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?

Great Ride with M and Scotty

It was such a gorgeous day today!  M and I planned on going for a ride so I made certain to get out of bed early enough.  I skipped coffee which I shouldn't have since I later while going home noticed a slight head ache...nothing bad but I should take chances like that!

When I got to the barn Dani was munching away on her feed.  I grabbed on of my larger buckets from the trailer and filled it up with her hay so she could munch while getting groomed.  We started in the round pen doing some trotting to warm up and then canter.  I had her turn many times and she was really good her off side but not on the near side.  I would have to back much more quickly and for longer to get her to turn into the center.  Even so she was in a good frame of mind and listening pretty well so I didn't need to get any silliness out of her.

I headed to the trailer with her, my stick and a manure fork.  All of that in my hand made it hard to move her correctly and she took advantage walking well ahead of me.  Note to self, second trip to grab the manure fork won't kill me.  I tied her long to the trailer so she could get her hay and headed up to fill a bucket for water.  I never have labeled my buckets as food or water and I should.  I now have a stainless steel bucket that will be used for washing or veterinary washing (i.e. iodine etc).  I held the water up to her and she took a few long swigs.  I'm very happy she drinks well, hopefully that will continue in strange places but I figure I can try out the Gatorade method and add that to "strange" water if I ever have an issue.  I praised her.

I started currying, then the flick brush and brushed out her mane.  I'd applied the Manely Long Hair slicker on Thursday so all of it was absorbed by now but I still felt that there was a bit of residue; the product says there shouldn't be any.  The hair was easy to brush through but it felt stiffer than the silky smooth I really want to achieve.  Perhaps she just needs a good bath soon.  M headed to the grassy arena to grab Scotty and Prince as they were grazing.  Prince decided to be a pill and gallop around the arena like a bat out of hell.  The little mini was so freaking cute flying around, even though M was a bit ticked she still thought he was a darling.  I asked her if she needed help but she did eventually catch him and then borrowed a long line of mine to work him a bit.

With Scotty and the Prince captured she got Scotty ready for our ride.  I finished Dani and walked her up to the mounting block.  With a last tightening of the cinch I got up on my mare.  I'm guessing from the excitement she moved off a without my asking.  She's been really good about standing still after mounting and staying quiet.  Anyways, M and I head to down the driveway to cross the road and ride around the High School.  Dani was bad and didn't want to stop at the road so I had to circle her.  Again, I think it's the excitement of another horse.  She'll learn that she has to listen to me even when there are other ponies around.

We walked up the path to the sandy area behind the school.  It makes for good footing so M and I played around with turns on the forehand, moving over the shoulders, and then some trotting with Dani.  I couldn't quite count out the 1, 2, 1, 2 in a fashion that helped with slowing Dani's trot at M's suggestion but if I concentrated on my breathing it did help some.  It will just take time but I was happy that my girl had calmed down a bit and wasn't so rearing to go with there being another horse.

We decided to finish the loop around the school.  It was uneventful.  Even with the barking dogs in a house just off the trail Dani didn't even blink.  She was very interested in a bull in the neighboring field so I had her move to the right and then the left....not really a leg yield since we aren't good at those but a diagonal move that got her thinking about something else.  

I can tell when she is interested in things outside the ride and perhaps those are the best times to get her back to thinking about me to prevent a spook.  She was good though.  Nothing seemed to bother her.  I rode her some behind Scotty, some in front of him and some right next to him.  Aside from a couple times pinning her ears she was perfect.  She never tried to bite or kick; expressing her CMS (chestnut mare syndrome) is mostly acceptable within certain boundaries.  She still has a pretty forward walk and I find it easier with her ahead of Scotty but she needs to learn to walk behind other horses and match their pace and I don't want to constantly pull on her.  I worked with Julie Goodnight's instructions of pulling up rather firmly and when she walks nicely to very fully release the reins dramatically and let her have a really loose rein.  This advice is more for jigging which we didn't have much of but seemed to work okay for the couple of times we used it on the ride.  Again, like the trot, it will come with time and consistency.

