Barn Day

After a busy week, it was nice to have a day to hang out with the horses! First order of business was getting Ginger's feet trimmed up:

This is the traumatized look she adopts every farrier appointment. The farrier loved Ginger's  new princess halter too!

She was good, and for the first time in three years we were able to use a hoof stand! The backstory to that is once a very long time ago, she yanked a hoof back and the stand fell underneath her and she tripped all over it and scared herself. Because this is Ginger, ever since just the sight of one near a farrier makes her break out in a sweat and get all panicky. Of course it's fine if I put her feet on and in things, she's a Welsh Cob and the default behaviour is to try to get her front feet on anything interesting. It's when the farrier does it it's a big deal! She's pretty smart and has a memory like an elephant. So, today, at last, my horse acted like an adult for the farrier. We win. Our goals are slightly different than normal people lol.  

Next up, I took both the girls up to the ring for an outing. I've been really slack about taking them both out together for quite a while now, so I was pretty happy that they walked up the road politely on either side of me like it was a totally normal thing to do. Ginger has such excellent manners it's no big deal to take her anywhere - it's actually Bridget who I thought might be the troublemaker and take advantage of the fact my attention was somewhat divided.  

The focus on this one is funny - it looks like I photoshopped her on a background. She was really there, I swear :)

Ginger got a quick lunge and a short ride and was good, although still feeling very rusty. We just did some 20m circles and spirals walk and trot plus a few transitions, a short canter and some leg yields. None of it was perfect, beyond the surprisingly lovely canter, but with Ginger you just have to recognize her efforts and encourage her and she'll come back out the next day better. If you start picking at her she loses confidence very quickly and gets panicky. I think if I can stay consistent we'll be back where we left off in short order. As always, she tried very hard to be a good girl and I can't ask for more than that. When we were done, I tied her in the corner of the arena and she waited very quietly and patiently for me to work with Bridget, which is a huge improvement over the acrobatics of the Ginger of old. I'm feeling a lot more confident about bringing her along for lessons since our test run today went so well. I was intimidated at the thought of getting two horses ready and bringing them both up the road together for lessons without a helper, but I don't think I need to be.

Proud of herself. Never mind the crazy mane, I'm just glad it's finally growing back!

Bridget just ended up getting lunged. I had another great ride on her a couple of days ago and really felt like I made big steps fixing our recent issues with forward, Today when I asked her to trot out she did so with zero nagging, no lunge whip even necessary. I asked for a canter and she obliged. To the right (her tricky side), when I asked for the canter she thought about using the wrong lead for half a stride, then before I could correct her she did a nice flying change and gave me another really nice canter. Huge praise for that as she's really been struggling with that side and tends to just try to quit on you rather than try. Rather than tempt fate, I just called it a day and told her what a good pony she is.

Pony had some go!

All in all, a good barn day. Little Midge needs to learn to share my attention with her big sister Ginger. She's such a busybody she can't handle being left out, but she did very well for a baby pony being left somewhat unsupervised.

Ginger being all cute and patient, although she wasn't overly impressed with borrowing Bridget's tiny halter.

TOABH: Wish We Could

This week, Beka had another excellent blog hop topic for us:

Let's pretend that financial restrictions don't exist and logistics isn't a nightmare.  If you could do anything with your Ponykins, what would you do?

I have to say, it's been super fun reading everyone's replies to this question. So many cool and interesting bloggers out there! Along with many of you, fox hunting is on my bucket list, as is packing up and attending a big away show in warmer climes for several weeks, or even being a working student for someone for a winter. Polo would be super cool, I loved the bit of reined cowhorse I tried. Eventing the big stuff would be a dream come true.  But, as for things I want to do with these specific ponies...hmmm:

Ginger:

I would really like to breed her. The only thing I think I could love more than Ginger is a baby Ginger!  In a perfect world I'd breed her to another Sec D with a great mind and a good performance record. She's too closely related to Cardi, or for that matter many of the better known Welshies in North America for my taste, so that's where finances and logistics would be extra special interesting. Obviously since this is dream land we'd have the perfect farm to raise baby on and some excellent help training when the time came to ride. I really enjoy working with foals and youngsters and if I had the finances and time I think we'd have one or two around always. On a riding level, I'd like to be able to get a lot of consistent one on one help with her from a pro, and obviously the facilities there to be able to ride daily and improve.

Baby Ginger again, because we love her.

Bridget:

The end goal is eventing, although that may be a dream beyond any logistics and finances. Baby pony needs to want it too and the jury's a bit out on that for the moment. So, I'm going to say a winter camping vacation somewhere warm. I have a friend who trailers to Arizona every winter for a couple of months and uses it as a base to ride through most of the Southwest with a big group of people. I could get on board with that and Bridget is the perfect camping and trail riding pony! Also, every time we go to Cabo I think if I was rich I'd bring the ponies along too for some beach riding. 

