Kenna, who came to us on October 10, 2022 is really progressing nicely and showing us who she is and what she is feeling more and more. The connection is getting stronger and the trust level is growing. This is a win-win for everyone.

10/17-18/2022 – Day  8 & 9: Time Off/More Rain

Well…yes. Everyone is having a day or two off from training today. Just some TLC as this rain passes through. Michael had an encounter with a very large, very scared OTTB yesterday and is feeling it today. Perfect timing. Ronan and Kenna are all comfy so we all are getting a little down time. Rest and time off is just as important as training…especially in Kenna’s case! Keep beaming those positive vibes her days! NOTE: Michael had an encounter with a BIG, spooky and ZERO ground manners OTTB not long after the training session. Said OTTB was way spun up and ended up spooking, rearing up and bolting while being hand-walked. The result for the horse was a lesson in manners. The result for the human was injury to his shoulder, upper chest and ribs. A couple days of rest and then Michael will get back to training our horses.

10/19/2022 – Day 10: We Review

A couple of days off and just being a horse is often as important as training itself! Kenna was definitely feeling feisty/playful and according to the ranch volunteer she “didn’t want to come off of her hay pile” but walked right up to Michael when he entered the pasture and behaved well overall. We worked on standing quietly when being groomed, worked on her feet a bit, desensitized to the flag (hardly a flinch this time) and reviewed the previous lessons. Then we got into some work over poles and adding energy/speed to the Respectful Lunging. With the recent bodywork treatments we are aware that her hips and rear legs were uncomfortable but we notice that Kenna looked more “free” in her movements because of the treatments. So today she gave us a little bit of playful sass and then got to work on moving with quality. The ride portion of the lesson went fairly well. A little less fussing with the bit, some improvement in steering and the stop/back up is getting better. She really has progressed nicely in the short time she has been with us. We have a journey yet to travel to help Kenna be a good Equine Partner, yet we are hopeful that said journey will have more good days than bad and that Kenna will be able to grow into herself in all the ways that matter.

10/20-21/2022 – Day 11 & 12: The Journey so Far…

Kenna has been introduced to the following exercises/experiences:

Collaborative Groundwork

·         The Leadership Exercise Pt. 1

·         The Leadership Exercise Pt. 2

·         Backing to Steady Pressure

·         Backing to Rhythmic Pressure

·         Lateral Flexion

·         Yielding the Hindquarters to Touch

·         The 5 in 1 Exercise

·         Follow the Feel

·         Changing Sides (Intro to FQ Yields)

·         Desensitize w/ Rope

·         Desensitize w/ Flag

·         Desensitize w/ Mounting Block

·         Desensitize w/ Saddle and Rear Cinch

·         Picking up Feet

Cooperative Riding

·         Standing Still While Grooming.

·         Accepting the Bit

·         The Mecate

·         Standing at the Mounting Block/Mounting

·         Departure w/ Squeeze

·         The Stop

·         The Back Up

·         Steering w/ Look, Leg, Lift

·         Hindquarter Yield

·         Forequarter Yield Along the Fence

·         Being Ponied

·         Ground Poles

·         Intro to Transitions

·         Lateral Flexion

All of these experiences, combined with the move to a new place, the meeting of new people, changes in diet and herd and simply being loved on have begun to create connection. The “Four C’s of Horsemanship” are the guide to Kenna’s program: Connection, Communication, Control and Confidence. Everything we are doing is focused on building up these four aspects…and we strive to be Consistent in doing so. Review and refinement has been the focus and we will continue to work on these skills until we feel Kenna really “owns” them before we start adding more.

In the season ahead we will be grouping sessions together (multiple days) in this journal. We have some specific goals and benchmarks we hope to achieve, but at the end of the day is all up to Kenna. As we head into late Fall and Winter there will be more time off and more “winterizing” sessions to ensure that Kenna, and Ronan, stay mentally, physically and emotionally fit. Remember, it’s a journey not a race!

October 22-23, 2022 – Day 13-14: The Trot and the Bosal

                As noted, we discovered that Kenna’s “training” before she came to us was less than kind. In face we have been told that it was more like a boot camp and less like assisting the horse to be a good Equine Partner. Given her history, this time of “training” is more damaging to the horse’s wellbeing on all levels. In short it was the absolute worst course of action to take. Yes, we have opinions on this. We feel very strongly that, especially with rescued horses, the focus has to be on building a strong foundation and enriching the Four C’s before you do anything else! This was not the case with Kenna until she came to us.

