Sunday, July 16, 2017

July Lessons with Theresa

Shoulder-in to Travers (haunches-in)

I just got back from my latest session of lessons with Theresa McManus; this time both Sunny and Rogan came along.  Having two horses worked well, because after a few sessions Sunny becomes tired; alternating horse's keeps both fresh.  I wasn't quite as well-prepared for this session, because I hadn't done all my homework from the previous session. I knew our canter transitions needed work and I also needed to focus more on lowering Sunny's head/neck to a neutral and relaxed position to allow him to use his back well (Theresa re-iterated both points and it is the focus of our new homework).  At this stage he is not strong enough to carry himself with his back lifted for long periods of time, and carrying himself in 'neutral' with a moving back, alternated with lateral work lifting his back will strengthen his muscles over time.

I think this will be one of the biggest moments of my lifetime learning and riding journey---I felt and recognized a truly lifted back for the first time!  Theresa and I switched horse's briefly, and I had the opportunity to feel Maggie's back (bareback, so I could really feel!). Maggie's back was actually lifting under my seat bones, it was very firm and strong (and wide, LOL!).  When people talked about lifting the back I always understood it to be a lifting of the loin as the hindquarters engaged-- I have felt this and always thought the loin lifting was the goal. However, this was different-- this lift was directly under my seat bones. I could have assumed it was just Maggie and how her back felt.  But then we switched back to our own horses and suddenly Sunny had the same feeling from Theresa riding him ---this was new!  I have ridden Sunny a lot and he has not done this before.  I lost the feeling after a few minutes, but we repeated the switch the next session and I think I have it! Now that I know the feeling I can subtly change my seat and legs and ask for the lift -- now for lots of practice.  I don't think I can verbalize how to ask for the lift, I think this is something most people must learn by feeling a properly schooled horse. And once you have the feeling then you can play with asking for it in your horse. Maybe a subtle ask (not really a squeeze) for upward with my legs at the same time as asking for the horse to lift the base of his neck with the reins...clear as mud, right? Unfortunately in modern riding in the USA properly schooled horses are in very short supply-- certainly don't look for them in the competitive dressage world 😢.

A few steps of shoulder-in while gaiting (for the first time)

We also discovered that advanced lateral work IS possible in Sunny's gait (saddle rack?).  We didn't know if a horse could step under for shoulder-in or travers, etc during a more lateral gait versus the diagonal trot.  I don't know that it would work with a pace or stepping pace, but when I asked for shoulder-in during a relaxed gait, Sunny readily did it!  He crossed his legs underneath himself readily, no problem.  My theory is that since his gait is actually a 4-beat gait (almost lateral pickup with an even 4-beat set down) it is actually similar to doing the lateral work at a walk.  We will keep playing with this 😁



We also started Sunny jumping, he has cleared logs on the trail but has not had any formal training.  Theresa has an excellent resume for teaching jumping, having previously coached the 1988 British Olympic Showjumping portion for the Modern Pentathlon team (not too mention having ridden 4-star level eventing in the UK!) She initially set up a low progressive grid to build confidence and to teach him to figure out his feet and balance.  The grid was fantastic, after the 3rd session he was bouncing through the caveletti and small jumps like a pro. The small size of the jumps (ie 18", etc) kept him (and me!) confident.  I would love to practice this more and would thoroughly enjoy some eventing or jumping on the side (in all my free time between dressage and endurance training...oh and work too, LOL!)


Besides loads of learning we also had fun swimming with the horses. Claire Morris (thank you Claire!!) graciously soaked herself taking Rogan into the lake while I rode Sunny and I think we all had lots of fun!  Sunny likes lakes so much so that he stands in the big water troughs and splashes, generally tipping the whole thing over in the process. I am glad I have a small automatic waterer at home.... but I bet he would enjoy a field with a pond!
Tipped over water trough...

Guilty party... the fresh splash marks give him away!


Lesson notes: (and FYI- all this fancy-shmancy 'dressage' stuff is done bitless!) (or you could just call it a healthy foundation for all horses 😉 )

