reggies-rambles

[reggies-rambles]

Lol I have no concept of time- 13th of December, 2017

Thought I should probably star putting the year on these things, just in case this actually becomes a long term thing. Anyway, radio silence was mainly due to exams. They kicked me in the butt and I did basically nothing except study and sleep for a few weeks while I tried to frantically learn all the shit I needed to know. Good news, it paid off and I passed all my subject woo! Then it was straight into foaling season and poor Reg got thrown on the back burner for a little bit. I don’t think he minded having another spell, he’s actually come back heaps better and that bit of soreness in his shoulder/wither seems to have disappeared =D

I’ve had two lessons since he’s come back into work. First one was mainly trying to get my position sorted again (it is forever the bane of my existence). I was all kinds of lopsided and ‘wibbly-wobbly’ which was just making it easier for Reggie to throw his left shoulder out and generally not be straight or through or really any of the things a good dressage horse should be. Luckily, by the next lesson there was much improvement and we could go back to doing some fun stuff lol 

Mainly worked on getting him straight at all times (left shoulder has become a habit so gotta get that sorted ASAP) and getting him moving off weight in my seat rather than leg all the time. Weird concept, but I think I was starting to get the feel for it by the end of the lesson. When you think your steering/asking as softly as you can, there is apparently, always a way to go softer and quieter yet a again. It was really good, because that freed up my hands to just quietly adjust the flexion through his jowl on the right rein, rather than pick up the rein and have him want to throw his should out and bend through his neck instead. It was much stiller.

Main exercise was doing shallow loops in the trot off the weight of my seat and leaving his head alone completely (unless he hollowed out or otherwise was being a butt) and he clued in pretty quick. Its always horrible in the beginning, wanting to throw his head around and generally not go where I ask him to, but its interesting to watch him learn and figure it out on his own. Usually, the place I get into trouble is the fact I want to micromanage and have everything be perfect right from the get go. Not really a good idea when teaching a new exercise cause it doesn’t give them a chance to figure it out on their own. Do it too much and they switch off entirely. Set it up, leave them alone to figure it out.

Next V had us have a go at shoulder in in the trot. Reggie’s done barely any (ie. no) laterals in the trot. We’d only just begun playing with leg yield (where I had the same issue of wanting to micromanage) so I was a little skeptical as to how it’d go. We’d left all the laterals for so long mainly cause Reg can go sideways for days if he wanted. He wasn’t strong enough to hold the movement properly and would just end up crooked. However, this time we actually managed to do it properly (or well as properly as a just gone 4yo can manage). Much straighter, no wobbling which is huge improvement for him. Neck bend was much less dramatic and he was much more willing to take his shoulders off the track. Slowly slowly we can increase the angle and eventually start placing with half-pass and other fun things. Do have to watch the flexion on that right rein, so lots of open hand on that side, just until he stops locking his jowl. Hopefully won’t take too long to break that habit.

Lastly is to just keep working on the forward and keeping my position in check. Gotta keep him moving through the corners and not dying so that inside hind actually has to step under and take the weight. Not allowed to take smaller steps around the corner anymore. Moving up the transition to be just of seat as well rather than leg, which will be handy in the long run. Get transitions within the pace a bit smoother and snappier too. Slowing down is pretty good but speeding up is not as sharp as ideal. Will come with time, practice, patience and strength. Will keep chipping away at it all.

Reggie had bit of a clip job as well. Feathers are gone, beard gone, socks clipped out and mane pulled. Starting to look a bit more professional lol

And some foal photos cause who doesn’t like those. Only one foal at the stud this year, the other was stillborn :( This little guy has been a bit down on his bumpers but improved immensely since the first few days. Old enough and grown enough hoof to be trimmed, so hopefully that will help him come up that last little bit and if he gets stuck he’s got little shoes that will go on :) He’s placid as, so at least he is easy to handle for the bit of extra TLC!

