Back to it!!!

Well it has been a while since I posted again time flies when your having fun....Or really busy...Since I last posted my mom and I went to the World Equestrian Games (WEG's) and we had an amazing time. It was awesome to see such great talent and the countries that backed these wonderful riders. I got to see some of my all time favorite eventers like Mark Todd, Pippa Funnell, William Fox Pitt and Mary King. These are riders that I grew up idolizing and to see them up close and personal was an amazing experience and one I will not soon forget. We also did get to see the free style reining which was really great too boy those reiners can move. It still amazes me that neither horse nor rider gets dizzy while spinning... I've come back with a renewed love of the sport of eventing and my drive has become much stronger.

So now back to the real world. Since I've had so many work trips out of town and the WEG's I missed riding for about 2 1/2 weeks but after I got back we really hit it...

I had my first jumping lesson in about 2 1/2 yrs two weeks ago and it felt amazing. It is so true that the body never forgets. We only did ground poles and then popped over a single fence with ground poles but it was just to get Kiz and I working together and my feeling back. Since then I have been having a jump lesson about once a week. Since Kiz is young and we don't want to over jump her a lot of the lessons are over ground poles and very small X's or verticles. The idea is to get my position back to where it should be and our confidence level up with jumping and with each other.

I had a group lesson last Sunday with a few friends of mine and we worked on distances, balance and our positions. It was tough Suzy gives a great lesson and really makes you work. I realized at that point that I need to work out and do strength training if I am going to ride like I want to. We did a bunch of work in galloping position and my position is weak to say the least. Kiz was awesome in the lesson and was so flexible. If I asked to move forward she did and if I needed to collect and shorten she did I was so proud.

So now I will be riding 3 times a week with one jumping lesson and I am really going to work on my fitness at home too. This will make it more fair for both Kiz and myself. She is still a bit spooky but it seems to be when she is not being asked to work or she is being asked incorrectly by me. When I am focused and working her correctly she is not spooky. Plus she is 4 and still has a baby brain...

Her flat work is coming along nicely too especially her canter. She is really good when she is moving straight and on the aids but she has a tendency to throw her hips and shoulders out when ever she feels weak at something or if she doesn't quit understand. I have to learn to be quicker at responding to that and getting her back to being straight because like I said before if she is squirrely and not straight that is when she spooks. My aids have to be soft and clear with her so that I don't confuse her or make her heavy in the hand. I am learning to do half halts correctly though and that has been something that eluded me for many years.

All and all we she is coming along great and I am having a blast...Isn't that the real reason for all of this:)

The Good and The Bad...

Well it has been a while since I posted and it has basically been because I've been dealing with a lot Lately. As you know Kizzy went to Aspen Farm Horse Trials 3 weeks ago doing BN and she rocked placing 4th. Her dressage was very good...She stayed even throughout and even her canter transitions were very smooth. She did take a bit of an awkward growth spurt so she was traveling a bit downhill which is unusual for her. That was really the only thing the judge said that was negative at all so I was really excited. She was soft and responsive and even her halt at the end was nice and square and balanced. Chelsey has been working very hard on these details and so have I so it was nice to see our hard work pay off.

The show jumping was spooky for her but she just kept her feet moving and jumped like a champ. This was her first real show jumping round and the tents, flags, rakers and other people moving about was a lot to keep an eye on:) She again kept her feet moving and even if a jump got a bit sticky she would jump it. She had one unlucky rail with the tip of her back toe but all and all she was jumping balanced and round. Here XC was a lot like her show jumping with the new people walking about and jump judges by the fences there was a lot to take in. After the first fence where she was all over the place looking at the jump judges she was great. Even with the looking around and taking things in she never once stopped her feet. She always kept that forward momentum and that is reassuring. Chels said even when she gets a bit spooky she never feels like she is going to stop. I think with more schooling and more outings she will figure out that this is her job and she will really enjoy it. She really likes to go and see things so I think we will have a blast. I was so proud!!!

