Updates from Summer, 2011

Well hello, everyone! It's been a long time...and for that I apologize, but I promise it's all for good reason.

Right now I'm in Montana at the Yellowstone Club, because last night I was Maid of Honor in my best friend Molly's wedding. I can't believe she's a Struve now!! Wow how time flies.

There are more updates than I can even plan out on how I'll say them, so I'll start with Jimmy & move on from there...

Jimmy has been leased to the most caring & wonderful family in the world. He now lives at Daybreak Farm & belongs to a darling girl named Miranda. They are enjoying trail rides, lessons, and competing at PTS horse shows in the "Special WT & WTC" division. Here is a photo of the two of them together at their first horse show a few weeks ago - where they won Reserve Champion in the Special Division. Go Miranda & Jimmy!!

Next comes Diesel. Diesel has been my project since March of 2011 & he's really been an honor to work with. He came to CVE not understanding riding or steering or much of anything at all so I started him from the ground up (literally) and helped him trust & understand that riding & being with people is a cool thing to do. He progressed beautifully & this past week was sold to Oakwood Farm's trainer Katie Rose. He will be her personal "project" to finish out & then he will be a school horse. Go Diesel!! Here's a photo of Diesel & I in May, 2011.

Backtracking to June, 2011 - I had a tremendous fall from Marci, which left me in the ER with a possible fractured femur, tailbone & right arm. Luckily...none of those bones were broken but it was a solid 6 weeks before I could ride anyone, which is when I decided it was time Jimmy found a home to love him. I realized he and I just weren't right for one another anymore - we no longer did one another a favor. He was a chore for me & while I loved him & (I believe) he loved me, we didn't enjoy our riding time together any more. I wanted to ride hard and jump and train & he was much happier trail riding and doing light hacks here & there. One conversation at a horse show had Betsy Anderson out to see him with Miranda & her mom & the next day he left for his new 'home'. I couldn't be happier with this situation because it's allowing me the time I wanted to spend with Bill & my family & my friends through this crazy summer/fall of WEDDINGS. Here's a photo of what my leg looked like about a week after the fall. Not one of my finer moments ***CAUTION GRUESOME PHOTO AHEAD***

That said...I can never sit still too long & when I had my accident a friend had posted an ad of a little solid paint 15hh bay mare who desperately needed to get out of a bad situation. She was purchased to be a family horse and in the wrong hands, any wonderful horse can go from great to ghoul. Well, I watched her as long as I could & when I knew Diesel was sold & Jimmy was leased I jumped at this little mare....who is now known as "Chloe". Chloe came home Thursday night, however I've been in Montana since Thursday morning so it will be a few more days before I'm home and can see her. The resemblance between her & Jimmy is astounding and the moment I saw her I fell in love with her. I think in a few short weeks she will have her mentality straightened out, her rough patches under saddle smoothed & she'll be coasting over-fences like nothing. I expect she will also find a wonderful home in the very near future - once she & I have had our fun. Please click the following link to view a video of my Chloe: http://youtu.be/XOl0UDZRQ10 You can also see a photo of her below...the similarities are uncanny. Long lost sister?!

That about brings us up to speed - there's just one other project I'm working with (a little) right now & that's my friend Jamie's horse, Haleigh. Haleigh is a 4 year old Belgian Warmblood who's sired by the phenomenal show jumper, Coronado. I am grateful for the chance to work with such a well-bred mare, and anxious to see how she progresses. She will be for sale late fall. Everyone, meet Haleigh:

9 weeks 6 days until Bill & I are husband & wife...and I become Mrs. Bedsole!! I have 4 more weddings before ours though, so it will be a wild 9 weeks :) Wish me luck & I'll do the best I can at updating everyone on Chloe's progress and the progress of the other projects CVE is getting in. Enjoy the weather!!

Equine Podiatry Clinic at Morrie Waud / Jimmy Schools Easy / Meet Diesel

Saturday this weekend I went up to Morrie Waud Equine Clinic for a "Podiatry Solutions to Improve Equine Performance". I have to say the educational portion for horse owners was unbelievably interesting. The second half of the day was more geared toward farriers, so when they started getting really into it, they kind of lost me and I kept catching myself day dreaming.

Here are some of my notes of the things I learned from the day:

• Bad feet = muscular deformity = saddle fitting issues
• Sore heels typically take 4 shoeings (every 4 weeks) to show improvement
• Always get Xrays to show foot formation - ask your vet to check the balance of coffin bone to the ground
• Big hind feet typically means the horse is more athletic, more to "push" with
• Wedge pads help alignment
• Once a horse is "cured" of lameness through proper shoeing techniques, KEEP IT UP. Going back to your old ways will make your horse's lameness return
• The goal is to always have the frog on the ground. Strong frog = strong foot
• Dont pick hooves before riding (unless the horse has been on stones) - The mud/manure that's naturally packed it's way into the frog is comfortable for how the horse walks & this way horses won't sink all the way into the sand & grind it up into their hooves.

Pretty interesting!! Basically, every single thing they mentioned in problem/solution for sore heels was like they had been just watching Jimmy and documenting every moment. If they have sore heels, they compensate on their toes, causing lameness. The lameness then goes up into their shoulder, and into their back. With proper shoeing & padding in the feet after regular, consistent sessions the horse will regain strength in their hooves & their shoulders & backs will reshape, potentially causing saddle fitting problems because their backs are finally relaxed and building muscle from comfortable, natural movement....

IS THIS LIKE DEJA VU OR WHAT!?!? Jimmy had ouchy heels. He went REALLY lame. We found Tim. He got sound. I had to get my saddle fixed. Oh. My. Goodness. Every word the farrier & vet team were saying to the crowd I felt like they just directed straight at me. Light bulb. Light bulb. Light bulb. It was pretty amazing. I text Tim and let him know that according to UW, he's the perfect farrier :-) God bless the team of vet/farrier that I have for Jimmy!!! Unreal.

