After two days of rain ( which I will not complain about), finally back to riding. Star was pretty revved up after 2 days off, but she is an older mare and came back to earth pretty fast.
She is still very reactionary on her right side, everything that happens to her on that side makes her nervous. Her left has a softer feel, so common sense says I need to do more on her right. BUT do not forget to keep working the left also.
We worked on slow collection. I would squeeze her with my thighs (with light contact in the bit) until I felt her back round up and then immediately give her release. Horses learn from the release, so timing is everything. All of this was done at a walk or slow trot. Just for a little variety we also did some slow spins.
She will move as fast as I want her to, but getting her confident on both sides of her body is going to make her a safer horse for her owners.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Annie....10/26/10
10/26/10
OK, I know I have a day one for Annie....as per usuall I have been hit and miss with her. So, since I would like to send her to her new home with a good foundation, I'm starting over (again).
Started the day with groundwork. Annie has had a ton of ground work done so we moved through it pretty fast. I had only planned on getting on and off today, but that went so well I stayed on. I was riding her with a rope halter, just wanting to let her pick where she wanted to go. She had frozen feet initially, but I just made it uncomfortable for her to stand still. (wiggling in the saddle and letting my legs flop). I didn't really care where she went, I just wanted her to move. After 30-45 minutes of just wandering around the round pen, I started asking her to bend her neck both directions. She really did well, but still had some sticky feet. Before getting off for the day I did ask her to stop and she did ok with that.
She has a lot of ground basics so I am looking forward to see how she responds to the riding.
OK, I know I have a day one for Annie....as per usuall I have been hit and miss with her. So, since I would like to send her to her new home with a good foundation, I'm starting over (again).
Started the day with groundwork. Annie has had a ton of ground work done so we moved through it pretty fast. I had only planned on getting on and off today, but that went so well I stayed on. I was riding her with a rope halter, just wanting to let her pick where she wanted to go. She had frozen feet initially, but I just made it uncomfortable for her to stand still. (wiggling in the saddle and letting my legs flop). I didn't really care where she went, I just wanted her to move. After 30-45 minutes of just wandering around the round pen, I started asking her to bend her neck both directions. She really did well, but still had some sticky feet. Before getting off for the day I did ask her to stop and she did ok with that.
She has a lot of ground basics so I am looking forward to see how she responds to the riding.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Star....10/21/10
10/21/10
Star's owner came out today and watched me ride. Worked on stops and lateral movement. Star still gets pretty nervous over pressure to her right side, but is way better than when we started. I'd like to think that her owner liked the progress, but our conversation was on how much of a commitment Star is going to take. If you let her have more than a couple days off, she is regresses a little.
Anytime you have a horse, you should decide how committed you are going to be. If you are a weekend warrrior (nothing wrong with that) you will need a different kind of horse than the person who is riding 3-5 days per week. Star's owner has decided she is more of a weekend warrior with too much going on to commit to the time Star is going to need. Star is a really nice mare with ALOT of potential to do some really neat things, so if you know of anyone who is interested....contact me. I plan on putting a video (hopefully, tech challenged ya'know) out here for people to see.
She has been alot of fun to ride and is a really nice mare!
Star's owner came out today and watched me ride. Worked on stops and lateral movement. Star still gets pretty nervous over pressure to her right side, but is way better than when we started. I'd like to think that her owner liked the progress, but our conversation was on how much of a commitment Star is going to take. If you let her have more than a couple days off, she is regresses a little.
Anytime you have a horse, you should decide how committed you are going to be. If you are a weekend warrrior (nothing wrong with that) you will need a different kind of horse than the person who is riding 3-5 days per week. Star's owner has decided she is more of a weekend warrior with too much going on to commit to the time Star is going to need. Star is a really nice mare with ALOT of potential to do some really neat things, so if you know of anyone who is interested....contact me. I plan on putting a video (hopefully, tech challenged ya'know) out here for people to see.
She has been alot of fun to ride and is a really nice mare!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Star....10/15/10
10/15/10
Good day today, we had a nice soft easy ride. By that I mean, she was soft and responsive to everything I asked her to do. I spent the main focus on stops. Doing the speed up so that I could "slow down" to a stop thing. This really helps her mind because everything is done in a slow down mode. If you do things to her to fast, she tends to lose her focus and fall apart a little. At some point she is going to have to show that she can handle some pressure, but as of now we have not reached that point.
Everything we "do" to a horse, should be to the horses advantage. It should be for the horse. By no means should we sacrifice our own safety, that should be our first priority. But once we have reached the point where we are safe, everything should be for the horse. Don't get in such a hurry to get to the finish line that you sacrifice the needed steps in between that will give you a solid horse.
Good day today, we had a nice soft easy ride. By that I mean, she was soft and responsive to everything I asked her to do. I spent the main focus on stops. Doing the speed up so that I could "slow down" to a stop thing. This really helps her mind because everything is done in a slow down mode. If you do things to her to fast, she tends to lose her focus and fall apart a little. At some point she is going to have to show that she can handle some pressure, but as of now we have not reached that point.
