Eden's Horsemanship Journey

Moving to a Different Location

2010-06-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hello horse lovers! I have created a brand new blog that I will now be updating with posts, pictures, and videos.

The link to this new blog is edenshorsemanshipjourney.blogspot.com

I have kept a lot of the same elements as this blog but changed it up a bit and made is easier to navigate, more attractive, and more reflective of my horsemanship journey. I have already written a welcome and explanation for the change over there, and I have posted a link to this blog so people can go back and look at my old material if the mood strikes them.

I will also be redoing each of the horse's profiles and my personal page, but that is a big task and it will be a gradual change.

Edensparellijourney will not be deleted because I want the content to remain available for myself and my followers, so no worries. Head on over to the new one, check it out, and enjoy!

~Eden

New Video and A Quick Update

2010-05-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

My family and I were out lounging on the beach this past week, therefore, I have not had many opportunities to play with the horses since my last update. However, before I left for my trip, I had good session with both Woody and Teddy. I took the video camera out there with me to practice taping myself (I tend to get nervous while on camera), and I ended up capturing a really fun time with both horses, and even a bridleless ride with Woody! It was very fun, and I have compiled all the highlights from the footage into this little video below. This video is also available for viewing on my "Videos" page. Enjoy!

~Eden

Recent Happenings... Including a Trip to Cavalia!

2010-05-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple weeks since I have last posted, and I wish there was good reason, but the truth is I have not been motivated to write much recently. However, I have decided, for your sake as the reader and follower of this blog, to write a quick update with how horsey life is going. I have had two play sessions with the horses, and have in total ridden Woody twice, ridden Charlotte once, and played with Teddy once. My rides have been lovely on my black and white steed. When I am working with him or riding him I keep a task or purpose in my mind at all times. He must know that what he is doing is worthwhile and important, and this comes from my focus and intent. We have played with some bareback jumping, trotting a figure 8 around two trees with a jump between them while riding, mounting and dismounting many times and many ways, and just in general keeping HIM with ME. I have been very proud of the work we have been doing.

I have ridden Charlotte once in the past week, and we had a pretty good time. I took her to the hay field and she proceeded to have a spaz attack. I am still not sure what was going on with her or what she was so concerned about, but after failing to get her back with me while on her back, I dismounted and worked a bit to get her with me and letting go of her concerns. She finally did and snorted and released a lot, which I took as a good sign and mounted back up. We then had a pretty uneventful ride, just trail riding around the property.
My session with Teddy was good, too. I haltered him easily after removing at least a pound of hair from him (he is still shedding out his coat), and I focused on getting him more comfortable jumping. He got a bit confused when I asked him to circle and jump the jump, so I had to retreat back to getting his circles good and focused on my body language. he did very well and was able to trot, walk, and stop and face me with no help from me with the stick or rope. He is SUCH a quick learner, and he is such a bright little man. He has been doing very well.

Now, onto Cavalia. For those of you who don't know what "Cavalia" is, you can find out more here, or just keep reading this post as I attempt to explain. Simply put, it is close to a Cirque de Soleil show, only it involves, and is centered around, horses. Friends of mine went to see it and raved about it, and when Mom and I heard they were coming to Charlotte (3.5 hours away from Roanoke), we bought tickets right away.

We arrived in Charlotte around 12:45, and upon entering the "horse lover" entrance (general entrance) we were offered an upgrade. The upgrade included food and drink before the show and at intermission, a special autograph session with two "artists" from the show, and a tour of the stables afterwards. We jumped at the chance, and upgraded. The food was amazing, and the atmosphere was beautiful. Of course, Mom and I shopped and bought T Shirts, a book, and a poster for my room. We then made our way to the show and took our seat which were 5 rows from the stage.

The actual show was nothing short of beautiful and astounding. The artists/performers were incredibly athletic, graceful, and gifted; both with horses and gymnastically. The show consisted of many different "acts." There was one segment with a man playing with his horse at liberty, a couple with big draft horses on which they did incredible vaults, one with a woman playing with 8 gray horses at Liberty (Mom's favorite part), and some very nice dressage riding performances.The stage was gorgeous and the horses were lean. fit, and athletic as well.
My favorite part was when the performers rode in on quarter horses and paint horse and performed all kinds of amazing stunts. Several would bounce on the ground to the other side of the horse, back and forth, while the horses were galloping, and they would hang upside down, backwards, standing up, ANY kind of position you could think of on these galloping horses. It was very entertaining.
Another amazing part was when four roman riders entered the arena. Each man had their two feet on two separate horses' backs, and they were galloping around, changing directions and even JUMPING their horses.

Following the show, Mom and I got autographs from two of the performers, and were escorted through the barns. The horses' manes were all braided so they wouldn't get soiled (their manes were to their legs), and they were all happily munching on hay. We had the opportunity to take a picture and talk briefly with another one of the performers, and got to see all the horses used in the show.

All in all, the show was simply brilliant. It was obvious the horses enjoyed their jobs, and the horsemanship and athleticism of the performers was inspiring. I would STRONGLY encourage anyone who has the chance to go to this show to GO. Even if you aren't particularly a horse lover, you will thoroughly enjoy the athleticism, grace, and beauty in the horses and people that this show was created to emphasize.

~Eden

Red Letter Day

2010-04-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

This morning I had the opportunity to get up early and work with the horses. I went out around 8, fed the horses their grain, and threw them each one flake of hay. As they ate I groomed Charlotte and Woody very well, getting tons of hair off them as I worked. Once they were both clean and ready, I began tacking up Charlotte. I used my saddle on her (my Wintec Wide; so I wouldn't have to bother with changing stirrup length on Mom's saddle), and girthed her loosely, all at Liberty. I got her bridle and she accepted it willingly, this at Liberty, too. I grabbed my helmet, tightened the girth, and headed to the other side of the field. I hopped on via round pen fence, and took her down to the waterer before we started. We then went outside the fence for the rest of our ride.
I started the ride by having her get a nice working walk, and getting her soft and thinking through her turns. Once I got that going really nicely I played around with a lot of walk-trot-walk transitions to get her trot smoother and not so bracy and quick.
She felt really good to me, so I took her down the hill to the pond, and ended up riding all the way around the pond. The majority of our ride around the pond was at the trot, which went well and the consistency of the trotting allowed her to find a nice rhythmic, forward, soft trot.
The only area we had to work through a bit was in the swampy area. She got a little worried about going through all the wet grass and mud, but after I kept asking her, she finally went through it nicely.
We then returned up the hill, I parked her on the concrete pad by the barn, and I dismounted. She did REALLY nicely today and I was very pleased with her.

On to Woody. After I untacked, brushed, and treated Charlotte, I began tacking up Woody. He, too, was at Liberty, but didn't mind a bit as I saddled him up. I did, however, put a halter on him when I was bridling him, just so if I needed to work through the bridle with him, I could. I did have to patiently work through the bridling for about 5 minutes, but once he relaxed a bit, he was totally fine with it. Again, I grabbed my helmet and led my pony out the gate to the concrete pad.
He stood completely still as I mounted, however once I was on he began to have some ADD issues. He was all over the place, listening to and watching everything, but I immediately asked him to weave in between a line of pine trees and he settled right down.
I then went over to the round pen, opened the gate from his back, and went in. I worked on two things in here: getting him to let go of thinking about the gate and whats beyond it; and also getting his walk-trot transitions smoother and getting him in tune with me for the trot-walk transitions. I was persistent and firm when asking him to stay with me, and I did a LOT of troooot now walk! transitions to get the downward transition when I asked. Eventually, after about 15 minutes, he had let go of the gate thought and was really starting to listen to my seat when going from a trot to walk. I stopped by trotting toward the open gate, then stopping in my body and him coming gently to a stop. I let him sit for a bit, then went back out the gate, closing it behind me.
We then proceeded to go down to the pond playground, where I asked him to touch logs, put his two front feet on a clump of moss, dismount and lead him at a trot through a maze of trees, hook his reins on a hook and pick up all four feet, and remount. He was really in tune with me, and everytime I got off and got back on, he was completely ok with it.
I spent a bit of time asking him to go out of his comfort zone and get closer to the fishing boat he was afraid of, and we made some good progress there. I walked him on a loose rein down the dam, and then played with getting a soft feel and keeping it around some turns in a circle.
We played around with a couple of other things, then headed back to the pasture. I knew he would be thirsty because he hadn't had a drink that morning, so I rode him over to the waterer and to offer him a drink. However, he wouldn't drink, but rather flung his head around playing with his bit. I remembered he doesn't like drinking with the bit in his mouth, so I dismounted, took his bridle off, and remounted. I had to reins around his neck so that if I were to pull back pressure would be applied to his chest, but he did not have anything on his head. Once he was finished drinking I gathered the reins, rocked my body back and over to the left (asking for a forehand turn) and applied pressure to the right side of his neck via rein. He executed the turn perfectly, and headed up toward the barn. On the way up I asked him to stop by stopping my body and pulling gently on the reins, and he stopped and backed up. It was so cool to see how in tune we were and that he was doing all of this without a bridle on his head!
Woody and I had a fantastic day of riding out, having fun, and in the end riding without a bridle!
~Eden

A Visit to VT and Another Good Session

2010-04-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mom and I headed up to the Virginia Tech campus for the day. This weekend was Hokie Focus, meaning the students who have already been accepted there for the fall were returning back for tours and presentations on the different branches of the curriculum. We got special permission to sit in on the Animal and Poultry Science presentation, and in it they addressed questions concerning the vet school and the animal science programs. I learned a lot about the different branches of the program, and we even got a virtual tour of the animal centers. They have separate buildings for sheep, poultry, pig, cattle, and a brand new equine facility as well. I was able to talk to the professors about the different classes offered, and I was glad to hear from many people that the approach to the equine training is not traditional. They are gentle with their horses, and even have a foal imprinting program.
Following the seminar we were directed over to the equine facility, in which they were holding a horse show in memory of Emily Hilscher. I was able to meet one of the Equine Science majors who was waiting for her class in the show, and she was really helpful in telling me about the classes and the riding team.
We then watched some of the horse show, and a lot of the horses looked very nice, calm, and obedient. It was a VERY nice facility, and all the people I met were really welcoming and helpful.
All in all I had a really great day at VT and I am definitely seriously considering the school for the fall of 2011.

On another note, a couple days ago I went out to play with the horses. I ended up putting Woody in the round pen to let him graze, as I played with Teddy both inside and outside the fence. Teddy did well, and I mainly worked on sending him over jumps, and getting him confident jumping small logs.
I then went to get Woody and I ended up playing lots of directing behind his withers. Mom and Charlotte were also in the pasture; they were riding around everywhere, and Woody was a little distracted. I insisted he stay focused on what we were doing and tried to really focus myself on specific tasks I wanted him to do. It took a long while for him to truly let go of Charlotte and Mom, but he eventually did, and because of that he was able to do a couple very nice turns both ways and stop really softly with me. I let him sit for a while and he had a big lick and chew and then yawned several times. I let him go and took the halter off and he followed me over to Mom and Charlotte. It was a fun day and all the horses made some good progress.
~Eden

Photoshoot and Lesson with Terrie

2010-04-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

First off, this past Tuesday my friend Macy came over to take pictures of me with the horses and around my house for a school project of hers. The pictures found in this post are some of the better ones from the bunch. They all turned out great; she is a really awesome photographer.
Now on to this past Wednesday. Terrie came over at one o'clock, and she trimmed all the horses pretty quickly. She says that Teddy's white line is looking much better and the stretching that was evident when we first got him has virtually disappeared.

I asked if she could stay and help me with Woody some, so following the trim she and I had a conversation about Mr. Woody. My concerns with him recently have been that I have felt I have had to stay on top of him CONSTANTLY and keep him focused on what we are doing. He has become less interested in me, he has been more difficult to focus, and has, in general, begun to act like, for like of a better word, a brat. I have not known exactly how to approach this. I have been conflicted concerning how to deal with this horse; oscillating back and forth between either giving him time, not pushing him, and waiting for him to come to me... OR just going along with my plan and not paying attention to it.

Terrie helped me see that the solution would be to just continue with my plans, keeping in mind that in general, horses don't like to work. They aren't going to be jumping out of there stalls to be tacked up or haltered. This does not mean he cannot be okay with being ridden or haltered or groomed or played with, but he will not necessarily love what we will be doing. She told me the number one thing to remember with him is FOCUS. He needs to feel like he has a purpose, he has a job, and what he is doing is meaningful. Making him canter 6 laps without break is not meaningful to him; however, cantering a straight line to a tree, dismounting, picking up limbs, remounting, trotting to the limb pile, throwing the limbs in the pile, and cantering off IS. If I have focus and a feeling of we have a job to do, he will be ok with having to carry me. He will be calm, willing, and soft because he knows there is a purpose to what he is doing.

Now, of course, I already knew all of this, but somehow hearing it again really helped me to understand what was going on. When I haltered him, we weren't doing anything meaningful, he got bored, so now every time I come in the pasture he goes "Oh great. Here comes another hour of meaningless movement." I want his attitude to be, "Sure, whatever you want to do is fine with me. What are we trying to accomplish today?"

With all this theory in mind, I started working with him by directing him from zone 3. When I asked for him to walk off, and he did so sluggishly, I said, "Come on! Let's go, we gotta get going!" He picked up his pace, and the first time I asked him to turn towards me, he started pushing through on the pressure of the halter. Though I was able to change that thought pretty quickly, I knew I had missed the first clue his thought was leaving. From then on I started watching his eye, and watching where he was thinking. The second I felt him start to leave, I asked him back. If I missed it and he started pushing through trying to escape the pressure, I had to match that energy and get that thought back to me. Pretty soon he was really in sync with me, and he was stopping, turning both ways, and starting when I was.

Next I hopped on the round pen fence and Woody came right up to pick me up. I slid on, he seemed fine, so I backed out and started the same exercise, only now on his back. Immediately he tried to push through the halter to go up to the barn where Charlotte was happily munching hay, but I changed that thought and had him turn on an indirect rein. Because I was very aware of his thoughts, I was able to tell when he began to slip, and I was able to change it. Once again, pretty soon he was with me, and we were in sync. I would fast walk, slow walk, stop, roll back, and turn on the forehand, then do some indirect rein and direct rein turns. He was easy to direct, and with me. I was happy with what I had learned and been reminded of.

I hopped off, took the halter off, and what do ya know? Woody didn't leave me, and as we began to walk to the gate, he followed right behind me. I guess when you offer good stuff to your horse, he'll offer you good stuff in return...

~Eden

Much Needed Down Time

2010-04-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I have not been able to spend a lot of time with the horses this past week. However, yesterday I did have a chance to spend take a break and visit with the horses. I attempted to halter Teddy, but he wanted nothing to do with it. All I wanted to do with him on the halter was give him a gooood brushing (he hasn't been brushed since the hot weather came and was shedding like crazy), so I figured I would try it at Liberty. I got all my grooming brushed, and all my lotions and potions, and set to work. He stood still the entire time, and when I was going over him with the shedding tool, I scratched a couple itches of him and he went wild. He was having a great time. He allowed me to shed his coat, curry him, brush him, detangle and comb his mane and tail, clean his hooves, polish his hooves, and spray Mane and Tail Shine On on his coat. He didn't move a muscle and took a little nap at one point. I was so proud of him, and myself for that matter for not forcing him to be haltered but adapting to fit his mood.

I then spent some time haltering Woody, and after a couple minutes of following him a round and re approaching him, he allowed me to halter him and cooperated. Mom and I took Charlotte and him under the big oak tree (in the shade.. it was hot!) and ground tied them while we groomed them. Woody really enjoyed me using the shedding tool on him, and I even got a couple of his itches, too. I did everything I did to Teddy with him, and he didn't move an inch. He, too, took a nap. I then took him back to the barn and unhaltered him. It was good down time for us both, and I think he really enjoyed himself.

~Eden

2010-04-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday Mom and I went on a road trip up to Riner to Terrie's farm. We went up to a) visit Sassy again and b) look at and get information on her fence (Horse Guard). It was a beautiful day, and once Sassy saw us and we whistled to her, she came right up. All the horses were shedding their winter coats, so I rubbed Sassy's some to get some hair off her. She was very interested in interacting with us, and didn't get an ugly look on her face at all. I was very pleased with her and her attitude.
We then went to the car, got the camera, and a bag of carrots I brought with me. When I returned to the field, though I shook the carrot bag once, when I called her, Sassy turned and cantered up to me. It was so awesome! I haltered her really easily, gave her some carrots, and played with her a bit. We just did walking and trotting, stopping and backing up on the halter, but she responded so well, and went forward and stopped without ANY tension in the rope. She had a nice soft look on her face the whole time, and I could tell she was feeling good.
At one point I asked her to go out and around me, and she had some trouble with getting her shoulder out and away from me. I had to get strong a couple of times asking her to get out of my space, but she finally understood to get that shoulder out there and walked and trotted fine. She came right back to me when I softened and stopped, too. She was in a really good mood and I could tell that she really enjoys her life now. Hopefully with Summer coming up I'll be able to get out there more often and play with her more regularly, and if I do decided to go to Tech in a couple years then I'll be just minutes away from her everyday and she'll be getting much more attention from me.

On another note, my family and I have begun planning an expansion of our pasture. We have marked off where the new fence will go, and I believe we are adding about 2 more acres. We are looking into different types of fence, but we are leaning toward Horse Guard because it is very reliable, sturdy, and it looks very nice, also. It will be a permanent fence, with real gates, and wooden fence posts. I am very excited about this new addition, and on top of that we are looking into a separate hay storage building, so we can have our stalls back. I will update with pictures and plans as they develop!

~Eden

My First Visit to the Horse Center!

2010-03-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

Well this past weekend was the weekend of the Parelli Tour Stop in Lexington, VA at the VA Horse Center. A big group of my horse friends got together and sat together, and we had a really nice time getting to see each other again. As for the event itself.... to be quite on honest the first day, officially labeled "Share Parelli day," was just as it sounded. The highlight of the day for me was the 45 minute sessions Linda had with Remmer showing what they could do. Though there were some problems with the session (Linda preaching about gaining respect from her horse as her horse walks around at Liberty running his shoulder almost into her and frisking her for cookies), I really enjoy watching them together. Following that session there was a demonstration by the mastery students, and another session of Pat walking his horse around and talking about the future of Parelli.
I must have heard the phrase "this is all in our program" or something similar to that about 25 times. The whole first day was a perpetual infomercial advertising their program. I was really disappointed they didn't play with a troubled, non-Parelli horse like they have in the past, and Mom and I actually left during Pat's session because it was very repetitive and he has a tendency to say the same phrases and make the same points over and over.
When we left, we jetted over to the HUGE Dover Outlet right across the street to shop. Who could resist a massive Dover store? I know I couldn't. I ended up buying my first pair of breeches in about 4 years, and Mom bought a new helmet. I am in need of a new headstall for Woody simply because the one he wears now is tight around his ears and very cheaply made. I didn't find any black, non-ridiculously expensive dressage bridle there, but I will be making a trip to Sheperd's here in town to buy a new headstall and maybe some matching leather reins.

The second day, "Savvy Club Sunday," was better than the previous day. Once again. I really enjoyed the session's involving Linda, which was a lesson on the ground with a woman and her horse, and a dressage lesson with Remmer. The dressage concepts she was talking about sounded very cool and she demonstrated some extension and collection with Remmer, along with flying changes and passage. Oh my gosh, that horse could not have looked any more beautiful (well, unless he were barefoot and trimmed properly).

All in all, the weekend was fun for fellowship with my horse friends, and I also met a number of new horse people who were very nice. I cannot tell you how many people can up to me and said "are you Eden? I am so impressed with you and Woody, you are an inspiration, I love your blog!" These were not random people, mind you, but friends of Terrie's with whom she had shared my blog address. I am so happy this blog is an inspiration to people, and I it's hard for me to understand that my journey and story is so important to so many people, but I guess that's what happens when you surround yourself with supportive, like minded people!

~Eden

A Day in the Field

2010-03-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

This past week, with the temperature reaching into the 70's, Mom and I were able to get out and go for a nice long ride. We spent some time with them in the morning on Friday, and as Mom was getting the wind twists out of Charlotte's mane, Woody lay down practically right beside me. He then stretched all the way out, placing his head on the ground and stretching his legs out. He stayed like this for around 20 minutes, then sat up. I went to check on him and see if he'd allow me to pet him, and Mom took advantage of the opportunity and took some pictures. After I let him be, he stayed down, alternating between stretching all the way out and sitting up, for another 30 minutes or so. He finally decided nap time was over, and after he rolled around making sure he was COMPLETELY covered in dirt, he got up.
I then haltered him, brushed him and tacked him up at Liberty, and when bridling time came he showed remarkable improvement: he kept his head down low, and he handled himself quite nicely. Mom and I took the horses out the gate and I began to play with him a bit, making sure he was really with me. He seemed to be very calm, relaxed, but attentive, so I prepared to mount. He didn't move an inch while I was getting on, and from there everything was great.
In the beginning of out ride he really needed to be directed. He was all over the place, crooked, tuning me out, but I held in there and patiently waited for him to complete the tasks I asked him to do. Since I asked softly, he in return gave me softness back. Soon he and I were on the same page, and off we went.
We went down the drive and in the hayfield into sections we've never been. We rode up fairly close to the road, and up and down the hills of the field. We ended up riding for a little over an hour, and by the time we returned and untacked, everyone was sweaty and tired, but very content. Both horses did very well and handled themselves beautifully.

~Eden

Play Time x 6

2010-03-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Well this past weekend my mom went out of town, and the weather was BEAUTIFUL. So, I made the most of it and played with all three horses on both Saturday AND Sunday. I had 6 sessions in two days. Whew!

I started off the first day with Charlotte and mainly just had the intention of getting her out of the pasture, stretching her legs, and working on her ground skills in general. She was very forward and excited to go, so we trotted in hand quite a bit. Once she had released some of that energy, I gave her a couple things to do: weave in between these trees, touch that rock, etc., all the while being very specific. She did very well, and she really enjoyed getting the chance to go and explore.

Next I haltered the two trouble-makers oops! I mean innocent little geldings (or so they want me to think), and headed out with both of them. This, in and of itself, was quite a challenge. I say this because a) Teddy, the pot-stirrer, always makes his top priority to annoy Woody. He will go out of his way to bite him on the butt, and then run away as quickly as he can. And also, b) Woody feels the need to return the favor to Teddy, but also makes sure that Teddy knows Woody is has authority over him. I am really having to work on letting Woody letting go of his status as alpha in their herd of three when I work with both of them together, but we're getting there.
Anyways, after a bit of practice in the pasture, leading them both and keeping both of them focused on me rather than nipping at each other, I took em out. We had to wait for a bit for my dad to come on our walk with us, but after a quick photo-op (the pictures above), we were all set. My dad led Teddy as I took Woody in the lead. We had a nice, quick, and relaxing walk out, and my dad got to practice leading both horses (separately, we switched half way through). I returned them to the pasture, and I called it the end of a good day.

Sunday I started with Charlotte again, and after working through a bit of bridling resistance, I mounted up bareback and we went for a quick ride. We went around the house and down the driveway, and again I allowed her to trot quite a bit because she was rarin' to go. And again, after giving her tasks, she relaxed and toned it down a bit. We had a nice ride, and I got to practice that bareback sitting trot that is slowly improving.
I got Teddy next, put him on the 22' rope (first time) and took him on out. He was really great, calm, curious, and with me in the beginning, but I think I pushed him a bit too soon to walk through some brush from a longer distance away than he was used to, and he got a little worried. I sat and waited for him to calm it down again (he was very mild; he wasn't bouncing all around or anything), and he eventually snorted and blew a bunch. We went to the hayfield up a big bank, and after waiting on him to have the confidence to come up, he blew and blew some more. The key to him is waiting and NOT pushing him too much and too far. I put him back after that, and I was really proud of him during that session.
I played with Woody after wards, and took him out on the 22 also, wanting to take him to the hayfield and let him stretch his legs a bit. He was really great on the way out, and he overall was very responsive and motivated on the circles. I haven't asked him to circle in who knows how long, so he walked, trotted, cantered, bucked, and did transitions and bring backs all very nicely. The hayfield is right next to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and as all the cars went by, they all slowed down to take a look at my pretty boy. He was flaunting off his awesomeness (or so he'd like to think) for everyone by bucking around and cantering beautifully with his tail flagged. He is definitely a looker that one.

~Eden

Another Lesson Learned

2010-03-08T06:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was another beautiful day. The sun was shining, it was almost 60 degrees, and the horses were happy to see Mom and I. At first, we concerned ourselves with checking our fence. Our "temporary fence" we put up when we first brought the horses home has lasted three years, which is an amazing feat. However, all good things must come to an end as they say, and that fence is approaching the end. It wont hold a decent electrical charge any longer, and though we are trying to maintain it and fix it, we are also looking into permanent fence with wooden posts and aluminum gates! When we begin this project, we will also be expanding the pasture a bit, hopefully to add another combined acre.

Anyways, after checking the fence, Mom and I went to bring in Woody and Charlotte, and although Woody walked away when I presented the halter, I was able to quickly have him face up and accept the halter and me putting it on. Charlotte did well also. Both horses were pretty darn filthy, so we spent the next 20 minutes grooming them. Woody did extremely well in ground tying, I threw the rope on the ground, and he didn't move an inch as I groomed him all over. In fact, I think he got a nice little nap in. I had to use my old saddle pad (the one without any back cushioning/support), but Woody stood still nicely as I saddled him, too. As I prepared to bridle him, Woody showed a fair amount of resistance. Looking back on the situation, I believe his attitude was not necessarily fear, but an attitude of "this is not comfortable for me, and I would rather not do this." He also, being Woody, is concerned around his ears with the bridle. Part of this is due to a bridle that is too small for his head. I will be searching for another headstall that fits him properly, in which he has a lot of room around his ears. I believe this will help the situation, and me continuing to take the time and takes and work through his struggles patiently will also allow him to make lasting progress, hopefully.

With both horses ready to go, we took them out the gate, and I started asking Woody to do certain things to get with me. I asked him to lead off pressure at the walk and trot, stop, and back up. He was snappy and engaged. I asked him to jump the barrels a couple times to get any bucks out of him he might have, and I also sent him to different objects to have him touch. He seemed to be feeling good and ready to go, so I attached him reins, tightened his girth, grabbed my helmet, and headed to the mounting block. On the way there, he began to get a bit fidgety, and he strayed away from me, my plan, and what we were doing at that moment. He began to worry about where Charlotte was, etc. I tried to subtly get him with me again, and I practiced leading him from zone 3 (girth area) simulating riding. He was not listening to me, and I think the way I presented it was wrong, because it went from bad to worse. However, having a moment of direct line-ness, I proceeded to the mounting block, hoping this behavior would magically disappear.

Immediately he let me know that was not going happen by having a snot attack as I tried to line him up to mount, and thankfully Mom saw this and said, "Are you sure he's ready to be ridden?" I went to get his halter, put it back on, and Mom on Charlotte and I leading Woody headed out. My main goal was to get him ready to ride. I wanted to fix whatever issue he was having so that he would be safe to ride. His attention was everywhere but on me, he was having random snot attacks, and he was concering himself waaay too much with the grass. I tried getting his attention back softly to no avail. Then I tried getting him with me by being big and demanding. That too, seemed to not work. I then tried to let him have a canter to get some bucks and play out that he had. He did fly around and canter and buck, and he would return to me pretty easily, but in the end, I really don't think it helped all too much.

In truth, I was getting frustrated that nothing worked and he seemed to be getting worse. Mom saw me becoming emotional and suggested I take him back. As I returned to the pasture he truly began to ONLY concern himself with the grass, and I got cranky with him and jerked on him when he started grazing. This, of course, didn't help, so I just brought him back in, untacked him, and had a good cry.

Mom returned on Charlotte, and asked if I wanted to take Teddy out for a walk. I thought that would be a good way to help me NOT dwell in my self pity, so I haltered him (after having to wait for him to accept it for a while), and headed out. We went walking down the driveway a bit, and Teddy and I were doing everything from zone 3 leading at the walk and trot to leading from in front of him at the walk, trot, and canter. We went to the hayfield (a first for Teddy), and we had fun running all around, cantering, circling, and watching the cars on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The whole time we were on our walk, Teddy was blowing, licking his lips, and yawning. My word, that horse would NOT stop yawning! Even as we were trotting, I'd look over and he'd be in the middle of a huge yawn. That is a really awesome sign for him, since he sometimes has trouble in new situations. He had a good time and got exercise, and it certainly helped me to put the episode with Woody behind me.

Mom and Charlotte also had a ball and Mom did excellently with Charlotte, keeping focused on her so Charlotte stayed engaged.

