Goodbye 2015, hello 2016

So I haven’t updated my blog in over 2 months, with good reason. So much has happened since my last post and up until now I haven’t been ready to recount it all, but as 2015 draws to a close and 2016 is just around the corner, now is the time to accept the past and look forward to the future.

The Chiltern and Thames Championships were my next big event after my last post. My sister Chloe came over from France the same week to groom and support me. Guinness warmed up exceptionally calmly and made me so proud in his first test. His first time in the big indoor arena at Bury Farm and  he was calm, collected and 100% concentrating on me, like I’d never known before. We broke into canter in the medium trot, but I didn’t care, I was so proud of him! I had hired a stable for the day so after we’d all had a rest and some lunch, I brought Guinness out to warm up for his second test, but something wasn’t right. He didn’t want to go forward in trot, and whenever I pushed him on a bit more he just kept breaking in to canter. I had to withdraw from the elementary and I was devastated to say the least. I just couldn’t understand what was wrong?! Had he trodden on a stone? Pulled something? The final class was the one I’d put all my effort into, the dressage to music class, and was planning on fulfilling a lifelong dream of doing a dressage freestyle to the music from Black beauty, on my very own, Black beauty look alike. Unsure of what to expect, I tacked Guinness up, and hoped for the best. Although I took it easy in the warm up, Guinness seemed ok as long as I kept the circles big. So I nursed him around my test without pushing it at all and just kept him long and low and managed to come away with a 7^th.

 

After that I just walked Guinness on hacks in straight lines and Chloe rode Hero out with me a few times which was nice. I had a week’s holiday coming up and the day before I left I took Guinness in the school and he felt as lame as before. I gave him the week off and when he was no better after his rest, I contacted the physio and then the vet. It wasn’t good news and I had a very tough decision to make. This is what I wrote to say goodbye.

07.12.15 Goodbye my friend

It is with huge sadness that I have to say goodbye to my friend, partner and teacher of the last 6 years, Guinness. Guinness has suffered with a multitude of problems since I got him at just 4 years old and over the past month, with the change in weather and his increasing age, his arthritis is such that he is no longer comfortable to trot, or walk down any form of slope. I wish a long and happy retirement were possible for my beautiful boy but without the physiotherapy schooling gives to provide his arthritic neck with support, it is mine and my closest vets and physio’s opinion, that retirement would mean, further more frequent neck issues including locking and muscle spasms. I just can’t bear the thought of him being out in the field one day and being in pain and alone or his legs giving way underneath him because of his wobblers.

I will miss his cheeky face over the door, how he tried to bite and kick me when being brushed, how nervous I felt before every competition warm up and how proud I felt after every class. It was only August when I passed over the cross country finish line at Aston le Walls, in the pouring rain and sideways wind, streaming tears of joy because of how proud I was of my boy and how much I love him. I will miss his beautiful face, kind eyes and the little white streak in his tail. I will miss his smell, and the feel of his soft neck on my cheek and velvety muzzle on my face. But most of all I will miss him as my friend.

I’m grateful he will not have to suffer in his final days like Donald did and Frosty did right at the end. I’m grateful that he will never know any different than the life of pampering and luxury he is accustomed to and the constant attention and love he has known. I’m grateful for all the excitement we’ve shared and all we have overcome. I’m grateful for all he has taught me. I’m grateful for hard he has tried to keep going, even when he’s been uncomfortable. I’m grateful for all the fun we’ve had together over the last almost 6 years. I’m grateful for all the bucks I’ve learned to sit and even the few times I’ve ended up on my arse! I’m grateful for all the happiness he has brought to my life. I only wish we could have more time together, but I hope he understands that I’m doing my best to put his quality of life before my own emotional and selfish needs. He truly is one in a million to me, the horse I dreamed of as a child, my horse or a lifetime, my very own, Black Beauty.

Say hi to Donald, Frosty and Peter for me. I love you so much and I will miss you every day.

3 weeks has passed since I said goodbye to my horse of a lifetime, and it hasn’t been easy. Some days are harder than others but I’ve had phenomenal support from my family, my partner, and my friends. So much reminds me of him, and I think that’ll always be the case. The day I received my regional qualification email was one of the hardest, but I’m still confident I made the right decision. 

Since then, many things have changed. My partner has been offered an amazing job in Los Angeles, and all things considered, we’ve decided it’s too good of an opportunity to miss! We’ve been engaged for a long time but this was a great excuse to arrange a last minute wedding so now it’s all hands on deck! We will be married early in the New Year and then if everything goes to plan, we will be moving out to LA around April!!! Peroni, my youngster will go to France to live with the other Adams family clan (Taffy, Frosty and Beanie) whilst I’m away until he’s old enough to be backed! 