I also had a great jump lesson on Kiz which I was pretty excited about. It has been about 2 yrs since I jumped but it was amazing how fast everything came back. I still have to work on not jumping ahead but I know that and can usually catch it now. This was my first lesson back so we didn't do to much but we will progress from there. My biggest thing is keeping my shoulders back and up. Of course if I am thinking about not jumping ahead this comes pretty naturally so hopefully I can train my body to do this all the time. This winter is going to be a lot of hard work but I am ready:)


On a harder note we had to put Gunter down last week. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make and it still weighs heavy on my mind. He was just not comfortable and I could tell he was tired and sore. I had been working so hard to make him comfortable these last 4 months and it just wasn't working anymore. I know the decision was right but I miss him terribly. He was my best friend and my loyal partner for 26 years and not having him hurts so much. I will never have another Gunther but I am so glad I shared my life with him for so long.. I love him...

New addition! Welcome Levi!

I haven't written for a while because not a whole lot has been going on but now I have some news. We just bought Gage his first pony. A 10.1 hand grey Shetland gelding named Levi. He is only 4 so we are just really starting his training but he is proving to be a fun pony to work with and should be a quiet responsive pony for Gage to learn on. He is learning to lead and work with Levi now and really seems to enjoy it. I never knew how much fun it would be to work with a pony. They are small and so forgiving. He learns so quickly and since he is the size that he is even when he does throw a bit of attitude it is not a big deal:) We are going to have a bunch of fun teaching him to be a good kids pony and a good driving pony.

Kizzy is doing awesome! Ever since we got back from Montana she seems to have grown up mentally and physically. She is so much more chill about things and she really relaxes much easier when she is having a hot moment. Chels has been working her 5 days a week and jumping her with me riding her 1 day a week which is helping my confidence but I need to ride more. We have been doing ground pole lessons because I want to get jumping again and I have to start somewhere. Even with ground poles everything comes back even if my body isn't what it used to be.

Kiz is getting stronger and I am getting better with my aids so her flat work is really coming along well. I can get her round and listening while moving forward although sometimes she can get a bit lazy and not push from behind. We have been working a lot on her canter to get it more round with more push and although she can only do it for short periods she is starting to use her whole body instead of just cantering around being flat. I feel that once I start riding more which will happen after this weekend I will become more confident with my riding on the flat and over fences.

Aspen Farms has there event this weekend and Chels is riding Kiz Beginner Novice. I am a bit nervous because she is still so green. Chelsey is a great rider though and should give her a nice confident ride. After Aspen Kiz will be done competing for the year. She will be in only partial training with Chels so I can ride her 3-4 times a week with 1-2 lessons a week. With a whole winter of schooling, lessons, clinics and schooling shows we should be a strong partnership next yr. I can't wait to ride more and I think it will help me a bunch!!!

I will post how the show goes after the weekend...Wish us luck!!!

Montana was amazing!!!

We are back from Montana and it was amazing. I am so glad we went and Kizzy could not have been better. She did get last place but it was no fault of hers they were looking for a more experienced horse with more muscling and she had just turned 4 the week before. We didn't push her for this event and she did everything that was asked of her.

The YEH series takes place over one day. It starts out with conformation moves on to dressage and then finishes up with the jumping phase.

Kizzy went out to Montana a week before I did and Chelsey schooled her a bunch. They did ditches, water and other new cross country fences. Chels also did a lot of flat work with her. She settled right into the routine and there were no signs of the spookiness/hotness that I was worried about.

