Nordstrom training week 2

Tuesday, June 13 (Chesna) Day 9

Today I rode Stuey in the arena. Before I got on, I spent a significant amount of time throwing ropes across his back and dragging them around his body, until he stood quietly through it. I also practiced bumping up and touching him allover from above. I swung my legs over his hips and flanks and hindquarters and neck, and lay across his back without a bareback on. He was a bit oversensitive about everything and also distracted a little by Chucky and Cheryl cantering around, so I took the time to get him really ok before just jumping on. Once I was on I immediately practiced bending him (I was in a halter using the leadrope as my single rein). I disengaged his hindquarters as a mechanism to get his feet moving. I could then bump him with my legs to get him forward.

Cheryl helped on the ground first by being our leader and then shaking the flag at us when needed. We got stuck in some corners before he figured how to move straight away. We did lots of trotting and stepped over the poles in the arena and practiced stopping. If he offered to go forward I rewarded him for doing so. Once he got surprised by something and ran forward several steps frightened, so I bent him and he quickly disengaged his hindquarters and stopped like a good boy. On his way back out to pasture (and any time we have them on a halter) we practiced leading from a distance, driving, turning, and stopping when I stopped without using the leadrope. Although the ride wasn't particularly long, it was another productive day.

During the day Stuey went out in the pasture with his sister for the first time since they've arrived. In the evening when I went to catch him he was a scatterbrain. She came right over, and he was trotting back and forth 15 feet away. So we took her out of the pasture and in a matter of minutes he hooked on and was following me, back to having his attention on me. It is truly amazing how quickly he gives Perry “his brain.” That is, when he’s with her he doesn’t do the thinking, so he pretty much tunes out everything and lets her deal with it. But once caught his brain waves began working on their own once again, so all was well.

I tacked him up in the barn (like a real horse) with a bareback pad and rope halter with two reins (and the bridle underneath not connected to anything). Kelsy decided to ride Precious to be our helper horse. I did very little groundwork with him, mostly getting on and off, bending with the two reins, and touching allover. Once I was on we started off moving our hindquarters to get momentum, and soon were walking/trotting around the arena (albeit in no particular direction). Riding a young horse in this fashion is kind of like driving an old car with no power steering, selective breaks, and a sticky gas pedal. We commented on how it makes us feel like we don’t know how to ride (like how people starting out must feel). You have to focus on just accomplishing basic communication with the horse and being able to ride their wiggles (it’s riding with simple goals in mind, a contrast to riding our trained horses).

The time had come, Stuey needed to canter. He was comfortable enough with me riding, and Kelsy and I really believe in the need for them to go forward ASAP. So we started by following Precious and Kelsy (who went several laps in a hand gallop as we just trotted quickly and cut corners behind to catch up with them). Finally I coaxed him into the left lead, and he instantly dropped his head and went to bucking. I can confidently say that I have ridden a lot of different kinds of bucking over the years and know that horses buck in different ways and with different intents. Stuey, prompted by the cantering, was doing an experimental, “this is not my idea of fun, I’m a little scared, and I’m going to do something about it” buck sequence. He made it about the width of the arena with knees locked and fairly athletic bucking skills (thankfully, his head did not get too far down, nor did he know to spin or turn while bucking). And I have to admit, it was pretty fun and I was laughing. I was riding bareback in a soft rope halter that has no vertical control (virtually no power to stop the horse by pulling directly back, you only have control through bending), so it was a situation where you are on for the ride or you aren’t. Don’t get me wrong, with each buck I was yarding on my reins to try and get a response, and he did finally bend and stop (wherefore I made him move his hindquarters), but the stopping was mainly due to his assessment that bucking wasn’t really accomplishing much (plus, bucking requires a lot of energy).

So, once we got reorganized (I stopped laughing) off we went again behind Precious. On our second go around, just before he broke into the canter he ran right into an overturned barrel (I was trying to steer him away, but I guess he just wasn’t paying attention). This scared him, so off we went scooting (trotting fast with our head up) across the arena. He stopped when the wall came up and bent smoothly around. While we don’t want him to do this, it was a nice confirmation that when he is scared he is not a bucker (he’s a “scooter”). The bucking earlier was not mindless or extremely fear based, just young punk behavior. So after the barrel incident off we went again, and succeeded this time in getting about two strides of canter with no problems. Then Kelsy and Precious dropped behind us and sent us forward by swinging the rope. We went around and around getting a few steps of canter every now and then, until finally we got a nice stretch down the long wall and quit for the day (he doesn’t have much stamina, and it’s good for him to associate canter with a big reward). Although he wanted to get balled up when he was confused (this goes to show how bad behavior mostly happens because their feet are stuck), he did not try bucking anymore. He did not learn that bucking gives a release (I didn’t fall off), he did not get traumatized by the experience (I corrected it and we went right back to doing what we were doing), and he knows that it probably wasn’t the right decision (he was tired from it and I was kicking/pulling on him the entire time). I feel confident that bucking isn’t going to be an issue. And we apologize, because nobody got pictures of the bucking (and we all know that half the reason we watch people break out horses on TV and at expos is to see if anyone gets bucked off)!

