Labor Day Weekend Adventures

THE LONG WEEKEND

Well, we certainly had a fun filled weekend with the horses and good friends! It was pretty awesome.

First thing is we have decided to change Toimpulsivetonotice’s “barn name.” While we like Cali it just doesn’t seem to fit her personality or speak to who she is as a horse. Sounds silly when we write it out but we felt pretty strongly about it. So after much discussion and deliberation we have opted to go with the Celtic name (sticking with a theme here) of Cearra (See-R-ahh) which means “mountain range.” Why” Well she is brown underneath, has snow on top, is awfully pretty to look at and can be inspirational. In short it just felt right. She seems to respond well to it too.

We went to Pioneer Park Arena this weekend. More riding in the warm up pen and more desensitizing/socializing opportunities, more improvements. It was a good session.

We had friends over this weekend. One of them was really curious about how we are working with Cearra and her progress up to this point. So, we did some groundwork together. It was a  great opportunity for her to work with a new person with limited experience in our style of horsemanship. She really had to focus on the “weird accent” and give it her best to comply with the requests. Both of them did a great job. While this was happening, Ronan got to work with a 7 year old girl (Laurie was there to assist) and they had a nice ride together. Then Cearra and Ronan got to pack my friend and I around as we worked on the obstacles and trail course her on the property. Cearra did really well! She moved with more confidence and seemed in better control of her own balance. This was our longest ride to date (well over an hour on some terrain) and it pushed her physically. The upside is she seemed well adjusted mentally. When she related she was tired we took a break. It was really nice to see that open communication happen. We played, we focused on cues and we made it fun. It was pretty cool. The smiles on the faces of our friends made it extra special.

The following day we did it again! More outside play time! Even more improvements occurred. We even shot a short video of Cearra playing through some of the obstacles. She is starting to blossom in her abilities and confidence. The sweet and trusting side of her nature is also coming out with the consistency provided. Really proud of this horse.

It was a great weekend! Next Sunday we are headed to a brand new place – Belt’s Ranch – here in Placerville. We will be meeting with our friends at the Golden State Horsemanship Club’s Nor-Cal chapter practice. It will focus on training on the trail and obstacles! Should be a great opportunity to expose Cearra to new experiences! And so the journey continues!

OBSTACLE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/yisQvSG_zwU