The Big Trot On Video

I wrote a memoir post a little while back about my experience learning to ride lengthenings and Harley's newly-offered big trot.  Just to sum it up, my riding education has not directly included lessons to ride a big trot beyond a First Level lengthening.  Fortunately, I have an amazing teacher who focuses entirely on the basics and my position and encourages me to be a thinking rider so that I might apply the skills that I learn to my love of dressage.  Combine this with my horse's generous nature and my belief that he can do just about anything, and you have a recipe for some exciting things to unfold.  When my husband offered to take photos and video at the beginning of June, I felt obligated to take advantage of the opportunity to "see" what Harley and I were doing when we accomplished his new, bold trot.  Video is an immensely helpful training tool.  This cannot be understated when one embarks on training a dressage horse and mostly solo.

I like the videos which I have posted below, because you can see Harley and I working toward the objective.  This is a snapshot of our training.  You will not see perfection in either of us.  This is about the third time that I have asked Harley to produce his big trot down the long side after a bit of canter to put his weight over his hind end, so the process of getting there is quite rusty.  When everything falls into place, Harley powers forward with longer strides and I just try to stay in the middle of our balance.  I am happy to report that the photo below reveals that what I thought I was feeling is exactly what Mr. Harley was doing.  Check out the elevation of the diagonal pair.  Please also notice that there is a slight loop in the rein.  Although I had to increase the rein pressure to show him that I wanted him to keep his weight off his shoulders before the big trot, once he finds his balance he pretty much does it himself.  The feeling is exhilarating!  This is one of those things that I was not sure that I would ever get to experience.  I am thankful for my generous horse.

Go Harley!

In the videos you will see that my priority at the beginning of each long side is to remind Harley to keep his weight back.  His head will be up, but this does not bother me.  When he finds his balance with the power to open up his stride, his frame "snaps into place" all on its own.  No fiddling, flexing, or driving necessary.  In fact, my legs are passive at this point.  He is supplying the power and I am just directing it and suggesting where it should go.  His personality is such that he loves anything where he really gets to push off with his hind end so he accepts the invitation.  You will also see this as he displays some bouncy shenanigans and a flying change or two.  You may also be able to see that we do not have great control of the power of the big trot at this point.  We have improved since the time of this video (early June), but the corners here are a bit precarious.  I especially dislike a couple strong inside hand pulls that I commit in the far corner of the ring, but if my memory serves me, it felt like we were about to careen into the fence!  You will also see a mega-half-halt before that same corner.  I needed Harley to curb his enthusiasm enough to acknowledge the turn ahead.  Harley's best efforts are the ones when he approaches the camera.  The last effort is conservative, but I wanted to end with a controlled corner.  In later rides, we got much better at maintaining balance and control after the big trot and practiced it across the short diagonal as well as the long side.

So for your viewing pleasure:
My 15.1 hand quarter horse big-trotting his little...scratch that...
...BIG heart out.  Enjoy!

Here we are going to the right.  Harley had lost most of his steam at this point, but he still offered a nice effort the second time around, so we ended with that.  His elevation in front was not as impressive, but his balance in the loading diagonal pair was very good to my eye and something to strive for in all his big gait efforts.

Loading phase even across the diagonal pair.

All four off the floor in trot!

The Power Is Back

Monday morning during 5 am coffee time in the driveway.

Last night, we were finally able to eat out for dinner.  We did not feel like cooking on the Coleman camping stove again, although I was getting pretty good at making temporary cookware out of aluminum foil and my husband could switch out a propane tank like it was going out of style.

No grill in the backyard.  We were planning on getting one at the "after holiday sales" before the storm ever came to life.

Camping in our garage.  Except for the excessive heat, it was actually kind of fun.  I am sure that I would not be writing that if we did not get our power back yet.

"Roughing-it" means instant coffee and it was actually pretty good instant coffee.  Our house was still standing, our water was running, and our pets and family were safe, so this was really just an inconvenience.

Reading Little House on the Prairie and watching the TV show as a kid turned out to be practical training, although I did not have a washboard or clothes pins.  I made up my own wash cycles: spin, doggie paddle, individual dunk, group dunk, soak and rinse.  This is how I must amuse myself when Husband is at work and I do not have internet access.  Oh yeah, and you go through clothes really fast when it is hot with no air conditioning.

