And I thought I should let you know Bella is no longer here. We sold her to a fellow Parelli student in the area and she is doing much better already. After having owned her for about 2 years and not riding much at all, her new owner rode her the 5th day she got her. We're very excited for them.
And I had an incredible horse-filled day today. Started out at 9 this morning playing with Queen. She's a LBE beautiful QH, about 15.2ish hands, 9 years old. I actually found her when I was looking for a place to possibly board Moose for the winter, and they told me she was for sale and I just loved her from looking at her. She's incredibly gorgeous. And Parelli-trained too. :) She was soooooo light it was amazing. You used your legs and the reins to turn her, but the legs were like inside your skin. Like I thought, "let's turn right," and did the motions inside my skin for turning as I wanted and she would follow right along. It was absolutely phenomenal. She blew my mind. The only thing Queen was working on was cantering. I surprised myself, I actually felt confident enough to canter on her, even though they said it needed work. Wasn't terrible though. I now feel an itch to canter on Moose! I haven't had the confidence to canter in a long time.
So I will admit I am now trying to figure out if there is any possible way I could fit another horse into my life. I am planning on going back to Farrah's for the summer but hauling 2 horses would be doubly expensive and leaving Queen here by herself for the summer with no handling would be unfair to both my parents taking care of her and Queen. And I have no money with which to pay them. If they were willing to just give her away, then Moose could stay here and have a buddy but then if she had any vet bills I wouldn't have the money to pay for them because I'd have to buy hay. So as you can see it's all a huge mess but I'm thinking on it. There is another person going to see her tomorrow, so if she sells she sells I guess. I'd be kind of bummed, but I know at this point it's not feasible to take on another horse. Just doesn't help me from wishing I could. :) More to come on her though if I think of something. Because I am thinking. . . believe me.
Also thought I should update everyone, I actually have a job now playing with horses!!!!! I'm very thrilled, getting paid for what you want to make a career out of is certainly fulfilling. So I went over there today and played with 3 of their horses: if you remember Star, from long ago, I actually got to play with her today.
Things went much better than last time, I was able to rub her all over with the carrot stick and throw it over her back a little. She got VERY worried about her friens though. Right when I took her out of the pasture I had to do some major RB pattern interrupts, and then she calmed down. I spent a lot of time on Friendly, and also tried some Porcupine and a little bit of Driving. Star was starting to get really LB and actually more pushy than scared, but then I think the horses in the pasture got too far away or something and she went off the walls again. So it was kind of a bummer. I had her at a good spot, but we lost it. It's ok though. I was actually having a lot of trouble teaching her because all she wants to do is crowd you. And I was trying to get her confidence up with the carrot stick, but while maintaining some semblance of safety and teaching her. And having her so RB was not really helping. But I definitely learned more for next time. Since it rained this morning we couldn't really use the arena so that was a hindrance but also we're going to be playing on a 22 promptly next time. This pony needs the room. She can go have her RB freak-outs over there.
Also, got to play with Lily. She was more of an introvert, but she seemed as inexperienced as Star. The only difference was Lily wanted to do nothing but eat. I was trying to teach her Porcupine and do some Friendly, and it was pretty humorous, she'd bring her head up in time to be worried or move and then dive back down again. So we're going to install a head down cue pretty quick. ;)
Lastly, I played with Dazzle today too. Dazzle was the horse you ride when you're ponying one of the more greener horses, so she kind of knew the deal. Well I was told she was pretty good at Liberty stuff, so I turned her loose in the round pen. I guess they had a different concept of Liberty than I did because she didn't really know any of the games. She knew Stick To Me walk and trot, but that's about it. And that was after playing the Catching Game once or twice.
But the really really neat thing about Dazzle is the way she rides. Oh was it magnificent! It was so incredibly similar to Queen I could've cried! (jk jk) But I felt so spoiled, 2 rides on incredibly amazing horses in one day. . . how lucky am I? Before today, I have never ridden any horses as well-trained in riding as these two were. Queen was actually the favorite because Dazzle didn't stop as lightly and it took a bit to get her to go whereas Queen was very light in everything. But it was just excellent, I felt very safe on her and she didn't worry me one bit.
And then once I got home, I headed to a stable down the road to watch my friend ride her horse for a Pony Club event. I was too late though, I arrived just in time for the last ride, but I got to see her mom ride. It went pretty well, they were going eventing and I've never watched that in person before. The horses were all very very pretty and seemed content with life.
