# Navigator's Progress



## NavigatorsMom

I thought keeping a journal of what I work on with Nav would be a good way to track our progress and keep in mind that even if we have bad rides, we also have a lot of good going for us. So here we go!

Started our work today by lunging in sidereins. This is something I used to do more frequently last fall/winter, but stopped in the summer. I felt it really helped Navigator figure out how to carry himself so decided to start it up again as a supplement to our riding.

He did very well, reaching forward and pushing from behind. We didn't do too much because I didn't want to tire him out when I was going to ride. During the ride he was very attentive (aside from a small buck when he got excited about seeing the barn cat - he loves cats, silly horse!) and pretty soft, though he did get heavy at times. The main thing I'm working on with him is getting him to carry more weight on his hind end and not lean and pull into the bit. 

We did some trot poles and he finally figured out how to place his feet, which was a nice small accomplishment. Afterward I had two very clear moments of trot during which he was definitely lifting his back and had his weight shifted back, and so we ended on that note. I was so happy with him though! It's always hard since we don't take lessons or have a trainer, so I have to do a lot of self-teaching and self-evaluation (when I can get someone to come out and record me). Things are a little slow going but at least they are going forward! 

I think for next ride I will again do a bit with the sidereins, and then work on our turns on the haunches to shift his weight back.


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## NavigatorsMom

Also wanted to share this picture. Not from today's ride, but just a couple days ago.

It's not perfect but look at that back leg reaching forward! Good pony!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had an ok ride yesterday. 

Once again, started off by lunging a little with the sidereins. Before attaching them I had him go around a couple times just to stretch out. He was so goofy, trying to look around at other things to the outside of our circle! It was a little frustrating to get him to focus on me. It's not like he doesn't listen. He responds very well to vocal cues and I rarely have to use the whip or line to get his attention, but I don't want him looking to the outside. It's counterproductive. Anyway, he settled some when I attached the sidereins and really moved for me. But still wanted to look to the outside at any little thing. :/

After that I got on for a short ride, since I had worked him pretty hard. Took him through some walk-trot-walk-halt-etc. transitions and he was decent. I'm really trying to focus on keeping my elbows at my sides and really use my core. I've noticed that he responds well to that, but I just have to remember to do it. We also did the trot poles again, I think I need to set out more than three though. He's getting good at it, and I'm thinking about spacing them a little more apart to see if I can get him to lengthen his stride a bit. 

Ended by doing some turn on the haunches work, which is difficult for him. Unless I position my legs and ask perfectly it usually doesn't work well. He tries to evade by doing turns on the forehand (which are super easy for him) or backing up or sidestepping. But when I cue him perfectly he responds pretty well. I am hoping to get him to a point when all it takes is a small adjustment and he'll do it. 

Gave him the day off today since I figure he's pretty sore after the hard work we've been doing with sidereins and undersaddle, but hopefully I'll be able to go out tomorrow!


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## NavigatorsMom

Today we kind of had an easy day. There was a lot of excitement with a loose pony when I was getting Nav ready, and since there were only two of us at the barn we had to go after him. He ran down the nearby bike path and then out into the road! He ended up in some of the woods near the road which is where I caught him. What an ordeal.

Anyway, after all of that I decided to take it easy with Nav. We took the long trail up to the arena, and then just did some trot-walk transitions and a little bit with turn on the haunches before doing a hilly trail behind the barn to work his back end and kind of take it easy. He did really well on the transitions! I really focused on keeping my elbows at my side and engaging core during the downward transitions and the difference was huge! I need to make sure to always pay attention to that until it's habit for me. Turns on the haunches not as great, I believe he's just being a little stubborn and lazy about it, as soon as I reinforced my leg with the whip he turned very smoothly. Pretty easy and good ride overall though.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, today was a yucky, cold and cloudy day, so no riding for Nav and I. It's been two days by now, and it's looking like tomorrow will be similar.  I really hate dreary winter weather.

Classes start up again for me on Tuesday, but thankfully my schedule is very flexible and open, so I should be able to do day/afternoon rides on all days except Tuesday and any times I have evening grad assistant duties. 

And just because, here's the most recent picture I have of my cutie boy, from a couple days ago when the weather was nicer


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## NavigatorsMom

After a long week of awful, cold weather I finally got out to see and ride Nav yesterday!I was worried that he would be fresh after such a long break, and with the weather being so nice for a change, but he was very well behaved! We didn't do a long ride, I was not feeling 100%, but he did a pretty good job after warming up.

Nav is very easily distracted and there were a lot of other people at the barn working today so it was a good opportunity to work on getting him to focus on me. We did a lot of walk-trot-halt-trot-etc transitions to keep him thinking and not looking all around. He eventually did settle down and listen to me, and we had quite a few good moments of self carriage. He still isn't super strong and I know it will take a long time before he is able to do it for longer amounts of time, but I am so happy with the progress he is making. We ended our short ride with some turn on the haunches work - it is getting easier! - and a little trail ride. Being able to take him on a trail and trot him without him deciding to bear down on the bit and run is absolutely amazing. He is a completely different horse from a year ago, much lighter and just all around nicer to ride. 

The rest of this week should be decent weather (40s and some 50s!) so I will hopefully be doing some more riding when my schedule allows for it.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, school got into full swing and I haven't had time to write here. Have had some time to ride though! 

I've been working Nav about two times a week only, unfortunately, though I made it out four times this past week. I just have to really plan and make time to do it. We've still been doing a lot of trot work, poles, and transitions. I've also been lunging every now and then with the side reins. 

Today was excellent though! First of all, weather was in the 60s, which is amazing for January. I started off by lunging Nav, with side reins, and we have finally worked up to the point of having a decent contact with them. He worked really well and was lifting and really reaching with his back legs. Only did about 20 minutes of lunging total, and then got on for a short ride. I could actually feel a difference in his movement immediately! He was definitely lifting his back, and was pretty good about giving to the reins and accepting the bit. And in an open field too! It was so great! I just trotted him around and did a little hill work but kept it pretty easy since I had already lunged. 

Very happy with how things are going


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## NavigatorsMom

Unfortunately it got cold here again, so I haven't ridden since my last post. It was sunny and a bit warmer (like 40) here today, so I went out and lunged Nav. Don't want to let him go too long without work.

Decent lunging session, started without side reins and really got him moving forward. A little too much forward though because when I tried to bring him down from trot to walk he just kept trotting! Very frustrating since he's normally great with voice cues.

I used my downward transition voice, did some gentle give and take on the line and even pulled the line in until he was doing a small circle around me. That's what it took for him to finally walk, and when I let him go out again he almost immediately wanted to trot again! I'm not really sure how I can go about fixing this.

Anyway, I put side reins on after a bit, and he moved pretty well. There was still some slack in the reins, but he's not going behind the vertical so I think I could put them up a hole next time and give him some more contact. Not sure they're doing much good when they're slack. 

He's a frustrating horse to ride. When he's good, he's really really good! But when he has an off day he is just totally frustrating. He's smart, kind of pony-like, and knows what to do to get out of work.


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode yesterday, lunged only the day before. 

He really wanted to lean down into the bit for our transitions from trot to walk. I tried keeping my leg on and doing half halts and giving with my inside rein but he just kept reaching. It was very frustrating. He never really settled out of it, though it helped when I did a ton of walk halt transitions. He seemed to get it, all I had to do was sit deep, close my thighs and barely take up the outside rein and he would halt. I noticed he does it better to the left (when my right hand is outside). I wonder if this is because I am crooked? I had a harder time cuing him properly going directionally right. 

Anyway, his transitions got better, but when I brought him back to trot walk it wasn't as good. Better than before so I suppose I should think of that as a positive. 

I did get some very nice walk-canter transitions though! This is something he has never been great at - probably in part due to is draftiness and heaviness on the forehand - but he did so well! It felt like he just stepped into it, instead of having any kind of run or rush around like he used to. Now, there were a couple of times when he did just try to run into a trot and then canter but I was able to bring him back down right away and get it better the second time. And when he would go into it it would be such a nice uphill round canter! I'll have to see if I can get someone to record next time we work on it, because I would love to see if he looks as good as he feels, or if he's faking it.  

He was overall super spooky during the ride though and I could have done without that. I think he was looking for things to be afraid of! But I tried to just force him through it and we ended up with some good results in the arena. Even on our ride back to his field though he kept looking around. I guess it was just because it was pretty windy. 

Today was very cold and gusty, so no riding this time. The week is supposed to warm up though so I should be able to get more rides in soon.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well today felt like 100 steps backward. 

Nav was just not listening to me. The whole way up to the barn he had his head high up and was just looking for things to be spooky about. Then once we got to the arena he settled a little bit, but refused to bend. 

We didn't get a single walk to canter transition and the major extent of our cantering involved Nav bearing down as much as he could. I kept my elbows to my sides but felt awful putting such pressure on his mouth. 

At the end I got an ok canter out both directions with an ok downward transition, but I am just not happy about how today went.  We worked for an hour and it felt like it was completely pointless.

Can't ride tomorrow because it's my long day. Maybe I'll get another chance on Wednesday.


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## knightrider

Awwww, bad day. Did you ride on Wednesday and was it better?


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## NavigatorsMom

Unfortunately no. I did get out to lunge him though. Just a short one, didn't have much time because of all kinds of grad work. 

Nav was pretty good. He got going nicely forward, and is figuring out how to carry himself at least a bit. I know it will just take time for him to build up the correct muscles. I think sidereins are helping, though I don't want to lunge him with them every time I go out. Not sure if that would be beneficial or not.

Still a bit frustrated. I didn't ride today either, but no classes tomorrow so I should get an opportunity.


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## NavigatorsMom

Happy to say that today was a better ride!

The main thing I'm realizing lately is that I really need to find an instructor who will travel out here to do lessons with me. I have been trying but so far have no luck. If not that, I need to at least start getting regular videos of myself riding to look back on for self critique, and post on places like here to get critique from better riders.

Anyway, after our warm up/walk to the arena, I tried something different. Instead of starting with some trot, I brought him to a canter right away, and let him go around the ring a couple of times, with some circles thrown in, both directions on a fairly loose rein, just to get him in a forward mindset. I think it made a difference! Once we went to trot he was moving much more forward than he normally starts out, and seemed to be lifting his back and rounding up some of the time. 

We then did some trot-canter and trot-halt transitions, which went mostly well. He still pulls down, mostly going to the right, when my left side is outside. I think that's my weaker side and it's really hard for me to get a good halt going that direction. Going to the left, all it takes is for me to sit, close my thighs and close on the reins and he will halt with very little pulling down into the bit. Going to the right I can't get him to stop and there's weird bending, and it honestly is just harder for me to close my hand and move my arm properly. It's kind of hard to explain.

I also took him over some trot poles, to help get him lifting, and we spaced them out a little more today too to get him to reach more. Seemed to work pretty well. Ended with some shoulder-ins and turns on the haunches, which he is getting very good at! 

I think I need to get a video and post it here for critique. Not a super edited version, something that really shows what we deal with so that I can get the most accurate critique. Hopefully I can get someone out there with me this weekend while the weather is nice!

In the meantime, here's a short clip from lunging the other day. I had music playing out of my phone so that's why that is there.  I've been working him with sidereins a couple of times a week, and I do think it's helping. And I know it's not perfect, but I'm happy to see that he's got slack in the reins and is not bearing down at the canter. Hopefully we'll be able to get that undersaddle more regularly soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOdNEASfu4Y


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was a lot of fun.

Didn't really do much at all in the way of working, but I did get to go on a trail ride with another person! I am so often alone at the barn that this was a pleasant change.  Nav of course acted like he had never been around another horse before... He was so excited about having a buddy that I had a hard time keeping him focused while we warmed up in the arena. Silly horse! We had a couple of good moments before our ride, but nothing special.

I still think I need to get a video. I cannot tell if he's round or hollow. I feel like he's going fairly round and forward with impulsion some of the time, but I also feel like he hollows or gets on the forehand quite a lot as well. Didn't help that today I took my a/p saddle out because I didn't want to carry my dressage saddle (since it's a hair bigger/heavier and I was feeling lazy), which doesn't actually fit me as well so I felt like I didn't know how to ride a horse. 

Hoping to go out again and just do a short bit of arena work, and hopefully have the boyfriend out to get some video for me!


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## NavigatorsMom

Last two rides have been pretty good, but nothing spectacular. I feel like we're stuck in a spot and aren't progressing. Or if we are we're progressing very slowly. 

He did some good stretching and lifting at trot, only for a few strides at a time still, but it's something. We've also continued the canter first during warm up to get him forward and that seems to be helping. Yesterday's ride he saw the farm dog (who he has seen basically every time we ride...) and decided to freak out and spook over him. Even though the dog was not doing anything or even near us. I made him work hard after that, because I think he was being bad, and we did a ton of change of directions at trot, circles, transitions. He got to work and settled into a good working trot after that. 

I wish I had someone to take lessons from. I feel like that would help us a lot.


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## NavigatorsMom

Haven't been able to ride much at all lately because I've been trapped with a cold. I did go out and lunge Navigator yesterday though and he did amazingly well! 

He really started working into the side reins and reaching under and lifting his back. And his canter is getting better too. Transitions are helping it seems  when we were done with side reins I had him go around a couple more times each way and he stretched down so well!! At trot and canter, it was some of the most beautiful movement I've seen from him! Hopefully we'll eventually be able to recreate that under saddle! 

The next week and a half or so calls for lots of rain and thunderstorms so probably not a lot of horse time in the near future. 

And just look at how handsome this guy is. I'm seriously so lucky <3


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## Rainaisabelle

I love his name!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you Rainaisabelle! He came with it, but I think it's a pretty unique and fun name.


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## NavigatorsMom

Haven't been able to ride in over a week due to sickness and now awful rainy weather. 

Nav is probably enjoying himself out in the pasture with his buddies at least.

Not much in the way of riding updates obviously, but, I did find out about a local dressage club that hosts shows a few times a year. The season starts in April. I am very seriously considering joining and taking Nav to some shows just to get him out there and give him some experience. I would have to find someone to haul me, but I have at least one person in mind. Hoping it will all work out!


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## Rainaisabelle

You should do it ! I'm taking Roy to an inhand show in August and a clinic end of April


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks Raina! The only big thing holding me back is the worry of not finding anyone who could haul us to shows. I think I might get involved though. 

I was finally able to go out for a ride on Saturday afternoon. It was still very muddy and rainy, so I just decided to hack Nav out bareback. He was very well behaved and did really well! Unfortunately it was too muddy to even trot without fear of slipping - the last time I fell it was because I cantered him when it was too muddy, so I'm always very cautious of footing now. 

The ride was just what I needed though, and I'm really happy I was able to go even though we got cut short by heavier rain. Today the weather is beautiful! Sunny and 70s! But because of my schedule and adult responsibilities, I won't be able to go riding  Hopefully the weather will hold out until Wednesday, that's looking like the next chance I'll have.


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a pretty good ride on Nav today! This was our first real work ride in over a week. He was a little spooky and silly, which I expected due to the amount of time off and the wind. 

But he really tried for me, and actually did quite a bit of nice trotting with his back round and stretching into the bit instead of bearing down! He got tired after a bit and did resort to his normal evasion by pulling my hands but I corrected him with some transitions and it was all good. We did a little hack on the trail behind the barn after which is mostly uphill so got some good hill work in.  Overall very happy with my boy!


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out and worked on Nav's feet today. They are looking good.

Also went ahead and moved him to the new pasture, with barn owner's permission. The two horses he is with now he has been with in the past, one of them very recently. One of them is a mare (his sister actually) and she was not too happy to have a new pasture mate. They seemed alright at first, and since they have all been together before and there are only three of them total, I went ahead and let him go. 

Of course, right away mare starts to chase him, lots of squealing. He didn't try to pester her, pretty much just ran off. They circled the field once and then settled near the fence so I was able to keep an eye on them before I left. Everyone seemed fine, every now and then mare would come over and sniff at Nav's nose and then squeal and stomp her foot. They seemed fine though.

Then just as I was leaving mare comes up to Nav, who was happy with the mineral block, turns and kicks him hard on the side/haunches!  And the poor guy doesn't even try to run off, he just sort of walks away after she stopped. He wasn't limping and did not seem to be favoring or resting that side. Unfortunately I had to leave, so I let my barn owner know what had happened, and she said she would keep an eye on them and come check them later.

I haven't heard anything from her so I have to assume that that means he's fine and they've all settled. I know horses do things like this all the time, and it's known that this mare is very bossy and dominant. I just have never seen a horse kick another, and especially not my horse! It was startling.

Worst thing is, I'm going out of town tomorrow and won't be able to see him for about a week. I may have a small window in the morning where I can go out and see how he's settled in, but not much time. Hopefully he's ok and will just be a little sore for a bit.

I feel like a bad horse mama though.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out shortly to check Nav this morning, after a long night of poor sleep thanks to a combo of worry about him, and coffee too late in the evening. 

Thankfully, Nav seemed perfectly fine! No swelling and he wasn't limping or favoring anything, and his behavior with me was normal. Of course, I'm sure he's sore, so a week without me working him will probably be nice and give him a chance to recover. He's definitely keeping his distance from Ms Mare, but she didn't seem to take any notice of him while I was there. Hopefully they'll all settle down and get along.

Now maybe I can relax and not worry about him so much during my little trip!


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## NavigatorsMom

Spring break was super busy and I didn't get much riding time. Nav probably enjoyed the break of course! 

I lunged him shortly on last Monday, after I got home from visiting my friend. He was not sore or stiff, so I believe he's been keeping a safe distance from his mean herdmate.

Last Thursday the vet came out to do shots for all the horses and take a stool sample to check for worms. Turns out Nav had a count of 50 - super low! So that was quite exciting, he was the best off of any of the horses there. Made me feel like at least I'm keeping him healthy, even if our riding isn't the best!

I rode for the first time in over a week on Saturday and Nav did ok. He got a little wound up and distracted when someone else started lunging in the arena, and lost a lot of the good bend we had been having. But, I was not expecting much after such a long break, and he wasn't really bad. Just a little distracted. Will be able to go out this evening after a flute lesson (yay, extra income!), so I'll see how he does tonight.


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## NavigatorsMom

Not a great ride today.

Nav was unusually spooky and he bucked me after a transition to canter. His bending was awful and he just wanted to run around with his head up. Maybe I'm just an awful rider and someone else should be working with him?

I'm also a bit concerned that because of the bending problems and the buck tonight maybe he's sore and needs to have the chiropractor out. Which is not necessarily something I can easily afford right now but if it will help Nav then I think I can manage. 

Blah.

Have a cute picture to make up for all the negativity...


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## Rainaisabelle

NavigatorsMom said:


> Not a great ride today.
> 
> Nav was unusually spooky and he bucked me after a transition to canter. His bending was awful and he just wanted to run around with his head up. Maybe I'm just an awful rider and someone else should be working with him?
> 
> I'm also a bit concerned that because of the bending problems and the buck tonight maybe he's sore and needs to have the chiropractor out. Which is not necessarily something I can easily afford right now but if it will help Nav then I think I can manage.
> 
> Blah.
> 
> Have a cute picture to make up for all the negativity...


Looks like we are both having a bad day! Try not to think about it as we all have our bad days same with them. Chiro could be beneficial but maybe give him a couple of days off and ride again and see what happens?


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks Raina, I know we all have bad days, just seems like lately I've had a lot of them (or I just focus on them way too much). He has bad days when he gets too much time off (he had about a week), but I just thought the lunging and riding a couple days earlier might have helped more. 

I can't even go out too see him today, I'm on campus from 8 am to 8 pm (blah), and the weather is calling for a thunderstorm tomorrow so probably won't be able to go until Thursday earliest. That will give him a bit of a break though and we could come at it fresh on Thursday. Maybe I'll try to get a video for some input, it's just hard to do when I ride alone!


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## NavigatorsMom

So, even though it makes me a bit nervous, I'm going to go ahead and put up a video of lunging Nav from the other day. It is definitely not our best, and it shows a lot of the bending problems we've been dealing with lately. 

I would love input, if anyone has any. I know it's not that good, but what's the point of putting up videos of only perfect moments? I wouldn't get any help if I did that. As an fyi, I am not married to using side reins. At the barn I was at last year my barn owner suggested I use them on him to help him begin to carry himself correctly, and it did seem to help at the time, however I don't know if it's what I really need to be doing with him and would not be opposed to using them less or not using them at all.

Anyway, here it is. It's a little long, I know, but if you want to skip through...
Lunging right - 0.00-1.00
Lunging left - 1.00-2:53
Lunging left with side reins - 2:54-4:39
Lunging right with s.r. - 4:40-end

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


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## Rainaisabelle

The one thing I see and I have gotten in trouble for this on my thread.. DON'T MOVE BACKWARDS always have the intention of forward motion. If you go on my thread and search through the last 5 pages Tiny has written a really good explanation.


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## AnalisaParalyzer

Going to the right, he looks like he's bending away from you quite a bit, instead of bending towards you. Could be from discomfort traveling to that side, but could just be him "disconnecting" from the exercise. I would add a bunch more transitions, abd direction changes to get his focus back on you. If he still travels bent outward, I'd get a chiropractor or lameness vet out


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks you two!

Raina, I'll check back through your thread and see what I can find. Funny, I didn't even realize that was happening! I'm wondering if that is contributing to his hind end being closer to me/on a smaller inside circle. Maybe if I keep forward motion it will drive him out more?

Analisa, he is definitely bending away from me, I think it's at both directions even. But yeah, much worse to the right. He is harder to ride at the right too, we have the same kind of bend problem, especially at canter, but we can get some correct bend at trot. He's not super consistent though, even undersaddle to his good direction. Throughout the time I've spent riding him his "bad side" will switch from left to right and back again. ATM his good direction is left but there was a time not long ago when we couldn't pick up the left lead and his right was better. I don't know if he just has a lot of tricks in his bag for evasion, or if something else is wrong. I will try more transitions, and I think part of the problem was that there was someone working out of the arena (off screen) that he was too worried about. So that was probably part of the problem, though I know we have bend issues most of the time. I will look into finding a chiro as well though.

Maybe I'll see if I can get my BO/former trainer to take a look at us sometime soon. She's pretty with a full time job outside of the barn, and lots of farm work so I always feel bad asking, but I don't think she would mind.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, almost forgot to post in here but today is Navigator's unofficial birthday! He's 11 this year  I don't know his exact date, all I know is that it was spring, around or during April 2005. April 1st 2014 is also the first day that Nav was officially my horse, so it works out as a good day (side note, today is our 2 year anniversary!). 

I had planned to go out and do an easy ride with him, and started with lots of grooming and loving on him. I saddled him up and went to put on my helmet when I realized that I was supposed to be on campus to lock up the performing arts center at 3... and it was already 3:45! :O So I didn't get to ride because I had to rush over there and take care of that. 

Nav probably enjoyed the grooming, birthday treats, and not having to work though, so I suppose it was a good day for him. So happy that he's my boy.


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## Rainaisabelle

Yay ! Happy birthday Nav!


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## NavigatorsMom

Nav and I had a good ride tonight! I think it helped us a lot that I actually had planned some exercises to do instead of just getting on and deciding as we rode. I used some exercises from the book 101 Dressage Exercises for Horse and Rider, which I don't think I've ever used before but I've had it for years! 

We started with some warm up exercises which really seemed to help Nav loosen and move forward as we went along. The rest of the ride my focus was on transitions. We did some halt to walk and trot transitions, and then a little bit of trot-canter-trot transitions with a goal of five strides to each gait, instead of letting him haul around at canter. It was far from perfect, and getting back to trot from canter took a lot of work (and more than five strides for the most part), but we did have a couple of very nice and light downward transitions which made it worth the effort!

After that I took him on a short trail ride with some hills. He was such a good boy today. Hopefully we can keep this up. I'll have to continue planning my rides like this, I really think it helped!


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## NavigatorsMom

Here are a few pictures from our die today, and Navigator's cute face! Posting from mobile so I'm sorry if the pictures are huge.


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was so beautiful but once again, school has to take priority, so no rides today.

Exciting news though! I got in touch with a woman who used to keep her horse at my barn who is also involved with the local dressage club, and she's said she'll see if she can help find me a ride to the shows this season! She's promised a ride to the first one to someone else already, but might be available for the remainder of the season which would be amazing. And she's already let me know about a two day clinic coming up in September so that I can register in enough time to get a spot! 

So that was one nice thing about today. Hopefully she can let me know about finding a ride soon, the deadline for this first show is Friday, and I really don't want to sign up and pay for those classes and then not be able to go. Very excited about future possibilities though! :blueunicorn:


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## NavigatorsMom

Pretty good ride with Navigator again! 

He was not quite as focused as the last ride, but I did kind of the same process. Specific warm up exercises from the book, then today we rode one of the tests I'm planning to do at the show. It's just training level so nothing too challenging, and Nav handled it very well. I'm happy to say I already have that one memorized! 

Then we did a little trot pole work, which we haven't done in a while and it showed. Nav was a little disorganized at first, but he settled into it and did a good job. 

So happy with him lately. It seems like we are working through some of our difficulties and actually making progress. More regular riding will probably just help us even more!


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## NavigatorsMom

Ride for the show is confirmed!!! :blueunicorn::blueunicorn:


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## Rainaisabelle

NavigatorsMom said:


> Ride for the show is confirmed!!!


Whooooooooooo have a good time!


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out and worked with Nav last night. We pretty much just did a short ride and run through of our tests to keep them fresh. I also had my boyfriend come along to get video of it, so I could have something to look at and see what needs to be worked on. 

We didn't warm up long enough, but he still did pretty well with the tests. After that I just worked him a little at the trot and he settled and started moving better, so next Saturday I'll just have to make sure I give him a good warm up before our rides.


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## NavigatorsMom

Navigator and I had an off day.

He was actually pretty focused for our warm up and then going through our two test runthroughs he was moving decently, only looking around a bit (there's some construction going on at the barn, so he really did pretty well considering). But then after our tests I decided to work on transitions.

He had run through a couple of canter-trot transitions so I wanted to work on that, but the more we did it the more wound up he got until he just wanted to speed around. So we went down to walk-halt, and then walk-trot transitions, but he never quite totally settled down, so that was it. I ended on a very nice trot-halt, but it was frustrating. 

We have one more chance to ride tomorrow, so I’m planning to go out. Not going to run the tests, I think he’s starting to anticipate, but just work on a couple things, like transitions, especially those relating to canter. 

Honestly, this show is basically for experience. Placing would be lovely, but getting feedback from the judge and giving Nav some off property experience will be worth the entry fee.  I haven’t shown since high school, so I’m very excited too!


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## NavigatorsMom

Decent ride today! Nav was pretty responsive and focused, although as we went he got a little pully on my hands. Our transitions from canter down to trot were not the best on the left, but ok going right. I think we will be ok tomorrow.

My main concern is Nav running through my hands and not coming down from the canter tomorrow. I am going to just have to start half halting and letting him know much sooner than when I want to have the transition happen. I noticed that letting my inside rein slacken a bit also helped stop him from bearing down so much, so I may try that tomorrow as well. 

The girl who's hauling me and I both ride in the afternoon, so we get to have a "late" departure from the barn at 10 in the morning! 

Cleaned all my tack and boots, and just need to do a little packing. It's a schooling show so I'm just wearing some tan breeches and a black polo, so no big outfit problems.

I'm just so excited! I think it will be a very good day. I know Nav hasn't been off property in a long time, but I was thinking about it and whenever I moved him back here the people hauling stopped at a barn holding a show and while he waited there for me to come he stood so quietly at the trailer, so I have high hopes for a relatively calm horse.


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## Rainaisabelle

Can't wait to see pics and updates from your show!!


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## NavigatorsMom

*Show Report!*

So, Saturday Nav and I went to our first dressage show together (his first ever and my first in about 8 years!) and it went so well!










When we got to the facility I took Nav out and walked him around so he could see everything and relax. He was a bit looky at first but really settled down and didn't seem nervous at all. He was happy to spend his time tied to the trailer with hay, and only called out a couple of times. Everyone there just loved him, thought he was so cute. 

During the lunch break I tacked him up and took him to the arena to school him a bit so he wouldn't be so worried during our tests. He did great! Wanted to look around at horses in a nearby field a bit, but barely looked at the judge's tent or anything else in the arena. 

Our tests were in the afternoon, and I honestly was so surprised and happy with how Nav behaved. At warm ups he was so calm, he was almost too calm! Nothing like I expected at all, but it was great. During our tests he was not super relaxed, but didn't act spooky or too looky. He didn't stretch down and forward much at all during the free walk or stretchy trot, which was unfortunate because he does it pretty well at home. But it was basically what I had expected. 

We scored a 64.35% on training level 1 and a 65.19% on training level 2, with lots of 6.5's and 7s, which left us at 3rd place on both tests! I don't know how many people were in our division on those tests, I think maybe 4, but still I was surprised to have scored so well (is it awful that I had such low expectations?). 










Most of the judges comments were pretty much what I expected, needs more uphill balance, more precise geometry, and correct balance and bend being the big ones. She mentioned that he is balancing a lot over the left side, which is something I haven't heard before so definitely going to look into that. 

Overall I'm just really happy with how he did, especially how calm and well behaved he was. He seemed like he had been to dozens of shows before this and knew exactly how to act.  Videos of the tests to come, it's taking a while to upload to youtube.

There is another show coming up in May that I'm considering going to, and one in October that has a musical freestyle class that I definitely want to do - I already have music picked out!


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## NavigatorsMom

Here are the two tests 

Training Level 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2FNXnbtY7w

Training Level 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DIXu1d2gus

(sorry I couldn't get the actual video player to show on my post!)


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## Rainaisabelle

You guys look so good!!!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks Raina! There is definitely room for improvement but I couldn't be happier with his first show. 

I only rode twice this past week, just too busy with end of year work and projects. Probably going out soon today though.

Also, I may have found an instructor! One of my music professors is also a dressage rider, and while talking with me about the show, I mentioned that I wish I could be doing lessons but it just wasn't affordable at the moment. She then offered to give me lessons for free, simply because she loves teaching them so much! :O I honestly couldn't believe it, but she's serious, and now we're just working on setting up a time when we're both available. I'm so happy though! Even if it's just every other week, having someone out there to help me while I'm riding will be such a good thing!


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## tinyliny

well done! it looks like you were enjoying yourself there.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you tinyliny! We did have a really good time. 

Today I got out for a ride with Nav. Meant to be short but ended up doing about 20 minutes of arena work (mostly trot work) and then about 30 minutes of trail ride. It all went really well, not much to update on, but I have to say I am very happy with how well behaved Nav was out on the trails! Last time we went out he was goofy and looking around at everything, but today he was pretty calm and stretched forward instead of going around with his head high up. So I was happy with him. 

I also finally found out who was photographing at the show and contacted her so hopefully I'll be able to get a few pictures of our ride soon!


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## tinyliny

I used to love seeing the show photog shots. always made me look WAY better than in video. that's their job.


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## NavigatorsMom

Didn't get to ride today but did have a great opportunity to hear Dr. Andrew McLean speak about horse behavior and training at my university! We have a decent equine program here and they were able to bring him in. It was all very interesting. I had heard some about positive and negative reinforcement and punishment, but it was quite eye opening to hear it discussed in a very easy to understand way. 

Some of the information of the biomechanics of horses was quite fascinating as well, particularly about how horses don't really use their brains to do different gaits. Would love to read more on all of this.

Unfortunately, they held the talk in the arena and the reverb was awful and it was difficult to hear him unless you were fully focused and really listening. I feel it would have been much better in a classroom or auditorium, and I wonder why they held it in the arena when there were better places on campus that could have been chosen. Still, it was a very informative and enjoyable evening. 

Hoping to ride tomorrow, and maybe have my professor out for a lesson with me this weekend!


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## NavigatorsMom

And a few recent pictures, featuring some of the pretty views I have, mister cutie's face, and one from the show that my boyfriend took. I think it's so cute seeing his two back feet off of the ground.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, haven't posted in quite a long time. School is coming to a close and has kept me very busy between tests and projects. Thankfully I'm down to one project/presentation that's due on Tuesday and then it's summer for me! 

I did get to ride yesterday and Nav did well! We worked on trot poles and included some raised trot poles to really get him lifting. He did a great job, didn't get tripped up or confused at all.  Also did run throughs of our two tests (because likely the next show we do we will still do those tests) and they seemed decent. We need to work on our canter, but I wasn't feeling it yesterday.

Also, finally got my pictures back from the show so I will post them. He looked so good!


















Love this one because he really looks like he's lifting in his trot. 









Pretty canter


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## NavigatorsMom

Haven't posted in over a week! I've only ridden once or twice in that span unfortunately.

However, when I did ride this past week Nav was amazing! It had been at least a week since he had been ridden but he was so tuned to me and responded extremely well. We warmed up with lots of trot, and some walk trot transitions to get him listening. Then did some trot poles and a raised trot pole grid. That was a new exercise and I was a little worried Nav would just crash through but he figured it out perfectly. The raised poles really encouraged him to lift and reach. Definitely something we'll incorporate more regularly. 

The best part though, was his canter. Canter has been a gait we've really been working on, since tends to get heavy on it (draft problems!) but we worked on trot-canter transitions, switching kind of at random so he couldn't predict when we would change. He did so well! He transitioned up with very little cue, and came down easily and WITHOUT FALLING ON HIS FACE!!  I was so happy with him! It wasn't perfect every time but more than half of the time at least, he was able to transition down easily and balanced. 

Hopefully more of this is in our future. I'm also hoping to get my teacher out to work with me sometime this week, which would be great.


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode yesterday. Nav started out quite looky and didn't want to focus at all, but I really pushed him into some heavy trot work, lots of inside leg to outside rein and he ended up really working well for me. Lots of big forward trot and great transitions down. It was pretty wet from the rain we've been having so I didn't canter, but still very happy!

Ended with a 1.5-2 mile trail ride down a bike path which was really fun and relaxing. 

I realized something recently, something I've sort of known about but never put into practice. Nav used to be very spooky about anything new we would run into - signs on the trail or roads we ride on, new things on the edge of the arena. But lately, and I'm not sure when I actively started this, I've taken to completely ignoring anything that I think he would typically spook at. And everytime I ignore the "scary thing" he doesn't have any kind of panicky or spooky reaction! I mean even yesterday, we took a part of the trail we usually don't and we came upon a large plastic/tarp-y kind of sign. I ignored it, from a long way off, and when we came up to it all Nav did was kind of turn an ear to it but nothing else! There was a time not long ago where that would have disrupted our ride and possibly had him spinning and trying to run. I'm so proud of him.


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## Rainaisabelle

It looked beautiful when you were riding yesterday ! Glad you had a good ride you guys look so good in the latest pictures!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks Raina! Yeah, we don't have much in the way of totally secluded trail areas anymore, but luckily there are a lot of bike and walking paths that we can go on, and even alongside the roads there is usually a lot of room for a horse and rider to go along. It helps that it's pretty too.


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## NavigatorsMom

Also thought I'd add a couple recent pictures. One view from yesterday's trail that I thought was pretty, and also a picture of Nav with our little raised trot pole grid. Clearly he was not excited about it!


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## NavigatorsMom

Not going to write a lot because there isn't too much to say about today's ride except that Navigator was absolutely perfect!

All of our work on transitions and getting him forward are really paying off. His trot was very nice with lots of lift from behind. But the best thing about the ride today was his canter. He is really starting to lift and carry himself so much more, even more than he was a month or two ago. And his canter to the right today - I have never felt anything like it in all the time I've had him! It was lifted, it was light and we had contact but he wasn't bearing down at all, it just felt easy! I couldn't stop smiling, I think I almost laughed I was so happy! Of course we ended on that amazing note. 

My only regret is that I didn't get a video of it!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had another very nice ride yesterday. Not quite as good as the last one but it was pretty short and probably should have warmed up a little longer. 

I did get video this time so once I edit the clips together I'll upload it! 

I'm also working on picking music for a musical freestyle I'd like to compete with later this year. It's been fun but challenging. I'm actually focusing a lot on bpms this time and matching music closely to his gaits, and it's been difficult to find music with the correct bpm for a certain gait that compliments music used for a different gait.


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## NavigatorsMom

Here is the video. Just a few clips put together, and there is music so be aware in case you want to mute it.  I don't know how easy it is to tell from the video but he was very light on my hands during almost all of the canter work, and I am quite happy with his transitions!


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## Rainaisabelle

Wow you guys look fantastic !


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, last ride was not our best. Nav was just not in the mood, and it was mid day and quite hot and humid. Not the best scenario, but I shouldn't make excuses. He ran through my hands a lot and just kept his head high. Wanted to be quite hollow as well and it was hard to get him working forward.  We ended on a decent note, but I'm not very happy.

I think he was a little burned out on arena work. I should have done a short lunge session, or just a trail ride to give him something different, and I think next time I will just do a trail day. It was just an off day, we can do better!


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## NavigatorsMom

Just did a short warm up in the arena, then a long trail ride yesterday. Nav seemed pretty happy to have an easy ride and it was a nice break.

Still haven't been able to have my teacher out to do any lessons with me. Maybe later this week.


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## NavigatorsMom

Decent short ride today. There were people working on cutting down some trees around the arena, so I took Nav to the empty pasture behind the barn and worked him there. Some of the grass was a little tall, so we tried to avoid that since it was buggy out, and it was pretty wet from rain overnight so I just kept to walk and trot. 

Usually Nav is pretty strong and distracted in an open field like that but he was pretty well behaved. We had some issues with balance while trotting on uneven/hilly ground, so we kept mostly to a small circle on flat area, and he did well. Lots of leg yield-y lateral work, getting him to reach under with his hind leg, and he got really good on with putting his right hind very under.  Not sure if I will ride tomorrow, I have my first class of summer semester so I would have to go in the evening, which is fine but I'm usually busy in the evening - I've been going in the mornings.


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## Rainaisabelle

Good luck with classes !


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a nice short ride with Nav today. My best friend is in town visiting and rides a bit also, so I mostly just warmed him up and let her spend some time on him. She had a pretty bad accident a year and a half ago and it has taken her a while to regain confidence, but most of it has been regained with Nav, since he's such a steady and calm horse.  

She has not cantered since the accident but feels confident that she will with Nav before her visit is over and I think that is just awesome! And something I am so proud of, she mentioned while she was riding that he is so responsive and nice to ride, and she had to use very little leg to get a response out of him. Leg responsiveness is something I've been working so hard on with Nav and it felt so good to know that it has really paid off!!


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## NavigatorsMom

A couple pictures of the ride too, from our warm up, because I love how shiny and muscle-y he looks ?


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## Rainaisabelle

Aw Nav! So cute !


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## NavigatorsMom

Nav has had the last two days off, since he did a lot of riding for me and my friend while she visited for the past week. 

As I had posted earlier, this friend had an accident and has not cantered since - partly because of nerves, partly because she doesn't have access to horses back home. On her final ride here she cantered with Nav! On the lunge line, but she still did it, and I am very happy and proud of her! She is looking for places to start lessons back home after she finds a job, so that will help her build confidence as well. Nav was great except for a moment of speediness that neither of us were expecting. But she did not fall and it was all fine. I am happy that I have a horse that is safe enough even for a less experienced rider to gain confidence on. It used to be I would be concerned about someone else riding him ruining what I've worked on with him, but I know she is a good enough rider, and we didn't do enough outside of easy w/t and one bout of canter that he should be just as good as he was before. 

Hoping to go out for a morning ride tomorrow. Might take Nav on a trail since we've done just arena work while my friend was here. While dressage is my thing, I think it might benefit Nav to do a little jumping/grid work, so if I can ever get someone with me to spot while I ride maybe I'll start that!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well today was an awful ride. We had no bend, and lots of running around. It was also way too hot and I don't think I should have even been out riding (like 80ish with 90% humidity..). 

I do have a nice video of Nav picking up a canter from walk from a couple days ago, to remind myself that bad days don't define us.


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## Knave

We all have bad days annoyingly.  Hopefully your next day is great.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out to ride tonight and Nav was lame! 

I noticed he seemed off as we were walking to the barn so I trotted him out and he was definitely lame on the left front. Tied him and looked at his hooves, there was a lot of thrushy/seedy-toe type stuff, and after I cleared a lot of that out, I took a rasp over his hoof (he is due for a trim). I think it was barely three rasps over and the abscess ruptured. At least the pressure is relieved and maybe he'll heal faster. Poor pony. He was such a good boy and stood very quietly while I soaked his hoof and wrapped him. I worked on his other front foot after and it was also pretty bad, cleared out quite a bit and treated it with thrushbuster. 

And to think, this was the week when I was finally going to have a lesson with my teacher! Doesn't it always go like that?


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## NavigatorsMom

In spite of the abscess badness, I did get a cute short video of Nav being friendly with the barn cat. He just loves this friendly cat, silly horse.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out again last night to soak and rewrap Nav's foot. He was antsy and I'm glad I had the boyfriend out with me to help, as wrapping would have been really difficult on my own this time. He seems to be feeling better, after wrapping him I took him to a grassy area and trotted him a bit with no limping. He was very forward and wanted to run, though that's what I expected after being in the barn for a day. 

Today when I go out I'm going to lunge him a bit after I unwrap him just to see how he's doing. I have a feeling he'll be sound, but will have to wrap him and leave him in again to keep it clean. I will talk with my barn owner/mentor as well.


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## NavigatorsMom

Last night when I went to check Nav and change his wrap his legs were getting really stocked up and tucked up so we decided to soak and wrap him one more time, but then let him back out to his pasture so that he could move and and graze more normally. He is not limping anymore thankfully!

I didn't see him today but will check him tomorrow and probably lunge to see how he's doing. It's been dangerously hot here so not much time to ride safely. A short morning or evening lunge should be alright though.


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## Rainaisabelle

Poor Nav man  hope he feels better


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks Raina.

Don't know if I'll get out to see him tonight now, I've started to feel a bit under the weather. I'm sure it's partly because of the heat. I probably just need to take it easy. 

Also a couple recent pictures:


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## NavigatorsMom

Happy to say that Nav appears to be healed! I brought him out of his field - boot still attached surprisingly! He had worn through the toe area but it was still covering his abscess. Took him to the barn and cleaned his feet, trimmed his back feet, and put some no thrush powder on all four to help prevent it again. 

I lunged him and he was very sound, seemed like his normal self. So happy! 

In other news, my barn owner asked me if I would trim Nav's pasture mate's feet for a board reduction! Had to take her up on that, so I'll be going out to do it tomorrow morning. Hopefully he'll behave for me, he's a pony so he can be a bit onry.


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## NavigatorsMom

Trimmed up the pony's feet the other day. They were awful... so overgrown and such bad separation and seedy toe.  I gave him a close trim and tried to open up the holes in the toes to get oxygen and clean out the gunk, also applied some No Thrush. Hopefully that will help, I don't know how often I'll be able to check in on him and keep working. He is a sweet little pony, although he was a bit antsy and kept yanking his leg away and moving away from me. That was a bit frustrating. But the board reduction will definitely help!

Went out and rode right after my early morning class today and even at 9:30 it was way too hot. I lunged him first a bit, to check for soundness and also did a short bit of work with side reins. He argued with me a bit at first but settled down and did some nice work. Then I got on and rode for about 20 minutes. Felt like a very bad ride, not enough push from behind and too much hollowing. Some incorrect bending when we tracked left too. So it was frustrating. Working on uploading the video, it is a little long though.

Now that Nav is sound I need to get in touch with my teacher and see if I can get a lesson soon! We definitely need it....


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## NavigatorsMom

Long video from yesterday. 18 minutes, yikes! Beginning is warm up, trot work starts about 3.14, canter at 8.33. From there out I alternate between trot and canter. I have to say, I feel a bit better about the ride after seeing what we looked like, still not fully happy though.


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## Rainaisabelle

I don't think you look bad at all! I think you look gorgeous !


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks Raina! I feel better about it after rewatching it, but still see some things I want to fix.

So, today I decided to bring my jumping saddle out and ride in it for a change. My legs already hurt! It's been a long time since I've ridden in short stirrups or that saddle. It really makes me sit a different way!

We did a lot of transitions and also a small grid. Transitions were ok, our left track bend is awful as usual. I'm trying very hard to shift my weight to my outside when we track left but I have a hard time. Not sure how to work on that.

The grid was fun though Nav was very lazy about picking up his feet and actually jumping. I mostly trotted him through it, but the one canter through we did felt very fast and a bit out of control. I think the spacing was off, so I'll have to make some more adjustments before we do that again. 

And here's a picture of Nav after he got hosed off. We rode in the evening but it was still very hot!


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## NavigatorsMom

Not much to say except I have a lesson scheduled finally! Either tonight or tomorrow (just waiting for her to get back to me), after it cools down and the arena shades over. I'm excited but a bit nervous. I know we need it, I've developed so many bad habits... but I'm nervous about having someone see me ride and recognize everything I'm doing wrong. I guess I can't learn if I never do anything wrong! Should be fun.  If I get there early enough I will set up my camera and see if I can get some video.

Unrelated but I thought I'd share about the best natural/green fly spray I've ever used. It's the Pyranha "Zero Bite All Natural" fly spray. I had my doubts, because every natural spray I've used lost effectiveness almost immediately. But with this I spray it on when I bring Nav up from the field, and once more on the legs and belly before we ride (which has been my routine with any spray) and the flies don't bother us at all! It honestly works just as well as any toxic spray I've ever used, and I feel good about it because it is natural. It also smells amazingly pepperminty which is the best (but I am a peppermint maniac so I may be biased...). I'm in Northwest Arkansas, we're not deep south but we do get pretty bad flies, and this does the job. I think it was about $14 at a local feed shop here, just checked amazon and it's $19.91. Might be worth a try if you're looking for a natural spray.


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## NavigatorsMom

Had an excellent ride with Nav tonight! He was a bit lazy at first but I got after him and kept him forward and after a good warm up in got some really nice trot moments out of him. I tried to focus on sitting very tall and straight, and paying attention to the placement and activity of my legs, especially for turning and bending. It's hard because I'm a bit crooked and when I try to correct myself I tense up, but we had good results today. I could feel him lift and lighten and everything just felt perfect. Of course it only lasted a few strides at a time but he was able to do it more than once and going both directions! So proud!

We also upped our raised trot pole grid to six in a row instead of three and he managed it like a pro. I am very happy with my goofy half-draft 

Tomorrow night I have a lesson with my teacher and I'm very excited. Lots of good happening right now!


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## NavigatorsMom

Unfortunately no lesson tonight, my teacher had to reschedule again.  It's frustrating, having to keep rescheduling, and I wonder if it's worth it. I still rode though.

I definitely rode longer than intended. I recorded it and it ended up being 50 minutes. We had some really nice moments, and I have a video I will post of a trot to the left that just felt and looked beautiful. It last just a little, around a circle, and he kept breaking because he is not strong enough (and it was super hot tonight), but for our bad left side I'm very pleased. 






One thing I do worry is that I am making him hard mouthed. I rode without my gloves and I really noticed Nav pulling on my hands at the end of our ride. I don't think this always happens, but I'm worried that normally it does and I've missed it because I usually wear gloves. My hope is that he was just very tired after a long hot ride and couldn't hold himself as well anymore. It's definitely something I'll try to be more aware of though. But, tips on keeping a horse from becoming hard would be appreciated. I typically hold steady with my outside rein, and give and take with the inside. I try not to keep steady pressure on the inside rein, just light contact, and I will frequently push that rein forward and let it slacken to see if Nav is really carrying himself or if he'll fall in.


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## NavigatorsMom

This morning my teacher came out to the barn and we finally had a lesson! And I'm happy to say it went really well!

She started off by having me shorten my stirrups, which actually fixed a ton of issues I had with my leg. Apparently I've been doing "hunter legs", meaning I have the back of my calf against Nav and am pointing my toes out. She had me focus on keeping my toes forward and the side of my calf on, which was hard! I'll have to work to get my body used to this. I also have developed a bad habit of keeping my hands flat, with my thumbs pointing in towards eachother instead of up, so that was corrected quite a lot while I rode.

We mostly worked on getting Nav flexing and suppling, and carrying himself. It really helps to have someone watching and telling me the instant he softens or lifts, and I got some amazing lifty trot out of him today! I have apparently been nagging him with my leg, which I guess I knew but didn't really notice, because I just try to constantly keep him moving or he wants to stop. Next time I ride I'm going to focus on keeping my legs quiet, and just using firm pressure with the full leg instead of nagging.

I am so so happy with how today went! She is a great instructor and already I feel better about my riding. Not sure when we will have another lesson because I'm going out of town for a couple weeks, but I am glad that I have someone to teach me now.


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## NavigatorsMom

Been on and off traveling for the last two and a half weeks, so tonight I finally got back out to see Nav!! He seems to have lost a little weight which is odd, but it has been very hot and he's been on a less grassy pasture, so he may be moving so he has more to eat. Usually this isn't a problem for him so I was surprised.

I recently inherited a western saddle from my aunt and tried it out on Nav tonight. We thought he would be similar in size to her old, big quarter horse but turns out Nav is quite a bit bigger. I did tack him up just to see how it would look and we were on the last holes on everything. He looked super cute though  would have been nice to have a western saddle for the boyfriend to ride in, but that's something I'll have to save for if I want it. At the very least, I'll be able to save this saddle for a future horse.

I also trimmed his front hooves. I think I took off a bit too much though, he was clearly sore after.  I'm very frustrated with myself. I should have done them the day before my last trip, and at this point they were a week overdue. They were long and there was separation and I really went for it a lot more than I should have. If I've lamed him up I'll be so upset. Plans to go out tomorrow and trim the back feet, but be much more conservative with my trim. 

In the meantime, here's a couple pictures of the little western pony.


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## tinyliny

You can buy a cinch that is longer, and that takes care of the last hole issue. however, I think that saddle might not fit him so well. the photo isn't great, but I think that saddle is too 'flat' in the bar angle, while Navigator is more upright in his shoulder angle. therefore, that saddle might be too narrow at the top, too wide at the bottom, and so it 'sits down on' the top of his shoulder area. if I am right, this is a bad fit problem that creates a sore horse.


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## NavigatorsMom

Yep, I think you're right tiny! It was definitely too narrow and pinching around his shoulders. I could tell from the moment I sat it on him that it wasn't a good fit, and we just did it up for a picture to send to my aunt and then it was off.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well I thought being home would mean more horse time but so far I've only seen Navigator once! It has just been too hot and humid during the day, and in the evenings when I would normally ride it's been thunderstorming.  I'm sure Nav doesn't mind being a little wild pony out in his pasture, but I miss seeing him and I still need to do his back feet. 

In the meantime I'm spending time working on a big project for my summer class, and reading up on hoof mapping. I've never really used it before but it seems like the best way to barefoot trim, so I'm trying to learn it enough that I'll be able to do it next time I go out and see him.


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## NavigatorsMom

There was a nice break in the rain this evening and even though it was humid it wasn't too hot. Still sweated so much while working on his hooves. His back feet turned out much nicer than his fronts. I think I was more careful and conservative. He didn't have as much separation as his fronts but there was still some. As expected for being overdue and living in a pretty wet environment. I cleaned it all out and put some thrushbuster in the crevices, covered the rest of the sole and frog in no-thrush powder. I'm planning to go out again tomorrow and apply to all four hooves, since it's going to be a rainy couple of days and I'll be out of town. 

I decided to lunge Nav to see if he was still sore. He was a little off coming up the gravel driveway which I really expected, but fine on the grass and fine on the sandy arena. We started off going to the left and he was fine. Full of beans as well, he was convinced that he should actually get to graze on the fresh grass that's growing up on one end of the arena, and kept trying to put his head down while I had him walking. I got fed up and cracked the whip and pushed him into a big trot - he responded with a beautiful forward trot, lifting the back... but all while shaking his head and trying to break the dirt and roots off of a big chunk of grass he had ripped up before the trot! Goofy horse. He alternated between shaking his head and putting it down to the ground to try and scratch the roots off, all while doing a really nice trot. I finally stopped him and pulled the roots out. Started him again and once again, very nice trot, good trot-canter-trot transitions. Then I switched directions and it all fell apart. He was limpy and pokey and didn't want to trot but would rather try to break into canter. I think he's off on his left front, which is the one I was too aggressive with last time. He wasn't drastically lame, but it was clear that he was uncomfortable. I'm a bit confused why he didn't show it at all going right though. 

Either way, he will have a few days off to rest in the pasture, so with a little time and hoof growth he should be ok. It was so good to be around him though. I didn't realize how much I needed it until I was there.


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## NavigatorsMom

And the one picture I took of him tonight. He can either look super majestic and handsome or extremely goofy...tonight was a goofy night. His face shows that he was feeling a little bit squirrely, right?


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## Rainaisabelle

Omg Nav is so cute I can't !


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out to see Nav and do a short ride last night. I looked at his front left and the white line separation was still there. I decided to try and clean it out and open it a bit more, and added more thrush buster, since I was scraping out some nasty gunk. He did flinch once while I was working, I think I went too deep.  But he didn't seem lame on the ground so I tacked him up and took him up to the arena. He was quite perky and fresh, even at the walk, I didn't have to do much to keep him going. Once we tried trotting though it was clear that he was lame. 

I feel really bad. I shouldn't have gotten so ambitious with that hoof. If I had left it alone and let it grow out while still trying to treat the separation instead of cutting away too much, he probably wouldn't be lame. At least it will grow back. I'm going to have my friend/mentor look at it as soon as we can meet together, and see what she thinks. 

I'll post a picture in a bit, it's on my phone.


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## NavigatorsMom

Ok, here's his foot. You can see on the left side where I cleared out too much, and applied thrush buster. Blah.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, Nav is off.  Lunged him last night and while he seemed sound and fine going left, he was noticabley off to the right. 

I also ran the rasp over all four feet last night and was astonished at how rough they already were. It wasn't that long ago that I trimmed him, but he already had a decent amount of growth and more black separation creeping in. I cleared it out, much less aggressively than on the front left, and then applied a diluted clorox. I soaked the left front today and wrapped him, to keep debris out of it. I'm worried an abscess is brewing...

In spite of the little seedy spots, his other feet look decent. Back left and front right are the best by far, back right is a bit distorted but that foot had always been a bit oddly shaped. That's something that's fixable over time though, I just haven't done much with it as it doesn't seem to bother him. 

I'm nervous to post, but I'll attach pictures of his feet from last night. Critiques appreciated, I'm hoping to get in person advice from the woman who taught me to trim too, when she gets back into town.

Order should be front left, back left, back right, front right. I realize they are not in the best shape, looking for ideas on what I need to do to move forward.


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## NavigatorsMom

Long break from posting...

Nav spent the last week and a half or so on stall/paddock rest with a boot, lots of foot soaks and medications applied and thankfully he is finally sound. He's been moved to a new field close to the barn so I can keep an eye on him and make sure he's good, and so he has better grass since he seems to have lost some weight. Not a lot but still a little less than I'm comfortable with him being. 

On Saturday I went out to lunge him, but it was getting dark and decided to just hop on bareback and see how he would go. Keep in mind he hasn't been ridden or worked in a month and has spent a lot of time on stall rest. He was such a good boy though! He was sound, which was the best part, but I was able to take him around the arena, w/t/c with no freshness or bucks or running. While we were in the arena a group of three coyotes ran by yapping and chasing each other in the grassy area next to us and he barely gave them a look. I am so happy with how well he behaved. He is such a good horse! 

We only did a very short ride (15 min) because it's been so long since he's worked, and it was getting dark, but I am so happy! Unfortunately I haven't ridden since then, I've had a lot of work finishing my final project for my summer class, but I think I'll be able to go out in the morning, at least to work on his feet a bit.


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## NavigatorsMom

Best horse after our short ride <3


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## NavigatorsMom

Nice ride yesterday, although Nav threw in a few bucks when I insisted he be forward. I really focused on what we did in my lesson last month, keeping my toes forward, legs quiet, and thumbs up. It was a little bit of a struggle, though it got easier as I went. It's hard to focus on so many things! 

I'm going out tomorrow morning to trim the pony's feet again, and then do a short ride on Nav.


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## NavigatorsMom

Nav is lame again. Took him to the vet since it's been recurring and she said that it is not an abscess. He wasn't terribly lame yesterday (at the vet), she took the hoof testers to him and even in the large/deep cracks on the bottoms of his feet he didn't flinch or have any sensitivity. She did say that for a draft cross he had very nice feet, I guess usually drafts come in with pancake feet. 

We didn't get a conclusive answer. He's on bute and rest for the next few weeks, and I just need to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get worse. If there is no improvement within the next three weeks, then I'll need to bring him back for nerve block tests and a radiograph to check for navicular.  I'm disappointed that I didn't get a straight answer and have to play the waiting game now. My mentor suggested that we take him to a different vet in the next couple of weeks if he doesn't improve, but we'll have to wait and see. 

It's frustrating. I just wish I knew exactly what was going wrong.


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode Nav two days ago and he seemed sound. He had gone 24 hours since his last dose of bute so I think it was totally out of his system and wasn't making him seem sound when he really wasn't. His hooves are cracking a bit where he has flares and I will need to do a little with them but I don't think I'll do a big trim for a while. His feet still look quite flat and I know that will take a while to fix, but I don't want to mess with them too much and put us backward. 

I'm planning to go and ride again tonight and see how he is. He doesn't have much separation except on one foot and that's being treated so hopefully we're getting out of the woods for the time being. Will see about getting a riding video and pictures of hooves tonight.


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## NavigatorsMom

Nav was lame the next time I went and saw him (last Thursday), so we decided it was time for another trip to the vet. We went to a different one this time.

He found a very soft and sore spot on the right front, near a deep separation. He had Nav lunged and he was clearly off going both directions, but definitely on the right front, so he blocked the nerves to see if the lameness was anywhere up the leg. Thankfully, after blocking his hoof he lunged "sound". Vet determined that the separation is a pretty deep white line disease, and that's what we are treating for now. I'm currently packing his hoof once a day with cotton and saturating it with a solution. If this does what it's supposed to, he should start to heal up and we'll just need to keep the separation very clean as the hoof grows out. But if it doesn't clear up with the current treatment we'll likely have to resect that hoof, which will be a huge ordeal and much more to take care of. I'm praying that this will clear up with the packing and solution application. 

Nav can go out in the pasture with the packed hoof, the crack is narrow so the cotton doesn't dislodge easily, but for now he's being stalled just to keep him from moving too much - he was super lame the day after the vet visit - and to keep it dry, since we've had rainy days lately. 

This is all quite frustrating, I usually am very careful about clearing and cleaning separations so that they don't get this deep, so I feel like it's a bit my fault. But, I'm glad it's nothing like a joint problem, and I am glad we have an answer this time.


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## NavigatorsMom

As of a couple days ago Nav is officially sound! 

The white line has cleared up, and there is nothing left in the crevice in his hoof. I'm still cleaning and packing it every day with cotton and Medihoney, which has honestly been a huge lifesaver and seems to have made a great difference in Nav's healing. I'll post a picture of the hoof so you can see how deep the crack goes. I'm so so thankful that we don't have to do a resection, and I'm convinced that the honey helped prevent this.

I did a little rasp/trim on all his feet the other day. I'm planning to be really proactive and take care of flares and things so that this hopefully doesn't happen again.


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode tonight. Took Nav around the neighboring pasture instead of trekking up to the arena and he did surprisingly well! He was quite calm and well behaved, responding to light forward cues and coming down from mostly seat cues. I really thought he'd be wound up because of the open area and friends within sight but he was so good, I was reminded again of just how good of a horse he is. We even did a short hand gallop and he came right back for me. 

There was one issue however, and it was his stiffness going to the left. This is a problem that we were working on before he became lame, and I guess after about two months without work he just became more stiff. I can get him flexing during walk and some at trot but when we go to canter he counter bends completely. Probably because he isn't as balanced and combined with the stiffness correct bend is hard to get. So now I'm on the search for good exercises I can do undersaddle and from the ground. I'll be out to see him every day to pack his hoof, so even if I don't ride I could work on stretching and flexibility. 

Here are a couple pictures too from tonight, of Nav and his herd. He just got moved back with all the geldings, including two half brothers, and he is so happy to be with them.


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode today and just focused on bending. I read a very interesting article on Jane Savoie's website on working a stiff-sided horse. Article claimed that a horse who won't bend to one direction, left in our case, is having trouble because the muscles on the opposite side are contracted and can't stretch as much. This actually makes huge sense to me, and seems to match up with how Nav has been moving. 

We did some 10 meter circle exercises, to get him really flexing to the left. He did fabulously at the walk, but trot was a challenge. It's like any kind of muscle training, he's weak and it will take time before he is strong enough to do it correctly and consistently. We did get a couple good steps at the trot, especially as we got closer to the end of the ride, but it will take a while. Didn't try it at all at canter.

Will be out tomorrow to check the hoof and maybe ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was super busy, in spite of me not having any classes, so all I had time for was to re-pack his hoof. I noticed his hooves look ready for a bit of a rasp and maybe slight trim so I plan on doing that within the next couple of days.

I also started Nav on a biotin supplement today, as suggested by my mentor. Hopefully this will help make his hooves healthier, and maybe grow out a bit quicker.


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## NavigatorsMom

Packed Nav's hoof, trimmed the backs and then just did a short ride tonight.

Nav is getting more flexible and can bend correctly most of the time at walk, and some of the time at trot. He is stretching down and forward much better than he had been. I decided to try some left lead canter tonight, and he was super stiff and bracing. Frustrating. But, I got him on a 20 meter circle and did a lot of give and take with the inside rein. We had a couple moments of softening, and even a couple times when he bent correctly while stretching for me. I know it will take a lot of time. But there was some progress tonight! It's just so so frustrating to feel him bending completely incorrectly and not being able to do much about it. Will try to get some video next time, as I think it would be helpful to see what is happening.


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## Rainaisabelle

I am so glad you had a decent ride!


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## Tihannah

Progress is always a good thing! Can't wait to see more video!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks Raina and Tina! 

I had a really nice ride with Nav yesterday. We had had a few days of rain and I have been down with allergies so he had about three days off prior. When I got there he was right near the fence so I didn't have to call him or go searching the pasture. 

Checked his hooves and repacked his crack. It is growing out and I think I can do a little bit of a trim this week. Slowly but surely. I'll be so happy when it's entirely grown out and I don't have to pack anymore! Nav is great about it though and stands very nicely. 

I tacked up and took Nav into a neighboring pasture to ride. I was short on time so didn't want to go all the way up to the arena, and thought riding in the pasture would be a nice change. I expected him to be quite fresh between having three days off and being in the open field but he was beautiful. I had a tripod set up and got some video but the focus went in and out and because of some shadows it is hard to see very much. I really need to get someone to come out and record if I want good videos. 

We did a short warm up, and he was stretching down and bending decently. Trot was difficult going to the left but he eventually settled and did some nice bending and flexing. Canter is still very rough but I did get a couple nice strides. He braces quite a lot going left and it is hard for me to get him to relax. I think I need to focus on myself as well, I may be putting him off balance. It's hard to think about everything though, and I so wish I had someone on the ground watching.

He worked hard though, and after a little walk to the back of the field, I took him for a relaxed hand gallop up to the front of the field. He was so responsive and came down has soon as I asked, and I didn't feel out of control at all. It was really fun, but we just did a short one followed by a long cool out since he isn't fully fit. He had worked up a sweat by the time we were done, though I believe that is also partly because it was so unseasonably watm yesterday. 

We finished up by doing some carrot stretches. He is becoming more flexible to the left on the ground, able to reach nearly to his hip, but is not as flexible to the right which surprised me. Will have to start doing more to both directions. 

And, some pictures


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## NavigatorsMom

After an entirely too long day of classes and teaching yesterday, I finally made it out to see Nav and work on his hoof around 5. I think if I have time tonight I will rasp a bit on his hooves.

I considered riding out in the pasture again but thought that riding in the arena might be a little better for structure, and I wanted to do some work with the trot poles. So I took the extra time to ride up there, which allowed for a little extra warm up so that was good. Nav still isn't bending correctly to the right. I can't figure it out. I don't know now if he really is stiff, or if something else is going on.

His canter work is still awful, with so much incorrect bend and bracing. But his trot left was very bad yesterday too, I just couldn't get any good bend from him and it was quite frustrating. We did a lot of circling left, and serpentines but it just felt like he never loosened up for me and willingly bent. He is trying though, I think. He's a good boy.

One thing I noticed about myself that is probably a factor. I am bracing with my right leg forward. I noticed it while we were out on a trail ride, I happened to look down and see my right leg pushed forward against the stirrup. I'm not sure why this is happening, it is probably just a bad habit that has taken over, I'm just not sure what started it. I need to read up on what I can do to fix this. I'm thinking no-stirrups work might help, though I am in search of some good exercises, so suggestions are appreciated!

Tonight I will go out to pack his hoof, but I won't be able to get there until after 6 most likely, so probably won't have a good amount of time to ride. Will just do some stretches instead.


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## NavigatorsMom

After riding two days ago, I am starting to think that Nav's bending problem is more created by me, rather than him being super stiff. He bends very well for me on the ground, and will just about touch his hip bending to the left - his "stiff" side under saddle! So, I'm thinking that I am sitting crookedly and that is causing our problems. I've been trying to read up on signs of a stiff or crooked rider and how to tell where I am stiff/crooked but it's hard to tell just from reading. I am planning to go riding later today and if I can get my boyfriend to come out with me I'll see about getting some pictures and video. 

I'm almost positive something is up with me - I know when we start trotting or cantering left my right leg is doing things wrong. It comes forward, and it's hard for me to put it back without feeling like I'm contorting. I know my right hip is higher than my left, I can feel it even when I'm just sitting in the car or at my desk. I see a massage therapist pretty regularly and it does help, but perhaps a chiropractor would be better. I also realized on my last ride that I often let my left shoulder collapse forward. I think that started because I was trying to be very giving with my inside rein going left, and it's gotten to the point where it goes forward without me thinking about it. I suppose lots of work at the walk and being very aware of my body will help, but it seems like such slow progress, if any progress! 

Still looking for exercises to help, and considering taking up some yoga or pilates, it's just that I don't have much time in my schedule to go to an actual class.


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## NavigatorsMom

Tonight's ride on Nav was very good. It's amazing how much better a mood I'm in just after being around him.

I trimmed his front hooves first, since they were due, and packed the crevice. It's growing out nicely and shouldn't need packing in probably three more trim cycles!

After trimming, I tacked up and rode up to the barn arena. I really wanted to focus hard on my body awareness and I think I did well. First of all, did a long warm up at the walk with lots of circles and serpentines. I sat up very tall and made sure my tight right side was open. It felt like I was lifting my shoulder quite a bit, but really I was probably sitting much straighter than normal! All of the warm up was done without stirrups too so I could focus on my legs as well.

After the warm up we did some trot work. Nav was a bit stiff to the left, but keeping my right side open and sitting tall seemed to help. Honestly I don't know if/how that would be connected, but it seemed to help so I will try it again. We got some decent bend today and I was pleased. Didn't canter at all, since I know that will be a hurdle. 

I also set up a small trot pole grid, since we haven't done much with those in a while. It was three raised trot poles, a spot for two strides, and then a crossrail, which was raised to a vertical after a couple warm up rounds. Nav did very nicely with the grid. I started by walking him on the rail on a loose rein with contact, picked up more contact as we turned down the center line, trotted about 3 strides out from the grid, and then halted after. Then repeat the opposite direction. It was a nice little exercise. I chose to walk the beginning because I knew a tight bend to the centerline would be challenging at the trot, and the halt after kept him from getting fast and on the forehand after the vertical. It was fun, and I realized I should do more jumping with him. 

We then took a nice trail rideback to his field. Overall a good ride! And I got one picture of Nav with our little grid.


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## NavigatorsMom

No big updates with Nav. I've been awfully busy these last few days, between taking my car in to get inspected and having some crazy adventures with my cat - she's spayed, but has been acting like she is in heat... it's not fun to deal with, and even after an hour at the vet we aren't totally sure the cause. Awaiting the results of a blood test that will tell us if she's producing estrogen somehow, and if that's the case they will do surgery. During an ultrasound yesterday they did spot something... maybe a third ovary, or just a piece of tissue that got left behind and grew into something after the spay. So that's been interesting. And expensive. Hopefully we'll get conclusive results and will be able to figure out what's wrong. 

Anyway, tonight I'll be going out to pack Nav's hoof. I had no free time yesterday and missed him. I figured he would be ok going one day without being repacked. It is becoming shallower, and soon I shouldn't have to pack it anymore. May ride but today is a bit of a rainy day, so we'll see.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, yesterday's ride was rough. It felt like a wasted hour.

Took Nav up to the arena to ride again, so that we could do the trot grid. It had also rained in the last day and I knew the field would be a little slippery to ride in. So we got up to the arena and started with lots of walk work. Serpentines and circles and correct bending. And it was going alright, though I could tell Nav wasn't wanting to fully focus and bend for me. When we started trotting, he started out alright. Not great bend to the left, but not complete counterbend. Right was beautiful though. I got him going so forward and lifted and it just felt amazing! I don't think I've ever had such a nice trot on him.

After that I went back to left trot, hoping for something similar, and it completely fell apart. He stopped bending much at all, and I felt like I couldn't sit properly to do anything right. Even a 20 meter circle had him falling onto his shoulder and bending outward. It was just all around awful, and I feel like I don't know how to ride a horse at all. 

I noticed my lower leg not staying still, especially my right (outside) leg. I guess this is a strength thing, but I've never noticed it so bad before. Very discouraging. 

And then on our ride back to his pasture he got spooky and decided we should trot away from something "scary" that he's seen before! So we had to have a little discussion about that, and walked calmly past it a couple of times before continuing. But come on, I know he was just looking for a way to be bad and hurry back to his buddies since they were almost in sight. 

Don't think I'll have a chance to ride today, since I have some other things going on. Might be for the best. But I'll see about riding again on Saturday.


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## Rainaisabelle

that sucks  but atleast you have things to work on!


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## NavigatorsMom

So, my next ride yesterday was better. I still think I'm doing something physically wrong but can't pinpoint it. We did get some good bending both directions. Nav is not very good at bending off of the inside leg/outside rein, so I did a bit of work with that, but realized I am not super strong with my legs either. Or he's just ignoring my legs. But it is something to work on. 

I tried putting my stirrups up a hole to see if that would help with the swinging lower leg and it didn't seem to very much. Just made me feel a little off, but I do think they are a better length for me, as they're closer to my ankle bone now than the bottom of my boot. I think I developed a chair seat somewhere along the line, and that is part of the problem.

How many things have I listed as "part of the problem" lately? Seems like so many things - crooked rider, incorrect stirrup length, swinging legs, weak legs, chair seat.... I just have so much wrong it seems..

I took video and tried to edit it down, but it's still about 12 minutes. Will post it when it finally uploads. Still not the best quality as I used a tripod and got kind of far away at times, but it gives me something to review.


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## NavigatorsMom

Ok, got the video all ready. It's a little shorter than I thought, about 8 minutes. Not sure what happened as I don't remember editing it shorter than 12...

It starts after I've done some walk and trot warm up, and am just starting to canter. There is some sitting trot near the end. It's not our worst riding, but I feel like a lot could be improved.


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## Rainaisabelle

Very nice and forward ! I love Nav he's so cute


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## NavigatorsMom

Yesterday I had just enough time to work on Nav's hooves and do a short lunging session. We used side reins for a change, but I'm not sure how much good they did. I don't think I have them tight enough, because as soon as we get going he gets slack in the reins, even though he's staying at or in front of the vertical (for the most part). But I didn't want to tighten too much since it has been a while since we used them. Did get a picture of him trotting without reins at the end of the lunging session, and he is looking good!



















I just found out that the student I tutor on Tuesdays doesn't need to meet today, and since my 4:30 class is canceled as well, I'm free to go out and ride earlier than normal!! Since it's November I'm going to start "No Stirrup November". I do usually start each ride with some no stirrup work, but I'll put in a little extra effort - maybe do some work on my posting trot! :grin:


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## NavigatorsMom

I keep forgetting to make notes of my ride in here until the day after it seems lately... hmm.

Yesterday's ride was ok. I took Nav up to the arena and had my mind set for a nice productive ride, getting him bending, and doing some grid work. Things started out alright, and we had some lovely bend to the left while walking. Unfortunately it all fell apart once I asked Nav to trot to the left.  First of all he was quite pokey and slow, much more than he normally is, so I started him with a canter to get him going forward which is something that has worked in the past. This time he started to bear down and pull around, and didn't respond very quickly to the downward transition. When we went to trot, as usual, he stopped all bend and looked outside as we went around. It was so frustrating I felt like crying. It shouldn't be this hard!

I texted my mentor/barn owner who was at home and asked if she could come out and take a look at us. She looked at his feet first and didn't notice anything obvious that would be affecting him. Before trotting she had us walk directly toward her and she watched his feet, said he was stepping under correctly and didn't look off in anyway. When we trotted she said that coming into the corner, I started slightly pushing my inside arm and shoulder forward and going off balance. She said it was pretty subtle, but could be part of the problem. I didn't feel it happening, which makes me suspect that left slightly forward is my "normal" and I'll need to change that. She then had me do some spiraling exercises with him, and he started reaching forward for the bit and bending nicer than he has. Likely he is very strongly right "handed" and since that comes easier to him he prefers it, even to the point of trying to bend right when we go left. He's smart (smarter than most geldings, she said, hehe) and is always thinking about ways to get out of work, kind of like a pony. I need to give him more exercises and keep his mind working, so he'll focus on doing the right thing. 

Didn't do much in the way of no stirrups yesterday since I was focusing on that and ended up having a short ride. But will try to in the coming days. I also put my stirrups back down to the usual holes, as my legs felt incredibly cramped up while riding with them shorter.


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## PoptartShop

Nav looks great in that red pad! 
Yes it's definitely important to keep their minds occupied. 
Ah, no stirrup November...I have to work on that tonight! Gah!


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## NavigatorsMom

Tonight's ride was good! 

I decided to kick no stirrup November up a notch and go without a saddle this time. We rode out in the off pasture and Nav was very well behaved for me! I started off warming up at the walk, and then we did some trot in a secluded area. It seemed closed off so Nav didn't feel like running off with me! He still had some bending issues going left but as we got warmed up and he settled in, he did give me some nice reaching forward and down, and bend. After about 10 minutes of trot I took him out into the big area of the pasture and just did some walking and figures. 










Once I found a good flat area I decided to try a canter. This is something I was nervous about, especially after his not wanting to slow down in the canter on our last ride. But, I set him up for a circle on his good lead, and gave a small cue and off he went! It was a quiet and not too fast canter, and it felt lovely to ride with good bend. After coming down to trot, I changed directions and tried going to the left. Same thing, just took a small cue and he transitioned. Bend was still not great, and I didn't feel quite balanced enough to do any spiraling or exercises, so we stopped after one circle. But still, I was very happy! 

After that we did some more walking figures, and then trotted up to the front of the pasture. On the way he got a bit fast and I half-halted, which got a great response. Didn't have to use much of the reins at all. 



















Overall it was a lovely ride! I will be using my saddle next time though...but it's good to know I can hack out when I'm feeling lazy about bringing my saddle!


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## NavigatorsMom

Yesterday we had a nice ride in the arena. 

I went into it with a positive mindset and tried to stay positive even though we still had some bending issues. I did a lot of trot work with Nav, not much cantering this time, and eventually he did give me some nice bending. Most of the time he was just looking straight ahead, and while that's not ideal at least it's improvement from bending to the outside when we go left! 

What really seemed to help was getting on a 20 meter circle to the left, and spiraling in and out gradually. It was tough, and we still had some moments when he didn't quite listen, but after twice in and twice out he had really settled in and was bending nicely for the most part! It is a work in progress, I have to remember that. It is nice to know that improvement is happening though. 

Cantering is hard because he still bends very poorly for the most part, and I'm afraid of pulling on his mouth too much. I keep a steady contact on the outside rein, pulse my inside leg, and do a lot of give and take on the inside but sometimes it feels like I'm pulling so hard! I suppose once he responds I can begin to use a quieter inside hand to ask for that bend, but I just don't want to ruin his mouth. :/

I took my jumping saddle out yesterday because my dressage pads were too filthy to use, so we ended up doing a lot of two-point practice and the trot grid with a little jump at the end. I'm trying to focus on keeping my leg underneath me and my toes pointing forward. I got a little video of that, but unfortunately it's a little dark to see my legs. Still a fun video though.  Jump at the end is approximately 2'3".


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was half good, half not so good.

We started off just working on getting Nav turning off of my seat, legs and outside rein instead of a lot of inside rein. That is something I clearly haven't been doing well - my legs were definitely getting more of a workout than normal! It went alright, although I realized that Nav seems to think that any kind of leg on means go faster. Every time I put my inside leg on him for bend, he tried to start trotting. He kind of settled down as we went along, but even by the end of the ride there were still moments when I put my leg on and he tried to trot. This is worse when I have a contact with shorter reins. 

After a bit of walking and bending/turning off of seat/legs/outside rein, I took him to another area of the field to do some trot work. His left direction was noticeably better from the get go, though he lost some of that as we went on. I did some figures with him and changed direction frequently. Right was still better than left. I tried to remind myself not to brace against the stirrups - something my right leg especially has been doing - and when I didn't he bent better and trotted nicer. 

We ended up near the front of the pasture. I tried to get some leg yields out of him but again, any pressure on from my leg and he wanted to trot. :/ We also did some canter work near the front and there were some good moments which was nice! But he still got stiff and bent out a lot of the time. We also lost some of the good trot bend near the end of our ride. It could be that he was getting tired. I just have to keep reminding myself that we're a work in progress..

One thing I noticed about myself that will need work is that my left shoulder does collapse forward consistently. My mentor mentioned it the other day and now I've become very aware of it. I checked my shadow as I rode (I know, not super accurate) and noticed that when I rode "comfortably" my left shoulder is uneven. When I pull it back and feel like I'm bent or turning weirdly, it looked even with my right. This is going to be a very difficult thing to change, as I think my body has conformed to that left shoulder forward placement (thank you, 15 years of flute playing...). Keeping that shoulder back and up is something I will need to try and work on even when I'm not riding.


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## NavigatorsMom

Annnd here's a picture of my handsome boy in his nicely cleaned and oiled bridle.


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## Rainaisabelle

Awwwwww so beautiful


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## PoptartShop

He is super handsome! <3 & yay for bareback/no-stirrups. You're starting November off right! LOL


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## NavigatorsMom

I had a couple days off from riding just due to being busy. But I got to ride today!