[reggies-rambles]

Its been like a month whoops- 8th of October

Having really done a whole lot on the ‘proper riding’ front. Exams are coming up and stuff just sorta gets left lol Lessons are working on much of the same stuff, getting the forward happening again because its gotten a bit lapse. Tried my little set of spurs on him instead of the whip but they were a bit too much for him I think, so V is going to bring her collection next Friday so we can try find a smaller/softer pair that he likes better. He doesn’t really need the spurs all the time, just using them more as a back up for the forward so he’s a bit snappier off the seat. Leg is fine and all, but I don’t want to be nagging him to move on, especially when there are more important things for my legs to be doing, such as asking for laterals and to some extent gait changes. 

What we have been doing is lots of trail riding, which is nice and refreshing lol Found a new area not too far from where the horses are, which is sooo pretty to ride around. Reggie really enjoys doing stuff like that, gets him out doing something different. He really did not like crossing the creek, it was the first time he’d ever seen running water, let alone having to cross it. I ended up getting my feet wet because he just refused to move lol Kinda glad I did because his first attempt at crossing was to leap over the entire thing like a mad man lol After a few more crossings he was much better and would walk about half way in before he tried to jump. Which I guess is just his greeness showing :) Will have to go back soon! Anyway, have some pics from the ride and my uncles farm, and a small video from my last lesson :)

A post shared by Chelsey (@livid_silver) on Sep 26, 2017 at 12:11am PDT

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Reggie and his tiny braid. I really hope that patch grows back soon lol

13th of September

Uni is busy and weather is still cruddy (though there were <i>some</i> nice days). Reggle is doing pretty good though. Haven’t ridden as much as I am wanting too, but end of semester is coming up soon so I’ll have more time to get him trucking then. For now, gotta get that study done and get that 80% average boiiii

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13th of September

Uni is busy and weather is still cruddy (though there were <i>some</i> nice days). Reggle is doing pretty good though. Haven’t ridden as much as I am wanting too, but end of semester is coming up soon so I’ll have more time to get him trucking then. For now, gotta get that study done and get that 80% average boiiii

Anyway, Reggie’s figured out haunches in/traverse all of a sudden. Not perfect, but its there. Really this shouldn’t surprise me cause he did the same thing when teaching it in-hand. Just wasn’t getting it, wasn’t getting it, wasn’t getting it, oh wait I get it. He’s interesting in that respect. I’ve been playing with it undersaddle a little bit and he definitely finds the right rein easier than the left. On the right, its a little harder to keep the correct bend, but as his hinds strength up that should disappear. He gets the concept and that’s all I care about for the moment. In fact, this is becoming his ‘go to thing’ when he gets confused with laterals lol Couple times when leg yielding he’d pop into traverse because he thought it was easier lol Hopefully that means teaching half-pass will not be too much of a struggle. 

I think the overall quality of his gaits have improved too. Walk is certainly better and I think the trot is coming along too. I haven’t done much/anything with the ‘fancy’ lengthen trot, I think he might be a little sore through his shoulder, but the overall quality of the gait feels better. I think anyway. Since I usually ride on my own I don’t have any video to compare with atm. Should en-devour to get some, but its probably better to learn off feel anyway. He’s certainly working up into the bridle more and doesn’t get so low anymore, so I’m taking that as improvement. 

Canter is getting better too, but going is slow. I try not to spend too much time on it cause he’s young, but canter is soemthing we are going to need in the future. Its more just corners and circles that are bleh. Like they can be done, but its not as pretty as I want it to be. Just typical young horse motorbiking stuff. Left lead has gotten heaps better than the first attempt, can usually manage at least one half-decent transition and he’s beginning to pick his shoulder up and bend. Right lead is very hit and miss. When he gets it right, its better than the left lead, but its much harder to get to that point. I think its mainly just a case of more miles and chipping away at it slowly. He just needs a lot of support and hand-holding atm, which is easier said than done when he’s leaning into the circle and you’re trying to sit straight lol. I did have to get after him a little bit with the whip today cause he started messing around in the transition and just running through my seat+legs, so he had bit of a buck and carry on about that but then afterwards he was much better. I think the buck was more of a ‘need to get my legs in order’ over anything else. He is a delicate petal, so a touch with the stick often gives a big response lol 

