Progress Journal

24th April
I haven't been able to get anyone to come out and see Sam yet but I'm getting there. I got the confidence up to have a short ride on Apache. I think I was only riding him for about 15-20 minutes but I didn't want to push it for my first ride on him in over 4 months and I wanted to end on a good note. I took him out and lunged him a little bit on both sides. He was lazy and didn't want to go faster then a walk so I gave him a tap on the bum and he kicked out but was more willing to go forward. Afterwards I walked him down the other end of the paddock with my mum. I got my mum to hold on to the end of the leadrope loosely while I walked around for a little bit because I was a little nervous. Then she unclipped him and just held the leadrope. I walked him around a bit more and he was behaving quite well and his walk wasn't a lazy one. Then I felt a bit more confident so I asked for a trot and it took a bit of encouragement but he did one even if it was a very lazy trot. I walked him around more giving him heaps of encouragement because he was behaving. Then I asked for a trot again and it still took a lot of encouragement but this one was more lively and when we were facing the area where he was saddled (and the other horses were standing) he tried to go in that direction a little bit but otherwise listened to me. I then walked a bit more we got to the far corner of the paddock and I asked for a trot and as I upped the pressure (I wasnt using a whip) he decided to stop and start chucking his head up. He didn't go up but got very tense and took a step back when he stepped back I felt him start to hunch up so I disengaged his hindquarters and got him to quickly turn in some tight circles. I then went back to what I had been doing and he was a bit unwilling but otherwise went into a trot almost straight away. I got him to trot around quite lively and then came around the corner facing where the other horses were and he was trying to go towards them and I had his nose almost to my knee but he was still trotting towards them. So I brought him back to a walk turned him around and got him to trot the way he came. He wasn't happy about it but he did it. I then got him to walk around a bit more and he was becoming more willing to listen again. We then got to the corner where he played up last time and I asked him to trot and he reacted the same way as last time so I disengaged his hindquarters and made turn in small circles quickly again. I then asked him to trot again which he didn't seem pleased about doing but otherwise did it straight away. We walked around again . I asked him to trot one more time and he did so almost straight away he did a full 20m circle (probably more an oval lol) and I didn't have to keep encouraging him to keep up his pace I was very happy and so I stopped there. He wasn't paying much attention to me at first but by the end he was doing pretty well. My mum commented that he seemed to try to get away with not doing it but as soon as I made him work when he played up he seemed to a lot more willing to do as I asked. He is a very lazy boy and he will always find the easiest possible way to do something. I felt like I had a huge confidence boost after riding him today even though we didn't do a lot and he didn't really work up a sweat. It felt really weird to ride a horse that was quite lazy about going forward, I have gotten so used to horses that you are trying to stop taking off every so often lol. Anyway I have a picture of him after my short ride. I was also wondering if anyone had any tips on what to do with a horse can keep going in one direction while its face is facing another direction? I would just like some ideas until my next lesson. Thanks

25th April
Well I went for another ride on Apache today by myself (no one out in the paddock with me). He had his moments but otherwise went pretty good. I lunged him a little bit before I got on just to see his mood and he was a bit lazy but actually didn't offer to play up at all. I then took him down the far end of the paddock again(because there is no trees or anything to get in the way). It took me a couple of minutes to get on because he tried to walk off a couple of times but then stood still. Once I was on I got him to flex both ways before walking off. I was just walking around for awhile at first, he was being quite other then trying to go back to where he was saddled up. I then asked for a trot and he wouldn't so I upped the pressure until he stopped and started really chucking his head up and backing up so I disengaged his hindquarters and got him to do small circles which he tried to stop doing and when I made him continue he kicked out but did it. I then got on with asking for a trot and he did it. I worked on walking and trotting with heaps of turns. I then let him just lazily walk around a bit because he was being good. I then asked him to trot again and he again threatened to rear so I made him do small circles again. I then asked for a trot and he did so quite willingly. I trotted him straight for about 2 mintues. It was a bit lazy at first but he only tried to stop once when we turned to back to the far end of the paddock. By the end of the ride he was quite willing to go into a trot every time he actually almost seemed eager to do it. At the beginning of the ride he kept trying to go back to where he was saddled but by then end he had almost completely stopped trying. He also tripped twice while trotting (like almost down on his knees tripping). I admit he is due to see the farrier but he has a bad habit of being lazy and not picking his feet up properly. I was very happy by the end of my ride he was much more responsive and actually seemed eager to go. I was also very happy because before I stopped riding him I could barely get him to do half a 20m circle of trotting without constantly kicking him and today I got him to do a little more then 2 laps of a 20m circle and he only tried to stop once and a click of the tongue was enough ecnouragement to keep him going. I am actually looking forward to my next ride on him. I haven't had that feeling with him in a while. I also have a picture here of him afterwards, a couple of minutes after unsaddling him. It doesn't look like a lot but that is quite a bit of sweat for him hehe.

