Today I had the vet coming out to give Blossom her vaccination, so this morning I done a little work on needle prep with her to make it a better experience for her. She is always well behaved and stands really well for the vet, but I had recently seen on one of the horse and country tv programmes Pat showing you how do do the needle prep so I thought it was worth doing it. She was doing it really well, but typical the vet gave her the jag in the chest instead of her neck! She was still fine and stood perfect.
Kris wanted to try loading Iona in the lorry to make sure she would be confident travelling when we go on Wednesday! So while she done that I played with Blossom in the field, she had just had her vaccination so I didn't want to do too much with her just in case she had a reaction to it. So we played with sideways to start with, I'm getting a few steps now without a fence! We played with the yo yo over the pole again she was better today than she was yesterday. But watching Kris loading Iona made me want to work on Blossom's loading so I went and hooked the trailer up to play with. We started with just playing with the seven games round the trailer, then she offered to go in so I took that. She went half way in to start with, then right in the second time. I then asked her out and played with the back bar while she was standing on the ramp, she seems to be more confident with this now but still not sure.. So I took it off and played friendly game with it rubbing her all over with it, she seems to loss her confidence when I am in zone 5 with it so we done some more work on that. I then asked her back in the trailer and stopped her halfway and played friendly game in zone 5, I thought this would be a good idea as she wouldn't feel so trapped and because she is more confident only halfway in. I then asked her right in and she stood quite happily.
Kris had finished playing in the lorry so I thought I would try her in the lorry as I'm going to take the lorry on Wednesday as I don't want to take the trailer as she still isn't confident enough to travel in it!
I wasn't sure how she would load into the lorry as she hasn't been in it since the level one course in November, and I hadn't ever squeezed her into the lorry or a trailer before now. So when I first asked her in she didn't want to go and was trying to get away by going round the side of the lorry, so I stopped her at the bottom of the ramp and played friendly game with her. I then asked her in again and she manage all four feet on the ramp but quickly backed off again, she done this a few times then went right in. But turned round and came out again, so I asked her in again. Each time she would stay in a little longer, until she was standing in the lorry eating her hay while I was sitting on the ramp. So I would ask her out and ask her in again - Every time she was going in more confident. It was just amazing to see her so confident about going in the lorry in so little time! I didn't try and shut the divider on her as it was getting dark and I knew if she lost her confidence I didn't have the time in daylight to help her get her confidence back. So we finished on a good note, I just hope tonight wasn't just a one off..
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Sunday 30th December
Today I wasn't feeling very well, so I just basically done the same with Blossom as we done yesterday.
She wasn't as confident today with playing yo yo's over a pole, so we done lots of approach and retreat and lots of friendly game so by the end she was much better. We moved on to playing squeeze games through poles, barrels and poles - she seemed really confident with it today.
We then played with putting the rope around her bum again and putting pressure to get her to yield from it, she was much better than she was yesterday. But I still need to apply quite a bit of pressure before she moves.
We finished with working on our leading she was actually really good at this tonight - we done walk, trot, stand and back up.
She wasn't as confident today with playing yo yo's over a pole, so we done lots of approach and retreat and lots of friendly game so by the end she was much better. We moved on to playing squeeze games through poles, barrels and poles - she seemed really confident with it today.
We then played with putting the rope around her bum again and putting pressure to get her to yield from it, she was much better than she was yesterday. But I still need to apply quite a bit of pressure before she moves.
We finished with working on our leading she was actually really good at this tonight - we done walk, trot, stand and back up.
Satuarday 29th December
Today I went out and played with Blossom in the field, the ground was really wet so I didn't want to do too much with her.
We started with friendly and porcupine games, she is getting better with her porcupine game again for a bit she was walking away instead of yielding to the pressure! But tonight she was much better and was actually pivoting when yielding, how Victoria had showed me in the level 1 course.
We moved on to playing the yo yo game with a pole, we started on the 12ft rope and worked our way up to the full length of the 22ft rope. She lost her confidence a few times when she was nearly at the pole and would move her HQ to the side, so I used my driving game to straighten her up then asked her back again. After a few attempts she was going back over the pole quite confident with me the full length of the 22ft away.
I then decided I needed to try something to get her more confident in zone 5 so when it comes to trailer loading she will be more confident with the back bar and ramp. So I used the 22ft rope and put it round her bum and would put some pressure round her bum to ask her to yield to the pressure and move forward. To start with she pushed against the pressure and nearly sat down - basically what she has been doing with the back bar! After a few attempts I got her to walk forward from the pressure, I was still having to use quite alot of pressure so I will keep working on this as I think it will really help her! I then played with leading her from a front leg, I think this totally confused her.. She wasn't sure to start with what I was asking but got the idea quite quickly. So we finished with that for the night as it was getting dark.
We started with friendly and porcupine games, she is getting better with her porcupine game again for a bit she was walking away instead of yielding to the pressure! But tonight she was much better and was actually pivoting when yielding, how Victoria had showed me in the level 1 course.
We moved on to playing the yo yo game with a pole, we started on the 12ft rope and worked our way up to the full length of the 22ft rope. She lost her confidence a few times when she was nearly at the pole and would move her HQ to the side, so I used my driving game to straighten her up then asked her back again. After a few attempts she was going back over the pole quite confident with me the full length of the 22ft away.
