Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 79th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 79th LESSON

I had an excellent ride on Flossie this morning! I got there at 7:00 o'clock and
didn't get home until 11:00. Flossie was smooth but she wanted to do everything fast at
first. We worked on going slow, though, and she was cooperative so I got a nice slow canter
out of her in both directions.

Every time I ride, I learn something new that's worth writing down for future reference.
One of the biggest concerns I have is relaxing. I have finally found a technique that works!
And it's so simple! All I do is not allow myself to be tense. I know it sounds easy, but
I've been working on it for a long, long time and have finally got to the point where I
can relax any muscle I need to whenever I want to. It's unbelievable. I found that my
body tension can be the culprit when Flossie isn't behaving as she should; too much
tension in the legs, for example, throws my seat off at a canter. That's why I would run
into difficulties from time to time in the past. Since I've learned how to relax my
legs, as well as my thighs and buttocks, my body remains in the correct position.
Consequently, Flossie stays in the correct position! Today she taught me where she likes me
to hold the reins when she canters.

I took her off the track and worked her in the paddock for quite a bit after the first half
hour. She thought she had worked enough at that point, so I had to convince her she
wasn't done yet. I had her doing serpentines, circles, and figure eights at both the
walk and the trot. I also set up some cavalettis. I use these long white heavy plastic
things Des has lying around under a tree on his property. I had Flossie go over them at a
walk and then at a trot in both directions. The first time I asked her to go over them, she
wanted to go around, but something clicked with her and I think she was remembering the log
I have her go over every week because once that click came, she seemed to suddenly
understand what I wanted. She didn't pick her feet up the first time we walked over them
and she sort of crashed through a couple of them, but she soon got the hang of it and picked
her feet up after that.

I can remember when Flossie was reluctant to go in a straight line across the paddock for
me. Now she does it well at both the walk and the trot. Her canter is starting to come good
now and it won't be long before I'll be asking for a canter too.

On the way to Des' we stopped at the gasoline station down the road and filled up my new
30" exercise ball. My intention was to use it to play with the horses, but they
weren't very impressed. It was rather windy today and the ball sort of went off with the
wind which meant that sometimes it chased the horses and that's not what I wanted it to
do. Blaze came up to it, but after the first encounter he didn't care about it any more.
He watched me play with it, but that's about it. When it rolled under Flossie's
belly, she had to find a way to hop around it. It was interesting to see how she handled
herself because if we ever come across something on the track that gets between her legs, I
know, now, how she might respond.

I used the baby oil I bought the other day mixed with white vinegar and some of my hair
conditioner on Flossie's tail and I was amazed at how little I needed! I made up a batch
with one quarter cup of each ingredient. I thought I wouldn't have enough, but it turns
out I have plenty left over which looks like it'll last me for quite some time. I also
used the new tail comb I bought. It's made of metal and has a handle which makes the
chore that much easier.

I used the new fleece I bought for Flossie's girth for the first time today. I had to
adjust the saddle since the extra material took up more length. It fit her well and I
believe it's doing the job. When I got home I threw it in the wash with my riding
clothes and it came out as pristine as the day I brought it home from the tack shop.