Who says you can't buy Love?

She is officially for sale so I say you can buy Love. I have accomplished what I wanted with her. I rescued her from the KB at the auction and she now has a solid start. If I could keep her I would but I can't keep everyone. With Tiki's foal due in May I am looking to free up a little space. If you know of anyone looking for a super minded 2 yr old BS paint send them my way.

Some Happier Updates.

Mace is a good little boy. He can lead without mama around, picks up all four feet and holds them for you to pick them out, will stand to be groomed. He is a cool little guy. He is changing color to a VERY dark chestnut color. Not sure if he will stay that color? He looks a little scuzzy now because the patches that have shed out and are dark make him look like he has bruises or something all over his body. I will try for some pictures tomorrow so you can see what I mean. T is really falling in love with him and I am feeling a little guilty that I will be selling him. I really like him but don't have the resources to have a gazillion horses of my own right now. Once I win the lotto that will change and I will build my dream barn and rescue career broodies and give them a real job rather than a baby incubator but for now I will have to find him a new home sometime this summer.
Titan is fabulous. I have been riding him bareback almost every day (for my benefit more than his). I can now go two rounds posting bareback without stopping (proper posting where my a** gets up off his back, not the silly stuff some people do when they have to post with no stirrups and they just bounce about). I can only make it one round in 2 point (my legs aren't that strong yet). It is better than when I started and could barely do 1/2 a round posting! He is getting more confident and more consistent at the trot and we could probably go out and show in walk-trot and clean up right now but I don't have the 'horse show itch' just yet. Not with him anyway. I am having too much fun training on him.
Love is great. We walk and trot now. Still no canter. She has a super smooth little jog that is very natural and also has a very natural low headset. I wish I could find her an advanced 4-Her that wanted a project for the summer. She would be perfect for that since she is so freaking sweet. She can make nice round circles and pays attention for the most part. We are still keeping our rides very short because I don't want to lose her attention and don't want her to stop enjoying her work.
Tiki is still pregnant and I suspect she will go late. She is due beginning to mid May but I have a feeling she will hang on until the end of May or even into June. I have stopped riding her since she is getting uncomfortably big. She has a new pasture pal. After Margo was attacked I wanted her out alone with Mace so that she didn't have to worry about him so much so Tiki and Rocky got turned out in the arena for a while to test them out. I didn't think Tiki would take any of Rocky's crap and sure enough she set herself up as the alpha mare right off the bat. So long a**hat Rocky. Since they have been out together his manners have been better (read: he isn't a rude jerk anymore). He would still pick on the youngers but for now I am happy to have someone in with him so he isn't all alone.
Gus is doing well. I have T working with him on ground driving with him now as I don't think he is physically mature enough to have someone on his back consistently. She has been on him once for about 5 minutes but we have decided it is in his best interest to pull back a bit for now.

Ride Goals.

