The Notebook

Hey there, Horse Nation.  T'is the season for self-improvement and goal setting on a grand scale. Millions of people will pledge to be healthier and many of us equestrian type will resolve to up our game in the saddle.  I know I will be doing both of those things.  Up until a couple years ago I had this habit of buying a new notebook each time I set a new goal.

In these notebooks I would track my progress as I pursued my goal.  The first few pages were always filled with meticulous records, detailed notes, and often, inspirational doodles of happy ponies.

These entries would quickly devolve into hurried scrawlings as life got in the way of my ambitions...

and then... they'd stop all together.

I recently stumbled across my last notebook. A plain and simple journal.  This notebook was obviously purchased when I was in a bit of a dark place.  I was in the process of finishing my thesis, and was dealing with a major professor that took immense joy in demoralizing her students. Despite the fact I got this notebook with the sole intention of recording my thoughts and feelings, the topic of "goals" crept quite conspicuously into the very first entry. I guess my brain is jus very goal-oriented.

**Read in my best goth kid voice**

"I bought this new notebook because there is something so rejuvenating about a real, physical blank slate. Blank slates are something I seem to need a lot in my life.  As a result, I have a house filled with half-filled notebooks with the scrawlings of goals never achieved. Souvenirs from the place where dreams go to die."

Ugh.  I promise.  I'm typically not such a drama queen. At the time, I saw these notebooks as evidence of my failures, and looking back I still believe that to be the truth, but in a much less depressing way.  The difference is I now understand that my successes in life are built on the backs of my failures.  Each time I falter when reaching for a goal, I learn valuable lessons on what not to do which aid me in my next attempt.  The only true failure comes with not trying again. So as I look forward to 2014, I will still reach for the sky. What I won't do is allow myself to be crippled by the fear of failing, because hey.  That's just part of the game. With that being said, I'm off to buy a new notebook! Happy New Year, Horse Nation!

Go Riding!!

Un-tooching your booty

Hey, Horse Nation.  I have something I need to admit to you. I love to watch "America's Next Top Model."  I love the awesome clothes, great locations, and artistic photo shoots.  What?! That's a load of BS you say? Yeah.  You're right.  I really just enjoy watching beautiful people act like complete idiots.  Anyway, those of you that watch the show will be familiar with the "booty tooch."  For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term, a booty tooch involves tilting your pelvis forward, creating a little extra arch in your low back and accentuating your money maker.  Here, Tyra Banks shows Jimmy Fallon how it's done.

From Buzzfeed.com

Some of us ladies are born with a natural tooch.  I am one of those people. X-rays showed that my pelvis was tilted a whopping 61 degrees forward! Women do tend to have a natural tilt to their pelvis, but I was way beyond normal. Unfortunately I make my living in the saddle and not looking fierce in front of the flash bulbs. Unlike in the modeling world, a tooched booty in saddle can be quite problematic.  It can make it difficult to achieve a deep and fluid seat.  Also, attempting to sit the trot with an overly forward-angled pelvis is a sure recipe for both human and equine back pain.

My former seat.  Great for a photo shoot.  Less good for riding.

After acknowledging my tooch, I immediately went about correcting it and will now share my process in hopes that I can help those others who are similarly afflicted.

I started off by stretching my low back. One of my favorite stretches for the low back and glutes involves sitting cross-legged, and then extending the arms and upper body forward.  Aside from being incredibly effective, this stretch is comfortable enough to hold for long periods of time making it an ideal position for meditation or visualization exercises.

I then went on to strengthen my lower abdominals in an attempt to correct the tilt of my pelvis. Leg lifts are great for increasing lower abdominal strength.  Lay on the floor and place your hands under your butt to keep your back from arching.  Then raise your legs about two feet off the ground.  Lower your legs until they are an inch or two from the ground.  Hold for fives seconds, and repeat.

Lastly, to avoid going from riding with an arched, hollow back to riding with a rounded back, it is important to strengthen your mid-back and shoulders. You can do this by performing a variation of the "superman" exercise.  Lay on your belly with your arms extended in front of you. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor.  Then alternately lift diagonal arm and leg pairs.  Think of trotting, but you know, on your belly.

Because of my conformation, I will always have to be aware that a lack of vigilance could easily cause my position to revert back to complete toochitude, but for now, these exercises have really helped me reshape my seat.

Untooched seat!

Go riding!

