The Lightning In Camelot and Looking to the Future!

The Lightning in Camelot!

It was our first camping trip of the year. The weather was beautiful! Even though Camelot Equestrian Park is a “work in progress” the site and the land were really inspirational! Our set up team of four arrived on site about 1:30pm Friday afternoon and began setting up our “medieval themed” camp site. We had a large communal tent (called The Gallery) which overlooked the horse pens, a kitchen set up boasting a barbecue grill and four burner camp stove plus a food prep area. The “Condo” tent, which had a dining room (we had dinner Friday night in there), a foyer and the sleeping quarters! Folks started to roll in about 4:30pm and the party got started! We took a walk around the site to get familiar with the layout and some of our brave and energetic Brumbies saddled up and hit the trail to see the sunset! Friday we had a mellow dinner together where much laughter occurred and the wine did flow!

Saturday morning came early. 14 hors/human teams plus guests came together to create an great experience! Some of the horses were a bit noisy as they settled in and the sound of the ranch hands running to a fro on the quad-runners let us know it was time to get up and get the day started.  After morning chores we had breakfast and made use of the hot showers! Feeling refreshed the Brumbies took pat in the first workshop of the weekend. Much was shared and learned! A lunch break happened and we then hit the arenas and once the pre-ride checks were done we took the adventure out to the trail. One group found the “swimming pond” and enjoyed getting cooled off as their horses played. Another group hit the obstacles and water course. Eventually everyone got together and we rode as a group, enjoying all the training opportunities and new experiences. Tired and smiling we headed back to camp to get ready for dinner. Horses were tucked into their enclosures and the humans laid out a great meal. As the camp fire cast a warm glow on the faces of the Brumbies we shared stories and laughter well into the evening.

Sunday morning we did it all again! The Brumbies arose and tended horses, enjoyed breakfast and got ready for the day. We had TWO more workshops and some one-on-one lesson time as folks took time to work on their skills and confidence. Lunch soon followed and before long folks were saddled up and off to hot the trails, the loping track and the water course (again-it was a favorite). We really pushed our riding dynamics together, offering support and instruction as we enjoyed the amazing vistas laid out before us. One of the horses got a small injury on Sunday and  the Brumbies stepped in and helped to patch the gelding up (who enjoyed being the center of attention). As we headed home there was a quite sadness that the weekend was just about over. Discussions of coming to visit Camelot again were bantered about and it seems we will be back. We began to tear down and pack up as we said our goodbyes to friends both old and new. The set up team headed off site about 7:30pm. It was a full weekend and a success on many levels. Experiences like this enrich our horsemanship and our hearts. We are all looking forward eagerly to the events this season and the opportunities they will provide. This is what the Brumbies is all about!

Pictures of our adventures can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.450771128334028.1073741828.123626137715197&type=1

What is next for the Lightning?

We survived the first camping trip together.

Brody was a rock star (heck, most of the 14 horses were rock stars thanks to the Method). After a LONG day on Saturday it was suggested that Brody would look good in English tack. Sigh. So a Brumbie tacked him up and rode around camp. As his human I was goaded into getting in the saddle (I already had a few adult beverages and expressed that an English saddle was a slick spot on a horse that humans fall off of). Brody took a total of FIVE (5) rides for a jaunt before he got put back. Poor guy was tired but what a champ! On Sunday he was jumping over a stone/wood wall at Camelot and got distracted by a very pretty mare. He misjudged the leap and caught his left front knee on the log top of the wall. He must have caught a sharp edge or something because he put a 3" gash on his knee. So we headed back to camp to clean him up. Today (Thursday) thanks to quick clean up, help from some Brumbie and using Vertricyn (sp?) every day he is healing really well and seems to have no issues with movement or swelling at all. Tomorrow we will attempt some ground work and (hopefully) some work under saddle. This Sunday we are going to attend a living history group's equestrian practice. There we will expose Brody and Argent to some medieval style gymkhana games and some new scary objects. Should be fun! The rest of the month will be training as usual and then in May we go to Trail Ready Ranch for a Brumbies gathering with a focus on round pen work, scary objects, arena work and a beautiful trail ride. Brody's old family may actually attend! Should be a great time!

Training with the Lightning: A Three Month Review

The Three Month Evaluation

It has been three months since we brought Brody home. We have found where is strengths and challenges are to be sure. We have pushed him hard and exposed him to a whole new existence. Reviewing this journey tells us a great deal about how much Brody has adapted and changed in just 90 days. We have had many good days and a few memorable bad days along the way. Having a program and an approach has been awesome. Yet, some days the frustration hits us and that messes with our training flow. As Clinton likes to say “Be black and white with no shades of gray. In other words don’t be a nagging mother.” When those rare days of frustration or confusion pop up they are jarring. Laurie and I keep saying that “it’s a journey, not a race” and step back, breath in, breath out and move on.  So, last night we sat down and looked at where we started and where we are now. We asked the hard questions about his fit with our family and his future. We thought long and hard if we were the best fit for him. We’ve done this with every horse we have worked with in the last four years. It is a process that allows us to remain objective while giving the best love, care and training we can.

STRENGTHS: Brody is a very willing horse. He really does try his best for you every time even when he is tired. Brody learns pretty quickly too. He picks up concepts after just few tries. Brody thrives on praise and looks for it from his human. He likes the cuddles as well as the activity. Brody is also very forgiving, especially if the human he is paired with praises him/gives him breaks when the human makes a mistake. He has packed around real novices and helped them understand the importance of the groundwork first, then we ride concept. Brody is social and mellow in his approach to human. He likes to look, smell, take a measure of the human and then ask for pets. Even though he had not been loaded in a trailer for years he was willing to try it out. He now loads with just a pointing of the finger and he does travel well.