I was pretty tired after my ride, I could feel it in my seat and legs.  M and I had a great time though so I look forward to future rides and hopefully some trailering to some trails off site.  We said our goodbyes after the horses were groomed and brought back to their pastures.  Dani finished her breakfast, took a long drink of water and was back with her pony friends.  It was a great day for a ride.  Tomorrow I can hopefully get some arena work in with the mare, probably a shorter ride though because unfortunately I have other responsibilities besides miss Daenerys.... :-(

I'm sure you all are wondering what the boot pictures are on this page.  Well I have been wanting some boots I can wear elsewhere and not have manure on them.  These will be my "anywhere but the barn" boots.  I think a girl deserves a pair of those.  I have so many "barn" shoes that I'd like to have one pair that doesn't get worn out by mud and muck!  I just had them arrive today and I'm already in love!  Anyhow, happy riding!

Jiggy Ride Near the High School

It has been very busy at work and at home I’ve been trying to catch up on things I’ve neglected like cleaning and organization.  When I’ve been at the barn it’s been for a quick hello to Dani and then a push to finish the trailer painting.  At least now it’s pretty much done with just door jams and similar areas that need painting and a period of time being left open to fully dry.

It also seems like ages ago that I went for a ride with M across the street to the high school.  I’d taken Dani for a walk over there once to see what it was like so felt we were ready for a little ride.  M and I went for the ride one evening when it wasn’t too busy outside with football practices and the school’s track team.

Honestly Dani was pretty good but again I had the issue that either she walks too fast or Scotty is a slow boy!  At times Dani was sort of jiggy and excited but she didn’t try to run off.  I felt like I was having to constantly slow her down and felt like I was just pulling on her mouth.  A few times she wanted to trot in excitement but a quick turn into a circle stopped that.

On the way home she kept tossing her head, I think a bug or something got in her nose because a large snort calmed her down and the head tossing ceased.  I’ve since purchased Julie Goodnights Kindle version of trail riding.  In that book there is a section about jiggy behavior and how to remedy that.  Since I don’t have access to the book right now as I write this here is what she wrote on her webpage answering the question from a lady with a jiggy horse:

“The solution that I have always had success with is to pick up high on the reins (sitting back on your pockets at the same time) when he breaks into the trot, and the instant the horse walks, drop the reins dramatically to a very loose rein, with your hands actually laying on the horse’s neck so he can feel them. He may only walk a step or two before he trots again, then pick up and release dramatically (the rein drop has to be very dramatic so that the horse notices).

Soon he will associate walking with a totally loose rein and that is what he wants (that is what any horse wants). Also, it really helps to concentrate on the walk rhythm and really sit down on him hard and make sure you are not tensing in your seat in anticipation of the horse breaking into trot. Often in this situation, people tense in their seat thinking that the horse is going to break into trot and pretty soon, the horse thinks he is supposed to be trotting because he feels the rider's weight shifting forward. So make sure you are sitting well back on your seat bones with loose and relaxed joints.

Trust the horse to walk on a loose rein. If you feel him tense up like he might trot, just sit relaxed. Do not correct him unless he actually breaks into a trot. That way he learns to trust you too and he learns that he is only corrected if he actually trots. Don’t get sucked into the vicious cycle of you pulling all the time and him jigging all the time.”

I have longer split reins on order, back order actually from Chicks Saddlery, that I will hopefully receive soon and it will be much easier to do this dramatic take up and release of the reins.  I’ll have to try this first when it’s just us and then again when Scotty is there.  I think Dani really has no opinion on riding with Scotty, I don’t think she’ll have an issue riding out alone but we shall see!

What a Boon!!!

I feel special today!  I love watching and reading Julie Goodnight's shows and articles about horsemanship.  She has a great way of explaining things and breaking down issues into "digestible" parts.

http://www.equinekingdom.com/data/education/
horse_anatomy/digestive_system.html

Today, Julie Goodnight posted on her Facebook page that canter was the topic of the day; she and Heidi were working on an article for Horse Illustrated.  Somehow she had found my blog where I posted back in 2012 about the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo.  At the Expo she discussed a lot about the various gaits and I was excited about her input on canter transitions.

