Spring Fever

Yesterday was incredibly beautiful and warm. I had the opportunity to hang out at the barn with Gambler while my Mom rode with some friends. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity. I didn't ride Gambler for a couple reasons. First, Mom wasn't there to lead him and supervise. Second, Gambler had a bad (good?) case of spring fever. 

I arrived at the barn to find Gambler helping himself to what was left of Kezi's grain.

"Oh, hello there!"

"Shall I pose?"

YAWN

I played with Gambler a little in the arena, but the footing was still bad. Mostly I led him around and practiced asking him to stop and back up without pulling on the rope. I brushed his back and chest. The rest of him was muddy, so I left it to dry. I noticed that he and Kezi are beginning to shed! I brought Gambler into the barn to groom him. Kezi followed, with a little convincing. 

Gambler pretending to spook at everything.

You can tell that he isn't actually spooking because the whites of his eyes aren't showing.

Kezi contemplating whether she should come into the barn or not.

"If you come any closer with that halter I'm gonna run!"

Making faces at the camera.

Another serious photo.

After grooming both Gambler and Kezi a little, I let them both back out into the pasture. Then I tried to get good pictures of the horses. Gambler had other plans. He wanted to play. Or snuggle. But mostly play. He kept coming up to me and trying to eat my clothes. I got a few cool pictures despite his shenanigans.  

"What do you mean I'm too close?"

YAWN

More yawning.

The lake in the arena is almost completely dried up now.

The weather was beautiful.

Then Mom came back from riding and took some pictures of Gamby and I.

We're both making faces.

Chopped off ears.

This one is kinda cute, even if he has grumpy ears.

Grumpy ears and he looks asleep.

To feed the horses, we put Kezi in the arena with her grain and fed Gambler in the barn. 

In the barn he was too distracted by the grain to notice they were separated. 

But when we put Gambler in the pasture to eat hay, both he and Kezi had a spaz attack. By now they should not get this excited about being separated by a fence. I blame the spring weather. 

That tail! He looks like such an Arabian.

Fifth Ride

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I didn't think that Gambler's halter would fit under his halter. Well, I made it work. It doesn't fit very well - and the noseband may or may not be buckled under the halter while the rest of the bridle is over it - but it works for now. The goal is to wean him off of being led as soon as possible so I can ride him in just the bridle. 

Another benefit of riding Gambler w/o a handler is that Mom can get pictures of me riding him!

Posing as always.

The ride was quiet, simple, and our longest ride so far. Kezi was in the arena to eat her grain, so I rode Gambler out in the pasture.

On whim, I led Gambler up to the mounting block myself. Mom has been holding him at the mounting block because, as you will remember, he has been walking away and trying to bite and generally cause chaos during the mounting process. Well yesterday I led him up to the mounting block and leaned over his back and he just stood there! Apparently he has accepted riding as part of our routine. I think he likes it. I had Mom hold him when I mounted anyway because I haven't ridden him as a leader yet, just as a passenger.

Because he was wearing the halter and the bridle, I was able to start introducing the aids. It wasn't very consistent because the ground was a disgusting mixture of soggy grass and crusty ice. Gambler would step on the ice and it would hold him for a second or two - before crumbling underneath his hooves. In spite of the conditions, Mom led him in two large circles (dodging iciness) at a walk. I asked him to flex laterally in the bridle and cued him to back up. I think we practiced "woah" as well. I started squeezing with my legs a little with the cue to go and shifting my weight back to stop. So far, he seems to accept and understand the aids. Obviously when the conditions are better, I'll introduce the aids in a more organized way.

After we were done, I let Gambler out in the pasture with his hay. Then we cleaned the stalls and brought down hay from the loft and finished other miscellaneous barn chores. Just before we left, I stepped into the pasture to see Gambler. He was eating his hay and watching three deer that were standing just outside of the pasture. These pictures are grainy and dark, but if you look up in the upper right hand side, above Gambler's head, you can see three little deer. 

100th Post

One hundred posts already, it's crazy to think about. The blog was just a silly summer goal that almost didn't happen. It's still just a silly hobby, just a public journal; but I've come to enjoy blogging. I have a long way to go as far as professionalism and experience. I'll be the first to admit that there are many, many better bloggers than I. But blogging has been such a motivator for me. In a strange way it holds me accountable to myself. I can look back and see where I have grown (and where I have slacked).

As I look over the 99 posts so far, here are a few of Gambler's and my greatest accomplishments:

The Fly Mask:

We put it on backwards so Gambler could get used to the feeling on his ears.

The fly mask was the first obstacle that Gambler and I overcame together. In comparison to the things we've been doing lately it seems small and insignificant, but it was the first step in the right direction.

The Circling Game (our own unique version):

It took Gambler and I some time to figure out how longeing was going to work. There is always room for improvement, but right now Gambler understands and obeys my cues for circling. He'll stop, back, walk on, and even trot with just a point and cluck. Months of hard work and patience and consistency have paid off. 

Cross-ties:
Before I even brought Gambler to the barn, I knew cross-ties were a problem. He was full of nervous energy. I couldn't clean the stiff brush with the curry without spooking him. If I was brushing his back he would walk forward or backward to try to see me. Now I can stick the bridle on him and walk away to take a picture and he'll stand in the aisle.

The Saddling Process:
First it was the bareback pad, with a little bucking. Then the close contact saddle, without any negative reaction. Then I focused on the western saddle which Gambler was quite nervous about. I loved the saddle and hoped to start Gambler in it, but when I checked the fit it seemed a little narrow. Now we are back to the bareback pad. When I was using the western saddle Gambler got very cinchy, possibly because of the fit. Slowly but surely, we've worked past that, and Gambler will let me tighten the bareback pad girth without complaint.

The Bridle:

Gambler never had a problem with the bridle. There were a couple times that he tried to toss his head or pull away. We had one session dedicated to getting the bridle on smoothly and I haven't had a problem since. 

Jumping:

Gambler has always enjoyed jumping. I'm more interested in dressage myself, but his love of jumping has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. I'm looking forward to riding him that much more! 

Liberty:

One of our greatest accomplishments by far is liberty. It was in a really good place this summer. Since then we haven't practiced and we're less in tune with each other. Gambler will still circle at liberty, but won't trot or lead. It is a reminder of what we're capable of and what we can do in the future.

Riding Gambler:

I still don't have a single picture of me riding Gambler. I probably won't until I start riding him without being led. Regardless, riding is definitely an accomplishment. All along, since April 4th, 2015, riding Gambler has been the goal. Now it's finally happening. I'm so excited, things are getting interesting!

The Relationship:

All of these things are great, but the greatest accomplishment of all is the relationship. I have gotten close to a few horses over the years. Dan, the Arab gelding I fell in love with. Domino, the fat retired dressage horse that taught me so much. But I have never known, loved, and understood a horse like Gambler. I've had pets, but there is just something so different about this horse. I don't think I knew a relationship like this was possible until I had it. I think that we will grow even closer when I start riding.

In honor of my 100th post, I would like to show some before and after pictures. I've posted many of these, but they never get old. They are a reminder of how much Gambler and I have accomplished, and how far we still have to go.

In the cross-ties:

April 2016

January 2016

February 2016

In his stall:

April 2015

April 2016

January 2016

February 2016