                The bodywork, ultrasound and electro therapy that Kenna has been getting has really helped to heal the damage and relieve the pain Kenna was experiencing from her “training.” Treatments will continue as we progress with her. We actually worked in TWO sessions on the day due to some schedule craziness…but it worked out well and was a great test of our connection. We have been working on walk/trot transitions in our Collaborative Groundwork and it has been going well. Kenna has been moving into the faster gait without protest, which has been really nice. This is a major improvement over previous experiences. When asked to move into the trot under saddle in earlier session, she protested. We understood. In the session on 10/22 Michael asked for the trot and Kenna flowed into it. A little protest at first but she trotted along. Michal kept the duration of the trotting short, given Kenna’s fitness level. By the fourth request, there was actual joy in Kenna’s trot! We called that a WIN and stopped the session. Lots of love and praise for a job well done by Kenna!

                During the 10/23 session we introduced the bosal. Because Kenna showed some resistance to the bit, we thought (and felt confident) that we would introduce the bosal to Kenna and not have any major issues. We expected and certain diminishment of connection and communication and clarity because of contact of the bosal and where “pressure and feel” come from. Once we fitted the bosal properly to Kenna we went through a series of groundwork exercises with her to let her experience the feel and communication that the bosal offers. Then Michael mounted up and took a short ride. The goal was to work on steering, stopping and backing at the walk. Well….WINNING! She really seemed to enjoy the experience and performed better than we expected. This is a big deal as it shows us her level of trust in us and her willingness to give humans a second (fourth?) chance. The bosal will continue to be part of her training as we move forward. We will also be trying some of the bitless halters we have in our collection in the future!

                We have shot several videos which will soon be posted on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. Be sure to check them out! To see all the “adventures” we have planned please visit us at:

·         Facebook (events, articles, content and videos – be sure to LIKE/ FOLLOW us there):  https://www.facebook.com/luckystarhorsemanshipnewyork.

·         Website (all sorts of information): https://www.luckystarhorsemanshipny.com

·         Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/luckystarhorsemanship/

·         YouTube (be sure to subscribe):  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC83woj1YaV_87YBsJngV2uw

Now…let us be clear…there are still issues we need to address at this time and we have found some areas that will require a little firmness to help Kenna understand what the social boundaries and expectations are. We are still working on her back feet (the therapy is helping) and we are addressing the crowding near the gate, when she is in the pasture with other horses. The foundation for these lessons is being crafted and we feel that we will modify/change these behaviors in the very near future. Rescued horses come with baggage…sometimes LOTS of baggage. It is our task to help them unpack those bags and find the good stuff in order for them to live their best lives while being good Equine Partners.

 KENNA: Born of Fire

We had a few more sessions with Kenna and have been so proud of all the effort and trust she has been blessing us with! Here is a few more entries into her "training journal" and some links to her more recent videos.

10/13/2022 – Day 4: RAIN

This was supposed to be a day off for Kenna (and Ronan too) but we caught a break in the rain and did a nice groundwork session. We reviewed everything we have been working on, introduced the mounting block – standing above her, rubbing/desensitizing her and getting her to stand still at the mounting block (it is definitely a trigger of sorts for her). We discovered some areas of tension and discomfort on her hips, probably from the poor “training” she received and set up some body work/ultrasound/electro therapy sessions with a friend. We worked on her being comfortable being groomed in her day stall and having her feet worked on. A mellow day all in all that enriched the connection and trust. That is really what the next couple of weeks is about: Setting up the relationship with trust, clarity, connection and communication. Everything else will fall into place.

