This week has been a bit hectic. Dad came in to town, which was awesome. We also had John's sister, her husband, and their baby and dog up to visit. It was a blast. I put their daughter Kami on my saddle and taught her the word 'stirrup'. She is about 1.5 years old and is so cute! I am really trying to bring out the 'horse gene' in her! I know every little girl has one, it just has to be discovered and the younger the better!
Did I mentionthat John made me a strawberry-raspberry pie for my birthday???
On another note, Pete's owner rode him Saturday and got bucked off. I was there and went to see if she was OK and I got on him and made sure he was OK (mentally). Everyone checked out and we made an appointment for a lesson today. I was really frustrated at first because he is only about 3 or 4 and has only 10 good rides on him. He is so green and inexperienced it isn't even funny. As well as he is doing in training, doesn't mean he is really for a beginner to ride him.
So, today we tacked him up and I taught her how to work him in the round pen from the ground. He tested her over and over and really wanted to take advantage. She was very willing to learn and once she started to understand how to get after him, she was very firm. I was impressed with how dedicated she was to working with him. I taught her how to get him to walk, trot, woah, and reverse. We tried the canter, but he was really resistant about that, so it will need more work on my part. I think she realized today that I am training the horse first thing, then I am training her to communicate with the horse. So, I am very confidant that they will do really well if we can work together. I think we are going to aim for me to work him 2 times a week and for me to work with her 1-2 times a week. This way he will still progress with his riding and reliabilty and she will progress in her knowledge and confidence and will be able to control him effectivly.
Also, I think I will be getting a trailer soon!!! I have decided exactly what I want. I want a Calico brand gooseneck trailer. I want it to be 15' long, 6' wide, and 6'6" tall. It will be divided into three sections. The front will be a 3'x6' tack room/dressing room, the next two sections will be 6'x6' box stalls seperated by a full swing gate divider. I think that allowing the horse to travel free is the best option. That way the horse can balance himself, can lower his head to clear debris from his airway, and can turn around and travel backwards which is what most horses prefer when loose in a stock trailer. This will also be nice because Boomer is a bit claustrophobic at times and has been known to pull back when tied. I don't see why he would be any different when tied inside of a trailer. So, this way he will be free to turn around and move without feeling confined! It will have a spare tire and dome lights in the tack room and inside the back gate of the horse area. I will order floor mats seperately because they are the same price from Vally Vet and are textured instead of smooth rubber. I anticipate ordering it within a week or two and it will take about a month for it to be built! I will also need a gooseneck hitch installed, which they can do when I pick it up. I had been considering the B&W Turnoverball, but the Calico dealer installs and prefers the Cody Hitch because the B&W is installed in front of the axel and the Cody hitch is installed right over the axel. They said that the B&W can cause issues with the nose of the trailer damaging the truck in the case of a fishtail. Both are rated for the same weight, can be easily removed (flipped over) for bed use, and both cost about the same so I have no preference of one over the other.
Did I mentionthat John made me a strawberry-raspberry pie for my birthday???
On another note, Pete's owner rode him Saturday and got bucked off. I was there and went to see if she was OK and I got on him and made sure he was OK (mentally). Everyone checked out and we made an appointment for a lesson today. I was really frustrated at first because he is only about 3 or 4 and has only 10 good rides on him. He is so green and inexperienced it isn't even funny. As well as he is doing in training, doesn't mean he is really for a beginner to ride him.
So, today we tacked him up and I taught her how to work him in the round pen from the ground. He tested her over and over and really wanted to take advantage. She was very willing to learn and once she started to understand how to get after him, she was very firm. I was impressed with how dedicated she was to working with him. I taught her how to get him to walk, trot, woah, and reverse. We tried the canter, but he was really resistant about that, so it will need more work on my part. I think she realized today that I am training the horse first thing, then I am training her to communicate with the horse. So, I am very confidant that they will do really well if we can work together. I think we are going to aim for me to work him 2 times a week and for me to work with her 1-2 times a week. This way he will still progress with his riding and reliabilty and she will progress in her knowledge and confidence and will be able to control him effectivly.
Also, I think I will be getting a trailer soon!!! I have decided exactly what I want. I want a Calico brand gooseneck trailer. I want it to be 15' long, 6' wide, and 6'6" tall. It will be divided into three sections. The front will be a 3'x6' tack room/dressing room, the next two sections will be 6'x6' box stalls seperated by a full swing gate divider. I think that allowing the horse to travel free is the best option. That way the horse can balance himself, can lower his head to clear debris from his airway, and can turn around and travel backwards which is what most horses prefer when loose in a stock trailer. This will also be nice because Boomer is a bit claustrophobic at times and has been known to pull back when tied. I don't see why he would be any different when tied inside of a trailer. So, this way he will be free to turn around and move without feeling confined! It will have a spare tire and dome lights in the tack room and inside the back gate of the horse area. I will order floor mats seperately because they are the same price from Vally Vet and are textured instead of smooth rubber. I anticipate ordering it within a week or two and it will take about a month for it to be built! I will also need a gooseneck hitch installed, which they can do when I pick it up. I had been considering the B&W Turnoverball, but the Calico dealer installs and prefers the Cody Hitch because the B&W is installed in front of the axel and the Cody hitch is installed right over the axel. They said that the B&W can cause issues with the nose of the trailer damaging the truck in the case of a fishtail. Both are rated for the same weight, can be easily removed (flipped over) for bed use, and both cost about the same so I have no preference of one over the other.
I know I promised videos of us dog sitting, here is the first one with more to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment