It actually acted like winter this weekend so I took the opportunity to go spend the weekend with Corey and his family...which was fun but at the same time I am so used to riding and being around horses everyday so I started to get antsy!
Yesterday I got back to work and tackled Bear, Evil, Bubbles and Buster. Today Trick, Buster, Bubbles and Evil were on my list.
Bear was pretty much same as always. I didn't ride him long, just put him through his paces and that's all, he was very good so I figured that deserved an easy, short ride.
Evil was interesting. I hardly ever get to ride him. He was pretty fussy and acting spoiled but he focused after a while and gave me some decent work. His biggest issue is stretching his back and neck out to seek the contact. He has a short little neck and short back just like my TB, Louie, had...which means some careful riding to make sure he's always thinking forward an doesn't feel trapped or stuck up front. He also needs to have a major lesson in MANNERS because he was a brat and challenged me every so often, like the huge buck he gave me just because I insisted he keep cantering until I said we were done! Naughty baby horse!
Today he was a bit better but I felt like he was whiney if anything. He wasn't trying to challenge me quite so much but seemed to be giving me way less than 100% effort...I felt like he was saying "I don't wanna" "I'm too tired" "this is too hard" "are we done yet?" and various other complaints rather than just buckling down and working. Im going to try to put a few good weeks of consistent riding on him to try to get him in line and give me some better quality work. The challenge here is...I have a bazillion other projects that ALSO could benefit from steady work and there is only one of me! We need to get some projects sold so I can really focus on doing a few projects really well rather than a whole mess of them inconsistently. I like the reward of seeing the horses really develop and excel in their work, but that's really hard to achieve for all of them right now!
Trick was very good today but poor boy is lame somewhere. Guessing it is the right front, and I'm guessing it's just and access or bruise. I can't find anything suspicious. Trick is wearing a bridle an surcingle now, and has been working on lunging on a line with side reins in the roundpen. Today he was doing very well so I took him to the ring for a look around and then lunged him in there for a minute or two and he did great. He's still a little jumpy and worried but he seems to be trusting me. He does try to crawl in my lap at times and needs a reminder to stay out I my space. Next step is to get him used to a second line so he can start long lining in the ring and learn about steering. Ive also started to make a point to go through all the motions of his new routine each time...so we practice cross tying and standing still, grooming, and picking feet before and after work. He was great on the cross ties today and even let me cut a bridle path. I think he's going to be a fun guy to work with.
Buster is very very bold but still unsure and jumpy now and then. If he's tired of round pen work he still tries to leave the round pen or crow hop at my whip...Kaddie even said he kept per her wheelbarrow from a standstill in his stall for now apparent reason and cleared it quite well. Naughty pony! Definitely has an ornery side! Buster is practicing cross tying too and wears a saddle and bridle and practicing lunging on the line in the roundpen, too. He's doing well but still a little dramatic about the bit. He's getting a lot more respectful of my space too and his shoulders are much less sticky to move when I'm leading him.
Today, I spent a very long time bent down picking all the burrs out of his tail. I wasn't going to tackle it all at once but once I got started I was determined to finish! So now he is burr free...I bet he's happy to have a swishable tail again!
Bubbles is being a little inconsistent. Yesterday he wasn't too fussy bout the bit but today he was. Definitely going to have his teeth done soon. I might just ride him in a halter until then...he really guards his mouth. I hope there is something up with his teeth because if not, then he has a training issue...ugh! Hes a good guy and fun pony though...I still stand by that initial assessment. He's a bit too jumpy when I cluck or kick him but I'm hoping that's all mouth pain anxiety too. Today I did manage to get him to reach long and low at his trot after a whole and he realized that he could be comfortable there, but as soon a I touch the reins his back locks up and head goes up. The rubber bit seems to help a little...but it's too thick for his mouth. He looks like he has quite a low palate. But it's keeping him happy at the moment.
I have had a girl named Rachael out these past two weeks to help me ride some of our projects. Mainly she has been getting Pav back in shape and if she continues to work out, will probably work with Doc as well, an help with the new ponies. I can use all the help I can get!
Moosey really can't wait to come back to Knights Landing...geez she's been just off since I moved her for the winter. She's not being a spitfire anymore now that I got her grain situation sorted out, but she's still looking or thinks to spook at and lacking umph. I think she is bored out of her mind. Me too. We only have that little indoor to ride in. I don't think I'll be moving her for the winter again. I feel plain bad about putting her in a situation that makes her this bored. Our rides haven't been productive enough to justify moving for the sake of an indoor again. I'm doing a lot of hacks out once she's back. Get her thinking forward forward forward again.
She is still making some progress though. She's starting to differentiate between my more specific aids in my seat, leg and weight. She is recognizing pretty consistently my halt seat, walk seat, and trot seat...she's also starting to become more adjustable in her trot. Her canter still needs some work but it's coming along...I think it just hard for both of us because the ring is small and doesn't leave much room to do a lot of canter exercises. She is starting to understand and respect my canter aids better an is snappier when I ask for the canter. I worked a little on walk to canter making my canter aids over exaggerated so she stops thinking that canter only comes after we trot a while. It seemed to help a lot so now of I take my outside leg back a little and cue her up with my inside hip she'll lift into a canter pretty quickly. Before she'd just kind of lolly gag around and take her good ol' time to work up to a messy canter.
I have always had trouble getting my right leg on my horse...my left is pretty stable but my right swings a bit and my ankle over flexes and I just don't feel like i can use it as firmly as my left. I figured out why (finally!) I know my right ankle is no good (seeing a doctor this spring hopefully) but I didn't realize that rather than take weight, it just rolls. My ankles will roll easily when I'm walking but I didn't realize that it rolls out when I put weight on it in my stirrup. Now I'm making a conscious effort to keep my foot flat across my stirrup and ankle straight but it is a struggle...it does make a huge difference in my right leg effectiveness though. I need to remember to wear my brace everyday to help that ankle stabilize and keep it from over flexing. I'm thinking I might experiment with sport tape though because I feel like my brace doesn't help exactly where I need it and most days will just make my ankle more sore.
Bed time! Goodnight!
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