Using leg yield to get better connection at the trot
Today’s ride was really solid, on a number of different levels. I did a make up lesson with Christy, after temperatures near zero put a stop to lessons on Thursday, and we picked up where we left off – building my strength in my new position and starting to apply the aids.
Derby felt great today, but it took some coaching from Christy to get me to ride him more back to front, with a better connection. I started the day by going in a nose-poking-out stretchy frame that looked like a baby green hunter. To establish a better connection, I need to first and foremost get Derby’s back end activated and engaged. Getting him through and working from behind is a real weakness of mine, and it’s something I must fix.
The good news is that my lower leg was steady throughout the ride. I feel like I can crack coconuts with my new-found inner thigh strength! Okay,I exaggerate, but in just a week I’ve gained a lot of strength in this area, which is a big help.
So back to the issue du jour, working from behind. Christy had us do an exercise at the trot which simply entailed talking the quarterlines, and then leg yielding toward the wall. My first few attempts were totally ineffective. Then Chrisy had me do a little shoulders-in to get Derbs into the outside rein, and reminded me that quality bend was also required. Better prepared on our next try, we got a few little steps, and then a few more. And as we schooled this exercise, the trot started to feel stronger and more powerful. The quality improved tremendously.
The key take away for me today was pretty straightforward – I need to deliberately ride the movements, and if I don’t get the response I am asking for from the horse, I have to fix it, now. I’ll be focusing on hind end engagement in the near term. Life will be easier when Derby and I improve these skills. Overall, though, I was happy with this ride. Everything – our contact, our trot quality, my leg, quality of bend, the works – was a bit better today.
After I rode, I watched Christy ride Liam. I swear, I learn as much watching her on the ground as I do in lessons. Liam had been off for a few days, and Christy wasn’t happy with the quality of the trot she was getting. She deliberately worked on isolating and moving his hind legs, and once she established that control, the gait quality significantly better. Watching her ride, and seeing how she used leg yields and other movements to activate Liam’s hind legs – and then witnessing the subsequent improvement in the gaits – really solidified my lesson in my mind.
Putting it together - still leg, bending, round horse.
I squeezed in a lesson tonight, because we’re slated to have temperatures so cold tomorrow that riding will be questionable at best, and working the horses would be a bad idea.
As I mounted up, I told Christy that I had done my homework last night, posting laps keeping my feet light in the stirrup, while feeling my inner thighs burn. While things were easier last night, I admitted to Christy that I had found putting it together – getting the horse round and bending, for example, was tough for me while I was also thinking about carrying myself correctly. I know the muscles aren’t there yet, but I told her I wanted to start working on adding aids as I develop strength. Multitasking, I said, was tough.
“Like pat your tummy, rub your head,” said Christy. “Okay, then! ”
She put us on a circle, asking me to spiral in and out at the trot. Keeping good rhythm was non-negotiable. Off we went, and I am happy to report that I’m finding it easier and easier to carry myself correctly in the saddle. We set up the bend by softening the inside rein, and pushing the horse into the outside rein from my inside leg. However, I was so fixated on my position that I forgot some other essentials. Christy reminded me that when bending, to move my outside leg back a bit. Duh! I couldn’t believe I had forgotten that, but that’s what I do when I’m focusing on one thing – it’s often to the exclusion of everything else. Slowly, she put the pieces back together, stopping every now and then to have me stand a couple beats to realign myself.
With Christy’s help, we were able to produce nice circles with respectable quality, and best of all, I was maintaining my steady lower leg and carrying myself correctly. Definite progress.
Two big stories in OTTB land broke today, one awesome, and one awful.
First, the awesome: Boyd Martin’s OTTB Neville Bardos was voted USEF Horse of the Year. This amazing creature was a failed race horse, and was headed for the slaughterhouse. However, Boyd scooped him up, and now the horse is a favorite to make the US Olympic 3 Day team. As if that wasn’t enough, Neville Bardos also made a dramatic recovery from serious injuries sustained in a barn fire. If that isn’t thoroughbred heart, I don’t know what is.
Here they are, running XC:
Now for the awful.