As you all know canter is the gait I've had most of my accidents and where most of my fear has sprung.  I look forward to the article since I think Dani and I can work on this very soon.

I have to say though, what a boon!!  Julie Goodnight's post on Facebook sent readers to my little itzy-bitzy blog where I ramble about everything, don't show my horse or compete, and often get off track from purely horsie things (kitties, trailers....etc) but I guess that describes a lot of us huh?  

Thanks Julie for the shout out!  I feel very special indeed and I think you know you have a groupie for life in me.  LOL

Elbow pull

Dani is a great little mare to ride.  She’s responsive and pretty calm most of the time.  She doesn't throw her head way up in the air like Willy did but she’s still not as relaxed in her going as I’d like her to be.  I’m not overly worried about headset since I’m not a big dressage rider but I've learned a lot of those principles behind dressage and many boil down to a horse utilizing their body properly.  If they hold themselves in a certain way, which as a results means a lower head set, they are less apt to get injured when carrying a rider.  The “frame” is not just for looks but mechanically lifts the back thereby enabling a horse to better carry the weight. 

This is important for a trail and pleasure horse too.  As I haven’t been concerned with her mode of moving thus far I decided to work solely on her from the ground to start.  Julie Goodnight has what is called an elbow pull.  When trainers “bit up” there horses for lunging work they often utilize a side rein to teach a horse self carriage and to lower its head.  This works where a horse then learns that if they give to the bit they find release aka, the correct frame.  I like the elbow pull, similar to a chambon rein where there is pressure at the poll and via the bit. 

The elbow pull puts alternating pressure on the bit as the horses legs move the strap.  Below Julie explains it best.

From Julie Goodnight:

"The beauty of this device is threefold. One, it is self-correcting meaning that the instant the horse gives the right way he gets slack. Two, the elbow-pull creates a rhythmic alternating pull, rather than a static pull on both reins (like side reins) and it is far more effective to use one rein at a time rather than two (a horse stiffens his neck and leans into it when you pull on both reins at the same time). And third, once the horse has learned to respond correctly and carry himself in a collected frame with no contact on his mouth, you can mimic this action on the reins when you are on his back."

"As you walk, you'll feel your hips moving in a side to side action which causes your leg to close alternately and rhythmically (R-L-R-L) on the horse's sides. When you want the horse to collect, you'll first feel the rhythm in your seat and legs and then increase the rhythm in a driving fashion, then add small squeezes with your fingers, alternating R-L-R-L, using the same side hand as leg. Your seat and legs will keep the horse moving forward at the same time your hands are applying resistance to his front end with alternating pressure and causing him to shorten his frame. It is critical that the horse finds a small amount of slack when he makes the slightest effort to collect and it is also critical that you time your hands with your seat and legs. When done properly, the horse will hold himself in this frame. Remember; don't ask him to hold it too long. You'll want to release the horse before he becomes uncomfortable and resistant and gradually increase the time you ask him to hold the frame."

So I've done several sessions with Dani, the picture and video are from the first session.  She certainly had her head high up at times but she learned quickly where the release was.  Obviously the next step is to ride and apply the “half halt” with her gait rhythm.  I’m still not perfect at this myself but it will be easier to work with her on it with her knowing what the proper response is and knows what’s expected when I administer the cue.  Doing the groundwork first will also allow Dani to work on her muscle development for this carriage without having the added weight of me up there.

Year of the Horse Resolutions

Well it's the year of the hors...so it makes sense to have my New Years Resolutions revolve around my equine friend.  Here are my goals for this coming year...should I tell Dani or not?

1) Ride more!!!!  As the weather gets nicer and not dark when arriving at the barn I should ride at least twice during the week and once on the weekends.....at least that is.  If I do more then great!

2) Do more groundwork.  If I can do some groundwork while it's dark I should, I have the set up for it!!  At least 2 times a week do groundwork with new exercises introduced regularly.  Mainly work on Clinton Anderson stuff but work on the bitting rig of Julie Goodnight.  Also, desensitizing to everything I can imagine!

