Nice Spotless Session

On Tuesday I lunged Spotless because it was sunny, even though it was muddy. He was awesome! He was listening, we actually got to focus on transitions, and he looked great! After a lunge session we went for a walk and he was very good, didn't try to climb on me for safety at all. We encountered a scary puddle and it took me about 10 or 15 minutes to convince him it wasn't going to drown him and then he walked back and forth over it with me several times. We went down the lane and saw the scary neighbors and he watched them, but still listened when I stopped and started and back, etc. He was paying attention to me.

Melissa came and rode Dazzle after I worked Spotless. It was muddy so she was being careful, but she behaved nicely, just no swinging movement like we've been able to get on dryer days. I got some video of her lunging. I haven't put it up yet though.

The big news that day was I talked to the trainer that Spotless (and Mister and Britches are supposed to go to) is going to and he is all set up to go. He is going as soon as the weather permits, hopefully the beginning of March. Then Melissa will continue him Dressage and his first show will be the 17th of April if he's done at the trainer by then. Yey! I'm excited!

Tomorrow, Melissa and I are going to haul Dazzle and Sparkles to Bennington Lake and Ted is going to ride the 2nd horse and I'm going to walk and video tape. Should be fun. I'm looking forward to getting out in nature. Hopefully it's dry and sunny for us and not freezing!

The Arab Kicks In

Tuesday, Ashley was finally able to ride and I had stolen Michelle. We all tacked up and headed into the field. Dan was spooky right off. He stood better for Michelle to get on, then shied going through the arena opening into the field. He wouldn't go into the grassy lane first and eyed everything down the lane to Grandma's. We went around the edge of the field and he was pretty good, then spooked himself walking over a sprinkler pipe. We went to the edge of the field by the road and Michelle walked him over the pipe several times until he did it without acting terrified. Then we went to go around the block. He spooked at everything. Michelle finally decided it wasn't the evening to work on this as she didn't have enough time so we went back and rode home. It took an hour to do all that, so it wasn't a short ride even though we didn't go far.

Ashley and Gypsy didn't have a completely smooth go of it either. Gypsy doesn't like standing very long for mounting. Ashley was taking too long to get on (by her standards) and took off. I had to catch her on Dazzle. I told Ashley she had to make it a swift, smooth movement and just get up there. She was really frustrated by this time as they'd already spent 10 minutes arguing over standing still, but she didn't complain, she just got up there, Gypsy starting to walk off and I told her to discipline her for it. She made her stop and got her foot in the stirrup and all was okay. They did well the rest of the ride. When we got to the gate next to Grandma's Gypsy remembered the training from the session they had a while back and stood next to it while Ashley pushed and pulled the gate. I was quite impressed she had retained it that well. Quite promising.

Dazzle was good the whole time. We were western and she likes that. I let Ashley ride in my Dressage saddle, so that was she and Gypsy's first trip out of the arena in a snaffle and Dressage saddle.

Adventure's In The Woods on the 4th of July

For the 4th we trailered up to Trudy's place. We loaded up and her and Andy's horse and continued on up to the Litt Creek trail. We headed to the trail head which had the scariest foot-wide patch of mud at the bottom. It was either go through the mud or jump a ditch with pokey sticks. We all at to get down and lead across. Toby (formerly Turbo) went across without too much trouble. Trudy got Sparkles across, Ashley convinced Gypsy across...and then there was Dazzle and me. She would NOT cross. I got back on and tried to get her across mounted. She reared, I spun her in circles, asked again, etc. Finally, Andy came back to help me. I got back down and broke a branch off a limb on the ground. Andy held her lead-rope (which is why you bring them with you when you trail ride) and I whacked her across the butt with the branch until she got annoyed enough she jumped the mud. Such a drama queen.

We headed up the trail. I was told it was not a drop-off trail, nothing too challenging. Yeah right! There was a lot of it where I prayed we would die. Straight down that you'd never survive falling. Every time there was mud we had to leap it, of course, and she would then spaz and try to fall off the cliff. We me it all the way to top alive. We let the horses rest for a long time, then headed over to where there was water. Dazzle wouldn't drink a drop. Gypsy and Toby tanked up, Sparkles took one sip and dazzle ripped pieces of bark off the trough.