Nav was quite fresh, I could tell he was excited the moment I got on. Wanted to take him up to the arena and work on turning off the seat/legs/outside rein in a semi enclosed area. Really wish we had a fenced in arena as I think that would have helped. I tried the exercise where I keep my outside rein on a steady contact, and extremely slacken my inside rein, using my legs to keep the bend and keep him going... it did not work. Once Nav lost contact on the inside, he started bending outside on the shorter rein. I couldn't get him to go in a circle and could barely get him to turn at the end of the arena... He is so dependent on the inside rein, it is discouraging. He did better when I kept some contact with the inside rein but pushed it forward a lot to give slack.

I did some canter today and he did alright, though left is still hollow. 

Overall it wasn't an awful ride, he actually had some really nice trot moments when I didn't completely lose the inside contact, and he did very nicely on the trot grid. Near the end of the ride I decided to do some no stirrups. It went well! Was able to do a lap of posting trot without stirrups around the arena both directions, and did some nice sitting trot. Nav responded very well to the sitting trot, he stretched down and lifted nicely. 

I suppose there's always something good inspite of the bad parts of a ride!


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## NavigatorsMom

Also thought I'd share some recent cute pictures of Navi. Because I know I could use more cute horse pictures in my life and maybe some of you do to 










Look at his little tongue in this one!


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was not a good ride. I don't think it helped that I went into it immediatley following an argument with the boyfriend, but at the start I was intending to have a good ride. And some of it was ok, we did our grid and have worked up to about 2'6" on the final fence. 

But the bending thing is just such a frustration for me. I feel like no matter what I do he resists. Even when he seems like he's going mostly straight or dping a little correct bend I'll look and see that his head is looking outside. 

He is not connecting from inside leg to outside rein, is too heavy on the hands (which I know is my fault) and I don't know how to fix this. This is the big problem right now and until I figure it out I feel like we won't make any progress.


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## PoptartShop

He is such a ham! So cute. 
Awww I'm sorry you didn't have such a good ride. I'm sure the arguing didn't help you either, we all have our days.


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## Tihannah

NavigatorsMom said:


> Today was not a good ride. I don't think it helped that I went into it immediatley following an argument with the boyfriend, but at the start I was intending to have a good ride. And some of it was ok, we did our grid and have worked up to about 2'6" on the final fence.
> 
> But the bending thing is just such a frustration for me. I feel like no matter what I do he resists. Even when he seems like he's going mostly straight or dping a little correct bend I'll look and see that his head is looking outside.
> 
> He is not connecting from inside leg to outside rein, is too heavy on the hands (which I know is my fault) and I don't know how to fix this. This is the big problem right now and until I figure it out I feel like we won't make any progress.


Have you ever had him looked at by a chiro? When I got Tess, she was super resistant to bending. Finally got a chiro out and she was locked in her poll and had a rib out. Tess was also super heavy on the hands. It honestly just took her getting stronger and being able to carry herself more. If you don't have access to a trainer for lessons, do you know anyone that's an experienced rider that could hop on and see what they can get out of him? I do this often when I'm struggling with something. I ask a barn friend, someone more advanced than me, to hop on and see if they get the same result. Often times, they'll figure it out and then give me tips on how to fix it.

Cassie (DanteDressageNerd) or Katie (Tazzie) is also a great source for breaking these things down.

I know its super hard figuring this stuff out without a trainer or regular lessons. I have both and still struggle every day.


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## NavigatorsMom

@Tihannah he was worked on about 2 months ago, but it was a pretty short session by a vet/chiro who I took him too mostly too look at him for lameness (and then she mis-diagnosed him, so I'm not sure how much good it did, though he seemed to really enjoy it). I'm trying to find someone in my area to come out and take a look, may talk to my barn friends and see if someone else needs an appointment to make a trip here worth the chiropractor's while.

I think part of it is definitely weakness after two months off for lameness, I'm probably being a little impatient. I don't have anyone super experienced to get on and ride him. There are two people I know who would be good but getting them to the barn to work him would be difficult. Maybe even another person at my barn would be ok to try him and see how he goes, who knows it could be that I'm throwing him off balance so much that he's compensating for me by bending incorrectly.


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## NavigatorsMom

@Tihannah he was worked on about 2 months ago, but it was a pretty short session by a vet/chiro who I took him too mostly too look at him for lameness (and then she mis-diagnosed him, so I'm not sure how much good it did, though he seemed to really enjoy it). I'm trying to find someone in my area to come out and take a look, may talk to my barn friends and see if someone else needs an appointment to make a trip here worth the chiropractor's while.

I think part of it is definitely weakness after two months off for lameness, I'm probably being a little impatient. I don't have anyone super experienced to get on and ride him. There are two people I know who would be good but getting them to the barn to work him would be difficult. Maybe even another person at my barn would be ok to try him and see how he goes, who knows it could be that I'm throwing him off balance so much that he's compensating for me by bending incorrectly.


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## Tihannah

It always helps me to see if another rider is getting the same responses I get that way I can determine how much of it is me and how much is the horse. When my clinician came I asked him to hop on and ride. When he got done he said it definitely wasn't all me and that I need to get a chiro out. I would've never known and just kept riding her thinking I was the problem.


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## NavigatorsMom

@Tihannah, that's encouraging, I'll see if I can get someone to take him around next time I'm out there!


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## tinyliny

could you video him on the lungeline? we could at least get a peek at his movment there.


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny I'll see if I can get a clip tonight, if it isn't too dark by the time I get there.


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## NavigatorsMom

For some reason my posts don't seem to be posting..? Hopefully this one works!

I just did a short lunge with Nav tonight, it got too dark before we could do anything with sidereins so this is just a video of lunging left and right without. Camera was near a loud road so I covered it with music, mute if you don't want to hear that!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a nice ride the other day. I was a bit stressed and went in with low expectations for Nav and was pleasantly surprised.

I focused on keeping my outside rein steady and using my leg to push him over and keep him bending. He did well for the most part and didn't really counterbend too much, although he is still stiff going to the left. Probably could have used a little more warm up though, so that was my fault.

Thanksgiving break starts for me this afternoon, so hopefully I'll find some time to ride this week.


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## PoptartShop

Awwww that's awesome!  Hopefully you can have a nice ride (or 2, or 3!) this week.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out yesterday afternoon to give Nav his biotin supplement and work on his feet. I trimmed his fronts the other day and needed to do the backs soon after so they would all still be on the same schedule. It's amazing how much nicer his feet look lately! I've really taken to observing them closely and doing touch ups with the rasp in between full trims and he has much less separation now than earlier this year.  And, his white line crevice on the right front has finally grown out enough that I don't have to pack it anymore! The crack is too shallow and wide to pack, and there are no more signs of WLD, yay!! I think when I go out tomorrow I will take my Koppertox and paint a bit on to toughen up his soles.

In the mean time, no riding for me today because I need to put some decent work in on my thesis project  yay, adulting


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## tinyliny

at the trot going left I see the faintest, and I mean faint, whiff of uneveness. possibly favoring the front right. hard to tell.

he likes to go around looking out, doesn't he?


you might try working with him on a much shorter line, in a much smaller circle, at walk only, really getting him to keep his inside shoulder up and have his nose tipped to the inside, with his barrel bent to the outside edge of his arc.


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny , I noticed that too, that he seemed a tiny bit off somewhere, but he rode sound today. I will be keeping an eye on it though. I will try your exercise when I lunge him again. Perhaps I could do the same undersaddle? He does like to look out, even using side reins he will still try to look to the outside, and I don't know if it's physical or just because he's more interested in things out there.

I had a little ride today, mostly as a chance to relax and release for me, as I got some concerning medical test results back today. Nav did well though. He actually bent and flexed nicely for most of the ride, until I cantered left. He was stiff for that, and then he didn't want to bend nicely afterward, so we did some walking and smaller circles until he started flexing and bending correctly again. 

We are coming into winter and it's finally getting cold, and Nav is still pretty heavy and has his large crest. I think since he is half Shire, he is a little predisposed for that body type, but I've been considering putting him on a magnesium supplement to help with losing the crest. I had him on Quiessence about 2 years ago and it did seem to help (though he was much much heavier at the time and we also did a lot of dry lotting), so I might try that or something similar again, and just give it with his biotin.


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## tinyliny

I do hope you will be ok, and have good medical care.

he is a handsome horse. 

just a wild guess here, but I used to ride an Irish sport horse that was consistently a bit 'off' going left, only at the second half of the year. he has somewhat large side bones, . . the bone that is part of the coffin bone, and sticks up just inside the coronet band. they looked a tiny bit enlarged, and I always wondered if that has something to do with circling being less comfortable for him than going straight. but, it could be absolutely nothing.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @tinyliny!

He is very thick boned, and I'll take a look at his legs tonight. Wouldn't it be funny if he does have the same thing as your old Irish sport horse! He does seem to be getting better though.

I rode yesterday and he did pretty nicely. Took him up to the arena so he would focus on me better, only to find out there was construction going on near the arena! So Nav was still a bit distracted and concerned about all of the noise and machinery. I did get some good out of him though. Did some warm up on a long rein at the walk, then took up some contact and did some lateral steps, leg yielding and changing direction every couple of strides to keep him thinking. He responded very well and didn't really try to speed up (something he sometimes will try). 

We then did a lot of trot and figures. I tried to make sure I never just did a loop around the arena, always adding in some kind of figure eight, circle, serpentine, and I think it helped him focus and relax. He bent left pretty consistently, the worst moments were when we were near the side of the arena where the construction was happening. Also did a lot of spiraling, which he was a little resistant to, but eventually agreed and settled into it. Overall we really had some good trotting.

But then we cantered and it all started to fall apart. I took him left first, since that's the bad direction, and he started off ok, but after a couple strides started pulling on the reins and not bending at all, and I had a hard time bringing him back down to trot. And when we did come back to trot, he went right back to bending incorrectly and looking outside. Frustrating. He did better to the right, much more relaxed and light. I took him left again for just a couple strides and he did better. I'm not sure what to do about that. Maybe just needs to get better at trot before we work a lot on canter. 

Something that I think I mentioned before but was also a bit of a struggle yesterday was getting Nav to not speed up when I pick up contact. Near the end of our ride is when I noticed it most. I would pick up the reins to have him walk with contact and almost as soon as I pick them up he starts a trot. I bring him back to walk with my seat, voice and legs as much as I can, using just a little rein, and he'll walk, but if I move my hands or touch him at all with my legs he'll trot again. He seems to think that contact=speed, and I'm not sure how to fix that. I took him on a trail after the work in the arena and tried taking up the reins to a decent contact, and then letting him take them down, alternating every few strides, and he didn't try trotting off more than once. I guess it's just a repetition thing, picking up the reins and having him walk with contact over and over until he realizes that contact isn't a cue for trot.

One other thing that I did yesterday was shorten my right stirrup. The leathers are older and a bit stretched, and since my right leg tends to swing around and come forward, I thought shortening it might help, and it seemed to. I had an easier time keeping my right leg back when we tracked left, and I think that helped with our bend. 

Planning to go out this afternoon and the boyfriend is coming along to be my videographer, so hopefully I'll get some decent clips to use for evaluation. Will try to post that later tonight.


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## tinyliny

that sounds like a really productive ride.

when you do go back to working again, (assuming you might want to throw in a 'play' trail ride in there, with no 'work' at all), one thing you might try is get him cantering right, good bend, drop to trot a few strides, then canter left and only ask him to canter a few strides in good form. when he's going nicely on contact with a good bend, then praise him , put a huge loop in the inside rein, and pat his neck and let him trot a bit whereever he wants. so you reward his effort really huge.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, ride today was not ideal, and I'll do a big post about it with video in a bit, but still wanted to share these pictures. Even though I felt like I was absolutely failing with Nav today, and he was being spooky over nothing, we still had good moments, and I need to find the good. (Though I realize these pictures are not perfect moments) 

My legs felt sore the moment I got on, and I never felt good as the ride went on. I guess this means that I need to get stronger!


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## NavigatorsMom

Video is ready so here are some clips from the ride today. If you're wanting to skip around here are the times:

0.00 - first trot after walk warm up
1.44 - a poorly done spiral on our bad direction
2.55 - left lead canter
4.04 - right lead canter
5.07 - left lead canter again (poor editing, it's the same clip..)
6.12 - some end of ride trot (I called it our "good behavior circle") and attempts at stretching

There is music, so be prepared to mute if you aren't into that.





I don't really have the patience to do a full write up of the ride, but you can see how it went from the video. I don't feel like it was very good, but it looks better than it felt. He pulled a lot, I don't know if he was really tired or being lazy. Commentary on my leg position would be nice. I think we will have a better ride on Tuesday (next day I'll probably be able to ride..)


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## tinyliny

your leg position is good! more solid than most riders . you used to ride hunter/jumper, no? I can see you are more solid in your right stirrup than left, but your seat, from hips down, is very soft, solid and empathetic to the horse. he has trust in your seat, and almost as much in your hands, which are also predictable. meaning, when he stumbles or slows suddenly , you absorb that without harsh hand movment. 
your are rolling your pelvis pretty far forward, as if you are riding hunter/jumper in a more forward seat. this is ok, of course, and encourages your horse to keep a smart forward pace. but, if you need to offer him a strong core, it is a rather weaker position, and since your hands are a bit too low, it combines with the rolled forward pelvis, pooched out back to have a slightly 'falling forward' effect. 

but, since your horse is pulling on the reins, you are countering that by pulling back. it's a tug of war set up.
something you are both probably used to and can really do quite a lot of nice riding, as you are. (really a very handsome pair!)


I can see how hard he pulls on the reins at time. you must have forearms of steel! He has a short neck, and very well muscled, and that can make it harder for him to be soft there, but it can be changed.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks @tinyliny! I didn't really do much hunter/jumper, but yes, that was basically my foundation - I was actually critiqued at my last lesson (back in July) for having "hunter legs", which she meant because I had my toes pointed out and back of calf on Nav's side. 

I will try to not roll forward. I think part of my problem is that since I am pretty tall, and long in the torso, I tend to lean a bit forward to try and keep balance. I'll really think about sitting tall and keeping my core more engaged when I go today. That's something I could do even at a walk, so even if we just trail ride I can at least work on myself. 

I've been trying to be very soft with him because he was super hard in the mouth a couple years ago, and I'm constantly afraid of making it worse again. I think he tries to take advantage by pulling. When he does I usually try to give and take on the inside rein so he has to put some work into holding himself, but is there something more I should be doing? 

He is a good horse, he just has his moments, like they all do I suppose!


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## tinyliny

I'd have to think about that. you really ride well, and you know him best. an outside eye can see things, but it can't 'feel' what's really going on .

it kind of depends on how much you want to change his way of going with the rein. I mean, it might mean engaging in a bit of long haul of struggle. 
I remember reading about change in terms of two beings being locked in a cycle of behavior, and one of them decides to change. the other will try to get them to 'change back!'. 

if you change your hands in that you take up contact and expect him to soften to it, he will want you to go back to sort of holding a soft contact yourself, and allow HIM to dictate where it is. if you kept insisting he soften his jaw, he may keep insisting you give him more rein, or go back to how you used to do things. it can be hard to change a horse's way of relating to your hands, to the reins.

but, basically, if you dont' want him to pull, don't accept pulling. that means if he starts to lean on the rein, you don't pull back at an equal amount. you either give more or take more. I would probably work at the walk and do some halts and back ups where you expect him to be soft on the rein, not pushing against it. giving a short, sharp snap on one rein as a reminder can help him to get off. it looks ugly, but if he gives even a little , his reward will be much bigger and more obvious (giving him a nice drape in that rein).

really, I think you know how to get him to not lean/pull hard. it's just making yourself decide that you are going to persist long enough to get past his "change back" argument. 
AND, give him really big rewards frequently, so he can stretch down and move his mouth and jaw to relax.

and, if he lifts his head, don't lower your hands to try and get him down. Follow him up, keeping that straight line. and when he lowers, give a small release in your hands, to say 'thank you', and stay lined up with his mouth.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks again for such good advice and commentary @tinyliny!

I did what you suggested with following with my hands when he raises his head too much, and it seemed to help, he would almost always get back down and I would be able to give him some release. I will have to focus and continue being consistent with him, and I think we will be able to improve. The pulling was less when I rode yesterday, which made me feel good. I think the exercise in backing up would also be good, and we'll have to try it at some point.

During yesterday's ride I took him to the big empty field and did some trot loops around the whole thing. It is a big field with a lot of slopes and some hilly areas, so it was definitely a workout for him! One lap was about 8 minutes worth of trotting, and with the slopes put in he was a bit tired by the time we ended. He was really good about not running off with me though, even though we were in an open area! He had a pretty consistent pace throughout, only slowing down a little bit at the end of each lap. We only did two laps, with about 5 minutes of walk and stretching in between for him to cool down, since we aren't in top shape at the moment. We are still having issues with left bend, and I asked my mentor if she would ride him for me and see if he does the same, but we haven't set up a time for that to happen yet. I tried very much not to get frustrated with him when he would bend incorrectly, and instead really push him out into the outside rein, and that usually resulted in a nice bend, if only momentary. 

No riding today because it is cold and rainy, but hopefully tomorrow. Only one more week of classes and then I'm off for a month for winter break which should mean more time for riding!


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## tinyliny

that's awesome! you do ride him very well, and I can tell he is happy under you. it's nice to see that with a horse and rider. I bet he's fun to ride. wish I lived near you, or I'd be begging for a few minutes on him! (which would be a real laugh for you!)


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you! If you're ever in the area you can certainly take a spin on him 

Haven't ridden since that last time, and probably won't today since Mondays are usually busy. BUT this is my last Monday of the semester! Only four more days and then I'm on to my final semester of grad school! Next semester is only going to be a single online class, but a ton of thesis hours. Still, that means I'll be making my own schedule for the most part and should have more time for riding!


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## NavigatorsMom

After a second medical procedure (but the last for the foreseeable future!) I am not supposed to ride for two or three more days  Which was definitely a downer to hear - I had planned on going out to do a short ride after the procedure to make myself feel better! Of course after it happened I realized I would not feel like riding but still... I feel like it now! 

I did go out to see Nav, give him his supplement and deworm him, and just have some general horsey therapy.


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## tinyliny

you're in grad school? masters or phd? what area are you studying?

my older son is doing a masters in linguistics, at Honolulu. he is studying how to document endangered languages. very tiny area with almost no job prospects, but very interesting.

I hope you feel better soon. right now it is cold here and the ground is frozen solid. I don't like to ride on the trails at such a time, as the hroses can turn an ankle easily.


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## NavigatorsMom

I'm working on a master's in music education, and my main focus/focus of my thesis has to do with benefits of participation in a performance based music class (like band or choir) for children on the autism spectrum, and looking at specifically how social interaction and communication can be developed through those kinds of classes. I feel like it's a really important topic that is not talked about enough (at least not around here). My hope is to get back into teaching middle school band next year, and I know I will have kids on the spectrum, so I need to know how to best reach them.

And thank you, I am feeling much better today, still taking it easy though. It's also just too cold to ride here. I did go out and visit Nav in the last couple days though, so here are a few pictures.


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## PoptartShop

Those are awesome goals!  
Awww such cute pics!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks @PoptartShop!  

Yesterday's ride was not the best, it was super cold (in the 20s) and Nav was so fresh. I rode him in the open field, and all he wanted to do was trot. I couldn't get him to calm down and walk much at all. When he was walking, any shift or change in my position or hands would result in him picking up the trot. I tried to get him flexing and bending while we walked and that was a fail. He would walk straight forward for me fine, but if I tried to get him to go forward with a bend, especially a bend left, we would end up losing any forward motion and he would spin on the spot, or just move sideways away from my leg. He was very jittery and tense during this. I'm not sure why the was acting like this, and never really got it fixed. 

A bit after I tried trotting him in big circles and figure eights and he settled a bit then and did some better bending, though still stiff to the left. I guess it has been a week since I rode, and that along with the cold was probably part of the problem. I think I need to really get him flexing and bending from the ground, and also work on myself (good posture, take up pilates and become more body-aware). I feel like I am a lot of the problem. 

At any rate, the ride was my first in a week and it was very needed. Even though Nav wasn't the best, we had some ok moments and just being able to ride was really nice. 

Also, at my parents the other day I found video footage from my D2 pony club rating - from back in 2004! I compiled some of it into a video and just have to share. I was only 14 I think, and riding my first lease mare, and "soulmate horse", Dolly (who was about 23, I think). Just watching this video I was reminded of how smooth and fun of a ride she was. And she looks so spider-leggy compared to stocky Nav! I really miss that mare.


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## tinyliny

is that the same locale? is it the same barn you are riding at now, 12 years later?


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny yep, same place after all these years! It's very small, family operation, and only one other boarder at this point (aside from owner's daughter). It is home for me - I still ride in that same arena regularly! Unfortunately the land that was borrowed for the outdoor jumps was sold and we no longer have access to it. It isn't being used for anything yet, and it's sad to see it wasting away after being so well maintained by the boarders and pony club for many years. 

I did ride today and we had a better time! Decided to take Nav to the arena so we would have more structure than the open field and I think that helped. He was a bit pokey today though. Bending was better from the start. I tried to focus a lot on myself and not worry about him as much. I kept my left shoulder up and back - my default is to fall forward - and really paid attention to my legs. The more I sat up straight and kept my legs on, the better our bend was. 

We even worked on canter today, which is still weak especially left, but had some good moments of softness and not bearing down and going hollow. Coming out of a left canter into trot was the one time we had a bad incorrect bend/moment of weirdness or disconnect, but was able to correct it pretty quickly. I need to learn to rely less on my hands and more on my legs.


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## tinyliny

one thing that helps me in down or up transitions is to have really pointed breathing. I mean for down transitions, I exhale through my mouth, such that the horse can hear it, and I space one full out breath into three , "ha, . . ha . . haaa', each time tightening my abs a bit more.

also, annother mental thing that an old teacher metioned to me and I find to be SO true, is that rather than thinking 'stop cantering' when you are transitioning out of a canter into a trot, think "start trotting". so, you skip over the whole cessation part. it becomes too much of a 'stopping' place, and can kill the impulsion. rather you you just START the new gait.
I know it sounds wierd, but if you are a person who can utilize such visual approaches, it might be of some help.

it's especialy helpful when one transitions down from trot to walk, since so often the hrose nearly stops, then we have to crank them back up into a walk.


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## tinyliny

I was hoping you'd make this:









your avatar image. such a cute photo~!


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny that is very helpful! I had an instructor a few years ago who also taught start trotting vs. stop cantering (and so on), and that was something that seemed to work for Nav and I, but I guess I let it slip. I will work on incorporating that again, and try the breathing exercise as well. 

You are so right about going from trot to walk, it seems like we almost have a moment of halt between trot and walk - and I guess I should be happy that he's so prompt and responsive with trot/halt transitions, but that's not what I always want! 

And funny story, I have been thinking about changing to that picture! I feel like I change it a lot which is why I hadn't yet... but I think I will now! :lol:

Not much to report from me lately, haven't ridden since last post. Hoping to make it out there today at some point since we should have temps in the 50s this afternoon!


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## tinyliny

that photo is precious. my first instinct was to want to make a drawing from it, and someday I might. but, I am soooo far behind on things that need to be done , NOW, that it will have to wait for the dead of winter.

rainy and cold here, with bits of snow now and then. so very uninviting to trail ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

I'm so flattered that you like the picture enough to want to draw it! :loveshower: If you ever decide to I'd love to see the finished product. Totally understand how it is when you have lots of other projects to finish first though 

Since it was a nice day I took Nav for a ride, about an hour, but nothing too difficult. Mostly trails. I worked him in the arena for probably 20 minutes, focusing on correct bending. It was a pretty productive ride, and the best Nav has been in a while! We had fairly consistent correct bend to the left. Even at the canter, which is usually not very good, he bent to the left mostly and straight a little but not to the outside! He was still pretty hollow, so I didn't make him go for very long at a time but I was very pleased! An exercise we did that seemed to help with his bending was to make figure eight out of two 20 meter circles, with a trot to halt and four steps back in the middle before starting the new direction. He focused on it very nicely and after a few repetitions his bending was much improved. Tried to remember thinking of "starting to trot/walk" during down transitions, and also the breathing, both of which helped.

After working in the arena I took Nav on a trail behind the barn with lots of woods and some hills. We also came across one of the bee houses and some of them were flying around, I suppose because the weather was so nice. Nav wasn't too sure about it though!


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## tinyliny

he's stinking cute!! with his mohawk bangs!

here are some picures of the woods I ride in/through:


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## NavigatorsMom

Those trails look beautiful!! Would love to go on some nice trails like that someday.

And thank you, his mane is absolutely crazy and doesn't grow all the same direction, but I think it gives him some character! :wink:


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was quite cold, hovering around freezing, so I didn't want to haul all of my tack out to ride but I did go out to lunge Nav. He did really nicely overall. He was trying to look to the outside a bit when we started but I put him on a smaller circle and really got him bending and listening, and he did better.










We spent a little time with side reins on, and I'm not sure how much good that did. I know they can be a useful tool but possibly I just don't know enough about how to use them or how to tell when they're working for him. He is not held back by them, I leave quite a bit of slack so that he just has something to reach for. 

I also did some time on a slope, which got him working his hind end nicely. I think we'll incorporate lunging on that sloped area much more frequently, since I probably won't be doing as much riding in the winter.

One odd thing I noticed was that his bend to the left was better than to the right, which is opposite of how he goes undersaddle. I think this sort of confirms that undersaddle the problem has a lot to do with me. I'll have to see how he is next time I ride and compare.

A couple pictures from the end of our session, and short clip of lunging on the hill. It's so hard to record and lunge! Will need to bring the tripod out if I want to record next time.


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## tinyliny

what I notice is how even he is, tempo-wise. whetehr going up or down, his tempo doesn't change.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you, he tends to be pretty consistent when he focuses and after we've worked a bit, so that was just a nice moment of not running around and not looking outside (mostly). 

Not a lot to report, I think it's been about a week since I rode. It's just been cold and I've been busy with holiday things. I did go out on Saturday and got some cute holiday pictures with Nav. I'm really happy with how they turned out! Second one is the only one that has had any editing done so far. My inner pony club girl was a little horrified of me getting on a horse without a helmet though 





































And, one of Nav in a Santa hat because why not? 










Today I went out again since the weather was nice (close to 50 and sunny!) and decided to trim Nav's hooves since he's overdue and I wasn't sure when we will have another nice day. It was awful on my back though! I never do all four in a day anymore, and usually will give myself a day in between doing the fronts and the backs, but really wanted to take advantage of the weather. His hooves looked really good overall, decent self-trimming happening it seemed like. I didn't have to take off much at all on his back feet, really just did a bit of a rasp over both. Very happy with how they're coming along. 

Anyway, after all of that I wasn't feeling up for tacking him up and doing a hard working ride, so I just bridled him and took him to the neighboring field to do a bareback hack. It was so nice to ride again and be leisurely about it. Mostly just walked with a bit of trot thrown in, and one canter. He comes down for me so nicely, I didn't feel like I had to use my hands much at all. It was just a short ride but very enjoyable.

Not sure how much time I'll have for going out to ride the rest of the week. Things are getting busy with Christmas coming!


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## NavigatorsMom

Merry Christmas Eve! Or even Christmas Day, depending on where you are 

I had a nice ride with Nav this morning, and the weather was just perfect for it - nearly 60! Warmer than average but I'm not complaining! Took him up to the arena to ride, and it was a bit sloppy since it rained all day yesterday. We didn't go faster than a trot. Nav did alright, though it's been a few days. He was somewhat looky and spooky about one corner of the arena for some reason. I think he was just looking for something to be afraid of. 

We mostly worked on getting a forward walk and trot with his head and neck down. He does pretty well, but I'm often worried that even though he puts his head down he isn't really rounding up. I know it's something that is supposed to be felt, but I don't know what I'm truly trying to feel for.

At the trot he has gotten much better going to the left. I am trying hard to keep my elbows at my sides and raise or lower my hands with his head to keep him from looking around so much. It has helped I think. After some work in the ring I took him on a trail behind the barn to cool down. 

Heading over to my parents' in a bit to do our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of pizza, go to the church service, and then stay the night. Not exactly what I want to do, since I live in town, but I figure I can spend some time with them since I almost never do anymore. I tend to be happier when I'm not it close quarters with my sisters... but everyone's usually in a good mood around Christmas time so I have that on my side!


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was lovely so I took Nav out on a nice short ride in the big field. He did really nicely! Lots of good bending and stretching at the trot. It was still a little muddy so I didn't want to risk cantering. Also got some really nice long rein walking, and did some hill work on the sloped area. It wasn't a lot of intense work but it was a good ride.

And just because he is so handsome, a picture of Nav modeling his new Back on Track pad that my parents gave us for Christmas.  I think the black pad looks really nice with his coat and the saddle.


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## Tihannah

He looks so handsome!!


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## PoptartShop

He's so shiny and gorgeous!  Nice pad too! I like the way it looks with the saddle also.


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## Caledonian

Beautiful horse and lovely mover


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you all for the kind comments!

Since it's a new year and almost one year on this journal, I thought I'd take a minute to reflect on the past year and Nav's progress. 

I started this journal with the intention of keeping better records of what I accomplished with Nav, and how he's improving. He's a bit of a tough horse to ride, at least for me, and a little green, and I just really wanted to keep track of the goods so I didn't focus on our bads. I think this journal has been really helpful in that aspect. I realize I never set a super specific goal, and mostly just wanted to "get better" in general, and I think we have.

Nav has gotten much stronger and is able to carry himself much nicer than he did a year ago. He's become softer in the mouth and more sensitive to my leg and seat. He's also become much less spooky (though he still is a bit looky!). We went to our first show together and did extraordinarily well - so much better than I expected, in both performance and behavior in a show setting. We had a few lessons and are in the process of trying to continue that more regularly. Nav has become such a gentle and steady horse that my good friend was able to regain riding confidence on him and canter for the first time in years with him.

There was that setback with basically two months lost due to whiteline, and I so wish I hadn't lost that time to work him. But I am meticulous with his hooves now and they are stronger and sturdier than they've been in a long time. (pictures of the back left to compare: late summer to mid December. Still some things to work on but so much better!)
















And another comparison, first ride of 2016:









Versus final (documented, in mid November) ride of 2016:









No, not the same moment of canter, but I feel like he's definitely lifting more and carrying himself better than in the first one.

It was a good year, but I think 2017 will be even better. I'm hoping to start regular (monthly at least) lessons, and go to a couple more dressage shows at least! Can't wait to see what happens!


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## NavigatorsMom

*First ride of 2017!!*

Today I went out to see Nav and have our first ride of the new year! It was a bit cold, just above freezing, but the sun was out and I bundled up. It was so good to see my pony!

We did a pretty short ride in the big field. Nav was super fresh. I should have expected it all, after over a week of no riding. Overall the ride was alright, with some bad at the end where our bend went out the window. It felt worse than it looked though, when I watched the footage. 

Mostly just did some trot and canter work. His bending was much better for the most part, and even at the canter to the left he transitioned easily and didn't lose the bend much. Still need to get stronger but it will happen. I'll just post the video. Unfortunately it is a bit blurry (darn auto-focus), and not super close but I think it's a good representation of the ride. 

0.00-2.25 - initial trot work
2.30-4.50 - canter work, starting with a nice left lead canter
4.50-end - more trot and I think a bit of canter, with more contact

(mute if you don't want music!)





Overall pretty happy with the first ride of the year. Hopefully we will just get better from here! I have a lesson tentatively scheduled for Tuesday so I think that will be good for us.


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## NavigatorsMom

Yesterday we had a dentist come out to work on all of the horses. Not necessarily a fun day for them but it needed to be done. Nav was pretty overdue and I'm wondering if his teeth were causing part of his undersaddle issues? Probably unlikely but it will be interesting to see how he goes today.

In other news, we have a lesson today! With a woman I used to take lessons from about 2 or 3 years ago. Nav and I improved a lot with her and I'm excited to see what her take is on our bending problem. Hopefully she will ride him a bit so I can see how he does for someone other than me.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, lesson went really well!! I really like her teaching and I am sad that this was kind of a one time thing, but we got a lot figured out and I have something concrete to work on now. 

First thing she did after I explained what I've been working on, was check Nav from behind and right away she noticed that his left hindquarter is less developed than right. Our hypothesis is that since he was off on the right front with white line, his left hind became weak too (since horses work in diagonals, and he was likely favoring those two and putting most weight on front left/back right). He hasn't been tracking up with the left hind and his left hip was a bit sticky. She suggested a chiropractor who could take a look at him, so I'm considering that. Really though, (and these were her words too) it seems to be an issue of muscle development. Once he gets back to working the left hind that muscle will develop and he'll become straighter. 

Apparently also it's not that he's not bending to the left, it's that he's not straight. She described it as if for him "straight" is more like a normal horse's shoulder in left. And that's what feels normal to me, so it will take some time to get used to a true straight. Once he strengthens that left hind and becomes straighter the bending should work itself out. He is very supple in the poll and shoulders too, in spite of how broad he is.

So now that we figured out what the problem is, she got to work giving me a bunch of exercises to use.

The first thing she had me doing was a haunches in to the left. This is hard work for him since he hasn't been using that hind, and he wanted to fall out onto his shoulder. She had me going just a couple steps at a time and then letting him rest. The other exercise was a shoulder in to the right. Again, pushing the left hind out and making him put more weight onto it and use it more.

Another exercise we did with cones in a square, though later she told me to do it with a triangle for more of a turn. I started by walking along one side of the square circle. When we got to a cone, did a turn on the forehand (to move the hinds and supple it) and then continue. Eventually we did this at the trot as well. Then change direction and do it again, but with a turn on the haunches instead, to keep him thinking. I'll insert a clip of that here. No music this time, so you can hear my instructor's commentary, though I don't think she said too much. We have a little bit of right canter in it, and while it's not bad, I know it will be better when he is stronger and able to push off with the left hind better.






The other exercise we did was called the Snowman. It was a twenty meter circle and at the end of it, change direction and do a ten meter circle. The goal was to keep him from falling onto his shoulder, and also pushing the left hind out. That was the main goal of all of the exercises, just getting the left hind to work. 

By the end he was tracking up and over with his left hind and was much more loose in the back!

One other thing we talked about was how smart Nav is. He begins to anticipate so she showed me ways to change up those exercises. When he begins to rush instead of move away from my leg I need to either half halt and slow him, or come down a gait. And when he gets grabby and heavy on my hands I need to ignore it, keep my hands light and forward so he has nothing to bear down on, and get him working. He knows that getting heavy is easy for him and that if he fights me there then I'll ignore his hind end - which is exactly what I need to be focusing on! 

I'm so thankful I was able to have this lesson. While I won't be able to do any more with her, she did mention to me some clinics coming up and said I should come and audit since that's free (which is my price range, haha). So I'm looking into going to one in a couple weeks.


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## tinyliny

that's great! Isn't it exciting to have a good lesson?

in the video, I get the feeling that Nav is favoring his hind left. just 'whiff' of offness.


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny , I wish I had your eyes! I'm not able to see the offness you're seeing, but I suspect that if he was favoring it at all, it would be because we were at the end of a long lesson where he had been using it much more than normal and might have had some soreness? I haven't ridden since then (been stuck at home with an awful cold) but I'll try to see if he's stiff or anything when I ride again.


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## tinyliny

well, I am such a worry wort, I think maybe I see things that are not there. so, don't worry. I am probably just 'seeing things'.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, unfortunately after my amazing lesson I spent the rest of the week getting over a bad cold, and wasn't able to ride again until yesterday! And yesterday of course, I only had a small window of time to ride. I made it out there though and we had a really good ride!

We did basically the entire ride at walk, since that's the easiest gait to do those exercises I learned at the lesson, and I had some really nice moments with Nav. We did a ton with the haunches in to the left, and some shoulder in right to get him working the left hind, and then a lot of turns on the forehand. He did wonderfully! Kept wanting to trot, but I expected that. 

It was a short ride but it was good. I feel much more confident having these exercises to use with Nav.


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## NavigatorsMom

I think I had one ride in between this one and the last but I forgot to write about it.

Anyway, today I got Nav a new bit. The same as what I had been using, a loose ring French link snaffle, but in six inches, as recommended by my instructor at my lesson. Hard to find a bit that big! Used it today when I rode and Nav seemed fine with it, though the mouthpiece is a bit thicker and this one is "sweet copper" instead of just steel or whatever the old one is. He was good about accepting contact with it and didn't seem like it was a problem. Since it's a bit thicker it is probably even softer than the old one!

I didn't want to do much today, so I just took Nav on a long (for us!) trail ride. Just about two miles, along roads and bike trails near us. I did have him working on some of the haunches in left/shoulder in right at the same time, so it wasn't a complete break, but it was a lot less than I typically do. It was just nice to go out and relax and not think too much. In spite of the wind an not having done this trail in a long time Nav was pretty calm, so I am happy with him.


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## NavigatorsMom

Bit of a break from writing. I didn't do much riding in that span though, I think all I did was a bareback hack one afternoon. 

Yesterday I went with the woman I had a lesson with up to a dressage clinic hosted by the dressage club that I'm planning to get involved with. It was a really good time! The instructor is semi-local (I think), she does clinics pretty regularly at the farm we went to yesterday, but also travels between a few other states nearby. She was a bit intense but seemed very knowledgeable. The big thing she focused on was straightness, which is the base of the "training pyramid" so a good starting point, and it was interesting to see how she worked on similar things with such a wide range of rider abilities. I didn't ride, but it was good to watch and I think I will ride in one if I save up some money and have someone to haul me. My friend I went with was very generous and offered to haul for me to any of the club events she's going to, and I think I'll take her up on that! I also have a potential regular lesson instructor lined up, so fingers crossed that that will work. Yesterday was a good day for networking. 

Today I went out to ride and was very motivated to make it a good ride after yesterday's clinic. I haven't had a real working ride in a while, so I wanted to make some good progress. Beginning of our ride in the arena went really well. I used an exercise that I got at my lesson a couple weeks ago but also saw in action at the clinic yesterday. After a bit of warm up, at the trot whenever Nav would speed up and get hollow, I circled him on about a 10 meter circle. After a few minutes Nav really settled and loosened up and had some nice round trot. It was harder to get him going left, but he did it eventually. Then I did a bit of work on haunches in and shoulder in to get the left hind working, and we ended with a turn on the forehand exercise. 

I thought we had a nice ride so I headed back to Nav's pasture. We follow a road to get to his pasture and at one point, on the opposite side of the road, there is a field that sometimes has cows. This is where things got extremely frustrating. When we got within sight of the field Nav became super tense, neck up, trying to spin. He has always been afraid of cows, but there weren't any there and he was fine walking up at the beginning of the ride so I'm not sure what triggered this. I tried getting him to flex, leg yield, turn on the forehand, anything to get him focused on me but while he was responding hyper-sensitively, he was not relaxed and was still trying to stare at the field. This is all happening near a road so I was trying to not let him get too excited. I got off at one point and walked him back and forth along our side but he still didn't really settle. I got back on and walked him some more, he was not relaxed at all and kept trying to trot, which I responded to by halting him and making him stand. He kept letting out huge sighs/snorts, not the relaxing calm kind. When we were a bit past it in a field within sight of the cow field I did some trot work with lots of circles to try to get him focused but he just kept trying to run. It was so frustrating, I just gave up and took him back to his pasture. 

I'm not sure why he acted like this today. It almost seemed like he was looking for something to spook at. Cow related spooks aren't the same as normal looky behavior for him though. If he's scared of something, like a sign blowing or something, if I ignore it he typically calms down, but with cows, no matter how much I ignore it he panics. I want to fix this but I have no idea how. Anyway, this led to a very frustrating end of ride, which was discouraging after all the good he did earlier.


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## NavigatorsMom

Yesterday I went out with the intention of riding if I had time, but unfortunately wasn't able to. I had to work on Nav's feet, since that was priority. They are actually self trimming pretty well, so I didn't have to do too much, but they were overdue so it took some work. When I was done I didn't have enough time to tack up, ride, untack, get home in time to change and leave for a flute lesson, so instead I just led him up to the area across the road from the cow field to walk him back and forth a couple times. 

He didn't seem too worried, though he's usually a lot better with scary things when I'm on the ground leading him, so it was a bit expected. I also brought treats along to use as a distraction and reward for any turns on the forehand I asked him for. He was really good! Only looked toward the (empty) cow field a couple times but I was able to bring his attention right back. By the end I was able to walk him all the way past without him even turning an ear toward the field! I think this is just something I need to be aware of and keep working on with him. 

Here's a little extra. A video from my good ride two days ago, just our cone turn on the forehand exercise. I left the beginning in because it was super cute, Nav followed me all around as I set up the cones.  Music, so mute if you aren't interested.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went for a ride yesterday and Nav had to face his arch enemies/worst fear: The Cows.

They were actually out in the field this time, only two of them, but Nav spotted them before we even made it to the corner diagonal from their field. He stared for a moment and let out a big huffy snort, and I asked him to do a turn on the forehand and then cross the road.









If you look closely you can kind of see the two terrifying cows... they were completely ignoring us but Nav was convinced they wanted to eat him!

So now we were across the road from them on the shoulder. Nav was prancy and kept trying to trot and also look over at them. When he tried to turn his head I brought him back facing away and asked for a couple steps of leg yield or shoulder in/haunches out. We passed them and then I had him turn around and go back again. Still a bit nervous. When we finally came back up the third time, he had relaxed his neck and while still walking a little faster than normal I was able to let him go on a looser rein. From there we went up to the arena and had a really nice productive ride! Hopefully the more we see the cows the less he'll be afraid. I talked with my barn owner and she said that she knows her neighbor with the cows and will ask about us bringing some of the horses along the driveway fence line. We actually have three on the property, all siblings from the same sire, who are afraid of cows. So she knows what a hassle it is to deal with. 

It's colder today and I'm pretty busy with thesis work, but hopefully will find some more time to ride this week!


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## NavigatorsMom

Good ride yesterday. We had unseasonable but lovely 70 degree weather so I had to take advantage of that!

Passing by the cow field was not an issue! I don't know if Nav could see them, they were laying down in a shadow, but I was happy that he didn't react. While we worked in the arena we did a lot of trot/trot poles and lateral work (mostly at walk). I did try a little canter over some poles and Nav decided to go way too fast. Brought him down, got a nice canter and then just did a ton more trot. His canter was not very balanced, just rushy, so we definitely need work. I didn't feel like fighting him with that though so we will save that for another day.

And a quick end of ride picture of the pon. He was super interested in what his herdmates were up to.


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## NavigatorsMom

It was super awful windy today but made myself go out and ride - I can get discouraged way too easily and am trying to work past that!

Nav did nicely today, in spite of all of the gusts. He didn't act too spooky at all, didn't look for cows as we passed the field. We did have one moment on our way back to his field when a huge gust kicked up and caused something to make a noise behind him, but other than that very good. 

We rode in the arena and I tried to work on getting him to slow down whenever he decided to get rushy. It was a little rough but he did get it eventually. Just at the trot. I did a lap and a circle of canter during our warm up and he wasn't too rushy but I can tell he is pretty unbalanced and going crooked. We did some turns on the forehand and Nav is getting very good at it. All I have to do is place my leg back and barely touch and he moves away. He does sometimes fall out on the opposite shoulder, and I'm working on keeping my leg and knee on to stop that, but it's getting there!

During my lesson a month ago one thing that we talked about instead of going straight Nav kind of goes perpetually in a haunches in to the left/shoulder in right. Today while taking him on a trail I really felt that much more than I have before. It felt like he was not going straight at all. I have to hope that this is because I'm getting him to go straight at least some of the time now, and I can just feel the crookedness more easily now. 

Progress, just very slowly I guess.


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a nice, short ride on Nav today.

It was super warm today, close to 80 which is crazy! I didn't ride as long as I wanted to because it was so hot and Nav still has a heavy winter coat (since it is only February!), and I didn't want him to overheat. We did a lot of trot work as usual, and some straightness work. I can definitely feel his crookedness, and today I really focused on staying on top of his left shoulder, which he really likes to drop onto. I'm glad that I'm able to feel it now and correct it quickly as it happens. I also know that it's hard for him to carry correctly, because those muscles aren't quite developed, so I know it will take time before he is able to go straight. 

So handsome









He was so funny though, he definitely thought I was asking him for too much and when I gave him a break to walk he relaxed his neck and just groooaaannnned. Wanted me to know that he was not happy with the amount of work I wanted from today. I usually don't ride two days in a row, so he probably was a bit tired, and I'll be giving him a rest day tomorrow.


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## PoptartShop

He's so adorable & fuzzy.  LOL that's funny, he was probably like, 2 days in a row? Why oh why?! :lol:
Hey, any progress is progress.  Keep it up!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks @PoptartShop ! 

No real updates at the moment. It's rainy today, and I just got an email from my thesis adviser with a timeline for my thesis project - every meeting and rough draft, and when they're due, leading all the way up to my oral defense in May! :O So that definitely stressed me out a bit, and lit a bit of a fire under me. I'm likely going to be spending a lot more time working and less time at the barn...


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## NavigatorsMom

So, even though I should have spend more time today working on my project, I decided to take some time off to go visit Nav and ride. I figured it would be better to lose a couple of hours of work than to lose my mind! 

Look at the little grumpy face! 









We did a pretty short ride, and almost all of it at the walk. I was trying really hard to get him to use his left hind. He is getting better at it, and shoulder ins to the right are getting pretty easy for him. Haunches in left are more difficult, and he doesn't want to bend much unless I bring him into it out of a small circle. It's getting there though! We also did a lot of our snowman exercise, and even at the walk I could tell he was working hard for me. We did a little bit of trot work at the end but he wanted to get spooky in one corner (of course he hadn't been spooky the entire 20+ minutes we had been working prior) so we did a lot of little circles to get him focused. Ended with a short trail ride back to his field. 

One thing I was hoping to get some input on, is there a way to cue for or practice haunches in from the ground? I would like to go out and just lunge and do groundwork on days when I really don't have time for a long ride, but I want to be able to do some of the things I've been working on with him like that.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, today was the complete opposite of everything we've been working toward lately. Nav was just fighting me on absolutely everything! 

He would not step over and do the haunches in, he tried to trot off any time I put leg on him - and he knows what a single leg means so he was just ignoring it. We worked on turns on the forehand a bit and he started anticipating and turning way too quickly, just throwing his haunches over, and so when I asked him to just halt and not move he got antsy and tried backing up, turning on the forehand anyway...

When we finally started to trot he decided it was time to just run run run and not listen to my half halts or asking him to bend around my leg. I tried doing small circles with him any time he rushed and he just kept rushing or trying to canter instead. I had him go back to walk/halt transitions to get him focused on me but when we went back to trot it was back to rushing. SO frustrating.  I eventually just got off and walked him back to his field because I was so fed up. Nav had worked himself so sweaty too. 

Just a very bad ride. I feel like I would have been better off not riding, there was nothing that felt productive about it.


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## Zexious

Nav sure is handsome <3

Don't be discouraged by a bad ride--we all have them  It's about how well you bounce back and learn from it!


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## PoptartShop

Awww...don't feel too bad or be too hard on yourself- we all have days like that! I had that day on Wednesday. It was crazy windy though, Redz was just super antsy. Wasn't the best ride nonetheless, but we ended on a good note, kinda. I ended up feeling super tense because of it.
Try not to feel discouraged.  It's okay, tomorrow is a new day! Sometimes they get in weird moods, you never know how they're going to be or how* their *day went. 

I hope your next ride turns things around.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @Zexious and @PoptartShop. I know it's normal to have ups and downs, I just tend to fixate on the downs, and yesterday's ride felt *really* down. Thankfully today was better!

I went with the intent of having an easy ride, mostly trails and just a tiny bit of arena work. Trails were great, Nav was quite calm and we did some easy leg yielding to keep his mind working. 









In the arena, I set up poles for a cloverleaf exercise that was supposed to keep him very focused but also used small circles to work on pushing the haunches inside and keeping the inside shoulder up. We mostly did it at the walk but Nav really had to think and focus so I think it did good for him. 

There was one moment that seemed bad, but in hindsight it really wasn't awful. I tried doing a little bit of canter with Nav and he just took off with me. Not like running away or bolting, but he ran through my half halts, was super strung out and on the forehand, and he didn't want to even come down to the trot. I had to lean back, sit and close so strongly and close my hands to get him to stop. It was frustrating, as this is something that we really overcame last spring/summer, but since he had so much time off late last summer he lost that fitness and is weak at the canter now. I know it will just take a lot of time and transitions to fix, but it's disappointing. 

I think part of the problem also is that since I don't canter very often lately, Nav thought it was an exciting thing (and easier than the trot exercises I've been putting him through) so he wanted to just run with it. Hopefully the more I canter him the less excited and fast he'll be with it. 

I did some transitions between walk and trot and then when he was light at the trot I asked again for the canter, and he gave me a somewhat light, upright and straight canter. I only let him go 3 or 4 strides before bringing him down and ending on that good note. It will just take time.


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## Zexious

Ear photos are my favorite! <3

To be fair, I think it's normal for us to focus on the bad. It's so easy to look back on a ride that was overall very good, but to dwell on the 3% of the ride that wasn't so good. I'm definitely guilty of it!

I'm sure it says somewhere in the thread, but do you have access to trails where you keep your horse? Or do you trailer out?

Maybe focus more on canter work? Practice makes perfect, after all!
Looking forward to more updates


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## NavigatorsMom

@Zexious thanks, ear pics are some of my favorites too and I have entirely too many saved on my phone, haha!

We have some trails in the area surrounding the barn and horse fields, but they are mostly road shoulders and a bike path. There is one trail that actually goes through a woodsy area but so many people go out there and dump trash that it's a huge mess and the horses are spooky about it. Used to be more but things are getting developed more and more out there. I am thankful for having some at least though!

I am thinking more canter work will do him some good, as long as it's gradual. It's pretty clear when I do canter him that he's weak and can't canter balanced or straight very well for very long, but I think transitions with just short amounts of canter would help. 

Today was very nice but I decided against going out for a fourth day of riding. I think Nav would have been ok if we took it easy, but I needed a day to rest my legs! (funny enough, I did go for a long walk though) Last ride I took my AP saddle since all my dressage pads were getting washed, and I thought I'd practice some two-point but now my legs are killing me! The saddle is really not the best fit for me either, so I'm thinking I need to try and sell it and save up for something that fits us better. I don't jump much so it's not priority, but riding in it yesterday made me realize how much nicer and better fitting my dressage saddle is!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a couple days off due to bad weather and having to spend time on my project, but was able to go out today.

I didn't have a ton of time so just did a short ride. Nav did very well though. We spent a lot of time at the walk, as usual, because it is the easiest for me to control and make sure that he's not getting sloppy. Then we went into trot and he gave me a nice and fairly relaxed trot, didn't get hollow and unbalanced, though he could have been more forward and lifted. But I was just glad that he didn't start off by just rushing around with his head in the air!

After some trot we did canter work. I specifically planned to work on this, since it had been giving us trouble. I think we only did about five to seven minutes of on and off canter work, but it was enough for one ride. Nav gave me a decent transition into canter at first, I had him go a couple strides and then brought him back to trot. But now his trot was rushy and hollow and fast. He wanted to keep cantering. So that was frustrating. I didn't want to ask him to canter from a bad trot like that, so we had to do a lot of small circles and other figures to get him focused back on me before trying another canter. But coming off of the second canter he did the same thing! So frustrating. Once again, we did some figures and even a down transition to walk to get him focused on me and on going slower. We did a couple more canters after that, just a few strides and with a lot of trot in between so that he would stop rushing. Our final canter he was super calm and came down to a nice, not too pully and not fast trot, so I gave him big praise and ended our canter work there. 

I think it really will just be a little by little thing. Would probably be good to get a video one of the next times I work on it, so I have something to compare to in a month or so. 

Here's a little clip of the trail we took yesterday at the end of our ride, just down a bike path near the barn.


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## NavigatorsMom

Not a big update. I went out two days ago and took a super easy ride with Nav. We walked the entire ride, which is uncommon for us. 

Took a nice trail up the bike path to get to the barn, did a little bit of ring work at the walk in the arena, and then took a trail in the woods behind the barn. Nav was nice and calm and we had a good, easy ride.  It was nice to take a break and not focus too much on anything in particular.


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## tinyliny

That describes my everyday, basically.


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## PoptartShop

That sounds like a pleasant ride.  I'm glad you had a better day. Looks like a nice trail!


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny it really was so relaxing, I can see why you'd want to do it every day! I'm planning to work it into my routine more frequently, it was just such a nice ride.
@PoptartShop thanks, it is a nice little trail! One of the last ones around the barn that hasn't been paved over into a bike path or a road shoulder!

Today I went out with a plan to do a lot of canter work. Just transitions from trot to a few strides of nice canter, back to trot and then trotting until he relaxes down to calm and organized trot, and then canter again. However, once I got Nav tacked up I realized I wouldn't even be doing any riding!









Unrelated but he's so brown right now. Need to figure out how to try and keep him black, I wish he didn't fade out so much.

Nav is the current boss in his pasture of five geldings, but the other younger one likes to challenge him. The dominance is actually very fluid with those boys and the "boss" changes frequently. Anyway, apparently they got into it last night or earlier this morning, and Nav had a cut right near his elbow (I feel so stupid, but I can't remember if there's an equine specific term for that area?). It wasn't deep but it was warm and there was swelling. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't catch it until after I tacked up, and when Nav was tender on that leg I trotted him out and sure enough he was limping. 










Here are a couple pictures, the swelling was visible once I realized something was off. The cut is on his front right. Also, didn't realize Nav was "dangling" until after the pictures were taken so sorry for that (I know horse people don't really care but I try to keep my pictures "decent"..).
























Called up the BO/my mentor/my horse mom (she really is all of those things to me) and she recommended cleaning it off with some peroxide, and then cleaning it with warm water and soap for the next few days. Keeping an eye on it that the swelling goes down. 

So, I didn't ride today, but hopefully will be able to in the next day or two.


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## PoptartShop

Awww poor boy!  I hope it heals quickly and the swelling goes down. Ugh. Naughty boys!


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## Hoofpic

Hope he get's better soon


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks @PoptartShop and @Hoofpic ! It's just funny, he's such a sweet and friendly horse and doesn't seem like the boss type at all! He even lets the others share hay with him sometimes, so I don't know what the deal really is.

I went out yesterday during a small window to work on his back hooves and clean his cut. His hooves seem to be growing very quickly lately, and I touched up the fronts even though they had a full trim less than two weeks ago. I don't want them getting overgrown and possibly thrushy though, especially since spring is getting here and we'll probably have a lot of wet weather.


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## tinyliny

the yellow is pus? or ?

it's probably nothing and will heal very soon. but, if it gets hot , would cold hosing help? and, would you need to make sure it stays open to drainage?

don't get me wrong, I don't know much about first aid with horses, so am asking in naivete.


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## NavigatorsMom

The yellow was watery weepy stuff. I cleaned it off and just left it open to dry on it's own. When I went out yesterday the swelling had gone down almost entirely, and he didn't seem sore or tender. It is definitely scabbing over and there didn't seem to be any heat. I had hoped to go out today and check but a long visit to the DMV has put me way behind schedule, so hopefully I can get there before dark.


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## Hoofpic

PoptartShop said:


> That sounds like a pleasant ride.  I'm glad you had a better day. Looks like a nice trail!


Ya looks like a nice trail and very nice Spring weather. I wish we had weather like that here right now (soon, but it's not here yet).


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## Rainaisabelle

Aw Nav man


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## NavigatorsMom

So I did go out and check him last night, and the cut has pretty much entirely scabbed over, and no swelling.

Today I went out to ride. It ended up being pretty short. After our walk warm up I started trotting him, and something just felt a little off. I will attach a video, but I hadn't planned on filming, so instead of having a tripod to hold my camera, I just propped my phone up precariously on the side of a fence. It's not great, but it gives an idea. I'm not sure if he's really off or not, but he does look a little weird to me. Undersaddle he felt not so bendy, and going to the left he tried to pick up a canter a couple of times when I encouraged him to do a forward trot. Other opinions would be helpful.






Anyway, I did do a little canter work with him too, and he did pretty well considering. But I didn't want to push him when I wasn't sure how he was feeling so we took it easy. 

A bit frustrated by this. Hopefully it's nothing.


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## PoptartShop

Hmm, the right back leg seems a little off? I could be wrong so don't quote me on that, but it looks a bit off to me. 

I see what you are saying, looks a bit off in the hind end.


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## Rainaisabelle

Definitely one of the hind legs looks a bit stiff tbh


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## Hoofpic

NavigatorsMom said:


> So I did go out and check him last night, and the cut has pretty much entirely scabbed over, and no swelling.
> 
> Today I went out to ride. It ended up being pretty short. After our walk warm up I started trotting him, and something just felt a little off. I will attach a video, but I hadn't planned on filming, so instead of having a tripod to hold my camera, I just propped my phone up precariously on the side of a fence. It's not great, but it gives an idea. I'm not sure if he's really off or not, but he does look a little weird to me. Undersaddle he felt not so bendy, and going to the left he tried to pick up a canter a couple of times when I encouraged him to do a forward trot. Other opinions would be helpful.
> 
> Trot 3/3 - YouTube
> 
> Anyway, I did do a little canter work with him too, and he did pretty well considering. But I didn't want to push him when I wasn't sure how he was feeling so we took it easy.
> 
> A bit frustrated by this. Hopefully it's nothing.


Is that your outdoor arena or just an open field? Looks very nice and spacious. :grin:


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## NavigatorsMom

I feel useless, I'm so bad at seeing offness. Like I knew I could feel something but even with your input and trying to watch the hind end I'm not sure if I can see it.  Not that this video is great to see much but I feel like you guys are probably right. Blah.
@Hoofpic that's one of the empty pastures that we can ride in. It's a pretty decent size and I use it when I don't feel like taking Nav to the barn arena to ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out this morning for a short and easy ride. I didn't really feel offness during our ride, Nav was just not really listening to me and has lost some of the good bend that we had been getting lately. However, when I took him back to his pasture, I trotted him out on the pavement just to do a check, and he did give me a little head bobbing. Still couldn't tell if it was in the back or front. I really do feel like I'll never be able to figure it out.

Other than that the ride was uneventful. I'm in a bit of a weird mindset right now. Lately it seems like I have low motivation to get to the barn, and every ride is just more of the same. Trying to get Nav to move correctly, knowing that he'll spend most of the ride poking his head up, looking around and not bending. And then even when he chills out and starts to stretch down, all it takes is one movement off to the side and he's focused on that instead. I am just not having as much fun as I used to. And I remember last year around this time I was getting ready for his first dressage show at training level, and right now I can't imagine showing him with all the bad bending, and his completely sucky and rushy canter. 

I want to change this mindset, and get back to enjoying going to ride, but I don't know what to do. I'm tired of ending every ride in a bad mood though.


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## tinyliny

I know it's kinda cliched to say this, but when spring really comes will feel better 

In the meantime, could trailer out for a trail ride with someone? Or do something really odd like sign up for a cow cutting clinic? My friend did a kind of horses on cows clinic with this guy named 'Wayne Robinson'. She had no intention of ever working with cows,but learning how to work them with ones horse can build a good bond


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## Hoofpic

NavigatorsMom said:


> I feel useless, I'm so bad at seeing offness. Like I knew I could feel something but even with your input and trying to watch the hind end I'm not sure if I can see it.  Not that this video is great to see much but I feel like you guys are probably right. Blah.
> 
> @Hoofpic that's one of the empty pastures that we can ride in. It's a pretty decent size and I use it when I don't feel like taking Nav to the barn arena to ride.


Oh okay, makes sense, you are so lucky to have such nice weather over there.


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## PoptartShop

He does seem a bit stiff in the hind, that could be causing his balance to be off/weird bending.  Maybe give him a day or two off and then see how he is? Or try different things with him, to keep things fun?
I know what you mean though. I have my days too where it just feels blah. 
Try some fun Liberty training stuff too? Just hangout with him, grab the lead and just walk around?


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## NavigatorsMom

Rewatching the video I feel like I can kind of see something off with the back right? Like he's putting it down and taking it up more quickly than the back left. Just by a hair though. I can't tell for sure. 

I think when I go out tonight to give him his supplement I might lunge him a bit, so I can watch him in person and see if I can see anything. An off right hind could explain a bad left canter I suppose. 

I'm thinking of taking it easy with our riding, and working on other things like groundwork, and doing more easy trail days. Just for a bit to see how that is. As long as he's sound I am planning to take him to a kind of season opener fun day with the local dressage club at the end of March, so that gives us something different to look forward to. 

Just to add something cute and happy, here's a picture of Nav from the other day when I went out to find him. Apparently he felt like accessorizing that day!


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## tinyliny

seeing offness is really hard, except in the most obvious cases. it's deceptive to think that because a leg moves faster than the others that the horse is trying to get weight off it as fast as possible, becuase it's the NOT lame leg, the paired leg, that moves faster through its stride so that the horse can get the good leg back onto the ground as soon as possible, thus making the weight bearing phase of the 'bad' leg as short as possible.

so, when you are watching a video and you seem to see one leg moving faster than the other through the air, it's the OTHER leg that is the lame one.

in Nav's case, it's really hard to tell. I do see the right hand kind of 'hitching ' a tiny bit, but I also see him moving in front , especially front left, with a slighty 'tenderfooted' way of going. and , with right rear/front left paired at the trot, you can consider both a possiblity. the head bobbin way telling which leg is the 'bad' one is hard for me, unless it's very obvious.

I used to ride the big half draft Irish Sport horse who moved a lot like Nav. in the summer, he'd always get tenderfooted , and all we could figure is that the increased sugar in the grass was making him very mildly laminitic. but, he walked out like a dream, just had the mildest barely perceptable offness at the trot, on a circle.


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## PoptartShop

Awww he is so cute.  That sounds like a good plan. It will be fun trying different things.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you, @tinyliny that explanation helps a lot! And I wonder if Nav has a similar mild laminitic problem like the horse you used to ride. I wouldn't be extremely surprised, as he is very cresty... but I have never had it confirmed by a vet. Once spring grass starts coming in he's going to be moved to a "weight watchers" field, with a couple other horses who never seem to lose weight, so hopefully that will help. 

Today I tried doing a short lunging session. It was super windy out though so not ideal conditions - the wind was messing with the line quite a bit and Nav was frustrated with it. He did decently in spite of that. I couldn't see anything off this time. No head bobbing at all, and he stretched down and was very forward. He still bends poorly while lunging, and when I try to encourage him to get his hindquarters out onto the circle he just started cantering. Since it wasn't ideal circumstances I didn't worry too much about it, just wanted to get some work in with him. 

So I'm not sure if he is truly lame, just has a slight offness, or something else. I'll plan on keeping track of it though, so I can see if there's any sort of pattern to what sets him off as a little lame. Today was better in terms of my mindset and feeling at the end. Doing something different did seem to help.

You can see how windy it was - usually he has mane that falls on this side of his neck that won't even stay on the other side if I comb it, but today it was all on that side!









And of course picky Nav was also happy because I was finally able to track down some more of the hoof supplement that he likes - I bought a big container of a different kind from the co-op last week and he refused to eat it after one bite! Thankfully they let me return it, but they didn't carry the one he likes anymore. Actually no where in town does, so I had to resort to buying it online. Just glad to find it, I feel like it did do some good to his hooves while he was on it.


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## tinyliny

this is really off topic, but my cat is 'off'. he's got an on again off again limp . I know which leg, and I've palpated it many times without any obvious yelping. all I can really do is wait until it gets bad enough that one can see what is causeing it. for one thing, he'd never even walk at the vets, he's terrified.

it's just a 'wait until it becomes clearer' sort of thing.

Nav is super cute and you ride him really nicely. I like to see a rider that moves well enough with the hrose to NOT be an impediment to them. is that sad? I mean that the best compliment I can pay is that someone is NOT an impediment to the horse? but, really, most of us are. I know I am, much of the time.


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## PoptartShop

See?! Always helps to change things up a bit. :smile: That's good you found the hoof supplement too, I hate when something I like is hard to find!
The wind can be a pain when lunging, but he looks so cute!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you tinyliny, a compliment from you is very special  I want to do the best I can with him, so I'm glad to know what I'm doing is not obviously hindering at least.

My plan for today is to go out and do an easy ride, in the big field. I do want to do some trot and canter work, and just sort of see what happens. I don't want to actively fight him on anything, because that just leads to frustration. But just sort of go with it. I might take my tripod out and film a bit of it to see how we go. 

I also had this idea, but not sure if it's good or not, but to get a canter going, and then keep going until after Nav is ready to stop. Just push him a bit past what's easy and not let him decide when we stop or start, because he's been in a habit of not coming down when I ask him. So the hope is that when I do ask him to come down, he will easily since he's ready to stop too. But it would be because I ask him to. Does it make sense? I know that things like this aren't always a good idea because he's just going to get stronger and eventually be able to keep cantering for longer, but I don't think this is an exercise I'd do with him frequently enough for that.

Anyway, fingers crossed for a nice ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

So the ride today was not as great as I hoped... not as bad as it could have been though, so that's a positive.

Nav started off pretty nicely, was responding well to my legs for turning and we had some good trotting moments, though bend is still off. Then I decided to do a little bit of canter, which I got a short clip of going each direction just for evaluation. I actually feel like his left lead was nicer than his right. In the video the right lead is first, and you can kind of see him not responding when I ask for the downward transition to trot (it's around 37 seconds or so when I first ask him to trot), he just keeps pulling and cantering well past where I initially ask for it. On left the transition is off screen but it was very prompt.






Anyway, after that I thought I'd try my idea of letting him "canter it out" and then see if he'd be a little more prompt to come down after. Well. That didn't work at all. I took him down to a farther side of the field, and intended to canter him back toward where we started, which was a bit uphill. I planned to take him up and back, in a kind of large loopy circle thing. As soon as I cued him for canter he took off at a very strong canter that quickly morphed into a hand gallop. He wasn't bolting, but he was definitely wanting to go, bearing down and just running very recklessly and out of control. I sat up and half halted, closed my thighs, and he didn't slow down. I did a lot of give and take on the reins to slow him which didn't exactly work. He actually slowed a bit when I put some slack into the reins, and then that coupled with my voice and some half halting got us back to a trot. He was huffing and puffing, though it was only a couple of minutes, but he was working hard. I thought that now I could try again, get a couple strides of nice canter and then call it good. Nope. He again took to a very fast and unbalanced canter. When I turned him I could feel that he was not straight up and down underneath me. You know how you aren't supposed to lean with the horse, like you would on a motorcycle? He was definitely leaning a lot, it felt like I was sitting a bit on the side of my saddle rather than in the seat because there was such a discrepancy between our balances (I think...). 

Anyway, it was very frustrating. I did stop him again, and this time when I asked for a nice canter, we got about five good strides and then I stopped him very easily. I ended it on that because it was decent. I feel like the exercise didn't work how I wanted it to, but I also feel like if I had had him canter on the rail around the arena it would have been similar, except he would have been taking tighter turns. Not sure what to do about it :/

After that nice canter I walked him because he was pretty sweaty and breathing heavily, and when he cooled out I gave him his supplement. 

Also, can I get an opinion on his bit placement? This is the new one that fits his mouth better, but I think the rings might be a bit big and it's causing the bit to sit lower than the old one. Not sure how or if this affects us too much, but opinions might be helpful.


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## tinyliny

to me, the bit placement looks fine. if you could raise the caveson a bit , the rings might clear it better.

is that a KK ultra?


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## NavigatorsMom

I'll look at raising the noseband for next time. I'm glad you think it fits. I was always taught the two wrinkle rule, though that seemed too tight with his last bit so it wasn't quite two wrinkles. With this one, the rings are bigger and so even though everything is done up as high as it goes, there is barely even one wrinkle. Just thought a second opinion would be good.

It's a Stubben loose ring with the French link. Still a little more than I would have wanted to spend on a bit, but the only one in my local tack shop that was even six inches! And I figured returning locally would be easier than ordering one online and returning if it didn't fit so I went with it.


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## tinyliny

It's so hard to find a good bit at 6 inches. really hard. are you also having trouble finding good reins that are long enough? when I used to ride that Irish sport horse, a 'normal' bridle just didn't give me much freedom to give him a long rein, for a big stretch. I had "Nutty Saddler", a member here, make a set of gorgeous, English leather reins with buckles. superb worksmanship and very fair price.

I really don't know where that old 2 wrinkle rule came from. as long as the bit is not banging them in their canines, the lower it can be, the more freedom they have to position it a bit themselves. the western riders who use snaffles talk about it as having the horse able to 'pick up and carry the bit" himself. he uses his tongue to lift up and kind of 'mouth' the bit, instead of the bit being pulled back to tight against the corners of his mouth that it is 'engaged' even when the rider is not putting any pull on the rein. when there is some freedom, the difference between engaged and not is bigger. some horses don't like that. they don't like a bit change in how the bit feels in their mouth from nuetral to rider engaging the bit/rein. they feel more secure with things less dynamic. other horses feel choked and panicked with the non-stop upward pressure of a bit set to high. 
my limited experience is that once they get used to it, even horses that have worn a bit high for years , come to be more relaxed in the bit that they can position a bit themselves.


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## NavigatorsMom

It was quite a pain finding the bit! First tack shop I tried didn't have anything 6 inches at all, and like I said that was the only one at the second. It is good quality though so it should last. I actually have really long reins, they are rubber which is not my favorite, but they just came with a fairly inexpensive bridle from Smartpak. He can stretch all the way down and still have a tiny bit of slack. That said, I don't think his neck is much longer than average. For a draft cross he's not really big and tall, just kind of thick and chunky all around. 

I've heard a similar thing about letting the bit hang a little loose so that the horse can pick up the bit and carry it himself, instead of having the rider carry his head. I know Nav is smart and I think he's "tricking" me a bit into holding on to his head more than I need to, fidgeting around with it and pulling so that I pull back, instead of just pushing him forward. Even though we're having this trouble lately, he's definitely not as heavy in the hand as he was years ago, so he is improving. But he likes to pull different little tricks like that out every now and then, and sometimes I fall for it.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out with plans for an easy walk/trot ride in the arena, but I knew we were off on a bad start before we even made it to the arena. 

As we passed by the cow field, it turned out that one was kind of near the fence. Nav was not having it. Head shot straight up and he locked onto it and just tried to run past it. I stopped him and turned him around and walked him past it again but he just kept prancing and spinning. Meanwhile, of course, the cow was not even that interested in us. He was getting too dangerous so I got off and led him back and forth in front of that area a couple times, stopping every now and then to try and get him to leg yield or do a turn on the forehand. And he more or less did but he also kept his full attention on the cow too. It was ridiculous. This little clip is after he settled quite a bit, and you can see that he is still very tense (and that in reality the cow isn't all that close to us).






Anyway, walked back and forth a couple more times, and I let him stop and look at the cow as it walked away. This seemed to calm him some more, and when i asked him to walk on again his head came down and he was fairly relaxed, so I took him up to the barn at that point. Once at the barn I was just not even in the mood to work him anymore, so we mostly just did figures at the walk. We figure eighted for a long time, and not lazy figure eights, but very forward, not falling in on the turns. He did nicely. Then we did some haunches in/shoulder in coming off of 10 meter circles. We ended with working on downward transitions off of my seat. Nav is very dependent on reins (my fault, of course), so it was good practice. He's getting better at it, it will just be a thing to continuously practice. On the way back to his pasture I took the bike path route so we didn't have to go by the cows again because I was in no mood to deal with that. 

Really it wasn't a bad ride. That cow thing is just awful to deal with.


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## NavigatorsMom

Not much to say since I haven't ridden since the last post. We had a big change in weather - big temperature drop and a lot of rain/snow. Not ideal for riding or even being outside! But I did go out the last couple days to make sure he got his hoof supplement. 










Anyway, I went out today to give him his supplement, and on my way I saw that the cows were somewhat near the fence. So I decided I'd take Nav over there and walk him a bit and see if he would calm down at all. I figure exposing him to them should help somewhat right? So we walked up and down a bit and he was definitely scared and did his "dragon sounds" that he almost always does when he sees the cows...






But surprisingly after that I was able to get him to calm down and he actually started grazing, completely ignoring the cows! So I feel like that was progress, although I don't know how he would have been if I had been riding. We will see next time!


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## NavigatorsMom

Finally rode again last night. It had been six days I think since my last ride, which is about the longest I've gone without riding, without good reason (being out of town or sick, etc.). Lately the thought of going to ride has felt like the thought of going to work out. I know it will be good to do, but I don't really want to do it. Kind of sad that I feel this way about it. 

Anyway, I just wanted to do a short ride, and keep it simple so that we wouldn't get frustrated. We mostly walked, and I did quite a bit with leg yielding him and some good circles without falling in on the shoulder. Then we did a little bit of trot on a fairly loose rein. I didn't want him to think he was able to brace. He actually trotted pretty nicely, though going left is still as it always is. Right was nicer. I hadn't been planning on cantering but thought I'd try it. He wasn't great, but didn't run off with me like last time and I was able to bring him back to trot pretty easily. I ended after a very nice left canter transition that felt upright and not rushy. It was only about a 20 minute ride.

I do feel better about things after this ride. I think partly it's the time of year that makes it hard to get motivated, and the bad weather. But I have hope that we'll get through this issue.

I was visiting with my thesis adviser and mentor after my meeting with her this morning (she is also a dressage rider) and she recommended transitions. Which I know that I know, but it was a good reminder to hear it from someone else. I will probably leave canter mostly alone for now, maybe just a small bit every ride (like a circle both ways, or a couple transitions) and work mostly in walk and trot.


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## PoptartShop

Yeah, at least you ended the ride on a good note. The weather is definitely a factor.  I hear you. I haven't rode since Saturday!  Not sure I'll get to ride maybe Sunday, but the arena/fields are full of snow & ice.

It's definitely hard to get motivated during this time of year.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, I went out to ride yesterday and today and had two relatively decent rides which is a nice feeling!

Of course there is still a lot to fix...

Worked mostly on relaxing and having a nice calm and steady trot, and did a tiny bit of canter. Also focused on transitioning down and stopping off of my seat and legs more than the reins, and a bit with walk-trot-walk-halt-etc transitions. Yesterday's ride I was also able to trot him out for some nice long stretches on the trail without him sticking his head up and rushing away which was really great!

Nav was *awful* at canter though, just pulling and refusing to do a downward transition to trot. He was not responding to my seat at all and I had to use much more hand than I was comfortable with. However, today when I rode I had a much easier time, and didn't have to use much rein at all. He was very responsive to my seat and legs today which is an improvement! 

I was able to get my boyfriend to come out with me to video record, so here are clips of the canter we did today. I didn't do a lot, and you can see I tried to wait to cue for canter until he was softer and calm at the trot, and I don't think it looks as bad as it feels. It feels very crooked, especially to the left, and it's hard to see but he was definitely looking outside when we come around by the driveway and barn. But he's getting there.


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was a good ride. My boyfriend mentioned to me that instead of going to ride with these high expectations that seem to always leave me frustrated, I need to change my expectations. Not necessarily lower them, just make them different. So I tried that out today. Instead of trying to get Nav super straight and cantering nicely, the goal today was just getting lighter in general - lighter in the bridle, using lighter aids.

Anyway, today the plan was to work on transitions between walk/trot and halt and to make them off of the seat and legs as much as possible. Nav is way too dependent on the reins. Like, today I asked him to back without any contact or pressure on the reins. He knows the verbal cue, and I used my seat and legs the same way I always do for a back up, but I didn't touch the reins. He was so confused, and tried shifting left and right, put his weight back without taking a step, before he finally took a step backward. As soon as I picked up contact and gave a little wiggle on the reins (along with the other cues) he backed right away. Just an example.

So after warming up we did some trot and walk transitions, at random so he couldn't predict, and then after he started getting that we did trot-halt-back-trot's. He did really well, listened to my seat and I didn't have to use much rein at all. We probably only did about 10-15 minutes of that total, and with breaks. The only other exercise we did was the raised trot poles, to get him lifting and using his haunches. I didn't want to try cantering today because I knew that it would take more work than I had time for today, and everything was going so nicely I didn't want to do something frustrating for both of us.

It was much hotter than usual today and since Nav is still shedding out we kept the ride short and simple and I think it paid off. 

On Saturday the local dressage club is having their first meeting of the season and a riding fun day with trails and stuff, so I'm hoping to take Nav to that as long as I still have a ride up there. Should be a fun outing and some good experience for Nav!


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## PoptartShop

Awesome, glad you had a good ride. 
That's good you stopped at that point, I do the same if I'm working on something & it ends well, I'm like let's not push it! :lol: 
Love the photo. That'll be a fun Saturday for you.  Definitely will be good experience for Nav!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop, yeah, I'm really bad about trying to do more than we are capable of sometimes, and then it just leads to Nav getting strung out and runny, me getting frustrated, and the ride feeling ruined - even if the majority of the ride was good! I'm trying to be more positive and if that means stopping before things get too hard then that's what I'll do for now.  

So, unfortunately the woman I was going to haul up to the fun day with this weekend isn't planning to go anymore. She suggested another woman that we're friends with who was planning to go might be able to haul me but looks like she might not go now either. It's pretty short notice, so I don't think I'll be able to go to this one.  I did go ahead and ask her about hauling to the April show (assuming Nav and I are ready for that, we could certainly do the Intro test at least), so if she isn't able to do that I can hopefully start asking around in the group since there's some time. Pretty disappointed about this weekend though.

Today is the spring vet visit. Typically he comes to us, but this time they rescheduled our group quite a bit so we're hauling in. It will probably be a long day, and I won't get a chance to ride, but it will be nice to spend time with Nav and my barn people anyway. Hoping it's a nice day tomorrow so I can ride!


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## NavigatorsMom

Vet visit was a success! 










I have to say, this whole trip really made me realize how good a horse Nav really is, and made me appreciate him much more. We had to take two trips to get all six horses there, and Nav was in the first group. When the second group arrived I helped unload. The first one refused to back out, the next was kicking the side of the trailer like crazy and seemed to be contemplating coming through the window, and the third sped backward as soon as I began to loosen the lock on the divider. They were all covered in sweat and antsy. Nav entered and backed out calmly, and didn't even break a sweat. What a good horse! 

