Trimming and Trail Riding

I officially get to log my first 4.5 miles! Yeterday was a big day for me and the boys. I got out there and tied them up for trimming, and the lady got right to it. I can't remember her name, but the cmopany is Little Lady Horseshoeing. She was really good with both of the boys, taking time to let Snickers, who I had go first so I could saddle him up while Flash got his feet done, calm down and get used to her being there and working on his feet and all her tools. He stood really well for her and she got him trimmed up really nice. She said he had good feet, though his outer walls are a lot thinner than his inner walls I guess. She helped me decide to keep him barfoot as long as I can, though,if we need to, shoes will prevent him from wearing down unevenly. Flash didn't want to stand still very well and she worked well with him. She had me come stand in front of him and calm him down and keep him from going forward, and he did great after that. I really wanted him to learn to stand for her without the clicker, so I was glad he did so well. She also said he had really good feet. When I mentioned about him being toed out, she said his toes were just long and he had a "flare" on the outside. She trimmed it off and he looked a lot better. I don't know about the toed out or not, but it was nice to hear her say he's really good. I put Flash back right after the trimming. He was already sweaty when I pulled him out of the pasture, so he must have been running (I'm guessing chased?) around a bit. I'm glad I hadn't planned on working him. Snickers, on the other hand, I planned on finally taking out onto the trail. I figured out the Garmin and set it up so I really wanted to try it out, plus it was really nice day. By the time I got out there it was cloudier and windier but not terrible. I almost decided to stay in the arena... I got the bridle on the first try. He took the bit fine and ALMOST raised his head, bringing it up a few inches but still with my arm over his poll, but I paused and just waited for him to put it back down before I finished putting it on. Then I rewarded him with plenty of grain :) He did NOT want to stand still at all. Thank goodness he freezes once you're actually getting on and off, but getting him to hold still otherwise was a pain. He fought dropping his head and collecting, but eventually started to give in. Ultimatlely, I decided to go ahead and just take him out and let him move. As soon as we were out, he turned his attention to what was going on rather than misbehaving. Of course, he had to look at everything and s really cautious, but once we got going on the trail he started moving really well and collecting when I asked him to. He shied away from a few things, but overall I was really proud of him and he behaved himself and listened. When it was coming bout time to turn back, there was a really good marker: a giant bundle of rusty and tangled up metal. It might have been a car at one point - either way, i wanted Snickers to at least take a good look at it and he decided he didn't want any part of it or the 30 feet of trail between it and us as it was right alongside it. I didn't ask him to go toward it, but I did want him to take a good look at it and calm down - and it definitely showed when he finally saw it lol. But, after a little bit of coxing not to just turn around and head the other way, as he REALLY wanted to do, he stopped and took a good look at it and held still, and then I told him it was time to go home. On the way home, it was REALLY easy to get him into an extended trot, so I rewarded him by letting him and I worked on getting comfortable in it. He did break into a lope now and then, but slowed right down when I asked him. When we started tog et closer to the barn, I slowed him down to a walk to cool down, but we did average 6.9 mph before we slowed down. At the end, we'd gone exactly 4.5 miles and averaged 6.3 mph. He was really sweaty but so excited to be back and started whinnying for Flash when we got back. I unsaddled him and did a quick brush, but he was ready to get to the pasture and I needed to go, so I got him back out to his buddies pretty quickly. Overall, it was a really good day :) All of my maintenence is done now and they won't need their feet done for another 2 months, and shots done until fall! And I'm finally logging my miles (which, btw, the GPS doesn't get a good signal inside the barn, but oh well). I think I'm going to get ahold of the endurance lady out there so I can make sure I go about this the right way, but I'm feeling pretty good about all this. I called Legacy and my reins are inbut my saddle pad is on back order, so we'll see when ose come in. I think I may pick up the reins tomorrow though. I guess we'll see!

Good day with Flash!

