Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Good-bye, Fly

I sold Flyboy tonight to a very nice family. They had come out to ride him a couple of days ago, and then the guy texted me on Sunday. He said they had decided they'd like to make Flyboy a part of their family. He will be ridden by a fifteen year old girl with the close supervision of her horse-savvy uncle. They asked a lot of good questions and seemed to be a pretty good fit. I hope he will be a good, fun horse for them. He was fun to ride, and I have learned a lot from my experiences with him. He has a very sweet, non-aggressive nature and deserves someone who can work with him and help him grow. I will miss him.

Please follow Jetta's journey as we continue training toward our endurance goals. Jetta is much more suited for endurance and is very quickly learning and progressing. I am excited to see what this girl will do!

www.thejettajourney.blogspot.com

Happy trails!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Still For Sale and Having Even More Fun!

Flyboy and I rode with a couple of friends up on the Ponderosa Trail this afternoon! It's SO nice to be back up in the mountains! The grass is super-green (which Fly desperately wanted to eat!) and the oak trees are starting to leaf out. It was sunny and cool and so beautiful; I want school to be out so I can ride up here every day!

This was our second ride up here in the last couple of weeks. Flyboy was very good. This was mostly a walk ride--through the river, up and down the mountain trail, over logs, through the rocks, and through one boggy area. Fly took it all in stride. He wasn't very keen on leading the way, but he was perfect in every other aspect. He was doing better when I was able to ride him more often. I'm lucky to get to ride him once a week now. It's really hard keeping him out at Sharon's. Three horses is just more than I can realistically manage, time-wise. I dropped his price to $600 in hopes I can sell him this weekend.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Still For Sale and Still Having Fun

Fly and I rode the Ponderosa Trail yesterday with Sharon and her horse, Mikey. It was GREAT to be back on the mountain! The river was not high (at least not as high as normal for this time of year!) and the trail was dry. Flyboy was great! He handled the steep climbs, the river, the ledges, the deer, and everything else he was faced with. He was a very good boy. Yay for spring and a good horse!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Fly Is Sadly For Sale

Tough days for me. I'm just not cut out for horse trading. I don't want to say good-bye to Flyboy, but this new Arab mare is definitely going to stay. My friend who had Fly this week decided not to buy him after all. Money was tight and I really need $800 for him. He's a good boy and with a few more miles he'll be really solid. He's good an trail and seems to be getting more confidence every time he's ridden. Since I can only really manage two horses, I have advertised him for sale on ksl.com. I hope the perfect person comes along. It's hard enough to say good-bye to a friend, without wondering about where he'll be and if they'll take good care of him. Sigh.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Fly Out On Trial

Well it was a good day and it was a bad day. Good because we had a great ride--me on Keno and a good friend on Flyboy. But bad because she liked him and wants to play with him for a week and will probably buy him. Sniff. I hope I am doing the right thing. I like him and he is fun, but I can't keep up with the demands of three horses, especially boarding one ten miles from home. I just hope the new girl turns out to be really nice, because Fly is already on the way to being a nice ride.

My friend is a very experienced trainer, she does endurance, jumping, and has fabulous training/conditioning trails right outside her door. I couldn't hope for a better place for Fly if I have to part with him. Watching her ride him was fun since I never really see him when I'm on him myself! He was a very good boy and also very cute. We rode through sage brush/cedar covered hills. Too many hills according to Keno who was coming off a very busy weekend riding trip. (Plus it was hot! Actually hot in April!) So even though Keno wasn't all that enthusiastic, Fly was a trooper and pushed his way up the hills with gusto. I filled her in on all of Fly's good points and not so good points. She understands green horses very well, although I don't really consider him green anymore. He just needs lots of miles and lots of consistency.

We'll see if she thinks they'll be a good fit in a week. She liked him today. I want him to go to the right person and the added plus with her is that he would still get a chance to try his hoof at endurance. I would love it if I got to see him on the endurance trail in a year or so when Jetta is ready to get out there, too!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Fly In The Lead At Last

It's a red letter day! A couple of friends and I rode up a new trail south of the Roller Coaster Hills. It was a cool canyon full of silver cedar skeletons and rocks. In a few places the trail was very narrow and we had to squeeze our way through the green cedars. A few steep places, too, but no problems with any of the terrain.

