B-day Photo Shoot and Giving Thanks

I celebrated my 35th birthday recently.  My husband of ten years really knows what I like.  He bought me a new pair of Field and Stream women's insulated boots, the Blue Ray of Catching Fire, a buckskin dressage horse toy, which deserves its own post, and he reserved some time on Sunday for a photo shoot of me and Harley.  I love it when he can take pictures of me riding my horse, but these days it requires a bit more planning.  My parents joined us at the barn to watch Sweet Pea while we took some pictures on the nearby trail and in the field where I have been riding.

I am so glad that we chose to take these pictures outside of the ring.  I realize now that I have almost no pictures of Harley and I anywhere except in an arena. Why didn't I think of this sooner? I love the natural backdrop and I forgot that the autumn leaves would also be on display.  What a nice surprise.

Since Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, I would like to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday.  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I have so much to be thankful for this year, but I will stick to the horse-related items since this IS a horse blog:

I am thankful that Harley is feeling well and we have been enjoying some great weekend rides.
I am thankful that my financial situation and supportive husband allows me to continue to be a horse owner.
I am thankful that Harley is as happy on the trails and in the field as he was in the arena.
I am thankful that I am healthy and able to ride my horse.
I am thankful that Harley is gentle and quiet enough to carry Sweet Pea with us for short walks around the yard.
I am thankful for every minute that I get to spend with my horse and for the eight wonderful years we have adventured together thus far!

My Horse Life Post-Baby

My life is so different now.

My life used to revolve around, well, me: my job, my horse, my exercise routine.  You get the idea.

My life now revolves around Sweet Pea. I have had to streamline my life to meet the needs of this adorable little person.  This means that I do not have hours of time to dedicate to myself, which also means that my horse life has taken a serious hit.  I cannot visit Harley everyday.  I cannot spend four hours straight at the barn.  Hour-long grooming sessions are out.  My schedule is so tight that I do not have the patience for most groundwork.  There really isn't time for "training" my horse or preparing for the next level or goal or what have you.  I AM riding, but my riding activities are so different.

Years ago, the idea of having to give up or reduce so much horse time would have been completely abhorrent to me.  Even last year, when I first returned to work and Sweet Pea was barely out of the newborn stage, I thought that I could get it back.

But then I realized that being a Mommy and parenting the way I want to parent is very important to me.  I realized that being there for Sweet Pea and watching her grow and change is as wonderful and amazing as my passion for horses.

I know what some horse girls will be thinking right now.  Oh, that could never be me.  But what you have to understand is that I was that girl, too.

I have a friendly piece of advice that you might not want to hear.  If you are thinking of starting a family and there is something that you want to do with your horse, do it now.

If you decide to have children, you will have to make choices and you might not be able to fit it all in.  That is okay.  You might just surprise yourself.

For example, you want to know what I love the most about riding right now?  The creak of the saddle leather when I first get on and the contented way Harley marches past the riding ring and towards the woods and field.

We have given up the ring for the time being.  I don't have the time to ride consistently enough to train in the arena and Harley does much better away from the dust. I have discovered that the grassy area next to the paddocks is level enough for riding, so we walk, trot, and canter out there.  Once the ticks die, we will hit the trails some more, too.

I ride Harley once or twice a week. I still trim his feet, which can be a challenge to keep up with, and I manage his allergies as best I can. I am very grateful for any ride that we have together, because last year he was not rideable for many months.

So my horse life is not just different because of Sweet Pea. It is also different because Harley is different; he cannot work as hard as he used to.  He wants to move forward, but sucking up his own dust while practicing on a circle is not good for him (he coughs).  He still loves to canter and listen for little cues to change bend or step sideways.  He is 16 and a half years old, but I cannot detect any stiffness or soreness in his body.  Our years of dressage work are paying dividends now as we ride without fences and with the unpredictability of nature (we see deer, squirrels, turtles, hawks, snakes, and other horses).  I ask Harley to stay balanced, on my aids, and off his forehand not because it is the proper way to ride, but because there could be uneven ground under our feet or the need to slow down or move over without much notice.

I am over the moon that I have a horse who can chill in the paddock all week and then go out for a ride on Saturday with no fuss.  My lifestyle and my horse's health have changed, but Harley has found himself a new niche.

And don't get me wrong, I am still a horse girl.  I still get the impossible-to-ignore itch to go ride, but nowadays, I will be home before dinner.


P.S. If you know of a user-friendly blogging app for the andriod tablet, please share.

Riding Reflection: Variety Day

Yesterday, I finally got to ride my horse again.  Between work, the holiday, the weather and after school commitments, I have only been able to ride him once a week for the past couple of weeks.  Of course, moving the clocks back does not help either.  We have arena lights, but once the sun goes down, the temperature drops pretty quickly and the horses tend to get fed earlier in anticipation of the setting sun.  Harley has learned over the years that he may still have to continue working, even if the rest of the barn is eating.  He doesn't like this, but he remains obedient and I usually get some very enthusiastic, expressive movement out of him.  Even though I could keep riding, I tend to cut the ride short anyway, because I do not want him too warm before dinner and I have to stay later and feed him myself if I keep riding.  Riding in the cold is one thing, standing around waiting for Harley to eat his food in the cold is entirely another.  What can you do?  That comes with the territory this time of year.

Warm and sunny, the weather was absolutely glorious yesterday.  I did not even need to wear my jacket!  I tacked Harley up and set out to walk around the arena and past the paddocks.  He looked longingly out into the woods, so I opted to warm up through the short trail-loop behind the farm.  He marched along with a pep in his step and I took in the colors.  Most of the scrub oak have lost their leaves so the trail was padded with a carpet of bright orange, yellow, and red.  It was so beautiful that I almost didn't recognize parts of the trail, which we have walked hundreds of times.

