Kate from A Year With Horses and I trailered Scout up to Wisconsin yesterday afternoon. He settled in quickly, due in part that he's been there before, and I think, the overall vibe of this barn and it's horses is low key. It isn't fancy, but it's clean and the folks who own it are kind. Scout loves the huge window to the outside he can stick his head out of.
I'm sure Kate will have a detailed synopsis of all the 8 horses and riders who worked today. She audited all day. I'm gonna concentrate on myself and a couple others. I missed a lot of the rides because I didn't arrive until 9:30 and had to leave at 4pm to get home to the sitter and boys. Chris took some time off work to be with me today. Great hubby! He worked from the car on his laptop and made calls as I drove.
As soon as we arrived Kate told me she had turned Scout out in one of the round pens earlier and he had quite a time blowing off some energy. He's used to being out all day, so the stall thing may be hard for him. I'm so grateful to her for getting him out. I fed him, checked his water, and then went out to watch the end of the 9am ride. I guess the gal had taken a spill earlier in her ride due to nerves and tenseness. She was alright, a little embarrassed, but she had a good ending from what I saw.
Next a young white gelding was being worked in the round pen by his trainer. The horse had progressed to saddle well and was being ridden. His green owner had a spill on him and he was at the clinic to be helped thru his struggle. This horses demeanor was truly one of "something's out to get me" He was really wound up tight. This session was really interesting to me. As the horse trotted/cantered around the pen his moves were stiff and exaggerated. He didn't just turn his head, he swung his whole body around to look at something. Mark noticed that the horse wasn't breathing rhythmically with his gait. Can't keep a canter if you can't breathe, so he kept trying anything to stop cantering. It took a long time to get him to breathe at the canter, many many laps...he was holding his breath he was so wound up! Finally we heard some pattern to his breathing and his whole body changed, rounding, lengthening, his eye softened, amazing stuff! He wasn't being mindlessly run around the pen, just kept cantering until he managed to get himself soothed and relaxed and breathing with every stride, then he rested. And then off again. Every time he got the rhythm quicker and easier. By the end he was a more relaxed horse. Can't wait to what happens with him tomorrow.
Scout and I worked on transitions. Not canter ones today. Had to start much slower with walk to trot and trot to walk. These have to be good first. What I learned today is he needs much less cue and now I have to expect more of him. We started getting some lovely floating up/down transitions with hardly any rein or leg. Mark showed me some techniques to use to feel very slight releases and go with the horse to the next gait. This is what I thought I was trying to do already, but I was missing pieces. Mark showed me/reminded me that I am a better rider and Scout's a better horse and things can be really soft. I need to slow the rythym, not the speed, so that the energy remains, but the gait changes. Scout really appreciated this new way of asking and started rounding up more willingly. It was really great to feel this. Hopefully we will continue to build on these concepts the next couple of days.
I gotta go to bed. Gotta be up early tommorrow.
I'm sure Kate will have a detailed synopsis of all the 8 horses and riders who worked today. She audited all day. I'm gonna concentrate on myself and a couple others. I missed a lot of the rides because I didn't arrive until 9:30 and had to leave at 4pm to get home to the sitter and boys. Chris took some time off work to be with me today. Great hubby! He worked from the car on his laptop and made calls as I drove.
As soon as we arrived Kate told me she had turned Scout out in one of the round pens earlier and he had quite a time blowing off some energy. He's used to being out all day, so the stall thing may be hard for him. I'm so grateful to her for getting him out. I fed him, checked his water, and then went out to watch the end of the 9am ride. I guess the gal had taken a spill earlier in her ride due to nerves and tenseness. She was alright, a little embarrassed, but she had a good ending from what I saw.
Next a young white gelding was being worked in the round pen by his trainer. The horse had progressed to saddle well and was being ridden. His green owner had a spill on him and he was at the clinic to be helped thru his struggle. This horses demeanor was truly one of "something's out to get me" He was really wound up tight. This session was really interesting to me. As the horse trotted/cantered around the pen his moves were stiff and exaggerated. He didn't just turn his head, he swung his whole body around to look at something. Mark noticed that the horse wasn't breathing rhythmically with his gait. Can't keep a canter if you can't breathe, so he kept trying anything to stop cantering. It took a long time to get him to breathe at the canter, many many laps...he was holding his breath he was so wound up! Finally we heard some pattern to his breathing and his whole body changed, rounding, lengthening, his eye softened, amazing stuff! He wasn't being mindlessly run around the pen, just kept cantering until he managed to get himself soothed and relaxed and breathing with every stride, then he rested. And then off again. Every time he got the rhythm quicker and easier. By the end he was a more relaxed horse. Can't wait to what happens with him tomorrow.
Scout and I worked on transitions. Not canter ones today. Had to start much slower with walk to trot and trot to walk. These have to be good first. What I learned today is he needs much less cue and now I have to expect more of him. We started getting some lovely floating up/down transitions with hardly any rein or leg. Mark showed me some techniques to use to feel very slight releases and go with the horse to the next gait. This is what I thought I was trying to do already, but I was missing pieces. Mark showed me/reminded me that I am a better rider and Scout's a better horse and things can be really soft. I need to slow the rythym, not the speed, so that the energy remains, but the gait changes. Scout really appreciated this new way of asking and started rounding up more willingly. It was really great to feel this. Hopefully we will continue to build on these concepts the next couple of days.
I gotta go to bed. Gotta be up early tommorrow.
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