My day started off with Gemini. He was in the neighbors pasture. He'd gone down the driveway (1/4 mile) through the gate and down the road. All in all, about a 1/2 mile walk but looping around our property. I threw out the hay for the others, then Deuce and I headed out to bring Gem home. Gem was happy to see me - I think he was trying to figure out a way into the pasture with the others. I think I need to put another horse out with him. He seems to be getting lonely. I want to play with him more, but he has to take the back burner with the horses I have here in training.
Then, I got Steve to give me a hand with a trim. Nina was pretty overdue and I also needed to get her hind soaked as she's developed scratches. I've never had a horse with scratches and I don't understand why one horse would get it and not the others. I have a clean property, but I know they can get it from the dirt. Is her immune system low? Anyway, Steve used the nippers where I placed them for me and I did the rest. I was able to rasp with my broken arm ok, not great - but I got the job done. I got her soaked too. Hopefully, her skin will start to heal rapidly now.
I did some chores while the horses got their fill of hay, then I decided to ride Z. I started by taking her in and out of the trailer. She'll get in fine, but I want her confident inside. Actually, she knows the difference between being in a stationary trailer and one attached to a truck and likely to take her somewhere. For the latter, her anxiety goes way up. I need to attach the trailer - or at least back the truck up to that position to fool her and help get her more confident.
After that, I hopped on and she and I just went around the property. We practiced nice, light sideways, up on the pedestal, then bridleless weaving around a little patch of trees I have. We practiced backwards a bunch and halting bridleless. Her responses are good, but they can always be better. I'm noticing that when I ask her backwards bridleless, it works better if I move my hips back in rhythm with hers versus being in rhythm with the foreleg movement. I think naturally, I moved with the fore. As I practice and play with it, it works better with the hind. Of course that makes sense, but I was just following my gut with the fore movement. Her bridleless back and halt are very good. We really need to get our freestyle film done. I've been saying that for months... Sigh. Just need to do it.
Then, I got Miss Tina out for move driving. I wanted Chrissy to help out by causing some commotion with a tarp. Tina is driving nicely and we'll continue to practice. But, she needs lots more confidence building too. Gem was hanging around when we got started and he finds tarps to be quite fun. He grabbed it with his mouth and shook it up and down for 15 seconds or so. Tina wasn't quite sure what to make of that!! Of course, if Gem isn't afraid, maybe she needn't be either. Soon enough, Tina was also mouthing it and moving it and lifting it.
Chrissy went around and I drove Tina behind the tarp. I wanted her to feel like she was "chasing" the tarp - a great confidence builder for horses. Then, I had Chrissy walk a circle around us. Tina was concerned when the tarp was in zone 5, but otherwise she was fine. We then followed the dragging tarp some more, but I wanted Tina to step on it. I also had Chrissy shaking it and doing more than simply dragging it.
We found a good place to stop and Tina was calm and in a very good frame of mind. It was a great session!
Showing posts with label bridleless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bridleless. Show all posts
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Play day with the Parelli girls!
Had a fantastic day with friends and horses from 11:30am until 7pm!
I started off with Gem, just wanting to do some ground work and get him moving. He was excited with all the horses around and even reared a few times during COD on the circle. I thought about riding him and spending the day with him, but I really wanted to be with Z after giving her the week off for her hind leg injury. I really, really want to finish L3 freestyle, so I put Gem back and asked Z to come play.
Jen played with Rio in the beginning, too. She was curious how he'd feel to her and what I thought of him versus how she'd think of him. She did very well with him but could feel the "buzz" he gives off. He's an extrovert for sure and probably a RBE innately. He's a very cute little horse and Kendall is dying to ride him. I'll let her this week.
I realized when I switched horses that everyone was warmed up and ready to go! I was not and I tacked Z up quickly and played on the ground very briefly. She ended up in a "bad mood", pinning her ears a lot. She was listening and doing what I asked, but not happily. I tried to stop and help her get "in the game" several times. She was slowly improving, but I realized I should have warmed up stronger so I could ride softer. She wasn't off, which was good. She was just feeling annoyed and let me know often.
We did patterns first and even Kendall wanted to join us. She rode Rain and tried the patterns a few times. We partnered up and we all took turns going through the patterns mirroring each other and trying to stay in synch. We did some "follow the leader", but that didn't go so great as we didn't do a good job of staying in a line and following what the leader did. At one point, Chrissy was trying to hold Cowboy back and he got insistent and got his head low. I believe he's reaching to get more reins as Chrissy's learning to ride with a casual rein, but sometimes holds pretty tightly. Jen and Amy thought he was ready to buck - I didn't think so, but still, Chrissy needs to be safe.
She asked me to ride him and I did. I checked his flexion, then rode him in some large circles at the trot and canter. He was doing pretty good for me, so eventually Chrissy decided to get back on.
We moved to drill team and tried to synchronize going forward, backward, sideways, and swinging the gate. We didn't look too good, but we were having a great time!
Christy and I went through the 8 bends and Z did a good job of demonstrating for me. She's learning to yield the hind in fore however I ask, with her head in all positions (bent into the turn, straight and bent opposite of the turn). That's pretty cool! Amy and I played with sideways some and I tried to do some sideways on Cowboy. He's pretty bracey, but he was picking up what I was asking. Another couple sessions and he'd be great.
At one point, I grabbed my dragging obstacle (a wood step thingy) and the other horses and riders followed. Cowboy and Lynx showed off their "cowy" nature! They were both ready to herd that obstacle and show it who's boss! That was very cool to watch. Amy took a turn dragging it and helping Molly gain some confidence about this moving wood thing.
Jen practiced trot/canter transitions on Lynx and looked really confident and strong! Jen and Lynx have made great strides this year and they're looking beautiful together. Amy rode the whole day bareback - way to go Amy! Christy showed off her stick riding skills in the patterns and her calm Thoroughbred. Christy and Bently have a very nice relationship - he's a big boy, too! Kendall didn't last too long out there with the horse-crazy big girls. She was pretty bored pretty quickly, so we lost her early on. Chrissy stayed out pretty much the whole time and I imagine she was feeling pretty good after not riding her horse for several weeks while rebuilding her confidence after a horse accident.
About 4:30p, Jen and Amy started to head out and Chrissy, Christy and I decided to hit the trail. Chrissy wanted to ride Rain so she tacked her up and off we went. Before we left, Christy and I played with the teeter totter and the pedestal obstacles. I jumped the barrels with Z a few times, too. I can remember when I was afraid to do that!
Z led the whole way on the trail, which was good for Z - she likes to lead the trail. Chrissy was doing nicely on Rain, too. She's learning to give Rain more freedom with the reins and I imagine it's tough for them both as I ride Rain bridleless for the most part. I ride her in a rope hack, but I rarely use the reins as I'm often ponying 1 or 2 horses and use my hands for the lead ropes. Rain and I have a language and it's probably tough for Rain and a new rider to figure things out together.
At one point, we met another group of riders who had a pretty aggressive German Shepherd. Their dog came at Deuce and the two of them started to fight. Oscar then jumped in so we had a 3 dog scrapple. Of course, our dogs weren't listening to us anymore and I decided to ride Z right into the middle of the dog fight to break it up. Z was so amazing - she ran right in and broke up the dog fight with me! She didn't hesitate or ask a question - she just did it! It was a great moment for us. I was very proud of her.
At one point, there was a short but pretty steep downhill and Rain hustled down. I'm not sure if Chrissy had her head tight or maybe Chrissy's body was tight, but at the bottom Rain crow-hopped on the fore and Chrissy went off. Dang it!! She was ok, a sore elbow, but basically ok. Christy and I tried to make light of it, but I know Chrissy was feeling her confidence falter. I felt so bad for her and tried to remind her, each fall makes up her experience. Experience is what makes us good with horses. We don't want to fall off, but sometimes we do. It teaches us and helps us develop our seat. We keep riding because we love it and we want to conquer our fears and master our horsemanship. I hope Chrissy won't stay off a horse's back for long, but she's going to have to learn to relax in the saddle. I'm thinking PPL in the arena for a month or two could work wonders.
