Proud Mom :)

I went out late today, thinking Reina and I would work on our groundwork and me getting to control her forward movement. I was excited about this prospect! So off I went.

But... I walked up, and Chi was raking leaves. She looked up and called "Oh! Yay! Are you here to help me escape this drudgery!?" And so naturally, I said yes! And we went on an impromptu trail ride. This is the second reason why I never make set plans for when I go out to the barn.

The first reason is because I'm of the opinion that Reina will tell me what we need to work on - if she gets stuck or overfaced before we even come to what I want to work on, I know we'll be taking a step back. If she takes off with flying colors, I'll switch it up and do something a bit more difficult. I'm never really all that committed to my "lesson plan," if you could even call it as such.

Chi and I tacked up in record time to try to catch the daylight, and then we were off! We went through the front gate this time instead of Reina's Clangy Gate of Doom nemesis, so she was a little unsure what all the fuss was about. Once we got out of the gate, though, she calmed right down and was all business. Smart girl!

Chi was having girth troubles (the horse she rode today was considerably fatter than her previous mounts), so Reina got a wonderful lesson in standing still while Chi messed with her tack. She stood like a pro, wasn't bothered at all, and even started grazing after a minute. I didn't mind, since she needs to put some fat on those bones anyways, and I was just happy she was comfortable enough to graze! Besides - she has no bit to get dirty - so what do I care if she munches?

And then, we were off! The sun started to set at the beginning of our trail ride. We almost turned back before it got dark, but I decided that it would be a good experience for Reina to be ridden at dusk. Miles, miles, miles! The more she does the easier everything else will be. So we went on ahead!

It was even prettier in person! :) I took this twisted around backwards.

So! Reina was even more relaxed. I really think she takes each ride to heart and then comes back and tries even harder the next time. She's so smart, and she catches on really fast. There are some things she's funny about - well, mostly, just one thing... stalls! - but she went past the scary flag whipping in the wind twice and she only stopped and looked once. She went on when I asked and everything! I was so proud of her!!

We trotted a bit on this trail ride too, and she wasn't sticky in her transitions at all. She was absolutely amazingly light. All I had to do was lean forward and tell her it was okay to go, and she would go! And when I did use leg, all it took was a squeeze or two and she would go forward. I'm trying to stay light so she can get used to responding without my really asking, and it's working really well so far. She's beginning to be able to anticipate when I'll let her go forward, or when I want to go forward. We need some work on light brakes, though, because I usually have to gather up and pull, but that will come with time! Baby steps!

Hm. Okay, pull is too strong of a word. But I do have to ask with my reins and not just my seat, which is what I mean. But she always responds when I ask with my reins; I don't really have to try all that hard.

Anyways! We cantered a little bit too, and we did so on the narrow part of the trail. She didn't trip or run us into anything, it was so cool! She was such a good girl.

We went through the pine trees today, and there were lots of fallen trees, but none more than about 6" in height or width. But they were scattered all over the trail, and Reina stepped over them like it was no big deal at all, and barely paid them any mind. This bodes well for when we start jump training with ground poles and such!!

Chi complimented my riding and Reina's progress again today. She said she doesn't even act like the same horse anymore, and that she and I obviously have a really great relationship. She said that Reina likes her, because she feeds her, and tolerates Nick, but that she really only responds to me. She said that it actually annoys Nick, because Reina isn't in love with him like all the other horses they have are, and it bothers him that she much prefers me! lol! I had no idea, but it explains a lot. He's not the most gracious or complimentary of my horse - he's not mean, just doesn't gush or anything. But he also hasn't worked with her like I have.

But it made me feel so great, to know that other people see what I think I feel with Rei! She's a sweetheart and I love that she picked me. Because make no mistake, she did! I really had no say in the matter. ;)

We got back when it was dark (hence the lack of pictures this time - sorry!), and I taught her a little bit about ground tying and standing for me. She didn't want to go into a stall because it was dark and scary (although she went in just fine earlier when it was light - breakthrough!!), so Nick kinda "herded" her in while I lead her. Remind me not to do that again. It got her inside, but she was all shaken up. I felt really bad afterwards, but I had to feed her away from the other horses!