Once we returned to the farm, we entered the arena and continued our warm up around barrels, cones, and poles, which are ever-present in our ring for lessons.  Sometimes all the "stuff" in the ring annoys me, especially when poles and things are placed inconveniently (like along the track), but on this day nothing was going to dampen my mood.  Harley smoothly changed bend as I guided him through figure eights and changes of direction around the arena "junk".  Before long, I asked him to trot and was delighted that his first transition was crisp and fluid.  Sometimes that first trot is a little choppy.

After trotting some large figures and diagonals on a longer rein, I picked up a little more contact.  As long as my legs ask for more energy as I pick up the reins, Harley changes his balance and assumes "dressage-horse-mode".  I remember my original dressage trainer teaching me to always use a little leg with the hand to keep everything in balance.  A decade later, I still think that this was sound advice.

We tackled the barrels and cones again, this time riding figure-eights in trot.  I lifted the inside rein with each change of direction and watched Harley's crest flip from one bend to the other.  I pushed my elbows forward a little and kept my balance back, practicing the exercise from our last lesson, then I brought my elbows closer to my body again.  This exercise makes me and my horse more responsible in carrying ourselves, which makes it much easier to move together.

After a break, we tackled the trot poles.  I had moved them farther apart, becuase they are almost always set too close together for my horse.  At 15.1 hands, Harley is not a huge mover by any stretch of the imagination, but he seems to need the poles set farther than any of the lesson horses.  Even the draft horses require a shorter pole distance.  I have always found this surprising.

Harley enjoys pole work, which he expresses by speeding up.  I love the improved impulsion, but I have to remind him the first three times or so that his job will be easier if he slows down and just lengthens his stride.  Once he organized himself and put his enthusiasm to more effective use, he powered over the poles with a lovely flow of energy over his back.  I could see and feel his withers come up and his strides even had some hang-time.  We practiced a few circles in each direction, and then rode some figure-eights with the three trot poles at the center of the eight.  Wow, that got his tempo squared away!  Harley was floating and he was having fun.

Finally, it was time to canter and this made Harley even happier.  Since we had not ridden all week, he was full of spring.  He cantered from the trot.  He cantered from the walk.  He transitioned down to a balanced trot and stretched into my hand.  I rested back, pushed my elbows forward and whispered for him to canter again.  Off he went, and if felt like heaven.  I felt my legs hanging down his sides and my torso tall above his back all at the same time.  His neck stretched forward in front of me and I could see his inside shoulder coming up and then reaching forward.  It all felt incredible easy.  That is what I want in my riding horse.  I want it to feel easy.  Trust me, I know that it doesn't start that way; Harley's back used to be so tight that I couldn't even sit on him in the canter, but that was almost six years ago.  For that hour in the saddle, easy is my goal.  I work hard the rest of the week and we have worked hard together for six years to get here.

How did we finish our perfect ride?  We revisited the short trail, this time leading the way for two grandchildren riding their respective Grandmother's horses.  The Grandmas led each horse and Harley led the group.  We stopped often, so the kids could do various activities on the trail, but Harley did not mind.  He likes going out with other horses and would frequently snake his long neck around to peek at his gang in tow.  We scouted out some deer and walked in parallel with them as the kids whistled to tell the deer that we were not trying to sneak up on them.  Prey animals seem to appreciate this.  The deer trotted away, halfheartedly showing their white tails, and then turning back to watch the parade as we made our way back to the barn.

A summer picture: Now the trail is covered with the colors of fall.

My Barefoot Horse: Hoofwall Update and "Boot Club"

Doesn't Harley look tall in this picture?

I am happy to report that the hoof wall separation created by reducing the hoof wall bevel (a technique which I have now rejected) is growing out nicely.  I trimmed his front feet at exactly two weeks, so that there was not an opportunity for his hoof wall to reach the ground.  I also trimmed his bars, which I think look quite nice.

Left front: A small crevice at either quarter remains, but should be gone very soon.

Right front: Similar improvements are present due to new hoof wall growth.

Yes!  The separation that extended all the way into his heel is gone!  New heel had replaced the crevice, which he wore away on his own, before I even picked up the rasp.  That is a tremendous relief and it demonstrates how much hoof wall he can produce and that he does do some of the maintenance trimming himself.

Right front comparison: The same heel two weeks ago.

Fresh rolls and straight legs (Where did his hind legs go?)

Close-up #1

Close-up #2

In other hoof news, I have decided to join "Boot Club", as in hoof boots.  As the owner and hoof care provider of a barefoot horse, you may be surprised to learn that I do not own a single pair of hoof boots.  I mostly work Harley in the ring, which has a startling number of rocks amidst the sand, but I also take him out on the trail.  I have done this with him for years without a thought about hoof boots, even though there are other horses on the property that do wear them. 

Last weekend I went on a group trail ride.  It was the first big trail ride since the ticks and chiggers appeared in the woods.  I basically avoid the woods like the plague all summer, because of those nasty arachnids.  It is just about time for them to die off for the year, to I agreed to go out on a trail ride.  Two of the horses in the group were wearing hoof boots and their riders commented that there was a rocky part that bothered their horses.  As usual, I listened but did not worry about it.  Harley walks over gravel without a problem.  But then we got to the rocky part and I understood what they were talking about...

