Over-analyzing and catering to horses

Part of training horses is learning how to negotiate each specific horse - learning their quirks and how to work with each horse as an individual...tailoring your method to suit each "horsenality". Each horse has a different way of learning, a different way of interpreting things, different needs and wants, etc.

With Missy, this means keeping my hands soft - earning respect from her but remaining soft and quiet. With Sunny, this means never fighting with him and making things his idea (which is actually very common with horses). Try to fight with the big bugger, and he will make sure that you lose. Little wee bit of stud horse left in that one, lol. Today it also meant changing how I use my leg aids on Sunny. For the last while I have been desperately trying to teach him to be supple under saddle, and to bend around my leg. A number of factors, I feel, have contributed to his reluctance to do so. A stiff jaw. A stiff body that he is insistent remains straight as a board for quick prey flight. The distraction of working outside. A studly brain. Who knows what really goes on in that head of his - deciphering a horse's thoughts can be one of the most difficult parts of my job! Another factor I figured out today though, seems to be how I use my legs. Typically, I slide my outside leg forward just slightly to cue the horse into a circle, tip the horse's nose in a little towards the center of the circle, and apply pressure with my inside leg to bend the horse into an arc and to ask them to lift their shoulder. Sunny seemed to be ignoring my cues to bend his body much of the time though; he easily responds to an outside, directional, leg cue, but have him bend around an inside leg? Not happening. So today I changed things up a little. I still held my outside leg to ask him into the circle, but I lightly bumped, or rolled my heel, against his inside - as if I were wearing a spur. He instantly moved out. Admitedly not all that consistently, but still, it is a start! So, that was the basis of today: lots of circles at the trot, working on bend, working on leg aids (directional), and sharpening up our stop (I drop my reins and "stop riding", he halts). He's coming along well. One more day and I'll be out (hopefully); his owners will take over this weekend, and I will return for a last couple of days on him next week.

Speaking with Twist and Gypsy's owner today, he seems very happy with Twist (he took Twist out to the mountains and had a very successful trip), and also seems very happy with Gypsy's progress. I was convinced he would not be happy with where she is at, that he had higher expectations of her, but he's just as convinced as I am that someone has delivered that little filly a good beating, and is just really happy he can catch her! I've got her now picking up all four feet, am slapping ropes all over her, having her move off of pressure (both tactile and body language), having her walk between me and the fence, having her circle around me quietly, and having her yo-yo away and back to me. She has come a long way. I recommended her owner continue with her all that he has been doing (even take her out to the mountains and pack her - his idea but I completely agree the experience would be beneficial to her), and then start her under-saddle next year. By then she will be a little more built and will have some better experiences with people under her belt. A couple more sessions with her - one tomorrow and the rest next week, and she will be done as well. I could continue her work, but I feel her progress would be so slow her owner would be better off just to continue what he is doing, rather than paying me to accomplish essentially the same (or similar) to what he can accomplish himself. By next spring she should be more relaxed and desensitized to people for better progress.

Missy and Cody have been goin' at it a bit over the fence (pipe fencing, with thick wire mesh in between the top pipes, surrounding Missy's paddock), and Missy seems to have paid a bit of a price with her violence towards said fence. I came out today to see a few nicks on a front leg, as well as some larger hairless schemes on her right hind. It appeared a bit puffy (the hind) and when I touched it, it felt warm to the touch. When I asked her to move out on it she was not really lame, but I could tell she was just a tad sore on it. So, I gave her the day off. It was minor and appeared superficial enough that she probably could have done w/t, but no sense in creating a cranky horse because she's feeling a little sore and resents having to work. As I cold-water-hosed the cut, she darted about, so she ended up getting a whole bath. Her skittish reaction to water has now henceforth earned her a bath after each work so that we can desensitize her to bathing. Maybe she will appreciate water in bath format (pun intended) when she is all sweated up on a hot day? She stays pretty clean, hence the reason I have yet to bath her, but if she is going to a new home, bathing should definitely be on the list of things she does. Such a simple task that most people expect a horse to have ;)

Silver did great tonight - just a quick little work on the norm. I rode him in a different (better fitting) saddle though and felt he was actually quite rough - he just felt very short-strided to me. So, it's off to the chiropractor for him when he returns. Unfortunately he does have to wait until then, as I doubt very much the existence and availability of a chiro in Tomahawk. Remember: a couple churches, a bar, and a gas station. Tomahawk's entire make-up. I wish I could do it sooner for him. In the mean time, I will have to take it as easy as possible on him. Dad even rode him a little afterwards, in the arena ;)

Fantastilicious was the word of the day for Cody today! Dad is really smitten with him (he says I owe him a horse, since I technically stole Silver as a 4yo back in 1999 from him, haha - at the time, Silver had been intended as dad's new cow horse, but they sold the ranch and Silver went to me when I needed a new horse with more athleticism), lol, and came out to see how he'd (dad, that is) hold up back in the saddle again, with the hopes of riding more this year. Cody and I played around with the first 6 Parelli games, at which he did well. Little nervous here and there, but he is gaining confidence and was much more noticeably relaxed today. If he were a client horse, I would have left off there, but since he is ours, I wanted to see where he was at under-saddle. I can't help it, I was curious to know how fast I could be working him regularly up in Tomahawk. I can just picture him gettin' down low and cutting cattle and can't wait! I was careful not to push him, and to always ensure I had his permission to move on to the next step (last thing I wanted was to create a poor experience for him on our first ride), but he allowed me to carefully saddle him up and to even get up (took a minute, but after a moment or two he stood still and allowed me to step into the saddle, on a loose rein). Once in the saddle, he felt a little unsure to me, but he walked out and even did a little jogging for me, pretty relaxed and with plenty of lip smakin ;) I confess I don't know how the last person(s) trained him (whether through force or not), but he seems to understand leg aids and to want to be fairly soft. At first, he simply walked through my rein aids (using the equivalent of a rope hackamore), but after a moment he started listening to what I was asking. He kept wanting to stick close to Silver for security, but he did really great - I am really looking forward to working with him further! I even rode him outside the arena and up to the tack-up barn afterwards as well - he was quite hesitant and keen on following Silver's lead in the dark, but he never once spooked violently or rocketed out from beneath me. I love it when a horse uses their head and actually naturally thinks through situations. It is fun to teach a horse to think (just to see that transformation from reactive to thinking over time as you work with them), but heck it's nice when they've already got that sort of mind naturally and you can just build further off of it :)

We've been delayed another day and are now supposed to be leaving for Tomahawk with the three horses tomorrow evening. So, wish us luck, and if you don't hear from me (all you three readers, lmao), you'll know I did not actually drop off the face of the earth, but that I am just in Tomahawk, with limited internet access. Talk to ya when I return, if not tomorrow.

Trailers and video cameras

I just realised I have written 159 posts between the two blogs! This is post #160 (total). Anyways, I feel like someone has sucked the life out of me, so we're going to make this another short one ;)

Gypsy was my first trainee of the day and she was great! I found her in the alleyways today and so quietly herded her down into the "roundpen". I only ran her a little bit (say 5 minutes?) before she was willing to walk right up to me. It took another few tries though before she allowed me to put a rope on her (we'll work on putting a halter on over time, but she allowed me to put a rope over her neck). I used the rope just to gently guide her here and there - little bumps, little corrections, but mostly I just acted like she was still at liberty. If she wanted to take off, she was free to do so, but I'd use the rope to ask her to come back in again - which she always did. We did the yo-yo game, the porcupine game, some friendly game, the circling game, even some driving game. All a little improvised to accommodate the lasso in place of a halter, but it worked! I had to catch her again later and once again just used a rope (though this time I used the 12' soft rope) looped around her neck to lead her into the barn and into her new stall where she's to stay from now on, during training. It was pretty sweet, as she had never been in the barn before yet she followed me in with little hesitation! Tons of progress today!!

Sunny was great, though he gave me a little attitude under-saddle. We just did a couple of games on the ground before I rode him, once again in the Happy Mouth. He really likes a lot of rein, which I gave him, but he still kept headshaking :S When I asked him to trot, clockwise he got pretty reactive, but we eventually got in several strides. Counter-clockwise (left rein), he actually gave a little buck, though not with much effort. I pushed him through it (in this situation I felt it appropriate) and we trotted a few more strides before I told him he could rest. All in all, he did great though and I look forward to trotting him relaxedly for long periods of time by the end of the week.

Silver was a doll today - we did some curb work prior to some liberty work, all of which he did fab at. We worked on flying lead changes and threw in a little counter-canter work for kicks. Still lots of work to do in those areas but he was great. His gaits were slower and more relaxed as well, almost real WP-like (while maintaining correct-ness, haha) ;) Near the end of the liberty work he got a little grumpy (what's with all this work!?? - I am sure was what was running through his little head) and ignored me a bit, but a couple of corrections with the carrot stick (just holding it out to the side, blocking him) and he was back to humouring me. Afterwards, I had him cart around my uncle, whose horse experience is rather limited - I was pretty proud of Silver when he didn't hesitate to take my uncle about the arena for awhile, despite all the work he had already done. What a partner!

