Picspam

Cool weather, alfalfa and a scoop of oats/barley every day has Gypsy finally playing a bit when turned out.

I don't mind a little extra energy in a horse, especially a young one!

She's already getting fitter too. At first 5min of walk/pace on the lunge had her tired - now she can lope for close to 10min. I won't get on her until she's fitter still, and until she's built up her topline a bit.

I don't think we do any favors to a young horse by climbing aboard before we've done what we can to make sure they're as physically ready as can be.

It's Been 2 Weeks....

...and Gypsy is coming along very well.

She walks in her own space, not mine. She's mostly quiet while tied up - and if she isn't, a cluck snaps her butt back where it belongs. She's figuring out that don't step into me, ever is a rule that is always enforced, and firmly. I can saddle her as carelessly as though she was an old lesson horse. No careful approaches, no sneaking the saddle on. I throw the blanket on, and swing the saddle up and over in a high arc. I may or may not have remembered to put the cinch up when I pulled it off the last horse, so she has to deal with the stirrup and maybe the cinch flopping on her off side. If she can't handle a saddle swinging over her back, she's probably going to be seriously not thrilled about my leg doing the same. I don't let the saddle slam into her though. Baby or no, I always set the saddle down easy at the end of that swinging arc.

She stands nicely while I put boots or polos on. When I take her halter off I let it drop - she stands there still while I take my sweet time putting the caveson on, and then the bridle. When I say whoa, she stops. On the lead or on the lunge. A cluck and she steps off with me before the slack comes out of the lead.

And she stands there and lets me clip her bridlepath and muzzle, no fuss. I got my point across the first time.

She's staying put on the circle better when I lunge her, and she's discovered that she does have a motor back there. She still wants to either canter or walk, I want her to stick with a steady middle gait (a trot if I can get it). We'll get there.

I've started putting one siderein on her when I lunge her, always to the inside. One rein gives her more opportunities to escape the pressure - head down and in will do it, but so will head into the circle. Once she's firmly grasped that she should yield to bit pressure, I'll put both reins on.

I don't do much giving at a standstill. A few times just until they get the idea, but for most of her life I'm not going to care where her head is if we're stopped and I'll care a whole bunch about where it is while we're moving. She might as well learn to give in motion now.


She doesn't mind leaning on the snaffle, but today she was giving more and more. The first few times she'd feel the pressure and root into it, or gape her jaw and jerk her head to the outside. The cinch ring doesn't give though, so she's figured out it's pointless.

One rein tied for the first time. Just short enough to keep her looking straight or towards me. I tighten it bit by bit each time. The other is tucked up out of the way but loose enough it does not come into play.

I've also started to pony her, so she can see the whole big wide world. Which in her case, involves a lot of city trails. She has to be solid in traffic, able to ignore a dog hitting the fence 2' away, llamas, gardeners, roofers, tree-trimming crews, people working in their garages (which usually are less than 50' away from the trail) and everything else that comes with riding through suburbia.

Then once we survive the city and make it to the riverbottom, there's a whole new word. The river is a given, have to deal with that. Trails totally enclosed by cane that throw us into darkness are also a new experience for her, as is hearing other people and horses coming and not being able to see them on the thin, twisty trails lined with thick vegetation that reaches well over our heads.

In the river for the first time.

New sights aside, ponying has it's own set of rules for her to learn. Don't fall back, don't go forward, keep your nose to yourself, the horse I'm on hates you and will EAT you if you bite. My boot is not a toy. A flat hand in front of your face means fall back; single track trail. And mind your manners back there - stay out of kicking range but mind your slack, and I don't care if aliens just landed behind you, Do Not Run Up On The Pony Horse!

I pony with a lunge line and a chain on the pony-ee. For me, a loose horse almost always means a horse loose in traffic - not only dangerous for the horse, but an insane amount of liability for me if anyone hits her. I do NOT let go of the horse I'm ponying and I want enough line to play out to keep a hold in case of a major blow-up. That I pony off of something rope broke goes without saying!

Stop and eat the flowers. :) My chain set up - near ring, wrapped around noseband, far ring and back under jaw. If she goes forward it gets her nose, if she lags I can pull under her jaw.

3rd day - Saddle and Bridle

Yesterday was Gypsy's third day here.

Her ground manners have already improved drastically. She stood quietly tied as I brushed her, put on fly spray and mane/tail conditioner, and wrapped her front legs.

Then time for a saddle. Gypsy has already had a lot of hands on, and I know she's worn a blanket. With that type of horse, used to people and used to having stuff put on and off, saddling is usually a breeze.

This time was no exception. I let her see the saddle pad, rubbed it on her shoulder and then set it in place. No reaction. I pulled it off and swung it on in a big, high arc. No reaction. I slid it off over her butt, swung it on her neck, and then swung it back into the correct place.

Good to go, time for the saddle. I let her see it and sniff it, bumped her shoulder with it, then carefully set it in place. She couldn't care less. It was just more stuff to her.

