Had a lesson ... on Echo
Aug. 11th, 2005 10:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blueeowynA little over 9 years ago, a chestnut filly with a star was born, the daughter of my beloved mare Dancer to be named "Dancer's Echo" since she looked so much like her dam. In the intervening years Echo has grown to be a beautiful mare with a wonderful temperament. She seems to want to work with people, she isn't mean, she isn't ornery, if she says "no!" there is always a good reason. She is very laid back about just about everything and doesn't get all fuzzed up without a really good reason.
There were some bad times when she developed OCD (a bone generation problem where the cartilage in 3 joints wasn't properly forming to bone) and had surgery as a yearling (with close to a year of stall rest). She was briefly worked by a man who had very little clue about some things. She was then worked by a friend of mine under the supervision of 2 different people. She was entered in a show and got a 9 on her free-walk (which is VERY good). I got to ride her briefly as cool-down a few times during this period. Then she had lameness issues, her feet had some abscesses (which are agony to a horse until they blow), and tore her suspensory ligament (which laid her off for about a year). Finally she was back in work, being her normal willing self and I was scheduled to ride her again and she came up just barely 'off' and discretion being the better part of valor, had a break and got checked out. It turns out that there is scar tissue and she will basically have to work through it. Her right hoof also grows unevenly and if she isn't trimmed more often than most horses, the having one side of the hoof higher than the other causes problems (5-6 weeks instead of 7-8).
Last night, for the first time in her life, I rode her without someone riding her first. We didn't even lunge her first.
OK, to call what happened last night a lesson is an exercise in overstatement. I did need to be told how to put all the current pieces of tack together (which pad goes where on the horse) since I am still used to Dancer who had saddle, bridle, and go. Echo was very understanding about leaving her buddies (she was already out for the night because P hadn't been told to keep her in ... and she saw the other two (her old buddy Pooh and a new horse named Coral) going out and was raising a ruckus that she was still in. She was very good about coming in, was slightly confused when we passed her stall and went to the cross-ties.
Groomed her quickly but thoroughly (with LOTS attention to her face) and started putting the various things on. Kept trying to check with Peter to make sure I was getting everything and that rascal waited until we were in the ring to tell me that the pads were in the wrong order. Echo currently uses 2 saddle pads, a rectangular blue one to smooth out the lumps of the other stuff and to keep the other stuff a little cleaner; she also has a pad that has a lot of cushion and also has felt shims that can be slotted into the pad to help balance her muscle (or lack thereof) with the saddle so that the pressure from the saddle on her back is very even. So, I strip off the saddle and juggle holding her by the bridle, holding the saddle, and swapping the two pads. Eventually I get it all back on in mostly the correct order (somewhere in there the rectangular pad ended up being upside down but that is not a major problem so I just left it) and got the girth on. Walked her a bit (to make sure there were no folds of skin under the girth) and tightened the girth more. One disadvantage of a tall horse is that it is harder to tighten the girth when it is higher on you. Echo's back is probably 6 inches higher than Dancer's was when Dancer died and probably 4-5 inches higher than Dancer's was when I was still riding her.
Peter was (of course) giving me a hard time about diddling around so much. It did take me quite while to get ready after arriving, though some of it was helping his daughter shave the long-haired cat who really needed it. Since I had taken so long, the girls who work there were done for the night and came to watch. Great, I have an audience of 4 (Mom, Peter, and the 2 girls ... both of whom have worked with Echo on the line and I think P has ridden her). So, over to the mounting block we went and Echo just marched up to it and Peter (bless his rascally heart, I really like working with him even when he is being an imp) held her head and balanced the outside stirrup while I climbed on. As far as grace in mounting goes, I fail. He made sure we were settled and turned us loose. EEP! Fortunately, work was crazy enough yesterday (and Mom and I were discussing other stuff while driving north) so that the idea of riding Echo hadn't really sunk in thus I wasn't a complete bundle of nerves. So we start wandering around. Peter says to let her wander. Then says to steer with my legs more than my hands. I keep telling her that she can't go and sit in Peter's lap (if things are a little weird, she does seek reassurance rather than FLEE! which is rather A-O-K with me). Eventually we sort of get steering (there were some really tight turns as I sorted out my legs).
When steering a sensitive horse (which she is since she has not really been trained to ignore very many things); you ideally use everything separately (thighs, calves, heels, seat bones, shoulders, hips, hands, arms, head). This is NOT simple. Since I have not been on horse-back since May (due to illness for awhile then the horse that I usually ride is currently being leased by a young woman whose horse has been off since May). So, I'm trying to remember all the new positioning stuff I learned on Clint, with all the sensitive rider stuff I learned on Dancer, while riding a fairly green horse. Echo has probably had a total of 14 months under saddle; most of it about a year ago. I do know to mostly stay out of her mouth (Dancer was very sensitive there) but since she is greenish AND currently out of shape, her balance isn't what it should be and she sort of wobbles. Add in the factor that I am heavier than any of her previous riders and her balance is really wonky.
