Hippoi Athanatoi

The plan was to post about this week’s lesson in a more timely fashion, but I’ll have to start by letting myself be side-tracked for a bit. I have this craving right now to do something more artistic/creative, and I am kicking myself for not doing that ages ago. It feels much too late to pick something up at my age (yes, I am feeling hopelessly old these days :P), because I have this block when it comes to doing something as a hobby. I don’t like doing things I can’t excel at. I am too competitive, to focused on being at the top, to just dabble in something.

The only exception, really, which is why it fits into this post, is riding. I suppose that when I was younger, I figured that one day I’d have my own horse and I’d be competing. Everyone who starts riding probably thinks like that. But eventually it just becomes a purpose in itself, without the need for additional goals like that. I want to improve, of course, and I still hope to one day be able to have a horse, but just riding is enjoyment enough. With other things, I enjoy having completed them, and then it becomes the final result that counts, not the work needed to get there. Working on a subtitling job or on a paper can be a fun challenge, but for the most part its something I like best when I have finished it. So I can’t see myself taking up something if I don’t expect to be doing it quite seriously and producing results that meet my standards.

And with that off my chest (well, not really, I never get things off my chest), back to the lesson.

So, it seems I’ll be riding Heddvig for a while. I have to see if I can drag Elio along to take some pictures of her at some point, because its hard to do the little black tank justice with a description.

Its certainly an interesting experience to ride her instead of Murphy, and its a lot of fun even if its hard to get the same satisfaction as when Murphy does really well simply because Heddvig doesn’t have the training or the strength to respond quite so well. But its still quite satisfying to see her progress.

This week, we work on cantering…and doing so while the others trotted. This was, on the whole, a little too difficult for Heddvig. She did show during the jumping that she can slow her canter down, but when she doesn’t have obstacles to think about her instinct is to run into the canter and then keep running because otherwise she feels she doesn’t have the strength to keep it up. I am sort of wondering if one could improve her canter in general by jumping her quite a lot. Of course, it has improved since she got to the stables, and in particular she’s getting better at taking the cues for canter a little more quickly.

On the whole—apart from the bit where my fingers almost froze off—I enjoyed it, but I do hope that a few weeks of riding Heddvig will let me get a hang on how to get her to run less and work more. She definitely has potential, and a fun attitude. As well as a lot of attitude, sometimes.

Last week fell by the wayside, but we just had a theory lesson discussing jumping technique, with focus on the horses. This week we got to experience some of it from the saddle, and next theory we may get to see a young horse jump on its own to study “raw” technique.

I’ve only been jumping Murphy for quite some time now, since there’s a lack of other horses for me to ride, but this time I got the chance to jump Heddvig. Wow. Who’d think the little black tank could jump like that. She was so good that to start with I was making it more complicated than it had to be because I kept expecting her to have issues with a) getting any sort of canter and b) getting the right leading leg.

I was quite wrong.

Sure, the first time she didn’t get a canter right after the first jump, but a light tap on her shoulder was all it took. And sure, she needed rather wider circles than the rest to manage at a canter. But once we had jumped a couple of times, she had it figured out. She had no problem jumping on a curved line and getting the correct leading leg after each jump, and she was so easy to place right. In fact, jumping actually improved how she cantered; normally she rushes along, since she doesn’t have the strength to carry herself more slowly, but now she had jumps to think about (and think she clearly did) and that helped settle her down.

What a clever, clever girl. Of course, she also wanted to kill any horse that moved in her direction, but that’s just a minor issue. ;)

Today was supposed to be the second day of MyDog. Or rather, it still is, but not for us. Yesterday didn’t go all that well, resulting in a Linda with a bad back and lots of added stress. And given that I’ve got a paper on Roman curse tablets due soon, I felt I didn’t need another day like that. Of course, it usually goes better the second day, since Ringo tends to be a little more mellow, but I decided against it anyway. Still kicking myself, of course, and thinking about “what ifs”.

