First of all...

...it's amazing how easy and clean this horse's changes are when he's doing something he considers fun: i.e. not dressage.

That clean change can also be seen during jumping courses, performed either automatically or with the barest shifting of weight.

In a big open arena, coming across the diagonal, trying to hit a general area? No, siree.

too bad you're so good at the fancy prancing, you sneaky shit.

I was hoping for some impressive media of Dopie turning barrels like a boss on Sunday, but instead he came out in complete game night rage monster mode. I could barely control his psycho ass, and ended the ride by getting off, hitting the deck gasping for air, and with a sore back today.

regrets nothing very very little

The problems started with tack: I was in Hubby's too small, horrifically hard western saddle that instantly makes my seat bones bruise while it constricts all the blood in my lower extremities. I was also driving my loaner vehicle while my car is getting fixed so I didn't have the key to my locked trailer where my western bridle lives which meant I borrowed BM's horrible, horrible too long and too soft reins.

But really the root of it was that Opie just wanted to go fast.

The arena was only about 85% dry so he'd snatch the reins and then slip behind occasionally and nearly fall over. He was also blowing out through his shoulder so when we came off the barrel, his head was turned in, but his shoulder was galloping in the opposite/wrong direction.

I thought he would be easier to train on barrels than Bobby because he's smaller and cattier, but it's working to my disadvantage. He's like Gumby. You wrangle one part and another one goes shooting off in a different direction. Also he is very fast.

I made him do some trotting of the pattern and figure eights between the two side by side barrels to try to cool his jets, but every time he set down to run, he literally set down and launched which fucking destroyed my back.

He'll get there with time--and a bigger bit, his tie down, and a new saddle for me. I've trained all my OTTBs I've owned in the past to barrels, and since show season is going to end up as who knows what, we've got pleeentyyy of time to fuck around with all the things!

Intro to Barrels

Good news, Opie's heel pain was nothing more than a tiny abscess that resolved overnight with hoof packing.

v small

Despite being due, Farrier didn't trim him when she pulled his shoes to leave enough foot for him to chip off as he pleased during the transition. He hind feet, however, have always been bare and they really needed to be done. The abscess was in a bit of overgrown flare so I rasped that down once it came out. His front feet are chunking off where his clips were so he doesn't need a trim right now--at least not one that I can't do by myself.

I pulled off a pus-filled diaper the morning after treating it, threw him outside with his friends for the day, and then came back in the afternoon to soak it and repack and rewrap it. The next morning he was sound as a dime (on his naked fronts, too!) so we took to the outdoor to finally play with our newly acquired barrels.

We started off walking and trotting the pattern L-R-R. I figured since his L-R lead change is better, this would be easier for him. When we moved on to the canter, he wasn't interested in the lead change at all so I just brought him back to the trot to change the lead.

The first few times, he went through the motions until I let him loose after the last barrel. Then I turned him loose into the first barrel and his little gaming pony brain LIT UP. "Fuck yeah, do the things fast! My favorite!"

He kept swapping over to the left lead coming off the last barrel to run home, so I finally reversed the pattern to R-L-L. He was much happier with this and even started throwing in a front lead change. I only did that twice so we could be done because I didn't want to do too much with his feets.

Hopefully I'll be able to bring Hubby out to the barn this weekend for video. The evil neighbor reported the barn to the cops for running a lesson program. Nevermind that there hasn't been a lesson here in a month. BM is conflicted on how she wants to regulate moving forward. What a miserable asshole. (The neighbor obviously, not BM).

All the recognized dressage shows in the area have been cancelled through the end of the year, so we've got no pressure for this year now. Good thing I never paid my USEF and USDF memeberships!

The most Meh of rides

This morning I had plans to make up for a pretty meh ride on Sunday with the acquisition of two more plastic fifty gallon drums from Hubby that would give us enough barrels to do real fake barrel racing with.

