Visions of Sugar Plums Dance in Her Head

Even with the extra stimulus of being indoors due to weather, Delphi's stablemate Bailey still manages to squeeze time for a nap in to her busy schedule:

What Horse-Sick Teenaged Girls Do in Their Spare Time

Hey, wait a minute....

Anyway, this is a cute video that seems to capture some neat moments between a dressage rider and his mount. Plus Matine reminds me of Delphi and her stablemate Bailey.

Snow Ponies

The Pursuit of Perfection

Quadrille is in the Air

A link to the USDF quadrille guidelines.

Possible music suggestion; what do you think of it?


More inspiration here.
And here:


And my favorite, the Trakehner quadrille:


Eight beautiful Trakehners:

The Learning Continues

Clips from our lesson with Karen Brown this week:

If Delphi Had a Second Job

It would be as an anatomy model:

These are the artwork of Gillian Higgins, sent to me by my trainer Karen Brown. Cool.

Canter Work on Center Line and Renver

Cantering straight down the center line, circling 10 meters off of it, cantering straight down center line, simple change of lead at x on the center line, cantering straight ahead down center line in the new lead, circling 10 meters off center line in the new direction then cantering straight ahead down center line (did I mention it should be straight?) sounds a lot easier than it actually is! Karen (of Center Line Training-heh) had us schooling just that during our lesson today. Remember to keep the horse straight by using both legs at the girth. For the canter depart from the halt or walk, keep your outside leg at the girth (AVOID putting your outside leg back which instantly causes crookedness) and use your inside seat bone to ask for the canter depart. If the inside seat bone does not illicit a prompt, crisp canter depart, you can "stomp" into the inside stirrup, and remember to keep your outside leg neutral! The key for nice 10 meter circles from the center line is (of course) GIVE THE INSIDE REIN and use the outside rein to bring the horse around a round, geometrically correct circle. Then straighten on the center line, keeping your eyes up beyond C and both legs at the girth.
We also schooled shoulder in to renver transitions. Establish the shoulder in, then prepare for the transition to renver by putting your leg that is to the interior of the arena back (your new "outside" leg) and your leg that is to the outside of the arena (your new "inside" leg) forward, ask the horse to change it's bend with your new "inside" leg but the haunches remain on the track to the outside of the arena and the forehand stays to the inside of the arena. To help establish the bend, "raise" the (new) inside rein and support the horse with the outside rein to allow the change of bend. Be sure to straighten at the end of the renver by moving the shoulders back "out," but not in a shoulder in, just in a true straight line along the track.
Phew! Fun lesson today and ironically Delphi does renver better than shoulder in. And her center line canter work did improve in straightness.

Top 10 Exercises to Become a Better Equestrian

10. Drop a heavy steel object on your foot. Don't pick it up right away. Shout "Get off, Stupid, GET OFF!"

9. Leap out of a moving vehicle and practice "relaxing into the fall." Roll lithely into a ball and spring to your feet.

8. Learn to grab your checkbook out of your purse and write out a $200 check without even looking down.

7. Jog long distances carrying a halter and a carrot. Go ahead and tell the neighbors what you are doing- they might as well know now.

6. Affix a pair of reins to a moving freight train and practice pulling to a halt. Smile as if you are having fun.

5. Hone your fibbing skills: "No, really, I'm glad your lucky performance and multimillion dollar horse won the blue ribbon. I'm just thankful that my hard work and actual ability won me second place."

4. Practice dialing your chiropractor's number with both arms paralyzed to the shoulder and one foot anchoring the lead rope of a frisky horse.

3. Borrow the US Army's slogan: Be All That You Can Be-- bitten, thrown, kicked, slimed, trampled, frozen...

2. Lie face down in a puddle of mud in your most expensive riding clothes and repeat to yourself "This is a learning experience, this is a learning experience, this is..."

1. AND THE NUMBER ONE EXERCISE TO BECOME A BETTER EQUESTRIAN: Marry money.

The Sleep of the Innocent

Only truly domesticated horses could sleep this soundly with people and dogs milling about.

