Woodsy Walks and Calm rides

So I NEED NEED NEED to add my Buck notes from the Clinic to the blog.  I keep procrastinating.  Work was so busy up until last week, and then I brought my journal home.  I just keep forgetting.  But October was half productive, half lazy with Chief.  I rode a lot in the beginning of the month, but the last two weeks of the month I was really just doing a lot of groundwork, walking Chief around the property and being uninspired and lazy.  Earlier in the month he was pretty girthy (probably bc I was slacking on my work with him) but as of now he has been as tame as a puppy as of these last two rides this past weekend.

So just to re-run our last week together:

October 24 and 25th we were away for Sierra’s bday.

Tuesday Oct 27th-  This was my typical lesson night but I was feeling so lazy! It was kind of cold and a little windy and I was in a blah mood.  So I was not really feeling like riding, but I really was excited to do some ground work.  So we put some ground poles down, and chief handled them like a champ.  I had never lunged him over poles before, but it was fun and new for me and him together… I really had a good time this night.  I always am so proud of Chief when he takes on something new like a champ.  Who knows, it was probably old hat to him.  He is approx 16 after all.

Thurs Oct 29-  Lazy again, Groundwork.  Solid 30 mins.  We have been working on backing and Chief yielding to pressure off of either me poking him (and adjusting the pressure) or using his stirrup if I have him saddled.

Sat Oct 31-  Chief was a superstar! Solid 25 mins of groundwork, 45 Minutes of riding.  I saddled him and he walked off like a champ without being cinchy.  We did some really nice walk trot work, and some nice transitions.  I was lucky enough that Astrid came while I was working him and helped me with adjusting my body to transition downward from a trot a little more comfortable.  Whenever I want to sit trot from posting, I always feel rather sloppy.  But Chief felt wonderful under saddle, was giving me a nice extended trot, and I made sure to tell him he was a super star.  Then we took a walk by ourselves around one large cornfield.  Astrid was nice enough to watch me walk him by the “scary stuff” (tractor, some wood, some plastic bag like stuff the farmers have been using that keeps blowing in the wind) just in case he had a melt down over something.  But he was a trooper… Was a little nervy about a couple things, but nothing that he really even reacted to.  Great day.

Sunday Nov 1- What a great day!  Craig and  I went to church in the morning and then stopped at the Horse Part to watch some barrel racing.  It was really fun 🙂  Some of the people seemed a little confused, and even a little scary to watch, but most people seemed really like they had some nice horses and were having a good time.  We only watched 4 rounds bc they kept having to drag the arena.  The fumes in that place were giving us headaches so we took off.

I met Astrid at the farm and we went on a nice trail ride after some light ring work, and I only did like 10 mins of ground work before I mounted! That was huge for me! But I could tell how nice and calm Chief was as soon as I saddled him.  He has one tiny tiny little reaction when I gave him a little leg from the mounting block.  Astrid instructed me to just stand with him until he relaxed, and sure enough he took a nice deep breath,  Walk/ trot we were good to go after that.  We took a nice walk through the woods and around the farm.  Chief loves to follow Crystal and seems pretty unfazed by a lot of stuff. No deer have jumped out at us yet and I really hope that doesn’t happen tonight or tomorrow.  He stood really nicely also when we took breaks, and was really just a relaxed gentleman.

Tonight and tomo are riding nights too! it is 70 degrees here in Central jersey.