Wordless Wednesday

Rio's turn in the spotlight

Ever since he was a baby, Rio has always been more interested in showing off his pretty moves than  in the rambunctious play most colts indulge in. Remember this? He was 7 months old, and this was his idea of action.

When ownership of this property changed in October of last year, the configuration of our horse pens changed, as the former landlord took all the panels that formed the dry lot that my horses had free access to.

The only good thing about this is that these panels can no longer hurt my horses.... remembering Stella.....
What this means is that I have had to keep my horses in stalls- large ones, 20 X 20 at least, Beamer's is 20 X 40 and then give them daily turnout. In the winter they had more turnout, but with the onset of spring grass, I have had to severely limit the time they spent on grass. This has resulted in a lot of pent up energy, which has had an interesting effect on Rio- he finally learned how to gallop flat out! Before, he would just lope around, but miss Josie has no reservations - she does the full tilt boogie. Rio had to motor to keep up to her (can't let a girl out run him, ya know!) and he has discovered the delight of just getting out and hitting his full stride. (Nitro knew this from day one!)

This bodes well for his future career as Shayla's barrel horse! He's got some moves too....

Tryin' to kick butt.....

Josie entertains

No riding lately, but with an awesome weather forecast I should get some horseback time over the next few days. Meanwhile, Josie would like to entertain you.
When it's time to bring them in off pasture, they always perform for a few minutes first- I don't mind, because the running is good for them, and when they have had their fun they are easy to catch.
Rio puts up with Josie biting him on the butt when she instigates the play time, but yesterday, it was his turn to instigate.

 Well, that set her off!

The spots are raindrops, there was a quick little shower going on.

Better not let her watch  the Calgary Stampede!

One buck, and she was done.....

Back to some flat out fun!

Lazy Sunday

I'm the only one awake this afternoon; Ted and his little dog Merle are cuddled up on the couch. Reba and Tess have taken posession of the loveseat and the bed, and even the energizer bunny, aka Amber, is out of it....

Strollin' to the river

(Vaguely hummed to the tune of Proud Mary...)
Saddled my boy on this fine day,

Working all week and just waitin'

 for a chance to go strollin'

strollin'

Strolling to the river....

Spring stuff

Haven't been up to much lately, trying to get the yard cleaned up for spring, which has definitely sprung here- can't mow the lawn because it's too wet so I've been thinking of setting up electric fence and turning the horses out on it. :)
Amber has been taking up a lot of my time. I'm trying to house break her, even if "house" just means the dog room and the deck, so I have been spending a lot of time trying to figure out her potty schedule. Who knew puppies had to pee and poo so often!

Looks like her eyes will be green

Tess is really good with her, she does discipline her when Amber gets too rambunctious but also plays with her, whereas Reba avoids her. She is a very busy dog with a strong work instinct, and I do have lessons lined up for her when she is old enough. Getting her to relax is tough! 

This is a rare sight! 

I trimmed Josie's feet the other day, she was so good, just stood quietly ground tied while I knelt on the ground beside her to trim her, and considering that I took over an hour, she did awesome. I only had to reposition her a couple of times on her last foot, the right hind. 

She is such a lovely filly....

I am totally smitten with her!

Spring deworming is all done, I still have to trim Beamer, and it's time to start doing some trail riding. Shayla is considering leasing Rio out to someone who needs a horse to ride while she is in California- I don't think I will be able to ride him as much as he needs, so if anyone is interested, let us know. 

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Silence

A note from Beamer.....

He just wants you to know that he taught the kidz all he knows when it comes to getting airborne.....

And THAT's how ya do it!

The young 'uns

This past week has slipped by too fast!
Roper went to his new home on Wednesday, and I have been spending more time with Amber, teaching her the new rules she needs to know for living with the adult dogs.... and trying to puppy proof everything within reach of those busy teeth.... I'm pretty sure plastic and insulation aren't digestible.....

I think she will have amber eyes... how fitting!

