By Neversummer January 2, 2024 Rusty No Comments
I was walking home after feeding the other day when I looked across the pen and saw Rusty hanging out with a flock of birds.
Can you see them? I had to zoom in quite a bit to get him clear across the corral.
Then I didn’t think any more about it.
Until I brought him in to work with him. He was COVERED! The huge flocks of birds look pretty swooping and diving, but do they really HAVE to spend so much time hanging out with my horse? 🤣

Oops

By Neversummer November 29, 2023 Sunshine No Comments

I had THE best session with Sunshine today.

I threw a blanket over his back, at liberty, and he was fine with it. We worked on that for 3 lessons? way back in August. He’s so brave.

We got a few steps of Spanish walk. In a row. Not with him aiming for the bridge with those big stepping feet. He even added a few forward steps to it!

He stayed very nicely on the bridge. Long enough for me to walk all the way around him even, without trying to follow.

Such a good smart boy.

Then I went to shut off the camera. Only to find I hadn’t turned it back on after he started out the session by trying to eat it. Then, while I cleaned snow off the GoPro, trying to stand on the flimsy plastic tub I was using to set the it on.

Somehow after all of that I forgot to turn it back on.   🤦🏼‍♀️😭😭😭

 

Blanket And Rope And Bit!

By Neversummer August 16, 2023 Sunshine No Comments
Sunshine has been worked three days in a row! That’s a first for him 😆
We’ve been getting used to the rope, then the blanket. Today both were combined. Next time I’ll put a saddle on him!
Well. A bareback pad. Not going to risk my saddle just yet. Not even as good as he’s being. Small steps.
Today he also took a bit for the first time!
Yesterday we targeted it and made sure he was comfortable with the headstall over his ears. Today I slipped it in while he was chewing.
He was so busy getting used to the feel of the bit he could hardly concentrate on anything else for the rest of the session. Maybe that’s why the blanket was such a complete non concern.
The bit wont be touched for a long time. He will get plenty of time to get used to it and comfortable before it ever gets touched.
If he doesn’t like the bit, well go bitless. It’s up to him. I would like a horse that can go in the beautiful bit I found in one of our barns, so it would be nice if he could be my eventual bridle horse.

Second Day Rope Training

By Neversummer August 14, 2023 Sunshine No Comments
The kids are back in school. That means I have more time for horses!
Sunshine is finally getting some consistent attention. Today was his second time working with the rope. It’s very important to me that horses are comfortable with ropes all over their body and legs. It is prep for that first saddling. Will help them be comfortable being roped off of. And will hopefully help keep them safe if they get tangled in rope or wire.
He has learned his first trick, kiss. And started learning ‘head down’ in the course of this video. Not only can it be a fun trick, teaching him to lower his head will help him be calmer. A lowered head cues the mind to believe the body is calm.
Using head down as a reward for possibly scary learning is resetting him to a calmer mindset after each asking.
Next time I think we’ll add in a blanket and pretty soon start putting a bridle on for him to wear while we ignore it and work on other things.
This guy has such an amazing mind. We’ll be able to zip through these basics so we can spend lots of time on the funner things!

Beginning Rope Training

By Neversummer August 9, 2023 Sunshine No Comments
The weather has been a little cooler and the kids are starting back to school. That means I’ve been getting to play with Sunshine!
He’s been getting some lessons on how to be a grown up.
Just because we train with positive reinforcement doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to learn about ropes. Learning to be comfortable with ropes around his body will help keep him safer if he gets tangles in rope or wire and it helps him be comfortable with the girth when I start saddling him.
He’s doing so good with it all. Of course we add that cherry on top with a reward for handling the rope so well. Chewing helps him relax and feeding so his head is lowered helps do the same. Plus everyone likes to get a cookie.
To make it even more fun for both of us we’re adding in some simple trick training by teaching kiss. He also gets to use kiss as a cue to me that he isn’t comfortable and would like me to slow down.

Riding Lesson

By Neversummer June 17, 2023 Lady, Rusty No Comments
We got to enjoy a wonderful riding lesson yesterday. We are lucky to have a very good instructor who specializes in working with children who is close enough to be willing to come up. And to have some wonderful neighbors who are happy to let the local children use their very nice arena.
Combine the two and we had some great riding lessons for the kids!
They worked on real things, played at fun things, and she put up with their silliness and playing. The most important thing to me, second only to no one getting hurt, they had fun! If they have fun they’ll want to do it again. If they want to do it again, they’ll get better.
Focusing on the serious stuff and making everyone pay attention and work hard wont accomplish a whole lot if no one wants to do it again.
The horses behaved beautifully.
My son cantered for the first time on his own. Not really on purpose but he and his great little mare took it very well. He and one of the other girls there spent as much time as they could zipping around as fast as they could.
My daughter and Rusty don’t really like to move. She rode him on her own, without being lead for longer than she ever has and had fun showing off her tricks to her friend there. She declined when asked to trot and honestly, that is just fine with me. She’ll get there when she’s ready. Her confidence and deisre to be with the horses is growing by leaps and bounds this year. Better to go slow and keep it growing then do anything to ruin it at this point. Hopefully we can do this again soon.
If by any chance you are close to me, come play next time!

Braiding Manes

By Neversummer May 16, 2023 Sunshine No Comments
I was going to get out there in the afternoon. I had an hour. If I hurried I could finish what I was working on and go play with Sunshine.
Then I got caught. Other things needed done.
No problem. Once the kids got home we could go out and brush on him. Then the kids got home and each had things they really wanted to do. We finished those and finally made it out to play.
Only the kids were home. That meant they were bouncing around, screaming, and playing happily. They don’t do quiet. Sunshine hasn’t been around them enough to deal well with that.
He went in circles around me. Nervous and unable to hold still. So much for quiet time spent hanging out and brushing.
So the children went off to do whatever children do. It didn’t matter to me that what children do is get the big tub of sherbet out of the freezer and sit down on the step to engorge themselves.
I had a few quiet moments to play with the new pony.
We are slowly braiding his glorious mane. Both to keep the tangles out of it and to spend quiet time with him, no expectations, other than to hold still. I got a couple more braids in. He made a few circles around me. But there was some holding still.
Then I opened up a little pen with some grass for him to graze. It was not as much time as I would have liked to spend, but any horse time is good horse time.