythm and a nice round circle without relying on my reins. I had a couple of 'ah-hah!' moments where I felt how it should feel to be balanced and steering with your legs, but then I would loose it again. I see lots of this kind of work in the near future! 

After warming up I gave Moro a walk break for a bit and then we went back to the circle where I slowly picked up the contact and asked him to stretch down into it. He got in his usual outline easily, and asked to stretch a bit every now and then, but when I allwed him some rein to stretch he would only hold it a few steps before he threw his head back up again, leaving me to have to shorten my rein again. We did get a mostly consistent contact and outline going, at a nice forward trot - still on that same circle. 

After changing hands a couple of times and doing some trot-walk-trot transitions to see if I could keep him on the bit through those (lots of leg!! Or he just flops into a walk and thinks we're done for the day!), we did a bit of canter on each side. He stayed connected through both the up and downward transitions! YAY! We had a lovely lovely canter around, the only thing that changed between the canter and the trot is that he started falling in on the circle. I'm guessing my leg isn't as strong/stable at the canter, making my inside leg less of a wall, causing him to think its fine to walk through it. Things to work on! Fun!! 

We went back to trot after the canter and I made him trot for a few more circles because he's learnt (entirely my fault) that after canter comes a walkbreak, so its hard to keep him trotting after the transition. After that I walked him out for a bit and we were done for the day. 

Lessons learnt:
1- My horse goes better when carrying a dressage whip rather than a crop (only used it twice, just with a light tap to ask for a bit more trot)
2- It's much easier to use my legs for steering if I dont have to nag him to stay forward all the time
3- I need to work on my balance because I fall to the inside on circles. 
4- I need to stop using my reins so much. I noticed that once i picked them back up everything Moro's trot got more tense as my hands are so busy. He would pull back when I asked him to turn/bend/slow and we'd get into a pulling contest until I realized we were pulling and did a 'reset'. Giving my rein until I just barely had a contact and keeping it there. Once there Moro would happily pick up the bit and stretch down/round up. 
5. I suck and my horse is awesome. LOL. 

I've also decided to quit the clicker training we started. We only did 3 short sessions, doing the 'wait for the treat' training they recommend you start with to load the clicker._ (Tip, dont do this when theres annoying barn people around because while you're waiting for your horse to relax and not dive for the treat, not giving it to him when he dives for it, they will walk by saying 'AWW HE LOOKS SO HUNGRY' and stuff a carrot in his mouth - which of course he will snatch out of their hand the way you're trying to avoid he do... I was ****ED.)_ I guess either my timing is off or Moro is just THAT much of a treat monster. Maybe a little of both. Though the clicker sessions were going well and he was getting more patient and careful when taking his treats, he's getting more demanding around his food again. Refusing to wait until I give him his hay, pinning his ears etc. So I'm quitting the handfeeding before he reverts to his old ways, there's plenty of other fun things to do! 

P.s. Any tips for getting yellow poop stains out of a white horse in winter when it's too cold to wash them off with water/soap? Brushing does nothing  Is there such a thing as dry shampoo for horses?


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## seabiscuit91 (Mar 30, 2017)

Luce73 said:


> 5. I suck and my horse is awesome. LOL.


I can relate to this SO much :lol: :lol:
I feel this most days!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Yay! Another great ride this morning! I picked up the dressage whip again instead of my usual crop (really need to go out and buy my own soon) and got a super ride out of the pony. 

He was ridiculously well-behaved from the moment I arrived at the barn. When I approached with the hoofpick he lifted each foot in turn and kept them up for me. Usually there is some pushing him over with my shoulder, and then trying not to get kicked when he pulls his foot away 3 times before holding still, involved, so I was happily surprised! I gave him a good brush down even though he was mostly clean (he had a blanket on, the blanket was NOT clean). While brushing caked mud/sweat/poop off his belly I tickled him and he kicked at my hand and swished his, but he didnt actually get near my hand at all and when I said EH! He put his foot down and stood quietly the rest of the session. I dont think he realized it was my hand and not a fly xD 

I practiced tacking up. Which I know how to do but since I never really get to do it myself I take ages to get it done. I especially struggled with the position of the saddle last time I had to do it myself, so I asked the groom to show me where it goes, and he had me tack up, correcting me when I did things wrong. He award me a score of 8/10, so I'll have to practice more often lol. 

Once I got on we warmed up a few laps at a nice forward walk, and then trotted around a bit. I focused on staying balanced and straight with equal weight in both stirrups, and staying out of Moro's mouth. After warming up we walked for a bit while I decided that rather than doing the circle circle circle thing again, we would work on transitions today. We did lots of them and worked on getting them more accurate: 
- Walk-trot _(pretty much instant) _
- Trot-walk _(takes about 3 steps before he actually 'walks' but he does slow down his trot and kind of jigs on the spot rather than dropping his frontend down so that was good) _
- Walk-halt_ (pretty good as always) _
- Halt-walk_ (needs a bit more prodding than I'd like to get moving, gotta work on this one)_
- Halt-trot _(surprisingly better than halt-walk! We usually got 2 steps of walk in between, but managed to get an actual halt-trot transition once). _
-Trot-halt_ (a disaster, taking 3 steps of trot to go down to walk and then like 3 more walk steps before he halts xD We'll get there eventually!)_
- Trot-canter _(pretty good: if I ask at the right point of the stride instant, if not within 2 strides)_
- Canter-trot _(pretty good but he rushes off afterwards. Not unbalanced, just excited to go fast -- I just realized I had the opposite issue yesterday with him wanting to drop to a walk after canter. Not sure whats up with that :/ )_

After a couple of transitions he was stretching down to the bit very nicely. We did a little exercise at the canter where we'd trot the long side, turn a few meters before the short side, transition to canter in the turn and then canter the 2 canterpoles that are still in the ring. We also did the same thing from a handgallop on the long side, steadying into a canter and cantering the poles , then lengthening again. I'm blessed with a super athletic pony who will make it work from any stride, but I was happily surprised that I could actually easily collect him up to bounce over the poles in a shorter canter from the handgallop! 

After cantering around for a while (and again: lots of transitions) I asked him to trot again, and while it was a superforward trot (I was posting like I was riding a shetland pony, so quick!) it felt lovely, floaty and balanced. Moro stretched his neck wayy down - not on the ground but he's usually a nose-up kinda guy - and once I realized he wasnt trying to pull the reins out of my hands and drop on the forehand I gave him some more rein and he did a beautiful low and round stretchy floaty trot I've never felt from him before. He did keep bringing his head up if I kept inconsistent contact, so I had to be careful about what I did with my hands, but it felt AMAZING! 

Lessons learnt (this might just be a new section, I think it would be fun to look back on these):
1. Stay out of his mouth and let him do his thing
2. WARM UP FIRST before starting to ask him things. I never really realised I wasnt doing this, but I noticed that if I give him 20 minutes to just walk and trot on a superlight contact before trying to correct his wobbliness and trying to get him in a frame etc, there is no fighting about it, he just comes right on the bit when I ask and he stays there, and I can get him to turn with just my leg and seat. 
3. I need to work on my contact at the canter. I noticed my reins were going slack and tight, slack and tight. I'm not popping him in the mouth, but it isnt exactly elastic either. 

At the end of our ride I walked him for a bit and decided to give those legyields another try. We turned on the quarterline (well not really, cause our arena is huge, but about 5-8 meters before the long side) and then I pushed him over with my leg. It went ok, better when I realized to push him over as he stepped with his hindleg rather than trying to push the shoulders over (that would just get him crooked) Push the butt over and halfhalt when the front gets 'ahead' of the hind. We did this once on each side and the last few steps were actually pretty nice! Will try again tomorrow and see if I got the buttons down. 

Exciting things going on with us!! Lots to improve for me, but I feel like I'm starting to figure out how to RIDE him as opposed to just w/t/c and some misformed circles 

Edit: seriously these things get longer every time I write them D: I dont even realize it until I hit post and see the wall of text either. I'm so sorry! haha


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I jumped the pony in a SNAFFLE TODAY! Last time I tried that I got run off with and fell off LOL. It went super well! Looks like I learnt to ride with my seat, I was able to bring him back in the lines, and managed to make him jump both planks (he hates planks, he thinks theyre horse-eating monsters even if he jumps them weekly) with just a tiny peek the first time. He was such a good boy and I'm SUPER happy with him! 

I was riding in a snaffle and with a dressage whip when my trainer appeared unexpectedly and asked if I dared to try jumping in a snaffle. Moro felt like he was pretty relaxed today so I said yes and we jumped him! I even kept the whip on me (didnt use it, but trainer said it would be good for me to learn to have it in my hand and keep it out of the way) and managed not to spook the pony with it. 

Moro did get a liiiittle forward (ok a lot) when jumping courses, but he still listened. The only oopsie was when we finished the course the third time we went through and he decided to keep cantering and head for another jump lol. I circled him and made my trainer laugh when I told Moro: 'We're done boy, you can stop now'. All in all a big success! Plenty of slowing and rebalancing possible, just a bit of trouble with the full-on breaks and downward transitions. My trainer said we'll start jumping in a snaffle more often with the ultimate goal being that I learn to ride and know Moro well enough that I can compete him in a snaffle too. YAY! 

In other news, my pony finally has a butt. I looked back yesterday and saw this big round bum where there was just bone and stringy muscle before. WOOT! He's also filling out on his back, but I want him to fill out a bit more behind his wither and his ribs are still visible depending on how he stands. Not usually but when he walks and is turning you can see them all :/ Not sure if that's normal? Either way the Red Cell seems to be working, his coat is also ridiculously shiny, but that might be the detangler I use on his tail that is then on the brush afterwards. He gleams all silvery in the sunlight, its gorgeous <3 I get to show him off at a show in 2 weeks - probably not gonna do that in a snaffle yet though xD Excited!

Pictures of a shiny pony and a shiny bum (not as obvious in this picture, but its a lot rounder than it used to be I swear xD. Also Moro enjoying a few bites of winter grass after our ride yesterday (He's standing on a slope, he's not built THAT downhill LOL)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

It's just been rain rain rain here the last couple of days. I got a ride in on saturday, but other than that Moro has been stuck in his stall since Wednesday, poor baby. 

So I thought I would let him loose in the slightly-drier-than-the-other-ones small arena for a bit this morning. Naively I thought that I would be able to chase him off if he tried to roll. 

Lesson learnt: dont let your white horse loose in a muddy arena xD He paid no attention whatsoever to my waving arms and rolled, then got halfway up, looked at me like I was an idiot, and then jumped up and raced away bucking. LOL. 

He sure had a lot of energy to burn, he was running and bucking, doing sliding stops in the mud, spinning around on his hindend like a reining pony, and REARING all the way up on 2 legs (on the far side of the arena, not at me) looking like a stallion from a movie. At one point he stopped by the gate and reared up a couple of times... I thought he was gonna jump it! Once he was done running he turned to me and trotted over, slowed down and put his head against my chest for cuddles, so I forgave him for his muddy coat. 

I tied him to a bailing twine string outside his box to try and brush the mud off and he set back - still dont know why - but the twine broke and he took two steps back and waited for me to catch him. He's a good boy <3 I put him inside his box and tied him where I usually tie him, brushed off what I could, and hung out with the handyman/guard for about 40 minutes while I waited for Moro to dry out enough to brush off the rest of the dirt so I could put his blanket back on. He stille looked like a cow with big black muddy spots when I left, but they were just on the side of his bum and on his belly, and a small one on his neck, nowhere where the blanket would rub, and they didnt actually have much dirt on them, just dirty wet patches. 

Sharing a video I took towards the end of his run around. Sorry for the shakey cam, I was chasing him a bit so he would keep moving.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Ok so the video sharing didnt really work out as it took so long to upload that the edit window was gone xD ANd then I forgot. so here's the video, 2 days late. 






The main arena has been closed off in an attempt to get the footing dry and even enough to not have to cancel the 2-day show this weekend, but we dont have much hope as its supposed to rain all week  

Yesterday I rode him (Without lunging first, living on the edge lol) and he was a bit spooky at first, but calmed down fast. The superdeep mud in the warm-up ring got him tired out after a couple of laps of trotting. The good thing is that when the footing is so deep and 'pulls' on his legs, as mud does, he lifts his legs higher to get them out, and automatically starts working through his back and stretching into the contact. So I ended up with a lovely round and light horse, and noticed that if I shifted my weight slightly (and I mean slightly, no leaning) back, he'd bring his hindlegs under even further and really 'sit' and come up in front, resulting in a super soft and constant contact. I just love those moments when I can feel what we're working towards! 

All of that happened without me having a whip or crop on me, so pony CAN be forward off the leg alone xD I had decided not to use the dressage whip as I thought I'd just be trotting around a bit to get him out of his stall and there wasnt much we could do with the mud, and when I went to get my crop the little loop near the handle had broken and there was a sharp tack jutting out. No idea how that happened as I havent ridden with it in about 2 weeks and last time it was fine. Maybe someone 'borrowed' it... I took it home to fix it. 