Since I have set the goal of doing some dressage shows (one in April) I am going to print off the tests and take them along with me for my rides. I want to do training level, but I'll also take the intro tests along, just in case. If our canter isn't ready in time for the April show then we can do the intro tests.


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## NavigatorsMom

Pretty uneventful lately.

Yesterday Nav got moved to the weight watchers field with his sister and another pony he's been with before. Of course, the mare is definitely the boss and she chased him around quite a bit when I let him go in, but I stayed to watch them settle down and by the time I left she was letting him have some of the hay (not from her pile, of course). So they seem settled which is good. They always get along together after the initial excitement.

And I do have a ride for the April dressage show! So it's time to really get going on the tests. I'm hoping to do Training 1, 2, and 3, but if I have to downgrade to only two of those or the intro instead then that will be ok too.


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was a good ride! 

I went and got Nav and after I had him halfway tacked up, I went and set up the arena. For months there have been standards and poles set up right in the middle of the arena, and I had been using them for a raised pole grid, but today I wanted to put the dressage letters out and work without the poles in the way. Took a couple minutes and was a bit of an arm work out, but the arena looked nice empty.

Took Nav up and we started with lots of walk and some lateral work. I looked over my old dressage tests from the last show (almost a year ago!) and the main things we need to work on as a result of that are geometry, uphill balance, and not falling in. We have been doing a lot of work on not falling in on the shoulder, and our transitions and poles have been going toward uphill balance, so I decided to focus a lot on geometry of our circles. Instead of thinking of it as a circle, I thought of it as a diamond. It really seemed to make our circles much more even! But it will be something I have to remind myself to do because I know I'm prone to just going back to my old ways and lumpy circles.

After a good walk warm up we did some trot to halt transition work, to get him sitting back on his hind end, and then we even did some canter. He actually cantered somewhat decently and didn't try to just run, which was encouraging. So then we did a run through of Training 2. Not gonna lie, it was rough. Especially getting Nav to come down from the canter, he just really wanted to keep running. I was a little frustrated at the end but I decided to try it again, and get it on video - though I just propped my phone up on the wall, so it's not the best angle. So here's that:






I was happy that he did much better the second time! I think he kind of got what we were doing and settled into an "oh I know that!" mindset. His canter was still a little rushy but he settled down both ways, and I think the right lead was actually pretty nice! After that we tried the Training 3 test, which we had never done before. The loops were rough, and we had some weird bendy moments but his right lead canter. Oh. My. Gosh. It was so beautiful! I so wish I had been filming it! He was up, I could feel his shoulders lifting and everything was so light! He was not running at all, it was very controlled and he came down to trot so easily. It really gives me hope that we will be able to keep getting better. So happy! :loveshower:


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## tinyliny

i just love hearing the soft chirping of birds, and the rustle of last year's leaves as he trots by. how very peaceful.

I am sure you'll do very well. looking good, so far.


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## PoptartShop

Yay, glad you had another good ride. Happy to see that!  Definitely something to be proud of! I love moments like that. :smile:


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## NavigatorsMom

Not much going on lately. I only rode once since that last ride, and it was good. Nav hadn't been worked in a bit though so he was a little fresh and pully. He settled down pretty nicely though and our ride was decent. That was Saturday, I believe. I've still been practicing those dressage tests and I am feeling better about our canter. He's starting to respond pretty nicely to my half halts and comes down from a speedy canter to a bit of a rounded and slower canter, so I do feel good about trying to do training level tests at the shows we go to. I'm not totally sure I'll go to the April one though, as that's right in the middle of Thesis season - it's actually the weekend immediately before my defense! But we'll see.

I spent the weekend house sitting and took care of three dogs, three cats, and four horses. The house was a bit out of the way so I didn't get to come home and ride very much in that span, except for Saturday. It was quite an experience, taking care of a small farm like that! 

And Saturday (April 1) was Navigator's birthday! I don't know his actual birth date, just that it was Spring 2005. So I choose to celebrate it on April 1 because that's right into Spring, and April 1, 2014 is the first day I actually owned Nav.  He's 12 now!








Birthday selfie!


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## tinyliny

Happy Birthday, Nav! (belated birthday)


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## PoptartShop

Happy belated birthday, Nav!   Awww! Love the selfie with him, so cute!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a really nice ride tonight! I haven't been able to go as often as I want with the how busy I've been, but Nav seems to be retaining a lot of what we work on. He still gets wiggly and doesn't always want to bend correctly at the trot and canter, but it's mostly when he gets excited or starts trying to rush. When he is calm and focused he does beautifully, or at least that's how it feels. We have been working on the dressage tests a bit every ride lately, and he's doing nicely with those too. I'm happy at the moment. 

Also, got a video of what felt like a nice canter. There are some moments in it that are better than others, but overall I feel like it's a nice right lead. Critiques are welcome though, I know there are still things to improve! Sorry it's a bit dark.


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was absolutely beautiful so I had to go out for a ride! 

Overall it wasn't anything special. He goes pretty nicely for me, and will round up and go forward most of the time, but he does stick his head up and run occasionally. I know that head down doesn't always equal round, and that head up doesn't necessarily mean he's going hollow, but I just want us to be a little more consistent. 

After our warm up I brought out the trot poles again. We hadn't done them in a while so started with them on the ground and then put them up into a small raised pole grid. We went over them one way, changed direction and went back. Well, Nav must have thought that lifting his legs and trotting was too much work because he decided to jump over the first two instead! Crazy little horse... so we had a wide, low oxer followed by a hop. Of course I took him back over a couple times and he was perfectly fine. Guess we just need to start incorporating some jumping into our routine 

Clearly not impressed with the grid!









After that I just did a once through of each of the training tests. We do ok on them, lots of good moments, but some weird moments too. The unusual bending happens and he still gets a little rushy on the canter if I don't really half halt him consistently. Two weeks from today is the show and I feel like we will be able to go and be fine, but I don't know if we'll do quite as well as last year. We'll see.

We ended with a trail ride, since we haven't gone out of the arena lately, and Nav seemed to enjoy it. Hoping this weather keeps up so we can get some rides in! I'm basically done with the written part of my thesis project and will just have to edit and tweak from here out, which means I should have more time for riding


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## NavigatorsMom

Another nice ride today. I took Nav on a long trail along the bike path first, then we just worked on trot-halt-trot transitions in the arena for maybe 15-20 minutes before going on a short trail behind the barn too. I tried to keep it easy for him today and not too much hard arena work. He's doing well and I'm excited about the show coming up!


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## PoptartShop

Glad to hear you have had lots of good rides lately.  It's always better when the weather's nice!
So exciting about the show, too! He's such a handsome boy!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop, yes it is so much better when the weather is nice! Unfortunately around here it seems like it's "nice" for about a month and then all of a sudden it becomes super hot... have to make the most of it! 

So, show entry is in and we're officially going next weekend!! Very excited and can't wait to see how we do. I'm just hoping to score around the same as last year (of course, different judge so I can't compare too much), and I'd like to get better marks on our circles since that's where we seemed to lose quite a bit of points last time, and we've been working on them so I am hopeful. Of course, just riding "normally" and staying on the horse/in once piece is always my go-to goal when taking Nav off property.

I think I will do a run through of each test tonight, and record them so I can review and figure out what to work on most in the week leading up to it.


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## PoptartShop

Showing will be so much fun!   I think you guys will do great, especially since you have been working on a lot of things. Just have fun & don't stress it! That sounds good, you are already ahead of the game!


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode tonight and got the video of each test, may post it when it uploads just to get some other opinions on things to work on. 

Based on my observations and what I felt during the ride, I think the main things I need to work on are:

1. Center lines - our center lines were horrible tonight! I think part of it is that my arena is small so I set the cones up for a small arena (20x40 meters). It's difficult to get that turn. I know the actual show arena will be full size, so I think next time I set up the cones I'll set them up a bit longer (not 60 meters unfortunately) so that we have a bit more space. 

2. Stretchy trot circles - these are always hit or miss for us, he will typically start off with his head up but will take the reins down when he realizes I'm giving them to him. Tonight he did best with it on the third test, but I think that was partly due to us being most warmed up.

The other big thing is that I need to get a good amount of warm up time. I didn't do as much tonight to sort of simulate what a show situation might be like, but I'll definitely need more, he wasn't ready to stretch or really accept the bit for me until the second and third tests. 

He goes around in a nice position some of the time (coming out of the canter he always seems pretty round) but he is so easily distracted that if he sees or hears something the head goes up and he's looking. What can I do to get him to stay focused? 

We have a lot of good though, our transitions are pretty nice up and down, bending is decent, and most of the time our circles and other figures are pretty accurate. I think we will do well, just want to fix up a few things, and would like if he would frame up a little more.

Will post the video shortly.


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## Rainaisabelle

Waiting for the video !


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## NavigatorsMom

Video is ready! It's all three tests.


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## NavigatorsMom

Today's ride was mostly a trail day, to give Nav and myself a break from the arena. Took him down some roads and passed his old field - his buddies ran up and called to him and he sort of called back once but stayed pretty relaxed (rather than get tense, like I expected him to do). I feel bad about separating him from them, but he does need to be limited in his grass intake since he's heavy. Hopefully I'll be able to move him back with them mid-summer.

After a trail loop we did work in the arena just for a bit, mostly working on transitions from trot to canter and trying to keep lightness. He is doing better most of the time. I just wish he would frame up more of the time. I know that's not that big of a deal as long as he's working correctly. I guess he does still need to build up the stamina and muscle for that.

We also did a short trail in the woods behind the barn. It has a nice big hill so we use that for hill work. Then I brought him back and hosed him off since it was pretty hot today and he got sweaty.


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## NavigatorsMom

So bad news, the weather forecast is calling for lots of rain Thursday through Saturday, so the dressage club is strongly considering moving the show to the 29th because lots of rain plus trailers parking in fields equals torn up fields... This wouldn't normally be a problem but the 29th is the same date as the spring concert for the band I'm in! So if it does get moved I won't be able to take Nav to this one and will have to wait until the next. 

Anyway, today I went out to ride and decided to change things up a bit so I took my A/P saddle and we did a little bit of jump work! It was a fun change of pace and Nav seemed to enjoy it. He's a decent jumper for as little as I jump him, and it might be fun to do it more often. We only did a tiny vertical today, I think max was 2'6" and we only did that once. But I rarely jump without a spotter on the ground, today was not the norm.










He's looking really good weight-wise lately and I'd like to move him back with the other geldings soon, but I know if he goes back into that field he'll gain weight super fast... so in the weight watcher's field he will stay for now. 









One thing that I'm looking for advice on, I have found more than once that he has a lot of little fly bites and crusty blood on the outside of his sheath. I washed it off and then applied a lot of Swat fly repellent cream/gel stuff on it and on the insides of his legs to hopefully keep the flies off, but is there anything better or different that I should be trying?


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## PoptartShop

He really is looking great!  And such a shiny coat, too. Glad you had fun doing some jumping. It sucks about the rain & that it'd fall on the same day as the spring concert. Fingers crossed it doesn't have to change! But even so, more time to practice for the next one, right?


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, the show got rescheduled!  So no show this weekend. It is probably actually a good thing because my thesis defense is on Monday :eek_color: and I should use the weekend to prepare for that! Next show is later in May and I might be able to go to that one, so more time to practice I guess!
@PoptartShop, yeah he was looking extra shiny because I had just hosed him off! He's still got some winter coat left, so I'm trying to get him all shed out and super shiny!


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## NavigatorsMom

Finally made it out to the barn again, I think the last time I posted about it was the last time I rode so about a week!

First off some non-horse news - I passed my thesis project defense yesterday!! So I'm really happy and excited about that, that just happened yesterday  All that I have left now are my written and oral comps which will take some time but shouldn't be excessively difficult. I can start the written section tonight or tomorrow and just have to return them to my committee by Sunday morning, and then Monday morning I have the oral section. After that I am done!!

Today I just wanted to do an easy ride and work on our trot so that's what we did. Nav was really good and very responsive to my cues, and we had a lot of nice trot. I have been reading up on how to do an extended trot and so we tried a little bit of that but we weren't great at it! He mostly wanted to speed up, which I suppose is the normal response when he's learning. But we'll keep working on it. I would like to maybe do a first level test at the final dressage show this year, and lengthenings are a component of those so figured we could start working on it now.

Anyway, the ride was good and we also did a trail ride. The flies and bugs were AWFUL today and I'll have to maybe look into a new fly spray for this summer.


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## NavigatorsMom

So once again I'll start with non-horse news - on Monday I passed my written and oral comps so am now officially a Master of Music Education! So happy!! That's what I've been up to and busy with lately.  

Anyway, I went out Monday afternoon and just did a short bareback ride. It has been raining like crazy so everything was a muddy pit, but I wanted to get a little riding in since the day was so nice. Nav was super fresh and it was windy so that had him on edge too but aside from a buck when we went into canter he was pretty good if a bit fast. 
He's looking so shiny! I've been trying to hose him off after rides when he gets really sweaty since I heard that that can help with bleaching. You can really tell where his winter coat is still hanging on because it's so reddish brown compared to his new coat!









Tuesday I went out and did a real ride, during which we worked mostly on transitions and getting him responsive to my leg. He is so much better than he was a couple months ago when we couldn't bend! Not that our bend is perfect but he is good most of the time and only needs correcting occasionally now. And our canter is getting really nice! I also trimmed his front feet that day.









Today I went out and planned to ride but after trimming his back feet I was sore and tired and not in the mood, so I just did a little lunging with side reins instead. He is starting to move nicely and his transitions on the line were really nice - typically he isn't as responsive as he could be and will continue to trot along when I ask him to walk but he was really responsive today.  
He was a little sleepy after his lunge workout 









Now that I'm done I'm hoping to do a lot more riding! And maybe go to a show later this month.


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## tinyliny

Congratulations on the Masters!!!!!
that is a huge accomplishment. my son will finish his, in Linguistics, in mid May. it took him 1.5 years. he has been at the University of Hawaii. ( he actually doesn't like Hawaii that much. he is one of the geeks who like small dark, cave like places with books and internet). He wants a PhD, either in Linguistics , so he can become a professor, or in Library Science; working on the systems for cateloging linguistic info.

anyway . . . . nuff about me. Nav looks fat and sassy, . . or . . just sassy. he looks very healthy. I admire that you ride bareback and canter, even with joy bucks. I am a sissy about that. 
awaiting your next video.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @tinyliny! And congratulations to your son too, it is all so exciting! 

Yes, Nav has been feeling sassy lately... almost went out to bareback again this afternoon but had other commitments that I had forgotten about and had to do instead. 

Riding has been good lately, Nav is doing much better. 

Yesterday we worked mostly on transitions between halt and trot, and some canter work. We tried out canter poles but I think spacing was off, it felt like he was really reaching to make it through them and it felt like he was a little forehand heavy. We also spent some time working on how to properly pick up the canter to the right. Nav decided that he was going to just run into it, so we did quite a few walk halt transitions to get him focused on me, and then we were able to end on a good note with a nice trot to canter transition. 

There is a show coming up in two-ish weeks, and I hope I can go. Need to get back in touch with the person who said she could haul me. 

And, here's a fun little time lapse I took of grooming and tack up yesterday. Kind of cool!


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was a fun ride! I decided to take Nav out on a trail and work him in one of the off fields instead of the arena. He was super excited about being out and about, and seeing his old pasture mates in the field across the road from us didn't help with his focus! Started off in the back of the pasture and did some sloping hill work. Mostly just walking up and down. I also had him back up a slope twice and it was hard for him! Definitely something to work on slowly. 

After that we did some trot work, about 12-15 minutes total probably, with a couple halt transitions to keep him focused on me and not rushing toward the fence to see his buddies. He was fast and hollow at first, but he settled down when I kept him changing directions at random. We had some pretty nice trot at the end! 

Since he was hot I let him walk over to the pond to have some water and then he started to get a little too excited...






So funny! He never seems to like going into the water but today he walked right in and just kept splashing! After about a minute splashing with his right leg he stopped and switched to the left! I didn't let him go too long as I didn't want him to decide to roll. 

We took the bike path back to the barn to cool down. It was just a good, fun ride. I think I will try to take him out and work him in the field more regularly, I feel like it's good for his mind to be somewhere other than the arena.


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## PoptartShop

Aww, yay for a fun ride! 
That's so cute. I love when they splash. :lol: It's like they're little kids. Love the video. He's so cute.
I agree- sometimes they can get bored in the arena. The field keeps things interesting!


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## NavigatorsMom

*Goodbye Rhetoric*

Going to take a little bit of a break from my progress with Nav (since I've had family in for graduation and haven't had time to get to the barn) to write a little bit about one of my barn's horses, Rhetoric, who passed away this morning.










Rhetoric was (I believe) an appendix qh, fleabitten gray and blind in his right eye. He was one of my mentor's horses, and the smoothest and nicest dressage horse to ride on the farm. He was over thirty, and I am not sure if he passed away naturally, due to illness (I know he colicked recently but came back from it, to everyone's surprise), or if the vet was out to put him to sleep. My mentor texted me to let me know, and I didn't feel like it was a conversation to have over text, so I may ask her when I see her.










Rhetoric was an interesting horse. He was definitely not for beginners, but he was safe for someone with a decent amount of riding ability. My best friend would often ride him when she came to visit, and aside from one freak accident he was always very well behaved and kind for her. However, to really get him moving and working and showing off his dressage skills and super smooth gaits, you had to know how to ride well. I am sad to say the times I rode him I was not quite good enough to really get him working, I feel like I could have done much better with him now based on how I've been progressing lately. Still, he was a good horse and I feel lucky to have had a chance to ride him and learn from him.



















He could be a bit of a cranky old man, but pretty trustworthy. I always felt safe taking him out on trails or for short rides while Nav was lame, because even though he was not worked regularly, after a nice warm up he would begin to show signs of the young horse he once was. He was not spooky and didn't have any vices that I can remember.










He was in a herd with Nav, and while it may not have been true, I always felt that he and Nav shared a bit of a bond due to their eye issues (he being blind in one eye and Nav having a blind spot scar in one eye). He was sweet on the ground and I could always count on him being ready for pets. 










Of course it is sad when any horse passes. But this is probably the horse I've had the most experience with since Dolly (other than Nav) so it is a weird feeling for me. He wasn't mine in the same way as Dolly or Nav, but it will be strange going to the barn and knowing he isn't there. He will certainly be missed around the farm.


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## NavigatorsMom

Today's ride was... interesting. Our show is on Saturday (!!!) and I feel pretty good about everything. Nav was a little tense and looky during our run throughs which was unusual, but he settled down and by our third test he was doing pretty nicely, not too tense, not looky, but getting a little heavy. I expect similar behavior on Saturday, and plan on riding him in the arena during the lunch break so he can see everything and not be totally caught off guard during our first test.

So I decided to take him around a couple more times, get a couple nice and light canter transitions and then stop. He continued to be heavy and pull on down transitions, so I decided to try the little "trick" that is often suggested to "drop" the reins when he bears down. So I did, I let the reins go down to the buckle. But, instead of tripping up and stopping and realizing that it was bad of him to pull down, he got off of balance and then started going faster and faster. I tried to gather up the reins and get him to stop, but I couldn't feel the saddle under my seat and when I looked over I realized...










My saddle had slipped completely onto Nav's side! I don't know how I didn't come off during that crazy run, but when I realized what was happening and that I couldn't right the saddle, I got my feet out of the stirrups and came off. Thankfully Nav stopped on his own when I realized how far off I was... it was a good reminder to check my girth throughout the ride! And funny enough, after the third test run through I told my boyfriend who was there with me that I felt like his saddle was slipping a bit. Yeah, it definitely was!

So with the show on Saturday, my plan is to watch my video of tonight's ride and see what still needs work, and then work on those things a little bit tomorrow. I don't plan on running the tests anymore until Saturday. The goal is to score similarly to what we did last year's show, since I know we didn't get any farther than that with all of our setbacks last summer/fall. Excited! May post the practice videos later.


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## NavigatorsMom

The plan today was to go ride this evening but at the moment it's heavy raining and thunder storming.  I don't know when it will clear up, but likely the arena will be too muddy to do a good ride, I'm especially hesitant to canter in mud after an accident I had a few years ago. I may go out and lunge him if the rain clears up later.

Apparently it's up in the air if the show will even happen tomorrow, since there's a pretty high chance of rain all morning. Blah.

On the plus side, I've been comparing videos of Nav from yesterday to some from last year and he seems to be moving at least as well as he was then, maybe even a little better! So that is encouraging.


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## Rainaisabelle

Aww so sad about Rhetoric! But at least he knew he was loved thats the main thing


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you Raina, yes he was a very loved horse. 

Well, bad news, the show was canceled due to bad weather. It had rained most of the day Friday and then was storming like crazy overnight and into Saturday morning. I was up and half ready before I was notified of the cancellation, so I ended up staying up from 6 a.m. on... and then I was quite frustrated because from about 8 a.m. on the weather was fine and it ended up being a cloudy, nice day. 

No word yet on when the show will be rescheduled, but hopefully I'll be able to go. Today it's nice and cool, so I'm planning to go for a ride later this afternoon and try out a new black pad (that I got to replace my beautiful Back on Track pad that got mauled by my washing machine, R.I.P.).


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## NavigatorsMom

Tonight's ride was ok. Nav and I weren't quite clicking for some reason, and we were having one of those nights where a certain corner is scary even though we go past it every time we ride, and he was bothered by one of the dogs hanging around. But we had some good moments.

Mostly worked on trot-halts and getting him off the forehand. It's hard to do, and it's been frustrating me, but I think he's getting better with it. I wasn't in the ideal mindset for riding or doing a lot of work so we kept it to a short 30 minute ride.

The video is just a couple minutes of our trot-halts, with a little canter at the end and a random spook at . I was also trying to use a bit shorter reins and more consistent contact. I tend to let the reins go too long. You can see that he likes to go around with his head up and pull, but he gets better as we go and starts to move with his head down. I guess it will just take time before he's able to hold that for more than a few strides. 






We also tried out the new saddle pad. I think it looks nice, though the shiny trim is a little much - it was on clearance though, which is right in my budget! And since we just do schooling shows it will work. I'm not planning to ride in it again until the show so that it stays clean.
Nav modeling it.


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## seabiscuit91

Nav is so gorgeous!
Love the new saddle pad! 
It's funny how some days they can suddenly be spooky or find something horrifying that has never been scary the 1st 100 times!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @seabiscuit91 ! They can be so funny about things that are spooky, haha!

Haven't ridden since then, but yesterday I did a little lesson with a girl that my mentor has been working with. She is young and very nervous about riding since she's had a couple of accidents, but she really likes the horses. I tried to incorporate some music into the lesson, and it did seem to help her calm down (I had her create a mini musical freestyle using just walk and halts) but she was very tense overall. The big issue with her is that she is very dependent on the reins and leaned forward everytime I had her halt, which is a bit worrying. I had her on the lead rope and had her hold the mane only and use her seat, legs and voice to halt the horse, but it was hard for her, and didn't work very well since the horse mainly stopped when I stopped. I think it would work better on the lunge line, but she wasn't ready for that at all. This is a habit for her at this point and my mentor is concerned that she'll have a very hard time getting past that. We discussed taking her reins away, or making her do some stirrupless work but she would be terrified. I won't be working with her every time, just now and then and incorporating some music into it, but it will be a long road. It was fun teaching though, and I can definitely tell that I am a better teacher now than I was 7 years ago (last time I taught horse lessons). 










After her lesson was over I brought Nav up and had planned to ride but decided to trim his hooves instead since they were due and since it had just rained his feet were softer. Of course, I did the stupid thing and trimmed all four feet at once. My back was killing me the rest of the afternoon/evening, and this morning my left knee (which is my bad knee to begin with, it's always sore after I've been sitting or had it bent) hurt so badly that I couldn't bend it at all for a few minutes while I was still in bed. I have to believe that that had to do with the trimming yesterday, but it is concerning. I am taking it easy today, keeping my leg elevated and alternating heat and ice. Hopefully it will feel better and I can ride again soon. I really need to figure out a better way to trim him so I don't strain my back and legs so much. It can't be good for me long term.


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## NavigatorsMom

I don't know if I mentioned this before but the show has been rescheduled for June 3! I hope it won't get canceled again, I'm ready to do it!

I rode today and it was alright. Temps were mid 80s but it was wayyy to humid, Nav and I both were dripping with sweat by the end of a 40 minute ride. It was not our best ride either. I did a good long warm up with lots of lateral work and turns on the forehand. We also did some turns on the haunches which were not great but did seem to get him to set back a bit. Then I did run throughs of each test. Nav was totally looky at one end of the arena, so he went around that side with head high, ears perked and some bad bend. I'm frustrated because if he's like that at home how can he be any better at a new place like the show? 

He was overall just super heavy in my hands today too, especially at the canter. He just bore down and took off, especially any time we had long stretches of canter. But even the circles were not very balanced or lifted, he was super flat and on the forehand. Ended by trying to do some trot canter transitions, with just like 3-5 strides of canter so that he wouldn't have time to get heavy but even that wasn't great. Hoping that he'll just be decent at the show. I need to really work on getting him softer though.


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## NavigatorsMom

Another ride tonight. Morning after the last ride I woke up with intense knee stiffness and pain when I bent it. I usually get a stiff/sore knee after sitting with it bent for too long (mainly when driving long distances) but this was worse than anything I've experienced. I haven't ridden since then to give it a rest, spent a lot of time icing it. So tonight will be a test, we will see how my knee is doing tomorrow after riding tonight for about 40 minutes.

Anyway, tonight's ride was similar to last one, lots of trot halts and trying to get Nav lighter in the front. We also brought the trot poles out again which Nav wasn't sure of, haha! But he did lighten up a bit, though canter was still a little heavy. I was really focused on sitting back, using my seat and core for halts and it really seemed to help, we actually had a couple of square halts where I really felt Nav lifting in the front through his shoulders! Of course when I started to get a video we lost some of that, but still some good. (there is music, so beware if that's not your thing 





I also did a lot of trot canter transitions, with just a few strides of canter before he had time to get too heavy. This produced some really nice, light left lead canter, which was odd since that has been his bad lead. And of course right lead was the heavy and fast one tonight - can't have both going nicely at the same time it seems! It doesn't look too fast (though you can see he's fast trotting a couple of times) but it felt fast and heavy and I had to sit so deep and really stop the motion to get him to transition down. When we started going right he saw/heard someone walking near the barn and was a bit worried about that, I should have gotten his attention better. Also at about 2.20 I asked him for some turn on the haunches work. He actually took one step for me on my first ask and I should have let him walk off instead of asking for another because he got confused and a bit frustrated. So you can see how we worked through that, and he did give me a couple good steps before we moved on.





Overall a decent ride. I'm excited about the show on Saturday!


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## seabiscuit91

Looks like a great ride!
Thats awesome how responsive he was getting to your seat! That's my goal to work on right now!

Good luck at the show!! Can't wait to hear how it goes! Lots of pictures


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## tinyliny

Nice work. you and he are such a nice pair. your communications with him are really transparent, I mean, in a good way. what I mean is that I can tell when you are asking /talking with him. not that you are overly loud, but rather it is clear that he is listening and trying.

with the down transitions, sometimes I see that you are pressing into your stirrup a bit., This is only natural, but if you can work on not presssing into the stirrup (which will lighten your seat), it will help him not bracng against you. it will feel a bit more like you 'lifting' him into a halt.

also, with the turn on the haunches, if you can feel which front leg is 'free' to move (i.e. less weighted than the other one) then it will help you better know if he is in a good position to move his inside leg sideways, or . . if you need to back him or allow him to take one half step forward in order to have that inside leg become the unweighted one, and thus ready for it to be moved sideways. 

it's setting him up for success. 
I didn't see him all that confused, and I thought your 'ask' was very appropriate .

I think you two will do well in the show. I look forward to hearing about it! best of luck.


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## PoptartShop

Fingers crossed the show isn't cancelled again!  That would be great if you could do it!
Looks like a nice ride! Oh I totally understand, I HATE the humidity. LOL when I take my helmet off it's like holy crap, hair is all sweaty and gross. :lol: So sticky. 
You guys look great!!!


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## NavigatorsMom

So, the show was yesterday and it was a really good time! 

Nav and I did Training Level 1, 2 and 3, so we didn't ride until the afternoon. All morning I was volunteering as a runner so I was taking scores from the judge to the "office" so scores could be tallied and ribbons handed out, etc. While I was doing that, Nav chilled at the trailer, snacking on hay and being a little worried about cows he saw way down the road (silly horse).

Around 1 I tacked up and went to warm up (my first ride was scheduled for 2:35). Nav, seemed a bit annoyed at not being allowed to snack on the grass, and he was pretty wound up, I think from being tied all morning. We did a bit in the outdoor ring, where we would be competing, first and he was super looky. There were horses pastured nearby that he was worried about, the letters were scary, the judges tent was super scary, a wet spot on the sand was scary... you can see how that was going! I had him trot and tried to get him focused and working but he was still pretty looky. Since no one else was in the ring I tried cuing him for canter, which resulted in a buck and a fast, flat and incorrect lead canter. Brought him back and asked again and he just started a running trot. Nav! By then it was time for classes to start back up so I was asked to move to the indoor ring to continue my warm up.

In the indoor there were mirrors, which Nav had never seen before and he was very concerned about the horse in the mirror! Every time we passed it, no matter how much inside leg I put on, he would bulge away from the mirror and turn his head to look at it. When we cantered past it he broke to trot to look. Very frustrating, but I tried to just smile and calmly get him past it. Honestly no reason to get frustrated and upset at the show - there's no time to make any big changes! I just tried to keep him calm, and working as much as I could.

Pretty soon after that I was told that since some people had scratched I'd be riding my first test much earlier than anticipated. Which was kind of fine seeing as we were at a point of "it is what it is" and not much warm up was going to change anything. 

I brought him back into the ring when it was my turn and waited for the judge to ring the bell. By now he had settled - I think he figured that this outdoor ring was much more like home so he didn't need to be as spooky and looky as he did in the indoor. We walked around and made some circles and just stayed calm, and when the bell rang off we went!





I heard somewhere that at a show you can expect your horse to perform about as well as they had been 6 months ago... I don't think we were that far back, but we definitely weren't at our peak. However, I do feel like this test was better than the same one last year. Nav was more forward, and had more good moments, in spite of the extra looky moments. I received an 8 on our initial halt/salute (unfortunately not on the video...) and both canters which was very surprising but nice! However, I also received a 4.5 on my transition from the first canter to trot because Nav threw in a flying change right before trotting - which I didn't even know he knew how to do! Thought that was a bit low but oh well. Our score on this test was 72.4%. Main comments included needing more flexion and bend in general, and also more stretch down on the free walk. 

I went into test 2 feeling confident. Nav had performed much better than expected on test 1 after our pretty awful warm up, and since that test was kind of a warm up itself, I was ready for test 2. Nav had a few other ideas though, as you'll see in the video... (at 1 minute in and 3.45 in)





So, you can see our canter was rough this time. I know I should have corrected his lead on the first circle but I was a little worried we would have another bucking moment and just thought it would be better to keep him going (we got a 4.5 consequently on the circle and the continuation of canter). Our second canter transition also got a 4.5 (cross cantering) but since I switched him that time our circle got a 5.5 instead. We did get mostly 7s and 7.5s, but those 4.5s just brought us down, so our final score was a 69.5%. The main comment take away on this one was that I need to encourage more stretch on the stretchy trot (and of course, get better canter transitions).

By this point it was starting to sprinkle, and a somewhat heavy storm was headed our way. There were only three rides to go so we didn't move to the indoor. My final test was ridden in a fairly steady rain, but I am happy to say that we did alright, in spite of that!





Our trot loops were not as good as I wanted, but we had never been great at them, they were definitely something we didn't practice enough. The rest of it was good though and I was happy with it. Although once again Nav decided to add a little flying change before we transitioned to trot (1.06), we didn't get too penalized on it though (a 6). Our initial halt was nice and square and received another 8. Overall I feel like this was our nicest test, even though at 70% we got a lower score than the first one. 

We placed first on all three tests and got three pretty blue ribbons, however classes were small and no one else even rode the third test. But, I've heard that judges will not give a first place in single entry classes if the score doesn't deserve it, so I do feel like we earned it! My main goal for this show was to score about the same as my scores from last year's show. I looked at my tests from last year and realized I was about 5-6 points higher this year! Now, it isn't a perfect comparison because it was different judge, but I still feel really good about it and think our scores are fair. 

It was a long day but it was fun! I think the main take aways are that we need to work a lot on stretching down on our free walks and stretchy trots. This is something he struggles with at home so I knew it would be hard to get much of any stretch at the show, however we did get a little. Definitely needed more though. And better bend, which if you've followed my journal you know that's something we've been working on extensively since late fall/winter last year, so I knew that could be questionable. Our work on trot halts has definitely paid off though, since we got those square halts! And if you remember his canter back in January/February when we couldn't pick up the correct lead without running into it and bending completely incorrectly, yesterday was so much better! I'm glad we went. Now I just need to take him to more places so new places aren't such a big deal/so spooky. 










I love my guy though. He tried hard and did well after a long day of waiting. Everyone thought he was super cute too, which always makes me feel good. 

And now for a few more pictures:




































And after, in the rain!


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## tinyliny

great job! I liked the third test best.

what was up with the bucking canter departs?


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @tinyliny! I agree, third test felt best to me too.

No idea what the issue with the canter transitions was. It hasn't been a problem at all at home so I have to assume it was just excitement about being in a new place/lots of pent up energy from hanging at the trailer all morning. We were using a new pad but I have ridden in it before and we didn't have any issues then, but I'll definitely see how he goes next time I ride. He got a nice vacation today and I'm planning to just do easy/trail type rides for the time being so we can get out of the arena (we've spent so much time there lately!).


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## PoptartShop

Aww, besides the bucking I'm glad you had a good show.  That is odd that he was bucking a bit, looks like he was getting excited, since he doesn't do that at home. Hopefully everything is okay! Maybe he didn't like the new pad or something, or all of the commotion. They sure can act different in the show ring than they do at home. 

Anyway, you guys look so good in the last picture you look so happy!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks @PoptartShop!  They sure can act different at shows! Last year at his first show he was almost too calm, this time he was fired up... keeps things interesting, haha! I do want to investigate the canter thing though and see how he does at home, hopefully it really was just show excitement.

I'm planning to go out tomorrow and do some easy hacking around, maybe bareback, maybe break out the AP and do some jumping. Just want to do some different things with him to let his mind work on something else. And of course check the canter.


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## tinyliny

It's always better to have a horse with too many beans, than not enough, when doing a test. the 'bean gas' can be channeled. but if there is not any off-gassing, you end up high and dry without any motor.

you know I love Nav, and can just feel how he must feel. I bet he's a lot like that Irish Sport horse I rode, a few years back. I love me a big horse.


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## NavigatorsMom

That's so true @tinyliny it's definitely better to not have to constantly encourage him to go! I would love to see a picture of your old Irish Sport Horse one day, if you have any, he seems like he was a lot like Nav. 

We had a good short ride today. Started in the ring just to make sure we could get a canter both ways without bucking or running, and he did perfectly so I guess the show was just an off time. Rode in my AP saddle tonight since I just cleaned up my dressage saddle, and ended up doing a little two-point work. My calves will be feeling the burn tomorrow! 

We went out to a couple of the fields behind the barn and just did some cantering/hand galloping in the open area. It was so nice and free feeling. I'm glad Nav is such a quiet horse that I can canter him in open fields like that without him taking off.


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## tinyliny

you've openned Pandora's box!

this lovley boy is not mine. I leased him for two years. this lovely horse now lives with his owner and her mum, in Colorado. mother rides him in dressage and he earns his keep as a member of a therapy barn, especially working with "Wounded Warriors" he's very special.


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## PoptartShop

Really really happy you had a good ride, and it does sound like the bucking was just from all the excitement/different environment at the show. :smile: Glad to hear that!!! Omg I love riding in the open field, it does make you feel so free.  Cute horse @tinyliny!


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## NavigatorsMom

Oh my gosh, @tinyliny I LOVE him!!! He looks so sweet, and big horses like that are just my favorite! He definitely does seem very special! How long did you ride him?
@PoptartShop yes, open field riding is the best! 

I actually did some open field riding again today. I got up early and went out to ride first thing this morning which was nice. Of course it was close to nine when we started so not super early, but it was still pretty cool out. We took a long trail ride and at the open pasture I decided to let Nav go for it. I was tracking my ride and able to see that our top speed was about 18 mph, which I guess comes to a pretty fast canter more than a gallop - takes a lot to get the big draft going! But it was very freeing, I started him at one end and took him down to the other, starting off in canter and coming back to canter. No bearing down on the reins or anything, he came back to me very easily and we trotted a bit to cool off before heading back home. Hoping to do more trails for the moment, as I think getting out of the arena keeps him from being bored, and it also helps him to see things and become less spooky. I'd also like to do a little bit of gridwork and jumping but have to have a spotter around so that's more tricky to do.

Front part of the field we rode in









Nav coming up to me in the pasture when I went to find him because he's a good horse.


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## tinyliny

Yes, Zulu is a super sweet horse. truly, I fell in love with him, which is something a leassor should never do. kind of broke my heart to part with him. that guy was just a whole lotta horse. 
that is why I can just 'feel' how Nav must feel to you; sometimes heavy, but with a ton of engine when it's fired up. 
I love big horses. and the drafty types, with their big heads, and their way of 'pondering ' things, of taking their time, of being happy to just 'be' somewhere . . . . I just love that kind of horse.

Nav is a really nice horse. you ride him well, you've got a good thing going. never doubt that.


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny, yes, Nav is very much like you've described Zulu. Your description of draft types is spot on too and that is why I love them as well. Thank you for your comment, I get frustrated sometimes but I often realize how good I do have it with him, and it makes me appreciate him even more. He is a special guy.

No big updates at the moment, I rode two days ago and just did a trail ride. I had no plans, nothing big to work on, just wanted to ride, and it was amazing. I realized that so often I go out to ride with big plans of something to work on or something to improve, and it is rare for me to just ride for fun. I need to do it more often because even though it was just a short trail ride, it was one of the best and most fun ride I have had in a long time. I am planning to go out today and do a little bit of a structured ride (I want to do a bit of work on canter, and maybe start using trot poles again), but probably throw in a small trail too. 

A couple pictures. One of our trail and one of me in my silly looking but very effective visor - no more squinting for me!


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## tinyliny

I rode Zulu about two years. he was amazing.

great to hear that you had a good 'field' ride. I think the hroses really like that. 
recently I've taken to riding X out with just a halter and rope. (rope halter) . he LOVES it! he is so much happier, and stretches out his neck and just feels much more forward. we don't 'work' on anything except go and stop, when I SAY SO.


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## NavigatorsMom

Had an ok ride tonight. It was hot and Nav and I both weren't totally focused. We did some in the arena and I mostly worked on getting him to stop off my seat. I would love to not have to use reins to halt him, he does downward transitions easily without reins but halting is hard. I guess I can't complain too much because he takes basically a slight squeeze on the reins to stop, but still the rein dependency isn't my favorite thing. We got it a couple times but it's not perfect. 

Went on a woodsy trail and that was a mistake. Bugs attacked so Nav was super itchy and wanted to rush back home, so instead we spent a lot of time remembering that I set the pace and did a lot of halts, which just made the trail take longer. 

Next ride will be better!


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## NavigatorsMom

Short ride with Nav today. It was hot and humid and I almost didn't want to go out but knew it would be fun and I did have to work on his hooves. I didn't want to take out my saddle so we just did a bareback and halter hack around the pasture adjoining but closed off to his. I figured that I would be able to really stop him off my seat without the saddle, and thought that I wouldn't have to use my hands as much since he doesn't have the bit to pull on and he isn't super familiar with nose pressure so I figured he would respond to my seat more than hands. Seemed to work and we were able to get some nice halts out without the "reins". Hoping this will carry over.

Other than that it was pretty short and simple ride. A few transitions to trot and a little canter but he was definitely feeling good and gave a little sassy buck at our canter transition, but again he responded really well to my seat to transition down. Overall a good ride though.


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## NavigatorsMom

A few days break from writing in here. 

I am currently teaching lessons along with my mentor to a young girl on one of the horses at the barn. I had not ridden this horse before so yesterday I took some time to go out and see how he goes. His trot is a bit fast and not as nice as Nav, but overall he's a good little horse and pretty responsive. After riding him I went to ride Nav too. Nav was definitely feeling good yesterday. 
















The weather was unusually cool, like low/mid-70s, cloudy and breezy. Very nice day for a ride! Of course, I hadn't worked Nav in a bit, and decided to ride him in the field, and that along with the nice weather made him feel pretty fresh. He was looky and wanted to trot right away. When I finally did let him trot it was fast, so we did some transitions. I'm happy to say that he's retained the halt from trot pretty well, and all I had to do was sit and half halt and he would nearly halt just like that, even in the field! Canter was a little rough though. Our right lead seemed to not have any brakes! So after he resisted that down transition, when I finally got him back to walk we just did a lot of walk-halt-walk-halt-back-turn on haunches-walk etc, which is not fun but really had him thinking. Took him back to canter, left lead this time and it was lovely. Right was still a mess, so more of that walk stuff before I tried it again. The last right lead canter we did was not great, but it was an improvement so I ended with that. I need to work on his hooves tomorrow.

Anyway, today I taught my second lesson with this girl. She has a bad habit of leaning forward during downward transitions and halts. My mentor has asked me to teach her a couple of times and incorporate some dressage/kur exercises as well as incorporate music. We had a bit of a breakthrough today with the leaning forward. I told her when she asks for halt to think of making her shoulder blades touch. It was like a lightbulb moment, and for the rest of the lesson her leaning forward was drastically decreased. We finished with a little freestyle to music of her choice. That has really helped her relax. I don't know how much more I'll be doing with her, as I was originally asked to only teach two lessons. I really enjoy teaching though, so it has been a lot of fun!


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## seabiscuit91

Sounds like you've had a fun few days and mixed things up!
Teaching would be something cool and super rewarding! Glad you're enjoying it!

Target is the exact same, soon as the weather is he cool, you can tell he's feeling good and definitely needs a bit extra help in listening!
Still so great that you got Nav listening to you quickly in that setting, and in an open field! 
Target still sees open fields as an excellent place to canter/gallop and trotting becomes terrible boring to him! Haha


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## PoptartShop

Awww sounds like Nav was feeling good!  Ah, I know- there's always that one lead that's a little rough at the canter. 
Teaching sounds fun, and that's awesome you enjoy it! It definitely feels good to help someone. 
So glad you had good rides!


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## NavigatorsMom

@seabiscuit91 and @PoptartShop - thanks! Yes, teaching is so much fun for me, I actually was a public school music teacher for three years before starting grad school and I miss it so much! Currently looking for a teaching job for fall but no luck yet... in the meantime, flute lessons and now these riding lessons are filling that gap.  

So some exciting news, after the last lesson I had with this girl her mother contacted my mentor. Apparently she had had such a great time and was so happy and wants to take more of these music/riding lessons from me over the summer! So now the plan is for me to be teaching her twice a week. Super excited about doing it (just got to make sure I'm all covered under my mentor's insurance, etc.) but now I have to really plan some lessons. We had a bit of a breakthrough at her last lesson in regard to her leaning forward problem. I had her think about touching her shoulder blades together during the halt and that really helped her sit up through them. However... she is now arching her back. So need to figure out a way to fix that. I've got some ideas, will just have to see what works for her on Monday. 

Nav and I have been taking it pretty easy. I took him on a trail ride yesterday morning which was super fun. He was pretty relaxed and it was just a nice quiet ride. Day before that we did a very lateral work focused ride in the evening. I can really feel a difference when he lifts himself and steps under versus when he just goes along more lazily, so that is good and it made for a productive ride. He has a tendency to want to go faster when I put one leg on (like for a leg yield) so we've been working on lateral instead of faster forward. He's getting it! 

Other than that it's all been pretty quiet. My dressage group doesn't do shows in the middle of summer, the next one they're holding is mid September. I've been considering taking up monthly lessons for myself with a local trainer, since I'll be getting paid a bit for these horse lessons, but still need to look into it more. I think it would benefit us a lot though.


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## PoptartShop

That's GREAT NEWS! :smile: Especially since you enjoy it. I think it will be very rewarding giving her lessons. I hope you find a teaching job soon too, but yes in the meantime this works! 
I hope you have a good lesson with her on Monday. 

Monthly lessons would be good, and definitely beneficial. That's what I plan to do- I was taking weekly lessons, but I stopped (long story, it's in the Confessions thread) but once I start up again, definitely monthly. Will save me money LOL so I totally get it!


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## NavigatorsMom

So, I've actually ridden three days in a row at this point which is very rare for me, but Nav has been great and the rides haven't all been lots of work.

Two days ago I went out to just do a little fun riding and bareback hacking around. Decided to jump Nav bareback which was fun, if a little scary (I haven't jumped in so long and never bareback) even though it was just a little 18" or so vertical. 





We also did trot poles that day. Haven't done them in a while so we are a bit out of practice... and Nav decided that there's an easier way, as you can see in the video around 50 seconds in  silly horse, at least he's graceful!





Anyway, I also rode yesterday evening, just a bit of arena work, focusing on lateral work, mainly leg yields. And then I rode this morning after my lesson too. It was getting late into the morning so it was kind of hot, so we just did a tiny bit in the arena and then a short trail (with a bit more lateral work on the trail to keep him thinking). It was nice though. 

The lesson was not really the best. I think the horse we're using for lessons has figured out that the arena means work and has gotten a bit lazy, he was not very responsive to my student's leg cues today and kept breaking from trot to walk, which has never been an issue before. He was also a bit looky. I was frustrated with this and so I'm going out to school him a bit tomorrow morning. As for my student, she did about as well as she could, but she is still struggling with leaning forward into downward transitions and halts. My mentor and I are at a loss at what we can do to break that habit, so open to any ideas. I'm hoping to have some more ideas to use on Wednesday at her next lesson.


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode the lesson horse this morning. He is not a bad horse at all, just very different from Navigator. His trot is actually pretty smooth, he has a nice slow western jog that is easy to sit. I did have a bit of trouble getting him to bend to the left on a circle... wondering if that is something that is due to my seat/posture, since Nav used to have that problem. However he did that a bit yesterday during the lesson too so I'm not sure. I tried cantering him which just resulted in a very fast trot that eventually fell into canter. Not ideal. I did get him to canter once with very little running so I left it at that, since I didn't want to spend time training that problem. However, talking to my mentor after, she said that her daughter (it's her husband's horse) is able to canter him nicely out of trot, with just a cue, mainly from the outside leg. I was trying with the outside leg though, so I'm not sure what the issue was. Did make me feel like I'm not as good of a rider as I thought though. He's also super resistant to backing up, like, head parallel to the ground at the tiniest rein pressure. Even cuing him verbally to back and not touching the reins at all resulted in him lifting up his head. I did get some semi-nice steps though so didn't do too much with it. I think he is being ridden tonight so hopefully he'll be a little tired out for the lesson tomorrow.

One thing's for sure, riding a horse like him really makes me appreciate how well trained Nav has become. He is a dream to ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

After my second lesson of the week I got Nav out for a short ride. 

It was already nearly 11 by the time I got on and pretty hot so I didn't want to do too much, but did want to get a decent school in since I'm getting ready to go out of town and won't get to work him for about a week. 

We started with lots of lateral work, mostly leg yielding again, but Nav was resistant. He didn't want to step under and over, and just tried to drift through the shoulder. I decided to trot him on a long rein to get him moving and warmed up, tried to do a big trot and small trot, alternately, but when I tried to slow him for the small trot he just kept running and pulled. I had to really used my seat to slow him. And then when we went back to lateral work he just tried to trot off when I put one leg on instead of moving over. Pretty frustrating. We worked through it and had some semi-decent leg yields but not as good as we have had before. 

I also wanted to work a bit on his canter. He was really responsive to my forward cues so I decided to try a transition to canter from halt. He surprised me with a big canter forward! I was so surprised that he was able to do a canter from halt, he stepped right into it. And it was so nice and lifted for the first couple of strides after it. We were able to do it to the left, but not to the right, I feel like that was my fault though, I felt crooked and a bit contorted trying to cue him that direction. It was such a cool feeling though, knowing that I've worked with him and brought him along enough to be able to do that.  Of course, then when we did work on canter, I really had to slow him with my seat, like, big time. He was bearing down quite a lot, and while I could get him to lift a bit and slow on circles, and straight lines resulted in fast, unbalanced and heavy canter. We definitely don't do enough canter so that's something to work on. I also think that the heat was getting to him. 

Afterward I hosed him off and trimmed up his mane. The last few summers (or around March really) I have cut Nav's mane down into a mohawk, but this year I decided to let it grow out. It was more than halfway down his neck, so I took a couple inches off of it. Looks nicer now and not so scraggly. I kinda want to do the mohawk again but I didn't want to spend the time on it today.


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## NavigatorsMom

Quite disappointed as it looks like photobucket finally caught up to me and has taken all of my pictures down from my journal 

Anyway, today I rode for the first time in over a week and Nav was surprisingly well behaved! I expected him to be very fresh and wanting to run like the last time I rode him in the open field, but after a short lunge to warm him up (less than 10 minutes) I got on and he was wonderful. Of course, it was way too hot and humid so we kept the ride very short and mostly walked. Need to go out earlier or later in the day I guess.

Also got Nav a cute and sparkly browband (because he obviously needed that...) and tried it today so once I figure out where to post pictures from I'll add one in here.


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## tinyliny

I haven't gone back to my older art journals to see if any of my photo bucket links are trashed. My guess is that they are really shooting themselves in the foot by doing this.


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny yes, they definitely are! I guess not as many people use them anymore as we (on the forum) think. I told my boyfriend about it and his first response was "people still use photobucket?" Still disappointing. I used to make signature banners and other graphics for an old Chronicles of Narnia forum I frequented back in 2008-09 and it is so sad to think now that that entire art/graphic thread is ruined. 

I rode on Saturday evening. It was a little humid but not nearly as bad as Friday morning. Evenings are more buggy but the shade and somewhat lower temperatures make up for it. We rode in the field again and Nav seemed to enjoy it. He didn't try taking off or getting over excited about being in the open space so that was nice too.  We did trot sets, five minutes, then two four minutes, with about two or three minutes of walk in between. It's hard work! I tried to work on two-pointing for some of that but my legs were not happy about that! Nav did really nicely, keeping a pretty consistent pace, not too fast but not lazy, and only tried to break to canter once. By the end he was not huffing and puffing, and cooled down pretty easily, so I'm glad that this wasn't too much work for him. He is in pretty good shape. I have a band concert this evening, so no riding tonight, but probably tomorrow!

In non-horse related news, I've been job searching and applying like crazy but so far have had no luck getting any interviews. I did have a mini phone interview a few days ago, and I felt like it went really well but was told that I would hear back by last Thursday or Friday to set up a real interview... and I never heard back, so I'm not holding on to much hope for that. It's disappointing and frustrating, but I guess everything happens for a reason and the right job will show up when it does. I should be thankful I am at least doing horse lessons and flute lessons, as well as house sitting for an ok income, but I just want to find a real teaching job again. In the meantime I've been doing a lot more art for fun. I recently completed a portrait of my family's dog as a gift for my dad on father's day, and since then I've done another portrait of one of my cats, and want to do one of Nav. As well as just draw in my sketchbook more regularly. I have been considering starting a thread in the art section to share but will have to figure out a better way to link to pictures since photobucket is out. *Here is the portrait of Buddy, linked from my tumblr.*


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode tonight but it was hot and Nav was tired and I wasn't in a great mindset for it. We worked in the arena and it was so hard to keep Nav trotting energetically. Normally I would really get after him and have him moving out but I just wasn't feeling it. Not sure why. We went for a little trail ride after about 15 minutes in the arena, which was nice. We did a little canter out in the field, but then when we came back to walk and cool off and come home the bugs attacked us so it was an itchy ride back. Not a bad ride, just no progress made, not super fun. Hopefully next one will be better. 

Nav also needs a trim soon. I was thinking about last summer though, and I am happy to say that this summer Nav has had much healthier feet, so I do feel like I've done a good job with maintaining his hooves this year. He had a little chipping and everything just looks a bit overgrown so I should try to trim in the next couple of days.


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## seabiscuit91

I hate those days!
Nothing particularly bad happens, but you just feel a little off, and don't feel like there was a point!
Happens to me every now and again, luckily they pass!
Sometimes I try to think of my goals for the ride so I go in with a purpose otherwise I am my own worst enemy!
Or just completely go for fun, and trail!
But I feel your pain with the weather! It's always hot and humid here! Can make it very disheartening!

That's so awesome about his feet though!! Knowing all your hard work has paid off!


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## NavigatorsMom

@seabiscuit91 yes, it was just kind of a blah ride! Thinking about a specific goal might help next time, will have to consider that. I really wasn't thinking about much of anything as we rode last night.

So, testing out another way to share pictures, let's see if this works...









Seems like it does! Yay! I'm using google photos, which honestly seems like a really good way to do it since my phone automatically backs up all of my photos to the google photo cloud, so I can skip the step of uploading to the site (like I always did with photobucket). Hope this holds up!


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## NavigatorsMom

I waited until evening to ride again tonight but it was still way too hot for a serious ride. I decided to take Nav on a trail instead of working in the arena.

We went down the bike path and popped into an empty field to hack around. About halfway down one side I ran into my mentor riding her horse (Nav's half brother). So we walked together, looked at the new fenceline that has just been put in, and chatted. Nav was so happy to be with his brother again, he was just bouncing along! After a bit we both decided to work some, which is where Nav decided to act up a bit. He wanted to follow the other horse and when I made him trot in a different way he just went with his head up trying to look for him. I did manage to get him trotting pretty nicely, and he was pretty forward since we were out in the open. Of course, once I asked for canter he thought it was "buck and scoot" time to try to catch up to the others but that was quickly shut down and we had a couple nice canters that weren't flying off. 

It was short but it was nice to ride with someone for once.


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## NavigatorsMom

Been a bit busy and had a few days off from riding.

Tonight's ride was good though! It was still hot so kind of short (like 30 min, so basically an extended warm up...). I really focused on keeping Nav straight and upright around turns, since he really likes to lean in, and for myself I tried to focus on really using my core and seat on every downward transition/halt. It felt like a productive ride. We did quite a bit of canter, again, really using my seat to help lift him and prevent him from bearing down, and that seemed to help a lot!

Ended the ride with some lateral work and then a hose off for Nav. Bugs are awful so I tried to keep the ride short since we just had watered down fly spray tonight. I need to stop and get some more tomorrow before I go out to trim his hooves. They are looking pretty grown out right now so I really need to do it, I've waited way too long.


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## NavigatorsMom

My ride tonight was like the last one except our canter sucked and was frustrating.

It was still hot when I got to the barn, but less humid than it had been during the day. I got a new fly spray today, espree, and so far I'm not super impressed. I like to use natural or "green" sprays when I can just because I feel better about being around it, potentially breathing some of it in, and putting it on Nav, and it can be hit or miss. I think the Pyranha green is the best green spray I've used, but when I stopped at a local feed store to get some spray they didn't have that... I need to remember who stocks it and just go there next time! Anyway, they had the last one I had used (can't remember the name) which was ok, but saw this one, remembered hearing about it somewhere, and since it was about 6$ less thought I'd give it a try. It smells nice, very citronella-y, but it just didn't seem super effective. Maybe I didn't apply enough, but between spraying him at the barn and then putting him back in his field, I already saw flies landing on him...

Anyway, our ride was "meh". When I got on and we started walking Nav was shuffling along and pretty lazy. I had to really ask him to march forward and not dawdle. Also did some lateral work/turns on the haunches and he responded alright. We picked up trot and again he was a bit lazy. I really pushed him for forward and we did get it a bit. Did a lot of circles and serpentines to get him bending and using himself. We really did have some nice trot moments today, and a square halt from trot which was awesome! 

Then I decided to try canter. Well. I'm not sure what the problem was but it just felt rushy and bad. He kept trying to flatten out and run instead of lift up and canter nicely. I felt like I was flopping all over and my balance was off. I really tried to half halt to slow him and lift him but it wasn't a great result. 

We ended with more leg yielding (actual leg yielding, not just drifting) and some attempts and sideways steps. Nav was a bit confused, and instead of a straight sideways we sort of did a haunches over and then shoulders over. It's a start I guess! 

Hosed him off, gave him some treats and then took him back to his field. Tomorrow I have a lesson with the same girl I taught a few weeks back, so it will be interesting to see how that goes. I'm not in the mindset for it, at the moment, but hopefully I'll be more up for it tomorrow. The lesson horse tends to run away and hide behind other horses whenever someone comes out to get him, and I really don't like dealing with that...


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## tinyliny

dreamy neon colors!


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## PoptartShop

Aww, I hope your next canter goes better!  I'm glad you still got a good ride in though. And it's hard to find good fly sprays! 

Glad you ended on a good note too. Leg yielding is always good to work on. 
Let us know how today goes!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks, @tinyliny! I actually didn't have to edit that picture too much, upped the contrast and saturation a touch but most of the color is natural! It was a beautiful evening for riding. 
@PoptartShop, yes, it is so hard to find good fly sprays! Even the toxic chemical ones seem to not work for very long... 

Well, today started off very early. I am house sitting and so had to get up and take care of the dogs, chickens, and minis before I could get to the barn for the lesson. Of course, the dogs were crazy this morning when I didn't have plenty of time to take care of them! But I was able to head out with a bagel in hand early enough. 

Got to the barn and went to get the lesson horse. He has been lame with white line and my mentor has been caring for that and trimming him regularly. I planned on arriving early enough to lunge him before the lesson, and provide time in case he tried to run from me. He surprised me by standing quietly when I walked up to him, and he didn't try to walk off at all! I brought him out of his field and just took him to the next empty one, to lunge him. To the left he was a little off, but not terrible. I figured if that was all we could work through it, and do a lot of walking. However, going to the right he was clearly lame, and going over hard ground (instead of grass) was so hard on him that he began dodging it and even tried to stop and turn the other direction to avoid it. I did not want to work him, in that condition, so I treated his hooves and just put him back with the others. 

So, today Nav got to be a lesson horse! He is the next safest horse at the barn, and I didn't want to cancel (especially since my student had already been dropped of at the barn when I got back there) so that is what we did. Nav did nicely for her, although he put her through the same "misbehavior" that he does for every new and inexperienced rider - heavy on the forehand, head down, and plod along. Thankfully that is his only "test" - really not so bad compared to the old ponies and horses I learned on!  We mostly stayed on the lunge but I had her do a small dressage pattern at the end. Our main focus was just reviewing - she had not had a lesson in at least 2 weeks - and still working on sitting up. She was able to have some nice transitions from trot to walk and halt, partly because Nav is pretty responsive, and since he was already going pretty slowly it didn't take much to stop him. She is doing alright, still leaning though, and I think she picked up the habit of resting her hands on the withers at the camp she was just at. I had to remind her many times to lift up her hands. Not sure when I'll teach her again, my mentor will be working with her sometimes too. And I don't want Nav to do lessons that often. It is alright when I'm instructing, because I can see what's happening and make corrections, but I wouldn't want to risk doing it too often and have him pick up bad habits. 
Here is Nav in action! Blurred for the privacy of my student. He looks super cute in this, I think.









After the lesson I trimmed Nav's back hooves (I'd done the fronts a few days ago) and then decided to do a short bareback hack. I was hot and tired, Nav was too though the lesson was very low stress for him, but I didn't want him to think lazy trot and leaning on the bit was ok, and I wanted his last memory of riding today to be correct. I hopped on and took him down the bike path first, and around and past the field with his old buddies. He was looking for them and whinnied twice. I rode him a little bit in the neighboring field, but he was super hot and running around. It was hard to get him to listen to me because he kept looking for the other horses! I ended up taking him home shortly after that, but went up to ride in the arena for just a minute. He was much more relaxed and well behaved for me there. He gave me some nice trot, as well as a couple half circles of controlled and somewhat light canter. We ended with some halt to trots and then I cooled him out with a walk lap and then hosed him off. 









It was a long morning - I got to the barn around 8:15 and left at 12. I'm pretty tired and am taking an easy afternoon now.


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## tinyliny

I am not reading all your posts in detail, but I wanted to let you know how charming the portrait of Buddy is. what is the medium?

you are certainly multi-talented!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you so much! That painting is mostly semi-dry brush watercolor (I don't know if that's an official thing but that's the best way I can describe it!) with some colored pencil and acrylic paint for small details like whiskers and eye shine. I haven't done much in the way of watercolor, and I'm still pretty uncomfortable doing things like wet on wet. 

Here's another portrait I did recently of one of my cats. I exaggerated her eyes a bit, so it's a little stylized and she looks more kitten-ish than she really is (though she's only 2). Tortoiseshell is hard to paint! This one was also watercolor with some colored pencil and acrylic details.  (and it's not scanned, so sorry about the shadow!)


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## tinyliny

Sorry, the image didn't come through


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## PoptartShop

Aww that's great Nav did so well with the lesson!  He is a sweet boy. I understand about not wanting to do it super often, because you definitely need to be there. I would do the same. Have to supervise! Aw, I didn't see the picture it didn't show up? :sad: Can't wait to see it!

I'm sure he enjoyed being hosed off, so hot out! Poor buddy was like 'I NEED MY FRIENDSSSSSSS DON'T TAKE ME AWAAAAY' LOL. :lol: All-in-all I'm glad it was a good day for you guys.


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## NavigatorsMom

Hmm, that's weird since it shows up for me :-? I hate linking to other places I've posted it, but *here it is if you want to see it.* It's my deviantart page, which I don't really use much anymore, so there's a lot of much older art too. 

I'll also try to post it one more time in this post... it shows for me in the preview. Weird!









We have a heat advisory in our area until Saturday evening, so no riding today, which is fine since I woke up extremely body sore. A day off probably isn't a bad idea!


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## tinyliny

Cute kitty portrait!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, once again I've sort of left this for about a week. It's been stupid hot and humid though and I've been way too busy with house/pet sitting - like right now I'm sitting at a house with two dogs, but also babysitting another dog somewhere else, and helping take care of my family's dogs while they're out of town - so not as much time to ride in the early morning or evening as I'd like.

Tonight's ride was uninspired. My heart just didn't feel in it. 

I believe part of it was that I had my ap saddle out (a side effect of sitting is that I've been keeping my saddle in my car, and I don't want to risk ruining my dressage saddle by exposing it to extreme heat, so the old ap is in my car instead). It isn't the worst fit, but it definitely isn't good. Plus I am just more used to my dressage saddle and having my legs positioned more down instead of forward. 

We did a bit of trot, Nav was forward and actually moving pretty nicely. Canter was ok but he didn't want to come back down, and I had a hard time sitting deep in my saddle to cue him effectively. We also did some walk to canter transitions, and had one really nice and lifted one! But like I said before, I just wasn't feeling it tonight so we ended our ride after just about 20 minutes (maybe less).

Here's one picture of Nav looking awkward and tired (but still cute because of course he is!). I should have gotten him square and put him on a flatter surface for a picture but oh well!









I don't know what the problem was. It was just an off night for riding.


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## NavigatorsMom

Got to ride again this morning and it was much better than last time!  The weather was amazing, mid-80s and low humidity - perfect! 

I grabbed Nav from his field and groomed him. Since it was nice and early, the bugs weren't too bad, just a few small flies around. He was pretty clean too, though he had some dried on sweat/salt, probably from the other day when I didn't come see him. Did some belly lifts too, which he responded pretty well to. I decided to bring my dressage saddle out today, just because it's much nicer to ride in, and I've found a place to hold it in the house I'm sitting so I don't have to leave it in my car.

Mounted up and started walking around the arena. I had poles set up in a + so we could do some clover leaf patterns, work with them on a circle, but the spacing was off so they weren't super useful this time. Anyway. We warmed up with some walk on a long rein, Nav was moving out really nicely. I think he felt good today! 

We started trotting on a somewhat long rein and just did big circles, and a lot of figure 8. We spent a long time of doing one half of a figure 8, halting at the middle, and then continuing the figure. Really kept Nav thinking, paying attention to me, and flexing both ways. Eventually we changed it up, and after crossing the middle and changing direction, I cued him to canter, which we did halfway around the circle before coming back to trot to change the direction. We had some BEAUTIFUL canter work, I wish I had taped it! He was nice and light and working into the outside rein. The inside rein was slack and he was carrying himself! Of course, it helped that we only were cantering halfway around the circle, he didn't have time to get tired and heavy. Though he did get a little heavy at some points when I let him canter farther around the ring. 

After that we did some lateral work. I really wanted to work on haunches in. We can kind of do it traveling left, but to the right we just can't get it! It was frustrating, and Nav started sort of sucking back and getting pokey, so I pushed him out into a big trot on loose rein and he took the bit right down and gave me a nice stretching trot. I don't think he was on the forehand, it felt pretty nice and balanced. So after a lap of that I tried to get a little more haunches in out of him and we got at least a step. I need to figure out if that is something that can be worked from the ground. He steps over for a turn on the forehand nicely but getting him to travel forward with his haunches in is hard! 

We ended after that and I sprayed him with fly spray and we did some carrot stretches, and then he had his supplement. 

It was such a good ride! I am very happy.  I got one picture of Nav posing after our ride. His neck and mane look kind of goofy to me on this side (partly because this is the side where his crest flops to a bit, partly because it goes on both sides and is only on the middle of this side), I don't know if I should trim it down a bit more or roach it.


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was a pretty good day! 

I got out a little later in the morning, started riding about 10:30. It wasn't too hot, somewhere around 77-80, but it was pretty humid, so not totally pleasant but much better than 90s and humid! 

I decided to ride with spurs today, just to get a little help with our lateral work. I typically don't use spurs (this is probably the second time this year, if that) but since he's been a little balky with some of our lateral work, I thought it couldn't hurt. Of course, I was super aware of my legs this time, I didn't want to accidentally poke him! 

We warmed up at the walk, with some leg yields after I had let him stretch, and I barely had to use any spur to get him stepping under and over. There was still some drift, but not too bad. 

Trot was a little rushy and fast today, Nav seemed to really want to go. We did a similar figure 8 exercise like last time, but this time with a large circle and a small one on each side before changing direction with a halt. Nav did nicely, we got some good square halts. Canter was very nice as well.

We started the cantering on the circle, after halting I would trot a couple strides then cue for canter. At first we had nice canter with correct bend, but after a few repetitions he started to anticipate the canter and would just burst into it, counterbent and with inside shoulder bulging in! So I brought him back and really got him bending nicely from a leg yield and then we got the nice canter back.

I took a short video today, wanted to share it.  This was just our canter both directions. You can see some moments of lightness, I think, but he was getting pretty heavy at this point, and our trots in between felt very rushy and not great. However, one nice thing, we were able to canter from halt! That's at about 5 minutes in. I'm pretty proud of him!





I may be teaching another lesson tomorrow morning, just waiting to hear back from my mentor.


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## tinyliny

nice down transitions.


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## Rainaisabelle

Beautiful!


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## PoptartShop

Aww you guys look good! :smile:


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## Tihannah

Looking good!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you all! I was pretty happy with him that day 

Unfortunately, our next ride was not as good. 

I kind of knew it would be an off ride from pretty early on, after we had trotted a bit I cued him for canter, which resulted in a couple bucks and an unbalanced, fast canter that quickly broke to a running trot. Tried again and got more bucking! So I brought him back to trot and we did a lot of trotting with circles, serpentines and some halts in between. Our trot-halts were AWFUL, he was just pulling into them on the forehand. We finally got a couple light ones so I let him stretch and walk for a bit.

Then we started the leg yields. Nav was so hyped up, any leg pressure mean GO, and it was like he had never leg yielded before. He was seriously trying to drift through the leading shoulder and when I blocked him with my knee or the whip he just threw his head up and tried to trot forward. He was just so hollow and tense, and he kept giving me the groan of "this is too hard, I don't wanna". I let him go on a loose rein and he relaxed a bit but any leg and his head came up and he tried trotting. I finally stopped him and we just did some turns on the forehand and haunches, which he was so sensitive to my leg. He was basically spinning with each cue. I could see the smoke coming out of his ears from his brain working so hard. After that I just had him walk on the loose rein again, and when we got a nice halt from my seat we ended with that.

I'm not sure what the problem was! I do want to get a chiropractor out to take a look at him because he never used to buck into canter transitions, but it's happened quite a bit lately. I'm suspicious of my saddle's fit, I don't think it's bad but it could maybe improve a bit.


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## tinyliny

yeah, that behavior would make me suspicious, too. or, girth making his side sore? or tummy ache?
groaning is pretty odd, to me.


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny yeah, I'm going to try and track the times he bucks. May be that I just hadn't warmed him up enough the other day. He didn't show any back sensitivity when I checked today, and I also got a little massager mitt (thanks for the suggestion @Rainaisabelle!) which he seemed to really like being used on his back today. I am still looking for a good chiro or massage therapist, but so far no luck. I think I'll need to try talking with people instead of just google searching. 

The groaning is actually a pretty normal thing for him, it's just a little quirk of his.  He'll only bring it out when he's tired or trying to do something challenging, usually followed by a big sigh.

Anyway, today's ride was a complete 180 from the last. We rode in one of the back pastures, so it was a nice little trail to get there. Once there, I realized that there is a really nice gentle slope that would be perfect for hill work. We started at the bottom and just walked up, I was pushing him for forward. It took a bit but eventually he started really pushing from behind and stretching down. We did six "laps" at walk, which took about 20 minutes, and then did a few laps of trot and just a couple of canter. All of which had a lot of stretch and reach. His canter got a bit strong, which was expected since we were in a field, but not uncontrollable at all. It helped that we were cantering up hill and toward a fence, so stopping was not an issue. No bucks at all.










We cooled off with a couple more walk laps and then just walked the trail back to the barn. I hosed him off because he was super sweaty along his haunches and back legs, and then gave him his supplement and took him back to his field. 

At the field he got super nosy and in my space as I was trying to pet him after locking the gate, and ended up hitting my in the face with his nose! Bad boy! So I shooed him away and he looked so sorry. But, I'm not going to give him treats at the gate for a bit just so he doesn't get pushy there. Luckily for me it wasn't a hard hit, so I just have a tiny bit of swelling on my bottom lip.


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## tinyliny

Glad you had a good ride.

I've had times where the hrose just felt so 'off', then a few rides later, it's as if that bad day never happened.

I haven't been able to ride much lately, so squeeked in a short ride today in the early morning, and X was pretty perky! fun.

We are under a thick and oppressive cloud of smoke from massive wildfires up north in Canada, drifting down . the sky is white, the air thick and noxious to the lungs. very hot, too. like mid 90's, which is rare here.


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## NavigatorsMom

Glad you had a nice early ride @tinyliny! I don't like getting up early but riding in the morning is really nice. Really unfortunate about the smoke though, that sounds awful.

I rode today and just did a trail ride, with some trot laps in an open field. Nav is looking really good and fit lately, not fat at all. Anyway, our ride was pretty early, but it got hot and humid pretty quickly. We had a long cool out after the trot laps and then he also got hosed off when we made it back to the barn. 

On our way back to the barn though, I did get two halts without any rein! Usually I have to at least gently squeeze the reins to get a halt out of him, but it was all seat and legs (and voice) which was awesome!


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## PoptartShop

Maybe he was just having one of those days or was feeling a little fresh. Maybe it was a happy buck. :lol:
Happy to hear you had a really good ride.  That is great you were able to stop without using any rein!  YAY!! Progress!


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## NavigatorsMom

Haven't ridden in a few days. I've been busy with house sitting, and today it has been pretty rainy!  But, there was a break earlier and I went out and trimmed Nav's hooves. They're looking good! I'm actually really happy, last year at this time Nav was super lame with WLD, but so far this whole summer his hooves have been healthy and no lameness! 

I may ride tomorrow, as long as there's no rain. I'm taking care of some things at the barn while the owner is out of town, so since I have to be there in the mornings anyway might as well do a short ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

Didn't ride yesterday or today. Yesterday was rainy and busy, and today was just so hot and humid, and after walking all over his pasture and trimming his back feet, I just didn't have it in me. 

Tonight is my last night house sitting so I'll finally get to go home and get some good sleep, and hopefully the rest will put me in a better mindset for riding! Of course, we're going on a short vacation on Thursday so my next chance to ride (unless I make myself go tomorrow) will be Monday. We will have to see.


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## PoptartShop

It rained here yesterday too. Not fun. :sad: 
That's good you will finally be able to get some rest, and vacationing shall be fun!
Even if you go to ride for a little bit, at least you'll have some time in the saddle.


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## NavigatorsMom

Alright, finally back to updating! I've ridden a few times this week, and Nav has been really good, we had a really great ride in the field yesterday. He was very responsive but also tried rounding up for me a bit and it was just nice. He gave me an absolutely beautiful canter, wish I had filmed it! 

Anyway, today I got to the barn and while I was in the tack room feeding the barn cat, I noticed an older dressage saddle on one of the racks. It was very moldy, clearly had not been used in a very long time. I took a look at it and realized it looked a little bigger than mine in the seat, and had a pretty wide gullet, so I thought I would give it a try. Keep in mind, this is a very small family barn. BO and her daughter, and other boarders, keep their tack in their homes or cars, so I knew this was no one's in particular and knowing my BO/mentor she would not have a problem with me borrowing the saddle. I wiped it off as much as I could, but it definitely needs a good cleaning. 

After tacking up I took Nav up to the arena to ride. Now this saddle is a County and had a very deep seat. My Stubben dressage saddle seemed so flat in comparison! It was pretty comfy, though a little stiff, but I felt very secure in the deep seat. 

Doesn't Nav look long-legged and tall in this picture? Can't really tell he's only 15.3 









I did a little warm up on Nav and he didn't react any differently to this saddle than our normal one. However, he is starting up that problem of not wanting to bend left. We were doing really well with that but last ride and this one I've noticed that he's stiffer to the left. I so need to find a chiro, but from what I can tell there aren't too many in the area.  Not to mention I can't really afford that right now... But, after more warm up and riding and spiraling I did get a nicer bend from him. It may be an issue of needing a good long warm up. 

So here's the video! We weren't totally warmed up at this point, so it is not our best but it's what I have from today.





Also a couple pictures of saddle fit. It seems like a decent fit to me. We didn't ride long enough to get super clear sweat marks, but from what I could tell they were even on both sides, no dry spots. I've posted them alongside comparison pictures of my current saddle. I definitely can't afford to buy a new (used) saddle at the moment, but once I get a better paying job and save up (and get Nav seen by the chiro, etc.) I would like to invest in a new saddle that fits me better. County is left/top, Stubben is right/bottom.


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## tinyliny

you ride well in any saddle you are in.

Both saddles seem so far forward in those photos, but you are the one there that can feel where they should go.

One major difference between the two is the the County has 'gusseted' panels. This makes the padding toward the back of the saddle sit wider, and more evenly over the back area. they will spread out a little as your weight goes into the saddle, and cover a bit more surface area. 

I'm not sure since you there is not top view, but I think the County might have a narrower twist, too. some folks like that, some do not.


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## seabiscuit91

HE LOOKS SO GOOD IN THAT PHOTO!! Ahh so handsome! He looks super tall!

Ah I know the feeling of wanting a nicer saddle.. but money is never fun! 

You guys look so awesome!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @seabiscuit91! I wish he was a bit taller - you'd be able to tell his true height if I were standing near him, hehe.
@tinyliny thanks for the commentary on the saddles! They do look forward in the pictures, I think I usually place it a bit farther back, but just to be sure I put it back a bit farther than normal when riding yesterday. Nav's shoulders were definitely freed up, and we didn't have any issues so I will try to place it back a little more from now on. 

Didn't ride in the County again, figured I'd just stick to my reliable Stubben, especially considering the County had some cracks on the billets - nothing big or deep but since I planned on trail riding I wanted my saddle to be secure!

We did work in the arena first yesterday, and after doing some transitions I decided to do a run through of the Training level 1 and 2 tests. There are two more shows this year through my group, and I'd like to go to at least one. He did pretty well, no big issues, but no big improvements than last time we rode them. I know I need to get him going more forward so that he'd round up more, but I'm at a loss, whenever I ask him for more he just ends up going faster, and if I try to keep a good contact on the reins he pulls against me. Meh. I know we'll get better, just something that frustrated me a bit yesterday.

Not riding today as I'm feeling a little under the weather. It's probably just allergies, might be a small cold coming on though.


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## tinyliny

Zycam! take it as soon as you feel you might be getting a cold. It works wonders, but it has to be taken at the first sign of a cold, and take it every 3 hours, do not chew it, do now wash the icky taste off your tongue for a bit. It's saved me from untimely colds more than once.

Good luck on the shows. It's sad to think of the show season drawing to a close.


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## NavigatorsMom

I will have to try that! I usually take Emergen-Z at the sign of a cold - it actually really helped boost my immunity while I was teaching - but I haven't in a while. Will probably do that before bed, and consider zycam if the cold persists.

It is sad that show season is ending. I've never really done a full show season ever - I did Pony Club rallies in junior high/high school, but that's not really the same. If I manage to make it to these last two shows I'll be able to say I completed a season for the first time! But at least one more would be a way to compare progress made this year. I think the October show offers a musical kur class, and I would love to do one of those again.


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## NavigatorsMom

I had a really nice ride with Nav the other day. I really got after him about going forward - it took a lot of leg, but I had to really keep contact on the outside rein to stop him from just running off. He's pretty good about responding to inside leg to outside rein when we track right, but tracking left he will bend somewhat through the body, but his head looks outside. I know part of the problem is that my left leg is weaker and I can't push him over as easily with it as I can with my right. He's probably not equally flexible.

After a good workout (I felt it in my abs and legs the next day!) we did a trail and met up in one of the open fields with my mentor, which was fun. We rode and chatted a bit and Nav was so happy to be trailing along with his half-brother.  I did make him do a bit of work on his own, so he still had to pay attention to me instead of just lollygagging with his brother, and he did well for me, we had a beautiful and controlled canter.

This weekend my best friend will be in town to visit, so we will probably do a bit of riding. She likes Nav a lot and I'm happy to let her ride, I just hope he'll behave for her! I don't know if she'll be ready to do a trail ride - since her accident she feels better just riding in the arena - but if so I think we'll be able to borrow the lesson horse, so that could be fun!

