So much to learn

I've accomplished a lot in the last 10 months, including loping and showing. So, while I can ride w/j/l, I'm still not very good at it. In fact, the more I ride the more I realize I have a lot to learn. Like what 'sit up' REALLY means and how much core strength that takes. And despite his smooth lope, I feel like I'm going to come flying off. That's because I'm 'clothes-pinning' and not using an independent seat. My practice centers on gripping with thighs and knees, tensing abs so I can sit up but leaving my seat soft. Easier said than done.

Harry has been perfect at all the shows: no nonsense, he shows no fear despite MY terror. Oh, that first class was a nightmare. I was so frozen with fear I barely remember it. THEN I saw the pictures. OMG, I looked horrible: slumped down in the saddle. He looked great, I was a disaster. Jennifer had ridden him in the previous class and got the blue so my class was my class to lose and I did! Splendidly! Blew a lope transition right in front of the judge. Still came out with a second place ribbon.

I rode him in a few more classes at another show a month later and YAY I won a class! My first blue with Harry. Should I mention that I was the only one IN the class?? Sure! So, I'm still looking to 'win' my first class.

No more shows for this year, probably. We'll wait and see about a couple of fall shows. I have lots of riding to do at home, lots of practicing. He's all the horse I thought he would be: safe, tolerant, dependable, beautiful, talented and FUN!

It's been a busy summer. I can't believe it's almost over although Fall is the best season for riding.

I had the very best ride today that I have ever had in my entire life! A bunch of lightbulb moments with 2 really important ones.

I get the half halt now. All Harry needs is a tensing of my abs for the halfhalt. What an amazing response I get! It's perfect. I also learned "bump". When I put it all together, even amateurishly, I got the most wonderful response. At the lope it felt like he was running downhill and getting faster and faster and at the same time he'd get bouncier and bouncier. Finally I had to stop. It was rough, exhausting and just a little scarey because of it's out-of-control feeling.

WELL, it was all me. Poor guy :-(. Addressing one issue at a time: the downhill feeling was because he was behind the vertical. My response was to grab on tighter and tigher which caused him to collect and pop his knees higher and higher = stiff and bouncy. Jennifer was watching and explained the 'bump' and the 'halfhalt' along with why they are used together. The bump corrected the behind the vertical, the halfhalt put him back on his haunches which not only slowed him down, smoothed it out but created an 'uphill' feeling which is so much safer feeling! What a lovely lope he has.

I practiced the hh at the jog and was absolutely amazed at how little it takes to make him go and to be correct. His transition from w to j is a hh and a little squeeze. Without the hh, I get nothing. Now I just sit up, sit down, tense my abs and close my legs on him and he gives back a lovely jog.

Another big moment came when I was attempting to turn around. He kept backing up. That's when I realized my neck reining consisted of more pull back than lay on the neck. That one was easy to fix.

It's a good thing Jennifer was riding her horse at the same time. If she hadn't called an end to the lesson, I think I'd still be out there having a ball with my horse. For the first time since I got him (obviously I thought this would all be a piece of cake) I'm optimistic that I WILL actually be able to ride him and show him next year. Until now I was feeling that this was one big, expensive mistake. And feeling like crap because everyone else who's ridden him went on and on about how easy he is, how great he is, how happy he is, and it was all I could do to get him to walk on.

Poor Harry, and yet he remains Happy! He got lots of treats when we were done and a thorough massage. Then he was turned out with his buddies on a fresh pasture with grass about 6 inches high. Horse Heaven!

Hopefully tomorrow won't be to rainy...I'm anxious to get back on and practice some more.

Some happy lunging

We've had a few glorious days:  warm sun, not too windy, temps in the 50s.   The ground has thawed and is soft and cushiony but not wet.  Perfect for getting in some 'spring training'. 

I lunged Harry twice in the last week.  I think we had our best session today, although he improves with every session.  He's learning to stay calm which means not as many pop and stops.  It seems he does these without anger.  For all the encouragement I've given him with the lunge whip, he's never offered a hip in my direction let alone a kick.  When I have to brush him with the lash he just goes forward.  So, I think his stops are just a bit of "are we done yet?".  No, we're not done.

I'm working better with him:  keeping him close to me so I can rest my whip on his rump and be ready to bop him when it looks like he's going to 'pop'.  He's doing very well on his walk/trot/walk transitions.  I'm not really working on loping at this point because keeping him close in makes his circle quite small.  He's giving me some nice western jogs.