Fly was a good boy and on the way back he led the way almost all the way to the trailers! This was a first for him he usually wants to stay back and hesitates about getting out front. He walked along really well, blew a couple of times and seemed quite relaxed. What a fun boy and what a perfect day for a ride--blue skies, warm sun, a cool breeze, and good company!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Fly Up Long Ridge Canyon

Today was Flyboy's turn to get out for a ride. I must say I am very grateful to be able to keep him at a good ranch only ten miles from home, but it is hard to get out there as often as I would like. I usually ride him at least three of four times a week, but this was his first ride all week! He needs consistency to progress! I've got to try to do better.
We trailered a short distance to a trail we call Long Ridge. It's rocky. Everywhere. We climbed up through a long, steep, rocky canyon, through silver cedars left over from a wildfire years ago. We maneuvered through, over, and around boulders, washes, and ledges. Fly was a champ and handled it all very nicely. Of course he was with Mikey, the all-terrain horse who sets a great example! We came down the mountain cross-country, picking our way through the trees and rocks. At one point Fly looked back the way we came as if to say, "What was the point climbing all the way up if we were just going to come back down again?" The views were wonderful even though it was cloudy, and the hills are turning green. Flyboy was great; we walked, trotted, and cantered as the footing allowed. I was proud of him!

Flyboy is a fun horse, but I am facing a tough decision. I am really liking this little arab mare I have at my house. She is young and will be a project, but we seem to be clicking already. I can't ride her yet because she is still healing from a bad girth itch problem, so I don't really even know how broke or green she is. I love the way she moves, and she has a very nice temperament from what I have been able to tell in two week's time. I can't keep three horses fit, fed, happy, and progressing. I have a job and a family as well, and I know my limits. Keno has been with me for over ten years and is family; he stays. Fly needs consistent work to keep him moving forward. He is gaining confidence and condition and just needs more miles and time. I think he could do a good job as an endurance horse, but he needs to be someone's main project to make that happen. I think this young mare is going to become my main project, so I'll be on the lookout for a good place for Fly. It makes me sad, but it would make me even sadder to see him sidelined and not reach his potential.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Definitely Spring Again! Great Ride!



Wow, what a fun ride I had on Flyboy today! Four of us met and trailered over to the Long Ridge tank. After saddling up we headed toward Spring Canyon. We rode for three hours (walk and trot) and had rocks, hills, mud, puddles, deer, etc. to deal with. We climbed all the way up the mountain until we had a fabulous view of the next county. Flyboy was totally awesome the entire time. No spooks. No shenanigans. He was just an all-around good boy! I rode in the Bandos treeless trail saddle and both he and I were quite comfortable. He wore Easyboot Gloves on his front feet and handled the extremely rocky and muddy ground with no problems at all. This was the kind of thick black mud that really sticks and adds five pounds of weight to each hoof! Fly also drank from nearly every puddle and had a good drink when we returned to the water tank. He even volunteered to lead out a couple of times and trotted right on past Mikey. He is gaining confidence! Not much else to say---he just did great!

Good friends, good horses, good weather. Gotta love it!

Now that is a view!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Spring. No, Winter. No, Spring again!

OK, last week we had spring, but over the weekend we had a snowy cold blizzard come through. Five inches of snow and it was only 18 degrees when I went out to do chores this morning. Oh, well--it's sunny again now so I won't complain. I'm heading out to ride Fly tomorrow afternoon. Afterwards I will trim his hooves. Sharon says he is enjoying the social life out at her place and getting to know the herd-mates.

Keno came up lame on his right hind pastern. Three days on bute so far, and he is slowly improving. Poor guy. He has done this before, so I think it will get better on its own. He was in no shape to give a lesson today though!

The new girl, newly named Jetta, is adapting to her new routine. She seems very sweet, somewhat shy, but willing. She is easy to handle on the ground so far. I worked on her feet again this afternoon; they now look pretty good. Good sized and nice and round. She has a bad case of girth itch--the first I've ever seen. Apparently the owner's other horses have it as well. I'm treating it aggressively and have disinfected all tack, brushes, etc. that she has been in contact with. She has a snotty nose (likely due to stress) which is improving, but probably contagious as well. So basically she is quarantined for now, and I am watching Keno closely since he has obviously been exposed. NOT an ideal situation! I'm so glad Fly is out at Sharon's and won't be around till we get all this cleared up.