Overall he’s much more relaxed about the canter though. He doesn’t run when you bring him back to trot or get too uptight once you go sitting trot after canter. Still a little bit of wiggling, but if you just stay with him he settles right back down again. Like you can actually ask for more forward and he’ll give it rather than hollowing out, rushing and getting a little panicky. I think doing stretchy circles after canter helps with that, or at least continuing a little trot work before bringing him back to a walk/halt. Downwards transitions in general have improved heaps, not so much jolting to a stop, he is actually carrying the energy through a bit. Unless I forget and say ‘woah’ but that’s my fault :p Never hurts to have an emergency break lol. V had me take a big breath in and then out when going down a gait, and Reggie has actually picked up on it. The things they pay attention too is kinda amazing when you think about it. Needless to say, downwards transitions are actually not too horrible anymore, even my accidental canter-walk ones lol Upwards transistions are hit and miss. Like trot to canter is just no, walk to trot can be good and halt to walk are usually alright. Taking up a little extra contact has helped with this some as well as having in-front of the leg more, so I’m not having to ‘do’ as much to get a nicer transition than weeks previous, so I suppose that is good too.

Am looking forward to the warmer weather, I am a tiny bit sick of riding in the rain (though today was alright actually) and trekking through mud. Reggie has gotten a little spot of mud fever on his hinds which is annoying and his neck rug has rubbed out part of his mane ;-; Hopefully it will grow back soon, but that missing spot is making my running braids look very funny. His mane is so long it gets in the way when I ride, so I braid it to keep it out of the way, but because of that missing bit, I can’t braid the entire way down his neck and instead end up doing one ‘normal’ braid and then one ‘microbraid’ to get the rest of it out of the way. It does look pretty funny lol Anyway, nothing that can fix that but time.

[reggies-rambles]

Weather Report- 25th of August, 2017

Guess what? Weather is still crap =D Its freezing and I am sick of the mud and fighting for my balance, but it will improve soon. I hope. Please. Summer I need you <3 <3 

Anyway, new laptop woooo, so hopefully pictures can become an actual thing again. Maybe.

Had another lesson the other day and V was happy with Reggie’s progress :) His underneck is decreasing so at least we know he’s not pulling himself along as much and his stride is becoming freer, so we’re on the right track. She’s done bit of a 180 on her opinion of him (which I am not complaining about), just very surprising. She wasn’t too fond of ‘the cart horse’ to start with lol But she reckons if he can get the tempi changes we might be able to have a play around with FEI stuff, so will keep that in mind. She like his paces and the freedom he has through his shoulder, so I’d like to keep him on track for that. He’s a trier so I gotta be on my A game too.

V said we can step it up a little bit in terms of technicality cause Reggie is ‘a thinker’ and she doesn’t want him getting bored. Could tech him all kinds of fancy things, but he’s still weak behind and long his back, so that is priority number one. Its more of just finding interesting ways to teach him the same basic concepts of weight carrying, through and forward to keep him interested and not switched off.  A lot of it is the ‘slow-go’ exercise, doing lots of shapes and steering off thighs (which is mainly for me, Reg is all sorted in that department lol) as well as the spiral exercise. Half pass in, leg yield out. 

He did struggle a little with that one, circle were very swiggly, but also being towards the end of the lesson didn’t help. Probably better to do that as a starting exercise than a finishing one just so he’s a little fresher. 

Next thing to consider is getting his canter in order. Good side is alright bad side is baaaaaddd. So V said to try lunging in the round yard with the side reins on just to help him find his balance. So will give that a go once a week and see if it helps. Once he gets his balance should be all set. Canter is awfully tricky for the young blokes. Will keep truckin’ away at it and hopefully stay on track for Elementary by this time next year. 

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Out of the Rain- 12th of August

Got to take Reggie out to the local indoor today which was awesome. Going to a different place does him (and me) good. Plus, can always appreciate an opportunity to get out lf the rain.

He's much more patient in the cross ties now he's been there s few time, which is also handy. Majority of the people there are very nice, but don't appreciate a young horses antics (understandable) so I am glad he behaves well when out in public.

