Christmas Family Visits

WOW it's been busy around here!  We've been chugging along getting fully organized in the house and then the holidays arrived!  We had Steve's parents here for about 3 weeks and his daughter Cierra for just over 1 week.  Cierra is 20 years old, almost 21....she's counting the days and goes to school at Salisbury University in Maryland.  She took some riding lessons in high school and simply loves animals.  We were pleased that we had some nice weather finally during her visit where we could ride.  We've received non stop rainy days for several weeks.

These pictures are all from Cierra's phone either taken by her or my hubby Steve.  We started out grooming the two horses and getting them tacked up.  Steve and I hopped on first to get a feel for how the horses were.  It'd been a while since we've worked them or ridden due to weather so we wanted to see how they were feeling.  Steve rode Chance for the first time and was doing quite well.  Chance seemed to follow Dani around mainly, we rode in The Shire.  A couple times I circled her around and Steve seemed to do well with directing Chance.

Then Steve had some issues getting Chance to listen to him and what Steve says is that he sped up or kicked out or something like that.  I was in front and didn't see anything but Chance going one way and Steve going the other with the saddle spinning to one side of the gelding.  Luckily the ground was soft and Steve also wears a helmet so he wasn't hurt.  I dismounted and gave him Dani's reins.  I think Chance maybe had some beans pent up from the rain and lack of exercise lately.  I worked him from the ground and told Steve and Cierra that Dani would be fine to ride.  I think Steve rode her some but I know Cierra did and had a pretty good time from what I could tell.

I needed to have a good note to end on with the pony boy, he certainly was worked up a bit and when mildly asked to trot in a circle we was kicking up his heels and snorting a storm.  The soft ground at one point seemed to slip from under him and he actually fell on his side!!!!  Oh my goodness my heart nearly stopped!  I took nearly all pressure off him to see if he would just walk in the circle and he did with no indication of any leg issues.  I brought him into the smaller riding pen to work him in there so we wouldn't add more area that is torn up.  I have so much I need to do with this property to include getting a safe lunging area completed.  I didn't ask for anything more than a trot but the silly boy cantered at times and spun when asked to change directions or simply snorted and bucked on the line.  A couple times I reprimanded him for the bucks.  I knew he just had pent up energy and we haven't had much of a chance to work with him but I didn't want him to get so worked up he hurt himself.

Cierra on Dani enjoying a nice ride.  They look so cute together!

While Cierra and Steve played around with Dani I continued working with Chance to get him to use the thinking side of his brain.  He finally got to a better place so I asked Steve to come lead him around with me on top.  I was scared for sure but I breathed deeply and mounted up.  We walked around in a couple circles and then when I felt more confident I asked Steve to step back.  Chance was still a little hesitant to walk on-wards with me on top, it felt like I was doing most of the work to get him walking instead of just asking and him going at a steady pace.  I've had horses that wouldn't move under saddle and I know I just need to work with him; ground work and in the saddle.  The balking has a tendency to make me more tense and thus perpetuates the cycle and then the horse responds with either more balking or running off.  I'm okay with the former at this time but I need to find a place where I can mount up and be comfortable with Chance and he with me.  We'll get there.  This exercise just showed me that he's not really what I'd label a cold backed horse but he's not a horse like Dani that can sit in the pasture for several weeks and then go for a ride with few issues.  He has a more active mind and Steve and I have to learn how to work with him.  

Doesn't my step daughter have a nice natural seat??

Since then Steve and I went out in the neighborhood, me astride Dani and him leading Chance.  It's best to work from the ground up.  Steve did well and so did Chance.  I'll post about that later.  At least over the Christmas holiday ride no one was injured and I think there was some quality father/daughter time though not the quiet trail ride together for which I was hoping.

I Want Rhythm

I had the hubby come out to film Dani and I trotting.  I wanted to see if I could determine what I was feeling at the trot.  Sometimes it feels like Dani lurches forward into the trot at the beginning or sometimes in the middle.  I want to work on getting her trot steady, I'm looking for rhythm.

Doing some of this trot work I also noticed she anticipates and even if I just turn her at the walk she'll want to start trotting.  We have to do lots of turns, circles, figure 8's and serpentines to keep the trot from speeding up.  I need to also do that at the walk so she understands it can be at any gait.  Since she hasn't really had formal training most of her life it seems she needs to retaught cues.  I think I have to be overly "dramatic" when I cue to make her understand and then back off.  I also need to correct her firmly if I didn't ask for a trot or movement.  We are getting to some difficult areas, nothing I can't handle but I may want some eyes on the ground at some point to help us through this.

These are two videos filmed early in the 30 minutes we rode.  I was happy that I'm getting the sitting trot to work better and more often.  I still get out of whack and sometimes revert to the posting trot to get back in sync.  I really can't seem to see the speeding up I feel that Dani does, the thing that M says sort of lurches me forwards at times.  I need to keep watching both the regular time and slow-mo.  Perhaps Dani is just changing stride tempo but not really speeding up?  She's certainly not balanced but she's not that fit either.  We need to build her muscles up before I can even really work on collection and I need help with how I'm supposed to eventually teach her that!

In between bouts of trotting we walked and I focused on getting her move where I need her to go.  She often seems to turn her head like she's looking at me and walking with her body crooked.  More to work on.

Most of the time I can get Dani to halt with my seat but she still has a high head when we halt.  Steve caught us in the perfect moment of awkwardness.  At least she was listening and not needing me to pull on the reins to stop.  

