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.

Z meets the riding lawnmower! Eeeek!

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

Cowboy and Nina Day

I was determined to spend time with Cowboy and Nina today. I have some work to catch up on and with daylight savings kicking in, feels like the day was getting away from me. However, I got out there, did my horsey chorse and got to work with Nina first.

I touched up her hooves, trying to keep her from flaring. Her hooves are very wide and short by nature, so I try to stay ahead of the wall that grows in the quarters and shape the toe to help the toe grow out nicely. She actually has pretty nice feet. She was so calm today and when I went to get her, she was laying down sleeping along with Gemini, Cowboy and Rain. I sat down next to her and just scratched her all over. She was loving it and rested her head on me. We sat there for a solid 5 mins. She can be such a sweet horse.

Once I had her hooves trimmed, i went ahead and tacked her up. Getting the saddle on her has become a non-issue, which is fantastic. She accepts it willingly and doesn't move her feet. Then, I checked on our friendly game, asked her to cross some obstacles, and just generally tried to see where her head was. Again, she was calm and easy - even the wind was ridiculous today. I played with her and the tarp for the first time and she was non-plussed. Part of that is her personality, part of it is that she trusts me and she's confident with me. I took her into the round pen for some squeezing over barrels. She is not confident about going over things. My guess is she feels clumsy (she certainly looks pretty dang clumsy!). She got a little emotional about it, so I spread them apart and just asked her to squeeze through the opening. That was much easier and we moved on. We played with the circle game at different gates, with her following my body. When I trotted, I asked her to trot (like a jog in place), when I canter, she should, too (kind of like a skip). She's really great at that and we started to transition back down and up together. She gets that game! After a time, it felt like a good time to climb on. I asked Steve to hold her while I mounted from both sides repeatedly. Then, he led her around while I bellied her. I would have liked to swing a let over, but it seemed to risky with Steve as my ground person. He's doing everything I ask beautifully, but he's not a "horse person" and it would take a split second for Nina to act out and catch Steve off guard. Both of us could end up hurt in a hurry.

She was very calm and I'm proud of the good start she's getting. A few more weeks and I should be riding her around with ease. I tied her to the hitching rail and asked her to stand there for a while. She's calm about being tied and she cocked a leg and took a nap. She stood tied about an hour. She's a good girl.

Then, I got Cowboy out and tacked him up. I'm watching him very closely to see when he's shows stress so I can address it. I'd like to understand him better since he'll be my next L3 partner, most likely. I brushed him, messed with him, checked him over (he's got lots of bite marks from Gem). Then, I tacked him up and watched to see where he showed displacement behavior. He was ok with the pad, ok with the saddle, but when I started to cinch, he got stressed. Next time, I'll have a treat. He's very LBI and highly motivated by food. I tried to go very slowly and minimize the stress. He seemed to be settling when I took my time and then I mounted up out near the play area. I was completely comfortable hopping on and really felt trusting of him. The more I know him, the more I trust him.

We started out in the arena and I was planning to do a passenger lesson. He kept dropping his head because he was stressed and fiddling with his mouth. I didn't want to stop him, but he wanted to slow down when I allowed it. Hmmm... a dilemma. I wasn't sure where to go with it, so I tried to ask for more action. We cantered around and he seemed fine and confident - more than he was at the trot. Then we'd go back to a trot and he'd go back to displacement behavior. After about 10 mins, I decided to try the front pasture instead. Maybe he's been pushed too hard in arenas?

He did seem better and the displacement behavior stopped, but he was very inclined to be with the herd. So I walked him away and trotted/cantered him back. We did that a few times before I got interrupted by a visitor. Darn it! Once I got back on to get started again, I tried to simply walk him around the property. He was going along ok and trotted without being asked at one point. I realize he will NOT do that in an arena. He seems to go lights out in an arena in no time flat. He is much more interested and alert outside of the arena, in the open.

We trotted and cantered some around the property and found ourselves back at the barn pretty quickly. How interesting! I've always thought of him as the horse that doesn't need the herd. The horse that will willingly leave the herd for a trail ride. Not so at this point. We'll have to build back up to it. That's ok. Typical stuff.

