Yay for posting on the same day that I went out!
The farrier came out this weekend. He was actually only an hour late, so that is an improvement!
I am so proud of Harry. He didn't even need to be tranquilized to do his trim! Only Nina, but she is getting better at taking the tranquilizer. We didn't have to tie her to the H post today, we just were able to give it to her in her stall without her killing anyone, so that is a definite improvement!
After Harry and Brie got their trims, I brushed them up and played with them. I had Harry longe for a while and then asked my mom if she would longe him while I sat on him bareback. We never did that before and he was so good!!! He didn't try anything goofy at all and was actually really well behaved in response to me being on him bareback. So I am very proud of him. =]
Brie was stiff today, as we didn't make it out yesterday. She was bored with longeing so I ran around the arena with her a couple of times and over the board. Then I got the idea to teach her a trick so she could use her little brain instead of going in a boring circle (she is a pro at that), so I got some carrots and started to teach her how to bow! She was actually getting the hang of it and went so far down by the end that she was touching her forehead to the dirt as she bowed. Pretty soon I won't need carrots! And then she'll be able to lay down and get back up for people to mount her! That is wishful thinking right now, but it is entirely a possibility. I love teaching her tricks. Just like how I taught her to give kisses.
I won't be out next week (fingers crossed) because hopefully I will be in LA! But if I get stuck home because of flights, I will take a little video of her bowing to show you all =]
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Days 264 & 265
Saturday
I don't think I've gotten as upset as I did today in a long time. I don't understand what is going on with Harry. I had the draw reins on him but he stil kept throwing his head up in the air and was getting mad, so I eventually took those off and put on normal reins. He was still mad, so I changed his bit. I don't know if he's tired of working or if he's just being lazy, but he will not gait. His boards sounded terrible. He won't gait around the rail. He acts like you're stabbing him if you put a little leg pressure on. Is something wrong with him medically? I don't think there would be. He's acting normal on the ground. I just don't know what to do with him anymore. I had a terrible time and actually cried after I got off. He doesn't want to walk, but he can't figure out how to canter either, he doesn't largo, instead he paces. So he can't do anything right. I really don't know what to do with him and it's very upsetting because I feel like every time we take a step forward, we take three steps back. Is it because of the weather? Is he burned out?
Sunday
The farrier was supposed to come today. He didn't. He thought he was supposed to come next Sunday. So we sat around and wasted half of our day. We rode before we thought he was supposed to be there. I rode Brie today while my mom took Harry. She was very stiff and limping when we started, but after she warmed up she was better. I have to remember that my efforts do pay off, because I've been working so hard with Brie the whole time I've had her and she is so good now. She is calm and happy and responsive and does everything I ask of her. I have fun when I ride her, which is a lot more than I could've said a couple of years ago. I just have to figure out what is wrong with Harry.
He was obnoxious for my mom today too and kept trying to rear. She got mad too, so she got off and brought him out into the round pen and just made him run. By the time I got out there after I brushed off Brie, he was tired and just walking around her. I don't know what is his deal. Is it because he's off of the Calmex? He shouldn't be this stubborn, he is a gelding after all! Does he need a break? Should we leave him alone for a month? I really don't know what to do.
I don't think I've gotten as upset as I did today in a long time. I don't understand what is going on with Harry. I had the draw reins on him but he stil kept throwing his head up in the air and was getting mad, so I eventually took those off and put on normal reins. He was still mad, so I changed his bit. I don't know if he's tired of working or if he's just being lazy, but he will not gait. His boards sounded terrible. He won't gait around the rail. He acts like you're stabbing him if you put a little leg pressure on. Is something wrong with him medically? I don't think there would be. He's acting normal on the ground. I just don't know what to do with him anymore. I had a terrible time and actually cried after I got off. He doesn't want to walk, but he can't figure out how to canter either, he doesn't largo, instead he paces. So he can't do anything right. I really don't know what to do with him and it's very upsetting because I feel like every time we take a step forward, we take three steps back. Is it because of the weather? Is he burned out?
Sunday
The farrier was supposed to come today. He didn't. He thought he was supposed to come next Sunday. So we sat around and wasted half of our day. We rode before we thought he was supposed to be there. I rode Brie today while my mom took Harry. She was very stiff and limping when we started, but after she warmed up she was better. I have to remember that my efforts do pay off, because I've been working so hard with Brie the whole time I've had her and she is so good now. She is calm and happy and responsive and does everything I ask of her. I have fun when I ride her, which is a lot more than I could've said a couple of years ago. I just have to figure out what is wrong with Harry.
He was obnoxious for my mom today too and kept trying to rear. She got mad too, so she got off and brought him out into the round pen and just made him run. By the time I got out there after I brushed off Brie, he was tired and just walking around her. I don't know what is his deal. Is it because he's off of the Calmex? He shouldn't be this stubborn, he is a gelding after all! Does he need a break? Should we leave him alone for a month? I really don't know what to do.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Days 262 & 263
Saturday
I just can't figure out why Harry is acting the way he is. He is lazy and doesn't want to gait anymore. I tried everything I could think of today trying to get him to gait. He'll gait in a circle, but then when we get on the wall, he goes into pacing. He even paced over the board. Does he need a rest? Or does he need more work? I can't help him if he's bored with the arena, as it's going to get very cold this week and I'm guessing it will stay that way until the end of winter, and we won't be going outside as often. Any suggestions?
Sunday
My mom worked with Harry today. She put the draw reins on him and while it made him set his head, she said that he was still fighting and wanting to take off and not wanting to gait. She said he would gait for a little while and then go into pacing. I don't know what his deal is. He didn't pace over the board today, so that was good. Maybe we should put the bell boots back on him.