I then decided I needed to try something to get her more confident in zone 5 so when it comes to trailer loading she will be more confident with the back bar and ramp. So I used the 22ft rope and put it round her bum and would put some pressure round her bum to ask her to yield to the pressure and move forward. To start with she pushed against the pressure and nearly sat down - basically what she has been doing with the back bar! After a few attempts I got her to walk forward from the pressure, I was still having to use quite alot of pressure so I will keep working on this as I think it will really help her! I then played with leading her from a front leg, I think this totally confused her.. She wasn't sure to start with what I was asking but got the idea quite quickly. So we finished with that for the night as it was getting dark.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Sunday 23rd December
Today I decorated Aicha's stable with flag bunting to try and get her used to this sort of thing, and I had extra left over. So I decided to do Blossom's stabe too. I wasn't too sure what she would think of this, but thought it waould be good for her to get used to it too. So when I do start to compete her again she will be more confident at a busy show ground!
Whe she fisrt came in to her stable I don't think she even noticed them, but she was soon right over checking them out! She stood for about a minute to see what they were then moved closer to have a smell, then next thing she had them in her mouth and was pulling them and letting them go so the hit of the wall!!
It was really nice to see how confident she is now with new equipment and obstacles!!
Whe she fisrt came in to her stable I don't think she even noticed them, but she was soon right over checking them out! She stood for about a minute to see what they were then moved closer to have a smell, then next thing she had them in her mouth and was pulling them and letting them go so the hit of the wall!!
It was really nice to see how confident she is now with new equipment and obstacles!!
Saturday 22nd December
Today I decided to play with the trailer again - it was still a bit icy so I borrowed my Dads car so I could play with it in the field with the other obstacles as the field wasn't too bad!
We started with playing the seven games, without any obstacles then moved on to playing them with the trailer! We done sideways round the trailer, driving game so she was then standing next to the trailer, circling game over the ramp in both directions, squeeze game over the ramp and at the side of the trailer, yo yo's backing her to the trailer - she is still quite unconfident with this.
We then played with the tarp, starting by playing the circling game, then the squeeze game. We then approached the trailer and she went half way in first time, so I then backed her and she went right in but she came back out quite quick. So we moved on and played with other obstacles, tyres, poles, barrels, cones. I basically kept doing this until she was confident in the trailer, then move on to something else. By the end of the session I was having problems getting her to come out the trailer!!
She still losses her confidence when I try and put the back bar up so I also done lots of friendly game with the back bar. I took the bar of the trailer and we played friendly game with it rubbing her all over with it, I could feel how tense she was about this to start with but after a few minutes she relaxed and started to enjoy it. She wasn't too sure about it in zone 5, but seemed more confident about it than she did when she was in the trailer. I then attached it back to the trailer and made as much noise as I could with it, moving it around banging it of the side of the trailer while Blossom was standing on the ramp. She backed away when I first started doing this, but soon came back on to the ramp and actually sniffed the bar a few times.
I finished the session with asking her in the trailer, she went straight in first time so I just left her for about 5 mins (longest she has stayed in) then asked her out and played loads of friendly game with her and finished!
We started with playing the seven games, without any obstacles then moved on to playing them with the trailer! We done sideways round the trailer, driving game so she was then standing next to the trailer, circling game over the ramp in both directions, squeeze game over the ramp and at the side of the trailer, yo yo's backing her to the trailer - she is still quite unconfident with this.
We then played with the tarp, starting by playing the circling game, then the squeeze game. We then approached the trailer and she went half way in first time, so I then backed her and she went right in but she came back out quite quick. So we moved on and played with other obstacles, tyres, poles, barrels, cones. I basically kept doing this until she was confident in the trailer, then move on to something else. By the end of the session I was having problems getting her to come out the trailer!!
She still losses her confidence when I try and put the back bar up so I also done lots of friendly game with the back bar. I took the bar of the trailer and we played friendly game with it rubbing her all over with it, I could feel how tense she was about this to start with but after a few minutes she relaxed and started to enjoy it. She wasn't too sure about it in zone 5, but seemed more confident about it than she did when she was in the trailer. I then attached it back to the trailer and made as much noise as I could with it, moving it around banging it of the side of the trailer while Blossom was standing on the ramp. She backed away when I first started doing this, but soon came back on to the ramp and actually sniffed the bar a few times.
I finished the session with asking her in the trailer, she went straight in first time so I just left her for about 5 mins (longest she has stayed in) then asked her out and played loads of friendly game with her and finished!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Friday 21st December
Today Blossom got her new shoes on - she was really well behaved for the farrier, which she always is.
I had hoped to go out and play with her today as she is starting too get really grumpy this week doing nothing. But the ground was solid and the fog was really thick. So instead she went out to play in the field for a few hours, and the best bit was her leg seemed fine when she came back in.
Hopefully I will get out and play with her over the weekend, need to do more work with her trailer loading so I can start booking indoor schools if the weather is going to stay like this.
I had hoped to go out and play with her today as she is starting too get really grumpy this week doing nothing. But the ground was solid and the fog was really thick. So instead she went out to play in the field for a few hours, and the best bit was her leg seemed fine when she came back in.
Hopefully I will get out and play with her over the weekend, need to do more work with her trailer loading so I can start booking indoor schools if the weather is going to stay like this.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Monday 17th December
Today it was minus 6 degrees at the stables this morning!! Blossom leg now seems fine, but I have decided seen as the ground is so hard I am just going to leave her in to make sure everything is fully healed.
