Belles last ride! Craig and Cheryl came today to pick her up. I hope they were pleased with her progress.
I worked her today starting in the round pen. I did more ground work than I have done in the past several days. This was to show Craig and Cheryl some of the things they should be doing before they ride her. She may be a four year old, but mentally she is still a baby. TAKE THE TIME IT TAKES NOW, SO THAT IT WILL TAKE LESS TIME IN THE FUTURE! I can't stress this enough!
We loped circles, trotted long straight lines and showed off her stop. By no means is she a reining horse, but she does have a pretty good foundation on her now. Craig and Cheryl can now do what it take to move her to the next level. That next level is more about what they want to do with her, it should be fun for them!
Showing posts with label Belle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belle. Show all posts
Monday, November 28, 2011
Belle....11/18/11
I am a little late posting this, but here it is...
The ride today went very well. Worked a little in the round pen, but moved out to the big pen pretty fast. Belle is doing very well and today I worked on straight lines. Lots and lots of long straight lines trotting. The more you do of this sort of thing, the better she will be about just traveling out without of of the movement in her shoulders (the back and forth, wanting to lead with her shoulders).
The ride today went very well. Worked a little in the round pen, but moved out to the big pen pretty fast. Belle is doing very well and today I worked on straight lines. Lots and lots of long straight lines trotting. The more you do of this sort of thing, the better she will be about just traveling out without of of the movement in her shoulders (the back and forth, wanting to lead with her shoulders).
Friday, November 18, 2011
Belle....11/17/11
I did something I normally don't do anymore, I rushed the ride. Between the dark and a 4H meeting, I knew I didn't have much time on Belle. So, I didn't do any groundwork today. It showed a little when I first got on, BUT Belle is progressing nicely and she got "right" pretty quickly.
We spent most of the ride in our big pen. Worked on trotting a lot of straight lines. As with most young horses, she wants to push her shoulders back and forth. But with just some minor corrections, she travels pretty straight. We also worked on stops. Stops are pretty important for everyone, you want your horse responsive and soft when asking for that release from the bit. So once she was a little winded (it's easier to ask for a stop when the horse wants to stop!), I put a little pressure on the bit. The reward is in the release, so as soon as she stopped and gave me a little release at the mouth....I released the pressure on her. I had stated awhile back that horse training is pretty boring to the untrained eye.....there are three keys....repetition, repetition, repetition! Doing the same things, the same way...consistently!
We spent most of the ride in our big pen. Worked on trotting a lot of straight lines. As with most young horses, she wants to push her shoulders back and forth. But with just some minor corrections, she travels pretty straight. We also worked on stops. Stops are pretty important for everyone, you want your horse responsive and soft when asking for that release from the bit. So once she was a little winded (it's easier to ask for a stop when the horse wants to stop!), I put a little pressure on the bit. The reward is in the release, so as soon as she stopped and gave me a little release at the mouth....I released the pressure on her. I had stated awhile back that horse training is pretty boring to the untrained eye.....there are three keys....repetition, repetition, repetition! Doing the same things, the same way...consistently!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Belle....11/16/11
We started with the groundwork. I cannot emphasize this enough. If you get her mind engaged, her body will soon follow. We quickly moved into the ride, I did a lot of turning her into and away from the fence. This kinda teaches her to move her front end over, while stepping over. We also worked on vertical and lateral flexion. I would like to see her much softer and am working to that end A continuation for Cheryl and Craig will be to follow this same program with her. She is doing really well and if I can find one, I will start working her with a slicker tomorrow.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Belle....11/13/11
We got back, Sunday afternoon, from the World Paint Show (watched my wife's cousins win a reserve open and a non-pro world championship in the Team sorting) and rode Belle pretty hard. She had a couple of days off, so of course the groundwork is required.
What I call groundwork has changed over the years and now means something totally different to me than it did back then. Back then, the ground work was a shortlived concept that basically did not take the horse into account. It was only there so I could get them tired and get in the saddle. NOW, it means getting the horse' mind activated. Is she paying attention to what I asked her to do on the ground? Will she yeild her hind end and step over in the front? How is she when you are just swinging your lead (or stick/string) around? All of this will translate to what you are doing on her back. Getting connected with her mind sure makes things go alot easier.
