Ready to ride

I am almost ready to quit my job and make horses my full-time occupation today ... because last night I saw the Lipizzaner stallions. It was so cool.

I also feel more manly about dressage because apparently it started as military training -- take that, horse ballet.

The Lipizzaners did a few moves I know how to do, like circles and serpentines and leg-yielding, but they dud most of them at speeds I can only imagine. Leg-yielding is about a million times cooler looking when it is done at a trot or cantor.

They also did some steps called "Airs above the ground," which the show's host said were originally military maneuvers. They were cool as all get out, but most involved like a Lone Ranger and Silver buck that would leave the horse's belly a tasty target for a spearman, so I was a little dubious. I read something later that said they were probably just drills.

But there was this one, called the capriole, that looked like a serious move. The horse jumps up in the air and then kicks its back feet. I am not sure when knights or cavalry would turn around away from their enemies so the horse could kick them, but that one looked like it might be useful in a battle. Here is a video of it.

I saw Eric Clapton in concert years and years ago, before I knew I was disabled and when I fancied myself a guitar player. We decided afterward that Clapton made you want to go practice or go throw away your guitar because you'll never be that good. I sort of felt the same way after the Lipizzaners.

But mostly I just wanted to practice.

Me and my Shadow?

I thought when I started riding T last year that she would be the last horse I rode. She was great; she had energy and initiative. I had to slow her down sometimes; that thrilled me no end.

What then was I doing on my last lesson before winter break riding Shadow, a Trakehner-Arab mare? I am still trying to decide if I was being disloyal to T and Morgans.

Dada says T has a lot of motion in her walk, and I know Dada is less confident of me and T than she used to be. And Shadow has a wider back and a smoother walk and has a dressage background.

The first time with a horse is probably hard for everyone as the horse adjusts to one's movements. I move a lot, so it is really hard on a horse to learn to ignore my body's slippings. T mostly did. Shadow stopped when she felt something was off. Dada liked that. Me? Not as much. It was real work to get and keep her moving.

After a while, we managed to get moving at a nice rate and she really curves in circles.

I was looking forward to riding her again - who am I to argue with Dada – but my work schedule has demanded that I stop for the winter now. It will be a good time to break. Dada and I will re-assess things in a while and see what's what.

Stress or something

I have spent the last 20 minutes looking through old photos to figure out where I used to put my hands. Dada said my trunk was swaying and I looked exhausted. She suggested it was stress, and she may be right. I know I have some stress in my life, but I felt pretty good.

I loved having the dressage letters out. It really makes me know where to ride. I thought I ride some decent circles and a good figure eight.

But my trunk was swaying. Part of the problem is that I need rubber bands to keep my feet in the stirrups. The left one came out today.

My hands, though, are the real problem. I wind up leaning forward on them. The set-up we have now has me holding straps for extra balance help. But there is to much leeway in the straps so I sway. I need something right at the top of the saddle that would encourage me to sit back.

Oh well. Maybe it is stress. I am going to take the winter off and see how I feel after that.

Book review: 'Equus' is great for horse lovers

I think I have a new favorite horse -- or at least member of the horse family: the Poitou Donkey. They look pretty good in this photo, but no where near as wonderful as they look in a new book called Equus by Tim Flach.

I got an early copy of this book to review here and it is pretty neat. You can see some of the photos here on his website. Click on "Equus."


He fills almost 300 pages with all different kinds of horses, from zebras to Arabian stallions with tons in between and almost nothing else living. There are the paws of a dog and part of a rider, but that was it; the rest is pure horse.

What I especially like is seeing breeds I have ridden in more natural habits:

• Mustangs, reminding me of Corey
• Halflingers, reminding me of Andy and other ponies
• Fjord ponies, recalling Finn

There are no photos of Morgans (Don't worry, T; I still love you). No Shire horses like Bella, either. That's OK; there are so many other cool breeds.

Most of the photos are grand, too. I don't care for some of the arty photos were Flach shows just part of the horse or something. I like the ones where he presents the whole horse in all its beauty.