I am leaning to the left (I have no idea why) and to counter balance myself I stick my right leg out and Peter gets on my for it (which is a GoodThing for him to do). In the process of sorting it all out, we discover that my stirrups are not even (but Echo is an angel about standing while I shorten the right stirrup) and I end up sliding the saddle to the right a bit. Stepping into the left stirrup to straighten things yields an impressive stop.
Echo is a bit confused (I am so much more tentative in my commands than she is currently used to) but willing to try and she seems to like being talked to and scritched. We do some changes of direction and going to the right she has an impressive counterbend. I don't know how much of it is that she was stiff in that direction and how much of it was that I was just not asking what I thought I was asking. Since I wasn't sure, I didn't get on her case (she is one of those wonderful unspoiled horses that if you ask correctly and she can do it without pain, she will give it her best shot).
Eventually Peter says that the girls are bored and when am I going to trot this thing. Now, I have already be chastised for clucking to get her to walk ("there is not clucking, you sound like a chicken" to which I replied "would you prefer if I cockle-doodle-doo like a rooster?" since in my heart I know I am a chicken about a lot of things). So, I try to get her to trot and get a bigger walk ... I try again and get a bigger walk. He says to say "trot" softly, sit back, and stay out of her way. So, we get about 3 steps of trot and come to a walk, lather-rinse-repeat. I keep looking down to see which diagonal to post on (it is NOT fair to her for me to try to sit the trot at this point). Eventually, I got it all together and we had about 8 strides of the trot! I trotted on Echo!.
Echo did get tired (and wanted me to hold her head up ... which I won't do ... it is a bad habit for her) and I slithered off. We groomed her and Mom took her out for grazing while I changed back into regular pants and shoes. She enjoyed the surprising finds of carrots and apples in the grass and I got to see some of N's lesson on Justin. It is amazing how much some of what she does sounds like me. She is better than I am, but some of the same problems.
Mom says Peter was very pleased with how we did and how calm we stayed. Maybe, just maybe, I can do this. Right now, I am planning to go back this weekend and then go to EE to pick up my half-chaps (which better be ready).
I have a wonderful mare who does exhibit the best of her sire and dam. She is gorgeous, talented, willing, good natured, and affectionate. I have fabulous trainers who can work with her when I can't and who can (eventually) bring the best out of me. I am very lucky.
There were some bad times when she developed OCD (a bone generation problem where the cartilage in 3 joints wasn't properly forming to bone) and had surgery as a yearling (with close to a year of stall rest). She was briefly worked by a man who had very little clue about some things. She was then worked by a friend of mine under the supervision of 2 different people. She was entered in a show and got a 9 on her free-walk (which is VERY good). I got to ride her briefly as cool-down a few times during this period. Then she had lameness issues, her feet had some abscesses (which are agony to a horse until they blow), and tore her suspensory ligament (which laid her off for about a year). Finally she was back in work, being her normal willing self and I was scheduled to ride her again and she came up just barely 'off' and discretion being the better part of valor, had a break and got checked out. It turns out that there is scar tissue and she will basically have to work through it. Her right hoof also grows unevenly and if she isn't trimmed more often than most horses, the having one side of the hoof higher than the other causes problems (5-6 weeks instead of 7-8).
Last night, for the first time in her life, I rode her without someone riding her first. We didn't even lunge her first.
OK, to call what happened last night a lesson is an exercise in overstatement. I did need to be told how to put all the current pieces of tack together (which pad goes where on the horse) since I am still used to Dancer who had saddle, bridle, and go. Echo was very understanding about leaving her buddies (she was already out for the night because P hadn't been told to keep her in ... and she saw the other two (her old buddy Pooh and a new horse named Coral) going out and was raising a ruckus that she was still in. She was very good about coming in, was slightly confused when we passed her stall and went to the cross-ties.
Groomed her quickly but thoroughly (with LOTS attention to her face) and started putting the various things on. Kept trying to check with Peter to make sure I was getting everything and that rascal waited until we were in the ring to tell me that the pads were in the wrong order. Echo currently uses 2 saddle pads, a rectangular blue one to smooth out the lumps of the other stuff and to keep the other stuff a little cleaner; she also has a pad that has a lot of cushion and also has felt shims that can be slotted into the pad to help balance her muscle (or lack thereof) with the saddle so that the pressure from the saddle on her back is very even. So, I strip off the saddle and juggle holding her by the bridle, holding the saddle, and swapping the two pads. Eventually I get it all back on in mostly the correct order (somewhere in there the rectangular pad ended up being upside down but that is not a major problem so I just left it) and got the girth on. Walked her a bit (to make sure there were no folds of skin under the girth) and tightened the girth more. One disadvantage of a tall horse is that it is harder to tighten the girth when it is higher on you. Echo's back is probably 6 inches higher than Dancer's was when Dancer died and probably 4-5 inches higher than Dancer's was when I was still riding her.