We only rode for about 30 minutes as then he started getting slow and tired, so I hosed off his legs and belly (they were covered in mud, as if he had just sunk into quicksand..) and put him in his stall where he got an apple. 

Today I didnt go out as it was supposed to rain all day, and by the time it stopped raining in the morning I had to get to work  I'll go out tomorrow and see if the footing is anywhere near good enough to do a couple of jumps with my trainer, but I'm not getting my hopes up. It will probably be another flatwork ride working on our trot!

Edit: Something kind of cool happened, I sent in a wquestion to Shawna Karrasch, whose clicker training videos I've been watching, asking how to deal with Moro lunging for treats after hearing the click, and she made a 12 minute video answering my question!! Still not sure if I want to try again, I think I'll let some time pass and get his good manners back first and then I might give it another try in a month or two


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

Nice to catch up on your updates with Moro.  And don't apologize for walls of text, the more detail the better I think!

Sounds like you two have had some good rides and progress lately!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Oh wow, didnt realize it had been so long since I updated. It has been raining pretty much non-stop last week, so there wasnt much riding involved. But I jumped him past saturday and he was a ROCKET. Partially because he hadnt been out much, partially because it was cold, and partially because he hadnt jumped in about 2 weeks. He was so tense under me that I was 110% sure he would bolt and throw me at any point, but we managed to successfully complete a course 2 times, and then did the last line towards the door a few times until I managed to get him back in between the jumps (because he'd fly over the first vertical and then bolt towards the second without paying any attention to me.) I had to really sit back and do a left-right pull on the reins to get through to him (my trainer yelled to pull out his teeth if necessary, but i think that was meant figuratively? lol) after which he did this 'gallop on the spot' with a crazy energy, that as soon as I stopped halfhalting after the initial pull he would fly forwards again. 

The vet was at the barn on saturday and she took a look at Moro and said he's looking great after the Red Cell and everything! She says she likes his weight and condition now and that he looks precious! YAY! 

---

I rode him sunday and he was great, forward, non-spooky, coming through the bit without too much effort (its easy to get him there now, just working on being able to keep him there). I galloped him for a fair bit to burn some excess energy, and then worked him in a circle at a forward trot for about half an hour until he was sweating. Monday the barn was closed so he stayed in. 

---

Yesterday I had another lesson, and he was still a rocket, but with a lot more control than on saturday. More a guided missile and less a ticking timebomb. We got 2 nice rounds in. Then we did the last line again because I had taken the turn too tight and my trainer wanted me to fix that, and after the last jump Moro was all worked up so my trainer said to put him on a circle and let him run for a while. Well, I put him on that circle and mister started running for his life *facepalm* We had gotten through the whole lesson in a nice controlled gallop and NOW he bolts? I was able to stop him fairly quickly, but got a talking to from my trainer with a 'I told you not to give him vitamins, see what happens when he's at a good weight... etc'. I rebutted that with a 'I need him to be in good condition, if that means I need to learn how to ride him when he's hot so be eit, i refuse to starve him so he's lethargic. My trainer said that's fine, but take him off the vitamins now he's doing good, because at this rate the girl who leases him wont be able to ride him. The vet had said it was ok to take him off them once he was doing better and if he got too hot, so we're taking him off the Red Cell for now. My trainer did say I was able to handle him fine but the girl who leases him will get thrown off if he is like he was with me yesterday, so at least I learnt to ride? idk. A bit ****ed at my trainer for his position on keeping horses in a lethargic state to make them 'rideable'. IMO if that's necessary the people ridingg him should find another horse or learn to ride, but ok. Glad I stuck to my guns when he first told me not to start the vitamins, and now have a pony who's looking GOOD and feeling a little too good. Stopping the vitamins now is fine, as the bottle is almost finished, the vet said he was looking great and we could stop if he got hot, and we didnt have to give more than the bottle anyway. I do agree with my coach saying he doesnt want Moro to get so hot we have to go back to running him out on the lunge before riding, because that's just not good for him physically, especially with an 'older' horse like Moro. 

The groom joked that he would keep giving the rest of the bottle in the hopes that Moro would throw me off so I have to bring cake. He has a strange sense of humor (or maybe I'm just good at baking cakes? i dont know LOL) 

My trainer made me promise to work Moro for at least 45 minutes (excluding warmup/cooldown) every day. Which I'm doing, but with a lot of walk breaks (mostly for my sake xd), so I might have to make that more of a continuous session. Bring it on! I'm ready and willing to do what it takes to keep Moro in this condition AND rideable.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL ride yesterday, starting out with around 20 minutes of transitions within and between the gaits. They got smoother and quicker, and I had mister speedy doing a super slow western-type jog on a loose rein just off my seat by the end of it. He carried himself well, rounded up without hanging on my hands, and changed gaits from just a change in my seat, and almost immediately <3

we had a tiny walk break and then we did a figure 8 at a forward trot, halting in the middle of the 8 before changing directions. We got some great halt-trot and trot-halt, and he was really staying off my inside leg instead of his usual falling in. 

We graduated to cantering the figure 8, and doing a simple change in the center. After a few times around he was changing with just 1 or 2 steps of trot in between, so I took a chance and asked him to change by halfhalting and asking for the canterlead to the other side, and he changed... the front but not the back xD (He does flying changes when jumping courses, but sometimes will only change the front and then 3-4 steps later change the back - not always, i'd say 60% of the time he changes both, and the other 40% its front first, back later. I think it comes from a lack of balance/my lack of stability when asking for the change. Any exercises to work on this are welcome!) Then I let him stretch out his canter around the arena a bit, and we had two small spooking incidents one after the other (one on the long side, then the next in the middle of the short side right after) one caused by the wind moving the bushes pretty violently right as we came past them, and the second by a little tortoise shell cat hiding between some construction wood. He calmed down easily and cantered on perfectly afterwards though, so I'm not complaining. He can have scaredy cat moments as long as he pays attention to my input when I ask him to stop running. 

-- 

Today we had an impromptu lesson, I took him out in his snaffle and with a dressage whip, thinking to do some work similar to yesterday, but my trainer was giving lessons in the arena and kind of gave 3 of us instructions at the same time (two of us were working on a circle and the third was jumping) He told me to knead the reins with my hands and keep the impulsion up at the same time, and Moro did get into position but was really hanging on my hands, nothing like the light contact I get when I have him going nicely and then ask with a few halfhalts. It kind of turned into a fight that ended with Moro going well, but REALLY heavy in my hands, (I got blisters on my ringfingers). I asked my trainer about the difference in response between todays work and yesterday, and he chalked it up to horses having good and bad days, and said that Moro has a hard mouth, but I am leaning towards Moro being happier with less contact. He just goes so much easier if I ask him and let him figure it out, and ask again when he brings his head up and hollows out when spooking/looking at something, rather than being constantly in his face kneading the reins. Not sure what to think as I am in no way experienced, and am pretty much just figuring this out on my own, and I should probably trust my trainer as he has lots of experience and the horses of his other students all go well with that technique... I wish I had someone who could watch me from the ground when I ride 'my way' to tell me if he looks connected or if maybe he's just curling and I'm imagining things  I might bribe someone to film it and post it here for critique. 

We then jumped some single jumps, and I got chewed out (rightfully) for not jumping the jump on a straight line, instead taking it on a diagonal and landing wayy to the right every time until my trainer put a perpendicular pole after the jump, just right of the middle and told me to stay left of that. Of course the next try we landed ON the pole * face palm *, luckily Moro didnt lose his balance. After that we did better, we worked a bit on jumping and turning tight afterwards (but jumping straight!) and asking for leads. We ended with a little line oxer-vertical-oxer, which we did only once, but I got Moro to land on the right (as opposed to left) lead, which is his sticky side, so that was a victory! It was also lovely to feel him jump so relaxed in a snaffle after all the crazies jumping him with his other bit this past week. I'm half wondering if the leverage of the other bit is what makes him more crazy. He's always calm and collected in the snaffle, and I would like to try jumping courses in it soon... but if the crazies do come out I'll be totally screwed without brakes...


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

I would have been annoyed too if my trainer suggested keeping my horse lazy/lethargic so someone leasing him could ride... I think you were rightfully upset with that and I wouldn't do anything drastic to get Moro to be more lethargic. Maybe you could give the girl who leases him some pointers, or at least watch her ride to see how she does with him? I don't know...

Glad you've had some good lessons though! If you can get a video for critique, it's always good to get others opinions. Of course, you have your trainer there which is great, but getting some alternate opinions now and then can't hurt, and there are a lot of great riders here who could give you tips.  I know what you mean about him getting heavy and being a bit hard mouthed. Nav is a lot like that. What has helped is to really push him forward (because usually if he's heavy on the bit he's not really going forward) and squeeze the inside rein. Really slacking the inside rein for a stride or two can help as well, because then he can't lean on it. Just a suggestion.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

NavigatorsMom said:


> Glad you've had some good lessons though! If you can get a video for critique, it's always good to get others opinions. Of course, you have your trainer there which is great, but getting some alternate opinions now and then can't hurt, and there are a lot of great riders here who could give you tips.  I know what you mean about him getting heavy and being a bit hard mouthed. Nav is a lot like that. What has helped is to really push him forward (because usually if he's heavy on the bit he's not really going forward) and squeeze the inside rein. Really slacking the inside rein for a stride or two can help as well, because then he can't lean on it. Just a suggestion.


Yeah, he feels light and happier when I ask my way -keeping the contact very light allowing him to stretch down and out slightly to lift his back, then just barely halfhalting to ask him to 'give' his poll and round his neck-, but when riding in lessons my trainer asks me to do it his way and then Moro gets heavy. He's actually superlight on the days I ride alone and I feel like he's round and 'carrying' with his back. His trot feels more 'floaty' you know? I just cant be sure without anyone there to watch me xD I'll try to get a video!

I have a feeling Moro likes to be asked and then trusted to do his job right, rather than having to deal with constant input/being forced to do things my way.


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

Sounds like your way is a nice, good way to get him stretching and lifting! I don't think your trainer's way is wrong, just different, and might not work very well for Moro. Yeah, if you can get a video that would be good. I know even just watching back videos myself I'm able to see how it looked versus how it felt. If you can't get someone to come film you, even just propping your phone or a camera up on a jump standard or fence post can be enough to get a little clip.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I asked an experienced friend to take a look the other day when I had Moro going nicely 'my way' and she said he was going great and in the position/with drive behind/through the back, as opposed to just curling his neck (which I was afraid he was doing since he feels so much lighter in the hand). Gonna keep on my way and kind of ignore my trainers way. He's a good trainer and has helped me improve SO much, but if something works better it works better right? I dont want to just blindly do what he says even if he IS my trainer and has known the horse for 6-7 years and trained his previous owner too. Gotta be selective and critical and decide for myself what works best! (I have trouble with this as I feel I will offend people xD) 

Have had mostly trot/canter rides the past few days, warming up, then moving on to transitions, lots of circles and trying to work on keeping that position/frame longer before losing it. Slowly improving! I can get it faster and hold it longer, though Moro still is his spooky worried self, and will suddenly throw his head up because THAT BIRD IS GONNA EAT ME MOM. He's cute like that <3 

He got a haircut the other day and looks super handsome now, plus my reins no longer get tangled in his mane. 

This morning we had a super lovely early ride while the sun came up. While walking around without stirrups on a long rein I got that happy feeling you get when being alone with your horse and completely relaxed and in sync. I love my pony <3


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Had a lesson on Saturday and got some video (yay!) which I ill upload tomorrow, and some nice photos. Moro was a good pony until we started jumping at which point he started spooking, scooting and running off. I ended up having to stop him between jumps by making a left-right-left rein pull  We got around the course ok a few times, but I'm not that happy with how much hand I had to use, especially since I was riding with our firgure 8 (what its called here, an elevator type bit) and a chain under his chin that my trainer kept adjusting tighter and tighter. Gonna try to work more on slowing him from my seat and hopefully that will carry over when jumping, so all that extra tack isnt necessary. My trainer once again preached about how we should never have given him vitamins... That one's getting a bit old. 

After jumping I worked him in a circle for a while to get the energy out. It took ages before he calmed down enough to relax and trot on a contact, and as soon as he relaxed we called it a day and I hosed him off. It was a 20 degree HUMID day, and he has a wintercoat so he got completely soaked poor boy. I had only hacked him lightly on friday, so maybe thats why he had so much extra energy. On sunday I didnt make it out as it was raining like crazy, and Mondays the barn is closed so Moro will probably be crazy tomorrow too, but for flatwork thats fine, it just makes him forward and slightly spooky. Jumping is when he becomes and unstoppable freight train. Any tips for fixing that? Either way, weather permitting, he's getting a nice workout tomorrow and wednesday in the hopes that he will behave when jumping him thursday.

