Oh Right Brain Extroverts.....

Yesterday was by far Indy's worst day.. *sigh*

We played for a while. I got to the barn early because some other plans fell through. Indy caught me just fine, and was great while I brushed her and we practiced trailer loading for the first time with the new trailer. All of that went grandly. I was impressed, honestly. She had one OMG moment, but nothing really.

So I was completely surprised when we moved into the ring and she went..... mental! Complete RBE freakout. I tried stopping her, no dice, I tried adding energy and she just went faster and checkout even more, I tried everything I could think of and she just got worse. UGH.

I literally broke mentally, and just sat down on some barrels scanning my mind over and over and over looking for something to help Indy. She just sort of stood out of my way - where I made her stay because she kept thinking about running me OVER! - and just huffed and puffed over her exertion. She was getting drenched in emotional sweat. She was a wreck and I didnt know how to help her!

I decided to just go with slow. Now that she was stopped, maybe I could keep her slow... maybe... We headed over to the weave cones and WALKED through them. She tried to trot and freak off a few times, but I was able to shut her down. After walking the pattern a few times she seemed to clue in and be ok and I thought I might be able to help her work off something riding so I mountedbareback. And was shocked by how much her back moves! Mo's stride might not be the most comfortable, but its more jarring than anything. Indy is just .... flowy! Her whole body moves and after attempting a trot, I just sort of internally added that to the checklist of things to practice and saddle up.

We walked around and everything seemed great. Relaxed, flowy and I could stay with her better. It was like a switch flipped and she was suddenly with me. We picked up the trot though and she checked out again so we trotted... and trotted and trotted. Around and around, weaving through every obstacle in the ring, popping over the jumps [more shame for Mo lol] going forever and a day [seriously, forty five minutes at least] before she FINALLY started to blow. A tiny tiny bit. So I called it quits, unsaddled and walked her up and down the laneway.

It was a weird and interesting sort of day.... I dont really know what to think of it, or if I handled it right.....

Either way Mo about tackled when I finished with Indy so I put a savvy string around her neck and hopped up. We jsut walked to the end of the pasture and back, because she was all sluggish and tired from the day before [I would be to if I werent the crazy ovsessed freak I am...ha!] When we got back from visiting with Dakota we maneuvered the ate [cool!] and went to graze on the lawn. I promptly turned around and made myself comfortable lying on Mo's back for the next forty minutes while she grazed. She grazed, I dozed, it felt like perfection.

So a happy ending at least to my ... eventful day. I so wish I could bring Mo to Florida with me. It really kills me that I will have to leave her behind. I know every accomplishment I have with my lease horse, no matter how amazing, will be underscored with "I wish this was Mo". *Sigh* I am so grateful to at least be able to still attend though... its just hard to know my best friend will be at home.

I am hoping that we might at least get accepted to the tour stop....

:-)
S

New Friends and Great Adventures!

Saturday was an absolutely PERFECT day. It reall couldnt have been any better. The sun was shining, it was warm, not a cloud in the sky, and Mo and I headed off to meet some new friends we met on the Savvy Club!

Turns out there are some more local Parelli students!! I LOVE finding out about other students!! There are three wonderful girls playing at a famr a half hour from me and they invited me over to play! Given Mo's proclivity to mischief in the recent past, I wasnt to sure how she would act, but I really didnt have to worry even a little bit.

She loaded up like an angel on the first try, and unloaded just as easy when we got there. We hung out and talked with our new friends and when we started to play Mo was just... right there. We played on the ground with everything I could think of, running and cavorting and weaving and figure eighting and standing on the pedestal and jumping barrels until I somehow ended up on her back. I really dont know what happened. One minute I was standing on a stump with her circling me and the next I was sitting on her... go figure?

So there we were, I was sitting on Mo, she had her halter on but her 22' was dragging in the ground. I had my carrot stick, and Mo was in a GREAT mood and we were in a good sized arena so I thought 'Hey why not?' and unclipped the 22' line - leaving me and Mo essentially bareback and bridless! Mo and I then proceded to have the best ride ever!! We walk trotted and cantered all around, completely in control and doing canter halt departs like we did it everyday... which we haent been since Mo has been on her crazy rampage.

I was BEYOND thrilled. Beyond coherent emotion, I was just so so very overwhelmed by Mo's awesomeness.

