One-day clinic with Tina, Z and Kime

Had an amazing day with horses! After relatives in town for a few days, it was nice to get back with the horses!

I took Tina and Z with me and started the day with Tina. We had a great 1/2 day of groundwork and riding. I was amazed at how calm she was in this new environment with bizarre things such as llamas (4 of them!), run-away horses (multiple times), plastic bags on the end of ropes and sticks, lots of sticks and strings flying as others worked with their horses... she was such a champ!

In the beginning, she started off tense. I learned from the instructor that a great indicator of worry instead of dominance is the lower lip. A tight lower lip looks like the horse has an overbite. That's a great way to know if Tina is scared or just not "in the mood" to cooperate. It took her all of 5 minutes to relax (better than Z!) and then we got some great ground work going! Sideways without a fence is coming along beautifully. Her circle game is great and relaxed and gait transitions (w/t/c) are soft and supple. I played at the very end of the 22' as much as possible. She could probably advance to the 45' line, but that doesn't mean much for her future so I probably won't go there.

When I mounted, she was calm and cool. She sidled to the mounting spot beautifully (got some nice kudos from the instructor). She stood perfectly still and was a great partner. We worked on softness to the reins and getting acquainted with the environment. She was comfortable and responsive the entire time while I was mounted. There was some silliness going on around us, like a couple horses getting away from their owners and some noisy equipment being managed. She seemed to just take it all in stride. Wow, what a great testament to where her brain is!

Before lunch, we sat in a group circle and debriefed on our morning. Tina stood right next to me, leg cocked, head low, lower lip hanging down, and just soaked in the quiet time. All the students commented on her progress since they say her 3 months ago. Pretty great.

After spending all morning with Tina, I tacked up Z for some freestyle riding. We were planning to video each other for the afternoon and I wanted to show what Z and I can do bridleless. She was tense and tight and her trot and canter were choppy and her ears were back at times. She was sometimes listening, sometimes just feeling impulsive. Our jumping felt good over 2' and our serpentines were nice, but our canter stop wasn't there. Z does not do so great in new environments and it takes her quite a while to relax. However, I was confident enough to ride her in this open pasture w/o headgear or reins, which proves that I trust her and we are partnered.

I struggled with the riding in front of everyone AND on camera, but I started to relax after about 10 minutes. Z was letting me know where she needed help and I was trying to accommodate. We're getting better about being in front of others - an important skill for me to develop.

It was a great, great day and the girls loaded up w/o a single concern for their journey home. I have a tough week of travel ahead, so I hope to get 2-3 sessions in before the weekend with Tina. Still trying to organize a trail buddy for Tina and I to hit the trail for the first time mounted. Otherwise, we have lots to work on in the arena.

Side note: surprised to see that several horses look like they need trims already!

Finally, a film worth sending

Tonight, I managed to get my L3 Freestyle filmed. This has been on my list for a year now. I filmed it last year, but it wasn't right. Then, I was focused on training other's horses and I decided to let it sit. I really lost my motivation. This summer, as I've done some trail competing with Z, I decided I really needed to close this chapter. So, it's been on my mind the last month or so and tonight my sister helped me capture my best version yet of Freestyle for L3. Watching it, I can say that there are things Z and I can do better. However, we hit all the compulsories and I hope the assessors find it a good enough representation of L3 riding skill.

I also started Tina with bit communication. We've been using the rope hack up until now and she's often worn a bit while we do our session. Today, I snapped the reins on and we started working through the communication building for bitted riding. She did the typical things - trying to find the answer and the release from the pressure. All in all, she learned very quickly that there was an answer and she figured things out. It was another lovely session of bringing along baby. :-)

Prepping to film and a few failed attempts

I spent hours today with Tina and Z. I practiced getting Z through our audition choreography several times and caught some on film. She worked very hard today and I gave her a long break out of the tack while I advanced Tina.