Spent most of the ride time in our big pen, working on trotting in straight lines. Most horses have a little trouble staying straight when you take them out of confinement. Belle had not troubles with staying straight as long as we were in the round pen. Once she got outside, the open space was something new to adjust too. So, we did long straight lines. Lotsa trotting and extending that trot. One of the things to keep in mind with increasing your speed is the hole / ditch / canyon concept. Belle is exactly where she needs to be right now. Weather willing, there should be a lot of good rides this week.
She is scheduled to go home on the 19th, and Cheryl had asked me to ride her with a slicker. Well, we will see by the end of the week where we are on that. Never should you push a horse farther that they are able to handle (wish I had paid attention to that when I was younger!)
What I call groundwork has changed over the years and now means something totally different to me than it did back then. Back then, the ground work was a shortlived concept that basically did not take the horse into account. It was only there so I could get them tired and get in the saddle. NOW, it means getting the horse' mind activated. Is she paying attention to what I asked her to do on the ground? Will she yeild her hind end and step over in the front? How is she when you are just swinging your lead (or stick/string) around? All of this will translate to what you are doing on her back. Getting connected with her mind sure makes things go alot easier.
Spent most of the ride time in our big pen, working on trotting in straight lines. Most horses have a little trouble staying straight when you take them out of confinement. Belle had not troubles with staying straight as long as we were in the round pen. Once she got outside, the open space was something new to adjust too. So, we did long straight lines. Lotsa trotting and extending that trot. One of the things to keep in mind with increasing your speed is the hole / ditch / canyon concept. Belle is exactly where she needs to be right now. Weather willing, there should be a lot of good rides this week.
She is scheduled to go home on the 19th, and Cheryl had asked me to ride her with a slicker. Well, we will see by the end of the week where we are on that. Never should you push a horse farther that they are able to handle (wish I had paid attention to that when I was younger!)
Friday, November 11, 2011
Belle....11/10/11
Since Belle has had 3 days off, I was prudent of me to make sure the ground work is good. Meaning "how's her mind?"
She is still a little twitchy about anything behind her and as I was twirling my stick and string around, just being friendly with her, I remembered a story I wrote awhile back about learning to handle your tools . I am much better with mine, but sometimes I still get wrapped around the axel...learn to use the tools you have and if you don't have very good ones, save your money to get you some!
Anyway, I worked her on the ground quite a bit and when she was better than we started...I got on. We started out in the round pen and worked on flexing laterally and vertically. She is pretty good laterally, and will get better the more you ride. Vertically she is a little more challenged, but then again...the more you ride, the easier it gets for her. Worked inside the pen until I couldn't see anymore and jsut spent a few minutes outside the pen walking around looking at boogers again. Pretty good day for coming off a 3 day rest!
She is still a little twitchy about anything behind her and as I was twirling my stick and string around, just being friendly with her, I remembered a story I wrote awhile back about learning to handle your tools . I am much better with mine, but sometimes I still get wrapped around the axel...learn to use the tools you have and if you don't have very good ones, save your money to get you some!
Anyway, I worked her on the ground quite a bit and when she was better than we started...I got on. We started out in the round pen and worked on flexing laterally and vertically. She is pretty good laterally, and will get better the more you ride. Vertically she is a little more challenged, but then again...the more you ride, the easier it gets for her. Worked inside the pen until I couldn't see anymore and jsut spent a few minutes outside the pen walking around looking at boogers again. Pretty good day for coming off a 3 day rest!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Belle....11/5/11
Started the day with ground work (you might get tired of hearing that, but that is what you are supposed to do with a young horse), she moved through them pretty well. So we moved on the the next item of the day. Yesterday I mentioned a hole with how she was traveling, the pushy shoulder thing. Today I addressed that by asking her to move away from the fence in the round pen. Meaning I asked her to travel in straight lines across the round pen. She got a lot better about staying straight.
When all seemed like it was going well, I asked her to lope. She picked up the lope slick a you please and acted like I asked all the time. We loped a little in both directions and she stopped excellent both ways. THIS was a good place to stop for the day!
When all seemed like it was going well, I asked her to lope. She picked up the lope slick a you please and acted like I asked all the time. We loped a little in both directions and she stopped excellent both ways. THIS was a good place to stop for the day!
Belle....11/4/11
Started with the ground work today, really an excellent day for her! Really stopping pretty well and turns are greatly improving. Spend probably an hour just tuning her a little in the round pen. Then the fun part...
