Connor

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This is great news! There's nothing as wonderful as a happy horse.

[maria]

CONNOR UPDATE!!!!!!

haha, so not sure where we left off, but since our move to Clovelly he's gained a ridiculous amount of weight and muscle! We've been working on moving forward, tracking up and he's getting all those muscles, so we're moving onto asking for more lateral work. He was not impressed with having to use new muscles

Onto the more important part, our clinics with Jess Rhinelander. We had our first lesson with her a few months ago and LOVED it. She hopped on him and showed me the strong counter-bending I needed to actually just get him straight, if that makes sense?! I was so used to him being over bent I had to think of bending him the opposite way to get him straight. After she left we worked on that, and out of no where Connor began doing flyings, left right and center

Since then we've been actually schooling our flyings, because he's straight he's able to do them and we're working on them to the left (he gets sticky switching from his right).

We had our second clinic with her last weekend, and did all 3 days with her (taking full advantage of when Jess is here, lol!). This time we were working on more lateral movements in the shape of a walking-turn-on-the-forehand. He's starting to figure out that yes, he can move sideways, after a bit of fussing haha but once he figured it out and I actually sat up and rode it properly he was fine.

She also gave us some AWESOME compliments! The first asking if my dressage saddle was new-it's been with Connor since I started leasing him, but Sue has always made me take super good care of it, glad that it payed off!

She could also see a huge improvement in his straightness from the last time she gave me a lesson, and even said his walk was "amazing" and "gorgeous"

Oh, and I can't forget the super pretty dressage bridle that she brought back for us, I put it on him and he just turned pro, lol!

[maria]

Home from Malta, and back in the saddle!

We rode in the Canada day show a few weeks ago, and he was absolutely perfect! I had only come home from Ontario the week before the show (and left for Malta the morning after it!), so we were in cram mode to get ready for it. I signed up for the hunter hack, but was a little nervous, as he gets excited jumping and I didn't want it to ruin the rest of the flat classes for us. We took a jumping lesson with Jess A the night before and tried him in a pelham for the first time. It was great, his stride was so much smoother and more controlled, and I ended up showing him in it the next day.

The jumping went no problem (we placed 3rd) and the rest of our classes went super. We placed in almost all of them! All his transitions were spot on, all I had to do was THINK canter and he struck off. The only hard part was the equitation pattern, neither of us knew what we were doing, it was at the end and we were both getting tired. However, when I looked at the video of his turn on the haunch (which we hadn't done before that day ) it wasn't actually too horrible, considering I was planning on going in and whipping him around in a tiny circle, before the judge could actually see it, lol!

His collections and extensions were right there, and we even came 1rst in Open Show Hack!!! That was our very first 1rst together (in a "real" show at least), but in my defense we haven't shown a lot either, haha.

We even did the barrel race at the end, after we changed back to his snaffle, and had a time!!! Overall I was over the moon with our performance!

Sarah took this picture, and I'm getting it framed (along with a bunch of others, lol)! In every single picture I've seen of the shows his ears are pricked, he's such a ham!

[maria]

Quick update! When I got home from Malta we immediately started in with lessons with Lynn de Turk. This dressage show was pretty important as it was part of the qualifiers for the Caballista. I've been riding with her twice a week, once on Connor and once on Xena, this gorgeous dressage mare I've been riding while her owner is away. Lynn has known her for a while, and has worked with her up to second level.

I rode in the dressage show and showed both Harry (a pony I've been riding) and Connor. I plced 1rst and 2nd in all my classes, but my scores could have been better. Harry and I placed 2nd in his two walk trot classes, and Connor and I came 1rst in Training Level Test 1 (which we just did for a warm up), 2nd in our First Level Tests, and 1rst in our Kur! The judge and Lynn loved our music, and I had a really good time with it. I then did the last day of the clinic on Xena, and we reviewed our leg yields, and then worked on shoulder in/out.

On Thursday I had another lesson with Xena and Lynn and we practiced shoulder in/out, canter leg yeilds....and started working on half pass!!! Lynn has been teaching her that movement and wanted to teach me. It was super fun!

