Training Log for Savant Brown

5/11/08 Showjumping day. He warmed up well and when I had him going from my inside leg to outside rein, he was spectacular in warmup. He did very well over fences one and two, but fence three surprised him, I'm not quite sure why. He looked hard and jumped, but pulled a rail. After fence four he was quite tight and starting to tune me out, so I brought him down nearly to a halt to get him back, then carried on and he was improved. I did that because, with the way the division was, there was no way he was going to move up significantly, so I used the course as a schooling opportunity. It paid off immediately and will pay off again in the future. He did just fine the rest of the course. Wrapped up his legs and traveled home just fine. Doug and Kaly (sp?) drove in our driveway just minutes after we pulled in, so it was nice to see Doug and nice for Doug to see S in all his shiny clean glory before S rolled and got all sandy. He and Ed were happy to be home and back out at grass.

5/10/08 Morning dressage. He warmed up well and performed well in his test. But for one loss of concentration in the canter circle where he did a small very cute, but not amusing to judges generally, whinny. He earned a 28 and change on the test for second after dressage in a very tight division. Great start. Then a break for a few hours and then out to xc. He warmed up quite well with not one bit of hysterics. Lots of transitions and some very nice jumping. Out on course he was quite good. He actually had some moments of relaxation, which was really great. He jumped well, even over the cordwood with the white sand on the landing, which they put in due to the wet footing. The sand was really quite bright, and he jumped and cleared the jump and the sand patch. It was quite amusing and I was delighted in his clever solution and better bravery. He cantered through the water, a really wonderful thing. We were about a minute up on the clock coming to the last fence so I checked him up a bit to burn some time. I picked him back up again and went down to the last fence. He had been going so well that I thought the last fence would go just fine. Well, it did, the second time. The first time I apparently didn't have him in front of my leg and he just popped out over his left shoulder. D'oh! 20 penalties. Dropped to 11th in the division. That was disappointing, but it only took a little shine off the rest of the day's success. I was really happy with how he did generally and he was pretty pleased with himself too.

5/9/08 Hauled down to Longview Horse Park. Traveled and settled in well. Schooled dressage in the warm up arena. He had a little moment about going through a tight area with a semi tractor idling on the side of the gravel driveway, but he put on his big boy pants and did fine. He schooled quite well. Braided and put to bed with a blanket about 6. Cool night.

5/8/08 Dressage school. Went quite well.

5/6/08 Beauty shop. He was quite good and looks fahhhhhbulous.

5/5/08 Schooled at Walnut Creek. He did quite well. Schooled showjumping jumps and water. Yay.

5/4/08 Dressage hack with much transitioning and staying light in the bridle. He did quite well.

5/3/08 Morning dressage hack. Took him out in the neighboring field and helped him relax in his neck in transitions from walk to trot at first. The wind was NW about 20 mph, which is always fun, but those conditions could exist at a show, so I make a point to train in them so it is no big deal should we run across it at a show. Did a lot of canter walk transitions and he came around quite nicely. Then did a nice canter around the field for some conditioning. He did very well. Blanket back on (as the wind makes it feel very cool and they have no winter coat left) and out to the pasture. Yesterday was the first day they were allowed to be out on the pasture for a few hours. They have been in a grassy paddock a few hours a day for several days before that. Important to switch them to grass in stages. Today they can be out all day because of all the prep we have done. They also still have hay, as their bellies sometimes need the hay as a balancer to the rich spring grass. They do come in and choose to eat it for the first week and then they start to turn up their noses at it and opt for all grass. He was wormed with ivermectin yesterday.

4/30/08 Out on a dressage trail ride, focusing on soft and relaxed. Not one moment of tiz and one really hilarious moment of "I'm bored." We were walking along in a break after having done some nice trot work for literally about 3/4 mile in a field. I thought he could use a walk break. After about 15 steps in walk, he squeaked and kicked out half heartedly with his right hind at nothing and then he offered trot. He was clearly bored and I was laughing too hard to correct him much. We went back into trot work and it was fine. In canter we had a few moments of discussion regarding staying relaxed in his poll, but it is coming around. Well done, Brownie.

