KENNA - Winter Training

 WINTER IS HERE!

Kenna is super fuzzy and progressing well. With the rain, mud, snow and other conditions (like our travel and clinic schedule) we have not been able to advance her as much as we would like but are working on refinement of the skills she already knows. Lots of groundwork, round pen and leadership walks  She is doing really well. We have switched her feed from Nutrena to Poulin recently and have really liked the results. She likes it too! She is responding well to the Cooperative Riding aspect of our program and has enjoyed riding with a bosal, bitless halter and her standard snaffle bit. The key to gaining her trust has been CLARITY and PATIENCE. She does not like to be rushed into new things yet is very curious and inquisitive so we use that to our advantage in training.

As her health and comfort improved, her personality has blossomed. She has learned social skills in the herd and what human leadership means. She loves attention. She loved being groomed. She enjoys human interaction. A good Equine Citizen to be sure.

To look back and see her progress....well, it feels pretty darned good. This horse never wanted to be what she was labeled as. Humans did that, not her. Now she is who she as always wanted to be: a beautiful and sweet Equine Citizen who is eager to learn and try, to be part of a herd and a family and who has great potential.

We have plans this spring and summer for her continued growth. For now we will keep maintaining her skills and adding new experiences along the way this winter.

Remember it is a JOURNEY not a RACE! Enjoy the journey together.

KENNA: An Update

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It has been a while since we have updated this blog on Kenna.

She is progressing nicely! We took time off with her progressive training and just let her enjoy being the horse she is today. Yes, there have been trips off property and we have exposed her to new situations but we have not been "in a rush" at all. There has been no "goals" but instead it is about learning skills, and enjoying the journey. This has created a positive energy in Kenna, where she can express herself and we "listen" which then leads to productive leadership and partnership. When we "ask" she tries and we reward. It is a really wonderful exchange.

We have some "plans" for 2024 with Kenna. She will be featured in new video series and in some fun content. We will also be doing some road trips with her as well.

Should be fun!

As we move forward with Kenna's development we will do our best to keep this blog updated!

Have a blessed Holiday Season everyone!

KENNA'S JOURNEY

 What a journey this little mare has had!

She has gone from not trusting humans and being reactive to traveling with Lucky Star Horsemanship and helping with teaching the Cooperative Horsemanship approach! So far she has been to four Clinic Experiences and she did great! She has been the star of her own video series "Essential Groundwork/ Essential Riding with Kenna" and seems to have a fan base too! We could not be more proud of her and all her hard work!

You can see all her videos on the Lucky Star Horsemanship Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/luckystarhorsemanshipnewyork/in the Videos and Reels section, Please visit it when you can!

What's next? Well...we think she has a proclivity towards obstacles so we are going to explore that, along with more trail time and general riding. Our barn recently got a round pen so we are exploring that too. She has never been in one. We are taking her journey slowly and allowing her the time she needs to really become a great Equine Partner!

Stay tuned for more updates!

KENNA: Born of Fire - Winter Update

 Kenna and the Winter Season

We have had lots of snow, rain, ice, and mud this season. With only an outdoor arena to work in, training has been slow going. However we have been doing lots of interaction exercises, from simply grooming to leadership walks outside the arena. She is putting on some muscle, learning social skills with the other mares and is simply thriving. Besides advancing her groundwork and riding skills, we are going to be working with her on understanding that the stall is a good thing and that we always come back. She does not like to be left alone so we have to address that. One challenge at a time.

Trailering is the other project. W have had to borrow or rent trailers over the last few years. On Sunday we pick up a new to us three horse, slant load stock style trailer with a tack/dressing room. We'll begin hauling Kenna over to a friends facility to work in the indoor arena during the winter. We have several expos and events coming up this season that we need to prepare Kenna (and Ronan) for and now we can do this as needed. Pretty excited!

So for know...we keep doing what we are doing with Kenna. It may not be exciting but it is critical to her development as a good Equine Partner. She has really be a nice horse to work with overall. As she gets more healthy and more secure/confident her personality has shown through. A little sass is expected but her huge heart keeps winning us over.

Stay tuned!

KENNA: First Off-Property Experience!

 SUNDAY JANUARY 15, 2023....Kenna had her first off property experience!

