Honey Bun day 12- Sunday 8/30/15

She did a great job of being used as an illustration for my sermon. She was not uptight at all. I thought she would be. During the course of the event we went through most all of the exercises and did well. I introduced an umbrella, plastic garbage bag, noise bag, and she handled them quite well, but not without some anxiousness. I had her step on and over a cardboard box that was flattened. Not a real problem for her. There were all kinds of noises that could have disturbed her, but didn't: clapping, cars, motorcycles, barking of dogs , screeching of sound system. I even rode her without any issues. Then I ended with laying her down. She was good with that and used it to her advantage to eat grass while she was lying down. 

Honey Bun day 11 - Saturday 8/29/15

We started out with saddling then we walked out to the pasture and I started working on getting her to do the LR one and two. She did fine at these I also did the sending exercise. We went to the platform and I started to ask her to go over that she did pretty good on that. I had her go over the platform three times on each side real nice and relaxed. Then I had her go over the log by lunging. When she was good at the one log I added another log a few feet farther. When she was good at going over both of those in either direction I took her into the riding arena and backed her and did yield hindquarters and yield the fore quarters. We went into the round pen and I introduced my plastic noise bag with bottles and cans in it. I desensitize her to that and she did pretty good. When I put it up by her ears she really got bothered so I kept it up until she calm down. I was bouncing that bag all over her body making all kinds of noise and she did pretty good just standing there. Then I put the Bridle on and  did some bridle

bending. Here I had her go forward and bend around me using the rein picking up the appropriate foot and when she was bending nice then I would disengage the hindquarters and ask for a back up. She did great. Then it was time to get on. I wanted to work on inside and outside turns and one rein stops. I did everything I could to act like a drunk, flopping my hands, making popping noises with my mouth, moving my legs all over her body and she did just fine. I had her walking and trotting and cantering no problem. So then for the last five minutes or 10 minutes I took her in the big arena and we rode around in there. I got off her in the big arena and we quit. She did a good job.

Honey Bun day 10- Friday 8/28/15

I took her down to the rd pen at the church. She did pretty good with sending circling and backing down the drive and road. I used the ditch as an obstacle for sending. Then we went into the pen and did some LR1&2. The dog was barking trucks going by. She did alright. 

Went back somewhat relaxed but did some leading behind to get her to quit dragging. Then I saddled her and went to the platform. We worked about 10 minutes but she finally walked over it in both directions. She was nice and relaxed with that. We went into rd pen and I put the bridle on her. She had no problem with the bit. I did some bridle bending with her and some YH and backups. Then got on and rode her for the last 30 minutes. We practiced YH, follow the nose. She did real good transitions from walk to trot to canter. She was calm at all 3 gaits. A nice ride. 

Honey Bun day 9-8/27/15

Today I started her in the pasture just with lunging 1, 2 and did some backing. I also did circling with her. She was doing pretty good. She would pin her ears a bit and when I was doing LR 2 she would look at me and pin her ears when I asked for change of direction. I wonder if the ear thing was her telling me she has got it and lets move on or if she just had an attitude? I am not sure. She didn't do it every time though. I have a platform obstacle and had her begin to go over that. I would send her and she would try to avoid it or jump it. I kept at it with her giving rests at appropriate times and after about 20 minutes or so she would go over it calmly from both directions. She went through a cycle of calmness and get to the point where she would put one foot on as she went over then she would fall apart and she would go back to jumping and trying not to go over it. But I kept at it with some rest periods when she gave me a good try and then she was on the good part of the learning cycle. Then we moved into the rd. pen to do some liberty work and I led her by her feet, tried to get a buck out of her with flanking out. I was running out of time, but I laid her down. She went down nicely and laid there for several minutes while I rubbed on her. Then I put the saddle on and off a couple times then cinched up and sent her around to see how she would be. No problem. Then I started getting a foot in the stirrup and on and off her. Then we went for her second ride. Got a good walk, trot, canter out of her. I also was working on her following her nose with softness and picking up a foot with the rein. All in all, it went well today.