Then we had a little break for a drink and bathroom while the horses grazed and we talked. When we caught our ponies from their grazing heaven in the yard again, we saddled up and went to ride in another part of the property that had the coolest rock ledges that can be used for jumps! We played around in there for a while until it was pizza time and then broke for food!

For part three of our adventure I saddled up again, but ended up jumping off and unsaddling again to play bareback - I was feeling really in balance with Mo!! It felt wonderful to be so in tune with her.

Mo and I were bombing around doing all kinds of things essentially naked - her not me! We eventually went out again on a 'cool' down trail ride out in the pasture where the rocks were. I put Mo's hackamore back on for that, just in case.

Over all, it was SUCH a fantastic day. And what a WHOLE day to! We didnt go inside once [other than to answer natures call of course] and I was there from about 9:40am to 6:20 pm!! I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!!!

FABULOUS!

:-)
S

Progress and Experiments

I decided to play with Indy last night. She was already walking in from the big pasture to converse with her new bf Kota, so when I called her name she actually came over to me, which was nice! After checking me out to see if I brought cookies [bad me, I forgot] she allowed me to halter her. I had to protect our space a little bit from Crystal, who thought resting her head on my elbow while I haltered Indy was just the coolest thing ever. BOY is she sensitive though! I just looked at her with a "GO AWAY!" look and she trotted away! I will have to remember that in the spring... since I am supposed to start her!

Indy and I moseyed back to the gate, had an interesting conversation about going THROUGH the gate, and into the barn. Getting through the gate was fun because I was testing how light we could be and she kept offering to put one foot up on the ledge that separates the barn from the yard. Her: "Put my foot up here? Ok" Me: "Can you go all the way through?" Her: "How about the other foot?" And then look at me with a goofy expression... It was really quite funny so we played with it until she caught my drift and went all the way into the barn and disengaged.

Down the aisle we practiced with backing by porcupining the chest - which is something I have neglected with her and everytime I try to move her I grind my teeth internally and remmeber I should work on that... so we did. And we were successful! Went from needing phase four to phase two in just on backwards aisleway trip! Whoo! Smart horsey!

I brought her right out to the backyard so she could graze while I brushed her. What was an incredibally nice surprise was that every time I wanted her head up, it would just take phase one to bring it up! I have actually no clue where that came from because in the summer she was a grass monger...? It was a nice treat though! After getting all prettified I got out all of our tack, deciding to try out Mo's saddle on Indy, just to see. I put out the hackamore to, in case I rode, and grabbed a 22' for our ground play.

Getting through the gate was fun. Dakota thought I was in charge of his personal amusement and wanted to see what new toy I brought him. Protecting our space wasnt hard, never really is with my three since they are all pretty aware of what I am asking. Mo got all huffy about me picking Indy though, so she squealed and cantered off. I dont know what I would do without Mo to make me laugh every day.... For the record, Mo watched us avidly for the rest of the session, like she was waiting for Indy to screw up so she could rush in and be the super horse. Orrrr I am just making things up, but I think thats what goes on in Mo's head. :-)

First things first, friendly game with the string! Not Indy's favorite thing, and last time I tried it she went bonkers, so I was happy when she kept her feet still, even if she flinched the first time. I just went slow and rhythmically, giving her a treat when she looked confident, and that helped a lot. For the rest of the sesison she would stop dead when I flung the string over her back - so we will have to work on moving friendly to, but its a start!

I put the barrels into a jump line to practice our squeeze game with, since Indy adores jumping. I groaned inside for Mo when Indy floated effortlessly over the barrels. Mo is just SO not a jumper!! Mo looks like a clumsy oaf next to Indy when she jumps... at least Mo is good at ... everything else?

It took a while for Indy to understand the squeeze then turn, face, WAIT part. The RBE part of her just kept wanting to blast off into a circle. There was lots of licking and blinking and ears trained on me going on though, she was trying her darndest to figure out the puzzle! AND [big and for dearheart here] I never had to really go to phase four because she never really blasted off like she can on a circle! So YEY Indy! Eventually she really did get the pattern and I was proud of her for that.

We moved on to a circling game over the barrels and transitions on the circle. I was proud that she remembered from the last session and so that was pretty much a non event. For the next part I had to re-arrange the cones, because Mo keeps taking off with them. I set them up into a weave pattern and started sending Indy through. Well damned if she doesnt do it perfect on the first try.............! SERIOUSLY! Apparently we are doing something right together....