Peroni is growing in to such an amazing little horse and all the groundwork and handling I’ve done so far has really paid dividends. I moved him from his current yard back to Kevin’s in Seer Green and he walked the 45 minute walk by my side along a busy road like a grown up pony! He was nervous and curious at times, but he followed my feet as I’d trained him to do and couldn’t have made me prouder! I’m looking forward to having my first proper groundwork lesson with him with Sue Edwards next weekend!

So lots is changing and it’s sad, exciting and scary all at the same time, but life isn’t a dress rehearsal and as I’m waiting for the clock to chime in an new year, I’m feeling exceptionally grateful for all the wonderful things and people I’m so lucky to have in my life, and hoping 2016 will be one of the most exciting adventures of my life so far…..

Highs and Lows and it's all good experience!

Well, once again days just seem to be passing without even having a chance to take a breath but at the same time it's great to be busy! The last 3 weeks has been a very varied mix of highs and lows.

I arranged to go to windmill farm to practise my dressage to music floorplan in an arena of correct proportions. These plans went mostly out the window though when Guinness freaked out at the bushed near 'A' and most of my ride ended up being about gently coaxing him nearer and nearer to A. Once I was able to use the whole arena, we attempted a run through but one thing or another initiated either a buck, rear or spin and we had to start again. I was desperately trying to keep my cool but I was getting very frustrated by this point and with Guinness adrenalin still high, this wasn't helping matters. Eventually we managed to get from start to finish and I decided to call it a day feeling somewhat deflated about the whole experience. Lesson to learn from this - take a friend with you even on practise days who can help you take a breath and take the pressure off when things start to get tough.

The next week I literally had a big blow when I managed to get kicked by a youngster who's been on box rest for a long time whilst hand grazing and was pretty badly hurt. Lesson to learn from this - NEVER be complacent around any horse! The following week was a real struggle but the timing couldn't have been worse as I was only 5 days away from the Petplan Area qualifier! With the aid of an extra box on top of the mountain block, I was able to 'climb' on Guinness the day before although I didn't feel I was much use whilst I was up there to be honest. It's at times like this when you're extremely grateful you've put the time and effort in to train your horse to stand properly and calmly at the block. It took me nearly 5 minuted but Guinness waited patiently. 

The next day we set off to Oldencraig and when I got to the warm up and it was empty I prayed this was a sign that luck was on my side! We warmed up calmly, a few other riders came in  and everything was going well until what was obviously a very 'hot' horse came in to the warm up. The rider even asked everyone to walk whilst she coaxed her horse around the arena. Guinness immediately picked up on the tension and energy and once this other horse had a spin and a dash, Guinness dropped me and suddenly I was also sitting on what felt like a firework. We did our best to continue but Guinness adrenalin was already racing through his system and when a leaf blew out of one of the bushed he span so quick that I came within an inch of hitting the deck. This seriously knocked my confidence and we had only minutes until our test. Never the less, we gave it a good try but there were several extra movements added which weren't in the test! After my knock in confidence in the warm up, I pretty much froze and rather than helping Guinness and riding him forward I became a bit of a passenger for the next few movements. What I am pleased about though is that despite the difficulties in the first part of the test, we both relaxed and improved towards the end. That is one test I will definitely put down to experience!

The next day didn't get much better when I thought a nice hack would be a good idea. Long story short, the closer we got to home the more Guinness seemed to be having some sort of panic attack which nearly ended up with us having a collision with a car when he ran backwards in to a cross roads. Thank goodness I was wearing a ton of fluorescent gear and the drivers saw me early enough to stop. But that night I was pretty sleepless, worrying why my horse who has virtually been an angel the last 6 months had suddenly become so insecure?!?!?! You start asking yourself all the usual questions.. his feed, routine, field hadn't changed so what was the problem? The next day I took him down to the arena to do some groundwork 'on line'. He seemed calm and attentive until I attempted a figure of 8 at which point he had a complete mental breakdown and just galloped, leaped and bucked around me until he was too tired to gallop any more. I brought him in and gave him a long rub and a cuddle. Then we went back to the figure of 8 very slowly and gradually he got the idea and started to feel more comfortable and confident with it. Then I tacked him up and we went for a short hack and he was perfectly behaved this time and I felt totally comfortable to mosey around on a long rein. 

Since then Guinness has still had spooky and hot-headed moments, but I'm feeling more confident to 'take his hand' and say, 'come on, come with me' by being more confident in the contact and riding him more forwards in to it which seems to be working! Yey! bit of a mini breakthrough!!!!

