OK, Let Me Try Again

I want to try to explain the leg/shoulder connection that I felt yesterday, and felt again and explored further this afternoon. I took the horses down to the arena again. I taught a lesson on Keno to my beginner student. She did a great job and made some big steps in her progress. Flyboy hung out until it was his turn. I spent quite a while warming him up at the walk, asking for bend, softness, and relaxation. It was a good exercise because a cowboy came down with three horses and set up a round pen; he was banging panels around and making a real racket. Fly and I had to just concentrate on what we were doing and not worry about the noise, his dog, the colt he was pushing around the round pen.

I settled down to doing lots of serpentines--changing directions often and using my inside leg/seat bone to effect the rein change. Eventually I found that I was using my outside leg to support his outside shoulder to keep him in the turn. (I was actually using the inside of my thigh on his shoulder.) This kept the turns smooth, round and very nice. My outside lower leg was not really involved. (I don't know if this description helps, but "the feel" of what was happening was a lightbulb for me. Maybe you had to be there!) Fly is totally seat/leg sensitive and willingly does circles, figure eights, tiny serpentines, etc. completely off seat and leg aids. Wow. This is the same horse that four months ago didn't move off my leg at all! Go back and read some early posts and you will be able to see how far he has come! He did lots of stretching down and blew several times, too.

Trailering was again easy and smooth. I played with the banner again, too, but only for a few minutes--we'll work on that some more next week. These blog posts may sound a bit repetitive, but bringing a horse along is repetitive. We do lots of the same types of things. I try to mix it up (which is easier in the summer!) but all this basic schooling will pay off in the end, I hope!
Once again I forgot to take pics. Sigh. I should have asked the cowboy to snap a few!

Arena Time Again

I am so grateful to have access to a big indoor barn this time of year. Tammy and I were the only ones there today. When it's wet and muddy outside, indoor arena riding is great, but I will be ready for a trail ride before long!

Our barn is split into two arenas--one large one, and then a smaller area with the calf pens. Several rodeo "Dodge" banners are tied to the railing; one banner was laying on the ground so we had fun introducing it to the horses. Tammy's horse was very brave for her. Keno, the only "mature" horse at 16 years old was the biggest chicken. He came around, but he's so suspicious that it took a while. He did eventually walk across it, walk relaxed (relatively!) beside me while I dragged it along behind me, and he even tolerated it up on his back. Flyboy walked, stomped, pawed it to death just fine. He walked the length of it like a bridge--no problem. He was a little skittish about me dragging it along beside us as we walked around the arena, but settled quicker than Keno did. He was not happy about it on his back. I did a lot of "approach and retreat" with it and when he finally stood still for me to rub his shoulders with it a couple of times we quit. We'll play with it again tomorrow.

When I finally got around to riding, Flyboy was excellent again--very soft and happy. After ten minutes or so I reached down to check my girth and it was so loose I could side my fist under it! This treeless saddle really stays where you put it! I tightened it up and carried on. We had a bit of a breakthrough today--or I should say, I did. My inside leg became responsible for keeping him from falling out on his outside shoulder. That's probably not worded well, but keeping my inside leg on and my outside leg off kept him softer (and I think I was stepping into that stirrup more) and he quit popping that shoulder. I should be able to explain this better and it probably should have been obvious to me in the first place, but regardless, I felt like it was a big moment. The only sad thing nobody was there to see how well he was doing! It felt good.

By the time I was loading up my boys another trailer showed up. It was someone I didn't know, but they had a cute bay mustang gelding. They were working on trailer loading. I on the other hand, (I am not being smug here!) just loaded up and went home. Fly loaded, trailered, and unloaded quite easily both ways. He was very relaxed and again did not want to leave his hay net. Now I have had hay in the trailer for him nearly every time I have put him in it for the last three months. Usually he would ignore it or snatch at it anxiously. He was always too worried to eat. Maybe being able to see through the open panel is helping! I hope so! I'll give him a few more days to trailer with Keno, then I'll have to try another solo trip and see how he does.

I was having too much fun and forgot to take photos--hopefully I'll get some tomorrow!

Trailer Time

Old Man Winter finally arrived, bringing us 5" of wet white stuff. I didn't try to go out yesterday as it was a steady downfall, but today was mostly sunny and totally drippy, so I hitched up and loaded the horses to go down to the indoor arena.

This was Flyboy's first time in the "new" trailer. My handy fix-it man did a pretty good job on the slant panel. It is now open and affords a nice view of the rear of the trailer as well as out the back and side stock windows. I am hoping that the open feeling will help Fly to relax and not feel so claustrophobic. It did seem to work this afternoon as we trailered both ways without incident. No loading issues at all, and NO scrambling out in a backwards rush, thank goodness. If fact, I actually had to "encourage" him to back out since he was quite intent on his hay net. I am teaching him to back up when I tug on his tail. He gets it.

