Day 172

Today was significantly better than yesterday, thankfully. We were on a short time schedule because I had to move back to school =[

I decided to start off Harry with some Parelli games today to kind of get him thinking. We did the Friendly Game (in which he hid behind me when I emulated a snake on the ground), the Porcupine Game and the YoYo Game. He's so good at the YoYo Game, but the Porcupine game takes a little more thinking for him. I know he'll have it down pat if I keep up with it.

As for the ride, it was way better than yesterday. He was collected and seemed calmer and didn't seem like he wanted to take off as much. He was reacting weirdly to the bit, I thought, because since State Fair we've been riding him with double reins and he works much better with the rein on the jaquima and seems to get upset with the bit. Maybe we should look into changing it? I don't really know, because before State Fair for the longest we worked just with the bit. I'm wondering whether we should change it completely or if we should take him off of it for the rest of the year and then reintroduce it in January. Any thoughts on this?

Because we were short on time, I didn't get to ride Brie =[ But I got to give them all lots of snuggles and my mom fed them carrots straight out of the bag today! Those horses have got to be the most spoiled horses ever!

Day 78

Didn't ride Brie or Nina.

I got really frustrated with Harry, so much to the point that I actually gave up and let Paco ride him for me. Let me start from the beginning.
I lunged him, it was good. He lunged very calmly and only ran out a couple of times. With the bit changed, I got on him and rode in the indoor. He was pretty uptight about it so I was easy on the bit rein and focused more on the jaquima rein. It worked pretty well. He was decent on the board and overall pretty good.
Then they wanted me to go outside. Not outside running around, but the arena. I'm still not exactly comfortable with that whole idea yet because I don't trust him and he's really skiddish sometimes, but I went out anyways.
He. Would. Not. Walk.
All I want in my life is a horse that will walk calmly. I have one, Nina, but my brother hogs her.
Harry would not walk if I gave him all the carrots in the world. He kept charging forward and I kept holding him back. I kept trying to make him stop and he'd kind of stop and then tap dance, a sign that I learned from Brie that means he wants to rear, so naturally I got really freaked out a little unnerved. After a bunny hop and a spin cycle, I was done. I couldn't handle that emotionally today, so I asked Paco if he could work Harry a little bit for me. I assumed it was just the bit that he was trying to get used to or even didn't like.
So I watched Paco work Harry for almost an hour. Harry had a good few tries at trying to dump Paco, but Paco is just as stubborn as Harry (which is more stubborn than me in recent years, I've become too tame). Back and forth and back and forth they went. Every time Harry went over the sounding board he tried to dump Paco so Paco kept at him until he went straight.
At the end of the day, Paco told me that I need to work him longer. Lunge for at least a half hour, train for at least an hour, and then ride for another hour. I don't know where I'm going to get all of this time and still be able to ride Brie.
Paco insisted that I get back on Harry, despite the emotional changes I was going through, and so I did. I completely blanked out on all of those equitation rules that have been being drilled into my head every Thursday for the past 5 months and just rode. It was beautiful. I'm sure I was the poster of a disastrous equitation student, but I don't care. It was a good ride. With a great deal of help and work from Paco, I also decided that training is not the place for worrying about how fancy and put together I look, because trainers will look like crap most of the time. Instead of focusing so much on how far I'm keeping my heels down, I need to be focusing on what I need to do to stay on for that ride.

So I now need to wake up even earlier on barn days than I do when I work. Fantastic. As much as I'd love to use my weekend to sleep, I know that this will pay off in the end. Now I just need to work on controlling my emotions.

Day 77

I only rode Harry today.
I think I'm going to switch up his bit tomorrow. Right now he has a pretty falt one and I think I'm going to switch it with Nina's. The one that Harry has we originally purchased for Nina, but then Carmello told us that Nina was better off with one like Brie's so we ended up buying another one and gave the leftover to Harry when we got him. Paco said that he had a different bit than one like ours when he was working with Harry, one like Nina's so we're going to try it tomorrow. I only hope that Nina is okay with everything and she doesn't regress.

Why am I making all these changes you ask? I just feel like I can't control Harry. Between the crappy jaquima (we still need to order one) and this bit, everything seems ineffective. He just keeps on plowing onwards. It's like he has no respect for me. I took him outside today and as much as I would've liked to stay outside, I went back in because he would NOT respond to anything I asked of him (such as slowing down) and just did as he pleased. The most I could get him to do was turn, but even that was a yank. I don't want my fists to be up at my shoulders while riding him because that's how much effort I have to put into it, it's just ridiculous.

