The Cooler Side of Horses on the Horsitivity Blog today.
Eventing clinic at Catalpa Corner September 18th and 19th
Otter Creek Horse Trial, coaching available September 24-26
IaDCTA schooling show and championships, coaching available October 29-31
Training Log for Stockhausen Horses
Charlie and Camie hunting in the Tipton Hunt Country. Diane Antisdel photo
7/15/10 Kate and Charlie had a jump school and then a hack. All was well and lots of fun.
7/12/10 Hack with Katie in the tack. He had a few bucks in canter, but got better and better.
7/8/10 Katie and Charlie and I and Bino had a more than hour long walk hack. They were both excellent.
7/5/10 Katie took him for a ride around the block where she learned about keeping the horse's shoulders in front of his hips and how to canter up and down small banks. Lots of fun.
Late June/10 Working on jumping in the outdoor. He is getting more confident all the time. Yay.
6/22/10 Missed some entries in there, but long story short, Charlie is really growing up. Tonight we had a dressage school and I worked on asking him to keep especially his left hing underneath him. This resulted in a much improved canter. Lots of fun.
5/27/10 Dressage school in the outdoor. We did a fair amount of shoulder in to encourage him to get that hind end under rather than out behind. He did very well.
5/24/10 Dressage work in the pasture. Charlie says bending evenly from poll to tail is harrrrrd.
5/19/10 Trail hack with Katie in the tack and me on Austin. Both Charlie and Austin were excellent.
5/18/10 Trail hack alone with me. We had some moments discussing staying soft in his poll and accepting my leg aids. We came to a very lovely understanding and the second half of the ride was quite enjoyable.
4/9/10 Out for a hack with Austin and Tracey. He was a little tight in his back at first, but came out of it nicely.
3/28/10 Katie came out and lunged him and he was quite good. Some inattention at first, but improved as the session went on.
3/22/10 Happy 10th Birthday Charlie! Cookies and more lunging. It is a lot of work for him, but he gets better and better all the time.
3/21/10 Have been lunging hm in an effort to get him fitter in hopes of helping him be stronger behind. Had a good session today. It is hard work!
3/5/10 Wormed with ivermectin.
3/4/10 Hacked out to the far side of the pasture. He was not behind the leg on the way out like he often is. After a walk and trot warm up, some nice canter work with no bucking. Only switched leads in the back once. Very relaxed. He is still cribbing, but not as devotedly.
3/1/10 Rode in the pasture in all gaits. Had a lovely time. No bucking in canter. Maybe the omeprazole is working its magic.
2/27/10 Finally the weather is giving us a break! Sunshine and only light wind. Took him out and rode him in the pasture where the snow was a little deep, but he did very well. He was slightly behind the leg on the way out, but got better. He bucked a few times in canter, but nothing to signify.
1/25/10 Charlie started on omeprazole. I hope it helps his tummy. All the horses are inside tonight due to an unexpected blizzard. They are safe and sound and I am loving the fact that I'm no longer a broadcast meteorologist tonight. <snort>. Prior log entries for Charlie can be found here
2009 ITBOA Eventing Thoroughbred of the year, Best Etiquette, doing his best yak imitation. (The face scrape is from playing "Wild Stallions" with buddies and he is mid-chew. Thus the funny expression.
7/16/10 Pasture dressage. He did very well. Great fun.
7/15/10 Hack with Charlie and Katie. Great fun.
7/8/10 Pasture dressage. Worked on relaxation in his back and transition between trots. He was excellent.
7/5/10 Out for a very fun hack.
6/26/10 Maffit Lake Equestrian Center Fantasy show. Did the training level combined test and rode 2nd level test 2. Won both clases, but more than anything, had a lot of fun doing it. Eddie is a born star.
6/24/10 Trail hack with Tracey. Lots of walking. He had fun.
6/16-18 Took him and Elliott down to Colombia to be a demo rider for the ICP clinic with Phyllis Dawson. Eddie was his usual wonderful self. She watched him warm up for dressage and asked if this was his usual warm up. I didn't know what she was getting at, so I said, "Um, yes..." and she said, "Lucky you." That was really wonderful to hear and kind of her to say. In dressage we worked on helping his back to relax by setting down the inside hand by the D ring on the saddle and using the inside rein to ask allow the outside body to stretch. It was a very good technique. In jumping we worked on using a 10 foot canter rather than a 12 and it worked great.
