Day 266: wowsers. :)

So today marks day number 2 of asking Ike to actually begin trotting. I've asked him just to get in a trot even for a step in the past, but I'm actually trying to get him to understand its a gait I can ask him for and he can hold in addition to just walking. For day 2- he's doing awesome. Yesterday, I had to squeeze, cluck, and use a little rein on his butt as he didn't know what the heck I was asking. After a couple times of that he was already more readily trotting. I still don't have him holding it, but he's getting in it more easily and isn't excited/overly forward. (Nice and calm) I've got him doing circles to either side with reins or without and as of today side passing on a fence under rider. He still doesn't fully understand just to move his hind end or side passing perfectly, but for the little time he's been being asked for more than walk, stop, back, turn... He's a ok in my book. :) I might be a "LITTLE" bias. Hahaha. Anyway, a month or 2 of this and we'll be on our way to loping. Wha?!!!! I know I'm super slow compared to others who train! I'd rather make sure he totally gets it before I move on. I don't want to get hurt on a pony I trained! :p eek! Ohhhhh!!!! First time EVER Ike kneeled with me pointing. Awesome!!!!!!!! Sooooooo awesome!


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Day 252: pond walk.

Today, I got home early as I had plans to film Ike walking with no tack including his bridle. Since Ron was no where to be found, I scratched the filming idea and went for a typical unfilmed session instead. Sooooo awesome! I had Ike walk all the way across the pond with only the guidance of my body. LOVE him SOOO much! I mean SOOoOOooooO much! :)


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Day 248: 2 knees please...

Did several mini sessions with Ike today. The first was just haltering and releasing in an effort to keep him happily lowering that head to be haltered. I don't want him to associate tack with work so I'm happy to put it on and release him for being cooperative about it. :). I've been practicing moving just his forequarters and hindquarters over and then both as I'm wanting him to gain an understanding of that movement under a rider in addition to just on the ground. He's doing really well with that. I'm def. struggling with laying him down, but all in due time. He's doing beautifully with so much. I wish I had extra cash to buy a bitless bridle for him as I'm using Amocean's on both he and Ike. Flying a go pro cam with a phantom for footage, so I should get some cool stuff soon. (The cam isn't mine. Still want my own!) anyhow, it's late and I'll be up with the sun as the horses are due for their 4 week hoof trims tomorrow. I so love sleep! :)


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Day 247: working on lateral movement while backed

My pony is doing absolutely awesome. The big things I'm working on with him are laying down, moving just his front/hind end while mounted, walk, whoa, turns, & backing up. all bitless and bridleless (doing awesome) and all while walking only at this point. Super sleepy. Eating and going to sleep. Night.


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Day 234: AMAZING progress.

I so need to get new footage. Ike is doing SOOO beautifully at so many things. He's listening well in a halter on rides. He will walk up and down stairs and between rails. I've done a LOT of asking him to step in puddles and mud and he's made a TON of progress with those things. He's lowering his head with a touch at the base of his neck for a neck assisted mount as well as new as of today being asked to give me a leg up to mount. (Awesome!) he was just asked to move off leg pressure laterally more yesterday than any days prior. He's slowing on the with me and waiting when asked with an open gate to go to grass. Really want to teach him to lay down. Ordered a telescoping pole and am really wanting to involve Amocean more for liberty work with multiple horses simultaneously. :) awesome stuff. Oh!!! And the woman I originally apprenticed with asked me for help with liberty and her horses. That was sooooo cool and I feel so honored to be considered as a mentor to a former mentor. :)
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Day 212: wow!

Ike is calmly eating hay beside Amocean and the 2 goats. He's doing wonderfully and is always eager to play. He's not any taller. I pray he doesn't stay so short! I like small, but 14hh is perfection to me. This 13.1 stuff just isn't working! :p I still haven't gotten a go pro camera and I've been focusing my cash flow on upgrading work equipment. Ike is doing awesome though. I have him walking/stopping, riding in traffic on side roads, riding bareback , with a bareback pad, or under saddle. I ride very little given his age, but I hope to take him on his first camping/trail trip this fall. :)
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Day 179: my guy has been far from forgotten!

I have yet to obtain a gopro camera that will enable a video blog and a much nicer compilation of what's being done. Ike is nonetheless doing superbly! :). He took me on my first ride off the property today. (Solo with no other horses) We walked by cattle, between 2 dogs on either side of the road, by cars, by a flag, by mailboxes, dumpsters, trash, over a bridge, by graffiti ... He did really well. Hesitant to get alongside heavily treed roadside, but even so did very well for his first short outing. It's been a long time in the making, but he's got a park out down even better now. I don't ask him to hold it, only that he position both front feet in front of a normal square stance. He was just introduced to a bareback pad and is doing well with it. Still no work outside of walk/stop/turn is being done. He's very smart, and I'm very lucky indeed. :)
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Day 137: big news!

