Long Over Due

It's been way to long since my last post. Lots of new things happening. The 45 foot line is my new best friend! I never thought I would love it so much. I've gotten such bad rope burn in the past I figured I would just use the 22 forever. Chiclet loves it even more then I do and the great thing is he's still with me 45 feet away. The feeling of my horse being connected to me 45 feet away at a canter is a wonderful thing. Our flying change at the canter online are getting better. I only ask for it every once in a while when I feel like he's going to get it. I got a little greedy and started asking for it to much, the end result of that was this look like if he had hands he would flip me the middle finger. :~) I love that horse!!!!

The game of contact is more at play. It's a lot harder then I thought it would be. My plan is to do a dressage show in the spring. That has been my plan all along with Chiclet but he turned to be a lot more difficult then I thought he would be when I got him almost 5 years ago. He will be 7 years old in the spring and we have come a long way so it's time to take the next step.

My last bit of great news is we canter now when I ride him. I know we have always cantered but not together. Avery has been given me a few lessons to help me with the canter and it's been helpful but for some reason I didn't quite get what she was saying until I was riding by my self and I was doing figure 8 at the canter with simple change in the middle, Chiclet didn't want to pick the canter back up and I really got after him with back up and like magic we now can canter. I don't know what I did different that day but ever since that day I just think canter and off we go. Just a short month ago I was still thinking when are we ever going to canter together.

Chiclet is the best.......

Under Pressure

Yesterday went well for the most part. I spent most of the hunter pace ride right brained. The turnout ended up being 150 rider and that was way to much for me. Our issue was horses galloping up behind us. That was a interesting. Chicle also got really pushy and ran through pressure I was to right brained to fix it. Thank goodness Avery was there to baby sit me. She talked me though a few things but I was trying to be brave and only ask for help when I really needed it.

Another First

Interesting new things happening the last few weeks. Playing on the 45 foot line more. Chiclet and I both love it. He likes having more room and I feel he's still with me 45 feet away. I used to use the 45 and it was like flying a kite. Those days are over thank goodness. Yesterday he had the most wonderful canter all the way at the end of the line.  Ride the rail is awesome now we trot the whole field with canter here and there he stays soft and I just use sideways when he get a little tight. I never thought I would be able to ride a straight line. Today played and then got on to ride and Chiclet was tripping alot at one point he fell to his knees. We played with walk trot alot. I didn't realize it but Chicle had lost a shoe when we were riding. I kinda felt bad because maybe that's why he was tripping. Farrier coming out tomorrow to fix it. Last shoeing he put leather rim pad on him to help his weak walls and I think it's really is helping.

Big day for us on sunday. We are doing our first hunter pace in Westport MA along the Horseneck River. It's a 9 mile pace. I got a little nervous today when I heard that there will be around 100 riders there. That means 98 unnatural riders. I wonder what the hunter pace people will think when they see us grazing our horses long the pace.

Stretched

I over booked myself with work and helping Avery with her Parelli camp.  Today I was feeling the stress of this. Got up at 5am so I could get things done before lunch. Ran around like a chicken with my head cut off all morning at work. Got all the camp students feed and still had to clean the camp horses stalls. Finaly I was finished with all that by 3pm. I just wanted to play with my horse that I haven't seen all day even though he was out in his paddock just a short walk down the driveway. I had a hour before I had to get to my next job so I walked down to hang out with Chicle. I saw something interesting on my way down there he and Merit were grooming each other. I've never seen him groom another horse. I watched from a far it was so cute my 2 favorite horses loving on each ohter. When I went into the field Chiclet saw me and walked to meet me at the gate. I opened the gate to let him out and he was all about me I walked over to the shade to let him graze at liberty he followed me. This surprised me because it's all about the grass as soon as he gets out of his paddock. He grazed a bit and I just walked all around him checking him all over picking bers out of his tail. Running out of time so I said to Chicle it's time to go back in your paddock as I gave him a carrot. He followed me all the way back like he really wanted to be with me. Put him back in and walked over to check his water and Merit wanted to see what was going on, Chicle loves her and for the first time I saw him drive her away from me. I felt really good and really bad about this. I felt bad because my horse wanted to be with me and I didn't have time for him, and I felt good because my horse wanted to be with me. That's all I could think about for the rest of the day.