We went throught the weave a few times until I was sure she had it, and she offered a few trots for good measure, that was cool, and then we went over to the fence to saddle up. Indy was all over the theraflex today. She is funny about that - some days she could care less about it and other days it just ends up in her mouth and I get the innocent look saying "Oh.. saddle pad? How did... I have NO idea how it got in my mouth" *said in mumbly tones around said pad* Gotta love Indy. She even snuffled the saddle, making sure she sniffed every inch, right down to under the little flap where the stirrup bars are. That was funny watching her flip up that part with her nose and shove her nose in to see.

In an impressive interesting moment, Mo's girth fit Indy again - on the regular Wintec 500. Soooo... either Indy is just unnaturally tiny in the barrel, or [likely] Mo is just indredibly wide and round. HA. I can tell you from experience, Mo is just ridiculously round. Though I was still surprised that the girth fit Indy. I do apreciate it though, as it saves me from buying another girth - at least until she fills out next summer when she doesnt have to get drained from a baby! I think when all is said and done, Indy will be quite the tank.

Anyways, we fiddled around some more, going through the girth tightenings and such. I got a few "Hey, whats going on back there" looks from Indy so I gave her a treat and that made her happy. Changing out of her halter to the hackamore went great. Though just as I went to mount my aunt came out to say hi, so we chatted a while and Indy just stood quietly waiting while I rubbed her.

When I finally mounted we went off to following the rail at a walk, doing walk-halt transitions. I am ridiculously proud to say that by the end of the ride [and it was short] Indy was stopping of body language! We played with some backing to, which is getting sooooo much better! Now she tucks and lowers her nose and backs quietly and phase two tops. Compared to her protesting nose digging phase four and WAIT refusal style before, this is like driving a Cadilac!

As we walked around, just focusing on stay at the rail, Indy did something she has never done that I remember under saddle before... she started snorting and blowing! OH WOW! YEY!! So we walked, and relaxed, and did the weave pattern, and stopped, and backed up and repeated these things in various orders for a little bit. I tried trotting once, but her head still came up so I stopped and we just walked around all super relaxed. I will have to think more on the trotting thing... do a little research. Some more fluid rein next time I ride to I think. That was helping. I dont think you are supposed to do it in a hackamore though, so I didnt push the trot thing.

Quality at a walk was the focus. Goal attained! It was a really great session with Indy.

When we finished I let her graze some more in the back yard and went to visit my forlorn ponies at the gate armed with reparation treats. Forgiveness doesnt come any faster than when approach two food oriented horses with treats! Kota and Mo were both delighted. Kota showed off his spanish walking skills to Aunty, who thought he was the cutes thing ever [and he is] and Mo just gobbled up treats... I will have to pick a skill for her to. Maybe spanish walk to... I dont know though because she is the type to go *spanish walk when you arent looking* Can I have a treat now?? Dakota is really good about only doing things when asked, which is why I though to teach him in the first place anywyas!

After doling out copious amounts of treats and putting away my tack I went to fetch the princess and attempt to keep her on the right side of the fence again... I put her in with Kota and Mo last night.. we will see if she is there when I go over tonight! Even if she isnt, it was an aweseom session and I am really proud of her!

:-)
S

Liberty Attemps, Fun and Spanish Walk Finale!

Fabulous night last night! Tons of fun, lots of laughing and copious amouts of genius ponies! When I first got there Kota and Mo were both over by the shed so I went into the tackroom to fill my pocket with apple snacks and grab my carrot stick. I had a mild liberty plan forming in my head, just to see what would happen. Mostly I wanted to see if I could play with Dakota at all, to improve his spanish walking-ness.

Betweent he time it took me to fill my pockets and get back to the gate, both ponies were there! How nice! I gave them both some treats through the fence and then went into the ring. Kota was a bit standoffish but Mo was all over me - which brought up Kota's enthusiasm when he saw she was getting munchies! I let them swarm me and get their hugs for a bit and then tried to ask Dakota to lift a leg. He did - YEY- got his treat and walked away... hmm. I think Mo was making dirty faces at him behind my back because when I turned to look at her, her ears were mid flick and she was trying mighty hard to look innocent!

Oh well! Mo time! I friendlied her with the stick and string then threw the string over her withers and asked her to walk with me. It was kind of funny at first because she tried to yeild her hindquarters to me, since thats what I usually ask for with a string-over-back type thing, so I had to go back to L1 style driving, which was neat that it worked! We walked and trotted around a bit, lots of treats, lots of licking and chewing. Some sideways towards, and around. I tried to do a complete yeild/slowspin thing but Mo got confused and went "nanner nanner!" and canter pranced off. I had to laugh. She is such a goober.

