Old man winter ... take that!

Winter is around the corner and it showed itself through Blu's shaggy winter coat. It got to a point that he was soaked after a ride so with my trusty clippers I gave him his winter hair cut. As I did with the girls when they were little, I gave him the most unique look. I think racing stripes could look good on a gray Oldenburg. He was quite good for his right side taking it all in stride and standing very still. When I moved to his left he became quite ticklish and had trouble standing still... His tail swished and he twitched all over.Never did he put a foot wrong but he let me know I was driving him crazy. Must be like having your feet tickled. I bribed him with treats and took a couple of breaks and before you know it I was wearing more fur than him! I got him another light weight blanket insulator and on warm days he wears his plaid sheet in the barn and his Rambo rain sheet when turned out. He loves having the blanket taken off and being scratched all over with the curry. He even loves to be vacuumed.

His work is coming along nicely. His counter canter is solid and he loves warming up/ cooling down on a loose rein. He really stretches into it without much coaxing. At first he was confused as to what was being asked but quickly he understood and happily took the bit and carried himself in a light long and low frame. His counter canter is remarkable... I say remarkable because I am able to ride it with ease. His changes are good but still need work to keep them up hill and not croup high. He has again demonstrated his penchant for half steps, piaffe and passage. I am staying away from this work since it is his fall back move when he does not want to work on the hard stuff. Best of all his stride is getting bigger and his back is getting stronger. All in all he is a very happy boy.

Another day another terrific ride!

A day has not gone by with Blu where I have not walked away and said my gratitude prayers. He is just the most special horse and I have been blessed to have him come into my life. Even his darkest days when his feet were sore, his back was out and he had a hard time turning, he always tried his very hardest and never said "no". I remember driving down the Minnesota highway listening to Dr. Liz tell me the dire story of Blu's afflictions. She told me she would fix him and that she is doing. While we have a bit to go the worst is behind us and we are getting to the really fun stuff...

Tonight I took a lesson after a week of little work. Blu had his hocks injected a week ago and I slowly brought him back these past 7 days. OK maybe I babied him a bit too much but what the heck he deserved it and loved every moment of being large and in charge. While he was not really bad behind I noticed just a bit of a difference in his trot and he creaked a bit when walking so Dr. Liz agreed it was time for hock injections. Creak you say? Yes, just like my joints can creak so did his right hock. The injections were just the fix because his trot had more air time and he was much more sound in his work to the right.

So tonight we focused on Blu letting go -- letting go at the base of his wither and giving through his back. As an adult amateur I find this at times challenging but I definitely got the feel for it and hope now to continue to replicate in my rides. We did alot of transitions within the gaits and he just loved the passage work. What a kick in the pants!!!

We did all sorts of good stuff tonight -- a lot of canter work. Blu challenges me to stay on my inside seat bone. If I shift my weight a smidge the flying lead change is there for me. We worked on straightness in the canter and he gave it to me with a bit of a grumble but once he decided to give it he was perfect and as a result so was I :-) We did some broken lines and then canter half pass from the center line. The center line was a challenge because it involves a 10m half circle -- not the easiest for him right now but I prepared him well after our first try and it was just beautiful. His half-pass was effortless in both directions.

Linda felt our work was strong and we need to think of showing. She suggested we get off the farm for a schooling show/ ride/critique this fall and then plan to quickly get my bronze medal scores in the spring. She feels the St. George ride could be ours next year. Yay! Yay!Yay! and within a couple more weeks I should be ready to start the tempis... Me ... tempis... can you just believe that? My dream is coming true.... Pinch me.

Beat out Earl

So the remnants of Hurricane Earl lumbered up the Atlantic seaboard and I had the good fortune of getting out of work early so I could get out and ride. Happy Day!!!

Blu was really good this afternoon. It was hot and sticky but he marched on without too much prodding. He was a little "sticky" during his initial trot work so we went right to canter. It unstuck him. We then went back to walk and did a bit of lateral work. I especially have developed a fondness for renver. It makes him straight and when going to the left, it helps me capture that outside shoulder he likes to plaster against the wall.

Our canter work was great. He got a little strong as we went along but I think that is one of his evasions as he gets tired. So every time he thought he should lead the dance, I threw a 15m circle in... I know he was cursing me :-) We worked on the counter canter and he was really good in both directions. I think I have to slowly amp that up for him.

He was soaked with sweat so off we went for a shower and a rub down with Sore No More liniment. I love this stuff.

Tomorrow maybe some light work and then a hack if everything dries out from the deluge we are now getting. I also hope the rain washes the flies away... they are disgusting right about now.

How many ways do I love thee?

Let's count the ways...

1.) I arrived at the barn at 7:45 am and there is Blu in his stall finishing his morning hay. As I approach he greets me with his friendly little nicker. As I get closer I get to gaze upon all the lovely brown spots he grew over night. What a happy little mess! As I groom him he leans into every brush stroke and curls his lip in the air as I hit all the right spots. Treats and a rub down... what could be better if you are Blu?

2.) I start to put his tack on and he is fascinated by the sheepskin bell boots I have replaced his standard rubber issue with and as he leans down to check them out, he runs his nose over the soft mound of genuine sheepskin and let's out a snort like he has met a new best friend. He likes his new slippers and I like them too because we will no longer clack along as we do our work.