27th April
Ok didn't get much of a ride today cause we got home a bit later then usual, it was also raining nearly allday so I thought I wasn't going to ride at all. Caught Apache who was half asleep twit. Then got him ready which didn't seem to wake him up anymore. Took him out to lunge before getting on and he was pretty good except when he kicked out in my direction once for making him continue lol. I had some trouble actually getting on, I think it took me nearly 5 minutes to get on because he kept trying to walk off. I flexed him both ways once I was on before walking off. I walked him around on a loose rein for awhile, then I trotted him around for a bit apart from tripping a couple of times he was pretty good with the trotting. He didn't test me anywhere near as much when I got on, the most he did was try to walk back to where he was saddled once. Whenever he did try to slow down simply clicking my tongue was enough, also whenever I asked him to go from a walk to a trot most times simply me preparing to go up a gait and clicking my tongue was enough for him to perk up and start to go when I lightly squeezed he was happy to go into a trot. I got him to stay in a trot with minimal squeezing for a few laps before I asked him to walk again. It was all going great until I noticed he had stopped listening to me and was watching something next door. Just my luck next doors two horses had decided to come calling, cantering and bucking down to us. This got Apache very excited and he was fighting me to go running to them. The only way I could keep him from running off or going up (from me holding him back) was to hold his head to my knee. I waited for him to calm down and then let him have his head again. I repeated this four times and every time I gave him his head back he got all excited and started prancing again. The horses next door were not helping this whole time they were running up and down the fence line like psychos. Eventually I felt like I was loosing control and I was starting to get nervous so I got off to work with him from the gorund. I started to take him for a work and trot in hand around the fence line which he still wasn't totally focused on me for. Then I stopped and started doing a bit of groundwork with him (moving hindquarters etc) fast, not his own dawdling pace. I found this brought his attention back to me and it stayed on me from then on. I then took him for a bit more of a walk around until he seemed totally calm again. I then went through the process of getting on again which he didn't really want to stand still for again but he eventually did. I then did a brisk walk again and got off. I also got a picture of him afterwards and a couple of others of his beautiful face.

28th April
I wasn't home in time to do anything this afternoon but I was home this morning and I got a short chance to lunge both my boys. I'm not sure how long I lunged them either. I worked with Sam first who was almost perfect on one side I got him to do quite a few laps. I then tried his other side and he just wouldn't do it. He kept just standing there facing me and not moving out or starting then about half way round his first lap he would stop and face me. It seemed like forever but I eventually got him to do one whole lap without him trying to stop and we stopped when I said so. I then worked with Apache next who was actually quite good except when I accidently nicked his tail with the end of the rope which he didn't like he was quite unhappy about having to continue for awhile after that. I asked him to go on his other side and he was quite good other then tripping quite a bit on the very uneven ground. Thankfully the farrier is coming out tomorrow to see him, hopefully that will help him a bit.

29th April
Well I didn't get to do much today? Apache got his feet done today and got some new shoes for his front which will hopefully help him stop tripping and help the angle of his foot. I had a go at lunging him a little bit before feeding them. I took him out and he walked around but wasn't willing to go into a trot. I got him into a trot eventually and he looked very good. He was actually picking his front feet up as he trotted normally he kind of drags them along the ground a bit. When I got him to go in the other direction he did it but not very willingly threatened to kick at me a couple of times when I was making him go but he eventually got over it and did what was asked of him. I think he just felt weird with the shoes since he has been barefoot for awhile now. OH and he did not trip once Yay have to see how he goes when I ride him next.

