Kai- day 29

Almost to the end of my 30 day chronicle of Kai's training. Today, I hauled Kai, and Shayla and her mare Allie to a local arena. We had it all to ourselves, and it's a beautiful setting up against the mountain.

While Shayla warmed up her mare, I lead Kai around the arena, both ways. He was relaxed, looked at a couple of things, but absolutely no silliness. We did try ponying him but he wasn't too keen on that.

Once he remembered all his lessons- (he's had two days off!) Shayla got on.

I got to putter around on Allie while Shayla worked Kai. We played follow the leader around the arena;

Kai did really well! So happy with this boy. After that, Shayla worked on trotting circles- that didn't go so well, partly I think because of the size of the arena; Kai is a lot like his daddy and is comfortable in confined spaces, I think he got a bit lost with all that space and wasn't paying attention to Shayla's cues. He came running over to me and Allie, and stopped. So we created a smaller space by using me and Allie as a "wall" and using a corner of the arena- that worked much better and got him focused on what was being asked of him. That's the neat thing about horse training; there is a solution to every problem, and if you can read your horse's needs you can always find a way to make things work. Anyway, I videoed that part, and it shows some of the steering exercises- serpentines.

A little more follow the leader, and we called it a day for Kai. I had him ground tied, and he spotted a black cow off in the bush- what does he do but trot across the arena to investigate what the heck that black thing was! No spooking or running away- he was just curious. Shayla caught him and ponied him some more.

Some joggers went by and caught their attention......

So- a good session! Tomorrow we will use a smaller arena, and the goal is to make sure he improves on his steering, and walk trot and lope both ways. After that, we can go back to the bigger arena. I'd like to be able to trail ride a bit by next weekend, just have to make sure the controls are in place first!

Kai - day 28- so much better!

Today was a good day.
For one thing, Kai got to meet his younger full brother, Nitro.
Nitro lives just down the road, he is 2 1/2 now, and his owner wants Shayla to train him. So, we brought him here and worked him in the round pen. I'll leave that story to Shayla, if she wants to blog about it. Here is a photo of the 2 boys together:

He sure is a pretty boy- and he stands just over 15 hands, at 2 yrs old, so will probably grow at least another inch. Here are a couple of photos of him in action:

Yes, he earned that missing hair on his nose.....

Nitro is a full brother to Kai, Rio, and Jazz. 

Anyway- back to Kai! He was so good on the longe line that after only a few minutes, Shayla climbed on...

He remembered all his lessons from yesterday, and she had no trouble getting him to lope.








He was such a good boy, soft eyed and willing. So today was a short session for him- and he earned it- good boy Kai!
Tomorrow we are going to Janice's so that Shayla can do body work on Jazz- Kai's full sister- and to deliver the auction items I picked up for Janice to put in her store, a roll top desk and an antique wash stand.  Stay tuned for Jazz photos!
I think Sunday, I will haul Kai to a local arena, we'll haul Shayla's mare and ride together. Should be fun!

More better and loping- Day 27

Kai is definitely feeling better today, and he did much better in his groundwork lesson. It went well enough that he got saddled and ridden. I rode him a bit at the trot on the longe line, but my back is still really painful, so Shayla got on him.
I kept the long line on him at first, but he was good so we unclipped him and she rode solo. Here is his first lope under saddle.

Shayla will be taking over the training now, a month here before she goes to Alberta and he will travel there with her and get another month. That should give me a pretty good foundation that this ole cowgirl can work with. There is a lot going on around here in the winter- I have access to an indoor arena, and they have a winter series team sorting- might just have to do that! As well as just continuing his training.

Look at that nice give to the right, and that Shayla had just released the rein. Couldn't get that 2 days ago!
I got up in the middle of the night to photograph the eclipse. It was really tough to get a good clear shot at full eclipse, my camera could barely detect it enough to focus, and I was shooting through a light mist but here she is in all her red glory.

Kai's bodywork

Just as we suspected, Kai was really out in a lot of places.
Starting with essential oils- we use Young Living oils- Release blend on his forehead and Grounding blend on his poll. In his neck, the 3rd vertebrae on the left and the 5th on the right were out; the 1st rib on each side, the ribs in mid back, the scapula on both right and left shoulders- the right shoulder was really locked up, which would account for all the issues I had with right turns- remember I said he seemed like he couldn't turn, until he popped up, and how I had to go right to the halter to get him to turn his head to the right?  We used peppermint oil and Release on his scapula on the right side, because Shayla didn't get a good release there, then we revisited it later and got good results.  His elbows were out too- the right side went in fairly easy, but it took a bit to get the left.
The pelvis work is pretty hard, because she has to work two areas at the same time. The Psoas muscle and an area right at the back beside his tail. It took quite a while to get these to release, but she did get it!