More than 100 thoroughbreds never got a fair shot at a second career, despite the fact that the young woman who took them from the track promised their owners she would find them good homes. She posed as a rescuer, handing out promotional items stamped with slogans promoting second careers for race horses, but turned around and sent the horses straight to slaughter, even after accepting money and feed given by the owners to help her efforts.
“Those crazy people don’t have to look for their horse anymore because he is in a box in a freezer and thanks for the money and the feed.”
At only 23, Kelsey Lefever has managed to achieve several lifetimes’ worth of evil. You can read the full extent of her crimes (she’s been charged with multiple felonies) on the Paulick Report: “Every One of Them is Dead.“
Kelsey Lefever, kill buyer, and charged with fraud and multiple felonies
She doesn’t look evil, or untrustworthy. This isn’t the face you’d ever imagine on a person that would take an animal you care about, for which you’re trying to find a home, and send it immediately to a grisly death.
But you can’t judge a book by its cover.
“I killed every one of those f—ing horses, over 120 of them, if they only knew. I only have five left and the ones that you have. Every one of them is dead. I don’t even know their names and there wasn’t a goddamn thing they could do about it because they gave me those horses.”
– Kelsey Lefever.
Finally, I leave you with an impassioned plea, and some very good points, from Allie Conrad, a tireless CANTER volunteer and long time rescuer of and advocate for ex-racehorses:
I wish we could nail all of the people stealing horses from our racetracks under false pretenses and selling them direct to slaughter for a measly 300$ in profit per horse with widespread articles, shares on Twitter and Facebook and photos of their faces. Unfortunately, we usually can’t unless there is a public record of their absolutely soulless transgressions.
Thankfully in regards to a case that occupied a lot of my free time this past spring, someone pressed charges on this vile creature, Kelsey Lefevre, so her name could be publicized. Remember this face! Remember that for every horse you give away, no matter how pretty the girl who shows up is, no matter how sweet they seem, no matter if they have kids in tow, no matter if they say they are a grandmother looking for a horse for their grandchild–NO MATTER WHAT, you MUST check references and you must be prepared to listen to your gut and just say no if you feel uneasy. You are better off putting an animal down humanely before trusting that it will land on it’s feet with someone who you do not trust. Checking references means asking people for their vet or practice name, and obtaining the phone number yourself after checking the validity of the identity of the person who wants to give your horse a home. It means calling and speaking to the vet and asking questions like “how long has X been a client? How many horses does X have? How would you rate X’s fencing? Would you give her a horse of yours?”. You may get answers that require you to read between the lines, but if you’ve existed with any success long enough to have horses, you certainly have a “gut instinct”. Follow it! Your horses’ life may depend on it.
We have heard every vile story in the book over the past 15 years.
We have had women who borrow disabled children from neighbors to obtain “therapy horses”, only to sell them to New Holland or straight to slaughter.
We have had countless people show up asking for “4H horses”. (I, for one, have never met a 4H’er looking for a horse)
We’ve heard the “camp horse” angle.
We’ve heard the sick daughter angle and her dying wish is a horse of her own.
We’ve heard the “we’re really broke but will give him a great home!” angle.
We’ve just heard it all, and sometimes it’s hard to remember that not everybody has. Please tell any person you know at the track, any person you know with horses, that these people are out there, and they are out there in droves.They WANT TO TAKE YOUR HORSES AND KILL THEM FOR A PROFIT. Remember that. Kelsey’s head has been cut off, but three more will spring up in her place, and they will have t-shirts and coffee mugs, and brochures to convince you that their dimpled smile would NEVER let anything bad happen to your horses. They are liars and they are laughing every time they take a horse that you help load on their trailer so they can deliver it straight to it’s very cruel death.
Want to protect your horses in the best way you can? Keep them for life. For lots of folks, they can’t pull this off. But they can pull off developing a relationship with a verifiable, well-reputed Non-Profit working near you, setting aside money to care for your horse and donating it, and 1 year worth of expenses to that group.