  • The outside rein is used to control speed and direction.
  • The inside rein is used for flexion (vertical-- how lifted or lowered is the head/neck) and bend (lateral - how turned to the inside is the head/neck).  This was re-iterated when attempting to halt after jumping-- when in the moment I used both reins Sunny kept moving, but on the next pass I remembered to lightly lift 1-rein and had a beautiful soft halt. 
  • Shoulder-in: I need to rotate (not twist or lean!) my body with my horse and look where his head is (ie follow his movement). This is what feels natural and easy, but I tend to over-complicate things sometimes---I have a tendency to look straight down the rail and this throws him off slightly. 
  • Rider weight - always in the direction of the movement. For me this is subtle shift following his movement with my seat, this is not lean of my body or heavy stepping into the stirrup.
  • Standing/resting - Make sure he keeps his back lifted supporting me while stopped/resting; it is easy for him to slump and drop his back when we are resting, but it is important for his back health that he stays lifted. If I really need to rest him then I just need to dismount!
  • School Walk - this is a very neat exercise that promotes lightness and lifting ability for shoulder and forehand.  It is a precise 4-beat walk with a pronounced lift of the forelimbs - visualize a military parade walk.  This was much easier to feel when bareback and accordingly I think it would always be much easier to learn this bareback; once I developed the feel for this movement bareback I could recognize it under saddle much easier.  While bareback I felt each shoulder lift and rotate under my seat, it is how I imagine a Spanish Walk would feel (obviously much more so!)
  • Gaiting (or trotting) - I need to ensure that Sunny always has his head/neck in a relaxed 'neutral' position (unless specifically working on lateral work with a lifted base of neck or stretching down/forward).  When gaiting in this posture I can really feel his back muscles moving and this changes abruptly as soon as he stiffens his neck!  (once again felt best bareback). He moves most efficiently in this relaxed posture, but has a tendency to brace his neck with a little tension, especially when gaiting or trotting (the walk is much easier). Essentially he moves just fine by himself in the field, but I have to teach him how to relax and use his muscles efficiently and healthily while supporting a rider.  It is natural for a horse to brace when loaded up with 175 lbs of rider + tack, and most have to be taught how to both relax and lift to support a rider.  This will extend to the canter as well....but we are saving that for later. 
  • Canter transitions - Sunny needs to be relaxed prior to the transition with his head in the 'neutral' position; if he anticipates or tenses I just lower his head and ask again.  When he is tensed/braced he tends to pull himself into the counter with his front legs.  When relaxed and balanced he will lift into the canter pushing off his outside hind leg. All his transitions need to be pushing transitions!  My transitions are all from a travers (haunches-in) position to set him-up for the correct lead.  I need to ensure that my reins are soft with only very light (or no) contact. I tend to lift on the inside rein asking him to lower/relax his head and he takes that as don't go (which is confusing since I am asking him to go with my legs!).  We have an easier time in a larger area which makes sense as the horse has somewhere to go, and the first transition tends to messy because he is not thinking about canter.  Practice, practice!  
  • Transitions - When working specifically on transitions do not continue moving along after the transition, always stop and praise so the horse knows what he did right.  Work on improving the canter itself after the transitions are solid.  Also I am going to play with the beginnings of Piaffe with slowing the gait until he almost walks then asking to move forward again -- essentially shortenings and lengthenings, and transitions within the gait. 
  • Walk Pirouette - Start with travers (haunches-in) on the circle. Spiral to a smaller circle. When I feel he is balanced and ready continue from travers, I open up the inside rein to 'open the door' for the front end to step over.  Feel a step and ask him to walk forward. Slowly build to several steps, and eventually a complete 360, always coming forward at the end. 
  • Spanish Walk - this will be fun!  I know Sunny can do this move as I watch him do it when he climbs in and out of the water trough.  This is may be a meaningless exercise to the horse, but I believe it lends it self very well to positive reinforcement training (clicker or treat).  This exercise significantly strengthens their shoulder and ability to lift the base of the neck; it also helps teach passage in the future.  And it can be done with fun on the ground initially!  We start with the Jambette, which is the leg lift done in place, then progress to walking forwards in the true Spanish Walk.  I start next to a wall to prevent misunderstanding that I am asking for haunch/body movement.  It is essential that the horses head/neck is lifted to shift the weight to the haunches and lighten the forehand. I then play with a slight vibration on the rein by the mouth/nose and then tap the upper leg near the back of the elbow until I get a try of a forward lift of the leg.  (and this is where we are at!).  Then, essentially, I will continue to develop and modify this behavior until I get the full extended leg lift.  I am looking forward to playing with this!
1/2 serpentine or 1/2 reverse bow-tie pattern

