KevyGo Riding

10/07/2024

We finally made it to our first Happily Ever After show of the season this past weekend, and we were so glad to be back! The 4 horses in our group this time were all thoroughbreds, who each dutifully carried riders of a different age and level. What testament to the versatility of the breed!

Congratulations to Melissa G and her lovely mare Coco, whom she adopted at Equine Affaire just 6 months ago, on their division champion win in the 2’ hunters!

Another big congratulations to Maeve and Zoey on winning reserve champs of the 2’ jumpers in Zoey’s return to the show ring after over a year! Maeve has worked Zoey back into competitive form so diligently and thoughtfully all summer, I couldn’t be more proud of the pair and their resilience and the beautiful bond they have developed.

Maeve and Melissa were on fire all weekend; Saturday evening they showed as a team in the pairs jumping class, bringing home a 3rd in a large and very competitive field!

Little Ruby and Jay made such a stylish debut at the most formal show they’ve done together so far, putting on the best possible performances as a new pair that we could have ever asked for. They really are two peas in a pod and we are all so excited to watch them continue to learn and grow together! One of the most impressive things was the positive, relaxed attitude they both maintained all weekend. Ruby said that one of her favorite parts of the whole show was getting to take care of her own horse and hang out with him all day!

It was a joy to watch my good friend and colleague Kaylie Eaves and her horse Mahina put their bond to the test as well this weekend, braving a lot of firsts for both of them. They accomplished everything they set out to do, learned a lot, and are eager to try again in the future!

So much else has happened in the past month I haven’t had the chance yet to post about, but now that I’m further on the mend from my hand injury and things are starting to wind down for the event season I hope to get back to regular programming soon!

09/15/2024

The pace results were posted late last night and these two placed 6th out of 11 teams! The course was 4.42 miles long, ideal time for the slow division was 1:06:17 and Melissa & Sally did it in 1:00:07. Not too bad for a first timer and a second timer!

09/14/2024

Even though I’m a little sad I can’t ride this Rocky Fork Headley Hunt hunter pace myself while I’m broken, I’m thrilled things worked out for two of my students to still have the opportunity to go have fun!

09/08/2024

Proud is an understatement…I’m broken and pretty much useless but my crew pulled it together and are on the parade route looking amazing! Can’t wait for them to get back and tell me how it all went!

09/07/2024

Second to last SAGA show of the season today! All three of these ladies had a great time and put in some lovely rides!

08/24/2024

Ouida, Molly, Piper and I went on a search and rescue mission with a few other members of the local horse community, trying to find and catch a mustang who escaped from his adoptive home just 2 months after being caught from the wild. This poor horse was so freaked out, we ALMOST got him but then he evaded us once more. We decided to head back and regroup and will go back out later once he’s had some time to calm down. I’m so grateful to my wonderful, trusty mares who are always up for any and every task I ask of them!

If not for this adventure, we were going to go down to watch Kaylie Eaves and Senora in the Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue, INC ATFO! Their showcase is starting in about an hour so make sure you tune in to the live feed to watch them show off their stuff!

08/09/2024

This guy never ceases to impress me! Sherman is a beloved part of my lesson string, and he’s coming back into work after nearly 4 months stall rest. I rode him once last week and he was fatigued after just a few minutes of walk work, which is very understandable but if you know him you know how much he loves to go go go. I decided to see how he took to ground driving as a way for him to build back muscle without the weight of a rider. Turns out he’s already a pro! First time in the lines with me and we were able to trot serpentines and figure 8s, go around the rail with me behind him and circle me standing still both directions. I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy has actually pulled a cart in a past life. We both had so much fun, and he was such a good sport about it his leaser/bestie Melissa even gave it a go for her first time ground driving in her lesson this week! I can’t wait for him to be back in full work, and for Cheyenne to get this good! Wouldn’t they make just the cutest pair of Saddlebred driving horses?!

08/05/2024

I had a few friends over yesterday evening for a ride night/cookout, and it was a perfect opportunity for Cheyenne to try some new things! She handled them all like a champ;

*being groomed, including all 4 feet picked, by a “stranger” (who is a very experienced horse person)

*walking down the aisle as it was being swept (this was the scariest thing of the evening 😂)

*navigating a crowded ring without breaking her focus on me or what I was asking her to do

*walking and trotting over ground poles

*trotting in the driving lines

*wearing a resistance band around her hindquarters

*being ground driven/worked in general by a “stranger”

Our little lady is growing up! You go Shy Girl!