Peter was (of course) giving me a hard time about diddling around so much. It did take me quite while to get ready after arriving, though some of it was helping his daughter shave the long-haired cat who really needed it. Since I had taken so long, the girls who work there were done for the night and came to watch. Great, I have an audience of 4 (Mom, Peter, and the 2 girls ... both of whom have worked with Echo on the line and I think P has ridden her). So, over to the mounting block we went and Echo just marched up to it and Peter (bless his rascally heart, I really like working with him even when he is being an imp) held her head and balanced the outside stirrup while I climbed on. As far as grace in mounting goes, I fail. He made sure we were settled and turned us loose. EEP! Fortunately, work was crazy enough yesterday (and Mom and I were discussing other stuff while driving north) so that the idea of riding Echo hadn't really sunk in thus I wasn't a complete bundle of nerves. So we start wandering around. Peter says to let her wander. Then says to steer with my legs more than my hands. I keep telling her that she can't go and sit in Peter's lap (if things are a little weird, she does seek reassurance rather than FLEE! which is rather A-O-K with me). Eventually we sort of get steering (there were some really tight turns as I sorted out my legs).
When steering a sensitive horse (which she is since she has not really been trained to ignore very many things); you ideally use everything separately (thighs, calves, heels, seat bones, shoulders, hips, hands, arms, head). This is NOT simple. Since I have not been on horse-back since May (due to illness for awhile then the horse that I usually ride is currently being leased by a young woman whose horse has been off since May). So, I'm trying to remember all the new positioning stuff I learned on Clint, with all the sensitive rider stuff I learned on Dancer, while riding a fairly green horse. Echo has probably had a total of 14 months under saddle; most of it about a year ago. I do know to mostly stay out of her mouth (Dancer was very sensitive there) but since she is greenish AND currently out of shape, her balance isn't what it should be and she sort of wobbles. Add in the factor that I am heavier than any of her previous riders and her balance is really wonky.
I am leaning to the left (I have no idea why) and to counter balance myself I stick my right leg out and Peter gets on my for it (which is a GoodThing for him to do). In the process of sorting it all out, we discover that my stirrups are not even (but Echo is an angel about standing while I shorten the right stirrup) and I end up sliding the saddle to the right a bit. Stepping into the left stirrup to straighten things yields an impressive stop.
Echo is a bit confused (I am so much more tentative in my commands than she is currently used to) but willing to try and she seems to like being talked to and scritched. We do some changes of direction and going to the right she has an impressive counterbend. I don't know how much of it is that she was stiff in that direction and how much of it was that I was just not asking what I thought I was asking. Since I wasn't sure, I didn't get on her case (she is one of those wonderful unspoiled horses that if you ask correctly and she can do it without pain, she will give it her best shot).
Eventually Peter says that the girls are bored and when am I going to trot this thing. Now, I have already be chastised for clucking to get her to walk ("there is not clucking, you sound like a chicken" to which I replied "would you prefer if I cockle-doodle-doo like a rooster?" since in my heart I know I am a chicken about a lot of things). So, I try to get her to trot and get a bigger walk ... I try again and get a bigger walk. He says to say "trot" softly, sit back, and stay out of her way. So, we get about 3 steps of trot and come to a walk, lather-rinse-repeat. I keep looking down to see which diagonal to post on (it is NOT fair to her for me to try to sit the trot at this point). Eventually, I got it all together and we had about 8 strides of the trot! I trotted on Echo!.
Echo did get tired (and wanted me to hold her head up ... which I won't do ... it is a bad habit for her) and I slithered off. We groomed her and Mom took her out for grazing while I changed back into regular pants and shoes. She enjoyed the surprising finds of carrots and apples in the grass and I got to see some of N's lesson on Justin. It is amazing how much some of what she does sounds like me. She is better than I am, but some of the same problems.
Mom says Peter was very pleased with how we did and how calm we stayed. Maybe, just maybe, I can do this. Right now, I am planning to go back this weekend and then go to EE to pick up my half-chaps (which better be ready).
I have a wonderful mare who does exhibit the best of her sire and dam. She is gorgeous, talented, willing, good natured, and affectionate. I have fabulous trainers who can work with her when I can't and who can (eventually) bring the best out of me. I am very lucky.
