A week ago I had a private lesson with Sarah Lorenz. At the beginning of the ride I described Zoe's new habit - picking up this hoppy-trot thing after about 10 minutes - and that I was pushing Zoe through it to smooth her gait out. Sarah watched and decided that really what I needed to do was a) keep Zoe mentally engaged during the whole ride, and b) slow her down rather than push her through the moment. Slow down? Not so easy to do!
Sarah's take on the behavior is that Zoe gets bored and fed up with trotting, so she tries to take off into a canter. I, being the rider, need to take control (Huh, where have I heard that before?) and make Zoe go at the pace I set.
So we did lots of 20m circles at a s-l-o-w trot (almost a Western jog) and whenever she tried to take off, I just kept it slow, slow, slow and made her bend to the inside. Part of the exercise was to spiral in and then side-pass back out to the larger circle, all while maintaining her bend.
Gradually, over the past week, Zoe and I have had better and better rides. On Thursday she only tried her hoppy-thing twice! My mare may be stubborn, but in the end I have more perseverance. :)
Monte update: His new owner, Laurie, is conditioning him for a 25 mile endurance ride that is taking place in October. He seems to be thriving and enjoying his new life. It is her goal to redeem his reputation and show everyone what a great little guy he is. I couldn't be happier.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Monte On My Mind
Monte has changed hands again. And I think he is now with the family I was trying to find when I originally decided he needed a new home. During the year we had him up for sale I talked many potential buyers out of even coming to look at him because I just knew they were too inexperienced for our little guy.
Turns out I probably should have done the same with the last family as well....Monte's new little girl took a bad fall off of him (he spooked) and ended up needing pins in her elbow. I feel terrible that she was injured and understand why she is now afraid to ride him.
Luckily, her mom found a new home for him rather quickly and the new owner is a very experienced rider. Laurie's been riding him almost daily out on the trails, taking him up and down steep hills, into water and through all sorts of new terrain. He still spooks occasionally, but he's doing it. And best of all, she really likes the little guy. She's called him a "diamond in the rough." It seems Monte finally has a steady job!
~~~
I had a nice, long ride on Zoe yesterday with some friends. It was wonderful to just walk along and chat for a couple of hours on the lake trails. Zoe did great and only had a couple of tiny spooks (Turns out she thinks one of the bridges across the creek is evil - and we were just riding past it, not over it!).
I wish I were able to get out on my horse more often (a familiar song, I know!), and one day schooling and work will settle down enough so that I'll actually have the time to do just that. Until then, I'm sure Zoe is quite happy spending her days eating, eating, eating. :)
Turns out I probably should have done the same with the last family as well....Monte's new little girl took a bad fall off of him (he spooked) and ended up needing pins in her elbow. I feel terrible that she was injured and understand why she is now afraid to ride him.
Luckily, her mom found a new home for him rather quickly and the new owner is a very experienced rider. Laurie's been riding him almost daily out on the trails, taking him up and down steep hills, into water and through all sorts of new terrain. He still spooks occasionally, but he's doing it. And best of all, she really likes the little guy. She's called him a "diamond in the rough." It seems Monte finally has a steady job!
~~~
I had a nice, long ride on Zoe yesterday with some friends. It was wonderful to just walk along and chat for a couple of hours on the lake trails. Zoe did great and only had a couple of tiny spooks (Turns out she thinks one of the bridges across the creek is evil - and we were just riding past it, not over it!).
I wish I were able to get out on my horse more often (a familiar song, I know!), and one day schooling and work will settle down enough so that I'll actually have the time to do just that. Until then, I'm sure Zoe is quite happy spending her days eating, eating, eating. :)
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, December 29, 2012
First ride
A young friend rode Monte for the first time today. I was very nervous about how he would react to someone new, but I really shouldn't have worried. He was a perfect little gentleman, remaining calm and lovely throughout her ride.
