Last night DH and I went out to watch PF go. When we got there she was already saddled up in the round pen. We made out introductions to the owner and then headed over. DH was taken back by her similarities to Sis and we laughed as Chase said “that horse looks just like Sis”. Lol
The gal did a little bit of round pen work with her and explained that she really doesn’t do much ground work with her before riding. Just enough to make sure PF is paying attention to her. It was fun watching someone else RP as all of her turns were made to the outside. When she asked PF to move faster it took quite a bit of encouragement – she doesn’t want to loose anymore weight! Lol When she asked her to come to the center she did and then immediately dropped her head to graze. That is so Sis and it had DH laughing.
She showed how she’ll give her hips nicely when you look at them. I did this with her the other night and she did do very well. Then we headed to the “arena”. She had a bit of a problem taking the bit but the owner explained that her son had bumped her a time or two in the teeth with the bit so it was very understandable. She had her in a D ring w/rollers similar to a bit we use on Sis but she had it very low in her mouth (almost to the point of falling out). You could tell PF wasn’t happy about it being so low but she picked it up and held it anyways.
Through our conversations we learned that it had been since last August since PF had been ridden last and she hasn’t been loped once in the 2 years the owner has owned her. The owner got on and rode off and PF moved off quietly and calmly. At the end of the arena she started to nicker back to her buddies but kept moving. She walked her over a log and then bumped her up into a trot. It was a forward moving trot but not a fast one. We watched her ride for a while and then I got on.
Since the owner was short I decided to ride in her saddle. Those Tuckers are pretty comfy. Anyways – PF did well except she wanted to cut the arena. The problem with this was the tree in the far end where she wanted to cut was a thorn tree. Ouch! When she’d get to that spot she’d nicker and you could feel her want to speed up to get back to the other horses. I turned her in circles and put my inside leg on to see if she knew how to bend. Not really but she did soften after a little bit. She has an iron mouth compared to what I’m used to. I bumped her into a trot and it was pretty cozy. Would be a lot nicer if she’d slow down just a tad but that probably wouldn’t be hard to do.
PF was being good so I decided to push it and ask for a lope. OMG! She has one of the smoothest lopes. Like Black, she covers a bit of ground. She wasn’t upset at all that I’d asked her to lope and continued in a nice, relaxed lope until she had an excuse to stop (me talking).
After that DH got on and rode. She was a bit different for him but by this time she was pretty hot and sweaty. When I say different, it wasn’t really in a bad way. He was trying to neck rein her and she doesn’t and there were a few other times where I felt there was a miscommunication between the two.
Once we were done we watched her owner bath her and clip her. She did well but kept talking to her pasture buddies. She wanted to be back with them and you could tell.
I wasn’t in a very good mood last night so when DH asked me what my thoughts were I was probably a little rough on him. Told him she was a nice horse but she’s probably going to need some work and I wasn’t doing it. I kindly reminded him that I’ve trained too many horses for him that he’s sold when they weren’t “good enough” and I wasn’t doing it again.
I’m not sure what he’ll do, if he’ll take her out again, make up his mind from here or just forget about it.
Tuff E Nuff Quarter Horses
Lucy
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Shopping
Who wants to help me?
DH’s back seems to be back to normal so the hunt for a new (younger) horse is on. Black is doing well but I’m not sure we could have expected her to keep up on the trails we hit on Sunday as it even took a toll on our younger horses. On the way home, we discussed what it was that he wanted in a horse. He told me that he just wants a nice dependable horse like Sis to trail ride on. If he could just steal Sis he’d be thrilled but that isn’t going to happen!
A while ago I ran across a horse on CL that really caught my eye. She is almost a mirror image of Sis. I never pursued it because DH hadn’t ridden much because of his back and I figured he was still on the high dollar roping horse kick. After our weekend and our talk I decided to take a look to see if she was still available. Her ad was still there so I sent an e-mail. She was still available & the owner gave me her number to call her later in the day. Here is her current ad:
I did a little bit of google searching and found her previous ad from 2 years ago (previous owner).