I do like this girl an awful lot, though. She has real potential even though she may turn out to be a bigger project than I expected. That is to say, I don't think her training has been any sort of real education. I think they just saddled up and headed out at speed on trail and at the track. She needs even the basic ground work, which is what I've been doing this week. Yielding the haunches, basic lunging, backing, softening, etc. She is smart and willing, once I get through the attitude, and she is a really nice mover. The next few weeks will give me a better idea, but right now I think she might be a keeper.

I don't know what this means for Fly. I really like him; he's so fun to ride. (Especially that canter!) I'm not making any decisions right now, but I will have to think about things in the coming weeks. For now, he's happy where he is and I can get out to work with him easily, and tomorrow is supposed to be sixty sunny degrees! I'm looking forward to a trail ride!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Spring + Sunshine = Sunburn

Fabulous spring day--truly warm at 65 glorious degrees! A couple of friends and I headed out to the roller-coaster hills to work our ponies. Flyboy was very good--forward, relaxed, and happy. It was a fairly short ride, but a really good one for him. I rode in a t-shirt and caught the sun to prove it!

I had an interesting weekend to say the least. On Saturday, an endurance friend called me to come take a look at a four-year-old off-the-track arabian filly that needed an endurance home. I am not in the market for a third horse so I tried to resist but got sucked in and decided to go take a look. The problem was I really liked what I saw. Now this filly is in my corral hanging out and eating hay with Keno while Flyboy is camping out at a friend's place nearby. I have this very green young filly on a thirty day trial. Then I have to make a decision.

Fly has come a long way in a few short months. He still has a ways to go, but I am very proud of him. Today was proof of his ability to be a good mountain horse and a fun trail companion.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Gorgeous Spring Day

I know it can't really be spring yet, but man-oh-man was it nice today! I loaded Flyboy up and met my friend Gail near the hills east of town this afternoon. The ground is mostly dry out there, and the parking is easy (we parked on the road), and there is a spectacular view of....the freeway. OK, so it's not the most interesting location, but the hills are good exercise, the terrain is varied and vast, and the large herds of deer create some excitement. Although Fly seemed more interested in watching the cars passing on the freeway in the distance!

Fly was much better on this ride--his head wasn't quite as high, and he walked with purpose and even led the way voluntarily several times. The hills were a good workout. The "No Horses Allowed" sign was no longer a worry, which is a good sign! There are trails, but since the whole area is open for miles around it's nice to just go cross-country, too. We found a water tank and with a little encouragement both horses got close enough to sniff the water, then Fly suddenly plunged his head in halfway to his eyeballs! He munched on the dried out weeds as well.

Gail's horse, Annie, was a good girl. We rode north into the wind (chilly!) but heading back to the trailers it was nice and warm and we were just happy to be out in the sunshine! I want to go again tomorrow!


I will definitely ride tomorrow because I have to try the new (as in used, but new to me) saddle that the Big Brown Van delivered tonight. It's a Bandos Trail saddle--treeless and similar to the Black Forest Shasta. (More similar to the Torsion, or so I've read.) It does have some interesting features--adjustable stirrup placement, Y-girthing, and it seems to be a lot more flexible. The Shasta is quite stiff and seems to be bridging on both of my guys. I am hoping this Bandos will not cause the loin rubbing the Shasta has. I will trying it out and keep my fingers crossed. (I like the Shasta, but it's not working for Fly.)

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Keno in the Canyon

I wasn't feeling very well today and decided to just take Keno up the canyon for an easy ride. It was sunny and beautiful with lots of snow and blue, blue skies! Keno was a good sport and we rode for a couple of hours. We spooked up a bunch of turkeys and he got a rise out of that!

I came home and worked Flyboy on the ground. He was full of it---probably mad at me for taking Keno today! We did some lunge work, side passing, backing, etc. He was a good boy in the end!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

A Late Post

Well, I have not kept up with posting as I normally do! Monday was clear, sunny and a warm 60 degrees! Incredible for early March and I definitely planned on riding outside. My friend Tammy and I planned to meet and go for a trail ride out west of town. Unfortunately Flyboy picked the warmest day of the year to decide that he wasn't going to get in the trailer since Keno was not going.

