Another Lesson and 2 shoes for Killian

I finally got to have another lesson with Mark but I would really classify it more as a training session. I did not even ride Trax.  He needed some schooling and I am not the best person to give it to him, so I asked Mark to ride him and ride he did.

Trax has developed a bad habit of jumping into a trot rather than simply moving into it. So he worked on that for quite a while and really worked on softening him up again. He worked on his back ups and his stops, from a trot.  He loped him for a long time, but he told me that he only let him do it because he was so soft and easy about it. Had he been chargy then they would have been doing transitions. He was on a loose rein and maintaining the correct speed so it was okay to just let him go for a while. He also showed me that it helps to not lope him in circles, but in a square.  He said that a horse can not remain hollow backed (which he tends to be) in a square.

He rode him for over an hour and was getting some good stuff from him, so he ended on a positive and suggested we just leave it at that.  So we did.   Mark said that he really likes the new bit on him. He says he is much more responsive with it.  I'm glad to hear that, because the darn thing cost more than all my other bits combined!

We talked a lot about the upcoming show and one of the things he said to me is that my focus needs to be more on my horsemanship than on the pattern itself.  Then he elaborated.

"To me, horsemanship means to ride your horse at the level he is at."

Then he went on to explain that even though the pattern will say "stop from a lope" that is not where Trax is at right now. He said to go ahead and check him into a trot and then stop him.  Basically I was being reminded in a very nice way, that this Ranch Pleasure class is not about winning for me, it is about training, and I need to remember that above all else. This is sound advice for me.  I find myself getting so caught up in not making a fool of myself that I loose sight of what my real goal is. It does not matter what anyone thinks about us, not even the judges. What matters is that Trax and I go out there and work together. If I am asking him for things that he isn't ready for, all he is going to do is fall apart on me and we will not be working together.

The trail class though I expect to do pretty well in. I don't mean as in win any ribbons or anything. But he does these obstacles so well now, there isn't any reason that we can't have a clean run through the trail. His hardest part with trail is trying to remember that it isn't a race. To him everything is a race, but keeping him down to footfalls is still our goal here.

We talked some about lead changes but I have to admit I walked away from that a little confused at what he was saying, but I will get clarification.  I had been explaining that I was practicing lead changes by going from a circle to the left (more like a D) and then breaking down to a trot asking for the change and then doing a circle to the right.  I think, that what he said to me was that for most horses the lead change comes from propulsion so my method would actually be the wrong way to go. But because propulsion is the one issue my horse does not lack, what I am doing is okay for now.  Like I said, I think that is what he said. I could be wrong though.

Today, I will find me a typical Ranch Horse pattern to print off and my goal this weekend will be to practice one to try to get my moves down. Oh one thing I forgot to mention is that Mark really worked him on his spins last night too.  He didn't care, at this point, if he crossed with the correct leg, as long as his pivot foot stayed in place.  If he fell off on the hind, then he would side pass, side pass, side pass, and then ask again.  Sometimes which ever hip fell off, he would push that hip around and around and then ask for the spin again. Eventually he was doing both directions perfectly.

I know I have said it before but I seriously love to watch Mark ride Trax.  It only takes a short time before Trax goes from being a freight train, to being a more soft and supple horse.  I honestly can't tell you if I ever achieve that myself, although there have been times when Mark has said that he looks great when I am riding him. Not every time, but sometimes. It was actually a good lesson. He is good about explaining what he is doing while he is doing it, so I understand the reasons why and hopefully can do it myself.

I had noticed the day after I rode Killian last that he had lost a shoe, and Mark said he would throw another one on, so Killian came along for a ride last night. As it turns out, he actually lost another one in the last day or two so we had to replace both of them.

I had to laugh at Big K, as Mark rode Trax, K was more than happy to sleep in the corner of the arena. I think I actually heard him snore!

So I had Trax tied in the arena and we walked down the hill to where Marks truck was to do the shoes. We were in between a barn and some stalls and the colt that he is working with that looks like Danny was there also.  I call him Fruit Loop. He has another name, I think it might be Laredo. Fruit Loop fits better.

Meanwhile Trax was up in the arena losing his mind because he was left behind.

While we worked on Killian there were some kids running around, one was Marks son who was doing chores, but the other two were much younger and pretty wild. I suspect that they were visiting or something  because these kids acted like they have never been around a horse before. They were jumping and screaming and pushing each other and throwing things around.

You probably get sick of hearing this, but that big red horse is worth his weight in gold. He never even batted an eye at those kids.  Trax would not have handled that situation so well. He does not care for young kids at all!  After the kids left, even Mark said that he was impressed by how good Killian was for all the commotion. I suspect that Killian was more concerned that Fruit Loop was getting food and he wasn't.

At one point Trax quit screaming and I wondered if had gotten loose in the arena and was up there rolling on my saddle.  (He didn't)

Once he had shoes on I took him back up to the arena and hopped on him bareback with the halter.  It was really hard to wrap my legs around to hold on at a trot and not ding him with my spurs.  It is also probably a very good exercise for me to start doing, because my leg muscles were sore when I got off and we didn't ride very long.  We just rode around, and I practiced steering him with my legs, no reins at all.  He did okay at first but it was obvious when he was ready to be done because pretty soon he just ignored me and kept going to the gate, so I would push him back around and we would go again.

I generally try to vary up my feeding times a little when ever I can.  I used to freak out if they weren't fed at the exact same time every day, but I have changed my theory on that.  I feel like conditioning them to not expect their food at the exact same time, saves them from stress if some sort of emergency keeps me from getting out there at the same time every day. Although I will say that last night it was after 10 pm and that is the latest they have ever gone.

I must have tweaked my hip while riding Killian because it hurts like hell this morning. I keep trying to stretch it out but it isn't working.  Going to have to figure out something though because I have one week to really get some riding in before the show. I need to get as many miles on him as I can this week, the less wound up he is the better off we both will be.

I put in my final notice for my job yesterday. My last day here will be July 12th. Suddenly moving became a reality.  Yikes!!!!

Trax Has Another Story

 Hello Nice Ladies of the World With Big Hearts For Their Ponies...man that is really a mouthful. Perhaps I should start just say NLOTHWWBHFTP...um, never mind, that is even worse. We'll just go with Nice Ladies!

Today I am here to tell you the story of how I was almost eaten by sharks and whales and leeches and all kinds of other mean and nasty creatures that live in the wild waters.

It all started when I thought my lady was coming out
to feed me.  But she did not feed me, instead she shut my gate and then put a halter on me and made me get dressed.  It was late in the day so I knew it could only mean one thing, we were going to see MK again.  Now don't get me wrong, I like MK and all but seriously, some days I want to just be able to do what I want, and he does not allow that sort of thing.  MK is not a human to be trifled with. It isn't that he is mean, but he is certainly the herd leader FOR SURE!

When we got to MK's barn my lady worked me in the big building where the monsters live outside. The monsters must have been sleeping though because I did not hear them at all.  She made me move in circles around her at different speeds and spent a lot of time telling me what a good boy I am. (well duh)

MK was riding the youngster again. His name is Tumbleweed, he is just a teenager, but he seems like a nice kid so I will say that we are friends.

Once again we did not stay in the barn but rode up the road and too the mountain trails. I get a little nervous up there, but Tumbleweed is calm.  I think it is because I am wise of the world and I know that there are big cats and bears and wild wolves up there just waiting to attack us from behind. So I am always on the look out, and ready to run so that I may keep my lady safe from harm.

This is the mountain area where we ride. You can't see it,
but there is a ravine just past the first patch of
snow. We go down and battle monsters.

