Diagonals and Directions

Our First Topic Today...

Diagonals

Ie.

The trot is a two beat gait. When a horse trots it reaches forward with its left foreleg, and right hind leg, and then reaches forward with its right foreleg and left hind leg—the diagonal legs are synchronized. With a trot there are always two hooves on the ground and two in suspension. The footfall pattern remains the same whether the horse is turning left or right. So the horse doesn’t actually have diagonals. At a trot it is the rider that needs to be aware of what diagonal pair to rise or sit on to help the horse balance and flex. When circling and turning, the rider rises when the outside foreleg and inside hind hits the ground. Nothing about the horse’s trot changes when the rider changes diagonals, which they will do when they change direction to circle or turn in the opposite direction.

-from http://horses.about.com/

Basic's for the Cutting Horse...

Today Boss-Man's Assistant Trainer asked me to trot both ways on the horse I was warming up for him. I thought he was checking her soundness. After I was done he asked me if I'd ever ridden English, I replied with "Uhm.. not really.. why?" He just shrugged and said, "Because you know your diagonals." I stared at him blankly, before finally squeaking out (wondering if I was being a total idiot and generally confused about what was happening) "Yes. Doesn't everyone?" Apparently not, according to him, a lot of people he sees in the industry don't seem to know their diagonals. He told me that, in fact, it was only a few years ago that he found out about trot diagonals from a past Boss' wife who rode Dressage. Our two year old trainer chimed in that, he too, did not know about diagonals until recently and said "I thought it was an english thing..."

Please remember that these are both pretty accomplished guys that both have a keen interest in proper technique and training. They regularly have in-depth conversations about the "mechanics behind the proper footfalls in the turnaround." Like, what does that even mean? & they didn't know their diagonals until a couple years ago...

WHAT?! 
Now, are most of you shocked that people who ride competitively don't know their diagonals? Because I most certainly was.

Assistant Trainer finished off the whole diagonal discussion with explaining to me why he was so interested in diagonals lately. He claims that he's noticed a lot of our horses hopping into their lope departures, and he's been spending a lot of time working on bending them and working them slowly at the jog and trot. He said that one of his ideas behind why they are doing this is because some of our lopers don't use the correct diagonal, and when they ask for the lope departure in the corners of our arena, it is causing the horse to have to over-compensate into the lope. He said he wasn't sure if that's actually why they were doing it, but that it's one of the ideas he's working on. Finally, the discussion turned in to one of the basics of horsemanship, and how he believes that the industry is lacking a sense of horsemanship, and that it's sorely missed. All in all, very interesting.

This story has a point... i'm getting there... I promise.

I have a very hard time picking up my right diagonal correctly. I literally have to count the gait out to get it, and it frustrates me to no end. It's literally a mind over body thing, i'm getting much better but every once and awhile I have to do the 'ol double-bounce into the correct diagonal and I always get embarrassed about it. So, to find out, that a) my co-workers probably weren't even noticing and b) hey, I'm doing something right that other people aren't... is a nice feeling.. because it brings us all to:

Our Second Topic Today...

Directions

Ie. Where am I going & What am I doing & [insert general spiral downwards here]

Toto... we ain't in Kansas anymore..

Looking back on my "career" thus far at the ripe 'ol age of 21, i've grown exponentially month by month with horses and my own riding since I was 16. When I was16, I didn't know how to pick out a horses hoof... let alone my diagonals, leads, leg yields etc. As I get older and have more time to devote to riding and my general focus on horses, that exponential growth seems more directed, and rapid. However, I am ridiculously hard on myself, and I can't help but compare myself to other 21 year olds that are winning in the cutting pen, that are finding themselves already in the Hall of Fame, are working amazing jobs where they are training high-level horses etc. etc. I'm just not there yet, I'm barely there, I have a toe kind of in the door and i'm death-fighting to get another in. It can be very frustrating. 

BUT, today I was thinking hard about all of these things i've mentioned... my direction is atleast on the right path and i'm hungry for it. Hungrier than i've ever been for anything. I think that fighting instinct, that i've had for the last couple years, is a really good thing. I'm not slowing down and i'm fighting to keep going faster in the right direction. 

Plus, I need to remind myself that comparison gets you nowhere. I'm not those people, the only person I can be is me, so I need to take that for what it's worth and just keep on going. However, yes, a tiny little piece of me felt a little gratified that, for once, maybe for the first time ever, it was pointed out to me that I knew something about riding that the people around me didn't... and it was so simple!