Then I actually returned home and played with Moose. He did so excellent I can't even say. It was quite a nice break to play with an advanced horse, one that is familiar with me. The youngsters can be quite challenging on how to get a communication system set up, so I was doubly thankful for Moose. But it was getting kind of late so rather than ride like I had intended I just played with cantering. We've been practicing cantering on the Circling Game for a little while now as I want to start developing some cantering things on the ground, like Stick to Me and eventually Z5 driving. Well, Moose was very connected to me tonight. He did all his gaits with slack in the rope, his trot seemed really nice and even and not racy. It looked balanced! So I asked him to canter out of it and he did do some playful head shaking and kicking a once or twice but he knew what I was asking for so this time instead of changing direction to help him I wanted to see if he could figure it out. And he did! I got about HALF A LAP of cantering each direction. I was so thrilled!!! Before I had only been asking for 3-5 strides and then I immediately brought him in. He excelled that in leaps and bounds tonight. It was fantastic.
Overall, super cool day today. Seriously horse-filled. And I also realized how much more savvy I have riding now than I had before I went to Farrah's. The change is astounding. My confidence level has increased quite a lot. When I first arrived at Farrah's, I was afraid to trot on Moose bareback. By the end of my time, it was no problem. I still didn't think (and don't currently) that I'm that good of a rider, but I had enough confidence to ask for the trot. Apparently, that has also translated to other horses which makes me very excited. I'm getting more savvy! Yahoo!
Showing posts with label Right brain extrovert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Right brain extrovert. Show all posts
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Busy Busy Busy
August has been a very busy month. Last weekend I went up to a dressage horse show to see my friend show her horse. They did really well, and I got to use her camera to take pictures of her. Oh, now THAT was a CAMERA! If I had the money, swear to god I would've gone out and bought that same exact one after the show. My mom estimates that that camera probably cost around $900, so you can see why I couldn't buy it. :( But at least now I know what it feels like to take really good pictures, almost effortlessly.
On another note, in an older post I mentioned that I was going to play with another lady's horses, because she didn't have time to herself. Well, I got to play with an RBE named Star, and she told me that I have a lot to learn about RB horses. I mean, I just realized how nicely I've got it with a bunch of LB guys to play with on a daily basis. No exaggeration: Star wouldn't even let me move the carrot stick. So, forget about throwing it over her back! My starting point was to try to move it without her taking off. And in retrospect, I realized that I got my strategy wrong. I started out with doing as little as I could with the carrot stick and working up to moving it a little more, but she would still move no matter how little I moved it. So, I abandoned the idea of retreating even more (like starting out with picking it up), and upped the anty instead. I threw it over her back. She ran out of there, of course, and then I kept throwing it over until she calmed down even a little, or I stopped her with yo-yo and stopped the CS. I was treating her issue with the CS as a RBE thing, because she was being RBE, but her problem was that she didn't trust the Carrot Stick (Trust me, trust my tools). So, if I could've done it over again, I would've gone a lot slower. But otherwise, she still did alright. After I gave up playing a broken Friendly game, I had her circle for a while, because of the consistency. This taught me that I don't know the strategies for RBE's very well at all. Circling was the only thing I could think of doing! But she responded well: she tried walking on their teeter-totter (I'll take a picture, it's SOO industrial) with little prompting from me, and even walked right over the tarp 2 or 3x. That's a big deal, because she was forced over it the other day by a normal at their facility. Next time I go out, I'll take some pictures. It's a pretty cool place!
And on Saturday, my mom and I went to a speed show they were holding. It was a very good demonstration of what NOT to do. Many people were being direct-line. And there was 1 quite ironic incident. There was a litle boy doing poles on this 21 year old pony that looked a lot older than 21. My mom asked the owner: "So, how old's the pony?" "21" the guys said. "He looks really gentle." "Yeah, he is. He's not our horse, he's my friends and all of their horses are real laid-back." Just as he said that, the pony took off and the kid ended up flying off of him. Luckily the kid wasn't hurt (he was wearing a helmet and chest protector), just a little shocked. But that just made me think of a phrase I heard recently: "Most people get hurt on gentle horses." And it makes a lot of sense, too. People think that their lack of savvy can be made up for by buying an old, experienced horse, but that horse can still go Right Brain as easily as the next.