 We are always having to cross wild waters. I usually make Tumbleweed go first in case there are sharks or leeches or something, waiting to get us.  He is my "bait".. snort!  One time he saw the sharks too and did not want to go. So MK kept pushing him. Tumbleweed got mad and bucked.  I was like, Awww man he's gonna get it now!  MK won and Tumbleweed went through the wild waters..

Sometimes the water is moving fast, sometimes it is more of a mud pit and I sink up to my hocks. Sometimes I think it is quicksand and I am afraid I will not get out at all, so I jump it instead. This makes my lady say bad words.  One time I jumped it and "accidentally" ran my lady into a tree. Then she really said some bad words! I don't know why though, I did not succeed in feeding her to the sharks, all she got was a little scratch.

I think that MK is tired of her saying bad words, because I heard him say, "If he keeps that up, you are going to get hurt. Do you mind if I take him back over that?"

I was saying, "NO NO NO!"

My Lady says, "Oh sure."

Then I was the one saying bad words.

 This is me standing in the wild waters. What you can't see is that there were sharks and whales and big ugly leeches circle around me, just waiting for the chance to suck all the blood out of my legs so that I cannot run away. That is how they work ya know. They suck out your blood and then when you fall down the eat you alive!!!! But MK promised me that he would not let them hurt me so I was vurrrry brave and stood there for a long time. We went back and forth several times until all the sharks and whales went away. I think the leeches were still close by, but I think they are afraid of MK, because they did not touch me. Whewwww!

Meanwhile back on the bank...

 My lady was playing with Tumbleweed, telling him how cute and brave he was!

WHAT!!??!!

  What about me down here battling sea monsters for you?!?

 I wanted to run up the hill and tell her all about my narrow escape, but MK made me stop and stand. Sheesh Dude!!  Can't you see that she is fraternizing with that other horse?

 Finally he let me go up the hill to where she was waiting for me. When I got there she said I was a good boy.

Yeah right, I heard you up here cheating on me when you thought I wasn't looking.

So then we headed on our ride. From then on I crossed the wild waters much better for my lady, except once, and she made me go back and do it again.  I really wanted to go home and eat my dinner so from then on I did not argue.

We went as high as we could go and then turned around and headed home. When we were coming back down we found an old human barn and went to investigate. (I don't know why she didn't take pictures of that- it was purty cool)

This is us riding off into the sunset like in the cowboy movies. 

No I have not ever seen a movie, but I have been told stories. 

Then she stopped to take a picture of where we had been

That is my most handsome shadow. 

Then I heard a big cat behind me and so I jumped and tried to get my lady out of there. She did not have a hold of the reins,(because she was taking pictures) and I thought she was going to fall off. As it turns out it was not a big cat but just Tumbleweed playing jokes on me.   I'll remember that later on buddy!

When we got back to MK's barn my lady undid my belt so that I knew that we were done, but she undid it too much and as we walked up the hill to the trailer my saddle almost fell under my belly.  So she had to hold it on there and make me walk in front of her. I wasn't sure what she wanted at first, but once I understood it, I led her all the way to the trailer.

She gave me 2 candies for being a good boy. 

I wanted 2 more but she wouldn't give them to me. 

So I gave her the cold shoulder. 

I saved her from sharks and leeches and big cats, all past my dinner time.

I think I deserved 2 more! 

Building a Bridge to No Where

Bridging the communication gap
"Like a Bridge over troubled waters..."

I could go on like this for days...But truthfully I just wanted to tell you about the training bridge we built.  As you can see we used old lumber laying around the yard, so we killed 2 birds with one stone. Cleaned up some of the yard and made a new training tool. There are 3 4x4's underneath, which just happened to be treated with truck bed lining (I dunno why). Then the planks are made mostly out of old water bed sides, and then some left over wood from the barn finished it up. It is heavy as all hell, but sturdy.

I had planned on doing it myself but the minute I mentioned it to TC, he took over the project.  Somehow or another while I was watching him I managed to mess up the back of my knee. Every time I took a step it felt like something was pulling too tight.  Hurt like hell for about an hour. Who knew that supervising could be so dangerous!

Before I/he started this project I went to the clubs tack swap meet.  I didn't buy anything, there just wasn't anything I needed.  I did spend some time talking with RC about Trax's tongue and the show. What I found out is that if I want to enter I have to use some sort of shanked bit.  My Mylar does count as one so that is what we will have to use.  We talked about the classes I want to enter, and she agreed with my choices, plus told me to throw in the western pleasure class. She says, "you won't win it, but it will be good training before you get to the classes where you really want to compete."  The only thing that concerns me about that is how he will react to the on, then off, then on again aspect of it.  But there is only one way to find out I guess.

Then she said to enter the adult and the open trail class. She says again, use your first one to get him used to the course and then in the second one you go in and beat the pants off of everyone!   Then she also told me that if I want to get a real good idea of what to expect (as I have never even seen a live horse show before) to go to the AQHA show the second week of May.  I think that is great idea.  I told her I was still undecided on the halter class. She said do it, It is a flat fee for club members to enter as many classes as we want, and he is nice looking horse. Just wash him up, and take him in.

As we were talking, another girl I met at the clinic I went to last year (she has a cool horse named Czar who jumps) joined in and was telling us a hilarious story about her and her former boss. Then I needed to get going so I said, "Well I'd better run, I've got to go and build a bridge today." The other gal comes back with, "Oh, so you can get over it?"  (badumpbom)   I laughed all the way to the parking lot!

So we got the bridge built, I threw it and some more poles in the back of my truck and went out and set up the rest of my course.  Then I came back and got the horse and trailer.  By time I got him trailered the wind started picking up. By time I got to the arena, it was blowing. Grrrr! But I rode anyway.

Now, there is something I wanted to elaborate on yesterday but boys were harassing me, so I didn't get too.  The reason that just letting Trax run and run was the wrong thing to do is because he is like a long distance marathon runner. If you run you know what I mean, if you don't I will explain it to you. Runners reach a point where they get "in the zone". (hence the term "runners high")  They are able to tune everything else out and just focus inward on their breathing, their heartbeat, and their feet moving. Nothing else exists.   I could actually feel it yesterday when Trax went into his zone, and at that point I knew he had forgotten I was even there. It is like the faster he goes the more he relaxes.  If I had let him, he would have stayed there for hours.  He loves it there in the zone, it is his happy place. So although I think that letting him do that can be a good thing at times, it is not the right way to warm him up. Actually what I think is that maybe it is the right way to warm him up, the day before.  (*disclaimer- I personally have never experienced a runners high, I avoid running at all costs.  But my ex was a runner so that is how I know about it)

I am going to test my theory next week.  I will take him one day and just let him run to his hearts content and not make him do anything else. Then the next day we will go back and train.  The reason I think that this might be good for him was because of how he good he was on Sunday.

We started our usual ground work, only this time I really focused on our downward transitions.  I was very clear in my verbal cues of "easy" and then would give just a slight tug on the lead line.  I was very clear in my upward cues as well. A smooch means step it up, and we played with slow trots, faster trots, slow canters and faster lopes.  We did this a lot in both directions and I could see the wheels turning in his head as he was figuring it out.  I'm here to tell ya, the boy is smart, and he wants to get it right.

