Easy ride

Got So Grand out first. I moved him around about 2 minutes then sacked him out a couple times with pad and saddle. Cinched him up. He was still a bit of a bronc, but that's ok. I just made him move faster and change directions til he settled down. I did a few exercises with him to help relax him and see where his mind was at. Got on him a couple times and also did some stirrup driving. No troubles with any of that. I got out my bag of noises and sacked out to that. A large black garbage bag came out and had him wearing that. Then the tarp. Rubbed that all over with as much noise as possible. Next I laid it out against the wall and started sending him between me and the tarp. It wasn't but a few minutes and he was calmly going over it. I got on him a couple more times then walked him around and that was it. Moon needed a few laps in the pen to decide it was better to be with me. I sacked him out with pad and saddle then cinched up. I noticed he was quite worried going clockwise so I changed directions and then went back to that until he settled down. Didn't take long to do that. Did some stirrup driving then got on him a few times. Brought out my goody bag and sacked him out to that. Then did the same with black bag and tarp. He went right over the tarp. It was like he wanted to try it but just needed a little support. We did that a few times in each direction. I got on him a few more times and then took saddle off. I walked him around and over the tarp and then we were done. I decided to take it real easy with Callie today. I got him saddled and we went down the road. My intention was to walk most of the ride. He had to gravitate to the right or left a lot. I think he wanted to eat the tall grass on the side. But anyway I just kept bumping him back to the middle of the road where I wanted him. We actually went a different way than usual and that didn't seem to bother him. On the way back we took the power line and he got into a canter and showed he does have some speed to him if he wants to. We had a good ride.

my saddle

I got a good start with both horses today. Moon stood real good while I put my saddle on him. It is much different than the other one. I moved him around to make sure he will stand. Then sacked him out with pad and saddle and it went well. He didn't have a problem with the flank cinch or breast collar. I put him through his paces and then started to work on YH with my thumb where my heal would be. It took a while but he finally got it. Then I moved him to a trot and then tried again with YH and it went well. Did both sides to my satisfaction. Then I did some stirrup driving and that went so well I decided to work on getting on him. So a few minutes later I was throwing a leg over and sitting on his back. He was relaxed pretty much. I did this from both sides several times. Then took the saddle off and moved him around some. So Grand didn't do as well. But I knew he was a bit jumpier with something around his flank. He actually stood real well to be saddled, but that flank cinch tickled abit and so he went to bucking. I switched directions and he bucked some more. I just sped him up or changed directions when he went to doing that. He settled down to where I could go through the exercises with him. He got a little bumpy a few times later, but that was no problem. He will get used to it. I did some stirrup driving with him too. He didn't have a problem with it at all. Then I worked on getting on his back. He didn't have a problem with that. I sat on him several times. One time I was just standing in one stirrup and he wanted to move I just stayed with him til he stopped. When I took the saddle off him I worked him some more too. You know what is funny. I have had trouble with him following me real good. So I usually have to make him move a lap or two before he will follow a couple steps. Well, today I went to take some pictures with the saddle on his back. Do you think I could get him to stay put? No way. He wanted to be right next to me. Anyway here are some pics. the first one is Moon with the star on his forehead. The second one is So Grand. I also rode Callie today. He did good for me. I got him out and did some circles at the walk then down the trail and did some more circles at a Trot. Then down the power line and did some more circles at the lope. He was pretty much done in by that time. We went down to the curve, 1/12 miles down the road and back. He did ok. He is starting to stay where I put him when we are moving out rather than walking like a drunk every which way. He only has three gears and none of them has fast in them. So most of the time we did jogging trot. He seems to like that the best. His walk is so slow I can crawl faster. But he is a good solid horse.

Drenched

I meant to post this last night. I got Callie out and worked with him a few minutes on the ground then got him saddled and rode off just as a thunderstorm rolled in. I hid out in the woods then decided to ride back to the barn and wait out the storm in his stall. After the storm passed we went down the road and back on the power line. We got into a lope but he wouldn't follow his nose as I like so I started loping circles with him. I think he could use a lot of that just to help him to stay going in a straight line instead of drifting one way or the other. I will work on this from the walk, then trot then loping around. I also worked on his following his nose by weaving in and out of some poles I have stuck in the ground waiting for the rails for my round pen to be attached. All in all he did pretty good. There are certainly lots of things to work on with him. I worked with So Grand in the indoor arena, got him saddled and settled down then went outdoors to the big arena. He did really well. I put the long line on him and worked through everything then it started to pour rain so we went back inside. I got out of the round pen and into the open part of the indoor arena and started to work on him leading well beside me, but there was a spot by the doors that he didn't like so we spent several minutes doing the sending exercise until those doors or the wet dirt around them didn't bother him any more. I practiced getting up on him and leaning over the saddle. I have yet to throw a leg over him. But that time will come. I worked with Moon indoors because of the rain. I got him saddled. He was a little unsure about. It has only been the 3rd or 4th saddling for him. Then we went through all the exercises and when I was satisfied he was relaxed we went into the open arena and started to work on various things that might bother him. We had to do the same sending with the big doors. I also did some stirrup driving with both of horses and they did pretty good at that. At the end of Moon's session I took the saddle off and did some Jeffries method with him. Again it was not really a problem. Later today when I work with them I am planning to put my saddle on them. It has flank cinch and breast collar. It ought to be interesting to see how they receive that.

