Adventures With Horsemanship: Two RIders, One Horse & Playing Outside!

TWO RIDERS, ONE HORSE

FRIDAY: Toimpulsivetonotice (aka: Cali, but we are leaning towards a softer sounding name like Fiona, Searra or Ruby) had three days off. The rest periods in between seem to be helping her on many different levels. With Freya now at her new home near Salem, OR we decided to move her in with Wally an OTTB (Off the track Thoroughbred) because they both need a higher calorie diet. After a little fussing they worked out the new living arrangement and are doing fine. Our two primary pastures are less that ten feet apart so they can all see each other. It is a cozy place.

So we began the session in the round pen without tack. Did some desensitizing with the pom-pom on a stick and the stick-n-string. Then it was round pen work and ground work. She is really taking to the exercises and “checking in” with the human instead of the “checking out” mode she was in when we first met. We then saddled up and did a little more groundwork to make sure everything was fitting nicely. We tried a different pad this time and it seemed to help our saddles fit her better. She is still under weight/under muscled but it is getting better. Laurie rode first. Walk, trot, stops, turning to the inside and backing up were the focuses of their ride. We made some equipment adjustments which cleared up the communication (allowed it to be softer/quieter) and they had a good ride. Then it as my turn. New rider means new relationship. We did some lateral flexion, hindquarter yields, forequarter “sweeps” (just one or two steps) and then the same stuff Laurie worked on. I focused on getting her to elevate the front end a little more. Given her physical condition this is hard workout but mentally and emotionally she seems to enjoy it. All in all the rides went well. The fact that Cali is wiling to work with two riders of different skill and that feel different without too much in the way of an emotional reaction is a really encouraging thing. The flip side is that there are more than a few “crucial skills” that she lacks. Her tool box needs more tools. So that is our job. Get more tools in the tool box and get confident working with them. She is learning quickly so this is not an issue but a time of discovery.

As we enter Week 3 things seems to be progressing at a pace that is good for everyone. The beauty of working with a “project horse” versus one that you are training for someone else is that you are only answerable to yourself and the horse. No one else. No “time limit” or pressure to make the horse “better right now.” We can progress at a pace that works well us and focus on what needs focusing on in order to build a really solid foundation.

SATURDAY: Off to Pioneer Park Arena this morning! Meeting up with some Golden State Horsemanship folks to have some fun. New places = new adventures! Our gal did well in the smaller warm up pen. We saddled up, did some groundwork review and then rode. We LOPED her. Since she is very out of shape the loping aspect of the session did not last very long but we did feel her grow more confident in herself and her ability to be physical without getting emotional. We worked on staying soft in the body and bridle with a variety of different exercises. We also simply enjoyed cruising around the pen together, building trust and finding those communication starting points. It was a good session.

When we wrapped up, she got to hang out in the long livestock run and pen attached to the large arena. This was like the Tree of Knowledge but with more desensitizing and social exposure opportunities as the arena is in a public park. Lots of activity and folks wanting to pet the horses. It is good for them. After we worked with Ronan and Argent we ponied with the girl. This was our first time doing it with her. It went pretty well. She stayed calm and tried to figure out what was expected. Always interesting to try new things!

SUNDAY: We stayed home and played on the obstacles! If you have been reading this far you know we always do groundwork first. We introduced a couple of new exercises, reviewed the one we have learned in the past and looked for improvement. What is interesting is the mental transformation. When we first met her she was sassy and pushy. After a few sessions the sassy gave way to curiosity and being very emotional about “getting it wrong” and now we have a horse that seems very willing, is learning to communicate her needs and is growing more confident in herself and her place in the world. The practice of elevating her energy and then bringing it back down is helping her to remain steady mentally and emotionally. She is looking for the “right” answer and thinking it through as she “self-corrects” during the session. Very proud of her.

We played outside the pen today for the FIRST TIME since we got her home! We always try to ensure we have a connection and a decent handle on the horse before we go outside to a less controlled environment Just seems like it is safer and it sets the horse up for success. We used the features of the property and the obstacles we have in place to test her boundaries and reactions. The inclines were a little taxing and some of the declines gave her pause at first but we worked through them. She handled the first part of the ride solo fairly well but seemed to enjoy it more when Laurie and Argent came out to join us. The pool noodles, deadfall box, low jump, logs, narrow pass and cowboy curtain did not phase her at all (we have exposed them to her on the ground first so she was set up for success). In fact we felt like she enjoyed the experience! There will be more opportunities to play outside in the days ahead. It was a good session with some nice wins.

Doing the pony thing.