Donkey Days This Weekend

These past two weeks, Laura and I have been busy preparing for the events coming up, including Donkey Days, a clinic taught by a donkey expert, which takes place this weekend. Until recently I wasn’t aware people really rode donkeys, but it there will be quite a few people there. I may even get the chance to ride a donkey, which I think will be really awesome! It is going to be really exciting!

 Friday, after some hard work in the blazing sun, Laura and I went for a ride. We were joined by a women who has a donkey. While Laura rode in the arena, the woman on the donkey and I warmed up on the trailsI worked on getting Lucky up in front of my leg as we warmed up. 

 I spent the last few minutes of my ride on the level ground where the dressage arena once was(we had taken it down last week). At the trot, I continued working on getting her forward. She was actually pretty good about moving at a steady tempo and at the speed I wanted. 

 Before cantering, I put her on a circle. Since she is much better to the left, I started her in that direction. Lucky has a really nice, easy to sit canter. On Moe and Chester, I stubble to keep seated in the saddle, but I had no problem on Lucky. I went around and around several times, working on getting my position and moving my hips with her movement. The last few strides felt really great! 

We moved all these panels( and a few more) last week, thing them apart
and then reconstructing them into box stalls for the clinic and then next month's show. 

 We decided to try to see how well Lucky went to right since she had done so good to the left. Going right was more difficult. Lucky doesn't go very well to the right and often leans in. Because of this, I and to really focus on using my inside leg to get her to not lean. Whenever she leaned in, I pointed my toes in, tapping her shoulder with the whip if necessary. Before long I began to feel when she leaned in. All this was done at the trot. I noticed that at one side of the circle, Lucky land in more than the other parts, so I decided to ask for canter a little bit after she passed that side to set her up for success. She had a good transition, but began leaning in and fell out of canter after a few circles. 

 After spending a few minutes getting her ready and not leaning, I again asked for canter. This time was much better! I even felt when she was about to leaned in on my leg again, tapping her inside shoulder before it happened. As she cantered, I let my legs stretch long, lifting my hands to bend my elbows and putting my hands close together. All three are things I need to work on, which is why I focuses on them. What went well: 

• I had a really great canter on Lucky!

I'll definitely share about the donkey clinic. have a great weekend everyone!

Driving Show Recap

 This weekend, I was navigator at a local driving event with Pistachio the pony and Gretchen, his owner, who just moved up to Preliminary level. It was a small event, but was loads of fun. We brought Pistachio there the day before to allow him time to settle in and save time in the morning. We drove him for a few minutes, and he was very relaxed, which looked promising.

Dressage

 Like eventing, driving has three phases: dressage, cones(stadium), and marathon(cross country). Saturday morning was dressage. Unfortunately, things didn't go as well as the day before. He was rushing and wasn't quiet in the halt–he was fidgety. However, the judge did like his forward trot and his nice bend. After our go, a bay Hackney went, followed by a dark bay German Sport Horse(the driver said it was a German Riding Pony that got too big) with a white blaze and white socks. Both are driven by very good drivers, and the one with the German horse has competed in Intermediate and Advanced competitions overseas, though not with the same horse. The horses were very good movers, and the Hackney had the high stepping trot. It was neat to see.

Cones course

Pistachio didn't relax any more for the cones course in the afternoon. For cones, there are pairs of cones that you go between, forming gates, with 20  gates on the course. The course was a fun, windy course. Gate two was a serpentine with three cones to wind around. There was even a bridge and deep indent(a downhill followed immediately by an uphill) that is filled with water when it rains, which didn't happened this weekend. Unfortunately, we had a refusal at gate 10, which was heading into the indent.

 For marathon, the driving equivalent of cross country, he was fast and didn't want to relax. Marathon was a long windy, 3.81 kilometer course with 40 gates and two hazards, obstacles you wind around, placed in the course. The hazards had A, B, C, and D parts. They were tricky because had to make several rollbacks and turn around a few time to go through them in the correct direction with the red on the right. Those went pretty well. However, after the first hazard, the strap on his back came undone and the strap that goes behind him fell down to his hocks. He was good about not panicking while I fixed it. This caused us major time faults. We ended up driving the course in 21:19, and OT was 17:35.

Driving through hazard 1.

The blues are from dressage and marathon(each class was judged separately) and the yellow
is for the overall placing.

 The classes were judged separately at that event, and we earned two blue ribbons, one for dressage and one for marathon(we were actually the only large pony at Prelim). Overall, we placed third, behind the Hackney and German Sport Horse.

Trot Poles and Show This Weekend

Monday was a very busy day, with preparations for the coming show and donkey clinic underway. Laura and I spent most of the day deconstructing the dressage arena and moving the metal corral fences that aren't being used. A tractor came Wednesday to level the ground, and then we will set up 12X12 and 16X16 stalls with the fences with mules going to the show to stay in. t was a lot of hard work, but I didn't mind it. 

 Tuesday was more of the same thing, but since we had finished most of it the day before, we had time to ride. I worked on riding through a line of trot poles to work on rhythm. The two pairs of cones were there, like last time. I rode in a four leaf clover pattern, trotting over the poles, then going to the outside of either of the cones, make a rollback to go between them, and repeating the pattern. This is also a good exercise to prepare for jumping. When turning around the cone, I need to: 

• Make a wide enough

• Find a good, straight line to the poles

• Keep Lucky moving with enough  impulsion and reaching underneath herself her hind legs

• Prepare to make the next turn around the cone

As you can see, a big part of jumping(or going over trot poles in my case) is the preparation before the jump. Starting out, I did not prepare for the turn around the cones in time, my turn wasn't wide enough, and Lucky wasn't moving with enough impulsion and reaching underneath herself with her hind legs. I had to start over several times. After a few times, I began to really focused on preparing and lining Lucky up for the turn. As early as when I was heading over the poles, I looked for the cone I would circled and prepared to go there. 