Well, I did a pretty thorough job with the video explaining how it went yesterday. There are a few additional things I wanted to note, though. I got to see my boys a day early because yesterday was really windy and was supposed to rain off and on. Thank goodness for an indoor arena! I was really excited to work with Flash, so I pulled him out first. I decided I wasn't going to do anything he hadn't done successfully before, so we can get back to where we were before I got Snickers and was focusing on him instead of Flash. I groomed him down really well - I think it's so funny when he feels the curry comb where his neck meets his chest, and he arches his head up and out. It seems like he really likes it! I cleaned out his feet, too - I had to pull out the clicker on his back foot, which I did second, and then he was fine for the rest of his feet. We started out with him "posing" - which he did really well! He actually kept his head a little higher, more like a dressage pose (though I don't know much about English and next to nothing about dressage, that's just the best I can describe it), which was really good. After that, we did some leading, reviewed posing for a moment, and then did some "at liberty" leading. He did so well! I'm glad he warmed up to me again so quickly :) We'll have to keep working on those and add one new thing at a time and master it before moving on. We'll do some lunging maybe next time, and then eventually ground driving again - but I can't start that for now anyway since I don't have the cavesson or surcingle yet and probably won't until next week. Hopefully my saddle stand comes soon so I can start leaving my tack at Dusty Acres instead of lugging it around in my car and carrying it to and from the barn.

Snickers did well, though we got a rough start. He was pretty worked up having four days off, especially with how windy it was. He was terrified of the garage door opening and shutting, too. Flash was nervous and backed up some, but Snickers looked terrified out of his mind and was bracing back against the hitching pole. Oh well. We lunged quite a bit and he seemed to be all over the place loping - I slowed the video down today and realized he was cross firing to the left almost constantly. (I made a video just showing this and breaking it down in slow motion to show when and how often he was doing it). I'm pretty sure I know, now what happened when I fell off - I remember he felt really funny, especially on the turns (cross firing), stuttered and I lost my seat (correcting himself), and then stopped when I lost my seat and off I went. It makes a lot of sense now. He did do a lot better under saddle, though. In the video, it doesn't look like he's cross firing at all, though he did pick up the wrong lead now and then. The only major issue we had was when I bridled him. I had the halter clipped around his neck and he threw his head off. He fought it so bad that, when I tried to put it on again, he shook his head out of the halter and was loose in the arena. I caught him pretty easily with a cookie and a lead rope. Then, I used the lead rope over his poll pulling him down and clicker training to keep his head low like we did before. I worked through him lowering his head even when my hands were messing around his ears - that's when he was throwing his head up just like before. In the end I got it on, but I wanted just to get on and ride him out since he hadn't been ridden since Monday, so I didn't really focus on making sure he was good about getting it on and off. I'll have to make sure I leave some time to focus on that soon and get him to where he was. Oh well - it just goes to show how he needs consistent work and practice!

 Working with Flash:

 Working with Snickers (see below for cross firing video):

 Snickers cross-firing:

Jackpot!

What do you get when you put together a rider who's basically only ridden Quarter Horses, an Arabian, and a trainer that trains reigners?  You get a riding pair with an Arabian who sticks his nose to the ground and trots slowly with droopy-loose reigns and a very happy rider!  Snickers really impressed me today.  I decided it wasn't a great combo to be trying to teach him how I want him to move and behave while I'm trying to learn to get my seat on him at the same time, so I rode in my Western saddle today (which I'm still going to sell!)  I brushed Snickers out - his hair was still a little matted from yesterday - saddled up, and lunged him in the round pen for a while at both a trot and lope.  He was a little shy of the barn side of the pen and spooked a few times, but not really bad and he may have just been feeling a little good.  It was pretty funny because I'd tell him WOAH and he'd plant, turn towards me, throw his head in the air, and BLOW!  ... as in nose flared blowing with this nice fog horn type sound all in one huff.  He's the first horse I've known that does that (though Sonny did it today with tail in the air and all when he was turned out to the pasture by himself).  Barb said it's an Arabian thing and they do that when they're feeling good usually.  I think it's cute and it looks pretty cool.  After he calmed down and relaxed a bit, I took the halter off and put the bridle on with nothing to hold his head down or hold him still, and he took it just fine with his head nice and low!  Good boy!

