Everlasting Light

(i'm having to sell my camera so i've gone on a picture and video binge at the barn here lately!)

Our weekly hacks.

I try to keep a semi-regular schedule, which usually falls apart somehow on me nearly every week. It's supposed to be simple. Monday off. Tuesday and Wednesday on. Thursday off. Friday hack. Saturday and Sunday on (depending on my work schedule).

I love our hack day we're still working our way up in intensity with this humidity that seems to be here to stay! For the moment we are just walking around (up and down hills, through wooded sections of the pasture, around the ring/barn area) on a super loose rein so he can just stretch all the way out. In the next hack or two we'll start adding some trotting bit by bit. Who knows when we'll get to cantering - he tends to loose his mind when cantering in open spaces :).

Anywho I just like having a day to just empty our collective working minds and take a break. Poncho seems to like it too.

Although it doesn't seem to be the "norm" for people at our new barn. Today was the first time someone actually asked me out. It made me chuckle quite a bit (to myself I didn't want to be rude). They had asked if there was something wrong with Poncho since we were just walking. Of course I assured them there was nothing wrong and explained that it was his "hack" day and that I just like to give him a mental breather day. I still got a very perplexed look. Oh well, it works for us that's all that matters.

When I almost lost my ninja skills!

Last week I had several nice flat rides. Nothing spectacular. Nothing horrible. Nothing worth noting.

Yesterday however was all around an amazing ride, and I even almost ate dirt! I'll start off with Poncho had 4 days in a row off. Which means he's ready to rock and roll. He's a horse who doesn't handle the heat well but it makes him mega hyper. We warmed up on a nice loose rein. I couldn't get him to stretch down at the trot even though I was practically riding him on the buckle. We did some figure eights to try and get his head in the game. No dice. So I decided to just let him canter it out. 7 laps in a row! Now this is a really big ring. At least 200 x 350 I'd say. And it wasn't a slow canter, he was booking it.

After he had that out of his system he was in more of a yes ma'am kind of mood. We did some nice trot work then I let him walk for a couple minutes on the buckle before we did any jumping.

I'm proud to say we have officially conquered the flowers. Absolutely no hesitation approaching them today!!!!

the oh so scary flowers!

 After that I was feeling a little gutsy so we decided to tackle this....

The first time approaching it from each direction he refused it (not too surprising from him). The second time we soared over it!!!!! I was on top of the world until mid-air I hear my mom in the distance yell woo-hoo and start clapping. The second Poncho landed he bolted and started bucking the whole way down the arena! I narrowly missed flying in a gate. Somehow I managed to stay on! Of course we had to try the jump again so he realized it wasn't the jump that was scary. Luckily no theatrics the second time around. What a goober.

After that I just cooled him, hosed him off, and let him graze for a minute.

I just love my Poncho man so much!

Hotter than Hell!

And no I don't mean the village in the Cayman Islands.

It has been unbearably hot here these last couple of days. Yesterday I even went out to ride late in the evening and Poncho was completely drenched in sweat just from being turned out for about an hour. So instead I just hosed him off. Which I had to do outside because a SKUNK decided to hide out in the nice cool barn. I mean of course that's what you'd expect to find in a barn. Although Poncho was not to pleased, until he realized that meant he got to graze on the yummmy grass!

We also had a very exciting ride this morning that I'll have to post about later. (I need to snap a couple of reference pictures out at the barn this evening!)

Why my horse always makes me laugh!

If you've read this blog long enough you'd know that Poncho tends to have gigantic spooks at almost nothing from time to time. It's no secret.

Well yesterday after a horrible day at work I wasn't even sure if I felt like riding. But when I got to the barn the field that he doesn't think is going to eat him was open to hack in! So of course I decided that I'd just hop on for a few minutes. We're walking calmly around the field, I'm barely holding on the reins, there's a lovely (slightly strong) breeze blowing...then I hear a crack and whoosh. Holy moly a tree branch just fell from the tippy top of one of the trees in the field.

(I can guarantee you won't guess what happened next!)

He just shuffled a few steps sideways and kept on going.

This from the horse who's determined the flowers are going to eat him alive.

Evening at the barn

Happy Mouth = happy horse?!

Friday was my day to work at the barn in the afternoon so I went out later (whilst hoping that my new bit would come in before I left - it did not). With all the storms we had on Thursday it was still quite windy when I got out there. The initial plan was to hack Poncho out in the fields but he was little up so we didn't make it too far. So we just did whatever in the ring for a little.

Saturday I was working the morning shift AND I finally got to use the new bit, which came in right after I left the house yesterday. Everyone was starting to file in right as I was getting on...so we w/t/c in the ring for a little and then got to hack out in the fields. He was still figuring out the bit but seemed very pleased with it so far.

Today I didn't get out in time to beat the heat but still had a lovely ride. He really, really likes the happy mouth bit. He was drooling all over the place and going nice and round! I tried tossing my spurs back on to try and refine my aids more, but he wasn't feeling it so I took them off quickly. Tracking right we were pretty spot on with everything. His w/t/c were all really nice and connected. Tracking left we were pretty disconnected so I  never even asked for that canter. I just worked on trying to get him straight and forward. To make everything fun though we popped over a couple of the jumps. A crossrail that he thought was going to kill him the first couple times (but then he jumped it like a champ!). Then a little vertical that is finally starting to make sense to him (he's been having a heck of a time judging it's height here lately, goober).

Well...that didn't quite go as planned.

