Christmas Present for the Nekkid Pony

Smith Brothers Open Range Hug Stable Blanket

I've been wanting a good stable blanket for Ari since she has to stay trace clipped this winter. If I don't clip her, she gets absolutely soaking wet when we ride. I have been using an old "Show Me" brand closed front blanket that I have had for years. It is filthy and torn, plus it's been washed so many times the fill is all matted down inside the blanket. Also, being a closed front, I have to use a shoulder guard to prevent rubbing. Which means having to take both on and off over her head every time I go to the barn, which is a pain. Ari could care less about having blankets taken over her head, but it means I have to either do it in her stall and then carry the blankets across the aisle to the blanket rack, or deal with clipping and un-clipping the cross ties.

So I have been shopping for a good deal on a used blanket for her. I found this one on the Maine Craigslist. The gal who sold it to me has been great about sending pics and info and she let me pay with Paypal which is so much easier than dealing with money orders. The blanket will ship today and should be here in about a week! Will post pics of the pony modeling her new blankie when it arrives.

Coincidence? I think not...

So about three or four weeks ago (I forgot to write down the exact date) I began a major over-haul of my lifestyle, specifically related to my diet and exercise (or significant lack there of.)

I have been yo-yo-ing up and down with my weight for as long as I can remember. It has been especially bad since I had some really horribly family related stuff go down right before Josh and I were getting married in 2002. (Don't ask!) I have been on and off depressed since then and when I am down, my weight inevitably goes up. I have a really bad habit of stress/boredom eating. And I really don't like working out.

I used to work out regularly starting in high school, which carried over to college and a little beyond. I would just about kill myself trying to stay 130 lbs at 5'6" tall. My goal was always to be 125 but I rarely achieved it. Right after college Josh and I went through a triathlon phase. I never really enjoyed it all that much, but my husband (then boyfriend) really wanted to do it and it was something to share so I gritted my teeth and gutted them out (none to successfully either-- almost always amongst the very last finishers.)

Then after we got married between the depression and bunch of other crappy things going on in my life, I decided I didn't really care about dieting and exercising anymore. I was sick of the struggle and tried to just be happy as a heavier version of myself.

When we moved to our house on acreage and we got the horses, my weight somewhat stabilized from cleaning stalls, bucking bales and occasional riding. But I was still a lot heavier than I wanted to be and not happy with the way I looked. So I just stopped looking. I avoided mirrors and having my picture taken like the plague.

September 2009

Things went on this way for quite a few years. I know my husband was really unhappy with my "I don't care attitude" but what could he do? Then, this summer, we moved to our current house and along with that move came the opportunity to start fresh in a lot of ways. I tried to start exercising again a couple of times, but just couldn't find the motivation.

Then in September I attended the Eventing Camp at Inavale and I guess facing my fears/achieving a lifelong dream started a fire within me. It sort of smoldered for a while, but I found myself taking my riding much more seriously. I found myself committed to riding 3 or more days a week. I also started taking the lessons with Danica. That was another huge step in working towards my goal of competing BN this spring/summer.


So I guess my decision to get serious about my own health was the next logical step. What's the use of having an ultra fit, uber-trained mare if I'm gonna be holding her back? So I made the commitment to myself as well.


I started by cutting my proportions back significantly. I literally started eating half of what I used to. I always put less on my plate that I think I want and I still end up feeling satisfied. I cut out junk food for the most part and also empty calories like pop or alcohol. I still allow myself to eat most things, but I try to reach for an apple or banana first. If the craving is just too great, I don't totally deny myself either. I just eat a few bites and call it quits.


I also started working out daily. I am alternating a body sculpting program utilizing pilates and aerobic work outs with either a DVD in the living room or going running up and down the hill outside my house. I am already feeling so much stronger and healthier. And happier! I have a ton more energy and feel more positive about life than I have in recent memory.

December 28, 2009

I am surprised at how quickly my body is changing. I thought it would take a lot longer to see results but I have already lost 2 to 3 inches off my waist and thighs. And I went shopping tonight and discovered I have dropped two pants sizes! The scale itself is only reflecting a 10 to 12 lb loss, but that could be because I am building muscle.


