Less talk and more action!

Today, I decided to take a break from talking about my horse and just show you pictures instead....so enjoy these photos and the beautiful Kentucky weather!!  You can click on each individual photo to see them larger.  

Smokey and his new friend, Lacy.  He was polite yesterday and today showed her a little taste of his attitude.

Smokey:  Resorting to my inner inverted-ness.  I love this picture because it shows just how much an inverted topline limits length of stride.  Below:  just a slight acceptance of the bit allows for a longer stride, especially from the hindquarters.

Oh, this is much better!!

Ideal topline and headset makes for a beautiful length of stride.  Good boy!!

OH but see?  I can canter on the wrong lead when you don't even want me to!!

View from the bench

Is it really broken or are you just hiding carrots in there??

Today was the start of a new chapter in Smokey's life.  Since my failed attempt at vaulting a couple weeks ago, I have unintentionally found a willing rider to keep my horse in shape while I am in a cast (5 more weeks...5 more weeks....not counting down or anything).  A friend of mine called last week and hooked me up with a girl she knew who has experience with young horses.  Now, the reason I said "unintentionally" was because I wasn't actively looking for a catch rider.  This is how I imagined that conversation with said prospective rider to go:  "Hi, I really want you to ride my horse while I am in a cast for 6 weeks because he bucked me off and broke 2 bones in my arm".  Click.  Hello??? 

So, enter Lacy Jinks.  And no, I did not need to beg (or bribe) her to test drive the Big Grey today.  I realized when I was watching her ride that I have not had the chance to see myself or anyone else really work him.  My, how things have changed since I bought the fit racehorse 2 years ago.  He has really blossomed in just a blink of an eye.   

September, 2010

April, 2011

The above show was Smokey's first Dressage show in April of 2011.  Since this was his first outing, my goals were to keep him calm and relaxed, and to have a good experience.  Frame was not a priority, obviously. 

August, 2011

Just 3 short months later, here we have a different looking horse.  He is on the bit.  He is using his topline, allowing him to reach further forward in his front and underneath his hind end.

Next time I watch Lacy ride him, I promise to bring my camera so I can get photos.  He is breath-taking to watch, and his trot work has improved dramatically.  His self-carriage has allowed his long sweeping strides to show.....I was just in awe of him...and then, was quickly reminded that he is just learning when he trips over his own legs!! 

Taking some time off has already been therapeutic for me, and Lacy has helped me see just how far he has come in less than 2 years.  It's important to be reminded of your accomplishments with your horse, and to keep your goals set realistically around you and your horse's abilities.  We riders are competitive by nature, and tend to compare our progress to the progress of others in our discipline (yep, done that), other horses of the same age (oh yeah), other riders of the same age, and on and on.  Check and check, I am guilty of it all.  It has been a challenge not to compare our progress to others, and I have to remind myself that there is no time frame required to complete the Smokey process...and something about how long it took Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel....

I cannot wait for the good things to come, and with Lacy's help, I'll be able to pick off where I left off as soon as the cast comes off!!!  Did I mention that I have 5 more weeks?? 

On a side note:  I just want to thank my Mom and Dad for helping me out, especially my Mom.  She flew out to Kentucky the day after my accident, and helped me tremendously last week by stocking my fridge with easy-to-make foods, feeding all of my animals, and just being great company when all I could do was sit and elevate my arm.  Love you guys!!

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off....

It's been a couple weeks since I have blogged, but for good reason.  Lots of things have happened that we must catch up on, so let's not delay the inevitable. 

First off, I turned 36 last week.  Smokey also turned 5 last week as well (his real birth date, not the Jockey Club birth date).  Both days were fairly nice weather wise, and really the only way I wanted to spend my birthday was at the barn.  Smokey was fairly good, I tricked him into taking his left lead once after going through some trot poles, but then he figured my trick out and started being tense and antsy.  We worked through it, and ended on an good note. 

