The last month we've been working on getting Risonho to relax and soften. This has been harder than it sounds. His back is very tight. "Like a brick"according to the massage therapist. This tension causes him to prance forward whenever leg is applied.

For the last week the trainer has been spending a lot of time lunging him. It's been good for me to watch, because I'm getting some good lessons on how to lunge a horse and what the goals. Jesse is using the lunge so the Risonho doesn't have the weight, or have to be concerned about the rider on his back. He's trying to get him to stretch, find his balance, and soften through the use of transitions among other things.

While this has been moderately successful on the lunge line it hasn't yet translated to the rider in the saddle. So, the above mentioned massage therapist worked on him last week. She found him to be very tight in the back, "like a brick," and in the right side of his neck. It's his neck which she think might be the major cause of the problem.

We might be making some progress. Today, Risonho was pretty good in both directions on the lunge line, as well as under saddle.

Next Monday, he has an appointment with the chiropractor. I'm also going to be adding Magnesium Quiessence to his supplements.

Yesterday I had the unique pleasure of watching a demonstration by John Lyons at the Novi Equestrian Expo. He did his stuff, western style, and of course the horse responded beautifully, because John Lyons knows what he is doing. I made a few notes from the hour long demonstration:

•  To make an "extraordinary" horse (dressage) you first have to get him to the level of being "ordinary." In other words, you can't start at the top of the training pyramid and hope the lower levels will just fall into place. And "extraordinary" horse is built upon mastering the ordinary.
• Moving "the tail" (the hunches) moves the feet. "Moving the neck doesn't move the feet." A lot of riders focus on what the neck is doing when they need to be concerned about what the hunches are doing.
• "When you pick up the rein it needs to mean something." Put pressure in the rein, pick a spot on the horse you want to move, apply pressure until he thinks about moving and instantly release. Example: walk forward, lift up on the rein (pressure) until "the tail moves over and stops," and then do the other rein.

John Lyons is a natural horsemanship trainer. But good training carries across disciplines, because it's not about the method used, but about the communication. 

In the spirit of natural horsemanship, I tried a little groundwork with Risonho this morning. I grabbed the whip, and Risonho walked right beside me, not having a clue what was coming. Neither did I. I picked up the rein, and moved his hunches over with the motion of the whip and suddenly wondered: "What's my aim here?" In all honesty, I couldn't remember much about the previous day's seminary, and I wasn't quite sure what my aim should've been. I figured the best thing was to put the whip away and just climb on and ride--something we both understood.

If The Saddle Fits...

Last winter I learned the importance of having a good fitting saddle. There's a highly respected saddle fitter in the area, and as I looked for horses throughout the summer I also kept tabs on when she would be visiting the barn, so that if needed I could coordinate my new buddy's arrival with her visit. As it happened, I was able to get Risonho here two days before the saddle fitter was scheduled, enough time to get him settled in before I had to get on him for the first time in a new barn.

I felt blessed, that after  taking measurements, the saddle fitter had a used saddle with her that fit him almost perfectly. Having gone through this before with the lease horse, and knowing how difficult it is to find a used saddle that fits, I hesitated only a little before I plunked down the cash for the saddle.

I've been riding it in for a month now, and though the basic shape fit Risonho well, it hit him in the withers and I've been anticipating the day the saddle fitter would return to adjust the flocking. Today was the day!

Afterwards, I rode him. He felt forward and I felt in balance. He moved easily off my leg and transitioned when I asked. The last two weeks I've been attempting a leg yield, but with only one lesson haven't quite been able to bring it together on my own.  Today, he did what felt like a few very nice leg yields--he  remained straight in the shoulders, and crossed his front and back legs as he moved sideways. When things started falling apart, as they inevitably eventually did, I moved him straight forward and then asked again.

Some of the improvement may have been the saddle. However, unlike previous times, I made sure that he was straight and pushing into both reins, before I asked him to go sideways. This, I believe, is what made the most improvement.

I also attempted to do the shoulder-in, with, I believe, some success--it was hard to tell because I couldn't see the mirrors very well, but at times he did seem to be going in three tracks.

This week Risonho's training had a number of interruptions--his health, and the saddle fitter. Hopefully, next week we'll be in the swing of things; Jesse will be able to ride him regularly, and I might even be able to get a lesson as well!

A Horse is A Horse, Of Course!

Had a revelation! Horses are horses. Within a margin of tolerance; they're created the same, move the same, respond the same. 

People are people. Psychology works because so many of us do and think in the same fashion.

"Becoming a better rider" may not be about finding a different method, a better method, a secret method, but by building a better understanding of the horse, the rider, and the interaction between the two. A horse is a horse, of course, and riders respond pretty similarly as well.

On another note:

After fall shots on Friday, Risonho was still feeling a little under the weather today. I took advantage of his quieter personality to hand-walk him around the "scarier" parts of the property along the woods. Unlike last time, he was pretty chilled out about it.