I let the horses run and roll before getting to work; they were excited to see Tammy's two mustangs and ran back and forth showing off for a while. I was scheduled to give a lesson on Keno and tacked him up with his borrowed child-sized English saddle. He was a very good lesson horse and for the next hour patiently did all that was asked of him. Lazily, too, but hey, patient is good.

Fly got to stand tied at the rail during the lesson. There were several other horses at the arena, and he was completely relaxed. Bored, too, because he thought about pawing once or twice, but just a slow, half effort kind of pawing, nothing anxious or impatient---more like drawing in the dirt!

When Keno was finished, it was his turn to relax at the rail. I saddled Fly and warmed him up at the walk for a few minutes. When I asked him to trot he jumped into it enthusiastically and was soft and forward. We worked in circles around a barrel at one end of the arena and tried to stay out of the other rider's way. She was working her barrel racing horse quite hard and fast and although Fly glanced their way occasionally, he kept his mind on our work. His canter was lovely! We worked both directions on the circle and did lots of big and small serpentines as well. We joined the other horse and rider for a cool-down walk around the arena. And then Fly had to go. I mean he really had to go and he finally just stretched out and went. That is the first time he has relaxed enough to pee while under saddle! (A very good thing for an endurance horse to be able to do!)

Stormy Skies

Since we are expecting a big winter storm, I ended up postponing my lesson and working with the horses at home. The storm was slow arriving, and the arena was dry and nice this afternoon. Keno and Flyboy got a little crazy running around. Flyboy got over-excited and started showing off all his cool moves--jumping over the mounting block and the tire when they got in his way. He can twist and turn quicker than any horse I've ever known. (Not quite sure if that is a good thing or not....!) Keno got silly, too, rearing and acting all "tough-guy." They were trying to out-do each other until I finally corralled Keno so I could put Fly to work. I worked him at liberty until he was soft-eyed and sane again, and then we did a few "follow the feel" games. Within a few minutes he was soft and elastic and pliable--funny words to describe a horse maybe, but that describes his energy at the time.

After saddling, I rode for 40 minutes or so doing the same kinds of suppling exercises from the saddle, lots of bending, softening, changing the rein. Fly was great. His trot was forward and nice, he was mostly soft and relaxed, but a few times I had to work to keep him from popping his shoulder and drifting to the outside. That is probably position related on my part. I tried to be aware. Fly really just wanted to canter. He kept offering, but I held him to the trot for the most part. Serpentines, circles and figure eights at the walk and trot, and he stayed soft throughout. I let him stretch down several times. We also worked on a few turn on the forehand maneuvers and I introduced him to the idea of side passing. (Obviously he has done this in groundwork, but it was a first under saddle.)

We ended on a really good note; I unsaddled and tied Fly to the rail, brushed him and did a touch-up trim on his feet. He stood tied while I headed off to do barn chores.

Hopefully my trailer panel will be ready tomorrow. I need to get both horse down to the arena so they can really get out and move! If we're not snowed in tomorrow, that is!

Trailer Play

I was lying in bed at 6 am this morning worrying that Keno's water was frozen (since he was locked in the area behind the barn,) and I worried so much I decided to get up and go check on him in the 11 degree darkness. Well, the silly boy had opened the chained gate and let himself out into the arena area which was good because he had access to unfrozen water, but bad because he had had access to my truck and trailer for who knows how long, not to mention the access to Flyboy's hay! In any case I couldn't see any dangling tail lights or stripped windshield wipers in the dark so I just locked him up again and secured the gate with a hay string. I fed both boys (Fly got his hay in the trailer again), refilled Keno's frozen water, fed the dogs. I thought about going back to bed since I had the day off, but I didn't do it.

Later in the morning I went out and played with Fly. He was full of energy and attitude so we did a lot of ground work before starting our trailer practice. I let him work up a sweat. My plan was to teach him to go into the trailer when I sent him as opposed to me leading him in. I stood outside the trailer about four feet from the open door. He went in very willingly with no hesitation, but then turned around and came back out. So I modified the plan. I sent Fly in again and asked him to stand for a few seconds and then asked him to back out. This was not easy since I was standing behind him outside the trailer. I pulled gently on his tail and gave a few gentle tugs on the lead. He did it! His tendency is definitely to try to turn around, so that is something we worked on. He has a bad habit of trying to raise his head and swing it over me to turn even when I am trying to block him. I need to be quicker and block his intention before he takes action. That's easy to say but hard to do.