3) Become better at mounting and get Dani more consistent with standing quietly for mounting.

4) Get a horse trailer.  Nothing prevents me from doing what I want more than not having a trailer....except....

5) Get Dani to be a better loader.  My goal is to get Dani to load on the first try, not panic or back out and when asked she should back out nice and slow.

6) Participate in several trail rides this summer...including the one overnight ride that KCRC does!!

7) Continue to work on trotting and feeling comfortable riding Dani at that gait.

8) Begin working on the canter.

9) Participate on horseback in at least one KCRC event whether it's a Gymkana or EXCA....just to get a taste!

10) Learn to open a gate perfectly from horseback....which means coordination for me and my horse!

11) Get my horse to accept gentle washing...even of her face!

12) Kind of a stretch....buy Steve a beginner horse (or better yet find a nice free horse!)

13) Lastly....a little bit of a pipe dream....buy horse property!!!

Happy New Years!

Year End Review....2013

January

In January I took a lesson with Laurie when I was still getting used to riding Dani.  I felt much more confident after the lesson learning how to yield Dani's hindquarters under saddle.  The rest of the month I rode some but did the beginnings of Clinton Anderson type groundwork.  Dani showed a lot of attitude but eventually learned it didn't do her any good and she's become a pro now!

 February

My long time Ariat paddock boots died finally died so I was in the market to find a new pair.  I started looking at the boots and found that the Pinnacle tall boot was nearly the same price as regular paddock boots so I tried to determine my size.  Dani was working on realizing that the mounting block wasn't scary and I trained her to stand nicely at the block for mounting.

Dani met a couple of my friends, including their young son who absolutely loved her.  No pony rides though since I don't have a small child's helmet in my equipment storage.  Steve came to visit Dani a lot and enjoyed playing with her in the indoor arena....he still hasn't really ridden her yet though!

March

In march I finally go the right size Dublin Pinnacle boot and have enjoyed them so much!  Very comfortable boot with a casual look.

My friend Jessica came down to meet Dani and we borrowed a friends horse so we could walk around the arena together.  It was fun riding like when we were kids growing up.  Loved playing with Breyer horses as kids but it's fun to play with the full size model as adults! 

I took some fun St. Patrick's Day and some bunny ears pictures for a Julie Goodnight contest and one a DVD of my choice.  Dani was so tolerant and such a good girl!

April

I joined the Kit Carson Riding Club to meet some horsie people.  The group is awesome so I was excited about the future activities to get involved with.  I started looking for new places to board at and found one to move to at the end of the month.  I was mixed about leaving Whispering Winds since it was such a nice facility but I had reasons for moving...mainly the distance and secondly it was a little too busy of a barn for with lots of kids running around in the arena doing their jumps and making it hard for this still apprehensive riding trying to walk circles.  I started looking for hay as well....totally another major aspect of owning horses!

Our favorite appaloosa friend Rock died from several bouts of colic.  He was only 9 and had a lease rider that was so in love with him.  We were heart broken, Steve loved Rock and even though we weren't going to get a second horse anytime soon the connect Rock had with Steve was so cute!

May

I purchased 30 bales of nice Timothy and Steve and I got to use our truck for hauling purposes...weee!!  We moved to a ranch just down the road from KCRC.  Uschi and I didn't have luck with Dani getting in her trailer but a gal, K, from KCRC rescued us with her trailer and worked Dani hard outside the trailer.  At a later date I had a training session with K on loading Dani into the trailer so I have an idea what to work on once I finally have a trailer. 

After less than a week at the new facility I moved Dani to KCRC.  I'd been warned about many things regarding the owners of the ranch and decided it would be safest for all to move to the barn at KCRC.  At the time GG was still there with her horse who was for sale, so was K and David of course had his mare Ducky and an older mare there are well.  We settled in well and got all the supplies we needed for taking care of my girl.  She began eating like a mad horse so it was obvious she wasn't comfortable at the other place either!

Around the time of the move I found a great Circle Y saddle on craigslist and tried it out on Dani.  It fit well and was comfy for both Steve and I do ride.  I did take it to a tack store to get the stirrups adjusted and to add some more D rings and such that were missing on it.  It was a great deal so I was pleased.