Spoiler alert: Dopie was off in the LH so he got to frolic in the indoor with his friends for an hour before getting his foot wrapped for what I suspect/hope is a brewing abscess, and then being locked in his stall with a giant hay net. BM said he was running the fence line like a fool yesterday afternoon while she was riding Mo though, so hopefully he didn't so something super stupid like pull a butt muscle or blow out a tendon.

that booty has work to do

In better news, he got his shoes pulled last Tuesday and seems to be adjusting as well as expected. Farrier said he has pretty flat feet, but aside from being a titch tender it hasn't seem to have effected him much.

Sunday was my first real ride on him since he went barefoot. The outdoor was finally dry enough that Hubby gave it a quick drag while I gave Dopie some breakfast and got him tacked up. He actually didn't feel sore in his feet during the ride, but he did feel wonky to the left the whole time. Not lame, but...just wonky. That was before his naughtiness in the pasture, so I'm hoping that lends more credence to an abscess starting to show its head. He's never had one since I've owned him so I don't know what that looks like in him yet.

casual warm up struttin'

He warmed up well at the posting trot, and while I feel like my posture is improving while posting it's still not where it should be. Ugh, better cave and start back in on the sit up routine. The worst.

His back wasn't there in the sitting trot. I also promptly got fixated on reeling his head and neck in instead of focusing on a longer neck that brings the poll up naturally. Apparently four days off was all it took for that goal to get lost. Once the horse is sound again, I'll remind myself again.

I didn't realize it at the time, but watching back on video I was overbending his head on the circles. I tried a couple of half passes, and those were leading with the haunches. Bleh. The whole ride was just bleh.

trying to wake him up in the canter. unsuccessfully.

Hopefully whatever issue he's got going on in the LH resolves quickly. While I'm eager to work (forever) more on the sitting trot, and play some more with the double, I really want to introduce some barrel work. #dopiedoesgaming is going to be the cutest thing yet.

Hello Otto

otto ain't nothing but a thing

I scheduled another Saturday ride to get some more media before Hubby officially gets swallowed alive by the spring season. I wanted some dressage media, but honestly the thought of yet another basic w/t/c in the indoor made me want die.

That's doubtlessly selfish since a lot of people aren't even allowed to go out and see their horse right now, but even with essentially cutting my riding days in half, I'm struggling so much with motivation. I knew I was going to have to shorten my show season way up anyway--both because Poor and because my truck only has so many lives left--but I still had something to plan towards. My first show was going to be in June, but who knows when the world will reopen at this point. It's left me in a bit of a flail-ful mindset.

opie says, same. 

Anyway, I decided I would pull the double out again and ride in the outdoor. Sort of a change up at least. Only the outdoor was still under water. Fucking New York.

I warmed Opie up on a long rein while Hubby talked with BM (from the other side of the ring #socialdistancing), and then he went to get the camera so I picked up the curb rein for the first time for real. Opie worked the bits a little bit every now and then, but he never chomped or gaped his mouth. He's totally okay with the two bits, seemingly more so than his simple single snaffle. Whatevs, homie.

He got Sunday off, and then I rode in it again this morning. Aside from the lack of chomping the double brings, he's also light and round right off the bat. While chipping away at our sitting trot--coming along nicely!--I've recently added to my list to make sure that his neck stays long. He likes to curl it in or up, either works for him. Both are gross.

We didn't do much on Saturday since it was his first time being asked to do actual work with Otto, but I was able to hit some SI:

And the dreaded medium trot:

That was really the only time we ran into bit trouble. He'd start to get fast and heavy, and then fall on to his forehand and basically fall onto the bits which upset him. He'd throw his head, but that was the extent of it. We finished with a couple of good-for-him attempts, and then wrapped up with some stretchy trot.

go go dopie go!

We also touched on the flying changes in the middle of the ride, but the canter was never there because I was rushing it so none of them were clean or good. Not even a little bit.

This morning he had a good warm up before we moved on to 2-2. He was good for that as well. He was actually too responsive to my seat for the canter to walk transitions and was too abrupt into them, and he wanted to get a little spastic (as always) in the second counter canter movement, but other than that no complaints.

