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

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!!

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. 

Trivial Schooling Show Dilemnas

We have a show in one month and Dickie is for sure going. Not sure if he will eat me but I am taking him anyway. That part is set in stone. The giant mule eared beast is getting in the trailer. He is also getting braided even though it is a little super low key show. I want to do as many dress rehearsals as possible before I am trying to ride him AND braid him AND not die.

I really want to take a horse to ride in a few flat classes. I feel like I need to get the feel for showing again on a broke horse. My plan was to take Josey but I have been horribly delinquent in riding her. I have worked a really crazy work schedule the last month and about all I have had energy for is clicker training and ground work with Dickie. Even at that some days I have just been giving him kisses and brushes then going home. The work schedule issues have resolved but I have Christmas next week and some extra lessons with Romeo's Girl to get her ready for a series of three shows in two months. ARGH!! Not enough time in the day. I really really want her to have a good experience and trust me before I got hauling her off to deal with a big crowd of horses. My plan is to be disciplined until the entries close and see how she is feeling about me. If I get the sense she trusts me and won't find the adventure traumatizing she goes. If not this is the first show in a series so I won't ruin her confidence just to satisfy my urge to get back in show ring.

That brings me to the dilemma. If I don't take the Spotted Princess there is one shiny Red Mare sitting in my barn looking pretty. She's a go anywhere do anything kind of girl and wouldn't be stressed at all. We've been together long enough (13 years next summer) that she's happy to go anywhere I am at. However, I am sure we will look REALLY sloppy in the ring. I haven't ridden her in a bit more than five times in the last two years. We trail ride but use her hack. Our arena is a swamp and the indoor down the street has footing that would hurt her arthritis. That means there is not time to acclimate her to a bit. She very much prefers her little short shank hack (hates side pulls and bitless bridles) to a bit and will go all day in that without any prep. Since I don't care how I place, I just want the experience of being in the ring, do you think it is a big deal if I show up in the hack?  I know the show won't kick me out of the ring or anything.

I am kind of thinking I will take both the hack and the bit. If she is feeling amenable to a bit (some days she is) we will go traditional. If not the mare gets what she wants. I am only doing this to get my jitters out. Then again maybe miss Josey will decide she would like to go and the red mare will get to stay home stuffing herself with hay.

Ahh the totally trivial things I spend my time thinking about so I don't have to think about real life :)

Cross Tie Woes

Another horse blogger recently shared on Princess Diva Diaries that blogs help us not feel so alone when things aren't going perfect. I have to admit that sometimes I tend to accentuate our good days. It isn't all from wanting to look good. Mostly I am just so impressed with my boy that once he's good I forget about the bad parts right away. Well in the interest of commiserating with my fellow bloggers in the hope that it will make someone feel not so alone here it goes........

Dickie looked happy as could be grazing with his girls today. I called for the horses to come in and at first no one was interested in what I had. They were up to their eyeballs in grass. Of course my good boy couldn't resist me for more than a few seconds and came right up. I decided to take him over to the old barn before it got too dark or started to rain buckets again. I heard that when they walked him over this weekend he reared a few times. It isn't entirely unheard of for him throw tantrums and rear but this kind of behavior has pretty much dwindled and I wanted to see what was up. Our routine is for me to stop often and say "Whoa" then ask him to back up. I do this randomly and I will also do it the second his shoulder get an inch in front of mine. He was FABULOUS on the way over. He was a little snorty and wanted to prance but he listened and even kept out of my personal space. I was thrilled. Often he needs mental recalibration when I have been away working for a few days. We went into the round pen for a few minutes and he was on point there too. The best thing about it was the fact that it was windy and he was very distracted. Even with all that he was still able to listen to me. That is  HUGE improvement over the first day I got him. 

How is this sharing the bad stuff you ask? Oh I am getting there. Once we got back to the barn I decided to work on cross tie manners. We haven't had a good cross tie set up since the first barn. The only cross ties were in another barn and it was too hard to walk the beast and carry all my supplies to I groomed him at a single tie in his stall or the aisle. The second I put him in the ties I knew I had my work cut out for me. He would back up, move forward, dance from side to side, grab the cross ties, he was like a preschooler hopped up on candy after Halloween. 

When I work on getting my horses to stand still in the cross ties I just keep putting the horse where I want them. That is how I get them to ground tie too. Bre would stand all day in one spot if I asked her (I used past tense because she is currenlty in a state of extreme spoiled rotteness). This sounds simple but generally it works. The only place they get to relax is in an area that I choose. Eventually they get tired of the boring game and decide it is more fun to get love and treats than have buzz kill mom poking you in the side. At one point he decided he didn't want to move his bum and kicked out. As much as I don't like to resort to being rough I won't tolerate that I the next time he tried to kick he got a dressage whip in the butt and he didn't try it again. Man that horse can move fast. The second I got him to move to the left he would go right, move him forward, he would move back. He didn't care if he walked all over me. I have to admit I was starting to feel more than a little equicidal as our dance went on. We didn't seem to be making progress and my only other option was going postal on his ass but that isn't my style so I just kept at it. After twenty minutes of this I realized he was spending more and more time with his feet where I wanted them. I took a step back and MIRACLE he stood there right in the middle of the aiselway ears pricked happy as could be. "Hey mom I was standing like this the whole time. Don't know why you are all sweaty." 