At one point, he stopped and so did I. We just stood there together for probably 5 minutes. We were next to a pine tree and he just relaxed. I'd like to think he was waiting to see what I wanted. I'd also like to think it was relaxing to carry a rider who was happy to do nothing.

I'll keep getting inside his head. I have lots of tricks and tools in mind and I'll try them all until I figure out which one intrigues him. I do know that I've got to start incorporating treats into our sessions. He needs a reason to feel motivated. He's an unmotivated horse and I need him to show some life. Right now, I think he'll be tough with some of the L3 stuff because of his introverted nature and lack of desire to move fast. I'll be learning how to build that with creative play - a good challenge for me.

He's such a great-looking horse and I'm completely interested in developing him. What of Gemini? He'll be with Krissy for a while starting soon and I will watch from afar how he's doing. He could/should be #3 for my levels horses. That's where my head is now, at least.

Side note: Z and I are doing much better. She came up to me multiple times today while I had a lead in my hand. I'd like to think I'm more interesting to her lately and maybe taking different horses out of the pasture for play time makes her feel less like fleeing when I show up with a lead rope. It's good, I'm watching and learning - she's teaching me tons.

I ride...

A Simple Statement~ I ride.

That seems like such a simple statement. However, as many women who ride know, it is really a complicated matter. It has to do with power and empowerment. Being able to do things you might have once considered out of reach or ability.

I have considered this as I shovel manure, fill water barrels in the cold rain, wait for the vet/farrier/electrician/hay delivery, change a tire on a horse trailer by the side of the freeway, or cool a gelding out before getting down to the business of drinking a cold beer after a long ride. The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. At least I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands call it 'the sickness.' It's a sickness I've had since I was a small girl bouncing my model horses and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse . Most of the women I ride with understand the meaning of 'the sickness.' It's not a sport. It's not a hobby. It's what we do and, in some ways, who we are as women and human beings.

I ride.

I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some trailhead somewhere, unload, saddle, whistle up my dog, and I ride. I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse. My shoulders relax. A smile rides my sunscreen smeared face. I pull my ball cap down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the dust. Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of the walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth. I consider the simple statement; I ride.

I think of all I do because I ride. Climb granite slabs, wade into a freezing lake, race a friend through the Manzanita all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment. Still I ride. No matter how tired or how much my seat bones or any of the numerous horse related injuries hurt. I ride.

And I feel better for doing so. The beauty I've seen because I ride amazes me. I've ridden out to find lakes that remain for the most part, unseen. Caves, dark and cold beside rivers full and rolling are the scenes I see in my dreams. The Granite Stairway at Echo Summit, bald eagles on the wing and bobcats on the prowl add to the empowerment and joy in my heart. I think of the people, mostly women, I've met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie amongst the bunch. We haul 40ft rigs. We back into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp. Tend the horses. We cook and keep safe. We understand and love our companions, the horse. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, wait, and doctor. Your hands are a little rough and you travel without makeup or hair gel.

You do without to afford the 'sickness' and probably, when you were a small girl, you bounced a model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one. Now you are there. I ride.

--Author Unknown--(although, many of us feel she is our sister)

Squeezing some time in with Z

I'm so discouraged lately. With my broken ankle and my job, I've been moving forward at a snails pace with my horsemanship. My ankle is slowly getting better and I managed to get an hour of daylight after work today. Kendall came out with me, which is sometimes great but not when my time is limited. She wanted to ride Rain. So, I tacked up Z and Rain, did a little ground work with each of them and we went off to ride in the front pasture.

I wanted Kendall to work on transitions. She could really use the help with getting more control of Rain. Rain doesn't listen to her that well and worse lately than ever. Kendall gets very frustrated and Rain completely checks her out. I really should ride Rain more often myself, however she is a different horse when I ride her than when Kendall does.

Z had a lot of energy today, which I love. She was ready to go! I had Kendall, so I couldn't let her move out. Kendall got frustrated at one point because she and Rain weren't getting along so great and she gave up. I ponied the two of them back to the barn, tied Rain off, and took Z for a little bit of riding alone.

