A Look Inside My Brain
Some observations from the past few days:
1. Apparently the bugs have gotten the memo that summertime weather is here, even though it's only March, and Dino has HORRIBLE gnat bites on the insides of his ears. Ugh. Time to bust out the SWAT!
2. I'm realizing more and more how sensitive Dino is to seat aids. Whenever I hit a roadblock in our riding, it's usually because my seat is doing something wrong. A bad (or non-existent) canter transition is usually because my seat is still saying "trot" while my leg says "canter." When he gets inverted in a downward transition, my seat is usually too tense. When I can't get him to extend his gait, all bets are my seat is blocking his back. This observation makes it necessary for me to really focus and step up as a rider!
3. Rider fitness... it's SO important. Between Cassie's butt-kicking and my own efforts, I'm starting to feel a difference. I've stayed committed to my pilates workouts and have started riding my warm-up without stirrups. I will admit I still haven't gotten on the ball with running... but I will! In any case, the increased core and leg strength I've started building have really helped my riding. It's easier for me to stay in the right place, use my body correctly, and therefore get the most out of Dino. Riding is an athletic sport, people! Plus, I'm working on a 6-pack. Bonus.
4. Pony fitness... SO crucial! Dino has really been coming into his own as far as fitness over the past couple months. His low-starch, high-fat diet and the Pergolide are finally allowing his body to build muscle, and homeboy is packin' it on. Add 24-hour turnout and exercise 5-6 days a week, and you get one FIT pony. This means that he travels pretty much entirely with his hind end tucked under, pushing off his hind legs with a rounded back, even when I'm not asking him to come into a working frame. It's a wonderful feeling. He's starting to offer the beginnings of self-carriage, and yesterday he gave me the first steps ever of a truly lovely, collected right-lead canter. I was so happy I could have cried. Even that tricky right stifle is getting stronger!
5. The prices people ask for used horse trailers are INSANE! Michael and I have been casually looking for a used, safe 2-horse trailer for a while now, and we've found some real losers. I found one on craigslist last week that looked promising, so we drove out to take a look. While the floorboards and inside walls looked to be in good shape, the ENTIRE frame was nearly rusted out. The seller wanted over $2,000 for it. No thanks!! I just don't understand why someone would ask several thousand dollars for a trailer that's not safe to haul horses in. Time to start saving our pennies for a new one!
1. Apparently the bugs have gotten the memo that summertime weather is here, even though it's only March, and Dino has HORRIBLE gnat bites on the insides of his ears. Ugh. Time to bust out the SWAT!
2. I'm realizing more and more how sensitive Dino is to seat aids. Whenever I hit a roadblock in our riding, it's usually because my seat is doing something wrong. A bad (or non-existent) canter transition is usually because my seat is still saying "trot" while my leg says "canter." When he gets inverted in a downward transition, my seat is usually too tense. When I can't get him to extend his gait, all bets are my seat is blocking his back. This observation makes it necessary for me to really focus and step up as a rider!
3. Rider fitness... it's SO important. Between Cassie's butt-kicking and my own efforts, I'm starting to feel a difference. I've stayed committed to my pilates workouts and have started riding my warm-up without stirrups. I will admit I still haven't gotten on the ball with running... but I will! In any case, the increased core and leg strength I've started building have really helped my riding. It's easier for me to stay in the right place, use my body correctly, and therefore get the most out of Dino. Riding is an athletic sport, people! Plus, I'm working on a 6-pack. Bonus.
4. Pony fitness... SO crucial! Dino has really been coming into his own as far as fitness over the past couple months. His low-starch, high-fat diet and the Pergolide are finally allowing his body to build muscle, and homeboy is packin' it on. Add 24-hour turnout and exercise 5-6 days a week, and you get one FIT pony. This means that he travels pretty much entirely with his hind end tucked under, pushing off his hind legs with a rounded back, even when I'm not asking him to come into a working frame. It's a wonderful feeling. He's starting to offer the beginnings of self-carriage, and yesterday he gave me the first steps ever of a truly lovely, collected right-lead canter. I was so happy I could have cried. Even that tricky right stifle is getting stronger!
5. The prices people ask for used horse trailers are INSANE! Michael and I have been casually looking for a used, safe 2-horse trailer for a while now, and we've found some real losers. I found one on craigslist last week that looked promising, so we drove out to take a look. While the floorboards and inside walls looked to be in good shape, the ENTIRE frame was nearly rusted out. The seller wanted over $2,000 for it. No thanks!! I just don't understand why someone would ask several thousand dollars for a trailer that's not safe to haul horses in. Time to start saving our pennies for a new one!
I don't know if Angelo ever sold it, but two years ago he tried to get me to buy his old trailer... it wasn't fancy and wasn't big enough for Darwin, but it was safe and perfect Dino sized.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like right about the time he was trying to sell me his farm! Haha.. I'll have to ask him if he ever sold it!
ReplyDelete