I set goals every time I get on any of my horses. If I don't set a goal, even if we had a good ride, I don't feel like we accomplished much. I even set goals for out on the trail ride. I never really say them out loud but having them in my head helps drive the ride forward to a productive place where the horse and/or myself are learning something. If I get on and the horse isn't where we left of for whatever reason the the goals change but generally it works out really well.
Today I only worked from 5:45-10 and it was BEAUTIFUL outside so I got everyone worked and was able to spend time fussing over everyone.
Margo and Mace were first. I lunged her (and of course Mace too since he is part of the Margo package). My goal for Mace was to teach him not to run up at the lunge line. The other day when I lunged her he kept charging the line and even tried to jump it once. Luckily Margo's whoa is fabulous so I just dropped the line and said whoa and a possibly major accident was avoided. I didn't want to stop working her because he was there but more important was him not getting hurt. So today I decided to use a different line. It is a fat round purple one rather than the flat navy one that I normally use. I thought it would be more visible to him and it is much heavier so if he did try something stupid again it would drop to the ground if I let go. The navy one fell to the ground but when it landed it had loops sticking up that could get a leg. Every time he would try and charge it I would very firmly tell him no and wiggle the line. That seemed to get his attention and he very quickly got the picture. Mace goal: accomplished.
With Margo I wanted to get her responding to my voice better for gaits and also learn to walk on the lunge. She likes to go straight out at a trot and then trot and canter the whole time. Her whoa, like I said before, is great so I decided to work on transitions both up and down. She was getting much better at the end and even managed to walk long enough to cool herself out. Margo goal: accomplished.
Tiki and I desperately needed to work on her reaction to my legs. So my goal for her was to become more responsive to my cues rather than just reacting. To me reacting is an automatic response to my cues where as if she is truly responding then she has to think about what I want her to do. So today we worked on leg cues. She is very sensitive to my legs but every time my leg is on her side she thinks it is go faster unless I have pressure on the bit. Today we worked at the walk on lessening the pressure on the bit and increasing me asking her to move her body around. She was getting it but I think it is definitely something that we need to work on over more time. Tiki goal: in progress but better.
Titan and I had a ground lesson today. I have noticed in the pasture lately that he is much more pushy and I wanted to remind him who is boss. So my goal for him today was to get back to we were last fall with him reading my body language and listening to my voice commands. He did get in trouble a few times for trying to just walk over me but in the end we are almost back to where we were last fall. I am sure he will need many more refreshers in his life but for today he accomplished my goal for him.
With Love I worked on moving forward consistently. She prefers to stand still when I am sitting on her back. So we worked on walking with my voice and a little leg pressure rather than having to bump her sides with my legs. She did well but it took a while to warm up and since she is only 2 I only ride her for about 15 minutes at a time. By the time the little light was turning on in her head it was time to get off.
How about you guys? Are you like me with goals for every ride? Or do you just go by the seat of your pants so to speak and let the horse tell you what they need to work on that day?

Please excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin.

I am totally in love with this horse. I have been working with her the past week but all just grooming and such like that. Today I took her out in the arena and lunged her *drool*. She is almost freaky her legs are so good. She carries herself really well even on the lunge line. This is all in slushy snow as well! I can't imagine how awesome she is going to feel once I am on her back! She is also such a sweet mare, lets me do pretty much whatever I want with her or Maynard (also known as Mace now because sometimes Maynard is just too long). Margaret's nickname is Margo. Maynard's legs are pretty freaky cool as well *drool again*. Naturally really slow legged and has really nice flat knees and some crazy deep hocks. HOW did I get such cool horses at such an amazing price?!?! Also Chance still thinks he is part of their little horse family.
In other fun horse news...
Love had her 3rd ride today. T rode her around at the walk working on bending, turning and actually moving forward. It seems like there are 2 kinds of horses when you first get on their backs, those that don't want to move and those that want to toss you. Fortunately I have been lucky enough that most of the horses I have trained have been 'those that don't want to move' when they are first started. I would rather teach a horse to go forward that to teach a horse to stand still. I also think this may have something to do with all of the time and energy I put into them before I actually get on. I apologize that is isn't a very good picture of Love but it gives you an idea of how different she looks from when she first got here! Fatter and MUCH harrier!!
Gus had his first ride ever. He was great. As you know he is T's horse that I am helping her bring along. He is very mellow and also fell into the category of not really wanting to move when she first got on. After mounting and dismounting a few times I told her to stay on and ask him to turn his head both directions. Then after a bit of that we walked around a little. I say we because although I think Gus is mellow enough for her to handle horses are still unpredictable and so I had the lead on him for her first ride. She wants to do everything herself so with my guidance and support she is training him.
C had her first ride on Tiki today. She spent a while grooming and getting to know her and then just rode on the lunge line at the walk. I am really proud of C because I know she was a bit nervous but she did really well. I don't know if I told you anything about C's horse background? She rode when we were in middle school but never had a horse of her own. The horse that she used for 4-H died (either when we were still in middle school or in the beginning of high school) and she never really found a new mount that she was as confident on. She loved King and Hayley and she got along well with Reno (one of the horses I trained last summer) but she really needs a horse that is here consistently that she can learn on a build her confidence on. Tiki will also be used for her daughter to get rides on. I told her that she is going to learn to ride English this summer and she seemed semi excited/apprehensive. I don't think she likes hunt saddles.
Titan wasn't left out! We went for a ride out on the road and he was ok but a little spooky. On the way back he was much too forward and refused to pay attention to my legs or seat. So we worked when we got back. We worked out in the arena on using his body at the trot and listening to my legs when I am asking him to move his body around. It wasn't a long work but since he hasn't done much since November (give or take) he was puffing. As you can imagine is it hard to move how your rider wants you when the arena is still snowy. As much as I am looking forward to spring I am also dreading not being able to use the arena. Right now we are kind of in between the ground is no longer frozen and there is no ice but there is only one small spot of mud as it is all about 3-4 inches of snow (a few places as deep as a foot). In the next few weeks as everything thaws out there will be lots more mud and less working horses in the arena. Which usually means more trail riding but I am really itching to get back to work in the arena with all of the horses! Luckily I am on the top of a hill and am usually one of the first farms in the area to dry out!

