Emotional connection

-
Im still working on my listening skills, and my horse is still trying to teach me to do better. Yesterday we went out solo and while we jogged and trotted down the trail, I felt such a strong emotional resonance. I use his metronome rhythm to create silly jingles and then laugh and cry while patting his neck. It’s such a weird emotional space between appreciation, love, sadness while we enjoy the moment. Q, unphased.

Meanwhile, Ive been struggling with the right lead canter these last few weeks. No problem in the arena, but on trail, it takes quite a few tries to get it. Heading home with one last chance to try, I got the message to better time with his legs. I decided to do it from the walk, and counted 1-2-1-2 with the right fore, I then cued when the right fore hit the ground (so left impulsion was coming next) and BOOM perfect right lead canter. It was light, smooth, and I screamed in delight and hugged my horse. Q, unphased. A little ear twitch saying « no big deal girl, just ask me right » 😂 

So, best riding season is at our doorstep, everyone is happy and healthy. Happy trails!











Comments

  1. TeresaASeptember 12, 2023 at 7:53 AM

    The best riding weather is just ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DomSeptember 14, 2023 at 8:10 PM

    Beautiful photos. I think we're all ready for fall...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Canter Protocol

-
Image
I do lots of different kinds of rides, with lots of different kinds of riders. But cantering always has me stumped. I have an established checklist of rules, but not everybody shares my view on this. Here is the short version I do not ride on trail with anybody who is not comfortable cantering their horse (at least in an arena). I don't want their first canter experience to be the spook and bolt when their horse sees a deer. I will occasionally make an exception to this rule for very short and controlled trail rides within proximity to the barn. I do not race. The order we start in, must be maintained until the end. No passing. With some of my trail buddies we will canter side by side, and it is glorious! I do not gallop. I have made a few exceptions to this rule with individuals that I trust, and on a trail I know well. The gallop stretch never lasts very long. I do not canter up ravines or anywhere I do not have a long line of sight. Again, I sometimes make exceptions to this on
Read more

Carb Coma

-
Image
Poland was lovely, but I am literally sick of carbs. By the third day, the heart burn was epic and fueled by the hot Polish donuts stuffed with rose jelly, pear jam, and nutella (separately, not together). They call them Paczki (pronounced paunchkies ... as in, if you eat too many you will grow a significant paunch). The wine, beer, pierogis (potato dumplings stuffed with meat, cheese, or many other options even sweet), Krakow bagels, and potato-everything did not help either. Oh, and there was the delightful Krakow-special cheesecake smothered in caramel, and their honey cake which actually wasn’t that sweet. Yummy Krakow Bagel with salmon tartare! Krakow Cheesecake smothered in caramel and Polish Honey Cake (not too sweet) The Devil, hot from the fryer, stuffed with Nutella (or pear, or rose jam, or many other options) Our last day in Krakow was raining and unpleasant. We enjoyed a relaxing day, and even got to see the new Avengers movie in an ultramodern mall and
Read more

What a trip!

-
Image
One of those kind of trips where you don't actually go anywhere, but your mindset shifts and you feel the whole planet twist under your feet. A puppy. What a trip! Puppy is about to turn 5 months, and has been in our lives for almost 3 months now. We have mostly conquered potty training, crate training and the basics of obedience. Puppy has also conquered us, as she has transformed our cold icy hearts into piles of mush at the slightest whimper. We had a brief medical emergency this week when we discovered blood in her stools. Off to the vet to find out that there is a big difference in bright red (goodish, ie intestinal inflammation) and dark red (scary, ie internal bleeding) blood in the stools. We did a quick diet correction and within 24 hours we had a great reversal in her condition. We have been exploring lots of different training avenues on top of basic obedience, including agility for puppies, tricks, and soon scent training. I have big plans to have her certified as a the
Read more

Stepping out in Hungary

-
Image
So its the last night at the ranch in the steppes, or grasslands, of Hungary. Its mostly quite flat in an undulating kind of way with patches of forests and marshlands. This national park is a bird sanctuary and we see the occasional deer along the way. While much of it feels familiar because of the sand and pine forests, there are a few notable differences. First, the sand roads go on for long distances which has us often cantering 3-5 km stretches. Thats 3-4 times the distance we generally do at home. Second, there are no electric high transmission power lines to mar the view. Third, the grass sections stretch out for miles in each direction with a view that is not customary. The ranch is great. We figured out a good rhythm after a few days that had us gathering in the sauna and jacuzzi in the evening because there is literally nothing else to do. The beat here is very relaxed, and we have all achieved a great zen state. We had a good reining lesson this morning when they p
Read more

4 weeks later

-
Image
The biggest news is I have a new phone and there is a clear improvement in the quality of pictures. The other big news is that I thought I broke my pony. 😢 Our club has organized a month long derby, based on distance goals. The competition ranks riders inside a category and gives the top mileage a prize … and bragging rights. Bunnies were under 50km, gazelles were 51 to 250 km, and the warhorse was over 250 km.  I immediately signed us up for the warhorse. And then I did our first ride trying to crack 20 km in 2.5 hrs. I was sore for a few days, and Q started acting funny. At first I thought it was the hackamore I was trying out. He was bolting for no reason while we would be trotting or cantering on trail. One day he bolted 5-6 times. 🤷‍♀️  Then I noticed his back was sore when I went to brush him. I took 10 days off riding, and walked the trails with him instead. I booked him a massage, and she confirmed what I was thinking. Q is sore on the left hind and in the left lumbar. Both h
Read more