Finally, horsemanship is very important to me, and one day I want to be able to have an intelligent, comprehensive discussion about the proper mechanics of the footfall of the turnaround, and more...! Today, I watched a video on my facebook wall of someone working a horse on the flag... it was not very flattering. I am beginning to be able to pick up on the nuances of what is good, and what is bad when working a horse on the flag, and on a cow. That's something I wouldn't have been able to do even 6 months ago... So, it shows me that i'm learning, i'm growing and i'm somewhere on the right track, even if i'm stumbling around on aforementioned track.

Perhaps this post was really more for me than anything, but hey - maybe you'll enjoy my introspective ramblings as well.

We've come a long way baby..

a wee 15 year old Louisa & Windsong

Resolutions 2013

So, although the "Year in Review" post was a pain in the bum (holy heck, I am long-winded sometimes, why don't you guys tell me to shut up already?) I'm glad I went back and really looked through those posts to see where I was, to where I've come.

& what a year it has been - my mind spins just thinking about it. I've probably never had one single year that had so many milestones, and I think, with years of such big change, you never really notice that you decided to take the road less travelled, or turned left at the fork, until you look back down the road you've travelled on for awhile. When I started this blog I wanted to make a concrete change - I wanted my life to become more centered around the one thing that I've found true passion, happiness, strength, humility, commitment, weakness, and a host of other factors in - horses. So, I think last year I firmly began walking down the "horse centered life" road, and hope to continue in my journey.

Philosophical posts and a new year seem to go hand in hand, and what would a new year be like without some little goal-setting and resolutions, hey?

A friend and I have joked that since everyone starts resolutions right out of the gate January 1st, and so why not sit back, and wait to start a month in - February. So, writing out my goals January 22 seems pretty appropriate for our "February Resolutions" plan.

For 2013, I would like too....

1. Compete.
- This has been a goal for awhile now, and, like many things in my horse-life, it never became possible because I didn't own a horse. Well, now, I own a horse. He may not be going to World's in Western Pleasure, or down to Fort Worth to cut, but he's mine, and god knows I love him. So, I'd like to do some sort of show with him this year - no matter how small. No goals or hopes of ribbons, just show - in something, somewhere. Leaving this one pretty open-ended.

2. Cut.
- It's been a longstanding dream of mind to try cutting, so this year, I would like to dip my toes in this sport, and see if it's the one I actually want to dive into.

3. Work towards Jingle becoming a really nice "All-Around Horse" & maintain patience with him, and myself in this process.
- This is probably the main goal, and the most important. Jingle is on his way to becoming a horse that I can go and "do anything" on, I want to continue on this path and work towards getting him supple, and soft. My goal is to really figure out a cadence and flow with Jingle this year, and as I've learnt, that means I must remain patient, kind, and calm when it comes to him, to me, and to us together. This goal also hints that I'd like to try a bunch of different disciplines, with my wonderful "all-around" horse. ;)

4. Find Work with Horses, or in the Horse Industry
- I'm done University in April (woop woop), and I right now the plan is to take a year off, and then go to an agricultural school in 2015 probably for learning about breeding and bloodlines. However, i'm still not 100% in that, and would like to spend the year learning more about the industry, and the different ways I could go about living with horses, and also being successful in the industry. (Not living on oats myself - haha)

5. Healthier Lifestyle
- I would like to have a healthier lifestyle - right now my eating habits are in the garbage and the word "workout" isn't in my vocabulary - for the year coming up I would really like to stick to a healthier diet, because I think a lot of my lethargy, and issues with winter, come from poor eating habits. I also really need to start working out, and becoming healthier, not just for looks but for my long-term being. This goal is also for Jingle! I'd like to look more into equine nutrition, workout schedules, etc. and figure out how he can be the healthiest he can be!

So, I think those are some pretty solid and (hopefully) easy to achieve goals. Wish me luck!

Equestrian Challenge: Day 2.

Day 02- Your current riding goals

This... by, next week....

Robert Whitaker at the Stockholm International Horse Show

Jumping a 2.12 m wall on Waterstone 2, bareback.

Just Kidddddddddddding.

I have so many goals, maybe that's my problem?

I think I'll have to narrow it down, and break it into categories...

Short Term: Working on becoming a better rider, while training a "green" horse the basics.

- sometimes, this is easier said than done. What is that old saying... green + green = black & blue. With well-trained horses, you can fall into bad habits, and they catch you. With not-so well-trained horses, those habits will bite you in the ass... sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively! 

