In training horses it is sometimes funny how we have to back up once in a while, in order to move forward. What we want is forward motion, but sometimes we have to back up in our progression of training to get it. Does that make sense? Maybe when I explain it it will.
At the CDE in March I was advised by others, (big names, big guns, that know a lot more than I do!) to change bits... Time to move the little man up to a 'big boy' bit. Time to start using something with a straight bar mouthpiece and shanks.
In all honesty- I didn't want to switch bits. I understand sometimes the horses are ready to change and 'move up' but I had this nagging in my gut about changing to the fixed bar mouthpiece. I just didn't like the idea of it. Although I undertood the concept of it and that Kat getting his tongue over the bit was not a good thing, I just didn't like it. There had to be some middle ground somewhere. It just had to be there- but where is it?
Training is not about me though. It is not about what I want or what I am comfortable with or comfortable doing. It is actually not about me at all! It is however, ALL about what is best for each particular horse.
Some of you may remember a while back when I kept refusing to go back to ground driving and long line work. "I can put him to the cart, WHY do I need to back up to ground driving and long line work?" Yet when I did- huge changes happened and the improvements were really obvious and certainly beyond my expectations.
Then my friend that trains pretty much along the same lines that I have- told me that she spends more time ground driving and doing long line work than actually driving with the cart. WTH?
When I said Kat was getting bored with arena work, MiKael of Rising Rainbow Arabians suggested long line work to keep Kat supple, soft, bending, giving and really making him work. When he gets between the shafts, he will have less room to bend, and actually will have it easier and can get a bit lazy yet still move correctly.
Since my cart is undergoing yet more changes (getting a set of adjustable shafts made for it with the marathon shafts instead of the straight shafts) I have been without a cart, pretty much since the incident with the irrigation ditch 2 1/2 months ago. I have also been incredibly busy with L-I-F-E! and have had very little time to drive anyways... but over the past week I made another change and ground drove Kat again.
Back when my daughter Robin was small and still riding, we had taken her pony Pi to a show up at Westworld. She was showing English and we needed a bit. Pi was used to something with a curb chain and shanks so I had bought a pelham with the jointed mouthpiece and short, loose shanks. I still have it and dug it out to try on Kat.
He worked wonderfully in it.
I started out with the long lines snapped to the snaffle rings and run through the turrets. He looked and moved lousy. I stopped him and changed the settings- lines through the tugs and snapped to the curb rings- BINGO! Boy did that do the trick. He was breaking over at the poll, on the vertical, in the bridle and on the bit. He had lateral bend, balanced movement and little man was ROCKIN' IT! like nobody's business.
We did circles and serpentines on both a shorter rein and a longer rein. Big circles, little circles, wide sweepy turns, smaller tighter turns... Kat was just amazing to watch. He was fluid, his transtions were smooth and hardly noticeable as he moved from a working trot to a slow trot, back to working then to extended. He made it all look EFFORTLESS.
Sometimes when you back up and take the time to do a refresher course over the basics in your training- going back to your ground work- you find the small holes in your program and can fix them, closing them up. I am finding I have a better eye for seeing proper movement in ground driving and long line work than an actual 'feel' for it when riding.
I'm not sure if the bit issue was more of My issue and Kat was picking up on it or if he just didn't like the fixed mouthpiece, wasn't liking to work in it or maybe it was a combination of both- who knows really? Part of training is finding what works and going forward from there. Sometimes you just have to back up a step or two to get there.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Let's go Shopping!
I love to shop. I also love good deals on stuff I need. I now have a new tab on the top Shepler's Storefront. Take a peek at some of the things I like and some of the stuff they have to offer. Hope you find something awesome there!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Damn the heat!
It has been hot here. Not anything more than usual, but it is still just plain HOT! I haven't been doing much with any of the horses because even early in the morning, it's hot. There have been times where it is already 97 degrees at 7am. Yuck!
So as an expression of my not so much caring about being Fugly Fodder, I went out Saturday morning and long lined Kat in my shorts and flip flops. Too hot for boot and jeans, not like I am riding and if my toes get stepped on, well it's my own damn fault.
I had worked him with the lines through the terrets or the rings on top of the harness saddle. He did ok. We were also using the mullen mouth butterfly bit. Having some time off- he was really light and responsive. One of the driving groups I am on, someone had mentioned running the lines through the tugs, which act as shafts, giving the horse some support in their work. Holy Mama! Did this ever make a difference!
