Video of Fences 2-5

http://vimeo.com/3844950
Fence 2
- lose steering
Fence 3 (refusal)
Fence 4
Fence 5 (knocks with back legs)

T's photos of the AF Derby

Video coming soon.
http://gallery.me.com/thomasjohnson#100008

AF Derby - Quickie summary

I've been too tired to really type out the AF Derby, and mostly, my anxiety about being a terrible rider. If I wait much longer, I'll forget, so here's the highlights:
- Although we got there at exactly the time I planned on, I did not plan on the 30 minute line to get my number. That threw me completely off schedule, so my warm-up consisted of NO lunging, and once over each warm-up fence (still at hopeful height).
- We were second to go. The first horse refused a lot. Therefore, so did Willig.
- We had a refusal on the very first fence, where I immediately gave up the tiny shred of hope I had about actually competing, and switched my whip to my left hand, which I had forgotten to do ahead of time. I DID stop him right in front of the fence and let him look at it.
- Then we lost steering in between fences 2 and 3.
- And a refusal at 3. (With a stop and looking at it.) There were a lot of fences in this area, and poor ADD Willig was completely overstimulated (and under-warmed-up).
- Then we made it over 4.
- He hit 5 with his back feet.
- Made it over 6 and 7.
- Walked through the water.
- Tried to refuse 8, but since I had (cleverly) switched the crop, I smacked him and we went over it.
- Made it over 9.
- And I pulled off and circled 10 because it had looked ENORMOUS to me when I (in a rush) walked the course. When we came back to it at a trot, he was all "holy shit" becuase I had pulled him off, and so he sort of came to a walk/halt, and then sprang over it like a deer. This was actually quite rewarding because if he could jump the fence I thought was enormous from basically a stand still, I can stop worrying about the size of the jumps.

Then we watched for a while, practiced patience at the trailer for a while, got tired of patience (and local hay) and tried to dig to China, and therefore, got to the dressage warm up arena about an hour before my ride.

There, we watched an INCREDIBLE rider warming up and riding her prelim test. She was a delight to watch.
Then we accidentally cut off a kid for her test (as a lawyer, I misunderstood what "two more riders then you" meant), rode our test with only one spook, watched Amy Tryon jump a training level course (and some other riders), and then got my worst dressage score ever ...
46.9.

Until that point, I felt like the day was success. Since that point, I have felt like a total failure of a rider. (First place was about a 30.5.)
The major comment is an up arrow (increase?) "bit". As best I can tell, it means increase my contact with the bit. The only other negative comments are his spook ("counter bent"), his down transition from trot to walk ("abrupt"), his free walk ("lacks energy/march").
And me - the rider - I got a 5. He also got a 5 for submission.
The judge's comment says "Horse has nice gaits & appears to be kind. (Surely I am reading that wrong.) Needs positive direction from you."

Last summer's BN test (I could only find one of two), was a 39.5, with a "crooked on center line", "circle too small and off center". He got a 5 for submission there too, but I got a 6.

At that show, he got 2nd. The show before that he got 3rd.
At the last two derbies, he has been in the bottom quartile - which means the bottom 5.

So, we appear to be getting worse. How this could be, I'm not sure, since we are riding better (it feels - I mean, obviously not the refusals). I guess it is going from hopeful/grasshopper to BN, but that shouldn't change my dressage score, and he has the ability to jump the fences.

In line, the women in front of me were talking about how it was "too embarrassing" to ride BN. Maybe my standards are too low. Maybe I've been working with him alone too long, so I think that not spooking = success.

My plan is to see how the next few months go. We have the ideal set up for success now - rapid improvement: lessons with Mike, clinics with Jonathan, boarding at Forest Park, and a few more unrecognized derbies and stuff. If he hasn't improved at BN by fall, I think I should rethink my riding ability and what I'm doing with him.

In other news, Stampy came with us, and T said that he got many, many "He's going in Hopeful, right?" and "How many hands tall is he?"

And for those of you who are Strokes fans, here is Willig's theme song:
"Take it or leave it" from "Is this it?"
The words are sort of ...
"Leave me alone, I'm in control, I'm in control
Girls ask too much, boys act too tough, enough is enough
....
I said just take it or leave it (repeat)
I say, he's going to let you down (repeat)
I'm going to break your back for a chance
I'm going to steal your friends if you dare
We're going to win some day

I fell off the track
I can't go back
I'm not like that
Boys ask too much, girls act too tough, enough is enough
On the minds of other girls, I know he was
I said just take it or leave it (repeat)
I say
He's going to let you down (repeat)
I'm going to break your back for a chance
I'm going to steal your friends if you dare
I'm going to win some day
...."