Yesterday actually started off okay, since I had had the smart idea of using the less busy entrance and giving Ringo a little walk outside the arena first. So, he was pretty manageable once inside, not really pulling towards dogs much at all. But once we got settled in around the ring, it was really, really crowded (today would have been better in that regard too, since we would have been in a bigger ring with more space around it), and he got really riled up and just wouldn’t calm down. If he wasn’t barking at us for attention, he barked at other dogs, either to get them to play or out of his usual leash fear/aggression. In some cases, he did settle down about particular dogs so that he could be praised for it (and I rather regret not walking him around more down in the exhibit area, to get more of a chance to reward him), but he never really landed fully. We did have his cage along, and he’d occasionally go in, but after a few minutes he’d bark and want to be let out.

And then we got into the ring, and he and a few other dogs took a dislike to each other. I don’t know who started, I know he growled at one that passed nearby, but then the dog in front of us kept turning around to snarl in his face, so I think they were all to blame. But it got kind of stressful (though no one actually touched anyone else), and for a while I even thought the judge had sent us out because he was really a) disorganized and b) quiet when he tried to split the group into two for running the dogs. By then I had a complete dry mouth and arms and legs that felt so weak I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do the individual evaluation at all. As a result, the individual running was not good. Ringo was a bit tried and I was too exhausted to do a good job. The teeth showing went well since I got to do it myself (the judge said he was tried of wrestling boxers), and then Ringo posed ... okayish while I tried to catch my breath and calm down.

Of course, after all that work, we got a 2. Not a huge surprise at a Kennel Club show, he’s just not that kind of boxer, but I am a bit annoyed anyway. The written critique was actually quite good, save for a note about him being a bit hotheaded in the ring. This means that the judge either wrote a critique that doesn’t really seem to reflect a 2 in terms of his conformation, or the judge gave him the 2 because of his temper. But for temper, if the judge feels it is an issue, it should be a 0 and then a code “A” for fearful or aggressive behaviour. If its not judged to be that much of an issue, then my understanding is that it shouldn’t be reflected in the score at all, unless its highly atypical for the breed. But, I’ve had other 2’s that I am pretty sure came because he was too unruly/bouncy/etc, when he really should have had a KEP (Kan ej prisbelönas = Cannot be judged) instead. So, because judges are reluctant to give what they see as the more serious 0 + A or KEP, you get 2’s that aren’t really 2’s instead. In this case, I guess the judge didn’t feel like handing out a bunch of 0 + A, so he handed out a few 2’s instead.

Of course, the reason for the 2 could also be that the judge isn’t very good at writing a critique that sounds well matched to the score he gives out. I know he’s judged a lot of boxer, but he spent a lot of time measuring the younger boxers and consulting a sheet which appeared to have the boxer standard on it. So it may be that we got a bit of a cookie cutter review with some typical catch-phrases thrown in. But, that’s how it is. Its all subjective, and that has to be accepted. Still, doesn’t mean one can’t sigh a bit about it. ;) Anyway, here’s the critique:

Masculine, excellent nose, a bit too much cheek, good eyes and ears. Short neck, strong back, straight croup, good forechest, good length of chest. Good legs and feet. Moves okay, somewhat hotheaded in the ring towards his competitors.

Don’t know when we will be showing again (possibly not until the local boxer show in May, but that may be too long a wait again), but this spring we really need to make an attempt at getting him ready for a working dog competition, probably tracking. We also want to do the physical & mental evaluation that should be done before age 4. And we’ll probably be booking some private lessons with a trainer to see if we can do anything about his leash aggression.

Some brief thoughts (because I am exhausted after the dog show today) on this Tuesday’s lesson. It was very cold, but after getting the size sorted on my winter shoes from Mountain Horse, they did a great job of keeping my feet alive. My thighs kind of died a bit, though, and my fingers died several times over. Of course, on a few occasions I found myself with my fingers frozen stiff and Murphy seemingly liking it. I guess I did fiddle a little much with the reins in some exercises, and once that stopped (because my fingers froze ;P) he became more supple and relaxed.

