5 Days In A Row!

Last week I got 5 straight days of training with Chance. On Tuesday I just wanted to get the saddle back on her again. She had only had it on the one time which was her first time saddled and happened to be our first ride! So I took my saddle up to the round pen and then took Chance up there. I lunged her a little first, then I saddled her up. Now I did end up using a different pad on her. The first time I saddled her, I had used Fritzy's fleece pad, but it seemed a little big on her. So I grabbed a pad that has a wool bottom to it, and it's a little stiffer then the fleece pad. But it is smaller and I thought it would fit her much better. I sent her off at the walk, I always start at the walk to keep her quiet. I don't like horses just taking off at the lope when I am lunging. After a lap or 2 of walking we go into the trot. I have Chance trot for about 5 minutes then ask for the lope. Well, almost immediately her head goes down, her back hunches up and she gets broncy. Not terribly broncy, but enough that I knew this would not be a day that I would be climbing on for our second ride!  So I kept her loping until she worked it out of her system. When we reversed directions, she was totally over any broncy-ness. I was wondering if maybe the feel of the stiffer wool pad felt different on her back and that is why she was being a little broncy, or maybe she was feeling broncy because of only having the saddle on for the 2nd time. I believe it was the pad. I put her in lines and did some ground driving with her then called it a day.

Wednesday my mother-in-law called and wanted to bring my 3 1/2 yr old niece K out to see the horses. I told her that would be great and I would saddle up my filly for K. K has grown up with Chance and she just loves the baby horse! I thought it would be fun for K to see how much Chance has grown up and that she is wearing a saddle now! When they arrived I already had Chance saddled up and ready to go. We went to the round pen and I lunged Chance. No broncy-ness this time at all. She was a very good girl. She seemed to be in a really good frame of mind so I decided to get on, for the 2nd ride! I got on without any problems and it took her a few minutes to figure out how to move off my leg into the walk. But I had steering!! All the ground driving has really paid off. And I even asked her to back. It wasn't straight and it wasn't pretty, but she backed a few steps!

 

Thursday I just walked her around and really made sure she understood what my leg meant when I squeezed her sides. She has been having a tough time understanding this. I seem to have everything else, but the "go" button!! So once I got her moving well off my leg, I lost all my whoa. The neighbor horses had come down to the fence line, and Chance was a little nervous about them being behind her. I had to get her "mind" back on me. I believe that is why she lost her whoa. But we worked on it until I got it back. Those short baby attention spans, gotta keep that mind on the task at hand...ME!!!

 

Friday after lunging and getting on, I decided I wanted to "up" what I ask of Chance. So after a couple laps walking, I decided to ask for the trot. I squeezed, clucked and said "trot", and she immediately went into the trot!! I wasn't expecting that because it has taken her awhile to understand what it means to walk, let alone trot! But she went right to a trot. It was nothing fancy. I mean she would speed up, slow down, zig and zag. But we were trotting. We trotted quite a bit. I actually think she enjoyed it! And so did I! But I had forgotten what it was like to ride a young horse who is first learning to carry a rider. I think I need to work on my balance because of how inconsistent she is right now in the trot. But that's okay, it will all come together!!

Saturday was a very interesting day. Well, probably not as interesting to you as to me. I always do groundwork and lunging before I get on. She started out really lazy. I mean I usually have no issue getting her to lope and staying in the lope. But not this day. She kept breaking down to the trot and then the neighbor horses came down to the fence again and Chance got all worked up. Tail over her back, prancing and snorting all over. I had to get her mind back on me. Then to top it off, my other neighbor decided at that time he needed to come out and play on his tractor and shoveling gravel or rocks into his loader, right on the property line where my round pen is. Chance jumped and spooked and snorted. But you know what? I don't care. I don't care that the neighbor decided to do work at that exact time that I wanted to ride my filly for the 5th time ever. Chance has to get used to it. I would rather her spook in the round pen while I'm riding her then out on a trail ride, which I am sure will happen too! So once she didn't mind the commotion being made next door, I got on. She was pretty darn tired at this point. I didn't walk for long before I asked her to trot. She did not go into the trot so easy this time. She was tired. She was super lazy. But I finally got her to go. But she didn't want to stay in the trot for long, well, guess what Chance? That is just too darn bad. I rode her for quite a while, trotting all over. Keeping the forward momentum. Finally it was time to call it a day.

 

Chance had to be tired. I had worked her 5 days in a row, which I have not been able to do yet. I think that had a lot to do with her being so lazy. I know she is more on the lazy side anyways, but not quite that lazy. She will definitely be a "spur" horse when that time comes. For now, she has to learn to move forward! My plan this week was to continue trotting, getting her to move off my leg and hopefully get her loping! Well my plans are on hold, due to....you guessed it, RAIN! It has rained the last 3 days and I don't think there will be a break in the rain until Friday. So now Chance gets 5 days off. The day in the life of a NorthWET horse trainer! Hey OH, can you please build me a covered arena? Please?!?