We encountered the people again with the aggressive dog and Z and I took off ahead to get my dogs away from their dogs. We went about 50 yards ahead, not far, but Chrissy was fighting with Rain who wanted to come with Z and I. She hopped off (good girl!) and once things settled got back on. When she got back on, she felt like she and Rain just weren't partnered. They just couldn't get it together - Rain had her own ideas about what to do and Chrissy was struggling to figure out how to take the leadership back. She hopped off and decided to walk. Christy and I headed back - I rode Rain and ponied Z. It wasn't far for Chrissy to walk - maybe 1/2 mile before she could get a ride home the rest of the way. Not a great way to end her day, but she'd had a ton of break-throughs and I hope she sees the good absolutely outweighed the bad on this day.
Christy had a long drive home and so we said our goodbyes. She'd had a great trail ride, maintaining a good partnership with her horse the whole day and feeling confident on the trail. I was just glad to have these great horse women share a gorgeous fall day with me and my horse. I spend a lot of time alone with horses and I love the camaraderie and feedback from a group. It was just fantastic.
I started off with Gem, just wanting to do some ground work and get him moving. He was excited with all the horses around and even reared a few times during COD on the circle. I thought about riding him and spending the day with him, but I really wanted to be with Z after giving her the week off for her hind leg injury. I really, really want to finish L3 freestyle, so I put Gem back and asked Z to come play.
Jen played with Rio in the beginning, too. She was curious how he'd feel to her and what I thought of him versus how she'd think of him. She did very well with him but could feel the "buzz" he gives off. He's an extrovert for sure and probably a RBE innately. He's a very cute little horse and Kendall is dying to ride him. I'll let her this week.
I realized when I switched horses that everyone was warmed up and ready to go! I was not and I tacked Z up quickly and played on the ground very briefly. She ended up in a "bad mood", pinning her ears a lot. She was listening and doing what I asked, but not happily. I tried to stop and help her get "in the game" several times. She was slowly improving, but I realized I should have warmed up stronger so I could ride softer. She wasn't off, which was good. She was just feeling annoyed and let me know often.
We did patterns first and even Kendall wanted to join us. She rode Rain and tried the patterns a few times. We partnered up and we all took turns going through the patterns mirroring each other and trying to stay in synch. We did some "follow the leader", but that didn't go so great as we didn't do a good job of staying in a line and following what the leader did. At one point, Chrissy was trying to hold Cowboy back and he got insistent and got his head low. I believe he's reaching to get more reins as Chrissy's learning to ride with a casual rein, but sometimes holds pretty tightly. Jen and Amy thought he was ready to buck - I didn't think so, but still, Chrissy needs to be safe.
She asked me to ride him and I did. I checked his flexion, then rode him in some large circles at the trot and canter. He was doing pretty good for me, so eventually Chrissy decided to get back on.
We moved to drill team and tried to synchronize going forward, backward, sideways, and swinging the gate. We didn't look too good, but we were having a great time!
Christy and I went through the 8 bends and Z did a good job of demonstrating for me. She's learning to yield the hind in fore however I ask, with her head in all positions (bent into the turn, straight and bent opposite of the turn). That's pretty cool! Amy and I played with sideways some and I tried to do some sideways on Cowboy. He's pretty bracey, but he was picking up what I was asking. Another couple sessions and he'd be great.
At one point, I grabbed my dragging obstacle (a wood step thingy) and the other horses and riders followed. Cowboy and Lynx showed off their "cowy" nature! They were both ready to herd that obstacle and show it who's boss! That was very cool to watch. Amy took a turn dragging it and helping Molly gain some confidence about this moving wood thing.
Jen practiced trot/canter transitions on Lynx and looked really confident and strong! Jen and Lynx have made great strides this year and they're looking beautiful together. Amy rode the whole day bareback - way to go Amy! Christy showed off her stick riding skills in the patterns and her calm Thoroughbred. Christy and Bently have a very nice relationship - he's a big boy, too! Kendall didn't last too long out there with the horse-crazy big girls. She was pretty bored pretty quickly, so we lost her early on. Chrissy stayed out pretty much the whole time and I imagine she was feeling pretty good after not riding her horse for several weeks while rebuilding her confidence after a horse accident.
About 4:30p, Jen and Amy started to head out and Chrissy, Christy and I decided to hit the trail. Chrissy wanted to ride Rain so she tacked her up and off we went. Before we left, Christy and I played with the teeter totter and the pedestal obstacles. I jumped the barrels with Z a few times, too. I can remember when I was afraid to do that!
Z led the whole way on the trail, which was good for Z - she likes to lead the trail. Chrissy was doing nicely on Rain, too. She's learning to give Rain more freedom with the reins and I imagine it's tough for them both as I ride Rain bridleless for the most part. I ride her in a rope hack, but I rarely use the reins as I'm often ponying 1 or 2 horses and use my hands for the lead ropes. Rain and I have a language and it's probably tough for Rain and a new rider to figure things out together.
At one point, we met another group of riders who had a pretty aggressive German Shepherd. Their dog came at Deuce and the two of them started to fight. Oscar then jumped in so we had a 3 dog scrapple. Of course, our dogs weren't listening to us anymore and I decided to ride Z right into the middle of the dog fight to break it up. Z was so amazing - she ran right in and broke up the dog fight with me! She didn't hesitate or ask a question - she just did it! It was a great moment for us. I was very proud of her.
At one point, there was a short but pretty steep downhill and Rain hustled down. I'm not sure if Chrissy had her head tight or maybe Chrissy's body was tight, but at the bottom Rain crow-hopped on the fore and Chrissy went off. Dang it!! She was ok, a sore elbow, but basically ok. Christy and I tried to make light of it, but I know Chrissy was feeling her confidence falter. I felt so bad for her and tried to remind her, each fall makes up her experience. Experience is what makes us good with horses. We don't want to fall off, but sometimes we do. It teaches us and helps us develop our seat. We keep riding because we love it and we want to conquer our fears and master our horsemanship. I hope Chrissy won't stay off a horse's back for long, but she's going to have to learn to relax in the saddle. I'm thinking PPL in the arena for a month or two could work wonders.
We encountered the people again with the aggressive dog and Z and I took off ahead to get my dogs away from their dogs. We went about 50 yards ahead, not far, but Chrissy was fighting with Rain who wanted to come with Z and I. She hopped off (good girl!) and once things settled got back on. When she got back on, she felt like she and Rain just weren't partnered. They just couldn't get it together - Rain had her own ideas about what to do and Chrissy was struggling to figure out how to take the leadership back. She hopped off and decided to walk. Christy and I headed back - I rode Rain and ponied Z. It wasn't far for Chrissy to walk - maybe 1/2 mile before she could get a ride home the rest of the way. Not a great way to end her day, but she'd had a ton of break-throughs and I hope she sees the good absolutely outweighed the bad on this day.
Christy had a long drive home and so we said our goodbyes. She'd had a great trail ride, maintaining a good partnership with her horse the whole day and feeling confident on the trail. I was just glad to have these great horse women share a gorgeous fall day with me and my horse. I spend a lot of time alone with horses and I love the camaraderie and feedback from a group. It was just fantastic.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Transitions and UDT
Today was about Z. I had gotten all 4 horses ridden and exercised yesterday, so today I wanted to focus on my main development project, Miss Zarah. I went out and caught her with ease. I stood about 30 feet away and she came to me. Of course, so did Rain and Cowboy and Gemini and Nina... You get the picture. But, Z was first and she knew I had come to see her. I gave her a cookie to reward her efforts in catching ME!
I stood with the herd for a bit, checking everyone over, inspecting Z's leg wound, looking at Cowboy's fly spots (don't know why, but flies LOVE Cowboy more than any other horse). Cowboy has a small area under his chest where flies congregate. I have to keep him a fly sheet pretty much all the time.
