Mustang Rosie

This week has been excellent for Rosie. She is back to being better to catch and has been really fun on trail rides. She still has anxiety downhill from not exactly sure, but I think its still building the strength she needs to do that. Trail trimming field trip!   Field trip to Corvallis! First canter in the arena! All very good and fun!

We finally got one on yesterdays Ride!!!  So its better than I was expecting! It is a little tight, but it was not too serious, especially since most of homeward is downhill we offen see the rough hairs. The saddle pad was really great, it didn't move and stayed well up in the gullet. These pictures are after she is washed, as sometimes you can see the dry areas better with the contrast. This picture is perfect down the back, we want it dry! and its almost even, just a little off to the Right. On the left the area circled has rough hairs and was just a little dry, bigger than the right side, but makes sense with the slight shift to the right. On the Right side you can see the dry spot better, again because the saddle shifted slightly right it put a little more pressure on this side. Those areas are our watch spots, we hope it gets better as she develops. Some of the asymmetry may be coming from uneven muscle development from her tight shoulders.

Today was the best ride yet on Rosie! Two teens and I rode up the to the 100 acres woods and it was a fabulous ride. Felt like a new understanding was reached and Rosie had fun! Wasn't just work, but she enjoyed running up the hills and munching on the grass and learning to hold herself downhill! Yesterday Peggy Cummings and I hung out with Rosie for a good hour talking about her sticky shoulders. We worked on several new exercises to help her loosen those shoulders! And here are some pictures from the day we put on the back saddle and packs!

So sorry to not keep up! Rather than give details on rides I think this is a good time to summarize where Rosie is at the moment. I find Rosie to be both easy and challenging. She is a quick learner, but also have found that she can get nervous learning new things. She is so confident in the herd, but has trouble with horses behind her when riding. She is very willing on line, but when being ridden looses confidence. Once caught loves the attention, but is still choosing to play the catching game, which she knows I always win! With all that said, every time we play together I always feel there is progress! What we are undoing is the years in the pens where she was her own boss as well as herd boss. It was actually a very protected environment is some ways, very same day after day, thus very habit forming. It is those habits w e are undoing and forming new ones that is taking the time it will take. It will be very easy for her to fall back into those habits. I am looking...

A little catch up... The New Saddle arrived! And It seems to fit! Our Play day that day went really well. Videos tell it all... And then we got some great Rain so we didn't get to play again until Sunday evening. We started with the touch it game and that was so she would find her saddle. I noticed she seemed extra touchy on her flanks so we did some desensitizing. Then we headed to the play yard and on the way happened to see the buoy we have for dragging. So I picked that up and we played with that for quite awhile as she was not fond of the rope touching her back legs. I then worked on the cowboy curtain and the other obstacles until she was really settled and asking to go forward! She jumped several of the larger things and that was super to see! I moved to the arena and had a very nice ride with soft feel and willingness. Worked on her responsibility to stay trotting (not asking for much more than one full circle) but that did take some doing. Ended wit...

Yesterday was a day off and today Rosie needed a small refresher in the fact that I always win the catching game. Which I did... then it decided to rain... So we did some body work under the shed. and then Rain... Then I tacked up.. Rain A little more body work.. Rain Made it to the arena and had a really good work. Goal was to get her to Jump the jump and not trot over. But the rail wasn't working so I set up some barrels and after just a couple of tries she jumped quite nicely. Warming up over a jump can really tell if there is going to be any bucking etc! Then some long lining and that went very well , just one or two moments of opposition or confusion, hard to tell... Put on her Hackamore and had a good 20 minutes of riding and turning and starting stopping...Ended on a ask for a trot got a half a circle and got off! But , I am lazy so I got her things attached and mounted back up and rode at a trot up the hill!  Sorry no pictures! 

We had an English ride up the road ride today. Started out with the Teen who was on Buddha ponying me, but quickly took the rope as she is a very slow walker! Had some trots and it was all really good!! And she wore her hackamore! and on the way home...