The Slightest Glimmer of Hope

Hello world!!  Hopefully you are surviving this heat wave we are having here in Kentucky.  It was a steamy 103 degrees today, and it will just get hotter this weekend.  So...since you are sitting at home with nothing to do, I'm finally going to give you an update of my personal progress with Smokey.

Since I have been back to riding, I have felt a complete disconnect with the little grey pony, and everything seemed to be working against us.  First it was my lack of strength after my injury.  Then, he developed this HUGE bug bit/thing that we have not determined on his left stifle.  After that, he had a visit with his favorite massage therapist, Michele.  Even then, Smokey still felt completely wrong. 

Enter my barn friend, Erica.  Erica is a great person to bounce ideas off of, and has a ton of experience as she has spent quality time with eventer Corrine Ashton (competed her chestnut TB Dobbin through the 4* level).  I figured that a completely impartial person might have some insight to something I have been missing.  And, she did!  Erica felt that he was very stiff and lacked the strength to hold himself in a fram.  So, we refocused our training on working to strengthen Smokey's frame with the help of draw reins.  Draw reins are a tool that I like to use to encourage a horse into the desired frame.  Of course, in the wrong hands, they can cause a horse to over-flex and be behind the bit.  But, with Erica's assistance, we can acheive the desired frame by keeping him slightly in front of the vertical and moving forward. 

The first few rides with the draw reins were very positive, although all we did was walk and trot work.  We added some work on the lunge line to change things up at bit.  And then the bottom dropped out, and we had a disasterous ride.  Smokey refused to move on the bit, was tense and over-sensitive to my leg.  Heck, the draw reins weren't even helping as he was so offended by every aid I had on him, I stopped using them.  Disasterous.  Horrendous.  Thoughts of doubt were entering my mind-was I really ever going to be able to ride this horse?  Am I skilled enough to help him work through this?  Heck, am I too old to be doing this and should just sell him?

And then, all of the sudden, everything changed.  Our next ride was so wonderful, a glimmer of hope in the darkness.  Smokey worked wonderfully at the trot and we attempted to canter both leads.  Although his first left lead canter departure had some "unnecessary energy", he settled right in after I asked him to (and picked it up on the first try!...I say this because Lacy says that "the lead is not an issue anymore" but I still get excited when he does it correctly).  A couple days later, I left the draw reins in the barn and rode again and he was brilliant!!  No "excessively exuberant" lead departures, lovely trot work, and even attempted to stretch forward and downward during his canter work...although I don't completely trust him yet that he is going to work and not launch me off!  What a good boy!!  Finally!!! 

I feels so good to ride Smokey when he is working together with me.  He is so much fun to ride when we communicate, and I cannot wait to ride him again to see if we can keep this up!  But, don't let him fool you, he is still goofy. 

Smokey being naughty!!  Can you see what he's trying to do??

My good friend, Krista, has been helping us since the very first day I brought him to Bittersweet Acres.  She said something to me the other day, and I keep that in the front of my mind all the time.  She said "Smokey has such potential and you can see it when he is being really good for those 2 strides".  He is a really nice horse, a lovely mover, with a ton of potential.  But it means nothing if I choose to quit on him.  So, I choose to work through the hard times...even if it is for just 2 strides of excellence! 

Dads are the Best!

First of all, I want to wish all the fathers a Happy Father's Day!!  Of course, you may say that your Dad is the best Dad in the entire world, but I truly believe that my Dad tops them all.  Here is proof:  during our trip to Hawaii last year, my Dad joined me on a horseback riding excursion.  This was a 2 or 3 hour ride, and despite the fact that Dad's horse, Big Mac, really wanted to just head back to the stable the entire time, and the fact that Dad hadn't been on a horse in a very long time, it was worth it to see the island on horseback.  And mom was armed with the Advil for Dad when we got back to the hotel. 

Here is a clip of one of our favorite comedians, Bill Cosby, doing the best Dad song ever!! 

My Dad also instilled in me a love for all things Monty Python.  How do I know this?  Because my Mom rolls her eyes every time she catches us watching any of his movies.  Although, secretly I think she enjoys it just as much as we do because you will catch her giggling every now and then.  There are so many favorite scenes, but this is probably one of my favorites.

Happy Fathers Day!!  Love ya, Dad!

PS-More updates on Smokey this week!  Lots to catch you up on, but until then, give you Dads a big hug!

My Greatest Olympic Memory #2

Before we get to this week's video, let me redefine the word "Greatest" as I use it to describe the following videos.

Greatest can be defined as "remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree, or extent."  OR "of outstanding significance or importance."  This one is certainly remarkable in one way or another!!  Enjoy!!

Now this wasn't the first time that all eyes were on Tanya.  Nope, she had to make sure her ticket to Lillehammer was punched, and I don't mean that she decided to train harder.  How do you do that, you ask?  Well...ask Nancy Kerrigan....



Well, guess what Tanya??  They still let her skate in the Olympics!!  And, your little boyfriend, Jeff Gillooly, squealed like a pig!  Due to some threatened legal action by Tanya's lawyers, she was allowed to embarrass herself skate in the Olympics, the scene of the "shoe lace" drama, and ended up placing 8th.  Karma is a bitch, right Tanya?