Today we let all the horses go out together after Reno's return from babysitting duty. Billboard is very protective to Kiona, not letting a new herd mate get close until they learn the rules...again. This also helps work on his buddy sourness.
Before it got to hot, Kiona got a ride in working on arena work and then a relaxing ride off property with Luna taking the lead!
Billboard adds another skill to his belt! He did really well with shooting today. Now we just need to order more rounds to keep practicing!
When used properly and you've prepared your horse, draw reins can be an excellent tool to help teach your partner how to collect. However, you want to stop using them once your partner has learned how to hold themselves with minimul reminder.
Reno has learned how to navigate the pool noodles at Bushy Mountain Horsemanship. He's a hoot as hill dip under them so he doesn't have to deal with them.
Reno did amazing with today at Bushy Mountain Horsemanship. He amazed us with taking everything in stride and excelling at a lot of the challenges.
Reno has had a fear of ropes around his butt or anywhere behind him so I pulled an old system out. Many will tighten it down but I like to use this as a training tool for scared horses. It teaches them that the pressure is there (just laying on him) and they have to figure a way to think through the situation. By the end of the session, Reno was calmly chewing and licking, telling me that good endorphins were running through his mind and he was learning that it's okay.
Kiona and I worked on some shooting after not doing so well at the competition this weekend. With time and consistency we'll get better.
Billboard may be 20 years old, but he can still book it.
I think Kiona is glad to be home and able to stretch her legs!
Even though Kiona was exhausted, she did her best for the 3rd day of the Expo. Brody and Pocket were both great showing the speed while Kiona showed the lay-backness of a Musgang.
This is the video that we played at our booth in the Expo this weekend. So far, the network has included American Mustang School (NC), DLR Mustang Ranch (OH), Operation Wild Horse - Veterans R&R (IL), and New Freedom Farm, Inc., (VA).
The tootsie roll after a good ride in the arena.
And this is why we run low on water in the trough. Kiona loves playing in water.
These two are a hoot! They have a mineral block but yet decide to lick the dirt.
Leroy is one of those special boys. We've been working hard to get to him to this point. He still likes to test to make sure I will be consistent with the cues, but he listens and has come to enjoy work again. We will keep making it fun and his mind working every minute to keep the progress up.
This takes hard work and consistency. Just jumping on a horse without a plan will set you up for failure. Now granted there are those days where you just want to putts around and that's okay. There also days where the plan to work on a specific thing goes out the window and you have to work on something else before that one thing you wanted to do. However if you have goal and work towards it, your partnership will grow stronger. Sometimes you have to take a step back and retrain something but I'd rather do that then rush the horse when they're not ready or understand what you're asking.
This has been something I've been working on with Kiona. After going back to the basics and teaching her a different way to move sideways, we have finally been able to open a gate in a calm manner.
When it feels nice out, a good gallop is called for.
These are the sessions that I love to see over time. It has taken Reno a long time to get to the point where he listens to every body cue and has a collected trot. When we first started, he would full up canter in the round pen without any prompting.
I knew then he'd had a different training by those who didn't understand the purpose of a round pen: to learn body language and create a bond. Yes, you can use it for working them but you have to also be able to control them with no lead or whip. It takes a long time to get to that point but it's well worth it in the end!
