8/10/2012 <br><br>Day 5<br>Wow! Today has been amazing! I got fatboy out and started off the working period with worming him since he hasnt been wormed in six months. My brother (whom he used to live with) turns worming into a big production and it usually takes him two hours to worm his four because he nags at them to get it done. I made sure not to turn it into a big deal and it was no problem at all to worm him. I wasnt sure if i wanted to give him 1000 or 1500 worth. Using the 1500 finished off the tube so i figured why not! I measured him today. He's officially 16.1 hands. I coulda sworn he wouldve been bigger than that! Soo i went ahead and saddle him up with MY saddle and put the boots on him. It took forever! His withers are soo blubbery that it took me forever to get the saddle where i wanted it! And i had to move EVERY SINGLE clip to its loosest point so it would fit him! Now, my saddle has a back girth and a breast collar, both of which its been nearly two years since he's worn so i decided for my own safety i would lunge him before i got on. He did fine both directions so i went in search of a headstall to make a bridle for him. I planned on putting him in an o ring however my brother apparently has decided that since he moved down that all the horse stuff i dont use is officially his. Including my headstall that matches my saddle, BLAZES bridle... my extra headstall, one of my blankets, my cousins 150$ blanket, some of my horse boots, All the latigos and cinches besides the one on my personal saddle and almost all of my brushes deserve to be at his house..... which makes me EXTREMELY mad. I ended up having to use Rosie's bridle to ride him! Her bridle is a gentle curb and i hate sharing something that goes in their mouths! Urgh! Anyways. I got on the big boy in the arena and started off moving him on and off the rail with leg pressure at a walk. He was doing it but it started frustrating him after a few minutes so i let him trot for a while working on making him listen to my reins and not cutting into my circles. He tried to shoulder out a few times but when i corrected him those few times he gave up. I then asked him to pick up the lope and he kept his head up and did the prettiest lope (wrong lead though! But im not worried about that yet) and he didnt pull his head down or try to stop. We did three or four laps and i got a REALLY good stop out of him and we switched directions and did everything again. Worked on moving with the legs, moving the shoulders, guiding at the trot, and then loped (this time on the correct lead... he always picks up the left.) for three or four laps. I decided i REALLY liked how he was acting today so i jumped off him and opened the gate and we went on our first mini trail ride since he came home. We walked by some things that made lots of noise and some things that moved and he didnt no anything. When we got to the trail head we had to go up a huge hill to get to the trail which was no problem. I was COMPLETELY shocked by his lack of concern for him pasture mate not being with him. He never once even seemed to THINK about her! Even when she was calling for us on the way home he didnt even LOOK IN HER DIRECTION! Anyways! On the trail, its a clearing in the woods. Straight cut but wooded on both sides and lots of brush to tromp through in the middle. We had a rabbit jump two feet away and I was the one who freaked out over that one. Blazey didnt even look at it! Even when weeds got caught between the stirrups and his side and brushed against him he didnt seem phased by it. I am absolutely THRILLED with this!! So i kept him going for a while and he was starting to sweat pretty badly so i decided it was time to go back and we didnt have any problems all the way home. When i got him back i got him unsaddled and sprayed him off for the first time while tied and he moved a way a BIT but he would stop and let me finish after that first movement. He's never stood still while being sprayed EVER! Im so thrilled with how far he's come being that he's been here less than a week! <br><br>Sorry! No pictures today! My camera is refusing to be found.
I believe he's starting to get muscling on his shoulders! Super exciting! He didnt get ridden yesterday but he's getting ridden today. Yesterday was his weekly break xD
Thanks! Since my brother took his bridle my dad bought me a new one! Complete set and its about 10 times better than his old one! I love it too! Once it cools off im gonna try it on him ;D
8/12/2012<br><br>Day Seven<br><br>Seven days! A full week since the boy has been back home! Im seeing QUITE am improvement! His muscles are starting to poke out a little. He's still got quite a bit of blubber but i can see his shoulder now!! And im starting to see a muscle line in his butt that ive never seen before!! But an even bigger improvement is his overall attitude and riding ability! Today i worked on moving to leg pressure at a trot (never done trot before but he caught on quick) and did so both directions then went right into loping once he was warmed up. He's pretty much got the hang of my cues so we just let him run until he started puffing... usually three laps LOL! He keeps wanting to stop when he thinks he can but i push him on at LEAST half a lap without trying it and then ill stop him on MY watch. NOT his. And let me tell you... i said whoa and sat back and he nearly knocked me outta my seat! The fat boy who usually takes four or five strides to stop did a DAD GUM SLIDE STOP!!! My jaw LITERALLY dropped! So now that he had my attention it was my turn to get his. I had been wondering how i was gonna get him into that right lead because he always picks up his left. I know some tricks to do it but ive never had one work... well i was thinking about that right lead last night, and you know how people seem to get these AMAZING ideas right before they go to sleep and never remember them in the morning? Well i get these when im working on new horses and i have a dilemma except i tend to remember them. Believe it or not i kind of... go on a fake ride in my head when im dozing off and i can feel what im doing and generally the things that dont work with the fake horse rides dont work in real horse rides and the things that work with real horse rides really do work! And my mind's Rosie horse and Blaze horse dont work with the same techniques! Anyways! I got this idea last night to try trotting Blazey up the middle of the arena and turning him to the right and cueing for a lope thus forcing him into the right lead. And it worked!! We got two out of four leads that way and he even picked up a right lead on the straight away! I was attempting a flying lead change (getting brave) but before we got too it the boy tripped and stumbled pretty badly. I decided since my parents werent home and since he has been doing SOOO amazing this week that it was about time to give him a break. I took everything off him and sprayed him off and he didnt even lift up his back feet when they got wet like he usually does! I have yet to have a bad ride since he's been back. All i can think now is... "I let this horse sit in the pasture for nine years while i searched for a good horse?!"<br><br>I have pictures. Will get them up soon
Thanks Kels! I dont think ive ever seen this particular horse before truthfully. He's always thought he could push me around and scare me (he could for the longest time) but since ive gotten him back he hasnt tried to put a single foot out of line! Im wondering where this particular horse has been all my life!
