# My Golden Chestnut Beauty!



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Need pictures!!!!! Lots of them!!!!!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

waresbear said:


> Need pictures!!!!! Lots of them!!!!!


OK! I'll try to get a couple (in other words a million) pictures today or tomorrow! :grin:


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Had a pretty good day with Blue. Started with lunging. She wasn't really focusing, and kept trying to wander off. Anyway, we both got sorta worked up. Then I walked her around a bit, and bridled her. I hopped on her bareback, and walked her around on a loose rein. She kept trying to escape, even with me right there on her back; ducking her head and taking off, pretend napping; the works. Then that one time we got to a specific corner, she came to a dead halt, and backed up quickly. I made her back up even further; further then she had planned. There didn't seem to be anything scary in the corner, so I approached it again. Same thing. This time, instead of just making her back up, I made her feet move quickly; spins, smallish circles at the trot... then gave her the option to rest in the corner. No doing; same thing happened again. We repeated this procedure, until her rests became longer and longer. Finally she stopped when I told her to, and stayed there until I moved her out again. That was the end of that problem. Even now, she wasn't really paying attention, so I tried a new tactic. Instead of walking/trotting simple circles, I started throwing in other stuff all of a sudden; changed direction at totally random places, rollbacks, stops and backups, half-halts, spinning around both invisible obstacles and a straw bale that was conveniently standing there… When we finished, both of us were covered in sweat, and breathing heavily. Somehow, it was fun; I think even Blue would have to admit that it was!  Then I cooled her off; first walking her around, then dismounting and walking her more. All in all, I think it went pretty well! 

P.S. I’m really sorry; still no pictures.


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

So, today was much the same yesterday. We started with lunging then bareback riding. I had set up some homemade jumps (tires, over-turned buckets, etc; and poles), so I walked and trotted Blue over a couple of times. She has never really jumped before, so at first she was just like, plodding over, not really caring if she stepped on one. The buckets and tires were more there to get her used to walking between things, not to put the poles on. By the time we stopped, she was pretty much getting the hang of it.  Then we got to the fun part! We copied what we did yesterday, and she totally perked up. In a couple of seconds she went from 30 year old lesson pony, to reining champ! We had done jumping for like twice the time we did "reining" (don't think I can call it that yet!), but she didn't have the tiniest bead of sweat anywhere. But by the time we had to finish (it started raining), she was really sweaty again. We even got some loping in! Her gaits are so smooth! I love them! Except for that fast trot just before she lopes! Ouch!
Anyway, I think she's already losing some weight and building muscle again!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

So, today's ride started much the same as always. (I know, I always say that! ) I've made a habit of lunging before riding; I'm convinced it gets Blue into the spirit of it. She did pretty good; she's a bit scared of the whip, I'll have to work on that! So today, instead of just working inside her pasture, I took her for a long ride along a dirt road. She has foundered before, so I have to be careful about riding on gravel. We pretty much trotted the whole way there and back. She tried to duck her head and take off for home a couple of times, but was generally really good! Blue is already 16, but she still seems to need lots of wet saddle blankets; only I ride bareback, so its more like wet, back? lol. I'm really happy with how she's coming along!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Hi guys. So, went for a ride today. Went on the dirt road again; had a lot of fun. I was going home, planning to change clothes and go swimming in the dugout. I tried to get Blue to go through a puddle of water beside the road. she's not amazing about doing that, so it took a while. I finally got her started on through, when I think she got her foot caught in something. As long as it feels like a snake, she'll freak out. That's just what she did. She took off at a frantic, crow-hopping gallop, up onto the road. I remember trying to pull her head around, then feeling myself slipping. Blue ducked to the opposite side, and I was airborn. I think I tried to hold onto the reins or something, because my back and arm are nicely scratched by gravel. I remember lying there, trying to breath. I remembered to take short quick breaths, and my wheezing soon diminished. I got up, and caught Blue. She had stopped when she realized that not only had she lost the snake like thing around her legs, but had also dropped me in doing so. I had been riding bare-back, and since I can't mount her very well from the ground, started walking home. I have a whopping headache, so I had to sit down a bit. I got her home, and put her away. Then I went inside. Everything I had been thinking about before, seems years ago, and the fall itself feels like I watched a movie about it, or something. I have fallen many times before, but never like this. I'm still feeling kinda lost, and my head feels like its going to explode from thinking about so many things. I really can't seem to gather my thoughts very well. Normally, I would have mounted again as soon as I got home, but this time, I just couldn't. 
I'm left with a very shook up brain, a scratched up back and arm, an aching-like-hell tail-bone, and a whopping head-ache. Don't know why I'm writing about this; just felt like it, I guess. Oh, and I know that you should ride again right after you fall, but with my aching tail bone, I can barely walk. All-in-all, I am doing fine. Blue's fine as well; was worried she might be limping, but she's not! *relieved sigh*