He was much better lunging today though, now that I know what I'm doing. He only ran out on me maybe twice. I was also very proud of him because I got him to get into the wash rack, something with which he's been having some trouble with the past couple of weeks. He's been scared of it. So I was very proud of both myself and him when I got him in there today.

Mom rode Brie outside for a while. Paco told us that he rode her yesterday and that she was all uptight and upset because she knew after about 20 minutes Paco would take her back into the barn so he stayed out a while longer and she calmed down. I wish I could ride Brie outside but I have to deal with Harry.

My brother rode Nina inside and outside. My mom and he also worked on her legshyness since she's informed us that the farrier should be out in about three weeks. I wasn't there to watch, but it sounded like it went well. No panicky yells or pounding dancing hooves on the concrete, so I assume it all went well.

Wish me luck with the bit change tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be one heck of a day!

Days 58 & 59

Day 58 - Saturday, 5/8/10

I rode Nina today. This is the first time I've legit rode her. I mean, yeah, I rode her outside, but I never really tried to collect her or anything. It was just for fun. I only walked her around in a circle, making my invisible round pen, because I needed to get used to her. She's very different from Harry and Brie. I have to hold my hands extra far apart because she doesn't like the rein on her neck. She likes to trocha and trot when she can get away with it.
And she hates when you touch the top of her head. I don't know if it's just a game she's playing with us or what, because when Ray and even Andre used to tack her up, they would be perfectly fine getting the bit in and touching the top of her head. She goes crazy when you try to get the bit hanger and jaquima over her ears, trying to rear and everything. I insist that keeping her on the cross ties is not a good idea while trying to tack her up because you could get choked or smacked with those in addition to being pushed over or injured by her, along with them just being in the way.

Harry was pretty good today. His gait is phenomenal, it's just getting him to walk that's tricky. I guess it was the same problem with Brie though, too, back in the day. Ray even gave me a compliment. He told me that I was doing a fantastic job with Harry and that he looks a lot better. =]

Brie was good! She's perfectly, show ready, I feel like. I just wish my parents would agree with me and leave Harry home for this show, since I feel like he's not ready, and let me spend more time getting to know him, and go and show Brie. I feel like all this progress and hard work with Brie will go to waste if I only bring her to show in the State Fair. Ugh.

Day 59 - Sunday, 5/9/10

Today's Nina's birthday! I thought her birthday was coming up soon yesterday, so I checked this morning on her registration papers and it was today! Yay! We brought apples to them in celebration. It definitely made Brie's day a lot more than Nina's!

I didn't ride Nina today. I got in an argument with my mom over bit-inserting techniques. I wish I knew why Nina wasn't accepting the bit into her mouth, or letting us put it over her head. It's so frustrating. And it's so angering that I can only go there twice a week to work with them. It's kind of depressing knowing I've been working on Brie since October and it's only amounted to barely two months of training. If I actually did two months of training, every day, I can only imagine how amazing they would be.

Harry was a little excited when I rode him. He kind of scared me at one point, when he charged past a couple of flags and started hopping all over, so I pulled him to the side and made him flex, but not before he spun like a tornado and the saddle almost wound up underneath him and me on the floor. My mom wanted me to get off and end it, but I wasn't about to let that session end on a bad note. I got off, calmed myself down because I admit I was a little freaked out, adjusted the saddle, talked to him, and got back on. He tried to charge past the flags again on the next time around, but I handled it very well and made him walk and reverse past them a couple of times. He calmed down. He had another phenomenal board. When I do get to showing him, he'll clean up.

Brie was simply amazing today. She walked calmly, she corto-ed perfectly, and didn't break into a canter for her largo. Her performance today only makes me more sad that we might not be able to bring her to the Springfield show.

Day 18

I failed in getting to the stall first. I need to start racing my mom to the stall.

Paco is officially moved in. It's so nice. And Ken is supposed to be making all the paddocks this week. I can't wait for Brie and Nina to get time outside every day, since Ken's been a slacker in turning them out all this time, which probably has a lot to do with Brie's anxiety.
Jane came by today! Taco is coming back very soon, he was at her son's farm just being a horse for this month. I'm so eager to ride him again.

Brie! She made me very happy today. We showed off her gaiting and jumping to Ray and everyone else, they were impressed, even though the jump was pretty much a foot off of the ground. She was more anxious outside though, and we had a fright when my mom was riding her and Brie kept backing up, almost into a barbed wire fence. I had to maneuver Nina over to her and pull her forward. Not very safe. Oh and another fright. I lost my stirrup while jumping this tiny fence and Brie tripped and while she got her footing I almost flew off the side of her because she turned so sharply. But I stayed on! And maybe we won't raise the jump for a couple more weeks.