I was sweaty and tired but feeling triumphant. I won SUCKA!! I showed that two year old. Or so I thought..... I ended my night with some tack room organizing which happens to be across from his stall. He could see me and decided it was unacceptable that I wasn't paying attention to him. He proceeded to throw his body against his door and bang his legs. The sound was enough to send me over the edge. In addition to the infernal racket he also risked taking the door off the hinges. I think he actually likes the noise because he doesn't do it at his other window. My solution? I made my own jail system to keep his bloody head in. We will see if it holds up over night but I did a pretty good job securing it. He still gets to stick his head out but not at the door. Magically he stopped all the racked the second the door option was taken away. I guess he really was doing it for the noise. 

Here he is in all his naughtiness:

I can see you in there!!!! COME OUT!!!!! Come out or I will remove this door and get you. This is generally the super cute look he has on his face when he is doing bad things. 

Ha, ha. Once again I WON!!!! No he can get his nose out and get his head stuck. I have it secured to the bars so it can't slip with vet wrap. I plan on putting up a stall guard once I get the right hardware. 

See, he can still hang his head out and with visit with the girls. 

They go out to the big pasture tomorrrow. I am heading out in the morning to help lead him. I want to make sure that he is a good boy and that the barn manager sees what works with him. 

First Saddle Day

I haven't had a saddle on the goofball yet and decided it was about time to change that. I don't know why I haven't gotten around to it. He has been lunged in a surcingle with side reins jingling on his side. I have had saddle blankets over his head and a tarp over him. I wanted to make sure he was really mellow with new things before I got the saddle out. I figured he wouldn't care but I didn't want to take any chance that he would have a bad experience with something that will be such a big part of his life.  

He was out all day with the horses he will soon bunk with at his new pasture running and playing so I figured he would be in a good mental space to listen. I don't ride western but all I had was the western saddle I use for beginners on Bre. I recently picked up a great little dressage saddle but I have been using it at Bre's barn. 

I started out by setting the western saddle down in the round pen. I let him sniff everything and he decided the saddle pad tasted really good. He gave it a full on tongue bath. Mmmmm, Bre and Romeo sweat. Sounds yummy. I then put the saddle pad on his back, over his neck, and covered his face with it. His favorite part was when I covered his face because he got to smell the sweaty pad up close. 

I decided to put the saddle right on without the pad for several reasons. One is that he wanted to eat the pad and which made the process of putting the saddle up complicated. The other is the fact that I wanted getting the saddle up to be a really smooth motion. I figured that would be harder if I was trying to straighten a pad. I am not very coordinated with western saddles. He was very excited about the saddle. Western saddles have delicious stirrups and I allowed him to mess with them. It was pretty funny watching him try (and quite successfully) to walk forward with the stirrup in his mouth. 

We went for a little walk with some in hand trot. I held the stirrups out and let them fall on his sides. He didn't seem the least bit concerned about the whole process. Then I tied him up in his stall and left the saddle on while I picked his feet out. Happy mellow horse!!!

"Mmmmm this pad smells so yummy. "

"Something to chew on that goes everywhere with me!!"

"Look at me stand quietly in my stall like a grown up horse." 

"Wait, can't be too grown up. Must eat stirrup first. "

"Hi!! I'm a baby!!"

Update on the Silly Boy

Well we haven't had any earth shattering moments. That really isn't the norm with a young horse. I think that is why starting a horse isn't for everyone. It isn't like you go out and every day make progress. You don't have the weekly lesson where you get to try out new tricks or things start to click as a rider. 

The reality of a young horse is that they just need you there. They don't need you to have this agenda and plan for what you will do every week. They need someone who will be steady, who will show them the world isn't scary, and to have patience. From the outside he still likes like one wild pony. He likes to carry his head up in the air, rears sometimes if he gets mad, and tries to steal anything and everything within reach of his neck. 

This means victory for us is the fact that we go for walks and he doesn't step on my feet any more. He knows what "Whoa" means so he will stop when I stop on a walk. He understands that as soon as he starts to get in front of me we have to stop and he needs to back up. These days my shoulder isn't quite so sore after a walk but it's getting cold and windy so there are some exciting days. 

When I go in his stall he still wants to be pushy but it takes way less to clue him in to the fact that humans needs some space. You can wave your hands kind of like you are air pushing him back and he will step back. He is also way more aware of me in his stall. I brushed him lose in his stall with thunder, lighting, and hail going on today. He had to keep checking out his door  to make sure the world wasn't ending and was great about walking around me instead of over me. 

He knows when something is scary and I point at it he is supposed to touch it with his nose. If he touches the scary thing he gets a treat. I don't even have the point a the scary thing all the time. I will just start to walk up to it then he walks up snorting and spooking himself until he touches it. Then his cute little baby face looks right at me like "I did good, right? Treat now please." 

And he continues to be a total people horse. He nickers when I get there and nickers as he watches me leave. He comes running to me to the end of his paddock. He is more distracted when people walk by the round pen than when horses walk by. He can seem like he's totally unaware I am in the round pen but if I leave for a second he cries and throws a fit until I get back. 

He's still a goofy silly baby and probably less emotionally mature than other two year olds. However, he is smart as a whip and moving more gorgeous by the day. I couldn't be more happy with where he is at in his training. I didn't want calm ho de dum personality. I don't think that makes the best sport horse long term. I want him to think for himself, to question things, and to be curious. If he needs longer to settle and just be a horse I am more than happy to wait. I feel like if I give him time to grow up I will have a much bigger payoff than if I forced him grow up. I have horses to ride and I have a blast with him just the way he is. 

