Welcome to: Onyx!

Alright, I admit it is a bit intimidating posting after so long away, because then I have so much to say - so I keep postponing it for 'when I have more time'. *snort* As if THAT is ever going to happen ;) So this is me, biting the bullet, and updating anyways. I will try to be more regular and with work starting back up and thus my being away from home on the road, the one thing I can look forward to (other than actual money in my pocket as opposed to hay and crumbling horse treats) is more time to write. Oh, and being away from people (of course I miss some people, but not the general populace, not gonna lie!). For the most part.

Toffee
We worked on a lot of trot before we hit our next bucking episode since I last posted. Toffee had decided he didn't need to trot, I gently attempted to pursuade him otherwise, and he declined by throwing some bucks my way. I came off - some profanity may or may not have been involved in the entire unplanned and rather uncomfortable dismount - and found myself kneeling, facing the arena wall, with someone's hocks digging into my back. All I could think was "oh shit, please don't let this horse kick me," because if he did, he was going to nail me real nice to that arena wall. That was the day I emailed his owners and asked for more time. He was already staying an extra few days and I asked them to extend his stay by another 30 days so that I could have time to work out all his little issues. I promptly (and yes, I did ride him immediately after he bucked me off that day) gave the man a few consecutive days off and did nothing with him but bring him in and love on him. Food and grooming. The way to any man's heart. I hoped I wasn't just wasting time, but I desperately needed to change his perspective from one of resistance to one of willingness - he had to want to do what I asked. I felt the key was spending undemanding time and creating that 'draw'. The problem wasn't his misunderstanding me and becoming fearful, the problem was he wasn't trying and had no care to do as I asked. After three days of catering to him, I finally strapped the saddle back on and re-tried this thing we call riding. He was much better!!! Our last major bucking stint happened a few days later. Some boys had just finished roping at one end of the arena. So far, so good. Except Toffee was pretty convinced he should be allowed to stand quietly at one end of the arena. You know, kinda like all the cowboys' horses tied up at that end, enjoying some quiet time and relaxation. Toffee thought they had the right idea. It started with slowing at that end of the arena and finally progressed to stopping completely at that end and generally being resistant. I would push him through my phases and spank him lightly with the end of the rein, and we'd be off again (albeit crooked)...to go through it all again 30 seconds later as we passed the same spot. Finally he'd had enough. I am going to stop here. What - no? Should I rear and flip instead? No? Okay. Hmm. What's that? You want me to move forward? Oh I'll move forward alright...and a pretty spectacular bolt and bucking spree ensued. The cowboys all turned their chairs to smoke their cigars and drink their beer with a full view of us. Thanks boys ;) Toffee bucked as hard as he could, he bolted, I yelled, I pushed him forward, and finally he gave up and the two of us continued on our way. Henceforth, Toffee has been extremely willing. His w/t is up to par, he rarely spooks (and if he does, it is mostly simply a jump in his own tracks), he does sidepass and leg yields, is moving off my leg directionally, and stopping and backing without rein - all pretty consistently. We have even managed some canter! Today was the most we achieved, with canter down nearly the entire long sides of the arena, with very little buck. Rather than the bucking sprees I was seeing before, if he bucks now it is simply a gentle crowhop that is easy to sit. I am gradually getting more canter out of him and am better able to push him with his decreased resistance. The last hiccup we had was a few days ago when he became a little reactive on me and started bucking - but promptly stopped when I brought his head to my knee. Apparently one should never give green horses 4 consecutive days off for a long weekend. Lesson learnt Captain.

Cody
My painted warhorse has been absolutely amazing as of late! I have done less liberty work with him as of late, but he has been much more willing to trust with the increased schedule, and I have mostly figured out how to 'unlock' him under-saddle. While he continues to remain pretty tense under-saddle and tries to keep his body straight rather than supple, he is slowly starting to supple up and relax. The key was galloping him out. Where before it was difficult to get him to trust you enough to canter out, now he actually seems to enjoy moving out, and his walk and trot become so much more relaxed after he has been allowed to move forward. Today, he actually volunteered to canter and gallop, and even do sliding stops!!! So we have been doing a ton of forward work, from galloping to sliding stops (he is just built to stop!!) and rollbacks. Today was absolute bliss, though he was a little reactive, particularly at first. He was so willing to please and nervous he was continuously trying to anticipate my next move to do what I asked - I had to be careful how I even so much as breathed (no joke!), else he'd misinterpret me, haha. I am trying to teach him to stop the minute the reins hit his neck (when I drop them, as if I were roping) and he is quickly picking it up. Otherwise his stop is fantastic the minute I weight the stirrups and sit deep, but I have to sit properly if I want that beautiful sliding stop, so I have been working on myself for that. I also switched him over from the french link full cheek snaffle to a D-ring with a low port. Enough for tongue relief, but not for pallet pressure, plus each side of the bit (on either side of the port) moves independently, so I can communicate to each side of his mouth independent from the other for more specific movements and corrections. It's sweet iron as a bonus and is even rusted out a bit, so he seems in love. I had forgotten though his fear of having his ears being handled and touched and slipped on a bridle with an earpiece while chatting away with another rider. I'm watching Cody out of the corner of my eye, and he's got one ear right back, so at the back of my mind, as I chat, I am racking my brain to figure out what is going on. It didn't make sense with the rest of his body language - was he about to do something? I was almost ready to jump out of the way, just by what I was picking up from his body language, when I laughed as I realised what was going on. He had never worn an earpiece with me and was trying to figure out what to do with it - haha!! He seemed ok with it though so I brushed any worry aside and mounted up - he was fine. With the new bit (which is very simple and actually gentler than the french link), his mouth was really soft and he was really flexing at the vertical and playing with it. He also gave me some absolutely fantastic spins! He almost got me off once or twice even, as I had not been expecting his spins to be as quick as they were, lol. I might have myself a little reining horse here!

