Silent Sunday

It was only about a week ago that I found out that Clinton Anderson with Downunder Horsemanship was coming close to where I lived. No surprise but I flipped out with excitement! He has been my horse training idol forever! So yesterday I went to watch his amazing talent, got to meet him in person, and have him sign my book. Ahh, I feel like I'm floating on a cloud right now.

Worth Their While

When Ava and me used to board at The Ranch things slowly started to get better in our training. For the most part at least, there were always ups and downs. Although as the months went by Ava started to become resentful and extremely difficult to catch. Of course this was frustrating and after she would finally be caught she would sometimes be very agitated in the workout and throw a tantrum. Later I found out she was just sore from being ridden so much, bad owner! But, even after I gave her a wonderfully long break she was still difficult to catch. I didn't know what to do, what was there to do besides run her around the pasture until she was too tired to run anymore? Well! After moving to Sunset Ranch I found the answer.

Horses (or mine at the very least) like being rewarded, one way or another, some more than others as well. The sweet satisfaction of a reward after a hard days work is wonderful in almost anyone's eyes, so why would a horse be any different?

I slowly caught on that a reward after a hard days work was all Ava was after. She wanted some kind of something that was not work related to show that she did a good days job. So, after a long days ride and sometimes even during the workout Ava would get rewarded with grain, a treat, or even some extra hay (especially in the winter). Horses are grazers, they 99% of the time want to be eating, so channeling that into the workouts really worked wonders. Now she is literally the easiest horse to catch on the planet. Not only that but our relationship seems to be stronger because I play a small part in when she can eat or not, so she will anticipate food when she sees me, somewhat like a dog to his owner. Some people may balk at this because then your horse may eventually get pushy. Although I have found a very interesting way to keep the horse from grabbing at your hand when you offer food. If you have a treat in your hand keep your hand closed until your horse has stopped trying to eat the treat out of your hand. Another useful tip to help a horse not be pushy with treats is to actually substitute a treat with some of their grain. I am happy with our method of rewarding and know that people have their own opinions and their own way of keeping a good relationship with their horse.  You never know, this could be a completely terrible idea for you and your horse but this has worked wonders for me and my girls and I thought I would share it with you all.

Owning a horse is a partnership. It is our responsibility to make and keep the horse happy. Our horse doesn't strive to make us happy, they are just as content to sit in a pasture all day eating without a care in the world. It is our job whenever we are with them to make it worth their while.

How to Lunge a Dragon

Yesterday miss Ava decided to act like a little dragon.

On our way to the arena all the other horses came running up which triggered Ava's dragon mode. She would snort, prance, and lift her tail like an Arabian. I didn't get after her much on this, I kind of let her speak her mind and if she got too pushy I would remind her that that is not tolerable. And although she was being a dragon she wasn't really being a dangerous one. She didn't run me over or pull on me, which was great.

Once we got inside the round pen I first let her look around (first time!). After a few minutes I started giving her direction and within ten minutes she was calming down and looking to me for safety and rest.

Today we did the same routine. Only, when walking down the arena Ava didn't go into dragon mode, she would stop often but after we were more than half way there she quit. And in the round pen she first had lots of energy but after giving her guidance she actually started lowering her head and calming down, despite the wind!

For some reason it has been easier to show my body language to her, I feel as though I can understand things better and get what I want with less and less effort. It is quite an amazing thing.

She did much better than I could have hoped. So, afterwards I rewarded her with some grain.

Ava trotting after me for a treat

Two shadowed girls

Nom

"Easy There Unsteady Betty!"

It has been hard adapting to being outside all the time instead of going into the nice cozy insulated, heated indoor arena. It's definitely not fun when it is cold and windy.

I started Ava's day with some grain, carrots, and even tried a couple bananas (which she despised!). I then haltered her and headed down the long path to the working arena. On our way down there she was breathing surprisingly hard and would stop frequently. Once we got to the arena I started by walking her around it, threw the rope over her a little and once I thought she was calm enough I let her lunge a bit. She was horrible in the beginning. Tossing her head, rearing, pulling, slight bucks, and excessive speed. I stayed as calm as possible and gave her the benefit of the doubt but when she got a little too forceful with her nonsense I got after her, hard. I don't mind some goofiness but when it becomes too excessive I have no tolerance for it. After that her mood was better, not completely, but better. I made her move her feet a lot, making sure I wasn't being too agressive, almost trying to make a game out of it. After she calmed dramatically I actually got her to calmly canter on the lunge (good girl!!). I then finished with some desensitization.

After getting back to the pasture I began to teach Ava how to come. It definitely worked after she was rewarded with a little bit of grain. She still did great though.

I also found a western Wintec saddle at the tack store and brought it over to the new place to try on Ava. It looked great on her and hopefully we can ride in it soon.

Still missing The Ranch but trying to make the best of what we have at the new place.