I'm not looking for perfection or to make Dani into a dressage horse.  I'm not even trying to get her to the level of Divine (former lesson horse).  I just want a nice relaxing ride where I am in control.  My dream is to ride Dani on trails and have fun with EXCA or trail competitions someday.  I don't think I have the patience, time or knowledge to get a horse to a completely collected level and I really don't want to reach for that.....too boring for me.  Now if I wanted to work on that type of riding I would find a horse that was already trained that way.  I just want to have fun and good communication with my mare.  Piaffes and perfect sidepasses are great but not the be all end all of riding.  Fun and safety are my desire.

Below is another video of us.  It's in regular time and then slow motion.  I try to stay off her mouth but I think some of the bouncing has made me pull more than I should on her mouth at times.  I need to work on more independent hands at the trot.  That's hard when you are tense and working on a million other things! We just need practice.

I feel like we have worked on the trot a little bit in the past but now it's a bigger desire plus we are rusty.  I don't feel as nervous so I can concentrate on what we need to work on rather than making sure I breath and don't freak out.  I think we did pretty well together considering.  We have a long ways to go but I love that she is willing and trying.  It will click for her if I keep working on the trot and stay consistent with my aids.  Also making sure she understands when I'm not asking for the trot.  I need to remember to not concentrate too hard and actually coo to her when she is doing exactly what I want more often.  I try to tell her she's so smart and a good girl, I can always improve on that though.

Steve took a little ride on her after I was done but that didn't last more than a couple minutes since she wasn't listening to his directions and tried to trot a couple times.  The anticipation is something we have to stop, "Horse, this is your Captain speaking!" (Julie Goodnight saying!). Steve needs to do some actual riding but I don't know if Dani is really the horse for him to learn on.  Honestly I don't want to be the one to "teach" him to ride so I think when we get another horse it will have to come with lessons too.  I hopped back on Dani and made sure to get her into a state of listening.  We even worked on some turns on the forehand.  She's maybe at 50% in getting those done well, I'm very happy with the progress there too.

I'll keep working with her.  M is good to ride with since we seem to be on the same page with our desires for riding and some of our struggles.  She even suggested her riding my mare and me riding Scotty sometime.  That could be interesting.  He's such a petite Arab looking Morgan but seems to naturally carry himself well; we'll both be in for a change in ride for sure!  But perhaps with M riding Dani she'll give me some insight into things I could try as I work on these areas with my girl.

Isn't she the cutest little red mare?

Hot to Trot

I've done very little trotting with Dani, honestly it's been really hard to get to the point of feeling like I could trot her.  I've done some trots in the round pen, then short spurts in the arena but never much concentration on it.  Each time I've tried it's a little freaky.  She tosses her head and goes into her trot....which is pretty big (or at least feels that way).  I don't know if it's fast, short-strided or what but it's gonna take some getting used to.  She's also squirrel-y to steer at the trot, but that's probably my fault.  She's sensitive and doesn't require much to steer her, I'm tense with the trot so I probably cue her too much...hence the squirrel-y feel.

Yesterday I was riding in the north arena.  This one has a little grand stand to the west for viewers to sit during gymkhanas or other activities.  When we first got into the arena I longed her to get her in the right frame of mind...she's really good at realizing it's time to work and to soften rather quickly.  An owl flew out of the stands and off to a field.  Dani glanced but didn't seem too worried.  I was distracted and kept glancing to watch him fly off.  

Finally we were done with our warm up and I was ready to mount up.  I tightened the cinch one last time (been using the western saddle a lot lately).  Dani hasn't been ridden in about 2 weeks I would guess.  I tried to Sunday but had a hoof chip issue that scared me to my hubby and I forfeit that idea until the farrier could come and take a look at it.  Dani was a bit fussy about mounting, doing her backing and/or moving her hindquarters but a swift pull on the reins and a whoa seemed to suffice.

I started by walking her around the arena perimeter and discovered she was just a tad worried about the grandstand.  So we walked past that many times, where she was really worried I turned her in small circles each way, yielded her hindquarters etc.  Then in a couple more passes she had no issue with it at all.  The issue I'm talking about is just a hard stare and snort...no spooking, but I want to prevent that if I can.

After walking around a bit, doing some flexing I decided to trot.  The first attempt she turned quickly due to a panicky aid I must have applied.  Further on we tried again, and I tried my best to keep my reins calm.  I had my hand on the horn at first (gotta love western saddles) but eventually was riding free with light contact.  

We did short spurts of trot at each end of the arena, each time felt a little better but each time the shift into trot started with a head toss.  I think I'll be able to work on this on the ground this winter.  Since it will get dark soon my ability to work her during the week will be limited but my plan is to get one of those light stands people use when painting their house.  It will give us enough light for ground work, not sure I'll feel safe enough for riding so I'll be limited to weekends for under-saddle stuff.  Anyways I felt accomplished.

I've been scared to death of speed and have needed time to build a solid relationship and foundation with Dani.  It's been almost a year of being owned by her, so it seems silly to some that I haven't done much trotting but honestly I haven't been ready yet.  I've been so scared since those falls I had before buying her, the fear is deep and I've slowly been working on it.  It'd rather take the time and work on fundamentals, concentrating on my seat and hands, getting her softer etc.  We have a ways to go but I feel that the trot will continue to improve on both our parts.  What a good little mare she was, she could easily have gotten upset at my tension but she just trekked on and was still her sweet self after the ride.  I love her.