Blossom can't just walk about the field eating grass like most ponies - she gallops about most of the day instead. So I would just be asking for an injury in this weather especially with her missing a shoe.
Blossom can't just walk about the field eating grass like most ponies - she gallops about most of the day instead. So I would just be asking for an injury in this weather especially with her missing a shoe.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Sunday 16th December
Today Blossom's leg didn't have any heat or swelling - so I think her tendons are ok!! I left her in today anyway as the ground was really hard, think it was minus 3 degrees at the farm this morning!! So I didn't want to risk her galloping about on the hard ground, plus she is still a bit lame without her shoe!
This morning I just walked her out in hand, she was really well behaved. We done more work on her walking beside me, stopping and backing.
Tonight I decided to ride her round the field, I expected to have to get off as she tends to get really excited. But she was the complete opposite! She actually kept stopping to eat grass.. She has never done this before with me on her - I actually had to go through my phases to get her going again. It was so nice to be on her and for her to be relaxed for a change, hopefully this will start to happen more often.
This morning I just walked her out in hand, she was really well behaved. We done more work on her walking beside me, stopping and backing.
Tonight I decided to ride her round the field, I expected to have to get off as she tends to get really excited. But she was the complete opposite! She actually kept stopping to eat grass.. She has never done this before with me on her - I actually had to go through my phases to get her going again. It was so nice to be on her and for her to be relaxed for a change, hopefully this will start to happen more often.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Saturday 15th December
This morning Blossom's leg still had a bit of heat in it, but there was no swelling. I was so glad, I think she has just strained it a bit with her gallop to the gate. She is still lame on the hard ground, but I think this is more to do with her having lost a shoe than her tendon. She does tend to go lame if she losses a shoe, the farrier is coming on Friday to do them anyway so she will get new shoes then.
So this morning we started with friendly with the hose again and hosed her leg, then we went for a walk round the field. I used this as a opportunity to work on our leading problems, so done a lot of walk to stand and some back up.
Tonight there was very little heat if any in her leg, but I decided to hose it just to be on the safe side. She must know I am trying to help her as she is being so well behaved and stands perfect for the hose and to get her bandages on.
Hopefully tomorrow there will be no heat and she can maybe go out for a couple of hours. Well I'm off to read the old level two booklets on the Impulsion programmes to see if that will help me with some of our ridden problems. Then going to watch the Parelli Masterclass on Sky - can't wait for the second part!!
So this morning we started with friendly with the hose again and hosed her leg, then we went for a walk round the field. I used this as a opportunity to work on our leading problems, so done a lot of walk to stand and some back up.
Tonight there was very little heat if any in her leg, but I decided to hose it just to be on the safe side. She must know I am trying to help her as she is being so well behaved and stands perfect for the hose and to get her bandages on.
Hopefully tomorrow there will be no heat and she can maybe go out for a couple of hours. Well I'm off to read the old level two booklets on the Impulsion programmes to see if that will help me with some of our ridden problems. Then going to watch the Parelli Masterclass on Sky - can't wait for the second part!!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Friday 14th December
Tonight my hangover had cleared a bit, so I was going to go out and play with Blossom. But she came in from the field lame!! When Kelly went to catch them she seemingly galloped flat out to the gate.. So I don't know if she has hurt herself doing that. She has lost a front shoe and also has heat in her tendon on the same leg. I just hope her tendon hasn't gone again, fingers crossed!!
So instead we played friendly game with the hose, as I had wanted to cold hose her to try and prevent any swelling or further injury. She was so well behaved, she actually stood with her head right down while I was hosing her! I was so happy with her.
So instead we played friendly game with the hose, as I had wanted to cold hose her to try and prevent any swelling or further injury. She was so well behaved, she actually stood with her head right down while I was hosing her! I was so happy with her.
Thursday 13th December
Today we had ou Secret Santa at work, well our not so secret Santa!! I got a Hula Hoop.. I thought it was great but all my work colleauges now think Im mad cause I told them it was for the horse!
We have our works Christmas party today, so I don't think I will get out to play with Blossom with it until the weekend. It is massive, so I hope to try and work on Blossom getting all four feet inside!!
We have our works Christmas party today, so I don't think I will get out to play with Blossom with it until the weekend. It is massive, so I hope to try and work on Blossom getting all four feet inside!!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tuesday 11th December
Tonight I set up some obstacles in the field and also had the trailer hooked up to play with.
We started of in the field and done a little work on our porcupine game, I haven't been doing this very much the last couple of weeks and it shows. Blossom is now trying to move forward away from the pressure instead of yielding, so we will need to keep working on this. We played with putting a foot in a tyre, she was pretty unconfident to start with but as soon as she realised what I was asking her to do she relaxed! We the moved on to playing on the 22ft rope, we started with the circling game and then moved on to the yo yo game. She trotted back to me tonight, I was so excited!!
We then moved on to the trailer and played on the ramp, using circles and squeeze games. She didn't seem very confident tonight, so we played with this a bit longer than we normally do, until I felt she was confident enough to go in.
