Conditioning finally!(Sunday, March 13)

Well, its that time of year! Daylight Savings Time! And that means conditioning starts for Savy and I! Let me tell you, after you’ve ridden lightly for 3 months, and then you start conditioning, you get extremely sore! But Sunday was also an amazing revelation for me. I was SO connected with Savannah, and I finally saw things from a natural horsewomen’s point of view! I was so excited! I’m starting to actually learn from Savy! Something I never knew could happen when I first started riding! But I’m getting ahead of myself…

I started off Sunday by doing lots of walking and trotting. Just to let Savy get a big warm up. I did laps around the arena at the walk and trot in the two-point and I finally got my balance down! I only fell back once. After that, I did a posting trot with no stirrups. That was the painful part. I haven’t done that in like 3 years. My legs hurt SO bad! But they’re getting stronger and that’s what I keep reminding myself. Then we cantered to the right around the arena twice and I worked on my cantering position because I’ve been sitting way too far back with way too long reins. After getting that down, I let Savy walk for a while and then we practiced picking up the left lead canter. She finally got it but dropped it after a few steps but was able to pick it back up at the corner and hold it all the way down the arena because I’ve realized that my horse just naturally has an extremely fast canter and if I let her stretch out, she can hold the left lead canter for a little while! After cantering we did some trot poles and one jump :) It was so fun!

When I was done cooling her off, I hopped on bareback, and I was able to guide her through a cone pattern, around the end of the arena and to another cone, just by basically thinking and using my body weight to guide her through them! We were SO connected and I was so proud of her! We made HUGE headway! When I got off, I went in the stall and sat on the floor with her for a while. It was so peaceful ♥

Can’t wait to see how conditioning will pay off and how our relationship will progress even more!

++Bec N Savy++

(I realize I use this verse alot but its just so great!)

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Play day!

Sunday I went to Lea’s house and had a wonderful time! First we went out to the pasture and played with some circling together and cavalletti’s. We had to be careful in the pasture and watch out for ice and slippery spots. I can’t wait till warmer, drier weather! The ponies were very sleepy but Scout was so willing! He tries his little heart out and I love him so much! Then, Lea and I got on and rode around for a little while, but it was really cold and Eddie was concerned about things in the woods so we got off and went inside to warm up. After a while, we went back outside and took all three ponies for a walk around the track. It was super fun and Eddie was quite feisty on the way back to the barn! I enjoyed my day very much and I can’t wait for spring break and warmer weather! We’ll have lots more play time and a lot less heavy clothes to wear!

 

++Bec, Lea, Eddie, Scout, and Diesel++

Transitions! (Saturday, February 26)

On Saturday, I went out to ride Savy and despite my plans for conditioning, I’ve decided to hold off until I can start going out during the week to ride so I can keep her conditioning process continual. So on Saturday, Savannah and I worked on transitions and a little cantering. I have a horrible habit of keeping my legs way too long whenever we canter, so that was something I worked on, along with trying to get her to slow her canter down, because for those of you who know Savannah, she doesn’t really know the word “slow”. I was able to get into the correct cantering position for about two seconds before I stopped her haha. But I think it was definitely a step towards the right direction! :)

After a few rounds of cantering, Savannah and I did some MAJOR transition work. Whenever I’m usually trotting, it takes about 14-16 steps to get from a trot to a complete halt. So I needed to change that. First I worked on walk to halt, and halt to walk. Which went really well. Then I worked on trot to halt, and at the beginning, we were around 14 steps from trot to halt. I worked on trotting only short distances and by the time we were done, we were down to 4! yay! I would definitely call that a huge accomplishment! After working on trot to halt, I tried halt to trot and halt to canter. She did about 5 steps of walking in between each transition. But she’s definitely getting there! I was so proud of her! We also worked on trot poles some more and she’s starting to do them perfectly. I’m so happy! :)

After I was done riding, I took my saddle off and rode Savy backwards around the arena. This normally isn’t a stunt you should try unless your REALLY comfortable with your horse. Plus, my friend and I were the only people in the arena. After riding backwards(which definitely helps improve balance and trust) I worked on kneeling on her and she did really well. Never even moved a hoof :) Definitely a day full of accomplishments!

 

++Bec N Savy++

Conditioning Step 1

Well, spring is almost and here and while I THOUGHT I was conditioning Savannah all winter, I came to find out I was wrong last week. So…its back to where we started again. But I’m gonna do it right this time! :) Here’s my idea for conditioning:

I’m planning first and foremost to start riding twice a week instead of just once. I’m plannin on doin every Wednesday and Saturday.

Wednesday:

Walk, Trot, Break some bad habits and Natural Horsemanship.

Saturday:

Walk, Trot, Trot Poles and One lap around the arena of Canter.

I can’t wait to get back into this! I really wanna take lessons at some point. I’m eager to get back to jumping at some point in time. I will definitely keep everyone updated on our progress!! :)

 

I recently bought Whole Heart, Whole Horse by Mark Rashid. Let me tell you, if anyone is interested in learning about more about how their horse really feels, that is THE book to get! It’s extremely interesting and I’m learning SO much! I’ve realized that although I don’t always need personal space from my horse cause I personally love to cuddle, she needs personal space from me. She’s definitely not a very affectionate horse, unless you have treats. Then she’ll do anything(including run you down) to get them. Last week she came close to ripping the cross ties out of the wall. I realized that the amount of treats she’s getting now(which aren’t really very many in the first place) are way too many anyway. So I’m not totally cutting back. Just a little bit. But I’ve learned all of this from Mark Rashid so far and I can’t wait to read more and learn even more! I definitely encourage everyone to read it! It was recommended to me by my best friend, Lea(her blog is here.)