The Boys at AF Derby

This was the best picture I took of the boys at the derby.

Wilhelm Museler book

I'm reading "Riding Logic" which is genius and should be read by everyone.

"Harmony between rider and horse ... is best expressed ... by the complete and constant accord of two living bodies in every movement."

Miscellaneous Thoughts

The nice mom of the Lipizzan mare told me that Willig has a nice uphill confirmation (I think earlier she called him "cute").

Jonathan told me (several times) at the clinic last weekend (the one day we were there) to ride with shorter reins.

Mike worked with me on loose hips (swinging like an elephant trunk), and when my legs finally got loose and my hips were swinging all huge, I asked if that was just like a loosening warm-up walk, and Mike said oh no, that wouldn't even be a nice loose rein walk, that 9 out of 10 horses would be walking bigger. I was amazed. I have a lot of adjusting to do in my feel.

Two of the dressage riders at the new barn used to event, and they both did prelim! I'm totally impressed.

I made the fake ditch today, but it was raining too hard and too wet out to lunge Willig over it, but maybe next week, with the time change, it will be light enough (and not raining) after work to try it out.

1st lesson with Mike - Spectacular!

My first lesson with Mike was tonight. Not only did it exceed my wildest expectations, but it was a roaring success given the state of my shoulder and hip after the fall last weekend. I wasn't sure I'd even be able to get on (let alone trot or canter) but I figured we had plenty to learn at the walk (I was correct) if we couldn't. I don't think I can even repeat everything we learned in 45 minutes just a few hours later, but I'll do my best. I am so excited about my next lesson - I think I am going to work really well with him.

- I have been riding with the noseband too low, which also makes the flash useless. The noseband should be 2-3 fingers below the "cheekbone" - up above the dip where the bone turns soft. My noseband was at least 4 holes too low. This also makes the flash not do its job, which is to hold the bit properly up against his cheeks. (I thought the flash was to hold his mouth shut.) I adjusted this as soon as the lesson ended, so we'll see how it works now.
- My bit is a baby bit, and I need to work him in a smaller diameter (I'm not sure that's the right word) bit. Mine is a big fat eggbutt snaffle, and he showed me skinnier loose ring snaffles. I tried to find one online, but most of them didn't have the "diameter" measurements. Willig appears to have the regular 5 1/2" width mouth. He said at 7-8 he should be ready for double reins, not working in a 3 year old's bit.
- My saddle doesn't fit right. He showed me how the gullet doesn't have a big enough gap (3 fingers tall), and how it pinches when I shift on his shoulder blades and on his back. The back of the saddle, with my big butt, was squished onto his poor backbone, not on the muscles that run on the side. (Contrary to what I've been believing for years, wider is not always better.) He loaned me a pad for the lesson to fold up under it (which made it feel tall), which I also haven't been able to find online. My riser pad (a Miller's pro-tek) doesn't look nearly fat enough but I'm going to try it next ride (when I also look at my jumping saddle to see if that one doesn't fit either). I didn't notice Willig changing his movement, but we were really focused on my position the rest of the lesson.
- I'm also riding with the saddle too far forward, sitting on his withers and on his shoulder blades. The front flap of the saddle should go behind his shoulder blade (so they can lift and move forward) and that was an easy 2-3" further back (maybe more) than where I've been putting it.
- I didn't have Willig's splint boots on (because it hurt too much to bend over) and he said to always wear them just because a splint is so easy to hurt and can so easily be avoided and takes so long to heal.

