February 2025 Wrap Up (+ I relearn how to ride)

  

	Ben	Butterball
Training rides	0	1 – flat with JT
Lessons	0	2 – jump
Hacks	0	2 – San felasco with GY and at home bareback
Ground work, lunge, long line	1 – equiband lunge	1 – equiband lunge
Flat rides	2	4
Conditioning rides	0	1 – at home, so good and brave!
XC school	0	1
Shows	0	3 – Three Lakes HT, Jumper schooling show, and Majestic Oaks 3 phase schooling show

Pic from the jumper schooling show, Go pony go! Photo credit to Lisa Madren

Butterball had a light month in terms of number of "work sessions" due to my ankle and then his feetsies. But we still did  A LOT of stuff, starting with Three Lakes HT, then a nice pop around a jumper show and trail ride with Ms. GY at San Felasco. 

While our trip around Majestic wasn't exactly the trip we'd hoped for, we still got a lovely XC picture, again from Lisa Madren, out of it. I also focused on LETTING GO OF HIS FACE that XC round and for the most part managed that.

We ended the month with a couple of training rides with JT. This led to the conclusion that he needed his hocks or stifles injected because even at the walk he COULD NOT move his left hind leg up and under himself. We added some Equioxx again, and she got back on him the next day. Fortunately he felt much more able to engage that left hind. He's got the injections scheduled for Monday. 

Our direction from those training rides was that he needed to feel loose and move and lift his barrel not offer a stiff forward/down response to leg aids. If I used my leg and he stiffened and went down, then half-halt or full down transition. Also I was NOT to push the canter every stride. SIGH. I did remind myself of how to canter by reading a review from a lesson with Ben. 

So the last day of February I got on at home and worked on the directives. We started with our usual 30 minute hack down the road. Loose rein walking, only using aids if he wanted to wander off into people's yards. When I picked up the reins when we got back home, he immediately stiffened his back. I slid them out a few notches and kept the swing. But the second I took my leg off he almost halted. I brushed him gently with my legs, and he walked forward, crooked but with a soft back. Repeat the same process two strides later. We walked for probably 15 minutes just going large around the dressage ring with an occasional cross the diagonal free walk to pick up our swingy back again. Finally he was walking without me nagging (or finally, in his head and actuality, he was being left alone when he was doing the right thing). I cued the trot. It was very crooked, but his back was up and soft. We worked on the same thing while trotting the same 20 meter circle. We did very little cantering, but when we did I ignored completely where his head was and half-halted every other stride and refused to nag. He was a completely different horse when I gave him the personal responsibility of maintaining the gait we had started out in. Wonder of wonders. I know this is a lesson I've learned before, but boy did it make a big and immediate difference for him. Legs OFF and then when they are used, they mean something. 

Ben Ben got a dolphin stim treatment from Ryan this month and ADORED it. 

A single treatment didn't change a whole lot of his ROM in his neck, but he's been pretty stiff there for a while, so I wouldn't necessarily expect it to. He also got uber fancy composite glue ons. Unfortunately he was still bilaterally short up front after. He may have sole bruises from being barefoot that are just going to take time, I'm not sure. 

What his right front is looking like these days - it has come a long way but still isn't picture perfect

Big Ben update coming in a few days as well, but it deserves a whole post of its own. 

They are just the best of friends, Ben was hand walking post bath

Looking ahead to March, Butterball and I are heading to Carolina International on the 14th-16th. It is our first big away show and I am so excited to go adventuring with my pony. Before and after that, we'll keep cracking on with what we worked on over the past few weeks. Unlike the rest of the country, these past few months have been prime riding time, which means we're going full steam ahead until we hit the hotter months in June-July.