And I know it would probably disrupt the art of the photo, but I wish the book put the little photo captions on the page with the photo instead of at the back. I want to read about what I see when I see it, not 200 pages later, and it is a pain to flip back and forth.

The scenery is so perfect, whether it is the American West for Mustangs or a glacier lake for the frolicking Icelandic Horses or sand dunes for the regal and rearing Arabian. Flach knows how to take a photo.

And that in the end makes this book a winner. You can look and find horses that are cute, horses you want to pet, horses you want to ride, horses you just want to see more of. Flach gives you that in Equus.

Six-pack abs, here I come

Well, maybe not, but we are trying to persuade my body to sit on my butt and not use my arms on T's neck to hold me up. As you can see from the photo, it is very much a work in progress.

Sitting on my butt, or sitting bones, feels better and makes it easier to ride, but I can't do it for that long before I grab at T's neck. Or tilt widely.

It is also easier on my arms and wrists, so I like it. I need to remember to sit back.

Coming soon: A book review?

Remembering how to ride

I made my triumphant return to the riding ring yesterday. Well, sort of.

I did ride for the first time in several weeks, but it was not that triumphant. I felt real, real wobbly. I did some decent leg-yielding, which I still find super-cool, but on that I kept fielding like my stirrups were coming off. They actually were, too.

Dada asks me if I am trying to give her a heart attack when I wobble. She asked that a lot Tuesday. I guess I will find my stride again.

No show

I dropped out of the show and I have not ridden since August. I fell and hurt my jaw. The problem with riding is that I concentrate so hard and clench my teeth. My jaw is feeling a lot better, but I would not have much time to practice with a horse. I say a horse because when I told Dada, she said that there was some thought to having me try another horse if T was too strong for me. I don't think T is too strong. I don't worry about that at all. I just need to practice with her.

I am as good as another horse

Apparently, T likes her horse friends more than me. We'll have to do something about that.

We rode in the upper ring yesterday because there was a show going on at Frying Pan Park, a show in which a CCI puppy raiser was riding. No one I really know, but she came over when she spotted Claren and reminded me when we had met – at Clifford's turn-in luncheon.

T was riding slowly but rhythmically at first, although she was still bothered by flies. And I could even smell the fly spray so I don't know what the deal was. But when the two other horses in SPIRIT left the ring to take a little trail ride, T really started dragging. It didn't help that I was tiring by then, too, so my commands are less than perfect. All my figure eights were pretty lousy for one reason or another. We'll be OK at the show Sept. 21 (confirmed as long as I get my para-equestrian card in the mail before then).

One thing I need to get is something up on the saddle I can hold on to. I forgot I wanted it till I was riding. You can see in the photo that my hands were low because that is where there was something to grab, and I am extra wobbly because each hand is holding a separate thing for security. I know I shouldn't lean on my hands, but I do need something to keep me secure and something that will keep me from falling if I lose my balance. That is key; I am not sure Dada would ever let me ride independently again if I fell.

The last figure eight, T was pretty balky, but Dada said it was good because we worked through it. I stayed with my commands and she finally followed.

Almost reined out

T was again bothered a bit by flies, but I don't think that was the main problem. I was dealing with new reins that felt pretty awkward.

I have just been using one rein that is connected to both sides of T and that sits across her neck. But Dada had noticed correctly that I am unable to do a good free walk with that rein system. I can't loosen the reins enough to get a good stretch from T.

Yesterday, we went back to the two reins. The big problem, which I expect to be solved with a little leather strap next week, is that I had gotten used to resting my hands on T's neck and now I couldn't. I kept giving T more mixed signals than usual. She fought through them and mostly did what I wanted, but it was hard to get a good rthtytm going.

It was a real long lesson, too. I think I was inspired by watching some Olympics dressage. We rode for nearly 45 minutes. I liked it. I hope T did.

I sent off an application for the VADA/NOVA Autumn I show in September at Morven Park. I am seeking to ride just once, on Sunday Sept. 21.