 I also had trouble making a wide enough turn around the cones, especially to the right, Lucky's hard side. Each time, I started out wide, but made a sharp turn right after the cone. I had to really work on using my inside leg to push Lucky out onto a wider circle. It wasn't until near the end that I managed to get a nice, wide turn to the right.

 What I really had trouble with, though, was getting Lucky to take long enough strides to get over the poles. I have been working a lot on asking Lucky to move forward with light cues. When she didn't respond, I would kick her. I didn't get enough of a response. Since I wasn't getting her to open her stride more, her hind leg didn't quite reach over the second pole, and as a result, she stumbled over it. 

 It wasn't until the end of the lesson that I achieved a nice, rhythmic trot over the poles. Approaching the poles, I squeezed Lucky with my calves to get her get her moving forward. When she didn't respond, I gave her a tap with the whip I had been handed. She responded by lengthening her stride and trotting beautifully over the poles. I headed to the right cone, applying inside leg and flexion to make a nice, wide turn. I made sure to have enough calf on to keep her forward motion. 

 The driving show is this weekend. I can't wait!

Interview with Equine Bodyworker Loni Langdon

This month, I interview equine bodyworker Loni Langdon. Equine bodyworks uses massage and acupressure/acupuncture to relieve tension in a horse, mule, or donkey. I'll give it over to Loni to explain it more in depth.

1. What is equine bodyworks?
To me equine bodywork uses human touch, movement and intention to communicate with an animal to help them feel better on both a physical and emotional level. Equine bodywork involves using feel, timing, intuition, patience and communication. When I work with a horse, mule or donkey it is my goal to relax and/or stimulate muscles and systems in their body that benefit their overall wellbeing and address specific performance issues. Bodywork involves understanding anatomy, biomechanics and different equine disciplines. Being able to recognize patterns that may develop based on each animal’s individual conformation and the jobs they do is essential. In general, there are many techniques and combinations of modalities used by equine bodyworkers. Some examples include but are not limited to: acupuncture/pressure, massage, myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, passive stretching. There are also specific methods developed by folks in the equine industry such as TTouch and the Masterson Method of Integrated Equine Performance BodyworkTM.

2. How does equine bodyworks benefit horses? Bodywork can benefit equines by alleviating soreness, muscle strain and tension creating more comfort for the equine. Additional benefits include improved performance, suppleness, and mobility. Long-term benefits of regular bodywork can help reduce incidents of lameness. When done with the animal, bodywork can help them relax significantly and can create behavioral changes such as better attitude. Many owners say their horses are more willing to do their jobs or are more relaxed or energetic after having bodywork.

Working on the neck/poll

3. How can equine bodyworks help detect and relieve tension in the horse’s body that may be causing problems, such as resistance to the bit, difficulty bending on a circle, or trouble picking up the correct canter lead one way, etc?

I’m going to quote Mr. Jim Masterson here because he sums it up really well… “Repetitive work, pain, lameness, or compensation for any discomfort can cause tension patterns to develop in muscles and connective tissues that can restrict movement in joints and major junctions of the body. This accumulated tension and restricted movement can negatively affect performance and comfort. These tension patterns can themselves eventually contribute to lameness.” The Masterson MethodTM focuses on three key junctions of the body that most affect performance. They are the Poll/neck, shoulders & withers junction/hind-end junction.  

“When tension is released in any of these key junctions, tension is release in muscles and connective tissues in the larger areas of that junction and often in more remote areas of the horse’s body. The most important junction in relation to overall mobility and comfort in the horse is the poll. In my experience, tension, pain or discomfort anywhere in the horse’s body shows up in the poll.”

“The other two main junctions are junctions where the horse’s limbs join the body, so it makes sense that the forces exerted by the horse’s limbs as well as concussion during movement transfer to the body here. And when tension patterns begin to accumulate unilaterally – meaning more to one side than the other – then forces are exerted in an unbalanced manner. And performance problems can become apparent in bending, lead change, and movement.”

4. What kind of issues do client’s horses commonly have? The most common issues I see have to do with unilateral imbalances. For example, many owners say their animal has difficulty picking up or maintaining a lead or is stiffer bending to one side than the other. In these cases, I usually find there is tension in the poll and restricted range of motion through the cervical vertebrae. By working slowly and staying under an animals’ bracing response I can help loosen and relax the connective tissue between the vertebrae and in small increments increase range of motion, which in turn helps with the imbalance.

5. How did you become interested in equine bodyworks? I became interested in equine bodywork in 2013 when I was training and showing my mule Feather. She started developing tenderness in her lumber region. At that time, I had a friend who was studying the Masterson Method so I asked her to come and do some work with Feather. What she discovered was that Feather had a more primary issue in her right hind limb that was creating tension and soreness in her loin. Terry worked with Feather and I saw Feather relax and release tension like I’d never experienced with any equine (my mule being especially skeptical & introverted was challenging!). Terry showed me how to do some range of motion exercises with Feather and also showed me how to help release the tension that Feather carried in her jaw which directly affected other parts of her body. I did the exercises daily with Feather and it really helped improve her range of motion but it also helped create a deeper bond and trust in our relationship. Since then I have been fascinated and intrigued with how equine bodies work and how to help equines via bodywork.

6. How does someone become an equine bodyworks professional? People enter into the equine bodywork profession by a variety of ways. Some are physical therapists or licensed human massage therapists that expand their practice to equines. Some people go to school specifically to study equine anatomy and biomechanics and then work as sports therapists on their own or in conjunction with veterinarians. Others get certified via various programs such as massage schools or through organizations such as Equinology, or The Masterson Method. I also know people who have apprenticed with practitioners, learned from them and then gone out on their own.

For me, I find that the Masterson Method is a great fit for my style of horsemanship and personality. I have attended advanced coursework in the Masterson Method and am currently working on my certification through that program. I started by working on horses at the barn where I keep Feather and then started offered bodywork to friends outside the barn. I have expanded my practice to working on horses, mules and donkeys for other folks while getting paid to do something that I love! Right now my goal is to become a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner and use that knowledge to help my friends in having the best performance with their equine partners that bodywork can support.