Then I stepped up on him and we went right into the exact same thing. I wanted to do it while it was still fresh in his mind, so he could make the connection. It felt like he did too. We spent a good hour just on transitions and reiterating what the cues mean.  Yes his downward transitions still need some work, but they were so much better than the day before. I kind of feel like because he had the day before to move as fast as he wanted, this time he wasn't near as interested in doing so. He was perfectly happy to listen to me, and attempt to understand my cues.  It could just be that since we started out with "you will pay attention to me", it stayed that way, but he really did seem more ok with being tuned into me. I guess more will be revealed in that respect.  I spent most of my time practicing riding one handed, which is easy at everything except for the fast lope.  I actually have to hook my thumb in my belt loop to keep my arm from flying all over the place.  I experimented with his extended trot, and have decided that posting doesn't work for me, I can sit his extended trot pretty easily as long as I move my hips from side to side a little.  Its funny because as I am riding I can hear Marks voice telling me to stop leaning into my circles, or to get my leg off of him because he is leaning on me.

One of the things I worked on was when I say "easy" to get him to slow down, of course I also drop my seat, but he still requires a little bit of help from the rein, so in order to keep from just pulling straight back, which just throws his head straight up in the air, I worked on just using my fingers of the one hand to bump bump bump from one side to the other. This gets him to drop his head (a little) and tells him with as little contact as possible that I'm asking for a little less speed. It seemed to work pretty well. My arm stays in place, but my hand pivots just a little and my fingers do the work.  I would like him to respond a little quicker than what he is, but it is better than before and so I am happy with the progress we made.

Oh, the other thing he is doing is picking up the correct leads on his own. That is new too. Before it was always a left lead. Now it is the correct lead if we are circling.  I still have some work to do on getting him to give me the lead I ask for in a straight line. I think the problem is more me than him.

Next came the trail work. for some reason his side passes to the right have fallen apart. That is why he will not do the rope gate from the right side. So we spent some time back on the fence side passing over.  Then we went to the poles and he didn't want to side pass to the right over them either. So we moved to the middle and tried again. He did better.  Then we just side passed to the right in the middle of the arena.  After that we tried the gate again, still a no go. I finally asked him to just stand next to it on the right, and he did that, so we left it at that. We did do the gate several times from the left, he likes it from the left. He is an odd horse!    The very last time we did it I parked him next to it, and rested. I picked up the rope, and he says, "Oh wait Lady, I can show you!"  and proceeded to almost complete the exercise on his own. He backed up, stepped through, turned his hip all on his own.  He forgot the last step but just the slightest little reminder and he finished it off.  He loves to get it right!   I know I should make him wait, but I figured what the heck, nothing wrong with letting him show off once in a while.

He did great on the box,  but I need to work on trotting over poles.  He clips them every time.  It might be that I don't have them spaced right, so I will need to talk to Mark about that.  We did some slow spins. I don't care if he can do it fast, but I like that he is getting to where his hind stays in place.  He is better to one side than the other, and he doesn't always cross with the correct leg, but again, some serious progress.

It is crazy how he is learning to recognize the obstacles and remembers what to do.  He sees the cones and automatically picks up his pace to trot through them. Very little guidance is needed from me. He snorted at our new bridge once and then went right over it.  After that it was nothing. We also pulled the log which I have got to cut down a little. TC made it way to big and heavy. Not for him but for me.  He still gets a little bothered at this task, but he is getting much better. I think it is just a matter of practice practice practice.

We ended on a positive (although I can't recall what it was now, he had so many) and I gave him some much deserved grazing time. It offered me a great time to rest as well, and of course take some pictures.

"Heaven, I'm in heaven"
Trax, I didn't know you could sing!

"Did you hear that?"
Hear what?

"Yup definitely heard something!"
I heard it too.

"It's coming from over there, they are some sort of flying horse eating monsters"
Trax, those are geese."Oh...do geese eat horses?"

When I took this one I did not realize I was copying
Karen C's Header shot.
(Sorry about that Karen)

"Lady? Did you fall down?"
Nope, just resting down here enjoying how handsome you are.

"Aw shucks"

"Are you going to eat that?"
Um, don't you have grass to graze on?

"If I give you my starving pony face will you share?"
I'm pretty sure you don't like trail mix

Does anyone else think that he looks just a little on the thin side?   It is hard for me to tell because he is usually a tad chunky.  The vet rated him at a 5 on the weight scale.
 But then he said Killian was also a 5 and he isn't.

Okay, blogger is not letting me type where I want to any more, }:-(

The last thing I want to say is that with each lesson Mark asks me what I want to work on and I never really know. But now I do. The trail stuff I have down as far as what to do and how to teach him. What I really need help with is my reining patterns and even more important...
STOPPING!
It occurred to me yesterday that we haven't taught him how to stop yet.  I still have to slow him way down to get him to stop.  I don't expect sliding stops, but he needs to at least stop.  So now I know where Mark and I really need to focus.  It is good to have a plan I guess.

I Rode Up the Mountain

Saturday was a crazy busy day, it started with 2 different auctions going on at the the same time, both of which had things that TC wanted. So he put me at the police auction while he went to the consignment auction, and we communicated by phone. There were a few things that I wanted as well, like a go kart for Simon, a 1932 Gibson guitar for Colton, a Garmin, and a lap top computer.  TC wanted floor jacks, and bottle jacks, and an old broken down road blade for parts for his grader.

We ended up with all the jacks, the go kart, a bicycle, a brand new XBOX 360 (still in the box for half of what a new one would cost) 2 Garmins, a Fossil purse (brand new), oh and a darn near new portable DVD player, with all the chargers and stuff.  He did not get the road grader, they had sold it the day before.  The laptops went for more than I was willing to pay for a piece of used electronics that I couldn't even tell if they worked as they had no cords. The guitar did not even sell, as the owner wouldn't take less than 3 grand for it.  1932 or not, it was just an acoustic guitar, and didn't even have that great of a sound. If I am going to spend thousands on a guitar there is a 1970 Grestch hollow body electric model, sitting at the local music shop that has the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.  I could buy that for about 1500.00. But I don't have that much money to spend on ANYTHING, much less a guitar.  I don't even play, but my son does play very well, so I am always on the look out for a good deal on a nice guitar.

Anyway, back to my story.

We went home with our bounty and then I had just enough time to grab a samich and load up my paint.  We headed up to meet Mark.  The road were clear but everything was a muddy mess. He had texted me and told me we would ride outside since the weather was nice. The out door arena there is on a hill so I was hoping he meant that it was semi dry.  To get to the arena, you have to drive down between the house and the indoor, around the back of the barn and then back up a hill to the outdoor. So in that low spot, it was pretty icky. I put the old gray girl into 4WD and plowed right through it.  Mark had also texted and told me that we couldn't do a full 2 hours this time as he had someplace to be, so he decided we would just go for a trail ride up the BLM land and see how Trax did.

Okay by me, I tacked him up, did a few circles on the ground just to remind him that I am the boss and then stepped up on him. The first thing I had to do was ride through a huge water puddle. It was maybe 8" deep, he balked for a minute but then went through. Mark asked if he was ok with crossing streams, I have never had an issue before with him, so I assumed we wouldn't this time. I was wrong.

We headed up the drive, out the road and then through a gate to the BLM.  There was still quite a bit of snow but the ground was kind of soft and squishy. Where there wasn't mud there was rock.  Not my favorite terrain but I trust Mark, so I pretended not to care. Mark was riding a 3 year old colt, that he is starting for someone else. I decided that if this 3 year old could handle it so can my seasoned trail horse, and truthfully Trax can handle it, he just didn't want to.

