A Good Winter Storm Interlude

Thu Feb 16, 2006

Buggered out of work an hour early, an hour LATER than most my co-workers...the idjits all panicked and took off at the WORST part of the snowstorm...with 1/8th of a mile visibility, LOL! I'd checked the Weather Channel web site, and there was a HUGE clear patch heading our way, so I waited an hour, and sure enough, the snow all but stopped around 4, so I had a pretty uneventful drive outta town!

After some debate with myself, I ended up going straight to the barn. The drive and parking lot there hadn't been plowed either, and there was easily 8" of snow.

Thank GOD they had brought the horses in early (I thought at first they'd left them in all day, but Quzqo was soaking wet, so he'd obviously been outside for some time)! Place was deserted except for horses and cats and the radio. Fine with me! Coos was glad to see me, and we had a lovely hour or so of "quality time"...he was just so cute and lippy and interested and Mr. Pocket Pony Adorable! Brushed him, turned him loose in the round pen, but couldn't get more than a trot out of him. I hadn't planned to ride, but he was SO "interested" in whatever I was doing, and pretty much "asking" for more interaction, "please don't put me back in the stall! Let's DO something!" Ended up riding him with just the halter and some reins clipped to the bottom ring, and man, was he ever GOOD! I had him jog-trotting so nice, and backing, hoo-dawg, we talkin' BACKING...with leg pressure and the LIGHTEST rein-twitching! He even tucked his head all on his own!!!

We even ended up doing some ground work, mostly Showmanship practice, then I ended up braiding his tail & wrapping it back up, because he's managed to get the bottom third FILTHY just from the dirt he kicks up when he runs, so, guess that needs to stay put up until Spring, *sigh*.

Got a lot done in 2 hours! Wish I could do that every day, but not until Spring/Summer when I can leave the dogs in the garage/dog pen, otherwise I'd have to clean up messes when I got home at 7 p.m.

Tonight was supposedly our Ladies' Riding Lesson, but I obviously am not participating. Too stormy out, maybe next week. Get some more advice from the trainer that I can ultimately ignore, ha!

Slip Slidin' Backwards

Wed Feb 15, 2006

Well, we've slid nicely BACKWARDS since our riding lesson last week! GRRRR...once again I am going to IGNORE the trainer's advice and do it MY way...her insistence on yanking on the horse's face to get him to bend his neck and back up resulted in him REARING UP! (without tucking his head)...NO thanks...it's obvious he's got Issues with that sort of thing, so I'm tossing aside her advice.

Last night I rode him bitless, but with the jaw straps in place (so it wasn't a side-pull, but applied pressure under the jaw and along the poll), and when I tried to get him to give to pressure and back (I could get him to tuck his head, and I could get him to back, but not both together), I made a point of shifting my weight backwards, applying leg pressure, and SHORT tugs on the reins...repeated...very light, I was only using my pinkies to apply pressure...and by the end of the evening we backed a good 6 steps, and his head was relaxed and nice! Granted it wasn't fast, his chin wasn't in his chest, and it wasn't the straightest, but by God he did it WILLINGLY and without tossing his head up and rearing!

*sigh*. Trainers.

Been using my treeless saddle lately, including last night, and he was SOOOOO soft and rounded...probably due to the fact I round-penned the snot out of him beforehand, LOL...got him cantering SO sweet and balanced, it shocked me!!! No spurs, no whip, no bit, just 100% Natural Horse!

What's a headset anyway...an artificial manmade burden totally unnecessary. Looking through those old issues of Arabian Horse News, their heads are all "high", the only ones half-way tucked are the Park horses with the snaffle rein held tight...I figure hey, if the horse is balanced and pleasant and willing, who cares where the head is? And when Quzqo gets going in a nice balanced trot or canter, his head NATURALLY drops and his back rounds up and he verily FLOATS...

Trainers, phooey!

Other than that, he was an obnoxious little snot blossom last night...he was in a good mood I guess. We did a little whip-handle targeting with the clicker until I ran out of apple chunks, but then he started nosing around after the whip on the ground on his own, figuring hey, it's worth a try! Touch the whip, get a treat! Goofy lad.