Insects -- we hate them

I hate mosquitoes; T hates flies.

This bonds us but makes for a rather rough ride.

She had a fly somewhere, and she didn't buck but kind of hunched up her back legs, a reasonable response to something biting your belly.

But it was hard to stay on and still ride a pattern. i missed two corners and one circle because T was out of rhythm and I was just hanging on

Despite the problems, Dada said I have a good awareness of space and distance, knowing how wide I should go even without obvious markers. I like hearing things like that because I try.

It is also good because I am practicing a test for a show in September and we dont always have time or space for a real ring.

Pimping my ride

Dada reads my blog and tweaks the saddle and other tack based on what's there.

Today she put rubber bands on my stirrups to keep my feet in them when I do leg yielding. We didn't do yielding, but it was good to have the security anyway. because she also lowered the stirrups until I could barely reach them (or so it felt).

She said that she had been too easy on me in letting me ride with higher stirrups. That led to my hunching over. With the stirrups so low I did is straight and it felt good. I have to remember that, because I was sure Dada told me to hunch. The low stirrups felt good, though. Remember, Matt: low stirrups.

There were three horses out today, two with riders, but instead of trying to match patterns like a mirror, we followed the leader. T really likes walking after another horse.


We also trotted. It is fun, but I cannot see a thing because my head is bouncing around so much.

Me and T

Dada says that T loves riding with me. That would be cool.

T knows my movements and is good at doing what I want and suggest with the reins and my eyes. She tries to ignore the crazy moves of my body. My gyrations do knock her off rhythm some so it is much better to sit straight, I know. But she is good at knowing to turn right when I turn her head right, even if I lean a little left.

I rode Wednesday with a bigger than usual audience/entourage. No other riders came so I had three sidewalkers. Watching from the side were Mom, Claren and a sidewalker's mom.

We rode straight lines and circles sand did some leg yielding, my new favorite.

I was glad to do the straight line to mimic entering a ring at competition because I know that is one of the most important moves. You are making your first impression on judges. I was pretty good, or should I say T was.

I don't know if Dada is purposely trying to teach me to ride circles based on feel, not the letters on the ring, but that is what is happening ... I hope. She will say 10-meter circle to your left or 20-meter circle to your right. They look about the correct size.

The hardest part about leg yielding is that I feel like the foot that pushes into T's side to start her diagonal is coming out of the stirrup after I finish. Maybe I need rubber bands. It is such a neat feeling to do leg yielding, though. I will have to get someone to video me to see if it looks as cool as I think.

I am also now in charge of finding shows. Maybe that is why I have ridden in many shows. I thought Dada and SPIRIT were looking; I guess they thought I was. Unfortunately, my classification card, like a handicap in golf, is expired and I need a new one to ride. So I am waiting to see what the USEF can do for me. We'll see. There is a show Sept. 19-20.

Cowboying up

We were a crowd today.

Six volunteers, two students, Dada, Mom and a photographer from a local newspaper. Yikes.

I actually tried to cancel early in the day, but Dada said the photographer was coming so I cowboyed up and rode.

It was a good ride, but I am definitely not cut out for a dressage team.

Another rider and I were supposed to be riding in mirror images of each other down the center line. Dada would call out "small circle" and we were supposed to make 10-meter circles and meet up at the center line again. So I would be focused on the circle and then Dada would say, watch the other person. Invariably she would be making a different size circle and we would not match. I am not even sure who was making good circles. I thought mine were good, but I don't know.

I take my cues for size from the letters on the dressage ring, and we haven't had them lately. That's cool, because I need to learn to ride more by feel than by the letters, but I do miss them.

High energy

I think I got a taste of what Dada saw in T at her first dressage show that made Dada a little nervous. But it didn't leave me feeling worried, just awesome.

There was some show going on, with lots of horses and people and jumping and galloping. Ohh, I wish I could do that. It looked so fun.