I have some goals in mind come summer... be able to take Jingle to a gymkhana, and calmly and successfully complete a barrel pattern & pole bending pattern (speed is not important). I would also like to find my horses right lead, and his stop, somewhere in his brain. :)

Long Term: 

For Myself: Show

(and show, successfully)

- it's no secret I want to try cutting, so, when I envision my long term goals I see myself at Fort Worth. However, ultimately, even if cutting isn't the avenue I find myself wandering down, I want to be able to show at a decently competitive level in some horse-sport. Why? Why isn't trail riding with my family enough? Curry combing the kids Shetlands while my hubby bbq's? Maybe that is in my future, BUT... I'm a highly competitive person, and I want to make horses my life, and my career, thus, showing competitively, and successfully, means that you have reached high levels of success, and skill. Both of those "S" words, are big words, and they mean a lot to me.

For Jingle: Kid's Horse.

- I mock shetlands, and now look what I want for my horse! Realistically, one of my happiest moments is when I envision a day that Jingle is semi-retired, giving young kids their first lessons, and being that dependable well-trained horse, that will catch them when they stumble.

New Year, New You, Yada Yada

Okay guys, get ready, here comes a stereotypical New Years resolutions post.
=)
prepared?
Alright... let's do this.

So, I am one of those people who tries to do New Years resolutions, sometimes they go from very pinpoint stereotypical (Drink more water) to very airy and holistic (become a better friend). However, I see no shame in attempting to set goals and follow them through, even if they are re-named resolutions at this time of year. Due to the fact this is my horsie blog I thought I should probably share with you some horse-related resolutions.

For the sake of not being too cheesy, I'm calling them goals from here on out. Horse-related goals are near and dear to my heart, in a moment of total desperation and, "I'm never, ever going to be a good enough rider to please myself or others", on a cold and shitty night on a ranch in Nanton, in a small cramped room, I pulled out a journal and compiled a list of short and concise goals that I wished to have completed by September 2012. They were...

1. Find a barn to work at where I can trade hours for lessons.- check, I've accomplished that this year already.

2. Have a saddle by Summer 2012- I've decided to scrap this goal. There was a time when people told me that it was so important for me to have my own tack, but I've now firmly rooted myself on the side of fitting a saddle to a horse, not a horse to a saddle. Unforuntately where I work in the summer this mindset is not always reasonable or doable, but I can't imagine throwing a ton of money at a saddle now and then it not fitting a horse I perhaps regularly ride, or purchase down the road. It doesn't make sense to me, plus the many woes, aches and pains I witness in horses that have been caused by ill-fitting and improper saddle fit are just not worth it because the rider is attached to a material object.3. Compete at some level by September 2012- working on it, slowly but surely.
So, as you can see, goals are a good thing, especially when they were emotionally driven. I made those particular goals at a time where I felt like I had two options, 1. change for the better or 2. curl up in a ball, turn off all the lights, and forget my passion for horses. It was one of those milestone moments where from an outsider looking in it might have seemed like an insignificant day, or time, but for me, it meant the world.

I had someone recently comment on the fact that without her, I would have never been introduced with my trainer, and been able to obtain lessons/volunteer at my barn. I also always hear the old, "well, so and so's family is in the (insert discipline) world so that's why they have so much success", I'm even prone to that one. I always try to remember that, although someone's path may have been wider for them, no road you take is easy, and dwelling on things like "well, it was pure luck", will get you no where. There is no such thing as luck, there is such a thing as drive, determination, and willing to seek out assistance and putting yourself in places that may be out of your comfort zone but will eventually open doors for you.

So, looking toward a new year, hopefully completely overflowing with horse-everything, my new goals are as follows...

1. (Old Goal, but valid none the less) Compete at some level by September 2012
2. Build and stick to a 5 day a week exercise routine- It's interesting, my trainer's famous line is, "You wont need a gym membership after working here!", however, barn chores - similar to repetitive workouts with horses - overdevelop certain muscles, while under developing others. Also, lower abdominal muscles are key in riding, and are very hard muscles to target, pilates is a type of exercise that is effective in enhancing this muscle group. So, i'd like to build a routine that focuses on the muscle groups I need as a rider, but also on over-all health and fitness. So, there you go, the standard "get fit in the new year" resolution.

3. Continue to be at a facility not only where I can take lessons, but also learn, and be happy- seems pretty "well, duh" but these three factors, lessons, learning and happiness are key in the combination to my personal growth and development, and are, pretty much, what this blog is all about and why I started it. The minute I lose one, the other two generally follow, so continuing to satisfy these three demands will only further develop my growth in the horse world.Well. that was a pretty heavy post on introspection and meditation, wasn't it? I promise I'll go back to posting gangster-dressage video's soon! Hopefully anyone reading this is having a lovely start to the new year. If you're in Alberta we're experiencing an absolutely dream-like winter, so that is something to be happy about. I'm hoping 2012 is filled with as much fulfillment and growth for myself as 2011 did, and also, happiness... of course. Wishing the same for you!