She went straight in after the third send, so we retreated and went back to play in the field. We played with the tarp, well the gazebo side. We started with just walking over it, then moved on to asking her to stop and wait on it. Then we moved back to the trailer, she was playing up quite a bit tonight. I'm still not sure if it is dominance or fear.. What I have been doing is letting her leave if she wants as I don't want to make it about the trailer, and so she feels trapped. But then I ask her back round, she tends to run to the other side if the trailer again. Once I get more firm with her and get her to relax again at the bottom of the ramp we play some friendly game, then she tends just to walk in herself. So we then retreated and went to play in the field again doing figure of eight around the barrels, she is getting good at this now. Then we went back to the trailer and she went in, so I played with her going in a step out a step.
She seems to be getting more confident every time we play, but I still don't feel she is ready for the back bar or the ramp up yet..
We started of in the field and done a little work on our porcupine game, I haven't been doing this very much the last couple of weeks and it shows. Blossom is now trying to move forward away from the pressure instead of yielding, so we will need to keep working on this. We played with putting a foot in a tyre, she was pretty unconfident to start with but as soon as she realised what I was asking her to do she relaxed! We the moved on to playing on the 22ft rope, we started with the circling game and then moved on to the yo yo game. She trotted back to me tonight, I was so excited!!
We then moved on to the trailer and played on the ramp, using circles and squeeze games. She didn't seem very confident tonight, so we played with this a bit longer than we normally do, until I felt she was confident enough to go in.
She went straight in after the third send, so we retreated and went back to play in the field. We played with the tarp, well the gazebo side. We started with just walking over it, then moved on to asking her to stop and wait on it. Then we moved back to the trailer, she was playing up quite a bit tonight. I'm still not sure if it is dominance or fear.. What I have been doing is letting her leave if she wants as I don't want to make it about the trailer, and so she feels trapped. But then I ask her back round, she tends to run to the other side if the trailer again. Once I get more firm with her and get her to relax again at the bottom of the ramp we play some friendly game, then she tends just to walk in herself. So we then retreated and went to play in the field again doing figure of eight around the barrels, she is getting good at this now. Then we went back to the trailer and she went in, so I played with her going in a step out a step.
She seems to be getting more confident every time we play, but I still don't feel she is ready for the back bar or the ramp up yet..
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Sunday 9th December
The weather on Saturday was horrible, so I wasn't able to do anything with Blossom - I got soaked just coming up from the field with her!
Sunday morning wasn't much better, but when I went back over in the afternoon to bring the ponies in it had stopped raining so I thought I would make the most of it. I put her saddle on in the stable, she was quite grumpy about this. I think I will need to start doing this more often and just leave her with the saddle on, so she can start to think of it more as a nice thing rather than a bad thing.
We went out to the field and had a play with the seven games, she had some problems with the squeeze game. So we done work on that, squeezing through jump fillers, squeezing past me and a fence. Once she was more confident with that, we moved on to squeezing over a jump. I think the problem might have been because she had the saddle on, think il need to do more work on this to get her confident with it.
I then done yo yo's through the jump fillers, I'm trying to work on her confidence backing up to objects. As I think this is one of the reasons she has problems with trailer loading, as she doesn't like it when I put the back bar up. So hopefully if I can get her confident outside the trailer in this zone, she will be confident in the trailer..
I then went into the school and done a little bit of work on my lateral flexion before I mounted. Once I was on I just sat there for a few minutes rubbing her, then done a bit of pushing passenger. We done some work with her back up, I was really happy that we got a couple of steps backwards. Usually she just pushes into the pressure and goes forward. We then tried to get some sideways using a fence, she didn't understand what I was asking her to do so I got my cs to help her by driving the zones away. She was good and we got a few steps in both directions. She still seemed quite calm so we done some trot, to start with she was fine and stayed relaxed. But it didn't take very long for her to loose her confidence and become more RB again. I used lateral flexion to try and calm her, but it didn't work to well as soon as she went forward again she was trying to go faster! I had recently watched the ss dvd on impulsion and got some great ideas from that to use on her when she goes RB. But typical I couldn't remember any of it - my mind went totally blank. So instead I just jumped off and played with her on the ground to get her confidence back before we finished as it was getting dark.
Sunday morning wasn't much better, but when I went back over in the afternoon to bring the ponies in it had stopped raining so I thought I would make the most of it. I put her saddle on in the stable, she was quite grumpy about this. I think I will need to start doing this more often and just leave her with the saddle on, so she can start to think of it more as a nice thing rather than a bad thing.
We went out to the field and had a play with the seven games, she had some problems with the squeeze game. So we done work on that, squeezing through jump fillers, squeezing past me and a fence. Once she was more confident with that, we moved on to squeezing over a jump. I think the problem might have been because she had the saddle on, think il need to do more work on this to get her confident with it.
I then done yo yo's through the jump fillers, I'm trying to work on her confidence backing up to objects. As I think this is one of the reasons she has problems with trailer loading, as she doesn't like it when I put the back bar up. So hopefully if I can get her confident outside the trailer in this zone, she will be confident in the trailer..
I then went into the school and done a little bit of work on my lateral flexion before I mounted. Once I was on I just sat there for a few minutes rubbing her, then done a bit of pushing passenger. We done some work with her back up, I was really happy that we got a couple of steps backwards. Usually she just pushes into the pressure and goes forward. We then tried to get some sideways using a fence, she didn't understand what I was asking her to do so I got my cs to help her by driving the zones away. She was good and we got a few steps in both directions. She still seemed quite calm so we done some trot, to start with she was fine and stayed relaxed. But it didn't take very long for her to loose her confidence and become more RB again. I used lateral flexion to try and calm her, but it didn't work to well as soon as she went forward again she was trying to go faster! I had recently watched the ss dvd on impulsion and got some great ideas from that to use on her when she goes RB. But typical I couldn't remember any of it - my mind went totally blank. So instead I just jumped off and played with her on the ground to get her confidence back before we finished as it was getting dark.
