Merry Christmas!

I know I've been behind on posting for some time, but Joe and I have been preoccupied with various obligations, and now that the year is nearly over I have a moment to catch up with this. In my last entry, I shared that we are working with a riding instructor to help progress Levi and I under saddle. We have been working with her twice per week since October, and the ground we've covered in just two short months is astounding to me. It would probably have taken me twice as long to get these results on my own, which really underscores the importance of working with professionals you trust once you're at a point where you have some of the basics in place. While I won't share our instructor's name for privacy reasons, nor will I be filming any of our lessons as I want her to feel comfortable and not be concerned about that, she is a local professional who has been competing at high levels (mostly eventing) for decades, and who has started countless riders and horses. She is the instructor for several current and former riders at our boarding farm, and one of her areas of expertise is working with green horses, which makes her an ideal resource for us. I'll give some updates about our process and progress in the following paragraphs.

Before I update that, I wanted to summarize our show season this year and talk about a few plans and ideas for 2025. This year, showing did not go as I planned for various reasons, mostly because my work schedule picked up significantly which limited the number of shows we could do. I was able to attend about half the shows I had planned. Two of the Morgan breed shows that Levi and I attended were also removed from the list of star rated shows per the AMHA; afterward, I learned that the registry had done so early in 2024, which we didn't know, and the information on the website appeared to not have been updated. The two formerly rated Morgan shows we competed in, which were the Summer Kick-Off and Lippitt Country Show, were dropped from that program last year. Points earned in 2023 for these shows still counted, but not for 2024 onward. Going forward, we can get points (and did this year) in shows with divisions in which Morgans are also competing against other breeds. If we want to receive points for placing in classes where we compete with other Morgans, we can attend a regional show (and Grand National & World Championship as well). I enrolled Levi in the Open Competition program (see the AMHA website for details), and entered his results for this year, as it was past the deadline to enter his show results from last year. Last week, I received an email from AMHA congratulating me on Levi being awarded 9th place in the Open Shows In-Hand Division, which surprised me because I didn't understand how we managed to place in the top 10 given how few qualifying shows we participated in this year. I reached out to the registry for clarification, and will try to pass that information along in an upcoming post if anyone else is confused by this. In any case, good job, Levi - he now has some show points on his registration - and the fact that he could achieve this placement in the "Levi vs. Everybody Else" category is pretty cool. I have kept all of Levi's ribbons where he can see them in the barn. He knows these are his ribbons, and that they mean he's done well; I think he's proud of them, too.

The out-of-place pink ribbon among the blue and red and multicolored is a story in itself and was received at our last show this year. I actually debated throwing that ribbon away (and the birds must have felt the same way I do about it, given that they collectively shat upon that ribbon in particular), not because I was disappointed in myself or Levi, but because we had a very stressful time at that show. Nothing went right from the beginning, despite the fact that Levi gave his best performance to date in the chaos around us. We earned this ribbon in the Open Sport Horse In-Hand class at the Lippitt Country Show in August. That show had divisions for Lippitt Morgans only, and an open division for other Morgans. Non-Lippitt horses could not compete in Lippitt-only classes, but Lippitts could compete in open classes. The Sport Horse In-Hand class is more of a performance-based class, but at this show, it appeared to be considered one of the model classes. Model classes are scored based on conformation and metrics of the breed standard and are usually competitive for horses that are or could be suitable for breeding. Our class included five horses, all of which were Lippitt stallions except for Levi, and all of these horses were much older than him with established careers as show, breeding, and performance sport horses. The physical differences between Levi and any one of these Lippitt stallions, were striking; Levi has some of the Morgan show phenotype, but is more delicate with a shorter back and more Arabian looking head, particularly when compared to Lippitt horses. I told him a little ruefully afterward that he could have spent two years lifting weights and smashing plates in his pony gym and still never placed higher than a stallion in that class, due to the presence (or, in his case, absence) of one very critical hormone. Everything leading up to the class, and afterward, had been an absolute disaster, but Levi always rises to the occasion and he gave me 110%, which was more than I could have asked for. He did well enough that right afterward, for a second, I thought we had a chance of being in the top three, but we were awarded 5th place out of five. I took the pink ribbon home and added it to our collection, whereupon the barn swallows made their sentiments immediately known. Over time, that ribbon has earned a special place for me. It's a reminder to not take anything for granted, and to always put in your best effort even if everything is going sideways. It's a reminder to choose any event as carefully as you prepare for it, and to keep all things in perspective if they start to unravel.

