We're not dead!!!

Oh.My.Goodness. Time keeps doing what it does and I keep saying, "I've got to update my dressage blog" but the update needed has grown so big and cumbersome that the block of time needed seems exorbitant given all the other stuff I need and want to do and and....     Well.     Deep breath.     Here we are.

Since this is, in effect, my training journal, I want to document what we've been doing (as best I can remember at my advancing age), so fair warning: A lot has happened since the 2022 State Fair!

Even though we made it through that State Fair Battle of the Breeds class together vs. parting company, Stella and I were representatives for dressage in dress and tack only. She is by nature quick, tense, and reactive, and nothing I tried was making much of a difference in helping her become calm, relaxed, and forward – in other words, a dressage partner. In the fall of 2021 Suzan had suggested putting Stella on a calming supplement; I finally quit using it after of year of seeing no clear benefit. Of course I kept riding, in the arena and out of it, trying different bridles to see if she had a preference:

Speaking of Suzan, for a variety of reasons on both sides, I hadn't able to schedule a lesson with her since February of 2022. So when I got a promotional email in early September about an online "30 Days To Round" Challenge with Amelia Newcomb, I decided to sign up. A Shetland sheep acquaintance (who rides, obviously) also signed up, giving me someone to bounce experiences off of. 

The day after I committed myself, Suzan texted me to finally set up a lesson. Of course. If I'd known I would be able to resume taking lessons from Suzan I probably wouldn't have paid to join the online challenge, because almost 30 years of experience has taught me that nothing and no one is as effective as Suzan. But I am nothing if not goal-oriented, so I went full steam ahead into the 30DTR Challenge to see what we could gain from it, getting in almost a week of that program before our lesson with Suzan.

I do think it helped; look at the photos Suzan took of us at our lesson!

Round!

Relaxed!

We discussed bits at that lesson; Suzan felt the loose-ring double-jointed snaffle I was using had too much 'play' for a horse like Stella. So I embarked on a short research project, ordering and sending back bits until we finally settled on a Herm Sprenger KK Ultra Eggbutt Sensogan Bradoon as the best option.

I continued working through the 30DTR Challenge with uneven results. It motivated me to ride nearly every day and use my Pivo to record video of our rides for review and feedback. There's nothing like 'eyes on the ground' to spot problems, and in lieu of that, seeing yourself on video is a close second, and my position improved. But it was clear to me that I still wasn't addressing Stella's core issue(s); for that, my best hope was Suzan. After more roadblocks, I was able to schedule another lesson with Suzan on October 12, just before 30DTR ended on October 17, and on October 26, and on Nov. 9!

Those four lessons in two months were transformative. My hot, tense, quick mare learned she could RELAX, slow down, and walk and trot ON.THE.BUCKLE. These are photos Suzan took during our Nov. 9 lesson:

At the one lesson we've gotten in this year so far (January 11), it was clear the improvement is sticking. Suzan gave me two huge compliments. The first was when I commented that she was taking us up to the next 'level;' she said, "That's because you've done your homework." The second was when I expressed how happy I was with Stella's progress, progress I wasn't sure she would ever make. Suzan said, "Stella is lucky she ended up with you; almost anyone else would have ruined her."

Stella, not ruined

I cannot adequately convey the relief, joy, and anticipation that have blossomed with having keys to 'unlock' Stella.  Don't misunderstand me; she is not a different horse and there are no quick fixes. But I now have tools to encourage Stella to relax and use her body in ways that are both more expressive and less likely to cause strain and injury so we can dance together for many years to come. 

"Every ride" reminders for me:

Widen collarbones (that's actually from my sheep friend)

Don't sit back on pockets

Look up

'Push the shopping cart'

Weight my right stirrup, and her right hind

Swing her back with my inside seat bone

Widen inside hand

If she braces, widen hands but don't play with the reins;

wait her out then reward with forward hands

In the midst of our progress, at the end of October, an acquaintance mentioned on FB that she was getting out of horses and selling her (mostly cob-sized) tack. Since her place is very close to where I was to attend a women's retreat with a friend, I made arrangements to stop by on my way to the retreat to see what she had. My acquisitions: a rolled leather halter, a basic saddle pad, an Engel Lammfell saddle pad, and, because they looked so good together even though I didn't need them, what I call the Princess Bride set:

rolled leather halter

The Princess Bride wore pale blue

For Christmas a knowing and generous friend sent me a sterling silver stock pin, so I went on Etsy and found the perfect stock tie to complete our show ensemble:

Yes, we were making enough progress that I was actually thinking of showing Stella in open dressage shows this year! So I looked at the Oregon Dressage Society website calendar. Cue the Kingston Trio: "Where have all the options gone? Long time passing...." 🎶 I found NO schooling shows, very few League shows, and the nearest venue requires stabling + bedding purchased from them, which triples my cost. My, how things have changed since I last frequented the area dressage shows! Well, maybe we'd just enter a couple dressage classes at the Oregon Morgan Classic like we did two years ago and be done with it.

