Memoirs: A Horse Girl Goes To College

It is really easy to look back on one's life experiences and think, "I wish that I had had this opportunity" or "I wish that I had learned that when I had the chance" or "I wish that my parents had won the lottery and bought me a horse farm and schoolmasters and enlightened trainers" (okay, that last one sounds pretty good), but the truth is, when I look back, I was pretty lucky.  Actually, maybe luck isn't the right word.  I was reasonably opportunistic.  I grew up very close to Centenary College, home of one of the few colleges in the country to offer several majors in equine studies.  Founded in 1867 as a preparatory school, Centenary College was well-known (at least locally in New Jersey) as a four-year college offering a Bachelor's degree in horses.  Of course, I professed to go there for college one day, but my parents thought better of it.  They were not about to fund a trip to college to earn a degree in horses even if it was their daughter's passion.  My parents knew that passion rarely pays the bills, so, although I was disappointed at the time, I am glad that they steered me elsewhere for my undergraduate studies.  However, that does not mean that I missed the opportunity to learn at Centenary College.

The entrance to the main indoor arena and classrooms.  This huge arena and the building did not exist while I was taking lessons at Centenary College.

In 2009, I revisited Centenary College for a NARHA (now PATH International) Regional Conference for therapeutic horseback riding instructors.  The buckskin pictured is not Harley, but looks like it could be his cousin!

Blurry, but at least you get a feel for the Olympic-sized indoor arena.  Centenary hosts Intercollegiate Horse Shows in dressage and the hunter/jumper disciplines as well as the annual AA-rated Garden State Horse Show.

I started taking lessons at Centenary in middle school with one of my best friends.  It was actually her Mom who got us the "in", because she was an adjunct professor at the college.  We started taking lessons with one of the college students, Barbie, who was very unlike the famous doll.  Barbie was tall with a strong frame and a down-to-Earth smile, long, dark, wavy hair, and glasses.  She preemptively joked that her fiance was not named "Ken" whenever she met people, as that was usually one of their first questions.  Barbie was a hard-working college student.  She worked in the barn to help pay for her horse's board and she gave lessons to a few community riders, yours truly included.  She was prepared for the long-hours required by the horse business and had already been assigned numerous responsibilities at the stables as well as landed a few exercise gigs at local professional facilites.  She was kind and personable and exceedingly competent.  I was one lucky young rider to find myself under her watchful eye.

The outdoor arena where I had many, many fun lessons and rides.

Barbie taught us how to safely wrap a horse's legs, give a proper shower to a hot horse, and how to clean stalls to conserve bedding.  She let us ride extra horses during the summer in exchange for helping her clean stalls.  My friend and I would ride three horses a day, cleaning their stalls before we rode.  This was mutually beneficial, as Barbie had tons on her plate, the lesson horses needed to remain fit over the summer, and we were horse-crazy kids who needed to ride.

Even on a cloudy day, the cross-country fields are beautiful.  I remember being in awe of a daunting jump called "The Bear Trap".

I used to hack around this field and enjoyed cantering along the treeline.  I had a few jumping lessons out here, but they were over standards.  I was not experienced enough for the large jumps shown here.

Occasionally, Barbie saved enough money to have a lesson herself.  She bathed and primped her horse before the trainer arrived, explaining to us that you must never enter a lesson with anything but a spotless horse to show respect for your trainer.  I watched her ride her huge Cleveland Bay in a lesson one time.  Her horse's name was Pirate.  He had a black tail with waves just like Barbie's hair.  His tail was so long that it brushed the ground when he was standing still.  He is the only Cleveland Bay that I have ever seen in person.  He was stunning.

Pirate was a project horse, if my memory serves me.  He was big, strong and talented, but nervous for reasons that I did not know.  Barbie told us that some one experienced had told her that she would have her hands full retraining him with the insinuation that she should consider passing him up.  However, that was not Barbie's style.  I remember watching her canter Pirate around the indoor arena.  His hooves sounded like thunder and the wake of his movement through the air made me gasp in genuine awe.  They were so gorgeous together.  Despite whatever haunted him, Pirate had learned to trust Barbie to ride him, just as I had learned to trust her in my horse education.  That was my first glimpse of a horse and rider team that was so much more than a rider on a lesson horse.  I knew that I wanted that some day.