Guinness, Hero and Peroni update

Oh my goodness where have the past 2 weeks gone!! Autumn is most definitely here now, and although we've had some lovely warm evenings, the mornings are darker, mistier and colder! It's that 'in between' time when you've no idea what type of rug to put on in the morning, how much to feed and to clip or not to clip!! It's literally a case of taking it day by day and constantly checking the weather forecast!

Guinness and I have been steadily ticking over with last minute preparations for the Petplan area festival at Oldencraig in less than 2 weeks time! I had two amazing lessons with Sue Edwards this weekend we worked on just securing Guinness confidence in to the contact which my inconsistencies had allowed to become a bit 'brittle'. Strangely this involved me riding most of my lessons with my reins in one hand! Although this work was to help Guinness find his own frame and not rely on me to help him, I couldn't help but think this was also very helpful towards my goal of riding bridleless as, although I had my reins in one hand completely still, I was able to ride large, 15m circles, squares and changes of rein with only my belly button to guide Guinness. It was satisfying to find once he settled into the frame I had given him everything else flowed more freely and in a more relaxed way and the feeling was awesome! 

We've had some lovely hacks recently too and even ventured out with some friends on Friday. Cantering through fields full of sheep with other horses was something I had never believed Guinness would ever be able to cope with but he really has grown up so much this past year and every hack is now a pleasurable one!

Hero is feeling particularly well at present. I don't think he's ever been so pampered in all his life, especially now he's an 'in at night' pony! All the enthusiasm plus an already woolly coat has made him quite hot so Bex clipped him for me yesterday and he seemed much happier. Louise and Jenna have been doing a great job keeping him entertained and exercised for me and he's even going cross country schooling tomorrow.

Peroni is doing really great and has grown in confidence since his new friend Shinty arrived. Everyday I can catch him without issue and he even canters over to the gate when he sees me coming! I can't believe how much he's filled out and grown in just 4 months!

May 2015

3rd October 2015

Cooking, lessons, teaching, Hack with Mum, Blenheim Horse Trials, Dressage to Music and Gardening! Busy, busy busy!!!!!

Another trip to France
I had a few days in France earlier this month whilst my parents are away to help my sister take care of the horses and my elderly Nan. It was very relaxed, and although I was sad we couldn't do any riding (my sisters horse Beanie was suffering with a bout of COPD) I made the most of the time to indulge in a bit of home cooking!

Coffee and walnut cake

The horses at the pony club near by are lovely and they have such a range! From 'Til' the biggest horse to the newest baby shetland foal!

Til is huge!

Training with Sue Edwards
Straight off the plane and I had two lessons with Sue Edwards last weekend. We reviewed my recent elementary tests and decided to work on clearer transitions into and out of the mediums. On day one we worked mostly on the trot, increasing engagement and lift of the shoulder in the collected trot and then 'releasing the belly button' to allow the energy out more directly into the medium. The medium should be 'allowed' not 'driven' as this will unbalance and cause the horse to fall on the forehand. The more we worked on it the better Guinness understood the aid from my core. The second day we did the same in the canter. Lots of square turns helped with engagement and collection and then we 'allowed' some mediums. I think it's fair to say these are the new highlights of my forthcoming tests! I had no idea how much power was really in there!

Mum finally gets to ride her new horse Hero!
My Mum finally got the chance to ride the horse I encouraged her to buy last year as she was over in the England for a holiday. Hero has been with me for training and hacking before he makes the move to France. My Mum suffers with a few health issues and hasn't ridden since she lost her horse Frosty last year to a fatal melanoma. Thursday was glorious sunshine and after a bit of bonding time grooming, we tacked up and headed off for a leisurely hack around the chess valley countryside. Hero was amazing as always! He is the perfect combination of safe but forward and fun! Mum lead the whole way with Guinness and I following along behind. It was so lovely to ride with my Mum after such a long time!

Mum and Hero!

Blenheim Horse Trials
Saturday I was very lucky to go to Blenheim Horse Trials with my friends Toni and Poppy and we met up with my friends and clients Tammi, Sarah and Ryan there. I've been going to Blenheim since I was a small girl and I love watching the Cross country! Poppy who is just 9 years old wants to be an equestrian photographer when she's older and she took some amazing photo's! It was amazing to watch the high jump challenge and total credit to Laura Collett jumping 5'10 bareback!!!!

Dressage to music
Guinness and I have been busy working out our floorplan and editing our music ready for the freestyle at the Chiltern and Thames Dressage Championships at the end of October...watch this space!

Peroni & Shinty
Peroni had an exciting week this week - he got a new field buddy! 'Shinty' has moved in and already they are in love!

 
Lots of teaching
I had lots of great lessons this week. Too many to mention but was great teaching Kayleigh on Mr Darcy and having a bit of a jump! Mr D loves jumping but can get a bit over excited at times!