June

My brother and his family came out for a week to visit with family in Colorado.  I got to show Scott my baby....Dani and his son Bryson was able to meet his first horse!  It was a fun visit to include a nice picnic with extended family in the Black Forest Regional Park.

On the 21st, the Black Forest Fire started and horses were moved to KCRC among other locations.  Because of my work with Emergency Management I decided to voluntarily evacuate my horse since I wouldn't have the time to do so with my work and because she was a difficult loader and because I didn't have a trailer available to me when ever I would need it.  I had to make a quick decision that would help me do my job and not worry about Dani in the process.  Laurie was able to accept Dani during that time, she also had Rio and Orchid, Uschi's horses.  Uschi's house was fine but the fire burnt a huge patch of forest just behind her house.  It's amazing to drive through the forest and see the damage.  It's unreal that last year I was responding to the Waldo Canyon Fire around this same time period.   

 July

My best friend Marie came to visit for a week in July.  We were in a parade as pooper scoopers for the 4th of July!  Weeeee!!!  We chilled at the pool and just did other fun things.  I even got her up on Dani for a little pony ride.

I continued to work on improvements to horse care like adding a water filter to the trough.  I was also battling algae so found a natural preventative that helped keep the algae amounts down.  It's still a battle!  I was contacted by a gal that owned Dani's full sister, Maddie.  I learned a bit more about the horses pasts and was glad to here how well her sister was doing.  They look so much alike!

August

In August came the rains.  Everyday it rained and there was a river running through KCRC.  Part of the arena was washed out and I probably lost a lot of sand from Dani's run.  I had to respond for work several times for flooding around the county.  Up north of Denver it was really bad.  This has just been a year for natural disasters in Colorado! 

When I could I worked Dani on a few obstacles like the cowboy curtain.  I tied back the noodles and walked her through.  Slowly I let down more and more noodles until she didn't have any issues walking through.  Now I can ride her through them...just at the walk since even I don't want to get slapped in the face with the metal washers that hold the noodles onto the rope.  Dani learns fast so it's been fun teaching her to accept the noodles and negotiate other obstacles.

September

September continued with more rain and many busy days at work.  Steve and did manage to get 100 bales for the winter though.  We bought them from a hay charity and have been pretty happy with the hay purchase though I'll be looking for a consistent supplier this year and perhaps certified weed free hay.

My silly Aussie mix Loki, got trampled by Sugar when he ran into her pen and I didn't notice at first.  Luckily he wasn't injured but for a minute or so I was afraid some nerve or spinal damage had been done.  Poor baby!

October

I worked on more trotting and getting over the fear of speed.  We succeeded and have done many rides with lots of trotting about! Because of the rain and lack of putting on hoof oil as regularly as I should Dani had a hoof chip that freaked me out.  It actually wasn't a big deal but has made me more aware and now I round the hooves regular to prevent chipping in between trims.

My slow feeder has failed, the plastic lattice kept breaking so I've ended up buying a nibblenet.  It doesn't fit as much hay in it as I need so still have been working on making the trough into a slow feeder using a nibblenet sheet.  It's still a work in progress but at least it does slow her down and reduce the wasted hay.

I started to see Stubs around a bit more, running here and there.  I continued to feed her dry food but never got too close to her.  She seemed curious so I always talked sweetly to her when I saw her.

November

KCRC had a vaccine and floating clinic so it made it very easy to get Dani's fall work done.  The club also had a clean up day with a cow run.  Other club activities included being a pooper scooper for the Veterans day parade but this time I got tot drive an ATV.  That was pretty cool!  Someday I'll ride in a parade but not just yet....

November meant a time change so the days got darker sooner.  I got a night light set up with one of those indoor work lights.  It did the job so I could do groundwork with Dani during the week.  Then we hit some cold spells and I didn't want to do groundwork.  Wuss I know!  Stubs started showing up and hanging out with me and my girl.  I got some wet food to start feeding her when I saw her and it became a consistent thing.  I started planning on how to trap her and get her spayed.  Local Trap Neuter Release groups never got back with me so I was sort of on my own.