CHALLENGES: Brody is not the most courageous of horses. He has to be introduced to new situations and scary objects slowly to build up his confidence. However once he is confident he is great. Brody does not like to be wrong. It upsets him if he makes a mistake. Hence, the need for a mental break and the need for a success to rub away the mistake in his mind. This also applies to his human. If the biped makes an error and does not rub it away before trying again (letting their frustration show) he keys into that and begins to get reactive. When he gets to that full on reactive state it takes focus to bring him back down to a thinking state. This has improved over the last 90 days but it is going to be a long term fix. Brody was pretty reactive to being girthed up too. He would over react and did not do well tied up when the saddle was cinched up. We were told thins upon purchasing him. Our solution seems to be working. We do some groundwork and do some desensitizing with the lead rope around the girth line (wrap, squeeze, release and rub) then we saddle him up. We have progressed quite a bit in this area but more work needs to be done to get him super comfortable with the process. The funny thing is once the saddle in on and the first couple of cinches are done he is fine. It is just in the intial girthing. Go figure.

THOUGHTS/PLANS: As long as our lives stay on course and as long as Brody continues to improve and his personality remains consistent we feel he is a good fit for us over the long term. The winter was a tough time for him and getting his weight up has taken some time. He is packing on muscle and is really showing some great tone. His stamina is getting better and he needs fewer breaks when under saddle. His feet are looking much better than they did at Day 1. He seems more comfortable at the faster gaits packing my 220 pound frame around. We have been working three to four days a week pretty regularly and will continue to do this. We have some great opportunities coming up this season to expose both Brody and Argent to new things and new situations. We’ll be hauling them all over the region too. Booster shots and dental maintenance will be happening soon too. At 13 he has had some history but it also feels like he missed out on some fundamental training. So we are having to fill the gaps in his program. We’re pushing his development to the next level and introducing exercises that are outside his experience which is good. Taking into account how he learns and what he needs from his humans we figure that the spring summer will be all about development and the fall will be all about review and refinement. The neat thing about having a horse like Brody is that is pushes Argent and Laurie to aim higher as well. This 90 period has seen some great growth in skills and confidence in both of them and it is amazing to watch. It should be a great learning experience for all of us. Our next goal is having an amazing camping trip at Camelot Equestrian Center in Butte Valley, California in mid April. Between now and then we’ll stick to our program, work the Method and stay focused.

Training With The Lightning: My Birthday Weekend

My Birthday Weekend…

            Yes, Michael turned 47 on Friday. Who would have thought I’d have made it this long! Of course I wanted to ride into my “new year” with Brody so after work we headed over to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds. We pretty much had the place to ourselves! It was going to be a review day because we had plans on Saturday that would really push the horses. We double checked that Brody and Argent were using the thinking side of their brains, did about 30-45 minutes of ground work, including playing with the Pop-Pom of Doom. Everything went well. Then we saddled up. For Brody the riding part of the evening was all about transitions up and down gaits. He did pretty well. We even worked on better elevation in his shoulders when moving in a circle. H is getting stronger and he really tries to give his all. The funny part is when his body sort quits before his mind does. Gaits that were nice get all wonky and sitting or posting become really difficult. A one rein stop and a break is the best solution. Then you can end the session by doing something he is good at along with some Leading Beside for a cool down. We make it a game of sorts with lots of praise and rubs…cookies too if they are close at hand. Argent and Laurie had a breakthrough. They started loping together! As most of those reading this know that is a big milestone in a rider's life! Laurie overcame some confidence issues and got her boy to do a lap or two tonight! There was much rejoicing!

            Saturday found us once again at Cedar Springs Livery & Stables wit Gale and her mare Janie. The weather was great and the horses were feeling a little sassy. So off we went to the round pen. Brody was not his usually happy self. We got a change in attitude in the round pen with lots of direction changes and yields of the forequarters and hindquarter. He quickly realized the error of his ways and the Brody we all know and love came back. From the round pen we did some groundwork, focusing on several exercises that we humans were having challenges with. With some coaching, support and the Arena Mates (small booklets that describe the exercises and help you to trouble shoot any issues you may have) we made progress and improvements. The horses seemed to be enjoying the scene as well. Then we went into the covered arena. This is where things on interesting. As Gale was getting ready to mount up, her mecate somehow got over Janie’s back and softly wrapped around her back leg. No biggie…until Janie looks up, sighs and then decides that yes this would be a great excuse to start bucking! Well THAT is unacceptable We helped Gale get Janie to use the thinking side of her brain my doing lots of direction changes and sending/ C-Pattern work around anything she remotely showed an over reaction too. We wrapped it up with some Leading Beside and Janie was Miss Mellow! Brody got to work with Gale under saddle while I worked with Janie. After switching horses and doing some more work in the arena we headed out to the trail course. The weather was really beautiful! We did LOTS of moving over and around the obstacles and the uneven terrain. Walks, trots and lopes…and lots of transitions occurred.

By the end of the day we all had wet saddle pads, had long rides and focused on concentrating our training! Laurie and Argent were loping all over the place and the gin on Laurie’s face really indicated that she had overcome a personal challenge! It was awesome to see.

            Sunday we were back at the Fairgrounds Arena. We had the whole place to ourselves! Since we have not spent as much time working with Brody and his girthing issues as we should have, today felt like a good day to tackle it. So we did our warm up an ground work routine then focused on desensitizing him to the pressure around his middle using the lead rope (at first). Once the concept of the rope around the girth area was understood it was easy to mix it in between other exercises. Brody showed real improvement at Side Passing down the Fence taking little to no touching on his shoulder and hips to move in a controlled and steady pace down the fence. Then we saddled up in the arena (we had not done that in the arena before). Brody reacted slightly but no where near his reactions prior too the work done today. It seems we’ll be changing our approach a bit to help him get over this issue! We introduced Yielding the Hindquarters at the Standstill on the ground and under saddle and Yielding to a Stop under Saddle today. This was not difficult to teach the horses because of the work already done on the ground.

With Brody we worked on keeping his shoulders elevated/level when making a turn at the lope. He tends to drop the inside shoulder so we wanted to help tweak that. At first when asked to raise the shoulder he broke into a bouncy trot. Not real fun to sit or post!

