I travel with my horse a lot. It's something I do. Clinics, camps, shows, I'm totally comfortable packing up and heading out with my equine partner.
Keeping that in mind, it is a damn wonder I get anywhere with appropriate gear. I am the queen of procrastination and this time I might have taken it a bit too far. I leave tomorrow morning for a three day clinic with a big name clinician at a very fancy barn.
Said fancy barn with the infamous Dorkzilla
Have I packed? Not a damn thing. When I left for work this morning, my truck and trailer weren't even facing the right way. I hope the hubby has got them turned around. I'm supposed to be there at 10am, so I need to leave the barn around 8:30am. So far this is all pretty standard. I pack up the night before, show up, throw the horse on the trailer, and go on my merry way.
Two things have derailed me. One, Mother Nature is off her meds and the temps are plunging tonight. We're getting down to 15* this weekend. This necessitates some extra packing to keep mi papi warm, even if he's in a stall all weekend. I had a mad scramble last night busting out the full winter gear, including his square cooler to go with the fleece dress sheet I was planning on packing.
Two, I apparently have plans tonight. A couple months ago I agreed to go to a distillery showcase for the hubby's birthday. There will be lots of fancy food and spirits and we'll be out until about 11pm. I need to leave the barn at 8:30am. I have not packed. At least I'm the designated driver so I won't be hungover while trying to load Theo into his trailer.
If you're doing the math and coming up with the same numbers as me, you can see where I'm starting to regret some of my life decisions.
And judging by my artwork, this is an ongoing situation. I'm a very slow learner. I am expecting to get up around 6am, throw everything horse related that I own onto my trailer, and sort it out once I'm there. At least I don't ride until 4pm so if I'm running a bit late, I'll just miss lunch lecture stuff. I really don't want to miss anything, but it's better than having the 9am ride time. Though I'll be wishing for that ride time on Sunday when it's time to ship home.
Fingers are crossed I get there on time with a saddle, a girth, a bridle, AND a helmet. Anything more than that is a nice bonus.
I do NOT know why I thought shopping for a western saddle would be easier than my dressage or jump saddles. At least my horse is shaped like a dressage horse and isn't freaky looking at a jump show. When I took Theo to his Vitor clinic, it was at a working cow ranch. Everyone thought Theo was gigantic. Everyone. That should have been an indicator to me that he's not the typical western disciplines type.
He doesn't exactly look like a QH or a Paint.
Still cute.
It seemed simpler since there was just the two options: semi or QH bars. And clearly, with those withers, he needs a semi-QH bars tree. Clearly. Easy peasy.
So my saddle showed up and I, with great excitement, tacked my poor dressage horse up. And realized I still can't tie a cinch to save my life. Fortunately someone that knows western tack was there to help me check fit and help me get my tack on safely. With her help, I was able to get things cinched up and hop on for a few minutes. I'd already ridden him in a lesson, so it was strictly a test ride. No need for a bridle. We jogged and loped around with just a lead rope to let me steer.
The saddle fit me well and fit his back well, but was too tight on his shoulders. I put my fingers under the front edge of the saddle and got a rather painful squeeze. Damn it. Such a pretty saddle, but no dice for the magnificence that is mi papi. Back it goes to Smartpak.
I'm going to order up this saddle's very close sibling that comes in a round skirt since the saddle looks big on Theo's short back. I'm also going to try a wide to see if we can give his shoulders some room without dropping the pommel right on his withers. If that doesn't work, I have to start branching out. There's a gaited version of the tree with extra room in the shoulders . . .
Background: I like pretty things. A lot. But with brushes, I usually just use whatever is in my bag and don't think about it too hard. I've had a random collection of nylon and unknown bristles in plastic handles for most of my career. The horses are clean and shiny, no harm, no foul. Why would I drop a bunch of money on a fancy set of brushes? Because I own a yak and my brushes are mostly patting the surface. I need something more effective to get down to the skin or I get this 'dead zone' in his winter coat that isn't groomed and becomes a mass of dead skin and oil.
I stared at the Haas brushes for a year. Literally a year. Reviews kept saying they really got into the coat. I finally pulled the trigger and have been using them for a month.
The Product: Haas brushes are made in Germany from a company that is very old (est 1919) and well respected. They're definitely more expensive than your standard nylon bristle brushes. They use natural materials for the bristles and most have a nice leather strap on the back to keep your hand in place. They also have fancy German names like Cavaliere and Diva Exklusiv.
