Power Steering

One interesting side affecting of riding the boy is the burning pain in my left bicep. The stinko really doesn't feel like turning to left and my piss poor rope halter rein set slid on the left side so he could really brace on the left. I woke up wondering why my arm felt like I got a tentanus shot then realized it was just Dickie.

After my ride I went to sit on Miss Bre the queen of power steering. If you even think "Left" that is where she goes. She was in her paddock when I arrived so I got on and did a few circles just to remind myself of my girl's super smooth turning. Then she sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked back at me like "Is this neccesary, I was napping?" I let her return to alternating between napping and squealing at Romeo with me on board. She decided it was pretty good with me up there because I my mounted neck massages aren't too shappy.

Dickie is about the age Bre was when I first got on her. She had many more miles under saddle but her turning wasn't a whole lot better. I hope I can install some power steering my 2010 model too :)

Hops and Trots

I rode Dickie again yesterday. It turned out great for various reasons. I don't plan on being on his back quite so often long term but it seemed important to make sure his lessons of last week really set in before he had a break. There are jumps in the arena the last half of the week so it was crowded and difficult to get a good lunge in. I decided to forgo much on that front. I want to start seeing how he will do without the midless circle game. It was ok during those first rides to make sure he was tired but we are moving into long term training mode and I need to start doing excercises that are sustainable for his maturing body.

Anyhoo, I did a super quick lunge and he was feeling fresh. He let out plenty of bucks and leaps but was tuned in to me so I decided to hedge my bets and get on. I was thrilled when as soon as I put let on he started walking. I still give him the voice command "Walk On" but I have found that he quickly transfers one cue for another so leg is already doing the trick. He coudl tell right off that he was going to be a little opinionated. We had the arena to ourselves but there were horses coming in and out of the hallway and his baby brain was having a hard time focusing. He really wanted to eat the jumps, visit with the mares on one side, talk to the geldings on the other, rear a little for the fun of it..... He gave me a few protest crow hops, kicks, and mini rears but nothing I couldn't handle. The beauty of a young horse with ADD is that they also forget what made them mad. At one point he really really really didn't want to go left and started to put up a fight then he forgot why he was made beause he saw my foot out of the corner of his eye and decided to taste it. I know it sounds weird but I acutaly feel better than we had some acrobatics. I haven't been on a naughty horse in a loooong time and am out of shape. I wasn't sure if I would remember what to do. I was so happy when my muscle memory took over. I am not as agile as I once was but apparently I still remember how to ride the young squirts.

I tried to trot him in the big arena but quickly deicded it was a bad idea. It was windy, I have limited breaks, he felt fresh, and there were jumps to run into everywhere. I still wanted to have a little trot so we went ot the round pen. It took him a couple tries to remember but we did it. His trot is still fairly tentative but started to open up. I really want to get a little more control so that I can do most of our trotting on straight lines in the arena or outside. For now though the round pen is a neccesary evil but I see us getting out of there and riding the proprety in the next two weeks or so. He gets a few days off for now so I can finish up this term at school Then it is all ponies all the time!!

Another Good Ride Under His Belt!!

I have a pile of homework and got called in last minute for a four hour shift at the hospital today. I had planned on riding three horses today but it wasn't to be. I really didn't have time for Dickie either but I felt like it was important to ride him again while Friday was still fresh in his mind. I rushed over after work to get a quick ride.

I hate lunging babies for very long (that hole turning on developing tendons thing) but I also don't want to just hop on a fresh, barely broke horse. Luckily he tuned in really quickly so I only had to lunge him for five minutes or less. It was windy, the other horses were bucking and farting around the arena. I would prefer to work him in the round pen because it is less distracting but someone took part of the sand out of the round pen (long story...) so it is uneven and the drainage gravel is coming up. So to the big arena we went. The arena with lots of room to take off and horses hanging heads in on all three sides.

Once again I am amazed at how much his mind has settled in the last month. He is still a huge dinkus but he is just grown up enough to feel like I can expect him to pay attention for more than two seconds. He stood like a rock at the mounting block and moved right off when I gave him a bump with my legs. He really wanted to go hang out with the mares and gave a little head toss/hop when I turned him away but that was it. My goal today was work on turning. He is about as flexible at a 1970s Cadillac but it didn't take much for him to start figuring it out. At this point I don't care if things are pretty or coordinated. All I care is that he understands what I am asking. At the end we did big three circle serpentines down the arena and managed to walk a few 20 meter circles. He doesn't stop on a dime and dribbles on a bit after he has stopped but HE STOPS.

