November 22, 2008

What a nice ride tonight :) After our lesson last week, it's been a series of late nights and really icy footing, so I haven't been able to ride much or much faster than a walk. Today I went out there around 4 pm, and the arena was nice enough to ride in. The lesson last week was fantastic-totally kicked my but physically, and she was great about giving me small things to work on. The hour literally flew by, and I knew I wanted to work on sitting the trot without stirrups, because she said that would also help a lot with my seat at the canter.

Today, after warming up (during which I had to pretend I was caring about what the BO's stepdaughter was rambling on about. Sounds mean, but I like to concentrate when I'm doing arena work.), we did a lot of trotting and I pretty much immediately crossed my stirrups over the pommel. Whew. I feel good and sore now, and I feel like Blaze was at a beautiful little jog. He's probably a total Western horse, ha. It's not like I'm looking to show with him, but if I did I could probably do English Pleasure. Anyway, the jog was slow and lovely, which made it incredibly easy to sit deep to, as well as keep my legs in the correct position. I'm not sure if it was easier because of the pace of the trot (which was decidedly slower paced), the fact that I had the practice last week or what, but I felt really good.

Now I'm trying to not feel guilty about wanting to go out and ride on one of my only 2 days of daylight on one of the only full days I get with my beau :/

November 11, 2008

God, what a crummy night. Thankfully I'm only referring to the current weather (butt effing cold and raining) and not to my time with Blaze tonight. Sometimes I feel like if I skip some rides/outings then I need to play catch up, but that's boring and I might hurt my brain trying to do all that recollecting. Tonight was a blast. I got off of work early in hopes of catching a little daylight, which I did. I now have him on a Weight Builder supplement, because he was looking a little ribby and I don't want there to be any chance he'll be cold and uncomfortable this winter. I would put him on beet pulp, but that has to be soaked and I don't have time to do that before getting out to the barn, at any point but weekends. I'd love to get him on some chaff, but the feed store I go to didn't have any. When Darlene makes her next feed run I'm going to see if she can look for some for me. I also need to find out if the geldings have a salt lick in their pasture-my boy needs his sodium!

He was a little bit of a butthead last time I rode: trying to pop his mouth forward and drop out of a gait (usually the trot) and he really wanted to turn back toward the gate and stop. It was frustrating. Tonight was much better. Amber and Jet were riding in the arena with us. He did try a few of those little tricks but I kept driving him forward with my legs and that helped for the most part. I am being really conscious of my hands and making sure that I'm not jerking his mouth at the trot or doing anything to provoke his actions, and I don't think that I am...hopefully the lesson I'm taking this Saturday will aid me in figuring it out. We did some nice little canter work both ways, but I'm catching myself standing a little in the stirrups so I don't come down and bang on his back. I really need someone to lunge him for me at the canter so I can work on sitting it well. He was a good boy though, and time really flies when you're having fun. I checked my watch to make sure we warmed up sufficiently, and the next time I checked we'd been riding for 45 minutes! Not bad for a Tuesday night in a dark arena with only 1 overhead light. I'm happy to know that we can easily ride in the arena after dark. He did stumble over a couple of rocks but nothing bad.

I ordered some all-natural hoof dressing and am pretty stoked for that to arrive. He is never thrilled to have his back feet picked (and I think tries to make up for that by immediately lifting his front feet the minute I touch his leg), and I want to make sure that his hooves are well protected come regular snow. Speaking of snow, we rode in snow last weekend! Nothing on the ground, just little flurries in the air. It was beautiful.

I have a gratin to pull out of the oven, but I probably won't be able to ride again until Thursday because of this shitty weather. boooooo...

November 1, 2008

Is it really November already? Blech. I am so tired from a late night last night, but I'm deliciously sore from a good RIDING session today! I decided to buy a $75 Crump saddle my BO had for sale, and am thrilled I did. It fits Blaze well, and fits my butt well too. It's old, no knee rolls, but it's really well made and comfortable. Plus, I am RIDING again. It's hilarious how sore I am. We probably did 30-45 minutes of just walking and trotting, and yowza. My thighs are burning. Good thing, I needed the workout today.

He's testing me a little bit, but in a way it's good-it reminds me he's not perfect. In the beginning of our ride, at the trot, he'll try and stop, attempting to pull the reins through my fingers. He'll also try and take his own paths at the trot. I'm finding that I need to ride with light contact with him, correct sharply but praise in a soft voice, and it's so fun to feel his improvement over the length of the ride.