In other news - we schooled a gymnastic today a few times and a little vertical off many different turns and Jimmy was quiet, easy & pleasant. No complaints, just good Jimmy. All is well in our world.

Horse show season is coming up so the pressure to perform is on & I've got a new project to work on that hopefully won't stick around too long, even though I'm kind of digging him a lot right now :-) His name is Diesel and he's a very, very cool dude. Here he is:

Diesel is a 16.3hh 2002 OTTB. He never raced, but he is tattooed so he was definitely brought up on the track. Based on his body and coordination (or currently...lackthereof??) he DEFINITELY was too slow for the track. He's just HUGE, everywhere. Big head, big legs, huge feet, and a belly you can't begin to wrap yourself around. He's as sweet and gentle as can be, just desperately in need of an education and consistent riding. He's learning, slowly but surely, and I'm really having a riot of a time with him. Every time I work with a new green horse I think, "Oh gosh. I really, really love this." and I seriously do. I have a passion for green horses that radiates through my core. I just love teaching their stupid little brains and making them smart little brains :-)

Diesel has impeccable movement and even though he's far from coordinated right now, he's definitely going to make a beautiful hunter. We're just riding walk/trot and he and I work on the ground so he has the cardio workout of cantering as well. In the field all day, he just stands and eats. He isn't active in the least so he needs someone to rev his engine a little bit (and work off a little of that BELLY!!!) He's learning steering and stopping. He steers pretty well, I can't say the same for stopping, yet. He's learning "HO" and improving every day.

Thankfully, I have the motivation of my November wedding keeping me going while he is tugging and leaning against me in the bridle and when I get home and lay on the couch with my muscles throbbing I remember "It's worth it. He's awesome....." and "....I'm going to have such nice arms for the wedding!" HAHA What kind of bride would I be if I didn't think of that as a reason to ride more?!

If you have anyone interested in a guy like him (even though I'm not exactly ready to part with him just yet...) you can see his online advertisement here. Oh, and we also have a really really cute pony for sale right now too. She's seriously adorable. Check her out here. 

Jimmy Gets An Attitude Adjustment

Yesterday I had a quick hour before my lesson was to arrive so I thought I could squeeze in a good hack on Jimmy before I taught. I thought wrong.

As I mentioned, he's having a bit of a 'tude problem from what I believe is his own teenage-minded (he's a teenager in people years - and acts exactly like a 16 year old human boy most days!!) stubbornness. He's bitter that I haven't been out and working him as much as I should, so he's showing me through attitude. Alright Jimmy, I get it. Thanks.

We worked for about 35 minutes (I'll admit I was gabbing a bit & didn't get on until late) and he just wouldn't relax. He had way more steam than he could blow. I couldn't work him down because my lesson had arrived and was tacking up her horse, so I cooled him down (which takes him about one lap, no matter how worked up he is) & untacked. I left his boots and halter on & put him in what we're now calling the "Naughty Boy Pen". It's a little 14x14 paddock just between our aisle and indoor arena & I didn't even put on his blankey. He had to chill out - LITERALLY so he stood naked in the cold until I was finished with my lesson. He stared at me through the window the whole time, eyes pleading. "Mom.....MOM?!? I'M NAKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (Jimmy is always FULLY clothed. I like protecting him from nips and bumps so he always has some kind of sheet or blanket on - even in the summer he usually wears a fly sheet)

After my lesson my student asked for a demo so I got to ride my favorite mare for a few minutes, then it was back to JC the Naughty Boy. DISCLAIMER: WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY IS NOT TYPICAL BEHAVIOR FOR ME BUT IN SOME INSTANCES I DEEM IT NECESSARY FOR ANY TYPE OF PROGRESSION. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE INSTANCES. I tacked him up again and put on draw reins. I try  to NEVER EVER EVER use them, but based on how he was fighting me one specific way and just wouldn't quit I chose the draw reins as my weapon of choice. He hasn't worn them in probably close to two years so I was curious to see if he would remember them.

I got on & trotted enough to get his heart pumping again (if it had ever stopped...) & went to the canter, which is where he was causing me problems. Instead of cantering collected and appropriately, he was kind of hog-wild and flinging his front end all over the place, so I was using the draw reins as a light reminder of how to behave. They worked like a charm. It only took about fifteen minutes because he immediately remembered what draw reins were all about. He tried fighting me a few times seriously and with a little spur in his side & the draw reins keeping his front end in place he realized this was no battle worth fighting. We ended on a splendid note cantering beautiful figure eights with full changes in the middle. Good job, little man.

Catching Up

Well it's probably been a solid month since I've gotten a good ride in. I don't mean "Oh, I got to ride today!" I mean a brow-beating, catch-your-breath, concentrate-so-hard-you-forget-what-time-it-is ride. Last night I did that :-) ....it was so enjoyable!!

Because of our my lack of work ethic this month as a whole, I'm going to estimate that Jimmy and I are about 5 weeks behind in where I was hoping to be right now to get ready for the season. First it was the blizzard, then it was horribly cold, then I was sick, then it was my birthday (Oh yeah, I'm 23 now! Hoorah!), so now it's FINALLY time to get back to work. Thankfully, lessons haven't suffered throughout this month, I've actually acquired another client who will be on the team to show with us this summer. Exciting!!!

So last night Jimmy and I tried to work as a team and we were in all honesty only 70% together, if that much. Lateral work was okay, not great...He rooted at the bit quite frequently and was entirely too impatient when it came to walk breaks - he just wanted to get back to work & wouldn't relax. We jumped only because he needs to remember how, and he was about straight as the Pride parade to every fence....which made me crazy, but I couldn't blame him. It's been a WHILE since we've really worked on anything at all - and I think the last thing we really worked on over fences was turns...so it'd make sense that he was a little wonky. Nothing like sending mixed signals!!