I then walked Z up to the barn, gave her a little grain, some alfalfa (Rain got some, too) and took her to the arena. I wanted to pull some weeds and hopefully she could eat some weeds while I pulled them. She was a little worried about not being with the herd and I was at the far end of the arena. She came to be with me a couple times, but never stayed. She wanted to be close to the herd. I pulled weeds along one side of the arena (a lot of work - geesh!), then as I walked to Z she walked to me - almost as if to say, I'm so glad you survived that side of the arena and now you're back. She doesn't have a ton of confidence in herself - she seeks it from her leader.
I then tacked her up and we set off for a little ground work and riding. We practiced sideways towards - which is tough because then everything she does is sideways towards for a bit. We did some bridleless riding in the front, weaving in and out of trees. We worked on bridleless disengagement, moving the fore and just generally warming up. I rode her in the front pasture a bit and then decided to ride the horse pastures with her. We've never done that and I imagine she was interested in the plan. We rode all three along the rail, practicing canter walk transitions, and following the rail. Her canter was soft and smooth! I was really pleased. A lot of times, her canter is very strung out and she's moving fast. I had some nice soft moments of suspended cantering today - very nice.
After a while, we simply walked around and I tried to make a friendly game of it. We went to the herd and moved them around a bit (good for Z's confidence). We crossed the water on the track (it's half-way up her cannon bone!) and just generally mosied around. Then, I took her to the front for UDT - letting her eat grass while I chilled. She sidled up to me so that her belly was nearly in my lap. Weird! I tried to scratch it but it didn't seem to be giving her an enormous amount of pleasure, so I just sat with her ribs in my face. LOL - she then took a nap. So funny...
We just hung around, me trying to move more dirt for my tractor tire pedestals and just general clean up. It had been a few hours of time together and I decided to head in and clean the house before Steve and kids come home. I put a fly sheet on her, another coating of Dermafas (great stuff for wound healing), and set her free in the stall.
She hung around, checked the stalls for yummy morsels, then made her way out to the herd. It was a really nice time with my levels mare and I enjoyed her immensely.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Horses with a great friend...
Had a great day with Jen - 6 hours of horse time.
helping her with L2 audition
train riding
disengaging rein and hind end
rode her horse
change of direction
sideways
backing from z3
Z on the trail - great ride!! Forward and only slightly worried.
I'm ready to film L3 and then I've got to focus on the geldings. They need me too.
helping her with L2 audition
train riding
disengaging rein and hind end
rode her horse
change of direction
sideways
backing from z3
Z on the trail - great ride!! Forward and only slightly worried.
I'm ready to film L3 and then I've got to focus on the geldings. They need me too.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Quick session with Z
Had a really great, short session with Z. I had about 90 minutes to grain, feed, muck and play. With 6 horses needing care, 90 mins is not much time. I ran through the graining process, mucked the important areas and invited Z into the barn. She's been very happy to see me lately! We are in a great place with our partnership and I'm focusing on the L3 freestyle riding.
I had about 30 minutes to tack her up and take her out. She was super accomodating as I tacked her up with no line on and then backed her out of the barn. I then led her to the front door of the house because Kendall needed me to help her pick the dress to wear to dinner with her uncle. She stepped out on the porch with her two dresses and tried them both on and I gave my opinion.
25 minutes left...
We practiced bridleless isolation of the ends, then we did some wtc up and down the hills, we stopped at 2 obstacles for some bridleless figure 8 and then some follow the rail with trot/walk transitions. It was fantastic and we ended a positive and happy note!
Maybe all our sessions should be that short! She was happy to leave the barn with me and didn't have her mind on the herd behind her.
Great little session! I've got to get some time with Cowboy tomorrow.
I had about 30 minutes to tack her up and take her out. She was super accomodating as I tacked her up with no line on and then backed her out of the barn. I then led her to the front door of the house because Kendall needed me to help her pick the dress to wear to dinner with her uncle. She stepped out on the porch with her two dresses and tried them both on and I gave my opinion.
25 minutes left...
We practiced bridleless isolation of the ends, then we did some wtc up and down the hills, we stopped at 2 obstacles for some bridleless figure 8 and then some follow the rail with trot/walk transitions. It was fantastic and we ended a positive and happy note!
Maybe all our sessions should be that short! She was happy to leave the barn with me and didn't have her mind on the herd behind her.
Great little session! I've got to get some time with Cowboy tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Riding Miss Z - 2nd day in a row!
I took some good time with Z today. We started on the ground by leading in Z3 and asking her to shadow me and some other games. Then, I hopped on by asking her to sidle up to a jump I was standing on. We had a nice ride and focused on transitions and figure 8 patterns. There are 2 trees outside of my arena that are just perfect for figure 8 patterns. We practiced bridleless figure 8's there and everytime she offered a soft figure 8 w/o my intervention other than asking for the turns, we stopped in the middle and she could eat grass.
We stopped and I let her eat and eat. My boarder drove up during one of our rest sessions and I thought to myself, she must think I'm crazy. I'm sitting on my horse between 2 trees and she's eating grass. She's in a rope halter, I'm sitting in my western saddle, the sun is low in the sky and my horse and I are at peace with each other. It was a great moment.
My boarder unloaded Gemini, my horse that she's leasing who'd been off with her to prepare for a show, and Z was so calm and comfortable she didn't even respond to his arrival. I knew we were at a great place.
We rode a while longer, working on bridleless transitions and me working on my backwards cue w/o the reins.
I'm just feeling so positive about what we're building.
We stopped and I let her eat and eat. My boarder drove up during one of our rest sessions and I thought to myself, she must think I'm crazy. I'm sitting on my horse between 2 trees and she's eating grass. She's in a rope halter, I'm sitting in my western saddle, the sun is low in the sky and my horse and I are at peace with each other. It was a great moment.
My boarder unloaded Gemini, my horse that she's leasing who'd been off with her to prepare for a show, and Z was so calm and comfortable she didn't even respond to his arrival. I knew we were at a great place.
We rode a while longer, working on bridleless transitions and me working on my backwards cue w/o the reins.
I'm just feeling so positive about what we're building.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Back on Z after a long break
Work has just kicked my butt lately! Between travel and my job, horse time has been scarce. So frustrating.
I wanted to get back on Z w/o being too intense or intent on a certain thing. I wanted to use the break as an opportunity to start fresh and give Z a reason to think I'm better. I'm better for the time off and time to think and soak. I hope that she is too.
We started off with a little groundwork and then I mounted for some bridleless riding. We circled the round pen working on transitions with just my seat between walk and canter. She was great! Then, my boarder, who was riding Gemini at the time, was finishing up in the arena and talked about some of the stuff she's working through with Gem. He's having anxiety when he leaves home or the herd. I offered to ride up the road with her and so we did.
It was very cool to see him being used and how he handled the situation. He was calm and cool, but apparently that's not the way he is when she normally leaves the property with him. She's not a natural horsewoman, so I'm sure she's often pushing him through his thresholds. It was interesting leaving the property because it was my first day back on Z in about 2 weeks and here I was asking her to leave the property! I had reservations, but I was just going to have to make the best of it and be the best human for her that I could.
I felt her tugging for home slightly and I responded by following her lead, then asking her to follow mine. That was quite effective and getting her mind off the barn. Then, I asked for some half-passes, some side-passes, we did a few small circles, whatever I could think of to get her thinking with me and not about home.
We hit a point, just outside the gate, where she seemed much better. She had sighed and was partnering up with me. We played around on the neighbors cross-country course, then in the jumping arena. Z was super calm by now and it was neat watching Gem jump the big ones with my boarder. Z and I played with jumping a little but mainly, I was keeping her calm. At one point, there was a pole on the ground and Z literally leaped over it! Made me giggle.