That session with him was not one I am proud of, mainly because I feel like I let Woody down as his supposed leader and comfort. I was not there to help him work through what he needed to work through, and I gave up on him and got emotional. Though I know it was wise of me to put him up before things got even MORE worse, I still felt like a failure. Looking back, the first thing I would have changed was my attitude. I didn't let go of the hope Mom and I would ride together, and by that being in the back of my mind, I wasn't truly only concerning myself with getting him with me and feeling ok with trusting me. He was concerning himself with keeping an eye on where Charlotte was, and he was ignoring me and focusing on the grass and other things instead.

Though it is not something I am proud of, I do realize that that time is important in my journey through horsemanship. It needed to happen. Not every day can be the best session ever or the best ride ever. There are going to be low points in my journey, but the best thing to do, I know, is to take what happened, learn from it, put it aside, and start over. Just move on and continue building that relationship, leadership, and partnership with him. I love him, and he knows how much I care about him. He knows I try my best for him, and spend an amazing amount of time studying him, his ways, how to communicate with him, and how to be the best for him I can. Because of all that, I know he'll forgive me, and he will be able to move right on with me.
~Eden

A Break in the Weather

2010-03-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

Well I just returned from playing with the horses for 3 hours! I went out around 9, fed them, threw hay, and cleaned the tack room. I then groomed Teddy at Liberty, haltered him, and took him out for a walk.
Our walk began with Teddy feeling slightly overwhelmed. I took the opportunity to bring him back to me, and every time he was solely focused on me, he would sigh, lick and chew, and be fine. But then something would catch his eye and he'd be back to freaking out. So the first part of our time together was spent with me patiently bringing him back to me, and lots of disengaging his HQ and getting his thought completely around the turn.
Doing this, we slowly made our way up the hill to the driveway, and he was beginning to feel better about being out and away from his buds. We hung out on the driveway a bit, visiting with my grandpa and my dad. He didn't even flinch when they started up their trucks right next to us, which I was very proud of. Mom then came out, took the picture shown above, and we made our way back to the barn together. All in all, I think I handled what Teddy was going through very well and I am glad he was able to connect so well with me, after not have been out of the pasture for two months.

Next I groomed Woody at Liberty, haltered him, and tacked him up. He was a liiiittle bit resistant to the girth by raising his head slightly, and looking at me when I tightened it, but I figured this was due to the fact he hasn't been saddled in a while. Though those signs may not seem big, I still keep them in mind and try to be aware of them, in order to fix a problem, if there is one, before it escalates.
When I got ready to bridle him, I had to slow down and take my time. He was a little worried about it, so I started with getting him ok with me holding the headpiece between his ears, then little by little, approaching and retreating, I got him ok with the bit resting on his mouth, and he offered to put it in. I took it, and finished bridling.
I took him outside and played with him a bit, wanting him to be with me, have the chance to trot out with the saddle, and jump something to get any bucks out. He did well, so I hopped on, and Mom, who was leading Charlotte, joined us. We mainly went down the driveway, and at first Woody was very forward, so I had to bring him back to me a couple times, and I also had to give him a purpose. I asked him to touch, circle, and stop at rocks, trees, etc. and soon he got into a good frame of mind, and his forwardness had decreased. We didn;t ride for more than 20 minutes, but it was good to get back in the saddle!

We returned to the barn, I untacked, and fed them all cookies, They all did really well, and I'm sure they enjoyed the opportunity to play with us and get to go outside the pasture!
~Eden

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-03-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, February 28th, was my 17th birthday!! We started off the day early, having cake for breakfast, and opening presents. I had a very horsey birthday this year, as always. My first gift was the Live UK Celebration DVD from my mom, since we couldn't make it to Lakeland last year to see it ourselves. Also, I was given a piece of paper with a printed email that read "Your Free Horsenality Report Is Ready!" (meaning the horsenality report that we got with our higher membership of the Savvy Club was available). Also, my parents got me all 4 of the New Parelli Levels, and they look really great! I also got a license plate for my car the had "horse enthusiast" engraved on it, how awesome!! I got several other nice gifts, but those were the horsey highlights!

After church yesterday, my parents and I went to hear Anne Compton speak at the Hotel Roanoke, and after we had a wonderful lunch, we went back home. I got all bundled up, and decided to brave the cold to see my ponies!
Woody greeted me with a whinny, and after I rubbed on him some, I went to get his halter. When I approach him to halter, he keeps his attention on me really nicely, but when I get around to his neck, he has gotten into the pattern of walking off. Ordinarily I would stop him from walking off, and continue to halter him, but I recently I have begun to wonder if that is more or less forcing him to submit to me, not necessarily him willingly being ok with the situation. So, yesterday, I approached him, he walked off, and I backed away from him and started slapping my leg with the lead rope, attempting to get his attention back. He kept walking away, even quicker, and I kept slapping, NOT chasing him, just walking around, trying to draw his attention back to me. Soon he wheeled around, looked me up really nicely, and I stoped slapping and smiled. I then approached him, and if his attention wandered as I approached, I'd stop, move to the side, and slap, waiting for him to look me up again. I would then pet his face and just stand there, holding the halter, with his attention solely on me. He blew, and yawned a bit, and I knew he was beginning to feel good about this. I walked around him, rubbedhim some, and after a while, I haltered him. He ws very willing, and when his attention would wander I'd do something to get his attention back, then stop when he returned to me.
After he was haltered I led him back to the under the overhang, and as I led I demanded he keep with my pace. We were going somewhere, and we had something to do. Because of that, he had a nice, soft look on his face with his ears up. I picked out his feet, the whole time being aware of where his attention was and asking for him to keep focused on me. I then played with him with taking his thought places, but not necessarily his feet. Then I would occassionally ask for the feet as well, and I'd get it willingly. This whole time I remained soft, but not limp; meaning I asked politely and softly, but I always made sure I got what I was looking for and that he felt ok about it. It was a very different feeling, but definitely in a good way. I released him, and he stayed right by me, with his head down by my knees. That was a really cool moment, and I fee like he felt as good about the work we did as I did.

I next haltered Teddy, which went well, played some Friendly with the rope (I am now able to be clumsy with the rope and him not worry at all!), and played with the stall. I have never asked him to go in one of our stalls, so I went in the stall, and would gradually ask for him to come in. He had some issues with it at first, but I just patiently kept asking him to come closer, and releasing when he did. He was very brave, and he was able to come completely in the stall, turn around, and watch the world from inside the open stall. He had a lot of big licks and chews, and was snorting non-stop. He had one really big yawn, and in general seemed really trusting and ok with what I was asking. He worked through some stuff and really did nicely.

Up next was Charlotte. I approached her with her halter, she sniffed it, and as I approached her neck to halter her, she left as she very often does. I decided I was going to take the time it took to solve this issue, so I began doing what I did with Woody. When I lost her attention, I would slap my leg, not approaching her or directing my energy AT her, but I was folowing her. When she would look, I would stop, and start trying to sprach her softly. At this point she would often leave again, sometimes with attitude, shaking her head, trying to fly pst me, bucking, etc. I remained patient and laughed at her antics, but continued to ask for her attention. She woud give it to me, but it was almost like she HAD to look away, she couldn't be there for that long, she couldn't trust me. She then got the whole herd involved and they began circling the track, trying to escape me and the situation I was posing. I would meet her on the other side of the track, still slapping my leg, waiting for her to give me attention. She would, I'd stop, she'd get sidetracked, I'd slap, she'd take off. I would then meet her on the other side of the track, and repeat the process. She ran around and around about 4 or 5 times, and finally, when they all started to come off adrenaline and blow their noses, she looked at me. I stopped. I approached, and she stayed focused on me. I was able to pet her face with her staying focused, and she allowed me to stand parallel to her, stroking her neck, as she stood, snorting and ok with the situation. I walked off, thinking that was a good end to our session, and she walked off with me, following me. Cool! All in all, every one of the horses did amazing yesterday with big changes, I myself worked with them very well and felt good about what I presented. It was definitely an awesome birthday experience, and my birthday was very enjoyable and, so far, I'm loving being 17!
~Eden

Boys Will Be Boys...

2010-02-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

Well, here in Roanoke the snow is slowly melting, and the sun is actually shining! The past two days have been nothing short of gorgeous: 50 degrees, sun shining with no clouds in sight. The only thing missing? A dry, clear, non-snow covered ground! Though it is wet, muddy, and slushy, I have been able to play some with the ponies. I went out and played day before yesterday (Saturday) with Woody and Charlotte a bit.
I first haltered Charlotte in hopes of hopping on and working on some simple riding concepts (tuning up stopping, turning completely through, and back up with the thought) and we did precisely that for a little bit. I rode her maybe for fifteen minutes under the overhang bareback, but I still feel like we got some good things going. We worked on stop, go, stop, back up, go, etc. for a while, and then I hopped off. I just needed a little riding time, since I hadn't ridden in, oh, I don't know, A MONTH.
I next threw hay out for them, thinking that was it for the day (the sun was beginning to set), but then I changed my mind and decided to spend some time with Woody on his back while he ate. I mounted up quickly and just hung out for a while on his back. Then I remembered something I had been meaning to do with him...
Back several months ago I posted about my finesse lesson with Terrie and mentioned that Woody's back was a little sore. I also said that I would look into some saddle pads that could help with that. When we went to the Kathleen Lindley clinic, Mom talked to her about saddle pads and she suggested the Barnsby saddle pad. It has cushioning on the top half of the pad where the saddle lays, and it has a grip-like texture on the bottom that serves as an anti slip mechanism. Mom bought one for Charlotte because her saddle tends to slip, and I decided to try it out to see if it could be the solution to our problem. So, at Liberty, I tacked Woody up in his saddle and pad, tightened the girth, and mounted up. The anti slip surface worked well when I mounted, and the cushioning seemed to help because he had absolutely no ugly face or even raising of the neck when I mounted. I will post pictures later of the saddle and pad on him, but I certainly liked it and plan on looking into buying one for myself.

Yesterdays session was a bit different. I went out in the hopes of tacking Woody up again and taking him for a walk with the saddle on, but when I went out he didnt want much to do with me. Teddy on the other hand was all over me, practically begging for me to play with him. So I did. I took the lead rope I had in my hand and played Friendly with it on his back and such. then wrapped it around his neck and practiced leading by the neck. I would walk, and he would walk, but then when I stopped, he would often keep going past me. At this point I would start shaking the rope, bumping on his neck, and Teddy being the overreactor he is, would immediately back up. I'd give him a minute and rub him, then ask again. He catches on SO quickly, which is a quality I love about him. Soon he was turning both ways, walking, stopping, and backing with me and the rope around his neck. I gave him a good scratching and took the rope off his neck.
I then went to get Woody. I approached him, and he sniffed the halter and walked off. I waited there a minute, then walked after him, approaching him again. I must admit, I wasn't really sure of what to do in this situation, because I don't want to force him and have him stand there with that grumpy look on his face while I halter him, but I also want him to know that I'm important and we have a specific job to do that is very important as well. So after following him around for a while, he came up to me, put his head down to start eating, and my knee went up so he hit himself in my knee. He then allowed me to put the rope around his neck, and of we went.
I basically set out to do the same thing I did with Teddy. I asked him to walk forward, and almost immediately I was met with a flying head that was trying to wiggle his way out of the rope. I continued to ask forward, and when he let go of that punk idea and went forward, I released. My goal in this excercise was to be unemotional toward him. To laugh at him instead of getting frustrated. I think I aacomplished that goal, because I never got angry at him or frustrated about the situation. I let him figure it out, and hung out and waited until he did. For instance, at one point he started turning away from me toward the fence (sort of like an on-the-ground version of his pushing through the hakamore and running off), and I waited there for him, witht he feel on the rope asking him to come my way as he did whatever he felt necessary to do. He eventually let go of that thought and came my way, and I immediately released. He only did this three times (surprisingly) before he would turn with me when I asked him to, and that's where we ended.
All in all, for not having consistent play sessions, he is doing fine. Teddy is also doing very well and has truly come a long way (me being able to throw the rope over his back at Liberty? Talk about a miracle!) I am very pleased with my boys.
~Eden

Getting the Ball Rolling

2010-02-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

Well, as usual, a lot of time has passed since I have last updated. However, I do have good reason. Last Friday, when Mom and I left to go out of town, a snowstorm came to town and left us with about a foot of snow. As is that weren't enough, ANOTHER snowstorm came through Roanoke, VA, and left us with ANOTHER foot of snow, along with a little sleet and ice. Therefore, all I have been doing outside is feeding, throwing hay, checking over horses and fences for injuries, mucking out the overhang, wiping faces, and cleaning hooves. The horses are doing well, and seem to, for the most part, not mind the snow. I have had the opportunity to spend some time with them, just hanging out, and I have even sat on Charlotte and Woody's back while they eat their dinner.
I have been using this time to devote to my schoolwork (more than halfway done!!) and I have been reading and watching some horse material. I have also taken the first step toward my goal for the year of becoming, physically, the best version of myself I can be. I have embarked on the Wii Active journey, in which I will be doing countless squats, side lunges, arm lifts, etc. I had my first session yesterday, and my legs are extremely achey this morning! This is a good sign though, because it means that some muscles were activated that weren't used to being active yesterday. The program I am on has me do 4-5 workouts (about 30 minutes each) a wee, and in my rest days I plan to experiment with yet another Wii game, Daisy Fuentes Pilates. It is basically a virtual Pilates class that has you do different stretches, excercises, etc. that will help develop flexibility, engage your core, and develop your muscles. I am excited for this new fitness schedule, and can't wait to see the results and how they transfer over to my riding.
Other than that, not much is new here in Roanoke. It's officially the month of February, meaning my birthday is right around the corner, though! And also Mom and I "bought" our Parelli tour stop tickets for when they come to the VA Horse Center here in March (I say "bought" because they were free to Savvy Club members). I am looking forward to this event, I suppose, in that I haven't seen the Parellis in two years, and I look forward to seeing them work with their horses. Until Next Time!
~Eden

Quick Update and a Random Thought

2010-01-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

Well Roanoke has been freezing, wet, and muddy for the past two weeks. I have been able to actually take the horses out of their pastures ONCE in that amount of time. It's ridiculous. I took each of them out one at a time last Saturday, and everyone did relatively well. The main focus of my time with them was to allow each of them to get out, go for a walk, and get out of the pasture. During that time span, though, they were expected to be with me and focused on me. I took Teddy first and after having to gently bring him back to me a couple of times, and just allow him a minute to collect him and let him sit, and consistently ask him to keep his thought on me, and let go of his other worries, he did VERY well. He had a big release and walked calmly next to me, behind me, and driving beside me for the remainder of our time. He just needs time. Once you give him that, he's all ears for your ideas.
Woody was next, and I did have to remind him of the standard when in my presence a couple of times. He is not to eat grass uninvited (which I RARELY do), he is not to search me for treats, or give me any ugly looks (he can get in this groove where he'll walk behind you with an ugly face as if to be driving ME forward as we walk). But after some quick corrections, he was an angel. We went down the driveway and into the woods some, which was very fun.
I took Charlotte out quickly and all she really felt like she wanted to do was kick up her heels a bit. I put her on a circle and she went about trotting, shaking her head a bit, it was entertaining to watch. We then headed down the hill and to the drive a bit, and again she wanted to trot ahead. I had to place her back behind me a couple of times until she settled down, then she did fine.
Twice a day when I feed I always love on em, and sometimes (like today) when they're riled up and frisky they'll run around crazy and we'll play a bit. They get lots of attention, but it would still be nice to get back in the swing of things when it warms up a bit.

I had a random thought while I was out driving around town today. I was thinking of how I love synchronized dances (the cupid shuffle, the electric slide, the thriller dance, etc. etc.) and I was wondering how cool it would be if I could do one with my horse. The cupid shuffle is a simple dance that I am determined to teach Woody and perform horseback. It is merely "to the right, to the right..." (leg yield/sidepass to the right), "to the left, to the left" (leg yield/sidepass to the left) "now kick, now kick" (some type of spanish walk, lifting of the leg), then walking it out (basically turning on the haunches). I think that would be the coolest thing and would give Woody and I focus to work toward something. So, that is summer goal #1!
Eden

New Video!

2010-01-12T14:51:00.001-08:00

Well today I was feeling extra creative, so I made a video of Woody and I... again. I think this one is the best yet, and I really enjoyed messing around with the effects. Let me know what you think and enjoy!!

P.S. This movie can also be found on my videos page!

~Eden

My Adventure at Joy's

2010-01-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning, after Sunday school, Mom drove me up the mountain to my friend Joy's farm (my car is dead from not driving due to all the snow and ice). I met Terrie and Eve there, and off we went, bundled up warmly, down to the "babies" and their mothers... and Chance. The "babies" are Aphrodite and Shiloh, not even two years old yet, but big and very entertaining.
Terrie trimmed Aphrodite first, and Eve worked with Shiloh as I helped Joy and Terrie with Aphrodite. She was having some trouble holding up her front feet, so once we made some progress with picking them up, Terrie just decided to nip them from the top, so as not to cause Aphrodite so much stress.
After she was done I took her and played with her some. I was mainly focused on allowing her to become aware of my boundaries. She is very unaware of personal space, so since she was a bit antsy in the beginning we would play the game of walk when I walk, stop when I stop. She knows the walking part quite well and leads off wonderful, but the stopping is where she needed improvement. If I stopped and she was still going, I would take the halter underneath her chin and ask her to back up. After what seemed a VERY long time of doing this, she finally got the hang of stopping when I do. I scratched on her a bit, and then moved on. I wanted her to also know that it is ok to just stand. She was very fidgety, wanting to move around, not wanting to stand still. So, I would gently bring her back every time she left, and ask her to stand. Finally, she was able to stand, and hang out, watching her buddy get trimmed. Somewhere in our play session I threw in some Friendly type stuff with the rope, because she was a little skeptical of me touching her with the rope. She did well though, and she made great progress. It was fun getting to play with a young horse and teach her some basic manners.
Next up was Sprite, who is Aphrodite's mom. She was so well behaved, and did a great job of helping Terrie do her job, and moving and picking up everything she needed to. Well done Sprite! I took her back in, and Eve brought out Chance, the big, black wonder. This horse is so gorgeous.. and HUGE! She is a drum horse (a cross of a gypsy cob and a Clydesdale/Shire/draft). Eve worked with her with picking up her feet some, as she is very unconfident with her feet being handled. She is such a people pleaser, and really tries to do what you ask. She is a sweetheart, but very unconfident with certain things, which is odd because of her size.
While Chance was being trimmed, I played with Lilly, Shiloh's mom. She, too is a sweetheart, and she already knows manners, a plus for me. However, as I was testing the waters, and seeing what she could use help with, I noticed she was very skeptical of the rope. So, for the majority of our time together I was leading her, swinging a rope around. I started walking away from her swinging the rope, and once she was ok with that, I led her a bit closer, still leading her, and swinging the rope. Then I turned around, and faced her, but walked backward, swinging the rope. I then practiced stopping, with the rope still swinging, and waiting for her to relax and stop, then start walking again. This all went very well, and by the end of our time she was able to stand with the rope swinging and also let me lay it over her back. We also did some hindquarter disengagements, and worked with lateral flexion, which she was very good at.
After Terrie trimmed her, I put her away and we were done! It was a fun afternoon, and I enjoyed the chance to work with all kinds of different horses.
~Eden

Braving the Cold

2010-01-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

Well I decided today was the perfect opportunity to get a play time in with the horses. It has been unbearably cold here for the past week (in the teens and twenties) with a wind chill of 5 degrees. Today the wind wasn't moving much, the sun was out, and it was 30 degrees. Out I went with my long underwear, heavy jacket, gloves, and thermal socks. I managed to play with all three of them, and in general things went really well.
Woody was up first, and he haltered no problem. I brought him to the tack room and put the bareback pad on him, then grabbed my helmet and the sidepull and placed them outside the gate, just in case I decided to ride. I took him outside, and right away he began to try to eat grass. However, it only took a couple reminders for him to let go of that thought. We went on the do some directing and driving from zone 3/4, and he did really well with this. His upward transitions were a little lazy, and it took a couple of "Hello! I'm here!"'s the get them going snappier. We played around a lot with walk to trot transitions from me in zone 4 which went really nicely. I then gave him a couple of tasks to do, such as put his side against the trailer, weave in and out of the pine trees, and put his nose on the cone. He did all these well, so I decided to put the side pull on him. I had to spend a little time with this because everytime I'd go to start putting it on, he would start rubbing his head really hard, or he would drop it and try to eat. I stayed focused and patient, and brought him back to position each time, and eventually I slid it over his ears and on his head no problem. He blew out big, and I knew that had been good for him. I put my helmet on, tightened the cinch, and started heading toward the mounting black in zone 3, driving him and directing him. We had a lot of fun with this, and worked on this for quite a while. I would ask him to circle around things and really bring his thought around the bend, then ask him to trot, walk, stop, backup, weave, etc.. I had to work through a couple of rough patches where he tried to push his way somewhere or where he would try to dive for grass, but in the end he was really with me and it was really fun. Turned out I didn't get on him at all. The driving and directing him was fun enough.
I played with Teddy next. I haltered him pretty easily, put the horses on the other side of the overhang and put the gate up, and began playing lots of Friendly with him. I played with the lunge whip, the carrot stick and bag, and the bull whip. I rubbed him all over, let him smell them, chew on them, everything. He was licking and chewing a LOT (much more than usual) and I decided to take him out in the pasture to play some. We played some driving zone 3 stuff at a walk and stop, played with the log (asked him to go over it, stood on it and rubbed him, put a leg over his back, etc.), and played with some circles. I didn't bring the flag out with me to play, just the rope. He really did nicely and licked and chewed and sighed a lot. I think the key to him is to go slow. Sometimes he looks like he is ready to move on quickly, but he gets a lot of confidence when you really take your time. We ended the session by walking back to the barn and he followed me back, at liberty, which he never does. Good stuff!
I then haltered Charlotte after waiting on her to accept it a bit, and saddled her up. I really took my time and assessed her as I went along to make sure I wasn't rushing her. I put the bridle on her fine, then headed out the gate to the mounting block. The whole way she was energized and wanting to trot and really feelin' good! I guess it was because she hasn't been out of the pasture for a loooong while. I hopped on and off we went. We had a really casual ride, walking on the driveway, in the yard, anywhere that wasn't icy. I also practiced getting a soft feel and contact with her, and then letting her go and riding on the buckle. She did really well, and she was quick to get that soft feel (I didn't have to wait for her to search for it much). It was a nice ride, and much needed for both of us. I returned her to the pasture, and I threw out hay, and returned to the house! It was a fun day, and I enjoyed working with the horses again.
~Eden

Under Pressure

2010-01-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

Picture this: It is a cold cold night (24 degrees), the wind is blowing, and its pitch black dark. I make my way to the pasture after returning home late to feed the horses their hay, and I am greeted by two horses. Only two. As my eyes adjust to the darkness I am able to pick out a dark figure standing a ways away, so I make my way over to it. As I approach I realize it is the missing horse: Teddy. I begin to wonder why he didn't come greet me at the gate like the others, and then the reason becomes apparent. My little mini horse is stuck on the INSIDE of our interior fence. He is in the little pasture place that we have fenced off so the horses can have fresh grass come Spring.
This is the scenario I was faced with a 6:30 yesterday evening. Teddy wasn't hurt, or sweaty like he had been running around panicking (two VERY positive things), so I proceeded to walk around the perimeter of the interior fence to look for where the break was in it and how he had managed to weasel his way through it. I saw NO break, and the fence looked normal and fine. Except for that the voltage of the electricity was down considerably, so when he got through he wasn't shocked much.
We still have no idea what happened or how he got under the fence into the pasture. Mom came out to help me get the fence to where he could go under it to get out (we have no gates on the interior fence). I haltered him quickly (Thank God I have been practicing his haltering) and he haltered like a champ. Mom had to undo a section of fence and lift it up so he could squeeze under, and it was a very tight squeeze (though not impossible, I know he could make it). And, eventually, he did make it. It took some time, and I had to keep reminding myself that getting frustrated or fed up was only going to make it worse. I would reward his tries by letting the line slack and waiting a moment, then trying again. In the end I did have to put quite a bit of pressure on him in order for him to consider going under. I was so proud of how he conducted himself, however, because once he realized that's what he had to do, he tried his GUTS out to build up the courage to do it. He went under, Mom fixed the fence, and I stood there holding him, rubbing him, and giving him hay.
My guess to as what happened is that all the horses were under the overhang, he was behind one of them near the fence, they got fussy with him and began to pick on him, and Teddy, being his claustrophobic panicky self, slipped under in efforts to escape. There is no proof of this, but it is what makes the most sense.
Therefore, with this is mind, this morning when throwing hay I became very dominant over them and was very specific about them standing outside the overhang until I invited them in individually and positioned them in their spot. Woody happened to be the last one I let under the overhang, and it took him a while to be able to stand calmly and give me a happy expression before I let him under. And, I found it interesting that right when he went in to eat he put his ears flat back at Teddy to get him to move. I immediately addressed that with the flag, waving it in Woody's face until he backed up and lost that thought. By the time I headed back to the house, Woody was acting like a perfect angel, not daring to pick on anyone.
Anyhow, the episode last night was the perfect example of one of those scenarios that you spend your play sessions preparing for. That is why I practice him being ok with haltering, and that is why I plan to work on Teddy being even more confident going under tight spaces.
~Eden

2009 Overview and Welcoming 2010

2010-01-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that another year has come and gone so quickly! 2009 sure did hold many big events in my life, and I'd like to take a minute to look back at all I've accomplished this past year before moving forward...
*Turning 16 - this was, of course, a big milestone in my life that I got to celebrate this year. I feel as if this day were only last month, but here I am looking at another birthday coming up in just a month!
*Graduating 10th Grade - Though this does not seem like a huge accomplishment, it is. It is important because this was the last graduation in an actual school system, and a big accomplishment because I finished the year with straight A's. I have always made straight A's, but I thought it especially important to finish out this school semester well.
*Deciding to/Becoming Homeschooled - This was a very difficult decision God led me to make. The school I had attended for the past 4 years is a rigorous private Christian school, and the work load that came with it had really taken a toll on my horsemanship. I had to pass up opportunities to go to clinics, and I had to work around my schoolwork when it came to daily working with my horses. The decision I made to become homeschooled was not one that was made quickly. I gave it a lot of thought and prayer, and I decided that this decision would allow me to dedicate myself to my horses in a way that would not be possible to do while in school. I also was not sure of my future in regards to college, etc. and the school I was attending is VERY college oriented. I did not want to disappoint anyone at my school if I chose to not take the conventional college route, so I decided to study my schoolwork from home. I am SO thankful my parents gave me this opportunity because now I am completely flexible, I am able to go to week long clinics whenever available, and I can spend my days primarily outside learning from the best teachers: my horses.
*Harry Whitney Horse Camp in June - This is yet another big event in my life because at this camp I really learned the importance of being open to everything and everyone. There is no one right way to do everything, both in life and in horses. This was really the time that I realized I have a LOT to learn about horses, and from many different people from many different backgrounds. This is also the time that I began to branch out from Parelli and explore other master horsemen. (note: that last sentence was not meant to sound as if I am not involved in Parelli anymore. I am still, for the most part, in support of it, but I have opened my eyes to other horse masters as well.) This is also the place where I was able to canter my pony for the first time ever, and I also met and became friend with many very wise horse people.
*Acquiring Teddy, My Mini - It is always exciting to have a new member of the herd, and boy was I excited when I got this little rascal. He is a very different kind of challenge than I'm used to working with, in that he is skeptical and afraid rather than unmotivated and unwilling. He has made huge strides already in working with me, and he still has a long way to go, but I believe he has potential.
*Harry Whitney Bible Camp in October - This was big for many reasons. First, this was a week in which I was studying the horse, mainly without my mom. That is a big thing because most of my learning has been done alongside of or with my mom, and I think this represents that I am growing into a more independent horse-woman. Also, this was an introduction to Harry Whitney for many of the PPG members. I am so glad they could come and learn from Harry, and that they were willing to take a chance and learn from other horse people.
*Meeting Kathleen Lindley - Kathleen is an amazing horse woman who I can and have learned a lot from. I am so happy I got the opportunity to spend time with her, both in the company of horses and away from the horses. I learned at lot from my weekend with her, and I hope to learn much more from her in the future.
*Being Exposed to Buck Brannaman - He is a MASTER horseman who has a LOT to offer. I really enjoyed spending time to watch and listen to him work with and talk about the horse. I hope to learn more from him in the future as well.

Looking back, I sure have had a very horsey year, and I have made some big changes in both my personal life and my views towards the horse. I have learned a lot, and opened my eyes to many other master horsemen. I am thankful for the teachers who have taught me so much this past year, such as my mom, Terrie Wood, Harry Whitney, Kathleen Lindley, Buck Brannaman, Kathy, Lauren, and my horses.

