So why did we never get bucked off of Flicka when we asked for more speed? She was just as young as the fillies are.
Aleythia was wondering about this and there are a couple of things that are different from when we trained Flicka to training the fillies now.
I think Flicka was imprinted at birth. I don't know that for certain though. The fillies weren't.
Aleythia and I were younger and had a lot less knowledge on the subject.... well less than the little we have now.
It could be that it's just the horse. Maybe it just that the breed has something to do with it.
The biggest difference though and the most probable is this; Before we ever asked her to move forward we were climbing all over her back. Heck we even stood up on her back. She was totally comfortable with us on her back. It was on a complete whim too. It's not like I thought "Hey if we move all over her back she won't ever buck us off."
No it was because I wanted to be all cool and be able to stand on her back.
I need to remember that we didn't totally botch Flicka's training.
So that's what we'll be doing before every ride. Moving all over their backs and getting them completely used to someone on them. Completely comfortable.
We did that with Frosty today. Terry's grandson even got on and moved around on her back.
Mostly did desensitizing.
Oh I ponied Toffy off of Santana. She wasn't all that willing to go Santana's speed though. I just gripped that lead rope tightly and waited for her to figure out that moving at Santana's speed would be way easier. She did. We walked around, did a little bit of stopping, and called it good. Tomorrow we'll trot.
Showing posts with label Flica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flica. Show all posts
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Friday, December 28, 2012
Cowgirls Dont Cry Part II
So, lets see...
I thought of another thing with Santana.
I was in the paddock with all the other horses and I think I wanted Santana to stand still when I walked up to him to say hello. You see he would always walk away with a very unpleasant expression on his face. Like he wanted to be left alone.
Well when he started walking away I followed him and then he turned around and bit me. Oooh he got it. I was lucky in the fact that it was the middle of winter so I was wearing my winter coat. I didn't realize until I got home that he had actually torn my jacket. So, now there's a cute little horsey right where the tear is. I actually don't have that coat anymore though.
That story reminds me of Flicka.
I was in her stall doing who knows what and all the sudden she lays her ears back and bites me. Curious how I've only been bit by a horse when I'm wearing a coat. I slapped her nose good and hard for that. Never had a problem sense. Ya know almost all the baby horsies have to try that on you at least once. A few of the fillies have tried it, but it wasn't very hard and a slap on the nose gets them over it real quick.
Flicka also tried to kick me once. I was with Aleythia and a boy who was in the same class as me. Fifth grade maybe? Well, we were out in the alfalfa field and I have no idea why but Flick bucked out at me. It never came in contact but I felt the air of her hoof flying past my face.
I also remember falling off Flicka riding bareback and I think Aleythia was leading her. I think we were leading her away from the horses and by that time she had learned that we couldn't keep her from running away so she bucked me off and ran back to the herd. That's the only time I can ever remember falling off Flicka.
Blacky was always fun. She was the first horse I ever rode and man was she a handful. It took some muscles to get her to slow down. She has always worn a hackmore and she definitely tried to get away with as much as she could. I probably fell of her much more often than I can remember. The only one I can remember though is because of her saddle. She wore a little pony saddle and it didn't really fit that well. Cinch it up as tight as you want it'll still end up crocked. It never helped that she had a lot of hair either. I was riding along and the saddle was slipping. I fell off because I couldn't get the saddle upright again and she ran off with the saddle upsidown on her back. That's one of the reasons we want the fillies used to the saddle beneath them. It's less dangerous if there at least not afraid of the saddle beneath them.
We've had trouble with Ana's saddle doing the same thing. We've tried almost four of our saddles on her and maybe this last one is finally gunna work. Before that the saddle would always slip. Cantering was the worst. I've never fallen off because of it, but man it could get pretty far.
Have I ever told you how scary Ana is to ride bareback? Seriously. So first you're riding this horse that doesn't really have breaks and has very little concern for you falling off. Her trot is floaty. It's really nice to watch not so much to ride bareback. Once you master it though it it a lot of fun. The first time I tried riding her bareback outside was really scary. All she wanted to do was trot and I was not ready for that. I just did an emergency dismount and went back in the barn to ride. I've done that dismount maybe twice.
