And now it's time for my exciting news. Drumroll, please!
Our barn has a new trainer!!!
I've seen Nick at shows but haven't really talked to him, but I'm glad that he's now going to be at our barn. He hasn't officially moved in yet. He will next weekend. I just find it so funny that he's going to be moving in on my 200th day of training! It's amazing how things have changed in 200 training days, 100 weekends, a little over two years!
My foot was really bothering me today, so I went to ride Brie first because my mom wanted to ride Harry again. Nick was watching us ride and then he got on Nina. I was just warming up Brie when my mom called me over to switch so I could show Nick and because Harry was kind of acting up. I started working with Harry and calming him down, but Nick had to leave. It didn't matter to me, he can ride whenever. Harry calmed down very nicely and we got a consistent couple of boards. I'm really pleased with how he's coming along, at least with me. His ground manners still need some work though.
After I was done with Harry, I got back on Brie and we worked on walking and corto some more. Then we went for canter circles and I know now that yesterday wasn't just a fluke! She was just as awesome today as yesterday.
It's funny. It takes moments like this weekend after bad weekends like last week to really appreciate how far I've gotten in this whole journey. I just can't wait to plan next weekend's 200th day of training post!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Day 198
Saturday
You know how last weekend was really horrible for my emotions? How I just felt awful going into it?
Well this weekend was the complete opposite =]
I went into it with the attitude of just trying to make Brie the best Paso Fino that I can instead of trying to turn her into a dressage horse (because I actually don't know how to...) and our ride was spectacular. She longed for way longer than she usually does and that's because she was charging and bucking and overall being full of energy. She started out really dragging, but then she picked it right up and between her bursts of energy, she had a super relaxed trot going and the cutest little bunny-hop canter. She has pretty much no extension in her canter and no upwards leg movement, but just kind of bounces herself up in the air in a cantering motion. I'm not entirely sure how to fix this...but I'll make sure to read a lot about it before I start trying anything!
Then we spent 30 minutes trying to make her stand still at the mounting block, but that's another story and it's a work in progress. It's not that she really...runs away from it. She swings her butt out away from the block so you'd have to jump from it onto her, which is unacceptable. So it's mostly just trying to make her realize she has to stand straight parallel to it.
Anyways, after this we flexed and rode. She wasn't fighting me with the bit at all today and was walking very nicely, which I'm really proud of because as you might remember, she hates walking! Her corto was nice and we didn't go into a largo today, so she was just snorting along happily at a corto. We did reverses and serpentines and a lot of walk to corto to walk transitions and she was taking them all in stride. Her passes on the board were decent. The first ones could've been better, but her ending ones were great. Then we relaxed into cooling when we were all finished with that. Then I got an idea. She was so good today and seemed really responsive, so I'd try some canter work around the pole. I mean, the least I know is how to ask for it properly. So walked around the pole in a circle a few times, then I just ever so lightly asked her for a canter and here's the amazing part...she picked it right up! No charging out or scrambling to go. She picked up the lead and went at a normal horse's pace without taking off! I was so amazed and actually laughing as we rode, it felt awesome. We did it in the opposite direction and she maybe had two missteps and then picked it right up again and a sane pace! I may have been asking her too hard and causing her to scramble before and now that I know just how little pressure I need, I have a feeling we're only going to get better from here!!
**Now, I'm wrote that on Sunday morning, pretending it was still Saturday. But now it's present day time. Harry was god-awful yesterday for my mom. He was trying to rear and everything, overall being a complete brat. I want to ride him first today and see if he's the same as yesterday.
On another note, it's almost Day 200 of training! I should do something special. Maybe a design revamp and some videos. Especially longeing videos of Harry, that way you can see how bratty he is. Though I'm sure that he'll be an angel when the cameras are rolling!
You know how last weekend was really horrible for my emotions? How I just felt awful going into it?
