Events

Mondays
Jumping Fun Classes at Canterbrooke, (Ames)

Tuesdays
Riding Communication Classes at The Paddock (Truro) .

May 8-9
Clinic at Catalpa Corner

April 10 and 11
Clinic at Catalpa Corner.

June 4-6
Clinic and Schooling Show Catalpa Corner
(Iowa City)

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Waiver form

"Only way that horses will win is to sit there and spend time with them. Show 'em that you're trying to help 'em. Love 'em. Talk to 'em. Get to know 'em. Now that's what you gotta do. You love 'em and they'll love you, too. People might call me crazy, but that's the way it is."

-Eddie Sweat, groom for Riva Ridge and Secretariat

Training Log for Savant Brown

9/09 Went to Kip Fladlands for 60 days training. Excellent. Kip does great work.

6/23/09 Teeth floating and rabies shot. Blood drawn for hormone check.

6/20/09 Sheath Cleaning. Much better.

4/17/09 Worked in the arena and had some very nice work after a short discussion about attention span. Good man.

4/15/09 Lovely evening. I rode in the outdoor while Jay gathered sticks from the fence line and commenced to starting a fire just outside of the ring. Savage had a few moments about that, but actually came around very well. Good man.

4/7/09 More of the same. He's also had his spring vaccinations.

3/21/09 Another very good workout.

3/18/09 I've always thought that particular horses come to riders to help them expand their skillset and mental training skills. Today I became convinced that S is here to help me really get good with my "throughness", poll relaxation and leg to hand connection. Walter Zettl says that the first aim of dressage riding is to help the horse relax in the poll. Research scientists have done studies that indicate that endorphins are released in a horse's brain when he does so. Today I continued on the same path that I had worked on Tuesday, that of asking him to entirely release in his poll and stay that way in each step, and when he did, rewarding him with a small release in my hand. The past two rides, I have just about ridden with my eyes closed, focusing on the feel in my hand only. When he would start to tense or tighten I would ask him to bend slightly in his poll to release. If needed, I would go back to walk to reestablish the release. We had lovely work in all gaits, he was breathing and his back was swinging and the best trot lengthening he has had to date. I untacked, let him roll in the warm sand and then fed. After I fed he was waiting for me to untie him to go out and he was standing there with his neck down with a dreamy look in his eyes. That was the best part. It was a spectacular day.

3/16/09 I was inspired by my weekend at the NE Horse Expo where I saw some phenomenal riding. I got on S and channeled some of the riders I saw and helped S let go in his poll. He produced some very nice work and let go in his neck and breathed. Excellent.

3/6/09 Work in the arena with much work on letting go, including counter bending. He did very well.

3/5/09 Worked in the outdoor with a lot of halt and relax work between canter and trot work. Very good.

2/26/09 Worked in the arena and had some good relaxation and consistent goodness. Yay.

2/15/09 What? Two days in a row of weather goodness? Crazy talk. Worked in the arena and had some very nice attentiveness and relaxation. Good man.

2/14/09 Some decent footing and nice weather, so we worked in the outdoor. We had a long walk warmup with lateral work and then some trot work, insisting and helping him to stay relaxed in his neck. He started to let go in his back, which was lovely to ride. Canter work was quite good.

1/31/09 Another half decent weather day. Woohoo. Did a lot of work in walk and trot in the arena. Lots of flexibility stuff and he did very well. He breathed and relaxed. Yay.

1/21/09 The weather was finally ok to ride outside. The footing was a concern, but there was an area where at least I could do a 20 m circle in good footing. For having had about 2 months off, he was quite good. We had some discussions about being tight in his neck, but came to a nice agreement and had some good work. Yay.

1/2/08 Wormed with pyrantel pamoate. Oh boy.

12/7/08 He had a mild choke incident where he must have gotten some grain caught in his throat. I went into the house to call a vet friend to see if I should take him in to the vet school or have the ambulatory come out. I went back out to check on him and he had cleared it. I monitored him several times in the evening and he was fine. Glad the goofball is ok.

11/4/08 I worked in the area where he was quite lovely and relaxed. I took him out in the pasture and did the same exercises where he had a meltdown. He is just not, and maybe never will be, comfortable outside of an arena. If you want to continue him with me, that is welcome, but it will be in dressage work and arena jumping only, because that is what he is comfortable and happy doing.

10/30/08 Worked in the arena on a beautiful warm fall evening. After some warmup, had some true stretching in trot and canter and actual correct turn on the haunches work. He was breathing and relaxed. Yaaaay.

10/26 and 27/08 Rode in the outdoor with much emphasis on him staying soft and yielding to me. Though he resists submitting (and mind you, this is all gentle submission, not forcing him) once he does submit, he breathes better and his back is more relaxed. It is not habitual for him, but he is getting softer about it. Tonight Peppa was walking around in the dark outside the arena lights and he really wanted to put his attention there and get would up about it, but he chose not to. It was delightful. He earned much praise.

10/22/08 I thought I found a break in the rain so I went out and rode in the outdoor. After a warmup, we were doing some pretty good work in walk, trot canter and leg yield. Then the needle-like rain begain and we had to call it quits. But it was a good ride, and about done anyway. He did well.

