Happy Birthday! - MR SMARTSHINING KING "SHINE"

Our quarter horse Shine just turned 5 years old yesterday and we had a chance to look back on how his training has improved over the years we have had him. 

We bought him from AA Quarter Horses back on October 1st 2016 when he was just over 6 months old. I remember the day we were headed to pick him up, we ended up having to reschedule because we lost a tire on the horse trailer. I remember stopping on the side of the freeway and helping Dad change to the spare tire. We were so glad we didn't have a small horse in the trailer. Not only would he have been young, but it was also over 100 degrees that day. Whew!

Yeah...I wasn't smiling when we found the fender 1/8 mile back on the freeway.

 

We didn't want to wait to get the fender fixed, so we scheduled with a horse transporter to help us go pick up the baby horse. We headed out in my Saturn station wagon and got a ways up the freeway when my car started dropping in acceleration. It had done it before, so I pulled over carefully and went back to readjust the gas cap. My car seemed to be doing fine after that, but Mom and I waited for Dad to join us before we continued on to Riverside. 

 

That day we met Ryan (horse transporter) and then went into the backyard of the breeders' place to see Shine. We found him in the round pen. This was fun because I got to work with him a bit and get him into his halter. I remember leading him out of the round pen and heading toward the trailer. This would be his first time in the trailer alone. 

Eduardo & Claudia (horse breeders), Shine, Shari

I led Shine pretty much right into the trailer and tied him up. I had bought one of the stretchy lead ropes, but had Ryan (transporter) bring me the regular one he had with him. Shine was pretty calm the whole way back to Escondido. Ryan let me get him out of the trailer and we snapped a quick picture before we walked Shine to his new home.

Ryan, Shine, Shari

Over the years of training I have learned how to be flexible while still being consistent with my training.

Shine helped me look at training differently and made me realize how much an equine could be a friend as well. Dad was out there a lot, taking pictures and we have gotten quite a few neat ones through the years. 

I almost match Shine when I wear my yellow shirt and he learned quickly what "Selfie" means.

There have definitely been some trials throughout training with him, but I learned a lot from previous horses I had taken lessons on and trained, that I felt like each trial just made me that much better of a trainer going forward. 

To date, Shine has learned to give consistently to pressure, to stand while been brushed and tacked, allow kids and adults to ride him, doesn't mind walking with me to pick up some plastic bags, likes the large American Flag, and stands at attention while I play my trumpet from his back. I look forward to many more years of fun and learning.

 Happy Birthday, Buddy!

November 11, 2017

Today was my first day to trot on Shine. We both enjoyed our time immensely. Fun times ahead! He has such a smooth trot.

December 31, 2016

This past month Shine as been growing a lot!

I have now had Shine for 3 months and am enjoying the leaps forward in training as well as the challenges. My sister mentioned that some people don’t even start training the horse until he is a year old, so anything he learns now I’ll be that much ahead. It is totally true! I try to remember to keep this in mind each day I spend time with him.

Achievements: Shine is learning to walk beside me when I lead him, and only occasionally tries to look across behind me. He doesn’t pull on the lead rope much anymore. He is also more ready to pick up his feet and is getting better with more commotion around.

Next steps: I would like to get Shine comfortable with standing on three feet, so he holds still when he is being shod. He also pulled back the other day, but he quickly stepped forward again and was calm.

October 10, 2016

Shine has really improved even in the first week I have owned him. He still tugs a little when leading, but he almost immediately yields forward and is getting better all the time. He accepts many things that others horses older than him, don’t accept. Definitely a good boy! :-) He has a wonderful disposition and is gentle to all who step forward to pet him. I introduced him to the western saddle pad today and he accepted it like it was no big deal. This is truly a wonderful horse and I am excited to see him develop. He has great bloodlines and it is already showing. Next we'll work on crossing a small creek that runs through the property.

October 2, 2016

Yesterday I thought we might not make it up to Riverside to pick up my little horse. My car started running weird even further south than when we lost the trailer tire last weekend. Oh no!

I exited at Old Highway 395 and did some driving around, but my car seemed fine. Dad met us and followed us the rest of the way, but we had no more problems. I guess Dad was just supposed to come with us.

Mr SmartShining King was in the round pen and did a little running around before I slipped the halter on his head.

Absolutely no problem getting him into the trailer and he had a smooth ride down to his new home. He was calling to the other horses when he came out of the trailer. :-)

He is a beautiful horse and I know I will have fun working with him!