On the Upward Swing

Well, we keep reaching and so far succeeding! After barely doing anything for the past two weeks (one tootling around bareback night of riding) Be and I had a lovely lesson on Wednesday night. Okay, maybe lovely isn't the perfect choice of words as she wanted to GO but we did all the things we were suppose to. Just a little bucking here and there, but she did it all in tempo and with the right leads so that's a plus. And she did some really neat, balanced movements that weren't just a straight down the wall canter so that was cool too. She was quite pleased with herself.

Be behind bars after our ride

Quick pic while she scores some candy canes from me

Trying More New Things

Going back to last Thursday, the weather dumped more snow and bitter blowing wind on us so I decided it wasn't great trailering conditions and cancelled going to our lesson :( But I really wanted to ride, and there was some nice snow on the ground, so I dug out that bareback pad for the second time and girthed up Be while she was eating. I then took it a step further and put my standardbred mare Marie's bitless bosal on her as well. I decided now was as good a time as ever to find out how well she steers without metal in her mouth.

Bosals are a mostly western training and transitioning device that work off the sensitive nerves of the end of the cheek bones on the horse's face to teach them to give to pressure and turns the whole head like a stiff weighted halter. Vaquero cowboys traditionally use a bosal as a transition for lightening up a horse's rein responses from a snaffle to a spade (high port) bit with shanks. Personally, I find a bosal a refreshing break from metal in the mouth and a nice alternative on the trail for a horse to grab a bite, take a drink and let it's mouth relax when puting miles on them. However with Be I just never got to the point where I felt safe enough to give her that freedom yet. But being that I planned nothing above a walk through the snow with the bareback pad, I figured now was a great time to have a soft place to bail if I needed it. I put the bosal on her, and lead her out the door.

Be did the normal resistance to the pressure thing any horse I've seen try one for the first time does, but she gave in pretty quickly. She works well off leg anyway, which is a huge plus for a bitless horse. In a few minutes she was a pro with giving to the bosal, so we sorted the calves at a walk, pushing them away from the group and cutting off their escapes. Be has no fear whatsoever of these four cows, and does a fabulous job of getting as close as she needs to be to them. Sigh. If only she was so good with other cows!

More photos off the roof of the barn :)

See the snow falling? So very very cold outside now


Lastly, we just bought a nice big tractor! Tractors are awesome things. We're going to get the disk harrows going and keep a nicer footing for riding at home. I'm so happy for that!

One Man's Wrong Lead is Another Man's Counter-Canter

Be was an eating machine tonight at the barn I take lessons at. She crunched through a candy cane and half a flake of alfafa while I was brushing her up and tacking her. I took her into the arena and had to pull her away from the round bales at the end. The other horses were coming in and they were ready while I needed to tighten my girth and get my helmet on so I walked to the middle, where a jump was set up. We were standing by the jump standard and she just gave it this odd look, a quick nudge with her nose, then bit it!! Hard! I'm like Beeeeeaver! Sigh.

She was fun tonight. She definately recharged on her "vacation" lol She knows the routine. Warm up walk (walk much faster then everyone else because she can), pick up the reins for a working trot (try to do this as fast you can until finally collecting like mom wants), sitting trot (do this super slow, super perfect, super balanced, barely moving forward and as long as needed, even if mom drops the reins), pick up the working trot again (usually does it like mom wants it), and then a rest period. Be always decides she's rested enough faster then any of the other horses do and starts getting springy, bouncing into a trot and we do a quick tight circle back to a walk. Then we get to pick up the reins again, and usually she'll spring the trot about then (sigh) but tonight she sprung right into the canter and my instructor and I both knew it was either that or she would buck (she'd been like sitting a TNT barrel all night and knew this was FAST time) so she told me to keep going. And so we went and we went longer then any other horse.

