Cold hands/ warm heart

Brrrr..... so very cold at the barn yesterday. When I arrived at the barn the thermometer in my car read 12 degrees. The good news is that there was no wind on Sawyer Hill. A true and welcomed anomaly if there ever was one!

Blu was out in his paddock so I trudged out to get him carefully picking my way down the slick driveway with a pocket full of treats and a prayer that he would come to the gate without much coaxing. When he saw me he came trotting up through the deep snow... he just takes my breath away he is so beautiful. I hooked his frozen lead line to his halter and he respectfully and carefully followed me up the road.

Once in the barn, I stripped him of his turn out boots -- his bell boots were filled with snow and frozen solid. I had to remove my gloves to pick the Velcro fastener apart. I think he was very grateful to be rid of them. My fingers felt like Popsicles but my heart was warm and content being with my best buddy Blu!!! Just being in his presence settles my spirit and warms my soul. He loved the grooming and oh my word, shedding has begun. Let this please be a sign that spring is around the corner.

We had a good ride... comments from all in the ring how happy, soft and forward he looked... He was happy -- his lips were popping to the rhythm of the trot and his canter was very up and soft. We worked for about 35 - 40 minutes and called it a day... way too cold to get sweaty.

After his post work out grooming he went into his stall to his dinner. I think this is one of his favorite times of day... Plenty of hay, good food and yes a fresh bucket of warm water to wash it all down. It is a very good life!

Back in the saddle again!

Was that ever a long week! It felt so very good to see my friend Blu again. He was definitely not worse for the wear. He felt very up this past evening but best of all his back felt terrific as soon as I sat on him... swinging with every over stride. Thanks to my friend Mary who kept him moving and oh so very happy!

Maybe not the smartest idea but I scheduled a lesson for my first ride back and Linda did not let up. We had some of the best work despite the fact my seat could not seem to find and keep the center of the saddle. It was like I was swimming and Blu let me know it by popping out his shoulder or shifting his haunches way too much or best of all swapping his leads in the canter. It became all too apparent when we cantered down a long side to a 10 meter half circle to half-pass and counter canter... did I say counter canter? It would have been nice if I could hold him on my seat! I finally got it and then we went off to canter and quarter turns then canter walk. I finally sat back and let go and it was all up hill. He was magnificent and I was sadly lacking. Taking a week off just does not work for this aging dressage enthusiast. Thank God for my oh so patient boy!

I also rode without spurs last night and did not need them at all. He was quite forward and happy to work. Even a bit fresh... Spooking at the door because Hueler was feeding the horses... Don't tell me he wasn't trying to remind me that I chose dinner time for a ride.

Unfortunately, today we are expecting an ice storm so my ride will have to wait until Wednesday... We are definitely not doing ice despite the fancy Yak Trak's Mary gifted me with... me with my Yak Trak's and Blu with his winter borium.. nah, I still do not like our odds!

Ouch indeed!

So I really did a bit of damage with that little slip in the paddock. I tried to ignore it but my body let me know on no uncertain terms that I needed to step back and heal. So I was bed bound... yes bed bound for two days after not listening to my pathetically sore body. Working from my bed, I was in command of the world but not my body. LOL.

So riding is out for the rest of the week at least. My friend Mary will ride for me... thank you Mary... Linda will be out early next week and if I am able I will get back in the saddle but if not, she will tune him up. She rode him for me on Tuesday and she said he was super sound and soft. He really is coming a long way. The other thing she discovered was that her changes were all really good (not croup high) and she thinks it may have something to do with the fact that she did not wear spurs. Could Blu be telling us to shed the hardware? Should our aids be that much softer? I would not be surprised if this is the case. All we have to do is listen. He is talking...

So for now I am left to contemplate the next ride and a plan to get us into the ring this spring... All lovely thoughts to think!

Ouch

Who is more intelligent? I think Blu was top scholar this weekend. As I approached his turnout and reached for the metal gate, I slipped on the snow covered ice and was left dangling from the clanging gate. Of course Blu was standing on the other side and mortified by the racket I made but he did not walk away from me. His eyes just bugged out of his head! After I detached myself from the gate I went into the paddock, hooked on the lead shank and gave Blu his treat. I realized at that point I did something to my back and hip. Ouch! But did I stop and assess if I should be riding? Heck no... I kept moving and while I was stiff and sore our ride hit all the right notes. What a good boy. I did notice that Blu pinned his ears with the first canter... not sure what that was about. It could have been my stiffly applied aids or is something bothering his back and hip too? What a pair!!!

