Da Neep This Week

[dancinghorse]

And this week's heart attacks were...

Me forgetting to fasten a gate, looking out at lunch and seeing Pandora in with Pooka and the rest of the crew milling around the run. After a nanosecond's pause for complete freakout, I went out and ascertained that Pooka had some kick marks on him, Camilla had a matching set with bite marks, Pandora had been climbed on but not bred (despite their best efforts, and it wouldn't have been a disaster if he'd managed), and everyone else was in normal condition. No damage done, very happy Pooka, rather happy Pandora, stupidhuman had a good fit of the shakes.

Me going out to ride Capria, getting stopped several times by old dog down and unable to get up (we're nearing the end there), then as I started to saddle up, glancing over and realizing Tia was covered with blood--all down both forelegs and splashed on her back legs (hard to see on her seal-brown coat). She looked as if she'd been wading in it. I thought she'd been attacked by the five large dogs that moved in next door, but examination showed that she'd been kicked. It was a very shallow, small cut but seems to have nicked a blood vessel. She took hosing, disinfecting, and spraying with wound spray very well. Is somewhat swollen today but otherwise OK. This morning I found where she'd been kicked--there are pools of blood all over the place. I'd have freaked if I'd got there right as it happened; blood was spraying everywhere. But as I said, she's no worse for wear, so barring infection (unlikely after bleeding clean and beiing treated), she shouldn't have any bad effects from it.

Capria did get a short ride finally. These longer days are nice.

Sent in revision of Shattered Dance, with which I'm fairly pleased, and dived right back into Rose II, aka The Golden Rose for Tor. It's due in early June; I'm hoping to get it in before that.

This morning's lessons went very well. Capria got the nod for the torture-me portion, and Camilla got her usual share of the attention. We talked about the SRS clinic this summer (July 19th-23rd at Proud Meadows near Dallas) and it looks as if I'll take Pandora and Pooka--Pook for in-hand work (we want to learn the SRS way) and Pandora for ridden work.

I have a lot of work to do with them. A Lot. Must be able to take Pandora out and about, ride her everywhere, and condition her for 45 intense minutes over 3 days. Pook will need a lot of in-hand work, and I need to get him boots for walkies. Lots and lots and lots of walkies and ground-driving. I hope I can get back on him before the clinic, but we don't want to screw up his feet, either.

And of course I have to be in shape for major torture as well.



Teacher has decided to up the ante on me--really make me sit correctly. Which is excellent, but I got cranky. Got un-cranky, too, but I need to work on my 'tude. Capria was her sweet relentless self, and that was good. This week's Teacher Notes go like so:

Capria
4-9-06

-Continue using ears and neck as viewfinder especially to right and on right turns
:) You're making good progress here esp. with left so keep up good work

-Remember that "carried" hands help to slide energy back towards haunches
-braced-down hands slide energy onto forehand

-dropping shoulders down and back while carrying hands also helps transfer energy to haunches and to pick up forehand

-stay solid through ribcage
a loose trunk is like a leaky hose and means seat/weight aids lose power to be effective
-perfect posture is the position of power

-success builds on success--little improvements give way to more improvements
Keep attitude positive
Set you and your horse up for success--even if it means doing less than originally intended. Take carefully calculated risks.

-watch left shoulder and left ribcage collapse
bring left hip forward
stack spine--grow an extra rib on left side but let shoulder relax [don't raise left side by trying to lift shoulder, and don't lock body while trying to do this]

-Be creative--be experimental
allow for mistakes--it's how we learn not a reflection on who you are.

-Be open-minded--be compassionate
in other words--
non-judgmental
non-critical

-There is no good/bad or right/wrong--something either works or it doesn't--keep what works, discard what doesn't and don't look back--in other words limit judgment (see above :) )

-It's OK to set expectations high only if you also think of the little steps of how to get there successfully.


In response to me feeling stuck dinking around again. And getting frustrated at my body-stupids. Frustration kills progress.