My focus tonight will be patience and straightness. I'll have about an hour when I get there before my students so I'll be sure to spend it wisely. And speaking of lessons...look what my dad gave me & my brother came out to hang up!!!! HOORAY!!! A LESSON BOARD!!! I feel so official :-D Happy riding!!

Bill Rides / New Website

Friday night Bill came out with me to the farm and R-O-D-E our new mare Chocobella!!! And LOVED it!!! She's a 15.3hh 9 year old Appendix mare who is the most honest and wonderful horse on the planet, I'm convinced. Here's a photo:

He watched me get on her first so he knew how to swing his leg over bareback & I showed him how to hold the reins and steer. He was a little uneasy at first, but soon he got the hang of it & was walking like a pro!!! We're working on finding a saddle that will fit both him & the mare at the farm so next time he can ride with full tack, but he seemed to do alright bareback!

Bill now is more than willing to come out to the farm with me (he always has been - but now he has his 'own' horse to care for, not just stepping on my toes caring for JC) so he can see "his horse". Chocobella actually belongs to the farm owner who recently acquired her & she's generous enough to let me use Chocobella at my leisure for lessons :-) She's the sweetest mare and Bill brushes her all over and picks out her feet & takes her for walks when he comes out - and now rides! Hopefully we find a saddle around the farm that will work :-D

In other news, last night I decided to jump the gun and create my personal website for training. You can see it here. Enjoy!!! I'm not sure I love it, after completing it start to finish in 4 hours, I'm already sick of it. HAHA. Oh well, the beauty of it is I can change it whenever I want :-) I'll get there, eventually. Make sure you check out the FOR SALE page to see all the horses & ponies we've got for sale right now!! Show schedule for 2011 is up, too! It's a big year for us at Crystal Valley Equine!! Do you want to get in on the action??

It's Just Too Easy

Sorry I haven't been updating!!!! And THANK YOU to all of the nominations for Stylish Blogger award! I feel so blessed to have so many followers love me :-D Well, it's Jimmy you all love, that's alright. I know it's true.

Jimmy is fit as a fiddle. The wounds on his back legs are healing beautifully & I'm keeping them dressed so they won't get icky & scabby & flakey. We want nice SOFT, MOIST wounds so they grow HAIR back! Hopefully BLACK hair to match those legs! (A few years ago he got cast in his stall & cut himself up & those scars on his front legs grew in white! HELLO PAINT GENES!)

I set up some jumps the other night & tried to make them things he would question, or at least put effort into... Boy, does this horse love to prove me wrong. I set up a rail to canter over while we circled, he found his rhythm and got the perfect distance every time. I set up a big giant "X" to try & get a little scope out of him, he barely made any extra motion at all, just softly jumped up & cantered away. I cantered an X off of a short turn, in the dark spot of the arena, he saw it a mile away & cantered over it. I set up the door to an old rubbermaid cabinet with a tire behind it as a "wall" to jump with no standards & jumped it from the tire side - so all he saw was a tire & a big wide door behind it....cantered over it. Didn't blink an eye. So THEN I was like "Well that didn't matter at all..." I had a 3' vertical set up on upside-down cups in a far corner of the arena on an angle so it was a bit of a short turn. I thought in my head, "This will DEFINITELY get a question out of him" so I cantered around the arena, cantered up, short turn.....Jump.Land.Canter.Lead change. COME ON JIMMY!!!!! NOTHING?!?! NO QUESTION AT ALL?!?! It's just too easy for him. So, I did it one more time, a little off pace & grabbed him at it so he got right into the base and he ever so slightly rubbed it on his way up & pulled the rail. THANK YOU! SOME kind of question! This whole jumping thing is just way too flipping easy for him. I know, I know, this is a WONDERFUL problem to have and trust me, I'm overwhelmingly proud to have raised such a careful, soft, able, and well-bodied horse. But sometimes I just want a CHALLENGE!!!! He will be teaching lessons a LONG time because then SOMEONE will be learning from his unbelievable abilities!!! I will continue to try & find things that will question him over fences. I know what he questions when we aren't jumping - ALL FLATWORK. He gets SO BORED with flatwork with me and so sassy because he hates it. Oh well, another post for another day.

I stopped after the vertical for the day because it wasn't even fun. I just laughed and patted him & said, "You're too easy to ride, buddy! It's not even fun for Mama!!"

Next up: Gymnastics. Let's really test him ;-)

***EDITED TO ADD*** This week Mick jumped out of the paddock again, into the outdoor arena. Jimmy did NOT follow. Lesson: Learned. :-) 

Spectacular All-Around

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.

Far Too Busy

Not only have I been too busy to write blogs, I've been too busy to READ all of yours!!! I am so, so sorry!!! This season has taken a hold of me and try as I might, I can't seem to find any more free time - when I DO have free time I have no motivation to get things DONE! You don't even want to see my bathroom, you really don't.

But, to fill you all in there are just two major quick points I want to share:

1. Jimmy jumped a whole course yesterday - 2 X's, a vertical, and a box! HOORAY! All strides & lead changes & pure happiness resulted. THREE CHEERS FOR JIMMY CHOO!!!! My perfect horse :-) I need some work over fences since it's been so long...but luckily....

2. Pepe has moved in with us! Saturday we decided to make the move & bring Pepe to where Jimmy is now for 30 days to try & get some more time in the saddle on him & get more people out to see him. Cross your fingers the seeds I've put out there will harvest and turn into a sale!!

Hope everyone is doing what they can to STAY WARM!!! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr CHICAGO!!! Happy riding <3

First One Stride Back

The last few nights Jimmy has been a star. He's getting very athletic again & regaining so much stamina so quickly I'm pretty shocked. We're up to working for a solid 40 minutes with usually only one or two walk breaks & he doesn't break a sweat or breathe hard at all. He needs maybe two laps around the arena walking & he's ready for bed.