Princess
The little Arabian is also doing fantastic and is learning to relax. I also have her in the same bit that Cody is in and she has been much improved even since that switchover! We have been hitting the fields both with other riders and alone, and she is even working well in the outdoor arena without being too spooky or otherwise distracted. Her biggest challenge is relaxation - she tends to try to keep her body really straight so she can bolt, and she travels crooked down the long sides. Slowly though she is improving and learning to relax, particularly since we have been working outside - it's like she conquers working outside and so figures working inside is not so bad and so she can, y'know, maybe relax! Haha. She is developing a really nice low and long frame at the walk, which is a huge step for her. I would love to see that same frame at the trot, then at the canter, but we might not see it at the canter before she has to return home - we'll see though. The other day she and I hit up the fields for some trot and canter - she was pretty hesitant and I could feel a few times where (at the canter) she considered bolting, but she went very very well and never really made any missteps (a couple spooks at some scary shadows that that suspicious-acting grass was casting, but that's it!). She is really allowing me more and more to move her barrel and bend, and I've been teaching her inside leg to outside rein to really encourage suppleness and relaxation. Her leg yields and sidepass are beautiful though, as are her w/t/c transitions and her halt and back-up (both the latter occurring on a loose rein). She is making a ton of advanced progress simultaneous with the basics, so she should go home to a very happy owner come mid-June!! The highlight of my day is walking to her paddock and having her whinny happily to me as she follows me down the fence and meets me at the gate - even if we had both left the last session a little frustrated! The girl's a trooper!!

Link
THE MAN has been a charming young lad as of late (ok, so he always is, haha!). He is consistently on the bit and his transitions (including walk to canter) and leads (particularly that right lead) continue to improve. We have been gradually progressing our work - essentially plugging away at all the same exercises we have been. Our key challenge right now is straightness, particularly on the left rein, but we are slowly getting there. I also purchased another book of exercises I hope will help us. The highlight ride for me, with him, was a few days ago because a) he and I had so much fun and b) I had the workout of my life! The following day I looked like...well, like something unpleasant had happened to me the day prior. I won't lie, it took a lot of focus and concentration to attempt to walk properly, and even then I am sure others weren't fooled and saw the wounded duck waddle I was attempting so desperately to hide. Thankfully, the guy I am seeing made no mention of my inability to walk, either because he was too polite to poke fun at me over it or because he was too afraid to ask (lmao!), I will probably never know. This fantastic ride started off with a little outdoor arena work - Link was focused and completely in sync with me. It felt so amazing to have all that power beneath me, just waiting for my next request. He is really starting to fill out muscularly as well now as he matures, so I really feel like I have a lot of horse beneath me! You could feel the energy before, but now you feel so much power beneath that energy. It's like feeling the difference between a nice domestic sports car and american muscle (hehehe). Mmmm. But back to the ride. We did all our usual exercises with my chilling to my ipod as I rode - I really enjoyed the rhythm and relaxation as a result of the music, and as a result Link seemed to be looser and suppler. So we threw in some jumping. I say it like we jumped a course, but really all it was, was about 18'' of cavelleti. But it was fun nonetheless! The first time he dropped his hinds on it for what I am sure was a very comfortable bruising on his hooves, but after that I gathered him a bit beforehand and ensured he put more impulsion in at the base of the jump. It was a blast!! We did both trot and canter to and away and even tried some tight turns and quick maneuvers. He really worked well with me and did not get hot at all. After say the third jump he went to rush the fourth, but I just quietly backed him down and afterwards he was pure bliss! My legs were already protesting slightly when I decided it was a good day for a run in the fields. I couldn't bear for the fun to end! So off we went. No psychotic episodes, not even once. There were a few times he froze up, but rather than losing his head, he simply continued on when I asked, albeit maybe with a jig or two once or twice. We actually did a lot of galloping and I even felt sufficiently comfortable to trust him to gallop downhill and even let him out some for an honest run. A few times he got a little swept up in the moment and would pick up speed, but it was never much to gently bring him back down - he was incredibly responsive. Finally, headed home, I decided I could trust him to let him out all the way. I think he was a little surprised, because at first he ran - but didn't switch into any of his higher gears, really. Not that he wasn't already going fast! But when he hit one of his higher gears, tears started streaming down my face, the wind was hitting my face so hard, haha!! I say 'one of his' higher gears, because although he really kicked in, I could really feel more reserve power. He wasn't done, but we were running out of road, hahaha! There was SO much power and speed there, it was incredible. My legs were burning by that time (what? I have legs? That's funny, I can't feel any...), but I wanted to do some last arena work outside and cool him out. That boy hardly even dropped a sweat, even though I picked up a mild sunburn due to the warmth. Apparently though he has been practicing his running skills out in the field though and annoying all the other horses with his competitiveness. Apparently he always has to win and outpowers anyone and everyone...surprise surprise ;P





