06.05.06
Posted in Ian Chronicles at 11:21 am by Kerri
I went to a driving clinic this past weekend with Donna Reimer in Roy, Montana. My sister, Kelli, went with me on Saturday. I might not get the order of events correct, because I’m tired, but I’ll hit the high points anyway.
The day didn’t start off well, because I had a flat tire on my trailer, with no tread at all. I’m not sure when that happened. I usually check my tires every time I pull the trailer, but the last time I pulled it, I was taking my horse to the vet with colic, and I didn’t. Anyway, we got a new tire put on (thanks to Dave Miller, Judith Gap Oil) and got on our way. We arrived at Donna’s near Roy at 9:00, when the clinic was supposed to start. Donna said she had a horse/driver that hadn’t driven with others, and she wanted to get them started first. Apparently the horse was being fractious, because the driver, Lori, elected to ground drive/long line while the rest of us got started, so Donna said for me to be first, since I was closest to hitched up.
My horse, Ian, is fairly green. I first hitched him Thanksgiving weekend, 2004, and he went to 2 small driving shows in 2005, but I still consider him fairly green, because we haven’t put enough miles on yet. This spring has been wet and busy, so he wasn’t as ready for this clinic as I’d hoped, but I knew the experience would be good for both of us. I’ve been letting him look at stuff when we drive, hoping he’d get used to things, but I found out on Saturday that I need to be asking him to focus more on me and not gawk at everything.
Donna rode in the carriage with me for a while, and then asked if I had a reason for running the lines through the turrets on the hames. She thought it was making him carry his head too high for his conformation, so Kelli and Donna headed him, and changed the lines for me. Then Kelli got back in the carriage, and Donna watched from the ground while we walked and trotted. She thought Ian was moving much better this way, and so did I. As new drivers came in the arena (a mown area in the hay field), Donna would ride with them and watch them for a while and work on problems. Meanwhile, I was just driving around, and seeing how Ian would react to the new vehicles.
Each driving vehicle makes a different sound, and each equine looks different. I think the first in the arena after me was Arlene driving her white (not grey) mule Peaches to a training/easy entry cart. Her cart sqeaked a bit and Ian scooted a little when she was behind us, but not bad. Then came Scott driving Donna’s mule Heidi, with Nicoline aboard. Ian knows this combination and didn’t mind a bit. Next came Andi driving her large paint horse Johnny to a beautiful Meadowbrook. The meadowbrook doesn’t make much noise at the walk, but has a really funny noise at the trot, not annoying but almost a wooshing. Ian scooted a bit at that, too.
Then Carrie came in driving her beautiful black Percheron mare Kay to a red forecart. She had workhorse harness with chains and the forecart squeaks quit a bit. We were going toward the gate when she came in and Ian had a cow. He was terrified, and whirled to the right. I’m not sure what was so offensive about them, but he almost got the carriage to the jackknife point before he stopped. Carrie stopped and let us get settled, and then we moved forward and so did Carrie, but every time we got anywhere near them, Ian would spook or veer or something. He seemed to be making a game out of it, seeing what he could get away with (he’d done that at a show last year, too, so there was a precedence).
After a while I needed a bathroom break, so Kelli took over Ian. Kelli is not only my sister, she’s my dressage instructor and she knows a lot more than I do. By the time I got back from the bathroom, she had Ian forward and on the bit and really moving nicely. I jumped on the back, and she explained to me what she was doing. She said she suppled him until he head dropped and she could only see his ears. When he’d spook at something, he’d raise his head and slow down, so she’d send him forward with the whip, and supple him back down, to get his focus back on her. If his focus was truly on her, then he wouldn’t spook so much.
I finally got her to give my horse back (VBG) and tried to do the same thing. When I took the lines she told me she broke my whip 
, my lovely brown Ultralite whip. Just the tip, but it doesn’t work as nicely as it did before. She was right, Ian was a lot more focused this way, and spooking wasn’t nearly as much fun when he got sent forward with the whip when he did it. Donna was really pleased with how much nicer Ian was going.
The next thing we worked on was pivoting at the walk. I thought Ian was doing really well at home, but Donna said I had his head bent too much, and he wasn’t getting enough cross over. She wanted him kept straighter, and to just tap him with the whip. (Ian isn’t the most sensitive horse, it even took Donna more than just a tap!) Ian kept wanting to take a canter stride to jump around the turn, more like a canter pirouette, so that he didn’t have to cross over. Guess that’s something we need to work on at home! Donna also had a row of cones set up on the gravel road, that we could slalom through. That was fun at the trot, but Ian wasn’t ready for the end turn at the trot, so we had to drop to a walk.