4/28/08 Four mile hack in the fields. Savauge was feeling neglected because I brought him in off paddock number one which has grass in it and I only let the horses in there an hour or so at the time during acclimation. He only got about half an hour. But he's certainly not skinny, so he dealt. He threw a minor fit on the way out the back gate, but nothing we haven't seen before and he got over it. Then out on a hack which went fine except for one minor tiz at a muddy spot on the trail, which is always his nemesis. Just very suspicious of footing. On the way back we did a lot of canter transitions with some backing to help him stay balanced and he got better and better. Met Jay taking out a load of manure on the way back which S was starting to work up a tiz about, but I put him on a circle and to work and he got over it and then walked home on a slack rein. Good man.

4/27/08 Dressage in the arena. More on staying soft in his poll, especially in a lengthened gait across the diagonal. He did quite well and was proud of himself. Very good.

4/23/08 Road hack. I was totally zoning on the way out to the gravel road, hacking in the wide ditch along the highway. He decided to get cheeky and pull his usual deal. I made him gallop 200 yards that way, turn around and gallop past the point where he had gotten cheeky. After that he said, "Oh, right, yup, got it" and was very good the rest of the day. The theme for him was to stay relaxed in his poll as he worked today. No tightness in any gait, and when/if he got tight, we walked, flexed until he was relaxed and then went on. We did 3 miles this way. It wasn't fast, but it was correct. I think he actually liked it. He was breathing more deeply and more relaxed. I want him to go around Longview xc in a relaxed manner.

4/22/08 Schooled in the ring on transitions and staying on the aids. Did very well. Happy to be out of the mud.

4/21/08 Road hack with a student. We went 3 miles over hill and dale and he only had a minor moment when the other horse shied at a rabbit that darted nearby. He took the hint of shying from the other horse, but I think he would not have shied were he alone. Recovered well. We did a lot of walk canter transitions and he did well all around. Got his first rinse of the spring since it was 75 degrees. It felt good to get all the winter sweat off, he said, just before he rolled in the sand...

4/14/08 Hauled to Walnut Creek (local course) to school showjumping and xc. He did quite well over the showjumps and in the water. He had a moment about a vertical white fence (complicated by a nearby tarp blowing gently in the breeze) and the back of a table fence that did look like a huge cave. But other than that he jumped very well. I was reminded today of how he likes to tighten his neck in the stride after a jump. He is so soft most of the time now that this flaw became more glaring. We will work on that at home, and it can be done over a small fence with many reps. It is just a tension habit. When I got home I forgot to latch a door in the barn, so he slid the door open and went and ate all the cookies. There weren't that many, but he did also manage to eat a cork that is shaped like a cookie, or at least I can't find it. It was from a cork board, made from wine corks glued to a board. It wasn't very big and I suspect it will come through all right. I wish I could have seen his face when he bit into it expecting cookie taste. They are outside tonight since it dried up a lot today. They have been in at night for about a week to give them a break from the mud.

4/9/08 Hack day. Went out along the highway right off the bat and he was fine. Objected to the large culvert by giving it a wide berth, but a lot of horses are in agreement with him on that assessment. Went more than 3 miles and even when we were walking he was forward and twice volunteered trot from walk, a big change from the funeral march walk used to be. Had some nice canter work. Had one moment when we were walking past a stubborn snowbank that is hanging on on the east side of a hill. It must have been huge to have lasted this long. There was a lot of melt around it and mud and S did not want to go through it. I just gave him a little nudge with my leg and a little growl and he went forward. Very good. Had some more trot and canter work, then walked the last quarter mile home on a perfectly slack rein singing cowboy songs. Got a roll in the sand and cookies. He was clearly proud of himself.

4/8/08 Drizzling out and footing in fields not fit for riding, so it was work in the indoor. The drizzle stopped as soon as I swung into the tack, another hint that I must be livin' right. ;-) He was really quite good. We did a walk warm up with a lot of lateral work, including shoulder in, haunches in, leg yield and half pass and then moved on to trot and canter work. In canter we did some spiral in and out on the circle and some 10m circle canter work, which he finds quite easy and fun. Did some canter lengthenings down the long side and they were glorious.