Kenna traveled to Lucky Star Stables in Clinton Corners, NY to help (and experience) at the January Connection Session and Obstacles Practice. She did great! Loaded nicely and traveled well. We had no idea if she ever was in an indoor arena before and we know she has not had much exposure to unfamiliar horses prior to her coming into our reality on October 10, 2023. Add to this the Obstacles that were set up prior to our arrival and is being very cold/windy outside, which made the arena make noises!

SHE ROCKED IT!

Kenna was a solid Teachers Assistant for the Collaborative Groundwork and Cooperative Riding aspects of the session and even tried a few of the obstacles we had set up!

We could not be more proud of Kenna and her progress in just three short months (she does not get worked every day so realistically its closer to 2.5 months)!

Here is a short video of her working with Michael at the Connection Session: https://fb.watch/i5-Cw-tQIs/

More pictures and videos will be posted soon at https://www.facebook.com/luckystarhorsemanshipnewyork

Thanks for reading!

KENNA: Born of Fire - 12/24/2022 - 01/07/2023

KENNA'S JOURNEY SO FAR...

It is the season of snow, mud, sprains, strains and tossing shoes like its a job! Normally the barn we work out of moves for the winter to facilities that have indoor arenas so we do not have to reduce training days. This season that has not happened for a variety of reasons outside our control so training days are reduced to those times when the outdoor arena is not to muddy or the weather is mild.

Time off....is a GOOD THING for most horses and REALLY important for horses with histories like Kenna! During the down times we work on connection...grooming, taking walks around the property and just spending "non work" time together. This encourages connection and communication. It reminds the horse that the human is a source of POSITIVE things and that being around them is a really good deal.

Kenna is getting fit and putting on some much needed muscle. She is not as afraid of the bit, and is growing more confident as she unpacks her baggage and learns to be a good equine partner. She is showing her personality and confidence more too. We have some fun plans for her training as the seasons change and we hope to be exposing her to new places and new experiences!

It is a journey, not a race!

Kenna was an unexpected blessing to say the least. She has a good mind and a willing heart. At this stage of her journey we could not ask for anything more. Hard to believe that in just three days, we will be at the three month mark.

It is a journey, not a race...and the journey is beautiful.

 

November 27 – December 23, 2022: Slow and Steady Progress

Winter has arrived here in the Hudson Valley of New York! Snow, freezing temperatures, mud and the joyful chaos of the Holiday Season (and given the fact that the facility we have Kenna at does not have an indoor arena) have put a crimp in our training schedule. Still, we have done lots of work on connection and communication, establishing the bonds of respect and moving forward at a steady pace.

Two of the more difficult Collaborative Groundwork exercises in our program (foundation level) is Yielding the Forequarters and Leading Beside. These two exercises require trust and connection. With the understanding that horses assert themselves with their head, neck and shoulders, getting a smooth yield at the forequarters is not always easy. Kenna struggled, like most horses, with these exercises. It took a couple of sessions to help her understand what the request entailed but once she got the hang of them we were able to make really nice progress!

Under saddle we focused on getting her comfortable with the snaffle (remember she was abused and poorly trained prior to coming to us and had real fear of the bit) and work with her on “steering” by listening to our seat, core, and legs. We use “Look, Leg & Lift” to help Kenna understand the requests. We use our “outside leg” to help with wider turns and our “inside leg” to help with tighter turns. We are also working with her on carriage and balance. Like most horses who are not handled properly, she drops her shoulder into turns. We are helping her be in balance when performing maneuvers currently and she is doing a good job. We keep things simple and straightforward during this period of her training and her advancement.

Kenna as progressed nicely and we have high hopes for her future. We see more of her personality each day as she puts on weight and feels better overall. We have some sassy moments but overall she has been a pleasure to work with. We look back on the “history” we were given about her and compare that to the horse we have now and often wonder how “uneducated” and “unaware” her previous humans were because – to be brutally honest – we have not experienced anything behavior wise to the level of what we were told. So often it is the human who creates the issues. It is the horse who suffers from the creation. What is in Kenna’s future? At this point we simply do not know. She is going to continue through our program, get exposed to new activities and we will see what she enjoys! That is the plan.

Here are some new videos we have crafted with Kenna. These are unedited and unscripted so you see what we get during the session.

Different Sides/Different Eyes: https://fb.watch/hBp4s3Ay83/

Look, Leg & Lift – Steering with Kenna: https://fb.watch/hBp9dMMrHB/