We only trotted a lap each way and he was very tentative. I didn't want to push it though because I had been on for about 15 mins and was using up all his baby brain with the turning business. The good thing about his trot was that he understood more leg meant go and was even responding to my driving seat. It didn't matter that he fell out of the trot quickly, the big thing was that he picked it up right away. I just want to see those wheels turning in his brain.

I know I might be partial but I think he's doing amazing for this only being the second time he was asked to perform under saddle. Yes, I have been on him a handful of times. However, during those rides all I expected was for him to be relaxed and tolerate me swinging into his sides. Go Dickie!!

You tube link of Dickie and I handing out: His Royal Cuteness

Very Grainy Video

Dickie Trots

It's a super grainy video. It was raining on an off and my iPhone camera decided it can't focus while videotaping anymore.

WE TROTTED!!!

A month or so ago I felt like Dickie just wasn't ready to push under saddle. His attention span was all over the place and he had the spring crazies. He seems to be calming down and somewhere along the line I realized he is as ready to be pushed as he will ever be. He ground drives, stops from long line pressure, W/T/C from voice command, stands at the mounting block. tolerates mounting/dismounting, and his attention span is improving daily. I planned on getting him going during my vacation that happened a bit sooner :) The BFF sent me a text to say he was getting off early and we should ride Dickie. It just so happened that I was getting off early too. I threw on a sweatshirt over my scrubs and BFF brought me some jeans and I was ready for some pony starting. 

I went through my usual routine of lunging with lots of transitions. When I lunge a horse my goal isn't just to "wear them out." You can't wear a hot horse out, you just get them more frazzled, and they are even fitter/spazier for the next ride. I ask for lots of transitions between gaits and tempo changes within the gait so the horse is mentally tuned in to me. 

After I worked him the BFF took over since he would be getting on first. We both expected some fire works when it came to telling Dickie he had to move forward when he really wanted to watch what the lesson girls were doing. He gathered up a little like he might rear but the BFF has started enough horses to get Dickie moving right away. Once Dickie started to understand what was being asked he seemed to actually enjoy the whole process. Pretty soon the BFF is trotting and Dickie looked happy as could be. BFF hadn't planned on cantering but trotting went so well that he gave him a kick and said "canter" annnnnnd HE CANTERED!! There were a few small mini bucks here and there when he was first figuring out how to balance with a rider but that was it. They did a few canters each way and I hopped on. 

It felt great to get on. He was already figuring out how to move off the leg and has a good "whoa" installed from the rein and voice. It was going so well that asked for a trot. He felt amazing. I had the biggest grin on my face. I wanted to keep going forever but I knew Dickie was tired deserved to be done. I felt great to finally be working towards some under saddle goals. It meant so much to have my BFF there. He has started many horses and Dickie is my first, so he gave me some great ideas. 

I have photo proof. They are from my iPhone so the quality isn't great. The photos of my are from video so they are even more blurry. At least I finally have proof!! The only proof I have so far is a blurry photo of my knee, lol. 

Still A Genius

I haven't talked much about Dickie lately but that isn't becuase something is wrong. He is doing well but there isn't much to report. One of the realities of training a youngster is that things are often boring. Slow and steady wins the race with babies. Each day he is a tiny bit calmer and can pay attention a few seconds longer. We have been going for walks. I really want him to respond quickly to my voice "Whoa" "Walk on" without needing me to pull on the lead. I have worked a little more on long lining too because he doesn't seem confident once I get out of his visual range. I am hoping this will help once my vacation rolls around.

My hope is that with 16 straight days off I will be able ot get him going better under saddle. He is perfectly happy with me getting on and off his back but now he needs to learn how to go when I ask where I ask. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared for this stage of his training. Dickie is an opnionated horse and likes to express his opinion with leaps, rears and bucks. He isn't mean spirited but I am not sure he will realize his old momma doesn't find leaps and bucks entertaining.

It has been hard to get him going because I know things could get a tad exciting. I feel like I need a stretch of time when I can work with him daily. As it stands I can't go out on work days and I have only been off for one or two days in a row. He only takes a few times to really get something down but I haven't wanted to start something I couldn't finish in a few days.

So look out Dickie-vacation is coming so you better get your big pony pants on!!