Some pictures below, I love how he's going in the trotting ones  Also y'all should find someone who looks at you the way I look at my horse... clearly LOL.


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## seabiscuit91 (Mar 30, 2017)

Love the photos! You guys are so cute together, you can tell how much you love him! 

Have you ever jumped in your normal bit/tack you use for flatting? Or does that make it worse? I agree adding extra tack is more or less a band-aid, but can be useful at the start while teaching, working on your seat sounds like a good plan! I'm doing the same currently as well!
As for tips with the freight train, I can tell you what helped me! Although sounds like you're already doing it!
My horse used to rush off so much after jumps, so I started by only trotting him to to the jump then soon as we were over it a complete stop, then stand for a good 30 seconds or something, just so they can think about what they just did, and repeat, I found it worked better just repeating over the same jump, as opposed to between jumps through a course, I found it hindered getting excited for the next one.
I did that for a few days, and the boy caught on quick and started to relax, then we'd do other jumps, depending how he was we'd let him trot/canter after so long as he wasn't trying to run off. If he started to rush, go back to stopping. 
I found really quickly I noticed that a few goes of this he was so much easier to bring back to me, even if he gets excited and launches over the jump 1-2 strides and he's back with me. 

Then when we went to do a course, I'd bring him back to a trot if it was a long line away until the next, and let him canter 2-3 strides before each, just to have that control, have him paying attention. 

It's seemed to have worked brilliantly, and I know if he ever gets overly excited, I could just go back to stage one of the above to get him thinking again. My horse is young, so this was teaching him to jump as well, I know Moro is super experienced and can jump great, so maybe this won't be as effective, but can never hurt to try! 
I didn't mean for this to be a huge novel... 

Good luck with him! You guys are so well suited!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

seabiscuit91 said:


> Love the photos! You guys are so cute together, you can tell how much you love him!


Thank you!! He's easy to love <3 



seabiscuit91 said:


> Have you ever jumped in your normal bit/tack you use for flatting? Or does that make it worse? I agree adding extra tack is more or less a band-aid, but can be useful at the start while teaching, working on your seat sounds like a good plan! I'm doing the same currently as well!


I have but only once or twice, when he was in a super chill mood lol. I do feel like maybe the harsher bit is exacerbating the issue, but i'm not 100% sure i'm willing to try him in just a snaffle and get run off with (once he runs he RUNS, and wont stop... :gallop I have gotten better at combining my hands with a relaxed seat when he starts running/scooting and he seems to relax -a bit- when he feels my butt in the saddle lol. 

He's been jumped in that figure 8 bit for the past 6 years, we dont know his history before that. His owner before me was a young girl and they had him on the thin side and would run him out on the lunge before jumping him. I can handle him when he goes into freight mode because i'm bigger and stronger than she was, but i am pulling on his mouth and fighting him all the way and thats not the kind of rider i want to be. 



seabiscuit91 said:


> As for tips with the freight train, I can tell you what helped me! Although sounds like you're already doing it!
> My horse used to rush off so much after jumps, so I started by only trotting him to to the jump then soon as we were over it a complete stop, then stand for a good 30 seconds or something, just so they can think about what they just did, and repeat, I found it worked better just repeating over the same jump, as opposed to between jumps through a course, I found it hindered getting excited for the next one.
> I did that for a few days, and the boy caught on quick and started to relax, then we'd do other jumps, depending how he was we'd let him trot/canter after so long as he wasn't trying to run off. If he started to rush, go back to stopping.
> I found really quickly I noticed that a few goes of this he was so much easier to bring back to me, even if he gets excited and launches over the jump 1-2 strides and he's back with me.
> ...


He only gets excited when jumping courses, so we'd have to go straight to step #2, or maybe jump a course and make him randomly stop and wait between jumps? When flatting he is downright lazy, and over single jumps he's calm and easy to ride. Sounds like something worth trying though. I'll have to see if my trainer is up for it, he seems to be adamant Moro is set in his ways and I just have to tire him out/have him lethargic with less food etc  We have done the stopping after a jump thing once or twice, and trot a couple of fences as a warm up before jumping, but im not sure he'd be into doing that consistently to change Moro's training. Pretty sure the answer will be 'that horse has been doing it his way for 20 years, there's no changing that now'. And he might be right too..


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Love love love the pictures.  You guys have such a great bond. Oh, dang humidity! I'm sure he loved getting rinsed off though. Just try to relax through the jumps, I found that humming helps, and counting.


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> He only gets excited when jumping courses, so we'd have to go straight to step #2, or maybe jump a course and make him randomly stop and wait between jumps?


I like this idea. Generally what I do (and what I'll probably have to do in the future when my new guy is started over fences, he seems like that type) is halt or do a downward transition every time I feel like my horse isn't listening to my seat saying SLOW DOWN. It reinforces the seat so that next time you sit/half-halt he's already thinking about stopping, so he slows down. You'll have to do it a lot at first (and without any doubt he'll get frustrated, at which point you change the subject to flatwork and then come back to the course when he's not frazzled), but ultimately it'll make him a stronger listener.

As for your trainer... man, I would have had some words with him already if I was in your shoes. Something along the lines of, "Hey, I'm glad you're around to make my partnership with Moro even stronger, but I'd appreciate it if we could set aside the talk about his food and the vitamins. I want Moro to be as healthy as possible, and if that means learning to ride him when he's a little hot, then I think we'll both be stronger for it!"

AKA politely tell him to shove off LOL


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

StephaniHren said:


> As for your trainer... man, I would have had some words with him already if I was in your shoes. Something along the lines of, "Hey, I'm glad you're around to make my partnership with Moro even stronger, but I'd appreciate it if we could set aside the talk about his food and the vitamins. I want Moro to be as healthy as possible, and if that means learning to ride him when he's a little hot, then I think we'll both be stronger for it!"
> 
> AKA politely tell him to shove off LOL


Oh believe me, I did xD He's concerned more for the girl who leases Moro though, as she's not as assertive a rider as I have learnt to become with this brat of a pony (I love him though lol). If Moro decides to pull the stuff he's pulling with me lately on her my trainer says she'll end up in the dirt. So well, I guess we'll see what we can do. 

Moro was lovely and calm today while jumping, we have a schooling show tomorrow so we'll see if we can keep that way of going!


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Luce73 said:


> Oh believe me, I did xD He's concerned more for the girl who leases Moro though, as she's not as assertive a rider as I have learnt to become with this brat of a pony (I love him though lol). If Moro decides to pull the stuff he's pulling with me lately on her my trainer says she'll end up in the dirt. So well, I guess we'll see what we can do.
> 
> Moro was lovely and calm today while jumping, we have a schooling show tomorrow so we'll see if we can keep that way of going!


I'm in the "guess she'll have to learn to ride better" camp for this one. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. You've thought about dropping the lease in the past and if she can't handle your horse when he's healthy and fit...

Excited to hear about the schooling show!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

The show went AWESOME! Moro was really calm and I could focus on riding instead of stopping him from running off! The first round (80cm) I lacked a bit of impulsion as I was scared that if I drove him forward too hard he'd get overexcited, but after having a lovely round with 0 faults I rode him a bit more forward in the 90cm! We got a long spot or 2, but had 0 faults again!! YAY! 

In the warmup ring, about 2 minutes before going in for my second round, someone was jumping, did a rollback, right into Moro (we were walking on the rail, they didnt look where they were going) and Moro jumped to the side, snorting with his head al the way in the air and his eyes just about bulging out of his head lol. Luckily he got out of the way and he didnt get hurt. Of course the other person just galloped on and continued jumping without so much as a sorry >.> 

After that I was freaking out that now my horse would be in 'nervous jumpy mode' and take off with me during the round, but he was amazing and super super easy to handle! A barnmom filmed both our rounds and I think this is the first time I can actually watch back video of myself riding without cringing (of course there is always room for improvement). So SO happy with how that went! I even remembered to ask for my leads over jumps AND he got them  

I rode the competition together with my trainers daughter (we were in the same classes) and every time we'd be standing at the in-gate waiting for our turn (I rode right after her both rounds) Moro would be making lovey faces at her mare. SO cute <3 Ears all the way forward, stretching out to sniff her, but not in a 'who is this horse' kind of way. It was more of a 'hey, say hi to me, I promise I'm nice!' Of course she kept making ****y mare faces at him, poor boy LOL. 

Yesterday I just walked and trotted him around (and dealt with a VERY scary girl in a deck chair just behind the hedge that limits the arena, she was kinda hard to see so Moro kept freaking in that corner lol) 

On a separate note - Moro is on the bit more and more consistently and it's getting easier to get him and keep him there. Yay, progress! 

Videos below: 

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*1) Training last week when he was being a speedy pony, this was the last round where I had calmed him down somewhat. *






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*2) Slo-mo jump from that same training session*






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*3) Munchy Pony last Friday after his workout*






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*4) 80cm round in the competition this saturday*






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*5) 90cm round in the competition this saturday*






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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

really looking great!!! you and he look so relaxed and 'workman-like'. Well done!!


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

Nice job!! You two look like a good team


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Had a lesson on tuesday and it went really well, Moro was a bit excited, but not out of control, and we had a couple of long hard looks at the super scary trashcan by the gate (lol) but we had some great rounds jumping! only thing my trainer had to say was about a corner I cut (oops, my bad), other than that it was all great! Yay! 

Yesterday I worked him pretty hard on the flat, lots of trot and canter, and lots of circles to try to loosen him up as he was really stiff to the left when he came out. 

Today I just let him loose in the arena for a bit. I tried to make him move but he was being super lazy so I gave up quickly lol. I tried to make him move out of a corner at one point, but didnt want to get in range of possible kicking hooves (he sometimes runs off bucking, not in a mean way but those feet go everywhere lol) so I wasnt being assertive enough, so once I did move him he thought it was a good idea to turn and face me with his head up in the air and ears back, clearly trying to be intimidating and telling me to get lost. I stood my ground and waved my arms/stepped towards him and he moved off right away, that head came wayy down real quick, so it was very clear he was just bluffing and seeing what he could get away with. Then I caught him a bit later and made him back/turn etc. just move his feet. He followed me around like a puppy after that haha. Cutie. I let him walk and eat for a bit (he was snacking on the dry leaves on the ground) and then i whistled to get his attention and he actually came walking up to me <3 All in all he was loose for about 40 minutes, but he was so lazy that apart from a roll and half a lap of canter he didnt do anything more than walking around munching on leaves here and there xD

CUTE PONY ALERT (love his mohawk lol, caused by the wind, he has a proper hairstyle for a showpony most of the time I swear)

p.s. Is it me or is he getting chunky  haha


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Oh wow! Havent updated in a while! 

*Quick -but not that quick- recap of the past month: *
- It was my birthday and I got 101 Arena Exercises, and coupons to buy new reins and a dressage whip. I bought a bridle with reins and running martingale (to avoid switching the martingle when i switch bridles) off of facebook for the price of a pair of reins, so I'm just waiting for that to arrive. 
Bridle

- We jumped a couple of times ,but a lot of rain made for pretty boring rides otherwise as the arena has been a mushy mess. Moro is getting much more consistent with getting and staying on the bit, even staying through transitions. We've been working a lot of transitions within the gaits and 5-stride and 10-stride transitions (5 strides walk, 10 strides trot, 5 strides collected trot, 5 strides lengthening trot, 10 strides canter, 5 strides trot, 10 strides walk, halt etc). This is really getting our transitions to be more collected (Moro doesnt fall on the forehand as much during downward transitions, and I dont throw away my reins anymore), and more prompt. 

- Jumping is going great, Moro has a lot of forward but less 'excited' and I've gotten to the point where I trust him enough to slow him down with my seat and half halts rather than hanging on his face. A lot more effective for sure. We're jumping a bit lower (80-90cm) in training due to the rain and crappy footing, but I'm really starting to get the striing right, seeing how many strides a line is without having to walk it, and estimating what kind of canter i need to get there. I'm still cutting the turn in one specific corner of the ring, not sure whats going on there, but when i remember to make a biiig turn I am getting better at that too. I think maybe the wall of the arena in that corner is not entirely a straight corner, and makes me think im making a bigger turn than i actually am. 

- I need to work on the end of my rounds, I tend to turn and flop into a walk, instead of staying straight and riding through the transition

- I'm still looking down at Moro's shoulders/the arena sand/the jumps 80% of the time and my trainer is getting tired of reminding me to LOOK UP. 