Onyx
Meet Link's little sister! Well, half-sister, actually. She's four, she's gorgeous, and she has got the best mind I have seen in awhile. She was re-started as a 3yo after being 'cowboyed' when she was started as a 2yo. She certainly does not wholly trust people at times, but she will come around. She has a short flight distance when she reacts, is incredibly intelligent, and thinks the situation through. She doesn't spook easily and moves like a dream. Did I mention she is gorgeous?? And built like tank (well, for a 4yo TB filly!!) - as a 4YO!! I wish I could keep her, but I picked her up as a project horse and a project horse she must remain. If I had the property, she'd be here to stay in a heartbeat, but I cannot afford to board another horse for no other purpose than that I love her, haha. So instead I will make sure she goes to a good home. So far she has allowed me on bareback in a halter and has been fantastic under-saddle with w/t/c. Very balanced, very soft, very responsive, sensitive, willing, and supple. She is almost where Link is at now, really - she has none of his challenges or obstacles to overcome. My goal is to advance her further, have her jumping small jumps (cross-rails, maybe 2'6'' at most), and showing by July. She is very well bred too, which is a bonus. And she's gorgeous. Oh, did I already mention that? Oops, sorry (PS. I am not really sorry...really) :P

Silver
Still hanging around and desperately needs his feet done but my dad (my farrier!) has been busy as heck. Might be time to hire someone (oh joy) to come in and do his feet instead. Last farrier told me to shank Onyx when she fearfully pulls away. Yes, yes, great idea buddy. Scare the already scared horse. How bout this: you train your horses your (*cough* *cough* shitty *cough*) way, and I will train my horses my way - without fear. I took buddy (uh, Silver, not the farrier) out though for a ride the other day. He did fantastic in the arena, so we headed out for a quick trail ride. He was great, our ride even encompassing a flat-out gallop...until we headed back. He was hesitant further out from home (away from home) but did as I asked politely, but headed back home he started to lose his marbles a bit. I think he was trying to blame it on the bugs and while he did have a bit of a case there (he is hyper-sensitive to bugs *roll eyes*), I think he made a bit of a bigger deal out of it than really necessary. All in all though I was proud of him, because he certainly did well and placed a lot of trust in my leadership after my not having even seen him for a few months now. I miss my boy. I am hoping that by next spring I can afford to bring him over to where Link is at, so that I can work with him more, but in the mean time I will keep searching for a potential lessee.

Koolaid
His lease is up and his lessee wants to keep him an additional month, so he will not be available again now until July 1, at which time I do hope to have him leased out once more. He was doing very well though with his young rider and is apparently jumping about 2'6...they say he is maxed out at that height, but *snort* there is no way. I am sorry, but this is a horse I myself have jumped at 4' (oxers, to boot). That is not to say he can do that now and on a consistent basis, but 2'6 is nothing for him and he is only 10 this year. Oh well though. I think what has happened more likely than not is that he is not 'hot' enough, not that he doesn't have the scope. It's ok though, as long as he is happy.