Next week sees the start on the next 'Take Back the Reins' courses at Moorwards which is a course especially designed for adults who want to get back in the saddle and maybe haven't ridden since they were young. If you want to find out about your nearest TBTR centre go to www.hoofride.co.uk for more information.

Gardening?!
I even managed to fit in a bit of gardening this weekend although I was more interested in saving all the earthwoms, spiders and snails from the strimmer! These are a few of the beautiful, multi-coloured friends I made today :-)

 

Introduction to Dressage - Part 2

Part 2 – Contact

Next we disgusted contact. 

To me, contact is the soft, steady, accepting connection between the riders hand and the horse’s mouth, created from the energy of the horses’ hind leg flowing through the horses’ body, up into a lifting shoulder and thus allowing the poll to be the highest point. It should not be achieved through a backwards hand but should follow the natural motion of the horses head. The frame should be neither behind the vertical nor too much in front of the vertical allowing the bit to sit comfortably and in an accepting way in the corner of the horse’s mouth, with the rein extending in a straight line past the riders hand to the elbow. The pressure on the horse’s mouth should be as soft as possible, with the horse working in self carriage, whilst with enough security of connection to direct and support the horse as much as required through the movements. 

Wow – the amount of words required to accurately explain contact makes you realise how complex and delicate a thing it is. Like most things, most riders spend their lives trying to achieve the perfect balance between either not enough or too much. Not enough and the horse cannot be directed sufficiently and will lack ‘attention’ and ‘confidence’, too much and the horse will appear resistant, without ‘submission’ and ‘harmony’. It is only with time and practise can we as riders develop the refinement and feel to create such a perfect balance and only when the training, strength and physical development of the horse allows it. Thus most of us will spend the rest of our riding lives refining and further refining it as our level subtlety and intricacy of communication develops. Because of this I always ensure I am not critical of a rider who has not got close to this balance yet, but instead I will gently ensure the rider can feel the direction in which further refinement is required. 

So where do you start with a 13 year old? As a human, we can only learn effectively if we concentrate on one area at a time. First we begin by visualising the shape. Neither behind nor too above the vertical. So how do you teach a horse to do this? Ryan already knows that reins aren’t for steering or stopping (except in emergencies!) but he has never used them for ‘shaping’ before. 

How to ask a horse a question (pressure and release)

In the halt, we ask Puzzle a question. This might sound like a strange thing to say, but horses don’t speak English (although of course they recognise tone/ energy/emotion). Ryan visualises the picture he wants to create whilst asking Puzzle a question. We always ask horses questions by applying some sort of pressure e.g a touch of the leg or even a pressure with our eyes but none the less a pressure of sorts. This doesn’t mean the horses instantly knows what we are asking him/her to do, but they know we are asking them to do something and thus the horse tries to work out the answer to the question through trial and error. I ask Ryan to lift his inside hand to apply a pressure on the corner of Puzzles mouth (the nicest place to place a pressure on the horses’ mouth) whilst keeping a contact in his outside rein so as to keep the pressure even in both reins. A very light pressure at first and then we wait. Puzzle does not seem to realise we are asking her a question and is quite comfortable and unaware what we are asking her. So I tell Ryan to increase the pressure gently to a level where she will understand that we are asking her to do something different. Puzzle realised something has changed and then begins to work out what she should do with this pressure. First she leans on the bit and pulls at the rein, but Ryan maintains the same amount pressure. Then she throws her head upwards but Ryan maintains the pressure. Then she softens a little by lowering her head a little and stretching her frame in to a vertical shape. This is the most crucial part of training any horse – the release of the pressure. Only when the pressure is released can a horse comprehend that they have answered the question correctly. This applies to any pressure; a leg aid to trot on, a ‘soften the rib cage’ aid in a leg yield, a canter aid. The pressure is the question and the release of the pressure signals the correct answer (or in the beginning an answer going in the correct direction). When you stop and think about, why else would a horse want to do what we ask? No horse should ever be discouraged for getting the wrong answer as it is only through trial and error these amazing creatures manage to fathom what on earth it is we want, but by the same token, the pressure must be maintained until the answer were looking for is given otherwise we just create greater confusion. Over time, with repetition and practise, a horse can learn what our different aids are asking for. 

We may have only touched on the very beginning of contact by achieving a few moments of softness and shape in the halt and walk but learning is best absorbed in small manageable chunks.

Ryan was thrilled and had enough to work on between now and his next lesson without feeling overburdened with too much new information. This is such an important part of being a coach, being challenging enough that the rider can progress whilst always making it as easy as possible for both horse and rider to understand and succeed.