Training Frosty

Frosty

This is Frosty.  I've been working Frosty through the Method in preparation for our visit to the Bar SZ Ranch with the Norcal Downunder Brumbies in May.  I'll be doing a presentation and I want to get my act together.  Working with one horse has its disadvantages.  Yes, you can become a little complacent.  Working Jessie doing the same exercises can get a little boring.  Not only for me but for for Jessie too.

We've had three sessions so far.  Frosty is a mare.  Sorry, don't know too much about her background - I should.  She is far more sensitive than Jessie.  We've been doing a lot more desensitizing.  She has some very quick moves and has dumped a few people over the years.  I'm quite interested to see how her training progresses compared to Jessie's training.  My goal is to see if I can get her as bombproof as Jessie.  I think this could be quite a challenge.  It will demonstrate to me the differences between horse personalities and training.  I'm excited by the thought of discover.

Frosty has had a good amount of training from some trainers in town.  The owner has taken her to a couple of clinics.  She doesn't get ridden very much and with any horse that can be a challenge.

Today we started with a little desensitizing, then went to lunging.  First, Stage One, then Stage Two.  She has a nice little roll back.  She is a smaller horse and I can see her quickness from the ground.

Last work out we tried the run-up-and-rub exercise, and while we were mildly successful, I went back to the head-shy exercise.  I must have worked on this as an exercise between impulsion exercises three times for a total of 30 minutes. By the end of the session, I think she was connecting with it.  

I also liked the reaction I got to the throw-the-rope-to-a-stop exercise.  Frosty's back end would kick out and she would step her shoulders toward me.  That just gave us something to work on.  I was able to see improvement going to the left.  The right, not so much.

I'm hoping to work with her tomorrow and Sunday.  I have no thoughts of riding her for the future.  I am trying to keep the thought of "I'll know when to ride her, when I know she can be ridden safely."

Working on Working Equitation

Ranae are doing a Working Equitation schooling show in March.  We'll be reporting on it in an upcoming Whoa Podcast.  We worked on some of the dressage test out back today.  The instructions are fairly confusing.  We broke things down into small chunks so we could work on a few of the maneuvers we'll need.  One was trotting in a straight line from one spot to another. Then there were the 20 meter circles.  Oh yeah, those are going to be fun.  I had the curb bit in Jessie and it really brought out the shiny spots in her lack of training.

The other thing we worked on was taking off at a trot.  Not a few steps and a trot.  A trot.  Boy, just trying this stuff helps you realize how lackadaisical you can become.

It was a cool day.  The fog had hung in most of the morning and it really didn't look like we would be able to ride.  For a different Whoa Podcast, we are meeting up with the NorCal Downunder Brumbies, a Downunder Horsemanship group.  I'll be doing a demo on the mounting block exercise at the Bar SZ Ranch over Memorial Day Weekend.

I needed to brush up on some (make that all) of my skills.  Our neighbor keeps three horses back behind our property.  One is an older Arab, Gunner, one is her riding horse, Charlie, and the last one is a real sensitive mare she hardly rides named Frosty.  I asked her if I could work Frosty and she said it was okay.

We started at the beginning with desensitization, flexing, lunging, yielding, and the sending exercise.  It was quite fun being back out there again doing the basic exercises.  After working Frosty, Jessie and I ran through the same exercises.  It's really interesting to see how the two different horses handle everything.

Back to the Working Equitation warm up.  After we had worked on the dressage for awhile I asked Ranae if she wanted to try jumping some barrels.  Part of the Working Equitation Novice level will include jumping something "no higher than a bale of hay".  We had a few 55 gal blue barrels and decided to give it a try.

First, we put the lead lines on Dusty and I sent him from the ground over the barrels.  Good job.  We went both directions.  I don't think we had had him jump anything in a year.  Then, with the lead still attached, Ranae got on and I directed Dusty to jump again.  A couple of times over and Ranae was in the comfort zone and we put on the bridle.  She and Dusty went over great.

Then we repeated the process with Jessie.  It was fun being able to jump the barrels having to only worry about hanging on.  Well, I did give her some leg to get her moving.  It gives you a lot of confidence before trying with the bridle in.  Now I think we will be able to go a fair job on most any jump.  We still have a lot of things to work on, but we have got a good start to the New Year!

Learning to Dance

Last week we went to the Ojai Valley Cowboy School to do a show for the Whoa Podcast about Horses and Horsemanship.  Jeff and his wife Jay O'Haco are very knowledgeable and really want to help their clients learn more about the cowboy way of life.  They offer a number of different "stations" on all aspects of living on the range.  We'll go into those things on an upcoming show if you want to listen, but today I wanted to tell you about something that just "clicked".

A few years ago Ranae and I took up ballroom dancing.  We are still rather shy about dancing in public, but we go to group classes most Tuesday nights.  We really like the Waltz and we are doing an Intermediate class right now.  Last night we were learning syncopated (thank you spell check) turns.  One outside turn, one inside turn, one outside turn - all in succession.  Ranae is turning not me.  I have to lead the darn thing.  Ranae turns one and a half times on the outside turns and two revolutions on the inside turn.  Not only do I have to lead, I have to help her with the turns.