When we started out, Kat was long, low and overreaching. A lot. Just abut every stride I heard click, click, click as his back feet connected with the front feet. He is due for a trim so I better get after it. With the lines down in the tugs and along his sides, then the outside line running along behind his butt, he rocked it back on the rear end like he should, lifted his now lightened shoulders and the movment- just like before. He was fun to watch. He still needs more softening work, but for not having worked in a while, I was not going to push it and go for too much. He's gotten a bit chubby, so yeah. I need to get us both back to work and in shape.
I also made a trip out to the other side of civilization... out to the home of another driving club member. She has gladly offered to let me use her cart and shafts for measurements, photos, notes and whatever else is needed to come up with the standard, adjustable marathon shafts for the cart. In return I am having an extra set made for her too.
In our short visit, we spoke of driving, lunging, ground driving from behind the cart and pretty much everything and anything where people seem to be divided in thought of "What is the right way (or the wrong way) to do this?" When I mentioned about being told Never, ever get out of the cart... In all her blunt honesty, my friend replied, "Oh fuck that shit!" Gotta love it...
It turns out she trains much like I have, but takes it a bit further. She lunges her horses at the canter, cart attached, empty and sometimes lets go of the line. She wants her horses to know what running around with an empty cart feels like and that it is no big deal. If she ever comes off the cart, it will be nothing new to them. She pushes their buttons, sees how far they can go, what the horse can handle and how they are going to react when it happens. Start out small, work your way up and know how far your horse can go before they blow.
I have also been working on masks. Made some for the neighbor, he told his friends, and it has been rolling. I have made a few for friends, made a few for other bloggers and am preparing for the deluge before it hits. Haven't gotten any saddle time recently and yeah. I want to, but not sure when it may happen.
So as an expression of my not so much caring about being Fugly Fodder, I went out Saturday morning and long lined Kat in my shorts and flip flops. Too hot for boot and jeans, not like I am riding and if my toes get stepped on, well it's my own damn fault.
I had worked him with the lines through the terrets or the rings on top of the harness saddle. He did ok. We were also using the mullen mouth butterfly bit. Having some time off- he was really light and responsive. One of the driving groups I am on, someone had mentioned running the lines through the tugs, which act as shafts, giving the horse some support in their work. Holy Mama! Did this ever make a difference!
When we started out, Kat was long, low and overreaching. A lot. Just abut every stride I heard click, click, click as his back feet connected with the front feet. He is due for a trim so I better get after it. With the lines down in the tugs and along his sides, then the outside line running along behind his butt, he rocked it back on the rear end like he should, lifted his now lightened shoulders and the movment- just like before. He was fun to watch. He still needs more softening work, but for not having worked in a while, I was not going to push it and go for too much. He's gotten a bit chubby, so yeah. I need to get us both back to work and in shape.
I also made a trip out to the other side of civilization... out to the home of another driving club member. She has gladly offered to let me use her cart and shafts for measurements, photos, notes and whatever else is needed to come up with the standard, adjustable marathon shafts for the cart. In return I am having an extra set made for her too.
In our short visit, we spoke of driving, lunging, ground driving from behind the cart and pretty much everything and anything where people seem to be divided in thought of "What is the right way (or the wrong way) to do this?" When I mentioned about being told Never, ever get out of the cart... In all her blunt honesty, my friend replied, "Oh fuck that shit!" Gotta love it...
It turns out she trains much like I have, but takes it a bit further. She lunges her horses at the canter, cart attached, empty and sometimes lets go of the line. She wants her horses to know what running around with an empty cart feels like and that it is no big deal. If she ever comes off the cart, it will be nothing new to them. She pushes their buttons, sees how far they can go, what the horse can handle and how they are going to react when it happens. Start out small, work your way up and know how far your horse can go before they blow.
I have also been working on masks. Made some for the neighbor, he told his friends, and it has been rolling. I have made a few for friends, made a few for other bloggers and am preparing for the deluge before it hits. Haven't gotten any saddle time recently and yeah. I want to, but not sure when it may happen.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tipping Point
I mentioned in the last post about Kat and I having a run-in with the irrigation ditch. Something has been on my mind since then.
At the last ADT I was talking to one of the club members who offers lessons in our area. I had mentioned to her about one of our previous outings when we encountered the garbage truck 3 times and how each time I stopped Kat, hopped out of the cart and stood by his head. When the truck went by, I hopped back on and we went on our way. Kat doesn't often spook and doesn't often bolt & run like a twit but I felt better, safer, standing by his head and making sure he was calm and relaxed, seeing me there calm and relaxed.
I was told I should Never dismount the cart in a situation like that. If he were to spook and bolt, he would be running away and there is no way to stop him or bring things back under control. It is better to sit in the cart and wait it out. You have more chances of preventing an accident that way then to step off the cart and head the horse.
