My Barefoot Horse: Ch-ch-changes!

 Change is in the air.

Changing seasons,
clothing,
footwear,
hooves,
turnout routine,
and some flying changes!

(Since the show is over, we are not stuck in counter canter mode anymore.  He was very happy!)

And more hay for me!  *Celebrate*

Harley's turnout routine has been changed to turnout for the daylight hours only.  He will remain stalled during the nighttime, with his buddies in the barn, and will enjoy a half-bale all to himself.  The major benefits of keeping him stalled at night are:

-Hopefully better maintenance of weight and condition as he will be out of the elements.  The barn is pretty warm with nine horses.
-He will not have to share his hay with his buddy.  This should also help him keep warm and maintain condition.
-The barn owners do not have to worry about getting to his paddock in bad winter weather or dark, cold nights.  My words, not theirs.  They would definitely keep him out at my request.

The major detriments are:

(You guessed it)

-His feet 
-Less movement
-Being confined to one's own bathroom for the night
-Less space to lay down or roam as the body sees fit.  I do notice that he tends to stock up behind when stalled at night.  I hope that this decreases as his body acclimates to less than 24/7 turnout.

I have left him out all winter for the past two years, except for the worst, snowiest parts of the season, but I was not happy with the amount of condition that he lost.  He never showed signs of being cold (no shivering, thick winter coat, often out in the middle of his paddock hanging with his buddy even though he has a shed, cheerful in temperament, etc.), but he also does not have extra poundage to spare.  Such are the woes of the owner of a hardkeeper.  I have discussed blanketing with my vet, but she did not seem real keen on the idea.  Blanketing actually freaks me out.  I have been looking on line, but I am just so worried about messing with his own thermoregulation.  More hay is the best way to maintain heat and the only way to ensure that he gets his ENTIRE share is if he is not out with his buddy.  Being out alone is not a good option either.  Did I mention that he has jumped out of his paddock before?

So here are some "Before" shots of his lovely feet.  I plan on cataloging the condition of his frogs especially as he endures more than half of his day in a 12' by 12' box.  That sounds pretty negative of me.  I apologize.  It is just that turnout is an important factor in the equation to healthy bare feet and I do not slave away all year long so that his feet can fall too pieces between November and March.  Sigh.  If he keeps the pounds and the changes in his feet are not too serious, than I guess it will be worth it.  I need an effective winter routine before he becomes a senior and really has trouble holding weight.  Senior horse.  That's like thirty, right?

Right front: still with grit from our ride (four days after his last trim)

Right hind: The inside bars are looking straighter and the outside bars are getting there.

Left front: I think these bars are almost where they should be (un-crushed).  I just trimmed them a few days ago.  These photos are more than a week old.  Feet do not stay the same for long!

Left hind: The outside bars on the hinds are the wonkiest, but I do see improvement.  They were more pulled forward in photos from earlier this year.  Again, I am not trying to make them straight.  I am keeping them trimmed to the level of the sole to benefit the health of the caudal hoof and letting them change at will.  I think that I see a little decontraction, but it is difficult to tell, because he started off with a nice set of feet.  Lucky boy.

As for my feet, I have been regularly riding in my jacket or fleece vest and I just unleashed the Rimfrost!

Hello Toasty Toes!

I wanted to buy these boots two falls ago, but decided against them for some reason.  Then we had a very, very cold and snowy winter.  My toes froze more times than I could count even with thinsulate socks and enough so that I remembered my pain up until the following autumn.  I snatched up these Mountain Horse Rimfrost boots last year with a coupon.  OH. MY. GOODNESS.  I have never experienced winter riding without the bitter sting of cold feet when I dismount my horse.  These boots really work!  They are warm, waterproof, easy to clean, difficult to damage, have reflectors on the outside of the calf for trail rides, and are cut short so there is no wear-in or "drop" period to survive before they feel comfortable.  The first time that I rode in these babies, was on an 8-mile Turkey Trot ride.  That was nuts!  I was certain that I would come home with massage blisters, but I was so comfortable and warm that I completely forgot that I was wearing new boots.  The only flaws that I can find in these boots are that they ARE clunky, so don't expect the elegant look of a tall boot, they are not very comfortable for walking (on two legs), and I am not sure how they would fit a taller rider.  The calf height is perfect for me, but a taller rider might find them too short in the calf.  Just a speculation, as I am in no position to judge and my height is one thing that WILL NOT be changing anytime soon!

