Killing Andrew with Kindness

Okay, I didn't actually kill Andy with kindness. But I did do something that I thought was nice that actually ended up being not so nice. I got one of those Redmond Rock salt rocks that they advertise on RFD-TV. I figured that he needed a salt lick, and those looked like the Cadillac of salt blocks. I put in in his feeder, because he needs rocks in there to slow down his eating. Otherwise, the dumbey chokes. So I put it in there on Friday night, and came out after dinner time the next day. To my concern, Andy had left a lot of food uneaten. This is really odd for him. Normally he wolfs his feed down like it's his last meal. Of course, I started worrying about horse herpes (Okay, EHV-1, but I like saying horse herpes better), colic, and other assorted things that would put him off his feed. Then I took a look at his food, and it looked a little odd, like the consistency was off. So I tasted it (sidenote- I taste most everything my horse eats, minus hay, because that might just kill me.), and it was incredibly salty. The soaked beetpulp must have leeched the salt out of the salt lick. Poor pony. I gave him some more grain in my blue feed tub, and he nommed it up, then I took him outside to eat some grass to apologize. The salt rock is now on the ground, and I cleaned all the salty mush out of his feeder. Sorry Drew-Face. Sometimes when I try to be so nice I end up being so stupid.

Of course I have a lot to tell. So much that the thought of posting it all is so overwhelming that I don't really want to, but I will. I've done three shows with Andy. The first one went well, minus me stressing and freaking out. My dad has an intervention with me, and I admitted that I am an obsessive perfectionist when it comes to riding. I resolved to have fun riding and showing after that. Then I went to the ODS adult team show in April, which was great. It was at the state fairgrounds in Salem, a big, scary new place with lots of horses, riders, and scary things. Andy was a total rockstar from Mars. Literally cool as a cucumber. I couldn't believe he was my Andy. In the warm-up arena there were horses spooking and bolting, and old ladies falling all over the place, and MY horse was the calmest one there. Really surreal. We didn't score that well (57% and 58%, 7th place, bleck), but he went so well, and I rode the tests so much better than the last show that I was thrilled nonetheless.

The last show? Well...it was ugly. Andy was behind my leg and would not accept the bit whatsoever (no wonder; without forward there's no way to get a horse on the bit and round). I in turn got stressed out and grabby on the reins, when I should have been busy getting him in front of my leg. Lots of hollowness and head-tossing ensued. Intro B was absolutely awful. To make matters worse. I went to the judge after my salute to say thank you, and that bitch had the gall to roll her eyes at me and say in a really sT. Boy was I pissed (after I stopped crying). 1) it was a schooling show. 2) Like she's never seen a horse melt down, and flub a test? 3) It was not a good test, but I completed all the moments at the correct gaits. I've seen worse. That was not a good show, and I think a lot of it had to do with me being so stressed about my dad, who had just gotten out of the hospital two days before.

After that I had a minor (okay, major) meltdown concerning Andy. I just was so tired of always fighting with him. He's also been been nutty on the ground. We had an incident in the crossties in March, when he almost flipped over after spooking at a blanket, and since then I haven't been able to cross tie him. He's also been very spooky and reactive. The week after the show I was warming him up for a lesson with Sara, and when she drove up he spooked so big that he dumped. She walked in on me sitting on my butt in the arena, crying, while he stood there trying to look innocent. A few days after that I had him at Kandice's for a lesson, and he pulled back in the crossties (I had the ties clipped to bailing twine tied to the halter, so it broke easily), and ran me over in the process. I was fine, just shook up, so poor Kandice had to deal with me sobbing and my spooky, crazy-ass horse. I love Andy, and I am committed to him. I will never sell him, and I want to ride him. Therefore, I am sending him off to Sara for a month of full training. Sara and I had a long talk, and while we both agree that I could continue to ride him and progress his dressage training, I am in sore need of a mental break from him.

So he will be in boot camp during June. Hahaha, that sucker won't know what hit him. I'll be there for most of his training sessions, and will probably be taking 2 lessons a week on him. Sara will be doing a lot of desensitization/sacking out with him, since we figure when he should have had that done he was busy racing. He'll be staying at Horsin' Around, which isn't my favorite barn but I know they'll take good care of him. He is going to miss LB so bad. I am glad to be breaking up that bad romance. Somehow they've gotten a little too bonded. When I brought Andy back from his weekend in Salem he screamed in delight when he saw LB. I even caught him grooming her last week. So cute. What was not so cute was when I tried to bring him from the pasture he flipped shit, crawled in my lap, ran circles around him, and was such a monster that I had to bring Love Bug in too. Who was also a screaming, circling monster when I brought her in. PONIES MAKE ME SO MAD SOMETIMES.