For 2025, we will have the opportunity to compete under harness and saddle as well, which is really exciting. I will stick to local shows with open divisions and that are under an hour or so from his boarding barn so we don't have to stay overnight at the venue. Having learned from the past, I'll also recruit a team of people to help, as showing a horse with just two people is challenging, if not impossible for driving competitions. Finally, I'll make effort to be a little more social at shows, if I can, which might be easier if I don't have to babysit Levi continuously; I didn't have any time to meet any of the people I really wanted to at the shows we attended, and still look forward to that.

Back to riding training, we have twice weekly one-hour private lessons with our riding instructor. These usually happen in the indoor arena since it's been wicked cold outside lately, and working indoors limits the many distractions for the attention-challenged youngster, helping set him up for success and focus on the job.

When we first started, Levi must have felt we were ganging up on him, since that was how he reacted to the sudden presence of a third party with an agenda following us around the arena. Once he realized it was me in the hot seat instead of him, and the pressure was off of him, he relaxed. This wasn't a trainer getting after him - she was getting after me - which made her A-OK in his book. It helps that she is compassionate and has a sense of humor about the fact that we are, and continue to be, a total hot mess most of the time. This is why if you can, and early on, it is so valuable to have a coach or expert eyes on the ground to help you in the first place; you can't get ripped sitting on the couch thinking about it or doing the wrong exercises, you can't become competent by burying yourself in literature without consistent and correct application of principles, and you can't go back in time with a young horse if you fail at an important crossroad for lack of help. We seem to be a good team together so far, and our progress and the physical changes (that are all positive) that I've seen in Levi clearly demonstrate that.

An easy way to determine if horses are in a good, regular training or working program is to simply look at them. It is really clear which horses at our boarding farm are working with our instructor. All of them (including Levi's BFF, the Friesian gelding Mozart!) are beautifully shaped and carry themselves with lightness and balance. Their backs are strong and flat, and they have lovely toplines and strong, sound legs. Although at different ages and training stages, they all have good fitness and strength. An instructor or trainer who can produce horses that look like that, whether you view them working under saddle or harness or just walking around out in the field, will have living advertisements for their services. A good instructor will also tell you, usually during your lesson when they ask you to perform an exercise with the horse, what muscle groups are being worked and what biomechanical purpose or advantage that exercise has for the horse. You can confirm this is true afterward by feeling those muscle groups and examining the sweat patterns on the horse; in Levi's case, he is building some much-needed muscle in his hindquarters and hind legs, while he is being asked to lift his chest and engage his thoracic sling, lift his back and take some weight off of his forehand. The sweat patterns for this kind of work vs. driving, for example, are different and reflect the different focus on building muscle groups to support specific activities. Many of our lessons have gymnastic components where I am taking the horse through exercises such as trotting over ground poles to help achieve the longitudinal balance to support the work we are asking of him. Some are more technical and refine my communication with the horse through my aids, while others incorporate suppling activities that support connection and impulsion, and, eventually, collection. One remark my instructor said that resonated with me was this (and I'm paraphrasing but I wished for once I would have recorded her comment!): "When we add the weight of ourselves and a saddle to the horse, we throw off his natural longitudinal and lateral balance and he now has to cope with that. If we don't give him the tools to do so in a way that helps him stay safe, balanced, and healthy, we are not doing right by him. He isn't being lazy, or evasive - he simply does not know how to use his body properly with this weight that he was never intended to carry in the first place, until we teach him. This is the purpose of the training scales - we are educating the horse to properly carry the rider."