Sky
Ah, yes, Skylar. The first horse I have ever returned to an owner. I have not done much with her (well, not successfully), but I thought her being the first horse to ever be returned warranted a brief spot on this blog. This mare is 7 and is definitely not halter-broke. And she is probably a hefty 1,300lbs. Now, normally in halter-breaking a colt, there will be some resistance, but at maybe 200lbs or heck even 500lbs, it's pretty easy even for some flaky stick girl to prevent said animal from taking off (unless they are Paris Hilton, of course). Colt turns to run, handler simply turns colt back. Colt looks back at handler, surprised, and so the process begins. Colt learns that it is easier to lead and to move off of pressure than it is to try to run off (which won't be successful). Yup. Now try that at 1,300lbs. On a horse you thought was halter-broke. I thought she was coming in to be started under-saddle. Granted, I knew she probably needed some ground manners 101 installed (they all do to an extent, usually), but I figured she was at least halter-broke. I knew she had not been tied, but I was not really worried about that. She leads, right? I mean, you guys get her to places somehow? Yes? Great! Fantastic! *hands clap* let's get started then! Yes, fantastic. Fanfuckingtastic. Everyone loves rope burn, right? Well all 1,300lbs of this mare is most certainly not halter-broke, nor does any ounce of that muscle have any respect for humans. This is how day one goes. I enter pasture, horse comes trotting up. Ooo, fantastic! Horse promptly turns bum in and trots off. Sub-optimal. I toss a rope at her to move that hind end away. And I plod after her, finally catching up to her at one end of the pasture. She walks up to me, I quickly strap on the halter, very aware that she is poised to run over me, particularly as all the other boss mares crowd us. I can't chase boss mares away for fear of scaring stupid mare here (I don't really mean that, she probably isn't stupid, but I like to think she is - makes me feel better), and I can't get little miss mare off of me (correction: BIG miss mare) for the life of me. Ok, no worries. My heart in my throat and fully aware I am in an accident waiting to happen (you had to be there to feel it, but it was there - I am rarely afraid of such situations, but this was one to be wary of), I lead mare up to the gate. Where she promptly crushes me. Ok, ok. So far...uh, sub-optimal. So I lead mare through the gate (a more complicated procedure than necessary, thanks to stupid mare) and have to now keep another boss and very snarky mare off of us. Oh joy. I finally get mare into the barn, where she promptly dances about. But I get her groomed up, I spend some time with her, I even play a few games with her. She's ok and I decide that is enough for both of us that day. I am tired of having to have my guard up constantly and the eyes on the back of my head are working overtime, plus she has had a good experience without pushing her too far. She is dull to pressure and immune to body language. Day two. I catch miss mare and lead her all the way up to the barn, albeit with some halts and eye rolling as she takes halting steps. I brought a spur this time and have a chain over her nose. The spur is to hold against my side so she cannot run into me (I just hold the spur and allow her to run into it so that it is her choice to move off the pressure), and the chain is to maintain some illusion of control. Extreme measures on my part and not something I usually do, but extreme situations call for extreme measures, and if it is going to be either her or me, it is going to be her. My safety comes first. I snap the chain maybe once, gently, so she knows it is there, and she seems to understand and even maybe start to mind me a little. She crunches me into the gate again but after an intimate encounter with the spur, where she thought my hip would be, she moves off of me, surprised, and gives me a little space. I am impressed and even pocket the spur, thinking I might not even have to use it again. I am even a little proud that it was that easy to overcome such a bully on the ground. She 'forgets' a few times afterwards but is essentially pretty mindful. We get to the barn and she suddenly decides she has never seen such a dangerous contraption. She backs away. I gently lead her back. With some gentle persuasion, she walks all the way in. I breathe a sigh of relief. And she promptly backs out. Though I am not applying pressure on the lead rope or the nose chain (that is not what the nose chain is for), she backs out of the barn as if it were on fire, rears once she is outside, and spins away from me. Helloooo rope burn. She tears back to her buddies, my lead rope trailing through the mud. I grudgingly go back and get her, having to corner her (because by now she's got herself worked up), and lead her back to the barn. Before we even get to the entrance, she rears again, pulls away, and goes back to her buddies. I give up. Day three I decide to try forgetting the barn and see if I can instead lead her to the indoor arena (indoor, so that I hopefully have her focus). My goal is to spend some quality time with her so she is not reactive and so she is trusting me, but I also want to teach her to move off of pressure and body language. By some miracle, I get her into the arena and we start. Sort of. She half pays attention, half starts working herself up. I can't get her to do something she doesn't know, so I am stuck with trying to gain her focus by teaching her something new. What does she do? Ah, classic: she rears and pulls away. At first, I try to approach her. No go. Then, I decide maybe I can use the arena like a roundpen and teach her to come in to me. No go. Finally I simply stand back and watch. She tears around frantically, as if her tail is on fire, screaming to her buddies outside. I wait, and wait, and wait. She is lathered, sweat is dripping off everywhere, and she is still running. Finally I have had enough. I open the gate at the near side of the arena, she tears through, and I manage to (somehow, without being run over) corner her and catch her. Leading her back to her pasture is more akin to water-skiing. Day four is much the same with even worse results - because she now knows she can simply pull away (after all, what is all small human weight of ME going to do about it?!), so she does so immediately, without even trying to do what I am asking (allow me to pet and rub her), and resumes her maniac run-around once more. Day five I have the brilliant idea of working her in the now-dry roundpen. Oh, and did I mention that I find out later that her rear and pull away thing is something she also does at home? And that the supposedly halter-broke horse is really only 'barely' halter-broke? I mean, not that I hadn't noticed the latter and guessed the former... Apparently she is also fond of pushing over people at home too, which was obvious by the practiced way in which she barreled me with her shoulder and threatened me with her hinds. Yup. So, round pen. I manage to lure her into it with the aid of a grain bucket. I may or may not have been grumbling under my breath at this point, for having to stoop to such low levels. We actually have some success with the roundpen and although it is not perfect, she is not pulling away so much and is actually responding. Apparently fat horses don't like to run in the sun. So having her connect and 'join up' with me is not overly difficult, considering. Since she now likes me (because she doesn't have to work when she chooses to be around me), she actually focuses on what I ask of her. So far, so good. The next sessions are decent. She is learning pulling away gets her nowhere really, that she can move out of my space (yes, even when I am on her right-hand side, surprise!), that moving off of pressure is another possibility, and that turning your bum in to me is sub-optimal. We are making progress and although it is hard work, I am satisfied. Then all hell breaks loose. Heaven forbid, I actually try to ask her to work for me on a - *gasp* overcast day. Then it starts to rain. Miss mare runs me over, rears and pulls away, refuses to circle to the right, and goes into panic mode. I can't stop her, so last resort is to open the roundpen gate. She bolts over to me and I just manage to pry her off my being. I lead her to her pasture and although the session was a wreck, I at least have some satisfaction in her being a little respectful to lead to her pasture. It gets worse, don't worry. Next session she again refuses to work with me. And the next. Finally, the last straw was another (oh no!) overcast day in the roundpen. I ask her simple things. Like, you know, allowing me to pet her. Relax. No go. Move off of pressure? Sort of. Move out of my space? Decent, actually. Yo-yo game? Ok. Circle game? Wha-? To the left she is fine, but to the right, she decides (and you can actually see her thinking - this was not reactiveness) that she doesn't want to. So what does she do? Yessiree, she pulls away. She pulls away then trots over to the side of the roundpen where she can see and scream at her friends. I try to roundpen her. She decides instead to climb the fence (again, very clearly thinking - not fearful). It is only a matter of time before she actually successfully scales the fence and learns that is an option in addition to rearing and pulling away. Not worth my time. I was tired of being run over, mauled, crushed against things, feet dangling in my face, asses threatening me, rope burn as she kindly decided now was a good time to leave, and general disrespect. What this mare needs? An enclosed roundpen with high walls - the kind she cannot see out of. She needs to be fed and watered by her trainer, so that she is dependent, and solely dependent, on him/her (and said him/her needs to be strong enough to stop her plowing through them). Then maybe she will focus. Even then, to teach her to think through situations and not go into complete right-brain melt-down mode would be a challenge, and to teach her she cannot simply do as she pleases - would be a challenge. She is 1,300lbs of spoiled horse. I couldn't even imagine her under-saddle and honestly it was not worth the risk. I feel a bit of a failure for being unable to do much with this one, but I felt like I tried everything I could within my capabilities and given the facilities I have at hand. I cannot keep her by herself, which I really feel would be important to her progress. In addition, it was not worth the risk to me, even if I could continue working with her. She was downright dangerous - not because she was mean or anything (she wasn't), but because of her disregard and disrespect for people. If she wanted to do something, she did it, and if you were in the way - you were shit outta luck. Lastly, I did not feel right charging her owners to work on simple groundwork with her, halter-breaking her and instilling manners. If it was progressing her and we did even 30 days of groundwork but she was a completely different horse by the end of that month, then I would have no problem with it. We could work on under-saddle work over the next 30 days she was to stay with me. But that wasn't the case. I was working on leading. Basic halter-breaking. Not worth my risk and not worth their money. She had might as well be somewhere where the trainer has the appropriate facilities and skillset (and physical strength!) to handle her so that she can be progressed further than I could given my situation. I hate to admit a failure, but this one was unbelievable...she really was worse than I make her sound, even. *shiver*