I did not go buy the whole 'Black Pack' set of brushes. I couldn't convince myself to buy in that much. But I did use sample lists of brushes to piece my set together. I went through Smarkpak and bought the Der Gute curry comb, Schimmel stiff brush, Cavaliere body brush, and Diamond Gloss finishing brush.
Review:
Curry comb: This thing is magic. When I picked it up for the first time I went 'ugh, it feels cheap, it's hard plastic, why did I buy this?'. And then I used it and watched the dirt and scurf and dandruff fly. I don't know why this thing works as well as it does, but it cuts through mi papi's ridiculous coat and gets right down to the skin. I usually buy softer, rubber curry combs. This thing puts them all to shame for brute dirt removal. Theo tolerated it on his belly better than I thought he would, so it's clearly not rough or offensive, just effective. This thing is only $6 and is worth every penny and then some. Even if you think the rest of the set is overpriced and dumb, give the curry a try for thick coats that get dirty. It's also perfect for cleaning off brushes as you work.
Schimmel brush: I like this one a lot. I don't usually keep really stiff brushes around, too many horses get offended, but this one is a keeper. It's coconut fiber and no joke stiff, but Theo hasn't killed me yet even when I do the girth area, so it's not over the top (unlike the Mustang that actually has some wire in it, I'm pretty sure that is too much for any clipped pony). It's fantastic on knees and hocks that are coated in dried mud/manure/I do NOT want to know. It's another product that really cuts through the coat and gets the dirt up from near the skin. I keep the curry in my left hand to clean this brush as I go because it's great cutting through Theo's winter coat and getting up the dead skin. I scrape it with the curry and watch the flakes of icky fall to the mats. This is the other brush I would flat out recommend. Between this and the curry, I'm seeing a real difference in how clean I can keep my shaggy yak. I mean horse.
Cavaliere brush: I was very confused on body brushes for awhile with Haas. I eventually figured out that the Lippizaner and the Cavaliere were the same brush, but the Cavaliere was smaller and easier for small hands to handle. That works for me! I like this brush, it's a nice body brush and does a good job of getting the finer debris off of my horse that is left by the stiff brush. It's also the one that goes on his face and he approves of it for use on delicate areas that still need a decent scrub (mud around the eyes most of the time). It's not stunning like the first two, it's just very effective. If you already have an effective, well loved body brush, don't bother. If you need a replacement? Go for it. It's nice, dense, should last a long time, and puts on a nice shine.
Diamond Gloss brush: This is so the wrong time of year to test this brush. I did give it a good work out after his last clip job to see it in action. It's so dense that it feels stiff and not like a finishing brush. It does put one heck of a shine on your horse. I don't bust this one out much since it's November and my horse is actually a yak, but when I tested it, it got the job done. Worth the purchase? If you're show ring bound, yeah, I'd toss this one in the show bag to give me that extra hit of shine before I head in. I find I stop with the body brush most days at home, but I suspect the finishing brush will be getting more use in the summer. It really needs your horse to be most of the way clean before you start to get the effect. It's so dense it just jams up with dirt, but if you've done your work with the other brushes? Mirror like finish is possible.
Overall? I'm happy with my investment. I'm seeing a real difference in the amount of gunk hidden under his coat and I'm having an easier time keeping him looking reasonable in this very rough time of year. I'm looking forward to putting these brushes through their paces next summer when I can really shine him up for the competition ring.
At least the curry and the Schimmel brushes should be added to brush collections. Those things are magic for those that own yaks.
I'm sitting at my desk in my nice wool skirt and ballet flats, looking nice and professional, icing a swollen spot on the front of my ankle I got from tripping out of my horse trailer while at my clinic. I slammed that tendon that goes down the front/inside of your ankle right into the metal edge of the door to the tack area. I was wearing clogs, not boots, so nothing but chicken socks to cushion the blow. Applying ice to get the swelling down.
Also note the rubs on the back of my ankle. Apparently my Dublin river boots are PISSED that they were ignored for six months and decided to punish me for the neglect by rubbing me raw after being perfect for two years. WTF, boots. The other ankle is worse.
But the long hem at least hides the bruise I got when Theo spooked and I whacked my knee against the barn door. It did give me a bit of a limp.