Barbie contributed to my early horse education in many positive ways.  She allowed me and my friend time to practice outside of a lesson by working for riding time.  This also taught us the importance of work ethic and that horses are not just about time in the saddle.  She chose horses for us to ride that were safe, but also challenged our abilities.  I remember riding a mare named Lena in one of my first lessons.  She was a tough ride for me, but a year later I was allowed to hack her on my own.  That was measurable progress to me.

Barbie arranged an opportunity for my friend and me to audit a Centered Riding clinic with a woman named Sandra, a high level Centered Riding Instructor.  I vividly remember some of the ground exercises that we did.  I also remember watching a women sit the trot as she had never done before and Sandra commenting that a very nice "shoulder-in" could be accomplished by rotating the torso.  I did not know what a shoulder-in was at the time, but the image of Sandra demonstrating it on her own two feet has stayed with me.  I also borrowed Barbie's copy of Centered Riding by Sally Swift and read it cover to cover.  I have since purchased my own copy, which rests on my coffee table.

The "small" indoor was the only indoor when I was riding there.  This is where I had my lunge lessons and watched Barbie ride Pirate.  What a beautiful facility and a true luxury.  I would not have an indoor at my next barn of ten years.

Of all these things and the countless wonderful lessons that Barbie gave to me, the absolute best was the series of lunge lessons.  This was her equine studies research project.  Barbie assessed our riding positions and balance before lunge work and then again after several weeks of only lunge line lessons.  I remember learning to post and sit the trot without stirrups and with my hands doing all sorts of exercises as we trotted in a circle around Barbie.  I was nervous at first, but Barbie had good control of the lesson horse and she knew when to push and when to encourage.  I loved her so much that I tried even though I was afraid.  I learned to initiate transitions from my seat and achieve balance in the canter.  The culminating exercise was cantering without stirrups, my arms stretched out like wings, and my eyes closed.  That was a remarkable improvement, as I used to fall off during every stirrup-less lesson at the hunter/jumper barn where I initially learned to ride.  The instructor just told me to hold on tighter with my legs.  Was she ever wrong!  Thank goodness Barbie showed me the light and took the time to teach me true balance and independence in the saddle.  She told us that she got an A from her professor for the research project.  To me, the experience was priceless.

By the time I reached high school, Barbie had graduated and (I believe) moved to Florida to become a big-time horse professional.  My friend and I were transferred to another willing college student for lessons, but it was never the same without Barbie.  She was one of those special teachers whose lessons stay with you forever.  I moved on to a private dressage barn by the beginning of ninth grade and in true dressage-instruction form, I had to relearn everything and discovered that I was doing almost everything wrong.  This included more lunge lessons, but I was very good at those!

Barbie's lessons of balance and confidence have endured keeping me firmly glued in the saddle over the years.  I have borrowed some of her exercises with my own students, sharing the story and how much lunge lessons helped my balance and confidence.  Thank you for taking the time with me, Barbie!  I am forever grateful.

Related links:
"Centenary College's Equestrian Program Teaches More Than Good Riding", The Chronicle of the Horse (2010)

Helmet Cam Jumping Video

During spring break, I wanted to do something fun and exciting with Harley.  A change of pace required a change of tack and some arena prep-work.  I brought out the jumping saddle and set up four small jumps, making a cross in the center of the riding ring.  I had already done my homework.  I thought it might be more fun to try a pattern then to just casually hop over a couple jumps.

Enter the cloverleaf.

I am not promising amazing success or tremendous obstacles, but I think that you will still find the video entertaining.  Harley certainly was game, even if his pilot was feeling a little rusty in raised stirrups.

Enjoy!

Just in case there is any confusion, we are normally "dressagers" not jumpers (I am sure that was obvious!).  Except for a couple inviting cross-rails left in the ring this winter, this was the first time that we have jumped since last summer.  I like to jump once in a while to mix things up a bit.  Harley seems to like jumping and can get pretty excited.  You may have noticed the wind pick up as he approached the jumps a couple times.  That was all Harley and his exuberance.  He is really fun to point at a little fence, because, win or lose, you know he is going to go for it.  Unfortunately, rushing at the fence does not do very much for our form and this is when he tends to knock things down.  I do my best to keep him in a steady pace and stay with him.

The cloverleaf turned out to be a very challenging exercise for us.  I am not sure if it qualified as a "fun" alternative, because it required so much focus and concentration.  The turns come up really quickly.  There were a couple times where I got stuck circling the jumps just trying to figure out how to get into the exercise.  Where do I begin?

