Settle down, pony!

It had been two days since Gunny was at "Circle B" ranch, and I figured she'd be nice and relaxed and settled in.

She and her pasture mate have not really made friends yet. Gunny will be in one corner of the pasture, and the gelding in the other. She does, however, nuzzle and hug her buddy Cody over the fence, since he's in the neighboring pasture, and they know each other from our previous barn.

It's been rainy, windy, and cold here for the past few days. I did take advantage of the indoor arena yesterday -- after all, that's why I moved her there in the first place. To begin, she was pushy and hyper because she was nervous and wasn't around Cody. She was winnying and turning her head away from me. He attention was on everything BUT where it should have been -- me.

I started lunging her to get her to calm down. She wasn't paying attention to me, so at times I had to "pop" the lunge whip a little bit to get her going. She naturally wanted to take off...and I immediately stopped her. After a little patience, she started to mellow out and just go the speed I had asked. It's funny how quickly she'll settle down now that I'm working on compliance through nonresistance. I used to lunge her and run her hard to tire her out...and that didn't always work half the time. I really like these methods.

Anyway, after lunging her for about 10 minutes or so (it did take a little longer than normal to calm her down) I mounted up. I started by just having her stand in place...bending her neck a little, and getting her to calm down. She started to focus on Cody whinnying instead of me again, so she was hollerin' for him. So I kept her busy and kept her feet moving. Not fast, but I kept switching directions and stopping her. I must say, her "ho" is getting much better. In fact, I rarely have to pick up my reins. After working with two hands and pressing the indirect rein into her neck, I decided to try simply neck reining. I had to use a lot of leg to turn her and make her turns more gradual, but I was amazed at how well she did. I had almost a flawless ride. I feel like I WILL accomplish my goal of having a pleasureable horse to ride in the future!

Anyway, long story short, she did very well and I plan on going out there again soon. I'll try to get some videos within the next few sessions.

Back In Action!

Hello, hello!

I know it has been a long time. I spent the entire summer on Mackinac Island working full time as a tour driver. Yes, I got to drive a horse-drawn carriage and give tours of the island all summer. Talk about a cool job! I got to bond with a lot of the horses too. What a great experience! I plan on going back next year.

Anyway, I'm back now and ready to get started up with Gunny and my courses again. Because I made some money this summer, I found a different facility to move Gunny to. It has a much larger outdoor arena, a small indoor arena, and acres upon acres of trails. I hope to have riding buddies there too. I am so happy with it so far, and I think the indoor arena will come in handy once the snow falls..and that way I don't have excuses to not go to the barn!

She's been there for two days now, and unfortunately I've been busy with unpacking and chores around the house, so I haven't seen her since the day she moved. I did, however, ride her once we got there. She was really nervous (got really sweaty in the trailer) and I put her in her new pen with an older gelding. It's about 5 acres for the two of them.

I figured once she settled down a little, I could see how she'd react to the indoor arena. Meanwhile, she's whinnying and upset and nervous. So I lunged her. Naturally she wanted to go fast. I just stopped her and had her relax. She eventually was going slowly and collected and I decided it was time to ride. I hadn't ridden her all summer so I just wanted to check and see what it is she remembered, and what I had to touch on with her.

I mounted up and tipped her nose in both directions. She was good there. I rode her around in a small circle at the walk...good there. It took her a bit to settle down but I tried to remain relaxed and to carry myself well..and she started to relax her head and carry it level. She did excellent! She remembered everything and I felt so accomplished. She stopped verbally very well. Just where i left off. I was so proud.

Now, in the arena there was a tarp hung from the ceiling cut into strips...so it was an obstacle to walk through. I thought she would FREAK OUT, so I walked her up to it (on the ground) and lead her through it. The first time she jogged through it. The second time (after she realized it wasn't going to EAT her) she walked calmly through it. I was so proud! Then, after riding her around the circle, I tried riding her through the tarp. SHE DIDN'T EVEN FLINCH -- IN EITHER DIRECTION! I was so incredibly proud. I knew when I got there that I could remain calm and help her get into a relaxed frame of mind..and she trusted me enough -- even in a new environment -- to go through that tarp.

All in all, it was a successful day. I plan on going out there more frequently to ride and eventually jog her on a nice, loose rein. That's the goal ultimately.

My new barn owner has "Extreme Cowboy Race" type competitions every year...and I have a goal to go to one eventually with Gunny. I want to work up to that :)

Anyway, more updates soon!