 

10/14/2022 – Day 5: Saddled Up

Today Michael did a saddle fitting session with Kenna after reviewing the previous day’s lesson. Kenna is built very different from Ronan so Michael’s Diamond M Wade saddle needed to be adjusted a bit to fit comfortably. He opted to leave the rear cinch off at first because we suspect she has not been in a western saddle much (if at all) before. A review of the recent groundwork and additional work with the saddle in acclimatizing Kenna to the “feel” of it was done. Again, it is all about building trust while exposing Kenna to her new reality. Then the mecate was introduced. We love the diversity, the clear communication and the connection the mecate gives to the horse and the human. This is a very traditional piece of tack that has been used successfully for hundreds of years! Kenna was a little fussy at first attempt to bridle her up (again, she had bad experiences before coming to us) but she eventually accepted the bridle and progressed through getting acclimatized to its feel. She’ll be in her own mecate set up for a while. Once everything felt good on the ground, Michael took her over to the mounting block and began to work the exercises learned the day before. Everything was grooving right along. So in an inspired moment, Michael tossed a leg over Kenna! Now…keep in mind that we were told that she bucked her human off several times before being taken in the ACO seizure and fostered out. With all the transition and new experiences Kenna has been through in the last five days, it was anyone’s guess how this could have gone. Well, with a gentle squeeze of the calves, Kenna walked off calmly. No fuss, no drama. Together they worked briefly on the walk, the stop, the turns and the back up to introduce Kenna to Cooperative Riding. A short 10 minute ride resulting in some “wins” ended the session in a successful manner. The “first ride” was an unexpected blessing and illuminates the need for any trainer to listen to the horse and their intuition. This session was followed up by a great body work/therapy session that began Kenna process to being more comfortable and free in her hind end. We feel that the combination of good feed, good training and good health care will help Kenna really thrive in the season ahead.

 10/15/2022 – Day 6: A New To Her Saddle

After doing our morning chores and checking in on the horses we went shopping! Greene County Horseshow Supply which is probably the biggest tack shop in the regions, was having its Annual Tent Sale. So, armed with our measurements of Kenna, we heading to the sale! Chatted with Butch (the owner) and explained Kenna’s situation, our budget (she was not an expected addition to our family and thus the slush fund for Events/Travel became the saddle budget) and what we needed. He set us up with a nice Big Horn western saddle that fit Kenna and our budget (THANK YOU). That afternoon we headed back to the barn to make sure everything was good to go for Kenna. After getting her new rig all set up and fitted we did a normal training session with her. Collaborative Groundwork first, then Cooperative Riding. She did better than expected! We got into really exploring the feel of the rider, the bit, the cues and how the Pyramid of Pressure applies to Cooperative Riding. Lots of discoveries happened during the ride and it really created a clearer picture of her “history” and what we need to focus on in the weeks ahead. This was a great day…a busy day…but a great day. Kenna also got another body work/therapy session which netted some great results! We have video of these sessions posted on the Lucky Star Horsemanship Facebook page too!

 10/16/2022 – Day 7: Two New Experiences

Today, on top of everything else Kenna experienced being ponied by Ronan/Michael and then enjoyed a nice ride with Theresa (who was on Ronan) around the arena together! It was really fun and inspiring to try this. It went very well and given the challenges Kenna has faced in her history we couldn’t be more proud of her. She was a little hesitant to follow and yield at first but she figured out the requests quick enough and certainly gave an honest try! It really has been a whirlwind seven days for our girl, but she is adapting and settling in quite nicely. New experiences are going to be coming her way in the season ahead. We are in no rush to do anything major but we also know that a smart horse needs new experiences to thrive. With winter on its way we know that we need to set Kenna up for success early so we can maintain her positive development moving forward. She is still willing to trust humans…and we will strive to always be worthy of that trust.

Videos of some of our sessions together:

“Impromptu Ride” -  https://fb.watch/gdj6EtNVth/

“Pony Experience” -  https://fb.watch/gdjbbTbvp6/

“First Real Ride” -  https://fb.watch/gdjh4m8kt6/

“Mounting Block”  -  https://fb.watch/gdjFFpVsb3/

“The Mecate”  -  https://fb.watch/gdjNCWpGBm/

 

KENNA: Born of Fire

Kenna: Born of Fire is about the journey of a horse who passes through a troubled past, where humans neglected and mistreated her, to the point where she was mistakenly labeled “dangerous” and “unwanted”  to learning to trust again and become a valued and cherished Equine Partner. Kenna’s story is, sadly, not uncommon. So many horses are failed by their humans and end up in situations where, through little fault of their own, often lead to their lives coming to a sad and ignoble end. In the age of Covid, many people purchased horses without educating and preparing themselves for the changes to their lifestyle that horse ownership brings. These horses are tagged with all sorts of negative labels and lose all sense of consistency and leadership in their lives, which only leads to more heartbreak. Horse rescues and animal shelters all across the nation are filled beyond capacity due to the uneducated and unprepared humans who fail the noble spirit of the horse.