It was just three of us (some were probably on holidays, others stayed at home for the cold), so we got quite the workout. We warmed up working on two circles, and then we moved to an exercise where we turned in as if to ride across the arena, but then went into a tight circle to the left which led into a shoulder in on the line across the arena and which was concluded with another circle to the left. Murphy ended up quite nice and supple, and then went into “look, no spine” mode, so I had to work a lot on not overbending him. He also ended up a little too curled up for a while, but stretched out quite well once asked to, so ob the whole he was a pleasure to ride. The best results in terms of the shoulder in came when I skipped the circles and just went straight into it, so Ulrika suggested that next time we do this, I should ride a less fiddly exercise, especially on Murphy.

Last week was an interesting experience as I rode bareback for the first time in years and years. Murphy (I wouldn’t do it on anyone else, I think) had a very comfortable walk and trot, though I wasn’t able to canter as much as I would have liked. It was a little too jarring and I didn’t trust myself to stay on if I got too tired. The most amazing part was being reminded of, now that I know more than I did when I last rode bareback, how much contact with the horse that the saddle blocks out. Also, I think riding bareback would be excellent for curing me of my habit of coming over too far to one side.                 

There won’t be any riding this week because of the holidays, though we’re starting up next week again. Usually there’s a longer break, with some special lessons and such offered, but that hasn’t worked out so well the last years so instead we get regular lessons more quickly again. Unfortunately, our lesson has been moved an hour and a half later, and I am not sure I’ll be able to stick with that time for very long. But for now, it will still be Tuesday lessons, starting next week.

Just one more lesson left of this semester. The second-to-last was jumping, and it turned out pretty good. I was probably most pleased with the fact that I was able to retain some of those nice canter departures from the dressage. Usually I get too focused on going forward when I jump, but this time around I managed to be much more patient.

The exercise was another figure-of-eight variation, this time with two different diagonal and slightly curved lines. If the distance didn’t quite suit our horses, we were supposed to either shorten or lengthen the canter or, if that didn’t suit our horse, ride the line more or less curved. Given Murphy’s canter, I opted for the latter. The first line didn’t need any adjusting, though, and it felt like it all fit together pretty nicely. The second line we floated out too far the first time because I didn’t have the canter sorted in time, so it took me a couple of tries to a) get the canter sorted in time and b) start the turn in the air so the line ended up straight enough to suit Murphy’s canter.

Each time that we did the left-to-right diagonal, we got the correct (left) canter afterwards, even though that line in itself was harder. Each time we did the right-to-left diagonal, we got the wrong canter, though the line itself flowed nicely. So the main struggle each time was breaking off the canter after that line (Murphy does not do changes except once in a blue moon or so) and getting the new canter established quickly enough. This was complicated by the fact that Murphy likes jumping, so coming back down to a trot wasn’t really something he was very keen on. He also seems to find it easier to pick up a canter from a walk than a trot, at least to the right.

But overall, fun and it felt good to get the timing to work better. And I did bring treats this time.

Today is not a good day. It should have been, but I worked a little too much yesterday, accomplished a little too little and have too much to do today. Add the usual end of semester and holiday stress on top of that ... and I am not coping.

So, I am going to think about this week’s lesson for a bit. Because it was fun. Maybe not a huge step forward, but it felt good. I was on Heddvig (that’s our resident North Swedish Horse), and we had cantering to do. Not an easy thing for a pretty untrained horse that a) has been bred primarily for trotting and b) has been spending most of her life until the stable got a hold of her herding cows.

Last week saw a return of less amazing and more regular Murphy. Doing the same kind of canter work as the week before, but predominantly counter clockwise as opposed to clockwise was not a big hit with him. His hoof looked just fine, btw, but he was even more uneven between his left and his right side.