Sunday was Ike's official of age birthday. Haha. He turned 3. Yay! He had his birthday off and yesterday we were at it. Had both he and Amocean playing and having a ball at that. He's getting much more polished in what he's being asked and its fun to see him recognize a request given to him at another angle. Super super fun to play with him. Today after work given its warm enough we'll play some more and hopefully introduce him to a saddle this week. :). Hasta!


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Day 129: feet trimmed

Rainy weather and day 2 of treating Amocean's eye with cream.


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Day 121: bright idea!

Today Ike and I had a great play day. Mostly polishing familiar material. Still really trying to improve that back with me while his rear end doesn't turn out. Forgot to mention yesterday that I rode him from a down to a stand for the first time. He was very calm about it and flexed to the right as soon as he was up in the manner he thought was appropriate. (So adorable!) anyhow, I got an awesome idea for blogging. Video blog! :p. have to get the $ for a camera together first for the angles I want/ need. So in a month or so! :) cleaned the paddock, cleaned everyone's feet, trimmed Ivan and Marvin's hooves. Colin will be here Wed. for Ike and Amocean. Super stoked! :) love my super good ponies. :) yay!!!!
Need saddles/ pads and another bitless bridle too. Horses eat all my $! I'm not complaining in the least. They make life so amazing. :)

In riding today, tried asking Ike to move his shoulders away from pressure to either direction while not moving forward. Trick-ay, trick-ay! :p
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Day 120: my pony is flat out amazing.

So its StILL not dry ground yet, and it was freezing this morning when I tried to muck. Ike tried following me around with no rewards but probably in efforts of seeing if his presence would cause me to play with him. I decided to wait for the sun to warm everything up and went out again to clean everything up. Of course I played with Ike first. I was delighted and completely smitten when in mucking, Ike walked up and was a little too close for my liking as he was getting in the way of the rake's motion to the wagon and I didn't think anything of raising a finger off the rake as if I wished he'd back out of that space and voila he did. Such an attentive pony! He's just amazing. Amocean didn't want to leave my side either. He was just moseying behind me and when I stopped so did he and got lazy and sleepy eyed. ...& I'd walk and there he'd come. Sooo cuties!


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Day 108: played

Sunny and warm. Played with Ike and didnt introduce anything new. Polishing what he does know and looking to better his back by me and inside turns. Actually as of yesterday I did start asking stop with the carrot stick on circles at liberty. No riding. Almost 3 yrs old! :)


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Day 107: awesome weather

Fun play day - Ike's doing awesome. Need to introduce new stuff to him. He's got a pretty good understanding of what he's been introduced to so far. Tried bettering our park out today.


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Day 106: puddle miseries

So, goregeous weather... Decided I'd take Ike for a walk as that's something we hadn't done in a while. He did perfect on the way out. Great job staying with me, not diving for grass, only jumped once at who knows what?!, crossed a bridge, did great with hills and cars, and me opening and dropping a dumpster lid, a barking dog coming from behind a fence, by flags, (was nervous about a downed log in a pasture) stopped and stood by it a while and when he relaxed, we walked on. Worst obstacle was in asking him to cross a puddle (large puddle) in a driveway which he was having none of. We probably spent half an hour for him to walk through the outer edge. Grrr! Def. need to improve on that!


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Day 104: tornado watch

Rainy and miserable. Didn't play today. Worked in McKinney/Plano area today.


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Day 103: eep!

Spent time with Ike doing nothing. Touching him & by his sheath, his ears, face, muzzle, just asked him to accept hands all over and left him at that. He was super calm today. It was really nice. :) need a saddle pad and I can pony him from Amocean. :)


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Day 99: YESTERDAY

Left early for getting hair done and didnt return until WAY late. Ron took me out for dinner and pool on my return. :)



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Day 98: video

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/8pPFh3HA2tc


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Day 97: gorgeous weather

Left early for work as we had pool tonight so played with Ike between the 2. He did AWESOME. Starting to understand stop straight/back straight. (Just starting) still swinging out, just not so much. :)


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Day 96: played b4 work

Had to go to work and didnt want to miss out playing with Ike even though it was FREEzING. Ike did beautifully. Starting to ask him to stop while keeping his butt straight as he has a tendency of swinging it out. Fun stuff! :)


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