Training Update for Suki and Auditing the Arthur Kottas Clinic

Yikes!  Time flies when life is crazy busy!  With that bear of a report finished (until the client requests changes, additions, etc) I have a few days of breathing room.  Once again with my busy schedule and the hard footing in the arena I have had to slow down a bit with working Suki and Nikki.  Important to protect those legs!

As much fun as it is to have Suki working in full tack it is quite time consuming to do this with two horses on an abbreviated schedule!  I have found that some weeks it is easier to alternate the days they work. Some days the horse that doesn't get ridden or lunged has a stretching session or in hand exercises without tack.  Other days the non-working horse just gets groomed.  It still rounds out to a busy week, but then neither horse is rushed and I am able to focus on each one's work.

Not that I am complaining about having to put a saddle and bridle on Suki!  It is something  never expected to happen, and I am thrilled!  There is so much support from all over the world, which I find heartwarming.  I think there is just something about Suki that has gives her this instant connection with people…..even those who have never met her.  Sometimes, when I am having a bit of a tough day (for whatever reason) reading comments about Suki's FB posts just makes me smile.  How can we fail with so many people cheering us on!

With Nikki I am trying to work on attaining more collection and showing a clear difference between working, medium and collected.  To achieve this I have been changing out a variety of exercises to keep Nikki from being bored and to focus on different aspects of the gaits and transitions.  Overall I am pleased with how Nikki is working.  I am disappointed in myself for not having as much time as I need or want to make it better.  Often our rides are shorter than I would like, but I try to make that time as productive as possible.  We have had some humid days with the green head flies in attack mode.  In fact this past Friday (31 July) I cut my ride really short.  The green heads were landing on Nikki's chest so she was diving at them with her teeth.  Landing on her face so she would shake her head trying to get them off.  Tenacious little buggers.  A twitch of the skin does not usually get them off.  Following her shower, Nikki loves to be towel dried and have her face rubbed.  I put the entire towel on her head and rub.  She loves it!

Suki is progressing nicely and I know that it is time to get on.  So I have to plan.  She is very nonchalant about going to the arena and working.  Saddle: no problem.  Flapping stirrups: who cares?  Mounting block: piece of cake.  Leaning and lying over her back: time to nibble on the grass by the mounting block.  So I guess at this point it is a bit of my own anxiety.  I lie over her and pat her right side and she seems to not be bothered by it.  So it is just that next critical step….swinging the leg over and sitting in the saddle.  Yes, I have anxiety about what she will do…..but I also worry about the additional weight on her back, and how that will feel to her, which of course affects how she reacts.  We are still using the treeless saddle most kindly loaned to me by Louise.  The new saddle pad, so generously sent to us by Ecogold seems to work beautifully!  So comfort wise I think she seems fine.  Thank you Ecogold!

It's funny, I am always really sensitive about putting on the bridle.  Suki still sometimes has issues about her ears, so I am ever so careful about putting the bridle over her ears.  This morning I was not even thinking about it.  I was hot and sweaty from riding Nikki, tired from my long day yesterday (Arthur Kottas Clinic) and I just put the bridle on Suki.  One-two-three.  While I was securing the throat latch I realized what I had just done.  Very cool.  She really is becoming just like any other horse (well, in the getting ready aspect!).  Today's work was amazing.  She was hardly stiff, and the recent rain gave us a bit softer footing so I did not even see any foot soreness.  After lunge work we did a few turns on the forehand and haunches then finished with the mounting block.  Of course it is easy to say this now, showered, a glass of wine at my side and watching the birds attack the feeders, but had I been wearing a helmet I probably could have gotten on.  Though no one was there and I do want someone at her head!  Woulda, coulda, shoulda!

I received another generous gift recently also.  Suki wears several different fly sheets of varying weights, and three of them are Weatherbeetas.  We often struggle with her staying cool underneath them on hot days.  Although she is inside during the day, even with a fan Suki doesn't wear a sheet inside.  But going out at 4 in the afternoon it is often still quite hot.  On the hottest days she just wears sunscreen.  Weatherbeeta very kindly sent Suki a CoolKoat fly sheet.  It is surprisingly cool underneath and fit nicely into her rotation.  Another problem is that the moisturizer on Suki's back makes the fly sheets dirty and oily on the inside, so I have to wash them frequently, making it necessary to have many options available as at least one is always out of rotation due to being washed or repaired!  So many thanks to Weatherbeeta!

Isaiah also had another dressage show on July 26.  He did a great job and received good scores and feedback from the judge.  And two blue ribbons to add to his growing collection.  The first test was better than the second and Isaiah referred to the second one as "horrific".  It was not horrific!  Because of the location of the arena, horses had to enter from the side then trot around the inside of the arena to go down center line.  During the second test Rusty considered making an exit but Isaiah quickly corrected him and prevented that from happening.  It was nice to see him respond and prevent.

I was unable to attend the Andreas Hausberger clinic at Waltzing Horse Farm due to difficulty finding an acceptable place to stay (I am already looking for next year!) which actually turned out to be fine because work was busy and I would have had to do some work in the evenings while away.  But another opportunity to audit a clinic given by a Spanish Riding School (former) chief rider just 2 hours away so I was able to attend one of the three days.  The Arthur Kottas clinic was held at Four Winds Farm in Bridgeton, NJ.  Horses were clean and braided and riders were dressed appropriately.  Very nice.

Arthur Kottas-Heldenberg was a member of the Spanish Riding School from 1960 to 2002. In 1980 he was made Chief Rider and was the youngest person to have held this post in the 400 years of the School's history. He is a trainer and instructor of the highest international repute who has successfully trained riders and horses up to Olympic medal standard. His classical schooling methods do not rely on the use of force by the rider. The following quote from Arthur Kottas-Heldenberg, helps summarize his training philosophy, “ If the horse enjoys his work, then it will always have fun. You have to keep them very happy, so the horses are not thinking, God, I have to come to the school again. No, no, if they could talk they have to say, I like to do it, take me there; I’m ready. A horse in piaffe, enjoying the moment of suspension, and its own strength and lightness. You know, they are still animals, and you have to remember that.” (excerpt from AK biography page)

Mr. Kottas began the session by explaining that he was not there to criticize, but to help.  He stressed the importance of the horse as a partner and how the rider must "invite" the horse to work.  "You must love the horse."  Amen!

So rather than get into individual rides and commentary, which might hurt feelings (though I would just be repeating what was said during a lesson), I will address common themes throughout all of the lessons, and specific comments without identifying.  I must also preface this with saying that I was not in the saddle.  I give the riders credit for going up in front of such a dressage master.

AK stressed the importance of rider fitness.  Overall he observed that many riders were not really fit.  "You expect a certain fitness level from your horse so you must also be fit as the athlete rider."  Many people only ride one horse each day so fitness must come from off the horse training.  AK was appalled if someone said that they only ride 4 days a week, but for some that is really the best they can do.  He wants horses ridden 6 days per week so if you are unable to do it yourself enlist help.  Best to ride horse 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon.  I completely understand his points, but some of those expectations are unrealistic.  Okay, but fitness, good seat and quiet hands are not an unrealistic expectation.

A few riders had some difficulty with sitting the trot.  AK pointed out how tight their backs are and therefore were not absorbing the horse's movement.  He asked several riders to do turn on the forehand, because he feels that this is a good indication of how much the horse has been trained to the seat and leg.  And working on TOFH and turn on the haunches can be used to help the horse understand seat and legs for lateral work.

Another common theme was level of the horses.  Several horses were said to be at 3rd level, but AK felt that they did not have the collection to compete at that level.  This was obvious in watching the horses being worked.  He feels that too many people say "Oh, my horse can move sideways so he is ready for 2nd/3rd level."This is a very common theme in the US, especially in schooling shows.  Part of the problem is that I think people get bored.  They are tired of doing 1st level so if they sort of have the "tricks" down they move up.  But it goes hand-in-hand with the fact that anyone can call themselves riding instructors, which is not the case in many European countries.  That said, we do have some amazing trainers/instructors in this country.