So after that humiliation - but extremely educational! - we moved on to riding - and only got as far as my position:
- The reason I think my saddle doesn't fit me is because I ride with my legs all hunched up like I'm jumping, even in the dressage saddle. We did a bunch of balance exercises to feel the right place (which of course, feels wrong right now), too far forward (butt sticks out behind) and too far back (fall down on your butt). If you stand up in the saddle, so there is a vertical line (shoulder, hip, heel), you should land on your feet if the horse disappears from under you. I ride like a rocking chair - with my legs too far in front of me. The front of your toe and stirrup should just be touching the girth - my ankle has been right alongside the girth - so that's actually a few inches difference, I think.
I can look down and see the long leg, but this is going to take some work to undo and refeel it, because I could stretch my leg back and feel it at the walk, but as soon as I trotted, my legs curled up again. Interestingly, the long leg didn't need a longer stirrup - it was just in a different place on the saddle (that looked more "right", looking down). Also, at the trot, think "lift my toe" not just "drop my heel". This felt crazy and wild and like I was going to fly out of the stirrup, but did make for a bouncy, shock-absorbing ankle that did NOT fall out of the stirrup.
- The other vertical line is bit to elbow, and you are usually in the right place if you can touch your thumbs above his withers. I need to work on that one too - I let my reins go too loose. (He said I also throw him away in all my transitions, so that's a future work on too, because I don't know how not to.)
- Then we took my stirrups away and felt the balance, then worked a bit on the sitting trot. At first, I sat it better with stirrups, but as we worked on it, I had a step here and a step there, where he said "yes!" and I felt it. It was pretty incredible.
The main thing I do is not pull my belly back to my spine - I flop forward like a beer belly. When I pull my belly to my spine, it makes my back go straighter too. But I have to keep telling myself and sucking it back. Putting the belly to the spine also puts my butt in a better place on the saddle. (After I correct all these things, we'll work on my shoulders and posture - eck.)
- Then we put the stirrups back and did a little bit of canter each direction. By now my hip was aching, my back hurt, and my shoulder was killing me, so I was starting to fall apart. When I have been riding, to keep my butt from lifting out of the saddle, I have been pushing it back and down - that makes me slide around in the saddle with each stride (because I'm clamping my thigh and losing mobility in my hip). Instead, if I (at the halt) drop my stirrups, lift my legs away from the saddle for a second, then drop them back down, it "plugs in" my sit bones (the ischia, I think). But then I have to also pull my belly back to my spine (so I don't flop forward with it). For just a second, I could feel Willig's back lift under me when I was thinking long loose thighs, plugged in, belly back.

So this doesn't do even 1/100th of capturing how well Mike explained everything and how many light bulbs went off for me. He explained WHY a change in my position causes these other changes, and I love that he gives homework and assignments. I also really appreciate him taking the time to start from the "ground up" and look over Willig and explain what was wrong and how to fix it and what effects it has. I feel terrible that I have been riding Willig in improper tack - it is a constant source of amazement to me that horses are so forgiving and keep working for us.

I got the impression that while we've given Mike plenty to work with, that he has some really good ideas once we start correcting the basics, of how to deal with my Willig problems (he said a horse gets neurotic if you keep it bottled up), and he showed me some natural horsemanship when Willig stepped away from me at the mounting block (something he rarely does, but decided to today when I was essentially one-armed). For that, Mike led him from the right side, told him to stop, and tapped him lightly with the whip when he didn't listen immediately. He says horses need to respect you as the herd leader. I also asked at the end if (huge gulp) Willig was too much horse for me and if I was going to ruin him, and he said that everyone ruins at least 3 grand prix horses before they can make 1, so the best thing to do is to get riding.

Future things to work on, in addition to my list of issues (doesn't pay attention, hard to bend to inside), is how to properly lunge with a surcingle and side reins. I really have no idea how, and have been reluctant to try and then make things worse with him. Also, sadly a ways off, is to work on the "metronome".

It's about a month before my next lesson, so if I work really hard, maybe I will be able to get my leg position a bit improved by then and do better with looser thighs and plugged in seat. Mike has had an incredible range of experience - he's ridden show jumpers, eventers, and now dressage, and I really like his teaching style.

Saturday I'm going to try to fix the ditch problem. Shannon has some black mats, so I'm going to "make" a ditch by putting out the mats, using my cavelleti holders, and putting out cavelleti, so I make a fake ditch. Then I'll lunge Willig over it until he's solid, and then ride him over it. Then the next time Tom is out as a spotter, I'll ride him over the real ditch out in the field. Once the footing firms up, I want to take him out and ride him at canter and trot up and down the hills so we get control and footing out in the open.

I'm really excited now! This is going to be really great for me and Willig. There is so much to learn!

Sweet Stephen sent me flowers

Incredibly, there is still no bruising or swelling. I quit taking the vicodain, and switched to extra strength tylenol. My shoulder still hurts enough that it hurts to use the crutches (but the walker is so old lady), and my hip still hurts quite a bit. But it hurts less than it did Saturday, so I guess it's on the mend.