There was one time I was riding her in the pasture and I was having a really bad time. So, finally I just let her go. We were heading back to the barn and she just ran. It rivaled Santana. And it would have been fun if I hadn't of felt like I was seeing my life flash before my eyes. My seat was pricarious and adrenalin was just pumping through me like electricity. Heightened by the fact that we were running straight towards the barn wall and I wasn't sure how I would get her throught that tiny little gate back into the paddock without killing myself. I was also underneath trees and some of those branches were low. It was alright because I think when we were really close to that wall she slowed down a tinsey little bit and I was able to turn her and avoid going through that stupid little gate.
And then there's Misstack. I've been bucked off by her once, but oh can I tell you about the stories of what she's done to other people.
The one time she bucked me off is one you probably already know. I was trailriding with Aleythia and Aleythia's horse, Ana, wanted to go faster. Of course. I didn't want Misstack to go faster though and she did. Not a good combination. It resulted in her getting into a trot, me pulling back, and then her bucking. I hit the ground on my back. Got up and walked around a little bit. That was not a good feeling. I was fine though so I gave Misstack a little bit of a lesson in manners and got back on.
She also doesn't like it when I ask her for a sharp turn when she wants to gallop. She bucked then too. I stayed on though.
Another thing she did was when my older brother came to ride. I saddled up three horses for him. Misstack included. She was a doll actually. She didn't do anything stupid and she was actually really nice. I figured she would be. If she's in a familiar place she's a perfect little angel. Sorta. Well my older brother suggested that we ride double. We were in the barn and so I was like what the heck. He got on behind me and we started walking. Have you ever gotten that little voice in your head that says you should quit something. Well, I got it right then. And guess what? I ignored it. What a stupid little child. Three seconds later Misstack bucked and my brother fell off... and he landed on his feet. Who does that?! Well, I told him he had to get back on so he did and she bucked again after a few steps. This cycle went on at least five more times. Then my brother had the idea to try a little monkey in the tree. We have this rope in the barn just for that purpose and I agreed if not a little hesitantly. It definiteley did not end well. My brother had gotten a hold of the rope and Misstack freaked out because of the rope. She didn't buck but she did back up. Really quickly. Jorgen got back on one more time and this time I didn't ask Misstack to move. We ended there. Always Listen To Your Little Voice! Terry was not happy when I told him about it. I know what I should have done instead though. I should have just got my brother on once, stood still, and then left it that way. It's what I did with Santana. He takes a second rider, at the walk anyway, just fine.
This was with Terry's granddaughter. She was going to go to a parade with Misstack so she trailrode over to the parade. One problem. It was Misstack's first trailride. Remember how I keep tellin ya that Misstack's a nut job? Well this is what happened. She was maybe halfway to the parade and Misstack freaked. She bucked her rider off and then jumped into a barbed wire fence. And then ran home. Terry's granddaughter got a broken wrist. Misstack got a gash on her front leg right above the hoof. There is now a patch there that doesn't have any hair.
Another thing Misstack did wih the same rider was at fair time three years ago. They got into the arena and probably got into the canter and then Misstack exploded. Terry's granddaughter ended up with big bruises on the inside of her legs. Man that girl can buck. I've seen her after she's been cooped up in the barn for a while. She starts bucking. Seriously she jumps into the air from a standstill. All four feet off the ground. And that's the horse I want to ride in an upcoming show. Fun. Actually, I do think it will be fun. Go right ahead, call me crazy.
I seriously think God's been watching out for me though. I hadn't realized how many close calls I've had. I've never broken anything riding horses. I've never worn a helmet either.
I'm sorry if this discourages anyone from ever riding again. Horses do happen to be unpredictable creatures and there is no such thing as a bomb proof horse. I personally have found horses to be extremely rewarding. So, if you're willing to take on the danger of riding horses enjoy it with every thing you've got. The joy I have had riding rivals almost anything else.
I thought of another thing with Santana.