I rode today but just hacked around bareback to just work Nav a bit, so that if we go and ride tomorrow he won't be totally fresh.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, I've ridden a few times here and there since my last post but I'll just update about today. 

I had a busy day and didn't get to go to the barn until after 6:30, so we were losing daylight by the time I got on to ride. Nav was pretty good. I've been trying to work him in more of a dressage contact lately - I have a habit of letting the reins be a bit long - so after warming up I've started taking up the reins and really getting him to move. It's been going well, he's still not super strong at pushing forward and carrying himself all the time but he's getting there and he does try. 

Tonight I focused a lot on keeping myself upright while trotting and cantering. I have noticed that I have a bad habit of leaning forward, especially at the canter but also at the trot. I've always told myself that it's just because I have a long torso and Nav is a little short so my leaning is compensation for our balance difference. But, I feel like that's an excuse and that I should try to be more upright, so tonight I really focused on my posture. I feel like it took a bit for Nav and I to get used to the feeling of different balance but we did have some nice moments. I took a little video of that so I'll share that here. I will say that even though it just looks like I'm sitting up (mostly) it felt so weird, like I was leaning way back! It will take some getting used to. I like how he's going in the clip, for the most part, but he did get heavy now and then.





After that we did a little pole exercise to work on shifting my weight and changing direction. I had two poles in the middle of the arena with the ends in the middle touching and the ends on the outside pointing down, so they were set in kind of a wide V. We used them in a kind of figure eight, and over the pole I would shift my weight to get Nav bending the right way. We did that at the trot and canter. I was able to very easily feel how my weight affected Nav's bend and balance, so I think it was a good exercise. I would like to do the same thing but with small jumps eventually, but didn't have a spotter with me tonight. 

The other thing we need to spend more time working on is having a forward walk with contact. Nav seems to think that contact at the walk and any leg pressure means trot. I need to get him to recognize that we can have contact without breaking from walk. 

Anyway, the next dressage show is in two weeks, and I've posted in the facebook group looking for a ride there. Hoping we can go, but trying not to get my hopes up too much. The entries are due by the 15th so I need to find someone before then. Unfortunately shows are too expensive to enter if I don't for sure have someone to haul us.


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## seabiscuit91

I can totally relate to the 'long torso / smaller horse' feeling! I am the exact same, and sitting up straight feels like I'm leaning back!

You guys look awesome, fingers crossed you can get a ride to the show!!


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## NavigatorsMom

@seabiscuit91 yes! It is so hard to get myself to sit back, and now that I'm more aware of it and trying to fix it I realize how much I constantly lean forward at the trot and canter. It's like my default! So trying to fix that will definitely take some time.

Still no word on a ride to the show, so we will see what happens. I still have a couple days.

Last night I went out to ride after a pretty busy day so we took it easy and just did a trail ride. I always feel a little weird calling our trail rides "trail" rides since we don't really go on real trails. Like last night we just took the bike path, did a little shoulder riding and then went down a sidewalk. It was still fun though and I'm thankful I have a horse who is calm and levelheaded enough to go out on "trails" alone without needing a buddy. We went over a small sidewalk bridge and he didn't care one bit, and then we found a new sidewalk to go down with trees on both sides which was very pretty:










It was a nice little ride and good to relax. Need to trim his back feet in the next couple of days since I did his fronts a few days ago.


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## NavigatorsMom

Not a lot to report. 

I rode last night and Nav was fabulous! We've really gotten better about riding inside leg to outside rein and Nav has started to carry himself pretty nicely, even at the canter. He's not nearly as heavy in my hands as he used to be, though he can be at times. It's lessened a lot though. Anyway, we worked over the poles again and getting our balance changed when we changed directions. He just tries so hard for me and has really become a nice horse over the last few years. I am so happy and love him!

As for the show, I did manage to find a ride, my mentor/horse mom offered! But I decided to turn her down. I felt a bit guilty about her having to haul us up there and back, and I also decided I would be better off saving money for the time being since a show is pretty expensive. Even though it's a schooling show, that stuff adds up and since I'm only working part time at the moment, I need to save as much as I can. I'm so thankful for her and that she even offered to take us though! There is one more show in October and I will be looking in to doing that one.


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## tinyliny

Tough and thoughtful decisions. That's what we call being a grown up.


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny yes, I've been trying to be more responsible with my money lately. Not that I ever made any big purchases at random, but I've had a lot of little things that just added up each month. I've been able to get extra shifts at work pretty easily, but I still need to save and be more careful than I have been in the past since my income is so much less than I expected it to be at this point in my life. I thought I'd be back to full time teaching by now! But instead I'm a part time Page at the public library. I really shouldn't complain though, even though I'm making much less, I absolutely love working in the library. It is a very good match for my personality in ways that teaching wasn't, and my mental health is much better than it was while I was teaching (of course that was also due in part to my living situation at the time, and I believe if I were in my current situation and teaching I would be handling it all better now). All that said, I do miss the fulfillment I got from teaching, but for now working in the library is a good in between position.

I visited with my mentor recently and she has asked me to trim one of the ponies, and wants to pay me for that so that will be a little extra this month. She also told me the bad news that another one of our pastures has been purchased (she rents the land from the city) and that ground breaking will start in another one at the beginning of October. It's sad that so much has changed. Out of the ten or so pastures and riding areas (including property that she owns) that was available when I started riding here, we have now lost six of them. Thankfully we can still use some of those areas, but it's only a matter of time before most of it is bought and developed, and that saddens me. 

Tonight was a double shift at work so I was super tired, but went out after to trim Nav's back feet. We just had a good rain yesterday, so his hooves were soft so I knew I needed to take advantage of that and trim. They look pretty good, have a really nice concavity going on and little separation. I then decided to hop on and just do a little bareback hacking around in the closed side of his pasture. He was pretty good, we focused a lot on neck reining and turning off the seat/legs since I just rode in the halter. Got a video but it's a bit dark (and there's a leaf right in the way...), but he does look pretty nice I think, at least in moments.  





I recently picked up a book on pilates and body awareness that is specifically related to riding, so I'm eager to get into that and try to put some of it to practice. I know I'm crooked, so it would be nice to figure out how to work on myself in a way that helps correct it at least somewhat. I've only started reading through the book, but it seems like a simple read with lots of good exercises. One of the first things it talked about was engaging your core, since that's something that is asked of riders so frequently, but rarely explained how. I realized that when I try to "engage my core" I kind of stiffen all over, even tighten my jaw a bit and hold my breath! Throughout the day I've been trying to engage my core by only tightening my core, and keeping the rest of my body relaxed and it's been surprisingly challenging. I think this will definitely be a benefit to my riding as I get better at it.


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## seabiscuit91

Oh my goodness, your seat bareback is SUPER impressive, and my goal! 
I always get super nervous to trot let alone canter bareback! You make it look very easy!


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## Rainaisabelle

You look so good !!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you both!! Nav has nice gaits and is very seat responsive, so he makes bareback really easy!

We had a bit of a scare a couple days ago. I went out to bring in Nav's pasture mate to work on his hooves, and Nav didn't come over to see us, was pretty unresponsive while I petted him, and then didn't even follow me or the others as we walked to the gate. This is completely different than how he normally acts, he is the most social horse I've ever met and loves to be around others, people or horses! So I was worried. I brought him up to the barn shortly after and it was such a slow walk, he was dragging behind me, and when given the option to graze he didn't even try.  Long story short, that evening when his temperature was checked, it was over 102, so after talking with the vet we kept him up in the barn, gave him some bute and kept an eye on him. The plan was to take him to the vet Thursday morning if there was no improvement. 

Thankfully, Thursday morning he was back to normal, very perky and hungry. His temperature was normal so after calling the vet again, we decided to hold off on having him looked at. Vet advised me to keep an eye on him and check his temperature again but if it stayed down he was probably fine. It was so odd that this happened. Nav has never been sick since I've had him and he's in good shape. My mentor suggested that it may be that he was having a hard time dealing with the heat and humidity of the day, since we had had nice mild weather for a couple weeks but Wednesday was near 90 and very humid. I gave him today off as well but am planning to do an easy ride at some point tomorrow and see how he is.


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## NavigatorsMom

*A Special Post about Dolly*

Nostalgic post ahead!









So, for those who don't know, Dolly was the first horse I leased and really felt a lot like "my" first horse. I leased her for seven years, from about 2002 until 2009 at which point she was retired at 28 years old. 








This is probably one of the earliest pictures of her and I, I was probably about 12.

She was my trusty pony club mount and took me to many rallies. She was a fiery thoroughbred mare, and we made a good match because our personalities balanced out - I was calm where she was very excitable. 


























^possibly my favorite picture of Dolly and I, she just looks so beautiful and cute here.

Recently I found an old video tape of myself and Dolly performing a musical freestyle routine at our 2008 regional Dressage Rally. The tape itself was actually stretched very thin, and I didn't think I would be able to watch it or safely transfer it to a digital file, it got caught the first time I tried to watch it back so I had never been able to see it. I took it in to a camera store in town to see what they could do and they were able to fix the tape and transfer the video to a dvd! So I was finally able to see the video of that ride.

I will share it here. We were doing our ride to music from the movie Finding Nemo, and we were attempting First Level. I was actually a bit embarrassed watching this, as we clearly had *no business* riding First Level. Well, Dolly actually could probably have handled it with a better rider, but I was not as good as I thought I was at the time. My sitting trot was just awful... I wish I knew where the score for this test was so I could see what the judge said... I think they were much kinder to us than we deserved!
(the video is still a bit choppy and the audio cuts in and out until about 1:30 - that was the section of tape that was damaged, but I wanted to include the entire ride)





I really realize now that I never did her justice with my riding. She was so much horse and she was amazing and I never had the skill to really get her going to her potential. I also feel bad that I was riding her when she was getting quite old. She looks skinnier than I remember in this video, and I feel sorry that I took her to a competition in that state. 

Anyway, this was a bit random and nostalgic but I miss my old girl. She has been gone almost 7 years now and I still think of her frequently, and compare Nav to her more than he deserves (he's an amazing horse in many ways and I know I have progressed with him much more than I did with Dolly - I do think she prepared me for many things though).


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## NavigatorsMom

Finally rode Nav again - first time in a week, and last Monday we just bareback hacked so today we actually worked.

Actually only rode for about a half hour, but I really had Nav working nicely into the outside rein. Well mostly. He was a bit excited after not being ridden for so long, and he really wanted to go. At first when I was really pushing him over with my leg he kept trying to break into a canter instead of rounding up into a nice trot. We got it eventually but he just really wanted to GO. 

We then did some work with small jumps - really more like raised poles - and Nav LOVED that. I don't jump him often, and these were hardly even jumps (I mean, I had him walk over them at one point) but he just locked on and went right over with a spring in his step! Almost too much spring really. I got video and I'll upload it tomorrow probably. He didn't look like he was going too fast, but he felt like it, so we did some work on halting after the "jump" instead of just barreling along after it. I wish I could jump him more. He's very good about it, doesn't hesitate and is pretty bold. I still think he would be good for low level eventing, but who knows if we'll make it to that point.


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## Rainaisabelle

NavigatorsMom said:


> Nostalgic post ahead!
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> So, for those who don't know, Dolly was the first horse I leased and really felt a lot like "my" first horse. I leased her for seven years, from about 2002 until 2009 at which point she was retired at 28 years old.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is probably one of the earliest pictures of her and I, I was probably about 12.
> 
> She was my trusty pony club mount and took me to many rallies. She was a fiery thoroughbred mare, and we made a good match because our personalities balanced out - I was calm where she was very excitable.
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> ^possibly my favorite picture of Dolly and I, she just looks so beautiful and cute here.
> 
> Recently I found an old video tape of myself and Dolly performing a musical freestyle routine at our 2008 regional Dressage Rally. The tape itself was actually stretched very thin, and I didn't think I would be able to watch it or safely transfer it to a digital file, it got caught the first time I tried to watch it back so I had never been able to see it. I took it in to a camera store in town to see what they could do and they were able to fix the tape and transfer the video to a dvd! So I was finally able to see the video of that ride.
> 
> I will share it here. We were doing our ride to music from the movie Finding Nemo, and we were attempting First Level. I was actually a bit embarrassed watching this, as we clearly had *no business* riding First Level. Well, Dolly actually could probably have handled it with a better rider, but I was not as good as I thought I was at the time. My sitting trot was just awful... I wish I knew where the score for this test was so I could see what the judge said... I think they were much kinder to us than we deserved!
> (the video is still a bit choppy and the audio cuts in and out until about 1:30 - that was the section of tape that was damaged, but I wanted to include the entire ride)
> https://youtu.be/sqR1U7OQErw
> 
> I really realize now that I never did her justice with my riding. She was so much horse and she was amazing and I never had the skill to really get her going to her potential. I also feel bad that I was riding her when she was getting quite old. She looks skinnier than I remember in this video, and I feel sorry that I took her to a competition in that state.
> 
> Anyway, this was a bit random and nostalgic but I miss my old girl. She has been gone almost 7 years now and I still think of her frequently, and compare Nav to her more than he deserves (he's an amazing horse in many ways and I know I have progressed with him much more than I did with Dolly - I do think she prepared me for many things though).


I think one of the best things about horses is their willingness to forgive what we clearly don't yet understand. One of our biggest flaws as human beings though is to look back and recognize every little mistake and feel completely guilty for it. You did your best for the amount of knowledge you had at the time and I bet you that you made that horse feel extremely loved and that is all that really matters especially when you were so young. As long as you learn from your mistakes that is what is so important!


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## NavigatorsMom

Raina, thank you so much for your nice comment! It's true, it's so easy to look back at things (especially riding things, for me) and see how unprepared or bad we were at something. I have that happen to me a lot because Dolly was a hard horse to ride, she was super excitable and not a lot of younger riders could handle her - I was just so calm (and, truthfully, passive) that we worked well together. I thought she and I were just amazing when in reality I was just calm and non-bothersome enough for her that she packed me around relatively quietly. That's not to say I didn't learn a lot from her, but I was not as good as a rider as I thought, and it started to show when I was working with Nav early on. There was a lot I had to kind of go back and re-learn. I am thankful for her though, and I feel like now I know much better about a lot of things - I definitely would not ride a horse in her condition in a competition setting. I think it was one of those things where I couldn't see how she was declining because I saw her every day, but it's visible looking back.

Anyway, I had a bit of a break from riding this week. Work was hectic and last night when I meant to ride, I was not in the mindset for it, so when Jon offered to take us out for dinner I took him up on that instead of going to ride. I went today though and Nav was really good! 

The weather was perfect - low 70s and a little breezy, it was really starting to feel like fall! Of course as of right now it's about 80 and hotter so not quite as nice. But mornings and evenings are very nice now.  We started in the arena, and the main thing I wanted to focus on was sitting up. I am trying to change our way of going and it's hard - we've been compensating for each other for a long time and have a nice balance. Unfortunately it involves me leaning forward at trot and especially canter. So I've been working on focusing on getting myself to sit up straighter at trot and canter, and Nav and I are both having to adjust to the new balance. He's doing pretty nicely though. Lately I've had some really pretty canters from him, he definitely doesn't bear down as much as he used to anymore. 

We also worked on our little "jump" exercise. I mainly wanted to keep him calm for that, and not get rushy to the jumps and we were successful for that. We had really nice approaches, aside from not getting good distances a couple of times, but no rushing to or from the jump so I was happy! Here's a little video with that. Sorry about the times I go out of frame...





After a bit more of that I figured we should go on a trail ride since it was so nice out. So we headed out down the bike path, and came around to pass by the pasture that his old buddies are in. They weren't near the fence but he was looking and got a bit squirrely. I distracted him by having him come up on the fence of the other pasture and get close enough so we could go through the gate - I was able to open and close it without dismounting! And then we just walked through the field. There are a few small sloping areas so we did a bit of work on that. Then we headed back to the barn by way of the road shoulder. This is where things got interesting.

The path we took is the one that takes us right by the cow pasture that Nav is afraid of. He was already pretty looky and there was a cow laying pretty close to the fence, but I didn't want to dismount if I didn't have to and he's been pretty good about the cows lately, usually just giving them a bit of side eye but not trying to run or panic. However, as we started to pass I noticed that Nav was super tense and focusing intensely on something ahead of us. I looked and out ahead of us on the shoulder was a little flock of what I assumed to be some kind of guinea fowl. Nav was NOT ok with that at all, and I could feel him tensing up and wanting to run. Because of that, and the cow nearby, I thought it would be best to dismount and walk him. I'd rather keep him calm and dismount than try to keep riding and have it escalate (which has happened before with just the cows). So I got off and he was just fixated on the birds. But, I got him walking forward (with just a few dragon sounds) and once we were maybe 50 feet away the birds started squaking and crossed the road to get away. Nav started to relax a bit when they started running away, and once we passed the area they were in I remounted. He was a bit looky the rest of the ride, but I'm just glad we didn't have a full out panic over the birds! 





Once we were back near the barn, I had him trot around and round up a bit on the grassy area nearby to get him refocused on me, and not think that we were ending because he was being looky. 

Overall a really good, fun ride! I can't wait for the weather to be consistently cool like this morning. Nav is already getting his winter coat in, so I'm sure he'll be ready for weather like that too!


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## NavigatorsMom

We decided to take a break from dressage to do a little jumping last night! Boyfriend came along so I had a spotter, so we were able to practice a bit. 

Not a lot to say. My position is weak, and we struggle a bit with getting nice striding. I can usually see if we're going to be long or chip it, but not in enough time to fix it. Something to work on! I guess we could even practice with ground poles. Anyway, the first one is just our little pattern we've been doing with cross rails, and then a couple clips over the slightly bigger jump (I think it's just like 2 feet, didn't measure). And then we ended with a little oxer - which felt way bigger than it was! We actually had never done an oxer before, so I'm fairly happy, even though we are far from perfect. 






He's so cute at the end of this one, pricking his ears back toward the jumps because he wants to go again 










The awkward oxer attempt


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## seabiscuit91

Looks like so much fun! Always good to mix it up!

I must say your arena is so picturesque! All the beautiful trees around you! Looks stunning!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @seabiscuit91, I am very lucky with a nice arena to ride in  It's pretty to look at but once fall gets going the arena gets covered in leaves which is super crunchy and loud to ride in  the only downside, so I really shouldn't complain, haha!

No riding updates, I haven't had a good chance to go again since the last time. I meant to go today and even got up early to do it but then it turned out to be raining, and rained all day long! But, I did get an out of the blue text from my friend who hauled Nav to the last show I went to back in July, offering to take us to the last show of the season in a couple of weeks! I really want to take her up on it, but I need to be smart about my money situation...I am just not making enough for extra things like that right now I don't think, unless I pick up a lot of extra hours. So we'll see, if I'm able to get some extra shifts in the next few weeks I'd like to do it.


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## PoptartShop

That's awesome you went for a little trail! It's always good to switch things up 
Aw, sorry about the rain. I also think your arena is beautiful! Such a nice place to ride.

About the show, I say go for it if you can get extra shifts, but if not save your money. I know it's hard though!!


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## NavigatorsMom

I'm in a bit of a rut of not so great rides lately, about the last two or three have just been blah.

Last ride I came to the realization that Nav doesn't actually respond very well to down transitions from my seat... he's responding to my voice. I tried halting him off of seat/legs alone and it just took so much longer! When I give even the tiniest, quietest "whoa" he'll slow immediately, but seat alone is like he's not paying attention. I thought we were doing better than this. :/

I can accept that Nav will never be my great dressage horse. If I wanted a great dressage horse I should have gone with the appendix qh I trialed a few years back. I think of him from time to time - he was so tall, I think 17 hands, and I actually looked somewhat proportional on him. Really nice gaits and he was half the price of Nav... but I went with Nav because of my heart  But anyway, I wish he and I were able to do a bit better. It seems like we'll be stuck at training level forever. But he's decent at a lot of things - we can do some jumping, hack out alone, and he's great for inexperienced riders. He's good, he's just not really a dressage-y horse.

In other news, I decided I need to skip this next show. It's just too expensive, even if I do get extra hours there are necessities that I need to put money toward instead of shows. I also think my money would be better spent on lessons or a clinic... so yeah, no more shows this year.


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## tinyliny

Maybe, just maybe (lowers head in case this offends you), you might consider selling him to someone who has not showing ambitions?
Now, I think you two are doing great, but I am such a low level dressage rider that everyone looks good to me . Now, that didn't come off right . . somehow.

I think you are just in a bit of a funk. Everyone has them. you'll look back and think, "Now why was I so negative? I feel fine now".

Maybe you could do some really fun things with him. set out some scramble poles for him to pick his way through (set up poles as if you did pick up sticks, and then walk him through and let him figure his way through)

clicker train some tricks

teach him to pull you on an innertube (in prep for winter)

Do some rollbacks , like a cowgirl

Teach him to carry a flag, so he will be good for a parade.

work on a simple musical freestyle


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## NavigatorsMom

No offense taken at all! I will admit I've let the thought cross my mind, but I just know I could never bring myself to sell Nav. He is just so special to me. Even if we never compete again, I think I would rather have him and just do trails and work on ourselves. I hope to keep him the rest of his life. I am sure I'm in a funk, I've been pretty stressed lately just from life in general and I think that's bled into my riding. I've also had a hard time motivating myself to want to ride, so then I force myself to go and ride when I really should just lunge him or something else and we end up having a meh time. 

I like all of your suggestions of different things to try though and I think I'll look into some of them. He's such a people pleaser I think doing some trick training would be easy and fun for him and that's something we could do a bit of even if I don't ride. 

I've had thoughts of teaching him to drive... that would be a big change. I haven't looked into it much but maybe now would be a good time to.


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## knightrider

I think your jumping looks AWESOME! Nice videos. He strides so calmly and smoothly into and after the jumps. And you look good too.

Something that I found to be very much a bonding experience with my horses is camping with them. There's something really relaxing and freeing when all you have to do is ride (and cook your food, and clean up, and battle insects). But really, just having LOTS and LOTS of time with your horse is really a great feeling. Long quiet fun trail rides, long quiet grooming sessions, no other distractions. You feel much closer to your horse when the trip is over.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @knightrider, I wish we were able to do jumping more often. I think Nav really enjoys it, but I'm too nervous to ever do it without a spotter.  Horse camping sounds both fun and intimidating - camping on it's own seems intimidating to me though! But if I ever got the chance I think it would be a neat experience. 

Today I went out to work on his feet and just lunge him. Warming up was fine, but when we worked with the side reins, I got a lot of raised head or dropping behind the vertical, only a little of him carrying himself nicely. He also preferred to break into a canter instead of do a big, forward trot, which I guess is because that takes more work and just going to canter is easier? I had to bring him back to trot so many times. Eventually he seemed to get it, but I think I need to learn a bit more about how to have a good session with side reins before I use them again.


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## NavigatorsMom

Spent alllll morning helping a friend move so I missed out on nice riding weather, and since I work tomorrow I'll miss it again apparently. 

But, in the mean time, I checked out a book from the library called "Getting in TTouch with Your Horse". It has a lot on assessing horse personality based on physical characteristics. I usually don't buy into things like that too much, but it seemed interesting and it's been pretty interesting to see how some descriptions of characteristics match up to Nav's actual personality! 

One that really seemed to match is the upper lip (which, btw, there were 10 lip characteristics that a horse could have, according to this book). Nav has what is called a "heart-shaped" upper lip, meaning his lip resembles the top of an upside down heart, and that typically indicates an expressive, curious and extroverted nature, which matches Nav to a T! The book was actually pretty accurate about most of Nav's characteristics matching his personality. It would be interesting to compare to my old mare Dolly.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, last night's ride was absolutely awful. Like, get off in a hurry and take a minute to cry from frustration bad. Nothing went right, single leg cues resulted in a forward response, trotting kept breaking to canter, constant looking around instead of working nicely. It was just bad and left me feeling very defeated.

Tonight I went out with the intention of doing a kind of easy and different ride in the arena, doing things we hadn't in a while. I set up trot poles (six) and we also did a long walk warm up. Trot was nice and Nav was so good over the trot poles, not rushing off after. We also did trot spirals, from a 20 meter circle to about a 10. Nav moved over nicely, didn't try to speed up, and kept balance pretty well, not falling in or out, or throwing up his head and running. It was a really good ride, such a huge change from the night before! It seemed like he was really trying to do what I asked him and he was lifting and going forward for me for most of the ride. I used spurs tonight, to get him in front of my leg, and that helped I think. I don't want to become dependent on them though, so won't use them every ride.


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## PoptartShop

Awww that picture of you two are so cute! :smile: 
I'm sorry you didn't have a good ride last night. :sad: 
I hope tonight goes better, sometimes we have better rides than others. It will be okay! Don't be too hard on yourself.


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## NavigatorsMom

So not a lot to say lately. I've been pretty busy with work and we haven't had great weather so I haven't ridden much.

A couple days ago I worked Nav on the lunge with side reins and really got him going forward. I think part of it is that it just takes him time to warm up to it and really get working into the bridle. That was a very productive lunge session.

Today I went out to ride and started by lunging him first to work him without my weight and we had some good transitions and moments of nice self-carriage. I rode after that, just did a little in the arena with spirals and stretching trot and trot poles, but then we spent most of our ride out in the trails. It was such nice weather and a very nice ride. 

Wish I had more to update on but that's pretty much it. It's been quiet lately.


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## NavigatorsMom

Absolutely PHENOMENAL ride with Nav last night!

I am still so happy from it, everything just felt really good and was really FUN. We started out just lunging. I used the side reins again, just to give him something to work into and he really worked nicely. Since we did about 20 minutes lunging, I decided to keep the ride easy and just do "trails". I decided to try taking him a different way than we normally go, actually a completely new direction, and Nav did wonderfully. It was all about getting miles on him, and we did get at least one literal mile of new experience for him, which was great. He was a bit looky as we passed some buildings with large signs out front, and he was convinced that there might be some cows in a field we passed, but overall pretty calm. We later passed by a field that did have cows and though he tried to look a bit, I got him to flex and not fixate on them. 

Another great thing that happened last night was that I figured out Nav's button that really activates his hind end! This is something that we have struggled with FOREVER, it's hard to get him to engage and work into the bridle. It happened during our trail, which was good as he was already pretty forward, but he kept looking around and didn't want to relax into the contact. I had recently read about how to get a horse to go forward on the lunge, and the key is to encourage the inside hind while it's off the ground to step farther forward and under, and I figured I could do the same undersaddle. I waited to feel his hind leg lift and at the same time I gave a strong squeeze of my calf, a little bit behind the girth to let him to know push that leg forward, and repeated on the opposite side for the other leg. Almost immediately he dropped his head, took the contact, and really brought that leg under himself! It was amazing! I don't think I've ever felt him respond so promptly and correctly. At first I thought, ok, it might be a fluke, but I tried it many times throughout the ride and every time I got basically the same response. So happy!! We did it only at walk, but I will definitely try it at trot next time we ride.

Finally, a couple pictures from our ride. We don't have much in the way of real trails, which I've talked about before, but I still think we have some pretty nice views.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you!!  

So, I've had a few good rides lately. I've been trying to do a little more with him than just riding, so usually lunge at least for a bit before. He's been doing nicely, though I found that using the "magic button" for activating his hind end is not perfected at trot, and sometimes leads to him just running. We had a ride where he was spooky because the barn was being worked on and he saw a sheet of roofing off a ways from the arena. Every time we passed that end he would bulge away from it. After some work and lots of leg I got to the point where we could pass by it without him bulging his whole body, though he still tried to tip his head a bit toward it. He can be nervous and looky and I really want to work on getting him to be less afraid of things while I'm on him. 

Next ride (yesterday) we lunged first and I knew from then on that it was going to be a sassy day for Nav. This was a little clip from it:





Shortly after that he bolted off at a canter cue, and to prevent pulling on his mouth (as I had the lunge through the ring and over to the other side) I let out the line, but instead of slowing down he kept going, went around a jump standard and I lost the line. He kept circling me as I followed him and kept asking for whoa. Thankfully he didn't try to take off out of the arena, which isn't fenced, and eventually slowed down and stopped for me. I think the attached line made him think I still had him. It was definitely nerve-wracking!

Anyway, after that I got him to do a nice and calm canter, and then hopped on to do a short ride - since he was already huffing and puffing from running around like crazy. We just did some suppling exercises, lots of bending and trying to get him to relax and stretch because he got hyped up again when I got on. We ended up doing a lot of walk-halt transitions just to get him to calm down and focus on me, and we ended with a longish trail ride to cool him out. When I dismounted I saw how worked up he had really gotten, he was so sweaty on his hindquarters and even had foamed on his chest. I have never clipped him, but I'm considering doing a bib clip, just so that he isn't soaked in sweat when we work this fall/winter. Still want to invest in a cooler as well. 

Today I went out with the intention to lunge him only, but it was so unseasonably hot - 80+ degrees! So instead I decided to do some groundwork with him. We worked a bit on turns on the forehand, which, he kept trying to either step forward or back, so we'll need to do some more work with that. We also worked on ground tying, which he did pretty well at. 









And we ended with kind of a mini-showmanship pattern, just some walk to halt, turns on the forehand, and some trotting in hand, all of which he did nicely with.  I think it was good for us to do something a bit different.


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## NavigatorsMom

Once again I've been pretty busy, and losing an hour of daylight really hurts my riding schedule, but I managed to find some time to ride yesterday. It's getting cold here, and even though it was about 60 when I went to the barn, I knew it would get dark fast and also get colder. I still haven't clipped Nav yet, so I didn't want him to get sweaty, so we did a walk only ride. It was actually a lot of fun and productive!

After some long rein warm ups, we did a lot of leg yields, making sure he wouldn't drift out through the shoulder, and also spirals and turns on the forehand/haunches, and some poles. We ended by working on neck reining and doing some halts without voice cues. Had to do a pretty short ride since it started getting dark, but I feel like it was pretty successful too!


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## tinyliny

how could will it get?

I guess it's a problem becuase your horse gets long hair, but the air temps often remain warm enough that they sweat heavily?
Here they get heavy hair, and will sweat sometime, if the ride is hard enouhg, but for easy rides, it's cold enough that they hardly build up any sweat.

they are starting to look like yaks!


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny we'll get anywhere between single digits/teens to mid forties throughout the winter here, depending on how harsh it is. Below zero is rare. So yeah, the main problem is that he'll work up a sweat if we do any hard work and I'm just worried about him getting a chill from that. In the past we would not do much over the winter, just easy rides here and there, but I'm hoping to keep him fitter this winter so we don't have to start over as much in spring, so the plan is to do more working rides and lunging in between. Depending on footing of course, since we only have the uncovered arena. 

We're staying around the mid 50s/high 40s at the moment, so it's not like I need to clip him immediately, but near future would probably be good. Either that or I'll invest in a good cooler sheet and use that after rides and before letting him back out. 

Today I went out and we just did a little lunging. Like I said before, just trying to get into a habit of working him consistently. He worked really nicely for me today, really pushing forward on the line. We did a lot of transitions to work on his balance and he was having a much easier time of it when we ended, so it seems like progress! We also worked more on "stand" or ground tying, and he's getting better at that as well.  Apparently we have some cold and rainy days coming up, so probably no riding or lunging for a few, but I need to work on his feet a bit next time I go there.


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## tinyliny

wow! that's much colder than I realized. Here we rarely get temps in the teens, and never in the single digits, only up in the mountains. It's just wet AND cold, so it FEELS bonechilling.


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## NavigatorsMom

Yes, the weather here really varies a lot. The super low temps would mainly be evenings and overnight, and only in the worst parts of winter, but days will be in the mid 30s on average, probably. Won't really know until it happens.

I'm hesitant to clip him, because I know that will open up a whole thing of needing to blanket, which means many more trips out to make sure the blanket is on/not ruined/etc. But I definitely want to work him this winter, and I need him to be comfortable. :/


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a ride tonight! First time in a while. 

We decided to ride out in the field, and Nav was pretty frisky. The weather was great, except for wind, so it was expected. We mostly just did a lot of walk halt and trot walk transitions, and then I really pushed him into a forward trot. He tried to really run around with his head up and unbalanced at first, but I just pushed him into it and eventually he started to slow himself, lift his back, put his head down, and push from behind! I was quite happy with that, so we ended on it. 

Also had a nice view tonight.


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## NavigatorsMom

Pretty nice ride today. We did trot sets, trying to stay fit (for both of us). I know my legs will be hurting tomorrow though, it's just been so long since I've done any serious riding. Today felt good for both of us though. I really need to remember to do a good warm up on him so we can do some good work. After working in the arena we went on a trail, which was great until Nav heard some cows mooing and got super tense for the rest of the ride. I was able to settle him and we ended on a good note though. 

I just need to make myself go more frequently. I think I've been in a bit of a slump, and the colder weather and how dark it gets earlier doesn't help!


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## NavigatorsMom

Long time without an update.

Before the horse updates though, I want to do a life update - my boyfriend and I got engaged! We've been together just about seven years and finally decided to do it.  Super excited to start this next step of our relationship and lives together! 

Nav and his pasture-mates have been moved to a different field, as the one they had been in has been sold. They had a ceremonial ground-breaking the other day, so horses moved, but they won't officially start building until January. Still sad that we keep losing land...

It was cool tonight and after a long day of substitute teaching I just needed a short ride to clear my head and relax. Nav was close to the fence so I was able to grab him right away and tack up pretty quickly. We then just did a trail ride, with a little bit of time spent working on trot in a clearing. Overall it was a super easy ride though. And I realized just how "bomb-proof" and chill Nav really is, when we got back to the field and I started to untack him, I noticed that he had a pretty long and branchy piece of tree stuck in his tail - he had picked it up somewhere on the trail and dragged it along behind us for the rest of the ride, and didn't even act bothered at all! 









I also tried out a tracking app while I rode. I usually use "Map my Tracks" to just keep track of how far we ride, but I downloaded a horse specific one called "Equilab" which tracks distance, but also is able to keep track of how long you ride at walk, trot and canter, and also approximates average stride length and beats per minute of each gait. I don't know how accurate all of it is, but it seems pretty fun and different than the other app, so I may start to use it more.

And finally, a cute picture of Nav modeling his new cooler. We likely won't need to use it much, so I didn't get anything super expensive, but it seems like a nice quality and should suffice for the weather we have. It seems like winter will never come, we've been in the mid-60s lately! But surely it will eventually.


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## Rainaisabelle

You know how happy I am for you guys! Especially since we started planning almost at the same time!!! I wish I could be there for it and you could be here for mine!

I like the idea of the app, I might find something like that for Roy and I when we move to the new place and we can compare lengths !


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## NavigatorsMom

I know, I wish I could be there for yours too and have you here for ours! But, we will just have to facebook stalk all of the pictures and pinterest together 

Today was a little ride. It was pretty hot today, near 70, so very unseasonable, and Nav was feeling a little lethargic. I took his temperature and it was normal, but we decided to take it easy anyway and just did a little walk only trail ride. He was good, and seemed to perk up quite a bit as we went, so that was good! He got moved back to his old pasture after our ride, since they won't start work on it until January. It is really nice of the company who bought it to let us continue to use the field, and they really have been very good at communicating with us. It's sad that we're losing the field but it's going about as smoothly and nicely as it could happen I suppose. 

Hoping to ride again tomorrow, but I have to do a lot of house cleaning too... so we shall see. I'll at least be out to check on him and give him his biotin.


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## NavigatorsMom

Hmm, I can't get my last page to show? Weird...

Anyway, I rode on Monday and we worked in the arena over poles. Nav did alright, but he was really rushy and looky. I think he was a bit excited since the weather was pretty nice. There was also someone working quite loudly in the shed nearby the arena, so he was pretty distracted by that. 

We didn't ride long, I lunged him first to warm him up, and then I just hopped on for maybe fifteen minutes. I was tight on time because it was my busy day. I had four poles set up on a large circle, so that it was divided into quarters, and we worked on our trot. I was hoping that it would help him lift himself more, which he does well with on poles in a line, but on a circle. We had some good moments and some ok ones. I didn't canter him this time as he just didn't feel ready and I knew it could become a fight.

I just wish I could go and ride more consistently, I feel like that would help us a lot. Lately I've been able to get about twice during weekdays and once on the weekend, and that doesn't seem like enough for a good working schedule like I was hoping to have with him this winter. :/


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## NavigatorsMom

Again no updates, though I'm planning to ride tomorrow, but I thought I would share this as it's pretty funny to me! 

I was going through my pictures of Nav (since that's something I like to do from time to time because I'm obsessed with my horse, obviously, hehe) and came across one of probably the first or second time I rode Nav, way back in 2010. He was just about 5, and just so scrawny and baby-looking! I compared this picture to one from our last show and there is such a difference. Of course, because he is actually a mature horse now, but it's still just funny to see such a drastic difference side by side like that.

















And just for even more comparison/cuteness, BABY NAV:
















I feel like I've shared most of these before... but I think it was back on the time when I was using photobucket, so all of them are gone from my journal. So why not share them again?  Fingers crossed I will have an actual riding update tomorrow!


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## NavigatorsMom

Finally a bit of an update and a video for once!

I last rode on Saturday, the time prior being Monday, so he had had a long break. Unfortunately that's becoming standard, but hoping to change that! I considered lunging him first but figured if we did a good warm up undersaddle it would be more worth my time to just ride. The weather was really nice, in the mid-50s and sunny, so I actually went without my warm sweatshirt and rode just in a tshirt! It was a bit windy but otherwise very nice.

We rode in the arena, and started off with a long warm up at the walk, with lots of serpentines to get him loose and then some turns on the haunches/forehand. He was a little stiff and sticky at those so it's something we'll definitely spend more time on, we're really out of practice. After that we did the snowman circle exercise to work on bending (I'll need to look back at my lesson notes and review what else that one is good for) at the walk and at the trot. I ended the ride with more trot, and some curved trot poles. He was a little confused about the curved trot poles, and didn't want to bend on them at first, but he eventually figured it out! I think they weren't spaced very well so he did struggle with that a bit. You will see in the video. We ended with little canter both ways, just to see how it was as we haven't done much canter work lately. Left was a bit nicer than right. The video is the last 10 or so minutes of our ride.






I'm pretty happy with the ride overall. It wasn't perfect, but Nav worked pretty nicely for the most part. I was also trying to focus a lot on my posture. I can feel my right side collapse when we go to the right, and at the walk I am able to really stretch myself, but it's a lot harder at the trot and canter so I feel like I'm contorting to keep from collapsing. I really tried to keep my shoulders up and back instead of getting into my normal lean forward that I do to compensate for my height, and I think I was somewhat successful. You can see that I slip back into my habitual lean quite a bit though. 

Now, I am pretty frustrated with how little I've been able to ride lately, so in order to keep Nav at least somewhat fit, I'm hoping to lunge him more frequently, since that's something I can fit in when I have less time. I didn't have a chance to ride today, as usual on Mondays, but instead I'll be hurrying out there after my flute lesson to lunge him before it gets completely dark.


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## tinyliny

you've done a beautiful job bringing out his full potential. and I love watching you ride, you sit so quiet and regal. Me? I wish . .


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## NavigatorsMom

Tiny, thank you so much! I have been reflecting on the year lately and even with our many ups and downs I feel happy with how he's come along this year. We are so much better off than we were this time last year, when he was coming off of the months of white-line recovery, and I know we are in a good place for going into the new year. As a couple of amateurs without enough money to take lessons or show regularly, I feel like we accomplished a good amount this year and I'm happy with my big, drafty partner. 

Our last ride of the year was Wednesday, a very chilly 25 degrees (with wind, yuck!) but Nav did phenomenally. We warmed up by taking a short trail, just to get him moving and warm up his muscles. It was super cold but he wasn't really squirrely or anything, he seemed ready to work. After the trail ride, I took him to the arena to do some trot work. There was a new horse in a paddock behind the barn who was a little worked up and kept running along his fenceline. Nav could kind of see him from the arena but still focused on me and we had some very nice trot and trot-halt transitions. We only did a tiny bit of canter but it was mostly balanced and not rushy at all. It really was just a good ride and I'm so happy we ended the year with it. 

I put this together today - a little collage of ear pictures, one from each month of the year! The first and final (Jan and Dec.) are my first and final rides of the year.


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## tinyliny

that 'quilt' of photos would be really cool, printed fairly large, and framed.


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny I've considered printing it but we have no more room for wall decor! 

We had our first ride of 2018 today and it went very well! 

We started with a nice warm up walking out in a pasture, which seems to be a good way to warm Nav up while keeping him interested, with all of the varied terrain and views. Plus we get a little bit of hill work in at the same time 

Then we went up to the arena and did our work out. Mostly did trot work, lots of transitions to get him moving and then a little canter work. Nothing too hard, since I haven't ridden in over a week (since the 27th or so) but I'm very happy with how our first ride of the year went. He had some really nice moments in trot and canter, and compared to our first ride of 2017 I feel like we have definitely improved over the past year (at least a bit).

Video from our last bit of canter, cuts are just the parts where we were off screen.


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## NavigatorsMom

I haven't been keeping track of the days I ride very well! 

I went out two days ago for a ride in some amazing 50 degree weather. Yesterday we started out at 53 in the morning and gradually got colder until we were at 20-ish with sleet and flurries by 5 pm! 

Anyway, on Monday I went out and worked on Nav's back feet, and after riding on Wednesday I did his fronts. I have to say I am so pleased with how his feet are looking! I am embarrassed to admit that he hadn't been trimmed in probably close to two months (with just small rasp touch ups in between) but I feel like I must have been doing a decent job because he was wearing pretty evenly and had almost no stretching in the white line or thrushy bits. He flares out a bit on his fronts, so that will be something to work on for this year. I know it will take a long time to correct and may be somewhat due to conformation, but it is something that can be improved. 

Our ride on Wednesday was very nice. I worked him in the arena, lots of good warm up with leg yielding and shoulder-in work, as well as some turns on the forehand/haunches. We need to work on haunches in but it's hard! We did a lot of trot, focusing on forward and as round as we could be, as well as some leg yield at trot. Canter work was a bit rough today, he wanted to run more than he should have, but we did a lot of transitions from trot to canter and back and that helped. I really had to remind myself to slow him with my seat and core - a bad habit of mine is to rely on my hands to slow him down from a fast canter. I'm good and using my seat/legs/core to slow him at the walk and trot (we can halt without any rein at the walk, sometimes!) but at the canter, especially if he gets speedy I go into defensive mode and will try to slow him off of the reins as a first resort. I am trying to be more aware of it and use my seat first but it will take practice. Anyway, as we went with our transitions I used my seat more and we became more balanced and had nicer transitions - probably because we weren't in a pulling contest with each other! 

I heard from the dressage group that our first show of the year is April 22 (I believe, it's that weekend at least), so I think we will start practicing the training level tests every now and then. I'd like to take him to more than one show this year, and also attend at least one clinic. A bigger and more ambitious goal is to move up to first level but without lessons I don't know how feasible that will be. Lessons at least once a month would be nice (how many times have I said that here??) but I'm not sure if that will happen either.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well between being busy, being sick, and having weather in the teens, I haven't had a good opportunity to ride in over a week! But I finally made it out today.

I decided to take it easy. I've been sick for the last two or three days and also subbed a 3rd grade class today - so I was pretty tired and worn down, but weather was back into the low 50s and I had time this afternoon so I had to make myself go! Not that I haven't seen Nav in the last week, I've been out to give him his supplement, but I haven't been able to ride in what feels like so long! 

Anyway, like I said, I wanted to keep it easy, so we did a nice long groom, and then I tacked up and we just went on a little trail ride down our bike path and around past some of the other fields. Nav got super antsy as we passed by the fields, he was definitely looking around for the others who are out there, but he settled down for a bit after that, until we got near the cow field. Of course.

But he passed by that relatively calmly, I had him thinking about shoulder ins to keep him distracted and it seemed to help. After we got back to the field and dismounted, I did a little groundwork with him, just working on moving his shoulders over. He has a hard time pivoting on his hind end. When I asked him to step over in front he also ended up backing up a step or shifting his hind end too. It's something to work on. 

Hoping to ride some more this weekend as we're supposed to have some more nice weather.


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## NavigatorsMom

I did get to ride this weekend, though it was just a little short. My sister came to the barn with me so I was able to get some video, I'll post it in a bit since it has to upload. 

Overall it was a decent ride. I want to get better at having Nav round up. I don't think he's forward enough, for the most part, and that's why it's hard. We've also been working on stretching forward and down/long and low, kind of, and we did have some nice moments of that. I have a picture, but it is in the video too:









Anyway, not a big update. The ride was pretty short as I didn't want my sister to have to wait around the barn for too long (though she did enjoy playing with the dog, and I think he was happy to get some attention!). I hope to go out more this week. I got a new schedule at work which will allow me some more open afternoons, so that should work out. 

And here's a cute one of the child himself


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## PoptartShop

Hope you are feeling better. Between the weather & being sick, I'm sure it's hard to get out to the barn. :sad: I can count on my fingers, MAYBE almost 2 hands how many times I've ridden so far this winter. Ugh! Can't wait for spring myself.
Glad you have had some good rides though. Even if it's a short ride, it's something.
Have to enjoy the nice weather when we get it, that's for sure. You guys look so good!
Aww, and he is such a goober! So cute.


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## ChasingDreams

You guys look great! Some riding is better than no riding, always. My rides are often short, time is a precious thing, but I appreciate them and try to make them count 

And that last picture is priceless [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop yes, winter is just awful for riding! Probably a lot worse for you in Maryland though, I bet you get tons of snow and much colder than here!

@ChasingDreams exactly, a short ride is better than not going at all! That's how I try to think of it, though it gets discouraging when I feel like I'm not progressing 

I didn't ride today (might be out later, if lucky) but here are two short clips from the ride from the other day. Not edited so you can see exactly how it went. I think I'm too much of a perfectionist, always looking at what was wrong instead of realizing that there are lots of good moments too.


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## NavigatorsMom

So I've been doing a pretty good job of getting out every other day to ride since my last post, but unfortunately today will break the pattern as I have adulty things I have to do this morning, then work, then after that it will be dark.  I will be stopping by to give Nav his supplement at some at least!

I do have a clip from one of the more recent rides (maybe Friday?) so I'll share that here. He goes around with his head up quite a lot at the trot in this, which is frustrating as we did have a good warm up and lunge session before this. 






I'm so busy with life at the moment - wedding planning is in full swing! And, some big news, my fiance was offered an amazing job and he took it, but we will have to move to Dallas... :O This will be a huge change for us, to be on our own in a new city, just married. We will actually probably have to make the move before the wedding, sometime in June. Nav won't be coming down until later in July or mabye even August. I am so sad about leaving my home barn. It truly is home to me. I just barely started looking at barns in the Dallas area and there are so many and they are SO expensive! I don't know if anyone who follows my journal is from Dallas, but if you have suggestions or places to avoid I definitely could use some insider advice!  I do think it might be nice to be at a somewhat bigger barn with more people. A barn with Pony Club kids might be fun as well. 

Anyway, some big changes coming up! I'm excited though.


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## PoptartShop

Hmm, does he do that a lot at the trot?
Aw! Wedding planning sounds like fun! 
Oh wow, that is lovely he got a great job offer. Moving to Dallas will be new & interesting, but nonetheless exciting.  Change can be good! You will get to embark on the new journey together. Oh definitely, it will be hard to leave your barn, but I hope someone can guide you in the right direction for a good one in Dallas that won't break the bank. :O Plus, meeting new people/horses will be fun too. Nav will make some new friends. It's good to have a change of scenery.


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop he does it from time to time. I've been working to get him more balanced and moving from behind but head up and looking around is what he prefers, it seems. :/ I will be really looking at his feet tonight. I feel like he's just a little off overall in that video so I want to see if he's maybe got an abscess or something, though I'm not sure since his feet have been looking decent lately. 

Who knows, maybe we'll have a much better ride today!

The wedding planning is fun but super stressful! We're visiting with a photographer tomorrow, and still need to make some decisions about food, but I've got my dress, we have a venue and date, so it's coming along. I also agree about moving, I think the change of scenery will be good for us. Nav especially, he hasn't seen anything or been anywhere in his life, other than a couple of shows and one year living at a different, but still small barn, so I think the experience of moving will benefit him.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out this afternoon and had a nice time with Nav.

I lunged him to start and didn't see any obvious offness. He was a bit pokey and I really had to get after him to go forward but once he started moving forward he seemed totally fine. We did some work with side reins and I had some really nice moments from him, really working into the bridle, lifting and using his back. It was a pretty heavy work out though, so we took it pretty easy when I got on to ride.

Our ride was decent. He didn't seem to be holding his head up and looking around as much as he did on the Friday ride. I'm wondering if I just didn't get him focused and working enough on Friday? Anyway, today was a pretty good ride, he was bending pretty nicely and stretching forward. We had some good canter transitions and I was able to slow him off of my seat more than my hands, which was good! We did a bit more canter than normal, and I think that is good. I need to work it into our rides more. Wish I could have gotten some video today, just to compare to the Friday ride, but I'll just have to try again another time.

We ended with a short trail ride to cool off, and then I worked on his front feet. They weren't too overgrown, he seems to be self-trimming decently, but I did a little bit of a touch up and will take another look in a couple of weeks. He has some flaring that I am working on, but very minimal separation of the white line. His frogs were a bit thrushy though, so I trimmed it up a little and treated it with thrushbuster. Hopefully that will help!


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## NavigatorsMom

Small update. Went out today to help hold horses for teeth floating. Nav did excellent, he was actually one of the only ones who didn't need extra sedative and didn't move around during the procedure  Weather is pretty nice but decided not to ride and give him a day to rest, plus I had to get ready for work later.

Got these pretty pictures when I got there early this morning, around 8:30. I just love the sun coming through and the shadows, and that both horses were looking.  Also really like the fog in the second one - shows how cold it was!


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode on Friday and just felt ok about it. It was super nice weather, in the mid/upper 50s, but Nav was just super lazy. It was so hard to get him going forward. 

I rode with spurs but I don't feel comfortable using them so it was kind of pointless. I also feel awful bc when looking at the video I can see that I poked him here and there unintentionally.  I thought my leg was steadier than that... anyway, forward was a struggle, and he just looks kind of off to me throughout? I really think I need to actually bring a chiro out and have him worked on, money is just so tight at the moment. Blah. We do have some nice canter - it both felt very nice while riding and looks nice in the video - around 4:11 so that's a positive. I feel like this ride was a bit nicer than the last one I posted.


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## NavigatorsMom

It was in the mid 50s/low 60s today so I made it out to the barn to ride! I had to go a bit later than expected, but still had plenty of time before it got too dark. 

We tacked up and he seemed a bit lazy so I decided to take him out on a trail and to ride in a field. He perked up quite a bit once we got out there and was actually quite fresh while we warmed up! He really wanted to go fast, so I just gave him more leg, tried to take up a good contact and push him forward, and it really seemed to work. I got some nice moments out of him, though he did get concerned here and there about some cows that he could kind of see from a distance, but I think it will be good to work him in that field more frequently so he can learn to deal with distractions and scary things. 

I tried putting his bit down one hole tonight, I've heard that that can sometimes help a horse reach for the bit and carry it more, but I'm not certain how much it did for Nav and I. Like I said, we did have some really good moments, especially in spite of the distractions, but I'm just not sure. It felt pretty loose. However, he was definitely working it, as he had some white foam on his lips by the end, which was pretty cool! But I'm not sure, he did get a little heavy near the end of our ride, but I feel like that was partly due to him getting tired, since we haven't worked hard in a while.


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## NavigatorsMom

Nothing big to update except to say I am sooo over the weather around here! My last ride (Wednesday) it was in the mid 60s and beautiful! Thursday it was in the 70s but I had a double shift at work and didn't get to ride... and the last two we are back in the low 40s and rainy!  I got a peek at the nice spring weather and now I want more! Blah!

Anyway, I was able to go out today and ride, it was just in the 50s and cloudy. I was not feeling great, so decided to just do a little bareback flatwork after lunging. It was a little muddy, and Nav slipped a couple times at canter so we kept it easy and I didn't canter him on the lunge with the side reins. He did pretty well though once he got working at the trot. He really worked into the side reins for the most part, had a couple times when he tried to look outside the circle but I was mostly able to refocus him.

After that I hopped on bareback for a bit to do some flatwork. We did a lot of trot, just really trying to get him to work from behind and he did alright, every now and then really going for me. Canter was really nice though! Not rushy at all, just like a nice rocking canter. So we did that for a good 10 minutes, and then I decided to get off and prop up my phone to get some video. We went around a bit more, trot and canter both directions, just so I could get some footage to evaluate and share here, and it felt so good! I mean, there were some bad moments of looking around and acting nervous about one side of the arena (that we had already passed by multiple times), but overall it was pretty nice and I was excited to look at it. Well, no luck because for some reason nothing recorded!  I'm not sure what the deal was, but it was disappointing. 

We ended on that note though, as he had done pretty nicely for me, and I got a few cute pictures of him. I've been using an app that has horse sound effects to perk up your horse when you take a picture, and it works pretty well on Nav!  I think his face looks so sweet in these.


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## PoptartShop

The weather really sucks here too!  Feels like I haven't been able to ride in forever.
Aw I'm glad you had a nice ride. Bareback is always fun! He is so cute. Glad he did well for you & you had the canter was smooth and not rushy!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop yeah, it's awful! Luckily I went to ride yesterday because we're forecast to have heavy rain the next three days!  Bareback is fun, I think I want to incorporate it in more frequently since it's great for balance. Apparently works my core much more than I realized too, because I can feel it in my abs today! :biglaugh:


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## NavigatorsMom

I was finally able to go out to the barn and ride today, after a week straight of rain! Of course, it was super muddy so we took it really easy, and mostly rode on the higher side of the arena so it wasn't as mucky. 

Started out on a trail/rode in an open field to warm up and just walk and stretch and get back into the routine of riding. He was a little looky but overall good. But when we got into the arena things were just meh. We had a hard time with forward again, he was just a little pokey. And he definitely felt a bit off. Something isn't quite right but I can't place what it is.  I am in the process of actually finding a chiro to come out and adjust him - decided to put some money toward that and I've been able to get some extra shifts lately so I should be able to afford it. Anyway, I have a few names to look into so I'm working on that. I think it would also be good to have a professional farrier look at him soon. I think I've been doing a decent job with him, but just getting another opinion would probably be good. 

I have a little video of today, I'll post it in a bit so hopefully I can get some opinions.


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## NavigatorsMom

Here are the clips from the end of our ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, I wasn't planning to ride today since my Mondays are usually way too busy, but my flute lesson had to cancel so I had a window to go to the barn! I was excited too, since it's a really nice day as far as weather - low 60s and sunny. 

After yesterday's blah ride and since I didn't have a ton of time today, I decided to just take it easy and do a little trail. It was just what we needed! Nav was, of course, super piggy with dried on mud when I got there, so it took a little longer to groom than I planned but we still had plenty of daylight and time to ride once I tacked up. We immediately got on the trail, no arena time at all. Nav was a bit more energetic than yesterday, as he tends to be on trails.

We had to pass by the cow field he is afraid of and of course the cow was near the fence! But he was pretty good about it. He tensed quite a bit and did a little llama necking, but I was able to get him to focus somewhat on me and do a shoulder in away from the cows. It was not pretty but his ears were on me so he was listening a little at least! After that he was super tense for a bit and very looky with his head high. I tried to get him thinking about me by asking for shoulder ins and leg yields and trying to engage his hind legs more, and it kind of worked. I was able to keep him more focused on me as we passed another horse field so that was progress!

We ended our ride on the bike path and I trotted him on it just a bit to see if we could feel any lameness. I felt nothing though, so I'm confused. Maybe our ride yesterday was just an off ride. But I still plan on finding a chiro to come take a look. After investigating yesterday I found that the ones that were recommended are all 2+ hours from us, so getting one to come to work on just a single horse might be difficult. 

One other thing we worked on today was his nosing. I know, it's totally my fault that he noses for treats, so I decided we need to work on fixing it. I had him stand next to me and I held a treat in my hand. At first he nosed around my arm and hand looking for it, but I completely ignored him. As soon as he turned his head away I said "good boy" and gave him the treat. We tried it a couple more times and by the last time he barely nosed me before looking away and getting his reward. Smart horse! We'll have to keep working on it, and I may invest in a clicker too to use along with it.


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## NavigatorsMom

Finally updating again, though I'm sad to say I've only ridden once since my last post!  A combination of being sick, a TON of rain and just being busy. 

Nav and his sister have been moved to another field, as the one they were in was sold and construction has started on it. Sad to see it being developed, it's been a staple of the farm since I started riding there. 

Anyway, it was last Thursday, a beautiful day in the mid 60s and just a little breezy. I tacked Nav up, and decided to do a trail with him. We did a super long trail to get him warmed up and get him focused. He was a little looky at first and wanted to trot but he settled eventually and we had such a nice trail ride.  Had some nice moments of lift and worked on leg yields on the bike path, which he was super responsive to. And no signs of lameness, which had been a little bit of a concern in my last few posts. 










We worked in the arena for a good 20-30 minutes after that. I warmed him up a little more and then we did trot and canter sets to work on fitness. Wow, I am out of shape! We did 5 minutes of trot with a 2 minute walk break, twice, then a couple more minutes of rest before doing a 2 minute of trot with 2 minutes of walk in between, twice as well. Nav did very well and didn't get too heavy at the canter, though it was a lot more than we usually do at a time. Lots of figures at each gait as well, not just looping around the arena mindlessly. We will gradually build it up to longer sets, but this was a good start. True story, I tried sitting the trot for one set and could not do it, my core is too weak! So that's something I can definitely work toward. 

After that we took the long way back to his pasture so he could cool out. What a good horse he is though! He did very well and I'm so happy. 

The next day we went to the vet for spring shots and coggins. I asked about Nav's weight and the vet said he's definitely heavy and that I'll need to keep a close eye on him as the grass comes in. He'll probably need to be dry lotted for his health, which will be a bit of a hassle but we'll figure something out. He was super well behaved for the vet though. It's always a bit of a shock to go somewhere like that and see how poorly some owners let their horses behave, and just reminds me how lucky I am to have such a nicely mannered horse.


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## NavigatorsMom

*Medical Update :/*

So, went out yesterday and discovered a cut/slice on Nav's right hind, on his frog and heel area. He was definitely sore on it but didn't have any limping. However, a cut like that needs to be taken care of...

I brought him out of his field and washed the mud off of his foot first. Then we soaked it in a mixture of water, hydrogen peroxide and epsom salt for about 30 minutes, while also sort of massaging his leg and hoof. Nav LOVED it. He was super relaxed and didn't try to move his foot at all. Funny story though, as we were preparing the supplies to wrap up his foot, he swapped his feet in the bucket! We turned around and were so surprised to see his non-injured foot in the bucket. I guess he was just really enjoying the foot bath and decided he wanted his other foot to get cleaned up and have a spa day. Such a special horse. My mentor was there helping me and she mentioned that in all her years she has never seen a horse choose to step into a bucket like that. 

Soaking the sad foot.









And giving a little leg massage after he decided to soak the healthy foot!









Anyway, after that we wrapped him up with sugar and betadine on the cut to draw out anything, and then covered him with a diaper, vetwrap and duct tape. I had hoped to leave him out in his field but it's just too muddy in some areas and we want to keep him clean and dry, so he'll be in the barn for a while. I am thankful he doesn't seem lame. Hopefully this will heal quickly and we can do some more rides since we've got nice weather coming our way!

Selfie Time!









We also have a farrier coming in to work on some of the horses this week, so I'm having Nav looked at and worked on, just to make sure what I've been doing is good and to get a fresh set of eyes on him.


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## tinyliny

cute. your love of him is palpable.

sugar and betadine? I've nver heard of using that to 'draw' . you mean draw out fluid? why not just put some powdered epsom salts on the diaper before taping it on? I have little experience in 'vet' care, so am asking out of geniune desire to learn.


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## Tihannah

I get so behind on everyone's journals! I so wish I could sit as tall and straight as you in the saddle! My hunched shoulders and leaning forward will be the death of me! lol. Congratulations on the move to Dallas! I've never lived there, but have always heard it's a great place to be as far as opportunity and the job market. I wish I knew horse people in the area, but everyone I know out that way is closer to Houston. I, too, am always shocked when I look at the cost of boarding in other places. It's part of the reason I haven't moved! My company is based in Las Vegas and I would have great opportunities out there, but I called a dressage barn and board was $1200 a month plus a mandatory $350 per month groom fee! Yes, they want you to pay an extra $350 a month towards someone that grooms and tacks your horse up for you to ride! I thought that was nuts. I enjoy grooming and tacking up my own horse! 

That was absolutely adorable how he switch feet in the soaking solution! Lol. He must've really enjoyed it.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you Tiny  The sugar and betadine is something my mentor learned long ago, kind of an old home remedy type of thing. I just did a little research about it, apparently it's been used as an antiseptic and wound healer for both humans and animals. From *one site I read* 


> The sugar draws lymph into the wound, nourishing regenerating tissues and preventing bacteria growth. Swelling is reduced, white cells that help clean and debride the wound are attracted and nourished, and a protective layer of protein is formed over the wound. Sugar also deodorizes necrotic wounds.


Pretty interesting to read about, as I hadn't really looked into it before, I just trusted my mentor's knowledge. But it definitely does good, I checked Nav last night and the bandage had absorbed a lot of yucky fluid, and the cut was clean, with no inflammation and not sore to my touch! Still decided to rewrap and keep him stalled for a couple more days until the farrier comes out (tomorrow!) but it's looking much better. 

@Tihannah thank you! I always have a hard time keeping up with others' journals too so I get it, haha! Yeah, Dallas is going to be a big change but I'm excited. Just have to find out where my fiance's job will be and then I can start looking for stables nearby. My only big priority is to be able to keep Nav in a pasture 24/7. A covered arena for not so nice weather would be good too though!  But yeah, so many places are so expensive and I can't imagine having to pay extra just to have my horse groomed either!


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## tinyliny

well, it makes sense in that food that is super infused with sugar, like jam, won't spoil easily. honey NEVER spoils.


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## NavigatorsMom

Yeah, that does make sense! Honey is another one that I've used before to help with healing, it worked wonders on a case of wld Nav had a little over a year ago. 

Anyway, a bit of an update, apparently there was a miscommunication between the farrier and my mentor because he showed up at the barn this afternoon! I was at work so I was unable to attend and see what he thought of Nav's feet. And to make matters worse, the miscommunication went so far as he didn't realize there would be four horses. So Nav didn't even get trimmed.  The farrier looked at his cut and declared it as a thrush issue, and said that we just need to keep it clean but that he doesn't need to be stalled or wrapped as long as we keep it clean. Well I feel like we kind of knew that already! Luckily since he didn't do anything except take a quick look at his foot so he didn't charge anything but still. I am pretty frustrated about it all. He only comes through the area around once a month so no chance for him to work on Nav any time soon. I'll just have to trim him tomorrow when I go out. Glad he's ok to at least get out of the barn.


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## NavigatorsMom

Nav is finally back out in his field, yay! No signs of lameness or soreness in the cut, so I put a bit of Koppertox on it and let him go. He was super happy to be back in the field and ran around like crazy at first. 

Before letting him out, I also trimmed his fronts a bit. He's got some flaring that I need to deal with so I'm learning more about how to take care of that. He had a bit of swelling on his sheath too. It probably had to do with his stocking up a bit from being in the stall for a while, but I also remembered that I didn't clean his sheath at all last summer (I typically do it once a summer) so went ahead and did that. He definitely needed it, it was one of the grosser times I've had cleaning him. 

Anyway, I didn't ride him since he had been stalled for 4 days and was very wound up - he was pawing while tied which is something he never does. Clearly stall life does not suit him at all! But yeah, I gave him a break and also didn't ride today just so he can have some time to be a horse. Will possibly go tomorrow, depending on weather.


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## NavigatorsMom

It's been a while since I've updated, but I've ridden about three times since my last post so here we go with a bit of a recap.

Last Sunday I tacked Nav up and we headed to the barn. Things were ok until we got near the cow field we have to pass. Nav has been pastured closer to the barn lately and only just moved back to the farther one, so we haven't seen the cows in a very long time. Before we were even close he spotted the cows and started panicking. Head up, fixated on the cows, prancing and snorting. Also a lot of trying to spin around and run back. As we got closer it just got worse. My mentor could see us from up the road at her driveway as she was working on her mailbox, so she came down to help us. She suggested we go closer to the cows so he could maybe see they are nothing to worry about. So she called the cows' owners and they were ok with us coming down their driveway. Now this started off ok, Nav was still very tense and high headed but he walked toward them with me leading. We stood in the driveway for a bit and things were ok until a couple calves started walking toward the fence - at this point Nav fully freaked out, he started pulling backward from me, running in circles when I didn't let him go, nearly running me over. I honestly thought he might rear. This was the first time I've really felt scared and nervous about the potential that Nav could hurt me. Eventually he settled, but every time the cows moved he started up again, though not as intense. Finally he was able to stand there, with his head lowered and even stopped fixating. That was the point we decided to take him back, since we ended on kind of a good note. 

I'm not sure we really accomplished anything. He is still nervous about going past the cow field (we did it the other day). I have no idea how to fix this problem. I really want him to get over this cow thing, because I know that it's unlikely that we'll ever be able to go anywhere where we will never see cows. I feel like I can't take him anywhere because of the off chance that there might be a cow there which would then cause him to totally panic. 


Anyway, the next day I came out to ride and instead of riding past the cows, I led him on the ground and didn't even mount up until we were past them. I also had a treat in my hand to distract him. He still looked toward the cows, but anytime I got him to look at me by wiggling the reins or talking to him, I'd reward him with a treat. It seemed to work, he was much calmer and not as worried about the cows, but that won't work undersaddle. Not sure how to translate it to that. He does much better when I'm on the ground with him. 

When we got to the arena we did trot and canter sets in the arena, and he did really well, he was a bit pokey but overall good. We ended on a trail ride and avoided the cows. 


I rode again today and completely avoided the cows by taking the trail both ways to ride in the arena. We did a lot of trot out in the trail on the way up and he was super relaxed and nice. When we got to the barn and arena, I decided to take him to the field behind the barn to do our trot sets out there. Before we could even start our trots Nav had another panic moment - over a hay bale. It was a half opened square bale sitting near the fence. He reacted the same way he reacted toward the cows! Head up, tense, snorting and he spun me twice. I edged him forward until he was close enough to touch it, and when he realized it was hay he just tried to eat it..... what is wrong with my horse??? I normally try to just walk him past things he's getting looky at without even acknowledging it, but in this case he refused to go by and then started trying to take off. How am I supposed to deal with this? Again, it's things like this that make me very nervous about taking him out places. 

Anyway, he was super nervous after that and just wanted to run around. Our trot sets were ok and he had some good moments but there were also a lot of moments where he tried to take off into a canter. I didn't let him do that though, I actually didn't let him canter at all in the field. After our trots I took him up to the arena and we did our canter sets there. He was still a little wound up and gave me some bucks when I asked for canter at first. But, after that he gave me the nicest, most lifted and beautiful canter I've ever had with him! It was just so effortless, I couldn't believe it. Our canter to the left was not as nice but still pretty good. He needs to develop strength but that will come with time. We ended by working on walk-canter transitions. I asked for the transition from walk and as soon as we got a couple nice strides of canter, halted (through trot). He did pretty nicely, considering we haven't done it some time. We got the wrong lead a couple times but corrected it.

He's such a complicated horse lately. I don't know why he's so scared of everything. I need to teach him to be more fearless and confident. I don't think I'm a nervous rider but maybe I'm telling him something subconsciously? Maybe some groundwork to develop confidence is in order. It's never a boring time with him, that's for sure.


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode again today, the weather was perfect! Nav was pretty great too. 

As I did before, I walked him past the cow pasture before mounting up, and I had treats for distraction but he was not as tense as last time and didn't need as much distraction. I even got him to stand relatively calmly - no snorting this time - though he did keep on looking toward the cow field. But he was easy to refocus on me. Hopefully this will be something we can overcome. I think part of the problem could be that there is a bull in with the cows, which is probably more of an aggressive scent/presence than just the cows. I do hope it's something we can cure. We also revisited the scary hay bale and had no reaction, so that was great! 

We worked in the arena and upped our trot set time to 7 minutes instead of 5 and he did well. He really loosened up and started working really nicely! His trot is coming along so well, I'm very happy! We only did two sets so 14 minutes total, with breaks in between. Our canter sets were not as good. I think part of the problem was that he was getting tired from the trot sets and it was quite a bit warmer than last time, but he got super heavy in my hands pretty quickly, which is something we haven't dealt with in a while. I think what I should do, instead of upping the amount of time on our sets of straight canter (with figures, of course, not just around the ring for 3 minutes) is to do short bursts of canter, just for a few strides or a circle at a time, and then back to trot before he gets heavy. And gradually build up the amount of time we canter as he gets stronger.  We did a couple walk to canter transitions at the end and he picked it up nicely but I could tell he was getting tired. I hosed him down to cool him off, walked him a bit and then gave him his supplement and let him go. It was a good ride and I'm glad I was able to go since we'll probably be getting rain for the next few days.


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## NavigatorsMom

*Finally an Update!*

It has been such a long time since I've had anything to update with! And if I'm honest I don't have any big updates now either....

I haven't ridden seriously in over two weeks at this point. During that time I've hopped on once for a little bareback hack. Most of the rest of the time we had almost constant rain, with breaks occasionally overnight or when I was at work.  So we're not in great shape at this point. Show season is starting but I won't be participating this time, I'm just too busy with work, wedding planning and getting ready to move. I went out today after work and just groomed him and gave him his supplement but it was just what I needed after a long day. Even without riding it was such a nice time. 

Hopefully I'll FINALLY get out to do a good ride in the next day or two, or this weekend at latest! 

One thing that did happen, on the one day we had nice weather my friend was in town to do some engagement pictures, and we got some with Nav! Here are a few favorites. 




































This one was the favorite. 









I was a bit disappointed because I forgot to bring his freshly cleaned bridle for the pictures so we were stuck with the red one, but they still turned out nice for some casual pictures.


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## tinyliny

i like this one the best;











I think the sign on the left says "Railways Ice", but, to me it reads:

"Always Nice".


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you Tiny, I love your observation about the sign. 

Well, I've had a couple real rides in the last few days, one on Thursday and one yesterday.

On Thursday I went out and was in such a great mood about riding. I was ready to do some good work and get back into it with Nav. The weather was amazing too, it was actually almost a bit hot (I think we hit about 70 that afternoon!). I decided to just ride Nav in the neighboring field, instead of going to the barn. He was a little excited at first but really settled into some good work. He was moving off of my legs well, even laterally which is sometimes more challenging, and stretching pretty nicely. And then we did some trot work and WOW! He was forward, he was reaching for the bit and stretching and carrying himself nicely along! The contact felt almost weightless, and he kept it all even around bends and changes of direction! I was so pleased, we ended up not riding too much past that, I wanted to end on a very good note. It was also a bit warm, and I didn't want to overdo when he was not conditioned for that yet. But it was so good! I couldn't help smiling throughout the trot work. 

Yesterday I went out rode in the arena, in order to get some video. The weather couldn't have been more different! Cold, cloudy, windy and the high was about 45. Nav was still in pretty good spirits about it all though and we had a nice long warm up on our trail ride to the barn. Again, got some really nice lateral steps out of him during this time. Once in the arena things were not quite as good as the previous ride. It wasn't bad, he was just not forward and I had a very hard time keeping him going. I think he is a bit dull to my leg as well, so that will be something to work on in the coming rides. But overall he was just a little pokey and slow throughout, though he got better at the end and still did some stretching for me. He is getting better about not going around with his head up and looking around all the time like he used to do. Our canter work was rough. I tried to sets again today, not remembering that I had planned on not doing sets any more for the time being until he gets stronger, so we had some pretty forehand heavy and hind end trailing canter, which was not fun to ride or pretty to look at. Maybe I'm a bit critical of myself, but it just did not feel good as I was riding it and the video definitely showed that. So next time I will do just a few strides of canter and then bring him back before it gets heavy. Still was a pretty good ride though and I'm happy with him! I will post the video once it finishes uploading.

In other news, Nav had his birthday on April 1st and he's now 13! A teenager, haha!


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## NavigatorsMom

Alright, here is the video. 

It's a bit long, but I've cut it down from the 30-ish minute ride that I filmed initially! If you want to skip around...

0.00 to 4.41 - initial trotting after warm ups at walk
4.42 to 7.21 - right lead canter
7.22 to 10.21 - left lead canter
10.22 to End - final trots with some stretching

Sorry about the loud wind at points, I tried to lower the volume a bit while editing and considered putting music over it but decided I preferred to hear the footfalls. 






So I think it's pretty easy to see that we were having a hard time with canter and like I said before it would probably be best to do short bursts of good quality canter instead of going for longer stretches of flat, on the forehand canter. I am pretty happy with his trot, even if it is a bit slow.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out today after work. The weather was just perfect so I couldn't pass it up even though I was tired and hungry, hah! 

We started out on a trail to warm up but he was pretty looky and tense. He settled a little on the bike path and we had a couple moments of nice lateral, though not as nice as last ride. 

In the arena he was very nervous about going up the driveway to it because there was a patch of new gravel. I got him to walk over it pretty easily, but then in the arena whenever we came by that corner he got super looky and bulged away and tried to run off from it. We spent a long time circling by that corner and really working on bending correctly and running away while staring at it. Eventually he got it, though he continued to try to speed up a hair in that corner. I really need to figure out how to get him less nervous about things that are new like that, it really shouldn't be a big issue.

Anyway, once we got going in our ride he did pretty well. He was a bit more forward than last ride, but pretty heavy throughout the ride. He was mostly good at trot, but at the canter even though we just did a few strides at a time he was almost immediately heavy. I tried to fix my position and sit up and back (I tend to lean) and encourage forward and good bend and he had a couple moments of somewhat lifted and light canter but it was not consistent. I also noticed that throughout the ride at trot and canter, when we travel to the left he is pretty heavy in the inside rein, almost like we're bent wrong though if that's the case it's a subtle bend. Not sure what that's about, but something to pay attention to more next time I ride. I don't think this is a new thing though, I think it's something I'm just noticing better.

So, the current plan is to read up on how to get a horse less spooky about random things/be braver in general, and how to become lighter in the bridle, especially at canter. 

Also, a nice picture of the trail tonight. Such a lovely day to ride!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a nice ride on Friday. We went in a different field that we haven't ridden in in a very long time. 

I tried Nav out in a single joint D-ring bit, just an experiment to see how he would go (it's a bit I got a long time ago and haven't used in years) and he really didn't like it. He seemed very stiff and resistant to bend and relax. I ended up swapping it out for his normal loose ring double jointed bit and he was much happier and ready to work! 

We did a lot of trot to warm up and he was ok, a little bit rushy and looky but I expected that being in the new field. Near the fenceline where he could see his buddies he was calmer. I think we got about 20 minutes of warm up at walk and trot before I tried canter and he was ok. I got that on video and will upload it soon. 

He was a little stiff about bending left which hasn't been a problem in a long time so that was unusual, but he worked out of it. I wonder if he was just a little off from something. 

Anyway, it was a good ride, and we ended after a nice canter to trot transition even though I had planned on riding longer. I didn't want to push it and get frustrated so we ended on a good note.  Video to come soon!


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## NavigatorsMom

Video of our most recent ride.

You can see that he's a little stiff and resistant at first but eventually settles and does some nice trot and canter work. I feel better about the canter here than in the last video I shared. Short bursts is definitely better than long stretches for now! 

It's a little long, we start cantering about halfway through. And again, sorry about the loud wind and cars driving by.


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## NavigatorsMom

Short update: Had a nice ride yesterday. It was a little cloudy but low 70s so pretty nice for being outside. 

We worked a lot on canter, and it felt really productive. Lots of trot to canter and back transitions, working on getting nice transitions both ways. He was doing a nice job of carrying himself and being pretty light most of the time which is encouraging! We still just did little bursts of canter, but he's getting stronger. I then had him do some walk to canter transitions. We haven't worked on that in a few rides, but he really remembered it pretty well!

Stretching near the end of the ride:









He did start to anticipate the walk to canter transition after doing just one. He gets REALLY infront of my leg to the point that if I have contact and let my calf touch him at all he breaks to trot. This is my doing, of course, by letting him walk on a loose rein most of the time and mostly picking up contact to ask for trot. But I don't want him jigging when I do ask him to walk with contact. Anyway, it took a lot of work to just get him to walk nicely in between walk to canter, but we got it eventually. It is a work in progress.

Things to work on in upcoming rides will be walking with a contact and not getting jiggy, more canter work, and reintroducing raised trot poles (that was a great exercise for him and it's been a long time since we've done it).

Other exciting news is that a baby was just born at the farm! He's very sweet, and it's quite fun to be able to see and visit a foal as I'm not often around them.  He's just 24 hours old in these pictures - he'll be a big guy!


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## NavigatorsMom

We've had a couple nice rides lately.

I rode him in the big field this afternoon and he was a little spicy. He really wanted to take off into a canter when I asked him to do a good forward trot with bend, so we had to deal with that. But he settled eventually and we did some good trot work. We also did a little bit with walk to canter and he did well, nice and calm canter. 

The main thing we worked on, after a long warm up, was walking with a pretty short rein but without trying to break to trot. He got it, for the most part, but was a bit jiggy at moments, but really settled into so nice and fairly round walk, with what felt like a good hind leg reach. Thankfully very little giraffe-neck, which he'll sometimes do. Would have been nice to video but no luck! 

Recently I've noticed that since I've been doing longer rides, the outsides of my feet/ball has been feeling really sore and almost numb/tingly after. I tried lengthening my stirrups by a hole and the problem seems to have stopped, BUT now I feel like the stirrups are almost too long and I'm having a hard time feeling like my leg is secure. :/ However the problem with my feet has stopped, so I guess I'll just have to work through it.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, things have been really busy here. Fiance graduates this Saturday with his PhD, we're deep into wedding planning, and last week we traveled down to Texas to find a place to live. We'll be moving at the end of May, but then coming back up here for the wedding in July. I can't wait until August when things will finally settle down!

I had about a week off from riding, but went out yesterday. It was in the mid-80s so it was a little hotter than what Nav and I are used to - probably the hottest ride of the year so far. We'll just have to get used to it, as it's just going to get hotter, even more in Texas! 