4/5/08 Schooled at Longview Horse Park in KC. He did very well. He had a few slight moments and they all concerned footing. He's not a mudder. When he would get in a soft spot it would scare him a little and in one case there was a bunch of sand placed on the landing side of a jump and it was bright white in the grass and he objected. A lot of horses did. He did eventually jump it just fine, though. He went through the water the first time without a lead. That is amazing progress. We schooled the whole novice course and some of the training level questions. Much cookying going on. Pretty psyched for Longview. I'll send in entries for Ed and Savant later this week.

4/2/08 Vet was out to give rabies shot and draw blood for Coggins test. I will order and give the other shots. Out the back gate on a hack. Walked out calmly and got better even from there. We did a lot of walking to warm up and then on to trot and canter (over the bridge and down the gravel road) then a nice long slow canter. We ended up going about 3 miles and he had no disobediences and seemed to enjoy himself. He was a little tight in canter work, but it is coming along. Had a nice roll in the sand when done. Still a little cool for a rinse, though they all could use one.

3/30/08 Threatening rain, but not windy, so out we went. I started riding in the outdoor, but then I realized that the footing was probably good enough to go out and hack. We went to the back gate and he had a minor meltdown, one spin and buck. I told him to get a grip and he did. We went on a really nice ride. Down out the field gate, site of many previous meltdowns, no problem. Into the beaver field, no biggy, over the fox landbridge, turn away from home again and over the bridge on the road, site of many meltdowns, no problem again. Lovely trot for half a mile, canter for another half. Obedient, reasonably confident, but a bit tight, but still, that is very good. Then we hacked home along the highway. When we got to our lawn we had to wait for some cars to pass and he stood politely. Then I had him cross up the ditch to go along the road. It was sort of gray, so I didn't see a gray car approaching in the distance. Far away, but not far enough to cross on the shoulder so we didn't have to go on our lawn. So I asked S to go back down the ditch and past a scary plastic bag, which he did and then waited politely for the car to pass. This was an amazing show of confidence an alacrity compared with the past. Really encouraging. Good boy.

3/26/08 The footing in the fields is still a little too wet for hacking. I took Eddie out and left big footprints. Ooooops. So S and I played in the arena. He was quite good and we had some nice work in all three gaits. Jay got out the chainsaw and was taking down two branches that overhang the riding arena. S did not approve of it at first, but I reminded him that he had big boy pants now and he should put them on. He dealt with it and got much praise. Proud of himself and got cookies and a roll in the soft sand.

3/20/08 East wind making the horses a little suspicious tonight. Sauvage was really quite good though. We warmed up with walk lateral work, shoulder in, leg yield, then on to canter work, which had moments of loveliness and occasional moments of raising his neck and coming mental unglued, but the latter were short-lived. In trot we worked on shoulder in and started to introduce haunches in. Then a warm down with walk lateral work, which went well. Many cookies and much praise.

3/18/08 He started out a little tight today, but came around nicely, especially when I really rode from my inside leg to outside rein. At one point today he was so round in trot that I put my inside leg on just a little more and he pinged into a truly majestic canter. W. O. W. He liked it too. Trot shouler in and leg yield and half pass, much praise and cookies. Yay.

3/17/08 The Irish would call it a "soft day", but most midwesterners call it craptastic cold rain. All horses in for the day today. They're not happy about it, but mud and rain outside wouldn't make them any happier. They got cookies and petting.

3/16/08 Worked in the arena and did a lot of lateral work, including a long warm up in walk with shoulder in, leg yield and half pass, then repeat at the trot. In canter did some spiral in and out on the cirlce and some pace changes in canter. He worked hard and did well and was pleased with himself. Roll in the sand when done and many cookies.