Friday 7th December
Tonight we went out and played with the trailer again.
We started with playing some games around the trailer today instead of on the grass. We started with playing circling game on the ramp, she was very confident with this even to the right side. We then played yo yo's with me standing on the ramp, she had some problems going backwards to start with as I think she actually wanted in the trailer.. Then we done sideways all the way round the car and trailer both ways - she seemed very confident with this which surprised me! We finished warming up by squeezing over the ramp, she started getting curious about getting in the trailer so I thought I should take what she was offering.
The first time of asking her in the trailer, she went in to her usual comfort spot. Front feet in the trailer and her back feet just on the top of the ramp. So I left her there and then asked her out. Second time going in she went just a little further and the third time she went straight in!!
But then a tractor drove into the yard, with a trailer full of cattle. So that panicked her and made her come out of the trailer at some speed!! So we played some games round the trailer again to gain her confidence again, while they unloaded the cattle.
When we approached the trailer again, she went back into her usual comfort spot. So I played lots of friendly in zone 4 and 5 as she still seems to have some problems in this area when she is in the trailer. We then retreated but she started going backwards and more backwards! I thought this was a unconfident issue to start with, but then she showed it more to be a dominance issue. So I had to then become more firm with her and this really seemed to work! I decided to forget the trailer for a bit as I think I was maybe making it too much about the trailer. So we played lots of yo yo's as this game really seems to work for her and gets her to listen to me more. We then played squeeze game using the side of the trailer, she had some issues doing this to the right so we done quite a bit of work on that until she was confident again.
When we moved back to the trailer and asked her in, she went straight in! So I gave her loads of time to stand there. I then felt she was confident enough to shut the divider over, which she seemed fine with. But when I went to put the back bar over, she seemed to loose her confidence and wanted out.. So I let her come out and then asked her back in, I decided to forget about the back bar for tonight and just work more on friendly game in zone four and five.
By the end of the session I had her backing out a couple of steps then going back in, then out, then in. This really showed me she was confident and that it was a good place to stop.
We started with playing some games around the trailer today instead of on the grass. We started with playing circling game on the ramp, she was very confident with this even to the right side. We then played yo yo's with me standing on the ramp, she had some problems going backwards to start with as I think she actually wanted in the trailer.. Then we done sideways all the way round the car and trailer both ways - she seemed very confident with this which surprised me! We finished warming up by squeezing over the ramp, she started getting curious about getting in the trailer so I thought I should take what she was offering.
The first time of asking her in the trailer, she went in to her usual comfort spot. Front feet in the trailer and her back feet just on the top of the ramp. So I left her there and then asked her out. Second time going in she went just a little further and the third time she went straight in!!
But then a tractor drove into the yard, with a trailer full of cattle. So that panicked her and made her come out of the trailer at some speed!! So we played some games round the trailer again to gain her confidence again, while they unloaded the cattle.
When we approached the trailer again, she went back into her usual comfort spot. So I played lots of friendly in zone 4 and 5 as she still seems to have some problems in this area when she is in the trailer. We then retreated but she started going backwards and more backwards! I thought this was a unconfident issue to start with, but then she showed it more to be a dominance issue. So I had to then become more firm with her and this really seemed to work! I decided to forget the trailer for a bit as I think I was maybe making it too much about the trailer. So we played lots of yo yo's as this game really seems to work for her and gets her to listen to me more. We then played squeeze game using the side of the trailer, she had some issues doing this to the right so we done quite a bit of work on that until she was confident again.
When we moved back to the trailer and asked her in, she went straight in! So I gave her loads of time to stand there. I then felt she was confident enough to shut the divider over, which she seemed fine with. But when I went to put the back bar over, she seemed to loose her confidence and wanted out.. So I let her come out and then asked her back in, I decided to forget about the back bar for tonight and just work more on friendly game in zone four and five.
By the end of the session I had her backing out a couple of steps then going back in, then out, then in. This really showed me she was confident and that it was a good place to stop.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Thursday 6th December
Well the past couple of nights I have been in Aberdeen, so haven't been able to do anything with the ponies!
So tonight I decided to play with the trailer again with Blossom. It was a horrible windy night, Blossoms doesn't like the wind so I knew it was going to be a challenge!
We started with just playing with the seven games on the grass, she was really full of herself, so I had to put alot of effort into keeping her out of my space!
Once she had settled and was listening to me we moved to the trailer. I started with just getting her to squeeze passed me next to the ramp in each direction - she was really confidnet about it, even to the right!
We then moved on to circling over the ramp, she done it a few times in each direction. Then decided she wanted to go in the trailer, she would stop on the ramp and put her nose in the trailer then try and walk in. So I played the game of don't go in the trailer. I would let her stop if she wanted and smell but I didn't want her to go right in. I think this really worked and made her really curious about getting in the trailer!
