Ever since I got back from Horse Camp, I’ve had trouble with the saddle on Kasane. She had most of July off because of the heat and gained weight. Good grass and less work = chunky monkey. The Arc de Triomphe anatomical girth has been rubbing behind her elbows. My dressage saddle, a Prestige Venus K Monoflap, has been fitted to Kasane about every six months. Kasane has a well-sprung rib cage, a...
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Preparing for horse camp
Horse camp! Kasane and I are going to Horsemasters Horse Camp! We went last year and had a ball. She was amazing and we learned a lot. Camp is only three weeks away and I’ve been working on getting myself and Kasane in shape. We’ve upped the number of rides per week. We’ve made huge progress in our work (just what we’ve learned about trotting and cantering could be a bunch of posts)....
Continue reading...Movement and subtle shifts when riding
I had a great riding lesson with my instructor on Friday. First the good news. Kasane and I have improved in maintaining trot tempo and in our ability to rate (slow down or maintain) speed. She’s listening really well and we are working well together. She isn’t pulling on me anymore. We were asked to ride a curve along the long side of the ride. It’s a movement from one of the dressage...
Continue reading...Knowing when to say goodbye
My old mare, Prize, has had declining health since summer. A mare who used to be an easy keeper has stopped being able to keep weight on. She’s been on a complete senior feed for several years, plus chopped hay, joint and anti-inflammation supplements. Her teeth have wave mouth, so their uneven surfaces prevent her from being able to effectively chew grass and hay. It’s not for lack of trying. Where ever she...
Continue reading...Stiffness when riding
Kasane has always been a very limber girl. She can reach for a treat all the way back to her hip almost at her croup. All I have to do is show her the trip, tap her hip, and she reaches around for the treat. She’s done that since she was two. It’s a way to get her to stretch her neck and reward her after a ride. For the past three weeks,...
Continue reading...Kelpie painting
I saw this and immediately wanted to get a print. I may yet. Will definitely have this on my xmas list… Related Images:
Continue reading...Show Experience
Kasane and I have our first dressage show in two weeks at a local venue. We’ve ridden dressage tests before at schooling shows sponsored by our local awesome horse club. This is a schooling show that will not be a test where you know everyone. This is a Show Experience. I used to show a lot when I was younger. We did Arabian breed shows with most of our horses, primarily halter classes...
Continue reading...Position, posture, and riding
Ever have so many posts in the backlog that you just never get around to catching up? It’s been like that. Many good things (and a few annoying things) going on! Good things first. I’ve made a lot of progress in riding, just in time for horse camp this week. Yay horse camp! There will be blogging from camp if I have internet access. Earlier this year, I started feeling frustrated with my...
Continue reading...Gentlemen’s sidesaddle benefit class
At the 2014 Region 11 Men’s Sidesaddle Class Benefit for the Arabian Horse in Distress Fund. Hysterical. (Video link won’t display. Sorry.) 2014 Region 11 Mens SideSaddle Class Benefit for AHDF raising over $15,000 from ArabianHorseGlobal on Vimeo. Related Images:
Continue reading...Pain in my rump
I bruised my tailbone after riding back in the beginning of April and I’m still not back in the saddle. It’s driving me a little crazy not being able to ride. We have had some beautiful weather that is perfect for riding. But I’m stuck. The orthopedist was finally able to see me. He said that my back looks good overall. I’m in good shape. So we decided on injections near the tailbone...
Continue reading...Pain in the butt after riding
After riding yesterday, my tailbone has been very sore. Sitting hurts. Riding is out of the question. This is unacceptable. I am so tired of not being able to ride consistently. I’m going to see my regular doctor and hopefully get a referral to an orthopedic specialist. This sucks. I’m tired of riding and then having a pain in the butt, feeling well enough to ride, and then riding… and having a pain...
Continue reading...First ride after two months
I bought a bareback pad for Kasane over the weekend. It’s a Thinline bareback pad. Fits her very well and I actually rode in it for the first time today. It was crazy warm today (almost 80F) so she was very mellow. I put the bareback pad on her and lunged. She was great, as always. She has the loveliest lope. I got on her and we felt so discombobulated. It’s been months...
Continue reading...No riding for a few weeks
I’m getting so close to being fully healed. It’s like every week there is something that I do that sets me back. After talking with my physical therapist, we decided that the healing would progress better if we removed as many variables as possible. One of those variables is riding. So. He gave me some additional exercises to do. Most mornings I am not stiff any more. My neck has felt good for...
Continue reading...Path of the Horse documentary
You know how YouTube makes recommendations for videos? Today it actually got one recommendation right. In the list of video suggestions, was a full-length documentary called Path of the Horse. This peaked my interest because I’ve enjoyed books by Linda Kohanov (Way of the Horse, Tao of Equus), Kim McElroy, Allen Hamilton (Zen Mind, Zen Horse), Mark Rashiid, and other Natural Horsemanship authors. The description from the video says: “The Path of the...
Continue reading...Relationship building with Kasane
Last weekend when I went to the barn, I had a challenging ride on Kasane. It had been weeks since I had asked her to do any real work. All I wanted was to keep an even tempo. I hurt from being sensitive on my neck and lower back due to the injuries from the accident back in December. Any way, we ended up having a productive ride at the end, but it...
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