Page 2 of the 2008 Training Journal

Sunday , June 1st 2008

 This morning Headlight was still a tad sore. He's wanting to not use that right stifle and that's the opposite of what I want. I rode him and worked more at a walk today and tried pushing him even more under himself and into the bridle....he wasn't happy about it. After our ride I hosed him off real good and gave him a liniment rub down and turned him back out with my three geldings.

I think he will get tomorrow off and get a rub down again.

Monday, June 2nd

I have 24 days to get Headlight sound and in shape for Mid-A. This is the fitness/ training plan for the month:

June 2 thru June 5th:   10 min warm up walk that includes intervals of collection, 5 mins of long troting each way, stopping & backing, 5 min walking, 10 mins troting over poles

June 6th thru June 11th:  20 mins of troting with impulsion, lots of pole troting, raised poles, 15 mins of hill work at the trot

June 12th thru June 14th: Lots of troting and adding in 5 mins of galloping each direction

June 15th:  Start cantering work

Tuesday, June 3rd

Just got done riding Headlight. We had a really long warm up at the walk and then stepped up to a nice working trot. At first he kept trying to break into the canter when I asked him to use his hind end but after a while he realized he was going to have to use that right stifle. We troted over lots of poles and also did some backing. I wanted Derek to video tape the canter so I could see how he looks but first I had to get back into my western saddle because my english one was rubbing my thighs BAD.

The canter felt much better then it did before but its still not 100%    That back leg still have some hesitation but it wasn't poping up at all. I'm going to stick with my program and keep working him and hope that we make it to Mid-A

Wednesday, June 4th

Rode over poles and at a trot for 30+ mins tonight...I'm dying.

Monday, June 9th

According to Derek, tonight Headlight still didn't look good at the lope :-(   He didn't feel better to me either.  I'm beyond freaking pissed at this point. To sit here and have people tell me this should be an easy fix and that my horse should not have missed the Regional just to find out that I'll be missing Mid-A due to a fucking "easy" issue just makes my blood boil. I don't get it at all! If I had enough money to have my horse with a trainer he would have been fixed by now....instead I'm out $1K+ and my horse is still lame.

I have people counting on me to take their horse to Mid-A and  I hate not knowing what is going on with my guy!  I'm putting a call into the vet again today.....this shit pisses me off.

Tuesday, June 10th

Okay....so I had Derek video tape me tonight and Headlight looked A LOT better then he had in the past....still not 100% but def. good enough for someone who doesn't know him to think he looks okay.  I'm waiting on calls from the vet still.

I woke up at 5:00am this morning and worked Headlight at the trot for 25 mins and then rode him tonight on the hills in the geldings field for 30 mins. SHEW I'm beat!

Thursday, June 12th

I think my horse is going to be sound for Mid-A!!!!!!!!! Now is he ready??? Eh? I can count on one hand how many times I've cantered him since April so this sound be interesting.

So the vet came out today and watched my video and right away said his stifle needs to be blistered...DUH this is what I've been trying to get done for a month now!  We blistered him and I rode him for 40 mins with lots of long troting and pole work. I'm currenty riding in my mylar bit and will switch to the show bit in 4 days.

Saturday, June 14th

Headlight was pokey on the lunge line this morning. I set up a row of poles and used half the arena as my lunging circle....it really was more like a square since I was walking to keep it so big. He snuck a little canter stride in and looked great...shew!

An early evening storm ruined my plan to ride him once it cooled down outside...bummer.

Sunday, June 15th

Whooo weeeeee Headlight was a jerk tonight!  My ride started out with pole work and a long warm up of collecting at the walk. We then worked at a trot for 10 mins to get him loose. Tonight was the first night in two months that I asked him to collect and job and he just wasn't having it. Three fits later he finally gave me one good lap around the ring at a jog and I called it a night.

We've got our work cut out for us to be ready in time for Mid-A.

Monday, June 16th

Today I had a quick, quick ride on Headlight, there was a storm moving in and I only had about 30 mins to get him ridden before we had to run back into the barn due to crazy wind and rain.  I was working him in the mylar bit and worked on taking up on the bit and releasing him, he needs to learn that I can gather him up and he needs to just keep going forward and not throw a fit. He was better then yesterday but his tail was like a helicopter....goofy horse.

Tuesday, June 17th

Amazing ride tonight on Headlight...WOW it was the type of ride that you want to bottle and open up during a show for a championship ride....hopefully there is more where that came from. I found a show bit in my closet last night and thought I would try it on him and he really seemed to like it. I'm going to have Derek video tape him tomorrow to see how it looks on his face. A bit can make a HUGE difference on the look of a horses face and neck so its always a good idea to get a video and get the whole picture.

Wed. June 18th

Ugh, Ugh, Ugh. Got on Headlight tonight and after a good warm up asked Derek to video tape me. About half way around the ring at the lope Headlight did a funky step again and got hitchy WTF!?!?!?! :*(      I just don't understand. Yesterday I had an amazing ride on him and there has been no sign of the hitch in weeks and now here it is again. I already have my stall reserved for Mid-A. Hopefully I can get him to work out of this again. I'm getting up early every morning and working him untill the show....I am left with no other choice.

Thursday, June 19th

Headlight looked much better today. One of my boarders said she would ride Headlight during the day for me to help get him in shape and today was her first ride...they did really well together and she is doing lots of troting and pole work with him.

Saturday, June 21st

Headlight had a neck sweating session today which included a 30 min. workout in the balance training system. He had a couple little fits and even a rear in protest but soon figured out he better just work and get it over with. About 5 hours later I went out and rode him in his show bridle. He was REALLY lazy...like crazy lazy. I really had to get after him with the spurs. He didn't want to set back in his bridle and work at the lope. I figure that he is WAY out of shape from not loping for the past two months but after a while he settled in and I got two nice trips around the ring and called it a day. Later that night the boarder did a walk-trot session.

Sunday, June 22nd

Same thing today....work in the show bridle and still a bit too "up" at the lope. Worked on taking a hold of him and really pushing through at the lope....he ended with a ver nice lope but still very unsteady nor consistant.

After our ride Headlight got a bath with some "quik-black" shampoo, he is so badly faded that he's an ugly red bay color now and its going to look horrible with my brown outfit....guess I'd rather have a faded horse then a lame one though. After the bath he got clipped up and a shot of Adequan for the show.

Tuesday, July 1st

The show freaking sucked. My horse has about a billion things he needs to work on if we want to go to Oklahoma this year. The judge really liked yellow on us since she wouldn't place us higher then third the whole show.

Thursday, July 3rd

Headlight is sooooo soooo freaking weak at the lope.....what used to be our strongest point is now a fault :-(   I've been riding in the mylar and really working on getting him steady and balanced. If I even thought about letting him go at the show he would speed up.....not  good for a western horse. All that long troting BS ruined my western horse.

Saturday, July 5th

 Doing lots of joging and bending with Headlight. I've been really pushing the issue that he needs to stay steady when I give him his face. Lots of stopping and backing and circles.