Guilt Making

I arrived at the barn after a long hiatus because of work and was greeted by a loud nicker. When he actually laid eyes on me he started rearing and bucking in the stall. My heart melted. It wasn't meal time so I know he wasn't just all excited over a pending dinner. He was actually happy to see me and go get into some trouble with me. I also felt super guilty. I wish I could be out there every day giving him love. However, I know I am doing the best I can by him. He has a 24 hour turnout, plenty of hay, toys, and people who are kind to him during stall cleaning time. There is enough activity in the barn that he has things to keep his mind busy when they come and go. 

When I got to his stall he was filled with energy and I thought he might jump on my head before I could get a halter on him and take him to the round pen. We have had a break from the round pen because when we lunge in the arena we can avoid always being on a circle. With those big growing legs/joints I want to make sure he gets a chance to mature without endless circles. 

It was the first day of rain in months and was also fairly windy. This, added with lack of work, made for a wild young pony. He decided that it would be fun to look for things to spook at. A pile of wooden pallets with a blanket on top was the perfect excuse. He was full of big snorts and sideways scoots. I walked up to to the blanket to show him I wasn't afraid. For the most part he will follow me everywhere even if he thinks I am taking him into dangerous territory. Whenever he seems scared of something I have been pointing at it and either giving him a treat after he touches it with his nose or putting a treat on the item. He now has the process down and carefully crept up on the blanket and touched it despite his better judgement then immediately turned to me, pricked his ears cute as could be, and waited by the blanket for his reward.

We had an eventful round pen session in more ways than one. First of all he really knows the drill now. When I tell him to get moving he gets the idea and will stay out on the rail. Occasionally he stops to see horses or people walking by but it is much easier now to get his attention back on me and to the job at hand. I love seeing the improvement in his attention span and how well he remembers previous lessons. He is still doesn't have a long attention span so I try to set him up for success and only expect so much out of him but I can see improvement. The other eventful part was his areal exhibitions. For all of his legs, high butt, and immaturity he is unbelievablely coordinated. He can rear, leap, buck, and still keep pace and keep on his feet. This isn't the usual crazy leap followed by a trip that you usually see in a young horse. He look solid and coordinated. He naturally wants to be on the correct lead and gets mad if he bucks and lands on the wrong lead. He does lovely flying lead changes all on his own. 

Ok, that's my ramble on the goofball for now. Tomorrow I have a few horses to ride. I am looking forward to it :)

Last Week: Eat this not that.....

I had some really great sessions with the handsome devil last week but was so focused on getting Bre well that I didn't post about them. Then I went into a four day stretch of work. I ended up picking up some overtime so I worked two 12s (my normal shift) and two 16s over the course of four days. Those extra hours earned me overtime and doubleback time (time and a half if you work within 8 hours of your last shift). This means I get to work on less shift during the pay period. However, it also meant that I was dead tired when it all finished Weds. I got off work at 11am and passed out until about 8pm. I was awake for a few hours before crashing again. I ended up sleeping a good portion of Thurs as well with no energy for horses or blogging. Today I am still turned around because I've been up and busy during my normal sleeping hours but I am feeling somewhat normal so I can share more pictures from last week. 

Last Friday I went out at about midnight to play with my boy. He was very cute and mostly obedient. I lunged him in the big arena a little but the main focus was getting him to stand tied in the aisle without throwing everything on the floor. I first started the process by telling him what not to eat. Since he wants to put everythign in his mouth this is a never ending list. I could feel myself becoming increasingly annoyed every time he threw a new item on my head.  There isn't anywhere to tie him without tasty items in his reach so there is no way around temptation. And even more annoying is the fact that he isn't throwing his own stuff, he is throwing things from the high end hunter group that boards with us. He either throws the expensive item at me or plays tug of war when I try to get the item out of his mouth.

I know from all my psychology schooling and teaching riding lessons that it is much easier to tell someone what we want rather than list all the things we don't want. If we keep saying "Don't do behavior A" then all the person will think about is behavior A. This is something I was careful to keep in mind back when I was training Bre. For some reason I just forgot all of this and let myself get sucked into the trap of nagging him constantly with "No!". 

I decided to go at the problem by giving him an area that he was allowed to mess with whatever he wanted. If he moved out of that area I would quickly move him right back where he was allowed. I cleared everything off his stall door and made that his area. This left only his lead rope to chew on. I started by brushing him on the tempting side so I could correctly redirect his behavior before he even snatched an unapproved item. From there I slowly started walking away from him and correcting him with "Ahh ahh" if I saw his little brain heading in the wrong direction. Rather than wait until he had something in his mouth to correct I just woudln't allow him to stand near the tasty items and would correct any steps in that direction. I was amazed that he was perfectly happy to chew his lead rope thoughtfully and my annoyance level went down to zero. He stood tied for at least a half hour and didn't dance or swing his rear all over. 

Here is a little taste  (haha, taste get it?) of my angel boy tied in the aisle. I took this before I started my new tactic. Just before I started filming I had to reach half my arm in his mouth to retrieve my car keys. Just after the video ended he threw all the blankets on the floor then grabbed a sleezy in his teeth and held on like a pit bull. 

 He had been standing calmly so I went around the corner to my tack locker. I suddenly heard silence instead of his usual jingle of the lead rope and I knew he had to be up to no good. I came back to find his butt pushed in Ryan's face and the two of them quite enjoying a strange love session. 

I'm just a cute little baby. I would never do anything naughty. 

Um, the other horse made me pick up this halter. 

First Ride!!!

Video of Mr Goofball in the arena this weekend. 