Aspen Farms Clinic - Excellent until fall

We unfortunately only attended the first day of the Aspen Farms clinic because I fell off on Saturday and spent most of the day in the emergency room.
Up until I fell, Willig was actually doing very spectaular - especially compared to last year.
We started in the indoor arena (the weather was doing typical Pacific NW - sunshine then pouring rain, then howling wind, then light breeze), and Willig was a bit head strong from the canter (I am still doing mostly jumping from the trot at home).
Jonathan told me the same thing as last year's clinic - keep him in control and rhythmic, and then to keep his head turned to the inside, so he's not such a looky-loo. (And later, he said I can start cantering him over everything, that he's nice and solid and I don't need to trot everything anymore.)
Then we went to the outside sand arena, and first did a series of three - a log, then a pile of three logs, then a nice tall log coop. I was a little nervous about the log coop - it looked really big to me, but Willig just soared right over it, as comfortable as could be.
The interesting overall thing about this clinic was how smooth Willig is to ride over fences, WHEN we approach them in a nice rhythm and he doesn't have to squish or lengthen right at the end. For basically every set, we would be off the first fence (and then I'd jump ahead), and then I'd get it and we'd do better.
So, the one trick Jon said, which he said last time and I've actually been doing, is to count - especially down, so the rhythm (1 - 2 - 3 - 4), and then when you approach the jump, count down (4 - 3 - 2 - 1), because three strides out it should be up to the horse and you should not change anything. (I want to get a metronome - Janis loaned me hers, so we both get better at rhythm - it turns out I've mostly just been counting his steps, not keeping us in rhythm.)
Ok, so then we did the bank, and Willig, bless his sweet soul, was like "huh? well, ok!" and he did just great. It took us a few tries to get the down (mostly because I would lean forward instead of back and then he'd LEAP off all enormous and it just was clumsy), but then we got it. We did a few more combinations, then went into the field because Sunday the forecast was for snow and rain.
Out in the field, Willig continued to do great - we did some cantering up a hill and trotting down, to maintain control, and then a slight bench, one of the kayak jumps, a log coop on the top of a hill, and then a regular coop headed back towards the other horses. Willig refused the regular coop the first time (I think becuase there was a hill on the other side, going down), and Jonathan said that for refusals, it's best to stop them right in front of the jump so they don't learn there's a way out to the right or left, that they can stop, but the only option is to turn around and do it again.
So then we headed out to a new section I haven't been to before, and did a log, then another nice sized solid fence (a long canter between), then a canter back towards the group and over a ditch.
Willig's first jump over the ditch was HUGE - I even felt a bit of a twist in the air while he was looking at it. (And I couldn't get him to trot and then we couldn't decide so it was like "trot? canter?" right up until the last couple steps.)
And then, just as Jonathan said, he refused it the next four times or so. We stopped right in front of it each time, and I put my crop in my left hand (he seems to always run out to the left), and then we went behind a nice pony, who jumped it reliably each time, and then ... finally, Willig jumped it.
And he was so excited and exuberant that he jumped it that he started bucking, and I was saying "yay Willig! good boy!" so I didn't get his head up in time, and I sat the first couple bucks, but then he did a really spectacularly huge one, and I went flying off.
And since I'm becoming an old lady, and have a knack, I landed on my left hip then somehow bounced onto my right shoulder.
Willig ran off.
I was on the ground for a while, tried to get up, and passed out.
To keep this short, one of Jon's working students brought me to the emergency room, where I did not break anything, and now I'm doped up on painkillers (which help tremendously), a bit sore, Tom is driving me around, and I have a walker and crutches (but my shoulder hurts too bad still to use the crutches just yet). And, amazingly, no bruise. I'm not sure if it's because it's such a deep bruise it hasn't made it to the surface yet, or if I'm just a total wimp.
Willig did not look remorseful - someone caught him and brought him back and he just stared at the sky instead of looking at me.
Fortunately, Shannon has a little ditch in her cross country course, AND she has a piece of black mat that she uses, so as soon as I can ride again, we're going to work on ditches.
The overall version was that the clinic was really useful, and I am really proud of how far Willig has come. Although we clearly have lots to work on, I am really, really pleased with how he is coming along. I think he needs a lot of experience, and I need some training help, but I feel very positive about him again.
And the other advantage of a clinic is watching the other riders' mistakes and corrections and what a difference it makes. I can't wait for Tom to video me again so I get a better look at what I'm doing wrong. (The mirrors at Forest Park help a lot with the flat for that, but I need to see how we're looking over fences.)
The pictures are of me with walker and crutches, post-clinic.
Oh yeah, and I asked Jonathan, and he said that they typically don't need studs until at least Training (bad weather) and more likely prelim. He didn't know about those trench shoes that were in Flying Changes this month.

