LOADED HERSELF IN THE TRAILER!

LESSON 15/ RIDE #5/6: Flames Remedy (Annie) LOADED HERSELF IN THE TRAILER! Yes, you read that correctly. While prepping to head over to the local arena for a Spur of the Moment Ride, the horses were helping with lawn maintenance the front yard (we live in the country and the entire property is fenced).Ronan was loaded in first. As I was heading off to grab Argent Annie casually walked past me and then loaded herself in the trailer! She stood there looking at me like "well, hook be up and let's get going." It was the start of a really nice night with the horses.

We did some warm up exercises as usual and then worked a bit on Sending, Yielding the Forequarters and Circle Driving. She is getting better at these exercises and seems more confident. Interesting personality quirk: She does really well for the first few tries and then “chooses” to attempt to do something else (usually backing up). So we redirect that energy making the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult (as Clinton likes to say). The period of redirection is getting shorter and shorter. We have not had her all that long and her world is VERY different now. Improvements are happening and we celebrate those wins!

Under saddle Annie did really well. We worked on Follow the Fence, Lateral Flexion. Yielding the Hindquarters, simple turns and One Rein Stops. She did good work. Because of her past experience her “go to” gait is a very athletic but smooth trot. She walks with good energy. Going into the lope is a bit of a struggle. We believe it is a lack of experience/lack of confidence thing. We also believe that her feet are a bit sore (shoes happen tomorrow) so comfort level is also a factor. All in all she did well for both Laurie and I (yes, she got to work with two different humans in the same session). She is shaping up to be a really nice horse and once we get her feet feeling great we know that her performance will improve. So far she is exceeding expectations and is working really hard! Tomorrow we see how she deals with the farrier and then Friday we head down to the L.A. area (Agua Dulce) for a weekend of horsemanship!

 Lateral Flexion

 Lateral Flexion

 Cruising w/ a loose rein

 Preparing to stop

 Stop and Rub

 Working on the Steering Wheel

 Lateral Flexion

 Learning to stand still and relax

 Cruising on a loose rein

 Preparing to stop and back up

Lesson 13: Wall of Resistance & Attitude Adjustment

LESSON 13: Well it had to happen. This was the “Come to Jesus Meeting” day. Today we hit what we call the "Wall of Resistance." Basically reality and the expectation of performance has shifted enough in Annie’s world that she decides the honeymoon is over and it is time to set the humans straight on how things should be.

Always happens. Never works out as the horse hopes. That’s is a big damn guarantee.

So someone, who just happens to be a Quarter Horse Mare, got REALLY sweaty today. Really. Sweaty. Lots of direction changes, backing and other fun (for us) impulsion exercises plus lots of desensitizing in new and interesting ways.

Attitude adjustment? Check!

Using the thinking side of her brain? Check!

Being softer than yesterday on lateral flexion, hindquarter and forequarter yields? Check!

Humans got a workout too? Check!

Laurie stepped in and got some nice Forequarter yields.

We introduced Circle Driving after doing some Sending and Backing without the use of the stick. Just used the lead rope. That was a win!

So NOW it felts okay to ride. A bit better than yesterday and a more willing attitude than when we started. Call that a win. She was transitioning (walk/trot) better and we trotted longer today. Also started to see better One Rein Stops. Again we’ll call it a win. She feels “safe” so far but we will be testing those waters this week and next weekend for sure. We believe the Method will fill in those Foundational skills she lacks and get her really soft and willing. There is some athletic talent in there. Now the task is to help her understand the new expectations and bring that talent out. We have a BUSY week ahead of us. Should be fun!

 Yield FQ.

  Yield FQ.

  Yield FQ.

 Rest and Rub time!

 Circle Driving.

 Circle Driving.

 Circle Driving.

 Rest and Rub time.

More Saddle Time With Flame!

LESSON 12/ RIDE #2 & 3:  Herself was feeling a little sassy today and played the keep-away game with us when we went to load up. She showed off her athletic nature on the terrain of the rear pasture which has some inclines, rocks, treefall logs and more. It was something to see! After a little fuss we got her and she loaded up like a pro. We then hauled over to Pioneer Park Arena which is a short 15 minute haul from home. Weather was nice but breezy. The park had lots of kids, kites, balloons, dogs and more bouncing all over the place. Think about that for a second. New place, breezy and lots of scary objects. And here we are hoping to get in a productive and focused session.