But another surprising benefit of me losing weight and be a happier, healthier person is that it is making me a much better rider. Not just physically, but mentally as well. All the new confidence I am feeling as my body re-shapes itself transfers right down the reins to Ari. Every single ride I have had since starting my new lifestyle has been really great. No more spooky mare. I even rode her bareback yesterday and I have never felt so balanced and secure on a horse with no saddle. It was as if I had Velcro butt. (And we did a regular ride too, not just putzing around which is what I normally only do bareback.) I never thought I could feel so secure cantering on a 20 meter circle bareback!


I truly think it more than coincidence that all our rides have been so fantastic this month. If I feel this good after only 3 weeks, imagine how great I will be in another 3 months or 6 months or next year!

The Five Horses We Meet In Life

This was recently posted on Fugly Horse of the Day and it really struck a chord with me so I wanted to post it here.

The Five Horses We Meet In Life by Joanne Friedman

1. The Intro Horse

We each came into horses in our own way, but it was always with a horse leading us. This might have been a friend’s first pony, or perhaps it was a draft horse on a farm you once visited It might have been a real-life meeting, or an imaginary one. I was escorted to the party by The Black, Walter Farley’s star horse in The Black Stallion series…

Oh yes! I read all of Walter Farley's books as well as just about every horse related book in the local library. However, the my first "horse love" was a a liver chestnut gelding named Rawhide. He was part of a dude string at Lucky Seven riding stables. He had four white socks and a white stripe. I spent many an afternoon "galloping" around my neighborhood pretending to be riding Rawhide. I never got to actually ride him, but I sure loved that horse. I even have an old Polaroid photo of him somewhere.

2. The Experimental Horse

Once you had crossed the line between “Darn, they’re big!” and “Wow! Can I try that?” you found yourself face-to-face with the horse that would suffer through your early attempts at figuring out the whole horse experience … wherever this horse came from, he probably didn’t benefit from the encounter as much as you did…

For me that would be Cinnamon, a red roan mare of unknown Appy breeding. She was stocky from head to toe, had a scraggly mane and tail, and clunky head, but she was infinitely patient while teaching me to ride. She was the first horse I ever cantered. It was pure heaven for me, but Cinnamon surely deserved an award for putting up with me bouncing all over her back and hanging onto her mouth for dear life!

3. The Connected Horse

The first horses we meet don’t really connect with us, nor do we with them. Those are experiences in survival and tests of endurance. The Connected Horse is the first horse you truly bond with. This is the horse that sounds a chord that lives so deep in you that you might never have heard it otherwise…

This is an easy one: Andy. He may not have been registered, he may have been barely green broke, and he was never destined for the show ring, but unlike all the previous horses in my life, he was all mine! I remember worrying about him all day at work when I first got him. Was he all right? Was he going to hurt himself? For the first few months that I owned him, I sped straight home from my desk job and rushed out to the barn first thing to check on my baby.

4. The Challenger

Into each horseperson’s life, a little challenge must fall. You’ll have read that one final training book, bought yourself a clicker and heading rope, and there you’ll stand, arms crossed, assessing the situation as if you actually knew what the situation was. It might be difficult to believe, as you are flying down the aisleway on the losing end of a braided cotton line, but you actually need this horse in your life…

I have had several challenging horses in my life. Dusty would probably be the first. That little paint mustang gelding inspired me to learn natural horsemanship and caused me to grow as a horsewoman in so many ways.

Another very challenging horse in my life, although his time with me was so very short, was Dreamtime. He was the first registered, purebred, show-quality horse I ever bought. Dream was a 15.1 hand, dapple gray Connemara gelding. His mother was an Irish import and his dad was a big time eventing horse back in the day. Dream was an unbroken four year old and had more athleticism in one hoof than all my previous horses combined, however he proved to be a quick learner and quite easy to work with. It wasn't training Dream that was a challenge, it was losing him to colic. It happened less than a month after the very first time I got on his back. The loss of this horse truly rocked my world. It made me question whether I wanted to stay involved with horses at all. Dream was a young healthy gelding with his whole life ahead of him. I was giving him the absolute best care possible. I know all the horse care pit falls that can lead to colic and was religiously avoiding them. So why did this horse have to die so young and why wasn't I able to save him?

