This week Jimmy was great. Of course, he's always great. But this week....he just seemed exceptionally great. We've been practicing all sorts of different things but two main exercises have me very excited. I've been working on spirals at the canter, where I go from a collected 10(ish) meter circle and continue spiraling in at the canter until we're in a piaffe. Jimmy has successfully done if 6 times, and only broke & trotted one of those times!! He is so nimble it's quite unbelievable. He turns on a DIME (...seriously) and he's so compact and under himself. He has been carrying himself so properly since the adjustment with John I just couldn't be happier.
The other item I'm excited about is we jumped BIGGER still! Just twice last night I had him canter a slightly larger vertical than what we've been doing. It was probably a hair over 2'6" and he jumped so flippin' easy. I swear the jumps could go straight to 3'6" and he probably wouldn't notice. I can't wait until he's up to that height because it's going to be SO MUCH FUN. I was telling Bill tonight it's so wonderful to just get on, warm up, and jump around. I don't have to worry about teaching him this or that or letting him "experience" anything for the first time....He just sees the jump, picks his spot, jumps it easy, and canters away. It's absolute bliss. I feel like he taught himself everything he knows because I just never imagined that I could turn out a horse this well on my own!!!! He's absolute perfection and even though I'm completely biased, I believe that it is completely true.
Today Jimmy was a little excited for Lucy's lesson - but I like that about him. He always challenges her in a way that she (and her mom!) still feel safe. She learns to handle it and stay calm and ride through it. Also: Today she cantered off the lunge line! I was calling out what she should do next "Walk. Trot. Walk. Halt. Trot. Walk" then I said "Canter." and she looked at me, eyes bulging out of her head. I said "You can walk and trot and halt and sit trot and back up...but you think you need the line to canter still? I don't think you do...I believe you can canter by yourself. Don't you think so?" And she smiled and POW! Just like that, Jimmy was cantering. Another thing I love so much about him - his canter transition. You STEP in that outside stirrup with our reins collected and he immediately canters from a stand still. Gosh I love him.
After Lucy's wonderful lesson I had another lesson to teach - a walking and balance lesson on Pepe. His rider (Dori) did a great job and Pepe handled it very well too! He was very calm and understanding and just strolled along the whole time while she practiced extended, collected and regular walk, halt, back, and posting at the walk. It was a great Saturday of lessons!!
Tomorrow I ride alone, but the ring really needs to be drug so I'll probably rake the whole arena by hand before I get on. If I can rake it up enough around the jumps then I'll set something fun up so Jimmy and I can jump a little combination.
He hasn't bucked (or thought about it) since last Saturday (before he was adjusted) and he seems to be very happy & comfortable! Before we ride he gets one cookie to do his carrot stretches with & today after I bridled him for Lucy (she's a hair too short still) he took his nose and touched each side of his girth & looked at me as if he were saying "Alright, I stretched. Now cookie." He's unbelievable.
Showing posts with label Chriopractic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chriopractic. Show all posts
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Starting The New Year Off Right
Well it's a new year and I'm going to try to update REGULARLY again! WOO HOO! Jimmy has been an exceptionally good boy recently and I am very happy with how his legs have been looking. No heat, swelling, or sign of discomfort whatsoever….in his legs. We'll get to what IS causing some discomfort later on.
FIRST: Lucy is a cantering MACHINE!!!! She's cantering up a storm in her lessons on the lunge line now and absolutely having a blast. She's learned that outside leg + rein + cluck = CANTER and Jimmy picks it RIGHT up! Every time he does it just like that she giggles and SMIIIILES wide. It's an incredible feeling to watch a horse I brought from nothing teach a rider who also knew nothing when I started with her just over a year ago. I am so grateful for every opportunity to teach!!!!
NOW: Onto Jimmy. He's started bucking. Not viscous or dangerous by ANY means, but certainly a "knock-knock: Mom, I'm hurting" type of buck. It started just before Christmas, I thought it was because he didn't like his gorgeous new quarter sheet from Lucy. So I punished him the first time. The next time, it was the same thing. When he went to do a lead change he'd buck. He has NEVER EVER EVER bucked with me, even in his earliest training days learning what leg pressure was and learning to canter (the typical time a horse WILL buck!) so after two rides with the buck I was concerned.
Saturday morning before Lucy's lesson he had a little too munch skip in his step, so I decided to lunge him first and what do you know? He REALLY bucked. He made a big motion a few times, then just kept kicking out, violently at the canter. Once he seemed to have it "out of his system" he moved gracefully and didn't show another sign of discomfort, so I let Lucy get on and have her lesson, making sure to watch his body language all along.
I was going to see John for more Adequan that afternoon anyway, so I asked if he could stop out and give Jimmy a little chiro adjustment Monday morning.