I only rode Koolaid for a few minutes, western and in the Happy Mouth - he did well though at w/t/c with even a little work towards collection thrown in. Later he packed about my uncle's girlfriend - he took great care of her, for which I was grateful :)

We moved Missy to a facility with an indoor arena (where Link and Sonny are at, actually), for a number of reasons. 1. it lends a more professional look 2. she's in a dirt pen and on a diet!! 3. the indoor arena allows for no distractions and for us to work in all weather!!! She was quite grumpy to be ridden today (at the new facility; she was boarded there last year as well), however she did humour me in the indoor arena after a bit. In the outdoor ring she was a mess - she had no intention of doing what I asked. At all. Indoors, she had nowhere she really wanted to go, so she was willing to go where I wanted her to go! She was even relaxing and engaging a bit. I was a little frustrated with her, however I was pretty pleased to see that she was already working better now that she had no distractions. If we work hard and consistently indoors, then we will later have no problem working outdoors either (especially since thus far all our work has been done outdoors) ;) We recorded some of Missy's indoor session on camera today and will do more over the next few days, especially as she settles in!

Today I spoke with Twist's owner to find that he did very well in the mountains - one very happy owner, which is very nice! Sunny's owners are also very pleased with his progress and are greatly anticipating being able to ride him - soon!

That's it! What a long day though, I am wiped. And burnt!! Haha. Tomorrow it's the three as usual, plus likely Link and perhaps Sonny. I will probably have to at least check in on Koolaid and Silver, as Koolaid wasn't so pleased when I took his in-heat mare away. I felt pretty bad, as he started searching all the pastures/paddocks when she left! Poor guy :S Anyways. So horses plus all my other errands, lol. Oh, and sitting in construction for half an hour each direction (no alternate routes). Sweet. Such is life. No rest for the wicked!

Eau de Skunk

Wow, today was a bit of a longer day with the horses! I spent a lot of extra time with the three stooges today (Twist, Sunny, Gypsy), namely talking with owners, taking Twist out on a ride on the road, and chasing Gypsy around her pasture for a good 20 minutes before she finally came in to where I could pen her. Aaaaah.

Twist
The now mustachio-less man was my first up of the day - we did a couple of games (circle and driving) before I clambered on up into the saddle and we headed out for a short ride on the road (where we encountered *gasp* grass/gravel footing transitions, tractors, vehicles...and Aly, barking at a skunk - and being subsequently sprayed, though by a different skunk). He was actually very good, a little unsure at times, but mostly relaxed and willing. A couple of times his feet got a little "stuck", at which point I just lightly tapped him with the end of my hackamore lead, and we were back off calmly!

At one point, Twist's owner approached us with the tractor (at a fair pace), I could feel Twist seize up beneath me, wanting to bolt. I didn't feel I could take him into the ditch, due to the long grass obscuring our view and thus judgement of the footing and slope - the last thing I needed was to guide a near-panicked horse into footing neither of us knew. Also, the ditch is only so wide and paralleled on one side by a barbed wire fence. Not exactly my favourite type of fencing to be run through if a horse panics, and Twist is not entirely trustworthy yet. So, I dismounted and led Twist along the road as the tractor passed. Twist did panic and almost bolted over me, however I was calm and he was thinking enough to respond to my cues on the ground. As soon as the tractor passed I re-prepared Twist and mounted up.

On a related note, I have been doing a lot of pen work with Twist, as opposed to riding him out. I am not all that sure where I could ride him out in the first place, other than the road, as all the fields are now filled with crops; I am not all that familiar with the property. The road is great (I love that it provides a "path" to the horse, which certainly helps), however it is gravel, so I am careful of the time I spend on it with a horse. Also, while I had felt that trail riding was important at the beginning of Twist's training - for this specific horse, after our issues in the field (where he was rather rebellious as opposed to reactive), I had felt that it was time to further cement some basics (and thus his trustworthiness). While Twist is not a show horse every horse, regardless of its future career, needs a basic foundation. They need to be relaxed and fluid under-saddle (which relates to bending on circles, etc), they need to know what "woah" and "go" are, they need to understand how to handle themselves (ie. turns on the forehand/hind), etc. By teaching these things, not only do you provide the horse a solid foundation of knowledge, but you teach them confidence. A horse who feels like he is successfully learning, grows in confidence. You may then take that confidence and use it for whatever - out on the trails, in the show ring, etc. It makes a huge difference to a horse, particularly a reactive one such as Twist. The other major factor (why I chose to work on more basics with Twist and why I dismounted with the approaching tractor) is that I don't want to get hurt. Why push a horse into situations I know he is not prepared to handle, at the risk of my own safety when he blows?? Pushing the horse past the point where he blows also constitutes a negative experience, which can be detrimental to that horse's experience under-saddle. I realise people used to rope down, chuck a saddle on, and bounce into the saddle of a young horse to "break" him in, but that's not how it has to be - we know better. Regardless, that is not my way and I like my bones staying in one piece thank-you very much, so I go about things a little differently ;)


Sunny
The big paint man was fantastic today - we did our ground games while he was tacked up today, prior to my jumping up. He was very calm throughout the whole ordeal under-saddle - I actually ran out of things to do with him (at this point) under-saddle! We did circles on the rail, figure-8's, halt, back-up, turns on the hind/fore (a little), etc - all our basics. He was very calm and relaxed in the rope hackamore and I felt he had a lot more confidence today - I certainly had a lot more confidence in him! His owners seem very pleased with his progress (they watched him a bit today) and have opted for another 30 days (as per my recommendation). He is doing extremely well and I feel like maybe they could start riding him now and take over the rest, but I would really like to further cement this new mind frame with Sunny - I just get the feeling that he is just past the tipping point and that he could progress really easily and quickly, but could also revert back to his old ways easily yet if a mistake or two was made. Another 30 days should produce a very solid horse whom his owners can take over easily. He (Sunny) is very knowledgeable (leg aids, etc), so it really is just a matter of building his confidence and teaching him to be relaxed, as opposed to teaching him any basics. I am quite proud of this one, as I was seriously concerned over the first couple of weeks that this horse could be beyond my skill level (or that perhaps he could never be "fixed"!), yet he is turning out beautifully.


Gypsy
I saved her for last after being unable to catch her in the pasture and therefore penning her while I worked with the other two. When I finally got around to her, I started off by roundpenning her a bit. She did keep wanting to come in to me, and she was allowing me fairly easily to approach her and such, but I didn't particularly feel we were getting all that far. I finally caught her with a halter and rubbed/patted/desensitized her all over. I also worked a bit on her tail - a horse's tail is a huge tool for communication, and if it's pressed in tight to their hind end, you can bet their spine is also very rigid, and thus their entire body is tense as opposed to relaxed. So, I played around a bit with her tail, just gently manipulating it in an effort to get it relaxed. It seemed to work though! I was talking to Sunny's owners about her as well - this horse is the most fearful of humans I have ever met, and I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do with her (continue as I have been, or do something else?). I've never spent so much time with a horse on the ground. They voiced their thoughts too, that she was just going to take a long time to overcome whatever it is. She is making progress, but unfortunately it's at a snail's pace - she's just not willing to let me in at all, to let her guard down. Something has made this mare absolutely terrified of humans. Unfortunately, I get the feeling her owner doesn't understand the time it takes or where this filly's really at - he wants me to throw her to the ground and desensitize her that way. I have considered throwing her, but I am not all that handy with ropes, and so for me to do it would be fairly traumatizing to her - the last thing she needs. I need someone who could put her down extremely gently. On the other hand, I'm not even so sure that that wouldn't make her more distrusting anyways. On a related note, desensitization is important and possible without laying her down, but in steps, starting with what the horse CAN handle and progressing the horse forward.


Missy
I have to admit I was a little frustrated with the TOAM today, as she kept asking - every single time we passed it - to leave the arena via the gate. Continuous - stupid - questions get annoying after they've been asked the 20th time or so! On the other hand, she did do w/t/c nicely on the ground as well as some patterns (oh, and we did a couple of games before I mounted up) - quite a bit of impulsion today. Her work can be cleaned up a lot though via leg aids, so we spent the rest of our session working on that. Tomorrow I will do some carrot stick riding with her to establish those leg aids better. Once she's got those down, she'll be all set to go. She was very willing today and while the new gullet plate I put in the saddle unfortunately did not quite fit her, she still worked well. Tomorrow I'll put the next size wider on the saddle, which should definitely fit her.


Anyways, that was it for the day! It was definitely a long and dreary one, but we lived to die another day. Off to bed so that I can work more horses tomorrow! Tomorrow I've got the usual 4 plus I will work with Link and give mom a lesson on her OTTB, Sonny. I'm trying to fit Silver into my days as well, but they've just been so long and my excuses not to work with him are endless when I'm exhausted after such a long day..

July 14-18 update

Aaaah my apologies for not keeping up either blog this past week, the days have been long and hard, and by the time I get around to the potential to blog...my mind is fried. If anyone has a remedy for unfrying a brain, or heck, even making days longer, please feel free to give me a nudge ;) SO! What's been up the last week (and it's been mostly sunny - 29C sunny this week!).