Back down to business

This is my attempt at getting back into blogging regularly ;) So, a brief outline of how everyone is doing, as well as future blogs I promise to publish:

Princess - Right-brain extrovert
She did not know anything about leg aids, but this little mare is brilliant. Just by using my legs as I do naturally, on all horses, she picked it up - I did not even have to really take the time out to teach her leg aids specifically, as I normally would! I have taken such time out, however it was only to further cement what she had already obviously learnt from our previous rides. She is also very keen to move off of pressure, hence the reason I believe she picked up the leg aids so easily. She already side-passes like a dream, is starting leg yields, and is moving off of my leg into the wall and such when she is spooky to the wall. She is pretty relaxed at the walk now and really stretches out her frame nicely, and her trot is starting to have less arc to the outside wall and is becoming more relaxed and rhythmic. All in time though! Her canter I have been mostly letting her pick up on her own when she feels like it, to motivate her to do it. If she does it by her own volition, then hopefully she will do it when I ask it of her as we progress ;) We do a bit when I ask too, but just short stints with lots of praise at the end, as she has a bit of a sour attitude about it for whatever reason. We also fixed some initial sourness and reluctance by switching saddles from the one she was sent down with, which was obviously pinching, and one I have that fits her alright (much better than the one she was in at least). Lastly, last week I even took her out for a short trail ride alongside another horse!! She was fantastic. Today huge gales battered the sides of the arena and snow kept sliding off the roof but as spooky as she was, she trusted me and did very well. So far we have also worked with tarps and ropes - she becomes more comfortable each time. She is extremely curious and is developing confidence and thus relaxation. Very very responsive and light!! She also stopped pacing her pen as well and is no longer pulling back when tied (though I do not tie her hard), more signs of her progressive relaxation.

Toffee - Left brain extrovert
Toffee Toffee Toffee. The little man is doing well but still has a bit of an attitude. Overall though I think I am overcoming it. We lost a lot of time initially with his being sick and today we lost another day - there was no way I was taking him into that arena with the weather the way it was - I just did not feel the benefits would outweigh the potential risk and lack of progress (or even digression) we would likely make. So I am hoping that tomorrow is a bit better weather-wise, and I will likely ask his owners to leave him with me a couple extra days so that he can get all his days in. He is pretty good but just is a bit independent - wants things his way. So it's a challenge molding him so that he wants to do what I want! We will get there though ;) He is comfortable with w/t but no leg aids or such yet, and no canter. Canter was our nemesis when he was a 2yo at the Trainer's Challenge as well - I anticipate it has to do with a lack of strength and balance (and so I have been very cautious in my asking for the canter and building him to it). I might try ponying him at the canter?? I did ask him to canter the other day, but it was on a day where he was already feeling unconfident, and I knew I was pushing him. He just picked up speed at the trot and I thought that if I could just get him to canter a couple strides along the long side of the arena, then stop him, it'd be good. He had other ideas however, and became quite resistant. Finally, he jumped from the trot...into a buck. Okay, so into several bucks. For such a little guy who needs to pick up weight, that little horse can buck!! I can usually ride it out, but not this one, not this time. He went up, I started to come off, he went up again, and I was off. I caught a lot of air and smashed down onto my right knee and left hand for an intimate discussion with the dirt. That conversation may or may not have lasted several minutes (hint: it did), my dog circling me protectively as said little horse approached me cautiously. Somehow I even have bruising on the inside of my left thigh - from the saddle? Lol! I did climb my way back up and back onto that horse for some walk and trot. He was quite jittery, but some walk and trot throughout future sessions will fix that ;) As I always say, a horse bucking is usually the rider's fault - you can't blame the horse for acting like a horse, he is simply responding. This horse is not going to make the progress a horse such as Princess will, however I am hoping I can have him comfortable with w/t/c (the canter being limited to his lack of strength and balance, so along straight lines and such) and halting/moving out based on my weight shifts, as well as very light and responsive to my hands on the reins. I think I also might move him into a bit this week - not something I usually do but perhaps appropriate in his case.

