Hmm does it look like she is pouting? LOL

As we all know Levi has been "chillin" since she cut above her eye. LOL.

She has been a pain wanting attention, so I figured last night she was healed enough to get back to work. She was waiting at the gate so got her caught up and bridled and this time saddle with the barrel saddle she will probably be wearing next year anyway.

We did some lunging with some changes of directions. Good. Then I climbed aboard and we did some flexing and turns. I could feel she was "feeling fresh" so we did some serpentines, backing, and more flexing until I felt her relax a bit.

We then moved out on a loose rein and did some ORS's, walk over  poles and then walked and trotted the pole pattern a few times. I kept it somewhat short as I had other stuff to do so we then rode over to the gate and started our practice of opening the gate from horseback.. she did pretty darn good!

She did want to trot up the hill and most any other hill I might let her but this one goes straight to the barn so I try to avoid doing that but I did let Satin canter up the other day but only because it was raining and we were in a hurry ;)

One night when I have more time to ride her I will have to get the video going on the digital again and shoot some footage of her. :)

It was Monday but riding horses made it better LOL.

Yes I got to get out there and ride last night!  Satin and I rode around bareback with just the halter on... our favorite way to ride, easy peasy.  I sure like everything about this mare except that trot of hers LOL she can sure jar your teeth out and all was good except Satin had a brain fart and forgot how to sidepass to the right .

But since we were just in our "skivvies" we didn't do much drill work it was a relax and have a fun break time.

I think tonight I will get Levi back to riding as  her eye has just a little scab left where she cut it and she is being very ornery and wanting some major attention. We will see if this is the attention she is looking for LOL. 
Trying to brush Satin's tail out before our ride and Levi was RIGHT there which made if VERY hard to brush out a tail.  I do love that she seeks out this attention all the time, I think it makes them very easy to work with. Pocket Ponies... gotta love 'em.

Wow what a last several days!

Well I got to ride last Wednesday and it was pretty nice out. Doctored Levi first then grabbed the sidepull and jumped on Satin bb and she was full of P & V, dancing around, which is very unlike her but I do have her and Levi shut up in the lot and they are getting grain so that might have something to do with it LOL.

We went down and trotted some circles (this girl has a rough trot LOL) then proceeded to trot the pole pattern several times, which she is getting the pattern down pretty good. Wish I had an arena with good footing to push her a bit more, oh well.

Then we did some sidepassing, backing and turns on the hindquarters. I would really like to get her to bring her head down and break at the poll a bit more...I am thinking of incorporating a martingale or draw reins to see how that works, just enough to help her figure out better what I am asking.

All in all after she got rid of the excess energy she was doing pretty well. :D

I wanted to ride last Thursday night as well but went to use the truck to take water to all the animals before riding and brakes went to the floor.. uh oh, not good.. looked and looked. Took awhile but we found it and sure enough there was a hole in my driver side rear break line.. ugh.

Then it rained just enough I couldn't ride Friday or Saturday. Got truck brakes fixed on Sunday (Thank you Dad). Also finally got a small break in the rain on Sunday so I grabbed the sidepull and jumped on Satin for a quick ride. We flexed some then rode thru the pole pattern a few times then got ready to practice our sidepasses and turns on the hindquarters when it started to rain on us.. so we cantered back up the hill and I dismounted and made a run back indoors LOL.

Today I went to a GI specialist and got my tests scheduled for the 29th for a Endoscope and a CAT so hopefully we figure this problem out that I have.
Now I am heading out for a ride tonight and see how much riding I can get in between now and the tests :)

Later.

Desperate to ride!

You know you are a redneck and desperate to ride when you grab the closest thing.. in this case a piece of twine .. to jump on your horse to go for a ride thru the pasture when you have no halter or bridle handy!! Hehehe. My only regret is that my twine could have been slightly longer. :)

Well the hay is mowed down and raked and will be turned tonight and baled on Wednesday. Then we will be set for our winter hay. Yeah!

Loving this fall weather this week!! Levi's cut is healing nicely although there is still some puffiness in the area..think I Will try some hemorrhoid cream on it, it usually helps take the swelling down. I think I will be back on her by the end of the week.

Satin's turn

Well I went out Sunday September 4 to work with Levi only to find her with gash above her eye and enough swelling her eye was barely open. Ugh 4 yrs and now she starts with the boo boos.  So doctored her up and caught Satin instead.  Now Satin thinks with her riding is jump on and go for a jaunt, which she is pretty good for and good at.
A little back story on Satin before I start.  I bred for and raised Satin, she was born on my mom and dad's farm so I have had her from the very beginning. I showed her in futurities as a weanling, so she had lots of ground handling in that time. Wonderful horse to work with from the ground. I have never had to tie or twitch her to clip or bathe. She is just a good girl. Well I had 2 little kids in school by the time her 2 yr old rolled around so she got VERY sporadic work done with her so her 2 yr old year she had maybe 15 rides total and only walking at that!!
Then she hardly got ridden at all between year 3 and 4, then I bred her to our then paint stallion at 4 yrs old. Then Levi was foaled out and they just ran with the rest of the broodmares until we quit breeding. Then we got Jake for Josie about 3 yrs ago I think and I had someone to ride with!!! YES!
So I jumped on Satin with a halter and lead, she was a little cold backed.. still is to this day... not a sun fishing, getting with it cold back just a bit goosey and humpy when you first get on. I credit her heavy Two Eyed Jack breeding as the cause LOL.  I have tried to goed her into buck but she is all talk and no do when it comes to the actual bucking process :D.
We rode down the road, at Stephens Forest and in parades and for a very green horse she was doing great. She is very thin skinned so she doesn't like a lot of pressure applied before she gets irritated but she would never buck .. she shows in other ways which you will see in her videos LOL. She is an evader. The problem is I never worked with her like the work I am putting into Levi's training. I didn't do all the flagging and sacking, the bending or flexing, or yielding of the fore and hindquarters. You know actually WORKING. Well with Levi out for a short while I decided it was time for her to learn all this, much to her disappointment.
Anyway back to Sundays ride. I tacked Satin up with the barrel saddle and plain O ring snaffle. Donned my spurs and we went to work. We worked on side passing, backing, half passing and turning on the hindquarters (she needs LOTS of work in all these areas).  She did attempt lots of evading this Sunday.

I then went out with her on Wednesday night after work and since she was not yielding well with the snaffle I took a step back and put in her back into the sidepull. She tried evading and rooting against that but her overly sensitive nose quickly quit fighting that rope nose and she was got much softer.  You will notice that I do use the reins to "slap" her shoulder on some of the turns. She was not hit hard just enough to revert her attention back to where it was supposed to be.. the other horses were running around and hollering and she would forget what she was supposed to be doing :)

I realize for a 9 yr old mare she should already know these things but most of the people I let ride her don't know them so I never really thought about teaching them to her LOL. She is a good babysitter for those with less experience than I, and for that she is worth her weight in gold..(and that's quite a bit!).

So enjoy, critique, do as you will. :-)