The 100th Post

The century mark.

Hard to believe it was only four months ago that I was writing the 50th post, and four months before that was just the beginning of Memoirs of a Horse Girl!

Writing in the blogosphere has offered some unforeseen rewards.

Blogging releases stress!

With the school year in full swing, I find myself setting aside time to write.  Even when I do not have time to go to the barn and see my horse in the flesh, I can relive our adventures, reflect on our progress, and peruse photos from my computer.  This is almost as much fun as seeing Harley.  Okay, not quite, but it does offer some solace when I realize that the barn-free days fill more than then their share of the week.  Completing a nice post is quite satisfying and even more so when I get to read and respond to your comments!  I love that part.  I feel connected to a broad group of horse people with whom I can share, commiserate, support, and learn.  That is no small thing.  In fact, I feel like I am a part of something bigger than myself, even though I contribute from the comfort of my own home.

Blogging is a training and trimming aid!

I have found this to be true in the form of reflection, record-keeping, and by reading your blogs.  As I continue to learn and relearn as many aspects of dressage, training, and horse care as I can fit into my week, I use this blog as a means to share information and evaluate my understanding.  I know riding will continue to be a re-education for me, because as reiterated by my fellow bloggers, there are many, many layers of understanding in riding.  For example, the outside rein is never just the outside rein and neither is riding from the inside leg to the outside hand.  Trimming is far from the answer or the whole picture for healthy hooves, but exploration and practice will lead me to a broader grasp of that answer.  Thank you for sharing in the "My Barefoot Horse" posts.  I was a little worried that those posts might turn readers away or diffuse interest.  I have been delighted with the response and plan to continue these records of my work and my horse's feet.  It did prompt me to add a "Disclaimer" to the bottom of my blog, however.  I do not want anyone to risk the injury of themselves or their horse, because they try something that I am doing with my horse.  I find horse people to be very responsible, thoughtful people, so I am not terribly worried, just mindful of the climate of a society based in liability.  I hope the cheerful photo next to the disclaimer shows that my intentions are good and that I only want the best for anyone who might visit my blog in pursuit of information.

"If you cannot explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."  -Albert Einstein

As a middle school science teacher, I am faced with the reality of this quotation on a daily basis.  I do not like to oversimplify, as I feel that robs learners of some of the sense of accomplishment, but I do understand the lurking feeling that "I can explain this better or demonstrate that more clearly, if I can just get around to the other side of the concept."  More than once I have addressed a question in one of my science classes, a question that I may have answered numerous times, only to realize that I am thinking about the question in an entirely new light, which requires that my answer change accordingly.  This is part of what makes science an exciting field of study and part of what turns some away from it.  Few concepts are as cut and dry as gravity, and even then mass and distance are critical factors determining the gravitational force between objects as unworldly as planetary bodies.  Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, center of balance directs the effects of gravity on the horse-human centaur in profoundly useful and challenging ways.

Anything but simple, cut and dry, or black and white, dressage nestles nicely between science and art and so I find myself sandwiched between the two on a regular basis, in the classroom and in the saddle.  Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.  I hope Einstein would agree with me in saying that not knowing something well enough should not be the death of explanation, but the motivation to know more, to understand more, and then to explain the new working hypothesis of one's understanding.

So with that, I look forward to many more posts, learning, sharing, and personal growth as the gravity of the blogosphere pulls me closer to its center and closer to the heart of the matter.  Please take the final quotation, not as a darkness which we can never fully understand, but as darkness that can only be illuminated by realizing its existence and striving to shine the light.

