All The Kings' Horses

 Another several days of no work for Gia due to the weather, so I started her off with lunging today.  She was immediately relaxed, submissive and obedient.  After a few walk/trot transitions, I asked for several canter transitions.  She was grumpy but obedient. Under saddle, I started with some bending at the walk and trot - lots of circles in corners in each direction.  Once she was a bit softer, I asked for haunches in at the walk and trot.  She was very responsive tracking left, but it was more difficult for her tracking right.  Once she was getting it better, I urged her to go a little quicker, and then, on her own, she picked up the canter.  She did throw in a buck or two, especially at the beginning, but they weren't bad, and it was much easier to push her through.  Her canter was quite fast at first, but I used a spiraling-in circle to help get it under control, and I ended up with a pretty decent canter at least once in each direction. 

 It has been a while since I was able to sit on my horse, due to weather and life circumstances, so we started out with some lunging today.  She was actually very good on the lunge line - very relaxed and obedient.  I even asked for several canter transitions.  Although her ears were back, the canter was not bad. Under saddle, I started with stretching, bending and leg yields at the walk and trot.  Then we moved on to a little haunches in at the walk and trot.  At the trot, once the haunches were in, I asked for slight increases and decreases to the tempo.  With that work, she actually offered some canter transitions herself.  There was still some bucking involved, but it was less dramatic and less frequent.  Since she opened the canter door, I did ask for several canter transitions myself.  It took a few tries, but by the end, I was able to get at least one transition in each direction that did not involve bucking.  Although, tracking right, she failed to get the correct lead.  We can

 Another winter day, another frozen arena ...  I worked with Gia again on the trailer.  She did really good again - she even tried to get on the trailer once before I was ready for her!  Tomorrow will be the real test when I load her up to go to CDP. By the time I finished with that, the arena was a little thawed, enough for me to lunge her for a few minutes in the rope halter.  She was practically perfect for that as well!  I sent her around a few times in each direction, and she was very obedient and relaxed to all my cues.

 Since 3 inches of snow fell last night, that definitely puts a damper on riding horses.  Unfortunately, down here in the south, we don't have the proper shoes on our horses to prevent ice from balling up in their feet, making for very wobbly "high heels".  So, Gia and I worked on the same things today that we did yesterday.  The trailer was very easy for her again today, and so was the flexion work!  Hopefully, we will be back in the saddle on Monday, but I'm not holding my breath ...

 More frozen ground ...  I worked with Gia on the trailer again today.  She was much more willing to get on the trailer and much more relaxed to hang out and eat her grain.  I took her on and off a few times, and they were all good. I also did more flexions with her in her bridle.  She was much softer today, even on the right side!

 The ground was too frozen to ride this morning, so I worked with Gia on a couple of things in hand.  We did a little bit of flexions to the left and right in her bridle at the halt.  She was pretty good with those, although a little stiffer on the right.  She does want to twist her head a bit in each direction, so I had to work on straightening her as she flexed. I also took this opportunity to work with her on the smaller trailer.  I used a pan with grain, and we went on and off the trailer several times.  She was hesitant at first, but by the last few times, she was getting right on!  I will probably keep using a pan with grain in it for the next few trailer rides, just in case.

 Hayley worked with Gia and I today on our flatwork.  We worked in the dressage arena, and she hadn't been there in a while, so she was a little distracted at first.  We started with bending and leg yielding in each direction at the walk and trot.  We also did some "baby" leg yields, just encouraging her to move off my leg from quarter line to the rail in both directions.  After all that, she was much more focused and relaxed.   Then we moved on to some canter work.  It took a few attempts to actually get it, but I was probably not pushing as hard as I could have.  It turns out that it wasn't as bad I as I expected.  She did buck and kick out a few times, but I was able to kick her forward and out of it much better.  After the first few, she was picking it up with less resistance, and keeping it longer.  The key is definitely to kick her forward, but that's tough when you know you have to work through the buck to get there!