She does pretty good though, I take her out often to do her business, and keep her on a string with me while I do my chores; she's getting it all figured.

Haven't had the chance to ride Rio since the clinic but when I handle him I remind him of the groundwork he learned that day, and it's going well. Turned him and Josie out this afternoon, and apparently Rio has found that he actually can run- and fast!

Shayla better get some stampede strings for her hat when she gets to running the barrels with him someday, he's one powerful horse and he is just now discovering the joy of flat out fun.

8 feet airborne!

Josie is growing and getting prettier all the time- sure do love this filly!

Can't you just picture the mare she will grow up to be?

 She has some speed too, and I am hoping for a career in reining for her. Her baby days are nearly done, as soon as the weather is a little warmer she will start equine kindergarten. Sure need my round pen back! I had to take it down and use it to build the stalls for the horses when this place changed ownership back in November so I really don't have any "schoolroom" for Josie. There's lots I can do just in the yard or pasture though. 

Meanwhile, she might just as well run around and have some fun! I keep her separate from Rio in the stall area, so they do enjoy their turnout together.

Wordless Wednesday

A few good things

I woke up during the eclipse and tried to get a photo, but I just couldn't get my camera to cooperate. I even had everything all set up; the settings I wanted, fresh battery- everything. But there was a haze over the moon, it was very dim and I think the camera couldn't focus, and it doesn't want to release the shutter if the focus doesn't work. Oh well, at least I got to see it! Earlier in the evening, I took this photo of the moonrise.

On Sunday I headed to town to deliver Pip, the last of the female pups, to her new owner, my friend Carol.
She travelled well, and as I let her out of the truck there were people already waiting to pet her, as Janice was there with Pip's big sister Kali, and another lady and her son were waiting to see the pup. Everybody loves a puppy!
Here is Pip with her big sister- looks like Kali thought there was entirely too much attention being paid to a mere pup, and that SHE was much more deserving of the attention!

So only one more pup to go, Roper will be leaving for Alberta tomorrow. Then it will be time to get to work on training Amber, I need to crate train and house break her, as she has been living in the Canine Hilton (dog run with a nice big shed)  for the last 3 weeks.
The young horses are still reacting to the spring grass with swelling in their salivary glands (aka grass glands- google it if you want more info) so are getting very limited turn out. I have been unable to work them for the last few days but should be able to get back in the swing of things today. Beamer is unaffected by the grass, so he gets longer turnout.

It is truly spring here, Ted had the lawn mower out, but it quit on him so he needs to tune it up before cutting the lawn- something to do with the fuel lines and or filter. Most of my perennials are up, and I have the first flowers blooming in my flower beds- these precious little violets.

Another sure sign of spring- I have started buying plants to stuff my flower containers! I just can't wait!!!!
Of course the other side of the coin is all the clean up that needs to be done, branches al over the lawn from all the high winds we had this winter, a few more weeds to pull in the garden before it can be rototilled, scoop up the yard cigars (courtesy of the dogs), and my least favorite thing, wash the windows.

I think I'll hire someone....

A birthday clinic for Rio

Yesterday, Rio turned 3, and I had entered him and Shayla in a Jim Anderson clinic- most of you know Jim from his big win at Road to the Horse last month, where he won the Wild Card challenge on Maverick, the horse he picked last year, the Fan Favourite vote, and the Road to the Horse Competition on Smoky.
Speaking of Smoky, Jim brought him along; we didn't get to see him being ridden, but he was hanging out in the sunshine enjoying some hay while the clinic was on.