To the Victor Goes the Spoils

A day off work and plenty of horse cookies and carrots to be specific. Job well done, Delphi. This time she truly "threw a little dirt on the judge's score card" at yesterday's Freestyle Farm schooling show.

More Second Level Feedback

Pam Grace was the judge at today's Freestyle Farm schooling show in Fulshear. Some of her comments:

• Halt: square and balanced 8
• Medium trot (test 1): first four steps very high quality, then cantered (7 crossed out) 4
  
• Medium trot (test 2): good from behind 8
• Halt, rein back: through and balanced 8
• Circle right and shoulder in: nicely through and connected; cover more ground with more energy 6
• Free walk and medium walk: good overstep and good stretch 8
  
• Counter canter: better 7
• Travers: above bit, lacks angle and bend 5
  
• 10 meter canter circle: above bit 5
• Simple canter change of lead: stiffening, trot steps 5
• Collectives: Smooth ride- encourage more engagement and throughness and Attractive horse- encourage better throughness and better engagement
  

Take home lesson: I need to be consistent in my aids to keep the throughness in all gaits and transitions, to keep Delphi supple through her back and her hindquarters engaged. Overall a better effort on Delphi's part.

Pieces of a Dream

Watch as Delphi schools elements of second level test one:

Inside Leg to Outside Rein

Seems so simple, and it is. I'm continuing to learn. The following is what I gleaned from an article in Practical Horseman (September 2009) by Kristina Harrison, given to me by my trainer Karen Brown.
Rhythmically squeeze with your inside leg as your horse's inside hind leg comes off the ground, then relax. This is what Karen calls "activate the inside leg." Concurrently regulate the forward energy with your outside rein so the horse balances her weight back on her hind end. When the horse rounds over her back and gives with her head, relax your inside leg and outside rein a little and allow the horse to travel in self carriage. If she picks up her head or slows her tempo, repeat your aids to connect her from your inside leg to outside rein. Guard against allowing your outside rein (and hand) to go forward; rather, keep your reins even, your outside elbow down, and your shoulders even. To prevent the horse from counter-flexing, be sure to use sufficient inside leg (and whip as needed) and keep your hands even as you take and relax the outside rein. To prevent evasion by raising her head up or out, guard against half halting too firmly with the outside rein. Rather, relax your outside rein enough to allow the horse to give, then use your inside leg to ask for more bend so she can relax forward and "down" to the contact. On the other hand be sure not to overbend to the inside by regulating the horse's balance by increasing the frequency of give and take on your outside rein.

The Daily Grind

Work-a-day schooling captured on video by Karen Brown:

The One Rein Stop in Action

Or, what a week of standing in a stall will get you.

Hooray for the one rein stop!

Mare Swap

Meet Bailey:
In our lesson Friday, Bailey's owner and I will be mare swapping. My friend will ride Delphi and I'll get to ride Bailey. A Jockey Club registered Thoroughbred and also registered in the Oldenburg main mare book, Bailey is Delphi's stablemate. Should be interesting to experience some forward medium canters, and also neat to see someone else piloting Delphi.

UPDATE:
Let it not be said that we chickened out, 'cause we so didn't. It turns out that the girls had to stay indoors due to weather so were especially fresh for their lesson, and Ceil and I sagely reasoned together that it would be best to postpone the swap to a less cold, windy, excess energy day.
However we did school an excellent exercise for both improving the shoulder in and the parallel leg yield: say you're leg yielding left; as you ride through the corner on the short side, aim across the long diagonal but immediately begin shoulder in right. Maintaining shoulder in right does two things: it keeps the haunches from leading or trailing, and it keeps the horse parallel to the long side. Bailey expertly demonstrated how to do a forward, correct leg yield by doing shoulder in across the diagonal. Delphi and I improved, and finally "got it." Fun!