Tina and I had a wonderful session working on maintaining gait in the arena. Her trot departs were much crisper today! She's moving into the trot with a slight lift of my energy and seat. She's coming back to the walk with the same lightness. She was especially curious today about all the items in the arena (using those for freestyle filming with Z). We worked quite a bit on riding the rail - meaning stay on the track I've laid out for us along the arena wall. I'm asking her to follow my focus on this "trail" along the edge. She seemed to pick that up well! We also worked on transitions - trot/walk and sometimes adding halt. Her attitude is extremely positive and she's interested in what we're doing. She's responding so nicely to what I'm asking from her. I'll continue to expect more from her and possibly get some lesson time with Loma soon to help me steer her towards more dressage type work.

A great day and boy was I exhausted at the end. :-)

Advancing with Z

Focused on freestyle! Also, used her as a ranch horse. We moved the herd, we took tools and materials back and forth for fencing, running to the driveway gate for repairs, then I'd let her graze while I fenced or fixed. She'd always come back for me when it was time to work again - a very positive sign.

We played in the arena for a long time. I would call what we did work, actually. We practiced bridleless circles and transitions. It was extremely hot, so I had a bucket and sponge that we'd dip into to get soaked and stay cool. I was looking for her to really feel me and finally after about 2 hours, she was finally getting there. I expect tomorrow will be much better. I changed my audition series, so looking forward to filming that tomorrow as long as Z's head is in the right place and we're partnered.

Our biggest challenge is canter departing from the trot while maintaining direction. I must be asking for a bend when we canter depart somehow. I'll continue to play with it and try to be as straight while I ask for the canter depart as I can.

Hitting the trail

Ponied Tina in a western saddle - it was nothing for her. Did 8 miles and rode Rain. Tammy and Drew with me.

Rode Z doing patterns in the arena. Question box is working beautifully. We worked on circles to the right (our tough direction). Practiced bridleless jumping.

Chrissy on Cowboy in the arena. He spooked at one point and really scared her. Hope that doesn't set her back too much.

Trimmed Cowboy.

Prepping for filming

Tonight, I focused on Zarah and our assessment into L4. We finished L3 ground over a year ago. We worked last summer on the L3 riding (bridleless) but didn't get the filming done. I lost focus, paying more attention to the young horses in my pasture for training. This Spring, I decided to get my act back together and finish L3 officially. I've been talking about it, but I never manage to find the time to film it. My sister yesterday told me we should do it tomorrow. YES!

So today was the day. I put my list together - I have 10 mins to show the assessors that we have what it takes. There's a good list of things I must show. I set up the arena with all the things we'll need - jump, tarp to drag, cones marking patterns, barrels... Then, I started to warm Z up. Her canter was fast at first and she was pulling to the herd (they were hanging around the arena). But then, she got with the program and we were doing well. I decided to go ahead with taking off the bridle while in the saddle to see what we'd get bridleless. I was using too much of my body and it was causing her to cave in to the markers too much. We dragged the tarp effortlessly, jumped the 2ft jump w/o issue, really all of the tasks were good to go. The canter circle fell apart without the reins, though. We practiced that for a while and when it seemed like she was getting it, we quit. We need to practice the gate bridleless too - she was pulling forward when I needed her to go sideways. My gate doesn't open easily, makes this one an extra challenge.

Anyway, I'm excited to get that far in the filming! I know what I need to focus on and in a few sessions, we'll be ready. Then we can film and be official L4. I think we could film L4 online quickly and probably even Liberty. L4 riding will be our challenge. I love a challenge!

We left the arena and I took her for a short ride and we stopped for her to eat grass. I wanted to reward the hard work with grazing, but away from the herd. She quietly and gently walked around with me, searching for the best morstles. I stayed bridleless - my first time bridleless off the property. That was just great!

Now, hitting the road for a few days. I'll have a great weekend ahead of more catch-up and progression, though.

