Barn Rules

So on my way out to the barn yesterday morning, for some reason, I started thinking about what the rules for my barn would be. No idea where it came from, but since the plan is once we're on the other side of the current pandemic to build the new place, which if I get to have anything to say about it, will include at a bare minimum a barn, and ideally a lit, covered area, it doesn't seem entirely out of line. Yes, I realize that a lit, covered riding arena will cost almost as much as the house. I also don't give a fuck. Anyway, here's what I've come up with so far:

Spiderfox Ranch Barn Rules

1. If you're smoking in here, you or the barn better be on fucking fire, and it better not be the barn.
2. All of the ponies in the barn are the best pony.
3. Clean up after your horse.
4. Clean your tack after your ride.
5. There are no politics in the barn. Take that shit elsewhere.
6. If you come off, it's hospital, or back on.
7. Always find a good note to end the ride on.
8. No Rollkur.
9. If you're the last person at the barn, make sure the aisle's sweeped, the stalls are mucked, gates are shut, and lights are out.
10. If you see Fox continually checking an already closed and latched gate or stall door, please check it with him, and assure him it's closed.

There will probably be more added along the way, but this feels like a good start. I might re-visit this list every so often, and make a new post to add to the list as I come up with new ones. Another idea that just came to mind was to perhaps in the near future do a "these are Fox's rules for riding" list, and revisit that yearly. Maybe I'll do that post around Thanksgiving. Which, given the insanity that 2020 has been, may as well be a year from now. We've got the rest of the presidential campaign, and the election to get through before then. Pretty sure that whole mess is going to feel like a fucking year between now and then. I'm just going to leave it there, because rule #5.

Onto the riding, then? Do let's.

After the saddle fitting, and, frankly, a couple of tune-up rides from Christine, Selten was significantly lighter in the bridle. Shocking, I know. And it seems there is a culprit for the heaviness I was experienced that I did not suspect--It seems that I am not giving enough in my outside rein. I have developed a tendency to get in, but not get out, which causes him to hang on it. I also realized one of the things making my rein back so herky jerky and not fluid: I'm clenching with my knees, so of course he doesn't want to move. I'm completely shutting down the shoulders with the upper leg, my seat and lower leg are saying "back up", so I'm saying, "Ok. Back up, but don't... like.... move your front legs." To which, he's rightly responding, "....the fuck?". Something to think about. I also need to make sure that I'm keeping my legs on in my halts. I seem to have gone back to just shoving my feet forward like I'm trying to do a western sliding stop. Except I have no idea how those actually work. Plus, I'm a Dressage rider, so I don't see how that's going to be in any way helpful.

In addition to those productive discoveries, during the lesson, we worked on some collected canter, counter canter circles and serpentines, canter/walks, and simple changes through the walk on the short diagonal. During which, I had the following additional useful observations of things that need to improve:(listed in no particular order)

• In both my walk->canter, and my canter->walk transition, I am hunching my shoulders, and losing my core engagement. I noticed it more so in the upward transition. My suspicion is that this may be another hold-over I have from riding Shadow--bracing for an imminent rodeo that never comes.
• I need to ride my canter->walk to the bitter end, and not stop riding until he's several strides into the walk. I have the tendency to stop riding as soon as I feel him about to slow down, thinking "got it!". So, because I'm not finishing the transition by telling him, "yes, you're slowing down, and I want it to be into a walk", he's picking what's easiest for him, which is to fall on the forehand, and dribble into a walk, rather than sit down, and walk.
• Corners. USE. THEM. WISELY. Especially on the short diagonal. Once you turn that corner and are on the diagonal, there is not a whole lot of time to put your canter together, transition to walk when you hit centerline, and then pick up your next canter lead 3 walk steps later. I of course knew this intellectually, but I got a very visceral feel for it when on one of the diagonals, I really made him sit down, and came out of the corner collected and organized, and the short diagonal didn't feel as short, because I was already prepared for it.
• For fuck's sake, BREATHE, Fox! (This is a continual thing. There is a good chance that I will need to remind myself of this my entire riding career)
• Relax in the counter-canter. I've gotten so afraid that my horse will do a flying change on me (happened on Summer at a show, got railed for it by the judge), that I'm making this so much harder on myself than it needs to be. What keeps the lead is not me getting all tense, it is keeping the outside leg back, the inside seat bone of the canter lead driving, and the horse ever so slightly shoulder fore on the lead I want to keep. The flying change is going to come when those flip. I need to start getting this drilled into my muscle memory.

There may have been more, but those all feel like particularly solid things to keep in mind. I always try to come away with at least one takeaway from my lesson, and that's 5, so, we're just going to notch up a W on that one. These are all things that will come with some more concerted practice, and lots of wet saddle pads. One of the thought processes I've adpopted recently, (shoutout to Fallon Taylor) is that you just need to be 1% better each ride. Slow, or incremental progress is still progress.

And having typed that, I realized that we worked on one other thing--Rein back to trot. That was pretty cool. For those who don't know, Rein back to trot is a 4th level movement. So, all in all, a really good lesson, and a great way to cap off the week. In other news, Christine told me about a recognized show that's occurring the first week of December down in Manor, and asked if I'd be interested in going to it. My initial plan was to do a schooling show in December, and go recognized in early 2021, but I feel like I could certainly put together a capable first level test on Selten, and feel pretty good about being ready to do second level by then as well. It's close to home, and plus, it's at the same barn that I did my first ever recognized show at, so I think it'd be kind of cool to do my first recognized show on my new horse at the same venue. I need to get on getting Selten's USEF/USDF registrations transferred over to me. I will try to remember to do that tomorrow after I get back from the barn. That's enough for tonight, I think. I'll try to update after my ride tomorrow.