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!
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