Had a wee checkin with the baby Aparima's today up on the hill! Looking good! Man they can fly round that hill when they want too! Super cool to watch (only caught wee bit on camera)!!
Well legend is still not fazed, after 3 days off just saddle him up and on I get. Just getting him moving around better, today we picked up things off rail, flapped jackets around on his back etc, put new bit in his mouth, rode him outside again also in next paddock, around obstacles etc. Trimmed his feet up neat the other day like a real horse in the tack shed, tied up etc. I just have few more things to tick off and fine tune. Float lesson to take place, get some different feeling saddles on, maybe tack a couple shoes on, get some dogs in for a bark up and of course rides up hill with some other horses and stock and dogs and trots and canters in open spaces!
He has visitors tomorrow that could well be his new owners. So hope he behaves and they all get on well!
I had an assistant on Friday... our shepherd James. I always like to get some other people to come work with the breakers a bit too, just to ensure the horses are ok with others and the way others do everything! As you can imagine... Legend couldn't care less, was happy as with James on-board after he played around learning how to do groundwork and what I'm looking for and asking of these young horses. James was great!! Whinny was also not worried about him tho. Just more long lining for her. I laid over her back too , shes taking everything in her stride and things are becoming established.
Legend!
Another day riding, asking bit more of him now, making him go the direction I want, stopping , some back steps, even had a wee trot round today. In the video I flap legs , swing forward back kick in flank etc then at end I practise getting on and off in all different ways, from shoulder, from hind, the struggling mount pulling on saddle to get over,hahaha the kick in the arse mount, the off side mount, the box mount, the fast mount!! Cos we all do it differently right! He's not fazed tho.
Whinny is a wee legend!! I put the long lines on her today, more just for ropes dragging, pulling round below and over her bum, flicking behind, me jumping, kicking stones, flapping arms back behind her and she never got upset at all. Just cruised around, listening and watching me!! I would usually do other mouthing prep before asking too much on long lines but though I'd ask her the question of turning.... and boom straight away she just clicked and turned, in a very fluent manner!! I do big long pauses when asking to stop with 2 reins and real quick release of pressure, so its black and white what i want and she has time to stand and process it! Shes a Super star!!!
Video from Friday sorry ... Legend had a wee lesson with the hobbles. Pulled both legs up and also hobbled the fronts together, you can see he didn't take much to work out that he couldn't move much. Sometimes our shepherds hobble them on hill to sort something else out , so a handy skill for them to know. I also got the back leg strap out and pulled up back legs one at a time, good practise for standing on 3 legs and not getting away with kicking back legs around. So important that horses stand well and behave for farriers , I know from experience it's a hard enough job as it is with one that does stand still!
Also had ride number 2, easy as, just mulled around, practised turning, stopping, mount and dismounting, waving arms on his back etc. He's one smooth chilled character but certainly not a dumb dumb! Me jumping round being an idiot was mean tripping over, stumbling. I always do goofy things. Gotta think of anything people might do accidentally or sounds that are made, ya never know when a yellow ball might come hauling at ya and bounce off ya arse right??!!
Whinny has turned a corner with all the trust and confidence building stuff ive been doing with her, shes not so reactive, shes more trusting, shes chilling out and learning faster than ever. Shes such a clever girl!
Today I introduced a small taste on each side of a mouthing technique, tying head to tail, flexing, then you have them move their hind quarters and forequarters around (both things she knows how to do individually) this is teaching them how to turn/move with that rein pressure and learning where she gets release, which is when she softens to the rein and gives her head more. I use a range if different mouthing techniques as not one that simulates a rider perfectly.
Then I loaded her up with various equipment that jiggles and bounces and makes noises as she moves. I need the horses to not react badly when someone on them puts their jacket on or the saddle bag bounces one day when ya trot etc ....but it was the getting her moving I struggled most with, had to really chase her, she was too relaxed, there was no reaction from her to the actual stuff on her back.... including Darren! She couldn't give a hoot, but I needed her to get moving around so he could do what he does best, bounce around. I call on Darren to assist with every horse as he most closely simulates our shepherds that will ride these horses next hahaha, they bounce around at times, they can be off balance, they flap their arms at stock etc hahaha sorry guys, nah but mostly Darren is just something tall up there on top for her eye to catch sight of! Anyway fair to say her reactiveness has dimed its light!! Onwards and upwards for whinny!
