going nuclear

Ya know that thing they say about “Pride goeth before a fall”?? That whole moral platitude about how overly proud or boastful people are more likely to make mistakes / suffer consequences??

swamp critter, queen of scurf
(semi-related: omg look at that grass, it’s JULY, people — and still growing! the scurf is #worthit if that’s the tradeoff!)

WELL haha. Have I got a *shocking* update for you all. 

toasty biscuit still sweltering at 6pm

Literally the *same day* I humble hopeful bragged about keeping Doozy’s notoriously nasty summer skin funk at bay with regular rinses of diluted apple cider vinegar… That very same evening I arrived at the barn to see the mare coated in mud, sweat, and hives. UGH!

arrrghhhhhh!!!
(last wednesday, for those keeping score at home)

Maybe “hives” isn’t the exact right term, idk. The internet loves to tell me that “hives” are technically some sort of allergic reaction, whereas what we often refer to as “rainrot” is usually a bacterial skin infection or dermatitis, characterized by crusty scabs that leave bald spots behind. 

bleh poor mare 

In my experience, tho, the earliest stages of rainrot present as hive-like swellings that are sometimes itchy, tho often painful. Or sometimes a weird mix of both. Maybe there’s a different name for the puffy bumpies, but ugh my heart sank when I saw them on Doozy. 

dialed it up a notch to eleven: switched from diluted apple cider vinegar to diluted chlorhexidine

Charlie was certainly not immune to his fair share of delicate thin-skinned thoroughbred ailments, but his cases were always so easily managed that I usually gave myself a day or two of denial that the hives would really result in another outbreak. 

Sorta the “maybe I’m just imagining things!” attitude lol. 

scrub a dub, princess!

That’s probably where I went wrong with Doozy last summer tho, and by the time I realized we had a problem, WE HAD A PROBLEM. 

So I’m determined to take every available opportunity to try to stop this thing in its tracks before we get back to the “basically moss growing across her entire top line” situation again.

thursday (the next day): telltale little scabs with small chunks of hair

So I’ve since replaced our apple cider vinegar rinses with chlorhexidine — a relatively gentle but still fully effective antiseptic that is often used as a scrub for vets ahead of delicate procedures like joint injections. 

I forget when I first started buying it by the gallon — but it was years ago for Charlie, with one of his various horrific wounds, and my vet suggested it was a gentler (read: less painful) cleansing solution for flushing than whatever I had been using (iodine maybe?).

little lumpy crusties are slicked over with MTG, and nearly invisible to the camera

It may be gentle, but it can be VERY drying — so it’s worth testing on a small, less-sensitive spot on your horse if you wanted to try something similar. And apparently there are medicated shampoos that are formulated with chlorhex too, but, eh. I’ve tested this on Doozy (who has insanely oily skin, probably the root of all her problems right there) and she doesn’t seem to have any negative reactions whatsoever. 

you can sorta see in the right angle, tho — she likes to cultivate her gardens of funk right at the height where she’s slowest to dry

So we did the chlorhex bath on that first day, then the second day was shockingly mild weather and Doozy wasn’t sweaty or clammy or anything by the time I got there, and it was her day off, so we skipped bathing entirely and just did a shit ton of currying, then a light gloss of MTG over basically the entire back half of the horse. 

and while we’re on the subject of cultivating gardens of funk: the entire tack room looks like this, every day. this hackamore has been cleaned more in the last two weeks than maybe the entire last year, holy mother of mold!

Again, in my limited experience, these skin outbreaks seem to be most common in times when the horse is going through a coat change. And at least in our area, most horses go through a shedding cycle right around the solstices. 

Maybe something about all that dead hair sitting around on the skin creates the perfect environment for a funk explosion? Idk, but I spent a long while with the rubber curry getting as much off as I could. 

the struggle is real, but turns out giving a post-ride spritz with this stuff has really helped the helmet stay fresh!

MTG is also one of those products that folks seem to have love/hate feelings about, and maybe horses too. I’m firmly in the “love” category, tho. Like, I test it on horses first bc I’ve heard that some can have stronger reactions (tho I’ve personally never seen that myself). And I don’t “scrub” with it — more of a ‘deep massage’ style application. 

and since i was taking pictures in the tack room already, here’s the myler comfort snaffle for anyone curious

I also avoid applying it when I’m going to put something on top — like a blanket or bandage, it’s an ‘open air’ sort of tincture imo, and I try to not mix it with other topical applications in at least the same 24hr period. That might be overkill, ymmv. 