Lucio is coming out with me tomorrow, so I hope I get some good riding shots and that I don't look too terrible. :)

October 29, 2008

All I've got is bummer news, unfortunately. I can't believe I didn't see before what an utter piece of sh*t the saddle they loaned me is. I know I should be grateful for being loaned tack int he first place, but I was practically crying in frustrating trying to tighten the girth because the stupid billet are like cheap plastic. Not to mention the girths were all too short for Blaze's belly. Not to mention I put my bridle together wrong. *^%)#^%)(*@&^)%&(! All that lovely daylight, wasted. I did lunge him in the saddle, despite it's being loose, and he was as calm as can be. I can't wait to ride him :(

I'm not looking around for my own saddle. My BO has an old one for sale for $75. If it's got fittings and is the right size, I'd be into that because I could buy it right away. A boarder at the barn has a 17.5 AP Wintec which would be perfect, but she's asking $200 and it's got no fittings. We shall see. I also found an old Wintec trail/AP saddle for $65, only short a girth, but it will total out at $92 to get it here. Better than dropping $200+ I guess. I'm waiting for $ from the publishing house (which reminds me, I should e-mail them) and my check from the media corp. I don't want to take away from any money Lucio and I might need, but I also need ride.

Blaze is doing an obnoxious "give me my food!" pawing which I'm trying to put a stop to. It was sweet, after I led him into the pasture and took off his halter, he just stood there. I walked away, he came and stood next to me. I patted him, and then he romped off to find his buddies.

October 28, 2008

What a busy weekend. Jenny was here from CA so I only got out to see Blaze on Friday and Sunday. My full cheek snaffle came yesterday-YES! I'm going to haul booty home from work today, feed the dogs and go out and see him. If it isn't raining/snowing (wtf, it's October!), then I'm going to put his saddle on, lunge him, and if he's doing well, put on the bridle and ride! I won't have enough daylight to ride long but I can at least give him a little exercise. Plus, if I ride in the small arena I should have more light from both barns.

I'm totally stoked. I need to look up how to ensure a bridle fits before I put it on his head, because I wouldn't want it being too tight on his mouth right away. I really want to buy this old Wintec trail/AP saddle but can't until I get paid by the publishing house. That way I could ride rain/snow and not worry about ruining Karen's saddle.

A more detailed post to follow tomorrow!

October 23, 2008

Going to give this a quick update so I don't fall off in posting regularly. My grooming supplies and bridle finally came-yay! I'm still waiting on my bit though, which is frustrating. I'm hoping it will come today or tomorrow and I can finally get on and RIDE. I think I've given Blaze a good time frame to settle in (about a week+) but I'm also not looking to ride him vigorously or anything. He's such a smart, willing boy for the most part, and I look forward to seeing how we do together under saddle.

He's much more respectful in his new rope halter, which is terrific. I'm going to get another lead rope soon, one that is softer and longer. I've been seriously fretting this week over him drinking water, because every time I bring him up from pasture he just dives into the nearest water bucket like he hasn't drank in days. I led him to the natural cistern, which he seemed wary of, and he's definitely scared of the water tank near the calves. We worked on going in there last night, but it was getting dark quickly and the calves were mooing a lot. He did come near it a few times, but not all the way. We worked on it again this morning (granted, the calves were gone) and he did wonderfully. He was definitely wary, but he trusted me enough to finally step up there and be led to the water. And then he drank! :) I just hope he's getting enough fluids, because that can really screw with a horse's system with all the roughage they eat. I pinched his skin and he doesn't seem dehydrated though.

I'll be taking Jenny out to meet him tomorrow-so excited! I wish I'd had more time to hang out with him before work this morning.

October 20, 2008

Look at this guy! I feel so lucky to be working with him. granted I'm paying out the wazoo, but it's worth it :) I can't go out tonight since it's Lucio's only night in this week, and I'm bummed about not getting time with Blaze. I am tapping my fingers impatiently waiting for my new bit and bridle to arrive!! I guess I could try riding in the one they sent me with but I can tell he doesn't like it. We had a fun weekend-Saturday the barn was going on a trail ride so there were lots of people and horses and he took it all in stride. Sunday Lucio came out to meet him and we just lunged (tho he kept wanting to walk over to me) and groomed. Love love love.

October 17, 2008

Look at me, I'm doing a bangup job of keeping this blog updated! *pats self on back* Maybe it's because Blaze feel so much more like he's "mine" than Spree ever did, or just that I see so much potential in our relationship...who knows? I free lunged him a little bit yesterday, and by free lunge I mean just asked him to run around me. I embarassingly realized that my kissing to call him to me was probably very confusing to him-whoops. Next time I'll just turn and angle away from him and call his name.