Everything we "do" to a horse, should be to the horses advantage. It should be for the horse. By no means should we sacrifice our own safety, that should be our first priority. But once we have reached the point where we are safe, everything should be for the horse. Don't get in such a hurry to get to the finish line that you sacrifice the needed steps in between that will give you a solid horse.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Star....10/14/10
10/14/10
We had beautiful south Texas day, so I rode down the road. Star felt good so we started out with her ears up, head up and tail up! Needless to say everything from fence posts to beer cans were booger points for her. She calmed down after a couple hundred yards and dropped her head, ready to travel. This ride was more just a "be a horse and get down the road" ride, than a training ride. But she did well, after getting warmed up. She is a horse that really likes to travel, she shows this by her attitude. Ears forward, head swinging side to side....always looking ahead. Once she gets the edge off, she is a real joy to ride!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Star....10/12/10
10/12/10
Well, we'll call it a ride.....with the wind blowing as much as it did today, Star had her right brained thing going on...
We have to remember that a horse is a prey animal, so all movement means something to them. If the grass is moving, it could mean something is coming. Not just to hurt them, but to kill them and then eat them. This is the prey animal instinct. It is true in all horses, just way more evident in right brained horses. So with her being so twitchy, I decided some "on the ground slow down" was needed. Meaning groundwork.
Use my stick and string, played several of the games with her. One of the last things we worked on was a squeeze game. Horses are claustrophobic, they don't like to be trapped or contained. Star is normal, she doesn't like to think she might be trapped. A little background on Star....When her owners picked her up the last time, she did not want to get in the trailer. (it was even a open, big nice one). We spent 45 minutes to an hour just letting her find her way into the trailer. She eventually loaded, but was still very nervous. During the squeeze game today, I would stand 6-8 feet from a fence, then direct and drive her through the hole between me and the fence. When we started out, she was rushing through the hole as fast as she could. So we kept doing it until she would at least walk through it. She was still nervous about it, so I then asked her to stop in the hole. She didn't like that at all, but she was willing. While she was stopped in the hole, I spent some time rubbing her all over with my stick and string (desensitizing). After we got good at that, I move over to our walk through stocks and just asked her to put her head in it. Once she was ok with just her head, I asked for one foot at a time until she was all the way in. The first time, she just rushed through. That was ok, she got brave enough to go into it. We worked this from both sides a bunch of times and she got to the point she trusted me enough, that she was willing to stand in it. Again, I spent the time desensitizing her. It needed to be a pleasant experience for her to want to do it again. We went in and out several more times and we ended the day on a good note.
Do I think she is completely over being a claustrophobic? NO. Do I think she will have trouble if I ask her to do this tomorrow? Yes. But with time and patience, I believe she will get to the point she will tolerate it....maybe even like it.
How many times have we seen a horse that won't load, or won't go in the arena. Same concept, everytime they go in, it isn't a pleasant experience. Whether it is a tiny trailer, our driving or they are scared of something in the arena....it needs to be a pleasant experience. Take the time it takes now, so it doesn't take as long next time.
Well, we'll call it a ride.....with the wind blowing as much as it did today, Star had her right brained thing going on...
We have to remember that a horse is a prey animal, so all movement means something to them. If the grass is moving, it could mean something is coming. Not just to hurt them, but to kill them and then eat them. This is the prey animal instinct. It is true in all horses, just way more evident in right brained horses. So with her being so twitchy, I decided some "on the ground slow down" was needed. Meaning groundwork.
Use my stick and string, played several of the games with her. One of the last things we worked on was a squeeze game. Horses are claustrophobic, they don't like to be trapped or contained. Star is normal, she doesn't like to think she might be trapped. A little background on Star....When her owners picked her up the last time, she did not want to get in the trailer. (it was even a open, big nice one). We spent 45 minutes to an hour just letting her find her way into the trailer. She eventually loaded, but was still very nervous. During the squeeze game today, I would stand 6-8 feet from a fence, then direct and drive her through the hole between me and the fence. When we started out, she was rushing through the hole as fast as she could. So we kept doing it until she would at least walk through it. She was still nervous about it, so I then asked her to stop in the hole. She didn't like that at all, but she was willing. While she was stopped in the hole, I spent some time rubbing her all over with my stick and string (desensitizing). After we got good at that, I move over to our walk through stocks and just asked her to put her head in it. Once she was ok with just her head, I asked for one foot at a time until she was all the way in. The first time, she just rushed through. That was ok, she got brave enough to go into it. We worked this from both sides a bunch of times and she got to the point she trusted me enough, that she was willing to stand in it. Again, I spent the time desensitizing her. It needed to be a pleasant experience for her to want to do it again. We went in and out several more times and we ended the day on a good note.
Do I think she is completely over being a claustrophobic? NO. Do I think she will have trouble if I ask her to do this tomorrow? Yes. But with time and patience, I believe she will get to the point she will tolerate it....maybe even like it.