We broke for lunch, and I took Ian’s bridle and lines off, gave him his goodies, and a hay net. I offered him water, but he wasn’t interested yet. Everyone had their equines tied to the trailer or the hitching post, and they were all happily munching away. Lunch was included in the clinic and Donna provided a wonderful feast of sandwiches, chicken salad and strawberry-rhubarb pie. I snuck out partway through lunch to check on Ian and the dogs, and Peaches talked to me the entire time. She’s so sweet, and didn’t really bray, just did the grunt-low-whinny talking. I had to go give her pets. Ian wanted some water now, so I let him drink, and then went back in for the pie (Donna owes me the recipe, it was wonderful!).
After lunch we worked on obstacles. First we all got to drive Donna’s mule Heidi to her oak cart. First Donna drove the route, and we watched how she wanted it done. Then, Carrie went, making it look easy. I was next, and let me tell you, that mule is well trained. When I was done, I had a big grin on my face, and said she’s like driving a Ferrari, she handles so well. The first obstacle was a couple of black rubber mats, no big deal to drive with a trained mule. The next was two poles 8-10 inches apart, that we had to drive one wheel through. Next was 4 poles in an L-shape, that you drove through. Not too hard, just have to turn before the mule went over the pole.
The obstacles got progressively harder (that Donna is one smart gal!). Next was 4 weighted jugs in a ~10×10 square. You had to drive to the second pair, halt, back to the first pair, and then pivot to the left, to exit between the first and second pairs. The next obstacle was a weighted jug with a circle of lime about 20 inches around it. You had to pivot around the jug, keeping your inside wheel within the circle. I stopped Heidi too soon, had to tell her to step once more, then move over, step, move over, step, until we got around. It was so easy with Heidi. The rest of the people got to drive Heidi through the course, and everyone had a lot of success, ending with big grins.
The we all got our own animals, and practiced the obstacles. The black mat was no big deal for Ian, he didn’t even blink. He’s done that kind of thing before. The two poles 8-10 inches apart are a driver problem, and I’d never done it with my 4-wheel carriage before, but did fine. I was a bit worried about the L, because Ian is a big horse, but with the carriage being so agile, that was easy too. I really crapped out on the backing obstacle. It is seriously hard to do with 4 wheels. Kelli suggested I do one step at a time and then try to correct the turn, but Ian and I both just got frustrated. That’s another thing to work on at home. We did the pivot OK, I stayed within the circle, but moved the jug over in the process. It was a bit chaotic in that small area with that many vehicles, but everyone was watching out, and there were no problems. Sometimes I drove outside the arena, in the hay field, just to trot out a bit between doing the obstacles, and get Ian moving forward again. I’d say on the whole we were successful, with some things to work on at home.
Donna wanted to spend some time with the green horse that was fractious in the morning, so several of us went for a drive down the gravel road. Ian was getting pretty tired, but I wanted to reinforce the focus we’d worked on in the morning, so I went part way with them. Kelli was riding in the back, with a long riding crop, and I was driving. I kept him suppled down and on the bit, and when he raised his head to spook at something, Kelli sent him forward with the riding crop. The crop was too short for me to use at the same time as I was keeping him on the bit, so she took care of that for me. Donna has very considerate neighbors, and about 3 miles of nice road to drive on. Ian had to contend with mules and horses on both sides of the road, a bridge, a covered well structure, and wind shelters that could be hiding monsters. We went about a mile, and then turned around and came back. Ian was starting to get the ‘focused’ idea better by the time we were done, so I walked him around to cool him out, and then un-hitched and put him in his pen for the evening.
Kelli and her husband Russ wanted to get going on their way home, but it was almost 5 so I suggested we get something to eat before they left. We were told that Roy had a bar that served good hamburgers and chicken sandwiches so we went there for supper. They dropped me back at Donna’s and then I went with the rest of the gang and drank water while they ate. The day was really nice, almost cool in the morning, but was a bit warm in the afternoon, and I was dehydrated.
Sunday morning, Donna and Jim made us breakfast: eggs, bacon, toast - it was wonderful. We spent the meal, as we did on Saturday lunch and supper, telling stories and laughing. I just love horse people! The plan this morning was to go for a long drive. I got my husband to come and ride with me when he was done with work. It was overcast and muggy. Donna was riding with Andi in the first cart, pulled by Johnny. Next was Scott K and Carrie, pulled by Kay, followed by Arlene and Peaches. My husband Scott and I were next, pulled by Ian, of course. Behind us were Lori and Nicoline, pulled by Wil, the fractious horse from the day before. Pulling up the rear was Jim, driving Heidi, with their dog Kara for company.