Thinking back to when we first purchased Monte, I really had no reason to think he'd misbehave. When Emily began riding him she was very timid and had limited skills but he took care of her none-the-less. As her skills improved, he became more challenging, which in turn helped her become an even better rider. So it seems that he is capable of understanding when he needs to be more of a babysitter and when he can be the more wild pony. :)
The other thing I had to remind myself about was that most of his wild moments occur when he is in pain or terribly frightened. In fact, I can't really remember a bucking incident that we didn't later trace back to him being in some sort of pain (usually related to poor saddle fit).
I'll have to make sure I tell our young friend all of this....I really would be pleased if they decided to keep him and love on him as much as we have. I'm convinced that she would be a wonderful owner for our wonder pony. :)
Thinking back to when we first purchased Monte, I really had no reason to think he'd misbehave. When Emily began riding him she was very timid and had limited skills but he took care of her none-the-less. As her skills improved, he became more challenging, which in turn helped her become an even better rider. So it seems that he is capable of understanding when he needs to be more of a babysitter and when he can be the more wild pony. :)
The other thing I had to remind myself about was that most of his wild moments occur when he is in pain or terribly frightened. In fact, I can't really remember a bucking incident that we didn't later trace back to him being in some sort of pain (usually related to poor saddle fit).
I'll have to make sure I tell our young friend all of this....I really would be pleased if they decided to keep him and love on him as much as we have. I'm convinced that she would be a wonderful owner for our wonder pony. :)
At the fence...
The ponies have been unbearably cute the last couple of months every time I come to the barn. They must recognize the sound of my vehicle because when I park this is often what I see waiting for me:
I feel all warm and happy thinking that they actually look forward to seeing me.
I feel all warm and happy thinking that they actually look forward to seeing me.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
New teachers
Every once in a while a new instructor will come out to our barn; I've been trying to take advantage of this by taking a lesson if at all possible. And yesterday it was possible! I got to ride with Sarah Lorenz from Stone's Throw Farm.
Thursday (the day before the lesson) had been BEAUTIFUL! Seriously, I couldn't have asked for a more glorious afternoon - the sun was shining but it wasn't too warm, there was just a slight breeze and the footing in the arena was great. Friday, however, did not continue in the same vein. The wind was gusting, the temperature was dropping and the clouds were spitting rain the whole afternoon. But I was determined to ride....
I came home early from work (like 9:00 am!) because of a crummy tummy. I was feeling a little better by the afternoon and with the help of my friend Pepto Bismal, I decided I could make it through a lesson. (Besides, I can always leave my horse safely with the instructor if I need to dash to the latrine. It's a bit more difficult to leave a group of students when I'm teaching!)
I always get irked when Zoe finally settles in half-way through a lesson so I gave myself extra time to get ready and planned to ride for about 20 minutes before it even began to make sure I had Zoe's full attention. The gusting wind was not helpful, however, and Zoe - being the super-reactive mare that she is - was a nut-case from all the thumping and moving around of the junk pile that sits next to the round pen. I decided that I really did not want to ride an out-of-control pony, so I ended up just leading her around the barn yard while we waited for our lesson to begin. So much for being proactive.....
The lesson went fine in spite of my rushy-spooky horse. Sarah had me working on trot-walk (and then trot-halt) transitions, first in a small 15 m circle and then in a larger circle. My directions were to ride the trot at a slow, steady pace and the moment Zoe began to rush I was to transition to the walk (or halt). Sounds simple.... :)
We will continue to work on this exercise. By the end of our lesson she and I were beginning to achieve a better pace and smoother transitions. But there is still so far to go. Sarah commented that I did have a challenging horse (To which I replied that she was actually being pretty good at the moment - that got some raised eyebrows!).
I'm hoping to ride with Sarah again next Saturday.
Thursday (the day before the lesson) had been BEAUTIFUL! Seriously, I couldn't have asked for a more glorious afternoon - the sun was shining but it wasn't too warm, there was just a slight breeze and the footing in the arena was great. Friday, however, did not continue in the same vein. The wind was gusting, the temperature was dropping and the clouds were spitting rain the whole afternoon. But I was determined to ride....
I came home early from work (like 9:00 am!) because of a crummy tummy. I was feeling a little better by the afternoon and with the help of my friend Pepto Bismal, I decided I could make it through a lesson. (Besides, I can always leave my horse safely with the instructor if I need to dash to the latrine. It's a bit more difficult to leave a group of students when I'm teaching!)