T responded to the energy in the air by walking faster than Dada could keep up. Part of it was my reins were too loose so she had no one holding her back. Boy, it felt neat. Even when we tightened the reins, she was still walking fast and in a good rhythm. We wore poor Dada out.

We rode circles, reverses, leg yielding, all pretty well.

Everyone was saying how great T and I work together, but let me tell you: I was just along for the ride.

And I do enjoy riding even though almost all the pictures show me with a horrid gnashing of teeth. Just concentrating.

Furious T

I look all right in the picture, although I am not wearing my riding breeches and the dockers are dorky. But how cool does T look with the top of her main all spiked up in the air like that. It was just the breeze but still, that is awesome.

We just did some relaxed walking today, a little leg yielding, too. My right foot never felt sturdy in the stirrup, and I think that is why I slid that way a few times. It also made it harder to get T yielding that way.

I think Dada is a little nervous about me and T still. I am not. T seems to move with my wobbles to keep me as upright as possible. Maybe my confidence is why Dada is nervous. She has good reason, i know.

I have said this before, but I like the smallness of the dressage saddle. It really allows me to work my legs and ankles. Dada assures me that my leg muscles are bigger than when we started.

Fun but exhausting

We went on a trail ride this lesson because there was a jumping show in the ring and as much as I would like to gallop and leap over jumps, I am pretty sure I can't.

Dada always says trail-ride lessons are supposed to be fun and relaxing. I enjoy them, but they are anything but relaxing. With T wandering over uneven ground, I am squeezing real hard with my legs, holding tight with my hands, trying to push my heels down.

By the end of the lesson, I am sagging. But it was fun.

T yields for me

I will post a picture tomorrow, though you won't see the freakin' awesome thing I did with T today. I leg yielded her.

By that I mean I held her head straight and pushed against her with a heel and she walks diagonally but facing straight ahead. It is so cool.

Dada said it was T just staying under me and Mom said T looked kind of happy or proud of herself. I was sure proud of us both.

The last time we tried leg-yielding was with Bella ages ago. Dada helped me hold Bella's head straight and Kate pushed my heel into Bella's side. It did not go that smoothly and when it was dropped from Grade 1a tests, we stopped worrying about it. Sort of. I always wanted to try it again and now I have and I succeeded and I can't wait to do it again.

Can't have the blues when you win a blue

I won a blue ribbon today at the Ride to Thrive show sponsored by the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program. The show was broken up by schools so I beat the other folks riding with SPIRIT.

More importantly, though, I had one of my best show rides ever. Dada was in the ring, but she stayed as far away as possible, so I felt pretty alone with T, which was awesome. T was in wonderful form -- she stopped perfectly and didn't mind that we had to change a big circle to a small one at the last minute.

She had great rhythm, too. She only hesitated twice, once at the end of the circle when I suspect I pulled the reins or shifted oddly in my saddle. She also started to stop when we passed A the second time. We do have a halt at A on the first pass so I guess T just decided to pause there again. Both times, though, she started moving again with a click from me and Dada.

Dada said I surprised a lot of people with my ride. Even myself, to be honest.


It was fun to see everyone, too, gathered together. The only disappointing part: I did not get a photo of the Virginia Quarter Horse Association queen giving me my ribbon.

My stupid left foot

I told Dada that it makes me nervous whenever she says she has big news. She assured me I had no reason to worry this time, and then she told me about a dressage competition they went to last weekend.

Becky, a little 10-year-old but a very good rider, was riding T, who apparently has never done just dressage. T has a history of eventing, which involves running and jumping as well as dressage, and Dada said T was a little unsettled to be in a show setting but without all the running and jumping. Becky got off T and they put her in a small ring and T apparently spent the next 15 minutes bucking and running and jumping. Then she was OK, and Becky won fourth place.

What this means for me is that at my show next week and for the immediate future, I will have Dada as a sidewalker even during competitions. She won't hold me up, just walk next to me. If Dada feels that is needed, then it is needed, and lord knows, I am not at all embarrassed to have a sidewalker -- I know I am not a great rider.