That one is on heat therapy now, trying to convince the muscles to settle down. And it's in the ugly green puke colored stage.
This is a day to day thing now that I'm back in the saddle 4 to 5 days a week. I've got my groove back, my motivation is up, my horse doesn't want to kill me, and it doesn't hurt my face to go outside. I'm getting my ride time in!
And limping into the office every dang morning due to various injuries that are only tangentially related to riding. My coworkers are starting to ask questions.
I get nervous when I'm riding with people that have a big presence. Most of the people in my area know Vitor Silva. He does a lot of demos up and down the east coast with his Lusitanos. Like this one:
There's marketing to be concerned with, a brand image, etc. And egos get big. Trainer A enjoyed her ride with Vitor, but I still get nervous. Will he help or will he just blow smoke up my ass so that I have a good time and ride with him again (aka spend more money)?
First, I made my horse presentable. This meant shearing my yak yet again and learning a lot about how to keep clippers happy. I can't keep buying new clippers and brand new A5s from Oster shouldn't be acting up! My horse is a freak of nature. But the new barn handyman gave me an assist with tuning up my clippers (including a lesson in the different kinds of phillips head screwdrivers) and we got through the project.
The magnificent tail was trimmed, the tack was scrubbed, and the trailer was hooked up. I went with my chicken socks. Bold, let's people know that despite my classical, conservative attire, I'm also fun. Plain, brown vest, blue check shirt, grey full seat breeches. Theo went in the silver clincher browband and a white saddle pad. I wanted to keep things understated, having never met the clinician or visited the facility.
I got there early enough to watch two people ahead of me. Theo was calling a bit in the trailer, so they offered me a spot on the high line. I stared, then said nope, he's never been on a high line and I think that will go badly. He's already in stud mode, I could totally see him rearing and flipping over when he realized he was tied and couldn't go anywhere. Also, it was raining. So they let me use a stall to keep him happy with a hay bag while I observed.
Vitor loves to use laterals to get a horse straight. The first rider I watched was a working equitation rider. Lots of leg yields off of the wall to center line in each direction, getting the horse stretched out and supple. Then it was leg yield off the wall, half passe back. Then canter, turn on center line, leg yield to the wall. It all built up to her horse doing it's first flying change. The rider was as startled as anyone when she realized what all of her previous work had been leading up to. All of a sudden, a clean change on command. It was eye opening for her.
Then he had a lesson with a nervous older lady and he turned it way down, working on position and just being able to communicate with her horse. I went and tacked up my beast, feeling much better. He never yelled or barked and everything he said made sense.
Stall time calmed Theo down a lot and he walked into the indoor like a civilized beast. The high lines in the corners perplexed us both (and Vitor), but our absolute training on standing while I mount held and mi papi didn't embarrass me by spinning away in terror with me hanging off the side of the saddle. A couple of walking passes and he settled right down. Almost like he's done a few clinics in his life.
I told Vitor he was 13, gelded late, a former school horse, and currently going at about First level. We're having major trouble with leg yield right and canter left, which seem to be related and I suspect come down to strength issues as he was recently informed that he had to submit to the bit. Now he has to canter in balance and it's hard. Vitor nodded and pulled Theo in so that he could take a feel. This meant taking my whip and my reins so he could feel where Theo is currently. I did warn him Theo has a strike in him, since he had a whip in hand and was quite close to those front hooves. Theo was a gentleman and didn't threaten Vitor at all, which I took note of. Theo is usually quick to make an impression on a stranger, but Vitor didn't trigger Theo's FU button, even when he had the reins and was making mi papi use his hind end correctly.
I will say it was freaking weird to sit in the saddle while Theo was put through his paces from the ground. I kept wanting to participate, but nope, supposed to just sit there. Might have to book some lessons on in hand work . . .
Knowledge gained, Vitor sent us off to warm up at the walk. Leg yield off the wall, leg yield to the wall, shoulder fore, counter shoulder fore. Fortunately I've had enough feel beaten into my thick skull that I picked up the moments where Theo was straightening up quickly, so it became a game of Vitor showing me how to make Theo straight and me managing his parts as needed. We trotted and did a LOT of lateral work, mostly leg yield. He wanted Theo supple and soft. He really, really focused on Theo having a long, relaxed neck and giving me his back. Give him the rein so he has somewhere to go, set him up to succeed. Don't encourage a short neck, a horse like him loves a short neck because he will drop his back. The contact is light, encouraging him to step up into the bit.