But afterwards, Nick said that she was being stubborn. But she wasn't. I could see the fear in her eyes; that's not at all the same thing as stubborn. I think that's one of the reasons why Reina prefers me; I give her the benefit of the doubt. I don't want to say Nick doesn't listen to his horses, because he does, to a point; but I see things differently, I think. Clicker training has made me a much more positive influence!

But Reina... Reina tries her heart out for me, and I know this. Something must have happened in her past in a stall, because she's not stubborn (well, she is, but not like that) - she's really, truly scared of them. I can see it in her eyes and her body language. She gets tense and her eyes go wide and she never does that with anything else around me. I can see the change. Poor girlie! But we're working on it, slowly but surely, and it's getting easier every day.

So, overall, her trail riding is getting better and better and better, and she's just such a good girl! She was even so relaxed today that I was able to clicker train a bit at the beginning and end of the trail ride. I felt bad, though - I kinda forgot to do it on the trail. But I think she'll respond to it now that she has the hang of things, which is great!!

I'm such a proud mom. I'm so glad I have her!

Personality Plus

Chi (I'm 90% sure that's how it's spelled, now) and I went on a trail ride again today! We planned it. I was a little late, but she was napping when I arrived so it worked out okay!

I went to get Reina out of her field and she snuggled with me for a while. She's so fricken adorable! But we got ready pretty fast to make sure Chi would be able to get home on time, so I just brushed her off a bit, picked out her hooves, and petted her. Then I tacked her up and off we went!

I was finished tacking up before Chi was, so Rei and I stood around while she was finishing up. I've discovered that the more comfortable Reina gets, the more personality shows through. My horse is hilarious. We were standing for not even 2 minutes before she starts playing with her tongue! I've never seen a horse do this, so it took me a while to figure out what it was. But she had me cracking up. Here's a video of her being a goofball:

Is that not the silliest thing you ever did see? :D

So! We started walking and she quit once she had something else to think about. Silly horse!

We went up to her arch nemesis, the Clangy Gate of Doom. She didn't really want to go through it at first, but I convinced her after maybe 30 seconds and a few backing up sessions. She snorted once, but then cut it out. Once she was through the Clangy Gate of Doom, she settled right in and was 85% relaxed from the get go, instead of like 20% relaxed like last time! After the first few strides, she settled in to about 90% relaxed, and just kept getting more relaxed as the trail ride went on! I was a proud, proud horse mom!

She walked past the waving flag after some snorts and stopping, and didn't pay it any more mind after I assured her it would not, in fact, devour her. And then some little kids started yelling out to talk to us and we talked back, and Rei didn't even flinch. They came up to us and were super nervous around her 'cause she's ginormous, but I told her she was a good girl and wouldn't hurt them, and the brave little 9-year-old girl reached up to pet her nose (she had to get on her tip-toes to reach the bottom of Rei's nose 'cause Rei was super interested in something across the field and had her head up a bit). Reina didn't even flinch! I was like, aww, lookit you, bein' diplomatic! What a good girl!

Then.. a school bus came! Gasp! But Reina acted like she was turned out with school buses on a regular basis. She really didn't care! I mean, she was like "wow, Mom, that thing is noisy - also, why are we standing so still?!" But that was about it. She was silly and started yawning and stretching and bobbing her head to keep boredom at bay. Goofy, goofy horse! I love her personality, it is adorable.

Again, sorry if some are a bit blurry... it's hard to be a

 pro photographer with a cell phone while riding a horse ;)

So! We had a communication mishap. It went something like this:
"HEY MOM! It's a FIELD! Let's go mow through it!"
"Umm, no, I'd really rather stay on the trail."
"Seriously? What? No. You're not serious. FIELD!!!"
"No, Rei, I said TRAIL. Come on. Follow Chi and her horse!"
"But MOM. F - I - E - L - D . I'm a horse. Clearly, I know better than you do."
(Reina promptly runs herself into a tree trying to not listen to me.)
Me: "....."
"Okay, fine, maybe we'll go your way."
So I backed her out of the tree branches and she started listening to directions after that. ;)

There were a few times where she refused to go forward because the other horse had stopped or she was looking at something. So my next project: forward momentum! Control her start button! She'll move off my leg most of the time, and if I feel her ask to go forward, all I have to do is answer "yes," no leg required. But if it's not HER idea to go faster than a walk, she can get sticky and grumpy about it. BUT, I can't fault her for this. We haven't worked on gaits or transistions at all yet. We've just done steering and moving off leg from a halt to a walk, stopping and backing. Now that she's gained some weight and is pretty solid in her basics, I think she's about ready to start some trot work! Specifically, moving off leg. Note to self!