I was nice and relaxed when it was time to bring Camilla out, and so was she. We did our bit work and in-hand work and it's become much easier; she knows how and I'm not screwing up as much. Very interesting figuring out staying in my space when she was in the scary part of the arena (a lot of Tia blood, dogs nearby, scary bushes) and she wanted to trot--if I kept my body upright and calm, she might bounce in place but she wouldn't run off, or if she did ovewrought, she just trotted around me. Camilla grows when she's scared; she's a bit under 14.3 on her own, but she adds a hand and carries herself Very Very Upright, and her gaits are extremely powerful. Interesting sensation being in her slipstream. Keeping her straight and keeping outside rein plus adding riding aids for collect and slow did the trick. Soft eyes on her part even when she was bouncing--she was just letting me know what her personal score was.

I had enough time today to ride her, and she started off as soon as I was secure in the saddle. Normally I'd stop a young horse who did that, but the Not-Forward Champion of the World gets to move if she wants, as long as I'm sitting solidly on her when she starts. She was all about moving forward today, but it seems she's been overthinking the issue of carrying me, because she was wobbling something awful and picking her way along very carefully. Teacher said she was thinking about it with her whole body. I could see how hard she was thinking: her ears were horizontal. But she took a nice contact and she accepted my aids and my requests to move forward, and we did wiggly bits and figures and she was good about it. We were very pleased.

Next lessons are Thursday, and we have to get Pandora started on her path to total fitness. That should be interesting.

Comments

[simplystars.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how old your dog is, and whether or not she's a candidate for back surgery, but my Molly has been partly-paralyzed for almost six years now (she'll be fifteen this month) and has had very good quality of life with her wheelie cart...

What a scary day week you've had. O_o Glad to hear the horses and you are all okay - I don't comment, but I do enjoy reading your posts very much.

[plutosonium.livejournal.com]

Is there any particular plan for meshing Total Fitness with fibromyalgia? Or are you just going to see how it goes?

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

You had me at the gate being unlatched. (heart pounding in sympathy!) Once, when Zion was extra frisky, he got away from me and took off running through the ranch. I, frantic and almost in tears, knew there was no way I was going to catch up to him and so I simply ran to the outer gates to make sure they were all closed...before finally catching up to my "man" calmy eating clover by the water trough. Glad all worked out OK for you.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Hi there! Nice to "see" you. :)

The dog who was down was was 15yo Doberman who is not doing well--she's lost a lot of weight in the past week or two, and while she will still eat, she's leaving her kibble and just eating the soft food. The one with the back injury is the Cardi, who is 5 years old, and is pretty well recovered. I'm keeping her somewhat restrained still, but she can go out for short periods and she's improving every day. (I btw figured out how she got hurt--flying off the top of the deck, down about 3 feet. If she crash-landed on the other Cardi, who has a real gift for getting in the way when it will cause the most damage--he's the reason for the three-legged cat, too--that would do it.)

I'm going to get more meds for the Dobie tomorrow to see if her problem is arthritis pain. If it is, she'll perk right up. If the meds don't work, she's probably reaching the end of her run. She is very old and very shaky, and has become incontinent. Once she's up she can walk, but getting her up can be interesting, and when she lies down, she often has trouble getting up again. She constantly traps herself far inside her dogloo and cries until I come and fish her out.

It's the weight loss that has me wondering at this point. She was thin but shiny and bouncy up until about ten days ago, then suddenly started to fall off. Previously sans meds, she was creaky but held weight and kept condition. We'll see if the meds turn her back around again. If they don't, I'll probably make The Decision. It's not fair to make her go on this way.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I'm kidding in any gym-related sense. Though living in Arizona in the dry season takes care of a lot. What I need to be fit for is 45 minutes of SRS-intense work per day for 5 days. I can do that. Mostly it's position, position, position--if that's right, the rest is amazingly easy.

Lipps are incredibly light to ride. The trick is to stay with the big movement and keep balance. And FOCUS. That's the hardest thing right now. I'm going to need a lot of that for the clinic.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Usually unlatched gates are not a total disaster. They head for the hay and have a pig-out. Broken, shredded tape gate and mares in with stallion--that's a heart attack.