5. Your Deepest Heart

There will come a time when you will look at yourself with a cold, appraising eye, and you’ll have to be honest about your continued ability to deal with The Challenger and other difficult horses. At that point, you’ll seek out the horse that will be your soul mate forever… You’ll have bought him the most comfortable, best fitting equipment… Maybe you’ll still go to shows and ride – brilliantly or barely – in the Alzheimer’s class. Maybe you’ll just stay home. Whatever you do, one day you’ll realize that after all the money you spent on animal communicators and trainers, you only had to stop and listen and you would have clearly heard your horse’s thoughts and desires…

This is the one that made me get all misty-eyed. This is exactly how I feel about Ari. When Ari came into my life, I was at a very low point. I was ready to give up on my dreams of eventing. I was ready to give up on riding altogether. But the first time I met Ari, I felt something very special. I couldn't stop thinking about her and knew I had to have her. I truly feel she is the horse I have been waiting for and she will be with me until the day I lay her to rest.

Just One of Those Days

So yesterday's lesson was just sort of so-so. Not bad but definitely not great. Part of the problem was the fact that I am just now getting over a horrible (and I mean HORRIBLE) sinus infection that I have had for the last ten days. It must be viral because a week of anti-biotics did nothing for me. I had a lot of dizziness from this particular sinus infection so doing a lot of riding wasn't high on my list. I did try to lunge Ari and do some fun stuff with her to keep mixing it up, like trot and canter poles, etc. But I truly didn't ride her as much as I normally do because I simply didn't have the energy!

I told Danica that I was just getting over being really sick, so she kept things pretty low key. But also Ari was a royal brat during at least 75% of the lesson. We started out trying to get her more responsive to moving off my leg and Ari took offense to me backing up my leg with the whip and copped a really pissed off 'tude right from the start.

She tried ignoring me, running through the bridle, stiff-necking me and pretty much everything in between. It took Danica "riding her from the ground" for me to get her to submit to what we were asking. This involved Danica walking right beside Ari and holding the reins and using the whip while I stayed on and cued her with my legs. This was good for me though because I was able to try to sit relaxed through Ari's many hissy fits.

Danica observed that Ari is a very emotional mare and that she often tries to bully me. (No big surprises there...) So when it's bad between Ari and me, it's BAD but when it's good, it's very, very good. Danica also spent a lot of the lesson laughing at all the various faces Ari makes when we are working. She says Ari is one of the most expressive mares she's worked with. LOL...

So the majority of the lesson was spent schooling instead of working on new things. Which is somewhat disappointing. But schooling is also an important part of riding. And learning to school correctly when Ari is being a pill is still learning.

We did finally get her to be soft and submissive to my aids and ended with a really good canter on a 20 meter circle both directions. And I guess the most positive part of the lesson was that in all of Ari's antics, the one thing she DIDN'T do was spook! Go figure...

In other news, I am on week 2 of my Lifestyle Overhaul and have lost nearly 5 pounds so far! Hooray! And that's without adding more exercise. I have been waiting for my sinuses to clear up before starting running again. I want to try to do something exercise related at least 3 days a week since I know this will make me a better rider in the long run. I have already been able to take my belt in a notch and can see noticeable changes in my body shape. Josh says if I lose 30 lbs he will personally buy me an entire new riding wardrobe including show clothes. Ha! I'll take that challenge...He is so gonna regret saying that. :-)

Cabin Fever

It has been unusually cold here in the northwest all week. Poor Ari has been stalled with only a few hours of arena turn out for the duration on this cold snap. I have been going out to the barn as often as I can to at least free lunge her, if not ride her, to keep her from going crazy. But it's been increasingly difficult not to become extremely irritated and frustrated with her spooky behavior in the arena. The lunging works most of the time, but not only is it time consuming and hard on her joints, it's boring as hell for both her and I. I feel like for every positive ride we have, we have two more that are equally negative.

I was doing some reading on spooking, especially in arenas and came across the idea that some horses do it when they are bored in order to create a some excitement. I wouldn't put it past Ari to do something like that. She is VERY smart.

