Automatic Waterers!

I have to say that I love automatic waterers. As I was sticking my hand this morning into freezing water to pull ice chunks, I remembered that this is literally the worst part of winter. I am just thankful that a few of the stalls have waterers in them! Besides by hand now turning purple, I am very excited because the Horse World Expo is this weekend. While the speakers do not seem to be very exciting (or real riders) I have hope that I will learn something useful, and if not I'll at least get a good deal on a pitchfork:) I always enjoy going just to see the other people, and if any new ideas have entered the horse world. If you are able to go, but have never been I recommend it, and if you can't make it out....better luck next year!

What About the Weather?

Well it's looking pretty rough out today. I was hoping that it would soon begin to warm up, but it is looking like I'm wrong again:( Lately the cold days have been getting to the horses, as they all believe it is acceptable to drag me around like a rag doll. Being twelve hundred pound certainly gives them the advantage, don't you think? Any who, I can't wait until it's warm enough to ride without all snowsuits on. At least we get pretty snow!!! ewww...........:)

Don't Be a Blob

Sounds kind of funny right? I mean, we think of blobs as large masses of gooey, ooey messes - not riders. But this is exactly what I'm talking about. I've recently been to a couple of horse trials (events) and what I see there -even at the lower levels- can be scary. Now before we get all worked up, lets look at what I really mean. To me being a blob is the same as being an ineffective rider. It's not about how hard you look like you're working, or how little you look like you're working. It's about doing a job. Many riders I see, seem to have this idea that if they're pushing, pulling, and fighting with the horse then they're not being blobs. Other riders seem to have the traditional sense of being a blob; they sit around let the horse do whatever he wants and then complain when something doesn't go right. While all this is occuring, the majority of us look on and either don't say anything, or are clueless to what is happening.

Let me put this in an example: Most Olympic dressage riders (the good ones) look as if they are sitting on the horse doing absolutely nothing. In fact its written in the rules that the aids should be imperceptible to the audience. But who would question if the horses are being influenced by their riders? Of course they are! You don't make it to the top of the game by being a blob. You make it by becoming an effective rider, one that respects the horse, but knows how to get the job done.

I'm not saying that all our lower level riders need to be masters. They're not and that is what the lower levels are for. But is it truly fair to send students out, when they barely have basic control over the horse? We would call that dangerous, and unsafe. So why do we teach our riders to be blobs? It's time to sit down and truly think about what we are teaching. Are we taking the fast road to glory that will burn out quickly? Or are we teaching students how to be effective riders who know how to think and feel? Because if we're not doing this, we're letting our riders turn into blobs.



                          

      Are we letting our riders become blobs?

Saying Goodbye

For the last two weeks I've been at a lost of how to describe the prepurchase exam. So in short, I've decided to come right out and say it. Unfortunately, Carnegie did not pass the prepurchase exam. I will not go into further detail except to say, that it was a very educational experience for me. It is to my great disappointment that I had to return Carnegie back to his home. He is truly a special horse, and I know that he will make someone very proud one day. I'm not exactly sure what will happen, but at this point it's not really important. I will continue to ride Monte, and see where it goes from here. Just another day living with horses.

Watch Your Toes!

When I'm working with Carnegie I'm probably most afraid for my toes. Strange? I don't think so. I mean I'm wearing a helmet, and I always turn him towards me when he gets "scared" so I don't get kicked, but my toes? Thankfully the more Carnegie comes to understand what the word straight means, the less I have to worry about my them. Trotting went over well today, with more trot steps, and mostly when I asked for it :) Since I've also had some trouble with Carnegie walking without stopping, I decided to experiment a little bit. I introduced the dressage whip today, and it went over fairly well. Now when Carnegie stops a little tap will get him going right away. All in all, a good day, and we've got one more day before the prepurchase. Best of luck...to Carnegie:)

Who's Working Who?

The funny thing about young horses is that they always seem to make you do more work than they have to. I must have spent twenty minutes running around looking like an idiot and got Carnegie to trot all of ten steps. But it was ten steps more than yesterday! On the other hand the walking is really coming along, and walks like any other horse most of the time.  The objective is to get Carnegie trotting in a straight line by Wednesday, so the prepurchase exam will run smoothly. I think we'll get there, with progress being made everyday, and hopefully we can start on some more challenging ground work soon. In the meantime, we'll be taking it nice and slow, and covering all our tracks. Tomorrow should be fun.... we'll see :)

One Step At A Time

I'm writing this with a huge smile on my face because today Carnegie walked. As in walked like a normal horse. It doesn't sound like much, but for a horse that's been trying to run you over for the past few days, it's a huge accomplishment. Thankfully we caught the big moment on film. It's intoxicating to know that with just a little bit of time, and a lot of elbow grease you can make your thoughts (such as a horse walking straight) into a reality. Hopefully tomorrow will only bring more good news, and maybe a little trotting??? In a straight line??? :) Who knows...