Working on the hindquarters

7. What is your favorite thing about doing equine bodyworks? I am excited by what I can learn from all equines through bodywork because it is really a cooperative process. There’s a deep level of trust and communication established when a horse allows you to take their head in your arms and puts all their weight onto your shoulder. I love, love, love it when an animals says “yes! that’s the spot! stay there! or please do more!”. It’s like you are a detective searching for clues that lead you on a path towards knowledge about what’s going on in their bodies. The results can be very profound for the equine and for me it’s one more way to study horsemanship on a deeper level.

Here’s an example: I recently worked on my boyfriend’s mule, Tomas. I’d been working on him for about an hour and a half when I found an area on his sternum that just sent him into distress. It caused him to try to take off my head with his hind foot! I couldn’t even touch that area. So I focused my intention and energy where he could tolerate it and that was about 3 inches from his sternum just between his front legs. If I touched his guard hairs he would brace hard through his whole body. Luckily, he stayed with me and didn’t leave the scene (which is his typical mode of operation when he doesn’t like what’s going on). By focusing my intention and energy with my hand to this area, after about 3 minutes, he let out a big sigh then licked and chewed for about a minute. That was his way of showing me that he had released, so I decided that was a good time to quit him. Tomas walked over to the trough, had a big drink of water then proceeded to yawn repeatedly, over & over for 15 minutes! The next day I was able to palpate his sternum with no signs of tension or a big reaction like the day prior. For me, that’s hitting the jackpot! Very satisfying. My boyfriend Zack, also reported that Tomas has not been sensitive in that area since nor has he shown any signs of pain in any other areas. Considering that he ropes from Tomas regularly, it’s really pretty amazing.

I also really enjoy interacting with equine owners. The session with Tomas really made Zack, my boyfriend a believer in bodywork even though he admits he doesn’t quite get it. When I get to interact with owners who care for their equine and listen to their concerns, I’m offered a great opportunity to be of service. By listening to what the owner is saying and by feeling what an equine presents in their body, I’m able to piece together a picture of the whole horse, mule or donkey. It challenges me to think critically, keeps me wanting to learn more and is very gratifying when there’s a positive outcome. It’s great when the equine shows you they feel better and lovely when an owner gets to see & feel the results of the bodywork. I love it when an owner asks what they can do to help their equine through bodywork.

Loni releasing the sacrum by putting her hand under the tail and just barely moving it up and down.
This is called the sacral float.

8. How do you use equine bodyworks on your own mule? I have a routine each time I go to ride or work with Feather. My routine involves a quick palpation of her body to see where she might be sore or tense. If I find a place that’s very sensitive, I’ll work with her to release it. Before I turn her out to pasture, I usually do some under the tail points that release endorphins and help her relax her hind end. She loves the sacral float and a little massage to her groin. It keeps our relationship predictable and helps maintains connection that goes beyond riding. After all, equines are comfort seekers and if I can offer my mule some comfort, hopefully she’ll continue to seek me out.

9. Anything else? Anyone can learn simple and effective bodywork techniques to support their equine partner’s overall wellbeing. Touch is a language unto it’s own and bodywork can be a very positive and fun experience with your horse, mule or donkey. Who doesn’t enjoy a good massage or hug? The Masterson Method website is a great place to start with lots of video tutorials, resources and examples.

Schooling for Driving Show

 Saturday, I went with Pistachio and his owner, Gretchen to practice for the coming show, which is this coming weekend. Since the facility is nearby, we took Pistachio there to practice. I groomed and lunged him before we began driving.

 We started by driving through the cones course, a course of twenty pairs of cones that you drive between. It is the driving version of stadium jumping. The cones course went well; Pistachio was pretty relaxed throughout the day.

 Next we practiced hazards course, where we wind around wooden poles. Hazards have several "gates" in each one. You go through them in alphabetical order, making sure to keep the red and the right and not go through the wrong one. Sometimes you have to make a turn right after going through one or you will go through another obstacle by accident because one is right after it. The hazards practice also went well.

 After that, we rode on some of the trails that are part of the 4K marathon course. Pistachio was more relaxed this time than he was last time, which is really great. The course cannot be driven at the canter, so it is import an that the horse/pony is relaxed enough not to break into canter. I hope he is that relaxed at the show!

Sweaty after the drive

 We also drove through the dressage test. Driving tests are done in a 40 by 80 arena. The test contains several half circles that go from the wall to centerline or centerline to the wall(like the half ten meter circles in the 2011 dressage First Level), lengthenings
at walk and trot, and rein back. Besides the fact that Pistachio didn't keep his head still at the halt, it went well.

 We will be competing at Preliminary Level, the equivalent of eventing Preliminary. It is going to be Pistachio and Gretchen's first event at this level. It is going to be fun! I will also be wearing show clothes this time because this show is a driving trial and not a for fun event. I can't wait!

Two-Point Practice and a Hack

 Thursday was another fun day. Laura taught a lesson to a woman with a gorgeous buckskin Quarter horse named Keystone, so I helped her set up some ground poles for that and also tacked up BB for her to ride and demonstrate if needed. While Laura was teaching, I rode Lucky on my own around the property like I had done last time.

 While riding, I worked mostly on my two pint position. Every time I was riding over flat or uphill ground, I rose into my two-point. I was able to hold it for quite a while and didn't have to sit back down until I reached a downhill slope. Laura was teaching in arena next to the dressage one, so when I rode through it and stood up into my two point, she watched. She said my position looked good! I just needed to bend my elbows and lean more forward, but it was otherwise balanced. I fixed that and held my position through the arena, turning right to pass the round pen and up the steep hill by it. 

Sacrum float on Dyna

 I continued riding until after Laura was done with the lesson and was riding with the woman she had taught out of the arena. Since Laura and Keystone's owner are working on getting him more relaxed, I went to the arena to canter while they trail rode.  I cantered Lucky to the left around the arena, then left the arena and rode around the property one more time. I cantered a bit more, then began cooling Lucky out.

