A Step in the Right Direction

July 10, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

We got to the barn early again today, and although it didn't cool off much in the night and it was pretty humid, there was a nice breeze that kept things from feeling too bad. I did some groundwork with Steen before mounting. I've been starting to teach him to side-pass from the ground, and he's getting better at it. We also worked on yielding the forequarters and the hindquarters. He's good at both of these things from the ground, but not as good under saddle, so it never hurts to practice. The ride started out really well. He stood while I mounted and picked up my stirrups. I went immediately into working in a circle, and when he was lazy with his turns I used my inside leg to reach back a bit and kind of push his hindquarters around. This worked well and he stopped being so lazy and began giving me some better bends. He was also not nearly as inclined to pick up the trot unasked...

Productive but Annoying

Robin

July 9, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Brian and I made an effort to get to the barn early this morning, since so often on the weekend we end up letting our morning slip away and then having to ride in the heat of the afternoon. We made it to the barn before 9:00, grabbed our boys from the pasture, and started grooming. Steen was completely over the floaty thingies. He hesitated once as I led him past the pool, but I just gave him more rope and kept walking and after a moment he was totally fine, back to his usual dozing-off-while-being-groomed self. The good news is Bear's fly boots seemed to have definitely decreased his inclination to stomp his back feet. The bad news his he had a rather large cut on his front right leg, kind of in the meaty muscle on the inside above the knee. It was pretty puffy, and also not at all new. He must have done it righ...

Stronger Still

Robin

July 9, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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The last couple of days I've hit some new milestones with my swings. On Thursday I did all 100 swings without a break, using the 26lb kettlebell. It only took a few minutes, but by the time I got to 90 I wasn't sure I could do the that last 10. I did though, and when I put the bell down and walked up the basement stairs I cataloged all the places I thought I'd be sore the next day. Pretty much my entire body felt wobbly and drained.

But I woke up the next morning feeling fine. Really hungry, but otherwise fine.

Today I tried to use the 53lb bell for my entire workout, but I couldn't quite manage it. 53 pounds is just really heavy (a considerable percentage of my current body weight). Sometimes my biggest problem just comes down to grip. My hands and forearms feel so fatigued after a while I feel like I'm slipping too much on the handle if I get the least bit...

Steen vs. The Floaty Thingies

Robin

July 8, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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It was pretty hot by the time we managed to get to the barn today, so we decided to tack up indoors to stay in the shade for a while. We also decided to park the boys right next to our tack locker because the barn was quiet and there is a spot to tie Bear. Steen's actually as good or better standing untied as he is standing tied, so he'll usually just chill while we groom and tack. Today was no exception, until all of a sudden Steen just started freaking out. He was looking past Bear and out the open barn door and he went from standing and dozing to snorting, trying to run away and swiveling all over the place in roughly half a second. I gave him a moment but he did not calm down and for a while we were mystified as to what was setting him off. Until I took a closer look out the door and saw there were new yellow floaty thingies in the above-ground pool, drifting around like the ho...

New Peeps

Robin

July 5, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Today we had the day off! (Which is to say Brian had the day off and I chose not to work.) We also have some friends who have long been wanting to meet our horses, so we headed for the barn in the late morning to introduce everyone. Steen and Bear, and actually all the other horses in the pasture, were more than willing to say hello to Steve and Cody, who are both equine newbies. Fortunately Steen and Bear both have excellent ground manners at this point. Steen was very docile and responsive as he followed Steve back to the tie area. Both the boys were happy to accept grooming and pets from unfamiliar hands. But in the end we couldn't entice either of our friends to attempt groundwork or climb on for a pony ride. They made their exit as Brian and I mounted up on the strip.

Easily Swayed

Robin

July 3, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Cathi (who owns our barn) has mentioned a few times this particular type of pad that she got and loooves and highly, highly recommends. But I must admit that I am not the sort of person who has a very easy time lending much weight to other people's opinions of things they have purchased. I think this is because I have sort of an inborn anti-reaction to any kind of advertising. For instance, say I am in a store and I am going to buy something and I must choose between two brands. If the only thing I am aware of to differentiate the two products is that I have seen an ad for one and not the other, I will buy the product I haven't seen advertised. This is because I find advertising and hype offensive on a fundamental level. I make my consumer choices based on fact, multiple unbiased reviews, price, and other such weigh-able variables-- not glitz, graphics and attractive models, or 'th...

A Nice Ride

Robin

July 1, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Today Brian and I headed to the barn in the morning for a change. He was able to mush his work schedule around and I had a dentist appointment in the afternoon, and it was going to be hot, so we figured this was the only chance we would get to see our boys.

We saddled up. I've been preoccupied lately with the notion that my new saddle is riding low on Steen's shoulders. It has plenty of clearance over his withers under the pommel, and the seat angle is about what it is supposed to be, but somehow every time I look at it just seems tilted. But today I finally came to the realization that my cantle is actually taller than my pommel. Considerably. Also since the skirts are new they have a ...

Still Swinging

Robin

June 29, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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So far so good on my swings project. I've done 100 swings a day for 8 days now. I've already moved through some seriously sore muscles more than once. I've been using both the 26lb bell and the 35lb bell, switching back and forth depending on how energetic I'm feeling at the beginning of any given set. Today I ended up in a bit of a hurry trying to fit my swings in before a meeting, so I did 50 (with the 26lb bell) in one go. That was tiring.

As far as the results go, I have definitely gained considerable strength. I have noticeably increased muscle definition in all parts of my body, but particularly the arms and abs. I haven't lost any weight according to my scale, but I've compressed. I put on a pair of pants that are usually a snug fit today and discovered they are a bit loose.

At any rate, I'm curious to see how I feel about the whole thing in a few more weeks.

A Ride and a Trim

Robin

June 26, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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Today was Duke Day, and though we often end up not riding on days the farrier comes, the weather was so beautiful we didn't want to miss the opportunity. Also, Brian thought Bear might have an easier time with his feet if he was nice and limber after a light ride, so we headed out earlier than usual, tacked up and headed to the strip.

A thorough examination of Steen's back again yielded no evidence of soreness, but he did move a little when I got on. I corrected him and he then stood quietly for quite a few minutes. My goal for today was to keep things calm. Our last number of rides have been very fast and demanding, so today I started out just walking straight lines up and down the fence-line. Steen was pretty relaxed, and though he did try to pick up the trot once, he immediately dropped it when I corrected him and then didn't try again. After a few walks up and down...

Two Fast Rides

Robin

June 25, 2011

Novels for Horse-Lovers

The Tipped Z Ranch books feature fictional stories but real horsemanship.

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I've spent my last two rides in the new saddle. On Friday, we rode on the strip. Steen started out very relaxed and we had some good trots. The ground was nice and dry and he was feeling balanced and attentive, so before long I transitioned up to the lope. He was mostly good at the lope, except that he got progressively more convinced that he wanted to go to the top of the strip where Brian was riding Bear. This would result in a really, really, slow, shallow, stiff turn away from them, and a really quick, dramatic turn towards them. Annoying, really, and not very easy to relax into. He was also really digging into the turns and at times I felt like my boot was not nearly as far from the ground as I generally prefer. After loping for a while, he was keen to stop. After I let him stand for a bit he did his usual thing when I asked him to do anything but lope, he pranced around and t...