Andre brought back a bit for Nina. She seems a little iffy about it after being bitless since July. She seemed very depressed while Andre was working her and a lot more happy running around outside with Brie. On one hand I feel guilty, because I want to let her just be a horse, but then on the other hand she really does need to be trained! She is just a baby after all.

I'm so eager to see how the stables look this weekend with Paco in charge =]

Days 7 & 8

Day 7


Brie was good today! She didn't even break into a canter as I rounded the corners of the arena. And I walked her outside. She seemed really happy. I think she really loves being outside but doesn't like being cooped up inside. I've been misinterpreting it all along as the reverse. Yesterday she was happy as a clam walking around outside but when she saw the barn, that's when she started acting up. She stopped and turned her head to the side, refusing to look at the barn. So now I think I'll make going outside more common with her.

Well yesterday this guy from Florida was up here. He looked at all of the horses and said what he thought of them. Now this guy is a trainer for one of the stables that keeps winning everything. Well he didn't really pay attention to Brie, which is okay. But he looked at Nina. Nina's having a hard time listening to what we want her to do. She just stops walking, refuses to back up, which I attributed to being a young horse who is tired. Well this trainer said that she is tired, tired of being pushed. Andre pushed her faster and faster to grow up and be a Fino horse (the most desirable of the Paso Fino breed) only because my father and brother kept badgering him to. So I don't blame him for that. Maybe I should start working with Nina, but then again maybe not since I'll be at school now. I only hope that my mom will take over for me and let Nina just be a horse.

I didn't work with Taco because of all the commotion with the visiting trainer. Perhaps I'll work with him tomorrow. There's really nothing to do other than let him out of his stall and stretch since Jane's already at the fair.


Day 8


So this trainer says that we should be utilizing the outside arena more. We don't use it at all, there's grass growing in it! So we all rode outside today. Brie was doing really well! I walked her around the property and she was doing okay but towards the end she started getting a little freaked out. I let my mom and dad rid Brie as well, she was pretty calm for them =]

Nina was a whole world different today. She was very good, didn't die out. We changed her nosepeice to a harder leather. So we'll see how that goes.

Taco? Well Andre changed his bit -.- I personaly didn't like it, Taco was pulling too much. But we'll see how Jane likes it.

The state fair's next week! I'm so excited, wish me luck!

Day 2

What started out as a crappy, frustrating day turned out to be a little fun and informative.

I decided to put a snaffle bit on Brie. For those who aren't familiar with the Paso Finos, let me explain. Pasos are Spanish horses from Colombia and Puerto Rico. Hence, they use Colombian style bits. (if you really don't know, bits are the metal parts that go in the horse's mouth) Snaffle bits are mainly for English style riding, like dressage and jumping. Based on the knowledge from Dominic, Carmello, and my mother, who are all trained in dressage, I believe it's worth a shot. Because they offer explanations as to how what the trainers are doing wrong, and how a bit of dressage training would be good for these horses, I believe its worth a shot. And because the trainers in Florida are winning and catching onto the snaffle bit "revolution", I believe it's worth a shot.
And anyways, Brie started out with this snaffle bit. It can't hurt to go back to her roots. And hey, if dressage has been working for hundreds of years on all sorts of horses, why wouldn't it work now to help this Spanish breed have more finesse?

Anyways, I worked with Brie on the snaffle bit. She seems okay with it, but slightly shocked at the difference between it and the Colombian bit. I don't know how it'll work out, it's just an experiment.

New problem: getting Brie to willingly accept the bit.

Now with Nina. She's very unhappy. Andre pointed out that Nina has sores, symmetrical sores, on the inside of her mouth. Hmm I wonder why. Not. She's pacing and not in her natural gait. The only good part about that is that Andre gave us a way to fire him. He suggested giving her time off! His situation's complicated and I don't wish to go into it. But we all at the stable think that he's getting ready to quit right before Nationals because of his situation. That'll leave the stable in peril, but not me!

The fun part of my day? After getting really angry at Andre, I decided "well what the hell." I got out my hard hat, took some cones and a long 2x4, and made a small jump. At first Brie was hesitant, but once she got up to it, she jumped right over it! And she liked it! I think I might've found her calling! The smaller jump circuit. I'll keep it up for a while and see how it goes.

And for those who say a Paso Fino can't jump, I say to you this:
A horse is a horse and will do what makes her happy.