What went well:

• My two-point position was really good and correct
• I'm gaining more riding muscles to hold my position longer

 Loni, an friend of Laura's who is and equine bodyworker, was also there, working on the mules to relieve tension in the body. Something that she showed me how to done was the sacrum float. By putting her hand under the tail, right below where it connects to the body, and just barely moving it up and down, she relieved tension in the sacrum. It was really interesting to watch!

A Fun Trail Ride

 Tuesday, rather than riding in the arena, Laura and I hacked/trail rode together on her property. Where I live, there are lots of hills, making it perfect for conditioning Lucky. It also made it perfect for me to practice changing my position depending on whether the ground was level, downhill, or uphill. In a way I was practicing cross country without the jumps. Laura believes that hacking or riding outside of the arenas beneficially for the horse. It makes their work more interesting, helps them to gain muscles, and can help a slower or less forward horse become more energetic from the excitement of being outside of the arena. The hills also help them to leaner to step underneath themselves. Horses only ridden on the flat have trouble climbing up and down hills for the first time because they need to gain the proper muscles and lean how to place their feet.

The field. In the middle of the picture is the path we cantered up, and to the left ,
by the small building is another field.

 We went all over the property, up and down hills, then around and up a hill with a path that led to the aisle between the paddocks. We turned left here, went through the dressage arena, then around and back past the paddocks and around the property again. The whole time I worked on helping Lucky to balance up and down the hills by leaning slightly back and putting my weight into my heels. Going up hills, I closed my hip angle, leaning slightly forward.

 At first Lucky was a slow and I had trouble staying beside Laura, who was riding BB, so I worked on getting her up to speed. After riding around at the walk several laps, we trotted up one of the hills. At this point, it became clear that Lucky was really enjoying herself. She felt balanced, her back swinging underneath me, and it seemed as if I could post so easily. I was slamming down into the saddle; her movement was pushing me up and then I lightly sat down. It felt so amazing.

 We continued riding, trotting up the hills and walking down. At first we had let Lucky and BB stretch and walk at the dressage arena, but after a bit we trotted through it instead, and I rode in a two-point position until we reached the top of a particularly steep hill, when we returned to trot. As we rode, I worked on getting Lucky round. She came round quite a few times throughout the ride.

 After trotting and walking the hills for a while, we cantered up the hill that led to the paddocks and barn.  On the flat section preceding it, we trotted then asked for canter. Lucky cantered off right away; I just made a kissing sound and listened. It was really exciting and fun to canter her out in the open. We cantered up the hill twice. Both times I lost my stirrup because I wasn't stretching my legs down, something I need to work on at the canter. By the time we had reached the top hill and stopped, Lucky was shaking with excitement and adrenaline.

I spent a while cooling her out on a long rein and riding on my own around the property while Laura schooled BB in the dressage ring. Laura had done the harder work outside of the arena so that BB saw the arena as a relaxing place.
What went well:

• What was really amazing was that I had a light bulb moment when everything went smoothly. Lucky was round and balanced, and as a result I was posting more lightly too. It was really an amazing feeling. 

I really enjoyed hacking out in the open. While I have ridden outside the arena before, around the barns at both Silver Rose and Third Day, this is my first real time riding in the open. I love it!

Pony Practice

 Remember Pistachio the pony? I rode him several times throughout the fall and went to a driving show with him and his owner, Gretchen. Since starting my working student position, I haven't ridden him too much, but I did get the opportunity to ride him a few days ago. When I took him to the round pen to lunge him, I worked on a few of the things I have been learning with Laura. I walked to his hindquarters, and he moved around his forehand. He turned on the haunches when I turned his head and pushed his shoulder.

Lungeing

 Pistachio's walk looked nice when lungeing; he took long strides and his back swung. He wasn't as loose at the fro, but he stretched down his neck a few times. When it was time to changed directions, he came right to me.

The stirrup is long so I can't get very far out of the saddle, and foot has slipped through.

 Under saddle, I worked on circles a lot to help him to bend. I also tried to get his trot relaxed by slowing my posting and controlling my breathing. It worked! He slowed down and became more relaxed. I also tried to use my body to turn him throughout the ride.

 Although I was posting the trot most of the time, I tried to stay in two-point for a little bit at a time throughout the ride. I even held it around the arena. I wasn't in complete balance the whole time, but I tried to do all the things I did on Lucky: my hands forward and onto the neck, my legs underneath me and shoulders back.

Cutie pony and I

 It's really great I can practice on my own as well as with Laura and apply what I learn to other equines. In a couple weeks, I will be going to another driving show with Gretchen and Pistachio. The last one was a fun Halloween one as you may recall. This one is going to have the three phases of driving: dressage, marathon with hazards, and cones. The marathon is similar to cross country in eventing, and cones more similar to stadium jumping on flat. Knocking down cones gives you penalty ints. It's going to be fun and I can't wait!

I Rode a Mule!

 Tuesday at Laura's, I helped with getting thins ready for spring and the coming show season. Come spring, things will be a lot more busy, with Laura rising as many as five horses/mules per day, so i will help a lot with warming up by lungeing and cooling off by riding.

 Also, I am able to get Dyna to come to me more quickly without much difficulty. When she was close to me, I rewarded her by petting her, letting her know that it feels good to be by me. Laura doesn't reward everything with treats, but because Dyna doesn't get pushy about it, and since it would help her learn more quickly that being with me feels good, she let me use some. She wanted me to encourage Dyna to come even closer. I asked her to come the way I had before, then showed Dyna a treat. Dyna was a bit cautious(remember it takes her a while to get used to strangers), but I got her to take several steps into me space. She was close enough I could touch her if I reached my arm out. The next day, she came a bit closer. We are certainly making progress on getting to know and trust each other.

The cute BB.