In one transition she had the wrong lead and instead of coming back to a trot and trying again like usual I was told to try to get her to do a flying lead change. She knows how to do those better then I do, as I usually just feel it but I don't have the full mechanics. I tried to lift the outside rein and pop her over and instead she pointed her nose into the wall and swung her hip out, and continued to canter sideways around the arena. I was trying to figure out my next step to correct this when my instructor actually praised what my horse was doing. She said that's an advanced dressage move and she was doing it very balanced and on the diagonal. I got her straighted back out after about half a lap, but that had been as easy as breathing for her.

Transitioning to another canter later, she picked up the wrong lead again. Instead of bringing us back to a trot like usual to correct it, she told me to try do get a flying lead change again. My instructor said keep the canter going but try a small circle. I did not know "small" meant like half the arena. I did a very small circle. Instead of forcing the change like she thought it would, she told me I just did a 10 meter counter canter balanced and collected circle with impulsion. Instructor said she loved it, and said I had no idea how hard that was to do. I guess I still don't, because Be just does these things. I said you mean there's hope for us yet? (grin) She called Be one balanced animal. I just enjoyed the ride. And that was my first ride since returning from FL. This year has gotten off on a good riding note week after week. Love my little Be-aver!

Dogs, Snowmobiles and Trains

Squeezing out one more unexpected ride before I head to Florida this week, Be and I loaded up late Sunday and headed to a nearby farm where my friends board their horses. Temperatures were in the upper teens to lower twenties with a windchill and windspeed that could knock you off your horse if it didn't cement you to them as well. Brrrr. But we went, we rode, we survived. It wasn't a long ride, but it was fun!

Be was rather fresh, and didn't want to walk, didn't want to tail the other horses, and didn't like the wind whipping her tail against her back legs. Boo hoo, huh? So we rode tail, abreast, lead, and when she got bucky or prancy we just did it in place at a walk. Got that sitting trot thing mastered by now!

We saw Be's first snowmobiles (no big deal) a four wheeler or two (old hat), rode with my friend's dog, got charged at by barking dogs (she rarely blinks at those anymore), and did our first ever train. Way cool. The train comes on at you slowly. We knew it was coming as it was way down the tracks when we went over the first time and we turned back not long after that so we could hear the rumbling increasing steadily. We stayed back a good pace both because hey, they're horses, no need to get up close, and the train cars can put off a lot of wind passing by. But Be definately paid them attention, ears up and alert, watching and waiting, but nothing remarkable once something was there that she could see going by.

Hacking up the back field of the boarding barn to the roads

Nice icey roads someone shouldn't have been acting up on :P

Watching for the train. Can you see the little red lights at the crossing?

Watching the train pass by

A van passing us just to get stuck by the train as well

Choo choo!

At the crossing with sunset

Lucky Enough

The gal who bought my draft cross has a little quote on her Facebook page that often makes me smile. "If you are lucky enough to own a good horse, you are lucky enough." Knowing I sold her her "good horse" gives me warm fuzzies and they are truly well matched and having a great time together. I sold that particular mare, despite being a quiet, safe, happy plodding horse, because I had to choose between her and Be.

And I have to say, I am lucky enough to own a good horse too.

I think back to the stuff I've put Be through that she's accepted, and I really am impressed by her. Last night, yet again, I loaded her by myself, by herself, into the trailer and got her nice and secure, putting up butt bar and the ramp while she stood there looking back at me (yes, she can turn her head around to watch and likes to). I don't wonder if she will get on the trailer, or if she'll be anxious about trailering alone, in the dark, in the cold. I know I won't have a horse broken into a wet sweat with nerves when we get where we are going. My trailer wiring decided to do some shorting in the cold for some reason so I'm worrying about the dim running lights and watching her inside light flicker off and on in the trailer, and I know she's not worrying about the strobe light effect. I get to the barn and have most lights but the running lights are still dim and the interior light is off. With this in my mind, I open the top doors, go in the escape door and hook my lead to her halter, go back around to the ramp and let that down and the butt bar and give her tail a soft tug to tell her to back off.