When I asked her to go in the trailer she walked forward very confident and stopped half way in the trailer. So her front feet were in but her back feet were still on the top of the ramp. I would leave her for a bit then back her out. When I asked her in the second time she went straight in, I was so proud of her!! But typical just as she seemed relaxed a big gust of wind came and really rocked the trailer and made loads of noise! So this scared Blossom so she came out quite paniced, so we played with yo yo's on the ramp to try and build her confidnce up again. when I asked her in again she went to the same spot as she went the first time we loaded. So we done lots of approach and retreat to try and get her confident again. Gradually she would go in a bit further, but always seemed to want to keep at least one back foot on the ramp. She was really doing lots of licking and chewing and really seemed to be exploring the trailer more, really sniffing the ground. I decided to take the front breast bar down, so she could go all the way in if she wanted, she seemed to be really curious about the floor near the front of the trailer but the bar was stopping her going any further forward. So as soon as I asked her in again, she went right in, all four feet in the trailer. But she wasn't confident yet and would come out herself pretty quickly. So again we done lots of approach and retreat. I also done more friendly game in zone 4 and 5 with her, I feel that when she is going in the trailer she is theN panicing because she is expecting us to shut the divider and ramp on her. Playing friendly in these zones really seemed to help her as by the end she was standing with all four feet in the trailer munching a haynet. I should mention this haynet as been in the trailer since we started playing on Monday and she has never even looked at it before. This really showed me she was confident!! So I tried just shutting the back end of the divider accross, I didn't lock it in place but it did make the space smaller. She did turn round to have a look at what I was doing, but stayed in the trailer happily eating her hay. So I done some more coming out the trailer going in the trailer and everytime she went straight in and went back to her hay!!
I was really happy with her tonight and did feel she was more confident, it took us an hour tonight to get this, but I think if we hadn't had the scare at the begining it would have been alot shorter!
So tonight I decided to play with the trailer again with Blossom. It was a horrible windy night, Blossoms doesn't like the wind so I knew it was going to be a challenge!
We started with just playing with the seven games on the grass, she was really full of herself, so I had to put alot of effort into keeping her out of my space!
Once she had settled and was listening to me we moved to the trailer. I started with just getting her to squeeze passed me next to the ramp in each direction - she was really confidnet about it, even to the right!
We then moved on to circling over the ramp, she done it a few times in each direction. Then decided she wanted to go in the trailer, she would stop on the ramp and put her nose in the trailer then try and walk in. So I played the game of don't go in the trailer. I would let her stop if she wanted and smell but I didn't want her to go right in. I think this really worked and made her really curious about getting in the trailer!
When I asked her to go in the trailer she walked forward very confident and stopped half way in the trailer. So her front feet were in but her back feet were still on the top of the ramp. I would leave her for a bit then back her out. When I asked her in the second time she went straight in, I was so proud of her!! But typical just as she seemed relaxed a big gust of wind came and really rocked the trailer and made loads of noise! So this scared Blossom so she came out quite paniced, so we played with yo yo's on the ramp to try and build her confidnce up again. when I asked her in again she went to the same spot as she went the first time we loaded. So we done lots of approach and retreat to try and get her confident again. Gradually she would go in a bit further, but always seemed to want to keep at least one back foot on the ramp. She was really doing lots of licking and chewing and really seemed to be exploring the trailer more, really sniffing the ground. I decided to take the front breast bar down, so she could go all the way in if she wanted, she seemed to be really curious about the floor near the front of the trailer but the bar was stopping her going any further forward. So as soon as I asked her in again, she went right in, all four feet in the trailer. But she wasn't confident yet and would come out herself pretty quickly. So again we done lots of approach and retreat. I also done more friendly game in zone 4 and 5 with her, I feel that when she is going in the trailer she is theN panicing because she is expecting us to shut the divider and ramp on her. Playing friendly in these zones really seemed to help her as by the end she was standing with all four feet in the trailer munching a haynet. I should mention this haynet as been in the trailer since we started playing on Monday and she has never even looked at it before. This really showed me she was confident!! So I tried just shutting the back end of the divider accross, I didn't lock it in place but it did make the space smaller. She did turn round to have a look at what I was doing, but stayed in the trailer happily eating her hay. So I done some more coming out the trailer going in the trailer and everytime she went straight in and went back to her hay!!
I was really happy with her tonight and did feel she was more confident, it took us an hour tonight to get this, but I think if we hadn't had the scare at the begining it would have been alot shorter!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Monday 3rd December
Today I decided to work on our trailer loading. Blossom is having lots of problems with this just now, so if I want to keep our training up through the winter months I will need to hire indoor schools so I need her to travel.
I started with just playing the seven games with her on the grass, she was quite full of herself so it took a good 20mins to settle her enough so she was listening to me.
When I approached the trailer, which was parked in the middle of the yard. I could feel Blossom getting nervous, so I turned and walk away. I done this several times until I felt she was confident enough to approach the trailer. We then started with playing the circling game over the ramp, she started by doing this really quick so her feet where hardly on the ramp then off again. The more we done it the calmer she was, and she started walking over the ramp in walk looking very confident. She was better to the left than she was to the right but that didn't surprise me and I was very happy with how well she was doing. So we then started squeezing over the ramp, she done this very well on both reins.