LEGENDS FIRST RIDE....
Been slack on videos, I've just been chipping away long lining legend everywhere and getting him more responsive to turns and stops amongst other things. Then today he was just ready for me to hop on... such a champ, not fazed at all, practised getting on off a bit, establishing him standing still once he got used to balancing, then we did some cruising around pen, just with me up there, not asking too much, just the odd stop, flexing and moving off again, moving quarters etc, off & on again, more cruising, moving around, swinging my legs, pats on neck and rump etc Just a nice experience for his first go carrying somebody!
I never like to rush into getting on them, but when they're ready, I just know...we have trust in each other, we don't feel uneasy or nervous, it's just the right time. Some horses take a few weeks to get to that, some longer and some like legend, just easy and quick. Probably couldve done it weeks ago, but I like to establish lots on the ground simulating the rider to a degree, so theres no disaster if things do get exciting and also manners and respect and learning im their leader, all on the ground first!! He also had a go in tack shed for unsaddle today and nosed around at everything and carried the moon hopper ball around on his tail to get used to when dogs will bump into his legs and not to kick at them etc...see video in comments haha Whatta good boy!!!
I'll do video of whinny later.
Good little ponies.... but gosh its so so hot and humid!!
Legend did some long lining today (including me running after him, scuffing feet, waving arms and jumping around haha) then both him and I had a hosing down lesson haha. Was so pleasant!
Whinny took the saddle like a pro & is moving forward with her learning really well. Their holiday was so worth it!!
WE ARE BACK!!!
Well, the 3yos had a longer than expected holiday, I just found it really tricky to juggle kids and holiday fun with them and our annual holiday, so I thought just best let them sit and soak rather than not be consistent.
Anyway, they were great today! Just a quick fly over the basics and they showed me they had done lots of soaking and didn't bat an eye at flagging, jumping around, yielding, rope twirling, lifting feet etc so on we pushed....
Legend got saddled up after this and was right back where we left off, did a bit of mouthing, he's all refreshed ready to carry on, still crusiey as.
Whinny was great, straight over obstacles like a pro, started learning a new one.. the big tyre steps. Then in for lunge around, moving off pressure on her sides, yielding, on with belly roller, no buckies yay and is right back where she left off too, still clever and sweet .
So onwards we go, let's get them finished off and ready for new homes!!
Day 14 whinny.
Man shes clever ...just such a quick learner, a real hunny! I actually thought she'd surely be unsure of the noodles but... nope, she's really loving the obstacles, did cavaletti's all different ways too, new things everyday. I'm doing these as first part of lesson to get her using thinking part of brain rather than reacting part, shes going great!
(Sorry it's blurry, probably like everything my phone even wants some sun!!!)
Day 12 for whinny yesterday.
I've been doing lots of desensitizing and trust building with her to help her learn that when she encounters something scary ... to not react with flight mode. Yesterday she met the ball and didn't mind me bouncing over her and all ... shes really good... once she accepts something shes really good, she knows im not out to hurt her or scare her. We had a good argument day before after she reacted with flight when cat jumped up pole and she lost her ability to respect my space and almost knocked me over, they can not think or learn at all when flight mode kicks in! So she got moved ... a lot! Lots of change of directions, yielding, lunging, backing, etc to really knock that respect into place and her to pay attention to my body language and that for a release of pressure , she could stand with me to catch her breath, she was trying to not like me , so this helped a lot. She was a heap better today!
Day ...10 or 11... (I think) with legend. Darren finally hung in there, gave me half a days work! Legend didn't give him any trouble tho!
He's carrying the bit in his mouth each day now and we are beginning the mouthing process, had long driving lines on yesterday for 10mins, but I do a wide range of mouthing techniques , as there isn't one that is a perfect simulation of our hands and how we ride once in saddle I don't believe and just like riding techniques, everybody is different.