Okay, so back to the collection issue.  Several riders were asked to do simple changes of lead which led to some difficulty. Many were unable to perform very clear walk steps before asking for the canter in the opposite lead.  As AK pointed out, if you can't do this the horse is not ready for flying changes.  This was also demonstrated by some pairs.  The changes were not clear or correct.  When asked to do a simple change they had some difficulty achieving the very clear walk steps before asking for canter again.  Without that collection during the walk steps, the canter depart was late (or through trot steps) with the horse's hind end out a little behind instead of stepping under.  Working through the simple changes rider was able to make her horse understand what the intention was.  The rider told AK: "He always does this."  Of course AK is not accepting this as an excuse, because the horse "does things" because he/she is asked (perhaps inadvertently) or does not understand. This was demonstrated by a rider who could not keep her horse in the right lead canter on a 20m circle.  He kept switching to the left.  Her comment too, was "He always does this."  AK pointed out that she kept moving her inside leg back so the horse perceived that as asking for the change.  The rider didn't realize that she was doing this.  AK was getting a little frustrated with her, which I understand.  However, habits are hard to change in an hour!  As a rider we intellectually get what you are telling us and we may be able to do it for a few minutes before reverting back.  So it is frustrating for the rider as well.  When I rode Lion (a schoolmaster at BHF) he did the lead switching thing on me from time to time.  I was slightly shifting my seat, which for Lion was enough to say "flying change!"  I'll bet that on the second day of the clinic the rider was more prepared for that.  I had originally planned to attend the clinic for two days because it is nice to see how the riders and horses progress.

Lengthening of stride at the canter.  A couple of the riders were able to achieve this fairly well.  Most just went faster.  But again it came down to the horse being too far on the forehand and unable to get the big push from behind, necessary for a true lengthening.  AK Had the riders count strides down the long side in the regular canter.  For the medium there should be 4-5 fewer strides.  That really helped the riders feel it and you could see the improvement as they sat more to get the push they needed to actually lengthen the stride.

Hands were another big issue.  AK felt that the majority of the riders had busy hands and that a problem he sees quite often is riders thinking hands before seat.  Seat and weight must be first.  Improper balance of weight in the seat and stirrups will prevent the horse from having appropriate bend and step.  Again he went back to the busy hands and balancing off the hands.  Too much inside hand observed in shoulder in and half pass.  He doesn't think that many people understand the importance of the outside rein.

AK stressed the importance of time spent on the lunge to develop an independent seat and to properly learn to use weight to influence the horse.  He asked several people how often they read about dressage and watch videos.  Both instructional and competition.

Overall it was a great experience, but I enjoyed watching Andreas Hausberger a bit more.  AK talked about himself a fair amount, which AH didn't really do.  AH was also more engaged when auditors asked questions, and had each rider tell a little about themselves and their horse. He also did some in hand with just about every horse, demonstrating the benefits of this type of work.  AK did not do this with the riders at all, with the exception of one rider who had apparently requested it as part of her lesson.  She did not attend on Saturday so I did not see that work.  The caliber of riders was higher at the AH clinic, so perhaps some of the arrogance I was observing at the AK clinic was frustration.  AK did compliment riders when they corrected something appropriately or rode a piece well.  And he was kind at times.  He even joked occasionally.  But let's face it, training can be harsh as well as a reality check.  It would have been interesting to see the next two days of the clinic to observe changes that the riders made.  Kudos to the riders for putting themselves out there and riding with someone of AK's caliber.  It is most likely that they have never before ridden with anyone like that.  He is an excellent instructor and his corrections and requests were easy to understand.  It is always a treat to be exposed to someone of that caliber and observe their training philosophies and process.

A Milestone Reached, and a Goal Delayed

Summer marches on and we have been rewarded with the first local corn.  At Fisher's I selected one of their own, Sugar Pearl, and was not disappointed.  Sweet, popping kernels, one of the benefits of summer and living in the Oley Valley.  I filled a basket with beautiful local produce, fresh baked bread and headed home to make grilled veggies and shrimp.  Yumm!

It is hard to believe that it is July already.  Isaiah was not thrilled when I informed him that in 7 short weeks he would be going back to school (I am so mean!).  

Sunday, 28 June, 2015

Isaiah rode in a schooling dressage show today off the farm.  His times were late enough that I was able to get in a ride on Nikki and work Suki in hand before we had to leave for the show.  It was a cool morning, perfect day for a horse show.  And a beautiful morning for me to ride, especially after yesterday's day long rain.  I did manage to ride yesterday as well but Isaiah's lesson was rainier than my ride!

Nikki was nicely forward, clearly enjoying the cooler air as well.  That always makes lateral work have more expression so I even managed to get a nice bit of half pass.  Well, to the left was very nice.  To the right a little sticky, but that was more my fault.  Nikki loves to lengthen stride at the trot across the diagonal.  So today I asked for a medium.  I held with a brief half halt as I made the turn and with a slight touch of my leg she launched into an amazing medium!  Nearly propelled me out of the saddle it was so big!

Short on time I decided to do a bit of in-hand work with Suki.  I haven't been ding quite as much since I have been getting her used to wearing a saddle and bridle every day.  This was a good opportunity to focus on lateral work and moving away from my hand which will become my leg.  

Isaiah's show went well, with his first test (Intro A) being better than the second test (Intro B).  He went off course in the second test (turned right instead of left after his first center line, but mad a nice recovery after that.  At the end of the test the judge spoke to him (as they do at schooling shows).  After the first test she told him that his free walk could have a bit more energy.  He responded "I was thinking that as well".  Out of the mouths of babes!  She was very kind and encouraging, praising him for a job well done.  He won that class with a score close to 69%.  After the second test she told him that she knew that he was upset about going off course, but said "There is not one rider here today who has not gone off course at some time.  It happens."  He finished second in that class with a 65%.  It was tough to be the "show mom" instead of competitor, but fun to watch Isaiah and see how serious he is!

Waiting to go in for the test

Isaiah and Rusty: a job well done!

Tuesday, 30 June, 2015

A bit of a rainy morning, but not bad enough to put me off working the girls!  Work is insanely busy and I need my horse time to maintain sanity.  Rain is better than green head flies!  Nikki made her airplane ears face, but worked well and without complaint.  Such a drama queen about the rain!  It was a good day to work on canter transitions because it kept her mind off the rain.  By the time I brought Suki out the rain had stopped.  After some work in full tack on the lunge I took her to the mounting block again.  None of this seems to faze her, so I ask myself what am I waiting for?  Why not just swing my leg over and sit on her?  Ah yes…..reality check.  I haven't added stirrups to the saddle or contact to the bridle.  Oh and I am still not sure how the treeless saddle will feel on her back with the added weight of a rider.  I am over thinking this, aren't I???  Even Suki looks at me like "What are you waiting for?"  Could she be more ready for this than I am?

Thursday, 2 July, 2015

Several teleconferences and other work obligations make today a short work day for the girls.  Twenty minute lunge and in-hand work for each.  Nikki was a little lazy to start, even pinning her ears once or twice until she got motoring along.  She probably needed a second dose of Mt Dew (or Red Bull) just like I did.  I woke her up trying to do the spiraling in and out on the lunge (this is work intensive for the ground person but well worth the effort).  Then something startled her on the way back to the barn, causing her to passage next to me.  Where was this energy in the arena??

Suki started off our session by flicking me in the eye with the tip of her tail.  Oh yeah, that feels nice!  This was after she tried to suck a carrot out of my grooming box while I was wrapping the lunge line.  Yep, never leave the children unattended (or on a long lead length!).  She worked well, and I realized that I should have had in long lines once I was in the arena and starting work.  I decided to change things up a bit and work up the long sides of the arena.  This worked well, even asking for a bit of leg yield.  Then she stepped on the end of the lunge whip causing me to nearly fall.  I was feeling like a "housewife rider" for sure!