But I am still sad about it. Shows are the only time I get to ride alone. I like that it is just me and T. When Dada is close, even though she is not talking or riding T, Dada is in command. T will be following Dada. Riding alone is the only time I really feel like I am connected to the horse, that it is just us against the world ... or at least a world-shaped big circle.

And today's lesson was not great either. It felt like my left foot was falling out of the stirrup and that there was something digging in to the top of my foot. It was real hot, too.

The first ride I made was good, I thought, which made me glad that I could ride so well despite my left foot. The second ride was pretty good, too. But I just lost it on the third one and my foot was killing me. So we stopped.

I guess we need to get the stirrups lined up. And I know everything will work out OK.

Smartest horse in town

I had a great lesson today. I used the dressage saddle with my toe stoppers. It makes me feel closer to T somehow, and the toe-stoppers make me able to push my heels down. They don't stay down, but …The only bad thing about the dressage saddle is I lean on T's neck so my arms get tired. I tried to stop leaning, but it was awful hard. I will keep trying, though.

Anyway, I did about 4.5 runs of my test. Yes, 4.5. on my fifth run I flopped on to T's neck and we decided to stop. Two of the big circles were good and two others were passable. Two serpentines were good, too. Three halts – the one bad one was because T stopped a little early. She is memorizing the test, too. That is so cool!

Vested

I did not have time or energy to change into my riding pants, so I felt OK about forgetting my camera. It was so rainy, too, that I did not even think I'd have lesson. But the rain stopped, and the ring was not slick, just a little messy.

Unfortuately, Dada got a real nice vest for us riders. It is just like one I wore when I started riding. It really keeps me steraight and I feel safer, too. I would have liked to see how I looked.

The riding was pretty good. The ring was not quite the right size, and I didn't know whether to ride the pattern the right size or try to match the ring. I mean, it the ring was 19 meters, do I make the big circle 20 meters in circumfrence asnd gto outside the ring or make it 19 meterts. I am still not sure. I'll ask Dada.

Testing surprise

Dada came up at the start of the lesson and said she had good and bad news. I think she exaggerated both.

The bad news was that we aren't riding in a show this weekend. The arena or whatever had no mounting ramp, and while I have mounted often without a ramp, it isn't worth it. Weather looks questionable. We did not have ride times; we were hoping for cancellations.

The good news was that there will be a show at Frying Pan Park. I am learning a tougher test for that show.

It is tough. A big circle, which always turned out misshapen, a serpentine, which I forgot how to ride until Dada said "Where are you going? Straight." It also had several other patterns I had not done in months.

I got it memorized so now I should do better, but it was a real workout of a lesson. I don't get sore, but when I am concentrating real hard, my mouth gets real dry. It was real dry yesterday, let me tell you.

Quick pic

Too tired to write about my lesson tonight, but it was good. Will write more tomorrow but here is a photo. And I am not pregnant. Also, no show Sunday.

Practice makes perfect, but waiting's good, too

Dada got lost on the way to lesson today. She called so we knew she was late; Mom even sort of gave her directions. I am useless on directions. What I did do was wait. Turns out that was just what the doctor ordered. I had a really good lesson.

I don't know if it was because I was relaxed or really ready to ride, but T and I did some nice work. It definitely helped to have all the right gear at the same time. I rode a Western saddle with regular stirrups but we had rubber bands. We also had two reins extenders. It felt good.

I think I am ready for the show May 18. I am still not sure when I am riding because we entered late. We actually may just ride to ride and be non-compete.

All this kind of made more rotten the news from the American Morgan Horse Institute earlier this week that I didn't get its scholarship. I was annoyed at myself until I saw the essay question I scored real low on: “List your competitive dressage accomplishments on a Morgan(s).” I don't have many ... yet. Not my fault.

Holding on tight

I woke up this morning, and for the first time in ages my legs were sore from riding.

Dada said that yesterday would be a relaxing and fun trail ride. It was fun, but relaxing is not the right word. It was hard.