A week or so later, one of the first venues at which I showed my Morgan gelding more than 20 years ago came to mind. It has always had an annual recognized show, but it wasn't listed on the calendar. Hmmm; I looked the facility up online – and found a schooling show scheduled for April 16, no stabling required, all other fees reasonable. Score! Stella and I are entered in Training Level Tests 1 and 2.

It's been more than three years of feeling my way with this mare. It's been an incredible journey so far. Here's to the future! 😊

Back to the future

Last week a friend mentioned that a former student of mine who bought my Swedish Warmblood mare many years ago would be riding in a show at DevonWood last weekend. I looked up her ride times online, and decided to run up Friday to watch her ride her current warmblood mare.

It felt good to be at DevonWood again; it is such a beautiful facility. My header photo was taken there; I've danced with three horses in all four of their 'ballrooms' (competition arenas). The first horse I showed there was my Morgan gelding; I can hardly wait to compete there again someday with my little Morgan mare!

But back to my former student. It took me awhile to figure out which one was her in the busy warm-up arena; I knew I was looking for a mare being ridden by a petite female, but it has probably been a decade since I'd last seen B. As her ride time approached and she headed up the hill to the Sylvan Arena, I followed her train of family and friend to watch.

Their Third Level test was lovely. The mare is built uphill with expressive gaits, and B rode her very well. I walked over to where she came out of the ring to say hi and be the first to congratulate her; she seemed surprised and pleased that I'd come.

Before I left the grounds I looked up her score; wow – 72.5%!

Sunday morning B texted me the following photo – they won their USDF Region 6 Third Level Championship class Saturday. Woot!

B has come a long way from when I first met her, a teenager riding a half-Arab pony....

And that burgundy jacket (and, I suspect, the gray one in the photo she sent me)? It is MESH. How perfect is that for the summer show season??? I didn't know such things existed; obviously I've been out of the loop awhile riding compromised horses, training for others, and 'bringing up baby Black Beauty.' But someday, when Stella and I are dancing in the big leagues, I plan on getting one. And since the attire rules for dressage are loosening up significantly this December, maybe I'll be able to find one in Stella's color – "first place blue"!!!

A 'recipe' worth keeping!

More 'firsts' to report, right after I show you the constellation of white hairs scattered across Stella's flank. I think they are fitting on a horse named after heavenly bodies! 

Andromeda's/Stella's 'stars'

Last week I got an email from Dressage Today with links to some Dressage Today Extra content, including one billed as "A Formula for Starting Youngsters." I clicked on the link and read the article titled "Recipe for a Riding Horse." I really liked what Bob Orton had to say, and mulled over implementing it with Stella. In the six months I've had her, we've made only a fraction of the progress Bob's program makes in three months, largely due to my 'feeling my way in the dark.' So I decided to implement Mr. Orton's recipe as best I can from where we are now forward, starting with his longeing schedule.

Since Stella already knows how to longe (although her willingness to canter on the longe has backslidden) and accepts saddle, bridle and bit, it was time to add longing reins. I hadn't heard of Vienna reins before, but their mechanics are clearly superior to the side reins I have so I immediately looked on eBay to find some. There were very few options and the price point for something I may only use for a little while was steep. I looked around our tack room to see if I could jury rig something but came up empty. So I fell back on side reins as better than nothing, and we got to work with something new added last Friday.

I used a halter in case things went sideways with side reins (she was fine)

I also used my regular saddle on her to see how it fit with her girth (👍🏻)

Stella worked up quite a sweat in our short session, which I attribute as much to brain-work as to the hot noonday sun. I decided to add a second new thing to her world – a water hose! Yes, Stella got her first shower – and handled it surprisingly well. 😁

We interrupt this training content for a necessary part of owning horses: HAY. Our local hay guy has been holding some first cutting orchardgrass for us, but needed it out of his barn in order to bring in alfalfa. So we got a load late Friday afternoon, another load Saturday night, and two more loads Sunday, almost filling our barn. (There's just enough room for a couple tons of second or third cutting orchardgrass for the Shetland sheep.) It's a good feeling to have a full barn! And while these small squares were wonderfully easy to handle after the 100+pound buggers Brian and I got late last fall, getting in hay always sets off my allergies, and I struggled through the rest of Sunday and all of Monday with a headache, itchy eyes, running nose, and general malaise. 

Another interruption of the topic at hand. That Oliver. He is absolutely besotted with Stella, and I don't mean in a herdbound way. He has always acted 'proud cut' around mares; Rick says it's because in some geldings the adrenal gland kicks up its production of testosterone. Well, his testosterone is RAGING. We do our best to keep him farther away from Stella than he was in the two photos below, and he is getting thin because of fretting over her.