I did the cinch up very slowly - no need to create a problem by cinching her fast and tight. She moved a bit once I had it tight enough to hold the saddle, but that was it.

I swapped her halter for my lunge caveson (not the heavy traditional type, but a thick leather crank that has extra floating rings sewn into the sides for attaching the line.) And then put the bridle on. She wasn't overly pleased about the bridle, but a thumb pressed into her bars got her mouth open and I slipped it on quickly despite her raising her head and stepping back. As long as your technique is good enough to never bang the horse in the teeth no matter where their heads go, they get good about being bridled very fast.

I tied her reins up behind the saddle horse so that they were slack enough to not put pressure on but tight enough that she wouldn't be able to get a leg over one if she put her head down.

And then I asked her to go back onto the circle as we did the day before. And she was wonderful. Walk, gait, canter, not a hint of bucking or bolting. She scooted once when she cut the circle badly and got tagged with the whip behind the cinch, but came back as soon as she hit the end of the line.

She does not want to keep at the end of the line with any contact. That will be our biggest objective when lunging from now on - keeping her out in the circle. Yesterday I had to really mind my slack as she wanted to come in, in, in. She be out...and then hello!

"Are you sure I can't stand in the middle with you instead of being out here all by myself?"

Finding Out Where We're At

Day one for Miss Gypsy!

This is when I find out what I've really gotten myself into. She's somewhere new, still slightly upset. Now I see what is actually trained and what was complacency.

She's still easy to catch and halter. Leading...eh, not so much. She has no idea that there is a certain spot she should be in. She lags behind, she surges forward, she knocks into me. I fall back on a sharp "aught!" and flapping chicken elbows whenever she gets close. If she goes forward she gets bumped. Pulling on the lead will gets me dragged around, but a sharp tug on a slack line usually gets a response. If she lags back I keep on walking, putting pressure on the lead until she steps up.

It doesn't take more than a minute before she figures out that there's a sweet spot that doesn't get her pulled, tugged or hit in the cheek with chicken elbows.

Her lack of respect for my space is magnified once she's tied up. She swings her butt into me over and over again. And I move her back over and over again. I want to be able to have her move over with just a cluck. Time and time again I cluck, put light pressure on her barrel with my fingers...and then up that to whatever pressure is needed to make her move.

It takes much longer than it should to brush her and braid her mane, but by the time I'm done she's not coming into my space nearly as much, and when she does a cluck moves her back over.

Then I get the clippers. Whoo, she doesn't like that! I untie her and hold her while I run the clippers over her neck. That's fine. Turn them on, still fine. Rub them on her cheek? Fine. Move them towards her bridlepath...NOOOO. She doesn't look scared, just mad, and she's jumping into me instead of trying to back up or turn away.

I go ahead and twitch her, which wasn't that easy. She knows exactly what the twitch is as soon as she sees it and strikes out as I'm putting it on. I stay with her, and as soon as I tighten it she's a perfect little angel. Too perfect. She stands stock still with her head down as I do her bridlepath and the long hair by her eyes.

She's calm as I take the twitch off. head down, one hind leg cocked. I haven't traumatized her too badly. ;)

Now for her muzzle. I rub the clippers on her muzzle. Fine. Turn them on, still fine. Try to actually clip, and she leaps forward into me. That gets her a chain over her nose. I have to shank her back twice, and then she's back to miss perfect angel.

Usually I'll give it more time before reaching for help, but at no point did she appear to be truly afraid and the jumping into me has to stop and stop NOW.




Okay, wraps and lunging and we're done. :) She stomped a bit but allowed me to put the polo wraps on her. Good girl! As far as lunging I really just wanted to see if I could get her to walk a small circle around me. She's not too sure, but was willing to walk forward when I clucked and stepped towards her hip. 'Whoa" needs work, but I have a good place to start from.

Staying out on the circle is a new concept, but at least she's listening!

Meet Miss Gypsy

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This is Gypsy. She's a just-turned-3 TWH filly, and mine as of a day ago. :)))


I snapped this picture literally 5 minutes after unloading her from the trailer. I can't wait until I take an 'after' picture to go with it.

Gypsy has had her basic ground manners installed (easy to catch, leads, ties, picks up feet), has worn a blanket and has had a saddle pad on her, but that's it. She doesn't lunge, wear a bit or saddle, ground drive, or any of that other fun stuff.

My goal is to make her into a solid trail horse. I created this blog to chronicle how I'm going to get from where we are now to where I want to end up.

The way I do things is...well, it's the way I do things. No more, no less. I've done this sort of thing enough times to have worked out a system that works for me. Everyone has their own way of doing things, and more than one road leads to Rome.

Gypsy spent her first day here half in turnout and half in her new stall. She's settled in well and does not seem unduly upset at being somewhere new. She's eating and drinking and shows a great deal of calm interest in whats going on around her.

"School" starts tomorrow. The best way I've found to settle a horse is is to get to know them and establish a routine, and the best way to accomplish that is to begin training.