A big ask and a big tell

I was hoping Colin could ride with me this weekend and the only day he has time to ride is today, so today it was.

I haven't ridden the pony in about two weeks, so I wanted to get an idea for how she was feeling by going out a bit earlier than Colin and doing some ground work. Pony was great and perfect, so when Colin came out I thought we might try a trail ride. The wind started gusting up and since my options for trail riding were either in the back of our property where the neighbors have some flying tarps and a swingset, or in a natural environment with no flying tarps, I chose the no-flying-tarp option. But this meant that we'd go across the street to the BLM. I've taken the pony over there lots of times, and Mac has ridden over there lots of times, so I thought it would be the better option.

It was a BIG ask for Princess Fancy Pants. We hand walked the horses over there and through the gate and everyone was just fine. I had Colin mount up first and stay nearby so that the pony wouldn't be distracted by him moving around taking his turn to get ready. That was no problem. Mounting was great, everyone walked off nice and quietly, and we were on our way.

We started off with Colin in front, but Mac has a very laid-back, pokey-horse walk on the trails and pony has a bigger and more forward walk. At one point she trotted off a bit as we had split up just a bit to find the trail (good news, she has a comfortable trot!), but I brought her back to a walk and she was right on Mac's tail. So we took turns with Mac in front and then pony in front. She slowed down a bit when she was in front, not sure if she wanted that responsibility! At one point, I had Mac go in front again and he did a little startle as he scared a buck off from the trees, but nobody had any problems. Pony was a bit fidgety, but I don't blame her. Then Mac sort of startled again - head up, wanting to turn away. At that point I got off the pony and took the lead by hand walking past whatever was bothering Mac. I know what he'll do when he spooks, but I don't know what she'll do and I didn't think it was a good day to come off! So we hand walked for a bit and then I got back on using a big tree stump.

We leap-frogged a bit more, then walked side-by-side for a while. We startled some more deer in the trees a little farther out and pony did a spook. She sort of startled/jumped in place, did a little two-steps-to-the-side spook, and then all was good and we went on our way.

As we got closer to home, the wind was picking up, pony was getting fidgety, and she showed me her "tell" - like in poker - which was a head toss and a squeal. She humped her back a little bit but I growled at her and we went on. I turned her in a circle because we had passed Mac and we walked on. Another tell of a squeal/shake/hump and I growled at her and we went on. A bit of a trot (comfy), squeal, head shake, and I kept her head up, walked on, and decided that I would hand walk her the rest of the way. Since she had momentarily quieted down, I got off, did some walk-halt-walk-stay-out-of-my-space ground work and we made it to the gate.

The wind is GUSTING right now and the horses are out eating lunch. It was a BIG ask for the pony today, and she did a great job. I was on her back longer than I've ever been - probably two short rides of 10 minutes each as I got on and then off and then on and then off again. I think I might do another short ride tomorrow, but in the arena, and start some trot work since she seemed keen on it and not seemingly thrown off guard or off balance by me on her back while trotting.

Glad I made it off of her back of my own free will!

How does she do it?

How does the pony learn when I'm not actively teaching her anything? Meaning, I didn't do anything with her for a week and a half due to having out-of-town guests and various morning appointments and whatnot - and yet when I got on her on Wednesday, she was so good and so much better at steering and moving off the leg than she was the last time I rode her? How does that work?!

The last time I rode her (or did any type of work other than turning out/bringing in each day) was almost two weeks ago. That ride was our little trail ride out back. On Wednesday, we did a schooling session. It has been cold in the mornings, which can mean a fresh horse. We started with a little lunging. I would have completely understood if she wanted to throw in some head-tossing or bucking in there, but she didn't. She was 100% obedient to my requests. We walked over a couple cavaletti (two in a row instead of one on each side of the arena), which was no big deal. We trotted a few circles in each direction and did transitions without nary a marey head-shake. Oh, and it was all with the stirrups down and flapping.

Next I put the long lines on her and we walked around. Her steering was better than ever and we did a couple circles, a couple tear-drop changes of direction, and walk-halt-walk transitions. Her best work yet.

So I decided to ride again. This time I mounted from the off side. She stood still while I got on slowly, waited for me to get settled in the saddle, and walked on when I asked her to and not a second before. She had a nice marching walk (not the drunken sailor walk we started with a few weeks ago), was responsive to my transition requests both up and down (I do a loud sigh/exhale as a verbal cue for a downward transition, and "whoa" is halt), and I could actually use my legs to help steer and it seemed to work! I tried to focus on my timing as I learned from working with Buck Brannaman, and I think it is so much more helpful to the horse than just randomly using a rein at any old time. We walked over the cavaletti, did some circles and figure eights, walk-halt-walk transitions, and I called it a day. It was maybe a 10-minute ride, but it was so good!