Twenty minutes later, I called Tammy and advised her to head out without me since this was a test/battle I was not going to lose. I worked with Fly on the ground for another twenty minutes or so, until he was in a "thinking" frame of mind again. I asked him to step into the trailer and he did. I asked him to back out again. Get in again. We did this for a few minutes and then I closed the slant panel and took him to the fairgrounds parking lot where we repeated the exercise several more times. Then I took him out to Tammy's place to hang out till she got back. I was hoping she'd go out again with another horse!

Luckily she agreed and we headed out for an easy trail ride down a long straight dirt road. It was still sunny and warm, too! Fly was pretty good and loaded easily for the ride home.

Yesterday was lesson day again, so off to the arena we headed. The new saddle pad had arrived so I was anxious to try it. I have read good reviews about the Suberpad and was happy to get a good deal on Ebay! I rode Keno for a few minutes first and liked the pad very much. It helped the treeless saddle have a bit more "twist" on his wide body. He seemed quite comfortable as well and moved out nicely. Then I saddled Fly and rode with the same saddle and pad combo. Hmmm. Very different feel. It actually made my comfy, narrow guy feel much wider. Not necessarily a good thing---I like his narrowness! However, it was a short ride, so we will try again tomorrow. It will take a couple of rides to sort it out, I'm sure!

Today was windy and COLD, so no riding. March weather is weird.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Warm Before the Storm? Not!

Since tomorrow's forecast is dire indeed, I decided Flyboy had to have a trail ride! We may be buried in snow again within twenty-four hours and lose the opportunity for who knows how long. Our last trail ride was December 30--two whole months ago! I called three friends, but no one could ride today. I decided we would trail ride, though, so after a small discussion about getting in the trailer, Fly and I headed out. (He loads perfectly fine if Keno is nearby, but balks when he is alone--we are working on this issue.)

Today the wind was whipping around pretty good and it was overcast, but it wasn't too cold. Ha ha---or so I thought. I took Fly out to the hills east of the freeway and saddled up. We also booted up for the first time in months. Easyboot Gloves, size 1, fit fairly well. I also wore my crash vest, SPOT satellite tracker, cell phone, and helmet of course.. Just call me cautious. Fly's head was six feet in the air and he was looking around at the great wide world like he'd never seen anything like it before! But he headed gamely up the road and onto the jeep trail. This is rocky country. Boulders everywhere! None of those more natural looking things seem scary to Fly, luckily. We headed up a very steep long hill at a walk. He wanted to go, but I held him mostly to a walk since he was a little jumpy. At the very top of the hill is a fence and a gate with a wilderness area sign. I believe Fly thought the sign said "Absolutely No Horses Beyond This Point," because he flatly refused to go any farther! It took about 5 minutes of doing small circles and lots of encouragement before he would pass that sign. But he did pass it and on the way back, he didn't hesitate. Good boy.

The wind at the top of the hill was fierce! And COLD. Freezing, actually. And all my long thermals were in the washing machine at home, wet! So I was feeling that wind! One thing is funny, though--of all the things that bother Fly, the wind is not one of them. Lots of horses get extra frisky and skittish on days like today, but not Fly. Maybe he has enough other things to worry about.

When we turned to head back to the trailer, he was a very good boy. No hurrying. He just walked out nicely and blew quite a few times. Hopefully he was letting out some of the tension he had been holding. He loaded like a champ and we headed for home, slightly frozen and wind chapped, but safe and sound!

Things about the ride I liked:
1. Fly has a good, forward walk.
2. Even though he was anxious, he still listened to me.
3. When he was scared of the sign, he didn't spin and run, or rear. Whew!
4. He walked nicely on the return.
5. Even though he was "spooky" acting, he didn't really spook at anything.

Things I didn't like:
1. I don't like horses to start backing up when they are frightened. He started backing up several times when I           asked him to approach the sign.
2. Gale force winds!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Fun and Games

Well, since Mother Nature is acting quite fickle this week it was back to the arena again. Keno had a lesson to teach, and Fly did some schooling. The last two times we've been down there, Fly and I have struggled more than we were a few weeks ago. Perhaps it was the time off while I was away, or maybe it was just a phase we needed to work through. Maybe it was a more mechanical type reason--saddle fit or even rider error. (Yikes.) Whatever it was, it was gone today. Fly was close to perfect. He worked nicely and was soft and flexible. We worked mostly at the trot and walk, with just a few canter circles.