We sort of completed a cloverleaf going to the right.  We tried it going to the left after this video clip, but we were not very successful.  Harley also seemed to be getting a little stressed out.  I think that we were over-faced.  The cloverleaf looks simple (just loop around to the next jump and keep the direction the same the whole time), but in practice, simple it is not!

If you happen to be a rider who goes in jump tack on a regular basis, I have major respect for what you do.  I am used to long stirrups and relaxed leg muscles.  I rode with shorter stirrups in my jumping saddle, but, in hindsight, I realized they needed to be a hole or two shorter.  I felt like I had to keep pushing my foot forward and my seat back.  The cut of the saddle is completely opposite to a dressage saddle, so my body was totally confused!  In fact, I think that I had an easier time hopping over those cross-rails this winter, because I was in my dressage saddle.  How are you supposed to use your leg when riding in jumping position?  I kept wanting to move my legs around to steer or rebalance Harley, but this just unbalanced me!  To be honest, I felt handicapped.  Any tips from the jumping folks are welcome.

No worries, though.  We still had a blast!

Buckskin Bloopers Video 2011

Happy 2012 Everyone!

Love,
Val and Harley

Video: Jumping Fun Day!

Harley has been such a good boy, that I felt it was about time for a fun day.  Cross-training or just a change of pace is so important for an athlete's mind and body, horse or human.  Sometimes our "Fun Day" is a trail ride.  Sometimes we play at liberty or free jump.  Groundwork (lungeing, long lining, or body awareness exercises) is also a great alternative.  Trick training is an enjoyable food-related option.

I was thinking about a trail ride, but a few horses went out and came back with chiggers, so that changed my mind.  Then, I remembered that I brought my jumping saddle home for a safety check and promptly forgot about it.  August has been a much more bearable month than July temperature-wise, so I brushed off my jumping saddle and decided that Harley was long overdue for some jumping fun!

Not trying to break any height records.  Just having some fun!

If you want some background information, I wrote about teaching Harley to jump in "Fun with Free Jumping".

A word about my jumping saddle.

I have a Wintec Jumping Pro, an old brown one with a wide channel, changeable gullets, faux suede covering the seat and knee rolls, and Cair panels.  It was a midnight impulse purchase on Ebay a couple years ago after a realized that my dressage saddle just wasn't cutting it for jumping.  I do not recommend impulse Ebay purchases or impulse saddle purchases of any kind, as I have been burned in the past, but this saddle has definitely earned its place in the tack room.  When Harley and I embarked on our long journey for a dressage saddle that fit both of us, this cheap*, used, jumping saddle was the only thing I could ride him in comfortably.  Or at least, he was comfortable.  I had to get used to hiked up stirrups and a seat that was much farther behind my feet than I was accustomed.  I also had to get used to riding without so much of my leg around the horse.  This contributed to the discovery that Harley hates (HATES) rider legs that go too far back.  Riding with my legs in the jumping position reinforced this, as I was unable to swing my lower leg near his flanks and he was gleeful at the handicap with which I was... eh hem... saddled.

*My husband does not think $400 is cheap.  Just wait until he gets bitten by the horse bug and goes saddle shopping for the first time!  ;)

I have a sincere appreciation for my jumping saddle, but I also have a love-hate relationship with this fuzzy, brown, synthetic piece of tack.  I love it, because it is light as a feather and the best, most comfortable saddle for jumping.  I am not speaking from a long list of jumping saddles here.  The truth is that I used to only ride in all-purpose saddles and now that I have ridden in dressage saddles and saddles cut for jumping, I have to say that a saddle designed for the job makes a world of difference.  All-purpose saddles are okay for lots of different activities, but do not really shine like a specialized saddle.  I do not fault them, because all-purpose was designed to be well-rounded!

Now my jumping saddle is no fun at the trot.  This is why I hate it.  Rising trot is a chore and a dressage rider is lost without her trotwork.  I have to constantly think about keeping my legs in front of me and my seat back towards the cantle, because otherwise I end up posting on the pommel (ouch!).  Harley loses impulsion, probably because he thinks I am going to fall off with all my fussing to keep all my body parts in place, and so I also have to remind my usually game horse to keep the pace.  After a few obligatory trot circuits I can hardly stand it, so we finally canter.

In the canter, the jumping saddle sings.