Spiraling

I was able to have a short ride (30 minutes) on my Dani Girl today.  Phoebe told me that the past couple of days a lot of cars had become stuck on their driveway.  I have not come out in two days and in a way am glad; it would have been embarrassing to get stuck on their driveway!

It's always good to see Dani's sweet face with her ears pricked forward, she's so cute and wiggles her top lip back on forth searching for treats in pockets...I don't think this will ever change but if she tries to bulldoze me I let her know that's not okay.  My mare always brings a smile to my face.  I was all talky with her today, I couldn't stop but she didn't seem to mind and I don't think she judges me on what things I say.  Most of the time I'm telling her how smart and beautiful she is but it's not my try at flattery I promise!

 

We did a good and quick (quicker than usual) grooming, it can't be perfect right now because no matter what the hair keeps coming off her in bunches; there is no stopping it!  Once I was done with the main grooming I grabbed her saddle and only cinched it one hole but Dani sidestepped quickly, I kept the tension on and once she calmed a bit put the tongue in the hole and scratched her chest, reassuring her that I wasn't going to tighten fast or punch her belly like I've seen some people (in my past) do with horses.  She has certainly had bad experiences with girths or surcingles, I'm just making sure to tighten in increments; I'll go and do another grooming task and then come back to it, then walk her and tighten again....so on and so forth.  Next I did her hooves, picking them isn't as simple as it was before winter came.  With all the mud in the pastures there is more stuff in her hooves and the frog seems to slough off a lot more  with the dampness.  I haven't noticed any issue with thrush but perhaps I should apply some thrush meds just in case since it's so muddy and wet right now. 

When I first arrived at the barn I plugged my bit warmer into the socket I knew was working last time but the bit was still ice cold when I was ready for it....darn it!  I really should check when I first bring Dani into the barn to see if the device is even starting to warm, it seems the sockets here are a little touchy!  So as the last resort, I placed the freezing bit onto my belly and held it there for a minute or two until it was a reasonable temperature...my poor belly but that's much better than freezing my hands that still have tasks to perform!



 

 

I really enjoy that Dani is good about bridling, even with my fumbling way.  The bridle is still stiff in the nose band and doesn't sit on her nose the best way, in my opinion, but at least it seems to fit alright and is comfortable for Dani.  We were ready to enter the ring.  There were at least two people in the ring and then about three more joined after I got Dani in there.  I tightened the girth a couple more times and let her sniff the mounting block as well.  We really didn't need to spend much time with that because once positioned by the block she stood still like a good girl.  She did walk off after the mounting so I corrected her and made her stand for a moment even though there were a couple impatient riders waiting for the block.  Sorry, I'm not teaching my horse bad manners if I can help it! 

Once we moved off I just let us meander around the ring getting used to the activity for a bit.  One rider was cantering around a lot and that just makes me nervous since I'm still getting used to a busy ring.  Eventually I calmed and so did Dani.  My girl has some mare moments today.  When one horse, a Cobby looking gelding, passed her the ears went back, pinned sharply and I could feel her tense like she wanted to tell him who's boss. I applied a see-saw pressure on the reins to get her focus back onto me, I don't need attitude under saddle even if it's not directed at this rider!  

 

Anyhow, busy arena aside we got to work on spiraling circles.  We started big and slowly got smaller until we got to the center then I had her disengage her hindquarters and cross her back legs.  I'm still not sure if I completely feel when she does this but I tried my best.  We did this both directions and I was pretty happy though going clockwise is still a bit squirrely.  Before, when we've tried spiraling, we got to the center of the circle way too fast.  I was still getting used to her sensitivity and she was probably still adjusting to me.  This time went pretty well, I'm happy with the tiny progress.  We also worked on one rein stops and stops in general, we aren't doing so well there so that needs some work but we'll get there.  I ended the ride on a good stop though!  We'll let that sink in!

 

Another distraction in the arena occurred with a gal taping stripes onto a cross rail for a jump; the sound of the tape seemed to be upsetting some of the other horses.  Dani just looked at it, so I made sure to walk near this gal several times to make sure she really wasn't bothered. The gal commented about how beautiful Dani was and also how cute she acted at feeding time.  Apparently my expressive mare makes some interesting sounds!  I haven't heard this when I'm there at feed time but I can imagine it, she's got personality for sure!  I had to leave the barn earlier than I like to get home by 6pm, there was a Ask The Vet live event on Laminitis that I wanted to hear. 

 

Today Dani was such a good girl, I love just plodding along in the arena and feel my fear slowly slipping away.  It's still there but I'm slowly realizing that I can control it, of course Dani and I are only doing walk and in an enclosed arena but still...this is good!  Happy trails!

Chai anyone?

This was my birthday weekend (and I have Dublin Pinnacle boots in the mail!!!!)  I took Friday off, my actual birthday, and did NOTHING.  It was awesome!!  Then on Saturday I went to the barn before having dinner and drinks with friends and my parents.  My friend Ashely and Mike came to the barn with their 3 year old son to see my Daenerys.  None of my close friends, aside from Jessica (my childhood friend) really "get" how big a deal it is to have my first horse.  To them it's just a horse.  To me, it's like having a first born child!  I have very few "horse people" as friends.  I consider Laurie, my trainer, a friend and Uschi one as well but we haven't spent much time together...something I intend to remedy!!