First stream, he started snorting and blowing like it was a terrible thing.  I kicked him through it and he jumped it instead. I should have made him go back through, but decided to move on. We headed up, up, up, through snow banks down ravines through some brush, across more streams.He did great on the slopes, and odd angles. He was calm and sure footed, choosing his footfalls carefully. He was more than happy to match his pace to the colt (who Mark calls Tumbleweed, trust me it fits), to lead when we needed to, or to follow when I asked him too. The only time I wasn't so proud of him was at those stream crossings. He did everything he could to avoid crossing the streams, balking and jumping over them, but we came through unscathed, and I think once he even went through like a pro. On the last one, though,  he tried to just turn around and go back but I make him go anyways, so he ran me through a tree.  I could hear my horse saying, "Hey Lady, why don't you try wading through it and see if you  don't look for another route!"  It didn't hurt but it was annoying.

All in all it was actually a cool ride, and Mark and I just talked about different things, there wasn't a lot of training going on, as Trax never once tried to run off with me. I think I had to turn him around once for going to fast, so that part was good. We discussed if Trax will be ready for the open show at the end of May. He said that if we go in with the expectations of not winning but just completing the courses, then yes, he will be ready.  I appreciated his honesty on that, and truthfully that is all I am hoping for.  To prove to myself, and to my horse (and to maybe a couple of doubters) that we can do it.

I wish I had been able to get a few pictures to show off, it was truly gorgeous. Next time I promise.

When we got back I rode to my trailer and dismounted. I almost fell down when I hit the ground, my knees hurt so bad. We didn't even ride that long. The only time my knees hurt like that is if I have ridden for hours and hours or I am riding with my legs tensed.  I guess I was more nervous up there than I realized. So I had to examine that.

I trust my horse, I knew he wasn't going to blow up or anything.  I trust my trainer, I don't believe that he would put me in a dangerous situation. So I guess I was really just nervous about the terrain.  Truthfully, I never would have gone up there of my own accord. There were paths that he chose that I probably wouldn't have, but then he rides up there a lot so he knew what was safe and what wasn't. If I was unsure of what was in front of me, I followed him so that Trax and I could both see what we were headed into.  Even though we did very little training "per say", it was actually good for both of us.  I will be less nervous next time I ride where the footing isn't that great, and Trax learned that whether I am tense or not, I expect him to go forward.  I suppose my tension added to his apprehension just a little.

Once I got him untacked and trailered, I paid Mark.  He said I didn't really owe him since we didn't really do anything, but I paid him anyway. My theory is that he generally works with me for 2 hours and only charges me for one. So this sort of makes up for some of the money I should be paying him, but don't.

I made my way out the drive and promptly got my truck and trailer stuck. Even in 4wd I could not get out of the pit I was in. They ended up having to use the skid steer to get me out. I was so embarrassed  My truck is not supposed to get stuck! The owner of the property assured me that it was no big deal, and that he himself had gotten stuck the day before.

I can honestly say that except for the mud I really did enjoy the ride and am looking forward to a day when we can go there again when it isn't quite so mucky.  I want to see if we have the same problems crossing the little streams.  If so then we will cross as many as we can, until we are both totally okay with it.

Now it is snowing again....supposedly this is the last day.  Gosh I hope so, I am seriously ready for some real sunshine and some decent riding weather.

As Promised- The Video of Mark Riding Trax

I am even learning how to add music.

Here is the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkEDfDBWfoo

A calm in the storm allows for riding

Weather man has predicted rain and snow for about ten full days.  I fully expected for icy road conditions last night, which would have put the kibosh on my lesson. I will not haul a horse across town on ice without a really good reason.

Luckily the rain and snow stopped for most of the afternoon and the roads were pretty much dry and  clear when I got off work, so I raced home and loaded up.

Trax was a muddy mess, but happy to see me.  My horse has changed so much in the last 2 months.  He has gone from being a standoffish loner, to being a much more affectionate man.  He still moves away from me in the pasture (unless I have food) and then follows as soon as I am not looking, but the change is when he is in his pen or on a halter.  He has always been one to keep a safe distance between us.  I could enter his space but he never ever asked to enter mine. He never asked for physical attention.  The last two times I have had my hands on him, he actually put his head on me.  Not in a pushy rude way, but in more of a "touch me please" way.

I know all about the "bubble" and "I can touch you, but you can't touch me" but for a horse like Trax, I think this is a rule that needs to be broken...to a certain extent.  For example when we are hand walking he knows to keep a few feet back. He watches me, and if I stop, so does he. If I speed up, so does he. He pretty much "heels" better than my dogs. If I back up, so does he.  He is not allowed to put his butt on me, push me with his nose, or swing his head into my face.  He is the most respectful of any of my horses, we have good boundaries. I think this is mostly because he does not care to be that close to anyone. He has trust issues. So for him to seek out physical contact from me...that is a big step for him.

When I was brushing his neck, he turned his head and laid it on my arm. When I was tying him in the trailer, he did it again. Both times I rewarded him with some head scratching and a hug. He in turn, rewarded me with a heavy sigh of contentment.

Okay, so back to the lesson.

I have been given permission to use MK's real name now. It is Mark Keil. He says he is happy to have the on line exposure.  (I now have some video of him riding Trax which I will upload this weekend). Anyway, Mark was working with a colt when I got there, and another gal was just finishing up her ride. I really like watching him work with these colts. He has a nice easy way about himself, and it is just cool to watch.

While he was doing that I got started on my ground work with Trax, focusing mostly on his transitions up and down.   I lunged him a little longer and a little harder than usual, but I had a mission behind doing so.  Through our lessons I am learning to see and feel when Trax is just running away and when he is actually cantering with thought.  His natural tendency is to run and it takes him a while to connect his brain to his feet. So my goal was to get him to both trot and canter but be relaxed while doing it.  It took a little bit, but he finally got the idea and was maintaining his canter without me having to really drive him, then I was able to bring him down to his trot. The next step was getting him to walk, which takes quite a bit longer.  But I wouldn't give in until he actually made the transition down. I have been known to just disengage his hind end at a slow trot, instead of seeing it all the way through. I have find that if I take the time to get that transition, my ride tends to go a little better.

We started off by dragging a log while still on the ground.  He did very well and we even let the rope go behind him. I expected more of a reaction from him.  He was more reactive with the rope on his left than on his right. I'm guessing that is his roping training coming out, but with our help he pushed through it, and we were both very proud.

When I mounted up we started with just a little flexing. Then he had me go ahead and ride him out in a circle on a loose rein. We started at a walk and he maintained his walk very nicely instead of just trying to take off at a trot right off the bat.  We were going to the left, and when I asked for the lateral/vertical combo flex he gave it to me quite nicely.

Next, Mark had me go ahead and ask for a trot. He instructed me to only use my legs, no spur.  I squeezed but didn't get much of a response, so I added a cluck. which helped. Again our trot was good, I was able to give him just a slight amount of contact to maintain our speed. Again the flex was there and was soft and easy for me. Each time he gave it to me, I gave him his release with a little less contact. The we asked for the canter. I was so happy with how he felt. It was soft, he wasn't fighting me, Mark said that Trax actually looked happy.  Mark had me give him more rein and let him get up a little more speed on the "straight away" of one side, and then on the other side ask for a little less speed with my seat and legs and a command of "Easy".  It worked!  He dropped down nicely and I could feel the change in him. We did this several times. It was soo nice.  Like about as perfect as I have ever felt him.  He would give me his face when I asked even at the canter, which was even better!

Then we did some canter, trot, canter, trot transitions.  Then trot to walk to trot to walk. All of them quite nice.  After that we let him rest while we chatted about the videos I had watched on the weekend. He also asked me if my rides are better inside or outside. I told him that I do not think that inside or outside is the determining factor. The amount of prep time is what makes the difference.