3/15/08 The log will be coming back to life with the footing improving. The paddock is quite muddy, but the arena is pretty fair footing. I rode him after grooming off a flurry of winter hair and a fair crust of mud. We did a lot of bending work in all gaits and he is coming on line. It seems we are starting where we ended last fall, which is excellent. He managed 2 hilarious tiny bucks in canter that were much more feeling good than any malice. After the ride he got to roll in the soft sand and get all dirty again which made him happy. They are staying in tonight so that they can have a break from the mud. I wormed him with oxybendazole on the first. We'll be doing spring shots and coggins soon.

2/22/08 Mild weather. What?! Like 26 degrees! Crazy talk. Tacked up and went out in the pasture right away, focusing on down and forward. He did excellently and even tolerated (didn't like, mind you) a snowmobile going by in the ditch across the road. No pushback whatsoever. We came back in and worked around the willow tree, again focusing on down and forward. We had some very nice moments of relaxation and swing in trot and canter, punctuated with some tightness. Considering the small amount of riding that has been possible lately, this is just a fabulous result.

2/14/08 Goofball was nosing around looking for treats when I slid the stall door open. He got his nose grazed between the sliding bars of the door and stall. Poor dear said it smarted a little, but he soon forgot when I handed him the cookie, the goof. They are in tonight, cold and windy. Doing fine.

2/9/08 Front coming through at noon, so only had the morning to ride. Jay was kind enough to help me dig out the south gate to get out into the fields, which was a job. Tacked up Big Red and went out for a hack. The footing is much better out in the fields, though there is still some ice. The wind hadn't really come up yet so it was fairly acceptable weather. We went around the small creek, about a mile's hack and he did well, not one pushback. He had a momentary shy at a very weird looking (I agree, Sauvage!) bunch of tall grass by the side of the field we were riding on, but he did not spin or bolt, just stutter stepped and went on. Much praise of course. Trotting on a warmblood in 8 inches of snow is really something every rider should get to do. The spring is unbelievably fun to ride. We had some nice canters too, a little locked in the neck, but forward and fun and as it can be only in relatively fresh snow, completely silent. Fabulous. We had a blast.

2/8/08 Desperate, addicted, not too smart, but fun. That would be me. It was such a beautiful day that I had to get out and ride at home. My plan was to ride the first thing that walked up to me, and Savauge was it, the big goof. "Hey girl, gotta cookie?" Nope, try this halter on. He was pretty happy to be tacked up and was terrific under saddle. Not one suckback and stayed mostly relaxed in his neck with the help of balancing reins. Good thing he did, too, because it was treacherous out there. Still lots of ice under the snow. But, we walked, trottted and did a little canter anyway, mostly because we just aren't right. He had one uptight moment when a semi went by, but he got over it. Man it was fun. Might get to go out tomorrow... Fingers crossed. I think I can now officially point and laugh at the people who said about me when I was in my teens that the "horse phase would pass." Pfffft. :-)

2/4/08 Savant's big white star is starting to shed! Can spring and ice melt be far behind? I was rubbing his face at supper tonight and I had white hairs on my gloves. Glorious joy!

1/26/08 Footing only moderately awful, so out we went. First walked out in the icy pasture which went really well, no difficulty and he managed to keep his head about him when the snowmobiles went by on the other side of the road. Then we worked on trot and canter in the 20m patch I found that is relatively ice free. (Actually, when I examined it after riding 4 horses on it, I found out that it was icier than I thought. Those horses are just pretty danged balanced.) Had some stretch in his neck and some relaxation in trot and canter. Lovely start and we were both happy.

1/16/08 Put a winter blanket on him to keep the snow off him tonight. I suspect they will be in a lot during the cold snap over the next few days, so even though it is snowing, it isn't cold or windy, so they are out. He's doing fine. Oh, and he got wormed this morning, which he did not think was very fun. Poor dear.

1/15/08 With the unrelenting hard ground, he says his front feet are sore. Kept him in a stall with soft bedding. Had the farrier out today to put shoes on him. He was happier already by evening and back out with friends.

1/6/08 Finally a break in the weather! I tacked up, got on and went out in the pasture. He was remarkably good. Not one pushback and when not soft in the poll, negotiable about it. Because it was so warm (45!) and he was in full coat, we didn't work long lest he get completely wet. He did work up a fair sweat, though, and had a good time.

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