07/20/2024

Cheyenne has made an AMAZING amount of progress in just two sessions of introducing ground driving! I wish FB would let me post more than one video at a time so you could see the lead up to this!

07/17/2024

Vote for Cheyenne’s half sister Senora & my friend Kaylie!

Don't forget to vote me for your fan favorite!⬇️

https://www.facebook.com/100067663484803/posts/798675852397857/

07/16/2024

Cheyenne and I had our first ride today!! I’d be lying if I said it went as well as I had hoped. Prepare for a longer post as I process my thoughts on the training session.

Things started out just as calm and cool as usual. We stood calmly tied for grooming, picking feet, fly spraying, saddling (including the girth!) and as usual went into a stall to get the bridle on, which becomes less and less of an ordeal each time.

Ground work warm up time was also business as usual, even with some excitement, big noises and tense activity going on in the paddock next to the arena. She handled the stirrups banging on her side as she walked and trotted around both directions without giving them much thought. She did better than ever with the steering from the bit. She stood stock still at the mounting block, just as we’d practiced, as I got on and off several times.

Once it came time to move off, though, she went into a mode of confusion and tension I haven’t felt out of her since very early in our journey together. At no point did I feel like she was going to completely blow up and try to buck me off, but she was not finding comfort in me as she usually does so she she felt a strong need for look for it elsewhere and we lost all semblance of steering and response to voice commands. I sat as still as I could so as not to knock her off balance even more than my presence on her back already was, and realized we need to get a bit more solid in a few things on the ground so that balancing the weight of a rider is the ONLY “new” thing for her to contend with.

Am I disappointed in her? Absolutely NOT! She is allowed to tell me when she doesn’t feel ready for a task. She is allowed to express her opinions. I am thankful she chooses to express her stress in low key ways. She absolutely could have said no much louder, but she’s too polite for that. I have a solid plan in mind for our next few sessions, and will make sure I have a friend around to help from the ground the next time I climb aboard.

After I dismounted we went back to ground work for a bit so as to end on a confident note, and she survived a hose down! I’ve also finally found some treats she enjoys eating from her feeder, so she got lots of treats before she was put back in with her friends 🙂

Onwards and upwards from here!

07/15/2024

Cheyenne’s half sister Senora is so much like her in both looks and personality! Senora has been in training with my friend Kaylie Eaves since late April, they are competing in the ATFO annual trainer competition put on by Heart of Phoenix rescue. I’m still hoping and striving to get the sisters out on a trail ride together before Senora leaves for the competition next month!

07/14/2024

Cheyenne had a light week due to my having a day camp on top of regular lessons and chores, but picked back up right where we left off. She stood tied for grooming, including picking all 4 feet and brushing her mane and tail, fly spray, tried on a few saddles, accepted the bridle with very little resistance, steered from the bit, stood stock still at the mounting block while I did all sorts of silly things including leaning on her back, and then stood ground tied while I walked all around her from various distances! She is just the sweetest, smartest, bravest and prettiest shy girl!

07/04/2024

A little bit of life, lately. Happy Independence Day!

06/29/2024

It’s been a minute since I’ve had time to sit down and type a Cheyenne update, but we had such a great session this morning I just can’t hold it in!

We have been keeping things pretty simple so far, so that routine things can become just that; routine things. No big deal. Going through the motions. In the last couple days, all of that prep work seems to have really, solidly clicked for her. Last night was the first time since she’s been here that ALL of her horse buddies were taken away at the same time, so she was alone in the paddock and she was calm as a cucumber. I was really just a few yards away in the indoor arena, so I could see and hear her, but she did no calling or pacing or anything but enjoy the hay. At feeding times she’s started doing the adorable “happy foot” that my other saddlebred does!

This morning she was being so incredibly cuddly and inquisitive, following me as closely as she could and asking for all the pets I’d give her while I went about my morning chores. I wasn’t planning on doing a session this morning, but she seemed so eager to interact with me I decided to do a short one. Of course my phone was inside on the charger so I have zero photos or videos, but will include a video from a session last week at the end! She’s the PRETTIEST mover!