I returned to the barn later in the day to dress Suki in her fly sheet for turnout and Nikki in her pink bell boots.  On warm days I alternate between sunscreen on Suki's back and putting on her fly sheet.  The sunscreen enables me to let Suki go out without a fly sheet on the very hot days, and option not previously doable.  But the sunscreen dries out her skin, so I don't like to do that for too many consecutive days.  There is a lot of planning to keep Suki comfortable.  I probably overdo it, but in spite of the fact that she has fully recovered, and for the most part just like other horses, she does not have hair on her back and that needs to be considered in routine care.  But it does seem very routine to me now.  Suki gets groomed like other horses but we just have to add skin moisturizing to the mix.

Sunday, 5 July, 2015

Busy day at the barn!  Fortunately I had finished riding Nikki before too much of the craziness started.  By the time I got Suki out to the arena there was someone riding and someone lunging.  I will give Suki  credit for holding it together though.  In fact, she could have cared less that anything was going on in the arena.  I don't usually like to work under those conditions but sometimes that's life.  I only did 15 minutes, but Suki was focused and on task.  Her only departure from that was when the two horses in an adjacent field walked up to the fence.  I was just about finished when she started to lift her head and not pay attention.  So I kept her going for a few more minutes and she settled back to work nicely.  Nikki called to Suki as we walked back into the barn (I think she wanted her breakfast.  You would think she would be used to working before breakfast then waiting for it!).  I finished Suki's work with big stretches and nearly fell over when she stretched her left hind so far back!

As I resume writing this post I am sitting outside in the early evening enjoying a cool breeze and a glass of wine.  The birds in the feeders do not seem bothered by my presence and in my quiet solitude I was rewarded by the sight of a mom and her twin fawns on the hill!

So as I approach July 9, 6th anniversary of the fire and my goal date to sit on Suki, I realize that the goal will be delayed.  My current project for work has me crazed added to taking Isaiah to and from his variety of camps.  The school bus is much easier!  

I have yet to add stirrups to the saddle.  And I am certainly harboring some anxiety.  I don't want to hurt Suki, and I don't want to get hurt.  So far Suki has been completely fine but I am worried about her back.  Less about the burn area than about her back….musculoskeletal.  She had a back problem from a fall in the round pen (not with me! at the BNT I was working with.  It happened while I was away).  Once that was assessed and she had her back injected all was fine and training resumed beautifully!  I think that just sitting on Suki and doing walk and light trot will be fine, but I suspect she may need her back injected again.  Scheduled appointment for an evaluation.

Wednesday, 8 July 2015

Suki is getting so much better about having her bridle put on (wow, what a grammatically poor sentence!!).   I have putting it on in her stall because sometimes as I bring the bridle up over her ears she gets a bit nervous.  The past few times she has put her head right into the bridle.  I'm sure this stems from all of the treatments on her face and head during the first few months following the fire and the loss of the tips of her ears.  While I am able to put on her halter and groom her face and head, I imagine that the closeness of the brow band and head stall probably worries her a bit.  I do not think that it is caused by discomfort, because once the bridle is on she is fine.  

As I closed the arena gate after walking through with Nikki a bee stung my left hand.  Didn't even see it!  Nikki was amazing today in spite of the heat, humidity and bugs.  Nicely forward and coming back to collect immediately when asked.  I kept the ride short but even my eyelids were sweating when I was finished!  Nikki's face was sweating as well.  Going back through the gate I said to Nikki jokingly,  "Let's see if I can do this without getting stung!"  Then BAM!  Stung again as I unlatched the gate.  UGGH.

Suki had the day off with just stretches and spa treatment.  She will work tomorrow.

Thursday, 9 July, 2015

So.  Tonight at midnight is when I got the call from Bobbi that the barn was on fire and Suki and Whisby were missing.  I can still feel the clench in my heart when I think of that call.  The hours of waiting, and the call that Suki was critically injured.  Just 8 hours before I had kissed her on the nose and told her that I would see her tomorrow.  Who would have thought that "tomorrow" would be in ICU at New Bolton and she would be facing the fight of her life.  I don't care what the naysayers think.  I know in my heart that I did the right thing by saving Suki's life.  Following the experts advice I knew that complications could change her fate and I needed to be ready to make the decision to euthanize her if it came to that.  I was prepared to make that decision, but I was also prepared to give her the chance to live.  So though today did not go as planned and I was not sitting on her back, Suki and I had a quiet celebration.  I worked her in full tack and stood next to her on the mounting block.  When we were finished I wrapped my arms around her neck and told her how brave and wonderful she is.  Then she and Nikki had extra gummy bears to celebrate.  I will sit on her another day.

We have had such overwhelming support over the past six years that it would be impossible to thank everyone individually.  I still get teary when I think about that night, but it has subsided a bit and doesn't come on quite so easily.  

Saturday, 11 July, 2015

Driving into the barn driveway this morning I looked towards Suki and Nikki's pasture as I always do.  And what did I see?  They were lying side by side!  I stopped the car and jumped out to take a picture, because I knew they would not remain that way once I walked into the field!

After I parked I walked through the barn and to the gate of their pasture.  Still lying down enjoying the cool morning air!  Even when I walked up to them they did not get up!!

Finally I got them up, but not before they performed a tandem rolling session (phone in pocket, of course, so I could not get that on video!)

Great ride on Nikki, beautiful lateral work.  Going through the trot poles I could feel her back lift nicely as she pushed from behind.  Then I even attempted a few steps of half pass at the canter.  Okay, this was a little sloppy, but it was a first attempt and a great effort!  After that her collected trot work was really nice so I finished with stretchy trot serpentines.  

I worked Suki in full tack and did a lot of sharp transitions.  I like to make sure that she is focusing.  She was a bit stiff at the start but then worked out of it.  Then I started the transition work.  Walk-trot, trot-walk, canter-walk, walk-canter.  Good stuff.  The first few walk to canters were slow but then she was fine.  Mounting block work continues to go well, though she gets impatient after the third pass to the mounting block.  I feel like she is saying "Just get on already!"  But the bugs are a little worse at the mounting block also.

Sunday, 12 July, 2015

The girls were snoozing together again this morning!  Is this a new trend??

The humidity was low again this morning, but even as I mounted Nikki at 7:15 the warm sun started to heat the air pretty quickly.  Fortunately the flies were not so bad!  I decided to keep the work simple today with big loops at trot and canter.  It gave me a chance to do a little counter cater with Nikki and keep the work fun.  Nice stretching at the end.

I added stirrups to the saddle for Suki today, and she did not bat an eye as they bounced along while I lunged her.  It took a little longer for her to work out of her stiffness so perhaps I over did it yesterday.  I kept the session short with big trots and canters.  At the mounting block I leaned against her and moved my hands along her opposite side as if a rider was on her back.  Then, because I was still wearing my helmet from my ride on Nikki I laid over top of the saddle with all of my weight off the mounting block and onto Suki's back.  I got off the mounting block, gave her a sugar and wrapped my arms around her, again telling her how brave and wonderful she is!

I find it so surreal to be tacking her up to go out to the arena.  Now I just need to get on….

Getting Closer to Riding Suki!

The Oley Valley seems to have skipped the lovely spring (aside from a few days here and there) and jumped to summer.  Heat, humidity and bugs.  But just as we must deal with subzero temperatures, ice and snow, so we must overcome the effects of heat and flies.  As I sit in my favorite blue chair writing, my hilltop view has changed from leafless trees covered in snow backed by mountains, to lush greenery and colorful flowers.  But with the heat outside I find myself reflecting on the winter and half wishing for my snowy view.   Of course that would mean that I wouldn't be riding so I guess I will just have to adapt to the heat and bugs!

Several weeks ago…..
Nikki worked beautifully today!  It was already quite buggy so after a night outside I felt that a 5 minute lunge was enough time for Nikki to stretch without a rider.  From the moment I put my foot in the stirrup I knew it was going to be a good ride.  Nikki stood quietly at the mounting block and moved off at the slight touch of my leg.  After a warm up of trot serpentines on a long rein I moved on to lateral work.  I always begin with a bit of leg yield to get the sideways movement going and gauge Nikki's response time.  In spite of the rising humidity she was happy in her work so I was able to keep the ride short (in spite of my desire to want to ride FOREVER!!).