 Wednesday, I rode a mule for the first time! I rode Laura's 1st Level mule, a mare named BB! Since BB has a forward, rhythmic walk, where her body swings, Laura let me ride BB to feel what that felt like. I rode her on a loose rein, at the walk. This was also a great time to work on my equitation because I didn't need to worry about getting a forward, balanced walk. I was also riding without stirrups. I focused on getting my leg long, my body tall, my elbows bent, and hands close together. I also let my hips move with the rhythm, counting one-two as her forelegs went forward.

Cone exerciseI can go left or right after the pole.

 To work on turning with my body, I worked on riding straight over a pole, then between two cones set a distance away, turning my shoulders to get BB to turn and applying outside leg. After heading around the cone, I rode along the side of the arena. When reach the cones where I had started at, I turned around then to head over the pole again. I switched up the direction I went after the pole to change things up.

 It took some practice to get smooth. For example, I needed to think more about preparing before the turn to get it smooth, but at the end of the ride I got a nice turn. It was so fun to ride BB, the first mule I have ever ridden.
What went well:

• I improved at turning using my body, not relying on my hands

I aslo lunged Lucky, again focusing on keeping her bent to the inside. Laura worked with her a bit too, trying to get Lucky to relax and stretch her neck. When Lucky did it well a few times, Laura ended on that good note.

Getting to Know Dyna

 I went to Laura's both Thursday and Friday. To begin both days, I cleaned Dyna's stall. Dyna is one of those equines that takes time to trust people, so by being around her in her space for a little bit each day, I can slowly build her trust. Then when I handle her we can both be conformable around each other and she will trust and have confidence in me.  When I first entered her paddock, I focused on getting her attention on me and drawing her toward me as I do when lungeing. I got her attention by tapping my leg and clucking. It took me a few minutes to get her to come to me. I had to walk toward her hips, cluck, wait until she looked, then took a small step back. Dyna then took a few steps toward me and focused on me. When she did, I approached her, petting her and letting her know that it feels good to be with me.  I then went on to clean the paddock. Friday, Dyna actually came up to me without me asking her when I was in the middle of cleaning. She waited beside me for a few minutes.

 Thursday, I lunged Lucky on my own, without Laura watching until the end. I'm getting better at asking Lucky to do what I want using small cues. I focused on controlling my breathing, too, to get Lucky to relax and breathe.  Laura recommended I do this, and I used a technique in the book Centered Riding. Sometimes, by unconsciously holding our breathes or not breathing deeply, we can make the horse do the same and become tense. When Laura came, she told me to turn Lucky's head to the inside by squeezing the lunge line and pointing at Lucky's side with the whip to get her bend. Laura demonstrated this, and then I tried. I kept Lucky on a small circle at the walk, squeezing and releasing when needed. When Lucky was bending really nicely, Laura decided I should finish there. It's always good to end when the horse is going nicely.

Thursday, we also began preparing for a donkey clinic that Laura will be hosting at the end of March. It's going to be a fun day,  and I am looking forward to it! I will mention more as it draws near.

 Friday, Lucky was at the other end of her pasture, which is pretty big, and didn't want to come all the way up to me when I shook a bucket of grain, stopping when she was about maybe 20 to 30 yards away. Laura decided to let me try on my to catch her so that I can learn. I decided to try what I did with Dyna, taking a few steps toward Lucky and making a sound by clucking and clapping my leg. I waited a few moments. Lucky stared at me, her ear perked, so I took a step back. She then began approaching me. It's really neat how everything I am learning with Laura fits together and helps with all aspects of horsemanship, not just riding.

Jumping Position Lessons!

 For my past two rides on Lucky, I rode in a jumping saddle, and will continue to do so for the next few months. This can help me develop a better balance because jumping saddles are harder to balance in than dressage saddles, the latter of which are meant to carry a rider in an upright position and good balance.

Nice picture from Saturday. Lucky is actually
coming round(which I hadn't tried to do),
and the fog on the hills adds a pretty touch.

 Friday, before riding, Laura and I dragged the two arenas and the round pen. We first had to partly deconstruct the dressage arena and remove some panels on the round pen and the other arena. Then we hooked the truck to the arena drag, which looked something like a giant rake. We circled the inside of the arenas until the footing was soft and nicely drug. Then I got out BB for Laura to ride. While she rode, I took out Lucky and began lungeing her. She has been getting much more responsive to my slightest aids each time I have worked her. Her trot was really big and nice.

 Most of my ride, I focused on my two-point position. I rose out of the saddle and leaned forward, pressing my hands into her neck. Lucky had a jump strap on, so I held onto that for balance. It took a while to find my balance, and I wasn't able to hold it for two long–sometimes my legs would slip back or I just wouldn't be in balance. However, when I put my legs forward and underneath me, sank my weight into my heels, and opened my chest, coming into balance, I could really feel the difference. I could feel Lucky's back swing freely underneath her. It was a great feeling. I kept on transitioning between posting trot and two-point throughout the lesson.

What went well:

Working on two-point

• Lucky was responding more to my aids at a forward pace. I think this is because of the lungeing work I have been doing, which caused her to gain respect for me and caused me to grow more confident in what I was asking.

I have good elbows here!

Saturday, I rode Lucky again. This time she was also intone and listening to me. I was in two-point for a lot of the lesson and was in pretty good balance for some of the ride. Again, I could really feel these moments because Lucky's back would swing and her stride would become more free. I did an exercise much like I had done in one of my first rides on Lucky. There was a pole in the center of the arena, and cones parallel to it. This time there were two cones on each side so that I would make a larger circle. I would circle the cones on one side, head across the pole at an angle, then circle the other cones, continuing the figure eight. While circling the cones I rode in a posting trot. Then I would point Lucky toward the center of the pole, rise into my two point, and continue the exercise. This exercise will help with making straight lines toward a jump when I begin jumping. I had difficultly riding Lucky over the center of the pole–I drifted to one side. I was able to get her closer to the center when weighted the other stirrup to get her to go the other way.