He's got two lovely toothmarks on his FACE right below his right eye...right down to the black skin! *sigh*. Maybe I should put a halter on him just so his playmates will chew on THAT instead of his face!!

We're due for a Major Winter Storm tomorrow night, so I don't know if we'll have our riding lesson or not...depends if those 50 mph winds kick up or not (but then, I have a Forester, I can make it through ANYthing, ha!)

A Quzqo Portrait Model

The Brigette Eberl "Jamil" resin, painted as a young version of Quzqo.

Lessons Learned

Fri Feb 10, 2006

Deb the trainer at the barn is offering her Ladies' Riding Lessons every Thursday in February, and I'd be a fool to not take advantage of advice from a professional trainer!! Last night was the second lesson (technically the fourth, since she gave a couple in January). Only three of us this time, probably because it was TWENTY FRICKIN' DEGREES out! But hey, that's why they invented long johns and riding mittens, by gosh!

Quzqo has been doing SO well, overall...every time I ride there's SOME improvement, and as long as I'm seeing improvement and actually learning something from Deb, I figure why not. He's pretty much the "worst" horse in the class, but he's pretty much the oldest with the least training, so it's understandable. Besides, he's so dang purdy, who cares, LOL! Deb used to have Arabians, so she dotes on him (Teacher's Pet!)

Anyway, he's SO improved with his backing up!! He still tries to stick his nose in the air and pitch a hissy, but we're working on that...more often than not his head is down or actually tucked NICELY, and it's no problem to get him to back up...the trick now is to get him to back up with his head down and balanced.

We learned to do pivots on the forehand last night, (previous week we did the pivots on the hindquarters), and heck, I'd been working on that for months, doing all the stuff I learned with Tezlu (dressage exercises, etc), and everyone was amazed when Quzqo just pivoted SO sweet, both to the left and right, with his head tucked so nice!! LOL! (I have to remember to sit straight...it's the hind pivot where you lean back and drop your weight)(Hey, I had him spinning like a slow-mo reining horse this past weekend, and Deb saw that!)

The other two ladies (my friend with the Paint and another lady with a QH/Morgan cross) had hell of a time, LOL...their horses didn't know what to do with their legs and pretty much got upset about it. Well, sweet revenge for them being able to do pretty little jog trots, GRRR.

Deb tried to work with us on a jog trot, or even a half-civilized sitting trot...Coos just freaked and kept his head high and mouth gaping and fighting every second. Deb gave me some tips on how to deal with that, and by the end of the lesson, I was able to slow-trot at the sit a 10 meter circle over poles, with the horse's head DOWN and in contact! WHOO!!! He was SO round and balanced, it was delightful! (I think he was just worn out, LOL). She offered to help me with him if she's at the barn this weekend...to let HER have the reins...poor Quzqo!

Well, I've only been able to get a half-slow sitting trot out of him since January, so I'm happy. This takes time, and I'm in no hurry. My friend with the Paint plans to show English this summer (damn, competition!!), but she was having trouble getting her horse into a posting trot, LOL...but she's got a sweet little slow jog! Eh, Quzqo and I will blow her hubcaps off in the show ring! Don't recall ever having to do a jog trot in an English Pleasure class.

Haven't made much progress in the clicker training...I'm now having to use it to reinforce the idea that he needs to STAND STILL. The instant I get him into the arena, the goofy nut starts raising his left foreleg and dropping his head...that'd be great, if I wanted him to bow, but not just standing while I adjust the tack! He just stood there holding his leg up...that didn't get him any treats, so he started pawing with his RIGHT foot...nope, that didn't work! As soon as he stood with all four feet on the ground, THEN he got the click/treat! What a goof! He's been good with the mounting block too, since I began clicking/giving him a carrot chunk when he stands still by the block...double bonus because he's so concentrated on chewing the carrot with a bit in his mouth, he stands quiet while I get on...plus he's learning to just stand after I'm on (as he chews)...he used to take off before I had my right leg over his back, the nut!

So...he's coming along! The first show is in early May, I hope we're going, that'd be so fun! (total chaos!)!