After that, we switched to the right side. He started off nice but very quickly wanted to kick up to that trot so I brought him back down. When I did ask for the trot he was smooth but wouldn't give me his face very well. I got it a few times, but not easily like I did on the left.  It was a little frustrating. When we went to the canter he kicked off on the right lead which was cool, but was more like the run away freight train of his past. Those nice downward transitions were non existent and he was never really relaxed.

Now something I noticed as I was riding this right lead canter is that it feels really awkward and a little rough to me. Which is the exact opposite of his left which is always smooth and easy to ride.  The question I have here is this: Is it me, or is it him?  I mean, am I just so used to riding his left lead, that it is just what feels normal to me, or does he have something physical going on that makes him a little awkward and rough on that lead.  When I say physical I mean perhaps out of place in his spine or shoulder or something.  One thing Mark noticed is that when on the right lead I tend to lean to one side in the saddle. When he caught that and had me square up my shoulders to Trax's it was a little better. So perhaps the problem really is me. (note to self- get busy finding an equine chiro just in case.)

Anyway, somewhere around this time everything fell apart and I had to bring my circle in small because Trax was really running away with me. At one point we were unintentionally circling a barrel and I swear I heard him say ,"Ooh barrels! Lets race!" and then proceeded to show me what an amazing barrel horse he is.    I had to move him away from the barrel then he finally slowed down.  I rode him to Mark and said, "Your turn. Oh and do you mind if I video some of this?" He said no problem so I grabbed my camera.

He never cantered him, just worked on his flex both to the right and the left. He explained that I am still forgetting to left my leg off and Trax has taken to leaning on me to the right. This in turn is letting him drop his shoulder instead of giving me the flex I am asking for.  I watched him bump bump bump with his legs which seemed to get more forward out of him. I'm glad I have the videos because now I can study them and really watch one thing at a time to really get a better idea of what I need to do.

Here are a few pics I took though.

I had to put some of these in black in white because I had the "Sunset" setting on them which made them look really red.

Nice flex to the right while moving forward 

 Looking softer than he ever has

Sorry a little blurry- which is when I realized my setting was off. 

That is one handome bum...the horse not the guy! 

Did you seriously just post a picture of my butt??

Lady Please!  I'm all sweaty! What will Zoe think?

Me and My Guy
 (I promise my smile was not near as forced as it appears to be)

Afterwards I walked him around while Mark got another colt. I wish I had taken a picture of this one. He looks exactly like a younger version of Danny. Same color exactly, with a white star and one white sock. He also has that same big old long nose that slight resembles a mule.  He is much smaller than Danny but then he is only 3. Maybe next time I will get a picture. Once again I found myself watching in awe at the work he was doing. Good stuff folks, really good stuff.

All in all it was a good lesson. We didn't work on a lot of different things, but focused on my riding and the much needed transitions.  I'm cannot say enough good things about Mark and the work he has done with an old lady who doesn't ride very well and her run away freight train of a horse.

Another Lesson, Another Mile Post

Right leads- Check
Rope Gate- Check
Running off with me on his back- Check
Not running off with MK on his back- Check
Getting to graze on yummy grasses after a job well done- Check

Our lesson yesterday was outside, rather than in, which was nice since it was very nice out.  I did the warming up part, and the initial ground work part while MK worked with a new colt who was getting a saddle for the first time.

We talked about my last ride and about how Trax bailed when the rope touched his and what I did about it. He liked what I had done, and decided we would work on that some. So we looped the rope on the horn and around his butt and just walked around. First he tried to run away from it, but pretty soon he was walking calmly and and standing quietly with it.

When I climbed up on him we started with our laterals and Trax really did well. He actually bends further to the left than the right now, which is amazing since the left was his bad side before. He will even hold his head there after I release him, so that is very cool.

We stepped up to some trotting and bending at the jaw, and again he is actually better on the left now than the right, so obviously I need to go back to working both sides instead of just focusing on his "bad side".  When we went with a canter he immediately tried to run off with me.  I resisted the urge to just give him his head and let him wear himself down some, because I don't want to reward him by giving in. We did a one rein stop, and then tried again. Same thing.  It was a little frustrating. What was not frustrating was that he is getting pretty good about giving me the right lead when asked.

MK said to quit one rein stopping him but instead just bring my circle down slower so that he has to slow down. Once he gives me the trot then go ahead and make my circle bigger, when he takes off again, do the same thing over and over again until he gives me the soft canter. Our goal is to get him to no longer depend on a one rein stop to slow his butt down.  Eventually Trax started wearing me out, so I stopped him and said, "Your turn."  Then promptly ran to my truck to get some water.

I wish I had some video of MK riding my horse.  It is so nice to watch.  Not that he doesn't have to work with him, but his messages are so much clearer to Trax I think.  It is just cool to see my crazy paint horse transform into something that is soft and supple and athletic looking instead of all over the place.  Or it could just be that I like the way he moves (the horse not the man) and I don't usually get to see it, since I'm usually the one on his back.  I always take my camera with me, but am always so busy watching and learning, the thought of photo shoots always falls by the way side. One of these days though, I will get some.

Anyway, once he had him settled down some, he took him to the rope gate and let him rest.  I literally laughed out loud when Trax reached down and pushed the rope with his nose a few times. Good boy!  it was nothing for him to pick up the rope and rub Trax's neck with it, and then ask him to step through. I expected him to just complete the task but instead he pushed him back and forth through the gate several times.  Each time letting him rest after a job well done.  Then he finished the task and hung the rope up.

Then it was my turn.  I got on him and trotted him around some, pushing his shoulder and asking for softness which he gave me pretty easily. Each time he did, I released and praised.  We stopped at the gate and rested, and once again, he pushed the rope with his nose.  Good good boy!  It was no trouble to open the gate and no trouble to push him through the gate.  I did like MK did and asked for this several times with a rest after each pass through.  Then I asked him to move his hip so we were parallel with the gate to line myself up for hanging the rope back up.  We got stuck there. Every time I asked for the hip, he would give it to me,, but not without backing up first which put us too far away to "close" the gate.  We worked on this for a while, each right step got a good long rest and rub both front and rear with the rope.  Finally he went where I asked and let me close my gate.  I gave him many praises and big hugs and a nice long rest.

MK asked if he could get back up on him to show me something that will help us. So I let him, of course.  He took Trax away from the gate and moved his hip from one side to the other, over and over again.  He suggested that before I even attempt the gate, ever, to do this with him just to remind him what the different cues mean. Then he said, "Your horse gets frustrated easily if he isn't sure what you want. You tend to forget to pull your leg off of him after he steps and so he starts fighting you.  I want you to remember that your spur is your last resort, and your cue is your leg. The minute he heads the right way, pull that leg way off of him so he knows he is doing right."  Then he demonstrated.

He rode to the gate picked up the rope, pushed the hip through turned him around pushed the hip back rode him forward a step and closed the gate.  A darn near perfect execution!  Well not really perfect because it is supposed to be slow, smooth, and easy, and Trax takes fast steps rather than slow, but the end result was that HE DID IT!  So he stopped and rested him and we did not work on the gate again.

After that he had me get back on him and work on his front leg crosses.  It was, guide with the inside rein, keep forward motion with the outside leg and the minute he crosses over with correct leg, release and walk forward a few steps.  This exercise is not just for him but for me as well. He is trying to teach me to learn what it feels like when he takes that correct step. I am starting to get it, because it is smoother than when he crosses behind.  Once he actually took 2 steps correctly and MK said, "Stop right there, that was perfect!  Don't do anymore, just walk him out to cool him down and then untack him by the gate."  So we walked around and around, then picked up our halter off the fence (without getting off!) and then rode him to the gate.  He nosed the rope again!  Its like he is saying, "I have defeated you, rope!"

