The Sun Is On My Side

Finally, daylight savings time has reversed (or however that works) and I have time to spend with Gambler. The sun doesn't set until 5:20ish, which gives me at least half an hour on school nights.

Gambler in his stall tonight. 

I went out to see Gambler again on Sunday and today. Both days we had really good sessions. Right now I'm leading him primarily from the right (off) side because he prefers the left. He's catching on fast. I'm discovering just how in tune to my emotions he is. If I watch him to see how he's reacting to me or am unsure of myself he puts up a fuss, but if I just do my thing and expect him to be okay with it, he complies.

In the cross-ties on Sunday.

He's continuing to improve with regard to picking out his feet. I can pick them all out without anyone holding him again, but he kicks out and moves around a lot. He's the worst with his front right foot, but I'll say more about that later.

Playing around with the bridle. 

He's been quite energetic. I can't say I'm surprised, since he's coming back into work after a month or so off. There has been much kicking up of the heels when I longe him, but I don't mind. He's been respectful of my space and listens to my commands, so he can throw in the aerobics if he wants to.

I've continued to put the bareback pad on every day and right now he isn't reacting to the cinch much if at all.

I've also done a good bit of mounting prep with him. I'm trying to find the balance between moving slow enough for him to be comfortable, but fast enough that he can't get bored. So far, so good, but it's only been two days.

There is one issue which I need to address. When I ask Gambler to yeild his forequarters - something dominant horses are notoriously bad at - he flips his head, pins his ears, strikes with a front foot, and if I keep pushing, rears. He is worst when I am on his right side, which is the foot he doesn't like me to pick up. He is also more rude during mounting prep when I am near that part of his body. That one issue is a roadblock in most of the areas I've been working on. It's definitely my next subject of focus.

Joke's on Me

So in my last post I talked about how Gambler is a young horse who needs consistent work in order to remember anything I teach him. That's an exaggeration, but you get the point. Well, apparently he's reading my blog and he thought it would be fun to prove me wrong. I was surprised, but I'm certainly not complaining!

It was 25 degrees at the barn yesterday, warmer than it's been for weeks. The wind, however, was blowing at about 13 mph. As I walked toward the barn, I said to myself (yes I talk to myself - a sign of genius or insanity or both), "The horses are gonna be spookified monsters today." Then Kezi whinnied at me from the gate, almost like she was replying to me. She whinnied again when I got to the fence. Apparently she was very glad to see the food-bringer.

We brought the horses in and dished out the grain, same as usual. Gambler was surprisingly calm. Instead of ignoring his hay and pacing the stall, he stood and munched away. Once he was done with his grain, I brought him out into the cross-ties. For the first time in the last few weeks, he acted as if he really had seen cross-ties before. Imagine that!

I brushed him and then addressed the picking up of the feet. I took it pretty slow, like I did when I first started focusing on his feet. First I just asked him to lift the foot calmly. It took some time, but in the end I picked out all four feet without any hopping, kicking, mini-rearing, or attempted biting. I didn't even have to ask Mom to hold him.

Then I put on the bareback pad. I haven't even brought the pad into the barn in weeks, so I expected the usual "I have never seen that object in my entire life" response. I was happily surprised when he allowed me to tighten the girth without a single complaint. Is this the same baby horse I wrote about yesterday?

On top of it all, I brought out the bridle again, to check the fit. He let me put it on first try without any problem. I felt horrible because I forgot to warm up the bit. I specifically prepared a hand warmer for that very purpose, but forgot anyway. I don't think he'll hold it against me.

He played with the bit a little, but not much. The bridle fits perfectly, except for the browband, which is definitely too tight. I guess he has the forehead of a quarter horse. The noseband was attached to the wrong part of the headstall, so I couldn't tighten all the straps. You'll notice in the pictures it looks a little awkward. The best part is, he was totally relaxed and accepting of the bridle, even though I haven't put it on him since . . . October? November? I don't even remember.

I guess my baby is growing up!

He's standing a little awkwardly, because he's so focused on the thing on his head. I have his halter - still attached to one cross-tie - around his neck, but he really wasn't tied. Thankfully, he didn't realize it. He just stood there thinking about what was on his head. 

When he saw me take out the phone he stopped messing with the bit, looked at me, and perked up his ears. I swear he poses for the camera. 

Begin Again

I finally got out to the barn on Thursday. The good news is Gambler definitely missed me; the bad news, his training has fallen back again.

This has been the story of Gambler's training. He was started under saddle walk, trot, canter about two years ago. Then he sat in the pasture and fell back to old habits. Then I got him and trained him until mid July when I rehabilitated his back. During that time, he apparently forgot his training. Then I stepped it up in August/September, only to have it all fall apart in October and November. Finally in December I settled on just getting the farrier issue resolved. It was going so well! Then the cold hit and I missed a couple weeks. Now I'm back in square one yet again.

The good thing is that every time it takes a little less effort to catch up. Training a young horse is like having a kid (Or so I think, I've never had a kid), there must be consistency! This is the one area that I have not been strong enough in. My goal for this spring, especially once it warms up, is to be consistent in the training, so that Gambler can finally overcome this area of his training. He's officially five now, he's ready for legitimate riding. I just have to find time and persistence to make the best of his potential. I can't wait to see what happens!

Watching as we walk up to the barn.

Licking and chewing

Still Alive

Hey!

I haven't posted in ten whole days.

And

I've only posted three times this year.

But I am still alive.

My horsey activities are still on hold. Partly due to the cold and partly due to car troubles. But that's okay! In truth, these twenty days have been some of the best days in a long time. I'm beginning the last semester of high school and many things are finally coming together.

