Monday Neep and Various
Jan. 29th, 2007 07:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancinghorseTaminy went into the ground today--I finally had a chance to get the grave dug, then get to the vet's and pick him up. He's under the chinaberry tree with his old catnip mouse which mysteriously appeared a few days ago after a long absence, and Shadow's ashes--she can watch over the yard she used to live in, and he can watch over the house.
I still miss him. A lot.
However, life goes on. The routine is falling back into itself again--just in time for the Great Revolving Door Extravaganza. Between Wednesday and Sunday, numerous people will arrive and depart from all sorts of places. Friend and fellow Lipp enthusiast S and the amazing Torture Lady arrive Wednesday from, respectively, Oklahoma and the UK by way of Philadelphia, and there will be riding; Thursday is a mini-clinic, with friend and Lipizzan breeder C arriving from Seattle in the evening. Friday TL and Teacher head off to San Diego for more clinicking. Saturday S returns home. Sunday C heads up to Sedona for a vacation before returning home. And then I shall shriek and go thud.
I finally got back to riding late last week, after a lot of weather delays. The snow is long gone and the arena is finally ridable. I started off on Thursday by ponying ze keed off Capria, which was very nice. Friday I rode Pandora--good to be back on the Beeg Girl again. Saturday I rode da Pook for the first time since the clinic. That was a bit of a struggle. He didn't like the fit of the saddle, actually stopped and bounced straight up. Finally I pulled all the shims and rode with just the cotton pad. That was OK. We did some F. homework. His back looked excellent afterwards, except for a little bridging on the left under my seat. Interesting--there had been bridging on the right when I rode with F.
Sunday we finally had a lesson. Thursday was still too wet from the snowmelt, but by Sunday it wasn't bad. Teacher looked like death warmed over when she arrived--aftereffects of a nasty stomach flu. She insisted on teaching, and we picked up where F left off. I had to keep the walk slow and engaged, ask him to stretch his neck, and try to keep my figures exact. Over and over. Asking him to use his hindlegs equally, and not lug on either rein, and show him how to give to the bit instead of locking and leaning. When he was able to do this (better on the right than the left), we went to trot, lather-rinse-repeat. I had to really push him to use that left hind, step into the right rein, not lug on the left. It was hard work for both of us, but Teacher was cheering: we'd done it; we'd got him on the bit in trot, which was a leap up past what we did with F, where he was locked in the neck with his nose up even while he was using the rest of his body big time.
We never did get to canter in the lesson, but I'm not allowed to do that until I can do exact figures anyway. Which we must practice and practice and practice. But we did it, we kicked F's clinic up a notch, and Pooka started to get it about giving to the rein and coming onto the bit, as well as about moving off the inside leg. He had a wonderful soft eye at the end, and no bridging--his back was smooth and round and looked great. By which we conclude that the tilt to the left was him, not the saddle; he was asymmetrically developed. As he's been in regular work, he's evened out almost completely. I expect the saddle still needs to be restuffed, but I'll wait and see how he looks in the spring, after he's had a chance to build some serious dressage muscles. He's got a good start on them already. TL will take a look this week; we'll see what she says.
So, an excellent lesson. Teacher said it made her day. :)
I still miss him. A lot.
However, life goes on. The routine is falling back into itself again--just in time for the Great Revolving Door Extravaganza. Between Wednesday and Sunday, numerous people will arrive and depart from all sorts of places. Friend and fellow Lipp enthusiast S and the amazing Torture Lady arrive Wednesday from, respectively, Oklahoma and the UK by way of Philadelphia, and there will be riding; Thursday is a mini-clinic, with friend and Lipizzan breeder C arriving from Seattle in the evening. Friday TL and Teacher head off to San Diego for more clinicking. Saturday S returns home. Sunday C heads up to Sedona for a vacation before returning home. And then I shall shriek and go thud.
I finally got back to riding late last week, after a lot of weather delays. The snow is long gone and the arena is finally ridable. I started off on Thursday by ponying ze keed off Capria, which was very nice. Friday I rode Pandora--good to be back on the Beeg Girl again. Saturday I rode da Pook for the first time since the clinic. That was a bit of a struggle. He didn't like the fit of the saddle, actually stopped and bounced straight up. Finally I pulled all the shims and rode with just the cotton pad. That was OK. We did some F. homework. His back looked excellent afterwards, except for a little bridging on the left under my seat. Interesting--there had been bridging on the right when I rode with F.
Sunday we finally had a lesson. Thursday was still too wet from the snowmelt, but by Sunday it wasn't bad. Teacher looked like death warmed over when she arrived--aftereffects of a nasty stomach flu. She insisted on teaching, and we picked up where F left off. I had to keep the walk slow and engaged, ask him to stretch his neck, and try to keep my figures exact. Over and over. Asking him to use his hindlegs equally, and not lug on either rein, and show him how to give to the bit instead of locking and leaning. When he was able to do this (better on the right than the left), we went to trot, lather-rinse-repeat. I had to really push him to use that left hind, step into the right rein, not lug on the left. It was hard work for both of us, but Teacher was cheering: we'd done it; we'd got him on the bit in trot, which was a leap up past what we did with F, where he was locked in the neck with his nose up even while he was using the rest of his body big time.
We never did get to canter in the lesson, but I'm not allowed to do that until I can do exact figures anyway. Which we must practice and practice and practice. But we did it, we kicked F's clinic up a notch, and Pooka started to get it about giving to the rein and coming onto the bit, as well as about moving off the inside leg. He had a wonderful soft eye at the end, and no bridging--his back was smooth and round and looked great. By which we conclude that the tilt to the left was him, not the saddle; he was asymmetrically developed. As he's been in regular work, he's evened out almost completely. I expect the saddle still needs to be restuffed, but I'll wait and see how he looks in the spring, after he's had a chance to build some serious dressage muscles. He's got a good start on them already. TL will take a look this week; we'll see what she says.
So, an excellent lesson. Teacher said it made her day. :)
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no subject
Date: 2007-01-30 04:24 am (UTC)I missed this--I'm sorry.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-30 04:49 am (UTC)Sounds like he has a lovely resting place, though.
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Date: 2007-01-30 06:00 am (UTC)Finding a good (decent) dressage trainer here in cowboy country seems impossible.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-30 06:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-30 06:12 am (UTC)and I still am sending you great degrees of soothing vibes. I was really sorry to never meet Taminy.
Please send the Girlz and the Boyz(equine and canine and feline) smooches and scritchies from me.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-30 01:32 pm (UTC)Congratulations on the Pooka progress. I've really enjoyed reading your neepage, and have learned tremendous amounts from it. Thanks so much for sharing.
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Date: 2007-01-30 05:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-30 07:07 pm (UTC)Happy Birthday to you tho. Sounds like you will have lots of good company.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-02 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-03 07:44 am (UTC){feel better}
hey!
Date: 2007-02-04 04:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-04 06:01 pm (UTC)