December

In early December I borrowed a trap from a friend and brought Stubs home.  Steve and I already accepted the fact that she probably would be staying in our house if Armani my other cat was okay with it.  He was.  We got her fixed and all her shots.  She's been settling in very well and though we can't pick her up and hold her yet we can love on her, hug her and scratch her itchy spots.  She's made a great transition from feral cat to spoiled house cat in such a short time.

We've had some really frigid cold spells but Dani didn't mind.  The past two weeks I've been off from work which is nice to just chill and do nothing.  We've had a great Christmas too.

Hopefully the New Year will continue to have great blessings for us and our little critter filled home.  I really want to get Dani a pony friend but that mainly depends on my hubby and his work schedule.  None the less we are doing well and enjoying KCRC.

This next year I want to get a trailer, trailer train Dani so she is a perfect little loader and then I want to hit the trails with my horsie friends!  I just need to give confidence to Dani and have confidence in myself that we can overcome our fears....her's are of the trailer experience and mine the fast speeds.  I think we have gotten to a good level of trust in one another and will continue to develop that bond.  I love my girl!

Wishing everyone a great New Year!  Remember it's the Year of the Horse!!!  Make it a good one!!

Scary Things....

Desensitizing is something I enjoy.  Dani is a fairly stable horse (no pun intended!) but she has her moments when things get her riled up or spooked.  No horse is 100% bombproof but my goal is to get Dani really steady for anything that comes her way.

Pulley with milk cartons!!!
http://louielbm.blogspot.com/2012/07/today-i-took-both-marie-and-luke-to.html

The first thing when there is an obstacle, is to find a starting point.  I will use the noodle cowboy curtain for an example.  

Dani was able to calmly stand near it even when the wind blew the noodles about but walking through it by having the noodles touch her head....that wasn't gonna happen.

So I tied the noodles back and just had her walk under the arch essentially.  Lots of praise.

Then little by little noodles would find their way from being tied.  All this time I'm on the ground with her and leading her through to give her confidence

If I found a sticky spot I would retie some noodles until I got her consistently walking through them.

I would end my sessions with us standing at the noodles, face in them and me manually moving the noodles over her neck and body.  I would then retreat and give her a nice scratching.  Rinse and repeat.

The next session I would start a little back from where I left off; meaning less noodles down  at first but very quickly I could release the noodles more and more I found.

I eventually had all the noodles down and she would follow me through.

Next I asked her to walk through on her own.  With a little encouragement and just waving the handy stick by her rear she walked through on her own.

I'm at this point right now, and we are talking maybe 6 short sessions spread over an inconsistent amount of time!

My next steps will be to send her consistently through the noodle curtain on her own.

Then we'll try it under saddle.

Under saddle we may have to go back a few steps meaning the noodles will get tied back again but things can be very different under saddle so it's not REALLY a setback.  She won't have me on the ground with her so may lose a little confidence and I am sure I will be slightly tense (I will work hard not to be though!)

She could have no issues at all.  I'm very happy about how she's responded to this scary thing.  She was also exposed a few weeks ago to the tarp pulley which I was quite impressed with (as were some other riders stating she was brave)  It makes me feel confident that when I get a trailer and can work with her on loading her issues with that will fade away.  The whole point is to really think about what ever issue or scary object the horse is upset about and break it down into very small bits.

How can you make it less scary?

Distance from the object and intensity are the two main things that can be played with.  

Also getting a horse to think about something else like work (doing side passes, backing, yielding the hindquarters, longing, etc.) a slight distance from the object and resting near it also works.

How can you stay patient with a stubborn horse?

Set small goals.  If a horse is really having a hard time remember to adjust your goal for that day.  Get one step in the right direction if that's all you can get and quit on YOUR agenda.  Reward your horse and just enjoy being with them.  Once the work is done hand grazing or a nice grooming will benefit you both.  Tomorrow is another day!

Coffee can drag!  Such cool ideas!
http://louielbm.blogspot.com/2012/07/today-i-took-both-marie-and-luke-to.html