The first time in the big pen. She traveled ok, but was really pushy with her shoulders. Which is perfectly normal, now there was not a fence to guide her. But it did open some holes in what she understood. And it is alwasy important to go back a step or two when you find a hole. I tried to make this first trip outside one that she would not be afraid of, so we finished with some easy straight lines down the fence line.
The first time in the big pen. She traveled ok, but was really pushy with her shoulders. Which is perfectly normal, now there was not a fence to guide her. But it did open some holes in what she understood. And it is alwasy important to go back a step or two when you find a hole. I tried to make this first trip outside one that she would not be afraid of, so we finished with some easy straight lines down the fence line.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Belle....11/2/11
Another good day for Belle! The ground work still needs to be done, she still just tolerates any work around her hind end. Once she figures out that I am not back there to beat on her, then everything will click for her.
The ride was excellent. Stopping and turning at the walk are pretty good and she is getting better at both from the trot. The thing that is working the best is her mindset. She doesn't get two excited about the work and is willing to try. You cannot ask for more than that. Things went so well, I pushed up the timetable and rode her outside the round pen. Nothing fancy, just let her piddle around the barn area. See what all of the boogers were about. All in all, a really good day!
The ride was excellent. Stopping and turning at the walk are pretty good and she is getting better at both from the trot. The thing that is working the best is her mindset. She doesn't get two excited about the work and is willing to try. You cannot ask for more than that. Things went so well, I pushed up the timetable and rode her outside the round pen. Nothing fancy, just let her piddle around the barn area. See what all of the boogers were about. All in all, a really good day!
Belle....11/1/11
Belle is making excellent progress. Stops and turns are going great, not as refined as we would like yet....but for the few rides she has, she is going great!
I work the groundwork everyday, she is still a little iffy about any movement around her hind end. But if I continue on the same course, she will get better about that. The ride was good! Stops and turns are getting smoother at a walk. Yesterday I trotted her quite a bit, just gettting her to travel out. Today I started asking her to turn and stop from the trot. Of course when you add a little speed, things get a little sloppy. The smoothness she developed at the walk, got rough at the trot. But she is willing, so it will get better with more work.
I work the groundwork everyday, she is still a little iffy about any movement around her hind end. But if I continue on the same course, she will get better about that. The ride was good! Stops and turns are getting smoother at a walk. Yesterday I trotted her quite a bit, just gettting her to travel out. Today I started asking her to turn and stop from the trot. Of course when you add a little speed, things get a little sloppy. The smoothness she developed at the walk, got rough at the trot. But she is willing, so it will get better with more work.
Belle....10/31/11
Another good day today! I have said that most of horse training is pretty boring to someone watching, unless you know something about what is going on. It appears boring because it is all about repitition. Doing the same thing, the same way until the horse understands what you want.
I said today was a good day because I saw some good progress from Belle. We worked on stopping and turning again. I have pretty much stayed with these two items because when I ride her out of the round pen, I want to do both and have it happen fairly easy. Her turns are going really good, she has her mind on the inside of the turn (meaning her front legs are crossing over, instead of under each other). She is stopping pretty well too, although there is not much finesse yet. In the future of her stops, I want her to give to the bit faster. That's part of the finesse, but not all of it....I will fill in the gaps here as we get to that point.
I said today was a good day because I saw some good progress from Belle. We worked on stopping and turning again. I have pretty much stayed with these two items because when I ride her out of the round pen, I want to do both and have it happen fairly easy. Her turns are going really good, she has her mind on the inside of the turn (meaning her front legs are crossing over, instead of under each other). She is stopping pretty well too, although there is not much finesse yet. In the future of her stops, I want her to give to the bit faster. That's part of the finesse, but not all of it....I will fill in the gaps here as we get to that point.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Belle....10/30/11
Exceptional day today! I'm sorry I did not have a camera available, but my daughters were otherwise occupied.
Spent a little more time on the ground work than I have in the past couple of days, which was very benificial to her. I rode today with a long stick tucked under my arm. I used it as an encouragement for forward movement, so I would have to keep kicking her in the sides. I want a horse to be sensitive when i put any kind of pressure on thier sides and yesterday I found myself having to kick a little more than I wanted to. I asked her to trot a lot more than before, but I would squeeze with my cheeks (not the ones on my face) and upper thighs. If she didn't move, I would tap her in the hind end with my stick. Did this quite a lot and she was really starting to respond to my seat before rides' end. Worked on turning at a trot and stopping from a trot, also.
