Oh no, back to ground work....

Well, since the last post, we have returned from our camping trip in Hocking Hills, Ohio area. The camping trip was fun although it was way more challenging then we ever had before. We setup up camp on Friday afternoon, then took a 30 minute ride to explore the property at the Spotted Ranch. We entered the woods slightly then darkness was falling fast so we returned to camp. The next morning, after breakfast, we saddled up Laura, John and myself and ventured out to a trail ride to remember. We began on a trail that came to a fork. Should we take left, which was downhill and looked a bit muddy, or right which went uphill but dry. We chose right. The start of the hill was not so bad, but then it kept going up and the angle was getting higher and higher. The trail name we took was called Dead Horse Drop...ooops, maybe we should have gone right. But to late to turn around. At this point we let the horses tackle this hills at their own speed, which was a hop and a hop and a hop canter style. Their noses were almost touching the ground. At mid point Annie decided to take a break by veering quick right and stopping. John almost kissed her butt. I put her right back on the track uphill and up we went. Atop the Mount Everest, we had a section of flat. We just went slow to give the horses a moment to catch their breath. There was a trail to the right so we took it. Good thing because the trail straight ahead was the Drop!. But even the trail we chose was getting steeper and not being to experienced with rugged terrain like this one, we decided to get off and walk it down. Good thing we did. At an opening we were able to get back on and continue on. We went back to home base, and rested a while. I think we scared off the others a bit. A couple of riders went on their own and I am not sure which trail they took but it was a muddy one and one of the girl's horse fell on her leg. She was ok but dirty and shaken up. They ran a riding ranch there. So they must take beginners on good trails right? So we asked and they told us which trail to take the next time around. It was better. Still steep hills up and down but good to work the butts. We also went hiking and did foot trails and site seeing. It is a beautiful part of the country.



Since we got back from our camping trip, we have not done much, but worked on collection in the arena. She had been an angel throughout, working hard with me and giving me what she could. We still have a long way to go as these things don't happen quickly. Especially when I am also learning how to do it to. I have been taking a few lessons with Laura and it helps quite a bit with someone looking at things from the ground and giving directions.


Last Sunday, December 9th, we went trail riding at Maybury. The weather was crappy, the trails were a bit muddy and we met up with four horse and riders from a different barn. Annie was , well some say excited, and I say a butthead. She has never been this bad. At the walk she was fine. At the trot she would want to take off and if the horse in front cantered, she would buck; cow hop and neigh, then want to sprint off. I would try to hold her off to gain control. Then she would hear canter behind us and buck and want to take off again. I stayed on, gladly because I did not want to fall on the muddy ground. We finally made it through and back to the trailer. When we left the barn she had loaded herself (yeah!), and on the way back too but needed a little persuasion. At least she can do it. Now the next few times I go see her, we will have to do ground work to give her a refresher of who is the boss. She normally is the best trail horse. I am not sure if it is because there were strange horses with us or if she did feel excited to be out and about in this crummy weather.  I’ll have to look at the saddle again, to make sure no bur or woodchip was under the saddle…you never know. Horses are hard to understand.

for now, Happy Holidays!

Summer 2012 Flying by!

Well, it has been a long time since I posted any update on this blog. It has also been a very busy summer. Spring was warm and dry so we started our trail riding early. In June we went horse camping with the barn group in Hell, MI. This campground is nice but not much accommodating to horses. There are no picket poles, so you had to tie your line between trees. The trails were not groomed and there were so many deer flies that we had to try to trot. This was difficult because of the overgrown branches that suddenly appeared in your path around a turn. Overall, it was a nice weekend with friends and our beloved pets.

 

The summer was very hot. We did our first parade July 4th in Northville, MI. It was really hot. The horses were a bit nervous at first because of the crowds and narrow streets. Kids everywhere...

 

I went riding with Barbara and Carol quite a bit. Carol and I go for the fast rides. We can cover 15 miles pretty fast. This gives me a taste for endurance riding, and I kind of like it. We would try to ride out early in the mornings to beat the mid-day 90 degree heat. Annie is coming along nicely. She is proficient on the trail and I can tell she likes it, especially if there are tall grasses that she can grab and go. She calls it fast food. Even at the trot she will grab some on the way.

 

 

In August, I signed up for a competitive obstacle course in Ray Township. This was organized by ACTHA. Alice came with me and we borrowed Barbara’s two-horse bumper-pull trailer. It was my first time driving a truck pulling a trailer. I did great and stayed between the lines. We camped overnight and in the morning, after breakfast, the course began. We each had starting times so we don’t overcrowd the obstacles. The goal is to perform six obstacles spread over six miles of trail in the allotted time without losing points or getting disqualified. The judges are judging the performance of the rider and the horse. The obstacles were opening a gate, walking over a tarp, walking over a long wooden bridge, walking thru the wine simulator, going up and down a small hill at a walk, and side pass over a pole. The results: I came in first in our division. Alice came in sixth. I for sure she would do better than me as she has been riding longer than me. But Annie did me proud. Oh, I also got best dressed! It was so much fun. I will do this again, but need to practice side passing.

 

At the end of September, the barn has organized our second camping trip of the year. This time we are going to Hocking Hills, Ohio and will camp four days. It will be fun. Some of our regular campers will not be able to come, but new campers will join in. I will give us a chance to get to know each other better as they are new to the barn. Bruce is coming along even though he does not have a horse. We will go hiking in the Hocking Hills forests one day, by foot. Maybe he can rent a horse. We are staying at the Spotted Horse Ranch.

 

Summer is ending fast, Annie is shedding her summer coat, I presume the winter will be a cold one. Keep on riding!

Equine Affaire

We did our Drill Team Show April 1st and it was a success. We did very well. Our spectators were proud and clapped. It was fun as well.