Missy
I changed tactics on the TOAM (Tank Of A Mare) this week, mostly on the ground, but it followed us up into the saddle. She was quite grumpy whenever I asked for her to play games with me, the circling and the driving (hindquarters, specifically) games in particular - she'd pin her ears, swish her tail, and generally have a bad attitude about whatever it was I had asked her. Of course, this followed us up into the saddle. So, I started "interrupting" her grumpy thoughts - aka sending a wave down the rope (on the ground) whenever she pinned her ears or looked irritated. It worked wonders! At first she seemed a little surprised, but it really knocked her out of the mind pattern she was in and allowed her to change her attitude to one of willingness. I also started riding her in the western saddle and rope hackamore, and we got her w/t/c down pat with a good attitude on her part and also worked on some of the basics. We even took a little "trail ride" down the driveway and back, her "stallion" Koolaid screaming at her to come back the entire time (it's a wonder that horse doesn't lose his voice). Which brings me to the next funny story.

Yesterday I had a bit of a difficult time catching Missy (not today, even though she worked up quite the sweat yesterday!!). Well, while I was trying to catch her, I sort of half noticed that Koolaid had started acting hard-to-catch while I was out there. So I approached him to test my theory, and he took off on me! I was a little indignant (how dare he! haha), and confused - I mean, what has he been doing with me that would make him not want to be caught! My own horses are never hard to catch! I definitely grumbled a "what's his problem" under my breath as I watched him bolt off. Then it hit me, as Missy joined him and they cantered off together. He wasn't willing to be caught because he wanted to lead his mare away from me. He was tired of my taking her away from him all the time and had it set in his mind to just keep her out of my reach. What a twit!! Finally I tied him up and let him scream away, luring her into the smaller pen where he was at, where she quickly gave up the ghost to be caught.

Today luckily I didn't have that problem - I caught Koolaid's mare before he had the chance to lead her off (haHA! Koolaid: 1 Me: 1). Yesterday Missy worked up quite the lather trotting about, doing circles, etc, and today (though I had promised her otherwise - I underestimated the humidity factor and also her lack of fitness) was not much different. I worked her in the english saddle today and she was fantastic! Walk/trot/canter, circles (we need to work on leg aids so we can get rounder circles), figure-eights, serpentines, etc. The saddle definitely did not fit though, so I will have to change the gullet plate back over to the "wide" that fit her previously. She also worked in the cradle bit today and was very willing! She is booked in to have her teeth done next Tuesday though. She was very light (on my hands) though and was even engaging her hind a little (we need a little more impulsion yet though, but it is coming). I've got another week to work on her before putting her up for sale beginning of August.

Anyways, lots of progress - she is coming along real well and is almost back on par with where we left off last year.


Sunny
Well, the Big Paint Pony has progressed from my sitting on him to my riding him! He's gotten less and less reactive and less and less one-sided as well. He rarely explodes anymore (very rarely) and is generally calmer and - he hasn't thrown up any "walls" yet this week! Not to say he won't, but most of the time now he thinks through a situation rather than going A-Wol on me and taking off all in a tither. We've even progressed his games to the point where he's starting to learn to have confidence and think through some of the extensions - traveling circle, spiraling in and out at the trot on the circling game, changes in direction, etc. Oh, and he's been much easier to catch as of late. I spent a couple of ground sessions with him though where we did no riding, over the last couple of weeks. Yesterday however he marched up to me the minute he caught sight of me ;)

At first (under-saddle) he fought me a bit - if he wanted to go somewhere he was going somewhere and he was going to fight through my hands to get there. I think part of his fighting me though might be because his teeth need to be done (as per my experimentation yesterday) - when I contradict what he wants, the rope halter puts pressure right over where he'd have hooks on his teeth. If your horse has hooks on his teeth and you push in along his jaw where his teeth sit, he'll usually raise his head because it hurts. Well in this case, Sunny tosses his head when the rope applies pressure in that area and fights through me, indicating it could be a teeth issue as well. I think another part of the issue (if not even all of it) is that he just doesn't like to be told what to do, and he doesn't like rein pressure - he wants his head. Which leads me to our huge breakthrough yesterday. I was trying to be light as possible with my hands, but at times he'd just plain right out ignore me and push through the little bit of pressure I was putting on. So I started using my legs more - previously it had not occurred to me to really make use of leg aids because I assumed he didn't have them. Never assume! It's been a good 4++ years since leg aids have been used on him, but he knows them - no doubt! As soon as I started using my legs more to direct him, he quit fighting me so much. I could correct a little with my hands and mostly just use my legs. We finished yesterday's session with turns on the hind, turns on the fore, figure-8's, changes in direction, circles, and circles on the rail - he was brilliant! So now it's just about really instilling some confidence (and willingness of course) in him. Next week is his last week (and that's with extra days being put on), so I am going to recommend his owners allow him another 30 days - from there the owners should be able to take over easily. I'll have some explaining to do to them, because they're going to need to understand how sensitive he is and how little it takes to communicate to him - he's the type of horse (it seems thus far) that if you start over-communicating (ie. using more rein than necessary, using bigger bits than necessary, etc), things are not going to go over well. *sigh* this is where horse training can only go so far - you can balance a horse out and get them working beautifully, but after that it is up to the owner to hold up their end of the bargain to the horse.


Twist
My little Mustachio man (whose mustache is now long gone - a few of his friends have good ones though, is it indicative possibly of some nutrient deficiency???) is doing great but doesn't seem to like to work! Despite the short and sweet sessions we've been having, he always gives it a go at first to see if he can get away with not being caught. Once he realises the impossibility of such a thought, then he gladly walks up to me and allows me to halter him, but it would be nice if he came around to the point where we didn't have to go through so much at the beginning! Buegh. Anyways. His saddle work has been steadily progressing (though he really needs some wet saddle pads, perhaps out in the mountains, to instill more confidence in him in regards to people and being ridden) - he now sidepasses, does turns on the fore and hind pretty well (just a few steps, maybe 180 degrees at his best though), circles (with bend!!), back-up (uber light), and walk/trot. He's extremely light on the reins and is becoming lighter and lighter to my leg. Next week I think we'll hit the road for a little "trail riding" and a break from "arena" work to finish off his "30 days". I've also been introducing him to the bit (my double-jointed Happy Mouth - I'd like to find one of these though that's a Full Cheek!) - next week my goal is to have the bridle on under the hackamore during our ride so that he can grow accustomed to wearing the bridle under-saddle and perhaps my using it a little. His owner plans on shoeing him soon here and shipping him off to the mountains though, so he should be about ready for the trip and trails by the end of next week (that's with extra days)!


Gypsy
I changed tactics with the little black mare as well, actually. It seemed like we were getting absolutely nowhere with the catching, rubbing, and releasing (I can't figure it out either!), so I digressed to simply walking up to her and rubbing her head and wherever else she allows me to touch - at liberty. My thought is that allowing her to do this at liberty, without the weight of the leadrope attached, will maybe earn her trust further because it is more her choice than if she's caught. So far she's been half decent to walk up to, and I did also remove her halter even the other day. That same day, she actually approached me and allowed me to pet her through the fence - something she has never ever allowed! Next week I think we will do more "roundpen" work as well to see if we can't get further. So it is progress, just very very slow - slower than I have ever had with a horse! What makes her so incredibly wary of people?? She will definitely need a minimum of another 30 days before she's good for the year. Today she was fairly good, I managed to be able to approach her twice in her pasture with minimal cutting her off. Next week though we are going to need to step it up a notch!


Link
I have ridden Link only once since the trail ride in the Kananaskis, and it was cut short by his lameness. Ever since the trim last Thursday he has been lame, particularly on his fronts, though he has been steadily improving (to the point where I thought I could even ride him yesterday, but obviously not). I'll do some groundwork and see if he can do some saddle work (depending on the ground work as well) next Tuesday, which will make it almost two weeks since his trim. Gah! The joys of farriers. Link was jumping around quite a bit this last trim (The wind! My herd mucking about! Sonny's home! Lol) so maybe in his haste to do Link's feet the farrier accidentally trimmed him too short, as he did not lame Link last time. On the other hand, having your horse lame for two weeks is...well, somewhat less than ideal!


With all the ruckus of finding a new truck (etc etc) I have yet to find the time for Koolaid or Silver. I've finally got things settled though so (even though I keep saying this! haha) next week I should be able to start adding Silver, at the very least, back into my schedule. I HOPE!! I think he's been enjoying the time off though after the glitz of the parade (lol). Koolaid doesn't seem to mind the time off either, given he's so pre-occupied these days with watching over "his" mare! I am hoping to spend a month or more in Drayton Valley come September though (on a ranch), in which case I would take Silver (maybe Koolaid) and Link, as well as a horse in training or two. Silver would be in absolute heaven working cattle again - this week I caught him sidling as close as he could to the cattle on the neighbour's property! He would not even come in as he usually did with all the horses when I brought Missy in, instead opting to stay out with the cattle, all alone. Lol. It would definitely be beneficial for Link as well, to be out on the trails and working cattle, and of course it would benefit any horses I was working with at the time. So, please pray and cross your fingers for me that it works out that I can go! I would like to sell Missy prior to going, would like to find an EMS job PT in Drayton, and need to find a way to get all my horses up there as well - if all those needs can be met, I will be going. Fingers crossed!

Mostly groundwork

Ah, so today was an early morning (particularly for a night-owl whose perfect world would consist of rising at 1pm at the earliest) to get the horses done before I hit up Calgary to take a look at some trucks. Ultimately, I'd love to have a truck bought within a week here, and I think I might have one bought within the next few days! Keep your fingers crossed.


