Practice Makes..

Well, we're a long way off perfect. But practice certainly makes a difference. You can't fix things just by wishing they were better, but there are lots of little exercises that make a big impact. Thanks to all of my buddies on facebook I have gone out to the paddock this week armed with heaps of small things to try in order to work on my jumping position.

The main exercise I've used is putting a hair-tie or plait about two-thirds the way up the mane, and reaching for that over the fence. I found that sometimes I will still 'float' my hands before reaching, so to try and tackle that I've been doing big forward canters around a hill paddock, coming into jumping position, resting my hands on the horse's neck, then moving my hands & body forward as if jumping. Just trying to keep in contact with the neck as much as possible. I still find it more comfortable to do an automatic style release (toward the bit) rather than a crest release (up the mane) - but I want to be able to use either, depending on the horse and the situation.

I have had about three or four rides on Xev with the sidesaddle now. We suspected a bit of thrush in her front hooves, so have treated for that (certainly the weather for such things). She is so kind with the sidesaddle and tries to go very smoothly for me. However I did attempt a canter - on the left rein which I'm told is harder? Anyway, it just resulted in me impaling myself on one of the horns on the saddle and yelping! Poor Xev didn't know what to do and just halted - what a good horse!

Neo and Gem are mostly just working on fitness, so they have been the 2 that I'm using to practice my jumping position exercises. It is quite amazing how different they both feel over fences - and Gem has such powerful paces that she makes Neo feel like a pony when I get on him.

I've also started doing small rides down the road on Neo... we haven't encountered a car yet (thankfully) and he still seems to think drains are spooky, but it's good to have a road that I can ride on if I want - I certainly didn't have that living in Pauatahanui.

Next show for us? Probably up at Tielcey Park again. But the schedules are starting to come out for more events, hopefully the weather co-operates unlike last season when almost everything on grass surfaces was cancelled.

Tielcey Jumping July

A good day out at Tielcey today - the sun was shining and it was actually warm! Swifty came and took some photos and helped out, and Mum came over from Masterton with some hay and also pulled manes for me! Fantastic. Was only doing the low classes today, as Gem not quite fit enough for much more, and just wanted to do a 'where I'm at' check with Neo. Really happy with the day though, Gem went great and Neo is making progress again. I am still not moving through my shoulder much when jumping, but in some of the pics I can see I'm trying to balance with my arms waving around in the air instead of nesting them into the mane or neck... and it's obviously not working. So now I have something concrete to try and aim to fix - that along with trying to do stretches and things to keep the joint mobile should start to make a difference (hopefully! I guess the next lot of pictures will tell if I'm right or wrong).

Gem did the 70 & 80cm classes and was an absolute dude. She got very excited when I first hopped on and was jig-jogging around and generally not listening.. but once she got in the arena she was great. Very focused and on-task, now just needs to bring her fitness up and she will be good to go!

Neo did the 80cm and was still pulling, but not as badly as last time we were out. He wasn't 'switching off' and running through the fences. I am pleased with him, but still a bit more schooling to do there and I guess just getting him out and about as much as possible again so that I can practise keeping his focus on me while lots of other things are going on.

Xev wasn't jumping today - but Mum dropped off the sidesaddle and we had a quick walk around in it! I need to learn how to actually put it on and sit in it properly and all that.. but Xev coped very well and I think she will be an easy horse for me to try and learn to ride sidesaddle on (just need to find some competitions to get some real practise in!). And a bonus picture of Neo sporting his new haircut thanks to Mum.

Only doing the little classes meant we got to head home in daylight - very awesome! But still really tired and looking forward to getting a good sleep tonight (turns out Neo was just looking forward to a roll, and by the time I got his hay to him in the paddock he looked like a walking lump of mud!).

Cruisy Weekend

Super weather this weekend - almost a shame to not have any shows on, but at least it meant I had some lovely laid-back rides in the sun and the chance to let the horses have some time with their rugs off too. Xev has dropped a bit of weight this week, so will try changing her feed around a bit (as it seems to only be since I changed their feeds when Gem arrived... though they are getting more now, but perhaps too much energy feed? Maybe she is burning it off being a silly pony in the paddock? Not sure - but will keep an eye on it). She went so sweetly today though - did some bareback riding and she is just so easy and smooth.

