A little is better than none

I've had some good horse time in , but it's been a different kind of horse time than normal. A family member just recently asked me to work with her 8 year old paint gelding, Sonny. He is an incredibly intelligent, sensitive RBE who honestly just needs miles on him. His owner is over 70 years old, and the people who trained and bred him are all in their 60's. He has never been cantered and he has bucked several people off. I've done some ground work with him and two trail rides, and he does great! He is confident and curious on the trail and has no problem leaving his full older brother, Bliss, behind to explore what's around him. He is typically very herd bound to Bliss, but once we get going he doesn't seem to care. Watching Eileen, his owner, ride I think I see what the issue is. She is older, and she doesn't have much strength which means the horses have figured out they can dive their nose down and out to rip the lead rope or reins out of her hands and do what they want. She also has a "buck strap" she hangs onto with a death grip the entire time she rides, which makes her entire body tense which transfers down to the horse. Bliss is an LBI and could definitely care less what she is doing, but to a sensitive RB horse like Sonny, that is a recipe for disaster. If she isn't confident, he doesn't think he can be confident either, and things go south. She wants to be able to pony Sonny and pack in the mountains, and I think once he gets some experience he will be a fabulous horse for her!

The adorable mister Sonny :) Look at the 7 on his chest!

Sonny enjoying the fabulous fall colors.

Sonny's full brother, Bliss.

This weekend I was able to visit my parent's house and have some time with my own horses. Saturday I saddled up Cheyenne and I was excited when my sister said she would come ride with me! Growing up we tore up the pasture together all the time playing horse tag, jumping over home made jumps, racing, and every other fun think we could think of. It's been well over eight years since she's been on a horse, and it made both of us happy to have her on horseback again! My five year old nephew is finally getting over his fear of horses, and he wanted to come ride too! I was so excited! I pulled Chey out of the pasture, did a two minute warm up, and she was ready to go! My crazy little firecracker is quickly turning into my steady-eddy, and it warms my heart :) Adonis, my nephew, sat in front of me on the saddle and off we went! He ended up squirming around a lot and it was bothering Chey because he was right on her shoulders, so I hopped off and led him around. He even wanted to trot! A lot! He was screaming (happily) and giggling and making all kinds of noises, moving his legs all over the place, and she never seemed to mind. He is the next generation horseman in the making, and that is one of the best feelings I've ever had. I really hope his love for horses continues and we have many awesome riding adventures together as he gets older!

My sister, Caitlin, and Snicker

The best kind of bonding time there is :)

The next day was Gweny's turn, which was good because even if I hadn't planned on it I don't think she would have left me alone until the halter went on her face. It's crazy how much slower I have to move when just walking with her, much less playing with her. We did some pedestal work, which she loves to find a million different ways to avoid. She is a quick learner though and once she finally got over being stubborn and found out she got left alone if she put her foot on the top we made quick progress. It's a little disappointing how much I have to work to convince her something is her idea as well, when a few months ago she was so eager to please and her expressions were getting increasingly better. However, with every visit it declines. Playing with her once a month just isn't cutting it, and it hurts to watch. My biggest fear is that my horses are going to forget me, but I'm trying really hard to not let that happen.

My mom jumped on Snicker and we rode around, and I played with Gweny on point-to-point trying to encourage her continue forward movement. Trotting takes less now though, and we even started the beginning steps of jumping! She has a talent for it, however doesn't like exerting the energy for it haha. By the end of Sunday I had her trotting over the jump, and she stopped trying to avoid it! Every time she went over an obstacle or jump she found out she got to stop and eat one of the random alfalfa plants growing in the pasture. This was a huge motivational tool for her and she started showing a little enthusiasm by the end of the ride. 

Gweny searching for alfalfa while mom and Snicker ride in the background

Even with not getting played with as often as they used to, they are still making progress. One positive thing that is coming out of this however is that when I see them I just want to enjoy riding or messing around with them, and my competitive side subsides and I just enjoy my time with them. It's kind of nice to put the levels aside and have fun for a while.  