Gahhh!! I feel so behind on blogging. I have been able to read every one's comments on my iphone between running around and just haven't gotten the chance to respond. I am also keeping up on blogs and loving all the horsey stories. It inspires me with all my horse adventures. 

I worked Weds-Fri which means I was off Sat morning. I found myself totally exhausted after a busy week at work. Sat I pretty much slept all day but enjoyed an amazing birthday dinner with my partner. My birthday was Sunday and I got to spend a good chunk of it at the stable. I gave a riding lesson on Romeo and was very happy with his young rider. He still wants to break to a canter rather than move out at a trot. I believe this is remnants of jogging wayyyy to much. She is doing really well at riding him through different lengths of stride using only her seat. I think that he will remember he can move out pretty quickly. I am going to ride him again this week once I finally have a little break from work. 

On another Romeo note, he managed to imbed some wood chips into his head a week or so ago. Erin was worried that the puncture wound (which was cleaned by the vet initially) was looking a little oozy. There is nothing I love more than the chance ot squeeze something nasty so I ran out there today. I had been picking at it every day until I worked Wed-Fri then yesterday I didn't tack him up so I forgot to look. Sure enough today I saw it was swollen so I cleaned it with betadine and gave it a good squeeze. Out came lots of goo and I flushed it was sterile saline then squirted in some medication from the vet. Looks like it might need daily irrigating for a few days but it was actually not too bad. I think he will live to tell about it. 

Romeo's wood chip piercings......

Dickie play time was also on my list of weekend fun. By best friend and silent co-owner used to start horses for a living. He has been trying to get out there to play with him and give me some tips but he's been working 10 hrs a day five days a week for the last few months. We decided to see how Dickie would feel about me sitting on him. I have no plans to do anything more than sit on him a few times before his third birthday and the BFF is the only person I trust to lead me on him. I trust his judgement to tell me when the horse is ready, to keep the horse under control, and tell me if I should hop off. I have been leading him up to the mounting block since I got him and leaning over him too. We gave him a good workout first and BFF did some ground work as well. It was great to see how he handles him and learn some new tricks. 

After his workout we went to the mounting block and I got on. We have an awesome super tall mounting block that I barely have to lift my left to swing it over him. I had to hop off twice when Dickie got mad at the BFF for refusing to be eaten but Dickie could care less about me. He turned around a few times to chew on my feet but other than that didn't seem the least concerned I was up there. I mounted from the block at least 5 times with zero objection. The first couple of mounts we just walked a step or two and stood still.  By the last time we walked around a lap around the arena. IT WAS SO FUN!!!!! I loved feeling him move under me and he's pretty comfortable bareback. I won't be doing it again anytime soon because he is too young but it was amazing to be up there. I have never been the first person to sit on a horse. I was so happy that it was the BFF and I together for the ride. Dickie is going to go on so many fun adventures with one, or both, of us over the years. It is only fitting that we are both part of his first journey's into real working horsedom. 

For now though we go back the drawing board with ground work. I got some good ideas from seeing the BFF work with him. I can't wait until I have a stretch of seven days off and can work with him consistently for a longer stretch. I am also really looking forward to riding Romeo too. It is fun to feel the progress with a horse. I think I might even pop him over some cross rails (Romeo not Dickie of course). He seems to enjoy doing something different. Yay for Friday at 730am when I am off work for a week!!

The Wind Strikes Again

What the BLEEP is it with horses and the wind? I had kind of forgotten about the whole wind situation because of Bre. Bre is one of those rare horses who doesn't care about the wind. I recall once when she was 3 or 4 and it was a super windy day. The barn felt like it was going to fall down around us, some people were opting not to ride. I decided I was lazy and going to ride bareback. People were peeking in the cracks of the arena door just to see if that crazy girl on that dangerous (she was known for going to crazy town) red horse were really in there. We sure were riding in the wind and Bre was fine. Bre might think bikes (the pedal kind, not the legitimately scary Harley kind) emit horse killing death rays but she will take you out into a hurricane no problem.

So the fact that it was a brisk fall evening on Weds with the wind picking up didn't even enter into my mind as being a factor on Dickie's walk today. He came up to me friendly and engaged so I figured we would have none of the power struggle shenanigans from the earlier week. Boy was I mistaken. He showed me some fancy footwork. He wasn't being disobedient, when I would focus him he tried his hardest to listen but the world had him on overload. Generally when life is scary he will snort, grab his lead rope, then look at me (sometimes whacking me with his head in the process) to see if I agree it is time to get out of dodge. If I seem calm he will relax and keep going with me. Today he still checked in with me but then decided I clearly wasn't taking the danger of a windy day seriously enough and went on guard for both of us.

Dickie:
Snorts, snaps around to see mom and whacks mom with his head "Sorry about the head whack but LOOK!!! Do you see that!! It's a cougar over there in the field you are leading us to" 
Mom:
"Dude watch  your big head, how can you even see where you are going with your head looking backwards!! NO NO lead rope is mine! "
Dickie:
"Boy you are clueless today, you must not see the cougar. I think I can calm down if you let me carry the lead rope in my mouth." sigh, relaxes for about 60 seconds "SHIT,  RUN FOR YOUR LIVES IT'S COMING!!" Nearly falls over from sideways scootrip, rears, lands somehow still in upright position, still right next to mom.
Mom:
"There is nothing there, I can't see anything. Wait wait I see it........Dumbass, it's a cat!! You like cat's. There is grass over there in the cat field don't you want it?"

Both parties walk relatively calmly, albeit apprehensively, into the field.