So today, since it was the first day that the temperature outside was above freezing, and the sun was shining brightly, I decided to really mix things up for my Very Bored Mare. I made her go for a trail ride through the hazelnut orchards BY HERSELF. You have to understand, trail riding is an area where Ari is really lacking experience. And trail riding without other horses for company and support is something that I can guarantee you this mare has never done before me.

Also, you need to understand that as a long time horse person just coming back to serious riding, I have quite a few demons of my own that I have been dealing with over the last year or so. And riding by myself is one of my biggies. Like as in, absolutely gut wrenching, knees knocking, want to vomit in my boots biggie. For some reason, since coming back to riding, I have this unreasonable fear when I ride alone. I imagine the worst (falling off, getting bucked off, runaway horse, etc) and I become paralyzed with fear.

But today, for some reason, I just really felt the need to face down that fear and not let it control my actions. True, the ride was far from perfect. Ari's head was damn near in my lap the entire ride. She was quivery and ready to jump at the slightest noise. I had to circle her on several occasions to gain control when she was wanting to rush back towards the barn. And yes, she did jump sideways at one point when some invisible monster came at her. But through it all, somehow I managed to keep the fear at bay. I even enjoyed myself just the tiniest bit. I even managed to laugh when Ari scooted forward at the sound of a branch scraping the top of my helmet.

The biggest accomplishment today, however, was not the mere fact that I took her outside of the arena by myself successfully, it was the trust I felt between Ari and I. She never once hesitated to go forward and went willingly wherever I pointed her. I knew she was afraid, but because of the bond she and I have developed, she went anyways. I although there were moments when I REALLY wanted to get down and lead her back to the barn, I decided to trust my mare and keep going. That is huge for both her and I.

Now the interesting part will be to see if taking her outside of the arena occasionally changes her behavior IN the arena...

Lesson # 2

I arrived at the barn bright and early to allow myself time to lunge Ari before my lesson at 9am. The barn owners were already working when I got there, but instead of feeling apprehensive, I was actually glad for the opportunity to continue Ari's training. They were busily hammering, sawing, drilling, away and all I could think was, "Yes! Make as much noise as possible." Weird, huh?

Ari was finishing her breakfast when I got there, so I groomed her in her stall. Then we tacked up and headed for the arena. I was very happy to note that Ari only showed a normal amount of interest in all the commotion going on outside. She pricked her ears and gazed outside, but her body language remained relaxed. The barn owner immediately offered to tell the guys working to take a break during my lesson, but I told her if it became a problem, I would let her know. I decided that I was not going to tip toe around this issue with Ari. She has to get used to working with distractions.

I ended up only lunging her for about 15 minutes and she was great the whole time. Minor goofiness the first time they dumped a load of gravel next to the arena wall, but otherwise she was quite relaxed. Danica arrived just as I was bridling Ari and preparing to get on. She asked me how things were going with the spookiness and I gave her a brief synopsis of all I had been working on in the last two weeks. She agreed that my approach was very good and was glad to hear that I had been making progress.

I mounted Ari and started off around the arena making sure that my reins were loose and my hands were resting firmly on my thighs (to remind me not to snatch back the reins should Ari try anything silly.) We warmed up at a walk and trot with Danica showing me how to use collection and extension to help Ari relax even more. I discovered that when Ari wants to get tense and high headed, if I ask her to collect up really tight on purpose for a few steps and then give her a really long rein and push her into a nice long stride with my legs, she seems to "forget" to be spooky and instead stretches really long and low in an attempt to seek contact with the bit, thereby relaxing her whole body. Sort of like riding a giant accordion. We did this at the walk and the trot. Danica was very impressed by Ari's ability and willingness to stretch through her top line and really step up under herself even at the trot. She said we would get really high scores for that type of work!

Then we worked more on refining her collection at the trot and canter. Instead of just asking her to shorten her stride or slow down, we worked on maintaining her pace and energy and tried to "capture" the energy. That part was very, very cool! I could really feel the energy flowing up from her hind end. She was really propelling herself with her hind end and swinging through her back. I could actually imagine the very baby, baby beginnings of a piaffe. It was even more fun in the canter. Very bouncy and energetic!

