....and Oliver breathes a sigh of relief. It's amazing how much horses humble you, and teach you that there isn't a chance in hell that you know everything there is to know about riding. Sigh.
Oliver, and to a lesser degree, Sam, has been an a$$ lately. Since BOTH of them are being a$$es, my guess is that the cooling weather has something to do with it. Monday (it's now Wednesday) was a breezy, gorgeous day - the kind that makes you smile just being out in the weather. I had just had a bad day, which probably should have told me that maybe I shouldn't be at the barn, riding, but I was hoping to clear my head and put in a good ride since the weather was cooperating so nicely. Wrong. Oliver obviously had other ideas. I've been struggling with saddles on him, primarily dressage saddles, as he is so freakin' uphill that everything I sit on him tends to ride pommel-high, regardless of how well the pommel arch actually fits. The treeless saddle seems to make him the happiest - he doesn't object to being saddled after I ride him in it - but it is the worst culprit when it comes to riding pommel high - having no tree, I tend to get shoved back into the soft cantle, which makes me feel like I'm riding with my legs out in front of me. I really need to get a lift-back pad for him and see if that's any better. I tried riding in my Isabell, but not only did I feel like I was sitting a mile above his back, he was bucking into his canter transitions. Not fun. I worry about the day when he actually gets GOOD at bucking - right now, they'r mostly irritating. If I remember correctly, Miles started off that way, too. So, on Monday evening, I had the Fhoenix on him, and all he wanted to do was race around in the trot, so I did a ton of transitions to get him sharper off my aids and really force myself to use my leg and NOT take it off of him, which is what I want to do when he's going around like a sewing machine on crack. He did start to settle well, but then persisted on bucking every time I asked for the canter depart. His right lead was perfect, but the left was nonexistant, and he was getting frustrated, and so was I, and eventually he showed it by doing a half-rear, grabbing the bit, and running off. That made me mad, so I grabbed the inside rein, booted him into a doubling move, and then proceeded to make his life hell as he spun around and around in circles. When I finally let him out of the spin, he was wide-eyed and very, very obedient. In fact, he was perfect. I doubt he'll try that maneuver again for a while.
So, with that last ride leaving a bad taste in my mouth (as well as Sam just being piggy and rooting around on the bit, either inverting or lugging around), I wasn't too happy about riding today, but he needed to get ridden, as history shows that he doesn't do too well with too many days off. Since I have a Holly lesson on Monday, I thought it would be good timing to do some jumping, as well as letting some mental pressure off the little red-head. Btw, he's no longer so little. He was standing in the crossties (the ones closest to the lounge, which he's never been in before and I have been nervous putting him there, as he can be a bit spooky, but Jackie was in the other crossties shoeing horses) and being a saint, when Dany said, "Kim, he's growing!" I looked at him closely, and sure enough, I think he's grown an inch in the wither. I think that before, he was just under 16.1 hands, and now he's over that and closer to 16.2. Maybe that's why he's been an a$$ - he may have been trying to find his balance during a growth spurt. He was standing there all relaxed, so his height is probably accurate at that time.
The crossrails were set up so that they were about 6-7 strides apart, as well as the other things being left over from the cancelled show. I took him over the shark's tooth plank first, as the crossrails were a tiny bit bigger, and he did an enormous jump but never once did he stop. In fact, he jumped everything today - landed bucking a few times, but I think that's more to do with me not giving him quite enough of a release and possibly a bit of exuberance as well. So, I figured out that a combination of what Holly and Christan wanted me to do worked quite well. I trot to the jump with a light, soft rein, keeping my leg on and a slight hollow in my back. Arms well forward and slightly wide in case I need to steer, and then even when he's wiggling to the fence, I don't accidentally pop him in the mouth. Oliver has such a nice jump when I really stay relaxed and ride him to the fence, and give him the freedom to jump and move forward. I think that I was anticipating a runout so much that I had too much of a hold on his face, and he didn't know what to think - go forward? Stop? Slow down? and then would put in a big, awkward cat leap which would leave me behind the motion, so I would accidentally give him a little tug in the mouth over the jump, which would make him speed up on the landing side. I wasn't yanking him in the mouth, but I wasn't really letting him move out, either. Like I said, he jumped everything I trotted him over, and even cantered a couple of jumps. His confidence is growing and mine in him as well.
I also really believe that Sam's allergies have a huge part to play in how cooperative he is that day. On Tuesday, his eyes were a little runny and when i tried to put him on the bit, he started to make a little wheezy sound, and as I stated above, he was truly an ass. I think he panics when his breathing is obstructed and that's when he fights me. He hasn't been on the Clarity that long - maybe three days - and I can't give him the drops as regularly as I'd like, so here's to hoping that the Clarity works for the little guy. I hope so - he's too good of a horse to lose for a few months due to allergies.
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