June 14, 2008

I have been severely neglecting this poor blog! Things have been a bit of a roller coaster ride in the horse world lately. Spree has been being so much of a brat while lunging (read: charging me and rearing) that I got scared and had to call in Jenn to help me out. On Friday night, I went out to work with them both, and she saw how Spree was acting (though it was far better than she had been) and saw my fearful reaction, so she showed me ways I can stand up to her to show I'm the boss/ It's simple stuff, like actually tossing the lead rope at her chest if she's coming at me, cutting her off with a brisk, no-nonsense walk if she's not listening when I ask her to change directions, etc. We worked with her together free lunging, and Jenn watched as I worked with her and said I was doing well. She free jumped her over a really loww crossrail, which was fun to watch; Spree seems to enjoy it!

Saturday was a great day. I had all the time in the world, so I headed out there and grabbed my girl. I wanted to scope things out next door, so we went for a walk on lead to the farm next door, and walked all the way to where the (unfenced) outdoor arena is. I worked with her there, lunging on lead, and I'd give her a C, grade-wise. She was distracted, understandably, but she also wasn't respecting when I was asking her to change directions every time. It was tough to cut her off, because there was no fence and we weren't in a round pen, and she wasn't responding to the lead rope swinging near her face. After we got back, I put her bridle on, and had a pretty easy time with the saddle, considering how long its taken in the past. Jenn had warned me that after not having the saddle on for a week, she might freak out, but nothing of the sort happened. I hopped on and headed back to that afore mentioned outdoor arena. She did excellent for the first half of our ride, listening to everything I asked, but she got progressively worse: trying to leave the arena, trotting fast and having minor freak outs at certain points in a circle, and generally fighting me like a fish on a line. We ended on a good note (my making her stand still right before leaving the arena, and if she didn't, kept her moving), but she walked way too fast on the way back, and almost knocked me off by running me under tree branches.

I also hate the saddle I'm using. The pad is old, scratchy and thin, and the saddle itself has the hardest seat ever and today it feels like someone literally kicked me in the ass. My first new buy will be a new pad, and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for an AP saddle. I'm also chatting with Jenn's friend about leasing her mare, but considering she wants her to be completely taken care of so she can bring in her new horse, I don't think my pocketbook can afford that. We're meeting up again this week; I'll know more then. I also encouraged Jenn to keep Spree up for sale, though she had thought at first she wouldn't during my lease. I don't see why she shouldn't work to find her a good home, and postponing that for a year doesn't make much sense. It's both of our first priority to find her a good home, so I'll be putting an ad on Craigslist this week.

June 4, 2008

You know how I was mentioning PMS? OHMYGOD. I was a little shocked at how bad this was. The minute I went out to get her from the field, I knew I was in for it. She did not want to walk away from Chance, kept stopping as we were walking, and kept crowding my space. 

I had already gotten all of the tack out, so I was just free lunging her at first. Ugh. She would try to change directions on me at the same point every single time around the circle, and when I'd get in her face, she'd flatten her ears and sometimes kick out. This kept repeating, and only got a little bit better with time. I decided she was listening well enough to bring out the saddle. She acted like she'd never seen the thing before! At first she wouldn't even let me put it on her back, so I kept lunging her with the same results. Then, when I was finally able to put it on her back, she freaked out when I barely touched the girth to her belly. Backing away, snorting, and when I backer her like I normally would, she ended up rearing a little. I kept lunging her after she did this a could of times, and she was so determined that she was choosing the direction she was going, her aggressiveness was scaring me a little bit.

I tried to end it on a good note by having her follow me around without a lead on and then just put her away. I was an AWFUL horse mama though, because I didn't tie her securely enough in the enclosure, she took off, trailing her lead rope, which she ended up tripping on and scaring herself. :/ She was awful, and I hate the fact that I got scared of her actions.

I'm headed out there later this afternoon, so hopefully her attitude will have improved and we'll have a lovely afternoon.

June 2, 2008

Somebody has a case of PMS, and it ain't me! Jenn had left me a note warning me that they thought Spree might be in heat. Well, her attitude certainly seems to indicate that she is! She did ok free lunging, though she made it quite clear by her pinned ears, swishing tail and sometimes deliberately going the wrong way that she was not happy listening to me. I had already decided that today was going to be English tack day, so I'd gotten Jenn's friend's AP saddle out of its bag, changed the reins on Spree's bridle, and had my gloves and helmet ready.