Well this weekend was the complete opposite =]
I went into it with the attitude of just trying to make Brie the best Paso Fino that I can instead of trying to turn her into a dressage horse (because I actually don't know how to...) and our ride was spectacular. She longed for way longer than she usually does and that's because she was charging and bucking and overall being full of energy. She started out really dragging, but then she picked it right up and between her bursts of energy, she had a super relaxed trot going and the cutest little bunny-hop canter. She has pretty much no extension in her canter and no upwards leg movement, but just kind of bounces herself up in the air in a cantering motion. I'm not entirely sure how to fix this...but I'll make sure to read a lot about it before I start trying anything!
Then we spent 30 minutes trying to make her stand still at the mounting block, but that's another story and it's a work in progress. It's not that she really...runs away from it. She swings her butt out away from the block so you'd have to jump from it onto her, which is unacceptable. So it's mostly just trying to make her realize she has to stand straight parallel to it.
Anyways, after this we flexed and rode. She wasn't fighting me with the bit at all today and was walking very nicely, which I'm really proud of because as you might remember, she hates walking! Her corto was nice and we didn't go into a largo today, so she was just snorting along happily at a corto. We did reverses and serpentines and a lot of walk to corto to walk transitions and she was taking them all in stride. Her passes on the board were decent. The first ones could've been better, but her ending ones were great. Then we relaxed into cooling when we were all finished with that. Then I got an idea. She was so good today and seemed really responsive, so I'd try some canter work around the pole. I mean, the least I know is how to ask for it properly. So walked around the pole in a circle a few times, then I just ever so lightly asked her for a canter and here's the amazing part...she picked it right up! No charging out or scrambling to go. She picked up the lead and went at a normal horse's pace without taking off! I was so amazed and actually laughing as we rode, it felt awesome. We did it in the opposite direction and she maybe had two missteps and then picked it right up again and a sane pace! I may have been asking her too hard and causing her to scramble before and now that I know just how little pressure I need, I have a feeling we're only going to get better from here!!
**Now, I'm wrote that on Sunday morning, pretending it was still Saturday. But now it's present day time. Harry was god-awful yesterday for my mom. He was trying to rear and everything, overall being a complete brat. I want to ride him first today and see if he's the same as yesterday.
On another note, it's almost Day 200 of training! I should do something special. Maybe a design revamp and some videos. Especially longeing videos of Harry, that way you can see how bratty he is. Though I'm sure that he'll be an angel when the cameras are rolling!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Equestrian Team Winter '12 Day 1
Yesterday was my first lesson out with the team for 2012!! I didn't really know what to expect, especially as I'm not driving the vans anymore and have a real lesson group, as opposed to last quarter where it was usually just me and another girl. I appreciated that, having more time on me, but I really love carpooling with more than one person. And anyways, Stacy has proved herself amazing once again by at least seeming like she was giving me the same amount of attention as usual. I was super flattered when she kept telling me how wonderful I was riding, but I'll get to that.
We show up and I see that I'm riding a mare, Cassie, this huge monstrous horse who I've never ridden before. Stacy said that she was a new horse and that they've been working with her for a while, but she's been out of work for a while as she's pretty old. We tack up and mount, and she seems pretty responsive. I think I may have left my stirrups one hole too long because it was hard for me to post...but I guess that's more of a muscle and balance problem that I need to work on.
Anyways, I was proud of myself because I was able to correctly identify when I was on the wrong diagonal all on my own and switch, and I started going back to feeling the leads and realizing then when I pick up to post, I get the wrong diagonal and have to switch. I need to find a new trick for that, because I was listening to everyone else's advice to sit 3 then post, but that clearly isn't working...maybe I just can't count.
Trotting around is great, but I felt myself leaning forward too much. I think it had to do with stretching for the stirrup rather than focusing on balance, which lead to me putting a ton of weight in my toes and falling more forward! But I was safe at the trot.
I'm the first to admit that Cassie got away from me in the canter and I was not pleased with myself about it. I firmly believed that my reins were short enough, and even when I was trying to get her to slow back into a trot, it wasn't seeming to work and I could hear Stacy getting somewhat panicked as I started to lean forward more and stand on my toes instead of leaning back and digging in my heels along with the reins to get Cassie to listen to me. But she stopped, and we continued on our merry way.