After all this ground work and the progress we're making, I feel like we'll really be a team when I get back to riding him.  We're learning a lot about each other and how we think and work.

Today, I clipped his bridle path.  He was an absolute doll for it considering he's not real sure people should do this to horses!  He even lowered his head so his 'Dad' could do some clipping...at waist level, no less.

Harry thrives on all the attention.  He really likes being around people so much that even 'work' isn't work for him.  When I put him back out in the pasture, he hangs around the gate for a while.  He's so contented after he's worked a little and so easy to love on.

When his other mother said he loves people, I thought I understood what that meant.  But, this guy would rather be with people than horses.  He's such a sweetie.

Yippee, finally got started!

Wow, it has been a long winter but finally yesterday it was almost HOT! At least 60 with a warm wind. It felt great to go to the barn with just a windbreaker on instead of 10 pounds of coat, sweatshirt, hat, mittens. It was like LOSING 10 pounds overnight and who wouldn't like that?!?

So, with the ground thawed to about 6 inches, I decided it was safe to start lunging. I got Harry out first. He was antsy in the aisle. Both barn doors were open so he could the whole wide world behind him as well as in front of him. Plus it was quite windy which had him stirred up a bit. I decided to forego the exquisite grooming and get him out and start lunging.

We've had a problem with that. Although he knows how to lunge perfectly, he's been testing me with that too. As in: I don't have to; you're not my REAL mother. He would lunge a bit and then pop to a stop, turn and look at me. When they're sideways, looking at you it's almost impossible to use the whip to direct them foreward. The last time I lunged him I had to keep banging/bopping him on the top of his butt with the whip to keep him going foreward. At that time he had a look on his face that seemed to say: Hey, hey, hey, you weren't supposed to figure that out so fast! But at least he lunged, although it wasn't pretty.

Yesterday he tried a few pop and stops. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt that he'd keep going. Nope. So I restarted him a couple of times and then the last couple of times I WAS able to use my whip to direct him. He went sideways at first and then decided the best way out was to go foreward. After that I kept bopping him on the butt and he kept going.

When I reversed, he was much more willing to keep going on his own and it seemed he wanted to slow down to his western jog. Yay, that what I want to see. When that happens I'll know he lunge because he knows he HAS TO, not because I'm forcing him to. So with that success what do I do? Of Course, I reverse and try the first way again. A couple of more pop and stops but finally we get it going. I think it was a good lesson.

After that he stood in the crossties very quietly. Of course he was blowing like a little pufferbelly. That's an old English steam engine. He wasn't hot but after only 10 minutes he was really breathing hard. I groomed him and brushed his mane. He loved it and by the time I was done, his breathing was back to normal. Can we say OUT OF SHAPE?

I put him back outside and brought in The Professor for his lunging. The apres lunging grooming worked so well with Harry that I decided to skip it this time too. We went right out to the lunge area. The Professor knows the drill and works without resistance. Although, he did through in ONE BIG BUCK. He had his rump higher than his head...practically doing a handstand...and kicked out. He seemed to be having fun???? I hope???? It didn't take long for him to be blowing either. So back inside for the grooming.

I'll say one thing for these 2 boys: they love LOVE getting their massage. And I think it's more beneficial AFTER their exercise than before. And it suits me to groom them when they've 'worked down' a bit.

The Professor went back out and I got to cleaning the stalls and setting up for evening feed.

It was wonderful to be out, to have the doors open, Our Penny laying in the aisle while I worked.

Here's a little secret; shhhhh: I was out of breath and blowing too!

Well, finally had a fairly warm day here.  It was actually fun to get to the barn and turn off all the electric water buckets.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, dirt bikes ripping and tearing in the distance...perfect.

Harry is getting back in the swing of things.  He's a perfect gentleman for getting his halter on and off.  He does have this 'mouthey' thing going on, though.  He likes to have stuff in his mouth.  He'll grab any part of the halter before I can get it up over his ears, he'll put the lead line in his mouth.  Yesterday I opened the stall door and touched his chest to have him back up and he had the tip of my coat collar in his mouth.  THAT bothered me.  Of course, he spit it out right away so it wasn't an issue.  But, it was too close to my face and happened too fast.

This morning I opened his door a crack (he's right on the other side, nose pressed to the bars) and I swished my fly whisk at him.  That's a wooden handle with horse tail hairs attached to it so it looks and feels like a horse's tail.  It's used for swishing flies off the horses when the farrier is working on them.  In horse language, a swished tail in the face is a warning to back up. 