Now time to work on our camping trip in June. We are going to Hell's Creek this year. It is close and they have water and electric, and hot showers. Need to train and get fit for the long rides.

The Barn club and I are going to the equine affaire this weekend. We will do some shopping, and see a show.  Possibly they will have clinics, etc…it will be my first time there. We got a hotel room because the four hour drive can be a drag. I need to make a list of thing I would like to buy for my riding pleasure.

 In the meantime, my little princess Annie is now looking for me and comes to me when I call her. We went trail riding a few weeks back and she did ok for her first time on the trail for this year. She gave me a bit of attitude when she spotted other horses in a field but worked on getting her attention back and only took 2 minutes. She cantered hen asked and did not buck or sprint too fast. It was actually pleasant. She remains good in the arena when asked to canter. It is getting more comfortable.

I still want to take her to the track so we can work on it some more.

Mo

Team Penning again

Last Sunday we went team penning again. What fun we had. We were Barbara, Laura, Alice and I. Brian and John tagged along too. We did so much better in our time and I remember one of the times I did was 54 secs. Usually not to exceed 130 secs.

 

That was good considering that some of these cows are stubborn. They know to go hide in the center of the herd. But it was a good day.

 

 

Making Progress forward.

So we are making huge progress forward. Annie now transitions to canter with no objection and will remain in this gait for a longer period. I think she is starting to like it. Sometimes I ask for the trot, and then extend the trot and maybe she gets this as a cue to canter but I feel like she gives a few canter steps. I then have to half halt her to keep her at the trot. She responds well to the half halts now. I have not tried these at the canter yet as I am still in training myself. I concentrate more on my seat then the speed.

Last weekend we had a great work out. We worked on making good 20 meter circles. I placed some cones out so I could visualize my circle and it helped quite a bit. I event went as far as putting a bar down so Annie would have to skip over while rounding her back. Trying to teach her to collect a bit more. I feel being more able to sit the trot when she is slow and collected. It event feels like dressage.

I am so ready for trail riding season. It is too muddy out right now that it is unthinkable to go in the woods at this time of year. Too dangerous for the legs of the horses. Could be icy and muddy. In the meantime Annie is getting fat. We are still working on the drill team practice. We have a date of presentation coming up. This was a great winter project. Thanks Heather for putting this together.

Annie and I have finally bonded. She is aware of who I am and she is such a puppy dog kind of a horse. She looks at you with those pretty eyes and says :”please mommy, no work today!”… lol LOVE IT!

Mo

On your knees

OK last weekend was BEAUTIFUL. I spent both Saturday and Sunday at the barn with Annie. We did ground work to recap on a few things. There are still a few things to work on more because she is not easily affected. She would stand there without reacting or budging to my almost forceful attempts. She can be so lazy sometimes.

Sunday Carol, Barbara and I went for a short trail ride around the property. It was so nice. Vegas was a bit nervous at first but then warmed up. Vegas is a young horse. Talking about age, the vet came Saturday for shots and coggins certification for another horse and we took advantage of it and did Annie's at the same time. He inspected her teeth (he is also an equine dentist), and noted that she appeared to be barely 10 yrs of age. Not 12 as I thought. Last year when I had a different vet examined her, he made the same remark. So I have a younger mare than I thought...It is hard to tell how old they are especially if they have no papers.

We worked on canter also. Saturday and Sunday both A's on the canter. Sunday was a bit crowded in the arena so we went into the round pen. The round pen needs to be enlarged by a couple of panels. I feared that she would trip and she did. Not only she would lean on her front inside shoulder but she landed on her knees and skidded to a stop. The new and improve reining stop! Forward knee stop! Well I stayed on her back and then slowly dismounted to inspect her face (it hit the pen gates) and checked her knees for cuts and heat. They seemed fine. We just walked for a while so we could both catch our breath.

When she seemed to have forgotten about it, I mounted again and we trotted and cantered a couple of turns around the arena. I was happy with the outcome so we called it a day.

Improvements are good signs!

Improvements in a ride are good. It shows that you are doing something right. And the horse is no dummy. We had awesome rides this weekend. Annie did not complain about the cantering whilst mounted. I have to ask nicely as she is the queen and all…however, she is getting more balanced. We still have to work on controlling speed and making circles, not ovals or go where we please. We’re done with that. I am so consumed with this riding and trying to get it right in my mind that I review exercise patterns in my head all night.

We are not just working on riding, but prior to riding we work on ground work. She successfully did Clinton Anderson DVD 8 which is about Circle Driving for respect from the get-go. It is not perfect but she understood it right away. The exercise is about the circles, where I rest my stick on her withers and have lunge line in my other hand and have her trot next to me in a circle. Then we stop and change direction, and so on. We have to work on it some more to loosen the line and have her turn her next to the inside more.  I wish I could go more often to the barn, but it is difficult during the week with traffic, and especially the weather is unpredictable in the winter.

Mo

A run against the clock!

So last Sunday we went to Grass Lake for a team penning practice session. They teach you the sport and have about 27-30 small calves available for penning. Some are not numbered but most have numbers. There is about 4-5 of each number 0, 1, 2, 3, 4.

Team Penning is based on the fast paced equestrian sport that evolved from the many aspects of managing a herd of cattle. You and two other pardners have to "cut" three cows from the herd, and get them to go into a pen before time expires.

You can see our video here: http://youtu.be/ckvjm2o3pPw
 (I had my husband try it on Annie)

Annie had no problem with the cows, went right into the herd and maybe had the cows under her belly too...She sniffed their heads and seemed to say "Hi, wanna play?" Then when I fixated on a particular cow, she knew it and fixated on it too. That was weird. We had loads of fun !

Mo