Going over the cavaletti poles? Sucked. I felt like I wasn't holding a two-point, but apparently it didn't look back because Stacy didn't say anything.
Then the jump. This tiny, tiny jump, maybe a foot tall. Stacy says she didn't think that she would jump it, probably just trot over it. We're approaching it and I'm more concerned with not falling off and holding position when BAM! Cassie goes flying over this thing like it was 3 feet and I'm lucky enough that I was so concerned with grip and position that I only slightly fell onto her neck as opposed to rolling off onto the ground. We do this one more time, on replay, and then Stacy says that Cassie is getting too excited, so to just to the cavaletti poles. There she keeps telling me to put my heels down, but I'm always finding myself balancing on my toes. Ugh. I need to work on that.
In the end, it was a good first lesson back. I finally sucked it up and told Stacy that as for jumping, I'd feel way more comfortable if I were on smaller horses or even ponies until I get better at it because they're more the size of my horses. And as for Stacy not coming out to ride over break, her voicemail broke, and I didn't call the office, but she's definitely interested to come out when it gets warmer =] I can't wait to show her the horses I train. It's a completely different world.
Last bit of news. My dear Tommy moved away with his owner =[ We worked well together and I'll miss him. I'll always remember him as the first horse I ever fell off of. Good memory, no?
We show up and I see that I'm riding a mare, Cassie, this huge monstrous horse who I've never ridden before. Stacy said that she was a new horse and that they've been working with her for a while, but she's been out of work for a while as she's pretty old. We tack up and mount, and she seems pretty responsive. I think I may have left my stirrups one hole too long because it was hard for me to post...but I guess that's more of a muscle and balance problem that I need to work on.
Anyways, I was proud of myself because I was able to correctly identify when I was on the wrong diagonal all on my own and switch, and I started going back to feeling the leads and realizing then when I pick up to post, I get the wrong diagonal and have to switch. I need to find a new trick for that, because I was listening to everyone else's advice to sit 3 then post, but that clearly isn't working...maybe I just can't count.
Trotting around is great, but I felt myself leaning forward too much. I think it had to do with stretching for the stirrup rather than focusing on balance, which lead to me putting a ton of weight in my toes and falling more forward! But I was safe at the trot.
I'm the first to admit that Cassie got away from me in the canter and I was not pleased with myself about it. I firmly believed that my reins were short enough, and even when I was trying to get her to slow back into a trot, it wasn't seeming to work and I could hear Stacy getting somewhat panicked as I started to lean forward more and stand on my toes instead of leaning back and digging in my heels along with the reins to get Cassie to listen to me. But she stopped, and we continued on our merry way.
Going over the cavaletti poles? Sucked. I felt like I wasn't holding a two-point, but apparently it didn't look back because Stacy didn't say anything.
Then the jump. This tiny, tiny jump, maybe a foot tall. Stacy says she didn't think that she would jump it, probably just trot over it. We're approaching it and I'm more concerned with not falling off and holding position when BAM! Cassie goes flying over this thing like it was 3 feet and I'm lucky enough that I was so concerned with grip and position that I only slightly fell onto her neck as opposed to rolling off onto the ground. We do this one more time, on replay, and then Stacy says that Cassie is getting too excited, so to just to the cavaletti poles. There she keeps telling me to put my heels down, but I'm always finding myself balancing on my toes. Ugh. I need to work on that.
In the end, it was a good first lesson back. I finally sucked it up and told Stacy that as for jumping, I'd feel way more comfortable if I were on smaller horses or even ponies until I get better at it because they're more the size of my horses. And as for Stacy not coming out to ride over break, her voicemail broke, and I didn't call the office, but she's definitely interested to come out when it gets warmer =] I can't wait to show her the horses I train. It's a completely different world.