We always looked for a sign from Kai that she got it- he would lick and chew and sigh.
I was so engrossed in what was going on that I forgot to take photos! But I did take after photos, and there is a lot of improvement in the level of his hips now.

Big difference- here is the other photo from last week for comparison:

I think I mentioned everything that we found- Shayla can tell us in the comments if I forgot something. I knew he had issues, and I sure hope that this helps him to be a more willing partner.

Kai- day 26 and enough of those shenanigans!

Well! Kai met his match today.
Shayla is back.
It sure was nice to see her, after her six month internship with Sandy Collier in southern California.
It didn't take her long to put those new skills to work! She checked out Josie first- she will be putting 6 months training on her next summer, and that will decide what direction we go with her.

After that, it was Kai's turn. She started out with the basics, seeing how he did free longeing....

Yes Kai, there's a new girl in your life! And you can't fool her.
Kai tried every trick in the book to get out of work, he didn't want to do inside turns, or look at Shayla, so she went to longing in the halter..... it was a lot of work and he is pretty strong. He insisted on those outside turns and when it got to the point of him turning away and galloping off with his head to the outside... it was time to bring out the bosal. It was pretty plain that he wasn't going to respect her requests- he also backed up as an evasion to changing direction. Once she put the bosal on him, he couldn't get away with some of his other moves, so he tried little rears- which earned him even more work!

I really think that in the past few years before I bought him back, Kai had become adept at getting out of work by resisting, and having the people give up- he called their bluff. Sorry, Kai- that won't work anymore. A good half hour of hard work went on before Kai finally turned both directions properly and promptly. I got to thinking, that I thought I had gotten him over this stuff, but I had never really pressured him this much. It sure showed the holes in his training- and I knew that they were there, but didn't think he would be that bad at longeing. He has had a week off, but that is a lot of regression! I guess I hadn't really gotten him solid enough in any of that stuff for him to get over his desire to evade work, but last time I got on him, if you recall the other day, bareback, he was not willing at all.
So it's a really, really good thing that Shayla is willing to work with him! All I want is a good solid, happy and healthy horse.
Tomorrow he gets bodywork, and it will be interesting to see if his attitude changes after he is adjusted. Because then, there won't be any excuses.

Where did this week go?

I had big plans this week.... but all for naught! I was going to haul Kai to the bigger round pen, but the road between here and there was being paved which was a PITA for waiting and driving on oil so that didn't happen. I did get on him, bareback in the round pen and he pretty much refused to do anything. Quite happy to just stand there, walk a left circle but nada to the right, didn't even want to flex his neck to the right- I had to grab right onto the halter to get him to bring his nose around. He was all "uh-uh, I don't wanna and you can't make me". If I asked him to walk forward, he backed, or stopped and put his nose on the ground. So I've pretty much decided I am not going to work him again until he has his body work done- then there will be no excuses and he'll just have to get over his attitude. He seems to be really adept at finding ways of getting out of work, so once I have him at his best physically, he is going to have to work his brown butt off. Cowboy up, Kai!
Today I have a really painful lower back, my Back on Track back brace didn't do much so I did what always helps to loosen up my back- I rode Beamer. Me and Tess and Amber did the circuit of the hay fields- and it didn't take long to rule out trotting. Which sucks, because that's my favourite. And at one point, Beamer got a little bratty and wanted to turn back for home but I got that sorted and we had a nice late afternoon amble.

The last time I had him out was September the 8th, when I took my border collie Reba for her last trail ride. It was her 13th birthday, and she is really slowing down. She has a tumour on one of her nipples, which I have been treating with Young Living's Frankincense and Clove oils, and it is about half the size now. Also, Beamer had been shedding his frog, if you recall from my posts on that, where I had to cut it away to keep dirt from getting trapped under it. It is completely gone now, and the new growth is starting.

  That foot still has a long way to go to be truly healthy but it has made major improvements over the last 2 years.
Anyway, I figured it was time to bring him out for some exercise. It was a bit cool, we had our first heavy frost last night but this morning the sunrise was fabulous.