There were a lot of stones.  The water runoff from last spring or during the summer, must have washed away more of the sand uncovering the rounded river stones.  It has a been months since I have been out there, but I think there are more stones in a couple sections of the trail.  I was surprised to find that Harley was "footy" over them, meaning that he was walking carefully and gently.  He even "ducked" a few times, which feels like he stepped on something that hurt.  Needless to say this was upsetting to me.  The horses with the boots walked over the rocks like they were not there.  I was surprised that the rounded stones bothered him so much.  He walks over crushed driveway stone freely when grazing in the stable yard and those are pretty jagged rocks.  There are also tons of rounded stones in the riding ring and we walk, trot, and canter over them.  I guess the sand in the ring allows the rocks to sink away from his foot if he lands on one.  The ground beneath the stones on the trail had no give.

After our ride, I thought about it from a whole-horse perspective.  Diet is usually the culprit for footiness, but hoof conditioning is also a factor.  Since he had not been trimmed for two weeks at the time of the trail ride, I do not think it was my trim (I have never had a problem there.), but he is growing out hoof wall separation, so maybe there is something to that.  Experimenting with his diet is not a small factor, because of his hardkeeper status and boarding limitations (I cannot offer free-choice hay, for example), and I do not see myself trail riding enough to condition  his feet to stony terrain.  After thinking about it, the responsible thing seems to be to purchase hoof boots.  I only trail ride occasionally, and I do not want to risk injuring his feet, whatever the cause of his dislike for the stones may be.  I think that a nice pair of hoof boots is probably something that I should already own for him, so now is the time...

...to join "Boot Club".  There are no rules that say I cannot talk about said club, so here we go!

A popular hoof boot for trail riding at my barn is the Easyboot Glove.  It has been recommended that I purchase pads with the boots, but I am also told that the Easyboot pads wear through too quickly.  Not sure what to do about that.

I think I am going to order a size 2.  I tried a 1.5 and a 2 on him.  I was able to squeeze the 1.5 on without pads.  The 2 fits with or without pads and just looks better to me.  I know the glove is a snug fit, but I think the smaller size looked crooked after he pushed his foot into it.  He also picked his feet up high when he walked in the 1.5.  Is it possible for the boot to be too tight?

Harley walked and trotted with long strides and without a hiccup in the 2.  I am a little worried about getting the size right, because I do not want them to come off, especially when he canters.  I plan on ordering the "power straps" just in case.  I measured his feet and I found both fronts to be 120 mm long and 115 mm wide.  I was surprised that the dimensions were so close.  His feet do not look that round to me.  Looking at the sizing chart, I am pretty sure that I did something wrong.  Ironically, I think the bevel makes measuring difficult.  Do I measure the weight-bearing surface or to the edge of the bevel?  His feet are about 125 mm long if I account for the rounded bevel, but the width doesn't really change.  Do I measure something that I rasped off and if so, how?

Boot advice welcome.

Hackin'

Harley and I have been doing a little trail riding lately.  Riding him is a sure way to see if his allergies are under control and regular exercise seems to help.  I have taken him out for a couple light hacks behind the property.  We usually walk a short loop and then trot a little behind the paddocks or down the sandy road that follows the power lines.  Even though we are hackin', we practice some dressage-ing.  I usually ask him for a particular lead or alternate between right and left with the curves of the trail or along a straight line.  Some times he fusses and throws a little fit, because he remembers being a "yahoo" horse (he is reformed).  He did this yesterday when I asked him to canter home on the left lead.  He wanted to go on his right lead, so he sidestepped and danced away from my aids, trying to position himself for the right lead.  I turned him around and asked him to pick up the left lead going away from home.  After about ten strides, I stopped him, and turned him left, toward home again, and asked for the left lead.  This time he picked it up right away.  Then I brought him back and asked for the right lead.  He picked it up happily.  That was his reward.

Once back in the woods, we alternated leads a few more times.  His canter got quieter and more balanced with each repetition.  It felt really easy and did not require much more than a thought to get him to take the canter.  I sat the trot and let him open up his stride a couple times.  He really likes doing that and seems to prefer me to sit.  I like hacks that are fun and feel productive.

Two fawns and a doe

Harley is such a cool dude.  He likes investigating the deer.  They are not usually scared of us.  I think "mildly annoyed" might be a better description.  Apparently we interrupted their grazing time, but hey, they get to eat all day long.

Harley's paddock buddy

The new horse.  He looks much bigger from the ground!

Just an all-around fun horse.  Love you, Harley!

Rider Confessions

I forgot something.

Animals have an uncanny way of revealing ourselves to us.  Just yesterday, my husband's father was marveled by the family dog, because he seemed to always know what my father-in-law was going to do before he did it.  He exclaimed that it was like the dog was reading his mind!  I smiled and in my head thought, "Believe me.  I know what you are talking about!"

But a few days prior, I forgot this.

The ability to read us goes way beyond mere action and pattern recognition.  Most people who spend time around animals have observed this.  I find that horses are especially sensitive to our thoughts and emotions.  They also seem more compelled to respond in recognition of those thoughts and emotions like it is an energy that cannot be stifled.  The mirror metaphor is nothing new, but this does not mitigate the effect of the experience.

At the end of this week, I got on Harley for a short walk through the woods.  Something was bothering me.  The thing that was bothering me was barn-related and it was the kind of thing that frustrates, because of feelings of being "not in control" of a situation.  The situation affects my horse and my friend and me, which understandably made my frustration emotionally-charged.

I did not have time for a ride, but I needed to get on Harley for a few minutes.  This inevitably makes me feel better and I was feeling pretty lousy.  After swinging into the saddle, we headed for one of the exit gates to the property.  We stopped at the gate and I unlatched it.  We walked through and I turned Harley around.  Well, he really turns himself around and walks up to the latch.  We have opened and closed gates hundreds of times together.

