Ah spring... That time of year where you can make no outdoor plans because you never know what you're gonna get! One thing is a certain though. WIND. You will definitely get wind. So much wind.
Our return work is coming along slowly though. Despite the challenges! We've had to miss a couple days due to weather but we've gotten far enough along to add cantering to our daily workouts. Rides are up to about 25-28 minutes (sometimes we walk out a little extra) which is getting close to regular work. Our daily rides are typically about 30-40 minutes. Though intensity for "regular" work is a lot more than where we are at right now. But that's okay. We'll get there!
The big thing happening over here the past week was work on the driveway. You probably remember that the dumpster truck (for the poo bin) sunk pretty deep when they came to empty it a few weeks back. I had a guy out to take a look and he said he could fix it same day. Great! But he didn't really fix it same day. (Does that ever actually happen?) They just semi filled in the deep spots, and suddenly I had standing water on the driveway which I've not had before. To be fair, the ground is absolutely saturated from all that snow melting so quickly, but still. No one wants standing water on a farm. (Flies, am I right?) Plus, if money is getting spent to fix it, we should really fix it right? So I had him back out to get it actually level and to re-dig the swale that had somehow been filled in on the edge. It looks much better now, though the swale still has water sitting in it. I'll see if it dries out, but the answer there may be to fill it with stone? I have no idea, I don't have an education in excavation. Anyway, it wound up being a three day project. Right next to the barn and ring. So you might think I didn't ride all those days. But you'd be wrong! I put on some big girl panties and rode my horses!
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Look at that mostly level driveway!
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Well kind of. The first day was the initial partial fix day and that happened on a cold, rainy day so I didn't ride then. But that was last week anyway so it doesn't count in this week's total ride days. For the two days they worked this week I did ride. The first day I only rode Shiny and Eros, Al did groundwork. Which I actually learned a little more about how Al's mind works with this project. He had very low pressure the first day (just working in hand, and honestly, we didn't do much more than walk around, stop intermittently and occasionally backing up). I think this helped him really take in what was going on around him (he likes when he can see what's making noise) so when I rode him the next day with the extra activity, he wasn't too distracted by it. Did I have his full attention on me? Oh no. I'm not sure I've ever achieved that with him. But he wasn't startled by or anxious about it. Which for Al is a big step. At least I think so. I think he just needs a little more time to acclimate than some horses do. Like, you know how sometimes you need a minute to transition from your work life to your barn life? Al needs that too. But from inside Al to outside Al. Or free time Al to work time Al. Whichever.
Shiny, as you might expect, didn't care even a little about the work happening. In this photo, they are pulling rock out of that truck onto the driveway. Not a quiet task to say the least. And Shiny barely flicked an ear. She really is a gem. I'm so lucky to have her. She's been doing pretty well in her work this week. I do think she's due for maintenance on her neck so I haven't asked for too much in terms of connection, but I want them a little more fit before we get the vet out. Otherwise we end up treating things that are from lack of fitness more than actual ailments.
She was the slowest to start shedding this year, and I was worried that maybe she was developing Cushings (when she was so overweight my vets considered her high risk, not sure now but I worry). But she's now shedding with a vengeance so I'm less concerned. Her light over her stall has something wrong with it and it only turns on when it's about 65, so I'm thinking that made a difference. Plus she's part welsh pony and they're just hairy little beasts! I will still discuss with the vet just to make note though. Also, she's always the last to start shedding, so maybe I should calm down.
I actually think Eros has been more anxious than Al this spring. He's been a little spooky and worried about distant sounds. But he doesn't really follow through with his feelings and that's what makes him so much easier to manage. I've been applying some of the things I've learned from Al to my rides on Eros when he's having feelings, and not at all shockingly, they help him too. I've also used the Back On Track cap on him a few times with a noticeable difference in his softness. I swear, that stuff is magic. I have a poll cover too, but I think the cap is probably better since it covers more. He's feeling decent through his body though. He also could use some vet work, but he's not unsound, so I'm thrilled. He's 17 this year, and has never been the soundest of horses. I'll take any win I can get in that department!
Al's had a few less rides than his siblings, but he's still coming along nicely. I can't say he's as consistently forward as he was the first few weeks of rides, but I don't expect miracles. He IS responding when I ask for more though, and that is really all I can hope for. I haven't forced him to use the full ring just yet. We're mostly still staying to the inside/quarter line on that one spooky section of the ring. But I've started thinking of it as as accommodation rather than as being a weenie. Kids with special needs have accommodations at school to help them succeed, and that's what I'm doing for Al. Anytime that we get a day without ridiculous wind and the neighbor isn't outside, we start incorporating that area more. So it's like managing the stressors for him. We push the boundaries when it's safest, and we are more lenient about it when there are multiple distractions happening. So far, it's resulting in a more relaxed horse that's willing to listen to me. He's also allowed to look at the things he's concerned about, BUT he has to do it in proper shape. So if he wants to watch the tree line by the neighbor, he can, but he has to do it with contact and proper bend through his body. So like counter bend down that long side. Being able to keep him moving through his whole body, I have a better chance of keeping enough attention on me, and we're not fighting over where he's looking. Is it "proper" horse training? I dunno. Probably not. But if it's getting the end result I'm after, does it matter? I guess time will tell. Some of the things I've tried in the past have brought on new issues later, so I don't claim to know what I'm doing when it comes to this horse. He's definitely a challenging one! I just don't think most old school training techniques work for him either, so we do our trial and error and see where we end up. He's my horse so if I royally mess it all up, it's no one's problem but mine anyway. At the end of the day, I need to enjoy him. No one else does.
That's where the horses are at currently! Something funny I noted during my rides with Al and Shiny on Saturday. While I rode them, the excavator was out there doing his thing, but also the neighbor was doing HIS thing (isn't he always). What was interesting, Shiny and Al both were pretty unbothered by the excavator. But they each were keeping an eyeball on the neighbor. I swear they trust that guy even less than I do. Especially Shiny. Which tracks because she has a great memory and it was her I was on when he had his temper tantrum about paying for his tree work. (Back story for anyone new: several years ago, the neighbor asked permission to do some tree work on our shared tree line. I told him he could do absolutely whatever he wanted but he was responsible for the bill as I had just had someone out to do trees. He said oh yes of course, just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be upset about anything taken down. This was in the fall. Like October maybe. Then one day in April he comes over and wants me to pay half the bill. SIX months later! Dude, pay your worker. I said no. I had told him from the get go I wasn't paying for it. He walks back home. I got on Shiny. Suddenly he starts pounding on his metal shed with like a bat or something. Like SUPER loud. And varying intensities. Scared the poop out of Shiny, I nearly came off.) I SWEAR she remembers this. The boys are distracted by him, but Shiny mare glares so hard at him anytime she sees him. And she doesn't really ever give her attention to anything (except food).
That's really it from here. I'm debating whether or not to ride today. It's freaking freezing out there! Horses are back in heavies... Yuck. We shall see what happens when I get out there.