Miss Suki, on the other hand, was quite distracted.  After calling to her friends a few times she appeared to settle into her work.  Or so I thought.  Suki's giraffe imitation was quite impressive, though not conducive to work!  After letting her warm up at the trot I added a lot of transitions between and within gaits to get her attention back to me.  It worked reasonably well, but it was just one of those days!


I am so behind on my blog, with no real excuse.  Just the business of life.  So this will be a short entry, summarizing the events of the past few weeks.  Then my goal (really this time!) is to post weekly.

The bugs are incredibly aggressive already!  There were a couple of nights that were cloudy with rain possible over night so I put Suki out without her fly sheet.  I did it several times last year and all was fine.  The opening of the grafted area on her back is no longer a concern, but I don't want her to be exposed to the sun for a couple of hours before it sets.  After the second night I noticed numerous rather large bumps from bug bites all over her body.  Se didn't seem to be bothered by them but this is the first time  have ever seen Suki covered in bug bites.  Back to the fly sheet.  I bought the inexpensive Saxon fly sheet which is very light weight, but also tears easily.  Another problem with this sheet is the ability of the sun to penetrate through to Suki's back.  Last year Donna, my phenomenal blanket lady, sewed a light weight cotton panel inside across the top of the sheet, protecting Suki's skin.  So we still have the advantage of the sheet 's coolness, but added protection to the sensitive scarred skin.  I had her do it again so I will use it on the hottest days.  Nikki too, has been bothered by bug bites.  Several weeks ago she had huge bites in her mane up by her ears, then on her forelock.  At this point she seems to be much better, so hopefully we are past that for now.  One problem that Nikki has not had this year is gnat bites on her belly.  Typically at the start of bug season she gets multiple bug bites on her belly resulting in a large swollen area.  Not this year!  Instead she had the big crusty bug bites!

Saturday 27 June, 2015
So here I am again, a week since that last post.  We have been very busy since that time!  The bug bite issue has subsided, thankfully, and I have even been able to turn out Suki naked on occasion again.

Nikki's lateral work is really improving, and in spite of some hot, buggy days she has been quite willing to work.  We had a brief issue with sticky trot-canter transitions, so I changed up our exercises a bit.  The first day she was not happy about the rapid succession trot-canter/canter trot transitions but when I went back to canter at the end of that session she moved right off into canter at the slight touch of my leg.  The next day she was only sticky on the first transition.  I gave her a chance to redeem herself with another transition and she moved right off into canter.  Then going to the right she did not hesitate.

I have also been focusing on shortening and lengthening of stride with the hope of also starting half steps.  Now, granted, she is not ready to do piaffe, as her collected work needs to become more advanced, but the half steps will help with the collected work.  Nikki is funny.  When she is asked to do something unfamiliar she makes a face.  I know this because her ears twist in an unusual manner.  She is not pinning them back.  It is more like she is thinking, similar to when a child sticks out their tongue while focusing.  But she tries and then gets it.  Of course it is not perfect the first time, but she understands what is being asked.  Isn't that half the battle??

One day while I was adjusting her side reins I put down the lunge whip and had to re-wrap the lunge line.  Nikki looked at me and sighed.  My immediate thought was: "housewife rider!!" which is how Andreas Hausberger refers to people who are unable to hold on to all of their equipment while making adjustments.  Speaking of my most favorite trainer in the world, I may not be going to New York in July to audit his clinic.  So far I have not been able to find a place to stay.  There are some nice looking inns 30-40 minutes from the clinic site, but nothing closer.  And after checking on two of the nicer ones the dates I needed were not available.  In early August, Arthur Kottas (former chief rider of the Spanish Riding School) is conducting a 3 day clinic in southern New Jersey.  This is, of course much closer to where I live.  I'm just not sure.  I really like Andreas and the way he teaches.  Now in theory Arthur will be teaching in the same classical method……

Suki has been progressing nicely toward our July 9th goal of riding (Yikes!  That is coming along rather quickly!)  She has been demonstrating stiffness but, typically works out of it for the most part.  Each week I work her in hand and on the lunge line.  It is so exciting to have progressed to a saddle!  I am still not certain if I will ride her in the treeless dressage saddle, but it is a great transition from the surcingle.  From the first moment I put I on her back she has been a star!  I keep thinking about the very first time I sat on her when she was 3 years old.  It was the most amazing moment!

Friday After lunging I walked her to the mounting block.  To my surprise she spooked at it a little!  I let her sniff it then turned her around and approached it again.  She wouldn't step right next to it but I prized her and let her stand quietly.  Next time she was a bit closer.  Then she stood like a champ.  I lifted the saddle flaps, patted the seat and leaned over the saddle (not lying across, just leaning).  As you can see from her expression, she is quite concerned about the process!  Such a surreal moment.  Suki in a saddle and bridle and me on the mounting block.

So many emotions…excitement, happiness, anxiety.  But that first day in ICU I never in my life would have thought that Suki would even wear a surcingle, much less a saddle.  I never expected to be discussing the prospect of sitting on her again because it never mattered.  It only mattered that she recovered and was happy and healthy.  The criticisms over my decision to save her and stand by her do not matter.  In my heart I know I did the right thing.  Suki has fully recovered and is the picture of health.  And as for her happiness?  Well the nicker that greets me every morning (alone with Nikki's) tells me that she is quite happy!  And still a diva.  I don't expect to go into full training mode with her.  The process will continue according to her needs and best interest.  Life is full of questions.  One day at a time is all we can do.  Every day is a gift.

Step By Step Toward Suki and Nikki's Summer Goals

I have mentioned in previous posts about the challenges of driving past the former Pink Star Equestrian Center, site of the barn fire.  Sometimes I am fine, others I am brought to tears.  The farm has since become a Standardbred breeding farm, so we know what spring means….BABIES!  Driving past the large field that parallels Oley Turnpike Rd this morning a large group of mares dotted the field standing protectively over their babies as they dozed in the son.  I rarely smile as I drive past that farm, but today I couldn't help myself!

Tuesday, 5 May, 2015
Suki's birthday.  She turned 15 today.  In August she and I will have been together for 12 years.  Amazing.  There was no party hat to commemorate the occasion, as Suki is morally opposed to wearing one.  Not that I didn't try!

I also found out today that my blog has been selected by The Haynet, to be one of their new featured bloggers.  It is a large equestrian blogging community, with news, education, etc.  I am so excited about this opportunity!
http://www.hay-net.co.uk/haynet-news/8093/haynet-introduces-seven-new-members-to-their-featured-blogger-team

It will be a chance for even more people to learn about Suki and her courageous journey.  I am hoping that it will also offer the opportunity to have more burn survivors learn about Suki.  It has been quite awhile since Suki has had visitors so I would love to start that again.    Having witnessed the impact that she has on her fellow survivors, I know that she has the ability to help others.

Wednesday, 6 May, 2015
I rode Nikki yesterday, so I gave her today off to allow more time to focus on Sui's work.  She continues to come out of her stall stiff, but after a couple of trot circles she loosens up quite a bit.  I started with some stretches, but now I take her off cross ties to do this.  For some reason she becomes a little unsteady when stretching on cross ties.  Perhaps she feels that she can't balance herself appropriately when tied.  So I throw a lead rope over her neck just in case I need to grab her quickly and we proceed with the stretches.  Suki likes to snuffle my head while I stretch her front legs….hmmm perhaps that is why she prefers to not be on cross ties!!

Suki worked well, through trot and canter poles.  I love the way she pricks her ears and lifts her body as she approaches.  Her expression is not anxious.  It is interest and excitement, as in looking forward to doing it.  Because it was cloudy and supposed to remain that way with some drizzle I put Suki out without her fly sheet.  I try to do that whenever possible to give her a little more freedom.  She likes to have a good hardy roll, and because there is no longer concern about the skin on her back tearing I like to give her that opportunity.  Of course during the early afternoon the sun came out!  I gave it about 20 minutes to retreat, but when it did not I ran over to the barn to put on her sheet.  Suki and Nikki were out past the middle of their field when I pulled in.  Once I got to the gate Suki came running from mid field, calling to me.  It was so cute!  I handed her a treat over the gate, and as I grabbed her lead rope she turned around and ran back out to the field!!  Yesterday I brought them in early so I guess she was not going to take that chance again!  Fortunately when I walked out to get her she came right to me.  Such a character!