I was in the paddock with all the other horses and I think I wanted Santana to stand still when I walked up to him to say hello. You see he would always walk away with a very unpleasant expression on his face. Like he wanted to be left alone.
Well when he started walking away I followed him and then he turned around and bit me. Oooh he got it. I was lucky in the fact that it was the middle of winter so I was wearing my winter coat. I didn't realize until I got home that he had actually torn my jacket. So, now there's a cute little horsey right where the tear is. I actually don't have that coat anymore though.
That story reminds me of Flicka.
I was in her stall doing who knows what and all the sudden she lays her ears back and bites me. Curious how I've only been bit by a horse when I'm wearing a coat. I slapped her nose good and hard for that. Never had a problem sense. Ya know almost all the baby horsies have to try that on you at least once. A few of the fillies have tried it, but it wasn't very hard and a slap on the nose gets them over it real quick.
Flicka also tried to kick me once. I was with Aleythia and a boy who was in the same class as me. Fifth grade maybe? Well, we were out in the alfalfa field and I have no idea why but Flick bucked out at me. It never came in contact but I felt the air of her hoof flying past my face.
I also remember falling off Flicka riding bareback and I think Aleythia was leading her. I think we were leading her away from the horses and by that time she had learned that we couldn't keep her from running away so she bucked me off and ran back to the herd. That's the only time I can ever remember falling off Flicka.
Blacky was always fun. She was the first horse I ever rode and man was she a handful. It took some muscles to get her to slow down. She has always worn a hackmore and she definitely tried to get away with as much as she could. I probably fell of her much more often than I can remember. The only one I can remember though is because of her saddle. She wore a little pony saddle and it didn't really fit that well. Cinch it up as tight as you want it'll still end up crocked. It never helped that she had a lot of hair either. I was riding along and the saddle was slipping. I fell off because I couldn't get the saddle upright again and she ran off with the saddle upsidown on her back. That's one of the reasons we want the fillies used to the saddle beneath them. It's less dangerous if there at least not afraid of the saddle beneath them.
We've had trouble with Ana's saddle doing the same thing. We've tried almost four of our saddles on her and maybe this last one is finally gunna work. Before that the saddle would always slip. Cantering was the worst. I've never fallen off because of it, but man it could get pretty far.
Have I ever told you how scary Ana is to ride bareback? Seriously. So first you're riding this horse that doesn't really have breaks and has very little concern for you falling off. Her trot is floaty. It's really nice to watch not so much to ride bareback. Once you master it though it it a lot of fun. The first time I tried riding her bareback outside was really scary. All she wanted to do was trot and I was not ready for that. I just did an emergency dismount and went back in the barn to ride. I've done that dismount maybe twice.
There was one time I was riding her in the pasture and I was having a really bad time. So, finally I just let her go. We were heading back to the barn and she just ran. It rivaled Santana. And it would have been fun if I hadn't of felt like I was seeing my life flash before my eyes. My seat was pricarious and adrenalin was just pumping through me like electricity. Heightened by the fact that we were running straight towards the barn wall and I wasn't sure how I would get her throught that tiny little gate back into the paddock without killing myself. I was also underneath trees and some of those branches were low. It was alright because I think when we were really close to that wall she slowed down a tinsey little bit and I was able to turn her and avoid going through that stupid little gate.
And then there's Misstack. I've been bucked off by her once, but oh can I tell you about the stories of what she's done to other people.
The one time she bucked me off is one you probably already know. I was trailriding with Aleythia and Aleythia's horse, Ana, wanted to go faster. Of course. I didn't want Misstack to go faster though and she did. Not a good combination. It resulted in her getting into a trot, me pulling back, and then her bucking. I hit the ground on my back. Got up and walked around a little bit. That was not a good feeling. I was fine though so I gave Misstack a little bit of a lesson in manners and got back on.
She also doesn't like it when I ask her for a sharp turn when she wants to gallop. She bucked then too. I stayed on though.