Once I got him undressed I let him graze a little. Talk about pure bliss!  He would take a bite and then just kind of gaze at everything going on around him while he chewed.  I loved the look of contentment on his face.

The last thing MK said to me was, "A horse like this is hard to find.  I wish I had one like him."

I have to say that I really enjoy riding with MK. Not just because he gives my pony great compliments but we really have a good time.  He is very good about telling me what I am doing wrong with out making me feel stupid. What ever he sees me struggling with, he finds a way to help me through it. Even more important is when he sees me doing something right, he lets me know also.   I try to respect what he is doing by paying close attention and applying it to my riding.

Watch Out World, Here We Come!

I got off work at 4:30 yesterday, and raced my butt home (literally) as fast as I could. The weather was perfect and I didn't want to lose out on even a minutes worth of warm daylight.

Got loaded and rolling as quick as I could and hit the arena about 5:30. As I was pulling in so was Kim.  This time I brought traffic cones so we could practice those.  You have to maintain a steady trot through them,  and he did struggle with that at the trail clinic.

We started with prayer and "parade" work, only this time while we were walking I waved my flag behind me over my shoulder so it was between Trax and I.  I was able to watch his shadow and see that he was not effected by it in anyway. Then I waved it under his feet and belly, and behind him.  No reaction what so ever.  (last week he was flinchy, the week before that he was terrified) I was quite happy.

We working on crossing over with the correct front foot, and lateral bends while I was still on the ground. We lunged in circles, both directions at a trot and a walk, working on the down ward transitions.  He excelled at the lateral's, did ok on the rest.

Then I got up on him...from the right side instead of the left. This is one of the things you have to do in the Ranch Horse Competition, and although I know he is good with it, it never hurts to remind him that it can happen at any time.

We started with the laterals again, and did not stop until he gave them to me without moving his feet, in either direction 2 times in a row.  This took a while but he finally got it.  Then we started working.

We walked, while asking for the flex at the jaw, we trotted while asking for the flex at the jaw.  We backed up, and then turned and went the opposite directions. I have been told that from now on when I stop him, I always need to turn him the other way to leave again in order to make my stops count.  There were a few times where I felt like he was trying to run off with me, so one rein stops ensued.

Then I decided to canter...he decided that a dead run would be better.  So we stopped (one rein) and started again.  I decided to see if I could get that right lead from him.  I pushed his right shoulder forward and asked for a canter.  He swished his tail and gave a hop (not a crow hop, just a hop) and took off on the left.  We stopped, and started again. Same thing, push the right shoulder forward and asked for a canter. He took off on the right lead and wheeeee we was flying! I tried to start with smaller circles but he was really wanting to go. When he wants to go and you are doing smaller circles, he does "barrel racer turns" which can be scary if you aren't ready for them.  I decided to use the whole arena and the rail.  He was still trying to gain some speed, and I was still asking for softness. I'd bump the reins a little and he would drop his head some but it was still a fight. Even still he kept the correct lead so I just kept going. I could hear MK in my head saying, "If you can ride it out till he gets it, you will win."  So I rode it out.  There were a lot of "Easy big boy" and "Take a breath Trax" from me. Then I noticed something. I was tense from holding him in. I was probably squeezing with my legs some, AND I was not relaxed in my seat.  So next came the big exhale from me, a butt plant into the seat and a solid conscious effort to relax.  Within 3 strides I felt him let down a little.  Half way around the arena he was no longer fighting me and we had a nice smooth canter. we made a full lap like this and then I let him stop. (okay I made him stop- he could have gone on for hours)

YESSSS!!!!!

Then we did a canter in the left lead.  Not an issue for him, but asking for the softness is, so that was my goal.  It started out the same as the other, but took much less time for me to relax and even less for him.  Then we trotted nice and easy, practicing transitions downward to a walk, then back to a trot. I worked really hard on giving him very slight cues for a trot, and then relaxing me seat for the walk.  He is starting to get it.

About that time Kim decided to go but I was just getting warmed up so I stayed.  We did a lot of just trotting around the cones, and trotting to the chinks on the fence. Stop, pick them up flop them around, put them back, trot back to the cones, keep a steady pace, then canter around the arena in a right lead, then back to trotting.  It was all about moving, moving, moving, because I wanted to keep his feet and mind busy for a good while.

Then it was time to rest. Can you guess where we rested?  If you guessed the rope gate, then you are correct.  We rested right there in the middle of it.  We rested a long long time and pretty soon he was nosing the ropes.  (can you see me smiling?)  That got lots of pets and good boys.

Then we started moving again.  Trot, trot, trot, soft canter, back to a trot, down to a walk, up to a trot, through the cones, over to the poles.  Then we executed the poles from his bad side. 2 faults, correct the faults, try again. 2 steps rest for 10 seconds, 2 more steps rest for 10 seconds, and so on and so forth. 3rd execution was faultless.

This got more petting and a chance to rest at the rope gate again.  We were parked right next to the opened end, so I reached down and picked it up.

This is usually where he bails.

He did not bail!!!!!!!

He stood there totally relaxed. I pet him with the rope. He flinched but did not move his feet.   Lots of "good boys" came from that.  I hung it back up, we walked away and then came back. Same thing, lots of petting with the rope, no flinching this time.  (Can you see me grinning like the Cheshire cat?)

So I decided to see how far we could go with it. I asked for a step forward, and got it with no problem. I asked him to move his hip through the gate, and he got stuck.  We worked on it for a long time. Every correct step got a nice long rest.  A couple of times he told me he wanted to bail, but I talked him out of it. I would hang onto the rope, never letting him pull to far and ask for another step back into the gate.  One time he moved so that the rope was in his face. I thought that it would send him over the edge. It didn't. He looked at it ,and he sniffed it, but didn't freak out, so we rested there like that and every so often I would wiggle it around so that it could touch his face but not smack him. He was totally cool with it. Good boy.

I kept asking for that hip to move through and we never did get it. One time he started to get it and the rope touched his butt. Now THAT caused him to bail.  So I dropped the rope, we circled around to the closed end and settled.  Then I picked up the rope and we started all over again. This time I petted him on the butt with it. I flopped it all around till I heard him let his air out. Then we tried again.  We worked on this for a good while and although I never did get him to execute the task completely, I did finally get him to let me hang the rope back up again to "close the gate", so we called it good right there.

I hate to admit it but I dang near cried.  I know, seems silly, especially since we didn't fully execute the task, but I honestly had my doubts that we would ever even get past the gate.  Now I know that we will.  I know that we will get past the rope gate, the log pull, the right leads, and even the spins.   I know now that with a little time and perseverance, there isn't anything he can't learn.  I also know now that although I don't expect to win any ribbons this summer. I can say with confidence that we will probably not make fools of ourselves, and possibly even give a few other folks a run for their money!

I took home a couple of good lessons from this ride. First and foremost being that I have not been giving him time to get into "training mode".  We were pretty close to an hour into our ride before his mind settled down enough to think about what we were doing. Then we rode for another full hour. The days I was having a hard time with him, we barely even reached an hour before I called it a night.  So now I know that he needs that first hour to get settled.  Secondly I learned to keep riding him through his rough spots, and then reward reward reward.  I guess I knew that, but really gained a new perspective on what it means.

We finished the evening by riding around and picking up the chinks and the roping rope, I had sitting on the fence.  Then we opened and rode through the regular gate. He did quite let me close it like I wanted, but I didn't expect him too either.

Then we had yummy treats and a photo op.

"You got Candies"??

This is his "I did it!" look

Do you see what I see, Lady?