Spent a little more time on the ground work than I have in the past couple of days, which was very benificial to her. I rode today with a long stick tucked under my arm. I used it as an encouragement for forward movement, so I would have to keep kicking her in the sides. I want a horse to be sensitive when i put any kind of pressure on thier sides and yesterday I found myself having to kick a little more than I wanted to. I asked her to trot a lot more than before, but I would squeeze with my cheeks (not the ones on my face) and upper thighs. If she didn't move, I would tap her in the hind end with my stick. Did this quite a lot and she was really starting to respond to my seat before rides' end. Worked on turning at a trot and stopping from a trot, also.
Belle....10/29/11
Craig and Cheryl Estes came out today to see the progress on Belle. I hope they were happy with her advancement. I personally am very happy, she is not too excitable and to this point seems will to try whatever I ask her to do.
Today I did the ground work (which I will do for probably the next 30 days, just to build upon the foundation) and really the only hole I see is when anything starts slinging around her hind end. This will change as she grows more confident. She handled well and is really attentive to any kind of pressure on her mouth.
A really good day for her...probably the only thing I can fault her on was when I was asking her to trot, she got really agitated. laying her ears back and biting at my legs. Which is a red flag that something was bothering her, so I stopped, pulled the saddle back, checked under the pad and checked the cinch. Once I had smoothed the hair over, I cinched her back up and she seemed to be ok. If a horse does something that is out of the ordinary for them, there is usually a reason. Belle was hurting a little and I was slow to adjust to the situation.
Today I did the ground work (which I will do for probably the next 30 days, just to build upon the foundation) and really the only hole I see is when anything starts slinging around her hind end. This will change as she grows more confident. She handled well and is really attentive to any kind of pressure on her mouth.
A really good day for her...probably the only thing I can fault her on was when I was asking her to trot, she got really agitated. laying her ears back and biting at my legs. Which is a red flag that something was bothering her, so I stopped, pulled the saddle back, checked under the pad and checked the cinch. Once I had smoothed the hair over, I cinched her back up and she seemed to be ok. If a horse does something that is out of the ordinary for them, there is usually a reason. Belle was hurting a little and I was slow to adjust to the situation.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Belle....10/27/11
We had rain today, praise the Lord! When I got home the rain had stopped, but it was still overcast and cloudy. I knew if I was going to get any riding in, I had to do it quick!
As always, I start with ground work. Right now I am working on desensitizing zone 5. Which is the area behind her. She doesn't just bolt and run, but she gets fidgity and wants to move away. The goal is to be able to swing a rope behind her and it not mean anything unless my body posture says it should mean something. She is a work in process at this right now.
I worked her in some circles and got a lesson on how slick the ground is after a 3/4" rain. She slipped and fell, scared her and me! But she got up (no harm done other than being dirty) and we slowed it down. When I started riding her, again working slow, we worked on turns and giving to the bit. If she is truly giving to the bit, then she will step over with her front feet. Today was a good day for riding, but I didn't get to go as long as I would have liked to. It started raining again (I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE RAIN, we need it!).
As always, I start with ground work. Right now I am working on desensitizing zone 5. Which is the area behind her. She doesn't just bolt and run, but she gets fidgity and wants to move away. The goal is to be able to swing a rope behind her and it not mean anything unless my body posture says it should mean something. She is a work in process at this right now.
I worked her in some circles and got a lesson on how slick the ground is after a 3/4" rain. She slipped and fell, scared her and me! But she got up (no harm done other than being dirty) and we slowed it down. When I started riding her, again working slow, we worked on turns and giving to the bit. If she is truly giving to the bit, then she will step over with her front feet. Today was a good day for riding, but I didn't get to go as long as I would have liked to. It started raining again (I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE RAIN, we need it!).
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Belle....10/25/11
Light day today. Shoer came and trimmed Belle, so I did some ground work with her instead of riding. Worked on some more desensitizing. She is still a little uncomfortable when you get the stick and string slinging around her hind end. This most likely comes from lunging. All she understands is that she should be moving, that is what happens when all you do is lunge a horse. Mind numbing circles generally lead to mind numbed horses! Instead work circles, but have a purpose. See when and where you can ask them to stop. How long did it take to get them to stop? Can you turn them into the fence where you want to and how about turning them away from the fence? Can you get them to put their nose on a certain spot on the round pen? There a so many different things you can do other than just stand in the middle and whip to make them go!