Sweet Merc needs a new home

Ok, seriously, sweet calm Mercury needs a new home.
I adore him - he is my sweet, calm, reliable boy - but I just can not work AND ride both horses.
I've had Merc about 4 years.
He's a 1994 thoroughbred gelding. About 16 hands (maybe a hair taller), nice colored bay.
If you go all the way through the blog, he had last summer off (from showing), but the two summers before that I rode him beginner novice at unrecognized shows and derbies. Except for the one time I fell off, he always got 1st-3rd.
He loves to jump, but he's not experienced enough that I'd consider him a schoolmaster.
He'd be good for:
- a kid with a solid foundation who just needs a couple years of entry level work
- a trail riding companion (for friends/husbands/boyfriends of any level)
- an adult amateur who is getting back into riding
- light regular old riding
He's good for easy riding and reliable if he's only ridden a couple days a week (he doesn't get all crazy thoroughbred).
However, if you want to show him, he needs more consistent work, and he needs someone with enough experience who will make him work. He's good for beginners, but he's like a "beginner-plus" horse - he's the next step, where you have to be on alert and asking him to do what you want. (i.e. not telling him to canter, then he canters until you tell him to walk two hours later)
He trailers, cross-ties, clips, stands still while you braid, goes through water, goes on trails, and basically does everything an all-around horse should do. He's not spooky, he doesn't have any vices, and I can put my mom on him (who is afraid of horses) and she can go on a trail ride.
He was leased most of the last year by a beginner teenager who adored him, but when I moved barns, I went back to riding him myself.
I'd be willing to sell him - price negotiable - when I had him working and in show condition - pre-recession - I valued him at $4500.
I'd also be willing to put him in a full care, long-term lease with a purchase option that decreases the longer the lease lasts.
In either situation, I'm willing to give two test rides and a one week trial. I won't do a longer trial because the wait list is so long at our current barn, and I don't have a place I could put him until a spot opened up again. I will also do a right of first refusal (for a purchase) or a return to me (for a lease) so that if your situation changes, he gets returned to me (but I'll need two months notice because of the boarding situation). I don't want him to end up "on the streets".
Please, please email me or if you know of the perfect home, spread the word.
I'm going to branch out in my advertising, and the longer I ride him, the more his price will go up.
I really want him to find the perfect home, where he gets more attention and time than I can give him right now.

Mirror mirror on the wall

I suspect Willig isn't scared of being alone in the indoor arena because each corner has a mirror, and therefore, he thinks another horse is always in there, tracking with him. I'm not sure about that, but it seems like the likeliest explanation.
I'm trying to kick up the exercise a notch because I've gotten terribly out of shape and I've got some goals for this summer. To illustrate, here's the pants I wore yesterday:
6:45 am - pajama bottoms
7:30 am - biking pants (bicycle biking, not motorcycle biking)
8:30 am - work pants
noon - running pants
1 pm - work pants
5:30 pm - biking pants
6:30 pm - breeches
10:30 pm - whew - pajama bottoms

Both boys got their feet done today and new shoes.
For the future:
- Think about getting (maybe next year) some of the shoes with the "trench" for extra grip (instead of the horse cleats)
- We're going to try every 6 weeks to see if Mercury oversteps and hits his own ankles because his feet grow so fast.
Willig was actually pretty good, considering that I took him out of his stall mere moments after they put down his hay.
I am going to try, if our schedules align, to take one dressage lesson a month from Mike Osinski: http://www.mikeosinski.com/home.html

Cormac McCarthy - "All the pretty horses"

"The boy who rode on slightly before him sat a horse not only as if he'd been born to it which he was but as if were he begot by malice or mischance into some queer land where horses never were he would have found them anyway. Would have known that there was something missing for the world to be right or he right in it and would have set forth to wander wherever it was needed for as long as it took until he came upon one and he would have known that that was what he sought and it would have been."