Guess what I did today...my horsey adventures
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All horses are "one-sided," but Opal seems to be REALLY one-sided, preferring to go counter-clockwise. She's much more consistent in speed and staying straight in that direction.
I used to do plenty of figure eights with my horses for that very reason.
“Little by little I am learning the art of being quite content by doing very little slowly” ~ Lionel Hardcastle
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@Renauda said in Guess what I did today...my horsey adventures:
I used to do plenty of figure eights with my horses for that very reason.
What size?
Opal is a large girl - about 16.2 - and at the trot she always slows down at the corners, or when I ask her to turn.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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Good question. Certainly close to width of the arena to start then slowly and progressively smaller until the horse would start having issues with lead changes. The mare was a little too hot to do small 8s consistently without losing her leads - or on occasion, her brain. The gelding cow horse though was much quieter and athletic so hard workouts and stock horse training was much easier.
Both horses were not much more than 14 hands.
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A good day yesterday. Opal was "in a mood" last week, and not particularly cooperative. Just didn't want to get going, and preferred to just walk around the arena. So, we didn't push, and just did some slow work.
Yesterday, however, was better. It was brisk out (in the 30s) and the arena was on the chilly side. When it's brisk, horses get "frisky" and Opal was much more energetic than last week.
As I mentioned, horses tend to be "crooked" and they prefer going to one side in a turn rather than another. @Renauda said he used to do figure-8s to get his horses to "bend" and loosen up. Opal definitely prefers going to the right around turns. At a faster pace, she will slow down going into a left-hand turn while, going to the right, she'll keep up the speed.
So, yesterday, as part of an exercise, we decided to to some serpentines at the trot. Basically, it means going across the arena and then turning and going back and forth. Her trot was slow enough that I could easily sit it through the turns. Her friskiness on the straights made sitting impossible and I had to post the trot.
Link to video -
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An interesting day today.
After last week's really good lesson, I was looking forward to riding Opal today.
She had other thoughts.
Just doing simple things like trotting around the arena was a chore. She kept "cutting the corners," coming in from the rail as we turned. Even going in a straight line, she tended to wander in away from the rail. She was inconsistent at speed, slowing down and speeding up. Even though I was mindful of how much leg ("go faster") and rein ("slow down") I was using, I just couldn't get her to be consistent.
So, we worked on getting her to circle around a traffic cone with a consistent radius from the cone.
My instructor commented that she might be a bit 'cranky' because she has to poop, or pee. I've always been sensitive to a horse's need to do this, but I got no such cue from Opal. Oh well.
Janet (my instructor) finally said, "OK, perhaps a little encouragement with a crop might be helpful." Sure enough, that got her to move out pretty well. Just a gentle tap on the shoulder was all she needed, and after one trip around the arena, I shoved the crop into my boot, and didn't need it again.
And then, the first interesting thing happened.
Janet commented that it looked like my right stirrup was about two inches shorter than my left. We adjusted the length, and, guess what? All of my inconsistency issues went away. The only thing we could figure was that the unequal stirrup length put me just a bit out of balance, and though I didn't feel it, Opal was bothered by it enough to feel like she couldn't maintain a constant, consistent speed. With the ajustement, I got a really good, brisk, trot out of her - around the arena twice with little encouragement (leg) and fast enough that I really couldn't sit her trot.
Amazing.
And then, the second interesting thing happened.
Once we were done, I took her back to her stall. I took her bridle off, rinsed it in her water bucket and hung it on the rack. When I returned to take the saddle off, she was pooping. So yeah, she might well have been uncomfortable for that reason as well.
Not the best ride today, but a really good education.
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I thought I asked a really dumb question awhile back, along the lines of "does a horse have bad days, bad moods, good moods, etc." Maybe it wasn't so dumb? Of course, maybe you just had one of those days today where it seemed like you were receiving a shitty education. (couldn't resist).
If I were a horse, I might feel like, "get the f**k off my back. Or, maybe, "messing around with this dude is more fun than standing in my stall munching on weed all day." Just overall wondering if horses have a personality as such. -
@Rainman indeed they do. Their "bad days" can be the result of feeling older and arthritic and then some big jamoke like me tries to get on their backs. Sometimes it's the weather - hot muggy days are not great for riding. Sometimes they're just moody. Sometimes (particularly school/lesson horses) just don't understand what you're asking them to do and they "shut down."