Ok, that makes sense and I understand the reasoning behind it, but I also know that sometimes there is a time to just get off the horse and let them kill themselves too. In cases like that, have at it horse. Take yourself out, but you aren't taking me with you. Sometmes they handle things better seeing us on the ground, standing safe and calm while crazy shit happens around us. They see and feel us blowing it off, looking but not scared and do the same. You aren't freaked out, why should I be? is their reaction.
Knowing this, when things started to go south and the ditch was right there, I went with my instincts and stepped off the cart. I didn't let go of the reins, never got excited or lost my mind, but instead, stood there and waited for Kat to get his mind back and stop reacting to everything like he was. Sure it could have gone seriously wrong, but I did what I knew to do and waited for Kat to slow down and figure it out.
I know every horse is different, we are all different, every situation is different and how things turn out in the end vs. the could have, would have, should haves is all going to be different too. But do we all know what our own 'breaking point' is? Do you know when to get off and when to stay on and ride it out? What is it for you that defines it? Sometimes it is a gut feeling, reaction, instinct or you just know... but when do you hang on and when do you bail?
At the last ADT I was talking to one of the club members who offers lessons in our area. I had mentioned to her about one of our previous outings when we encountered the garbage truck 3 times and how each time I stopped Kat, hopped out of the cart and stood by his head. When the truck went by, I hopped back on and we went on our way. Kat doesn't often spook and doesn't often bolt & run like a twit but I felt better, safer, standing by his head and making sure he was calm and relaxed, seeing me there calm and relaxed.
I was told I should Never dismount the cart in a situation like that. If he were to spook and bolt, he would be running away and there is no way to stop him or bring things back under control. It is better to sit in the cart and wait it out. You have more chances of preventing an accident that way then to step off the cart and head the horse.
Ok, that makes sense and I understand the reasoning behind it, but I also know that sometimes there is a time to just get off the horse and let them kill themselves too. In cases like that, have at it horse. Take yourself out, but you aren't taking me with you. Sometmes they handle things better seeing us on the ground, standing safe and calm while crazy shit happens around us. They see and feel us blowing it off, looking but not scared and do the same. You aren't freaked out, why should I be? is their reaction.
Knowing this, when things started to go south and the ditch was right there, I went with my instincts and stepped off the cart. I didn't let go of the reins, never got excited or lost my mind, but instead, stood there and waited for Kat to get his mind back and stop reacting to everything like he was. Sure it could have gone seriously wrong, but I did what I knew to do and waited for Kat to slow down and figure it out.
I know every horse is different, we are all different, every situation is different and how things turn out in the end vs. the could have, would have, should haves is all going to be different too. But do we all know what our own 'breaking point' is? Do you know when to get off and when to stay on and ride it out? What is it for you that defines it? Sometimes it is a gut feeling, reaction, instinct or you just know... but when do you hang on and when do you bail?
Monday, May 7, 2012
Whew!
There's a couple of reasons for the title of this post. One because I need to catch up and two because of how things went over the weekend.
Kat has been getting time off lately. It is getting hot, but also I am trying to finally get Mondo going. In the process I am also getting some of the carts fixed up, cleaned up and will be listing them for sale to get them out of here. Why hang onto things that you don't use, can't use and don't fit so you won't use? If it is gone there is now more free space, you no longer have to care for it and maintain it and the bonus here is- you can sell it and put the money towards things you need!
Last weekend I pulled Mondo out and tried the nylon harness on him to see how (if) it would fit him. So far so good. It will fit him well enough and work long enough to get him going. I fastened up the traces and the breeching/hold back straps and took him out to lunge him and then work on ground driving. There were a couple of bouts of bucking on the lunge line, but he kept his head and most of all, kept moving. When he had settled down and was ready to work I put the bridle on him and the lines on him and got behind him.
Now Mondo has been saddled plenty and I have been on him a few times, but he hasn't been ground driven yet. Hubby asked if I had ever done this before with him and said he hadn't either, so off we went. Sort of. Mondo wasn't so sure what I wanted, but when he started to walk off and I praised him with plenty of "Good Boy" mentions, he got the idea. His turns were not so good, but he eventually got the idea to follow his nose. Circles were very egg shaped and oval, but we managed and I didn't expect perfection on our first shot. Stop? He did that a few times on his own too. Asking for it though, he didn't act like he understood the concept.
Hubby took the lines and worked him a little so I could watch. A lot more walking, more turns both left and right, a few stops and wait, then walk off. Stop and wait wasn't so much his strong point, but ok, we can work on that. As things were finishing up Mondo came around the long side of the arena, he wasn't so much responding to the reins (right rein on the inside) and signal to turn and then.... He responded all right, spun around and was facing hubby. From there he put it in reverse and started backing up. At least until he got to the fence and bumped into it.