Sunny
I worked with him first since he'd gotten out during the night (some panels were knocked down) and I had to catch him anyways, plus his owner turned out to be hanging around and had nothing better to do than to watch our saddle work! His ground work was alright today, though he was quite reactive for whatever reason (getting loose, the wind??). I was a lot more comfortable up on him today in the saddle, though I was still careful. We still mostly went where he wanted to and I didn't argue with him too much. I was nervous that if I argued with him over direction that he'd become reactive and buck - he didn't, but I was careful not to push him over the edge (though I was certainly feeling that edge out a little to figure out what we had and where it was). Monday I'll be a little more confident that I can argue with him a little (maybe with the Happy Mouth bit? I don't like to use a bit until the basics are done, but I feel one might be appropriate in this particular case), as he was mostly calm today. He was a little reactive though and still very unconfident - he felt like he could explode, but he didn't - something I was beyond pleased with. I spent maybe 10 minutes up there before dismounting and calling it a day on a good note. Once I've hit the threshold with him and just knocked down his wall (soon), then riding him 1,2, 3 hours, even all day, won't be a problem, but for now it's a little at a time. Once we've gotten through the tough stuff he should progress very quickly.


Twist
I had a very hard time catching the Mustachio man today - usually when I say I had a hard time catching a horse, it means it took longer than 30 seconds and the horse didn't walk/trot/canter up to meet me, or stand still at the very least. Like another 30 seconds longer. When I say that it means the horse didn't walk right up to me directly, but that he/she turned away then came back to me after I blocked him/her off or something similar. Today though it took me a good 10 minutes to catch Twist - he really didn't want to be caught, despite such a great, relaxing session yesterday! So I spent a good 10 minutes or so just rubbing him before turning him loose again. Sometimes spending time with a horse is just as important as saddle work; believe it or not just chilling with your horse can actually progress saddle work because your horse is working more in partnership with you next time.


Gypsy
I ran out of time by the time I hit this girl and she was being particularly difficult to catch today. SO, she's a Monday project. She is coming along though, so I am hoping she comes around to where I can catch her more easily by the end of next week. Wow, what slow progress though, this mare just wants nothing to do with people!


Once again I had to skip Missy; though I desperately need to work her(!!!), a vehicle to get me around to the horses has to take priority unfortunately. Tomorrow is supposed to be my day off from working horses though, so I think I will work her in the morning, which will make up for one of the days here I have missed with her. Hopefully I can get this truck thing all sorted out so that I can just get back to work! I'm tired of being tired and I'm tired of there not being enough hours in the day to get done all that I need to. I did look at a bunch of vehicles today though and have a few prospects so am hoping to have some money down within the next few days. One more to look at tomorrow as well. I will also be giving mom a lesson on Sonny tomorrow and so will be riding Link - I'll report back tomorrow evening!


Oh, and I had two things to comment on today, but can only remember one. While tacking up any horse, I always allow the horse to check out whatever I am about to throw up on their back if they'd like. To me, it is just showing respect towards my horse and a part of being polite. I don't care how many times you've tacked up that particular horse before, wouldn't you like to know what was going up on your back? If the horse just stands disinterested, then no worries, I'll just throw the tack up there. More often than not though, the horse will turn its head a little and their interest will range from "oh, that again - just making sure" to "wait, wait, wait! What's that going up on my back!". I just feel that if we expect our horses to be polite and respectful that, as partners, we should be the same. On that note, our horses should be involved in team decisions and thus also in anything that very directly pertains to them (or to the team), such as equipment being put on them. I feel like they appreciate it - I certainly would! So consider it and just keep it in mind :)

Day of client horses

Well, the gang I got in today only consisted of the three client horses, unfortunately.

Gypsy
Though she continues to be difficult to catch, she was not as frantic in her attempts to dodge me today, and I was able to catch her without fully cornering her. Once I caught her, she was pretty compliant with my rubbing her everywhere, and she walked off when I left her, as opposed to the normal chicken-with-its-head-cut-off bolt she normally does. She even stopped and watched as I left the pen only about 10' away from her! Seems ridiculous, but it is progress nonetheless!


Sunny
I actually had his owner watch us work under-saddle today - to say I was terrified to actually ride this big beast given his prior history of reactions I've seen, is an understatement. I was absolutely mortified, and for the following, legitimate reasons:
1. He's big
2. He's big and highly explosive
3. Being a RBI, he really gives little indication of an impending explosion
4. When he does explode, there is no stopping him
5. He's good at being explosive (refer to #1 and also his photos that demonstrate a conformation that allows for fabulous athleticism, and...bucking)
6. He's terrified of anything to do with working under-saddle
7. He's studly. Refer to #1. Now, with the size and power of his hooves in mind, think of those huge feet smashing down on your head once you've been bucked off.
Now do you understand my fear?? Horses I am afraid of are few and far between, and horses I am always nervous around are needles in a haystack, but this is one I am wary of.

His groundwork went very well though, actually - the best it's ever gone. He was thinking, responsive, calm, and submissive. Two thumbs up! Mounting up and sitting in the saddle he was great, though moving out he seemed very unsure and very unconfident. His body was stiff as a statue, though I just asked him to do several sets of 3-4 steps, rest with me in the saddle, and that was it. Overall a very good session though. I didn't want to push him under-saddle, even though I know he has been ridden, albeit eons ago. If I push him now (when he is so uncomfortable and on the edge of an explosion), I risk backtracking a lot of our work.


Twist
Mustachio man was awesome today! His ground games were a breeze, and he was so relaxed under-saddle!! We only walked since the ground was still a little soft, but he was bending around my leg, sidestepping, doing turns on the hind/fore, turning off my leg, and was bending appropriately (rather than arcing to the right on the left rein, he was relaxed and arcing a little to the inside). I was very proud of him!!


I had to tear into town for a chiro appointment and had planned on working Missy on my way back but instead stopped in at a truck dealership in my quest for finding a truck asap. Then it was groceries (since I'd been putting them off to the point where I was now either living off fast food or just not eating - eugh), home, and more truck investigating so I'd have some trucks to look at tomorrow. Ciaos peoples!

Another short day...thanks Mother Nature...

Another day of horses, albeit a short one again thanks to Mother Nature, *sigh*. This time, a hail storm! Why can't we have our wet season in May, as opposed to June?? Note to self: the time it takes for a storm to get to you so as to - conveniently - rain you out is inversely proportional to the amount of time you will need to work all the horses. I swear, it looked far off, yet there I was, once again working horses in the rain. Yay. Hear the enthusiasm in my voice.


Gypsy
The little black mare was my first student today and she did alright! I had to move her to the smaller pen to catch her, but she was better to catch today than yesterday (though I still had to corner her of sorts). Just spent a few minutes rubbing her down before turning her loose once more. I did catch her again before I opened the smaller pen up and she was alright once again (and she didn't spurt away afterwards as fast as she normally does). I really don't understand though, all our sessions thus far have encompassed spending a little one-on-one time, doing - that's right, nothing (in the grand scheme of things). Yet she still runs away! She will not even eat if I'm standing too near. Why's this wall been so difficult to tear down with her? Has something happened to her in the past? Or is it simply that she's never been handled before? Buah. It seems like so much more than simply not being handled sufficiently. At least she is making progress, even if it is slow.


Sunny
I had quite the trouble catching the big paint boy today, it took several minutes and a nice shiny corner. So, rather than doing any saddle work, we just did our 7 games in the pasture before turning him loose. The Right-brain Introvert was reactive as usual but he was better today, and it was good to end on a good note after just a short session re-cementing basics with him, hopefully it helps me catch him easier tomorrow!


Twist
By the time I was finished with Sunny, the clouds were really rolling in and thunder was booming, so Twist and I were restricted to a ground session as well. He wasn't so keen on being caught though either, so it was probably for the best anyways. Whether because of the incoming storm or his newfound freedom (he's in a new pasture), Mustachio was a little reactive, but we got through all 7 games nicely and called it a day (as the skies started opening up on us) when he was all cucumber-ish cool and relaxed.


No time for anyone else - I threw all my tack in the truck to race homeward-bound to escape the hail. Turns out it wasn't golf-ball sized, but here you never know - better to get out of it safely before your vehicle is destroyed than to sit around and see! Plus, no horse is all that happy about working in that weather - it's probably one of the worst ways to build rapport and partnership (lol), though I do work in adverse weather often anyway. Not to mention that I don't like working in that type of weather - hail hurts! So does lightning. Not that I really know, I've never been struck before, I'm just assuming here. *ahem*. But I'd kinda like to keep it that way (minus being struck by lightening, I mean). Thanks weather network, for telling me it probably wouldn't rain until evening.

Another day at the office...

All hell breaking loose...or about to, give or take 15 minutes...

I find it amusing that as soon as I head out to the horses, the clouds start building, and as soon as I am finished, the terrible rainstorm quits. Brilliant. Yesterday we even had flash flooding. I put up some youtube videos today of my work with Sunny and Twist (just a portion of it)...I'm going to try to keep the videos updated! I'd like to get some recent shots of Link up as well, but we'll see (without a cameraman it's hard sometimes, lol).