Cindi and I came out to Rebecca around 9:00 A.M. Wednesday to watch Chels work Kizzy with Jon schooling her for the trot out (conformation) that morning. She was awesome even with everything going on. She then had to get braided and spruced up. While they did that Cindi and I went and got her packet and walked around the FEI barn to see if we could see anybody famous:)

Kizzy is not the best at standing up square. Her build is really good but she can make it look really bad:) She trotted up and back like she was at Rolex and didn't bat and eye and everybody milling around. It was then a race to get her ready for her dressage test. Chelsey was riding Nick and Kizzy so we just kept switching horses throughout the competition. I brought Kiz over to the dressage ring right as Chels was finishing up with Nicks test which looked very nice. Kiz warmed up really well and she looked great. The beginning of the test looked wonderful and relaxed then a spectator sat down on the hill in front of her and it spooked her. Her canter transition right after that involved a bit of a kick out and it was pretty tense. I think if there would have been a crowd of people it would have been fine but because it was one man in the middle of a large space she wasn't expecting it...Aahh babies:) Her halt was a bit sideways at the end but all and all the test was nice and she received very nice comments on it too. After dressage Chels jumped on Nick and headed over to cross country with me running after with Kiz in hand. She was still so chill with all the other competitors working there horses and motor bikes zooming around I couldn't believe it.. When I got over to XC she noticed heads above the grass. You know when people walk in tall grass it looks like there heads are floating well this is a big thing for her she doesn't like the floating heads. She also was a bit overwhelmed with the course and the amount of people watching. The course consisted of two green role tops (not what you would expect in a field) and a bunch of really nice XC fences along with a bank, ditch and water. She was a little spooky coming into the big bright green show jump role tops but she went over them. She jumped the next two great and then came the bank which she usually has no problem with. Chels said she was looking at the flowers and stuff that were on the bank next to the one they were jumping and she wasn't focused on her bank. Although sticky she did get over it. The next jump caused a bunch of horses issues and she was no exception but she did get over it and then finished the course galloping through the water, over the ditch and over a log to a long uphill gallop. She was amazing!!!!

The rest of the week we watched some amazing rides and I got to hack and work Kizzy over the wonderful grounds. She was so good and it really gave me so much confidence that she really is going to be my next special horse. She is aimed for BN at the Aspen Farms event then she will be done for the year except for derbies, schooling shows and things like that.

We will have all winter to get myself and her confident over fences and more polished on the flat and next year we will hit the ground running:)

Leaving for Montana!

Well after a lot of hard work and a bunch of fun Kiz and Chels leave for Montana tonight at midnight. They will arrive in Montana with plenty of time to settle in and get some schooling in. Cindi and I will be leaving on Tuesday then stay throughout the whole event. I think it is going to be an awesome trip and a great experience for my young mare. I have been having such a great time. My lessons on the flat have been going great with her responding to my aids especially when I give them correctly. This is always something I will have to work on. I need to get my body to give clear precise aids instead of muddy ones. I have to make sure when I ask for something I get it. Chels has been jumping Kiz in the ring and out on XC and although she likes to check out what she is jumping she is a good jumper. She even did the ditch yesterday with no issues. I am very excited to get jumping again and I am hoping when everybody gets back Cindi and I can start jumping again. I would love to show Kiz myself towards the end of the year. My aim is Aspen Farms. I think that would be a great show for me and her to do together since she is used to it and so am I. I feel it would make it a great experience for both of us...

I am planning on running a 10K at the end of September before we go the the WEG's so I am really working on eating better and running. I hope all this work gets me ready for the run and in better shape for riding.

Well my next post will be after the event so hopefully I have a bunch of great news!!!

Wonderful lessons!

Walking and trotting through the water:)


BN Log!

Well I had two wonderful lessons and one amazing lesson.. So since Chels has been working with Kiz we always start my lessons with her riding Kiz. This is partly due to Kiz being on her toes a bit and partly due to my confidence. Well after the last few rides I decided I need to just get on and tough it out if she is full of it. All of the anxiety is in my mind and I need to get over that so what better way to get over it then to make myself do what I am anxious about. Ya know it really worked my confidence is getting stronger and I am enjoying my horse more.

Well enough about me Kiz is coming along great. We have really been working on her getting more relaxed and balanced. When she is balanced she is more relaxed and she is less fussy. I am still working on giving her nice clear aids and keeping my weight where it should be. I sometimes forget to use my whole body and it is amazing how responsive to that she is.. I guess it pushes me to become a better rider which is what I need.