I jumped Jimmy yesterday and he was flawless. A potential client unexpectedly showed up while I was schooling him and I couldn't help but puff up with pride a little bit as my little wonder-horse jumped the 2'6" course I had set up in perfect rhythm. Cassie had set up a pretty serious looking oxer & I filled in the empty space on it with random pieces of broken boxes to make it look more "impressive" and Jimmy couldn't have cared less. He cantered out of the corner to a perfect spot and rocked it both times I jumped it, landed and did his lead change before I could think to ask. WOO HOO!!!! NOTE: The warm up I used Sunday involved a lot of bending and lateral work/leg yields to get him fluid through his hind end. The lead changes were there and there was no bucking. Do we see a connection?
On my lunch break today I called John, who said Jimmy's back seemed fine, not sore. He had a minor pelvic twist….but (in John's words) "His neck was a mess" WHAT?!? I'm wondering if all of that beautiful frame work that Jimmy does to himself (literally, I just use consistent leg and hand pressure, he puts himself in the right places) has him out of whack? Or possibly if from my playing like a short stirrup kid and laying up the neck while he jumps X's to warm up is knocking him out of whack?! OUCH OUCH OUCH!!! SORRY JIM!!!!!
I asked if carrot stretches are helping or hurting & he said keep doing them regularly as I have been. Who's to say if I didn't do them how much worse his neck would be. So we're gunna watch and make sure little Jim doesn't start bucking again in a few weeks & if he does, he will get another visit from the glorious Dr. J.
Having a vet I feel this comfortable with means more than words can say.
I hope everyone had a great New Year!!!
FIRST: Lucy is a cantering MACHINE!!!! She's cantering up a storm in her lessons on the lunge line now and absolutely having a blast. She's learned that outside leg + rein + cluck = CANTER and Jimmy picks it RIGHT up! Every time he does it just like that she giggles and SMIIIILES wide. It's an incredible feeling to watch a horse I brought from nothing teach a rider who also knew nothing when I started with her just over a year ago. I am so grateful for every opportunity to teach!!!!
NOW: Onto Jimmy. He's started bucking. Not viscous or dangerous by ANY means, but certainly a "knock-knock: Mom, I'm hurting" type of buck. It started just before Christmas, I thought it was because he didn't like his gorgeous new quarter sheet from Lucy. So I punished him the first time. The next time, it was the same thing. When he went to do a lead change he'd buck. He has NEVER EVER EVER bucked with me, even in his earliest training days learning what leg pressure was and learning to canter (the typical time a horse WILL buck!) so after two rides with the buck I was concerned.
Saturday morning before Lucy's lesson he had a little too munch skip in his step, so I decided to lunge him first and what do you know? He REALLY bucked. He made a big motion a few times, then just kept kicking out, violently at the canter. Once he seemed to have it "out of his system" he moved gracefully and didn't show another sign of discomfort, so I let Lucy get on and have her lesson, making sure to watch his body language all along.
I was going to see John for more Adequan that afternoon anyway, so I asked if he could stop out and give Jimmy a little chiro adjustment Monday morning.
I jumped Jimmy yesterday and he was flawless. A potential client unexpectedly showed up while I was schooling him and I couldn't help but puff up with pride a little bit as my little wonder-horse jumped the 2'6" course I had set up in perfect rhythm. Cassie had set up a pretty serious looking oxer & I filled in the empty space on it with random pieces of broken boxes to make it look more "impressive" and Jimmy couldn't have cared less. He cantered out of the corner to a perfect spot and rocked it both times I jumped it, landed and did his lead change before I could think to ask. WOO HOO!!!! NOTE: The warm up I used Sunday involved a lot of bending and lateral work/leg yields to get him fluid through his hind end. The lead changes were there and there was no bucking. Do we see a connection?
On my lunch break today I called John, who said Jimmy's back seemed fine, not sore. He had a minor pelvic twist….but (in John's words) "His neck was a mess" WHAT?!? I'm wondering if all of that beautiful frame work that Jimmy does to himself (literally, I just use consistent leg and hand pressure, he puts himself in the right places) has him out of whack? Or possibly if from my playing like a short stirrup kid and laying up the neck while he jumps X's to warm up is knocking him out of whack?! OUCH OUCH OUCH!!! SORRY JIM!!!!!
I asked if carrot stretches are helping or hurting & he said keep doing them regularly as I have been. Who's to say if I didn't do them how much worse his neck would be. So we're gunna watch and make sure little Jim doesn't start bucking again in a few weeks & if he does, he will get another visit from the glorious Dr. J.
Having a vet I feel this comfortable with means more than words can say.
I hope everyone had a great New Year!!!
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