We mostly walked, with some short trot sections. Ian has a much bigger trot than those ahead of us, so we didn’t get to trot much at all. Ian’s walk is usually very slow, but he was keeping up pretty good, I guess he had incentive to keep up. Wil wasn’t very happy about being behind us, but he pretty much behaved, and I thought it was good for Ian to deal with a new noise behind. The route took us about 3 miles on the dirt road, then we skirted a hay field, and went out into the cow pasture. Scott Koetting and Jim took care of the gates (THANKS!). Ian had to deal with cows in the pasture, and he did quite well, staying focused on me. Some were running around quite a bit, rounding up their calves, but they are well used to carriages. We took a potty break next to an abandoned house, while the passengers headed the horses. Jim sicced Kara on the cows, and made a stampede, and Ian stood well.
Donna took us down a little gully and up the other side. Kay lurched forward, and that spooked Ian, but I got him back focused on me, and made him walk up the hill while Lori and Wil passed us. Then we went through a big gully, and Ian pulled like a trooper up the other side, at a forced walk - he wanted to trot up the hill like some of the others. I wasn’t letting him pick the gait. When we got to the top, we went along the edge of the ridge, and could look out on a beautiful view of a large valley, and then farther out, the Missouri Breaks. We went down a rather steep hill and then got on an old road. I was glad for my brakes. The road then curved around a hill, and down in a gully and then there was a long hill back to where the cows were. Everyone trotted up the hill, and I made Ian walk the first bit, and then gave him the trott command. He is so powerful, he was doing an awesome trot up the hill. I was watching the footing, and ended up driving beside the road because the ruts were so deep. It was exhiliarating, because I knew I was in complete control, but we were going quite fast. He has a very big powerful trot. Can’t wait to use it in a CDE!
We rested at the top of the hill and then made our way back to the main road. Scott Koetting took a couple of pictures with Donna’s camera, so hopefully I’ll be able to link to them. We walked all the way home. Some of the horses did some trotting, but Ian was outwalking! them so I had to stop a few times, so when they trotted I just let them go. Ian was really swinging along, it didn’t hurt that we were going slightly downhill most of the time, but I was thrilled. The only thing I was unhappy about is that he was starting to follow what the other animals did instead of waiting for my commands, so when we stopped to go through the gates, I made him stay halted until I gave him the ‘Ian, walk’ command. He got a little fussy about that, but I just made him whoa.
When we got back it was lunch time, and most of the people were leaving. They’d gotten what they wanted out of the clinic and wanted to get on the road. Donna asked if I wanted to do more, and I said, yeah, I want to do a water crossing, and if (WHEN) we get that done, I’m happy. Ian is a dry land horse, and doesn’t know what water is.
So, we had another wonderful lunch, and then everyone else packed up and left. It was great seeing everyone, and meeting new people. After they left, I got Ian hitched again, while Donna caught Emily, another mule, and hitched her up. She also had to put the mules that were out with Emily in a corral, so we could go through their pasture.
Finally we got going, and went through the pasture over to the creek. Donna circled so Ian was right behind her, and then entered the creek. Ian got about 3 feet away, put his head down, and then whirled to the right. He went to the point where the wheels came off the ground on one side before he stopped. My husband, Scott, got off the back and led him back to straight, and then I asked him to walk again. I whacked him on the rear whenever he tried to back off from the creek, and told him good boy whenever he moved toward the creek, but we didn’t really make any progress. Donna came back across and tried to give him a lead again, but it didn’t really help.
Scott Koetting was riding on the back of her carriage, and he offered to try to lead him in. He led Ian to the shallowest part of the crossing and tried to lead him in with the bridle. He got really close, and then Ian pulled back and the bridle came off. That was a scary moment! I have the throatlatch loose because Ian has a big jowl, and I don’t want to restrict his flexion. Didn’t even think to tighten it for this. Donna had DH Scott jump off and help contain Ian until they could get the bridle back on. Donna decided we needed a halter, so she and Scott K went back to my trailer to get it. I turned Ian back to the creek so he could cogitate on it while they were gone. While both Scotts put the halter on Ian, and restrung my lines, Donna and I were discussing how far we’d go to get the job done. I said he’s going in this creek today, one way or another, and Donna said she’d pull him through with the pickup if she had to.
Ian must’ve been listening, because when Scott K led him down to the water, he tip-toed in without much trouble. I was so proud of Ian that he didn’t try to run Scott over to get out of the creek, because at that point, Scott was right in front of him. I turned Ian right a bit, so he could get past Scott and it was a tough trip out, not in the normal path, but we made it. Then Scott K took the lead shank off and got back on Donna’s carriage, and she led us back through. It took some encouragement, but he followed, with his head down. I still don’t think he knew what it was. The next time through, he stuck his head in and drank, so then he knew it was water. We went through several times at the walk, with Donna leading, and then several times at the trot. That was REALLY FUN! I think Ian even enjoyed himself, it seemed like he was making it splash more than he had to by the end. As soon as he seemed to be having fun, I stopped. I didn’t want to get past the fun point, because I knew he was probably pretty tired, at the end of the weekend.