I rode Brie today and she was absolutely magnificent. It's rides like today that make me think she still has it in her to compete. She was totally responsive, had beautiful boards, and had perfect speeds at the largo and the corto. We even WALKED once we were done working, and for quite some time too, I might add, without stirrups and reins being loose. If she started to drift off of the wall I just needed to nudge her with my calf and she floated right back over. She was beyond good today, I'm so happy with her.
Meanwhile, Harry bit me! That snot! He bit my finger as I was petting his face. I was in too much shock to do anything, but I flicked him on the nose after I realized that he actually bit me! It wasn't very hard, thank God, but it still hurt! He even tore a little skin! He has got to learn manners and respect. Maybe that will fix him up in the arena as well.
I just can't figure out why Harry is acting the way he is. He is lazy and doesn't want to gait anymore. I tried everything I could think of today trying to get him to gait. He'll gait in a circle, but then when we get on the wall, he goes into pacing. He even paced over the board. Does he need a rest? Or does he need more work? I can't help him if he's bored with the arena, as it's going to get very cold this week and I'm guessing it will stay that way until the end of winter, and we won't be going outside as often. Any suggestions?
Sunday
My mom worked with Harry today. She put the draw reins on him and while it made him set his head, she said that he was still fighting and wanting to take off and not wanting to gait. She said he would gait for a little while and then go into pacing. I don't know what his deal is. He didn't pace over the board today, so that was good. Maybe we should put the bell boots back on him.
I rode Brie today and she was absolutely magnificent. It's rides like today that make me think she still has it in her to compete. She was totally responsive, had beautiful boards, and had perfect speeds at the largo and the corto. We even WALKED once we were done working, and for quite some time too, I might add, without stirrups and reins being loose. If she started to drift off of the wall I just needed to nudge her with my calf and she floated right back over. She was beyond good today, I'm so happy with her.
Meanwhile, Harry bit me! That snot! He bit my finger as I was petting his face. I was in too much shock to do anything, but I flicked him on the nose after I realized that he actually bit me! It wasn't very hard, thank God, but it still hurt! He even tore a little skin! He has got to learn manners and respect. Maybe that will fix him up in the arena as well.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Days 260 & 261
Saturday
I was concerned that Harry wouldn't be able to ride today because of his leg, but I made him longe before I rode and he wasn't limping, so I tacked him up to ride. He was so strange. He doesn't want to gait, really, and when he does, he goes way too fast. He hates when you apply leg to him, gets mad when you put pressure on the bit. I just don't know what to do with him. He only wants to do circles. Just circles. Circles of all sizes, but not around the arena. My mom told me that he ran out of calmex, so maybe that's the problem? He didn't even have that great of a board. My mom took him and tried to work with him, but he didn't want to cooperate with her either.
I took out my frustration by letting Brie canter around the arena. She loved it and so did I, so at least that was a nice end to the day.
Sunday
My mom took Harry first today and I worked with Brie. I worked on getting her to set her head a little better, since she's been getting lazy, and she responded well. I also did a lot of stretching from the ground with her before I got on. She wanted to go fast but I just kept working on keeping her calm and making her walk and she settled into a nice walk and then a beautiful corto. She had a wonderful board and her head was set so nice. We did mostly corto, I'm working on her reverses too, since she got in the bad habit of cantering those.
Harry was not too great today either. We're going to just continually keep him on the calmex now, since he seems more able to focus on what we're asking of him when he's on that. There was so much going on today for him to focus on, between music playing and people talking, things that shouldn't bother him, but apparently it does. When there's a lot of things going on, he just likes to chase around Nina and follow whatever she's doing, but that's not gonna happen in competition, so he has to stop wanting to do that.
At the end of our ride, we worked on walking over some poles on the ground. At first, not even Brie wanted to go over them, but we were able to get Harry and Brie over them without hopping, just walking over them. Horses sure do test your patience. I wish I could figure out what to do with Harry though. Hopefully he'll be better again once he's back on the calmex.
I was concerned that Harry wouldn't be able to ride today because of his leg, but I made him longe before I rode and he wasn't limping, so I tacked him up to ride. He was so strange. He doesn't want to gait, really, and when he does, he goes way too fast. He hates when you apply leg to him, gets mad when you put pressure on the bit. I just don't know what to do with him. He only wants to do circles. Just circles. Circles of all sizes, but not around the arena. My mom told me that he ran out of calmex, so maybe that's the problem? He didn't even have that great of a board. My mom took him and tried to work with him, but he didn't want to cooperate with her either.
I took out my frustration by letting Brie canter around the arena. She loved it and so did I, so at least that was a nice end to the day.
Sunday
My mom took Harry first today and I worked with Brie. I worked on getting her to set her head a little better, since she's been getting lazy, and she responded well. I also did a lot of stretching from the ground with her before I got on. She wanted to go fast but I just kept working on keeping her calm and making her walk and she settled into a nice walk and then a beautiful corto. She had a wonderful board and her head was set so nice. We did mostly corto, I'm working on her reverses too, since she got in the bad habit of cantering those.
Harry was not too great today either. We're going to just continually keep him on the calmex now, since he seems more able to focus on what we're asking of him when he's on that. There was so much going on today for him to focus on, between music playing and people talking, things that shouldn't bother him, but apparently it does. When there's a lot of things going on, he just likes to chase around Nina and follow whatever she's doing, but that's not gonna happen in competition, so he has to stop wanting to do that.
At the end of our ride, we worked on walking over some poles on the ground. At first, not even Brie wanted to go over them, but we were able to get Harry and Brie over them without hopping, just walking over them. Horses sure do test your patience. I wish I could figure out what to do with Harry though. Hopefully he'll be better again once he's back on the calmex.
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