It took 3 hours up the mountain and only 1 down. "Down" was less scary for the most part since we'd already survived "up" and since it was steep it was a little easier to keep them walking versus trotting/cantering. This is one of the situations where they really reveal that they're animals and have no sense about things. They don't consider tumbling off the mountain. They would tear up the trail if allowed, even though they would probably end up rolling 2000 ft down the mountainside. Scared the crap out of me.

So, we all made it alive. No one coliced; we did a good job cooling them down. Even Gypsy at 24 with 1 eye and not a lot of trail experience made it the whole way. She was a little stiff right after, but was herself after a night.

Why do I do this when it terrifies me and I spend the whole time asking myself what I was thinking? I guess because riding it what I do to challenge myself mentally, physically, etc. And, if I don't want to get stuck in a nice little circle-the-arena routine, I have to force myself to do what scares me and live through it. Someday, when Dazzle is all trail-savvy and no longer tries to kill us, when we can actually get a certain cow in the right place in the right order, when little kids do lead-line on her and she wins them a bit ribbon, I will be happy I spent so much of our training terrified, frustrated, dripping with sweat, confused, exhausted, and determined to do it again tomorrow.

Trail Ride

Last week we did a trail ride to Bennington Lake. We took Melissa and Bayberry, me and Dazzle, and Michelle and Turbo. We met Michelle and tacked up and headed out. We went around the lake, which included walking in the few inches of water in the reservoir, then down onto a path that goes past a field and into the trees. Then Melissa took Bayberry back to the trailer to work on her mane and Michelle and I went around again doing most of it cantering. We had a blast. Before heading off, Melissa canter Bayberry a little and she was a angel. Didn't try to race at all! Michelle and I cantered single file down the bunny trails and took turns leading. Michelle said she was able to neck-rein with just a touch of direct now and then in the snaffle. That is SUCH a success. We are so proud of him!

The Canceled Show

So, the show that we were practicing intently for was canceled. I was so disappointed I couldn't bring myself to post for a while. Then I got busy. So, now I have no excuse and show be posting regularly again.

Our new show is in 2 weeks and it will most likely be the only show for the season. It is an actually Dressage show, so I am appropriately horribly nervous.

Dazzle and I have been doing a lot of riding, but not Dressage practice. We have done several trail rides, practiced in her bitless bridle that I plan to use on her on the Trail Ride in July, the big Chief Joseph ride. We did a calf-sorting last weekend. So, good stuff, but not technically Dressage practice. So, for the next two weeks, that's ALL we're going to do. I have the arenas mowed and re-lettered and we're ready to go.

Show Plans For Summer

I did a schooling show last Sunday on my old gelding, Thunder. My husband drove me and kept track of our places. Afterwards he announced I am not allowed to show open shows anymore unless I think I can beat the trainers/stuck up rich girls. I can only show Dressage. So, he told me I am to start taking lessons again and I can do two shows this summer. Then next year I show all I want, hit everything if I want, after this year of taking lessons often. So, the two shows I'm going to do are the two that are in town. Both are schooling shows. Nothing high-pressure. I'm going to do Intro B, Training 1, and Dressage Trail at both. Should be interesting and a learning experience. Last year she did one of the shows but I didn't ride her, Melissa did. They did an Intro class. So, we'll see how I do on her this year. I'm really nervous about it, but I'm sure we'll through it. If we make enough progress, I might hit an open show or two later in the summer. But I won't waste the money on it unless we're doing well enough I might place well. We'll get there eventually.


Other than those two shows, we're going to get conditioning for the Chief Joseph Trail Ride. I have paid my head fee and just have to get the balance paid off now. One of my friends is borrowing my father-in-law's gelding to ride it since he always works it anyway. So, Trudy on Sparkles, me on Dazzle and Alison on Turbo. Should be a blast. Melissa is going to work it with the rest of the crew. The ride is 5 days, about 20 miles a day. Not a race, but you still have to be in decent shape as does your horse. Dazzle will be earning mileage towards her Distance ROM with ApHC and hours for the Saddle Log program through ApHC. It will take four years to get her ROM in Distance. It's exciting to finally be starting on it. So, the beginning of our summer will involve hours of riding to get conditioned for that.


What are your plans for the summer? Anything exciting?