The Good, The Bad, and The Spooky

One thing I've come to accept as I've been playing with Gambler these last few months, is that there are always going to be good days and bad days. Some days he progresses so quickly I can hardly believe it. The day I discovered that he'll do a little bit of circling at liberty was one of those days. So was the first day I put the western saddle on him. However, there are also always going to be bad days. Those days when you just don't seem to be on the same page.

Yesterday was one of those days. I was tired and headachey and Gambler was grumpy and distracted. Nothing was technically going wrong, we played the driving game, moving the forequarters and the hindquarters. We've played this game before, but yesterday I introduced the idea of moving the hindquarters and forequarters towards me instead of away from me. It took a little while, but Gambley got it down. Then I practiced throwing the rope over his head and back so that he had to disengage his hindquarters and spin towards me to untangle himself. When I was standing on his left, he understood and unraveled himself quite quickly. It took quite a bit longer from the right side because he just wanted to back up at rapid speeds. Once he figured it out, I tried long-lining, but I just wasn't feeling it. I'm definitely going to try again soon, but it just wasn't working for either of us. Instead, I tied my lead rope to his halter like reins and practiced lateral flexion.

Disengaging the hindquarters away from me

Bringing the hindquarters towards me

It's hard to see here, but I'm playing the friendly game 

by hitting the ground with the carrot stick.

Lateral flexion

Overall, the session went quite well and we both learned a lot. So why did I come back from it feeling so discouraged? It was just one of those days. Maybe it was the storm that was a few hours away, maybe it was that I forgot to eat lunch, maybe I was stressed out about school, maybe Kezi and Gamby got in a fight. Whatever it was, it was just an icky day. The important thing for me to bring out of it is that even "icky" days can be very productive. Even though Gambler and I were grumpy and not working as well together as we could have, we still made great progress.

A great example of this is Gambler's before mentioned fear of windy days. Wind means that the small cluster of horse-eating trees in one corner of the area are flying around in obnoxious and terrifying ways. A few months ago, I would wake up in the morning, look out the window at the windy day and think, "Well I'm not gonna get much done with Gambler today." Then, when I got to the barn, he would run around terrified and pay very little attention to me. He acted like that partly because he was afraid, and partly because we didn't have the connection we have now. However, it was also because I had made up my mind that when it was windy, I couldn't make any progress with my horse. Now as you can see from my post A Blustery Day Gambler and I are much closer, and he is farther on in his training. The biggest difference though, is that I have learned that every situation is a learning experience.

Today was very similar to yesterday. We made progress, but he just wasn't feeling it. There were people around (which apparently is the coolest and scariest thing since the discovery of horse-eating trees) and coyotes making weird noises, so Gambler was super spooky and actually starting him under saddle has been put off a little bit longer. However, I'm not going to get upset because he has been in a weird mood for the last three days. I'll just try again next time.

I guess what I am trying to say is that some days are good, some days are bad, some days are spooky, but if I just keep a positive attitude and make the most of every situation, Gambler and I can learn a little bit more and grow a little bit closer every day.

The Big Question

When people found out I had a horse, I was overwhelmed by a torrent of questions. Equestrians and non-equestrians alike quizzed me, all asking basically the same questions. "How big is your horse?" "What kind of horse is he?" "How old is he?" "Is it a he?" "Do you ride him?" "When are you gonna ride him?" I got to the point where I could rattle off the answers to most of the questions in a single sentence. However, one question always threw me off. "What are you plans for Gambler?"

*mind blank*

As a person, I pay a lot of attention to how things are going to work in the long haul. I usually don't put effort into things or people that I don't believe will last. If I'm being honest, it isn't my best character trait, but it is what it is. That being said, when anyone asked me what my long-term goals for Gambler were, I found myself stumbling over my words. 

Getting a horse was never part of my plan. While I always wanted a horse, I wasn't planning on buying one before I was in or out of college. A horse didn't really fit into the current plan (By plan I mean, graduate high school, go to college for something, and try to make money somehow. It's a very unique and well thought out plan!). Now a horse is definitely part of that plan and I can't possibly imagine life without one. That doesn't mean I have any huge plans for my horse though. 