"Science has 'explained' nothing; the more we know the more fantastic the world becomes and the profounder the surrounding darkness."  -Aldous Huxley

Riding Reflection: Keeping It Real With The Outside Rein

I have only ridden Harley three times since our little dressage show adventure.  Twice we worked on homework from the judge.  In between those rides, we went on a NINE horse trail ride!  That was a new record for us and we got to lead the way for some parts of the trail.  My absolute favorite part of the ride was near the end, because we were coming home and most of the walking (read: gaited) horses wanted to move out, so we picked up a trot in front of the pack.  We had a couple walkers on our tail, but not for long!  I gave Harley the "okay" to canter and he picked up such a beautiful, lofty, left lead canter that I hardly recognized my horse.  He felt like he was cantering in slow motion with huge, elegant strides and a blur of trees on either side of us.  His feet seemed to only lightly touch the ground and his back was so round and easy to sit.  The woman behind us called for us to stop and wait at the next intersection in a clearing, so I brought him back to trot and he halted with draped reins and a little fancy trot on the spot.  So gorgeous.  He must have gotten our follower's attention, because she reached out a hand to his nose as she passed us.  He snorted and arched his neck so that his mane hung like a curtain over his topline.  She whispered an "easy boy" to him as I mused that I was riding a wild horse, momentarily calm, granting me passage through the wilderness.  We waited like a scout, as the entire group passed us to move onto the next trail through the woods and then we took up the rear and walked home with Harley relaxed and on the buckle.  It was great!

Our ring rides were equally fun, but in a completely opposite way.  I have been riding along with my imaginary catalog under my outside upper arm with fabulous results.  The funny thing about riding this way, is that I feel like I have a new barometer for our level of throughness.  When my outside arm is "connected to my body", as the judge described, I am much more aware of the contact which my seat has with the saddle.  This in turn, allows me to feel if Harley's hindlegs are engaging and lifting his back.  If I put my legs on or gently nudge with my seat or use the whip, I am now acutely aware of whether the aid has gone through his body or not.  The even more interesting thing, is that many times, the aid does not go through.  The energy travels from behind and leaks out in an unproductive way before reaching the bridle or he never starts the push from behind.  This was not really a disappointment to me.  I already knew that we needed to improve our consistency, which is why I do things like try to train him to be responsible for forward energy and ask him to be soft if he tightens his neck. Now, I feel like I have a new tool.  I keep my outside arm glued to my side, and I try to keep my chest open and projected, as I think "proud rider".  A seemingly simple positional correction has changed the quality of the feedback that I recieve from Harley.

For as much as he loves to go, Harley is often resistant in the upward transitions.  His resistance is more detectable when I keep my outside rein.  I only have to allow my outside elbow to come unglued a tiny bit for Harley to "waste" energy through that little door in the outside of my position.  Riding is a two-way street.  Perhaps, he does not step through, because I am not making that a viable option by being consistent and supportive with my position.  When he is resistant in the transition, the first step of the new gait is of lesser quality.  When he steps through the rein, the first stride of the new gait is of better quality, balance, and lightness.  I do not have to scramble to half-halt or correct our balance, because the transition itself served as a balancing aid.  We practiced many walk-trot-walk transitions.  I was not willing to accept any resistance in the transition.  I was also very vigilant of my own position.  This was as much of a challenge for me, as it was for Harley!  I want to give that rein away so badly, but when I can coordinate myself to keep the rein, Harley can step through and lift his shoulders into the next gait.  We played around with this in the canter transitions, too.  There seems to be a world of difference between maintaining my position and holding him back with force.  I do not want to do the latter and he will not tolerate it, but thankfully, this new exercise feels far from confining.  The new balance achieved is quite liberating!

Quality over quantity.

Short, meaningful lessons reinforcing our new practice.

As winter approaches and we wind down for the year, that is my goal.

I am so impressed by what Harley knows and what he can do.  Counter canter is coming along.  We have a new, more balanced approach to lengthenings.  After our outside-rein work, he offered super straight leg yields, very correct feeling shoulder-in, and haunches-in with no more than a hint and a suggestion from me.  I will allow him to practice some more flying changes before the ground freezes, but what is really important is the basic work.  Getting everything as correct as possible, my position and Harley's.  For balance.  For health.  For longevity.  For enjoying each other's company.

And, maybe, for the occasional horse show.  ;)

Oh, and how many times can a rider rediscover the outside rein?
I have certainly lost count.
Here's to many more!