Saturday, 9 May, 2015

I really need to be better about my daily journal upkeep.  Sometimes by the time I get to actually write in my blog It is difficult to catch up!  So by making daily notes I should be able to do a weekly blog post.  Especially now that I was crazy enough to set a target date for sitting on Suki again!

Saturdays can be a bit crazy in our house.  Isaiah usually has a riding lesson at 10 followed by hockey.  So I try to get to the barn before 7.  Since I like to have an hour to read, write, knit, after I run and before I ride, this makes for an early Saturday start time. Sometimes I try to stagger the girls' working days so that Saturday I just have to ride Nikki and groom Suki.  Today I needed to work both girls, so I was in a bit of a time crunch. I lunged Nikki yesterday, so I just did a quick lunge to let her stretch and then got on.  She has been great, and adjusting to life back in work.  I have added lateral work back into the routine, and although a little bit of a "memory" issue occurred initially, Nikki rose to the challenge and decided that she did indeed remember!

Suki came out of the gate a little less stiff today, so we got right to work.  Silly me forgot to check the distance of the trot poles, and apparently someone had changed them.  This threw Suki off first time through so she decided to jump them.  I set the poles to suit my big horses and someone changed them to accommodate a smaller horse.  I usually look on my way down the driveway and can tell immediately if they are different, but I was distracted this morning.  You know, all that thinking!!  Once   I changed the distance Suki went through them beautifully.  Transitions were sharp and fairly consistent, though she looked surprised the first time I asked for a trot-halt transition!  But she was ready to move off immediately into trot, as evidenced by the inside ear tipped in my direction.  The girl knows her stuff!

Sunday, 10 May, 2015
Nikki worked today, but Suki had off.  Mother's Day, so I had to get home to make an extravagant brunch.  Suki had her full spa treatment though!

I haven't done the dreaded spiraling exercise with Nikki yet since our spring re-start.  During my years of dressage training it is the exercise that I hated when asked to perform it by my instructors, though I understand and appreciate its merit.  It is also the exercise that I have made students do (when I was doing some teaching, by request) and revel in their agony.  Yes, that is wrong, but as they say, "misery loves company!"  I worked on that today, and though she was a little slow off the leg for the first spiral out, one good thump and the rest were excellent!

Monday, 11 May 2015
Nikki's turn to have off, with just a thorough grooming and some stretching exercises.  Suki was very impatient on the cross ties.  She was even fidgety during stretches.  I kept the grooming brief and performed an abbreviated version of the stretch routine.  Marching out to the arena I sensed pride in each step that she took.  Maybe it was because I usually work Nikki first, and Suki was excited to start the day.  Nikki called to her when we were in the arena but Suki only answered once, then settled into working.  I decided to try spiraling exercise with Suki on the lunge.  Under saddle she used to do huge crossovers for the leg yield out.  On the lunge line it might be a little trickier.  However, it turned out to be a reasonable theory after all!  The spiraling in part just had me going smaller and smaller down to a 10m circle.  Which worked out okay, but I suspect this will be easier in long lines.  To leg yield back out to 20m circle I stepped toward her with the lunge whip pointing to where my leg would sit against her sides.  While the crossover was not big, it was there, and I was pleased.

Wednesday, 13 May, 2015
Beautiful cool and breezy day.  Wonderful riding weather!  Nikki was very vocal on her way to the arena, and many were willing to respond.  I expected her to be a little up, but after a couple of additional calls she settled into work.  She did have very nice energy, so after a few minutes on the lunge I got on.  There was a brief discussion by the mounting block, but other than that we were off to a great start!  I did the spiraling exercise but added a canter transition at the moment we hit the 20m circle mark on the leg yield out.  Nikki has been a little sluggish in the canter transitions so that helps sharpen it up a bit.

I lunged Suki in her new saddle pad that I won from 2-Point Bling.  She looked stunning!

Nikki called to Suki once or twice but surprisingly Suki did not answer!!  Today I asked for trot-halt and halt-trot transitions.  It was a day for sharpening the transitions!!  When Suki stepped into that first square halt from trot she turned her head and looked me in the eye….then faced straight ahead and launched into the trot as soon as I asked.  I would LOVE to know what she was thinking!  After 20 minutes of work she seemed a little tired, which was good.  We are stepping it up a bit and she will need to build fitness.  Though, hmmmm….how fit do I want her the first time I get on her back after 6 years of no rider!  When I removed the surcingle and saddle pad the skin on her back looked fine.  Very pleased!

Thursday, 14 May, 2015

Another day of work for the Suki and Nikki.  After a nice stretchy warm up on Nikki I over on to lateral work.  After about 10 minutes of big stretchy trot serpentines I gradually picked up the reins for more contact.  This method seemed to make her quite soft in the mouth with nice push from behind, resulting in very nice shoulder in.  We worked on leg yielding also and I got a little stuck off my right leg.  Definitely my fault as I seem to be less effective with that leg.  It improved when I dropped my stirrups.  After a series of canter transitions I finished with the big stretchy serpentines and Nikki stretched her nose lost to the ground.

Suki seemed a little stiff today so I had her do a lot of forward canter, which seemed to help.  I didn't ask her for rapid or precise transitions and this seemed to help with the stiffness.

Sean McCarthy (horse dentist) had to come back today to do a re-check on Nikki.  When he did the girls' teeth a month ago Nikki became upset toward the end, so Sean decided to stop at that point and return in a month.  She did need a little more work but became worried rather quickly.  Using a small clip on twitch (not the chain kind…the soft fabric rope type) did the trick.  He was able to finish quickly, and remained in the stall talking to her and rubbing her nose.  Nikki doesn't hold a grudge and was nuzzling him in less than a minute.

Sunday, 17 May, 2015
Warm, humid, buggy.  I guess summer has decided to arrive a little early.  Turnout is even being switched to nights outside and days in.  Usually this happens closer to Memorial Day (last Monday in May, for those outside the US), but the date is not written in stone.  It goes by the temperatures.  Works for me, and the girls will be happier, I'm sure!

Humid or not, it is a work day for Suki and Nikki but at least at 7 AM it is not quite as bad!  I am a bit distracted writing this entry because there is a large red headed woodpecker in the gazebo bird feeder.  On the other side a chipmunk and finch are sharing a bite, one on each side of the feeder.  Bentley is watching (or is he sleeping?) from his stool.

Suki was a little temperamental about having the bridle put on today.  It is the same bit that she has always used but I am back to thinking that perhaps she needs something a little smaller?  Once she was wearing it she seemed okay, but a little fussy, so I kept the work brief.

Tuesday, 19 May, 2015
I caught Suki sleeping in front of her fan!  It was very cute.  Her eyes were closed, lip drooping and forelock blowing in the breeze!  She and Nikki were also pretty muddy.  Apparently there was some good rolling going on after the rain over night!  In spite of the very active rolling, all good on Suki's back.  Sunny today, so Suki will have to go out in her fly sheet later.

I decided to work Suki and Nikki in hand today.  I let them warm up at a trot and canter on the lunge before starting work in hand.  Suki worked first, which I know she loves, and Nikki called to her from the barn.  Turn on the forehand and turn on the haunches both worked well.  There was a little stickiness at first with the turn on the haunches, but I realized that I was not pointing the whip at the correct place.  There is generally no contact with the whip, just pointing.  Sometimes I reinforce with a cluck, and occasionally a light push with the whip handle.  I added a little piaffe at the end, then finished with a brief forward trot on the lunge.  Suki seemed pleased at the end of the work.

Nikki was LAZY!!! this morning.  I had to make her really go forward during the warm up on the lunge.  Of course that resulted in her being hyper sensitive during the in hand part of the training.  But I used it to my advantage and actually got some lovely passage!  As I passaged next to her I tried to determine if she was simply mimicking me!

