Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Monday and Tuesday!!

Monday: I didn't ride at all because I was quite tired from having a chorus program on Sunday in the Poconos which is two hours away. I just cleaned up piles and loved on the girls and their sons and then went home and slept.

Tuesday: Today I rode Ricki first thing. Boy that guy is stubborn. Before we headed on the ride I worked Ricki around the house at a walk then a canter. Saturday he had been stubborn and wouldn't canter to the left AT ALL. He absolutely refused. He cantered to the right perfectly but just wouldn't to the left. We quit on the note of him cantering to the right :) Today I cantered him around the house and he cantered perfectly both directions..100% better than Saturday!! Then when we did leave for the ride we started out cantering and he did well till he got the the spot he always decides to be barn sour. He shot off the path. I asked him to stop and I made him back up to the path again and then asked him to go forward. I asked for a canter again and he repeated the shooting off the path. So I got him to back up. We worked thru that and then headed on our way. He has issues with neck reining while cantering as well as cantering at the speed I want to go so when we turned to the right I purposely neck reined him and he did perfect. We walked for the next bit then thru the orchard we cantered...there we have to turn to the right again and he did perfect at both places in the orchard. I was really happy with that. So far so good! We then headed on thru the covered bridge. Sharon (on Bean) and I got to the field lane where we canter and I asked Ricki to canter. He went nicely into a canter but he wanted to just go fast so I asked him to slow down a bit and he pitched a fit, he moved his behind to the right and wanted to go sideways (more crooked actually). I slowed him down and got him to turn around. At first along this field lane I got him to move his behind around and his front end around when I wanted him to turn around and when I pulled him to a stop that was what we did but that just seemed to make things worse. So after we had cantered a majority of the field lane I figured out that if he decides to go crooked (not really sideways but more crooked) I am going to stop him, turn him around, and canter him really fast then pull him to a stop, turn him around and canter him really fast and pull him to a stop again. That really worked the best..way better than trying to make him back up and turn and all that. Each time I worked with him Sharon would wait on me.

Sharon and I decided we would turn around and go back the way we had come since that way would be less road. So we did and the whole way back on the field lane I did surpentines and each time he decided to be a little dumb about things I asked him to stop, turned him around got him to canter, pulled to a stop and went and kept on cantering. Sharon would canter as I got to her so she was right beside me. We went thru the bridge again and turned right onto the road that is right there. We cantered along that road and Ricki did ok but he kept wanting to go sideways so I would stop him and canter him alongside the road and pull him to a stop just like I did on the field lane. We then reached the field lane that takes us up to the Fairmount Trails (wooded). We did canter that whole length and Ricki did pretty well the whole time. He did cut Sharon and Bean off a time or two and I did what I did before (canter him away, stop and canter him back). We went thru the Fairmount Trails at a walk and he did awesome thru there. Then we went back thru Fairmount Homes. But before we get there there is one spot we can canter thru a grassy area. Well Ricki was acting up again so I repeated again what I had been doing all along with a variation. We went in a wide circle both to the left and right. To the right it was wonderful but to the left he would hop and kinda trot and just wouldn't canter. I just kept him going till he cantered awesomely to the left and we cantered in a circle then just straightened out. It went PERFECTLY...I was so pleased with him. We walked thru Fairmount Homes then. Once we hit the field lane on the way home we walked down the hill then when it was flat we cantered. I just worked him thru it by getting him to turn his front end the way it should go and that worked well!! I was pleased with how he did. Then we cantered some of the way home and I must say I did see an improvement till the end of the ride. Tomorrow I plan to work with him again and we shall see how it goes!! :) I am hoping better but we shall see!!

My cousin Sarah has her horse Misha and their families horse Beauty (the one I trained) at Sharon again. She was riding Beauty and ponying Misha off of her. I rode Ricki back to the barn and got Shasta and hopped on her. This was going to be the first time away from her baby on a ride and I was not sure what to expect simply because of how bad she has been from the ground and such with her baby. She was a dream to ride. I was SO PLEASED!!! <3 :) :) :) :) :) We went pretty much the same way as we had when Sharon and I went with Ricki but we didn't go thru the Fairmount Trails we just cut that part of the ride off. Shasta enjoyed herself a lot but she was ready to be with her baby again :) When we got back I hosed her off and put her back with Mateo. I cleaned up piles then loved on Daisy first. I played with Freedom a bit and lifted all his legs up. He is doing so well with that and he loves loves loves to have his face rubbed just like his mom..he didn't at first but he enjoys it more now :) Then I went into Mateo and Shasta. She tried to run off but I said whoa and she stopped. I got Mateo and she let me without cutting me off. I messed with him and picking his feet up :) He did well too. I was most impressed with Shasta though especially with how bad she had been Saturday!! She is changed in a good way :) Then I gave both girls grain and headed on out. Tomorrow I want to mess with Daisy a bit too but we shall see what all I have time for!! Hope your week is awesome!!

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