We tacked up Flames Remedy (Annie) and went into the warm up pen which is probably close to 50’x100’. We had real rain last night so the sand/footing was much like the beach at low tide. We reviewed the groundwork from yesterday, including Lunge for Respect 2 and Yielding the Forequarters. All in all there was noticeable improvement over yesterday. Call that a win! She is really getting into the ground work which is something she had never really experienced before in her reality.

Then it was time to ride. She was still a little sore on her right front foot (she is getting shoes later this week) so we decided that comfort and focus was a better plan than lots of loping under saddle today. She did the Cruising Lesson and One Rein Stops at the walk and trot today. We worked on leg/seat cues for turns, Lateral Flexion and Yielding the Hindquarters at the Standstill. Laurie and I both rode her so really it was ride 2 and 3. At 220# I am probably the heaviest thing Annie has had on her back in a LONG time. She was a champ! We ended on some wins and called it a day. She them got to hang out in the livestock run next to the BIG arena while Argent and Ronan got to work. Annie pretty much ignored the pre-teen girls who wanted to pet her and the distractions from the park didn’t seem to phase her. Best part of the day (for me) was when I entered the run Annie trotted right over to me and put her head on my chest. This generated many “squees” and “awws” from the pre-teen girls and their Mom.

It was a good day!

Review and New; Lesson 11

LESSON 11: Since we had some time off this week due to rain and even hail the goal for this evening was to review the groundwork exercises we have learned up to this point and refine them. Overall things went really well. Our Miss Annie is pretty darned athletic and quick minded! Because she lacks ground skill experience she does get revved up at times and it can take a little bit to get her to come back down. Granted it has only been ten days (or there about) and she has come a long way in both mental engagement and is conditioning but we do have some miles to go. Her round pen skills are tightening up and her Backing (all four methods), Lateral Flexion and Yielding Hindquarters Stage 1 is getting pretty! The review went quickly in the grand scheme of things and we were happy with her performance.

Then it was NEW EXERCISE time! We introduced Yielding Hindquarters Stage 2 which asks the horse to not only move their hind end away from you but to back up slightly and give you “two eyes” with some energy. We then moved into Lunge for Respect 2 which was energetic and finally the “of the Devil” Method exercise Yielding the Forequarters. Had to go through some ugly to get to the good but when we did it was really nice! Lots of rubbing and desensitizing and even a few cookies (I know, I know but she really did earn them)!

This horse is pretty special. Given her limited background one would think she would be difficult to work with but it really is the exact opposite. She tries pretty hard most of the time and at this point we feel she is doing pretty well! Tomorrow we are heading over to a new arena near home. Next week we are doing our weekly Spur of the Moment and then our road trip to Aqua Dulce, CA. for the first session of the newest Downunder Brumbie chapter! Life and reality have definitely shifted for our sweet girl!

Below are some pictures taken by Laurie Frohn of our gal in motion and at rest! Enjoy!

RIDING WITH THE FLAME!

DAY 8- FIRST RIDE TOGETHER (Morning): We had a day off. Today we saddled up Miss Annie and went through a review of her ground work and round pen skills in the round pen. After a little saddle adjustment we got things where they should go, including a REAR CINCH and we got to work. Some half-hearted bucks happened in one direction, more adjustments and then we were off to work. Overall she did better than the last session. Performance and understanding was higher. We even did some downward transitions on the ground and we were very happy with how this concept was embraced. No complaints. We groomed and tacked up without being tied to anything with the lead tossed over my arm. She did great.

Then it was time to ride. Since she has been ridden pretty extensively on the trail without major incident (at least that what we were told) and the fact that she understands impulsion we knew that very little assistance from the person on the ground would be needed. This is good because we had other things to work on. 1) Mounting Block: She was not quite sure what that thing was and didn’t want to stand still near it so we combined some Advance/Retreat and some active Sending. She got the message quickly “Stand still = Easy. Itchy Feet = Difficult.” Laurie got to be the test pilot today. I got to co-pilot on the ground. They did great. Lateral flexion with the Bridle, Backing (she has some cue buttons), Turns (to the Inside), Walk and Trot were all achieved! The footing is still not great and Annie is a little tender on one foot so we took things easy with the added weight of a rider. Next week the farrier comes out and she’ll get shoes. All in all a really good session this morning!