We got to bring Kiz and Issy over to the main barn for the weekend and it was great. Chelsey got to do some schooling over fences and some nice XC work. The weather was finally nice also so we got to ride outside and I even jumped on her and got her going really well outside before Chels jumped. I guess she was a bit full of herself Friday but on Saturday when Cindi,Rick and I all rode she was awesome. She was listening to my aids and moving forward (well she always moves forward) in a balanced frame. When Chels got on to do some jumps she was chill and relaxed over the fences. We then took them out in the XC field and Chels did some schooling and even did a bit of water work. She was great! Chels will keep her going this week and introduce some more of the XC schooling to her work. I will get to have lessons with her and Cindi on Thursday and Friday. I should probably start jumping soon again so I can get my mind and body back into it. I miss jumping and can't wait to do it again. It has been almost 2 yrs so I need to get the cobwebs off..

I have such a good time at the barn and Cindi and Chels make everything that much more fun. I can't wait to go to Montana and Kiz is coming along so nicely it makes it that much more exciting:)

Horses and there legs...

Well last Thursday I was all ready to have a great ride and I get a text from Chelsey letting me know that Kiz had a swollen left hind and she was a bit off. Horses are so fragile and sometimes we forget just how fragile. I ended up going to the barn taking her out for a walk/lunge to see how she felt because besides the swelling there wasn't anything else going on that I could see. I cold hosed and then walked her around again and put her away. She was a sweet quiet girl even when the black arabian started running around his paddock like a wild man. She does have a great mind:)

Friday Gage and I went to watch Dressage at the Aspen Farm event. Cindi was a volunteer for the dressage warm up so we hung out there and helped when needed. We saw some nice dressage tests and some really crazy tests on young horses. It was a bunch of fun and now Gage wants to take lessons with Chelsey on Linus so that will be fun. I checked on Kiz again she was still a bit swollen but it had gone down a bit and she was not off at all.

On Saturday Mom and I jump judged for Cross Country all day at the event and we had a blast. I saw some really wonderful rides and some really ugly rides but all in all the weather was great and the course rode wonderfully so that was good. Training, Prelim and Intermediate went on Saturday so it really made me want to push myself harder so that I can be the rider I want to be and can get Kiz out there going strong:) Chelsey had wrapped Kiz's leg so by Saturday the swelling was just about gone and she wasn't off at all. I decided to wait until Monday to ride.

Monday's ride was awesome. I just did a light ride since it was her first day back after 4 days off and she was great. I worked mainly on getting her relaxed and soft with me giving her clear aids. She moved away from my leg pressure and relaxed well. We stuck with the basics and she was great so I quit with that. I have another lesson Thursday so I am excited!

Enough thinking!

Well I having been thinking about things for the last few days and I feel I am doing alright. I talked to my great hubby Dan last night and he supports my decision so just knowing that I have that support makes me feel much better. I am ready to get my back bone back and start being a real eventer again. I guess as we get older we all have to take a step back, look at what we are doing and make sure it is all good. I feel I did that and I am ready to move forward.

My new short term goal is to ride more and become more comfortable and brave with Kizzy. I know she is in full training but I want to ride her 2-4 times per week which will be more then my 1-2 times that I do now. Even if Chels continues to jump on first I mean I am paying for her to train Kiz so I don't want to miss out on that either. I think if I ride more I will get that comfortable feeling back again and Kiz and I can go have a good time.

I still want to get my son Gage a pony and work with him on his horse care and riding techniques. If I work with him and the pony at home and he comes to the barn with me and helps a little with Kiz I can spend quality time with him and we can have a bunch of fun.

All I have to say to all the people that are getting back into riding after doing it when they were young is Good Luck and Have Fun!!!! Hopefully some of that young bravery comes back:) So here we go.... Hopefully my next post will be how great my ride is on Thursday:)

Sometimes it's hard..

