Radio Silence

I disappeared again. As this blog continues through the years (assuming that I will continue blogging) you will find that I often disappear around this time. May is my favorite month because of the bustle that accompanies it. So many wonderful things happen in May - all at once. The result is that I am sleep-deprived, overworked, overwhelmed, and frazzled; but content.

I can't possibly catch up on every session that I didn't post about, so I guess it's a good thing that Gambler and I haven't done much. I haven't ridden him since the day he bucked me off. Before anyone jumps to conclusions, it is a mere coincidence that I have been too busy to ride him since that day. My hope is that Gambler realizes that and doesn't make a habit of bucking so that I don't ride him for a month.

The truth is I have been incredibly pressed for time. Too busy for blogging and some days too busy for the barn. *gasp* When I did make it out to the barn, I was too tired and unmotivated to do any serious work toward riding. That being said, Gambler and I have spent quality time with each other in the pasture. I've played some games with him and given him lots of scratches. We are actually much closer than we have been. Where we have idled in training, we have grown in our relationship. These days Gambler comes to greet me in the pasture and watches wistfully as I drive away.

And here is the photo dump:

On May 12th, I only had a few minutes to work with Gambler. It was a windy, spooky day, and the trees were making him nervous, but he didn't bolt. 

On the fourteenth I was able to play with the white barrels for the first time. I purchased some barrels for Gambler to jump because he jumps sloppily and I didn't want him to gash himself on the metal barrels. 

At this point the barrels had been sitting in the pasture for a day, so Gambler was  wary, but not afraid of them.

The goal is to have Gambler travel between the barrels and then jump over them (squeeze game), but he just wants to paw them (friendly game). 

Then he started cantering around because of the horse-eating-trees. At least he was "scared" enough to move through the barrels. 

On the 15th, we gave the barrels another go.

First we tackled the trees so Gambler could remember that he isn't afraid of them.

"But they're scary!"

Sometimes he moves so beautifully.

Itchy ears

Back to the barrels.

And he thinks he should paw them.

That's more like it!

And we have a jump!

I thought he might have tripped over the tarp a little, so I moved it.

Back to pawing. 

Now that high school is finally behind me, I can focus once more on starting Gambler under saddle. That is, until college or other future plans drag me away again. 

I don't have any pictures from today, but I spent most of the session just relaxing with him in the arena. I scratched his scratches, and played a tiny bit at liberty. Then I played around with mounting prep. He was really good, a far cry from the grumpiness he gave me in January, but I made sure to really look for relaxation. I think part of the reason he doesn't fully trust me on his back is because I haven't respected his feedback. I sat on him bareback for a while and then called it a day. 

Grooming Session

I have always loved grooming. Some people hate it, rushing to finish or doing a sloppy job. There is a time for skimping out on the grooming process, but I like to take my time whenever I can. There are many pros to grooming your horse on a regular basis. First, the more familiar you are with your horse's body, the sooner you will catch injuries. Second, it is a good way to teach a horse to stand still and enjoy your company while respecting your space. Third, only regular grooming will yield a shiny coat. Lastly, it builds a bond with your horse. Gambler knows that almost every time I bring him in we are either going to work, or play high-energy games. So I like to just groom him, or hang out with him for a while, just to show him that I won't always demand something from him.

On Thursday, Gambler came into the barn spooky and soaking wet. 

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

A couple of useful tools

Wet, muddy hair galore!

Guess where Gambler and Kezi ran off to when we let them out.

The horse-eating-trees of course!

"Who me?"

Until they decided to head out to the far pasture.

Spring Rains

I love, love, love rainy hazy days. Spring has arrived in this part of the world, bringing my favorite weather with it. Many people find rainy days gloomy and depressing, but I relish in them. There is something about a good rainy day that fills the very air with energy. I love the way that the rain or mist conceals things far away, or changes the way light hits them. It makes you look at everyday things in a different light - literally and figuratively. 

Weather like this reveals layers where you don't expect them. What was once is now three-dimensional. What seemed simple in the sunlight carries a new complexity in the layers of grey. 

And this our life, exempt from public haunt, 
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.
I would not change it.
~ from As You Like It by William Shakespeare

Partner Mindset

When I arrived at the barn on Tuesday, it was windy, cold, and rainy. It was the type of day that Gambler uses as an excuse to be afraid of everything. Keeping this in mind, I set up the arena as usual with ground poles, a jump, and the saddle. Gambler needs to face scary experiences with the saddle on his back, because that is when he is most likely to buck and rear and bolt. The more situations he learns to carry the saddle through, the safer it will be for me to ride him through those same scary situations. 

Before I brought Gambler into the arena or saddled him up, I had to walk out to the far pasture to catch him. Actually, he caught me. He trotted up to me with energy, and stopped a reasonable distance away without crowding my space. That is a good sign! I gave him a massage and picked all of those nasty ticks off of his chin and then haltered him.

As I tried to walk him back to the barn, however, he reared, tried to bolt, and nipped my hand - all unacceptable behavior. At first I jerked on the halter, bopped him in the nose, and spoke tersely to him in effort to make him behave. This, of course, didn't work. Then I thought about what I was doing and tried a different approach. Using the yo-yo game, I backed him across the pasture. Every time he spooked or wasn't paying attention to me or misbehaved in some other way, I asked him to back up faster. If he backed quickly, lowered his head, perked his ears toward me, or showed any signs of relaxation I released the pressure and let him rest. I backed him halfway back to the barn before he calmed down enough for me to lead him normally. 

I led him the rest of the way on a loose line. He licked and chewed and yawned, even when Kezi realized he was leaving and came thundering past us to the barn. 

When Gambler and I were in the arena, I saddled him up and then headed straight for the horse-eating-trees. We played one of his favorite games, half-circles at the trot or canter. It took him a while to get into it because he was still pretty right-brained - spooking and bucking. He doesn't mind the saddle until you add other stimuli. Wind is okay. The saddle is okay. But wind and the saddle? That's something else entirely!

Bringing Gambler in a little to switch direction.

I'm not sure if he is bucking here or just jumping into the canter - probably a little bit of both.

Asking Gambler to walk on.

Here he is settling down and thinking instead of reacting.

Grumpy face much?

Snuggles.

Once he was acting like a partner instead of a prey animal, we played the circling game over ground poles. 

Gambler and I had a break through with the sideways game! I've been trying to play it from to close to him apparently. When I stepped back and gave him some room, he started to understand.

I wasn't sure how clear these pictures would be, but you can definitely see the sideways here!

I promise I did it on the other side too, I just don't have pictures of it.

Yo-yo game!!

Backing. . . 

Backing . . .

Backing . . .

All the way out on the 22' line!

And bringing him back in.

More snuggles.