Blurry trees are blurry 'cause we were trotting. Oooh, ahhh!

She worked up a teensy sweat on her neck, just before it connects to her shoulder. She's obviously very out of shape, but she also really loves to work! So that'll make it way easier for me to condition her. But I'm not going to so anything drastic until she fattens up! Mostly walking and little spurts of trotting sometimes are plenty for her right now!

She doesn't look very happy in this one... but she is, I promise!!

See? Told you.

So! She was a very good girl! We went down by the pond again, and Reina was letting the other horse lead. The other horse freaked out at the concept of walking through a super shallow standing pond/wet dirt. So I was like, okay, Rei, you're up! I know you love water. But after the other horse spooked at it, Reina was eyeballing it like water suddenly grew giant, sharp teeth she'd never seen before!

However, a little urging and some petting later, she let out one big SNOOOOOOORT! and walked over it perfectly fine. Then the other horse followed suite once she saw that Reina didn't get eaten. But we came to a corner Reina couldn't see around, and so she stopped and didn't want to go forward. The other horse led again and was fine after that, so Rei just followed her. Silly boss mare!

Reasons for this pose are twofold: first, it's cute, and secondly,

Rei has the racehorse mindset of FORWARD! when I lean forward.

I don't want her to think that forward automatically means explode!

So we trotted a good portion of the trail, and the little Arab mare Chi was on simply did not trot big enough. Reina kept trying to pass her. So finally, I asked her to walk, and told her that we'd let them trot on and in a minute, we'd go really fast to catch up! I think she understood me, because she didn't fight me holding her back at all. And then I leaned forward in a 3-point/half seat type of deal, and clucked, let the rein loose, and said "okay, let's go!" She broke into a trot, then trotted faster to ask if it was okay to canter, and I clucked again and didn't pull back. She almost took off straight away into a gallop (silly racehorse mind), but I told her no. So... she cantered! Hooray! She settled in to a lovely rocking canter for a few strides.

Keep in mind I'd never really felt her canter before - just walk, trot, and a teensy bit of a gallop. But oh man, her canter really was lovely!! It was wonderful, and she was so good, and she came right back to me when I asked. Yay! Success! She tries so hard for me, she really does. She's such a good horse.

More trotting blurriness! lol. I need an actual camera, yes I do..

Oh! Note the dog in some of the pictures? That's Jeff, one of Chi's dogs. Reina was totally unconcerned that he was along for the fun. :)

Chi complimented me and Reina, because I confessed that I'd never done bitless before, or trained a horse to go in just a rope halter, or anything like that. She said she never would've known that Reina was ridden in a giant western bit, couldn't steer/wouldn't listen, or that I had no bitless experience! I was touched, haha. She said she was doing so well, and had come such a long way in such a short time, and she was super impressed and pleased with our progress! She was very proud and thought I did really well in picking her out. It was very sweet of her to say!

I'm convinced that this is what Heaven will look like! ♥

Right before we have the farm in view on the way back, Reina speeds up and passes the other mare and pins her ears and tosses her head and swishes her tail.. for good measure. Chi and I were like, uhh, what? You were behind the whole time... then Chi goes: "oh my gosh, it's because we're almost in sight of the other mares!" She has to keep appearances up as to not undermine her authority with the others, so, God forbid they would see her walking behind another horse. Oh, Reina!

So we get home and I decide to rinse Reina off for the first time! Hmm, I wonder how she is with baths? Well, I was about to find out! (Yeah, it was hot out - like 75-ish!) So I start rinsing her off and she keeps wiggling, but I can tell it's not because she's scared. She wiggles so much her mouth ends up near the hose, and... well, that's exactly what she was going for!

How adorable is she? Seriously. Haha. So I rinse her off with no issues at all, not even tying her up, just holding her lead rope while rinsing. She keeps trying to drink out of the hose and she's cracking me up with her facial expressions as she's doing it.

