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!

Friday

Friday. In the summer it's the day I get to see Gambler twice. In the winter it's the day I don't get to see him at all. I can't really complain. After all, I will see him tomorrow, and the day after. I don't really have any update, since I didn't see him today, but I just feel like writing something.

The trees are already turning colors. From where I am sitting on my couch, looking out of the window, I can see yellow, red, and orange leaves. The majority of the trees are green, but still, Autumn is approaching fast.

Fall is my favorite season. I love curling up in a cozy sweatshirt or blanket, with a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate, or cider. I love Thanksgiving, especially the mashed potatoes and gravy. I love the crisp and refreshing air that trickles through the open windows. I love being able to open the windows. I love the color scheme of fall. I love fall sunsets. I love riding in the fall, because it's cool enough to work hard without sweating a ton. I love that all the bugs die off after the first frost. I just love the whole season.

Autumn has a new meaning for me as a horse owner and trainer. Well, I'm not technically a horse trainer . . . what even qualifies someone as a horse trainer? Anyway, as a horse owner who is training her horse, fall is a constant reminder that I only have a few months to start riding my horse before winter comes. Don't get me wrong--I am definitely planning on riding all through the winter, but it is incredibly difficult to ride in snow, especially in rural Wisconsin. I need to have a decent foundation of 5-10 rides on Gambler before we get serious snow. At the same time, I don't want to push it. I know that he is still very uncomfortable with the saddle that I am going to use. When he has the western saddle on he is way more spooky because he isn't used to it. I don't want to add the pressure of a rider until he is confident moving at walk,trot, and canter with the saddle on. This is even more important because the first time he was started something went wrong. I've heard conflicting stories about what it was, and I really don't care what it was. I don't want to point fingers, I just want to do what is best for the horse. I am dying to ride my horse. I haven't ridden a horse in months, and I have never ridden my own horse. On the other hand, I am not going to sacrifice his emotional well-being for my own gain. I have to find the balance between letting him take his time and getting on his back before snowfall.

I think another reason I am reluctant to start him right now is I'm feeling a little unconfident (yes I am well aware that unconfident isn't a word, but I'm not feeling insecure, I'm just not feeling confident, there is a difference) about my riding ability. I'm not a beginning rider, I've been riding on and off for eight years now. But because I've never had my own horse I've always been riding other people's horses. That means I have very limited, although versatile, experience with riding. I am 100% confident with my ground skills. I'm not perfect, but I have experience and it's always kinda been my thing. Riding is different. I have ridden bareback, english, western, dressage, gone on trail rides, jumped (just a little), and even taken a couple little cross-country jumps, but I still have a questionable canter seat. I'll be the first to tell you that I think that a green horse and a green rider can be perfect for each other, but I'm still a little afraid that I don't have what it takes to truly finish a green horse. That said, I'm not giving up. This is my horse, my gamble, and I'm taking it. Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe I'm inexperienced. Maybe I'm a clueless, immature, horse-crazy girl and years into the future I'll look back at myself with embarrassment. But I'm doing this anyway. My dream has come true, and I am going work my butt off. I have a history of being a quitter, but I'm not giving up on my horse. He is more than just my pet, he is my future. God has offered me the opportunity of a lifetime and I'm seeing it through to the end.

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.