This weekend Colin will ride Mac and I'll ride the pony and we'll go out back on the trails again. She's so much fun!

I'm either brave or stupid or lucky

Since Colin has expressed interest in going trail riding, and since I thought it best for Princess Fancy Pants's first trail ride to be with a buddy, today we saddled up and headed out on the little trails on the back of our property.

First we did just a little walking around in the arena to make sure I had steering (as good as it gets for a pony who has just been backed) and whoa. I thought I'd have Colin lead the way on Mac, since he's the herd leader, and have the pony follow him. Well she had other ideas. She wanted to be in front, presumably so he could check out how cute her butt is. After a couple laps in each direction (and walking over a cavaletti while we were at it), I had Colin open the gate and out we went.

And wouldn't you know it, pony wanted to be in the lead! It was pretty funny! I thought for sure we'd follow Mac since I've regularly ridden him out on those trails, and I've ponied the pony a few times and hand walked her a lot, but he's been out there probably 3-5x more than she has. She didn't care, though!

She marched right out in front of him, lead the ride the whole way, and was very brave about it all. At one point some deer went jumping through the brush in front of us (in an area where they hang out, they didn't cross our path but we scared them off) and pony sort of startled and spooked in place and a little cluck and encouragement and she just kept walking! What a brave pony! We did one lap of the big loop in each direction and then went back to the barn. When we headed for the barn she didn't act barn sour at all - no rushing to get back, just an easy walking along just like on the way out.

She got much much praise and lots of cookies in her bucket. Mac was a good boy for Colin and overall it was a great first outing on the trails!

Go pony!!!!

First riding video!

Here it is!



I'm basically copying and pasting this text from what I wrote elsewhere because I don't feel like typing the same thing all over again . . .

Yesterday was the third time I got on Princess Fancy Pants!

I brought the video camera out and set it up ahead of time and taped the whole thing - lunge, long line, double lunge, other preparations (flexions, bumping with the stirrup to move away from the aid). There were a couple of spooky moments with the neighbor standing outside in a brightly striped shirt talking on the phone, and the dogs being let out of the house and barking, but with each instance, the pony listened to me and didn't really do anything to spook, the head just came up and she looked intently.

I did one test almost-mounting by putting a foot in the stirrup and leaning over and petting her all over and she was fine. But the moment didn't feel right to continue, so I left the mounting block and took a little walk. We just walked in-hand for a bit (me by her shoulder, holding the reins) and then I walked back to the mounting block (which is what you see as the beginning of the video). I got on, sat there for a second to get my reins organized, and then walked off. (I was using two sets of reins - main reins on the lunging cavesson, then second reins on the bit.)

All we did was walk around and do a couple laps and changes of direction and transitions. Steering is sort of there and sort of not, that's okay, it was our first attempt under saddle.

I'm just so pleased with this pony and her work ethic and try and acceptance of new things. She has been so good these three short little times I've sat on her. I was actually hoping to do this with the trainer over the weekend, but I was sick and cancelled our lesson, so I had no ground person and it was just me. When the trainer comes, I'd like to have her lead me out of the arena and on the trails behind the barn/house.

But for now, it is just me and Pony and she is so good! I just had to share. :-)

Pony's first outing

Yesterday was Princess Fancy Pants's first outing away from home! We've of course been working on trailering, but I don't really count those excursions as outings because they were just drives around the block and back home.

Yesterday we went to another barn for a schooling session. I brought all my tack, not knowing if she'd be quiet enough for working with the trainer on getting on and leading around - but better to be prepared!

Well, it wasn't a getting-on-and-leading-around kind of excursion.

PFP loaded up and trailered there just fine (good girl!). When she stepped off the trailer, though, I think she was surprised to be in a new place and very looky! We had a short walk around to see the horses in their paddocks (and there were two adorable minis that she took a hard look at), and then went out to the arena area which shared a fence line with the horses turned out in the big pasture for lunch. That was pretty exciting until another trailer pulled up and unloaded a pony and THAT was very exciting. Luckily, the facility had a round pen, so I put her in the round pen to let her get it out. She leaped in the air, squealed, ran around a bit, and I picked up the lunge whip to use to get her attention (not by making her run forward, but just as a visual/auditory aid . . . along with stomping my feet or jingling my keys - I was trying to remember things from the Harry Whitney clinic I did last year). It seemed to work because she then settled and came to me for some security. I talked to the trainer and decided to just work her on my own for a little while since this was such a new experience for her. I went to my trailer and got my bridle and lunging cavesson and went back to the round pen where she was happy to see me.

She followed me around for a little bit and I gave her pats all over and then put on the bridle and cavesson and had a short little w-t-c lunge in each direction. She had settled down such that she was listening to me and responsive to my voice commands, so I called it a day on that. Took off the bridle and cavesson and gave her more pats and just stood with her for a bit.