I was just thrilled to end on such a good note. This clinic has been really good for me, because now I know how Ian reacts to things, and what I need to do. Since Ian is my first driving horse, I’ve always been worried in the back of my mind about a runaway, but that’s not Ian’s style. He’ll whirl or jump forward, but then it’s over. And I’m very thrilled about the sturdiness and durability of my carriage. I’m much more confident now about my own abilities, and how to handle new situations. I want to thank Donna so much for her help and Kelli, too, for her input. Also a big thanks to Scott K, for (literally) jumping in and getting his feet wet, and for all his help this weekend. And to Jim, who tried to get my dressage shafts off so I can put the marathon shafts on. And, last but not least, to my husband for coming on Sunday, to be my navigator, and his support all the time.
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Posted in Margarita Week at 9:42 am by Kerri
Wednesday, May 25th - Window and Bombproofing Day
I woke up Wednesday morning at 6:30 again. Time to take drugs. But, the good news was that I put my bra on without help!
The door was finished enough that Kelli wanted to move on to the next project. She had a narrow farmhouse window in her dining room that she wanted to make much larger. We had actually started on this project Tuesday night. Kelli decided she wanted to center the window in that wall, and have the top of the new window in the same place as the top of the current window. So, we marked out the dimensions with a pencil and started cutting through the sheetrock. Using a carpet knife, I cut on the lines so that the sheetrock would break where we wanted it to. Then Kelli started ripping it out with the wonder bar. It didn’t take long to notice there was another layer behind the sheetrock. We finished with the sheetrock and scribed the dimension line on the next layer.
This layer was 3/8″ sheetrock, but the old kind, with wood fibers in the gypsum, and it was covered by 3 layers of wallpaper. Underneath it we found another layer, fiberboard. As soon as we started on the fiberboard, the blown in insulation started falling out. Kelli was scooping it up in her hands and dumping it in garbage bags until I had the bright idea to use the shop vac. It was still a mess when we dumped it from the shop vac into the garbage bags, but better than doing it by hand. Eventually, we got the opening cut as large as we wanted it.
Wednesday morning we started in again. The next step was to remove the old window. That was pretty easy, so now we had this huge opening in the wall. We were trying to damage the wall we wanted to keep as little as possible, so we had to suck more insulation out of the wall below the level of the window, so we could put studs and cripples in for the window. Then the task was to get the 2×4’s in the wall. We cut one about an eigth of an inch too long, and couldn’t get it back out. Kelli had to cut it off with the reciprocating saw and then use a big hammer to get it in place.
We got the window framed in (and insulation put back in the wall) right before Pam got there and she helped us cut out the opening on the exterior of the house. We were so excited to put the window in, but the hole was just a bit too small! I was on drugs, remember, not to be held accountable! So, in a couple of spots the exterior sheeting and siding weren’t cut straight and sticking into the hole, so Kelli got out the reciprocating saw and trimmed that up. Window still didn’t fit.
It was so close, but from the outside, Kelli could see that the 2×4 at the bottom was bowed up a bit. This is where the opening was for the original window, so we just took our cripples out, cut them shorter, put them back in and sat on the 2×4 to bring it down. The window still didn’t fit, but it was SO CLOSE, so Kelli got her hoof rasp and started rasping any spot on the opening that looked like it would interfere. Kelli got tired and Pam took over.
Pam was standing inside the house rasping on the top of the window and Kelli was outside on the ground. Pam must’ve hit something hard with the rasp, and it flew out of her hands. She tried to catch it, but just missed and actually pushed it harder towards Kelli. Kelli grabbed her face and put her head down. Pam and I were horrified. It looked to me like the pointy, handle-less end of the rasp hit her in the cheek. Kelli kept saying it wasn’t that bad, but then her nose started bleeding. Finally she got the bleeding stopped and we could see what the damage was. The rasp had actually hit her glasses, scraping divots out of the lenses, and then the edge of it hit her nose. Took a triangle of skin off about ½” x ¼”, but it didn’t hit hard enough to break her nose. Kelli was just relieved that we didn’t have to go to the clinic. She didn’t want to face them again so quickly with a problem.
So, got all the high spots rasped off, and put the window in - FINALLY! It fit really tight, so I was worried about it being crooked and the window not opening, but it did. We attached the flanges to the house and breathed a rather large collective sigh of relief. It was now about 4:30 in the afternoon, so we decided it was time for supper. Pam had brought taco stuff. Since I wasn’t much help in my condition, they sent me to the shower.
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I can do pretty much anything else, tho. They still feel really wierd, because the nerves haven’t learned their new jobs. They’re still rather sensitive, and get stiff easily. I do excercises everyday to keep the tendons limber. Typing helps, too.