I think part of why his stamina has gotten so strong is because I warm up really slowly. I walk 4 or 5 times around the arena (at least 2x per direction) before I do any trotting, and once we're trotting we trot A LOT before we start to canter.

Last night I set up a gymnastic for the first time since he's jumping again. I had a simple ground rail set at 9' before an X, then 24' to another X, making that a true no-stride to one-stride. In HORSE strides. Not Jimmy/cob strides. Before the surgery he was just learning to open his stride and kind of struggling to get through lines in the horse strides. I know he can do it, I just have to work to lengthen his stride & relax him so he goes nice and long.

I warmed up & started trotting the second X only, slicing so there was a clear line & an obvious choice that the second X wasn't part of the equation yet. He kept getting impatient and taking one pathetic canter step before the X. I like to nip these habits in the bud, so when he starts something like this I make a pretty huge deal out of it (safely) so he understands that this behavior is not acceptable.

The second time he thought to take a canter stride I tugged and asked him to come back to me & slowly trot. He walked & jumped the X. The next time he got rushy & took a canter step anyway & left when he wanted to, so I made an immediate straight line halt about 2 strides after the X. The third time he thought to canter I felt it one stride before and pulled up for a halt, yelling "HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO NO NO NO!" I then quietly asked him to back clear back to the corner of the arena where we started and nicely trot forward & up/over the X. He did so, and trotted the X like a kitten. Soft, fluffy, happy. Gorgeous. Big pat, lots of praise, mush mush mush, Jimmy you're awesome.

Then we went onto something else completely opposite - I like training horses this way because the "lesson" he just learned about jumping from the base I will apply later, but right now, he has to switch gears and flex something else in his repetiore. I think it makes them more alert, agile, & athletic. The three A's ;-) We went on to canter the gymnastic. He's little & previously in his "prime" (pre-op) he had about a 11' or 10.5' stride. Typical horses have a 12' stride & courses at horse shows are always set to the 12' stride.

We got our rhythm, we cantered in. We did one stride. We jumped out. OH. MY. GOOD. GRACIOUS. I set it true 24' as a horse one-stride and I was so amped that THE FIRST TRY HE DID IT IN ONE!!!!!! And he had gusto doing it!!! He tried SO hard and did it THE FIRST TIME!!!! I cantered around and did it again. One-stride. Too good to be true? Lucky draw? I stopped for a little bit...walked...and cantered it again. One stride. Even when he got in ugly, he lowered, reached, and got one out. ONE!!! I gave him ridiculous amounts of praise and pets & let him walk & hang out while Cass jumped it with her horse.

Then I decided to bring back the lesson we learned earlier - Jump from the base. I trotted in, put my hands up on his neck, and just let him figure it out while I cooed out a little baby "Ho ho" and what do you know? Two perfect pony strides, jump out, land, lead change, canter down the next long side. Holy moly I love this horse. I got a good gallop started mid-long side & continued cantering around to canter the one-stride one last time & see if he really was the champion I thought he was. What do you know? Did it in one again, just like I asked.

Needless to say, I'm on cloud nine still because I worked a lot before the surgery on trying to get him to lower & lengthen & be that elastic with his stride and he just wouldn't figure it out. He'd always bump that one extra stride in there so it was one & a half, we couldn't get the solid one unless we were really hauling @$$ & that's just not comfortable for anyone.

All along, he just plugged away last night. Never got emotional, never got huffed up, just did his job. My mom & I call him a little sewing machine when he's like this because he's just even paced, consistent, and steady as can be. Blessed doesn't even begin to describe how I feel to him. He is truly amazing.

Looking Forward

I'm looking forward to being like this again:

Someday soon, Jimmy!!! We're on our way!!!!!!

A Good Weekend for Jimmy Choo

Jimmy had a very nice weekend. Saturday morning he taught Lucy a very very good lesson, in which he was slow enough at the sitting trot a few times that Lucy could actually practice sitting, which was lovely! She brought him a "Thanksgiving Present" of new LikIts & apples & carrots and a new CHRISTMAS HALTER!!!! He looks so handsome in it, and it's cute as can be!!! Check it out:

SNOWMEN!!! AND SANTA!!!!!

Sunday afternoon our good friend Carly came out and rode Jimmy. She hasn't ridden him since his baby days, so it was quite a treat for all involved that she got to come and hack JC! I took some videos of it, which I will post below. She just kept saying "Oh my God. He's just so much fun!!! He's so cool! Oh my God he's so fun!!!!!" which made me feel pretty awesome :-) I helped her out here & there, teaching her his "buttons" but mostly just let her hack around and have fun with him. She was very impressed with the fact that he "reminds" you when you aren't riding correctly, because he will pop out of the frame, or pop his shoulder out or change his pace. I hate to take all the credit for it, because I promise he just happened to grow up this way!! He's so wonderful, I just love him to pieces. It was really special to see him work under someone else and watch how he moves....It looks exactly how it feels :-) Fluid and magnificent! Enjoy the vids.







I'm fighting what seems to be the flu....I mostly feel normal but then get waves of hot/cold flashes and headaches so fierce I can barely function...so I've asked Cass to hack Jimmy for me the next few days until I can officially kick whatever bug my body is trying to fight. Until then, happy riding!

Very Good News

Yesterday I e-mailed both Dr. John & Dr. Jacob Goodin (Jimmy's surgeon at Morrie Waud) to ask what they thought about getting Jimmy back over fences. GREAT NEWS FROM BOTH! Jacob replied first:

Jess,
Glad to hear that Jimmy Choo is doing so well!  He looks great in the video.  As far as jumping goes, if he is sound and fit enough, I see no reason why he can't start.  As long as you start slow and work your way up, he should be okay.  Let me know how it goes.