Oooh, and also maybe consider time of day and UV index too — don’t accidentally deep fry your horse by slicking them in oil then turning out at 1pm in the summer sun!

maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s maybelline chlorhexidine

Anyway, tho, that’s kinda where we stand as of right now. We’ve done 3-4 chlorhex rinses since last Wednesday, and one big gloss of MTG on all the main hotspots. And??? Well. Again, I’m hopeful that we got in front of it. Ask me again in two weeks, tho, and we’ll know the truth LOL.

I know that skin funk is one of those things where everybody has their own sworn favorite remedies. The above is (obviously) my go-to approach, tho for an established case I generally don’t hesitate to escalate directly to prescription grade stuff, typically the Animax / Dermalone / Panalog ointment (a mix of steroids and topical antibiotics).

It’s always interesting to see what everyone else does, tho — are there any Listerine lovers out there? Or Desitin slingers? Let me know what you swear by, especially if you’ve had tricky (read: Chestnut) cases before LOL!

lesson + a little xc

Happy Monday, y’all — hope any US readers enjoyed a long weekend full of fun activities, horsey or otherwise! We managed to pack in all my faves, including a lesson, some xc, and a reunion vineyard trip with former barn mates, all without feeling overbooked or frazzled. It was nice!

somebody, not naming any names, but somebody finally chewed thru her expensive rubber nathe bit…
she’s wearing the level 1 Myler comfort snaffle in this pic, for those curious

At one point in my blogging life, I would have split everything into individual single-topic posts… But. Eh. There isn’t really enough compelling media for that, and plus… I promise, there aren’t really all that many associated words either. 

sorry to only ever really have pics of the horse at the trailer for these lessons… it is what it is!

The lesson was another good productive session that was still more or less ‘remedial trotting.’ Continuing to lean in to the idea of using bend and lateral flexion to achieve the pace I want. Which, apparently, will be our focus for the foreseeable future LOL!

ooh i took a pic of her in the ring tho!

Basically doing our best to always stay on some sort of circle — even if that means sorta spiraling down a long side to get where we wanna go. Changing bend and being more obvious and guiding with opening reins to really make it super clear what I want from Doozy. And being more intentional about truly round circles, not letting Doozy get pancake-y falling in or out on one side of the circle or the other. 

and a little snapshot of our remedial cross rails lol

Woodge was a fan of the new bit, which we wore for the first time in this lesson. She felt like our reasons for going in the nathe these last few months made sense and it was probably an effective ‘era’ for us, but that Doozy is ready for something a little more sophisticated. And that with this bit we could get more lateral bend, compared to the sort of “elevator music” reaction we sometimes got with the nathe. 

post-lesson goofy faces

And Doozy went pretty quietly in it too — none of the rattley jittery bouncing off feeling we got in the KK, which had a bit more play than this comfort snaffle. Even when we got to the jumping, she stayed pretty quiet in her mouth didn’t throw her ears into my face any more than usual (lol). 

 

another day, another set of gymnasties. this time bounces at home!

The jumping itself was good too, tho still in what I’d consider “remedial” territory. We just focused on trotting a single cross rail with placing poles, halting after. Circling off each rein until quiet and balanced with correct bend, then approaching with a careful focus on straightness. 

A big focus this ride was letting Doozy travel more forward in trot vs holding her back on that itty bitty little restrained trot that kinda gives her no choice but to explode at the jump. But… It’s a balancing act bc the space between “more forward” and “too forward” is very very small lol. 

oooh and lookie, we’re back at the trailer again

All in all, good practice tho, and we carried all of it forward into our schooling ride at home the next day, including continuing to work on our circular circles, true bend, and traveling more forward while still in trot to a fun little bounce exercise. 

xc schooling at tranquillity!

Which, naturally led to the weekend’s most fun aspect — another little xc schooling trip to Tranquillity! Y’all might remember we sorta made a habit of frequent low key visits last fall, and I’ve been eager to get back on the band wagon. 

Tho timing can be a little tricky — most of the nicest jumps travel to Shawan for the MCTA events in June, and as of two weeks ago when we were here for the Mill show, the jumps were still just sitting in piles from coming off the trailers. I figured there would be plenty to jump regardless, but luckily the jumps have since made their way back out into the fields, yay!

the more things change, the more the stay the same lol

It was a good schooling session too. Nothing really new, nothing we haven’t really done before, but that’s also kinda the point. Just keeping it regular and routine. And in this manner we achieved a ride that was productive and efficient. Including starting with a warm up of trotting around in the field that *wouldn’t* put my coach to shame lol! 