Lesson with Kime

Had a 3-hour lesson with Kime today. The wind was just crazy, so we loaded up and went to a friends indoor arena. It’s a little small, but w/o the wind, we were able to get a whole lot done. The important thing is that I can apply all my new learning to the younger horses. Additionally, Z and I are nearly ready for some L4 ground filming. I’m excited to start filming L4!

Z - zone 5 driving
- from both sides, focus where we're turning! Maintain my zone position, try moving from right to left from zone 5, use the correct end of the stick, lower my phases. Be very clear about where my belly button is pointing. Expect her to follow my belly button and be ready to correct. Z picked this up within a couple minutes and I was amazed at how she could tell which direction to go with me in zone 5. We’re nearly ready for L4 Online audition.

We also worked on the spin. In the end, I had a couple nice spins at liberty. I started her on the rail using the line, wrapping it so that it would unwind as she spun. Big Tip – pass the stick BEHIND my back with the draw so that I don’t inadvertently block her. With the last turn away, use enough energy to get her to trot out. She did so great and our relationship was proven. She was trying and happy and not afraid. Love my horse!

Gem- COD-give him more help on his hard side. Sideways, keep my hand lower for softer phases, raise for high phases. Gems right hip doesn't move, practiced rock slide. For more help, walk up the line towards him to make it more and more clear.

Z riding - FTR, use rabbit ear reins. I was caught neck-reining! Doh! This is what working in a vacuum gets you… bad habits. I wasn’t even realizing I was doing it. Be particular about our track on the rail. Make sure I have straight lines and arches.

Lift my inside hip for the lead!! Don't put my leg on the outside. Lean back and spank. If she doesn't transition down, use a direct rein to take her into circle. She should transition down in 2 strides! Don't let her cut corners. FTR until she's committed. Ask for the lead just before the straight in the arch or corner. She's already lined up for the lead then, and bent correctly.

Gem riding - get the back up w/o reins first! He's RBI when under saddle. This was the most RBI behavior I’ve ever noticed. Deuce was next to us and a couple times he hit the wall with his tail. Gem flinched just like an RBI. He was so stressed. Go sloooow and use 1 rein until the bit is not an issue. His past gets him under saddle, have to build the confidence and trust.
First. Round pen, 1 rein, practice the basics, move the fore and hind, walk trot transitions, backup. I can’t show him this season until we’re past this. He doesn’t trust when mounted. We have lots of work to do. Someone really did a number on him under saddle.

More fun in the snow!

Well, it's cold for sure. And there's plenty of snow on the ground. But, I'm getting my butt out there anyway!

I started with Z. More trailer loading confidence, then to the arena for some bridleless practice. We did the question box and after a little warming up with corners and FTR, we did canter to back up transitions with the question box. I did about 5 in each direction, with 3 canter - backup transitions on each circle. She was awesome! She had spunk and life and responsiveness. I think she finds that quick work to be fun. She's so fast and when she comes out of the halt straight to the canter, she feels like a cannonball shooting out of a cannon. It's very cool.

Then, I played with Miss Tina. I'm doing more driving and asked Chrissy to assist with more obstacle stimulation. First, we further developed her willingness to bridle. I am searching for a horse that seeks the bridle, not avoids it. I want her to accept the bit like she accepts the halter. I put it on, take it off, repeatedly and all the while use the halter to keep her head low and in a partnership position. She's doing very well.

Then, we warmed up and went to work on more tarp fun. She proved that she's ready to move on from the tarp. Chrissy shook it around forward, walked toward Tina with it held high, then I put the tarp all over her and covered her up. She's passed this test with flying colors - next stop, the umbrella!

I also started trotting in zone 5. Up until now, it's been a lot of walking. I think it's time to remove the surcingle. My arm is strong enough and she's got the idea of what I'm asking. Next time, we'll go w/o it.