Pastoral setting:

Funny boy Poder with the girls:

After the lesson, a well deserved break:

Progress

Judges' comments have always been a helpful learning tool. Yesterday's Solstice Farm Halloween show was both fun and educational. The following are comment highlights from Delphi's second level tests 1 and 2 from judge Donna Meyer:

• First medium trot: Some loss of rhythm, run vs lengthen but in the second medium trot: clear effort, shows thrust but come uphill vs over through bit

• Shoulder in: overbent neck, leg yield
  

• Travers: lost energy and connection and need bend, angle and energy
  

• Halt, rein back: not square but obedient and correct steps back

• Medium canter: need thrust and ground cover, crooked

• Counter canter serpentine: need rounder connection
  
• Counter canter on a straight line: straight but not on bit

• Halt: straight, nearly square
  

• Collectives: Adorable pair- keep developing thrust and rounder topline and Some better moments- horse tries :) Keep developing balance to hind and energy, impulsion so comes through back and improves throughness and connection. Capable pair- keep trying!
  

My take home lessons: for shoulder in step into the inside stirrup, tap with the whip as needed to keep a lively impulsion, GIVE the inside rein and keep her into the outside rein to maintain a straighter position; for medium trot: Delphi's thrust is good but now we need to add uphill balance; for medium canter: think shoulder fore to make it straight, and add THRUST and GROUND COVER; for canter work: maintain straightness and create throughness and suppleness by improving the connection; and overall work toward better throughness, more consistency and relaxed back to front connection.

Juuuuust Right

One must learn the difference between too much rein or give, and too short of rein or absolute elevation (defined as the raising of the horse's neck [in isolation] without shifting the horse's balance to the rear). Delphi needs to maintain self carriage (defined as the state in which the horse carries itself in balance without taking support or balancing on the rider's hand), and I must support this by allowing enough rein for her to relax while concurrently consistently keeping her round and on the bit (defined as acceptance of contact [without resistance or evasion] with a stretched topline and with lateral and longitudinal flexion as required; the horse's face line is at or slightly in front of the vertical), or connected (defined as the state in which there is no blockage, break, or slack in the circuit that joins horse and rider into a single, harmonious, elastic unit). She must always be ready to reach down to the bit, and I must always keep her in a back to front frame so that she maintains self carriage. Today Karen said let's assume that if something goes wrong, it's because I need to half halt with my seat, sit back to keep my shoulders following my pelvis, and keep the rein contact consistent and neither drifting forward nor restraining.
Concerning travers, it is important to keep the shoulders, withers, head, and neck straight along the track and ask the haunches to come in with the rider's outside leg. Avoid creating too much bend as this cancels out the travers. Rather, keep the forehand straight (and light) and ask the haunches to come in.

Supple Canters- Counter and Medium

To maintain suppleness during counter canter, prepare first by doing a true canter circle, during which do flexions left and flexions right, being sure to back up the flexions with leg. As you go into your counter canter, continue the subtle left and right flexions to keep the horse's shoulder from popping out and to keep the horse from leaning in-- in other words, keep the horse "straight" and softly seeking the contact.
You can continue the supple-ing flexions in medium canter. Stay soft, relaxed, and BREATHE, and allow the horse a few good forward strides of medium, then collect for a good transition. For schooling purposes, at the end of the medium canter immediately ride a ten meter canter circle. This will accustom the horse to "coming back" immediately for a good transition from medium to collected canter.

Articulating Joints

Using cavalletti is great way to jazz up your training regime and (safely) put to good use pent-up energy if your horse has had to be indoors due to weather. Because ground pole work demands extra effort, we kept it to a brief 30 minute lesson. After first walking a series of five poles spaced four human paces apart, we trotted in away from the gate to get Delphi using her hind end to thrust herself into the air and move in cadence and rhythm. In rising trot, I first gave Delphi a little extra freedom with the rein so she could stretch down and round her back. Her back sprang up beneath me at each stride as the poles made her step higher and push off the ground with extra energy. Karen then increased the distance between the poles to five human paces; that's when it got really fun! Because Delphi is slightly more advanced, her back is strong enough to carry me in sitting trot. With the energy that was created, I was able to ride super mediums, shoulder ins, ten meter turns and circles, and even one very good step of passage! Way cool!