 

I felt very loved that Mike and Ashley came out to see my Daenerys.  Liam, their little boy, was a little shy about this big 1,000 lb animal but I think in time we could get him on her back to be lead around.  I'd prefer a western type saddle though so he has a horn to hold onto and of course I will make sure he has a good helmet to wear!  Dani put her head down to look at little Liam as he stood on the ground next to her.  Her head was the size of his body!  It was so cute having her check out this tiny person!  Dani is the first horse he's seen close-up and I'm glad she was chill and sweet towards him.

Before they arrived I did a little bit of lunging with Dani.  She still thinks I just want her to move her butt around instead of trot off in a circle.  We still have some things to work on in that regard, I need to make sure I'm queing her correctly.  Then I worked on her backing up from the wiggle of the lead rope.  She learns fast, I just have to learn how to communicate what I want with her.  After a little bit of work I set her loose in the arena thinking she'd like a nice roll but she wasn't interested.  She mainly just stood still and looked at various sounds or other ponies in the pastures nearby.  I decided I'd sit down on the mounting block and finish up my Chai latte.  Well, Dani couldn't be content with my attention solely on my beverage.  She walked to where I sat and hovered over me, her eyes intent on the chai.  She sniffed and then mouthed/chewed my Starbucks container.  When I was all done with my beverage I figured maybe she'd like the pieces of ice with bits of chai flavoring.  That didn't go so well she lipped it and then flehmened her response.  That was the end of that!  LOL.

Yesterday I had a nice ride on Dani.  My mother showed up to see her, she loves to see Dani and is so happy for me to finally have the horse of my dreams.  She's obviously been there since day one when I first knew what a horse was to falling in love with them to taking lessons and to finally owning one myself.  She gets it and I love sharing this joy with her!  Dani and I just walked around a part of the outdoor arena; we did some serpentines and spirals.  Dani is still pretty sensitive to my body and leg; I barely have to ask her for moving over so I'm trying to work on getting her not quite so sensitive to where she thinks I want her to trot.  I would like to work on leg yielding with the proper body bend at some point but I may need another lesson with Laurie soon; money has been tight so I've not scheduled another lesson just yet.  I need to hunker down and perhaps buy a big package of lessons with my tax return or something! 

  

 Dani was amazing with the mounting block!  She stood like a statue and even stayed still after I mounted.  The few times I've worked with her on this makes me even more impressed with my girl.  I know Laurie told me the high range of repetitions that would be required because it could take that long but Dani will position herself and then I can step up and mount with ease in not so many of those repetitions.  I'd love to be on the block and have herself "park" like the Fjord I test rode but that will come in time.  Right now I'm just making sure that mounting goes well.  I'll have to do some mounting from the ground again to one, check on the saddle fit and my new anti-slip pad and two make sure that she'll be good for the more laborious type of mounting!

 

We also worked on the one rein stop and regular stops as we circled the section of arena.  Sometimes Dani needed the reins and verbal cues but one time, she did actually stop completely on just my seat.  It will take time to get a well timed stop where she is 100% intune to me but I'm happy with the little progress we've made.  My mom even commented on her ground manners and not tossing her head while tied and just her behavior overall.  We've made progress and I know a lot of what's keeping us slower in this is my fear.

I think it's hard for anyone who hasn't had a bad fall to really understand how it is to work back up to riding, and then riding at speed.  Non-horse people for one think you are crazy for even considering getting back on a horse.  Non-horse people would just say "I'm done" and walk away.  Horse people get it that passion and love is what it's all about.  It's like the air you breath, the core of who you are...but the fear you have after falls can really tamper with your feeling of self in a way.  Sometimes the fear is not really there; falls from my past, I just got back on and didn't think anything of it really.  Other times, like after my recent falls, I've been shakingly afraid when in the saddle.

 

The gal who fell off her mare many weeks ago had her first ride in 11 weeks this Saturday.  She rode Tate, the very sweet older horse of Liz.  She was explaining to me how short the ride would be etc etc.  I TOTALLY GET IT!  She broke her pelvis in multiple places, to me she's my heroine!  To get back on after such a tramatic fall really gives me encouragement.  It's a scary thing, these animals can kill you, but so can driving a car, not having a carbon monoxide alarm.  To non-horse people we are insane to want to get back on but to horse people, if you give up on horses completely you are giving up such a huge piece of yourself that you might as well just leave this world.  Sorry to be so morbid but as horse people I'm sure you will all understand.  It's almost like being a horse person isn't a choice, it's just who you are!  Anyhow, be safe and any even a short ride can be a great ride, take your time and enjoy!

 

Quick Little Ride

I went to the barn with the hubby today, just for a short little time. I wanted him to capture a couple pictures of me riding Dani.  My goal this year is to work on my confidence, as you all know it's been shot and it will take some time to get back to where I've been before.  I've done mostly groundwork with Dani and have a lot more I plan on working with her on but I need to also get into the saddle more often, even if it's only for 20 minutes just doing some little exercises.  It will help us both out immensely.  I'm not worried too much about collection, lightness yes and Dani doesn't pull on the bit which is good.  She's very responsive to my seat and legs for turning and for halting.

