Not always and angel!!

Actually I am quite relieved that she is naughty sometimes! lol! I was beginning to wonder...but it wasn't really that bad.

I took Livvi in the paddock whilst Drum was in sight being ridden by my friend and she was soooo norty on the lunge, she napped and bucked and charged off in canter and generaly threw her toys out of the pram! It took me a good 10 minutes to get her to calm down and even try and listen but she was very funny....when we stopped to change rein and I invited her in she came and hid with her head on my chest, so I think some of it was insecurity about the bigger space (although we have been in there before to lunge) and possibly Drummer could save her! lol!

So on I get....mad do you think I am? I did have my doubts after that display but I was determined and she doesn't worry me at all, which I find strange even to myself! She napped constantly, set her neck, walked through the bridle in halt and was a general pain in the butt, but IO persevered until I had her listening and somewhere near a decent halt and gave up and went for a walk round the field with Drummer.

So guess what we did, we had a proper trot, right up the field following Drummer and it was FANTASTIC!!! Her stride is so long, its hilarious after Drummer but she didn't rush and she listened to me and was a little star......we left Drummer watching and tried on our own and she got the idea of the transition but notthat she had to keep going and it didn't help that she was napping to home.

So a mixed adventure...looking forwards to a lesson!!! Its time!

Livvi doesn't like....

....side reins!!

Last night I decided drummer could stay out and be a pony and Livvi could come in on her own. Thats a funny thing with her, she is perfectly happy to come in on her own and mooch, eat hay, be worked etc but if you bring her in with others then leave her on her own she goes ballistic!

So I gave her a good groom tacked up in lunging garb and off we went...she was a bit live to start with so I let her trot round and get it out of her system, which she did and then settled nicely, realy listening and trying hard. After a warm up I attached the side reins on the loosest setting. She was good with them, she softened beautifully and worked nicely but she got so cross!! I don't think she likes the feeling of restriction so I decided to give that a miss for the moment...she was hilarious when I took them off, either think she didn't realise they were gone or she was feeling free but when I asked her to go out on the circle again she proper bronko bucked!! EEEk please never let me be on her when she does that!!

So I got the poles out and we did raised trorring poles...that she seems to really enjoy and she worked beautifully, boy can she pick her feet up! :-D

Riding later! Will report back!

Loaded!!!

Tonight I had a fab ride on Drummer, he is very forward going at the moment and I think it does us both good that he doesn't get ridden all the time, he is more enthusiastic and I am lovin' it :-D I also think he has matured this year (took long enough!) he is definitely more up and off his forehand than he has ever been and he is starting to carry himself correctly without asking. I schooled him on Sunday for the first time in a month and he was fab!

Anyway, what about my title for today!? Well, that relates to Livvi!

Marie had her lorry open and as we were waiting for the trough to fill, I thought I would see what Livvi made of it...I didn't expect much, considering the last time she went in one she was uprooted and dumped with me!

I opened it all up so that she could walk straight through and then I just walked up the ramp as if I was walking down the field with her...just for a second I thought she wasn't even going to hesitate but she stopped with 2 feet on the ramp. I let her stand and sniff and she huffed and puffed with her worried eye look on! But decided it was worth a good investigation and walked to the top of the ramp where she stopped again...she looked at me and I had some treats so I offered them to her, she looked back but I said that we weren't going that way, my way was the way out! So she looked at me again and you could see her think "oh what the hell, mum seems to think its OK" and walked straight on! :-D

I couldn't quite believe it!! I thoughtit was going to take us weeks to get there. She was keen to get off, so we walked carefully down the side ramp at which point she decided it was OK on there and tried to go back on! lol! So we repeated the exercise but this time with no stops and she didn't want to get off, but have a good look round!

Bless her, I am so proud of her and exstatic that she trusted me enough to follow me up there :-D I shall keep this up every few days and gradually build up to shutting her in etc then hopefully when we do want to go somewhere it will be a total non event!

Just like a "proper" horse :-D

I did the same routine as yesterday, except the heavens opened and we had to stand under the shelter between lunge and ride..Livvi then felt that she just had to go with Drummer (my mum was riding!) and we had march towards where Drum was and dawdle away preferably grinding to a halt!

So, as my plan yesterday was to work on impulsion and I cannot bear a napping horse I grapped my schooling whip and off we went...at first Livvi was resistant all round, falling through her shoulder, not listening to me leg and resisting the contact ...BUT... it took a good 10 minutes ...BUT...she started to listen AND respond!!!! Yipeeeeee! It was magic! Suddenly napping pony realise that we weren't going to see Drummer whatever she did and we were definitely going where mum wanted to go and we were going at the speed mum dictated!