Thursday, 21 May, 2015
The girls were happily grazing when I arrived at the barn.  They lifted their heads when I called their names but returned to grazing immediately.  So I walked out to grab Suki first and continued to call to Nikki while Suki and I walked to the gate.  She continued to graze until I brought Suki through the gate, then came charging across the field.  So funny.

Today with Nikki I did a lot of trot serpentines beginning with 3 loop then increasing the number of loops and decreasing the size.  Adding walk for 3 steps across centerline made her really pay attention.

Suki was a little fussy in the bridle today again so now I know we need something different.  I am thinking that perhaps the thickness is not the same as what I had been riding her in.  She also had a scratch on her neck.  It's interesting that the skin seems strong, but also sometimes fragile and sensitive to scratches.  It's small, but bright against the dark skin, and does not seem overly sensitive to the touch.

I finally found the Roeckl Solar gloves!  I had bought a pair a few years ago at Gladstone during The Festival of Champions but had been unable to find them in subsequent years.  But SmartPak came through:
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/solar-glove-5991

Instead of having tan arms and white hands, it will all be the same.  The back panel of the gloves allows sun to penetrate.  I will be wearing sun screen, of course, but a little tanning is to be expected.

And I am SO excited!  The Andreas Hausberger clinic is scheduled by Waltzing Horse Farm training in July.  I was unable to attend in 2014, but my 2013 experience still influences how I ride and train.  Sarah has moved her base to Verona, NY, but it should still be approximately a 5 hour drive.  There was no chance of me getting a riding spot (a long wait list) but auditing with Andreas is an amazing experience and so educational and inspiring!

So training continues, with the usual bumps along the way.  But we continue to march forward toward summer's goals.

Goal for sitting on Suki again: 9 July

With winter blues finally bidding a fond farewell, spring finally seems to be cautiously making its entrance.  In spite a few chilly days (and a snow flurry or two), May began with warm sunshine.  Time to move toward our summer goals, one step at a time...

Sunday, 19 April 2015

Plan for the day: lunge Nikki in full tack, 20 minute lunge for Suki; pull Nikk's mane.

I got started slightly later than originally anticipated (of course).  But in my defense, I was in writing mode and didn't want to stop until I had completed my thoughts.  I find it difficult at times to accomplish everything I would like to each day.  I am trying to make more realistic daily goals.  Today I feel like I was a bit overly ambitious.

I lunged Nikki in full tack as planned.  She worked beautifully.  Nicely forward, good on transitions, though I will admit they could have been better.  I was pleased with the lift that Nikki achieved over the trot poles, though when I changed direction she appeared surprised by their presence!  Pay attention princess!  I finished with leading exercises, rounding out a 30 minute session.

Suki came out of her stall a little stiff behind, so I was hesitant to do too much work with her today.  But it is always best to take a look and see if the horse works out of it.  After all, unbelievably, Suki will turn 15 on May 5th, so a little stiffness after a night n her stall is to be expected.  But I am completely overprotective of my horses and prefer to err on the side of caution.  As suspected, Suki was a little off behind, but worked out of most of it after just a few rounds of trot.  I still played it cautious and opted not to put her through trot poles.  I will contact my preferred lameness guy this week to have him take a look.  It is certainly possible that she needs hock injections, or perhaps her back.  Suki had her back injected in 2009 after extensive diagnostic testing revealed some inflammation.  It made a huge difference for her.  But let's take it one step at a time.  I want her to be able to work comfortably, of course.  And she does love to work.  I also need to be realistic about her back (the skin) and riding.  It holds up well under a surcingle but we have not yet tried a saddle.  In 4 weeks I hope to put a saddle on Suki, just to see how it goes.  Everything that is done will be in her best interest in mind.  I accepted from day one that she would likely be a 1400lb pet.  Suki is the one who showed me that she wanted more.

Nikki's mane did not get done.  After being at the barn for several hours I simply ran out of time.  Another day…. I hate when their manes look like this.

Tuesday, 21 April 2015
Rainy day yesterday so the girls had the day off.  We did some stretches in the barn to ward off any stiffness.  Surprisingly they were quite content, but today it was back to work.  Suki seemed about the same as yesterday to start, but after some forward canter work the stiffness was very slight.  I put her through the trot poles, allowing her to pick the pace and stretch.  In my experience trot poles do a great job of accentuating lameness behind, so it is often a good test.  Once again, no difference, but there is definitely something.  I am opting to continue light work, keeping the lunging on more straight lines rather than smaller circles.

Nikki was a bit sleepy to start this morning.  She had shavings in her forelock and looked like she needed a hit of caffeine to get going!  She did her downward dog stretch twice while on cross ties!  Once we got out to the arena she did a few head twirlies and moved out nicely.  I guess she woke up between the barn and the arena!!

I entered a contest last week for a blinged saddle pad from 2-point bling….and won!  Can't wait to receive it!

Wednesday, 22 April 2015
Some days I just want to sleep in.  Those days are rare for me but they do come up occasionally.  Today was one of those days.  I like to get up at 4:30 for a run then start work at 5.  My team for work is primarily in Europe, so I prefer to start early for reasonable overlap.  I desperately wanted to hit the snooze a second time this morning!

I could hear the girls talking to me as soon as I got out of the car, and they quite happily accepted the ginger snaps that I offered!  It made my sleepiness completely disappear.

After a brief lunge to loosen up I did some in hand work with Suki.  Today was one of those days when Suki anticipated movements, so I really had to change things up a bit.  She likes to take over if she thinks she knows what comes next.  Under saddle she would often do the same thing, especially with lateral work.  It was like an "I got this" attitude!  Once or twice she threw in a head twirly when I would not allow her to do what she thought should come next.  I must admit, I liked the attitude because she really demonstrated a desire to work.  And Suki did respond to what was asked, more promptly once she got over herself!  She is a chestnut mare, after all!

I haven't put the surcingle on yet this year, but I plan to do that next week.  There isn't any real reason to wait, other than I want to just get Suki used to working again.  She seems to be happy to get out into the arena although at times I wish she would contain that happy energy just a little!

Nikki worked in full tack, and my goal with her continues to be just to get her ready to be ridden.  That will be as soon as she has her teeth re-checked by the dentist.  She is tilting her head slightly in the bridle, which is always how she tells me she needs some work on her teeth.  The visit won't take very ing….Sean simply has to finish her back teeth since she became upset toward the end of his last visit a few weeks ago.  It was in her best interest to not push it any more and just follow up in  few weeks.  We didn't just let Nikki get her way.  Sean had worked with her and progressed quite far, giving her breaks.  But at the point we decided to stop she was just getting very upset.  He checked her mouth with his hands to finish the visit on a good note.  It was the appropriate thing to do, although some will always say we should not have backed down.  I am a supporter of the philosophy that you have to know when to stop, but finish on a good note and stress that it was your idea to stop and not the horse.


Thursday, 23 April, 2015
I got out of the car at the barn this morning and thought: "what a beautiful day!"  The sky was bright blue and the air crisp and cold.  Yes, beautiful…..if only it wasn't the end of April!  In fact later that morning the sky turned gray and snowflakes filled the sky.  Suki and Nikki are wearing mid-weight sheets.  That is because all of their heavier clothing has been sent to the blanket lady for clean and repair!  Are we sure it is April??

Friday, 24 April, 2015
Another cold start to the day.  But Suki and Nikki had yesterday off so today they had to work.  Even as I sit here writing this I am cold.  Just one of those days when the cold has gone deep inside.  The birds are happily eating from the feeders outside my window, though a few of them are puffed up to keep out the cold!

Grooming horses always gets me warmed up (well, maybe not so much in those sub zero temperatures!), so once I started to move around I was able to enjoy the soothing sounds of the barn.  Suki was quietly munching on hay, while Nikki searched my pockets for treats as I groomed her.  It was nice to enjoy the serenity of the barn.  Just me and the horses.  It truly is my favorite time of the day.  Just as I lifted my saddle off of the rack Nikki did her downward dog stretch accompanied by a BIG groan!  Stepping outside I think even she was surprised by the chill in the air and slight breeze.  In spite of the chilly morning (or because of it!) Nikki worked beautifully, stepping nicely forward into the contact of the side reins.

