August 3, 2013

The last few times I have been out with my horses has been awesome! Golden Charmer is really starting to listen to my hand and leg cues, and Seyvilla is becoming more accurate with her turns and positions that will help her when we do more cow sorting.

Though Golden Charmer is not as easy going and calm in most situations as Seyvilla, he is becoming more used to things moving around his head, back, and legs. It was probably about a month ago that I walked him over to the fence and stop while I gathered up the halter and lead rope that I had hung there earlier. When I reached over, from his back and picked them up off the fence, he startled at the “scary” stuff and shied away. It was odd that he minded because I can swing a calf rope around his head and even gently bump him in the ears and he doesn’t flinch. Well, this “scary” halter and lead rope issue needed to be fixed . . . The next day I had him stop by the fence, and I lifted the halter and lead rope. This time, I kept it over the fence so if I had to let go it would just hang itself on the fence again. When he moved away I dropped the halter back on the fence and then asked him to do something else. Later that same day I asked him to come back to the fence again. Now, about a month after starting with that “sacking out,” he will let me pick up the halter and lead rope from the fence and he’ll just stand still. It might have taken longer than forcing him to accept it the first day, but now he knows that it won’t hurt him and he didn’t ever get afraid of it.

I will be taking more cow sorting lessons with Seyvilla in a few weeks. We are currently working on the specific skills we learned in our lessons before so we will be ready to apply them and learn further techniques in our coming lessons. I’ll make sure and post when we have a sorting event and I hope to see you there! Just yesterday a rode Seyvilla up to the roping arena when they were doing the usual morning jackpot runs. I rode her all the way up to right behind the heeler’s box and she stood relaxed. It was really fun to sit there mounted and not have to pay careful attention to what she was doing every minute. She doesn’t mind cows now, so the fun is just beginning!

June 8, 2013

Horse training is definitely a dangerous sport. I was bucked off my Thoroughbred a few days ago and wow did it ever hurt! I was cantering him around the arena and he freaked out! I lost my balance when his rump went sky high and I bit the dirt. What did it taste like? It tasted like . . . dirt. J The next day I went out to work him and lunged him for a good long time. In fact I didn’t even ride him that day. I asked him to canter till he was tired and listening to me, then I had him change directions quickly and canter again. Keeping his mind working, so he was really paying attention. When I rode him this morning, I lunged him for a long time again before mounting up. Then I did the say thing from his back, asking him to think quickly and change directions, turn circles, and change speeds. When I rode him at the canter later he was really listening to me. This incident reminds me that I want to take some time this summer to go through a horse training video that I bought a few years ago at an Equine Affaire event. It will be helpful to go back to square one and make sure I haven’t forgotten any of the steps that would help this kind of thing not happen in the future.

On a happier note, my Arabian, Seyvilla, is finally all better! I think she is still a little stiff from not being ridden much, but I rode her at the canter for a while this morning and she is still sound (not limping or favoring her shoulder). My next step with her is to help her lose some more weight, so she won’t throw her shoulder out when we get back into sorting. Not only humans need to stay fit! J

May 5, 2013

I have been unable to ride Seyvilla for about 6 weeks because she threw out her shoulder. I hope to be riding her again in the next week or so. The extra time I have spent with Charmer has really paid off. Though he still has days when he has too much energy, he is a pride to work with. Just today I had the main arena to myself. Something was happening up at the sorting arena and that got Charmer excited. I still have to work on having him listen to me, no matter what is going on, but he is getting better everyday.

April 1, 2013

Seyvilla has been favoring his left front leg for a few weeks now, so I have not been able to ride her. I took a short video of her at the walk and trot so I could see the difference over a few days. She is getting better, but I think I will have to stay off her for a few more weeks. Like a human who pulls a muscle, I will have to slowly work back into exercising her. I have been walking her around every few days, but she basically needs rest.

On another note, Golden Charmer is improving every day! I have enjoyed working with him more since I can’t ride Seyvilla. I remember back a few months, when I was having trouble getting him to pick up the easy canter. Now he picks it up the first or second time I ask him. He is also good at listening to my leg cues now. Yeay! I am getting used to his canter gait too. It takes some getting used to because he is so much bigger than Seyvilla. I am pleased with how far he has come in the training process. Next step is to work him around the cows. He doesn’t mind the rope, so once I can get him to not mind the cows I will start roping from his back. Fun!

February 26, 2013

What are you passionate about? Do you think you can never use that passion for God’s glory? Who do you think gave you that passion? God did.

I love working with horses. That is my passion. How can God use me in that field? I’m not rich nor do I have endless researches. I pray, each day, that God will show me how to use this passion for His glory.

I also have a passion for physically challenged kids. Could the two fit together? If God wills it!

My dream: Train a specific horse for a specific person. Everybody should be able to enjoy owning a horse, even if they don’t have a leg or an arm. If someone didn’t have a right arm, I could train the horse so the person wouldn’t need one. No right leg? Same thing. A crop or special reign cues could be used instead of the other leg. Does the person want to compete in a specific event? Train the horse so the person can compete safely.

I don’t see how I will have enough money, but if God’s desire is for me to do this, He will provide a way.

Anything is possible if I continue to follow God’s plan.

Trust Him with your life today!

January 14, 2013

I will be taking more sorting lessons with Seyvilla starting this Friday. I am excited to see how much better she is this time, especially now that she knows what I am asking her to do. She is good at turning quickly and powering through the turn to go back the other way. I will be sure to relate how my lessons go. I am excited! I spoke to the manager today and I will be taking a month of lessons, every Friday. Fun!