Another thing she did was when my older brother came to ride. I saddled up three horses for him. Misstack included. She was a doll actually. She didn't do anything stupid and she was actually really nice. I figured she would be. If she's in a familiar place she's a perfect little angel. Sorta. Well my older brother suggested that we ride double. We were in the barn and so I was like what the heck. He got on behind me and we started walking. Have you ever gotten that little voice in your head that says you should quit something. Well, I got it right then. And guess what? I ignored it. What a stupid little child. Three seconds later Misstack bucked and my brother fell off... and he landed on his feet. Who does that?! Well, I told him he had to get back on so he did and she bucked again after a few steps. This cycle went on at least five more times. Then my brother had the idea to try a little monkey in the tree. We have this rope in the barn just for that purpose and I agreed if not a little hesitantly. It definiteley did not end well. My brother had gotten a hold of the rope and Misstack freaked out because of the rope. She didn't buck but she did back up. Really quickly. Jorgen got back on one more time and this time I didn't ask Misstack to move. We ended there. Always Listen To Your Little Voice! Terry was not happy when I told him about it. I know what I should have done instead though. I should have just got my brother on once, stood still, and then left it that way. It's what I did with Santana. He takes a second rider, at the walk anyway, just fine.
This was with Terry's granddaughter. She was going to go to a parade with Misstack so she trailrode over to the parade. One problem. It was Misstack's first trailride. Remember how I keep tellin ya that Misstack's a nut job? Well this is what happened. She was maybe halfway to the parade and Misstack freaked. She bucked her rider off and then jumped into a barbed wire fence. And then ran home. Terry's granddaughter got a broken wrist. Misstack got a gash on her front leg right above the hoof. There is now a patch there that doesn't have any hair.
Another thing Misstack did wih the same rider was at fair time three years ago. They got into the arena and probably got into the canter and then Misstack exploded. Terry's granddaughter ended up with big bruises on the inside of her legs. Man that girl can buck. I've seen her after she's been cooped up in the barn for a while. She starts bucking. Seriously she jumps into the air from a standstill. All four feet off the ground. And that's the horse I want to ride in an upcoming show. Fun. Actually, I do think it will be fun. Go right ahead, call me crazy.
I seriously think God's been watching out for me though. I hadn't realized how many close calls I've had. I've never broken anything riding horses. I've never worn a helmet either.
I'm sorry if this discourages anyone from ever riding again. Horses do happen to be unpredictable creatures and there is no such thing as a bomb proof horse. I personally have found horses to be extremely rewarding. So, if you're willing to take on the danger of riding horses enjoy it with every thing you've got. The joy I have had riding rivals almost anything else.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Three-Second-Stop-Ana and Others
I love to see how my horses improve. Don't we all.
Aleythia and I were discussing ways we could teach Ana that standing still was a good thing and here's what we came up with.
The first one will involve hour after hour of riding, as she can run for half an hour, stop for 4 minutes and run another half hour. Another problem is that she will also just get more and more fit every time we do it. And the only pro I can think of is that it would probably work.
With the second one we figured that if we really emphasize what whoa means on the ground she may just get it in the saddle. We're actually testing this one out. Whenever we ask Ana to stop we will say woah when she stops, so that she will start connecting the word with the action, or lack of action.
As far as one rein stops go, Ana gets frustrated with them, so she rears. It's actually not that big of a deal. You just get right back to work after she rears. And Ana can do circles all the way down the alfalfa field. She'll figure it out eventually, and it will probably get to be less and less time every time we do it.
The fourth one is not really about stopping, just speed. But it's something we will probably do in the future.
The last one is the one we chose to try. But we did do the ground work one first. We got the idea based off of something we did with Flicka. We always had a problem with her walking off before we got on so we always got on her while she was tied to the trailer. Then when we were in the saddle we undid the halter from around her neck and went riding. We did this for months. Not because it took her that long to learn to stand still, but it was just the way we did it with her. So unintentually we taught her to stand still while we got on. When for some unknown reason we got on her in the paddock she stood still while we got on. So, taking this idea we made our reasons just a little bit different. We wanted her to learn that standing still was a good thing. Her first reaction to you getting on while she's tied to the tralier is to start pacing. Aleythia made a little modification to this idea by also teaching Ana to disengage her hindquarters when she turned (she was doing it anyway, why not give her a cue to go with it?) and saying woah after a little while of Ana's pacing. Ana would stop but then get going again. It was funny, cause Aleythia was telling me about the first time she tried this, she said that eventually when she asked Ana to stop, she stopped, heaved a BIG sigh, and just stood there.