Me:

If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd buy a big chuck of property and set up a decent facility and riding school with a legit instructor. Our area has nothing for aspiring equestrians and not much in the way of barns or instruction, let alone a show barn or a show season to attend. I'd love to make it a little easier for everyone to participate and learn, particularly the little kids with an interest and no where to ride.

Oh Hi!

I've been quite busy with work this week, so today was my first visit out to the barn since Monday. The weather was too awful and I was too tired to do much beyond saying hi and cleaning both the girls up a bit. To be honest I thought I might ride, but they're so exceptionally filthy and damp today I just didn't have the motivation. You know what makes me really happy, though? The fact that both my horses are super easy to catch right now. Here's Ginger demonstrating:

Step 1: Make yourself visible. Stay in the barn out of the rain if possible

Step 2: Say hi to Ginger so she knows you're definitely interested in a visit

Step 3: Wait

Step 4: Wait some more

Step 5: More waiting

Step 6: Success! Give pony a scratch or treat. Halter optional, she'll follow you into the barn from here.

Hard to believe she was so difficult to catch once upon a time. Wish I had some magical training super powers to share, but really I think it's just been a matter of getting to know each other.She's a very sociable girl at heart. It's interesting that I was told Bridget can also be difficult to catch, but so far she's been the opposite  and thinks humans are much better company than horses. I think that's because she took her lead from Ginger and now it can be a bit of a race between the two of them to see who says hi first. (And yes, sometimes that backfires and I'm being charged by a stampede involving the entire herd - thank goodness they're all respectful of my space and each other) 

I'm hoping to get the ponies out for some riding over the weekend, We've got some farrier appointments too. Ginger has super radar for those and will be impossible to catch on the day, so no fear, I'll be traversing the entire pasture and making up for all the easy days soon enough!

Finding a Happy Place

My happy place is at the barn! Hi, Ginger, not your turn today :)

The sun popped out for a few hours, so I hopped on Midge yesterday afternoon for a return to the scene of the crime.

She seemed happy to get out and do something, and I could tell as soon as I hopped on she was in a more forward frame of mind. There was no attempting to meander along up the road, instead pony was on a mission to go somewhere!

Sunny day!

We were without a lesson this week, so I was left to my own devices again. Taking it a step further, since what I've been taught isn't working for either of us at the moment, I switched it up and went with what felt right. What felt right to me apparently felt right to Midge too, since we had definite progress and found a happy place. I'm going to keep this post short and sweet since I'm still thinking things through and want to put some more good rides under our belts before I come to any conclusions, but I'm hopeful I'm on to something that's going to work for her.

Bringing back the road sign that seems appropriate for the day.

Weekend Happenings

After my somewhat rotten ride on Friday afternoon, I opted to steer clear of the barn on Saturday and give everyone a time out to think on things. I worked Midge a bit harder than normal as well Friday so I also thought a day off might be the nice thing to do in regards to that.

This morning, the plan was to take both girls up to the ring and have a quick spin on both. It's continued NFL mania around here, so obviously we had to go quite early in the morning in order to be home for the Sunday games!

Ginger was predictably wide eyed and anxious about this development. I'm never at the barn that early unless the farrier or vet is coming, after all :) She's so expressive it's funny to watch the thought process play out across her cute face.

No pictures today. It was really dark and foggy and damp and not a good day for cameras. Instead you get miscellaneous pics from the past week. Ginger models her pretty new halter

My actual ride on Ginger was short and sweet, she behaved perfectly and is just such a pleasure to deal with. She still feels a bit rusty and 'tight' overall but it's to be expected with so much time off in 2014 and her light schedule over the past three months. She tries so hard and is so forward, it's always quite the change from Bridget. Depressingly, once again she felt off behind at the trot and a quick lunge on a circle showed she's a bit short again on the right hind. I actually didn't say anything about what I was thinking and G called out that she looked lame behind, so boo to that :( I'm at a loss about this - longtime readers will know this has been an off and on issue for over a year now, with multiple vet checks, a diet change for a mineral imbalance/muscle soreness, some time off, etc. Sadly it seems we are still chasing whatever the issue is, but I'm going to try (likely unsuccessfully) to get too worked up about it because my vet is excellent and has yet to be overly concerned by anything he's seen of it. Still, it may be time for a second opinion to put my mind at ease.

Missing the sunshine already

I was a bit down and out about the above. Also, if I'm honest,  Ginger was such a good girl and finds everything so easy,  I worry about getting on Midge and having a bad ride and making the inevitable comparisons to Ginger which simply aren't fair to little Bridget. I'm not supposed to have an obvious favorite, right?  Instead, I just hopped on Bridget bareback and tied a loop in her lead rope and let her do what she does best, act as my personal taxi ride back to the barn :) I do have to give her credit though - I squeezed her lightly to get going and BOOM - she was so responsive! Someone remembers Friday's lesson! I played with leg yields as well on our way home and she was really very good. I'm feeling hopeful our next proper ride will be a good one.

