Catching Up!

Ok so I know it has been awhile since I've posted and this is not something I am very proud of. But something has come up that I need to start posting about again. At the Long's barn we have a mare that we call "The Filly" who is 11yrs old and newly broke. Since I have told Sam that my goals were to learn how to be confident enough to ride and train youngsters she gave me this challenge. 

Now The Filly has some balance problems from not being ridden at an early age. She also is very high strung, maybe has some ADD, and too much energy. All these together make the perfect horse to train :) She reminds me so much of Elie.

So just today I had my first 'real' training day on her. We had been doing some ground work focusing on her hips and shoulder. Getting her to trot around me in a close circle and changing direction constantly. This exercise has really proven to grab her attention and calm her down. She gets really nervous around people and when I get her out and bring her to another place to work. 

After calming her down I got on her and forgot so quickly that I was on a greenie. Instantly, I was trying to force her to do what she didn't want to. Sam redirected me by telling me to make her idea my idea and use the energy she has given me. I turned her in the direction she wanted to go and moved her on. Then I began using the tools we learned on the ground while mounted. Changing direction and making small circles to calm her down was key. I very quickly got her attention back and ears on me. 

Because of her poor balance she tends to fall over in the corners, instead of bend. Because of this, I had to be sure I had a firm and steady outside reign for her to lean on while in the turns. If I failed to do so she would trip, fall, or flip her head at me. Once we got the hang of it the corners were easy. 

To take advantage of all her energy, we trotted her out with our exercise and did fairly well. She is already showing a great improvement in her balance and stride then when I first met her. While trotting it was hard to remember to keep a steady hand on the outside, so that is something to remember for next time. But as we continued it got dramatically better.

So that was my first day training The Filly. Sam says we make a perfect match :)

Picture of Misty's Blue Moon copywrite Taylor Herrera