Now that we have looked at 2009, lets look ahead to what 2010 might hold...
*Turning 17 - Birthdays are always big events in teenagers life! I can't believe that in a mere month I will be 17!
*Finishing my High School Courses - This year will be the year I graduate high school, and yes, I am a year early. I look forward to finishing when my friends will be graduating from their Junior year in the beginning of June (hopefully). This is a blessing I am so grateful to have; that I have been able to work hard and to finish two years worth of courses in just a year!
*Harry Whitney Camp in June - Mom and I are signed up to return to Mendin' Fences Farm in June again to spend more time with Harry Whitney. We will be 2 of the six people attending our week (it is a mother daughter week with two other mother/daughter couples). I am, of course, looking forward to this event to learn more from a master, and allow Woody and I to make even more progress.
*Beginning Basic College Courses at Comm. College - Hopefully this year I will be able to take some basic classes at our local community college in town so I can be that much more prepared for what the future holds!
*Finding a Horsey Job - Not necessarily a "job," but I would love to be able to work with horses other than my own. My main goal for this year is to advance my horsemanship by working with many different kinds of horses. There is an Andalusian farm right down the street I plan to inquire about come Spring (just helping out around the farm and hopefully getting my hands on some horses!), and there are many other opportunities around here I intend to look into.
*Devoting More Time to my Job - I would love to be able to work much more frequently this year than before so I can save up that money to invest in horse expenses that are sure to come.
*Devoting Myself to Becoming a Better Rider - In the many years since I've set out on this "natural horsemanship" journey I have devoted myself to becoming a better horsewomen. Though I definitely plan on trying to learn as much as I can in that aspect, I also would like to begin to study the art of riding. I have purchased many books on the topic (Centered Riding 1 &2, Yoga for Equestrians, and Mind, Body, and Spirit Gymnastic Approach to Riding), and I would really love to discover how to ride properly, as the classical riders learn. I aspire to become more balanced, confident, understand the anatomy of the horse and how it relates to riding, and also maybe delve into the world of classical dressage a bit. I also want to improve my ability to teach my horses an idea from their backs, and have the confidence and ability to work through the temper tantrums if necessary.
*Working on My Fitness - This is not to say that I am fat or anything, but I do know that I am not the best version of myself that I could be. I lack core muscle strength, and basic strength all over. I plan to work on my strength, understanding my energy and center of power, and also improving my flexibility. I am pondering the idea of participating in a Pilates class...
*Developing my Horses - I want to develop each of my horses into the best versions of themselves they can be, too. I am not saying I plan on solving every issue or fear or problem they have inside them in this year, but I am saying I plan to make serious progress in allowing my horses to become more willing, more trusting, more athletic, more understanding, more soft, more healthy, and more equal (left and right, fast and slow, all being equal).
*Continue to Work with Joy's Horses - I will continue to work with Joy's horses and possibly start playing and working with my favorite, Mirage. She says she wants him to possibly become her riding horse, and I would love to be able to be a part of that adventure.
*Continue to Study Natural Trimming and Hoof Care - I want to be able to understand the hoof, the basic diseases and problems that can occur, and also be able to do maintenance trims on my horses.
*Graduate Level 2 - some of you may already know I passed my Level 2 Online this past summer, and I would really love to assess my Level 2 riding skills, so I can have my blue string. After that, I believe I might be done with official assessments of Parelli, but since I already have half of Level 2 done, I would like to finish it.
*Look into Virginia Tech as a Possible College to Attend - I have been thinking recently about colleges and what my plan regarding them is. I would like to attend a University that is close to Roanoke, is a good school, and has some type of specialization in animals/equine sciences. Any of you who are familiar with VT know that that is pretty much the school that I described, so I have been wanting to check it out as a possible college for me to attend.
*Harry Whitney Bible Camp in October - I am signed up to attend the Bible camp in Floyd again this year, and I am looking forward to this opportunity very much.

These are some goals I would like to accomplish or work toward accomplishing this year. Here's to 2010!
~Eden

Christmas Time

2009-12-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I hope everyone had lovely, merry Christmases because I know I did! We went to the Christmas Eve service at my church on the 24th, came home and opened only one present (interesting how it is always pajamas! haha), and crawled into bed expected to wake up at 6 o clock the next morning. Santa was very good to me this year and I got an acoustic guitar, guitar equipment (picks, guitar strap, and a basic book on tab reading and worship book), jump standards (hand built my my grandpa) and 4 jump cups! I got many other things, but those were the biggies. I also got a book I talked to my mom about called Mind, Body, and Spirit, a Gymnastic System book. I started it last night, and I am really excited to keep reading it! I am currently reading Centered Riding by Sally Swift which is a REALLY great book that I'd recommend to anyone. I gave my mom the second Centered Riding book from Sally Swift that looks really interesting and in depth, so needless to say my riding will definitely be improving with the reading of all these books. Once I have the opportunity to get out there and practice some of the techniques and exercises with Charlotte and Woody, I will definitely be posting interesting updates. I am really looking forward to diving deeper into classical riding, and all the different aspects involved in it. My goal is to be the BEST rider I can be.
~Eden

New Link

2009-12-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

Hello All! Well, the night of my last post, it snowed about 16 more inches, adding up to a grand total of somewhere around 20 inches of snowfall. The horses have been LOVING the snow as a new delicacy, and in fact Woody has been eating the snow more than drinking from the waterer. What a silly boy! Needless to say, I have not played with the horses for a good while. I rub on them, check them over for injuries, and do little things like move them around, assert my personal space, and such with them when I feed, but other than that, I've done nothing with them. The snow is so deep that it touches Teddy's belly when he moves around, so when he runs around he has to JUMP out of the snow, land, jump, land, etc. It is QUITE a funny site. They are all enjoying the snow and my family is too. And I do promise, next time I have a play session with one of them, I will update immediately to fill everyone in on our progress.
On another note, I just finished constructing another page of my blog as a library of the movies I have made documenting my progress in horsemanship. There you will find all the videos I have once posted on my blog main page (this page), and also new videos I will post as time goes on. The link is now found on the Go To side bar containing all the other pages I have constructed for the horses. I think this new addition will be a good tool of this site, and I hope you guys find it helpful!
Until next time!!
~Eden
P.S. If I don't have the opportunity to write again before Christmas, I wish everyone a lovely holiday and merry Christmas!!

Winter is Here!

2009-12-18T17:04:00.000-08:00

Well me and my family have been gone for the past 3 days on vacation to Williamsburg. We had a really great time together, and a neighbor of ours took care of the horses, dog, and cats for us while we were gone. We got back this afternoon and were welcomed by a weather alert of 100% chance of 10-18 inches of snow over the weekend. For Roanoke, VA, this is a BIG snow. So, I rushed to the grocery store to stock up for the storm, and not soon after I returned the snow began. It is about 4 inches so far, and its supposed to snow all night.
When I went out to feed the horses I took lots of picture of them because they were so darn cute! They had been playing, running around, biting, bucking, kicking, and rearing with each other for a good hour in the snow, so they were feeling pretty good this afternoon!!

~Eden

Not What I Hoped for, but Moving on and Learning!

2009-12-14T17:46:00.000-08:00

I got the chance to play with the horses this past Saturday, and it was really good to get out and work with them again. I played with Woody first, and then I played a little bit with Teddy, my little man.
Woody was a little difficult, in that he would sniff me and the halter, then walk away, and so when he did I started following behind him in his blind spot, and immediately he would turn to look at me and face up. We did for a while until he stood still to be haltered, and because of his reluctancy and his behavior at liberty, I decided it might be good to play a bit at liberty in the round pen. I led him in there, all the while tuning him up and reminding him of the standard set before him: walking off the lead rope without a drag, stopping when I stop, going when I go, and backing up when I back up. He began to put effort into paying attention to my body language, and it was nice to see he didn't have a snotty look on his face about it. I took him to the round pen, released him, and he immediately began eating grass. I made a racket with my flag to tell him that's not what I wanted and he shouldn't ignore me and tune me out with the grass, and from then on he was pretty good about not trying to eat.
Though he didn't try to eat, he tried tuning me out in other ways. The vibe I got from him was, "yeah, I know, I'm supposed to follow you around, but not eat, and move when you tell me to, and stop when you tell me too." I felt like I was directing a reluctant puppet who wasn't interested in communicating back with me. He was conforming to my wishes, and not willingly submitting to my ideas, as Harry and Ronnie would say. I tried thinking of what Harry would do in the situation, and when I tried to get his attention back and say hey! You need to pay attention, his conformity increased and his mind went off even more. I drew a blank on what to do, so I haltered him again (much easier this time), and took him back to the pasture. I decided to work on his bridling, since last time Terrie was out she gave me some ideas with working with him. I asked him to out his head down, and when it went up I waited with the pressure til he came down, then released. I got him ok with the bridle hanging over his face in position, then put the bit on his lips and waited a bit for him to accept that. Once he did I slipped it in his mouth and over his head and fastened the throat latch. He did very well with it, and I was pleased how we both handled ourselves.
I decided that what he and I both needed was a nice trail ride, just a quick walk around to clear our head and be positive again. I mounted up outside, and immediately his brain went places. I right away got in there and fixed it, getting him to focus on verrry specific things. I gave myself a course to follow; such as doing a barrel-racing type pattern turns around the three trees, and waiting for his thought to come around the turn, and then releasing him. We would then circle the barrel, stop in between two trees and get a back, just all kinds of little tasks to get me focused so he could latch onto that focus and be with me. This seemed to really go over well, and before I knew it he was really focusing on me and tuning in. Then, once he was really with me, we rode up the hill that he was wanting to go up so bad. We played up there a bit, then rode back. He gave me two really nice spurts of trot (I was riding bareback), and I forgot how much I love that pony's bareback trot.
I played with Teddy and bit, and went really slow with him. I introduced him to the bareback pad (not sure why, because I'm not allowed to ride him, unfortunately). We played with sending him thought to the pad (it was resting on a bucket) and once he understood what I meant he was really great at going and thinking where I directed him. We played with putting it on his back, and a little bit with the cinch (just moving it around under his belly), then called it a day. It was a fun day with my two men that I learned a lot from.
~Eden

An Update... Finally!

2009-12-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

So I am here to update about my ponies and our progress finally! I will try to keep this short, but I think we all know how I am almost incapable of doing that.
WOODY
I have played with him a handful of times since my last update. Mostly our sessions have consisted of working our way towards long line driving. I have gotten more and more back in zones 4/5, and he is pretty consistent in stopping when I stop, and slowing and speeding up when I do. I have also been sending him over a couple of jumps at a walk and trot, and he doesn't even think about not jumping it. Pretty cool stuff! I guess all I needed was to fix that go button and keep giving him opportunities to practice letting go of those thoughts easily (mainly the thought of not wanting to go).
I have also ridden him a couple times casually just hanging out in the pasture bareback. I had forgotten what a wonderful bareback he has, and it was definitely fun to get on and hang out. Those couple of times I did ride him I rode him in his halter in the pasture, and then work in the bridle has definitely transferred over to the halter! He didn't question what we were gonna do, and was easy to turn and go and stop. We did some little tasks like going to retrieve the flag from the barn, checking the round pen caps, and we also herded Charlotte up the hill to Mom. It was fun to just get on and go, and it really shows how much Woody has improved in that I would always have to play with him before I felt he was ready to ride. Now I feel fine just hopping on and going.

CHARLOTTE
I have played with Charlotte a bit recently, and she has been doing well! Mainly I have been riding her bareback on a couple of trail rides, but one day I worked with her on some Finesse concepts. I tried some of the stuff Terrie talked about in our lesson with Woody on her, and it actually felt really cool. We worked on the soft feel at the walk and trot, holding the feel and contact around turns and bends, and then gently releasing back into a loose rein. One thing I noticed with her is that she wouldn't keep the "go-ey"ness in whatever gait she was in when I asked her for bends or when I released her into a long rein or when I brought her up with contact. We spent some time working on her not being so ready to quit on me, and we got some REALLY good feeling stuff several times! I have also been on the mission of figuring out her sitting trot while bareback, and I recently have really felt like I've really figured out how to sit and ride it softly, yet actively.

TEDDY
I have been working with Teddy with a couple things. Mainly I have been working with his haltering. He still gets a bit worried when I approach him with hit, so I have spent a bit of time out there with it in my hand just concerning myself with rubbing on him and spending time with him. This has definitely helped and he has become increasingly easier to halter. I have also been realizing that he is MUCH more sensitive than, say, a horse like Charlotte. Therefore, he doesn't need to be yelled at, and when I do yell at him he gets very worried. So we have been practicing doing thing softer and more calm. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be able to handle me waving the flag around, but I don't need to do so much to get the message across to him.

Along with my horse work, I have gone out to Joy's farm with Terrie since I last updated. I played with three of the "big babies" (her 7 PMU draft horses). I helped out with Montana, Tristan, and Ella, along with helping a bit with all the others. I kept teaching them how to yield to pressure, disengage the hindquarters, back up off pressure, and come forward off of pressure. They are, in general, more polite than they were, but they still have a ways to go. It was fun, though, as always, and I enjoyed my time out there.

I promise this much time won't pass between now and my next post, I'll update again soon!

I tried taking Christmas pictures yesterday, which was difficult because I didn't have a photographer, it was FREEZING, and the horses were filthy dirty. Will have to have to have retakes considering this is the only one that turned out. Haha
~Eden

Those Little Spots

2009-11-25T08:32:00.000-08:00

I went out to play last weekend with the intention of working with Woody on the ground and possibly bareback riding around some. I haltered him, put the 22 foot line on him, and sent him out the gate to go play. He was not really with me, even from the beginning. So, I thought, the right thing to do was to get his attention by doing something big to grab his attention; to ask him to do something and if he didn't do something big to say, "you should really pay attention!" So I asked him to send off, which he did kind of distractedly, so I said "GO!" and he went. We then worked on transitions on the circle which he did "just ok", so I kept persisting and when he didn't do what I wanted I would get big. I began to notice a trend. I began to notice the more I got big the more he didn't respond to, or tuned out, the big, so I had to get bigger. Evenutally I was getting so big and getting so little in response from him, that it required me to take a step back and think about the situation. Obviously this tactic was not working because he was going from bad to worse. This is when I had an idea.
I asked him to back up gently, which he did, but I paid really close attention to his face, body, and most importantly, where his thought was. I saw that everytime I asked him to back up he stepped over a little bit to the left and looked away from me toward the left. So, the next time I asked him to back up and I saw that foot and that thought leave, I stepped to the right and brought the rope over gently so he looked back to me. I then continued to ask for the back up, and when he looked away or stepped off course, I brought him back to me. He backed all the way up like this, a little bit at a time, stopping when necessary to get his thought back, and then I let him sit for a long time. He sighed, licked and chewed, and put his head down some. This was a good sign.
I then applied this same concept of looking for those little spots and correcting them gently to a Stick to Me type exercise. I asked him to be beside me along the fence line (he was closest to the fence and I was positioned at his shoulder), and to really tune in to my body language when I sped up, slowed down, stopped, and backed up. He did good with this, but it was still a bit mechanical and his thought wasn't really on it. I then noticed that everytime we stopped and backed up, his face was over to the left, away from me. So I went about fixing this by asking him to stop, have him check in with me, then get the back up. This really helped him connect with me and he really became in tune with me and my thoughts.
Then the horses came on the other side of the fence to see what was going on. Woody has a tendency to get evil-eared and dominant over Teddy when he is around, so I have been working on maintaining my leadership in these situations. I saw this as an opportunity to work on this. Teddy would come up and stand near Woody on the inside of the fence, and Woody would lay his ears juuust a little bit, I acted on his thought right then and didn't let it escalade by either backing him up until he let go of the thought, or bring his head, attention, and thought over to me. Then we'd continue on in our Stick to Me deal. Our session ended when Teddy came up near Woody, Woody didn't react, he stopped when I stopped, looked to me, sighed, and yawned. This was a really good sign and I decided to call it quits then.
The point of the lesson was to train me to look for those little spots, fix them when they're small, look for quality in the things we do, and have him understand I am in control of the situation when Teddy is around. We both did very well.
~Eden

Singing in the Rain

2009-11-19T07:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I woke up to a cloudy sky with 40% chance of rain. Great. I fed the horses early, put their halters on, and brought a lead rope with me back to the house to take out when Terrie arrived. Terrie came at about 11 o clock, and she trimmed Charlotte and Teddy herself, leaving Woody last so I could help trim him. I trimmed his right front foot, and after Woody had a bit of a tantrum wanting to see where Charlotte was, he settled down nicely and allowed me to learn from his hoof.
Trimming is a lot harder than it looks! But it was fun and rewarding because I could see the things Terrie pointed out, and I was able to tell if the hoof was symmetrical and even. It was pretty cool, and Terrie showed me the difference in trimming a horse from the top completely to how she usually trims. She told me that trimming completely from the top is a good maintenance trim, but since she sees her clients 6-8 weeks apart, she has to use nippers to save her arms and time that would be demanded with the rasp only. Other than that little difference, her method of trimming is basically trimming from the top, a non-invasive and severe trim.
After we trimmed, I tacked Woody up and we worked with the bridle some, showing Terrie what I call the "awkward place" where he is putting the bit in his mouth and getting it over the ears and he gets worried. We took each step slowly: first getting the bridle positioned in front of his head, waiting until he relaxed, putting the bit under his mouth, and WAITING until he relaxed, then sliding it on, and waiting for him to relax. It was good to see breaking it down and the importance of waiting in those spots with him.
We headed out to a round, grassy area that wasn't clay based (it had started raining by then), I mounted up (we noticed that Woody's head went up a bit when I put my foot in the stirrup... hmmm), and started warming up a bit freestyle. Terrie was pleased with all the changes Woody and I had made with our riding, so it was cool to show her all the really clean turns we could get and how easily he followed through the turns with his thought.
We then originally set off doing an exercise on bringing in the reins and asking for a really nice bend and soft feel in his neck, and when he gave it to being squeezing with my legs with my toes out turned, kind of squeezing him UP and encouraging him to lift up. The problem was that both Woody and I are so new to Finesse that it was hard to get that feel in the neck long enough to get an understanding of my leg and bringing him back up.
Once Woody peed (he had been holding back a bit and Terrie said she thought that he looked like he had to), he was bit more free in his back end and more focused. We rode out on straight lines to keep Woody active and engaged, and she told me to bring in my reins and "massage" them; meaning she wanted me to hold the reins with contact, but more one than the other so that his thought went out that way, then release a little bit, and switch hands and make the other rein a bit shorter to ask him to think that way. This worked pretty good and he began to bring his head in a bit, and I was really trying to focus on feeling this when it happened.
We also talked about stopping, getting a soft feel (which he usually back up to), but encouraging the thought and movement forward with that same feeling. After we started doing this he got a couple really nice strides of his head in and I released him. We would periodically, not throw him away, but gently allow him to have his head back and get him walking out again with a purpose. At one point he turned, I asked him to go bigger, he broke into a fast trot, I started asking him to gently bend, and he began an attempt at his sideways canter. I still held him in a slight bend with one rein in the air some, and he eventually let go of that thought and came around the turn and walked out again. I feel like I handled that very well and I didn't get anxious or nervous when it happened, I just calmly bent him around a bit, then sent him out.
This was a good session because we had to start somewhere, and this was a good place to start getting some understanding with Woody with some exercises and ideas I wouldn't have thought of on my own. I was able to feel when he brought himself off the bit and stopped pushing into it, which was the main goal of the lesson: helping me be able to feel what was correct when asking him to do something.
Afterwards, I untacked him and Terrie was drying him with a towel when she noticed that he reacted pretty strongly when she rubbed his shoulder area (approximately where the knee roll of a saddle went). She told me he was pretty sore there, which would explain the occassional very small reaction when I groomed him. She advised me to only ride him in a bareback pad for a while and keep monitoring the soreness to see if it is indeed my saddle, at which point I would need to start looking at some different saddle pads. I'm pretty surprised because I have been riding in that saddle for a good while now and I've never seen him sore, but Terrie said it could be linked to his weight loss and that might make him extra sensitive. This new found realization is humerous because about a week ago I sold my Theraflex pad online because I didn't use it, needed money, and felt like it didn't really work for us. Now it turns out I might need some type of airpad afterall. Isn't that how it always works? Haha, oh well...
~Eden

Continuing Progress

2009-11-17T05:07:00.000-08:00

Well my last session with my two horses went pretty well with both of them.
First was Teddy. I had to spend some time again haltering him, but the routine is becoming easier and gradually taking less time, so there is progress being made. In the process of haltering him Woody kept coming up to greet me. This was interesting, so I said, "Alright, you can help me out." I was carrying the 22 foot line with me (I was planning on playing with it with Teddy), so I had Woody carry it for me. I put it on his back, then laid the lead rope across his neck so he would follow me down the hill. I took the lead rope off when I wanted him to stay put, and for the most part he stood still there until I moved him somewhere else. He felt useful and it was kinda cool to see he wanted to be a helper (that's not really like him).
Anyhow, I caught Teddy, got the 22' line off of Woody's back, put it on Teddy's, and headed up the hill to the gate. My goal in the session was to help Teddy feel comfortable with things on his back and around his barrel while doing different things. He was clearly ok with things on his back, so I rigged the 22' to be a flank/girth rope (to get him used to the tightness around his barrel from a long distance away), and asked him to circle. I would periodically tighten the rope by lifting up, and then let it loose by releasing the hold on it. He didn't react hardly at all to this, which I found surprising, but pleasing.
I then attached the 22' line to his halter and played with him some with it. Now, this was his first experience on the 22' so I was prepared to support him and help him if he had some trouble with the distance. I asked him to circle, only giving him about 15 or 17 feet of rope to circle on at first, and he did fine; walking and trotting around me with nice transitions and such. Frankly, where circles are concerned he didn't have a problem with the distance, and I didn't have to really help him except for having to be a little clearer in my aids so he could figure out what I wanted.
We then played some Squeezes with the pine trees, and a leading exercise with him having to follow my feel circling around all kinds of trees and demanding him to follow the line even when he couldn't see me. He was a little freaked out about this at first, but I kept going and making sure he got a release when he followed and pretty soon he was fine with it. I also took him over to the mattress and asked him to do different things with it such as put two feet on, back off, all four feet on, walk forward, sniff it, put one foot on, circle around it, etc. He really started engaging his mind in here and really focusing on what it was I was asking for. Following this I lay down on the mattress and he almost went to sleep for a bit. He had a couple BIG releases on the mattress such as yawning, licking, etc. It was a fun session with the little guy.
I then went in, caught the other little rascal (Woody), and practiced his tying skills while I brushed him. I then untied him, and while saddling him up he worked on his ground tying skills. He is getting pretty good with this and understands the concept of don't move your feet pretty well. I spent some time bridling him, then mounted up, and off through the gate we went! I met up with my dad and our dog and we went down by the pond on the dam, the one area that Woody can become a little spooky and unconfident in. He couldn't walk straight at some moments, and at others he stopped all together. When he got stuck I would disengage his HQ turn him in a circle, then ask him forward. This seemed to help a bit, but he kept stopping, so I kept turning. Eventually we got down to the end and he was fine, and which point we turned around to catch up with my dad, and do it again. It went better the second time.
I asked him to walk up this very steep hill we have, which he was prepared to run up, so he had to be reminded to walk a couple of times. At the top of the hill were a flock of geese that my dad told me to gallop Woody at to make them leave, but I told him that was a recipe for disaster. He got Chewy to do the job, and when they took off Woody spooked a little bit, but came right back down and handled the situation well after that. I then took him back to the barn because it was getting dark and cold, and untacked him at Liberty. It was a fun short ride and some things cropped up that we will be working on.

On this past Sunday I drove myself out to Joy's to meet up with Terrie and Eve to help train the horses and watch her trim. We trimmed the "oldies" first, and I got to look at some interesting feet and see how to trim them up there, then we went down to Mirage and Zoom. Zoom is the blind horse that Joy owns, and he is a really sweet old guy. Mirage is the 5 year old chunky Thoroughbred Draft cross that is young, obnoxious, and fun. I got to play with him while Zoom was being trimmed, and I taught him the basics of backing from the feel on the halter, some Yo-Yo type back up, leading forward off of pressure, and disengaging the HQ. He has the personality I love: the young obnoxious punk, so it was really fun playing with him.

Terrie is planning on coming out tomorrow to trim our horses' feet, and she is letting me do some hands on trimming work on the horses so that should be a fun learning experience. She is also going to stay after and give me a lesson on allowing Woody to become more collected and on finesse type stuff. I was originally going to ask her to help me with the trailer, but Woody still has some places when we play where I have to remind him to get him shoulder away, so I figure we should keep working on those little spots before going to where they are enlarged. So, that's the plan, and I'll update sometime tomorrow to let you know how it went!
~Eden

Its Always Darkest Before Dawn...

2009-11-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

In my last post I detailed some of the troubles that we cropping up again with the little trouble maker (A.K.A. Teddy). Today I went out after a 3 day long, without a break, rain shower. Those three days were miserable, cold, and wet. We had some minor flooding at the barn under the overhang which required immediate maintenance in the miserable, cold, and wet. However today was a bright sunny 68 degree day, and by golly,
Mom and I took advantage of it. I went out first and played with Woody a bit Online.
I have recently been motivated to invest in some time teaching myself and Woody how to drive from the ground. The first step in the journey is to practice and get both you and the horse acquainted with being in zones 4 and 5. So, that's just what I did. Now, Woody is already confident with me in these zones, don't get me wrong, but it has been a very long time that I have played with him back there.
Before I did this however, I had to halter him. I approached him, rubbed his face, and he walked away. How interesting. My thought process at this moment was that, unlike Teddy and his walking away, Woody's was a, "No thanks, not at the moment," type deal, not an, "I'm too unsure of all this to be haltered." After this assessment I approached again, and this time when I saw him start THINKING about leaving, I stepped in the way to block that thought. We did this several times, and finally he blew hard, licked and chewed, and let me rub him and eventually halter him. How interesting.
We then went outside the gate, him attached to me via the 22' rope. I had my stick and bag, and We just began with a little go button tune up. He is still in the process of believing I mean what I say and I say what I mean. From then on, the session basically consisted of me mainly in zone 4, driving and drawing him to direct him where I wanted to go. I would jog, he would trot, I would walk, he would walk. It was really cool to see how well he is reading my body language and energy. I could even walk bigger and he would give me a big walk.
We did some Touch Its with cones, barrels, and a couple trees all around my yard, but when we got over near the chicken coop he was very distracted and a tad worried. I did some small stuff to get his attention back, but it was really meaningful to him because he would immediately get distracted. Remembering that I had to be effective to be understood and understood to be effective, I got bigger. A couple of "fits" (as Harry Whitney would say), got him back with me for good. He then stood there very calm and had a big yawn release. Must have done something right!
We headed back to the barn practicing walk to trot transitions in zone 4/5, down a hill and up a hill. He did very well and I finished our time together with some carrot stretches (I recently watched the Jim Masterson equine massage method and he talked of three stretches that, done everyday, would make your horse more flexible).

Mom was tacking Charlotte up, so I decided to work on catching Teddy. He was still a bit resistant at first, walking off, but when I saw it coming, I would walk off the other direction first. A couple of times of this, and focusing my energy on only intending to pet him, he let me approach him and stood still for a good long time. I put my arm over his neck and haltered him with no resistance followed by a big sigh. Good sign.
I played with him a bit outside while Mom bridled Charlotte. I played with some desensitizing to the flag. All the stuff that would normally make him wary, he was steady as a rock. Hmmm, interesting. I then asked for some circles, walking, then trotting, then the flag on his rump at a walk and trot, some change of directions, transitions, all of it was GREAT! While he was trotting out calmly, I got a bit bigger and directed some energy at his girth/shoulder. What do ya know? He cantered a bit! He came right back down, too, he didn't get right brained about it. I feel like that was a big moment for him.
We played with some Squeeze Games, too, and the claustrophobic pony squeezed between two tightly together, small pine trees.

Following this, Mom and Charlotte were ready, saddled, and mounted, so we followed them, my dad, Chewy (our dog), and Drew on his bike down the driveway. We played with everything from zone 3 driving walk/trot/halt to cantering on the lead. He was so in tune with me that at one point he was trotting a tad behind my shoulder, I stopped completely and he slid to a stop and looked at me like, "what's next?" He even impressed my dad with his skills. He did a really job today, and I definitely see progress being made.

At one point everyone had left us, and he got a bit nervous about that. I was asking him to turn around me, and the lead rope went toward him and he got worried about it. So I took that opportunity to play with throwing the lead rope on his back and off until he calmed down, got with me, and accepted it. He did, let out a big snort, and we were on our way. It was a great day for all the horses at our house!

~Eden

Teddy Time!