Be backs one step nicely, then there is a short struggle, the trailer rocks, and she backs the rest of the way off a bit quickly onto the snowy pavement. Quickly noticing my mare is now halterless, I do grab the only thing still on her body, which is a sweat cooler I put on her for post ride cooling. Yes, I'm thinking so much about the darn lighting issue that I forgot to unhook my mare's halter. So I can lead her a little here and there with my hand under her chin but she's really giving me that "what's going on now" look. I got her to the side door close enough to unhook her halter from the tie but I couldn't reach it when it fell to the bottom and she didn't want to get closer as it would put her head in that dark hole with me if she did. So we stood there, looking at each other placidly, waiting for someone to save us lol I didn't even have a carrot, a string, anything to put around her head/neck and try to lead her with more effectively so what could I do? I didn't want to go far from the trailer as I knew she knew the trailer and was use to hovering around me like a shadow while I did things next to it so I figured it was safer then trying to make it around the barn into the door where there was no light yet.

About 5 minutes later a student and her non-horsey dad came up the drive in their little car. I'm quickly debating how to tell them I need their help but don't need their car right up near us. I make all kinds of funky gestures, stop ones toward the driver, frantic pointing at the passenger (the student) and then to Be's naked head. In the end they come a car length behind my trailer ramp, and the student jumps out. Elated, I tell her Be slipped her halter and I need her help. For some reason, she comes over to us as if she should now hold Be by her blanket while I get the halter. Errr, how about going in the trailer for me and getting the halter, particularly since my mare knows me a bit better and visa versa lol She says oh, and gets her halter (which, despite a break away, she did just slip and not break) and I put it on a relieved looking Be. Then she starts to walk back to the car and I call her back asking if she'd mind grabbing the lead out of there too, please and thank you. Clipped Be up and we were back to normal :)

We navagated around the barn in the dark and the inside was indeed unlit. This is always fun as there is often hay right on the inside of the double door, and the stallion, and sometimes cats, or a wheel barrow, or other things that a person could navagate but a horse might not. I think I'm the only ship in this time of year so I don't think Be navagating stuff in the dark is remembered too often. More points for my good horse, she has always followed me from one environment to another without question. I get her in a nice stall with the hay I brought (heaven knows she's earned it) and she makes herself at home like always. No wide eyes. No calling to others. This is how she travels. She settles right in and blends in.

I get the trailer parked, get the wiring partly resolved (still no interior light), and get back to the barn with the rest of her gear. Brushing her out in cross ties next to the stallion and the new horse, she couldn't be better behaved. Other horses pass by her, no problem. Tack her up and we join a youngster on his second ride in about a year out in the arena. He's walking fast but behaved, and his owner just does a little walk trot before putting him away. She likes Be because the youngster's mom was also a chestnut TB mare and she has a special affinity for them. She's one of the barn boarders who have seen Be come along over the last year and she's very encouraging for us. While I'm adjusting my tack, I'm watching another rider who's joined us up on a school pony. The pony is shying and proping in the dark corner. Be's ignoring him.

I get on Be from the ground (need to make friends with the mounting block one of these days) and join the other two on the rail. The pony falls in behind Be, making her the "brave leader". Warm up walk goes uneventful, and we pick up the reins when told. The pony's rider, same one who rescued me and Be out in the parking lot, now has a crop and the pony is power walking (grin). Be and I go through the walk, the trot, the working trot, the collected trot (nice nice sitting collected trots!) and like last ride I'm in for the canter. I've been doing half the canter work, but my instructor said after the last ride where I did just fine with only a little bucking that the canter is mine alone to do so we're doing it.

I get a nice trot, go into a corner, outside rein, inside leg and squeeze and boom, we're cantering just like everyone else. Nice, collected, rhythmic canter that's not going to mow down the other horses (the pony was doing that LOL) and not crawling along either. We went and went and you could just feel how happy Be was to be moving. I didn't feel like a sack of potatos this time, nor was she bucking, threatening to buck, or doing much of anything wrong. Around and around we went, and as I got more comfortable I would give her a little more or take a little back and vary the canter stride. It was cool!