I talked to the owner on the phone last night. Sounds like PF (that’s what we’ll call her for now) hasn’t been ridden much in the past 2 years. -1 She purchased her for her husband/son and neither of them have ridden. She said she was a horse you could leave and then jump on and go. +1 She said she wasn’t for beginners. +0 She is still ridden in a snaffle. +1 She prefers to follow on the trail. +0 She doesn’t like to leave the other horses. -1 In a later e-mail the owner said she will not refuse to leave but will just nicker to the other horses. +0 The owner was fine w/me taking her on a trail ride but wasn’t to sure about letting me take her to the arena (flag). The feel I got was that she is semi-confident in PF’s abilities. Since she hasn’t been ridden – she just isn’t sure but she was ok with allowing me to ride her w/o her being there (I’m not ok w/that as I’d like to see her go once first before hopping on).
She is only a few miles from us so I did drive over and see her last night w/o the owner there but w/the owner’s permission. She has a very soft, intelligent eye but she doesn’t look like her pictures. She’s lost weight (which the owner was happy with) but with the weight loss she’s lost muscle as well. She looks more like a thin track horse vs. a fat QH like I expected. The tone of the muscle she does have is very nice though. She's still hanging onto her winter coat and looks wormy depsite being on a regular schdule. Nothing that a little Karbo Combo won't help with. She’s a bit more refined then Sis. It is nice in her face but I’d kind of hoped for that big chest and butt.
The bo got her out and I picked up her feet. She picked them up well. She needs trimmed but her feet weren’t horrible. She did have a noticeable bump on her left front pastern. The owner said this was from an injury as a foal and it was scar tissue. Her vet (a very reputable one) said it was no big deal and wouldn’t affect her. I’m still on the fence about how much I think it might affect re-sale value.
I took her to the RP and sent her off. She left but wasn’t afraid of the whip or me. She wanted to turn away when I stepped in front of the drive line (most do so no big deal). She sure can get her butt underneath herself. She’s athletic but on the lazy side. When she finally did learn to turn into me she figured that out quick but once next to me she thought the grass was more appealing. She did nicker to the other horses but didn’t get too upset. She also didn’t seem to mind Ty running all over the place.
I haven’t told DH about her yet. I want to ride her and have MIL ride her to see how she goes. Then if she passes those tests I will have DH look at her. I don’t want a project horse – I don’t have the time and DH doesn’t have the patience. Any thoughts? Anything strike out at you that I might have missed?
DH’s back seems to be back to normal so the hunt for a new (younger) horse is on. Black is doing well but I’m not sure we could have expected her to keep up on the trails we hit on Sunday as it even took a toll on our younger horses. On the way home, we discussed what it was that he wanted in a horse. He told me that he just wants a nice dependable horse like Sis to trail ride on. If he could just steal Sis he’d be thrilled but that isn’t going to happen!
A while ago I ran across a horse on CL that really caught my eye. She is almost a mirror image of Sis. I never pursued it because DH hadn’t ridden much because of his back and I figured he was still on the high dollar roping horse kick. After our weekend and our talk I decided to take a look to see if she was still available. Her ad was still there so I sent an e-mail. She was still available & the owner gave me her number to call her later in the day. Here is her current ad:
PF is a versatile mare that we have used for trail riding. PF is very athletic
with a sweet and willing disposition. She loves attention and will be the first
one to greet you in the pasture. She clips, loads, stalls and hauls with no
problems. We are selling PF due to lack of time to ride.
I did a little bit of google searching and found her previous ad from 2 years ago (previous owner).
She has been shown in 4-H in halter and showmanship. This is a beautiful
young mare that can go in many different directions. Great trail horse.
Used by family on overnight camping trips, ridden in groups and alone.
Husband safe. Has also been used to move cattle. Her sire, PP, is also on
allbreedpedigree.com. His offspring have points and are winning at AQHA
shows and in many other arenas as well. He is very line bred Poco
Bueno.
Classy and feminine mare
7 years old
15.2
Likes attention and people
Quiet to be around
100% Sound.
No health issues.
Clips / Loads
wellGood for the farrier
I talked to the owner on the phone last night. Sounds like PF (that’s what we’ll call her for now) hasn’t been ridden much in the past 2 years. -1 She purchased her for her husband/son and neither of them have ridden. She said she was a horse you could leave and then jump on and go. +1 She said she wasn’t for beginners. +0 She is still ridden in a snaffle. +1 She prefers to follow on the trail. +0 She doesn’t like to leave the other horses. -1 In a later e-mail the owner said she will not refuse to leave but will just nicker to the other horses. +0 The owner was fine w/me taking her on a trail ride but wasn’t to sure about letting me take her to the arena (flag). The feel I got was that she is semi-confident in PF’s abilities. Since she hasn’t been ridden – she just isn’t sure but she was ok with allowing me to ride her w/o her being there (I’m not ok w/that as I’d like to see her go once first before hopping on).
She is only a few miles from us so I did drive over and see her last night w/o the owner there but w/the owner’s permission. She has a very soft, intelligent eye but she doesn’t look like her pictures. She’s lost weight (which the owner was happy with) but with the weight loss she’s lost muscle as well. She looks more like a thin track horse vs. a fat QH like I expected. The tone of the muscle she does have is very nice though. She's still hanging onto her winter coat and looks wormy depsite being on a regular schdule. Nothing that a little Karbo Combo won't help with. She’s a bit more refined then Sis. It is nice in her face but I’d kind of hoped for that big chest and butt.
The bo got her out and I picked up her feet. She picked them up well. She needs trimmed but her feet weren’t horrible. She did have a noticeable bump on her left front pastern. The owner said this was from an injury as a foal and it was scar tissue. Her vet (a very reputable one) said it was no big deal and wouldn’t affect her. I’m still on the fence about how much I think it might affect re-sale value.
I took her to the RP and sent her off. She left but wasn’t afraid of the whip or me. She wanted to turn away when I stepped in front of the drive line (most do so no big deal). She sure can get her butt underneath herself. She’s athletic but on the lazy side. When she finally did learn to turn into me she figured that out quick but once next to me she thought the grass was more appealing. She did nicker to the other horses but didn’t get too upset. She also didn’t seem to mind Ty running all over the place.
I haven’t told DH about her yet. I want to ride her and have MIL ride her to see how she goes. Then if she passes those tests I will have DH look at her. I don’t want a project horse – I don’t have the time and DH doesn’t have the patience. Any thoughts? Anything strike out at you that I might have missed?
Monday, May 24, 2010
Time for the trails!
This weekend was our first show of the season. I opted not to take a horse and had Chase ride Sis since he really hasn’t worked Abby too much this year. MIL and Chase both did well. Sis wasn’t at her peak performance wise but that is another post.
At the end of the show I had two tired “puppies”.
After the show DH and I headed off to the trails to celebrate our 11th anniversary. We both chuckled as we set up “camp” for the night. It was a bit different compared to how it was 11 years ago when we first set out for our honeymoon. Back then we had a 2 person tent and it was so cold I slept in the truck w/the heater (running with the heater on) while he slept in the tent with the dog. This time we both slept in the well circulated trailer & left the dog at home.
In the morning we got up and fed the ponies their breakfast only to find Lu had decided to unsnap herself and help herself to some grass. The “neighbors” came over to let us know that the one horse (Sis) beat up the other horse all night. This isn’t the first time Sis has done this and she’s going to learn quickly what a set of sideline hobbles are for. I refuse to give her an entire hitching rail just because she’s crabby.
We were on the trail by roughly 9:00. DH rode Sis and I rode Lu. I was a bit surprised at how “energetic” Lu was at the beginning. Usually she’s the calm one. We weren’t 20 feet into the trail head before we hit our first hill. It was a fairly steep one so I was happy when Lu sucked back and went down slowly, step by step.
Here she is at the beginning. Ears perked forward and ready to go.
The weather was beautiful but the bugs were horrendous! As we got closer to the river you could feel the cool breeze coming off of it. Lu is not a fan of water so I chuckled when we had lots of small water crossings. That was until we got to this one.
Lu says: “You want me to cross what?”
Here she is trying to turn around and go back.
DH and Sis taking a break while checking out the best place to cross.