We did leg yields for I swear 30 minutes, mostly at the trot. Off the wall, off centerline, neat 10m turns at the end that required a change of bend. When he laid on my left rein, I was instructed to use right leg, right rein as though doing a leg yield and force him off of that right shoulder. He was to be symmetrical and light in the contact. Lo and behold, it worked.
At the end of my lesson, I stepped him into the canter from the walk and it was no big thing. Still a smidge more reluctant left than right, but it was balanced and chill and lovely. Vitor said he saw no problem with the left lead and I wanted to cheer. It's not really busted, he's not broken, he's just learning a new way of going. Vitor encouraged me to come visit him at his farm to keep going with this progression. Theo has the challenge of being started too late, but he's a good looking boy and he's a good worker. He also offered to give me a lunge line lesson. Whee!
I really enjoyed my clinic. No yelling, no chasing, no fussing. Yes, I was told to get him more forward and we worked hard on transitions. I did tap him with the whip as needed with instructions to praise him, complement him when he did it right. Theo is a proud horse that needs to succeed. Despite getting after him to go forward, his approach had Theo more chill at the end of the ride than the start and that was nice to feel. Theo was chewing and foaming away by the end of the ride, which was something Vitor was actively working toward. Our homework is to do lots of laterals and when he is laying on his shoulder, think leg yield to get him straight again. Keep his neck as long as possible while keeping him on a contact.
If you get a chance to ride with Vitor, I say do it. He's approachable, happy to answer questions, positive, and classical. He wants a happy, supple horse regardless of your background, tack, or level of experience.
The hubby forwarded a link to a clinic in the area to me, thinking I'd like to go audit. First off, that's so sweet. Second off, how the hell did he find out about a dressage clinic when I hadn't seen it? Is he a closet dressage fan now? Is he stalking trainers? I have questions about this.
I followed the link and saw a name I recognize. Vitor Silva is pretty local, has a gorgeous Lusitano farm, and does a lot of demos. Trainer A has ridden with him a couple of times and likes him. He's a softer touch, more interested in a cooperative, supple horse. He's not a competition focused trainer. He works with baroque horses, so smaller strides than the warmbloods and short backed. He specializes in lateral work and in hand work. Well, gee, that sounds like someone I would enjoy as a clinician. I went to check for audit price and saw that there were a few last minute spots available.
A quick couple of messages and we have a one hour private on Sunday afternoon. Yay? Impulse control issues. I haz them.
The view after our early morning lesson and road hack, 68* today!
But I'm excited! This will be a very different view and it's a great time for it. Theo has broken through the wall of 'neck braced or death!', but the connection isn't consistent yet and we have a lot of suppleness work to do. Yes, he can flex in both directions now which is a huge achievement, but today's lesson with Trainer A really highlighted how much more we have to do.
My left lead canter is a bit broken. I know, it has been for awhile, but while it's getting better it's also becoming more noticeable as we up the difficulty again. He now does not canter and turn left unless I let him shove his nose out and use the underside of his neck. Keeping him on a contact and balanced on both sides is forcing him to use his topline and build up all new muscles. Papi is not a fan of building up new muscles. I refuse to go back to a heavy connection, so the battle is on. He would really rather not give to the left and thinks that my left leg is purely decorative.
We did side passe, 10m circles, and leg yield today to unlock the rib cage and shoulder where he doesn't want to stretch through. It's quite a juggling act to keep all of his evasions in check. Throw a shoulder, go haunches first, invert, suck back. He's a smart, creative horse. But it's getting better. We had a couple of leg yields that were actually upright, not him laying on his shoulder and crossing as quickly as possible to get it over with. And I'm getting a much bigger, stretcher trot these days!
Theo will always be an evasive horse because he's damn smart and if I don't know the difference, he'll do it the easy way. But we've completely turned the corner in terms of his submission to the aids. I put my leg on, he reacts. I close my fingers, he reacts. It's not consistent or always honest, but it's there. Now we can move on to submission to the bend.
Tomorrow I clean tack and pack the trailer. Oh, and try to make my November horse look somewhat fit to be seen in public. Sunday I haul out and let a completely different voice check my work and (hopefully) give me some guidance on how best to keep progressing with making him more light and supple.