Tomorrow, I am clerking an auction of antiques, want to bet that I come home with something?
And- Shayla will be travelling back from California tomorrow, so I hope to get a visit in with her on Monday - it'll probably take a week to hear all the stories!  Happy that I'll have my riding buddy back and hope she can help me with Kai. Another thing- the Bruce Koch clinic that I was going to had to be cancelled- Bruce got in a wreck with a horse he is training, got a rope wrapped around his leg and got dragged, so no clinics for a bit. He'll be allright, a separated shoulder and probably cracked ribs.
Goes to show that even the pros can get careless and make mistakes. Glad it wasn't any worse! That must have been a nightmare for him.
Well, you all have a wonderful weekend! Here's a parting shot from the Beamer ear cam!

Kai- day 24 Finding issues

I wasn't happy with the saddle fit on the first saddle I used on Kai, it seemed to sit too far forward. So I put Beamer's Wade saddle on and it seemed to sit a lot better, with lots of room for his shoulders.

Compare it to where the other saddle sits:

It looks really close to being the same but it feels different. There is also more room in the shoulders:

Today I wanted to get more trotting done. After the usual preliminaries I could see that he was still having difficulty turning right when I did the rein around from the ground. I did bit him up again and it got a little better, but still not good. I got on anyway, and worked to the left with no problems, getting a nice trot all the way around, and nice whoa and back up. Then I asked for right circles. He did ok at the walk, although he did stop a couple of times, and I made him keep walking; when I asked for the trot he would only give me about 3-4 strides and then walk. Odd, because he was so willing to the left.
After a bit I asked for hip over- no problem both ways- and then shoulder over. This is where it got interesting. He gave nicely to the left, but when I picked up the right rein, and applied my left leg in front of the cinch, he literally felt stuck. He gave to the leading rein, but it's like he couldn't move that shoulder over. I could feel that he wanted to, but it's like his feet were stuck! I bunted him hard on the shoulder and he popped up and over on the front. I made sure to keep him moving in a right arc, and asked him a few more times to give that shoulder. He did, but I could feel that it wasn't easy for him.
I worked a little more on figure 8's and a few stop and back ups, then stepped off and longed him both ways to see if I could figure it out. Nice and easy to the left, he kept slack in the lead, but when I asked for a right circle he was leaning on that lead line. I'd bring his head in and he'd lean it right back out.
Hmmm. Before riding I had given him stretches, and had checked for soreness. I found tight sore muscles at the top of his neck- right behind those wing bones on both sides, and found reaction in the middle of his back on both sides about 8 to 10 inches behind the withers. I did neck stretches both ways, getting him to touch his shoulder by the cinch area with his nose. He tilted his head more away to the right and touched with his chin rather than his nose.
So what I did after riding was to stand him up square and look for issues. And I found one glaring one.

I had actually taken this photo in 3 different spots and got the same results each time- that right hip is dropped. Shayla had noticed in several of his photos that he always seems to have that right hind foot forward a bit, and  I guess this would be why, it probably gives him a bit of relief. Also explains why he is having difficulty to the right- perhaps it hurts to plant that foot for the right turns, and as far as trotting to the right goes, that inside hind foot takes most of the weight so it probably bothers him. However! He seemed quite alright this morning when he and Josie were ripping around!!!



Kai will be getting body work next week, and that should help with a lot of his issues. I will continue to ride him but will change my focus a bit, and give him more mental challenges; the physical stuff like trotting, loping and turns can wait for a week or so, I'm sure. I could keep at it and insist, but I don't want to build resistance in him.

Sunday Silence

Kai day 23: finally, the trot!

I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who think I'm ridiculously slow with my training on Kai- we are into our 3rd week now, and today we finally got the trot riding solo- I had trotted him when riding on a longe line, but that's different.
Anyway- to start with, I saddled and bridled him and asked for lateral flexion from the ground. Then I take the rein on the side opposite to where I am standing and run it around his rump and ask for him to turn and face me. He did fine on the left rein, but when I asked with the right rein, he braced and wanted to just move sideways away from me. I tried a couple of times, and he really didn't want to give me that right side flex.... so I went back to basics and bitted him up on that side.

It took only a few minutes for him to get it....