- All that said, I talked to my trainer the other day about going to an off-property show sometime. Obviously a schooling show as I'm not affiliated with the equestrian org here, so i cant participate in official shows, but he said we're absolutely ready and if I want to have that experience we can go to the schooling shows at the 2 nearest barns to ours that are like 'sister' barns when there are schooling shows there. So thats on the table! I dont think i'll go that often, as showing and trailering is expensive, but it will be a fun experience for sure  

- The girl that leases Moro appeares after not being around since the beginning of JUNE. (she was still paying, just not riding) so I'm having withdrawal symptoms from not riding every day. That does give me more time for other stuff so its probably a good thing now that school started up again xD 

- I went a bit crazy on the kerrits website and ordered 3 breeches and a shirt. I had bought their fleece flow rise tights when I was in NYC back in may, and ever since I've barely used any of my other breeches unless these were in the wash. So I figured I needed some more of those. I bought 2 of the flow rise tights, non-fleece as summer is coming up and i will DIE in those. I also bought a full-seat one that was too gorgeous to not buy xD And a shirt that was on sale, you know, for good measure xD Now I'm broke but very excited for them to arrive  
- Breech 1
- Breech 2 - Full Seat
- Breech 3 (same model as breech 1, different color)
- T-Shirt

- I've decided that the next time we get nice weather on a weekend and I have time to putz around, I'm gonna try hopping on Moro bareback for a bit in the small arena after riding him. His previous owner rode him bareback, and he's filled out enough now where I wont be worried about sitting directly on his ribs/spine. His spine still pokes out a bit, but I'm 99% sure thats the way he's built. He will never be one of those 'comfy chair' horses with his high withers, but this past saturday was a super warm and humid day and I felt a crazy urge to hop on bareback. He was already tacked up though, and the heat+humidity+wintercoat made him sweat like crazy so I just gave him a bath when I got off. 

- Yesterday I took him out for a ride and found out he has crazy good neck reining skills. I wouldnt be surprised if he had been trained western at some point. I was riding with a loop in my reins, one-handed, and riding figure 8s around jumps in the center of the arena with no issue. Always fun to find hidden skills of my superpony! 

- The clicker training experiment is working really well, he is 100% on the 'turn away and wait for the treats calmly' training. We havent moved on to anything else yet, but thats purely because I havent figured out what I want to teach him yet lol. 

- After our ride yesterday I took him to graze in hand for a bit, and started working on 'sidepassing' from the ground. Basically moving over to the side. I didnt have any treats on me so we did it the usual way with lots of praise and letting him graze when he made an effort in the right direction. He started out thinking I wanted him to back up (I stand at his shoulder, facing his side and old one hand with the lead up by his neck, and put pressure with the palm of my other hand where my leg would go just behind the girth). He got pretty frustrated when he didnt get what I asked, but I kept trying, giving him little breaks in between, and rewarding any step sideways at first, even if it was just the front or just the back, and after a while he got it and we got 2 really good tries before I called it quits for the day. I love seeing things 'click' in his brain when he's trying to figure out what I want.

Some pictures (all from yesterday):


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Had a good gallop on wednesday as Moro hadnt been out on tuesday and was fresh. We were gonna jump, but htere was a bit of a waiting list for the few jumps in the warm-up ring as the arena was closed due to the show this weekend and the expected rain, in an effort to keep the footing in good condition and avoid having to cancel. I had to get to work, so after warming Moro up and gallopping around for a bit, throwing in some transitions within the canter and some circles until he was supple and bending both ways, I told my trainer we'd jump in my usual timeslot, thursday afternoon. 

Thursday my new bridle/martingale combo arrived. Its BEAUTIFUL! I was so happy, and went ot the barn, and switched out the bit on my other bridle to try it out. I was running a bit late for my lesson by then, so we quickly saddled Moro up, and the groom went to put on the new bridle and... It reached about halfway up Moro's forehead  Turns out it was an arabian/pony size. The seller never told me  (I bought it off a jumpers facebook page, so assumed it was warmblood/tb sized, we dont really have that many 'common' breeds here)

Anyway, it was cheap, and I can still use the reins and martingale, and I'll try to sell the bridle, so its not the end of the world. 

We jumped a couple of jumps, 3 of them set up kind of like this: |=_ The vertical line was a vertical with Moro's most hated green plank, the two parallel ones were a vertical-oxer one-stride, and the last horizontal line was an oxer. We started out low but ended at 1m, and got the striding mostly right (except once when I tried to fit in an extra half-stride to the oxer). We worked on landing on the right lead, which went really well. 

Moro was a bit excited and my trainer said he was over-jumping by a LOT haha. I didnt notice him jumping any bigger than normal, but my trainer gave me compliments on sitting it so well.. 

After my lesson my trainer said the two-day show this weekend has been cancelled, since its supposed to rain saturday afternoon and all of sunday. Theyre moving it to next weekend. BUT, this saturday there will be a mock show, since the course was already set up. SoI'm jumping 80 and 90cm tomorrow! 

This is where it gets interesting... my trainer will be out of town so I'm ON MY OWN. Oops... haha. We walked the course yesterday, and it's really LONG, 14 jumps!! But it's not super tricky to remember, there is only one turn where I can see myself heading for the wrong jump, so I'll just have to pay attention and like... not do that xD Excited and kind of proud my trainer trusts me to be able to handle 'showing' on my own 

Pictures of Moro trying to steal my post-ride snack for laughs (He got a bite and a carrot lol)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

It was a horrible day saturday, raining on and off (more on than off) and cold. I jumped anyway, the footing was great and I dont get the chance to jump competition courses very often, so it was good practice. 

Looks like i needed the practice, I forgot how to steer, and how to ride, so forgive my horrible riding in the videos xD I basically cut all the turns (thinking i was turning wide, but then ending up jumping all the jumps on a diagonal anyway) and forgot to sit back after jumps. Oh well, guess I had an off day xD 

Moro jumped like a champ, even when in the 90cm round I was so busy trying to fit in 7 strides that I forgot we actually needed to steer TOWARD THE JUMP in order to jump it... so we ended up jumping it at a diagonal, and allll the way on the right of the jump. My horse is a superstar for not stopping and bucking me off xD I apologized profusely and gave him lots of hay and carrots afterwards haha. 

He did run out of the second jump in the two-stride the first time (80cm), because OMG SCARY PLANK D: It's not so clear on the video, but he threw his shoulder to the right and there was no way we were gonna end up jumping it without crashing into the standard so I circled and jumped the combination again. After finishing the course we jumped that line a couple of times more. 

We might have the chance for a do-over this weekend at the official show, as they might let us jump without classification. At least I learnt a lot of lessons: 
- Sit back after jumps (RIGHT after, not 4 strides after)
- Look at the next jump while turning to avoid cutting the turn
- Keep the crop on the right because that is the side Moro tends to run out if he does
- Shorten my reins so I actually have control without bringing my elbows way behind my body
Weird, those are all things my trainer keeps yelling at me... He might know what he's talking about? xD 

Videos (dont judge, just posting to keep this journal complete with all of our progress, including the two-steps back moments xD) 

80cm






90cm





Also Moro wanted to prove he's ready to move up to 1.20m classes, see screenshot of 90cm jump below. Sorry boy, I'm gonna have to learn how to ride first xD


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I had a relaxed morning of putzing around the barn just enjoying my horse this morning. It's not my day to ride (leaser has a lesson this afternoon), but I was awake early, and Moro didnt go out since saturday, so I figured I'd go and see him. 

I gave him a good curry (SO MUCH SHEDDING!) and brushed out his tail with a generous amount of detangler. Then I took him grazing for a bit on the long grass by the small arena. When he saw the grass he started prancing and snorting from the excitement xD 

After that I put him back in his box and went to tell my trainer to lunge him before the girl gets jumping today, as he hasnt been out in a few days and he noticably had excess energy. My trainer told me to do it and I was like 'I DONT KNOW HOW' so he ended up giving me a lesson in lunging. I still get the lead tangled up when letting Moro out after changing directions, but other than that it went pretty well! My constant talking while riding and handling him helped a lot as he didnt want to slow down for my trainer to change directions and I did my little 'slow down' whistle and told him to stand and he DID! Good pony made me look good xD 

He looked like a floaty fairytale horse when he extended his trot, I felt so proud that he's MY horse! He has beautiful gaits, now we just have to work to bring that out under saddle! 

I asked my trainer what he thought about Moro's back, his spine still sticks out some, even though he is pretty round everywhere else, and he still has hollows behind/on the sides of his withers, so I was wondering if maybe he was lacking topline/muscling. My trainer said not to worry about it, and that with time it will come back, especially if I 'work him' (i.e. ride him on the bit, driving from behind, through the back etc, to make him use those muscles) So we're back to doing dressagey stuff! 

I switched out his purple halter for the blue one I had before, to wash the purple one. I also changed the reins on my snaffle bridle to the new ones I bought, and i dropped off the too-small bridle for the ponylesson instructor to try on the ponies. If she doesnt want it the tackroom guy (he cleans the tack and keeps everything organized in there) said he wants it for a small-headed racehorse he owns. So looks like I'll at least make some money back! Shame about my backup plan though... I've been joking that if I couldnt sell it I'd just have to buy an arab to go with it xD 

I've washed the halter, tomorrow I will bring my saddlepad home to wash as well. Spring cleaning! I was gonna bring it home today but didnt have time to de-hair it. 

Moro's fleece blanket is out for repairs (he tore it.. he's literally used it maybe 10 times, for an hour at a time * facepalm *), once that gets back I will try and convince the lady at the laundryshop to wash his normal blanket for me. From what people have told me they might not be willing to, due to the different fabrics on the inside and outside, and they dont want to take the risk of one of them shrinking in the dryer and the blanket getting ruined. I'll ask nicely? haha. 

Gotta go buy some tiny spurs for lateral work (mostly to stop Moro from falling in on circles, adding leg just makes him push against it/lean into it), and a dressage whip of my own if I can find an affordable one. 

My breeches have been 'in transit to destination' for 4 days now according to USPS tracking. Not sure if that means they left the US and the status wont get updated anymore or if they are lost/stuck somewhere. Last stop was Portland, so I'm assuming its not delayed because of Irma. Hope they make it here xD


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

*Edit: *I thought I had updated yesterday... Guess not. I tried out the new reins and martingale on my old bridle, and the reins are awesome, but the martingale has rings that are quite large and it kept sliding up and down my reins with every step. Moro spent 30 minutes tossing his head with his back hollow, making ****y faces. I asked the groom to take off the martingale (didnt want to dismount lol) and Moro went like a dream after that <3 Talked to my trainer and he gave to ok to leave the martingale off of the snaffle bridle (for non-jumping work) as Moro's giraffe impressions are fw and far between, and usually when jumping. It is ridiculous how much easier it is to keep a constant soft contact without a martingale dangling from the reins! 

Now for today's update. 

----

Had one of those rides where everthing seems to come together and things start to click into place. We started with a nice forward walk, really pushing him to move out, (he got 'walk forward' confused with 'jig on the spot' a couple of times, because i dont usually use that much leg when not asking for a transition). I kept walking him forward and we did some circles and bending at a walk before moving up to a trot. I asked him to lengthen lengthen lengthen and then, once he was super forward and kind of stretched out, I asked him to collect, while keeping my leg on to avoid losing impulsion. 

Here came revelation #1:

*If I ask for collection by tucking my pelvis slightly in- and upwards, causing my weight to shift slightly back in the saddle, Moro will come up and round WITHOUT me harrassing his mouth with constant halfhalts. *

That was an awesome feeling, I just kept a steady contact with his mouth, and tucked my pelvis in, and he started to float and slowly brought his head down and started stretching through his back, all with a super light contact on the reins, none of that hanging on my hands stuff he tends to do. 

Then came revelation #2: 

*Moro does not ignore my leg aids for turning or not falling in on circles. He just cant do it when he's all stiff and strung out, with all his weight on the forehand. *

Once I had him going light and collected, but still forward, I started doing circles and actually managed to spiral in and out OFF MY LEG ALONE, just pushing with my inside leg to ask him to make the circle larger and my outside leg to make it smaller. Lesson learnt, the horse is never the issue. I asked the question at the wrong time, and made it impossible for him to answer correctly, causing him to tighten his back and try and avoid the pressure by throwing his shoulder to the outside and his head to the inside or vice versa. 

Sometimes I wonder why I'm paying a trainer when my horse is teaching me everything xD 

We did a lot of circles at a trot, and then worked on walk-canter transitions (so much progress there by the way, before it would take him 10+ steps of faster and faster trot, now he trots maybe 1 step, then canters, if I ask right). His left lead is super sticky, he will pick up the right lead 99% of the time, even when on a circle/asking in the corner. He will pick it up fine from a trot, I dont know if I'm asking wrong (probably) or if I should look for exercises to get the correct lead from a walk. Stuff to work on! 

Tomorrow I have to be at the barn at 7am, Show Time!!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had a show on saturday! 