Before the barn time was over, I checked Nina's hind foot for progress with her scratches. It's actually much better after just 2 days! I'm very pleased. I applied a topical solution of White Lightening and we'll see how it looks tomorrow.

I'm also itching to get back on Tina. It's time - she's ready. Maybe after the next ski trip - we leave Saturday for 4 days.

More driving and riding

The weather is so mild and the old arm is coming around. Things are lookin' up! I started with Miss Tina today and spent most of my day with her. I had tacked up Rio for KK to ride, but then a friend came over and she forgot all about that. I used the surcingle yet with Tina and the confidence snaffle to get her going. We practiced the soft feel first for about 30 mins. I just turned her each way and helped her get the feel of the ask. Then we went forward. It's a different feel with me in zone 5 and thankfully the surcingle helps me keep the ropes where I want them. I think another few days and I won't have to use them.

She was resistant at first, but slowly she got softer and softer until we were able to walk nice figure 8's. I also started working on backing her up, which got much better by the end of the session. I took her out to the front pasture and let her graze for a while, just wanted her to get some quiet time wearing the bit and being with me away from the herd.

When we went back to the barn, she was a whole different horse. Soft in the bridle, turning on my asks with ease and halting and backing with a slight suggestion. She's a smart horse and she learns quickly. Now, it's time to get her on the trail and exposing her to more "scary" stuff.

I then popped a saddle on Z for a quick ride before the sun went down. I decided my goal is to finish L3 Freestyle by the end of Jan. I want to mess with Z as many times a week as possible to reach this goal. I think it's a very realistic goal, too. We have to make sure her canter depart is happy and responsive, as if she puts her ears back that will show a poor relationship and an unhappy horse. I'm going to work on asking her to canter with the lightest cue I can think of to make her more attentive. Otherwise, we can do everything else pretty well. It's time to shut L3 down!! :-)

Great day. Tomorrow, Gem, Rain, Tina and Z. Need to soak Nina too.

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.

Freestyle Patterns with Z

OK, it's time to get back to L3 Freestyle with Z. This is our toughest savvy. She's impulsive and it's tough to keep her relaxed when we're bridleless. We've got a nice pattern set up for our Freestyle audition. Now, we'll just practice it until it makes perfect sense to her and she can stay relaxed throughout.

We're using a question box, barrels for a figure 8, a tarp, a pipe for an obstacle and for sidepassing over, a jump, and an obstacle that we drag. We'll canter depart from the question box and show canter to halt. I'd like to get it good enough that I never have to correct with the neck rope or stick. I'd also like to do it bareback, but I don't have to. I'll stand on her back to complete the 10 mins of film. I'm excited and ready to get this accomplished.

We practiced moving the fore and hind bridleless and some sideways. Then we went and started in the question box. We practiced left lead canter departs from the halt and trotting the pattern relaxed. The question box will help us with our flc's. She gave me a couple of very nice flying lead changes during our session.

There are times she gets annoyed with me and I think I finally have it figured out. She doesn't like when I use phase 2/3. It's soft phase 1 or phase 4. Anything in between is weak and lame and she resents it! So, I have to get better about asking and then going straight to promising. She's demanding that from me.

I had Gem tied off for riding and planned for time with Tina, but the weather turned and I wasn't feeling well. Tomorrow it snows, the front is moving in. We blanketed horses, got the hay out, put the heater in the water and called it a night. I wanted to do more. At least my audition course is set up and I know where I'm headed.

Playing with Z

Had a great session today with Z, playing at Liberty, then some tricks, then finesse, then some freestyle, then back to tricks. The wind was blowing so no mosquitoes most of the time and lots of exhuberance and try from Miss Z.

We're working on backwards on the circle and that's going well. We pushed the ball around some and then practiced change of direction and transitions on a smaller circle (on the 12) from walk to canter and down again. We cleaned up sideways towards and then practiced spanish walk. She loves spanish walk!!