She went over to Dakota so I headed in a vauge that direction until they both looked at me. Neato. Then I walked closer and Mo went "Oh you cant catch me yet" and went to leave soI altered course and went to the fenceline to chat and give treats to Crystal. Mo *hated* that and stormed right over demanding her treats and attention. *snicker* I love Mo....

This time I threw the string over her neck and played with yeilding around that way and walked over to the gate. Everything went shiny until we got to the gate and I paused to open it. Mo saw her opening and gave me the "nanner nanner" look again and she spun and cantered off - now she wasnt bolting off, she was daintily prancing her way slowly away from me, clearly playing catch me if you can. It was quite hysterical.

She went to the shed this time so we played some hide and seek around it, which was hugely fun. Until Mo caught me again and we tried the gate again, this time doing lots of Focus-Please transitions on the way, hoping I wouldnt lose her at the gate again. Success! We got through the gate no problem and moseyed right into the tackroom again - Mo is quite proud of herself now.

I saddled her, grabbed the hackamore and put a 22' line on, and back out we went. On the way back to the gate we had some grass snatching issues so we played with that a bit, making me realize I wasnt being soft enough! When she jamme don the breaks to stop, I was asking her to go again, but she would always JUMP forwards, how interesting. I slowed down and realized maybe thats why Mo has been so spastic lately - as she gets more sensitive to my requests, I havent really been altering myself to measure up to her. WHOA!

SO! With that new BFO in mind, we got into the ring and I started asking Mo to do things at the lightest possible phase. WOW. I got a nice slow straight yo-yo all the way to 22', ten questions before going out on the circle [usually she tears out before asking if I might have meant sideways or back] super soft gait transitions, EVEN halt! Gorgeous change of direction to! WOWY! Even when I brought my energy up for canter stick to me, she was right with me and completely came back down again afterwards [that has been a problem, she stays adrenalized] She was licking and chewing a TON and thinking about everything and trying her heart out! She looked so happy!!

We played with the weave pattern to, and Mo offered it at a trot! Good mood much? When I finally mounted up I was really excited to see how this ride would pan out... Mo's good mood had even held over through a quick bathroom break where we ran up to the house and she tried to climb the porch :-)

So I mounted, and Mo waited and asked for a treat [which she got] and I settled into the saddle, feeling out the new shim pattern, and it still felt good. Off we walked on a casual rein. We practiced our follow the rail and stopping in the corners. Mo has a habit of sweeping by corners! I knew it was working for her when we were trotting and I wanted to pass a corner and I felt her almost deke into the corner anyway - cool feeling, smart horse.

We went around doing walk trot transitions, she was super low and stretchy on the far side, but still getting tense on the spooksy tree side. Thank you Legend. *sigh* Eventually I felt good to pick up the canter so we did canter halt transitions for the long side - pick it up, canter the long side, stop in the corner. Trot to the next corner, canter to the long side. Lather rinse repeat. That seemed to help Mo calm down about the scary side because I had a fixed point and she got a treat every time she made it there.

I decided to step it up then and work on cantering a whole lap. Going to the left it worked out ok just because of where the scary place is in the ring. Going to the right she broke to a trot because of the scary place but didnt spook, so I am proud of her for that. It is so weird being concerned about her spooking.. this is a total first!

After cantering laps we walked around to cool off - had a time limit last night unfortunately - and practiced stopping off my body. Ok, you might say ew gross or yuck, but it worked like a charm anyways - I picked poo piles as our stop points because the ring is also a paddock and there is poop in various places - like the rail. By the end, even on the scary side, Mo was stopping off my body, exactly at whatever poo pile I picked. I was thrilled!

When I jumped off Mo looked around at me all proud, that was nice. I untacked her and put her in the back yard to graze. Dakota had moseyed over while I was putting away Mo's things so I grabbed some more treats and went to say hi. He is such a happy camper. We played with more spanish walk leg lifts and that got really good. Kota will do anything for food sometimes! Then I thought whay the hay and grabbed the hackamore for Kota to see if maybe I could get him to leg lift while I was sitting on him.

Turns out no, but I did get to canter around on him and ride his ultra uber super smooth trot that I love :-) S o that was rather delightful.

After I finished with Kota, I put Mo back in her feild, gave them both lots more love hugs and treats and finally had to leave. They both got dinner and were pleased with that though. A very good afternoons work I think. My weather goddess alter ego showed up to, just as I got into my truck it started to rain, so I am thankful I didnt have to get moist.