So then I rode him around and around at a walk and eventually at a trot.  He didn't spook when I was on him the whole time and listened really well!  At a trot, I just asked him to drop his head and said easy.  It's almost like he starts reading my mind and knew what I wanted - it didn't take very long for me to give me a consistently slow and easy trot.  He was able to get something too, though - because he drops his head so low and slows down, I couldn't hold him tight with the reigns.  After we felt each other out and got a little communication going for the slow trot, I was able to give him all the reigns in the world and he didn't speed up!  To ask him to slow down now, I just have to say easy (it took him a little to realize that doesn't mean 'woah') and jiggle the reigns a bit (like I've been teaching my students to do with Rocket), and he slows right down :)  Good boy!  He looks like a royal reigning and western pleasure horse now!  I don't care so much about the height of the head as I do the pace and listening, but it sure feels good when he puts his head low and trots nice and easy.  I'll have to show my dad what an Arabian can really do if you're smart enough to work with them :)  I didn't ask him to lope today because he was doing so well on the trotting and I really wanted to reinforce that.  After a couple of times trotting each way (working in a little neck reigning each time we switched direction toward the fence), I decided he'd done a good enough job to be done.  He let me take off the bridle really nicely and I unsaddled him.  I gave him a good brushing afterward while I fed him treats, and then fixed one of the braids that came out.  And of course more treats haha.

I'm pretty proud of him.  I feel like I hit the jackpot with him and we're going to make an excellent team.  I'm so glad we found one another and were able to give each other a shot.  Even though the first time I met him he stuck his tongue out at me!  I'm so excited to bring him home tomorrow - Barb and I are planning on meeting at noon at her place, she's going to follow me to Eagle and drop him off, then I'll spend some time with him there to help him settle in.  It's good knowing he's bonded to me and, in Barb's words, I'm a "familiar face".  This is going to be great :).

Success!

Snickers is bridling like a pro! Yesterday, we did a good soliD clicker training session. The first half, I worked him from accepting the bit into letting me put the headstall on completely. The second half was simply putting the bridle on and taking it off over and over. Didn't ride him, just wanted him to focus on the bridle - now he puts his head nice and low, accepts the bit, and doesn't move at all when I tuck his ears under!

Today, though, was the real test. I intended on riding, so I pulled him out, tied him up, saddled up (I have more to write about the saddling but that's another post...), and then put the bridle on like it was nothing... And it was! I don't want to say he is completely over it - I'll want to see him respond just like that for a week or two with consistent riding to declare that - but he's definitely on that path. Yay!

Encouraging progress!

Snickers did really well today with the bridle!  I guess the trainer worked with him and he did well yesterday.  Today I just took him out, put him on the cross ties in the barn, curry combed and brushed him a bit, then worked with the bridle.  We started with just accepting the bit and lowering his head.  Then we moved on to messing with his closer (right) ear and lowering his head.  Finally, we ended with messing with his far ear and lowering his head.  I did get the bridle on all the way once about halfway through, though he was pulling away, but I decided that wasn't my goal today.  Taking it slow is most important to me to make sure he really learns it this time and we don't have to fight it just to get it on.  Rather, I just focused on messing with him and having his head nice and low.  The funny thing is, now every time I reach my arm over his head to put the bridle on, his head drops to the ground!  So I have to squat to get the bit in his mouth, and his hears are about thigh high haha.  Oh well, a calm horse with his nose on the ground is much better than a stressed and worried horse with his nose 8 feet in the air!  We can work on a more 'proper' head height later, but honestly, I don't think I can complain much about a horse that really, really wants to drop his head as soon as I present the bridle!  (It was nice to show the owner and trainers there how well he was learning - they thought it was cool and were very encouraging the first night I started him clicker training, but I sure felt like an idiot when he really didn't seem like he understood it!) He still twitches his head on the first ear, but as long as I'm quick it's not a big deal and his head stays low.  As for the second ear, he still wants to lift his head but will drop it when I ask and I ended with the bridle sitting on his ear but not pulled all the way through.  Which I personally would think is pretty uncomfortable but he accepted it and held his head low so I gave him his jackpot of treats, told him good job, rubbed his neck, and returned him to his stall.