In all the excitement he had busted loose the D-ring the crupper attaches to the surcingle with. The crupper and breeching had to come off and work resumed a bit since we can't end on that note. They finished up and Hubby said we need to put a 'whoa' on him and we are a ways off from putting him to a cart.
Tuesday night I put him in long lines again and ground drove him some more. On the lunge line though we worked on what 'whoa' means. I like how my mare walks off on the lunge line, then works up to jogging and trotting and maybe pushes into a relaxed canter. Mondo learned there is no reason to blast out to the end of the line and pull on it while tearing around like a freak. Any time he sped up or got a bit excited, he had to stop and start off again. When he was going around nice and relaxed, I left him alone.
When we moved on to ground driving, he didn't start out all that great, but about mid work, he learned that a couple of gentle tugs on the rein menat to turn that direction and follow your nose. I kept my hands low and used the rein to push his butt over if he didn't respond after the first couple of attempts. Tug, tug, tug, step over to the outside and tug the rein but also pull towards the outside a little to move his butt. As the butt shifts to the outside, the head is aimed into the turn in the direction you want. Kind of a cheater method of getting it, but also makes the cue for turning a bit bigger and clearer if not overly exaggerated for the horse. We'll get there and he is showing progress. He stopped and waited patiently and I told him that driving work is a long, low, slow process, but when we get there- he will be a Rock Star for sure.
Fast forward to this weekend. I finally got the chance to put the new bit on Kat and try it out. In moving carts around in the shop, I looked at our cart and thought I needed to get Kat out and going again. I did ground drive him with the new bit before putting him to the cart and getting in. Let us both get a feel for the gentleness required and the feel for how much pressure it will take to get a response. We drove around the arena with the cart too. And Kat acted like he was bored the whole time. Even though I asked him to and let him canter, he kept it to a few strides and came back down to a trot, so we headed out.
We managed to get out the driveway and down the street past one of the neighbors houses before he spotted the next neighbors horses in their field and got goofy on me. We were trotting down the side of the road on the easement and he was showing off and looking at the horses. He wasn't so much paying attention and next thing I knew he was bolting to the right away from the horses that were on the other side of the street. Only problem with his plan of this being a good idea was the cement irrigation ditch on our right. As he was headed right at it, I was telling him 'whoa' and stepping off the cart.
Next thing I knew he was in the damn ditch. At least his front end was. I was still telling him 'whoa' and holding the reins as he tried to get out of the ditch. Then in went the back end. He was up, he was down, up, part way out, then down and back in. I kept telling him whoa the whole time and waiting for him to stop. He kept getting up, slipping, falling back in and all the way down on his belly, his side and lather, rinse, repeat.
Then as quick as he was in the ditch, he was out of it. Problem was he was on one side, I was on the other. The cart? Still attached only it had one wheel on each side of the ditch. This was not what I had in mind for the day. I held the reins and stepped across the ditch. Now to deal with the cart. But my leg started to shake. The neighbor had come over to see if I was all right and if I needed any help. Another neighbor had come over too after seeing/hearing the comotion.
I figured to let Kat settle down while we talked and I assured them I was fine. I led him forward and the cart found it's way across the ditch. Now the big question was how to get it all back on the other side... At the end of the field, the ditch goes under the road so we were fine, back on track and since he showed no signs of injuries- no blood and no lameness, we headed out like originally planned. Everything was good and as we came back the one neighbor was still out. As we came by I told him we made it and were headed home, no further incidents." He watched as we made our way past the porperty and the horses and said he hoped we didn't go in the ditch again. "Not like I planned it the first time, but yeah, I knew what he meant."
Hosing down Kat afterwards- he only had a couple of small scrapes on his left front leg where he lost a bit of hair and some skin. Nothing major that required a lot of attention as none of them were even as large as a dime. Sure he may be stiff the next couple of days, but as would be expected after something like that. The harness- not a single scratch on it. The cart? I haven't really looked, but I will be going over it again too before using it... Never hurts to be concerned about safety.
Kat has been getting time off lately. It is getting hot, but also I am trying to finally get Mondo going. In the process I am also getting some of the carts fixed up, cleaned up and will be listing them for sale to get them out of here. Why hang onto things that you don't use, can't use and don't fit so you won't use? If it is gone there is now more free space, you no longer have to care for it and maintain it and the bonus here is- you can sell it and put the money towards things you need!
