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.
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!
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/
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