How many times have we seen a horse that won't load, or won't go in the arena. Same concept, everytime they go in, it isn't a pleasant experience. Whether it is a tiny trailer, our driving or they are scared of something in the arena....it needs to be a pleasant experience. Take the time it takes now, so it doesn't take as long next time.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Star....10/9/10
Saturday (10/9/10)
Star was much better today. She will most likely always be a "reactive" horse, but the more confidence she has in her rider....the less of this she will show. We started out working to the "slow downs" and 3 days of consistently doing this has certianly paid off. She was pretty solid in her stops at a walk and trot. Now, I took the same principles and asked her to do this at a lope. Started out asking for the stops at a walk, then a trot and finally a lope. She got pretty excited when asked for more speed and the stop wasn't as nice. But we moved from the "slow down" at a walk, to a trot, to a lope and back again several times. Always keep in mind that this is a transition, so the more of these you can do the better off you will be.
Star was much better today. She will most likely always be a "reactive" horse, but the more confidence she has in her rider....the less of this she will show. We started out working to the "slow downs" and 3 days of consistently doing this has certianly paid off. She was pretty solid in her stops at a walk and trot. Now, I took the same principles and asked her to do this at a lope. Started out asking for the stops at a walk, then a trot and finally a lope. She got pretty excited when asked for more speed and the stop wasn't as nice. But we moved from the "slow down" at a walk, to a trot, to a lope and back again several times. Always keep in mind that this is a transition, so the more of these you can do the better off you will be.
Star....10/8/10
Ha! So much for posting Friday's and Saturday's rides yesterday....
Friday (10/8/10).....
Worked more of the the same, as yesterday, with Star. I am trying to get her to slow down her mind and wait for me to give the request. Her reactions are so quick, she is moving out of fear and not from the request. The goal should be to make the request and then her move, at the pace you want her to. The more energy I raise up in my body, the faster she should react. If the energy is low, then her reaction should be slower. She still wants to "blow" through all of her reactions.
So we worked on more "speeding up" to a slow down. If you don't know what I mean here, see the post for 10/9/10.
Friday (10/8/10).....
Worked more of the the same, as yesterday, with Star. I am trying to get her to slow down her mind and wait for me to give the request. Her reactions are so quick, she is moving out of fear and not from the request. The goal should be to make the request and then her move, at the pace you want her to. The more energy I raise up in my body, the faster she should react. If the energy is low, then her reaction should be slower. She still wants to "blow" through all of her reactions.
So we worked on more "speeding up" to a slow down. If you don't know what I mean here, see the post for 10/9/10.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Star....10/7/10
Thursday....A little late posting this, but will post the last 3 rides today.
If Star has much time off, she tends to fall back into old habits and comforts. Meaning she slips back into her reation mode for most cue requests. So, we worked on "slow downs". I would ask her to do a controlled stop at a walk. Then we would speed things up to a trot and ask for the same thing. All the while trying to get the same controlled reaction she gave me at a walk. Most of the ride was spent going slow to a stop and then speeding up to "go slow to a stop". She was better at the end than at the beginning, as she should be, but she needs more wet saddle blankets.
If Star has much time off, she tends to fall back into old habits and comforts. Meaning she slips back into her reation mode for most cue requests. So, we worked on "slow downs". I would ask her to do a controlled stop at a walk. Then we would speed things up to a trot and ask for the same thing. All the while trying to get the same controlled reaction she gave me at a walk. Most of the ride was spent going slow to a stop and then speeding up to "go slow to a stop". She was better at the end than at the beginning, as she should be, but she needs more wet saddle blankets.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Star....10/5/10
Well the county fair is over and the lambs have moved onto greener pastures. It was a busy week and not much was accomplished as far as the horses were concerned. But, back to riding yesterday!
Since Star has had a few days off, I thought it would be a good idea to review some of the things we have been working on up to this point. Traveling straight, flexion (both lateral and vertical), moving off of my leg cues, ect. After a warm up to loosen her mind and muscles, we moved into these things. As I have said before, she is really right brained and that makes her overly responsive to any cues. Meaning her actions were a "get away" rather than a "move" response. So, until she calmed a little her responses were fast. After she was in her "left mind" (thinking side) she really started responding well and was willing to try whatever I asked of her. Still wanted to be quick and fast, but almost 10 days off will get you that. Not riding today (Wednesday), but we should get some good rides in the rest of the week.
Since Star has had a few days off, I thought it would be a good idea to review some of the things we have been working on up to this point. Traveling straight, flexion (both lateral and vertical), moving off of my leg cues, ect. After a warm up to loosen her mind and muscles, we moved into these things. As I have said before, she is really right brained and that makes her overly responsive to any cues. Meaning her actions were a "get away" rather than a "move" response. So, until she calmed a little her responses were fast. After she was in her "left mind" (thinking side) she really started responding well and was willing to try whatever I asked of her. Still wanted to be quick and fast, but almost 10 days off will get you that. Not riding today (Wednesday), but we should get some good rides in the rest of the week.
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