This was his third (?) ride in the drop noseband ad he still seems to be liking it. He's just so much better in the contact, much softer and not so jarring. He seems to be starting go pick the bit up and carry it himself which is gold. Means I get to do even less with my hands which is all the better In my book. After his little tune up the other day he was back to Listening to my seat/thigh for turning aids which was also a tick In the good column cause he's much easier to keep straight when he's listening. Again not perfectly straight at all times but improving slowly. This arena also has mirrors, so its easier to see when I'm sitting off to one side. I think I'm in that fuzzy stage where I'm sitting straight most f the time but not always and it gets difficult to pick as what's 'normal' swaps over.

Trot work was pretty good, getting closer to the super trot. He gave some really nice work but WA wanting to slow down to Carry the weight and get his legs in order, so can't really complain. So long s his back is up and relaxed he can crawl along. For new at least. He did give lengthening a half assed go as well, so overall he was pretty good. The trotting reps seems to be helping, I feel Like he is more inclined to have a better push off now, so will keep going with that and increasing the length slowly. He hasn't been getting so puffed and is able to carry himself better for longer during them, so improvement is there. Plus, gets the dog out jogging too lol.

Canter work (of which he has done about 4 sessions of) was pretty unremarkable. I mean he got into the canter and picked up the correct leads, so that's a plus. Had one little pigroot going to the right, but It was very eh. Managed to canter a circle on both sides so wooo Reggie! Will improve slowly with time, I'm just keeping in mind his stifles are still pretty weak and I don't want to push it too hard. Go all the time in the world to teach him the canter work, so there's no rush. Plus, as the trot improves the canter will too.

Speaking of stifles though, I have noticed In the last few days he's been a bit lucky on that left hind. Possibly could just be he's about the grow again, which isn't unlikely, but will keep an eye on it regardless.

All in all was a good day and we'll keep chipping away at it. We'll make a dressage horse of him yet :)

[reggies-rambles]

The Weather is the Current Bane of My Existence- 11th of August

The tile is right, last few days have ben just horrible. Its wither been pouring with rain, blowing a gale or pouring with rain AND blowing a gale. The Few nicee days we've ad I've been at Uni ;-; Ah well, weatherr is supposed to fine up over the next few days.

Got the drop note band to try and it did make a difference. Reggie was much steadier into the contact and his 'extremes' were less extreme. It seems to be a good fit for him. I like the fact it is adjusted looser than a flash, because Reggie doesn't cross his jaw, it was a bit of over kill to use one. The only time he had a resl tanty was into the canter, but I suspect it was a combination of feeling fresh and his oh so delicate sense of balance. Usually he wants run into I and not go, but this time around he was more than happy to go, we just had to have bit of a buck and carry on during it. Ah weld, least he was light off the leg. Plus, he actually gave some really nice transitions and spurts of really nice canter once h had settled some and realised he could in fact canter a 30m circle 😂

His trot reps are improving too. Super trot still eludes me, but he is coming through more and also more consistently. Once he builds his strength up and stops thinking work is too hard, I suspect it will come back :) He's hit bit of a slug in the fact he wants to stop when he thinks he's done, which is annoying, but its just a stage. I hope 😂 Taking him off property tomorrow so that should help spark him up some.

[reggies-rambles]

- 4th of August

Lesson day Woop woop. Getting the lessons every two weeks is actually extremely helpful, despite what my wallet says. As I mentioned last time, Reggie has been a little lack luster, a trend which he kindly continued today. Always helps for an instructor to see them at their worst. Luckily, she doesn't think he is sore or anything physically wrong, more that he's just figured out work is hard lol

So latest evasion techniques is to squiggle which is why he feels like the forward is gone. So first port of call is straightness. Well actually it was breathe, straight and contact, but lets condense for now. Also endeavour to keep the bit stiller in his mouth. I swear this horse's mouth has the most delicate balance o too much vs not quite enough. In short, I'd say I'm going to be sore after the next few rides. Lots of thigh to move the shoulder over and lower leg for support. He's more or less listening to weight of seat now, which I great when he's good, but sometimes leg is needed to just correct him back to straight. Lots of practice for that trot work to slowly loosen him up through the shoulder again and build up the gluts. Lack of strength is mainly to blame for the recent evasions. Lots of short but intense sessions.

