Ronin 1-20-11

I apologize for neglecting my blogging! I have been sitting at home recovering from a pinched nerve in my neck for almost two weeks now! It gets better and then it gets worse....I push myself to do more and I end up incapacitated again....:O) Such is life! Luckily riding is something I can still do with a pinched nerve.

I gave Ronin his first day off since I started working him two days ago. Last night I went to the barn around 6pm to lunge him and Joker. I free lunged Joker over some jumps and then brought Ronin in. This time Escipion was here and we put him in a Linda Tellington Jones body wrap. We tied two polo wraps together and pulled it snug across his chest, cris crossed it over the withers and then wrapped it around his butt and tied it snugly near his hip bone. Ronin is a little tense on the lunge line and it was interesting to notice how with the body wrap on he was less likely to lean in on the circle and take quick steps...and I felt like his back muscles were more connected behind his withers. Anyways, the point is Ronin liked it, I liked it....I believe we will keep using it once in awhile. I like to experiment with different things and am very interested in non-resistant horse handling techniques.

Today I rode Ronin again. We have cut out the lunging before hand and I just get on now. I would like to do more ground work with him as he is very sensitive and easy to work with on the ground....he REALLY gets me thinking "How am I going to influence this horse, get a step in exactly the right direction at just the right speed/stride length WITHOUT startling him?". With most horses I am interested in teaching them what I "know" and I use relatively the same system/approach. Ronin and I are using a slightly different language. More subtle....more in the moment.

I am sorry! There I go lost in a Dressage inspired Zen moment. Back on track now!

Anyways, I got on Ronin and did a little collected walk at first (he usually wants to power/speed walk...and I HAVE to slow him down and get his brain back right away!) Whenever I am working on collected walk I am simultaneously working on a working or lengthened walk as well. I always go between one "gear" and another (Very gradually....inch by inch.....step by step) to create more adjust ability in the horse's stride/frame/body.

Then we go on to the trot and do the same thing...collecting the trot and lengthening it out for moments at a time. When your teaching a horse such as a thoroughbred to lengthen their stride they tend to lose the "scope" in their stride (lost balance) and hurry off on the forehand with tiny fast little steps. Your goal is to lengthen them out just a few strides before that moment when they LOSE everything....and then bring them back to a working or collected trot before you try again. The trick is FEELING those moments and being effective without interrupting the horse's movement. We practiced some walk/trot/walk transitions and then moved onto canter work (His favorite part!!)

His stride length and cadence is improving so much over the last few rides, Ronin has a few different "gears" now (although he is still refining his "gears"). Next we worked on our canter. Canter can be a funny thing with Ronin. He has a really large stride for a little guy! If he is cantering with enough impulsion he feels like a rocking horse! Okay. So, when I ask for the canter transition I check my position, move my outside leg back as I lift up my inside seatbone ever so slightly and put on my inside leg. With this horse it is crucial not to "hold him in his face" EVER but especially in the transition to canter unless you want to produce some bucking! We made a nice smooth transition into canter and Ronin quickly reminded me to sit back, loosen my thigh, follow his motion, and lengthen my reins. He showed me these things by porpoising around the circle a few times. "Porpoising" is something that all horses do....but thoroughbreds have a tendency towards this 'airs above ground' for some reason. Porpoising is really quite easy to ride through (better than a buck!) because the horse will push off the ground with his hind legs and dip his forehand, land on his front legs (bring hind legs under) and push off very strongly from the front legs, and then push off behind again. Most TB's like to do it in the canter. :O)

After I fixed all of the things Ronin had on his checklist he really started to round his back and come into my contact. By this time Escipion had arrived and we began to do some spiraling in and out in the canter. First I would spiral him in, really focusing on moving his shoulder in, establishing bend from my inside leg, and slowing/collecting our stride. As soon as he would bend from my inside leg I would spiral him out gradually on a little shoulder fore shape. This exercise is really great for him as he needs to be suppled and learn to bend both sides of his body.

I ended our ride today by taking him for a little walk outside. He was a little hesitant to leave the barn (Can you say STICKY to my leg!?!? lol) but did not make any drama and we hacked the XC field between the 2 main barns. He was a little eager to get back so we practiced some walk/halt/walk transitions, circles, and leg yield zig zags. What a great ride!!