Video from free lunging:


We definitely have stuff to work on. I got some good advice from http://www.horseforum.com/ and know that I need to start bringing a whip in wiht me when I feed him. He's just too pushy when it comes from food and he needs to know stepping all over me is NOT ok. I was also getting really frustrated because the minute I took him out of his small pasture he was mowing across the grass and it took all my effort to ger his head up before he'd ram it right back down again. In a way tho, I don't blame him-the grass where he was was very sparse.

I finally got paid for some overdue editing work, so with my $60 I bought a used grooming kit and complete bridle. I'm also about to order a rope halter-I think he'll be a lot more responsive in one. I need to send off $15 in cash this weekend to a girl for a full cheek snaffle. I'd eventually like to get some washless shampoo, as it's getting really cold here, and maybe a AP square quilted pad. Not yet tho, it's not necessary. Actually what I need next is cold weather boots-my rubber ones won't be cutting it much longer!

There's a party at the barn tonight. I'm jamming home, playing with my dogs, making some hummus and heading out there. I want to smooch my pony boy :) I totally kissed his face yesterday. I don't think I'll stay late, because I'm battling some kind of cold, and my couch and dogs beckon. Ok, a hot toddy too, I can't lie. Tomorrow will be a great day to go out and bond with Blaze (I want to ride so badly!); I love weekends.

A

October 16, 2008

I ran around like a crazy woman last night. After biking 9 miles home in the rain and arriving home looking like a drowned rat, I played with the dogs, changed and headed to the nearest feed store. Because I'd never been there before, it was dark and it was raining, I drove right past it and had to double back. Ugh. I was able to easily find the feed I needed, plus wormer for the 20th and some aloe healing gel for the cuts on his forehead. I escaped for $38-not bad!

Obviously it was dark by the time I got to the stable. I checked on him, and when I got there he was standing at the far end of his small arena. He came trotting right over when I said his named and kissed at him. He sniffed me, and tried to nibble my fingers. I don't think I want to be giving him treats by hand anymore-he really goes for them and I'm afraid he could hurt someone. I threw some hay out to him and went to scoop the poop out of my BO's trailer from the other night. I couldn't see a damn thing, but I think I got it all. After he'd gotten to eat his hay for about 10 minutes (hay stimulates the salivatory glands which helps digestion of the grain/feed) I brought him out a mixture of 3/4 of his old sweet feed and 1/4 of the new feed (Purina Enrich 32). Now. My boy is a PIG. He loves to eat, like all the other boys in my life :) He wanted to come straight after that grain, but I wouldn't let him. Any time he came forward toward me without being asked, I tossed my arms at him and said BACK. After a few attempts he got it and stood still, but only for a minute. I poured the grain in the bucked and still asked him to stay away, only letting him eat when I was ready.

While he was eating both hay and grain, I just rubbed and scratched him. I need to find out where the BO is keeping the brushes I'm allowed to borrow. I'm hoping to pay for the grooming kit/bridle/bit I ordered within the next couple of days so they can get here ASAP. It's embarassing to borrow grooming tools for your own (ok, so not technically my OWN) horse. I guess they were planning to introduce im to the other geldings last night but the little colt Ben cut himself horrifically out in the field. Why they have equiptment out int he field with the horses is beyond me. :/

I'm headed back out tonight to hopefully walk him around and groom him, but those plans might get dashed if they're in the middle of introducing him to the other boys.

October 15, 2008

Blaze ended up not being delivered on Sunday. I got out to the barn around quarter till 5, and at 5:30 they still hadn't shown up. I called Karen and they hadn't even been able to load him and had been trying since 4 pm. I was really bummed out, but at least I got to take my tack out, meet some of the other boarders and pet some baby calves.

I asked my BO if her offer still stood to help with trailering. She has a stock trailer, and readily agreed. We drove out there last night along with Brian, a nice teenager who rides at the barn, and it was a pretty comical hour. Blaze didn't seem that scared; more just confused on what Darlene was asking him to do. She was very patient with him, and the only times he got in troubles were when he would crowd her space. What eventually got him all the way up and into the trailer was apples, which I've learned are his absolute favorite. Once he was in we quickly shut the divider gate behind him and took off. He made the ride bumpy for a little while, but eventually settled down.

We were worried about a rushy unload, but he actually came out nice and calmly. I wrote Karen a check and told her I'd take excellent care of him. He's in a small arena for the time being until he can be properly introduced to the other geldings. He was funny to watch; trotting around with hay in his mouth, sniffing the air...they only sent me with 3 days of his sweet feed, which is a little frustrating, but I'll be picking up his new ration balancer feed (yay!) tonight, along with possibly some wormer (he's due Oct. 20). It's raining right now, and probably will be later, which will unfortunately hinder picture taking. But it will still be great to go out and check on him, start encorporating some of his new feed and just hang out with him a bit.