And then, I spray her ears, and she flicks them back and shakes her head and glares at me, betrayed! Then, she deliberately shakes. Twice. All over me. Thanks, Rei! Point taken. lol!

So then I put her in her stall to feed her, and what does she do with her freshly-rinsed coat?

Yup, you guessed it. She rolled.

Ugh!

So I spent her dinnertime trying to brush off the worst of it before putting her back out.

How awesome is she, though, really? She's bursting with personality and adorableness. I got so lucky with her!

Reina's First SPOOK! Also, Bonding Time!

Don't worry; it was in hand, and very small! ;)

So I got out early enough today to be able to go to see Reina!

So I did:

I got there a little after 4, and found Chia and asked if she wanted to trail ride again! She said she'd love to, so I went to go get Rei. The adorable mare she is, as soon as I "caught" her (ie, had a lead rope around her neck), she pricked her ears and dropped her head into my hands to be loved on and snuggled. She's soooo cute! What an adorable habit she's picked up!! Now I just have to work on getting her to run up to me instead of letting me come to her...

So I bring her in and groom her a bit, and she's being grumpy mcgrumppants so I click her for putting her ears forward and worked on being able to touch her all over (read: her belly & mare parts) without getting grumped at. She learned fast! Soon she was fine with me touching all over her belly and quit making faces at me. :)

Chia got a call from Nick who needed to be picked up, so she had to go. She said she'd be back in about half an hour and that we could ride then, which was totally fine with me! Reina and I continued to work on manners and refining and backing up from a touch. She's starting to get really light and responsive, which is just fabulous.


So then I'm bored of grooming, and decide to hand graze her. And once we're out, I decide to walk her up to the left, to the clangy back gate. Our last trail ride, she was snorting at everything over there and not comfortable at all, and HATED that gate. So I figured now would be a great time to address this! So off we went:

I love my stylish boss mare! ;)

Sorry for the sunburst!

She was a little snorty, but we stopped frequently and I kept experiences very positive. If she got nervous, we stopped, waited, and went on when she was ready to follow me. We get up to the gate this way, with some stops for brand new shoots of delicious grass. (Well, I assume it was delicious, the way she was nosing around for it!)

We get to the gate and she immediately decides that this is a stupid idea, and that I'm crazy, and that we should go back:

Mom? I think you meant to go back that way.

But I was persistent, so she finally sniffed the gate. Click! Treat! She looked at me in shock like "really? I have to touch the scary thing?" So she tried again: click, treat! Suddenly she was very keen to be near the clangy gate of doom!

Unfortunately, it was windy out, so clangy gate of doom... well, clanged! Reina did NOT like this at all, and she started. She came back around easily though, barely pulled on me at all, and stood there afterwards, snorting up a storm. But she walked back up to the gate without too much effort and I continued reinforcing her being calm and sniffing it, and she ended up totally fine after a few more treats! (Yes, that was the spook I was talking about. If that's the best she can do, I am unconcerned! Haha)

I even hopped up on the gate and jumped around it and clanged it on purpose and she just stood there lookin' at me like "you're still stuck on that gate thing, huh? I'm over it!"

She really is looking better since I've had her!

So then I decided that we had done enough de-spooking, as she seemed 90-95% comfortable (depending on whether or not wind was blowing, haha). So we walked back to the barn, with plenty of grass stops inbetween.

I even stood and let her graze around me on her lead rope, and she kept walking up beside me and parking herself in leading position. It was so cute! And then she'd tuck her nose in and prick her ears in a pose, and look at me. And look at me. And wiggle her lip and move her head and neck into varying positions, waiting for me to notice what a good girl she was being. Naturally I had to click and give her a treat for being so polite! Then she'd wander off again, but she came back sooner the next time. And then the third time she came back, she didn't leave. She stayed parked next to me. Cuteness!!

This isn't "leading position" she was putting herself into; she stopped 

then when I was next to her shoulder. I just think this is a cute picture!