Last weekend I pulled Mondo out and tried the nylon harness on him to see how (if) it would fit him. So far so good. It will fit him well enough and work long enough to get him going. I fastened up the traces and the breeching/hold back straps and took him out to lunge him and then work on ground driving. There were a couple of bouts of bucking on the lunge line, but he kept his head and most of all, kept moving. When he had settled down and was ready to work I put the bridle on him and the lines on him and got behind him.
Now Mondo has been saddled plenty and I have been on him a few times, but he hasn't been ground driven yet. Hubby asked if I had ever done this before with him and said he hadn't either, so off we went. Sort of. Mondo wasn't so sure what I wanted, but when he started to walk off and I praised him with plenty of "Good Boy" mentions, he got the idea. His turns were not so good, but he eventually got the idea to follow his nose. Circles were very egg shaped and oval, but we managed and I didn't expect perfection on our first shot. Stop? He did that a few times on his own too. Asking for it though, he didn't act like he understood the concept.
Hubby took the lines and worked him a little so I could watch. A lot more walking, more turns both left and right, a few stops and wait, then walk off. Stop and wait wasn't so much his strong point, but ok, we can work on that. As things were finishing up Mondo came around the long side of the arena, he wasn't so much responding to the reins (right rein on the inside) and signal to turn and then.... He responded all right, spun around and was facing hubby. From there he put it in reverse and started backing up. At least until he got to the fence and bumped into it.
In all the excitement he had busted loose the D-ring the crupper attaches to the surcingle with. The crupper and breeching had to come off and work resumed a bit since we can't end on that note. They finished up and Hubby said we need to put a 'whoa' on him and we are a ways off from putting him to a cart.
Tuesday night I put him in long lines again and ground drove him some more. On the lunge line though we worked on what 'whoa' means. I like how my mare walks off on the lunge line, then works up to jogging and trotting and maybe pushes into a relaxed canter. Mondo learned there is no reason to blast out to the end of the line and pull on it while tearing around like a freak. Any time he sped up or got a bit excited, he had to stop and start off again. When he was going around nice and relaxed, I left him alone.
When we moved on to ground driving, he didn't start out all that great, but about mid work, he learned that a couple of gentle tugs on the rein menat to turn that direction and follow your nose. I kept my hands low and used the rein to push his butt over if he didn't respond after the first couple of attempts. Tug, tug, tug, step over to the outside and tug the rein but also pull towards the outside a little to move his butt. As the butt shifts to the outside, the head is aimed into the turn in the direction you want. Kind of a cheater method of getting it, but also makes the cue for turning a bit bigger and clearer if not overly exaggerated for the horse. We'll get there and he is showing progress. He stopped and waited patiently and I told him that driving work is a long, low, slow process, but when we get there- he will be a Rock Star for sure.
Fast forward to this weekend. I finally got the chance to put the new bit on Kat and try it out. In moving carts around in the shop, I looked at our cart and thought I needed to get Kat out and going again. I did ground drive him with the new bit before putting him to the cart and getting in. Let us both get a feel for the gentleness required and the feel for how much pressure it will take to get a response. We drove around the arena with the cart too. And Kat acted like he was bored the whole time. Even though I asked him to and let him canter, he kept it to a few strides and came back down to a trot, so we headed out.
We managed to get out the driveway and down the street past one of the neighbors houses before he spotted the next neighbors horses in their field and got goofy on me. We were trotting down the side of the road on the easement and he was showing off and looking at the horses. He wasn't so much paying attention and next thing I knew he was bolting to the right away from the horses that were on the other side of the street. Only problem with his plan of this being a good idea was the cement irrigation ditch on our right. As he was headed right at it, I was telling him 'whoa' and stepping off the cart.
Next thing I knew he was in the damn ditch. At least his front end was. I was still telling him 'whoa' and holding the reins as he tried to get out of the ditch. Then in went the back end. He was up, he was down, up, part way out, then down and back in. I kept telling him whoa the whole time and waiting for him to stop. He kept getting up, slipping, falling back in and all the way down on his belly, his side and lather, rinse, repeat.
Then as quick as he was in the ditch, he was out of it. Problem was he was on one side, I was on the other. The cart? Still attached only it had one wheel on each side of the ditch. This was not what I had in mind for the day. I held the reins and stepped across the ditch. Now to deal with the cart. But my leg started to shake. The neighbor had come over to see if I was all right and if I needed any help. Another neighbor had come over too after seeing/hearing the comotion.
I figured to let Kat settle down while we talked and I assured them I was fine. I led him forward and the cart found it's way across the ditch. Now the big question was how to get it all back on the other side... At the end of the field, the ditch goes under the road so we were fine, back on track and since he showed no signs of injuries- no blood and no lameness, we headed out like originally planned. Everything was good and as we came back the one neighbor was still out. As we came by I told him we made it and were headed home, no further incidents." He watched as we made our way past the porperty and the horses and said he hoped we didn't go in the ditch again. "Not like I planned it the first time, but yeah, I knew what he meant."