Once back in the barn he practiced getting attention and standing ground tied. We have been doing a lot of multi-tasking things with him, so for example Kelsy threw ropes at him while I took off his bareback pad and Cheryl patted his bottom. A stimulus overload of sorts, and he is learning to cope with it and let down. I like Stuey and his personality (and really, he wouldn’t be a horse of mine if didn’t try bucking at least once. I can make a 25-year-old, lame, kid-safe trail mount buck without trying). And even better, both of them are enjoying their time with us, despite all of the bizarre treatment they receive.

I rode Stuey in a bridle for the first time today (a plain snaffle). Beforehand I let him run around the arena to practice staying in his canter (he bounced around like an Arabian). I also did lots of getting on and getting off. I threw some arena sand at him (which surprised him) until he wasn’t fazed by it. We just torture him constantly, and he’s more comfortable with it by the day.

Today we wanted to confirm our cantering skills, so we enlisted the help of Pippin and Kelsy. Pip was practicing jumping the barrels so Stuey had lots of stimulus to cope with. He tends to think everything around him is about him, so it’s good for him to practice letting down. He was excellent about trotting (probably because of all the going we practiced yesterday, and the cantering made trotting look easy). And steering is improving. He chomps on the bit sometimes, but I only use it to bend him and slightly encourage steering. He was as good in it as he was in the halter.

We got to do lots of cantering, and there was no thought of bucking. I often reach back and touch his hindquarters unexpectedly or tap him with my boot toe on the forearm or flank. The more he gets used to the better. I feel prepared to ride him outside tomorrow.

Whenever I go out to get Stuey in the field I expect him to face me and/or walk up to me. He is very good about this now. I also practice leading him by just a rope around his neck (someday just his mane). I tacked him up in the barn (bareback pad, bridle) and Kelsy grabbed Precious. Today was an “outdoors day.” We started in the arena by practicing getting on him (neck/back/hindquarters). I do all of this with no contact on the halter rope so that he can leave at any time. It is very easy to slip off to my feet if he decides to move away, and I know he isn’t a kicker. By allowing him the choice to leave, it lets him know he can think through things to find the right choices. After this brief warm-up I bridled him and got on for real and did a quick walk/trot/canter warm-up with Precious’ help for the canter. Then we followed Precious out of the arena and all the way over to our hayfield. We passed the tractor, and Perry in her paddock, and all sorts of other farm sights. He was really excited to be out in the field and eagerly followed Precious through the tall grass. At one point he just trotted off ahead, so I went with it and we went trotting allover the place. My two-rein stopping isn’t really that good, so if I wanted him to slow I just bent him. We went over to the other side of the field and visited with the bay horses and just enjoyed the wide open spaces. It was windy here today, so the trees and grass were blowing and he handled it all in stride.

We decided he was in control enough to go check out the creek. By the gate to the creek is a large stump (that frightened Perry before) and he spooked sideways from it. But then he followed Precious right through the gate and down to the creek. We paused at the edge of the creek for awhile, I wasn’t pushing because I could feel his energy all keyed up. Eventually I bumped him with my leg until he stepped in, and he sidled up to Precious for comfort. We followed Precious up and down the creek, and became pretty interested in it. I let him have his head and check out the water (he splashed around a bit), and then we practiced going out and coming back in. When we were done we lead the way out. We rode back through the field and up to the barn (past the chickens, over a pole, and by a junk pile). I hopped off and we practiced leading with manners. In the barn I threw ropes at him and patted him down allover and brushed his belly and flanks and sprayed him with fly spray… all sorts of terrible things. It’s all about repetition, and the longer he’s exposed to things the more comfortable he is in his own skin.

Tomorrow we’ll probably take him out again, and/or I might try riding him in a saddle. Kelsy says he can still be “Stuey the Stud” for the time being, so he’s proud.

