Random, Idle Thoughts

I have been enjoying sliding out of the office and riding my horse during my lunch hour. I have also been horrified on how out of shape Pete and I are after a year of fun in the mountains.


I can't find my marker on my circles. Pete is absolutely no help.


You have to understand, I always find my markers. I haven't had to look after my first set of circles for years.


Now I find myself wandering all over the arena.


So it's back to school for Pete and I. We'll be doing spirals up and down while hitting our mark with every circle.

We'll be transitioning through trot, lope walk, run and finding our mark.


And so on.


I'm not in a panic, I know it will kick in, but I have sure rolled up my sleeves and am digging in.


Which leads me to my next train of thought.


My colt Leland and my only teaching him things once.


It's obvious to me that Pete and I need to school and build our muscle memory again. Which takes repetition.


But, even though I haltered Leland once and decided he now knew how to be haltered doesn't mean I never halter him again.


It simply means I approach him from now on with the assumption he understands what I want from him.


It has been working just fine.


So when we start our reined work when he's four, he will have been treated this way every time, he will (hopefully) be tuned to the learning process I'm using and will actively seek finding the new thing we're working on that day.


So the first day on a circle would be to let me guide him in a circle.


The next ride would begin with the circle, then I would start to ask him to carry himself through on a loose rein. That would be the new task.


Each lesson would involve something new, but he would still be getting the repetition he needs and I would quit for the day when he was successful with the new task.


I'm starting to realize this is a change in my expectations, of myself and Leland, but not so much my training.


This process of one step at a time has also helped me.


I have talked before about my horses having a built in hesitation that I would like to get rid of.

When I ask for something, be it a lead, a spin or a hip, all my horses hesitate for a brief second.


It's like they're saying, "Are you sure?"

When I saddled Leland and sent him out in the pen the other day he went out fine. He was a little humpy, but it was no big thing.

I made him walk and trot until he relaxed.

He showed no inclination to lope around, but I didn't really think about it.

Until I started thinking about my next step that is.

I realize now he didn't lope because he was unsure of the saddle.

I rewarded his hesitation by quitting for the day, even though we have covered walk, trot, lope in previous sessions.

I should have made him lope too.

So now, our next session will be about moving forward when I say, something I have already covered.

So I've created a back track. Dang it.

I also have found where the hesitation I hate so much begins.Right there at the first saddling.

So this is a real good exercise for me, even if it is a little nutso.

I am truly working on the Sonita story. I'm not holding out, I just want it to be right.