Thanks Kels! I dont think ive ever seen this particular horse before truthfully. He's always thought he could push me around and scare me (he could for the longest time) but since ive gotten him back he hasnt tried to put a single foot out of line! Im wondering where this particular horse has been all my life!
<br><br>maybe he realized, hey being up here around her is ten times better! i better behave! haha
Thanks Kels! I dont think ive ever seen this particular horse before truthfully. He's always thought he could push me around and scare me (he could for the longest time) but since ive gotten him back he hasnt tried to put a single foot out of line! Im wondering where this particular horse has been all my life!
<br><br>maybe he realized, hey being up here around her is ten times better! i better behave! haha
<br><br>Probably not haha! Over there he got to be fat and lazy all the time. I make him work haha! But i think he's realized that im officially not scared of him anymore. He's finally realized that he's not gonna get away with things anymore so he will not even try
8/13/2012<br><br>Day 8 <br>or <br>1 Week 1 Day<br>Part 1<br><br>There are things to be said about the longevity of a mustang. I decided today that because my mother took my morning riding time this morning that i was going to ride Blaze today at mid day. I thought... well its not even 100 degrees outside! And its a cloudy day! He can handle it! I got him out and saddled him (The holds are fitting looser!!) and got him ready to ride. Ive been in a bad mood today because i was forced to go shopping with my mother (its terrible!) and i knew he was going to be a little edgier because he's VERY sensitive to emotions. Luckily i am able to hide it better now than i used too. He did try to get his head once but i held firm to him. He's quit trying to constantly pull the reins from my hand which is a HUGE plus! We caught lots of right leads and the greatest part... WE CAUGHT A FLYING LEAD CHANGE! and a crossfire but never mind that! Haha! We were out there for 15 minutes in 99 degree weather doing practically all loping and i was getting dizzy and had to get off and cool off. The fat man isnt even SWEATING! And he was the one doing all the hard work and wearing a fur coat and six layers of fat! When he gets less blubbery and more muscle he's gonna be able to work non stop! So i plan on going back out later and riding some more but its too hot for me right now. While writing this ive already drank a bottle of water and once i finish this sentence im going back for another!
Day 8 <br>or <br>1 Week 1 Day<br>Part 2<br><br>Whew! It was about 5 degrees cooler when i got on him 3 hours later. Much better for both of us. Nothing much more to report. He's still working on catching that right lead and we have to work a bit to get it on the straightaways but that comes with time and practice. Im starting to realize how much he really needs to watch his feet. He kept tripping to try to get me to back off of him. Needless to say that DID NOT happen. He's able to go longer and longer at a lope and doesnt try to stop quite so much. Ive noticed that he seems to have quite the natural headset going on which i LOVE since my mare tends to like to run around like a giraffe with a hollow back. Its odd to go from one horse to the other, when im pushing Blaze to keep him moving then im trying to HOLD Rosie back with all my strength. He makes me realize how much i truely need to work with Rosie. With Rosie i always seem to keep her on the rail in my comfort zone because she stays slower that way. When i first got Rosie she would get faster and faster until she was in a full out gallop and when she's out of her comfort zone she starts to do it again. However she's much easier to get back to calm now. With Blaze im seeing how much i skimped out on with her simply because i didnt want to deal with reverting back to the running, or because i had a time limit to get her presentable with a pattern. She's been super jealous of how much time ive been spending with Blaze lately and she wants to be ridden too so she's gonna get her wish. I want to school some flying lead changes anyways.
;D ill have two two year olds then! I had a dream last night that it was two days before a queens contest and Both Blaze and Rosie came up limping and i had to use Roman (two and a half in dream) at the rodeo... luckily my dream Roman was a beast and we won ;D
I'm so excited for you! Sounds like he's a fairly motivated horse which is always helpful haha<br>Just curious, have you ever done clicker training with your horses? I'm planning on starting with Romeo and I've done it with dogs before, but only briefly with horses (did some with Knip but he's practically bomb proof and just responded for the food lol)
Actually he's SUPER lazy! He just knows that its easier to listen to me rather than fight me because he's gonna lose and STILL have to do it. I doubt my neice or nephew could get on him and make him loperight now. I have some pictures and a new update for him but ive got some chores to finish up first!