Sunny
I started with the painted kid, who, I recently discovered, normally does act studly at times (such as around mares). I'm not sure if he was gelded late, but that would explain some of his behaviour! He's uber reactive at times, but will also (really) challenge my authority at other times. In the video (above) you can see it a bit. Today he did fairly well though - his ground games were mostly excellent. He was a little more thinking today and thus had great changes in direction for the most part (using the squeeze game) and his sideways was better than on previous occasions. His circling game was alright but his changes in direction at the circling game were a little reactive (and with a little attitude). His cinching up today was a little better however (no humping his back) and he was much better in the improvised "roundpen" (oh, to have my own facilities! hahaha) today - no bucking! Oh, and no fearing for my life. That's a good thing, lol. He was actually calm enough for me to actually sit in the saddle today, after testing his reaction out by stepping up in the stirrup. Don't think I didn't say a little prayer though before getting up in that saddle though! Anyways, he was calm and relaxed...I was even tempted to walk him out under-saddle but restrained myself in case it was too much for him. Last thing I need is for big paint to explode.


Gypsy
I actually convinced her to walk up to me a few times, eventually to the point where I could catch her. Of course, this was with the help of a pen, and specifically, a corner in said pen, lol. I worked with her until she would allow me to rub her anywhere before turning her loose again. Progress, albeit slow!

Note the leadrope on the ground...safe when a horse with prior and proper preparation - who will (and did) calmly stop, mull over the situation, and "unstick" himself

Twist

My little Mustachio man was fantastic today! He was a little reactive still and tense, but relaxed as the session progressed. I posted a video of his games up on youtube (above). You can see his tension especially when I ask him to do turns on the hind and he moves a little quicker than I'd have liked. Under-saddle though he was fantastic! Much more relaxed and supple than usual, with straightness (rather than bending to the outside on the left rein) and bend!! We did some circles, transitions (walk/halt), turns on the haunches and forehand, back-up and sidestep before calling it a day. He did great and so I wanted to end on a good note and also the slippery ground prevented us from doing too much more work.

Missy

The big yellow tank was great today! All her ground games went fabulicious and her under-saddle work was equally great. Walk/trot/halt transitions, circles, figure-8's (some excellent collection!), turns on the haunches/forehand - all the while with Koolaid in the background screaming for his mare to return and as the sky opening up on us with thunder and RAIN! No one likes working in the rain, in-heat mares inclusive, lol. Yet she still worked hard for me and remained focused - I was very proud of her! We'll be working hard this week, as I've got a prospective buyer possibly taking a look at her next week.

The pup calling it quits in the backseat of the vehicle

First day back on the job

Well by the time I woke up this morning, I was pretty exhausted from the events of the day prior, so it was down to the three customer horses today. Ugh, what a hot and muggy day - it was cloudy so all the clouds kept the heat in, and the moisture from the impending rainstorm is creating a lot of humidity in the air.


Gypsy
I had her approach me a few times in the pasture, but I was unable to actually catch her until I penned her into a smaller area. Her half-brother really helped me out just by being a calm shadow (a calm, clothes-and-skin-nibbling shadow, that is, lol). Once I caught her she wasn't too keen on being touched much, so I just spent some time with her and rubbing the areas she was more confident with (neck and head) before turning her loose again.


Twist
It's been a good two weeks since we last worked, so I wasn't even sure I would be able to ride him today, but it worked out! We played our usual ground games plus I incorporated a few extensions - he was phase 1 at it all! Afterwards, I tacked him up and "roundpenned" him a little before mounting up - his roundpenning was great with a lot of focus on me and a lot of "draw", ie. willingness to come in to me without pressure. He was a little skittish but no bucks and he did all he was asked without any reactive episodes - turns on the haunches, turns on the forehand, sidepass, bending (his nose to my knee) on either side, all at the walk only though today. He did fabulous, particularly after such a long break! I'm trying to get in all the days I can now before his owner takes him out to the mountains :)


Sunny
While he wasn't all that one-sided today (he was actually very balanced, considering) he was quite reactive. Not that he was really blocking me out much, but there were a couple of scary moments where he almost exploded at, or on top of, me, just because he was so worried. For example, while playing the sideways game, at one point he felt like he was cornered and so spun his haunches in towards me and went completely reactive on me. I was extra careful after that to be sure I didn't accidentally push him too far. I worked at staying very quiet with him and tried my best to keep his focus on me. His games went well enough on the ground, so I tacked him up (he really doesn't like that cinch being done up and kept puffing his belly out) and eventually just let him loose. After some roundpenning he seemed a little better (he couldn't get enough of a straight stretch to really buck it out either and so his focus seemed to come around a little better maybe) and I stood up in the stirrups on either side. He was pretty worried about that though, so we called it quits there for the day before pushing him possibly too far. Tomorrow hopefully we can do a little more work in the saddle, but it will definitely involve some roundpenning first to get him focused in on me!


I'm not sure how this week is going to go, but I will definitely be working with Gypsy, Twist, and Sunny to finish up their 30 days (that would originally have been drawing to a close real soon here - being stuck up in High Prairie set me back a good week), as well as Missy. I'll be getting Silver, Koolaid, and Link in wherever I can, but hopefully on a regular schedule (*sigh*). Enjoy the day!!

Just the two buckos today

Headed up to Slave Lake today, so today's sessions were short and I only worked with two of the horses on my roster today. The next couple of weeks are busy!


Sunny
He blocked me out a bit during our games. His trouble is with the sideways game - he gets psyched up and reactive and forgets that he can just think things through and play the game! We did finish with a relaxed sideways on either side with a little work. His impersonation of a pufferfish today while tightening the cinch was slightly less than yesterday; we worked on it a bit more when untacking, getting him comfortable with my playing with the cinch. I'm not sure what's gone on in this guy's past but he has a real aversion to being tacked up! Nevermind being ridden! I know his owners are not in the least bit abusive towards him though, but I just cannot figure out why he's so reactive towards being tacked up and ridden. Is it a time thing (ie. such a long layoff from working under-saddle)? Maybe he was never quite confident under-saddle and it just worsened? He seems to really know what the games are about and I appreciate that strong foundation - he does most of his games at Phase 1 or 2 already. On the other hand, he's quick to get reactive at times - I don't understand where all this fear-based reaction comes from. Anyways, I tacked him up and had him circle as well. This time there were no blow-ups, though I found out he becomes quite reactive when I cluck to him, like he's expecting the earth to split open beneath his feet or something when I cluck. Several relaxed circles in either direction though before I stood in the stirrups on either side - he's still a little leery of that. I had planned on roundpenning him, but I saved it for next week's first session for a number of reasons. First, I was pretty short on time today. Second, it will allow for a good intro for us next week, before I get on. Coincidentally, he'll probably be a little tired out from the roundpenning and so I'm hoping it will help him think - in place of becoming reactive and bucking - when I go to get on. I won't work a horse to make it tired so that I can ride it, but I will certainly use a horse's being tired to an advantage! We'll see how it all works out. We finished on a good note with lots of work to do next week! Next week will be a very full week, particularly due to this week's time constraints and missed day when my car broke down!


Twist
I actually had some difficulty catching my little roan mustachio man, so today we just did some laid-back work in the pasture. He did a great job at the 7 games before I left him back to his busy day of grazing. He's done well so deserves a day off of under-saddle work and I don't want to sour him from working with me, particularly since next week will be a big week of work for him as well.

Of rope burn and broncs

Wow, it's been a long day. Played with 5 horses and ran the dog before hitting the gym, cleaning up the basement, walking the dog (she's now passed out on her cushion - princess, haha), and did laundry. My legs are killing me haha. Okay, so on with the horse part of the day!


Sunny
Well as we increased the challenge of our lesson today, we unfortunately hit some of that blocking me out on the ground during the sideways game. All his other games went fab and eventually though we did get the sideways in either direction, mostly calm. Saddling up he was better as well, he didn't puff up quite so much and was more relaxed than yesterday at least. During the circling game though we hit a bump. The first time I asked him to disengage his hindquarters, he ignored me. Little bunny-in-a-horse-suit locked down in panic mode and took flight. Leaving me with the much-welcomed gift of rope burn, he took off and bucked - hard - around the pasture I was working him in. After a good solid few minutes that would make any rodeo horse proud, he suddenly froze to a stop and allowed me to catch him (speaking of which, he was great to catch today and even walked right up to me when he saw me). He was great (relaxed) with his circling game after that! Haha. I also stood in the stirrups and just rubbed his neck, trying to get him to relax (he did, but not wholly). I sense some roundpenning with the saddle on in the near future! Near future being...ah yes, tomorrow. Haha. I'll also start riding him (next week) in the smaller pens. Good progress, but some more yet to break through...once we break down the wall he's got up he'll be a breeze to work, it's just getting that wall down that's gonna take some work. Someone suggested to me I use something mechanical to keep his head from bogging and thus preventing him from bucking. Trouble is, that nails the physical end of things, but not the mental and emotional. The key is to solve the latter so that the former disappears!