We worked on the loading/unloading for an hour (with a few breaks doing other things in between,) and then Fly took a nap while standing tied to the trailer for an hour. I am seeing definite progress. He goes into the trailer with no problem. He has to learn to stay there (untied) until I ask him to back out quietly. Then he has to learn to stay there while tied (with the Blocker ring, of course.) Then we can work on standing quietly with the slant panel closed. When I get my panel back, that is.

I took my trailer down to a local handyman who is a friend of mine. This guy is a very clever retired Vietnam vet. He removed the slant panel and is going to modify it to look like the panels in the photo from my January 9 post. It will be ready on Tuesday. I think if Flyboy can see behind himself and see another horse in the trailer it will ease some of his anxiety. My fingers are crossed.

The truck and trailer are back in the arena as the "feed trailer" again tonight. Flyboy hopped in to eat as soon as I hung the hay net. I love the small mesh hay nets. They hold up to three flakes and it takes the horses a long time to eat. I want him standing in there all night! He'll load and unload himself tons of times; I hope it's helping!

The Trailer Has Another Purpose?

Well, I'm taking a big chance leaving my truck and trailer parked in the arena with Flyboy all night, but I'm conducting an experiment. The trailer is now a "feed trailer!" Fly's hay net is hanging in the trailer---his only hay net. He and Keno are separated so that Keno can't eat Fly's hay (or destroy my truck and trailer!) Flyboy can eat all the hay he wants, all night long, but only in the trailer. He also got a bucket with pellets this afternoon--in the trailer. See what I'm doing here? The trailer is a good place, a safe place, a rewarding place, a relaxing place, the eating place. We'll see.

Actually this was my sister's idea, or at least she was the first to suggest it to me. I did some reading too, and decided this was worth a try. Flyboy is not afraid to get in the trailer, but he becomes very anxious when he has to stay in the trailer. He anxiety is much worse with the slant panel closed. So maybe by letting him have a different kind of experience he'll relax a little and decide the trailer is a friendly place and we can work up to staying relaxed with the slant closed. I will do some loading games with him tomorrow and hopefully see a difference in his comfort levels after he's been eating in there all night.

The trailer is hitched to the truck for safety (it's a two horse bumper pull,) and the door is open and tied securely in case the wind comes up and tries to blow it closed. The slant panel is collapsed and locked open, so Fly has the whole trailer to load into. I turned him loose to check things out. He was very interested in the bucket with the pellets but was a little suspicious at first; he just couldn't figure out why I had left the trailer in his space! I backed off and just let Fly figure it out. It took him about 30 seconds to load himself in and grab a mouthful of pellets and turn around and  get out! However, he was soon back inside finishing the pellets and backed himself out calmly. Flyboy went in and out 6 or 8 times while I was doing my barn chores and keeping an eye on him. He has plenty of hay to keep him busy through the night so I hope I don't go out in the morning and find that he has stripped the tail lights or eaten the antenna off my truck. Keno would totally take the whole thing apart. I better head out there and check the gate to make sure Keno can't get into the arena!

After a long trip on a short weekend I was so tired I actually debated whether or not to ride today. I changed clothes and got ready to go and then laid down to take a 30 minute nap! But after the timer went off, I got my rear in gear and went out to see the horses. Super nice sunshine and mild temperatures win over naps any day!

I decided to try an experiment and see if Flyboy would trailer nicely (i. e. safely!) by himself to the arena. He loaded into the trailer like a pro--no hesitation. He was nervous after the slant panel was closed but I hopped in the truck and drove off before he could think too much about the fact that Keno was still lazing in the sunshine in the corral.

I parked next to my friend Tammy's outfit to unload down by the southwest roping arena. I unhooked Fly's lead rope from the blocker ring before opening the trailer which was a good thing because he flew out backwards slamming me pretty good between the slant panel and the trailer wall! He definitely had a panic problem again. Sigh. Double sigh. I spent the next 20 minutes loading and unloading him and working with him on the ground. He loads fine, but is obviously stressed and uncomfortable inside. I can understand his claustrophobia--I deal with some of those feelings myself with certain things, but I don't know how to help him relax and realize he's OK. It's a real fear. I have done lots of rubbing, praising, treats, encouragement of all kinds, but he still has the fear. Ideas out there, anyone? I am actually going to have a local fix-it guy look at my slant panel and see if he can modify it for me. It is a solid wall-type panel, but I have seen some that are more open--vertical bars on the top part or even grid wall like in the photo above. Maybe if Flyboy could see behind himself easier it would help him relax.

Anyway, by this time Tammy had finished riding her horse so we turned both horse loose to run. They ran and rolled and checked out the calf chute. They were fun to watch. Eventually Tammy and Toby headed home and although I had pretty much decided I was too tired to ride, I saddled up anyway. Thank goodness I did, because we had a great ride. Fly was super soft and forward. He really felt so good! He is ready to start putting in some miles and conditioning for some distance. We worked hard for about 30 minutes mostly at the trot and canter.