After that I repeated the exercise and he came around nice and softly for me. This is an exercise I really like to do before I step on a green horse or a horse I am unfamiliar with. If they don't follow that rein around nice and softly both ways I don't get on- the horse you have on the ground is the horse you have under saddle. Much easier to fix things on the ground.
So my goal today was to get him trotting. I really wanted him to volunteer to trot by picking up on my energy and riding with some life  to my body, but no, he didn't offer. So I added bumping with my legs every stride.... made him walk faster but still no trot. Then I added a teeny cluck with each bump, around and around we went.... at the walk.... until I upped the pressure just a bit with slightly stronger leg and louder clucks. He trotted! finally! But only for a few strides, because of course once he did the right thing I stopped the cues. However since I didn't want him to stop, I immediately started in on the cues again. He did trot both ways for me, and I continued working until he broke into a trot a little more readily. He did seem to be a little more reluctant going to the right, really wanting to quit going that way and not even walk out. So of course I stuck with it until he did and then at the end just asked for lateral flexion from the saddle before I stepped off. A couple of times during the session I asked for a whoa and back up, and was happy with how well he did on those elements.
So I think for our next session I will do more ground work and see if I can figure out what is bothering him on the right- when it used to be the left! I'll check for any soreness and see if there might be anything going on with his teeth. He was done in May but you never know, he is still shedding caps so might be something there. He is still staying soft and trusting with me and that is my goal. I'm not in a hurry (getting back to my opening for this post) and I am quite happy to work short sessions with Kai and always end on a positive note. What resistance he shows now is nothing compared to the way he was when I first started.

Kai Day 22: third ride

A lot less ground work today; started out with saddling him ground tied and he was absolutely perfect, didn't move a muscle. Then I flapped my jacket all over him- again, he stood stock still like a good boy. After that I swung my lariat- he did move away, from the center of the pen over to the rail, but more being cautious than panicky, so I brought him back to the center and continued swinging the rope- no issues after that.
I stepped on, asked for lateral flexion both ways; he was a little more resistant to the right, so I persevered until he was equally soft on both sides. Then I disengaged his hip both ways, and then his shoulder. Sat quietly for a moment and asked him to walk out. He much preferred to just stand there, but he did walk off, and around the pen.

Very first Kai ear cam shot!

I rode him around the pen with turns both ways and a much improved whoa- I made a point of being very clear in my thinking and cues when I asked for the stop. Also, I back him a step or two after the stop.

That being said, just after the whoa in this video, I asked him to back and he was resisting, so I tapped him with my legs - he jumped forward, had a mini crow-hop and loped 3 steps to the fence and stopped. I think he woke up! I am always glad when we get that first "blow" out of the system of a young horse, I am happy that he doesn't blow hard! Nowhere near as hard as Rio for example; Rio would take a huge jump and then stop. Kai is littler and easier! Anyway, after  that he had a little more energy and walked out better and paid attention better . No trot though. I stopped after a few more nice soft stop/back ups. So I think we are ready to haul to a bigger round pen now. (Big grin!)

Kai Day 21: Second ride

After such a nice first ride on Kai, I had no qualms about getting on him today, even thought there was nobody around (Hey- I'm getting old, and brittle, back up is a good thing!)
I started as usual reviewing ground work, and added swinging the lariat. He tolerated that well, and I put a loop over his rump and led him ,then put it around his barrel and led him with the lariat. No worries!
I decided to ground tie him for saddling, and he only took one tiny sidestep as I lifted the saddle from the ground, then stood still- good boy, Kai!
I decided to video the ride, so the following video may be a bit long and we aren't always in the picture as I hung the camera from the fence- but Josie is grazing in the background so there is something to see!
Basically, he needed a little prompting to get started, still needs help with turns, whoa needs a lot of work, and even though I tried with being energetic with my body he wouldn't break into a trot. I didn't want to force him into a trot by spanking with the reins or kicking, I just wanted it to be a natural progression but he wasn't ready. I think my pen is a little small for him to feel confidant packing me around at a trot. However, since he is being nice and quiet, I will start hauling him to the local arena where they have a much bigger round pen.
Doesn't look too concerned, does he? That's the nice thing about starting horses when they are a little older the mental maturity is a bonus!