We walked back nice and calm and I was super proud of my mare. Back at my place, in the front acreage, there was some sloppy, puddled areas and Gem wanted to fly through it upset and worried. My boarder didn't react in a way that I would have, but I offered to help she and Gem do better. Z was thinking that flying through the water was a great idea, too - so it was perfect for us as well. We did a lot of approach and retreat and then slowly walking through it, 1 step at a time. Then Z and I stood in it while Gem went through calmly. That was very helpful so she and Gem did the same for Z and me.
We slowly walked back to the barn and it was a great, calm ending. Z was comfortable and happy and I was super pleased.
After I took the tack off her, we tried to see how her head-shake trick is coming along. I point to her ear and she shakes her head. She's had a hard time learning this trick - it's her first one. I was ecstatic to see that she was finally getting it! She gave the slightest head shake to earn her treat and I laughed so hard! She hasn't gotten it until today! Once this trick looks good, we'll move on. Tricks could really help our relationship.
A great day!
I wanted to get back on Z w/o being too intense or intent on a certain thing. I wanted to use the break as an opportunity to start fresh and give Z a reason to think I'm better. I'm better for the time off and time to think and soak. I hope that she is too.
We started off with a little groundwork and then I mounted for some bridleless riding. We circled the round pen working on transitions with just my seat between walk and canter. She was great! Then, my boarder, who was riding Gemini at the time, was finishing up in the arena and talked about some of the stuff she's working through with Gem. He's having anxiety when he leaves home or the herd. I offered to ride up the road with her and so we did.
It was very cool to see him being used and how he handled the situation. He was calm and cool, but apparently that's not the way he is when she normally leaves the property with him. She's not a natural horsewoman, so I'm sure she's often pushing him through his thresholds. It was interesting leaving the property because it was my first day back on Z in about 2 weeks and here I was asking her to leave the property! I had reservations, but I was just going to have to make the best of it and be the best human for her that I could.
I felt her tugging for home slightly and I responded by following her lead, then asking her to follow mine. That was quite effective and getting her mind off the barn. Then, I asked for some half-passes, some side-passes, we did a few small circles, whatever I could think of to get her thinking with me and not about home.
We hit a point, just outside the gate, where she seemed much better. She had sighed and was partnering up with me. We played around on the neighbors cross-country course, then in the jumping arena. Z was super calm by now and it was neat watching Gem jump the big ones with my boarder. Z and I played with jumping a little but mainly, I was keeping her calm. At one point, there was a pole on the ground and Z literally leaped over it! Made me giggle.
We walked back nice and calm and I was super proud of my mare. Back at my place, in the front acreage, there was some sloppy, puddled areas and Gem wanted to fly through it upset and worried. My boarder didn't react in a way that I would have, but I offered to help she and Gem do better. Z was thinking that flying through the water was a great idea, too - so it was perfect for us as well. We did a lot of approach and retreat and then slowly walking through it, 1 step at a time. Then Z and I stood in it while Gem went through calmly. That was very helpful so she and Gem did the same for Z and me.
We slowly walked back to the barn and it was a great, calm ending. Z was comfortable and happy and I was super pleased.
After I took the tack off her, we tried to see how her head-shake trick is coming along. I point to her ear and she shakes her head. She's had a hard time learning this trick - it's her first one. I was ecstatic to see that she was finally getting it! She gave the slightest head shake to earn her treat and I laughed so hard! She hasn't gotten it until today! Once this trick looks good, we'll move on. Tricks could really help our relationship.
A great day!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Soft and quick with Z
I'm just not getting much time in lately and it's super frustrating. My job is kicking my butt and my parenting guilt is hard core. I'm trying to exercise daily and that takes time, too. Just a challenging period in my life.
Anyway, I'm getting such a nice, softer eye from Z and the time off is obviously good for us. I'm much less intense and she's appreciating it. We played with driving from Z3 and transitions - amazingly nice trot/walk transitions!! She's so watching me and doing what I do! Then, a little hindquarters disengagement, a little loading into the 2 horse - she's nearly in and not emotional! She didn't poop once in the trailer loading session. She tried to brace against me a couple times and I managed to go with her and ask her to move her hind so we never braced against each other. I'm really, really getting much better about managing the brace!
Then, I hopped on bareback with the 12' and tied the string around her neck for some neck rope riding. We worked on 1 step over, 1 back, 1 over, 1 back - moving the fore. She doesn't do too many of those before she needs to go forward, pawing the ground. As soon as I sense that, we move forward and do something else. Our down transition and backup bridleless are really coming along nicely. I'm very pleased!!
I hopped off, asked her into the trailer a few more times, stood in there with her and scratched and rubbed, watched her get even more relaxed, then took her back to the barn. It was a nice, relaxing and calm session. I loved it.
Oh, and I'm always backing her out of the barn now. It's a good thing.
Anyway, I'm getting such a nice, softer eye from Z and the time off is obviously good for us. I'm much less intense and she's appreciating it. We played with driving from Z3 and transitions - amazingly nice trot/walk transitions!! She's so watching me and doing what I do! Then, a little hindquarters disengagement, a little loading into the 2 horse - she's nearly in and not emotional! She didn't poop once in the trailer loading session. She tried to brace against me a couple times and I managed to go with her and ask her to move her hind so we never braced against each other. I'm really, really getting much better about managing the brace!
Then, I hopped on bareback with the 12' and tied the string around her neck for some neck rope riding. We worked on 1 step over, 1 back, 1 over, 1 back - moving the fore. She doesn't do too many of those before she needs to go forward, pawing the ground. As soon as I sense that, we move forward and do something else. Our down transition and backup bridleless are really coming along nicely. I'm very pleased!!
I hopped off, asked her into the trailer a few more times, stood in there with her and scratched and rubbed, watched her get even more relaxed, then took her back to the barn. It was a nice, relaxing and calm session. I loved it.
Oh, and I'm always backing her out of the barn now. It's a good thing.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Kendall gets back on a Horse!
It's been a while since my daughter wanted to ride with me. The last ride she went on had some scary moments for her and it's taken her months to want to ride again. I was so glad when I asked today and she said, finally, "YES". Of course, my mind immediately looks to the sky to see how far the sun has gotten and how much time is left. I have hooves to trim, blizzard manure clean-up to manage, and need some time practicing freestyle riding with my mare.
I stopped myself and Kendall and I walked to the barn together. It was a very nice, warm day and the horses were laying down. Kendall walked up to Cowboy and Nina, who were laying next to each other and she spent a moment with them. Oh, I so wish I had my camera handy! She was having a nice Cowboy bonding moment and asked to ride him. He's too bracey for a child at this point so she asked if I would ride him. I wanted to, but time was short and I felt I could actually accomplish something with Z in a short period vs the time I'd want to spend prepping Cowboy.
We tacked up Rain and Z, Kendall even went to the trailer to fetch the saddle she uses, and we headed down the driveway. We stopped at a jump and she wanted to jump Rain a few times. We hung out and practiced jumping a bit, but Rain needs motivation and Kendall doesn't have the patience to motivate Rain. We played with the idea a bit and she got a couple hops over the jump and she was ready to move on. We left our property and headed out.
Pretty quickly, her ears were cold! :-) The sun was getting low and the air cools off dramatically in Colorado when the sun goes down. She was pretty sure she had frostbite on her ears (it was about 50 degrees), so we headed back. Z has such a fast walk and Rain just couldn't keep up! Z has some amazing skills - like that fast walk! When we turned to go home, Kendall asked if I'd pony her. I was happy to do it, but she immediately said, "No, I'm ok". I know she's dealing with some fear and I want to support her by giving her opportunities to grow while supporting her whenever she needs it. I hope I'm striking a balance - it's hard to know for sure.