 I also cantered Lucky for the first time! I had trouble getting her to canter at first, and I was all over the place and not on the rail, but Lucky had a really nice canter. She doesn't take off or jump into canter. For the most part, though, I will be working on getting a balanced two-point these next few months, which will come with time as I continue to build the correct muscles and strength.

What went well Saturday:

• Better balance at two-point
• More in tune with Lucky
• I kept her straight most of the time.

Centered Riding

 Laura recently lent me a book called Centered Riding, by Sally Swift. This book is one of lLaura's favorites, and I can tell just by looking through it and reading the first few chapters that some of what Laura has taught me comes from this book. Centered Riding isn't a book that tells you how to ride. rather, it is a book the uses phycological images to give a more centered approach to riding. I am going to study this book and write posts about the notes that I take and what I learn. Mostly for myself because writing down what I learn helps me to learn, but I also hope that my readers can learn from it too.

 What is centered riding?
 Centered riding is a centered approach to riding based on mental and physical images. It focuses on how your body works, your ability to function unhampered, and your awareness and use of your energy. This is something that makes this book and its author unique. While many trainers and books focus on what to do to get a certain result, which is of course important, Sally Swift focuses on how to use your body to do things.

From Amazon

 Unbalanced, tense riders drop down heavily into the saddle when mounting, or thump into the saddle at the trot, making the horse uncomfortable and irritated. They may also use conflicting aids, such as pulling and kicking and the same time, which confuses and frustrates the horse because they cannot do what the rider is asking them to do since the rider is unintentionally preventing them to do so. This like someone tying your elbows behind your back and asking to throw a ball, as the author writes.

However, a balanced rider makes a horse much more comfortable, allowing their backs to swing more freely and their body to become round more easily. A horse that seems unbalanced and resistant with an unbalanced rider can seem to change completely.

 By learning how to their bodies work, using their knowledge of how correct form balance looks like, a rider can improve coordination and balance. This is where the concepts in the book come in.  As I read, I will share what I learn about these concepts.

Lucky Cleared for Canter Work!

 I had a fun day at Laura's on Monday, spending most of the day there. There was a lot going on that day: the farrier, chiropractor, and a woman who does equine body works was there. Before they arrived, though, I lunged and rode Lucky.

 The lungeing went so much better after I had established to Lucky that I was the leader the time before. Horses and mules really do start off where we left off and remember what they did last time. This time around Lucky respond to more subtle, quieter cues. I didn't have to even use the whip. My focus for that lungeing session was to ask Lucky to do what I wanted in the smallest way possible, and it worked well. After the first few minutes, she listened vey carefully to the slight changes in my body. In fact, just by looking in the direction I wanted her to go, what Laura does when preparing to ask for trot(to the left lungeing when to the left and right when going right), Lucky responded by trotting right away. It's such as great feeling for a horse to be in tune with you enough to trot off at just slight change in your body.

No new pictures so here's one of Lucky I took  couple weeks ago.

 Since Lucky was listening nicely, Laura recommended asking for bigger and smaller trot strides. for smaller strides I would relax my energy, and for bigger trot strides I would look where I wanted lucky to go and give a cluck if needed. There was one time when I asked a little too strongly(I slightly lifted the whip by accident), and Lucky broke into canter and kicked up her heels. I remain calmed and lowered the energy in my body, calmly saying "whoa." After that, Lucky's trot was actually much nicer and bigger, like a fancy dressage trot. It actually made her feel good to get her adrenaline going.

 Afterward, I rode Lucky for a little bit on the lunge line(Lucky still can't work too long). Laura was controlling the steering, and I just controlled the speed. I wasn't completely without reins but kept them at the buckle just in case I need to stop her. I worked on keeping my elbows bent and hands the right distance apart. In the posting trot I focused on bring the center of my body up and towards my hands. I also tired to establish an even two beat rhythm. I then tried staying up for two beats and sitting for one, but I had trouble with it. I certainly need to work on my two point! I'l be doing more lunge lessons in the future.

 After that, the chiropractor and farrier came, so I helped fetch and hold horses and mules. There was also someone there who does equine body work(massage and other things that release tension in the body). She demonstrated on Lucky how she gently squeezes the muscles behind the poll to release tension. Blinking, snorting, and chewing are all signs that tension has been released. Here is a more in-depth description of what she did. Lucky also was work on by the chiropractor. The chiropractor gave exciting news: Lucky is cleared for canter work under saddle! Woo-hoo! I'm so excited.

 Also, Laura was featured in a Horse Illustrated article. Check out my post about it.

Laura Hermanson in Horse Illustrated Article!

 As soon as I got my March Horse Illustrated magazine, I turned straight to page 16. Why, you may ask? An article written by Laura just appeared in it, that's why. Laura sent ant article to the magazine about her trip to the Dressage Finals in 2014 and how she became interested in mules. She actually fell in love with mules while working at the pack station in Yosemite National Park, later buying one of the pack mules, Stretch. Stretch is a real character and has lots of personality. Laura jumped Stretch and I think she did some reining too. Now that he is retired, he roams around the ranch. He's an obnoxious little mule as she says in the article.

On the cover page, too!

 More importantly, Laura explains her love for mules and what makes them unique. Mules are smart with a lot personality, which is one reason why they are labeled as "stubborn," when in fact they are just smart. Training them is challenging because of this, but also rewarding. They just require a lot more time and patience than horses do. She also goes on to explain how she found Dyna and began going to dressage shows with her. Laura actually did a lot of other disciplines with Dyna first to get her mentally prepared, including reining, cutting, and jumping. Laura really loves trying all kinds of disciplines, Western and English, learning more about horses and riding that way. Furthermore, horses and mules enjoy variety rather than doing the same thing over and over.

First page on the article.