Also on port of call is potentially a drop nose band and roller spurs. V thinks the 'normal' ones I've got will be too strong, as the spurs would mainly be for when he get distracted ad heads of to la la land. Drop noseband can apparently help keep the bit stiller again, so will look into that and see what I can find.

[reggies-rambles]

Two Steps Back- 2 April

Long time no update, but haven’t had much of a chance to ride lately and when I did, it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped lol 

Reggie’s been a bit off the last two times I’ve ridden. Extremely lazy and not wanting to take the bridle at all. Even with a whip, he’s just not wanting to move out and would rather drag his feet or just run :/ Not great in any respect and unfortunately no video either. I don’t think I was doing anything differently but perhaps I was, or maybe Reggie was simply feeling a bit fatigued. It has been much colder lately and the last of the grass has died off. Will have to up feed again regardless. 

He’s going to have a few days off and I’ve got another lesson this coming Friday so will get V to check him over as well in case I’ve missed something. It’s not like him to be lazy like that for to rides in a row, especially when he’s had days off in-between. Hmm, will wait and see..

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Slowly slowly progress goes- 25th of July IMAGE HEAVY

This post is super late cause my laptop has decided to cop out on me, so this was written on my phone and images inserted on the desktop. Proof reading was minimal so hopefully there aren’t too many typos and also why the post date does not match the titled date lol

Back at uni which is bit of a drag (mainly because of travel) but luckily my timetable isn’t too horrible and I should be able to ride most days. Hoping my laptop can last a little bit longer also, it does not seem to be coping very well and enjoys freezing on a regular basis :/ Oh I also brought the camera and got some really bad video/photos but it is better than nothing. I must find a better way to film this stuff…

Anyway, something clicked today, exactly what I’m not sure but heck maybe the clydie can do dressage. I suspect the lack of gale force winds helped as well lol But the Super Trot™ (which I know is not super spectacular by some other horse’s standards, but he tries so I shall give credit) made a return today wooooo. Warm up was rather bleh as it always is, but it does give me a good chance to concentrate on my position and balance, which to be honest, is more valuable than worrying about what Reggie’s doing. His balance is rather ‘delicate’ both actually and in his mind, so I need to make it as easy as possible for him to carry me correctly. Therefore number one responsibly is make sure I’m balanced, which I think I did a half decent job of. Better than in previous weeks anyway. Once that’s in order everything else usually falls into place. You have to think, its not all that comfortable for a horse to carry a rider hollow and inverted, so once you show them there’s a better way, they usually like to stick to it. The strength does take some time to develop, so it won’t always be perfectly consistent, but round and through should always be the goal.

So once we’d warmed up and I got myself in order, I thought I’d try the ‘lengthen-’collect’’ exercise again and it was much much better this time compared to last ride. He was able to hold it longer and was able to maintain it a little more into the ‘hold’ phase as well. So good to know he’s got the concept I just need to make sure I push the right buttons. Going to the right is still a bit hairy, but it does improve as he becomes more confident in his balance and ability. So I suspect that is merely a matter of time, so I;m not too concerned about him bending to the outside just yet. He usually ends up pretty much straight by the end of the session anyway. Time and patience is key, so patient I shall be.

Now for some photos and videos. Its usually easy to see something rather than explain it. Plus gives something to compare to later on. I know there’s already a huge difference between these shots and once done a few months ago.

From having a look at the very short videos from today, he seems to have three different 'trots' at various stages of correctness. Most typically he likes to pull himself along and use his shoulders rather than his hinds, which isn't atypical for young/green horses. Next trot is his 'wonky' trot. I say wonky, but it is a step in the right direction. This trot usually comes when Reg is trying to sort out his legs and balance out or if he is becoming tired. Sometimes it looks better than others, but it's never completely correct. Sometimes his diagonal pairs will be messed up, but more commonly he will duck behind the vertical and drop his front end. On a more positive note, his back usually stays up and soft and he tracks up. 