My original plan was to buy him, start and finish him, and then sell him. I might go with that, or I might realize I am way too attached to him to do that. I've never showed (shown?), but I've tagged along to friends shows. I cannot imagine myself getting into the show atmosphere, but I might show Gambler once he is finished. In the end, my plan is to train him as well as I possibly can and learn as much from him as I possibly can. Until I feel that we no longer have anything to learn from each other, I don't see any reason to worry about what will happen in the long run. 

Leaps and Bounds

We had a lot of leaps and bounds today, mostly of the good kind. There was one little bucking incident, but nothing that worries me at all. Mostly, Gambler progressed in leaps and bounds. I am so proud of how far he has come in this last month.

I started out our session today with some ground basics that Gambler needs to know before I start him under saddle. Sadly, he is very rusty on these and I'll spend a lot more time on them tomorrow. I started out by flexing  his head back in preparation for future one-rein stops.

Then I disengaged his hindquarters and forequarters, which is officially his least favorite exercise ever. Just when I thought we were done with the biting issue too! Oh well, it will come with time.

After that we saddled up. Today is the second time I've put a western saddle on him. I believe he was started in a western saddle before I got him, but I really don't know. He definitely doesn't seem worried about it at all. If anything, he was a little racey, but only a little. This time I put on the breastcollar too, and he took it all in stride. The only issue we have is that sometimes Gambler gets annoyed and grumpy about the cinch being tightened. I found one solution to that problem. ;)

"I guess I'll just bite the rope then."

Gambler still doesn't want to sustain the canter to the left, but he will hold it for a full circle going to the right. That doesn't surprise me; every horse has a bad side. It is strange that he struggles going to the left, because he used to be really one-sided and he hated seeing anything out of his right eye. Apparently I spent so much time on it that he is now better with the right eye than the left eye.

All decked out!

And we have a canter!

Still cantering!

 Yay!!

Afterwards I got my mother (also my photographer) to hold Gambler while I did some mounting prep. I shook the saddle, flapped the stirrups, pulled down on the stirrups with my hands, and jumped around him on both sides, but nothing seemed to phase him. He just looked at me like I was an annoying child and he was the patient parent. Then we took the saddle off and I went back to my shenanigans, jumping around him and waving my arms. Still no reaction. I probably could have got on him and he would have been fine, but I didn't want to push my luck. So far, the first ride is still scheduled for Sunday. Of course, anyone in the horse world knows that horses love to throw off your schedules, so I'm not gonna bet on it. We'll just see what happens. 

Passing The Time

Every week, there are a few morose days that I don't get to see my beloved horse. It's necessary because, whether I want to admit it or not, a world exists outside of horses. I'm continually aware of that fact as the school year quickly approaches. It's probably a good thing that I don't keep Gambler at home, otherwise I might never leave the barn.

So here are a few of the ways that I try to pass the time until I see him again.

Snuggly pets! The dog is Sweetheart and the cat is Tigeress (aka. Kitty).

Not-so-snuggly pets! This is Boromir.

This is Pascal.

Reading!!! 

This is one of the barn owner's saddle pads that I washed a few days ago. It's still drying!

I Have Proof!

In my first post I mentioned that Gambler is now capable of circling at liberty. To clarify, I am not talking about roundpenning.

Roundpenning requires a round pen, which I don't have. My "pen" is a part of the pasture that can be separated off from the rest to form a nifty outdoor arena. It's a pretty awesome setup.

Back to my point, roundpenning consists of driving your horse around in a circle in the outside of the said round pen. Circling at liberty, on the other hand, is when the horse circles you as if they are longeing, but without a longe line to keep them there. I was insanely happy when I took the lead off of Gambley and he chose to stay with me and listen to my cues, when he could have walked off without a problem. It shows just how far we have come as partners in the last few months. Actually, in the last few weeks, given how far behind we were in training after his injury.

Today, at the end of our session, I decided to try the liberty circles again, mostly to convince myself it wasn't a fluke. Gambler was fantastic! He circled at the walk and a little at the trot, which totally made my day. Granted, he still has a long way to go. The circles aren't very round, and every once in a while I can see him think about walking away, so I have to give him a little reminder by clucking, or calling out his name. Still, this gelding is a far cry from the little spaz I brought home to the barn four months ago!

 I've been telling everyone that my horse will circle at liberty, but now I can finally prove it! My sincere thanks to my brother, the aspiring photographer who took these videos.