Anyway, we did a long warm up/trail, lots of stretching and lots of lateral. Nav did pretty well, though he was a little looky. Anyway, after the long warm up we just did a short working ride in the arena. It was mid day and we had no shade so just wanted to take it kind of easy on a pretty warm day. We did some trot but he was pokey. It was hard to keep him going, and I was nagging him with my legs a bit. Bad habit, I really need to work on it! I think riding in the field where he is more forward might help. We did some canter and he was ok, not too heavy but not super light either. It will take some time.

We ended by walking past the scary cow field and he was not scared. Of course, the cows weren't out, not even very far away, so he didn't have anything to be scared about, but still progress!

One of my current projects is investigating stables in the North Dallas area to board Nav. I'm nervous about finding something nice enough but that also has 24/7 pasture board. It seems like a challenge so far.


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## tinyliny

Remind me why you are moving to Dallas area?


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## NavigatorsMom

My fiance's job is taking us there. It's a great opportunity for him, but it will be a big change!


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out yesterday to ride with the intention of getting back into our raised trot pole exercises. We used to do them a lot and it seemed to really help Nav lift himself and move nicely, but we haven't done them in some time. It was pretty hot (record high for the day, about 87!) so I didn't plan on doing a long ride or much canter work. 

So I got there, went to the arena first to set up the poles which took about twenty minutes, then headed down to get Nav. While grooming him, I picked off at least 50 ticks :shock: so that took a while. I need to invest in some equispot or something similar, just haven't had a good opportunity to get to the co-op. And then while picking his hooves I realized that I really needed to work on them. He is behind schedule on trims, especially on the back feet, so I decided to work on all four of them. Quite a hassle as it was hot and I had to keep stopping to let my back rest, and because Nav kept trying to pull away so he could stomp at flies. Apparently I need to get a stronger fly spray too. So after a good hour of all of that, I was finally done and I was too tired to tack up and ride! 

The one good thing about it is that next time I go out, the trot grid should still be set up so I won't have to worry about that again. 

Things have just been so busy lately. Planning for the wedding is stressful enough, but planning the move and trying to get everything ready for that in just two and a half weeks makes it so much worse. Plus other miscellaneous things that just come with adult life. I have a free day today, as in I don't work until evening, so I could go out and ride, but I don't know if I will. I just haven't felt super motivated to ride lately, and it makes me sad. 

Recent cute picture of Nav coming up to greet me and receive a treat out in his field the other day (a little overly instagram-ized because that's what I do sometimes )


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## NavigatorsMom

So, I just wrote up a long entry about our last ride but I lost it! 

Anyway, to sum it up, I rode on Sunday, about a week since last ride. Nav was really good even though it was pretty hot. We did some trot-walk transitions to work on getting him in front of my leg but also walking with a contact and not trying to just trot off. We also did trot poles and Nav did amazingly in spite of not having done them in a while and them being a little too tall. He tries so hard for me.

Nav with the grid, looking super cute, as always. 









Still just been busy, especially with preparing to move! Hoping to do a little more riding this week though.


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## NavigatorsMom

I rode yesterday! I have been having a hard time motivating myself to do it lately, just because I've been so busy with wedding planning and planning the move (that's been a HUGE source of frustration and stress), so going out to the barn has just felt like too much work. Well, I went out yesterday after work, even though I was a little tired, with the intention of really enjoying my time with Navigator. 

I thought about my younger self, who would have never passed up an opportunity to even be around a horse, let alone ride! Where has that girl gone? What has happened that makes it seem like such a hassle to go out and ride? I decided to try and reconnect with the feelings of excitement involved with being around horses and I have to say I think it really helped. 

I didn't worry about taking too long grooming and tacking up, I took my time and enjoyed Nav's company. We rode in the big field and started off by just walking a loose rein lap around it. Well, we actually started with some groundwork. Just a couple turns on the forehand and haunches each direction, and then some backing. He did very well, and I think it helped him become more focused on working from the start when I got on. 

He was a little hot and wanted to trot off a couple times, but instead of getting frustrated, I just calmly asked him to walk and made myself laugh about it. Amazing how much more relaxed that made me feel! After the walk I decided to focus on something different today - lateral work. Like really focus on turns on the forehand and haunches and have Nav respond right away. After a couple times he was moving off of the slightest shift of my seat and legs, though he's a little sticky on the turn on the haunches to the left. Just something to work on. 

I also attempted some shoulder and haunches in. Those are harder for us. We actually have only learned shoulder in, and he's pretty good at it, I feel like I have good shoulder control and he'll go with a pretty nice bend. Haunches in is a lot harder, especially considering we haven't ever been taught it. So the way I did it yesterday was to ask him for a step over with his hind end and then immediately step off into a walk. It kind of worked... but not really. I need to read up more on how to teach that, and it may be something I really need an instructor for. I realize it's also a more advanced movement and might be something that we aren't quite ready for. Nav really tried though so I can't complain, he was putting in a lot of effort. We ended with a little bit of trot and canter in the open, which he did pretty nicely at without trying to take off and gallop into the open field. 

Afterward I spend a long time with him applying equispot, swat between his back legs, on his belly, and on his face and ears, and then finishing off with fly spray. The flies and ticks are already awful so I'm doing my best to keep him comfortable. I gave him some treats, then turned him back out. As I was getting ready to leave I caught him scratching his ear with his hind hoof. He's very flexible, which is good I guess! He was also able to reach around to his hip and scratch himself with his nose. Very funny to see him do it though.


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## NavigatorsMom

*Small Life Update*

Can't believe it's been so long since I've ridden! My last ride at the barn was on the 18th of May, and since then we've had a small family vacation, and then lots of packing up and moving all the way to Texas! We got here last Tuesday so it's been just about a week. Luckily I got to at least see Nav the night before we moved, but it feels like it's been so long and I miss my guy. 

I will be going back next week for a bridal shower and some other things so am definitely planning on squeezing in some time with him, even if it won't be much since he hasn't been worked in some time. Just getting to see him will be good though and I can't wait!

I need to start really looking for boarding places around here so that I can bring Nav as soon as possible after the wedding. So far I've just done some google searches, but I plan on visiting local feed shops to see if anyone has put up flyers about boarding opportunities that are a little smaller scale. The priority is 24/7 turnout, but an indoor or at least covered arena would be nice as well.


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## NavigatorsMom

*Riding Again!*

I got to go out and see Nav AND RIDE today!! 










I'm so happy, it's been so long since I've been able to ride and I have missed it. Of course, it was super hot, and since I haven't ridden in two and a half or three weeks and Nav isn't fit, I didn't want to push him too much.

We ended up doing a lot of slow hill work and some lateral work too, mainly turns on the haunches/forehand. He was a little resistant/sticky to doing a left turn on the forehand, so we worked on that quiet a bit and he eventually loosened up. I think we did about 20 minutes of walk/lateral/hill and then about 10 minutes of trot at the end. His trot was actually really nice! In spite of not having been worked in a while he really did retain a lot and was moving out nicely and stretching over his back the majority of the time. I also had him canter each direction, just for a few strides, and he felt good. Not super strong but at least he wasn't bearing down on the forehand. The canter to the right was actually pretty light, all things considered!

I am sad that I'll only be here with him for a week, and I'm not sure when I'll be back up. He won't move down to Texas with us until late July or August.  One thing's for sure though, I need to talk with my mentor about dry lotting him or possibly using the grazing muzzle. He's definitely put on weight and I don't want him getting any heavier, especially since I won't be around to work him. 

Clearly he's not starving...


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## Rainaisabelle

Nav is such a cutie!!! Glad you had a good ride, I know you are missing him


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## tinyliny

was his mane always roached like that?


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## NavigatorsMom

@Rainaisabelle Yes, it's so hard being away from him for long amounts of time! I know he's being well cared for so that does make it easier but still wish I could just go out and visit him any time. I've been super busy with wedding stuff while I've been home so I haven't gotten to go out again yet, but maybe tonight and for sure tomorrow.
@tinyliny I roached his mane in April or May I think? The past few years I've done it late spring/early summer and then let it grow out over the fall/winter. He has a thick neck so I think it looks nice, and it alleviates the serious sweat he gets under his mane that he otherwise has to deal with in the summer.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, I'm back in Texas after a week at home and during that time I only was able to ride twice.  Too much business with wedding planning! We're less than a month out at this point so it is getting to be crunch time. I knew that my visit up home was going to have a lot of wedding business but I thought I'd have a little more time to ride!

Anyway, I was able to go out on my last night there, and I was lucky enough to be able to ride with my good friend and mentor. She is the one looking after Nav while I'm gone and it really give me peace of mind, she's such a knowledgeable horsewoman. Still hard for me to leave him though. 

The ride was nice, we chatted a bit but then also did some work with our horses (who are half brothers!). Nav was pretty good, though he really wanted to just run off and work with the others instead of wherever I wanted him to work. So we did transitions and figures to keep him focused and that seemed to help. We did have some good moments but he really has lost some of the muscle we were developing since he's just been out in the pasture for a while. There is a girl I used to know from Pony Club who's sister has recently started working one of the younger horses at my barn, and I'm considering reach out to her to see if she would be interested in working Nav for me every now and then (even if only when her sister comes out, as it would be nice for them to ride together) just to help keep him fit. She is a very capable and kind rider so I wouldn't be worried at all about her working with Nav. I will be asking my mentor her opinions about this idea too. 

And, a couple pictures from that ride.


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## PoptartShop

Awww that looks like a lovely ride.  Good job on keeping him focused too. Yay!!!


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## NavigatorsMom

No big updates, as I haven't been able to ride or anything.

Mainly what's going on right now (besides the final scramble to the wedding!) is that I'm kind of researching some barns that are in the area - trying to stay within 30 miles of our apartment - and figuring out what looks good enough to narrow down to a short list for contacting and visiting. There are a surprising amount of barns in the area. I guess Texas is kind of horse country! I have about 10 or so places that I'm planning to do some in depth research about - like looking for facebook pages as well as their websites, seeing what kinds of reviews are out there. There are a good number of the places I've looked at have what seem to be reasonable board rates, but it's still been kind of hard to find places that offer pasture board. I really miss having Nav nearby. Hopefully we can move him pretty soon after the wedding! 

In the meantime, here are a couple drawings. I've been doing these to use as part of the centerpieces at the reception (they're small, just a few inches), and most are referenced from pictures of Nav.


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## knightrider

Oh, wow, those drawings are awesome! My favorite is the second one . . . but put flowers on it too. I like the flowers.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @knightrider ! The second one is based off of a picture of my old lease mare. I am planning to add the flowers  The colors (peachy/pink and dark blue) are the colors we're using for the wedding, so I'm trying to add a little of it to each sketch. 

Still missing Nav, and since I have a lack of updates here's the video from my last ride while at home.


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## NavigatorsMom

*Reunited!!!*

I'm home for "Wedding Week" and my first priority was to go and see my boy. I'm so happy to be close to him again!   










Proper update to come after I actually ride/when it's not super late and I need to get to sleep.


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## NavigatorsMom

I got to ride today!!

Of course it has been three weeks since I've ridden and Nav has not been worked during that time either... so we just took it easy and did a trail ride.  We did about two miles, mostly walk with just some trot, and Nav did fantastically! He was a little looky, which I expected, but not spooky at all. I did want to encourage him to do a little effort, so I had him do some lateral work here and there as we went, mostly leg yielding which he did well with. 

It was just so nice to spend some time with him since I haven't in so long. I'm hoping to go again soon. 

He's really bleached out this year, he had some nearly blond spots along his flanks!


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## PoptartShop

I LOVE the drawings.  The flowers are so cute too!!! 

So happy you got to ride. Trail riding is always good. A nice relaxing ride. I am glad he wasn't spooky! Such a good boy. I know you were probably so happy to finally enjoy your boy! 3 weeks is a long time. :sad:

He's so cute! Totally posing!


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## NavigatorsMom

*Life Update!*

We're married! The wedding was wonderful and simple and just what we wanted, and then we had a nice quick honeymoon in San Francisco - we actually hadn't been planning on a honeymoon immediately after the wedding, but my husband (!!!) was chosen to present some of his dissertation work at a conference in San Francisco just two days after the wedding sooo... impromptu honeymoon! It was reallly nice though, we had a good time exploring the city and a small redwood forest. 

Anyway, we are all settled back at home now and taking care of post wedding things like setting up a joint bank account, getting my name changed on everything, and finishing up general moving things like getting our new drivers licenses. 

I didn't get a chance to even see Nav again after my last ride. And it will at least be a couple weeks before he can come here - still need to find a place to board, but now that we're done with wedding planning I can really get on that. In the meantime, I will probably be going back home within the next two weeks to visit and do some bridal portraits with Nav. 

So to tide myself over I've just been rewatching old videos of Nav. Thankfully I have many!


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## NavigatorsMom

Got a lead on a boarding place with 24/7 turnout!!

I have had a long day - really only drove to two tack shops in the area but the problem with this area is that things are so spread out and traffic is so crazy, I was still in the car for about 2 and a half hours. The first place I visited was definitely in horse country! But when I asked the woman there about boarding and mentioned my priority was 24/7 turnout she nearly laughed in my face. She said that's not something that is really done around here and that most places she knew of offered about 3-4 hours a day. Just seems so crazy to me! She did give me a list of boarding places though and suggested I look into them.

After a lot more driving I visited a local Dover and that's where I got my big lead! One of the workers I talked to said that he just moved his horses from a nice place (he is moving out of state) with a good owner and nice turnout. He texted the guy right away and gave him my contact info. Well, I just heard back from him (the barn owner) and he does have space available and they offer 24/7 turnout! He said he prefers to keep horses outside unless they're injured or being treated for something. So, we're going to go visit this place on Saturday to get a feel for it and find out a bit more. 

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too soon since I haven't seen the place, but the guy I talked to at Dover said it's a really nice place and that the horses are well cared for. I guess we'll find out for sure on Saturday. If it doesn't work out at least I do have a list of some other places to check out. I will update after the visit on Saturday!


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## NavigatorsMom

So, update on the search for a place for Nav: I think we found one!!

This morning we visited the farm I mentioned in my last post. I was told it was a pretty private, family type barn which is what I'm used to with our home barn, and that the horses get 24/7 turnout so I had high hopes, and I wasn't disappointed! I just didn't realize how big the place actually was. 

It's about 300 acres, with lots of pasture. Horses are kept out in small groups and have plenty of room to move around, as well as nice shelter and water. There is also a barn with stalls, wash area, etc. for use when needed. As far as riding areas, there is a covered round pen, a fenced in grass arena, and a dirt arena, as well as some large open fields without horses, and a polo field. That is what the main purpose of this place is, it's a polo barn and they even hold events there. Quite a bit more than I'm used to back home!

We met the owner and his son (who is the barn manager) and they have another hand who works there too. Only a few boarders, and they aren't really advertising that they have boarding room. This was just a word of mouth situation that worked out in my favor. And the cost of board is very reasonable. I visited with the owner quite a bit as he showed us around and he seemed very knowledgeable about horses, and said he'd be happy for me to bring Nav in and see how he settles in. No red flags came to my attention while we looked around so I am tentatively planning on bringing Nav here sometime in the next month!

Since leaving I came up with a couple questions I should have asked, so I'm planning to take a day or two to just think of questions I might have and visit with the barn manager again before settling anything. But overall it seems like a really nice place that works for my current purposes. I feel like once I get more into the horse scene around here I can hopefully meet some other people, maybe find someone who can come out and do some dressage lessons for me and Nav. Really though, the 24/7 turnout on the large pastures has pretty much sold me. Especially after hearing how rare it is to keep horses outside around here, it seems like a pretty good find!


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## Rainaisabelle

Keen to hear all about the boarding situation !


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## NavigatorsMom

*Boarding Updates*

Still don't have a place for Nav. I was very close on settling with the polo place but I just had a weird vibe about it. It just feels strange to me to board at a place with no women! Which is possibly sexist? But really I think I'm just used to barns that are run by women. 

Anyway, I decided to check out a few more places that are more traditional boarding barns. They don't have as many acres, but they do offer pasture boarding and at a reasonable price, and most of them seem to have at least a small "family" of boarders. I reached out to these four online through their websites and facebook pages, and so far have heard back from one place which I'm going out to visit tomorrow! So I'll report back on how that goes. 

I was also thinking about how since I'm new to the area here and don't really have anyone other than my husband, it might be good for me to go to a barn that's slightly bigger and with more boarders just so I can meet people and possibly make some friends. 

It's been about a month since I last saw Nav and that's been really hard. Hopefully I'll be going back home in the next few weeks just to visit and will be able to see him.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, update on the barn I visited on Saturday.

It was nice! It was a small, reminded me quite a bit of my home barn. I would have the option of pasture or stall board, which means he can be out 24/7, and there are a few other boarders there, so I could probably meet people and make some friends. There are two outdoor arenas, one fenced in and with lights for evening riding, and the other a bit bigger and not fenced in but with some jumping equipment. The second arena is in a bigger field that I could also ride in. There isn't really anything in the way of trails but I think that would be ok. 

I think the biggest negative is that it's pretty far from my apartment. We went out mid-morning on a Saturday and it took almost 45 minutes in light traffic. :/ I could have sworn it was only a 30 minute drive (according to google maps) when I first investigated the place which would have been fine but 45 minutes is a little long. There's quite a bit of construction on the road, so it may be a shorter drive once that's fixed but who knows how long that will take? 

Overall though, I felt much more at home there than I did at the polo barn, even though it's a smaller operation. So it's currently my top choice. I'm waiting to hear from two more places and I may reach out to them pretty soon a second time. But I feel like for a first boarding place here it would probably be ok. A good place to keep Nav and a good place for me to meet some people and get a feel for the horse scene around here. So we'll see.


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## PoptartShop

That is good you checked out a few different places & are narrowing down your choices.  Definitely have to weigh the pros & cons of each one.
You definitely don't want to settle for a place that had no women LOL that would be kinda weird. Can't have girl talk!! :lol:

45mins is a bit long, I agree but it may be worth it. My private barn is about 30mins away. An hour from work, but I weighed the pros & cons. Definitely more pros. Sometimes the drive is worth it!

I hope you find the right one, keep us posted.  I know you want what is best for Nav!!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop yes it would have been SO weird to be at a barn with no women! And you're so right, I would much rather have to drive a bit to get to the barn but know that Nav is safe and it's a good place than to just find somewhere close that I'm not comfortable with!

No new updates really. I have heard back from another barn who said that they are full and have a waiting list but that I can come out for a tour if I want, so I may do that just to see.


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## NavigatorsMom

Kind of update: I'm going out to visit a smallish, adults only dressage barn next week. It has on-site trainers and a lesson program. 
This is the one that has a waiting list but I'm curious to see it. 

I just realized that I'm at a point in my life where I have the time to do lessons and possibly competitions and that if I can put myself in an environment with other people who have similar riding goals and get some regular instruction then I should go for it. So we'll see. I did talk to one of the owners on the phone and this place definitely seems less casual than the other place I visited recently, but I thought since it's a dressage place I should give it a chance. 

In other news, I'm probably going back home for part of this week so I should be able to see Nav again!!


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## PoptartShop

Ooooh, that sounds really nice! & adults only will be good, no crazy kids lol.
Lessons would be good, it will be nice to get back into that. I need to do the same myself. I would go for it!!

Yay for being able to see Nav this week.  That will be a good time!! <3


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## NavigatorsMom

Today I'm going out to see the dressage barn! I'm super nervous, I don't know why. But I'll update with how that goes when I get home. 

Also ended up not going home last week so still haven't seen Nav.  Hopefully soon.


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## PoptartShop

Aww, good luck, let us know how it goes. & I hope you will get to be reunited with Nav soon enough!


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## NavigatorsMom

I just got home from the barn visit and I loved it! Great friendly atmosphere, beautiful facilities, well maintained. A couple owns it and I was given the tour by the husband (wife was out at the time), and got to see the barn, all riding areas (indoor dressage, outdoor dressage, and round pen, plus areas for hacking out), tack up and wash areas, tack rooms and feed room. I even got to meet a couple of boarders who were there, which was really nice. Until now I hadn't seen any boarders at the places I've visited! Also met one of the two trainers and could have stayed to watch some of her training ride but had to go this time. 

Horses are stalled overnight, but kept out during the day, every day. Which is something I've been loosening up about recently, as Nav is such an easy keeper, I feel like stalling or dry lotting part of the time would be beneficial for him as a way to manage weight. The point being, I've been more open to boarding at a place that does stalling as long as it isn't stalling for the majority of the day. 

I really felt so at home there, like it's just the perfect set up - not a huge boarding barn, but not a tiny place where I'll always ride alone. I feel like I could make some friends here as well as get into semi-regular lessons and hopefully improve with Nav. There is also an equine vet right next door, which seems like such a plus!

The downside is the cost. Which, I expected a nice place like this to be more expensive than some of the more self-care type places, but it's quite a bit more than what my husband and I talked about. :/ So idk. I'll have to talk to him when he gets home from work about it. 

Of course, there's also a waiting list, and I'll need to visit more with the wife of the couple who owns the place about that. The husband said that it's not just a "wait in line for a spot to open" kind of list, there's an element of personality fit to it, but that she can tell me more. I will give her a call at some point this week, I think I'll send a thank you for having me kind of text this afternoon as well, but first I need to discuss with Jon about if we'd really be able to pay this much per month on board. 

I felt really good about it! But we'll have to see.


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## NavigatorsMom

Last week I went home for a few days and I got to see Nav and ride!

He is actually in a lot better shape than I expected. He's lost some muscle tone due to not being worked for essentially the last three months, but he wasn't fat either, he's maintained a pretty healthy weight.  I was able to do a nice long chatty trail ride with my mentor one of the days and Nav did so well! We took a minute to work the horses in one of the fields and I got a pretty nice trot out of Nav, even after so long without working! He's such a good boy 

We did some bridal portraits with Nav on Friday and that went really well too! I don't have the pictures back yet from the photographer, but here's one sneak peek that my Dad took with his phone:









And then of course, after the pictures I had to take Nav back to his field, and what better way to do that than hacking out bareback... in a dress? Hehe!









Anyway, since getting back to Texas, I'm still looking for a place for Nav. As much as I loved the last place I visited, it's just not reasonable for us to board there as the cost is just too much. But, I reached out to a couple more places and am visiting another place tonight! This one seems promising, and I have high hopes. Again, it's a smallish English/dressage barn, horses are stalled overnight but turned out all day, there's a trainer who comes weekly for lessons if desired, and an indoor and outdoor riding area. I've been visiting with one of the boarders after we met by accident through the facebook page of the farm, and she's been so kind and helpful. I'm excited to visit and see if it's a good fit for Nav and me. I will update when I find out how it is.


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## PoptartShop

Ah, I understand about the barn. A horse is expensive enough, you don't need to blow a fortune on board.
I hope the other places work out though, I know it's stressful trying to look for places.  It will happen! & you can't beat an indoor arena, that will be so nice.  Yes, please keep us posted!

Omg, I LOVE the bridal picture!! That is GOALS! LOL, I love it! <3 I wanna do that! But knowing me I'd probably get my dress all dirty. :icon_rolleyes:

So cute, I'm glad you got to see your boy and that he's in good shape.  He must've been so excited to see you!


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## NavigatorsMom

*I Found a Place for Nav!*

Yes, after visiting this barn I decided that it would be a good match for Nav and I and I'm so excited! This was the first place I visited that didn't seem like it was being "sold" to me, if that makes sense. It was more like I was shown around and welcomed and just made to feel as if I would be a part of the "family" very easily. 

I was able to visit with the barn owner, who was so sweet, and one of the boarders who I've been texting was also there so I got to meet her too. They were both so welcoming and friendly and this was the first place I've been to where I actually saw people working with their horses and where the people I met actually visited with me and asked about me, instead of just talking about themselves. I just felt so at home.

The facilities were nice as well, not as fancy as the dressage barn I visited a couple weeks ago, but very homey and safe and just nice. It reminded me a lot of my home barn, just bigger. Horses each get a stall, but they only go in to be fed, and the rest of the time they're out in small groups of 3 or 4. And there is a full size dressage arena, within a larger riding area (if that makes sense) and then another riding area with a few jumps, and a round pen. There aren't trails/hacking areas on the property, but it's in a rural enough area that I feel like we could hack along the road if I wanted. A dressage instructor comes once or twice a week to do lessons for those who are interested but it's not required to take lessons or compete to board here. 

The boarder I visited with has been there for 8 years and has nothing but good to say about her experience there or her horse's care. The owners live on the property and they also have a barn manager who lives onsite as well. Overall I just felt so good about it and I believe that it will be a good place for Nav and I. And, the owner isn't advertising, so she's said I can take my time to think about it but that the place is mine if I want it. 

Anyway, now I need to figure out how to get Nav down here! I'm so excited!


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## tinyliny

Hallelujah!


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## PoptartShop

Aw, YAY! That is great news! I understand what you mean by that, they didn't treat you like you're just another check to them. :lol: That is super nice. I love nice people like that. Hard to find, but they are out there.

So glad they are sweet & so welcoming. I actually prefer a 'homey' barn to a super fancy show barn. It sounds lovely! And the fact that the boarder has been there for 8 years says a LOT. Most people move within a few years (if things are bad etc.).

Sooo exciting!!  Nav is going to love it!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you both! Yes, I'm so happy that I found a place like this, I definitely love a homey barn! 

Not a lot to update at the moment. I'm working on getting the shipping stuff done so that Nav can come down here in a couple weeks, and have been having a little bit of an issue with the website so I'll likely take a break and come back to that later.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of my bridal portraits since we got the edited ones back. Couldn't get Nav to be perky in all of them but I'm still so happy with how they turned out! And, @PoptartShop I forgot to reply to you before but I was so worried about getting my dress dirty too! We actually waited until after the wedding to do the pictures so that if the dress did get a little dirty it wouldn't be such a big deal, haha!


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## knightrider

The pictures are gorgeous. Love them! Such happy memories.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @knightrider  I am very happy that we were able to do some pictures - it was kind of a last minute, not really planned out thing. It wasn't until after the wedding that we found someone to do the photos. Ended up being one of my parents' friends and he offered to do it for free! Very thankful for that. I have never had any nice pictures done of just Nav and I, and these will probably be my last photos done at my barn, at least for the forseeable future. 

One more photo just because it's a funny comparison. I had senior photos taken at the barn with my then lease mare, and looking at the ones of myself and Nav, I found a similarity - guess it's just a pretty common horse photo to take! 










Update on the shipping company as well - my booking went through! So now I just need to wait on a phone call from them to set the specific date for pick up and drop off, and I need to confirm with my current and new barns that someone will be there to help with his departure and arrival (I should be present at arrival, but new barn owner is primary contact for that). So excited!


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## NavigatorsMom

It's been pretty quiet lately, I haven't been home so haven't seen Nav.

BUT, the most exciting news is that I finally heard back from the haulers and Nav will be picked up this Saturday and will arrive at our new barn on Sunday morning!!! I'm so happy and so excited, I can't wait for him to get here!! :loveshower:

Of course, we scheduled our next trip home poorly, so I don't have any of his tack with me here yet and will only have his halter once he arrives, but that will just give us some time to just do groundwork and walks around the new place. It will give him some time to settle in before we start working hard again.


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## knightrider

Yaaaay! So happy and excited for you! Pictures?


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## PoptartShop

Oh what exciting news!!  & that does work out perfectly, he will need time to settle in anyway & it'll be nice just walking him around the new place.  So happy for you two, & I know you are so excited to see him! Can't wait to see pictures, they are a must!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you both! I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures when he gets here, I can't wait!!


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## NavigatorsMom

*All About Our New Barn!!*

Navigator is here!! 

He traveled down on Saturday evening and spent the night at the hauling facility barn, and then early Sunday morning he was delivered to our new barn! Everything went really well with shipping, I always thought shipping a horse would be a big ordeal but the company I used really made it super easy! I only have one complaint with them and that is that I wasn't notified of when Nav was picked up and dropped off, I had to reach out to both barn owners to check on his status, which was a bit annoying since the haulers had my contact info as well. Other than that though I would use them again. 

Anyway, on Sunday morning my husband and I got out to the new barn pretty early and finally I was reunited with Navigator!!









He was waiting in his stall for me and seemed in good spirits in spite of all of the traveling. I brought him out and cleaned him up a little bit, gave him some treats and lots of pets and hugs, and then let him out into the small arena/round pen so he could run around a bit and visit with some of his new neighbors from behind a fence. He was so happy to be out and see other horses and also went right for the grass on the the edge of the area. We left him to settle in after that.

Nav in his own stall! He only goes in for breakfast and dinner, the rest of the time he's going to be out in a field with friends 









Yesterday I went back out for our first ride at our new barn! And I was surprised to see that Nav was already out in a field with some new horses. I visited with the barn owner, who is just so sweet and kind, and she said that she decided to let him out with a couple of her horses because she just had a hunch about them being together. She said that she had never seen two horses become friends so quickly, apparently almost immediately after being let out with the three Nav and one of her little arabs just paired up and started mutual grooming! He just fit right in and seems really happy with those three  

In the crossties getting ready!










Anyway, I brought him in and cleaned him up, and then we headed to the big dressage arena to do a little ride! This arena is huge, it basically has room for two standard size dressage arenas side by side, but only one side has the letters and barrier, the other side is just open. It's really nice footing, drains very quickly so even though it had rained the night before the ring was dry. One end has mirrors and Nav was a little nervous about his reflection! But he did settle down pretty well and we were able to do some nice trot. I even cantered him and aside from a couple excitement/nervous bucks at the beginning he went pretty nicely! He did try calling for his friends a couple times at the beginning but he stopped and settled down once we were working. 

The arena:









Nav's first look at the mirror:









After we were done he was pretty sweaty, even though it was just a short ride, so I hosed him off and then worked on his feet a little bit. Farrier isn't coming out to the barn until the 29th, so I need to keep on top of it until then. I think I will have him worked on by the barn farrier though just to get a second opinion. Then I let him back out with his new friends. 









I'm so happy to be here, it seems like a very good place for us. Not too far from my apartment and also the right atmosphere. It's not "home" yet - how can it be, home is the barn I was at for 17 years - but I am happy here.


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## PoptartShop

YAY! I am so happy that Nav is finally at the new place & you are loving it already. It looks like a beautiful facility. So much room! What a huge arena. I love how it has mirrors & one side for dressage. The footing looks really good, too, so awesome! Won't have to worry about it too much since it drains quickly. :smile: That is awesome he made friends so quickly too. He will be very happy there & so will you, it sounds like a great place to be. What a nice welcome & I am glad the shipping process wasn't difficult although, I agree they definitely should have notified you! People are lazy. :icon_rolleyes: 

So happy for you both! You guys are adorable! I love the first picture, you two look so happy!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @PoptartShop! We are so happy here so far, it's been a really good fit. 

I've been out twice since last post, on Wednesday I went out to work on his feet. I only have my rasp and hoof knife, as I didn't have room to ship my stand (should have had my nippers shipped though!). It was hard to do very much but I got a decent touch up on him. I'll probably just have to do another touch up in a week or so. Hopefully we will be going home soon and I'll be able to get the rest of my trimming stuff, as well as all of my other horse things. With the shipping, I was able to bring one saddle and a single box. I had to pick and choose what was going to come with Nav and what would get left. So right now I'm realizing things that got left that really shouldn't have, like my riding gloves, nippers, squeegee, some first aid, etc. 

Anyway, I went out last night and got to ride with two of the other women who board their horses there, and that was really fun! It was just nice to have some others to ride with, and visit with. And I think it was really good for Nav to have to focus and work with the distraction of other horses in the ring, something he's rarely had to do. But it was just nice to have friendly people to ride with.  I may be going out again this afternoon to ride with one of them, depending on weather, and then on Sunday the dressage trainer will be there doing lessons so I'll probably go to that so I can meet her and watch some lessons. So excited!

I also finally got Nav's stall sign up! We've never had a stall before that was just his, so now that he does I can finally put to use the sign I made for him last year.


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## Zexious

What an exciting move!
It sounds like he's settling in nicely, and it's so nice that you're both making friends c: And what a roomy stall! Wow! Can't wait to hear more about the new facilities <3


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## NavigatorsMom

Yes, everything is going really well so far! And I'll be honest, it's REALLY nice having a dedicated stall for my horse. I've never had that before, and Nav has been on pasture 24/7, but this last week or so we've had a crazy cold front come through with lots of rain and temperatures in the 40s (like, it went from 75 on Sunday to 40 on Monday!). I went out to see Nav on Monday and was so happy to see him in his stall, visiting with his neighbor, warm and dry on such a miserable day! It's definitely nice to know that he's being taken care of and comfortable.

I don't want that to come off like I feel badly about my old place (my home!) and not having previously used a stall. I do think that in general Nav was totally fine and happy being outside 24/7. I also just know that it's nice that we're in a situation now where we can use resources like a barn and stall to keep him comfortable.


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## PoptartShop

Yay! Riding with others can be fun, & it'll be good for Nav too, to get used to that. That is great. It sounds like the people there are very nice, now you have people to ride with.  I love the sign on his stall, how cute! It is super nice having your own stall, isn't it?! And I am so glad that the care is just as you expected at the new place. I know what you mean, it's just nice to have your own stall! I'm sure Nav enjoys it too.
He looks so cute!


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## NavigatorsMom

Finally an update! 

We had almost a week straight of rain so I my third ride was almost two weeks after my second!

I got to the barn yesterday and it was sunny and cool, perfect riding weather! After cleaning Nav up and tacking up, I took him to the arena to lunge a bit before riding. I knew he might be a little wound up after not being worked in almost two weeks, and thought it might be good to get back to work using the side reins every now and then as well. 









I have a feeling mirror selfies are going to become a regular thing

Well, he definitely needed the lunge. He was super sassy! I'm actually a little frustrated with how he behaved on the lunge, he kept breaking to canter from trot and whinnied after his herdmates. I almost didn't work him with the side reins because he was so unfocused during the warm up but decided to just do it and I'm glad I did. He actually settled down a bit during our work with the side reins but still whinnied a couple times and kept trying to look out toward the fields instead of focus on me. We did a lot of transitions but he was just not focused. I didn't want to over lunge him since I was planning to ride so when he gave me a nice trot circle without breaking to canter or looking outside, I quit our lunge session. 









He's lucky he's such a cutie!

We had a little moment of remembering how to stand at the mounting block and not swing our hindquarters away, and then once I was on he was super distracted again. He can see his herdmates from the arena and they were feeling frisky, trotting and cantering around in the field and he clearly wanted to join them. So instead we did a ton of turns on the forehand and haunches, leg yields, and many many transitions. At the trot he really wanted to zoom off when we went toward the field, so there were also many circles and changes of direction. 

What really got him settled was doing an exercise I really like from the "100 Dressage Exercises" book called 'thread the needle'. After a couple minutes of working on that he was much more focused on me, and the final time we headed toward the field he didn't speed up or stick his neck in the air, so we ended soon after that with some stretchy trot. 

I think he's still settling in and is nervous about being in a new place. But, I really don't want him to become herd sour. He's never acted like that before but he's also never been in a situation where we could see his herdmates from the arena while we're working. I guess the main way to combat that is to just work him more frequently and let him realize that fussing about it won't make me put him back any sooner. 

I'm so happy he's here though! I haven't gotten to meet the trainer who comes here yet but I've met a few of the other boarders and everyone has been very friendly. Hopefully I can make lessons work once a month or so.


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## NavigatorsMom

I went out to the barn yesterday but after a full day and overnight rain, even the quick draining arena was pretty soft and since I knew he was going to be up to some antics (based on our last lunge/ride) I decided to just bring him in and clean him up and spend some time with him. 

I'm disappointed that he's still wearing his halter out in the field. I know it's to help out the BO when they bring him in for breakfast/dinner, since they just let the horses come in on their own and they each go into their own stalls. Nav still doesn't quite know which stall is his (since he's never been in that situation) and sometimes tries to go into a neighbor stall, so having the halter on allows them an easy way to grab on and lead him. Hopefully he'll figure it out soon because I'm ready for him to be out there without the halter! 

I'm also a little disappointed because since he's out with the halter on, I want him to be safe as possible, so he's wearing his leather halter instead of the red nylon I usually use in day to day stuff. His leather halter though, is really our nice special occasion halter, it's black leather with read trim and has a nameplate, my husband got it for me a few Christmases ago and it's a special piece of tack. It's so sad to see it so dirty and gross looking! I've actually considered buying a cheap leather one to throw on him in place of it, but I just feel like we'll be done with him having to wear it soon enough.

I know this is kind of a negative post. Idk. I've just been missing home lately. Our new place is nice and has a big arena and I don't have to tack him up alongside a road, but I really miss being able to ride in fields and on trails.  

I mean, this view isn't bad:









But it doesn't compare at all to what we used to have:


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## PoptartShop

That's good that you lunged him, they definitely need that sometimes. Glad you kept it going & ended on a good note before hopping on. I know it can be frustrating when they call out/don't stay focused. Good for you for staying on & working through the sourness. He is probably still adjusting & happy he has new herdmates! He will eventually learn work means work & he can see his friends later. :lol: The more you work him, the better! 

He is so cute! I love the mirror selfie too, you guys are adorable. <3

Hopefully he will be done wearing the halter though. Once he figures out where to go, it shouldn't take him too long...I know at first places like to do that, I understand but I know we worry! Maybe you can try leading him in for dinner a few times so he adjusts quicker?

Aw, I know it's hard adjusting to a new place. It's a great place, but different.
Do you have trails nearby at all? Can you ride in any of the fields or just the arena?


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## NavigatorsMom

Aw, thank you @PoptartShop you are always so encouraging and kind in your comments 

The good news is that the same day I posted my last post, I went out that afternoon and talked with the BO and she said he's good to go without the halter! So yay for that, I brought the halter home and left his other one at the barn instead. 

As for trails, I don't think there are any 'real trails' nearby, but I should ask one of the other boarders. Since our barn is in a pretty rural area with a lot of other barns/farms, and we have very wide grassy shoulders on the roads, I think it would be ok for me to ride him out on that. We've been in a situation like that before, for one year we were at a small barn that didn't have real trail access but we would sometimes ride out on the country road shoulders, and Nav is not bothered by cars, so that's not any issue but I need to find out from the BO or another boarder if there are any rules about riding along the roads here. I should also probably drive around a bit and check for cows anywhere just so I'm aware if I ride him out - I don't want us to be riding along and come across any longhorns by surprise! I don't think that would end well. 

Anyway, I have ridden a couple times since then, once I intentionally went out with one of the other boarders and we rode together and chatted, and then yesterday I went out during lessons so I could watch and see how the trainer teaches and also ride on my own after that. Nav did pretty well. He and I are both out of shape so we only did about 20 minutes of hard work. I don't know if I'll ride today or not but I think I may go out there at some point. 

The barn farrier is giving him a trim this morning so I'm interested to see how his feet look after that. They were a little overdue for a trim but not in awful shape. He does have some flaring that needs to be dealt with but I know that's a long term project.


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## PoptartShop

You're welcome!  YAY for him not having to wear a halter out there anymore! I know that's a relief lol. That's awesome. Yeah, I would ask another boarder, maybe they know some good riding spots. The road isn't a bad idea either/the grassy areas, oh gosh definitely ask what the rules are yes! LOL, definitely wouldn't be a good idea haha. Don't need any cows popping out at you! :lol:
I'm glad you had a nice ride, you guys will get back into shape soon enough. Even if you don't ride, I'm sure he will be happy to see his momma!

Let us know how the trim looks, hopefully the farrier at the barn is good.  I know it does take a few trims to really 'tell' though.


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## NavigatorsMom

He seems happy to see me when I go out, he still comes up to the gate when I call his name  And of course it really makes me happy to see him! 










I think the farrier did a pretty good job, doesn't look like he was cut too short or anything odd. I did post in the hoof care section to see if I can get a little critique but I have a feeling I will stick with the farrier, with myself doing small touch ups in between (I think he only comes about every 6 weeks).

Hopefully will go ride today but we'll see. 

A little side horse related project I've been up to... at my apartment we have a weirdly huge walk in closet in one of the spare bedrooms, and I've been saying since we moved in that I would like to make it into my home tack room. Well, yesterday I finally did it! My parents visited a couple weeks ago and brought the rest of my horse stuff, so this was the perfect time to do it. Here are the final results! (along with some cardboard boxes that have no where else to go)


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## PoptartShop

Awwww! Isn't that the best feeling? Nothing better when you are greeted by your best friend. <3 My horse does the same, I love it. Like, it doesn't matter what kind of day you're having...once you see that face, it makes it all better. He is so handsome! I love his blaze.

That's good the farrier did a good job. I would stick with him then! 

That looks so nice!!! I love it!  What a perfect way to make use of that closet. Makes me want to do the same, one of my spare bedrooms has a nice sized closet & that is a darn good idea lol. So nice to have all your stuff in one space, too.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks @PoptartShop!  Yes it's a great use of the space, I think, especially since we weren't really using it before!

So, rode yesterday. I also lunged Nav first and he was ok, better than last time for sure! He was more focused but it was also super windy which was a little bit of a challenge. But, undersaddle was a different story. First of all, I'm a little worried he's sore somewhere. He felt a bit off, but I can't tell for sure by looking at the video. I know part of it was that I was on the wrong diagonal for a bit at the beginning, and then he just wanted to run around like crazy, but I don't know. I think he might be a little off and I'm wondering if it is due to the trim he had the other day. It's raining again today so he's getting the day off but I'll have to check again next time I'm out. 

Anyway, here is the video of the ride. I cut out some parts where I was off screen or when we were down at the far end of the arena for a long time. Thoughts on how he looks as far as offness would be appreciated! 





Also to explain our weird halter/bridle combination - since I lunged first I didn't want to attach the line to his bridle/bit so that if he pulled his mouth wouldn't get yanked, but to fit the halter and bridle at the same time I had to remove the noseband of his bridle. So that's why he's wearing both.


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a much better ride today!

It rained all yesterday but our arena is sand and drains relatively quickly. However, it was still pretty wet in some areas so we did a walk only ride. It was also pretty cool and still windy, so I didn't want him to get too sweaty so I wouldn't have to do a long cool out. Lots of getting Nav to relax and stretch, and then we also did a lot of lateral work. Mainly turns on the forehand/haunches, and then we did some leg yield spirals on a circle. Nav was working so nicely for me, he felt really good! 

He didn't seem off at all, but I didn't trot so I can't be certain. I also checked out his legs very carefully while grooming and there was no swelling or heat anywhere, so that's good. I think that most likely he was feeling frisky and fresh while being worked on a cool and windy day. 

Happy face after eating a carrot


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## PoptartShop

I am not really seeing any offness in the video, I do see his head come up a little & his ears are moving LOL but that is probably from the wind, he was probably trying to listen to you, it does look like a super windy day & that can throw things off.

Glad you had a better ride yesterday though & glad he didn't seem off.  That's good there was no heat anywhere either or swelling. I think he is fine, it was probably just a windy day & it threw things off a little. Such a cutie, love the picture with his tongue out. :rofl: What a goofball!


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## NavigatorsMom

I think you're right, he was feeling very fresh that day and tried to break to canter a couple times. It was just at about 45 seconds in where he looks a little off/hoppy, but I think he might have been wanting to canter. I'm planning to go this afternoon and ride with a friend and it should be dry enough to trot today so I'll get a chance to see how he feels.


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## NavigatorsMom

Whoops, forgot to update after my last ride! Nav was very well behaved and also did not show any signs of lameness so that was very good! We only walked and trotted, with just a tiny bit of canter each direction. He is somewhat weak in the canter and wants to go back into his old habit of bearing down and getting heavy on the forehand, so I only did a short amount before he got very heavy. It will take time but I'm sure we will get back to where we were before we moved at some point!

Anyway, I also went out today and decided that today was the day that we were going to go out of the arena and do a little hack! I had a bad morning and didn't want to do much work at the barn, so instead we went out on the road. The area my barn is in is very rural and the road is super quiet, so about as ideal as we can get without going on actual trails. We just went a little one way and then a bit farther the other. Nav was SUPER nervous and looky, and really wanted to stare at any horse we passed by in the fields along the road. But no whinnying, no fearful dragon sounds, and I was able to redirect his fixations pretty well! He was quite tense and had his head up for a lot of the ride, but along the way and especially by the end we had some fairly relaxed moments with his head low and my reins a little slack. 



















It was so nice to get out of the arena again! I really miss having access to the trails and fields (as few as they were) back home, but this was still a good change. I think taking him out on the road maybe once a week or so will be a good mental break for Nav. And as he becomes more comfortable we can go a little farther - though I'm sure it will take a looong time before we try passing by the pair of longhorns who live in a field down the road! 

And one cute picture because why not  Navigator selfie!


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## PoptartShop

I love that you finally got out onto the road. Yay!! I know you've been dying to. 
It's nice to get out of that arena setting sometimes. I'm sure he will get more used to it the more you go out. I agree, it'll be a nice mental break, for the both of you. He will get better in time with his movement.
If the worst of it was putting his head up & being alert, that's pretty darn good & no whinnying. It sounds like he is settling in so nicely.

A quiet road can be just as nice as a trail. It looks beautiful! Omg he is so cute, I love his selfies! :lol: That cute nose!


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## NavigatorsMom

Yes, I was so happy with him! I'm just thankful that he really is a pretty nice horse, not in a fancy show horse way, but in that even though he gets nervous he doesn't typically have big freak outs and is willing to try just about anything for me. I feel like I have a good amount of mutual trust with him.


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## NavigatorsMom

No riding updates other than I went out last Friday and rode with a barn friend. It was a bit windy and cold, and the mood was a bit low due to one of the BO's old horses passing away a few days earlier.  

We are currently experience what I have to imagine is the worst of a Texas winter - temperatures in the mid 30s and crazy wind! It was also a bit rainy yesterday too. I went out to drop of a card for BO and to just visit with Nav for a couple minutes. He seemed perfectly happy out with his friends and has grown a very fluffy winter coat. I brought him in, checked him over and gave him a few treats, and then let him go. It is sunny today but just too cold! 

I know I may seem like a fair-weather rider or something, but when it comes down to it I ride for fun. I rarely show and I don't currently take lessons, I just want to enjoy my time with my horse, and going through the process of grooming, tacking up and riding for maybe 20 minutes of light work (because I don't really want to work him hard and spend another 20-40 minutes cooling out and making sure he's dry) just isn't worth it to me. I enjoyed stopping by to see him, and he was happy to see me, and that will do for now. Weather is supposed to get warmer, back to the 60s for the weekend, so we should get a nice stretch of good riding weather in the coming week.


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## PoptartShop

I am the same way you are. I'm taking lessons here & there (recently just started, maybe 2x a month if that) but, overall, I am not interested in showing or anything of the sort. Just for pleasure! Sometimes it's nice to just go & groom, or hangout with your horse. It's the little things. :smile:

I wouldn't wanna ride when it's that cold either. It can be miserable! Especially if you don't have an indoor arena! I'm sure he's super fluffy! LOVE the selfie!!!! You guys always manage to take perfect selfies, LOL I need to teach my horse how to selfie! :rofl: She always moves her head!


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## NavigatorsMom

Yes, it is the little things. Like today, I wasn't feeling well today but the weather was finally nice so I made myself go out to the barn and I'm SO glad I did because just seeing Nav's cute face completely changed my mood. 

I decided to ride him in the smaller arena today, because there are a set of poles in there and I thought today would be a good day to re-introduce poles to our riding. Of course, first we had to have a long practice on how to stand still next to the mounting block  But after we got going he did really nicely! I was a little worried about how he would do since I didn't lunge him and he hasn't been ridden in about a week, and this small arena is right up next to a pasture with horses (huge distraction for him!), but he settled down and didn't even try to look at them very much! We went over the poles a couple times and he was a little pro  I even cantered him a bit, which went ok. Still needs some work but I can't complain too much since I haven't been super consistent with him lately.


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## PoptartShop

Yeah, it's nice to just go out & visit them! <3 Can change your whole day around.
Aww! That's great he wasn't super distracted by the horses in the pasture nearby. For not being super consistent, that's pretty awesome.  He is a good boy!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a lovely ride with Nav today! It was a little chilly when I set out for the barn this morning - about 40 degrees around 10:30! But I made myself get out there and I'm glad I did. It did warm up as I groomed him and got ready, and Nav seemed very happy. 

Cute and fluffy in his field! Even though it was a little breezy and cool his coat was nice and warm. 









We worked in the big arena and Nav was a little excited about seeing the mirror again (it's been a while) and the fact that someone else was bringing another horse in to get ridden, but he actually was kind of pokey and hard to get going when we actually set out to work. I had to actually use my dressage whip a couple times just to remind him how he needs to move. We started with a lot of trot figures, and then did quite a bit more canter work than we have in a while. He did really nicely at the canter, a little heavy but not too bad. I also tried to really focus on making downward transitions more like transitions, rather than just slowing down into trot or walk. Instead of thinking "stop cantering" I instead thought "start trotting". I guess kind of the positivity of the thoughts helps make the transition an active thing instead of passive. It helped though and we had some nice transitions from canter to trot. 

After that we worked some more on smaller trot figures - about fifteen meter circles - and trot-halts, which we used to do all the time and it did pay off at our last show:









We had some really nice trot during this point of our ride, but he also started getting heavy and I could tell he was getting tired. 
Today he pulled me into the halts a few times. We're definitely out of practice! He tries so hard for me though and he's such a good horse. We just cooled down after that, did a few laps of walk with some neck reining. I don't remember if I've ever talked about it but when Nav was first broke he was trained to neck rein, and I'd like him to be able to still do it, so even though we usually direct rein I like to neck rein every now and then. 









No, that's not dirt on his nose... apparently he got a little too friendly with one of the others! 

Hoping to ride tomorrow - it's supposed to be a little warmer!


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## NavigatorsMom

A bit of a break since my last post! Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it.  I got to spend time with my family as well as my "horse family" aka the barn I grew up at. So nice to visit with them! Also got to check out the baby, he's 7 months old now and about 14.2 hands! So he'll be a big boy, currently greying out very nicely. 

Anyway, today I had my first ride back on Nav and he was even better than I expected! While Texas doesn't yet feel like home, I am definitely beginning to appreciate the weather - 60s and sunny in late November? I'll take it! 

We had a good warm up at the walk and then did a lot of trot figures. He was a little looky at some hay piles in the pasture near the arena, so I really had to have him do a long of changes of direction to focus. Eventually he settled down and really started working for me, instead of just poking around like he wants to do. Trot felt very forward and light. We then did some walk to canter transitions and he did amazingly! Really just stepped right into it, correct leads and everything! 

Of course, for every good there's a not so good - when I brought him back to trot and then walk he was VERY heavy in my hands, and he didn't want to walk with a contact, he wanted to break into trot. I had to really focus on him and control my seat and legs to give him the message that just because I had contact did not mean it was time to trot off. He never totally settled into that. I know it's my fault though, for only taking up a shorter contact when I want him to trot. That's something we will need to work on. But, I could also tell that he was getting tired by this point, so only did a little more and then we ended. 

And one selfie


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## PoptartShop

I love the pictures! He is so cute! What a handsome boy.
Happy to hear you have had such great rides. Of course there is always going to be something to work on, but that's what keeps it fun! Awww, that was nice you got to spend time with them and see the baby! He is gonna be a big boy for sure if he's already 14.2h! Aw! It's good you are aware of what you need to work on. You two are a team!

Love the selfie!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a short ride yesterday. Mostly walk, just a little trot, but I was on a time crunch so I had to keep it pretty short and easy. It was also super windy and because the arena is pretty sandy I kept getting fine dust blown into my face.  Nav was pretty good. We worked on walking with a contact and it was hard for him, he kept wanting to jig or break to trot, but we had some good moments throughout. Also got some nice trotwork. 

Didn't ride this morning because I had a job interview! I think it went well but won't find out until a week or two from now, but I feel good about it


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## PoptartShop

Wind + sand = not a good mix! Gosh, I know the feeling. :lol: Last weekend it was windy & the sand kept getting in my eyes too. I wear contacts & it made it even worse lol. That's good you had a nice ride though, despite the wind. Aw, I hope you get the job! Crossing my fingers for you!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a pretty nice, short ride this morning with Nav. It was a little cool but not too bad. 

I worked him in the smaller arena so that I could use the poles again, and Nav was really well behaved. It was a short ride though, didn't really do too much other than just a little bit of trot work and then the poles a bit at the end. I got at video of a little of our ride though! You can see he was pretty pokey before we cantered, and I had a hard time getting him to pick up the correct lead the first time we tried for some reason. But we had some nice trot after that and he did well with the poles. I wish I could do raised poles of cavaletti but there isn't really anything I can use for that. 

Anyway, here's the video. There is music so mute if you don't want to hear that


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## PoptartShop

Aww that looks like a nice little ride.  His canter looks nice! He got better once he warmed up it looks like. So nice! You guys look great!


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## NavigatorsMom

Yes, he always gets a lot better after a good amount of warm up and especially after we canter for the first time he really settles in and gets to work.  

I rode last night, with the intent of riding with a friend, but our schedules didn't quite line up and so I went alone. It was a very peaceful evening though, a little cool in the 50s but not breezy or anything like that. It was a pretty easy and short ride because I didn't want Nav to get too sweaty. We did quite a bit more canter work than we have in a while, which I think was good for him, though he is still building his strength to canter for longer periods. I had one really nice canter transition and I need to remember for the future how it happened. We were trotting around on a circle and I gave him a slightly stronger and very clear half halt before asking immediately for canter, and he lifted right into it. It was amazing! 










We ended our ride by doing some turns on the forehand and haunches, to cool down but keep him focused. It's supposed to rain the next couple of days so no riding for the moment, but I'm using the time to bring my saddle home and do a serious cleaning on it!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, I went out today planning to lunge Nav, but wasn't thinking and forgot that since it had rained a ton this weekend that the small ring would be too muddy! The bigger arena was ok but still had a little standing water on the lower side and I just didn't want to risk working him in slippery ground. 

So instead I just brought him in and cleaned him up. I did a little touch up on his feet, really need to do more next time. He seemed in a good mood. The weather was actually pretty nice today, sunny and upper 50s, so it would have been a good day to ride if not for the slippery ground! It's probably for the best that I didn't work him or ride today, I got almost no sleep and have been dealing with either allergies or a mild cold, so a day to take it easy is probably a good idea. Planning to go tomorrow morning/early afternoon to ride though!


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## PoptartShop

It really helps when you can remember stuff like that doesn't it?! Like oh! This is how we did it last time, let's try it again! I have a hard time remembering sometimes though. :lol: But the more you do it the better. The more he builds his strength too, the better it will feel. I don't blame you for not lunging him, the mud is a pain & if it's too slick it wouldn't be a good idea.

I'm sure he enjoyed a nice grooming session instead.  Ugh, the 50's sounds lovely! Been in the 30's all week here lol. Ugh.
I hope you get some sleep, and get a nice relaxing ride in!

I cleaned my saddle 2 weekends ago when it was rainy. Best time to do it lol. 
What a great pic of Nav!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well we've had rain, I've been a bit sick, and just lots of holiday busy-ness, so I haven't ridden much until today.

But today was a fun ride - we got to ride in a field instead of the arena! I happened to get to the barn while horses were in having dinner. Nav doesn't get a lot of grain since he's pretty chunky, really just gets a handful so he doesn't feel left out while the others are eating. But because of this, the big field that the mares are in was open, so I took him out to ride there for a little bit of a change of scenery. It was just what we needed! 

He was a little looky at first because he had never been in that field, but he settled down after a bit. We walked the perimeter first and then did some circles and loops around the middle. It was super muddy in some areas, but the higher side was somewhat dry, so that is were we did some trotting. He wanted to go fast but I really emphasized a regular tempo with half-halts and he responded very well. We actually had what felt like very pretty, floaty trot at some points. I actually laughed out loud, I was having such a good time with him 

It was a short ride, but it was just what I needed after a long and busy day - I just started my new job (which I can already tell I'll love) so I was drained from all of the excitement of that, but seeing Nav and doing a field ride really just lifted me back up.


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## PoptartShop

A change of scenery is ALWAYS good. It looks beautiful. It's nice to get out of the arena sometimes. I'm glad you got him to stay at a steady pace, oh gosh yes, he was probably excited to be in an open field!! Congrats on the new job by the way!! :smile: 
Sometimes a nice ride, no matter how long or short, is all you need. Love the photos!


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## NavigatorsMom

I forgot to update after my last ride on Tuesday. New job has been excellent but also draining and I've been so lazy when I get home!

Anyway, Tuesday night I went out for a short ride. I was exhausted after my shift at work but my barn friend was going and so I knew I should meet up with her. We've been keeping each other accountable for going out a little more frequently, and it's been nice to have someone to ride with. The weather was nice and it wasn't too dark, so we did a nice little ride in the arena, and then she took me down a little road/trail of sorts through a quiet neighborhood. It was just a short trail, as it was getting dark and her horse was acting up a bit. But it was a nice ride. 

Haven't been out since, I made myself do some last minute Christmas stuff last night and today I'm not sure I want to do anything. We're also having gusting wind and that's just not fun to ride in.


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## NavigatorsMom

Didn't ride today but did make sure to go out and visit Nav since I won't see him again until after Christmas! So of course I had to take him his Christmas treat today. 

A giant peppermint stick!









Yum! He just got two bites of it today, and the rest will be saved for later. He loved it!









And of course, he had to deal with my shenanigans - he's a good boy!


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## NavigatorsMom

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas (or any other holiday you may celebrate!). I spent the holiday up home with my family and it was really nice to all be together. Lots of people to visit but it was a good kind of busy.  I am happy to be home though, back with my kitties and turtle, and of course Nav!










I was able to sneak out to the barn today for one last ride of the year. Unfortunately the arena was super muddy and wet (we've been getting a ton of rain here!). I almost didn't ride because I didn't want to just walk around the arena, but I also wasn't sure I'd want to take Nav out on "trails" since he hadn't been ridden in a week. But I really wanted to ride, so I decided we would just do a short trail. Nav was actually fantastic! Although, a little silly, as usual. He was looky, which I kind of expected since we were riding in an area he was unfamiliar with, but the silly horse. We walked past a mailbox with a HUGE Christmas wreath on it, and he didn't bat an eye at it. But horses trotting around in a field? Horrifying. So scary he had to put his head wayyy up and had to do a nervous prance. The weirdo  But we did manage to had some calm and settled walking after that. 

I also worked on his feet today. They were a little overdue but not too bad really, just did a bit of clean up on the sole (dead parts flaked off super easy) and then rasped a bit and rounded. Farrier is coming soon so I didn't want to over do it so that he'll be able to trim him.


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## Rainaisabelle

He’s so cuteeeeeeeeee! Glad you got to ride


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## PoptartShop

I love the Christmassy pictures with his santa hat.  I'm sure he loved that peppermint stick. Too cute!! Sounds like a fun Christmas, but I know it was hard leaving your furry family!

Glad you got to ride, it's been raining a lot here too.  Super muddy and gross. Isn't that funny? Won't spoke at something they've probably never seen before, yet will spook at horses trotting around. LOL. :lol: Silly horse. Happy you ended on a calm note though. The sky looks beautiful, and love that nose! 
Happy new year!


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## NavigatorsMom

Since it's a new year, thought I'd share this. I made another "year of ears" collage! Although this one is not totally accurate since I didn't ride at all in September! So the final row is October, November and two Decembers.  Still, this is a fun tradition for me to do, and a fun way to look back at my year.


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## PoptartShop

Aww I love it! That is such a cute and creative idea.  
The best views ever!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well it's been over a week and I haven't been out to see Nav.  I got hit with an awful cold just after getting home and I am still recovering 7 or 8 days later. Last couple days I've felt ok but had other responsibilities. I know Nav is fine hanging out with the other horses and is well looked after, but it's hard to not feel a little guilty about leaving him for so long. 

Anyway, I have today off and am feeling almost back to normal, so I'm planning to go out and do a short ride. I think I will probably lunge him first, just since it's been a while and it's pretty mild and windy today and I'm sure he'll be feeling frisky. I want to really work on getting him fitter this year and stronger at the canter. I thought I would want to lesson and do shows when I first got to this barn but lately I haven't been interested in that, showing at least. I may look into taking once a month lessons possibly, just to give us something different to do but I'm not certain on that either. Lately I just want to enjoy time with my horse in non-stressful situations.


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## NavigatorsMom

I got to ride today! And just seeing Nav was a huge bright point in my week  

He was filthy, so grooming took quite a while. I had planned to ride in the small arena and do some pole work but it was still a little muddy from recent rains, so instead we went to the big arena. I lunged him first and he was much more attentive and settled than I expected him to be. We only did about 15 minutes of that. 

Riding today my plan was to re-introduce trot sets. We only did 2 and a half minute sets, with three(ish) minutes of walk in between. Nav did really well, although he wanted to look around a bit at first. He acted like he forgot about what the mirror in the arena was and was nervous about that! But then he got down to work and had some good trot. We only did three sets and then did some lateral work at the walk. I had wanted to take him out on a short trail since he was so well behaved, but the main road outside the barn was super busy, I guess traffic had been rerouted down it for some reason, and so I decided against it.


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## PoptartShop

I'm sorry you were sick! I was just sick around Christmas, it was horrible. :sad: Lasted like 2 weeks. I know how you feel. I wasn't able to go see my horse for almost a week, I felt so bad! 

Lessons are fine once a month, that's what I am planning on doing. No need for stress at all!

So glad you got to see him and ride.  What a handsome boy! I know he was probably so happy to see you. Sounds like you guys picked up right where you left off. :smile: Yay!!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop you are always so encouraging and kind, thank you!  Yeah, I think once a month lessons would give us some good goals and things to work on, but not so much that we feel overwhelmed. Always good to have a pair of eyes on the ground as well! I'm sure we've developed a ton of bad habits at this point! 

I have another day off today so hopefully will get out there this afternoon, though it's a little cold and looks like rain. But I have work tomorrow and Saturday so would rather get out there today than have to wait until Sunday!


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## Rainaisabelle

Hoping you got to see Nav!


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## NavigatorsMom

I did get to go see Nav! It was a nice day, a little cool and cloudy but otherwise not bad. 

Instead of riding I decided we'd do a little groudwork. Just some practice with walking and stopping together, trotting over some ground poles, ground tying, and backing and turns on the forehand. Nav was really good! We worked in the enclosed small arena, and I decided to hope on bareback and hack him around in the halter. We need some work on that! I thought Nav's neck reining skills were a little more tuned up but nope, we definitely rely on the bit a lot! I did get some good halts out of him and even some backing steps, which was hard, and I know more of what we might need to work on now to be less reliant on the bit. 

He's a good boy. Haven't been out since then unfortunately, just due to work mainly, but should be able to this week. We're supposed to have some really nice weather!


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## PoptartShop

You are welcome!! I enjoy your journal! You and Nav do so good together!
It's good to mix things up and do some groundwork once in awhile. It's good you rode him in just a halter too, that's something new to try and it definitely makes you more aware of what you rely on! So glad you had a nice ride!  Ugh and I'm jealous about the nice weather, here it's supposed to snow all weekend, again. :sad: 

I hope you get to see him again this week and have another great session!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, today's ride was very frustrating. It felt like nothing was going right and Nav and I were just fighting each other the whole time. 

He seemed a little anxious when I brought him in and he never really settled down. He was listening and looking for some distant cows while I tacked him up, and then he wanted to look at everything in the arena. When the BO's daughter passed by on the way to get her horse, he really fixated on her and then began to call for the other horses. This was all before we had done any trot, we were just doing walk figures to warm up. Once I did ask him to trot he really wanted to run but was also very heavy in my hands, I couldn't get him to relax and lighten up at all. And then we went past a corner that we had passed MANY times at this point and he spooked sideways and I almost fell off. Of course I took him right back by it and it was the same thing, over and over, sometimes with him taking off into a canter to scoot away from the corner. I never saw anything out of the ordinary, maybe it was something in the field just past the arena but I didn't see anything there either. But it all just really frustrated me, his spookiness along with the heavyness and just general looking around. It seems like we will never get any better than where we are now. 

I have been having a very hard time lately with anxiety and stress and I thought that going for a ride would be a nice way to combat that and help me relax but I just ended up feeling even worse. I guess the good thing is that Nav and I can start with a clean slate tomorrow, hopefully it will be better.

One cute selfie from before.


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## knightrider

> I never saw anything out of the ordinary, maybe it was something in the field just past the arena but I didn't see anything there either.


We like to joke that the horses see the Pokemans there. It's true they just spook wildly and we have no clue why. 

When I was young, my friend and I used to pretend (and maybe sort of believe it) that there were ghosts that the horses would spook at. One time we were riding deep in the woods and our horses both stopped and looked very intently off to the left. Then both horses' heads slowly followed "something" all the way until they were looking to the right. But we could see nothing at all. And then they just quietly went back to walking along on the trail. We were young and we were certain they were seeing ghosts.


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## NavigatorsMom

@knightrider that sounds a little spooky, especially that they both followed with their heads! But yeah, it could have been anything, maybe barn cat was out there, maybe the wind was blowing something around, or maybe he did see one of those elusive pokemon!

Whatever the problem was yesterday though, today was much much better. I think we just had a bad day. I'm sure it's also partly due to not riding very regularly lately. Between new job busy-ness and bad weather, it's been hard to get out more than once or twice a week. 

Tonight I went out a little later in the afternoon and it was relatively warm. About 56 which was nice! I had planned out our ride very thoroughly so that we wouldn't have lots of time for Nav to get bored and looky, and I think that helped. We did fast/big trot to slow/small trot transitions, and some threading the needle. This really settled him in and he focused pretty well! After that we did some work on turns on the forehand and a bit of leg yielding. 

He did get a little nervous about a neighbor dog who came around, though it didn't bother us. After the owner came and took it away he calmed down right away. 

My barn friend came out after I had been riding for about 15 minutes, so we did get to ride together! We mostly just walked the horses and chatted, which worked out because by that point (30 min) I was cooling down and she was warming up. It was really nice to catch up, we hadn't seen each other since before Christmas, and it was nice to talk with a friend.


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## PoptartShop

I totally understand your frustration. I have had quite a few days like that with Promise where things just don't go well, or we are both just a mess! Sometimes I leave the barn feeling like we won't get anywhere or I'm a failure. :sad: Sometimes I honestly even cry. But then, the next day things are so much better, and it makes everything worth it. Just have to keep pushing.

It does sound like he was just having an 'off' day. I know that probably didn't help with your stress/anxiety AT ALL though. :sad: I was sick at one point and couldn't get to the barn for 5-6 days, and I came back to a nightmare of a horse. LOL! They definitely need consistency, but whenever you do get to the barn you do well with him and work him and that's all that matters. I know life gets crazy and the weather has been HORRIBLE lately.  It could be that, but you can't help it. Ugh!

So glad you had a better day with him yesterday.  56 degrees sounds so lovely, I'm jealous! Planning the ride was definitely a good idea, this way he didn't have any time for distraction. And that's good you got to ride with a friend too!! It sounds like things turned right around.  Aw!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop yes, I totally have had times when I just have had to get off and cry because of everything feeling so bad! Isn't it funny how we love these big animals so much, and they bring us so much happiness, but can also bring us so much frustration? :lol: I don't think I would trade Nav though, even if we had to change disciplines or something, I'd rather stick with him than stick with dressage.


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## NavigatorsMom

Winter doesn't seem to be a good time for me to ride. We've had SO much rain, but also just the cold and the wind and the getting dark early. With my new job I can only easily and reliably get to the barn twice a week, because after work it's too dark. Summer should be better but it's hard having to wait. 

Went out today since I hadn't seen him in a week, but it was super windy and cold. I think without the wind it would have been bearable to do a short ride but I wasn't up for dealing with wind and a goofy horse who hasn't been worked in a week. But I cleaned him all up and checked out his feet since he was trimmed on Monday, and then we did some carrot stretches. 

As usual, another selfie


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## PoptartShop

Winter is such a pain! It's pitch black by the time I get off work & get to the barn too. I'm over it. Plus it makes you feel more tired, since it feels later than it is. :lol: 

I don't blame you for not wanting to ride in those crazy winds. It's unbearable sometimes! 
Such a cute selfie!! <3 I'm sure he loved getting groomed and doing stretches! He is too cute. I love his blaze.


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop, thank you! I love his crooked blaze too, it's funny, if I take a picture of him in profile from either side he looks like two different horses thanks to that blaze!
It's like, all black horse with no blaze on one side, black horse with lots of white on his face from the other :lol: 









I usually don't ride on weekends lately, since I work on Saturdays and Sundays are one of the only times my husband and I are able to spend a lot of time together, but the weather was just too nice so I spent about 3 hours at the barn, just cleaning Nav up, visiting with a couple other boarders, and then doing a nice ride. I was a little worried about Nav being silly after over a week without riding, but he was actually very attentive to me and well behaved. 

We did a lot of trot work and figures to get him warmed up, and then after about 5 minutes of that I had him do a bit of walking. At this point a couple horses came around to the fence by the arena and he thought he needed to pay attention to them. So to get him back to work we did some slow trot-walk-slow trot transitions. The goal was to get him to focus on me and be ready to transition, but it also really helped with our transitions in general. We got to a point where our walk to trot and back was super fluid and really nice. I also had him doing turns on the haunches at corners, so we were getting a little bit of lateral work in there too. After he was well focused back on me, and nice and loose, we did a tiny bit of canter. Just 20 meter circles, one circle of canter and then back to trot before doing another. I didn't want to canter him for too long and have him get heavy. He did pretty well. He was feeling good and wanted to zip around all speedy, but I really paid attention to how I was asking him to slow, and tried to use mostly my seat and legs, and hands/reins just as a backup or final resort. Nav responded well! 

By this point we had been riding for about 35 minutes, and since Nav had been working so well and since it was such a beautiful day, I decided to take him out on a trail. Again, he just exceeded my expectations! Last time we went out he was very nervous about horses in the pastures we passed by and he wanted to jig around with his head up the whole time. This time though, he was very calm, head down and I was able to have him on a pretty loose rein. I was even able to ask him to trot at one point and he didn't try to rush off or run, he just trotted very nicely and with a regular rhythm. I cut the trail ride a bit short since I did want to go home and spend time with my husband, but overall it was just such a nice day and ride! I hope to have more like this in the future. 

You can really see how nice and wide the shoulder is here! Unfortunately it's not like this the entire road, but still pretty nice.









When we got back to the barn I untacked him and we did a little stretching, and then before I could take him back to his field the guy who feeds came in to give the horses dinner. So, Nav got to go right to his stall and start dinner a little before the others who were still waiting to come in - he LOVED that, definitely thought he was pretty special, haha!


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## PoptartShop

That sounds like such a nice ride! I'm glad you could get him out on a trail too. What a perfect weekend! Sounds like he was much more relaxed this time! 

Omg, that is too funny! It really does look like two different horses from each side. :rofl: So cute!!

I know he was happy to get some food before everyone else, too! :lol:


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## NavigatorsMom

Yesterday's ride was not quite as good or productive as the previous one. It wasn't totally awful, just we were a bit off overall.

We rode in the small arena so we could do poles, but the footing was a lot softer than normal and Nav didn't love it. I don't know, we just felt off most of the ride. We worked on canter a little bit too, which we haven't done in a while so it wasn't great - though I know it will get better the more we do it. I have a clip from near the end of the ride. As you can see, he's still going around with his head up looking around some of the time. Before this we were having some nice moments! I think it had to do with me getting off to set up the camera, and Nav thinking he was done, and then when I got back on he was ready to quit. Not really an excuse but I think that explains it. We had been riding for a good 30 minutes before this as well so he probably was a little tired.






May ride tonight with a barn friend, we will see.


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## PoptartShop

I think you guys look pretty good! He probably was confused and thought 'but Mom, aren't we done???' LOL. :lol: 
It looks windy too which may be why he was a little looky. It looks like he comes down from a trot nice, and the backing looks good! His head isn't that bad though. His canter looks like a rocking horse canter, is it comfortable? Looks like you can sit it easily too. You guys look really good!

He's so cute and fluffy! Looks like he had plenty of energy haha. What a good boy though! I hope you get to ride later!


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## NavigatorsMom

Yes, the wind was definitely an issue. We're not used to living in an area with so few trees and no hills, so it's a lot windier in general. His canter is very nice, when he's not getting heavy. We just need to keep working at it and it will be really nice soon! 

He had a TON of energy at my last ride a couple days ago. I can't remember a time recently when he's wanted to go so much! We pretty much only had "go", almost no whoa - I asked him for trot and he took off in the fastest and biggest trot we've ever had, and he did not want to listen to half halts and slow down. Ended up having to do walk/halt/back/walk/etc. transitions for close to 5 minutes to get him focused, and after that we had some good trot and canter work. He was still very forward and energetic, which was kind of nice. 

We also did a little trail at the end. It was beautiful weather, mid 70s! So we had to take a trail ride to enjoy it, as well as cool out Nav. He was a good boy, had a little spook over some men working in a field, but other than that a very nice ride.


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## PoptartShop

Maybe the nice weather is getting to him! LOL, kinda funny, Promise has been way more energetic this past week, because the weather has been way nicer. :lol: 
I swear it always happens!! It's good that he had energy though! He can put it to good use!

Aw yay for getting out of the arena. Sounds like you had a nice trail ride.  It's beautiful there! Love the mirror selfie!! You guys are so cute!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks @PoptartShop! Yeah, the nice weather makes better riding weather but it always makes crazier horses, at least at first!

The bad news is I haven't ridden since my last post. Part of it was weather related - we went from 70s to 30s in just a day, and then family was in town visiting, and then I got sick again. So blah. I'm ready for springtime weather. 

But I did stop by yesterday after work to see Nav, and he seemed happy to see me. He was super dirty, as usual, and wanted treats. I had him do some stretches so he got a little work out of it. If I'm lucky I will be out to ride at some point today. 

I'm hoping once we get some regular, nice weather I can start some kind of regular riding routine for us. I think I should be able to make 3 days a week pretty easily, and maybe work in a couple others when time allows. It's a combination of work schedule, and distance from the barn that prevents me from getting there as often as I want to. I don't think I'll move him, unless something else comes up because there really isn't anything closer and with turnout. Pretty sure I'm just writing down my thoughts as they come to me so I think I should stop.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, yesterday's ride was interesting for sure.

I got to the barn and tacked up Nav just as the other horses were getting their dinner. He was NOT happy about that, and very concerned that he was not going to get to eat. It was also super windy, and Nav hadn't been worked in over a week. So basically perfect conditions for a very distracted and wild pony, ha!

I didn't even bother using the mounting block to get on because I knew getting him to stand there would be a huge thing that I didn't want to deal with. Once I was on we walked and I tried to get him to listen and bend nicely but he just wanted to stare at the barn. He did have a very nice forward march. I decided we just needed to trot it out, but the second I put any leg pressure on him he decided it was time to canter! I have never had such a prompt and upward canter from walk, but it's not what I wanted. He kept this up for a while, also trying to break into canter from trot. But I powered through it and just kept bringing him back to trot and eventually he stayed there. He was still very forward and I didn't have to encourage him to keep trotting at all. Even though it was fast, it felt like a pretty nice trot after he settled into it and focused more on me. We did a bunch of figures and he really loosened up. We probably did about 15 minutes of trot work before I brought him back to walk. 

We walked and cooled out a bit, then I asked him for one more trot, both ways. He wanted to take off at first but settled into it much faster than before. We ended our ride by doing some turns on the forehand and haunches at walk, as well as a little backing. 

It wasn't a great ride but it was about as good as I expected him to be, considering the circumstances. I know he'll get better once we get more consistent. He's also starting to shed his winter coat - spring is on it's way! I can't wait for him to be sleek and shiny again.


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a nice Valentine's Day ride with Nav! 

He was MUCH calmer today than yesterday, almost like riding a different horse! He was actually a bit pokey at first but I was able to get him going pretty well. We did mostly trot work and just a little canter work. He did really well, even with another horse working at the same time as us, he didn't get distracted or upset when they left. 









ew, this picture is a little warped bc I took it from the mirror and then tried to straighten it on my computer, but it's still kind of cute!

I didn't want to work him too hard since it was warm today (75!) and we worked pretty hard last night, so just did a little bit as far as figures, lateral work and then canter work, and then took him out on a trail to cool off. He was really good on the trail as well, not looky at all. He's getting a lot better about not being nervous on the trails we've been on pretty regularly, and I've started taking him just a little bit farther on rides when he feels relaxed. That wasn't today though, he got pretty nervous about some donkeys he saw in a field we passed, so we didn't go any extra, but it was still a really nice ride. I will upload a video from our arena work in a bit.

And then Nav had to, once again, put up with my holiday shenanigans.


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## NavigatorsMom

Video from our last ride, not the best angle but I'm still trying to figure out where to film from to get anything decent.


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## NavigatorsMom

*Lessons!*

Exciting news - I'm going to be starting dressage lessons soon with the trainer who comes to my barn! :dance-smiley05:

It's been so long since Nav and I have had any instruction and I think this will be great for us. I am so excited! It will just be good to have someone watching and helping us, and addressing our bad habits, as well as giving us things to work on when we ride. 

I don't know how frequently I'll do them. For now I'm going to do once a week, see how we feel about it, and then maybe do every other week or once a month depending on how much time I really have, cost, etc. Our first one will either be this Sunday afternoon, or next Sunday morning, just depends on where I am able to get scheduled in as this Sunday could be a little short notice. I have only heard great things about this instructor, how she is a great teacher but also very kind and encouraging, so I have high hopes. Maybe Nav and I can finally start making our way into 1st level!


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## NavigatorsMom

Nice, quick ride today. It has rained a lot lately and the arena was pretty wet, so instead I took Nav into a neighboring grass paddock and rode there. We just did a bareback hack, mostly walk and easy lateral work, turns on the forehand and haunches, and a little bit of trot. Also did some backing up a slight hill/incline. Nav was such a good boy! While we were trotting at one point the horses in the field nearby had a little spook and stampede and Nav tensed up a bit but didn't try to run off or even get very distracted. He refocused quickly and we had a really nice ride. 

He's so great!


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## PoptartShop

So happy you have been having such great rides with Nav!  Omg, the V-day picture is so darn cute! :lol: Love it!
The dressage lessons will be great for you guys! It will be good to have some direction, and figure out what you need to work on. Sometimes you can like, hit a plateau if you don't take lessons once in awhile. I don't take lessons very often myself, but when I hit that 'plateau' phase, I know I need to again! 

Even if you only take a lesson once a month, that's still SOMETHING, and it will give you and Nav things to focus on.  How exciting!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Lesson today!