  • 1/2 serpentine and Bow-tie exercise - we didn't get to this exercise, but Theresa recommended it to play with canter transitions, or actually she recommended a reverse 1/2 bow-tie aka 1/2 serpentine. We can also use the basic bow-tie pattern too.  
  • Jumping - always use an odd number of jumps/poles/caveletti. Unsure why but I will listen. Also I need to find the correct balance for neck release in 2-point position. I need to keep my hands on the mane (not waving wildly in the air...) and move them forward to release the reins during the jumps.  There is a sweet spot of just enough contact to allow a full rein release during the jump and retain enough contact to help guide the horse.  I can practice while cantering down the trail.  I also tend to completely drop the reins... which is fine on Sunny (he just keeps jumping), but could be dangerous as he could get a foot caught when lifting his knees so nicely over the jumps. 
  • Following the movement - I tend to stop moving my hands/shoulders with the horse's movement when I am concentrating (ie in new lateral work), then Sunny stops moving in response! I need to practice continuing to have flowing, relaxed shoulders/arms even when concentrating!
Homework with Sunny (to be completed prior to my next session)
  • Have solid relaxed gaiting -- the neutral head position should be automatic and routine
  • Have solid relaxed 'pushing' canter transitions
  • Have all the lateral work (shoulder-in, travers, and half-pass) solid in the gait
  • Full walk-pirouettes
  • Have the Jambette (spanish walk at halt) with both front legs
  • Continue his muscle development
    • encouraging constant lift of the back during dressage sessions and periodically during conditioning (it is too much strength-work for a horse to stay lifted in an endurance ride, instead I am looking for a neutral relaxed back during our rides)
    • Sustain lateral movement
      • Warm-up with shoulder-in to travers (haunches-in) and back to shoulder-in, etc.  Add in half-pass. It is better for strength development, responsiveness, and mental stimulation to switch between movements frequently, rather than do 3 repetitions of each movement in a row down the long side of the arena---that gets boring!
Swimming with both horses

And a little section on Rogan too!
Rogan is a 13 year old QH x Warmblood gelding. I have had him since he was 5 years old and we have done tons of stuff together.  He is wonderful but wasn't really cut out for endurance, so he has enjoyed being the '2nd' horse for the past few years, so needless to say he is rather hefty and unfit right now.  He hasn't been ridden consistently for about 2 years and has some stiffness/unevenness since being in early retirement (his last hoorah was completing the Old Dominion 25 in 2015!). He knows how to do all the basic lateral work and but we have previously been stumped on flying lead changes-- I tried many methods with Parelli Horsemanship (we have passed our level 4 online and were level 3/4 under saddle) but only succeeded in getting a more anxious and bucking horse, so I stopped. Ultimately the Parelli program did not teach me how to balance my horse and help them carry a rider well.  So, I finally took him to Theresa.  She watched us show her the problem, and felt it was physically inability to get his hind end under him for the lead change, leading to the bucking/anxiety.  When we continued working it was clear he was short-striding in his left hind limb.  She put us through shoulder-in on the circle and travers on the circle (walking) and watched us very carefully.  Rogan could easily bring both hind limbs underneath of him in shoulder-in, but could not bring the left hind under him during travers (haunches-in) on a circle to the right (ie the left hind was on the outside of the circle having to swing under and push off).  He could do this the other direction. He could also lift his hocks and back legs easily when trotting poles on the ground.  Very interesting!! We think the stiffness/restriction comes from his upper left back/loin area since he can move all the other areas well.  The other very interesting thing was his improvement.  After stretching the left hind with lateral work he suddenly became shorter on the right hind! And after the 3rd session he was significantly improved, tracking up with both hind feet evenly and performing the lateral work more easily.   I am going to see how much improvement I can get with just basic lateral work a few times a week, if he doesn't significantly improve then I will schedule an osteopath. appointment. 

Rogan's homework
  • Try to ride for 10-15 minutes 2-3 times/week 
  • Warm-up walking the rail with a shoulder-in circle about 4x each direction, then repeat with 3-4 travers (haunches-in) circles each direction.  I really need to insist he engage his hind leg for this and likely will need to lightly tap him with a stick to insist!
  • Trot the rail for a lap or two, insisting on 'neutral' neck and relaxed back (no tension/brace allowed!).  He also can't always go along stretching his neck to the ground as we need to build up his back. 
  • Trot shoulder-in on the circle 3-4 x each direction
  • Trot cavaletti a few times (spaced about 3 1/2' apart, and an odd number of poles)

Claire swimming Rogan


Friday, July 7, 2017

Back in the Saddle!

Enjoying some play-time after work

Sunny is healthy and ready-to-go again! He did test positive for antibodies (ie exposure) to Anaplasmosis.  This could have been the cause of his tying-up, but we will never know -- hopefully it doesn't happen again!  I started him on IV antibiotic/oxytetracycline initially (the recommend treatment), while waiting for the oral doxycyline to arrive. In hindsight I should have just waited for the oral doxycycline... The morning after his 3rd IV dose he wouldn't walk up from the pasture and wasn't able to put his head down to eat, Argh!!! After a few minutes of initial panic and some emergency phone calls (thank you Dr. Lynne Johnson!!) we realized the IV must have gone extra-vascular and caused severe inflammation/pain. All his vitals were fine and he was very happy to eat with the bowl held up to head/neck height. Graham and I set him up with everything raised to head/neck height and started him on pain medication (Equioxx).  Luckily the oral antibiotics arrived later that day and he didn't miss a dose of treatment. He improved rapidly with rest and pain management and soon was back to normal.  He also tested negative for PSSM type 1.