The rest of our session went well. He walked, trotted, cantered, and jumped a (very) little jump with the close contact saddle on, all without an issue. I used to have to put so much energy out just to get him to trot, but now he takes the trot just off of the vocal cue! As for the canter, he will sustain it for at least half a circle, before falling back into the trot, which is all I'm asking for now. 

 YAWN!

 He's so much better at keeping a respectful distance now.

 I love this picture of him. Now if only I wasn't in the background.

"What are you lookin' at?"

A Blustery Day

I love windy days. When I was younger I believed that the wind was magical and if you made a wish on a windy day it would come true. I may or may not have grown out of that odd superstition. Anyway, autumn is my favorite season and I have always loved the windy, foggy weather that ushers the season in. My horse on the other hand . . . not so much. There is a specific patch of trees, in the fenced off area we use for an outdoor arena, that scares the pants off of him. Yesterday was one of those wonderful (or horrible, according to Gambley) days, and I was expecting an adventure.

Well, that's what I got, at least in the beginning. Gambler was 165% sure that those trees were out to eat him. He wanted nothing more than to canter away from those trees and then to stop and stare at them with his head up in the air and the whites of his eyes showing.

"I have to get away from the trees!"

"I'm telling you Mom, those are horse-eating trees."

However, from the moment we walked into the death trap arena, Gambler walked (somewhat) calmly beside me, even licking and chewing. This is pretty incredible since about a month ago I couldn't even lead my horse safely in weather like this. If there was so much as a slight breeze Gambler would trot ahead and spin around and even throw in a jump sideways for good measure. Yesterday was very different. He did spook four or five times (bolting to the end of the rope, often with a buck or two), but they didn't last long, and he always turned his attention back to me immediately after. 

Instead of doing canter work like we have been for the past few days, I spent the session trying to get a couple circles at a calm, steady trot, or even better, a walk. After a lot of patience and encouragement, he did eventually slow down and relax. He even lowered his head and let me give him an ear rub! I don't know about you, but it isn't my practice to stop for an ear rub in the presence of carnivorous trees. 

"I guess you'll keep me safe."

Look at him, listening so politely. 

He's watching me for once, not the trees.

Ear rub. *sigh*

Gambling and Rebellion and Destiny

I put off creating this blog for a long time, and way too much happened in that time for me to write about, or even remember. However, there are some things that are very important to Gambler and I's story. Specifically, I feel that I need to make a few comments regarding his pasture-mates. Everyone in the horse world knows how expensive boarding a horse can be, and honestly it was the biggest hurdle I had to overcome when considering whether I could afford a horse or not.

I remember that after I was offered Gambler I wanted to say yes more than anything, but I was afraid of making an hasty, compulsive decision. I specifically prayed that if it was God's will for me to own a horse, He would show me a way to afford it. Imagine my surprise and joy when one of my mom's coworkers offered to board a horse at her place for free! I never even knew she owned horses, but as it turned out she had two: Azia and Rebel. Her mare Azia had cancer and it was becoming increasingly apparent that it was in her best interest to put her down. The resulting predicament was that once Azia was gone Rebel would be all alone. So in the end, I have a place to keep my horse and the barn owner has a companion horse for her mount.

Rebel

Sadly, on a Sunday evening a couple weeks ago, Rebel had to be put down because of severe colic. His gut was twisted and he showed no sign of distress until early one morning he was found thrashing in pain. Although the vet did everything he could, it was obvious that Rebel was rapidly deteriorating. Rebel's loss was felt deeply by everyone at the barn, including Gambler, who often called out expecting to hear Rebel's whinny in return. 

A few days later, we had a new arrival! Destiny aka Dezi aka Kezi, is a grade Quarter Horse mare. She is a gorgeous buckskin, and about ten years old. Gambler is completely besotted. 

She's only been at the barn for eleven days, but she was in heat for the first eight, so that resulted in a very interesting pasture atmosphere. Apparently I have one of those geldings who doesn't understand the concept of being gelded . . . *sigh* 

So she hasn't really settled in yet, and all the new sights and sounds have her a little on edge. She is a beautiful horse though, and I do believe that once she gets used to her surroundings she will make a wonderful trail horse for the barn owner. 