10/17/08 Worked in the arena with a lot of flexion, both longitudinally and laterally. When he lets go in his neck, he can let go in his back and his gaits become very nice. He had a few moments of tightness today, but they passed nicely and he was rightly proud of himself.

10/16/08 Worked in the outdoor on yielding and bending both laterally and longitudinally. He earned honest praise.

10/14/08 Worked in the outdoor in the twilight. There were lots of creepy shadows from the dusk and the corn and the lights from the barn. I insisted on him minding me and not doing any hyjinx and he did pretty well despite the surroundings. We had some very nice work.

Several days following 10/1. His feet are a little sore from his shoes being pulled, but the ground is soft, so he has a fair chance to toughen up his soles. I will keep an eye on him and not let it get to hard on him.

10/1/08 shoes pulled and hooves trimmed.

9/21/08 Started out in the arena where he did fine and then out to the pasture where he did well until we went to the corner with the trees and he threw a mild fit. He got over it and we continued and he did fine.

9/20/08 Worked in the arena on soft soft soft in canter. He did quite well.

9/18/08 I had Roy Kipper out on the 11th when I was gone to look at his eye because it still had some swelling in it. Roy is a genius vet who has seen everything. He said S was extremely well behaved and that the inflammation is due to edema and the conjunctivitis is under control. This is extremely good news. He left some eye meds to treat him with that should help with the edema. I rode him tonight, doing a lot of the cowboy games that Kip taught me. S did very well.

9/9/08 Picked up some neobacimyx and called Roy Kipper to come out and look at S's eye on Thursday. Roy is an absolute genius with so much experience, seen everything. S is in no critical condition, but this inflammation can not be allowed to go on indefinitely.

9/7/08 More work on the same and he is getting it and so am I. Really letting go, especially when he gets nervous, is imperative. We might come out the other side of this yet. He has been having low grade inflamation in that left eye for a few weeks now. I have been treating it twice a day with neobacymyx with some success. Then I ran out of that and used some other antibiotic I had on hand and the inflammation got a little worse.

9/1/08 I wormed him with Anthelcide EQ in the morning and rode in the afternoon. We did a lot of work focusing on him really letting go in his neck. He did, and breathed. Good.

8/31/08 Worked him in the arena, really requiring him to pay strict attention to what was being asked. He put up a fairly impressive amount of resistance to it, but once he got on board, he relaxed and felt much better.

8/20/08 Warmed up with in hand work which went pretty well. Then on to riding work where we really addressed the inattentiveness. He produced some work during the end that was relaxed, through and yielding. It was very satisfying and he is quietly proud of himself.

8/18 and 19. Worked him inhand to get him back on the payroll. He was quite resistant on Monday, but was much better on Tuesday. Very good.

8/1-3/08 Catalpa Corner HT. He was tight in dressage and earned a 40. There was horse traffic going by and he was distracted. The judged noted he was a lovely mover but inattentive. On XC, he was nervous at first, but got his mojo going and finished with the 2 refusals at fence 2 and one refusal at fence 5. On showjumping he pulled two rails. The yielding to his rider's wishes regarding focus must improve before we can compete again.

7/31/08 Spa day. Primp and prep for the show. He loves that.

7/29/08 Yesterday his left eyelid was swollen again, but not as bad as last week. I iced and buted and treated with eye antibiotics and it responded well by today. It still has a little swelling, but it isn't alarming. We'll keep him on bute and eye meds for a few days yet. I rode him in the pasture working on relaxation and transitions and it went well. He had a momentary tiz about the scary bushes and indeed there was a small animal doing something in there, but he got over it reasonably. Very good.

7/27/08 Dangit, I forgot the cardinal Sauvage rule, which is "When stuff is potentially scary, do not walk." We headed out in the wide ditch along the highway and came to the end of it where the scary culvert is (all the horses look at it every time they pass it) and he did a spin and rear deal. That took a minute to get back on track and then he was fine the rest of the 4 mile hack. Did a lot of discussing about staying soft in his neck. It is improving and he did well as far as fitness is concerned.

7/24/08 Much work on softening and breathing and jumping and remaining soft and doing trot lengthenings and remaining soft. Getting better and better and he likes it.

7/23/08 Worked in the arena on more softening, especially with respect to the left rein, while jumping small objects and in canter transitions. When working on counter canter, he is so clever that he has to throw in a lead change rather than go around the corner on the "wrong" lead. It is quite comical, and an easy way to brush up on lead changes!

7/21/08 Worked in the arena after a thunderstorm. We worked on relaxation, letting go on the left rein, canter departs, walk/canter transitions and flying lead changes. He did very well.

7/19/08 Hauled to Heritage park to school. He was a little gnarly at first and threw a few fits while we were schooling because he had to wait and then go. Starting and stopping is not easy for a lot of horses, and Mr. Patience as a really difficult time with it. He did do some nice jumping though, over some more complicated questions than we have been able to see in the past. At one point we were schooling the training rolltops. We did them on the slightly uphill approach several times and it went well. When we did the slightly downhill side, he managed to stop and put his neck down, at which point I did a Fred Flintstone slide right down his neck. It was a slow fall, but I managed to get the wind knocked out of me and get a nice bruise on my right arm and left hip, which actually was quite well by Sunday, with some ice Saturday night. After that incident, I remounted and we schooled a bunch of things, including the whole novice course, which was a little tight, but went well.