Well we are moving along although my lesson on Friday was a bit eventful. I can feel my fear creeping up again when Kizzy starts acting hot. She has never done anything to feed this fear but the anxious feeling is always in the back of my mind. I really think it is my age and the fact that I don't ride everyday. Two Fridays ago we were having a lesson and she was dancing around and kicking out when I was trying to move her forward. This was all because a few pigeons were doing the naughty dance up in the rafters. When she gets like this she completely tunes the rider out and she gets really mad when you keep pestering her with your forward aids. Well we ended up lunging her and getting her refocused then Chels jumped on and put her through her paces. I am glad Chels can just work her through it but it is tough not being able to do that myself.

My lesson last Wednesday was awesome but it was at the barn she is used to and there is less going on. During the beginning of that lesson my son Gage asked if we could bring Gunther over to the barn so he could ride too (Gunther being my 33 yr old horse at home). This just pulled at my heart strings. He has been wanting to ride with me and get a pony for a long time now. He loves to help with the horses like I had mentioned before and it hurts me that he can never help me with Kiz. I also would like my husband and Gage to enjoy coming to horse events with me. With Kiz my husband worries to much and he can't really help me with her either because he is not the most horse savvy. I am starting to worry that Kiz is to much horse for me at this point in my life and it makes me wonder about my goals. I still love to rid her and she is amazing but she brings so much anxiety to my life that I am not sure I want. I know that this has crossed my mind before as seen in previous post but with Kiz getting in better shape she is getting also a bit more full of herself. As of now we are still on track with YEH but I have a lot of thinking to do.....

Kiz is jumping!

It has been a while since I posted and it seems like I start every post this way. Kiz is doing amazing I've been taking lessons on her and Chelsey has been jumping her over little jumps to get her going. She is still a bit hot but once she settles she listens and tries.

I try to have two lessons a week and I haul her by myself to the main barn at Aspen Farms each time which is only a mile away from the old barn where she being stabled. We are getting used to loading and unloading by ourselves in fact it is easy as pie now. She is also getting used to new surroundings like stepping into an arena while a jumping lesson is going on(yes she was a bit surprised at the galloping horses going around her). These firsts are good for her and she has got to get used to all the goings on of a working barn. This will also help when we start going to schooling shows and ultimately help her with getting more used to the hustle and bustle of a recognized show. Chelsey usually jumps on first so she gets a nice solid ride if she is really on her toes then I jump on. I worry that if I am nervous it will just feed her so I want Chelsey to get her over her nervousness first and give her a solid start. Soon once I am riding 6 days a week instead of 2-3 I will not feel as nervous and she will get the confidence from me for a change. Although I have ridden her when she is nervous and it hasn't been a problem. I think some of the nerves are just in my head. I need to be more positive and not think that I will always make things worse. I am a good sticker even if I don't always have the style (I am working on it).

Chelsey has also been taking her out on the XC course for hacks and she is doing great. I usually ride Linus so she has a nice quiet partner and she just takes things in stride. She walks right through the water jump and doesn't really balk at anything unless there is a crazy shadow or puddle that is hidden by grass. She is really only spooky when she doesn't have a job and is not focused. She is a worker and she likes a job. We are right on track for the YEH series in Montana and I am really excited. I decided to have Chelsey ride her in the event because like I said I want all her firsts to be positive and confident.

I wish I had some pictures of her jumping. I will post them as soon as I get some.

We are moving along!

Well it has been a while since I posted because life got pretty busy. Kizzy is doing awesome and I am riding her more and more. During the past month Chels has been working on getting Kizzy relaxed and moving forward she has also been adding in trot poles which Kizzy seems to enjoy.

My friends Cindi, Patricia , Corey and I did a mini camp at Aspen Farms about 3 weeks ago and it was amazing. We rode the more experienced horses (Linus) in the morning and then the babies in the afternoon. Now Kizzy is at Aspen's old barn so we hauled her over to the main barn each evening for the lesson. This was the first time she was hauled in and rode so it was a big test especially with 3 other young horses doing there thing too. She handled it like a champ and besides getting a bit quick never offered to do anything crazy. I was so proud of her and myself. We rode in the indoor and the outdoor. We did flat lessons and a lesson over ground poles with a horse running around in the next pasture. She was awesome and even with the other horse running she just got quick and I never felt like she was going to do anything other then that. She seemed to like being somewhere different.

