Rockin' Dressage...or at least trying to!

Here's me, mostly decked out for training.

Hi Everyone!

K and I have been taking this dressage thing seriously. I'm working on my balance and flexibility a little longer each day. Today K increased the frequency of our changes in direction and also had me work in a few more circles. For variety I was asked to trot through cavelletti. You know. Those poles on the ground. K is always very encouraging and tells me when I've got it right. I do like to get things right!
I'll be working on basics for quite a while to build up my strength and perfect my balance. So far my toughest challenge is relaxing into my work. It is work, so how do I also relax?
Dear Readers, do let me know your solutions to this dilemma.

~ Polo

Back to Basics

Hello!

I've completely recovered from my heel cut, had my six-week pedicure and gotten back to business! K and I have been working on basics as I try to improve my strength and balance. We work on moving off of K's seat and leg using transitions between walk and halt and between walk and trot. K also asks me to change direction frequently; usually in a curvy, serpentine pattern.

This week K has changed up my usual "uniform" and outfitted me with the dressage saddle and the white brushing boots and bell boots. The dressage saddle helps K be a little more mindful of her position and lengthens her leg so that I can receive her cues better. Have I mentioned how short K is? The boots help to protect my legs from bumps and scrapes and the white color helps K and any of our eyes on the ground to assess my way of going. I'm told that this is The Look for horses in training.

K has been keeping our exercise sessions short because it has been super hot here in central Kentucky. In fact, we missed a week of work because of the heat. Typically we work for about 20-30 minutes and then I get a shower and a chance to replenish minerals by licking my Redmond Rock. Have you tried the Redmond Rock? It's mighty tasty!

I'll see if I can't convince K to arrange a photo shoot of our dressage look. In the meantime, keep cool and your mineral intake up!

~Polo

Recovering...again.

Hello!

I hope that everyone is well and that you are keeping cool in this scorching heat. My pasture mates and I have been drinking lots of water and trying to stay in the shade of the tree lines bordering our field.

I haven't been working for the past few weeks. First, K took a temporary job helping an Arabian horse member organization with their horse show. She worked very long hours and was only able to come and visit me during meal times. Just as K's job concluded I got a very bad cut across my right hind heel. I know, I know. I just can't seem to stay out of trouble! K has been helping me recover by cleaning out my cut and applying medicine. I am almost fully recovered thanks to K's help.

My other news is that I have switched fields. For some reason other geldings bully me and, in addition to my heel cut, I received several bites and a kick to my other hind leg. Bullying is wrong! To keep me safe, K and S, the farm owner, moved me to a neighboring field with mares Molly and Dominique. Molly, Domi and I are getting along great! My bites and scrapes, cuts and kick are healing nicely and I don't have to wear my full-body fly sheet, aka body protector, anymore. I didn't really like the fly sheet anyway, it got in the way of my dirt rolls. It's also much too hot (101 degrees!) to wear anything this weekend.

I had my feet trimmed yesterday and K says she's going to ease me back into work next week.

That's the news for now. I am going to try very hard to stay injury free and to keep cool and hydrated. Please be sure and try to do the same.

~Polo

My First Horse Show!

Hi Everyone!

I made it through my first horse show! I don't know why the humans fret about them so much, it really wasn't too stressful. Although getting onto the trailer at dawn...well, let's just say I don't care for enclosed spaces. But that's another story.

K has been working with me on show preparation for a few weeks, planning to show me in a special class sponsored by The Jockey Club. Unfortunately, circumstances didn't quite go in our favor. Apparently I need a copy of my registration papers as I don't have a tattoo on my lip. Due to very strict rules K was unable to secure a copy in time for this show, so we participated in a different class instead.  This was actually for the best as I didn't exactly manage to stay blemish free. You see it's hot and the biting flies have been out and I managed to go after one a little too hard and, well, I bit a hole in my chest. I'm fine, really! It doesn't hurt and K has been helping me keep it very clean. I'm healing up nicely.

Back to the show...I got to ride over to the host farm Friday night for a preview. K let me walk all around the show grounds, sniff the judges stand and sample the grass. Then on Saturday morning, K came and got me extra early. I had a quick bath and then we were on our way.

K and I got dressed as soon as I got off the trailer. My tack had been cleaned and K wore shiny tall boots and a fancy jacket with the number nine tied to her back. We walked all around the show grounds so that I had the opportunity to reacquaint myself to the smells and to stretch my muscles.  Just before our class I got to go into the ring for the first time and trot around all of the fences, see and hear the spectators and check out the other side of the judge's stand

I participated in the Green Horse division.  My first two classes were "over fences" in which I had to trot over a set of cross rails twice, one class for each direction. The third class was called "under saddle" or "hack", in which I showed at the walk, trot and canter. K and I were surprised by the canter request as it's not commonly asked for in this division. I tried my best, but I still need a lot of practice, especially because they ask for the left lead first. As you know, I don't know my left lead yet!