(just look at that bum! It's just made for sitting and spinning after cattle!!! Haha)

Cody
My little painted man is doing fantastic! He is developing a great stop on him, is moving off my leg fairly well, and is even up to the canter under-saddle!! He is starting to relax a little more, though sometimes it takes some liberty work on the ground first to get him to loosen up and 'let me in'. I am very pleased with his progress though and look forward to getting him into some reining patterns soon :P

(he actually looks a lot better than his photos portray, haha, it's just that I can never seem to catch a good photo of him standing proper!! Lol. We just need to lay down more topline and rip up those abs!)

Link
Same as Cody really, Link is doing greatgreatgreat. He is loose and relaxed, engaging at the trot, and is mostly picking up the correct lead in the canter going to the right when asked within the first try or two. I tried him out in a Nurtural bitless bridle the other day though and have to admit I was rather disappointed. He was great in it and moved out mostly as usual, however I did not feel the subtler communication I had been hoping for: for example, he really had no idea I was even wiggling my fingers up there - I actually had to use arm muscle. I realise it would grow more refined as he and I get used to it...but it just was not the same. Even when we picked up the canter, rather than picking up the bit and just focusing, he really hollowed on me, like the old days. We did end up jumping in the bitless though! I had jumped him over the barrels (approx. 2') on the ground initially - it was amazing, because he usually tried to duck out in the past, and I always had to have the barrels against the wall. But since all the progress we've made, this time was different! He was so calm and jumped so easily and willingly! So, why not try it under-saddle? In a dressage saddle! Lol. He was a little unconfident, but when I just let him go and pushed him forward, he jumped very well!! I was so surprised though, he handled it so beautifully. He was cool as a little cucumber going over those jumps. We are definitely going to continue with the dressage, but I think he's ready, mentally and emotionally, to start jumping!! Luckily, the owner of the arena is going to bring in some jumps as well - bonus! End of our ride yesterday I even let one of Sonny's riders, an 11(?)yo, take Link for a good 20min or so spin. He was doing well with me and I thought he'd do well with the younger rider - he did not disappoint :) Our current 'project' though is to develop more straightness, as right now he tends to really lean to the inside on the left rein and to really grab the bit on that (non-hollow) side. We'll get there ;)

New trainees!

So reeeal quick I thought I would update here to start back into the swing of blogging (and yes, I fully intend to blog on The Perfect Horse, I am hoping tomorrow!

Wednesday April 7 I ended up working with both Link and Cody; work under-saddle with Link and simple groundwork outdoors with Cody. Both were absolutely fantastic, with Cody doing exceptionally well at all 7 games as well as initiating some confidence and curiosity toward a pair 0f blue horse-eating barrels, despite the high winds. Link worked well in the indoor arena seeing how by the time I got to him it was too windy to do anything outdoors! He came into my hands and on the bit, lifted at the base of his neck, allowed his rounded back to swing, and stepped beneath himself quite nicely with very little encouragement! He even picked up the correct canter lead on the right rein without too much difficulty - it took a few tries but he kept at it and instead of going hollow when he was uptight, he actually stretched down and forward and picked up contact! All the impulsion he obtained from the canter was beautifully recycled through my hands - I loved it!! Eventually he did get the correct lead at the canter to the right, and he immediately picked up the correct lead to the left. We wrapped it up finally with some liberty work; at first I simply removed the bridle but left the reins around Link's neck, but ultimately I even removed the reins, since he was obviously in tune with me and very responsive. It was funny though, as I directed him near the fence during one pass of the arena at liberty, and laid his bridle on said fence as we passed. Of course (Murphy's Law!), the bridle fell, spooking Link, who shot forward a little. Immediately, my heart leapt into my throat - I was on a horse I wasn't sure I could trust, who had bundles of energy, who tended to 'lose his mind', who loved to run, and on whom I had nothing on his head. Fan-frickin-tastic!! As I leaned forward and panicked though, I reminded myself that I just had to relax and ask him to slow. Sure enough, as if he were reassuring me as well, he dropped right back into a walk immediately. He could easily have taken advantage of the situation and the 'Old Link' undoubtably would have, but this Link instead acted like a true and honest partner!

April 8 my time with Cody was limited to grooming him and his standing tied, politely, for a good hour or so (outdoors, in the wind), while I was busy with some clients and their horse coming in for training. However I had the great opportunity of riding with J (Link's rider over the winter), who rode Sonny, in the arena! Link was actually quite distracted and while pretty calm, he did not focus on me and follow my leadership quite as easily. We worked quietly at it though until he was collecting and working correctly from behind, which did admittedly take longer than usual due to his lack of focus. I was so proud of him though when he started to finally come around, and then especially as he held contact consistently! We finished with some amazing trot (plenty of impulsion while collected consistently and on the bit!), after finishing up the canter in either direction. This time it took only two tries to pick up the correct lead to the right, and the first time I asked for the canter to the right, from the trot, he picked it up incredibly quietly as if he were an old plow horse :) So proud! A huge blizzard hit while we were in the arena and so of course rain and hail could be heard on the metal roof and the wind was gusting all round, banging one of the arena doors loudly and also blowing snow in beneath said door. What most impressed me was how quiet both horses were, but especially Link, and how willing he was to go onto the aids (including picking up the bit of course) despite his fear at times! I would feel him stiffening and eyeing up the snow gusting in (initially) and simply bent him in the opposite direction and he instantly relaxed and went back to work - but the best part was that he allowed me to put him on the aids and ask him to relax! What a partner :)