6/1/10 Jump school with me on Eddie and Jay on Elliott. Lots of fun.
5/25/10 Four mile hack around the block, including a nice long gallop. Yay.
5/24/10 Eddie had a walk trot lesson to teach today. He was an angel. He broke out his Breast Cancer Awareness flymask for rthe summer today.
5/21/10 Stepped in for Geordi in Alison's lesson when Geordi was unsound. He was a good teacher!
5/19/10 Very nice pasture dressage school, with attention focused on riding from my thigh rather than calf, which allowed him to relax a lot.
5/17/10 Missed some entries in here, but nice dressage trail ride today. Lots of fun.
4/27/10 Fun dressage school with much focus by his rider on proper use of the outside rein, and much very good work by himself.
4/20/10 Out for a hack and then a short jump school. Great fun.
4/8/10 Nice dressage school.
3/27/10 Katie Hall rode him on a hack. He was great and they each had a lovely time.
3/21/10 Happy Birthday Eddie! 12 years old today, carrots and out for a hack. I rode him part of the time and Alison rode himi part of the time. Lots of fun.
3/5/10 Wormed with ivermectin
3/4/10 Out for the first road hack of spring. Had to cross the ditch twice to get to the road. It is still pretty full of snow, but he was game. Walked the first half mile, then trotted and cantered the second half mile. Turned around and had a serious discussion with him (jig...) about walking the next half mile. Then trotted and cantered the a half mile and walked home the last third. Fuuuuun.
2/28/10 Out to the pasture for some more work. Much slow work in yielding in the body in shoulder in at a walk on a circle and haunches in as well. Some canter work, some snorting. Ah, spring.
2/27/10 Finally the weather is giving us a break! Sunshine and only light wind. Took him out and rode him in the pasture where the snow was a little deep, but he did very well. Quite stiff through his body and loving to push on my hand. To be expected with his unfitness behind. We both had a blast anyway.
2/25/10 Yay, got up to around 30. Snow is not melting, but compacting and it is almost rideable in the pasture. I rode Eddie and he was very good. Came marching up and put his face in the halter for a ride, very funny. Afterwards, I left his blanket off for a roll and roll he did right away. Tomorrow it should be sunny and warm enough for the horses to go out nekkid for the afternoon. Woohoo.
1/25/10 All the horses are inside tonight due to an unexpected blizzard. They are safe and sound and I am loving the fact that I'm no longer a broadcast meteorologist tonight. <snort>. Prior log entries for Eddie can be found here
8/22/10 He was a bit of a pill for Jay yesterday and actually managed to annoy us both. So today I got in the tack and had a dressage school, which went really well. He says he just needs more work. Can do. Careful what you ask for, Fatboy.
7/28/10 Four mile hack. Great fun for both of us.
7/20/10 Dressage school in the outdoor. Lots of stretching and relaxation work, especially keeping him elastic in his neck during lateral work where he wants to stiffen up. Also some work in counter canter. Maintaining right lead counter canter is harder for him but we had some success.
7/16/10 4 mile trail hack. Great big bunch of fun. Scared up a big buck and a small buck. He saw them before I did and took a pretty good shy left, couldn't be blamed as they were crashing through the corn. Rest of the ride was uneventful and just a festival of Elliot's greatness.
7/14/10 2.5 mile conditioning hack in the morning before it got oppressively hot! He had a blast and did great.
7/12/10 Dressage school with some work in shoulder in, half pass and flying change. I was focusing on my hands and he was very good. Entered the August 7 Dressage ATCs today.
7/9/10 Two and a half mile hack, complete with another flushing fawn and this time an added 8 point buck. He did very well and we had a blast.
7/8/10 I warmed Elliott with some dressage and a bit of jumping, then Jay rode him for a bit. Elliott was excellent for both.
7/5/10 Went for a hack around the block with Katie and Charlie. He was a bit of a pill, but par for the course. Feels good.
6/29/10 Big old dramatic trail ride. He was excellent. I will probably blog about it, so check the horsitivity blog for near this date for the whole scoop.
6/24/10 Lost his right front shoe, so a little ouchy in the arena, so cut it short. Emailed farrier.
6/15-18 Demo rider for the ICP clinic with Phyllis Dawson. I took Eddie and Elliott down and they both thought it was good fun. Picked up some nice dressage and jumping techniques. Elliott was very good.
