The training journal of a re-rider learning dressage
April 2, 2012 4 Comments
To make a long story short, it turns out Derby’s epiglottis wasn’t entrapped. The inflammation (which has continued to decrease) gave the appearance of an entrapment. However, when the surgeon scoped Derbs today, he found the epiglottis was free.
So we’ll continue to treat Derby medically. At this point, no surgery is warranted. I’m so glad. I get my pony back tomorrow!
April 2, 2012 3 Comments
Looking around ...
Today’s the day of Derby’s surgery. He was a bit surprised to see me at the barn this morning, but wasn’t bothered when I interrupted his breakfast with a grooming However, it was funny, as soon as I put his halter on – which was newly festooned with fleece, he knew something was up. And when the shipping boots went on, the jig was up.
Derby loaded like a star, standing quietly while I fumbled with the bull-nose clip. Liz’s friend Christine, who operates Teener Thoroughbreds, hauled him to Merritt Equine for me, and she reported that he was nice and quiet during the ride.
...and around.
Once at Merritt, Derby was greeted by a thermometer wielding vet tech before he got off the trailer. She had to wait a few minutes for him to un-clamp his tail (he’s a modest fellow) but within short order he was allowed off the trailer.
We checked in, and Derby was shown to a stall. He settled in nicely. He’ll be there overnight, and we’ll bring him home tomorrow at lunchtime.
Despite the fact that this is a relatively minor procedure that is fairly common, I’m still on pins and needles today. The surgery is scheduled for early afternoon, and the surgeon will give me a call with a report once it’s over. Until then, I’ll be keeping my fingers corssed that Derby’s day continues to proceed smoothly and uneventfully. 🙂
March 28, 2012 Leave a comment
Well, I have some news. I’m going ahead with the surgery to free Derby’s entrapped epiglottis. It’s scheduled for Monday. He’ll stay overnight at the clinic, and come home the following day. After that we embark on a 2-3 week recovery period. His airway has to stay very quiet during this time.
That obviously affects some of my plans, but still, I’m hoping to have him out at some schooling shows in May. To that end, we rode through some Intro tests tonight. I had forgotten them and the first pass through each was ugly. However, we quickly got our act together and put in some respectable rides, which was encouraging.
We spent some time on downward transitions, maintaining energy and roundness in the walk when coming down from the trot. I rode a couple that I believe were the best I’ve ever ridden, and I had some ‘Ah ha, that’s what it’s supposed to feel like’ moments. I had to start with good energy at the trot, and then ride very deliberately into the transition. Balancing forward and down is still hard for me. However, it’s the very beginnings of collection, in which you add energy, not take it away. So adding energy as you go into a downward transition is a crucial skill, and it’s one I really don’t have yet. Add it to the list.
I have one more lesson and three more rides before the post-op hiatus. Boo. I really wish I could have had this done back in February! Oh well. This too shall pass!
March 27, 2012 1 Comment
How you doin'?
We had an interesting weekend, and have resumed our lessons for the week.
We had a nice ride on Saturday, however, we had a mini mishap when I went to ask for the left lead canter. As I asked and Derby stepped into stride, I felt my inside leg slip back, and I poked him in the belly with a spur. Derby rightly took some offense, humping his back and and daring me to needlessly jab him again. I transitioned to trot and got my butt up in two point. I have to strengthen my leg, period.
Sunday was a gorgeous day, and all of the arena doors are open. I’m not sure Derby’s ever seen the back door open, and he was bug-eyed at an open side door last week, outside which a variety of equipment is parked. I rode him through resistance and spooks, getting closer and closer to the lawn mower that was crouched, waiting to give a passing horse a haircut, but it wasn’t a great ride, and at no point did Derby really relax.
After that ride, I revisited getting control over the inside hind. I practiced lateral work (shoulder-in and leg yield) and lots of work bending and flexing. I got to put that work to the test on Sunday, and things went well. In short order I was able to get Derby to relax, and go around on the rail, walking and trotting easily. Relaxation was the goal of the day.
Tonight we resumed lessons, and we’re stepping up to 45 minutes. The first part of the lesson went pretty well, but then things got a little interesting when Derby started to resist, sucking his tongue over the bit and sucking back. The answer wasn’t to mess with the reins, I learned. Instead Christy had me get after Derby with my inside leg when he came above the bit and resisted. “Tap tap tap! Use your leg! Use it!” It worked, sending Derby forward into the contact, rather than trying to wrestle him with the reins.
