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Post by nicxf on Jul 8, 2013 6:20:55 GMT
Aww, preety Cash pony! Sounds like Iris is making real progress.
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Post by breakfast on Jul 11, 2013 22:05:25 GMT
Mare has had a couple of days off because she had the chiropractor out on Tuesday, which typically calls for a bit of a break, and then she also had her feet done yesterday. The chiro had found her left hip quite wonky, which could well have made it harder for her to bend right, and said that should be far easier for her by now. This evening she we saddled up to see whether there were any changes. One thing I noticed was that while saddling up she was standing square rather than resting one hindfoot, something she usually did before. When I got on I could immediately feel more fluidity in her body. She can bend much more smoothly to both sides. We spent quite a while just walking and trotting around while I got a handle on where her balance is at now and worked on straightness by following sunbeams across the field. She felt really good to ride. A bit snorty in places ( when bothered she snorts a lot and shakes her head around ) but a lot more able to follow the rein than she had been. There were a few moments where she felt like a proper English dressage horse. Definitely a positive step. Maybe a hint of give at the poll here? Someone looks pretty happy to be out riding in the sunshine anyway...
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Post by breakfast on Jul 15, 2013 22:52:43 GMT
On Saturday I thought I would take Iris for a bit of a wander around the fields. It was hot and there were flies and she was in a bit of a bad mood to start with so it wasn't an ideal setup and she got very emotional about going down along the track I had in mind. I figured it would be easier to let her move a bit and get the anxiety out of her system so we set out for a trot across the field. After about twenty five yards she tried to turn it into a canter but decided to go for a bucking session instead. I don't know how big they were, but not sufficient to be too hard to sit, so I got her bending and back under control. Then we spent the rest of the ride with me just increasingly insisting that she listen and stop mentally wandering off the whole time. After a while we got somewhere better and not wanting to overdo things in the heat we called it there. Yesterday we worked in the evening a bit later and having had 24 hours to think things over I was way more exacting in what I asked her for. I realised I am still riding her like I was a few weeks ago and I need to up my game so that she has the opportunity to up hers. I can't be too firm with her or too quick to firm up- it just annoys her and makes her less co-operative - but I have maybe not been sufficiently precise and clear in what I request from her. It was a hard ride yesterday but a good one. Today we had two good things- her sidepull finally arrived in the post ( from these guys who seem to have some nice gear ) and we had a saddler ( the excellent Marie Owens ) come out to visit. She said that the saddle I have been using is a reasonable fit, which is a big relief as I really like it and would prefer to keep using it if possible, but it needs a bit of shimming to make it a good fit. We tried a shimmed pad and Iris immediately felt a little more free, her trot lifting more. Marie showed how it released pressure on Iris' shoulders, but wasn't happy with there being a bit too much of the tree over her loins. We tried a different shimmed pad to lift it off the shoulder and lift the back a little bit too and when I rode for a few strides I could immediately tell that this was the pad we needed to use- she was way more free in her movement and there was a lot more bounce in her stride. It was, as you might imagine, the <i>expensive</i> pad. Still, relative to the price of a new saddle ( and I may not even have bothered to get a new western saddle ) or the cost in fixing a problem caused by an uncomfortable saddle, it still counts as a bargain. Iris being snorty at a place where a fire had been. Some weird kind of gaited passage. I think she was being annoyed by a fly. Or me. Could go either way.
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Post by kas on Jul 16, 2013 11:57:54 GMT
Good to read the updates Breakfast.
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Post by el on Jul 17, 2013 21:21:25 GMT
Love her one foot at a time B
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Post by breakfast on Jul 17, 2013 23:02:49 GMT
Today I rode Iris in the Sidepull, which arrived the other evening and her new saddle pad for the first time. She actually felt like a different horse, way more elevation and movement in her back, she just felt better than she ever has. I don't think the saddle was particularly uncomfortable before, but with the shimmed pad it is clearly more comfortable because Iris just moves much better in it. It was a pricey pad, but I'm really happy with the outcome. I also got to see how she went in the sidepull - I didn't want to use it when trying the saddle because I didn't want to change too much all at once, but today we put it on and it certainly seems a little easier to be clear than with the halter, as you might expect. As sidepulls go this one isn't beautiful in my opinion ( I'd rather have something more like a regular bridle in style ) but it works and it's certainly better than riding in the halter. It may have slightly arrived after it was needed as I think we can go over to a regular bridle soon, but it does her no harm to work in different equipment and what she learns with the sidepull will transfer directly to the bridle. I have hopes that this mare will really cut it as a dressage horse. A way off as yet, but we are beginning to build some foundations.
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Post by beksnjake on Jul 18, 2013 5:07:24 GMT
I've said it before but she really has a lovely length of stride. Loving the updates.
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Post by breakfast on Jul 18, 2013 7:36:50 GMT
I am amazed what a difference a saddle pad has made, that is absolutely clear.
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Post by tommytrot1 on Jul 18, 2013 18:15:58 GMT
Can you please let me know what saddle pad you bought? and she looks ideal for Dressage, perfect horse alround
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Post by breakfast on Jul 18, 2013 22:54:37 GMT
It is a Mattes sheepskin pad, has three shim pockets on each side and comes with a bunch of shims so you can pad out the saddle with different thicknesses in different places.
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Post by snigsby on Jul 19, 2013 8:21:17 GMT
Ah yes,gaited passage............been there,sat on that LOL
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Post by breakfast on Jul 19, 2013 21:31:46 GMT
I know there will have to be a point where we stop making this steady, easy progress, where the hill gets steeper and it becomes harder for us to build on the foundation that we have. But I will take this gentle, enjoyable, improvement with a smile on my face for as long as I can possibly maintain it.
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Post by kas on Jul 22, 2013 22:13:07 GMT
Suggestion (from the clinic) - try bringing your focus up ahead of you and not down on your horse. Think of having at least 180 degree vision while looking forward and up. You can feel what your horse is doing, you don't need to look down to work it out.
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Post by breakfast on Jul 24, 2013 21:26:06 GMT
I'm way better at that than I used to be- spent a lot of time at Ross' working on the same with groundwork, focussing on where the horse needs to be going rather than on pushing them on. I find I can usually feel a lot more if I'm not looking at the horse than if I am, but I do often fall into the old patterns, particularly when I am thinking mostly about the reins. Given that often the change I want is from bracing on the rein to giving to it, and for the head to drop so the back can lift a bit, that is all stuff I can feel as easily as I can see it, but because head position is such a clear indicator it's sometimes hard not to look where one is thinking about, even though the feel through the back is a clearer indication of what is really going on. Today she dropped through her shoulder on the circle about 80% of the time, which was a massive improvement on what we had before. Funnily enough, she does it worse to the right, which is the side where my shoulder tends to collapse, and when I consciously lift my shoulder she is way better. Who knew? Also she is starting to consistently be soft in the poll and sometimes to drop her head and lift her back a little in trot. Super awesome pony and - so far - just incredibly good natured.
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Post by kas on Jul 25, 2013 6:27:27 GMT
I know how hard it is not to look Breakfast. ;D It made a massive difference to some riders (including me) on the latest clinic though, somehow looking down severely weights the front end. Can't wait to see you both in action together!
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