So we chilled out for a while, and she alternated with eating grass and nosing me and letting me love on her. She was also parked next to the fence a bunch - sans collar, because I take it off first thing when I catch her (I hate it just as much as she does!) - and she didn't even try to crib! I didn't touch her because I wanted to see what she'd do without interference. She wiggled her lip and looked at the fence and almost touched it with her nose/lip but then she'd leave it alone. Like she really, really wanted to crib but either (a) was convinced that she can't anymore because the fence betrayed her (due to her collar), or (b) has somehow figured out that maybe, just maybe, if she stops the silliness, she won't have to wear her collar anymore! I hope it's b, but I know that's probably wishful thinking. She's a lot calmer now, though, and getting a lot more in the way of nutrition, so I'm crossing my fingers that she'll "forget" how to crib!

I got photographic evidence that my horsey loves me while all this was going on. Enjoy!

And no, I didn't have to hold her tight to take any of these pictures - she stayed of her own volition and posed happily! She's such a ham, I love it.

By the time we were done bonding, it was about 6, and Chia came back a bit after that. She and Nick were delayed so she didn't get back in time to ride, but it was okay 'cause Rei and I had a day to just enjoy one another and hang out. I let Reina have her dinner (she was very pleased about this), and some of the horses came to hang out and see if they could have grain too. I shooed them away, but one, Gabriel, a GIANT mule (I mean super giant - he's a little taller than Reina and fat and bulky, too! I think his head is like 18 inches long, no joke...!), wouldn't listen. He's too much of a pet and he just refused to be shooed! Rei saw me having trouble and was fed up with waiting to get back to her paddock so she reached out like she was going to touch noses with him, pinned her ears, and made like she was going to bite him if he didn't shape up. He moved real fast!

Having a boss mare as a partner is loads of fun. I love her attitude. After she scared the crap out of the mule that was at least twice as bulky as she is, she pricked her ears and strode off with me towards her field like everything was as it should be and other animals definitely should move out of our way when we wish to go somewhere.

I couldn't agree more!

First Bitless Trail Ride!

Yes, on my own horse this time!

So shortly after I got her from her paddock, she was already a bit nervous. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I'm noticing it more and more - Reina hates stalls. Haaaaates them! I put her in one when I feed her, and to groom her and tack her up. Nothing bad has happened to her while she's in a stall since she's been with me; but she's very, very reluctant to be cooped up like that. I think she was stallbound at some point in her life (maybe that's how she started cribbing!), and maybe someone wasn't too kind to her while she was there, because oh man, it's like she's a different horse in a stall. Outside, she'll be grazing and calm within seconds. But inside, if there's a noise somewhere or anything like that, she gets all shaky and snorty and scared. I feel so bad! But I've been working with her, and she's getting better. She's never mean or dangerous; I'm always able to bring her back with backing and head lowering exercises, and I let her out and hand-trot her a bit sometimes when she gets too terribly nervous, and then let her go back in once her wiggles are out.

In any case, she's getting better, but we have some work to do! So, of course, there's some loud noises and this puts Reina on edge since she's trapped in a stall. She gets nervous and starts snorting and rolling her eyes, so I back her a little bit, but she's just not really paying attention. She does what is asked, but can barely take her treat she's so preoccupied. So I let her out and we trot for a few strides, and then I stop her and she's totally fine.

Back into the stall we go! I remind Nick that we had a trail riding date, but he forgot and has to pick up a truck and trailer of his. So Chia (I think that's how you spell it, I don't really know!) volunteers to be my trail buddy! Chia is Nick's business partner; he trains, and she's more of the business side of it. She loves horses, but she's probably what I'd classify as a beginning rider, and she's a bit timid. She's SUPER nice though, I really like her! She always chats with me, and she's the one that feeds Reina most of the time - she's been mixing up her food with lots of vitamins and making sure she has the right mixture so that she'll gain some weight.

So! Chia is going to ride Rose, a big (but not nearly as big as Reina) bay TB mare. She's thicker built than Rei, but shorter. And she's super quiet and easy.

So, I tack up, and I decide to walk Reina out to the gate, since she's still snorty and totally unsure if she wants to go where I'm trying to lead her. After some clicking and treating, she gains some confidence back, even though her head is still up in the clouds. We get to the gate without much else happening, but I'm sitting there thinking "oh God, maybe this is a bad idea, maybe we're not ready for this." I tell myself to shut up and keep walking! And I do. I try very hard to ensure that Reina doesn't know I'm doubting our abilities.