Suki stepped out of the barn just as breeze swept past making her puff up and "grow".  Of course she tossed her head and passaged next to me, so about half way to the arena I was questioning my sanity.  I growled at her and set her back to walk and halt several times and she did settle for the most part.  The first few times around on the lunge were at an extended trot, and I let her get it out of her system since she was not leaping or being disobedient.

Saturday, 25 April, 2015
I finally had time to shorten Nikki's mane.  I swear she is the only horse I know that drops her head all the way down and gets droopy lip while having her mane pulled!  I actually have to bend down to do it by the time I get up near her head.  Nikki's mane lies to the left side instead of the right.  I usually pull it after I fold it over to the right side which makes it difficult to gauge how even it is.  Today I decided to not fight nature and do it from the left side.  It was definitely easier that way!!

Earlier this week I won a saddle pad from 2-point bling (now Pippi-dressage paint), which arrived yesterday.  It is so pretty!  I have never had a saddle pad with bling.  Truly befitting the Queen that Suki is!  Here is Suki checking it out.

Sunday, 26 April, 2015
Suki was so distracted today!  She walked quietly out to the arena (well, at least there wasn't any passaging!).  Horses were calling to her, she was answering, twirling her head….anything to not focus on work.  She did eventually settle and work well though.  I was even able to get some nice passes through the trot poles, though I had to spread them to keep up with her stride!  That must very entertaining to watch as I try to keep up with her.

I try to keep lunging interesting and not stressful on the joints, so I can't wait to add long lining into the mix.  I wonder if she will remember how to do it?  Once she sees me fumbling with the lines until I get used to it again I am sure she will remember!


Friday, 1 May, 2015
Wow!  May 1 already.  In just a few days (5 May) Suki will turn 15.  In August we will have been together for 12 years.  How crazy is that!

The week of 27 April was crazy busy with work and family obligations.  But I managed to get some lunging in, and some very nice work out of both girls.

July 9 marks 6 years since the fire.  So now I have become obsessed with the goal of getting on Suki again: July 9th.  I think it is a realistic goal if everything points to her tolerating a saddle, and the long lining with side reins.  It seems to me that it would be a fitting date to aim for.

Saturday, 2 May, 2015
Interesting day today.  Nikki worked well in saddle and side reins, so tomorrow I will get on her.  Now for the past two years I have had Louise have the honors of riding Nikki after her winter off.  But she has injured her neck.  So I have to suck it up and do it myself.  I shouldn't even really be worried.  Nikki will most likely not care, and in spite of self doubts, I am a capable rider.  Louise is always my voice of reason when I worry about horse things, and she kindly offered to be there when I get on.  It's something I need to do on my own.

Suki came out of her stall super stiff.  I decided to lunge her any way to see if she would work out of it a bit.  Those first few steps looked bad, but then she was fine.  She was light and forward and quick to respond to directives.

While I was in the tack room a boarder that arrived last autumn came in.  I had met her daughter but not her.  She introduced herself and said  "I own X and X".  I introduced myself and identified my horses.  Her response: "OH, that poor bald horse!"  "I feel so sorry for her!"  I explained that she was in a fire, which she apparently knew, but continued going on about the "poor horse".  Again, I explained that she has fully healed, and is happy and healthy.  As she continued her rant I walked out of the tack room.

Sunday, 3 May 2015
Perfect day.  Lovely morning for a ride!  I lunged Nikki for about 10 minutes then brought her to the mounting block.  She turned around and looked at me in surprise, but I got on and off we went.  It was great to be back in the saddle after a long winter off!  I felt my entire body relax as I settled into the saddle and put my legs gently on Nikki's sides.  It's all good!

Suki came out stiff again, but worked out of it nicely.  Walk-trot-canter.  Nikki called to her a couple of times and only once did I see Suki's nostrils flicker in a silent response!

My beautiful girls…..

Back to work for Suki and Nikki

Well, I believe spring might actually have arrived.  Perhaps I should not say that aloud for fear of jinxing today's warm sunshine and hint of green in the early spring grass.  Just a couple of weeks ago we experienced, what I believe to be, our final snow of the season.  It was heavy, wet and slushy making for a miserable day.  Then of course the temperature dipped that night creating icy roads by morning.  That Saturday morning the plan was to leave at 6:15 AM to audit a dressage clinic given by Andrea Velas at Paul Belasik's farm an approximate 90 minute drive.  After a two hour delay in departure (which probably could have been earlier) we ventured out to the clinic.  Weather predictions indicated a nice warm up and sun.  Sitting in a damp indoor wrapped in a horse cooler it never really did warm up very much.  But watching the instruction of classical dressage more than made up for the minor discomfort!  I like Andrea's teaching style and the correctness of what she expects from horse and rider.  No quick fixes, just proper training.


Tuesday (31 March, 2015)
Round 1 spring vaccinations.  My very favorite thing in the world....Nikki is always fine about it.  She barely flinches, then nuzzles for treats.  Sweet girl.  Suki, as most of you know can be a bit difficult for anything involving a needle.  This started before the fire after a bad experience with a veterinarian who was intimidated by Suki's size.  Perhaps "horse doc" was not such a wise career choice!  Since this visit required a blood draw for Coggins, it is critical to do Suki first (so she doesn't work herself into a frenzy) and start with the blood draw.  Once the vaccs are given getting close enough to get blood is far more difficult!  Though tense, Suki was actually quite good.  Lauren spoke to her and scratched Suki's nose, which always helps!  Whither scratches and injections in the chest work best.  The second batch of spring vaccs will be in a few weeks.  Nikki barely flinched, and Dr. Lauren commented how she always forgets how big Nikki is!

Wednesday (1 April, 2015)
Dentist.  We don't usually schedule more than one scary thing per week, but I found out about the veterinarian date after I had already rescheduled the dentist from the week before.  Sean McCarthy has been taking care of the girls' teeth for the last 2 years, and is wonderful.  Very patient and kind.  Suki walked right up to Sean when he opened her stall door.  Clearly she remembers and trusts him!  That round went pretty well, though I could see that she was a bit nervous to start.  Nikki, for some reason really hates the whole dentist situation.  Oh, she walks right unto Sean when he goes into her stall, but after a few minutes she becomes quite nervous.  He gives her several breaks, but this time as he was trying to finish she started to get more upset.  Although Sean said that he probably got to all of it, he preferred to check her again in a few weeks just to be sure.  Pushing the issue with Nikki at that moment would not have been a good idea, and she would have only become more upset.  But typical Nikki, as soon as he stopped she nuzzled him looking for treats!  Obviously she does not hold a grudge!  Especially if a treat may be involved.

Thursday (2 April, 2015)
Of course the melting, freezing, rain, repeat did not lend to optimal turnout or horse-leg-friendly arena footing.  But finally, there was a chance to get Suki and Nikki on the lunge line in the arena.  On my way to the barn on Thursday it started to drizzle, but I remained optimistic.  As the rain came down a bit harder I briefly had second thoughts.  But it is April and we need to get this season going!  I decided that a ten minute lunge for each would be a good way to start.  The footing was still somewhat hard, but not terrible.  The rain stopped but I would have worked them in a light rain.  Both Suki and Nikki behaved beautifully.  No craziness for the first day out, which was greatly appreciated.  Just a nice light walk, trot, canter.  A nice solid start.

Nikki has a new game while stretching coming out of her stall.  She had always done a stretch of each hind leg while halfway out of her stall.  Now she looks around then stretches her hind leg while stretching her neck forward to grab treats, hay….whatever she thinks looks tasty.  So the area of the stretch varies, always relating to location of treats!