Super excited, I'll do an update later after so I can reflect on how it goes.


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## Rainaisabelle

NavigatorsMom said:


> Lesson today!
> 
> Super excited, I'll do an update later after so I can reflect on how it goes.


Have a good lesson girl I’m keen to hear how it goes!!


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## PoptartShop

Yay! Can't wait to hear about how your first lesson goes!!!


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## NavigatorsMom

*Lesson Recap!*

Ok! I should have done this yesterday when everything was fresh in my mind, but I'll do my best now to recap the lesson!

It was really great. My last lesson was in January 2017, so we are very out of practice, probably have a few bad habits, etc. I was a little nervous about having a new person watch me ride, but the instructor, I will call her J, was just so kind and helpful and encouraging. We talked a little about Nav's and my background, and then she just had me warm up as normal and she would jump in after watching for a bit. I had walked Nav for about 10 minutes before she arrived so we started trotting, mainly doing large circles and some changes of direction. 

After a little bit, J started in and asked me to do a large circle around her at trot. We worked on using the outside rein to keep him bending on the circle, inside leg to push him out and inside rein to flex him in. He did very nicely, and any time he tried to look around she would remind me to just redirect him by wiggling inside rein. Nav was nice and energetic during the ride which was really nice. She said that he has a very nice and even trot.  He wanted to just trot around, autopilot, and so when he got going like that she had me ask him to bring him back to a slower trot, just to remind him to listen to me. He was super responsive, she kept referring to it as him having a "good answer" or a "quick answer". She said it shows he is ready to listen, I just need to be ready to remind him or ask him to listen. 

She wanted to see our canter after some trot work, and I was nervous since I feel like our canter is probably a weak spot for us and I don't work on it as much as I should. But she was encouraging, she had us pick up a good trot, and then ask for canter when I was ready. It went well, he didn't get too heavy. She really reminded me to sit up and put my shoulders more over my hips. This is to help put more weight toward the back and help Nav be lighter in front. I know this will take a lot of repetition and practice to do every time, because I tend to lean forward in the canter (long torso problem!). 

We also talked about when the best moment to influence the canter is. She said that if I want to influence his canter for the better I need to ask on the first beat (outside hind) because that is when he's up the most. She also said that for most people it is very easy and a common problem to ask on beat three, because that's when we feel it the most, but that is when the horse is heaviest, so asking for more or driving on beat three ends up with the horse becoming heavier and heavier. Again, I know that learning the best time to ask will take time. It's hard for me to feel, but I believe we'll get there! Similar to trot, she said that he has the base of a nice canter and that it will just take some time to make it even nicer. But it's not a bad canter.

All of this so far had been on a circle, so then we did some trot work on a straight line. It was harder to get Nav to flex on the straight line, he wanted to look around more. We did get it though. At this point we also did some work on the walk. He likes to try and trot off when I pick up contact, so she had me do an exercise where I put him on a loose/long rein but then have him walk with a lot of energy, like a march, making him work. And then to relax my legs and cues, and pick up the reins without encouraging him to work as much. It really worked and he didn't try to trot off or speed up when I picked up contact. 

We ended with a tiny bit of leg yield work, mainly to see what I already knew. It felt awful but again, she seemed to think we have a good foundation. Mainly she had me slow my trot and get him focused before asking for the leg yield. Since a step sideways takes more time than a step forward, having him slow a little makes it easier on him.

One other thing we talked about was my tack. She wondered why I am using the saddle I do, because she said that it's a very specific type that just a few trainers around the country she knows love to use on all their students and horses, because it's very minimal. Said it can be hard to ride in because it doesn't have a super deep seat or much at all in the way of knee blocks, but that I ride in it pretty well, it doesn't seem to be hurting my position. Also said that my bridle has a bit of a strange fit, a little too big in some parts, but also that the noseband, while not too small is a little oddly fitting. I definitely agree with her assessment of the bridle. It's just a rather inexpensive bridle from Smartpak, draft size because my other bridle which is just full/horse size is too small for him. But it is a little big. I should look into a new one that fits a little better, but it's not like a pressing emergency. 

She also mentioned that his weight looked good but that she wouldn't want him any thinner. I totally agree with that. Nav has lost weight since coming here, and part of it is he was overweight before but I think also it's winter and his field is not great. They do get plenty of hay but it's just not as much as the huge field he was in before we moved. I think he will be fine once spring comes around, but I also mentioned my concerns to BO and she said we'll keep a good eye on him and up feed/hay if needed. 

Overall it was a great lesson! J is a great teacher and I really feel like working with her will be great for Nav and I. I don't know if I'll do every week, but at least every other week for now.


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## Tihannah

Woohoo!! Congrats on the lesson! I've watched a few of your riding videos and Im sure you did really well! She's right that you have a great position despite the saddle. I wish I could learn to sit up that straight in the saddle! Sounds like Nav did a really good job too! It always helps to have someone on the ground guiding you despite your level of experience. It's really hard to see and feel what you may or may not be doing. So glad you had a great lesson!


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## PoptartShop

So happy to hear your lesson went well. That is GREAT!!  And that is great she is encouraging, that is super important when it comes to an instructor. They have to be encouraging. 

It's awesome you have such a nice seat in that saddle. I am pretty jealous. LOL! :lol: It sounds like you both did really well. Now you know what you need to work on, and you will improve a lot! 
It could definitely be the winter. My mare was 'thicker' in the spring/summertime. She's on more hay now than grass, so that could be why too. The grass will grow back in the spring & she will get thicker again, but it makes sense about Nav too. 
It's good your BO will also keep an eye on him.  It sounds like you two are in a great place!

I am looking forward to hearing about your next lesson already! It will make your rides more fun now, since you have things to work on.  So exciting!!!!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks both of you!!  I am excited for the next one.

I went out to ride yesterday and decided to just do a trail since Nav worked really hard in our lesson. It was super windy but Nav was very well behaved and relaxed for the most part. We went farther than we had before, but Nav caught sight of a longhorn in the distance, so we stopped there and went home - after I had him halt facing away from them and flex his neck both ways for me, so he didn't think we were leaving because he was being nervous. 
A little clip from our ride, where we came across some other horses who were really excited!






I had a weird interaction with BO after my ride though. She caught me in the barn and said she'd heard through the grapevine that I thought Nav was too skinny, and that he's my horse and if I want him to be fed more I need to just tell her. I said that I didn't think he was too skinny, just that I agreed with J that I wouldn't want him to lose any more weight, and that I thought he'd probably start gaining again once spring grass comes in. She just said again to tell her if I want him to eat more. I don't know, it was just a really weird exchange, especially because we had pretty much talked about this same thing the day before? So I don't know why she thought I was talking behind her back or had a problem with Nav's feed situation. :/ But anyway, I'm still going to keep an eye on his weight and we'll up his feed if needed. 

Hopefully I can get out and ride a few more times this week!


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## PoptartShop

I'm sure he loved going out on the trail!  Such a nice reward. Looked like a beautiful day. It does look pretty windy, but I am glad to hear he was relaxed.  I know the wind can make them spunky sometimes! :lol:

Awww they are so cute running along the fenceline! What a good boy to keep walking and not even let it bother him. He is so good! 

That is a weird conversation...hopefully she understands & doesn't think that, because exactly, you were JUST talking about it with her the other day! She should leave it at the fact you'll tell her if you want him to eat more, otherwise...he's fine.


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop yes, it was such a weird conversation! I looked pretty closely at Nav today and measured him with a weight tape. The tape came to about 1020 which I believe is at least 100 lb lower than I want him to be, but he also doesn't look especially thin. I'd mark him as about a 5 on the body score scale. It would be a little easier to tell if he wasn't so fluffy with winter coat - he's starting to shed though! Last time I taped him was last summer when he had been out of work and was pretty overweight, at about 1285. 

Anyway, we upped his feed a tiny bit, don't want to upset him with too big a change quickly, so he now gets about 4 lbs a day (split between two feedings), plus a couple flakes of hay in the stall with meals, free choice hay in the pasture, and what little pasture we have right now - I can't wait for spring to get here! I may see if I can get some good body photos of him to post for critique. I know it's easier to tell about those things in person, but couldn't hurt to try and get some other opinions.

I rode today, Nav was really good! We reviewed some of the things we did in our lesson, mainly the transitions within trot, and energetic walking on a loose rein. I hadn't ridden since our trail ride last Monday, but we have another lesson this Thursday and I didn't want him to go into that without some warm up rides. It's been cold here lately and between that and work I haven't ridden much.  But I made myself go today, it was in the mid 40s and sunny so not too bad, and it's just supposed to get warmer this week! I will update with how the lesson goes.


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out today and decided to do some ground exercises instead of riding. Thought we could take it easy since our lesson tomorrow will probably be a work out! 

We mainly did some practice on having Nav walk at a good pace along with me instead of lagging behind, halting when I stop, and trotting in hand. We also did some trot poles, and worked on backing with minimal lead pressure. Nav was great, he tried very hard and responded very well. At the end we tried some trotting around and halting without the lead rope. I got a little video of that. Nav was pretty good, especially since we hadn't done it before.  He focused on me and listened. It was fun!

Sorry about the wind noise!


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## PoptartShop

I think Nav looks pretty good weight-wise. & it's not uncommon in the winter for them to lose a little bit of weight too. It's good you did up his feed a bit though, he should be just fine. 

It sounds like you two are doing great! It's fun to work on new things from a lesson. I love the groundwork video too. He is so in tune with you! I hope today's lesson goes well, can't wait to hear all about it!


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## NavigatorsMom

Lesson went well! I don't have a lot to say this time, we worked on many of the same things, mainly keeping him bent properly on the circle, and also a lot of time keeping him focused. It was a super windy morning and I warmed up with a couple others who left when it was time for the lesson, so Nav was looking for the other horses a lot of the time. But he's coming along! She said his canter seemed a lot better to the right (which was very unbalanced during our first lesson) and I kind of had a breakthrough moment of understanding about how to keep him balanced on the circle. I have to be very in tune with him, but I just have to be ready to use my outside rein to bring him straight onto the circle, instead of overbent and unbalanced, but also keep him bending with inside rein and leg. I don't think I'm explaining it well, but it's something I know I can do while riding. Still really need to work on feeling the up/beat 1 of canter and influence him at the right time. 

I want to do some pole work with him this week, and do a lot more with our canter. I've been putting it off because it doesn't seem great, but it won't get better unless we work on it!


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## PoptartShop

Yay! Happy to hear you had another great lesson.  I know the wind can definitely make them more prone to distraction. Keep working on it! It will definitely get better. I know the whole outside rein/inside leg thing is hard to explain but I get it! I have to do that with my mare, sometimes she tries to cut corners in the arena & I have to make sure she doesn't. :lol: Very good that his canter is improving!! It will only get better!

So glad you started taking lessons again!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop yes, starting lessons again has been really good for me and Nav I think! We've actually got goals to work on and I now have a plan whenever I go out to ride. I know what we need to spend more time on. 

I actually spent a good amount of time on our canter today, for the first time in a while! I was a little discouraged because Nav wanted to run and didn't want to bend very well, and for whatever reason our transitions to canter were really blah... but we kept it up and eventually got nice transitions and a decent, not rushy canter. One of the hardest things for me is learning to sit up with my shoulders over my hips. One of my big bad habits is leaning forward when cantering. It just feels easier. I think it's kind of a compensation I developed since I have a long torso, but I really tried sitting up tall today and it felt like I was leaning so far back! Really though, I could see in the mirror that I was just sitting up tall! It will take time, but knowing that I have to show my instructor that we've been working on things outside of our lessons is a big motivator to work on the harder stuff! 

Nav's trot was just really lovely today, he settled into that really well and our transitions within trot were really prompt  I also tried out our "franken-bridle" today. I'm not really in a place to buy a new bridle right now, but my instructor has said that his bit needs to be a little higher. Apparently it's just a little too loose, the cheek piece gapes if I pull the rein at all. But it's already done up on the top hole... So I took the cheek pieces off of my other bridle, and used them on my dressage bridle, since they're shorter. It seemed to work fine, although it might look a little silly on close inspection, haha!


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## PoptartShop

It can be difficult to stay balanced at the canter, I tend to throw my legs forward when I shouldn't! I'm glad you kept at it until you got a nice canter.  Progress!! It's good you have a mirror too so you can SEE yourself, I wish we had one because it'd make it a lot easier. So I can see what I need to work on, I'm jealous! Plus...horse selfies! :lol: I am so glad the lessons have been motivating you, you and Nav are doing great!  He is so handsome in that bridle! Whatever works, right?! Lol. And yay for a nice trot too!!!! It will all tie together!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had another lesson today! I feel like it's been a lot right in a row but I guess it has just been about once a week. They've been going well.

We talked about Navigator's cow fear today, and while she said that she has seen horses overcome that fear with a lot of training, I just don't think it's something Nav can get over. He's 14 and it's a really ingrained thing. Anyway, apparently there are schooling shows held often at a place nearby, but because the arena shares a fence line with a cow pasture I don't think that's anything we could ever do. 

I felt a little weird after this one, just about like, what are Nav's and my goals? I don't want to go to a lot of shows, but I also wonder why I'm taking so many lessons if I'm not ever going to show? I know it is good to improve and have someone helping Nav and I. I feel like we're improving already, even though it's only been three lessons and I know we will just get better if I can ride regularly and practice the things we've learned in addition to lessons. I think I'm just in an off mood, not horse related, but it's carrying over into that. 

As for positives, we did have a really beautiful and round trot near the end of the ride, and our canter got better as we went. It was incredibly windy but he focused pretty well, and even thought it rained all morning the fact that I was still able to ride at all is a great thing.


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## carshon

Don't give up your lessons! My husband has been taking weekly lessons for 3yrs now and he does not have any intention of showing. If you enjoy it there is nothing at all wrong with expanding your skills


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## PoptartShop

I know what you mean. I also don't show, I only do trails or just ride in the arena/sometimes the fields, but I am going to start taking lessons again, at least once a month, starting this weekend I'm doing a quick, 30min lesson just as a refresher, & then at the end of the month I have a lesson with a new trainer who is more in-depth.

I think you are on the right track. It's good to keep both your brain and Nav's brain working, there is ALWAYS something to learn, and it's better now because you have stuff to work on.
Even me, I haven't taken a lesson in awhiiiiiiiiiiiiile & I feel like I can't wait until I take one, because I need 'homework', if that makes sense. Like I want to keep learning.

You definitely don't need to show, at all, if you don't want to.  Taking lessons is good because you're learning and improving. It keeps things interesting and fun! I'm really glad you are enjoying them!  Even after only a few lessons, think about how much you and Nav are already improving!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks both of you. I'm not planning on quitting lessons, considering going down to twice a month though instead of weekly. Nav really is the kind of horse who needs a job though, he is so looky - J described him as "being a tourist" during our lesson yesterday, which is a funny way to say it but it's true, he's always looking for things to see around him. When I ask him to do harder things, such as what we work on in lessons, he really has to focus and does a lot better. So I will definitely keep up the lessons, just maybe on a lower scale. J also said that she believes Nav has the potential to go to 1st level, with regular riding, so that was nice to hear. I'd like to move him up and learn some more challenging movements eventually. 

The only thing from yesterday that I forgot to write about here: Bit placement. I mentioned that the franken-bridle helps so the bit isn't so low and the cheekpieces don't gape anymore, but J actually put the bit up even higher. Because it is apparently a slightly too large bit, so the link in the middle was not at an appropriate place, and the "arms" of the bit were able to slide into his mouth too easily. She also said that when a bit is too low, the horse can tend to get heavy because he's reaching for something to hold onto. She adjusted it for him after I had gotten on, so I didn't get a good look at the placement until today when I tacked up. And honestly, I feel bad about how tight the bit seemed! I don't think I've ever had a bit so high on any horse I've ridden. I know that some people do the two wrinkle rule, and that's what I was originally taught, but lately I've had him a lot looser (mainly due to not being able to put it up at all) so this was a big change. I would like to be able to trust my instructor, since she's a professional and a very good rider, and of course because I'm paying her to teach me, but having the bit so high feels very wrong to me. Does anyone have any opinions on this? I got a few pictures:

From the front, you can see how the bit sticks out on either side because it is about a half inch too big (it is 6 inches):









Left and right sides:

















And just for comparison, this is where we had been:









Maybe it's just surprising because I'm used to it being much lower, but I don't know. Nav is stoic so he didn't seem bothered but I don't want to hurt him. 

We had a nice ride though, worked a little bit on transitions within trot, and then just did a tiny bit of canter. But most of our ride today was a nice little hack down the road. It was windy again so the horses we passed by were super fresh, running around and playing with each other. Of course Nav did very well and didn't get upset by the antics.  I gave him a bunch of treats before letting him go back to his field, and then brought all of my tack and tall boots home to clean since it will probably be Monday before I go out again. 

Oh, and also just got Nav's biotin supplement in the mail! He got it regularly while we were back home, and I think it did some good for his hooves and coat, so I figured since they get fed in the stalls daily it would be really easy to start getting that back into his diet.


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## knightrider

I also am a "no wrinkle" rider. I understand exactly where you are coming from. I've known plenty of instructors who go for wrinkles and plenty who do not. So I go with no wrinkles since I wouldn't like wrinkles on my lips. I also ride with my girth looser than most people, so I get scolded about that from time to time.

One time, when I was doing a joust show, a patron came up to the arena fence and tightened my bridle without permission, saying I had it all wrong. Hmmm, that must be why I was making good money with my horse and she was not?


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## NavigatorsMom

@knightrider yes, it just seems like it would be uncomfortable for the horse if it's causing so many wrinkles. I think I'll probably adjust it some more when I go out today, put it down at least a hole or two. I may also try my slightly smaller bit. 5.5" vs 6" doesn't seem like that much of a difference, but apparently it's too much. Which is confusing to me because another instructor I had in the past said that the 5.5" was too small. Horses get more confusing as more points of view get involved, I guess.

Anyway, Nav's supplement came in so I'm taking that out to the barn today. I don't know if I'll have a lot of time to ride since I have some other things I need to deal with. I feel like I never have the time to do what I want to do, and the barn is far enough away that it really takes up a lot of my day if I go out and have a decent amount of time riding and working with Nav. Either I do what I need to at home/errands/work and go to the barn for just a quick visit (which seems ridiculous because it comes to a 50 min/hour round trip), or I go with the intent of riding for a while and spending time with Nav and then I'm out for a minimum of 3 hours. Which doesn't seem like much in the span of a day but it feels like it is. I don't know. It's hard to make myself go out there when I know I don't have much time, because most of that trip will be spent driving there and back. I think also I may have some amount of undiagnosed depression, as doing much of anything - let alone long drives to the barn when I have limited time - has been a struggle lately. I am working on finding a therapist but it's slow going. 

Sorry to get kind of personal.


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## PoptartShop

Lessons twice a month is plenty. I was also taught 1-2 wrinkles, but my horse has no wrinkles, and her bit fits fine. It's not loose, yet not super tight. It's snug.
I just don't like the look of the wrinkles.

That does look a bit high to me on Nav, but then again, like you, I am used to seeing it lower. See how it feels...but if you don't like it, you can always lower it a little. I understand your trainer thinks it should be higher, but it's really up to you.
Hopefully the smaller bit helps too though. Yeah, so true...everyone has their own way of doing things. It's confusing! :lol: One person says this, the next says the opposite. I get it! I'm glad the lesson went well though. I cleaned my tack the other day too, always something to clean!

I hope his supplement helps.  That sounds good. 

I totally understand. My new barn is about 30mins from my house, but on the way home it takes almost an hour, because if not I will be forced to take an $8 toll. No thanks! :lol: Yesterday, I was supposed to run errands & do chores around the house, so I planned on going to the barn for just a quick ride. I planned on being there for only 1-2 hours, but I ended up being there for like 3 hours. Then it took an hour to get home. So half my day was kinda gone. By the time I got home, it was time for dinner. Not that it was a bad thing, but I know what you're saying. It's hard to manage your time.

Here's 2 pictures of mine:


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## NavigatorsMom

Promise is so cute! That is the kind of bit placement I would like to have with Nav. It is hard having a barn far from home/work, but around here 30 minutes away is actually pretty close, so can't do much about it. Maybe one day I'll just be able to keep Nav at home with me!

I went to the barn earlier today. Planned to ride but became too concerned about not having enough time to get home and get a shower and lunch before having to go to work. I dropped off his supplement and then brought him in and gave him a really good grooming. He's shedding a lot! Can't wait until he's shiny and smooth with his summer coat  

We did take one selfie, of course, even though I'm super shiny from sunscreen 









I also told the person who schedules our lessons that I want to go to twice a month instead of weekly. Our trainer is super busy so our scheduler wants me to just send her the dates for the next couple of months that I would want a lesson. Easy enough, so I'm working on getting that set up and I'll have to text her later today or tomorrow. I will have one lesson this week, since it was already scheduled, but next week we'll have off. I think this will be a good schedule.


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## PoptartShop

Aw thank you!  Yeah, it can be hard. Especially during the week like after work, I don't get home until 8 almost 9 some nights.  But we love what we do! YAYYY for shedding!!!  & I love the selfie, so darn cute!!! That's so nice you will be able to pick the dates for your lessons ahead of time, it'll be much better!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a really good lesson this morning! 

I was up and ready to ride by 9:15 which is sooo early for me and Nav. Like, I don't know the last time I was at the barn so early. I don't love waking up at 7:30 to get ready and make the drive, but it is so refreshing to be at the barn in the morning and have a nice ride, and then to still have the entire day to do other things! 

Nav was super! The main things we worked on today were shortening his trot but keeping the rhythm, canter, and then a tiny bit of leg yielding along the long sides of the arena. 

With the trotting, we had a really nice forward trot going along, and then she had me slow my post to get him to slow and shorten his strides. Our tendency is for him to get very heavy on the forehand and/or break to walk when we did this. She said what is happening is that Nav has a really big reach with his hind legs, and when I ask for him to slow he does a good job of slowing but doesn't shorten his back leg stride. So there's interference where he can't keep that stride but slow down because his front legs do slow down and don't get out of the way in time. Confusing. But what we did was keep working on it, and using the dressage whip to just tap his hind end at the same time as the slow post, which is meant to tell him to shorten his stride but don't slow down or lose the rhythm. He started getting it and we had some really nice and light transitions to walk after that. It will take more practice of course, and it was very clear to feel that he is better at it tracking left than right. 

For canter work, we really focused on the upward transition. Sometimes Nav wants to just rush or fall into the canter, and what J had me do was get a nice trot going, ask him for canter, and if he didn't pick it up within three strides then to bring him back to a nice trot, regroup, and try again. This was hard. Cantering in general has been a little hard with Nav for the last few years, and I avoid working on it because it doesn't feel good. But I know I need to do more. Today felt good! J also said that I tend to drive too much with my seat and legs, and to sit much more still and just encourage him with legs or whip if he slows/tries to break. That was really hard! I don't even realize I move that much but she kept reminding me to sit up and less movement. I think a video would be helpful, so maybe I can get my husband to come out with me sometime soon since my tripod situation isn't the greatest! 

Finally we ended with some work on leg yielding along the long side of the arena. We started at the walk, straight along the rail. Then J had me flex Nav toward the rail, as if the rail was the inside, and next I used my "inside" leg to push his haunches out just a little bit. And we went along the rail like that for a few steps and then straightened, and then did it again. Nav actually did pretty well with it! We tried it both ways at the walk, and then again at the trot. Trot was a lot harder, Nav either wanted to slow to a walk, or kind of refused to flex. J said that it's a lot harder for him partly because he doesn't want to adjust his stride to be shorter. This is why she had us do this exercise, and working on this along with the trot transitions will really help him with that. This lateral exercise will also be a good one to use for when Nav needs something to focus on instead of being looky. He's smart and needs harder questions than what I usually ask him.  Wish I could have gotten some pictures or video of him today, he just felt so good!

We cooled out after that and I gave him a few treats! And then let him go back with his buddies. Will probably do an easy ride tomorrow, maybe a short trail or something. But he worked hard today and deserves something a little easier!


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## PoptartShop

Glad you had a nice early start to the day.  Then you have the whole day to do whatever else! So glad the lesson went well!!! It seems like each one is better than the last!
It is pretty hard to get that canter down. I am starting to work on it with my mare. Sometimes she rushes into it. But you just have to bring them back down, then try again.

It would be good to get a video, seeing yourself helps a TON! & half the time when you think you look 'bad', you actually look fine! :lol: Someone took a video of me cantering last night & I thought ew I am probably a darn mess but it actually looked really good! 

I think a trail will be nice for him.  Nice and relaxing. So happy that your lessons are going well. Working on the canter can be tough, but you got this! One step at a time.


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## NavigatorsMom

Can't believe I haven't ridden since my lesson. Oops. I'm in a weird place with my riding schedule at the moment. 

Anyway, I did ride today. Just a short one, because apparently the barn got a lot of rain last night! We heard the storm sirens going and it rained on us a bit, but I guess the barn was more in the path of the storm. So, the ring was pretty mushy. Decided against doing any canter work, but we did work on trot. We worked on transitions within the trot, getting Nav to shorten his stride. He felt pretty good, definitely better at it going left than right, but that's what I expected. We'll keep working on it though, he got better at it as we worked on it today. 

After a good amount of trot, we did some of the leg yielding along the long side of the arena. Nav did really nicely tracking left, but he was super sticky to the right, really wanted to just bulge his shoulder out. I settled for a few nice steps of it. We didn't try it at the trot today. I have to really remember to sit back during this exercise, my tendency is to sit a little forward. I was able to catch myself doing it this time, so that was good! 

About halfway through our leg yield work, a couple of the other horses were released into a new pasture, so they had a case of the new pasture zoomies. They were going SO fast from one end to the other, and Nav was very interested. I was able to refocus him by using the leg yield, but I decided not to do much more after that. Better to end on a good note than for him to get riled up by trying to do more. My initial plan was to go on a short trail after that, but I decided against, because of how rainy it had been the road shoulders would be squishy and I didn't want to put a bunch of hoof shaped holes in it. 

After untacking I let Nav graze in the paddock near the barn while I cleaned up. He shed SO MUCH today, it was like a dog sized pile of Navigator hair after I swept it all up! 

I also realized I need to start looking for new reins. I'm just currently using the reins that came with my bridle, and they're just rather inexpensive rubber reins. They're totally torn up and starting to fall apart, so I'd like to get some nicer leather reins. Really, I want to look at getting a new bridle, but I need to measure Nav before I just buy one, since he's an odd size somewhere between horse and oversize/draft. I'd like to just get a simple, flat noseband hunt style bridle, and since I'm not in a hurry to get one I'm going to try and hold out for one like that. 

And, some pictures!
Mirror selfie


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## PoptartShop

Even though the ring was mushy (ugh, rain sucks), I'm glad you were still able to do some trot work at least! It sounds like he is getting better the more you work on it. It can be hard not to lean forward. I have the same issue sometimes. It's just a habit.
Glad he is starting to shed too! LOL, I bet there was a ton of hair! :lol: He has such a thick coat.
Love the pictures.  So cute.

As for reins, the ones that originally came with my bridle snapped (long story short, she stepped on them). I need to get them repaired, but I did buy some cheap reins from Tractor Supply...they actually have lasted a long time  They were like 12 bucks, but they look nice believe it or not! https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tough-1-laced-reins-silver-fox?cm_vc=-10005

It will be nice to save up for a new bridle for him, but if you just want reins for now, you don't have to splurge!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop yes, I have so many ingrained habits! I realized the other day that I actually haven't had regular lessons since jr. high/early high school, when I had Pony Club meetings or lessons about twice a month. So I definitely have developed some bad habits in all the years since then!

I rode last night and it was a pretty nice ride. Really tried to focus on sitting tall and still during canter. I think Nav did pretty well for me overall. I felt like we made a lot of progress with the transitions within trot. And our canter transitions were TONS better, so that made me happy, even if our canter didn't feel great all the time. He still gets pretty heavy in the bridle during canter and especially during down transitions to trot. I know our transitions within gaits will help with that but it will just take time. 

I got a video so I'll post that too. Cuts are just where I was out of frame. This was after about 20 minutes of warm up. It's not perfect but I think he's doing well and that we're slowly improving.


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## PoptartShop

Wow, you guys look really good! Definitely seeing a lot of improvement.  His canter looked much better, and he looks better going into it as well. So nice!
Your seat also looks good, you stayed right in the seat during the canter. Great job!!

It will take time, but you are definitely making progress. Me too, LOL I took a small 30min lesson w/ my trainer last weekend & I realized I was like pointing my hands to my stomach instead of straight back with the reins. Like turning inwards if that makes sense. Had no idea I was doing it. :lol:


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop I know how you feel, I've been corrected so many times on hand position since I started lessons again!

Well, yesterday was Navigator's birthday! He is 14 this year  We had a nice easy ride (we did some poles!) and then took a hack around the neighborhood. And I gave him a bunch of carrots, which he loved of course! He did great! There really isn't a lot to say, we've just been working on the same things. Making slow progress, but I feel like we are making progress. I'm pretty happy with Nav's weight - I can feel ribs if I press a bit, but they aren't visible. I hope we can start building some muscle. I think doing poles more frequently as well as hacking along the road sides on varied terrain will help with that.


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## PoptartShop

Awww, happy belated birthday Nav!  Sounds like he got spoiled!  Hey, slow progress is better than no progress. Nothing wrong with going slow. Things take time, it's best not to rush anything. He does look good weight-wise, he looks healthy. He will definitely gain muscle in no time!


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## NavigatorsMom

Yesterday's ride was allll about poles. And having a nice rhythmic and relaxed trot. 

We rode in the small arena because there are more poles there, and we had a line of seven poles set out. Nav really did nicely with those, especially since we haven't worked them regularly in a long time. No missteps or knocked poles! He was a little lookier in that small arena, and we had more trouble getting nicely bent and round going to the right. Left was really nice for the most part! He did settle into something somewhat decent to the right but overall it took a lot more work. Will need to keep working on it. Trot poles were very nice and even. 

Weird kind of selfie...  His floppy crest makes his neck look a little weird.









Canter work was next. We just did a little bit of it, I mean, more than what we used to do before we started lessons, but still not a ton. Mostly worked on getting nice transitions without running trot steps and overall we had more good than bad.  I intended to get off, set up my camera and get a clip of our canter work, but on my last canter before dismounting, Nav gave me the nicest transition and then the lightest canter. No heaviness in the reins at all! So I decided it would be better to end it on that instead of getting off, getting back on and asking for more. He's a good boy!

I took a minute to admire my horse after riding. I need to reach back into myself and remember the little horse obsessed girl. A horse of my own was a dream for so many years! And now it's finally a reality, and has been for five years. Seems crazy, but I also feel so lucky. And I'm so thankful that Nav is the horse that I have. There were people back then who kind of tried to get me to look at other horses - many people told me Nav was overpriced, and that I could find something comparable for less. But there is more to it than skill or training. Nav has a personality that really works with mine, and that I have never found in another horse. He is such a sweetheart and also a great, all around horse. Smart enough for me to ask him challenging questions that he can answer, but also gentle enough for my husband or other less experienced riders (I just recently found a video of him being ridden in one of the lessons I taught a couple summers ago, and it is so cute how nicely he's going for the young rider). I am so glad I have him, and hope to for many more years.










Side comment about his weight. How does he look? I know I've gone back and forth about this for a while, but I can't help being concerned! I wonder if I'm used to him looking fat. This was him yesterday and this to me looks ok until I compare it to a picture of him from a couple years ago...









vs. Summer 2017









vs. Summer 2018 when I know he was overweight









I think maybe it's an issue of him just being under muscled because he essentially had all summer 2018 off, and then sporadic riding since moving him here. We are only just getting into a regular riding schedule with more intense work. That said, I also weight taped him yesterday and he came to about 1,040. Which seems low for a 15.3 hand draft cross? It's just something I'm more aware of. Even though I owned Nav before moving, I really feel more like I'm on my own as an owner now, whereas before when he was at my home barn with my "horse mom" I had someone else who was always really looking out for him and giving me suggestions on what kind of care he might need. I don't know how to explain it really. But no matter how many questions I had, I never felt awkward asking because talking to her was like talking to a mom, since I had known her for so long - so no judgement for the questions I had. I don't think the new BO or others would judge me for having ownership questions, but it's just harder for me to not feel uncomfortable talking to them. I don't feel like an experienced owner. I'm sure it will come with time though.


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## NavigatorsMom

Today's ride was.... interesting.

It is warm here today, low 80s, and Nav is shedding out a TON! I decided since it's hotter than it has been and Nav still has some winter coat, it would be nice to do a little relaxing trail. Well. Nav didn't want to be relaxed today, apparently.

We went down the main road a bit, which we normally don't but we have done it before. Nav was super nervous. I wonder if he could smell the longhorns that were farther down? He was definitely on edge though. Not prancing with a high head but definitely looking around and a little tense. 

I hadn't seen any longhorns as I drove in today so I planned on taking Nav a little farther down, but he spotted them! They were in a different field that we wouldn't go directly by, but he could still see them. He totally tensed up, high head and stopped to stare at them. I didn't want him to think he was getting his way in turning around because he was nervous, so I had him do some neck flexes for me, which he responded to pretty nicely, and also a turn on the forehand to turn around, and then a halt before we headed back. So not an awful experience but still. He was calmer on the way back, but then I took him down our usual trail. Again, he got super tense and nervous, and on our way back up the way, some horses in the field we were passing trotted and cantered along the fence line. Nav had had it and tried to do a fast scoot forward and then continued to do the slowest prancy trot/jig the rest of the way to the barn.

Because he had been so squirrely on the ride I did have him work in the arena. And wouldn't you know it, he had a beautiful and round trot, nice transitions within trot and trot walk transitions. He was SO much better behaved. So we kept it short and then finished on that good note.


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## PoptartShop

That is great that his canter is improving! I think his weight looks fine, he does need more muscle but that will come, since you guys are working on a lot of things. He looks good to me.

That's good he is finally starting to shed. 

Horses definitely can sense things & smell things way before we can. Sounds like he got a bit anxious because of the longhorns. Understandable, although I know it's frustrating when they have that quick tick-tock prancy trot/walk. I'm glad you came back and worked him in the arena though. What a good boy, ALWAYS important to end on a good note.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, we're finally having another lesson tomorrow! Had a few weeks off just because I'm only doing the every other week schedule, and then my last lesson had to be canceled due to a conflict on J's part. 

I haven't ridden since last Monday, so we're going into this lesson a little rough. I think Nav will do well, he is smart and retains things and our last few rides have been good. Hopefully he won't be too squirrely or fresh!


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## NavigatorsMom

*Quick Lesson Recap*

Things went surprisingly well considering we hadn't ridden in a week! I got on about 15 minutes before my lesson time so we could warm up and not be too wound up. It was windy, so of course he was a little looky, but not too bad. There wasn't a lot going on to distract him.

As usual, started with our trot circle, and we made it small enough that he had to have a bend through his body. He did well to the right but was pretty resistant to the left. He really didn't want to bend through his ribs or look in the circle. I usually just need to do a little wiggle with the inside rein and press with my inside leg to get him to do it, but today J had me do a strong one or two second pull/ask and then release. And when I say strong, it's not like I'm yanking him over, more like I'm closing my fist. It's stronger than usual but usual is pretty light, so it felt different. But we had to keep coming back to that because he really didn't want to bend. I've heard that this can mean that his outside (right) muscles are tighter so it will take repetition and stretches to help him loosen up, so I need to start doing carrot stretches more frequently. 

Our canter today was nice! Especially the up transitions, he just really stepped into them, no running or disorganization. Down transitions were not as nice, he got heavy a couple times - this also happened a lot in the trot. J reminded me that this is why I need to make sure I keep working really hard with him on the transitions within gaits and shortening his stride. He got better as we went but still was pretty heavy. It will get better with time and practice. She also said that he likes to get heavy and fast and that I don't always try to stop him, so I need to be much more deliberate with telling him "hey, I know you're ready to go but you can't just take me along for a ride". To make sure I sit back and that I am the one driving instead of letting him autopilot. He's pretty forward which is good but I need to start working on asking him to shorten stride and put a little more weight in his hind end instead of plowing along with long strides but on the forehand. 

We ended the lesson with working on our leg yield/haunches in along the long sides. He does pretty nicely to the right, actually had some nice moments when our coordinations all came together and we were on a bit of a roll, we were even able to do it at the trot! To the left is a lot harder, and we did it at trot and walk but it was much stickier and not as much angle or bend. Again, just something to keep working on. This exercise requires him to do a slower trot too, but still with energy so it will be a good one to work on.

Our lesson finished just in time before the rain started. Good timing! The rain has stopped as of now but apparently we have a super storm headed our way, which is super frustrating because I have extra time off this week and was hoping to ride the next couple days in a row. Maybe it won't be as bad as they're saying but we'll see. I'm so glad I got to spend some nice time with my ponyface though!


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## tinyliny

you have the prettiest smile!


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## PoptartShop

Awww I love that picture!  SO cute!

Glad you had a good lesson again, exactly, the more you work at it, the better it will be. You are already making good progress. Even going into the canter! That is awesome!!
Ugh about the rain, it's supposed to rain all weekend here too.  Of course when we have some extra time off, right?! Fingers crossed you get to ride this weekend!!


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## BeckyFletcher

I feel like I should tell you I started reading your posts a few days ago at work. My employer wants half our time here to be 'down time' to keep us 'fresh' and allowed to do certain things during this time. I found this Googling 'horses'. I started out reading threads about grain and then came across this. I enjoy reading it, thanks! I'm more of a novice, leasing to own my first horse in my mid forties in Wisconsin. Prior to about five months ago, it had been about thirty years since I was on a horse besides one of those trail rides that the horses could walk it on their own. I started doing morning chores for some extra money at a 35 horse facility about six months ago and the rest is history.  The love for them never leaves ya! Now I spend a lot of time wishing I hadn't wasted those thirty years and was at the same place so many people I see daily, are at. But we will get there! Thanks for the read! I just finished your first year. I will look through all the threads on here on all topics eventually.


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## NavigatorsMom

Aww, @tinyliny, @PoptartShop, and @BeckyFletcher, y'all are so sweet!  

About the rain - it ALWAYS seems to come at the worst times doesn't it? Yesterday ended up being a fail for riding because it did end up raining! Thankfully the ring dries relatively quickly so it should be good for today - fingers crossed! I'll be heading out a little later because I have Friday off for once, yay! 

My plan today is to do a bit of work on the trot and canter - especially trotting on a circle to the left and getting a good bend - and then spend a lot of time working on the lateral work. We probably spent the least amount of time working on that before our lesson, so I want to put some more time in on it this time. Plus it's fun, and it gives Nav a little more of a challenge which is good for his pony-like mind. 

Becky, welcome, and I'm glad you've enjoyed Nav's and my journey so far! I don't think it's ever to late to get back into horses, sometimes we just have to wait for the right time, and it seems like you're there! I'd love to hear about your horse sometime


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## NavigatorsMom

Meant to do this when I got home from riding, oops!

Nav selfie!









Yesterday's ride was really good! It was a beautiful day - bright and sunny, mid-60s - just a little windier than I would have liked but it didn't phase Nav.  Nav is still shedding. I know it will be a while before he's all shed out but I can't wait to be able to groom him and not be totally covered in horse hair by the time I'm done!

We rode in the big arena and even though we had rain the day and night before it was pretty dry and good footing. We warmed up, and then worked on our trot circle. Nav did a lot better to the left than he did at our lesson with bending through his whole body. I still had to remind him, but not nearly as frequently or strongly as on Wednesday. Our transitions within trot are getting better and less heavy on the forehand too! It still happens sometimes, but he's doing a lot better about staying light in the bridle.

One of our trot circles:









Canter was nice today too. Left lead was easy, prompt to pick up and no running, but right was a little harder. Not sure what the problem was, but I had a hard time getting him set up for it and then he wanted to run into it or just trot faster. We were able to end our canter work on a good transition but it was still not as good as Wednesday. He may have been a little tired, but I'll be interested to see how he does with it on our next ride. Either way, he didn't get too heavy, so I also consider that a win!

We worked on the lateral exercise at the walk only. As with our lesson, he did well to the right, but stickier to the left. He did have a good series of steps on the left a couple times, but it still needs a lot of work. 

Nav checking himself out after our ride:









He is such a smart little horse, I feel lucky to have him! 

I also tried out his new saddle pad! I think it looks so pretty on him


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## PoptartShop

Love the trot circle pattern!!  

That is awesome! He is really starting to get it! There is always one side that is worse or harder when it comes to cantering. He will get stronger though. And yay for him not getting too heavy - that is definitely a win! Omg, the picture of him looking in the mirror is just adorable. <3 So cute.

Ah, Promise is still shedding a bit too - I can't wait until that summer coat comes in lol. So much hair everywhere now! :lol: Grrr!
I love the new saddle pad on him too - great color!!!


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## Tihannah

I wish my circles looked that clean! I think I make more ovals and octagons! Haha! The new pad is GORGEOUS on him! Love it!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks, both of you!  Yeah, we have spent SOOO much time on geometry so it's nice to see that it is paying off, haha! And yes, I love how that pad looks on him, to the point where I'm nervous to use it too much so it doesn't get too dirty! Nothing stays clean for long with horses though, so guess I should just accept that! :rofl:

Anyway, I have ridden a couple times since my last post, just haven't done any updates. I'm disappointed today though, we've had SO much rain and everything is just mushy, so even though I've had a couple days off of work, I haven't been able to go out and ride.  
And I feel bad because like today it's sunny and kind of nice, but I just can't bring myself to do a round trip hour long drive just to go visit him for 20-30 minutes - there are just too many things in the day that I should be doing. I know he's being taken care of (and the vet came today so he's probably had enough poking and prodding) and I know he's happy, but I feel guilty. 

At least my schedule is different tomorrow so I should be able to go. And in June I'll get a new work schedule that I *think* is a little more open for me, so that should help too. And maybe I'll go this weekend. I typically don't ride on weekends because that's some of the only time I get to spend with my husband - he works until late so we only get a couple hours together before bed, and that's only on nights when I don't work later than him. We probably get to hang out together 3 nights of the week during weeknights, which just isn't enough because he is my favorite person and best friend. But maybe an early ride would be ok to make up for missing out on my weekday rides. Or maybe I can get him to come along with me to the barn, hehe.

I guess really things will be better when rainy season finally stops too.


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## PoptartShop

Seriously, they never stay clean. You wash them, put them on the next day & bam, they are dirty again. Ugh! :lol: Especially during shedding season! The worst.

Ugh, that sucks about the rain. It's raining here today too...& the ground was just starting to dry up. :icon_rolleyes: As usual. I understand about the long drive. Don't feel guilty, it's okay. There are nights where I don't go to the barn because the hour drive home kills me & sometimes I get home so late.

It'll be nice once your work schedule changes though. Hopefully it'll be more flexible so you can go see him more. I know it's hard to juggle everything. 
Maybe go for an early ride then spend the rest of the day with the hubby? I try to get to the barn early on weekends so I have the whole day to do whatever else.

Things will definitely get better when mother nature decides to stop being such a jerk! :lol:


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks, @PoptartShop, it's just so hard for me to not feel guilty, just my personality.  But I'm working on it. The summer schedule will be good I think.

I only had a half day of work today so I got to go out to the barn today. But, Nav didn't quite seem like himself. He was a little lethargic and just didn't have much go. So we just did a short ride, some trot work and then a little bit of the lateral work. As we went he perked up a bit, so I'm wondering if he was just kind of hot and/or sleepy at first? It was a lot warmer today than it has been, and I was at the barn at an unusual time (afternoon naptime, perhaps). He also had spring vaccines yesterday so maybe he's just feeling a little off from that. 

We didn't ride long but I noticed he didn't really get sweaty. He was damp under the saddle but nothing really on his chest. Kind of concerned about anhidrosis, but can horses really develop that so suddenly? He got very sweaty at our last ride, slightly lower temperatures that day but not more than like 15 degrees. I will be monitoring him closely. He had gut sounds and regular appetite for snacks.  

Selfie, brought to you by carrot!









I also braided his mane today - because if you have a horse and never play hair salon with him, what are you doing? But here is the messy result. :rofl: Those baby hairs are just out of control!


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## PoptartShop

You are welcome! 

I was going to say, it could definitely be from the vaccines. My BF's horse was a bit droopy the next day. My mare wasn't, but every horse is different. That makes sense as to why he was a bit more lethargic than usual. Hopefully he will be feeling better next time. I know it's hard not to worry. Maybe because you didn't ride long he didn't really sweat much? Like if he wasn't really worked that hard?
Keep an eye on it though. 

Love the braids!!!  That will help keep him cool too. LOL so many baby hairs haha! So cute though. 

Have you been out since? Let us know how he's doing, hopefully better. Fingers crossed!


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## Rainaisabelle

Aw my favourite navman!

Those circles are amazing holy crap, only in my wildest dreams!!!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop, it's good to know that a little lethargy after vaccines can be normal. I think you're right that he didn't sweat much because we didn't work hard. But of course, I will be keeping an eye on him and I know the BO is too. 

While bringing Nav in today he was totally goofy, trying to bite the lead rope! He's done this once before, but it's strange. I don't know if he's just feeling mouthy or playing or what, but I caught a picture of him doing it this time:









I rode this morning, Nav did ok... He was a bit of a freight train, really bearing down on the reins at the trot and canter. So, since I didn't want to fight it today, we just didn't do much at the trot and canter. We spent a lot of time working our leg yield along the long side and Nav did really well! I could feel him really reaching across with his hind legs, we had a good angle and he wasn't overbent. Even on his stickier side he had a decent reach and bend. I was so happy with him! We did it a little bit at the trot, on his easier side. Still needs work but we had some good steps here and there.  

After the ride I tried doing some carrot stretches with him, and this is when I realized he's SUPER stiff. Like, he used to be able to reach back toward his hip during carrot stretches, but today he could barely reach to his shoulder  So that kind of makes sense that he wasn't riding very well and just wanted to run, he probably didn't feel very good! I don't know what the cause is, could be anything - rolling weird and pinching something, playing with his pasture mates - you know how horses are. So I'm finding out if there is a normal chiropractor who comes out to the barn and if there isn't I'll look into finding one. I'm going out of town for a few days this week so he'll have a good 4-5 days off, so maybe it will resolve on it's own, but if not I definitely need to have someone work on him. 

Anyway, I also found out today that Navigator likes oranges! So here's a little clip of him trying one for the first time


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a lesson today. Nav seemed perky and alert when I came to get him from his field.  He's shedding out really nicely, hopefully he'll be all shed out within the month of May! I don't know if I will roach his mane this year - typically I do that in spring and then let it grow out over the summer and winter, but I don't know. I just like the look of his long mane right now, and like last ride, I can braid it up if I want the short look. 

Anyway, lesson went pretty well. Right away I let J know that Nav had been stiff and resistant during our last ride, so we took it pretty easy throughout the lesson. J said that it could be since Nav and I have started working a lot harder and I'm asking him to do more difficult things and use muscles he doesn't normally use (or work hard), he could be a little body and muscle sore. Most of the lesson today was working on loosening him up - by asking him to flex both inside and outside as we rode a circle. That was actually really hard for me to wrap my mind around how to have him look to the right (for example) but still travel to the left. Nav did pretty well, and it did seem to loosen him up quite a bit and help him lighten. 

We spent most of our lesson today working on developing Nav's slower, shorter stride trot. J said that Nav is kind of missing his middle gears - he's got a 1, a 4, and a 5, but no 2 or 3. So to work on that, first she had us do a medium circle and alternate between a working trot and a slower, more compact trot. Nav's tendency is to go from working trot to a walk, when I ask him to slow. He's very responsive in that way! But I don't always want him to do that. So when I asked him to slow using my seat, I also gave him a little tickle with the whip, just behind my leg to remind him to keep his back legs rhythmic. After a while of that Nav settled into it and was doing pretty well! So then we added the next level of difficulty by going from slow trot to walk and back. Nav really wants to pull into those downward transitions, but this exercise is meant to help him learn not to do that. He's trained me into letting him after many years of riding incorrectly. Something that helped was making sure he has a nice bend from nose to tail, which didn't allow him to lean straight down onto the bit. Again, as we went he got much lighter in the slow trot and the trot to walk transitions lightened too. This slower trot is something that can be used as a middle gear. It will take time to develop but it will be worth it!

We did just a little canter, transitions were ok, but it was also pretty muddy so we didn't do very much. She mainly wanted to see how we were doing. We ended with just a little bit of the leg yield along the long side, and Nav did SO well to the left. He's really gotten good at it, and right was sticky but it was a big improvement from my last lesson so J seemed happy with us.  

I was so pleased with Nav today, he's such a good horse, he tries so hard and really wants to do what I'm asking him. He stretched a bit better after our lesson, so maybe he is just a little tight and muscle sore. In any case, he will be getting a little vacation of 5 days since I'll be out of town, so the rest should do him good.


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## PoptartShop

Omg, he is such a goober. I love it! :lol: So cute, the video of him eating oranges is just adorable. I like his long mane as well. It looks good. Exactly, on hot days you can just braid it up!

Glad you had a good lesson! That makes a lot of sense, he could be a bit sore from using muscles he hasn't used. Kinda like us, if we do new exercises or something, then we find ourselves sore in places we wouldn't be usually. Glad you have some new exercises to get him to slow down at the trot. It will definitely be worth it!! So glad you guys are making such good progress.

That's good that he stretched better after the lesson. It could've loosened him up a bit. Hopefully after his little vaca he will be even better!


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## NavigatorsMom

Just a quick update from today.

As usual lately, rain ruined my plans of riding, but I missed my boy so I made a drive out to the barn! Well, I stressed myself out so much during that drive! We had been having thunderstorms all morning, and though the radar looked fine when I left, it was still raining and pretty windy! While on the road I realized it was WAY windier than I initially thought, and some suspicious looking clouds. We have had some tornadoes in the area lately so I was a bit nervous about that. I actually almost pulled over twice to check the weather on my phone again, but didn't. By the time I got to the barn it was fine, the weather was definitely not coming my way, but it did spook me a little.










At the barn it wasn't raining, just super wet. The arena was so waterlogged. It is fast draining so it might be good by tomorrow afternoon, but definitely not today! I was expecting to see a rain soaked pony too, but they were all warm and dry in the barn. They were brought in this morning for breakfast around 7 (before the rain) but when it started storming they stayed in. So when I got there around 1:30 they had been in quite a bit longer than normal - the BO was actually just letting them out when I arrived. Instead of keeping Nav up even longer I decided to just give him his dewormer, an orange treat, and then let him go. He seemed pretty happy to have a snack, and he's very good for deworming!  He was super antsy in the cross ties and I didn't have him stretch today, but he didn't seem obviously sore or stiff. He did have a tiny sore on the hard bone below his eye, but it looked scabbed over and I just put a little neosporin on it before letting him go. He was happy to be out and promptly went over to the mare that he likes to boss around and nipped her on the tail - Nav! They grazed together after that though, no fighting. It's just odd to see him as a dominant horse!

Hopefully things will dry out and I'll get a good opportunity to go out and ride soon!


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## NavigatorsMom

Went out to the barn again yesterday, but didn't ride. It was just too wet still. But it was nice to just hang out with Nav and bond. 

I spent a looong time grooming him and really working on his coat with both the shedding blade and one of those grooming pumice stone things. I think my blade is a little dull - have had it for a few years and I guess it's one of those things that can wear out. Might need to get a new one for next year. Anyway, he's shed out quite a lot but still holding on to some winter coat around his barrel. That is usually where it takes him the longest to shed out from. He's looking good though! I also peeled off nearly inch long ergots from his front legs. They came off with almost no force other than a slight twist so I guess they were ready? So odd though!

After a good grooming I had him do a couple carrot stretches and he was just about back to normal! No stiffness and he was able to reach back to his barrel. So I'm relieved that it wasn't something more serious than (apparent) muscle soreness from working harder. So we'll make sure to have long enough warm ups to hopefully prevent this. And with regular exercise he will get stronger.  I then let him graze in the paddock while I was sweeping the barn aisle, gave him an orange, and then took pictures of him (of course!)


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## PoptartShop

It has been so nasty & wet here too lately. :icon_rolleyes: Ugh. Glad you got to the barn safely, driving in those conditions is not fun. Nav is really looking good, especially weight-wise.  He looks very healthy.

Glad to hear he's not stiff anymore, and that it was just some muscle soreness. He will definitely adjust & get stronger in no time. So glad you enjoyed the day with him. <3 He is so cute! His coat looks so shiny and smooth now that he's shedding out!


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## NavigatorsMom

I love how shiny he's looking! Of course, I also love fluffy winter coats, but there's something magic about a smooth, shiny horse in his summer coat.  

I had my first ride back in almost two weeks yesterday! Just due to being out of town and then the weather acting up. Nav was just fabulous though! Like, I realize more and more that I definitely got what I paid for as far as an all around and safe horse. I hopped on and took him out on a trail first thing. He was a little nervous about a wheelbarrow that was turned on end near the driveway, and somewhat looky as we walked down the road, but he settled really quickly and we had such a nice ride and enjoyed the weather! 

















After we came back to the arena we spent about twenty more minutes working on things from our last lesson. Mainly worked on getting that mid-gear, slow and short trot. It was hard for both of us. We definitely need to keep working on it, but I kind of expected that after not riding in so long! The next thing we spent time on was our leg yield along the long side. It was challenging, Nav was a little sticky both ways, but I also think I was not totally clear in my aids. After we worked on it some though we got better. Doing at the trot is still really rough, but we had a bit of a break through on his "bad" side - we actually did it! Instead of him just bulging out his shoulder and turning his neck, we actually had the angle through the whole body, and the most exciting part is that I could really feel him engaging his core and really stepping under and across. He was so lifted! I haven't felt him go like that in such a long time, and especially while doing a hard move on his difficult side! 

I was so happy with him that we actually ended just after that - I had planned on cantering but it was just such a high point that I thought we should quit. We had also been going for about 45 minutes at that point. I have a lesson tomorrow so hopefully that will go well! We didn't get as much practice in as I wanted to, but I think it will be good to be instructed again and get some help with our mid-gear trot.


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## NavigatorsMom

*Lesson Recap*

So today I had another lesson! And it was extra early (for me) at 9:15. 

But it was good! The weather is really nice so it was a good time to ride. We started off the lesson working on getting Nav focused and balanced. He was SO looky today, like, he thought he needed to check out everything going on. We got him nice and focused and then began on the trot work. On the circle I got him going and then alternated between our long and short strides. Nav wants to pull down still in the down transitions. Rather than the too big steps with his hind legs, lately he has taken to shortening his hinds and then just pulling down and on the forehand when I ask him to slow and shorten. I am getting a lot better at feeling him start to do it though and then making sure I sit very tall, keep my leg on and remind his hinds with the whip. So it's getting better. 

We then spent quite a long time on working on our canter transition. But instead of letting him do it from a long stride and fast trot, J had me asking him from the short and slow trot. The point of the exercise is to show him that he can in fact, pick up the canter from that gait and he doesn't have to try and speed into it, and it helps us go into the canter much more balanced. It was really hard! Nav didn't want to balance enough to do it, so it took a lot of tries, but we did eventually get it. J is big on not getting upset or frustrated when Nav doesn't respond the way I want him to, and instead wants me to just reorganize, rebalance, and ask again. We will definitely be working on that some more.

At the end she wanted to see our leg yield and she was very happy with our progress on that. I was too! It wasn't quite as good as the other day, but both sides were decent so it was an improvement from the previous lesson. 

After the lesson we cooled out and I hosed Nav down since he sweated a lot, did some stretches, and gave him a few treats. 
He looked so shiny! He's still shedding out just a little around his barrel. Probably will be done in a couple more weeks.


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## NavigatorsMom

*Lesson Recap*

So today I had another lesson! And it was extra early (for me) at 9:15. 

But it was good! The weather is really nice so it was a good time to ride. We started off the lesson working on getting Nav focused and balanced. He was SO looky today, like, he thought he needed to check out everything going on. We got him nice and focused and then began on the trot work. On the circle I got him going and then alternated between our long and short strides. Nav wants to pull down still in the down transitions. Rather than the too big steps with his hind legs, lately he has taken to shortening his hinds and then just pulling down and on the forehand when I ask him to slow and shorten. I am getting a lot better at feeling him start to do it though and then making sure I sit very tall, keep my leg on and remind his hinds with the whip. So it's getting better. 

We then spent quite a long time on working on our canter transition. But instead of letting him do it from a long stride and fast trot, J had me asking him from the short and slow trot. The point of the exercise is to show him that he can in fact, pick up the canter from that gait and he doesn't have to try and speed into it, and it helps us go into the canter much more balanced. It was really hard! Nav didn't want to balance enough to do it, so it took a lot of tries, but we did eventually get it. J is big on not getting upset or frustrated when Nav doesn't respond the way I want him to, and instead wants me to just reorganize, rebalance, and ask again. We will definitely be working on that some more.

At the end she wanted to see our leg yield and she was very happy with our progress on that. I was too! It wasn't quite as good as the other day, but both sides were decent so it was an improvement from the previous lesson. 

After the lesson we cooled out and I hosed Nav down since he sweated a lot, did some stretches, and gave him a few treats. 
He looked so shiny! He's still shedding out just a little around his barrel. Probably will be done in a couple more weeks.


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## PoptartShop

You really did, he is such a good boy. You can trust him. & the fact you can go awhile without working/riding him, & he bounces right back is awesome!  Glad you were able to get out & enjoy the weather! I think that was a perfect note to end on too. I know that felt great finally feeling him get it!

Sounds like you had a good lesson also! That is great!! Wow, he really is super shiny. :O I love it! So handsome. What a good boy Nav!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a nice ride on Thursday evening. I haven't gone out to the barn in the evenings very often because I get really anxious about driving in rush hour traffic (which goes from about 4:30 to around 7 here...). But I was determined to go, since it had been hot all day and I had waited with the intention of going. Traffic wasn't awful so I will probably do it again sometime!










Looking cute before we started!









We worked in the arena at first, mostly on our trot gears. It was alright, I felt like Nav wanted to hollow more than round up, but we had some good moments. I also think he was a bit tired after having been ridden three days in a row, which is not our normal. But he still was pretty good. We then went out on a little trail to cool down, and caught the pretty Texas sunset. 









One thing I need to keep an eye on is Nav's eyes. He's had a little runny/watery eye on both sides for a while now. Not sure what the cause could be (maybe flies?) but he hasn't ever had it before so I definitely want to get to the bottom of it.


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## PoptartShop

Rush-hour traffic is HORRIBLE here too. I can't stand it. Ugh! :sad: But it's the only time I can get to the barn (after work).
Glad traffic wasn't too bad for you so you could see your boy! He is too handsome for words! Look at that sunset too! He was probably a bit tired but he will get used to it. Nice pictures!!
It could be flies irritating his eyes. Could you maybe put some SWAT on his face? That seems to keep the flies at bay for my mare. How is he doing though, any improvement (with his eyes)?


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop I usually do turn him out with SWAT under his eyes (the pink kind, so it looks like he's wearing blush, haha!) and I do think that helps but it can't last for days. I haven't seen him since then - work schedule was awful this week, and an extra inservice day caused me to lose a day that I normally go - but I am going this evening and will see. We've had some rainy days lately so at least that should have kept some of the flies away! 

I'm super excited about my summer schedule though, it looks like I should be able to get out to the barn at least 5 days a week which will be excellent!! We don't have another lesson scheduled until June, so the next few weeks will be practicing and trail rides, and maybe a tiny jump school thrown in for something different.


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a nice evening with Nav! I was supposed to meet up with barn friends to ride but, to make the long story short, it didn't work out. There's always something it seems! Still had a good time with my favorite ponyface though. 

I checked Nav's eye first thing and it didn't look as runny as it has been. But still a little watery. I think I am going to invest in a fly mask, and see if that helps clear things up. If it turns out flies have just been irritating him then that will be the solution, but if his eye is still runny after being protected from flies then maybe it is a blocked tear duct or something else. In the mean time, I covered him with SWAT under his eyes. I'm going out again soon today so I'll see how that lasted overnight. As for fly masks, any recommendations of good brands? 

Anyway, our ride was pretty good. I wanted to focus on canter, since that's a weakness of ours. First we had to get a nice trot going. He did pretty well, but he wants to try and hollow when I ask him for shorter strides. It's been really hard to get him to still be round but take those shorter steps. We can get it here and there but it's not super consistent yet. I know it's something to work on but I just get worried that he'll build up the wrong muscles from going around hollow some of the time. 

His canter was nice though. He picked it up pretty easily from the slower trot (when ever we got a nice enough slow trot) and actually went around pretty nicely, not too fast or unbalanced, pretty light in the bridle and not heavy on the forehand. I didn't canter him for very long at a time and we mostly stayed on the 20 meter circle, but I did let him go down the long side and we did about half of the arena at a canter and he still stayed pretty consistent. Such a good boy! We ended after that, didn't do laterals this time. 

I think today we might mix things up a bit, maybe do raised poles. That would be a little different and should help Nav lift a little more. It's a nice day today - mid 80s so not too hot. A little humid but I really shouldn't complain. I am not ready for the 100 degree days of summer!


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## NavigatorsMom

Today we tried something different - we worked on jumps! Really it was just a crossrail, a glorified trot pole if you really want to get down to it :rofl: but it was fun to do something different. Of course, we did a good warm up and then spent quite a bit of time working on our trot and then canter. We also did regular trot poles first before making it into a little jump. Nav did really well today. His trot gears are coming along well and his canter is getting better. I got some video clips of the "jump". We are so out of practice! The first time over Nav just locked on and barreled down to it, and you can probably see it's a little frantic. The second time was slightly better. And then we trotted it a couple times but we had a hard time getting good striding. It will be something to work on from time to time. I think Nav enjoyed the break from just working on dressagey things. 






After riding I had to put up the poles and Nav followed me around as I did that. I felt awful though, way too hot. I don't think it was true heat exhaustion but I felt really weak and hot and just bad. Wanted to just sit down but made sure to get Nav to the barn and untacked. I felt better after having some water and sitting down, and then I got sprayed a bit while hosing Nav off and that helped too. It was a little worrying. I'm not ready for summer when it's going to be so much hotter. Nav didn't seem phased by it at least! But I'll definitely need to be careful in the future.


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## PoptartShop

Glad his eye is getting better, but I agree, a fly mask is a good idea. It will help. I don't spend an arm & a leg on them. I like Crusader brand. They're like 20-25 bucks or so. Mine has lasted awhile, I misplaced it so I ended up having to buy a new one recently. :lol: I like the mesh ones, not a fan of the fleece because it can make the horse's face get sweaty (well, some horses, mine sweats easily lol). Cashel is a good brand too, I have fly boots from them. This is the second season of using them & they've held up well, I'm sure their masks are just as good quality. The SWAT should help too. I always have to put it on my mare's face. He looks so cute with the pink swat! :lol: It does look like blush haha! So cute.

Omg, the beginning of the video is so cute with his nose all close to the camera. :lol: So adorable. But you guys look pretty good!! He looked like he was having some fun with those jumps!  It's good to try different things. Keeps things interesting. Ugh, I know I get like that too. I have to remember to really drink a lot of water on the super hot days.  I'm not ready for those crazy hot humid days either! Ugh!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been looking at the Crusader mask actually. The plan is to go out today and just visit/groom/apply fly spray and SWAT, but I'm also going to measure his face for a mask. He's an odd size because in somethings he's oversize but in others he's horse size. So definitely going to measure and get something that fits correctly.  And it will be nice to see him on the weekend for once!


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## NavigatorsMom

Some good days lately!

Went out this weekend and measured Nav's face for a fly mask. He ended up matching the standard horse size for the one I was looking at, so I went ahead and ordered it. I think that will be really good for him! Poor pony's eyes have been so watery flys have been bothering him, and his fur right below his eye has bleached out some.  In the mean time I am slathering on the SWAT, which seems to be working really well.

We also tried to take some cute pictures, since my husband came with. There are a TON of outtakes, but here's a cute one. 










Today I played my flute with the community band I'm in, in a Memorial Day ceremony. Since that was an early morning, I decided to go to the barn right after. I got there a little earlier than I normally do on a Monday, so that was nice! Nav was nice and shiny when I got there, and not at all phased by the horse throwing a bit of a fit in a nearby paddock. We rode in the arena and worked on our trot gears, our shoulder out, and then some canter. I put out some canter poles today, just for fun, and Nav seemed to enjoy that. We ended our ride with a trail ride to cool out. I took him down the road the way we normally don't go. He was alert but not tense, so I thought since he seemed in control we would head toward the longhorns. Surprisingly, we were able to get pretty close, and Nav didn't freak out at all! I was shocked, there was none of the normal response he has to cattle, if anything he was more worried about a tiny turtle carcass we had to pass on the road. But there was no snorting, no trying to spin and run. He did look at them, and was pretty focused, but he was so good! Now, they were pretty far away, but we have been farther from other cows and he was more worried, and I'm sure he could see and smell them, since the wind was coming toward us from them. Anyway, I took him home before he had a chance to get scared but that seems like progress! I did get a picture with the longhorns in the distance.










After all of that I took him back to the barn, hosed him off and gave him some treats. So happy with him today!


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## PoptartShop

I am so glad you had such a nice ride with Nav!  Even near the longhorns!!!! That is HUGE progress. Yay!! The more you take him out, the better. Isn't that crazy he was more worried about a turtle than them? LOL.

I bet he will look so cute in his new fly mask when it comes! That will really help his eyes. SWAT really is good stuff. I unfortunately ran out of fly spray & had to order more. So in the meantime I've been using it on certain areas like her legs since I don't have any spray, it works just as well if not better but fly spray is easier. :lol: But anything helps! He looks so shiny & you guys look so cute! Glad you have been having such good days! <3


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## NavigatorsMom

I agree, the SWAT works really well! I put some on right under his eyes and the flies pretty much left his face alone, but especially his poor watery eyes. I am trying out a new fly spray. I don't think any last as long as they advertise, but we'll see how this one does. It's Ecovet, got it from Smartpak. Unless it totally wows me I think I'll be going back to Pyranha after this. I would really rather use a non-toxic and environment friendly spray, but the flies are pretty bad here and it isn't even full summer time yet, and I want Nav to be comfortable.

We rode on Thursday afternoon with a barn friend. It was nice to chat while riding. I started a little after them so we also worked a little after they finished. Nav did pretty well! It was kind of warm - upper 80s - but I have to remember that that is NICE here, and that when we're well into summer and days of 100+ I won't be able to comfortably ride at 3 in the afternoon like we did that day. Need to start building up some resistance to the heat. But anyway, our ride was good. Worked a lot on picking up canter from a slower trot. Nav really wanted to run into it, but we eventually got it. Which shows me that he can do it, but he would rather go the easier route of running and falling into it. I praised him a LOT when he got it though.  We also spent some time on the leg yield and he's getting better and better at that! I think we have a lesson next Wednesday so that will be good too. 

His fly mask should get here next week, but in the mean time my friend let me borrow one of her old ones. Surprised that it actually fit, especially in the ears! I hope this helps him.  The one I ordered him doesn't have ears, just because I was worried about getting one that would fit his donkey ears as well as his face.


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## NavigatorsMom

Didn't ride today but did make a trip out to see my cutie! Also wanted to try out our new fly spray. 

Nav seemed in a good mood when I got him from his pasture. He has been wearing the mask since I put it on him back on Thursday, which is not ideal, but I'd rather have him protected than not. He didn't have any rubs on his face though, and his eyes were pretty dry, so I do think it's helping! The Ecovet fly spray seemed to work pretty well. The instructions say to spray it on the legs and belly, and then along the back and to carefully wipe on to face/ears. It's supposed to mask the horse's scent so flies aren't able to find him to land on. We did still get flies here and there on the areas I didn't directly spray, so I wiped a little more along his shoulders, barrel and haunches. I mean, for first impressions it seems to work as well as any fly spray it didn't seem totally revolutionary. It did keep them off of his face which I really appreciated. The smell is odd though. It doesn't smell like a typical fly spray. Hard to explain, it was vaguely cologne-y but kind of off. It really stuck with me and I smelled it on myself until I showered after being there.










I also cleaned Nav up while I was there and had him do some carrot stretches.  He's already starting to sun bleach which is disappointing. I love his dark coat and I hate how dull it gets in the summer. I have a sunblock/conditioning spray so I applied that before turning him out but I don't know how well that really works. Guess I just really need to keep on top of hosing him off after riding or if he's super sweaty. That seems to help some.


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## PoptartShop

He is so handsome, I love that fly mask LOL even though it’s temporary, it’s quite cute on him! Ecovet is good, you don’t need much, but it does smell kinda weird. It lingers. 

Glad he is doing well! He really does have such a nice dark coat, it sucks about the sun bleaching. Ugh! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## NavigatorsMom

Haven't updated much but I've had a good week with Nav! I ended up going out to the barn every day except Wednesday, and it's been really nice to see him so frequently.










Today we had a pretty good working ride. Our last ride on Tuesday was not the best, he was runny and distracted by someone working on a lawn mower and just didn't have a good ride together. Today was like a different horse - he was fantastic! He really worked hard for me. 

We did a good warm up, and then spent a lot of time at the trot. We worked on being forward but not being fast and on the forehand. Nav did a great job! He really was pretty light throughout our ride today, which just makes me think that we actually are improving, even if it's super slow going. He went hollow much less frequently than recent rides. I think he was feeling really good today.

Our canter is also getting much much better. He's getting to a point where he really is strong enough to pick up the canter from a slower forward trot, rather than a fast trot. I'm realizing that he really liked to run into it in the past, and while I could feel when we would have a good transition, I didn't know how to get him to that point and be able to have the good transition consistently.  He comes down from canter really nicely, very little rein needed. 

After working in the arena we took a ride down the road. Nav was pretty calm throughout, though he really wanted to look at the horses we passed by. Overall just a really nice ride though! It was a nice day too, low 80s and sunny but with lots of big, fluffy clouds. 










When we got back to the barn I hosed him off and then reapplied the fly spray. It seems like it works pretty well, but I haven't decided yet if I'll repurchase the Ecovet. I might just go back to the yellow Pyranha, since it works well and it costs a little less. It's hard for me to decide because I really would like to use a non-toxic spray, but I also want something that's really effective. We also spent some time working on getting Nav to let me put sunscreen on his nose. He was NOT happy about it, actually pulled back away from me in the crossties yesterday and caused the safety release to open - thankfully he didn't get hurt or break anything. It was not a freak out pull back, it was more that he kept stepping back and then jerked his head. Anyway, I don't have him in the crossties when applying sunscreen anymore. I tried to make him want to touch my hand with the sunscreen, instead of me touching him. When he touched the sunscreen he got a treat. It needs more work but by the end he did let me pet some sunscreen onto his nose, though he was tense. We will keep working on it though.

Here is a little clip of us working on the sunscreen problem. You can see he was much more interested in finding the treat than touching the sunscreen to earn the treat. :lol:





We've also been working on ground tying, or "stand" as I've been calling it with him. He's pretty good at it, though I haven't tried in any extreme situations. Mostly just I'll have him stand in the barn aisle while I grab a brush or something. He is good though, and I got this cute picture of him looking at me but not turning around because he knew he was supposed to "stand".


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## tinyliny

Do you do a clicking sound? this can help, since it is so immediate.


I wonder, if you put sunscreen on the inside of a plastic or paper bag, that had treats in the bottom of it, and he reached in to get them, would he accidently 'screen' himself? wierd idea, I know.


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## PoptartShop

That is awesome you've been out to the barn so much this week!  Aww! I'm sure that made his days. 

The sky is so beautiful! I'm glad your rides are improving, he is definitely starting to get it. I hear you about not having the best ride one day...then the next one being amazing. :lol: They sure do keep us on our toes. Yeah, the Pyranha is a lot cheaper than the Ecovet...I think it's a bigger bottle too? I remember the Ecovet being smaller. It is hard to decide. But if it works just as well & it's cheaper you might as well just go for it.

Ground tying is good for him to learn.  So cute the picture of him looking back! Aww the video is cute. He was more interested in the treat. :lol: Promise makes a funky face when I apply sunscreen, she's pretty good about it but sometimes she's like what's on my face?! :lol: I have to do it real quick & act like I'm about to pet her face, well I do pet her face first, then I just apply it haha. He will get it though, I think the way you are going about it is good. Like sorry Nav, just trying to prevent your handsome face from burning! LOL.


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny, no, I wasn’t using a clicker or anything, just a verbal “good!” when he touched my hand. I have been wanting to get a clicker to use, I think it would be much clearer than something verbal, but I just haven’t done it yet – I’m sure I could pick one up from a pet store super easily! I like the idea of getting him to somehow sunscreen himself though, maybe if I put a treat or something in a shallow bucket and then put a little sunscreen on the sides? Will have to try some things. He actually was less nervous and let me touch the sunscreen to his nose on Monday! 

@PoptartShop yes, EcoVet is smaller and more expensive, so I think I am going to go back to Pyranha next time. At least to see how it works on the flies here, if it turns out to not be as good as I remember then I can always go back to Ecovet or something else! Right, they can be so silly about things going on their faces can't they? Nav is totally fine with me wiping down his face with a washcloth to apply flyspray, but sunscreen is like nooope! Haha, I think he'll get used to it eventually, but yeah, I don't want his little nose to get burned - well the white half anyway :rofl:

This was from Monday, he saw me coming and walked right up to see me!









Anyway, I am so exhausted at the moment – work has been crazy busy and I’ve been making an effort to head out to the barn more frequently, which has been great but it’s a lot of driving on top of somewhat stressful hours at work. I rode on Monday, it was a beautiful day! We’ve actually had really good weather lately, not too hot and less rain. Nav was good, we spent a good amount of time on our canter. It’s getting better each time! 

Today we had a lesson and it was ok. I actually felt a little discouraged during it, Nav was so wiggly and looky and we had a hard time staying on a circle. J was very encouraging and just kept reminding me to use inside leg to outside hand, and that whenever Nav gets wiggly – like moving his neck around, trying to speed up, looking around – I just need to stay steady with my positioning and he will come back to me. He did, but it was just frustrating since he has been better in previous rides. 

We also struggled with getting our canter transition from the shorter stride trot. Nav kept extending and running when I asked for canter, and it was a little embarrassing, I thought my instructor might think I hadn’t been practicing. I just couldn’t get him to want to do it! J just told me to stay calm, just ask again, a little firmer if needed, but no reason to get upset. If horses are anything it’s consistent. He’s not thinking of doing something because he’s trying to be bad or sneaky. He just wants to do it the easiest way for him. Which is fine when he’s out in the pasture, but when it’s time to work he just has to use himself differently, and it’s my job to teach him how to do that. It will just take time. We were able to get it eventually, both directions, and we ended on a good note. 

She reminded me at the end that during lessons she is pushing us a little harder than we would have done in a ride on our own, so it’s normal for things to be a little rough. And even though he kept wanting to run into the canter, she said that the quality of his canter has improved a lot, and she can tell that we’ve been working on our transitions and creating a better canter. 

I know he is already getting stronger and better, even though we’ve only been doing lessons since February, but I also know that it is a slow process. It’s just hard to not get a little discouraged when it feels like we take so many steps backwards, or when we had such a great ride on Monday and then just and ok one on Wednesday.


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## tinyliny

I LOVE this photo !!! it is already very much like an oil painting.


You would not mind if I used it as a reference for a practice painting, would you?


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## PoptartShop

Even though you had some issues in your lesson, I'm glad you ended it on a good note. It can be frustrating when they act 'different' in a lesson or you have a great ride one day, then the next day...nope. Happens to me all the time, actually. Good days & 'bad' days. But I am glad your trainer is so encouraging & is pushing you guys!  It will only improve. It is hard not to be discouraged, but try to stay positive!  

He is so cute, I love the pictures. You should frame the second one! <3 He's a model! I understand the struggle of all the driving & long workdays, then going to the barn - it can be a lot, but it has to make you feel good too! Being greeted by your horse after a long day is well worth all the trouble. :lol:

I'm so jealous that his fly mask stays so CLEAN! Promise's got dirty within the first few days. :rofl:


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## NavigatorsMom

I've been out of town and sort of let this slide!
@tinyliny, I would be honored if you used the picture of Nav as a reference  If you do end up using it I'd love to see the final product!
@PoptartShop , thank you! Yes, it can be a lot, especially the driving, but it's all worth it to see my favorite face! Don't be deceived by the seemingly clean fly mask, the sides are super muddy from him lying down and rubbing his face all over the ground! :rofl:


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## NavigatorsMom

Stopped by the barn this morning to see Nav and apply some fly spray. It was hot and humid, and I'm so not looking forward to the true heat of summer. 

It was so nice to see Nav though! I realized it had been just about a week and I was really missing him. Nav was in a good mood when I brought him in, and he seemed happy to come in from the sun for a bit. I cleaned him up and then covered him with fly spray. Almost out of the Ecovet, so I need to decide what I'm going to use next time. Anyway, I was only there for about a half hour, but hoping to go tomorrow and possibly ride, depending on how hot it is.


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## PoptartShop

Bahaha, it's like impossible to keep them clean. :lol: Gosh look at that sweet face! <3 I know he was happy to see you! I hope you get to ride tomorrow & it's not too hot. Seriously, the humidity is horrible.  Before I even tack up I'm sweating LOL


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## NavigatorsMom

Yeah, this past week has been the hottest so far this year and I know it's just going to get worse! I went out today to ride and it was low 90s but the "real feel" was around 100 :O

It was super windy today though, so that did help cool us a little bit. However, it also made Nav totally crazy. I know horses don't choose to act up, but he sure was doing the opposite of everything I wanted him to today!  First he just kept trying to run and be fast and hollow as possible. We worked through that with LOTS of transitions and eventually he kind of settled. But then when I really asked him to start working at the trot he started trying to stare at his pasture mates and call to them. They were wound up and running around a bit and he wanted to be over there with them, but I really needed him to focus. At this point we went down to walk/halt transitions until he was ready to work again. We got a few minutes of fairly focused and good trot, so I decided to end our work there and go on a short trail to cool out. 

Well. Nav didn't want to cool out on the trail, he wanted to get worked up about everything and spin around and spook into the street. So that was pretty bad. He was more relaxed at the beginning of our trail than the end! I had him work after the spooky moment, turn on the forehand, leg yield a couple steps, back up the slope, etc. and he kind of relaxed but was still pretty jiggy on our way back to the barn. So then we worked a little bit longer at the arena, because we're not going to end on that note.