I got to the barn at 7am to brush Moro before mounting to warm up, as he is shedding terribly and looks a mess before a good curry. His mane was already braided, so I curried him down, gave the groom a panic moment when he saw me in my old tshirt and everyday breeches "ARE YOU WEARING THAT? YOU CANT PARTICIPATE UNLESS YOU WEAR OFFICIAL SHOW ATTIRE!!". Of course my show clothes were in my bag, as i didnt want to get them full of hair. 

After brushing Moro I went ot change and then I waited around for half an hour and shared some breakfast bars with Moro (they were waffle type cookies with a bit of sugary sticky stuff between). He loved them xD 

As I was waiting around I noticed commotion over by the small paddock where the pony lessons are usually. A bunch of visiting horses were tied up there, and noone was around so I walked over and when I was about 20 meters away I saw a big bay had gotten loose and was trotting right at the (open) gate. I threw my arms up and scared him off, then held the gate closed and yelled for someone to come catch him - as any movement in his direction caused a 180 spin and dash out of the way. He went around harrassing and riling up the other horses that were tied there (about 10 in total, including our sassy old grandma pony, who he was very interested in xD) Situation was brought under control quickly, and my groom yelled at the guy who was responsible for the horse to pay attention when tying him up. 

Moro had been saddled but we waited a bit to put the bridle on as it was still early, and I was hoping my new bonnet would arrive in time. IT DID! My old trainer (who makes bonnets/blankets etc) camee running, and said she stayed up late to finish it. It looked gorgeous on Moro, and it matches his saddle blanket <3 

After that I got on and started warming up while waiting for the first two classes to finish. When the time came to walk the course I rode in (as we usually walk the course on horseback, i had no idea) and promptly got kicked out because it was an unfair advantage.. oops. The lady wanted to disqualify me but my trainer told her I was riding without ranking anyway, so to let me jump. Luckily she agreed. Hey, if noone tells me anything how am I supposed to know?? Plus there were people riding in the arena, but apparently it was on a 'let them know you have a young horse going to their first show and they'll let you' basis. 

We jumped a few jumps to warm up, and then walked around for a while (we were last to go). 

Our round went well, until I came to an oxer, didnt see any distance and crossed my fingers Moro would work it out, which he did, but with such a long spot that we ticked off the back rail and I ended up off-balance, causing us to completely miss the bending line after, and we had to circle. Oh well, we werent in it for the win anyway xD My trainer told me (again...) to LOOK WHERE IM GOING. Any tips for how to get that in my muscle memory are very welcome :/ 

The course for 90cm was different, so I went to walk again (this time without horse!!) and then we jumped two fences at the new height. My trainer is also the course-builder, so he idnt have too much time. He told me to walk Moro, and then just before going in, to pop him over a vertical once or twice. 

When they were calling number 23 - I was 26 - I headed Moro for the vertical in the warmup ring... which they had totally just set higher as I was the last in my class. I swear that was at last at 1.05, possibly 1.10 xD I didnt think much of it until we were 2 strides out and saw the size of it... That was an OH SH** moment! Moro flew over it, it felt like he sprouted wings on the way up! Cant wait to start jumping heights like that for real (and like, on purpose xD). 

We went in the ring while the rider before us was still going, and stayed out of the way by the rail. A weird noise spooked Moro, luckily just a scoot sideways, but then he was tense/excited, so we FLEW around 90cm at about 3x the speed I intended (After my trainer told me to ride it quieter than our first round lol) We managed to fit in the 7 strides on last week's bending line (the one where i forgot to steer) and actually did really well, but obviously didnt get the inside turns my trainer asked me for. 

I stayed the rest of the day and had a lot of fun watching everyone else ride. Our barn brought home four 1st and two 3rd place ribbons, Pretty cool! 

Adding video and pictures below!

Edit: also adding in the (watermarked) pictures by the official photographer  Guess I need to work on not sticking my toes out too...
(dont know why they are rotated, sorry about that)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had another show this saturday!! Moro was very amped up by the amount of horses in the (very small) warmup ring, so after launching over a tiny oxer and not being able to get him down to a normal walk rather than a trot in place with his head in the air, we decided to give him a quick lunge to get his crazies out. 

That helped, to a certain degree, but he was still getting nervous every time we went in the warmup ring, so I walked him in the other ring behind the barn until it was almost my turn and then jumped two or three jumps before heading into the ring. Once in the ring for the first test he was mostly listening to me, but still felt like a bomb about to explode, so I took it easy and focused on getting good distances and turns and a clear round. We went clear, but were 6 seconds slower than 4th place (i didnt hear the times of the other people) so no ribbons lol. 

For 90cm the course changed and it was a format with a jump-off! I learnt the new course and the jump-off jumps (which luckily was just jump 1 through 7, leaving out #5, or i would have gone off course for sure lol). We were one of 6 out of 14 riders who jumped clear and so we got to ride our very first jump-off!! 

Everyone else was very fast, and clear. And while we were a lot faster than before, I got off-balance in the corral (jumped it clear though, Moro bailed me out again lol) and unfortunately to jump #4 I trusted him to take his usual long-spot and didnt ask him for it. He added another stride and we hit the rail and got 4 faults, so we ended 6th, and didnt place. But I really dont care, I'm super proud of how I rode him even when he was having one of his 'hot' days. Both 80 and 90cm felt very organized and I really rode him rather than doing my usual point in general direction of jump, have him lock on from a horrible diagonal line, forget to ride and then try to straighten him out halfway through the combinations  

I'm also proud that I dared to let him go a bit more in the jump-off round, but I have to practice riding him at higher speeds and adjusting my jumps in preparation for the turns. 

LESSON LEARNT: Dont leave it up to your horse to figure out what you want from im without asking for it (long spot during the jump-off)
WELL DONE: It's ridiculous to compare this weeks photo's with the ones from the last show. I'm LOOKING WHERE I'M GOING GUYS. Its magic xD I did revert to looking down halfway through the jump-off after we had one down, but I noticed and corrected fairly quickly. 

_Sidenote: I thought I had posted this before, but the other day while watching Vikings I realised that if I were to ride into battle while looking down I wouldnt be able to see the enemy. Not a good idea. So for the past 2 weeks 'Ride into battle, look at the enemy' had been my mantra while riding and its done wonders for my position. Really I just want to be as awesome as Lagertha xD 
_

I didnt get video of the 90cm round, but luckily I did get the jump-off and 80cm. I've also ordered 2 of the official pictures as they were pretty nice!

80cm





90cm Jump-off


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I got on for my lesson yesterday and as soon as Moro walked off my trainer told me to get off. Moro was acting super excited and tense, and snorting before we even walked away from the mounting block. He had been stuck inside for 2 days as his leaser didntshow up on tuesday. So on the lunge he went. He ran and bucked and jumped like a mad foal in spring, no sign of him being 20+ years old xD 

Once he got his bugs out and relaxed enough to give a normal canter on the lunge we took him back to the mounting block, where we noticed he had chipped his front leg with his hind, just on the coronary band. It was bleeding a bit, but it was a tiny cut, and didnt bother him at all, so my trainer said we could jump him no problem. We had a great lesson, getting awesome distances, and working hard on me 'sitting back' right after jumps. It went so well that we ended up jumping the entire course at 1m, which was awesome, and some of the wider oxers felt like Moro sprouted wings on the way up <3 near the end of the session Moro was crossfiring in the canter after a turn to the jump, and set off awkwardly because of that, even though we got a fairly nice distance, and we threw both top poles of the oxer. We r-did that line and he over-jumped and I felt his body twist as he twisted his backlegs out of the way (he jumped high enough anyway, but he's the kind of horse that once he touches a pole he'll be overly careful the rest of the session). 

We ended on a great note, and had a super lesson overall. When I was walking him out we noticed he had chipped his OTHER front leg as well, and that was bleeding quite a bit  I dont know if it happened while stumbling after a jump or also while lunging. We washed his legs, waited for them to dry (Moro being quite impatient because it was feeding time and he had to wait) and then disinfected and put a silver-colored scarring salve on it. Then wrapped with vetwrap. He should be fine, its just a superficial cut luckily, but I felt terrible for having jumped him when I saw he was bleeding! 

Another reminder to always put ALL protection on the horse, and not be lax with the bell boots because 'he hasnt overreached since I bought those'. Sigh.

Graphic picture below, along with a grumpy pony face while waiting for his dinner, and a fully wrapped up and happy pony afterwards.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Well the pony is healing up nicely! We had a nice ride this morning, mostly worked on a loose rein (small loops in it, not all the way on the buckle in case of spooks, it is almost halloween after all...  ), focusing on steering with my seat and legs. It went surprisingly well! I was even able to do canter-trot and trot-walk transitions without touching the reins (i grabbed mane to stop myself from 'accidentally' using them). That was fun! Then the second half of our ride I got into two point and just let him canter it out as he was pretty bouncy today. I love when I lt him go and he just keeps going and going and going. No leg needed lol. We did this both ways, starting and ending with smallish circles to start him out easy/bring him back down. It was fun! He could have gone for a lot longer (boy was he excited he got to run!) but I had to go work, so I jumped off and handed him off to the groom as I raced back home. (I felt so bad for doing that but hey, it was the only way I was getting a ride in today...) 

I think tomorrow will be 10 minutes of warmup walk/trot on a long rein as it seems to help a lot to get him loose in the back, then transitions and circles and figures around jumps, then working on a circle and trying to get him consistently ON the circle without falling in or out. I'm not nearly strict enough in asking this of him, usually an egg is 'close enough' so we're gonna start doing some serious work on that. 

Picture and video of our ride sunday (I know my outside rein is way sloppy there, not sure what i was doing lol)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Well after watching back that video I posted yesterday I figured I'd once again look into 'inside leg to outside rein' and try to understand the concept. 

After watching these two videos, especially the second one, it was a lot more clear: 













So I figured I'd give it a try today! After walking around in the park behind the warmup ring a bit ('trail' riding lol), we picked up a trot and after warming up with some large circles and other figures,we went into the spiralling exercise of video #2. It took a while and LOTS of inside leg, along with soft reminders of my inside rein not to turn his head to the outside just because that was the rein with contact, but eventually he was going nicely! I could let my inside rein go and he would stay on the circle with bend, and we spiralled in and out with just leg and seat, pushing his 'shoulder' into that outside rein. 

I'm still not sure If I'm doing it right, I'm using the outside rein more as a 'barrier' on the base of his neck, kind of like neck reining but without moving my hand position. He'll have a bend in his body and I limit him from falling out with my outside leg (back a bit) and my outside rein on the base of his neck. Then I use my inside leg to push him into that position and to hold him there. I hope that's right, because it felt awesome lol. Shouldercontrol! Yay! Any feedback and tips are super welcome though! 

To the left it was a lot harder to establish the right contact/position, but that is always his stiffer side (doesnt consistently pick up leads, bend on circles etc) so that is likely why. We got a few ok circles at the end and I decided to call it quits. Just a W/T ride, but it feels like we accomplished a lot!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Had a good lesson yesterday, jumped a couple of fences and got pretty good distances. There was a one-stride off a short turn that was pretty challenging to get the right distance to while still having enough of a canter to comfortably make it to the second element, but we did pretty well  My trainer only yelled once to stop looking down, and praised me on how I sat up to and after the jumps. We jumped at the same time as his daughter and her mare, and it was kind of fun, we were riding figure 8's to a vertical (jumping and landing to the other side) so we'd approach from different sides and then jump one behind the other (with plenty of space of course!). It was a fun change of pace from the normal lessons! 

After the lesson I was once again reminded of why we have ways we do things to avoid horses getting into trouble, even if the bad things 'never happen'. I've gotten sloppy about sliding the breastplate off the cinch as soon as I unbuckle it, and usually walk around to the other side first, pull it out of the breastplate loop there, and then take the cinch off the saddle as its more comfortable than fumbing around under the horses' belly. Well, yesterday, while I was walking around to the other side, Moro kicked at a fly and got his foot caught in the loop of breastplate-cinch. Luckily the loop of the breastplate slid off the cinch by itself, instantly releasing Moro's leg, and he didnt even notice, but as I saw it happen all worst scenarios ran through my head and I saw my horse in a wreck with a broken leg or worse. Protocol is there for a reason guys, follow it. 

There is a mock show tomorrow, but I wont be jumping as I have my first driving lesson at the same time. I'll be going for a ride in the afternoon though. Today Moro stayed in as its rainy weather, and I had to travel, so I didnt have time to get out myself. The weather is too bad to ask someone else to go out and ride him for me, or to let him loose in the paddock (MUD EVERYWHERE!). 

There is another mock show next weekend, and then an actual schooling show the week after, so we'll be participating in those


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I couldnt make it out on friday, and saturday there was a show I didnt go to. I was going to ride staurday afternoon, but because of the show the barn opened early and closed at 4pm, which I didnt know, so when I got there the tack room had been locked. I took Moro out and let him run around in the small arena for a bit, then handgrazed him for about an hour after. He was very happy! 