He was pretty interested in something that was going on over on the BB Brooks land. I couldn't see what he was looking at, but he could.

When we got home he did something completely different.  I unhaltered him to turn him loose and instead of just taking off as soon as he was free, he stayed with me.  He hung out while I petted him and loved on him. It wasn't until I said, "Go on and go" that he finally headed down to his favorite dirt hole to roll.

My boy is growing up.

What I learned

What I learned through my horse week is that I must slow down. Even though I know I need to and I am trying to, I have to do it for real.  No short cuts, and with each correct footfall from Trax I need to reward reward reward.
If it takes 30 seconds to get the right step, then I need to reward with  stillness for 90 seconds.

It was very cool watching MK ride Trax. I saw my horse in a very short time become soft and relaxed.  I watched him give a right lead with out hardly any work at all from MK.  I saw him trying so hard to be a good pony, and I saw the look in his eye when he knew he had done something right.

MK and I talked about the different classes I want to enter in May. Color Breed Halter, Ranch Riding, and Trail.
I said, "I don't know that he will stand still for halter."
MK says, "Sure he will. Just spend a little time having someone pretend they are judging him."
Then I said, "I don't think we will ever get past the rope gate for trail."
He says, "You can move his body parts and he is getting better about ropes, he can learn this."

So next lesson I am supposed to bring my rope gate along, so he can help with that too.

The main thing he stressed to me, is to not give up on my horse. He told me several times how much he is enjoying working with him. He says it is so nice to have a horse that really enjoys learning and has the energy to keep up the pace. It seems that when ever I feel like we aren't getting anywhere, MK says the opposite.

I showed him my video (Click here if you haven't seen it yet)  and he was very impressed.  I was pretty impressed too, because 2 days before that we attempted it, and he was doing it but hitting the poles. On the day I filmed this, I stepped him up to it, and then we did one practice run which was perfect. Then Simon got the camera and he did it again perfect.  Never once touched the poles.  I gotta say, when he gets it....he gets it!

So I learned to have faith in my horse and faith in myself.

The other thing we are going to do one day soon, is go on a trail ride with MK. The place where we do our lessons borders, BLM land, so he wants to take us out and see if we can't deal with that running away issue.

So for now its a big breath out, and one step at a time.  I have got to remember that!

Horse week, day 6 and final day.

Helloooo Nice ladies of the world who have big hearts for their ponies! Trax here to tell you about the final day of my ladies "horse week."  I don't really understand why she needs a special week for horses when we are here everyday and everyday she comes to see us and brings us yummy treats, and grains and green squares of hay.  But she says it is horse week, so I do not argue.

Today we went to see the nice man who teaches me things.  She calls him "Em-Kay" but I just call him the nice man.  I wasn't sure if he was a nice man at first but now I know he is and I like him very much.

Every time we go there, before we learn anything he and my lady look at the ground and talk to God. They tell him thank you for a wunnerful horse (that's me- I'm wunnerful), and ask for things called guidence and safety.  When ever they do this it makes me feel warm inside and makes me want to be a good pony.

Then my lady and I did some of the stuff that scares me, but I am less scared now, so it was okay.  She said we were in a pa-raid, and we marched around the arena with a flag.  Then she waved the flag around me and I was not afraid except just a little. But since I was a good boy, she petted me with it.

Then the man got the rope and I was a little afraid at first.  I am not sure why I am afraid but sometimes I think I am so used to running away from it, that now I just do it without thinking.  The nice man says he is trying to teach me how to think about things before I react.  This is a good thing I think.  Pretty soon they had the rope on the saddle and dragged a log around all by myself!  It felt funny at first but then I was all like "pfffft- I got this."

Then the nice man got on me and we just sat still while he helped me loosen the muscles in my neck. It was good too because I have to admit, I was a little tense.  After I wasn't tense anymore he started asking me to do things.  We did things like backing up, and going sideways, and going in circles. He even had me drag the log while he was on me. I did a good job and pulled as hard as I could. I wanted to be scared when the rope touched my butt, but he wasn't scared so then I wasn't either. I pulled it this way, and then that way, and then back the other way again.  It was kind of fun to not be afraid.

The nice man rode me for a long time.  I have decided that I like it when he rides me.  He makes it easy for me to understand what he wants me to do and where he wants me to put my feets. ( When I understands, I do) I think he likes to ride me too because he gave me lots of rests and told me each time  that I was a good good pony.

I heard him tell my lady that I have learned a lot since we first started and that she should be veeeery proud of me.  She said that she is veeeeery proud of me.  I am proud of me too!

Then my lady got on me, and think she is learning a lot too.  I have not always understood what she wanted me to do (when I do not understands, I do not do) but this time she asked just like the nice man did and I knew right away what she wanted.  So I put my feets right where she wanted and she gave me a big rest and lots of pets and told me I was a good good boy.

Then she got off and loosened my saddle so I knew we were done for the day.   We stood around while they (nice lady, nice man, and nice man's boy) talked about things that they want to teach me. My lady does not think I will ever get over being afraid of the rope gate. The nice man says that I can learn anything, and that I am a very smart pony.  He said that if I was a stupid pony, I'd still be roping cows for people who are not nice.   The nice man says that if I was smart enough to show them that I didn't like them being mean to me,  I am smart enough to learn anything, as long as peoples are nice to me.  I have decided that I like learning!

Then they talked about some stuff called coff-fee. I do not know what that is, but it must be very good because they all said that they could sure use some right then.  If I had some coff-fee I would have shared it with them for being so nice.

Then we went home and my nice lady gave me yummy candies and let me go and roll in the mud.  There was water falling from the sky all morning so there was some great mud holes to roll in.  I do love a good mud bath.

Well good bye for now Nice Ladies, and don't forget to hug your ponies today!  Oh and my lady said to tell you all Happy Easter (but I do not know what that means)

Horse week Day 5- revised with better link

Woot Woot!

Look what Trax can do!

Day 2 of Ride Week

Day 2 was pretty uneventful. The weatherman didn't lie about the temp but he forgot to mention the bank of clouds that was going to roll off the mountain and right over our arena at the exact time we would show up to ride.

I took my rope gate that TC made (which is made for a pony sized horse and not a big horse like Trax) and some poles to put on the ground.

I remembered to start with prayer, and then went to desensitization.  We used Simon s chinks this time and the bag/flag.  He was not near as relaxed this time as he was the day before. I'm sure it is directly related to no being at home.

When I stepped up on him he was a little run offish, but a few one reined stops helped that.  At least he doesn't run off while I am mounting. He is very good about standing still while I get both feet in the stirrups.  But the second I pick up the reins he starts to walk off. So we stop and go back to where we started and then when I ask to go, we go.

Again he is good with his flex to the right, but fights me to the left. In fact he tries to back up instead of going forward.  Last lesson with MK I was doing some serpentine like Jay had shown me and MK said that since we are trying  to get him to quit moving his hind around so much, to make my serpentine more like a 2 track to the left then a 2 track to the right while always asking for forward.  So I did that yesterday. Oddly enough, in a short time I had him giving me that left bend without backing up by doing this.  So now I know that I have a good tool to use.

Then we went to the chinks which were laying on the fence.  I was able to ask him to stand next to them without issue, and then bend over and pick them up and flop them around his shoulders.  Well done Buddy!

Next was the rope gate.  Can you say "EPIC FAIL"???  I finally got him to stand next to it and relax and lick and chew. But I went too far this time, by trying to reach over and pick up the rope. He did his usual bolt across the arena move, and then refused to stand next to it again.  So we did more work on the other side and then rested at the gate without attempting to pick up the rope.  From now on that will be the drill. I will work his butt off everywhere but there and that will be the only place we rest. Period.