The last few weeks

Things have been up and down as always with horses. I got really frustrated a week or so ago riding in the indoor. I just wanted to canter that's all.....Is that to much to ask? Well it was for Chicle that day. Avery was riding Merit and she saw me getting frustrated with things and tried talking me through it but I was really have a tough time with just getting backup and then canter. Just when I was pushed to my limit I turned around and Avery is off her horse walking towards me. That's all that's going trough my head is on my God she's off her horses this is going to get really scary very quick. I love and hate when this happens she say do you trust me? Oh God!! YEEESSSSS with hesitation....So I hand her my carrot stick and here we go trotting backwards again and then off to the canter from a halt and Holy Shit! that was the scariest canter I've ridden in quite a few years.  It was only 3 or 4 times around the ring but it was galloping with no reins. I just kept saying I'm afraid but I heard Avery saying ride the storm it will pay off. And it did it turned into a beautiful canter. I was shaking after that. I sounds like I'm such a wimp but there is so much power in that horse it can be a little overwhelming sometimes.

The great thing about that day was I got to ride my dream horse Merit. I love this horse. She has baggage. She was given to Avery for free because she wanted to kill everyone that came in contact with her. Oh she is just so pretty and is a little princess. Loves to be groomed and loved on totally opposite from Chiclet. Anyway Avery thought it would be good for her to have someone else on her and tag I'm it. I love this horse before riding her but after riding I love her even more. It was just walk trot with Avery on the end of the line. I was in heaven.

It's been very hot the last few days so it was little liberty in the indoor ring today. Oh boy we had a good time with liberty. Learned something new about liberty today. Once your horse gets motivated at liberty stop. Ask for a little more every time. Stick to me was so much fun after he ran around the ring and got his bucks out. I know I say this every time but I love that horse.

Demo and more......

It's been a busy month. Lets see what's new since last post. I went to my first Parelli demo.....It was awesome!!!!! The 2 weeks before the demo were kinda rough. Chiclet came in from turnout with his hind leg looking like a tree trunk. It was a week of cold hosing and poulticing his leg. It was fun stuff.....finally got the heat and swelling down by the end of the week. Ok now I have a week to practice for the demo. The demo is on sunday Chiclet comes in from turnout on monday morning without a shoe....Oh crap! Farrier came on wednesday. 3 days to practice yay! It all turned out just fine but it was a little stressful for a little bit there. The demo was so much fun. Chiclet was really good a bit tired by the time we got to the demo part but 200+ people and our first demo I didn't mind him being a little tired. I thought he was going to be more up with the loud music and people.

Rode the rail in the field for the first time. That was interesting....I'm still not feeling that he is totally soft and responsive without a circles there and there yet. I know it's just me that why I need to push through it was start stepping outside the box. I was happy with that ride and he needs that. Other then that not much to report. I'm having fun with Chiclet I love that horse! =)

Learn Bern

Interesting last 2 days. Thursday played in the outdoor ring then practiced more bridless riding. Didn't go as well as the other day. Stopping was broken so did walk trot walk trot a hundred times then trot halt another hundred times. Phase 4 was used a lot that day. Chiclet was just in a I don't want to do that mood. We ended with a really nice halt from the canter.

Today I got a major wake up call. I was playing with getting Chiclet to keep the loop of the rope touching the ground at a circle.  Oh boy that was hard for both of us. We got some really nice circles and some really bad circles. It was change direction every time the rope lifted off the ground a few time it was ever few steps then change. When I got a good ones he could come in. He would think for a really long time when I let him come in. I just waited for him to finish thinking and then let him eat grass for a while. Ok here's when I got my wake up call, I asked for change of direction but he ran through it and I tried to plant myself to stop him but he was quicker then me and I got a pretty good learn bern on my hand. I should have been quicker to respond or let go sooner. Chicle was perfect after that. Even riding he was awesome. Cantered the question box with stop in the box with just using my sting and carrot stick. I stopped with that.

The roller coster ride with Avery continues...... I swear she's in my head sometimes. I was at work just thinking about things and where I'm at with Chicle. Thinking maybe I'm ready for another horse. Something to change things up for me and not focus all on Chiclet. Maybe it would make me better if I had another horse to study along with Chiclet. These are all just thoughts of course going through my head while I'm at work. So I get to the barn and out of Avery mouth not 10 mins being there is......... I found the perfect second horse for you......I said I wasn't looking for a second. She said I think your ready to start studying with 2 horses. I take a deep breath what are the details of the horse.  It's a 5 year old Lusitano gelding with a really bad bad top line from being broken under saddle. He was imported form Portugal and is worth a crop load of money but most important he needs a year to learn how to play and be a horse again. I said I would go see him if the owner is giving him away.  Oh Boy her I go again.....More to come on this one.