Before our ride today I put some splint boots on Stuey’s hind legs. He doesn’t like ropes back there, so I thought it would be good for him to get used to something there that doesn’t move. Plus, although we don’t ride in boots, his future riders might! He was a gentlemen as I strapped them on, and once encouraged to move he just lifted his hindfeet as if to say “ick, what did you put these on for?”

Today I just rode Stuey in the arena in his halter. Cheryl had a good idea I wanted to test out. We have been practicing with our trained horses that when we lift our body and open a rein they need to rock onto their hindend and bring their forequarters across in the indicated direction. Once they pick it up it is really fun to canter, turn your body/open a rein, have your horse sit and spin, and leap off into the canter again (kind of like you see in reining competitions). Anyhow, Cheryl was thinking how smart it could be to teach young horses to do this, specifically: how to distribute their weight back onto their hindend and lighten their frontend. The goal of most riding is to achieve propulsion and collection from behind, so the sooner they begin to associate rider cues with their hindquarters the better. Stuey was already pretty good about following the open rein, but Cheryl grabbed a flag and helped from the ground by shaking it at his shoulder as I wanted him to bring his front feet across. This extra incentive had him really turning nicely, and a few times he actually rocked back and lifted in the front to turn.

Pip and Stuey were at the far end of the field when I went out today, so when I reached them I haltered Stuey and hopped on Pip for a ride back to the barn. Stuey trotted along obediently beside Pip all the way up to the gate and waited patiently as I sorted out which horses stayed behind the open gate and which got to go through. You would no longer suspect that he was ever “skittish” around people or hard to handle on the ground.

Today Stuey broadened his horizons and left the property for the first time. And to top that off, I rode him in a saddle for the first time too. But before any thought of that I started out in the roundpen with rope work. I looped a cotton rope over his hindquarters and ran it through his hind legs. He doesn’t like the rope back there, but we spent enough time for him to understand that the rope is not dangerous or hurtful. I tacked him up in an old dressage saddle without his halter. Anything you can do in a halter with these two you can do without one also. I put his bridle on and mounted from the ground using the stirrup. It’s a vulnerable position in the moments from when my foot enters the stirrup and before my seat hits the saddle, because should he move I am attached to him and risk being dragged. On any horse it is a wise idea to mount as quickly and smoothly as possible and land in the saddle ready to ride (statistically most riding accidents happen when mounting or dismounting). Stuey was fine when I toed my boot into the stirrup and swung myself high over his back as I trusted he would be. I spent several seconds bouncing around on the saddle before we moved. When we walked off it was in typical Stuey fashion. A bit of a disappointment for Kelsy, who was ready and waiting with the camera to take pictures of some bronc acrobatics.

After a brief warm-up in the roundpen walking and trotting over tarps and running over cones, we sidled up the gate, opened it, and walked out. Very skilled! Out in the Haflinger turnout we walked and trotted about and played up and down on the dirt mounds by the arena. Kelsy was riding Gunnar, a return summer camper, and we waited for them to finish up their work in the arena.

Then Gunnar led the way out to the hayfield and over to our creek. We had to laugh, because Gunnar decided that being the “fearless leader” meant pointing out every possible frightening thing to Stuey. We made it into the creek and stopped to play for a moment before tackling the slippery bank up the other side. Stuey scrambled up in good enough fashion, and anxiously trotted behind Gunnar around our wooded trails. We went in and out of the creek at another crossing, and tried leading for a bit on the trail. He only spooked once when a large branch grabbed his hindfeet, but with a kick of my heels went ahead bravely.

After some successful trail riding we decided to follow Gunnar over to the Skookumchuck river on a gravel road. The gravel bothered his barefeet a little so he was too busy to be disturbed by any of the sights. After the road-ride we came to the large hill. Stuey trotted strongly up the hill and walked balanced down the steep other side. He trotted through the head high grass and stepped right into the moving river. We paused in the river for some pictures and then turned back for home. At the big hill we cantered all the way up, huffing and puffing the whole way with no thoughts of disobedience. Then back on the road, through our muddy trails, back into the creek (carefully selecting our footing down the little slope), and into the hayfield. In the hayfield we did some cantering behind Gunnar and then walked on a loose rein back to barn. Stuey was pretty tired from the whole excursion, but was exposed to a lot and absorbed it in like a sponge. He looked a little exhausted in the field later, and Kelsy teased him saying he probably used muscles today he didn’t even know he had. He’s pretty content right now though because he has two new friends to share the field with.

Stuey's third week of training (new website)