Yesterday we got back to following the 'recipe.' The few-days break also helped me brainstorm a homegrown version of Vienna reins. I found a contraption in the tack room, the origins and purpose of which are lost to memory. But it works perfectly; there's an adjustable 'neck loop' of wide black webbing, and attached to that with a generous ring is an adjustable white elastic strap with a clip on the end to attach to the girth. Add the side reins clipped to the ring at the chest, run through the bit rings and back to the saddle, and voila – Vienna reins!

I attached the longe line to the inside bit ring like Mr. Orton does as well. When we were done, the sides of Stella's tongue were irritated which I felt bad about. Today I'm going to attach the longe line via my usual method, which is to run the longe line through the near bit ring, over the poll, and attach it to the far bit ring to equalize bit pressure; we'll see if that works better.

But other than the tongue irritation, I am very pleased with how things are going! Whether it's specifically from following this program or simply following a program, Stella seems more focused (because I am???) and is making rapid progress. The lack of a helper to transition to under-saddle work is still going to be a hindrance, but the foundation laid before that is going to be much more solid, and her physical development is going to be enhanced with the sliding side reins.

Ride the horse you want

Implementing what I watched Lisa Wilcox do with the fancy-shmancy warmbloods and their riders has been gratifying. While Lance will never 'boing' with the incredible suspension seen in the clinic videos, we have moments of ballroom magic when I correctly channel what I heard and watched into my riding. As we were circling in a lovely, swinging, springing trot I thought, "Ride the horse you want."

For quite a while now, I've been "riding the horse I have" as I had no other option (plus I love my big red goober and exercise is part of his prescription). But by riding more effectively, Lance becomes the dressage partner I want – who knows; showing might even be in our future again! Most importantly, his foamy mouth tells me he's relaxed and happy in the work:

The feasting season

No, I'm not talking about Thanksgiving. 🍴

After a week of wonderful rides following the Lisa Wilcox clinic, yesterday I had a chance to audit the second day of an Anna Blake clinic! I have followed her blog for years and got to meet her at the World Cup in Omaha a year and a half ago, so when I found out late last week that she was going to be in Oregon I scrambled to find out when, where, and how much. Unfortunately I already had too many commitments in place to do more than audit one day of two two-day clinics, but that alone gave me plenty to chew on and implement at home. Here are some photos from yesterday.

Anna worked with all kinds of horses and their people, some mounted and some not. This clinic was specifically on "Calming Signals" and groundwork (you'll have to read more about those on her blog), although I have to say I got more from her work with riders. Anna is brash and funny and extremely insightful, and except for being cold all day I enjoyed watching her very much.

Feeling so in sync with my dancing partner (more on that in another post) and getting to audit TWO clinics just a week apart is exhilarating. I feel like I'm getting part of myself back, if that makes any sense.

Immersion

For the first time in a long time, I got to immerse myself in dressage this weekend. I happily hung out with horse friends and enjoyed watching some superb equines, even though it made me wistful for what once was. It seems a lifetime ago when I  advanced my skills with regular clinics and/or lessons, trained and competed with an equine partner, braided mane and wore tall boots, even won awards. Even harder is not knowing if those things will ever be a part of my life again. (I may forever stay one score away from my USDF Silver Medal....)

Saturday night was the Oregon Dressage Society awards banquet and silent auction. I picked up my friend Kate and we joined other members of our local chapter (which kindly paid for our weekend's activities) – and not a whole lot of others! The food was good, the awardees were inspiring (some of them amazingly so), the silent auction provided some great shopping (I got a long-sleeved ODS t-shirt, a fleece ODS vest, a fleece ODS headband, and an ODS magnet for my trailer), and the keynote speaker, Olympian Lisa Wilcox, made me eager to attend the next day's activities.

on the way to Kate's house

So early Sunday morning I picked up Kate again and we headed through beautiful countryside to Whip & Spur Farm, once the home and training facility of Rich Fellers, another Olympian (in Show Jumping). There we got to watch as Lisa taught eight different horse/rider combinations with a consistent message of keeping a correct position and posture while making a million and one transitions – within each gait, not between them. You could tell she was taught by a 29-year veteran of the Spanish Riding School, where students sometimes spend years without reins or stirrups, perfecting their own position in order to be able to properly influence their horse's way of going.

at Whip & Spur

I took photos of all eight horses, but video of only two, so I decided to only keep and share photos of the two I filmed. Both of these horses were poetry in motion, the chestnut a five-year-old filly (ridden by a young trainer Kate won two lessons with in the silent auction), and the other a 12-year-old gelding.

Events like this always inspire me to go home and dance with my own horse – so I did! By the time I got Lance saddled the sun had set, so we walked up the hill to capture this photo before going back to the arena to dance.

 Our schooling session felt good, and Lance ended with a foamy mouth, always a good sign.

Even if we never set foot again in a show arena, we can dance!