Inspiration

This video inspires me. Not so much about the horsemanship, flying changes, rein backs and other maneuvers, though those are all impressive in themselves. To me the greater miracle is that, in a huge crowd in an unfamiliar arena, the horse is constantly licking submissively and gives the appearance of complete relaxation and trust.

A Picture's Worth

Behold the change in Delphi over the last six months.

"Before" trot in April '09:

"After" trot in September '09:

Note in the "after" photo her conformation seems to have changed; by becoming more round she actually looks like she has a shorter back. She is also more "up" in her forehand and "under" in her hindquarter, showing more relative elevation in the "after" photo.

Progress comes slowly, but nevertheless it comes!

Consistency

Within each gait, consistently ask for transitions from collected to extended, both straight and in lateral work. Remember to keep the contact consistent by flexions left and right, changing the bend, keeping the horse supple through a thousand transitions of shoulder in, renvers (choose wisely in canter- ride renvers in canter infrequently only when asking for inward spirals and canter to walk transitions, always remember to straighten the canter), travers, leg yield, half pass in every gait (full pass in walk). After our initial stretching warm up, it's time to expect both Delphi and me to consistently perform: me by leading with my pelvis in front of my shoulders, keeping my legs back for collection, keeping the frontal plane parallel to the direction I want to move, and requiring a supple contact through all gaits and transitions; Delphi by learning through repetition that she is now required to be through and supple in all work.
An exercise that encourages all of the above:
In canter, ride a square where you make a deliberate quarter pirouette at each corner. In the turn maintain the slight inside bend with your inside leg and rein, and put your outside leg back and think "haunches in" and allow the turn to make the beginning of a canter pirouette. Then ride absolutely straight to the next corner and repeat. Use counter flexions as needed to maintain straightness, suppleness, and throughness.

To improve the photo: the shoulder plumb line should be behind the hip joint, every down beat the hips are sent forward in the direction of the horse's travel, so you can afford to "lean back," maintain tone/elasticity by springing on a trampoline rather than just flopping down onto the horse's back:
To improve the photo: for canter the two points of stability are: 1)the thorax (no rotation) and 2)the foot in the stirrup. Everything else must move. When your seat reaches back your knees also must reach back. Move your arms back and forth with the movement of the horse; the elbows and hands give and take upwards rather than down. Give forward in every stride of canter toward the ears; up and away and then back, in the rhythm:
Photos courtesy of Karen Brown.

Compare and Contrast

Use the following video to compare and contrast the amateur rider (me) with the open pro (Delphi's trainer Karen Brown). Notice how much more consistent and uphill Delphi becomes under Karen. Videography can be a great learning device! Nice work on Delphi's part, under both riders.

Counter Canter Serpentines, Mediums, and Travers

When schooling the second level initiate for counter canter loops, it is important to ride every stride of the canter, being sure to keep just enough (guard against too much) bend in the "true" canter direction. Do this by supporting the horse with the outside rein and leg, while maintaining jump and impulsion with the inside leg. The bend should be around the rider's inside leg; guard against too much inside rein.
Concerning the medium gaits, Delphi's medium canter is nice in that she shows a clear lengthening of stride and a clear shortening when asked to come back. Reinforce this by insisting on an immediate response to the "go" aids and when asking to come back to collected, promptly go into a lateral movement such as shoulder in keep the "come back" response crisp.
Delphi's medium trot is "wow" worthy, but she is still prone to want to canter when coming across the diagonal. I must remember to stabilize the medium trot by half halting up and keeping the hindquarters engaged and the forehand light.
We also schooled the haunches in, or travers (tra-VAIR) where Delphi's shoulders remain on the track while the haunches move to the inside. Step into your inside stirrup and use your inside leg to maintain a lively tempo and bend while using your outside leg just enough to prevent the hindquarters from going back to the rail. Delphi was able to do haunches in at trot nicely in both directions today.

The Big Horse

Today I got to ride Karen Brown's Trakehner filly Lola for the first time. After Karen lunged and rode her, she allowed me to get on and do some walk and trot. We did some straight lines, large circles, and one ten meter turn. Lola uses her hindquarters so well, and her engine is always on forward. She was very lady-like too with a stranger aboard. What a nice horse.