I have noticed that Fly anticipates and lifts into a canter too often, and I don't mean just when asked. At first I thought he was just offering because he enjoys it, but I have decided that is not quite right. I think this behavior (over-eagerness while working, while bridling, etc.) is actually a form of anxiety. I'm still figuring out what he is worrying about. He may be over-trying for good reasons: the desire to please, or trying hard to learn. Or he may be worried about not getting it right. Performance stress sort of.

This behavior reminds me of a horse rushing to a jump. Whatever Flyboy's reason, I want him to relax and realize there is no need to rush. No need to hurry. We're just taking our time. Willingness is great, but he doesn't need to hurry and jump into every request too quickly. So today we just worked on taking our easy, sweet, methodical time. Walk on. T-rot. And waaaalk. T-trot again. Nice and soft...now can-ter! Minimal rushing today, and much more relaxation and softness. This was a great lesson for me and very nice work on Fly's part.

Fly then got to stand at the rail while I taught a lesson. I have included lots of games in Olivia's lessons--because it's fun, of course, but also to help her "see" the bigger picture. She's doing a great job of putting it all together and using her new skills to get a job done. Today's game involved picking up and carrying the orange plastic cones from the barrel at one end of the arena to the barrel at the other end of the arena one at a time. This was a timed exercise! And she did a great job. At the end of the lesson I got back on Flyboy and Olivia and I competed against each other. It was pretty funny, but in the end Fly was getting into it. A nice change for him, too, and it's good to "see" the bigger picture in practice.
The Cone Competitors
Yesterday Keno got to go on his first trail ride in a while. I went alone since I didn't know if he might be sore on uneven ground. He had his hocks injected a few weeks back and I have noticed some residual stiffness. If he seemed sore or uncomfortable I planned to just turn around and head home again. As it turned out, he felt great and we had a good easy ride looking for shed antlers. (Didn't find any though!) The wind was cold but it was a beautiful ride on a great horse. I hope to take Fly there soon and start some hill work.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Back in the Saddle Again

After nearly two weeks without riding, Keno, Fly, and I were back at the arena today. Flyboy was very good, but not as soft and easy as he had been--I felt like we lost a little ground. It was minor, but we'll head to the arena again tomorrow to see if we can get back on track. Don't get me wrong, he was very good and willing, just not as highly maneuverable as on our last ride. (See our Feb. 6 post.) Several times Fly popped that shoulder and drifted off the circle. He was a bit resistant once or twice as well. But he was forward and very willing to canter. And so smooth!

A couple of other riders were using the arena so we had company, including a green colt being saddled in the round pen for the first time. Snow was sliding off the arena roof at regular intervals--loud crashing sounds included! But for all the distractions (we were trying hard not to be distracted) I feel like we had a pretty good ride. My good friend Sharon showed up and she even got in on the action for a few minutes!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Cruel Weather

Spending a week in sunny warm Florida was a wonderful winter break, but oh, how cruel of Mother Nature to hit us with this the day we returned! I arrived home jazzed and ready for spring training. It's time for Fly to begin more serious conditioning for his first endurance ride. It's going to be hard to start that this week!

Our first 25 mile endurance ride could be Antelope Island on April 14 or Hell's Kitchen Canyon on May 19. I have been to both and either would be a good first ride for him. Hell's Kitchen is much closer, so depending on how well Flyboy is trailering, it may be the better choice. April 14 may be a bit soon unless the snow melts tomorrow and we can get out on the trails! I don't mind riding in the snow, but parking is definitely a challenge. I am, however, hoping to go visit a good friend down south to let Fly experience an overnight trip. She has warm sandy desert riding this time of year! In any case, I will not rush him mentally or physically. He will start his endurance career when he seems ready.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Class Clown

Well, I didn't get my riding lesson--I got an awful sinus infection instead. Boo. Got antibiotics on Wednesday. Today I felt well enough to ride (the 50 degree sunshine helped!) but since our car is ailing, my husband took the truck to work, so I was stranded! I guess I could have ridden Keno to the arena or just around town, but I opted instead to play at home.

