Zephyr in a Year

About a year ago now, Zephyr came into my life. A little chubby dun ball of furry love. She was cuddley, she was friendly, she was PUSHY! Right from the get go, my first iniative was PERSONAL SPACE!!!!!!!! With all those exclamation points, because Miss Zephyr had no concept of getting out of the way and possibly not running me over. It was possibly one of the hardest things Ive ever done. It is still a work in progress! Her friendly game is just SO solid, that establishing a driving game or response to a porcupine game or even a yo-yo was just beyond her thoughts. She just thought it was all another way to be loved on! It was really quite funny. Unsafe. But funny.

Ever so very slowly, I somehow managed to convince her that it was way easier to get out of the way instead of coming on top of me. As we built our partnership, her seeming introversion adn lazyness started to reveal a way more fun loving playful trouble maker! Now that I had started asking her questions, she started giving me answers! Some of them werent quite what *I* thought they should be, but she usually made [and still makes] me laugh anyways. I think one of my favorites is our circling game.

If you have heard me tell the story of going to see Zephyr the first time, you know that I saw her get 'lunged'... and by that I mean, I watched her lunge her human. It was really funny, and well thought out on her part. The poor human would walk to her zone five and snap the whip to get her to go,a nd beacause of her super friendly game, Zephyr would kind of just mosey off a little, on an angle, forcing the human to walk out on a bigger circle that she herself was walking. Realistically, the person got more exercise than the pony...

The very first time I asked Zephyr to circle, she gave me this great blank look. Like she was calculating how many steps she could make me take. For the record, I took none. I would send her, she would take half a step, then turn and face. Lather, rinse, repeat. A lot. And then some. And then, the light bulb went off and she went the whole way around until I asked her to stop. She had a lot of thinking to do after that!

That is pretty much how most things have gone with Zephyr. She used to try just not doing things, now she just tries doing one hundred different things, and then she promptly does what I originally asked. Usually with some bucking, head tossing and/or squealing.

Our circling game today is great. Any gait, lots of maintain gait, complete with the occaisional buck and squeal for good measure. Her yo-yo game is rock solid. Porcupine game actually EXISTS! Which was huge when it first happened. Same thing with driving game. Sideways was really hard for her to sort out, coordination wise, but now shes a pro, with or without a fence, away and towards.

Basically all that to say FOUNDATION FIRST! I am so so so proud of Zephyr and how much she can do, but most of all I am SO FREAKING EXCITED about how its transfering into her colt start. When I got Zephyr, she was so mellow. Kudos to whoever brought her into this world, and the people who had her until she was one. They gave her such a great start to life, she has no fear of people [didnt have much respect either, but thats better now] and no fear of much else. Pretty much since I got her, I have been able to throw arms around her while she grazed or ate her grain. I could sit with her or on her while she was laying down, and she was peachy with that. Confidence was given to her at an early age for sure! And then never taken away :D

Through this spring and summer I  really put an emphasis on taking Zephyr out. Me and Mo would pony her everywhere, through water, in open fields, on closed trails, short grass, long grass, you name it, we went through it! Also, adding in the friendly game of doing it while wearing a bareback pad, and sometimes a bridle. Layering in the friendly things, to the exciting things like going out on adventures!

Eventually I couldnt resist and I had to sit on her! The first time was just up and over, a total non event. The few times after that [separate occasions] Is at on her for longer and longer times, just hanging out and loving on her, often times filling her face with cookies in return for lateral flexion. Then came the big day... ask for some steps. You can see how exciting that was below. Zephyr is a rock star. And if you didnt think so yet, let me tell you about today, and you will have to change your thinking!

Today, I took Zephyr and Gambler on a baby trail ride. Baby, because it was Gamblers first time outside the feild under saddle. I took him for a walk the other day on the ground, but it was mostly a grazing adventure, and ponied him off of Indy once. He wasnt worried. He wanted to graze, but he did have a little squeeze feel about opening the gate while I was on him. Zephyr was pro through all of his kerfuffle, and just did what she needed to do. We went on our ride, my little baby Phyr-Phyr giving the big guy confidence to be out on 'his own'... ironic much? Only a little.

We came back from our ride, Zephyr was still happy and ready to go. I let her go when we got back in the field and thanked her for her superstarness, and figured that was it with her for the day. Turns out I was wrong. I finished up with Gambler, untacked him, grazed with him, gave him some tasty grain and turned him loose too.

I wanted to go get Chance, to bring her to the barn for some grain without the rest of the herd noticing, but she was way at the bottom of the little field. Really not that far away, in the scheme of thirty acres, but far enough. Zephyr on the other hand, was about ten feet away, looking at me excitedly, and also conviently two feet away from a log-to-be-used-as-a-mounting-block. Hmm.

We walked once. I wondered if perhaps maybe, just maybe, Zephyr might possibly take me from point A [front of feild] to point B [ back of feild] just because I asked her nicely. I held out the halter to her, inviting her to come, but only if she really wanted, and of course she promptly comes and sticks her head in the hole I created for her - its very rare to walk out with a halter and not accidentally catch a Zephyr no matter who you aim for.

I tied my 12' into reins and took her to the log. She sidled right up so I could be int he right spot and up I got. Just like that. No fuss, no muss. Just poof. Mounted. On my superstar pony. WHOO! I checked my lateral flexion, or rather, Zephyr checked both sides for cookies, and then I asked a leading rein start and HOLY CRAP WE WALKED. JUST LIKE THAT.

It was a thought, inside my head, and then we did it. Um. Holy cow. I even had steering. Hows that for amazing? Zephyr, the super kid, with a super start foundation, can do anything. On the second try apparently. WOW. This was no little eight step walk like the first time. This was a commited, forward, with steering and brakes, walk over to Chance. I have used Mo as transpo countless times.... I am still in shock that I just did that same thing that I often do without a thought with Mo, with ZEPHYR!!!!

Once we got to Chance, we stopped, energy down and bend, hop off and HUGS AND SCRATCHES!!! BEST PONY EVER!!! In my head the whole time, I was just thinking how unbelievable the whole thing was... and how important a solid foundation is, how much impact everything we have done over the last year has had on her.

I almost wish I could remember better how things went with Mo. I know I was just sort of a beginner in Parelli at the time, but I dont remember the exact details of what I did. I will have to dig out old blogs.

Anyways. Thats my exciting super pony news :D Zephyr rocks my world!!!

:D
S