This particular gate is not lined up at the latch as well as it used to be.  I have to raise the latch and pull up on the entire aluminum gate to fix the latch and close the gate.  Lifting the gate and keeping my thumb on the latch at the same time is not easy from the ground.  It is really difficult from horseback.  The muscles along my torso tighten and scream at me if it takes me more than one attempt to get the gate to close.  Despite my fussing and grunting to close the gate, Harley usually waits patiently.

Not today.

As soon as I tried to lift up the gate, Harley started moving his feet.  He started dancing in place.  I stopped what I was doing and steadied him with the rein.  I patted him and found his neck muscles tight.  Of course, I could feel this under the saddle, too.  I pleaded with him a little bit.  Just give me a minute here, Boy.  I fussed with the gate again, but he moved away before I could close it.  I nudged him with my leg to move him closer to the gate.  He side-stepped into my leg pressure.  What?  That is like horse defiance.  When a steadying on the rein and a stronger nudge recieved more side-stepping away from the gate, I gave him a kick.  Harley's hindquarters swung into the gate, slamming it closed with a satisfying "BANG".

This did not scare him.  A part of me thinks he did it on purpose.  I was actually kind of happy, because I did not have to mess with the gate anymore, but clearly there was a problem.  I walked a small circle away from the gate and tried to stop Harley next to the latch.  That trainer in me was not willing to let this go yet.  We halted and I nudged his hindquarters closer to the gate.  He responded with the same defiance of side-stepping into my leg pressure.  I amplified my aids and he amplified his defiance.  He swung his hindquarters in a circle toward my leg, pivoting on his front end.  I kicked and nudged, but nothing I did had any effect.  Once he had completed a 180 degree pivot, he started backing up.  I kicked with both legs and tapped him insistently with the whip, but he kept backing up.  His neck was high and tight.  His ears were starting to flatten.  He was angry!  For a moment it crossed my mind that he might want to go up.  Harley rear?  Over a silly little gate exercise.  But then I realized my mistake.

It was not about the gate at all.  It was me.  All the frustration and anger and emotion that I was feeling was coming through Harley.  I was the one feeling defiant.  Not in control.  Like things were unfair.  I was the one who was angry enough to rear, but as a human, as an adult, I had to keep my emotions in check.  I was not allowed to act upon them, so I kept them inside.  But I was not fooling Harley.

As he danced in place and hopped backward, I felt the energy streaming through both of us.  It was not until we had danced like this for several long moments that I remembered how important it is to have a clear mind when you are with your horse.  The horse cannot ignore it.  He cannot hear any of your aids when your mind is screaming something else.  This is why it is so important to always have a clear picture of what you want your horse to be like, to go like, when you are riding or training him.  My mind was the equivalent of a laser light show when I was trying to close that gate.  I might have liked to slam it myself, but I wouldn't.  Harley did it for me and then he tried to figure out where to put all the energy I was giving off.  There was nothing constructive for him to do with it and there was not a clear image coming from me, so he panicked and then he got mad at me.  And now I was mad at myself.

Once I realized my mistake, my body softened and I took a deep breath.  I told myself that even if somethings seemed unfair in my life, I needed to be fair to my horse.  If I was riding him and not thinking about riding, I was doing him an injustice and I might as well just dismount. 

Harley stopped his feet and waited. 

I tapped him forward with both feet.  He hesitated, but then he walked forward slowly.  I imagined his body soft and flexible as I gently asked  him to bend, and then I nudged him away from the offending leg.  He side-stepped in a circle pivoting around his front end.  I switch the bend and my aids and he repeated the exercise in the other direction.  I released the reins and he let out a snort.  We walked up to the latch of the gate and halted.  I released the reins again and he lowered his neck.  I leaned over and pulled on the gate, as if I still needed to latch it.  Harley remained motionless.  I patted his neck and he shook his mane from side-to-side, shaking off the previous confusion.

We started walking down the trail and he was a completely different horse.  I am human and things are going to upset me from time to time, but I cannot expect my horse to just wash it away for me.  I have to meet him halfway in the saddle even if my problems do not magically dissolve once my foot is in the stirrup. 

The importance of riding with a clear mind cannot be overstated, but it does need reminding once in a while.

Memoirs: A Girl's Horse Spooks

I used to ride a big mare who spooked every ride.  Every single one.  She always spooked in the beginning of the warm up and always to the side.  She was an "ambidextrous spooker", so left and right were equally likely.  Lucky for her, I cared not when she leapt sideways (i.e. I loved her.).  Years of riding as a kid had left me with some sort of instinct.  My body just went with the horse and this worked the best if I did not think.  Once she got the spook out of her system, she was good for the rest of the ride and, interestingly, was not a fearful horse.  Far from it.  My trainer thought she needed to stretch or loosen some part of her back and a quick sideways jerk was just the trick.

Clever girl.

Harley is not a spooky horse.  All horses can spook and there is usually something that will surprise the calmest horse, even if it has to be elephants marching head-to-tail from the traveling circus.  When Harley does think something is strange, he usually starts snaking his neck, and making the googly-eye face, so there is lots of warning that he is cautious of whatever lurks ahead.  A spook is not inevitable.  Usually moving closer to the offending object is enough to convince him that it is harmless.  A good sniff seals the deal.

So you can imagine my surprise, when I was walking Harley past the paddocks heading for the trails and I suddenly found myself whirling around in 360-fashion.  Half of my brain was looking out for solid objects like fence posts and tree trunks and the other half of my brain was trying in vain to work backwards and discover what had sent my usually reliable boy into a frenzy.  His reaction was so strong and so unusual that the horses in the neighboring paddock must also have thought that there was something worth fleeing, because they spun and took off at a gallop.  So did the rider's horse in the closest riding ring.  I expected to find a bear walking out of the woods when I turned around.