So since that time (yikes, it is already 4/17!) I have had the girls out to lunge only sporadically due to weather and work.  Suki and Nikki were even back in their Rambo heavy blankets for a day last week!  With Suki I am keeping it very basic right now.  The goal for the first two weeks of regular work is to make sure that she is sound and comfortable while building strength and stamina.  We start with stretches in the barn then light walk trot and a canter in each direction.  As always, I start and finish in the arena with leading exercises.  I find this helps them focus and really only takes a few minutes.  After lunging it can be part of the cool down instead of just having them walk around on the lunge line.  And if I am going to hand walk around the arena, I can throw in a few halts here and there.
 If all goes well this week I will add the surcingle next weekend.  I am working toward the goal of riding Suki by mid summer, and will keep a regular journal through this blog chronicling the process and the journey.  I have a target date range and a weekly plan.  Of course there are a million things that can come along and alter that plan, so it is not a rigid plan or schedule.  Progress may be slow or fast.  With horses, you sometimes just have to go with the flow!  Nikki is easier to get started.  Just a consistent week of lunging under tack and I should be ready to get on.

Yesterday (4/16) the horses in one of the upper fields were galloping around having a great time while I was lunging Nikki.  Sometimes this can get her a bit excited, but after lifting her head once to acknowledge the excitement, she kept working.  I was very pleased with her focus.   I am progressively increasing the work to avoid injury.  Some think that I am going too slow, but as a former ballet dancer and gymnast and current runner, I am well aware of what time off can do, and that going slow to start is best.  After the first two weeks Nikki's work will bump up significantly and Suki's a little more slowly.  However, that could change.  We just have to see how they do!  I did more transitions with Suki today just to see how comfortable she was with using her hind end at a quicker pace.  She seemed fine about it.

Friday 17 April, 2015
Okay, so we moved right on to humid and gnatty this morning!  I pulled out the trotting poles to add some fun to the session.  Walking to the arena with Nikki I could see a cloud of gnats at the gate.  Yuck!  I hadn't even thought to use fly spray!  It's only April.  Each time I brought Nikki back to a walk she shook her head because of the gnats in her ears.  Otherwise she worked extremely well, with the trot poles putting a nice spring in her step!  Transitions were prompt and I did some in rapid succession, as Nikki can be a little lazy sometimes.  Unfortunately I won't be able to work them tomorrow, but Nikki will be in a saddle on Sunday, for sure.  At the finish she was quite sweaty, but our cool down/leading exercises was cut short by the annoying gnat cloud following us.  Then she tried that annoying habit that I had eliminated last year….trying to rub her head on me!  Completely unacceptable.  I completely understand WHY she wants to do it, but still…no.  I actually had to sponge her off when we got back to the barn.  It was only 55F, but the humidity made it feel much warmer, and the air heavy.

Although I now knew there were gnats out, my fly spray was still at home (I had brought it home during the winter to keep it from freezing).  I don't like to start using fly spray this early anyway.  But I would have used roll-on in their ears.  Oh well, Suki, time to tough it out!
Suki voiced her displeasure pretty quickly!  Stomping her feet while I was latching the arena gate!  Other than some head shaking similar to what Nikki had been doing, Suki lunged well.  I stretched the trot poles out a little for her because her stride is naturally longer than Nikki's.  Nikki can do that same trot pole distance beautifully, but I didn't want to do that the first time through.  For Suki, that is just her regular stride.  Focus was not great to start, but not because she was worried or nervous.  Just sort of looking around.  She was not as sweaty as Nikki when she finished, but Nikki's heavy winter coat has not completely shed, and Suki has never grown a very thick winter coat.


The horses are happy to be out in the big field again, galloping with joy and rolling in the new spring grass.  Spring.  A time for beginnings.  Where will life take us this year?

Suki, I Think It's Spring!

As I got out of the car at the barn this morning A flock of Canada geese noisily announced their return. This, coupled with the reappearance of the chipmunks on Sunday signals SPRING!  Yes, the trees are bare, the ground is frozen sitting under a small layer of muck and I am looking at remnants of snow in my yard as I write this, but I am optimistic that spring will soon begin.  I am choosing to ignore the snow in Thursday evening's forecast and the heavy snow symbol on my phone for Friday....

Suki had done a great job rolling the day before, so her neck and legs were covered in a lovely layer of dried mud.  Yes, I was wearing a layer of dirt when I finished grooming! Fortunately Nikki had not rolled, though she must have been sleeping in manure....

Stretches today were entertaining.  While stretching Suki's front legs she also stretched out her neck to touch her nose to my face!  Nikki rested her head over my shoulder.  Those two are like a comedy team!

I had the barn to myself so I worked on leading exercises and lateral work.  Nikki sometimes like to look at the horse in the stall near where we halt, but after a few growls she begins to focus.  If Suki starts to take an extra step after I stop walking she will immediately bring her leg back to the correct position.  I had left my dressage whip in the tack room so I just used my finger to move them laterally.  It's so funny that after one or two times using my finger both of them move side ways if I just point my finger at their side without even touching them!

Late this afternoon I went back to the barn to change the girls from sheets to blankets again.  Tonight it will be 27F.  I guess that is in preparation for that wintry mix Thursday night.  Suki and Nikki were in the paddock just behind the barn so I started to say hello to them while I opened the latch.  The instant I opened the door Suki pushed her face through and into the barn (and my jacket!).  This was just before I went to pick up Isaiah from Chess Club at school, so of course, even though I was showered and wearing "street clothes" I would no doubt arrive smelling like horses.  Suki had rolled again, but all I had time to do was change their clothing.  When I went back to the door to get Nikki, she too pushed her nose into the door going right to my pocket in search of a ginger snap!

Spring means training!  The long, cold, snowy winter (not as bad as some folks had it) is finally making its exit, so I will accept the last hurrah on Thursday night/Friday.  This morning my fingers were not frozen while moisturizing Suki's back, and both she and Nikki are shedding their winter coats.  There was no ice to break on the water buckets and I actually took off my coat to groom the girls!  Okay, so tonight I have to change them out of sheets and into blankets because of the temperature drop.  None of this will dampen my spirit.  I may not be able to put my training plans into action just yet because of the footing in the arena but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.  I may actually get the girls out in the arena some time next week!  

Recent fluctuating temperatures and thick ice between the barn and the arena have made working in the arena still impossible, and most days keeping us from working in the paddock as well.  But we have continued with the stretching and barn aisle lateral work.  And of course, the planning.  The winter weather even kept me from auditing dressage clinics.  I was able to watch a few dressage shows from WEF, and while inspiring, it also left me envious....

This Saturday I am going to audit an Andrea Velas clinic at Paul Belasik's farm.  She conducts them monthly there and included is a selected topic for demonstration during the lunch break.  Last winter I audited one of her clinics at another farm and like her teaching and training philosophy.  Not surprising since I am a fan of Paul Belasik's classical dressage training methods and use of in hand work.  The farm also offers the opportunity to ride one of their school masters in a clinic which I would like to take advantage of once I start riding again.  So I am excited about that.  Ideally I would love to send Nikki and Suki there for a few weeks.....

http://www.paulbelasik.com

Last week as I watched Suki trot across the field she looked uneven behind.  I am not overly concerned yet.  Suki tends to be better when she is working regularly.  It has been a long winter and they have been turned out in paddocks a lot because of icy fields.  My plan is to have my lameness guy give her a full examination a few weeks after I start her back to work.  I want to catch any problems before we start serious training.  My plan is to start with 3 days a week for the first couple of weeks then move to 4 days then 5.  The first week will be without equipment, then start with surcingle and add side reins.  We will begin with 10 minute sessions then increase.  That should give me an idea about soundness before I have the vet out to evaluate.  Then we can plan accordingly.

Nikki will start with a week of lunging also, before I get on her for the first time this season.  I cannot wait to get back in the saddle!

It will be nice when when blankets are no longer necessary (other than Suki's fly sheet, of course), though they prevent full body coverage of mud.  Spring is often thought of as a time of new hope, as flowers and trees burst to life.  For me it is a time of hope.  I will know for sure if Suki will be able to be ridden again and get to see what Nikki can do in the show ring.  Suki has come a long way since the fire and now it is time to attempt the next big step.  Even if the dream of riding her again is never realized, Suki has come farther than anyone ever expected since that night of the fire when she was admitted to the hospital.

Spring hope is somewhat like New Year's resolutions.  Best to keep the goals realistic, while allowing oneself to dream and think big.