2009-11-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Mom and I had to go out to the barn to disinfect the stall walls because they had mold on them from the hay (long story, but gladly now we have good quality hay). Afterwards, I stayed out to play with Teddy. He has been increasingly difficult to catch, which is strange, and today was no different. Since I had time and was not rushed, I decided to work on the problem right then and there. I would approach him calmly but not sneaky, and would start rubbing him. If he would leave (which he did), I would allow him to, step back a bit, then reapproach him the same way. Though I had the halter in my hand with my lead rope, I was not trying to halter him. I was only focusing on rubbing on him. I was very pleased with how much emotional fitness I had. I was not getting frustrated or annoyed, but I took the time it took. Eventually he was fine with me rubbing him, then I played with throwing the rope over his back. Using the same approach and retreat I got him ok with that, and then with the halter.
After he was haltered we hung out a bit, then I took him to groom him a bit. He had a couple good releases of snorting and sighing, and he stood still to be brushed. I then sat down and worked on Yo-Yoing him back and forth to give him something to do. He would go back, and have a release, then come forward and get petted, then back again. He did good and I felt that was a good ending place, so I stopped. I let him go and left.
I'm not sure the reason for his skepticism returning along with his fearfulness. But I plan on addressing things as they come up and making sure he is truly confident with stuff and not just "stuffing it."
~Eden

In Peak Form...

2009-11-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

... mentally, emotionally, and physically. Mom and I decided to go riding yesterday since there was a break in the cold weather and it was gorgeous outside. We caught our horses (both very easily), groomed them, and saddled up. I have been practicing our ground tying still with Woody. So far, once we get past the initial "I need to eat hay, I need to eat the brushes, I need to sniff the walls, etc etc," I can put the belly of the rope on the ground and he stands still and relaxed. He just has to be reminded a few times that his job is to stand still, and he doesn't need to preoccupy himself with all this other stuff, he can be ok with just standing relaxed.
Once I tacked up, I got his bridle and worked on bridling him. I always put my hand over his head and ask him to lower it and bring it bent around me. Once he got in this position, I would put the bridle in the hand over his head, and slip the bit in. I would insist he keep his head in that position until I had to move to put the headstall over his ears. He would try to walk forward, so I would ask him to back up. Eventually he accepted the bit nicely and did well with it.
I mounted up after playing a little bit with following the feel in the lead rope to walk and trot behind me, and off we went! We played in the play area a bit while Mom mounted up doing things like jumping the barrels, touching cones, sidewaysing down the fence, and going on the mattress, then backing off of it. We also closed a gate, and I was really happy that he leg yielded over to the gate when I asked.
Mom and I then headed over to the house to meet my dad with our dog to go for a walk. We went down the driveway, then over to the hay field where Woody and I walked, trotted, cantered, galloped up a hill, and did some figure 8's around two round bales of hay. I asked for him to trot the figure 8, and eventually he settled into and started bending around my leg in the turns. There was a long straight stretch, so I asked for a canter, and he gave me a really nice, relaxed canter immediately without any resistance, COOL!
We then went to the driveway and walked up to the end and then back down. Mom and I split up for a little bit and I went back in the hay field to walk down a steep hill. Then we met back up and continued heading back to the house through the hayfield.
We also went through the yard a bit, and Mom and I had a nice canter together on both of the horses. We then headed back, and put them in the round pen, along with Teddy, while we sorted out some hay issues.
We had SO much fun, and I was very aware of the fact that Woody was totally in sync with my body and energy. For the most part, he came down with me in downward transitions with my body, and when he didn't I would use the reins a little bit. His thought was easily influenced and he was willing to give it up and rely on my thoughts. He was freely forward, ready to go when I asked, and was brave and trusting when my dog would pop out as we cantered along. He didn't waver, and he really has improved drastically (I like to think my changes have something to do with this... haha). When I pointed him toward the jump he would get a little crooked, but I lined him up and he thought of nothing except jumping that jump. I made a joke as we trotted across the hay field towards Mom and Charlotte that I have cured my pony. He came right out of that trot into a forward walk with my body slowing down and walking. She then made a comment, "Onto fixing Teddy!" But, there is truth in that statement because I feel like I need to start focusing more on him because some of his issues are becoming more prominent, such as his fear of the flag.

I also would like to quickly write about another session I had with my Woody. I took him out on the 12 foot line, and we played a sort of Stick-to-Me type game. I asked him to stay up with me at his shoulder, and I would point him towards different objects I wanted him to touch. We went all around the yard with this game. The two things I was focusing on was his forwardness with him being more snappy on the departure, and also I focused greatly on his keeping his head, neck, and shoulder AWAY from me and NOT pushing into me. This is just another manifestation of that is so greatly exemplified at the trailer. I had to tell him pretty strongly a couple of times that that shoulder needs to GET OUT OF MY SPACE, and I saw improvement in him with him pushing. I also made sure I practiced turning him away from me with driving zones 1 and 2.
After we played this game a bit we had a big bridling session where I again insisted he keep his head in that headset, and if he walked off, I would back him up. He eventually was really nice, accepting, and relaxed when I slipped the bit in his mouth. I then played with mounting from the fence, and I asked for him to line up me on both sides, just so we can practice being equally ok on both sides.
We then rode all around the property completely bareback, which I have never done on him. He did wonderful though, and I would keep him on a loose rein, then bring in the reins and ask for a soft feel. I have noticed that he carries his head nice and level now, which is always a good sign. We only walked on this ride, but it was still fun, relaxing, and a good opportunity to work on our working walk.
Now with Woody so in tune and willing, the sky's the limit...
~Eden

Tunin' Up

2009-11-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

I just got back inside from the blustery weather that unfortunately accompanies Fall. However, the weather did not effect Charlotte and I during our ride. I haltered her, brushed her, tacked her up with my saddle, and took her to the round pen. I took off her lead rope, closed the gate, and let her graze while I set up some barrel jumps. Once I was done I bridled her, and led her to the mounting block. We went walking and trotting on a loose rein for the first part of the ride. I worked on keeping her energy up and not nagging her when asking for forward. I would ask with my energy, a little squeeze, and then I would git 'er done (as Terrie Wood would say). She quickly realized that my leg meant something and it was important, and I would make sure I would "give her all the time in the world to respond" (as Harry Whitney would say). From then on her go button was fully functional, and I even needed to work on the stop button some to get her go and whoa equal. I used the same principle, stopped with my body and exhaled, brought up the reins, and then got the stop immediately in some way. Pretty soon she was going when I asked, and stopping with my exhale. Cool stuff!
I took advantage of the barrels and asked her to jump a few times (not Charlotte's favorite thing, but I think its because she's just inexperienced, so its not pleasant). I tried to be as light and soft on her back as possible so it would feel ok to her, and I succeeded somewhat. She still jumped me out of the saddle some, but its getting better!
On top of that I asked her for more cantering, but I tried to achieve it on flat areas. Our land is pretty hilly, so I have gotten into the habit of asking for canters up the hills, but I need to start working on flat places, too, with both Charlotte and Woody. She picked it up really well several times, and other times she resisted some. But I kept asking, and she eventually got it and got a release from the pressure when she did. I noticed when she was cantering that she is very crooked, choppy, and her stride does not feel normal (maybe she's cross-cantering?). I think this, too, is because of her inexperience and the fact we haven't asked her to canter using her hind end much. I will keep an eye on this as we keep progressing, but I think it will improve with time.
All in all our ride was really nice, and I got to jump and gallop in two point, then I brought my stirrups down two holes, and worked on getting a nice, soft, fluid, relaxed trot with my leg under me with her bent on the circle. I feel like I am improving as a rider, and of course as a horsewoman, and that is really cool!!
~Eden

Welcoming Fall

2009-11-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went out to the barn and put the bareback pad and bridle on Charlotte, mounted up, and rode around with my dad walking beside us. We went down the driveway, and cantered up the hill a couple of times. It was a quick, fun ride that went really well. She is getting better at staying with me and not focusing on grass.

Then today my grandpa was at my house for a while, I asked him if he wanted to come for a walk with me, and off I went to tack up Woody. I caught him quickly, tacked him right up, and spent a little time getting him ok and with me for bridling. I took him to the mounting block, hopped on, and off we went. We walked down the driveway a bit, cantered up the driveway's hill, and walked back. We also trotted a bit really nicely on a loose rein, jumped the barrels a couple of times, and we both did really well. It was really fun and really showed how much progress we're making in that we did so well with very little preparation.
~Eden

Happy Horsey Halloween!

2009-10-31T06:13:00.000-07:00

Well Halloween is here! That is so strange, this year has passed so darn fast! I have been extremely busy this week. I have ridden and played with all the horses only once this week, and I have been working, preparing for the festivities this evening (my friend and I are participating in the world record-breaking-attempt of the most people simultaneously doing the MJ Thriller dance in one location!), among many other things. But onto the horsey stuff...
Earlier this week I took Woody out for another trail ride type ride. I tacked him up, practicing his ground tying and reminding his job is to stand still, not fidgeting. He is getting better, but he isn't 100 percent. I grabbed my chaps and helmet and took him outside the gate to mount up. We went right to the woods and went all over in there. At one point we got kinda stuck, in that the barbed wire fence was on one side, a hill on the other, a double log in front of us, and a single log heading down the hill. I didn't want his foot to get caught in between the double log, but I didn't want him to go over the one down the hill, because knowing him he would jump, have a WHOOPEE moment, and I didn't really feel like riding one of those in the slippery woods on a hill. I dismounted and led him over it, then mounted back up. We came out of the woods and across the driveway to head toward the pond. He was doing great, nice working walk on a loose rein, and when we got to the pond he spooked sideways once (the water is shiny and he was surprised, I think). My goal was to have him touch the duck feeding bowl, but he wasn't able to get that close to it (he was snorting and on a bit of adrenaline), and I had time constraints, so I abandoned that thought at that moment and just wanted him to squeeze between the pond and the bowl. We did that a couple times until he was confident, and then I asked him to disengage his HQ to face the bowl. By doing that he actually got closer to the bowl, but we didn't touch it that time. Oh well.
I then asked him to canter up the hill and right away he picked up a gorgeous canter and carried us up the hill. He tried to slow a couple of times, but I gently encouraged him to keep going and without a second thought he kept on truckin'. We then headed back to the barn. It was a fun ride, and I think Woody enjoys our outside rides as much as I do.

I played with Teddy with the flag (he occasionally becomes deathly afraid of the thing anf we have to work through it). He got better, then we played with the mattress. He walked on ever so confidently, bit the matress a little, then crossed it cool as can be. I also worked on his jumping because I don't think he has ever been asked to jump; that would certainly explain why he knocks everything over when he does. He has improved though, so I have no worries that one day he will be a more than capabl jumper. We also went for a girth-area driving walk. We then went over and hung out by the swingset and chilled out. He is most definitely improving.

I also rode Charlotte one day. I tacked her up got my chaps and helmet, and mounted up. A quick side note, she is now being ridden in the Mark Rashid endorsed bit, the Rockin' S Snaffle. It is designed to really give the horse a lot of direct direction (I think of it as a sidepull with a bit). She is very rsponsive and soft in it, so so far its going good! We went down the driveway, her first ride in the woods, by the Parkway in the hay field, cantered up two hills, went to the far end of the hay field, then attatched back to the driveway to come home. She did great! She didn't try to eat grass except the tall grass by the woods, and she was with me for the most part.

I am very busy again today, doing makeup for the performance tonight (I will turn into a zombie!), and hanging out with a couple friends. Mom and I are hoping to put the interior fence up tomorrow to make the Pasture Paradise, so I will update again soon!
~Eden

A Couple Pictures from Kathleen and Buck Clinics

2009-10-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pictures of the clinics I attended. I am sorry they are not of better quality, my camera isn't very fancy and doesn't have specific features for the setting we were in.

~Eden

Video Revamped

2009-10-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my previous post's video in that YouTube deleted it because it was 12 minutes long. Grr. So, I have had to go back, edit the video, and upload it again onto YouTube for you guys to see. I had to take out some groundwork with Woody to make it all fit, which is too bad, but oh well. Hope you enjoy!

~Eden

Success, Success, and Hey! MORE Success!

2009-10-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well WOW is all I can say about today's play time.I went out with my Flip Video Camera to try to film at least a portion of the play sessions for dual purpose: so I could look back and watch how we rode and play, and to offer a video update to all of you guys with how we're doing! I set it up, went to the barn and tacked Woody up, then brought him to the round pen and played a bit on the ground before I hopped on. In the video you'll see a bit of Yo-Yo-ish stuff in the beginning and me working on getting him more snappy and with me. Then some circles in which he offered me a canter without much prompting from me, followed by some other random stuff we've been working on. Then I mounted up and rode around the round pen a bit, walking and trotting and practicing the transitions between the two gaits which went well. He jumped some in the arena without me having to focus and EXTREME amount, which is pretty cool, and then we headed outside. I walked him, trotted him, played with toys: touching barrels and cones, walking on the matress, jumping barrels, and walking on "the mountain" (a big pile of dirt). He was extremely cool and calm, which was really awesome and kind of a new experience. He did some really great, smooth trot to walk transitions which are especially great because he occassionally likes to get really quick outside the fence. I hesitate to write that because I feel like that statement is a limiting belief (refer to Kathleen Lindley post) in that I can't focus on the past but expect the best from him and myself.
Anyhow, Mid-recording I sort of forgot about the camera and we left to go up the "tall weeds hill", followed the barbed wire fence line separating the woods, found a place the barbed wire was gone, dismounted, led Woody over it, and mounted back up and RODE IN OUR WOODS! This was the first time for both Woody and I in riding in the woods, but it was fun!There is a portion of the Old Great Wagon Road in our woods, so we followed that wide trail. He was SO with me and calm and just, THERE, it was great. We left the woods, walked back down the drive, and I practiced starting and stopping him without my reins (literally I let them go), and we did great! I had to lift them a couple of times to get a stop, but after a couple of times he was completely in tune with my seat. COOL STUFF! We came back, picked up the tripod, and filmed Woody walking across the mattress (the last portion), then went inside. It was such a great session, I am so proud of both of us!

On another note, I went out to Joy's farm on Sunday with Terrie, watched her trim her Gypsy Cob's feet, and played with one of her horses. Terrie commented that my timing and feel keep improving and that everything I was doing with her looked great. I worked with Chance, a "drum" horse (Shire/Gypsy cross), who is 18 hands tall but sweet as can be. We worked on leading, stopping, backing off pressure from the halter, a bit of YoYo type backing, and crossing a little bit of water. She also learned how to follow the feel around turns in the forehand and hindquarters. It was fun to work with her.

In the car on the way home Terrie and I talked about what Kathleen said about me working with and riding a bunch of horses, and she invited me out to her farm to ride and play with her horses, including Sassy. I am excited about this because she has SO many different horses it will be a great learning experience. And, of course, to work with Miss Sassy again, with all my new knowledge, I'm sure will be interesting. I hope to go out with her one day in the next couple months, but it depends on her schedule. Also, she seconded Kathleen's thought of how much you can learn by being a groom. So, I had the idea that I could look for local farms (I have one in mind about 5 minutes from here) and offer to groom, muck, help out, and possibly ride in the springtime. That should be fun. Until then I am scheduled to go back to Joy's several times, then go a couple more places with a wide variety of feet to learn from. So much to do!
~Eden

Quick Updates

2009-10-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

The last couple of times I went out to play with my ponies have been quick little sessions. They have consisted of tying Woody and allowing him to understand that and learn patience, and I have began to ask him to ground tie. He pretty much understood this when I got him from Terrie, but since I was inconsistent with asking him to keep his feet still, he was unclear on the subject. I have been clearing it up for him by having grooming sessions, and he is beginning to understand the concept because he knows I mean what I say.
As for Teddy, I have been working on his circling. He can now calmly send off with the aid of the flag and also without the flag. He can walk around with me nicely, and his trot is coming around. He would get extremely worried when I asked for a trot, but once we worked through that he was pretty ok. His bring back reading my stopped body is also very good. He is such a quick little learner, he's so fun.
I have also gotten a new mattress for my bed, so we took my old mattress out to our play area and I have begun working with Teddy with it. I would like him to be able to walk over it calmly, and possibly trot and canter. He was very worried I was going to force him over it the other day, so I just played around it with him. I asked for all kinds of circles near it, but not too close. We then did some driving from the riding position and playing with other toys near the mattress. Once he was ok with all that stuff, I gave him lots of room on the lead and walked over the mattress myself. I allowed him to go around it while I walked on it a couple times, then I started insisted he give the mattress some attention instead of just walk around it. He sniffed it several times, then I took him away and put him back in the pasture. He did well in that session, and I think it was a good introduction to the mattress.
~Eden

PICTURES!

2009-10-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

Finally, here are some pictures of our Floyd Camp Week! I don't have the pictures from Buck or Kathleen yet, because my computer is acting up, but here are the Floyd pictures!

~Eden

Kathleen Lindley Clinic

2009-10-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

I had a really great horsey weekend with Kathleen Lindley, and I am here to write what I learned! It took about 6 hours to get there, and we arrived with the weather being wet, dreary, and cold. We watched the last two sessions on Friday when we arrived (the hosts had access to an indoor arena down the street, which was nice and dry, but the participants had to trailer over every day). After the sessions we headed back to the farm and took care of the horses so we could go out to dinner with Kathleen. We had a really good visit and she is a realy great lady and horsewoman who knows a LOT. We talked about some possible training opportunities, which included some possible day trips on her part to our farm this winter for some lessons. Also, a possible week long study with her at the farm she winters at next winter. My mom and I think it would be a bit too much for me to handle this winter because it is a pretty independant type deal.

The next day, Saturday, I was signed up to ride at 4:30. The previous day the owner of the farm had taken me to meet Grace, the horse they chose for me to work with and ride. She was a dark bay thoroughbred who had gone through a very forceful trainer before they had gotten her. He had been working with her for the past little while and she was getting better, but she still had some issues with going forward and she was known for cowkicking and testing her riders. I tacked her up and spent some time getting to know her, then we trailered her over and, after a little on the ground, mounted up. She IMMEDIANTLY put her ears back and gave me a very ugly face. I asked her to walk off with my leg and, again, she gave me an ugly face and cowkicked.
Kathleen told me we were going to take an inventory of what she knows and how she responds to things. After this, she pointed out that when she got stuck (she kept balking and not wanting to go), that her hindquarters couldn't be what was stuck because she was kicking up with both legs. So, the forehand must be what was stuck. She had me practice asking her for a turn on the haunches to "unstick" the forehand and walk off from there. She also pointed out that she only got ugly when I used leg, so maybe I should try another forward aid. I had a dressage whip, so I would tap my boot and if she didn't respond tap her. She responded fine to this aid, and she walked right off. Once she got going, Kathleen told me it was important to get and keep a big walk in Grace.
It was a really good lesson in that it taught/reinforced to me that horses don't read "the book" and some don't respond to the traditional aids. So, as a horsewoman, I need to listen and adapt to each and every individual horse, because they are not the same.

I had another lesson on Grace on Sunday at 1:30, so I tacked her up, trailered her over, worked with her, then mounted up. Again, ugly face. I asked her to walk off with the whip and she did fine. If she got really stuck, I would ask for the forehand to step over and go from there. After walking a bit, I asked her for a trot which was met with more ugly. She broke into the trot though, but she went with minimal effort. After going around a bit, Kathleen set out several objects such as a cooler, a halter, the mounting block, a cone, and a hat. She placed them different places in the arena, then explained she would call out an object and I would ride as fast as I could to it, stop, then go to the next she called out. At first, Grace was very unwilling to go, but once she caught onto the game, she was too focused on her job to be ugly, and she even offered a small canter once. The game then changed to touching different things, which she caught onto quickly and did really well with. She got the thought, "where we going next?" rather than, "don't put that leg on me." It was really cool and once both her and I had a job she was raring to go and focused and straight. All in all, Grace couldn't have been more perfect for me to work with because she was a mirror image of my old horse, Sassy. Sassy would balk, get evil with the leg on her, and you would have to unstick the forehand to get movement.

The clinic was really great and I really liked Kathleen as a person and horsewoman. She is a really good teacher, and she is not critical at all. Here are some additional notes I got from the clinic:
*when riding or working with horses, its best when your center of power is in your core, not your heart or head.
*eliminate limiting beliefs (past experiences) because they only inhibit you.
*when riding, strive to align the shoulders, hips, and heels.
*if I am keeping a horse away from his food, I should be asking and seeking for something specific. Once I get that, I allow him to return to his food.
*in breathing, your exhale should be longer or equal to the length of your inhale.
*breathing is extremely beneficial because if your not breathing when riding, your horse will feel that tension and be more likely to hold his breath too. Once you begin breathing, its hard to brace or make tension which allows your horse to relax and breath as well.
*focus on the effort, not the result.
*when we breath relaxed and rationally, it helps our brain and body to relax.
*Tom Dorrances book, True Unity, discusses the differences in reaching for the foot and cuing the foot. Strive to reach.
*baby behavior: kicking out (cow kicking), tantrums, going without a cue, stopping without asking.Many horses exhibit baby behavior because when they are first started the person doesn't teach him manners and help him understand and live up to 'the standard' (what is acceptable). Therefore, horses exhibit his behavior as if to say, "I don't have to do that. Don't you know? I'm a baby, I can do anything I want." This is how babies act in both the wild and in captivity, they get away with murder. But once they reach a certain age, the members of the feral herd puts them into their place, teaches them manners, and lets them know what is acceptable and what isn't. In captivity, many young horses lack that understanding and clarity from their owners.
*when using pressure and release to teachm and the horse is struggling, make a bigger contrast between the pressure and relese by making the release even more soft.

It was a great clinic and I am excited to at the prospect of working with Kathleen more. When we talked about what I should be doing now to get better with horses and such, she said I need to ride as many horses as I can. I need to be with all kinds of different horses, and work with and ride them. I agree, and I am on the lookout for riding opportunities. For now, though, I am going to keep teaching Joy's draft horses manners, and maybe some of her other horses.
~Eden

Buck Brannaman Clinic

2009-10-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Sorry I haven't posted this week, I have been so darn busy! As you already know, Mom and I went down to Asheville, North Carolina over the past weekend to audit a Buck Brannaman clinic. The format was different than the formats I am used to (one on one sessions throughout the day) in that there were two classes, Horsemanship 1 in the morning, and Horsemanship 2/Cow Work in the afternoon. In both of these classes the riders would warm their horses up on the ground and in the saddle, and in the midst of this Buck would do the same with one of his two horses. He would then do some sort of demo of what he is working with his horses (part of it was haunches in, half passing, lead changes, and one handed collected gaits). He was a really superb rider, and he genuinly LOVED to ride horses. Period. You could just tell from his face, and, he mentioned it a few times.

We were there Saturday all day, and Sunday in the morning and about half way through the afternoon class. I took alot of notes of reminders of things and also some new things I was exposed to...
*leads matter and something to the horse. If a horse has a problem picking up a particular lead, it is probably an indicator of something. It could be that he is not balance either physically or mentally, or something else. This is another example of those little "spots" Harry always refer to and that they might not mean alot or anything to us, but to te horse, they are VERY important. NOTICE THEM.
*When you come across a problem (i.e. stickiness backing up), stop and fix the problem then and there. Don't tell yourself, "I'll fix it later" or "he's backing up, maybe not at a record speed, but its ok." Its another one of those spots in the horse that means something. Do something about it.
*it's not about the moment right now, it's about preparing your horse and yourself for the unthinkable (paraphrase of a Ray Hunt quote).
*An exercise that Buck said was important to be able to do is to ride on a loose rein, then take up the rein and get a "soft feel," then release the rein again. We should be able to ride every gait on a loose rein, however, and get a soft feel at anytime.
*Buck talked about how eventually a horse should be able to bend away from the leg (like he does when he leg yeilds), and also to bend into the leg (like when on a circle).
*DON'T FORGET TO RIDE AND GUIDE WITH YOUR LEGS. This was a big point I was reminded of, because somewhere in my journey of horsemanship I forgot this, and Woody now only recognizes my leg as a gas pedal and occasionally as disengaging his hindquarter. I need to work on this.
*If you are using your rein for containment, not collection, you will never achieve true collection.
*Whatever you release on is what you encourage in your horse.
*You have to know what feel you're looking for, otherwise, how will you know what to release on?
*Buck talked about the hindquarter and forehand movement during certain maneuvers. He talked about on a half circle, the forehand should reach over more and be more active than the hindquarter, while on a full circle, the movement of the hindquarter and forehand should equal.
*You cannot ride/work long term on the method of escape. It doesn't work. You can, however, on feel.
*You're trying to make you horse feel like and be a winner. This is the ultimate goal. Make him feel good with whats going on. SET IT UP FOR SUCCESS.

There was a lot more in the clinic that was touched on, but these were the points that really stood out to me. It was definitely a worthwhile trip, and man, Buck Brannaman is a VERY good horseman. He is also funny and polite, and he even signed my book, Faraway Horses.

This weekend's adventure is to Federalsburg, Maryland to see Kathleen Lindley. Last week the host of the clinic contacted my mom letting her know there was an open rider slot for Saturday afternoon. Mom signed me up to ride in the open slot, and the farm owner has given me permission to pick from four of her horses to ride in the clinic. This is a really great opportunity because A) I haven't ridden a horse that wasn't Woody or Charlotte in at least a year B) this might give me an opportunity to allow me to work on things Woody's not ready for (jumping or other aspects) and C) it will give Kathleen a chance to see me ride and what my talents are. Also, Kathleen contacted my mom and we are planning to go out to dinner with her one night we are there. This will give us the opportunity to talk more privately about possible training options, because I would love to work with her more. This weekend is sure to be fun, educational, and exciting!

Also, I have had a good session with all three horses this week. I started with Woody, saddled him, during which I noticed he had some girthing problems. He got slightly evil faced at first, but we worked on it and he relaxed and was fine. I took him out to the round pen and turned him loose. I got my flag and walked off, turned around and saw Woody trudging after me as if to say, "I know, I know, I HAVE to follow you." I got a "destination", and he stopped a little ways from me. I didn't touch him or anything, I just let him sit. I walked off another direction, and he followed again until we reached another "destination." I let him sit. We did this for a bit, and I made sure not to touch him (trying to break up the pattern of me rubbing on him everytime because he doesn't necessarily like that). Everytime we went and stopped, he would get a bit closer. He also began to walk off a bit more enthusiastically and with a happy face. I let him sit for the last trip we made, and he had a big release of yawning. Later in the session I asked him to send off, which he did slow and lazily, so I told him GO. He woke right up and WENT. Basically, we just worked on walking that fine line between soft and meaning what you say. He gave several REALLY nice canter transitions, and he had a much better feel to him, so I brought him back to the barn.

I got Teddy next and brought him to the round pen. We worked on some Yo-Yo type stuff, asking for a back up, and a bring forward. He is SUCH a fast learned and SO sensitive. I then wanted to see where we were with sending off. I asked him to leave, and started crowding him a bit with my body and the flag. He left and gave me a bnice walk and bring back. We did that both directions. The next time I asked him to send off, I asked him to trot once on the circle. He is still skeptical of the flag, so he had several spaz attacks when I used it. But he got over it and was able to accept it. By the end of the session he was going around nicely at a trot over a raised cavaletti. His main struggle is that he becomes afraid easily. He is very reactive, and he is begining to understand he doesn't need to be afraid, he just needs to do what I say. He is really improving, and he is so willing to learn and so easy to forgive, he's great. Once again, if only he were 3 or 4 hands taller...

I then saddled Charlotte using my saddle. I played a bit, she seemed fine, so I took her outside, mounted and off we went. She did well at first, but then she became OBSSESSED with the grass, to the point I've never seen her. I got her on the driveway and rode her down there a bit, then returned, just so we could have a successful ride, but man, she was NOT with me hardly at all. Next time we play I would really like to work with her at Liberty in the round pen to sort some stuff out.

So, all in all, the ponies are doing well. It is rainy and cold here, so I haven't had much opportunity to play, but they're huddled under the barn with massive piles of newly cut, green hay. We are leaving tomorrow EARLY in the morning in order to be there in time to watch a lady we know who is riding tomorrow afternoon. I will update when I get back, and I am trying to find a way to effeciently post alot of pictures from camp. Will do when I figure it out!
~Eden

Whats New... Finally!

2009-10-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

Finally I am posting about what has been happening since I've arrived back from camp.

Sunday morning at 11 (after Sunday school), I met Terrie, Eve, and her daughter Kaitlin out at Joy's farm to help Terrie trim. However, Terrie asked if the three of us would be willing to work with the horse's because they have virtually no manners (never really been worked with). We got halters and started teaching the horse's some basic stuff: lead off pressure, back up off pressure of the halter, wiggle rope to back up, and disengaging the hind quarters. I started with Ella, the smallest of the six horses who has a reputation of not wanting to be caught. I haltered her pretty quickly and spent some time rubbing on her and itching some itchy spots. I then began to ask her to walk forward, which proved to be the biggest challenge for her. She would walk a couple feet, then stop, then walk, then stop. I got it going pretty smoothly though eventually. She backed up both ways well and disengaged and crossed her hind feet over really well also. Terrie pointed out I should teach Joy how to do what I was asking her to do, so I gave Joy a mini lesson about how to get a horse out of her space, how to protect her space (these horses are notorious for bursting personal space bubbles), and how to lead and disengage in emergencies (she had recently gotten kicked by the biggest of her horses, so by knowing how to disengage she could get that hiney away from her). It was surprisingly really fun teaching her how to do that stuff, and Terrie pointed out that I was a good teacher, which goes against my notion that I am a lousy teacher. I guess this means the prospect of being a trainer isn't out of the realm of possibilities....
Next i worked with Tristan, the second largest horse there. He led pretty well off pressure, but his down fall was that when I asked him to back up from the halter, he used his massive head against me. He would poke his nose out and try to fight it, but I persisted and got a change. Eventually he got pretty good at backing off that pressure. He also disengaged really well. All in all it was a fun day where I got to experience teaching someone.