Taking a break, Christy explained, theorizing that as I started to lose energy, I was losing a bit of balance and steadiness. Derby was taking advantage. Taking her words to heart, I changed direction, and made a real effort to balance myself. I found my seatbones, and got a nice walk. Moving into the trot, I posted out of a soft half-seat, keeping a quiet and balanced position. Derby quieted, his back came up and the quality of the trot got better quickly. “That’s better, that’s much better!” Christy affirmed. I explained to her the adjustment I had made.
“Well, before you can expect the horse to carry himself, you have to carry yourself, ” she said. This was a lesson I’ll definitely remember.
March 22, 2012 1 Comment
Sporting his new springtime saddle pad.
Tonight’s lesson featured more work on patterns, but with more trotting and fewer walk breaks. Derby continues to feel fantastic. His rider needs to get stronger! We’re jumping up to 45 minute rides starting on Saturday, and 45 minute lessons next week.
For fun I picked up a cute new springtime saddle pad today. How cute is this?
At this point I should admit that I actually bought two cute saddle pads today. They’re both AP pads – I wish they’d make fun dressage pads. Anyway. Here’s the other one.
March 21, 2012 Leave a comment
Almost square at the halt. Best of all, I was able to maintain contact.
Christy put us to work tonight on some easy patterns, so I could start working on timing and polishing our many rough edges while also getting back into shape. As we walked, she reminded to me to move “hips to hands” rather than bringing my hands back toward my hips. “Hips to hands” creates following contact. “Hands to hips” constrains.
Moving into the trot, Derby felt pretty good and we got to work doing a simple pattern consisting of a 20m circle on the long side and then changing rein across the diagonal. It’s a good exercise and revealed some weaknesses on my part – I need to work on those trot diagonals.
Trotting across the diagonal
My indecision about when to change my diagonal is reflected when Derby starts to wriggle and stray off the diagonal. I’m trying to change from immediately changing my diagonal to doing so as I go into the corner after my diagonal is complete, so I can concentrate on generating a solid trot across the court. Old habits die hard. This will take some work. I also need to work on changing diagonal standing, which Derby appreciates.
He's uphill on the circle. I'm surprised we weren't serenaded by an angelic chorus.
The 20m circles were pretty good. I’ve been working with Derby on responding quickly and correctly on the ground when I ask him to step over. and I cue him by giving him a very gentle poke low on his barrel, where my spur would touch him. When I’m on a circle and Christy tells me to get that inside hind underneath, I’m able to get a quick response. The quality of our circles is getting better.
The next pattern Christy assigned was a flat figure 8, bisected by the centerline, and requiring a tighter turn onto/off the centerline at each end. She also had me throw in a halt for good measure. This exercise really made me use my half halts – in the corners, on the turns, and into the halts.
This exercise revealed that I need to really work on engaging Derby’s hind legs. Connection is essential to executing the more precise turns and the ensuing halt. And to have good connection, you need a good trot. And to get a good trot, you have to have those hind legs in gear.
This pattern was a great exercise and I was pretty happy with how I’m riding, stamina aside. I do need to keep improving my reaction times, catching Derby before he hollows, bulges a shoulder or gets strung out behind. But that timing and feel will come back with more time in the saddle.
After we were done, we walked outside and strolled around the outdoor arena to cool down. It was a beautiful evening, so our little hack was followed by a quick shower and some grazing. Derby was, once again, a total star. It looks like we’re going to go to a schooling show at the beginning of May, and then another toward the end of the month, to get some more show miles on Derbs. I will be riding Intro at the first and very likely the second – we don’t have a canter at the moment to speak of at the moment. We’ll start putting that together again next week but strength is an issue at the moment. Getting out at training still remains a goal for this summer.
March 20, 2012 2 Comments
Tonight’s ride was a joy. Derby just feels amazing. From the first step away from the mounting block I had a really nice, rolling walk. Derby was also eager to get going, and moved out beautifully at the trot. We had a nice connection and really good adjustability – my half-halts went through without question, and I could feel Derby bring his back up and step under himself. He was light and responsive and powerful and forward and, at moments, nicely through.
Christy was really happy with how he was going, too, and while she noticed a few weaknesses in my position (due to being out of shape and losing my riding muscles) so she wanted me to trot til I was pooped, which is what we did. Over all, I’m pretty happy with how decent I feel, despite being out of shape.