Last bit of news. My dear Tommy moved away with his owner =[ We worked well together and I'll miss him. I'll always remember him as the first horse I ever fell off of. Good memory, no?
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Days 196 & 197
Saturday
You know how things start out cute and then become really annoying?
Well, a couple of weeks back, Harry started pulling all of our zippers on our coats. He would unzip them and we thought it was the cutest thing. This has now evolved into biting whenever he feels like it and it has to stop. He was awful longeing today, but probably the worst part was when he would come in real close to me, take a bite of my jacket and then run back out! We have to start getting after him for the zipper thing now and prevent this from going any further.
So since my mom has been saying that Harry responds better when weight is more back, I tried that today. He wasn't responding very well at all and kept tap dancing. I was trying my hardest to keep my weight back, but he kept throwing me forward and when I started to grip on him with my lower legs to keep balanced he got really upset and started speeding up, so I finally just settled back into a more forward weight and he was much more responsive. Still fast, but more gaited. His board was very powerful and loud. I hope he keeps it up that way! Now only to work on his manners...
Sunday
I rode Brie today and let my mom have Harry since I rode him yesterday. Today just felt like it wasn't going to be a very good day for me and it was threatening to remain that way. Brie was fighting the bit the entire time and kept trying to run out on me when I started trying to use a light leg contact. I just kept getting aggravated and she just kept going faster until finally I just stopped, removed contact, and rode normally. I was ready to start crying when I decided I had better get off. I keep getting upset because I just have these grand visions of her as a dressage horse, but clearly I don't know how to train her to be one and when I get some tidbit of advice and it doesn't work, I just feel awful about it...I guess I can't really blame myself since I don't know anything about dressage really...so maybe we'll just focus on being Paso Finos...we could always do trail class, I'm sure that desensitizing is a fantastic thing for Brie to learn to keep her brain from turning to mush.
On a non-horsey related note, we went sledding today at the barn! Trust me when I tell you there's no sledding like tractor sledding! And by that I mean being pulled on a sled by a tractor. It's the most fun thing ever! I had such a blast, even though I couldn't feel my hands for a solid 10 minutes afterwards and fell off the sled multiple times going down hills. It was totally worth it though!
You know how things start out cute and then become really annoying?
Well, a couple of weeks back, Harry started pulling all of our zippers on our coats. He would unzip them and we thought it was the cutest thing. This has now evolved into biting whenever he feels like it and it has to stop. He was awful longeing today, but probably the worst part was when he would come in real close to me, take a bite of my jacket and then run back out! We have to start getting after him for the zipper thing now and prevent this from going any further.
So since my mom has been saying that Harry responds better when weight is more back, I tried that today. He wasn't responding very well at all and kept tap dancing. I was trying my hardest to keep my weight back, but he kept throwing me forward and when I started to grip on him with my lower legs to keep balanced he got really upset and started speeding up, so I finally just settled back into a more forward weight and he was much more responsive. Still fast, but more gaited. His board was very powerful and loud. I hope he keeps it up that way! Now only to work on his manners...
Sunday
I rode Brie today and let my mom have Harry since I rode him yesterday. Today just felt like it wasn't going to be a very good day for me and it was threatening to remain that way. Brie was fighting the bit the entire time and kept trying to run out on me when I started trying to use a light leg contact. I just kept getting aggravated and she just kept going faster until finally I just stopped, removed contact, and rode normally. I was ready to start crying when I decided I had better get off. I keep getting upset because I just have these grand visions of her as a dressage horse, but clearly I don't know how to train her to be one and when I get some tidbit of advice and it doesn't work, I just feel awful about it...I guess I can't really blame myself since I don't know anything about dressage really...so maybe we'll just focus on being Paso Finos...we could always do trail class, I'm sure that desensitizing is a fantastic thing for Brie to learn to keep her brain from turning to mush.