(Compared to my normal approach of kinda just surviving a few trot and canter circles before starting to jump things)

wheeee up bank combinations!

The jumps were almost all pretty good efforts, too. No inverted deer leaps, and for the most part I was able to avoid any moments of just pulling straight back on the mare by again working to use turning and lateral bend where possible. 

trying to be civilized on long lines

It’s clear that we don’t get a ton of practice cantering fences, tho. For as much as I understand my coach’s approach in the lessons, I’m also not sure she really realizes how much better Doozy is at cantering jumps vs trotting them. Which, fair, I can totally appreciate why you might think it’d be a hot mess express lol! 

finished with something just ever so slightly bigger lol

But the same thing we worked on in the lesson at trot — traveling more forward than the tightly compressed holding back stride, but not too forward and bolting the fence — we need to practice at canter too. I made a few mistakes about holding for one-too-many (an old habit of mine) but we finished well, and got some nice practice with both single fences and semi - related distances. 

helmet cam video for those inclined

The forecast is calling for something like 3” of rain coming off the Atlantic this week, plus that crazy storm system that just devastated Texas over the weekend… So I’m not sure how much more we’re really going to get done in the coming days.

back at the trailer, yet again, ready to go home lol

I’m glad we made it out this weekend, tho — for once, the weather + timing gods seemed to smile on our plans. And any good routine has to start somewhere, amirite? Doesn’t have to be perfect, we’ll take our positive mileage and enjoy it, and hopefully look forward to the next time!

Freedom feels better when ChatGPT agrees with you

Happy Independence day to my domestic readers — and congrats on living literally anywhere else to friends from beyond our borders ;) 

How about a nice light hearted and fun frolic through potential flame wars on this fine Friday, yes?

Ahem haha, anyway. In my last post, we had some discussion about training “by the book,” vs by what makes sense to the horse. And Kat left a funny and very relatable comment about a former trainer who said, “ you can teach a flying change by touching their right ear with the dressage whip, but that's not the generally agreed upon aid.”

Which naturally brings us to the whole “Form Follows Function” debate. And, doubly naturally, I kinda already know which side I sit — as a rider with, uh, not classically correct posture etc, I’m happy to believe any source that tells me that “Sure, that’s fine — the form will come in time!”

For a balanced view of the positions, however, I turned to ChatGPT and asked for arguments both for and against this theory. The response is as follows:

this conversation is facilitated by the legend himself, charles <3
(there are many ironies in this *ancient* fauxtoshop, and i choose to enjoy ALL of it lol,
including original source material lol)

Extending the “form follows function” debate to riding

In horse training—especially disciplines like dressage—there’s a long-standing tension between prioritizing form (posture, frame, position) and function (balance, engagement, relaxation, responsiveness, etc.).

Here's how we can map pro and con arguments in this context, while respecting the nuances of horse-and-rider biomechanics and training philosophies:

---

Arguments for "form follows function" in horse training

(Function leads, form emerges as a result)

1. Organic Development:
   If the horse moves correctly—relaxed, forward, and balanced—correct posture will emerge naturally over time, avoiding forced shapes.

2. Physical Welfare:
   Forcing posture can lead to strain, tension, or even injury. Function-led training respects the horse’s current physical and mental readiness.

3. True Engagement:
   Engagement of the hindquarters, lifting of the back, and flexion of the poll cannot be “shaped” from the front—they must be developed from correct movement.

4. Emotional Harmony:
   Function-first training tends to emphasize trust, responsiveness, and softness, avoiding conflict-based methods used to achieve a look.

5. Long-Term Soundness:
   A horse that moves with functional alignment stays healthier and sounder over time, even if the form develops more slowly.

   
   

dear sir charles, the **perfect* biomechanical form <3 <3 <3

Arguments against a strict “function first” stance

(Or, arguments for “form enables function”)

1. Correct Form teaches Function:
   Some postural shapes—like a lifted back, flexed poll, or engaged hind legs—can help the horse learn correct movement. Without some guidance toward those forms, function may not develop properly.

2. Neuromuscular Training:
   Like a ballet dancer using specific positions to build the right muscles and awareness, postural training can “educate” the horse’s body about how to move better.

