lessons in riding, 12

Taking a brief break from holiday shopping posts to talk a little bit about riding the Big Bay.

He's had two weeks off after his corneal scratch and then his chiro work. The scratch healed well, and during that part of the break I rode Cody several times. I truly dislike the dressage saddle I normally ride Cody in, so I used my Thinline sheepskin pad on Cody along with Keil Bay's saddle, and one cold day pulled out my sheepskin seat saver pad - instant warmth in the saddle and it's been nice having the cushioning. I think riding Cody a number of times while NOT getting to ride Keil Bay set me up for a big realization.

The first thing that happened was I realized how tall he is! Cody is 15.3h and Keil is 16.2h - the difference seems much more than those few inches. I put my 2-step mounting block on top of some carefully arranged cinder blocks, lowered my stirrups two holes, and for whatever reason my fidgeting about the mounting process has stopped. It's no surprise that once *I* stopped fidgeting so did the horses.

I'm not sure why I had my stirrups up two holes while riding Cody but it felt glorious, notably glorious, to have them longer last night. I felt like my hips had opened and my legs grew longer, and everything just "fit" perfectly.

We had a hoot owl calling in the woods, night fell quickly, and Keil Bay was extremely alert and forward. There have been times when I felt nervous about this combination of things if I haven't been riding regularly, but last night I was so happy to be back on Keil Bay I was thrilled. We warmed up and then moved into some trot work. Cody has a smooth trot but I find it hard to post because the stride is so much shorter than Keil's. It felt like I had returned home after a journey - posting to Keil's trot. I was really enjoying the cadence and the ease of the up-down. It wasn't the best ride we've ever had but it was wonderful to be feeling his movement again. On some level maybe after what happened with Salina and then Keil's swollen knee and scratched cornea I just appreciated every moment that much more.
Tonight we had another ride and this one was quite stunning. Keil was alert and very forward again. The interesting thing is that he was not spooky. Just alert and forward. We did a good warm-up and incorporated a lot of serpentines into that. I'm not sure if it was the warming up or just the forward, but when we went into trot things got better than good very quickly. We went right into the power trot, but the most surprising thing was that when we trotted on the left rein, on a 20m circle, Keil was completely supple and I think we had probably the best work going left that we've ever had. He got soft and round and his bend was perfect, and my rising trot spontaneously shifted into sitting trot because his carriage was so perfect there was just no rising motion to be done. When I sat and his back came up beneath me, he went even rounder, got softer, and we went a full circle in what felt like pure schwung.

I am still feeling the effects of that perfect circle. Sitting here typing I can still feel exactly how it felt.

Lesson: sometimes you don't have to work for good things. Just get on and let the magic happen.

holiday shopping for horsewomen, day 3, with Snoopy

These are a few of the things that have been on my "we need this" list this year, and although not local, artsy items, they are creative in that they solve some very specific problems for those of us who ride and live with horses.

First, my Ariat paddock boots are still going strong. With half chaps or without they are probably my favorite pair of boots ever. The one thing wearing out a bit is the Cobalt footbed inside the boot. It's just not as cushy as it once was. Imagine my delight when I found these:

Here's ONE PLACE you can buy them.  I found them locally and purchased them there. Our most local tack shop went out of business last month, after five years, so I'm trying to support those remaining as much as possible. It's so nice to be able to see and try things before ordering, and to get something NOW when you really need it.

A great stocking stuffer, imo!


My daughter developed a nasty rub on one leg a few months back - inside calf where the stirrup leathers are. This happened through leather half chaps, breeches, and socks, and I still don't know exactly how it managed to form through all that, but the worst part has been keeping it from re-opening since she continues to ride. She's been wrapping the area with various combinations of gauze and bandaging and that has worked, but it's messy and I kept thinking there had to be an elegant solution.  There is:

Equifit Gel Bands. I couldn't find these locally so got a pair that are exactly like this but do not have the medicated gel part. I figured we could add our own ointment to the site, but if they don't fit the bill for us, I'll GO HERE and try these.  Again, a nice stocking stuffer for someone who rides a lot and might need them at some point. This is the kind of thing you want to have on hand when you need it!

While researching these, I also discovered that a lot of riders keep moleskin patches on hand to use for similar issues.  I haven't found these locally yet but HERE'S ONE PLACE you can get a bulk pack online.

I was browsing a local consignment shop yesterday and came upon something that made me stop and literally gasp in pleasure. It wasn't on the list of things I was looking for, but it is something all of us who ride might well need and use if we had it. An oilskin riding slicker!

Unfortunately for me, the one I found was not in my size. Fortunately for my daughter, it is in HER size, so I might make a return trek to get it if she thinks she might use it. The one I found is from Ireland and it is possibly the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. Beautiful, well-made, and one of those items that while not used on a daily basis is perfect when the conditions are right.