Eventually he figured out what was asked of him and he tried. It is harder for the horse to do that one might realize and we took breaks and easy walks between attempts. The session ended after we took some video of one another riding and doing exercises. It was illuminating to see what we looked like as compared to how we felt. It was a really nice way to end the workout with the horses and humans feeling a bit tired but more confident and improved. After dropping the horses off at home we hit a local road house for some amazing burgers and ice cold beer with friends. Does not get much better than that!

Training with the Lightning: Thoughts & Adventures!

An Interlude: Some Thoughts

When Brody had his first public debut on December 28^th of 2012 folks asked if he was a forever horse. Frankly at that time I really didn’t know. I felt like he was going to be a good, long term fit but I didn’t KNOW. Now, having just passed the two-month mark I can say with some level of certainty that he is a long term family member. We have faced some challenges as his health and conditioning have improved and are still working on his issues with the first girthing of the saddle (he overreacts a bit). Still, we have the tools and the support network to help us get through these “bad days” of which there have been very few…and the bad days are not really all that bad. My feel and timing have gotten better and being very black and white has helped to clarify the communication between Brody and I. He is learning that the right thing is ALWAYS easy and the wrong thing is ALWAYS difficult. I have learned to praise and reward longer than my corrections take. Say I have to tap the rope once to get a proper response. I’ll rub his blaze for at least three slow strokes with the stick and relax a few seconds when I do get the proper response. That ratio of connection to reward seems to make Brody feel he is respected and validated. Right now our biggest challenges are the same things: stamina, physical condition and equitation. Together we are working hard on improving these challenges and it really does feel like a team effort. Along the way we are learning to read one another and developing a pretty solid relationship. Sure, we have LOTS f work to do to achieve our goals but it feels like we are both on the same trail…and that in and of itself is a reward and a blessing.

DAY 73: It’s a Friday and we have a busy weekend ahead of us. We chose to change up the routine and take the horses on a trail walk. We have an irrigation canal and maintenance trail behind the house that goes on for MILES. The trail has LOTS of hills, rocks, trees and other fun things to work with for groundwork. We set off and did about two miles. Brody showed the two sides to his nature. He can be a little reactive to new situations (it’s the TB in him) but if you lead him and/or allow him to discover that the situation is not going to kill him using advance and retreat he gains confidence quickly.

He was convinced I was going to make him jump the canal and got worked up over it. We simply moved his feet and then rested him near the canal. Once he figured out the situation we want back to his mellow self. We took each new obstacle slow and mellow and he got more and more confident. One of the trickiest parts of the trail also allows access to the water itself. We had heard Brody likes water so after some advance and retreat near the entrance to the water he walked in…and preceded to really play! He splashed around in it, dunked his head and just had fun. We could not stop laughing.

He got in and out several times without issue. Then if a fit of jocularity Brody decides the BEST way to encourage Argent to join him was to jump out of the water and stand next to him. Well Brody is almost to his belly in water and soft dirt and Argent is about five feet above him near a culvert. Up goes Brody from a stand still an almost clears the culvert…almost. His right read leg hits a loose patch of dirt and it slides out from under him. He caught his balance however (amazing to see that as I thought he was going to flip over into the water) but scraped his leg up some in the process. We head home quickly, clean him up and treat the scrapes with Vetricine (love that stuff). He got a little horsey aspirin and extra rations before calling it a day. Whew!

DAY 74: It’s a Saturday and we had plans to go over to Cedar Springs Livery & Stable to ride with our friend Gale. Brody does not seem upset about his scraped leg and is walking just fine. Still I was going to take it real easy with him just to be safe. We started off doing some  round pen and ground (we all reviewed what we had been working on over the last week, did some coaching and general social time). As this was going on another friend (Marla) came by to meet up with us and to meet Brody for the first time. Marla had not been around a horse in well over a year and at that time was just starting to dabble in the art again. I let Marla do some simple ground work with Brody. Everything goes okay. Then we tried some sending. For me, Brody did great and was calmly looking for the head scratches a cookie when he did well. Marla then stepped in, feeling like she could do the exercise with him. Okay…it had been over a year and I was not as confident but figured Brody would baby-sit her. He tried, but the lack of good body language and lack of rewarding the slightest try combine with the human’s frustration got him worried. I stepped back in and he quickly calmed down. We tried it again and had some success.

He really does thrive on the reward. He needs to know that even if things did not go 100% right that his efforts still have value. Reward can be everything from taking the pressure away and relaxing (body language) to a face rub and a cookie. Once I figured this out about him training got MUCH easier. Gale/Janie and Laurie/Argent were already riding around the trail obstacle field by this point. I was unsure if I should ride Brody because of his leg but he kept bumping my arm and giving me a low nicker so…I put on his bridle and saddled up. We took a nice warm up lap around and through the obstacles and he seemed in fine spirits. I dismounted and let Marla get on and we had a lead line lesson before L let her take the reins. I was very adamant about loose reins and using her legs to ask first. After some human-to-human corrections they tooled around the field together and even took on some of the obstacles. It was a mellow ride as she kept him at a slow walk (it was where she felt comfortable). Now, by this time the others are trotting and loping all over the place and Brody wants in on the fun. He let me know through is body language that he was willing to do a little more…so we did. I got the NICEST (Laurie called it sexy) lope out of him several times before it was all said and done. We took on most of the obstacles and the terrain and when he finally let me know he was getting tired we quit after a nice cool down/Leading from Beside stroll. This horse has try and heart! It gets me every time.