Conformation

Although I have yet to actually ride Gambler, I have spent a lot of time this summer working on his topline. I think groundwork is underrated, for many reasons. Not only did groundwork establish a bond between me and my horse, as well as teach him to respect my space, it had a dramatic effect on his conformation. When we brought Gamby home to the barn we put him on a (very) small amount of grain as well as pasture. This combined with regular exercise has had a wonderful effect on his topline!

April

June 

Today: August 22, 2015

What a difference between now and four months ago!

A Dream Come True

Many girls go through the stereotypical horse-crazy phase. Many of us out grow out of it too. I'm not one of those girls. I used to make fun of my horse-crazy cousin (check out her blog: http://randomrambling01.blogspot.com/), constantly teasing her and asserting that horse crazy people were so weird. This continued until I was about 8. That was when I caught the bug. I don't remember for sure, but it may have been reading Misty of Chincoteague that drew me into the horse world.

Resources were never on my side, but I managed to stick my foot in the door of the equestrian world. My mom went out on trail rides with some friends of hers who owned a small herd of Arabians.They also owned a small pony, who became my obsession. When I was nine I took a few free lessons (walk/trot) at Promised Land Ranch. When I was  . . . twelve(?) I started taking real lessons and joined the United States Pony Club soon afterwards. I also rode with a close friend who introduced me to Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship.

The summer after my freshman year was when everything really started to come together. I was offered the job of every horse-crazy girl's dreams: a farm hand at Galloping Hills Equestrian Center. That summer I learned so much; it truly defined me as a person. While I mucked stalls, exercised an overweight gelding, helped treat a wounded foal, and helped the trainer with a few of the green horses, I realized that this is what I am meant to do. Nothing makes me more happy or self-confident, which is something we all need after our freshy year!

That summer was even more important than I thought. I was working in exchange for lessons, but early this spring, my boss made a different offer. It had been my dream for so long to work in exchange for my own horse, but I never thought that dream would come true. In fact, I've had more than a few conversations with myself that went something like this:

Me: Look at So and So with her horse. That must be really nice; having a horse.
Myself: Hey, pull it together. You can't afford a horse, whining about it will not help.
Me: I know but I want that. I want it so much. I wonder if she even knows how lucky she is.
Myself: What kind of attitude is that? Straighten up Jenna. You are lucky you get to ride at all! You will not have a horse any time soon. Grow up!
Little did I know.

In March of this year, just before Easter, I bought Gambler: a four-year-old gelding. He is a dapple grey half-Arabian and he is my dream come true. He cost me $800 dollars, the money I earned that wonderful summer after my freshman year.

When I first got him, Gambler had been started under saddle some months before, but his training was stopped and he sat nearly untouched in the pasture for several months. He is an incredibly friendly horse. I would go out into the pasture and he would follow me everywhere. However, where a lead rope was concerned, he appeared to be totally clueless. He had no concept of cross-ties, and hated having his feet picked up. My mom and I led him around, trying to remind him how to walk calmly, but he was spooky and unpredictable. That being said, he trailered like a pro.

It has been about four months since we brought Gambler home to his current barn and it has been a long journey. May and June were spent honing his ground skills. It took the longest time to teach him to longe, especially to the right. Gamby is very one-sided.

In July, we discovered that Gambler had hurt his back through a series of unfortunate events. At the same time, I was overwhelmed by thoughts of college and the future, which lowered my confidence regarding Gambler. We both had a rough month, but it brought us a lot closer to each other. After a month spent rehabilitating Gambler's back and my emotional health, his ground training had taken a serious turn for the worse. I brought a friend out to see him and after an hour of stopping, backing up, bucking, kicking, and rearing, I was hit with the brutal force of how far we had fallen. This, and the way-too-quickly approaching school year made me all the more determined to start Gambler under saddle before snowfall.

In the two weeks since I brought my friend out to see him, Gambler has improved by leaps and bounds. He now longes walk/trot and he takes the canter (sustaining it is another matter).

Yesterday I put a western saddle on him the first time since I've had him and he performed beautifully.

Today, just for fun, I took him off of the longe line to see if he would circle at liberty. He did! It was only at a walk, because I didn't want to push it too far, but it is a tremendous improvement, and shows just how far we have come together.