It's not cold, that steam coming out of Bridget's nose is angry dragon breath ;)

Ginger was quite happy to follow along at G's side and didn't even find a car to spook at, which in itself means it was a very good day for the big mare!

Brave big mare

In other excellent news, this little guy is coming home with us as soon as he's ready to leave his mama in mid February:

I'm beyond excited as we haven't had a house kitty for many years!

Wee Little Monster

Little Midge was in top disagreeable pony form this afternoon. You know the training approach" Ask, ask, tell" (ie ask as lightly as you'd ideally like to ask, ask more assertively, then, tell - make it happen)? Well, there was a whole lot of telling going on this afternoon in an effort to get pony going forward without any extra nagging or drama in her part. This seems to be something we need to rediscuss of late, as she's going through quite the testing phase. It doesn't make for overly fun or inspiring rides, so let's just look at some pictures from today :)

The above pretty much summed up her mood. (The unflattering photo is my revenge and makes me laugh ;)

But, she also stood calmly next to this bench so I could hop on, so there are benefits to owning a honey badger pony.

She's also interested in hanging out and helping me set up poles, showing that even on a bad day she's a pretty social little thing.

Ginger is growing a nice mane again! Also, dapples!! Her turn tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it :)

And finally, even "bad" ponies get a post ride treat.

As far as the not so fun rides go, I do feel I stay very calm and patient in the moment and always end on a good note, but after I get home I feel pretty down about it and wonder what I'm missing. There has to be a key somewhere to get little Bridget more proactive and cooperative! 

Rock Stars

(Apologies in advance for formatting issues - my laptop is having issues and this post is courtesy of the iPhone blogger app which I can't quite get to work as I would like!)

Ginger's new rock star halter arrived thanks to KateRose and her contest! Check out Kate's wonderful blog at:

peacandcarrotshorse@blogspot.ca 

Thank you so much Kate! I tried very hard to get Ginger to stand still long enough for a good picture of her new halter, but that's a huge challenge for the fidgety big mare...ears up and looking at the camera were they best we were going to accomplish today. I'll be sure to get some better ones soon - it suits her so perfectly and she "helped" me put it on, which must mean she likes it ;)

In other news, since my main mission today was to get Ginger all tidied up for her picture, I didn't plan to ride and wore my jeans. A last minute change of heart meant I grabbed the Midget out of the field and popped on bare back for a quick tour. It took a little while to find my sea legs again, but we did get a semi productive ride in. No cantering because I'm just not that good, plus the Midge has got a bad case of the baby pony wiggles at the moment! She does get the second rock star award of the day though for barely flinching when an attempt to jump on gracefully turned into more of a body slam ;)

I used an old martingale strap as a cheater emergency handle since I was riding her on the road to get to the ring and pony was a bit fresh. Also, as mentioned, I'm just not that good :) We had a blast though and did get some decent ring work in. I think I'm going to continue to ride without a saddle once a week or so since she really seemed to start to listen to my seat more and I got an excellent work out posting that crazy cob trot!

TOABH: Fave

The monsoons are back and I'm really busy with work until mid week, so it's the perfect day for another excellent blog hop topic!

Fave.

What is your horse's absolute favorite thing?  Outside of riding!  Are there treats that instantly convert your pony into an addict or liniments that leave him yawning and chewing?  What does your horse just love to have?

Ginger loves:

-Her people. She's the most social horse I know, but only if she knows you!

-Belly scratches!

-Her boyfriend, Mac the Morgan horse

-Drama

-Action! ie moving first and thinking later

-The neighbour's miniature ponies

-Going for walks with G - she's funny about it with both of us, and will run up and pretend you're leading her around even when she's free out in the pasture, but she actually gets upset if G leaves her home on the wrong side of the gate!

Bridget loves:

-Nap time

-Food of any sort

-People. She loves people more than other horses and isn't fussy about making new friends, including the vet and farrier

-Trail rides

-Walking rather than running

-The barn cats!

They both love:

-Peppermint treats

-Lots of turnout

-Water of any sort, but particularly where it's deep enough to climb in and splash.

Just Not That Into It

I woke up tired this morning, it was freezing cold, there was a miscommunication about the time and I ended up waiting an hour for my lesson. Long story short, I was a little overtired, cold, and grouchy and just not that into riding.

As ponies often do, Midge read my mind and was like "Oh YEAH? You think YOU'RE grouchy? You think you're unmotivated? Watch me!" And so the lesson I'd rather forget began.