So we get out of the gate and Chia gives me a leg up onto my giant horse (I really will have to work on mounting from the ground; usually I use one of the fences or a chair, and Reina doesn't mind those, but when I climbed up onto the gate, it clanged, and she was already on edge, so she wouldn't sit still!).

What an adorable horse I have! :)

AND WE'RE OFF!

So we walk down the road, and Reina is not entirely convinced that I want her to go down that road. And once I do reassure her that yes, indeed, I want to go down this road, away from the barn, she starts to question my sanity. BUT, and here's the difference: she listens. Even bitless, she listened! I didn't have to jerk, yell, kick, get angry... I just insisted, and she relented. She's starting to understand me, and to trust me! It was so wonderful. On our first trail ride together, she wouldn't steer for beans. But this time, she was perfect! We had a few miscommunications (or maybe she was just making sure that I was ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN I wanted to go around that scary corner/tire/tree). But she listened, and understood, and it really did make all the difference!

Sorry for the blurriness of some of these; it is a cell phone,

after all, not a camera - and we were moving in half of them!

She was very nervous for the first few minutes, snorting and being difficult. Well, she was listening, but she was just scared. Everything was scary and going to eat her. She didn't take off, though, she just stopped a few times without me asking and snooooooorted! at stuff. Once she was done being silly and rolling her eyeballs at inanimate objects, we continued on our way without any problems. Rose was a great influence, as she has tons of trail experience and really wasn't bothered by anything.

Reina soon settled into her stride, though! She even passed the field with scary hogs snuffling around without freaking out. I was so proud of her already! And she was steering and going where I wanted!! Victory! Giant, huge, enormous steps of PROGRESS!

Isn't it beautiful!? I'm loving trail riding more and more these days!

So she soon started to settle into her stride, and decided that she, Reina, as Boss Mare, should lead. I tried to tell her that the more experienced trail horse should go first, but she would have none of it. Every time poor Rose tried to pass Reina would put her muzzle over the other mare like she was about to bite her for disobeying, and I had to pull her head away. Reina! Bad boss mare! It was so funny, though; she would stop to snort at something, and Rose would start passing her, and Reina would be annoyed at this and keep walking to keep the lead. Note to self: boss mare's boss instincts override her "OMG WHAT IS THAT!?" reflex! That's going to come in handy, lol!

Water crossing, oooh! Reina was more concerned about the fact 

that Rose passed her than she was about the water, haha.

We went back around to a pond to see some water, and Reina was so! excited! about this. If I would've let her, she probably would've waded right into the pond! Silly mare! She really settled down easily, though, and she was totally sane the entire time (even at the beginning when she was snooooorting at things). But man, she was totally into the trail riding thing towards the end, and she was lead horse most of the time. She gets into this swinging self-confident walk, almost like she's got a little swagger going on, and she's all alert and stretched out and workin' it! It's so funny! She's really, really fun to ride, and I'm just beginning to really learn how much I like her!

Pond! Isn't it pretty?

So on the way back, I let Reina trot a bit! She was being really quiet, so I decided we could go faster! I kept having to lean down because of low-hanging branches, so I decided it would be a good idea to practice my two-point anyways. So I did. And I could feel Rei asking me if she could go, so I answered yes and clucked a little bit. Bam! Trot! Just like that! She almost breaks into a canter, and would have if I let her, but I told her I didn't really want to canter on this trail and she listened, so we just trotted real big for a minute or two and then slowed up. I didn't warn Chia of what we were going to do, because I didn't know until I did it, so I didn't want to go too far in case Chia didn't want to go fast or needed to catch up or something!

Chia was nice enough to take some pictures of Rei and I, too, so here they are!

Told you she poses when the camera comes out!

Don't mind me looking terrible in this picture! Yikes!

More adorable poses! I don't know what she saw over

 there, but it was clearly really interesting!

Please note: BITLESS! I'm so proud of us!

So we complete the trail ride: no bolts, no craziness! She listened to where I wanted to go, stopped and backed when I would ask, never broke stride unless I let her, steered, and let herself trust me when it came to walking past super scary objects that may very well have eaten her. She was SO good, and I'm SO proud of her! She's come such a long way just since I got her - which, really, was less than a month ago! I'm ecstatic with our progress. A few more rides like this and I just know she'll be completely unflappable. She's so very smart!!