 

 

I certainly felt tense today but kept trying to remind myself to relax, it will be a process.  I talked softly to Dani too which is also calming for me.  It will be a long time before my fear gets back to a normal level, I feel silly sometimes but Steve said it's only human nature when you had three falls within a short period of time that scared the daylights out of you.  Even one fall is enough to unnerve most people, especially the Desperados Storm fall!  She tried to speed up a few times, not sure why at one point but the other time I think she got a little nervous at cars coming down the driveway.  We haven't done much in the outdoor arena so it's new to her and I. 

 

 

I still had the issues with mounting, Dani would swing her butt away when I went up to the mounting block.  I tried backing her and then making her swing her butt each way to show her that it was more difficult to not just stand calmly.  Finally I just mounted from the ground, and when she tried to move I pulled on the outer rein which stopped her.  She stood still while I was "in the air" mounting at least but I'll have to show Laurie the issue I've had with the mounting block.  I would like to get her trained on that but I still don't want to get out of the habit of being able to mount from the ground.  She's a small enough horse and I won't always have a mounting block.  I'll see what Laurie says during my lesson next Saturday.

 

 

I want to work on exercises like serpentines, going in and out of cones or some such obstacle and doing spirals.  I tried a spiral but could only either get her on a big or tiny circle, not much of a transition spiraling in or out.  We'll work on it!  There was a weird sound coming from one end of the arena, something with the wind and I know Dani noticed it a few times but with a little bit of squeezing on the reins she came back to me at least.  It was good to be on her riding.  I think the saddle and bridle work well for her, it doesn't appear to be pinching and the bit I have seems to work well.  We'll see, things can always change with tack and I'm not against making minor adjustments of finding a bit that she likes better.  Like I said she seems to be doing okay with this bit.  I haven't done much riding with her in this bit so she's still getting used to it. 

 

Well, happy riding!  Hope the weather is nice like it's been the past couple days here in Colorado!  Nothing like going from the single digits to the 50s!

First Ride!!! Yippee!!

I went out to the barn on Sunday with the intent to ride a little.  I gave up with having Steve be there with me for the first ride.  I groomed Dani as usual and then grabbed the saddle.  I only tightened the girth one hole since she has issues, then I went back and did it again, then again.  The bridling was pretty easy though I entirely missed her mouth and had the headstall on with the bit dangling.  I redid that, Dani was very cooperative and properly chuckling at me about the whole ordeal.  The cob size bridle fit her nicely, only issue I had was the throat latch was tighter than I would like and it was on the last hole.  I'll be getting a new bridle in the next year, month actually.

When I went to the indoor I started out with lunging Dani at a walk and a little bit of trot.  She wasn't too sure of what I was asking but we communicated eventually to each other and she did quite well.  The round pen is snowy now so I don't know when I can get to that groundwork.  I tightened the girth one more time and then set to mount up, Dani backed up a little.  I said whoa and then tried again though this time with the weight in the stirrup the saddle went around her side.  UGE!

I tried to loosened the girth; one thing I have about Wintec is that fake leather is more stiff and difficult to maneuver than real leather.  The billets were stiff, I eventually go the girth undone and repositioned the saddle.  Then I tightened it again, counting holes and made sure to get it one hole higher. 

I figured the mounting block would be a good idea.  The Fjord lady had her horses trained to "park" at the mounting block but I knew I couldn't get Dani to do that so I led her close then repositioned it.  When I stepped up Dani sort of eyeballed me and backed up a little.  She did it a couple times again but then stayed and I swung over.  I was on my horse!!!

We just did walking around the area, I didn't try to stick to the edge since even though she was fine with me walking with her and kicking the dirt at the edge I didn't want to chance any issue with our first ride.  We did circles, Dani moved easily off my seat with assistance with the reins.  Honestly I relied more on them because of nerves but it's something I can work on for the next ride.  It's been two months since I last rode.

The last time I rode Dani was when Laurie evaluated her.  The last time I rode any horse was during a "clinic" that Laurie conducted with two other riders at her place.  We did a riding portion of it where we all took turns doing simple exercises on Divine.  At first when going to the clinic I was afraid of riding Divine because the last ride was when I ended up on the ground and the wind knocked out of me but the environment was so supportive that I gained confidence and had a great time.

Anyways I digress.  Two other riders were in the arena with me, they were walking, trotting and cantering around and for the most part Dani was good about that.  One time she wanted to trot off with the other horse but I turned her sharply into a circle and slowed her.  I'm not ready to trot on her yet I need to gain more confidence with her.  Like I've said I'm taking things one step at a time, I have a lot of groundwork to do and then plenty of under saddle work...all of which needs to see success at the walk first.

I ended up doing serpentines, pretty sloppy serpentines but the change of direction helped me and I think helped her.  Dani glanced at the mirrors a few times but I just redirected her like there was nothing to fear, well there wasn't, and she did fine.  I do have to say it was nice to see me on my pretty mare in the mirror!

At one end of the arena are windows that point towards the pastures.  While passing by the windows horses galloped past, mare feeding time, and Dani spooked slightly.  It was just a start and I talked to her and encouraged her to keep moving, I had her change directions a few times too.  She neighed to her friends but I had her keep on going.

We have to work on the mounting.  She needs to be a statue when I mount, certainly a shift in weight is fine to set up her balance but no moving off, backwards or swinging her butt away.  I spent the last 15 minutes in the arena at the mounting block.  Anytime she swung away or backed up I quickly backed her up or made her move her hindquarters away.  Eventually she realized that standing at the mounting block and having me stand above her was okay and much more relaxing than having me back her up or move her hindquarters.  I made sure to end on a good note and scratch her chest while standing on the block.  End of session.