Doing the same ground work stuff with the fillies, Santana, and Misstack. We try to keep the sessions with the fillies short. Running in circles for long amounts of time can ruin a young horse's legs. We did ground driving with Coffie. and after the first little bit of me walking in front of her and Aleythia behind, she did it without me in front. She did have a little trouble about Aleythia being behind her, but she was much easier to correct and she got over it pretty quick. She was better prepared. The flexing is probably what did it. She learned that getting off the pressure of the halter would give her a release so that's what she sought after when ground driving.
I have advanced with Santana to changing directions by pivoting on his back feet when I step in front of his shoulder. I'm doing the same thing with Misstack.
Aleythia and I were discussing ways we could teach Ana that standing still was a good thing and here's what we came up with.
- Have her run until she's begging to stop. Stop, and do it all over again until she stands still.
- Emphasize stopping on the ground
- One rein stops
- Turn her when she's going faster than wanted.
- Tie her up to the trailer, put on all her tack, get on and wait. When she stops moving and heaves a big sigh, put her away.
The first one will involve hour after hour of riding, as she can run for half an hour, stop for 4 minutes and run another half hour. Another problem is that she will also just get more and more fit every time we do it. And the only pro I can think of is that it would probably work.
With the second one we figured that if we really emphasize what whoa means on the ground she may just get it in the saddle. We're actually testing this one out. Whenever we ask Ana to stop we will say woah when she stops, so that she will start connecting the word with the action, or lack of action.
As far as one rein stops go, Ana gets frustrated with them, so she rears. It's actually not that big of a deal. You just get right back to work after she rears. And Ana can do circles all the way down the alfalfa field. She'll figure it out eventually, and it will probably get to be less and less time every time we do it.
The fourth one is not really about stopping, just speed. But it's something we will probably do in the future.
The last one is the one we chose to try. But we did do the ground work one first. We got the idea based off of something we did with Flicka. We always had a problem with her walking off before we got on so we always got on her while she was tied to the trailer. Then when we were in the saddle we undid the halter from around her neck and went riding. We did this for months. Not because it took her that long to learn to stand still, but it was just the way we did it with her. So unintentually we taught her to stand still while we got on. When for some unknown reason we got on her in the paddock she stood still while we got on. So, taking this idea we made our reasons just a little bit different. We wanted her to learn that standing still was a good thing. Her first reaction to you getting on while she's tied to the tralier is to start pacing. Aleythia made a little modification to this idea by also teaching Ana to disengage her hindquarters when she turned (she was doing it anyway, why not give her a cue to go with it?) and saying woah after a little while of Ana's pacing. Ana would stop but then get going again. It was funny, cause Aleythia was telling me about the first time she tried this, she said that eventually when she asked Ana to stop, she stopped, heaved a BIG sigh, and just stood there.
Doing the same ground work stuff with the fillies, Santana, and Misstack. We try to keep the sessions with the fillies short. Running in circles for long amounts of time can ruin a young horse's legs. We did ground driving with Coffie. and after the first little bit of me walking in front of her and Aleythia behind, she did it without me in front. She did have a little trouble about Aleythia being behind her, but she was much easier to correct and she got over it pretty quick. She was better prepared. The flexing is probably what did it. She learned that getting off the pressure of the halter would give her a release so that's what she sought after when ground driving.
I have advanced with Santana to changing directions by pivoting on his back feet when I step in front of his shoulder. I'm doing the same thing with Misstack.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
What a Mess
We didn't ride but we did start organizing the trailer.