No doubt that lots of folks knew exactly what Kelsey was up to. Those are the folks that were looking for a cheap, fast way to dump problem animals (problems because they simply existed and weren’t fast enough) and wash their hands (and consciences!) of it. But, there were lots of folks who thought they were doing the right thing. They trusted a cute brunette who handed them a mug and a magnet touting her amazing skills in finding homes for horses, and those people are no doubt reeling from the fact that their animals–the animals who trusted them–are dead from a violent death. I cannot imagine their fury, because if it’s anything like mine, they are physically ill and ready to kill.
“You are responsible forever, for those you have tamed”– St. Exupery
One of the things I like most about riding with Christy is the myriad ways in which she really makes you think about, feel and internalize what you’re doing. Tonight, as I was warming at the trot, I asked her (hopefully, I should add) how my lower leg was looking.
“What do you think?” she replied. Now, with Christy, this is not a rhetorical question, nor is it formulaic. Sometimes you’ll be doing well and sometimes, not. I thought things felt pretty good, which is how I answered.
Now, when there’s a diplomatic pause, that’s when you know you’re in trouble. I got the pause. “It looks like you’re kicking him with each beat.”
Damn. Damn damn DAMN. I was still keeping way too much weight on the balls of my feet, and while I thought I was holding them still, in reality, that was far from the case. Here’s a short clip with a perfect illustration.
You can see that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to give precise, quiet aids with all that other movement. And spurs would be monumentally unfair.
Christy had me post, at the walk, keeping my feet light in the stirrups, which tranferred more of my weight to my inner thighs. To keep me from pinching with my knees, she had me drop my stirrups and feel which muscles I was using to hold my legs in place, and then had me recreate that feeling when I picked up the stirrups. As I posted, my leg was still. My inner things were burning, but my leg was still.
She then had me take that into a trot. Voila. Big improvement, as you can see:
However, it wasn’t easy, and I couldn’t sustain it. I’ll be working very hard on building the strength needed to carry myself properly in the saddle over the next couple weeks.
My legs are already feeling sore after tonight’s ride. I’m looking forward to being over this particular hurdle!
Today Derby and I worked for about 40 minutes, still focusing on trot work, and still sticking to the compacted footing on the rail. That limited my ability to do much, so I focused on doing quality work, as simple as it was. This meant good upward transitions that were crisp while keeping the horse on the bit, working in a quality trot, with the horse round and forward, and solid downward transitions, at the letter and maintaining quality. Essentially, I worked on managing the details, which is a crucial aspect of riding a good test.
I also focused on another important detail, which was steadying my lower legs, by keeping the majority of my weight on my thighs – not on the balls of my feet, or on my butt. Until I keep that lower leg steady, I’m not allowing myself to wear spurs – when my leg is loose, I inadvertently spur the horse, and even though I use short, rounded, gentle spurs, the last thing I want to do is deaden the horse to my aids. Even more importantly, I need to have control over my lower leg if I’m going to deliver aids with any sort of precision. I started out in two-point, did some stand-stand-post-post to feel my leg steadying, and then paid attention to where my weight was resting while I posted. I was rewarded with an easy, forward trot from Derby, who is very inclined to peter out as soon as I fall out of my balanced seat.
We get to recommence lessons tomorrow night. I’m glad we’re back to work!
I hopped on Derbs for our first ride since late December, and he felt great. I took it easy – he’s had more than two weeks off, which followed a really spotty riding schedule during the holidays. We worked for about 25 minutes, but had a good ride nonetheless.
As we warmed up walking, I tested whether or not Derby was still responding to my seat. As we worked some serpentines and shoulders-in, the contact got stronger and steadier, and we had nice walk cadence.
Moving into the trot I stayed on the rail, where the footing is more compacted. Derby’s heel bulb is still tender, and deep footing puts pressure on the sore spot. I wrapped the heel before riding, and he didn’t take a bad step – but still, I was careful.
I woke up my riding muscles with a couple laps in two-point, and then alternated standing two beats, and posting two beats. That exercise reinforces my balance and helps steady my lower leg. Because we weren’t doing anything off the rail, I simply did some half halts into a smaller gait, and then asked for more trot down the long sides. I wasn’t wearing spurs or carrying a whip, but Derby complied willingly.
