Saturday
Brie was pretty stiff today, which might have had something to do with the weather. It was unseasonably warm today and although it was a nice surprise, I'm sure it affected everyone in some way. Except Nina! She was working fantastically! If only Brie and Harry could be more like her.
That's not entirely true. Harry looked like he was working really well. I didn't get the chance to ride him today, but I'm planning on it for next weekend. I think that the same groundwork program that we did with Harry would be good for Brie. Maybe not to give her a month off like he did, but to incorporate it into what she's doing now. She really needs to refocus herself and remember what she's supposed to be doing, not just running around all of the time, especially if I want to bring her to show this year. After this summer, I don't know when I might be able to go to another horse show again, or even ride again, once I go to law school in the fall, so I have to make the best of it now! That means enjoying every weekend and every ride to the fullest. I want Brie to be in great condition, physically and mentally, for this show season that way in case there is an empty spot in someone's trailer, she can take it! Maybe after a couple of years of not showing, she will forget how scary the shows were for her.
Sunday
The farrier came out today, which is Brie's favorite day! I think she really likes getting her hooves trimmed, she just looks so happy. While we were waiting for the farrier, I took Harry and the giant exercise ball that we have in the tack room and brought them into the arena. I wanted him to sniff it and eventually push it with his nose, but we got to sniffing it. I let him go up to it and pet him when he did. I started pushing the ball towards him but he was getting scared, so I started kicking the ball away from him and making him follow me and the ball so that way it would perk his interest. It seemed to work! He really needs to get over his timidness and now that he is better after his month off, I think that the next step is really focusing on overcoming his fears on the ground. Especially since they are so simple, like being scared of balls and tarps! Even puddles. We're going to work on those a lot because once we move (hopefully) out West, he'll have to get used to all sorts of new things, especially for trail rides!
Showing posts with label groundwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label groundwork. Show all posts
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Monday, December 17, 2012
Days 269 & 270
Saturday
My mom worked with Harry again today while I rode Brie and, surprise!, Nina for the second time this month! Brie is definitely feeling her arthritis now that it's getting colder and colder out, so we're having the vet come out this week to give her a cortisone shot. Poor Brie. I know how she feels! My knee is aching as well in this cold. I wish I could say more about training with her, but she's really just coasting along for now. She definitely doesn't want to give up speed, so now she just has walk and largo. So I guess I will be working on getting her to slow down again to a nice corto.
Sunday
I had the job of working Harry today. He is still taking his time off from riding. I think that maybe next month we might start riding him again. He is so much sassier with me than with my mom. He doesn't fishtail as much as he used to, but there were definitely a few times when he did and then he got that stubborn look in his eye like "No! I am not going by you!". We got that sorted out. I also did some Friendly Game with him in between lunge rounds. It was a nice little breather. He is still scared of the rope swinging at him from a distance to go over his back, so we're working on little swings right now. Unfortunately I canceled my Parelli Connect membership earlier this month because I just didn't have the time for it. Hopefully I am able to go back and use it again some more to get more ideas for Harry.
I rode Brie for a little bit today, as she was limping a little after my mom rode her. We put lineament on her, so hopefully that helped. I just realized today how young she really is! It's strange, because in the Paso Fino world, at least the part I've been exposed to, you never hear of horses over 15 or so. I don't know where they go, probably just out to pasture, but no one talks about them and if you have a 15 year old horse, jeez, you are knocking at death's door! But in reality, horses are supposed to live to about 30 ideally, right? Brie is only 11. If she lives to 30, that's a whole 19 years from now! I'll be 39! It's weird to think about it like that! I hope that she is still around when I have kids, that way they can love her just as much as I do.
My mom worked with Harry again today while I rode Brie and, surprise!, Nina for the second time this month! Brie is definitely feeling her arthritis now that it's getting colder and colder out, so we're having the vet come out this week to give her a cortisone shot. Poor Brie. I know how she feels! My knee is aching as well in this cold. I wish I could say more about training with her, but she's really just coasting along for now. She definitely doesn't want to give up speed, so now she just has walk and largo. So I guess I will be working on getting her to slow down again to a nice corto.