3. Rider Position Affects Horse Function:
   For riders especially, correct posture is often a prerequisite for functional riding. Poor rider form can block or mislead the horse.

4. Discipline-Specific Requirements:
   In disciplines like dressage or equitation, specific frames and postures arefunctional within that context (e.g., collection, lateral movements).

5. Form Provides Consistency:
   Using consistent shape cues and expectations (when done sensitively) can create clearer communication and structure for both horse and rider.

---

Bridging the Two:

Many modern trainers adopt a "function informs form" or "form and function co-evolve" approach. They might use postural aids lightly to educate the horse's body, but always monitor function (relaxation, rhythm, thrust, etc.) to avoid forcing.

well ya know. at least that’s the idea!

SO. Dear Reader. As with just about everything with horses, there doesn’t seem to be one clear answer here. Many right ways, few wrong ways. 

I’m curious — you already know where I stand slouch, but what do you think? 

micro munchies

We are definitely into the dog days of summer now, oof! Hot, humid, interminable days… punctuated as often as not by violent little thunderstorms… 

Which, real talk, I won’t complain about the rain bc for once in recent memory we are STILL growing pasture grass into July. Doozy’s farm is apparently the opposite of our last place in that it seems to catch every passing storm — something I appreciate as a grass-loving TB owner!

baking in the early evening summer sun

Still, tho, we’re getting into that time of year — esp with the post-solstice coat change — when Doozy seems to start cultivating skin funk like it’s her job. No joke, I’ve never seen rain rot as bad as what Doozy gets — it grows on her like moss. 

She already had a bad case by the time I first met and bought her, but I had hoped that by last summer (after a year in my care), the improvements in nutrition, general health, and regular grooming would naturally help prevent another severe case. And, uh, I was wrong.

jealous of the ponies in the shade lol, but grateful for the outdoor breeze!

Doozy’s skin funk last year was so bad, I would 100% have judged the F out of her owner if… uh, ya know, it wasn’t *me.* Life lessons, y’all. I continue to learn them with horses — sometimes things aren’t what they appear. You can really try, and still kinda fail. It is what it is lol.

Anyway, tho, we’ve so far kept the funk at bay this summer with constant post-work rinses of diluted apple cider vinegar. No emergent signs yet, at least. Ask me again in two weeks tho lol, and we’ll really know the truth!

walkway wanderin <3

As it is, we’ve had a quiet week or so after all the fun and festivities of back to back schooling shows at Loch Moy and then Tranquillity, plus shipping out for weekly lessons. We skipped last week’s lesson bc of the heat index, and then had to bump yesterday bc we scheduled for exactly the same time as yet another little expected thunderstorm. 

waiting out yet another late day thunderstorm

Nbd, tho, Doozy continues to do quite nicely with our rides. Something about getting her out more often really suits her. Too much time spent at home (like over this past winter), and Doozy starts creating her own excitement among the everyday mundane routine lol. But now that she’s back in the swing of more frequent adventures, home life is pleasantly ho hum. Gotta love it lol.

celebrity horse sighting while jump judging with my mom @ fair hill!
super socks bcf, 19 years young, having a blast around the starter course <3

An unfortunate downside to the frequent rain showers tho is that we’re often stuck inside for our schooling, in the dusty stuffy airless indoor, bleh. No joke, I’d rather negotiate with terrorists than ride indoors… But our outdoor ring footing simply doesn’t hold up to any moisture whatsoever and mgmt understandably prefers it stay closed in poor conditions. 

These are the tradeoffs for being at a place that actually cares about the maintenance and upkeep of its facilities LOL. So we make do with what’s available in the conditions, nbd.

ooooh we played with little jompies too <3

The rides themselves have mostly continued exploring the concepts I wrote about two weeks ago — namely, the “riding the footsteps” exercise with a deep focus on utilizing lateral flexion (without totally sacrificing straightness) to improve speed and balance. It honestly feels like really productive work especially relating to preserving relaxation vs introducing tension. 

A quote I read recently has really stuck with me — and I’ve been marinating on its applications and relevance toward horse training ever since:

A word is not a relationship between sound and object, it’s an agreement between people.

Which, according to ChatGPT, is a modern paraphrase of a core idea stemming from Saussure (circa 1906–1911), who emphasized that language is a social contract, not a mirror of reality.

more farm walkies

In other words, my riding aids are essentially meaningless to Doozy if we haven’t already established an agreed upon definition. Doozy hasn’t read the text book, she can’t inherently know about the whole “inside leg to outside hand” thing, if she doesn’t already understand and accept individually those leg or hand aids, ya know? 