And Moosey and I are doing alright. Had a discussion with him yesterday about walking over two tires right next to each other filled with dirt. I sent him to squeeze over it, and he said "I can't do that." So, I had to say "try, at least try," because his mind was totally closed to the idea. So, he's still not real confident with it, because he'll only jump it from one side, but I had to end early because the mosquitos were eating me alive last night.
And the horse's hooves need to be done really bad. Moose's are starting to chip off. We accidentally waited until 8 weeks to call the farrier, and then we couldn't get a hold of her, so she's coming tomorrow. Unfortunately, that'll be 10 weeks since their last trim (there goes Moose's halfway-nice-looking hooves), but oh well.
On another note, in an older post I mentioned that I was going to play with another lady's horses, because she didn't have time to herself. Well, I got to play with an RBE named Star, and she told me that I have a lot to learn about RB horses. I mean, I just realized how nicely I've got it with a bunch of LB guys to play with on a daily basis. No exaggeration: Star wouldn't even let me move the carrot stick. So, forget about throwing it over her back! My starting point was to try to move it without her taking off. And in retrospect, I realized that I got my strategy wrong. I started out with doing as little as I could with the carrot stick and working up to moving it a little more, but she would still move no matter how little I moved it. So, I abandoned the idea of retreating even more (like starting out with picking it up), and upped the anty instead. I threw it over her back. She ran out of there, of course, and then I kept throwing it over until she calmed down even a little, or I stopped her with yo-yo and stopped the CS. I was treating her issue with the CS as a RBE thing, because she was being RBE, but her problem was that she didn't trust the Carrot Stick (Trust me, trust my tools). So, if I could've done it over again, I would've gone a lot slower. But otherwise, she still did alright. After I gave up playing a broken Friendly game, I had her circle for a while, because of the consistency. This taught me that I don't know the strategies for RBE's very well at all. Circling was the only thing I could think of doing! But she responded well: she tried walking on their teeter-totter (I'll take a picture, it's SOO industrial) with little prompting from me, and even walked right over the tarp 2 or 3x. That's a big deal, because she was forced over it the other day by a normal at their facility. Next time I go out, I'll take some pictures. It's a pretty cool place!
And on Saturday, my mom and I went to a speed show they were holding. It was a very good demonstration of what NOT to do. Many people were being direct-line. And there was 1 quite ironic incident. There was a litle boy doing poles on this 21 year old pony that looked a lot older than 21. My mom asked the owner: "So, how old's the pony?" "21" the guys said. "He looks really gentle." "Yeah, he is. He's not our horse, he's my friends and all of their horses are real laid-back." Just as he said that, the pony took off and the kid ended up flying off of him. Luckily the kid wasn't hurt (he was wearing a helmet and chest protector), just a little shocked. But that just made me think of a phrase I heard recently: "Most people get hurt on gentle horses." And it makes a lot of sense, too. People think that their lack of savvy can be made up for by buying an old, experienced horse, but that horse can still go Right Brain as easily as the next.
And Moosey and I are doing alright. Had a discussion with him yesterday about walking over two tires right next to each other filled with dirt. I sent him to squeeze over it, and he said "I can't do that." So, I had to say "try, at least try," because his mind was totally closed to the idea. So, he's still not real confident with it, because he'll only jump it from one side, but I had to end early because the mosquitos were eating me alive last night.
And the horse's hooves need to be done really bad. Moose's are starting to chip off. We accidentally waited until 8 weeks to call the farrier, and then we couldn't get a hold of her, so she's coming tomorrow. Unfortunately, that'll be 10 weeks since their last trim (there goes Moose's halfway-nice-looking hooves), but oh well.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Equestrians are MOST Exceptional!!!!
I had a really great oppurtunity today: I volunteered at Exceptional Equestrians!! Exc. Eques. is a non-profit organization that focuses on hippotherapy and therapeutic riding for disabled children. Well, I first heard about this place a while ago and my mom and I decided to go volunteer today. It was quite interesting.
As soon as we walked into the arena, we see this little girl sitting on a big, black horse. She's smiling away, and she turns to us and waves, ecstatic to have us here without even knowing who we are. Then, another kid just does the same thing. It was really cute! So, we helped hold the kids in place for one session. My mom and I were side-walkers for a boy named Henry. Afterward, we got more information and such since today was our first time at Exc. Equestrians.