He was pretty good back in the arena, focused on me and didn't try to look at his pasturemates or anything, and we did a tiny bit of canter work. Really just had him pick it up from both directions (and with a good transition, none of that running into it business) and ended after that. 

I hosed him off, put some more fly spray on him and some sunscreen on his nose and let him go back out. I wish he had behaved a little better today. I wasn't really feeling great the last couple of days (allergies or a cold, I can't tell..) and thought a nice easy ride would lift my spirits but instead I went home feeling pretty blah about all of it. The good thing is that Nav isn't going to hold onto any bad feelings about it, and hopefully our next ride will be better.


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## PoptartShop

Oh yeah, rides like that make me feel like poo also. :sad: The wind can definitely make them feel 'fresh' & crazy. Like oooh it's windy!!!!! Ooooh! Yay! Hyper hyper hyper! Hey friends! Oh hey what is that? Let me spook at it! :lol: Etc. Oh yes. I'm glad you didn't end on a bad note though, & made him work in the arena after the little trail. Exactly, your next ride should go way better. Fingers crossed it won't be as windy either! 

It's hard to stay calm/focused when they are acting that way. Last week I had a moment like that with Promise. She was being sassy & got all worked up the first 10mins of our ride. It was a windy, VERY windy day. Just have to work through it, which you did. I know all you wanted was a nice relaxing ride, but sigh sometimes it just doesn't happen. :sad: I know the feeling.

He is so handsome though! How has he been with the sunscreen application?


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## NavigatorsMom

Yes, it can be so hard to be calm when they act so crazy! We worked through it today but there have been days when it was just too much and I'll end up just getting off rather than become more upset. 

Thank you! Sunscreen application is coming along. He's quite a lot calmer than he has been and will let me put it on his nose though he'll get a little tense. He doesn't back or raise his head though, he'll just turn to the left or right. And getting a treat right after has helped! I'd like him to get a little more relaxed overall. He isn't usually spooky but he does get tense at a lot of things - fly spray, sunscreen on the nose, water from the hose spraying from his shoulder forward - and I feel bad about that, I wish he were more relaxed. Especially because he hasn't had any traumatic event or mistreatment that would explain why he feels so tense. It's definitely something to work on.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, I was sick over the weekend (and actually still don't have my voice entirely back at the moment!) but I went out today to visit Nav.

I also stopped and got some fly spray on my way out. I went ahead and got the regular yellow Pyranha, which I know works, but I also got yet another "green" spray, called Fly Bye. I used the Fly Bye on Nav when I brought him in and it seemed to work about as well as any other green spray. Nothing magical, but kept the flies away while we were in the barn. Didn't smell as bad as the Ecovet either, and was less expensive, so we'll see how it works! I did apply the Pyranha before letting him out though.

Nav seemed happy to see me, even though I couldn't really talk to him much. I groomed him well and decided to trim his mane. Just took off about an inch and a half of scraggle. I noticed on our last ride that his mane was getting in the way when I tried to adjust the reins, so he at least needs a good trim, but I'm thinking I might actually roach him for the rest of summer. He gets super sweaty on his neck under the mane, and it gets in the way while riding, so I think it would help out. Plus he looks super cute while his mohawk grows out.  

After cleaning him up I thought we could do a short little lunge session in the small arena, not realizing how wet it was. The area to lunge with the line was too small of a circle, but (as I found out) he doesn't listen quite well enough to free lunge around the dry edge of the ring! Still, got a couple cute pictures of him trotting around, and when I stopped in the middle he came straight to me from the edge, so that was nice.  



















Coming to see me









And of course a selfie!


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## PoptartShop

I hope you feel better! :sad: Glad you got a different fly spray too! He is so cute trotting around. I'm sure neatening up his mane will help this summer, especially on those super hot days. Love the selfie, you guys are so cute! Look at that blaze!


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## NavigatorsMom

I had a really nice evening with Nav yesterday. I need to go out in the evenings more often. Even though it was a little hot, with the sun setting, a slight breeze, and low humidity it was just really nice for riding! 

Nav was really good for me! Our trot work was nice, Nav was really focused and working hard. We did things a little differently. Lately I've been warming up and riding a lot like we do in our lessons, mainly working on half of the arena or a 20 meter circle, but this time I decided to use the whole arena. We did circles at either end, used the diagonals. It was just a lot of fun.  We did the same sort of thing while working the canter. Started him on a circle (from a nice trot!) and then after a couple times around we cantered down the long side to the opposite end, did another circle, back to trot, cross the diagonal and pick up the other lead and then do the same. Nav was great! Our canter was nice today and he didn't bear down and try to speed along the long side, he just stayed controlled and fairly light. 

After working in the arena we went on a trail ride. Last time we went out Nav was super spooky and jumpy, so I wanted to have a nice one this time. However, even though Nav was nice and calm while heading out, as we went down our usual culdesac path a dog charged us from behind the fence alongside the shoulder we were on.  I saw it coming so I prepared for a spook, and luckily Nav didn't have a huge spook, but he did jump and spin into the road which could have been really bad if a car had been coming. We went to the other shoulder and continued our ride down, just so Nav wouldn't think the spook meant the ride was over. He settled down right away though. On our way back we stayed on the far shoulder, but the dog still ran and barked at us. 

This was right before the dog came at us.









It's frustrating. We've ridden that way so many times and this has never happened, but now I'm nervous to take Nav out there again. Partly because should the dog run far enough down, that fence actually ends at the intersecting road and he could potentially come at us. :/ I don't know if he really would but it's just not something I want to ever find out. I know riding out risks coming across animals who might not be friendly, but I can't help feeling disappointed that our trail rides will now be just a little overshadowed by me being on the look out for that dog.

Anyway, when we got back to the barn I gave Nav a nice hose off and let him graze for a bit. I think we've finally figured out our fly spray situation. The Fly Bye seems to work well for our rides, and then when I let Nav out I apply the Pyranha. 

A few pictures from the really pretty sunset. 



























And I also found out that Nav likes watermelon!


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## NavigatorsMom

Today was lesson day! I didn't really want to go this morning, and I had a lot of anxiety about it on the drive over for some reason. It all turned out fine so I really don't know what that was about. My lesson was at 9:30 today, since it's getting hotter as we get more into summer. It was about 80-82, not too humid, and a little breezy so it was a good time to ride. 

The ride was ok. It actually turned into a lesson mainly about how to focus a horse who is really interested in losing his mind over something else.  The beginning started out pretty nicely though, Nav was bending really well at the walk and our initial trot work. He was listening and responding to my cues. I was happy! But then one of Nav's pasture mates got brought by on the way back to his field, and Nav wanted to lock onto that horse and not listen to me. 

To get him to focus J had me really get him bending, like really bent - careful not to fall in but to do that intense bend for a few seconds and then relax and let him go forward with a normal amount of bend. And then repeat. It did work, and she said that this helps because a horse can't take off and look around as easily if I'm asking for bend rather than the same amount of pressure on both reins, and it also helps him to redirect his anxious energy into something good. He really settled in to a nice, pretty and accurate trot, although he kept trying to call for his friends throughout this portion of our lesson.

So then it was time to canter, and we started with a nice trot but when I asked for a canter Nav bucked and took off! Bad pony! He definitely felt a little annoyed at me for making him do hard work instead of letting him go back to his friends. So J had me bring him back to trot and then halt right away, and then we did a TON of walk/trot and halt transitions. Making sure Nav was bending nicely and listening and responding promptly. And then after a good amount of that we got to try cantering again, and Nav did decently. He didn't want to bend so again we put a lot of emphasis on getting him to bend or even counterbend, just so he couldn't bear down and run which he wanted to do. From there on out he did alright, no more acting up, and we ended after doing both directions. 

I was a little embarrassed about J having to see Nav act up, he usually doesn't do things like that, but she said really it's good to have things like that happen during a lesson because then she is able to help me work through it and give me tools to be able to deal with the same thing in the future. Which is true, because if this had happened while I was riding alone, I likely would have just brought Nav back to trot and then immediately asked again. Working on getting him listening at a lower gait does make sense, and it helped de-escalates things. Hopefully next lesson we can work on more things and Nav will be a little more relaxed.


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## PoptartShop

Gosh, that would've thrown me for a loop too (the dog)! :sad: Ugh. Especially when you're just trying to have a nice peaceful, relaxing ride. Hopefully it doesn't happen again, I know it's scary. Give it some time & then try going out again, once you feel more comfortable. You don't want to be all anxious even though I know it's hard. Beautiful sunset though. Love the video of Nav eating the watermelon. How cute!! Look at that cute face. 

I think it's not a bad thing he acted up a bit during your lesson. It's good that she was able to help you & it will help you in the future for when he does those things, to re-focus him. Now you know how to handle those things. I'm glad you don't ever give up & you keep working at it.


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## NavigatorsMom

We will definitely try going out again, just a matter of when. Maybe we'll go down the other road instead (toward the longhorns) for a change!

Well, I haven't ridden since last Wednesday  Weekends are usually hard to make it to the barn and especially this weekend because two of my sisters and my mom came down for an impromptu visit. It was really nice to see them but definitely cut into any chance for horse time. Monday is typically a barn day but I am on a bit of a crunch with designing the wedding invitations for my sister's wedding, so I spent essentially all day working on that. 

I finally got back out to the barn last night, but it was still super hot (heat index of 102 at 7:30!) so I just cleaned up Nav and finally gave him his summer haircut. When I got there everyone was in the barn waiting to be let out after dinner. Even with the fan blowing on him, Nav's neck under his mane was wet with sweat. So, off it went! 










He looks so worried, but he was just concerned about getting the last treat I had in my pocket!

It's a little chunky and rough looking, but it's more about functionality that prettiness. At least now his neck won't be drenched in sweat under his thick mane. And something really exciting - we've gotten to a bit of a breakthrough with flly spray! Since I definitely need to get it on his neck now, I very lightly spray there - away from his face - and he didn't try to move away or even stress out that much. He did try raising his neck a little, but only when I was very close to his head, and for the most part he stayed pretty relaxed. So we're making progress! 

And a couple selfies, as usual!


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## Rainaisabelle

You guys are so cute!!! Exciting about your sisters wedding!


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## PoptartShop

Awww he will feel much better in the heat with a shorter mane.  He looks so handsome. Such cute selfies too!!  I hope your sister's wedding is fun too, how exciting.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well I've kind of let this go haven't I? Just been busy lately, and not in the mood to write about my rides. We haven't had any major breakthroughs or anything, pretty much business as usual. Slow progress.

Rode last night and finally was able to get some video. It's been a while since I've been able to do a self evaluation. I think we are doing alright, though this video has some goods and bads. I had to dismount to get the camera set up (because it was my phone, which I like to have on me while riding) and after I got back on to do a little bit of trot and canter for the video, Nav felt like it was time to be done. So he was a little sassy, and you can see once we start tracking left every time we passed near the camera he put his head up to focus on what the neighbors were doing. 

Overall it was not bad though, and I think we have improved.


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## PoptartShop

I think you guys look great! The progress definitely shows. I know it can be hard to keep them focused. I have the same issue with my mare sometimes. Like, just focus on me! :lol: Your trot looks really good & so does the canter, much better! Your seat looks a lot better & you guys are more in tune with each other. Look at you two!  It's great how easily you can get him to come down from the trot too. Really good!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Lesson today so I will update.

Nav was a little superstar today! Total change from our last lesson. I know I anthropomorphize but he seemed like he knew our last lesson was not so good so he really tried today 

We focused a TON on transitions within trot and getting Nav to carry himself and not rely on me. J also brought up a point that makes sense but I had never really thought about. While working on getting Nav on the circle she had me think about the outside rein "drawing" the circle, and the inside bringing Nav concave. And the more equally I use my reins and weight the more balanced he'll be over both feet instead of one side or the other, and he also will not have to depend on me to carry him as much because he will be balanced and able to carry his neck himself. We had a lot of good moments throughout our ride. Nav really is beginning to carry himself more frequently. Transitions within trot went really well. J had me use a full body half halt, where I just sort of tensed my muscles and stopped my motion with Nav, and then relaxed but kept my posture. We did that many many times and Nav started getting really responsive to me! 

We also did a little with canter and Nav picked it up much more nicely today. J said that our canter is SO much better than when we first started with her, and that both canters look much more similar and consistent.  I'm so happy with him! He really has been doing well lately. 

And a few pictures from recently, since I haven't posted many.


















Mom, why are you taking so many pictures of me?




































Lookin' a little chunky


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## NavigatorsMom

The weather has been amazing this week so I've been out at the barn riding or just playing with Nav almost every day! I got up kind of early on my day off to go and ride Friday morning - it was only low 80s with a breeze, so perfect riding weather!

I love being at the barn early, it is so peaceful. Nav was in good spirits, had just had his breakfast and was back out with his little herd. I brought him in and cleaned him up, he was dusty but not super dirty.  We tacked up and headed to the arena. 

BO and her daughter were in the big arena practicing for a pas de deux they have coming up, so I did have to stick to the outer side of the arena (it's hard to visualize without seeing it, but we have a huge arena with a full size dressage ring set up on one side, and the other is just nice sand but without letters). This was totally fine with me though. I was actually kind of happy that this was going on, because I usually ride alone and I think it is good for Nav to have to work with distractions. And with two horses riding and music playing, that's a good amount of distraction! 

Nav was actually really good, after warm up I got to work with our transitions within trot and he was a little resistant but eventually settled into it and was really listening. We only did a little canter but that also went pretty well. He didn't want to pick it up at first, but I think that was me not setting him up well. Once we got it we had a really nice canter. 

After the others were done riding I took Nav into the dressage arena, so we could use the mirror. At this point, Nav started acting up. He was upset that the other horses, his herdmates, were in the barn. He called for them but then I really got him working on transitions from walk to trot, and lots of flexing, and he settled. But then they walked past us in the arena back to their pasture and Nav tried to focus on them. Again, lots of flexing and transitions and he settled down pretty well and listened to me. We actually ended up with a pretty nice trot after that because he had a lot of energy but he was channeling it toward working instead of being nervous. We did a little more canter in the arena but ended shortly after that.

He was a good boy! I will probably go out again on Monday and ride. Maybe I'll finally be brave enough to go out on the road/trail again. I have been too nervous since that dog charged us, so we haven't ridden outside of the arena in a month now.  I also want to take measurements of Nav's head so that I can start looking into buying him a bridle that fits properly. I found the kind of bridle I want, a super plain, flat noseband style. So now I just need to make sure I get one that fits Nav correctly. 

And a picture! His mane definitely needs a touch up!


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## NavigatorsMom

Not a lot to say today. We are back to super hot temps here in Texas. I went out on Monday just to visit Nav and measure him for a bridle. Now that I have his measurements I will start looking more into finding him a bridle that actually fits! I thought I knew exactly what I wanted but now I'm not totally sure.

Might try going out this evening for a quick ride. Haven't ridden since Friday


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## PoptartShop

Oh man, I can imagine! Super hot here this week too, or it's storming. :sad: Ugh! I hope you get to ride soon. I know how annoying it can be, especially when you had such a good ride. I'm glad you were able to get him focused on you, despite him calling out to his buddies. Transitions, transitions, transitions! 

He looks so handsome! I think in no time you will get the confidence to go out on the trail/road again...even if you go out & don't go all the way, maybe only go out for a little bit then turn around, etc. it's something! Love the sunset pictures. So beautiful! He's so handsome, I don't blame you for taking so many pictures of him. <3 He looks great. I hope you can find a bridle that fits him, since you measured hopefully it will be easy!


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## NavigatorsMom

Have not had many rides or barn time lately. I rode last Wednesday night, which was nice because I ended up riding with a woman who leases one of the other horses, so we were able to chat a bit, and since it was evening it was decently cool - ok, not cool, but like mid 80s and less humid, so that was nice! I also stopped by on Friday morning but just lunged Nav a bit. 

But after that... today was my first day back and my first ride in a week!  I've been dealing with a lot of guilt and personal conflict about not going out to ride when I have some time, but also not even wanting to because it's so hot, it's a long drive, etc. I think I'm just in a weird headspace at the moment. I try to tell myself that Nav will not mind hanging in the pasture with his herd all day and that he wouldn't want to exert too much in the heat anyway, but I still feel bad. 

I did manage to get out there this morning though! It was already close to 100 by the time I got there around 9:30, and fairly humid. First thing I noticed after getting Nav from his field is that he has an awful sunburn on his nose!  I've been really diligent about putting sunscreen on him every time I go, and he is so much better about letting me do it now, but I guess since I hadn't seen him since Friday that was too many days and he burned. I feel awful. He was really good about letting me put neosporin on it and then slather him with sunscreen. I am considering getting him one of those fly masks with the long nose, simply to help cover him better. 

Cookie face. You can really see the sunburn here. 









I also worked on his hooves a bit. Farrier isn't due out for another two weeks and Nav's sole was sloughing off just from the hoof pick. So I took my knife to it and flaked off everything that had a loose hold. He needs a full trim, but I think he will be ok until the actual farrier comes. I think I will have to be more on top of in between touch ups in the future. 

Our ride was short and ok. It was just so hot it was hard to even want to work! We walked around a lot and did a little trot work - focusing on good bend and keeping Nav balanced. He did a decent job. But he was super sweaty and we ended after just about 20 minutes. Hosed him off, slathered more neosporin and sunscreen, and let him go back out. I also weight taped him again, it came to about 1060. He looks almost fat to me but that measurement doesn't seem fat. I am keeping an eye on it.


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## NavigatorsMom

Stopped by the barn yesterday to apply some sunscreen to Nav's nose. It was super hot and even though I just visited Nav for a bit and hosed him off - no riding - I still felt like I might have had some mild heat exhaustion by the time I got home. I'm just so ready for nicer weather!

This morning I made sure I got up even earlier and made it to the barn in time to ride before it got too hot. I was out the door by 8 - and it was already about 85. But, there was a breeze through the barn which did help keep us cool while tacking up, and as long as we didn't just stand in the arena it was not too bad. Nav was actually really good in spite of the heat and my not riding in a few days. We have a lesson tomorrow so today was pretty much just a quick tune up ride to make sure that we wouldn't be totally fresh tomorrow! Nav's trot was really nice today, and canter was pretty good too even though we only did a tiny bit of it. 










The best thing about today was going out on the road again! It's been over a month because I've been nervous about it since that dog charged at us, but I thought today we would just do a short trip out. I don't want Nav to become nervous about being ridden outside of the arena, and I'm worried that he will since we don't have any other area to ride. So out we went. It was not bad, the dog wasn't in sight, but Nav was still a little nervous. I think he was picking up on me though. I tried to stay calm and take even, deep breaths but I know he could still tell I was a little on edge. We didn't go very far, just a bit past where the dog had charged us last time. And then turned around and came home, which by that time Nav had settled and was carrying his head lower and much more relaxed. Really wish we had more trails around here instead of just the road shoulder.










After all of that we headed back to the barn. I hosed Nav off and then set up the fan in the barn aisle so he could really cool off, applied some sunscreen and fly spray, and let him go be a free horse.  I have not been using his fly mask lately, it's just been so hot that I figure it is better to just use Swat or wipe the spray onto his face, instead of him getting super sweaty under his mask. 

Also I finally went ahead and ordered him a new bridle. It's one I've been looking at for months, just finally decided why wait? since I can afford it. So that should get here tomorrow or Thursday!


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## PoptartShop

I don't blame you for not having the motivation lately, especially if it's been that hot outside!  The humidity is a pain. I have to ride super early on the weekends because it's just too hot lately too. Aw the sunburn, I've been using Corona ointment on my mare because she gets red so easily on her nose but it seems to help, I put it on top of the sunscreen. The Neosporin is just as good though.

I'm glad you had such a good ride & ended up going down the road again.  What a good boy! It's good you didn't push it or go too far, I'm sure he was picking up on your nervousness but last time you guys went out it wasn't the best ride so I can't blame you for feeling that way. You did it though! & Nav is spoiled!  The SWAT should help too. Excited to see how the new bridle fits and looks, and enjoy your lesson! Can't wait to hear about it!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, lesson got canceled due to rain (of all things in August!). It's pretty nice cool day now that the rain has mostly passed (well, low 90s), though there's a pretty good chance of it later on this afternoon, and the arena is a little swampy so no riding in the cards at the moment. If Nav's bridle does get here today I might go out and try it on him, but we'll see.


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## NavigatorsMom

Quick trip to the barn this morning to try Nav's new bridle! 

I LOVE how it looks on him!









I had a hard time getting a good picture from the front so I think this is the best one.









Most of them turned out more like this:









Anyway, I'm pretty happy with it. I think it fits him nicely, definitely not too small, but also not too big. Like I've said before, Nav is an odd size, so I'm very happy with the fit. The only thing I'm a little frustrated/concerned about is that as soon as I put the throat latch through it's buckle, it wrinkled/kind of cracked? You can kind of see it here:









I'm just not sure what to think. The bridle is definitely stiff/needs oiling like any other new tack, but it's a high quality and fairly expensive bridle so I don't think this is something that should happen. I actually have this same bridle (a size too small) and it didn't do this. Even my much less expensive Smartpak bridle didn't do anything like this. So I'm not sure what to do, if I should return it or if I should just start caring for it with oil and conditioner. I feel like with some regular care it will soften and this wouldn't happen any more, and that is my inclination because I don't want to deal with the return shipping process, but I don't know.


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## knightrider

I think I would call them and consider returning it. A fairly expensive bridle shouldn't do that. I've gotten some cheap bridles that didn't do that.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, under further investigation it didn't actually crack but the leather did sort of wrinkle from being curved. Curving it back the other way it smooths. So I'm not sure what to do. I feel like with some conditioning it will soften and become nice, but I just don't know if it should wrinkle like that? And could that become a crack?

I am traveling this weekend and will be in town with the shop I ordered it from, so I might take it with me and just go in and see what they say. Just frustrating.


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## PoptartShop

I would try to stop by the store, that definitely shouldn't happen, it's brand new! Plus since it was expensive, definitely see if they can get you a new one or something close to it, it still shouldn't wrinkle like that, you literally just put it on him for the first time! Mine is a bit wrinkled there, but it's older. I also don't oil it as much as I should. :lol: 

I like the bridle on him though. He looks really good.


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## NavigatorsMom

So, I ended up returning the bridle. The shop was super understanding about it, which I was worried about after reading a negative review regarding returns. I decided against exchanging for the same thing. A little sad since I really love that style of bridle, but I figure a bridle with a little padding, or something more ergonomic might be a little nicer for Nav. I mean, I think a well fitted bridle should be comfortable regardless of those extras, but since I had to return it I'm taking that as a sign to try something else. I was between a couple different bridles so I ordered my second choice. Should get here within a week or two! Hopefully we'll have better luck with that one.

Anyway, back home in Texas and dying from the heat - ha! I have a lesson tomorrow morning at 8:45 so I am planning to go out and do a short school tonight, just so we aren't super fresh. It's currently 101 with an actual feel of about 110. Don't want to leave much later than 5 so hopefully by then it will be a little better! But I miss Nav and feel like I just have to go see him! Knowing I get to see him tonight really got me through my shift at work this morning. 

I'm trying to decide if I'll take September off from lessons - I've got a lot going on personally (2 weddings that I have to travel to, and work will be picking up with the start of our Fall session) and I know it will still be super hot, so taking a break for the month and then coming back in October when it hopefully starts cooling down might be good for both of us.


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## NavigatorsMom

Tonight's ride was not the best.

Turns out we have some new neighbors... Cows! And they aren't actually against our fencline but they are close enough to hear (and smell) and if they are along their fence then they are visible in the arena. Nav was NOT happy. He was actually trembling a bit when I first mounted up.  But I tried to think about what J has had me do when Nav has acted up about random things in the past, and we were able to somewhat work through it. We did a LOT of walk at the beginning, lots of flexing, lots of praise when he focused on me instead of the cows. Some walk-halts with just a couple steps in between each transition to get him focusing. He really did pretty well, and didn't look at the cows too much but he was still pretty tense. 

After about 15 minutes of walk we did some trot. He was super heavy and fast, and I was able to get him to lighten up a bit but he really wanted to freight train for the most part. At one point during a moment of nicer trot he actually bucked me! Not sure what set that off, but it was a little more of an explosion than he normally does when bucking. We settled and then went back to walk-halt, and then trot-walk. We ended with a really nice stretching trot that didn't feel heavy on the forehand. 

Tonight's ride kind of showed that we really are getting something out of our lessons. I definitely have learned how to handle him acting up and how to channel his nervous energy into a good ride. Hopefully tomorrow's lesson will go well!


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## NavigatorsMom

Lesson this morning went really well! J was impressed with how good Nav was being and how well we worked together. He only had a small moment of disobedience when we started our canter work, which was the same time as his pasture mate was being walked by the ring to the field. We had a bit of a flying canter take off and then went back to trot-walk work. It really helped him settle down. J had me return to walk after the rest of our canters and then do some walk focusing on bend, then trot doing the same, then back and forth if he needed it before finally going to canter. This really helped him to realize that canter doesn't mean we're just going to go fast, and it helped him focus and relax. 

Even though our lesson was early it was still pretty warm. I tried out a new long sleeve sun shirt, from Walmart, and it worked pretty well. Not quite as ventilated as my smartpak shirt but still good and better than covering myself in sunscreen. I didn't feel overheated at all though. Nav seemed good too, though he was breathing pretty heavy at the end, but he was sweating well. We walked a bit to cool out and then I took him to the barn, and put him in the cross ties to untack. We have a big fan so I put that in the aisle and turned it on him while I untacked him, and then gave him a good hose down. Nav had some fun playing in the water, which was so cute. 





After all of that I scraped him, put him back in front of the fan, applied some sunscreen to his nose and fly spray to the rest of him, and then let him go back out. We've been skipping out on the fly mask lately just because it's been so hot, so I wiped some spray just under his eyes to help keep the flies away.


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## knightrider

Although it's a real pain while you are going through it, it's actually good that Nav is spending time around cows. In this horse life, you are bound to come across cows from time to time, and getting a horse over being afraid of them is soooo nice. Also pigs, goats, donkeys, emus, and llamas, if you get the chance. Sooner or later, if you trail ride, you will probably come across them, and how lovely when YOUR horse walks calmly past because he's seen them lots before.

I'm so pleased that your lesson went so well, in spite of the distractions. You go, Girl!


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## NavigatorsMom

@knightrider you are so right. It's easier without the neighboring cows, but in the long run it will be better for Nav to be exposed to them. Many places around here are much closer to cattle so my barn is actually a bit unusual in that we haven't had any interactions with them until now. He shares a fenceline with sheep right now so that's been good, he barely looks at them. Maybe one day a cow will be in there. I think he'd get used to that pretty quickly. As for now, I'm just glad he wasn't really bothered during our lesson. But they were no where near the fence so that definitely played a part in his behavior.


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## NavigatorsMom

*New Bridle: Take Two*

Ok, so Nav's second new bridle came today, so I had to go out right away and try it on him of course! This one is such a 180 from the last. It's definitely a dressage style bridle, with all it's padding and sparkly browband. He was a very good sport and didn't protest when I took him from his dinner hay for a little photoshoot.



















I like it a lot as far as look and overall fit, but I'm not sold on the crank noseband. It was challenging to figure out how to buckle it at first, and we are on the first hole and it is still slightly tighter than I would normally do - that said, I do normally keep my noseband pretty loose. Not sure it is worth returning/exchanging over, as everything else seems to fit nicely, but I can't do something to Nav that could be actively hurting him, worst case. The next size up would almost certainly be too big though. Looking at the sizing on the website just now, the noseband should actually be 3 inches or so larger than the measurement I took on Nav, so maybe I need to make an adjustment somewhere. And the flash is simply on for "fashion" and so that I wouldn't sit it down and lose it or it's keepers, I don't use one now on my old bridle and probably would not use this one.










It definitely needs oiling - like any new bridle - but until I make a final decision about keeping it or not I'm not going to put any products on it. I will probably go out this weekend and try it out on him again, and see about adjusting the noseband somehow. Who knew bridle shopping would be such a challenge?


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## NavigatorsMom

Bad Horse Mom Alert - I haven't been out to the barn in a week.  Well, a week tomorrow but last ride was last Wednesday! Ugh. Life has gotten hectic lately. Work switched back to my normal schedule and I've had a couple extra shifts thrown in. And then just general/personal stuff going on. Nothing really bad just a lot to deal with!

The plan is to go out today at some point, assuming it doesn't storm again. Fingers crossed! At the very least I want to bring Nav in and groom him, look him over, and try the bridle again. Hopefully I can ride too.


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## NavigatorsMom

I got to ride yesterday! I actually went out in the mid afternoon, horses were in for dinner, and even though it was about 91 and humid, it actually felt kind of nice compared to the crazy hot 100+ weather we've been having. 










Since the horses were all in, I decided to hack Nav around in the big field. It was so nice to just ride around, relax, and give Nav a change of scenery. We still did a little work, focusing on good bend especially because Nav wanted to look around. The cows were about one pasture over, in sight (and surely within smell range) but Nav barely looked at them! So that was great.  We also did some trot sets, just once around the perimeter of the field, which I think was great for Nav to be going on some slightly varied terrian - I mean it's still mostly flat but there were some dips and a slight incline up one side. 










After our ride I hosed Nav off right away, and then let him go back to finish his hay from dinner. 

Also re-tried the new bridle a second time. After adjustments it fits him better and is definitely not too tight around the noseband. It needs to stretch/loosen up because right now it's a little gappy on both sides:









I think I will keep it, though it will be an adjustment to get used to the thick padded noseband look. The whole thing just looks almost too fancy for Nav, especially since we aren't showing or anything. But I guess there isn't any rule to what tack someone can or can't use. Especially since we just ride for fun, as long as it's safe and fits properly who really cares?


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## PoptartShop

I like the new bridle on him better than the last one.  It looks nice. It'll stretch, I think it looks good on him. It will take some time to adjust to the thicker noseband since you're so used to seeing a thinner one on him. I bet he loved riding in the field for a change. It's definitely nice to change it up a bit.  You aren't a bad horse momma. Life gets busy & I'm sure Nav was happy to see you when you were able to make it out.  

& who cares if you're not showing, I agree - he can still be fancy!  I like it! Definitely no rules when it comes to tack. I don't show either & I like to once in awhile get fancy stuff haha.


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a nice short ride yesterday. I went out in the morning - rode at about 10 - and it wasn't super hot but it was pretty humid. It felt alright as I was walking in the barn and to bring Nav in, but once we started tacking up I started sweating a lot! Nav was already a little sweaty too. 










We just had a short ride and kept to a lot of walk, just some trot, and lots of breaks for water. Nav did really well though, and I was so happy with him! Really focused and giving me a pretty nice trot, even though he was a little pokey, I think due to the heat. Afterward I hosed him off, as usual, and gave Nav his dewormer, covered his nose with sunscreen, and then let him have a bite of a popsicle that I had. He seemed to like it :rofl:



















Anyway, hoping to ride tomorrow at some point. Still need to oil the new bridle so that I can take it out and use it, but for now franken-bridle will still work.


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## PoptartShop

I bet he loved the popsicle! How cute!  On a hot day. He is just so adorable. I hate super humid days like that, you start sweating before you even ride! :lol:


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, we've been having some really good rides lately so I guess we were due for a frustrating one. 

I went out a little later than normal this morning but it wasn't too hot. I think we're finally past the 100+ degree days, yay! Still, I am not feeling great, so wanted to take it pretty easy and just do a mostly walking ride. I thought it would be nice to do a short ride down the road, just for something different, so that's what we did. However, it was NOT a nice time.

We started off ok, but then Nav realized that the field across the road from us was full of round bales - gasp! And he's apparently terrified of them. I did not even look at them, and kept flexing Nav the other way, trying to get him to not freak out, but he was walking with his head super high and tense. The worst was when we passed by one that was right by the fence (still across the road). We got past it all though and he was doing ok, still really tense and looky though. Of course, then we came up on some men who were working in the field on our side. One was sitting in the grass and Nav was extremely worried about this. We stopped a good few yards away and I tried to get him to flex, refocus on me, relax. He never really settled, and then when he turned around he realized the hay bales were still on the other side of the road behind us. 

I figured he wasn't going to settle much more so we headed back. He was jigging the entire way. I tried doing walk-halt transitions the whole way back but even the single walk step was more of a jig. Tried having him him move his feet, turn on the forehand, or have him do a haunches out along the fence line but instead of settling and focusing on that Nav just became more agitated, trying to back, starting to spin. So we went back to the halt-walk transitions. He settled for a moment, but then became VERY scared of a couple of horses across the street from us. This was past the hay. Nav was physically trembling and this was where he got very "dancy", his feet were moving so quickly but essentially in place, he was so locked on to those horses and I could hardly get him to walk. I turned him away and let him stand for a minute but he was so tense. But when we turned back he started jigging forward so I let him head back, trying to keep him from just breaking into a full trot. I did have him halt when we were a bit past that field and almost home, and tried to have him flex but he was still tense and jigged back down the driveway.

I was so frustrated and since he had acted up the entire ride I got off and just lunged him for a few minutes (less than 10). However, he still was nervous and instead of taking up a nice trot, as soon as I raised the lunge whip he broke into a gallop and ran circles around me. I could not get him to come down with a vocal command so I just had to gradually make the line shorter and circle smaller until he had to break into trot. This happened both directions, but we ended on a somewhat nice trot. 

Of course, he was huffing and puffing after all of this and dripping sweat.  I walked him around the arena for four laps, and then we went back to the barn and I untacked him quickly, put him in front of the fan, and got everything ready to hose him off. Hosed him off without any issue, back in front of the fan, and then put some sunscreen on his nose. And of course, gave him a peppermint because even though he made me want to pull my hair out today I still love him and can't not give him a tiny treat. 

His fear today is very frustrating though - he actually nervous pooped three times during our ride which is totally not normal for him. I did not feel nervous at all about taking him out, so I don't believe he was picking up anything from me. I don't know why he is so afraid of everything. I want him to be well rounded and able to go out on trails like this without any problems, but today was just very discouraging.










When we just set out and before he was acting up.


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## NavigatorsMom

Much better time with Nav today!

I actually didn't really think I was going to ride today. I just wasn't in the mood for it and I thought maybe I'd just go and lunge Nav or do some groundwork, but I got outside and it was only about 90 today and the sky was so blue and with a breeze it was almost comfortable... so I decided to ride.

Nav was really good today. Now, we did only ride in the arena, and didn't do anything too challenging. Mostly just reviewed things we've been working on in lessons and tried to have a focused and good ride. Trot was nice today, I really got him to focus his energy and give me a good working trot. Transitions within trot need some work, since we haven't done those much in a while, but he still pulls down into the smaller trot less than he used to. 

We even cantered today, which it's been a while since we have done that. He did pretty well though he got a little heavy when I had him go longer than just a couple circles. But even when I took him down the long side he didn't get fast or unbalanced, just a little heavier. Which I guess technically means he was leaning on the reins and was somewhat unbalanced, but it wasn't like an out of control canter. He's improving. 

Overall it was a good ride and I'm glad I went out and did ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

Also meant to write about...

Nav's hooves. He's had a toe crack on both fronts for a while, and they haven't really been getting worse because he gets trimmed somewhat regularly (6 weeks, a little long for my liking but I can touch up in between). Well today, I found a pebble wedged into the bottom of his hoof, right in the white line at the point where the crack is on his left front. I was able to pick it out with the hoof pick but there is a bit of a hole there now. The crack also broke off a bit more on the front of his hoof so it looks wider. I applied some thrushbuster on all four feet, but especially in there and then packed it with a cotton ball. Not to mention he has so much flaky, retained sole, I don't think the farrier is taking any of that off. I know you need to be careful about taking too much off the sole, but if it's chipping off from the hoof pick alone it seems like some should come off during the trim! 

I feel like I need to either find a new farrier or start working on him myself again. For the moment I'll probably work on him myself, just do some review of the ELPO method and then take it a day at time.


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## knightrider

My Isabeau had been so steady and good for years and then I had two horrible rides in a row, where she leaped and spooked at all kinds of things--like a deer when she's seen hundreds of deer. Later she told me she had had a terrible dream about vehicles attacking her and it made her super jumpy for a bit. I know that's really REALLY way out woo woo, but I sort of kind of bought it. Maybe Nav had a terrible dream that gave him the willies that day?

My horses were all starting to get cracks in their hooves. When I had the horse chiropractor out, he said to mix 1/4 cup of copper sulfate (you buy it at the hardware store in the plumbing section) with vinegar--fill up a spray bottle with it, shake it really well, keep the toe cracks open, and spray the stuff 3 times a week.

At the same time, I decided to learn to trim my horses' hooves myself. Because I'm old, and it is 100 degrees outside, I trim with nippers on two hooves one day, file them the next day, nip the back two the next day, file the next day. My elderly hoof trimmer teachers put the hooves down a lot and stand up and rest a lot. So I do that too. I manage to trim each horse about every two weeks now. My horses' hooves all look terrific now (maybe not perfectly balanced and maybe not perfectly trimmed, but they sure look good . . . and they gait nicely . . . don't trip). I have no cracks any more. Hooves look really healthy. Hope I'm on the right track.

I wrote all this just to encourage you. I'm really happy I have tried to learn about hooves.


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## PoptartShop

Oh gosh, I can totally understand the frustration. :sad: I don't think it's anything you did, or that he was picking up on you, because it sounds like you were very calm the entire time. You handled that pretty well. I know it sucks when they get so worked up like that. :sad: What you think will be a nice, relaxing ride...turns into a disaster! The jigging/dancy walk is frustrating too. Like, just relaxxxxx please!

A few weeks ago I was riding Promise on our normal trail past the property, & she acted like it was her very first time out. She just wouldn't relax. :sad: I just didn't understand it. It can be extremely discouraging when you have rides like that. I totally get it.

But then the next ride went so smoothly. :icon_rolleyes: I am glad I'm not alone in that! :lol: I think it will go better next time you go out. Apparently hay bales are monsters lol. I'm glad your last ride went better. 

Working on his hooves yourself sounds like a good idea. And if things get tough, you can always find a new farrier/try one out. It's been so hot, so my horse's hooves aren't the best right now either. It's been so dry & the ground is hard. We haven't had rain in a week or 2.


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## NavigatorsMom

@knightrider and @PoptartShop thank you for your kind words. Nav has been much less spooky in our subsequent rides, but we haven't tried going out on the road again yet. I did notice that the hay bales are gone now, so that would be one less scary thing at least!

I'm glad I have at least a basic understanding of trimming and am able to work on Nav as needed. I did a little bit on his fronts yesterday. They don't look as bad as I remembered, so I didn't do much. Still trying to decide if I will have him trimmed by the farrier one more time this coming Monday or not. In the mean time I'm reviewing ELPO basics and may touch him up a bit more when I go tomorrow. Like you both said, it's really hot and dry here too, so cracks are common and it's hard to trim when his hooves are so tough!

When I went out yesterday I did plan on riding but in the end I just worked on his feet and spent some time with him. It was hotter than I expected and I just didn't want to spend the time tacking up or putting on all of my heat trapping gear, so instead we just had a nice hour of hang out time, which isn't the worst way to spend some time.


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## PoptartShop

Still super dry here too. :sad: It rained a bit over the weekend, but no rain in the forecast at all the next 10 days. Ugh!  Seriously, it's extra hard to prevent cracks this time of year. Nav is so darn cute!  Sometimes it's nice just to hangout, especially when it's too hot to do anything else!


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## NavigatorsMom

Haven't been updating but have been riding, here and there. I did end up having the busiest September, between traveling for two weddings, work really picking up and still quite hot weather (but also losing evening hours). 

Anyway, no big updates. Nav has been good, in spite of our lack of consistency. I think I've been averaging about 2 rides a week, with 3 or 4 every now and then. We finally tried out the new bridle and I like it but I think I need to swap out to his normal bit. The one I put on there is a half inch longer and I think it is just affecting us slightly. At our last ride the other night he did want to pull and bear down a little and I think it has to do with bit placement being off slightly. 

We did have a little confrontation (not really the right word) with BO. She said that Nav has gotten pretty aggressive toward one of his pasture mates and during turn out the other night, he stopped and told the mare to back off (there was hay near the gate and I guess he was guarding that) but anyway, then the mare did back off and quickly, but somehow BO was caught in the mix and wrenched her shoulder. So she is pretty upset with Nav. I apologized of course, but I don't know what more I can do. I can't train him to not be dominant over this horse. And truly, Nav is so submissive that if the mare had ever told Nav to cut it out and leave her alone, he would back off, but she just lets him push her around. It's just frustrating because I take a lot of pride in having a safe and well-behaved horse, so hearing that he's been acting in a way that could be dangerous makes me feel awful. But at the same time, no one told me he had been acting like this, I just happened to run into BO and she told me (day after it happened) so I wonder if anyone would have told me. Maybe it isn't as big a deal as it seems. Just made me feel bad.


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## PoptartShop

Hopefully things slow down for you this month. I'm glad Nav has been good even without a lot of consistency, he's a good boy.  I think swapping out to his normal bit will help too. I'm sorry to hear the BO got upset, but she also needs to realize...horses will be, well, horses. We can't control what they do in the pasture, honestly. :icon_rolleyes: Who knows, she may have been in the wrong, like wrong place, wrong time situation. It happens. 

I mean, for example, during feeding I have to be careful because my horse & my BF's horse get a bit rowdy (not disrespectful, but they know it's feeding time!) & if I'm in between them, I know I better MOVE! :lol: 

Regardless, you can't control that. It's not your fault, try not to beat yourself up over it. I know they're like children, so we get upset about it when they don't 'behave', but overall things like that are out of our control. The fact that she didn't even tell you right away tells me that it wasn't that big of a deal to begin with. Don't sweat it.


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop you're right, I really can't worry too much about it! Nav has never, ever been aggressive or pushy toward a person, so I really am thankful for that. It's just the one time he's been able to be dominant, so I think it's kind of gone to his head in a way. I know horses don't really think like that but it's just kind of how I've been thinking about it. 

I did have a couple good rides last week. Swapped out to his usual bit and he did better. We need to break in the bridle a little more. It fits but it's still a little tight in the noseband. As it gets softer and more flexible I'm sure it will also loosen, but for now I feel like it's a hair tighter than we usually do, and I hate thinking Nav is uncomfortable. 

On our most recent ride we did go out on the road again. Just a super short one, basically down three houses and back, but I wanted to have a short and calm venture so he doesn't always get scared out there. It went ok, though he was very nervous about some sandbags on the side of the road, and then some horses we passed cantered up to us and then bolted off which spooked him a little. I was able to get him to halt and flex his neck to me and then we went back with no issue and mostly relaxed. 

Also starting lessons again this week. We'll have one on Wednesday, so hopefully we haven't forgotten too much in the last month! Maybe I can get J's opinion on the bridle fit as well.


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## NavigatorsMom

Weather today is excellent - the high is 75 (though it feels closer to 80) and I went out and rode this morning! It felt so nice to be able to ride and not be super hot!

Of course, before I could ride I had to deal with Nav's hooves. I have been working on him this month, going a two feet at a time but only doing part of the trim each time, to save my back. Well, I waited too long on his back hooves because his left hind had a big chunk off of the inside quarter. He wasn't off on it or anything, it was just unsightly, but it was also clear that it broke off because he needed a trim. So I dealt with his back hooves and then we tacked up. 

Our ride was just ok. It was the perfect day for riding but not the perfect ride. Nav was just really pulling like he hasn't in a very long time, and when he wasn't pulling he was going around with his head up and prancing/jigging/being nervous. Just not a great ride, he was very unfocused. Trot was heavy, canter was heavy. Near the end I got a light downward transition from trot to walk, and I knew I wouldn't be able to replicate it easily today so after that we were done. 

I don't think he likes the bridle. I just feel like it's too tight on his nose - we are on the last hole currently - and that he is getting heavy because he's unhappy? I don't know how likely that is. I think for our lesson on Wednesday we will go back to our old Frankenbridle. I am strongly considering reaching out to the company I bought it from and seeing if I could return or exchange it for a larger size, or if not that (since I have ridden in it a few times now) maybe buy just the nose band in the next size up.


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## PoptartShop

Oh, I can totally relate to your ride. 
I've been having the same problem with my mare this week, the weather's been nicer & she's just been all over the place (head tossing, etc.), & she never does that. Frustrating, but things will get better!
:sad: Could be the weather change. He could've just had an 'off' day too.

That sucks about the bridle, darn! See how he is on Wednesday in the other bridle though, then I'd make a decision from there. I hope you have a good lesson!


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## NavigatorsMom

I think it was partly the weather change, it's gotten a lot cooler here in the last few days! At our lesson this morning it was only about 70, which was SO nice! 

I was not feeling like doing my lesson this morning. Not full dread, but just kind of like, "I don't want to get up early and go out and get sweaty, I don't want to do a long and demanding lesson, I'm so tired". But then I tried to think of 11 year old me and how excited she would be about getting to go to a lesson with a great trainer on her OWN horse. It really helps my mindset to think like that. So then I tried turning my negative statements around: "I'm lucky that I can afford to take lessons, I'm lucky that even though I have to get up early, I have the day off and can go and do a morning lesson mid-week, and then relax the rest of the day, I'm lucky that I have an encouraging instructor who is really helping us to get better."

Our lesson went well. We kept it kind of easy, since it had been over a month since our last lesson, but J also threw in a few new things for us. One thing that was really challenging was spiraling in and out of a circle. Now, this is something I have done with Nav before, but apparently we have been doing it incorrectly, with Nav leading/drifting out with his shoulders. J wanted us to spiral out but with Nav's hindquarters to lead instead. It was HARD, Nav really wanted to do it the way we had, and I had to really focus on how I was affecting him because I also wanted to go back to what we "know". But when he got it I could REALLY feel his hind legs stepping over and his back lifting and his straightening in general. So cool! After doing that at the walk we warmed up with trot and then did it at the trot too. Still challenging and definitely something to work on, but it was also a little easier since we had done it at the walk. 

We then spent a bit of time working on our shortening and lengthening at the trot. Nav's front end is very responsive to my aids but his hind is a little slower, so we worked on keeping his hind end active. Our canter today was better than my last post. He picked up the canter pretty easily, only trying to run into it once, which I brought him back from and then we got a nice transition. After our first canter I mentioned that Nav felt heavy to me, but J said he actually looked pretty light and the only time she saw him getting heavy was during our transition to trot, when Nav starts to flatten out. So, during our next bit of canter I focused on how he felt and he actually was pretty light during the canter, but during our transition he definitely got heavy. I think that he gets a little heavy when he gets unbalanced, but overall he's not heavy during canter, just during transitions, but since I wasn't focused on when he was heavy I just felt like his canter was heavy. I think what I just wrote is a little confusing, oops.

We ended with some sitting trot working more on the transitions within the gait. Nav was just so good today! And there were plenty of distractions between the cooler weather, horses coming and going by the arena, and one mare who was just going crazy running around her pasture, but he stayed pretty focused and worked really hard for me. Such a good boy! We used his old bridle today and he seemed happier. And even just doing it up to the tightness J wants us to have I could easily tell that it was much looser and more comfortable than the new bridle. The company I bought from has a pretty good return policy from what I can tell, so I'm going to reach out to them and see about returning the bridle. I may purchase another from them in a different style - and the size up! As much as I love the fanciness and unique quality of the patent brown, I feel the noseband is just a little thick and not exactly what I want. Even though Frankenbridle is, well, a Frankenbridle, it's more the style that fits us I think. Anyway, the bridle saga continues!


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## PoptartShop

I'm so happy you had such a great lesson!  That is a good way to think of it, change your negative thoughts into positive ones. I should try to think like that, sometimes I get discouraged as well. 

It does feel pretty cool when you can feel them actually starting to use their hind end. What a good boy! He will get more balanced, in time. The more you guys work on it, the better. It sounds like he is definitely making progress & starting to really use his body correctly. Yay!

I think sticking with the older bridle is a good idea for now. It's almost as stressful as saddle hunting...okay, maybe not, but close to it, LOL. :lol: He's so cute, you always take the best photos!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a really nice ride yesterday. We're finally getting into the more fall-like weather, so I don't have to get up early and hurry to the barn to beat the heat - which I really appreciate as I'm not much of a morning person! 

When I brought Nav in and was working on his hooves, I noticed that he has a lot of sole that's just loose and popping off. Like, I was able to do it mostly with a hoofpick alone! So I took off any pieces that were ready and left the rest. I know it will likely come off on it's own over time. We got some rain yesterday afternoon and overnight, so I might go out today and work on it a little more. I'm really trying to be proactive with his hooves, and not to over trim them but to just be consistent and keep them in good shape. 

For some reason one of the smaller fields was empty, so we roe in there. It really is more of a large paddock, single horse situation, but it was the perfect area for us to work. While it is mostly flat, there are still more slopes and varied terrain than the sand arena, so I thought it would be a good change for us. And it really was. Nav was SO well behaved, really listening and focused in spite of many distractions, including a hay bale on the other side of the fence (which he has been very scared of in the past). 

More than the quality of our work though, it was just so nice to ride in a field. The cloudy and cool fall day, mixed with the sound of hoofbeats over grass (I LOVE that sound) really made me nostalgic for my old barn and fields. I miss it very much. 

Quick video from the ride. While videos like this aren't necessary, it's nice that Nav is responsive enough to seat and leg cues, and knows a little neck reining so that I am able to ride one handed and take videos like this.


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## PoptartShop

Yay for a great ride!!  It's nice to ride somewhere different, especially an area that isn't 100% flat. I have to ride in the pasture a lot because well, I don't have an arena at my private barn, but it definitely is good for them to do some incline work & whatnot.
What a good boy! I'm glad he wasn't afraid of the hay bale. :lol: Riding in a field can be really nice, I know being in an arena all the time can get boring.
Love the video!! Looks so smooth!  Haha, I would've probably dropped my phone. :lol:


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## PoptartShop

Double post...sorry, the forum had an error when I typed my last response & I didn't think it went through, but it did. :icon_rolleyes:


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop honestly I love riding in pastures, it's just so much fun and feels less confined than in an arena.  But you can still work on a lot of the same things you would in an arena. It's just nice.

I had a lesson this morning. More of the same kinds of things as last time, Nav did really well and our trot to walk transitions are getting a lot lighter. I don't have the energy to to a full write up of the lesson. Things are going well for us though. J mentioned that there is a schooling show coming up in November that a couple people from my barn will be going to but I think I'm going to skip this one. November just feels like too short of notice to feel ready for a show. I am also not really in the mood for showing lately. I'm happy taking lessons and improving, but I don't want/need to spend money on a semi-stressful day that doesn't really mean too much in the big picture. Taking Nav off-property to experience new things would probably good but I'd rather do it in the setting of a trail ride or even a clinic. 

Also update on the bridle - I contacted the company I bought from asking if there was any way I could just buy a larger noseband, since it was way too tight on Nav. I was expecting to hear that I could buy a larger size, or that I would have to exchange the full bridle, but I got a response almost immediately from the owner of the company asking if a longer crank strap would work, since that's a little easier to send. When I said yes that would work, he said he would send the strap at no cost to me! Wow! I was shocked at how great the customer service was. So that arrived a few days ago and now the noseband fits really well, plenty of wiggle room. Now that it fits him better I like it a lot more - I think my negative feelings toward it were because of the fit. It looks really nice on him! And J thinks it's a much better fit than our old Frankenbridle and also said she likes the look of it, so yay! 

A few pictures from this morning:



















Selfie after our lesson:









And a cute one:


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## PoptartShop

Me too, I enjoy riding in pastures more. People at my old barn thought I was crazy for not liking the arena (we had no pastures we could ride in) & now that I can ONLY ride in the pasture, it’s so much better. I got so tired of the arena every day. I’m glad you still have the option of riding in an arena though. I agree with you about the show. Too short of a notice, plus I’m l feel the same way about showing...just not my thing anymore. Schooling shows are fun, but I think lessons/just riding is just as fun. 

Wow, that is great news about the bridle. It’s hard to find decent companies that have such great customer service like that. Yay!! I’m glad you were able to find a solution! Nav is so cute. Love the picture of you guys too! So glad to hear everything is going well! 


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a couple more rides in the last week, nothing too special though. I haven't been out on the road in a long time, still just too nervous about the potential loose dog and the last couple times we were out Nav was just squirrely and nervous himself. But, we did have a nice ride in his pasture last time. It was a cloudy and cool morning, and turns out the farrier was there that day - which I didn't know about until the day of, luckily since I have been keeping up with Nav's hooves he wasn't due and didn't miss his chance - but because he was working on horses in the barn aisle, I decided instead of bringing Nav in and tacking up, I would just tack up in the field. All the other horses are in the barn waiting so Nav's pasture was totally clear for us to ride in. 

It was a really peaceful ride. We were able to work a little on our lesson things, get some nice trot and some good transitions. The best thing was near the end of our ride I took Nav all the way around the pasture on a relaxed canter. He did so well! No rushing off, no bearing down, just a relaxed and pretty light canter and he came back to trot right as I asked. Such a good boy!  










Today is my one day off this week so I think I will head out to the barn in a bit, but it's the absolute coldest day we've had this fall - about 35 degrees but with windchill feels more like 30 right now. I think the high today is about 50 so I will probably wait until this afternoon.


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## PoptartShop

I think Nav probably enjoys the pasture just as much as you do!  That's great you were able to have a relaxing canter on him! Yay!! Such a good boy. Change is good, gotta change it up or they can definitely get bored. I don't blame you for not going back on the road yet. You can go when you are ready.  Sheesh, that is cold! :O The wind can definitely make it seem worse. I hope you had another good ride!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Today we had a lesson. It was nice and cool this morning, but also a little drizzley. Nav and I were the third lesson of the morning and and just after we got going it started raining pretty steadily. J asked if I would rather quit today and reschedule but I said if she didn't mind it wasn't bothering me and Nav that much. So we went on, and I'm glad we did because the rain stopped after about 10 minutes. So the rest of the lesson was dryer (still a little drizzley though). 

Nav wanted to fluctuate tempo and not bend nicely while we trotted to the right, so while on a circle J had me ask him to actually look to the outside and counterbend just a little bit. This helped him straighten and come into a nicer, more regular trot, and when I asked him again to bend correctly he maintained the nicer trot. It seems like a good tool to have, and I'll have to remember it! 

Nav is definitely left handed, and everything comes more easily that way. But it's also easier for him to overbend, so during our canter work today I really had to focus on keeping him a little straighter, so that he didn't land so heavily on the inside front. He responded really well and we had some very lovely canter today. 

We also began work on leg yielding on a long, straight path instead of a circle. Again, this is something we've done in the past, but incorrectly - we drift instead of doing a true leg yield. So that will be something that takes a lot of work. J had to remind me to sit back while doing it, which really felt like I was leaning so far back but I think my natural response is to lean forward for control (?) during harder exercises. Leaning back brought my weight back which helped slow Nav because we didn't want him going too fast and just forward, we wanted some sideways steps which take longer to make than a straight ahead step. So, slower tempo, easier time taking that long, side step. We actually had some semi-decent moments of sideways motion that wasn't drifting, but when J had us try it at the trot it fell apart a bit more. Because I started out leaning when I sat back Nav thought I wanted him to walk so we ended up doing that instead of trot, and when I did have him trot again we drifted more than leg yielded. It will just take time. 

Really, so much to remember when you actually ride instead of letting the horse mostly make the decisions about tempo, bend, straightness, balance!

After the lesson I worked on his hooves. I really didn't want to (I really wanted to turn him out and go get some coffee) but since it was so wet I knew his feet would be soft, and I couldn't pass up that opportunity. I only did his fronts, but the plan is to go back tomorrow and do his backs. They're looking good, and the toe crack that just wouldn't go away is starting to clear up.


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## PoptartShop

Glad you didn’t quit the lesson & the rain cleared up. A little rain doesn’t hurt! Nav is such a good boy!

Yes! That is good about making him look to the outside. My trainer has also recommended I have Promise look towards the outside & use more outside rein on a turn for the same reason, it really does help get them more straight & makes the turn less messy. 

It’s definitely a lot to think about when doing those leg yields too. I think you will get the hang of it the more you practice. Sounds like you guys had a great lesson!  Thats so true. A lot goes into it, we have to really pay attention to our own balance/our seat etc. It affects everything in their movement! Like if I become unbalanced even for a second, then the speed changes or things can just get messy! So much goes into this! I am so glad you have such an awesome trainer. It sounds like she focuses on what’s important & not so much of what ‘looks good’. 

I’m glad his hooves are looking better too!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop yes, I'm really thankful for my instructor, she does put a lot of focus on correct vs. pretty. Pretty will come eventually when we are correct and stronger, so it will just take time. 

I've been out to the barn here and there in the last week and a half. I usually get out there about three days a week at this point, which is less than I'd like but at least it's something. The last week or so has been awful weather so that put a little bit of a hold on it, but we are back to typical Texas fall at this point - mid 60s and sunny! - so the plan is to get a lot of riding in this week. 

Nav's hooves are looking good lately, the cracks are under control. I've been doing slight touch ups every week so nothing gets too overgrown, since that a bit part of our problem. Farrier is coming back early December, so I think I might have him trimmed just so that I can give my back a rest for a bit. But I definitely need to keep up with the touch ups in between.

Not much more to say. We've had some good rides lately, just not enough of them.


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## NavigatorsMom

An update after about 3 weeks without any!

Really not a lot to say. Texas winter is pretty mild overall so weather hasn't been much of an issue as to when I can or can't ride, but my work schedule has been. Things have been busy going into the holiday season so I've been taking on extra hours here and there, but even still I've been making it out to the barn about three times a week so I feel pretty good about that.

Nav has been doing really well overall! We've been working hard at our lessons and practicing the things we are learning. The most recent new thing is more with leg yields - mainly having Nav really step over while still staying straight. We had been doing it a lot at the walk but today did most of it at trot. It's hard! Nav is much better at it to the left. J said something that actually made a lot of sense to me, which is that most of the time if something is hard (like our leg yield to the right) we will want to just drill it and keep trying until we get it, but really what you should do is practice the exercise in the easier direction to help the horse and yourself build confidence and understand how "correct" feels, and then go back to the difficult direction and apply what you gained from the easier direction. So we will try to remember that going forward!  J also commented today that Nav looks like he is really trying and starting to actually carry himself pretty nicely. It will take time before he is strong enough to do it for longer periods or consistently, but he is coming along. 

Anyway, also got a couple pictures from today. While we have been having a mild winter, yesterday and today was in the 30s and cloudy while I was at the barn so that certainly felt pretty wintry!

Cooling and drying after our lesson









and of course a selfie!


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## PoptartShop

Yayyyy, happy to see an update from you!  I am so glad your lessons are going well & that Nav is improving. Your trainer makes a very good point about practicing the easier side first to get the confidence & then working on the more difficult side/applying what you learned from that. That will definitely help.

Such a cute selfie!! You guys make such a great team.


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## carshon

The selfie is awesome. I enjoy your journal.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks both of you.  Things have been going alright. I'm hoping once the holidays are over I can get a little more regular about riding. Lately I've missed some of my regular riding days due to extra work, unpleasant weather, and my own health - I feel like holiday stress has been affecting me a lot more than regular this year for some reason.

Anyway, I went out yesterday but just didn't have the mindset to ride. I ended up working on Nav's hooves since they were due. A little over grown but nothing too bad. I plan on working on the back hooves when I go out again - hopefully today. I also lunged him a bit, just so he would get a little bit of exercise. I hope I'm more in of a mindset for riding when I go out today. I think I will make myself tack up and ride, even if just a few laps around the arena of walk and trot. 

And one picture of Nav awkwardly rolling after we lunged. :rofl:


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## PoptartShop

Omg he is so cute mid-roll! :lol: Great picture! 

I know the holidays can definitely take a toll on us. I was sick for a week or so right up until Christmas, it was horrible. I hope you get to ride though, even if you keep it short. It will make you feel better once you’re in the saddle! 


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop that sucks that you were sick, it really is a bad time of year for that. Hope you're feeling better now!

I did end up riding, but then we were out of town for the last week, hence no update until now.

The ride was good, it really was just what I needed. We didn't do a super long ride, but the weather was nice and even just doing a little bit of arena work felt good. Nav was very well behaved and seemed to be trying hard for me. He's such a good boy! 

I also gave him part of his Christmas present - a giant peppermint stick. He will get the rest later this week when I go out there. He was definitely happy with it though! I should also stop by the local tack shop this week and see if I can pick up another salt block for his stall.

While home this week I visited my old barn. It was nice to chat with my "horse mom". Things are good for them. They are casually looking into selling Nav's half brother and if I had the money to spare I would so love to take him, but we aren't in a position for that right now. Perhaps in the future if things go that way. 

A couple recent pictures. Nav with the peppermint, a cute licky lips picture after turning him out, and one from our ride.


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## PoptartShop

Awww, Nav is so adorable. I know he loves his peppermint sticks!  Such a cutiepie. I'm glad you enjoyed a nice ride, & I'm also happy you got to visit your old barn. He is just so handsome!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Happy New Year!

I thought this would be a good time to reflect on the last year. I feel like it was overall a good one for Nav and I.

We started regular lessons for the first time in four years and it's really helped us to progress. I always felt like I was doing decently with Nav for not taking lessons and just teaching ourselves, but I can see now how much better we've gotten in just a year. We really only had about 25 lessons, but even that was enough for us to start getting better at communicating and begin more challenging movements. 

Nav is able to move much more freely and he is developing muscle and getting stronger. We have a totally different right lead canter than we did back in February. He is able to carry himself for longer stretches at the trot. We have developed different speeds and stride lengths at the trot, and our downward transitions are much lighter. 

Goals for the new year include continuing our lessons and improving our leg yields in particular, as well as become stronger at canter and just improve our gaits. Continue to get stronger. Ride more frequently. Right now I get out about 3 times a week and I want to continue that or do more. Get out of the arena more regularly. Even if that's just riding in a pasture instead, but I'd love to get more comfortable taking him on the road again. 

Also wanted to share my Year of Ears 2019. I enjoy doing this tradition, and I always have enough pictures because it seems I take one like this almost every time I ride, but this year is definitely less vibrant than last year, and putting it together really made me nostalgic for my home.


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## ChasingDreams

I love the Year of Ears photo! I’ll have to look and see if I have one for each month, if not I’m definitely going to have to do this next year! 

I feel like we have some similar goals. Chase definitely has different “speeds” within his trot and canter... but ultimately seems to want to choose for himself which he will do [emoji23] Could definitely use some fine-tuning.



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## PoptartShop

Aww, how cute! I love the through the ears pictures. That's adorable. 

I think 2019 was definitely a great year for you two. Excited to see what this year has in store for you! Getting out of the arena is a good idea. Riding in the pasture is nice & something different. I think you'll eventually get back out on the road again too. In no time!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, unfortunately until today I hadn't been out to the barn! I intended to go both Monday and Tuesday to prepare for our lesson, but I was sick. It was odd, I woke up both of those mornings around 4:30-5 a.m. with CRAZY vertigo. The room was absolutely spinning and once it settled if I moved my head at all it would start up again. This of course also made me nauseous so I had some stomach issues both days too. I've never had anything like that before but it was awful. Last night I did some maneuvers that are meant to ease vertigo, and then I also slept elevated and only on my back or left side. It seemed to work, I woke up fine this morning and ready for our lesson.

Nav did really well considering our last lesson was probably 3 weeks ago, and we hadn't ridden since last Wednesday. J commented that he's getting really adjustable within gaits and that his canter has improved SO much. He was a little resistant to the right today, his difficult side, but eventually we got some light moments of self carriage. It will take a lot more work until he can do it consistently. And that's also what J reminded me - when working on something challenging, work it a few times to the easy direction and then apply that to the challenging direction. I should see her again in two weeks and I hope that that time I won't have gone a week without riding! 

Seeing Nav really was just what I needed today, after feeling so awful. Planning to go again tomorrow, fingers crossed for good weather and good health!


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## PoptartShop

Ugh, that does sound awful. :sad: I'm happy to hear you are feeling better & got to enjoy your lesson!! Sounds like it went really well!  He is so photogenic, actually you both are, so adorable! Keep up the good work!!!


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## tinyliny

Regarding sudden onset vertigo, the crystals in your inner ear probably got out of position. That's why chiropractic manuevers can cure this. Sometimes it gets very intractable and can make life quite miserable for people.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @PoptartShop 
@tinyliny, I read a little about that happening and I have to assume that was it in my case. But I don't quite understand what caused it to get out of position. Thankfully I haven't had it happen again but it was awful and I don't know how I could live with it chronically.

As for horses, I've had a few good rides lately. Yesterday in particular everything just felt good! It was a super dreary and dull day, and the ground was saturated after the snow we had over the weekend - yes, SNOW, in Texas!! That was a crazy day, ha! But because of that and the melting, as well as storming prior, the ground was wet and the arena hadn't been dragged yet. I didn't let that discourage me though. 

Nav did really well, he was super focused which is not like him. He can be really looky, not in a fearful way, just in a curious way, but he just settled into work and didn't really get distracted. We had some good leg yielding in and out of a circle, not going to too small of a circle since the ground was pretty wet. And we even cantered. Nav has gotten so much more balanced that I don't feel as afraid of cantering him in less than ideal footing. Of course we were careful, but he never felt unbalanced or slippy like we've experienced before. It was just such a good ride, really made me appreciate my horse.

Of course, then we got back to the barn and into the cross ties and Nav demonstrated that he has learned about pawing... definitely not happy about that! He stops if I yell something like "stop!" "quit!" "hey!" etc., but he will start up again. I don't know when he learned this, and I don't know how to train it out of him, so suggestions appreciated. But hopefully it won't become a bigger problem!


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## PoptartShop

Rides like that definitely help us appreciate them so much more! That is great!  Sounds like all of his attention was on you & you got to ride despite the ground being all wet! I can't believe you got snow over there! :lol:

As for the pawing, Promise used to paw when I first got her. It would drive me insane, because she did it so much! She couldn't ever just stand still. What got her to stop was tapping her chest with a whip and telling her 'no' or 'cut it out' (tapping her lightly of course, not actually hitting her or scaring her with it) every time she pawed. Then after a few times, she'd see me lift the whip, she was like ok, let me not paw now! :lol: She eventually stopped. 
Also distracting them can help too, getting them to focus on something else. Promise only paws now when it's dinnertime, that's it. She used to do it constantly while being groomed/tacked up. Not anymore.

Another thing you can try is just ignoring it when he paws. Then when he rests, untie him & praise him. Different methods work for different horses, but I think if you work with him on it he will stop, since he hasn't been doing it for awhile (like my horse was long before I got her!).


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks for the suggestions @PoptartShop! I'll have to figure something out because I really don't want him to do it even more frequently! He only does it if I step into the tack area and he can't see me, once I come back he'll stop. It only happened once today.

We rode today, it was another cloudy and dreary day. But it was also almost hot - 70+ in January and SO HUMID! It was disgusting how sweaty I got just from being outside at the barn, and then riding ontop of that! So we kept it to a pretty light ride since Nav still has a full coat. 

Not a lot to say about the ride today. Overall I think it was good, but it didn't feel as good as some of our recent rides. He did not want to bend very nicely, and when I tried to have him spiral out from a circle he REALLY wanted to drift out with his shoulder instead of step over with his hind end. I know part of it is that I'm asking him to do more challenging things and it's harder for him than what we're used to, and it will take time but it was a little frustrating. I recorded it, which I haven't done in a while. I think we look pretty good, not perfect by any means. It was a little disheartening to see because he feels like such a different horse than just a year ago, but he doesn't look that much better. It's hard not to compare him to nice, lighter built dressage horses. He's a chunky boy and will never be able to lift in the canter as easily as a warmblood who is bred for it, for example. He really is improving though, he tries SO hard and is a good horse, and I have to remember that it will take a lot of time. We only get lessons twice a month and I don't ride enough in between to expect miraculous results in a short amount of time. 

Anyway, I will attach the video. It's a little long and I only cut when we were out of frame and one segment in the middle where the camera lost focus for a few minutes. Mostly trot at the beginning, canter work starts around 6 minutes in, and then some adjustability work near the end.


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## PoptartShop

That's good, it sounds like he's not really making a habit of the pawing. I don't think it'll take him long to stop it.
You guys look really good in the video though. I think as you keep working on these things, it will make him stronger, therefore he will get better with it. It can be hard for them to use the correct muscles & it can definitely be a challenge! His build looks nice too. I think you should be very proud of yourselves!  I can tell he's really trying to please & you work well together as a team.

Some rides are definitely better than others, I can totally relate. Just keep up the good work, you are both learning & growing together. & OMG about the humidity, I always end up sweating even while I'm tacking up! :lol:


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, rode yesterday and it was pretty good. As usual, nothing crazy good but nothing awful, just kind of middle of the road good. Nav was in a good mood.  Really it was a kind of short ride, I went out later than I intended and didn't have quite enough time to do everything I wanted, but I feel like we had a good work out. Tuesdays are awful for riding so I won't be going out today, but as long as there's no rain I should have a lesson tomorrow morning! 

The farrier is coming out today. He raised his prices again - just up to 50 for a trim now. I decided to have Nav trimmed by him this time. I worked on him about a month ago, so he is due, and I thought I'd give the farrier another try. It would be awesome if he does a good job and I can save my back from doing it myself every month but we'll see. I honestly have somewhat low expectations. I took a picture of one of Nav's hooves yesterday and when I go out tomorrow I will take another so I can compare side by side.

And one picture. He really puts up with a lot from me! :rofl:


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## PoptartShop

Oooh how exciting, I hope you have a great lesson tomorrow!  My farrier also charges 50 for a trim, well, for me. He upped his prices to 75 for new customers this year. :shock: Talk about expensive! LOL. But he does really good work. It's hard to find a good farrier. Hopefully your farrier will do a good job!! Nav is so cute! :loveshower:


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, it's been about a week since I was at the barn - we traveled over the weekend and then my work schedule on Monday and Tuesday didn't allow any time, but I finally made it back out there today!

I'll be honest, it is a cold and dreary day and I reallly didn't want to go out. But I needed to see Nav so I made the trip out there, and I'm glad I did. It was super cold (well for Texas... it was about 41 and windy) but once I got all tacked up I felt a little more motivated to ride so off we went.

I decided to spend our time working on a good trot warm up, and then lots of leg yielding. No canter today. It was still pretty wet in the arena so I didn't want to worry about footing at the canter. But the leg yielding was good! Nav is getting stronger and our leg yield to the left (so, off of my right leg) is getting really good! I can feel him really crossing over with his hind legs and he stays mostly straight. We did it at the walk and trot. To the right is not as good. He gets sticky and is a lot more likely to stop or really bulge out his right shoulder and drift. But we did get a few nice steps of it here and there. I didn't drill him on it, just got those good steps and then called it good. I'm glad I went, it really brightened my morning. 

I finally compared pictures of his hooves from before and right after a trim and I'm not as impressed as I originally was. When I went out last Thursday to check his hooves, I could tell they had been trimmed so I was happy with that, but looking at the pictures side by side, it's almost like they were barely touched. I'll definitely have to do a touch up in a week or two, and there is no way he would be ok to wait until the farrier's next scheduled visit in March. 

A few pictures from today. I almost didn't wear my face cover but I'm glad I had it because the wind while riding was sharp.










mirror selfie!


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## PoptartShop

I'm glad you rode even if you hesitated at first, it's hard to get the motivation on cold dreary days. It does look windy, can tell from his mane! Face masks are life savers. I need them almost all the time now when I go to the barn since it's been so cold! Sorry to hear about the farrier, I know some don't take too much off in the beginning, maybe he was afraid he would? But if there isn't much of a difference that's not good, at least you can touch it up though, but still! The fact that his hooves are growing quickly is a good thing too.  

Good job on the leg yields!!! Has he still been pawing?


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## NavigatorsMom

Thanks PoptartShop! He still tries to paw when he can't see me. It happens the most after our rides when he's untacked and back in the crossties. I think he's anxious about getting a treat, because I always give him a few after we finish. Been trying to remedy this behavior by not giving him a treat when he his still in the crossties. I unclip him and walk him a few steps or have him flex and then he gets one. Will just have to keep working on it! He does at least stop if I tell him to.

We've had some crazy nice weather the last few days. Mid-60s on Saturday and 77 on Sunday! I almost never go to the barn on weekends because it's some of my only time to spend with my husband, but I just couldn't resist with such nice weather. So on Sunday, I went to the barn - and Jon came with me! I think he just figured the weather was so nice he might as well do something outside. And he does love Nav (and Nav loves him too) so he came along. Also a great chance to get some riding photos - I realized I don't think I have any pictures of myself riding at this barn, after being here for over a year! So now I do.  

Nav did well, though he was super distracted by Jon sitting at the end of the arena, and really wanted to go to him. I think he knows that Jon brings treats and pets, while I bring work, ha! But he was pretty good. We only did a short ride, and spent most of that working on leg yields, but Nav was trying. It was hard to get a good leg yield out of him, he was pretty resistant but also really just wanted to run forward. We ended after getting a few good sideways steps on his good direction. 

Today I went out again, because it was another nice day with low 70s. Our ride today was ok. We had some good moments near the beginning but then another rider came out and Nav was distracted by them, and then a horse was being lunged nearby. Lots of distractions were probably good for us, because we ride alone so frequently, but our work ethic suffered a bit. Still, had some nice trot work and leg yielding at the walk. Canter was heavy and tense today, he really wanted to focus on the others and try to go to them instead of stay on a nice circle. But it was just so nice to be out and riding again. Going two days in a row is a rarity for us so I'm glad that it worked out. If rain holds off I'll hopefully go tomorrow since my schedule is different, but Wednesday has a high of about 35 and chance of snow! Crazy weather! 

Here are a few pictures from Sunday.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well we were supposed to have lessons this morning but it is below or just at freezing and rainy! So unfortunately we miss another week of lessons.  Maybe next week! I know it's only a matter of time before spring gets here and then we should have much better luck with weather - aside from the heat. 

It's just crazy to me. We were in the 70s a couple days ago and now today there is a chance of sleet and snow flurries! I don't like going out in gross weather like this - and thankfully I don't need to go out today - so I'll probably use today to catch up on housework (omg the amount of laundry I should do today...) and work on some personal projects that I've let slide lately.


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## PoptartShop

That weather sounds amazing...it's bipolar here too though. It was in the 50's this week, now back to 30's! The distractions are definitely good for him. I love the pictures, you guys look great! Oh yes, these men are definitely good at spoiling our horses with treats. :rofl: Sorry you had to miss out on your lesson though, the darn weather is horrible! It's been raining here non-stop, so everything is a muddy mess, barely have been able to ride, maybe once a week if I'm lucky!  

That's how Promise is, she only paws when she thinks she's getting a treat, or if she wants attention. As long as he stops when you tell him no he should be fine. I know it can turn into an annoying habit!


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## NavigatorsMom

FINALLY had another lesson yesterday, the last one was over a month ago! 

I had a not so great ride on Monday, just felt out of sync with Nav and we fought each other a lot. Didn't help that we hadn't ridden in almost a week leading up to that. The lesson was just what we needed. It was really good to have eyes on us again and help us through frustrations and mistakes. I need to be much more consistent with my riding throughout each week if I really want us to start improving, but even by the end of the lesson I felt like we were in a much better place than our Monday ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

*A Year of Lessons*

Well, today marks one year of Nav and I taking regular dressage lessons! We actually don't have a lesson scheduled this week, but I thought it would be fun to reflect on the year. 

I feel like Nav and I really made some good progress this year. Even though we only did lessons twice a month (and with a month off here or there due to life things) and so only had about 20 lessons total, we are in such a better place than we were last February. We're stronger and finally have a nice canter on both leads. Nav is getting better at focusing on me and getting less distracted while we work or at least coming back to me more quickly when he does get distracted (I don't think he'll ever stop that entirely after 15 years - he's just very curious!). 

We're working on more challenging exercises and I'm holding myself and Nav more accountable than I did before we were getting regular instruction. I feel like we are better with communication and are a better team. Hopefully we will just get stronger and stronger in the coming year! Maybe a little schooling show is in our future?


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## PoptartShop

Rides like that are tough. :sad: I am glad you got to have a lesson & felt better afterwards! I agree that you have made a LOT of progress with him. You should be proud! You guys are definitely a great team & in this journey together.

And I don't see why you couldn't do a nice fun schooling show! Very excited to see where this year takes you guys! :loveshower:


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you for such kind words, @PoptartShop! 

I have had a few more rides since my last update. One was not so good and one was just ok. We've had a lot of wind lately and that always tends to make them a little fresh. Our last ride (Thursday) actually was going pretty well. We had a good long warm up and Nav was finally settling in to focus and work with me, and then another horse and rider came into the arena and he totally wanted to focus on them instead! 

I know that this is partly my fault for not riding when others are around, but I love my quiet barn time and also my schedule allows me to be there at unusual hours so I do tend to miss out on riding with others. Anyway, I finally got him to somewhat refocus and we had some ok canter work and then some decent leg yields at the walk, but then we stopped because I didn't want to deal with shenanigans. 

It's a beautiful day today but I have work.  Hopefully I'll make it out there for at least a short visit tomorrow though! I've been trying to talk myself in to going on Sundays every now and then, it's just hard because that is the only day that my husband and I are off together and can have the whole day together. And since he's my favorite person it's hard to make myself leave on the one day we have each week. 

A few pictures...

A very windy selfie - my hair was not pulled up in a ponytail or anything the wind just blew it all back so much that it looks like it!









And Nav had a little hitchhiker when I went to get him from his field on Thursday! The little bird sat on him while he walked all the way in from the back of his field.


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## PoptartShop

Oh yeah, the wind will definitely do that. I always ride alone too, so I totally get it. You guys always take the cutest selfies, & omg how cute, he must've given the bird a little ride! :lol: 

At least you always end on a positive note, I don't see anything wrong with that at all. It is always so nice out when we have work, right?! It's not fair! :lol:


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## NavigatorsMom

Lesson tomorrow so I went out this afternoon to ride. I usually don't go on Tuesdays because of work and other commitments, but I had some extra time today so I headed out straight after work. 