Gypsy
When I played with her a little at one end of the alleway (just using body language) she actually walked right up to me, several times. It took a bit before she'd allow me to snap on a leadrope though. Seems she likes her face being rubbed without the trouble of having a leadrope attached ;) Well I guess everyone prefers pleasure to "work". Hehe. Once I did catch her, I spent time just running my hands all over her and allowing her to graze. She refused to graze when I was with her, but as long as I was 4 feet away or so she would eat. I carried an armful of grass to her pen before turning her loose ;P Still working on developing and cementing that trust and partnership so we can work on all the rest.


Twist
Well, despite a little bucking spree we experienced, my little Mustachio man did excellent today! I'm convinced he could have made a good bronc too. He's got this crazy bucking style; he bucked until I'd lost both stirrups, then began twisting. Perfect style for getting a rider off, haha. Didn't work though! Ahem...well...perhaps just barely didn't though, haha. His ground games (minus saddle) were great all-round and after we worked through his initial bucking under-saddle (fear-based, he'd been spooked by my reins being looped on the saddle blanket and then coming loose), we got all our basics done well. Though he's straighter on the left rein, he is even bending around my leg on the right rein, and is very soft at the back-up! Overall he's coming along real nicely. Oh, and bonus, he was great to catch! He sort of started walking away so I went to where he was about to walk (all of 3 feet, haha), and he turned towards me and walked all the way up to me instead. I met his breeder today as well (him and another guy, as well as Twist's owner, were taking the wagon team out for a practise run down the roads), who's keen on seeing the little guy work.


Missy
Her ground games were great, though we need to work on impulsion and respect. Not that anyone particularly revels in working in the sweltering heat of the day, but I do expect some momentum rather than a slow and resigned shuffle (lol). I think primarily we'll work on it under-saddle with some point-to-point. Today I actually tacked her up (english with a cradle bridle) and rode her around - just walk, trot, circles, turns on the hind and fore, back-up, sidestep, etc. She never flinched or anything of the sorts, she was great, despite it being a good 7 months since she's been under saddle last. She wasn't particularly fond of the bit so we worked in the halter - I think she needs her teeth done, which is our next priority (her, Silver, and Koolaid). Today I simply worked her in the paddock she was in, but tomorrow we'll work in the actual arena for a more official work. Today was just about seeing where she's at.


Silver
Time to prep for the Stampede Parade if we want to participate! I worked him in a snaffle today, a Happy Mouth, double-jointed O-ring. He did great and had a lot of bend! I tried out a curb bit on him next (double-jointed with a copper roller in the middle, shanks sweep back, about a 2 1/2:1 curb ratio, I think it has sweet iron). Last we worked in a curb bit was a number of years ago. To show western pleasure, Silver had to be in a curb bit since he was over 4 years of age, so our instructor put us in a curb bit. Well Silver spazzed out. I wasn't prepared, he wasn't prepared, yet we were both forced into it and Silver was having none of it (he was extremely reactive). No help from the instructor. Since then, he's never worked in a curb, so I wasn't sure how he'd be about it today, but he was fantastic! Our snaffle work was great, and our curb work was even better. We were on a completely other level of communication - it was almost surreal! Silver loves a long rein and made sure I gave it to him (haha), but he was so responsive to my every cue. His trot slowed to a jog today and we achieved a lot of bend and suppleness - even some engagement and roundness. No canter - he's a very forward-thinking horse so I wanted to do a lot of patterns and lateral work rather than forward work. It was pretty sweet. I feel pretty confident about riding him in the parade; we've got another week and a half to prepare. I think too I will keep looking for a more suitable curb bit for him - he did well in this one, but I have an ideal I am looking for: sweeping shanks, low curb ratio, shaped mouthpiece that's jointed to move laterally but not vertically (so the pieces swing around to fit nicely in the horse's mouth but they do not flex upwards into the palate and have a nutcracker effect on the tongue), 1-1 1/2'' port for tongue relief (under 2" so that it does not apply palate pressure) with a roller (Silver loves to play!), sweet iron mouthpiece... Haha, pretty complicated but I'll eventually find what I am looking for. Oh, cool story. Prior to tacking up, I noticed the neighbour trying to get her loose calf in, with the aid of one of the individuals living at the property I board at. The calf kept running amok, so I looped the leadrope around Silver into a set of reins and walked him over, intent on helping. Well we only were able to help a minute or two until the calf was in, but Silver had a blast those two minutes! Haha. He was terrified of the tiny goats flitting about and wasn't too sure about a huge woodpile, but he was pretty excited to see that calf, and so - despite his wariness of the goats (I'm sure they were just ready to pounce), he still kept moving forward without much prompting on my part, to get to this calf. I asked him to duck out sideways once to block the calf and BAM!!! he was there. It was pretty sweet - he got right down to that calf's level and cut. It inspired me actually to see if I can't find a place, maybe even just a ranch, through the Team Penning Association, where I can keep Silver and work cattle, maybe even compete. We'll see what we can't work out, because that horse loves working cattle (as do I) ;P For now though we'll be busy prepping for the parade and even just working on refining our communication and movements. Pretty excited. To quote Bolt: Let it begin, let it begin, LET IT BEGIN!!! Hahaha.


Man, I'm missing my Link horse, haven't seen him in a week and won't get the chance to work him until next Monday! I suppose I'll live. Barely. But I will ;P Working the same 5 tomorrow before jetting off to Slave Lake for the weekend. Back Monday to work the 6 (5+Link) and to get everyone on a more regular schedule. Got a call about working another horse today and another neighbour to where Twist is at asked about maybe getting some work done on his horse, so we'll see how things play out. For now, I'm hitting the shower before my close encounter with Mr. Pillow.

Before the thundershowers hit...

This is going to be a quick one before I take off for bed, it's been a long and busy day!


Sunny
The big paint was easy to catch today - we played all 7 games beautifully (he now backs on the yo-yo game when I so much as glare at him, then comes right back in when I relax my body posture), including some improvised figure-8 (using the squeeze game but with a lot of changes in direction). Next I tacked him up...to find a pufferfish!! And you thought they only dwelled in water... As soon as I commenced tightening that cinch, he humped his back and puffed out his belly...at which point I, surprised, took a short step backwards, eyebrows raised towards him, to see if he'd blow. He didn't. Lol. I had him circle in either direction until he was no longer humping his back up or throwing in little crow hops - until he seemed half comfortable with things. Next I did put weight in either stirrup and stood up on either side, but I never swung my leg over. He was uncomfortable enough with the saddle (prior), and then with my standing in the stirrup, that I felt it would be pushing it too far to actually sit on him and/or have him do something. My main issue is not the crow hopping, that's not an issue, we can always ride that out (though I'd prefer not to - I'd prefer if he did not feel he had to buck!). My issue is how he blocks me out when he gets scared. What I can envision happening is for me to mount up and ask him something, only to have him explode (and this horse has the power and ability to buck hard) and completely block me out, so that I cannot even a) have any chance of control, and b) have any chance at calming him down. It's a long ways down. So my goal is to deal with this in progressive steps. For the most part, we've sorted out all his ground issues - he no longer blocks me out on the ground as part of our regular work. Next is to get him comfortable with the saddle, then with my standing in the stirrup, and finally with my mounting up and us doing work. Piece by piece though. If I push him, I'm going to create a bad impression on him. If I take it slow, he should come along fairly easily and cleanly. I don't know about the next person, but I'm not particularly fond of bruises. Or broken bones. Never had a broken bone yet *knock on wood*, so let's keep it that way.


Gypsy
I had to herd her into the alleyway but once I did, I was once again able to catch her there. I spent a good 10-15 min just getting her comfortable with me and rubbing her all over. Much improved over last session even!


Twist
Mustachio man walked off when I first came into the pasture, but once I walked up to him and sort of blocked him a little, he turned and walked up to me and allowed me to halter him without hesitation or trouble. He did well at his games - very well, actually. We did them without tack today and my using my stick to extend my arm. He tacked up fairly nice (and untacked nicely too, actually - we worked on his remaining relaxed while being untacked last session and it seems to have held). He was great under-saddle. His circles are better, his stops are fabulous, his back-up is softer, and his turns on the hind and fore are coming along. His trot was more consistent as well, and his walk was pretty relaxed. He's even straightening out on the left rein, so that he is not arcing so much to the right when travelling to the left. Fab progress!


After getting the three done in the morning, I joined mom for her lesson with Sonny's trainer, down near Millarville and inside the Kananaskis. It was fantastic, she did a lot of things she would never have allowed me to push her to do, and she accomplished a lot! She also had a lot of fun ;) While she rode Sonny, the trainer handed me the keys to a coming-5yo Standardbred mare off the track. I'm in love. Haha. She was a pleasure to work with (we did ground work as well as under-saddle work) and I've fallen in love with Standardbreds. This trainer, from his experiences, feels STB's are more level headed than TB's, that they are less inclined to become "hot" so quickly. Quick interjection here: a Thoroughbred (same as an Arabian, or any other "hot" breed), while challenging and certainly higher energy for the most part (generally speaking), do not have to be 'hot' all the time. They can be worked with in such a way that all that energy is harnessed and channeled, where they are easily manageable and calm. But back to the main story. This little mare has not been off the track all that long and has not been worked under-saddle prior, yet she has only been there a week and a half and is already comfortable and working nicely both on the ground and under-saddle. What a great little mare. As a bonus, I love that Standardbred gait. The fast-paced trot is a little rough, but - I felt, still smoother to ride than a fast-paced "normal horse" trot (ie. TB or QH). The jog is absolutely fabulous - sort of in between a TWH and say a Thoroughbred. It's kind of got this rocking motion to it and you have the feeling you could go for miles at that pace. It was absolutely wonderful. On another note, Sonny looks like he's doing great under-saddle. When I rode him he was very responsive to leg aids and while he's not the softest yet, I think I can have him soft fairly easily and quickly. He was great with mom though, very relaxed and responsive to her.