DAY 75: We were hosting a medieval arts/crafts/sciences workshop at our houses early Sunday afternoon so Brody and I did some round-pen review and groundwork. The goal for me was to use as light and gentle a touch/energy as I could and still get that “yes sir” response. Brody did not disappoint. He was alert but mellow, even when I used the Pom-Pom O’ Doom (pom-poms taped to a 4’ stick). It was great to point and cluck to get his feet moving and then just stand in the middle of the pen as he circled me. He is better to the right that to the left in this exercise set (if he sees me not watching he stops and comes in) It is hard for me to believe how short a time we have had together. Our friends (who don’t see him everyday) say that is muscle tone and shape look better and that he is filling out nicely. Both horses are coming up due for shots and (possible) dental work so that may help him gain weight faster too. He is still getting three meals a day plus grazing but he is a slow and somewhat finicky eater (unlike Argent who east fast and likes everything). We’ve got a club camping trip set for mid April and then we are traveling to  several locations for club activist in the spring and summer. The goal is to have Brody ready to meet any new challenge, be working on the Intermediate ground/riding exercises and to really improve my riding skills and overall horsemanship. I believe we can achieve these goals!

 

Training with the Lightning: A Very Full Weekend!

A VERY FULL WEEKEND!

Friday was a crazy day of Laurie and I as we tried to get everything packed up and ready for the Play Day and Picnic we were running for the Nor-Cal Downuder Brumbies. So, we stayed close to home and test drove the newly made Cowboy Carwash and the Pom-Poms of Doom (pom-poms on a stick). Both held up well and took our desensitizing/confidence building to a new level. Ground work and a nice cruise around the pasture was how we ended the session.

Saturday was the Brumbies event. It went something like this:

WHAT A FANTASTIC DAY!
The weather was beautiful with temperatures in the 60?s, blue skies and a nice breeze. We had a great turnout of Nor-Cal Downunder Brumbies members and even met some nice “natural horsemanship enthusiasts” as well! We got on site about 8:45am and began setting up our picnic area and our challenge course. About 10:00am we had a listen-up to go over the schedule and the site features.

Then we opened the large arena for warm ups and open groundwork/saddle work. The FIRST workshop of the day soon followed and the folks who attended seemed to improve and enjoy the session. A short water break followed as we prepared for the SECOND workshop (thank you Denise) of the day and finishes setting up the challenges course. The beauty of a day like this was that no one felt rushed. You could enjoy a variety of activities at your own pace! As some of our members made fire in the BBQ pits others had a chance to get some coaching on ground work skills and skills under saddle, enjoy the large arena and play n some of the obstacles. All of this happened BEFORE lunch!

Speaking of lunch! Besides horses another thing the Nor-Cal Brumbies enjoy is good food! We had grilled marinated tri-tip, friend chicken, hot dogs, Italian soda, a variety of amazing salads, wonderful desserts and even some much loved adult beverages! A tradition of amazing pot-luck selections has just become a Brumbies tradition!

Once everyone had a chance to enjoy lunch we got back out there to enjoy the day.The obstacle course had a Cowboy Car-wash, the Polar Bear O? Doom (and later of Cuddles), the Cloverleaf, the Serpentine, the Raised Caveletti, PVC logs, the Torches (horse eating pom-poms on a stick), the Long Rope of Scariness, the Relay Batons and in preparation for our Brumbies in Camelot camping trip, Excalibur in a Bucket. As the afternoon went on the Brumbies became more and more creative with the obstacles and really pushed their horses!

The level of positive energy, support, coaching, encouragement and inspiration was quite wonderful. Everyone improved some aspect of their horsemanship, felt that they were part of a positive experience and encouraged one another to celebrate the small victories while the set their horsemanship goals higher than they thought possible. It was a great day and one that is now a traditional Brumbies event!

Pictures can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...7715197&type=1

Sunday: The day found us at the local fairgrounds arena. Not a good day for Brody. He was very reactive and a bit surly. We had a couple of discussions and stick/hand therapy a time or two but we ended the session on some great wins. We were both tired and sweaty...but we survived! He is feeling MUCH better and is testing the relationship. It was expected and thanks to the Method we have the tools to deal with it!

Tuesday: Twisted my bad ankle on Sunday and it was pretty darn sore (wore a brace and tried to stay off of it on Monday). It was still sore when I tried to do the faster groundwork exercises like Circle Driving and Side Passing on the Fence. Laurie had to step in and help. The arena was VERY busy! No less that six rigs and about eight horses were in the parking area. It appeared that the “crazy barrel ladies” were back on the wrong day again and there was a fellow giving lessons. This made for a fairly chaotic feeling around the place. We stuck with our program as we watch folks do no prep work with their horses…just jump on and race around, being very heavy handed and complaining about how their mounts won’t listen. Our two were a little keyed up but respectful. As we were getting ready to mount up the barrel ladies were winding don some. The lesson folks were a bit impervious to others in the arena so Brody and I did LOTS of work on leg cues and direction changes at the walk and trot. Once it seemd like the crazies were headed out and the lesson people were doing their thing Brody and I worked on transitions, mostly from the trot to the lope. It was interesting to note that if I gave him the cue to lope along the long side of the fence he lurched into the gait, was quite bouncy and finally leveled out. It made a sore ankle even more sore! Yet, when I asked for the lope with a fence just a few yards away or in the corner of the arens things went smoother. That became a note to self moment. It seems it helped him to slow down and check himself a little bit. We had some really nice lopes in ever shrinking circles. He is smoother when going to the right and more explosive when going to the left which in understandable given his history. We did a variety of different exercises and when we stopped we realized that over three hours had passed (about 2,5 of those was doing actual work). We both were tired but had some real successes. I am relearning to sit the faster gaits better. I know I need some coaching on this as I feel stiff in places that I know should not be. Once Brody gets back to his full weight I want to find a trainer who can help me with my equitation, especially on Brody. This was a long session but a good one for both of us. Tomorrow…we’ll both need the day off. I see a spa day for the horses happening.

Training with the Lightning: Day 64-67

DAY 64-67: Can’t believe it has only been two months! Reviewing this text sure illuminates things and allows us to track progress. Through it all our riding (seat, balance, feel, cues, correction and timing) have gotten better. As Brody improves so do we the humans. Nice how that works out.