Neo has been a busy boy just lately. I've switched his canter aid from mostly inside leg, to mostly outside leg to ask. Hopefully this will help me in being able to use my inside leg to keep him out on the circle as he is a bit prone to falling in. He picked up the new canter aid inside of one lesson this week and has been reponding to it 100% perfect since.

I've also been working on riding him in different levels of contact. Because he has a soft mouth I have previously tended to have a really loose contact - but now I'm actively trying to push him up into a more true contact and switch between that and dropped reins or a lighter contact... just so that he learns to accept those differences without getting stressed out about it.

Yesterday I also spent some time doing what could possibly be called interpretive dance on horseback... trying to do all sorts of funny movements to really loosen up my shoulders. It felt like it was working well yesterday and I even popped him over a few fences while doing it and I was happy with how relaxed I was through the shoulder. I notice today I was stiff again though (and quite bad on Gem while jumping) - but I feel like it's worth keeping at it, at least while I don't have anyone out at the grazing who can put me on the lunge so that I can work on my shoulders that way.

Gem did heaps of crossbars yesterday and was really laid back and nice about everything. Good flying changes too, and by about halfway through the session she was starting to come back to being nice and tidy in front (she knows what those crossbars are for!).

Today she was much stronger though - and not listening to me very well.. but she's only really been back in work such a short time, so can't blame her for getting a bit excited! You can see in these pics below about my shoulders being stiff and me not giving properly over the fence too. I will keep working on it!

A nice day to be out riding though - hopefully more good weather on the way too! And thanks to Nick for taking the photos today.

Sidesaddle

I realised this morning that I hadn't put these pictures on the blog (at least I couldn't find them when I went to show someone). So, here are some old pics from earlier in winter of Gem's first time with her sidesaddle on, with the help of some of the girls at Mum's grazing.

And the pony trying it on for size!

I forgot to grab the saddle off Mum when she brought Gem over for me to ride, so I think I might have to get it next weekend and have a shot at riding in it (that is just riding, not competing!).

Wintertime Woollies

Mum wanted some pictures of Gem - so I took off from work a little early today and got Nick to come out in the cold with me to grab a few piccies. It wasn't raining too much, but still very wet and cold so just a quick ride for Xev and Gem (while Neo stood watching). Xev is so insanely fluffy at the moment! and I don't look forward to pulling her mane!

Gem was really well-behaved today - a few days work have got her a bit more supple and focused on her work better. She's still very swishy with her tail though! Seems to think I shouldn't have my legs on - silly horse.

She even did some stretching work at the end of her little 5 minute ride, which was really good - and if I can keep doing a good stretch before & after her schooling I think it will really get her a lot more supple (which is going to be important if she is going to be a dressage horsey for winter!).

Not much else to report. Hopefully get up to Tielcey Park again this month, probably for the showjumping and combined training - but we'll see how it all goes. A bit hard to get motivated in this weather, but the start of the next season is just around the corner!

Gem back in work

What an amazing weekend - sunny on both days! And some quality time with the horses where I could see them without artificial lights. On Saturday Mum drove Gem over from Masterton so that she could come back into work (as Mum is just too busy at the moment to get much riding in). Was a long & twisty drive for them, but eventually Gem got unloaded and I had a quick ride but I think Gem was a bit too tired from the drive. Sunday we had a proper ride and she was full of beans - no naughties, but my arms forgot what it's like to ride a horse who can be strong. Riding Xev and Neo afterwards was a nice rest!

Coco is settling in well at her new home, and will hopefully get a chance for either Mum or I to pop up there and get some photos of her. Zak not doing much but stuffing his face eating, and Shante is just in light work so that she doesn't forget everything she's learning.

Really it's all a bit boring. Not too many more months of winter though - and then the shows will all start up again and I'm sure I'll be begging to have boring and weekend sleep-ins.

