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:)