I want so badly to get over the first hump of the Clinton Anderson exercises.  The first requires a round pen, which I have but now with snow I'm not sure if I can safely use it.  I'll try to find some time to set up the jumps and see if that might work to make a pseudo round pen in the arena.  The key is finding time and with the next two weekends taken up with family affairs I don't see it happening anytime soon.  Anyone else hear a New Year's Resolution in the making??

All in all the first ride was a success!  The saddle was comfortable for me and seemed to be for her. There are issues to work on since she wasn't ridden too much at her old home and has plenty of holes in her training but her personality makes this mare a great first horse.  I can learn things with her, make mistakes and she's forgiving.  She's also very willing and catches on pretty quickly.  We haven't been majorly challenged yet but I'm fine with that, one step at a time and regaining confidence tiny bit, by tiny bit....

Time Constraints and Nerves

I’ve had my mare for two months now and have not been on her back since I first gave her a trial and rode her during Laurie’s evaluation.  Yes, I finally have a saddle, purchased a little over two weeks ago and yet I have done no more then set the saddle on her, cinch it up and check its fit.  I will admit I am nervous about riding her for sure.  Before purchasing her I had three falls that scared me to death.  There are a lot of other factors recently that have prevented me from going out to the stable much and of course I haven’t had a good slot of time that has enabled me to ride. 

The week after I purchased the saddle I went out to check on how it fit and realized that I needed a longer girth.  So I spent one evening after work going to Dover to get the right girth.  That was pretty much my whole evening so I was only able to drop off the new girth and pet Dani in the field.  The next day I tried on the girth.  Then I got the bridle and found it way too big with no way to make it smaller.  I had to go home to switch out for my cob sized bridle.  That evening I spent time adjusting and walking Dani around with the saddle on to check the fit. 


The weekend of December 1st I had some obligations with my husband; we looked at a truck (we’ve been in need of a second vehicle since June when Steve’s car died).  Luckily with Steve traveling he never really needed a car but we’ve borrowed my parents extra car for times he was home and I had gotten to the point that I felt we’d over used the privilege.  I wanted to get the spare car back to my parents.  We found a great truck, under the Kelley Blue Book and then the next couple evenings during the following week I worked with the bank to get the loan.  Then I had a weird head thing, my hearing was off and I was a bit dizzy.  No help from the doctors either.  I certainly was not going to ride like that!

This past Saturday we finally purchased the truck and dropped it at the mechanics to get some items taken care of, we also had our Christmas party so between all of that I had no time to even see Dani, let alone ride her.  Lately I’ve just had a ton of errands to run with getting ready for the holidays and getting ready to have house guests again.

Yesterday I had to run a ton of errands and was only able to see Dani to take care of her hooves and put on a warmer blanket due to the snow.  Today I will see her for a decent amount of time but tomorrow, Steve’s work party is going on and then Thursday we have to run the car back up to my parents who live an hour away.  Steve’s parents will be coming in sometime the end of this week but they are not needy so I know I can get away after work and weekend mornings to see Dani.  Steve’s daughter will be in from the 22nd until nearly the end of the year, I won’t have much time while she’s here to spend quality time with Dani since I want to spend quality time with Steve’s daughter!

It’s unending but I guess that’s this time of the year.  I know Dani is doing fine; I am dying to have a consistent schedule to see her, do the Clinton Anderson stuff and actually ride my beautiful Morgan.  I don’t feel that the lack of training or riding the past month is really going to affect her adversely.  Though it is making me wonder if it would be a good idea to do a partial lease on her for someone who could ride her during the week, during the day.  Hmm….not sure how I feel about that thought.

Random Happenings

Yesterday when I went out to see Dani wanted to try the bridle I have.  While I was starting to unbuckled the straps of Dani's blanket (not sure why it was still on her but at least she wasn't sweaty) I heard the clip clop of hooves go down the aisle.  It was a lone palomino horse, sans handler.  He'd been eating food in a bucket, untied in the other wash rack making Dani sort of start at seeing him as we passed by.  Apparently he's the owners horse, one of many, and he is usually just released into the stable to go to the stable number 19 to eat his food but when Floro works he feeds him in the wash rack.  I didn't know this at the time to grabbed a lead rope and walked up to him.  He turned to me so I could loop the rope around him.  As I was walking back to the wash rack I saw Floro and he laughed saying he was trying to get to his stall, Floro speaks English alright but sometimes I have a little trouble understanding him.  I released the big boy back to his paddock since he was done with his food.  Cute pony!

 

I can never get Dani clean enough, running a moist cloth over her helps get the fine dust that seems to constantly stick to her hairs but as soon as she shakes her body or you pat her there is a big cloud of dust.  I fed her a few treats, but to avoid the issue with her mouthing my pockets and hands I have this little bucket in which to place her treats.

 

Of course I had to use stencils again and do the cute little designs along with her name.  I may be in my 30's but this is my first my little pony!  LOL. 

 

 

Floro, the groom came by and gave Dani a little handful of treats.  He asked if she needed grain, I told him perhaps a vitamin supplement eventually.  Right now I'm researching what may benefit her, Sand Clear once a month for sure but I want to make sure that she gets all the vitamins she needs since right now all she gets is grass hay or pasture.  She doesn't need much food and when I poked her in the stomach stating that to Floro he laughed.  He's nice, I just have trouble understanding him sometimes and feel bad about that.