Some answers

Well - Neo trotted up lame yesterday. Not obviously, but just a little "off" - so I wonder if the other weekend at Tielcey was a combination of whatever soreness was coming through being increased by jumping (well, landing, really!). So I'm actually feeling a lot better about that.

Today Neo & Xev also had their shoes off and got trimmed with the intention of Neo going shoe-less next season and Xev just getting her hooves really well-balanced.

It's been rain, rain and more rain down here. I was supposed to pick up Gem this weekend, but have decided to stay warm and be lazy! Mum has some time off at the end of the week, so she may even deliver her for me which would be awesome. Gem's old owner found her dressage bridle tags too, and has popped them in the mail - so there will be no excuse for us not to be dressage queens for a few months at least.

That annoying question

All of you other horse-owners and riders have all had it, I'm sure. That horrible time when you are trying to work out - is my horse sore? or is she/he being a twit? Obviously there is always some reason if things aren't going as you expect, but tracking down exactly what that reason is can really be an exercise in getting frustrated and disheartened.

It's no secret that Neo is my "doesn't get schooled" horse. But every now and then I have things I want to work on (and the time to do it) - so this past month or so I have been working quite hard at getting him more settled. The past few shows before that he's gotten a bit tanky and wasn't listening - so I knew it was time for me to pull up my socks and do some real work. And, as always, it paid off. He's always been pretty casual around home, but we're now at the point where we can canter figure-8's over jumps on the buckle and his downward transitions are quick and clean.

So when I trundled up to Tielcey Park on Sunday I was looking forward to seeing how much difference this would make to him in a show situation. I put 2 reins on his bit anyway (as last time I didn't, and he took advantage of that fact!). So I had my brakes, and he'd had his schooling - and we were ready to roll. Warmup was better than normal as well - possibly because we didn't spend much time in the indoor.

Then we had a terrible round. He was sticking his head up and not lifting his front end. Just absolutely not listening. So the next round out I made sure he listened - and I'll be honest, I was very hard with my hands to ensure he was coming back to me. It worked, in that he wasn't tanking off - but he also felt just awful. So I retired before completing the course as I really felt I was just hurting his confidence (he has a soft mouth, and though his myler-combination bit works mostly on his nose - I still don't want him turning into a horse that backs off his fences and lands in the middle of oxers!). Swifty took a few photos for me, and when I got home and had a chance to look at them - Neo's knees were barely coming up to even half the height of some of the fences and bashing out the top rails/s with his front legs! This, from a horse who frequently has a lovely tidy front end.

So I'm now left to wonder - is he sore? I can't find any reason he would be. And he hasn't given me any hints at home that he is. Although I only jump maybe 80cm max at home, and obviously at shows we jump higher. If he's not sore - is he stressed by competition? And if so, what has started that? So I need to take him back to doing some 70cm rounds? Or will that just encourage him to speed around and not listen to me and be able to get away with it?

He's getting his shoes taken off this weekend - so maybe we'll find something niggly there. Or maybe not. I haven't had his back on track gear on him this winter - but at the same time he is looking well and healthy - no puffy legs or anything like that. So do I go down the route of blood tests and thermal imaging to try and work out if there is something not right? Or is it a failing of my schooling that has made him 'freak out' at the shows while being an absolute doll at home?

Coco leased out

Well - after a lot of work going into Coco and trying different things, it had become obvious to us that although she goes nicely when she is focused, she just doesn't want to be a sporthorse. It makes her uncomfortable to always be going to new places and she was getting more worried each time we went out.

So we have found a lovely farm home for Coco where she will be on a lifetime lease. She will do some on-site trekking and also may be put into a breeding programme for sportponies. Very exciting for her! She is already much more settled - I think she just knows she is going to be happier little pony now. While I'm a bit sad that we didn't get to see her reach any great potential competing, I am very very happy that we found a place for her to be happy and useful.

Something Different

With winter in full-swing the blog has been a bit quiet. I'm not heading out to many shows, and most of my riding is being done under lights in the arena at night (so not really much in the way of photo opportunities). So I thought I'd do an update on what I got up to last weekend - something a bit different! I went and did some car racing for the first time!