The top crossing was very rocky and it was hard to navigate so we opted to go through the bottom. It got deep enough to have water up to my shins. Man that is the best way to ride!
After the ride and back at camp. This was pre-bath. Lucy got a wet saddle blanket.
After a sponge bath – “Can I haz treats?”
Just chillin
We headed back home in the afternoon but had to swing by a tack store on the way home. I bought another Cashel Feed Rite Bag. Those are wonderful out on the trail or for a messy eater (like Lu). We also purchased a new Stacy Westfall activity ball for the horses.
I’m hoping this will be something fun for the kids to play with and something to help me challenge my training (is the horse listening to me or focusing too much on the object?).
At the end of the show I had two tired “puppies”.
After the show DH and I headed off to the trails to celebrate our 11th anniversary. We both chuckled as we set up “camp” for the night. It was a bit different compared to how it was 11 years ago when we first set out for our honeymoon. Back then we had a 2 person tent and it was so cold I slept in the truck w/the heater (running with the heater on) while he slept in the tent with the dog. This time we both slept in the well circulated trailer & left the dog at home.
In the morning we got up and fed the ponies their breakfast only to find Lu had decided to unsnap herself and help herself to some grass. The “neighbors” came over to let us know that the one horse (Sis) beat up the other horse all night. This isn’t the first time Sis has done this and she’s going to learn quickly what a set of sideline hobbles are for. I refuse to give her an entire hitching rail just because she’s crabby.
We were on the trail by roughly 9:00. DH rode Sis and I rode Lu. I was a bit surprised at how “energetic” Lu was at the beginning. Usually she’s the calm one. We weren’t 20 feet into the trail head before we hit our first hill. It was a fairly steep one so I was happy when Lu sucked back and went down slowly, step by step.
Here she is at the beginning. Ears perked forward and ready to go.
The weather was beautiful but the bugs were horrendous! As we got closer to the river you could feel the cool breeze coming off of it. Lu is not a fan of water so I chuckled when we had lots of small water crossings. That was until we got to this one.
Lu says: “You want me to cross what?”
Here she is trying to turn around and go back.
DH and Sis taking a break while checking out the best place to cross.
The top crossing was very rocky and it was hard to navigate so we opted to go through the bottom. It got deep enough to have water up to my shins. Man that is the best way to ride!
After the ride and back at camp. This was pre-bath. Lucy got a wet saddle blanket.
After a sponge bath – “Can I haz treats?”
Just chillin
We headed back home in the afternoon but had to swing by a tack store on the way home. I bought another Cashel Feed Rite Bag. Those are wonderful out on the trail or for a messy eater (like Lu). We also purchased a new Stacy Westfall activity ball for the horses.
I’m hoping this will be something fun for the kids to play with and something to help me challenge my training (is the horse listening to me or focusing too much on the object?).
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Duck, duck, no goose!
Mom thought I was bad about the chickens as the boys and I have been incubating this spring. I have 13 eggs in the bator as we speak - that was until the ducks came along!
I bought 5 for each of the boys. 5 Indian Runners for Ty and 5 Pudgy Pekins for Chase. The boys just love them and my goodness have they grown.
The lady that does the wildlife rehabilitation asked if I'd take any fowl they got in as it seems most people don't want them. The wood ducks are very hard to rehab and they need other fowl to survive. I told her we would be happy to try. I had no idea what I was getting myself into!
So far we have gotten 22 ducklings in (wood ducks and mallards). To date we've lost 7 (I think). I know that might sound like a lot but I think it is pretty good considering. I'm learning the wood ducks stress very easily. The first batch we got had 9 and we lost 2 right away. Earlier this week one had got trapped behind the log in their pen and by the time we found him it was too late. Wednesday we got 4 more wood ducks but I noticed they were aweful quiet on the way home (not typically for wood ducks). Unfortunatley none of them survived.
Tonight I'm getting 9 more! Not sure if they are wood ducks or mallards yet. The wood ducks sure are pretty but the mallards are so much easier to care for. I'll see if I can get some pictures of the "flock" and post later.
I bought 5 for each of the boys. 5 Indian Runners for Ty and 5 Pudgy Pekins for Chase. The boys just love them and my goodness have they grown.