6/1/10 Jump school with Jay on Elliot and me on Eddie. Started in the arena and had a lot of fun there, then went out and fooled around over the fences in the pasture. Much fun.
5/27/10 Jay rode him and did some jumping to give me a lead over the rolltop on Sammy. Elliot was a little cheeky, but then Jay was a little rusty, so they were perfect for each other. They ended up having some very nice work.
5/26/10 Dressage school, ending in a short jump school. Huge fun.
5/24/10 Hack around the block. Sheep are scary!
5/21/10 Got new front shoes and feels better. Had a very nice dressage school. Shoulder in in canter is easier to the right. He is getting better all the time and I am getting better at keeping my position. Woohoo.
5/18/10 We missed a lot of entries here, including riding with Ann Cizaldo which was excellent. Today we worked in the pasture because yesterday when I started to work him in the outdoor, he was tender on it. He is going to get front shoes on Friday. Anyway, a lot of work on canter shoulder in tonight and some work in shoulder in in trot. Left is much more difficult, but canter work is really improving. Yay. Very nice walk. Woohoo.
4/22/10 Last week he was floated and had his PHF shots, all other shots given 2 weeks before, but gave the PHF at Jim's suggestion when asked. Dr. Howard said his teeth needed only slight float, also got coggins. Today warmed up with dressage. He was a little cheeky, but came around for the most part, as much as horses do the first ride after a foxhunt. Then went out and schooled some jumps. Huge fun. He feels fabulous. Turned out to grass a few hours today. I think I heard himi burp. They are in on dry lot with hay tonight.
4/17-18 Burwell foxhunt. Long hunts both Saturday and Sunday, 3 hours, but not particularly hard. Horses returned home Sunday night only slightly tired.
4/13/10 Out for a dressage conditioning hack. What? A dressage conditioning hack means that we will cover some ground properly. 3.8 miles of loveliness with exuberance. Great fun.
4/11/10 Hack with Jay in the irons, me on Sammy. Some nice walk, trot and canter work and grins on all faces at the end.
3/27/10 Rode him on a hack with Katie Hall and Charlie. Great big bunches of fun.
3/22/10 Brought the CD player out to the outdoor and put in the best of Stevie Wonder and rode around to it to see if anything really matched up. Got some decent walk and trot music, not much in canter, but still very fun!
3/21/10 Very fun dressage school. I'm working on having my hips aligned correctly in turns, keeping my outside hand out (no crossing!) and shoulders up. Elliott applauds my efforts and produced some very nice work today. Funny how they go better when we ride better. <slaps hand to forehead>
3/10/10 Another road hack with Jay up. Four miles and lots of exuberant trot, some canter, good walk warm up and down. Fun!
3/8/10 Out for a road hack with Jay up. He was exuberant but polite and everybody had fun. 4 easy miles.
3/5/10 Wormed with ivermectin.
3/3/10 Out for some work in the snow circle in the pasture. He certainly is forward. Had a few conversations about half halt. He was generally less cheeky than a few days ago, but still bright and we both had fun.
2/28/10 Spent much time in walk convincing/reminding him that he should actually yield his body to the wishes of his rider. Shoulder in, haunches in, buck on the spot and turn on the forehand. Then on to a reminder about listening to the seat, which he would rather not. He eventually did very well.
2/27/10 Finally the weather is giving us a break! Sunshine and only light wind. Took him out and rode him in the pasture where the snow was a little deep, and he was a predictable smartypants. He is full of good health and vitality and its hell to convince him to use his powers for good rather than evil.
1/25/10 All the horses are inside tonight due to an unexpected blizzard. They are safe and sound and I am loving the fact that I'm no longer a broadcast meteorologist tonight. <snort>. Prior log entries for Elliott can be found here
8/20/10 Missed some entries in here, but today schooled xc at Heritage Park. Did the whole training course, no problem. He has wonderful scope and is getting quite confident. Just a dandy.
7/30/10 Catalpa Corner Charity Horse Trial. 34.6 in dressage, quite good on xc for his first HT, (starting at training level) and had a nice showjumping round other than one refusal due to a shadow from the plank. Just an experience thing. I was very pleased with him, he'll just get better and better because his attitude is right.
7/29/10 Missed several entries in here. Had a jump school in the arena and some xc jumps. Lots of fun for both of us.