On a happy note, I had such a good ride on Callie today. I got her to be so soft and round right at the beginning of my ride. I had an aha moment in my lesson last week in term of my hands and maintaining contact, and I guess it was the key to getting her into a frame. Kandice is also bringing a few horses here from her mom's farm. One is this hunter school-master that she's going to give me free reign to ride whenever to get him back in shape. Another is this 7 year old TB mare that she has had since it was a weanling. She's green-broke and has been started over fences on the ground, and apparently has a great aptitude for jumping. And I just might have enough $$ to bankroll another pony. Life is good :)

Ooooh, I also got to ride a nice horse named Pickle, who is currently schooling 2nd level. So much fun! I actually got to ride him in a schooling show last week, and got a 71% in Intro c, and a 70% in Training 1! So I can ride training level well! It's not just me! Andy's just a jerk sometimes.

News

I haven't updated in forever! I plan to change a few things on this bad boy, then use it more religiously as a training journal. But life just kinda got too busy for blogging. It's a catch-22. When I have things to write about, I don't have any time to write about them. Anyways, here is what is going on in Megan-Andy-Love Bug-And-Sometimes-Callie Land:

• Andy and I are going to our first dressage show the weekend after next! We're doing Intro B an C with all the other 11 year olds. We have 6 more shows during the season to make it to training level.
  
• Andy actually did break my foot when he stomped it.
• I found out that I had the old break when I got my foot re-xrayed after it got hurt when Andy BUCKED ME OFF! Straight up broncoed me off, in front of Katie. It was the third bucking fit he had during that ride. It turned out to be caused by pent up energy due to little turnout, but we had a very hairy few weeks.
• Andy and I JUMPED! I hauled him to Kandice's barn for a jumping lesson, and he did fabulous. Of course, they were only 12 inch verticals, but he stayed so calm the whole time, and rated his speed so nicely. He really missed his calling as a hunter/jumper or eventer.
  
• LB got her foot caught in her paddock fence kicking at the adorable pony, scrapping off a lot of skin and causing a $200 emergency vet bill. She's perfectly fine now, and regrowing hair on the wound.
• I had a lesson with Sara on LB, and we got her to pick up the left lead canter! Multiple times. I have since repeated this feat, and on Sunday I caught Love Bug willingly cantering on the left lead when she was loose in the arena. She even did a flying lead change to get on the left lead.
• I ordered a new dressage saddle! It's being made in England right now. It's worth waaay more than Andy or LB put together.
  

I think that is all the big news. I did have a massive realization about my riding and training Andy two weeks ago that I will write about a little later.

I bought the most comfortable breeches ever. They are black, lined with fleece, and I got them on sale for $30. I have been wearing them since I was at the barn at 3:00. I think I will even sleep in them! I also bought a nice, fluffly fleece girth for Andy, since his leather 50" one is too long. Since the one I have now is way long, I got a 46". I ripped the tags off and went to put it on and...Too short! Arg! I am such an idiot. I thought for sure that 4" shorter would be perfect. Nope. I can't return a dirty, tagless piece of tack, but fortunately it will fit LB. Right now she has a crummy, dirty string girth. I checked, and it is a 46". This actually isn't too bad, because the polo team recently asked me if I had LB's tack. hahah, what space cases. Where else would it be? So I think they'll be wanting it back, so she does need a new girth. But if the polo club wants her stuff back, they gotta work for it. If they want it, they can come to Hillsboro and get it from me.

My foot is interesting colors. Thanks a lot Andy!

I realized on Sunday that I had brought Andy home exactly a year ago. To celebrate, I brought him a delicious, expensive honeycrisp apple. Apparently, he does not like that particular type of apple, and he spit it out. What a diva. I guess his name is Prince Hellstrom, so he's pretty stuck up. I fed the rest to LB, who was sort of on the fence about it, but she is a food vacuum, so she ended up eating it all.