On a non-horsey related note, we went sledding today at the barn! Trust me when I tell you there's no sledding like tractor sledding! And by that I mean being pulled on a sled by a tractor. It's the most fun thing ever! I had such a blast, even though I couldn't feel my hands for a solid 10 minutes afterwards and fell off the sled multiple times going down hills. It was totally worth it though!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Day 194 & 195
Saturday
Now I can finally tell you my exciting news! Ray is leaving!!! Yep, he is no longer training for our barn and we're getting a new trainer hopefully soon. I can't wait to see who is coming up. This might not seem very exciting, but trust me when I tell you I'm overjoyed.
Since it was super cold today, no one wanted to ride for very long, so I just got Harry to walk calmly around with Brie by his side and got off after about a half hour. We finally got two more coolers, so everyone was nice and toasty after their rides, and by everyone I mean the horses, because after I stopped moving around, I started to turn into a popsicle! Jane came by as we were getting ready to leave, so we stuck around while she started to ride Taco. She put his bit under his tongue unknowingly and he started backing up and starting to hop when she got scared and jumped off. I fixed the bit for her and my mom offered to teach her how to longe, but she got dizzy, so my mom longed Taco for her. He had a ton of energy, but calmed down after his little burst and then I rode him around twice to show her that he was better now and she didn't have to be scared, so she got back on and was happy with her ride. I love helping other people ride. =]
Sunday
It was so great seeing Ray pack up.
I rode Brie today thinking it'd be a break. As usual, I was wrong! She wasn't bad, just wanted to go really fast. She was really tight on her turns and it made me think if she could be a good barrel racer...my mom thinks that she's getting sore in her hock again, so when the vet comes out to float teeth in May we're going to have another steroid injection in her leg. We rode for a little longer than yesterday, but not by much. In the end, Nina and Brie had a largo race. I'm surprised how little Nina is getting faster! She was beating Brie up until the end when she ran out of steam. Until yesterday, I hadn't known another horse who could keep up with Brie's largo!
I'm so excited for this weekend. Now that Ray is gone, we can turn out the horses in the arena and not have to worry about turning them out in the snow and possibly ice. We're also going to have a huge feast! I'm in charge of baking the desserts!
Now I can finally tell you my exciting news! Ray is leaving!!! Yep, he is no longer training for our barn and we're getting a new trainer hopefully soon. I can't wait to see who is coming up. This might not seem very exciting, but trust me when I tell you I'm overjoyed.
Since it was super cold today, no one wanted to ride for very long, so I just got Harry to walk calmly around with Brie by his side and got off after about a half hour. We finally got two more coolers, so everyone was nice and toasty after their rides, and by everyone I mean the horses, because after I stopped moving around, I started to turn into a popsicle! Jane came by as we were getting ready to leave, so we stuck around while she started to ride Taco. She put his bit under his tongue unknowingly and he started backing up and starting to hop when she got scared and jumped off. I fixed the bit for her and my mom offered to teach her how to longe, but she got dizzy, so my mom longed Taco for her. He had a ton of energy, but calmed down after his little burst and then I rode him around twice to show her that he was better now and she didn't have to be scared, so she got back on and was happy with her ride. I love helping other people ride. =]
Sunday
It was so great seeing Ray pack up.
I rode Brie today thinking it'd be a break. As usual, I was wrong! She wasn't bad, just wanted to go really fast. She was really tight on her turns and it made me think if she could be a good barrel racer...my mom thinks that she's getting sore in her hock again, so when the vet comes out to float teeth in May we're going to have another steroid injection in her leg. We rode for a little longer than yesterday, but not by much. In the end, Nina and Brie had a largo race. I'm surprised how little Nina is getting faster! She was beating Brie up until the end when she ran out of steam. Until yesterday, I hadn't known another horse who could keep up with Brie's largo!