The Thoughtful Warmup

When it's 100 degrees outside, the idea of "warming up" sounds laughable. During our lesson today however, I made sure to use my warm up time deliberately and intentionally. Some exercises Karen gave us follow.
At the walk:

• Ride into the corner, then do haunches in along the wall.
• Keeping the same angle and bend, turn the haunches in into a shoulder in along the wall.
• Intersperse periods of collected, medium, and extended walk in with the breaks of free walk.
• To extend the walk, allow with your hands by giving and taking with the rhythm of the horse's head and neck. To collect the walk, half halt, stop following as much with your hands, and engage the hindquarter, causing the haunch to lower and the head and neck to raise in relative elevation.
• From haunches in, go into half pass across a diagonal, being sure that the shoulder leads the half pass.
• Do haunches in around a ten meter circle.
  

At the trot:

• Collect the trot (after the above walk work our trot was VERY nice), then allow periods of stretch down into a longer contact allowing with the inside rein first, then half halt and collect again.
• Intersperse periods of collected, medium, and extended with periods of stretch described above.
• Along with shoulder in, intersperse periods of straight and transitions to halt.

At the canter:

• From collected canter, deliberately move into medium canter for four or five strides, then come back to collected canter (by riding a ten meter circle if necessary). Insist on immediate forward response into medium and immediate come back response into collected.
  
• Intersperse walk to canter, medium, collected, straight lines, small circles (in random order). Always ride the canter to walk or canter to halt transition from "canter in place" collected canter.

Yes, we were warm all right when we had done all of the above. Nice work today on Delphi's part!

Boy Oh Boy

We've gone and done it. This weekend we adopted Rosco, a ruby red 12 to 14 month old Cocker spaniel boy, from Cocker Spaniel Rescue. Weighing in at under 16 pounds, he'll always be a small guy but is working on gaining a little weight.
Abandoned as a puppy to the streets of Lufkin, Texas, Rosco was picked up by the city pound. When the folks at Cocker Spaniel Rescue discovered him in May 2009, he was suffering from malnutrition and was almost completely bald from sarcoptic mange. During and after treatment, he had to be isolated from other dogs so the CSR kept him at a boarding facility in Missouri City while he was successfully cured of mange. When he was able to come back out into society, CSR brought him to their standing monthly adoption at our local Petsmart. That's where our paths crossed and he now lives with us, his forever family.
Though he officially begins obedience school (at My Dog and Me) later this month, Rosco has already learned to sit and settle, and his recall is pretty darn good. He has had absolutely ZERO house mistakes, and is quickly becoming addicted to chewing his stuffed kongs and other toys. Prissy is tolerating him well and even initiated play with him last night. He is absolutely the sweetest Cocker you could ever hope to know.
Welcome home Rosco!

"Can't we just take him back? I'm sure they miss him over at CSR!"*intelligent Border collie eyes roll skyward* "I call him 'hammers' as in 'dumber than a bag of...'"

"We can't all be GT students. I'll settle for C plus."
Super intelligent Border collie + silly goober Cocker = seems oil and water do mix, afterall.

Product Review: Kerrits Sun Lid

Product claim: keeps you cool and protected from the sun.

Review: I ordered this hat from SmartPak; it cost $18.

Pros: A very cute hat, this lightweight sun lid does a nice job of keeping the UV rays off the ears and neck. It's long on style and I've gotten some nice complements. The ponytail port is a bonus.

Cons: It runs large so does not stay on snugly especially while riding (though one could argue that I should be wearing a helmet while mounted anyway).

Bottom line: I like it for sun functionality but wish it stayed on more firmly-- a brisk wind can take it right off. For cleverness and sun protection, I recommend it.

