Rocket Day Two: Training Videos

Lydia Cunningham at Mountaintop Ranch gets so many props from me. I couldn't be happier with how they've handled everything with Rocket and Somara, from doing some groundwork with Somara before she foaled, to the difficult delivery, to the near-emergencies after the delivery, to the work they're doing with Rocket now. If I ever breed Lex, I'm going to send her there to have her baby.

Below are two training videos from Rocket's second day of life. I have never trained a foal so I don't know a lot about it, just what I've read in books, so I learned a lot from watching these videos. Lydia is so firm and kind that I bet horses learn well from her. In education we call that a "warm demander" and it helps a lot of kids.

In this first video, they begin by talking about how they thought Rocket might have a ruptured bladder. Oh, and they call her Taxi (she was born on tax day). I think taxis are gross so I'm sticking with Rocket. Anyway, here she learns to follow her nose - an essential first step in learning to lead.

And in this video, they work on desensitizing her to various objects. I wish Lex was as good as Rocket. I've got some work to do!

Today Mom told me that Lydia said Rocket is being a very good girl and leading perfectly. Tomorrow I'll post the videos Mom took on Day 3, so you can see where she started with that. Training foals looks tough.

Here are a few pictures of Day 2: The Very Sleepy Day. I now have about thirty pictures of the filly sleeping, and I could look at them all for hours, but I can't blame you if you find them less thrilling.

Tail check!

The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!

Zonk.

Have some decency and let me sleep in peace! (Not a chance, filly.)

 Fun fun fun! I'm hoping to go ride Lex today but it's rainy, so we'll have to see. She could probably use a day off so if I do ride, it'll be a walk around the field, I'd imagine. I hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

A Giveaway and a Sale

Lauren over at She Moved to Texas is giving away a ShowSheen pack. Go comment on her blog for your chance to win. When TJ was with me, I relied on ShowSheen to keep his tail detangled.

Also, Kate at The Adventures of Lucy is running a sale right now on her beautiful painted saddle pads, because she has to raise money for some expensive medical procedures for her horse. If I can come up with a way to justify it, I'm going to order one. They're really beautiful.

Go get you some!

Today: Canter; Tomorrow: The World!

Quick update before a long-overdue bedtime: Lex canters on both leads! She is SUCH A STAR. She was a little bit of a shit when I was trying to get on, but I'll get her standing nicely at the mounting block before long - maybe a little more groundwork will help.

I need more pictures of her under saddle

But once I was on, holy crap, she was amazing today. It is not going to be a problem to get this girl to travel long and low, because she really wants to put her nose on the ground and streeeeeeeetch her back. She loves doing that. We did a trot pole figure 8 exercise to warm up the brain after we'd done some halt-walk-trot transitions and then I asked her to canter. It didn't take her as long to get it this time, and we got a marvelous left lead canter. Again, I left the reins loopy and held the neck strap and just hung in there in a two point. After a couple mildly enthusiastic strides she settled into a lovely rhythm and I was grinning like crazy. I let her walk for awhile, and did a little more trotting, and then asked for a canter going right. She picked up her left lead at first (no biggie, I don't care what lead she's on at this stage) and then she tossed her head. She wasn't happy to be on the wrong lead, so you know what she did? A simple change through the trot.

CLEVER. GIRL.

We cantered a couple laps to the right, I let her walk for awhile, then we trotted like two circles just to make sure she wasn't too up in the air (not at all, she was happy to trot around with her nose on the ground) and went on a short walk around the field.

I'm so proud of her I could cry. I think tomorrow, if I get a chance to ride her, I'll just walk her around the fields, up and down some little hills, to give her a break.

Tomorrow I'll have some Rocket videos for you!

A Female Jockey is Just a Jockey, Y'all.

I just saw this story in the New York Times about Rosie Napravnik, the 25-year-old jockey who will be riding in the Kentucky Derby next month.