This is a good example of his wonky trot.  Behind the vertical, generally very dropped in front, not a whole lot of flexion in the hocks. The ducking behind the vertical and mismatched diagonals are a bit bothersome, but due to his age and training level it's impractical to expect him to be perfectly engaged at all times. His back is up, soft and swinging, so that is good and is heading in the direction of what we want. Each stride will have good and bad aspects, but we must take the whole stride, good and bad. So long as we remember that this is not the aim for the end product, slight missteps can be forgiven as they are not the aim but a part of the learning process.

Here he’s ‘trying’. He’s attempting to lift the front, as noted by the higher elevation of the raised forelimb and he isn’t as behind the vertical as in the previous picture. However, he has dropped his back and the flexion in his hocks is minimal. So in reality, even though it ‘looks’ slightly better, it is no more beneficial than the above photo. It does show that he is thinking about what the aids mean and what the correct response is, so we must reward him in that respect.

Now this is wonky trot, though he tries lol This is just about as downhill as you can get, though he is showing good reach through the shoulder and hind, there is not any real power in the stride. He’s dropped his front end and if you look at the hind leg which is supposed to be on the ground to push off, you’ll see its already left and he’s got the majority of his weight on the outside fore. Compare to the picture below which is more ‘correct’ through not quite there. They are both taken from the same moment in the stride and the differences become more obvious. In particular, the position of the inside hind, height of the outside hind and the lift of the inside fore. In fact, I think they were taken a stride or two apart. Goes to show a lot can change in a short amount of time. 

Getting closer, his back has come back up, little more flexion in his hocks and a better extension through his shoulder, but there is still the appearance he’s ‘diving down’ in front, even though it isn’t as pronounced as the previous picture.He hasn’t shifted his weight back to his hinds in this stride, so it is still very much downhill, however it is getting closer to the ‘ideal trot’.

Now he’s really starting to cook with gas! Again this is roughly the same moment in the stride as the previous two pictures, but it appears very different. The unity between the front limbs and the hind limbs is better, diagonal pairs are in better synchronization. Still not perfect but much better than in the beginning.The hind leg is stepping well under and is showing more flexion though his hock. He’s lifted is front up some and is starting to come ‘through’ from his back. His back is well up and this picture gives a better imagine of rhythm and softness than the previous two. His outside hind has left the ground a fraction before the foreleg, but again, gotta take it as he gives it. With more time and strength, this will eventually stop. Also note, he is no longer behind the vertical even though the rein length/pressure has not changed. I haven’t ever actually taken a ‘contact’ during this particular image set as the idea is to bring him up into the bridle. Reggie likes a very elastic contact and gets all kinds of backwards if you take a contact which is too strong.

This one is also very good, though it is taken from a more ‘collected’ trot. (I use that term very loosely as this is not truly collected just yet lol) But hind leg is reaching under, outside has not left the ground before the front, his back is up and soft and he is carrying the front fairly well. 

And now this is really starting to get somewhere! I’d just come around the corner, hence why it looks a little odd and cut off half his leg (oops) but you can see how much lift he’s gotten in the diagonal pair which is currently airborne. Because he’s shifted the weight to his hindquarters and lifted his back, he’s suddenly gotten a lot more ‘room’ in which to move this legs. His carriage becomes very open and free-flowing and even though the rhythm is the same, his strides have become longer with more air-time. I would still like a little more lift in front, but that will come with time. As is, he can only maintain this quality of trot for a few strides.

It is much clearly to see here how he has shifted the weight back. It almost looks like the hind foot will hit the ground before the front. There’s a nice straight line behind the saddle and the hind leg is reach well under his centre of gravity. Neck coming out from his shoulders, poll at the highest point and head on the vertical. Tail is soft and swinging. This is trot I eventually want to develop as his ‘normal’ way of going, which will take time, but it will help to keep him strong and sound as he ages. Plus if he can grasp the concept of ‘collection’ (again very very loosely used) his other gaits will also improve in quality and the work will slowly become easier. This really is the very beginning stages of learning collection, so its important to develop good habits of correct engagement from the early stages. Regardless, not too bad for a cart horse ;) Got another lesson on the 5th, so will keep trucking away at it till then and see what V reckons. 