Hosing down Kat afterwards- he only had a couple of small scrapes on his left front leg where he lost a bit of hair and some skin. Nothing major that required a lot of attention as none of them were even as large as a dime. Sure he may be stiff the next couple of days, but as would be expected after something like that. The harness- not a single scratch on it. The cart? I haven't really looked, but I will be going over it again too before using it... Never hurts to be concerned about safety.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Who knew?
On one of the driving forums I frequent, someone suggested using old milk containers as cones for practicing. Between us, my mom and my sister, I have amassed a large collection of milk containers. Almost 20 of them so far and I have been waiting to use them...
Sunday I got my chance. Sort of. I gathered my containers in a large tub to keep by the gate. I put water into each one- about halfway or so, to give them a bit more stability and keep them from blowing away. I measured my cart, (walked it, 2 steps. Really technical I know) and set out to design my course...
I set up a line of four as a serpentine to weave through, seven strides apart. Usually I can get through the first two without issue, the next one is a bit tricky. The half gallon jugs worked well for this. On the east end I had two sets of jugs as if a pair of in-and-out fences if jumping. They were slightly angled inward one this way \ , one / that way. There were another three sets of jugs/cones, one set as a straight pair, then the other two, staggered off to the side. On the far end I had one set of lone jugs. It sorta looked like this...
X X
X X
X
X
X X X
X X X
X
X
X
X
As it was set up, I could take them in either direction, use them in different order and alter the course as we went. I set them 3 steps apart, which turned out to be a bit wide, but it was all in fun so the good news is, I only wiped out 1 when we were driving the course. Knocked it over is probably more like it, because it will live to see more use. It was one of the jugs in the serpentine line. There was plenty of room to go wide, and use the rail, slip between each 'gate' and go on the the next as well as going through the two offset gates at an angle and straight line through them both.
The serpentine could be woven from either direction, starting on either side, making it in-out-in or out-in-out. I could also go in the first pair, skip the middle one and out the last pair in a bigger, sweeping turn, instead of weaving it tightly. The two on the angle- I could take them in order or by themselves. None of this I really had in mind when I set it all up. I did realize though, I need more milk jugs. I have 2 more to add to the collection already.
The beauty in all of this, I have some of the white plastic milk jugs. The shape of them lends easily to using a big, black marker and putting the dressage letters on them. Then I can set them out in the proper order and work on dressage too. I have also considered, draining the water out of them and using dirt instead. It wouldn't turn green and funky after a while so I will most likely do that.
It was almost dark when I finally got into the cart. What took me so long? Well, I had gone to pick up hay, pulled the truck around back and left the driveway gates open in the process. Stopped by the house to grab the harness and was intending to drive Kat. As I was lunging him, Betsy (the heifer we have) strolled over towards the shop where we keep the hay. I tried to pull Kat up and we walked back over in an attempt to ward her off, without getting her wound up... but it didn't work.
Betsy wandered over to the ope gates and lit up. He tail went up in the air as she took off! She bolted down the driveway towards the street as I clipped Kat to his lead rope and started walking after her. The neighbors cows have been moved to the other side of their property to let the grass grow and she was missing them. Betsy has been bawling her head off day and night the past few days calling to them. She has a beautiful moo, but not so much at 3 am. She ran over to their place to see them.
It took me a good hour to get her home. I had to get their cows into the barn aisle and contained, Betsy into their pasture and then headed back out into the pasture between us. From there it was another 20 minutes or so trying to herd her towards the front of the property and the gate going into the back. I have to say- she is a quick little heifer and will gladly run away from you rather than at you. I hope it stays that way.
Sunday I got my chance. Sort of. I gathered my containers in a large tub to keep by the gate. I put water into each one- about halfway or so, to give them a bit more stability and keep them from blowing away. I measured my cart, (walked it, 2 steps. Really technical I know) and set out to design my course...
I set up a line of four as a serpentine to weave through, seven strides apart. Usually I can get through the first two without issue, the next one is a bit tricky. The half gallon jugs worked well for this. On the east end I had two sets of jugs as if a pair of in-and-out fences if jumping. They were slightly angled inward one this way \ , one / that way. There were another three sets of jugs/cones, one set as a straight pair, then the other two, staggered off to the side. On the far end I had one set of lone jugs. It sorta looked like this...