Oh, and a reason you should get involved: Leaders/side-walkers usually walk about 2 miles in an hour session. So, we can have fun, help kids, be around horses, and lose weight at the same time!! Now, isn't that exciting!! Lol. So, if anyone is interested in volunteering or wants more info, let me know and I'll hook you up!
And one more thing, the lady (Donna) who is in charge of Exc. Eques. is looking for a home for one of her horses. The horse is a Shetland/ Paso Fino mix named Amigo. He's pretty small, so size-wise is more like a Shetland. He's sorrel and sounds like a RBE (extremely herd bound, likes to go, hyper, fearful, unconfident). He's 12 years old. She got him from a lady who had supposedly shown him. Though, I think if he was to be a riding horse, he'd have to get a refresher. The lady let him sit for a while, before she decided to sell him. Anyways, Donna has owned him for a year and is really looking for a nice home for him. She's selling him for free, because he's too hyper and herd bound for her needs. Donna has never ridden him before, because he's hyper on the ground, so she doesn't dare think what he'd be like undersaddle. So, she is selling him as a companion horse. I think he'd make a good Parelli project, but remember he's small!! Basically, if anyone is looking for a free companion horse or knows of someone who needs one, let me know and I'll give you Donna's phone number.
As soon as we walked into the arena, we see this little girl sitting on a big, black horse. She's smiling away, and she turns to us and waves, ecstatic to have us here without even knowing who we are. Then, another kid just does the same thing. It was really cute! So, we helped hold the kids in place for one session. My mom and I were side-walkers for a boy named Henry. Afterward, we got more information and such since today was our first time at Exc. Equestrians.
Oh, and a reason you should get involved: Leaders/side-walkers usually walk about 2 miles in an hour session. So, we can have fun, help kids, be around horses, and lose weight at the same time!! Now, isn't that exciting!! Lol. So, if anyone is interested in volunteering or wants more info, let me know and I'll hook you up!
And one more thing, the lady (Donna) who is in charge of Exc. Eques. is looking for a home for one of her horses. The horse is a Shetland/ Paso Fino mix named Amigo. He's pretty small, so size-wise is more like a Shetland. He's sorrel and sounds like a RBE (extremely herd bound, likes to go, hyper, fearful, unconfident). He's 12 years old. She got him from a lady who had supposedly shown him. Though, I think if he was to be a riding horse, he'd have to get a refresher. The lady let him sit for a while, before she decided to sell him. Anyways, Donna has owned him for a year and is really looking for a nice home for him. She's selling him for free, because he's too hyper and herd bound for her needs. Donna has never ridden him before, because he's hyper on the ground, so she doesn't dare think what he'd be like undersaddle. So, she is selling him as a companion horse. I think he'd make a good Parelli project, but remember he's small!! Basically, if anyone is looking for a free companion horse or knows of someone who needs one, let me know and I'll give you Donna's phone number.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Soaring Sideways!
I'm really starting to wonder what's up with Dancer! She's RBE every time I play with her lately! I wonder if I'm accidentally making her RB, or what? Hmm, I'll have to think about that one.
Well. . . on a good note, we played with the Sideways game today!! That was my main focus, since Dancer could use some help with it. I had looked through my notes from the Madison tour stop the other day, and when Pat got the horse to go sideways, he said to walk and waggle your stick. So, I lined Dancer up and started walking and waggling (MISTAKE: next time, I'm using the carrot stick to waggle, because using the rope doesn't work well). She ran around quite a bit and it took a ways before she tried to move her forehand over. Eventually, she did and I gave her a minute or two to think about it. So, I did that a few times. One of the times, I ran out of fence and had to turn around and walk back the other way! Well, I ended the session on her moving sideways after I had walked only a little ways which was quite the accomplishment for her! So, I'm happy that I can help her with her sideways!!
Well. . . on a good note, we played with the Sideways game today!! That was my main focus, since Dancer could use some help with it. I had looked through my notes from the Madison tour stop the other day, and when Pat got the horse to go sideways, he said to walk and waggle your stick. So, I lined Dancer up and started walking and waggling (MISTAKE: next time, I'm using the carrot stick to waggle, because using the rope doesn't work well). She ran around quite a bit and it took a ways before she tried to move her forehand over. Eventually, she did and I gave her a minute or two to think about it. So, I did that a few times. One of the times, I ran out of fence and had to turn around and walk back the other way! Well, I ended the session on her moving sideways after I had walked only a little ways which was quite the accomplishment for her! So, I'm happy that I can help her with her sideways!!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Sweet Success
I played with Dancer last night. She actually ran to me, too. I was shocked, because I thought she'd hate me (our session 2 days ago didn't go very well)! So that's exciting.