 I took Gia to the show at the Carolina Horse Park yesterday to school around.  I was hoping that, if things went well, we would be ready to enter an event the next time around.  Unfortunately, things did not go as well as I had hoped.   I lunged her first, and that part went as usual - very quick and nervous, but calmed down eventually and focused. Once tacked up, we headed up to warm up.  That also went as usual - nervous, but went forward eventually.  Once in the ring, she was VERY nervous, and never really settled.  It was a fiasco getting her to a quieter part of the arena, where we wouldn't be too close to other horses.  She practically went after one horse, trying to kick it.  Once I got her (somewhat) alone, she was slightly better, but not much.  We worked a lot at the walk, working on relaxation.  When that was slightly better, we worked a bit at the trot - lots of circles, changes of bend, leg yields, etc.  She never really let go of her tension, although it did subside

I chose not to lunge Gia today, and she did do fairly well.  I only worked on flatwork today, and kept it pretty simple.  I started out just asking her to bend and leg yield at the walk and trot.  She was a bit stiffer on the right side, but no more than usual.  Once she had softened up a bit, I did quite a bit of work on haunches-in at the walk and trot.  She wanted to get a little pissy at first, but I just kept my leg on until she gave me what I was looking for, and then released.  It was especially difficult for her tracking right, since she wants to throw her haunches to the left, but we were able to get a few good moments in each direction.

 The ground was too frozen to ride this morning, so we worked on alternate learning today.  I am planning to take Gia to an event this weekend, so this was a good opportunity to clip her and get her ready.  She stood almost perfectly for the clipping - she was just a little fidgety when I worked on her ears.  Thinking back to how she was a year ago - she has come a LONG way! I also worked with her on getting on the bigger trailer.  The smaller trailer was parked where we couldn't use it today, or we would have also worked on that one.  However, Gia hasn't been on the bigger trailer either, since our last outing (where I had to slam on my brakes).  She hesitated a little bit on her first attempt, but I kept a consistent pressure on her leadline (using a rope halter), and her hesitations only lasted a few minutes.  Once she got on, I had a yummy treat of a small amount of grain waiting for her.  I backed her off (which she did very politely), then we went right back on.  That tim

 Gia was a bit difficult to get on the trailer yesterday to go to CDP.  She's been giving me a hard time the last few times, but this time was worse.  I did eventually get her on, but it was a struggle.  It occurred to me yesterday, that she may have slight PTSD about being on a trailer.  On the way home from our last event, someone pulled out in front of me and slammed on their brakes, so I had to slam on my brakes and jostle the horses around.  She might still be worried about that.  I will plan on doing some trailer work with her until she is more comfortable again. Once at CDP, she seemed "normal".  Charlie lunged her, and was quite happy with how she behaved.  She was  a little distracted, but mostly obedient, and not naughty at all. Under saddle, we warmed up with bending and leg yields at the walk and trot.  When I put her towards a few poles on the ground, she stopped, worried.  I kept my leg on and made sure she didn't step back or get away from it.  After ju

 I kept it very simple with Gia today since she had a few more days off again due to weather and me being out of town.  I lunged her to begin with, but she was very obedient and relaxed.  Under saddle, we worked on bending and transitions between walk, trot and halt.  She was a bit resistant at first, but then got nice and soft!

The ground was too frozen yesterday morning to ride, so I worked with Gia on flexing left and right.  She can be a bit stiff, and resistant to yield to the reins, so this was a good opportunity to really improve on that skill.  I put her bridle on, and we just stayed in the crosstie area.  I stayed back at her withers on one side, and simply kept the connection on one rein while asking her to soften with the opposite rein.  It was very easy for her to left, but she was stiffer to the right, so it took her a little longer to yield on that side.  By the end, she was moving from side to side much more easily.

 Since it had been a while since I had actually ridden Gia, I decided to lunge her today.  She was pretty calm and obedient, so after a few minutes, I hopped on.  She was actually quite good under saddle!  She never offered to do anything naughty.  We did a lot of work on bending and transitions between walk, trot and halt.  She was a bit resistant to stay soft, but otherwise did really well.  We also did a few transitions between collecting and lengthening.  Those were ok.  She wasn't resistant, but she didn't really reach out in the lengthenings.

 Gia was a little naughty when Danielle went to catch her for work today. The weather was pretty crappy - very cold, snowing sideways, very wet and windy.  She usually has a really good work ethic, and is usually excited to get busy.  I think, today, she just didn't feel like working in this crap (and I can't say I blame her).  Regardless, she is still not allowed to misbehave.  So, since she was naughty, and since she'd had a few more days off work due to the holidays, I decided we would do some loose work in the round pen. Basically, I just wanted her to move forward and away from me if I asked her to, or used the whip.  She started out very resistant and sassy, but it only took a few reminders before she quit fussing when I sent her forward.  Then she went to the other extreme and started to get too fast.  Each time she did, I made her stop and change direction.  That got pretty tiresome for her after a while, then she finally started to act more submissively.  Once she