Airs Above the Ground

Fitting for a Lipizzaner, no?

Yesterday I took Lance out for a hack down the lane. Stopped and dismounted to visit with some snowbird neighbors I hadn't seen since last year, and typically-antsy Lance was surprisingly good during the wait, settling in with his muzzle in the middle of my back while I leaned over to visit through the car window. They left, I remounted, and we kept moseying (he was being EXTRA conservative with his energy).

An approaching vehicle crested a hill in front of us, a small SUV towing a very rattly little trailer. When Lance's head shot up, I jumped off. The driver slowed, then stopped (bless him) as Lance, eyes on stalks, channeled his ancestry at the end of the reins in the plowed field beside the gravel lane. I thanked the driver and waved him by, leading Lance on in the direction we had been headed and the vehicle had come from. The trailer resumed rattling and Lance leaped again, but by now we were on the gravel. His feet slipped out from under him and he landed hard, BAM, flat on his left side!

We didn't immediately head home; after he scrambled to his feet, I led Lance to the end of the gravel lane and back, remounting on our side of the intersection with the paved road. He had more energy than when we started out yet at the same time seemed a bit subdued. I gave him a gram of bute to help with body soreness; he has a little road rash but otherwise seems fine.

Where do these fears come from??? I think my horse needs a shrink!

Entertaining a whim

I can't remember when I heard about ancestral DNA testing for horses, but the idea was instantly appealing. Mustangs can be a mishmash of genetics; Lance's Kiger sire should contribute a recognizable dollop of Spanish blood, but what else is in my big red goober?

One of my fellow dressage chapter members and a friend both had their horses tested and were less than pleased or convinced by the results, so I was prepared to be 'whelmed' rather than wowed. Still, I thought it would be interesting, so I finally got around to pulling the requisite hair samples and mailed them off with my $35 a few weeks ago. The results back today, and I eagerly tore open the envelope.

Ready?

Set?

Are you sure? ;-)





Of the 50 breeds in the reference panel, the breed with the highest probability of being in Lance's ancestry is . . .

Lipizzaner! (Second is Welsh Pony, and third is Mountain Pleasure Horse – I had to look that one up.) Reading Texas A&M's explanatory website was enlightening, and explains how much stock one can put in the results. It was certainly worth $35 to me!

Now, if you'll please excuse me; I'm off to channel the spirit of the Spanish Riding School as I dance with my Lance. :-)

By Machoxx, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4530613

Not your drugstore dime-a-ride pony!

So I'm not going to reinvent the wheel and tell you all about the activity our dressage chapter had Monday evening, since I blogged about it on our chapter's blog. But I will tell you that I didn't expect to gain so much from the mini-clinic, and I will be taking advantage of that 50% off deal on a lesson! Jane (demo rider) and I plan to schedule lessons back-to-back so we can benefit from watching each other's sessions.

Jessica's presentation was down-to-earth; she shared her own journey as a rider, struggling to implement all the various things we dressage riders have heard (shoulder blades together, engage your core, head back, etc.).  Her efforts created a hot mess of strain and pain at a young age. She got help, and shared that help, including concepts like "stacking" one's body and "knitting down" rather than stretching up.

Amerika the mechanical horse is a fantastic tool for practicing these concepts, since she's absolutely consistent with none of the variables that a thinking, reacting creature can throw at you. Also, you can see your position in real time (from the side, or from wherever the camera is placed) on the screen in front of you. Hopefully what I learned Monday evening and will learn at my and Jane's lessons will give me a big boost towards becoming a better rider!

Good therapy

Lance had three days in a row off, thanks to me having to work Friday and the weekend being so hot. Today was hot, too, and my low back is painful from stacking hay last night, but we ventured out for a road/trail ride anyway. We had a lovely jaunt, and my back was happier while I was in the saddle than all the rest of the day.

A big owl flew over the trail ahead of us at one point, a lithe deer trotted through an orchard beside us, and flowers bloomed along the way.

When we got back I hosed off my sweaty boy and turned both horses out on pasture. Lance had a good roll to finish off his shower properly, of course. ;-)

Tonight our local dressage chapter had a neat activity. I'll download my photos and tell you about it as soon as possible.

In praise of the perfect trail pony

Our first horse-camping trip of the year has come and gone. It was practically perfect . . . after a bad scare on the way there when our truck overheated. Turned out the radiator had a leak and had run dry. We added fluid and limped to a town with a NAPA store where we could get some copper leak-fix, and that did the trick.

With that behind us, we could enjoy our favorite location, a good turn-out of like-minded friends, beautiful wildflowers, and glorious weather. I got to ride all three days, and Lance was such a good boy! In the past he has acted unhappy about going down hills, and would often stop unbidden going up hills; this time he motored along happily, and handled whatever we encountered with grace.

It was good to see him relax in camp, too. :-)