Training Kai- Day 20: Solo day

Since my last post on Kai, I have had  a couple sessions of groundwork using some of the tips I picked up at the clinic. He did really well, so I figured today would be solo day. I had spent the afternoon spreading 3 loads of crushed rock in Beamer's pen to combat Lake Beamer which we get in the wet season. We got a deal on white rock, from the closed down mine that Ted worked at and is helping with the clean up there. So Beamer has pretty fancy digs! We need a few more loads to get rid of the low spots, so hopefully he won't have to deal with mud in the spring, should be good drainage now. In the video below you will see all the white stuff in the background- it isn't snow! Still hot here!!!
Anyway, I reviewed all the ground work with Kai, he still is a teeny bit concerned on his left side but really huge improvement there. My friend Dave came over to watch so I had him take the lead rope and walk with me for a couple of rounds and then hand me the rope, keep walking for a few feet and then stand in the center while I rode solo. He kindly took video for me. Kai did really well, a couple of times he needed a little encouragement to move forward but he steered, stopped and backed just fine. Another ride or two in this pen and then I'll be ready to move to a bigger round pen for trotting and loping, then into an arena. Yay!

Just the horses

I had good intentions of riding Kai today, but lack of sleep last night made me pretty dull today. Tomorrow should be a better day. I have been using the things I learned in the clinic on him and he is really responding well, I think I'll have no trouble riding him solo.Tomorrow I'll be running a loader and working on improving the drainage in Beamer's winter pen, so I might not get to ride, but I hope so.
My friend Janice is trying to organize a Bruce Koch clinic at her place, and I plan on taking Kai in it, so I need to get a couple of weeks riding in before then- the middle of October.
Since the clover took over our pastures here I have kept them penned up, but the other day I turned the Kidz out in Beamer's paddock- they had a blast!

It's not a big pen, but they made the most of it. Kai, especially!

See those two little bumps on Josie's neck? I have no idea what they are, they don't bother her and they aren't growing. She has had them all summer.

Of course we can't leave the B Boy out....

now can we!

A helpful clinic

Busy busy busy! I know it's been a few days since I posted, but I haven't had time to work on a post. Friday to Sunday, I audited and photographed a Bruce Koch clinic, it was for Level 1 Parelli students. I found it really interesting, and was able to pick up some tips on things I could do with Kai- but I'll get to that later
With my husband away for 6 days visiting family in the Edmonton Alberta area, I didn't want to get on Kai, so this clinic came at perfect timing.
I really liked this instructor: he spent a lot of time explaining things clearly, spent plenty of time with each individual and horse, and had all 7 students in the arena at the same time. Also, he had a great sense of humour; when the horse was being particularly resistant, he would just laugh- he said it works better than getting frustrated. Also, he kept everyone smiling, as well as learning. Here are a few photos from the 140 that I took- don't be alarmed- only 3 here!

This is his personal horse, Jake. Apparently, Jake loves the pedestal. He will walk over to it and stand like this for about 15 minutes while Bruce is working with the students.

This lady warmed my heart. She was the highlight of the clinic for me. She came with her 15 year old granddaughter, they are both just getting into horses. She had never ridden before, but wanted to do this for her granddaughter, to help her become involved with horses and not boys. She was very shy and not at all sure about riding, but they matched her up with this 23 year old retired rope horse, who took very good care of her. She went from being very nervous and having no clue what she was doing, to being confidant that she could steer, control the speed, go over and around obstacles, and even went on the little trail ride at the end of the clinic. With a huge grin of delight!
This next one is a group photo of the riders and instructors. What is so cool about this is that some of these folks thought that this is something they never thought that they could do, but by the end of the clinic they had such a good connection with their horses that it was no big deal.

The lady who invited me to attend was having major issues with her horse- a dominant mare who was pretty used to just doing whatever the heck she wanted. By the end of the clinic, she had enough confidence and skills that she had no trouble handling the mare that she had previously been rather fearful of.
A good clinic, I'd say.
So, getting back to Kai, I picked up some tips on things I could do to improve his fearfulness and avoidance issues. One thing I had been doing was avoiding using the stick and string around him because of his strong flight instinct whenever he heard it zinging. So tonight, I brought him in the round pen and worked on that. I flipped it around and over him like I normally do, then started whacking the ground with it- still ok; but at one point I swung it hard at the ground by his left hip- and he was leaving. Round and around he went at a gallop; but this time I just stood still and kept whacking the ground, not turning with him like I did before. Pretty soon, his feet stopped, and he got a rub and a "good boy". Then I swung it again, and off he went- but for a shorter time. Rinse and repeat.... about the 4th try, he just stood there as I swung that string wherever and as hard as I pleased. Ha! Just right! That little tidbit was worth all the time I spent at the clinic, although I did pick up other useful things too. I'll be working on all those little things that are bugging Kai, until he is not a fearful pony any more. Also things like the way I use my body language and energy, and a few exercises I can do on the ground to make things easier under saddle. A lot of the stuff I already did with him, but I reviewed it tonight, like the tarp. I wasn't sure he would walk over it, as I hadn't done that with him yet, it was on my to-do list but....