And then, there are the individual personalities of horses. As I mentioned, we thought the uneven stirrups were a problem for Opal. Janet mentioned that some horses, when feeling unbalanced will go faster, trying to "work out" the poor balance of the rider. Others, like Opal, will simply refuse to go because it's uncomfortable for them.
Very individual - sort of like cats, but a lot bigger.
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Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
@Jolly said in Guess what I did today...my horsey adventures:
Don't reckon you have your own saddle, where you could just set your stirrup length and leave it?
Mrs. George still has her Crosby close-contact saddle that I used. Couple of problems with it:
- It's really too small for my ass.
- It's not a "dressage" saddle, so the style of riding that Opals used to might be an issue.
- Most importantly, it might not fit the horse. Saddle fit is a HUGE issue, and an ill-fitting saddle can cause all kinds of problems for a horse's back, particularly if the rider is not the best - liked. Simon had a bit of a sway back, and my Western saddle was custom made to fit him. I actually sent measurements and templates of his back to the saddler to get the right fit. There should be no pressure or pinch-points.
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Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
@Jolly said in Guess what I did today...my horsey adventures:
What's a decent one-size-fits-most saddle cost?
(I'm ignorant. I thought you bought a decent off the rack saddle sized to your horse and then wore it out.)
Synthetic materials will start at $500 or so. Wintec is a popular brand, and since they're not heavy into tooling, etc, some of them actually have adjustable trees to help fit the horse.
For an off-the-rack English saddle in leather, you're looking at $1200 and up - way up. I want to say my custom Western was in that price range. I went light on "extras" such as tooled leather, etc. I was more interested in function and comfort. Dave's saddles today START at $4175 for leather, $3200 for synthetic.
You can throw almost any saddle on any horse and it'll be OK. For a while. But, if you want to get the best ride, and more importantly, a happy and long-lasting horse, pay a lot of attention to saddle fit. Cowboys don't care, for the most part, since the horse is a tool, and when it gets wore out, you simply throw them into a pasture where they spend the rest of their days in a herd, retired, and eating grass.
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@Jolly Saddle fit can be problematic. The saddle has to fit you, and it has to fit the horse. With you - the seat has to be big enough for your backside, (so big enough front to back) and also the panels (on an English saddle) have to fit the length of your thigh, and where you knee sits when your feet are in the stirrups. (I have a mile long femur, so my knees tend to shoot out over the front of the saddle flaps). You also need the saddle to sit you over your leg - that is - the bar that holds the stirrup leather can’t be too far forward compared to the center of balance in the seat - or you end up sitting in a chair seat - with your lower leg out in front of your hips. If it’s too far back. You end up tipped forward. There are a million saddle pads and inserts to help fix this issue if the saddle isn’t quite right. There is also something called the “twist” in a saddle - it’s how wide the saddle feels to you - I tend to prefer a narrow twist, but many women like a wider twist - it’s got to do with the width of your pelvis. Western Saddles always feel like a wide twist to me. I have hurt my back riding twice, both times riding in a friend’s saddle that was too small for me!
On a horse - the saddle has to fit the height of the horses withers (which can go from practically non-existent to Mt Everest) and the width of their body right behind their shoulder, and length of their back. If you need a big saddle for yourself - sometimes that can be a problem for a smaller, shorter backed horse (as in, it might put pressure too far back on the horse and be uncomfortable for them).
Western saddles seem to be an easier fit width/wise for horses than dressage saddles (where the parts in contact with the horse go lower down the shoulder) Horses with high withers (most thoroughbreds) sometimes need English saddles with a cutback part in the front so the withers don’t get any pressure.Jumping saddles are easier to fit than dressage saddles, in my opinion, they don’t go as far down the sides as dressage saddles do.
Improper saddle fit can be a major reason that a horse ends up cranky and sore and not willing to go forward.
A good saddle is $$$, but will last forever if you take care of it. I have three (my last horse was extremely difficult to fit) - but I am currently riding my latest horse in my first dressage saddle, which I bought used in the mid 90’s, it cost me $1,100 used, and it was made in 1986. I probably couldn’t get more than $500 for it now, but to replace it (with a saddle that fits both me and the horse) would likely cost between $3,000 and $6,000. So I keep my other two saddles around because you never know what might fit the next horse!
Saddle is currently in the living room, I don’t like to leave it at the barn because our temps get so low here (woke up to -4F this morning!)