Danica seemed very pleased with how hard Ari was trying and even gave me a huge compliment. She said I had a very natural feel for dressage. That my timing with my aids and corrections was very good. That made me grin from ear to ear.

I still need to work on getting my leg longer and also not gripping with my leg. I discovered that I have developed a very bad habit of constantly driving Ari with my legs instead of asking her to move forward and then letting my leg go quiet. Every time I would do this, Ari would drop down a gait because I had been unknowingly conditioning her to my leg constantly reminding her to keep moving. By quieting my legs, it forces Ari to be responsible for her own impulsion. But it didn't take long for her to figure out that just because my legs were no longer driving her, she isn't allowed to become lazy or change the pace. Luckily she is very sensitive to the whip, so often just wiggling it is enough to send her off with more energy.

So all in all it was an incredibly positive lesson. No spooking whatsoever and I felt we really learned something. I can't wait for my next lesson in two weeks. After that we will be taking a break for the holidays and won't resume lessons until after the new year.

Silly Spooky Horse

So after pulling her not-so-little spooking fit during our first lesson with Danica, Ari and I entered W.W. III over that particular corner of the arena. She got progressively more spooky about it with each ride after the lesson to the point where I could not get any "real" riding done and was spending all my time just trying to keep her from bolting/spinning/rearing.

Then came Thanksgiving and I was really busy prepping/cooking/hosting a dinner for all our friends and family, so Ari got put on the back burner for most of that week. However, my good friend Mandy was in town for the holiday weekend. She's the one who came and supported me at Eventing Camp back in September and also the one who was dismounting from Ari when she spooked and ended up breaking her pelvis. (Mandy, not the horse.) So I enlisted her help with Ari's ever growing problem.

I had decided that Ari needed realize that spooking was not going to get her out of work and the best way to accomplish that was from the ground, where I wouldn't be so worried about falling off and getting hurt. I tacked Ari up so she would know we were going to work, but put her on the lunge instead of getting on her. We spent over an hour lunging her in the "scary corner" while Mandy hid behind the wall and made every kind of noise possible. As expected, at first Ari jumped and raced around at all the scary stuff, but eventually her naturally lazy nature got the better of her and she realized that it was waaaay more work to spook. Mandy kept making noise while I made Ari listen on the lunge with lots of up and down transitions and halts. The halts were the hardest, because Ari was still nervous and felt more comfortable moving her feet. But every time she would drop her head, relax in the slightest and give us a "lick an chew" we would immediately praise her and give her a wintergreen Altoids (Ari's favorite treat).

So after we got Ari fairly relaxed on the ground, it was time for me to get on her and accomplish the same kind of relaxation. That proved to be much harder as I was already anticipating her bad behavior, which was causing me to ride defensively (read: tense as hell). Mandy also noticed that I had developed a bad habit of snatching the reins back whenever I felt Ari start to spook, which was in turn causing Ari pain in her mouth which she was anticipating (read: she was bracing and tensing up also). So it had apparently become a vicious circle for us. Mandy just kept talking to me while I rode Ari around on a completely loose rein. The talking helped me mentally and physically relax which made a big difference. Ari still tried a couple of baby spooks here and there, but I just rode her through them and tried to ignore them. After we got her to walk by the "scary corner" both ways without reacting or changing her body at all, we called it quits.

I was so very thankful to have a such a great friend come and be my second set of hands and eyes, even though I know it was somewhat painful for her as she is still recovering from her broken pelvis. And I felt much better having accomplished something positive with my silly spooky mare.

The rest of the week leading up to my lesson, I followed the same game plan with Ari. Lots of work on the lunge until we achieved relaxation on the ground, followed by simply riding her around at the walk on a loose rein. I had lots of opportunities for desensitization too, as the barn owner's husband was taking advantage of our cold, but clear weather to work on the addition. So I worked Ari all week with men going up and down ladders over her head, saws, drills, hammers, tractors and big loads of gravel being dropped right next to the arena wall.

She got better and better all week, but then Wednesday night she had a total fit for about 45 minutes on the lunge and really fought me on everything. But I kept at her until she finally gave in and relaxed. I felt this was her final protest and was really hoping that we were at that "they always get worse right before they get better" phase as we had another lesson with Danica early Thursday morning.

To Be Continued...