I’ve also made two gifs from the video I got these photos from. Not the best quality due to being taken on my iPhone while I propped it up on the fence post, but it should give a decent visualization of what these different trots look like in motion. First one is the less quality trot where the few few photos are from, the second is the better quality trot. Note how he can only hold the ‘engaged and collected’ trot for a few strides before it begins to degrade again. He get tired poor thing <3

[reggies-rambles]

A bit of change- 23rd of July

Only a short one today. Not that this is meant to be a daily thing, but hey, got to develop those good habits of getting stuff done. Which reminds me, I must en-devour to get some photos done for comparison purposes. 

Anyway, I swapped Reggie’s bit out for the double jointed egg butt. He wasn’t sure what to think about it, he was much more mouthy than normal, but that is to be expected. I do think that took his concentration away from what we were actually trying to do, but gotta give him a little leeway. Plus weather was absolutely abysmal so it probably wasn’t the best day to play gear swap. Eh whatever, gotta be able to be sensible rain, hail or gale so might as well start now. 

He was a bit reluctant to take the bit to begin with, I suspect because it wouldn’t feel as ‘solid’ in his mouth. There is a lot more give in the egg butt compared to the full cheek, which is what we want. He did eventually settle into it so that was good. I think once he’s been ridden in it a few more times he’ll prefer it and his erratic chewing will settle down. 

I was a bit more organised today too, so hopefully a couple more rides and I can have something resembling half decent position. My timing was a little off in the ‘hold-push’ exercise from yesterday and my hands wanted to do all kinds of crazy things when I wasn’t paying attention to them.Something to add to the million mile list. It is very hard to remember soft elbows when pony wants to go like a llama but alas it must be done -.- Who woulda thought horse riding took actually physical and mental effort? :P

Reg did give me some half decent trot work again today. Not nearly as good as yesterday, but still there was marked improvement in how he was travelling. I think if I kept on him a bit longer and my timing was a bit better I could have gotten the quality of trot I had yesterday or at least gotten pretty dang close.It was good to see that he does understand the concept, so it doesn’t bother me if it isn’t perfect every ride; especially when most if it probably has to do with me lol He still had a lovely free-moving trot and the hind would come under and his back was soft and swinging, but there wasn’t quite as much freedom through his shoulder and neck. Again, if I’d stuck with it and gotten him concentrating and on the aids a bit better I suspect he would have come round again, but I was pressed for time and he gave it a pretty dang good go on each rein. Can’t complain as long as he gives it a go. He actually got sweaty, even though he wasn’t ridden for very long, so he was definitely trying hard :) Day off tomorrow and then back to uni, so will see what the weather does. Hopefully it will be alright on Tuesday and we can give it another crack.

[reggies-rambles]

A lesson long time coming- 22nd of July

First lesson in a LONG time. I’m talking like first ridden lesson in nearly 12 months. I didn’t expect it to be pretty lol I will say though, Reggie did me a solid and behaved for the most part, but it was kind enough to highlight our short comings too, I guess that’s what you pay for  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I thought we’d been doing pretty well considering Reggie’s had only a few months under saddle and mainly road riding at that. He was pretty forward, responsive to the seat/leg, gentle on the hand, couple issues with the canter in the arena, but that I suspect is due to age and him weak through his stifles, little bit of drifting on the right rein, but all in all pretty solid riding horse. Alas, I was very wrong. 

Not to say he’s horrible, but he isn’t established to the level I thought he was. He likes to sit behind the leg, not moving forward and I am not nearly as balanced as I thought (maybe hoped is a better word) I was (but is that not the never ending issue). Its amazing what bad habits you pick up and subsequently forget about when you don’t have a good pair of eyes on the ground. Main issues located today were, Reggie not being forward. He wants to dawdle and stay behind the leg, or alternatively run on, pull with the shoulders and let the hind legs trail out back. Secondly, being young and unbalanced, he likes me to sit a certain way. Makes it easier for him and subsequently I’ve developed bad balance in the correct position. I sit off to the right and want to grab with the right leg to keep him out of the circle. In other words, most of the drifting is my fault and an easy fix. I’ve just got to remember to be centered and keep my legs off and long, and him and let him do his work :) Easier said than done but its gotta get fixed! Unsurprisingly, the drifting stopped almost completely once I was sitting centered.