Last note: I may be riding in the Calgary Stampede Parade!! It's pretty exciting. Twist's owner has offered me the chance to ride with him and his wagon crew. He actually offered me the chance to ride in both the Airdrie Parade as well as the CS Parade, but I don't think I will have the time to ride in both. I have to confirm with him, but if I do take him up on the offer (likely), then I will have to work Silver a good chunk over the next two weeks to have him ready! Pretty exciting though ;P

Taking the time it takes.

Gypsy
The little black mare was first out of the gate today. I actually managed to catch her in the alleyway today, and even had her take a few steps towards me to catch her - great progress!! I spent the next 15 minutes just running my hands all over her and standing next to her (either side) with my arm looped over her back while she sniffed me, just trying to make her comfortable around me. Later, she even followed Twist and I down and grazed around us while we worked!


Twist
My Mustachio man was a little more reactive today than he was our last session, but overall he still did well. I've continued using the stick with his ground games now and he continues to progress really nicely. Under-saddle, he bends to a stop nicely on the left side, but not on his right, and today he was particularly spooky on his right side (my lifting the reins, bumping the saddle leathers, etc), so of course we worked a bit on that (and will continue to do so until we've evened out that one-sidedness). His back is okay, but not consistently good. His jog on the left rein was better today though. Overall he was great though. He hasn't been stepping away from me when I go to mount either, the past week or more now. When I go to step down though, he usually nuzzles my foot and then keeps his nose there as I fully dismount, lol. Pretty cute. Also shows his one-sidedness a bit though, as he does not do so on his right side.


Sunny
The big paint was a little difficult to catch today (took maybe 5 min), obviously he wasn't so keen on sweating it up the other day! I think it was Jonathan Field who said "go out to catch your horse and you find out what he thought of yesterday with you", and it's so true. Today we went through all 7 games - he was much better today even than last session. We also spent some time going back and forth with the squeeze game between me and the fence, working on changes in direction and getting his left side more responsive, getting him thinking rather than reacting and blocking me out - he progressed fabulously! When we finished, he was changing directions nicely and was pretty responsive and calm with my direction on his left side. Afterwards, we just spent a little time hanging out, so that he associates me with good things rather than just simply work!


Missy
I particularly focused on being very quiet and very patient with the golden child today. Hard work! Lol. All her games were great and we had very little problem with the circling game. We finished the game when she gave me two consecutive laps at the trot without trouble, which was fantastic! I would like to see her snappier in her responses, but that will take time...at least we're getting the games down nicely (first). I think introducing her to the patterns next week will really help as well. I was pretty tempted to saddle her up today and have to admit to spending the good part of at least 5 minutes looking back and forth between my car (where the saddle was), and Missy. I decided if I really wanted to make an impact on her, on how good she did at the circling game (versus the trouble we've been having the last few sessions), I should stop right there. Also, I wanted to end on such a good note between her and I, as she has been a little difficult to catch. So, we'll leave the saddle work for next week.


Koolaid
We played our games after saddling up, next to my car, before taking off for the arena. It took a bit to get him focused on me, but he finally did for the most part. We worked on a few of the exercises I've been working on with Link and while Koolaid wasn't as good at it as Link is, I had to remind myself that Link's had a lot more work on him than Koolaid has this year. Koolaid did fabulous, but I'd like to see a little more umph, more responsiveness to my leg aids, and a more even rhythm at the leg yield. We ended on an excellent note with more of all of the above and a lot of engagement. We also threw in a little canter to our session, which was very nicely balanced and engaged and consistently on the correct lead! A great session for essentially the first actual work (where we worked on something specific) of the year!


Silver
My my my, Silver and I have a lot to work on! Haha. He was pretty zippy under-saddle, but this is also his first real go at a regular schedule under-saddle too. His jog needs to, well, be a jog (too forward), his canter needs to slow down to a lope akin to something you'd see in a WP class (but still 3-beat, haha!), and I'd like to see more bend and softness in him!! He wasn't all that focused with me today either, but that's to be expected after my neglecting to work with him for so long! I should also be introducing both him and Koolaid to the patterns...maybe next week when I do it with Missy. He was pretty responsive to leg aids though, for the majority of the session I actually rode him with the reins looped around the horn. Still a ton of work, but we finished with some nice trot rollbacks and a very soft, droopy-reined back-up. I have been contemplating taking up reining, just for fun, but *ugh* there are only 24hrs in a day. I'd love to work cattle and maybe team pen on him, I definitely miss the cattle work with him! For now I guess we'll just focus on being the best we can be, which is a continuously evolving and lengthy journey.


Link
Wow, I got out there today expecting Link to be all fired up from his 4 days off, but he wasn't! He was actually relaxed as can be!! We played our 7 games and patterns (trot on either side at the weave!) on the 12'...mostly because I was too lazy to actually walk over to the arena fence where I'd lain the 22' and snap it on. Hey, in my defense, it was 8:00 and I'd already spent the last 5 1/2 hours working 6 other horses, lol. I was tired. Under-saddle, he was fantastic. He was pretty impatient to get started and had, as per usual, quite the walk on him, but to start (during our warm-up), he picked up a nice long trot that was pretty relaxed for the most part. We did a bit of a different warm-up today, with lots of relaxed work at the walk and trot, just large figure-8's across the entire arena and just using the entire arena rather than doing smaller circles and such. I also interspersed a lot of loose-rein walking time into our session. Otherwise we essentially did the same exercises we've been working on as of late (time to throw in a few new ones!). He was very good, though I felt maybe he didn't have as much engagement as usual. Also, he was actually quite sluggish near the end - to the point of refusing to pick up the trot on a 10m circle, particularly when circling to the right. We hadn't worked hard at all and it was a rather short session (45 min). So I'm not sure if he's just really 'improved' and thus relaxed, and that that trail ride Monday did a lot for my partnership with him, or if something is up? He seemed like he could perhaps be ever-so-slightly off on his right shoulder, so if he continues I'll have the chiro out to check up on him. I didn't push the issue of the trot and just waited for him, as I wasn't sure all that was up. Otherwise though, he was absolutely fantastic!! Calm for the most part, but still with lots of energy (most of the time) and very in sync with me - it was perfect. I really focused on keeping my shoulders loose, my hands light as birds, and my legs constantly communicating to him. It was great, I felt we both did well :)

Someone had said on one of the blogs around here that we stop just simply spending time and such with our horses, as we did as kids. Kids are always running about, braiding their horses' manes for no reason in particular, carting their ponies grass, just spending time in the pasture playing with them, etc. Seems as adults, much of that disappears as we focus on workworkwork. We tend to see time spend just hanging out with our horses as time lost that could have been better put to use working on that 20m dressage circle, on that reining pattern, or on that course with the oxer, rather than time well spent deepening the relationship with our horses (which, ironically, furthers our work with them). I really took that to heart and have been trying to spend more time just chilling with my horses. I was thinking soon here maybe I'll just bring a lawn chair out and let Link graze a bit in the hayfield. Or take Silver or Koolaid out for some grazing time too (they might not appreciate it as much though, as they get to graze on long grass several hours each day, hahaha). Today I spent a good 10 minutes or so just toddling back to Link's pasture, letting him graze here and there, then carting grass back to him while he waited at the gate after I'd returned him to his pasture (his pasture is all grazed down to short stubby stuff). I haven't toted grass to a horse for awhile, so it was fun, and Link sure seemed to enjoy it ;P

Aaaah, for a day off now before another crazy week of horses! Oh, last neat thing to point out, while I worked both Silver and Koolaid someone was shooting something nearby (couldn't see them)...neither horse so much as glanced in the direction of the noise as numerous shots were fired. It was neat to see both so cool-as-cucumbers whilst shots rang out around us.

Anyone feel like a snowman today?

Wow, what a hot day! At one point I was standing there in the sun, in jeans and a tee, watching Twist circling about me, wondering why I couldn't just wear shorts while training horses...I could feel the heat being trapped in between my skin and jeans - not a pleasant sensation! When your eyelids are sweaty, you know it's hot out. Just in case the sensation of melting hadn't tipped you off already.