This training journal will highlight her progress and growth. Hope you enjoy it!

10/11/2022 – Day 2: A Short Session

The goal today was to simply interact and do some easy Collaborative Groundwork. There is no rush to “get things done” at this point and giving Kenna more interaction mixed with easy requests seems to be a good idea. When Michael arrived at the barn, having just returned from giving a series of lessons off-site, he noted that Kenna was enjoying some social time and turnout. She and Ronan were having a conversation over the fence. Well, Kenna saw Michael and jogged over to the fence to say hello! It is clear that Kenna wants to connect and wants to have her herd. This is a good thing! They then headed to the arena (our home base has not set up the round pen as of yet) to review the lessons introduced in Day 1. That went well. Introduced some new skills such as the Pass Through and Flex, Flow and Go. Kenna seems to learn quickly, which is also a good thing! Then Kenna was lunged over some logs and low jumps. While she did this nicely, it was apparent that it brought back some memories. We moved on to doing some of the exercises she likes and ended the day on a few wins. Lots of loves and praise.

10/12/2022 – Day 3: Kicking it up a notch

We could tell by the condition of Kenna’s mane, tail and overall levels of embedded dirt that she was not groomed well enough. So today we broke out the detangler and the spray shampoo. Made some headway into her grooming process. It took her a few moments but she started to really enjoy the attention. It will be a little warmer this weekend so a real bath is in order. The goal today was to refine what we worked on in Days 1 and 2. We also wanted to focus more on the quality of movement and the attempts made. The push back was less than expected which was really nice. We got better flexibility and bend in today’s session. We increased the pressure in the desensitizing part of the day. Lateral flexion to the left is still a struggle but it was better than Day 2. Was able to pick up and hold her rear feet for a short period of time. Got some great advice on how to help with this from a good friend and respected horseperson. Kenna still wants to connect and be social which is nice. The activity level of the barn was a bit high today and the exposure was good for Kenna. Still can’t find the “dangerous” aspect of her attitude or personality. Oh well. It was a good day.

10/13/2022 – Day 4: RAIN

This was a “day off” for Kenna. Just got to hang out and be loved on and social. We need the rain here in New York so we took advantage of the time off to hang out, play with her feet and basically observe her settling in to her new reality. Today was a rain-day. Tomorrow it’s back to work we go.

 KENNA: Born of Fire

Kenna: Born of Fire is about the journey of a horse who passes through a troubled past, where humans neglected and mistreated her, to the point where she was mistakenly labeled “dangerous” and “unwanted”  to learning to trust again and become a valued and cherished Equine Partner. Kenna’s story is, sadly, not uncommon. So many horses are failed by their humans and end up in situations where, through little fault of their own, often lead to their lives coming to a sad and ignoble end. In the age of Covid, many people purchased horses without educating and preparing themselves for the changes to their lifestyle that horse ownership brings. These horses are tagged with all sorts of negative labels and lose all sense of consistency and leadership in their lives, which only leads to more heartbreak. Horse rescues and animal shelters all across the nation are filled beyond capacity due to the uneducated and unprepared humans who fail the noble spirit of the horse.

Thank you for joining Lucky Star Horsemanship as we share our adventure with Kenna to discover the horse she is meant to be. This journal will share very strong, unfiltered and heartfelt opinions along with the good and the bad aspect of Kenna’s experiences and retraining.  “KENNA” is Gaelic for “born of fire” and given the history we know, it seemed to be a good fit for this horse (and the name spoke to Theresa’s spirit so she became KENNA when she came into our lives).

WHO IS KENNA?

·         Kenna is a Quarter Horse/ Quarter Horse mix mare.

·         10-12 years old.

·         Black with light roaning and a really small star on her head.

·         About 15 hands high.

·         Moderately stocky build.

HER HISTORY (be forewarned, it is a bit nuts)

·         An ACO seizure, which occurred in December of 2021, is assisted by a regional horse rescue. What was reported was as follows: Poor living conditions. Horse was neglected. Substandard care.