Secretariat quote. <3

 It's also amazing how much support she got when going to the Finals, from competitors and fans alike, but I won't spoil it! If you are subscribed to Horse Illustrated, or can find it in your local tack/feed store, just check out the article so you can learn more about Laura, Dyna, and mules. I think it is really amazing that Laura was featured in Horse Illustrated, a magazine that a wide range of horse people around the country have access to. I think it is so great that mules can be seen in a positive light through Laura's article, because many people have misconceptions about them. Her story also inspires many mule owners and riders with unusual mounts, as well as many other people, and shows them that anything is possible. Laura even told me that people from Slovenia wrote her letters telling her how inspired they were and that now they feel that their riding goals can come true, even though they they don't have the best fancy warmbloods, and their horses are mostly mixed breeds. She inspires me, too. Turn to page 16 and read this amazing article.

Follow the Leader

 Friday at Laura's, after grooming the mule BB and tacking her for Laura to lunge while she worked with Dyna, I lunged Lucky. This time I was really focusing on being her leader and getting her to respond right away to my cues. Lucky still needs to get more forward when asked. She likes to settle into a western jog pace or perhaps a slow hunter hack pace when I ask for trot. However, we want a big, expressive movement in dressage.

 Previously, and for most of yesterday's lungeing, I had been clucking multiple times in a row before slapping the ground with the whip. However, to get a more immediate response I should cluck once with meaning and then follow with the whip if needed, smacking the ground. Clucking while lungeing is like asking nicely with your calf. Smacking the ground with the whip is like giving the horse a kick under saddle.You don't want to continuously kick, kick, kick. Similarly, you don't want to chase the horse with the whip.

What I learned is that you can't babysit them. By this Laura means that you can't constantly ask them to go forward every stride. You want to give them a chance to make a mistake, let them make it, and then correct them. Otherwise the won't learn how to do things on their own without being asked every stride. Laura demonstrated this with Lucky. She would cluck once to ask Lucky to trot, immediately smacking the ground with the whip if Lucky didn't respond or if Lucky responded with a slow jog. This way, she established herself as the leader.

 Then, I tried. While early, Lucky had been responding a bit half-heartedly because she didn't see me as the boss, once I asked the way Laura did, Lucky's responses were more immediate. If she slowed down her trot even a bit, I again asked. However, it was until Lucky went into my space without me asking, and I actually had to give her a smack with the whip, that she listened. Going into my space, especially when I wanted her to go around me, isa big no-no.

 After that, she intend nicely and it took only the slightest commands to get her moving forward. If she didn't respond to the cluck, I could barely lift the whip and she'd respond. Laura decided that it was best to end with that without me riding because I had gained Lucky's respect and she say me as her leader. It's always good to end when the horses finally get something or do something really well rather than push them too hard. There would be no sense in me riding her and asking more after she had done so well, so Laura decided to save it for another day. Soon, I might be doing a lesson with me riding on the lunge line with no reins to work on my balance and seat.

Asking Clearly to Get What You Want

 Wednesday, when I went to ride Lucky and help Laura, I lunged Lucky by myself while Laura rode Dyna. Now that I had an idea of what I was supposed to do and what I was asking for, the lungeing went much better. I looked for the moments when Lucky was balanced, stretching her neck down. At these moments I asked for a transition, because it is important for horses to remain balanced throughout transitions, and to do this they must already be balanced! I did lots of transitions and changed directions multiple times to work both sides. Laura watched me for a few minutes to see what I had been doing, and said that I had done a good job!

 This also applies to riding. You have to know what it is you want, and how to ask for it, because if you don't know what you want your horse doesn't either. I was able to get Lucky forward and on the bit. I needed to get her to the pace I wanted by asking softly at first, and then stronger, and then soft again rather than kicking every stride. I worked mostly on a 20 meter circle, using my body to turn and my inside leg to keep her bending.

Picture of me riding Lucky!

 Something I have been struggling with is keeping my elbows bent. I keep making my arms straight, which jars the horses mouth and does anything but give an elastic connection. At these moments, of course, Lucky didn't come round and forward. However, when I really focused on keeping my elbows aligned, my legs stretching down and my body stretching nice and tall, everything came to place. Laura likes to use the figurative description on your legs stretching way into the earth like trees, and your upper body stretching way up to the sky. This description really helps.

 Now, the quick break down. What to work on:

• Elbows bent!
• Don't let the reins slip–fingers shut.

What went well:

• I was asking more clearly
• I didn't rely on my hands
• I had good geometry on my circle

Also, in other news spring is on it's way! Large clumps of hair came out when I curried Lucky. It won't be long until she has a nice, sleek summer coat.

Practicing Lungeing

 Monday, I only lunged Lucky. I was pouring done rain all weekend, so Laura decided I would ride Wednesday instead. Since Lucky is a very sensitive horse, by lungeing her I can develop my lunging cues and position when lungeing her. Just by being a bit in front of the driveline, towards the middle of the horse where you stand when lungeing, Lucky will slow down. Laura was with me in the round pen to help and instruct me.

 Before starting, I stood beside Lucky, entry tossing the lunge whip over her back to make sure she would stand still and not be worried. When Laura got her, Lucky was afraid of whips. She's fine now, but it's good practice even if a horse is totally fine with them. Lucky didn't move at all, so I moved my left hand to the side to point her forward and gently tapped her shoulder to push her out on the circle. At first I struggled with finding the right position on the ground and staying there. I kept getting far in front of the driveline, which of course slowed her done. As she walked around me, I tried asking for a bigger walk and then for the trot. I did this by gaining more energy in my body, looking where I wanted her to go, and clucking, tapping the whip on the ground when necessary to reinforce this.

  I did lots of transitions because Laura does a lot of them to teach the horse to stay balanced as the gait changes. To return to the walk I relaxed in my body and gave slight squeezes to the lunge line when I needed to. I also changed Lucky's directions multiple times. To do this I pointed to Lucky's hip with the hand my rope was in, shortened the rope, and took a step back to encourage Lucky to draw into me. It took a while for me to get this coordinated, but I had a nice one at the end. Laura lunged her afterward with the side reins, and I stayed in the round pen to watch what Laura does more closely.