Yes, Kai, you look good in blue...

The tarp held no terrors for him, and when I asked him to walk out with it on, and it fell off, he didn't bat an eye. When I has him circle around me he stepped right on it and walked up to me- I felt bad making him keep on walking but I hadn't asked him to come in. 

Well that was not very exciting ! (Yay!) I did a little more work on yielding the rear quarters and front quarters and sidepass, and called it a day. 

Day 18: Whoa, Kai.

Today was another non-riding day. I saddled up and worked him in his training halter and long line, asking for a consistent whoa at all 3 gaits.He did fairly well sometimes, not so good other times. One thing I noticed he is doing is tipping his head to the outside of the pen when he stops, before he turns to look at me. Not quite sure how to fix that, I may have to make his work a little more intense- which I am reluctant to do at this point because I have to get the panels modified, I want the top of the posts trimmed so they are level, that way a rein or halter can't get caught up. That won't happen for a few days, as Ted is headed to Edmonton for a few days starting tomorrow. So until then I will have to just work carefully.


I find that I really don't like using the driving lines on Kai; at least, not with the bridle. He carries his head really low when I am using them and he's clearly bothered by them. I don't get that feeling when I'm on his back and reining him around, he seems fairly light to the rein. So I may switch out to putting the driving lines on a halter instead; a side pull would be better but I don't have one.
By the end of today's session, Kai had improved, but it will take a few more until I am sure he is solid on his whoa. Also worked on turns with ground driving, I find that he will flex his neck but not turn his body- which he didn't do when I was on his back. I'll see how the next session goes before I decide whether or not to scrap the driving lines and just get on and ride.

Training day 17- the whoa

Now that I know that Kai has no problems packing me around, it's time to get back to boot camp with him. Today's session was all about whoa. If you were paying attention in the videos I've posted, you would notice that he kind of cruises slowly to a stop. I want him to plant his butt when I say whoa, but that's an end result that has to be worked towards. So today, I worked him in the round pen on a long line and we worked on getting his feet to stop, and not turn and walk towards me but wait for what I was asking for next. He got it after a bit, he would turn his head and look at me but not his feet. We did have a few of these turn-the-body- after -stopping, but  he did get that I was going to send him out again so he learned to just wait instead of turning.

After that, I increased my demands on him- I saddled him up, and put on the bridle and driving lines. This really showed the holes in his training; I got him moving out ok, but he protested at some of the turns and at the whoa. I worked him for about half an hour, and I've come to the conclusion that in his past, when he said "No!" people gave in instead of working him through it. By the end of the session, he was stopping and backing when I asked, and doing both inside and outside turns fairly smoothly. But he really did protest a lot, I could see that he was frustrated with trying to figure out this "pressure on the bit" thing (and yes, his teeth were done shortly after I got him back). I will keep at it for a few more sessions because I want him to really understand whoa and back and turn before I go solo on him. I think he's pretty smart, so I expect the next session will go much better.

Kai- day 16- aaaaand trot!

Well we have the saddling thing down pat now.
Today was get Ted to stand in the middle with the long lead line, and just be there for me in case of need. I wanted to get Kai trotting under saddle today, and by golly it went really well! I feel so comfortable on this horse. I really think Kai enjoys his time under saddle too, but I have to be careful how far I push him just yet. I want to keep everything positive. Todays session showed me what I have to work on- primarily, its Whoa. So tomorrow, I may go back to longeing and ground driving to get him to understand the concept of stopping his feet at the verbal command, body language and rein cues.


T'was a very good day! I'm still grinning!

Kai- day 15, and the eyes have it.