Luckily the ones I don't want bred can't stand him. Ephiny luckily was not in heat. Pandora, who was, is too tall and anyway, if there was an accident there, we wouldn't mind at all. (But she can't stay pregnant past day 12, sigh. Uterine problems.)

[simplystars.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the welcome! :)

Ah, yes, that's a hard situation. :( I didn't know you had a Dobie too - I have a friend with an elderly girl, and the same worry with arthritis.

I'm glad to hear the Corgi is bouncing back, and I hope that things work out for the best with your Dobie girl.

[plutosonium.livejournal.com]

Will somebody be taking video? You can't take notes because you'll be on the horse, right? If you are anything like me, you will focus so hard that afterward on what you're doing that you won't remember very much of what was actually said.

(I just realized that although Tara has been trying to build me up physically to ride Pluto, whenever I actually ride him the only strain is mental. Go light horses. No pulling on the arms, no thighs of steel required.

Also the darling boy figured out that he can do little gait or big gait. And he doesn't right away root to the ground when my balance goes off. Excuse me while I go make kissy faces at him.)

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

You have CARDIS? *meeps* Cardis RULE! *points at icon*

Glad everyone is okay. SO glad I don't own a stallion. Opinionated Mares are enough!

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

PS: Do you have info on the SRS thing, like, are their auditing spots? I think it might be an interesting clinic to come watch, though probably over my head. Still, if there are, will offer to bring video camera (if that's allowed and stuff.)

[janni.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry Tia got kicked/nicked, but that you muchly for describing the incident--it's actually, ummm, useful for the current work in progress. :-)

Glad everyone was unharmed by the breakout, too!

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

GHACK on the emergencies!

What are carried hands?

looks at own icon

[gracefulshrimp.livejournal.com]

but pembrokes are so much better!!! :-p hehe

[gracefulshrimp.livejournal.com]

what a day!! lordy lordy.
glad that everyone is okay. problems that start huge and work out to be insignificant are my favorite type of problems (or at least preferred to ones that end badly)

Re: looks at own icon

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

So not. Not even any TAILS. :P

Re: looks at own icon

[gracefulshrimp.livejournal.com]

*hehe*

up to the tail, they are twins, but the fact that ours dont have the tails shows that Less is More

*giggle*

Re: looks at own icon

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

Pfah. That's moderation in everything. (I like the addendum of "including moderation." Because one can never have too much chocolate or too many corgi-kisses. :P)

Re: looks at own icon

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Corgi Wars!

I like the tails. 8)

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Animals get old, that's how life is. It's still worth having them

Your icon is cuuuuuuuute.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Sure, I'm running it. :) There's tons of auditing space. $15 a day, $60 for the week if you pay ahead of time. It's at Proud Meadows in Waxahachie--the big Friesian farm. July 19th-23rd.

We'll have to see what the video situation is. Usually if we have a pro, they only want to do it themselves--BUT they will sell copies of the video. I know some of the riders only want their videos for private use. But I'll see what the score is.

Not all of it will be all that advanced. Some of the horses are young, Pandora is a pasture rescue so we'll be doing basic work. If Pook is doing in-hand work, that can be really interesting (and he's Purrrrrty). There should be some advanced work to just sit back and enjoy, with some of the trainers who are coming. The teaching is very clear and there's a PA system so everyone can hear. It should be fun; there's a great group riding and hanging out.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

There will be a videographer. Also Teacher will be there remembering every word. I'll make her take notes. :)

Tara must be thinking in terms of 6 hours in the gym to wrangle a Riding Elephant. With our guys, it's all about being mentally able to stay focused, and the physical part is more balance and precision than strength. I'm seldom physically tired after a lesson, but my brain gets sore.

Your boy is growing up. When they figure out they have to take care of you, they're on their way. :)

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Hey, if you need any details or need to check for yourself, you know where I am. 8)

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Hands that are at or above elbows. I tend to lock my elbows straight down and freeze, which is not good for the horse--you can see it in the icon. Bad bad me. Weight should be in elbows, forearms and hands should have no weight, but be extensions of the reins. If there is any pull, it should be on the triceps, not the biceps. I.e. passive rather than active.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

True. No problems at all would be best, but these are horses. After all.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's clear. Thanks!