He jumped back and then came to check  it out.  I didn't swish it again and he was very respectful of my space.  

His mouthiness is just part of his personality.  It's not the same as biting because he has no intention of hurting anyone.  Still, it could be dangerous so I do try to discourage it without becoming nasty about it or nagging him to death about it.  His other mother told me his 2 1/2 year old son is just the same way.  The chewing on the cross ties is part of the same thing.  At just 7, he's just now maturing so he'll probably outgrow it at some point.

I was in the fabric store on Tuesday for a get-to-know-your-new-sewing-machine class.  While I was there I snooped around and found THE MOST GORGEOUS fabric.  There was only a yard and a third left so I bought it, hoping it was enough to make a show vest out of it.  It's a light grass green suede cloth with vines and flowers embroidered on it.  Those are in a rust and pale yellow.  And every so often there's a sequiney type effect.  It's a lovely color with soft hues and a bit of sparkle.  And luck of luck, I can get out the 4 pieces needed to make a sleeveless vest with a diagonal closing and points at the waist.    I'm going to make brown chaps to go with it.

Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer.  Maybe the ground will be thawed enough to get some lunging in.   That should be fun.  The Professor knows he has to obey me and do it.  Harry knows he SHOULD obey me, but he might NOT do it.  I'll let you know.

Some good luck for Harry

We didn't get as much rain as was predicted so no lake at the gate.  I had already decided that I was not going to choose THAT battle anyway.  If there was too much water I was going to take him out the 'dry' gate.  It's a little farther to walk and is made of just 2 electric strands of wire but there's no mud for either of us to walk in.

Today, of course, the temp is back to winter...only 15f this morning.  Everything is frozen solid including all the bumpily hoof prints.  Makes for hard walking and has been know to start up abscesses.   

Harry is haltering beautifully now and standing still and quiet to get his halter off.  It seems he's knows he's being 'good' and hangs around looking for a treat.  I'll have to fill my pockets.

The Professor is still having a problem with bobbing his head a lot.  I get the halter half on and he throws his head up high.  It's really kind of a battle and a real struggle.  I'm going to have use the rope over the poll method and some treats on him too.

Not much going on in the past couple of days.  Just more of the winter stuff:  take them out, bring them in.   I'm hoping that the ground will soften some by mid-March so I can start some lunging/ground driving with them.

Harry wishes it was the Red Sea and I was Moses

Poor Harry had to cross a puddle to get to the gate today.  That's a problem for him.  You see, he was born in Greensboro, SC in 2002 right smack dab in the middle of a drought.  And that drought has lasted the whole time he lived there.

Most horses will step in water, mud or go around it or over it...they are used to it.  Heck, my driving horse Rocket drove right into the Flint River, trotted downstream a few hundred feet and then back out.  We were on a marathon and the river was hip deep on him and over the floor boards of our cart.  We got our feet wet.  So, most horses cope with water.

Not Harry.  He doesn't know what it is, he doesn't trust it and HE'S NOT GOING TO STEP IN IT!  So....

Today I had to get him to cross a puddle about 1 foot wide that went from fence to fence.  The only way in to the barn was over/around/through the puddle.  I walked through it with my end of  the lead line....he stayed on the other side with his end of the lead.  At this point he wished I was like Moses and could part the puddle so he could walk through.

After a bit of tugging suggestioning he come across and him pulling back suggesting NOT, he decided to take a flying leap.  I was fully expecting this and, in fact, was pleasantly surprised that he did not jump on top of me.  He landed by my side with a couple of hearty PLOP PLOP steps.  I now have mud and muddy water dripping down my right side and some on my left knee.  Oh well, better than mud on top of my head.

He's much better with getting his halter off.  He's getting used to not pulling his head out backwards.  I loop the lead rope over his neck right behind his ears so I can keep him in position.  He's getting the hang of staying by me with his halter off.  A few more times and I think he'll be back to being 'tamed'.

I have to say that he was very well trained by his other mother.  Very mannerly and very respectful of people.  This 'loose' behavior is the result of ME doing the least possible to get them in and out of the barn in sub-freezing temps and sub-zero windchills.  But, he's a very nice boy and is cooperating beautifully with getting back to basics.

Today the morning was dry but the ground is still frozen:  too slick for lunging.  This afternoon it is starting to rain and we're supposed to get torrential downpours.  I hope Harry gets over his water thing...there may be a lake at the gate by morning.  Maybe I'll put him in a boat and ferry him out to the pasture!