Next we moved on to the poles. I set them up in 2 lines like the were at the clinic.  I am blown away but how quickly he picked up on what the routine is for this task.  I have not quite got him to where I can start at the outside of the poles for the side pass, but I did start him almost at the very end and then side passed him all the way down to the other end. He naturally lines up for the "go through" although got stuck there and kept wanting to side pass again.  I backed him up and we just walked through the middle of the poles 2 times and then started again. A near perfect side pass all the was down, flipped his butt, walked through, then backed back through them with maybe 2 faults for touching the poles.  Kim tried to video it with her phone, but something went wrong when she sent it because the pixels are all jacked up.  All you can see are squares and something moving.

I realized though that I was only asking for hm to side pass from the right, so then we did it from the left and he fell apart.  Knocked all the poles out of place, and got himself all worked up.  So when stepped back a notch and asked for one step at a time. Step, settle, step settle. Things went much smoother then.

His spins are coming along nicely. He can make it almost all the way around before his back end falls out of place. That is major progress as far as I am concerned.

I feel like I am really starting to put things together in my rides.  Looking where I am going instead of looking down is becoming second nature, and I feel I am much better with the way I am using my legs and spurs. More solid contact with the calf first and then rolling the spur on with solid pressure. It shows in how Trax responds, which is less reacting (tail swishing) and more doing.

Holy Crap, you can teach an old woman new tricks!

Tonight we will meet up again for just a trail ride. This is when I will really work on that flex while moving forward routine.  Kim says she has a 2 miles loop that she does, which takes about an hour at a trot.  That should be perfect for what I want to accomplish.

Happy Hump day everyone!

Progress Through Prayer and Footfalls

Trax and I had another lesson with MK on Saturday, and things went better than I ever could have imagined.  Trax would probably say otherwise, but we truly made some good headway with him.

We started by discussing the prior week, including the trail clinic and my ride with Kim last Tuesday. I told him about Trax being so wound up at the clinic and about the facilitators assessment that the best thing for Trax is "take a step and settle- take another step and settle".   MK totally agreed with her assessment and decided that from now on we are going to build off of that.  We also talked about my need to relax, and slow down and changing the questions I asked of my horse. (See the link to The Confidence Blog on my post from Friday if you haven't already).  I am not on a time schedule, this is not some reality TV show where I have to have my "job" completed by some certain deadline.

Then before we started any kind of training at all...we prayed. We first gave thanks for these wonderful animals that we have a chance to work with, then asked for calmness and serenity and good communication.  We asked God to create that link between me and my horse, and help him to understand that he is safe with us.  Lastly we asked him to keep us safe in our endeavors.

I can honestly say I will never ever ever, get on, or work with a horse again without doing this first.  It made a huge difference in how I felt through out the entire session.

During the entire lesson there were huge chunks of snow and ice sliding off the roof and crashing onto the ground out side. Each time this happened Trax would jump from one side of the arena to the other.  I know he thought that the Paint Horse Eating Monsters were just on the other side of the wall trying to get in and get him.

We started with lunging and I spent more time on it than I have lately.  I started him going to the left, which he lately has fought me on. If he is going to fight on the left he will start on the left.  I noticed last week that when lunging to the left he moves with his head facing the outside, which tells me that he is no even close to thinking about me. So I started giving him a bump with the lead asking him to pull that head in.  We did that for a while, and MK said I was smart to catch that, and even smart to use it to get him to soften on the left from the ground. Then he showed me how Trax, is not moving in a straight line while in a circle. He is always trying to throw his butt to the outside. He took the lead from me and showed me how to fix that.  He only does it to the left (no surprise there) so that is where we focused most of our attention. Then I took the lead back and worked on transitions. Trot to a walk, without me having to move my body in front of him. I wanted him to let down and walk on his own. He finally did and after a full circle at a walk I disengaged the hind and let him rest.  MK said, "That is some good work, well done. " (yay!)

Then he took him back from me, we spent an hour at least working on the ground with him.  I have been pushing him in a "spin" motion from the ground for a long time. MK showed me that I have been letting him do it incorrectly.  The leg that I push from needs to cross in front. (No one told me that before ) so if I take my stick while pushing him and just lightly tap the back of the leg he will eventually put in in front and cross it over.  First correct footfall gets a release.  Not just a little release, but a great big long huge release, with lots of "Goodboys" and pets.  Pretty soon he had him doing it a few times in a row all on his own.  He said not to worry about getting that from the saddle. If I keep doing it from the ground until it is natural for him, he will do it all the time on his own.

Next was the flag on the stick, and a rope on a log, and jumping up and down waving our arms next to him. Just a ton of different things to desensitize him.  MK says "This horse has a ton of buttons and we have to help him get rid of them"   By time we were done he was standing quietly with his head down and relaxed. His eye was soft and he was breathing nicely. From now on- nothing less that 20 min of desensitizing before I get on him.

MK wanted me to try a different bit on him.   He gave me an Avila twisted snaffle.  It is twisted in the middle but smooth on the outer edges, so it is not rough on the corners of his mouth.  It actually worked quite nicely, he didn't throw his head around with it, and was quite responsive.

I started with lateral bends left and right, then just walking to get him centered and relaxed. Then we walked the wall asking him for the vertical/lateral combo flex to the right.  He gave it to me very well. The left was a different story but we worked on it, and he did start to give it to me.  (Um big YAY!)

Then MK put a barrel in the middle and with his foot drew a circle around it. He asked me to use that as my guide and take him to the left, asking him to give to the left and using my inside leg to drive him out. Then he said ,"Stop poking that horse with your spurs!"  (oops)  He told me to use my calf for pressure and if that didn't get the response then just gently roll the spur onto his side.  THAT got an instant and smooth response.

At one point he told me that my riding posture was perfect.  I literally busted out laughing because the first thought that came to mind was...yep you guessed it..."Tits to the Sky!"  I never did tell him what I was laughing about. He is a religious man and I didn't want to embarrass him.

So we were making some great progress there, and moved on to a few spin type steps.  He told me I can ask for a "two track" for a step then ask for the spin step and sure enough he crossed over correctly. I never asked for more than one step at a time without a rest and he did so good.

After that we tried the bridge which is next to a bunch of mirrors and right next to the wall where the snow was crashing around outside.  We did try getting him to settle there, but I could feel that he never really did. He was always preparing to bolt and had no intention of going over that bridge. We weren't getting anywhere so I got off and lead him over the bridge back and forth several times. At one point I asked him to just stand on it, but soon realized that it was teeter-tottering and when it did that he jumped off the side. Can't say that I blame him there.  Then we rode over it several times.  I apologized to MK for cheating, he said, "If it works then it isn't cheating. You helped him make the connection and that is all that counts."

Next task was to side pass over some logs in an L shape.  He really did very well with this, especially when I had to move his butt around the corner.  A few times I had to push him back into place when he tried to go to far forward or back, but for the most part he nailed it.

At that point, MK's next student had arrived and so we called it a day.  I walked away feeling like really really accomplished so much, and I really have some good foundation to work on for the rest of the week.

TC is going to be gone all week, and the weather is going to be nice, so there is no reason why I can't get in a few rides at the very least.

We talked about the upcoming clinics (reining and western) and I have made the decision not to take Trax to those clinics.  To bring in another training style at this point for him would be counterproductive, but I will take Killian so that I can learn what the classes themselves are all about.

So all in all, it was a great great day, my horse came home calm and relaxed and I never once had to run him into the ground first.

Now it is time for me to get dressed and go feed and clean stalls.