This is an area I pride myself on... its why I put Darren monkey on, its why I jump round them like a dick, it's why I alternate ways of putting saddle & bridle on, it's why I get on differently each time, it's why I ride like a loose wobbly off balance person and then I ride like a neat perfect person ... I try and set my horses up for life by exposing them to lots of different ways and feels of the same thing! I also get various people to spend time with them so they aren't a one person horse!
Legend was a good boy and we achieved loads of new things today.
We put breastplate and crupper on, not worried, I did some work using the stirrup to imitate leg pressure which means move forward , he clicked onto that good. I did some stuff up above him and then after lots of teaching him to park up beside barrel and getting interrupted with lambs coming .... I got ON him!!! Just some gradual steps you can see, on for little bit at time, then on and moving, then standing still once I'm on, then on and sitting up, then on sitting up and moving and left it at that!! He's a lad, to say the least!!! He got to meet Darren , he thought he was a nice fella, although Darren had too much to drink at lunchtime and couldn't sit on him very well! Darren will be better next time I'd say and give him a good ride for me! Oh and we did more with feet like we do everyday!! (cause someone is apparently reporting me to the SPCA cos he has one long toe with a crack in it, which i will be trimming as soon as he is good enough to hold them up long enough etc!!! Ffs!!) Today he learnt about lifting them forward for farrier. We've also done a bit of one leg up with leg strap to get hang of balancing on 3 legs etc!!!
Day 9 whinny (yesterday)
Whinny is very sweet but at the moment is quite reactive to things (TB much?Yes half! Haha). However, she is also very very clever and once she accepts it, then she is fine. I'm taking a different approach with her to legend, but i need to trust her, she needs to trust me and see me as a leader and that I can help her tackle anything and that not all things will eat her! So we go about our normal routine, brush, pick out feet, lunge, belly roller on, yielding, flexing yadda yadda. Then I work on lots of various desensitizing things, jumping round, flags, balls etc and trust building exercises like obstacles etc. New ones each day. The video is yesterday after she had got in a tizz about leading into pen and a different flag and totally blamed me when rope got tangled around her and she ran round winding herself up more haha, so we did this and finished on good note.
Day 10 today, She did start off not wanting to really be near me, so I made it all a nice experience today and she also took the stuff we did yesterday... flag and rope etc with a grain of salt ... such a clever quick learner and she really was happy to learn about going over the see-saw and with minimal reaction.
So... we did take a back step yesterday but then we took 2 steps forward by end of lesson and today we did a massive leap forward again with lots of trust gained and excellent work towards her not reacting with flight! She is such a lovely type of horse and a real sweetheart!
Another super quiet 3yo! Best mates, she wants to ride him... bareback!!
Day 8.
Woohhhoooo whinny provided some action with the saddle on first time.... She had a major reaction that i could see there was no stopping once she started (doesnt often happen) but i chose to work her thru it all and then i do a bit of flapping stirrup etc once she calmed down, I'm only doing tiny bit, shes quite a lot more reactive than old mate, so I start little and light and build up a bit to finish on a good note with her and the saddle, also let her wear the saddle for a while by herself too.
The other thing i came across was that she kept trying to place me on her right side , so had a wee lesson on that. So important that they don't walk all over you and respect your space, pet hate of mine, a pushy horse. Shes going well, she will probably take bit longer than legend, shes still sweet as pie and a very very clever, quick learner.
He however is probably ready for me over his back etc and just building up with various equipment on saddle etc. Time to get big girl underpants out!!!
Day 7... I hadn't set video to go when I first put the saddle on legend whoops, but .... no reaction/excitement anyway!! But I managed to turn it on for this ripper.... have a laugh at my expense haha! Today got hot, hence singy with jeans rolled up haha sorry but nevertheless my goofy behaviour jumping round , running at him etc got no reaction either!!! He's so chilled!
I got busy after him so whinny only got a wee uncover lesson and brush today. Ill try have video on when i do saddle first time for her tomorrow and some goofing and see if she's more excited about me!!!