7/18/10 3 mile conditioning hack. Great fun.
7/16/10 Pasture dressage with some jumping. Worked on stretching to the bit and lengthening and shortening in trot. He did fabulously. What a treat.
7/15/10 XC school at Margaret's with Jay in the tack. He was great and Jay had a wonderful time. Gave lots of leads for Playmate.
7/14/10 Some dressage work, focusing on stretching and some jumping work in the arena. Excellent.
7/10/10 Conditioning hack which went well. Some nice galloping and subsequent coming back, some incidences of deer and walking through 9' high corn.
7/8/10 Walk and trot hack with Jay and Elliott, then some ring work, focusing on bending and reaching for the bit in walk. Some jumping. All went well. He's a darling horse.
7/5/10 Out for a hack conditioning ride. He did excellently. Had a nice gallop in there too. He was great.
6/26/10 MLEC Fantasy show. Rode the training level combined test. He was great, did a nice dressage test and jumped very well. See the horsitivity blog near this date for full details on Jumping the Oxer Backwards.
6/20/10 Schooling horse trial at Heritage Park. He did his first training level event. Dressage was good with a 35 score, he was double clear in showjumping and then double clear in xc. He had a blast and so did I.
6/19/10 Schooling at Heritage Park. He did all of the training course and some of the simpler prelim fences. He had a blast and was very good.
5/30/10 Wind's Reach Eventer Derby. He was a star and came home with a blue ribbon. See video below.
5/27/10 Jump school. Getting more and more confident. Did the one stride and learned about rolltops. Excellent!
5/26/10 Two mile conditioning hack, followed by a short jump school. Lots of fun.
5/24/10 Fun hack. Worked in all gaits and followed some game trails to new places. Scared up a pheasant which was fun.s
5/21/10 Very nice flat school and then school over some nice 3'3" showjumps. Well done.
5/19/10 XC school at Margaret's. He was excellent with me and then in teaching a student how to be confident over ditches.
5/17/10 Pasture dressage school and jumping school. Great fun.
4/27/10 Very nice dressage school. Much focusing on half halting by his rider, and nice relaxation by himself as a result. Some nice lengthenings and canter work.
4/21/10 Schooled with Julie Kuhle at Margaret's. Learned about water, ditches, banks and different looking fences. He did excellently. Bravo!
4/17-18/10 Missed reporting several training rides in here. Burwell foxhunt. Trail ride on Friday when he was a little fresh, then hunted both Saturday and Sunday. It was a slow foxhunt, so he got a little impatient, but that is understandable. Very good.
4/11/10 Hack with Jay on Elliott, me on Sammy. Some nice walk, trot and canter work and grins on all faces at the end.
3/27/10 Took him down to the Irish Run schooling show where he was really excellent. Unflappable and jumped great. Nice lead changes. Enjoyed himself.
3/21/10 Cindy Hemingway rode him on the Happy Birthday Eddie hack with me and Eddie and Alison and Geordi. He was fabulous.
3/10/10 Road hack, just us. He was delightful fun.
3/8/10 Out for a road hack with Jay and Elliot. Sammy was relaxed and had fun. 4 easy miles.
3/5/10 Wormed with ivermectin.
3/4/10 Out for a hack on the gravel road. Had some worries about crossing through the snow-filled ditch, but managed himself just fine. Then a long walk warm up, some trot and canter work, more walk, another half mile of trot and canter and a walk the last third mile home. He was unnerved slightly by the barking dogs but dealt with it pretty well.
3/1/10 Rode in the pasture, took it easy due to lack of fitness but good work in all gaits and nice lateral work in walk.
2/27/10 Finally the weather is giving us a break! Sunshine and only light wind. Took him out and rode him in the pasture where the snow was a little deep, but he did very well. He did the funny ear thing that he does when he is feeling fresh where he (I don't know how he does it) squeezes his ears together (not back) and puts his head down as if suggesting that he could buck. I pet his neck to reassure him and that just makes him want to buck more. He usually doesn't and when he does, it is rather porpoise-like, so no worries. He was just feeling good. Some rather joyous work in trot and canter.
1/25/10 All the horses are inside tonight due to an unexpected blizzard. They are safe and sound and I am loving the fact that I'm no longer a broadcast meteorologist tonight. <snort>. Prior log entries for Sammy can be found here