We do have black bear in New Jersey, but there was no such animal in sight once I turned my horse around to face the direction of his fear.  He was still tight as a drum and ready to flee.  Harley was going to save us both, even if his rider didn't seem to understand what the problem was.

I looked into the neighbor's yard and realized that there were men working on the roof.  Two men were walking around the roof and then they began nailing shingles down with an airgun.  You would think that the mystery was solved, but Harley did not react at the sight of them.  Despite the loud hiss and clunk of the nail gun, he started to relax and dropped his neck.  The men on the roof were not the problem.

Or were they?

I waited for several minutes, watching the men work and patting my horse's neck.  We could have kept going and left the problem behind us, but the trainer in me just will not do that.  I needed to know what scared him for future reference and for our own safety.  I hadn't ridden a spook like that in years.  What on Earth sent Harley for the hills?

And then I saw it start to happen.  One of the men rose from his work and picked up a large package.  I do not know what was in the package, but I assume it was discarded wrapping from the shingles that were now fastened to the roof.  He started walking toward the edge of the roof and my horse began to quiver.  A silent vibration moved up his legs, gaining intensity as the man walked closer to the edge of the building.  When I realized what he was about to do, I almost called out to stop him.  The only thing that harnessed my words was my now trembling horse.  I took a deep breath and tried to make my center of gravity as low as possible...

BOOM! 

The wrapping hit the ground with a thud and the hush of plastic hitting air.  Harley's trembling erupted into a full-body shudder, which shook us like a driver slamming on the brakes. 

But he did not spin. 

He kept facing the building and the source of his fear.  I stroked his neck, consoling him.  I felt a little giddy as the wasted adrenaline surged threw my muscles with no where to go.  I imagine that Harley felt the same thing.  After a couple deep breaths and more pats, we left the building and continued down the trail.  I have never been so relieved to leave civilization behind.

Solo Trail Ride

I arrived at the barn yesterday determined to have fun spending time with my horse, even if we could not go dressage-ing in the arena.  You see, the dust is much too thick.  Harley's allergies have made it so that he simply cannot tolerate dust clouds.  After my bout with laryngitis, neither can I and let's face it, eating dust is not healthy under the best of circumstances.  Truth be told, it so dry that everyone is having a problem, horse and human.  Between the dryness and the pollen, the environment has become downright choking, but it will not last forever.  As I am writing this, it is raining outside.  Yes!!!

My solution was to attempt a trail ride and try to stick to the less sandy paths.  There were many cars parked at the barn when I drove up, but no one in sight and several empty halters in the aisle.  This was a sure sign that I had missed the boat on an impromptu group trail ride.  No problem.  I like to take Harley out by myself once in a while and we had learned of a few new trails recently, so I was interested in doing some exploring.  I strapped my cell phone to my boot and headed out with Harley.  He marched off with a spring in his step.  He loves trail rides.

A must for venturing outside the arena.

The feeling of partnership elicited by riding your horse out without company is difficult to describe.  The feeling is a combination of mutual dependence and trust.  I need you and you need me.  We have to stay together and stay safe.  I can get an idea why endurance riders become enamored with their sport.

Riding solo also gives an opportunity to be closer to nature.  When we ride in a group, nature usually runs away.  When Harley and I rode alone, we saw many animals: a lizard darting into the leaves, a herd of deer that watched vigilantly but did not run as we passed them, a woodpecker, squirrels, and countless other birds.  On occasion we have seen a hawk perched in the tree tops, watching us casually as we walked below.  I think that animals are less likely to run away if they do not feel that you are sneaking up on them or trying to conceal your presence.  When I saw the deer up ahead, I starting talking to them and telling them that we were just passing through.  I did not make any fast or unpredictable movements and Harley's ears flicked and swiveled, mirroring the movements of the deer's ears.  He likes to stop and look at them, but then he is fine to just walk by.  I tried to give the impression that we are just another herbivore, no need to worry.  I wonder if having a deer-colored horse helps to convince them?

We rediscovered the new paths that I had learned of a couple weeks ago.  I was glad to see that they were not yet overgrown, but that time is fast approaching.  The wild blueberry bushes are starting to regain their foliage and soon our view will be blocked by the broad leaves of deciduous trees.  For the time being, I can see deep into the woods, which allows me to spot deer or other riders on horseback long before we meet up with them.  It also makes us more visible to people on dirt bikes or four-wheelers, something that I wish that I did not have to worry about.

I was relieved to find that the new paths were lined by pine needles and leaves instead of sand.  This seemed like a good place to move out without worrying to much about dust.  Of course, the nice thing about trail riding is that you leave the dust behind you, unlike in the arena where you inevitably circle back around into your own dust cloud.  We trotted off and Harley demonstrated his happiness with several enthusiastic snorts.  He tossed his head a couple times, indicating that he would be more than willing to move up a gear, but I wanted to keep our pace moderate to accommodate the winding path and trees.  Harley powered along, lifting his back and arching his neck just like we were in the dressage ring.  He has definitely learned how to use his balance for the better.  He used to dive forward, throwing his weight onto the forehand during trail rides.  It was a matter of muscle memory.  He carried his previous owner on trails before he really knew how to balance under saddle.  Occasionally, he reverts back to this, but a few half-halts serve as effective reminders.  I made sure to widen and soften my seat as I half-halted on the outside rein.

"Remember you are with me, Harley.  Stay with me."

He shifted his weight back to where it belonged and pushed off his hind legs to steer around a tree.  Another half-halt on the new outside rein had him back on the new outside hind and around the next tree.  It was exhilarating.

Harley snuck in a canter depart during a short straight section of trail and I allowed it.  His canter was slow and collected.  I felt like I was riding a knight's horse in the movies.  He did not lean on the reins at all, as if he knew that would be taking too many liberties.