Belle is progressing nicely, even with some trust issues. These mainly pop up when you are doing groundwork, but she is riding well for 2-3 rides. The trust issues will get better as long as I continue to do groundwork before I ride.
Belle is progressing nicely, even with some trust issues. These mainly pop up when you are doing groundwork, but she is riding well for 2-3 rides. The trust issues will get better as long as I continue to do groundwork before I ride.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Belle...10/24/11
No pictures today, just more of the same as yesterday. Yesterday when I rode her for the first time, it was more about her carrying me around. Yes, I did has for some stops and turns...but I was not really concerned about where we were going.
Today, was a little different. Started her again with ground work, making sure her mind is right before we push on to the next thing. Saddling went really well and when I finally mounted up, she was ready for some direction. She still had it in her mind that she could travel anywhere she wanted to, but I started giving her direction. We made several trips around the round pen, with her continually looking to change directions, before I asked her to turn. I did this quite a bit and finally she was waiting for me to ask before she wanted to turn. Stopping is getting better, she is a quick learner! She needs her feet trimmed before I ask for more speed, which is happening on Tuesday. More speed does not mean that the training is speeding up, I am just going to ask her to long trot and lope at different points of the ride.
From here for a little while, things are going to get boring for the outsider. So much of training is repitition, consistantly doing the same thing over and over again until the horse understands what you are asking for. Posts might get a little shorter and there might not always be pictures. But I will try to note the milestones.
Today, was a little different. Started her again with ground work, making sure her mind is right before we push on to the next thing. Saddling went really well and when I finally mounted up, she was ready for some direction. She still had it in her mind that she could travel anywhere she wanted to, but I started giving her direction. We made several trips around the round pen, with her continually looking to change directions, before I asked her to turn. I did this quite a bit and finally she was waiting for me to ask before she wanted to turn. Stopping is getting better, she is a quick learner! She needs her feet trimmed before I ask for more speed, which is happening on Tuesday. More speed does not mean that the training is speeding up, I am just going to ask her to long trot and lope at different points of the ride.
From here for a little while, things are going to get boring for the outsider. So much of training is repitition, consistantly doing the same thing over and over again until the horse understands what you are asking for. Posts might get a little shorter and there might not always be pictures. But I will try to note the milestones.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Belle...10/23/11
Today is the big day! I think she is going well enough that I will be able to get on her back today. Again, I started with the basics. Ground work with and without the saddle and driving. All of this builds onto what a horse understands and does or does not fear. I started with just putting weight in the stirrup, laying across the saddle and rubbing her on the off side (this is where the stick and string come in handy, if I hadn't been playing the friendly game with her in the groundwork...how could I now put my body in that dangerous position?). I did this on both sides and she only boogered a little. Once the booger came up, though, I backed up and worked some ground work. There is no point in trying to push a horse past a fear spot. Back up and try to find out what the problem is, fix it and then move forward in the progression. When we got back to the point of me getting on, she was ready.
Once I had mounted her, I did what I heard Pat Parreli say..I got the heck off! I mounted her several more times from both sides before I even asked her to move. You are in the most vulnerable position you can be in, when you are trying to swing a leg over a horse. So it makes sense to spend quite a bit of time getting it right.
I finally asked her to move out and she stepped out with little fear or trepidation. We made several trips around the round pen at a walk. I asked her to turn into the fence (the driving basic), away from the fence and one or two stops. She really did well!
Once I had mounted her, I did what I heard Pat Parreli say..I got the heck off! I mounted her several more times from both sides before I even asked her to move. You are in the most vulnerable position you can be in, when you are trying to swing a leg over a horse. So it makes sense to spend quite a bit of time getting it right.
I finally asked her to move out and she stepped out with little fear or trepidation. We made several trips around the round pen at a walk. I asked her to turn into the fence (the driving basic), away from the fence and one or two stops. She really did well!
Belle...10/22/11
I did all of the basics that I have been doing everyday. The idea is to build on what she learns so that you are always giving her something new. Sometimes this is day to day, sometimes it is day to week, sometimes week to week. You have to develope a feel of where your horse is at the moment.