As we finished up, I dropped my stirrups and worked on transitions to halt, half halting and holding my core as we halted to invite Derby to stay on the bit and round.
His back was up and the contact felt really good. We’ll do a bit more work tomorrow, and will have a lesson on Monday. Yay!
Derby has been stuck inside for days now, nursing a hugely blown abscess that exited via one of his heel bulbs. The ground is still muddy, so for now, he’s in. He’s actually handling it extremely well, due in part because I am able to wrap the foot well enough to keep the wound clean while he enjoys some playtime in the indoor arena.
Early this morning, I turned him out as the other horses were being taken outside. He didn’t frolic. He stood in the middle of the ring, ears swiveling, and then whinnied forlornly. It was such a sad little whinny. Poor kid. He’s convinced that he’s been abandoned by the herd, consigned to be forever alone in the arena.
It’s snowing and freezing today, so tomorrow he gets to go out. And he’s going sound, so I’m going to get on for an easy ride tonight. He’s over the hump, and he’s such a good boy. Hang in there, Derbs!
The good folks at OTTB Designs finally came out with a dressage-size version of their handsome saddle pads, emblazoned with a leggy horse and “OTTB,” leaving no doubt about the lineage of the frisky hot blood (or pokey plain bay, as the case may be) underneath.
All of OTTB Designs’ sales benefit thoroughbred-related charities, including several rescues and adoption groups and a number of retirement organizations. That’s fantastic.
Even better, OTTB Designs are responding to a real crisis down South, donating $5 from every pad sold to the Louisiana Horse Rescue Association. This accredited 501(c)3 is on the front lines of a big rescue from a failing TB breeding farm. Every little bit helps (and more is needed, consider a separate donation to LHRA, I’ve already sent mine in!) because they are arranging for transport, quarantine, treatment, care and shelter for dozens of thoroughbreds that are in very poor condition.
I just ordered two. One for Derbs, and one for Liam. Don’t tell him, it’s his Valentines’ Day present.
I arrived at the barn tonight shortly after the horses were brought in, and was greeted by the sight of a dripping, muddy Derby – apparently, he had been frolicking in the goo right before he was brought in. Once of the girls told me that he had been running around. “Decidedly un-Derby-like behavior,” I mused to myself, “Wonder if that abscess blew?”
I didn’t need to look closely to know the answer, because in addition to standing happily in deep shavings on his ouchy foot, a tell-tale odor emanated from him. Abscesses are stinky, and this one was particularly foul.
I cleaned up the leg and had a look. An icky wound oozing pus now graced Derby’s magically deflated right heel bulb. It’s still tender, and he didn’t appreciate my cleaning it, but we got the job done. Due to the muddy conditions, he’s staying inside for a few days to give it the chance to heal. But hopefully, we’ll soon be back in business, and back in the saddle.
It’s day number God-only-knows-what of gooey mud here, and about a week or so into Derby’s lameness. I mention the mud because I meticulously clean his legs every time I go out to the barn – which is normally six times a week. Over the last week, that right hind on which he’s been off has been a little tender to the touch, but with no evident heat or swelling. After doing a thorough lameness exam, including flexions and hoof testing (all was fine), Dr. Nicky told me not to worry too much about it, was probably just a tweak due to the awful muddy footing, but nothing serious.
Well, I got a little relief today when I went to see Derbs. As I was cleaning that foot off, he snatched it away, holding it up for a minute. Clearly, my gentle attention with a soft jelly scrubber wasn’t gentle enough. Once I got a decent amount of the mud off, I was able to feel that one of his heel bulbs was hot, angry and inflamed. I carefully wiped the mud away and took some pictures, which I emailed to my vet.
Without having her input yet, it appears to me that he’s brewing some kind of abscess. I hope his body just resorbs it, rather than blowing a big hole out his heel. As gross as that scenario would be, however, it’s better than having an issue with a suspensory or the joint. So, I’m relieved, even if poor Derby isn’t. He got another couple grams of bute, eased along by a lot of molasses, and some extra cookies for his woes.
Collecting Thoroughbreds 