8/14/2012<br><br>Day 9 <br>or <br>1 Week 2 Days<br><br>Today i wasnt really in the mood to ride. I have spent the WHOLE day cleaning, scraping, disinfecting, scrubbing, and overall fixing up my rabbit house for the new breeding season and i was POOPED! However Blazey wasnt getting a day off! I grabbed him out of the pasture and got him saddled really quickly and gave him a thirty minute ride just working on things we already knew. More asking for leads and moving off leg pressure. He's been doing sooo much better moving away from my pressure! He's finally starting to click with lateral movements. So we began picking up leads. He gets them sooner and sooner with less fight every day. Today i asked him for a left lead and he picked up three rights in a row! Which of course i wasnt asking for but maybe he will figure out leads soon haha! While i wasnt thinking i started riding him by neck reining and i suddenly realized... oh my god... he's neckreining! He's never done that before! He was moving completely off my seat! Oh my this boy is killing me! Im thinking in a few months i might consider him fully trained if he keeps going this way! After i got off i sprayed him down and left him there for a while. We have a farriers appointment in a few days so we will think what the farrier thinks of him feet. I think theyre wonderful though! Mustangs have great feet. Blazey definitally isnt exempt!!<br><br><img src="http://i50.tinypic.com/i4k7rt.jpg"; alt="http://i50.tinypic.com/i4k7rt.jpg"; class="bb-image" /><br><img src="http://i48.tinypic.com/10yi6pw.jpg"; alt="http://i48.tinypic.com/10yi6pw.jpg"; class="bb-image" /><br><img src="http://i50.tinypic.com/2ptz21t.jpg"; alt="http://i50.tinypic.com/2ptz21t.jpg"; class="bb-image" /><br><img src="http://i48.tinypic.com/30m972w.jpg"; alt="http://i48.tinypic.com/30m972w.jpg"; class="bb-image" />
8/20/2012<br><br>Day 15 <br>or <br>2 Week 1 Day<br><br>Wow! I didnt realize it had been six days since i rode Blazey last! Due to my busy schedule i wasnt able to get on his fat butt for a while! I finally did today though! I guess i know he's the same after a break at least! I got on him and walked and trotted him around a little. Then we did some loping (for the first day since he's been here he's caught all of his leads without having to fight over which ones we were going to pick up!) and stopping and just tried to get Blazey back in the groove. He did buck once but only because he didnt want to move laterally on the fence for a side pass. Otherwise loping and everything he was actually better than usual! Crazy how that works! Its really solidifying in my mind that i want him to be a kids horse. As soon as he gets some more experience in the horse world! Im considering taking to a horse show series next year just to be able to say that he has been shown before.
8/22/2012<br><br>Day 17<br>or <br>2 Week 3 Days<br><br>Well since one of the lambs i raised this year isnt feeling well and its completely my fault ive been having trouble handling any of my animals without feeling bad. However today, for the first time since the lamb got hurt i got Roman an Blaze out and worked with them. I couldnt find the strength to work with Blaze under saddle but i did take the time to lunge him a bit to keep him under work. Ive got someone coming out to look at the lamb tomorrow morning so hopefully the news will be good enough to get me out of this slump im in.
8/23/2012<br><br>Day 18<br>or <br>2 Week 4 Days<br><br>Well! Good news. The lamb is okay! She's just tenderfooted! So im feeling MUCH better! I had a friend come over today who wanted to ride so i stuck her on my old plodder Blazey and i rode Rosie. She was able to get him to walk and trot wherever she wanted him too and he was a perfect gentlement (except for wanting to snatch mouthfuls of grass every chance he got!) Which a green rider is the first step to becoming a childrens horse for him! He did excellent! Now i just have to KEEP working with him and get all that fat off. Im considering riding him personally a little bit later. As good as he was earlier i think he still needs some more excercise! He's a fat chunk! He needs to build those muscles!
8/24/2012<br><br>Day 19<br>Or <br>2 Week 5 Days<br><br><br><br>Well luckily the first thing i did this morning was look at my phone to see the weather! I got just enough time in to ride well before the rain started. Blaze has finally seemed to realize the whole "leads" thing as he has caught every lead correctly the last two times ive ridden him. Right now im just working on guiding with him as he likes to veer off the rail when he thinks he can which irks me fiercely. However ive trained worse habits out of a horse so im not gonna complain about veering. When i was rushing to get everything put up before the rain came my mother was outside covering some things up and she noted how much better he looks since i brought him home! I took a minute to look and i realized that he HAS changed a lot! Ive just been seeing him every day and seeing the changes more gradually! I need to get some new pictures of him so i can compare!
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Purgatory's Playground - an original afterlife role play.