My other lessons with Linus during our camp were great and Suzy really worked Cindi and I on our basics...Boy do I have a lot of work to do with my riding. My legs don't work like I want them and I feel like my whole position fails a bit when I am focused on one aid. Linus as always was great and made you work for everything. My goal is to get healthier, exercise and loose some weight.

These past two weeks we free jumped Kiz to see how she would like it. Suzy and I did the first set and she did well. She used her body well and didn't get excited or scared even when she stopped at one and we had to have her enter the chute again. She set herself up to the fences and never faltered. Suzy, Chelsey and I did the free jump last week and although it took a little encouragement to get her working again once she was comfortable she handled it again like a champ. We will start adding the free jumping into her weekly routine and ground poles. Chelsey had her cantering over ground poles just yesterday.

We are starting to add all the components to introduce eventing to Kizzy and so far she is handling them all well. If she continues to progress like she has been and we feel she is ready we are going to take her to the YEH Series in Montana at Rebecca Farm. This Series is set up to see young talent it is like an equine talent search. It gives owners the opportunity to showcase the potential of their four and five year old horses. The classes focus on education and preparation of the event horse in a correct and progressive manner. There are 3 sections...Conformation, Dressage and Jumping. The ultimate goal is to choose the youngster that possesses the talent and mind set, and with the proper training, will excel in the uppermost levels of the eventing world. Now I am not sure what level is my goal so we will see how Kiz and I do....Here is a pic of her jumping although it is a bit blurry...

Dan, Gage and I were also in the Parade of the Species in Olympia. My friend at work asked us if we wanted to help with the whale in the parade...How could we say no. We ended up being dolphins and running up and down along the whale for about 1.5 hours. Gage was really tired by the end (along with the rest of us) so ended up getting carried a bit but it was a blast. It was so fun! Here is a pic...

The first ride!

So it was time for me to ride Kizzy and I was so excited. Chelsey has been doing a great job with her and she has been so good. I arrived at the old barn and got Kiz out to brush her and get her ready. Other horses were also getting ready and she just looked around and stood like a champ. We brought her into the indoor and it was windy. The sides of the indoor are not completely closed in so you can hear things going on outside but you can't see them. There were also things banging on the roof and hitting the side of the arena. Kiz was on her toes but only jumped a few times and then went back to work. Chelsey put her through her paces and explained what she had been doing. I asked questions through out the whole ride and it was amazing that Chelsey didn't just tell me to shut up. I was a little worried Kiz looked a bit ready to go and I am not the most confident person in the world but I came out to ride and that is what I want to do. So when it was my turn we lengthened the stirrups and up I went. All I have to say is it was amazing.

Now I know Kizzy can move and that she is balanced but sitting on her and feeling that first hand was awesome. She made riding easier and I never once felt nervous on her even when she spooked. She never made me feel like she was going to blow or do anything stupid. She listened to all my body language and did everything like she had much more experience. She moved away from my leg she slowed when I slowed my breathing and she even moved from my seat aides. She of course had her green moments because she is still a baby but she was so balanced and responsive that it was hard to believe she was just started a little over two months ago. Patricia did such a great job starting her and getting her used to so many things now Chels is just continuing the good work. I have to say that she is the best horse I've sat on and I've sat on a bunch. I've decided I am not going to sell Kiz because even though she is neurotic on the ground and may not be the best family horse you can't have everything. She is the most talented horse I've ever owned and I want to compete her. Gage can play and help with Gunny and Kiz will just be a horse that he can help mom with but just not as much. My plan is to work with Chelsey and hopefully do derbies, schooling shows, clinics and at last a BN recognized event...This blog is going to get much more interesting as we start diving back into the eventing world....