So I thought we should move on to trying to load.. When asked to go in the trailer she would stand with both front feet on the ramp, but lost all confidence if I asked for anymore. So I would leave her for a couple of minutes, then ask her to back of the ramp, then ask her forward again. I kept doing this until she was confidently standing with all four feet on the ramp, she would then stretch her neck out so her head was inside the trailer. This showed me that she was getting confident so I could then ask for more. So using the same method of approach and retreat we managed to get the front feet inside the trailer - this took her alot longer to get confident than I had expected but I gave her the time she needed and it paid off. It was really interesting to watch her as every time we got further in the trailer and she got confident she didn't want to leave that spot. Even trying to get her to go back I had to really go up my phases, then when I asked her to go in again she would think about going in further but then take a step back to her comfort spot again. So I just used a lot of approach and retreat until she was confident enough to go in a bit further. It really seemed to work as 2 hours later I had her loading in and out of the trailer! She wasn't 100% confident when she was right in so I would retreat after only 5 secs so she kept her confidence. I done this about 6 times maybe more before I called it a night. I hope the next time we play with this she will be more confident and it will take us less time to get the same result.
I started with just playing the seven games with her on the grass, she was quite full of herself so it took a good 20mins to settle her enough so she was listening to me.
When I approached the trailer, which was parked in the middle of the yard. I could feel Blossom getting nervous, so I turned and walk away. I done this several times until I felt she was confident enough to approach the trailer. We then started with playing the circling game over the ramp, she started by doing this really quick so her feet where hardly on the ramp then off again. The more we done it the calmer she was, and she started walking over the ramp in walk looking very confident. She was better to the left than she was to the right but that didn't surprise me and I was very happy with how well she was doing. So we then started squeezing over the ramp, she done this very well on both reins.
So I thought we should move on to trying to load.. When asked to go in the trailer she would stand with both front feet on the ramp, but lost all confidence if I asked for anymore. So I would leave her for a couple of minutes, then ask her to back of the ramp, then ask her forward again. I kept doing this until she was confidently standing with all four feet on the ramp, she would then stretch her neck out so her head was inside the trailer. This showed me that she was getting confident so I could then ask for more. So using the same method of approach and retreat we managed to get the front feet inside the trailer - this took her alot longer to get confident than I had expected but I gave her the time she needed and it paid off. It was really interesting to watch her as every time we got further in the trailer and she got confident she didn't want to leave that spot. Even trying to get her to go back I had to really go up my phases, then when I asked her to go in again she would think about going in further but then take a step back to her comfort spot again. So I just used a lot of approach and retreat until she was confident enough to go in a bit further. It really seemed to work as 2 hours later I had her loading in and out of the trailer! She wasn't 100% confident when she was right in so I would retreat after only 5 secs so she kept her confidence. I done this about 6 times maybe more before I called it a night. I hope the next time we play with this she will be more confident and it will take us less time to get the same result.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sunday 2nd December
Today I was going to clip Kathleen's horse for her so I decided to take Blossom with me. Well I have found that we have a hole in trailer loading!! I have never had problems with Blossom loading before I started Parelli, which is strange. But I think she is now confident with as me as a leader to show me her fears. It took about five minutes of approach and retreat to load her to go, once she is in she does seem settled. But I don't think she likes travelling herself and she did shout a bit throughout the journey. When we did arrive (it was only a 45min drive) she was quite settled in the trailer so we unloaded her and put her in a spare stable while I clipped Spot. We then headed out to play in the school, Blossom walked by my side down to the school and stopped when I stopped I was really pleased with her as there was the other horses galloping about the field next to us. Once in the school we played some friendly game, then moved on to the yo yo game. She was more confident today going backwards online than she was yesterday. We then played with the circling game, I was actually having to ask her to trot on the circle as she was just walking round. Strange Blossom not wanting to go fast!! Again today sideways was good, we are still using a fence because I want to make sure she is totally confident with this before we move on! There was lovely pig shaped jump fillers that I just had to use - so I got Blossom to squeeze through them, I expected her to be quite nervous about these as they were really bright pink!! But she just walked through, turned and faced. Again to the right she was a little more hesitant but she is getting better with this. We then played with some trotting poles and a jump and stopped after she jumped with me on her right, I was so proud of her!! I then played with Spot as Kathleen was having some problems with driving the HQ. I got Spot to do a lovely few steps - what we did find was Kathleen hasn't found her phase 4 so Spot isn't really listening to her yet.
I then mounted up on Blossom and walked round the school checking my laterel flexion on both riens, so I knew she was going to be safe to hack. We then went for a walk down the road, Blossom seemed to love it. The roads were quite flooded due to all the rain and a burst pipe at the side of the road, so I made the most of the situation and got Blossom walking through the puddles! She was really calm most of the way, but I think she was getting quite annoyed having to keep stopping to wait for Spot to catch up - he is such a slow walker. So at these points she did get quite jumpy and didn't won't to stand still, so I used lateral flexion to stop her. But even then as soon as I asked her to go forward again she would get all prancy, at one point she ended up facing backwards so I made the most of it and asked for back up. This really seemed to work as once we turned round she walked nicely the whole way back.
The real problems started when we tried to load her again!! I Think it took a good 20 mins before she was confident enough to walk in. But even then she could have done with alot more approach and retreat than I was able to give her there. It was starting to get dark and I really didn't want to make the situation worse for her. So as soon as she went in semi confident, I had to leave her in, so we could get home. I hope to do some work on trailer loading this week, as I would really like to sort this problem out now as I want to be able to go places with Blossom. So I want to know that she is going to be happy travelling!
