Kacey and Rockstar !!

Ta Dah ! Kacey has been riding Rockstar to get him ready for the futurity. Of course I have been too busy to get to him. Which I said I was not going to let happen. Kacey decided he was going to ride at the 50/50 and one day he just came down to the arena and pretty much just got on. So here they are. I might be a little prejudiced, but I think they look just awesome ! I think this is ride number 4. You should see the sweet trot he has nice and soft reins were just hanging. Now if I was just a better photographer. Oh well I was sneaky to get this shot. ~winks~

Drifter

This is Drifter. He has some "issues" I just can't call him a problem horse ~laffs~ His owner Donna even wrote out a list for me. I think from now on this will be a requirement for all problem horses.

I really thought it was a great idea and appreciated it !! Thank You Donna.

1. difficulty saddling
2. turns butt at you when trying to catch him in corral
3. will not permit his mane to be roached or bridle path trimmed with electric trimmers.
4. does not lope slowly, trots super fast then gallops and holds head to side to go his own way.
That is exactly the list she gave me, but since we had agreed on only ground work she said I did not have to fix the riding problem. This horse is only here for a week. She also assures me the horse has never kicked or bucked.
So on Sunday I put him in the round pen. Well Chuck goes to Drifter's pen to get him for me and he doesn't turn his butt just keeps turning his head away to avoid the halter. I work him in the round pen and the one thing I remember right away is fat horses are easy. He is just trotting and is winded right away and looking at me, what do you want ? ~laffs~ I worked on the basics inside and outside turns and he wants to come in to me right away so I worked on having him walk beside me. Did some work on the halter on and off. He seemed spooky of things so I did some sacking out with the saddle pad and other things. I worked on him staying in his space and sending him off and having him come up to me. I really had no problems with him.
On Monday I go in his pen to get him and he turns his butt to me...so I cluck trying to get him to face me and he backs toward me threatening me. I smacked him with the lead rope. Well then he turned enough that I could get the halter on. Not facing me kinda side ways with his ears back. Hmmmmm
I take him to the arena and put him in the round pen. Well I worked him on his turns and he seems okay. I work on the saddle pad he seems okay. So I get my saddle and he isn't going to have anything to do with that. I set it down in the middle of the round pen and I go to send him off, for some reason I had a lead rope in my hand I have no clue why. Rather than picking up my whip I kind of twirled that to send him off and he turned his butt and started backing up at me. About then I realize I have backed into my saddle and he lets fly with both hind feet just missing my head. So I picked up my whip and needless to say everytime he turns his butt he gets worked. He is determined, but then so am I. It finally came down to everytime he turned his butt in to me he got smacked with the whip and I hate to do that. Chuck went in for awhile, he can be meaner than I can. They went the rounds. Then I went back in and he did it a few more times. Finally he quit turning his butt in and eventually was turning in then coming in. When he was ready to stand I sacked him out again. I can't throw my 40+ pound saddle up on this guy so Chuck came back in. At first it was try send him off, try send him off. Then he finally stood while he threw it on and took it off two times each side. We didn't drop any cinches or anything at this point.
I worked more with the saddle pad and just putzed around with him after that rubbing him down and walking around with him. He seems real dominant, but he wants to be nice.
On Tuesday he was like a different horse all together. I walked right up to him in his pen and put the halter on. Took him to the arena and sacked him out. That went so well I got one of the youth saddles and brought it out at first he started to walk away so I bent to get the whip and he walked right back like oops. I threw the saddle on and off about twenty times from each side and that horse never moved an inch. (So that is the picture.) I had to make him move to take it. Still not cinched up though that is a 36" cinch and it still wouldn't reach he got all fussy about it. I did cinch him up with my bareback pad until he got over it. I am going to have to figure something out.

Skip to Saturday.... now He is fine when you walk into the pen to get him hugs the gate and puts his nose right into the halter. You can take him right to the round pen now. Sometimes you can turn him loose and he will stand rock solid and let you saddle him and others he will trot a couple times around then come to you. He may even leave once or twice before he will stand. So he hasn't got this solid yet. I am sure if you tied him at this point or even hooked a lead rope on and looped it over your shoulder he would be just fine. I want him to stand loose, like all the colts I do. Poor guy he never knows who or when someone will come get him from his pen and take him to the round pen and saddle him up. I had worked with him almost two hours on Thursday and later on Kacey went and got him and saddled him up. There are many times I wish they could talk to me and tell me what they are thinking. Drifter's probably thinking don't they ever give a guy any rest around here ?

He is getting over being terrified of spray bottles. I think I am on my third spray bottle filled with water now. He has made many circles of the round pen over me spraying water. Tonight he finally let me get his neck wet. Plus Chuck spent some time with him and got him wet clear up near his ears and was able to spray it right in front of his face for awhile....

I gave Donna his owner his progress report and it sounds like we came to the conclusion that Drifter will be staying another week.

Pat riding Whiskey

This is Pat riding his horse Whiskey. This is a 4 year old rescue horse that I am starting for him. It is at about 30 days. This is Pat's 2nd ride on him and actually his 3rd ride on a horse. He had ridden once in his life on a nose to tail trail ride. Pat looks real comfortable in the saddle and is doing a great job with Whiskey so far. Learning the reins is going better if I just visit rather than try to give details like slide your hands down the reins to turn. That will all come in time and he does way better and is way more comfortable if I let him do it naturally. Anyway Pat says he is having a blast riding Whiskey and is ready for me to bring him home and pick up the other two.

I love when that happens. It is so fun to watch someone having that much fun on their horse too.

Connie finally drug me off to a Horse Show

Connie finally talked me into going to a Horse Show. So we loaded up Wardrum, Goldie and Rockstar and went to the North Dakota State Horse Show Association Final Show in Fessenden. Kacey even came with us. He ended up being gate man for the day. Boy if that didn't bring back memories.

Connie took Wardrum in Stallions and Geldings in Halter which is a huge class. He did even trot for her, she had just started working on that this week. We didn't get all the stains out she had just started working on that too. Those are my fault and I am probably going to have to clip him I hadn't worried about them because I wasn't getting to my own futurity colt let alone to him. Now that she has bought him and is showing in the futurity it is a whole new ball game. They are clicking together so well.

Connie also took her two year old filly Goldie in Mares at Halter. She is a beautiful Palomino that is just a sweetheart to ride.

All of them did well for their first time at a show. Stood tied to the trailer well. That was what we were looking for.

Boomer back at ground work

I am still having problems having someone around to take pictures when I am riding but I took this of Boomer awhile ago, since I am playing catch up on my blog anyway.....~grinz~

Heck of a Wreck

Well I had a did have a wreck with Jasmine. I was only getting off. I believe I almost had both feet on the ground when she bolted. I don't even have a clue what it was about. I do know she took out my whole right arm, my hip and my knee. In this business, even just riding horseback one can still get hurt when you least expect it. I have been bucked off and gotten hurt a lot less than this. I was able to keep on riding, but still it slowed me down for awhile. I think the lump on my hip and the bump on my knee even more than the arm. This was July 26th and I am still healing up the last marks on my arm are healing up, the bump on my knee is just about gone and well the lump on my hip may just be awhile yet. So even if you think you can't get hurt, please be careful. May all of your rides be safe ones...........