Twist
I finally actually feel like Twist is a real bona fida saddle horse! Today he came running in with everyone else (the lead mare, the little pony I call Nubs almost always comes roaring in to greet me - all outsiders get the once-over by her first, so of course everyone else usually follows) and walked right up to me to be caught (with a few rubs, of course!). We started off today with our grooming session as usual, then tacked up. Yesterday's work using the carrot stick and just throwing in some small things really cleaned up today's ground games! He was pivoting on his hind end quite nicely and on a very light touch today, was very responsive to the driving game, and overall just did excellent with all 7 games. So, time to mount up! No bucks whatsoever today, he was much more comfortable under-saddle. A few instances where he felt the need to scoot his bum beneath him quickly, but that's about it. Our session today consisted of working more on all our basics in the pens. We worked on walking relaxedly, halting (he eventually did it from a trot when I relaxed my seat!!), circles on the rail, figure-8's, turns on the hind and fore (not so pretty today, I was right yesterday in thinking that he hadn't quite picked it up yet...yesterday's success can be attributed to his wanting to move his feet and my setting him up correctly to succeed, but today he didn't fully understand and was relaxed enough to not feel the need to have to move his feet about), back-up, and trot! His jog was relatively relaxed (after a few strides) to the right, but on the left rein he kept arcing his body to the right, so we worked quite a bit on that side at getting it straighter (which will come more once we've developed leg aids as well) and just more relaxed overall. The arcing is simply because he is tense and feels the need to watch that side (for Velocoraptors, of course - never know when they might pop out), once he relaxes he'll be a little more straight and supple. Establishing leg aids will also help me later at developing a better bend in him. We finished on an excellent note with a horse that is pretty confident in the basics. Though he is only meant as a trail horse, all that we have been practising thus far remains important because it serves to develop him into a more confident, relaxed, and thinking (as opposed to reactive) partner under-saddle, even if his rider say, never asks for a single turn on the forehand in the future. It's not about the exercises and maneuvers themselves, it is about the mind those exercises and maneuvers (challenges, learning experiences) develop, thus making him a (potentially!) successful horse under-saddle.


Sunny
The big paint pony is hanging out with Gypsy, who is still terrified of people, so of course when she got all hyped up over this red-haired version of a Velocoraptor, so did he. He wanted nothing to do with me today, despite his laid-back ground sessions the last few days. So I trotted him on down into one of the smaller pens and roundpenned him. It took a bit, but pretty soon figured out I was the good guy: stand next to me and you don't have to work, run amok like some chicken with its head cut off, and you run around the pen on a sweltering hot day. He voted for option #1 rather quickly and was soon following me about. His ground games (all 7) went well, though today we stumbled across some future work for us and a possible reason for his prior poor behaviour under-saddle (for his owner). Fear. While he's a pretty balanced horse, has a relatively short flight path (ie. short spook, doesn't go too far), and is not all that reactive, he can at times get into this fear-based mode where he blocks everything out and just flees. Everything, being code for: me. For example, while having him circle, if I want him to turn and face, he might turn and face, or he might just run faster. Or, while playing the driving game and asking him to move his front end away from me (we did finish successfully in the end, with a thinking, responsive horse moving his front end around several steps when I asked) - on his bad side - he would back and back and back, then bolt (despite my not escalating my phases though continuing to quietly ask). During his bolting phase, he completely blocks everything out. No thinking whatsoever. So I'm working on him to first: earn his trust so that he doesn't feel the need to bolt from me, and second: teaching him to think rather than blindly react. I definitely got through to him today and made progress, during the driving game, so I anticipate we will make more progress quickly. He's a smart horse, when he's thinking. We finished the day with a pretty sweaty horse, but overall relaxed - plenty of the lip smacking going on.


Gypsy
She wasn't too bad to catch today, but it did take a few minutes of roundpenning. A few times she actually looked like she wanted to come in, but I sent her out regardless, to further cement what I wanted. She didn't really walk up to me today (optimal), but she did stand and allow me to rub her face, then snap the leadrope onto her halter (we're getting close to the point where we can remove it, after only 3 sessions now - I think I will remove it after a session or two next week). I spent the next fifteen minutes or so just rubbing her and brushing her (uber shiny!) coat. I'm in no rush so we'll work slowly. I think though next week I'll try to wedge a foot into the door of her Buddy List by taking her out for some grazing time. She already grazes 24/7 where she's at, but not the real long nice grass! And I'd love for her to feel comfortable enough around me to graze.


Missy
Rather than working her in the arena today, I voted on working her in the pen with her buddies, to see if that made a difference. It didn't. Not really, anyways. She was great with all her games except for the circling game. She'd circle some, then (usually in Koolaid's direction) she'd stop and back. She's a powerhouse, there's no holding her, lol. If she backs, you back with her. Hence, the need for a roundpen! Lol. I tried telling her to back when she wanted to back, I tried just passively backing with her while continuing to ask her to circle, I tried everything. I think what I really need to do are a couple of things. 1. Forget about the fitness plan, or at least forget about doing it for 5 min straight on each side (for now). Maybe have her circle for 5 minutes, rest for 2, then circle another 5 (as we've been doing), but doing circles in either direction each set (rather than having her circle in one direction for 5, then the opp direction for the other 5; include both directions in each set of 5). I think she's using boredom as an added excuse. Keep her changing directions. Or, even just forget about so much circling and get her under-saddle and getting fit that way. Or pony her off of Koolaid! 2. Spend more friendly time with her. Since she's come back, she's had 2 weeks to herself really before being tossed into sweaty days in the hot UV rays. No wonder she really could give a rat's a** about me. I'm making her work. Hard. Lazy horse being made to work hard...yea I'm thinking she's probably got a reason to protest circling so much. Maybe just take her out for some good 1-on-1 grazing and rubbing time. So, I'll have to change some things up a bit with her, get her wanting to work with me. I'm proud of the foundation she's got on her and of how much she retained from our work last year, but I need to re-establish that partnership with her. Ugh, so much work. Hahahaha. Whoever said training horses was easy?? I also tossed myself up onto her back, bareback and with a halter, today. I guess I was, y'know, feeling a little like I needed to live more on the edge...what with Twist on such good behaviour now. Man I'm brilliant (jk!). She started at first but relaxed immediately afterwards. I didn't ask her to do anything, but just sat up there for a moment before dismounting. Yup, she'll be fine for some saddle work next week ;P I'm proud of my mare. As much of a challenge she is, I still love her. She's doing a good job and she's teaching me enough to last me a lifetime.

Wanted: Sleep. Dead or alive

Twist

Mustachio was fantastic today, little spooky, but overall great. We did our 7 games with the carrot stick today (which he was still a little suspicious about) before moving to under-saddle work. He was a little uptight under-saddle and was flexing a lot to his right while on the left rein, I'm actually finding it very difficult to get him to bend to the left when we're on the left rein! More work and his learning leg aids will eventually solve it though, so we'll keep plugging away at it. He did buck a bit, but mostly just some nervous crow-hopping; he did give me a little attitude though at one point, but he came around with some passive persistence on my part. I had originally planned to take him out today and tomorrow, but I felt like today (and tomorrow) was better put to use working on some basics. He's comfortable under-saddle, enough that I do not feel a trail ride would have been of great benefit - I felt like a stronger foundation would be a better choice. So we stayed in the pens and worked on figure-8's, circles on the rail, halt, back-up, and even turns on the forehand and hindquarter! He did very well and I look forward to making further progress with him tomorrow!

Gypsy

Today I had quite the trouble bringing her in from the pasture. Where yesterday I had been able to chase her into the alleyways and thus funnel her into a smaller pen, today she'd caught on and wasn't about to go anywhere near that alleyway! Eventually though I got her in and funneled her down once again to our "roundpen". 2 minutes later she was at the end of a lead. I think more roundpenning might be in our future, but today we spent time just touching her all over (except her legs) and grooming her. She was pretty nervous overall, but fairly good and less nervous than yesterday. I also left her this time, with Sunny, in the alleyway and closer pens rather than the pasture with Twist and the other ponies, so she should be easier to catch until I can catch her without trapping her!!

Sunny

I can definitely see that I had better be on my toes with this horse. I couple of times he gave me a little attitude, like I'd better watch my back, and several times when he was nervous about me, he swung his hindquarters into my face. Several periods of "oh shit, I'm gonna get the shit kicked out of me". He seems like a great horse, but I need to make sure I have his respect at all times and that I am a really strong leader. He did well at all 7 games today, very well. He seems to be becoming more and more comfortable with me as well, which is great - that's my exact goal with him this week. Next week we intro the saddle and get into some basic under-saddle work.

Missy

I didn't have too too much trouble catching her today, but I definitely need to work on earning her friendship, just spending some chilling time with her and such...there were a number of times during our work where she just wanted to be back in the pasture, so my work is cut out to get her to the point where she wants to work with me. She definitely seems to like being around me and she fully trusts me for the most part, but she doesn't necessarily want to work with me, lol. Nothing that involves sweat, at least! Haha. I ran her around the arena a couple of times to try and get some nice photos, but all I was able to get were these:

Nice, but not her usual movement, none of the really nice extended trot. Next, we worked on our 7 games and tried to clean up the porcupine (really trying to get her lighter - I know she can be, but she just doesn't want to yet, her focus isn't quite there so far), etc. For our circling game, we did some hill work. She's got a pretty nice topline, but I'd like to see further development on her topline and also overall fitness of course. So we spent 5 minutes trotting each side over a hill, with a 3-4 minute break in between. Except it was more like 7-8 minutes each side, because she started to throw tantrams to get back to Koolaid. She'd get to a specific area then just balk and back-up, taking her closer to Koolaid in the pasture. She'd refuse to move forward...ugh!!! Oh well, work in progress and it's only session 2 so far. I'm expecting to be able to pick up where we left off last year and that's unrealistic. She certainly remembers everything, but our partnership needs to be built back up again. Right now, Koolaid's her herd, not me. So, as usual, more work for me! Lol.