Like horses, the first couple of times doing the maneuver I don't think we'll (me) will ever get it right.  Then, it looks promising.  There's a glimmer of light and that motivates us to carry on.  Of course, the next phase is totally screwed up, before we start to make progress again.  I've learned that this is the way it is and know we just have to plod our way through the different stages.

The instructor came over as we were having problems on the turns.  We were close to nailing this move, but something just wasn't right.  He told me I was leading the turns a step to early.  If Ranae was on the wrong foot when I tried to turn her, there was no way she would be able to make the correct number of revolutions.

It dawned on me that this is exactly what Jeff O'Haco had told be at the cowboy school a few days earlier while I was riding their schooling horse Luna.  If I tried to get Luna to turn while her front foot was planted in the ground it would throw her off balance.  But, if I signaled her to turn while that foot was in the air I would really be helping her out.

Now both my horsemanship and my dancing ability hinge on my awareness of my partners' feet.  I've got a long way to go.  I'm not quite sure how to get good at this yet, but I'll learn the dance.

Not with My Horse You Don't

A couple of weeks ago Ranae and I went for a fairly typical Saturday ride.  You might remember Jessie stuck her right foot in a gopher hole while loping and came up a little gimpy.  Yes, it had to be at least a year ago and, maybe she doesn't get enough rest, but it still bothers her from time to time.  I try not to make her stop hard because that seems to aggravate it.  Well, anyway, she was gimping at the trot.

Ranae quite often complains that Dusty is gimpy too.  It's either the farrier didn't trim the feet right, or he picked up a rock, or something else (hey, I'm just the husband - I don't listen to everything).

My point is on this day we were both a couple of whiners.  We got about a hundred yards down the canal bank and I knew I had to mix it up so, I stopped.  "Okay, let's switch horses," I said.  "Yours is lame, mine is lame, we are not going to have any fun worrying about them.  Let's switch."

It's not that we don't care about each other's horses.  Of course we do.  It just seemed we were too in tuned to how they were feeling.  And, if you know horses, you know they aren't particularly thrilled with leaving lunch to carry a couple of pokes around the farming fields no matter how nice the day.

We worked up to a trot and played around measuring each horses stride and response to our different cues.  Before long we were out at our big field loping around.  The horses had worked out any kinks they had and WE had a good time.  As we headed for home we switched back to our own horses with the knowledge that maybe our horses had us a little buffaloed (is that a word?)

Ranae had been doing groundwork with Dusty before our rides .  He usually kicks up once or twice, particularly while doing Lunging for Respect stage 2.  I give her words of encouragement and try to offer advice as far as her cues go, but I'm not the best teacher.  Like almost everyone (me included), she has a problem going from a light touch to high energy and back down again.

That particular problem was one of the topics on the NWC dvd this month.  I watched it over the holiday and on Friday the weather was nice and I wanted to ride.  I decided to take Dusty.  Ranae always encourages me to ride her horse.  I wanted to see if I learned anything from the dvd.  Following Ranae's routine I lunged him after saddling and before the last cinch check.  With the dvd instruction still in my head I tried the softest cue I could muster.  He took right off.  "Wow".  When I changed directions, I took a small step in front, raised my finger - BOOM - it was a bit of a hop, but a nice "yessir!" change of direction.

We did this for a bit and every cue was tiny and soft AND got the right response.  We went out and had a nice ride.  We worked on lead changes and scary objects.  Ranae got home shortly after our ride and I told her how light the cues could be.  She tried it the following day and got the same result.

It's a nice relationship to have one horse, but sometimes you need a new perspective.  It's good to work someone's horse and to have them work your horse.  It's kinda hard, for us anyway, to find someone willing to switch horses.  If nothing else it sends a little wake up call to your horse.  Maybe for them humans are just too easy to read once you get to know them, and they get bored with us.  Either way it proves one of my favorite Zig quotes, "If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep gettin' what you're gettin'."

She Told Me She Needed Groundwork

It's been a tough ten days for Jessie. It rained more than an inch here and her pen refuses to dry out.  Or soil s clay like and the water puddles and does not drain. Her feed has been dry thanks to the Porta-Grazer, but she hasn't been able to lay down much. I walk in there with my muck boots on and slide all over the place. 

So, when we wanted to ride today it took quite some time to clean her up. I took a warm towel to her face and spent some extra time on her feet. It was necessary to curry the mud off of her flanks. While I got her saddled, Ranae was doing the same to Dusty. While I went in the house to change into my riding boots, Ranae did some groundwork with Dust. 

Jessie doesn't usually require any groundwork. It's one of the reasons I haven't posted here in so long. She has been doing great. Well, we're walking out the gate and she moves in front of me. I yield her hindquarters and she kinda hops around. Then, she does it again. I respond and she pops around. The third time I tell Ranae to take a minute I have to go do a bit of groundwork. 