            Day 64 found us at the arena at the Fairgrounds. The footing had been heavily watered by the time we got there (there was an Open Schooling Show set for the weekend) so it was like running on the beach. It took more effort!  Warm up exercises, groundwork (including Changing Sides and Plastic Bag) and work under saddle occurred.

The work with the plastic bag on a stick happened twice. The first time Brody seemed to calm down and relax fairly quickly. He is more sensitive on his right side (go figure) with this exercise. We had some wins and improvements so we moved on to other things. His Sending at various points around the arena went well. Leading Beside was less energetic than usual as I could tell the additional effort created by the wet footing was wearing him out. Work under saddle was kept to the basic Fundamental exercises along with some basic circles at he trot and lope. Plastic bag session #2 happened as we were getting ready to pack up and leave. Brody indicated he was afraid of the bag as it was being put back in the tack room. So…we went through the process again (advance, retreat, smell, tap the air, smell and rub). This time the Thoroughbred in him came out. He took longer to relax this time! Crazy, right? Still, I could hear Clinton and Shana in my head saying “stay with him” and I did until we got signs of relaxing then the Bag O’ Doom got put away.

            Day 65 found us at the always fun Cedar Springs Livery & Stables in Placerville having fun with our friend and Brumbie member Gale and her mare Janie. Gale got a new saddle hat she had custom fit to Janie and her. The round pen was also recently tuned up and we all did some work in it to get our day started. Everyone one did well! Gale and Janie have been able to get in consistent round pen time and it really shows in the mare’s respect, confidence and responsiveness. We worked in the outdoor arena afterwards doing our usual warm-up and groundwork but added the use of the low jumps ( 8 inches to 1.5 feet) into the mix. Brody indicated that while he seemed to like the mental challenge of the low jumps it was nit his passion (grin). Gale and Janie worked on refining their timing in the Sending exercise on the ground and over jumps as well. Argent and Laurie have played with these obstacles before and took to them like professionals! Under saddle we did the same (I avoided the 1.5 foot jump thank-you-very-much) and we all had some wins! Then we moved over into “trail obstacle pasture” which as all sorts of obstacles and challenges. We rode quite a bit in this area and really had a blast. I even took Gale’s new saddle for a test drive on Janie. This was the first time I rode this mare (I had done a bit of ground work with her already). Saddle was very comfortable. While it was too small for my big butt it fit Gale really well. Janie was also very comfortable even with my additional weight. We played around for a bit as she is a fun horse to ride. I tried to lope but the snugness of the saddle (and that is being PC) made it very hard for me to moves my hips with Janie’s rhythm. Still it was a blast. Lots of wins and improvements during the five hours we were there. Freaky horsey-time-warp effect happens every time we get together. Before you know it your two hours at the barn becomes five! It’s crazy…be we love it

.

Day 66 found us changing venues from the Fairgrounds to Pioneer Park last minute. Seems there was a schooling show happening that we missed the memo on so we turned around and headed over the hill to Somerset. Our friend and novice rider Alice joined us and even braved the rain (we got rained on several times). We did our warm-ups and ground work and Alice tried her hand at the exercises. She has a prosthetic on her right arm so we tweaked some the exercises to fit her needs. Brody gave it his very best shot and once Alice got secure in her body language and position things went very smoothly. We set up cones to work on cloverleaf and serpentine pattern just to add something new to the mix. Surprisingly there were many disk (Frisbee) golf players out and the neighboring ranch had some new cows who were watching us, the golfers and mooing loudly. Brody was fascinated and wanted to go check them out. Keeping him focused on what we were doing was tougher than it has been since we brought him home. Lots of direction changes and gait changes occurred during the under saddle part. After ensuring that his brain was in the game and using the reins in a new way (as Alice needed to) which was a combination of indirect and neck reining I let Alice get on. Brody really did well with the novice rider’s seat and rein challenges and tried his best for her. They did Follow the Fence, Follow the Leader as well as the patterns. We modified the One-Rein Stop and Brody eventually adapted. After Alice was done I got on and did some conditioning work with Brody. Note to self: a wet leather saddle is hard to lope and post in. One sticks more to wet leather that dry, conditioned leather. Lesson learned. Brody’s willingness to try really gets me every time. I am a blessed person.

DAY 67: We had one of THOSE training days, where the conversation went something like this….

BRODY: Hey Mike, you know I am half Thoroughbred (on my Mom's side), right?
MIKE: Yes, in fact I do Brody. Why do you bring it up?
BRODY: Because I feel like tonight is a good time to let that part of me out! Yow know, moody, hot, over-reactive...
MIKE: Oh boy. So "new stuff" is going to be a pain in the @SS, right?
BRODY: Yep, pretty much.
MIKE: Thank you for bring this to my attention!
MORAL OF THE STORY: The solution was three-fold - a longer than usual ride, concentrated training and a very wet saddle pad. We learned to side pass along the fence, perform a C-Pattern, began to care less about the Bag O' Doom (plastic bag on a stick) and realized that being near Argent means "trot in circles around him and rest on the far side of the arena." It was one of those kinds of nights. We worked longer that the humans had originally planned but we ended with some real wins. As Brody’s health and overall fitness improve we see his willingness to perform improve…and at times his sassiness too. We take this as a good sign in regards to how he is feeling and with the tools in the toolbox we can head off most issues before they become full blown problem. By the end of the night Brody was much happier hanging out at the far end of the arena than having to be too close to Argent and was relaxed and willing. Everybody has great days and off days. It all comes down to how we choose to deal with it.

Training WIth the Lightning: The Two Month Mark

DAY 55-57: We just about hit the two month mark! It has been a whirlwind journey for this great gelding and he has really learned a great deal. His health has continues to improve and he has consistently been a willing partner in all of our adventures!