I tried out the bridle, Dani was perfect about taking the bit and when I went to adjust the bridle I realized that the headstall is too big, the bit hung pretty low in her mouth. I have to swap out this one with my cob sized one, though I have a new bridle on my "to buy list". This mare cracks me up. She has a more delicate head and a rotund body....it's been a process trying to figure out tack sizes for her.
 

 

In other news I have a hat.  I decided I needed a hat.  Even when my hair is in a pony tail little wisps of hair come out and tickle me, I needed to put a stop to this!! So I found a crushable western hat, it has a lanyard and a fold up ear cover for cooler temps.  I love it and where low pig tails underneath.  I feel cute and my hubby likes it too.  Dani doesn't seem to care either way.  Although I received a couple compliments at the barn, one from Phebe and one from Liz, the owners of the place.

 

Dani's leg is looking good and her little bald spot on her rump is filling in with hair again!  The last couple of times I went out to see Dani I worked a little more intensely on leading, haven't started the Clinton Anderson because I need to make sure I have plenty of time with no "appointments" later.  The last session we had she really responded well.  I don't know if it was because I'd re-watched the Julie Goodnight show on leading and knew better what to do or because I put on the rope halter but she listened a little better and turned away from me better.  She's been in people's space for who knows how long so it will take some time until she's perfect but each day I feel she's gotten better.

 

I lead her over a set of matts near a trailer in the parking lot.  At first she skirted around them, they must have looked like a black hole to her.  Repetition is the word of the day, after a couple mini sessions she had no issue with it really.  I love leading her around and having her see something new that we can play with.  One day it was that flag, the other day it was the matts...there is always something new and interesting that your horse can be exposed to.

The last time I was out at the barn someone fell, everyone here wears helmets but there are other areas to injure.  The fall was pretty serious since a fire engine and then an ambulance showed up.  Apparently her horse spooked and bucked, you can never predict that.  So scary.  I didn't see it happen but was out leading Dani as the trucks arrived.  I didn't want to stand around and watch, they don't need on-lookers so I worked Dani far away from the outdoor arena.  Hopefully she'll be okay.  One gal said she was in a lot of pain and couldn't feel her legs so she couldn't get up.  Hopefully that's just the shock of concussion on her body and she didn't do major damage.

It still makes you think.  Anything can happen around horses.  It's better to be as safe as possible.  Wear a helmet at the very least.  I see a lot of the jumpers here wearing that padded vest too.  Very smart!  Granted we can't wrap our bodies in bubble wrap so other injuries can happen.  I will hopefully hear more on the gal next time I'm out at the barn.  Stay safe everyone!

The Scary Indoor Arena

Now that the time change has occurred, it's almost dark when I arrive at the barn right after work.  The last few weeks I've been spoiled by having Dani in a stall since she is recovering from her leg injury.  Tomorrow she'll be back in the field full time and I'm afraid of how it will be to try and "catch" a horse in the dark!!!!

 

The sky was amazing the other day, when I arrived the clouds glowed a luminescent aura that detailed the rays of light as the sun sank below the mountains.  I love Colorado!  The pine trees and house silhouetted against the sunset as I drove up the Whispering Winds driveway.  The view was gorgeous and calmed my senses after a long day of work.  It was a great transition from work to a great joy in my life.  I wish I could earn my salary grooming and working with my horse or honestly all the horses at the barn!  I love walking into the barn with the scent of horses and fresh hay.

 

 

I had to groom Dani in her stall since a lot of students were untacking and grooming their horses in the two wash racks and in other stalls.  Dani has been great about the wash rack.  I honestly expected a little regression from time to time but once she excepted that the wash rack was harmless she just excepted it!!  She certainly fidgets more in the stall, I think she's agitated having herself tied up to a solid wall and not being able to see about.  She tosses her head and plays with the lead rope, I'll post a video of that in another blog post.  There's not much I know to do in order to calm her, I just get my job done and make sure she respects my space while I groom her.  It can get annoying but she only seems to do this when tied in the stall.

 

 

 

Today I just wanted to work with her in the indoor arena.  She's still very unsure of this "chasm of equine demise".  We walked around the arena, it was empty today so I was able to let her stand and sniff; pretty much do whatever felt fine with her.  I let her see her shadow (aka the black horse shaped blob of death) and then let her sniff the corner areas that are home to various jump pieces and obstacles.

 

I made sure that after she'd sniffed them, that each jump stand moved and made noise so she realized a little bit of movement still held no threat.

 

 

While we were walking around the arena I'm guessing Dani was rather close to the wooden boards that border the ring and her hooves kicked up some of the substrate making an "ominous sound" thus causing her to nearly trample me as I calmly walked beside her.  As you can guess I spent the next period of time walking her around the entire arena, kicking up the substrate against the walls, banging the lead rope against the board and basically making as much noise as I could as we made our way around the ring.  Eventually Dani showed no reaction to anything I was doing.

 

Granted my little mare will need more an more exposure to the scary stuff of the ring from the windows pointed east where horses can easily view the lights of cars driving by in the distance to the mirrors on the walls that show some strange horse looking at them!