X X
X X
X
X
X X X
X X X
X
X
X
X
As it was set up, I could take them in either direction, use them in different order and alter the course as we went. I set them 3 steps apart, which turned out to be a bit wide, but it was all in fun so the good news is, I only wiped out 1 when we were driving the course. Knocked it over is probably more like it, because it will live to see more use. It was one of the jugs in the serpentine line. There was plenty of room to go wide, and use the rail, slip between each 'gate' and go on the the next as well as going through the two offset gates at an angle and straight line through them both.
The serpentine could be woven from either direction, starting on either side, making it in-out-in or out-in-out. I could also go in the first pair, skip the middle one and out the last pair in a bigger, sweeping turn, instead of weaving it tightly. The two on the angle- I could take them in order or by themselves. None of this I really had in mind when I set it all up. I did realize though, I need more milk jugs. I have 2 more to add to the collection already.
The beauty in all of this, I have some of the white plastic milk jugs. The shape of them lends easily to using a big, black marker and putting the dressage letters on them. Then I can set them out in the proper order and work on dressage too. I have also considered, draining the water out of them and using dirt instead. It wouldn't turn green and funky after a while so I will most likely do that.
It was almost dark when I finally got into the cart. What took me so long? Well, I had gone to pick up hay, pulled the truck around back and left the driveway gates open in the process. Stopped by the house to grab the harness and was intending to drive Kat. As I was lunging him, Betsy (the heifer we have) strolled over towards the shop where we keep the hay. I tried to pull Kat up and we walked back over in an attempt to ward her off, without getting her wound up... but it didn't work.
Betsy wandered over to the ope gates and lit up. He tail went up in the air as she took off! She bolted down the driveway towards the street as I clipped Kat to his lead rope and started walking after her. The neighbors cows have been moved to the other side of their property to let the grass grow and she was missing them. Betsy has been bawling her head off day and night the past few days calling to them. She has a beautiful moo, but not so much at 3 am. She ran over to their place to see them.
It took me a good hour to get her home. I had to get their cows into the barn aisle and contained, Betsy into their pasture and then headed back out into the pasture between us. From there it was another 20 minutes or so trying to herd her towards the front of the property and the gate going into the back. I have to say- she is a quick little heifer and will gladly run away from you rather than at you. I hope it stays that way.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Afterwards...
Coming home from the CDE was not in any way a let down. Sure the fun was over, we had made our share of mistakes, learned a few things, but for the most part- we had a great time, met a lot of wonderful people and know what to expect at the next one. The next one is in October in southern Arizona.
Since buying the new bit, I have yet to try it out. I got in one drive between the CDE and the next ADT we attended last weekend. I am not one to just change things up without giving both Kat and I time to adjust. Seeing as how the new bit has a curb chain on it, it will have a bit of a different effect in use. I bought it from Gerrard of Ideal Harness, who is a very helpful and knowledgeable man when it comes to driving.
We now have a mullen mouth, loose cheek, butterfly bit as pictured below. Kat has never worn a bit without a broken or jointed mouthpiece and since has also never had a curb chain on either. It will be like driving a car without power steering or power brakes, then driving one with both. I am going to ground drive him first, before putting him to the cart, giving us both a feel for it with far less chance of an accident.
Wait a minute... didn't I mention another ADT? Oh yeah. That? It too was a blast. Held at the same facility as the CDE, a lot of the stuff, scenery and obstacles, were the same. Lucky for us, they skipped the one hazard where we overshot our entry point and rearranged the alphabet...
The dressage test was a bit different, Test 2 is a slight bit shorter than the other one, but the movements were much the same. The judge was incredibly generous in scoring, but her notes were dead on. Our score was 40.50 and although it was on the same field, it just didn't have the same feel as our test at the CDE three weeks prior. I did salute the judge correctly this time though!
The thing about the driving events, and in talking to several others this seems to be something felt across the board no matter what level you are competing at- the whole thing seems to go by way too fast. This was not just at the ADT either, but all three portions of the CDE as well. You harness up, go through the safety check, warm your horse up, hit the ring, the cones, the obstacles or marathon course and before you know it, you are finished. You hope for a clean round, good scores, no errors, no eliminations and find you want to do it all again because it happened so fast. The horses are also a bit amped up and could easily go again if we let them- I know Kat often is....
A few of us at the CDE were talking about this very thing. We came up with an alternative way of doing it all. This would be all about FUN and not much else... I changed the text to Italics because this is NOT how it is to be done, just something we came up with for the sake of fun.
Dressage- you get two chances at the test. Your scores are noted for each movement on both. The higher score for each movement is taken from both tries and that score is what you get. If you need to correct the horse, you can on one test, because the other one should have a better score and will be the one to count.