Honey Bun day 8 8/26/15

I walked her into the large arena and had her doing some circling and sending and backing up. She did pretty good in all of them. I did a few moving the shoulders, still not as good as I want.
We also did a few turn and go exercises til she was real light on each side.
She is completely relaxed through all of this so far.
I put her in the rd. pen to start doing introducing some new stuff to her.
I led her by her feet. She was real stiff with this, not panicky at all though. I did this until she was walking forward consistently by me leading her feet.
I flanked her out again. I started with her right side and couldn't get her to buck.
The left side didn't get much out of her either. She just wanted to stand there no matter the pressure I put on her. I also had giving into the pressure on her flank.
Then I put the rope on her left front foot took to wraps with it on her girth and lifted her foot. She didn't give much of a struggle and went to her knees. I let her up and repeated two times. There was no hesitation on her going to her knees so I just held it and she laid right out for me. I have never had an easier horse to lay down. Then I kept her there for about 8 minutes and rubbed her all over. When I decided to let her up she just kind of sat up but didn't want to get up. I let her stay there for a few minutes and rubbed on her.
Then when she got up I did the Jeffrey's method a few times on each side.
Then I put the saddle on her. She stood for me to saddle no problem. Then when I moved her to my left to do LR 1 and 2 She gave a bit of a buck, but then straightened out. I had her trotting and cantering with it on.
Then I did some stirrup driving to see how she would handle that. She moved around quite a bit. I was on her left side. After a few tries she stood quiet. Then I did the other side and not hardly any movement.
Then I worked on getting on her up and down in the stirrup both sides. Then  leg over. I was acting like a drunk. She just stood there. Then I asked her to step forward. We did several small circles and YH and YF and just kept repeating that. She needs a lot of work on these on the Ground and then in the saddle before we go to much further. She doesn't YF good enough and that has to make a lot of improvement. I did this both sides. Then I started to straighten her out onto the rail and started getting a trot and then bend to a stop several times. We did this both sides. She doesn't give to the lead as well as I want either. She needs lots of flexing and follow the nose exercises. Then I asked for a canter and she gave me some good cantering and stopping.
So the YH and YF needs a lot of work but we got the first ride in of about 20 minutes or so.

Honey Bun day 7-Tuesday 8/25/15

Started out with leading behind in pasture not rd pen. She did great. There was a nice float in the line both sides. Then we did YH , flexing both were good. LR 1 was real nice with her eyes on me. There was two times which she looked at me and wanted to stop, she pinned her ears so I made her go on. Then when she was compliant. I did a YH AND stopped. 

YF started out bad on the left side. She kept going forward so I  made her back 20 feet or so and went back to YF. She soon got it and we switched to her 'bad' side. She did almost perfect for several steps. Standing quiet while I type this. 

Then we started doing the sending by letting her do a few laps then changing directions. She did ok but not as good as I wanted. 

Circling was good even her transitions. 

I got her in the rd pen and did that with him. Much better.

Jeffrey's method was good. She moved a bit, but I stayed with her. 

I flanked her out. Started on the left side. She bucked and bucked. After several laps of pressure and release she finally began to get the notion that if she slowed down and quit bucking she could relax. When her bucking stopped with the pressure I quit that side. 

Her right side was much better. Hardly a buck at all. But I couldn't get good forward motion either and when I did she didn't offer much of a buck. She just stopped. That is what I want, but I want to make sure she isn't just sandbagging me.

Then I wanted to finish with her following me at liberty. She walked off at first but then came right back in. I let her stand and rubbed her all over.

Honey Bun day 6 8/24/15

Rd pen- she did real good. I had her follow me several minutes after a bunch of change of directions. Then we did several figure 8's. I had her follow me again. It isn't right away that she follows, but she is getting quicker with her follow. 

YH-excellent 

Backup -also excellent though she did get flustered once and reared. I think I was backing too fast. She sometimes will want to go sideways but I just get her back on track. 

YF-much improved got 6-7 steps consistently. 

LR1/2-really good. The LR2was spot on. 

Flexing was excellent. 

Sending was much better and the circling was better. 

I noticed that the horses are calling to her more and that sets her off, but a little work at that point gets her mind right again. 

It has been real windy today so that has perked her up and made it challenging, but she is standing calm right now. 

Leading behind-best yet. Her right side (bad side) is fast becoming her good side. She was getting softer coming forward off the pressure. 

Plastic bag almost no irritation with it. 

Finished with the Jeffries method 3x each side. Nice and calm.Despite the wind and calling back and forth it has been a good session.