For the most part, Ulrika was pleased with how I rode him, but I could definitely feel the lack of “wow” moments, and the canter certainly lacked lift-off. It might be that its a little connected to when he has stomach issues; he’s apparently got a rather sensitive stomach, and it was a little in uproar last week. I am wondering if its ulcer, since I recently read its very common in horses and most domestic horses have it to some degree or another. Given that he does get unsettled easily, he might have more than most.

Where did the week go? Oh, I know, website work and subtitling work swallowed it.

Almost time for a new lesson, so just some shorter musings on last week. Which can be summed up as very good, as Murphy and I put what weeks of counter-cantering had taught us to work on some regular cantering.

It started out a little nervously, though, as I found a small cut on his right back hoof. It turned out to be a scab on top of his old scar, from when his hoof was (somehow) almost split into two parts. He has a lot of scar tissue there, and needs a specially-shaped shoe, but otherwise it doesn’t seem to bother him. Ulrika didn’t think the cut would affect him, so we gave it a try. I think that during the lesson he was possibly a tiny bit less willing to use his right side correctly (he’s always pretty uneven, but it may have been a touch more than usual), but she couldn’t see anything from the ground.

There was certainly nothing wrong with his canter. Much of it was just a notch or two over regular Murphy-standard, but on two occasions I got some lovely lift. The second time I tried to point this out to Ulrika ... and it promptly fell apart. She noted that it seems clear I just can’t talk and ride at the same time, at least not when me and/or the horse is doing much better than usual.

I had to take some time to digest last weeks double-length jumping lesson before posting about it. It was a very useful lesson, with some quite interesting exercises, but I don’t remember when I last had so many issues with a jumping lesson. In part I blame my decision to use my new winter shoes; they were a little too stiff and I couldn’t quite get a good feel for my leg position and leg usage. But the rest was all about some really bad habits.

This Tuesday was the first of two jumping lessons in a row (next week, its even a double-length jumping lesson), and I was—rather predictably, given that Gamir and Fleur are gone now, put on Murphy once again. We were also going to continue some work related to the counter-canter of the last weeks, so most of us did get the same horse as last week. Murphy was still rather unhappy in the stable, if not as bad as the last few weeks, and he was also a bit less enthusiastic about the lesson itself, at least initially. I think it may be because he’d not had a good lesson, or maybe one too many lessons, earlier in the day.

After some warmup where we worked them on circles and trotted over rails on the ground, we started off the jumping proper nice and easy. We had an obstacle at each end of the arena and we cantered around and around, focusing on getting a smooth, steady rhythm between and over each jump. Easier said than done, though. Murphy was having more issues with his canter again, and I wasn’t able to get him galloping on at a good pace without also having his hindquarters drifting out on every turn. We did manage to finish up with two pretty good jumps, though; both he and I tend to improve after we get a chance to feel it out.

Following that, we put up another obstacle between the other two, and were set the task of jumping all three in a figure-of-eight pattern. Ulrika made a good point about how to get the right canter after each jump: often, instructors give too many instructions for this, and when you try to follow them all you end up all tense and contorted. This has definitely happened to me, and trying to keep it more relaxed really helped. All she reminded me to do once it was my turn and I had ended up with the wrong canter a few times was to use a slight leading rein in the opposite direction of where I was going when jumping the middle jump at the cross-over point, to give the new inside room to come forward.

It didn’t work every time, Murphy being who he is. But when it worked, I think it helped give me a feel for how to do it, and we did get a nice flow to the jumps after a while. But its not easy when both horse and rider have co-ordination issues.

Compared to the last few weeks, this Tuesday’s lessons wasn’t quite so amazing. However, that mainly had to do with the exercise itself than anything else. Murphy was just as happy to work as he has been of late, and I think I did fairly well too. But, the main exercise was riding circles and going into a counter-canter just before we left one circle and rode over into the next in a pattern-of-eight figure. The constant circling, while focusing on keeping the horses bent counter to the circle as well as on where to start cantering, made me pretty dizzy. I kept losing track of where to start cantering, and consequently asked Murphy to start a little early a few times which his co-ordination couldn’t handle. I also didn’t get such great lines across to the other circle because I kept drifting a bit, and the fact that we circled at a walk and only got to canter now and then meant I didn’t get quite the same build-up of energy in Murphy. Still, he did an admirable job, and he really has improved so much.