So, he's not perfect with the bridle, but he's only been worked with a few times and he's improved so much!  The most important thing, though, is that I know I can work with him and make really good progress.  So not only can I work him through this issue, but I should be able to work with him through ANY issue that comes up.  The nice thing about this whole experience is that I've really seen Snickers at his worst.  He's rough and hasn't really been worked, developed an issue and got over it (mostly), spooked quite a few times with me on him, and it's winter!  However, everything has been very positive with him and I'm fairly confident we'll be able to work through anything and everything and make a fantastic team.  I've never felt uncomfortable or nervous with him, and he seems to really like me!  It was funny - when I first got there, he was standing out in the mud and didn't seem to want to come to the stall to make it easy to get him, so I thought he was going to make me walk out in the mud to catch him!  However, I turned around to grab the halter (which was hung right across from his stall), and as soon as he saw me grab it, in he came!  He's such a sweetheart - and a handsome boy!  I can't wait to start putting some good miles on him!

Bridling troubles

Snickers has a bridling issue.  They told me he was a little head shy about his ears before, but when I met him the first time he just refused to let them put it on.  They got the bit in at first but not the headstall, but after that they couldn't even bring the bridle near his head without it shooting into the air - which is a problem when your horse is 15.1 hands and has a very long Arabian neck.  I did get to ride him in a halter and he did very well, but I really want to solve this issue before I take him home.  Since then, the breeder and her staff have been working with him (on their "TO DO" board there is a "No Snarl Mr. Snickers" drawing haha - and he does make a snarly nose face!).  I was told the trainer lunged him until he was tired the other day and then put on and took off the bridle multiple times.  The breeder even had his teeth done on Friday as they had a couple of bad hooks in there.

I decided to take a crack at it from another angle.  Though I don't think I'll use clicker training as religiously with Snickers as I do Flash simply because he's already had 30 days on him, I do want him to understand the concept in order to solve issues such as these.  Unfortunately, Snickers hasn't been quite as eager of a learner as Flash, but that probably has something to do with the fact that he's been given treats and grain regularly just for looking cute and has never had to work for them, while Flash has had to earn his from day one.  Plus, Snickers has other trainers and people working with him and is quite a bit older.  However, after some work on Friday and this morning, he's finally got the concept!  He's deliberately and repeatedly touching my target :)  Again, he's not nearly as eager as Flash, but he gets what's going on.  (I think he was also full and wasn't as excited about the treats I was using, since he eventually stopped eating them even when he did earn them).

When we reached that point with targeting my water bottle wrapped in lime green duct tape, we moved out of the stall and took a short brushing break before taking a crack at the bridle issue.  I changed treats and took it slow - he got it pretty quickly too!  First I got him to lower his head when I presented the bridle, then to allow me to put the headstall around his head (not on him though) and then lower his head, and finally to let me put the bit in.  He's not keeping his head nice and low and relaxed, especially when I'm putting the bit in, but he's not throwing it in the air, either.  Improvement and baby steps :)  The final time, I even got the headstall around his ear, though he was pulling away a bit.  That's a good point to stop, I decided.

Tomorrow afternoon we'll pick up with the bridle, stepping back to simply lowering his head when I'm holding it around and on his head, and hopefully get that bit into his mouth and bridle completely on a couple of times with lots of rewards :)  It'll be tempting to ride him if we get it on in time, but we'll see if I actually do.  I wouldn't want to ruin it for him by working him in a bridle when he's still not sure about how he wants to react to it being put on!  My main focus right now is going to be on Snickers and I getting used to each other and the more urgent issue of getting him to take a bridle nicely.  Like the board says, No Snarl Mr. Snickers!