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

I won't know if I'll be able to make it yet, but it'd be over my birthday and I think visiting my folks down there could certainly be arranged. :) I really hope I can manage it! I've never been to ANYTHING similar but I'm sure I'd learn lots. Q and I start lessons May 3rd (assuming I find an english saddle that will fit her by then, if not, I guess we'll be waiting longer)- she got her shoes today and we're supposed to spend this month doing trail miles for conditioning since she's been a pasture pet for the last few years.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Neat! It would be wonderful to meet you there. The facilities are lovely and the people will be nice, and there will be some beautiful horses. Sue Ott is riding--I hope she rides Bana Conversano, he's the high-school horse who has done performances all over Europe and the US.

It's the same sort of teaching they do in Vienna, all day long. Intense. I expect he'll take questions. You can ask some of the trainers what's going on, too. My Teacher will be there. And you get to meet da Pook and Pandora. :)

How old is Q? Pandora was a pasture potato for 8 years. I've brought her back gradually and she's not really trail-safe, that much looky-loo is a bit challenging. But we're working on it. Tonight she got walkies. Giraffe-sies? Only one bounce-and-strike and then she was good.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

yer welcome. :)

[xianghua.livejournal.com]

Q is a 17 year old haflinger who, in her youth, was a VERY versatile horse. :) However, she's been out to pasture for a few years as 'unpretty' (she's not the typical haflinger copper-and-flax or creamy-red-and-flax, she's very, very dark liver chesnut with sort of a greyed out mane that wants to be flaxen but is just sort of tired and looks like steel wool. :P) She's absolutely brilliant but most of her experience for the past 10 years or so, from what I've been able to piece together, has been driving, so bending is not one of her strong suits. She has wonderful, efficient movement and a very lovely build. I want to get her out there, show her a bit, and hopefully get a daughter or two out of her before she gets too old. She's really, really wonderful.

[sfmarty.livejournal.com]

Whew. I just don't know how you do it. I am so sorry about Shadow. She has been a good friend. Even if the meds help her arthritus, it will be hard.

With my arthritus, it isn't the pain so much as the exhaustion.

[smoemeth.livejournal.com]

Yeeeeeep!

Glad it all worked out ok. Poor Tia. :(

[raithen.livejournal.com]

Ah, the joys of farming. Farmers have to have Strong Hearts.

So Tia is challenging more than just you, huh, by the sounds of it? The pools of blood would have caused me to lose it, though, I suspect. Thank goodness she is ok.

And sorry to hear about your dog - as you say, it is part of it, but it is never easy. {{hugs}}

[threeringedmoon.livejournal.com]

I had Hap at a weekend clinic once near Boulder, had packed up the trailer, and came back to find him standing in his run on three legs with one hind leg laid open and dripping blood. Fortunately, he put the hoof on the ground as soon as I found him. One of the other attendees held him while I slapped a temporary dressing on it since I didn't feel like dealing with a strange vet two hours from home. He looked better when I took him out of the trailer after a long, nervewracking drive through Denver and a spring snowstorm than I felt. We both had our supper, I talked to the vet on the phone who decided it didn't sound stitchable and he could come out the next day. Then my trainer (who was recovering from a spinal injury so she couldn't do it herself) coached me as I cleaned and put a new dressing and a standing wrap on it. It started bleeding again when I cleaned it and I was glad she was there because I had rarely seen so much blood in my life. She kept telling me that horses have plenty of blood. The vet patted me on the head verbally the next day for doing such a good dressing. Hap was in a gel cast for a week, and on stall rest with the dressing changed every other day for another three weeks. I can still find the scar if I look for it.

Horses!

[monder.livejournal.com]

Yipe! I'm worn out reading all that! Sympathies for the dobie. That is just what happened with Ebony.

Must ask after the heart attack and chasing the offenders back to their proper corners. How do you conduct accident /incident reconstruction with horses?

[raithen.livejournal.com]

also: maybe Pandora should join Curves? Or perhaps Raithen should go get lunch..... ;).

[lynnesite.livejournal.com]

And they have waaay too much free time to think up these things. Hugs to Shadow and to you.