She was no longer snorty when we got home, paid no mind to the gate that made her nervous before, and walked, perfectly confident and at ease, back up to the stall she was in. I fed her and brushed her down and gave her some TLC with our HHC spray and then let her go back out with Comanche.

Oh, and as for handling... if I didn't know already, I never would have guessed I was riding her in a rope halter. Really. She was so responsive - more responsive than most horses in bits! - and she listened perfectly. Never once did I feel out of control or ignored. Of course, we need more work before she'll be comfortable on her own - but that's a miles issue, not a training issue. I really could not be more pleased with her!

Yay us!! We really are going to be partners in crime! >:D

Second Bareback Ride!

Yes, that's right. I DID make it out again today, and I DID ride! Lookit me, all productive! Yay!

So she was a really good girl again today! I brought her in to love on her and groom her, and she stood very still without a lot of encouragement. She picked up her feet even better than last time, and kept her head down 80% of the time without me really having to ask her. She behaved better and I only had to click her about half the amount I did last time. And she was totally fine with the spray again! Yay!

So then I clipped on her reins, slipped on her rhythm beads, and put my helmet on. I walked her up to the fence and hopped on! She stumbled when I got on her... I don't think she was expecting it, or something? Who knows. But she wiggled funny and started walking, but stopped when I asked. I worked on making her listen to my leg, and clicking when she responded to just a light touch to walk off. I didn't let her walk off without me, either, because even though it's technically not really a big deal, it's a bad habit to get into either way.

Proof that I was riding bitless! ;)

She started off well, but I worked on halting, backing, and walking off when I asked. She was responding really well, but then decided to snort at the (empty and abandoned) broodmare barn and not want to walk towards it. I clicked her for behaving herself. She didn't misbehave or spook... she just wanted to go not towards the scary thing. I had to convince her that she should head towards it because I wanted her to... she thought that was a stupid reason to go towards it, but after a few clicks she calmed down and it didn't bother her anymore.

I headed her out to the big open field in the middle of the property, and I felt her say "can I go!?" and begin to, but I picked up slack on the reins and said "no ma'am!" and she didn't even break stride! She just kept walking with some pep in her step. I was really proud of her! Who needs bits and saddles, anyways!?

Okay, so her legs aren't really that giant. But since I go out alone,

this is the only way I can take pictures of us riding! Haha.

So basically I just walked her around the big field, working on her listening to me instead of herself, to my legs and hands and seat. I'm trying to ask very quietly, as quietly as I can, to make her light to ride. I think it's working; I don't think I had to pull hard once.

She snorted at a big hole made by some sort of animal, and pricked her ears and sniffed at some little anthills, but that was about it! Otherwise I just worked at keeping her straight, turning her where I liked, getting her all soft and responsive. She was so good! She didn't spook once even though we passed a truck, a trailer, a scary broodmare barn (lol), a house, fields of other horses, and a million other potentially scary things. She's never seen this big field before, but she didn't get over-enthusiastic and take off with me, either!

Nick met us about halfway through our ride and she stood fine while I chatted with him, but she started yawning and turning her head and snuffling the ground... she was like "Moooooom, I'm standing here being good, but I'm BOOOOOOOORED!" She didn't move, though, so I didn't mind her antics! They were cute and she wasn't bugging him or me, although she did sniff both of my boots in turn with her best "please give me cookies" look.

She's so cuuuute! She likes to pose when I bring out the camera, 

so she swung her head around and pricked her ears.

Nick walked beside us back to the barn, so she followed him and did totally fine with that! I clicked her for standing like a good horse for so long, and then just let her free walk back to the barn next to Nick. Then I called it a day! She got her food (which pleased her immensely) and a quick brush-down, and her cribbing collar went back on (which she did NOT like) and I turned her out.

She was especially adorable today - she knows that I like to snuggle, and apparently, she does too! She's started dropping her head into my arms more often to get petted and loved on. It's super adorable. She was rubbing her forehead on me in front of Nick and I was like, "well, I think she's warming up to me" and he laughed and said she was clearly happy to see me.

I'm so glad she and I are getting along! But really, she's so sweet and smart, how could we not??