When we got back, she wanted to close the trailer door from Rain's back! Wow - I love to see her thinking of getting things done while mounted! The sun was nearly down, so I told her we'd try that later. I spent just a few mins working with Z on isolating the ends and backing up 1 step, alternating with each step. So, we'd move the fore 1 step, then back up 1 step, then the fore, then back... This is all bridleless and helps us both understand what the seat is saying. I have to be consistent with the my body language and she has to be consistent about listening. She got annoyed with me once or twice and I tried to get quieter and softer and give her time. I was in a hurry and we were out of time. Dag gone it!!
But everyone away and hoping to get more time tomorrow. Need to play with Nina!
I stopped myself and Kendall and I walked to the barn together. It was a very nice, warm day and the horses were laying down. Kendall walked up to Cowboy and Nina, who were laying next to each other and she spent a moment with them. Oh, I so wish I had my camera handy! She was having a nice Cowboy bonding moment and asked to ride him. He's too bracey for a child at this point so she asked if I would ride him. I wanted to, but time was short and I felt I could actually accomplish something with Z in a short period vs the time I'd want to spend prepping Cowboy.
We tacked up Rain and Z, Kendall even went to the trailer to fetch the saddle she uses, and we headed down the driveway. We stopped at a jump and she wanted to jump Rain a few times. We hung out and practiced jumping a bit, but Rain needs motivation and Kendall doesn't have the patience to motivate Rain. We played with the idea a bit and she got a couple hops over the jump and she was ready to move on. We left our property and headed out.
Pretty quickly, her ears were cold! :-) The sun was getting low and the air cools off dramatically in Colorado when the sun goes down. She was pretty sure she had frostbite on her ears (it was about 50 degrees), so we headed back. Z has such a fast walk and Rain just couldn't keep up! Z has some amazing skills - like that fast walk! When we turned to go home, Kendall asked if I'd pony her. I was happy to do it, but she immediately said, "No, I'm ok". I know she's dealing with some fear and I want to support her by giving her opportunities to grow while supporting her whenever she needs it. I hope I'm striking a balance - it's hard to know for sure.
When we got back, she wanted to close the trailer door from Rain's back! Wow - I love to see her thinking of getting things done while mounted! The sun was nearly down, so I told her we'd try that later. I spent just a few mins working with Z on isolating the ends and backing up 1 step, alternating with each step. So, we'd move the fore 1 step, then back up 1 step, then the fore, then back... This is all bridleless and helps us both understand what the seat is saying. I have to be consistent with the my body language and she has to be consistent about listening. She got annoyed with me once or twice and I tried to get quieter and softer and give her time. I was in a hurry and we were out of time. Dag gone it!!
But everyone away and hoping to get more time tomorrow. Need to play with Nina!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Pulling Kids in the Snow, Part 2
With Zarah! I rode her around and acquainted her to the sled behind us, next to us (moving sideways) and in front of us (moving backwards). Amazing how much harder moving backwards was! This is actually a L3 task - or used to be, before the new format. We worked on transitions (trot/walk mainly) with the sled. She was slightly hesitant to leave the barn and I tried my hardest to not brace against her, but to turn with her and follow her idea before suggesting my idea again. It ends up looking like I'm moving the hind end every few steps. It was VERY effective and we barely ever braced against each other.
Eventually, I pulled Kendall on the sled at the canter (which Kendall LOVED). We also got some video of bridleless riding (thank you, Steve) so I can watch and see where I'm fumbling. We jumped 1 ft bridleless and today, I'd like to jump the barrel. That's one of the tasks for L3 and I'd like to film L3 in a month or so.
I also spent quite a bit of time just sitting on her back. There isn't much grass to eat with the ground covered in snow, but we would just stand. I loved hearing her do the big sigh and she even fell asleep at one point. I'm really, really trying to keep filling the bonding and love bucket. Zarah needs it more than my other horses.
I spent undemanding time with her in the barn and then with the herd. Gemini told me how he felt by coming and standing about 1 foot from me, facing me, cocking a leg and taking a nap. The other horses slowly creeped over, as close as Gemini would allow, and also took their naps. I realize they generally do see me as the herd leader and place of comfort. That was a great moment and a welcomed message from the herd. Rain and Cowboy were the cutest, taking slow baby steps to get as close as they could and both of them looking intently at me as if to say, I want to be closer to you! I realize that Zarah doesn't feel quite that way about me and I'll keep working on it.
Eventually, I pulled Kendall on the sled at the canter (which Kendall LOVED). We also got some video of bridleless riding (thank you, Steve) so I can watch and see where I'm fumbling. We jumped 1 ft bridleless and today, I'd like to jump the barrel. That's one of the tasks for L3 and I'd like to film L3 in a month or so.
I also spent quite a bit of time just sitting on her back. There isn't much grass to eat with the ground covered in snow, but we would just stand. I loved hearing her do the big sigh and she even fell asleep at one point. I'm really, really trying to keep filling the bonding and love bucket. Zarah needs it more than my other horses.
I spent undemanding time with her in the barn and then with the herd. Gemini told me how he felt by coming and standing about 1 foot from me, facing me, cocking a leg and taking a nap. The other horses slowly creeped over, as close as Gemini would allow, and also took their naps. I realize they generally do see me as the herd leader and place of comfort. That was a great moment and a welcomed message from the herd. Rain and Cowboy were the cutest, taking slow baby steps to get as close as they could and both of them looking intently at me as if to say, I want to be closer to you! I realize that Zarah doesn't feel quite that way about me and I'll keep working on it.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Advancing Cowboy and riding bridleless
Tacked up and rode Cowboy today. I was very interesting in studying his displacement behavior where he works his jaw and fiddles with his lips. He looks as though he's trying to work a piece of grain out of his back teeth, but it's actually a perversion he developed as a coping mechanism somewhere before Jen bought him. He does it when he's stressed or feeling unconfident and impatient. He actually does it while he waits for his grain at feed time. He does it the most in the arena, though.
Today, I started by riding him outside the arena. Well, first we warmed up on the ground and I got some great, great canter-trot transitions on the circle. Very pleased with his progression there! I also loaded him into the 2 horse straight load. He was a little worried at first, but settled nicely and stood quietly in the trailer. He wasn't relaxed, but it's a great start. I then rode him up my driveway (1/4 mile) at the canter. When we got near the gate, we stood. I wanted to see if he would work his mouth. He didn't! He was calm and ready to move out. We walked back and worked on sideways and half-passing. He's quite bracey when I ask for lateral movement so we're doing a lot of that to get him more supple.
I then took him into the arena for some PPL at the trot. His perversion went into full drive once we walked into the arena. How interesting. I rode him at the trot until he seemed to relax. It was a mild change, but a change nonetheless. Poor guy - someone really worked him hard in an arena and he stresses out immediately upon entering the sandy fenced off area.
We finished with a little liberty time in the round pen. This was our first liberty session! He got so playful and I had to laugh! How neat! Obviously, no one did that with him and he has no preconceived notions about what liberty time will mean. He was comfortable and playful and tuned in. We'll build on that with ease.
It was a great, progressive time and I tied him and put a halter on Z. Z and I worked on a very quiet, easy bridleless session where we weaved in and out of trees and around obstacles. Our bridleless sideways needs some more practice but otherwise, she was quite amenable to my asks and stayed very calm. It was windy as heck and she was unaffected. We were slow, I rubbed her often and tried to make it an easy session. We had started off with some nice, nice ground work and some more practice loading into the 2-horse.
It was a great time with Cowboy and Z!
Today, I started by riding him outside the arena. Well, first we warmed up on the ground and I got some great, great canter-trot transitions on the circle. Very pleased with his progression there! I also loaded him into the 2 horse straight load. He was a little worried at first, but settled nicely and stood quietly in the trailer. He wasn't relaxed, but it's a great start. I then rode him up my driveway (1/4 mile) at the canter. When we got near the gate, we stood. I wanted to see if he would work his mouth. He didn't! He was calm and ready to move out. We walked back and worked on sideways and half-passing. He's quite bracey when I ask for lateral movement so we're doing a lot of that to get him more supple.