At the "moment", Belle is mentally moving along pretty fast. I have asked her to give me more and more everyday. Today, I continued on with the lessons in driving. This not only teaches her to give to the bit, but also a little about turning. Now the turns are a little ugly and on the front end, but as she starts handling better we can clean these up. I also, introduced stopping. Since she understands releasing on both side, I asked her today to give to both sides at once. The first time, it confused her...BUT the releasse is the key. Once she gave me a stop, I released the pressure. It was not pretty, but it was a stop.
****Sorry, no pictures today! My daughter Faith was not available to be the photographer****
At the "moment", Belle is mentally moving along pretty fast. I have asked her to give me more and more everyday. Today, I continued on with the lessons in driving. This not only teaches her to give to the bit, but also a little about turning. Now the turns are a little ugly and on the front end, but as she starts handling better we can clean these up. I also, introduced stopping. Since she understands releasing on both side, I asked her today to give to both sides at once. The first time, it confused her...BUT the releasse is the key. Once she gave me a stop, I released the pressure. It was not pretty, but it was a stop.
****Sorry, no pictures today! My daughter Faith was not available to be the photographer****
Belle...10/21/11
Started today just like all of the other days. Belle has handled everything I have thrown at her. We did groundwork, just like any other day. The foundation starts with groundwork. Once I thought her mind was right, we moved on to the saddling. She handled it really well and I put the snaffle in her mouth, just to let her carry it around for a while. She chewed and slobbered, but generally took to it well. After working on the ground, with the saddle this time, I asked her to start giving to the bit. I would run the lead rope on the off side of her and put gentle pressure on the bit, just asking her to give and turn away from me. She was going so well with that, I decided to go ahead a drive her a little. She took to the drving like a duck to water!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Belle...10/18/11
Wind was blowing like crazy and it was cooler than we have had all year. This usually means horses are:
1. Feeling really good because of the coolness
2. Nervous because of the wind blowing
A prey animal, which a horse is, relies on its sight to see the danger. They look for movement, but when the wind it blowing...everything moves! So no matter how calm your horse is, when the wind blows...the horse will be on edge.
I started Belle out with ground work again, this was especially important today because of the wind. I want her focused on me and not so much on everything moving with the gusts. Once we had moved on to the desensitizing (sacking out is what I used to call it), the wind presented a challenge because it blew my blanket away from the horse on the downwind side. So there was a lot of moving around trying to stay on the upwind side so that the blanket would touch her. I then started approaching her with the saddle. This bothered her not one bit, so after pulling the saddle on and off several times...I went ahead and cinched her up. Now for the first time I generally don't pull the cinch too tight, just snug it up so that the saddle doesn't slide under her belly (there's a wreck you don't want to see). After asking her to move out and a couple of laps in the round pen, I tighten it up. This usually lets them let go of some nervousness and air.
She seems to be good minded today and none of this bothered her, so I asked her to lope some circles in the round pen. I also moved my plastic barrels so that she would have to jump them (the only difference between a buck and a jump is the planning!), she jumped over them and moved right out. No hesitation, no bobbles. All seems well and the "plan" is still in place.
1. Feeling really good because of the coolness
2. Nervous because of the wind blowing
A prey animal, which a horse is, relies on its sight to see the danger. They look for movement, but when the wind it blowing...everything moves! So no matter how calm your horse is, when the wind blows...the horse will be on edge.
I started Belle out with ground work again, this was especially important today because of the wind. I want her focused on me and not so much on everything moving with the gusts. Once we had moved on to the desensitizing (sacking out is what I used to call it), the wind presented a challenge because it blew my blanket away from the horse on the downwind side. So there was a lot of moving around trying to stay on the upwind side so that the blanket would touch her. I then started approaching her with the saddle. This bothered her not one bit, so after pulling the saddle on and off several times...I went ahead and cinched her up. Now for the first time I generally don't pull the cinch too tight, just snug it up so that the saddle doesn't slide under her belly (there's a wreck you don't want to see). After asking her to move out and a couple of laps in the round pen, I tighten it up. This usually lets them let go of some nervousness and air.
She seems to be good minded today and none of this bothered her, so I asked her to lope some circles in the round pen. I also moved my plastic barrels so that she would have to jump them (the only difference between a buck and a jump is the planning!), she jumped over them and moved right out. No hesitation, no bobbles. All seems well and the "plan" is still in place.
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| A good day...done |
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