Monday I went out to play with my horses, and I started with Charlotte. I took her to the round pen along with the sidepull. I worked on getting her responsive to the wiggle of the rope, and the send off onto a circle where she gets a little sluggish. She did pretty well with that, so I put the side pull on and hopped on. We rode around the arena a bit working on going off my leg and stopping more promptly. She did well, so we went outside. We went in the front yard a bit, then for a walk around the pond. We walked and trotted around, and she did well minus a few mini spooks at frogs jumping in the water or fish flopping in the pond. We had to turn around at the end of our trail because the path to continue around hadn't been mowed for a while. We cantered/galloped up the hill a ways, then returned back to the barn to see Woody and Teddy RACING around the field calling. They are so darn dramatic! They caught sight of us and ran to the fence near us. Charlotte did good and I think she enjoyed getting out on a trail ride after not being out last week.
I played with Woody next, and I caught him and put his saddle on. He was really relaxed and cool with saddling, so I got his bridle, my helmet, and headed out to the round pen. We played a bit, just tuning up some stuff and checking to make sure he was paying attention. I bridled him fairly easy, then hopped on and practiced a bit in the arena. I then opened the gate and we rode around as well. We went down to the dam, but we didn't continue around the pond because he was nervous about something down there, so we turned around and galloped up the hill. I then turned him toward the driveway and we went down about halfway, then turned around due to time constraints. On the way back I asked him for a trot, and he flung his head up and took off at a very fast trot. I brought him back down the a walk, and asked again, but still he gave me the fast/bracy trot. We walked back to the round pen, then I worked on getting a nice soft trot in there and him thinking around the turns I asked him to make. He did pretty good, but he still had a bit of that fast trot in him. I called it a day, put him up, and fed everyone a cookie.
That afternoon I talked to Terrie touching base on something, and I mentioned the fast trot. She said it could be because he was sore from all the intense riding we did last week, and I felt so stupid for not thinking of that and making him trot a lot in the round pen! I went out to rub and push on his back later that evening and couldn't find any sore spots, but Woody's a trooper and doesn't always show his pain. Oh well.

Wednesday Terrie came out to trim the horses and I got to catch up with her then as well. I watched her trim and learned a bit more about the natural trim. We were going to practice trailer loading, but it was very windy and the last thing I wanted to do was give Woody a bad experience with the trailer.

Yesterday I went out to play wit the horses again. I hadn't played with Teddy for almost two weeks, so I decided to play with him first. I haltered him, grabbed my flag, and headed to the round pen. We worked on some of the basics. I got and kept his attention fairly easily. He was pretty good with the leading forward off a feel, but his back up needed some work. I wiggled the rope, and rather than getting bigger to say hey pay attention I'm here! I just got a little bigger to be clearer for him. He is SUCH a quick learner, so by the end of our session he was moving off just the wiggle. The main thing I worked on with him is his send off. I aksed him to back up, then pointed and bagn to crowd him in order for him to step his shoulder over properly. He would get very nervous on the circle and need to trot, but I would go with him, then ask him to walk. I also rubbed him with the stick as he was moving, and used it to motivate him when he was getting a little sticky in his forward. He stopped really well when I stopped, and came in looking confident and curious. He had some really good moments, and I was really proud of both he and I; he handled himself well, remembered what I had previously taught him, and learned really quickly, and I was patient and understanding, and didn't get emotional at ALL. I also knew what to do and how to handle the situations thrown at me. It was one of those moments of joy where you know thats what your calling is.
I put Teddy up, then got Woody and put the bareback pad on him. He had some trouble staying with me, but I just kept insisting he stay and he didn't have to leave, and he had a god lick and chew and relaxed. I brought his bridle, my helmet, and the flag and went out to the round pen. I wanted to work on getting and keeping his shoulder out and away from me, in sending off and change of direction. We worked on that for a while and he did really good. I had to get back a couple of times and firm up to block his thought of resisting what I was asking, but I got a change and he did well. I then bridled him well, got up on the fence, and he came right over to me to get on. We rode around in the round pen a while, and he was really responsive to all my aids. He even gave me a couple nice canters! We did some trotting over ground poles, then I opened the gate to let us outside. We went all around the perimeter of the pasture and he really felt good to me. I asked him to canter up the hill, and man, what a canter he gave me. He continued all the way along the flat stretch, but came right back to a trot when I asked. We went back to the round, got his halter and my stick, and headed back to the barn. On the way he had a series of 3 or 4 really good blows and snorts and he seemed like he was enjoying himself.

Following working with Woody I worked with Charlotte, she seemed responsive, so I bridled her, put the bareback pad on, and rode around the pasture some. We worked on getting that soft, nice trot that she can do but rarely does, and it went well. All in all, good day for Eden and the ponies!

Today Mom and I are heading out for the weekend to go audit Buck Brannaman in Asheville, NC. I am excited, and I have been reading his book all week so I know who he is as a person. When I get back I will update with any new insights, the lastest on the Kathleen Lindley clinic next weekend, pictures of Harry Whitney camp, and much more! Until then!
~Eden

Trailering Home, Some Extra Tidbits of Insight, and, Of Course, Whats New!

2009-10-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well I believe I stopped my running dialogue of my sessions with Harry at Saturday before we headed home. Lets continue, shall we...

After the great session on Saturday afternoon, Mom and I began to pack up Woody's things and prepare the trailer. Then, I retrieved the black and white pony and began to trailer load. He did pretty well at first, offering to go all the way in after I insisted he focus in the trailer, but he couldn't stay in very long. I would ask him as soon as he was out of the trailer to go back in, and here is where the trouble started. He was resisting going back in after he had listened a couple of times, and he decided the best thing to do was run through the pressure on the halter and blindly trot away. He did this twice. I then called down to Harry asking for some help, and a few minutes later he appeared to be of service.
I explained to him the problem was not going in the trailer but rather him staying in the trailer. He asked to see the "go in," which I did, but immediately Woody backed out. I asked him back in, and he, again, went running off. I physically couldn't hold him there.
Harry went to get him and began playing with him. Woody tried the same tactic of running into and through the pressure (and Harry himself), but Harry was prepared for it, and had a slight height advantage (darn tall people. lol). He kept being faced with Woody unwilling to change his thought of don't go in the trailer, and Woody showed his resistance by going right, left, up, and down, and sometimes all four at once. At one point Harry turned to look at me and said, "You feel better now?" because he was doing the exact same thing to him as to me (goes to show that it is NOT personal).
Eventually Harry got Woody to the point that he tried everything he knew in efforts to resist, but he learned it was much easier, and he didn't have to exert much energy, if he just went in the trailer. Harry worked with him from both sides, and he got Woody to the point that he realized, "accepting this man's idea isn't so bad!" Whenever he felt like he had to come down, Harry would let him come a little bit, then asked him back into the trailer. Woody marched right back in and hung out. He showed that once you work through his tantrum, his thought really can be easy to change.
Harry, and several others, pointed out that all of Woody's little "spots" he shows occasionally showed up magnified in trailer loading. Woody tried to push through the pressure (his signature pony move) repeatedly and with a lot of determination. His tendency to push his shoulder into me when we work appeared as well, along with his stickiness in going forward. Harry said the more I work through those things on the ground and in the saddle, not in trailer loading, the better it will be. But, he said I would probably have to go through his tantrum a couple more times for him to realize that its much easier to submit. BUT, it would be vital that I hang on through that ugly spot to prove to him he doesn't have to go there, he can be ok. It was really neat to watch.

Here are a couple other notes I jotted down when watching others working with their horses...
*a lot of people know the phrase, "Get the smallest change and the slightest try." But, people tend to put too much emphasis on the getting the slightest try and not enough on getting a change in the horses thought.
*when working with a horse, if they are really right and ok with what is going on, they will breathe with every stride.
*there is a difference between a horse looking somewhere else and leaving mentally. We shouldn't criticize a horse looking, but we should try to prevent the horse from leaving.
*You can inspire a horse to become relaxed which triggers physical releases (i.e. head down), but you can't change the physical aspects (i.e. asking your horses head come down) and think that he is relaxed. Work from the inside out.
*If your horse can really look to you, you will become his shield.
*Isaiah 26: 3 - You will keep in perfect peace, all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
This verse really can be related to the horses in that we will keep the horses in perfect peace when they trust in us and keep their thoughts on us.
*Our attitude should be "I care/love you too much to leave you in your emotional 'stuckness.'
*other methods of horsemanship (traditional or natural) focuses on the feet, but Harry focuses on the heart and mind. He doesn't want conformity, but willing submission.
*allow the horse to learn the responsibility of being here by not getting their attention before asking something.
*when a horse is rigid or braced, its because he is mentally caught between their thought and ours.
*a good leader is fair, consistent, and has the being's best interest in mind and heart.
*when your horse is rushing, slow down in energy and intent, and break down the steps.
*when disengaging the hindquarters, don't release until the front movement has STOPPED and the hind has STEPPED OVER.

I hope that these posts about the clinic have helped or raised awareness of things to people. I will update later with what I've been up to the last couple of days.
~Eden

The Continuing of the Post-Camp Writings

2009-10-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

I am sorry for not finishing my post about my Harry Whitney week. I was fried and felt that people should at least get a little taste of what I've learned. But I'm back to finish writing about Friday, Saturday, and a couple other tidbits.

Friday was another big day for Woody because we had a refresher of the day before's session (I had to get big a couple of time's to get him to change that thought). But before I knew it he was soft and light as a feather, and utterly and completely paying attention (woohoo!). I hopped on and rode in the arena (Lauren was riding her horse Dixie with us working on lightening his forehand). Harry told me (or reminded me) that Woody was the type who saw no purpose to endless arena work. So, he had me pick a post, and ride to it in the biggest trot I could manage, stop, and rest. By the second time Woody was cantering to the post and stopping and waiting. I was also riding on a loose rein which really helped Woody free up in the canter and really allowed me to let go of my trust/control issues created from past experiences. I began to ride around with a flag at all three gaits just to be sure that Woody wouldn't be bothered with the flapping, and Harry suggested we ride out into the huge pasture outside the arena, but with a few rules: if the other three horses in the pasture start galloping off I couldn't run after them (drat! just kidding! I am NOT interested in riding a stampede, thank you!). So we went all over and Woody was really perky. We walked, trotted, and cantered all over, up and down hills, and if the horses ventured too close, I would flag em off. It was great fun and Woody and I had a blast. Harry pointed out that Woody needs variety and purpose (two things I already knew but sometimes forget to exercise). Ronnie made a point to keep changing things up with Woody (where we rode, what we practiced, what tools and toys we used, what equipment he wore, etc.) so that Woody wouldn't become bored or unresponsive.

Saturday was the climax of all the progress I made with Woody. On top of that, this was the day that Terri and her husband came to audit and they learned a lot. Whats more is that it sounds like they went home and applied some of the knowledge, which is more than I did when I went to audit my first day of Harry. To read about it go to...
http://livingwaterfarm.blogspot.com/
Anyways, I got him out of the pasture and he seemed different. I tied him to the trailer, brushed him, tacked him up, and took him to the arena. He stayed with me the whole time and was really connected. I got up there, and started working on his back up, come forward, and circle. He did what I asked, with energy, and responsiveness. I thought, why keep working if its already where I want it to be? Lets ride! I went to put the side pull on and he put his head up. I put it on, worked with him a bit more with it on, then took it off and put it back on... he did fine. We rode some, with Lauren again, and he gave me all three gaits energetically on a loose rein.
I explained to Harry that we had had some problems jumping in the past, so a couple of really great people brought up some poles for me to use. Lauren and I took turns going over the poles, which Wody did fine. Then Harry made a cross rail and, thankfully, Woody stopped at it. I say thankfully because we got to address the problem so I knew what to do about it.
I tried trotting over it a couple more times, but he kept stopping. So, Harry used Woody's own natural ability to follow things to his advantage. We followed Lauren over the jump at a trot and a canter, and guess what? He jumped it! Then, Harry took Lauren away and told me to follow her and invision her over the jump, and he jumped!! The key is: an INCREDIBLE amount of focus.
Tom Moates also rode with me in that session, and it was really cool to be able to hang out, watch, and learn from him after reading his two books.
Harry then set Lauren and I up a challenge of direction and focus. We had to ride between (kind of weave) through poles and then through a set of chairs. Once we got the direction going, he asked us to turn around them by leg yeilding rather than directing the nose. I have never done that with Woody, but he and I did really well. Harry explained the difference in body positions when some people lean exaggerated and when you simply lift the shoulders over and place them sideways with the reins and legs. It was really neat to see the difference.
Following that exercise Harry released me into the great wide open again and we rode all over. Then Lauren came out and joined me walking around. We went down this big hill, and at the bottom she explained her horse sometimes had issues with riding alone. So, she asked if she could ride up the hill alone, to which I replied, "Sure!" After she was up I asked Woody to go fast up the hill, and man, did he go FAST. That was the fasted I've been on him and it was SO fun. All in all that day was really good for Woody and I in regards to our lesson with Ronnie and Harry.

I will update again later regarding the trailering adventure, what I've been up to since Harry camp, my time with Terrie on Sunday, and, of course, I will be posted a LOT Of pictures from camp. Until then!
~Eden

The Ever-So-Long Post-Camp Writings

2009-10-04T12:51:00.001-07:00

As you have probably already deciphered from the title, Woody and I returned home last night at about 7 o'clock at night. We both had the BEST week with Harry Whitney, and had some HUGE changes. I will start from Monday, the arrival day.

We packed up Monday, and Terrie arrived to help me with loading Woody at about one. We allowed him to sniff the trailer a bit, and then I tried sending him in. He got onto the ramp, and then he backed up. Terrie pointed out the most important thing to do with him while trailer loading is to allow him to back out (don't trap him in the trailer because that will worry him), but immediately after he backs off (he doesn't even have to be off the ramp), send him back in. We did this for a while; sending him in, him backing out, and sending again. Then things began to get animated. He would not let go of his thought "don't go in the trailer!" Eventually, after persisting through his antics, he gradually became ok with being in the trailer. We then worked with the butt bar, then closed him up and were on our way. This whole lesson, however, took about 90 minutes.
We arrived at the farm fine, and when we went to unload him, I asked him to step forward off the butt bar, wait, and then back out. No kicking this time! Harry greeted us and we got everything unloaded and and Woody settled in.

Tuesday morning was an early one. We got to the barn at about 6:45 am to feed the horses. On this particular day, Clare, Tenley, and Carol came to audit from the Parelli Play Group. I was so happy they could come and expand their horizons in their horsemanship.
This was the day that Ronnie Moyer, the Cowboy Chaplain and Bible study leader, drew some really good analogies from the Bible to apply to our horsemanship. He wanted us to imagine the round pen as the universe, the horse would represent the human, and we would represent God. He also made the point that, in this analogy, we as "God" need to do things that DRAW the horses interest, but not by forcing them or making them out of fear. He also gave a little "formula" that applies to both humans in their walk with Christ, and horses in their relationship with us: trust leads to security which leads to straightness. If we trust God and the horse trusts us, that trust leads to security for the horse and human. Once we have security in the Lord, and the horse has security in us, there will be a straightness in ours and the horse's life. However, before the horse will begin to trust you, he has to see a need of the human. He also talked about how everything we do is FOR the horse, not TO or AT them. Whatever we should do for our horses should have the reason of, "I love you too much to allow you to stay as you are" (whether it be anxious, fearful, "dull", shutdown, etc.).
That day I mainly worked with Woody at Liberty in the round pen. I really wanted to work on his desire to be with me, because I felt that he had no desire and that he would just tolerate me. I asked him to do some stuff (circles, walking off, etc.), and I felt like he was just going through the motions and putting out minimal effort. We then went online and worked on changing direction, breaking it down into the hindquarters disengaging, stopping, backing up slightly (in order to rock the weight back so they could step over), stepping the shoulder out and over, and sending them off again. Harry pointed out that Woody liked to push into me with his shoulder while he was on the circle, so I began asking Woody to stop, move his shoulder over, and go again on the circle. Along with this, I asked Woody for a canter several times. He was, at first, very unwilling to go into it, and when he did he wouldn't hold it long, so Harry came in and worked on livening him up. He used a flag to get him going, but he told me that the reason that Woody had such a difficult time getting going was that he didn't let go of thoughts easily (imagine that). He was stuck in the thought "don't go forward," so when Harry finally got him to let go of that thought he could go forward without any trouble. We also noticed that whenever I went to pet Woody's face he would look away. So, whenever I went to pet his face, I would stop before I stroked him when I saw his attention wandering, get his attention back, and then stroke him.
Kathy, another lady at camp, and my roommate, had a horse very much like Sassy. He was extremely touchy and whenever someone would rub his back or girth area, head, or neck he would swish his tail, put his head up, and cowkick. The biggest thing she worked on with him through the week was getting him ok with being touched (his ears were a big touchy spot as well). She ahs had him for a number of years and has yet to ride him. He is so difficult and challenging that even Harry said a number of times that he was not ready to be ridden. Kathy has come a long way with him though and got some really good changes in his touchiness, saddling, and a numver of other areas throughout the week.

Wednesday was the first day I rode Woody. I really wanted to continue working on Woody's canter, so we did just that. I rode him in the round pen after a bit of groundwork, and immediately Harry told him to liven that pony up, even in his walk, because his willingness in the walk and trot will carry over and effect his canter. He picked up the canter fairly easily, but he wouldn't hold it for long. We kept trying and it got better and better. Ronnie then got on Woody and tried to get him into a canter going his "bad" way (to the right). He couldn't really get it on the pen, so he went into the arena. His asked him to canter following these two horses turned out into the arena, and what do ya know! He went into a nice canter without bucking and really going forward. Woody definitely has some cow in him. I then got on, and Ronnie told me to let go of my reins. That was really hard for me to do, and I believe the reason for that is because I don't trust my pony. I feel like I need to have short reins so I can control him, and especially in the canter when he bucks I tend to pull on him. He told him that if I hold onto the end of the reins and hold onto his mane so I am not tempted to pull on the reins, that he would straghten out and go forward better. He told me that when he gets into a canter and bucks, if I react by puling on his head, I am disrupting and discouraging his thought to go forward, which is thet LAST thing I want to do with Woody. He also told me that by holding my reins long, Woody would become more sensitive to the reins because he wouldn't have to deal with all the "noise" that I make with the reins that means nothing to him. He would have to know that when he felt something on the rein, he was supposed to respond in some way.

Thursday was a big day for Woody and I. When our time came, we went up to the arena saddled and ready. I asked Ronnie how he would go about fixing some of the things he noticed and mentioned to me about Woody. He said that he could see Woody conforming outwardly, putting out minimal effort, not really being there with me, and just going through the motions. He talked me through some stuff with Woody, and man did we make some changes. I realized that Woody has been doing this basic ground skills stuff a long time, so he understands what I'm asking for when I, say, wiggle the rope. He just lacks the understanding that I mean what I say. So, I asked him to back up. He continued to stand there sleeping. I went kaa-pow, listen to me! Pay attention to me! And that he did. I backed him until there was a change. He looked at me differently, licked and chewed, and blew through his nose. I asked him again, and still, there was a drag in his response. So again, kaa-pow. The next time I asked he went the first time. Then I had to make sure he knew I wasn't mean and he wasn't weing punished, so I went up to him with the rope and rubbed his face. He was awake from then on. The thing is is that when I don't mean what I say (meaning I give him a LOT of time before I get big), he A) gets dull because he knows he can wait a while before doing what I asked and B) doesn't understand what I'm doing because I'm not being clear. With horses like Woody, I have to be as clear and black and white as possible or else they will become frustrated to some extent because you are not consistent.
~Eden

It Was the Eve of My Departure...

2009-09-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

... and everything is surprisingly calm! I went up to the barn this afternoon to pack Woody's suitcase, ride Charlotte bareback for about 20 minutes, and get all my stuff in the stall in prep for loading it into the truck tomorrow. I returned to the house and started to pack my own suitcase, which I just now finished doing. Everything is prepared for tomorrow, and I am more excited than ever. I plan to wake up in the morning, take the truck over to the barn with Mom, load it up, prep the trailer (get hay net ready, attach new signs to the back of it), hook it up to the truck, bring it back to the driveway, eat some lunch, go and prep Woody (make him look stunning, put fly spray on him, etc.), and wait for Terrie to arrive at one to give us a lesson in loading & help us load! We then plan to follow her to the farm itself (she lives about 15 minutes away, so it is convenient) because she says if you miss the turn, there's no place to turn around. We have a very busy day tomorrow, but I couldn't be more excited!!
A quick backtrack to my past play sessions over the last week. I played with Woody and the trailer on Thursday morning before work and he did great! I went in it keeping in mind RETREAT, because that is huge when he gets worried. I would ask him to step up, and when he stood calmly, I gave him a reward (rubs, carrots, etc.). Then I would back him up, and send him forward again, and ask him for a different threshold. If he was resistant, I would keep the pressure the same, and he could squirm all he wanted to, but I didn't keep him for backing up or anything. When he found a threshold closer in the trailer, I would release and give him a reward. A couple times of this and he offered to put his front feet in the trailer really relaxed. I gave him a cookie piece, sat for a minute, and asked him to back out before he decided to himself. He did really well, and I'm hoping to expand on that tomorrow.
Following that session, I tacked him and Charlotte up, with his new bridle, and Mom came out and we rode together for about half an hour. We had fun, and Woody offered me a really nice, controlled canter up a hill. Furthermore, when I first got on I worked on the transition exercise I did with Charlotte. I followed the fence line and asked him to trot, then walk, then trot, then walk, etc. only a couple strides each gate. At first he would burst into the trot and pay no regard to my body language and reins asking him to walk. But, eventually he did catch on and he gave me a couple smooth trot transitions to the walk. I really like his new bit and after adjusting it for him, I think he will grow to like it, too.
Well, I might update before I leave tomorrow, but if not I will be taking extensive notes and journaling every night on our experiences and my insights. Not to worry, when I return, expect an extremely long post!!
~Eden

Good Morning

2009-09-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

This past week I have been VERY busy. I have been having to do my school work for this week PLUS my school work for next week (I am not going to be doing ANY type of school during Harry, that would be silly!). I have also been working, both at the dog kennel and helping at my Dad's office. On top of that, I have been making packing lists, I ordered a new bit (sweet iron snaffle with copper inlay!), I reassembled my bridle, I have been reading both Kathleen's book and a Pete Ramey book about natural hoof care, and trying to have as many positive trailer sessions with Woody as I can. I just went out to throw hay out and feed them their breakfast (Woody and Teddy are getting their Equine Sugar Balance, and all three get dynamite), and I am about to go change and head on out for yet another trailering session! I plan to keep working on his thresholds, retreating when he gets stuck and send him again, and not force anything. Following that, I am hoping to go for a ride with Woody in his new and improved bridle (with his new bit attatched) with Mom and Charlotte. We'll see!
~Eden

Focus, Trust, and Softness

2009-09-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

For each of these words, there is a horse, experience, and breakthrough associated with it. I will start with Focus.

Two days ago, I decided to take Teddy for a walk around the property (I had been neglecting spending time with him). He hadn't gotten to play in a while, so I figured, "I'll take him for a walk and we'll go exploring." After spending a little time being haltered (he had a little resistance at first), we set out and started by walking down the driveway, but rather than leading him, I was driving him from zone 3 (Mom asked if I was preparing him to be ridden, to which I jokingly said yes! But in all seriousness, it was a step in the right direction for teaching him to drive, which would be very fun to teach him!). I was walking along by his barrel and directing him from there. He did very well with staying with me and following a very soft feel for direction, I was directing him all over the place; practicing our Driving Game of zone 1 to turn, and also using a feel to have him turn as well. He walked really nicely, so I began to ask for a trot, which he broke into very calm and smooth. We did lots of transitions between those two gaits, and variations of speed within the gates.
I then decided to take him to my brother's playset. There is a Squeeze underneath the monkey bars and between the swing and the ladder that I was encouraging him to go between, but Chewy (our golden retriever/chow mix) appeared and he was ALL Teddy could think about.
He became very worried, so I took him down the hill away from Chewy to try to find a place where he was ok with. I started asking him to do things to get his mind back on me. I first asked him for a Falling Leaf pattern and then some circles, but that didn't really appear to be helping. I got the feeling that I was merely adding to his stress by yelling at him saying, "Do this! Do that! Don't think about Chewy! Come on, faster!" So, I led him back to the driveway (the path is a perpendicular path to where Chewy was, going away from him). He was very rushy and kept crowding on top of me (needing to get to the "center" of the herd I supposed as a prey animal would), but I would stop, ask him to back up off me, then proceed. After doing this for a while toward the driveway, he started crowding me less, dropping back behind, and not paying as much attention to Chewy. We got to the driveway, and I asked him to stop and stand still and have a breather moment, but he couldn't stand. So, I told him, "Alright, if you wanna move, move where I want you to." I would ask him to circle, and then stop again on the driveway in the same spot. It took a couple circles for him to finally be ok with standing. Once he did he had a BIG release (I must have been doing something right) of lots of snorting, licking and chewing, and some deep breaths. We stood for a while, dwelling in the "okness" and after I while I offered to scratch under his belly some. He showed he thoroughly enjoyed it (as he always does), and I asked him to lead off back to the pasture again. He followed behind me and I could tell he really felt ok, not bothered by Chewy at ALL. I let him go in the feild, and I sat there with him for a bit as he ate some grass. I believe that session was really valuable to both him and me. He learned that it is ok to focus on me and be ok with things; I will take care of him.

Now on to Trust. Yesterday I went out to the pasture with the original intention of PLAYING with Woody and the trailer. I say PLAYING because I really wanted to bring the fun out of it and make sure he knew I wasn't going to force him. I also didn't go into with any preconcieved thoughts of, "He needs to go in the trailer at the end of this session." Because, as we all know, it's not about the trailer.
However, once I got him haltered, I really wanted to take him for a walk, so we headed down to the pond and ended up going for a walk around it. He did really well, but at one point he heard the horses whinny from the pasture, and he turned his attention toward them and got a little worried about continuing on the path around the pond. I turned him around (retreated) and brought him back again, and by then he was fine to continue. We also had to walkthrough EXTREMELY high, juicy, scrumptious grass for a fairly long period of time, but Woody was so with me and the plan I had, he only tried to take a bite once. HUGE for Woody. When we got out of the tall grass, I offered him some grass, and we sat there hanging out and him eating grass (I was out of breath... haha, I know, that's sad). When I asked him to turn his attention to me because we were leaving he picked his head right up and followed me really nice.
We returned back to the trailer by the barn after our walk, and I tied him to the trailer as I put the ramp down, opened the windows, and checked for bugs. I then just asked him to put his front feet on and hang out on the ramp. I wasn't too pushy or anything, I just wanted to see what he offered. When iI asked and he got stuck, I would back him off, and try again. At one point he had his head in and was sniffing the divider, and all the sudden he backed out of the trailer and looked around real wide eyed and with his head high. Again, I began to ask him to do stuff (why do I always revert to that?), which didn't seem to work. I began to just stand there and gently ask for his attention to come back to me. If he looked away, I would just put a little feel on the rope and ask him to come back. I did this for a long while, just persisitently and gently asking for his attention. He gradually gave me his attention for longer spans of time, but he would still get distracted. A quick note is that I noticed he would look around and snort at stuff, and then out his head down, still obviously NOT ok, and try to look for something to eat. This makes me think that some of his grass and food stuff is a displaced behavior. I got the feeling he was like, "I am really worried about whatever that is, I need to chew on something to occupy myself." How interesting!
Anyhow, back to the point, I just kept asking him to keep his attention on me, and finally, he gave me his attention and kept with me for a long while. He snorted, licked and chewed, and put his head down (not introverted ostrich-in-the-sand type thing, but a more realxed head position).
After his big release, he would still look around for whatever it was that was bothering him, and he began to move his feet around. So, I asked him out on a circle. I tried to keep his nose pointed in, paying attention, and he eventually gave me some really nice connected circles. He also came in to me right when I stopped my bpdy movement. I brought him back into the pasture following that and let him go. I think that that whole episode was a good session on Woody realizing he can trust me and I will take care of whatever the issue bothering him is. Big stuff.