I got home and had a tough time getting out of the car... OH nooooo.... That was the easy part -- I could not climb the stairs without backing up them. What a scene. Today I feel better so I will get out there for a ride. We are pending a N'oreaster this week so want to make hay while the sun shines... Ok it will be dark by the time I get to the barn and COLD! It should be down in the 20s by 5pm and there is a wind chill today that puts it in the teens. BRRRRRR....

Happy New Year

It was like a spring day... warm, muddy and the horse who had "go".

Let's start with the mud. He was FILTHY. Blu ground earth into his ears, between his legs, and some how got it up under his blankets... He was very proud of himself as he jigged up the road to the barn. I am sure he was laughing as we sloshed through the puddles splashing cold wet water up my legs.

My ride as always was a very good one. His warm up was really good - plenty of energy, fairly soft in the bridle. The warm-up canter was especially good. It felt really up hill and forward.

When I picked him up for his second set he wanted to get heavy so we did alot of transitions and moving away from the leg. We did shoulder in at the trot to walk back to trot holding the position of the exercise. He really liked it... NOT but it got to the point and our final work was very good.

Working inside is becoming a chore... too many children on school horses they can not control. If I do not get out of work on time on Mondays I can forget riding. Can be very frustrating... The saving grace is he is so well cared for.

Time off was harder on me

Blu had 6 days off during the holidays and while I worried about him I should have been more worried about me. Yesterday we went back to full work and while the ride was great, I paid dearly for it. I slept restlessly, could not find a comfortable spot for my aching body. After 4 ibuprofen I took myself to the barn and did not relish the prospect of riding. Linda came by to give me a lesson but I asked her to warm him up. It worked out very well in that she got to feel Blu from the start and she said he felt terrific and I had obviously done a good job the day before for him to feel so good from the get go. Yay me! Yay Blu!!!

After she rode, I got on and got to feel some pretty awesome stuff. After my body let go, we worked on the canter -- working pirouettes, up in the bridle, canter half-pass to some pretty good flying lead changes. He is getting stronger and instead of propping up behind when changing from right to left he is giving me a much cleaner change. Linda also gave me the very best of compliments... She said I was really following with my hands and not holding... AT LONG LAST!!! How many years have I been riding? Blu is such a gift... he allows me to let go!

Linda did some trot lengthenings on him that were the best I had ever seen. He really lifted in the front... He was just spectacular. I really think we are on the right track. You can see he feels good and he is very happy.

Finally, I was informed by several people who work at the barn that Blu was selected as "Best Horse" in the barn for his handsome face and his exceptional personality... They fight to take him in and out to the paddocks... He really is special!

When will I just learn to listen?

It has been a couple of weeks and there have definitely been lessons learned that I should have captured. First and foremost is never clinic with someone you do not know. EVER... While Blu and I did not enjoy the experience there was an even bigger price to pay and I am not talking about the hefty sum this individual collected. Poor Blu was out of sorts for a good 1-2 weeks after the ride. He reverted to some of the things we had not touched upon in awhile -- not reaching for the contact, not giving me the bend, rushing on his forehand... Ughhhh. He wanted me to know I went to places he was not ready to venture. Dr. Liz told me to be patient and this was outside the realm of reasonable for my blessed boy. Why did I not listen?

Sooo we went back to the basics and he eventually left behind his issues except he continued to look and feel a bit funky with the first canter. It wasn't a lameness per se, just a stiffness and unwillingness to swing through his hip/ stifle. The good news is that it would go away with some work and then the rides would be magnificent -- from canter half pass to canter pirouette he was awesome through his back.

Dr. Liz came to visit last night and said I was on the right track. She had not looked at him in a couple of months. As a matter of fact she did not feel any kind of issue in his back right under his saddle where in May by x-ray she found a couple of spines kissing and up around his wither where he was just plain sore. She felt his only limitation was in his very lower back around the hip region (hmmm, sounds like me...). She adjusted him and did shock wave and tomorrow I will see what we have. (tonight was too bloody cold to take his blankets off - -10 with a wind chill... brrrrrrrr) I lunged him for her and she and another trainer/ friend watched and jumped up and down like school girls who just won a jump roping contest with excitement at how sound he was. It was a beautiful thing -- it brought tears to my eyes to see how sound he has become.

So I have gone out to the USEF website and checked out all the shows I would like to do. So far I have 11 on my list. Ambitious? I think so. I will let Blu tell me what he wants to do. All I have to do listen.