Weekly Training

It's the last day of August and tomorrow I'll have a goals post up.

For today though, I'm just putting up my plan for the next week. I did well with  keeping up with my schedule last week, even with school starting. Up until Friday-ish and then I started slacking off.

Monday:  Hopefully a good grooming, but since I'm going out with my family for the day, who knows what will happen.
Tuesday:  Ride and work on getting through our dressage test.
Wednesday:  Take a bareback ride off the property and see how far we can get.
Thursday:  Groundwork. It has been a while since I've focused much on this!
Friday:  Either I'll give Lady the day off, or take her out for a "long and low" walk.
Saturday:  If I don't give this day off too, then it will either be groundwork and/or another runthrough of our dressage test.

What are your plans for the week?

Loose Ring Snaffle Update

The day after I wrote Friday's Tack Addiction post, I went out and rode in the loose-ring snaffle again.

It had been a while since I put her in this one, so I was kind of hoping there would be a change.
Nope.
She wasn't too irritable about the bridling (she loves halters, but not bridles), which was a good thing, but as soon as I had adjusted all the straps and was preparing to mount up, she started mouthing it.
She yawned a lot, she rooted, she gaped, she resisted anything except what she wanted to do, and overall was just a huge pain to deal with.
Lady is sensitive and leans towards the Arabian "hot" temperament, but this was beyond her normal antics. She stepped on my foot twice while I was getting on. She was anxious, nervous, and antsy. All of her reactions were bigger. She usually tosses her head when we go through a patch of grass that had grasshoppers, but she was so bad that I lost a rein several times due to her flipping her nose and tossing it over an ear or something.

I tried to run through our dressage test, but there was absolutely no way it was going to happen.
Actually, the worst thing to me was the fact that I had little to no brakes. I know I tend to be light on the reins when I've put a bit on, but "light" was out the window. She was not focused at all.
I would chock it up to a bad day, except for the fact that she was lovely up until I got the bridle on.

Loose Ring Snaffle - Definitely not the bit for Lady. 

Friday's Tack Addiction: Bits

In all honesty, I have never used a bit consistently with Lady. When I bought her, I was very dedicated to using the Parelli program (I still am, but I'm more open to combining methods now) and the Parelli program discourages the use of a bit in the early stages. So I started off with a rope halter and tied together reins and built from there.
Sort of.
I still ride 9.9 out of 10 times with a halter and my favorite reins, which by the way are the absolutely the best thing ever. I have the 11-foot length and have a hard time handling anything other than these.
However, I do want to start having something more precise to use with Lady since we are getting to the point that it is hard to communicate in a halter. I'm looking at bitless bridle options, but I'm definitely leaning towards just using a bit.
I have used a super plain western curb in the past since it was what worked for my first horse.

Mine has a slightly higher port.

Lady went okay in this bit, but she was so highly sensitive that I really did not enjoy using it. I might try it again, but I think having the shanks and leverage on it will only be a hindrance.
Plain Western Curb - Worth another try, but 90% sure its a no.
The second (and only other) bit I own is a simple loose ring snaffle.

Mine might be a little less fat, but otherwise identical.

Lady went okay in this one for a while, but I really think that she doesn't like the single joint or the "nutcracker" action that it has. She isn't the same "highly sensitive" that she is in the curb, but she argues and tosses her head in this snaffle. And Lady is NOT one to toss her head for anything except flies.
Loose Ring Snaffle - Not comfortable for her, so its a no-go.
I'm almost ashamed that these are the only two bits I've tried on her in 7 years! Now, though, I think I'm ready to find what she really approves of.
With that in mind, here are the bits that I have on my list to try out. I'm not sure how quickly these trials will happen since money can be scarce sometimes.

A French-link snaffle, possibly with copper. This one does not have the same action that the loose-ring snaffle does and should be more comfortable.

If the french-link doesn't work out, I want to try something with a port again, and the Myler bits, or something similar, would be my choice. I'm not sure if it was the port of my curb that bothered Lady or the leverage part of it.

I'm also interested in trying a full-cheek type snaffle since it applies a little more pressure to the side of the face, which is what Lady is used to having.
There is also another type of bit that I've been looking into at the local tack shop, but I can not remember what it is! :O

How did you choose the bit you use, and what made you choose it?