I’m not sure how it’s possible that we’re going this well despite all our time off, but I’m not complaining. Next up, another lesson tomorrow.
March 19, 2012 Leave a comment
I finally had a lesson tonight after this long hiatus, and it went really well. Christy was pleased with my posture, and Derby clearly felt good and was moving very nicely. We’re only going for 30 minute rides this week – Derby has been off for a while and his fitness has suffered. We’ve got to get his top line back, so that will mean lots of trot work and transitions.
We had a nice, swingy walk to start, and all of my buttons were working, though I did have to work a bit to get his left hind under him. Christy told me to “Tuck that leg underneath him, do a turn on the forehand if you have to,” and that totally did the trick. Moving into the trot, I was pleased that I was staying balanced with my leg still. With some coaching from Christy (half halts – must remember half halts) we got it put together and had some very respectable quality work with some good working trot and with a little bit of more collected work thrown in.
It was one of those nights it would have been very easy to over-do things. The horse felt great, the evening was warm and breezy, but I kept an eye on the clock. I know from past experience that the best way to get back into regular work is to focus on building fitness gradually. I’m doing a series of these 30 minute lessons this week, and next week (hopefully) we’ll jump to 45 minutes, and hopefully start adding the canter back in once he gets a bit stronger.
The consensus from the boss was that we looked pretty much as we had when we left off, which was a real relief to me. We were doing some nice work before the new year, and I hope we can get back to that point pretty quickly.
March 18, 2012 1 Comment
Derby had a regularly scheduled farrier appointment on Saturday that wound up being pretty eventful. I got out to the barn early to go look for the three shoes Derby has thrown that I’ve not yet retrieved from his field. Walking every inch of the turn out, I was able to find one. Though I was disappointed to not find the others, I was happy to see that about half the field was drying nicely. That said, the front third is still a morass of gooey, sucking mud.
As I tramped around, the sky darkened, and to my total disgust, fat raindrops started to fall. The farm owner had seen the storm on the radar, and had kept the horses in. Hopes of the storm breezing past vanished quickly as the rain – and later the hail – fell in earnest.
As the storm raged, Derby stood quietly as I picked mud out of his ears and rubbed his forehead. Joe cleaned up Derby’s hooves, commenting that they were pretty soft due to being wet for so long, and suggesting that I start painting them with Keratex. He took a break as the storm really kicked up, causing the horses in their stalls to rear and pace. Derby merely stuck his head in my armpit and tried to hide.
Things quieted down to the point were Joe felt OK about resuming work on Derby’s back feet. After about a minute of work, he exclaimed, “Oh. OH! EWW.” Apparently he found an abscess on Derby’s right hind, in the same rear quarter where he had one on January. Derby hasn’t been lame on that foot (though I out off town for a while, so who knows) and it looks like it may have been draining for a bit. The good news is that (touching wood) Derby isn’t lame. I didn’t have time to ride but turned him loose in the indoor to play once Joe was done, and he looked really good.
I did finally have a decent ride today. We went for 30 minutes (I’m still taking it easy since he’s been off and has definitely lost condition) but about half of that was solid trot work, so I feel like we’ll be able to have some decent lessons with Christy this week. It will be good to get back on track, and I’m looking forward to a week in which I return to my normal routine.
March 16, 2012 1 Comment
The ups and downs have continued, a bit. I was away for work over last weekend, and during time, Derby sliced the inside of a hind leg open. Liz was babysitting him for me, and gave him some excellent first aid, and arranged to have him kept in for a couple days, since we’re still mired in mud. The wound is healing nicely, and I did a couple short rides this week when I returned.
However, he started to spring a shoe, and I was determined not to call my long-suffering farrier, since we have an appointment for tomorrow morning. So for the last two nights, we just walked. Derby was bug-eyed at a the newly opened arena doors, so I took the opportunity to do lateral work, and really feel his hind legs. Getting control over the inside hind is the key, but I don’t have a ton of feel for that yet.
I have family coming in this weekend, and won’t be riding Friday and Saturday. Sunday we’ll be back in business, and next week we’ll restart regular lessons.
In other news, my friend Frank leaves for a new home on Saturday. His new owner is besotted and he’s going to a lovely farm with rolling, grassy pastures. We’ll miss him terribly but it sounds like a great place for him. My very best wishes to Deb and Frank for many happy years together!
Collecting Thoroughbreds 