Like, sure, the prescribed and studied ‘best practice’ postures and methods are fairly universally accepted bc when done right, they set both horse and rider up for success. But I feel like sometimes it’s easy to miss that… for many horse and rider partnerships, we kinda have to start from a more fundamental place.

so good at selfies lol

Take, for example, this idea of getting Doozy to accept my leg aids. For the last few weeks, I’ve started every ride with establishing leg contact right away, regardless of how Doozy feels about it. (And lemme tell ya, Doozy feels about it.) With the idea that eventually she’ll just, ya know, get used to it. Accept it. Or something. 

Meanwhile, since we’ve been practicing this more intentional steering exercise — being thoughtful and deliberate about staying constantly on a well defined line of travel, down to the very footfall — I realized in our ride yesterday that actually, Doozy had nothing to say whatsoever about my leg contact. She just… went along quietly responsive. No bouncing off the leg, jigging or swishing her tail at the touching omg!

And it occurred to me that… ya know. Maybe I’ve kinda misunderstood the directive about Doozy “accepting the leg aid,” lol. Maybe it doesn’t matter so much that it’s touching her — rather, it matters that the touching means something, communicating a specific and understood thing. She accepts bc she understands. 

truly a hard life

Always good food for thought for me to remember to focus on what I’m trying to tell the mare, vs how the text book says my aids need to be applied. Eventually lol maybe the two things will be perfectly aligned… But, eh, not yet haha.

For now, it’s enough to sorta go through our paces and patterns and figures (and little jompies lol) with just this simple idea in mind. Lord knows I’m always on the hunt for easy ways to score quick wins when it feels too hot for “heavy work” lol…. Anyone else out there working on little micro tasks while trying to avoid melting in all this heat?

another nibble @ Tranquillity

Spoiler alert, y’all — I’m having a LOT of fun getting out and about every other weekend for our little “bite-sized” adventures! Especially given that, as predicted, Doozy keeps getting better and more reliable with every outing. Whew!

steamy summer mornings!

This weekend’s ’little snack’ included just a couple classes at Tranquillity’s Mill Series schooling h/j show. Long timers will remember past entries at these shows, including my (and Isabel’s!) first time doing 3’ jumpers back in 2015, and one of Charlie’s 2022 jumper outings.

It’s basically just a fun, relaxed and locally popular schooling series that offers everything from lead line classes to 3’ jumpers, including hunter and equitation classes. With three rings running all day, there is plenty of atmosphere too, tho the vibes are generally pretty low key.

#civilized at the trailer, good girl <3

I was eager to bring Doozy here to test out a few sneaking suspicions. Namely, especially after our trouble at St Augustine — which is run all three phases entirely on grass, and warm ups in open fields — I started to wonder if maybe the ‘limbo’ of being on uneven terrain in a slightly undefined space contributed to some of Doozy’s problems settling in to our rides. 

It might just be my imagination, but after thinking about it for a little while, I decided that our next few outings would be at venues where we could be on footing, especially for the jumping. Like at Loch Moy last week — where Doozy was definitely better than she had been at SAPC!

#civilized meandering around the various rings too!! we did our hack class in that crowded ring in the background

Technically the warm up for jumpers at Tranquillity is also on grass — a tricky little hilltop that pitches downhill in a hurry. So I tried to be clever and show up early enough to ride in one of the little hunter hack classes first as our warm up (having apparently forgotten that in Hunterlandia, you can actually come early and school in the rings, tho not the jumper ring). 

I figured it would also be good practice to do our paces “on demand,” as it were, but without it being an actual dressage pattern. Sorta like a CT-Lite lol. 

The hack class proved to be slightly chaotic with no fewer than TEN OMG ponies and kiddos all at once, but Doozy held it together and made it through the whole thing without breaking gait or creating a scene. Good girl!

finally getting back to that FUN feeling!

From there, we meandered over to the jumper ring wherein I did actually try the little warm up fences on the grass hilltop. And Doozy was actually fine! Like, not super duper quiet, but not so wild that we went skittering ass over tea kettle down the off-camber hillside LOL.