Sunday
I had the job of working Harry today. He is still taking his time off from riding. I think that maybe next month we might start riding him again. He is so much sassier with me than with my mom. He doesn't fishtail as much as he used to, but there were definitely a few times when he did and then he got that stubborn look in his eye like "No! I am not going by you!". We got that sorted out. I also did some Friendly Game with him in between lunge rounds. It was a nice little breather. He is still scared of the rope swinging at him from a distance to go over his back, so we're working on little swings right now. Unfortunately I canceled my Parelli Connect membership earlier this month because I just didn't have the time for it. Hopefully I am able to go back and use it again some more to get more ideas for Harry.
I rode Brie for a little bit today, as she was limping a little after my mom rode her. We put lineament on her, so hopefully that helped. I just realized today how young she really is! It's strange, because in the Paso Fino world, at least the part I've been exposed to, you never hear of horses over 15 or so. I don't know where they go, probably just out to pasture, but no one talks about them and if you have a 15 year old horse, jeez, you are knocking at death's door! But in reality, horses are supposed to live to about 30 ideally, right? Brie is only 11. If she lives to 30, that's a whole 19 years from now! I'll be 39! It's weird to think about it like that! I hope that she is still around when I have kids, that way they can love her just as much as I do.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Days 267 & 268
Saturday
I was super exhausted today from staying up really late the past two days working on finals. Finals week is awful.
I only rode Brie today. She was really good, I think she knew I was tired. She wanted to go really fast, so I let her because it felt nice to just let go. Nothing really productive today.
I watched my mom work with Harry. While I was in LA last week, she started working him on the ground. He is taking a break from riding. He was setting his head really nicely and looked like he had to think a lot. He didn't tap dance with his back legs the entire time she was working with him, so I think he's making progress.
Sunday
Today I got to work with Harry. My mom taught me what she was teaching him. We let him go out on the long lunge line to shake off his energy and stretch out before we switch him onto the shorter line. He is wearing bell boots on his front legs and weighted bracelets on his back legs. We're trying to make him remember to keep his legs in rhythm. So on the short line, we work on flexing his head towards us while moving away with his back legs, crossing all of his legs over as he rotates around us. After he does that, we hook him up to our makeshift Pessoa system and lunge him like that with a snaffle bit. He seems to be getting on pretty well. The true test will be when we get to ride him again, and I'm not sure when that will be.
After I worked with Harry, I got to ride Nina! I love riding her since I don't get to ride her that often. She is so cool! Of course since there are such long gaps in time when I get to ride her, she is always different in her progression. She got so fast! She goes as fast as Brie now! She seems really happy too. She is very responsive to the leg and such a smooth ride. Just the coolest little horse ever. If only Brie and Harry could get their acts together like Nina did!
I was super exhausted today from staying up really late the past two days working on finals. Finals week is awful.
I only rode Brie today. She was really good, I think she knew I was tired. She wanted to go really fast, so I let her because it felt nice to just let go. Nothing really productive today.
I watched my mom work with Harry. While I was in LA last week, she started working him on the ground. He is taking a break from riding. He was setting his head really nicely and looked like he had to think a lot. He didn't tap dance with his back legs the entire time she was working with him, so I think he's making progress.
Sunday
Today I got to work with Harry. My mom taught me what she was teaching him. We let him go out on the long lunge line to shake off his energy and stretch out before we switch him onto the shorter line. He is wearing bell boots on his front legs and weighted bracelets on his back legs. We're trying to make him remember to keep his legs in rhythm. So on the short line, we work on flexing his head towards us while moving away with his back legs, crossing all of his legs over as he rotates around us. After he does that, we hook him up to our makeshift Pessoa system and lunge him like that with a snaffle bit. He seems to be getting on pretty well. The true test will be when we get to ride him again, and I'm not sure when that will be.
After I worked with Harry, I got to ride Nina! I love riding her since I don't get to ride her that often. She is so cool! Of course since there are such long gaps in time when I get to ride her, she is always different in her progression. She got so fast! She goes as fast as Brie now! She seems really happy too. She is very responsive to the leg and such a smooth ride. Just the coolest little horse ever. If only Brie and Harry could get their acts together like Nina did!
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