I'm so excited for this weekend. Now that Ray is gone, we can turn out the horses in the arena and not have to worry about turning them out in the snow and possibly ice. We're also going to have a huge feast! I'm in charge of baking the desserts!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Day 193
I get Harry today and we do a little Parelli. And by a little, do I mean a little. We were playing the friendly game and he keeps running away from the rope when I go to swing it over his butt and wants to start longeing. I can't tell if he thinks that's what he's supposed to do or if he's scared of it, but we'll keep working on it. We played that for quite a while until he stopped flinching and started just to stand still while I rubbed him with his leadline. He's still really good at the YoYo game, so I'm happy with that. We ended on that good note before I actually started longeing him. He did so well today! I had a loose line and he was walking when I told him to walk and trotted a bit when I asked him to speed up instead of cortoing, which I guess means he was super relaxed. I did all this before I tacked him up, and when I longed him while tacked up, he was just as good!
But then I got on to ride him...all he did was tap dance! And what's worse is now I can't even tell if it's something I was doing or from Paco riding him the other day. Ugh! That just really gets me. I tried my best to work it out, but he was still tapping a little at the end. We ended with a very nice pass on the board though, so I was happy with at least that. I traded him off to my mom who said he was a little more cooperative and I just plopped around on Nina. Oh Nina. I love to ride her because she actually walks! I know that I complain a lot to my family about not being able to ride her because my brother hogs her all the time, but I really don't want to gait her. I enjoy just being on a horse who walks at a normal pace every once in a while!
But then I got on to ride him...all he did was tap dance! And what's worse is now I can't even tell if it's something I was doing or from Paco riding him the other day. Ugh! That just really gets me. I tried my best to work it out, but he was still tapping a little at the end. We ended with a very nice pass on the board though, so I was happy with at least that. I traded him off to my mom who said he was a little more cooperative and I just plopped around on Nina. Oh Nina. I love to ride her because she actually walks! I know that I complain a lot to my family about not being able to ride her because my brother hogs her all the time, but I really don't want to gait her. I enjoy just being on a horse who walks at a normal pace every once in a while!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Day 192
First day out of the new year! What a better way than to get hooves trimmed?
Since the farrier was out today, nothing really exciting happened. Nina and Brie got trimmed, Nina while tranquilized and Brie was, in the farrier's words, "awesome" because she picked up all her hooves for him without being asked. Harry, though, apparently had really bad front hooves. I know a couple weeks back he got that big chip on the inside of his front left hoof that Paco cut off because it was just hanging. The farrier pointed out that Harry's been riding on his frogs because his hoof wall is in such poor condition. We made the decision to put shoes back on his front hooves. He had to be tranquilized to do that because he got one shoe on and then started trying to rear. But overall, they're all fixed up pretty now and I can't wait to ride Harry tomorrow to see if this changes anything even a little bit.
What I am mad about, though, is Paco riding Harry without telling me beforehand. Actually, I don't like Paco riding Harry at all. It's a really tricky situation because we're friends, but I just don't want him interfering with what I'm trying to accomplish with Harry -- building up his confidence. I know that Harry is really energetic, hyper, and stubborn, but I don't believe that he's mean or is confident. I believe that horses are the same on the ground as they are in the saddle. What I mean by this is that Harry is a spooky horse on the ground, therefore he's a spooky horse in the saddle. I can prove this with Brie. She's like bomb-proof on the ground and is pretty much bomb-proof outside (whether or not she wants to cooperate is a different story). I believe that Harry's spookiness stems from his lack of confidence and while I don't get to work on that on the ground so often, I'm really trying to build up his confidence in the saddle by the work I've been doing that past couple of weeks by trying to get him to collect his own feet and maintain his own speed without me doing all of the work for him, sometimes the wrong way and making him upset. If Paco is going behind me and doing God knows what while I'm not there (not that I think that he's harming him), then how is what I'm doing supposed to stick? It's bad enough that I get ridiculed about doing Parelli techniques and hounded about wasting time while I'm doing them so I can't improve him on the ground, but I have to be working double on riding too? No, I don't appreciate this. And Paco, being older, of course thinks I'm just being a stubborn kid and not wanting to listen to him and his help, but honestly, Paco contradicts himself all of the time. If he's not someone who's consistent in what he's trying to "teach" me, then how am I even supposed to believe what I'm doing is right if the next day what I'm doing is wrong?