When I went out I was going to long-line him and work on some softening from the ground, as stirrups + my purple foot = ouch. When I got to the barn one of the little girls, Grace, was riding her pony in the arena, so I decided not to. Sometimes he does buck and screw around on the long line, so I figured I wouldn't. Mel told me how Grace wanted to fall off of her horse so she wouldn't have to canter on her lesson on Friday. Poor girl! I've been there before, when I wanted to fall off and get hurt to get out of playing in a polo match that was totally above my head. I did end up falling off, but not getting hurt enough to get out of playing. But good for Grace, she got the rhythm of cantering during her lesson and I saw her canter when I was riding in there. Hahah, ponies. She rides the cutest little black pony, jazz, and she had to kick it so hard to get it to trot. That makes me appreciate having a really forward, sensitive horse. If I kicked Andy like that he would be in the next county over before I could blink.

So I wound up riding with my newly acquired bareback pad. I love it! It made his narrow back so much more comfortable, and the oh-shit handle made me much less worried about rough stops. I am happy to report that I have now cantered Andy bareback! So exciting. Three years ago I could not canter LB without stirrups. Now I can canter on Andy bareback. We've come a long way baby.

This just in- I have bones of steel! My foot is not broken, thank God, because the doctor would have put it in a cast for weeks if it was! I was pretty worried, as it was an ugly shade of purple and huge this morning. My mom, dad, and the doctor I saw at Urgent Care thought that there was a fracture, seeing how ugly it looked, but the doctor didn't see anything on the X-ray, so I am good to go! Well, unless the radiologist sees something, but cross my fingers that won't happen. As it is, I'm suppose to be on crutches til Saturday, but I hate crutches and the only ones I have are way too big for me and hurt my arm pits, so I am just hobbling along. I'm probably not suppose to ride for a while, but I have a ton of homework for Kandice and Sara, so I think I'll get back on Saturday with my stiff calf boots. I recited the whole RICE acronym to the doctor (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) and told her that I am rider, so I have plenty of experience. She got a kick out of that.

On the subject of my bones made of steel, I seriously think that they are infused with adamantium, a la Wolverine. This is like the third time when I've gotten hurt and the doctors told me they thought I had a fracture, but I X-rayed clear. Most curious, especially seeing as how I don't drink milk unless it's in coffee, and my vitamin D levels are always low. I must just have a great skeletal system. Not to worry, my crappy tendons make up for it!

At my lesson today Sara said that Andy is looking really good. He's building muscles in his butt and topline, gaining weight, and looking nice and shiny. His trot and canter have also really improved. She asked me if I was interested in showing, to which I said "Hell yes!" So I'm going to a schooling at her barn during winter (February I think). Her goal for me is to make it to the ODS Adult Team Show in May. YAY! I was going to broach the topic of showing with her this lesson anyways, and get her opinion on whether or not we'd be ready this year. She thinks it's a great idea. So now I have trainer approval. I am dressage-show bound! I'm not so sure about jumping shows though. That might have to wait a year or so! I am so thrilled that I started working with Sara. Andy and I needed it. She's very focused on turning Andy in a dressage horse, and a little less focused on my riding, which is great. It's what we really need. We'll learn together.

I had a really good lesson on Callie on Tuesday. We spent the whole lesson refining my jumping position. Kandice had me subtly adjusting my two-point at w/t/c, and doing transitions in half-seat as well. Freaking tough work! Can I just say that I need some serious core muscles? She told me that when I go from posting to two-point, my shoulders should be in the same position. Holy abs/back muscles Batman! I am the queen of slumping my shoulders forward. It's probably from years of poor posture. Will work on that. Callie was being really responsive, so Kandice had me work on extending and lengthening at the trot, then collecting back up again. It was so cool how I could really feel the difference!

In other news, a sweaty and displeased Andy completely stomped my foot after my lesson today. I was picking his back hoof when he jerked it out of my hands and slammed it back down to the ground- right onto my foot. It hurt so bad that I couldn't even discipline him- I just had to hobble over the bench and sit down. Naughty pony- he knows better that to do that shit. I really think he was grouchy after working so hard. My foot does not look pretty. It's got a nasty, huge bruise and it and is all swollen. I think I'll have it x-rayed tomorrow, just to make sure there's no break. You can actually see the curved line of Andy's shoe. That little fucker. This is just not my month. I will, however, take this as an opportunity to get new boots. If it had been wearing my stiff calf-length boots my foot wouldn't be nearly as hurt. Those crappy fake leather tall boots have no strength and just let Andy annhilate my foot. No more of that!