The lady that does the wildlife rehabilitation asked if I'd take any fowl they got in as it seems most people don't want them. The wood ducks are very hard to rehab and they need other fowl to survive. I told her we would be happy to try. I had no idea what I was getting myself into!
So far we have gotten 22 ducklings in (wood ducks and mallards). To date we've lost 7 (I think). I know that might sound like a lot but I think it is pretty good considering. I'm learning the wood ducks stress very easily. The first batch we got had 9 and we lost 2 right away. Earlier this week one had got trapped behind the log in their pen and by the time we found him it was too late. Wednesday we got 4 more wood ducks but I noticed they were aweful quiet on the way home (not typically for wood ducks). Unfortunatley none of them survived.
Tonight I'm getting 9 more! Not sure if they are wood ducks or mallards yet. The wood ducks sure are pretty but the mallards are so much easier to care for. I'll see if I can get some pictures of the "flock" and post later.
No horse time for me
I haven't had hardly any pony time and I can tell.
Mothers Day weekend DH and I drove to KS and bought a new truck! I'm happy to finally have something that a) I don't have to worry about the motor falling out and b) something that is actually big enough to pully my ponies safely.
I'm hoping this one last me a LONG time!
DH got me two new leather halters for Mothers Day. I've been wanting them and was very happy that he'd actually listed. Later on in the day I started not feeling well.
I felt cruddy most of last week and went to the Dr. to be told I had a rib out??? Ummm how'd that happen? Didn't get much riding done since I wasn't feeling hot. Sat. I tried to ride but learned real fast that it wasn't a good idea. I paid for it later that night.
I still wasn't feeling well at the beginning of this week so went back. Had to see a different Doc & was told that it might be a blot clot vs. a rib. Took x-rays, got script and then was told everything was fine on the x-ray.
Tues. I wanted to test drive the truck so I took MIL to drill practice (only the 2nd one I've been to). I took Lu to stand at the trailer. She managed to get loose while we were there so I let her eat grass on the line next to me. When they were all done I decided to hop on. Again - bad idea!
Went back to Dr. today (this time my normal one). He manipulated my back and then told me he thought it was muscle. I felt worse coming out then I did going in. He gave me more drugs a told me to come back if I didn't feel better.
We have our first show this weekend. Chase is not prepared at all. If I take a horse it will be to stand at the trailer but I won't be riding. I feel like I'm so far behind though!
Here are a few pics from last Sat.
Lu dressed in her english gear. My saddle was at home & I was too lazy to go home & get it so rode english w/halter (yes I know the saddle is too far forward).
Cat pissed off that she got left.
My pretty little girl
Chunky Monkey!
Look at those dapples!
Mothers Day weekend DH and I drove to KS and bought a new truck! I'm happy to finally have something that a) I don't have to worry about the motor falling out and b) something that is actually big enough to pully my ponies safely.
I'm hoping this one last me a LONG time!
DH got me two new leather halters for Mothers Day. I've been wanting them and was very happy that he'd actually listed. Later on in the day I started not feeling well.
I felt cruddy most of last week and went to the Dr. to be told I had a rib out??? Ummm how'd that happen? Didn't get much riding done since I wasn't feeling hot. Sat. I tried to ride but learned real fast that it wasn't a good idea. I paid for it later that night.
I still wasn't feeling well at the beginning of this week so went back. Had to see a different Doc & was told that it might be a blot clot vs. a rib. Took x-rays, got script and then was told everything was fine on the x-ray.
Tues. I wanted to test drive the truck so I took MIL to drill practice (only the 2nd one I've been to). I took Lu to stand at the trailer. She managed to get loose while we were there so I let her eat grass on the line next to me. When they were all done I decided to hop on. Again - bad idea!
Went back to Dr. today (this time my normal one). He manipulated my back and then told me he thought it was muscle. I felt worse coming out then I did going in. He gave me more drugs a told me to come back if I didn't feel better.
We have our first show this weekend. Chase is not prepared at all. If I take a horse it will be to stand at the trailer but I won't be riding. I feel like I'm so far behind though!
Here are a few pics from last Sat.