I have only had the chance to film two videos so far of our more recent riding work, and shared some clips of these below. Although I don't film my lessons, as I mentioned, I was able to film the last two riding workouts that we do on our own. Levi and I ride twice a week in lessons, and once per week by ourselves with either driving workouts or rest days in between. The riding workouts we do on our own are a few steps behind what we are learning in lessons, because at this point I only want to do activities that support and clarify what we've been taught, without introducing any new training. For example, we might (if weather is nice) go out on a relaxed trail ride. If we work indoors, I will structure our workouts based on the recent lessons so it is consistent for Levi, albeit at a more relaxed, less intense level. The quality of the connection, clarity of my aids, responsiveness of the horse, and consistency in how I am riding are elements on which I try to center my attention. Levi and I as a pair are about 90% aloha with only 10% yee-haw, so relaxation comes naturally to us; the twice-weekly lessons are helping us yee the needful haws, but the one day per week where we don't tap into that energy, we try to integrate the knowledge without going full cowboy.

Below are a few clips of our riding workout last week, showing our warmup, transitions, and some funny events during our warmdown. I thought I'd share these because the equine orca working alongside us, called Zoie, steals the show! Zoie is her own thing, and does mostly trail riding with her owner and another rider who leases her and works with her in these clips. Levi and Zoie don't have the best history and she has repeatedly declared war on him while he purely does not care one bit about her on a deeply spiritual level. Despite this, the two horses have been calm together working in the arena, although Zoie is often allowed to do whatever she likes and may tell her rider to sod off, so I kept one eye on her and her rider (of whom I am in admiration for re-entering the world of riding again after a long hiatus!) to make sure we gave them a lot of space as we zoomed around. After the ride, we see a cameo from Zoie that will always make me laugh, and you can see how she really feels about Levi! We don't have a blooper reel yet, but this is a good start. I do love Zoie!

Yesterday's ride was much less exciting, with Levi and I working alone in the indoor. I have included a few clips of us working at a trot below. He is relaxed and listening, with a good rhythm and connection. I can hear our instructor's voice in my head yelling at me to get after him and push him into a higher gear, but I'm actually happy with this trot. (The fact that I think that is exactly why we needed a teacher again!)

Since November, we have been slowly sprinkling in upward transitions to the canter and attempting to move in a balanced way at this gait. I used the word 'attempting' like that means anything. I also have to preface this by saying that on a good day, Levi's canter is mediocre at best, and that's while he is galavanting out on the paddock with no cares in the world. It's partly because he is young, and hates feeling unbalanced, and is also not necessarily lazy but just really not a hot horse, so he doesn't practice a lot on his own. Being Morgan, Levi is built to hammer along at a trot all day, while acting like cantering is a foreign concept to him. I'm convinced that when the founders decided to improve on the newly created Morgan horse breed, they pointed at the hindquarters and said, "absolutely not, we must move the engine in the front", and thus, the road trot was born. It sometimes feels like I am riding and driving just the front end of this horse, with the hindquarters drifting along for the ride like a person on the back of a tandem kayak. Impulsion? Don't know her.

If you were to ask Levi what he thought his hind end was actually for, he'd look at you wide-eyed and reply, that's what I use to escape! And it's true; I've shown multiple clips of him exploding into flight from random devils in the trees, so we know he can actually get his hind legs under him, lift his shoulder and his front end, and GO. Yet, putting this sequence into deliberate practice in a calmer setting seems like the hardest thing he's ever done, and he has a lot to say about it. Despite this, our instructor keeps patiently pressing us onward, and while it feels like I am crash-landing an early prototype of the lunar module whenever I ask him to pick it up, we seem to be making some slow progress. I debated posting this clip of one of these unfortunate transitions because it is so cringe, but in the spirit of transparency showing you how the dang sausage is made, I overcame my reticence. So now, for science, here's the ugliest canter transition I've ever seen, and if it looks bad just know it felt even worse- but you know what, I'm still proud of him!

Fortunately, figuring out the cantering is merely a sprinkle in the work we are doing, and not a main dish. We accidentally discovered our canter in the first few weeks of riding when I pointed him up a long hill and let him cook. Most horses will break into the canter in this case, and he found a few strides before dropping back to a trot after the crest of the hill. With professional help, we might have a chance to build this up properly.

I still need to write up my end of the year post, summarizing our major milestones and highlights, and presenting some new ideas and goals for 2025. As we head into the New Year, I'll leave you with this clip of Levi pestering Sam's horse, Ennis, while celebrating on the day before Christmas Eve. Happy holidays, everyone!!