What a day!

Today was great!
I'll start with the pictures in the last post. The pictures of Chance and Mo I just thought were cute. Then there are pictures of when I got Margaret and Maynard home yesterday. They settled in well. I spent a little over an hour just fussing over Margaret. She needed to be groomed SO badly and she loved it! I fed her and then grabbed brushes and went to town. She was so dirty. She is shedding a lot already and since it is only about 28 outside I blanketed her. I don't want her hair going back in just in time for it to get warm (which it is supposed to starting this week!!). I also haltered and unhaltered Maynard about 10 times and started working on handling his legs (he isn't a fan). He is starting to like to be scratched on the neck so he really struggles with whether he should let me catch him or not. Then today I got up and went out and fed everyone. After they were done Margaret and Maynard went out in the arena and Tiki went out with Titan, Love and Gus. I hung out with them for a while and debated taking his halter off but in the end I left it on since I was going to be out there the whole time anyway. Chance has decided that Maynard is his new best friend. Margaret won't let Tess go into the arena with them but she let Chance hang out with them the whole day.Chance and Maynard became fast friends and were playing most of the day. Except when Maynard or Chance needed a nap. I wonder if they each realize that the other isn't also a horse or dog. Titan and I went for a trail ride and we got stuck in a snow drift. It was totally my fault and I am super lucky that Titan is so mellow. There is one section of the trail that dips and then goes up a hill. We were going along and I completely forgot about the dip. The snow really piles up there and we walked straight into it. Titan is game for anything so he plowed on through until he couldn't move. Then my brain kicked into gear as he somewhat tipped over. He just kind of lay sideways into the snow (that at this point was touching my stirrups). I climbed off onto the snow and pulled his reins over his head. He had to think about it for a minute and then he decided that yes he would get up and get himself unstuck. After we got out of that self made mess we headed back to the barn and rode around in the yard.
Love had her first ride today! Normally I would put this in the 'her' blog but I have decided that I don't have the time or energy for 2 blogs so hers will be smushed back into this one. I mounted and unmounted for a while and we practiced bending and giving to the rein. Then we walked around a little bit and she was so good! Never offered to buck or run off. Since she was so good I put her away after that. I wish there was more time in the day and that I never had to go to work. That would be nice.

Love's first trail

Love was a tag along on the trail ride today. First I worked with her on standing to be saddled/bridled and with clippers. She was great for all three. I think she actually kind of like the buzzing of the clippers against her lips. We have been working with the saddle for a while but today was the first day for the bridle. I was standing next to her with it with the bit in my hands to warm it up before putting it in her mouth and she kept licking the side ring of the bit. She accepted it with no problems and was perfectly happy to stand there and play with it for a while.
I lunged her with the saddle and bridle on for about 5-10 minutes, mostly walking and trotting. Then we went back into the barn and I left her tied up for a bit while I went to groom and tack up Titan. T was there and worked with Gus and then rode Rocky on the trail with me. I ponied Love along and she was really good! Jumped a few times when Chance came flying out of the timber or when a deer ran across our path but never tried to spin around or run off. She really seemed to enjoy herself.

Saddle up!