Yay new horse!

October 11, 2008

Well, tomorrow's the big day! I feel kinda bad, but not really. Karen, Blaze's owner, called me this morning to let me know his Coggins results had arrived and they were going to haul tomorrow. This worked perfectly for me, because I'm making food for our dinner w/my co-worker Paula tonight and it's already 1:40 pm. Then she called back and said there was something wrong with the brake wires on her husband's truck and they wanted to haul today. Um, ok, but I have dinner plans and they wouldn't be hauling until dinner time today. I had to tell them that tomorrow still worked best for me. Oh well :/

I'm so excited! I have picked out the wormer to buy that he'll need on October 20, and have been doing research on different feeds. I think what I'll go with is a ration balancer, and get him off of all those high starches and sugars. I don't think he'll be as "hyper" a horse with the right diet and exercise. I have his tack all ready to take to the barn, but need to order a full-cheek snaffle. I also need to track down/put together a basic grooming kit. I forgot to ask if they're bringing his lunge line; if not, I need one of those as well. I'm going to spend the first week just working with him on the ground and loving on him so we can establish a relationship. I am pretty nervous, but I'm sure everything will work out well. I've got all my bases covered and am not responsible for vet bills, which is the biggest worry. The other stuff I know I can afford.

Whew. I don't have much else to say at this point, but I'm sure I will tomorrow after he gets there. I've watched him race around looking for his buddies so I hope this transition isn't too tough on him :(

October 3, 2008

Well, my visit to see Gelding #2 was kind of like how we discovered our apartment: I was happy with the 1st gelding so anything more would have been a bonus. It was! I could see how tenative this poor woman was with him-she had a bad fall of a mare a few years ago, and she's just so timid and non-authoratative with her horses. I was surprised at how beautiful he is-bay with a white blaze, one stocking and this magestic wavy mane and forelock. I could immediately tell how squirrely he was, but he did have good manners when she led him out to the pasture. He was very interested in what I was doing and kept wanting to nibble on my fingers. As she was lunging him, he was so full of it! Not in the "I want to straight up kick your face in" Spree-esque way, but more a wheeeeeeeeeeeee! type of way. Like a hyper kid on candy. He's sat for months and they've had him on a sweet feed, so no fricking wonder. He really wanted to trot and canter, and a few times he started galloping around and kicking out. I was laughing-he was obviously having a good time. I lunged him too, and he listened like a good boy. Still speedy :)

As we were tacking him up, he stood well, took the bit easily. I hopped on, and we did w/t and some side passing. He kept trying to sneakily chomp at hanging tree branches as we'd pass them, and it was hilarious. I just felt really good about it, like he was doing it all in fun because he felt like it. He said "no thanks" when I asked for a canter, but that's ok. I don't think he liked the bit he was in (I'm going to use a D-ring snaffle), but he backed up beautifully. He kind of struck me like Daegan did at first-a little silly and zoomy and playful but also curious and wanting to be loved.

I told the woman with gelding #1 that I had found someone else. I wrote a really nice e-mail and her response was "Alright thank you." *shrugs* The people who own Blaze are willing to give me the flexible lease terms I need as well. They're scheduling his Coggins test and will get the farrier out before he comes over, but I am so excited. I know I'm making the right choice because I have no desire to keep looking. With Spree and all throughout I've kept my eyes and ears open for other horses. Speaking of Spree, I have yet to receive a response from Jenn around the e-mail I sent her saying I was ending my lease there. I'm not really worried, as she's said multiple times I can cancel when I want, but I'd still like to firmly know its settled. Honestly, I won't feel completely at ease until all papers are signed and I'm watching Blaze graze in the pasture.

I now have a lot of homework to do on horse nutrition. I also have to figure out if I'm selling my car and if I want to buy a cheaper, used car for the winter so I can drive out to ride. Decisions decisions.

October 1, 2008

Fall is here, and with it comes change. Jenn offered up awhile ago that I could get out of my lease with Spree, which I appreciated since at the time she was being (shocker) a total ass. We've had our bad and good days, mostly good, but I have to admit I completely stopped trying to lunge her. The one time I did she came at me like a rocket and not even throwing the lead rope at her chest deterred her. She's gotten better about her feet being handled, but is still a stinker to saddle, and really hates to be ridden in a bit. We've had some nice rides lately in a hackamore, which was definitely fun.