Marathon & Obstacles (CDE's & ADT's) again you get two chances to do it. One for time and one to make sure you went through the gates in the right order, the right direction and did things like you are supposed to. The faster time is the one to count, the right order & direction portion counts. If you can do both in one shot, you still get the second chance to improve your speed.
Cones- This one is a little different since you would get three chances to go around the course. The first time around would be based on precision. Leave all the balls UP!, go through everything in the right direction and make it look nice & Pretty... No time penalties to be incurred. The second chance at it would be based on time alone. Sure you have to go through everything the right direction, but time is all that counts here so GO! The third time around- how many balls can you knock down? That's right. Switch it around and knock them all down. Penalties for leaving them up. Now that would be FUN! Your horse is already jazzed- let them have fun too. Extra points for knocking down the balls on both sides- without using anything like your arm or whip- sticking out of the cart.
One of the driving forums I am on frequently, someone suggested using plastic milk containers for 'cones' in the arena at home. They are cheap, readily available, can be filled with sand or water to weight them down and easily replaced if you wreck one. If you do- toss it in the recycle bin and get another. So far I have 4 and counting...
I hope everyone has a safe and fun Easter and the kids find plenty of eggs to fill their basket.
Since buying the new bit, I have yet to try it out. I got in one drive between the CDE and the next ADT we attended last weekend. I am not one to just change things up without giving both Kat and I time to adjust. Seeing as how the new bit has a curb chain on it, it will have a bit of a different effect in use. I bought it from Gerrard of Ideal Harness, who is a very helpful and knowledgeable man when it comes to driving.
We now have a mullen mouth, loose cheek, butterfly bit as pictured below. Kat has never worn a bit without a broken or jointed mouthpiece and since has also never had a curb chain on either. It will be like driving a car without power steering or power brakes, then driving one with both. I am going to ground drive him first, before putting him to the cart, giving us both a feel for it with far less chance of an accident.
Wait a minute... didn't I mention another ADT? Oh yeah. That? It too was a blast. Held at the same facility as the CDE, a lot of the stuff, scenery and obstacles, were the same. Lucky for us, they skipped the one hazard where we overshot our entry point and rearranged the alphabet...
The dressage test was a bit different, Test 2 is a slight bit shorter than the other one, but the movements were much the same. The judge was incredibly generous in scoring, but her notes were dead on. Our score was 40.50 and although it was on the same field, it just didn't have the same feel as our test at the CDE three weeks prior. I did salute the judge correctly this time though!
The thing about the driving events, and in talking to several others this seems to be something felt across the board no matter what level you are competing at- the whole thing seems to go by way too fast. This was not just at the ADT either, but all three portions of the CDE as well. You harness up, go through the safety check, warm your horse up, hit the ring, the cones, the obstacles or marathon course and before you know it, you are finished. You hope for a clean round, good scores, no errors, no eliminations and find you want to do it all again because it happened so fast. The horses are also a bit amped up and could easily go again if we let them- I know Kat often is....
A few of us at the CDE were talking about this very thing. We came up with an alternative way of doing it all. This would be all about FUN and not much else... I changed the text to Italics because this is NOT how it is to be done, just something we came up with for the sake of fun.
Dressage- you get two chances at the test. Your scores are noted for each movement on both. The higher score for each movement is taken from both tries and that score is what you get. If you need to correct the horse, you can on one test, because the other one should have a better score and will be the one to count.
Marathon & Obstacles (CDE's & ADT's) again you get two chances to do it. One for time and one to make sure you went through the gates in the right order, the right direction and did things like you are supposed to. The faster time is the one to count, the right order & direction portion counts. If you can do both in one shot, you still get the second chance to improve your speed.
Cones- This one is a little different since you would get three chances to go around the course. The first time around would be based on precision. Leave all the balls UP!, go through everything in the right direction and make it look nice & Pretty... No time penalties to be incurred. The second chance at it would be based on time alone. Sure you have to go through everything the right direction, but time is all that counts here so GO! The third time around- how many balls can you knock down? That's right. Switch it around and knock them all down. Penalties for leaving them up. Now that would be FUN! Your horse is already jazzed- let them have fun too. Extra points for knocking down the balls on both sides- without using anything like your arm or whip- sticking out of the cart.
One of the driving forums I am on frequently, someone suggested using plastic milk containers for 'cones' in the arena at home. They are cheap, readily available, can be filled with sand or water to weight them down and easily replaced if you wreck one. If you do- toss it in the recycle bin and get another. So far I have 4 and counting...
I hope everyone has a safe and fun Easter and the kids find plenty of eggs to fill their basket.
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