2 posts tagged “tack”

I've been a bad blogger lately.  It's the busy season at work (which is my official job, btw -- I'll be a regular employee of ESI starting on the 7th of January -- itme to get pre-approved for a mortgage), and I haven't had a lot of left over brain power when I get home.  I was also the victim of the stomach flu over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so that wasn't much fun.

Finally got out to ride my horse today -- first time I've been able to ride in two weeks (and there was another two weeks between that ride and the one before it).  Merry was very good.  He seems a little stiff to the right, so that's something to work on.

  We got to try out some of our new goodies from Christmas, including the bit warmer (works great) and the burgundy and grey argyle leg wraps that match my burgundy saddle pad.  Haven't had a chance to try the pretty seafoam green dressage pad (with black velvet edging and gold greek key ribbon trim) yet -- still haven't gotten a new girth or stirrups for the dressage saddle.

I got Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage from my mother for my birthday.  The book has lots of good info on arena footing, fencing, layout, buying hay, etc...  I suspect that at the least I'm going to be having to build my own arenas, if not my own barn, and it's really nice to have an idea of some of the issues that need to be addressed while I'm searching for a farm. 

I'm supposed to be getting some item of clothing with my stable logo embroidered on it from my mother for my birthday as well.  Haven't decided on a final version for the text font & placement yet (or on what I want embroidered), so I haven't got that yet.

It started snowing just after I brought Merry into the barn this afternoon & is now coming down pretty heavily.  (We're supposed to be getting 6 - 10 inches.)  Merry loved playing in the snow, so I really wish I had a farm now to be able to watch him in it in the morning.

I finally got a bit for the new bridle I bought Merry a month (more?) ago.  The bridle is a lovely black Courbette with a flash noseband & I got a plain old loose ring snaffle for it (which I'd originally ordered with the bridle, but  none of the catalogue people seem to keep 4.75" bits in stock, so I had to cancel the order and go to Pleasant Hill Saddle Shop and pick one up -- it was about $10 more there, but at least I have it).  It's technically my dressage bridle, though I put it on him and rode tonight with my all purpose saddle (also a Courbette, but definitely not black). 

 I can't really ride in the dressage saddle because I'm (still) waiting for my stirrups to arrive (I ordered them ages ago from a wholesale catalogue via the owner of the barn -- I think she forgot to place the order initially & I've had to give her two extra copies of my order since).  I ordered two pair of irons, (one a pretty teal colour, one regular) so I'm not going to go buy them locally.  I may end up having to get a new girth to go with it, too, since the one I've got is pretty long and Merry's still pretty narrow in the barrel.  I may order one of those cotton rope ones from Dressage Extensions.  They're inexpensive, but sturdy and easy to clean, absorbs sweat nicely in summer, and I can use it on my extra (currently girthless) surcingle if Merry ends up out growing it.  The billets are really long on my saddle though, so I kind of doubt that.  The thing I'd really like to get for the saddle is a teal saddle pad.  I only have the one salmon coloured pad for it that my mother gave me last year and I'd like to have a pad to match the fun stirrup irons I'm getting.  All of a sudden, though, I can't find a teal dressage pad anywhere.  I can find all purpose ones, but not dressage.  Very frustrating.

Anyway... Merry looks very handsome in his new bridle.  At a distance (in the poorly lit arena and with his darker winter coat)  the black leather really blends with his face and is barely visible aside from the silver gleam of the bit and buckles.

We had a good ride tonight.  Merry had a very nice relaxed, forward walk going most of the time.  We worked on circles, spiralling circles, serpentines and walk-halt-walk transitions.  Merry's getting good at the halt.  He stops as soon as I sit deep, close my legs on his sides and my fists on the reins most of the time - no voice necessary - and he's getting squarer with his halts.  I thinks he's figuring out that it's more comfortable and easier to get going again without wobbling around if he stands closer to square.

Merry has a lovely natural head set.  I ride with a very light contact - reins long, but not looping - and he seems to seek it out.  I don't restrict his head at all.  I tried to let him stretch his neck down and out the way Ingrid Klimke describes as letting the horse "chew the reins" from your hands the other day, but he didn't seem all that interested in doing it.  I might try giving him a loose rein for a while next time to see if he'll stretch his neck a bit.  I'm not going to worry over it if he won't.  He's still figuring out how to balance a a basic level to a certain extent and if having his head up and almost at a nice vertical is where he's comfortable, so be it.  (And if it means less work later in his training trying to get his head in the right spot, I certainly won't complain.  Toad always wanted to have her nose up in the air, which is fine jumping, but not so much in the dressage arena, and it was a battle to get her to give and seek the contact.)

 Sometime soon here I'm going to try riding without having longed Merry first.  The longing is good exercise, but he's pretty bored with it in general, and I'd like to see how he does under saddle right off the bat.