Wordless Wednesday

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.

Riding Warehouse Tack Haul!

I made a miniature tack haul video yesterday. I would really love to make more YouTube videos, they are so much fun and I truly love to do it. Can you take a guess of what I am getting? The answer is in the video!

Rode into the New Year

We just had our first ride of the year yesterday! And my little brother was kind enough to snap some photos of us riding.

Ava performed really well besides a few slight spooks at some invisible monsters. One of our biggest things that we need to work on is building muscle, have her learn to balance herself better, and get her to move with more impulsion- she can be a lazy bum sometimes. Fixing my chair seat on the other hand with be a whole different story, I feel like I'm in the correct position but then looking at these photos (especially at the canter) I can see my leg is way too forward. It may be the saddle that could be pushing my leg into an awkward position but mostly it must be myself that needs to work on a better seat.

There is always something to work on. I love it!

Happy New Year! 2014 Goals!

Happy happy New Year everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed New Year's Eve and had as much fun as possible in the last few hours of 2013. I know I did, we went to my cousin's birthday and played How to Host a Murder. I ended up being the murderer and I knew it even before we played! 

Now it is that time of year again where we make goals and resolutions for ourselves. 

Goals for 2014

• Buy a horse trailer by the end of spring- already have the money just need to hunker down and find one.
• After we get a trailer I want to do a lot of showing and/or trail riding throughout the summer. It has always been a dream to bring Ava to my house.
• Buy a biothane bridle and breast collar.
• Work on hobbling with Ava.
• Ride at least three days a week.
• Perfect our showmanship turn and trot.
• Learn more about horse nutrition.
• Learn more on about training for long distances.
• Work on some simple dressage.
• Take better photography for blog
• Post more often on here, I only made 68 last year...
• Make a new layout and banner for my blog.
• This is my third year having this blog and by the time I reach either 100 followers or 200 posts I will host a giveaway!

Of course I have more goals but these are the main ones. There is no stopping in learning!

Oh yeah, make a new one of these