We rocked the teeter-totter, trotted over the cavalettis and then did some walk/trot transitions in the figure-8 pattern near my arena. She was quite soft today and had a tremendous backup. Her transition down was very in-tune with my body cues, as was her transition up. It felt really good to ride her. In the last 5 weeks, I've ridden about 3 times because of my ankle. However, I'm not quite ready - my ankle was sore during and after.

Hidden Mesa with Kendall

For the first time, I loaded up 2 horses and took Kendall to ride on a local trail. Our neighborhood trails are ok and convenient but some new scenery was in order. I was definitely watching closely and trying to head off any/all catastrophes, but Kendall was so brave and comfortable on Rain for the 8 mile ride that I was able to start relaxing finally. Together, they just did extremely well! Kendall's got Rain's grass-snatching more under control and Rain has more and more respect for Kendall on her back.

We talked the whole time and Kendall now has dreams of endurance riding with me and becoming a "Parelli Girl". With the start she has as a 7-yr-old, anything is possible. I explained to her that if she stays as engaged as she is now, I'll buy her a pony next spring. Something that can keep up just fine and allow her to play more of a role in tacking, ground work, etc... It's possible with a large horse, but at her height and Rain's 16 hands it's a little more challenging.

Kendall kept wanting to go faster and I appreciated Rain always wanting to conserve her energy! I worry some, but honestly I think they are fine together. We did some trotting but mainly walking. Kendall wants to move out, so as I get more comfortable with the two of them together we'll start moving out more. Kendall giggles when we go faster. It's adorable.

Kendall still has some concerns about the steep downhills and I trust that the more trail riding we do, the easier it will get for her.

Z and I did very well in our partnering on the trail. I just used the rope halter and tried to practice things like shoulder in, haunches in, feel with vertical flexion at the walk and trot, backwards with my seat, diagonal walk/trot... Actually, she felt softer than ever and I think I'm asking better and better. Thinking of my hands doing a circular half-halt has really helped. If I make a small circle in the air with my hands instead of going straight up, I get better results in the backup. Also, she's backing with my seat now with this new way of asking. I felt really good about our ride, our trailer loading, the whole deal. And Z is happy to come to me and be with me afterwards - an excellent sign. We'll try again for more video today when Steve gets back from baseball.

Before we left for the trail, I played with Gemini. We worked on the 7 games with the saddle on and the rear cinch pretty tight. He did buck some. He bucked less than the previous time and I could see him feeling generally constricted without bucking some of the time. He bucks well and has the energy to do it! He got a little playful with me changing directions and I really think he was having a little fun! I was, too. His sideways looked pretty good, his backup is great, we played more with squeeze and I realized we need to do that more often. After a few minutes, he could squeeze between me and fence comfortably, but we had to build to it. How interesting. I got on and rode him around in the arena. We did large figure 8's at the walk, trot and canter. His canter departs were softer and we hit the correct lead nearly every time. Using my outside leg a little farther back helps a ton. He feels calm and easy at the canter and I love to ride him. Should he be my first L3 horse? Maybe, but I'm not switching now. Z and I will be fine and Gemini will be quick to get through it after I've learned from Z. I appreciate him, though. There's a reason I have him - maybe he's going to be my amazing demo horse someday. Who knows, but I finally trust that he's chosen me and he's in my life for a reason.

After some time in the arena, I rode him down to the south pasture to talk to Steve while he was working on a 2nd shade shelter. I was curious if Gemini would be bothered by the tractor or being that far from the herd. He was calm and just fine. I'm looking forward to continuing our development together. I'm proud of him. I'm even considering taking him to Pagosa instead of Z.

I took the saddle off him, sprayed him down and took him into the arena with treats. I wanted to see if he'd go down and I wanted to be ready to reward him. Sure enough, he rolled and stayed down to eat the treats I had for him. A nice, easy beginning to a lay down trick later.

Don't actually know how I'm going to manage the Parelli course. The job situation is not working out as planned. I'm so disappointed and continuing to try to sort it out. I've got to head to Pagosa next weekend if I'm doing the August class. Otherwise, I've got to hit it in September. Hopefully, everything will fall together.