Skipping some steps, with good results

Well I decided to jump the gun and just see how things went. And they turned out better than expected! I posted the other day about the prerequisites to bridling, but when I got into the round pen I felt inspired to give it a try without the extra steps. Surprise! So I just put the halter around her neck so I had something to hold onto, then put my arm over her head (which she generously lowered) holding the bridle. Then I used my left hand to hold the bit and open her lips. She opened her mouth in addition to her lips and I smoothly brought the bit into her mouth. A few quick adjustments and I let her wander around. The bit is too wide, so I will be looking for a narrower one soon.

 

She chewed on the bit and tried to make it fall out. Then she tried coughing it out (leftover snacks came out instead). She tried rubbing it off on my leg. She tried rubbing her nose in the mud. Then stuck her mouth in the mini-lake in the round pen. About 10 minutes later she got bored with chewing, and decided to try and eat some weeds. She was very awkward trying to chew, and I guess she either figured it out or gave up. 

I was really impressed with her intelligence!! Although she did want to visit the other horses and continue teasing the geldings. 

Well other trainers might have suggested this be the end, but Jellybean was so chill I decided to push the envelope. I borrowed the vaulting surcingle and some reins from the tackroom, and set up a long lining exercise. The full check snaffle is especially useful for this exercise, because the bit cannot be pulled through her mouth and it spreads the pressure out better than a D-ring or O-ring. 


I pulled left or right, and while she was confused at first, she remembered this exercise with the halter and figured it out! 

And finally, just because I think Jellybean is awesome, I wanted to see if she was normally as sweet as when she was drugged. I brought Jellybean over to the gate and eventually (after she stood still enough) sat on her bareback. I didn't use the reins for direction, I just clucked at her to make her go forward. This almost worked, until she walked to the middle of the water puddle and wanted to sniff other horses... I saw the writing on the wall and pulled one rein to make her turn and move. After a few more minutes and some pawing in the water (!!!) I hoped off safely away from the mud. And thus ended our excellent training session!

On another note, I came across this blog about a mare who needed some lovin' and thought I would pass it along! I think Jellybean will be like this when she gets older.

Saddling Up!

     Today was a beautiful day for some Jellybean time! I grabbed her from the pasture and groomed her for awhile, even combing out her tail. She was very good about being patient, no pawing and limited tail swishing. After she was shiny and pretty, I checked her height and weight for an update. She is officially 15hh and about 680lbs. Not too shabby! She has gained back her lost weight and will hopefully keep piling on more. 

I'm bored. Where did you go??

     While we were waiting for the round pen, we trotted in hand through the big arena. Since there was a cavaletti out, we walked and trotted over the ground pole. Jellybean was a little bit bossy at the trot in hand, but she wasn't very serious about pushing me around. She trotted over the pole like a champ, just taking everything in stride. 

     Back to the round pen, Robert lunged her around to focus her mind for a few minutes, then I saddled her up. She wasn't interested in much, other than the grass she was trying to eat. She didn't even mind when I cinched her up. When she was secure, Robert lunged her around until she was calming going at all gaits in both directions. She is so smart, this only took about 10-15 minutes :)

This video shows her first few rounds with the saddle.

Look how calm I am!

Jellybean is an awesome horse!

     Next time, we will review the long lining, then add the saddle to the mix!

Saddlin' Up

     Jellybean tried on some new clothes today! I put a saddle and bridle on Jellybean and worked her in the round pen for a bit. She didn't have a big problem with the saddle, she was just a little bit confused about why there was a bunch of smelly leather on her back. 

     She let me put the blanket on her back with no problem and then let me put the saddle up! She wasn't very interested in me at all, she keep wandering around the pen while I tried to cinch up the saddle. Eventually I got it cinched up, and she followed me around the pen for awhile. 

     When I started to move her out, she walked and trotted calmly around. When we changed directions, she was a little less interested and even popped up a little. She jumped straight up and tried to get rid of the saddle, but of course the saddle was attached :)

     Since this lesson was a success, we will try to build on this next time. We will remind Jellybean about the long lining exercise, then the saddling. Eventually we will combine the two and then add a person! Once Jellybean gets her wolf teeth pulled, we will start bridling.

     SO EXCITING! Pictures next time!

Long Lining II

     Today we decided to work on some more long lining and see how well Jellybean remembered her last lesson. She was a champion, she remembered immediately and we had a successful session in the big arena :)

Stopping like a champ

We turn

Turinng turning turning

Whoa

She seems very bored with this exercise

Round and round

Such a smart pony

And on to the big arena!!

     Really nice work today, especially considering we haven't worked in a few days because of lab work and weather. I do think Jellybean will be moving into a stall soon, she seems a little bit thin :s

Long Lining I

     So today we decided to take a few leaps forward in training and try out some new equipment. Maggie told me a strategy her mother and she used breaking babies previously. They own an old vaulting surcingle, and described a technique with two lunge lines and the surcingle. 

     Earlier last week, we tried on the surcingle and practiced moving around with this big annoying piece of equipment on Jellybean's back. Today we reviewed the surcingle in the round pen and then practiced responding to pressure in hand. 

     Jellybean didn't mind the lunging/surcingle ring, but when we were in the large arena she had a lot of trouble understanding the move forward cue. We took a step back, and started trying to learn to move forward in the round pen. She pawed the ground a bit before she figured out how to move forward. Then, BOOM. Jellybean was walking around the round pen in the rig and changing direction with my cues. 

     Next time we practice this exercise we will review in the round pen before moving out to the big arena! I am very excited about this exercise, because I love the idea of the horse already knowing how to turn and move prior to the saddling experience. And hopefully know how to stop :) Until next time!

I'm not really sure how this was comfortable... Or how she didn't fall over...