If anyone else has good books by great horsemen(or women) please leave me a comment with the title and author. I’m always eager to learn more and I can’t wait to continue this journey Savy and I have been on :)

 

Here are some pictures of Savannah and I and what we’ve been up to!

Cantering :)

Panoramic View of us Jumping :)

 

I’ve been doing lots of NH with Savy too but unfortunately I haven’t gotten any pictures. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some soon!

 

++Bec N Savy++

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

Psalms 1:3

Inspiration and Determination

I have a really bad habit of not blogging very often, but when I do, I talk a LOT. lol! Today, I have two different things to talk about. One is about a person who inspires me, which I know I’ve done before, but this time, I’d like to go more in depth on what I admire about that person, and two is talking about progress and some re-thinking I’ve had to do with Savy.

Inspiration:

Today, I was looking through my best friend’s pictures. She has a horse, and their relationship should really be an inspiration to everyone. Lea(click on her name to go to her blog) and her horse Eddie have a relationship that I’ve never seen between a horse and a human before. They not only have a completely unbreakable bond, but there’s more to it. There’s like a spark between them. There’s always something exciting and positive. It’s so amazing to watch them. You can see the connection they have.

When Lea and I were younger, we used to dream about what it would be like to have our own horses someday. But I don’t think either of us imagined where we’d actually be today. Lea and Eddie inspire me to not only connect more with my horse, but to also remember that the relationship comes first.

 

Determination:

Savannah is doing great! She’s settled into her new barn quite well. But I still really miss our old barn :( I am torn between wanting to stay at this new place or moving back. Anyway, Savannah and I have been working on just getting her back into work again. She was off for a while but I’m really determined to get her strong and to keep her strong. I’ve been having some behavioral problems with her though lately. So we’ve had to cut out the treats :( oh well, at least she won’t get fat now!! ;) I’ve learned now though that Savy needs regular work or else she becomes way too hyper and slightly bad behaved. But it’s just gonna take some patience.

Savannah and I continue to grow in our relationship everyday and I can’t wait to see what 2011 has in store for us!

 

++Bec N Savy++

So much to say, so little space to say it all!!!

Ok! Hello fellow bloggers! It sure has been a while since I’ve blogged! I have lots to talk about and lots to say! Here we go!

 

Let’s start with the end of October.

I finished my last few days at my beloved barn before moving to a new one on November 1st.(more to come about that later!) The last few days I spent at my old barn though, were some of the best I’ve ever had with my horse ♥ We focused lots on the relationship(and being crazy nuts) those last few days. Savannah trusted me so much that while she grazed, I sat between her front legs. She was such a sweetheart! I was also able to lay down in front of her but only long enough for a picture ;) I worked alot on bareback riding with her, I tried to connect with her by using my body language to guide her, it actually worked quite well!!! :) I was so proud of her!! Then I worked on guiding her with my legs, and she responded well to that too. I miss my old barn very much right now. I’m planning on visiting again very soon :)

 

The Month of November:

Well, November 1st was really a “first” for Savy and I in quite a few things. Before we left our barn that morning, Savy and I went on a trail ride with one of my barn owners and we had a BLAST! It was so amazing! The hills were the best! Savannah and I had an absolutely wonderful time! Then, we came back and Savy got her hips painted green and blue with many designs :P she also got her nails painted all sparkly. She was very gorgeous looking. Then it was time to go. The trailer pulled in and it was time to go. I’m not going to lie here, I definitely cried. It was really sad to leave. But this new barn is full of new beginnings. It will give me a better chance to see my horse more and be able to connect with her more. I get to see her everyday now, because this barn is only 8 minutes away from my house! It’s wonderful! Unfortunately, right now, Savannah is currently injured due to the fact that riding her every day wasn’t good for her yet. She came close to tearing a tendon in her front left leg, but thankfully, she didn’t and should be better in about a week :) Savannah and I have also been working lots on our relationship and natural horsemanship. She reads my body so well now! I can direct her through a cone pattern by just using my shoulder! How exciting! We also walk half way through a two poles and then back out of them. I’m so happy! :) She’s doing so well!

 

Also, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my good friend, Lea. I spent the night on her farm and I had an amazing time! It was so much fun! It also showed me how much work a farm would be, but I enjoyed every minute of it and I’d love to have my own farm someday. We’ve been playing with her ponies quite a bit and we’re practicing on Eddie and Scout to be able to jump together someday in the winter!!! I cannot wait!! I’ve had a great time with Lea and her horses and everything!

 

Well, that’s all for now! More to come later!

++Bec N Savy++

 

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

What I’ve learned about patience...

I’ve learned that patience is a very in-depth subject when it comes to dealing with horses. I never really understood how much patience it takes with a horse. I always thought about the “push-button” school horses I used to ride and would think that any horse was like that. But I’ve learned that they’re not. If my horse doesn’t understand something, then I need to be patient and re-explain it in a way that isn’t so confusing. I now see that a personal horse, is VERY different from a school horse that just knows it all. It’s taken some time to build up to where Savy and I are now, but I realize that all it took was a little thing called patience. I realize that I could probably go on and on about this subject, but I think it’s mostly important just to get the point across that its a key thing in your relationship with your horse. I’m still learning more and more everyday about horses. And this was just one step closer.

Keep on learnin!

 

++Bec N Savy++

“But the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.”

Galatians 5:22-23