Dickie:
"Ahhhhhh!!! COWS!!! These aren't normal cows, these are totally zombie horse eating cows. I am so sorry to do this but....... THE ONLY WAY OF ESCAPE IS RIGHT WHERE ARE YOU STANDING". 
Mom:
"DUDE!!! I am too old for this, my butt doesn't get out of the way fast enough. Time to walk backwards because walking over me is not an option"
Dickie:
"Sure I can walk backwards AND sideways if  you want me to. I will chew and lick and be submissive. I am a good boy. And I can do it all with my tail up in the air and eyes locked on the cows".

Finally horse realizes he is standing fetlock deep in clover and decides zombie cows need friends too.  After clover eating both parties head back home towards the gate. Said gate goes between tall blackberries bushes.

Zombie Birds in the Bushes:
"SQUAAAWWWWK, cackle, cackle, squeek, SQUAWK"
Dickie:
"No way man, we can't walk by those bushes, haven't you seen that Alfred Hitchcock movie?"
Mom:
"They are just birds, totally unnatural sounding birds but birds. You are HUGE, you can kill them if needed".
Dickie:
"Not moving, you can't make me. And I certainly am not walking next to you. You just want me between creepy devil birds and you."
Me:
"Ok, maybe you are right. Those birds are a little creepy, sounds like they are plotting something. Now you are freaking me out. UGH, I will go first but don't run me over if I walk in front".
Dickie:
"Seeeeeeee, I told you those birds just aren't right. I will follow you through. No, I won't step on you but I don't have to be calm about it". 

That was a snap shot of our walk. I am happy to say that no feet were harmed in the process. We had round pen workout that was going great until dinner time started so I would say today is a win. At least I got a good taste of how he behaves when he is upset.

Who's Lazy Now?

I remember the first few weeks Dickie got here I wondered if he would have enough fire. I really like having a horse who is a challenge and has spunk under saddle. He was so easy going and ho hum about everything that I wondered if maybe he would be a lazy bones. My gut feeling was that this horse was really smart and was sitting back figuring out the situation but more than a few people mentioned how lazy he was. I would have still loved him to pieces and he wasn't going anywhere but I do love to have that horse who wants to be in front. Then today as he was telling me the birds in the blackberry bushes were TERRIFYING, I started laughing.

Where did that ho hum lazy guy go? Out of nowhere he has figured out how to get those long gangly legs under him and is a fire cracker. I didn't think that walking in hand, and ground work could build up muscle. I just thought I was teaching manners. But lo and behold he really has gained muscle. The vet mentioned it a few weeks ago and I didn't  think it was true but IT IS!! He looks effing fantastic. When I work him in the round pen he really uses himself. Looks nothing like that uncoordinated confused goofball in the first lunging video I posted. And somehow despite his butt being close to two inches higher than his shoulders he manages to carry himself uphill quite a bit now. Imagine how uphill he will be when he is actually built that way!

My gangly goofball is still there. He still randomly trips over his own big feet and runs into me because he wasn't paying attention. In the arena he will do some fancy moves then remember he isn't coordinated yet and canter off with his butt ten inches above his shoulders. He still looks like a yearling from one angle, two year old from another, and full grown horse from yet another. I am weird and really love goofy stages so that is fine by me. However, it seems like overnight I can see more than just a glimmer of the horse he will grow up to be.

Here is a flash from the past, pictures of the Doofus himself one year ago (1.5 yrs old) :

At the auction :(

Home safe and saved by Pony Up

 I think this one is post baby's first bath. Look at his pot belly, this horse has never gone without. 

 Still has that big goofy face, with mule ears. I LOVE the mule ears. I hope he doesn't grow into them. 

Ups and Downs (it's a novel)

I am going to attempt this on my iPhone because I left my computer elsewhere so sorry for crazy spelling/grammar.

I had the longest break from Dickie since he's been here. It was a long work week and I had to so some annual housesitting for my family and Bre's farm. Usually they don't fall on the same week so Sunday I was very ready to get back to a routine. I was expecting him to be a little wild Sunday and he exceeded those expectations by exponential proportions. He immediately gave me the cold shoulder. Usually he's pretty cuddly right away but he was trying to bite me and push me over the second I walked into his stall. I wont deny that he's a mouthy bugger generally he tries to bite his lead rope or nip in my direction. Sunday he threw in some carefully aimed bites and even caught a boob. I know they are big but I am not looking for an equine assisted breast reduction anytime soon.

The first order of business was getting his brush boots on. He thought standing still for long enough to get those things on was an unreasonable task and his fancy feet put Fred Astaire to shame. During our walk to the arena, he threw a tantrum when I wouldn't let him walk in front of me. He was offended and reared like a maniac when I pushed his shoulder off the top of me. He reared and pawed and even kicked at me when I worked with him on moving his haunches and shoulders. After some basic ground work in the arena we headed to the round pen. He was willing to listen but very disconnected. Usually he's always got an ear on me and is ready to come in to visit as soon as I say it's ok but today he didn't have a submissive bone in his body.

I still didn't feel like I had really connected but I don't like to do any one thing for more than 15-20 mins so we wrapped up with a walk. I have found that we always make the most progress through our walks. He kept trying to bolt ahead of me and the second I corrected it he would rear. He likes to get ahead then walk right in front of me so I worked on getting him to take a step back and haunch turn away from me. I would reward him if he would move that shoulder away by letting him have more forward motion while still moving away from me (kind of like a few steps of haunch turn then a few steps of leg yield). I wasn't expecting anything fancy. I just wanted to feel through his body that he was submitting to me. I also wanted him to understand if he walks over the top of me and acts like a doofus it's going to be way more work than just watching my cues and following my lead.