Wordless Wednesday: Gentle

Weekly Training

This past week went better than most of the rest of August has. Thankfully.  :-)

Monday:  Walked 20 minutes in-hand.
Tuesday:  OFF
Wednesday:  20 minute schooling ride. Found out how to use the outside rein for turns!
Thursday:  30 minute schooling ride. Worked on trotting calmly and a few canter transitions.
Friday:  OFF because work got in the way.  :(
Saturday:  OFF as well because we went out of town.

Plan for this week, although it might get overturned by school and work keeping me busy. I have to leave at 8:30 for school two days a week, so it will be hard those days.

Monday:  Probably off, but I want to get out and at least lunge or something.
Tuesday:  Ride for 20 minutes. Drop stirrups, walk-trot-walk transitions, run through dressage test.
Wednesday:  Again, probably off because of school and work. Maybe I'll put in a bareback ride if I gave Monday off.
Thursday:  Ride 20-30 minutes. Use patterns to get her thinking.
Friday:  This won't be a training day. I want to work on her hooves and grooming and so on.
Saturday:  Walk for 30-40 minutes.

School starts tomorrow!

Tack Addiction Friday - Saddle Fitting

Several years ago, I didn't really care what equipment I had. I was just pleased that there was a horse in my backyard and there was a halter and lead rope that I could use for leading or riding. Whichever took my fancy that day.

And then I started learning more and more. I wanted to do this and that and the other thing with my fancy Arabian pony. It just kind of progressed from there and now, it seems that I will spend my last penny on stuff either to make my horse feel better or look fancier.

The largest and most expensive piece of tack is usually the saddle. And I have been burdened blessed with not only a hard to fit animal, but also one that is extremely sensitive.

I purchased a Wintec 500 in February this year. For me personally, it is quite nice. I was a little worried that it would be the wrong size (I got a 17.5 seat) since it was my first English saddle, but I like the fit.

For Lady, on the other hand, it isn't quite so nice. It did fit okay when I first got it, but then I started working her more. I focused on her fitness and both of our health and skills. And.... her back changed. She actually built some muscles and lost some weight. And the saddle fit that was okay to begin with became not-so-okay.
Now the saddle is bridging and putting too much pressure on her lower back, making her sore.

Adding a shim in the center has helped a little bit, and my next plan is to get a half pad of some sort, something that I've wanted to do just for both of our backs.

But I'm likely going to be in the market for a new saddle soon. I need something that is short enough for her Arabian back, at least as wide as the XWide gullet plate, and curved enough in the panels to make contact all the way down her back.

Have you found it difficult to fit your horse? What problems did you come across and how did you go about fixing it?

Mind Blown

I finally did this thing this morning. A lot of you are familiar with it.

It's called... riding. In a saddle.

Yes, I did it! Aren't you proud of me? :-)

Lady says that it really wasn't that big of a deal....

I got my tack out again and actually saddled up. Yay for me not being lazy! Sort of.
Anyways, I added a shim of sorts to the middle of the saddle to see if it would help the fit. It kind of did. Before I got on, the pressure felt even the whole way along. But when I got off, she had sweat marks at the back of the saddle and dry spots in the middle again.
I'll be taking her for a longer ride yet this week that we can get some really honest sweat to happen and then it will be time to come up with a plan of action.

But that is not the point of this post! What I meant to ramble about was that I had a sort of mind blowing moment this morning while riding.
I finally recognized the purpose and importance of the outside rein, especially while turning!

She finds my discovery rather boring too.

I've read about the outside rein, but somehow always chocked it up as being something I would learn more about once I was more experienced. Once Lady and I were working better in all gaits and in different areas. Etc.

So far, I have always guided the nose with the inside rein and the rest of the body with my legs. It has worked. Sort of. Except that we have issues with drifting over, resistance to the inside rein, bad corners, and so on.
You would think I would have realized what I was missing, considering how well this horse neckreins. She was, after all, a rodeo and endurance pony.
Anyways, I tried it today when we were riding through the vineyard and making sharp turns. Basically, don't drop the outside rein, but use it lightly to support the inside rein and my leg.
Bam. There it was. I got a lovely round turn. No, it wasn't perfect, but it was a huge amount better than what I usually get.

This dressage thing is actually lots of fun. More on that later though.
And this horse. She is certainly no schoolmaster, nor is she a crazy maniac of a horse. She is forgiving, but she has no problems with showing me where I'm going wrong, and she responds so well once I figure out what it is she is trying to tell me.

What are your thoughts on the outside rein and its purposes?