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Where's the pictures????


----------



## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Yeah, where's the pictures?


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Sorry, have only two right now. Here they are! Whenever I try to take some pictures she makes a point of keeping her ears back and looking like a grouchy old mare. lol


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Blue had some fun tearing around her pasture today. I've really noticed a difference since putting her by herself in the big pasture. Not only does she join-up a lot better/faster now, but her condition is a lot better from having space to really run in. She's usually really lazy when we ride, and won't lope for very long. Now all she wants to do is lope! 
My tail-bone won't allow much riding yet -() so we did a lot of groundwork today. Started with easy lunging in knee-high grass. She was "feeling her oats", and kept shying at invisible monsters. When a cat jumped out of the grass, she jumped a couple of feet into the air, and kicked up her heels playfully. When she "acts up" it feels different then with Heidi. With Blue, I'm still totally in control. If she feels that all the slack is out of the rope, she'll stop and come closer. 
Both of us were pretty much covered in mosquitoes, so we had to quit pretty soon. I led her to a spot with shorter grass, and did a bit of ground driving. I like doing this thing thing I call "the dance". Pretty much its me moving quickly in different directions, and Blue keeping her head at my shoulder. The idea is that there's a lot of slack in the rope, and she follows me of her own accord. It was great! 
She still needs a _lot_ of work with picking feet up. I think it might still be trust issues, so I'm doing all this join-up stuff before I start working on that.


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Went for a ride yesterday! Yay! Did some lunging first. Blue isn't that good about doing pretty much anything, on her right side, but for once was really good with lunging right! Then I bridled her and did some gate work. I jump at every chance to practice walking through a gate. I open it, send her through, she swings her hindquarters around, and stands while I close it. Blue is getting really good at it, and the whole procedure happens pretty fast by now!  
Then I mounted, and started for the dirt road. As you've probably noticed, most of the time I ride bareback. There are three main reasons; 1: I'm lazy and don't want to take the time to tack up lol 2: I like riding bareback, and 3: I don't have a good saddle. 

Got out there, and trotted the three km to the end of the dirt road. Then I got to a gravel road, with some traffic. As far as I know, neither of us has ever ridden on a road with traffic before. So we both were a little nervous. Blue wasn't sure about being to close to so many whirring machines, and I had no idea how she would react. Did some walking and trotting beside the road, with minor shying, then went back to the dirt road, and started home. Sorta by mistake Blue broke into a lope. I was surprised, and pulled her back into a trot. But I was bitten by the loping bug, so I let her speed up again! 
We loped for quiet a while, then trotted a bit. Then loped again! We had a lot of fun! The only problem is with my seat. When she lopes, I move further and further up her shoulder, until I'm pretty much sitting on her withers. Any ideas what the problem is and how to fix it would be greatly appreciated!

Happy trails!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

It rained quiet a bit the last couple of days, so we went riding on the field. That's one of the good things about living in the country, you’re not limited to an arena or a couple of trails!  The grass is up to her knees at most places, and all the way to her belly at others. We did a whole lot of trotting. She kept trying to bolt home, and would jig sideways when I didn’t let her. After a couple of tries though, she settled down and worked with me.