Let's see, we started out doing some jumping. I actually got her to jump over a barrel twice! Though, she went a little RBE, but that was over quick. I arranged the barrels in a 'L' pattern and we played with that a little bit. And I realized how sensitive Dancer is to the Yo-yo game. She was consistently backing off of Phase 1 which is pretty good for her!
Then, I decided to try some trailer loading, since Dancer needs a tiny bit more help with that. She did really good!! After a while, I got it so that she was actually confident to load all the way in and come out. So, that was really good! Plus, she was offering to go in when I hadn't asked. Eventually, I had to ask her to circle, because she wouldn't let me close the trailer up!! Lol.
After that I took her outside to eat some grass. She had a RBE episode. Since I only had a 12' rope on her, I had her run back and forth in a half-circle while I had my back to a fence. I tried to back her up a little after and she reared up. Interesting, because I thought when horses go RBE, you're supposed to back them up to something (or put their nose/foot on something)?
Next, I took her back in the pasture and tried some porcupine on FQ and Sideways. She still doesn't really understand Sideways: she'll move her HQ, but she doesn't move her FQ yet. But she'll get there! Also, I got her to pivot on her FQ turn. I took her halter off at that, because her FQ are like a chair that weighs 2 tons!
Let's see, we started out doing some jumping. I actually got her to jump over a barrel twice! Though, she went a little RBE, but that was over quick. I arranged the barrels in a 'L' pattern and we played with that a little bit. And I realized how sensitive Dancer is to the Yo-yo game. She was consistently backing off of Phase 1 which is pretty good for her!
Then, I decided to try some trailer loading, since Dancer needs a tiny bit more help with that. She did really good!! After a while, I got it so that she was actually confident to load all the way in and come out. So, that was really good! Plus, she was offering to go in when I hadn't asked. Eventually, I had to ask her to circle, because she wouldn't let me close the trailer up!! Lol.
After that I took her outside to eat some grass. She had a RBE episode. Since I only had a 12' rope on her, I had her run back and forth in a half-circle while I had my back to a fence. I tried to back her up a little after and she reared up. Interesting, because I thought when horses go RBE, you're supposed to back them up to something (or put their nose/foot on something)?
Next, I took her back in the pasture and tried some porcupine on FQ and Sideways. She still doesn't really understand Sideways: she'll move her HQ, but she doesn't move her FQ yet. But she'll get there! Also, I got her to pivot on her FQ turn. I took her halter off at that, because her FQ are like a chair that weighs 2 tons!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
To be, or not to be RBE. . .
I guess that's the question. Do I or do I not want a RBE? Hmmm. Tough choice. Their pros and cons are numerous, that's for sure. Hmmph. . .
Once upon a time at Ot's Sunrise Farms *drool* there was but a slight chill in the air as two women stepped out of their car. The younger lady had thin blonde hair, twirling at every breeze. Her ordinary blue eyes assessed the grand stable before her. As recognition settled in, she spoke loudly "Yep, we're here alright!" The other woman, her mother, nodded.
Yep, so my mom and I were at Ot's. Looking at a horse. Tada! So . . . details: The horse is named Vittorion.
[caption id="attachment_163" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Looks mostly Morgan to me. What a great confirmation shot, though!"]
[/caption]
He's an Akhal-Teke/ Morgan cross. And he was pretty RBE. So, now we'll get into the story.
Alrighty, so the lady gets Vittorion and asks where I want him: in the arena or roundpen. I decide roundpen. All the better for groundwork, right? So, the lady opens the door and leads Vittorion in. And takes his halter off. And he starts running. Obviously, she thought I wanted to lunge him.