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@jodi said in Guess what I did today...my horsey adventures:
Western Saddles always feel like a wide twist to me
Mrs. George can't abide a Western saddle. She always gets off sore and hurtin'. She loved her close-contact Crosby.
my first dressage saddle
What manufacturer is that? Just out of curiosity. The knee rolls look pretty small to me.
Do you ride with a really long leg? I used to ride (English) with a short stirrup because Simon's canter was pretty bouncy, and I couldn't sit it - at all. His trot was the same, and I needed the support of the stirrup. With Opal, I'm riding with a longer stirrup (just at or slightly below the medial malleolus) and I'm OK with that.
Re' your picture.
Saddle, comfy chair, piano and stringed instruments on the wall, along with a personalized painting. Wonderful.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@George-K It’s a Karl Neidersuss. Made when people still rode in brown dressage saddles! Seems to fit lots of horses - it’s a touch wide for Ruler, but I use a big fleece lined pad, or an extra thin line pad. The knee rolls are small compared to what they put on dressage saddles now. It has a narrow twist. It’s not the most comfortable saddle to do a sitting trot in, but I don’t sit Rulers trot - it’s huge and bouncy and he’s not there yet. (He may never be there). His canter is lovely and rolling. I haven’t galloped him, I’m ok with that he’d likely take a long time to stop! First two photos are him racing (and winning) as a 2 year old in California. Last one is a from a couple of years ago. (He’ll be 14 next year)
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No video today (you're welcome) because there's really nothing new to see.
But...
It was a good day with Opal. My lesson is only 30 minutes, and we spent a fair amount of time getting my stirrups even and functional, they were OK, but a bit too short, pushing my heel down. When I first learned to ride English style, it was at a hunter-jumper place, and the mantra was to have a short stirrup and keep your heel down, relative to your toe - at about a 25 degree angle. The thinking is that with your foot in this position, you're in a better place to take a jump, etc.
But, for everyday riding, that might not be the case.
Today I rode with a shorter stirrup than I needed, but it was OK.
Opal was a bit on the sluggish side until we encouraged her by having me hold the "magic wand" - a crop. It only took about 2 gentle taps on the shoulder to get her to pay attention to me and understand that we were going to do some serious work.
Today, I worked on subtle signals, and getting her to be "soft" and understand what I'm asking for with minimal cues for me. We did lots and lots of circles, with emphasis on keeping her in a position, at the trot, where she is not crooked and requires the most subtle signals. I was able to get some nice changes in direction using no rein - just turning my body and pointing my sternum to where I wanted to go got the desired result.
One good thing I noticed, watching myself, is that I spend very little time looking at the horse. In many ways, it's like driving a car. When you're driving, you don't look at the hood of the car, you look where you want to go. Same with horses - the direction where you're headed, or want to head, will shift your body weight enough so that the horse gets it, and will follow you. Today, I had multiple conversations with Janet, while trotting. That made me relax, and more importantly, Opal relax.
When I started riding (again) back in April, I got tired after trotting around the arena one time. Today, in a 30 minutes lesson, I trotted for at least 10 minutes, and I could have easily gone longer. Janet, my instructor, commented that that's for a couple of reasons. First of all, my stamina is better just from the minimal exercise this is. More importantly, I'm a better rider on this horse, and it's taking less effort to get her to get going, and keep going. My balance is better, and she knows it. That makes both of our jobs easier.
A good day.
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An interesting day yesterday. It was quite cold yesterday, about 15 degrees when we got out to the barn. This is one of those days where horses think, "Do I REALLY have to work today? I'd rather just stand in my stall and, ahem, chill."
So, it was no surprise that Opal was a bit less than enthusiasicc about having my butt on her back.
Our teacher had laid out some ground poles in the shape of a triangle. The idea was to get the horse to walk, or trot, through one of the apices of the triangle, and then over the horizontal pole. Once I got Opal warmed up, or thought that I had, we started the exercise. I tried to get her to go through the triangle, but she simply would not maintain the trot. Apparently, the circles were too small, and it was difficult for her to keep at the pace with tight turns. Finally, she said, "I've had enough of this bullshit," and gave me a little buck to let me know her displeasure. She also did some head-tossing, showing me that she's unhappy.
Link to videoSo, we gave up and worked on other stuff - larger circles, etc.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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"My pronouns are FA/FO." - Mik, 2024