Jacob

HOORAYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now for John's:

All you can do is try and see how he does.    Time will not help anymore at this point.  Congrats.

 HOORAYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AGAIN!!!

I am thrilled to hear this news. It's what I had suspected all along but couldn't justify without any approval from one of Jimmy's vets. I am very lucky to be blessed with the most kind, considerate and educated staff of vets for my guy. I can't wait to start over X's tonight!!! 

Last night I rode before I had read the emails from the vets but I decided some raised cavaletti work wouldn't kill him, so I set up a no-stride. I love setting them up in a corner so he has to keep his pace all the way through the corner and continue on down the long/short side, pending which direction we're tracking. He fumbled through it the first time, as I suspected he would, and was a real champ the rest of the time. He adjusted himself appropriately to make sure he got in and out correctly and never "powered down" after the fact, just kept truckin' along. Very good boy. 

His lead changes are iffy again - I think that one day was just luck that he nailed every single one I asked him to do again & again. It's the same thing we were dealing with before the surgery - his left-to-right is flawless, but the right-to-left sticks most of the time. I think it has to do with a weak left hind, which I had Dr. John look at last winter when we were going through the diagnosis process, and he said "there's absolutely nothing wrong with that leg".....so I think he just babies it. According to X-rays, it's clean so I'm just going to keep working him up and doing everything I can to strengthen. 

We're still working lots on transitions within each gate - starting with the walk. I don't ever ask him to do something at the trot or canter that I haven't asked at the walk. Something I learned from Diane - if you expect your horse to do something at a higher speed that they've never been asked to do before, you're wrong. So we start the rides with collecting, extending, and regular walking with a shoulder in down two long sides & a haunches in down one long side. This seems to be doing the trick because at a trot and a canter he's very soft and supple - like he used to be. I'm so proud of my big guy!! 

Jimmy and the Hose of Terror

I'm noticing a trend at this new barn. While Jimmy is possibly the happiest I've seen him, (since Doobie died, at least) he's absolutely terrified of JUST about everything he sees when it's dark out. I've always questioned if he has limited vision in one eye, because he always spooks if things come at him from one side. It's his left eye. If something on THAT side comes up and touches him, he always startles. If I brush the left side of his face, he spooks, when i put his blanket on & throw it over from the left, he startles unless I put my hand and talk to him so he knows I'm there.

Because I ride when it's pitch black out and one of the arena lights is out, it makes the arena darker than any that we've ridden in before & he really, really doesn't like it. Thinking back on the Afraid of the Dark post kind of confirms this. He's very uncomfortable when it's dark & he doesn't KNOW what is where.

Last night Cass was watering the arena when we rode. We can all look back and remember how much Jimmy loves baths....so I knew this obstacle would really be a joy to work with. But you know what? He needs to get tougher & get on with his life. I understand that he was abused and neglected and abandoned and Heaven knows what else has traumatized this poor guy, but seriously... IT. IS. A. HOSE. Move on with your life, Jimmy! FORGIVE AND FORGET!

So Cass was misting the arena. There was the "Psssssssssst" noise coming from her end, and the hose was out along the sand. Add to that, the hose leaked a few places, and squirted tiny streams of water almost too thin to see from on top of Jimmy, causing random puddles (which reflect light...AND ARE SCARY!!!) AND made that "Psssssssst" noise also. This was truly terrifying for Jimmy and he did everything he could to barely contain himself.

It took about 20 minutes of trotting transitions to calm him enough to hack normally, and he even got brave enough to trot OVER the hose INTO the puddles and PSSSSST'ing squirters, without leaping into the rafters and exploding out of terror! GREAT JOB, JIM!!! I was actually surprised that accomplishment existed at all, I didn't think we'd be able to track near the hose the whole ride. He grew more and more brave the whole ride and didn't even leap into the rafters once. HOORAY!

He cantered really well, we worked on transitions within the canter just like we did in the trot. These transitions are collect, regular, extend, in varying orders. I ask him to canter at a regular pace, then I bring him in if there's a potential "spook" situation coming on, like the hose or Cass spraying very close to where we're about to canter on the rail, and cluck him up to extend down the long side or through a corner. He was alert and responsive without being at all disrespectful. I actually only had to use the stick on him once throughout the whole ride (minus when we were warming up with lateral movements, but those taps are VERY light and merely to extend the message of "move your butt over") & after that he was wonderfully respectful of the cluck.

When I have been cooling out the last few weeks I've been practicing neck reining, voice commands, and steering only using my legs. I am trying to think of how in the world he learned to neck rein as well as he does. He does it better than the (few) western-broke horses I've ridden...and I broke him out and have trained him myself all along, with a few short months working with a trainer - in which time we never ONCE mentioned neck-reining. I have to believe it was embedded in his blood. Like when I go across the diagonal & he pops a lead change, he was born knowing to do that, I swear.

Last night we hacked for about 45 minutes and he didn't seem warn out. His legs held up beautifully and he was sound the whole ride. I'm very pleased with this progress and I'm still wondering...when can I jump? What do you think?

Good Boy Jimmy Choo

WARNING: THIS POST IS A LOT OF GUSHING ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL JIMMY IS. NOT LIKE THAT'S A SURPRISE TO ANY OF YOU AT THIS POINT...JUST THOUGHT I'D AT LEAST GIVE A WARNING THIS TIME. LET THE SHAMELESS & UNRESTRAINED BRAGGING COMMENCE.

Tonight my mom came out to the farm and watched me ride. It's fun having her out since she doesn't see Jimmy that much. She's really been there first hand through every step of the my life with Jimmy, and at no point in-between, so she's only seen the high-highs and lowest lows of our relationship. It's a very proud moment when I get to show her Jimmy doing so well. She tried to take some photos but the lighting in the arena just isn't conducive to photography at night so she ended up taking a video instead.