Much to talk about! In the past couple weeks I have jumped my first real jump, taken both horses to the beach for my birthday, and long-lined Andy myself.

Jumping is hard! The first lesson with an actual jump was just a cross rail, and I felt so floppity and all over the place. The second had an actual vertical and I felt just as goofy and off. Finally at this last lesson I felt how to do it right. It's funny, I've always pictured jumping as a very active thing for the rider- you have to rise up over the jump with the horse. But I've come to learn that you really just need to get out of the horse's way. Get in to 2-point, tighten your core, sink into your heels, and let the horse close your hip angles. I realized that I had been tightening my hands and letting my body flop around, so I focuses on engaging my core and relaxing my hands, and I had two jumps where everything clicked and I landed smoothly. My trainer told me that Callie and I are really trusting each other. She told me that her other student that rides her is a very strong and forceful with her, which is good for when Callie is lazy and behind your leg, but the way I ride Callie really seems to trust me and let my mistakes over jumps slide. Yay! For once my too kind style of riding is to my benefit.

Andy did not know what to think about the beach. He would NOT let the waves touch him (he would seriously deep hop away from them). He spooked at seashells and he didn't really like the sand. When I first tried to canter him on the packed sand he took about one stride then stopped dead on the forehand, like he couldn't figure out how to canter on the sand. Ow. Pommel, meet crotch. I had to take him to some softer sand to get him to actually go, but he did canter. There is nothing better than cantering your horse on the beach. Love Bug and mom just farted around by the shore. I expected Andy to play crazy race horse like he did on the trails, but he was Mr. Cool. And then when we were cantering I half-halted to bring him to the trot and he completely stopped, and flung his head down. I somersaulted over his ears and landed on my back, looking up at him, reins in hand. Owww, back injury fail! But I'm okay now- I think my back in finally back to normal.

Here's my view of the beach:


Here is mom and LB:
There are no pictures of me and Andy because my mom is too uncoordinated to take a picture and ride. Lucky me- my cell phone was in my back pocket when I fell. I thought I might have crushed it, but I just got in thoroughly sandy. I was a bit disappointed in Love Bug. She was a pain to load in the trailer. It took me about 10 minutes to load her this time, without Katie's help. Andy of course, was a dream. He tried to load himself, when my dad was holding him and I was locking the divider behind Love Bug. He did through his hay net through the window when he was out of hay though. Naught pony. I had to run out on the shoulder of 101 to fix that dumb hay net.

This Wednesday my trainer had me long-line Andy all by myself. It was easier than the time before, but still complicated! She said I'm ready to do it on my own this week, so I'll probably try it tomorrow. He was doing really well- dropping down onto the bit, then staying in a relaxed frame. After 30 minutes of long lining she had me hop on and working on softening him. He did NOT like that. In fact, he was pretty sneaky and would lower his head to trick me, then grab the reins away from me. Sara called him devious, and told me that he was knowingly trying to trick me. Finally she had me get off and did it herself. Once again, Megan is too nice to her horses, allowing them to misbehave. I really need to work on being nastier when it's warranted. Kandice always tells me to GET MAD at Callie. Mostly I just feel tired. But this week I have to work with Andy on softening, cause he just didn't get it. Which leaves me with this list of misperceptions that I've had about (my) riding:

• Strong contact with a horses mouth is bad. I think this comes from polo, where you neck rein with some pretty strong bits. Lara explained this to me well: the reins are like a telephone line to your horse, and when there are loops (looseness) in the line, the call isn't getting through.
• Strong aids are mean and wrong! Sometimes a big kick is needed. Sara booted Andy hard in the ribs, which made me realize that I've been, well, a pussy a lot of time. Of course, I'll kick LB that hard when she goes into her nutty back-up-in-circles fit. Sometimes you have to get mad and mean, especially when your horse is being purposely defiant.
  
• Jumping is a lot of work by the ride. Nope, the horse is the one jumping so mostly it's staying out of the horse's way.
  

My favorite quote this week: "If it's crap, don't make it faster crap!" This comes from Kandice, refering to how if I am falling apart at the trot, then I should fix it, and the cue for canter, not just try to sloppy canter from a crap trot.