I've probably progressed faster then I ever have these past few weeks with the two of of them. It's really interesting to see myself on a horse of that caliber and to see what I can do as I rider. I won't lie, it's hard to go back to Connor but Lynn has assured me that we can bring him up to speed on where I am. Man, am I ever going to miss theses lessons when she leaves

[maria]

Our big move to Nova Scotia!!!!

So as most of you know in September I flew to Bromont Olympic Show Park in Quebec to compete in a National horse show. I was the only representative of NL and it was such a great experience!!! While I was there I met and got some help from a lady from NS. She gave me the number of Sue Fraser, a well-known dressage coach in NS. As soon as I came home I called, got invited up to her barn, and had my one-way flight booked to leave only three days later.

Anyway, to make a long story short I am doing great up here, loving it, working VERY hard but also learning lots and meeting lots of great people. I started riding Spirit, one of Sue's horses until Connor arrived, and then began riding him in my lessons. The very first day I rode I had a lesson with Jane (Sue's sister) in the outdoor, and then went on a trail ride after with the lady I shared a lesson with. Connor was perfect, he has settled in great, and already has gained a lot of weight and is starting on muscle. I am very pleased. He has had his little temper tantrums, but no horse wouldn't, what with all the new things he being asked, and the level and expectation has definitely gotten higher as well.

Everyone is very impressed with him though, he is a "Chucky baby". Sue's stallion was his sire, and three (although now only two) of his siblings are here at the barn, one was even a Young Rider's horse when he was younger! The other one is Prix St George, and the third almost Intermediate 2!!!! So Connor defiantly has the potential to do this haha

It's very cool to see his traits compared to his siblings. He is the youngest but he has the same attitude, he looks very similar to his big sister, and he does the "Chuck sound" when he canters, lol. I always wondered why he made the noise, but apparently all his off-spring do that.

More on my lessons and details next post!

[maria]

haha thanks Mike!

Can't believe I haven't updated this, been so busy! Connor is doing even better, he barely puts up any fuss any more when we ask him to do the harder things. I've been lunging him in draw reins, and then after X-mas started riding in them, and I find it makes him a lot softer through the jaw.

Some of the things we've been working on are spiraling in on a circle and leg yeilding out, 10 meter circles (trot and canter), shoulder in, travers, and we started playing around with half pass! I've also been riding Sue's FEI pony, Abby. I am soooo happy I'm small enough to ride ponies! Abby is so sensative, and does everything! We were playing around with canter leg yeilds, half pass, changes, etc. Also, when I have time, I ride Spirit, a schoolie. He's a bit of a wierd horse on the ground, haha he's special, lol! But he's nice under saddle, can get a bit energetic, but a sweet boy.

Me and my roomate Jess, actually switched horses last weeek, so she rode Connor and I rode Holly, her hanoverian baby. He's pretty big and it took a little bit to get used to his bigger stride, haha. But after the first couple canter transitions I got used to him. Holly is the barn teddy bear, and loves to cuddle, his stall is right by the doors to the manure pile, so it's dangerous when he's inside and we're doing stalls, because we always end up stopping and snuggling with him.

Even though it's my day off I have a lesson with Connor later today, and another with Abby after. Love Sue and Jane and FEC!!!!!!

[maria]

Just chilling out in the airport so I thought I'd write in this, haha. I came home for my weekend off to do some college applications and stuff, and also see friends and family and am heading back to NS now!

Connor has been getting better and better. I've been riding him in the draw reins, and he's been totally pro, not putting up any fuss. We've been perfecting our shoulder in, and travers, he loves doing travers for some reason, haha. The last ride I had before I came home, on Thursday, it was almost like I heard his hips "click" into place as we went down the long side, it was the first time we REALLy got the shoulder in, and after that he had no issues or drifting problems. We've also been working more on half pass, and cantering 10 m circles, then lengthening, and then collecting him back for the smaller circle.

As well as Connor, I've been riding Sue's competition horse, Dancer, in his double bridle! He takes a little getting used to, he's a very well trained horse but not easy at all. But Sue's started let me ride him on my own, not just warming him up, which is very cool, and just goes to show how much my riding is improving and she can see that! I've also been warming up horses for her, and riding them for clients, so it's not just the schoolies anymore! I love riding them all to be honest, but obviously there are still a few favourites, Abby the bratty pony being one of them!