Maybe I'm not ready to give up on my plan to move up to Second after all. And maybe Theo isn't so adverse to the idea. Maybe we need to just keep doing things at our own pace and in our own way. Because right now? He's a fun, neat horse to ride.
And nothing dramatic going on in my life! I went home to Minnesota for my scheduled visit, went for some nice walks, and helped out while my mom recovers from a knee replacement surgery. The only downside to this vacation was a complete lack of papi.
Minneopa State Park
Now I'm home and preparing for my next road trip. This one will feature mi papi time! We're heading to our Mary Wanless clinic on the 10th. Oh, the joys of having my own trailer. I was able to just sign up and not worry about arranging for a ride. We'll have three days of torture. This time I'm staying at a local hotel rather than driving back and forth. I'm going in with the goal of getting a strategy and or image to deal with my collapsing left side. This also means I need to get my trailer cleaned and packed this weekend. I might have been dumb and bought a ticket to a distillery showcase on the evening of the 9th. Hungover dressage clinic? Sure, that'll be fine.
I'm still working on that super basic idea of not letting my hobby start to suck. We've been doing jumping lessons, both me and his leaser. Papi is a fan. It's sad that he's still got an 11' stride, but that's just how papi does and I'm used to it. He likes to touch the ground as many times as possible between jumps. He'll do a grid at 12', but a line? He wants that extra thinking time, kthx. But he looks really good and is learning to not brace his neck between fences.
We still have zero selfie skills
I'm also fitting him for his western saddle. After watching obsessive amounts of video on western dressage, we're going for it. One of our local shows (30 min away) is doing recognized western dressage next year and bringing in a clinician over the winter. Woohoo! I think the emphasis on obedience rather than huge gaits will suit him. Jog and lope are still hard work, but the fact he wants to take his time about it is a benefit rather than a problem. I still have to get him well up in front of my leg, but his little strides won't be such a problem. He's definitely a semi-QH bars boy and it appears I need a 15.5" seat. And a 32" cinch. And probably custom cut fenders for my stubby little legs.
Big saddle that looks very tiny on my boy, still weighs a ton lifting it over my head
I do have a bitch about the saddle shopping process. I researched, put saddles on him, and picked out my saddle. The Circle Y Performance Monarch with Flex2. If I'm going to get a saddle, I'm going to get a nice dang saddle. I like the Flex2 concept and the cutaway skirt. It shouldn't put me into a massive chair seat, either. It was made with western dressage in mind. But used western saddles in New England are kind of sparse. No one sells this dang saddle used! Which is usually a good sign, people seem to keep them and love them. So I decided to just bite the bullet and ordered up my test ride through SmartPak, along with some Baker blankets for Theo's trip.
So pretty, not sure what's up with the strings
Wouldn't you know it, my favorite company that never ever lets me down is dropping the ball hard. My blankets were scheduled to ship yesterday. Nothing. My saddle that was in stock when I went to bed last night and is scheduled to ship tomorrow in my confirmation? Suddenly out of stock and may not be available until the end of the month. I've got different 'back in stock' dates on different pages. I called customer service in a bit of a snit because I need to make sure I can ride as much as possible in those five days. I can't be playing 'guess when the saddle is going to show' for a month. And I need those blankets!
I've been assured the blankets are going out today or tomorrow. Surely, they're going out, don't worry, you'll have them in plenty of time. I've been hearing a lot of horror stories recently about SmartPak shipping and it's not giving me confidence. I'm supposed to hear from the Test Ride person when she gets back tomorrow so I can find out when this dang saddle is supposed to show. I can get the saddle right from Circle Y for the same price, but I'm hesitating. I'm discovering that western saddles are an absolute do not ride in it if you want to return it, so I don't want to change companies. I want to know I can try it out and still return the dang thing.
My mom's kitten
It's just shocking after years of stellar service to have them drop the ball so hard. My last order was slow, but I thought it was a one off. Ugh.
I guess I'll have to wait until after our clinic to try out the new gear. No one wants to wait for shiny new tack to show up. It's the worst. I'll distract myself by doing a fall clean up this weekend. I need shiny clean tack for the clinic and people are starting to talk about the condition of my locker. There may be a dead body back there.
Not the most welcoming sight outside of the barn. Happy Halloween!