The trailer has a compartment with a bunch of horse stuff in it (also serves as a bench). So Aleythia and I, after taking some folding chairs and sitting in the paddock for a while, decided to organize. I have always wanted to know what was inside that, but it's so messy it's not easy to look through.
We found a bag of bits, bell boots, leg boots, jackets, umbrellas, horse blankets, a fly mask, an extension cord, clippers that probably don't work, a lunge line, latigos, some stretchy thing you put over your horses head and neck, some rope, and a green lead rope.
With the stretchy thing we plan to put it on Ana when Terry's not around. I can't wait to see what he'll say.
Terry went to the vet's today to pick up some dewormer. He ended up getting vaccines too. The vet said that she had three horses with West Nile disease. One of the three will more than likely not make it. It was caused by a misquito. Terry thought that with the fillies being out in the grove there might be misquitos out there, more than in a pasture.
He bought a vile that is less than two inches tall, and he said it probably costs around $100. There's stuff for the West Nile disease, tetanus, and I think that there is something for strangles too. I probably missed something. It's enough for ten horses, and they all get 20 ccs of it.
We fed the fillies, and when they were pretty much done we gave them all shots. They did very well.
We also did the three other mares.
Flicka was hard to catch, and she was NOT respecting our bubble space. She wouldn't stop when we stopped, and she was set on running us over. Aleythia had her and she couldn't get her to get out of her space, so... I went to get the whip, mwhahahaha!
Aleythia tried getting her to get out of her space, but she just isn't mean enough. I tried. I wiggled the lead rope, and then proceeded to wack her on the chest with the whip. She went forward, and I just kept wacking her (not very nicely either). Eventually she realized that walking forward wasn't working and stopped. Still not good enough, and I kept wacking.
And then, it happened. The unthinkable happened. My fat, lazy, bossy, unsensitized horse took one tiny step backwards.
Did I mention that when I was waking her she gave a little kick? I just kept wackin.
After a little more practice, she was licking her lips, and I handed her back to Aleythia.
She was moving her hindquarters, and she kicked. I yelled to Aleythia to hit her harder and make her feet move!
Flicka's limping. Not because of what we did. We noticed it when we called them in for food.
I have been cured. Cured of just looking at one trainer for my training. Thankyou mugwump.
"No one trainer has the complete right answer."
I have been inspired to try and see how my body language effects a horse. What I want to do is let one of the horses out in the paddock by themselves with no halter or lead rope. Then I will see what I can get that horse to do without the help of a halter. It should prove to be interesting
The trailer has a compartment with a bunch of horse stuff in it (also serves as a bench). So Aleythia and I, after taking some folding chairs and sitting in the paddock for a while, decided to organize. I have always wanted to know what was inside that, but it's so messy it's not easy to look through.
We found a bag of bits, bell boots, leg boots, jackets, umbrellas, horse blankets, a fly mask, an extension cord, clippers that probably don't work, a lunge line, latigos, some stretchy thing you put over your horses head and neck, some rope, and a green lead rope.
With the stretchy thing we plan to put it on Ana when Terry's not around. I can't wait to see what he'll say.
Terry went to the vet's today to pick up some dewormer. He ended up getting vaccines too. The vet said that she had three horses with West Nile disease. One of the three will more than likely not make it. It was caused by a misquito. Terry thought that with the fillies being out in the grove there might be misquitos out there, more than in a pasture.
He bought a vile that is less than two inches tall, and he said it probably costs around $100. There's stuff for the West Nile disease, tetanus, and I think that there is something for strangles too. I probably missed something. It's enough for ten horses, and they all get 20 ccs of it.
We fed the fillies, and when they were pretty much done we gave them all shots. They did very well.
We also did the three other mares.
Flicka was hard to catch, and she was NOT respecting our bubble space. She wouldn't stop when we stopped, and she was set on running us over. Aleythia had her and she couldn't get her to get out of her space, so... I went to get the whip, mwhahahaha!
Aleythia tried getting her to get out of her space, but she just isn't mean enough. I tried. I wiggled the lead rope, and then proceeded to wack her on the chest with the whip. She went forward, and I just kept wacking her (not very nicely either). Eventually she realized that walking forward wasn't working and stopped. Still not good enough, and I kept wacking.