Now, on Smokey's birthday (Friday, Feb 17th)...well, I'll let the picture tell the story:

I really don't want to dwell on all of the details, but obviously Smokey and I parted ways and I ended up in the ER on a Friday night.  You can clearly see the fracture on the right side just below the wrist.  The good news is that I don't have to have surgery...the bad news is that I'm in a cast for 6 weeks and there will be no riding until April and thus, no Paul Frazier horse show for me.  Now, I'm really a do-er, and to need help doing everything is just frustrating.  I'm trying to sit still and let people help me do things, but most of you who know me know how difficult this is for me. 

The details you do need to know are the following:
1-Smokey had no malicious intent to unseat me.  He was throwing one of his tantrums, forgot about the rider on his back, and off I went. 
2-I rode the bucking for quite a while, and I'm pretty proud of that.  I think that if it were a timed saddle bronc run, I probably could have received a score in the 80's.
3-After I fell, he stopped, turned around to look at me on the ground and, according to Krista, had a look on his face like " Ut-oh".  Yeah, ut-oh is right.  I'm not sure horses feel remorseful, but honestly, I am certain he knew that he took his tantrum too far this time.  Horses that are proud of unseating their riders tend to gallop away with their head and tail high in the air.  I have been on the receiving end of that type of behavior in the past...where you have to chase down your horse that has conveniently found his way back to the barn...or running up and down the fence line tormenting other horses in a pasture. 

Of course, several thoughts of doubt have gone through my mind...maybe I'm too old to be fooling around with a young horse....maybe I'm not a good enough rider to retrain a racehorse....maybe I should give it all up and keep my feet on the ground...WAIT JUST A COTTON-PICKIN' MINUTE!!!  I cannot imagine my life without horses in it!!  I mean, just look at all of the professional riders out there that are much older than me, riding tougher horses than me, jumping bigger jumps, and falling off just like I did.  My equestrian idols didn't get good by doubting their abilities and quiting after every fall or broken bone....they got up, dusted themselves off, and got back on the horse. 

So, this is me, amateur-rider-slash-very-amateur-eventing-and-dressage-trainer saying "Yes, I fell off my horse....and the one thing that really made me mad was that I couldn't get back on and try again at that time".  Until then, Smokey will be meeting a new friend....so, more to come on that story!!

Kristen....the one armed woman!!!

A Change in Perspective

All day today, I have been planning on doing a blog entry...got the topic all set and everything.  Then, out of the blue, life hits you with something that you weren't prepared for and changes your perspective on everything. 

Today, Bittersweet Acres lost a dear member of our family.  When you board your horse at a facility, you become part of an extended family with the other boarders because you see them every day and share the love of horses.  A dear friend of mine, Janice Stephens, made the difficult decision to let her mare, Jazz, go due to a very serious case of colic.  Those of us who knew Janice and Jazz knew of the special relationship between these 2; they were a perfect pair.  Janice was the one who rode almost every day, while the rest of us hurried through our chores and prayed for spring to come quickly.  We will miss you Jazz girl, and send big hugs to my friend, Janice.  I have honestly been crying since the news not because I am sad for Jazz, but because I know of the special bond Janice had with this mare, and my heart hurts so much for her.

Ok...trying to pull it together...I want to tell you that I have been totally inspired by the Retired Racehorse Training Project, have you heard of this?  Well, Eric Dierks has a very special mare named Brazilian Wedding (and she's a grey too...coincidence??  I think NOT).  Anywho, Eric has been kind enough to post informational training videos as he takes his mare from the race track to the show ring!  Check it out for yourself:  http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=60&Itemid=313

I was pleased to see that I was doing a lot of the things that Eric was suggesting!!  Smokey does have a tendency to lack confidence when approaching a new obstacle, so I decided to spend today doing Eric's tarp exercise and then work a bit on the lunge line.  Obviously, he thought this was quite boring (see picture above).  So, we excelled quickly to walking over the tarp:

Well, that was easy.  Good boy!  He didn't have any doubts about walking right over it today.  Now, I honestly have never, ever done this before with him, and I was expecting a lot more dancing around the tarp rather than actually stepping on it.  Obviously, I under-estimate my horse...

We ended today with every gelding in the field nearby galloping all over the place, causing Smokey to show his ADD side, but ended with some nice, low stretching at the walk.  And, Smokey has a new friend, El Dorado's Tune.  Dorado, Smokey, Erica and I plan on heading to our first official 2012 show debut at the end of March.  As you can see, the boys are already pretty fond of each other.