I then mounted up on Blossom and walked round the school checking my laterel flexion on both riens, so I knew she was going to be safe to hack. We then went for a walk down the road, Blossom seemed to love it. The roads were quite flooded due to all the rain and a burst pipe at the side of the road, so I made the most of the situation and got Blossom walking through the puddles! She was really calm most of the way, but I think she was getting quite annoyed having to keep stopping to wait for Spot to catch up - he is such a slow walker. So at these points she did get quite jumpy and didn't won't to stand still, so I used lateral flexion to stop her. But even then as soon as I asked her to go forward again she would get all prancy, at one point she ended up facing backwards so I made the most of it and asked for back up. This really seemed to work as once we turned round she walked nicely the whole way back.
The real problems started when we tried to load her again!! I Think it took a good 20 mins before she was confident enough to walk in. But even then she could have done with alot more approach and retreat than I was able to give her there. It was starting to get dark and I really didn't want to make the situation worse for her. So as soon as she went in semi confident, I had to leave her in, so we could get home. I hope to do some work on trailer loading this week, as I would really like to sort this problem out now as I want to be able to go places with Blossom. So I want to know that she is going to be happy travelling!
Saturday 1st December
Today me and Kris went for a walk round the farm to find obstacles to play with. We started with playing in a puddle, Blossom was really good. She started by having one foot in the puddle then putting her nose in - then just walked through it. Our next challenge was to play circling game, we positioned ourselves so that the horses had to go down a small hill into a field, then back out on to the track, then back down into another field. It was really interesting as Blossom started on a circle going really quick, but then realised she had to slow down and think about where she was going or she would fall. We then headed up the woods to find more obstacles to play with - on the way I was getting Blossom to squeeze through the puddles, she was great!! I think she really likes the water!
The next challenge was to do a figure of eight around two tyres, I have been doing this quite alot with Blossom and I think it is starting to show as she done it really well. I think we will need to try this in trot soon.. Next we had to back the horses up to the tyre jump until their hocks touched the jump. I have never done this with Blossom before, and I could tell she was starting to loss her confidence as she kept turning round to look at the jump behind her then trying to walk forward again. I got her so she was about a metre a way from the jump, and decided that was enough for her, as I felt she was really trying hard. This is something we can now work on. Our next obstacle was a a tree next to a wall and we had to get the horses to squeeze through. It was quite a difficult challenge for them as there were low branches on the other side and also some branches on the ground. Blossom was good going through, a turned and faced at the other side. But was a little hesitant to go through the other way. I'm still not convinced this was a confidence issue, I think she was being cheeky as she had found a lovely bit of grass to munch. But after me asking her again she went through fine. We then played sideways with a log, Blossom was better than she had been the last time she played with this game. She seemed more confident and was really trying hard, I'm glad this game is getting better again. Kris set the next challenge of sitting on a log and getting the horse to squeeze over the log. I didn't think this was a good idea for me to try this as Blossom still isn't very confident jumping. So instead we played sideways again, with me sitting on the log. She was really good and seemed to know exactly what I was asking. Kris then decided to go back with Iona as she had already done some work before they came out. So me and Blossom moved on to squeezing over some of the smaller logs, she was great with me in her left eye but it took a few attempts using approach and retreat for her to jump with me in her right eye. I then thought it would be a good idea to do some work on leading as she doesn't always stop when I stop. We done lots of walk to stand to back up, it took quite a bit of work at the start to stop her going in front of me. If she when in front I would wiggle my rope and move my stick in front of her to back her up, and if she moved to the side after stopping I would use my stick to drive her back round. After around 20 mins of playing this, she was stopping with me and backing when I backed. It felt great!! So I thought that this would be a good place to stop.
The next challenge was to do a figure of eight around two tyres, I have been doing this quite alot with Blossom and I think it is starting to show as she done it really well. I think we will need to try this in trot soon.. Next we had to back the horses up to the tyre jump until their hocks touched the jump. I have never done this with Blossom before, and I could tell she was starting to loss her confidence as she kept turning round to look at the jump behind her then trying to walk forward again. I got her so she was about a metre a way from the jump, and decided that was enough for her, as I felt she was really trying hard. This is something we can now work on. Our next obstacle was a a tree next to a wall and we had to get the horses to squeeze through. It was quite a difficult challenge for them as there were low branches on the other side and also some branches on the ground. Blossom was good going through, a turned and faced at the other side. But was a little hesitant to go through the other way. I'm still not convinced this was a confidence issue, I think she was being cheeky as she had found a lovely bit of grass to munch. But after me asking her again she went through fine. We then played sideways with a log, Blossom was better than she had been the last time she played with this game. She seemed more confident and was really trying hard, I'm glad this game is getting better again. Kris set the next challenge of sitting on a log and getting the horse to squeeze over the log. I didn't think this was a good idea for me to try this as Blossom still isn't very confident jumping. So instead we played sideways again, with me sitting on the log. She was really good and seemed to know exactly what I was asking. Kris then decided to go back with Iona as she had already done some work before they came out. So me and Blossom moved on to squeezing over some of the smaller logs, she was great with me in her left eye but it took a few attempts using approach and retreat for her to jump with me in her right eye. I then thought it would be a good idea to do some work on leading as she doesn't always stop when I stop. We done lots of walk to stand to back up, it took quite a bit of work at the start to stop her going in front of me. If she when in front I would wiggle my rope and move my stick in front of her to back her up, and if she moved to the side after stopping I would use my stick to drive her back round. After around 20 mins of playing this, she was stopping with me and backing when I backed. It felt great!! So I thought that this would be a good place to stop.
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