And then, it happened. The unthinkable happened. My fat, lazy, bossy, unsensitized horse took one tiny step backwards.
Did I mention that when I was waking her she gave a little kick? I just kept wackin.
After a little more practice, she was licking her lips, and I handed her back to Aleythia.
She was moving her hindquarters, and she kicked. I yelled to Aleythia to hit her harder and make her feet move!
Flicka's limping. Not because of what we did. We noticed it when we called them in for food.
I have been cured. Cured of just looking at one trainer for my training. Thankyou mugwump.
"No one trainer has the complete right answer."
I have been inspired to try and see how my body language effects a horse. What I want to do is let one of the horses out in the paddock by themselves with no halter or lead rope. Then I will see what I can get that horse to do without the help of a halter. It should prove to be interesting
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Playing Catchup
Okay, I haven't really been keeping everyone informed about what's been going on lately.
So, I will catchup.
I found out about two weeks ago that Santana is a very good trail horse. My hyper barrel horse is good at trails! I have wanted to get him on a trail ever since we were at the fair. I suspected he would be a good trail horse, because while I was walking him around, I found a little "obstacle course" He went up the side of the hill, across tin, across wood, and stepped up on a cement slab. It was fun! So to test my suspicion that he would be a good trail horse we rode from Terry's to the Rosen farm. We put him in a stall, and then worked with the fillies. Aleythia was with me on Ana, and she was trying to get Ana to calm down, and Santana was freaking out a bit because he couldn't see his buddy.
We also opened the door from the pasture to the barn, and saw if the fillies wanted to go in. Frosty was being her curious and fearless self and went right in. Then Coffie was convinced that it wasn't too bad, and she stepped in. Dash took a little more convincing, but she did eventually go in. Toffy didn't even try to go in. She just stood there looking into the barn.
We have also been working on putting up a fence in the grove at the rosen farm so that they can graze out there. We got it finished last week. The fillies go right in there not even worrying about the pine trees. When supper time comes, they put their heads down and run. They have also been joined by the three other mares at the Rosen farm. Flicka being one of them. Ooooh that fat, bossy, lazy thing. I think I have established that I am boss mare. She needs to learn that I have a bubble space.
When Flicka was about two, she almost stepped on my toes trotting past us.
Aleythia and I were sitting on a barrel in the paddock, when fat little two year old Flicka comes trotting in our direction. We thought she was gunna say hello, but when she got to us she kept going and her hooves were an inch away from stepping on my toes. Well, I was afraid for my toes livelihood so I jerked them back. And she just kept trotting along ears pricked, right into the barn.
I realize now that I should have seen that she had no intention of stopping, and that I should have kicked her in the rear for intruding in my bubble. But alas, it did not occur to me.
We need to start working with that pill of a horse.
We tried the loose rein thing with Ana. Aleythia took her out into the alfalfa field and let her go whatever speed she wanted. All Aleythia required was that Ana go the direction she wanted...
And she did awesome! She cantered for maybe ten minutes, went down to a walk (on her own!), cantered a little more, walked, and then trotted the rest of the time.
We think that the reason she doesn't want to walk is because she thinks that walking does not cover enough ground. Which is pretty much saying she has no patience for walking.
With Misstack I worked on her stops.
Misstack has terrible stops. They are rough, and she fights the bit. She can now do a really quick and easy stop (for me and her) at the walk, and she doesn't like it when I ask her to stop from the canter. She throws her head. Every time I asked her to stop, I also asked her to back up until she wasn't fighting the bit. She is much better.
I am also working on her neck reining... It's a work in progress.
I also took Santana out into the Alfalfa field and let him go as fast as he wanted.
Man can he boggie! It didn't take him long to figure out that I wasn't going to hold him back when he started running. After the third time of him running as fast as he could go and resting, he was able to reach his top speed in his second or third stride out.
It felt like I wasn't moving at all. And that makes sence, because the faster his stride is the smaller your rocking motion gets.