And finally, we are on to Softness. This lesson was with Charlotte, and boy was it cool. Following Woody's big release session, I put Charlotte's halter on, grabbed my helmet, and went out to the log to mount. We spent a little bit of time on mounting because for some reason she was anticipating my mounting and trying to leave. I would bring her back, rub her, and spend some time just rubbing on her face and back. She finally relaxed, so I put my leg over, bounced a bit, then settled onto her back. We were facing to barn when we mounted, so when I asked her to walk off, she immediantly went into a trot. I brought her back down to a walk, and eventually a stop very gently by lifting one rein higher than the other. Then, she gave me a really nice back up when I lifted the rein even higher and tucked her nose in and gave to the pressure really well. We continued off, and I was really working on my seat (I am trying to practice sitting up straight, but not on my bones) and being as soft as possible with her when I asked for something.
We rode around, and when we went down hills, and she wanted to speed up, I would gently ask her for a stop. She would sometimes push her nose out to avoid it, but I held a steady soft feel on her regardless what she did or where she went, with one rein lifted, She wold stop, and I would also ask for a back up. She was then able to walk down the hills without rushing.
We went up to what I call the "training circle" (where the old round pen used to be and where the pen holding the toys and such is). I really wanted to work on sitting her trot better, so I asked her for the trot, and started experimenting with my body position. I then found that when I started reaching doooowwnn around her barrel with my legs (which was hard to do and stay relaxed, but I got it!), her trot became really easy to ride. She then began to carry herself better and her trot became smoother and she didn't try to keep breaking gait. It was the best trot I have ever had on Miss Charlotte. When I asked her back down into a walk, she glided right into it. It was REALLY neat. We walked down the hill, and I asked for a canter up the next hill, which she offered nicely.
I then decided to work on her rushing on the way back to the barn from the round pen. I started by asking for and acheiving a really nice walk. Then, I would ask her for a trot, but within a couple of strides of that walk, I would lift the rein and bring down my energy into a walk. We did these transitions all the way around the fence line, and she bagan to offer me the smooth trot I got over my the round pen again. Also, she would be just as ready to go into the trot as she was to go down to a walk. It was SO cool! She was lighter AND softer, more engaged, happier, and more focused.
I then worked on picking up a canter when I asked for it NOT going up a hill. I originally went to the training circle to ask for it on a circle, but it wasn't going really well there and she wasn't really picking it up, so I realized that doing it on a straight away would probably be better (staright lines vs. circles). I would get a nice trot down the straight fence line, then kiss and squeeze her up into a nice canter. To practice transitions, too, I would point her at the up coming fence, and ask for a canter to walk/stop transition. We did this a couple times and it went really well.
When we turned around to head back to the barn, her walk wasn't rushed at all. She seemed very content. I forgot to mention that I would occassionally ask her for a turn on the haunches and turn on the forhand, and she gave me a couple really nice ones of both. She is really doing excellent and I was really pleased with the progress we made. My seat is feeling a lot better, too. I am also getting more confident because I have been riding so much bareback, and that whole lesson with Charlotte was completely bareback.
Things are definitely improving in all three horses, and I can't wait to see what we learn next time!
~Eden

Developments

2009-09-21T11:07:00.001-07:00

In the last several days I have been having trailer loading sessions with Woody in preparation for leaving for Floyd on Monday (Only one week away!!). The whole thing started out well, and now seems to be progressively getting worse, which is backwards of what it should be. Anyhow, I consulted Terrie about Woody's growing apprehension about going in the trailer, and she is going to come out on Friday morning and help me work with getting him confident in the trailer. Thank goodness for Terrie!
On top of preparing for the trailer, I have begun to make a list of all the things I'll be taking with me. I can't believe it is only one week away, I am SOOO stoked and excited!!! The family hosting the clinic and the people arranging everything have been so accommodating, offering Woody full turnout and the use of a stall also. I have a feeling that I am going to be more nervous about being away from everyone than Woody is.
Along with spending 5 days with Harry Whitney, I am also preparing to go audit a Buck Brannaman clinic for two days in October. He is a legend and the mentor of many great horsemen, so I severely doubt he will dissapoint.
Also, my mom has recently contacted Kathleen Lindley, a woman who apprenticed with horseman Mark Rashid, has written two books, and has a backround and interest in hunter jumper style riding (my default/preferred style). We are going to audit two days of her clinic, and while there she is going to talk to Mom and I about a future internship program for me. She focuses of jumping, foxhunting, and dressage I believe, and I am so excited about meeting her and spending time with her. She offers an internship program for the winters in South Carolina, so hopefully I will be able to take part in one in the future. I am currently reading her book, In the Company of Horses, and she really emphasizes seeing things from the horse's point of view and how to build lasting relationships with them. Her website is really neat (http://www.kathleenlindley.com/) and there is a section that talks about her principles of horsemanship. I am really excited to meet her and watch her work at the clinic.
~Eden

Book Updates and Insights

2009-09-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

I am taking the opportunity presented to me on this rainy day to write an extremely long post regarding the things I have learned from Tom Widdicombe and Mark Rashid's writings. I will start with Mark Rashid's newest book, Whole Heart, Whole Horse.

This book was really a wonderful read and very easy to follow because of the story-telling style of writing he used. Here are some things I was reminded of or saw from a different perspective:
*Horses can't separate the way they feel from the way they act (meaning they act in a way indicative to how they feel). Therefore, we shouldn't consider any kind of behavior from the horse as bad because he is merely providing us with feedback or information.
*The problem with teaching your horse to maintain speed, gait, and direction while the human staying in a neutral position is that "too much leeway could easily build miscommunication between horse and human." When we send the horse out and fail to give him any more guidance, the horse will start making decisions to do something different (ex. stop, change direction, slow down, etc.). When he does this we have allowed not only the thought to form, but also allowed it to turn into a physical action, which we then tell him was the wrong action. This is not only very confusing to horses, but is also stressful for them, because we tell them whatever he chooses to do is okay (that is the message recieved by the horse in our "inactivity"), then tell him that he is wrong when he chooses to do something. I thought this was an extremely good explanation of this particular topic.
*The term lightness means that a horse responds to aids and cues quickly and responsively. However, the term softness means responding to aids responsively but RELAXED. Therefore, it is possible for a horse to be light, but not soft. My goal when riding and working with my horse is to develop softness physically, mentally, and emotionally.
*Softness must first come from inside the rider in order to eventually have it develop in the horse.
*"In the end, however, offering our whole heart to reach the whole horse is a path worth following. Because one the whole horse comes to the surface...that truly is something."
All in all, this book is a wonderful read and really has some good information in it. These were just a few of the highlights from the book that really jumped out at me. But to those of you who have not read it yet, I recommend it highly.

Now on to Be with Your Horse by Tom Widdicombe. This, too, was a very good book that really emphasized offering the softest feel possible to your horse because he will likely respond. Here are some interesting points he makes in this book:
*"If you can find out what it is that a horse needs and show him that you know about that, the behaviour of your horse will almost certainly change for the better."
*Tom makes a statement in the book that says that if we can show to our horse that we are with him (meaning present, in the moment, and very aware of his presence and the fact he "doesn't want to be on his own"), "taking care of him" (stepping up to the plate and being a good leader and "freeing" him from the leadership role so he can just sit back and relax), and "not letting him down" (meaning being consistent so he starts to rely and depend on you), then your horse will start to trust you.
*He also talks about how when your horse asks you a question, and you don't answer it (you do nothing), they take that as a 'yes.' He uses the example of personal space. If they ask if it's ok for them to approach, and you don't do anything, they take that as, "yes, that is fine." Next thing you know you have a horse who is all over you because you inadvertainly gave him permission to.
*"Most horses I've met are only too happy to hand over the responsibility of choice if they can find a good strong leader." This quote really spoke to me because I find myself questioning whether Woody wants me to lead becasue sometimes he seems all too happy to make his own decisions.
*"Whatever the response you are getting from your hordr, one thing remains the same: your horse wants and needs to know, in black and white, how things stand between you and him." A very good reminder that horses do not like or understand grey areas. We need to be as clear as possible!
*The main point that Tom makes in this book is that the way we are with our horse is the most important thing. If we are understanding, strong, loving, soft, and supportive leaders, we will provide our horses with something that no special piece of equipment or specific technique can provide. It is about HOW YOU ARE with your horse, not necessarily WHAT YOU DO.
*"Your horse is looking for sureness and strength, something he can really rely in for his well-being."
*The importance of clarity is extremely high. If you ask your horse to do something and he doesn't understand, and then begin to apply pressure to enforce your ask, all you have done is increase the urgency he feels to find a way out of pressure. This is stressful for the horse, especially if the pressure keeps building and building. Rather, we should make sure we are being clear in our body language and aids, and if he doesn't respond be more clear or do something to cause him to do the right thing to find the release. If he doesn't understand, why would we put more pressure on him?
*Tom's belief which is expressed in this book is that horse's do not like or need a lot of responsibility. However, "it is only if we proactively take up that responsibilty that the horse can relinquish it. He has to know that we will take care of the responsibilities he gives up about where his atention is and his movement (direction and speed).
*Tom also lists 5 characteristics and qualities that he says are useful. The big 5 are...
Clarity
Patience
Consistency
Fairness
Generosity
Again, this book is a really great read. Tom Widdecombe is thought to be a Brittish version of Harry Whitney. I do agree, they have many of the same ideals, an it was good to review some really important principles. I wold highly recommend this book to any horsepeople as well.

I hope these insights have helped, reminded, or taught some of you guys, because they sure did help me.

~Eden

The Difference Between Woody and Charlotte is...

2009-09-18T16:30:00.001-07:00

... that one has a plan B ready the second their leader doesn't have a purpose and the other doesn't. Guess which one I am lucky enough to have as my partner? That's right, Woody ALWAYS has a alternate plan ready for when I am not riding with a purpose. I was reminded of this truth today as Mom and I were riding around the field bareback in our halters. Woody kept pushing through the halter at "random" times to go run into Charlotte, and this really puzzled me. But, after pausing and observing what I was doing to cause him to act this way, I realized he did when I was not paying full attention to him and/or not having a SPECIFIC plan, focusing on it, and being clear in my communication of this plan to him. Once I became conscious of this, and I began focusing and communicating it to him as clearly as possible, guess what? The problem went away. Following that breakthrough, we had a great ride. He trotted several times really nicely, stood on the pedestal, walked the fence line, and walked over some logs, too. I just NEED to be aware that my horse is one that has ideas and plans. And when I don't have my ideas straight, formed into a plan, and communicated in a way he can understand, he will take over. As Harry would say he is "one committed little pony."
After we rode around for a long while, we let them go and encouraged them to play some, because during our entire ride, Teddy would come galloping up to us trying to start stuff with the horses. He was in such a playful mood, we didn't want him to feel left out, so the three horses ended up running, bucking, and chasing after one another for a good while.
As for the previous week, I have had a couple good sessions with Woody. Yesterday Mom and I went out to say hi and give the horses some watermelon (pictures above), and Woody seemed really cranky. I tried playing with him some, but his attitude wasn't getting any better so I decided to quit. Later that day though I went back out, and when I fed the horses their carrots I noticed Woody being particularly evil to Teddy. This caused me to think that he was grouchy because he was hungry (which happens when he is hungry... need I remind you of the Cookie incident?), so I put on his halter and threw out some hay for them to eat. We hung out for a bit, then once he finished eating, I took him outside for a walk (this was my original intention, but because he was hungry I set him up for success by feeding him before we went out so he wouldn't be so focused on the grass). He did really nicely, and Mom joined us in our little walk, too.
All in all, all the horses are doing well. I am hoping to go out with Mom in the morning and work on Woody's trailer loading a bit more, and she's coming along to possibly offer some helpful insight as she always does.
~Eden

Practice, Practice

2009-09-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went out to play with the ponies around 12 o'clock. I gave them all their carrots and haltered Woody. I planned to work with the trailer in some way, but I started out by making both him and Teddy beautiful! I brushed them down really well, put on Mane N Tail Shine On, and brushed through their manes and tails. I then took pictures of them together looking oh-so-beautiful (see pictures above).
I then went and prepared the trailer (put the struts down, put down the ramp, prepared a hay net for Woody to munch on and enjoy as a reward if he went in the trailer, and used the broom to check for wasps and stinkbugs. I then brought him out to the trailer and let him sniff it and explore for a little bit. I asked him to stand all four feet on the ramp, which he did fine and confidently. I took him away from the trailer and we went on a short walk, me being extra aware of when his focus shifted to the grass so I could change his idea quickly by asking him for a back up (a technique I am experimenting with to discourage his grass obsession). The logic behind it is the ever-popular phrase: make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy. When he puts his head down for grass, he is immediately met with a girl backing into his space and waving things at him causing him to back up quickly. It really seems to be working and it sure beats me having to drag his head out of the grass.
Anyhow, We returned to the trailer and I became increasingly particular about how he entered the trailer. He has a habit of putting his nose in, and then moving his body all over the ramp to try to figure it out, and he ended up coming into me as I was standing in the other stall of the trailer. I would persist until he lined himself up with the trailer straight on, and then I would let him rest and relax in that position. He did this a couple of times, then I took him away from the trailer again and went into a big area where I asked him from some circles. He gave me both a really nice walk and trot on the 12 foot, and I was particularly pleased with the trot in that he wasn't crowding in my space or pushing into me (not literally but mentally) with his shoulder, so improvements have been made in that. I also asked him for several change of direction turns, which we started slowly (so that he could feel confident in the maneuver and understand EXACTLY what body parts I was asking him to move at what time), and then I tried it a couple times at the trot. He certainly proved he was connected to me and aware of my body language because he picked up my stopping and walking the opposite way VERY quickly and was really soft when I pushed him back out onto the circle. He did it really nicely, but at the trot he did break gait when turning, then picked up the trot again after changing directions. That's ok, were making progress, and as Harry would say, "I won't kill him for that."
Back to the trailer we went and we ended the session with him having been in the trailer more than halfway confidently and getting some hay. I will definitely be working with this more before the end of this month, but I was happy with yesterday's results.
We went back in the pasture and I put his flymask back on, and haltered Teddy. I wanted to work on tying with him because he hadn't been tied for several weeks since that one time to the tree. So, I tied him to a tree near the barn, making sure the branch I picked was high so that he couldn't hurt himself. I then haltered Charlotte, brushed her a bit, and got on her bareback. We rode around a bit, and I made sure to keep an eye on Teddy. He stuggled a bit in the beginning (by struggle all I mean in circle the tree a little bit and pull at the rope) but with a matter of 10 minutes he was standing cool as can be with slack in the rope under the tree.
I went to untie him, while still on Charlotte, and all three of us headed off across the pasture. We walked, stopped, and trotted together pretty nicely (he still has a BIT of drag in the lead rope when I ask him to trot, but it is getting better), and when we got to the other side where the pedestal is, I decided to challenge myself. Teddy has never been on the pedestal, not because he is afraid, but merely because I just haven't had a chance to show it to him. So, I directed him (put feel on the rope) towards it while Charlote stood still and guess what? He put his front feet on, then his back feet, then stepped off with his front feet and stood with just his backfeet on. It was so cool to see how open he was to my suggestion and how he trusted my judgement (and how innately curious he is). I led him off, and then directed Charlotte onto it and she stood up there just fine, too. At this time Woody came galloping from the other side of the pasture to see what was going on (I guess he had just realized we three had gone off without him). We all headed off: Charlotte and I, Teddy on the leadrope next to us, and Woody trailing along at Liberty. I retied Ted again to the tree and he stayed and took a mini-nap under the tree perfectly.
So, Woody is making progress in the trailer and on his circles, Teddy is making progress in ponying and tying, and Charlotte is making progress in becoming softer in riding. I am learning so many new things and I am definitely becoming a more natural/soft/relaxed rider for my ponies.
~Eden

Updating is Necessary

2009-09-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all. It has been a while since I have last updated, and I apologize for that. Things have been going really well with all three of the horses. Here is some of the things I have been working on...
Woody
He has been doing really well with bareback riding. I have been riding him alot, and most of our rides have been either with the bareback pad, or just plain bareback. We also recently bought a sidepull, and I have been riding him mostly in that (he has become really nice and soft in it). A couple days ago we also worked some more on his jumping, and that session went differently then I had planned. I set up a jump, and got him trotting nicely on the circle before I asked for a jump. Then I pointed him toward it, and he hesitated a little bit, but I encouraged him and he jumped it just fine. However, the next time he came around to the jump, he would just stop in front of it at the last second. He did this a couple times, so I figured I would take him away and work on getting a lot of forward momentum going well on the circle. I worked on his canter, and he got some really nice transitions one direction, so I turned him the other direction. When I asked him for the canter this way he picked it up, raced around the bend going down the hill, and he tripped and fell to the ground. I watched him as he picked himself up and then I immediantly rushed over to him to check his legs. He seemed fine, so I asked him to walk and trot towards me, and once again, he appeared fine. I didn't want to push him physically, though, for the rest of the session (just to be careful not to put extra stress on his legs if they were hurt), so we just practiced leading at the trot and over the log jump. Since then his legs have appeared fine with no swelling or lameness.
Teddy
He has mostly been fulfilling his role of the pest. But he has also been learning how to pony with Charlotte ( I initially wanted to pony him on Woody, but when I tried Woody wouldn't stop giving the pony ugly ears and trying to bite him. So we'll have to work up to that). He has been doing pretty well with Charlotte and I even trotted a bit on her and he followed right along. I have also played with him and Woody together some more and they are learning how to put aside their playful banter with each other and focus on me. A couple of my friends have come out and when they did they led Teddy around and I would ride Woody bareback, so his leading is improving, too.
Charlotte
I have been playing with her a good amount as well. Mom has been really busy recently with work and personal matters, so I have been working with Charlotte so she gets attention as well. Mainly I have been riding her. Once I was sure she got over her little bit of lameness in her fornt left leg, I began riding her in the pasture a lot. I mainly have been riding her bareback because I have been really working on improving my seat and being relaxed and soft for the horse I am riding. Plus, she has an especially bouncy trot, so it has been good for me to find the right way to ride it so it is comfortable for both her and I. She has been offering canters left and right, which is pretty cool, especially for her. So, I have gotten to work on riding a canter bareback (I hadn't ridden a canter in a long time, much less bareback). I usually bring a cookie with me when I ride so I can intermittenly give her a bit because she gets SO motivated. I have one time within the last week saddled her up and taken her on a trail ride outside the pasture all over the place. We followed the pasture a bit to get Woods and Teddy ok with it, then we went downt to the chicken coop, down to the pond, around the house, and down the driveway. She did really great and she gave me sevral really nice canters as well. The main challenge with he is to make sure you ask as soft as possible, because she can and does respond to very light pressure if you offer it to her, but if you jerk her around and pull and prod at her she doesn't respond near as well.
Along with working with all these horses, I have spent the day with Terrie following her around to two of her hoof trimming jobs. The first was at a farm I have been to before for an Epona clinic and also before to meet the owner and friend, Joy, and her 17 horses. Terrie trimmed 7 of those horses, and it was neat to start to learn about the anatomy of the hoof and how to listen to each specific horse's feet and trim them accordingly. It was also great to see Joy again and to see all her beautiful horses as well. I am going to come back with Terrie early next month to watch and learn how to trim the rest of them, so that should be fun as well. Joy also told me I am welcome to come out and she would love it if I could work her horses, and especially one of my favorites, Mirage. I am excited about this idea, but I have a lot to play with and work on with my horses so possibly in the future.
We then went to another one of Terrie's clients who had two horses and I watched her trim them as well. It was a fun day and I can't wait to do it again.
Until next time!
~Eden

I know, I know

2009-09-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

I am aware that this will be the third time I've updated my blog today, but lots has happened! I went out this evening after talking to Terrie Wood. I sent her pictures of Woody's leg and told her what had happened, and she said he probably landed on his leg wrong jumping on Sunday and he is such a hardy trooper he didn't show his injury. It was much better though this evening, practically gone. I rode him around the pasture bareback and halter while Mom hung out with Charlotte some, then we both tacked up (me in the saddle and Mom in the bareback pad), threw out some munchies for Teddy, and headed out the gate for a trail ride! We were both riding in hackamores, and I still can't believe how responsive they both are to them. We went around the house, to the chicken coop, over to Drew's playset, down the driveway, across our big field of a yard, and parts of this we did split up (Mom would take Charlotte to check on Teddy and Woody and I set off across the field, etc). All I can say is HOW FUN! Honestly, it was great to ride with my mom and have Woody and Charlotte having as much fun as we were. Woody gave me a couple really nice spurts of trots when I asked, and came right back down to the walk with me. We had a really good evening and we hope to do it again tomorrow evening. I am working with Teddy and Woody together also so that eventually I will be able to pony Teddy on our walks.
Another exciting thing in the works is me learning to barefoot trim! Mom and I agreed it would be really great and useful for me to learn, so I am going to follow Terrie Wood around several days and she will teach me. I will also be meeting many new horse people, which is very exciting. Hopefully our first "follow-around day" will be after church next Sunday. I will keep you updated.
Yet another thing is that my mom, Terrie, one of her friends, and I are going to audit a Peter Campbell clinic at the end of the month. Terrie really likes his teachings and I have heard good things about him, so I am looking forward to being exposed to yet another great horseman! We are also going to see Buck Brannaman in the middle of October at a clinic he is having in Ashville, NC. All these educational opportunities are very exciting!!
~Eden

Double Team

2009-09-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

I went out today, got Woody under halter, put more desitin on his nose (he has some sort of dirt fungus something on his nose from putting his nose in the ground too much), and torched his leg again. It looks better no doubt, but it is still a little bigger than the other leg. I hooked on the 22' line to see if I could see ANY inkling of a limp on a circle. We walked and trotted, but I didn't see anything. I then practiced getting a more snappy and straight back up from Woody (Terrie's suggestion, getting his back up = forward) which went pretty well. I also practiced driving him from zone 4/5 which was fun.
I really wanted to play with him some because I haven't played with him all week, so I hooked on the 12' rope, got Teddy's halter and rope, and practiced leading them together. I wanted to practice this because everytime I play with them together in some way, Woody always tries to bite Teddy (he is showing his authority over him, we shouldn't be because I am the leader). So, everytime I saw Woody or Teddy reach out to the other one, I would drive their noses away from each other with the flag. Eventually they were trotting next to each other following me without any ugly. We headed back to the barn, and I wanted to try to play with them together. I learned though that when I Yo-Yo one back without asking the other to back up, they both back up anyways. Will have to work on that. But when we arrived back at the barn, I stopped Teddy, sent Woody in a Squeeze between me and the barn post, disengaged the HQ, and asked him to stop and wait. Then I turned back to Teddy, sent him ina Squeeze and disengaged his HQ as well. They both stood there next to each other looking at me like "what's next?" Pretty cool stuff! I also asked Woody to go Sideways over to the pony from zone 1 and he did willingly. I gave them a cookie and let them go and scratched on them some. Fun day!
~Eden

Laid Up

2009-09-03T08:09:00.002-07:00

I haven't done anything with the horses for the last couple of days because on Monday I noticed that Woody's left hind leg was very swollen and large compared to his right hind. I don't know what could have caused this, but although there was some heat on his leg right below the hock, he was walking, trotting, and running around fine with no limp. I decided to give him a couple days off and I have been "torching" (photonic-red-light treating) it twice a day since Monday. It has gotten progressively better, and this morning there was no heat, though it was still a little swollen. I am hoping to go out and play with him some today.
I did however get to play with Teddy in the round pen and ask for his attention to be on me (surprisingly the grass was very tempting to him) and he did really well. When he would go off thinking about something over than me (i.e. grass, the other horses) I would shake my flag a little bit to say I'm here. He reacted a couple times to that by taking off around the pen, but I went with him and gradually brought the energy down in my body to begin to signal him to slow down. It took a looonng time the first time, but when he ran off again he was quicker to come back. He wasn't able to walk to me, but he did face up with me and keep his attention on me. I walked a bit to the side, and eventually I was able to draw him in. I will build on this in our next session.

~Eden

A Video

2009-08-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

~Eden

Jumping, Anyone?

2009-08-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

I would like to start out by saying that recently I have been getting some really encouraging comments from all kinds of people on my blog posts. It is really great to see that this blog is truly helping and inspiring people to be better for their horses. That is the purpose of this blog, and I am really beginning to see God's hand in using this to help others. So, thank you to all who have written me comments and I am so happy it is helping you.
Ok, now about Sunday's session...
Terrie came out to trim and give me a lesson. She trimmed all 3 of them, and noticed that Charlotte was having some trouble holding her right front up. The day before Mom had been warming up Charlotte on the circle, and she saw a slight off-ness of her left front, but I watched as well and it seemed to disappear. Mom trotted her around on a circle a bit and the slight lameness cropped up again. Terrie inspected her hoof and came to the conclusion that the lameness was probably muscle/tendon related because her hoof was fine. We have been running the McLaren Photonic Torch on her leg from her shoulder down and it has been seeming to have at least some kind of effect.
I tacked up Woody once he was done being trimmed and Terrie saw our new saddle and noted that it seemed to fit him perfectly. I wanted to work on our jumping a bit because 1) our regular/basic riding seems to have improved and be strong enough to work on more refined/specific work and 2) we had had issues the days before with him jumping comfortably. I started by leading him over it at a trot on the ground and he jumped fine. Then, I sent him several times over it and he quickly adjusted his jump to make it smooth and comfortable. She said all looked well, so hop on. I trotted him around some and got him warmed up, then got a fast trot and headed toward it. He stopped in front of it. We did this a couple more times and tried to work on feeling him hesitate and getting him confident at that point, which helped some, but his hesitation just seemed to move closer and closer to the jump rather than dissapearing. I worked on fixing his hesitation going past the turn without jumping it (trotting next to it and urging him on when I felt it). This again helped some, but when he did manage to jump it, he would overjump HUGE to the point I was on his neck.
We decided to set a jump up on a more straight-away so he could have more time to get straight and then focus on speed (the previous jump was set up on a turn). He would get a really nice trot and even a few strides of the canter before the jump, and hesitate right AT the jump and stop. Terrie suggested I put him on the 22' rope and jump him farther away from me because she suspected that he would hesitate then, too. Then we would be able to persist at that moment and fix it on the ground. I put him on the 22 and had him jump it several times. She was right, he did have some hesitation in the beginning, but when I began to see it, I was able to fix it at that moment and he gave me some nice jumps. Once that was going well, I suggested she keep playing with him on the 22 over the barrels, but I would be in the saddle to ride him over it. So, she sent him off and got him eventually jumping really well on the rope. Then I took up the reins and directed him over it a couple times (still attached to the rope, though) and that was better, even though he still did hesitate just a little bit. I was released from the rope, and this way I was able to jump it and keep going straight (we weren't on a circle anymore) which helped with the other "problem" he had of thinking he was finished after the jump (I had to keep him going and thinking ahead afterwards. It was good lesson and Terrie told me to just keep working on getting him comfortable without any hesitation on the 22', then when riding making sure I focus OVER the jump, don't "throw him away" a couple strides before the jump (she said I had a habit of riding well up until 2 strides from the jump, then I would put my hands on his withers and not keep him focused and connected over the jump), and make sure I keep him going after the jump. Good stuff to work on. Also, she told me that our backup needs work and I need to start being particular about snappiness and straightness. But she did mention that my rope handling skills have improved a LOT, which is always good to hear :).
Today I woke up early so I could play with the horses before work, but it was raining so I didn't do much. I went out, fed, and "fly-masked" everyone. Then, I haltered the pony and decided to take him for a walk. He did really well. He was lagging a bit at first on the feel on the lead rope, but we fixed it pretty quickly and had a good walk. I began to teach him some Stick to Me stuff, and he even did a long range version really well! He trotted when I did, walked with me, and stopped with me. Good stuff! I brought him back after about 20 minutes because it started raining harder, but he did well with the time we had. After work, I went out to the barn to get the pitch fork to clean up some poop off the driveway the pony had left, and Woody came up to me and looked ready to do something. I decided to take him with me, so he also got a walk this afternoon. He led really well, and cantered some with me, too. I felt like he was really ok and content with everything barely tried to eat at all. Talk about improvement. I brought him back to the barn, brushed him down a bit, and scratched lots of itchies for him. Mom was there "torching" (using the photonic light) Charlotte who was practically in a trance (you can't tell me that tool doesn't work) and I played with Woody's mouth a bit and worked on maintaining leadership when I am with both him and Teddy (he wandered up, he just couldn't STAND not knowing what's up). Woody often bites him when he comes up into his space when I'm there. I allowed Teddy to come up, and everytime I saw Woody put his nose over to him, I chanegd his thought and told him, as Harry would say, "that doesn't have to be." Also, whenever I saw the pony try to mess with Woody I would correct him as well. Pretty soon they were standing side by side taking naps. These past days have definitely been positive and progressive!
~Eden