The event was an 'autocross', which is really a lot like showjumping. There is a course that you have to learn (with penalties for knocking or displacing any course elements like cones or tyres) and the whole lot is timed. Unlike showjumping you get a lot of turns (I did the course 4 times) and you put your best time forward for placings. I ended up second-to-last! And something like 18 seconds behind the leader... certainly not what I'm accustomed to in speed classes.


Overall it was pretty enjoyable. I really liked watching how lines taken and risks all made similar impacts to what they do in jumpoffs (at least for the people - not me - who were going fast). I will be back at the next one at the end of July. Gotta keep myself busy between shows at Tielcey somehow!

Speaking of - next outing for my lot is the Tielcey Park combined training day this coming Sunday. No eventing starts for me as Xev is staying home - but Coco and Neo will both be jumping (but I'll have my saddle on this time).

On the Move

Well it's been very busy times for the Odenhills team. Last weekend I moved myself and the horses that were based in Pauatahanui (Xev, Neo & Coco) to Makara. The other horses are still with Mum up in Masterton. Then this weekend I did the final cleanup and collection of rugs and jumps and whatnot from the Pauatahanui property. Lots of changes - and more ahead too, no doubt.

For the moment I'm grazing at Horse Park in Makara - and I must say it's been nice to have an arena with lights on site. These winter nights aren't getting any lighter for riding anytime soon... so I expect the lights will get a lot of use.

As for competing.. well I tried to get some dressage in this weekend, but it wasn't meant to be - suspect Xev has another absess or something? Got to have a dig around and see if I can sort it asap.

Tielcey Jumping May

Sunday was a super early start! I ended up being the first showjumping competitor of the day (on Coco) and the last of the day (on Neo) - hence why it's taken me a day to actually get around to updating the blog.. I've just been so tired!

I'd entered the Intro combined training (dressage & showjumping) on Coco. She did some okay parts in her test, but mostly she was very worried about the things going on around her. In the jumping we did a practise and she took exception to the reflections in the cafe windows, and she seemed to just get worse each time we went past. It was quite disappointing to be honest. I tried some other tactics and managed to get her focused on the jumps by holding my whip out by her inside eye. I will try side rolls on her bridle and see if that helps, but I am really starting to run out of ideas as to how to help her become more confident as time doesn't seem to be the key to it. In the end we just had a rail in the showjumping which is fine, but I really have to find a way to address her trust issues or at least sort out what situations she can be comfortable in so she can be a happy pony.

Xev was next up, doing the Novice combined training. And as I was popping her saddle on, a friend casually remarked that there were new eventing tests out! They hadn't been updated on the tielcey website, and I never even thought to look at the ESNZ site - oops! So I managed to locate someone's folder they'd left unattended (haha) and quickly read the test which was for a bloody long arena! Stupid extra letters. Luckily B1(2009) is a reasonably flowing test so able to learn off one read through - but still threw me a bit. Xev warmed up ok, but a little stiff (I think maybe from new shoes the day before). So we did our test (in the short arena! it was a tight squeeze for some of those movements) and came away with a 63% which I was very happy with. As Xev was just a bit uncomfy I elected not to compete her in the jumping phase. But was very happy with her dressage, so that is a good thing.

Neo wasn't doing any dressage - just jumping for him. And we'd discussed doing a round bareback (both for laughs and to continue working on my lower leg position). I entered the 1m class with the intention of doing it bareback, and somehow didn't wimp out before getting into the ring - but it was only my 2nd time jumping him bareback and my first time trying a course. I have to say, it's much harder doing a course than it is to do single fences!!

The round itself went pretty well. We came into one fence all wrong and slid into it, but no harm done and approached again fine. I am very happy with my leg as it seems to not move too much - but my shoulders are getting worse. It's time now to find some poor volunteer to stick me on the lunge so I can go without my reins (I don't think you're going to see me bridle-less on Neo anytime soon!). After the bareback round I came back for the 1.10m with my saddle and actually had a harder time - Neo was pulling heaps more than usual, and I only had the snaffle rein on my bit. So that was a shame, as I'd not expected him to pull. All gives me things to work on and work out - that's what winter series stuff is for I guess!