I left the slant panel open to trailer him home to reduce his stress level--not too sure it really helps, but maybe.
I love so many things about Fly. I want him to learn to trailer easily--we have so many fun things to do, but trailering safely and easily is a must! We'll just keep working on it.

A Thing of Beauty

Have you seen the movie "Buck?" You know the part near the end where you see some of the clinic riders in the arena and they are doing these cool circle maneuvers and Buck Brannaman says, "Now that's a thing of beauty!" about the guy who does a flowing ballet move like a turn-on-the-forehand-right-into-a-turn-on-the-haunches? Well, that's what Marleen had me working on at the beginning of my lesson. Super cool because I didn't know I could do that! OK, to be honest it took me a few minutes to even get my head around the concept, and to be brutally honest I'm sure it was not a thing of beauty today, but hey, it was a start and we did do it. Flyboy is sensitive and smart and if his rider was a little more adept, he'd be there already! It's OK. We have time and we are definitely progressing. It will be a thing of beauty! (And if this didn't make any sense to you, go see the movie!)

Here's the recipe for "A Thing of Beauty:"
Start on the rail at a walk. Lead him into a turn on the forehand. Use inside rein/inside seat bone.
Now sit back and change to outside rein/outside seat bone to move him into a turn on the haunches. (Outside leg forward.) Make sure you end up going the same direction you started.

Got it? Good. Go try it--it's harder than it sounds!

It was a great lesson. Flyboy was relaxed and worked extremely well throughout. We worked on getting the bend and made some good progress. He is much better at staying soft on the circle than he is on the straight or when I've asked for a change of rein. He gets bracey at times, but I can match his resistance by lifting my inside rein (without snatching) and not letting up until he softens. I had to use a lot of inside leg (not heel!), too, at first. It honestly didn't take long and once he gets the idea improvement comes quickly. Again, it's his rider who needs to figure it out! Lessons help so much! This is probably a post where "you had to be there" but suffice it to say that I learned a lot and Fly was excellent. He's like driving a sports car--powerful engine,
highly maneuverable, light front end. Once we get the power steering engaged it will be great! I can't wait!

Standing Tied Practice

Flyboy had an easy day in the sun today. We were so warm and relaxed and lazy. We played a few ground games, and I gave both horses a massage and, amateur though I may be, they seemed to enjoy it! Fly spent quite a while standing at the rail while I did that, and then I trimmed his feet and got proper measurements on each hoof so I can fit him for boots. He will be needing them soon. And who knows, if the weather stays like this we will be able to start putting in some miles on the trails!

Fly was very patient and relaxed while tied. This is a good improvement! I eventually tied him to the trailer and gave him a hay net while Keno got some attention. Even when he got the rope over his neck he did not panic or get upset--he just figured out how to deal with it.

I am looking forward to a lesson tomorrow in the outdoor arena! Hope we don't get sunburned!

Happy New Year! (Is This January, Really?)

What a fun and awesome start to 2012! Warm (as in I got sweaty!) weather riding in the outdoor arena on January 2! I've never done that before, that's for sure! But I love it and so do the horses, so let it stay.

Flyboy finally got to ride with other horses at the arena! That is a first for us in a couple of months. Tammy was down there with her two year olds. One is a mustang, the other is a quarter horse; they are just getting going under saddle. I trailered Keno down with Fly, but since Keno is still off on that right hind, I didn't turn him loose to run. I did a little ground work with Fly and then saddled him up.

What a good boy! I am happy with his progress. He struggled to stay focused at times, but never got silly or upset. It took some reminding for me to keep him soft, but he was trying. He was a little distracted by the other horses and not always paying attention, but after a good warm up he was pretty tuned in and did a good job at the walk, trot, and canter. There were also a few ropers down in the other arena that got his attention occasionally, but he was good to come back to me and continue working. He is getting softer, and progress is coming right along. I will have a lesson with Marleen again on Wednesday. Overall, I was just really happy with Flyboy and am excited to see what 2012 brings us!

Keno, on the other hand was a basket case at the trailer because his horse was near some other horses! Oh, no! Don't let them near my Flyboy! Keno gets really jealous and concerned and dances around doing airs above the ground when he has to share his herd-mates. He's very polite about it, though, and doesn't paw or scratch up the trailer, thank goodness. You would think at the mature age of 16 he would get over that behavior. It was tons worse when his roomy was a mare!

I believe Flyboy has been practicing his tire tricks on his own. I found the tire like this when doing chores this morning. Silly boy! I have put a few obstacles around to give him something to do when he is bored. It must be working!