:-)
S

PS: I have been able to secure myself a lease horse! A wonderfully kind lady has agreed to let me lease her horse, a 16 year old Arab x Quarter Horse! That should be different from my usual drafty crossess....!

Saddle Woes Solved.. I hope!

I think I have solved my recent riding woes. Mo has been really really strange and different in a negative way under saddle since I have been trying the Wintec Wide with her again. I think it is because it puts to much pressure on her shoulders. Always under the area where the shims are is a dry spot no matter how sweaty she is otherwise. So tonight after visiting my friends new horse [gorgeous] I ran over to test out my latest theory - new shim pattern, regular Wintec saddle.

I whistled when I got there and both Mo and Kota came over going "FOOD" so that was nice. I quickly haltered Mo and started getting out my shims and theraflex. Mo kept wandering away into the impending gloom of evening so I changed tactics and led her right into the tack room. That fascinated her and kept her amused while I fidgeted.

I deduced a new shim pattern for us. One thick shim in the regular vertical position, one thin shim horizontally and back a little, and then one thick on top of that horizontally back a little more. When I put the saddle on it looked really good so I girthed up and off we went into the ring.

I played a few little games on the ground then mounted up and wlaked off. Mo felt really good and started blowing and putting her head down right away. WHOO!! We trotted around and more stretching and blowing and happiness. Walk trot and canter, all stretchy and blowing! I got a canter to halt INSIDE my hula hoop on try one and basically threw myself from the saddle to hug Mo. MY Mo is back! The Mo I know and love has made a triumphant comeback!! HOORAAYYY!!!!!!

:-)
S

Ground Play

Sunday was a good session on the ground. Riding was a bit of a joke so I just wont go there. On the ground though it was fabulous! Me and Mo did the weave pattern, where I found a rather gaping hole in our driving from zone three on the right. It didnt take long for Mo to get over her "OH NO I dont get it!" thing that she has been doing lately and lower head and lick and chew and try her heart out. So that was nice

ALSO! We did cantering stick to me again!!! It was so exciting! We played on the ground with lots of energy and adrenaline. We ran around, played with some stick to me, falling leaf and high energy stuff.


It was really great.

When I saddled and mouted things started off ok, but went really down hill so I ended up getting off more than on.. but Oh well!

:-)
S

Kota!!

After my depression yesterday of finding out that Mo wont be accompanying me on my galavanting adventure to Florida, I went home to find some peace with the ponies. I brought out Mo's C1 style Myler bit to put on a bridle for Dakota. He really liked it last time he wore it, and I wanted to find out if it still applied.

I pulled up to the barn, whistled and headed into the tackroom to make up my bridle. When I came out armed with said bridle and some apple snacks I had two very enthused ponies awating me. How delightful! I went into the ring and pieced out my apple snacks, making sure Dakota shared with Mo [Indy is still in the big feild post gate-jumping incident] and then asked Dakota how he would feel about a little ride, because I had a fierce and unyeilding need to just sit on a horse. He said nifty, so I bridled him no problem and off we went ot the barrel so I could climb up.

We walked and trotted around a little until we passed the killer barrel at the end of the ring, and Dakota did an itty bitty spook. I kid you not. He just jumped sideways three inches. BUT. *sigh* I was not paying attention to him, but thinking and rethinking trip things, and so I slipped. Guh. How embarassing. So there I am, hanging off my horse like a monkey, with my one leg still hooked over his withers, and Dakota looking at me the way a parent looks at a child who did something foolish. Nice. At least he stood still. I just slipped to the ground - landing on my feet at least - and went over to make nice with the barrel before climbing back on.

We went around some more, played some sideways over some poles and trotted a figure eight through the barrels. Then we went over to Mo to visit. We mirrored her a bit until it lined up right and then I hopped over to Mo. I unbridled Dakota and bridled Mo and we just sat for a while, Dakota resting his head in my lap, it was so sweet. Then Miss Energy and I went and power walked around before trotting the figure eight so she would focus and calm down. Well, no, not calm down, just focus. Mo is just energetic apparently now. Go figure.

Just short little blurbs of riding, but you know what? They were so positive and fun, that I dont really care that it only lasted a half hour. As a side bonus, I got to christen my new jeans to bareback riding. Thats always *such* an integral part of breaking in new jeans ya know....

:-)
S