T moves along at a good clip no matter the terrain. Of course, the uneven terrain does not faze her, but she is even more bouncy than usual. So I wound up clinging with my legs for all I was worth.

Not that I minded. It was a nice change.

We tried an Australian saddle with my toestoppers, and that contributed to my clinginess. The saddle didn't sit real straight and tight. Next week we are back to the Western saddle, but with rubber bands to hold my feet in the stirrups.

Learning to ride

As I said in an e-mail today, T is the horse to get me as far as I can go. Maybe Sleipnir would be better, but other than that ...

I had my first lesson of the season today, and it was good and hard and fun and disappointing and different and new.

The new riding area is a wonderful ring that was dry despite all the rain the past few days. We still have the steep ramp, although I am told a better one is on the way. A passer-by didn't think it would work, and he helped us. We would have been fine, but the extra shoulder to lean on was nice.

One of the big differences is that Kate, another instructor who always helped with me, is not working with SPIRIT at the moment. I am far from the only one who misses her. She is teaching at another program and no doubt she will be a success.

For me, this meant that after we got in the ring, only Dada was with me. That was fine. She didn't need to catch me or anything, although I did wobble a lot.

Dada stayed close to me and T -- just as well -- but as usual that means T really follows Dada, not my commands. That is one reason I think I do better at shows. The horses are so despondent that Dada is not there that they follow me. Also, like usual, my first ride of a test was the best.

After that I started having problems with the reins -- we did not have both rein clips -- and they were either too long or too short. Also, I can't really squeeze and release the reins constantly like I need to if they are always sliding on me.

And my feet kept coming out of the stirrups. The toestoppers do not fit on the Western saddle stirrups, and we did not have rubber bands. We will have to decide on which saddle works better: the Western one with the horn or the dressage one with the toestoppers.

We will fix things, and despite the problems, it was such fun. And I am going to a show in a few weeks!

On top of the world

I had forgotten how joyous it is to sit astride T and feel her move along, quite fast, too, I might add.

Today was the open house/opening ceremony for SPIRIT Open Equestrian Program. We area riding in a new place that has more space and seems lovely. My youngest sister and her family brought me and watched. It was pretty awesome to hear the chant of "Uncle Matt" every time I passed their side of the ring.

I always feel at a disadvantage at these functions because some people tend to know me from this blog, but I don't know them. Or at least I don't remember meeting them before. Ah well, I guess it is how Brad Pitt must feel, huh? Of course, I am kidding; I have a long way to go before I am even as famous as Brad Garrett. It is so fun to see everyone again, especially the kids who just seem to love riding. One little girl just started clapping when she saw Dada.

Because a lot of folks were riding, not just me, T did not have any of my usual adaptive equipment. So no rein clips, or toe stoppers or different length stirrups. I don't know if they would have made a difference, anyway. I really felt awkward at first. I kept sliding to the left, despite my best efforts.

About midway through the ride, Dada, who was working with other riders, came over and walked with me. First, she tightened the saddle, which helped a lot. Maybe just having Dada nearby helped, too. It was nice to see her, especially riding. I hardly ever see Dada ride.

And in case I thought she might go easy on me the first time I had ridden in months, I needn't have worried. She told me to stop at X, and I didn't. Mostly, I forgot to plan my stop so T knew we were stopping; partly, I could not get the reins in my hands properly. After a talking-to from Dada about using my head, I got us to stop at the right place. I missed that. Dada is quite a good mix of encouragement and constructive criticism and praise.

T was great, really walking with a fast pace. I think she might have been bored this winter.

We have to get schedules set up so I don't anticipate riding next weekend, but I am back in the saddle. Figure 8's, here I come.

Matt the athlete

I got a letter in the mail today from the Challenged Athletes Foundation. I got a scholarship for riding. Now i really can't wait to start up again. Soon.

Hurry up, spring

I think I miss riding.

I just performed one of my dressage routines in the dark, in the cold, in an empty parking lot. Twice!

The first time I didn't do it right.

It was kind of like this.