Yesterday (sunday) we had to work around the jumps that were still up from the show, so we did a lot of direction changes, small circles, and cloverleaf patterns at a trot and a slow canter. Moro obviously had a lot of excess energy after being stuck in his stall for 2 days, but unfortunately there were too many jumps to let him run the crazies out, so it was a lot of work to try and channel that into working on collecting and extending and bending on circles. Plus it was hot and humid, so I gave up after about 45 minutes. Not the best ride, but good days and bad days are all part of the journey right? 

Adding a few pics from saturday


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I was uploading a video to another thread on here, and remembered I had a couple of cute ones from saturday. Figured I'd attach them! 


























My pony is a goofball <3


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We did some serious no-stirup work on sunday, including various laps of canter with no stirrups! Yay! My seat feels a LOT more secure and comfy than the last time I tried to work without stirrups, so thats good! 

Today I started out without stirrups again, and trotted, posted (!) and cantered with no stirrups until the inside of my thighs was so sore I couldnt stay in a proper position anymore xD After that I put him into a big cruising canter around the large arena perimeter for several laps. Mr pony has some energy to burn off. After the first lap or so he turned into a firebreathing dragon, as they were tearing down a roof just behind the treeline around the ring, and there was a lot of noise, plus giant pieces of metal roofing being moved around and lifted up into the air. NOT a happy pony! Of course after that he also spooked at the pile of jumping poles in the center of the ring, and a piece of baling twine on the ground (around 6 times, every time he walked past it), and the standards of a vertical he's jumped a 100 times (not sure why THAT one was scary, and not the other 8 in the arena but ok...) 

Despite being a coiled spring with his head wayy up in the air, he actually listened very well to me. when he started looking and drifting/spooking to the side, a bit of outside leg would put him right back on track. He would slow down when I asked, and despite a few small scoot and sprints in the corner where they were fixing the roof, and one 'I'm NOT getting near that pile of poles' where he was so sure it was a monster that he almost went UP instead of forward towards it, he worked really well. We worked through those little hiccups with lots of leg and encouraging voice (when he started doing tiny rears, front legs splayed out, trying to go in any direction but forward near those poles he got a tap on the shoulder, a strong leg and a loud 'WALK ON!', after which he behaved). After lots of canter, with circles of different sizes and spirals, and random changes of directions, I walked him out, and past all the scary places again on both hands. He stayed mostly relaxed, and kept one ear on me, which I call a success! I called it quits and decided to end it on a good note when he walked past the scary roofing people right when they threw something down that made a lot of noise. He tensed, but a bit of leg brought his attention back on me (ears!) and he walked past the scary spot calmly. 

So proud of my little guy! Show coming up on saturday


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We had a show on Saturday, where both Moro's lease girl and me were gonna be riding. I got there early and just hung around, getting nervous because people were already warming up and the girl hadnt shown up yet xD It al worked out fine though, she got there in time and warmed up, then jumped the 70cm class (Moro did great! They got round clear ). 

After we walked the course for the 80cm class together, with my trainer, and she did the class (first to go, again clear!) and after we did a formula-1 type pitstop where we changed her saddle for mine, I hopped on, cantered a bit and jumped a vertical and an oxer in the 5 minutes before it was my turn to go. 

Moro felt really relaxed (though forward!) and attentive to my aids, so I decided to see if I could push the gas a bit, and paid attention to trying to cut the corners as short as possible while still maintaining a good rhythm. We went around clear! My trainer told me to hold Moro back more next time, but it didnt really feel like Moro was going fast as I really felt in control and in sync with him. Also, we got second place!! The winner was a giant GIANT grey that had galloped around the course full speed as if it was a jump-off, so I didnt expect to beat that with my little pony, but I was so happy that we placed! It felt even better because I had pushed a little to TRY and place, and it worked! It felt more like we earnt it and less like an 'accidental' sort of luck thing. 

Moro was a bit crazy during the victory lap because the ribbon was flapping in his face due to the wind. (he's usually good cantering with a ribbon on his bridle, but it was windy so it flapped over his nose and eye instead of back). 

I walked him until the 90cm round started and then walked the course and popped a single vertical at the new height, then just let him walk until it was our turn. Unfortunately there was a guy with a young black horse that decided to jump him at the first fence of a two-stride, right as we were next to that fence - the warmup ring is separated from the arena by a rope. Moro got a fright and it took me a while to get him to calm down and relax again, and stop dancing around at a half-trot rather than a walk. Once he relaxed we were walking on the center of the long side and THE SAME GUY FELL OFF AGAIN. Right next to us, at one of the warmup jumps. *facepalm* I feel bad for the guy, but it seemed on purpose lol. Maybe the horse was just scared of me and Moro? haha. 

The 90cm round went well too, I started with a nice rythmic canter with more collection as the first turn was a 180+ turn to the second jump, and that would have been hard at a more forward canter. At any rate the round was a two-phases one, with only the time for the last 5 jumps counting for placement. I intended to take it easy until the line to jump 7, then get a bit more forward for jump 8-12. Unfortunately Moro jumped funny (acording to my tainer he dropped a hindleg) and hit the second fence, getting 4 faults, so I just took it easy and focused on getting nice distances and turns for the rest of the course. He jumped awesome, I'm so proud of my little guy! 

After 4 rounds in 28degree weather (celcius!) in the full sun, Moro hadnt even broken a sweat. I walked him for a while, and watched some of my friends ride their rounds before taking him to untack, giving him a nice cool bath and a drink, and then putting him in his box with a big apple and some hay. He enjoyed the rest of the day looking out the dutch door at all the commotion, and stealing treats from gullible passers by - using his supercute face to convince them. 

All in all a great show! 

---

*Whats next:* I spoke ot my trainer after our training on thursday and I'll be jumping Moro in a snaffle from now on, at least to see if its possible without him running off (which I think it will be as he's more relaxed in a snaffle than his jumping bit). I will report back on that!

*Little extra:*_ a mare i ADORE that used to be at my barn but hasnt been for about 3 years now, was at the show doing the 90cm and 1m classes. I went to say hello to her in her temporary stall afterwards, and she greeted me with the same soft nicker she always used to do when she was still at my barn. I dont know if she recognized me or just does that to everyone nowadays (it used to be to me because I would give her treats and scratches, and visit her almost every day), but i got butterflies in my stomach. I may just have to buy that girl when I retire Moro in a few years... _

---

Videos of both rounds below, unfortunately a bit overlighted, I think she did the settings for the darker horses that jumped before me. Oh well... 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=R25zrrOtsB8


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

On Sunday I woke up at 7am, feeling like a kid on Christmas morning... I had decided that since Moro did 4 rounds on saturday, I would just take him out to walk around for about 20-30 minutes, just to let him stretch his legs, and then give him the day off. 

_I had also decided I would do that without a saddle. _

I was nervous and excited as we put on his bridle, and threw on his saddlepad just to avoid my breeches getting full of hairs. Not knowing what to expect, I lined him up at the mounting block and climbed on as the groom held him. After a quick fix of the saddle pad position (which I had moved while getting on) we walked out to the arena, and I discovered two things: 

A) My horse is an angel and will walk with me on bareback, even though we dont know if he's ever been ridden without a saddle, and there is a marathon going on right next to the barn. (he was looky, but didnt spook) 

B) He is way more comfortable than I thought, but his spine does stick out a bit (really helps with not sliding off the sides though lol) and I was a bit worried about hurting his back, so I will see if I can get a bareback pad with some sort of 'gullet' to take weight off the spine. At a walk it was pretty easy to adjust my seat to take most weight in my thighs rather than my butt, but that will be harder at a trot/canter. 

We walked around for about 20 minutes, and even threw in a couple of quick trot steps just to see how that would work. Moro was a complete angel through all of it, unfazed, easy peasy 'mom i dont get why you were so worried about this' kind of attitude. I LOVE HIM! 

Will definitely be doing this more often, but may wait until I get a pad to avoid hurting his back/my bum haha. Yay for another successful milestone! 

Soon this will be us: 









HAHA, ok no. Just kidding. But wouldnt that be cool though? 


---


(edit: excuse the saddlepad placement, it slid way back as were were trying to get it straight after I climbed on lol)


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Aww, I love the pictures. You guys look lovely! I am so glad he did well bareback for you. I know some horses are just like 'whaaat? what are you doing?!' :lol: He is definitely a sweet boy! 
You look so happy with him!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

@PoptartShop I sure am happy with him <3 Even when he wasn't so chill today xD 

Can hardly blame him, after our little walk-only ride on sunday he wasnt ridden till this afternoon (turned out in a small paddock yesterday so he got out of his stall at least). Of course this afternoon the 'hasnt been worked in 4 days' was combined with 'a storm so bad i think we're going to end up in Oz at any time', so yeah... Not so chill! 

Today's score ended on 3 major bolts that took several circles to get back to trot. 

The first one unseated me and had me in front of the saddle with my reins loose as he pulled them out of my hands wondering WTH i was gonna do to stay on. Made worse by the fact that in the initial jump, while i got unseated, I accidentally smacked him with the dressage whip, giving him an extra scare. This guy is NOT good with flopping reins when he's alreay spooking/running, so I took a few moments to get my seat back in the saddle before wondering if the movement of picking up the reins was gonna kill me as I was still off-balance and was pretty sure I might touch him again accidentally. I doubted a moment whether to drop the whip all together and then get the reins, but figured he was more likely to spook from that than from a tap on the bum (at least more likely to spook in a non-forward direction), so I reached up his neck, grabbed the reins, sat deep and got him to a very up up up canter. Talking to him helped as he immediately turned his ears back to me and started to slow down, and it was amazing to see him thinking whether to trust me that it was safe to slow down. He slowed down his canter but still had his head up in the air and alert, until I got him back to a trot where he let out a deep sigh and relaxed his head and neck. GOOD BOY! 

We circled at the trot around the arena, making random circles around jumps and off the wall for about half an hour. We had two more bolts, one when he was trotting between the tractor (about 30 meters away) and the arena wall, and encountered a patch of 'different colored sand' (a.k.a. were he spooked the first time and dug a hole) right in front of him. 

The third time he bolted was to get away from a flying lawn chair, cant blame him for that! **** scary thing xD 

The amazing thing was that after that initial bolt, while he was still super on edge and looky/spooking at things, he kept one ear on me all the time. He had little spooks (looking and dropping the shoulder to get out of there) but a small halfhalt would bring his attention back on me and he trusted me to get him through it safely. One of those days that I could really feel that we have an actual bond developing!! He was such a good pony, I really cant complain about those bolts. He tried SO hard to listen to me, even in the middle of a (sand)storm, with leaves and branches (and lawnchairs!) flying everywhere. I love my pony <3 

We even had a super nice calm canter on a circle near the end of the ride, where he still looked at the now quiet lawnchair by the side of the ring, but didnt do anything more than ***** an ear towards it while passing it. 

When the wind picked up even more to the point where I couldnt see the barn from the arena (about 30 meters away!) because of the flying dirt and sand, and the sky had turned so dark that it seemed nighttime, I figured I'd put him away, so I untacked him and washed his legs. Unfortunately, despite covering him in flyspray, his legs looked like a battlefield, covered in blood from all the bites, so I told the groom to wrap them from now on when he puts Moro outside. 

Moro hesitated when I asked him to go in his stall as the wind was making weird sounds in the roof, but he eventually followed me in (with the most sceptical look on his face I've ever seen on an animal xD) and once inside he calmed down quickly. He was munching on his dinner when I left. 

Jumping in a snaffle tomorrow! That promises to be another adventure worth writing about, whether it goes well or ends up a disaster xD


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

The pony was a mess yesterday, i lost count how many times he bolted at the wet sand patch in the arena where they had sprayed to avoid dust... FULL ON BOLTS. That was really not necessary man... * facepalm * there wasnt even any water, the sand was just a darker color... Ended up abandoning my hopes of working on circles and bend and hopped off to drop my whip and spurs at the tackroom - to avoid accidentally poking/tapping him when he scooted out from under me - before mounting back up and giving him a taste of 'Oh you want to run, run then, and keep running till I say stop'. Not the best tactic as this guy has stamina lol. We cantered (with little scooty bolts every tme we passed a wet patch) until he was slowing way down and begging to trot, and then two more laps, after which we took a walk break before we went back to trot and we worked on our circles and bend for about 10 minutes. Once he was going nicely both ways for a full circle at a time, and changed directions and gaits without throwing his head up I called it quits and walked him around (ESPECIALLY near and over the wet patches) for about 10 minutes before taking him for a good bath and tying him to 'his' tree outside. 

Got a lesson today, hopefully he's less of a madman xD


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Well, that lesson was cut short  

The pony was tossing his head at the canter, uncharacteristic but I thought he was just being a butt. When we started jumping (a tiny vertical at a trot to warm up) he jumped with his back hollow and threw his head up violently on landing. NOT like him. So after 3 or 4 jumps to see if it was a one-time thing, we called it quits and asked the vet to take a look at him. 