Flyboy has turned into the class clown as you can see from the pictures. I started out doing some of our regular ground work: following a feel, yielding, side passing, etc. I played rope games with his feet in preparation of teaching him to hobble. I lunged him over the barrels---which he jumps nicely. Then I got out the tarp and an empty (crackly!) dog food bag. Fly has always been fine with tarps UNDER him, but he has been very nervous about them being over or on him. Not any more. Today, Fly became brave. I had both the dog food bag (like a thick, stiff tarp) and the regular tarp all over him. Once we had done that, I turned him loose so I could work with Keno.




Keno is an anti-tarp horse. He always has been, but I have decided to fix that hole in his training. But while I was doing some ground work/lunge work with Keno, Fly kept stealing the show. He was after the tarp, the bag, and anything else. He stomped, pulled on, picked up, shook, and chewed the tarp.




At one point the wind grabbed the tarp and threw it up against Fly's front legs. He did a little half-spook and then just stood there thinking about it. Something in Fly's mind has changed. (I will post more about it eventually.) Poor Keno kept getting put in his "stand still and don't move" command


 so I could photograph the class clown. Even Keno gained some confidence today--walking and trotting over the tarp. It was great!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Fab Ride

Flyboy trailered solo to the arena for a fabulous workout all alone at the indoor arena. I was totally bummed no one was there to see this ride. He deserved an audience. What a good boy he was--soft, very forward and generous. I LOVE his canter. I love his trot. I love his flexibility and maneuverability. He is just a fun ride.

We did a little ground work, then a little under-saddle warm-up. Then it was circles and serpentines, again. Who would have thought circles could be so fun? Fly was a little cautious about the far end of the arena where the windows and the calf chute are, so I hopped off and dragged a few trot poles out to play over down in that end. I thought maybe if he had something more important to think about, he would forget about worrying about the calf chute. It worked; he was very business-like and careful over the poles. I may just decide to start adding elements: trot poles to a cross-rail, or cavalletti. He could be ready to do some gymnastic grids in no time.

Flyboy got a well deserved grooming and a couple of cookies before trailering home again. And that was after I told him what an amazing boy he is! I hope he will be as good tomorrow since I am finally getting another lesson with Marleen. And on Thursday we are going out on trail at long last. Seems like forever since we had a trail ride!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Trailer Solo

Yay! Fly did it! I trailered him solo down to the arena and although he was a little nervous, it was no big deal. He loaded fairly well and unloaded like a champ. Whew. I hope he is getting past the bad memories and we can just carry on from where we were pre-November 23, 2011.

I had heard the arena was booked for calf roping so this afternoon I just planned on giving Flyboy some solo practice in the trailer. However, after loading him, I headed down to check out the arena activity and no one was there! I let Fly run, did some ground games and gave him a good grooming before loading him up to trailer home again. Even though he wasn't as relaxed as when Keno is with him, it still went fairly smooth and I am encouraged. We will be adding lots of solo trips from now on. This is supposed to be a good weather week, so hopefully we can get out for a trail ride somewhere.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Cold and Windy--But Not In The Arena!

It was cold and windy this afternoon--the kind of day that makes you want to stay inside with a warm blanket and a good book. Alas, I had a lesson to teach, so I got myself down to the indoor arena with both horses. They ran around and rolled and bucked a generally blew off a lot of steam. I worked with Flyboy on the ground for quite a while and he was stellar! He is now reliably responding to voice commands on the lunge line--walk, trot, canter, whoa--up and down transitions. I set out trot poles and he cruised over them with rhythm and balance and control. Wow. Much improved since the first time I tried that a few months ago. I have had Fly for four months now. It's been a roller coaster of sorts with the trailer accident and issues. But overall he has made tremendous progress and is coming along very nicely under saddle. By "coming along" I mean more than just following another horse down the trail. He is learning self-carriage and seat/leg aids, as well as developing proper musculature. This horse could go in several directions--endurance (my goal), dressage, jumping, or maybe even working cow horse. For some reason he seems to like cows. I don't.

Hopefully our weather will go back to the milder sunny temperatures this winter has been famous for. I need a trail ride! In a bad way! And Fly is just about ready to trailer solo. I think.

Friday, January 27, 2012

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!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

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!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

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!)

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

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!

Friday, January 13, 2012

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!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

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!

Monday, January 9, 2012

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.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

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!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

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!

Monday, January 2, 2012

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!