Catching up!

5/26-May ride 29: Working mainly in the arena, she was soft in most everything. Got 14 soft relaxed jog steps (average 8, up from 4).  She picked up both leads, but did feel stiffed necked at the lope, yet not real rushy.  She had a great gate to finish.  I changed saddles and girths to stay off the tender girth area...(turned out to be a skin issue--maybe a fungus--- not a cinch sore...good thing I washed all my cinches)

5/27 Tabooli ride14 :  Holy Hail. The clouds were heavy, the wind was fresh, and I could see rain coming up the canyon.  But a lot of times it doesn't end up making it to me, so I saddled up.  Tabooli had been off due to his sore knee, so we did some sideways and some lunging at the trot with me on the ground.  He looked fine! 

We did a little arena work: sideways--felt good!  Trotting:  felt good!  Loping:  Steering not there yet, but felt good.  The wind was stronger and the rain was closer, but.....

what the heck, we headed up the rocky trail.  We got to the top.  It started raininig.  We kept going.  A huge bolt of lightening flashed out of the sky and the rain drops got bigger.  Thunder rolled.  The rain drops got bigger.  We turned around and I asked him to hurry it up.  Hail started to fall.  Go faster!  Trot!  Nevermind that we haven't ever trotted on the trail!  This is getting bad!  The hail started to increase and in the space of 2 minutes I was already soaked.  I got off, (why ride a green horse on a rocky down hill, while getting pelted by hail?) and started to run.  Tabooli came right with me and we ran right over the rocks, across the street, down the driveway and into the hay barn.  Ahhh. Safety! I was completely wet, water was pooling in the front of the barn, Tabooli was soaked, but he was not phased.  He started eating hay scraps and we hung out, waiting for the storm to ease....

5/28-May ride 30: May is heading to the Pecos with Linda and Vicki today and Jim and I will go up with our 3 horses on Saturday.  So, I rode May out at 8 am this morning. Have been just getting on and riding. My plan was to ride around the neighborhood.  She started out tense.  Surpisingly tense. maybe it was the early ride since I usually ride in her in the afternoon. Her neck was stiff and she wanted to trot rather than walk.  Up over the hill, turned, went by the dogs and out on to a field.  Then she began to relax and drop her head.  All through the field she got more and more confident, and then we hit the dirt road.  We walked up a hill and came to the.....

DOGS....  Not mean dogs, but BIG dogs.  Two Great Danes have a pig pasture (with a horse) and the fence is close to the road.  Furthermore, that side of the pasture is very steep, so the dogs just suddenly "appeared" at the fence.  Then May noticed the giant rock with a name and address on the other side and THEN the horse appeared with the Great Danes.  That was the end.  She began to back and I asked her to go forward...yes...no...yes...NO....she backed more.  I stopped her and here is what I thought: 

"May is 3.  May is a horse who needs to have a her confidence built up and she generally gains confidence gradually with through lots of gentle reinforcement.  She doesn't usually "work through" things and end up exhaling with a big "I get it" on the other side. She holds on to her nerves a bit.  My goal is to help her gain confidence and gradually is ok", so....

I got off. Her front legs were trembling (which I couldn't feel from on top because her whole self was quite tight).  I petted her, talked to her and walked her home. As we walked, she relaxed, her neck softened and she breathed a sigh of relief--she was happy to follow me.  I was glad I decided to walk.

In the early afternoon I rode Tabooli (ride 15):  I saddled up and leaned forward to adjust his bridle and this scared the tar out of him for some unknown reason, so, we left, rapidly.  This is annoying, because one minute he feels like warm putty and the next minute he is gone.  Not that predictable...unless you consider that a horse wth 15 rides is inherently unpredictable.....

I told him he was ok (he needs that reassurance) and very shortly, he was back to his ho hum state.  At least he recovers quickly! It is funny to feel him physically deflate. That is a good thing--now we just need to stop the random ramp ups!  Just time.  Just more time.

Loping complete circuits.  He was able to lope complete circles in the arena and then we rode out a bit.  Linda and Vicki came to pick up May and as they walked her by him (30 feet) he got very loud and excited.  He got in trouble, but in this case I don't think I was hard enough on him because although he stayed with me in body, I don't really feel that he was there in mind.  Tied him to the trailer far away from May and he did that fine.  May loaded up and went to the Pecos!