 

We worked on a lot of transitions tonight & Jimmy is so sensitive to weight and sound it's always a lot of fun for me to work on transitions. I step to the outside at the canter and he knows to trot I mutter a "whoa" and he walks. I realized from watching this video how vocal I am when I ride. I am always babbling to him and telling him how good he is & my tone tells him when he's NOT being good. I especially like in this video how he's proving that he DOES in fact carry himself properly. Mom and I talked about it & I drilled and drilled for hours, days, weeks & months before this surgical journey to try & teach Jimmy how to properly carry his head but it just wouldn't "click" when all along I should have practiced what I preach. When I'm helping a new student or a friend with their horse who "can't get them in a frame" I always say, "You HAVE to get their body before you can get their head. Once you control their body and their body works properly, they will give you their head." That is precisely what happened here, my beautiful blogging friends. Jimmy COULDN'T give me his body for all of that time because he wasn't able. Now that he can, his head just fell right into place. I couldn't be more proud. 

I'm also happy to say that Jimmy's lead changes have come back 100%. No more wiggling or trotting or skipping, he's back to getting them each direction in one fluid movement. The combination of transitions, lateral work, lots of trotting and lots of bending has really brought this big guy all the way back to 'life'. The best part? Just like when he was a baby: all it takes is a cluck. Go across the diagonal *cluck* WHAM-O. Lead change. He's too smart for his own good too, though so you have to be careful with that "cluck" queue because if you use it in combination of an inside leg bump & an accidental outside rein twitch down the long side....pop-goes-the-lead-change. Yep. He's a little too smart :-P

The BO text me this morning that Jimmy was loaded with hives :-( I realized the last few nights have been the first since he arrived at the new barn that he slept "naked" (aka - without a sheet) in their shavings so I'm attributing that to his breakout. One dose of Dex and he seemed absolutely fine by the time I was out there tonight. The diarrhea has stopped & now hives have started. He used to break out every season change but it hasn't happened for a few years. I've got my eye on him and thankfully, I have an incredibly knowledgeable barn staff that's watching him as well :-)

Can you believe that less than 6 months ago we were all terrified he'd never be the same? If he isn't proof that anything's possible, I don't know what is.

Oh - and today I realized...December 27th is our three year anniversary. Another post on that, but wow what a whirlwind 3 years it has been!!!

Lucy Canters & Jimmy's Happy To Be Back

Jimmy is the most wonderful horse in the world, have I told you that before?! Because it's true....and here's why:

Lucy had a great lesson yesterday & after 25 minutes of strong walking & trotting she learned to canter. I don't want her just cantering around yet, so I kept her on the lunge line and taught her how to ask for the canter and got her used to asking and the feeling of Jimmy leading into the canter. Jimmy has a big movement when he goes into the canter and I think that's where a lot of kids go wrong in their early riding - they don't learn how to sit canter transitions. The most Lucy cantered was a few strides, we just practiced upwards and downwards transitions & got her used to asking for both and feeling how he moves. Most importantly, we worked on keeping her HEELS DOWN and BUTT IN THE SADDLE!!! Lots of two point trots and sitting trots are in her future ;-) Here is a video of her & Jimmy yesterday:

Lucy rides weaker to the right than the left and this makes Jimmy cut corners. He definitely utilizes his "I'm a school horse, I do what I want" card. I'm not sure if that is what made me more aware of working to the right today, or what...but he REALLY needed an adjustment. I let him have a bit of a lax week & I paid for it today. He DID NOT want to go into the corners to the right whatsoever. He swished his tail & pinned his ears in defiance when I asked.

Once we were over the "You will go into the corners and you will like it" period of the hack, we got into the "canter perfectly straight" exercise I love to do. I have ground rails set on the quarter lines and he has to canter even-paced to, over, and away from the rail. This helps when he jumps because due to his small stature, it's very easy for him to wiggle his way around the arena. In the jumpers every extra stride counts and every stride he wiggles he's missing the time. He must go straight, between my legs, with as long of a stride as he possibly can, the SECOND I ask him to. I'm not always Nice Cop ;-)

He was beautiful for the straight exercise and I could tell he was getting a little amped and wanted to "GO", so I let him. We galloped and did a few roll back turns, some lead changes, and just had fun. I made up a "jump off" as I went. Pole, turn, lead change, gallop, pole, gallop, straight, rollback....you get the drift. He was really having fun!! Ears forward, happy lead changes & overall back to my happy, happy Jumper Jimmy Choo. I think it's so cool that he loves being a jumper for me, and yesterday he was teaching a 13 year old girl how to canter. It just confirms what I've already said: He's officially the most wonderful horse in the world. There's no way around it, I'm biased and I just love the heck out of him!!!

The Greatness Continues

This weekend Jimmy continued his happiness and greatness. Saturday I hacked him and he was wonderful as can be. I was alone in the arena and it made all the difference in the world. Having the ring to myself was so relaxing and it made the whole space seem much larger than it really is. I love that arena.

We continued working on lateral aids. Jimmy is becoming much more responsive because now from spending so much time NOT riding him, I understand him even better. I didn't think I could understand him better than I did before the surgery, but time definitely told me differently. It is so much clearer to me now how he learns and interprets things, so I can ask him in just the right way to shift his body weight to the right or left and cross over in a shoulder in or haunches in and I don't get the sassy ears back & tail swish that I used to get. I also have been much more consistent in rewarding the slightest try. If he even takes one good step I will reward him and throughout the ride I will ask more and more out of him. We've graduated from strictly walking lateral work to now the tiniest ounce of trot lateral work. He's not as enthusiastic to move laterally at the trot, but he was exactly this way when I introduced it to him at the walk, so I know it's only a matter of time before he's completing beautiful shoulder-in and haunches-in down the whole long side of the arena. To date, he can go about 3/4 the long side at a walk in a shoulder-in and just 1/4 at the trot. It takes him 3/4 of the way down at the trot to understand and process what I'm asking, then the last 1/4 her "gets" it and clicks into gear, then the short side I let him extend and stretch down before I gather him up again and ask the next time around. He seems to really like this method, so I will continue with baby steps. We've got nothing but time.