I was too lazy to take pics today, so you get a re run picture of Bridget being lazy

Thank goodness she's adorable, that's all I can say. We had no forward at all, we had no left bend at all. We had bucking, we had spooking, we had head tossing and shaking. We had a pony who is seemingly immune to even a sharp tap with the crop. Hmmm. Sometimes it's just best to move on, so today we opted to finish early and go for a quick hack. It still wasn't about giving up. A change of scenery and a mental reset was just in order for both of us. Pony still had to trot and canter up our big hills and was still disgusted with the program. But we ended on a happier note and that's all you can ask for some days. Any time in the saddle is good time, right?

I'd be lying if I said I'm not feeling discouraged by her ungenerous and testing attitude, but as with all things horsey it's a two way street and I obviously need to up my game and bring a more motivated and positive attitude myself before I honestly expect better from her.

Even on her worst behaviour, I'm appreciative that she's safe and sane to hack out on her own, she wasn't worried about waiting around to start our ride, and she certainly doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Just several smart and unmotivated ones that are quite adept at taking advantage of her rider :) Fingers crossed my next ride is a little more productive - I don't know about you, but behind the leg and 'stuck;' is NOT my happy place. Today, I'm also very happy I own Bridget's opposite in the ever so forward and sensitive Ginger - they really are a very complimentary pair :)

Everything Zen

So, after much thought about my 2015 goals, I've got nothing.


Right now i know you're all amazed and wondering exactly how I will accomplish such a impressive goal! Surely I'll fail?

I know the anticipation is likely too much to bear, so I'll explain. I want to show. I want to jump, I want to do an 'away' event. I want to trail ride will all my good friends. I want to attend as many clinics and lessons as I can afford. I want my horses to be healthy and happy all year. I want to be a better rider, in better shape, eat well, all that.  But as for actual, quantifiable goals this year? None.

The simple fact is, I'm pretty darn happy. I won't be heartbroken if in December 2015, my world is not so different than December 2014. I'm hoping 2015 will be all about continuing along this great path I'm on now, and maybe with some hard work and consistency (and a little luck) those shows will happen, Bridget will have a better canter, I'll lose some more weight. Maybe we'll see some of those bigger goals this year by just dripping water on that stone, day after day. If not, I hope we'll surprise ourselves with just how much fun we had along the way :)

New Year's Ride

By some sort of miracle, that sunshine I asked Santa for stuck around for New Year's Day!

Sunshine + Cold = Alert pony

 I've been back of the land of somewhat-gainfully-employed people for a little bit now and the job currently involves walking about 5-6 hours, 30-40km a day (about 25 miles for my American friends). Since we are surrounded by mountains, those miles involve a lot of steep hills and stairs. I'm exhausted at the end of my days and extra motivated to bid on some contracts for my normal career which is coincidentally a desk job :) Anyways, this relates to my riding because A) I'm too tired at the end of work days to ride, B) when I do have a day off to ride, my legs are pretty tired and I'm useless. Also, C) the ponies are very "up" because they aren't used to a 2 or 3 day a week schedule!

Fingers crossed my body starts to find it easier soon and we can get back to normal.

Shadow pony and rider. Both of us are feeling about as out of shape as the shadow would indicate .

Today's holiday brought some sleeping in, followed by some much needed barn time. Bridget and I just popped up to the ring, which ended up being frozen. As such, it was her lucky day and we did not canter. If we're honest, my lucky day too because my legs are about as effective as noodles at the moment. Instead, I really focused on getting her lateral work better and worked on shoulder control by riding squares. She's been having a bit of trouble with the concept of moving forward AND moving her hips/shoulders independently, so I took the opportunity to go right back to basics and just halt and turn her when she tried to run through me. It worked well, and pony put in a couple of half decent squares by the end. Next stop, walk pirouettes and a proper shoulder in? Since Midge is super intellgent, this quickly transitioned into moving her shoulders all the time for every question, so we went back and did some of her hated haunches in spirals at walk and trot before calling it a day. Hopefully we can trick S into thinking we practiced for our upcoming weekend lesson ;)

Your daily ears photo

A not so exciting day, but I'm very proud of her because she was really fresh and impatient this morning, but tried really hard to focus and got to work without too much drama at all when I gave her a job to do. Of course, she was silly on the hack home, but she's got to blow of steam somehow!

Since she was impatient to get home and see her friends, she had to wait and her mane pulled in the sun first. Probably the one and only picture you'll ever see where it's all laid neatly on one side.

Finally, here's a couple of more pictures I've been sent of the superstar pony on her holiday trail ride last weekend. Fingers crossed we eventually get some nice ones of the group too:

Illustrating the mane half on one side thing we're normally rocking

She looks so over it!

See you on the weekend for a lesson recap!