He gets vaccinated tomorrow and we're going to try to pull his shoes to see if he can be a barefoot horse. If he can't, no problem, we'll just put them back on. But if he can, yay, checkbook!

Soft is the name of the game

Immediately happier with his bit in--forward, energetic, soft and round.

Wanted to keep spooking at the corner with the chairs in it because birds were taking a dust bath. Consistently bulged out to fake spook at them despite my spur in his rib.

Walk warm up: Easy peasy leg yields on and off the rail both directions, stayed round and quiet, automatic for him at this point. TOH he just gets now, no cause for tension, he understands the ask. HI was much improved--no weird, wild angle--and he did a great renvers.

Went right in to sitting trot since he was so soft and relaxed. A few chomps here and there but overall quiet in his mouth. Had to get after him a couple times to make his circles the size I wanted them and to keep them circle shaped instead of drifting out. Lots of changes of directions and 10, 15 and 20m circles to keep him from thinking tense thoughts.

He kept his neck long and his poll up with a soft back and forward pace. Let him be done after maybe ten minutes because it was so good. Decided since all the Second movements are in place, they just need spit shine, and since who knows when showing will resume again, we might as well fuck with the changes.

L to R remains easy and clean.

In the past, and the reason I quit with the changes completely, the R to L change was a complete meltdown-inducing shit show. He'd sense it coming, throw a fit, not get the change, throw an even bigger fit, and then that was the end of working on changes because he was too busy rearing and throwing himself around.

Today though! He let me work away at that change. I had to give him a few corrections--no, I'm not asking you to pick the canter back up yet, keep walking; no, you don't need to bolt once we get to the rail--but I made them firm and quick and moved right on and his brain never got stuck on them.

I don't think he ever got one completely clean this direction, but we got to the point where he completely understood the ask, waited patiently for the cue, did his best, and cantered off like a normal sane horse. I had to be very clear in my instruction: ride like I was going to ask him to hold the counter canter--bent to the right, my leg slightly over-exaggerated from where I keep it pressed against his side so he knows I'm asking him to hold the lead--and then when I was ready for the change, I straightened him and switched my exaggerated leg position to the opposite side. He would pop right over in the front no problem, but he didn't have the jump for the clean change like he does going L to R.

I was really, really pleased with him though and I let him finish there with candy shoved down his throat. Maybe not clean yet, but calm and thinking, and for him that was a HUGE step in the right direction.

More bridleless jumping

BM texted me Friday afternoon to tell me she had an open riding spot first thing this morning if I wanted to come out. Obviously I couldn't say no to that!

I dragged Hubby out with me, we washed our hands on arrival, practiced our social distancing, and just generally tried to avoid touching any and everything--minus putting up some jumps in the ring because you've still gotta social media even in these times.

Opie had two days off after his long dressage/sitting trot ride on Wednesday, and he was actually pretty chipper despite the fact that we walked in on his breakfast. However, he was once again unimpressed with the bridleless work. He just cannot find it in himself to give two fucks without a bridle on.

After a quick warm up, we went through the trot poles to X. Boring, barely managed to lift his feet over the X. Moved on to an easy bounce and ran through that a few times until we got it perfected.

After that I had Hubby set the vertical up a stride out again.

Up two holes:

what, you don't crest release with a neck rope?

And up two more holes to 3'9":

A few things:

• Since when did 3'9" become an actual snooze fest for this horse?

yeah, this one. this was almost exactly 1 year ago.

• That said, I'm not too impressed with his jumping style. He looks good in a freeze frame, but he's a bit up and down in his body on landing, and he still twists his hind end out of the way over these bigger jumps. 
• Apparently grids do the opposite of what they say they're supposed to do for rider position for me--mine is definitely worse through them.
• What a good boy tho.