Cheyenne's chestnut heart <3

Megan 1, Bee 0

Saturday and Sunday were great :) Unfortunately I'm writing this five days later, so the details are a bit fuzzy, but we definitely had some good moments. Saturday I warmed up Cheyenne which took a matter of minutes, and from the moment we left the dry lot for the play pen she was connected and responsive. How cool! Once I got on (this time under saddle) we once again did a million transitions, this time with some cantering peppered in. It's funny, growing up cantering and galloping were my two favorite speeds, but once Cheyenne became my main horse, we have really stuck to walk/trot. She had a lot of issues finding balance with a rider while cantering, and could never get the correct lead which didn't help, so we kind of just avoided it. It is definitely my fault for not helping her instead of just ignoring it, so now we are making some progress. She was a star as always, and we even went out of the pasture into the yard with her staying LB and acting like a partner! This was a huge deal since normally her threshold is the pasture fence, and anything beyond that calls for wide eyes and prey animal instincts to kick in. My five year old nephew even sat on her again while she grazed, and she acted like an old pro! I can't believe how far my little RBE has come. Most days you can't even tell she used to be a little reactive ball of nerves and RBE frenzy. I'm trying really hard to not hang onto the past and raise expectations for her instead of treating her like how she used to be, and days like that she makes it so easy :) I couldn't be more proud of that little lady!

My nephew and Cheyenne <3

Saddle fort!

My pretty lady :)

  

Straddling the pole for the first time!

Sunday it was finally Gwen's turn, and when she saw the halter finally coming in her direction she shoved her nose in it, ready to play! I got into LBI/LBE mode (which is pretty easy since that is my humanality) and off we went! Well, almost. We played with the F8 OL, sent her over a jump, played with COD, but all the while there was this huge bee buzzing around her legs, front left armpit, and hind end! It was the weirdest bee too, it flew in the fetal position, was huge, and super fuzzy. She tried really hard to be good, and she was really willing to play and only gave me semi-sour faces when asked for transitions, however she couldn't help but swish her tail at the bee, try to kick it, bite it, etc. After a few minutes I gave up and figured it was time for her spa treatment, and maybe I could drown that little dude at the same time ;)

Gweny watching the neighbors

I sprayed her off and he seemed to stay away while she was wet, but when it's nearing 90 degrees it doesn't take long for her to dry off. I had to chop her long mane I worked so hard to grow out, which really sucked, but had to be done. With me being there only once a month (and once winter hits and the mountain pass gets bad it will be less than that :[ ) it just turns into giant knots. Her mane and tail are so thick, if they aren't constantly braided, they're a huge mess. My scissors were going really dull however, so it wasn't the prettiest job, and she now looks like she rides in the 'short trailer', but whatever. It has to feel better than having big knots in your hair!

Perfect summer day 

The bee came back, and it was war. I tried spraying him with the hose but could never get him, so I grabbed a short fat stick. My goal was to smack him onto the ground then squish him with my boot. I hit him a few times, but he would only be on the ground for a split second than fly off again. I was at it for about 20 minutes (or felt that long, anyway) and just gave up and lounged in the shade while Gweny happily enjoyed some fresh grass.

When I finally put her to bed the bee was still around, and this time going from horse to horse looking for who knows what. Seriously, since when do bees obsess over horses? I let Gweny go and had some undemanding scratchy time with her and Cheyenne, and on my way out Chey was right behind me. As I was opening the gate, I turned around and saw it right next to her, so I smacked it with my had as hard as I could and finally squished the crap out of him!! Not today, bee!!! That's what you get for messing with my babies!!

I'm now back home and missing them all over again. I was really hoping to have them here by March, and now it looks like it might not be until next summer. For now I just have to enjoy our short but awesome weekends :)