OMG teh Neep!
Aug. 18th, 2006 12:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancinghorse...among other things.
First, Announcements:
Torture Lady clinic October 20th-22nd. There will be lots of people here, but more people (and horses) always welcome. If you coveted the Seat of Velcro at the Harald clinic, this is where I got it.
There will be a Horse Camp from October 27th-29th. Overnight slots are full at this point, but there is space available for day campers (and we can waitlist you for an overnight). Stop on by before you head to World Fantasy!
Lipizzan Weekends are available between WFC and Thanksgiving. Inquire for availability. (Certain Parties are not limited to these dates.)
Details of Camp and Weekends are here. Or email capriole at smoe dot org with subject line "Horse Camp" or "Lipizzan Weekend."
The rest of life consists of rain, more rain, mud, toadstools, grass in my formerly utterly bare arena, and yet more rain. Also, rain. Riding does continue in between storms, and for a miracle, we managed a lesson yesterday.
Project Pooka proceeds apace. The goal is to equalize the muscles of his neck and get him moving truly straight and with his neck at a normal (for a baroque stallion) angle. I've been longeing him around the storms, and little by little he's started stretching and relaxing as he moves. He still locks his neck in the trot, but not as much.
So, yesterday we upped the ante by having me ride him. First he had a longe, and he was very laid back and almost sleepy; from the looks, he was having an endorphin rush just stretching his neck and moving freely. We noticed that his left-side muscle is smaller and he's carrying himself straighter. When asked by Teacher to equalize the sides of his neck, he did; clearly it felt good as his eyes got even sleepier.
When I mounted, he was totally solid--no dropping the back or shifting balance. My job first was to get both hindlegs in gear, then ask for him to soften through the body. No right bend yet, as such, because his neck is still rebuilding itself. Instead I was to make sure his ears stayed level (the right ear tends to tilt downward as he bulges the left side of his jaw). This meant maintaining a steady and balanced seat, keeping his spine between my seatbones, and angling the bit/reins to remind him to keep his ears level. He really does get it; it wasn't hard at all.
Short lesson but effective, and I'll longe him two or three times and then ride next Thursday. Sunday I'm also taking a lesson--making up for lost lessons--but that will be on Pandora. She's softening nicely but I need some input on where to go next.
Teacher seemed pleased by my post-SRS Guy position and even hands. Much better, she said. We noted that it's ever so much easier to have The Hands on a baroque stallion with a big wide neck that comes right up where you need your hands to be. Teacher also noted that the finger thing is very, very small and subtle and goes with a whole lot of seatwork.
I did finally get up the guts to watch my clinic DVD's--and was very pleasantly surprised. It all looked a whole lot better than it felt. And my elbows weren't bad and my hands weren't actively awful, though there's a lot of work to do there. Seat was almost totally solid, with a few exceptions. We are told it was much admired at the time.
What we were not told until yesterday, by SRS Guy's driver and Native Guide, was that SRS Guy said, "She's a good rider."
Well, drop me through the floor.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
casacorona kindly put on her Copywriter hat and wrote it up in proper form:
"Judith Tarr is a good rider." -- Harald Bauer, Bereiter, Spanish Riding
School of Vienna
That will keep me going for a while--about as long as it takes one of the Fat White Guys to chop me down to size. (Probably in about another 6 hours.)
Of course now I have to work my steadily decreasing tail off to live up to it. And do my damnedest to get both Pook and me there next summer.
We're working on it. Every time I ride him, he reminds me just how well he's made for this--he's so light and soft and all there. And I'm riding better, which makes it easier for him.
First, Announcements:
Torture Lady clinic October 20th-22nd. There will be lots of people here, but more people (and horses) always welcome. If you coveted the Seat of Velcro at the Harald clinic, this is where I got it.
There will be a Horse Camp from October 27th-29th. Overnight slots are full at this point, but there is space available for day campers (and we can waitlist you for an overnight). Stop on by before you head to World Fantasy!
Lipizzan Weekends are available between WFC and Thanksgiving. Inquire for availability. (Certain Parties are not limited to these dates.)
Details of Camp and Weekends are here. Or email capriole at smoe dot org with subject line "Horse Camp" or "Lipizzan Weekend."
The rest of life consists of rain, more rain, mud, toadstools, grass in my formerly utterly bare arena, and yet more rain. Also, rain. Riding does continue in between storms, and for a miracle, we managed a lesson yesterday.
Project Pooka proceeds apace. The goal is to equalize the muscles of his neck and get him moving truly straight and with his neck at a normal (for a baroque stallion) angle. I've been longeing him around the storms, and little by little he's started stretching and relaxing as he moves. He still locks his neck in the trot, but not as much.
So, yesterday we upped the ante by having me ride him. First he had a longe, and he was very laid back and almost sleepy; from the looks, he was having an endorphin rush just stretching his neck and moving freely. We noticed that his left-side muscle is smaller and he's carrying himself straighter. When asked by Teacher to equalize the sides of his neck, he did; clearly it felt good as his eyes got even sleepier.
When I mounted, he was totally solid--no dropping the back or shifting balance. My job first was to get both hindlegs in gear, then ask for him to soften through the body. No right bend yet, as such, because his neck is still rebuilding itself. Instead I was to make sure his ears stayed level (the right ear tends to tilt downward as he bulges the left side of his jaw). This meant maintaining a steady and balanced seat, keeping his spine between my seatbones, and angling the bit/reins to remind him to keep his ears level. He really does get it; it wasn't hard at all.