Last interesting point on the things to fix, Reggie doesn’t like low hands. This kinda surprised me ‘cause I don’t usually ride with my hands low. However, I had been trying to keep him on the correct track by being more in his mouth than I should have been. It becomes so habitual because in those beginning stages where he didn’t know leg or seat aids, all you had was the bridle. However, Reg is beyond those stages now and I need to retrain myself on how I need to ride him. Surprising how, often its the rider who needs training and not the horse :P He was also ready to move out of the full cheek snaffle and into the egg butt which is great! The full cheek (single joint) has gotten too strong for him and he’s beginning to sit behind the bridle rather than going too the bridle. I much prefer the double joint to the single so I was happy I got the all clear to move on lol He’s got a very soft mouth, so the gentler and stiller I can keep the bit all the better in Reggie’s mind and I tend to agree :) 

Now to the stuff we learned, of which there was a lot. First point of address, sit properly, which I think is fairly self explanatory. Next was establishing a better contact. Not as in getting Reg on the bit, but me sorting my hands out. I tended to hold them low and out when I needed to ‘steer’ and lock through the elbows which was making everything jarring instead of smooth. Again, relatively easy fix when I’m thinking about it. Carry hands higher/further up his neck and think soft elbows constantly. Eventually it will become muscle memory. I hope.... 

Reggie was much happier once we got all that sorted. I’m lucky in the fact he does ride out to the bridle relatively well, so long as I’ve got myself in order. Practiced some refined steering as well, again to help with the hand thing. Young horses don’t lie and are brutally honest when it comes to how you sit. Luckily, that can be turned into another turning aid. Was lots of fun doing circles and figures of eights just by weighting your toes, but it was a bugger to get since I’d gotten into the habit of sitting unevenly and relying on my hands. This is part and parcel in developing straightness. To have a horse listening to where your balance is leading them, a lot of other movements suddenly become a lot easier. As the concept is developed more, correct bend can be established without even moving the bit. It can be very ugly in the beginning stages, but then, what isn’t?

Last of the exercises done today was stride length within a gait. As I mentioned before, Reggie was not at all forward. Yeah he could speed up, but he wasn’t forward. Furthermore, he was sluggish to respond when asked to move out or come back. He likes to pin his ears and screw his nose up when asked to move out, its actually very funny to look at. And contrastly, even though he wasn’t quick when asked to change his ‘speed’ if I got after him too much with my leg, he would suck back more rather than move out. So, instead swing with the seat and if no response, flick with the whip, all the while keeping hands forward, up and together. Bringing him back was also challenging, but in a slightly different way- he liked to loose all energy and stop.. Not the point of the exercise Reg :/ Again, little tap with the whip the first few times, just so he knows a half-halt doesn’t mean a full halt lol

This particular exercise is rather interesting because you want the horse to begin to anticipate the change in pace. The idea is that the horse should always be waiting to be pushed on or brought back, thus keeping their hind legs under. That is, its really beginning to teach collection in its most basic form. Requires thinking on horse and rider’s part, without being overly physical. Plus, you can practice it anywhere, even on the trail with ease ;) It can take a little while for the idea to click though. I was surprised Reggie managed to pick it up as well as he did. Seriously, if you can get this exercise right, even if only for a few strides, you’ll feel like you’re floating. Like Reggie’s stride felt like it just about doubled because all of a sudden he’d taken a little more weight behind and his shoulder was free to swing forward and extend rather than just poking the ground. He thought it was very cool and fancy and was a little bit of a show off, almost plopping into a passage when we got him to shorten up before he decided that was too hard lol Lotta personality that horse. But this is definitely an exercise I will be practicing more regularly even if in small bursts. If I can get the truly forward trot more often, its only gonna help strengthen him and improve his natural way of going. Being a clydie cross, Reggie is naturally quite short in front and likes the bring the front legs up rather than reaching forward and carrying the energy from his hind. Luckily, he’s got a pretty good engine on him and naturally has a fairly soft swinging back. Lifting the front and carrying the energy is however more difficult for him than for my warmblood mare. With more of this type of exercise and more time, this should improve that and then we’re cooking with gas! Might make a dressage horse out of him yet