We then headed into the arena for some follow the rail and circles, working on bending her and suppling her hind end. I'm looking for her to cross over the hind legs while still moving forward and she's getting better. Our circles were ok, but she got out of balance at the canter very often and dropped to trot. I wonder if my circle was too small. I would then leg yield and ask her up to canter again. She was happy to transition up, but just couldn't manage to stay in a package in the canter.

Then, after I found a good place to quit, we were going to hit the trail together. However, as we entered the front pasture, I realized the breeze was dying and the bugs were coming out. When she starts shaking her head to avoid bugs, it's so hard to get her to focus. So, we just did some walking up and down hills in the front pasture for 5-10 mins and went to the barn for bug spray.

Finally, I practiced more spanish walk from her back (very cool!) and then into the round pen to practice bowing. She's coming all the way down at the bow and even holding it there quite nicely. Now that she's comfortable doing that, I'm going to move a subtle cue into the mix and transfer the bow to the subtle cue.

Funny thing... we finished up and decided to pull a few weeds while she hung out with me in the round pen. She was perfectly happy while I asking her for participation and engagement, but once I turned my back to do something else she got scared and felt she needed the comfort of the herd. They were completely out of sight and she called to them. It was an interesting thing to see that when I stopped "holding her hand", she did not have the confidence to manage it. She needs the herd for confidence. I may start putting her in a stall/run at night sometimes to help her feel more confidence in herself. I can't imagine how bad she'd be w/o Parelli - I know all her behaviors are very mild because of this program. Maybe I just need more UDT with her away from the herd.

Really good night.

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.  

Time with Z

Had a great, great session with Z! We started working more on the backwards circle in the round pen and more spins. The bucket of grain as incentive to go backwards is amazingly effective! I sprayed her off and took her into the sandy round pen to see if she'd roll with me. She started to, but then she changed her mind. I'm going to try that a few more times. She was super relaxed and I finally just sat on the ground. She stayed very close and nibbled on the nearby weeds. I found a new place she loves to be scratched near her hock. We have absolutely reached an all-time high in our relationship.

Then, we left the round pen, tacked up and went for some riding. We practiced our freestyle backup, isolation of the ends, and figure 8's. We jumped 2 ft several time and we are soooo much improved. She glides over the jump, I stay back and in the saddle and we feel like we've found an amazing place of harmony. So proud of us! We did some riding on the rail while practicing some w/t/c transitions. Then we opened the gate and left for some trail riding.

All 3 dogs came along. I didn't have a great plan, just to see where she hit a threshold. We cantered up our 1/4 mile long driveway and at the top at the gate, we stopped and thought about things. I hit the button to open the gate and she gladly walked out and down the road. Very cool. We trotted away, some cantering, and she hit a few thresholds. I inadvertently pushed her through one or two and regretted it, but she willingly walked on. I'm trying to be good for her confidence in me as a leader and pushing her through thresholds does not help that.

Anyway, we rode for a couple miles, not far, and came back. My sore Great Dane was with me and I couldn't cover the mileage I wanted. We made it back and I asked her to turn away after a moment and leave again. It was more challenging for her to leave again, but we did it. I tried to take it slow, reward the slightest try and make the wrong thing difficult.

We went out a mile or so and then came back. It was such a fantastic night. I got her feet trimmed and tucked her away for the night. Just a great night.

Freestyle practice and Trail Time!

Great day with Z! Started building the backwards circle on the round pen rail. Using a grain bucket to incentivize her backwards try. Worked really well! Got some great spins started, too! I'd like her draw a little stronger at Liberty, we'll build that back up.

Then, the arena for more freestyle practice. We jumped several times with ease and I'm so much better about keeping my butt in the saddle. The more I stay in the saddle, the less I feel worried about the jump. Interesting! The isolated ends bridleless are nice, too. I'm so pleased with us. I'm focusing on the figure 8 and making sure she doesn't turn until I ask her to.