I used to have something I guess you could call lope phobia. I've always ridden bareback, and have lost control of Blue a couple of times since I got her. Some of those times, I fell off and she’d high-tail it home. Lately, whenever I thought about loping, I got flashbacks or something, and I guess I got all tense and everything I had been thinking about happened. Its gotten better, and after loping her today I finally figured out that she can’t really gallop fast enough to make me lose my balance. So, I think the phobia is pretty much gone!  

Anyway, once we broke into a lope, it was all good! I don’t think I’ve been so proud of both of us since the first time I sat her teeth-jarring trot and didn’t fall off! Lol!

Things she’s getting/gotten better at:
Lunging to the right
Not being barn sour
Not being buddy sour
Letting me catch her
Not high-tailing it home at every single chance
She’s a little better about not moving when I’m mounting
Loping but leaving me in control
Listening to me!
And lastly: she’s become a pro at going through gates! 

Oh, and the problem with moving up onto her withers is gone as well; I think my balance has gotten better.


----------



## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Sounds like you've both come a long way in a short time. Keep going!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

JCnGrace said:


> Sounds like you've both come a long way in a short time. Keep going!


Thanks! We will!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

We had so much fun today! 
Idiotic me decided not to lung first, so for the first couple of minutes, Blue was bouncing around, trying to bolt home. It didn't help much that my dad was doing something with the cows, and the way to the dirt road was closed for a while. So we did some trotting, rollbacks, and back-ups while we waited. We finally got out, and I let her settle down a bit before bringing her into a lope. We loped the remaining way to the gravel road, then walked beside it a bit.

We went back to the dirt road, and loped a ways, then galloped to the half-way point. Then we slowed to a trot, then a walk. Blue seems to have two gaits: trot and lope. She has so much trouble just walking along!

Then we galloped all the way back to our road. I am so happy with how far we've come!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Hi y'all! Sorry about not posting for so long. I'm in Manitoba! We started driving at 3:00 AM, got here at 8:00 PM.

On Thursday, I went for a kind of good-bye-for-a-couple-of-days ride on the field. Went great as always!  

I'm now lazing around town, not knowing what to do! Lol. There is a very sweet dog here, named Charlie! She is a mutt; I'd say probably with a lot of Morkie. She'll nearly choke herself, pulling on her leash trying to run away! Sorry, I'm very off topic!  I texted my brother, asked him how the horses were doing; he sent me a skull emoji! LOL! But then he said they are doing good, so... I'll just have to trust him I guess! 

Anyway, talk soon!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Blue is so fat again! :redface: I've had to start muzzling her again, and man does she hate that thing!

I went riding with a saddle yesterday! Felt kinda weird since I haven't ridden with one in so long, but it went pretty good! I do have a problem with my right leg moving forward at a lope, and throwing me off balance, but I'm going to address that in a different thread, tomorrow. And I'm pretty excited, cause I found out something new about Blue. She knows how to go from a standstill, straight to full-out gallop in a couple of strides! Only problem is, slowing her down to a halt takes about, five times that long?  But I'm working on that, and have big dreams of her doing a magnificent sliding stop some day! 

And, I bought a Mustang Soft Ride Saddle! I attached a picture of it, but I don't have any pictures of Blue wearing it yet. Will try to get some soon, though. It's the most English I've ever ridden, and it takes some getting used to! It's really comfy though, and Blue seems to like it! I just bought a surcingle a couple of days ago, so there are some pictures of that coming as well!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Note: I wrote this yesterday, but it didn't post for some reason, so here it is. This is what I did yesterday. I might post again later if I ride today.

I cannot believe how long it's been since I posted here! This is why I don't keep a journal!  Anyway, Blue and I had an awesome summer, riding almost every day. The weather has been bad lately, so I haven't really ridden in about a week. During that time, she was in a big pasture with the two other horses. She's the top horse in her little herd of three, and she knows it! It's my brother's birthday today, and my present was a riding lesson on Paso. I was also planning to work with both other horses, so I decided to bring all the horses in, in one go. That's relatively easy, as Heidi and Paso will follow Blue. So I grabbed a halter and lead rope and went to catch them. They were at the very end of the pasture, so I hopped up on Blue bareback, in her halter and lead rope, and rode her home. As expected the others followed. Heidi was feeling playful; she was running out in front of us, kicking out at Blue a little, and trying to get Blue to race with her to the barn. Blue was trying very hard to put Heidi into her place, but I spoiled the fun by not letting her. She showed she wasn't happy by bucking/crow-hopping once.