This saddle was made for cantering.  It was made for cantering and jumping.  Everything seems to fall into place and I forget that I am a dressage rider and I love to ride with relaxed leg muscles and my feet under my seat bones.  The jumps come up and the saddle just seems to put me in the right position all on its own.  It is not about the Wintec brand.  I have tried some of the Wintec dressage models and they did not give me the awe factor like the Jumping Pro.  Maybe if I jumped regularly or jumped large fences I would feel differently, but there is just something about this saddle.  It makes for a darn good fun day!

Here is a video of Harley and I having some fun with jumping.  This is the first time that we have jumped together since last summer, so the jumps are not meant to be mentally or physically taxing.  This is actually the first time ever that we have jumped a series of jumps continuously, which is probably why Harley breaks before the third jump.  When I urged him on, his reaction was

"Oh, this one too?  COOL!"

You will also notice that I circle around and repeat jumps that we bump or jump from the outside lead, because I want him to gymnasticize both leads, even if we are just having fun.  I ride very instinctively when I jump, because it was the first type of riding that I learned.  Not to be cliche, but it makes me feel like a kid again.

The last jump in the video felt the best.  He actually "locked on" and jumped with gusto.  I think that I need to make the other obstacles at least that size to get his attention.

Oh, and it would not be a fun day without a flying change.  Not in Harley's book.  ;)

Enjoy!

Riding Reflection: Trot Poles Are For Jumping?

We had a short workout yesterday.  I decided to give the "trot poles mixed with canter" exercise a try under saddle.  We practiced the lungeing exercise on Saturday and Harley was so relaxed.  He handled all the trot and canter transitions like a pro and adjusted to the trot pole distance very quickly.  He is so smart.

After a walk/trot warm up, we headed for the poles going to the right.  He tightened as he went over them the first time.  I clucked to him and circled for a return approach.  He started to speed up too much.  I went to slow him down, but then I stopped myself.  He was trying to get his energy up so that he could match the pole distance.  I needed to just let him be and allow the poles to regulate his pace.  The second attempt was better and by the third time he was able to reach over the poles and stretch into the bridle at the same time.  This was great.  I have often avoided trot poles, because he would tighten over them, reinforcing the hollowing muscle groups instead of the carrying ones.  I spend too much time and energy trying to dissolve those muscles to use an exercise that strengthens them, but thankfully, today it was working.

On a circle to the left, he repeated the tightening business as he stepped over the poles in trot.  I let him be for several circuits, but when his posture did not improve I decided to help.  I put my legs on before the poles and gave small, supportive nudges in rhythm with his steps as he moved over the poles.  At last his head and neck lowered and he relaxed.  I repeated this the next time around and then tried it without my legs.  He immediately hollowed.  Oh well, he needs more support from me in this direction; I was happy to oblige.

Once we had a nice rhythm going, I added the canter after the poles.  Harley really needs to open up his stride in order to relax and he does not collect very well unless he has had a chance to warm up with some big canters, so this exercise was going a bit against his typical routine.  As we approached the poles, I felt him put more power into his stride.  Like earlier in the ride, I resisted slowing him with my hands, because I wanted the poles to teach him.

I asked him to trot.

He trotted.

And then he leaped over the poles! 

Weeeeeee!

It was a nice smooth jump, and my body stayed with him even as my brain was like "Harley?".  I kept him in the canter for three-quarters of the circle, brought him back to trot, and he repeated the leap of faith over the poles.  Now, I just had to laugh.  Someone was having fun.

After he jumped them for the third time, and he missed his mark, knocking them askew, I decided that we were done with trot poles for the day.  Interestingly enough, our lack of success in completing the exercise did not rob him of the benefits.  A couple nice jumps had set his canter into a lovely tempo with delightful engagement and he carried this into the trot as we practiced transitions and changes of direction.  I threw in a little counter canter to avoid the disheveled trot poles and he blew threw his nose as he stretched secluded muscles behind the saddle.  He wanted to drop back to trot a couple times, but I encouraged him with my position and my voice.  I felt him dig in, as he rocked his hindquarters underneath himself and maintained gait.  I can feel his strength and stamina in canter improving with each ride, but I must coach him to pass his comfort zone and challenge his muscles.  At last, we trotted and I let him stretch.  There was not a tight muscle left in his body and I felt the same way.

I guess it might be best to leave the "trot poles mixed with canter" exercise for lunge work, since he seemed to benefit more in that venue.  And to be honest, I do not really enjoy circling over poles.  I got my horse's message though.  The jumping saddle has been dusted off and is home for a safety check.  Look out world, Harley is a jumping horse!