Lucy had her lesson on him yesterday. Since he has come so far in the 5 days at the new farm I didn't need to borrow a lesson horse, I just used Jimmy. He was perfect, of course. He takes great care of her while still being enough of a pig that she needs to ride. His latest trick is to "park" with her. She kicks and squeezes and clucks and digs her heels into his sides and he just stands there, annoyed. I like when lesson horses pull tricks on the novice students, I think it helps them learn to keep riding every step...so long as he never considers pulling this stunt with Mama on his back ;-) I truly think he knows better than that anyway!!

Tim should be out tonight to trim JC and put new shoes on so I'll have to run out and drop off a check, and I might just as well ride while I'm there. I've got a healthy horse, so why the heck not ;-)

Tomorrow evening a few of my friends from college will be coming out to ride. They used to come out and play around and ride Jimmy when he was very young (part of me teaching him to be 'kid proof'). None of these friends have ever had riding lessons or know much at all about horses, so it's great for him to be around people who don't know what they're doing. It helps him respect space and be tolerant of nonsense. I've always kind of fussed around with him and stood up on his back, put tarps on the ground for him to walk over, slid off of his butt...but I think having a truly novice adult on and around him really does wonders for him. It's so important to me that he is 100% safe for everyone at all times.

Leaps & Bounds

Yesterday I went on a trail ride since the weather was bearable. It was overcast and unseasonably windy (partially miserable in that aspect) but the temperature was pleasant & Jimmy and I went on our way to the field to hack. Once again, the political signs caused a bit of an issue, but he's getting more and more brave about walking calmly by them, just looks with those big, wide eyes.

We hacked for about 15 minutes in the big field up and down the hills at the trot. Every day when I get on I walk him for about 10 minutes to let him loosen up & then ask him to trot. He fights me, every day. He does what a friend and I like to call his "hoppy trot" which apparently is normal for a lazy horse in recovery. It's the same trot he used to do before the surgery, which I would ALWAYS get off when he did it. He trained me pretty good so now he thinks when he does that hoppy trot I will get off and panic. Newsflash, Jim: I wised up. I now push him up and make him continue trotting and when he fights me STILL I take out the big guns....(which I'm not totally proud of, but I believe in certain circumstances it just needs to be done) I growl at him.

Growling is usually something I only do if I am in a jumping situation and the horse I'm on is being a dangerous and "dirty stopper" (aka refusing to move forward and refusing to jump in a violent way) so the fact that I was in the middle of a hay field spurring and growling at Jimmy speaks volumes of how mad I was at him for pulling this "hoppy" shenanigans again. Well what do you know, he magically stopped hopping and started trotting.

I know he only hops when he's bored or lazy, because when he's in hot pursuit to chase after one of the ponies I'm hacking with in the field or hacking in the arena & watching the other herds galloping around us, he's perfectly, beautifully, wonderfully sound. He does it because I let him get away with it, and I have been babying him for almost a full year now. Lazy time is up, James. Time to get tough.

Once the real trot kicked into gear he was gorgeous, and I couldn't be happier. I bumped up the canter time slightly and let him canter two long sides of the hay field, which is about twice the length of our arena long side. He walked back calmly and passed the signs with almost no question.

Today we hacked in the arena, which was sloppy but rideable, and had another beautiful ride together. He was trotting out and forward and felt AMAZING. His fetlocks were slightly warm and inflamed when I pulled him out of his stall, which I was very concerned about being from the extra canter time the previous afternoon. I walked for a solid 10 minutes to let that swelling work it's way out & the second we picked up the trot he was already moving more comfortable and forward than he has since last year, so I knew the heat was due to the extreme weather change. I think it's just something I'll always have to watch with him. Thank goodness I love him and plan on being his Mom forever ;-)

Today was the first day we did what I would consider a full, comfortable hack. He didn't "hop" at all, he was forward and fluid, and he carried himself very impressively every step. At the canter we went one and a half full laps each direction and today was the first day he cantered without wiggling or feeling weak. I feel an unbelievable sense of accomplishment because he has come back almost all the way now. His attitude still needs adjustment from time to time (as we learned Saturday) but physically his weight is going back down, his coat is fluffy, but healthy, his spirits are up, and his legs are holding up. I'm a very, very happy mama.

OH! Friday night Bill & I went out to spoil Jimmy & we tried on his "Halloween costume". He's a jock. I know, very creative AND involved ;-) Enjoy!

Big Strides

Saturday was the perfect fall day & I went right out to ride in the morning. The air was crisp and the sun was shining - it was definitely a trail riding day. Jimmy was perky and happy - trotted beautifully along the whole trail, through a few loops in the hay field, and back out to the trail. I took a photo from my favorite view on the trail - on top of the big hill.

 

Jimmy seems to be doing very well with the "new" (adjusted) saddle and has been very happy to get out lately. Last night I had him back up to cantering a long side twice each direction and he seemed to do pretty well. He's very weak still - and very lazy - but he's been acting pretty happy and enjoying his rides. They were hunting across the street last night so I couldn't go on a trail, which is really his favorite thing. He's so bored in the arena...I'll have to think of more exercises to keep his attention. 

Lucy had a lesson Friday night on Smiley and did really well, so Sunday when I got home from a Horse Days meeting I called to see if she wanted to lesson again since I was home early. Of course her mom said yes & they agreed that it was a good day to try a lesson on Pepe. He's such a kind-hearted guy I was pretty confident that he would enjoy Lucy, but like any trainer I was cautious and watched his every move with her. Lucy got along him right away because he's like a big dog - he wants to snuggle with you constantly and she likes being able to pet and brush his face (Jimmy isn't so patient). He stood nicely while she picked his feet and tacked him up. He's so tall I had to help a little with the bridle, but he absolutely was well-behaved.