It was too soon when we ran out of trail and found ourselves just behind the farm.  I dropped the reins and let Harley do his quarter horse saunter back to the barn.  With a new plan, we had avoided dust and enjoyed a change of scenery.  Mission accomplished!

Buttermilk Buckskin: Changing Colors

And a ride!

Since I was absent from the barn last week, Harley's coat changes have nearly gotten away from me!  His light, cream-colored fur is being replaced by more reddish tones, which should lead to dapples on his rump and shoulders.  The new red hairs are visible along his cheek bone and behind his eye in the photo below. 

I have always enjoyed watching his color changes, but this is the first time that I have tried to document the changes gradually.  His spring transformation seems to be picking up speed!

More red hairs on his nose.  The red and cream together give him that golden look.

Can you see the star on his forehead?

Red hairs on his hip points, croup, and...

...withers.  Sometimes he almost gets bands here, but I think that is in the fall.  The lines that you see are just shadows.

Check out the black patches above the backs of his knees.  Those were not there last week!

The fronts are just about there.  I guess knee-highs are always in fashion for Harley.

A lot more light hair has left his hind legs.

The good old-fashioned grooming block is the trick for helping the short hair shed off the front of his hing leg.

This is a totally insane picture of his mane.  The "frosting" is nothing new, but has grown quite long on top of his dark mane.  The lower section is growing in for the first time since I have owned him.  This is thanks to some foal fencing that I paid for and helped put up in 90 degree weather.  I was happy to have his mane grow in, but I was even more happy to not have him contorting himself through the fence to eat grass.  I do not think that he is as happy with the arrangement.  He would rather have the grass.

"Enough pictures already!"

Sorry Harley, but just look at that blue sky.  Unreal.

We did go on a trail ride after this long never-ending grooming session and photo shoot.  He was extremely pleased to be out and about after a week of waiting around and trying to amuse himself.  Although I am still getting over the cough and I do not sound great, I am feeling better, too.  We kept the ride to lots of walking and some trotting here and there.  I tried to keep Harley slow in trot for the sake of our company (we are always faster than our company), but he was not having it.  I got to feel some beautiful lengthened trot along a sandy trail and he rounded up into an equally powerful collected trot as we navigated a winding path around trees.  The path was cut to slow horses down on the way back home.  I guess no one told Harley that!  It was very, very fun to ride in sitting trot, changing the bend around each tree and feeling him push off his hind legs.  Dressage is beneficial even to trail riding!

Once we got back to our property, I let him canter along a wide path leading to the paddocks.  He did this beautiful collected canter-right and when we approached a gentle bend to the left, he lifted up into an expression and exciting flying change.  Totally clean and totally awesome.  I did not ask him for it deliberately, but I am sure that I shifted my weight and that is all the encouragement he needs for his favorite trick.  The left lead afterward was so full of excitement and joy that I could feel the power beginning to overflow and I could see what he looked like in my mind's eye: arched neck, flared nostrils, expressively articulating knees and hocks, and flying mane and tail.  Harley may be beautiful on the outside, but his true beauty is this fire inside of him.  The desire to show off his energy and spirit.  I feel completely honored that he chooses to share it with me.

Horses and Safety: Bring A Cell Phone

Thankfully, I did.

I went on a nonchalant trail ride with some barn friends this afternoon.  It was very windy and I requested that we keep it slow, because this would only be Harley's second ride since being well.  And we did keep it slow.  The ride was uneventful with minimal trotting and mostly walking along very familiar terrain.  Harley led for most of the trip and did a cute, little trail trot.  I could sit it like a cowgirl and pick our way around trees and puddles.  I did not want to foster an exciting atmosphere since the wind was kicking up and some horses find this tempting for naughtiness.  Somewhere in the second half of the ride, we switched position and a different horse was in the lead.  We all decided to trot and before we really got anywhere there was a thunder of hooves and a yell to stop.  Just as we halted I heard the characteristic thud of someone biting the dust.  Although I do not hear that sound very often, it always makes my hairs stand on end.  Is the rider okay?  Who fell?

I turned around to see that my friend behind us had fallen and this was a surprise, because she has the calmest trail horse in the bunch.  He is absolutely reliable and steadfast.  She was probably the last one that I expected to see on the ground.  Thankfully, all of us stopped our horses right away, so there was no danger of her getting run over and she was wearing a helmet (We ALL do, EVERY ride.).  Another friend was already off her horse and crouching over the fallen rider.  Meanwhile, I turned my horse to block her mount and grabbed his reins.

My friend on the ground was mostly okay, but reported that her ankle was hurt almost immediately.  I suggested that she just be still for a moment and rest before she moved.  You always want to take it slow, just in case something else is hurt.  After we all stood our horses and chilled out for a minute, she sat up and found that she could not put weight on her ankle.  Something was definitely wrong.

I have a nice little inside pocket in my riding jacket that is perfect for a cell phone.  I try to remember to always keep my phone in this pocket when I am working in the barn, riding in the ring, and especially out trail riding.  My previous riding jacket actually had the label "phone" on the same inside pocket.  I thought that this was a nice safety hint for anyone purchasing the jacket.

I handed my friend's mount to the dismounted rider who was assisting her and I pulled out my cell phone and thumbed through the contacts as quickly as I could.  I called the barn owner and, thankfully, she was still home.  We told her we were going out, so she knew that a call from me was probably an emergency.  After a quick explanation of our location, she drove the Gator out and picked up our friend, towing her naughty mount alongside the motorized vehicle.  We were fortunate to have been in a vehicle-accessible part of the trail and to only have to report a "minor" injury.  Of course, my friend did injure her right foot, which means that she cannot drive.  Let's hope that she suffered a bad bruise, rather than the other options.  Her family came to pick her up and take her to the doctor as soon as they made it back to the farm.