2nd May

I went for a ride on Apache today. I got him ready and lunged him he was almost perfect on one side but I just about couldn't get him to move on the other side. He kept going but in the trot he kept crowhopping and chucking his head about because he kept wanting to go meet next doors horse. When I took him down the other down the other end of the paddock one of next doors horses was calling out and following us up and down the fence line cause its friend wasn't there at the time. I walked Apache around a bit on the ground and did some ground work with him just to make sure he was focusing on me. I then got on and he still wouldn't stand still straight away but he didn't take as long as usual. I walked around for awhile at first and he was being ok if a little lazy and tried to stop and go up once. He soon got over that though he kept wanting to go back to the gate. I trotted a bit which he was pretty good with once he was doing it. Once he tried to stop and back up but got in trouble and at one stage he tried to go into a trot when I didn't ask (his version of bolting lol). By the end of my ride I was riding around the whole empty 2/3 of the paddock. He did try to stop and back up twice when I was down near the gate but heading away from it but soon stopped, afterwards he tried to slow down but I kept asking him to move forward so he didn't actually stop which was good. At one point he was being a twit and and not listening to me and getting off the fence so my boot and stirrup nicked a fence post and made a tinging sound and Apache nearly pooped himself. Hehe one of his rare spooky moments. I eventually stopped when we had had a good trot and walked around a bit. He was pretty good with being forward but he kept wanting to go back to the gate. I'm yet to decide if its him wanting to go back to his buddies, napping, or being ring sour (though he isn't really in a ring just in a paddock). After getting his new shoes he only tripped twice when I was working with him today. Both were in the exact same spot when I was lunging so I think he was just not watching himself and standing in a hole. He didn't trip once when I was riding which is pretty good for him. I think he may have been in a bit of an uncooperative mood today but he was pretty good. Here are a few photos, they aren't great because they are from my phone I really have to charge the camera.

Wonderful journal...what a beauty!

Thanks

10th May
I didn't get much chance to ride this week but the chiro came to see Sammy yesterday yay. He said sammy had the right side of his jaw out and the area below his withers and just behind his shoulder ( can't remember what he called it) on both sides had something wrong with it. He is all fixed now and I got to ride him straight away this afternoon as long as I take it slow and don't do fast work on him. I went for a short bareback ride today, I forgot how much more you have to work to stay on lol. Just some walking around in circlesish hehe. I was working on getting him to bend to the right and move out of the circle like the chiro told me to, to work on his jaw a bit. He responded much better then ususal with the bending but he was not responding to my leg a whole lot it took quite a bit of effort on my behalf for him to respond. He only moved a little bit but I was happy with the small effort he made. I then just walked around a bit doing random turns and stopping and backed up a bit. I then trotted just a little bit at three separate times. First time was good, second time I lost my balance a bit and told him to woah he decided to ignore it and actually ran into the fence and kind of scared himself twit. The last time I trotted him (everytime I trotted he was facing towards a fence, I wasn't directing him I was simply trying to stay balanced) I said woah a decent distance from the fence thinking he would ignore me again or just slow to a walk. I guess he learnt his lesson the last time the moment the word left my mouth he stopped on the spot lol from a lively trot to a dead stop. I wasn't expecting it but I laughed when it happened because I guessed what was probably going through his mind, that's the best stop I’ve had from him yet. I then got off and brushed him again. He had been a bit naughty and had tried to go to pepper a bit but he was pretty good considering I have done just about nothing with him for nearly three weeks. I am also going for a shortish hopefully relaxing trail ride tomorrow with my instructor down the road on my two boys. Here are a couple of pics from this afternoon after my ride. In the first one sam wouldn't stay where I left him he wanted to follow me then I have a headshot.

11th May
I'm so happy. For the first time I can say I went for a trail ride on my horse hehe. We had to walk the boys down the side of the highway because I don't have a float. My trainer had Apache and I had Sam (who was being a bit pushy). We had trucks and motorbikes go past and they didn't bat an eyelid. We were walking them in hand just because we weren't sure how they would react to the traffic. We then crossed the road and went done what looked like a side road, there were horses on either side of the road going psycho. They were both good apart from Apache stopping occasionally and calling out to the other horses and at one point Sam got excited and tried to run off when another horse had a psycho fit. One of the ponies in the paddock was so cute just trotting around behind its buddy. We then went back to the highway (because we realised it was just a really long driveway) and went into another side road that had a gate. We avoided it the first time because we weren't sure if it was locked or if it was private. It wasn't locked and it didn't say anything about being private it just said close the gate behind you. So we had a look it ended up being like a lane with driveways coming off it. We got on and just walked this time because we didn't want to get them unnecessarily excited. We got on the boys and rode them down the road, they were both being good and alert but not spooky. Apache didn't offer to rear once in fact he was quite eager to get going. We had a few moments where birds or something would suddenly burst out of the long grass. Only once did Apache react and he just jumped a little and froze then was over it. That was when I big bird came out of the grass right near his feet. I have to admit suprisingly Sammy didn't spook at anything. He was quite good though he did get a bit excited when we came by some more horses. We reached the end of the lane and came across another gate that lead onto another kind of trail. We decided we would go through there and look some more another day when we had more light because it was getting late and we still had to get back. The trail we would have been going out onto is like a 4 wheel drive trail so its quite rough and you can't go fast but it would be fun. I was very happy with how both the boys behaved today. Considering sam hasn't been ridden in a few weeks (so he was kind of fresh) he was very good normally he would be very forward and not listen very well for the first ride or two. I hope to get some pictures next time.