Riding through COVID-19

Things started out innocuously enough:

And then one week later:

A couple of fortunate things though: I am an essential caregiver, and BM and BO agreed to let boarders continue to ride. No more than three people at the barn at a time, only one rider in the ring at a time, and everyone is scheduled.

I told BM to lock me in for a 9-10 ride time Monday through Wednesday so I could continue my usual habit of riding as soon as I'm done with chores. While she's allowing us to continue riding, and in doing so has made strict rules about sanitizing, I still want to lessen my risk of exposure. I'm planning on a three day on, four day off schedule with the possibility of another quick ride during the weekend if I feel it's needed. 

stopped in on saturday to put in bulbs (finally!) over bobby's
grave and handed out candy and smooches while we were there

Our three rides this week looked like this:

Monday

• He was quite fresh and yet somehow also quite tight and tense. I wasn't impressed with much of anything, although the forward in the lateral work is fucking FINALLY getting somewhere.
• Worked hard on medium trot with mild success. Not as good as he has been the past few times, but better than last year. 
• Still working away at the sitting trot for both of us. I'm doing a lot of just going around and around in it, trying to make it a nonevent for us. 

Tuesday

• I didn't want to do three days in a row of dressage drilling, so I ditched the bridle again.
• Set up an X after trot poles which I ended up having to kick him over to get him to actually half assed jump it and canter away instead of just trotting the whole thing like a slug.

boooooring

• I tried to amuse us both with some canter to walk transitions, but that was too easy and even more boring than our fake grid. So I set up a small vertical a stride out. Dopie was one hundred percent meh about that turn of events as well, although he at least cantered the distance and cantered off. 
• So I got off again and raised it three holes to 2'9ish. Did that excite him? Nah. He loped in, loped over it, and loped off before halting for his candy. Well, sorryyy, sir, for you being too good for bridleless work. Sorry you're such a #childgenius and such activities bore you.

"this game is stupid"

Wednesday

• I wanted a good ass sitting trot ride, and I was not going to fight for two hours to get it. I dug my moldy draw reins out of the bottom of my trunk and put them on from the outset. 
• We spent a lot of time to start working on halts. They should be forward, prompt, square, and on the bit. No popping our head up to stare around, not dragging our feet into them for three strides. 
• Posting trot and canter warm up were fine. A lot of canter-walk transitions. At the posting trot, I've finally told myself to roll my right knee in because my thigh wants to come off the saddle when I'm in the up phase. That's secured everything about my body, and I'm actually pretty happy with my posture for once in my riding life.
• Then the sitting trot.
• The first round was not so great. He wanted to lock his neck underneath at the base. This is where I picked up my draw reins for the first time. I wanted to almost over-flex him and get him really short and round so I could spool him out. He--as always--started off by being tight everywhere, chomping the bit with tension. I want this phase to not take forever to get over so I'm not wasting all his energy in warm up at a show unlocking his angry brain. 
• Lots of SI, HI, some half pass, changes of direction, circles, yada yada--he finally settled somewhat and I let him have a long stretch break. I probably would have quit there if I was planning on riding again tomorrow or Friday. But I'm not, so I put him back into it again.
• He was starting to get a little tired by this point which helped erase some of the tension. But again, I don't want relaxed and tired to go hand in hand. I want a relaxed horse with energy to get through two Second level tests. 
• I kept pushing him forward forward forward into my hand with constant quiet half halts from my seat to get him to make his tiny neck longer. Ten thousand circles and changes of direction later, he had a beautiful shape, a beautiful rhythm and pace, and was quiet as could be in his mouth. But that took an hour to get there. 

how opie feels about the sitting trot

With no one knowing what show season is going to look like at this point, the sitting trot is my number one (and only) goal. I want him to be relaxed and confident in it, and I don't want that to take an entire ride to grind out. Everything else he's set at for this level. The lateral work is staying forward, the medium trot is there enough--although we will always strive to make it better!--the canter is a breeze. 

I guess the positive from this shut down is that when we do make it out in public again, he should be more prepared for it than he was going to be before.