Overall, a very good day! I think I'm going to take her out on a trail ride with Nick and see how she does on Thursday. We shall see! I already know she's great on trail rides; just need to work on gait control; she has "fast" and "slow" settings, but that's about it - I don't think she ever really had flatwork. Which is fine, for a trail horse, but I want her to be more than that! Hence teaching her cues at a walk for now. I don't want to rush her, but I see no reason she and I couldn't hit the trails to have some fun. :D

Finallyyyyy!

I'M BETTER! Well, better enough. Hooray!!

So I went out to see the queen today, and I groomed her within an inch of her life because she was looking exceptionally raggedy. I think she was a little upset with me for neglecting her, because when I went to catch her, she played hard to get by walking (slowly) away from me (for about 30 seconds) before she stopped and pricked her ears at me. Silly horse.

Ooh, so shiny and smooth! I love that HHC stuff, seriously!

Finished product! (I love her expression in this one!)

So I was boring today, and didn't really do much with her. I worked on her leading skills, as her feet get stuck sometimes and she'll get lazy. So I clicked her for paying attention and moving with me. Five minutes and she was following me without me even having a hand on her or her halter or leadrope! Good girl.

She was still slowish, mind you, and there was a distinct lack of energy from her rump, but... hey! Progress.

And then I just clicked her for stillness and looking happy while I was grooming her. I got her to stop flinching every time I sprayed the HHC stuff on her, and her to keep her head down while I sprayed and brushed at the top of her neck, near her ears.

Once she caught on to what I was reinforcing her for, the result was this:

Love? Pets? Brushing? Treats? Pleeeease?

Needless to say, she caught on fast! Once she understood, she kept sticking her head in my hands and putting her head down to my level and turning every which way so that I could brush both sides of her. Haha! It was super cute.

Proof that she's a sweetheart :)

So, yup. Just basically worked on grooming manners, and she ended up standing very still most of the time, as she learned that standing still was one of my criteria for clicking. Smart girl! I also reinforced her for picking up her tootsies politely. She's great with her front feet, but gets a little nervous and tries to pull with the back ones sometimes. So I just kept clicking her for calmly picking it up, and eventually got her to hold it still so I could pick it out, and she ended the lesson being MUCH less wiggly. Yay! If it's a pet peeve I have, it's a horse whose back feet are unpredictable! She wasn't bad at all, but now she's much better and doesn't try to take her foot back.

I also brushed her mane all pretty and nice. I think it's a lot less icky these days; when I first got her, it was almost oily... but now, it's perfectly fabulous! It still parts funny, but it gives her character - it feels healthy and it's much easier to brush out.

Sorry for the picture quality; she kept wiggling and wanting to visit with me instead of sitting still so I could take pictures. Not that I'm complaining! I'm glad she's the snuggly type and not the aloof type. I love snuggly horses!

Oh, and her rain rot is improving, too! The hair is growing back:

Yay for progress!

She also kept looking at me all cute-like while I was brushing her, like "whatcha doin back there, huh?" It made me smile!

Oh, and I thought she looked like she's visibly gained some weight today, since the last time I saw her, so I took some new full body pictures. This is what she looked like before (as a reminder):

And these are from today:

This is my favorite. I asked her to pose, and she did! Cute!

My very own headless horse! What a halloween costume that would be...

 What do you think?

Now that I see them side by side, I can't honestly say I see too much of a difference, weight-wise! But I will give myself credit for everything else: she looks happier, cleaner, healthier, and her hooves are looking much better. Hmm. Well, it has only been about 3 weeks, so I guess I can't expect a huge difference. Darn it, Rei! Gain weight already, would you?? I want you fat and shiny and happy! Well, you're already happy, and we've definitely made progress on the shiny front. Ah, well. Patience...!

Happy? Check!

She looks silly in this one!

So afterwards, I put on her cribbing collar (ick) and turned her out again. She was not happy to have that collar back on! She was all righteous indignation as soon as I came towards her with it, lol! Then she tried being grumpy, and that didn't make me feel sorry for her... so then she moped. And that did, but the collar stayed on, so she said goodbye normally, even though she was still visibly upset that I could betray her like that!

Well, it's not MY fault you crib! Yeesh.

Overall, a very good day back with my girl. :) I'm hoping I'll be up to going again tomorrow and hopping on her for a bit!