After I free lunged her for awhile, I tried the saddle. She's actually been standing really well for the saddle recently, which is refreshing. However, she's really pissy about the girth being tightened, and certainly displayed her displeasure about it tonight. When she went to move, I would snap the lead rope back under her chin and back her up. If she kept moving, I'd start lunging her again, letting the saddle fall where it may. I was making progress, but Jenn showed me up to back her up while standing more at her side then in front of her, so as soon as she stops I can start trying to tighten the girth again. Genius. I'm happy about her responsiveness to me while lunging, and I feel much more comfortable with it now, both off and on lead. Once I'd gotten all her tack on and secured, it took me an embarrassing amount of time to actually mount. I seriously need a mounting block there. I'm having to climb up onto this little platform and have her stand at the right point next to it, and the whole thing is really awkward. I also should work on improving my flexibility on that front.

Because everything to this point had taken awhile, she was sweaty and I was about to kill every fly and mosquito in the state of Michigan, I didn't want to ride too long. I felt so at home in an English saddle, and actually feel more secure in it than a Western saddle. The saddle and pad themselves are pretty crappy though, so maybe I'll make an upgrade of my own sometime soon. She was much less barn sour than last time, though a little bit still. She was very responsive to the leg aides, and since I'd switched to English reins, I found myself using the subtle rein aides you're supposed to and not moving my hands. Whew! I felt like a much more competent rider today. I decided to give a canter a go, and had her canter back toward the barn. Not ever a good idea to move a horse quickly back to where they want to be going. I then circled her, walked and trotted back out into the field and canter/galloped back again. So fun :) Next time I think we'll definitely head next door, new tack and all, since it will be raining on Wednesday. My only fear is not being able to lunge her first. We'll see...

May 31, 2008

The last ride of May! I was determined to try riding bareback, something I haven't done since I was a kid, and even then it was on a lunge line and with a bareback pad. I was honestly a little nervous, but all you have for security is the mane and your seat. I wasn't planning on going any faster than a walk, because that way I could work on my balance and seat and getting a feel for her movements. We started with some free lunging, and she did excellent. Listened well, changed directions every time I asked, etc. I did this for about 15 minutes, then went and grabbed her bridle. She moved away the first time I went to put it on, so I sent her off for some more lunging. When she was listening and coming to me to stand, I put the bridle on and led her to the weird platform I use as a mounting block. It took a few tried for her to understand I wanted her to stand right next to it, but she didn't move as I mounted without a saddle.

And we were off! It's a pretty incredibly experience, riding completely bareback. I was wearing really thin tights, so there was little separating me from her skin. And to feel that much powerful animal underneath you is inspiring. I'm going to try and do it once a week. I actually did a great job of maintaining a good center and seat, because there were a few times when she'd break into a trot when I hadn't asked her to, and I was able to sit deep and slow her down without jolting around on her back. she did well listening to me seat and leg cues, but man was she barn sour today! She kept wanting to head back to the tack room every chance she got, and it took some serious circling and strong legs/rein aids to get her back out into the field. I had interest in going next door to Prarie Farms, but I figured it would be really crowded on a Saturday and my desire to ride bareback was more than my desire to have an adventure next door. As I was grooming her, she wasn't letting me pick up her back feet at all. I just let it go, but what I should have done was take her out and lunge her some more until she was listening and willing to let me pick them up. Gah :/

I think I'm finally ready to try her in English tack. I just prefer riding in it, I don't like the Western saddle that Jenn has, and I am starting to hate the Western reins on that bridle. So next time I ride, I'm going to lunge her in the English AP saddle that's in the tack room, then ride her a little in the arena and then head next door to see how she goes in the indoor arena. I'm excited!

May 28, 2008

All after work experiences should be this good. I got there around 7 pm, finding Spree alone in the left field. Chance, her pasture mate, is off at the breeders getting knocked up by some handsome Paint stud. The 2nd time I came out to meet Spree, she and Chance took off like rockets, avoiding Jenn and I like the plague. This time, as I walked through the gate, Spree walk/trotted over the greet me. I didn't even have any treats! She was super interested in me and what I was doing, which was charming.

Jenn had just gotten home, so I worked a little on what Parelli calls "The Friendly Game," which is basically where you're touching your horse all over, soothingly, just to see what they'll accept and what they won't. Obviously the end result is that you want to be able to touch them anywhere you want to, and with bags, blankets, etc, and not have them spook. Spree didn't mind being touched anywhere that I tried, and she let me hold her hooves for a decent amount of time as well. After that, I decided to free lunge her myself, my first time doing so. I tried to stay very aware of my body language, and if she did something I didn't want, I made sure it was because SHE was being pesky and not my asking incorrectly. I then had her follow me around without a lead on, and she did exceptionally. She'd been listening, responding and being respectful the entire time. When Jenn got there she worked with me on lunging on lead. I need to remember to KEEP MY FEET STILL. Keep them still when I'm asking her to back away from me, keep them still when I'm asking her to move out of change directions on lead.