I highly recommend always bringing a cell phone when riding out on the trail.  I have heard a few things about the dangers of falling on one's cell phone or the horse being spooked by a ring tone, but I feel that both of these warnings are rare or avoidable: make like the movies and put your phone on vibrate!  It is important to have a means to call for help, whether it be from the trail or from the barn, because accidents can happen there, too.  Despite our careful, non-yahoo intentions, a fall still happened even on a relaxed trail outing.  There have been so many more exciting rides, with lots of trotting and cantering in a big group, that have ended without incident, so you never know when the unexpected could happen.  And sometimes the unexpected includes the quietest horse in the bunch kicking up his heels!

Our typical trail riding scenery: scrub oak and pine, sand, river stones, and usually deer.  This time we saw a red-tailed hawk lazily soaring in the air currents just above the tree tops.  We also heard the motors of four-wheelers in the background, but they never appeared on our trail.

Riding Reflection: Energizing, Flying Changes, and Shoulder-in to Renvers

Although the title of this post may suggest otherwise, Harley is on a mini-vacation.  At least, that is his perspective.  Between work and shortened periods of daylight I have not been able to ride my lovely boy nearly as much as I would like.  Unfortunately, this is to be expected this time of year, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it!

Just to give you an idea of how crunched for time I have been, I actually went on a short trail ride at dusk and ended up riding in the dark.  Do not be alarmed.  We went with our trusted trail buddies, Cisco and his mom, and we stayed close to home. This is not the first time that we have explored the darkened trail, familiar yet surprisingly mystical as the sunlight disappeared between the trees.  The best part of our walk was the end, because when we turned onto the sandy path in the clearing, we found ourselves facing a beautiful sunset.  The orange horizon called us home.  Harley was marching with the most gorgeous walk ever.  If only he could reproduce that in the dressage arena!

A few days later I made some time to ride while the sun was still up.  After a little walk around the paddock, we entered the riding ring and began our warm up.  Harley felt...

...like he was on vacation.  He was walking at a snail's pace, although he did stretch to the bit when I picked up the reins a little, but unfortunately for him, I remembered that awesome walk during our nighttime trail outing.  So I proceeded to energize my horse.  I walked energetically with my seat and if he did not match my energy (he didn't) I nudged with my legs.  If that didn't motivate him (it didn't either), then I tapped with the whip and I did not stop tapping until he was trotting.  With repetition, Harley finally decided that it was okay to work again.  His forward-thinking kicked in 100% once we started trotted and I repeated the energizing by tapping him into the canter.  Then his motor shifted into overdrive and we were officially ready to ride!

Our canter warm up included practicing flying changes.  Although this may not seem like a warm up activity, Harley really enjoys them so these serve as a motivator as well as training in their own right.  I love how I can feel him thinking when we work on flying changes.  We often practice on the straight away of the diagonal (purist dressage-style), but lately I have been using a large figure eight instead.  The circle helps me help him to remain balanced and consistent in his tempo.  The right to left change is nearly reliable in the figure eight exercise and has improved in smoothness.  I do not have to prepare by putting my current outside leg on to engage his future inside leg before the change.  Instead, I sit tall in the saddle and very clearly switch my legs as I look in the new direction.  He does a flying change nearly every time.  Sometimes I feel that he changes behind first and then in front in the very next stride, but many of the changes are in one jump and feel clean.  I expect the consistency to improve with practice.  His anticipating in this direction is just about gone.

If I approach the left to right change in the same nonchalant manner, he does not do the change.  He may do a cute little one-trot-stride change or he changes behind before I ask.  I have found that if I offer the outside leg preparation as described in the previous paragraph, then he is able to make the change with a nice strong jump.  The left lead is his less balanced leg, so I imagine this is why he has more difficulty switching leads.  The circle definitely benefits our training in this direction, which is why I am taking advantage of this school figure.

A nice walk break followed our warm up.  Once I picked up the reins again, Harley was completely with me.  Yes!  We continued in walk and practiced the shoulder-in to renvers exercise from Second Level.  I love this exercise.  When we ride shoulder-in in walk, I can visually evaluate his bend from nose to tail by looking back at his tail.  Then I reverse my bending aids and he assumes renvers (haunches-out).  I can see and feel the new bend.  It is really neat and an excellent suppling exercise.  I am so grateful to have learned these lateral movements when I was training with my original dressage instructor.  They are invaluable.  At first, Harley adjusts his head carriage in the bend change and comes above the bit.  Except for some gentle requests to flex at the poll in the bend change, I allow him this adjustment room as long as I feel the bend changing behind the saddle.  With repetition, the exercise improves his suppleness, throughness, and response to my aids which is readily visible as the carriage adjustments and coming above the bit melt away. 

Dressage movements do not need to ridden perfectly to be beneficial.  Often signs of resistance are really just signs of stiffness, which the exercise brings to light and then targets and benefits.  This is one of the many reasons why I love dressage.

We repeated the shoulder-in to renvers in trot.  In some ways this was easier, because Harley had impulsion to carry him through the bend change, but there is also less time to make adjustments.  I try to keep the transition of bend slow, because he tends to get a little over-reactive and swing his quarters around rather than softy changing from the middle.  Like the flying change, this type of exercise is challenging, but seems to be very motivating.  Harley is definitely a thinking horse.  Some of his apathy at the beginning of our ride was probably in part due to the fact that the short rides we have gotten in have been little walk/trot/canter jaunts to keep him loose and somewhat conditioned.  Harley's attentiveness increases with the difficulty of the exercise as does his forwardness.  These qualities make him very enjoyable to work with, as long as the attentiveness does not boil over into over-reactiveness and hotness, which are both destructive to learning.  Thankfully, Harley has discovered how to be effortful and calm at the same time.  I am very proud of this, but it is never far from my mind how many years it has taken for us to develop this working relationship.