I then took him into the arena for some PPL at the trot. His perversion went into full drive once we walked into the arena. How interesting. I rode him at the trot until he seemed to relax. It was a mild change, but a change nonetheless. Poor guy - someone really worked him hard in an arena and he stresses out immediately upon entering the sandy fenced off area.
We finished with a little liberty time in the round pen. This was our first liberty session! He got so playful and I had to laugh! How neat! Obviously, no one did that with him and he has no preconceived notions about what liberty time will mean. He was comfortable and playful and tuned in. We'll build on that with ease.
It was a great, progressive time and I tied him and put a halter on Z. Z and I worked on a very quiet, easy bridleless session where we weaved in and out of trees and around obstacles. Our bridleless sideways needs some more practice but otherwise, she was quite amenable to my asks and stayed very calm. It was windy as heck and she was unaffected. We were slow, I rubbed her often and tried to make it an easy session. We had started off with some nice, nice ground work and some more practice loading into the 2-horse.
It was a great time with Cowboy and Z!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Bridleless practice with Z
Up until today, most of my bridleless riding and practice has been with the safety net of a rope hack or bridle on my horse. I've tied off the reins, but didn't trust enough to remove all head gear. Today, for the first time I can remember, I walked the rope w/o the safety net. I even had a moment where I thought to myself, "what's the worse thing that can happen?". And that's when I realized, I can ride whatever Z offers. It's possible she could catch me off guard and offer a buck, but I think the odds are very slim. And if she did? I could probably ride it. It was a very liberating and empowering moment.
This is where we needed to go next. So, patterns - figure 8 and corner game the most. She got a little "up" at first, so I cantered her doing PPL, waiting for her to think slower was a better idea. We did the figure 8 at the trot with no head gear. I did some with the neck rope, so with just the carrot stick. I focused very hard on riding her with only my body and she was typically with me. There were times when we circled on the side closer to the barn and her circles were bigger, pulling in the direction she wanted to go. Otherwise it was pretty good!
This is where we need to go to get our Freestyle taping done. I watched a few auditions on youtube and realized we aren't far away at all. I watched one that passed with a 3++ and I felt very confident that Z and I are nearly that good and will be with another month of practice. Whoo-hooo! I have to progress to jumping bridleless - that's next. We've started doing more jumping in general and her confidence over jumps is better all the time. Now we'll practice jumping with reins tied off, then bridleless.
I've also been working on loading her in a 2-horse straight load. She's not an extremely confident trailer traveler and I doubt she's ever been in a 2horse straight. We had our 3rd session of trying to load, each session progressively better than the last. She's going in as far as she can w/o putting her back feet in. It's cool - it's a big challenge for her. I have to keep raising her confidence level with trailers. We may battle that for years to come. I don't know.
I have to find more ways to progress our groundwork. I'll start looking at the L4 stuff and start advancing. I've been watching more Parelli vids on horseanality and I think I might sometimes be mistaking her behavior for right-brained when it's actually left-brained on adrenaline. I might get some video today to watch later so I can analyze easier.
Z and I have gotten to a new high in our relationship. I'm so tickled and I want to keep being a better and better leader for her.
At the end our sesison, I wanted to ride her to the front pasture. Z is very wary about leaving the property and I find that I have to ride her very consistently to have her leave the barn and herd without losing her confidence. I haven't done that with her in months - leaving the barn alone and heading out for a ride - and she was quick to tell me that was a mistake. :-) So we did what I know - I didn't brace against her, asked her to disengage when she pulled back to the barn and then rested. We didn't go far, but she never got emotional, she only showed her opinion on things. And I did not push her - I've known that pushing her doens't work, but it's only recently that I have the insight and patience to break the pattern of pushing her anyway. This is what approaching L3 completion has taught me. I'm slowly realizing what partnership on my part means... truly.
This is where we needed to go next. So, patterns - figure 8 and corner game the most. She got a little "up" at first, so I cantered her doing PPL, waiting for her to think slower was a better idea. We did the figure 8 at the trot with no head gear. I did some with the neck rope, so with just the carrot stick. I focused very hard on riding her with only my body and she was typically with me. There were times when we circled on the side closer to the barn and her circles were bigger, pulling in the direction she wanted to go. Otherwise it was pretty good!
This is where we need to go to get our Freestyle taping done. I watched a few auditions on youtube and realized we aren't far away at all. I watched one that passed with a 3++ and I felt very confident that Z and I are nearly that good and will be with another month of practice. Whoo-hooo! I have to progress to jumping bridleless - that's next. We've started doing more jumping in general and her confidence over jumps is better all the time. Now we'll practice jumping with reins tied off, then bridleless.
I've also been working on loading her in a 2-horse straight load. She's not an extremely confident trailer traveler and I doubt she's ever been in a 2horse straight. We had our 3rd session of trying to load, each session progressively better than the last. She's going in as far as she can w/o putting her back feet in. It's cool - it's a big challenge for her. I have to keep raising her confidence level with trailers. We may battle that for years to come. I don't know.
I have to find more ways to progress our groundwork. I'll start looking at the L4 stuff and start advancing. I've been watching more Parelli vids on horseanality and I think I might sometimes be mistaking her behavior for right-brained when it's actually left-brained on adrenaline. I might get some video today to watch later so I can analyze easier.
Z and I have gotten to a new high in our relationship. I'm so tickled and I want to keep being a better and better leader for her.
At the end our sesison, I wanted to ride her to the front pasture. Z is very wary about leaving the property and I find that I have to ride her very consistently to have her leave the barn and herd without losing her confidence. I haven't done that with her in months - leaving the barn alone and heading out for a ride - and she was quick to tell me that was a mistake. :-) So we did what I know - I didn't brace against her, asked her to disengage when she pulled back to the barn and then rested. We didn't go far, but she never got emotional, she only showed her opinion on things. And I did not push her - I've known that pushing her doens't work, but it's only recently that I have the insight and patience to break the pattern of pushing her anyway. This is what approaching L3 completion has taught me. I'm slowly realizing what partnership on my part means... truly.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Riding with Nancy!!
Had a fantastic day riding at Sharptail with Nancy! Loved it! We rode hard and fast and Rain was a great partner. I rode her almost the entire way w/o picking up my reins! At one point she was cantering downhill and a big dip was coming in the trail and I wanted her to slow down. I tried to slow her down at first with my body and I needed her to slow down right away so I went for the reins. We cantered and galloped a lot and all with no reins!
Otherwise, I did the whole ride w/o them and we were riding for about 3 hours and 12 miles. I love that mare. I like that I'm getting good bridleless time on the mare I fully trust so that I'm more prepared to get that done with Z. Tomorrow I ride Z for the first time in a couple weeks.
Need to trim some hooves. Rain's feet are growing very crooked and I need to balance her out.
Otherwise, I did the whole ride w/o them and we were riding for about 3 hours and 12 miles. I love that mare. I like that I'm getting good bridleless time on the mare I fully trust so that I'm more prepared to get that done with Z. Tomorrow I ride Z for the first time in a couple weeks.
Need to trim some hooves. Rain's feet are growing very crooked and I need to balance her out.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Riding Rain at Spruce Meadows
Marcy and I headed out in the trailer today with Rain and Joker. We went to Spruce Meadows and I want to go figure out how many miles we did. It was awesome!! My Rain girl had spunk and wanted to move out. I was working on riding her bridleless, so I was using my carrot stick and tied my reins off onto my saddle. They were there when I needed them, but I tried hard to not use them. We did great and I cantered her with no reins a lot of the time. We really moved out and went pretty fast. We stopped and walked some, but we mainly were at least trotting or gaiting. I loved it! We rode for about 4 hours.Marcy is a good riding partner and we talked about an endurance ride in the spring. She's a little worried about it, but I promised to take care of her. :-) Her horse will be awesome at it. Which horse will I prepare? Rain? Cowboy? Not Z, not now. She's assigned to partnering through L3 with me and I can't do both with her. She'll hate me if I try. She hates me enough at this moment. I'm doing horse-human relationship repair with Miss Z.