Then the “Tree of Knowledge” was used. She does not like to stand quietly when tied alone. So after the session and a nice long drink she was tied to our version of a Patience Pole. She got to stand for about an hour to soak in the lesson. This will be part of her routine now. Work a bit and then stand tied for a bit.

Tuesday is Two-fer Day which means she’ll get another session tonight when we head to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds Arena! We will keep her second session short (at least in theory) and make it a review and introduction of new exercises from the Fundamentals.

(Evening): We hauled over to the Fairgrounds for the weekly “Spur of the Moment Ride” with the Downunder Brumbies. Nice turnout! We reviewed the groundwork from the morning session and then worked on Sending. LFR 2 and Circle Driving. Annie did really well. Then she got to hang out in the pens at the end of the arena. She was mellow and quite (in the past she has been pretty vocal). The “Tree of Knowledge” certainly helped. It was another good experience for Annie. We feel she has come a long way in a short time. Just proves that if you follow a structured program that builds skills and confidence in a fashion that the horse and human understands combined with letting the horse be a horse that awesome things CAN and DO happen!

NOTE: From this point forward we will be logging “lessons” and not days. The why of this reason is simple. Some days our new Flame just gets to be a horse and that, while very cute, does not speak of her progress. Since this blog is about her adventures and development it seems like a wise things. So to dates she has had ten (10) lessons in just eight days and has been hauled about five (5) times. Busy week for little Flames Remedy!

 Getting the LOVE!

 Cruising!

 Cruising!

  Cruising!

 All dressed up!

 All dressed up!

What a DIFFERENCE a WEEK makes! Plus - PUPPY!!!

DAY 6: Technically we have had this little cutie home for a week. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES! Yesterday we had rain, hail and even a little snow PLUS we adopted an 11 week old Beagle mix puppy (now named SKYLA which is Celtic/Gaelic and means “Learned”) so no training happened. Today as we introduced Skyla to “outside” and the horses, we took some time to work with Annie. We started in the round pen and got some really nice work done even with the muddy/slick footing. She was connected and engaged throughout the entire review of the previous lessons. Could not be happier. Then we went outside!

Up and over rocks, through puddles, up and down hills, over some obstacles, between some narrow spaces….we did Sending everywhere we could that felt reasonable safe footing wise. She did really well and seemed to enjoy the work. It was a good session filled with some nice wins! Next time we will do our best to take some pictures!

So...enjoy the CUTENESS that is SKYLA for now...

An "Easy Day" for the Flame!

DAY 4: Loaded up and headed over to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds Arena. Annie got a quick (well it was about 30 minutes) review of the exercises we have been focusing on. Since we were working on the line the goal was to see an improvement on Lunge for Respect 1, Yield HQ 1 and Backing. Two mules…yes MULES (beautiful too) were in the arena which was new to Miss Annie. Still her overall performance was better. She was much calmer too, even hang out in the pens at the end of the arena. She hung out as we worked with Argent and Ronan. We wrapped the session with Ronan (and I) ponying Annie. Everyone did well. The next two or three days will be days off for everyone. Good session (she has now had eight of them) all in all.

From this point forward there will be round pen and ground work sessions on a regular basis happening at home. We hope to get her moving over the various terrain we have and using the skills we are teaching her. We will be hauling out quite a bit too. In May we will be heading to Aqua Dulce (May 6-8 Sweetwater Movieland Ranch), Wallace (May 15 Hawks Landing Ranch) and Paicines (May 27 -30 Bar SZ Ranch). She’ll be exposed to road trips, new experiences, new places, new people and new horses! She’ll also be hauled locally to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds (Placerville) and Pioneer Park Arena (Somerset) for more rides and more training. She really is on a new adventure!

L-R: Ronan and Annie enjoying an afternoon of grazing and goofing off in the back pasture.