The dryer was efficient and totally green!

The birds were fine.  I guess it is easier to keep cool when one is tiny!

Some nonessential stuff got done, too.  I had been meaning to plant these zinnias...

...and mulch the garden.  Those pinks are dianthus.  I planted them thinking they were annuals, but they come back every year sending out hundreds of blooms in early spring.  They are just about into their second bloom of the season.

Parrot Garden with geraniums and lamb's ear.

Insect-watching became "substitute internet".  Thankfully, my camera was charged. 

The bumblebees love the lavender.

We finally got the power back last night around 9 pm.  We could hear our neighbors cheering!  I am so glad that all we had to deal with was a lack of power and am very grateful that everyone was safe.  That was the longest that my husband and I have ever been without power in our lives at about 90 hours.

Storm's End

The storm was Friday night.  My husband and I woke at one in the morning to the sky flashing like a strobe light.  The lightning was oddly silent.  I remember asking, "Where is the thunder?"

We retreated to the basement, fearing that a tornado was upon us.  The wind was bending the trees in our neighbor's yard like blades of grass.  This was nothing like Hurricane Irene, at least not as experienced in southern New Jersey.  There had been no warning and somehow "thunderstorms" on the forecast just didn't prepare us for the intensity of that storm.

After a very frightening hour, the storm ended.

The large riding arena.

After checking our house, our family, and searching in vain for a place selling coffee, we stopped at the barn.  We had to park our cars at the end of the driveway, because there were trees down everywhere.  Our immediate neighborhood was okay, except that we lost power, but the farm was a mess.  Just a week ago, we had our Open House so the place was neat as can be.  The last of the logs from tree removal had been carried away, and now we have to start all over again.

There are our trot poles from the other day.  The large pine has since been hacked to pieces and reduced to a very large pile of pine cones and branches in the middle of the ring.  Most of the trunk is still on the other side of the fence.

My husband and I joined the clean up crew of eight.  The heat index was over one hundred degrees.  We walked buckets of water to Harley and his buddy all day long.  They drained every one.  We drained many water bottles, too.  The barn owner bought lunch for us, but this was no small feat, as nearly all the traffic lights were out and only one store, a ShopRite, had power and was open.  It was a mad house!

The priorities were to remove trees from fencing and pathways and then repair fencing.  Harley's paddock was the worst and the really scary part is that he and his buddy were out during the storm.  This is one of the downsides of 24/7 turnout, although I am sure that there are plenty of justifications for not bringing a horse in during a storm.  Barns are not fortresses and things can go very wrong in the barn, but I do not like to think about those things.

Harley's paddock

We replaced the top section of fence.  If you have worked with this vinyl stuff before, then you know that it is not particularly user friendly.  Sturdy, though.

Thank goodness the horses were clear of the falling trees.  About five went down in Harley's paddock alone.  I cannot imagine what they must have been thinking.

The best sight ever!

Harley was decidedly not traumatized and very interested in his neighbor's hay net.

The flies were as bad as the heat wave.  Harley tried running and bucking to dislodge the pesky insects.

I am sure that the two horses comforted each other during the storm.  They stuck together like glue all day.

Hay is pretty comforting, too.

Lucky, lucky boy and lucky me.  That was too close for my comfort!

Even though the storm ended nearly 72 hours ago, we are still dealing with the aftermath.  Besides the trees, fencing, and rubble, we are also without power during a heat wave.  Thankfully, a generator was provided by a friend so that the water pumps can deliver water to the horses and the house.  We have city water at home, so we are okay in that respect, but it is so hot!  We also have to cook with our camping stove and sleep in the basement.  Oh yes, and no internet or electronics until Husband charged some things at work today.  As I type this, the battery on my laptop is draining faster than I can type.  No wonder I am sweating!

Apparently, the storm that hit us is called a "Rare Derecho Storm".  I sure hope this kind of storm is rare!  I expected damage like this after Hurricane Irene, not a seemingly random weather event.  I know that it was not random to Mother Nature, but we were definitely blindsided.  I am grateful that everyone, people and pets, are safe as some were not as fortunate, but I would really, really like to have the air conditioning back soon!