Post-ride cooler.  Harley is ready for a black-tie affair!

Remembering To Be Thankful

Post-ride celebratory noms.

Add some carrots and you will have Harley's ideal Thanksgiving dinner.

I am thankful for a loving husband, Mom, and Dad, a caring extended family, a supportive and fun barn family and friends, a creative and challenging occupation, wonderful students and colleagues, a warm and cozy home, a ten-year-old Honda Civic that is still going strong, cheerful and chattering budgies, a smart and entertaining cockatiel, the health of my family and friends...

...and, of course, my horse, Harley.

I am so grateful for my sound, sane, fun-loving, energetic, versatile, and intelligent little buckskin quarter horse.  I am thankful every day and every time that I see his kind eyes, caress his soft muzzle, and swing my leg over his back.  Just how did I get this lucky?

Harley, always ready for action!

 Experiences outside of the usual, like the Turkey Trot, reveal Harley's character to me in ways that riding at home and in the arena cannot.  Pluck us out of our home and deposit us in an unfamiliar, busy environment with lots of different horses and riders who also exemplify numerous styles and philosophies of riding and Harley's preciousness will begin to shine through.  Take one of the last big canters in one of the last big fields of our ride for example.  A group took off in front of us and even though I am sure Harley wanted to run too, he did not tighten a muscle.  After I waited for some space between us and the group, I  whispered for Harley to canter and off he went, but it was not a breakneck speed, rushing-to-catch-up kind of canter.  His strides were big and ground-covering, which gained on the pack, but his ears continuously swiveled back to me.  His back was steady and comfortable.  It felt like the safest place in the world.  In mid hand-gallop, I checked to see if my horse would come back to me and Harley impressively shifted gears to a more dressage horse type canter, with an arched neck and rounded back.  I praised him immensely and then let him stretch forward again.  It is such a good feeling to be going at speed in a huge field, with a group of fast-moving horses ahead of you, and your horse still sees you as his leader and his first priority.  I know that Harley has a strong sense of self-preservation and after experiencing field jaunts and steep, descending slopes in the woods, I feel that it would be reasonable for me to conclude that he extends this self-preservation to me.  Thanks for keeping me safe, sweet Harley.

I have not forgotten you, my Blogger Friends!  I am thankful for your visits, your comments, insights, advice, anecdotes, and your blogging stories, photos, and experiences.  Sharing our lives with horses makes the journey so much more fulfilling and enjoyable.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Love,
Val and Harley

We Are Turkey Trotters

Guess what?  Harley is a prize winning trail horse.  What does this mean?  Well, on Sunday we went in the 13th Annual Turkey Trot pleasure ride/drive at the Horse Park of New Jersey.  We were entered in the open division and rode the long course which is about eight miles through Assinpink Wildlife Management Area.  The Turkey Trot is a very casual/fun competition and certainly not a competitive trail ride, but there is an undisclosed optimum time and we were only 2 minutes and 49 seconds off the optimum time of 2 hours, 12 minutes and 25 seconds.  My team mate and I were awarded third place!
Go Harley!

My husband jokes that this means we were the third "most average", but I will take third out of 28 teams any day!  This was a repeat performance as team Harley and team Winston (our trail mates) were also third last year, but out of 41 teams.  Can you imagine that many competitors in a dressage competition?  Well, I cannot, but maybe you can!

Since the optimum time was not disclosed and we were not armed with any kind of GPS or odometer, we could not really try to keep pace, although we guessed that the optimum would be close to two hours like last year.  I used common sense and my horse's well-being as my barometer, walking in the wooded areas, trotting along short, open sections of trail, and taking advantage of fields for a nice canter.  This is exactly what we did last year, which leads me to believe that whomever determined the optimum time uses the same horse-centered pacing strategy.  I think that many riders are more interested in having fun and finishing quickly than trying to hit an optimum.  In fact, maybe they are trying to get as far under the optimum as possible!  We had fun and made it back to the trailer with plenty of spunk.  In the picture above, it looks like Harley is ready for round two!

FYI: I may have been wearing my new helmet camera...

Horsey Playground Video and a Surprise

My husband was kind enough to play videographer today.  Since we are always chasing time and now the setting sun, this was a special treat.  Thanks, Honey!

A horse girl's favorite combination

This video reminds me that I am fortunate to have a thinking horse.  Harley never ceases to amaze me with his versatility.  When the teeter-totter was newly constructed, everyone on the farm brought their horses up to the new toy to see how each horse would react.  We get really excited about those sorts of things.  I must say that I have a very fun-loving barn family!

We have several level-headed trail horses, so more than one successfully "walked the plank" with little encouragement.  I am proud to report that Harley was among them.  After allowing me to lead him across the teeter-totter in both directions, we tried it under saddle.  This was no problem at all, and I actually felt a lot more comfortable on his back.  I do not want to lose a toe should I step too close to the plank from the ground.  Even under saddle, I must admit that the drop of the teeter-totter does unnerve me a bit.  Thankfully, Harley does not feed off of my hyper-cautiousness.  After-all, he is a reformed "yahoo horse".  ;)

Well then, let's go!

YA-HOO!

How about another perspective?

My husband also never ceases to surprise me.  He gave me a helmet camera for my birthday, which was why we could not resist heading to the barn to try it out!  Now that is my idea of excellent birthday plans.  I am easy to please, as long as you disregard the super expensive pet and riding habit.  My husband is so understanding.

I love you, Honey.  Thank you for a great birthday!