Using the longer lead line worked well today, and it all started off really well with Kai standing perfectly still while I saddled him at the hitching rail- that's a first! I sent him around a couple times each way in the round pen, saddled and bridled, just to see where he was at, and then stepped up and on him, with Ted on the long lead. We started off with him walking close, and me using the bridle just enough to get Kai feeling the reins, then went on a little longer line and used the reins to keep Kai from drifting in on Ted or too far out.Stopped and backed a couple times, then I had Ted feed me enough line so he could stand in the center and not have to walk, while I rode the perimeter, which allowed me to make an inside turn to change directions. It all went really well. The video didn't turn out well so I took a couple of stills from it and did a collage instead.

It was a short session, only 10 minutes (Ted was busy!) so I am hoping to get a longer session tomorrow, with some trotting. Kai did much better at balancing me today, even trotted a few steps.

Meanwhile, Josie and Beamer are not getting as much attention as they think they should have.....

Don't look at me like that Josie! You'll get a spa day tomorrow!

Oh my goodness, trying to make me feel guilty?

Hmmm, I think Kai is certain he is the king of the castle at the moment.

Training Kai- day 14; saddle up and ride.

My husband finally made it home from the Island- a bit of a long tour this time. Since I had help, it was time to saddle up and climb on Kai. Everything went so well when I got on him bareback that I wasn't anticipating any problems.
But, just to be sure, I did a little ground work first. Even better- he let me saddle him in the round pen with only one tiny sidestep- yay! I did throw the lead rope over the top rail instead of over my elbow, but he was by no means tied. I think he finally has it figured.
I tied a milk jug to the saddle and sent him around- that was boring, so I tied it to the bag and whip combo and sacked him out with that.

me> I think he's at the point that whatever I sack him out with he's ok with. So it's time to up the ante there and work on different obstacles. I really want to do the Cowboy Challenge course with him someday, so I need to build a few things for training him in that area, like a bridge, tunnel, water hazard etc. Maybe next summer I can put him in a Jim Anderson clinic out by Bull River, they put on a clinic out there that already has all those obstacles set up, and by then we should be ready for a clinic.
Then it was time to enlist Ted's help and climb aboard. The following video is a bit boring- which is just perfect! I like a boring first ride! I had Ted lead us around. There were times I could feel that Kai was unsure, like when we turned a little tight he really had to work on keeping his balance. Ted said he spread his hind legs out when that happened.


The next session should be working on a longer line, more like longeing with a rider. Shayla- wish you were here for this! But I'm sure Ted will do a good job.
I'm loving Kai's attitude, he really is trusting me and willing to do whatever I put him through. It's up to me not to betray that trust.

Wordless Wednesday

Kai Day 13- more sacking out

Today's work was all about sacking out. There was nobody here today, so I don't get on colts when I'm by myself- but there is always something that can be done! Kai had a day off yesterday. Today I wanted to see if he would let me saddle him in the round pen.... but no, he kept sidestepping away as I tried to put the saddle up, so we went one step back and I took him to the hitching rail to saddle him. Much better. I'll keep plugging away at it- someday he will get over this. I think to advance I will try saddling him at the hitching rail but not tied, just with the lead rope over my arm. Then once he's ok with that maybe a few feet away, and so on.
I took a few items with me to the round pen: my Greg Gommersall chinks, my Australian Outback slicker (aka Monster coat) and the driving lines.
First item of contention was the chinks- I flipped them all over him, no problem.
So I draped them on the saddle, and sent him out on the longe line. No issues, both ways.

 Then came the monster coat.

Flipped it all over, dragged it off his butt etc. So what, says he. So I tied it on the saddle and sent him out. This was a little more pressure, he did get a little humpy and the chinks fell off- they weren't tied on- but if that's what Kai calls bucking, I can handle that! You'll see it in the video below. After that, I attached one of the long lines to the saddle and sent him around dragging that, again, no issues. Good boy, Kai!


Then I pushed the stirrups into his sides to ask for hip over and shoulder over- he got it much better that the first time I tried that. After that, I put the bridle on, asked for lateral flexion, then asked him to back up- which he did very nicely. Since all was good, I stepped into the stirrup and stood a couple of times but didn't swing over. Very nice workout. I had Kai carry all the instruments of torture back to the tack shed.

I dislike these angled photos, but Kai just wants to come to me- can't discourage that at this point! Throughout this work, he really wanted to be good, except of course for the initial saddling. He's getting there!
I'm hoping I can get on him again tomorrow, if not, I'll drag out more scary monsters to torment him with, and maybe add some ground poles in just to mix things up a bit.