We all transitioned down and walked for a bit. I took a moment to set the camera up for one of the onlookers and she took video of us going the other direction. I don't look like a sack of potatos either, and Be is carrying herself so nicely! Even my instructor says she's muscling up in the shoulders and rear differently, and I feel how effortlessly she moves off her back end. Love it! We hit a couple wrong leads going that way (clockwise) but that's not unusual with a TB and we would come down to a trot and try again and pick up the right one. I had a wonderful time, and she really was my good horse under me, helping me stay balanced and comfortable with whatever turn or circle we took. No more cornering like a motorcycle on the turns. Not one buck. After that we took another little break and I was going to call it a night. I swung down and started walking her out while the girls rested. I looked at the jump, an oxer (X shape) that was potentially higher then the little downed rail we popped over last time. Then I looked at Be and she looked at me and I looked at my instructor and said if I trot into the jump like last time, do you think she would continue at a trot afterwards? She said probably, which is instructor speak for just try it, so I swung back up.

I asked for a trot and she gave me a spiffy one. I wrestled with her a bit while my instructor, a note of concern in her raised voice, says don't try the jump until you have her collected and slowed down. No problem, I had no intention of doing anything until I felt secure lol I get her into a lovely collected trot of medium impulsion, and aim for that jump. No ground pole, no wings, no baby hop this time, we're jumping! I put my knees against her, tilt forward at what in retrospect felt like the exact right moment, and Be's ears went magically up as her body released a lovely springing action behind me and over we went. It was smooth, I didn't mess with her head, and somehow I was still there on the other side of the jump. Of course, by letting her head go she did take it upon herself to hit the ground running with a spiffy canter, which may have partly been my fault as I know I grazed her belly with my left heel. Hmmm. But I was in good enough a position to stay with her, make the quick turn to the right at speed, and even felt her automatically switch leads in the turn. Wow. I brought her back to a trot, then a walk, and released my breath. That was different. My instructor said that was a real jump. Huh. I *can* do a real jump. I filed that away for later when I need more confidence and we called it a night, cooling out as we watched the other girls pop the jump and get a running stream of corrective commentary.

Be got her much-deserved carrots and we headed for home. She loaded back into the trailer without hesistation. I even remembered to unhook her halter this time when we got home. She unloaded peacefully, as if my earlier folly never occured. Marched through the dark past the shadows and the cows and the sheep with their bell ringing to the barn and tucked her right into her stall where she proceeded to make the treat begging face. Gave her some carrot slices to entertain her while I got the rest of her and Marie's dinner prepared and brushed her out while she ate. Perfect.
I am lucky enough to own a good horse.

Snowing and Blowing So Just Pictures

Happy New Year!

It's now 5 days into the new year. So far there's...

No riding.

No cow sorting.

No horsey anything going on.

Just snow, snow, snow. And below freezing temps. Augh.

I even woke up to half my barn being out of power when the heated buckets tripped the breaker overnight. Unfortunately, that's the side the heat light for the water cabinet is on as well, so double fun. I know the majority of North America is suffering from frigid temps, but that doesn't mean I'm going to quietly accept it. I booked a flight for Florida! Soon!

Muwahahahah.

At least the horses don't care about the weather.

Be and cows

Be pushing away the cows

Be amongst cows

Sea-gee the camera diva

The stallion with his sheep

After a fabulous lesson last week, snows came and burried stuff around the farm. I took the precautionary action and cancelled going to our lesson last night early because the trailer's still stuck and the driveway is icy snow.

But really, I wanted to ride. And the snow had filled in some of the holes in the paddock. And I've never popped on Be bareback as of yet. Hmmm.