At this point if he isn't walking on a slack rope, a few steps behind, and more than an elbow away I won't tolerate it. He isn't trying to be mean but is testing boundaries and I know letting these little things slide can mean huge problems down the road. I am sure I could have avoided the rearing and bucking if let him pull on me or walk a few steps ahead. It might have "looked" like a less exciting walk if I had ignored some of the pushiness. However, I would rather have a few knock down battle of the wills than constant minor disobedience. At the end of the walk he was stopping when I stopped and walking quietly next to me. He was wasn't thrilled about it though and had an Appy stink eye. If you have worked with an Appy you know that look that says "I'll do what you say because I feel like it but I will not give you the satisfaction of being happy about it." That made me chuckle because I LOVE a good Appy stink eye.

I stopped in to see Bre on the way home. It was so nice to be around her calm cuddly presence. She has a way of making me feel better about pretty much any problem I face. She also gives me confidence that I can train Dickie. Bre's worst days were enough to make me wish I had on Depends to protect my panties. Despite all of that in less than a year she was a dream to be around. I also called my friend who started two horses on her own. She made me feel better by sharing stories of her TB kicking her in the boob (it's not his fault, she has big ones, they are hard to miss), biting her, and all the expected baby stuff. It reminded me that just because we had a rough day I am not a horrible horse trainer. I logically know I am good at training horses but self doubt creeps up I worry that I will make a mistake and let him down.

Today it seemed our little argument did the trick. When I called his name he snapped his head up and made a bee line to me. His ears were locked in on me and he was chewing/licking. He nuzzled me but didn't ram into me. He wanted a treat but asked politely. He was alert during our walk to the arena but instead of snorting and scooting ahead he looked at me to see if I thought things were scary. We had a nice session in the arena walking around looking at all the jumps and cones. Our round pen session was just as lovely. He licked and chewed from the beginning. Every time I asked him to stop he would chew and ask to come in. I didn't work him long because he was where I wanted immediately.

Poor guy,  I think I dropped him off at an unfamiliar place and he had to be his own leader for too long. Sunday he said "Dude, I have been on my own all week and it's scary out there. If you want me to be the leader I'll try my hardest but I am a baby so this is FREAKING ME THE F*&@ OUT MAN." Today he seemed really happy that he doesn't have to be the leader and can let me worry about the scary world.  I suspect there will more than a few days where he tries out being the boss but I will just have to remind him who the real boss mare is. I wanted a smart, athletic, strong willed horse, who was going to make me use my brain so I can't complain!!!

Absent Blogger

It was a crazy week. I watched Bre's barn last week. It was fun to take care of the animals but it's always disorienting to sleep away from home. Midweek I worked the last three days of orientation on my unit. For the first 6-8 weeks nurses orient to a unit with someone experienced. You are assigned the same patients and as the weeks go on the new nurses takes on the full load. From now on I will not be working with another nurse. It is all me all the time. Luckily I have an AMAZING team to work with who will help me anytime I have questions. The saying "Nurses eat their young" is true in many places but not on my unit. Every nurse there has made an effort to help me feel welcome and confident. I didn't get much done on my work days. There are pros to 12 hour shifts but they are pretty tiring. You don't get much done during work days. If I get home by 8am, crash by 9am it is 4pm before I get up. That only leave a few hours to wake up, do dishes, and make a lunch. I don't like to plan anything during that time. I like to be in a relaxed space when I get to the unit. What that all means is three straight days not going to the barn, or seeing friends. This week was particularly tiring. I had a few patients who needed me in their rooms pretty much every 15mins. That meant lots of laps up and down the hall between my computer and their rooms. I really need to wear a pedometer to see how much a walk on nights like that! I spent the last few days housesitting at my parents house. I can't wait to get back to my routine of a familiar bed, work, my honey, and the ponies.

I have a great pony week planned. Sundays have traditionally been horse days for a years. That went out the window the last year of nursing school and during the first month or so of the new job I worked almost every weekend. Now I am getting into a routine of having a few weekends off a month. I actually have every Sunday off this Sept. Tomorrow I am going to clean tack with my new horsey BFF, ride her adorable draft/appy cross. I just love her horse. She is half draft but isn't too stocky and is light on her feet.

I will be able to head out every day until Thursday to work with the big guy. I also want to work with Bre's BFF Romeo a little too this week. He has been worked western (he is built like a WP guy) and is looking hollow in the back, and scrawny in the butt. A teen was giving a lessee lessons and was very focused on what his face was doing. I want to get on him and feel what is going on. I am hoping that now the the "trainer" is off to college the girl will either take some lessons from me or from the trainer where I now have Dickie at. Some good solid dressage lessons will help build up his bum and back. I also noticed the lessee starting some bad habits with her hands. I was really bummed to see it because when I last saw her riding she was lovely. She is wonderful posture, soft/tall back, solid leg, and her elbows were bent like a pro dressage rider. She was still more of a passenger, than an active rider but at 13 she had all the tools to be a really great rider. She now has her hands back at her thighs and is seesawing and jiggling. It was such a bummer to see that. Most people have to work their tails off to get where she was naturally riding, now someone has grilled bad habits into her. Hopefully all is not lost though. I am thinking if they get out of the western saddle and do dressage and trot over some little jumps he will get moving out again and she be able to forget about fussing with his face.

I am excited to have horse projects all around. After being away from riding for so long it feels great to have horse problems to solve. I love have goal to work on. At the same time I am grateful for miss Bre. Bre has been there done that and it is heaven to have such a connection with an animal. It is nice have an animal you know inside out to fall back on.