PLUS she actually jumped the jumps quite nicely and straight! Go figure, working on the details in a lesson pays off, who woulda thunk haha.

she jumped everything super well

Anyway. After that, there was nothing to do but wait for our turn at the gate. Doozy was again super patient and relaxed, and did her best to make new friends with whomever happened to be standing nearby. 

It was actually pretty cute — at one point she SWORE to her new BFF that her ears were so itchy bc I neglect her and she’s abused, so this benevolent stranger went to town itching and rubbing all over on Doozy’s ears. Never mind that I apparently require special invitation to be allowed to do the same haha. #mares….

found long and short distances but nothing awkward

Eventually it was our turn, tho, so off we went! The course looked good, some tricky turns and bending lines, but nothing very related. Plus all the jumps were super built up with flowers and boxes and all manner of filler — something I appreciate for a horse like Doozy who can sometimes be a little casual. 

minor pilot error trying to find this jump but it was nbd

Whatever it was, tho, Doozy was jumping GREAT! Trotted up to the first jump super, did a patient simple change to the second, then was a little skippy through her auto change around the short end to 3, tho you can actually see the moment I remembered to put my hands down and let the bend do the work for us instead of pulling. 

a shame her face is blocked in this pic bc look how good she looks!

The little loop around from 3 to 4 to 5 went well too, tho I lost her outside shoulder in the turn to 5 and we landed wayyy off the line for 6. Nbd, tho, Doozy was on the aids enough to execute a weird little serpentine move and then stayed straight and true to 6 anyway. 

She rolled back to the in-gate oxer at 7 like a friggin champion, made the funny 90* L turn to 8 like nbd, and rolled back the other way to the **liverpool** omg at 9 without fuss. And from there, it was an easy cruise down to 10, and then finished!

 

and happy too <3

What a good girl! I’m so glad I got video too bc it’s really easy to see the moments where I remembered to try to put my hands down, and see how nicely Doozy responds to that. It’s also nice to see that her pace generally looks pretty good all the way around, even tho it felt a little fast to me at times. 

omg we got proper video for once!

credit to the mare for her first time in this ring over a course i didn’t walk <3

I also really like seeing how positive Doozy was to all the jumps. Even when the distance came up a little close, it looks like she’s using herself well and staying organized on a steady stride (vs kinda skittering over the top). AND!! Another clear round, yay mare!!

everybody got cute treats and a sample salt supplement from a sponsor

The optimum time for the class was something like 1:49, with a set speed of 260mpm. I was pretty sure we were a bit faster than that (which is fine for our purposes, that’s a pretty slow speed) but apparently with our patient simple changes and slightly scenic route to jump 6, we were close enough to snag 3rd place — woo hoo!

3rd place in the optimum time class on clear jumping, not bad!!

And I opted to call it a day with that. Sure, we could have done more rounds… but it was already 85*F by 9am and Doozy had basically been a perfect princess all day morning. And isn’t that the whole point of the “bite-sized” outings anyway? Get in, get it done, have fun, go home. Check, check and check!

So. Another one in the books — and another one where we did better than ‘just survive,’ we actually had fun and put in a respectable performance. Woot woot, about damn time lol….

riding the footprints

It’s always interesting to me when a relatable or timely training concept somehow serendipitously keeps surfacing through various channels. 

At last week’s schooling show, my new coach spent some time discussing how and why pulling back on the reins can be so counterproductive on the flat — by basically shortening the horse’s neck and therefore shifting longitudinal balance in exactly the opposite way we want.

stuck riding indoors bc of rain… spying jealously on the horses outside

Then, not two hours later, I got a stark reminder of this during our show jumping round between fences 1 & 2, when I felt like I needed a strong “whoa!” and ended up with a face full of Dooz Ears and a scrubby distance to the jump. 

It was a perfect demonstration to sorta reinforce what Woodge had said, that taking advantage of the lateral bend could have maybe worked better for us there vs shortening Doozy’s neck.

grateful to have the option tho for sure!

Almost as if by some unseen universal synergistic force, later that same day, Gwyneth McPherson expounded on “Why We Don’t Pull in Dressage” in her Horse Nation column:

The more the rider pulls, or pulls and lets go and pulls again, the more the horse goes on the forehand, pushes the hindlegs out behind, and leans into the bridle in an attempt to maintain his balance.

 

unrelated pic for posterity: photo of my furious cat after i had to give him medicine LOL

So. Naturally, this concept would be our inspiration and homework for integrating into this week’s solo schooling rides. Which, sadly, were almost all indoors bc of all the recent rain (and outdoor footing that transforms into bottomless quicksand in the wet…).