There was a minute there when I was full-force into thinking I was going to buy a horse, but it's not realistic right now. I'm keeping my car through the winter and will try and sell it again in the spring. I'm looking for another horse to lease, as it would make me so nervous to move Spree to the facility near my house because she has a hard time keeping weight on in the winter, she ruins her blanket and Jenn's still trying to sell her. I've ridden maybe 7 horses in the past month, which has been fun. I think I've decided on a gelding to lease, but since his owner can't move him for another 2 weeks and he would be a bit of a project (he's an utter gentleman on the ground, whew!) so I'm going to see another guy tonight. Who knows if she can offer me as sweet/flexible of lease terms as this first woman will, but it can't hurt to look.

I'll post about my thoughts on gelding #2 soon. #1 is a 6 yo. TB gelding, never raced, green broke. He's very shy and gentle, and just needs oodles of miles put on him under saddle. #2 is 12 yo. QH/Appy cross.

Here I go!

July 22, 2008

Look at me, updating the blog the morning after riding. Progress baby, progress. It was another good night, though not as amazing as Monday night.

The Bad:
-she was very barn sour. I had to keep a steady seat and really keep her moving steadily away from the barn and not rush as we headed in the direction of it.
-the FLIES! Poor girl kept trying to shake her head or reach back to bite where they were nipping her. The fly spray never seems to help much :/
-she was more rushy at the trot last night, and the canter as well. I almost lost a stirrup at one point.
-I kept feeling my hands want to turn over, and I was having trouble circling her and keeping an even seat at the trot and canter.
-She'd "blown up", so at one point I realized the girth was really loose, so I had to hop off, move the saddle, tighten the girth and get back on. She was not please at having to work more.

The Good:
-She was listening well, and had a beautiful headset at the walk.
-She was a good girl again when grooming and tacking up.
-She stood very well for mounting, and it didn't take long to have her stand where I needed her.

I hope Lucio is willing to come out Friday or Saturday with me to take some more progress photos. I want to see how I look at the fast gaits, and especially at the walk now that I'm going with her movements more.

July 23, 2008-I'm so behind!

I really need to get into the habit of writing these entries the night I get home from riding. Otherwise I'll get lazy and there will be huge gaps like these! Things have been up and down with Spree, and based on the feedback I've gotten from the Horse Forum, I've been working hard on my own position while trying to keep her steady in her gaits. She's been a huge pill about standing still for anything (grooming, saddling, mounting, etc) and I've been too lax and let her get away with it. We just did groundwork on Sunday, because I felt she needed a refresher course on how to be a lady.



I went out last night with a really positive attitude. I was really soft in my approach with her, and she responded. I don't know if it was her mood, the weather, the fact that's she'd been ridden a lot the day before or what, but it was an all-around great day. I decided not to lunge first, just to see where her attitude was without it. I brought the tack out, and tied her inside. Mind you, I haven't done this maybe but once or twice. She stood totally quietly, even falling asleep while I untangled the burrs from her mane. Very sweet. She stood well for grooming, and I was able to keep Chance out so she didn't bother her. As we tacked up outside, she did try to circle while I was putting the saddle on, but a few sharp pops to the lead rope had her standing still. The bridle was very effortless; an improvement over the fight she's been putting up lately. She did seem antsy after I had her completely tacked up, so I lunged her in a circle around me until she would stand. Maybe 1-2 minutes tops.

Her moving while I'm trying to mount has gotten annoying beyond belief, so as I was standing on the platform and she was in a good position, I just put the reins over her head, nothing more. If she tried to move, I told her to stand, bring her back with the inside rein. Repeat until she got it. Then I took her mane in my hands, same process. She stood well at one point, but still walked on the minute my butt touched the saddle. We need to work on that next. I actually had to hop back off because her saddle was too far back on her back, but fixing the saddle and hopping back on happened in a jiffy.

Our ride was fantastic! I'm so happy about it. I am realizing that I really do need to be working in all 3 gaits every time I ride, because walking the entire time will help improve my seat there but won't help me learn at the others. After we warmed up, I did some circling and trotting, working on keeping her collected and working on my posting. I can't see what my form looks like, which is unfortunate, but my hands felt soft. When we worked on her canter she definitely hops into a fast one at first, but after we made some big looping circles she slowed down nicely. I definitely bounced all over the place at a few different points at the trot and canter, but as we kept practicing I felt better and more secure. I didn't feel like my feet were flying forward at the canter like they have before either.

I won't know for sure if my form in all gaits is improving until I can have someone take pictures again, but it was so much fun. She was such a good girl from start to finish. She also didn't take off immediately after I untacked her either. I don't want to assume it's because we're finally forming a relationship, but it would be sweet if that were the case. I'll be back out on Wednesday!

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.