When she got on him he stood kindly and I clipped the lunge line on. Once she had walked 1/4 around the arena she looked at me and I asked if she would like me to "unhook her". She said yes and assured me that she felt confident enough riding him without the lunge line. I was only going to use it for security purposes, but she seemed very confident and he's a very "don't expend any more energy than necessary" type.

Wouldn't you know that Pepe was the calmest, most docile and angelic horse I've ever seen!? I hoped that he and Lucy would get along, but didn't expect quite what I saw. He took care of her beautifully and she LOVED riding him! She had her full 30 minute lesson & asked if she could trot poles by the end, so I let her, and then she didn't want to get off! She kept riding while I got Jimmy tacked up (with her mom's supervision - and only at the walk/halt) and when I was ready with JC I got on and she played follow the leader with me. She walked and trotted Pepe for well over an hour - grinning all along. She was more confident and proud than I've ever seen her and she rode him beautifully.

Who knew that this match was right in front of our eyes all along?!

We Found A Spook

Jimmy has always been the most wonderful, prince charming of a horse on trail rides and in the arena to ride. I always joke that he doesn't know how to spook because whether it's a lawn chair/snow sled/garbage can jump, or a deer jumping through the field, or a wood chuck coming up for air from the creek....Jimmy doesn't spook. He jumps whatever is in front of him and doesn't second guess anything else in the world. Even motorcycles speeding by or bicyclists flying mere inches past us on the road don't cause him to blink.

Bill and I got home much earlier than anticipated from our weekend away & I felt a quick, light bareback ride wouldn't hurt him if we only walked. I hurled myself on from our mounting tree-stump and we walked up the driveway. He hadn't been out really all week, but trails are a piece of cake so I held just the buckle of my reins while he walked up the driveway and crossed the street. Motorcycles rumbled past....Jimmy walked with his head practically on the ground, half asleep. A bicyclist whizzed by so fast I swear if a rock hit her tire she would have flipped end-over-end....Jimmy nearly snored with boredom.

We got onto the trail just across the street and I was really relaxed, enjoying the beautiful weather when he saw them. Political. Promotions. Oh my GOSH it was like the world was coming to and end and the apocalypse was happening before his eyes. Just two red/white/blue posters about 12"x14", stuck into the ground in the middle of "his" trail. Jimmy is a very self-taught trail guide, so he knows (how, I don't know) wherever the grass is mowed down, he can walk there. The fact that those posters were in the smack-dab-middle of his trail offended and terrified him to the maximum degree.

Going past the first time he panicked, but made it and immediately settled back to his low-head-hanging, walk-on-the-buckle self. The way back he knew it was coming (so did I, and I did the best I could to relax and soothe him) and there was nothing in the world that would prevent an explosion. He grew about 2 full hands and had his head up so high I couldn't see over him too look ahead. I cooed and patted and pet and scratched to no avail. He started flying sideways and backwards so quickly there was nowhere I could go but bail. Luckily, I practiced this frequently for JUST this occasion when he was a baby. I flew off to the left and took the reins over his head on my way down. Landed running forward and he knew to keep up and trot forward with me. God Bless this well-trained horse!!! Give him the routine bag of tricks and he goes right into working mode. We trotted straight up to the terrible signs and when I touched them he got brave enough to poke his nose out and touch them too. We walked away and back up to them a few times and by time #2 he forgot why we were there and reached over one of the signs to eat the grass on the other side.

Mission: Accomplished. We successfully overcame our terrible fear of political signs. Personally, I can't blame him. I don't like those things either.

Kyla Meets Jimmy Choo

Today a friend and coworker of mine brought her 4 year old daughter Kyla out to meet Jimmy. Kyla sees horses from the car window and always says "Mommy!!! Mommy!!! Horses!!!" so Amie thought it would be a great activity for her and Kyla to get to do. She asked me and of course I said yes.

Jimmy hasn't had a ton of exposure to children, but every time he has had children around, he's always been just like a puppy - very in-their-face "I love you I love you I love you" type. Today was no different :-) He was a perfect, wonderful gentleman and took very good care to be nothing but on his best behavior around Kyla. He kept reaching out to give her a nuzzle, and he wrapped his neck around her to give her a hug. He let her brush, hug, kiss, and even feed him a cookie and not as much as a single tooth or tail hair was laid on Kyla the whole time.

Once she was comfortable around him, she wanted to ride, so Amie strapped Kyla's helmet on and while I got the camera ready, Jimmy stood for Kyla to sit up on his bare back. He had to have known she was up there because he stood STOCK.STILL. I asked her (after snapping 10 or so photos) if she wanted to walk and she said yes, so while her mom was holding her upright, I asked Jimmy to slowly walk forward. Not only do I love this horse because he takes care of me, but my goodness gracious does he take good care of everyone up there. My heart swelled as Jimmy very carefully took 5 slow-motion steps forward and stopped again, stood posing with his ears forward, and waited for us to take a few more photos before Kyla was helped down. I love my horse beyond words. Here are some photos of our wonderful day with Kyla (Courtesy of Amie's camera!)

Jimmy standing perfectly for Kyla to sit up on him.

Kyla said "Mom, can I have a horse?"

Jimmy trying to give little Kyla a hug & kiss

He was so sweet with her!!!

Jimmy looking back to see what's goin' on up there.

Absolutely cute as can be.

Look at those smiles!!!

Going for a walk.

Walkin'. Bein' cute.

Learning how to hold the rope. Look how interested JC is...

Baby kisses.

Struttin' his stuff!