Shayla decided the focus for this clinic would be working on Rio's evasive behaviour. Lately, he's been giving us that "I don't wanna and you can't make me" attitude. He is a big powerful horse, and combined with that juvenile attitude, it was making it tough to get through to him. We need a willing partner! Since Shayla is leaving for California today (!!!!! Lucky girl!!!!) I'll be riding Rio for the next 6 months, and I really didn't want to just baby him along, so this clinic gave us some very good tools to work with to teach this boy to keep his mind on work.
Jim started out with ground work- not longeing, because it's not productive to longe a horse that is mentally just leaving, he had to get Rio's mind by controlling his feet and body. So with a shorter line, and a stick, he asked Rio to move his hip, at the same time giving the cue of bending his (Jim's) upper body a bit. This also has the effect of the horse facing up. Step to the hip, bend, ask the horse to move the hip away. Any time Rio decided he was leaving, he had to move his hip over. Sometimes Jim had to get big in his ask, but before too long all he had to do was step and bend, and Rio was giving his hip. Once he got that, Jim asked for a shoulder yield- one step over with the shoulder, and then move the hip. Once Rio was consistent both ways, Jim asked for the sidepass, which is basically a hip and shoulder yield in unison. Down the fenceline they went. It wasn't until Rio understood all this that Jim longed him, and then any time Rio wanted to blow out and evade, he had to move his hip over and face up. This exercise allows the handler to control that big body and teaches the horse to keep his focus on the handler.
Here are a couple of videos that show Jim coaching Shayla on controlling the hip while longeing; you can see that Rio is wanting to get strong and blow out, and how this simple exercise helps to keep him going. When Jim says "move your feet" to Shayla he is telling her to go to the hip for control.

After this, Jim rode Rio, and worked on the next evasion: Rio's penchant for sticking his nose in the air and leaning on the bridle in the lope. Now, it's easy to pick up a nice soft feel on Rio in the walk and trot, as you've seen in some of my photos, but it isn't always there when you ask for it in the lope. It was interesting to see what Jim did for this. When Rio tried this Jim held his nose up there... and held it... and held it.... making it really uncomfortable for Rio, until he could feel Rio soften and want to give. Of course, being a baby, Rio had to try it several times, but he did eventually understand that it was a lot of very uncomfortable work to try that particular evasion!

Up goes the head....

Jim holds ......

and releases.

I'm really happy with what we learned in this clinic, and feel confidant that I can use what I learned to really improve this horse over the summer; and like Jim said, he needs lots of wet saddle blankets!

On other thing I'd like to touch on, is this moving the hip over is something I was taught many years ago in the Walt Vermadahl clinics I attended, only it wasn't taught from the ground; we were taught to do the one rein stop and kick his hip out of gear while riding if the horse got strong in the bridle or if there other issues like fearful ramping up. It's basically the same thing as this ground exercise, but it makes so much more sense to teach this on the ground first, and it makes that one rein stop so much more quickly effective once you are riding.

Wordless Wednesday

Longeing Josie

Both Rio and Josie are reacting to the spring grass this year; this is a first for me, usually the colts are on the pasture year round for a limited time each day, but this year the grass must be extra high in carbs as they get swollen "grass glands", so I'm taking them right off the grass for a while. Of course, this means getting their exercise in hand as I don't have a dry lot to turn them out on at the moment. Not a problem with Rio, being rideable, but miss Josie is going to kindergarten now to get her exercise. Shayla dropped by and I twisted her arm (grin) to get her to teach Josie to longe. It was pretty windy this afternoon, a nice strong south wind that blew in really warm temperatures. We all know how edgy horses can get in the wind, and apparently Josie "had the wind up her tail" at first, but smart little girl that she is it didn't take her long to get with the program.

I don't have a round pen at the moment, so Shayla took her in to their turn out pasture for the lesson.

She got it pretty good for a first lesson.

Lots of positive reinforcements.....

and a few more moments of red-headed 'tude.....

but overall she did really well. 

In which Thumper educates the pups on catitude.

 A proper cat shows no fear.....

is cool under pressure.....

always puts himself in a superior position to educate the minions.....

can never be stared down even by the most persistent border collie and is always willing to give some one-on-one tutoring......

is not above using confusion as a tactic......

and is always willing to accept  those who humble themselves in his presence.