After a little more lunging, we tried the saddle. What an improvement! Jenn's worked with her a few times since last time, and if Spree tried to evade (which only happened a couple of times), she jerked the lead rope hard up under her chin and backed her up. Then she stood very still. She had a moment of crabbiness when Jenn was tightening the girth, but more lead rope snapping and backing up cured that! I put her bridle on, and figured out that I could use this half-platform nearby as a mounting block. She was still pretty full of beans, so we worked in the small lunge pen, having her make figure 8's and small circles, keeping her at a walk because she kept wanting to break into a trot.

After we moved into the big field, I started concentrating more on my riding than anything else. I do well when I focus on being balanced and really letting my body go with her movements, but I catch myself riding wayyyyy too much with my hands, and my hands keep wanting to turn over into bear paws. I feel like I need a lesson sometime soon, so a trainer can kick my ass and tell me everything I'm doing wrong. Spree is such a responsive, willing and sweet girl, and I wouldn't want to me her sour from anything I'm doing wrong. I wish I'd gotten to ride longer, but everything else took awhile and I needed to get home to dinner. I plan on spending a ton of time out there on Saturday for sure. Maybe Friday night as well, depending. It was a really encouraging evening though, and I'm totally smitten with her.

May 25, 2008

Yesterday was the first day I'd ridden since the initial time I came out to give Spree a "test ride." The day before, Saturday, was quite the wake-up call as to her youth and energy. Her ground manners are pretty awful, but I don't think they are something that can't be worked on. On Saturday, Jenn (her owner) and I decided that we were going to lunge her under saddle before either one of us got on and rode. Well, a nice idea in theory. After grooming (where I learned she never had her feet handled much, but that's something she's already improving on), we attempted to tack her up. She just will not stand, period. And ever time she wouldn't stand, Jenn would keep her moving in whatever direction she was trying to go. And around and around we went. The saddle kept dumping off, and we'd repeat the process all over again. After about a half an hour, she finally had the saddle on enough to show me how she lunges her under saddle. Side reins and a lunge line, and Spree was a little snot the entire time. She was not happy about all she was being asked to to, and a few times she kicked out. Once she kicked out deliberately at Jenn, and left a pretty nasty looking bruise on her arm. I just winced from the sidelines. She worked her hard, until Spree was listening to what Jenn was asking. After that whole ordeal, we didn't end up riding. Jenn did say that she went out there later in the evening and free lunged her, and that things went much more smoothly. I was a little worried, because I don't want come out to ride and spend 45 minutes just trying to tack up my horse! But, I'm interested in all aspects of horsemanship/training/ownership, and not all horses are going to be lesson horses and do everything like angels.

Yesterday we tried a different approach. For about a half an hour, Jenn worked with her in the lunge pen, completely free lunge, no line at all. Spree responds incredibly well to posturing and body language, and I unfortunately think it's something that may take a while to pick up on. It's amazing to watch though. Jenn had the tack waiting by the pen, and after Spree's energy seemed to be working itself out, she tried tacking up. The issues wasn't as severe as the day before, but Spree still wasn't standing. They just kept working (eventually on a line) until all Spree was doing was gently circling tightly as Jenn tried to tighten the cinch. Not ideal, but we'll deal with it for now. That whole process only took a half an hour, which was a vast improvement from Saturday. I need to remember that she's only 8 years old, which is still quite young for a horse, and she has a lot to learn.

Jenn rode her for a little bit, and then I hopped on. She is so responsive to seat and leg aids, and I need to learn how to better adapt to that. I rode her at a trot (her trot is very floaty when she's going well), but I bounce around too much when she isn't going well. My seat and center need a lot of improvement :( That's something I'm confident will remedy itself in time though. Jenn took some pictures when I was riding (though I didn't realize it) and I'm not thrilled. I should have lengthened my stirrups; my knees are popping up too much. I need to sit up taller, sit deeper, and make sure the line from bit to elbow isn't broken and work on collecting Spree's head. I want to have a serious photo shoot sometime soon, so I can get feedback from my horsey forum on what I can start on improving. I just worked a lot on my legs and seat, getting her to turn that way, and lots of walking and trotting since she had already worked pretty hard.

She's a stunning mare; one of the prettiest I've seen. Her personality is equal parts curious and sweet and naughty and sassy. It's going to be a fun adventure. I'm hoping to get out there maybe tomorrow night or Wednesday for sure.