"Great horses are not often easy horses. They have big egos and idiosyncrasies and quirks and foibles. Horses of a lifetime do exist, but only for riders so skillful, tactful, and courageous that they can unlock and then reveal the brilliance of their equine partners." - Denny Emerson

So I left off at Poncho was going to have 2-4 days off. So he had Thursday and Friday off. We got lots of rain so I just hung out with him some and doctored his STILL puffy fetlock.

Saturday rolls around and his fetlock finally is back to normal. I decided we'd just have a short w/t ride. Which we did. Nothing fantastic nothing horrible. However I was starting to notice an increase in his distaste for his normal bit. hmmmm.

Sunday I managed to get off work in enough time to scoot out to the barn before the thunderstorms rolled in AGAIN! But as I get there the BO walks up to let me know Poncho had escaped today. Apparently he just couldn't wait to be turned out after finishing his grain. So he "ran" from the back of his stall through the door, completely removing the screws from it. WOW. Not quite what I wanted to hear but I got past it. He seemed calm enough out in the field, so all systems were still a go. Calm as cucumber while we're walking to the barn. Then we get to the cross ties and all hell brakes loose. He just lost his mind. He wouldn't go in them, then when he would he's literally try to run me over to get out. 35 minutes later I had gotten him in long enough to brush him quickly before round 1 million started. Another 10 minutes and I got so annoyed I just tossed him back out in the field to cool off for a few. When I pulled him back out still much of the same but I got him in and calm for about a minute. So I gave him a treat and sent him on his way!

Monday I was so flabbergasted and upset about Sunday that I didn't even go out.

Tuesday I had a feeling he'd be back to normal so I planned on trying out a new bit my mom got for Midnite, since Poncho's protesting his. Of course he was perfect for the cross ties now...he just kills me sometimes. He was a tad skeptical about taking the new bit (a happy mouth mullen d-ring). He chomped on it for a minute or two and then was fine. There wasn't an incredible difference with it at the walk and trot. But when we cantered it was the most control I've had at the canter probably ever. Normally I feel barely in control he just barrels along but not this time. It was truly lovely! So I ordered him one once I got him.

Today I went out mega early to beat the heat. Since he liked the happy mouth I didn't want to ride him in a bit he hates...so I pulled the hackamore back out. I wrapped the curb chain in vet wrap to help soften it (he appreciated it very much). I can always count on him being relaxed in the hack it's just when we canter he gets really heavy so I tend to not use it on a regular basis. However until our new bit comes in that's what we'll use. I just tried to keep things positive and fairly short today. w/t was nice. He was much more compliant with our lateral work. Cantering on our right lead was nice and forward. Left lead we never got but he was calm and never got frustrated enough to run out of the ring so I let it slide this time. (hopefully that won't come back to haunt me next time!) Then I popped him over a little vertical a few times each direction. Tracking left he's much better jumping that right, which I find ironic due to our cantering issues. Oh well he always keeps me guessing!

Losing our groove.

Yesterday and today's rides have left me feeling a little bummed out. Nothing horrible but looking back there are things I would have changed up....

Yesterday he was spooky as all get out! He was even uppity in the cross ties. He does this weird trumpet/snorty thing that freaks everyone out. So that put us off to a fantastic start - WHAT A GOOBER! By the time we were walking to the ring he was looking at everything and shying this way and that way. Super! Then some of the jumps had been moved so that the ring could be drug, which made the ring extra scary. SO I just decided we'd hack out in the field so there was no pressure. Well the dude even spooked at the gate to the field. Ha. We didn't have the most productive ride. We managed to walk and trot around a little bit and then called it a day. We did stop by the window for the office in the barn so he could really investigate his reflection (he was absolutely hilarious to watch!)

Today we put our game face on and were going to get some real quality work and we did until the last 15 minutes of our ride. I was feeling on top of the world until I messed it all up!!!! Tracking right everything was nearly perfect he was relaxing and moving out soooo well. However I worked to the right wayy to long so when we switched to the left things went flop. Plus he still had a little bit of fluid in his ankle but was still super sound so I figured we'd still ride. Maybe it was the fluid, maybe he was tired, maybe he wanted to be a but head. I don't know. But the second we tried to pick up our left lead canter it all fell apart. He just would not pick it up. So I tried wayy too many times to get it. Which frustrated him until he shut down. AND when he shuts down he grabs the bit and hauls ass!!!!!! We flew right out of the ring by the barn twice because I just couldn't get him back under control (luckily we didn't hit anything). Once I got him to just not try and run out of the ring we basically just ended. I of course was still on him just walking around on the buckle. We even went out to the field for a lap. I just feel sooo bad that I pushed things to that point today.

So my tentative plan is for the next 2-4 days (depending on work and weather) he will have off or just a quick hack. Hopefully we can "reboot" and his ankle will be completely back to normal. Fingers crossed!

Flowers will kill you, it's a fact apparently.

That's right. Flowers = death! At least Poncho thought so on Saturday and Sunday.

Some of the jumps had been redone on Saturday which included adding flower boxes to them all. No big deal one would think. However not the case for Poncho man. He refused the first time. Then for the next 3 times launched over the jump like it was 4 feet, it was a 2 foot cross rail. Geebers! We did finally manage to get a nice jump each direction though.

Sunday we hacked around the fields for awhile before heading to the ring. We tackled the cross rail again which he was perfect for. Then we moved to a vertical with different colored flowers - oh no, no, no! He refused the first time. Second time he knocked the rail down then hopped it. So we worked on just jumping over the flowers until he was comfortable. It luckily didn't take too long.

Other than the jumping his flatwork has been steadily improving bit by bit. However he did whack his LH ankle got a nice scrape and just a hair of swelling - which made him not want to pick up his left lead. But before scrape he was getting 8/10 times now!