Short lesson but effective, and I'll longe him two or three times and then ride next Thursday. Sunday I'm also taking a lesson--making up for lost lessons--but that will be on Pandora. She's softening nicely but I need some input on where to go next.
Teacher seemed pleased by my post-SRS Guy position and even hands. Much better, she said. We noted that it's ever so much easier to have The Hands on a baroque stallion with a big wide neck that comes right up where you need your hands to be. Teacher also noted that the finger thing is very, very small and subtle and goes with a whole lot of seatwork.
I did finally get up the guts to watch my clinic DVD's--and was very pleasantly surprised. It all looked a whole lot better than it felt. And my elbows weren't bad and my hands weren't actively awful, though there's a lot of work to do there. Seat was almost totally solid, with a few exceptions. We are told it was much admired at the time.
What we were not told until yesterday, by SRS Guy's driver and Native Guide, was that SRS Guy said, "She's a good rider."
Well, drop me through the floor.
casacorona kindly put on her Copywriter hat and wrote it up in proper form:"Judith Tarr is a good rider." -- Harald Bauer, Bereiter, Spanish Riding
School of Vienna
That will keep me going for a while--about as long as it takes one of the Fat White Guys to chop me down to size. (Probably in about another 6 hours.)
Of course now I have to work my steadily decreasing tail off to live up to it. And do my damnedest to get both Pook and me there next summer.
We're working on it. Every time I ride him, he reminds me just how well he's made for this--he's so light and soft and all there. And I'm riding better, which makes it easier for him.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 08:20 pm (UTC)Sweet. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 08:22 pm (UTC)Pssss -- may have something on the backburner that would simply require a trip out thataway for research. Keep fingers and hooves crossed...
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 04:50 pm (UTC)New plans? Evil plans? All hooves and eyes crossed.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 08:27 pm (UTC)Ohhhhhhhh.
Departmental praise.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 04:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 08:34 pm (UTC)**falls out of chair**
**BOUNCES SOME MORE ANYWAY**
*HEE* ;)
and WHOO HOO GO YOU on the high praise! WOOO!!! ;)
and YAY pook! are the boa boots still working well, btw?
(Oh, funny story :S. farrier was here last week. farrier insists on bringing associate to our house because we have TooManyPonies. Farrier good, various associates can be ok, but generally not AS good. Two years ago, then associate got rough with the Walker grlz who need Appropriate Kind but Firm handling. Told Farrier that HE would be doing Walker Grlz. He agreed. Associate does Beau-boy and Shaughns, because they are sweet and easy. With new associate, this was working.
2 times ago, associate had ISSUES with horses - Shaughns and Beau BOTH did highly unusual reactive pulling the leg /almost rearing things. I sternly commented on being gentle and being careful with how far senior legs were stretched.
1 time ago, all went smoothly.
this time, Beau just about fell over, and shaughns again pulled and reared. I was Un.Impressed. This is CLEARLY related to associate farrier as they are fine with me, and have never been a prob for Ray.
Beau is now barefoot because he gets the life of leisure while Mom recuperates. Day after farrier leaves, he is dragging the toe on his arthritic leg. Bets he got it pulled by associate being too rough? GRRR.
AND, I look at Shaughns, see a gap between shoes and toes (she's only shod up front). I call farrier. He says "that sounds like rolled toes due to white line bruising. But we TELL clients if we do that. Associate didn't say anything to me either." farrier asks associate. Yes, indeed, mild bruising. Rolled toes to protect feet and minimize bruising. Never bothered to say anything. Grrr.
Wish there was a better farrier alternative. Can I teleport Wondershoer up here please? Just every 6 weeks? Then you may have him back. /digression ;).
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 08:20 pm (UTC)Shaughns is off generally and I am having conniptions that the melanomas have grown in and are cutting of her wind supply and she is gonna die and I know I am being silly and paranoid and it's prolly nothing more than my attempts to get her weight down a bit and the bruising and the possibly sore leg and shoulder and the lack of attention but still. She has made odd snorting sounds a few times and *sigh* and I don't know whether to spring for the vet and know for sure or not.
/pointless rambling of paranoia.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-23 10:42 pm (UTC)Crack looked GREAT when farrier returned last week. Almost all grown out, should be monitored but not likely to be an issue.
Jump ahead a couple of days. Little Miss has been pawing, clearly. Crack is back, and bigger than ever, and hoof looks worse for wear.
Two days later again, hoof has chipped out from the crack in the toe to just behind the quarter line. Chipped out to above the sole. On the outside of hoof. Still have some heel and toe support with hoof wall, so not TOO sore and likely not a panic, but Farrier will be out tomorrow to check on it. *sigh*
you sure she hasn't be talking to da Pook?
no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 09:27 pm (UTC)You need to put that blurb up on your web site somewhere. :)
(parental units are underway and, according to the flight tracker, on time. yay!)
no subject
Date: 2006-08-18 09:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-19 12:42 pm (UTC)So... what's new?
(You must be floating!)
no subject
Date: 2006-08-20 12:45 am (UTC)But damn, it does take all the fun out of self-doubt, doesn't it? [g]
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 04:52 pm (UTC)