Moving Day

We moved to the new barn on sunday. It took three and half hours to pack up all our stuff. And it rained to make things even more fun. Poor Chicle thought I was taking him from his herd. Avery put her 3 horses on the trailer and I headed to my trailer and Chicle was screaming his head off for his buddies. Luckily it was just a 10 minute drive. The awesome thing was he ran on to the trailer. The horses were so happy to have a huge field with grass to run in.

Monday and tuesday I played online in the indoor. Chiclet was very unconfident in there. He went really introverted it was really interesting because he hasn't gone really introverted in months. When he is unconfident and introverted he goes really slow so if you don't know him you would think he is being lazy. I played with driving and asked for him to move even slower then he wanted to. It takes a long time for him to get his confidents back. Today I took him to the outdoor ring by himself he was right brained most of the time. Made him move his feet and left him alone when he was quiet and left brained. Then I took him for a walk to eat grass. He loves his herd I just need to figure out how to be part of it so we can leave the rest of the herd and be okay and happy.

Stress Happens

Wow it's been a while since I posted. Well......... Things have been fascinating, confusing, and entertaining all wrapped up in one. My friend Laura came and left in a 4 day flash. I was so excited that she was coming with her horse and this would be the firth time we would be able to spend time together and just play with our horses. It seemed like the 4 days were a big blur to me. I didn't really get that much time to do the horse thing with her and when we did I was just so stressed out about my family. Anyway she had lessons with Avery (I didn't get to see =( ) and learned a lot while having fun. Her horse is just to cute.

Here is Diesel and Laura.

Just as I thought it's a roller coster being in Avery's barn. The barn we are at is what I call the ghetto, the fence is a joke and the horses hate it because it's really small and there is no grass. So they have been getting out all the time. So yesterday Avery decides to put electric fence up across the street from the farm in this field we have permission to ride and turn the horses out in. It has a stone wall but it's not enough to keep horses in so we put some wire up but it wasn't all the way around. We figured the grass would keep them in for now and we will finish the wire this weekend. Yeah....They got out today and took a little walk down the road and someone called the police. We got the call there are horses lose from a friend. Everyone back safe and sound.  Let me go back a bit I found a barn to rent a few weeks ago but Avery is being wishy washy about going there because the "normal people" are there. After today I talked her in to moving there. Thank goodness because I have enough stress in my life right now and my horses is the only thing that keeps me going. It's been a week of Avery going back and forth about moving there. I'm feeling double stress with things going on with my family.

In all the commotion Chiclet is having a blast with running around the field and eating grass. I have not played with him in a week. Today I finally had time and was feeling like I need time with my Chicle. Played and he was NUTS!!!! but we got though it. I got on and rode trot was good but for some reason canter was no good. I went to the field and trotted around eat grass and ended at that.

Free at last

Chiclet and his buddies got out of their dirt paddock yesterday. I headed over to the barn and get a text from Avery saying when are you coming to play? I called her because I was driving and didn't want to text. So she answers the phone like nothing is going on. Then with a giggle says the ponies are gone. I'm like WHAT???? Yeah they are not in their paddock and I don't see them anywhere. Let me tell you that was the longest drive to the barn not knowing where my horse is. Avery called me about 5 minutes away from the barn telling me she found the horses. They found a beautiful field of grass by the water. We hung out with them for a while so they didn't hate us for taking them back to the dirt paddock.  We really need to move to a farm that has better grass turnout. I hate that my horse is standing in a dirt paddock all 24/7. 

So dearest friend Laura is here for a visit with her horse Diesel. It's her first horse and she is having a few lessons with Avery. D and Chicle went out together this afternoon. They where just fine with each other. We left them in the outdoor ring for the night. It should be interesting to see what has happened over night because Chicle was calling for his buddies even with D in with him. I love that my horse is finally feeling like he is part of a herd for the fist time in his life.

Fun Stuff

So we didn't make it on our trail ride last friday because it rained. We did go yesterday though. It took us 40 minutes to get there and a hour to get home. I grazed the horses while Avery was teaching. It was along ride. On the way there for some reason I kept leaning forward and losing my balance. Not sure why I forget everything when I get nervous. On the way some we saw turkeys in this field we had to cross I was freaking out of corse the horses didn't care. Avery started cantering a head of me I wanted to canter too but the turkeys were still in my head. Avery stopped to grazed and I cantered around her it was fine and Chiclet did just great.

Saturday was awesome. We went to the Carnegie Abby for the beach ride. We parked under the huge turbine it was really noisy. I was thinking oh my what are the horses going to do when they get off the trailer. They were just interested in the grass when they got off the trailer. We played in this big field for 2 hours there were round bales to play around it was so much fun. I almost didn't ride, something about open fields that make me nervous. I pushed through it and got on. Chiclet was the best he's ever been. I think he eat his body weight in grass though. Then we headed for the beach but didn't get far, One of the horses we went with was foot sore so we turned around. But I was so happy with how Chiclet handled the day with gulf carts and dogs running around he didn't care about a thing. It's was a huge confidence builder for me.

Things to come

Well I rode yesterday it was good.  Rode again today not as good as yesterday. Got in a little fight about moving off my leg but I convenced him that moving off my leg was a good idea.

I'm a little bit excited about tomorrow. Avery and I are riding over to one of her students farms about 4 or 5 miles away. Oh it's going to be fun. Ride over there she teaches while I graze the horses then ride back. I'm going to be tired. I used to get this sick feeling in my gut every time I thought about going on a long trail ride now I LOVE IT!!!! Then saturday off to the beach with the horses..... I can't wait to go. Chiclet has never been to the beach. I'm sure he's going to be down in the sand right away.

Brace

Where do I start.....Still not feeling 100% yet so my time with Chiclet has been not very productive until today. tacked up played got on all he wanted to do was canter and brace. I didn't have it in me to fight with him about it so I just cantered around. Not a good idea...... Avery drove in and said what ya doin holding your reins so tight? Damn it!! My reply was it's a old habit that I'm having a hard time getting rid of. I'm not sure what to do about the bracing so having a short rein helps well...not really. Avery got on him and it as pretty rough at first. He had a plan and what Avery was asking as not part of it. It was lots of sideways and holding him head up higher then he wanted. After she rode him she said he was stuck in his ribs and that's what I have to play with. I knew that but I think I need see how to work through it to fix it. I learned something new today. Circles are for shortening the stride and straight line are for lengthening the stride. If I use the straight line to reword good circles thing will be easier. After watching Avery ride I feel a lot better about going to faze 4. I was a little unsettled about going there while riding.