I am glad I followed my instincts. We did lunging for respect 2 and she was bucking and rearing and tearing it up. Horses just have bad days sometimes and Jessie was having one. I am glad I wasn't on her. We worked for about 5 minutes and I could tell she was coming back to me. 

We rode out to our big field and I really got to work her. We did the lead change exercise followed by he flower power exercise. While I was a little concerned at the front end of the ride, I was glad I had a riding partner who let me do some work, and then have a good ride. I think we got some good steering work in as well. It's important to recognize the quirks in your horse and address them as soon as you can. 

Testing the Intermediate Levels

Downunder Horsemanship was holding a casting call for a "Test your Intermediate Skills".  Jessie and I, well mostly me, thought we would give it a go.  No, it didn't really matter that we don't own an Intermediate Kit.  We have the old series of Riding With Confidence and Gaining Respect and Control on the Ground series.  We were sure Clinton wouldn't mind.  Hey, pick us and I'll get a kit to brush up before the trip.

And speaking of brushing up, we didn't even let it bother us, well mostly me, that we hadn't practiced the exercises, especially the groundwork exercises for quite some time.  Heck, the biggest place we had to practice was our backyard!  That was't going to work.

Nope, that's what determination, aka idiocy, offers:  an unencumbered path down the road to another video.

The deadline was the last day of the year.  We, well mostly me, got a list of the exercises on the Intermediate Series and, lo and behold Clinton had changed the name and order of some of the exercises.

We filmed over a couple of weekends and did the best we could.  Like any good editor, the exercises we didn't do very well got the short shrift, and we muddled through the rest.  I posted it on the NWC forum to get some discussion going and then others started posting theirs as well.  By the looks of it, the competition is tough.  Those guys all looked like they owned the right kit.

Anyway, we got it done.  If it happens, we'll have to plan a trip to Texas.  We doubt that will happen.  We, well mostly me, feel there is little chance of getting there this year.  But we did get to make another video...and, oh I even put a blooper reel at the end!

Two Man Sorting and Early Morning Rides

Two Man Sorting

Last Sunday, after a good ride on Saturday morning, we took the horses out for some two-man sorting at Rancho Rio Stables by the Kern River.  In this iteration of calf work, the cattle are numbered zero to nine and there are two pens about 40 feet across with an opening between the two.  The cows are settled into the far end of one pen.  Our job is to go in and, once we cross into the occupied pen we are given a number, then we start with that cow and move them sequentially into the empty pen.  We have 90 seconds to move as many as we can (there are 10) and we're disqualified if we go out of order or one of our cattle goes back to the original pen.

The strategy is to have one rider at the "gate" to only allow the desired calf through the opening.  The other rider cuts the correct numbered calf and drives it to the opening.  The "gate" rider then moves out of the way to allow the calf through and then the two riders switch responsibilities.  The "cutter" guards the gate and the "gate" rider becomes the "cutter".

The first couple of cows are the most difficult because some want to go out of order.  We need our horses to move laterally and end-to-end quickly to block a cow from entering the catch pen before we want them to.  The cutting part was easy and both horses are much better at this.  The biggest problem was getting them "off" the cow to go back and get another. 

Our first run had Ranae making the first cut and we got all the way to the second to the last calf before the timer called ten seconds and I left the gate to help get the last two calves through.  Unfortunately, they went through out of order.  The second run (we got three goes for $20 each) I made the first cut, but drove too many calves to Ranae and she couldn't block them all.  Oops!  Typical guy mistake.  The third run, we went back to Ranae making the first cut and we got nine through before time was called.

It is a lot of fun.  A little slower than the three man line sorting.  Both Ranae and I liked that.  You can use a little more horsemanship and your horse doesn't get an opportunity to build much speed and get out of control.  The stable is suppose to have a day buckle series starting in June and we hope to participate (this was just a practice).

"You wanna ride WHEN?!?!"

Early Morning Rides

While I've only had three early morning rides, I did get to ride a third horse on Saturday and I'm really becoming a believer that riding multiple horses is essential to improving one's horsemanship.  Already I'm noticing some techniques that need refining.  Even seeing how the different horses react to the most basic exercise - flexing - is very interesting.  I know I have to work on using my calf more instead of going to the spur, but I want the horses to respond "right now" and I using that as too much of a crutch.  I want Dusty to stop quicker and draw back when he does.  I want Jessie to be more supple and take off more collected in her canter departure.

Riding Dusty is helping me a lot because he knows far more than he lets on.  He also neck reins.  It gives me an opportunity to work on my equitation as well.  Dusty's lope is far more comfortable than Jessie's and part of that is because he is just in more control.  How do I translate that to Jessie?  I'm not sure, but I know if I keep riding them both, I'll have a greater chance at figuring it out.

Dusty and I rode this morning and we did a lot more loping than last week.  We averaged 4 1/2 mph over a 75 minute ride and we worked on a lot of 'whoas' and rollbacks.  Tomorrow I'll take Jessie out and try and work on the same few exercises and see if what I learn on one horse helps me with the other.