Horse Neglect

I had a long week of work and getting caught up in school so Dickie was left to his own devices. I am forever grateful for the BO because he gets extra sassy when I haven't been around. He generally expresses contempt for not having a job to do by rearing, bucking in place, and trying throw anything that happens to be left within reach of his stall door. One bright spot is the fact that his behavior is way better these days. Before if I even missed a day or two he was a wild man. These days his feral horse side is more manageable. He only needs minor reminders that humans are not play toys and doesn't tug on the lead rope or try to body slam you.

I arrived this week not sure what mood I would find him in. Actually I knew the mood. He has one mood at all times: YAYAYAYAYAY!!!! HUMANS!! MUST PLAY NOW!!! What I didn't know was if he would be able to channel that extreme exuberance into acceptable horse behavior. He knows the rules but he is a horse that will always test. He greets you in the field at first polite then he checks to see if the rules of personal space still apply by pushing me with his neck or trying to get up close eye ball to eye ball. Then I say "No you can't treat me like  your mares" and ask him to back up. If he stands politely several feet away he can have a treat, if not he gets to back up until he stands and waits for me to approach.

He was just as sassy as I expected. He danced like he had ants in his pants in the cross ties. Then torture of all tortures, Josey's mom showed up with kids. He LOVES kids and watching them without getting to taste them was too much for his baby brain. He decided this was reason to buck in place in the aisle. The funny thing is that no matter how antsy he is I never get the impression he is going to lose his mind and tear the cross ties down. If he dances so much that he hits the end of the cross ties he just stops, glares at me like I did it, then starts back up again but with less animation. It is just like him, he always wants to know exactly how far he can push things (cross ties, other horses, people, his stall door....). 

I hurried to get his feet picked because I know asking his spazzy brain to wait in the cross ties after a week of no work isn't that fair. Instead of going to the main arena we headed to the paddock behind the barn. It is about the dimension of a small arena, the footing is decent but has slight undulations. I don't lunge him there often, or for long, but I think it is good for him to get used to uneven ground. He was full of energy but the uneven ground kept him somewhat humbled. He is used to running full tilt in the pen but only on straight lines, trying to keep balanced on a circle took all of his concentration. At first he threw some tantrums and tried to spin back the other way (he prefers going to the right) but finally gave in. 

At the end of our session he was so focused. It is odd because he often spends the first ten mins or so really testing me (trying to spin the other way, breaking gait, bucking, rearing, etc) but by the end he gets really relaxed and focused. He is also extra cuddly after he has been worked physically. His shenanigans at the start makes it seem like he doesn't want to work but I think he just wants to challenge me. In the end he seems to thrive on work and it makes him a different horse. I think he will turn out to be one of those horses who really needs a job and is happier when he is in hard work. My TB mare was like that. If you didn't really push her she would make things exciting on her own (bucking or bolting) but if you gave her a big physical/mental challenge she would go all day and ask for more. Bre loves a job but she also really needs to be babied mentally, you can't push her too hard before you can feel her start to mentally self destruct. 

I am excited to be a little over two weeks away from a 16 day vacation and a horse who is telling me he is really for more challenge!!

Leaps and Bounds

Sometimes it is easy to forget how far the big boy has come when he is wiggling around, stepping on my feet, and trying to steal my stuff. Then, I remember our first walks from the old stable up to Bre's barn. Every spook was in my direction, my feet were smooshed every third step, when asked to move from pressure he often stomped in disgust or reared. He wanted to grab the lead rope out of my hand constantly and would headbutt me if I didn't share it with him. 

These days he only steals my stuff when he is bored. If he needs to spook it is away from me 90% of the time. He is willing to step out of my space easily and doesn't throw tatrums when I ask. He very rarely steps on my feet these days. He stands tied without too much wiggling and usually his only protest is the occasional stomp. I am still keep my guard up but he isn't half as nippy. He seems to be getting the concept that humans can be sniffed and nuzzled but not bitten. 

We've been working on trotting in hand quite a bit. He used to get so excited when I ran next to him that he would leap, paw at me, and dance sideways. The last two days I went out he just trotted along next to me like a good boy. 

Currently we are working on my putting my foot in the stirrup and jumping up and down. I've been trying to poke him in the side some so I don't have to be perfect when I mount. He stands pretty dang still for a horse who doubles as a perpetual motion machine. 

And through it all he is just so personable. He loves people, he eats up getting brushed and petted. He isn't perfect by any means. He can't seem to get to understand that when he whips his head around to look at the Llamas (or birds, dogs, other horses...) that my head is the exact same level. I currently have a bump on my forehead to show for it. But, he is tries so hard and I feel privileged to watch him grow up.