April 9 was my first session with the new gelding and another session with Cody. The new gelding is a tiny (right around the 14hh mark) 4yo black Morgan gelding, Toffee. I actually competed on this little guy as a 2yo in a Trainer's Challenge, so I have had him under-saddle performing various tasks and w/t, though he has probably had maybe an hour and a half total under-saddle and no other work since I worked on him. He is definitely a little challenging, since he is definitely opinionated on what he wants! He will rear or even kick out occasionally, though not necessarily really to challenge my authority (not directly), but rather he'd just prefer to do what he wants, haha. As such though, he does not put a whole lot of effort behind it though and is fairly easy to work with. Our first session I pulled a good horse's worth of hair off of him, lol, prior to our work in the indoor arena. He was not sufficiently focused to learn the sideways game and just did not quite grasp it, however he did all 6 other games! He was fairly unfocused however did very well for his first outing. Cody did fantastic as usual - at all 7 games, despite riders in the arena, and he and I finished off with a short bareback ride. When I first threw my leg over, I could feel he was extremely tense - his back was very humped up and I wondered if I had made the wrong decision by getting on his back. This horse has never been ridden bareback, to my knowledge, and has not been ridden under-saddle for a good several months now (7?), plus he was only in a rope halter at this time. As I quietly urged him forward though and gave him the time he needed to think, gradually he 'unfroze' to walk calmly at one end of the arena. I only asked for simple patterns - primarily circles and figure-8's, as well as turns on the fore and hind, back-up, and turns off of leg and seat as opposed to hand. He was actually extremely responsive and light, even to leg! All in all, I was quite impressed with his demeanor and how he handled himself and what was requested of him.

The following day, April 9, ended up being a Toffee and Link day! Toffee progressed on the ground, though still no sidepass yet. He was quite a bit more focused though, and did very well (plus, we pulled off another quarter of horse worth of hair, lol!). Lastly, I worked with Link once more, starting off with our usual ground exercises (at which he excelled of course) prior to swinging up into the saddle. By the time I was in the saddle, it was just after 3pm...with roping starting in the arena at 4pm, LOL! So next thing I know, all sorts of cowboys are pulling up in their trailers and unloading their horses (eager beavers these ones, since they weren't actually looking to start until 4! Haha) - whilst I am on this big Thoroughbred, in a dressage saddle. I think we all found it just a little amusing! Lol. Link was absolutely amazing though, especially despite all the commotion of horses being unloaded, the horses tied to the arena fence, ropes whistling, and people moving about. I could not have been more chuffed, he just behaved amazingly well and worked so in tune with me. I was especially surprised that he did not spook at anything at all at times when I knew he was in deep concentration - it was like magic! It took very very little coaxing before he was on the bit and working from behind. He was also exceptionally light at leg yields, was picking up his left inside shoulder (he tends to drop it and get heavy on the bit on that side at times), and was super responsive. When I asked for the canter, he picked up the right lead on the very first try!! He was a little more reactive this time round and was not straight, but I was not complaining ;) Of course his left lead was fine as well, and I actually had him mostly straight in that direction. We finished with a relaxed cool-out that encompassed dropping my reins (despite other horses in the arena) and simply guiding him with my seat and legs. Wow! I have to admit, as much as I loved that first 'magic' ride on Link awhile back, I was scared I would not see it again for a long while; yet instead he is only becoming increasingly consistent and is moving absolutely beautifully!! :)

While I lacked the time to do any work with my equine trainees, Sunday our new arrival was Princess, a 6yo grey Arabian mare! She is apparently quite well bred and is a very nice looking RBI mare who is in for some remedial training. Her owner's issue with her is that Princess can become quite right-brain reactive at times, especially if she is pushed. Her owner has done plenty of groundwork on her but is looking for 60 days for Princess to be more confident and reliable (calmer, braver, smarter) under-saddle. Photos of both her and Toffee soon!

Monday April 12 was my Princess and Toffee day! Toffee was first and it was soon discovered he had a bit of a bad cold (poor guy), so we kept our work down to a walk and very very little trot. He did very well though and we worked as well on his allowing me to lie over his bare back...something he was honestly not quite that fond of! He's still a pretty narrow and undeveloped colt and came out of winter a little on the thin side though, so I think partially he just wanted his own way, but also that he did not appreciate my weight upsetting his balance and my elbows inadvertently digging into his back! He actually got quite indignant about it and even crow-hopped once and kicked out at me another time, but we plugged away at it patiently until he was standing quiet while I lay over either sides briefly. I think I might just work with the saddle from here, and I will have to be careful how much I push him - he really is not physically capable of too much at this time in his development, in my opinion. I am thinking strictly w/t in the arena and wait to canter until he is outside in the hills and has more of a straight line to balance himself out. We'll see though. I was fairly excited to work with Princess and see how she was, and I was certainly not let down! She was careful and tentative, but also very curious. If I asked correctly, it was literally only a matter of moments before she was walking up to and sniffing previously-deemed 'dangerous horse-eating' objects :P She was a little opinionated with her front end (she is also in heat though), as expressed by the occasional flattened ears and not being quite as responsive with her front end. I was extremely impressed though and left playing the 7 games with her feeling like it was my privilege to be working with her - and I'm being paid for this?!! Haha. I am very thrilled to be working with her - she is light, responsive, intelligent, and has a strong ground foundation to work off of. Just the horse I would look for for myself! I laid over her back as well, but she completely ignored me as if I were not even there ;) I look forward to riding her these next two months for sure, especially in the mountains if possible.