Once again, however, he was unhappy in the stables. I am wondering if he’s feeling unsettled because of Fleur being gone. They had Martino next to him at first, and he didn’t like that at all, so now its Spitfire. Who is very friendly and polite, but maybe not to Murphy’s tastes anyway. In any case, I broke the new “no treats” rules a few times to perk him up; I think he needs it, to be reassured, though the rule is a good base to keep kids from overfeeding the ponies. Especially the greedy ones like Nelson, who gets mouthy from it.

So, I forgot all about posting last week. But that’s okay, I have time to catch up now, since I am not going to the stables at all today. We were supposed to have a clinic tomorrow instead, with our instructors riding for another instructor, but we have a flu in the stables so it has been postponed.

Which means no hippotheraphy fix for me today. At least I can think back on last week and, once again, say “wow, what a horse” about Murphy. Even though it started off a little dodgy in the stables—he was a bit uneasy, even made a squealy sound and threatened with a hind leg—he was once again very happy to be ridden.

After the preparations the week before, we now tackled actual counter-canter. And not as we usually do, by starting regular canter and then doing something to switch which way were going. No, we actually had to ask for counter-canter. A bit daunting when you’re a) on Murphy, b) have sucky co-ordination and c) have a hard time feeling which canter you got.

Did we get the counter-canter every time? No. But, we did get canter every time, with fairly subtle aids and not much delay. And the more times we did it, the more explosive it got. I was able to concentrate on all the other details, such as my seat which ended up being pretty steady all along, instead of worrying about Murphy not taking the aids quickly enough.

We didn’t trot much, so I didn’t really get a chance to feel that lovely trot he gives me when he is in this mood. And even though he transitioned into canter so much better than before, his canter as such is still not exactly great. But, the transitions were enough to make me a very happy girl. The kind of “lift-off” I am getting on him now is so different from anything he has done before. I just wish I knew what’s behind it. If I am doing something very right, I’d like bottle it for future use.

Maybe Murphy is just having a lot of fun. It certainly seemed like it afterwards, as he was so charged up when I led him to the stables that I was expecting him to start snorting and prancing any moment.

I am not sure what they have slipped Murphy in his oats lately, but whatever it is, they should keep doing it. He was just fabulous this Tuesday too. We were supposed to being doing some counter-canter work, but ended up working on preparing for it all lesson, and that gave some amazing results when walking and trotting.

We spent most of the lesson focusing on changing which side was the inner side, regardless which way we were riding, and on making sure that we were handling the turns in corners and on circles appropriately when riding them with the “wrong” side as the inner side. The counter-canter, which will happen next time if all goes according to plans, will be through to two corners, so Ulrika wanted to make sure we had a good feel for how to turn through a corner with the “wrong” inner side. In particular, she wanted to make sure our bodies were doing the right thing.

For me, that’s not an easy task. My co-ordination is about as bad as Murphy’s (we make an excellent couple that way ;P), and my general issues with left and right means that mirroring a movement is tricky for me. But because Murphy was in such good mood, I was able to continue focusing on doing as little as possible, and that worked to my advantage. I did need to adjust my leg position now and then, but overall I just thought about a steady seat. And it worked quite well. Plus, this kind of exercise, where I have to focus on keeping his shoulders in and his hindquarters under control, really makes a difference when it comes to getting him to work. I just have to take that feeling along to all lessons on him.

Still, I don’t think I can take full credit for how hard Murphy was working, though. He really does have bad co-ordination, and doing things the opposite way from how he usually does them is not easy for him, but boy how he worked at it. We had started off just switching inner sides when riding around the arena, and then we moved to riding on two circles and keeping the inside constantly opposite to what it would generally be. It was hard for him, but he just kept at it. He ended up so nicely together, and gave me some excellent walk and trot which I really felt through his whole body.