Sunday Morning, Monday Afternoon...

It’s Horses on Sunday Morning…

We did something a little different today. We got into the round pen, groomed and tacked up with the saddle. This was a test because it changed up the routine. Our gal was a little antsy but stood for the most part, saddle d up and got to work without much fuss. Her demeanor s much more mellow than it was when we first met her and from a week ago. We have set some pretty clear expectation and standards. Sometimes she tests those standards but for the most part she seems to have bought into the “right thing easy” concept, which is nice.

Wanted to see if a “quiet conversation” could happen. Used a “cheap” rope halter (way to soft) and 6’ rope (cheap too, no feel) to see if our communication was based on respect and listening or the tools. Glad to report that overall the communication was really good. The better tools do help communication to be more clear but she really tried hard. A really nice round pen review and ground work review happened. We added two new exercises to the mix to day and feel pretty good about her getting the concept. In short is was much like yesterday with more improvements and refinements. We wrapped up the session with a nice leadership walk through the obstacles, a long drink, a rinse off and finally a nice snack.

Toimpulsivetonotice is really progressing well. She is social in the herd but not overly dominate. She is getting more respectful of “personal space” (feeding time is still a challenge) and seems to be adapting to this new reality. While we still feel like she needs more muscle/weight (she is on a weight builder) we also feel she is ready for short rides. So tomorrow (being a two-fer day) morning we’ll have a session and a short ride in the round pen. Should be a good time!

It’s A Mellow Monday…

Well, someone of the female equine persuasion was in season big time today. She also seems to have had a little bit of an altercation with one of the other horses which resulted in a scrape along the rear part of her right hind leg. We flexed and stretched it out then did some warm up work. She seems okay just a little stiff/sore. A little ‘bute’ will help this out.

We saddled up and did some groundwork review. It was nice having Laurie watching to see the improvements (Laurie has been gone for the last five days and says there is a very noticeable change with our gal) and offer commentary to help us refine things. We saw real improvements on the new exercises we worked on yesterday. Then it was “first ride” time. Now to be clear, Toimpulsivetonotice has been under saddle before. There was some form of training in her past. That being said we have found some holes in her foundation which when fixed are going to make her a really nice horse under saddle. Laurie and I both rode. We looked for her “buttons” and cue points. This mare wants to be light and supple by nature and did very well for both of us. She felt pretty calm and attentive for each of us. That first few minutes tells the horse and the human a lot about one another. Being over 200 pounds I have to be aware of my balance and body cues. When “Cali” realized I was not going to be a “kicker and puller” she rode nicely giving me a real solid effort. Her back up and stop were not bad. She was a bit foggy about the reins (we were being pretty soft with them) and clicked with seat and leg cues. She took two distinctly different riders pretty well considering what life was like a little more than a week ago.

Our program with is use of productive ground work and work under saddle should really help this young lady flourish into a really nice equine partner. We know there will be good days and bad days and awful days and amazing days ahead. It is all part of the journey. Tonight she’ll travel with us to the Golden State Horsemanship Club ride. More experience ahead!