So, I get my 22' rope and halter and go stand in the middle of the pen. Boy, was I in an interesting situation: I mean, how do I catch a galloping RBE horse with no halter? I asked his owner what she usually did to catch him. She's like "Oh, he'll usually come to me sometimes, but I haven't lunged him in a while," which got me thinking "Oh, boy!" I thought for a couple minutes and then just decided that I'd try and act as non-threatening as possible. So, I just kind of walked around and tried to give him as much space as possible. After a couple of minutes, he decided to come to me. I petted him with the halter all over, but he wasn't paying me any attention now, because he could see his buddies. I tried to get the halter on, but he wanted to run again, so I said "let me help you!" Then, I went back to being non-threatening and after walking around a little bit, I went over to the other side of the pen and turned my back to him. He came up to me again. This time he let me put the halter on. :)
Now, I'm going to allow myself a little room to ramble. The reason being that this horse was AMAZING!! Granted, I haven't seen many RBEs, but this one was incredible!!! SOOOOO sensitive! I played with him for only an hour, and it was like he already knew Parelli (and I know for a fact he didn't)!! I wish I could've gotten a video, he was SOOO incredible. Okay, achievements: Friendly went good, but in the beginning he was distracted so that didn't really count; Porcupine HQ phase 1, FQ phase 2ish; Driving he totally aced, HQ phase .5 (lol), FQ phase 2ish; Yo-yo was incredible, I got him backing off Phase 1 simply because of my body language; Circling I didn't have time for; Sideways I skipped; Squeeze game wasn't the best. Also, another big thing (in my mind at least) is that Vittorion didn't need the carrot stick. His phase 4 was (usually) barely touching him. It was incredible. I mean, when I got home, I was giggling, I was so happy!
But I was trying to think if I could see myself riding that horse (after we'd prepared properly, of course), and the answer I've come to is I really don't know. I think I'll go see him again
See, what I'm really unhappy about is that Vittorion's temperament is a 6.
I don't think I want a horse that spirited, (though it's certainly something I'll eventually need to be able to handle) yet I have no interest in buying a peanut-pusher either. Oohhh, but Vittorion was so amazing! Ahh, I hate decisions. Lol.
Lastly, I have to mention that the barn Vittorion was stalled
in (omg) was ALL studs. So, as I'm walking back to the barn all the studs nicker to Vittorion and about half of them get aggressive. Interesting. Anyways, we got a GORGEOUS picture of a Friesian stud.
Once upon a time at Ot's Sunrise Farms *drool* there was but a slight chill in the air as two women stepped out of their car. The younger lady had thin blonde hair, twirling at every breeze. Her ordinary blue eyes assessed the grand stable before her. As recognition settled in, she spoke loudly "Yep, we're here alright!" The other woman, her mother, nodded.
Yep, so my mom and I were at Ot's. Looking at a horse. Tada! So . . . details: The horse is named Vittorion.
[caption id="attachment_163" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Looks mostly Morgan to me. What a great confirmation shot, though!"]
[/caption]He's an Akhal-Teke/ Morgan cross. And he was pretty RBE. So, now we'll get into the story.
Alrighty, so the lady gets Vittorion and asks where I want him: in the arena or roundpen. I decide roundpen. All the better for groundwork, right? So, the lady opens the door and leads Vittorion in. And takes his halter off. And he starts running. Obviously, she thought I wanted to lunge him.
So, I get my 22' rope and halter and go stand in the middle of the pen. Boy, was I in an interesting situation: I mean, how do I catch a galloping RBE horse with no halter? I asked his owner what she usually did to catch him. She's like "Oh, he'll usually come to me sometimes, but I haven't lunged him in a while," which got me thinking "Oh, boy!" I thought for a couple minutes and then just decided that I'd try and act as non-threatening as possible. So, I just kind of walked around and tried to give him as much space as possible. After a couple of minutes, he decided to come to me. I petted him with the halter all over, but he wasn't paying me any attention now, because he could see his buddies. I tried to get the halter on, but he wanted to run again, so I said "let me help you!" Then, I went back to being non-threatening and after walking around a little bit, I went over to the other side of the pen and turned my back to him. He came up to me again. This time he let me put the halter on. :)
Now, I'm going to allow myself a little room to ramble. The reason being that this horse was AMAZING!! Granted, I haven't seen many RBEs, but this one was incredible!!! SOOOOO sensitive! I played with him for only an hour, and it was like he already knew Parelli (and I know for a fact he didn't)!! I wish I could've gotten a video, he was SOOO incredible. Okay, achievements: Friendly went good, but in the beginning he was distracted so that didn't really count; Porcupine HQ phase 1, FQ phase 2ish; Driving he totally aced, HQ phase .5 (lol), FQ phase 2ish; Yo-yo was incredible, I got him backing off Phase 1 simply because of my body language; Circling I didn't have time for; Sideways I skipped; Squeeze game wasn't the best. Also, another big thing (in my mind at least) is that Vittorion didn't need the carrot stick. His phase 4 was (usually) barely touching him. It was incredible. I mean, when I got home, I was giggling, I was so happy!