HUGE Improvements

2009-08-29T13:14:00.001-07:00

Mom and I, before heading out to the barn, watched part of Mark Rashid's DVD Developing Softness. We watched about 20 minutes of it and so far it is really good. He incorporates his martial arts skills into the horse world, because both essentially deal with three steps: taking on/absorbing the energy of the other student (or horse), blending your energy with that energy, and then taking that combined energy and directing it into another outlet (or job for the horse). It was quite interesting and Mark used many simulations (which Mom and I did too) to show that muscling a horse NEVER works, but rather being soft and having a way of softness to you is the way to go to get harmony. He has a "formula" for developing softness with the steps keading to the next
Being consistent leads to dependabilty which leads to trust which leads to a peace of mind (for the horse) which leads to softness. Quite cool stuff.
We went out and I first haltered Teddy because he was curious, and I brushed him and scratched on him some. After this, we went out, caught the horses, saddled 'em up, moved 'em around a bit, tightened girths, and hopped on. We did all kinds of things such as...
-herding Teddy (both individually and Woody and Charlotte together)
-walking/trotting/cantering variously up and down the hills
-working on when we feel their bodies and minds drifting, simply giving a light feel on the rein by holding it up slighty and waiting until they thought back the direction we were headed then setting the rein down
-Woody and I practiced jumping (started in hand sending him over, then rode him over some)
-helped Mom with stirrup length
As you can tell we had a very productive day and we both did all this in hackamores (well, mine was technically my leadrope into reins, but... :))!! It was incredible how awesome they did. I asked Mom if she wanted to go outside, so I opened the gate, she walked out, and I closed it and mounted back up off the mounting block (Woody was still and ok). We rode around the perimeter of the pasture for Teddy's sake at first (he was running around once he noticed we had left). We trotted up some hills, and on the flat too. Woody and I practiced riding into and out of the round pen (both gates were opened, and I had a flashback to the lesson I had with Harry during the week that changed my horsemanship drastically). We trotted some in there, then Mom brought Charlotte in and played some too. We rode back around the pasture another time, and the horses were making only small attempts to eat. I tried to keep Woody busy so he wouldn't think about it. At one point we decided to try to canter (or fast trot) up a big hill, and Woody broke out into this awesome canter all the way up and slowed down just fine. He did so great!!!
Mom told me she could really notice that Charlotte could tell when her focused left. She would move her focus to the pony for a second, and Charlotte would immediantly dodge for grass. But, she realized that if she kept focused on Charlotte and her riding and such, she was mostly not interested in grass. How Interesting. Being present for your horse can REALLY make a difference. Until next time!
P.S. These are pictures of me and my men in my new AWESOME cowboy (or girl) hat!! Isn't it cute?
~Eden

Visits and Visualization

2009-08-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

Well, lots to say, but I will be brief in overviews.
Tuesday...
was the first official day of school. I went out about 9 o'clock, caught Woody, put the hackamore and bareback pad on him, attached my helmet to the handle, and headed out for a walk. we walked about 1/4 the way down the driveway, and then turned back. He was doing well, so I mounted him and headed back down the driveway. We rode around a bit, and walked around the pasture fence and into and out of the the round pen we are in the process of revamping. All in all it was a successful ride. He tried to eat grass some, but I would just hold the rein up and he would run into it, so he eventually stopped. One time he had a temper tantrum, but after he moved around some and realized it was no big deal, I released him and got off. He did great. I took Teddy for a walk afterwards on the driveway and in the grass some. We walked, trotted, and cantered. He is SO enthusiastic and curious, its unbelievable. I was telling Mom earlier today if he were 5 hands taller and a warmblood, he would be my perfect partner (next to Woody that is :)).
I didn't work with the horses on Wednesday, but on Thursday...
My friends Clare, her son, and Sara came out to visit. I have been getting to know Clare via email and online in general, and we picked a day that worked and they came out to visit. They are members of the Parelli Play Group, and several of them are coming to audit a day of the Harry Whitney clinic. We had a good time visiting, and Clare took pictures and will no doubt be writing about it in the near future on her blog... http://happytrailsnaturalhorse.blogspot.com/
Today...
I went out originally just to take Woody and Teddy out on walks. Woody was first and we went all over: in the yard, woods, down the driveway. At one point, I decided to run him down our big hill, so I took off running and before long he was cantering and bucking all over the place down the hill. He was havig a blast, and at the end of the hill when we stopped he stood there and blowed a couple times and yawned several times. I guess he just needed to run a bit! He also tried to eat grass several times, and I found myself just keep on yanking on him to get his attention else where. I obviously wasn't being effective because he kept trying to eat, so I decided to change tactics. I thought that it would be a good idea to redirect his attention when he tried to eat rather than tell him "don't do that, don't do that." I don't want to nag him, so I would watch him and everytime I saw him begin to think "grass" I would ask him to speed up and trot a few steps, or back up, or SOMETHING to get him thinking "I need to be with her." It worked great and as I opened the fence to let him back in he just stod there in the grass waiting for me to let him in. HOW INTERESTING!!
I brought Teddy out next and he stood still and didn't have any interest in eating as I closed the gate. Then, he turned right with me and very enthusiastically burst into a trot. I took it and we trotted a ways, then walked. We, too, walked all around the place. We went to the swing set and he was getting a little rushy walking under the beams, so I just sent him back and forth under it until he improved. I then sat down on one of the swings and he just sat there really fine with it. He did good. I tell you, that horse learns soooo quickly and trusts so much, its amazing. He is such a great partner. We went around the fence on the way back and I put him up.
Mom was in the fence putting Charlotte hackamore on her, so I decided to catch Woody again and put the bareback pad on. I also caught the pony again and wanted to work on the BEGINNINGS of ponying him from Woody's back. We walked a little bit around and backed up really well, so I took the rope of Teddy and moved on. Woody did some Figure 8 patterns away from the barn really nicely, and then we waited on Mom. Once Mom was on, we went around the pasture doing different stuff. We walked up and down the hills (Mom cantered lots on the hills, but Woody really started anticipating running up them, so I decided to show him its ok to just walk up it). I set up a jump out of barrels for Woody, and the first time was rough. We went toward it, and I was commited to it, but Woody stopped. I took a deep breath and tried again. He went over it, but he overjumped HUGE and I was unseated and then he put his head down and sort of ran off. I did a one rein stop and regained control, but it was shaky. Mom gave me a "pep" talk and told me how I had to be commited to it, or else he wont be sold on the idea. I went at it again with full intention of going over it and having it go great, and though he overjumped, he had a good landing and didn't get all "WHOOPEE!" at the end. Improvement!
Next we rode around and Charlotte and Woody pushed the ball around a bit. Ok, Woody pushed it around a LOT, and kept trying to kill it, but he was having a ball (literally, haha). It rolled down the hill at one point, so we all headed down the hill and played some more. When we decided to come back up the hill, Mom thought she was just going to walk (she had been cantering up the others and Charlotte was anticipating) and I was going to go for a trot. I ask for a trot and I got a head down shaking, swervy, fast, not directed trot from him. I said, hmmm, and walked back down the hill to try again. Mom and I talked and I realized that the key is to approach the situation without any history. You have to "do it like its never been done," meaning pretend he has never done it (whatever the task is). That means, you don't anticipate blank (insertthe behavior the horse is exhibiting here) happening. I approached it differently, lifted my reins and kept them lifted (to give him direction and if by chance he did decide to put his head down he would hit the rein) and VISUALIZED the beautiful trot I longed from him. I nudged him and got my energy going and... guess what? He gave me that trot. He gave me a non-rushed, connected, soft trot, and he stopped right when I asked him to on the hill. Amazing stuff. I got off him right then and there and rubbed on him some. I untacked him and called it quits. Amazing things happen when you leave your fears and history in the past and approach things like your both doing it for the first time. Your horse forgives the past, can you?
~Eden

Walking on the Wild Side

2009-08-24T15:39:00.001-07:00

I thought that it would be a good idea for me to start separating Woody from Charlotte and Teddy so that he wouldn't be really worried when we go to leave for our clinic. I decided to take him for a walk down our driveway and he did really nicely. He didn't even call out to the horses once, but left with me confidently and followed behind me nicely. We walked (and trotted some) all the way up my driveway (about .6 miles) and when we got there we stopped and chatted to some neighbors. He tried to eat grass a couple times, but after I asked for his attention back and asked him to do something (such as back up or move over some) and then let him rest. He finally stood quietly in the grass while we talked. We turned around to head back, and my other neighbor, Mrs. Dooley and her little toddler pulled in the driveway and asked if they could come and see him. They pet on him and rubbed his nose some, and we talked for a bit. We then headed back down the driveway back toward the barn. We did mixture of him following me, him up by my shoulder, and me back by his girth leading and he did really nicely.
When we returned to the barn, Mom was riding Charlotte around, so I went to the barn and saddled Woody up super fast. I tied his halter into reins and rode around the pasture with Mom for about 20 minutes. He responded and listened really well, except for one time we were heading the direction of the barn, and he sped up some. I asked him to stop, and he did, but when I asked him to go again, he was still speedy. We did this stop-go thing until we reached the barn with not a lot improvement, but when we reached the actual barn door and he tried to stop there, I asked him to walk past and he did so without resistance. He still has that draw to the barn that we will have to keep working on, but it is definitely better than how he was acting the last time when he would push through my rein and canter back to the barn. All in all, it was a good day.
My future plans are to start walking Woody down the driveway hopefully everyday. The combination of the distance of the walk, the gravel that will toughen his feet, the hills we have to climb up, and the interesting scenery to keep him interested and engaged is a winning combination! Once he has gotten used to the route and I feel confident in him in the environment, I will probably start riding him up the driveway as well. I hope to start working on this with Teddy also. He NEEDS exercise, so I am going to start separating him as well and gauge the rate at which we leave to how the horses respond.
~Eden

People Who Don't Love Horses Are Just Crazy!

2009-08-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

My two beautiful boys!
This statement is so true. I mean, I don't understand how people can't love how they look, or how they SMELL, or how they move. Those people who don't love them are just crazy. I had a great day today with ALL the horses. I started with Teddy and haltered him (he is SO easy to catch now) I put the 22-foot line on him for the first time and practiced leading and following me. He is so good he left slack in the line so it was like he was walking, trotting, stopping, and backing up with me at Liberty. I then worked on teaching him how to send off. I put feel in the rope the direction is wanted him to go, and then I would support with the flag at his shoulder area. He would just walk off away from me and stay connected so nicely, I was really pleased with him. Once we had that going well I started sending him places. I sent him to the cone (we were doing short range at first) and had him touch it. Then the other cone. Then the ball and the tarp, etc. He did really well at catching on to the game. He was a little wary of the tarp at first, so I picked it up and dragged it and shook it all around walking away from him. He eventually got curious so he would walk closer, and when I stopped he came and stepped on it. He walked across it and he was fine with it. When I sent him to the ball he went over to it, and started pushing it around. It was so cute and definitely an improvement from the last time I introduced it when he ran away from it. I unhooked the line from him and we walked and trotted back to the barn with him following me at Liberty. Good session for Teddy Boy.
I haltered Woody next and played with sending him over the log and us walking over it, and then backing him up to the log after he went over it. We then went to the other log and played with putting specific feet over the log. He put just one over it, then the front two, then backed up so none were over it, then walked over it completely. It caused him to really focus on what I was asking and stay present so he know what foot I wanted over it. We then did some walking circles on the hill for a bit, and he did a nice change of direction on the circle, too. We went over to another, less steep hill and worked on trotting circles and keeping his body away from me, next. Lastly, we went to an even-ground place and worked on our canter transitions. He was really snotty about them at first, kicking up and putting his head down. But, after he did a couple transitions, it got smoother and he stopped protesting. We did that both ways, and then went back to the barn. I grabbed my helmet, 12 foot rope, made reins, and headed out to the log to hop on him. He pulled right up and I got on and we were off. I mainly just wanted to go up and down the hills at a walk (I figured that would build more muscle than using momentum to get up them), and he did well. We went under the tree and relaxed for a bit, then went back to the barn. His halter-riding is so good. He didn't push out against me at all. This is because I got him with me on the ground and got his thought easy to shape and maneuver, then on his back it was the same thing. **when there is a physical brace or objection, it is because there is a mental block**
I then decided to exercise Charlotte some, so I haltered her, saddled her up, and circled her a bit to get her with me. I tightened her girth and hopped on. She stood still, and when I asked her to leave the barn, there wasn't a hint of objection like there was last time we rode. She trotted away from the barn really nicely, and I wondered what would happen if I asked for a canter, and she gave me a beautiful one! It was really great! After that, we pretty much spent the rest of our ride cantering all around the pasture. We would occasionally stop for a break and she would sometimes get a little bit of a cookie. She loved it and we were both having fun. She was fairly light for riding in her halter, too! I was really pleased with our ride.
I was talking to Mom about how she seemed really eager to canter, and she thinks its because of her new saddle and how it fits a whole lot better than her old one. This could very possibly be true, but whatever it is, I am loving her new found awesome canter!
~Eden

Results

2009-08-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I got my Audition results and score card back this evening. I received a Level 2 rating Online, which is good because I passed. Granted, I was hoping and thinking I passed as a Level 2+, but it is what it is and I still passed so I can't complain. I scored a Level 4 in our Friendly Game! And we also scored in the Level 2+ and Level 2++ in some areas, so I was happy. The most important (to me) parts, meaning the rapport and draw, were scored as a level 2++ so that's good. As my mom said, it is not exactly a true reading because its not possible to take a 10 minute recording and rate your horsemanship and relationship from that accurately. What really matters is the awesome relationship I have with Woody and how far we have come in the last year. I am going to begin to try some Carrot Stick riding, and hopefully pass my freestyle Audition, and then I will have my blue string. I believe, from where I see my horsemanship now, that that will be enough for me. That doesn't mean I will stop advancing our horsemanship by ANY means, but it might/probably will be the end of my Audition career. I don't think my beliefs regarding some aspects of Parelli will allow me to continue into my Level 3 and 4 Auditions, but I will MOST definitely seek advancement and refinement from other areas. The most exciting at the moment is Harry Whitney. I am more excited now than ever about our upcoming clinic!!
Anywho, I do not want this post taken in a negative vent toward Parelli because that is NOT what it is at all. I believe the Parellis have a lot of knowledge and ideas that are wonderful. However, I am not going to be close-minded either. I am going to study and explore other areas that will take our horsemanship to a whole new level.
Here is the link to my scorecard!
http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B9G7gQDFjYRBYTMxZWM4YjEtOGViZi00NzVkLTgyOTEtZGY0YmY2OTI2NTNi&hl=en
~Eden
**I am sorry, you will have to copy and paste the link into the bar to go there**

Trying to Sweat

2009-08-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

I just got back in from the barn and playing with Woody. I went out with the 22 foot line and halter and let him come up to me. He did, so I haltered him and we began. We did some leading because his following the feel was really sticky. Then we did some circles. He did really well at following my body language, especially at the walk. When I sped up and directed some energy toward his shoulder he went into a smooth trot. However, I found that when he trotted he tended to leak in toward me on the shoulder. I asked him to get his shoulder over back on the circle, and that worked a little bit. We then headed over to the hill and we worked on Yo-Yo and circling on the hill. He had a really strange walk going down the hill that I noticed, and I continued asking him to walk on the circle up and down the hill. His strange walk improved while he was going on the circle. When I asked for a trot, his shoulder began to come in again, especially going down hill, so I would ask him to push it over. Instead he broke into a canter. I figured I would keep asking going down the hill, and finally rather than breaking into the canter he put his shoulder over. We quit and headed over to the cones to do a Figure 8 pattern. He did ok at first with the pattern, but then he began to not go around the cones and I tried to keep him for cutting around it, but I couldn't We tried the other direction but it just wasn't working. I decided to quit because it wasn't getting better and we just moved on to leading again. He was really lagging in his feel. He improved, and then it began to thunder so I called it quits. I unhaltered him and asked him to push his ball around some. He really is learning to love playing with the ball. We played Stick to Me at Liberty back to the barn. He did well today and the main goal over the next month is to exercise him enough so he can lose some more weight before the clinic.
~Eden

Eye Problems

2009-08-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Just wanted to update and let everyone know that Woody's eye has been producing an excessive amount of "eye boogers" (I don't know the correct term, haha). I have been hot compressing it three times daily and rinsed it out with a Clear Eyes solution, but they kept coming back. My mom contacted the Virginia Tech Vets and they came out when I was at work on Monday. They cleared his tear duct because it was blocked (causing the drainage to come out the corner of his eye in "eye booger" form) and ordered us to keep a fly mask on him during the day. They said it could be allergies, or that he has had too much sugar intake lately. Of course, they then commented on his and Teddy's weight saying they were very obese. I understand they are professionals and I do know that Woody is not at the finish line yet, but I feel the need to defend him. He has lost SO much weight since I have owned him. Here is the proof.
As you can see, his body shape and weight and everything has changed. He is getting Equine Sugar Balance in his feed in the morning, and we are going to cut down on the amount of oats and sunflower seeds we mix it with. That combined with a very limited amount of treats I will be feeding a day, and some excercises I will be playing with will hopefully help him trim down some more before the clinic in the end of September. He HAS to go back to camp skinnier than he was at the beginning of the summer or else we will not live it down with Harry and the other participants.
As for Teddy, I am working on his weight, too. We have been playing together and his leading and following a feel has gotten SO much better. He is trotting and cantering online, and he is also getting a dose of the "fat food" that Woody gets in the morning as well. He has slimmed down a bit, and Mom has ordered a grazing muzzle for him to use sometimes.
I have not had the chance to play with Woody much since my last post, but soon I hope to have a Liberty session with him because we haven't had one of those in a long while. Once our round pen is mowed and ready, I will be doing more Liberty and Carrot Stick riding with him (in preparation for our L2 Freestyle Audition). Keep you posted!
~Eden

Bubbles and Suds

2009-08-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

Well on Wednesday my friend Macy came over and hung out with me. It was a hot day, so we decided to spend it outside bathing the horses. We bathed Charlotte (rinsed her at Liberty) and tied her to dry under tree. Then we got Teddy and bathed him. She took the cutest pictures EVER of him with the hose (she is a photographer). We didn't tie him because, as I know from our trailering experience taking him home, he doesn't tie. We set him up with some hay, but the curious little guy wasn't enticed. He'd rather roam around, messing with Charlotte who couldn't mess back cuz she was tied, or... rolling. Thats right, we spent a long time scrubbing on him and everything, and he rolled. Twice. We got Woody next and got him practically flourescent white. He was sparkling and looking beautiful. We tied him to dry, took Charlotte and groomed her, brushed mane and tail, and put shiny stuff on her coat. Then we groomed Teddy and did the same with him. We then got Woody and brushed him and made him even more beautiful. All the while we took pictures of everyone clean and beautiful. They all did really well, minus Teddy rolling.
I then tacked Woody up and put the hackamore on so I could lead Macy around (she had never ridden a horse before). She did really well with Woody! We went up and down hills and even trotted a couple times! I got on after her and rode him around a bit and she got a couple pictures of that, too. We had a really good day that day and all of them did well.

Yesterday I went out and played with Teddy. He is literally such a fast learner, I can't believe it. He is already doing the first 3 games at Liberty. I haltered him (he is so easy to catch now!) and we went and practiced hm just standing still where I place him on the end of the line (in preparation for tying). He tried to come forward to me who was sitting in a chair reading, but I would just gently put him back and leave him alone. He stood still for about 3 minutes once, so I drew him into me and gave him some scratches. I began to teach him how to lift his feet by tapping his legs with the stick, and he showed he was beginning to understand that, so we moved on. We then played with leading and following my movement and the feel on the rope (once again in preparation for tying). He did really well with that also. I tied him to a tree in the shade and had it looped around so I was holding the other end so I could help give him a release and could get him out in an emergency situation also. He did just fine and stood still, so I actualy tied a quick release knot and walked a little ways away and watched. He did absolutely perfect, so I let him go. I detached his lead rope and put feel on the halter until he started following me, then I let him go and we had a little Liberty moment of him following me back to the barn (first time). He had a really good session.
I then grabbed Charlotte and tied her halter into reins and rode her all over the pasture bareback. I had ridden Woody on Wednesday and wanted to give him a break, and Charlotte hadn't been ridden in forever, so I decided to take her around a bit. She did really well and we just ahd fun going everywhen: up and down the hills, through the tree grove, under trees, around the pen. We even cantered 3 times up a hill which was really fun. All in all, yesterday was a good session.

This morning I went out to feed and noticed that Woody had a LOT of yellow "eye boogers" running down his face from his eye. We called the Tech Vets and they told me to put the Clear Eyes solution in it to flush it out, and then put a warm compress over his eye for several minutes. I did that, and here in a couple hours I am going to go out and do it again. I sure hope it is nothing serious, but I doubt it is. I will keep you updated.

I made an album of all the pictures that we took from the bath day, and here is the link to the album on Photobucket. There were so many of them I couldn't individually upload them on blogger. Sorry for the amount of pictures.... there are a lot!!
http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x137/Charlottebaby01/Bubbles%20and%20Suds/
~Eden

Videos

2009-08-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

Please let me know what you think. Feedback and comments are welcome!!
~Eden

On Our Way

2009-08-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Hey all. This morning I went out and set up the playground, brushed Woody, moved the other horses, and set up the camera. 11 minutes later I had finished my level 2 online audition! I think it is really good quality. I got more toys out and showed the stuff we're working on (Sideways) and the stuff we're good at (all kinds of Friendly). I showed the compulsories, and showed some Squeeze with barrels. I did not get the opportunity to show my Circle Game, which is fine because my circle game is different. I am really happy with the quality of the audition and I feel like it will allow us to at least pass Level 2, but I'm hoping for a 2+ rating. I will settle for whatever though! After we taped, I rode him around a bit in his halter and taped some of that, too. He did nicely, but he did try to push through the halter twice. I got his thought around a bend quickly though and kept going. He has DEFINITELY improved riding in a halter SOOO much. Here are the links to those two videos.
~Eden

Evening

2009-08-10T17:43:00.001-07:00

I worked all day today and just got back inside from playing with the horses a bit. Since I haven't ridden or exercised anyone for the last couple of days, I decided to run them around a bit. They had fun with it, bucking and racing each other, and they found that when they came back to me they often got a piece of Cracklin Oat Bran. This was fun, and afterwards I threw out hay and sat with Woody and Teddy. Woody was nosing me a little bit and had a dominant face on slightly, so I used my bopping blocks and blocked that idea. He started backing up and kept turning his head to me (I was at his shoulder), but I just stayed with him and kept blocking him. Finally he stopped and had a huuuge yawning session that went on forever. I rubbed on him and pony and played Woody's tongue a bit, too. Teddy is really getting good and his Driving Game!! I was really impressed. He Porcupined back from his nose almost better than Woody, too! As I was leaving I did some Extreme Friendly with Woody in his zone 5, and I Friendlied Teddy with with the stick and string, too. I asked Woody to move away from me (I was in zone 3) by asking him Sideways while he was eating hay, and he sidestepped over so easily! I was happy with that because he showed he understands the Sideways at Liberty.
Anywho, tomorrow I am going to play some more and I might film my Level 2 Online Audition again then, too. I am going to try to mentally prepare to not become task oriented or audition orientated. A lady who writes a blog I follow, Michelle, wrote a really good post about learning from her Audition-taping to not put goals before principles. Here is the link to her blog...
http://naturalhorselover.blogspot.com/
It is a good reminder that the relationship needs to always come first, and that if it means sacrificing an Audition session, it needs to be done.
Also, I couldn't get the video loaded that I said was in my last post, so I will try that again later.
Until tomorrow!
~Eden

Boiling Hot

2009-08-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went out in the middle of the day to have a "fun day" with the ponies. I fed them their carrots and haltered all three of them and brought them up to the barn. I groomed all of them quickly and lined them up to take a picture of them together, which turned out quite well. I didn't realize how hot it was at first, but I decided not to do too much with them because it was 95 degrees!! It was the hottest day we've had all summer. I then played some Friendly and Driving with the little man and let Charlotte go. I played with Woody a little bit and tried to work on his Sideways a tad. He can do great down the fence and he then usually drifts away from the fence and does it without it, but when I ask him without a fence at all he gets very very confused (I guess he needs more clarity on my part). I let him go and played with him a tad at Liberty (haven't played in FOREVER). I got a couple cookies and drove him and bit and did some Stick to Me. He did really well, especially after he got a cookie (typical LBI for you). I am working from 12 to 6 today and it is already very very hot outside so I think the ponies are going to get a break today from playing. Tomorrow I am going to play with Teddy some more and work on his games, and then hopefully Mom is going to help me tape my L2 Online Audition again (I need someone to help me keep Charlotte and Teddy out of the way due to our last experience).
Here is our last Audition try. Actually looking back at it I like the quality of it beause I feel like Woody and I are actually having a conversation, in that I acted really well on camera and didn't rush him. I wish it were shorter, but I just left the video at 15 minutes long for you all to see the complete thing. I will hopefully try again tomorrow. Enjoy!!
~Eden

Try Again

2009-08-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

After reviewing my video from this morning, I have decided to not use it as my Audition tape but rather work on some stuff and try again. I made this decision for a couple reasons
1) We exceeded the time limit by 6 minutes and I can't effectively edit it to make it shorter.
2) Teddy interfered with the shot, and although thats not the main problem, it is still an issue.
3) I didn't effectively show all the games (we went out of shot for our Sideways)
4) I felt like the whole thing was sort of dragging. Just going very slow and tedious.
5) I didn't get to show some of the things we're good at (backing by the tail, bouncing the ball, etc.)
6) I know Woody and I can do better
Although I am very pleased with our play session today, I don't think it was Audition quality. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself, but I went on Youtube and watched other people's Audition and they were impressive. Much more so than mine. I feel like it is almost the same quality as our Level 1 Audition, and I don't think that will go over well because they look for improvement as you make your way through. Anyways, I will get around to posting up the video I took eventually, and for now I have a few things to work on...
1) getting a more consistent trot around the Figure 8 cones
2) being soft and polite, but getting more from Woody
3) getting a better Sideways off the fence
Once I work on these things I think we will have a stellar Audition. And don't get me wrong, I know Auditions are not supposed to be about perfection, but if I'm going to show Woody and I's relationship off, I want to make sure it is an accurate depiction!
~Eden

Well Well

2009-08-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up early in order to get some horse time in before I have to work at 12. I went out at about 8:30 or 9 with the intention of trying to film our L2 Online Audition. I was not putting limits on myself or Woody, because that stresses me out. I told myself that this could just be a recorded play session, and I don't have to use it as my audition. Due to my round pen being under construction (we need to remove two trees and get footing), I had to stay in the pasture to film. Because of this, half way through taping none other than Teddy comes waltzing right in to camera and causing trouble. He knocked down part of the round pen and spooked Woody, but Woody recovered right away and got back on his pedestal and licked and chewed. That pony Teddy is such a little rascal. Ugh, it was funny though, and I think Parelli will find it humorous. With that said, I do believe I will be sending it in as my L2 online Audition because Woody and I both did really good. I am about to leave for work, but when I get back tonight I will put it to some music and post it. It is 16 minutes long, so I will have to cut the beginning and end. :( Oh well. Seeing as how I haven't done a Figure 8 pattern in 2 months and he trotted the pattern really nicely, I am quite happy. I am also looking forward to hearing feedback on my modified Circling Game. I walked, trotted and cantered him while moving with him, and I would like to see what the Parelli Team's feedback is. Anywho, I have to run, but we had a great session this morning with the vid and I rode him bareback with his halter all around the pasture afterwards at a nice walk and slow trot... WITH NO PUSHING THROUGH AND TAKING OVER! Sorry, but that is BIG for Woody. Over and out!!
~Eden

Mounted Leadership

2009-08-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well both today and yesterday I have ridden Woody with GREAT success. Yesterday I went out in the pasture and sat and read a book for a bit. I then got Woody's halter, headed out to him, and just stood back in his zone 5. He got curious and turned around, sniffed me and the halter, and stood still while I rubbed him with it and haltered him. I then saddled him up and rode him. I rode by myself and worked on some long distance point to point stuff, and "walking the line" there and back (meaning drawing an imaginary line and if your horse goes off it just a bit, set him back on there... catching the first clue of his thought leaving the line). He did pretty good with that. We were doing this past the barn at one point and I could feel him speed up when heading in that direction, so as soon as I felt it, I asked him to stop and break that thought. After that, he went past the barn no problem. We also played with circling Teddy's old pen we kept him in the first couple days and working on the eyes, belly-button, leg, rein technique. I was trying to get him to turn and circle the pen without using my reins, and after a while of persisting he finally got to turn with my leg and without my rein. So, I stopped and let him rest. I also worked on transitions to get his trot more steady and not rushing.
Today I went out, played with Teddy first (he got his Parelli halter in yesterday) and mainly groomed him up nice and Friendlied him and also began playing the Yo-Yo Game. He is such a quick learner, and he has already got a good foundation of the first 3 games, just from asking him at Liberty to back up or drive him away. Anywho, I played with him a bit, then haltered Woody real easy and led him back to the barn. I brushed him really good, too, and curried him all over and scratched on him a lot. I saddled him up with our WW which is working FABULOUSLY, and played with him a bit. I worked on getting him to stay out on the circle, and to stay connected to me around this especially difficult turn where he wanted to mentally and physically leave. I persisted in gently pulling him back and reminding him, and he finally was able to stay with me. I was working on being really soft and polite, but not lying to him either.
I then spent a good bit of time bridling him because he kept wanting to leave. I asked him to bring his head around and lower it, then I began Friendlying his face with the bridle. After some time I got the bit in and I then played with his ears and got him ok with them being bent to put the crown piece over them. He did really well. I mounted up, and worked on some point to point all over the pasture while Mom saddled up. He was doing really well, and only had problems once when heading toward the barn, but I stopped him again and he was fine.
Mom and I rode together for a loooong time. At least an hour if not more. We did follow the leader, Mom hearded Teddy around with Charlotte helping, and we practiced going up and down the hills at walk, trot, and a canter twice!! He offered me this beautiful canter going up and I was ecstatic. We also did more of the eyes, belly-button, leg, rein exercise around the pen again, and that went really nicely. I can't believe how well Woody did. He is REALLY tuning into me and my energy, and I am able to do downward transitions without using the reins! I am working on our upward transitions and turning and such with using my focus and energy. I am on the right track for bridless riding!! :) He also didn't run down the hills but did a working walk. I am also working on isolating his different legs and moving them front his back. I can move his forehand with my reins and his hindend with my legs. I have been practicing different kinds of turns and rein positions, too, and he has been offering some really nice beginnings of turn on the haunches and forehand. AMAZING!!
Today I rode a part of our ride with my stirrups crossed over his neck to build my seat and legs and such, and he gave me this really nice slow trot, and honestly, I felt like I was doing dressage.
All in all, it is safe to say we have had an AWESOME last couple of days, and I definitely LOVE my saddle. Mom and Charlotte are improving, too, and I think it is good for both of us to ride more to strengthen our bodies, savvy, and confidence.
On another note, my family and I are discussing my plans for this coming September/October. As some may know, I was given VIP Gold tickets to the Parelli Celebration for my birthday. I have been looking forward to attending the conference because I have heard many great things about it, but other potential possibilities of education have sprung up sincemy birthday. The week before the Celebration in Lakeland FL, Harry Whitney will be having a horsemanship/bible camp clinic in Floyd, VA, about an hour away from my house. He has never been this close to Roanoke, and I feel it is an opportunity I want to and need to take advantage of. Therefore, the plan stands now that I will be taking Woody to Floyd for the week of Sept. 28 to October 3 and take place in this clinic. My mom has decided it would be best for me to have some learning time by myself, so she is not going to take Charlotte unless they need another rider in the clinic to make it possible. I will be staying up there for a week, and theplans are still coming together, but my mom is planning to come audit two or three days of the five. I am very excited about this outcome because although I would love to go to the Celebration, we cannot afford to miss almost two weeks away from my family. I think it would be more beneficial for my education as an eager upcoming horsewoman to spend a week one on one with Harry Whitney, than travelling 4 days to watch 3 days of a conference. I will update more on this plan when I know more.
~Eden

Updates Updates!

