Having Time To Think

I am so bummed. Last night I received my last issue of Performance Horse magazine. It has folded. I loved that magazine. It covered the kind of information I was always looking for and I almost always knew at least one person featured in an article. I have been working on an article on my friend Blue Allen which I planned on sending to Performance Horse first. I know there are other good magazines out there but I am sure going to miss that one. Sigh.

I had the coolest thing happen on Sunday. I was on a trail ride with my good friend Kathy. We were done with our ride and coming down the last steep hill before my barn.

I was jabber-jawing and not paying much attention to what we were doing.

Pete very carefully gathered his hind feet under him, lifted his back, broke nicely at the poll and settled just enough weight on his bit to give himself a little support.

I almost fell off my nicely framed little cowhorse.

I have talked about the experimental training I am doing now that I have time to think and no reason (like expectant owners) not to try new things on my horses.

I have also , I hope, made clear that I prefer for my horses to look for the right place to be and get themselves there on their own.

I think I have also mentioned I have been asking Pete to frame up right before he goes down a hill. My hope is he will find it easier to walk down hill collected and on the bit, than hollowed out and all over the place.

It's working. Pete is finding the value of being in frame down an incline and is seeking it. The fact that he'll set it up himself if I'm gathering wool means he finds being in frame useful.

This should translate to his flat work.

It already is a little. My arena these days is 1/4 mile of fairly level, but loaded with potholes dirt road. I walk and trot down it, then lope up it. I ask him to collect for a while, then let him relax, then I ask again.
Pete likes to walk hollowed out, which makes him heavy on the front.

If he gets like this I hoist him back with my hands, kick him back a few steps, roll-back, then roll-back again and continue on our way.

It ain't pretty, but it lightens his front end.

I relax my reins when he walks deeper in the back and lighter in the front.

When we get to the end we either lope back, work on transitions or half-pass.

I'm not making a big deal out of any of this by the way. I stay calm and don't get frustrated.

Pete likes to start out correct, lope a few steps and either break to a trot or get moving too fast, fold over the top of the bit and get heavy on the front.

My thought is when he breaks down to a trot he doesn't have enough rear propulsion going and instead of loping into my hand and framing up, he's stopped by my hand instead.

Then when he turns into Speedy Gonzalez and folds over the top of my bridle he's getting too heavy on my hand and on his front end because again, he doesn't have enough propulsion in the back, so he's dragging himself along with his front legs.

So essentially I have the same problem in both situations.

I've been working on it with hill work. I mean I might as well, all I've got are mountain trails made up of steep hills.

I trot Pete up the big hills.

If I let him lope he goes to lugging with his front legs, so I stay at the trot. We trot a lot of hills. The only time I interfere is when I make him frame up before we climb. I only ask for a few steps, as if I was going to pick up a lead and then we go.

As Pete travels I stand up in my stirrups, grab a handful of mane and stay out of his way. So the setting him up to be collected is only a maneuver, I'm not making him frame up on his way up the hill.

But he pushes up the hills using his hindquarters. He stays light in the front.

I'm trying to get Pete to connect my framing him up with engaging of his hindquarters. It's starting to work. His lope is becoming lively yet controlled, (dare I say he's in front of my leg?). He's not perfect, but he's getting there.

So there's my Pete report.
Remember when I talked about driving or longing buddy sour horses away from the herd? It was in reference to the Western Horseman book I had read, Back Country Basics.

I've kinda sorta got some results.

I started with an OT TB mare, Sister, who is owned by the woman who keeps three of my horses for me. She wants her granddaughter to ride her, which would be fine, but this mare has become wildly buddy sour.

So I had the granddaughter take Sister for a walk around the property. Just to make it difficult we didn't pen up the herd. OK, maybe that was my idea.

Every time the mare would fuss I had the granddaughter start her on the longe.

I had to step in and help because Sister would simply stand and face her, or run back and forth with her tail in the air screaming, you get my drift.

I got her straightened out and gave her back to the granddaughter.

As soon as Sister was obedient they continued with their walk.

As soon as the mare became stupid she got worked again.

It was very simple.

They dealt with the charging herd by ignoring them. It took some work, but the loose horses left once they realized Sister was under somebody else's control.

It took two hours, but Sister and the granddaughter walked peacefully around the entire 80 acres, with Sister calm and relaxed and completely focused.

From what I understand the granddaughter got to where she could walk in the herd, catch her mare and take her for a walk without a whimper. She hadn't tried to ride her (she could ride her in the arena) before she left for home, but they were doing fine as far as it went.

Now Char, the grandma and my friend, started to have trouble with her romantic 20-year-old gelding who decided he was King of the Wind. He wouldn't leave his harem for nothing.

So she has done the same thing, with a bit of a twist. (OK, again, my idea). She saddled up Romeo and began to ride him away from the girls. He began to jig and toss his head, then back up. I'm sure you've all been there, done that.

Char rode Romeo straight to the herd and proceeded to trot him around and through and next to the herd. They worked and worked and worked. Then Char rode him away and offered to let him rest. Romeo got restless and back they went. It only took two more tries and he decided he would rather stand where he was told.

Char let him air up and we went riding. He was perfect.

I have done the same with Loki, who spazzed so bad the last time I tried to ride her and it worked on her too. She'll ride all over without a problem now.

Last Saturday I saddled up my yellow mare for the first time in probably 6 months. I don't know what got into me, probably nothing more than it felt right, but I got on her without longing her or taking her for a turn or two in the round pen.
She stood there for about a minute, kind of swelled up, then sighed, licked her lips and relaxed. We rode off away from the herd. She was perfect.
I guess she's about broke.

Char has been catching her gelding and just keeping him with her. He hangs out while she gardens or cleans stalls, whatever. He's quit thinking he can't leave his girls.

I have come to think they will all be good once they realize they get to go back. I really and truly think that's all it is, as long as the horse has confidence in the rider.

So there's my update, I have to get to work, so I guess I'll answer questions tomorrow.

The biggest thing I've learned of late is my horses are still getting trained. Slower, yes, but I think it's better.