Then, we left the arena and got Rain tacked up so that I could take my little sis out on the trail. I switched saddles so Z and I went english on the trail. We went 8 miles, a nice long ride. Chrissy had a little trouble with Rain eating grass and I tried to start helping her understand how to "train" a horse with natural horsemanship principles. The concepts are tough and she really wants to yank on the reins - predatorial instincts. It's going to be neat to watch her grow and progress. I know she had a good and intellectually stimulating time!

The mosquitos were retarded and we left the trail thinking there'd be fewer bugs on the roads. There were less, but not a lot less. Had to call Steve to rescue us with more bug spray. Mosquitos really, truly get on my nerves.

It was a great day for me, the first long day with horses in a week or so. I've got hooves to trim - got one of Rain's done before I got tired of battling the mosquitos. She's got high heels and flare at the toe pillars. Z is ready for a trim as well. Everyone is doing well here at the ranch. Getting rocks ordered today to toughen up their feet and help make the track more natural.

Easy Patience with Z

First time with Z in nearly 10 days. She was slow, but willing. We started with some new things int the round pen and I was focusing on patience and giving her time. After my last week at the ISC, I'm studying her behavior more carefully and trying to determine if I give her enough time. We practiced some COD's at the walk and trot. I wanted to try to develop the spin, but her draw wasn't quite good enough. We practiced circle game very close in (nearly touching me) at the walk. I'd like to increase that to a trot next.

I hopped on for some bridleless riding practice. I know I just have to get my video in for Freestyle! We started with isolated ends (extremely nice) and then some sideways (still some forward). We worked on the backup, getting softer all the time. Then, we left the round pen and I just played with focused circles - using a weed as our center. We worked on some transitions (trot/walk) and then I played PPL at the walk around the property. She kept asking if she could stop at a particular point and eat grass. I did not allow it. We circled the round pen, working on canter transitions and a soft canter.

Finally, we went out to the front pasture to practice jumping. Now that I'm leaning back in the jump, I'm much more fluid in my seat and I'm also much more confident to jump higher jumps! yay! Thanks to Kime on that one. I was leaning forward and getting fetal, triggering a vicious cycle of being off-balanced and wanting to be more forward in the saddle. We'll keep working on it.

We ended with UDT while I picked weeds and she ate grass. She was super relaxed and happy to be with me. It was a great session!

Gotta, gotta, gotta get my video submitted.

Jumping practice

After nearly a week off... She wanted to be with the herd and my leadership was more challenged than usual. She calmed down and we practiced jumping, circles, riding the rail, figure 8 and some sideways. Tried some UDT after, but she was more interested in the herd. That's what happens with a RBE who's had nothing but herd time in a pasture for a week. How interesting...

A day with Kime

It started off with a 2 hour private with Kime. After the two hours, Jen, Tammy and Drew would be showing up for a short group lesson. I was looking forward to the private time, because I want to get my freestyle great so I can move on to finesse riding. I’m enjoying the freestyle riding and Z and I have come a long, long way in the last few months.

We started a little warm up and then I began to show Kime what I had in mind for my freestyle audition. I had my course all set up and she liked what she was seeing. I have all 7 games covered and pulled some creative tasks off the self-assessment sheet. However, as I suspected, I didn’t get very far into what I wanted to show her before we were stopping to fix things up. My circle focus needs help. I’ve got to practice that. My circle is no good and thus Z doesn’t ride a circle for me. We talked about the bend in my body, the position of my legs and torse, sitting slightly on the outside of the saddle. I should pushing my outside hip up and NOT bringing my shoulder down. It’s tough to do correctly and I just need more practice.