Other than the surprise in the hack, the show went very well. K tells me she's very proud of me for behaving so well and that I should be proud too.  I don't know why I wouldn't be a good sport, this horse show thing really isn't too bad. Now if we could just arrange a way to get to them that doesn't involve trailers in the very early morning!

~ Polo

New Duds

Hi Everyone!

This past week has gone by in a flash!  I've been working with K daily on my in-hand and under saddle lessons.  K tells me I am making great progress.  I've got the turn on the hind foot down and have picked up on trotting beside K, although I still find it awkward.

K has really been taking this horse show prep stuff seriously.  She has been fussing with my mane some more, thinning it out and then adding braids.  I'm not too sure about the whole braiding thing... Fortunately she took them right out, but I suspect I'll be sporting them again. 

K has also been fussing with my coat, trying to coax my hair to grow back over some bug bites and rubs.  I get a daily curry and brush, followed by ointment on my fresh bites, then the yummy, coconut-smelling Micro-Tek Rebuilder on my bald spots.  K then went a step further and purchased me a full body fly cover!

Personally, I think it's kind of silly-looking.  Fortunately, I don't have to wear it right away as the front closures sit right on one of my raw bites, so K is letting me stay sheet-free until it heals a bit more. 

K also presented me with my very own dress halter! 

I just knew there had to be a reason for trying on Sweepit's halter.  This, I can do!

And so with all of the new duds and extra grooming, I believe K is hoping I'll be the best dressed horse at the show.  Personally, I'm content a good dust-coat and a few burdocks.

~ Polo

Running Hard on Derby Day

Hi Everyone!

It's Derby Day and K did a lot of running.  I think she deserves a rose or two, she was pretty tired when we ended our training session this afternoon!

K and I worked under saddle for about twenty minutes.  We started with our walk and walk-halt transitions and then moved on to trot.  It's very warm and humid today so K and I didn't work very long under saddle.  Instead K gave me a refresher lesson on work in-hand.

K tells me that work in-hand is what we do for presenting me to be judged.  In other words, I'm supposed to show off.  I'm learning to walk smartly beside K, stopping when she stops and standing squarely while she moves to various points in front of me and at either shoulder.  She tells me she is supposed to stay with the judges without blocking their view of me.  It's hard for me to stand still when K moves in front, because I want to give kisses and receive pats.  But by far the most difficult part for me is trotting in hand.  I know how to trot of course, but I'm supposed to walk beside a handler while I'm being led.  If that weren't enough to confuse me, there is also the fact that K is very short.  She can run quite fast and I can still keep up at a walk! I eventually did trot beside K, but it just didn't feel right.

I suspect I will get used to it.  K has a plan for us to practice work in-hand in the coming weeks.  She has finally picked out a horse show she feels is appropriate for my debut.  Guess what?  I'll be showing in-hand!

~ Polo

Thinking Caps and Good Luck Charms

Hi Everyone!

K and I have gotten back to our exercise regimen this week.  We're starting slow with a lot of walking.  K has been asking me to walk circles in each corner of the arena and in both directions.  Then we work on directional changes, moving across the diagonal and also in serpentine patterns.  After working at the walk and limbering up, K has me do a number of walk-to-halt transitions which remind me to listen to her seat and legs. 

Next we move into trot.  K doesn't ask me to do as much bending at the trot just yet.  For the time being I am asked simply to trot at a consistent pace around the entire arena.  Occasionally K will sit my trot, asking me to collect just a bit and then send me forward again by resuming posting. Each day I am gaining a little more confidence and strength.  In fact today I didn't put a foot wrong!


K has only asked me to canter a couple of times.  She told me Tuesday that I had a beautiful departure into canter from trot, but that I was on the wrong lead.  What is this "lead" thing?  Apparently I favor my right lead too much.  In order to help me to tell my right from my left, K attached a charm for good luck to the left buckle of my breast collar.  It's a little horse (who looks like me!) that K found under my hoof a few weeks back.  This mini-me is positioned in a lovely trot with his left foreleg outstretched.  I'm beginning to see a pattern.  Are you?  Left buckle, left leg, hmmm...

"Mini-me" for Good Luck!

In addition to my mini-me charm, today I also got to sport a "thinking cap."  Truly, K had me wear an ear bonnet!  She said that this was to help me concentrate on my job and not on the farm owners' laying of a water line beside the arena.  While I think it was a little ridiculous, I will admit that it kept the flies out of my ears and eyes and did not impede my hearing.  Personally, I think K was just having a silly moment and dressed me up for fun.

The "thinking cap".  I look pretty professional now!

Charms and thinking caps  aside, we had an excellent workout this morning.  K added the cavelletti back into the workout and even had me trot a small cross-rail.  Progress!

~ Polo