Day 55 found us at the fairgrounds arena. We met a fellow Brumbie’s member (Kimberly) at the arena as she was in the area after visiting her three year old Kiger mustang gelding (Armando) and his trainer. She has done LOTS of the ground work with him but wanted to get some help getting him ready to be under saddle. We started with our usual warm up exercises and then got into some Leading Beside (with and without the lead rope), Circle Driving and Yielding the Forequarters. These went pretty well over all for the horse. The human was having a bad day…hitting himself with the string, tripping over the rope, dropping the rope and dropping the stick. I believe Brody was laughing on the inside. We finally got the human (me) together and moved on. Next we worked on Sending. Something near the rail was not agreeable to Brody and he over reacted to passing the section of fence. So, after inspection that nothing harmful was in the area we began Sending and worked on it until he calmed down and reflected the energy I asked for. Once we forgot four good passes each side we took a break. We tried our hand at the Intermediate level execise C- Patterns and we did okay (probably would get a C to C+ on the exercise). Then we let Kimbery work with Brody a bit and she did well with him. They did a quick review of the groundwork exercises we focused on. After a breather and a beverage we got to work under saddle. Brody seemed amore energized and focused. We ran through some basics and then Kimberly got a ride and they two had fun. Brody actually attempted several lead changes! It was neat to see him move like that. We wrapped up with some cool down work and headed home as we had folks from out of the area coming over to participate in a weekend long workshop on living history skills.

Day 56 found Brody being the center of attention! He was used for a Body Language/Footwork class with several western martial arts students. The round pen exercises teach the human about focus, energy, intent and position. It is amazing how working with a 1000 pound animal can alter one’s focus and…eventually…improve it.

Lots of rubs and treats were Brody’s reward for putting up with the silly humans. He took the different accents in stride and really gave it his best. Later in the day he was helping teach a Horse 201 class. He helped folks learn about how to move a horse’s feet on the ground and under saddle and humans should develop an independent seat. He really took care of the novices and gave those with some confidence a great ride both in the round pen and out in the pasture (he got to trot and lope around Argent and show off a little bit which was good for his ego). He got some great grooming and extra Stable Mix as a reward when the class was over.

            Day 57 found us back in the round pen to try Changing Sides, Run Up and Rub and The Plastic Bag as well as out usually conditioning work. Changing Sides took him about 10 minutes to understand and perform at a C+/B- level which seemed just fine for a first attempt. The Plastic Bag was very scary at first and he reacted as expected but not quite as scared as was assumed. Within 20 minutes or so he was comfortable (albeit not happy) about the bag being in his personal space and on himself. The Run Up and Rub…well…it was human error for most the exercise but he eventually stood calm and accepted the rubs. More work on this is slated. Three “new” exercises and his normal conditioning routine was a enough for the third-day-in-a-row and we ended our session with some wins.

            We have come pretty far in a very short time. We could not be happier that Brody came into our lives when he did. Spring is slowly coming to the Sierra Foothills. We have a Play Day set for March and a two day camping trip at a very unique site (trails, arenas, obstacles and more) for April. This is shaping up to be a FUN season! Stay tuned!

Training with the Lightning: Day 47-50

DAY 48-51: Schedules, weather and demands on our time have made this last week a bit crazy. Still we got in four training sessions. The goals were to review and gain refinement of round pen skills and body language/cues which occurred as did getting more steps from the Yield the Forequarters exercise. Progress was made.

Day 48-49 were ground work sessions. The goal in the round pen was to maintain the energy level and gaits longer which adding more dynamic “yes, sir” direction changes. Our round pen is not the most level and the footing is rough so some care had to be taken. Improvements in these areas were made after some moments of over reaction and turning away from me during direction changes. I was hoping that just stepping in front of Brody’s nose would generate the “stop and turn” part of the exercises but I ended up needing to take a step or two backwards to help him turn inwards before departing. Once I smoothed that our things went MUCH better. After review of our progress it was determined that we needed more work on Yeilding the Forequarters, which I admittedly id a poor job of properly introducing during my enthusiastic reception of our new guy in December. I took this opportunity to do it right. We struggled a little bit at first but before long Brody was crossing his steps and not over reacting to the pressure. After four good tries on each side we called it a day.

            The next day, later in the afternoon that originally planned we were at it again, looking for improvements! They were there. Some larger ones (great energy in the round pen and good reception to cues) and some smaller ones (six tries per side on the forequarter yields and some two-steps as well). We wrapped up with some Long Line work and Leading Beside. Treats are a great “atta boy” and given for a job well done. I decided I wanted to make treats part of a game. So, I removed Brody’s lead line and asked him to lock on. He did, got his neck rubbed and a treat. I asked him to follow me like in Leading Beside. He did so neck rub and treat. We tried several of the exercises he knows in succession and each time he did them he got a treat. Then we tried the same exercises all in a row and when he performed them, a treat and a neck/face rub was his reward. The change of pace was great for us both and was great for our bonding and respect.

Day 50 found us at Pioneer Park in Somerset (the Fairgrounds arena was closed due to a 4H Show. After our warm up and ground work time, we got a little crazy! Tried to make the groundwork a (forgive the term) game of sorts. Wanted to flow from one exercise to the other and try to create a dance...like we have seen Clinton do at Tour Stops. So, in the large arena (what was I thinking) I took off Brody’s lead rope and we ran through several of the exercises including Leading from Beside (both sides) at liberty. While we were NO WHERE CLOSE to being as good as we have seen on Tours Stops, the energy and the fun was there. Brody stuck with me like we've been doing this together for months. It blew me away! Work under saddle went well. We worked on transitions (learning is in the transitions so the saying goes), bending and softening our cues. We worked around some cones and generally had a solid ride until Brody began to show signs of being tired. I could feel him beginning to slow in his efforts and knew we were getting near the end of his endurance. So before he quit me, I quit the session after getting one last win under saddle.

Day 51 and we were a Pioneer Park again (Presidents Day = Fairgrounds closed) and went through the same routine. This time we had an audience of five children and some parents who were amazed at the liberty work Brody did and how friendly/calm our horses were. It was another positive session. Brody is really fun to work with and we seem to have built up a respectful relationship. We have LOTS of work ahead of us but the foundation is being built and with any luck it will remain strong.