7/16/08 School in the arena and then out in the pasture where we worked on him staying soft in his neck. It is really hard for him to let go to the left, but he got better and better and was quite please with himself, as was I.

7/14/08 Took him to Walnut Creek to school. He had 5 days off and it showed. He was quite the pill for the first jump, but he got through it and got better and better. By the end he did the coffin (jump, ditch, jump) and dropped off a bank into the water. Alls well that ends well.

7/9/08 Poor Sauvage! Somehow something irritated the lower eyelid on his left eye and it was swelled up like he had been in a prize fight! Bug, bump another horse, scratch it with a hind hoof? The eyball itself looks clear and bright, but the lower lid was quite swollen. I iced it for 20 minutes and got three grams of bute in him, then iced it again an hour later. By late evening the swelling was starting to come down a little, so I hope by morning it will look much better. He was a trooper throughout and didn't seem to be in much pain. He got a lot of snuggling while being iced.

7/8/08 Went on a vacation over the holiday so he had some time off. I gave him his WNV shot before I left. Rode tonight in the outdoor and did a lot of work on staying soft through his throatlatch, which was tough for him since he had so much time off, but he did well and got a good workout.

7/2/08 Entered Catalpa Corner Horse trial the first weekend in August. I hope to qualify him for Area IV Championships there. Bought him a new fly mask with ears to protect him from nasty gnats and some long lasting equi spot fly repellent. He is lovin' life.

6/30/08 Jump school with a focus on staying rhythmic, soft and balanced. Got better and better and was proud of himself.

6/27/08 Dressage work. Lots of transitions and balancing work, which helps him relax. Very good.

6/25/08 Dressage and jumping work in the outdoor. He did quite well. Thinking of switching him to a pelham bit so I don't have to work quite so hard to get him balanced. He can be balanced, but it requires a very high level of attention for his rider.

6/23/08 Dressage school with some jumping at the end. Lots of flexibility work. He did quite well.

6/14/08 Dressage school. We did a lot of lateral work and flexibility which went well, which made the jumping we did go well. Excellent.

6/13/08 Four mile hack on the gravel roads with Jay and Elliott. S was a little goofy at first, but got better and better. Had fun. We had a warmblood race and S won. He thought that was pretty cool.

6/6/08 Really fabulous dresage session in the outdoor. Focused on getting his hind feet under and he produced some lovely work. It was pretty special.

6/4/08 What was intended to be a 2 mile road hack turned into a 3.5 miles road hack. At the one mile out mark, where I intended to turn around, there was a very noisy lawn tractor, being employed to mow lawn. S decided that was too scary and did a spin and attempt to leave. I got in back in a stride, turne him around and had back at it. He was pretty frightened (it wasn't that close, but it was noisy and moving fast. He was in no danger.), but he got over it and went by. We had to go another half mile just to make a point, and then home, with some very nice moments on the way.

6/3/08 So much rain! Rode in the outdoor, working on lightness on the aids and coming through in his body. He did quite well.

6/1/08 Took him out for a road hack which went remarkably well. He is getting a lot more confident, though he does get tight in his neck at times. He is started to breathe rather than hold his breath. We did a lot of trotting and even had a gallop. It was 80 degrees when we road, so the galloping was only a half mile, but we both liked it. He had a nice rinse and roll when we got home. I am entering Eddie in Fox River Valley Pony Club Horse Trial at the end of the month, but I don't think it would be a good outing for S because we are not going to be able to school the course before the competition and the entry fee is $330. Not really the best bang for the buck. Next competition will be in Chicago in July. We are going to school that park this weekend and S will go, in prep for the July date.

5/26/08 Worked in the arena on staying relaxed and loose in his neck, coming through in his back and longitudinal flexibility in trot and canter. He got a good workout and did very well. Hosing and roll when done and back out to the delicious pasture. It is good to be a horse about now.

5/25/08 MUCH warmer. Up to 85 today. Went for an early afternoon conditioning hack. Jay had hung out the flag, which hangs off of a telephone pole in the front of our yard. It is right at S eye height. He saw it, was a little surprised, but marched right past it like an adult. Much praise. Had a very good two mile hack. Lots of work on transitions and getting him to stay soft and on the aids in canter with good success. He sweated a lot and got a nice rinse at the end and a roll, which he was all about.

5/24/08 Spring shots. I ordered them and gave them myself this year, which saves a pretty penny. He was delighted with getting them. Not. He's been wearing a blanket the last few days because it has been so cold. Amazing.

5/22/08 Trim and reset. Hooves look much better.

5/21/08 Worked in the far end of the pasture with a lot of transitions and much nice breathing. Yay. Also did some jumping work, on staying soft in his neck on landing, rather than landing and pulling. Got some very nice politeness. Excellent.

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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