Groundwork and Trotting

Today I woke up ready to start another day of training, but first I had to do some tractor work in the arena for about an hour. Brian had started it on Saturday, but the arena dirt was too wet. We bought a new arena leveler and drag called the "gravel rascal" a few weeks ago. We had let the grass take over our arena and it has taken many days to get it back to dirt. I hired Juan, and he raked up the grass roots while I dug them up with the gravel rascal. It was a lot of hard work, but it is so nice now to have arena that is soft and mostly level.

Here is the training I completed today:

Annie

1. Tied Annie for about 90 minutes while I dragged the arena. She pulled back when I was spraying her with fly spray and got a little spooked but I said 'whoa' and she stopped pulling. I think she got spooked when she heard my Ipod playing through my earphones. There is nothing like listening to Joan Jett, "I like Rock n' Roll" when you are doing tractor work.

2. Lunged her at the walk, trot and canter. She was much better on transitions and was very eager to listen to me.

3. Lunged her over the tarp and poles at a trot and a walk. She resisted at first going over at a trot, but as soon as she was able to go through smoothly at the trot without hitting the poles or resisting, we stopped. I firmly believe in stopping training when the horse gets it right. They will remember the reward, far better than drilling it in over and over.

4. Put the tarp over her and walked her around while it flapped around her. I pulled the tarp over head several times and she didn't like it much, but we stopped as soon as her resistance went down.

5. I led her a few steps with the tarp over her eyes so she could learn to trust me even when she couldn't see me.

6. Worked a little on flexing and turning the hindquarters.

7. She wore the bit the entire time and was able to do all lunge work without mouthing it.

8. Worked on backing on a loose rope. Much better today.


Problems

1. She is very young and immature and wants to please, but likes to crowd into me when she is unsure or nervous. I kept gently backing her off of me, but I will get a little firmer tomorrow if she persists in trying to lean into me when I bring her into the center of the lunge circle.


Here is the training completed on Claire

1. Claire stood tied to today probably for about 2 hours and 15 minutes. She only pawed a little bit and I was amazed at the progress she has made in standing still being tied. This proves to me even further that simply time and patience is the best teaching tool for training young colts. I could have hobbled her in the beginning, but she has simply learned that pawing does no good in being tied. She did not offer to pull back at all, even when she was left all alone while I worked with Annie in the arena.

2. Lunged her at the walk, trot and canter in several places in the areana. She is the most spooked in the corner by the tractor so we worked there until she could lower her head and do all transitions calmly. She really did fantastically and has come a long way in not being spooked by what is out in the pasture.

3. Walked and trotted her today. I noticed that her head would shoot up sometimes when I was riding her and this is the most nervous time for me because I know a horse with a high head is a nervous horse. I simply would give her mind something to think about and would turn her alot, until her head would come down and she would forget about what she was seeing out in the pasture. She seemed particularly bothered by what was in the neighbor's yard. I felt very good about her trotting and going forward. She offered very little resistance in going forward today and was tons better than she has been in the past. She actually seemed to prefer to trot which was amazing to me. I worked on trotting her in a straight line once she did it calmly I got off in the very spot she is often spooked at. I decided to make that the spot I get off so she will not dread going down to that part of the arena.

Problems

1. There were no problems today at all, other than being a little distracted at times at what was going on in the pasture. Tomorrow I plan on trotting her alot more and in more straight lines. I might set a cone up in the middle of the arena and practice spiraling her in and out at a walk and a trot.

2. I need to start disengaging her hindquarters while under saddle.


I am posting some pictures of Annie under the tarp and Annie and Claire tied. I also am posting some 'before' and 'after' pictures of the arena, and of one taken a horse show Hillary and I both rode in on Saturday.