Some pictures of Brody after our session on Day 49.

 

Training with the Lightening: Another Four In A Row!

DAY 41-44: We did it again! Four in a row!

Day 41 found us at the local arena again. It was a chilly afternoon! We groomed, tacked up and began our warm up exercises followed by our ground work. Our friends Angela and Sean joined us and helped work with Brody and Argent on the ground. We worked on Sending, Circle Driving and Leading Beside. Things went nicely. Working with the humans took more energy than with the horses because we had to work on position, intent and timing with body language. Brody was patient and willing even when the cues were a tad off. We then saddled up. I put Brody through some basics to make sure he was focused. We did some gait transitions, some direction changes/pseudo-roll backs and some Follow the Fence/One Rein Stops. Once we got some wins with these exercises I put Angela up in the saddle. She and Brody cruised a bit and cot comfortable with one another. Once again, Brody reflected the energy of his human and ambled along in a mellow fashion.. Couldn’t be happier with that attitude of his! Angela and I switched places and we did some conditioning work before Angel did some cool down exercises on the ground with Brody. A much appreciated brushing and some cookies wrapped up the session.

Day 42 was a bright and sunny day with temperatures in the high 40’s/low 50’s. We started off in the smaller arena which has some trail class obstacles in it. Lots of our usual ground work with the addition of going over and through some obstacles. The horses took this in stride. It is a blast watching them investigate, get curious and then get confident. Our friend Angela came back for round 2 today. The Fairground crew was moving some large equipment around and were kind enough to let us know that it might spook the horses. Of course we took that opportunity to desensitize the horses and expose them to new sights and sounds. Good times! I decided that Brody seems fairly comfortable with the trail obstacles and knowing that tomorrow at the Nor-Cal Downunder Brumbies practice we would, in fact, be doing work with obstacles, it might be best to ride him through some…we did just that. He did just fine over the bridge, through the gate and everything else the space had to offer. We then went to the large arena and did some conditioning work. As a wrap up Angela and Laurie did some exercises that had them working on seat/leg cues, timing, feel and gait changes. Things went well. Keeping a keen eye on Brody I could tell when his normally patient mind set started to go south. So we quit him before he quit us and I got on to put him through some more mentally stimulating stuff. We wrapped by doing some ground work at the walk and Leading Beside with the addition of backing and hindquarter yields just to keep it fun.

Day 43 found us in Lockford, California! Yes, it was time for the monthly Brumbies practice! We had eighteen attendees at the February Nor-Cal Downunder Brumbies practice (and horses of every experience level too). The weather was wonderful, being clear and crisp in the morning and by lunch the temperatures hit the high 50’s/low 60’s. The facility is surrounded by a vineyard and green pastures. It was a great way to start off our 2013 practice season. After a little cow wrangling we started the session with some warm up exercises and then got to work. There was work in the round-pen for those that wished it and we ran through about six or seven different exercises. We then focused on Sending Leading Beside and Circle Driving. Once everyone felt like they had the concepts down we did some troubleshooting. Horses and humans got support, coaching andshowed great improvement and growth during the day.

We then broke for lunch, made introductions, discussed upcoming events and gave the facility owner our Thank You gifts. The atmosphere was really positive. We discussed our challenges and our goals which really motivated everyone. We even shared creative ways to desensitize our horses on the cheap!

The group then tacked up. Everyone was pumped to play on the obstacle course!
After folks worked their horses in the arena, making sure that the thinking side of the brain was fully engaged they moved at their own pace to the large open pasture behind the arena. Some of the notable obstacles were the Jungle Gym, the Cowboy Waterfall, the White Foam Circle, the Serpentine Poles, The Zig Zag, the Logs, the Diagonal Cones and some very unique farm equipment. Folks did ground work and work under saddle for the rest of the session and every horse showed great improvement. It was amazing to se how quickly a horse went from scared to curious to courageous using the methods of Advance and Retreat and Sending. By the end of the session folks were riding all over the place with big smiles and glad hearts!

That is what the group is about: support, encouragement, coaching and improvement. Seeing horsemen and horsewomen get fired up and excited is always a blessing. Thank you everyone who came out to help make the day such a great one!

Pictures of this fun day can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.425093634235111.98782.123626137715197&type=3

            Day 44 was a short one. It was pretty chilly bordering on cold by the time we got to the arena. We had some goals for Brody and Argent and promised ourselves that if we got three wins at each goal we would quit. Ground work and work under saddle occurred. Brody decided to forget and over react to some of the Backing exercises on the ground and we had a discussion followed by lots of validation when he got them right or at least gave me an honest try. Be as gentle as possible, as firm as necessary and always reward the slightest try is a motto we believe in. Work under saddle went well and Brody seemed to have more steam in his engine, even after the rather long day he had at practice. He let me know he was getting tired through his body and we called it a day doing some ground work to cool down followed by lots of rubs, cookies and TLC.

Our vocabulary is getting better and better, even when we have those discussions. We get back to the wins faster with each session. Looking forward to warmer weather and longer days!

Training with the Lightning: Four In A Row!

DAY 33-36: Our First Four In A Row!

Yes, we actually got in four training sessions in a row! The stars aligned and we made it happen. Whew! The first session (Day 33) was a bit rushed as we got to the arena later than we had planned. Brody got maybe 10 minutes of groundwork to warm up and then we worked at the walk (20%) and the trot (80%) doing Follow the Fence and making circles and diagonals. It was weird for us because we usually use groundwork as a teaching tool and prefer to do at least 30 minutes of it. While Brody felt less focused than normal he was adaptable to the change. We actually got some nice attempts at collection and speed control on the trot. We worked on a loose rein and with some contact. We did two trot/lope transitions which were improved and felt nice. We wrapped up with some Backing under saddle and then cooled down with some Leading Beside on the ground. A vigorous rub down and Frosted Mini Wheats (he loves them) wrapped up the session. 