I found THIS PAGE online that shows several options for riding slickers and links to places you can buy them.

Finally, continuing my theme of music from day 2, I found this:

Lantern, you ask?  Well, not exactly - it's an outdoor speaker! It's wireless and connects to your iPod and the lantern speaker itself can be mounted on arena posts at all four corners or anywhere you like so you can do musical freestyles. Or just have some music while you ride. Or play Jane Savoie's audio CDs from her Happy Horse collection. I've looked and looked to find just the right thing for our arena, and I think this might be it. At around $110. per speaker, I can buy one to try and then add the others as needed. You can find them HERE.

Guess who the first musical freestyle guinea pig is going to be?

And guess what song?



Listen to the lyrics and imagine the Little Man doing his big extended trot across the diagonal to this part... someday I'll fly... someday I'll soar... cause I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for...

more holiday shopping on November Hill - day 2, with more Charlie Brown

Love love love the Charlie Brown Christmas Show dance scene! In the spirit of music and dancing,  here are a few links to some terrific music:

A few years ago I bought the original Vince Guaraldi Trio Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack at Starbuck's. I think I listened to it all of that year - I love the songs. And guess what? You can still get it! CLICK HERE for one buying option.

Yesterday the lovely Anna March posted her first Aural Fixations post on The Rumpus. Anna's writing paired with an amazing songlist is gift enough, but I found two new artists whose work I immediately snapped up on iTunes:

Ruth Brown's songs - Ms. B's Blues: Essential Recordings and in particular the song "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" - LOVE it!!




And an old friend who is an incredible singer/songwriter with a new CD out, Lynn Blakey and her Meadowview.

Here's a live version of the song Immigrant Heart, which she plays and sings with her husband Ecki Heins:



If you love Lynn's voice as much as I do, check out her work with Tres Chicas and Glory Fountain too.

november hill holiday shopping - day 1 with charlie brown christmas

 I love the Charlie Brown Christmas show, especially the music! And now, day 1 of my holiday shopping guide:

If you're looking for a few books to add to your collection this holiday season, or to give as gifts, I highly recommend the following:

Ten Thousand New Year's Eves by Dawn Deanna Wilson:  I loved this one so much I wrote a blurb for it - it's a wonderful book and perfect to buy now and save for your last read of 2011.

 

Lessons in Forgetting by Malaika King Albrecht: Her poems put us at windows into the moments shared by mothers and daughters dealing with Alzheimer's. Gorgeous and poignant.

 

Night Swim by Jessica Keener: This debut novel is available for pre-order and will be a gorgeous book to read moving into the new year. Keener creates a story that is its own song, hitting every note perfectly.

quick end of November catch-up

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here on November Hill, and this week have gone from balmy to downright brisk outside. Yesterday morning the geldings and Redford were galloping wildly, and Keil Bay was doing his huge floating trot, which always makes me stop and watch. There is simply nothing more beautiful than Keil Bay doing that trot. Unless it's Salina walking out of the barn looking like a 4-year old, or Cody doing the "power canter" that embraces energy and collection at the same moment, or the pony at full gallop, or the donkeys doing almost anything at all.

We had the chiropractor here after the gallop session and Cody was again almost completely clear. He's beginning to enjoy the chiropractor almost as much as Keil Bay does, which is wonderful. It tells me his muscles and joints are feeling better now that we (knock on wood) have his PSSM symptoms under good control.

Keil Bay had a pelvic rotation, but otherwise was clear. He groaned with pleasure as she went along his neck checking for issues, and closed his eyes in what looked like a meditative state as she stretched out his front legs.

Salina was a handful! She's been on the Previcox for nearly a month and we are seeing her younger mare spirit rise up again. She had a very obvious to the chiropractor hip issue and seemed to know that it was going to be a big adjustment - so we marched up and down the barn aisle a few times until she settled down and allowed it to happen. The moment the adjustment was done, she relaxed from head to tail, and had the most enjoyable chiropractic exam she's ever had. It was wonderful to see.

I'm en route to the periodontist today to get my teeth cleaned after the fairly hideous staining that has resulted from the post-laser gum surgery antibiotic rinse. There have been years of my life when this would have completely freaked me out, but after the November we've had with horses the fact of stained teeth just hasn't seemed all that important to me.

The gum surgery went well, I was actually cheerful during the IV being inserted, due to two very amazing pills. I've made it through the soft food for 22 days regime. And hopefully this afternoon will have a more normal color of teeth!

On the "working on it" side of things, we have a pony who needs more hard work (he's his usual very chubby self this season and grumpy as a result) and a donkey with two ouchy front hooves. Here's hoping we move into December with good solutions for both of them.

Starting tomorrow I'm doing a series of November Hill gift idea posts for the holiday season - including gifting oneself with something special if need be! You'll see the gift I gave to myself for going through with all this dental work after dreading it for two years. Stay tuned...