Fun with Free Jumping

A couple years ago, I decided to incorporate jumping as a cross training exercise.  I was hoping to give my horse an exciting alternative to dressage or trail rides.  I also wanted him to learn to lift his shoulders and think while in the canter.  To my knowledge, Harley had never jumped before so I started with the very basics: a tiny crossrail with a straight approach at the trot.

Harley was cooperative, but clearly had no idea how to jump with a rider on his back.  He obediently trotted over the crossrail, kicking it down about fifty percent of the time.  After the tenth or so attempt, I started to wonder if maybe he was just physically unable or unmotivated by the tiny obstacle.  Finally, I changed my strategy and asked him to nearly halt right at the base of the crossrail, then I encouraged him forward.  In slow motion, he lifted up his frontend and smoothly hopped over the crossrail.  I praised him like crazy and from then on he understood what I wanted him to do.  Our attempts, especially the early ones, were far from consistent and we had our share of graceless takeoffs, but we were having fun.  Slowly, Harley's canter began to improve in cadence and rhythm.  I tried to do my best to let the jump teach him to meter his strides.  My job was to keep him straight and stay out of his way.  It had been many years since I had done any serious jumping, so I tried my best to keep my learning curve from interfering with his.  He was very forgiving of my mistakes in the saddle.  I learned to "sit chilly" and go with flow, especially if he jumped too early or too late.  We had some very interesting takeoff points, but with each success our confidence in each other grew.  

I used groundwork to compliment the under-saddle jumping.  I wanted him to have some opportunities to just worry about himself and not packing me around.  He jumped on a long lead or lunge line without too much trouble.  Eventually, I tried setting up a single jump in the small riding ring.  Harley found this a delight and went over the poles with little encouragement.  To sweeten the deal, I started giving him carrots as a reward for a nice jump.  Not only did this reinforce the work in a way that Harley truly appreciated, he began self-regulating his energy levels much more effectively.  He was less likely to rip around the ring full throttle, because he knew what the objective was and when he had achieved it.  Do horses understand objectives?  Maybe not like we do, but he definitely understood when he figured out what I wanted and would repeat it with almost as little as a nod in the direction of the small jump.  Now we were genuinely having mutual fun and I gained valuable insight regarding how my horse learns. 

Here is a video example of Harley demonstrating free jumping on the right lead.  He is very confident in this direction and originally hopped over the jump from a walk.  His first approach was stunning.  I do believe that he was showing off, but unfortunately the camera was not ready.  His second approach is much more low key, but shows that he clearly understands his task and how to accomplish it.  I am standing behind the camera man, one of my barn owners.  Thank you for filming!

Next, Harley approached the same jump from the left.  He jumped a crossrail from this direction several times before I put up the two-foot vertical.  I know that he is less balanced on this lead and has more difficulty shifting his weight to his hindend, but I did not realize that he would balk at the jump.  Thankfully, the camera man was very patient as we repeated our approach several times.  

 

Harley tried to solve the problem in a number of ways.  He tried going around the jump and taking it from the other side.  He tried speeding up.  He tried speeding up more.  He tried galloping down the opposite long side and leaping into the air to show his frustration.  I have to be very careful in this sort of training situation with him.  If his energy level becomes too high, he stops thinking about the task and begins thinking about leaving.  If I stop asking him to complete the task, he learns that my requests are optional or that a tantrum is a viable option for a tough problem.  I did not reprimand him for going around the jump or even for his aerials after a failed attempt.  The gentlest form of punishment is repetition.  So although I did not tell him "Good Boy" or "No", I did calmly ask him to approach the fence from the left again, with judicious use of the whip and my body language.

Finally, he self-regulated his energy level (Go Harley!) and stopped in the corner facing the jump.  He was ready to think now and looks to me for direction.  He chose to approach the jump at the trot, which was very wise.  The task was to jump from the left, he did not have to canter.  He could have walked up to the jump and stepped over it and I would have rewarded him.  In the final approach he almost second guesses his options, but finally takes the plunge when I kiss to him.  I love the end of the video, because his demeanor is completely relaxed as he waits for the carrot.  My camera man could not resist some commentary.  It was very fitting!

I plan to return to this question on the line, and with a smaller obstacle until his confidence improves.  For a first jumping activity in 2011, I was very happy with his enthusiasm and springiness.  He really launched himself into the air a few times and those shoulders were lifting!  It is so wonderful to watch my horse reveling in his own motion and power.