 Our next session (Day 34) found us at Cedar Springs Livery & Sables in Placerville. We met our friends Gale and Katie there. Katie is a novice horseman who is learning the program of training we follow (the Downunder Horsemanship program) and after some warm up exercises we started on Lunging for Respect 1 and 2, Circle Driving, Sending and Leading from Beside. Brody and Katie worked together and did the teams of Laurie/Argent and Gale/Janie. Other folks joined in and asked questions as I floated about trying to help as I could. Part of the arena was still muddy so our work space was reduced, which allowed us to desensitize the horses to bright yellow caution tape, cones and PVC pipe!  At one point Janie chose not to canter to the right. Gale really tried to get the point across but ran into Janie’s stubborn streak. So, we took her to the round pen and reviewed the basics of moving out when told. Janie know me now and know that she has to try or the pressure doesn’t back off. As soon as she tried, she was rewarded. We spent about 15 minutes in a refresher course with lots of direction changes and rewarding the slightest try until she felt like she understood what was asked of her. While I worked in the round pen Gale worked with Brody while Laurie let Katie work with Argent. We really focused on good training tool use, using good body language and being clear in what we wanted our horses to do. The groundwork went well and the humans improved. Then after a short break we saddled up. I rode Brody, working on his softness, his steering and his gas pedal. We did several one-rein stops and some walk-trot-lope transitions. After giving Katie a primer on how to cue Brody and a short lead line lesson she felt confident to move out on her own. Things went very well. Brody really played to her level. He gave her the slowest walk I have ever seen him do and his trot was mellow and slow. They really had a great session! Once I noted that Brody was zoning out a bit I had Katie stop him, back him up and then dismount. I got on and we did more active riding with direction changes, attempts at rollbacks and gait transitions. It was a great visual example of how Brody reflects the energy he is given and how he likes to move. We ended with some Leading Beside (on the ground) and playing a little on the line. Has Brody’s condition improves his personality is coming out more. We are learning the signals each other gives and the partnership is really developing.

The following day (Day 35) we hit the Fairgrounds Arena. This was our first daylight visit. We did a bit of exploring around the two arenas and the grounds themselves. We did our warm up and then ground work in the smaller arena with the trail class obstacles. This was a first for Brody. We crossed the wood bridge and sent over the square marked by timbers, backed between some markers (and the rail) and even played between the cones! It was mentally stimulating for both Brody and Argent and fun for us too. Then we saddled up and got to work. The issues with the girth are slowly improving. Each training session Brody calms down a little faster. Sometimes he reacts after the fact…meaning we tacked up and then he pulls back or rears up a little. He gets corrected quickly and then we move on. This seems to be his biggest issue so far. He has spots on his back from past saddle sores (probably from his barrel racing or ranch days) and has not let it go just yet. It will take time and the use of advance, retreat, reward as a training process but we feel that we can overcome this. Another issue we tackled today was the fear of the sheds and announcer booth that sit along one side of the arena. We used advance/retreat and Sending to help build Brody and Argent’s confidence near these scary objects. Once we felt that some wins were achieved we mounted up and began to ride. Today was about conditioning for Brody. Lots of trotting and some transitions filled the first half of the session. When we got some wins in the areas of effort, speed control and steering we took a break. Other riders were there enjoying the nice weather and we got to see some fine examples of equitation. After the break we worked on the exercises, including Diagonals (a first for Brody). Since the arena is pretty big we trotted to the middle, stopped, backed up a few steps and then finished going across. We did this at the canter a couple of times too. More one rein stops were a big part of the process and something he is picking up more slowly than I had hoped. While this is a boring exercise I think next week it is going to be the primary focus as I really want his stops to occur off of my seat. He does stop when the left rein is lifted/pulled quickly, the right…not as much. The balancing act of getting Brody in shape to train within the program and actually training is tough. He is mentally improving faster than his physical side due to how thin he was. I love his work ethic and his desire to give 100%. My job is to ensure that every training session is positive and rewarding. It was a fun day!

After work (Day 36) we loaded up and hit the arena. The sun was setting as we arrived and the parking area for trailers was pretty chaotic. No thought as to how others could get in by the folks who were there. Makes a person crabby! A group of folks were running barrels (even though it was not allowed on this night…sigh…and their dog was running around loose too) so as we groomed and tacked up Brody watched the horses run. He seemed to remember doing that and sort of revved up a bit. We got tacked up (minus the bridle) and walked about the ground. Not sure if they got the hint or not but soon the barrels were being put away and the dog put on a leash as their horses were allowed to tear around the arena in a turn out fashion. We waited for this to conclude before entering the arena and got to work. Brody was more willing to flow into the canter on the line than in previous sessions, hence the revved up and remembering observation. It was heartening to see to be sure and we worked with that energy doing about 45 minutes of groundwork, reviewing and refining most of the skills he knows. While this was happening the barrel race group left and other folks showed up. We went about our program, mounted up and began our ride. Brody was still not as focused on me as I liked and blew off some of my leg cues so I got out my spurs. The jingle of the rowels got his attention. Hardly used them at all which was nice but the improvement in Brody’s focus was noticeable. During a break we watched folks do groundwork. To say it was interesting is an understatement. Some folks were very clear and some were…well…not. What was reflected back by the horse was the proof of how effective the human was.

We got into a groove and rode longer than we had planned originally. The indication that we overshot the time to quit was when I asked Brody to move out and make a right turn. He literally dragged his foot and sighed heavily. While he does take deep breaths he never drags his feet like that. Oops! We them walked to the center, backed and dismounted. We did some cool down line work at the walk and some Leading Beside.

Extra feed for dinner was the reward for a job well done! The lesson here is that Brody is not quite ready for four ground work/riding sessions in a row just yet, even if his brain says he can. We will return to three full sessions and one groundwork only session for the next few weeks and see how he does. His willingness is a bit contagious and I have to be aware of that. Also I am really focused on his rest/reward periods. He needs that validation to feel good about the process so…more cuddles/rubs during training it is!