That's about it! I was in a course both Tuesday and Wednesday and will finish off the course next Monday/Tuesday. I am also away this weekend and so the horses will not be worked Saturday/Sunday/Monday, between my travel and my course. I have it all worked out though - Link, Cody, Princess and Toffee are all up on my roster and both client horses are set up for 20 days of work over their 30 days. So stay tuned for updates! My goal this week (and henceforth) with Link is to get him in condition and to continue his consistency at collection. I am so pleased with him - not only is he developing physically into a very nice horse (he has definitely filled out everywhere and has grown an inch to now stand 16.2hh!), but he is also really acting like a prime partner when we work together. I will probably start all three other horses under-saddle this week - Cody, Princess, and Toffee, though my expectations of Toffee will obviously be quite low yet. At this point, I just want him to accept weight on his back and to be desensitized to the saddle and all its riggings. Next week I would like to throw some curve balls at both Princess and Toffee by playing with tarps and other such 'terrifying' objects, lol. Should be fun!

Already Toffee's owners have booked in another horse with me over May and I have another owner with a formerly abused 7yo Paint mare who is also requesting to be booked - so it should be a busy summer!!

I will post photos of everyone soon!

Home: for good this time!!

I have actually got some things going on in my life and my computer time is rather limited ever since my laptop decided its best option was to shut down for life...so this posting will be rather short! More to come next week though.

Friday, my first day back home (I have been away for 3 weeks!!) I originally went out to the barn to ride Sonny but ended up riding Link instead - what a joy!! Link seemed pretty happy to see me, even walking up to me initially in the pasture and following me out easily to the barn to be tacked up. I decided to work him in the outdoor arena, since I knew already he would be fine indoors - might as well work where it is hardest! My theory is that if I have got his attention and focus outdoors and further desensitize him to working in such a distractive environment, that he will only be that much better. Initially he was pretty strung out outside; on the ground he tore around like a madman and could not keep his feet still. After working with him for about 5 minutes however, I eventually got him down to a walk on the circling game, and very responsive and quiet with the other 7 games (including the sideways game without use of the wall and having him spiral in and out at the trot on the circling game). We did some w/t/c on the ground, including having him pick up the correct lead at the canter traveling right, prior to finishing up our maybe 10-15 minute stint on the ground with some 'follow-me'; I acted as if he were loose, held out my time though when I held the bit in front of him, he wiggled his lips as if to pick it up on his own ;) Under-saddle, Link rode like absolute magic!!!! Right from the start, I started him off by riding him on the buckle and just getting forward movement, letting him work long and loose at the trot. As he relaxed though (and this was outdoors, where he's most reactive!!), he lowered his head and reached forward and down, allowing his back to swing - the feeling of him pushing from behind was amazing! He had much more impulsion than he has ever had. After a bit, I started to slowly gather my reins as he picked himself up - the result was utter bliss!!! He reached forward and down into the contact, pushed from behind, lifted his back (which rolled beautifully and smoothly beneath my seat), and worked away, even down the long sides of the arena. He probably worked in a 'collected' frame a good 90 percent of the first half of our ride - it was an incredible feeling; I've never had him work so consistently in such a frame. I think his teeth being done might have had something to do with it, as well as perhaps something J, who has been riding him the past 3 weeks that I have been away, was doing... He really focused in on what I was asking and felt extremely in tune though; for example, each time I'd change direction/ask for a different bend, he'd feel my weight shift and would automatically start doing what I was about to ask. We were in complete partnership. The latter quarter or half of our ride did not go quite as nicely, but I wonder if he was sore or distracted, or what. I think it might be possible that I simply over-worked him a bit accidentally and thus his muscles were tired. He lightened up his contact and was a little stiff to the left, and was not collecting as nicely (no reaching forward and down and allowing the back to swing with the hind end pushing). So I am really hoping that I can get back what we had, our next ride, and then stop while we're ahead. Either way, it gave me immense hope to feel him progress so incredibly, so I know it's there (he felt like he was moving like a Warmblood!!!), I just have to learn how to bring it out. Shoulder-in's/out's were fantastic, as were changes in bend. Anyway, my next ride on him will likely be tomorrow, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can accomplish much. My goal over the next two months is to ride him 6-7 days a week and to get in a few shows, one or two by the end of April.

I was rather pumped after watching a schooling show at the Anderson ranch yesterday; it showed me a bit of where Link and I are at and where we need to be, what we have to work on to get where we want to be. My next stop is to hopefully attend a dressage and maybe a show jumping show next weekend, to better assess where we are at on those levels and what we need to aim for in the near future here. I have a couple of brief comments on that show as well, but I will save it for a future post if I get the chance.

Lastly, my hope is to ride Link daily this following week and to get him into a regular schedule. We brought Cody in to where Link and Sonny are as well Friday, so I would like to include him in my schedule this next week. Already Cody is doing well. Friday after dropping him off I actually gave him a good grooming and played all 7 games with him in the roundpen, including several at liberty. He was exceptional and even allowed me to catch him afterward, after I had turned him loose in his pasture! So we'll see how Monday goes, if he allows me to catch him easily enough and how he works.

The 9th or 10th (or both!) I have two horses coming in for training, so they will be being worked regularly as well and will be included on the blog - watch for updates!