Luckily there was a vet at the barn checking out another horse, so he checked Moro's teeth afterwards. He had hooks that got taken care of straight away, and the vet adjusted his bridle so the bit hangs higher in his mouth as he suspected it might be hitting his teeth. He also has one molar that is missing half of it (???), but that seemed like an old injury where he might have broken it off somehow. His gums have grown into that tooth, but there is no sign of pain or infection. He had no sore spots in his mouth, so today or tomorrow morning the vet is coming back out to check his back. He might have thrown something out or hurt something while being a bolting pain in the b*** on wednesday. 

I rode him this morning and popped him over a crossrail (vet's orders) to see if the dental work had improved anything and he was the same, with a stronger dislike of the canter. He only fusses when going to the left (side where the broken molar is as well) but only at a canter. At walk/trot he is fine. The groom felt along his spine today and he had some soreness above the left hind, so that might be it. We're waiting for the vet to come out and see what we can do to get him back on track. 

The vet adjusted his headstall to hang the bit higher in the mouth, took off the flash and said to tighten the noseband a bit more. Moro went fine like that, though he was chewing on/playing with the bit a bit more at the start of our ride (getting used to the new placement?). He was also breathing a bit louder -like snorting- at the trot and canter, but that could just be excitement as he hasnt been out much this week and was very 'up'. 

The vet also mentioned that there is a slight heart murmur but said its normal for older horses, and not to worry about it. 

Crossing my fingers that we figure out whats up with the pony soon so we can get him back to his old self!

Attaching pictures of a very impatient pony, who had to wait for the vet before getting his dinner while everyone else was eating xD


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Ok so Moro got a full body exam on saturday, and the vet saw me ride him at a walk/trot/canter as well. The list of things he mentioned is very long, but luckily most are 'old horse' ailments that dont seem ot bother Moro much yet, just have to keep an eye on them. 

- Melanomas, lots of them under the tail that I never checked for and one on his shoulder that I had noticed, which appeared over the last 2 weeks. Normal for an older grey horse, the vet said not to worry, just to keep an eye on them in case they get so big they bother him or in case they break/get infected. 
- Arthritis in his hind legs, enough to make him move stiff when he just gets out, but not enough to need to start him on injections etc yet. 
- He had dermatitis on his lower legs caused by the flyspray I use on him, so we suspended that and he'll be turned out with wraps against the flies from now on.
- He had pain and heat in both hindlegs, probably from stomping at flies, so we gave him 2 days off (just handwalking) and hosed it off cold before re-wrapping. 
- Under saddle the vet noticed a slight hitch in his right hind when turning on a small circle to the right, it was barely noticable from in the saddle, but he just slightly pushed my hips out to the left more when sitting the trot on that circle. I tried again today but I cant tell if its still there or if I'm so worried its still there I'm imagining it... 

Moro had two days off with just handwalking (but he didnt get worked since wednesday apart from short 'evaluation' rides), and this morning I rode him and he felt a lot better. He wasnt grumpy about his transitions, he was just a bit sticky from trot to canter the first two tries, trotting fast before picking up the canter. That might have been because i didnt bring a crop, or maybe he thought it was going to hurt (?). At any rate once he picked up the canter the first time it was a nice forward one, i didnt have to nag him nearly as much to keep going (to the left) as saturday, but he was stillsucking back a bit on that side. No head tossing though, and I popped him over a tiny (like 40cm) vertical at a trot to see how he took it and he popped it fine, like he would have before. No protest, no tossing, no hollow back. So that's good at least! 

While handwalking him yesterday he followed me, stopped when I stopped, walked and turned when I did, even trotted when I ran a few steps. All on a loose lead. He did still try to grab all the plants from the sides of the arena xD But he's come a long way from the horse that dragged me all over to get to the grass last summer. 

His usual vet checked him over yesterday (the other two checks were by a different vet, but they work together closely and share any findings) and she didnt find anything wrong with him. I might have her come out to see him under saddle just ot check that right-hind hitch out for my own peace of mind. 

I'll be off on holidays in 3 weeks, until sometime in february, so I decided to stop jumping Moro now, until next year. Even though he seems a lot better, i prefer giving him too much time off rather than too little, and there are no shows or anything before I leave, so no real reason to keep pushing him now. I'll still ride him, but I'm thinking quiet w/t/c rides, just to get him out and moving around a bit. 

The good news is that they added more outside corrals, so he will be able to spend most of the day outside during summer  Plus his groom and I accidentally planned our holidays in such a way that I get back the day before he leaves, so I wont need to leave Moro in the care of people who dont 'know' him. 

All of this has gotten me thinking about semi-retiring him in then near future. Depending on how he goes I'm hoping to jump him one more year (of course if he tells me he's done before then I'll move him earlier) and then move him to another barn. I've found a nice quiet one with turnout, trails, a lighted outdoor, jumps and a liberty trainer that's not even far away... And people at my barn told me good things about the place (they do a lot of clinics there). I'll need to look into it more, and get my drivers' license/get the car I've been paying off first... At any rate it helps with my worries to see a place like that in Moro's future, where I can still hang out with him and enjoy him even if it's not jumping! 

Today I stopped by the tackshop and got some bandages with a 'pillow' that covers the leg down to the crown to stop the flies from getting him. I also got more flyspray (for above the bandages) to last him the summer, a dewormer, the meds to avoid huritng his liver with the dewormer and a paste to clean his sheath in case of maggots, which e hopefully wont need, but its apparently a common thing that might happen in summer, so I bought it so the groom has it on hand if needed. Now my bankaccount is empty, lets hope the pony stays sound!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Rode Moro today and he did great, we had an easy ride, lots of walk with a couple of laps of trot/canter in between. 

I did notice every time I picked up anything faster than a walk he would start breathing heavy, not sure if that's excitement to be moving again, him getting used to not having a flash on (dont think he's ever been ridden without one) or the combination of dry and hot weather, which brings a lot of dust, especially in the arena with other horses working as well. I'm gonna keep an eye on it, if it keeps happening I will probably get my own vet (who checked him over on monday) out to check him out under saddle. Pretty sure I'm being paranoid... but better safe than sorry right? 

He got 'turned out' after out ride, with hay and carrots and his pretty new wraps that don't match his halter xD (I had just thrown in the carrots hen I took the picture he was munching on one of them, they didnt last long there on the ground!)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

And some pictures I took while handwalking him on Monday, back when his polos matched his halter xD


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

So we're calling the vet again... 

Took Moro out for a ride this morning, he didnt feel 100% at the trot, almost like he pushed me more out of the saddle to the left (so that would be lifting more with his right hind?), but I decided to keep moving him a while to see if it was maybe just stiffness.. When I asked for a canter he picked it up nicely to the left, but to the right we just got trot trot faster trot, countercanter. 

I tried to call the vet but she was in the middle of checking another horse so I'm gonna call her back in a little while. I'll keep you all posted.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Ok so we've pinned it down to the sacroileac joint/lumbar area (both sides, but much more reaction on the right). He's getting echos done today or tomorrow and we're back to handwalking for now... 

Did get a compliment from the vet on how calm he is when I'm holding him, she says he's always been a fiery beast, head up in the air, kicking out etc during exams... today he fell asleep xD Always nice to hear from others that your horse trusts you <3 

Back when I first got him I posted a picture here and people noticed he might have a hunter's bump... back in september my dad watched a video of a show and thought he looked off in the right hind... I asked my trainer/groom/vet both times and both times they all said it was nothing. Wondering if maybe it was an on and off thing that showed up only when tired (shows/3 rounds the same day). Or if that was just a coincidence. Either way the vet said it's an injury common with horses that jump big fences, after making a forceful jump to get out of a tight spot, with racehorses after making a particularly powerful start, or with dumbos like mine who insist on bolting at their own shadow (see post #195). 

She did say 99% of issues in that area can be fixed, so at least it doesnt seem we're looking at early retirement...


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

So I was reading up on this and came across this list of possible red flags... 

"Besides lack of impulsion and reduced quality of movement, you may notice that your horse

*- Is reluctant to move forward*. - used to be an issue, he became a lot better through ask-tell- (demand usually wasnt necessary). The last few days he was noticably slower off my leg. 

*- Holds his back rigid.* - Noticed this while jumping last week thursday. 

*- Is reluctant to work on the bit.* - Also noticed this the past week or two, he would come on it but come back up right away. I attributed it to him being not forward enough, and, after he was off work for a few days, to him being too excited (head up in the air) 

*- Has trouble with lateral work, such as shoulder-in and half-pass.* - He never worked well laterally, I assumed it was because he never learnt the cues for it, and I had never done it before either. He doesnt back more than 2 steps at a time either, and when he does its really crooked (as in going in a circle backwards)

*- Is stiff and crooked at the canter.* - Not sure about stiff and crooked, but I did always notice he didnt seem to step under as far with his hindlegs as he ought to, and he sometimes had an oddly delayed 'third beat'. Again, i attributed it to his age and him niver having been worked 'correctly' in a dressage way. He was always just hacked and then jumped, no real work on his impulsion/working through the back etc. 

*- Changes his leading hind leg (swaps off behind) at the canter./Has trouble with flying lead changes.* - OH MY! So much! But he didnt really change behind once he was going one way. Rather he would sometimes land crossfiring after jumps, or he would swap in front but not behind when trying to ask for a flying change. 

_- Tends to throw his rider upward and forward_ - Haven't noticed this, but then I havent ridden other horses in a long time... so I might just feel it as normal when its not. 

_- Bucks and kicks out/Refuses jumps._ - None of this, not even last week when he was very obviously in pain and/or uncomfortable. I can't believe what a saint my pony is <3 

-----

So I suppose I could have seen the signs earlier... but I'm new to this whole thing, and I depend on the people around me taking my concerns seriously. Mostly it was all waved off as 'I've known this horse 5 years and he's always done that/been like that, dont worry about it'. Even when I ask the vet about things she never found any pain (though she hadnt seen him under saddle before today). So I guess I should have caught it, but I don't think I could have. I'm new to it all, if people tell me something's normal, people who have been around horses and this particular horse for many years more than me, to a beginner like me, I am gonna believe them. Guess I learnt to go with my own feelings on things, and if I seem paranoid to everyone else, that's too bad... 

At any rate now we have more of an idea of what area is hurting him we can fix him, that's the important part right?


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

_DISCLAIMER: Please excuse any giant flaws in the text below, I am trying to translate what my vet told me, even though i didnt fully understand most of the technicalities _

Ok, the pony has an eroded (very thin) and inflammated sacroiliac ligament. The muscles around it are inflammated too, because he tried to compensate. There are some tiny tears in the ligament as well, but those don't seem to be too serious. The echos also show points on the vertebrae, which are not uncommon for his age but might be causing pain too. 

He is going on 2 months of stall rest (and small-outside-paddock rest), he's getting injections to help strengthen and heal the ligament and after those 2 months we'll take more echos and see how he's doing... Maybe get him some massages too before getting him back into work. A good chance for recovery at least, but my butt is out of the saddle till february  

The vet also gave me the option of getting him physiotherapy (20 sessions) but she added that it was up to me as it's not necessary/usual to do that for non performance horses (as in horses that dont jump in rated shows etc). It costs about 3 times my usual board, which is money I dont have right now, especially since there were some changes at my job and I'm not sure if I'll be able to stay where I am at. (i do have an emergency vet fund and funds to care for him if I lose my job but this time it's not a necessary procedure, so I prefer not dipping into those now).

I spoke with the vet, and if she had said that it would make a large difference to his healing process I would have paid it no questions asked, but she said it helps, but he will heal just fine with the injections and rest. Even with just stallrest he should come out fine. So we decided together not to do the physiotherapy, as with his age, workload and my wallet, its an amount of money that's not really justifiable as it wouldnt make much of a difference anyway. 

So that's it for the pony... 2 months off. He was already prancing and snorting like a TB before a race when I took him out to handwalk him saturday, so not sure how well 2 months out of work are going to go over. We'll see...


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. :sad: I hope the injections give him some relief & the stallrest helps too. I know it is a lot of money. :/
Please keep us posted on his progress. Fingers crossed.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

PoptartShop said:


> Awww, I'm sorry to hear that. :sad: I hope the injections give him some relief & the stallrest helps too. I know it is a lot of money. :/
> Please keep us posted on his progress. Fingers crossed.


Thanks, I'll try to keep you all posted but I am off on holidays in two weeks so I might not have much to update until I get back and the vet checks him out again. (in that way it's not bad timing actually, as he was going to be turned out for the summer anyway, just in a smaller paddock now).