Did any of you see that Animal Planet show a few years ago, Jockeys, that covered two meets at Santa Anita? It included Chantal Sutherland, one of the best jockeys in North America, whose story lines were at least as much about her personal life and relationship struggles with fellow jockey Mike Smith as they were about her phenomenal skill with horses. Even while pushing that angle ("will she retire from racing to have babies?!") the show made clear that she was viewed differently because she was female, and some of the male jockeys - perhaps even Smith - did not think she was worthy of being where they were. Kayla Stra, another jockey on the show, had more direct conflicts with the male jockeys when they did not want her in their jocks' room despite the fact that hers did not have a television in it, so she could not watch races. That is a serious breech of equal access.

I am disheartened but not surprised to hear that Napravnik is getting similarly bad treatment from the men in the industry, which is still very much male dominated. One anonymous jockey, identified only as a 53-year-old veteran of the track, commented that she was getting more rides because she's pretty and friendly. This is appalling, and I am very disappointed that the Times would print a quote like this without insisting he identify himself. Now Napravnik has to wonder who said that, if she doesn't already know. Or maybe it's such a drop in the bucket that she doesn't notice, which would be worse.

The article talks about how good a rider she is, describing in detail how she applies her skills. Some of the language is gendered: she has soft hands, she can quiet a hot young horse. These are attributes that, in my experience, are often given to female riders but not men, many of whom are just as nurturing. However, the article also quotes trainers who note that she has an excellent eye for where she is on the track, a good feed for pace, and fearlessness. Trainer Larry Jones said he had seen other riders bump into her on purpose (risking the health of the horses and their own necks): “Trust me. Don’t do Rosie that way, because she will run over you. The girl has no fear.”

Just as it would be great if gay marriage could just be called marriage, it would be ideal if female jockeys can just be called jockeys. Gender has nothing to do with this. Some people have the physicality, strength, and mental stamina to handle the extremely dangerous situation that is horse racing, and others do not. Some men are small and strong, some are small and weak, some are big, etc. Right? Same with women. If you can do this, you can do it. Your sex and gender don't matter a-tall.

One of the things I like most about equestrian sports is that they are not gender-segregated. Women are, for the most part, not treated as lesser riders in any of the disciplines I've participated in, in my experience (they may be treated badly as humans, but that is a different issue - find me anyone who says women can't ride a dressage horse or a show jumper as well as a man and I will show you an outlier). I hope horse racing can catch up, because it will benefit the sport to have the best riders riding, regardless of their gender.

Canter: We Got This.

Just a quick update because I can't stop grinning! Today I rushed out to the barn after class because it was gorgeous and hot out and I just had to hop on the little red mare. We warmed up in the ring, but I think I'm gonna skip the ring from now on. The footing is too deep and it's too small and we both hate it. Anyway, she was a very good girl in the ring, so while we were trotting I tried just legging her into a little canter. But she couldn't deal with the ring, and she tossed her head, so I walked her around a little and then we rode out into the field. A few walk-trot transitions to confirm that our brain was not blown - and I knew it wouldn't be, this mare really has a fantastic mind - and I looped a finger under the neck strap, got in a half-seat, put my leg on and made kissy noises and... we got a canter! On the proper (left) lead, even!

During the several strides it took between my asking and her complying, she really was trying to figure out what I wanted. Her head came up, her ears flipped back, and she was like, "WHAT are you on about?" Then when she cantered and I said, "Good girl!" she lowered her head and cantered around and it was GREAT. She has good balance! I just left the reins loose and held onto the neck strap and stayed in a half seat. I think she really had fun, and I know I did. I almost felt like we could have jumped out of the canter. She came right back when I asked her to and then I walked her out and called it a day. Tomorrow we'll try cantering both leads! Pretty soon I'm going to start adding in some light hill work, too. Our fields are great for that.

The Best.

Awesome Fillies Are Awesome, Part 2: Rocket

I'm impressed that my mom got out to Mountaintop Ranch two days in a row, considering that it's a three-hour round trip, and I'm extraordinarily grateful because we have pictures and video!