Afternoons are not my favorite time to ride, because I always end up just getting into the working part of our ride right as the other horses are being brought in and given dinner. So Nav gets super distracted and tense and doesn't want to focus. Usually during that point I just walk him so he doesn't tense up and run instead of trot, but today I decided I was there to work so we were going to work! So we did a lot of trot, transitions within trot, and 10 meter circles. He actually stayed pretty well focused, but definitely felt like a tight spring ready to pop! When he got really noodly I asked him to do a haunches in along the long side. 

Anyway, for the most part it was a good ride. I also had a moment when I started to realize I have been improving as a rider over the last year because I was very aware of Nav changing his tempo at the trot at different points on the circle. I could easily feel when he started to speed up and run rather than carry himself, and I realized this is something that I could kind of feel but wasn't really sure of what to do anything about before. 

Of course, then while I was untacking him he got very impatient and pawed quite a lot. Luckily he knows he's not supposed to do that when I'm nearby, but anytime I stepped aside to put tack away he started it up again. He knew all the others had dinner and he was ready! But hopefully we can work on fixing the pawing.


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## PoptartShop

Oh yes, whenever food is near (even if it's NOT for them) they definitely tense up & think, wait, why am I not being fed yet???? :lol: I am glad you still rode despite the distractions.

The way you handled that was perfect. Definitely have to keep their brains busy when they are getting distracted. You can be tense/like a spring, but we will WORK! Lots of changes of directions, transitions, etc. can help. 

Yeah, Promise only paws now when she is impatient when she knows it's food time. It's definitely something to work on, you'd really think they were being starved right! :lol:


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, the lesson got canceled due to rain again! It wasn't heavy but it rained pretty steadily all day. I did go on Thursday but the arena was so soupy and instead we rode in the nearby paddock. It went alright, but not great. Nav was just a little wiggly overall and I would have preferred the structure of the arena. 

I went out today too and it went much better. I didn't have as much time as usual but made the most of it with a good 30 minute ride with lots of focus on lateral work and trot. Nav really worked hard and settled into an amazing trot by the end! We also had some pretty nice leg yields. Overall a much better ride than last Thursday, and hopefully I'll get another ride in tomorrow before our lesson this Wednesday.


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## NavigatorsMom

My lesson is tomorrow morning and it's supposed to be pretty warm - the high for the day is 80! But my anxiety is acting up. For whatever reason (in reality I don't think there is _any_ reason) I am very self conscious and concerned that my instructor will shame me for not having clipped Nav at all. We're starting to have warm weather, and Nav is just starting to shed pretty heavily, but he's still got a thick coat. So he ends up getting pretty sweaty under his front legs and along his neck, especially if we work hard which I know we will during a lesson. 

He's never been clipped before, so that's not something I'm going to rush out and try to do tonight to ease my anxiety - I don't know at this point if I'll even make it to the barn at all today - and my instructor has never said anything to me in a harsh or judgemental way, so there really is no point to worry. But unfortunately here I am. 

Today has felt so weird to me. I don't even know what the full purpose of this post was, other than to just get my thoughts off my chest.


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## PoptartShop

I hope you have a good lesson!  Try not to stress, Promise isn't clipped either & yesterday it was 70F, she was sweating & we only did some groundwork for like 20mins! Totally okay! She is shedding like crazy too. It's definitely a weird time of year, the weather can't make up its mind.

I think if you just take it easy, it'll be fine! I know anxiety can drive us crazy (I hate it). He will be okay! If you're really concerned, just tell your instructor if he starts sweating a lot that you'll just need to do a longer cool down. No need for her to say anything about it! Not everyone clips!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop you're right, anxiety is awful, especially because most of the time it's worry and stress over something that absolutely doesn't matter! It's like my own mind is against me, ugh.

I actually asked J during the lesson today if she thought I should clip and she said that this late in the season it's usually better to just let them shed out since their coats are kind of fragile with the old coming out but the new still being really new and not quite in yet. So I am not going to worry about it and just try to help him along with his shedding as much as I can. And I don't think I'll worry about clipping him in the future either. We are just now getting to weather where he will be comfortable day and night, but if I had clipped him earlier I would have had to deal with blanketing which just isn't feasible for me to do with how far away he is. And we no longer have a stable manager/hand so there's a lot more pressure on the owners and I wouldn't ask them to blanket and unblanket him. So basically, he is fine unclipped. 

Our lesson went really well! I need to do a better job of jotting down notes immediately after our lessons so that I don't forget some things. We worked a lot on consistency of staying concave on a circle and not getting distracted. There were definitely plenty of distractions today, a lot going on that Nav wanted to see, but he's getting better and coming back to me. He really wanted to fight me on our trot circle, first pulling on the outside rein, then trying to drift out sideways with his shoulder, but J reminded me to just keep my posture, stay steady and ask him to bend using my inside aids and he finally got it. Another thing that helped when he wanted to run and get heavy was to try something a little harder. We did some leg yields from the quarter line to the closest long side, and that was definitely challenging. Nav wanted to run and I had to really remember to sit up and back and not let him pull me down. Our first try was full of bulging, head throwing, and alternating between rushing and trying to break to walk. Our second try was more rhythmic, and didn't have any of the evasions, and after when we went back to our trot circle Nav was calm, rhythmic, lifting his shoulders, and bending so nicely. J's explanation was that by having him work a little harder on something more challenging, when we go back to something easier he is much more likely to be good and work nicely. Which, then I can work on the easy thing for just a short amount of time before rewarding him and giving him a break. We didn't spend a lot of time on canter today but J commented that it is looking so much more balanced and he's definitely getting stronger at it. 

He's really becoming a nice horse. Not that he wasn't nice before but I just mean, he's so much more adjustable within gaits, he's much more consistent with being able to carry his own head and neck, he's SUPER responsive off of my seat. I'm just really happy with him lately. 

Only one picture today. Like I said, it was the hottest day we've had this year so far so he got extremely sweaty, even foamed up a bit on his face and back of the saddle pad. So afterward he got a nice hose off, and of course lots of treats!


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## PoptartShop

Exactly about the anxiety. It's horrible. Or we just make up scenarios in our heads!

I agree, no need to clip him. He will continue to shed & then get his nice spring/summer coat! It sounds like you had a very good, productive lesson. It's great you are able to work through things with him & get him back on track. Such a good boy Nav!  It's awesome feeling them get stronger & more balanced. I try to video my lessons, I don't always, but it helps because half the time I forget what was said! :lol: I'm sure the cold hose felt good!! He's so cute.


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## NavigatorsMom

Just a little update.

Crazy how much things have changed in the world since my last post just barely 2 weeks ago. My job is currently closed to the public but we are being required to come in and work on things during regular hours. My husband is working from home so I feel a lot of anxiety knowing that if he gets the virus it will be because I have brought it home after coming in contact with it at work. 

Going to the barn and seeing Nav has helped. Last week I didn't ride at all due to just bad rainy weather - we've had a lot lately and more to come since it's kind of the spring rainy season here. But it was still good to go out and spend time with him. He's really shedding so we spent some time helping with that, and I also worked on his hooves one day since they needed a touch up, and since it has been so wet his hooves were soft and easy to work on. Rode yesterday and that was just what I needed. I almost didn't because the ring was still pretty wet but Nav was super. Just really focused and giving me his attention, trying very hard. He's so good. Was going to go out today but now I'm thinking I might just wait until tomorrow after work. I don't feel like I have enough time right now before I have to start getting ready for an afternoon shift today. 

I am so thankful that my barn is small and that I usually don't see anyone while I'm there. I know if I were at a larger boarding place with people constantly coming and going that I would not feel comfortable going and risking interaction with people. Still, just as a precaution and because of the social distancing that we are supposed to be doing (my county has not issued a shelter in place yet) I decided to cancel my lesson this week. I'm sure Nav doesn't mind, and there are bigger things to worry about than improving our dressage when things are the way they are. I will still go out and ride as long as I can, but I'll do it when I have less chance of seeing others. 

Hope everyone else is staying safe and healthy.


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## PoptartShop

Ugh, that sucks you still have to physically go in & can't work from home. :sad: I hope you stay safe & well. Things are definitely getting crazier by the day around here. 

I am glad you got out to ride & see Nav.  Absolutely, that's how I feel too, I am very fortunate that I board at a private, small barn, because a lot of the bigger barns have shut down & people aren't allowed to even come see their horses! I'd go insane! :lol:

I would have cancelled my lesson too, good call. Just to be safe. Hang in there!!


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## NavigatorsMom

Just popping in to do a small update. April 1st was Navigator's birthday! He's 15 this year and I cannot believe it. This year also marks 10 years of us being a team. While I did have some rides here and there on him in 2009, I really started working with him in 2010 when my old lease mare retired. At that point Nav became my regular partner. He needed miles put on him and I needed a horse, so it worked out. I feel very fortunate that for the most part I have been able to be Nav's rider through all of his growth and development from spare parts pony into a nice horse. I know his background because I was there!

I know I've posted a lot of these before but I can't help myself from looking back at him from all the years we've been together.






















































I didn't go out on his actual birthday (which is really just an estimation anyway) but I went out on Monday. I hadn't been in almost two weeks, since I know that the barn - while excellent for my mental health - isn't truly essential, and I just can't bring myself to go when I know I really shouldn't be. But board was due and I needed to see Nav. So I went out and spent a quiet hour with him, no one else was around. We groomed a lot - he's shedding so much! And then I gave him some birthday candy canes and let him graze in the paddock for a bit while I just watched him. It was so peaceful and much needed. 










I made sure to give him lots of hugs and kisses and get plenty of that good horse smell before I left him, because I really don't know when I'll be out again with the world the way it is right now.


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## PoptartShop

Happy belated birthday, Nav!  You two are just the cutest pair!

I’m sure he enjoyed a nice grooming session. I know it’s so nice and peaceful just being there! Love the pictures!


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## NavigatorsMom

I'm back with a small update!

After nearly a month of staying home, I broke and went to the barn today. Even though it was truly just what I needed, I do feel a little guilty about going out to do something that is technically non-essential. But my barn is so small, only one other boarder, I usually don't see anyone while I'm there. And I'm not currently riding, just spending time with Nav. I don't know how often I will be going out, but I will try to go somewhat more regularly. My initial plan was to wait until non-essential businesses open back up around here, like the malls or movie theaters, and then start going again. But today I just felt like I couldn't wait. 

It really was exactly what I've needed to soothe some of my high stress and anxiety. Nav was super bleached out, but mostly in his winter coat - he's still holding on to some of it even though we're almost to May and it's in the 80s here! So I spent a looong time grooming and shedding him out. Also lots of treats between different brushes. His hooves looked good. And his nose is not burned, but I still applied a good amount of sunscreen before letting him go back. He didn't seem as bothered by it either which was good! 

After cleaning him up I let him graze in the paddock while I just watched him. Hearing him chomping grass was like music to my ears! I sat with him for probably a good half hour or so, before taking him back to his pasture and letting him go. 

Going forward I think my goal would be to go out at least once a week if I can. Of course I will still keep an eye on the news and what sorts of protocols my county is putting into place. As of right now, outdoor activity and exercise is allowed, and parks are open for walking and biking (but not playgrounds). I feel like my traveling to the barn to work with Nav is not different than a family traveling to a local park or bike trail to walk. 

Anyway, a few pictures from today:



















Nav investigating the trash can. I think he knew that empty feed bags were in there!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well after a month off, I finally rode again! I had taken a break due to social distancing and some new anxiety about driving. But since my barn is small and I typically don't see anyone, and I know I am very careful, I decided it was time. Additionally, I had given myself the time limit of "I'll start to ride again when non-essential businesses start to open" and well, non-essential businesses have started opening... which I don't know if we should so early but I don't really want to talk about that...

Anyway, I rode yesterday! Just a little get on, walk around and do some trot. It felt kind of ... bad. Not awful but just like, I could tell we are both a little out of shape and rusty. Not awful since it's only been a month but still. It was great to go for a ride though, and the weather was perfect. 

Today I went out with the intention for us to start getting back into shape. I don't think I ever mentioned but I was unfortunately furloughed from my job at the beginning of April. I should be able to go back in June, that's the soonest I'll hear anything at least, but that means I do have a lot of free time at the moment. So I thought maybe this would be a good time to really get Nav and myself in shape so we'll be ready to start up lessons again when I get my job back. Today we warmed up and started our ride in the paddock next to the arena. We did a lot of walk, a good march, over the slight slopes. Then a little trot, just trying to be relaxed and bending properly.

After about twenty minutes in there we went to the arena. I wanted the structure of the arena to work on some leg yielding and also to be able to catch a glimpse of how we looked in the mirror. We also did more trot on the sand, which was blowing into our faces since it was so windy. Our leg yields were ok. I could definitely tell we've had a break. Nav actually did better to the right, which was our bad direction - he stayed straight, didn't bulge or try to run. But to the left which was our good direction he really bulged and ran through the shoulder and also wanted to run. We ended on a nice relaxed leg yield to the right. 

Spent a good amount of time after hosing him off and treating him with lots of fly spray. We're also trying out a new fly mask this year, one with the long nose. He has been great about letting me apply sunscreen so far this year, but if the mask keeps his nose protected and we can go with a little less sunscreen then I think we'll both be happy.


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## NavigatorsMom

Small update.

I rode two more times last week, which made 4 in a week which I haven't done in such a long time! But it was really just what I needed. 

Today went out but was not in the right mindset. Just kind of blah, sad, weird mood, didn't really want to ride but I was hoping that seeing Nav and riding would help me feel better. When I got there his mask was missing. Apparently he had been losing it but BO had been putting it back on for me, but this time it was just gone, nowhere in the field. His poor eyes were super watery, flies were really going after him.  Anyway, got to grooming. Still feeling a little blah. BO shows up and tells me don't put his mask back on him for now. Apparently he has been rubbing on the electric/tape fence and pulls his mask off by that, pulling the fence down in the process. She didn't say if he had been caught in the act but his mask is left behind and black hair - he's the only one with black hair in that field. Of course I was extremely apologetic and offered to help pay repairs on the fence right away, but she said no, these things happen. This fence is only along one (or two, I can't remember) parts of the fence, there is a pipe fence that goes all the wat around (which, why doesn't he just rub on that??) and the tape part is just on the shared fences. After the exchange I felt so bad. Bad that Nav is messing things up and on the bad side again, and bad because I really don't want to leave Nav out without his mask. I last saw him on Thursday, not sure when he lost his mask but I assume he had been without it for a couple days because his eyes were so runny. Luckily I had some swat still left over from last summer, so I applied a ton of that on his face and ears, as well as drenched him in fly spray and covered his nose in sunscreen.

I ended up just giving him a few treats after that and letting him go back out. I was just not in the right mindset at all at that point, actually feeling worse than I did when I went out there which was the opposite of my goal.  I will go out again tomorrow - partly to apply more swat but I also will make myself ride tomorrow. It will be better.


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## knightrider

Are things better? Hope so.


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## NavigatorsMom

@knightrider things are better, I am on good terms with BO. With horses things like that just happen, and after talking with another boarder and BO's daughter they made me feel better.

Other news, things have not been very exciting. I've been riding pretty frequently, at least 3 to 4 times a week which is better than I had been before everything got crazy. But since I don't have a job I am not taking lessons. Need to save since we are also in the process of looking to buy our first house. Hopefully I'll hear about my job soon, I was furloughed at the beginning of April and they said 8 weeks.... should hear something in the next week or two about whether I'll go back or have to wait.

But anyway, since we haven't had lessons we've just been working on things from before, but I really need to go back here and read about some of the more recent lessons to get a refresher on what we were focusing on. I feel a little aimless during our rides lately. I know what to work on but I really do miss having someone there to help us along, even if that was only twice a month. Nav has been pretty good though, I've been trying to split our time between riding in the arena and riding in the pasture to give us some variety.

Went out today after not riding since last Friday (sooo much rain over the weekend) and Nav was good but a little pokey. It was hard to get him going and to maintain forward energy. Still, we had a few good spots here and there. I think I need to go out with a goal of what I will work on during our rides, and then stick to it. That might help. 

Can you believe I didn't take a single picture of Nav while I was there today? Crazy! Here are a few recent ones though.


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## NavigatorsMom

Small update. I rode this morning and it went pretty well! I put the bit down one hole and Nav really responded well for the most part. He seemed to carry his head and neck much better than he had been doing, and I don't know for sure if it's because the bit was down a hole or if he's just getting stronger and able to carry himself more, but it was nice. Just did a short ride and ended on a good note of trot.

Tomorrow I go back to work and Thursday we open back up to the public (tentatively). I'm very conflicted about it, I definitely miss my job but I'm also scared about being around people again. Summer is usually the library's busiest and liveliest time but this year all of our programming is either canceled or has been made digital. No in person storytimes for the foreseeable future, which I really miss doing. It will be interesting to be back though. 

I feel like with all of the protests and things going on related to that, my horse related updates are just so insignificant and inconsequential. I am embarrassed that I am posting about my ride as if things are normal. It's heartbreaking to see what is going on, what has been going on for so long that we are at a breaking point. And it's incredibly disheartening to think that in spite of the protests, and all the calls for change and action, society may not change. I am white, and I know I have white privilege, and I'm just trying to learn how I can use that to help and be an ally. I need to uninstall facebook from my phone because it absolutely infuriates me to see some of the tone deaf and hateful comments there, but I also feel like I need to be informed. And if I'm staying silent am I helping anyone? This is hard. Forgive my rambling here, but I don't know where else I would share such a stream of consciousness.


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## knightrider

Please, stream away. I agree with you 100%. I don't do Facebook, so I don't see that stuff, but I used to live in Texas and know how it goes there. I taught in a segregated ghetto in Grand Prairie, Texas and it was bad way back then. Very bad.

My friend in Washington DC writes to me that the demonstrations in Washington are very different from the ones we lived through in 1968 when the National Guard fired on student demonstrators at Kent State and killed 4 of them. Also maimed and disabled innocent bystanders, including a professor, who, as a result, is a paraplegic. My friend says currently there is a lot of support for the demonstrators in Washington.

In 1968, only young people were in support of the demonstrations. The country as a whole was very opposed and elected Nixon as president who ran on a platform of "law and order." It seemed almost hopeless to us students at the time with so few older people supporting us, but we did manage to end the war in Viet Nam. Now we know that the government was completely lying to us, back then. We were the young people whose friends were coming back from Viet Nam and we were fairly certain we were being lied to.

Also, do continue to chronicle your adventures with Nav. People like me look forward to reading them.


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## NavigatorsMom

Alright, back for a quick update. Things have gotten super busy in the last few weeks - we're deep into house hunting at the moment, going to see houses with our realtor almost every day after work. Work itself is super draining because it is nothing like it used to be, so I feel like I'm relearning everything and dealing with the extra stress of stressed and upset guests, and guests not wearing a mask or respecting social distancing. So unfortunately just about everything else has fallen to the side, including barn time.  

I did ride last Friday and it went well. I think having the bit down one hole has been nice for Nav, he's been going really well for me and I think he likes it, but the cheekpiece does gap a little now so I'm not really sure... I also went over the weekend to film a couple clips of Nav to use for some of our virtual story times. And Nav got to meet my story time puppet (Dolly the horse), which was cute. 










We're finally taking a couple days off from seeing houses tonight so I'm definitely going to go ride. I have to wait until the sun starts going down, since it's so hot here and because I haven't been able to ride as frequently as I'd like neither Nav nor I are really conditioned to be working hard in the heat.


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## tinyliny

I haven't been keeping up on your journal, but I care about you and wish for you the best. I hope you will cut yourself all the needed slack, during these freaking weird times. Your horse has no idea how wierd things are. Let's keep it a secret from him!


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @tinyliny and you are right - Nav has NO idea what is going on in the people world. And I am so thankful that the nature of being around horses requires me to empty my brain of just about everything other than what is going on in the moment during my ride and time at the barn. It gives me a mental break from all of the negativity and stress - personal and otherwise.

I didn't get to go on Friday night - storm came through - but I did ride Saturday night. Even with a week off Nav was wonderful. It helped that it was a little cooler, mid 80s. After warm up we spent the majority of the ride on leg yields. He's getting better at it, though we really need to keep up the practice. He was a little nervous about the neighbor cows making a ruckus, so it was not our best work, he really wanted to focus on them. But I was able to redirect for the most part. 

Tomorrow we are getting back to the house hunting. We have narrowed down to a few neighborhoods, and I think we're getting close to finding a place (assuming any offer we make is accepted, of course) so hopefully things will settle down soon... though I know it will probably be at least a month before we move and things start settling much.


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## PoptartShop

I'm sorry work has been rough & things are stressful right now. I hope they get better for you. :sad: This is a 'new normal' & it's very hard to get used to. Things just aren't the same anymore! But I'm glad you have Nav & gosh, the horses really are fortunate they don't know what's going on! :lol:

He is so handsome! Good luck with the house hunting! Fingers crossed you find something because I know you want things to slow down!


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## NavigatorsMom

@PoptartShop I am so thankful I have Nav, he really gets me through it on some of the stressful days.

I went out last night and decided it would be the ride where we took on riding on the roads again. I expected Nav to be looky and nervous, but we were just going to go down the road a little and come back quickly. No stopping to sniff or look at mailboxes or anything like that. 

He was definitely tense as we started out but the road is super quiet so we stayed on it and just took our time. He was nervous about just about everything - mailboxes, bushes, horses out in a pasture... but while he was tense and looky he didn't balk or spook at anything. Until we got down near a pasture with four horses. As we came up on it a car was coming toward us, so I stepped him onto the shoulder of the road. At this point, he was very nervous about the horses, head super high, trying to turn around, very "dancey". They started trotting up to the fence and he had a huge freak out. He spooked and jumped right into the road, basically in front of the car. Thankfully the car had seen us having issues and had slowed way down and let me get him back onto the shoulder. But it was so scary. Just scary knowing that had a car not seen us we almost certainly would have gotten hit.  

After they passed I turned him around and we started back down the road. He was doing a high head, tight spring, tiny strided trot. I couldn't get him to come back to a walk until we had left the horses about 200 feet behind, and even then it was a fast and nervous walk. He finally relaxed back to a lowered head by the time we got back to the barn. 

It was such a frustrating and disheartening experience. Nav used to be so great out on trails and roads. I know that part of the problem is that we haven't gone in such a long time, but I don't know how to get him to a point where he's safer without going back out more frequently. I think we might start just going very, very short rides, just down the driveway and maybe past the next house and then coming back. I'm not sure how to really get him over his fear of other horses though. It doesn't happen while we ride in the arena, he can see lots of horses from there (one field shares a fenceline with the arena) though he is probably used to their scent . I just don't know. His reaction is what I would have expected from him seeing a cow. If there hadn't been any cars I might have tried to have him stand near the fence of those other horses, but not sniff, until he could relax. I feel like he would realized they are just horses eventually, but I also don't want him to explode under me. I don't know. We won't be going back down that far anytime soon, so I guess I have time to plan.

After our ride but still definitely nervous.


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## tinyliny

Is he pastured out with other horses? or groups of pastured horses near his paddock?


Almost any horse gets spooky when a group of unknown horses comes running up to the fence.
Stay safe!


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## PoptartShop

Ugh, I'm so sorry it didn't go as planned. 

So, I can tell you what I do with my horse in these situations. 

There's a long road we have to go down (with cars, not many but still a few here & there, small road) to get to our trails.

I tried riding it at first, but she was just too antsy & not used to it. It was all new to her. I ended up hand-walking her for about 5-6x (we'd go once or twice a week) & it actually helped a TON.

After 5-6x of hand walking her, I decided to ride her through it again & it went much better. I think hand walking can really help. Because you're walking next to them and it can give them confidence. And also, humming or singing a song can help (as silly as it sounds, it works and can help them relax).  
Try not to get discouraged, it's not easy venturing out solo especially if the horse hasn't been out in awhile. Totally okay, next time will go better!  You got this! You'll be back out there in no time!


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## carshon

agree with @PoptartShop if you follow @egrogan 's journal you will also see that she dismounts and does a lot of in hand walking with her horse to help her and the horse get over the initial tense moments.

You need to do what makes you and Nav feel safe. Stop beating yourself up. Stop feeling like you have taken a step back. Nav lives in the moment and in that day - so this is new to him. Try to look at it that way and make it fun and a game. That way you can have fun with it too!

I sing and hum when my very sensitive horse gets nervous. And anything new and out of place makes her nervous! We rotate parks we ride at so she sees a lot of boogey men - I have had to learn to just go with it and help her to be curious. We do a lot of approach and retreat - especially when riding by ourselves. Passing horses on the trail sends her into a tizzy so we do a lot of talking and weaving on the trail as riders approach us. It helps keep her mind on me and not on the scary object


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny he is pastured with three others, and shares a fence line with others at our barn on one side, and neighbor horses and sheep on the other. We also have neighbor cows now, two or so pastures over, so he's getting used to working in the arena while there are also cows within earshot/smelling distance. You are right, they approached us quickly and I completely understand why he spooked at them. I realized too, back when we used to do trails all the time at our old place, we never came across pastures with strange horses, so it is definitely something new. 
@PoptartShop thank you, I appreciate your insight. I will try handwalking him in the future and see how that goes. Maybe walk down and back without any riding at all for the start. Or maybe just talk an unmounted walk down there after our rides to cool out. I think had he not been so scared I might have dismounted and walked him back, but I was honestly a little scared of somehow losing hold of him while dismounting and having him run. But thinking back, he is usually more confident when I'm on the ground vs mounted - I used to always dismount to walk him past the scary cow field back home and it seemed to help a lot.
@carshon I'll have to take a look at ergogan's journal. You are so right, it doesn't matter if we used to do XYZ in the past because Nav doesn't remember XYZ especially when it was a couple years ago. I try to stay calm and positive while working with him, our initial trip down the road was a little looky but since I wasn't focusing on any of the scary things Nav would just give them a hard look and maybe raise his head a bit but then carry on. I actually talk to him quite a bit while we ride, I'm very conversational with him, but singing would be good too. I used to do it when I rode a very nervy mare as a teen and it really helped her settle down as well as keep me breathing regularly. 

Thank you all for the encouragement. I am hoping to go tonight and just do an easy ride in the arena or empty paddock.


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## NavigatorsMom

Another update! I've had some good times with Nav lately, though we haven't done any riding.

Well, we did to just a bit. The day after my last post I went out and we warmed up at walk but once we started trotting he felt a hair off, it was hard to feel but something seemed off. So I got off, lunged him around to see if I could see anything and I could barely see something in his hind leg. I honestly think it was just stiffness. I spent a lot of time on the ground with him after and used a cooling liniment on his legs which he seemed to like. And I shared a popsicle with him. He is so funny, I usually let him graze in the paddock after our ride while I'm sweeping the barn aisle and putting away my stuff, but when he hears me open the fridge to grab a popsicle he comes over to see what's going on because he knows I will usually share a bite with him. :rofl:

Anyway, I didn't make it out again until Wednesday night. I went out mainly to drop off board and lunge Nav to check for any lameness. Well, I got to the barn and realized I had left my checkbook at home! So oh well, just had to make another trip the next day. But he lunged sound, so that was good! Last night when I went I dropped off the check and decided to just do some lunging and ground work again. Nothing too hard, we keep our lunging sessions short. But I also put out two ground poles to trot him over. He really did so well for me! Very focused, great listening. I am working on teaching him to stop and change direction when the lunge whip goes infront of him. He's starting to pick it up, but we'll definitely need to keep working on it so it sticks. Another thing that I am so happy with him about - we have two speeds of trot while lunging, a medium trot and then a little bit of a slower and more collected trot, but the best thing is we can change between those with just a verbal cue! "Easy" is our verbal half halt and he responds to it so well. 

Tentative plans to go out this evening. I have been so busy lately I have not kept up with his hooves, so I am paying for the farrier to do it this time. Not ideal, as this farrier doesn't seem to do much (and doesn't touch the sole, even though his sole definitely needs exfoliating), but he should at least clean things up a bit. Of course, I took pictures last night so I can compare to how the new trim looks.


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## NavigatorsMom

Short ride last night. It has been exhaustingly hot lately, so evening rides only and we're keeping them pretty short. Nav is fat and has been put on a diet, down to just a handful of grain at dinner so he doesn't feel left out, and he is in with the other easy keepers in the weight watchers pasture. 

We mostly did trot work last night. Just wanted to get him bending and loose, and I know that trot is the best gait for developing fitness. Nav did well. I've been riding with his bit down a hole and without the flash lately and he seems happy. Not that he displayed any unhappy behavior with the flash and bit up a hole but I think this is nicer for him. Again like one of our recent rides he felt a touch off but after we had been riding for a while. Just at trot to the right. Couldn't see anything off but just barely felt something, so I will be keeping an eye on it.


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## tinyliny

I often cringe inside when I see dressage horses with the bit pulled up high, and held back with a flash band. Of course, they are probably fine, but I get to feeling a bit 'gagged' myself as I just can't help physically empathazing with that thing, stuffed as far back into my mouth as possible. I think I'd panic.


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## NavigatorsMom

Yes @tinyliny, I feel similarly. I don't think I have ever had his bit painfully high - I was used to having it almost too low, cheekpieces gapping at the slightest rein cue and not a single wrinkle, so putting it up at all was odd. Our new bridle fits better, so it was higher to begin with, but I put it down a hole just to see how he would do. Since he seems to do nicely with it we will keep it there until we start lessons again and see what J thinks. And I never have the noseband or flash tight, he is easily able to chew/eat with them both adjusted to our normal. 

It's been disgustingly hot lately with humidity and heat advisories. I ended up not riding this weekend because even waiting until near dark to ride it is still nearly 100 degrees. We should get a little bit of a break in the heat starting tomorrow (highs of only 98 or so instead of 100+ for the next few days, ha...) so I do plan on going to at least do a little lunging with him. Or at the very least just check on him because he's great for my mental health.


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## tinyliny

I truly don't know you guys even do ANYTHING in that kind of heat and humidity. I am a huge WIMP when it comes to heat. I simply cannot do a thing if there is humidity. I sweat to an obscene amount, and my heart races and I feel nauseous and hate heat. I really don't even like going to Hawaii if I can't get either a nice breeze, or frequent ocean swimming.


I am very spoiled, I know. We rarely have temps over 95, and humidity is very moderate , or mild in the summer. Winter? well, it's cold and often damp, so we get our 'hell' then.


today it was sunny, with light clouds, a constant breeze and about 74 degrees. It's now so cool that all the windows are shut. But, we do not have AC, so when it gets hot, we have no 'escape'.


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## PoptartShop

It's been so humid/hot here too! It's horrible. :sad: I've sadly gotten used to being drenched in sweat, so I can't really say it bothers me too much anymore, LOL. Like every day it's just been so hot and sticky! 

But just being there with him & hanging out is definitely good for the both of you! Sometimes little changes like putting the bit down a hole can really make a difference. It sounds like he's really happy!

The ground poles are really good for them too. I use them with Promise a lot. As for him feeling a little off, it could be something minor, maybe in the pasture he did something etc. He is so handsome, I love the pictures! Such a good boy!


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## NavigatorsMom

@tinyliny I really think I've just gotten used to it at this point. If I go out and it's low 90s I think to myself oh it's a nice day! Lately it has been high 90s/low 100s though which is just a little too hot, especially with any humidity. If I could get to the barn in the mornings that would be one thing, because it usually doesn't get too hot until around 12, but since not all staff are back at work my schedule has not been normal and I work almost every morning. And then this week my morning off was taken up with a home related meeting. I should not have a pity party about it, I'm perfectly capable of going to the barn in the evenings, it just takes up a big chunk of my night and isn't as comfortable as mornings. A 74 degree day sounds amazing, we are lucky to get those temperatures in fall.
@PoptartShop Thank you! He has been very good lately, in spite of my irregular riding schedule. I always see your posts about going out to ride or see Promise no matter the weather and am so inspired to get my butt in gear and go to the barn! It seems like you really get out there a lot!

I did manage to get to the barn last night. Monday fell through and then Tuesday was my anniversary, so after the overly hot weekend this was my first chance. I ended up just lunging him with trot poles and he did pretty well. I weight taped him and he's hovering between 1090 and 1100 lbs. He doesn't _look_ overly fat, but I don't want him gaining anymore so he is on a diet. Definitely would help if I rode or exercised him more regularly though. 

He is also totally brown at this point.


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## NavigatorsMom

I have had some good and fairly consistent rides lately. I've been out three times within the last week which is better than I had been doing. I feel like ever since I took the month off in May I have not gotten back to a regular schedule. Was planning to go today but we've got spotty rain and thunderstorms in the area, so I'm not sure. Will have to see how things look in a couple hours. 

Nav has been working very well for me though. My last two rides I've used my Equilab tracking app to keep track of how long we ride and how long we work at each gait. I think knowing that I'm tracking our rides has influenced me to ride more with a purpose and plan. We've started up using trot sets during our rides again, and have been spending more time riding in the small pasture, which still has a good amount of variation in terrain. Last ride we focused a lot on walk-trot-walk transitions to get lighter in our transitions, as well as some work on laterals. Since my month long break in May I haven't really done much canter work.



















My current goal is to go out every other day and ride or lunge him, if I can't go tonight it will break that pattern since I did go Monday. As usual, it is hard to choose between spending the evening at the barn or spending the evening with my husband. If I go to ride, I have to wait late enough for safe temperatures which puts me at leaving just as he gets off work and then getting home about the time he starts getting ready for bed. But on evenings when I stay in with him, while I do have a good time I still can't help thinking that I'm missing out on riding time. I'm sure I'm not the only horsewoman who has had this dilemma.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, last night's ride was not our best. I think a big factor was that I got out there later than normal and felt a little rushed to do everything I wanted before it got dark. But we had a few moments where Nav was really fighting me too that were frustrating to work through. After our warm up, first bit of trot work and then a walk break, when I picked up the contact again Nav would not accept it. It was nose out and head up and not wanting to bend. I got us on a smaller circle, kept my hands quiet, and used my leg to help push his barrel out so he would bend and relax a bit but he just really did not want to, it took a long time to get to a point where I could then ask him to trot again (I'm working on not asking him to go into trot from a hollow and/or pokey walk). We did have some nice moments of trot, but he was pretty pokey and not as forward as usual.

We cantered for the first time in weeks yesterday and that was actually better than expected, really nice transitions into it. Nav really wanted to hollow though when we came back to trot though. He did not feel obviously off at all while riding, but he was pretty tense and didn't want to round much so I'm suspicious that something might be bothering him. Or it could have just been an off ride for us. I'll see how our next ride goes. 

Coming to see me when I got to his field









Ready for a ride! He is such a cutie









And one ears picture featuring the fluffy clouds!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, apparently Nav pulled down the fence again and ended up in the mare pasture. Although, it happened overnight, so no one knows for sure what happened, but since he was in the wrong pasture in the morning it's assumed it was his doing... The damage has been repaired and I did offer to pay but was turned down so while it is embarrassing, I feel like I've done what I can do. I can't control what he does in the pasture, and if the fence is that easy to bring down, well, I don't think it's as much his/my fault. 

Anyway, that evening I went out earlier than normal, about 5:30 or so, because my husband agreed to come with and be my photographer.  But unfortunately going earlier meant it was much hotter... so we did not have a great time. It was just so hot! I was so surprised at how much a difference waiting until 7 to ride makes. Not only is it more bearable by then, but most of the arena is covered in shade. So Nav and I had a hard time doing much of a ride. I was starting to feel heat exhausted after just a few minutes of trot after our warm up, and Nav seemed like he was pretty tired too. So we stopped shortly after just about 20 minutes of riding. I do have a short video so I'll share that now, though it's definitely not our best riding!


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## NavigatorsMom

Of course, after that last not so good ride we had a few days of rain so I lost riding time. But I was able to go out again on Wednesday and had a really nice evening ride.  We rode in the small pasture so we could work on the sloping ground and just have a mental break from the arena. Even though this pasture is right next to the arena, and nearly the same size, being in there working on the hills and hearing the sound of hooves on grass just makes things seem less stressful - not that riding in the arena is stressful... but riding in the less "rigid" environment is just so nice and it feels like we usually have a good ride when we work in there. 

We mostly did trot sets over the varied terrain to work on strength. Nav did pretty well, though he was a little looky about a corner that had some cut down tree branches on the other side. But overall he focused in and really worked. We did some leg yielding on a circle, which we haven't done as much lately, and he seems to still remember how to do it pretty well, the smartypants.  

There was also a stunning sunset that evening. We got some more rain yesterday and overnight, so we'll see how wet things look when I get out to the barn this evening but I plan on doing at least a walk only ride if the ground is sloppy. I'm trying very hard to stick to my every other day schedule and so far it's going pretty well. 










Nav Selfie


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## NavigatorsMom

Things have been good lately. Nothing extremely newsy, still getting my 3 rides a week in (mostly) and we're getting stronger I think. Last time we worked a little more on canter which I have let slide lately. Nav is still not super strong at the canter, so we just go for a bit and then back to trot. I did try for us to do about one minute of cantering, just for endurance, and though Nav was kind of puffing while we cantered when we came back to trot he didn't seem particularly winded. Of course gave him plenty of walk break after that before trying again the opposite direction. 

Planning to go this evening. We've had nice weather the last few days (well, rain yesterday but aside from that) it's in the mid-90s today and should be just around 90 when I'm planning to ride. 

And one recent picture of Nav and I


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## NavigatorsMom

Sad to confess I've only had one ride since my last post. Life feels weird lately. 

I try to have goals when we ride but I've been lacking motivation. Would love to start lessons again but that's just one more person I would come in contact with, which I'm still trying to avoid as much as possible, and it's an extra cost which we really don't need to have while we're buying a house. The heat is oppressive this week, all in the upper 90s. My last ride I hopped on bareback just because I felt too hot to tack up.

Interestingly, the bareback ride was better than expected. Some background, I have a very sore hip. I don't know exactly when it happened, but back in April or so I realized my inner right hip/groin was very tight feeling, sort of like it needed to be stretched. So I started doing some hip stretches as part of my light home work outs. Well, somewhere along the line I must have pulled something because now all lateral movement of that hip gives me a sharp pain. I can lift my knee fine, but crossing my leg over, as if to put on socks, can hurt if I'm not slow and careful. I've been trying to read up on this kind of pain and what sorts of physical therapy I can do to alleviate it but have not had much luck. The butterfly stretch comes up a lot and that one really hurts to do. 

Well. Bareback riding gives just the right amount of stretch, I've found. I hopped on and at first realized "ok, ow, this might hurt". Because sitting on a wide horse bareback vs. with a saddle does stretch more. But as we rode the movement of Nav's muscles and how my hip had to open really stretched everything out and did provide some amount of physical therapy. I noticed it while riding and after, but really realized how good it had been for me when I put on clean socks later that evening and the action of crossing my leg over didn't hurt me as much. So I think at least until this hip situation gets better I'll be incorporating more bareback rides.

But, that was last week, Thursday or Friday, and I haven't ridden since. I did go out yesterday evening. Nav needed a trim and I thought I would do it, since I am still not a huge fan of the farrier's work. His hooves were so hard and dry though, and my tools are in sad shape, so we only did a minimal trim on his fronts. Still, it helped with the toe cracks and flaring. I was dripping in sweat and my back was aching by the end of it though. So though I had planned to do a little bareback ride I ended up just giving Nav some treats, putting sunscreen on his nose and turning him back out after some nice time together.

I don't know if it's just because I'm getting older but I am learning to appreciate more time just spent with my horse, riding or not. I think this also has to do with my lack of direction in riding at the moment, but somewhere along the line I got into my head that I have to ride a certain number of times a week or I'm not a good horsewoman. This is not true, of course. But it's hard for me to remember it. I think social media plays into this too, because it's so easy to see people posting about great rides and excelling with their horses and begin to feel like you're not doing enough. Anyway.

This was a bit of a thought dump, but it feels good to get it all out of my head.


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## knightrider

> This was a bit of a thought dump, but it feels good to get it all out of my head.


It feels good to read it, too. Thanks for sharing. We support you 100%, whatever is best for you.


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## PoptartShop

I feel the same way. Sometime it's nice to just enjoy their company, you don't always have to ride to have fun with them. I find some of the best times are when I'm just hanging with my horse or doing stuff on the ground with her. 

Bareback is also really good - way easier especially in the heat! It helps you to 'feel' them better too & really helps with balance. I'm glad it helped you & it's definitely fun!

I think we've been taught that if we're not riding our horse, we're failing or just not doing our best. Which is just not true. It's nice to take a little break from the saddle sometimes to just enjoy them, on the ground. 

Nav is so cute! Love the pictures.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you both for the support! 

I had a pretty bad ride last Wednesday. Well, actually, most of the ride was pretty good but it ended on a bad note. Isn't it funny that out of a 35 minute ride I had probably 5 bad minutes and that was enough for me to label the whole ride as bad? Just an interesting thought. 

We had some really nice trot work, but canter at the end was not great. I think he was getting tired and it was still pretty hot. Canter was going alright but he broke to trot. We had not been cantering long, so I just thought ok, I'll ask him to go again, get a couple strides and ask him to come back to trot. Just so we end on him listening. Well, when I asked again Nav was not having it, he tried to run into the canter, so when I brought him back and asked for canter out of a nice trot he bucked into a very unbalanced canter. So of course then I wanted to at least get one nice canter before we ended and that took some time. It was just a frustrating end to the ride.

And then after that we had an awful heat wave - highs into the 100's through Sunday. Like, it was still in the low 100's at nearly 7 which is when I try to ride when it's hot. So no riding. It's just not worth it when it's that hot. We got a break in the heat Sunday night when a storm rolled through, so Monday was humid but lower 90s so nicer.

I was finally able to go out again last night and the plan was to get a nice warm up and then just get a few good canter transitions. It actually went really well! We were riding with two others so Nav was a little distracted, but I just focused on keeping him calm and he did really well. We got decent canter transitions both ways twice. He did try to run into it a couple times to the right. I think he felt somehow unbalanced. Will investigate that more next time. I also think last night with the humidity he was very hot. We kept our ride short and lots of walk breaks to chat with the others. But it was so nice and just what I needed after our less nice last ride.


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## NavigatorsMom

Quick update. Things have been really good lately!

I have been able to keep up with my 3 to 4x a week, either riding or working with Nav. It feels like we finally got a schedule that works for us.

Last week was so nice as far as weather. The highs were around 92 most days! So I was able to go out earlier in the afternoon to ride. Nav did nicely. We worked a lot on our canter, which has become a weak point. Just something I need to spend more time on instead of one circle per ride and calling it good. And also a lot on our lateral movement. He is getting so much better at leg yields, as well as shoulder and haunches in along the rail. We have started putting a little more effort into working on them at the trot, which is definitely harder, but he's just doing so well with them at the walk that it feels like it's time to move up a little. 

Haven't gone bareback again. Almost did last night after a lunging and in-hand session, but when I tried to swing my leg over to mount from the ground (something I have done before, though it's been a long time) I stretched my hip way too much and couldn't do it. I put too much force behind the swing (of course you need a lot to mount bareback from the ground) that it hurt a LOT and I fell back and had to sit on the ground for a minute or so before limping Nav back to the barn. Oddly enough it does not hurt more today. I need to figure out what the problem is. We had a very good lunging session though, and then did some in hand/groundwork, mainly backing from a verbal cue, and some walk/trot/halt without pressure on the lead rope. Nav was great, he is very smart.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well this past week was a fail as far as riding - I just didn't do any! 

We had the groundwork and lunging on Monday, which was good and a fun change of pace, but after that Wednesday and Thursday got rained out. Finally made it back out on Friday but it was super hot and my plan was to work on his hooves. Since it had rained his feet were a little softer and easier to work on, but it was just so hot, I was drenched by the end of his fronts. His fronts are not as good, middle toe cracks and flaring on both, so I spent more time on them and just barely touched up the backs. I plan to work on them more next time I go out, hopefully one day this weekend. It's just very difficult when his hooves are so hard. 

I got some baby rash cream to use on his nose, since it is supposed to stay on and protect better than sunscreen, and that seems to be helping. He is actually more tolerant of me putting that on his nose than he ever was for the sunscreen, and I wonder if it's because it doesn't have that strong sunscreeny scent. 

Hopefully we'll get some more rides in this coming week. It's still hot most of the time and I am so ready for fall temps!


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## NavigatorsMom

Had a nice short ride last night. We've had some rain lately, I guess remnants of the hurricane(s), so it's been a little wet and humid. I did lose some riding time due to that, and it surprised me a couple times. I just have to remember to check the weather forecast for Nav's barn vs. our apartment, because he is just far enough away that they can be having totally different weather than us. When we move that should be less of an issue because we'll be a lot closer - my travel time to the barn will be cut down by about half! Can't wait for that, our house is in progress and should be done by early November! 

Anyway, with the rain it cooled down a little last night, but it was much more humid than I realized. Nav and I both were dripping with sweat, and we only did a short ride. Really, the working part of our ride was just about 15 minutes, and then we had a warm up and cool down. Nav was very focused though and really working nicely, especially considering his girlfriend was calling to him and the horses in the pasture next to the arena were running around a little. We focused on trot, and then I just did one circle of canter each direction - he picked it up so nicely each time! And then we ended our ride by working on leg yields at the walk, as a way to start our cool down while still working on something. Even though it was dark by the time we were winding down we were still super hot and sweaty.

It's starting to get dark earlier, which means fall is coming, yay! But unfortunately for us it stays pretty hot until into October/November. So as of now I still like to try and go out a little later to beat the heat, but we're losing daylight hours which is not helpful. We do have lights in the arena but just going back to the barn and turning out at night is a little eerie. So I may have to start going out a little earlier, or else go back to mornings when I can.


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## NavigatorsMom

A few good rides last week. I also got a chance to work on Nav's hooves. We had a good amount of rain come through and I was able to get a good trim on his feet since they were soft. His back hooves were overdue but they are in such good shape, I really just had to take a little off all around. No cracks, nothing questionable on the sole or frog. His fronts are another story, but they are in progress and I'm trying to keep on top of them. 

As for our most recent ride, we went last night and it was pretty good but just SO humid. I can't wait until we lose the humidity, I would rather ride in the hotter temps than these mid-upper 80s but with lots of humidity. But in spite of that I felt like we had a good ride. We had a good warm up, and (as embarrassing as it is to admit this now) I'm finally realizing how much a good warm up really helps us in our ride. Who would've thought, right? :eyeroll: It takes probably a good 15 minutes minimum with plenty of trot, but after that Nav is really ready to work and that's when we have our best rides. So we did that last night, took a walk break, then did a lot of leg yielding on a circle. It's easier to do it to the right (tracking left), which makes sense because it's easier to go to the right from the quarter line to the rail. We eventually bumped it up to trot and did just a little of that both directions. Canter work was mostly about transitions this time. Quiet transitions to and from canter. Overall it felt good, though we had a little trouble picking up our right lead, which I think we had trouble with recently... clearly I don't put enough time into canter if I can't remember which lead was trouble. We need to spend more time on it. But yes, good transitions, just enough canter to be strong and then come back to trot before it gets fast and heavy. Overall a good ride. We then cooled out and he had a bit of a spa evening - hosed off, fly sprayed, liniment on his joints and back, and zinc on his nose.  

I was thinking back on how Nav has been doing lately, and how this summer of riding was not at all what I pictured at the beginning of this year. I had been considering upping to 3 or 4 times a month lessons just to give us more goals, and intentions of riding much more regularly. And then we all know what happened... so no more lessons, a month and a half-ish without riding, and then when I finally got back to it, it has been a very sporadic schedule. In spite of all of that, I feel like Nav and I are really doing pretty well and are in a good place. I don't know what it is - he might just be a super smartypants while we work, or maybe I'm really riding actively instead of being a passenger (something I've been focusing on a lot in the last year or so). It's just all been coming together lately, even with the weeks off here or there. Imagine how much we could accomplish if I rode 4x a week, every week! 

Maybe someday.


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## NavigatorsMom

I don't even remember exactly what happened over the last week as far as rides! I had a couple, I know that much, and I guess they were good, or at least not bad enough for me to feel like it they were bad rides. :lol:

Didn't ride over the weekend but did stop by to drop off a check for the farrier who was supposed to come out yesterday. I know I have gone back and forth on the farrier, but I thought one trim this month and see how he does, give myself a break. I feel like if I keep up with touch ups in between, this farrier will be fine to use for the trims, but we will see. Anyway, I also applied some Swat to Nav's face since flies have been dreadful now that it is cooling down a little. 

So I didn't ride yesterday, I just was not up for the drive, but I went out this morning. Also not feeling up for things but thought I could at least lunge Nav and maybe hop on bareback. Well, got there and found out the farrier had to cancel yesterday, rescheduled for today. He was at the other barn at the moment so I still pulled Nav out, quick groom and then took him in to the small/round pen to lunge. We got about 10 minutes before the farrier came over, at which point I pretty much had to stop because even though Nav wasn't going first, his stall is way at the end of the aisle, and there is no good way to get him there without going down the aisle. So with two horses about to be in the aisle getting worked on, I knew I had to put Nav back in his stall or wait at least another hour (which was just not something I was about today). Wish I had known farrier was going to be there and I would have waited to go this afternoon or evening but oh well. Hopefully tomorrow will be better for riding.


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## NavigatorsMom

Nice rides here and there. Nothing major to report. Was able to go out mid-day yesterday to ride and it was lovely with clear skies and 75 degrees. 

Nav does have a small cut on his neck, near his crest. Not sure how that happened, though I did see him mutual grooming/play fighting with a herdmate recently so possibly from that. I wish I could cover it but it is such an awkward place, so I've been washing, applying antibiotic ointment and Swat to keep it clean and keep flies away. Will have to keep an eye on it.

It's rainy with a high of 70 today, which seems appropriate for the first day of Autumn! Probably no barn time today, but maybe tomorrow the rain will have passed. We're getting ready to close on our house on October 22, so that is super exciting, and I suspect from then through our move (first week of November, hopefully) I'll be pretty busy.


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## PoptartShop

Such nice weather, right?!  It's lovely not having that humidity & sweating when you step out of the car lol.

Nav is so cute.  Look at that close-up! He's adorable. & how exciting about the house, congratulations!!


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## NavigatorsMom

It's been a while! I've been popping in here during breaks at work just to read but haven't really participated. Thought it would be time for a mini update. Keeping this journal is such a nice time capsule for myself, and even though not a lot has been going on riding-wise, I thought I shouldn't let it lapse too long. 

Riding has been sporadic, due to house buying and moving things really ramping up. We closed last Thursday, and now are in the process of packing up our apartment and slowly moving small boxes and non-essentials (decorations, books, artwork) up there, just a little each day. We have movers coming next Friday for furniture and then we should be all moved! Of course we'll have to do a lot of unpacking and home organizing at that point, but I'm so ready to be moved! 

In spite of all of this busy-ness, I've still managed to get out to the barn at least once or twice a week, usually for a ride or at the very least quick lunge. Nav is happy, getting nice and fuzzy. I feel like we have been slacking on our harder work, but right now just getting a ride here or there, or some groundwork, or even just grooming is good for both of us. He is really keeping me sane during all of this crazy home buying and moving process (not to mention the ongoing pandemic!). However, haven't been out since last Tuesday, so really missing him right now. I think I will stop by on my way to or from the house when I take some things up today. 

Weather is absolutely weird right now, mid-40s which is very unseasonable. Usually we are in the mid-high 60s or occasional low 70s at this time of year, so it's definitely a change. Should warm up some in the coming days to typical temps, but it makes me feel a little better that I haven't been out because I know working in such a sudden temperature change would not be fun for either of us. Hopefully once the weather settles down and we get moved I'll be able to get back onto a more normal riding schedule. 

And now for a few recent pictures.


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## PoptartShop

Happy to see you pop in!  & moving is so exciting, I hope it all goes smoothly. It'll be nice when it's all done & you're settled. Agreed, even if you aren't working on the harder stuff, that's totally OK!  Us and the horse need a little break sometime & it can be good for them mentally as well as us. I'm sure he's enjoying seeing you when he can & the grooming sessions. I love the selfies, you guys are so cute! 

I love the winter fuzzies!!


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## NavigatorsMom

We're finally moved! Still settling in but I've been able to head out to the barn a little more frequently lately and had a couple nice rides. The shorter drive there is amazing!

Last ride was not our best overall. Warm up was good and he was working nicely in trot. We had a good transition to canter. I wanted to work on something we had done in our lessons - when cantering, transition back to trot at a different spot around the circle each time. I have a bad habit of asking at about the same spot, which means Nav has gotten very good at transitioning down at that spot. It's usually pretty balanced and nice. However, transitions at other spots on the circle are not always so nice. So we were going to transition in any spot except for that corner. Well. Nav did not want to come down at any other spot. Whenever I began to ask he did not respond at all, just kept on toward the corner. So when we got to that corner I had him keep going, and we tried again on the other side. He kept on cantering, refusing to come to trot anywhere else on the circle. This turned into a fast unbalanced canter all around the circle, and I finally had to bring him to a hard stop. 

At this point we practiced our brakes, because cantering around and ignoring all cues to slow is not ok. So we just did walk-halts, one or two steps of walk and then halt. He was tense, but eventually started to settle and we were able to get halts mostly off of seat and with just a close of my hands. We probably worked on this for about 3 minutes before adding in a few strides of trot. Once that was going nicely we did one more canter transition. He picked it up calmly, and then halfway around the circle brought him back to trot which he did promptly and quietly. We will need to keep working on it of course, but I'm glad we worked through it. 

We ended our ride with some work on halting off of seat and voice alone, no reins at all. Nav did really well with it! He's extremely responsive to my voice but we need to get a little better off of seat alone. Near the very end I even had him trot a few strides without reins, come back to walk off of seat alone, and then halt off of seat and voice. He did very well! He's a smart boy. 

Hopefully now that we are moved and getting much more settled I'll be able to get back on a regular riding schedule.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, still haven't gotten into a great schedule. And last ride was rough. We struggled, again, with coming down from canter. This is a new thing. I wonder if he is unbalanced and weak due to my minimal riding this year.  It was frustrating. Instead of getting even further worked up, I hopped off of him and just lunged him a bit, to work on transitions without my weight interfering. He did alright, eventually settled pretty well and was able to come down from canter smoothly. And since then (last week) we haven't ridden. 

Life has felt a bit crazy lately, with preparations for the holidays. We were on the fence for a long time on whether or not we'd go home for Thanksgiving, but we finally decided no, we will stay here this year. It's just too risky. I couldn't live with myself if I brought the virus to my family. So we will have a quiet Thanksgiving for two this year. We will video call with our family at some point during the day, but it will definitely be different. 

In all the craziness I hadn't been to the barn in about a week, so yesterday I went out to see Nav and drop off a check. Seeing him lifted my spirits so much. Didn't ride because weather was questionable, though I think we would have been ok, but just bringing him in to groom, give treats, and do some stretches was just the kind of horse time I needed.


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## NavigatorsMom

Things have been decent lately with riding and getting to the barn. We had some super cold (for Texas) weather last week so I only made it out once or twice, but it's been nicer lately and I've been twice so far this week and plan to go at least once more. 

I've been riding and doing groundwork, depending on how I feel when I get there. Nav is so smart. As far as the cantering issue, I came up with somewhat of a solution... we don't canter a circle in the part of the arena with the corner Nav likes to transition in. Seems so simple, I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner! But if I have him circling in the middle or far end of the arena, we don't have that same corner that he loves to transition in, so he has to do a nice transition anywhere. It has been working, and I'm feeling more confident with our canter.

I'm just so happy to have him. Like, a horse of my own is something I always dreamed about as a child, and even though I've been a team with Nav for 10 years I still find myself feeling so thankful and happy to see him and spend time with him.


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## PoptartShop

What a good boy Nav is!  It's nice to switch it up between riding & groundwork, especially in the cold months. There is definitely no better feeling than having a horse of your own. <3 I love the pictures!


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## NavigatorsMom

Happy New Year from Nav and I! Only almost a month late 










Really not a lot has been going on with us, but one of my personal goals for the year is to journal more - so I figured I could include this journal with that goal. 

I've been trying to be low pressure with my riding lately. Nav has been pretty great for the most part. We are a little weak at canter. Really we've lost a lot of fitness since we stopped lessons (almost a year ago now) and then due to more lost time during the initial covid lockdown. So lately during our rides I focus him on lots of good trot work, and canter in small bursts. Once around a circle and then back to trot before he gets heavy. Or working more on suppling and strengthening exercises at trot. I know he's not old but he will be 16 this year, and I want to make sure he's healthy for many years to come.


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## NavigatorsMom

Rode yesterday and today. Just working on fitness and getting back into shape. Did a lot of trot work - circles, transitions within the gait, thread the needle, and keeping a consistent pace while during these exercises. Canter work was fine, though short. It was still a little muddy from Sunday night's rain storm, so didn't want him to get tired and heavy and sloppy. We ended our ride with some transition work. First walk-trot-walk and then some trot-halt. Our down transitions need a lot more work, he has reverted back to wanting to fall into them since we've lost some fitness, but we ended after getting a really nice and balanced trot-halt. I wasn't planning on ending our ride at that point but it was just so good that I felt he deserved it. 

I finally figured out an afternoon/evening time that works for me, so hopefully going forward I'll get a few more rides in each week. I know consistency is what we need if we want to get back into shape. We are doing a lot more trot and gradually adding more canter to our routine. Hopefully nice weather continues so we can get some more rides in!


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## PoptartShop

Transition work is definitely important! I've been doing a lot of that as well, especially since it's hard to ride as often during winter. Ending the ride on a good note like that is awesome, Nav is such a good boy!
The picture of you two is so cute.  It sounds like you guys are doing lovely, & just having fun!


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## tinyliny

you are both super photogenic.


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## NavigatorsMom

Thank you @PoptartShop and @tinyliny  

We've had some rides here and there but nothing worth updating on. I rode today because we are supposed to have awful cold weather the next few days so wanted to get a ride in while it was still nice. Although "nice" today was actually 50s, windy, and drizzly. But we had a good ride! 

I decided to try a little experiment with Nav. He is always super itchy after our rides, immediately wants to put his head down and rub his face on his leg when we finish, and sometimes even when we do a halt mid ride. This isn't a new thing, it's been going on as long as I've been with him, no difference depending on what bridle we use. So today I decided to forgo our noseband and see if it made a difference. He was still a little itchy at the end, but not nearly as much as normal. And no attempts to rub his face mid-ride either. During our ride he was surprisingly soft and light. I don't know if this was due to the lack of noseband or not. I don't keep it particularly tight, just enough so that it stays in place and doesn't rub around on his nose. I think I'll track our rides with and without the noseband and see if I can come up with a clear answer. He was just so good today, it really lifted my mood.


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## NavigatorsMom

Long time no updates. Let's see if I can give a little recap.

I've finally gotten into a pretty good routine of going to ride about 3 times a week. More would be better obviously but this is what's working for my work/personal life/horse life balance. Nav has been really excellent. He's sixteen now which is crazy, I've owned him for seven years but have been working with him since 2009 or 10. I recently found an entry in a very old journal of mine, mentioning the first time I met Nav:

"Aug. 20, 2007 - M got a new horse. He's her gelding's half brother and looks just like a mini version of him! Very cute, but still a little small." That was 2 year old Nav, who I believe was unnamed at that point. 

Later I found this entry from June 2009:
"On Thursday I got to ride Navigator! I think I'm going to start working with him more too. He was really responsive and well behaved. He neck reined, which was a bit hard to figure out. But I think it'll be fun to work with him. M said he went really well for me."

12 years later, here we are.

It's just so crazy to me that I've had this horse in my life for so long now. He is such a gem too, he really is the best horse I could ask for. I know sixteen is not even elderly, but I know he's getting older, he has a few more white hairs popping up on his face, and though I try not to think of it, I often get sad thinking about what I'll ever do when he's gone. It feels like no horse will ever compare. He's so safe but so smart. He really tries for whatever I ask of him, which has been a lot more intense lately. And he's so versatile. Even though our focus is dressage right now, I know I could pop him over jumps one day, or take him hacking. He comes right up to me when I go to get him from his field. I am just so thankful for the relationship I have with this animal and I can't imagine life without him. 

Anyway. We've had some nice rides lately. It's hot here in Texas but we make the best of it, riding mostly in the evenings to avoid heat. I've been asking more of Nav lately - longer rides, more rides per week, more balance, more transitions, more prompt responses, more canter in general. He's really stepping up and doing his best. Sometimes I feel like I'm riding a much fancier horse. The other day I hacked him out bareback in a paddock. While letting him trot I could feel this huge energy surging through him - not out of control at all - his back lifted and round, it felt like he was floating along the grass. I couldn't help smiling! 

We have gradually gotten back on the road again too. Nothing huge. He is still very nervous and looky. But our barn has two driveways, to simplify it, and so after our hard working ride in the arena, we will start to cool off by going down the driveway, along the road, and coming back up the other driveway. This is a short bit of road so Nav is starting to get used to it again. He still gets tense, but I just talk to him - not baby voice, just normal - and he usually settles by the time we head down the second driveway. The other day we actually ventured partway down the cul-de-sac that a dog charged at us on. We haven't gone that way since 2019, but Nav did really well overall, though he was looky. But he didn't try to run off or panic. He just kept swinging his head to look around. At one point I halted him and let him just stand, sniff, and eventually he put his head down and gave a huge exhale. Good boy! So then we went back home and he was much less tense. It's a gradual thing for sure. Just have to do a little bit every time, or at least most times. I may start hand walking him out there too, since he tends to be more confident when I'm on the ground. 

I have taken to riding Nav without a noseband. He just always got so itchy after our rides, especially in the summer when he's hot and sweaty, so I figure why not forego it, we don't really need it anyway. He seems much happier and doesn't even try to rub his face on his leg after our rides now so it must feel much better to him. 

His health has been good. I've taken to working on his feet again since I don't feel like the farrier who comes is addressing his flaring or toe cracks. He seems to just do a trim and call it good, I can't see any sort of sign that he's being proactive about fixing those issues, and the toe cracks in particular just get worse. So I worked on him a few times this month, nothing big all at once, just here and there to stay on top of it and begin fixing those issues. It isn't the best for my back but I stretch, stand often, and am only doing little bits at a time. 

Horse time really is my best time. I have been going out even on days when it's hard to motivate myself to get into the car, and by the time I get there the stress immediately begins to melt away.


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## knightrider

So good to get such a positive update!


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## NavigatorsMom

Well a less fun update. We are currently dealing with what the vet has diagnosed as an impaction colic. I thought documenting it here would help me get my thoughts out and help me relax as I've been extremely stressed by the whole thing. Sorry if it is a little rambly.

Started up Thursday evening, so today is day 4. Nav had been lying down a lot which is unusual for him, only passing small amounts of watery poo, and not interested in feed. Treatment has been as follows:

Thursday evening - a round of banamine and Succeed, per vet instruction after he examined Nav and found him to have good vitals, gut sounds, but not pooping and lying down a lot. Vet says we will treat it like a partial impaction, since he is passing some watery poo, but continue to monitor him.

Friday - another round of banamine and Succeed, am and pm. Nav is kept to a small run without access to hay, but with plenty of water and some grass. He is passing small amounts of very watery poo, but is generally alert thanks to the banamine keeping his pain down. He is caught lying down and considering rolling a couple times but gets up without trouble.

Saturday - vet comes out and gives two rounds of IV fluids as Nav is still not passing much and is slightly dehydrated. Continue the banamine and Succeed. Nav passing more solid poo, but still soft.

Sunday - vet out again to oil him. Nav has a good poo right after the treatment. Soft but not overly watery. Continue banamine and Succeed. Allow him to graze and offer small amounts of feed mixed with water.

So we've been through it. The vet firmly believes it's an impaction that is already breaking down, and has recommended we continue the banamine and Succeed, as well as offer plenty of water, he can graze if he wants, and he can be offered small amounts of his feed (Equine Senior) especially mixed with water. So far he is not very interested in the feed, but is getting more interested in grazing which feels like a good sign. He also drinks very well. 

When I went out to see him this morning he was clean, which leads me to believe he didn't even lie down overnight which also seems like a good sign. He was very alert and perky this morning, followed me around while I examined all of the poo. It's still very soft - kind of like cow poop - but he is passing a normal amount. He didn't want his small offering of feed, but was happy to graze when I took him out onto a greener area. I read that sometimes horses coming back from a colic will be hesitant to go back to their feed because it is higher in sugar and can be less comfortable to digest than simply grass, so I'm hoping that is all it is. I will be going back out sometime during the afternoon to see him again and do another poo check, and then later in the evening to give him his second dose of banamine and Succeed. 

I am so thankful for my BO's daughter, who lives on site and has been able to not only keep an eye on Nav since his run is visible from her back patio, but also has been the one doing his meds and keeping me updated while I was stuck at work, and doing night checks on him. Nav has never really been sick before so it's been really good to have someone knowledgeable there to help us along the way.

Based on how he was this morning I am being cautiously optimistic that he will recover, but I know we still have a ways to go. I know I am doing everything I can for him.


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## knightrider

What worrisome news! Please keep us updated. We love Nav and want him to get well quickly.


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## PoptartShop

Oh my, I hope Nav feels better soon, it sounds like he is improving by the day. Thinking of you guys.


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## NavigatorsMom

So another update - 

I spent most of the day with him yesterday. Nothing of note really happened, he was drinking, pooping (though it was cow patty like) and happy to graze for a short amount of time. He also ate his small offering of feed. Overall acting like a pretty normal horse, just with the unusual poop.

This morning when I went out he had pooped overnight and it was much more normal! It was still soft, but had formed and looked like actual horse poop. I allowed him to graze for about 30 minutes, and cleaned him up a bit. The vet is now recommending we stop giving him banamine (last dose was at 8 pm last night) and see how he feels without the pain killer. Hopefully he will feel fine and we can just continue with the Succeed for a few more days (though I'm strongly considering adding a gut health supplement year round to try and prevent this in the future), gradually increase feed and hay, and soon turn him back out in the larger pasture. He is being watched so I am home for the moment but plan on going back this afternoon to hand graze him again and see how he's feeling, check for new poops, etc. 

I think we're on the road to recovery. I'm still cautiously optimistic. We need to see how he does without the banamine. But assuming he feels fine I think we're almost out of the woods.


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## NavigatorsMom

So sorry for leaving this thread without an update. 

Thankfully, Nav has made a full recovery. It was about a week long from the barn owner first calling me, to us allowing him back out into his larger pasture. The scariest week of my horse ownership so far. (edited bc I included duplicate info from previous posts)

He's bee doing great since then, we've been doing about two rides a week and I often go out just to visit him on days when I don't ride. It's so nice having him close by.


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## NavigatorsMom

Happy New Year from Nav and I! 

It's been a weird year, I know 2020 was really hard for us all but I feel like 2021 wasn't a whole lot better. Not to say that it was truly bad, but it did have it's moments. Still, I am very thankful to have Nav as my horsey partner. It was a pretty quiet year for riding. I only rode 54 times this year, for a total of just 89 miles.  Much if not all of that was in the arena, no trails this year. Of course, I was out there much more than 54 times - I did go out to lunge him, groom, or just spend time with him frequently. 

For the new year I hope to ride more regularly, potentially take up semi-regular lessons again (maybe once or twice a month), and become comfortable riding out again. And of course just become more knowledgeable about horses and grow as a horsewoman. Nav is going to be 17, which seems like the cut off between "adult" and "senior". He doesn't seem that old to me. I do want to incorporate some supplements (joint and gut for sure) to help maintain him and keep him healthy, comfortable, and active for many years to come. 

I went out yesterday for my first ride of the year but ended up just doing some work on ground tieing in the barn because we had awful gusty wind and it was much colder than expected. Today with a high of 39 (but windchill keeping things below freezing) I will probably not be going to ride but may stop by and see how he's doing. 

And, a couple recent pictures, since I can't post here without sharing something of him!


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## NavigatorsMom

Small update just to share how things are going. (because I'm at work and it is so quiet)

I've been out to the barn twice this week, Monday and Tuesday - then I had a busy Wednesday and a frigid Thursday and today is looking similar. If I'm lucky I should be able to go again on Sunday (or if I'm feeling crazy I may bundle up and go out this evening, it's just so unpleasant to be out in the cold when it's windy and dark - would be a different story if it were still sunny and no gusts!).

Anyway, had a decent first ride of the year with Nav on Monday. I am trying to be very mindful of my mindset while I ride and not get frustrated or upset when things start going poorly. It was after dinner and we were riding while horses were being turned out so Nav got a little rushy and hollow at trot, distracted and trying to see what was going on. So, we got on a circle, worked on relaxing, yielding in and out a couple steps at a time. He eventually settled. He is going much nicer and lighter tracking left than right at the moment. I think he is a little stiff to the right. 

He's been excellent at picking up canter transitions quietly, but coming down to trot is a different story. I am not sure if he's just tired because we aren't very fit, or if he's got no impulsion and is actively evading (truly it is probably a combination of all those things), but when we come back to trot from canter he hollows and has begun curling behind the vertical so I lose contact. He's going fast but not energetically working from behind. Usually if I put a lot of effort into inside leg to outside rein, and ask for flexion so that I can see his nostril on the inside, we will return to a nicer carriage for a few steps, but he's simultaneously so rushy and hollow that it is hard to manage, and I sometimes feel like half halts are not doing much of anything. I don't want him developing those muscles but I'm afraid it has already happened a bit, and I have read so many times that teaching a horse to stop curling behind is much harder than one who goes above the vertical so I feel a little discouraged. 

But, I'm trying to stay positive. I think this is something that we can work through. I wonder also if it's an issue of soreness somewhere so that's something I will look into. 

Anyway, in spite of that we did end on a good note - I was able to hack Nav down the driveway and a little bit down the road to our back driveway and he did so well! He was actually not looky at all and much more relaxed than he has been in past times that we have tried this. I want to get more comfortable with it this year, so I've given myself a goal of taking him out to hack at least once a week - even if it's just down the driveway and back. 

He's a special guy and I'm happy to work through these things with him.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, I guess it's finally time I do another update here, thought not quite as positive and happy as the last one.

So on February 3, Nav got into a freak accident. As he was being turned out he somehow got stuck in the fence. No one saw what exactly happened, BO just came out of the barn and saw Nav with both hind legs tangled in the cable fence. We are guessing he attempted to kick at the horses on the other side of the fence and got stuck that way. The fence looked like this, which is super common for use on horse farms around here.








(picture from google)

Basically his legs were woven through, and then he went down so it was twisted and wrapped around them. The fence was so tight there was nothing BO or her daughter could do themselves so they called the fire department to come out and cut the fence, and the vet. Everyone thought for sure his legs would break, the cable was so tight. When he was finally freed though, he was able to get up and miraculously had no break or internal injury - his legs were skinned and the right had a worse wound than the left, but that was all. 

Here are pictures from the day after. I was unable to go out that day because we had had ice overnight and roads were covered and it was an incredibly stressful day worrying about him.
Right leg:








Left leg:









He was more sore on the right but still putting weight on both. We did wrap it and the vet was coming out 2 or 3 times a week to reassess and apply medication. During this time Nav was kept on stall rest or given turn out in a small run. He was also getting bute to help with pain. 

Finally at the beginning of March we were able to begin leaving the right leg unwrapped and started applying a wound salve daily to help healing, pain relief, and prevention of proud flesh. He is also off of bute, and vet has stopped coming by (our bill for February was higher than I have ever had). At this point he no longer had to stay on stall rest and was allowed to stay out in the small run.
Right leg at beginning of March, wound is covered with salve:









Left leg at beginning of March, mostly healed but still bald:









I've been going out almost daily to check the wound and apply salve. On days when I can't, the BO or her daughter is able to do it for me thankfully. As of now, he is almost healed. The left leg has regrown hair and just has a few scars:









Right still has a way to go. It's definitely healing, and everyone I've talked to says it looks like it's healing well. I have essentially no experience with wounds so it is hard for me to tell, but I do trust my vet and barn friends' opinions. He is still sore to the touch and doesn't want to bend the leg very far. Here is the right leg as of a couple days ago, before applying salve:









It has just been a crazy couple of months. I am of course so thankful for how quickly BO and her daughter acted that day back in February because I think their quick action really saved Nav. Also thankful for his draft blood that gave him thicker legs which also probably saved him from snapping them in the fence. It was such a freak accident, I don't think it could be replicated if we tried. Also very thankful that it happened in winter. We haven't had to deal with flies bothering it at all and that is definitely a blessing.

Of course I am a saddened that we have lost two months of riding right when we were really starting to have some great rides together. It will probaly be more since Nav is still a little tender on his right leg, and I am not going to ride until he is more healed and less scabby, and no longer sore. In the mean time, now that he's looking a lot better and is allowed back in the large pasture with his friends, I'm planning to start doing some light groundwork with him and stretches so that when we do start riding again, he won't have 0 fitness. We're just taking it one day at a time.

And because I don't want to end this on a sad note, here is a cute picture of Nav from the other day.


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## Txshecat0423

So scary! Glad they had a quick response and that he is healing well.
Prayers for continued recovery. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## tinyliny

OH, that was just heart stopping, as I read it, hearing that his legs were tangled in CABLE!!! I am so glad it ended up on a 'good' note. Now Nav will wear scars to show how he is becoming 'wise' and 'battlescarred' in life.


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## PoptartShop

Oh my goodness!! I am glad he is healing nicely though! Gosh! Poor Nav!  I swear, half the time when my horse injures herself I'm like, 'BUT HOW?!'.

So scary, but I am glad to see he is in good spirits. He is a tough boy. Well wishes for Mr. Nav!


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## NavigatorsMom

And now for a better update:

We are riding again! Actually have been since mid-April. We have been taking it pretty easy and careful with Nav's leg, but it is just about healed up. He's been great through all of this, just so good to put up with all the poking and prodding.

So we have been getting about two rides a week. Of course once we started riding again it started getting hot, and we're currently in a heat wave so rides have been pretty short too lately.

I've been enjoying getting up very early to go and ride on my days off. This morning I did just that, and even getting out of the house before 7 and on before 8, it was still very hot. We kept to a pretty short ride, but really focused on lateral work as well as transitions. Afterward I hosed Nav off and let him cool in front of a fan in the barn, which he seemed to enjoy! Nav is regaining fitness but it will take time. Every now and then he'll have really good moments though, and I know that those are just previews of what we will be able to do with consistent work.

I am playing with the idea of getting our fitness back up this summer, and then returning to lessons this fall or winter. Just to give us more goals as well as have someone to help us improve. But we will see. I've also been going back to taking Nav out on the road, slowly but surely, so hopefully by the end of summer we'll be more confident with that.

Overall just trying to enjoy my horse.


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## NavigatorsMom

I have been in a slump!

Between the hot temperatures, feeling busy/overwhelmed with work, and lots of visitors/traveling, I've just not made much time to ride. In fact, prior to last night I don't think I'd ridden in at least two weeks!

I had been out a few times to lunge Nav a bit - just to get him moving and do something with him, and refresh his lunging skills (it has been since winter that we have lunged regularly). He's very smart though, he remembered how to change directions on the lunge line (at the walk only, but still!) which is something we worked on a lot a long time ago when we were lunging regularly. 

He still has a bald spot scar on his hind leg from the accident back in February but thankfully it's just cosmetic and he isn't lame at all. It is pretty unsightly though and I really hope that he will eventually grow some hair back there. 

Finally rode last night after a long time without, and would you believe I left my freshly cleaned bridle at home? Of course. So I ended up clipping his side reins onto his halter and we did a makeshift bitless ride. Nav was actually very good, he was originally trained to neck rein so still seems to remember that to an extent, and I was happy to realize that we were able to get some nice halts with little pressure (and obviously no bit pressure) and mainly off of my seat. 

My plan now that it is starting to cool down (if you can call mid-low 90s cool!) is to ride a minimum of 3 days a week (or maybe, try not to let more than 2 days pass between rides. idk) and just focus on fitness going into winter and then maintain so we can hopefully progress more next year. Still considering starting lessons back up but I just don't know right now. Nav is doing so well with all the inconsistency I throw at him though, he really is wonderful and as I always say, I can't imagine another horse that could compare.


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## NavigatorsMom

Well, things have been going well since my last post. I had a wonderful ride with Nav about a week ago, during which I took him out on the road! If you've kept up with this journal, you might remember I used to take Nav out all the time before we moved down to Texas, but since moving we lost our trails and are in a more rural neighborhood area. A couple years ago we had a scary moment when a dog charged us from behind a fence, and since then I've been a little too scared to go out, and Nav has become very spooky about being out on the road. Well, we've been slowly working on getting back out there, just short trips down the driveway and back, or just barely out into the nearby cul-de-sac, and last week I decided it was time to try going a little farther. So off we went down the road! Nav was still a little looky, but overall did wonderful! We only went maybe a quarter mile down, but it was great progress. 

However, since then we had a not as great ride down the road. He has somehow picked up a fear of any animals behind a fence. I feel like this must be due to the dog charging us, however, he didn't have a huge reaction to that when it happened so idk. He has always been terrified of cows, but now he is very scared of horses behind a fence too. We rode out the same way as last time, and I thought let's go just a bit farther down. Well, we did and we came up on two horses in a field. He was tense, head up, snorting. I took him to the opposite side of the road and let him stand, look a bit, and was planning to start walking him back after he relaxed a little and put his head down. Instead, the horses behind the fence took off running, which almost caused Nav to take off too. At that point I hopped off and hand walked him back home. He wasn't jigging as we walked but he was very nervous and tense. I think I just pushed him too much with trying to make him stand and relax. Perhaps if we had walked a bit farther past them or just turned around sooner we would have had a different result.

It just makes me a little nervous to ride out because I worry what would happen if he somehow got separated from me and was running in a panic. I don't know if he would know to just go back to our barn, or if he'd just be off. I've been trying to read about how to make a horse braver on trails and a big thing I keep seeing is to try riding out with a brave horse companion, but no one else at my barn ever rides out and I don't know if their horses would even be braver than Nav. Maybe he is not meant to be a trail horse. 

Anyway, after that ride it was hard not to be discouraged but I went out the next morning to do a dressage focused ride and actually had a great time. After a good warm up Nav was really focused and listening and we did a lot of good work on transitions and a little bit of lateral work, turns on the forehand. I'm keeping track of what we work on and trying to do better about having little goals to work toward each ride, so that is helping make arena riding less stale. 

Hoping to go out at some point today and have another dressage focused ride. Maybe just do a small trip down the driveway and back if we're feeling a little brave too. The weather is finally starting to cool down so I am able to go later in the morning or earlier in the evening and we don't have to worry about heatstroke, yay! Very excited for fall riding, I think it's my favorite time of year to be at the barn.


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