In the meantime Sunny and I both enjoyed playing in our downtime.  I dug out my old tarp to see what he thought, he wasn't too impressed --- the grass was much more interesting!  I also started introducing a bit, he has never worn a bit and while I don't intend to ride with one, I think it is an important part of horse's education since they are commonly used and I never know what weird situation I may end up in someday (like forgetting or breaking my bridle/halter and borrowing someone's bridle for a ride, etc). I introduce the bit as a fun game.  I hold the bridle as I normally do, asking him to lower his head.  When he bumps the bit with his nose I give him a treat.  Soon he is very interested in the bit and taking it in his mouth!  Every time I bridle I hold a cookie below the bit and when the horse takes the bit in his mouth he gets a cookie too! Over a few sessions Sunny worked up to grazing with the bit for a few minutes, but I wouldn't say he is comfortable with it-- we'll get back to this during winter weather or other rest breaks.

When starting back to exercise I initially kept it light and easy with some arena riding.  We are starting to incorporate more gaiting into our rides and I finally got a segment videoed to hopefully ID 'the gait'.  I believe he is doing a saddle rack based on reading Lee Ziegler's book and watching gaited horse you-tube videos.

Link to her book: (https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Gaited-Horses-methods-training-pleasure/dp/1580175627/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499464390&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=easy+gait+lee+zeigler)

The saddle rack has an almost lateral hoof pick-up and then an even 4-beat hoof set down.  I hope to certify him (ie finalize his registration) with the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association later this summer. I basically need to video him consistently gaiting (which requires him to consistently gait, LOL, and for Graham to video for me!)

Today we had our 2nd conditioning ride since Old Dominion.  It was fantastic, I focused more on having fun and moving out, and thus avoided big climbs and rocks.  We ended up doing almost 21 miles, with an average speed of 5.5 mph (which is fast for us, considering all of our stopping, play in the water breaks, etc) and an average moving speed of 6.7 mph  (Wow! that might be our fastest conditioning ride yet!).  And I didn't think we had much elevation change, but apparently we had 4112 ft of gain/loss.  Hmm, Sunny will be a little tired... good thing our plans include a break from conditioning and dressage/horsemanship session with Theresa instead!  The dressage is very relaxing; it is tiring too but in an entirely different way and focuses on a different set of muscles than conditioning.  And on a different note, I am planning on participating in the rider heart rate monitor study during my 50 at Ride between the Rivers. So today I took my HR immediately after stopping several times and it averaged around 140 bpm.  If that is consistent while I ride, then I am staying at 75% of my maximum heart rate and riding for 4 hours is some significant exercise!




I also tested out a pair of Scoot Boots on today's ride. I have heard so many good things about them and would love to stop replacing cables on my renegades!  I measured his feet and sent in measurement photos.  He was between a size 2 and 3 on the front and the dealer recommended a size 2 for a snugger fit since we do endurance riding.  When I received them the size 2 was difficult to seat on front hoof and I had to tap it with a hoof pick. The heel straps were visibly digging into the heel bulbs and the center gap was 1.5 cm --- the boot was too small!  So I tried it on the back hoof, it seemed to fit perfectly -- the center gap was about 8 -9 mm, it went on easily, was snug but not close to digging in, and I could not easily twist or rotate it.  However, during our first canter/gallop I lost both Scoot boots (that added a few more miles to the ride!) off the hind hooves. I tried switching to the front as sometimes new boots stretch out after a little use.  They were still tight on the front but I didn't think they would rub or cause a problem.  Within 2 miles they were off too, ugh!  I put the renegades back on, and they stayed perfectly (as they always do) until a cable snapped after about 15 miles.   After talking to the dealer (who has not had this happen before) I hypothesize that horses that do well in Renegades (movement and hoof shape-wise) may not do well in Scoots and vice versa.  The dealer's horse won't keep Renegades on and I have heard that from other people who horses are doing well in Scoots (Jamie M.!)  So now I have an almost new (5 miles of riding) pair of size 2 Scoot Boots (minus 1 of the trail gaiters...) and an unopened set of Scoot Boot endurance gaiters for sale :)  Guess I will be buying more Renegade cables....

Happy Trails and see ya at Ride between the Rivers!