Rocket and Somara got to spend some time in the field today because Rocket's pasterns look even better. Lydia says that Rocket is tougher to work with than her quarter horse foals because she's got the stubborn gene, but that you can really see her brain working while they handle her. They're beginning to teach her to lead. I'm not surprised she's stubborn and independent - so is her dam. I like that, though. I'm stubborn and independent, too.

Also, Somara loves being a mama. Mom said she is so happy and nurturing but not hostile about people handling her foal. I'm delighted. Here is a cute video of her looking pleased with her baby.

And some photos of the day, with one more super adorable video at the end.

I know I left that needle around here somewhere...

How did that baby fit in that mare just a couple days ago?!

 These two pictures are the ones that drove home for me how big she is. That's my mom, she's about 5'6".

Holy mackerel. She looks like a draft horse.

I'm glad my mom likes horses because this is the closest she's getting to a grandchild from me.

And now, for the grand finale, a really adorable video of Rocket. This is right after they brought her in from the field, which is on the side of a mountain. The top of the mountain is where the barn is, and Rocket and Somara were at the bottom of it. By the time they'd trucked all the way up, everyone was a bit out of breath. After bringing her in, they let the mare and foal chill out for a little while before working with her. Mom promises me more, longer videos when she can get on a fast enough internet connection.

So there's the little girl! We might not get a lot more pictures or videos of her for awhile. My mom is going to NYC to see my AMAZING brother, sister-in-law, and nephew for the weekend, and then she's on call all next week at the hospital. If I do get anything, I'll definitely post it.

Awesome Fillies Are Awesome, Part 1: Lex

Well, one of them hasn't been a filly for a few years now, but she is definitely awesome.

Today I had lots of fun with Lex and my mom gave me an update on Rocket, so there's lots to write about. In the interest of not inundating you, I'll divide the day's updates into two posts.

Lex is such a good girl. She starts out wiggly and a little cold-backed, but I just get on and walk her around, because she's not going to do anything stupid. The worst thing she does is look at stuff and maybe edge into a couple trot steps but she always comes right back. We warmed up in the ring and did some walk-halt and walk-trot transitions. There were some cones set up in the middle, so I guided her through them at the walk. She doesn't turn perfectly all the time, but she doesn't take a lot of effort. Like with turning her nose to the fence to slow down, if I just think about what I want, she'll usually do it. I love those sensitive TBs! She's definitely a green banana, though. We'll be traveling perfectly fine along the rail and the next thing I know she's kinda swerving to the inside. If I think "slow" and put my inside leg on a bit, though, we can set ourselves right. After we were warmed up (or I was sick of the ring, whichever you like) we went out in the field and did some more trot-walk transitions. She's pretty good about slowing her trot when I slow my posting most of the time, and if she doesn't match my seat, I just do a downward transition, no big deal. I walked her back and forth over a pole on the ground a couple of times, and then did some trot figure-8s over it, incorporating transitions to the walk when I felt like it was a good idea (mostly going away from the pole/toward the herd, when she'd put her head up and trot faster). I'm trying to stay out of her mouth, so the transitions aren't sharp at all. The point is, she's slowing down when I ask her to.

After the ride I hopped off to get a couple pictures of her. YES, I let my baby thoroughbred stand in the field while I backed up a couple of steps to take a picture. Yes, there is a special circle of hell reserved for me. I know.

I love this bridle. It's an M. Tolouse I got for $40 used. I just got some reins to match - there's a tack review in my future!

Gotta love that expression.

I think I could probably track down pictures of that saddle pad from the 1990s. I've had it forever.

I freaking love this.

I think that if she's got the talent to be a show hunter, I might steer us in that direction. I think it will be the best for her long-term soundness, considering the vet school study, and it's fun. I'll have to practice my braiding and learn to stay on top of fashion trends, but she's certainly pretty enough. No doubt about that.

Stay tuned for Part II, coming tomorrow!