·         The regional horse rescue, which was at capacity at the time, facilitates a “fostering” of the horse with a private party to try and help the horse. The foster home runs into some behavior issues and thinks the horse is unsafe in its current state of training.

·         The Rescue tries to facilitate some form of intervention training by someone willing to donate their time to help the horse, but for a variety of reasons the training doesn’t really get going as hoped.

·         Said foster home, then sells the horse to new person who identifies themselves as a “novice horse person” who wants a younger horse than they have to achieve some unspecified goal with. This new owner invests in some 60 day hunter/jumper training program. It appears this training was not as successful as hoped and another 30 days is performed.

·         The new owner then brings her to an “unnamed by request” boarding facility. The horse is at “unnamed by request” boarding facility for about two weeks. The facility owner reports that the horse is “unsafe and dangerous” because the new owner “cannot handle the horse safely” cannot get the horse out of the gate or even lunge her safely, Then when the farrier balks that the horse is difficult to work on (she did have issues with her rear feet at the time of our evaluation) and they want the horse gone because “no one has time to deal with this” as quoted from the facility owner.

·         The regional horse rescue is contacted by someone (it is unclear to us who made the call), telling the Rescue to take the horse back for all the reasons noted above. The facility owner wants the horse gone yet sets up some hurdles to resolving the situation. The rescue is at capacity and really cannot take in another horse so begins to search for options.

·         On September 30, 2022 the regional horse rescue sends Lucky Star Horsemanship a Facebook message asking us if we could help or had interest in the horse. We are really not in a position to take on a project/ rescue horse and put out some feelers to others in our network of professionals. During a rather long dialogue that offers up conflicting and alarming information such as “the horse had to be drugged and blindfolded to get on a trailer” and “we are not exactly sure where this horse is” and “you cannot evaluate the horse at the “unnamed upon request boarding facility” and so on, the regional rescue and Lucky Star Horsemanship come to understand that something needs to be done and quickly. It takes about a week to get things ironed out so that Lucky Star Horsemanship could go see the horse and, after an evaluation, determine what could be done.

·         On October 9, 2022 we make the almost three hour drive (one way) out to the “unnamed upon request boarding facility” to meet the horse and perform an evaluation that lasted about two hours. Based on the evaluation and the dialogue with the unnamed facility owner, who informs us that she has someone coming later to take the horse if we don’t, we decide that we can give this horse a second chance and load the horse, with almost no fuss, on the trailer and head home.

And so her quest to become a really great Equine Partner begins…

10/09/2022 - DAY 0: The Evaluation

We head out from our “home base” at Hidden Hollow Farm with the owner and long time student of the horse of the facility. We are all curious to see what this mare is all about. We had questions and wondered if the mare could be part, with enough retraining/conditioning, to be part of the programs offered by Hidden Hollow or Lucky Star Horsemanship. Michael was in the 85-90% “NO” category before we even got in the truck. “Too many red flags” given the information we had. Michael was hoping the horse’s human would be at the evaluation so he could help them connect and stay together. The owner never showed up. We arrive after an almost three hour drive to then deal with the owner of the “unnamed by request” boarding facility and her many conditions and “rules.” We explain repeatedly that the evaluation will take as long as it takes and we need the round pen to perform the evaluation safely. If that is an issue we could leave right then and there. She backs off a bit and Michael gets to attempting to connect to the horse. Theresa and our friend run interference with the Facility Owner. We take pictures and some video of Michael and the horse together so we can have record of our efforts and the results of the evaluation, which is our standard practice.

In the paddock “Kenna” (who was called Kola/Cola before we met her) had little curiosity about the human in her space. She was signaling her annoyance at Michael being next to her. He acknowledged her opinion and gave her time to acknowledge his presence before he touched her. She shied away from the initial attempts to place the rope halter on her. Michael didn’t rush this process (despite the pressure from Facility Owner) and using “advance-pause-retreat” along with matching her footfall and energy “she” eventually caught “him”. No fuss, no drama. Even got the fly mask off without an issue. We were told that the owner could not get the horse out of the gate calmly. Michael simply asked the horse to pass through the gate at the walk and then turn to face him before they walked off together.