Take for example, yesterday when Paco rode Harry he changed the bit. I have no idea what bit he used and he didn't want to show me, but when WE wanted to change the bit, Paco told us No, No, No. Now suddenly it's okay? He can get into our tack room, why couldn't he just use our bit? I want to tell him and I know it shouldn't affect our friendship, but I know that it will. It just comes down to my own horse's well being and the progress I'm trying to make. I know that I should appreciate him exercising Harry because he doesn't get trained and it's cold out, but honestly, that's another thing. Paco should be putting them outside. So what if it's cold? As long as it's above freezing and there's no ice on the ground, I fully believe that they all should be out in the fresh air. It drives me insane because I know they aren't getting out.
This is why I need to, as much as I want to quit, stay in school and force myself into a good job. That way I can get my own barn and my own land and take care of my horses the way that they're supposed to be taken care of.
Since the farrier was out today, nothing really exciting happened. Nina and Brie got trimmed, Nina while tranquilized and Brie was, in the farrier's words, "awesome" because she picked up all her hooves for him without being asked. Harry, though, apparently had really bad front hooves. I know a couple weeks back he got that big chip on the inside of his front left hoof that Paco cut off because it was just hanging. The farrier pointed out that Harry's been riding on his frogs because his hoof wall is in such poor condition. We made the decision to put shoes back on his front hooves. He had to be tranquilized to do that because he got one shoe on and then started trying to rear. But overall, they're all fixed up pretty now and I can't wait to ride Harry tomorrow to see if this changes anything even a little bit.
What I am mad about, though, is Paco riding Harry without telling me beforehand. Actually, I don't like Paco riding Harry at all. It's a really tricky situation because we're friends, but I just don't want him interfering with what I'm trying to accomplish with Harry -- building up his confidence. I know that Harry is really energetic, hyper, and stubborn, but I don't believe that he's mean or is confident. I believe that horses are the same on the ground as they are in the saddle. What I mean by this is that Harry is a spooky horse on the ground, therefore he's a spooky horse in the saddle. I can prove this with Brie. She's like bomb-proof on the ground and is pretty much bomb-proof outside (whether or not she wants to cooperate is a different story). I believe that Harry's spookiness stems from his lack of confidence and while I don't get to work on that on the ground so often, I'm really trying to build up his confidence in the saddle by the work I've been doing that past couple of weeks by trying to get him to collect his own feet and maintain his own speed without me doing all of the work for him, sometimes the wrong way and making him upset. If Paco is going behind me and doing God knows what while I'm not there (not that I think that he's harming him), then how is what I'm doing supposed to stick? It's bad enough that I get ridiculed about doing Parelli techniques and hounded about wasting time while I'm doing them so I can't improve him on the ground, but I have to be working double on riding too? No, I don't appreciate this. And Paco, being older, of course thinks I'm just being a stubborn kid and not wanting to listen to him and his help, but honestly, Paco contradicts himself all of the time. If he's not someone who's consistent in what he's trying to "teach" me, then how am I even supposed to believe what I'm doing is right if the next day what I'm doing is wrong?
Take for example, yesterday when Paco rode Harry he changed the bit. I have no idea what bit he used and he didn't want to show me, but when WE wanted to change the bit, Paco told us No, No, No. Now suddenly it's okay? He can get into our tack room, why couldn't he just use our bit? I want to tell him and I know it shouldn't affect our friendship, but I know that it will. It just comes down to my own horse's well being and the progress I'm trying to make. I know that I should appreciate him exercising Harry because he doesn't get trained and it's cold out, but honestly, that's another thing. Paco should be putting them outside. So what if it's cold? As long as it's above freezing and there's no ice on the ground, I fully believe that they all should be out in the fresh air. It drives me insane because I know they aren't getting out.
This is why I need to, as much as I want to quit, stay in school and force myself into a good job. That way I can get my own barn and my own land and take care of my horses the way that they're supposed to be taken care of.
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