It was a great day devoted to fun times with Rain. Just like old times.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A Freestyle Lesson
Today, I had a 3 hour freestyle riding lesson with my Parelli instructor. We talked at length about my dressage experiences and how I'll balance and merry the 2 worlds moving forward. I want to be sure I don't lose my relationship with my horse or sacrifice what I know about horsemanship as I lesson with a "normal" dressage instructor.
We started with a little groundwork and me asking Z to mirror my gait on the 12' line. She went into the canter with a little attitude, so Kime had me canter her for 3 strides then back to walk. I learned (after she demo'ed) that I can definitely use my body more in my groundwork and simulate my riding more. I cantered, so Z did, then I sat back as if I was riding and asked for the transition down. She learned quickly to watch my body and follow my gait. That was cool. Then, Kime noticed Z was not backing respectfully enough, so we fixed that up by backing her straight for as long as it took until Z changed her attitude. I was working hard at being assertive and probably doing too much and Kime showed me how to ask her to back - not necessarily quickly - and stay straight and assertive and do less until Z started to "think" backwards with a positive attitude. That was all great - groundwork polishing... you've never learned it all.
Then, I got on and we started with freestyle transitions. Z wanted to cook with gas and a down transition was not in her plan! I had to laugh. So, I was only allowed to pick up one rein for the entire lesson. Most of the lesson was riding the rail and I learned to get better about riding the rail and using my direct rein and my body position correctly to keep her on the rail. That was all great. For me, riding the rail at the canter has always been more of a challenging because Z is great about leaving the rail and cutting the corners. We worked a ton on my direct rein and my body (prior to picking up the rein) telling her that she'd gone "out of bounds". I spent a lot of time practicing being very clear with my body and where my energy was directed.
We turned on the rail transitions into the corner game quickly to help Z transition down. If she didn't stop directly in the corner, I would cause a lot of commotion on the opposite side of her until she made her way back to the corner and then give the release. I kept her head facing the corner until she made her way there. And I had to remember to keep my focus in the correct place (the corner) so that I was clear with my signals. That was very cool and new for me.
At one point, Z really had her druthers and Kime had me ride her hard until she ASKED to transition down. She wasn't allowed to transition down herself, she was allowed to ask. If she asked and obliged and then she found a need for forward right away, I was to ride her fast again until she asked again. Whooo!! That was hard! It took all my courage to ride her at a canter/gallop in an english saddle and not hold the reins in an arena with corners that seemed to come very fast! It was exhilirating and powerful to ride her that way and after a few turns and coming out of fetal position (lol) I realized just how effective it was. Z was pretty tired and started to change her attitude about things. I have to remember to lift my 1 rein STRAIGHT UP! And bump her if necessary. I also have to remember to ride the lead! I'm riding straight ahead in the canter and my body should be following her lead with my hip and shoulder on the same lead as hers.
After some time I did some passenger lesson at the canter and would call out the lead I was on. The idea was to get me feeling for it and riding it and knowing which lead from the feel. I've never done that - brand new for me. Lots of light bulbs going on in my head. I was actually surprised how well I could ride her at the canter w/o reins. I was better than I thought and although a couple times she nearly left me in mid-air, I stayed with her all the way. Good for me. When she finally cantered away from the gate, we stopped and I got off immediately. We stood and talked and rested there - on the opposite side of the arena as the barn and let that soak in for my girl.
Some other things worth mentioning - I was not losing my stirrups in the canter, which means I was much better at staying long and relaxed. I naturally went back to pushing backwards in the canter instead of forwards (as instructed in my dressage lessons). Keeping Z on the rail with my seat and THEN my direct rein is very effective - I've been lifting the rein which points her nose, but doesn't get her whole body back on the rail. Also, my head shouldn't drop when I use my direct rein - it should lift and turn in the rein direction.
Loved it. Broke through some thresholds and learned a ton in 3 hours. I'm sure I'm forgetting some things and I'll be playing it through my mind for a couple days so maybe I'll add more later. Still, passenger riding at the canter in the english saddle was a great confidence builder and it's time I pushed through that bubble. I'm good enough now.
Kime and I talked a ton about leasing Gemini, managing my principals while learning dressage, not being Parelli "snobs", Cowboy, how great Z is... just good conversation with a like-minded horsewoman.
I love my life.
We started with a little groundwork and me asking Z to mirror my gait on the 12' line. She went into the canter with a little attitude, so Kime had me canter her for 3 strides then back to walk. I learned (after she demo'ed) that I can definitely use my body more in my groundwork and simulate my riding more. I cantered, so Z did, then I sat back as if I was riding and asked for the transition down. She learned quickly to watch my body and follow my gait. That was cool. Then, Kime noticed Z was not backing respectfully enough, so we fixed that up by backing her straight for as long as it took until Z changed her attitude. I was working hard at being assertive and probably doing too much and Kime showed me how to ask her to back - not necessarily quickly - and stay straight and assertive and do less until Z started to "think" backwards with a positive attitude. That was all great - groundwork polishing... you've never learned it all.
Then, I got on and we started with freestyle transitions. Z wanted to cook with gas and a down transition was not in her plan! I had to laugh. So, I was only allowed to pick up one rein for the entire lesson. Most of the lesson was riding the rail and I learned to get better about riding the rail and using my direct rein and my body position correctly to keep her on the rail. That was all great. For me, riding the rail at the canter has always been more of a challenging because Z is great about leaving the rail and cutting the corners. We worked a ton on my direct rein and my body (prior to picking up the rein) telling her that she'd gone "out of bounds". I spent a lot of time practicing being very clear with my body and where my energy was directed.
We turned on the rail transitions into the corner game quickly to help Z transition down. If she didn't stop directly in the corner, I would cause a lot of commotion on the opposite side of her until she made her way back to the corner and then give the release. I kept her head facing the corner until she made her way there. And I had to remember to keep my focus in the correct place (the corner) so that I was clear with my signals. That was very cool and new for me.
At one point, Z really had her druthers and Kime had me ride her hard until she ASKED to transition down. She wasn't allowed to transition down herself, she was allowed to ask. If she asked and obliged and then she found a need for forward right away, I was to ride her fast again until she asked again. Whooo!! That was hard! It took all my courage to ride her at a canter/gallop in an english saddle and not hold the reins in an arena with corners that seemed to come very fast! It was exhilirating and powerful to ride her that way and after a few turns and coming out of fetal position (lol) I realized just how effective it was. Z was pretty tired and started to change her attitude about things. I have to remember to lift my 1 rein STRAIGHT UP! And bump her if necessary. I also have to remember to ride the lead! I'm riding straight ahead in the canter and my body should be following her lead with my hip and shoulder on the same lead as hers.
After some time I did some passenger lesson at the canter and would call out the lead I was on. The idea was to get me feeling for it and riding it and knowing which lead from the feel. I've never done that - brand new for me. Lots of light bulbs going on in my head. I was actually surprised how well I could ride her at the canter w/o reins. I was better than I thought and although a couple times she nearly left me in mid-air, I stayed with her all the way. Good for me. When she finally cantered away from the gate, we stopped and I got off immediately. We stood and talked and rested there - on the opposite side of the arena as the barn and let that soak in for my girl.
Some other things worth mentioning - I was not losing my stirrups in the canter, which means I was much better at staying long and relaxed. I naturally went back to pushing backwards in the canter instead of forwards (as instructed in my dressage lessons). Keeping Z on the rail with my seat and THEN my direct rein is very effective - I've been lifting the rein which points her nose, but doesn't get her whole body back on the rail. Also, my head shouldn't drop when I use my direct rein - it should lift and turn in the rein direction.
Loved it. Broke through some thresholds and learned a ton in 3 hours. I'm sure I'm forgetting some things and I'll be playing it through my mind for a couple days so maybe I'll add more later. Still, passenger riding at the canter in the english saddle was a great confidence builder and it's time I pushed through that bubble. I'm good enough now.