So a pretty mixed day. Not super in terms of results - but lots of learning and things to get cracking on over the wet, soggy, cold months. Thanks to Swifty for taking the pics and thanks to my mates for egging me on to do a bareback round in public - it was harder than I expected, but it was pretty fun (or is that funny??).

Shante..

Another Shante update - she has recovered well from her abscess and is putting on weight and starting to look good again. Mum has been lunging her and even went for a short walk around today - so that is good. Now to ensure we have a well-fitted saddle! None of the other horses are as wide as she is.

Tielcey Dressage May

Last weekend I headed up to Tielcey Park for the first of their registered winter dressage series. I'd only entered the Saturday (though the show was running over 2 days) as I thought 2 days of dressage might be just a bit too much! Got there nice and early, found my park and unloaded Xev - she was a bit warm from the journey, but not sweated up. I've not clipped her yet, so she can get a bit sweaty if I don't have all the windows open for her.

We had entered 3 tests. 1 at prelim (level 1) and 2 at novice (level 2). It was Xev's first registered dressage competition as we'd entered for the registered stuff at Masterton but didn't end up getting to compete. I was really curious as to how it would go - especially as I am certainly no dressage queen!

Turned out to be a great day though - placed (& grading points) in every class! Stoked with that.

Between our tests sheets, and one of my friends giving some advice, I have some good things to focus on before the next dressage day so we can try and edge our scores up a little bit. I was really pleased to see Xev's test sheets all mention she looked very kind and consistent - which is exactly true too.

Otaki PC ribbon day

Up to Otaki for a ribbon day today. Unfortunately heaps of rain overnight at my place - so the horses were muddy! Tried to give them a bit of a cleanup without hosing too much (too cold) and then set off on our way. Coco was just doing baby classes so I got on her first. She was super timid today - took quite a long time to settle her into her warmup routine, but once we got that sorted she was quite happy. She jumped her first class (50cm) quite cute, but was a little distracted by the people outside the ring.

When we came back for her 60cm class it all fell to pieces a bit. She got a fright from a child biking at her with spokey dokeys on the wheels or something... and then just really lost the plot. She didn't really do anything bad - but it took a kind volunteer to lead her, plus someone behind her, plus a bit of luck to get her past the bike at all. Then when we went in for our round she just really wasn't feeling it at all. I can't complain about the jumping (she does that part great), but it was the 'everything else'. It's a bit of a shame, as she'd been getting braver... but I guess sometimes you take a step backward. At the same time, she got a fright at one point and turned to run and buck, and came back within just a few strides. So there are certainly big improvements - I just have to keep at it.

My 2 'greys' were on after a long (long!) break. I had Xev and Neo both in the 2 last classes in Ring1. I was really pleased with Xev - there were still a few deep spots or missed strides, but overall she is just feeling great again - that abscess is all healed up and the hoof nicely hardened again. So stoked with that.

They both got into the jumpoff for the AM5 class - and Neo won with a nice double clear. No ribbon for Xev as we took the very first rail in the jumpoff by taking it a bit too cheaply. Neo was pulling again, but I managed to do his rounds with the myler on the snaffle ring, so I'm glad about that.

Xev being cute, and Neo with one of his ribbons:

The last class of the day was a TableC, which Neo absolutely tore up - I was stoked with him! Even got a great angle where we approached really only seeing jumpstands (oops), but he is such an honest boy and came home clear and with a time that was about 10 seconds better than the next horse or pony (as they were running over the same track as us). Xev I just took around more sedately (as it was slippery and she doesn't have magic sticky feet like Neo), but I was stoked with how kindly she went, and she came home with 4th place in that class.

Absolutely tired as by the end of the day! Thanks to Swifty for coming out and taking pics, and to Nick for coming down to help me put the horses away and generally ensure I didn't fall asleep before getting back up to the house!