I grabbed my helmet, put on my warm boots and decided to see if I could get my bum up on her. I fed the girls, and while she munched I brushed her out. I dug out my bareback pad, which hasn't seen the light of day in months, and realized the girth is now on one of the western saddles in the trailer. No problem, there has to be a girth around somewhere. I found a brown, nondescript nothing fancy western girth that looks like it's never been used. Well, that would be because I'd never trust a piece of junk like this to not gall my horse in real use. But this is bareback right, and that doesn't count I told myself.

I put the pad on her, and was pleased to see the shaped wither relief works just right on her like it did on my old mare's withers. I girthed up Be and found even on the top holes the girth was loose enough to put a hand between it and her. Again, this is bareback right? Be just looked at me with that "what are you thinking of doing now" tollerant glare and I moved on to bridling. Out we went into the cold clear night air.

Well, almost. First we had to shoo the black cow away after her long drink in the trough by the door. She was backwashing as she peered hopefully past us into the barn and the sounds of munching and crunching. And of course the highland bull came over to check things out too. We shooed both of them off, my mind again on the irony of Be's total ease with our cows compared to the ones at the sorting ranch. I'm still tempted to take her back just to give it another shot. I put Be in the area we dig the snow out of in front of the barn door so I had a few extra inches in height, added a mounting block beside her, and climbed the steps to stand over her back. She looked back at me with another curious gaze and I slid over on to her back with what grace I could muster. I might as well have done it a hundred times for all the lack of excitement that moment elicited from Be. I adjusted myself as deep and centered as I could, got my bearings and gave a gentle squeeze and turn of the rein to move off.

She didn't budge. More squeezes, more rein, no response. I escalated slowly, harder legs, even kicking and eventually I was kicking like a barrel racer making time. These were the kind of kicks that normally would have sent us flying across a field. Eventually she did the deep sigh thing, looked back with a "are you sure about this" glance, and moved off for me. It was her last protest of the evening. After that we did laps, figure 8s, played with a barrel, and sorted out the cows, all in nothing faster then a brisk walk but mostly ambling along at a pleasant, comfortable pace. The part that really impressed me is she did it in a fairly nice frame too. She was sure footed on the icy parts and ruts that I couldn't see under the snow and the few times I felt a foot slip it never affected her rhythm or bothered her in any way. She just did whatever was asked, pushing right up into the cows when they didn't feel like moving, and put up with my fumbling with the camera, playing with the self timer, movie, and flash settings. Not too many horses you can pop a flash right next to their heads, especially repeatedly, and not bother them. Be, she just turned her head when she saw the "box" and ignored it. The many times I moved close enough to set it on the roof she didn't mind my fiddling and adjusting to place it somewhere it would get a picture.

And so, we played and plodded for about half an hour, and accomplished another new milestone.

The first attempts at the camera self timer were kinda dark and dismal. It was actually a little lighter in the barnyard then the photos suggest. But you can see her head was in a nice, relaxed, casual position while we worked. I took some video on her back too, but am not sure how it came out yet.

Can you see my smile? :)

Ribs, while we were playing with the reluctant cows

Checking out our tracks

Still playing with that self timer. The settings for that are incredible. Up to 10 shots at a time, with an adjustible interval. 5 seconds between was kind of fast, 10 kind of slow. I'll find a happy place.

This is what I call getting "the look" from Be. She will reach around with her nose, usually giving my boot a nudge, when she thinks we're doing something stupid again. Standing out here getting our photo taken over and over qualified.

Sidesaddle next? She took a step a few moments after this, and it was just enough to unseat me so I landed on my feet next to her and she just looked over with one of those "about time!" expressions

Post ride discussion the camera caught. 10 shots is a lot!

Pad without me aboard. Its very comfy






Stalking me for carrots. You can see she looked through the feed tub by the grain on the ground from her searching.

Very proud of my little red head as usual. We're trying to plan for a nice New Years Day ride tomorrow with friends so hopefully I'll have another ride story to share.