I saddled Love for the first time last week. We have been working on getting used to the saddle pad and everything for a while now but this was the first day with the saddle. She could not have cared less.
I did our usual routine with the saddle pad. On and off on and off for a while. She was visibly falling asleep. So I brought out the saddle. She pricked up her ears and sniffed it. Then closed her eyes and continued napping. I rubbed it all over her and she didn't open her eyes once. So I set it on her back. Still- eyes closed. It wasn't until I shifted the weight left to right a few times that she finally opened her eyes. Even if only to give me a dirty look for interrupting her nap.
On and off and on and off- still no response. So I tossed it on and pulled the girth across her belly. Nothing. So again. Nothing. Finally I gave up getting any response and cinched the girth. Tight enough that the saddle wouldn't slide if she bolted/bucked (not seeming likely at this point) but not tight enough that someone could mount. At this she did open her eyes and crank her head around to check out what I was doing. Sniffed the girth and saddle, nuzzled me and then just stood there.
I asked her to walk forward and she did, no problems. I asked her to trot on the lunge line and she did, no problems. So I asked her to go into the lope. You guys are all getting excited thinking 'here come the fireworks!' but no. Sorry to disappoint you. She loped off just fine. We stopped and reversed and did the same thing in the other direction, again no reaction.
I decided that was enough for the day so we stopped and I unsaddled her. She nuzzled my hands and my cheek and then proceeded to go back to sleep while I groomed her.
What a weirdo. A very good weirdo but a bit of a weirdo none the less.

Meet Love

This is Love (aka Love Bug, Lovely, Lulu).
She is a 2008 APHA filly out of Shes My Pick by Rock Four. I was at an auction in October and she was the last horse in the ring. Since she was the last horse (there were about 5 minutes between her and the horse before her since her owners weren't paying attention) there were pretty much no bidders left. I was only sitting there because we figured we would let the lobby clear a bit before we made our way out. A known kill buyer in the area was there and maybe 10 or 12 others. They started the bidding at $800, then dropped to $600, then to $400, then to $100. The KB bid at $100. I really was just at the auction to help some clients but I couldn't let her go to kill. So I bid. He bid against me for a bit but I ended up getting her for $300.
She has a killer little jog, is slow legged and driven at the lope.
I am pretty excited to see what our spring and summer bring. Depending on how she does I may end up finding a new home for her or keeping her for myself. She does have a slight diviation in her right front that will prevent her from ever being an over fences horse but I don't think that is what she wants to do anyway. If nothing else she will be a fun trail horse.

Oh Mylanta! UPDATES!

I have been gone for a while!! Not actually gone but gone from Blogger for one reason or another. I am really going to attempt to get bakc on track this spring and summer with writing as I loved reading everyone elses blogs and getting all of your feedback!!

Quick update on all the horses:

Titan- He is still mama's favorite and totally knows it. He has been doing really well under saddle (at least until I had to take the last 2 months off due to the weather!

Gus- T still has him and is really excited to start working with him this spring. Though it is looking like he isn't going to get very big and since T is already close to 6' she may have to fine something else in the future.

Rocky- He is still a big jerk and is in a dry lot alone 24/7. He is next to the other horses but I am trying to avoid him bloodying up anyone else!

Lexy- Back up at her owners for the winter but is coming back this spring. Is doing REALLY well and is going to be an awesome little show mare for them.

Missy- Sold in August at a sale for $171. Broke my heart to see such a talented mare go to auction. But the lady that bought her seemed really excited to start working with her. I asked her to keep in touch with me but haven't heard anything.

Reno and Stacey- Both sold to the same lady in AZ. She is totally loving both of them. She also bought another horse I trained called Daisy and she can't decide which of the 3 she loves more.

Blue- Sold to a college guy in TN. Seemed to be the perfect match. I even checked refrences and everything but he turned around and sold Blue for about double what he paid for him about 2 months later. That was a huge bummer as well.

Biscuit- Still owned by the same people and they plan to bring him back in the spring I believe. He is an awesome little pony for me and my more advanced lesson kids but is too much pony for J. He is constantly taking advantage of her. I truly think that they should sell him and his brother (just a year younger) and buy J something that she can really learn on and not be afraid of. But who listens to thair trainer/instructor? I don't know anything I guess.

I don't think I forgot anyone...?

Oh LOVE!

My new girl! I rescued her at an auction. She is such a sweet girl. She has a registration application that came with her (she is out of Shes My Pick by Rock Four). She is a cute little bay and is the most level headed 2 yr old I have ever met. Nothing seems to rattle her. Now that I have said that I am sure to be dumped from her many times this summer. I started another blog just about my training her "Adventures with Love"