Lu dressed in her english gear. My saddle was at home & I was too lazy to go home & get it so rode english w/halter (yes I know the saddle is too far forward).
Cat pissed off that she got left.
My pretty little girl
Chunky Monkey!
Look at those dapples!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Lucy's Turn
Now for Lucy! I’ll start off by saying thoughts of selling Lucy crossed my mind! But only temporarily.
Thursday –
Worked on LFR Stage 1. She’s still pretty pissy when she changes directions so I worked on slowing her down, getting her to relax and work through her turns. That seemed to work well.
Hopped on and did some ORS at the walk. Tried to do that at the trot but she was on crack! Tried to ask for a few canter strides before we finished and she decided bucking was a better option. They weren’t big bucks but I wasn’t thrilled. Granted – it has been a LONG time since she’d be worked last.
Friday –
Did C pattern, LFR stage 1 and she was much better. Did ORS at the w/t but she was on crack again so decided to do the passenger lesson at the trot. She didn’t want to trot but instead wanted to canter (insert crazy smiley here). Decided to quit shutting her down and let her canter. She’d get tired eventually. She finally did and went back to a trot but it was very easy to tell she wasn’t happy about that.
Did some follow the fence at the trot and then a few laps at the canter.
Saturday –
MUCH better! Thoughts of selling are slowly diminishing. Didn’t do much gw, instead got after about 2 min of LFR. Had issues at the same gate gawking at the same ponies that Cat did so did do some rollbacks to get her focus on me. Today she decided she could actually trot. Did the follow the fence exercise at the w/t/c. Clockwise at the canter is her bad direction. She has more trouble staying on that lead.
Sunday –
100% better. Her trot had forward movement, her ears were forward, she was happy! Did a great job w/t/c doing ftf (follow the fence). Also worked on yielding the HQ. Worked on vertical flexion. Going counter clockwise was better then clockwise. That kind of threw me for a loop since cantering she’s the better the opposite direction.
I can say I saw HUGE improvements in both horses. I’m also exhausted! Getting up early to chore/clean stalls really kicked my butt (I’m not a morning person) and actually putting in time I’m not used to………………I was in bed by 8 o’clock last night!
I’m hoping to take them back over next Fri., Sat., Sun. and keep this up for as long as Mona, and DH will let me.
Thursday –
Worked on LFR Stage 1. She’s still pretty pissy when she changes directions so I worked on slowing her down, getting her to relax and work through her turns. That seemed to work well.
Hopped on and did some ORS at the walk. Tried to do that at the trot but she was on crack! Tried to ask for a few canter strides before we finished and she decided bucking was a better option. They weren’t big bucks but I wasn’t thrilled. Granted – it has been a LONG time since she’d be worked last.
Friday –
Did C pattern, LFR stage 1 and she was much better. Did ORS at the w/t but she was on crack again so decided to do the passenger lesson at the trot. She didn’t want to trot but instead wanted to canter (insert crazy smiley here). Decided to quit shutting her down and let her canter. She’d get tired eventually. She finally did and went back to a trot but it was very easy to tell she wasn’t happy about that.
Did some follow the fence at the trot and then a few laps at the canter.
Saturday –
MUCH better! Thoughts of selling are slowly diminishing. Didn’t do much gw, instead got after about 2 min of LFR. Had issues at the same gate gawking at the same ponies that Cat did so did do some rollbacks to get her focus on me. Today she decided she could actually trot. Did the follow the fence exercise at the w/t/c. Clockwise at the canter is her bad direction. She has more trouble staying on that lead.
Sunday –
100% better. Her trot had forward movement, her ears were forward, she was happy! Did a great job w/t/c doing ftf (follow the fence). Also worked on yielding the HQ. Worked on vertical flexion. Going counter clockwise was better then clockwise. That kind of threw me for a loop since cantering she’s the better the opposite direction.
I can say I saw HUGE improvements in both horses. I’m also exhausted! Getting up early to chore/clean stalls really kicked my butt (I’m not a morning person) and actually putting in time I’m not used to………………I was in bed by 8 o’clock last night!
I’m hoping to take them back over next Fri., Sat., Sun. and keep this up for as long as Mona, and DH will let me.