But I was trying to think if I could see myself riding that horse (after we'd prepared properly, of course), and the answer I've come to is I really don't know. I think I'll go see him again
See, what I'm really unhappy about is that Vittorion's temperament is a 6.
I don't think I want a horse that spirited, (though it's certainly something I'll eventually need to be able to handle) yet I have no interest in buying a peanut-pusher either. Oohhh, but Vittorion was so amazing! Ahh, I hate decisions. Lol.
Lastly, I have to mention that the barn Vittorion was stalled
in (omg) was ALL studs. So, as I'm walking back to the barn all the studs nicker to Vittorion and about half of them get aggressive. Interesting. Anyways, we got a GORGEOUS picture of a Friesian stud.
Monday, August 11, 2008
"Quick, shut the gate!!"
Luckily, not!! I just felt like naming this post after one of Pat's trailer loading don'ts. My neighbors borrowed a trailer for the week and so decided to try loading their horses. So, Ruby, Charlie, and Sheba had an interesting day today. By the way, I've never talked about Sheba before, because I don't play with her much. She's a bay 25 year old LBI Quarter Horse who hasn't been in a trailer in 8 years. Well, Ruby had never seen a trailer before. My friend Miranda had Ruby, I had Sheba and Miranda's mom Bev had Charlie. Charlie was the most willing to load, so we loaded him up first. Ruby got hyped up! She wasn't even near the trailer, and she started doing a passage. I'll admit, she looked amazing (her tail was up the highest I've ever seen it, too), but I felt bad for Miranda. She was trying to restrain her and Ruby got away. But she ran right to Sheba, so no big deal.
Well, when Ruby went in the trailer, Bev tried bribing her. Ruby went in part way for the food, yet she was extremely unconfident. Talk about RBE!! And due to contrast in methods (Bev and Miranda are anti-Parelli), I'm no longer allowed to use Phase 4 with their horses. So, all I can do is stand by and watch. Anyways, we got Ruby to go in halfway, but she won't move her hind feet yet. She's thought about it, though. So, that's great for Ruby's first time!
I also tried loading Sheba in. She was sweating up a storm! The most I got her to go in was about halfway. Sheba was really unconfident, too. She kept trying to hide behind the side of the trailer. Also, she kept pulling back on the rope. But boy was Sheba thinking! I think she dug a hole halfway to China. So, it was quite easy to pick up Sheba's thinking pattern: pawing. Well, she tried a lot one time, so I decided that that was a good note to quit on. I took her away and she wouldn't eat any grass. I think she was too RBE to care, if that's possible. I'm happy with how I handled her RBEness. She wanted to walk fast, so instead of holding her back, I had her hindquarters in a few circles, and then forehand and then had her squeeze between a post and she calmed down. It was difficult on such a short rope, but I managed! :)
Well, when Ruby went in the trailer, Bev tried bribing her. Ruby went in part way for the food, yet she was extremely unconfident. Talk about RBE!! And due to contrast in methods (Bev and Miranda are anti-Parelli), I'm no longer allowed to use Phase 4 with their horses. So, all I can do is stand by and watch. Anyways, we got Ruby to go in halfway, but she won't move her hind feet yet. She's thought about it, though. So, that's great for Ruby's first time!
I also tried loading Sheba in. She was sweating up a storm! The most I got her to go in was about halfway. Sheba was really unconfident, too. She kept trying to hide behind the side of the trailer. Also, she kept pulling back on the rope. But boy was Sheba thinking! I think she dug a hole halfway to China. So, it was quite easy to pick up Sheba's thinking pattern: pawing. Well, she tried a lot one time, so I decided that that was a good note to quit on. I took her away and she wouldn't eat any grass. I think she was too RBE to care, if that's possible. I'm happy with how I handled her RBEness. She wanted to walk fast, so instead of holding her back, I had her hindquarters in a few circles, and then forehand and then had her squeeze between a post and she calmed down. It was difficult on such a short rope, but I managed! :)
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