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I have a hard time posting personal things about Milo and I on open horse forums and have tended to give up and just browse. I hate posting things for a variety of reasons; its too hard to explain the training that Milo and I are at and what we do and dont know (and it seems everyone wants to talk to you like your incompetent and dont know how to ride), people only have a video or photo to reference you from and again, dont know you personally to have a true opinion of, and I end up just defending myself and my horse (I get my feathers all ruffled because people accuse you of not knowing stuff or worse, your horse is in poor condition). I try not to get defensive, but people misconstrue what you say and I end up having to back track....not to mention the original help I am seeking never seems to even get a solution.

So not that I got that rant out, here is what started all of this. I posted on the only online horse forum I am a part of (after not posting or being on for at least a year) about exercises that might help our stops and rollbacks. I hesitated to post the recent video of our reining class because I felt it didnt show where we truly are at - there were a lot of things that effected the performance of that particular run. I explained our situation and after a few commenters decided to post the video as some reference for readers. I explained some of the circumstances that I felt contributed to the less then spot on performance. I pretty much got told time and time again that Milo looks stiff, unhappy, and generally not 100% sound. Without totally going off on how these people dont know me or my horse and my responses have been greatly ignored, because, apparently, the $3000 custom saddle I bought, trainer, and body specialist, dont mean anything because these people think they know whats best for my horse and I

So my question is asking you guys, who frequently read our progress, some have been following for years, do you think Milo looks unhappy, unsound, stiff, etc? I know I have stiffness in my body and occasionally Milo does (and when he does I am quite aware of it and take the necessary steps to accommodate/fix it), but does he really look as bad as these people are saying he is...? :(

Sore Abs

I know it may seem that I complain about my boarding situation on here frequently. In fact, I dont have a problem with my actual boarding situation per se, but rather, the inability to use its facilities as needed when needed. Ie, the covered arena. Alright, you all have heard my complaints about a certain trainer and the fact that I rarely have a chance to actually work my horse in the manner that I would like to because either a) the arena is overly crowded with lessons b) with the said lessons, yeilding the arena to them is required making me work sporatically around the arena based on where the lesson kid is c) not being able to work horse (as depicted in b) especially at the lope because Im sorry, my horse doesnt lope two miles an hour, and hello, he can be a little fresh. She while one boarder may lope with two lessons and another boarder in the arena, I take the courtesy to know that my horse will be a pistol and might not be in the best interest of the small lesson student to have a bullet in the arena, and I dont want to compromise my horse to dart around and navigate through millions of lesson horses, which leads to d) navigating around all the cones, caveletties, poles, and trail obsticals (bridges and gates) that are always left out for whatever lesson is going on. Im sorry, but the arena simply isnt big enough to support that many people riding, with crap scattered all throughout it.

So, Monday night I had a little "run in" with the head trainer. What happened was that she had two green lesson kids on typical lesson horses. Both girls loped by me far too close cutting Milo off on both the rear and front. Not to mention I had yeilded more than enough room on the rail for the girls (I was to the inside track of the inside track - basically working a long skinny oval in the center of the arena). After the second offense, I quietly informed trainer of what was happening. She stared at me blankly as if to say "So..what?" No response from trainer. So I continued that I wouldnt have mentioned anything but when both of them do it, it raises concern. She interupted me saying that the one horse is hard to steer and the girls are just learning to steer. Im sorry, but if they dont know how to steer, why are they loping to begin with? That just doesnt seem right to me. Trainer was clearly miffed that I had confronted her (politely I might add, I put up with a lot of shit in that arena), and I was equally frustrated by the lack of respect she had for me. Finally, about five minutes goes by and she says to the girls to please watch their spacing. Finally those two girls leave and I thought I had a golden opportunity to work on Milo's lope. No sooner do I get him a few strides in, then another boarder comes in, then another two lessons. OMG.

Last night was the same routine. Two girls taking a lesson, another boarder, crap set up everywhere. Honestly, it might be a lot easier to navigate if there wasnt crap everywhere, but with cones set up all the down the center, a trail box set up with poles, and a bridge, it reduces the usable amount of arena space by quite a lot. Not to mention that the lesson girls will go from on the rail (keeping me working in the center or on the inside track) then randomly work the poles in the center (pushing me off onto the rail, but oh look, the other lesson is on the rail while the second one is in the center). Then I heard that the girls were getting ready to leave as was the boarder. I had Milo finished with our trotting work and was waiting for them to get out so I had an opportunity to lope. Boarder leaves, and I wait. And wait. Then another lesson comes, in then another boarder. So theres five of us. I finally gave up twenty minutes later of walking my horse and trying to keep him ready to lope. After this time he was totally out of the frame of mind to even go into a lope that I jsut gave up waiting on the lessons to leave. No sooner do I put him in the cross ties then they walk in the aisleway behind me. Go figure, Murphy.

Am I just a huge complainer? I dont think so. Not when every single day that I want to work my horse, I am resitricted by what I can work on. It is extremely frustrating to say the least. Especially when I have our last reining show of the series on Saturday and I havent even been able to work on my horse's lope. I cannot WAIT until the weather clears and the daylight comes back because I will be all over that outdoor arena. Get me away from the millions of tiny lesson kids, the shit in the arena, and the rudeness and carelessness of the trainer. Rant over now.

If you've stuck with me this far, then real kudos to you. Now onto the fun part, actually talking about my ride! Milo was still a bit distracted on Monday's ride, but is starting to get more symmetrical without my aid every minute. Im gaining more control over that left shoulder bulging out too. Tuesday's ride was almost phenomenal. Besides another lesson horse cutting us off, Milo was focused and working well. He was holding himself up nicely every direction and I only had a few minor corrections on our transitions. Speaking of transitions, this is the only time so far that I lose my own correct position, but its getting better all the time! Last night's ride was a real workout and I even texted Sarah afterwards saying, "You know you are riding correctly when your abs are screaming!" which was definitely the case. My new position is almost becoming second nature, except where the transitions occur, then I still seem to fall forward. But last night was another epiphancy moment, I finally was getting real control over the hinge that allows my lower back to soften and relax for a downwarn transition. And Milo obliged to my soft back with giving me some of the nicest trot to halt and walk to halt transitions, putting his hip down and his back up. He was moving so nicely at the trot as well, I was even on the fence about wanting to ask for a lope. Either the great work from the trot would carry over to the lope work and we would get some nice rounds in, or it would "ruin" what was a great and productive ride, Ill never know. What I do know, however, is that things are getting better, with both Milo and I utilizing our bodys to the best that we can.