After I finished with Paso and my bro, I did some round-penning/join-up with Blue. There's a round pen (two words) that we use for the cows. The footing is usually really bad (very soft and muddy), but we've been working on the footing, so now I can use it like a very big roundpen! It was exhausting! lol. Getting Blue to join-up is pretty hard. Maybe because she's an alpha and used to being top horse in her herd. I just bought a training stick/carrot stick, and it was helping a lot (Blue is very hard to get moving). Then the rope came off the thing, unexpectedly, taking the rubber part with it. After trying to temporarily fix it, and failing, I finished without it. I think Blue was actually more impressed when I wasn't using the stick anymore because now it was actually me making her move. After she kinda joined-up, I walked her around a bit, and put her into a smallish pen, putting the other horses into a small pasture close to where Blue was. I had homework and other stuff to do, so I left her for a couple hours.

Later in the afternoon, we went for another, longer, bareback ride. First, we chased our neighbour's cows back into their pasture (the fence is nearly non-existent by now, and the owner still hasn't fixed it, even after a couple of phone calls from my dad). Then we rode on our chain of cattle pastures. There were a couple of barbed wire gates that I had to open and close, so that was also good practice for Blue in standing still and not spooking from the loud, horse-eating barbed wire. We rode all the way to the border of our land. Our new neighbours on that side, have, like, over 50 horses, some llamas, donkeys, sheep, two cows, and two dogs. All the animals except for the sheep and dogs are in one bigg pasture behind the house, with quite a few shelters. We met the people once, and I'm not quite sure what they are. Horse trainers maybe, but why would they have so many horses with so few people to train. (They're a family with four young kids.) Maybe they rescue horses. Anyway, Blue got really excited when she smelled the horses and called to them. There's a handsome dude there that she's interested in!  We explored a bit before heading back. Then we rode on the dirt road. I've put a lot of miles under Blue's feet riding on that dirt road! When we got back home she was sweaty and puffing. I took some pictures before I rubbed her down and put her back with the other horses. She didn't feel like modelling, though!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

I spent most of the day building obstacles and cavaletti with my horsie bro (I have to keep all the brothers separate somehow! :grin, so when I finally got to riding it was pretty late already. First, we did a little backing, snail-paced spins, and a lot of flexing. Then walked and trotted over a couple cavaletti. Blue really doesn't pay a lot of attention on where she puts her feet, so I want to do a lot of exercises to teach her to be more aware. She can stumble at a walk in a pretty level field, while my filly can flat-out gallop across a pasture with not a foot of even ground; there are holes made by cows when the ground was muddy everywhere.
Then we played a totally fun game that's interesting and fun for all participants while giving the usual boring exercises a purpose. I got my horsie brother to pretend to be a calf, and then we did "cutting". For the first session (yesterday) we did just walking around, with just a bit of trotting in the end. I want to build her self-confidence, while also making working more enjoyable, show her the general idea of working cattle, and give her a purpose, as opposed to just doing roll-backs, trotting circles, and backing up in an empty arena.
It was a lot of fun! She caught on pretty fast and was moving faster and following my brother without me having to tell her what to do. Backing into a rollback got a lot better, she got actually interested in what we were doing and was just being a lot better behaved in general. Also, after doing that yesterday, she was really easy to catch, as if she didn't hate the idea of working anymore! 
Tomorrow I'm to film a large part of the session, which will hopefully include some more cutting (maybe with a real calf!), playing around on my teeny tiny obstacle course, lunging, and give her a good long grooming working a lot on picking up her feet. While we're talking about picking up feet, does anybody have any tips on teaching an older mare to pick up her feet good? I believe she got this bad after foundering, but I don't know a lot about her history.

Yours until the crows fly... and the flies crow!