I also reached waaayyyyy back into the archives to pull out an exercise to help sorta work on this idea: the “ride your footprints” precision / direction exercise I learned from a David O’Connor clinic back in 2017. Funny enough — that post actually features an action shot of our new coach, when she was still on her way to becoming a 5* rider (tho, I guess at that point it was still 4*??). 

pictured: me enabling bad habits bc “haha cute!”

There’s something strangely meditative about being so deeply focused on exactly *where* each footfall lands, and it’s a shockingly great exercise for getting the horse completely on the aids in a calibrated and almost harmonious way. 

Theoretically, I should always ride like that. But ya know. Realistically I can’t always walk and chew gum at the same time… and it’s hard to sustain that level of focus on literal footfalls. 

consequences: you can juusssst barely see the top of my brand new sunscreen bottle that she absolutely crunched beyond repair. womp.

But then again… This is sorta the core underlying missing piece in helping Doozy travel straightly and find her longitudinal balance. Which, not coincidentally, has been almost the entire focus of all these lessons on remedial trotting, more or less. 

And the practice paid off when we showed up for our lesson yesterday with a cool calm collected Doozy, who was happy to prove that — actually — she CAN trot nicely and in balance! 

moving on! look who graduated back to tying at the trailer in a flat halter!!!

Tho ya know, it probably didn’t hurt that we’d also had our now-quarterly saddle fitter appt earlier that day, in which the fitter removed a fair amount of wool now that Doozy is a bit more, er, plush from the spring grass. Mare appreciates the extra breathing room! 

more unrelated pics: a giant storm blew thru and doozy insisted on investigating all the wind-swept detritus

It’s interesting bc in our last lesson, prior to the schooling show, we spent a LOT of time on transitions, particularly with respect to not letting Doozy spool out in a racing unbalanced trot. 

But when I worked on that as homework leading up to the schooling show, I’m not sure it really did us any favors. It seems like sometimes Doozy really just needs room and space to move out, and to not always be constricted into starting and stopping.

bc some of it was scary omg

In this week’s lesson, it felt like we were able to take the same “idea” of frequent transitions to help control speed and balance, and transform it into this sort of “riding the bend” approach instead of actual gait transitions. And not like, whipping Doozy around tight turns or whatever. But just that deep focus on line of travel and equal application of full-body aids vs constantly feeling like I need to hold the mare back. 

“who put that branch there?? and WHY??” — suspicious biscuit

And honestly I think we got better results! Doozy was more relaxed, and even in the moments when she wanted to spurt off or whatever, it felt like I was able to apply all my aids in a calibrated way that didn’t make her go bouncing off the walls. Yay!

Plus, the transitions we DID do seemed a lot more fluid and uphill (ish). That’s kinda been a recent tricky spot for us — it’s hard to get a soft upward transition when the horse is tense and short in the neck, ya know? 

lol it apparently passed the taste test!

It was funny tho… A few times — especially in canter — I’d feel like I’d set us on the right track or line, and then soften… And Doozy would **instantly** wobble and drift off it. Like her shoulders have their own gravity, I swear. And a few times I was definitely a bit too late in preparing for our turns etc. 

But it was all good practice, AND — good enough that we got to do some actual real (sort of) jumping in this lesson, yay!! Nothing crazy, and still just working on the same exact fundamentals of line of travel and positional balance to little jumps, one at a time and halting after. 

Still good, tho. Still exciting lol. Exactly the sort of patient detail-oriented practice that I’m not always disciplined enough to see through without supervision. While simultaneously exactly the sort of good clean correct + confidence building repetition that Doozy benefits so much from. 

released back into the dramatic wilds

It’s also exciting that this new coach is quick to adapt and evolve her approach to Doozy every session based on what’s working and where the horse is on that particular day — vs adhering to some sort of rigid textbook version of “how it should be.” 

Doozy isn’t necessarily a complicated horse, but it’s maybe easy to overlook her best qualities (being a brave biscuit who wants to color inside the lines) when she’s unspooling on a chaotic rampage lol. So it’ll take somebody with a flexible and open minded approach to really help us dial it in. 

And in the meantime, now that oppressive summer is starting to breathe down our necks, we’re likely to stick with the “bite sized” scale outings + adventures for the foreseeable future. Perfect time to really settle in on the detail work!