We worked on our backup w/o reins. Z isn’t paying enough attention and that’s because I’m not being particular enough. I must continue to up our game and ask for more lightness. It never ends, it’s got to get better and better. So, I have to remember, ask with phase 1 then quick 2-3-4. And 4 has to be effective. And 4 should be more than 3! Silly that she had to correct me on that. Then, she asked me to walk a diagonal line by correcting the horse only on the outside. I didn’t really understand what she was asking for so the first couple times were a bust. But once I figured it out, I realized we couldn’t do it. We didn’t have a bridleless disengaging hind. So, it was a good discovery and we stopped to fix that up. I’ve got to remember those phases, too. Eyes, belly button, leg, stick. I have to bring my hand in to my belly button as if my rein was there. It causes my body to simulate what I’d do with reins and Z knows what to do.

We got that going and then it was time to work on our jump. She had us start with a ground pole. She was testing my focus and our ability to go over an obstacle together. Z tried to avoid even the ground pole, so of course she’s going to avoid a jump. Duh! We fixed that up and then she had us circle some obstacles with the ground pole on the circle. It was more circle practice and I realized then that my focus is horrendous. I just struggled. She explained that I should think about every little detail of that circle and really make it right. Do less sooner and keep Z as focused on our task as I am. Once our circles improved, Kime had us do a course she thought of that included corner game, circle game and squeeze over the jump and then the barrels. It was a good course and I will do something similar in my practices. Another important thing is to reinforce the jump differently than I’ve been doing. Allow her to avoid it, but circle around and go back to it. Repeatedly. Until she goes over it. Then, when she goes over it, reward the heck out of her with a huge release and even a treat. She’ll quickly figure out we’ll move on quicker if she doesn’t avoid the jump.

We quit at that point. I want to go longer, but the others were waiting to start their group lesson.

For the group lesson, I let Z off the hook and grabbed Gemini. Our ground work needs more development and Kime was expecting a lot from us. She had us doing separate things from the group, which is fine. She had us start with 7 games and observed us. She told Gem and I to go work on the figure 8 pattern. I was not walking back and forth in a straight and I honestly don’t think I even knew that. It did make a huge difference, though. And Gem was doing much better, so she sent us off to play the squeeze game. She also had us demo disengaging hindquarters. Oh, how I hate to be chosen to demo. However, we did a decent demo and I was pleased with us. For the squeeze game, we moved to barrels and I tried to squeeze him over, but Gem was putting very little energy into things. We’ll keep developing and I can’t wait to take him to Pagosa!! I know we’ll grow tremendously when I only have him to focus on.

At that point in the group lesson, it started to rain. And thunder and lightening. And we tucked horses into trailers or the barn and we sat and talked in the barn. We talked for a while, but I was seriously disappointed. I was looking forward to riding Gemini. I really wanted to ride him finally. We’ve been on ground since I took him back over from Krissy. It’s seems like a good enough time to start riding again.

Oh well. It was a great day anyway. Too short, but great. Jen and I sat with Kime over wine and hot chocolate for a bit before all heading off for evenings. I had Kendall’s b-day dinner at Dave amd Busters to go to with the family. I had to fix my attitude and get on with my night. :-)

Z meets the riding lawnmower! Eeeek!

Liberty, full turn
riding in front, circles
mower
freestyle course
moving the fore bridleless
sideways bridleless

L3 Freestyle Filming

I had big plans for the day to get Rain exercised (CTR race is in one week!) and Cowboy moving and Gemini on the trail. However, I did a quick session with Z practicing for our bridleless filming and we had such good stuff going that I decided to go for some filming time. Steve obliged and we spent an hour or two capturing some freestyle riding.

I feel very good about we've got going and the one thing I want to practice a little more on is the circle at the canter. We are using only the neck rope and 1 carrot stick. I realized at one point that I was being unclear with the stick and I went to phase 4 when she was blowing through my ask to turn left. You just can't be bridleless on an Anglo-arab and have the horse thinking they can do what they want to do! :-)

I may send in some of what we got on tape and I may practice the circle a little more and send new film. I haven't decided. Either way, we're nearly there! Feels amazing - my partner and I have come such a long way.