Finally some video of him moving around.... (VIDEO PROBLEM FIXED)

Sorry the video looks like a drunk person took it. It is on my iphone and I have realized that it is hard to chase a horse and keep a steady hand. I am so happy he has a bigger arena. He is already more confident and balanced now that he has more room.

http://youtu.be/eV4tM0syJV4

http://youtu.be/rTUpkeCw0z4

Now you should be able to view the videos as long as you have the link ;)

Moving Day

I have already shared that Dickie and I gave 30 day notice with plans to move to a new stable. Thursday on the way to work (graveshift) I got a text that we could move the 1st of Sept if we wanted. Someone was looking for board ASAP so we could go to the new place and our old stable would be able to fill that stall right away. Win win!!! My only problem was getting Dickie to the new place. I don't have a trailer so I depend on Bre's surrogate family for horse transportation. Normally it would be no problem but they happened to be leaving town for the weekend and took the truck. My wonderful new barn manager said she would give him a ride if I could be ready Friday. The vet was coming for fall shots at 3pm so it was a bit of a marthon day. I got off work at 730am, was asleep by 9am, up by 1230pm so I could stand for Bre, Romeo, and Dickie to get shots. By 4pm our ride arrived. 

I suspected he would be great but I wasn't sure if the 3+ hour trailer ride from Washington had made him leary of the trailer. I really shouldn't doubt my horse. He hopped right in without a second of hesitation. He didn't seem worried or stressed once we got to the new place. He snorted at a few things in the aisleway but was willing to follow me to his new stall. He made a few laps around the new paddock with a big fancy trot. He didn't panic though and came right back to check his stall out. There were about 3inches of soft shavings and he immediately plopped down to roll. Then he calmy strolled to the far end of the paddock where there is some grass to eat. Five minutes later he was acting like he has boarded there for years. I am excited that we found a comprimise between me getting the facilities I need to train him and Dickie getting the room he needs to be a happy pony. 

I can't wait to play in the new arena.

Dickie quickly went to the end of his paddock and set to eating grass. 

Bre and Romeo feeling sorry for themselves because they have been banished to the lower pasture. Poor poor ponies. 

Lounging in the hammock while I housesit at Bre's farm this weekend. 

Showing Some Sass

In advance I apologize for the long ramble. I have alot of horsey stuff to ponder.

I haven't given any updates on the spotted beast lately. No worries, he is still cute and fun as ever I just haven't had much to write about. It was really hot out, then I had a stretch of working, took a vacation up to Seattle, then immediately went to work again. It was great to actually get out of town for the first time since graduating. I don't think we have taken an overnight trip since last summer, maybe longer. I was happy to get home though and back to playing with four leggers.

Dickie was feeling full of drama and energy the other night. He has been in more often than I would like (long story, that will soon change) and I could feel it right away. Instead of calmly looking to me for our next adventure, his mind was everywhere but on planet earth. He was gazing off into the distance and wasn't interested at all in what I had to say. I went into the normal routine of asking him to put his head down by touching behind his ears and he went straight up. He was not having any of what I was selling. What I have learned about him is that he doesn't really kick, never bolts out of my hands, and doesn't usually do crazy tantrum bucks. What he does love to do is his best impression of Trigger, whether he is having fun or expressing extreme displeasure. It isn't every session by any means (maybe 2-3 times since I have had him) but it does happen.

By the end of our work out he was willing to step from side to side, move his haunches, respect my space on a walk from both sides, lunge at a walk, and stand still without eating me. His mind was still all over the place and he never got to the point where he was chewing and relaxed but was obedient. Today he was MUCH better. There were no signs of a levade but he was still quite distracted.

The last few days pointed out several problems to me. One is that my horse is so smart he already knows the routine and is bored. He knows what is coming and really needs something new to work on. Smart is a good thing so this just means I need to step up my game. It isn't that I won't keep doing all the basics but if I do it in the same order each time I am going to run into a grumpy horse who looks at our time together as something to endure. I have been meaning to bring toys and a clicker into our training but keep putting it off. It seems lazy mom needs to get cracking. Tomorrow I will stop and get a clicker and maybe check out goodwill for some balls and pool noodles.

Another problem is the fact that he isn't turned out as long as I thought when I moved him there. He goes out pretty late and comes in pretty early. It wouldn't be a huge deal if he was older but he is 2 and big and has lots of energy. He needs to be out 24/7. I want him to be worn out from playing before I get to him so he can actually listen. I can't blame him for wanting to eat the lead rope, or be in every one's business if he has been bored out of his mind for hours before I arrived. Don't get me wrong. The barn he is at takes incredible care of the horses, and the owner adores Dickie. However, horses are individuals so the living situation that allows each one to shine is unique as well.

Lastly, I REALLY need a round pen. The arena is too big for me to work him at liberty. He goes to one end and starts playing with the gate and looking out the window, then runs and farts down to the other end to dig in the shavings pile. Neither of which is helping us. Plus, it varies between being dusty or deep from watering. I use the makeshift outdoor most of the time but it is HUGE and just pasture w a dirt track that will soon be mud. I love working him up at Bre's barn but I am realizing it isn't feasible to always walk him there. We have pretty early barn hours at Dickie's and I work grave so I sleep late. By the time I see my honey, have dinner, and skip rush hour it is too late to walk him to Bre's and back. Some days by the time I get ready for the stable it is too late to go out period. And frankly sometimes I am just too tired to haul myself up that hill.