 

 

A couple of days later I brought her in a again with about 5-6 horses in the arena at one time.  Some horses were taking their riders through a lesson and others were just doing their own thing.  At any rate the ring was pretty busy and was good exposure for Dani.  She watched the other horses moving around, I kicked up dirt at the walls and moved the corner obstacles as she sniffed them.  I wouldn't say she was "calm" but I don't feel she was on the verge of shying away from any of these "threats".  I was actually pretty happy with her behavior and the improvement in her response to the indoor arena.  I think she learns fast, definitely a good thing but I know I have to be careful she doesn't learn something I don't want her to! 

 

 

We'll continue the exposure to the indoor arena, and in about a week should be able to start some full on groundwork since her leg should be 100%.  She'll eventually realize that the indoor is no big deal and get on with the lessons I'll be teaching her.

The Flapping Flag

The process of moving a horse to a new location and being a new owner has been interesting.  The first week when I groomed Dani each day in her stall she neighed out loud and would move back and forth in the stall.  It was horrible in a way, I felt bad and dejected but I also felt compassion for her.  Dani's whole life as she knew it had just turned upside down.  As a word of advice to any future owner....give them time and give them a break.  Sure, don't let the new horse walk over you but have some empathy and take it one step at a time.

 

In the couple weeks I've owned her I've grown pretty close with her and this is just from some basic groundwork and daily grooming.  Dani has gotten to realize that I'm there for her, I won't let her get hurt.  We have a lot more to do in growing out relationship but I feel we've started down a good path.  Dani now stands still with me grooming her and has shown that she trusts me, she enters the wash rack and has stood calmly when the Bobcat was busy going up and down the aisle with bales of hay.

The day of the horse show at the stable Dani had some issues going into a stall but I have to understand that there were a million people in the aisle way and  behind her.  I'm sure the confined stall and the people milling about behind made her panic and think of the trailering experiences she has had.  I could have used the moment as a trainer moment but at times you just have to realize when you won't win.  It would have jeopardized the safety of the other people and would have most likely backfired with Dani.  Instead Steve and I gave it up and just groomed her up a little before getting her fit for a blanket by a vendor that came to the facility.  I'll be posting that a little later.

Today I want to post about the flag.  The people milling around, all through the stable and grounds was a good experience for Dani who is used to a very quiet environment.  After we had the blanket fit I walked Dani by the outdoor arena and then noticed a flag near the trailers.  Hmm.  I walked her around in slowly smaller circles by the flapping flag.  She did wonderfully and didn't show much upset if any.  The only time was when we got close enough and the flag touched her but she didn't freak out.  She took it all in stride.  I'm very happy with the progress I've made with her in just a couple of weeks.  We have more to go and I'm awaiting the Clinton Anderson DVD's to arrive but I feel we've already started down a good path.  I love her so much!

The Horse Eating, Hay Toting, Bobcat of Death!!!

I arrived on Friday to see Dani for a little bit before meeting friends.  The barn was buzzing since the following day was to be one of the quarterly horse shows.  Hay had been delivered and so the Bobcat was going up and down the aisle, getting each huge bale and taking it to the end of the aisle.  Nearly every horse would run out of their stall terrified as the beast drove past.

 

 

It was a scary thing!  It looked like a scorpion and then when it carried the hay bale through the stable the hay was lifted over the top of the Bobcat.  I can see that it is certainly a horse eating beast to those that don't know better!

 

 

I got Dani from the field and even after walking the long distance to her favorite grazing spot and bringing her all the way back the beast was still at work.  Today was not the day to do ANY work with the wash rack. I looked for an empty stall but was having issues.  One of the boarders said, "oh the wash rack is open".  I explained that "Dani was still freaked out about the wash rack and today would not improve that situation".  I headed to the outdoor round pen as a last resort but then the gal came up and said I could take stall 4 for now.  Awesome!  I thanked her. I figured the stall would be perfectly fine as it has been and perhaps this would be good for Dani to experience.  We went into the stall and I left the door open so she could fully see the beast as it noisily drove back and forth.

 

The first time it approached Dani turned her head to watch neighboring horses retreat in fear.  She appeared to look at me asking if she should be worried.  I stood near her, ready to jump out of the way if she did indeed freak, but just stood calmly and slowly stroked her withers and talked calmly to her.  She was SOOOOO GOOD!  By the fifth or sixth trip, I wasn't counting, she was totally ignoring the beast, only a cock of the ear indicated that she paid it any mind.  She sniffed at the floor of the stall looking for leftover grain that might have fallen from a neighboring stall.  I groomed her and loved on her.  I was delighted!  "What a good girl," I said to her as she sighed.

 

It was time to bring her back to her pasture, I was already late for my friends get together.  Time flies at the barn!  The mare pasture was opened up to the little dry pasture at the end of the stable.  The mares had received their hay.  I made sure to cluck at the bay boss mare and wave my lead rope at her a bit to move her from the gate.  One time while bringing Dani into the barn I brought her too close to the boss mare and she balked, giving me quite the rope burn.  Now I know I really need to move that mare, and any horse for that matter, a distance away in order to maneuver my mare.  It worked well this time.  I walked Dani into the paddock a good ways, turned her about and took off her halter.  I stood and watched for a few minutes as she approached the boss mare who immediately pinned her ears.  Dani skirted around her and settled on a hay pile that was an acceptable distance from the boss. 

 

I love watching horses interact.  Dani hasn't gotten beaten up but I have noticed some rump bites, really only ruffled hair and dried saliva so she has had some encounters but nothing that has caused harm.  Dani seemed content in the evening light, munching away on her hay.  The pictures a bit blurry but there's my cute girl!