Today she stood “pseudo tied” aka her line was ran through a tie ring but I was holding the end of it so if she did pull back she could have some give without getting away completely. Whilst “tied” I was able to brush both sides without her moving a muscle, brush her mane and tail, and pick up all 4 feet by myself. This was the first time I’ve been able to pick up her back feet without a helper holding her. I decided to go ahead and SADDLE her! She stood just as still for the pad and saddle to go on, but did get a little antsy while I fastened the girth. Her being antsy means she poops and searches for comfort food, nothing too crazy. We have been working with a stick and longer line so I can give her more clear directives from farther away, and our arena session today included new ideas such as moving her shoulders and hips away from pressure closer to where it’ll be applied by the leg with a rider aboard, and switching directions at the walk with me staying in the middle of our circle. She maintained the requested gait until I asked for another one, and transitioned/halted immediately with just the voice command and no pressure from the line! She was so in tune with my body language, it felt as if she was reading my mind. I’m now SO eager to get on her, but still want to introduce some steering from reins first so that’s on our agenda for the next session!

She is one of the most polite horses I have ever met. She thinks calmly through problems, takes it upon herself to inspect scary things and new objects, and tries really really hard to figure out whatever she’s being asked to do. I’m officially totally in love with her and hoping beyond hope that a kiddo in my program will adopt her so I can keep working with her and following her progress closely without having to adopt her myself 😅

06/21/2024

How do we do lessons when it’s 1000° out with a heat index of a million, you ask? We group students up, meet at 8pm, & combine learning to lunge with the water cups balance challenge. Riding the desert princess horse doesn’t hurt, either! Piper was actually wetter from all the water that was spilled on her than she was from sweat, whereas everyone else was glistening just from existing. Ouida and Melissa both did a great job with this camp game, learning a lot about having quieter hands and trusting their seat a little better!

06/18/2024

The horses sure appreciated the multi-fan cooling station for farrier time. I think they all wished they had an extra hoof to have trimmed so they could stand there longer!

06/17/2024

Cheyenne update!

She’s been here a little over a week now, and frankly it’s been a pretty boring week to post about. I spend several snippets of time with her often throughout the day. Giving a new horse their settle in time is very important, especially when they are as green and undersocialized as her.
Looking back at her body language and responses to routine things over the past week, though, she has made a TON of progress!

At first she was very wary of being touched, though she did show great interest from the beginning as far as wanting to feel safe coming to humans for interactions. I’ve made sure everyone who came to meet her allowed her to come to them for pets, and started with her favorite scratch places rather than going straight for her pretty face.

She now comes straight up to me the moment she sees me and tells me what she wants scratched the most! I can even walk right out to her with a halter or fly mask and she’ll come over eagerly. She’s still a little unsure of things when I raise the equipment in hand to put on her, but if I get an arm around her neck first and talk her through it she accepts whatever I’m putting on her without additional fear.

She has impressed me with her willingness to inspect, on her own, “scary” items such as the wheelbarrow carrying hay, hoses, water tubs being dumped/scrubbed/refilled, etc.

I can walk all around her and touch every part of her body, but we still don’t love the back feet being handled if they’re not able to remain planted firmly on the ground. Front feet I can pick up and hold, though she still finds the left front is more tolerable than right.

She won’t keep a fly mask on to save her life! I’ve tried all sorts of styles and sizes and she loses them all within hours, lol, but ya know what that’s the least of our worries.

We had to try a few friend match ups, some horses she still doesn’t really want to be near (not that anyone has been overly mean to her, just the normal ear pins and initial warning signs which Cheyenne takes deeply to heart) but she has warmed up to Ellie and Jay, and doesn’t have meltdowns anymore when either/both of her first choice buddies leave to go work or for an offsite play day.

She still hasn’t like any treats I’ve tried, including apples carrots and a banana, but she loves meal time and definitely recognizes when the feeding process starts!

I did also finally find out who sent her grooming kit! Turns out I messed up the Amazon wishlist settings, and she received another one a couple days later. The spare will be given to her half sister Senora, who is in training with my friend Kaylie Eaves, so the girls will have matching sets that can go with them both to their new adoptive homes! She has also received a fly mask, some extra brushes that weren’t included in the kits, and bag of treats! Thank you so much to the Slaughter Family, Palmer family and Fullroth family for donating! I have added a few new items to her wish list if anyone wants to take a look! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2CO0ML5UQFRUE?ref_=wl_share

I’m hoping to get a friend to come and take some photos and videos of a work session sometime this week, but in the mean time here are a few photos of her hanging out with her bestest buddy Jay!