Have you ever seen the old Zorro shows? Where he races away from the town on Tornado (said with a spanish accent)? Aleythia said it looked like that.
I have pictures, but I am having trouble with my flash drive, and my computer. Grrrr.
So, I will catchup.
I found out about two weeks ago that Santana is a very good trail horse. My hyper barrel horse is good at trails! I have wanted to get him on a trail ever since we were at the fair. I suspected he would be a good trail horse, because while I was walking him around, I found a little "obstacle course" He went up the side of the hill, across tin, across wood, and stepped up on a cement slab. It was fun! So to test my suspicion that he would be a good trail horse we rode from Terry's to the Rosen farm. We put him in a stall, and then worked with the fillies. Aleythia was with me on Ana, and she was trying to get Ana to calm down, and Santana was freaking out a bit because he couldn't see his buddy.
We also opened the door from the pasture to the barn, and saw if the fillies wanted to go in. Frosty was being her curious and fearless self and went right in. Then Coffie was convinced that it wasn't too bad, and she stepped in. Dash took a little more convincing, but she did eventually go in. Toffy didn't even try to go in. She just stood there looking into the barn.
We have also been working on putting up a fence in the grove at the rosen farm so that they can graze out there. We got it finished last week. The fillies go right in there not even worrying about the pine trees. When supper time comes, they put their heads down and run. They have also been joined by the three other mares at the Rosen farm. Flicka being one of them. Ooooh that fat, bossy, lazy thing. I think I have established that I am boss mare. She needs to learn that I have a bubble space.
When Flicka was about two, she almost stepped on my toes trotting past us.
Aleythia and I were sitting on a barrel in the paddock, when fat little two year old Flicka comes trotting in our direction. We thought she was gunna say hello, but when she got to us she kept going and her hooves were an inch away from stepping on my toes. Well, I was afraid for my toes livelihood so I jerked them back. And she just kept trotting along ears pricked, right into the barn.
I realize now that I should have seen that she had no intention of stopping, and that I should have kicked her in the rear for intruding in my bubble. But alas, it did not occur to me.
We need to start working with that pill of a horse.
We tried the loose rein thing with Ana. Aleythia took her out into the alfalfa field and let her go whatever speed she wanted. All Aleythia required was that Ana go the direction she wanted...
And she did awesome! She cantered for maybe ten minutes, went down to a walk (on her own!), cantered a little more, walked, and then trotted the rest of the time.
We think that the reason she doesn't want to walk is because she thinks that walking does not cover enough ground. Which is pretty much saying she has no patience for walking.
With Misstack I worked on her stops.
Misstack has terrible stops. They are rough, and she fights the bit. She can now do a really quick and easy stop (for me and her) at the walk, and she doesn't like it when I ask her to stop from the canter. She throws her head. Every time I asked her to stop, I also asked her to back up until she wasn't fighting the bit. She is much better.
I am also working on her neck reining... It's a work in progress.
I also took Santana out into the Alfalfa field and let him go as fast as he wanted.
Man can he boggie! It didn't take him long to figure out that I wasn't going to hold him back when he started running. After the third time of him running as fast as he could go and resting, he was able to reach his top speed in his second or third stride out.
It felt like I wasn't moving at all. And that makes sence, because the faster his stride is the smaller your rocking motion gets.
Have you ever seen the old Zorro shows? Where he races away from the town on Tornado (said with a spanish accent)? Aleythia said it looked like that.
I have pictures, but I am having trouble with my flash drive, and my computer. Grrrr.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Flicka
Okay, about Flicka. Flicka is a filly we got when she was six months old. At the time we were probably only nine. Well, we trained her with no idea what we were doing. She is pretty much child proof. We would climb all over her. As far as I remember we never had an trouble saddling her, and she never bucked until she was almost four.
Flicka was the kind of horse that you could sit on bareback and no bridle in the pasture. She was also bossy and lazy. We did a lot of desensitizing when she was little and not enough sensitizing. It was very hard to get her to do anything, and she likes to get her own way. She was sold to Terry's brother when she was about four, and she is now very fat.
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