In between

I thought I woud let you, who are interested, know that Ceasar went home on Sunday. I will be having lessons with him and Lisa in the future and will let you know how things are going. For now I am in between horses, thought I am going to be working my own for a while. Gotta keep improving. I also have a horse that may be coming to me in the middle of the month for some work on manners. We shall see what happens there.
Until then, keep checking back. I might just post some happenings around here with my own philosophy and tips as well as with Raven and Jake.
Have a great day.

Day 35

This looks like the final time I ride with C until he goes home. Had a good time on him. He is so soft to ride, even when he is being willful about not going somewhere. I took him out of the pen and road down the road with him. I had him doing circles in the yard. He would drift toward the other horses but I drove him through it and got back on the circle. We went down the road doing leg yields in both directions. The tracks in the road look like I was riding a drunk horse, but I know better. I had him doing circles around the trees in a field down the road. They make for good training obstacles. Then I brought him back and let him grass for five minutes after I untacked him.
Lisa is getting a good horse back that will give her lots of pleasure as she learns to feel of him and him of her as they build their relationship.

Day 34

Seems like I am always a day late on these things. But I worked with C yesterday and had a good time on him. We did our normal routine then saddled and I rode in the round pen for a few minutes then we went out to the front yard and did  some more ground work going down the road and back. I worked him to go over a puddle and after a few tries he walked through like it was nothing. Then I got on him. Trainers say that whatever percentage of response and obedience you have your horse at in the pen they will have about half that outside of it. Well, when I got on him and started taking him in circles he just wanted to migrate back to the other horses in pen so I had to keep after him to follow his nose and listen to my direction. He got better with time. I took him down the road and worked him using the various exercises. We trotted a little with softness and was just starting to work on going around trees with softness when Lisa arrived for her lesson on him.
So I trotted him back and we switched gears for her lesson. She did a great job on him. I think they are going to have a real good connection because of her passion to want to ride with feel and not just get on and go. So she is taking the time to ride him bareback to help her get the feel of his movement and his foot falls and really begin to understand what softness is. Her desire to learn will help him too.
He did good and so did Lisa.

day 33

Had a good session yesterday. I played with him outside the pen and saddled him. He did get somewhat humpy, but not much. That was because I didn't take the time I did before to work him through everything. It wasn't anything to be real concerned about though. He settled right down and we worked on refining and making more fluid and smooth the exercises he knows. I got on his back and his forward was real good. I wanted to work on his leg yielding and sidepassing in this session. So we did. I also did alot of trotting with him trying to keep him in a soft shape. It is just going to take time and consisency and he will develop more muscling in his neck. I have two more days with him and then he is going home.
The plan today is to work him again and then have a lesson with Lisa on him. I think I might ride him down the road and work him today. We will see.

Day 32

Yesterday as a good session in the morning. After our usual warmup we got saddled and did some more warmup, actually, trying to refine sidepassing and leg yields from the ground. Then I got on him and got some good forward from him without asking for anything else. I wanted to work on his collection at the gaits so I got him soft and away we went. We did lots of figure 8's with softness and changing shape then started to canter. We cantered alot probably 15 minutes all together, just trying to get him to be soft and collect for me. Then we went to working on sidepassing on the rail. He is getting pretty good at this, though initially he is dull. It is a matter of my position and cue being very specific. We also started to work more on his leg yields.
Later in the day Lisa came and worked with him and had a good session with him. This is important for her so that she can continue what has been started with him.
Today will be more of the same, just trying to refine him and get better at all the movements which translates to more confidence and safety on the trail.

Day31

Yesterday we had a good session. Again there was no bucking. He is still sensitive but allowed me to saddle and ride him. We rode outside the pen and did all the exercises that we are working on and he is getting better. So we went through everything we have been doing only trying to get it better.
He is offering me a canter with softness which is also good.
After I had worked him an hour or so, Lisa came and had a lesson with him. She did a great job with him too. So he had two hours of hands on working with him and he didn't pitch a fit at all. He needs compulsion at times to get him to go forward, but all in all he did great for her.

day 30

Ok, it finally happened. NO bucking at all, not even a hint of it. When I got started with him I moved him around outside the pen, just going through the exercises. After about 10 minutes of lungeing and such we went in the pen and just took it easy. Then I saddled him and started moving him around. We walked and disengaged and did the falling leaf, real easy and soft. Then I got on him and worked him out. I started out soft at a walk, then a trot, and guess what, He offered a canter with collection. I gave him a big rest. Then we did it 3 more times and switched directions and the same thing. He offered a canter with collection and balance. Then we worked on sidepassing and counterturns. The rest of our time was working on those things. We started slow and easy and ended relaxed. This is what I have been working for with him. It was all good.