Kime and I talked a ton about leasing Gemini, managing my principals while learning dressage, not being Parelli "snobs", Cowboy, how great Z is... just good conversation with a like-minded horsewoman.
I love my life.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Riding in the dark
I planned to go to a friends indoor arena to ride, but my *%#*% trailer lights weren't working. I just had them fixed (well, obviously, not really). So, bound and determined, I asked my little mare if she'd play with me in the dark. She said she would. :-)
So, I took her into the arena after just a few mins of warm up on the ground and practiced riding with 1 carrot stick. We practiced canter departs bridleless, lots of bridleless transitions, and large canter circles. We played with the figure-8 pattern as well. She did scoot out under me a couple times when something caught her attention from behind, but really she did fine riding with me in the dark. The interesting thing was much more I could feel of her because I didn't have my sight! I couldn't easily see if I was on teh right diagonal or not, if she was irritable or not, I had to feel it out. That was great for me!
Then, I put her back with the others and took Cowboy out. Tacked him up and took him out to play. He was worried! He tried, but honestly, he kept his eye on the barn. Because he couldn't protect his 2 mares? Because he new that's where safety was? I didn't get a chance to ride him because Delaney came out and needed me. However, it took quite a while of groundwork to get him into a rideable place. He didn't canter online well, either. He bucked and ran off a couple times. I was able to get him to realize that was unnecessary, and we got some nice cantering online. I think his canter reactions are fear-based - he was a worried horse.
I have a couple horses that need my attention on their hooves. I'm now trimming 5. It's just too many. I think I need to get a trimmer out to help me at least with part of my herd.
So, I took her into the arena after just a few mins of warm up on the ground and practiced riding with 1 carrot stick. We practiced canter departs bridleless, lots of bridleless transitions, and large canter circles. We played with the figure-8 pattern as well. She did scoot out under me a couple times when something caught her attention from behind, but really she did fine riding with me in the dark. The interesting thing was much more I could feel of her because I didn't have my sight! I couldn't easily see if I was on teh right diagonal or not, if she was irritable or not, I had to feel it out. That was great for me!
Then, I put her back with the others and took Cowboy out. Tacked him up and took him out to play. He was worried! He tried, but honestly, he kept his eye on the barn. Because he couldn't protect his 2 mares? Because he new that's where safety was? I didn't get a chance to ride him because Delaney came out and needed me. However, it took quite a while of groundwork to get him into a rideable place. He didn't canter online well, either. He bucked and ran off a couple times. I was able to get him to realize that was unnecessary, and we got some nice cantering online. I think his canter reactions are fear-based - he was a worried horse.
I have a couple horses that need my attention on their hooves. I'm now trimming 5. It's just too many. I think I need to get a trimmer out to help me at least with part of my herd.
Friday, January 2, 2009
My trail horse is back...
Today, I decided to get back on Z and ride. I'd given her a couple days off with all the filming we were doing before the year ended. We were really focused and working hard and I think she even looks a little thin today. Anyway, I asked D if he'd ride with me and he said "yes"! Funny, is that all I had to do was ask?
So, I trimmed a couple hooves, tacked up my 2 mares and off we went. D was pretty smiley the whole time. We had fun. It was windy today, but the air was warm. Rain was, of course, a great horse for my boy. Z was too! Z and I hit a rough patch over the past couple weeks where trail riding was very worrisome for her. I've just kept at it and today, finally, my trail horse was back. She was calm, easy and wonderful. I'm convinced that she's a RBI/RBE. She has some left brained tendencies, but innately she's RB. That's why I'm constantly rebuilding her trust in me. I'm learning a ton with that mare.
When we got back from a fairly quick ride, D went back to the tv and I took Z into the arena. We worked on bridleless riding at the walk and trot in the figure 8. I'm having amazing success with looking up to the sky for my turns and I can really feel how my body position changes when I exaggerate movement like that. I also have a great bridleless stop developing with Z. A couple more sessions and I want to take it up to the canter and get my bridleless canter riding going. Focusing my eyes up and out is making a huge difference.
Today was probably the end of the nice weather for the holiday break and soon I'll be back to the grind (blech!). I've had a great break and developed quite a bit with my horses.
I love my life.
So, I trimmed a couple hooves, tacked up my 2 mares and off we went. D was pretty smiley the whole time. We had fun. It was windy today, but the air was warm. Rain was, of course, a great horse for my boy. Z was too! Z and I hit a rough patch over the past couple weeks where trail riding was very worrisome for her. I've just kept at it and today, finally, my trail horse was back. She was calm, easy and wonderful. I'm convinced that she's a RBI/RBE. She has some left brained tendencies, but innately she's RB. That's why I'm constantly rebuilding her trust in me. I'm learning a ton with that mare.
When we got back from a fairly quick ride, D went back to the tv and I took Z into the arena. We worked on bridleless riding at the walk and trot in the figure 8. I'm having amazing success with looking up to the sky for my turns and I can really feel how my body position changes when I exaggerate movement like that. I also have a great bridleless stop developing with Z. A couple more sessions and I want to take it up to the canter and get my bridleless canter riding going. Focusing my eyes up and out is making a huge difference.
Today was probably the end of the nice weather for the holiday break and soon I'll be back to the grind (blech!). I've had a great break and developed quite a bit with my horses.
I love my life.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Lesson with Kime
Had another great lesson with Kime. We started out with my saddle and did a saddle fitting. She changed my shim setup and added a 3rd set to the pad. My saddle was then a little higher in the front and Z had more room for her shoulders. We also talked about riding without the wool pad underneath the Theraflex. I use the wool pad because of the rubbing the Therflex was doing on her sides. I'm going to use the wool pad only intermittently for a while so that I can watch for even sweat patterns. After the lesson, we checked out her back closely for signs of tightness in my body while riding. We found that there were some ruffled hairs directly under my seat, meaning my middle back is tight while riding. I'm not surprised.
We focused on freestyle riding. We used the figure 8 pattern and I played with transitioning up and down without reins. Our stop is getting much better and I'm learning how to be truly consistent with Z. We talked a lot about where I look while riding and where I want to look for turning. For now, I'm over-exaggerating where my eyes look because my head needs to be higher and I tend to look down. I've known that I needed to fix that, but it's the first time I've focused on that with an instructor.
Later, I practiced riding with 1 carrot stick only and transitioning through halt, walk and trot on the figure 8 pattern. Our transitions are so much nicer and Z really moves out with a tremendously better attitude. I'm simply bringing my life up to ask her to up transition and bringing my life down to transition down. I learned that pointing my toes up high helps me to bring my life down.
For the next 2 weeks, I'll practice the bridleless riding, turning with my body and good focus, transitioning up and down and transitioning while turning (wow, that's hard!!).
We talked about Cowboy and some things to work on with him to help him improve. She highly recommended passenger riding regularly. That's where we'll go next.
We focused on freestyle riding. We used the figure 8 pattern and I played with transitioning up and down without reins. Our stop is getting much better and I'm learning how to be truly consistent with Z. We talked a lot about where I look while riding and where I want to look for turning. For now, I'm over-exaggerating where my eyes look because my head needs to be higher and I tend to look down. I've known that I needed to fix that, but it's the first time I've focused on that with an instructor.
Later, I practiced riding with 1 carrot stick only and transitioning through halt, walk and trot on the figure 8 pattern. Our transitions are so much nicer and Z really moves out with a tremendously better attitude. I'm simply bringing my life up to ask her to up transition and bringing my life down to transition down. I learned that pointing my toes up high helps me to bring my life down.
For the next 2 weeks, I'll practice the bridleless riding, turning with my body and good focus, transitioning up and down and transitioning while turning (wow, that's hard!!).
We talked about Cowboy and some things to work on with him to help him improve. She highly recommended passenger riding regularly. That's where we'll go next.
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