2009-08-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Well, the mini is doing well, as you can see. He is completely settled in to the "herd" and they accept him and seem to like him. He is the cutest thing ever. As of now, his name is Coco, but I do not like that name for him, so we are considering switching it to Teddy (fits him perfectly because he resembles Teddy O'Connor and is so cute looks like a teddy bear) or George (Curious George to be exact and this fits him because he is so so SO curious, too much for his own good). We will see what happens.
I have been working with him a fair amount on a number of things. First we worked on him understanding how to work the waterer, which I think he finally figured out. Also, catching is a big issue for him. The first day I couldn't even touch him at Liberty (I think it was because he was so nervous), but gradually after being patient he is now able to be rubbed all over at Liberty, for me to itch his itchy spots, and even rub him with the Carrot Stick and string, and the stick with the plastic bag on it. He still doesn't completely trust the halter, but I had two long really worthwhile play sessions working with the halter. We have also ordered him a Parellli halter and it should be here soon.
At first, since I was spending so much time with the mini, Woody kinda gave me the cold shoulder. He wouldn't meet me at the fence but would just continue grazing and ignoring me. I decided that I would let him go through whatever he was going through (he was trying to adjust to having the new guy) and play with the mini instead. Woody has now decided he accepts Coco and comes to me and such. Yesterday we got the shipment of my WW, saddle pads, hay nets, and trailer signs from Dover. There are no defects, we changed the gullet to the widest, and the girth I got from Crazy Horse Tack works really well with it! We put it on Woody and it fits him REALLY well. Since it has a dressage-cut flap instead of the jumping-cut the AP had, it allows his should more freedom and it does not bridge on him back either. I got in it to make sure it fit me and it fit me perfectly. We downsized a full size (went for a 16.5) and it seems to fit me really well. It feels alot different because there is not all this extra room in the front pommel of the saddle that I'm used to seeing, but it felt good and fit him well. I will ride in it again today hopefully, so I will be sure to have Mom take some pics!
~Eden

Bringing in the Mini

2009-07-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well today has already proved to be a busy day and its not even over! Mom and I left with the trailer this morning at about 9 to head over to look at the mini. The family who owned him went to my school so we knew them pretty well. Cocoa is a 6 year old miniature horse gelding who has the best horsenality. I rubbed on him some, then moved him around a bit and was willing to go forward pretty well. I led him around, and Terrie (she came with us to help) trimmed his feet, too. We then took him to the trailer and after investigating a bit walked right on. However, he has not been tied before so he was loose in the trailer. We had to remove the divider in the trailer, but once we did we loaded him back on just fine like a champ. We brought him home and unloaded him and he is so brave!! He calmed down after a couple minutes of calling to the horses over the fence and walking around. I brought him in the fence to a little corral we set up for him to be in, and the horses met him through the corral panels. Terrie suggested that we bond them together by putting them all in the arena and letting them run around a bit. They had SUCH fun in there it was hysterical. She and I had flags and we got them started and if they would kick at Cocoa or do anything to him, we would shake the flag. They ran and ran and ran around that pen bucking at each other and flying around cantering, they were having a good time. They stopped a couple times to eat, and eventually they showed they were ok together and we caught them again. I went to catch Cocoa, but he ran away so I "did some Harry with him" and followed him and finally got his attention back on me. I then walked up and haltered him. I also did a little porcupine from the nose and chest to get him out of my space and he is a really quick learner! We did a bit of Stick to Me in that he would walk ahead of me, and I would stop and tap his chest to back him up. He is a good guy who is willing to learn and boy do I have stuff to teach him!
The things we are going to start working on is porcupine in preparation for tying and also help him get better with being caught. Here are some pictures of the horses running around!

~Eden

Putting It to Purpose

2009-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Woody with his wormer.

Some conformation shots of the horses

Since my last update I have had a few good sessions, and a few not-so-good sessions. The worst session was on Saturday evening. I went out to mainly do his wormer and just play with him. I got my halter, headed out to him, and he walked up to me. However, when I went to halter him he walked away. I went with him (not the right thing to do in this case) and he trotted off with me behind him. Basically, I chased him around and stuff making him choose which was better: coming to me and getting haltered or getting chased around incessantly by me. Looking back, I was stupid and he told me so because he and Charlotte both went cantering off down the hill. Mom and I sat there watching them, and eventually we went out and they let us catch them. We did their wormer and we let them go because I was getting emotional. Basically, that day was terrible because I was not in the right frame of mind when I went out there.
Fast forward to Sunday. I went out there and vowed to not chase him around but rather draw him to me. I got my halter and fell into the same trap as the day before, but I stopped myself from going after him. Rather, I went up to him (he was eating hay under the barn) and I asked him to put his thought on me, not the hay. He did really nicely at first and sniffed me, but when he wanted to return to the hay I didn't let him. Once again, looking back this wasn't right because all I was doing was telling him "Hey, put your thought over here. Ok, now keep it here for no apparent reason or purpose." I should have said, "Hey, I would like your attention. Thank you, now could you put your nose in this halter?" I did eventually get that message and asked him for the latter and we went on to worm successfully. Afterwards I put the bareback pad on Woody and mounted up. I was going to try to kneel on his back at the walk and then stand on his back just standing still. We accomplished both of those things and he did really well with it. I then took the rope from Mom (she was leading me around and holdin him) and rode him back to the barn and he listened really well to me (it has been a while since I have ridden him in the halter). I have realized the key to Woody is having a reason behind what I'm asking him to do. I can't just say don't eat grass, just sit here looking at the grass and expect him to be happy with it.
So yesterday evening after dinner Mom and I ran out to the horses to give them their dose of wormer. I went out first, and my pony met me at the gate and whinnied at me. I came in the fence, rubbed him a bit, then went running to the barn to turn the electric fence off. I looked back and saw Woody cantering after me. I slowed down and stopped and he came right up to me, sniffed my hand and blew. I continued up to the barn with him behind me. The cool thing was that Mom was coming from the house to the barn through the other gate, and while Woody was cantering after me, Charlotte had run down the hill making he cow noise to meet Mom. I really thought that was neat. Anywho, I got the wormer and gave Woody his dose at Liberty (he ADORES wormer, he licks the tube and chews on it, its so funny) and Mom gave Charlotte hers successfully.
Also, news on my saddle. It turns out that the website I originally ordered my Wintec Wide saddle from is not sending me a replacement saddle. So, I got a refund, and my mom went online to Dover Saddlery to see what their pricing was. She did this "find your perfect size" exercise and guessed pretty accurately on my height, weight, etc. My size is a 16 and a half, so she went and found a returned saddle from Dover that is "like new" for $399!! What ann amazing price. She also ordered me a light blue saddle pad for Woody so he will be looking pretty spiffy!
~Eden

Bareback

2009-07-25T07:10:00.001-07:00

Hey all! Yesterday Mom and I went out and wormed the horses again (day two of five). I got Woody under halter, took the syringe, let him sniff it, he offered to put it in his mouth, so I moved it to the back of his mouth and squeezed the medicine out and he stood still and swallowed it. He really did great! Mom went next and Charlotte's worming lesson really seemed to pay off. She was fine with the syringe near her mouth, and didn't make a fuss with it in her mouth either. She did great, except when Mom did put the paste in her mouth, she spit large quantities out. She behaved good, just spit it out. They tried a couple more times and got more in her.
I then did some stuff with Woody making sure he was with me, and got our bridle and practiced bridling. When I first took his halter off he moved away, so I moved away from him and he drew back to me, I let him stay there for a minute, processing, then I put the bridle near his head and played approach and retreat until he accepted it. Then, I opened his mouth, slid the bit in, and put it over his ears. He threw his head up when it when over his ears, so I asked him to lower his head, took it out and played Friendly with his ears, rubbing them and bending and folding them. I tried again and he did much better. I got on him bareback, and my plan for the day was to sit on him and help Mom with riding Charlotte. She tacked her up with my saddle and the Cradle Bridle, she did well, and practiced getting on and off her for a minute. While they were practicing this, I played around with turning Woody's front end. I picked up the rein and held it out like a direct rein, and I lifted it up a bit. I held there, waiting for the message to get to his feet (I could tell he was thinking) and he stepped over his front end without moving his hind end! It was really neat. We did this a few more times and then did some indirect rein too. I was also able to bend his head around. place my hand on his flank and push against him like the porcupine game from the ground and he moved his bum over! Anyways, once she was on, she immediately started working with getting Charlotte with her. After several minutes of turning and waiting for her thought to come around exercises, Charlotte seemed in a better place. They rode all around the pasture, and Woody and I would follow them around, watching and helping. I was really pleased with how Woody was listening to me on his back, and he didn't try to speed up going down the hills either. I pointed out to Mom that it seemed that she was following Charlotte's thought more than Charlotte was following hers. She started playing around with being more particular, and Charlotte shaped up even more after that. We rode around a bit, and rode all around the pasture looking for fresh poop and seeing if there was anything in it (supposedly the Powerpac makes all kinds of interesting stuff pass through). Fun, right? It was fun cuz the horses were both doing well and Mom and I were too. I hopped off, took off his bridle, and walked back to the barn with him following. There is something about the way a horse wants to be with you after a ride that is just amazing. Anywho, they did really well.
I mentioned to Mom that I would like to begin to learn a bit of Roman riding. First I need to stand up on his back, and she said I could try sometime. I think that would be so interesting to do and would certainly improve my balance. I can kneel on his back already, but I haven't trusted myself to stand up yet. We'll see what happens!!
~Eden

Powerpac Time!

2009-07-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the first day of giving the horses their Powerpac wormer. It is a five day process that worms against all kinds of different things. I showed the tube to Woody, let him sniff it, and rubbed it all over his face, by his mouth, he offered to put it in his mouth, I did, and squeezed it! He did really great with it and I was proud of him. Next it was Charlotte's turn. Charlotte right away started throwing her head around when Mom tried to put it by her mouth, but after some persistence Mom got it in her mouth pretty good and squeezed it. Charlotte then proceeded to spit some out onto Mom and throw her head around. It was pretty funy because both of them looked like they had just eaten smores. Anyway, they both did relatively well. Mom decided to empty the rest of the wormer tube and work with getting Charlotte ok with the worming tube in and around her mouth. I got Woody's new bridle on, fitted, and let Mom inspect it. It looks so cute on him, and matches our new saddle really well. His mouth was quiet with the bit, so thats a good sign. Anywho, I actualy got on Woody bareback with his bridle and was just gonna sit, watch, and help Mom with Charlotte. At first, Charlotte did the same putting her head down to the ground, then throwing it up, but Mom would keep the syringe by her mouth until she realized her antics would not help remove the syringe. She settled down and Mom gradually got it so that she could put the tube in her mouth without having her throw her head up and down, but mouth the tube calmly. They both did really well.
The UPS man came up to the house, so I decided to ride down the hill of the pasture to see what he was doing. Mom walked Charlotte down too. Woody did so well listening to me, and he didn't run down the hill but walked calmly and confidently. Then, we turned around and trotted ways, but I sensed he wasn't really with me, so I asked for a halt in my body, then lightly in the reins, then big in the reins. Lick and chew, and we were off again more connected. I also fly sprayed him from his back (something different) and he was fine. I also removed the bridle from his back and he really softly bent his head so I could remove it. Once it was off he had a BIG yawn, so I got off and called it good.
Mom worked on picking out Charlotte's feet too. She did really well with the front feet and kept still while Mom picked them, but when it came to the back Charlotte began to walk around in a circle. I noticed that when she began to walk, Mom would drop contact with her hock (she was squeezing it to get her foot to lift) and just rub her. I suggested she keep squeezing her hock as she circled and wait for her to stop and realize that walking away wouldn't work. She did, and when Charlotte stopped walking, Mom rubbed her. They did it a couple more times, and the last time Charlotte stood still and picked up her foot for Mom. They did really well today.
On another note, a friend of ours is having to give away their miniature horse. I have always wanted a mini just because they have a reputation for being a challenge and I think that they would definitely teach me alot in my journey in horsemanship. I will have a LOT more time to devote to my studies next year, and me and my mom agree that one of the best ways to learn is through experience. I would really love to have another type of challenge so that I could excercise and grow in the handling and working with different types of horse behavior. So, we are going to check out the mini next week sometime, and I really hope it works out. I will keep you posted!! BEFORE

AFTER
~Eden

Defects

2009-07-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Well, good news is that I received my Wintec Wide saddle yesterday in the UPS mail with my dressage girth and gullets. Bad news? Well, my mom, dad, and I all spent probably a total of an hour trying to install the widest gullet. So much for the "easy change gullet system"! Anywho, there was a defect on the screw that held the gullet in place so it made it near impossible to change the gullet while keeping all your fingers attatched. My mom called Crazy Horse Tack (online store we got it fromfor a GREAT price) and they are sending us a label to return it to them, and they will give me a new WW and gullet system. What nice and understanding people!
Also, I went to Tractor Supply Company yesterday and found a black synthetic headstall that matches my saddle perfectly and is very nice material. I plan on putting my old loose ring snaffle on it and my finesse reins and using it as often as possible!
I will keep ya'll updated about my saddle, and the only update on Woody himself is that he seems great. He is now greeting me at the fence and following me up to the barn, progress has been made!!
Here is a picture I took last week with all his tack on when we went riding...

~Eden

Good Ol Energy

2009-07-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Yesterday I played with Woody and it started out really great. Came trotting to the fence, followed me up, stood real nice to be groomed and saddled. I played with him and got him really with me by doing some leading halt, walk, trot, back stuff. He did really good. I mounted and he stood still, and I started directing him around the barn without him getting his old magnetism to the barn and Charlotte and Mom. He was going nicely. We went up to the "imaginary round pen" (where it used to be) and did some transitions and got a good working walk to get him focusing on me rather than his surroundings and going off without me. Foolishly, I moved on to trot to walk transitions before the walk to halt was good. So, he started getting bracy and unwilling, and I found myself muscling him. Mom suggested I return to the halt to walk stuff. I did, and she noticed that my reins loosened, his head went down, and he was more willing. He even had a big release in there. We mainly stayed at the walk and focused on getting that good around the pasture. Mom had me begin a point to point exercise between 3 trees on this hill, and when she said that I felt myself tense up. That hill makes me very nervous because whenever he goes down, he gets speedy (last time he did I fell) and when he goes up he gets caught uo in his thought and speeds. Although, when I told Mom that she pointed out that maybe I anticipate that behavior so I inadvertendly cause it.. a how interesting moment to ponder on for sure.
Anyways, we did a bit of walking point to point on the hill, then I decided to come off the hill and work with two trees off the hill and our transitions. We did lots of halt to walk to halt and getting him straight and tuning into my body language. Mom stopped me and we took a break and talked about energy. She told me to get an energy of "brisk walk" in my mind to liven him up without my legs, but she told me to make the energy not manisfest itself in the physical form. I was stumped, so she compared it to when you think about something scary and you get goose bumps because of it and you just feel scared all over. You aren't physically making yourself be scared, but you take on this energy of I'm scared. We worked on that, and on Woody being able to decipher and distinguish between when I have that energy and a sloooow dooowwn energy in my body. He picked up the halt transitions quickly following with using little to no rein, and did really well with trot to walk transitions too. I was really proud of him, he is so smart!!
On a side note, I have officially bought a Wintec Wide saddle and a girth to match. Harry told me my saddle, though it has the extra wide gullet in it, still bridges on Woody's back and makes it slip around and not work, and be uncomfortable for him. So, I got all of the gullets for the Wide, the saddle, and a girth brand new for around 520 dollars. Amazing since usually the saddle alone is 575!! I get it on Tuesday, until then!
~Eden

Improvements

2009-07-14T07:40:00.001-07:00

Lately Woody and I have been playing a fair amount. Following my last post, I began to realize that the horses stopped whinnying and running to the fence when I came out. I began to take this personal and tried to fix that specific thing. So, my main focus was getting Woody to follow me around at Liberty again. Looking back, this probably wasn't such a great idea. I realize that I was focusing way more on the effect rather than the cause. And, in the process I just made his rapport go down even more probably because I was drilling him and probably "making" him more than waiting, allowing him to search, finding, and offering and wanting to follow me. My mom pointed out that I seemed to be drilling him and I realized that I should take this as feedback, and the only I should do about it is take that feedback, and know that you need to try harder to make your sessions good, and to get him feeling good about what we're doing. Also, I have been doing one thing with him for a year, and allowing him to do some things that I don't now, so there is going to be some mixed emotions about it both from him and me. Anyways, recently he has followed me a bit, and walks up with Charlotte to the fence, and is absolutely fine about haltering. I took him to play in our new arena one day in the past week (I will try hard to post a picture of it soon!) and it went really well in there. We played mainly at Liberty, doing circles, some figure 8s, jumping a bit, and stick to me stuff. He stayed pretty well connected, so I decided to jump on him bareback. However, my Cradle Bridle was missing its chin strap, so I couldn't use it then (it was in the house) so, despite what Harry said about using my halter to ride because it doesn't give enough direction what with the tie underneath his chin, I rode him in it anyways. He did ok to begin, but I could feel him start to drift off "the line" and I probably didn't correct it in time. The basic idea: I wasn't particular enough and because of this he was more sloppy. I stopped before things got bad, and worked on the exercise Harry did with several horse: breaking down a change of direction. So, I slow down in my body, walk toward his hind end a little bit, DON'T WALK BACKWARDS TO ALLOW HIM TO PASS (very important because of the submissive/less-dominant front it gives the horse about your position.), allow him to turn, stop him by shaking the rope, step his front end shoulder over, and continue. We practiced that a lot, and in the beginning he wasn't really tuned in but was focused on the grass. But, patience and persistence in my proper position of saying "that's not necessary" resulted in him connected with me and gave me a couple really nice shoulder's over.
Yesterday Mom and I went out, gathered the horses, tacked them up, and went out to play. I began to circle Woody, and she noted his expression wasn't happy, which it wasn't. She suggested playing another warm-up "checking if your connected with me" exercise. We got out the cones and did figure 8's around then but with me in the saddle position. That way, we also got to practice stopping, backing up slighty (preparing and teaching to rock back on his hind end) some front hand porcupines. He did ok at first, but the last couple he didn't think forward but rather moved over relly nice. We then did some stick to me far away type of thing, and we practiced going off when I did, getting an active walk, and stopping with me, then, directing the shoulder out and over to walk again. I tried to go slow and be polite and be aware of making sure I give him a chance to respond with lighter phases before a big one. He eventually did some nice stops and was not in my space, so I was satisfied. Mom got on Charlotte in the bareback pad and just got her following the feel on the reins, thinking around the turn along withjust physically turning around a turn. She also worked on her active walk and trotted up some hills. I got on Woody, and sat under a shady tree and helped Mom with Charlotte. They have gotten SO much better together during and following camp. Honestly, they are just shining stars. Anyways, I told my Mom what Harry told me about Woody and waiting on his thought to come around a turn. What he said was (loose paraphrase at least :)) that I need to make sure to release my rein when I see his thought go around a turn. This may mean that I am trying to get him to do a 180, and his thought doesn't turn around it and with me until a 270. I may not be headed in the direction I wanted to originally be going when I release, but that release there is SO important to them, and especially a horse like Woody. It is then, after the release, that I can ask for a turn again and hopefully end up going the direction on the original 180 turn. I think this helped because I noticed Charlotte's thought coming around more visibly and a better release on her part. We rode around the pasture a bit, and I practiced my transitions. First, my active walk to halt. Then, once he tuned into my body language I focused on trot to walk. When I first asked for the trot it was a quick, fast, braced trot. I turned him until the thought came and would transition to a walk. Then, ask again. I began to tune into when I could feel his trot speed up, and at that moment, I would ask for a walk or turn. I tried to catch his thought leaving in the very beginning so I could ask softer and his thought wasn't so far gone I would have to yank him for safety. After a couple of times of doing this his trot began to slow, and he was more directable than before. He offered me a really nice slow, but working trot (it is possible to be slow and working :)) and I could tell he was focused on me, not on Charlotte and Mom resting under the tree. I asked for a walk by sitting and bringing my energy down, and he walked too. I called it quits and watched Mom work on the same stuff: transitions. Charlotte was really drawn to the being under the shady tree with Woody and I, so Mom had to be aware of when she began to "leave the line" she was asking her to walk, and correct her then. Charlotte began to focus on her more, and Mom practiced using her body language to slow Charlotte down and speed her up rather than rely on the reins. Mom filmed me taking Woody back to the barn, and despite the terrible camera job, he looks really good while I am riding him. So, enjoy, and try not to focus on the shakiness of the camera.
Also, a couple of nights ago I took my bike into the horse field and rode around. I looked around and saw the horses running after me!! I called my mom and told her to bring the video camera, so she took a couple of videos of the horses and me.

~Eden

Riding the Day Away

2009-07-01T11:15:00.001-07:00

Well not necessarily the whole day, but part of the day! I went out today, he whinnied at me coming up to the barn, but that's where it ended. He didn't meet me at the gate, but Charlotte did so I scratched on her some. I headed up to the barn, scrubbed some dirty buckets, and got his bridle, my helmet, and halter out to the round pen. He came up interested, and I haltered him nicely. Then I lead him back to the barn and tacked him up and sprayed him with fly spray; he stood still and almost went to sleep. We went out to the round pen and played the "circle game" and he did just like yesterday, walked, trotted, and cantered great. Now that he has returned to his home round pen, he now has his pedestal back: OH BOY! He missed that thing and every opportunity he got he would go stand on it and look at me all proud. I would ask him off and keep going but I didn't ever block his thought. He even went over the row of barrel at a trot and then at a canter! He did great, so I got his cradle on and hopped up. We got our working walk going well, and he wasn't trying to eat grass. Then we trotted some serpentines getting his thought to come around with him turn and keeping his shoulder from "leeking" (as Terrie would say) into the turn. I also got his fast trot that we did at the clinic (I would get a fast trot and keep pushing him faster and faster, but never asking for the canter. This would allow him to go, "You know, it would be easier to canter rather than this uncomfortable trot. Make your idea their idea, similar to Parelli.). He cantered a couple of strides! It was really great, and once he did, I let him come back to a walk. Then we did the other way and I realized that Harry never "helped" Woods with his right side (it is his "worse" side) in the big arena the last day. Therefore, when I asked him for the big trot and he got to get ready to canter, he did one stride, pinned his ears and ducked his head I bumped him a bit to tell him "lose that thought" and then let him come back down. I am going to have Mom help us in the arena with the flag on that side sometime soon. Then, I pointed him toward a jump, and he tried going out early, but I redirected him and he made a HUGE jump. I was not ready for it, and I feel bad because I wasn;t very smooth over the jump, but I turned him around and took it again much better. I also opened the gate to the pen, rode past it a couple of times and his thought wavered a bit toward the gate, but I quickly got it back. I rode him through the gate no problem, turned him around and rode him right back in no problem. Then we rode out and around a nearby log back to the arena. I then called it a day because he felt so good, soft, and responsive about it.
I walked him back to the barn, unsaddled and brushed him. My pony even sweated!! I took off his halter and played some Friendly with him rubbing on him, then gave him a carrot. We walked back to the round pen to let them eat it down a bit, and I ran and he cantered behind me, just like yesterday. He really is doing amazing lately, I am really proud of him.
On another note, I am in the market for new tack for him. At camp, Harry looked at his saddle (he is a saddle fitter, too) and said that even though the wintec AP 500 has the extra wide gullet in it, it still is too narrow on him and bridges. That is what is causing the saddle slipping, because it is not "hugging" him properly. So, I have been looking into wintec wide saddles because they are wider than the normal wintec, and it has three changeable gullets to provide about the widest English saddle fit possible. I have found a couple used ones, but they are either out of my price range or the wrong color (yes, I am one of those people who places a fair amount of importance on tack color coordination). On top of that, I am looking for a black snaffle bridle. I have the Cradle, but Harry while there took the Cradle and described how it works and the reason for the design. I thought it was supposed to be different because it takes the whole head and applies pressure, so the bit doesn't get all the pressure. However, it actually gives a LOT of pressure everywhere, therefore making your horse lighter. It surprised me, but he explained how the string and nose band and everything was designed to work. He said the bit is really cool and very nice, but the actualy string and noseband and such is very strange. The bridle works fine, but I believe that a snaffle would be lighter in his mouth, and I would use it more.
~Eden

Just More Amazing

2009-06-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all! The past couple of days following my camp I have been taking it easy and trying to recover both from mental exhaustion and physical. I went to the pasture two days ago to clean out the trailer and I pet Woody a bit. He began pushing on me right away, returning to his old habits of treat searching and dominating. I would tap his nose to interrupt his thought and say "that doesn't have to be" and only a couple times it took til he gave a big blow, and just stood there almost asleep while I rubbed on him. I turned to leave and he came right along following me. Pretty cool. Yesterday I went out and practiced him keeping his thought on me and improving our draw (more like working on him wanting to be with me) and haltering. Today I went out, haltered him fine, then began to practice "moving off" (sending) into my new and improved circle game. It was incredible! Just a slight change in my body position (i.e. I stepped a bit bigger and he broke out into a trot) and he responded pretty quickly! THEN, I got a bit more alive in my energy and smooched, and my "dull and lazy" pony stepped into a beautiful canter while he was on a 12 foot line!! Before the clinic he would only canter 3 strides on a 22' line if I was lucky with enough drive from behind. But now, on a 12' he is willingly offering it, it was amazing. We went outside to play a bit, he tried to eat grass a couple times, but when I shook the flag to gain his attention back, he looked right at me, focused, licked and chewed, and stopped trying. He was focused and attentive. I even took him away from Charlotte completely and he was perfectly fine. We came back into the fence, I took him to the barn (with his new snappy walk because we walk with purpose now! :)), unhaltered him, he stayed with me even with Charlotte out munching on grass in the round pen, I gave him a carrot, rubbed on him some more, and headed out toward the round pen with him right next to me. I jogged, he trotted. I walked, he walked, I ran, he jumped into a canter right behind me from a walk.
Life is good. :)
~Eden