Since getting Gambler I have grown so much as a person. God has used this little horse to challenge me on multiple levels. Gamby is an Arab cross, which means he is highly sensitive and energetic. He doesn't think twice about taking advantage of my insecurities. I've learned to put my fears away and take a stand for what I believe is right, whether I'm standing up to my horse or other people or even myself. At the same time, I've learned not to get overconfident or cocky. No matter how many plans I make, something will happen to throw everything off.

I've seen a difference in myself this school year, which I believe is due to my experiences with Gambler. I have the confidence to open up to people and appreciate the friendships of these last four months, to dare to try jump at new (and risky) opportunities. But I also have the humility (at least I'm working on it) to take a step back, and realize that my plans for this semester aren't the be all and end all of my life. There is a big picture, and right now I'm trying to be content to see where God is taking me.

The Cold has Struck

Where have I been? Believe it or not, I have been at the barn with Gambler. I don't have a good excuse for not writing. I just didn't feel like writing the same thing over and over and over. That's what its been for the last week or so. Repetitious. There is nothing wrong with repetition, in fact, it's beneficial for a young horse. It is not, however, good blog material.

The cold has struck. Right now my phone says that its 0 degrees at the barn and feels like -7 degrees (Fahrenheit). Granted, it's nothing compared to last year when it was ten to twenty below nearly every night, but it is cold! As a result my sessions with Gambler have been the same every day. Bring the horses in, feed them, put Gambler in the cross-ties, put the bareback pad on him, pick up/pick out all four feet. He continues to improve. The bareback pad is hardly an issue anymore. He's putting up more of a fuss with his feet, but I think that is due to the cold and the fact that he hasn't had a good work out in several weeks.

Gambler in the cross-ties last week.

Last night we put the horses in their stalls overnight for the first time. I haven't heard how that went, hopefully Gambler stayed in his stall this time. We'll be heading over there in a couple hours, so I'll try to update tomorrow. 

Gambler in his stall last night. You can see his little purple ball hanging from the rafters. I was hoping he'd play with it, but so far he has just ignored it. 

Little Victories

I woke up this morning feeling absolutely wonderful. I slept soundly and woke feeling completely relaxed, refreshed, and rejuvenated. I didn't have to get up early or hurry to get anything done, so I just laid in bed a while thinking about how thankful I am (I'm aware that Thanksgiving was a couple months ago - deal with it). There was a time only a few years ago where I felt alone with nothing and no one. Now I am so happy. My dreams have come true. That reality never really will sink it.

Gambler, one of my own dreams-come-true, was amazing today. I am so proud of how far he has come. Looking back over our (almost) nine months together to write the overview post really put it all in perspective. It was cold and windy, so Gambler was spooky. But when I asked him to stand still, he did. When I asked him to circle, he did. When I told him to move away from me, he did. When I asked him to stop kicking up his heels and stand still a few feet away from me so I could take pictures, he did. 

Not bad for a phone pic huh?

Ever curious.

Even with the scary trees and the scary wind and the scary invisible monster in the empty field, he listened and licked and chewed. Every now and then he would get very, very still and then something would happen and he'd jump a little, but he never truly spooked.

I didn't do much outside. I longed him walk/trot/canter in the snow. It was soft fluffy stuff that wasn't too deep and his gaits didn't seem affected. I didn't do any mounting prep because I didn't have anyone to hold him if I did get on. So after he goofed around in the snow for a while I brought him into the barn. I had put the bareback pad on him before I took him to the arena and I just left it on when he and Kezi were in the barn.

Still phone pictures, I'm pretty impressed. 

After feeding him his grain and Sand Clear by hand (little stinker!) I switched halters and put him in the cross-ties. He stood calmly, even when the wind howled and I wandered all over the barn to get things. A far cry from April, when he wouldn't even stand still in the cross-ties to be groomed. I picked out all four feet and picked them up multiple times, making sure that I set them down. He kicked a little with both the front right and the right hind, but only a little. 

Now, I've been reading Liz's blog In Omnia Paratus and one thing I find intriguing is that she trims her own horses' hooves. I don't plan on trimming Gambler's hooves myself, but I find it all fascinating. She takes pictures of her horses' hooves now and then to show how they grow and change and improve. As I read those posts I found myself thinking, I wish my horse would let me do that . . . Since he was being so good today, I thought I'd try. He let me pick up all his feet with one hand and hold them to take a photo! It seems so silly, but Gambler has been a pain with his feet since before I even got him and I've worked so hard to get to this point. It may be a little victory, but it means a lot to me!

Back to a legitimate camera now.

Left front

Left hind.

Right front

Right hind

Gambler continues to improve everyday. I am so proud of my little buddy. My favorite part is still the fact that he is mine. He is a horse, but in some strange way, he is a friend. We understand one another. That means more to me than picking up feet or even riding.

Dem Dapples!

Happy New Year!

I thought about making some New Year's resolutions for Gambler and myself, but decided against it. I have goals and plans for Gambler already. I don't need more. If there is anything Gambler has taught me, it is that goals are never concrete. When push comes to shove, I'm on his time schedule.

I saw Gambler just long enough to pick out his feet. He and Kezi had already been fed and turned out to pasture with hay so I just haltered him while he was eating. I tossed the lead rope over his back and picked up his feet. He let me pick out all four like that. That shows definite improvement. Right now I want him to let me set his foot back on the ground. Gambler would rather put his own foot down. In itself, it's not a big deal, but it's a power thing. I know from past experience that Gamby will take every once of control I give him, so we will continue to work on this until he finally gives in.