Then as they headed towards the round pen (the “arena” was just a rectangular sand box with no fences) Michael introduced the Leadership Exercise Stage 1. When he led, she followed. When he stopped, she stopped outside his personal space. Lots of rubbing and praise happened each time she tried.  We were told that the horse had not been worked in about a week. Michael sends the horse through the round and got “two eyes” before he unhooked the lead rope and letting her explore and play a bit. When released she had great time showing us all her flair and personality. She pranced around, snorted, flagged her tail and let us know how flashy she is. We laughed. Michael then approached, rubbed on her and got connected. She followed him around. Then they got to work.

In the round pen, at liberty (no lead line) they worked on establishing all three basic gaits. We tried to push her “hot buttons” and we got some opinions. We made a connection and got two eyes. We built rapport. We outlined our leadership. We picked up her feet and discovered she has some fear based issues with her back feet so we worked on it a little. We then connected via a lead line. We did lateral flexion, vertical flexion, worked with the flag and basically tossed a bunch of Cooperative Groundwork exercises at her. We then saddled her up and did even more! This allowed us to determine if she was trainable and where her limitations were. It helps us to establish a baseline of who she is today. At the end of the session –and trying to ignore being “rushed” the whole time by Facility Owner – we really connected. Michael walked almost half way across the pen and then faced the horse. He indicated that he wanted her to move into his space. She did. They did this a few times. Then the big connection test. Michael walks in from about two strides for her jaw and indicates he wants her to follow. She does. He stops. She stops. He cues a back-up. She backs up. This is also repeated a few times. Well…dang.

So given everything we have seen, heard and experiences, we decide to load the horse up and head home. We really felt we were the only chance this horse had to reach her full potential.

Now we get to trailer loading. We heard about possibly difficulties and so on. We are ready for a challenging attempt. Well…she sniffed at the ramp and made an attempt. Decided not quite. So we backed up, did some groundwork to get her focused and tried again. Walked right on. Color us surprised! Almost three hours to get “home” and then she unloads like most horses who don’t travel much. She turned and walked out (another thing we’ll work on). We then walked around the property and got her settled in for the evening.

A long day. A surprising day. A good day.

10/10/2022 – Day 1: The Journey Begins

The facility was BUSY this morning! Lessons. Visitors. Several special needs groups and more. Lots of different energy floating around. So today was all about capitalizing on the good things we did yesterday. We reviewed everything. We worked on connection, communication, control and confidence. We worked on rapport. We goofed around. We groomed and pampered. We introduced the bridle. We played with desensitizing. We explored. We hung out. We existed together while she enjoyed a great turn out and got to graze in a big pasture. We took some of the exercises introduced during the evaluation and refined them a bit. We established boundaries, acceptable behavior and what Equine C.P.R (Clarity, Patience and Release) and the Pyramid of Pressure (Ask, Tell, Demand, Correct) means to her reality. There was a moment when Kenna was free grazing and hanging out enjoying the large hay pile in a big pasture where Michael walked in, just to be in Kenna’s orbit. Well, she saw him and walked right over! That earned a treat and some great rubbings! It is very clear that Kenna wants to have a person or persons. She is also pretty social. She met some other horses and never once postured or made noise. Kind of surprised really, given her history. When we departed to run errands Kenna was in her stall, having a little snack.

Fast forward to later in the day and we get a call the Kenna isn’t happy and worked herself up in her stall. So we stop what we are doing and hightail it to the barn. Well, it is determined that Kenna does not being the only one in the barn and in a stall. She thought she was abandoned again! We worked with her a bit and when the other horses were done and back in their stalls we got her situated again and everything was fine. Lesson learned.

Our initial impression is that, like so many horses we encounter, there are holes in Kenna's foundation. Add to this her lack of connection and consistency in her past makes her feel afraid. Horses are prey animals, whose first reaction to everything is "how do I survive this." Our goal for the next few months - we are heading into winter which always cuts into the timing of the program - is to rebuild the foundation, establish consistency, boundaries, mutual trust and respect. No matter where her trail leads, we want her to be valuable and cherished. We want to ensure she never ends up in the situation, through no fault of her, she was in when we met her.

Overall a pretty good day.

We even filmed a “Meet Kenna” video which can be seen at: https://fb.watch/g4CJhjg8_q/

 trying the bridle on.

 and liking it.

 first time we saddled her.

 enjoying the view.