You can follow Erica and Dorado's blog too if you are interested.  She is a great writer and I'm sure will have many interesting stories:  http://eldoradostune.blogspot.com/  Our latest blog entries are very similar tonight as we both share in the loss of Jazz.

That's all for now.  Everyone hug their ponies tight tonight, because our time with them is a gift not to be taken for granted. 

Kristen

When in doubt, dive right in!

Step 1 to the search for the lost lead was to make sure my Smokey was feeling okay.  Sure, he was healthy, no lameness issues, no swelling, heat, etc.  Now, this horse of mine has the lowest tolerance for pain...seriously....combine this with his propencity to be accident prone and we got a problem.  Nope, nothing seemed to be bothering him.  So, I caved in and tried to bribe Smokey by giving him the gift of a massage therapist session. 

So, all systems go, it was time to get back to ground work (blah...double blah...).  On Tuesday, I knew I had to head to the lovely, scenic Indianapolis to meet with a couple potential clients on Wednesday, so I blocked out an hour to get back to the beginning with Smokey and really observe him on the lunge line.  This confirmed that a) he actually still had a left lead, and b) what did his frame look like when he resorted to taking the right lead.  I noticed that when he took the left lead, his head was lower and stretching towards the ground.  However, when he got confused was when his head was held up higher, as in the position we prefer to see when showing Dressage.  Hmm...interesting observation. 

Tangent story...I travel to Indianapolis, and silly me, I completely forgot that the Super Bowl was being held there this weekend!!  So, no problem, I'm just staying for one night.  Once I checked in, the hotel gave me a waiver to sign saying that I would vacate the property by the next day.  Woah, wait a minute...did I give them any indication that I was staying longer?  No, in fact, that is what my RESERVATION was for, to give you, little hotel guy, a detailed time frame for my arrival and departure.  I mean, I see their point, they were sold out after Wednesday and needed me out of the room so that they could insert as many people as they could for about $500/night each room.  But do people actually do that??  Make reservations for the night before the hotel is sold out and then NOT LEAVE when they are supposed to??  Amazing....okay, I'm done...back to the topic at hand...

After being on the road all day watching other people ride their horses, I was ready to use what I had learned on the lunge line to see if I can change my approach to the obnoxious left lead.  Besides, it was 60 degrees on the first day of February (and right now as I type it is thundering outside??  weird).  So, we warmed up at the walk and trot doing lots of stretching forward and downward, and Smokey worked nicely for me.  First time I asked for the left lead canter, he took the right lead.  Haha..I am so smart that I brought out my lunge line with me in case this happened (instead of having to walk with horse in tow back to barn to get said lunge line), did a few trot to left lead canter transitions, and got back on.  Keeping his head lower and more downward, I tried again...and wouldn't you know it....HE GOT THE LEFT LEAD!!!!  (Insert Hallelujah Chorus here)!!  Now, it was only for about 4-5 strides, but I was so happy, patting him on both sides of his neck. 

Okay, don't get too excited because that was all he gave to me tonight, on my own anyways.  But that was more than I have gotten from him in a long time, so there's hope!  My BFF Krista happened to be around, so she put the lunge line back on him and we tried again.  Krista cued him so that I could let him be and feel exactly what he was doing when he took the left lead (my thought was to try and mimick that eventually).  So, trot..trot...trot....canter to head dive and trip and nose almost in the ground and Kristen off balance and...WHAT THE HECK!!  Now, I know that Krista knew that this is a serious matter to me, and she didn't once laugh at us both, but come on, that had to be hilarious to watch!!  I bet she got home and laughed for a good 20 minutes at least.  Okay, take 2...trot trot trot...and left lead canter!!  YAY!! 

So, what did we learn from today's lesson?  I know that I learned that sometimes you have to fall and get your nose in the ground to get it right...but you never stop trying.  Granted, when we did get the left lead it wasn't pretty, but small moves are all I need to know that we are finally on the right track.  But don't be afraid to dive into that which you are afraid of! 

Happy Punxsutawney Phil Day tomorrow everyone!!  Gee, that's a fun word to say!!

Kristen