Moral of the story? The amazing barn despite all it's awesomeness doesn't fit our needs. The bad news is that I love the barn owner and really don't want to give notice. The good news is there happens to be a place not far down the road. He would have a half acre pasture attached to his stall. There is a nice sand round pen with sturdy wooden walls to avoid leg injuries. It has a nice loop around the property for walks. There is a full size dressage arena with brand spanking new footing (no dust baby). I would be allowed at the barn any time 24hrs a day. And it is the same price. More for the same price? Sounds good to me. The only pitfalls I see are the chance of a crowded arena (probably not an issue when this vampire will be there) and the fact that he won't be out with another horse. I really like horses in a herd situation. But he will have plenty of room run and be out right next to others. And there are shared pasture options if a stall comes up in one of those areas.

Other moral of the story........... When it comes to babies sometimes you take two steps forward and sometimes you take two steps straight up in the air with hooves pawing.

Ponying=Fail

So I think it ended up being in the 90s places today. I know it had to be that hot where the horses are because it was 90 in the shade when it felt like it was "cooling" off. I am no Texan so when it gets hot I always feel dramatic. Dickie was out sunning himself with the boys when I arrived. I thought these next few pictures turned out cute because you can see him walking over. Please notice he still has a fly mask on. He didn't even have the halter on over his mask. Not sure why they left him unmolested this long. I brought out my safety halter today and if he can keep the same halter until pay day I will get him another one with the fancy ears. 

My friend was coming out today to meet me at Bre's farm so I walked my ass up the steep hill and thought I was going to die from heat stroke (I have to take a picture of this hill next time, skinny people will laugh at me but my fellow squishy middlers will feel my pain). Being overweight, out of shape, and in the heat isn't a good mix. When I used to walk Bre up the hill I would make her pull me up by the tail but somehow I don't think that would work out well for me with Dickie. Fortunately, he was great on his walk up even when the dogs started yapping at him. E, the friend meeting me, is an old riding buddy. We boarded together before I moved Bre to the smaller private stable. We rode together as much as possible and put in many hours out on the trails. Her mare was best friends with Bre. 

Today we hopped on Romeo and Bre and quickly realized that plodding at the speed of an old dairy cow suited us just fine. I have been wanting to pony Dickie and I had the thought that the ponies being extra mellowed by the heat might make the first pony session uneventful. It was also a bonus to have my friend there because she is one of the best horsewomen I know. I didn't anticipate any huge problems. My mare is the horse who can go anywhere on a trail ride, front back, middle, wherever. She lets the other horses ride right up her big QH butt. Horses can slam into her, nip her, lean on her, whatevs. She has a big walk and trot so she will be able to keep up with Dickie. She is also fairly tall (just a shade under 16h) so I won't be dwarfed by him. My only worry was the fact that she hasn't been exposed to horses other than Romeo for two years. 

E handed me Dickie and he seemed polite as could be about the whole thing. Then I noticed my mare straining as hard she could not to sniff his nose. NO!! Not the dreaded mare nose sniff!!! If any of you have mares you will know that sniffing noses is the worse thing you can do. They prick their ears up, bat those long eye lashes, and give such an inviting little whicker. What gelding could possible resist that kind of blatant seduction? Then they are rewarded by their friendly "Hello" with a blood curdling scream and a lash out with the front foot. Bre is one of the least marish mares I know but she is still capable of a good scream/stomp. Dickie responded when I shushed him back but Bre was dead set on getting her sniff. Apparently she is in season and decided he was the man for her. She turned her neck around to give him her best come hither look and no amount of pulling would get her to put her head straight forward. I kicked and tugged, then kicked and tugged some more. 

Phew, Finally she acquiesced and put her nose forward without incident. Despite my mini victory, the war was not won. After two steps along the rail she refused to take one more. She had decided to stick her rear up in the air, pee, and flash her tail in the wind. Dickie was her man and there was nothing I could do about it. I was so exhausted from kicking her that I gave up and handed him off to E. 

Some of you might be reading this and wondering why I would even think to pony a young horse off of a such a naughty mare. The funny thing about this situation is that Bre is one of the most responsive horses you will ever ride. It takes nothing to get her to bend and flex. She goes forward off the slightest leg. She is an incredibly obedient horse when I am on her back, even when she is is in season. If I tell her not to pin her ears or sniff a nose, she doesn't. I can ride her with just a strap around her neck even with other horses nearby (and have done so recently). This includes trotting, cantering, 10m circles, serpentines, center lines, and stopping..... Not today she said. She was too beside herself with love to be bothered with my opinion on suggested activities. Sometimes you have to go with your heart and Bre's heart was saying  "Must be ravished by tall brown horse now." My Bre is now officially a cougar. 

Oh well, maybe next week......

Circus Pony

I am a wuss when it comes to heat. My version of "hot" is anything over 75 if I have to do anything remotely physical. I love the sun though so I go out every chance I can get. Today was one of those days where most people wouldn't have been too hot but by the time I got done walking Dickie up to Bre's stable I was about ready to keel over. 

We had a great day though despite my wilted state. At one point I started rolling the white barrels around just to get him used to the sound. He was scared at first then came over to help me. This made me wonder if I could teach him to roll the barrel. After only a few tries he would touch it with his nose. Then I tried pushing the barrel away to see if he would go out to the barrel and he did (way more than just this once). What a cutie. I think I want to teach him to fetch. It might channel his need to put everything into his mouth into an approved activity. 

I wonder if he can learn to fetch like this cute horse>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe7rzCeA46U