Sitting, Reading, Waiting

With no mood for riding at the moment I grabbed my book Horses Never Lie by Mark Rashid and headed down to the barn. I hadn't started reading it yet because I have a current obsession with Beautiful Creatures but today I decided to begin. The weather was decent, slightly chilly with a breeze but sitting in the loafing shed soaking up sun definitely made it better. I ignored the horses, I'm also working on my Undemanding Time with them. They were all frisky because there were some new cows in the back pasture that were supposedly trying to spook them. I opened my book and was hooked the moment I read the first sentence. Rashid did a great job writing this, I love how non-fiction can be written in a story kind of way, it is my favorite. I am not sure how long I read for but it must have been at least thirty minutes (for Undemanding Time the minimum requirement is 30mins) and the only reason I left is because someone was going to drag the pastures. It was a very nice time and definitely lifted my spirits for the time being.

As I was leaving I was still ignoring the girls but then Ava started to move in weird direction and ended up following right up next to me. Even Poco came over for a hello. I gave both of them some strokes and scratches then told them goodbye. For all the people who don't believe that natural horsemanship really works then well, your loss... I definitely believe in this "fluffy bunny foo foo bullsh**" as I've heard it said before, it, without a doubt, works. I am a believer! I don't care what no one says, horses never lie!

And Then There Were Two

Quick but exciting update!

So yesterday my aunt asked me something. She asked if I wanted have Poco! Although before I could respond she was interrupted by a phone call. We picked the conversation back up when we were on our way down to the barn and I said that I would take her. My aunt was really happy. She has been having a difficult time figuring out what to do with her. All the trainers have said that she is basically "dangerous and untrainable" which I feel like is a load of crap. In one way or another I believe almost any horse can be trained. I think the main problem is that the trainers don't want to adjust their "method" to certain horses. So when it wouldn't work for Poco they labeled her as "dangerous and untrainable." I have known Poco for as long as I've known Ava (almost half a decade!) and not once have I seen her display ANY signs of aggression, none! She is almost like a big puppy dog, sweetest horse I've ever met. It highly agitates me when people give up so easily even when it is their job...

Anyways! Sorry for that little rant didn't see that coming! I'm going to try different things with her it is what she needs; a customized method just for her and that is what I'm going to do. She can be stubborn at times but what horse isn't? Another great thing is that the financial situation isn't going to change which is wonderful because I am already broke as it is. I was mainly wanting another horse to work with too, so this is perfect timing. Ava, Poco, and I are going to be having an interesting journey but I can't wait to see what it holds for us.

Is Your Horse Listening to You?

I found this great article from America's Horse Daily about how to tell if your horse is listening to you. Check it out!

Is Your Horse Listening?

Advice by Chris Cox

When I went to watch Chris Cox's demonstrations he said something very interesting and really made me think. I'd really like to share it with you all, so, here you go!

     "Do you pay for the vet bills, farrier bills, feed, tack, and all the other things the horse needs?" Chris asks one of the volunteers.
     "Yes" said the lady.
     "Is he pretty much treated like a million dollar horse?" Chris asks again.
     "Yes" the lady says again.
     "Well, if he is being treated like a million dollar horse he better start acting like one" Chris says.

My mind was blown!

De-worming my Naughty Horse

Hey guys! I just finished my 20 minute speech on Monday! It went well and I am so glad that it is over, the stress and the anxiety while working on it were taking a toll on me. But all is well now and I have much more free time to do what I want and just in time too, the weather is becoming so nice!

Also, being so busy with that speech I hadn't been down to see Ava in over a week! But finally I did, although the only thing I did was de-worm her. I've had to delay it for a while and now it had to be done. I felt bad afterwards because she did not look amused with me when I was finished. But I did spoil her with some grain - which she usually doesn't get often and hopefully it made her feel better.

Ava is not very easy to worm. I don't blame her though, I've smelled wormers before (yes, I'm that weird) and they smell horrid. But it has to be done one way or another. For the first few years of owning Ava I would get little bunches of grass, squirt a bit of wormer into it and let her eat it, which worked fine until it turned to winter which was much harder... So, for a while I had difficulty worming her. But, one lovely day I was browsing around YouTube and came across this video that Clinton Anderson made and after watching it I decided to try it on Ava, thinking what the heck, it can't make her worse. It solved everything! I finally found out how to successfully give Ava her wormer. Even though she will still be a stinker in the beginning, if I just stick to Clinton's little method he showed me she will be so much better about it and get her whole dose. That has been the only thing that has worked for Ava and I using Clinton's method's. It made me happy.

Spring Training from America's Horse Daily

I am subscribed to America's Horse Daily and they sent me this great article about getting your horse physically and mentally ready for Spring riding. This may not be useful for most of you but there may be some green horses out there like Ava who need some help, so here you go, this is a paragraph (or a few) from the article.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Mike Kinsey in America’s Horse

There’s a whiff of spring in the air, the pasture is greening up, you’re having more short-sleeve than long-sleeve days, and judging by the amount of hair that’s coming off your horse, you’re a little nervous that he’ll be naked by June. Spring has sprung, and you’re itching to hit the trail.

Not so fast, buckaroo.

There’s a good chance that your pasture potato isn’t ready for a five-mile hike. It’s no different from the condition you’d be in if you sat in a La-Z-Boy from November to March, eating Nacho Doritos and watching “American Idol.”

The amount of work it takes to get a horse ready for trail ride season all depends on the age of the horse, whether the horse has been in a stall and is overly fat or whether he has been in a pasture and is in a little better condition.

Read the rest of the article here: [click this]