Suicide Ride!
Thurs. –
Tied Cat to trailer while working Lucy. She wasn’t happy so reared the majority of the time and then went to pawing once she got tired of rearing.
Did LFR Stage II but didn’t ride (too dark). She began to anticipate the change of direction from me turning my hand over to put the stick in it. Turns were nice! Deep hock action into the ground and then she rolled out of there w/energy.
Put in stall – not happy she couldn’t see Lu but could see Salute so she was ok.
Fri. – (ride 8)
Did some liberty work in the indoor. She’d run away from me to visit the other horses but when I’d call and comb my finger she’d come running back to me. Did some figure 8’s at liberty and then jumped on bb. Did some flexing and trotting (not much) and called it a night. Did ask her to back and she did take a few steps w/o resistance.
Sat. – (ride 9)
Did minimal LFR (stage 1), some C pattern and sending and then got on. Did ORS at the w/t/c. She picks up quickly! Would trot 4 beats, sit two and then shut her down. Did the counting in my head (not outloud). When I decided to trot 6 strides instead she shut herself down at 4 and put her head to my foot. Decided it was time to do passenger lesson instead!
ORS at the canter – need work. She is still sticky at the canter and would pop her butt up in protest. She also quickly began to anticipate the shutdown but I ran out of time to do a passenger lesson. Did do YHQ for the first time and she did that like we’d done it since she was born (have done from the ground but not under saddle).
Sun. – my suicide ride! (ride 10)
Did LFR stage 3. That really confused her but like everything else, it didn’t take long for her to pick it up. Got on and she wanted to “visit” with the other horses out of the back gate so we did some rollbacks at the gate to get her focused on me and not them. Started my ORS at the w/t/c but after much anticipation (again) decided to move straight to the passenger lesson. Trot passenger lesson was great so we kicked it up to the lope. This time she didn’t protest.
I can honestly say for the first time in a LONG time I rode w/the death grip on the horn AND the cantle! She does not want to lope so she tries anything and everything to get out of it! I kept telling myself “don’t guess which way she’s going to go” and I finally got to where I’d just look at her shoulder to avoid looking at where she was going.
Unlike Lucy, she makes her mind up at the last minute and I mean the LAST minute. The first time I tried the PL at the canter at the saddle club arena I would have put money on it that she would have gone over the gate had I not turned her. Sunday she’d be loping a straight line down the rail and then slam on the breaks, roll into the rail (full blown rollback) and haul off the opposite direction. That one really threw me for a loop!
Then she’d run down the center and just slam on the breaks. We’d run straight for a wall and then right as I though she was going to slam into it she’d break left or right. She is VERY athletic and I have a very poor seat! When she finally loped around a full circle a few times I let her stop. She was huffing and puffing and the sweat was just pouring off of her! My arms were killing me from giving the saddle the death grip so I was happy to be done.
I walked her out a bit doing the stick to the fence exercise to cool her down. Got a chuckle when she didn’t want to stick to the fence next to the gate (where we did the rollbacks earlier). What I’m learning with Cat is that she is VERY quick to catch on. This should keep me on my toes!
She was not happy when I’d tie her up and take Lucy out but I’m hoping as time goes by she’ll get over that.
Tied Cat to trailer while working Lucy. She wasn’t happy so reared the majority of the time and then went to pawing once she got tired of rearing.
Did LFR Stage II but didn’t ride (too dark). She began to anticipate the change of direction from me turning my hand over to put the stick in it. Turns were nice! Deep hock action into the ground and then she rolled out of there w/energy.
Put in stall – not happy she couldn’t see Lu but could see Salute so she was ok.
Fri. – (ride 8)
Did some liberty work in the indoor. She’d run away from me to visit the other horses but when I’d call and comb my finger she’d come running back to me. Did some figure 8’s at liberty and then jumped on bb. Did some flexing and trotting (not much) and called it a night. Did ask her to back and she did take a few steps w/o resistance.