Fit to ride

Generally, buying your wife a piece of exercise equipment is something done by the oblivious or suicidal, but last year for my birthday I asked for a kettle-bell and my husband nervously delivered.  For those not familiar with what a kettle-bell is, it's essentially a cannonball with a handle, and is a great tool for getting strong and toned.  The reason I love my kettle-bell so much is because it builds functional strength, and by that I mean it engages several muscle groups at a time, giving you strength you can use instead of tone that just looks pretty.  After using my kettle-bell for awhile, I started to feel stronger in the saddle, so today I'm going to share some of the exercises that helped my riding the most.

Two-handed swing:  Do you have issues engaging your hamstrings to get your leg back and underneath yourself?  This exercise is for you!  Start with your feet slightly wider apart than shoulder-width. Hold the kettle-bell with both hands and then push up from your heels and quickly contract your hamstrings and glutes to pop your hips forward.  Aside from being great for your low back, hamstrings, and glutes, 2-5 mins of two-handed swings will really get your heart pumping!

Around the world:  One of the more difficult things we do as riders is to stabilize our bodies so that we are able to stay still despite the fact we have a bouncing horse underneath us.  In this exercise we swing the kettle-bell around our bodies, passing it from hand to hand, and use virtually every muscle in our body to stabilize against the centrifugal force.

Abdominal twists: Those of us familiar with the sitting trot know that our core can NEVER be too strong.  This is one of my all time favorite abdominal exercises, and I guarantee you will feel the burn!  Sit with your feet flat on the floor and hold the kettle-bell with both hands. Lean back until you feel your abdominals begin to tighten, and then twist from side to side.

Why wait for your New Year's resolution  to start exercising when you can ring in the holidays, kettle-bell style!  I know. I know.  That pun was terrible, but I can't help myself.

Be sure to check out the Fit to Ride Facebook page to get our weekly workout challenges and submit your health and fitness questions (#askarabbit).

Go riding!

New Stuff!

When I was younger and stupider, my methods for starting a horse under saddle were a bit... well... unfocussed.  I'd take the time to get the horses use to wearing and lunging with a saddle and bridle.  Then I'd slowly climb up and hope for the best.  For the most part, this worked just fine, but now as I'm getting older and my sense of self preservation is getting stronger, I've started taking a different approach. I like to get the horse knowing as much as possible from the ground so that when the time comes for me to get on, the only new thing they need to learn is how to carry my weight.

 One of my primary goals for Helix this winter is to get him ground driving and long lining so that we have some semblance of breaks and steering this spring when it's time to start him under saddle.  The equipment needed for this task includes a training surcingle, a bridle, and some drive lines.  While I had a training surcingle, it was old, worn, and slightly falling apart. Also, Helix was in need of a cob sized bridle to fit his dainty little head. And my rabbit, Pi, needed a box for his latest art project, so I was left with no choice but to do some online shopping.

So off to Smartpak I went and ordered all that I would need. Helix's brand spankin' new training surcingle arrived in the mail on Monday along with Pi's box.  Pi has already made great headway on his art project which he is calling "box - deconstructed."  

The bridle is on back order, but that's ok.  There is plenty to do before I actually put all the pieces together.

This morning I introduced Helix to his new training equipment during his work session.  He was a very good boy lunging with his saddle pad and surcingle...

...and even tolerated me standing behind him and touching his legs with the line with next to no fuss.

Really the only thing he objected to was staying out on the lunge line while I attempted to use my camera.  He just couldn't control his curiosity, resulting in many pictures like this.

Oh well. At least he has a cute face!  More to come after the bridle arrives!!! 

Previously on ...

Previously on Dressage Gone Wild...

A woman with a dream and graduate student's budget set out to find an FEI level dressage prospect to bring along and turn into a star.  As is the case in many stories, she found her hero in an unexpected place. Not in the big, robust warmblood colts, but in this mild-mannered kid.

Alpha Helix: Kiger mustang colt at 5 months old.

Their bond was immediate and strong, and grew stronger as time passed.  This allowed them to take on the seemingly impossible.

Round-penning

Cross tying 

Saddling

Cross tying and saddling at the same time!

It seemed as if there was nothing they couldn't conquer! With these early accomplishments strapped firmly under their belts, they strode boldly forward into the world of dressage.  This is their story.

~~~~~~~~~~

It's been awhile since I've written, and a lot has happened in my life since then.  I went from training  nights and weekends to training full time. I moved to a new barn with a little more space for my business to grow. I got married (OMG!), and I got a part time research job at Oregon State to supplement my horsey income.  Life is good to say the least.

A few things are still the same though.  I still have Helix, the little love of my life, and I still have Kalvin though I am actively seeking a person to lease him, or a working student to ride him.  Helix will be starting ground driving and work in-hand soon, so I figured it would be a perfect time to pick the blog back up.   Hope you all enjoy following the progress of my little munchkin!