The First Steps

I've had Risonho for a month now. He's really a sweet guy. Whenever I get him from the paddock, he nickers as I put his halter on, and then later when I turn him back out. 

Over the summer my balance and leg positions have improved, but my lack of knowledge is telling. Risonho needs to relax his neck and push through his back more. I can feel when he's not doing it, but I'm not that successful at encouraging him to do it. 

He seems to be feeling tight, and  the last few days our ride has started out sluggish. Part of it is likely the saddle, which needs to be flocked to fit him. Part of it, no doubt, is just me.

Good news! I think I'm finally in the trainer's schedule. None-too-soon, if you ask me. I've enjoyed the time I've had to bond with Risonho without interruption, but we could stand to have some professional help.

Jesse rode yesterday and today. He confirmed that Risonho was tight. Today we put a Mattes pad under the saddle to lift it off of his withers. Jesse spent a lot of time walking him, getting him to soften and let go, particularly on the left rein, but also through his neck and back as well.

It took him about 15 minutes of walking, suppleing, flexing, bending, etc. before Risonho started relaxing.

Notes on the day:

• The rein means "softness" -- when the rider picks up the rein the horse should soften.
• Take all the time you need to get the softness in the flexion and bending at the walk. 
• Don't go into the trot with him tense.
• Don't let him be heavy in the reins...but don't hang on the reins, or tighten to try and get him to release it. Don't let it become a tug-of-war between you and him. Work with him at it.
• When he softens reward him by softening the tension on the reins--at least in the beginning.

On another note: I've heard a lot about the rider moving the hip toward the elbow in asking for sideways movements. (Along with the use of pressure from outside calf.) I've been struggling with trying to figure out what exactly my "hip" meant. After watching several videos I tried earlier this week to ask for a leg yield--which is easy enough on Risonho when turning the corner, but I wasn't getting in a straight. He can do very nice leg yield and half passes for other riders--so trying to figure out what this rider's error is.  I can't get his hind legs to cross and he's always leading with shoulders. After watching Jesse, I determined that "hip" means more of a sliding your lower hip bone toward elbow in the direction you're going. I'm sure this will all become clear to me in the future, but right now I'm just sorting through the confusion---I'll give it a try and see how it goes!

A Horse By Any Other Name

Last spring I decided to buy a horse. Odd for me, since for most of my life I had little interaction with horses. The first time I rode as an adult I fell off twice! However, a few years ago a good friend bought a horse and I started hanging out at the barn with her. I took sporadic lessons until about 18 months ago when I started riding regularly. 

Last year at this time, I had finally reached the point in my ridding where I could canter without thinking, I'm going die. I promptly went out and bought a saddle--because every aspiring rider buys a saddle for the future. A month later, I found a horse to lease and, little did I know, my future was sealed. Four months later, I made the decision to go into horse ownership. It was with this fragment of experience that I ventured into the equestrian world--leaning heavily on the good opinion of my trainer. 

After a six month search, looking at a variety of breeds and crosses, multiple road trips that took us across the tri-state area and into Illinois, I found a gem of a horse. A 10 year old Lusitano gelding named Risonho--he became my dancing partner in the beginning of October, 2015. And it's here the journey begins:

My goal through these posts is to chronicle our partnership, primarily for my own reference, but perhaps it will also provide future insight to others as I educate my understanding of horse training and dressage.

To Kefir or Not to Kefir

Many years ago, I'm thinking 7 or 8, I started reading about this new thing called kefir. I was able to get my hands on a few grains, and for no better reason than to experiment with it, I started drinking it. After a few weeks, I noticed that problems I had never paid much mind to started clearing up. After 25 years, I no longer needed to buy a dandruff shampoo. Symptoms that left me concerned about acid reflux stopped bothering me.

I drank homemade kefir for awhile, but eventually switched to store bought because of taste and convenience. (It tastes like a yogurt smoothie.) Meanwhile, my grains were abandoned, and then mistakenly thrown out. However, I never felt that the store bought grains were quit as sufficient.

Last week, I bought new grains locally off of Craigslist.org.

The process of making kefir is really quite simple--you take the kefir grains, add twice as much milk in a glass out plastic (I'm not a purist) pitcher and let them sit for 12 to 48 hours. The time depends on the room temperature. The longer it sits the "better" it is for you. Certainly the more sour it is.  But it also has more time to turn the lactose into lactase.

Kefir is a powerful probiotic and unique mixture of beneficial microorganisms, including more than thirty different bacteria and yeasts. These include: Lactobacillus kefyr, Lactococcus lactis, Lactococcus cremoris, Lactococcus diacetylactis, Leuconostoc cremoris, Candida kefyr, and Saccharomyces. "Kefir also contains high levels of vitamin B 12, which is a common deficiency in immuno-compromised patient populations and vegetarians."

I feel the health and wellness seeping over me and I didn't even know I was sick.