Sat. – (ride 9)
Did minimal LFR (stage 1), some C pattern and sending and then got on. Did ORS at the w/t/c. She picks up quickly! Would trot 4 beats, sit two and then shut her down. Did the counting in my head (not outloud). When I decided to trot 6 strides instead she shut herself down at 4 and put her head to my foot. Decided it was time to do passenger lesson instead!
ORS at the canter – need work. She is still sticky at the canter and would pop her butt up in protest. She also quickly began to anticipate the shutdown but I ran out of time to do a passenger lesson. Did do YHQ for the first time and she did that like we’d done it since she was born (have done from the ground but not under saddle).
Sun. – my suicide ride! (ride 10)
Did LFR stage 3. That really confused her but like everything else, it didn’t take long for her to pick it up. Got on and she wanted to “visit” with the other horses out of the back gate so we did some rollbacks at the gate to get her focused on me and not them. Started my ORS at the w/t/c but after much anticipation (again) decided to move straight to the passenger lesson. Trot passenger lesson was great so we kicked it up to the lope. This time she didn’t protest.
I can honestly say for the first time in a LONG time I rode w/the death grip on the horn AND the cantle! She does not want to lope so she tries anything and everything to get out of it! I kept telling myself “don’t guess which way she’s going to go” and I finally got to where I’d just look at her shoulder to avoid looking at where she was going.
Unlike Lucy, she makes her mind up at the last minute and I mean the LAST minute. The first time I tried the PL at the canter at the saddle club arena I would have put money on it that she would have gone over the gate had I not turned her. Sunday she’d be loping a straight line down the rail and then slam on the breaks, roll into the rail (full blown rollback) and haul off the opposite direction. That one really threw me for a loop!
Then she’d run down the center and just slam on the breaks. We’d run straight for a wall and then right as I though she was going to slam into it she’d break left or right. She is VERY athletic and I have a very poor seat! When she finally loped around a full circle a few times I let her stop. She was huffing and puffing and the sweat was just pouring off of her! My arms were killing me from giving the saddle the death grip so I was happy to be done.
I walked her out a bit doing the stick to the fence exercise to cool her down. Got a chuckle when she didn’t want to stick to the fence next to the gate (where we did the rollbacks earlier). What I’m learning with Cat is that she is VERY quick to catch on. This should keep me on my toes!
She was not happy when I’d tie her up and take Lucy out but I’m hoping as time goes by she’ll get over that.
Taking Time for Me!
I’m going to post a general post here about my weekend and then I’ll post two more detailed ones for those who want a novel.
I decided earlier this year that I was going to put myself first this year.
I would be able to say “no” when someone asked for help.
I would make DH, Chase, and MIL responsible for their own horses.
I would ride my own horses.
So far I’ve done a good job at the first two. I’ve said no a lot this year! I must admit, it feels really weird! I’ve also kept myself from riding Black and told DH that he was responsible for her “entire” care from pasture management to deciding what and how much to feed her and her hoofcare. Even after doing all of this, I was still finding it difficult to get the third one accomplished in a consistent manner.
I HATE asking for things, but I finally broke down and asked Mona if I could keep my horses at her barn for the weekend so I could use her arena. Of course she said yes so Thursday I hauled them over. The plan was to take them Fri., Sat., Sun. so I could get 3 consistent days in on them. It was Thurs. and DH was in a good mood so I jumped at the extra day.
The next two post will detail how things went with each horse.
I decided earlier this year that I was going to put myself first this year.
I would be able to say “no” when someone asked for help.
I would make DH, Chase, and MIL responsible for their own horses.
I would ride my own horses.
So far I’ve done a good job at the first two. I’ve said no a lot this year! I must admit, it feels really weird! I’ve also kept myself from riding Black and told DH that he was responsible for her “entire” care from pasture management to deciding what and how much to feed her and her hoofcare. Even after doing all of this, I was still finding it difficult to get the third one accomplished in a consistent manner.
I HATE asking for things, but I finally broke down and asked Mona if I could keep my horses at her barn for the weekend so I could use her arena. Of course she said yes so Thursday I hauled them over. The plan was to take them Fri., Sat., Sun. so I could get 3 consistent days in on them. It was Thurs. and DH was in a good mood so I jumped at the extra day.
The next two post will detail how things went with each horse.
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