I didn't do anything difficult, just calmly and consistantly walked a figure of 8, backing up my leg with a flick of the schooling whip when she didn't respond and I was careful not to drag her round the circle but keep a fiem outside rein and ask for the turn using a pressure and release open rein which she caught on to exeedingly quickly.

I am really chuffed with where we are but I need to know that I am heading in the right direction so I am hopefully having an EE lesson very soon!

First trot, first Buck!!!!

and it was pathetic! lol!

Tonight Jane came over and rode Drummer for me while I lunged Livvi and then had the intention of having a walk round the field following Drummer, but things never quite go as you plan!!

Livvi lunged beautifully, really listened and went over the trotting poles like a pro so on I get and off we go down the field, but 20 yards in and the rain starts, apparantly it is totally unacceptable to do anything at all in the rain! lol! So bum swing round and there we stand! I could agree that it was quite yuck and it was a good lesson in standing around so we stood...for a bit....then we fidgeted then we reversed into Drummer and then we got really antsy when Drum went in front to walk round and we threatened to bite him, then we got alongside and threatened to kick him and then we got in front and all was roses!

This was getting a bit out of my comfort zone so we decided back in the paddock was better. Livvi was great, she was much much better in her mouth and as long as I kept the outside rein firm the steering was great, we had less forward though but it was calm and there was movement so I am not pushing that just yet.

So........I though I might just try a trot!.........1st attempt we stumbled into it and stopped..2nd attempt 2 whole stumbles...3rd attempt might actually have been a stride of trot and final and forth attempt I flicked her with the whip, she bucked and off we went, 3 entire trot strides :-D The buck was totally pathetic so if thats the worst she ever does I will be one happy girl! Bless her, her ears were all over the place, she was definitely giving me the "you expect me to TROT with YOU on my back!! Are you BONKERS! Its just not possible!"

Anyway I decided that I wasn't focused enough on my ridden today (it was fun though!) and I need to plan my sessions more carefully...I am also going to leave trot until I feel I have enough forward in walk to achieve it. I am going to focus on instant response to my leg and improving the impulsion of the walk.

Wahoo, we have forward!

Today I worked Livvi in hand to get her listening before I got on and guess what? She has worked out what my leg means! Not even a hesitation!! So I did lots of circles and halts so she listened to me and we finished off with walk round the bigger field with Billy :-D

Contact is the biggest problem, in hand today she wasn't great but on she was awful, just hanging off my hands and gaping her mouth...I definitely need help with this.

Sorry, short and sweet!

A fab week so far!

Well, Monday night Caragh lunged Livvi for me, we tried the side reins for the first time but she is resistant to them. Its funny how accepting of the contact she is in hand and yet not so lunged or in long reins. Caragh is great at lunging, she has been taught properly but the problem is, she doesn't use the same tone of voice as me...so I watched carefully so that I can get it right myself. Livvi was also a complete loon as we took her in the bigger field but it was nice to see her let off a bit of steam.

So Tuesday after a short in hand session to settle her, I got on again, with dad as chief whip flicker :-D
as you can see it went well, Livvi gives me bags of confidence, she is so chilled and listens to me so carefully. My biggest fear was that she was going to frighten me and that I would not be able to continue with her backing but it is totally the opposite....I know I shouldn't become complacent but this all feels so right!

She is much better with the contact when ridden, stearing is not an issue although I think she can get a little confused between turn and stop...forward is getting better, it takes a second for her to process what I am asking but she is starting to walk on nicely and dad only had to use the whip once or twice....We even ventured out of the round pen and had a walk round the paddock with dad at her head.



So tonight I lunged Livvi myself, Caraghs proper lunging had been a good lesson for both of us and apart from her tendancy to drift in towards me we did fab! Livvi listens to my voice much more than Caraghs and she was definitely more relaxed with me. We had some lovely transitions up and down and she even managed to ignore Drummer leaving her! She is very relaxed working with me and always comes in with a soft eye looking chilled, I wonder how much is me and how much is endorphines released by exercise? I'm starting to worry that my biggest problem will be getting her going! lol!

Then just because I can, I stuck my hat on and rode her bare back around the paddock :-D she took it all in her stride, although a bit more topline is needed before I try that again!!!