not today

As I mentioned yesterday I injured my back. So today I didn't work with the horses at all. I am trying to give my back a rest so that I can be back at it tomorrow. So check back tomorrow for more details. Thanks

First Saddling

I didn't work with Callie today. Aside from the fact that it has been raining most of the day and I don't have an indoor arena, I injured my lower back while working out this morning. So I can hardly stand up straight. However, after Ibuprofin and ice it felt a little better. As you can see I did work with the 2 Arabs, but had to take it easy. I had to take them to the indoor arena because of the rain. But it worked out great. I moved Moon around in several exercises for about 5 minutes. Then I did the Jeffries both sides. Put the pad on then the saddle several times. Then I cinched up. He was a little nervous but no bucking at all. I moved him up to a trot and even faster trot. No bucking. The rest of the time I worked through the exercises and even stirrup drove him. He real good with that only getting a little bothered. He stood fine to I saddle too. So grand I did basically the same thing. He did give me any trouble to saddle at all. He did better in that than Moon, who had trouble standing for saddling for few times then settled down. However, So Grand did buck 2 or 3 hops and settled into a fast trot even a canter. I switched sides and no real issue. So I let him rest and then went through the exercises again. I also did sons stirrup driving with him and he was bothered some but not much. Tomorrow will be more of the same. Here are a couple of pictures with the saddle I use for this part of the training. The first one is So Grand and the second is Moon.

Making progress

Callie did real good today. I worked in the pen with him as usual, saddled him and we went down the road. We put in about 3.5 miles today zig zagging as I was working getting him to follow his nose and soften. Most of the time we were trotting. His walk is too slow. He gets nowhere in a hurry. That would be the one frustrating thing for me. But he does have a nice trot. We went through ditches and water. Loped a good ways down the power line. He was pretty compliant. He is starting to soften nice on the bit. I took him back to the pen and did some gw and then put him up. Good ride. Moon had a good session. It only took about 2 minutes and he was sticking with me. Then I had him moving for about 10 minutes or so of flowing from backup to circling YH and YF and circle again, sending and simulating what I will do when I get on his back for his first ride. Then I got on him Jeffries style a couple times both sides. It was time to flank him out again. He bucked just a little so after both sides of that I sacked him out with the pad and saddle. I was able to set it on him several times from both sides. Didn't cinch up though. That may be tomorrow. I then put that down and did several other moves as before and let him relax and end the session. So Grand did the best yet. He did get off to a slow start in that he did not want to follow me. He stands and watches and lets me walk up to him. I made him move and then after about 10 minutes he gave me the best following yet. I let him rest 5 minutes. Then kinda did dome liberty YH YF backup and then when he didn't follow I made him move again then let him rest 5 minutes. I haltered him and spent a few minutes just flowing through several moves. Did the Jeffries a couple x. He stood nicely. I then flanked him out. He offered a little buck but calmed right down. Then I sacked him out with the pad and then tried the saddle. He stood and let me put it on. It went great. Tomorrow maybe cinch him up.

Flanked them yesterday

Callie did good today. I worked him in the pen. Then walked him up to be saddled. He stands real good for that. Then we rode back up to the pen and did some trotting and loping around. Then we went down the road and I let him alone. I found some trees to do some circle bending to work on softening him. Then we trotted down the road for a 1 1/2 miles doing various things to keep his mind occupied. We came back the same way. I was curious if he would want to hurry up and get back. But he didn't show signs he was in a big hurry. I have to keep prodding him to get him to stay In a trot, but he did ok. We walked right past the other horses, there was some talking back and forth but we walked back up to get unsaddled with no trouble. I brought him back to his pen and did some gw before putting him up. Moon did great today. It did not take him long to want to be near me. We went through some exercises and then I did the Jeffries method 4x each side. He was real comfortable with that. With him being reactive I wondered how that would go. Then I got the saddle pad out and sacked him out with that until he was comfortable. Next I flanked him out with the lead. Did the girth, barrel and flank. He did better than expected. He did buck some with the flank but he caught on before too long that if he relaxed the pressure would go away or not get worse. I did both sides on him. I started to sack him out with the saddle, but he was not ready for that yet. He had enough of new things for the day. So Grand was a bit standoffish today, but it didn't take long to get him to be near me. I kinda did about the same thing with him as with Moon. I went through all the exercises in one 15 or 20 minute section of longeing, circling, sending, yh and yf, back up, driving in a straight line and so on. This really gets him focused on me. Then I did some flexing and the Jeffries method 5x on each side. He was real good with that. Then I got the pad out and sacked him out. I then flaned him out too. He got worried with it around his girt, barrel and flank. Lots of bucking but by the time we were done he was huffing and puffing and walking and yielding to the pressure around him. I flexed him some more and finished with him.