I left her to go to the office to pay my haul-in fee and when I came back, the worker-guy was bringing in the pasture horses for dinner, so that was very exciting. I asked the trainer to help me load, just in case (I've heard stories where people bring their horses and they load up just fine on the first leg of the trip, but won't load up when it is time to go home!). Turns out, her assistance wasn't needed. Princess Fancy Pants walked right on the trailer, I closed up the doors and home we went!

She got a ton of cookies and carrots in her treat bucket when we got home and she went straight for her hay I had waiting for her.

All in all, it was a great first outing! I'll have to see if I can do that once a week to get her used to going new places - at least while the weather is still nice!

I did it! I sat on the pony!!!!!

Tuesday I got on the pony!!!!!

It wasn't planned. I started off by doing a little lunge session with her, mostly working on getting square halts and making nice circles at the trot without tossing her head around (which she only does in the corner closest to the barn, sometimes with a squeal thrown in for good measure). We split the work with the first 10 minutes leading and halting and squaring up in the indoor arena, then another 10 minutes of w-t-w transitions in the outdoor arena. I had saddled her for her schooling session and she wasn't acting spooked by the flopping stirrups. I felt like her head was in the game and she was being really good so I took her inside, got my helmet, went to the arena and put reins on her bridle (she was wearing a lunging cavesson and bridle/bit) and walked over to the mounting block. Heretofore we've been working on rein aids with me walking next to her holding the reins and doing basic flexions, turns, and walk-halt-walk transitions. I think I wrote about her disliking an earlier bit, and so I tried a couple others; the current one which she seems to like is a Myler eggbut wide barrel comfort snaffle.

So back to my story. I brought her to the mounting block which is in front of the mirrors (a tip from someone) and squared her up. She wanted to take a step forward and a little "no" with the reins and she stood perfectly still. I put a foot in the stirrup and put pressure on it. Did that a few times. Then foot in the stirrup and stood up and patted her neck; did that a few times and she was still. Then foot in the stirrup, stood up, and leaned over her back a few times. No reaction. Then foot in the stirrup, stood up, leaned over her back and swung my other leg halfway up. No reaction.

Took a little break and walked around the arena with much praise and then back to the mounting block.

I went for it.

Foot in the stirrup, stood up, leaned over to pat her all over, swung my leg over, sat my butt down, put my other foot in the stirrup, sat up. Not a twitch from the pony. She stood there. I sat for maybe 10 seconds, dismounted, gave her much, much, much, much praise and good girls and then put her back and groomed her and gave her a bunch of cookies. I think she was quite pleased with herself!

I've been working with a trainer and we've talked about working toward this and ideally it probably would have been smart to have a ground person, but I was just in the moment and she felt like she was quiet and steady and could handle it.
OMG, I am so happy and proud of my little pony!!!!!!!

I wasn't planning on doing this on that day so didn't have a camera set up to take any video, unfortunately. I tell you, for that 10 second of sitting on the pony for the first time, I was on cloud nine the whole day!

The "hey, you're not supposed to be there" double-take

The other day I put the horses in the pasture for just a few hours as Colin and I had an early evening event to go to. I was rotating them to a pasture that had been resting for a couple weeks and before I put them out, I thought "is that back gate closed? It must be because Colin didn't put the handlines out." The horses were in two pastures that are connected by a gate and they prefer the back pasture; the connecting gate was open so they could have both pastures, but there is also an access gate to the back pasture only.

I went about my business cleaning the house and Colin was outside mowing the pasture the horses had just come off of.

I went out to get the horses a couple hours later and did a double-take as I look across the pasture. I'm counting noses and I see Princess Fancy Pants in the pasture. Check. I see Mac eating grass . . . but it he in the pasture or on the wrong side of the fence??? Then I see Paddy. IN THE POND. Which is on the wrong side of the fence!

I run into the pasture where Colin was mowing (just across the driveway from where the horses are so I can still see what they are doing) and wave my arms frantically. He's got headphones on so just waves back. NO!!!!! STOP!!!!! He takes them off and I'm yelling "Paddy is in the pond!!!" So he gets off the tractor and says not to panic, we have to remain calm. We grab halters and go out there to get the horses. I give him Mac's halter, I take Paddy's and the pony's, just in case she decides she wants to leave the pasture.

There's Paddy in the pond. Chest deep. Standing there and happily munching grass on the rim of the pond. Poor Colin, I think he thought I meant that Paddy was somehow stuck in the pond thrashing and drowning. I just meant help me get the horses out of where they shouldn't be and put them where they should be.

I don't know why the pony didn't join them when they wandered out of the gate - I think because the grass was wet and boggy there and she didn't want to get her princess feet wet, which certainly made things easier for me. But, that also means we need to do puddle-stepping-in work!