The plan is set!

Well I had a few things going around in my head lately. First off the horse market is awful and I can't even find horses in my price range that I want to look at. The second thing is I have a wonderful prospect that is coming along great. Kiz is not throwing her head anymore she is W/T/C with beautiful movement and she is starting to relax. She will also start jumping soon and I am very excited about that. I decided to keep her for sale but start working with her and Chelsey so I can begin showing her. I feel maybe with more maturity and more training she may become the horse I want even though she is a bit marish if ya know what I mean. I am very excited about this because Kizzy is an amazing talent and I can actually show this year. Chelsey will continue to train Kiz with the help of Jon and Suzy at Aspen Farm. I will continue taking lessons with Chels only I will start taking lessons on Kiz. Our goal will be Beginner Novice this year. Hopefully the updates will continue to be good and maybe she will even become more trustworthy around Gage and Dan...I hope so!

I'm Bummed...

I've decided to sell Kizzy and it is not because anything she did. She is coming along wonderfully. She is walking, trotting and cantering like a rock star. She is balanced and quiet and has a great brain. The reason I am selling her is because she is marish and neurotic on the ground and when she is left alone. She gets kicky and nervous and with a 4 yr old and a non horsey husband I don't feel safe with her around them.

When I started looking for a horse I was looking for a quiet gelding that had show experience at the Novice level. My goal is Training level maybe Prelim if I get the guts but I need a competitive horse that has a kind willing mind. The horse also has to be quiet on the ground so when my 4 yr old and my husband want to help they can. Now I know you have to always supervise kids and horses but I want a horse that I feel safe around and I am not scared when Gage gets a brush out to help.

I bought Kizzy more from emotion and I should have. I should have thought it through more but I truly thought Kizzy was going to be that sweet quiet horse I was looking for even though she is young right now. I did learn a lot from Kizzy though and with selling her I will have a bigger budget to find my perfect horse.

I will be changing this blog a bit once I get my new partner but for now I will close...

Kizzy is a riding horse!!

I thought I would just give a short update since Kizzy is at Patricia's and I don't work with her everyday. Patricia has been doing ground work and has really been working on Kizzy paying attention to her and not tuning her out which is what she was doing. She did round pen work and really made her tune in. She has been on her now about 3 times and says she is doing great. She is listening, paying attention and becoming soft in the bit. Patricia says she is very nice to work with so I am really excited about that. Here is her first time on Kiz! I am so excited to hear the continued status reports. We are also getting an English Shepherd puppy whose name will be Ellie... This breed of dog should be perfect for our lifestyle and family. I am interested in doing herding, agility and fly ball. I am hoping Gage will love the puppy as much as I do and want to do activities with her too...

One More Week :)

Alright so I finally after doing not much at all over the holidays got to work Kiz a bit. The weather was horrible and with my sweet son Gage wanting a lot of attention sometimes it is hard to get out and work the pony. Well the last couple of days I've gotten some nice work done with her. I did some more ground driving and added a bit of trot. I worked on voice commands and her moving more forward while going straight. She likes to keep wondering back and forth while she is crawling forward so I got her marching along and doing it in a straight line only turning when asked. She did pretty good and even had some good halts.

I also lunged her with some loose side reins and she really took to them. She has not had a bunch of bit work. I have stood next to her putting a little pressure on each side of the bit then giving when she gives and she does that great but I've been holding off on attaching the long lines to the bit because I feel she is a horse that could get a hard mouth and I want to make sure the bit is introduced correctly. When the side reins were attached to the bit she was great with that and actually didn't pull at all so that was reassuring. She leaves for Patricia's next weekend and I have to say I am so excited to get her going with Patricia because she can really get her moving forward in her training.

This coming weekend and week I will continue to do bit work along with ground driving and lunging. I am also going to work a lot on laying across her and moving all over her. My main goal is to get her to a point where Patricia can just continue on without starting from scratch. I hope I am not missing anything:)