3.) Once saddled we proceed down to the freshly groomed indoor ring. He understands the hill is steep coming from the barn and he needs to go slow instead of plunging headlong, slipping and waiting for me to catch up. You can tell he has more back end strength in the way he walks straight and slow down to the bottom.

4.) Under saddle Blu knows it is time to march on and his job is to use himself without me begging. It took only one session to school this back into him. He is brilliant and he loves doing his job. His walk is perfection now where there was a time I would have been lucky to score a "5". Off we go to trot and canter and his willingness and joy are palpable. My friend Sandra came into the barn and wanted to know who the beautiful horse and rider were... Ha Ha. (seriously, she did not recognize us because we have come so far.)

5.) We conquered the counter canter on the broken line. This was tough for him going to the right last week. He executed beautifully. I could feel how excited he was after he did it correctly. What a ham bone! He got all sorts of praise as we completed it and he just puffed himself up and gave me the most beautiful canter. All I can say is "WOW".

6.) We did some trot work -- down the center line shoulder-in to the right change to the left at X and then turn left at the end. He was perfectly straight and a real demonstration of how I was able to capture his shoulder and keep him on the line I so desired. You can feel the work getting a bit easier for him.

7.) After work there was a sudsy bath filled with So No More... He loves getting scrubbed down. I think he just loves to be touched. I brought a face cloth and he put his face down so I could give it a good scrub too.

8.) I brought him back to the barn so he could have a little snack while he dried off and I went about cleaning his tack. He watched me as I polished his bit and rubbed down the leather with conditioner. He seemed very interested in what I had to do and never left the front of the stall while I was standing there. It was nice to have his help!

9.) I noticed when I turned him out that his water needed to be changed in his paddock so I hauled the hose down, emptied and scrubbed out the tub then refilled with cool well water. He thanked me by coming over, taking a drink and then letting it dribble down the front of my shirt and into my riding pants... That has to be love!

10.) My eyes welled up with tears as I said "auf wiedersehn" (he is German after all)... he is such a giving spirit. How did I get so lucky?

A beautiful day to be outside

Today we made the transition from working in the indoor to doing our entire work out outside. Despite many intrusions -- trailers being hooked up and moved, horses being bathed and brought in from their paddocks, apple trees being watered and trucks/ Harleys driving up and down the road, Blu tended to business.

While I had to dig a bit deeper to get him to move forward his work was steady and sound. His canter felt improved in both directions.

He earned a warm liniment bath, a handful of carrots and a good scratch. He will have tomorrow off and then a lesson on Monday with Linda. I look forward to hearing her thoughts on how to bring him back. Tomorrow both Blu and I will rest.

Every day just gets better

I had a great ride last night. After loosening up on a long rein we did all our lateral work at the walk -- shoulder-in, half-pass and leg yielding. He definitely needed to be reminded to move off my leg but without much effort he got in the groove. Our trot work was good and I took less breaks and moved from one lead to the other effortlessly without coming back to walk. The canter remains his weakest gait at this point. He stuck against my leg in the upward transitions but he was sound so that will come with time.

After work we both needed to get out of the ring and we went off on a short hack around the property. He was a very good boy -- a little tense and looky at times but no silly stuff. He even marched over a short wooden bridge without a blink of an eyelash. I think with time he will really come to enjoy it. He really likes when I point him out of the ring. After the hack a cool shower was in order and then I watched him walk across the pavement. He had no twisting behind and he had a very forward and sound. Yay!

Good news from Dr. Liz... If I want to do a 3rd level test later this fall then she thinks we should work towards it. She cautioned me that small circles will be the most difficult for him so to not school them excessively. She said his back is improved but still a bit sore. (She looked at him on Tuesday and did a short shock wave on him) So instead of sitting the trot I post. We will have to get to sitting soon but I think a couple more weeks of conditioning is probably in order.

Sandra and I are contemplating our first show at Carberry Fields. Jenn told me of a ride-critique-ride several weeks before and I think it may be a good idea for us to give that a whirl too. We will have to talk about it.

First lesson on Monday with Linda and then another lesson on Wednesday with Jenn... We are off and running!!!

Catching up

I have not posted in awhile because Blu continued with his ups and downs. He was re-shod 3 weeks ago and since then he has been oh so much better. He has actually come sound and I have been moving him up in his reconditioning. He is now working a good 40 - 45 minutes. I reintroduced canter and he is sound after cantering in both directions. Baby steps though...

I am starting him off long and low asking him to trot out on a loose rein. Since long lining last week he has started to get the hang of not being so up in his frame. Once I get some good steady work in both directions, I pick him up and we do transitions in the gait at the walk and trot. I have also introduced some baby leg yields and shoulder-in. I also finish giving him the rein at the trot and letting him stretch out. He really likes it and goes for it.

Long lining was a revelation for him. He was pretty funny to start -- very excited and prancing around like an FEI show pony. He then figured out what Claudia was looking for and practically dropped his nose to the ground. It was remarkable.

Next week we will take our first lesson in 4 months. I am too excited to even think about it right now. I am feeling like everything is starting to fall into place! In the meantime, we will continue with our rehab and start working back outside again. We went out at the end of the ride tonight to walk around the ring. He really loved going out. He marched right outside and down the dirt road to the arena. He wanted to get out and have a look around. I think if all goes well tomorrow we might do a short hack.