Magic - 7/14/11

Trying to catch up on a few updates.

One of the things I noticed as a "hole" in Magic's progress was the lack of confidence she has on her right side.  She reacts to every stimulation over and above to what she does on the right.  I believe that we tend to make a horse right or left handed.  So today I worked on her right side.  Mostly ground work, if I can do something on the ground...I should be able to do it in the saddle.  I mostly, I did direct and drive.  Meaning I asked her to move by giving her direction and driving her hind in thru it.  As the space got tighter, so did her nerves.  So the key is to know when to back off and give her more room.  By the end of the workout, she was better...but this is something that will require some effort and patience to overcome.

Magic - 7/7/11

Again, continued with the same excirsices.  I want to make sure she is solid, she doesn’t have to be perfect, she just needs to understand the basic of what I am asking for.  Today was the first ride, which is that fine line between being excited and scared for me!   It is important to understand that just because she understood (somewhat) give and release on the ground, didn’t mean she was going to remember it once I was in the saddle.  The saddle gives a different feel to the horse and then you add the weight of the rider.  All of these are new feelings for her.  So today for the first ride, I wasn’t so much interested in where we were going as I was just going.  I used my stick, tapping her on the hind end while leaning back a little and squeezing with my cheeks (I don’t mean the ones on my face)  to encourage forward movement (see previous post - Learn How to Handle Your Tools).  I also used the stick to encourage turns into and away from the rail.  When I asked her to release one direction or the other, I waived (or tapped, as needed) the stick on the opposite side until she released to the ask at the bit.  The one rein stop was alright (although it still needs some work, if I had been asking for more speed she might not have stopped at all).  But any flexing at the poll or stopping with two reins was non-existent.  Like I said, once the saddle and rider are added to the mix what they remember changes just a little.  Overall she is exactly where I thought she would be at this point. 

Magic - 7/5/11

Every day you should add on to what you did before, sometimes it is not a huge thing you are adding.  Sometimes it is just speeding up the pace of what you did the day before and that is what we did today.  I asked her to offer me more speed and quicker releases than the day before.  Of course if you are asking for more speed, then the releases will be uglier!  But you should try to be consistent with your cues even at a faster pace.  It is also important to build as your go.  I would not have taken everything I did on the 3^rd and just walked  into the round pen and told her we are going to take what you learned and push you to a 15 ride horse level.  She would have blown up!  I started out at the same pace, built upon it, asking her to go faster (never faster than a trot) during the driving exercises.  Then I backed everything down to a slower pace before I quit for the day.  Sometimes it is not so much about the quantity of work as it is about the quality of work!

Magic - 7/3/11

I continued with the exercises started on 7/2.  This time once she was saddled, I set her up to start following a feel.  Meaning I asked her to bend her head around and start with the lateral flexion.  I want to be able to bend her into a one rein  stop if I have to when I start riding.  I started out just running the lead rope around the opposite side of her hind end (rope around the left hip and me on the right)  and just building a fence with my hands (meaning I applied a steady pull, never increasing and releasing as soon as she gave into it)  Basically I was asking her to turn in a small circle each time, both directions with her feet moving.  Once she was doing the small circle fairly well, I started asking her to just give into the side just like I would ask if I was sitting in the saddle.  This is important because she does have to understand that a cue to release to the pressure, doesn’t always mean she has to move.  If all of the cues are not there, then she should only give me what I’m asking for.  Once I felt she understood the process, I hooked her up to drive. 

This can be a little tricky if the horse does not know what the ropes  feel like.  If it is a threat to them, then you end up running around the round pen trying to catch up and get them out of a bind.  Here is where the ground work comes into play, using your stick and string (or the end of your lead rope) you should all ready be flicking the rope all over them.  This prepares them for the contact of the driving reins.  I hooked the reins to the snaffle rings and put one rein on either side and asked her to move forward.  Once she was moving then I started asking her to turn into and away from the fence.  This should continue until she gives both ways easily.  Once she does, build a fence with both hands (Mike Kevel calls it being as steady as a fence post, once they quit pulling on the pressure..it goes away) and hold it until you get a release.  It is not always going to be a big release, reward the smallest try!

Magic - 7/2/11

 Started out with ground work again, she has picked up the hind end disengagements and has no problem moving her front end back and forth.  One of the keys for moving the front end is if she is moving to the left, the right foot needs to cross over the top of the left and vice versa for the other direction.  Most of my preparation has been at a slower pace, things tend to change once you speed up the pace.  If hind end disengagements are a small hesitation at a walk, then at a trot it is a larger issue and near impossible at a lope.  Make sure everything is solid at a walk before moving on to a faster pace.

After some basic ground work, I saddled her.  She didn’t get overly excited about the saddle.   Acted like she had been saddled before (which of course, she had..Again, thanks Joe!).  I also slipped a bit in her mouth and let her just carry it around in the round pen.

As she was carrying the saddle and bit around I continued doing the ground work exercises.  This was important because it continues the pace and consistency of the work.  Things went well and she is advancing at a good pace.

Magic - 7/1/11

Did ground work.  Disengaging her hind end and learning to move her front end when asked.  Spent about  an hour and a half working on this.  She is was a little resistant at first, but eventually decided that she could get along with me.

Everything you do on the ground will translate to something you do in the saddle.   As I get older, my Dad gets smarter!   Groundwork is the basic foundation in starting a horse.  If you can't do it on the ground, you surely will not be able to do it in the saddle.

Magic - 6/30/11

Had a customer bring a new mare today.  She is 3 and this is her start up in the world of riding and I look forward to the progress she will make.
Started, last night, with some basic groundwork.  Making sure she will yeild her hind end and asking her to step over with her front end.  She was really calm, probably due to her halter showing back ground (thanks Joe Kelley!).    The only thing she was twitchy about was her back right leg, which I think was do to the way she got out of the trailer (she might have been a little sore).  Stay tuned for her growth!