I always get irked when Zoe finally settles in half-way through a lesson so I gave myself extra time to get ready and planned to ride for about 20 minutes before it even began to make sure I had Zoe's full attention. The gusting wind was not helpful, however, and Zoe - being the super-reactive mare that she is - was a nut-case from all the thumping and moving around of the junk pile that sits next to the round pen. I decided that I really did not want to ride an out-of-control pony, so I ended up just leading her around the barn yard while we waited for our lesson to begin. So much for being proactive.....
The lesson went fine in spite of my rushy-spooky horse. Sarah had me working on trot-walk (and then trot-halt) transitions, first in a small 15 m circle and then in a larger circle. My directions were to ride the trot at a slow, steady pace and the moment Zoe began to rush I was to transition to the walk (or halt). Sounds simple.... :)
We will continue to work on this exercise. By the end of our lesson she and I were beginning to achieve a better pace and smoother transitions. But there is still so far to go. Sarah commented that I did have a challenging horse (To which I replied that she was actually being pretty good at the moment - that got some raised eyebrows!).
I'm hoping to ride with Sarah again next Saturday.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Fall Sunshine
"Sunburn Watch 2012" is now officially over, thank goodness! The harsh summer sun has morphed into a gentler fall one and Monte has begun to grow his winter coat, both of which have led to an end of pink, peeling skin on the poor pony. His mane has begun to grow back as well and he is now sporting a jaunty little mohawk on the lower portion of his neck.
Monte has also been getting some exercise the past couple of weeks. Two young women are now riding him to help him get back into shape, "tune him up" and remind him of all his skills. I was a little nervous when Courtney first rode him, afraid that he might be a handful but he quickly settled into the ride and performed beautifully. After her ride she wondered why people have said he is challenging! Gabrielle rode a few days later and he was again well behaved. She did notice that he's not quite as soft in the mouth as he had been the last time she rode him (about 2 years ago), but we think that is something that can be regained.
I'm hoping that Courtney's karma with horses follows her with Monte. In the past, all the horses she has ridden have sold not long after she begins to develop a relationship with the horse. So come on, Courtney! Work your magic! :)
I've been able to ride Zoe at least 3 times a week for the past few weeks. The consistent riding is definitely making a difference for both of us. But I do need to schedule a lesson or two soon as I think I'm beginning to develop a few bad habits (like leaning too far forward as I ride). Another set of eyes would be good.
Miss Zoe has been a pig lately and tries to get to her neighbor's grain each night. That wouldn't be such a big deal except that she now has half-dollar sized sores on her front ankles that won't go away. Dropping onto the concrete to reach under the rails is not helping them heal at all! Cathy and I have been brainstorming how to get this problem fixed but so far we haven't been too successful.
Monte has also been getting some exercise the past couple of weeks. Two young women are now riding him to help him get back into shape, "tune him up" and remind him of all his skills. I was a little nervous when Courtney first rode him, afraid that he might be a handful but he quickly settled into the ride and performed beautifully. After her ride she wondered why people have said he is challenging! Gabrielle rode a few days later and he was again well behaved. She did notice that he's not quite as soft in the mouth as he had been the last time she rode him (about 2 years ago), but we think that is something that can be regained.
I'm hoping that Courtney's karma with horses follows her with Monte. In the past, all the horses she has ridden have sold not long after she begins to develop a relationship with the horse. So come on, Courtney! Work your magic! :)
I've been able to ride Zoe at least 3 times a week for the past few weeks. The consistent riding is definitely making a difference for both of us. But I do need to schedule a lesson or two soon as I think I'm beginning to develop a few bad habits (like leaning too far forward as I ride). Another set of eyes would be good.
Miss Zoe has been a pig lately and tries to get to her neighbor's grain each night. That wouldn't be such a big deal except that she now has half-dollar sized sores on her front ankles that won't go away. Dropping onto the concrete to reach under the rails is not helping them heal at all! Cathy and I have been brainstorming how to get this problem fixed but so far we haven't been too successful.
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