Canter Lengthenings

Our lesson today focused on canter lengthenings. At this point, from a collected canter ten meter half circle, I go onto the long side, half halt up, and ask for an immediate lengthening of frame for a few strides only. By thinking leg yield against the wall I am able to keep Delphi straight and not falling in onto her shoulder. After an initial good response to the "go" aids, I bring her back by stepping into the inside stirrup, half halting, and collecting the canter. Delphi needs to practice lengthening and coming back until she is comfortable with the process, and no longer feels the need to "RUN!" but rather realize she can come back to a collected frame after an arousing lengthening. We had some nice ones today!
We also worked on the walk pirouette. The key is in thinking haunches in, then allowing the turn with the outside rein (NEVER pull on the inside rein), meanwhile keeping the pure walk rhythm by reminding the haunches to march in a small circle with your outside leg.

Top Dressage TV site

Go to the Top Dressage TV site and cover "Just Arrived" on the left menu then click on "Top 10 Feestyle 2 Music Aachen 2009" for videos of the top ten freestyles at Aachen! My favorite is the piaffe shown by Alexandra Korelova and Balagur.

Broken Record

Yes, it's the shoulder in UH-GINN. To further improve the shoulder in, I must activate the inside hind, keep Delphi's hind and front legs crossing (tapping the shoulder with the whip and stepping rhythmically down into the inside stirrup helps this), keep her round and seeking the bit, keep a connected but not pulling outside rein, maintain just enough bend with the inside rein, allow her to sustain self carriage, and keep her moving "straight" along the three tracks of shoulder in. We can do this!

Video taken a year and a half ago; proof that Delphi can indeed perform shoulder in (if only to convince her owner!):

Product Review: Pyranha Wipe N Spray

Product claim: provides a protective coating against flies while giving a high sheen to the hair when brushed. Kills and repels flies and mosquitoes.

Review: a moderately priced repellent (~ $15 per quart), this spray was recommended to me by a local tack store owner.

Pros: This is by far the best fly spray I've tried. It repels both flies and mosquitoes and is very strong. The oily medium lasts well, even on sweaty days. A nice side effect is that it shines Delphi's hooves and makes them darker even when I don't apply it directly to the hoof-- just from the fallout of the oily base.

Cons: The oily vehicle makes it easy to deliver too much product in a small area. Care must be taken to spray it on evenly and not get too close to the skin while spraying, otherwise it goes on too concentrated and I've seen it irritate sensitive skin-- even causing welts. If you wet the skin with this product you'll cause (potentially severe) irritation.

Bottom line: Once and for all the best fly spray. Be careful to apply it so it goes on evenly-- not concentrated on a single area. I recommend it.

Pure as the Driven Snow

Okay, so maybe not always, but she's mine and I love her. And she is this much fun to ride. Sometimes I can hardly believe it.
Photo credits to Pam and Bob Langrish. Click on photo to see larger view. I love the feet-- she's got those hooves launched!

Australian Equine Behavior Center Link

Follow this link to view articles recommended by my trainer Karen Brown.

Rocky Mountain High

Thank you Lori, Don, Dave, and Jen for an awesome visit! Some photo hilights of our trip back to Colorado:

Mountains in Estes Park:

Animal sightings included
Elk:

On the sidewalk strolling home to our B&B, we saw this doe:

A marmot:

Random baby kangaroo in Kit Carson, Colorado (it's a long story):

We played in the snow like goofy Southerner tourists:

Snow Goobers:

And the best part, Dave's Fourth of July show finale:

Of Self Carriage and Collection

The major pearl of wisdom from the Bushager award: if I had to choose only one facet of the entire immersion period, it would be Delphi's weekly schooling by a professional. Having Karen Brown ride Delphi on a regular basis was the single most important aspect of both Delphi's and my own learning and improvement. The consistent guidance of a qualified expert is the best, and probably only, way for a horse to move up the levels. My thanks to Karen! (Que the Jefferson's theme music.)

Click here to read my Bushager grant immersion program article, also published in the HDS "Collective Remarks" (see page 27).
The following photos from the immersion program relate to the article:

Giving the rein to allow self carriage:

Karen Brown schooling Delphi. Note the supple poll, which is the highest point:

Active hindquarters jumping under in canter, displaying relative elevation. My hands could be raised to allow Delphi to be more supple through the poll:

For the related entry, click here.