 I also lunged BB, the palomino mule, doing the same thing I did with Lucky. I sometimes had to tap BB's shoulder when she leaned in a bit,  and I actually started to notice thee subtle changes without being told. There were also a couple times when BB glanced towards us and offered to come in towards us. Knowing that BB was ready to listen, Laura said to watch for these moments and simple back off without pointing towards BB's hips to turn them. Sure enough, BB walked toward me when I invited her in.Laura said that I have good natural intuition("feel" as it is sometimes called) with horses, even if don't know a lot. I  just need to learn how develop it and use it.

 It was really great to be able to feel some of these moments and to practice lungeing. Lunging is a great and useful technique to learn and can help the under saddle things, too, as I have learned. Also, update n the mule that the vet came to see: the had an inflamed tendon sheath, which covers the tendon, and is now back to work. It was only a minor injury.

First Two Rides on Lucky!

 Thursday, I rode Lucky for the first time. Laura lunged her first, focusing on getting Lucky to become balanced and relaxed, without having a lot of tension in her body. When Lucky was ready, I led her to the arena and mounted. For my first ride on her, she was a bit slow and behind my leg.

I gave Lucky a bath after Thursday's ride.

The first lesson was mainly focusing on me, my position, and my turning. Laura said that I have good leg position and equation and that my leg is very still, which is great! I rode Lucky on a figure eight around to cones, with two parallel poles in the middle part where I changed directions. the poles would help me to keep Lucky straight.

 Laura taught me how to use me body, not my hands to turn when riding, by slightly turning my shoulders and looking where I want to go. Lucky is really sensitive, so I didn't need to turn much. In fact, I ended up turning to much at first, going to the inside of the cone by accident instead of the outside. I tried this at the walk and trot. Learning this also gives me the ability to turn a horse's hips the same way I learned on the ground. By turning to face Lucky's hip, I could make her do a turn on the forehand. Laura helped on the ground at first, and then I was able to do it on my own.

Lucky drying after her bath.

 Friday's ride went better. Lucky was forward and in front of my leg, was better balanced, and more loose in her back. I worked motley on the rail, trying to keep the rhythm I wanted, rather than let Lucky set the rhythm. I did this by slowing my posting to get a shorter stride, quickening it to for a larger stride. It's amazing how little things in the body can affect the horse. I was also able to get her on the bits few times.

 To finish the lesson, I rode exercise that helped me ride straight and make better turns. There was a single pole near the middle of the arena, with a cone near each end of the arena. At the center of the pole was an orange flower. In the exercise, which I started at the walk, I would start at one end with a cone to my left, pointing Lucky toward the middle of the pole. When was heading there, I focus beyond it. I would them turn around the other cone and repeat the exercise, like doing a figure eight. I focused on using my body to turn, not my hands. First, walked the exercise, then trotted. I was actually fairly close to the flower during the exercise and was able to use my body. One time, when trotting around the cone to the left, Lucky was balanced and the turn was coming from my turning my body to face the pole. It felt great, so Laura decided to end on the good note.

Diagram of the exercise. Not to scale.

 After every ride, Laura likes to find a few things that went well or the things she accomplished, no matter how frustrating the ride was, whether it is something her horse did well or something she did well. This can be getting a good distance over a jump, or your horse going the whole ride without freaking out at something if you have a hotter horse. We came up with these things together:

Cute Lucky after the ride.

• Lucky was more forward and balanced
• My hands and body were more quiet than the first time riding her
• I used my body to turn her, not completely relying on moving my hands everywhere
  
  
  .

 I really love riding Lucky' she's a fun horse

A Visit from the Vet

 Monday, the vet came to see one of Laura's mules because the has lately been holding her right hind leg off the ground, hardly err putting weight on it. While it's not unusual for an equine to not put weight on one foot, it is unusual for Laura's mule to only rest one leg. While the mule hasn't taken an unsound step, Laura wanted to the vet to come just in case something was wrong. Because I someday want to an equine veterinarian, Laura invited me to come watch. The vet who came is really great. Not only does she really care about horses, but when she heard that I was interested in being a vet, she took the time to explain everything she was doing.

 First, she put special sensors on the mule: one on the right front leg, one on the head, and on on the croup. This device, called the Equinosis Lameness Locator(the link takes you to the website), has revolutionized veterinary medicine. As a horse or mule trots, the device senses the take off and impact pressures of each leg, as well as irregularities in the gait, helping to diagnose which leg the lameness is on and whether it is likely mild or severe. The vet has a computer screen that instantly shows the results of the test. It's a really awesome tool that can help narrow down the lameness diagnosis to a specific leg, detecting things that the humans eye can't see. Then, the vet can work on that leg. The vet said the being a vet is like being a detective–you have to hunt for clues and solve the mystery. The Locator helps with that.

  Laura led the mule on flat ground at the trot while the device tracked the mules steps. The prognosis was that the mule right hind lameness. The vet then decided to block some of the nerves in the leg, making that part of the leg numb and thus pinpointing where the lameness is. As she worked, she explained what she was doing, showing me how the nerves look like in a book that she has. She first started by blocking everything below the fetlock, which would eliminate lameness in the ankle in the device still showed the mule to be lame. She let me be her assistant by holding the needles until she was ready and operating the Lameness Locator.

 After letting the mule adjust to having the numb leg, Laura once more led the mule at the trot. The device still showed right hind lameness. The vet suspected that the stifle may have a problem, so she decided to numb it as well. A stifle injection is a joint injection is a joint injection not a nerve injection like the other one, and is similar to the knee joint in people. When injecting the stifle, the vet injects the two cushions between the joints in that area. She feels for the three tendons running down the leg to help locate these areas.

 Again the numbing didn't help, so the vet recommended doing an ultrasound rather than continuing to guess and give more injections. Nobody likes having lots of shots put in them, mules and horses included. I don't know the result yet, but hopeful it's nothing too serious! It was a great experience to talk and learn from the vet; she was great at explaining and teaching. Now I won't be completely clueless when I go to vet school!