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

The pony is doing good, enjoying his time off in the outside paddock all day. He's got new feed (Equidiet Base) to replace his grain while he's out of work but keep some weight on him through summer (the heat made him lose a lot last year). The vet is out there riht now giving him the injection, hopefully that will help him a bit. We did a christmas fotoshoot on sunday where I dressed him up like a christmas tree and got some seriously weird looks fro mthe security guy xD Poor Moro took it all in stride and didnt spook at any of the stuff I hung on and over him lol. 

Cleaned out my bag yesterday, brought home my stuff that I wont need so it doesnt take up space there. Took over some back up polowraps and a second halter just in case. Just gotta go to the vet store to pick up a massage liquid (I think its similar to the one humas use, that gives off heat when applied and warms the muscles?) He's gonna get treated with that very other day for about a week or so after today's injections. 

He seems happy. He's turned out all day with some other horses (tiny individual paddocks, maybe 3 by 4 meters or something, but theyre all just separated by strands of electric tape, so they see each other and interact. I'm leaving next week, hoping to clean his blankets and wash his tail before then (as it's yellow and gross lol). Maybe sunday morning. 

Christmas shoot pictures to come later, I'm still editing them lol.


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

I'm sorry to hear that you and Moro won't be able to work for a while! But good that you took the initiative to get him checked out and figure out what was bothering him, he'll be much happier and healthier come February. And really that isn't too far away! 

Can't wait to see the Christmas pictures!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

The infiltration of his back made the area swell up like a ball (looks scary if you dont know what it is) and it's hurting him so he's on bute now. The vet said its a normal reaction and it should go away in a week or so. Poor pony


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

The Christmas pictures will be so cute, can't wait! 
I agree, Feb isn't too far away at all. This month has flown by itself!
Aw, poor boy. :sad: I hope it does go away within a week.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Hellooooooooou! I'm back! 

I got back from Europe on Friday, and after unpacking a bit and taking care of some things (among which a freezer full of grossness after a powercut) at home, I went to the barn to check up on the pony. He's looking great! Fat belly, lost a lot of topline but we'll get that back on. I called the vet and the ultrasound lady is coming tomorrow afternoon to see if Moro is good to go again after having his 2 months off. 

I bought Moro a bunch of treats, among which a likit toy that now hangs in his stall, which he refuses to look at... *facepalm* He's worse than my cats lol. I bet he'd have been happy with the packaging xD Gonna try to swap it out for the apple refill, as he loves the appleflavoured treat bar I got him (also Likit), and the toy is carrot, so maybe its the flavour that he doesnt like... 

Apart from a bath and a quick brush on friday I pretty much left him alone over the weekend, instead hanging out with the people at the barn. He was outside in the shade and it was too hot to do anything with him anyway lol. 

This morning I went over with my new clicker and a bunch of chopped carrots, and we worked on 'impulse control' (i.e. no mugging for treats). Something I figured out that really helps with his attacking the food AFTER the click is that I was making him look 'away' rather than in a neutral position. He's so **** smart, he got it right consistently after only a few repetitions. There were a lot of carrots left so I decided to introduce a bit of 'targetting' as well today. He got to target a water bottle I had in my bag with the 'touch' command added after he got it. He's one smart cookie. Excited to keep working on this!! 

I think having the clicker helps a lot with timing and clarity, i definitely recommend getting one if you're looking into starting this. 

Found another youtube channel with examples, and this video especially helped *click *_(haha punny)_ some things into place for me:


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

WHEE THE PONY IS CLEARED FOR RIDINGGG!! 

The vet came out for another horse yesterday right after the ultrasound was done and she cleared him ready for work. We'll have to build it up slowly of course, but I'm getting on my pony today  

Gonna start with a bit of Ace the first 3 or 4 days to avoid him having an excited breakdown and hurting himself again. 

Starting with 10 minutes walk and 5 minutes trot we'll add 5 minutes every 3 rides (first walk, then trot, then walk again etc) until we reach 20 minutes of walk and 20 of trot. Then we can start incorporating large turns (she recommended figure 8's) and some canter. We should be back to jumping by mid-march. 

We're also walking through a ditch a few times every day to help build up muscle (no hills here so thats the best we've got). 

I cant wait to get back in the saddle!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

We also had another clicker session yesterday, and worked a bit on targetting. He was great with me on the left side, but on the right he started mugging for treats. We eventually got some good touches to the target on that side too and I left it at that. 

He did seem to be confused and kept trying to touch the clicker rather than the target (they were both in the same hand but I was only rewarding him for touching the handle of the crop I was holding backwards as target) It's so cute how you can see him go from thinking about what to do to lightbulb moment to touching the wrong thing to looking super proud of himself to doubting again when the click doesnt come xD He does insist on trying again 5 times before trying something else LOL. <3


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Rode the pony around for a bit yesterday (after drugging him lol) and he was looky but calm enough not to get in any trouble. 15 minutes is literally 5 laps around the arena so we're done quickly for the moment xD Today he was a lot more relaxed. probably gonna try without the sedation on saturday. 

He's wobbly at the trot, kind of feels like Bambi on ice, but that's normal (a trainer at my barn has a mare that had the same injury who is also recovering, and he said she feels like that too). Apparently its just the lack of muscle and balance/coordination that come with 2 months no movement at all. I guess if I think about how I feel after staying in bed sick for a couple of days I can totally understand it!! 

Rain tomorrow, so I'm gonna see if I can get out before that so he doesnt have to work harder in the mud. 

One of his bell boots broke, the leather that covers the velcro strap came loose, I gave it to a friend who is a seamstress and makes horseblankets and stuff, should be fixed soon!! My saddle had become home to a family of giant spiders, so getting that out of the tackroom was a battle of trying not to scream when touching it. It definitely needs some oil! I'll get to that on sunday so it has all of monday to absorb it. 

No clicker today, just lots of cuddles. And I did his wraps myself! #soproud LOL


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Not much to update, Rehab is going well. He was stumbling a lot the first few days, and we even had an almost-fall at the trot on day #4 (he stumbled and fell to his knees, then pushed off with his hindlegs to get back up and bolted for a couple of steps before I had him back under control - lots of worrying on my part ensued, but he was fine <3) 

Moro is pretty bored with this whole walk and trot in straight lines only thing, he keeps trying to sneak into a canter, not even bolting or spooking, just casually picking up a canter halfway down the line *facepalm*. He's also taken to spooking at the chair in the middle of the arena, that has been there for all the 5 years he's lived at this facility... This pony, seriously. He'll spook at it, I'll stop him, then the next time we pass it he'll spook harder, throw his head and try to bolt. Yesterday he did a weird hop and scoot and bolt thing with his head in the air and I figured enough is enough, rehab or not, and gave him a smack with the crop, turned around and trotted him past it again. A loud 'EH!' when his head shot back up into the air was enough to make him trot past it properly. We'll see if that lesson stuck today. He's being such an adorable dumbo <3 

We're up to 15 mins walk and 10 mins trot now. Should be cantering by the end of the month. 

I changed the refill of his likit holder to apple as he was NOT interacting with the carrot one at all. This one he tried to bite/lick for a bit at least. I used the 'touch' command we've been practicing with the clicker to have him touch it and then rewarding him with apple flavored cookied right next to the toy, so maybe he will eventually get it. (He got so good with the touch command! #proudmomma) 

Another little proud moment was when he was tied next to another horse the other day and he started pinning his ears and swinging his butt around. A stern 'Moro!' and pointing my finger at his bum (from about 5 meters away) had him look at me, swing back into place and stand quietly. 

Yesterday I was in his stall when the groom came with his feed, now, this horse used to be the ear-pinning, head shaking, pawing and feigning attacks type of horse at dinner time. Now I told him to back up and stand, and he waited quietly while the groom handed me the bucket and I emptied it in his feeder before leaving his stall. Best boy <3


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

Cute pictures! Glad you're able to start riding again, I bet Moro is happy to have something else to do as well! Very cool that you've done some clicker training with him, that's something I want to try with Nav someday.


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## ChasingDreams (Nov 14, 2017)

Did you ever post the Christmas pictures somewhere? I was excited to see those 

He looks very happy though! Glad he’s feeling better and you’re getting back in the saddle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

So glad to see a positive update, glad to hear you're back to riding & he is feeling better bit by bit.
He looks happy, I agree.  Yay!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

I've been AWFUL about updating, I'm so sorry everyone! 

*MORO *The good news is that we started jumping again today! He had a week off in the middle somewhere where he got slightly intoxicated and his hindlegs kept swelling up one then the other, but we are back to full flatwork and hopped our first few crossrails today. He saw that first rail, ears went straight up, he popped it like it was 90cm and gave a cute few (small) bucks and a little speed after to celebrate. He was so happy it was ridiculously cute haha. (the rails were pretty much cavaletti, tiiiiiny tiiiiiny stuff). We kept going through a small 7-stride line in both directions until he calmed down, working him on the flat in between to stop him getting too excited. Once we got a pass at the trot (which is what we were trying to do but he kept rushing into a canter because YAY JUMPS) in each direction we called it quits for the day. He's an angel. I love my pony. 

*MADONNA *Tomorrow I start riding another horse as well, a new mare they brought in for the lesson program. She's called Madonna, and from what they've told me she's well-behaved but looky and quite forward. She needs a bit of extra work alongside the lessons she'll be in to calm her down a bit. She's a chestnut mare (ooops) with a big white blaze. I'll make sure to get a picture soon! I will be updating her progress as well here, as I've done in this post, separating Moro's bits from hers. It's in no way a permanent arrangement, but it will be fun to ride a different horse alongside my own pony. I'm sure it will feel super weird after two years of riding only Moro!


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

ChasingDreams said:


> Did you ever post the Christmas pictures somewhere? I was excited to see those
> 
> He looks very happy though! Glad he’s feeling better and you’re getting back in the saddle.
> 
> ...


I posted them in the christmas thread! I will post them here when I get home later so you can see them


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

*MORO *Moro behaved pretty well today, apart from giving me attitude (and a few bucks) when I used my stick to ask him to actually canter instead of cantering in front and trotting behind. we hopped some more tiny crossrails, and he did great! Thee first couple of times he jumped them BIG, but then he undestood how tiny they were and just trotted over them. He did speed up when riding the line again, so I made him halt in the middle, then trot off and over the second jump. We ended on a good note when he trotted the whole line calmly. 

*MADONNA* She's SUPER CUTE. But a NERVOUS WRECK. I've never ridden a horse that nervous. She's all tightly wound spring and bomb about to explode, but doesnt seem to actually get to that point. She shied a bit to the side a few times, and there was a lot of looking going on, but over all she behaved ok. Getting her to relax has so far proven an impossible task at anything other than a walk. At the walk she went beautifully on the bit, flexing/counterflexing when I asked. But you ask her to trot and her head goes up into the air and she runs right through your hands. I'm trying my saddle on her tomorrow as the one she has is small for me and makes my right knee hurt a lot. I might try my bridle as well, because hers is WAY too beig for her, and she has a pessoa bit setup but it doesnt actually work because the bridle is so large. So basically the reins are on the last hole, but it never exerts any pressure on the poll... And it doesnt work as a snaffle either because the whole bit jut rotates in her mouth. I'm hesitant to change her setup though, but I'll see if I can try her in my own bit for a few rides, and see how she does with that. Honestly its nearly impossible to keep a steady contact now. At any rate, it will take some getting to know her and a couple of rides before I get her relaxed enough at a trot to try to canter. 

Attaching a picture of the princess, I havent forgotten about the christmas pictures and I have more pics to add of Moro as well, but this is the one I have access to right now.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

*MORO* Morito was very lazy today, and since I rode him after riding Madonna my legs had pretty much given up already. We trotted for a bit until he was going nice and forward and on the bit, and then I switched to canter and let him burn off energy that way (easier to sit for me, yay xD). We hopped over the crossrails again, and he was supernice and calm to the point where we managed to do the line towards the door at a canter with no speeding or excitement. A chat with my trainer later we've decided he's all ready for verticals and oxers next lesson (tuesday). Until then I will keep popping him over crossrails cause hey, its FUN! 


*MADONNA* I dont like her name, it doesnt seem to fit her at all :/ Nickname suggestions are welcome haha. She was a looot more relaxed than yesterday, we got a nice walk from the get go, and then we even managed a nice relaxed trot with her head down after she blew off some initial steam. We even cantered! (I got some tiny bucks and a lot of head tossing for that, and we need to work on her transitions because now she runs into and out of the canter. Will work on that!) She's so much fun to ride, I love having a project to work on while I'm up there! I feel a lot more secure in my own saddle too. 

She has at some point in her past picked up the habit of overcurling her neck when she isnt sticking her head up like a giraffe (evasion evasion everywhere!), but with lots of leg and a giving reign she keeps her nose on the vertical at least some of the time, with proper contact and impulsion and everything. Now to get it more consistent. More things to work on! Yayy!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

you could call her Maria, or 'mamacita' or Lady (Lady Madonna)

or, Diva.


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