Jo


----------



## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

JoBlueQuarter said:


> Sorry, have only two right now. Here they are! Whenever I try to take some pictures she makes a point of keeping her ears back and looking like a grouchy old mare. lol


She doesn't look grouchy to me. I think I see her trying to hide a smile.


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

LoriF said:


> She doesn't look grouchy to me. I think I see her trying to hide a smile.


Lol, maybe!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

A couple hours later, and I'm still high from an amazing ride!

Personal life had me feeling depressed, so, like I usually do when I'm feeling down, I went outside to work with the horses. I'd already worked Heidi, so Blue was the way to go!  She let me walk up to her and pet her, which surprised me. I know dogs can, but can horses sense emotions?







She did duck her head when I moved to halter her, but that's why I love her!







I did some lunging, then finally got out of the roundpen and into the pasture. There was a cow pretty close, and I couldn't resist going after her! We chased her through the next gate and into the bigger part of the pasture, which has quite a few bushes and trees. We got the cow farther and farther away from the main herd, and as a result, she got more and more anxious to get past us. There were a lot of willow bushes everywhere - most of them quite small - and they made keeping after her a bit harder. But we did it!







She didn't get past us until I turned Blue away, and let her go. The amazing thing is, that Blue was actually following/working the cow without me having to tell her what to do!! So, to a certain extent, I'd say she has some cow sense! I do know that she used to be a ranch horse, so maybe memories of the good old days are coming back!









We rode on, worked a couple more cows, and had a helluva lot of fun! I just can't get over the fact that Blue was going after the cow _because she wanted too_, not because I was making her!!

Probably goes without saying, but the bad of this day all shrunk in comparison to this amazing ride!  Horses are my therapy!

'Till we cross trails again I remain, yours truly,

Jo


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Didn't have a lot of time today, so we just did some lunging and a little bit of cow work. Here are a couple pictures. They're all really bad quality, and the sun was going down so the light wasn't amazing. The last picture is of the bridge. It's not the whole thing and the picture is super bad quality, but it kinda gives you an idea of how it is.

And, just thought I'd mention: in the second pic, my toes are down and my heels up. I'm not quite sure what I was doing there, but I don't usually ride like that!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Didn't do much with Blue today. I wanted to let her have a good run, and play around a bit, so I figured I might as well put her into the big pasture for a while. I haltered her and jumped up bareback. We played around with one cow for a bit, which made me happy, because we were able to get her where we wanted in only a halter and lead rope! Then we loped deeper into the woods, following an awesome riding trail. I hopped off, took her halter off, hugged her D), and walked home.

That's it for now, maybe we'll do more tomorrow!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

It was really cold today! We had to chase the cows into a different pasture. My mom was in the car and I was bareback on Blue. Blue felt like running and playing, so I kept her at a trot until she settled down a bit.
The cows were strewn out over the whole pasture, so getting them together took a while. Then we could finally start herding them towards the gate. Heidi was on the other side of the fence, and she started running and trying to chase the cows from the other side of the fence. She succeeded in getting them all running, but luckily we got them slowed down before they got to the electric fence, which running cows could easily take down.
Then we had to get the hundred cows with about 50 calves (A lot of our cows were open this year :/) through the small gate. They knew where to go, so the cows were through the gate without many hitches.
Then there was just a group of around 20 calves and two or three cows left. One of the calves decided she wanted to leave and bolted down the fenceline. I sent Blue after her at a lope. As soon as we got a little in front of the calf, she stopped and spun back in the direction she came from. When Blue also spun and stayed with her, the calf trotted back to the herd kinda sheepishly. I was really happy with Blue; and also that I stayed on! 

Then we had a little photoshoot. All Blue wanted to do was eat, though.


----------



## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

She looks like a cowpony!  I?m glad she?s doing her job and that you are enjoying her.


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Knave said:


> She looks like a cowpony!  I?m glad she?s doing her job and that you are enjoying her.


She actually is one. I just found out recently that when she was younger she was a ranch horse. For the last couple of years, she's just been a kid's horse, but I just found out about her other side, and have started using her for working cattle! It kinda surprised me when she showed some cow sense and knew what she was doing with the cows more than I do!

Thank you! She's still got a couple good years in her!


----------



## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

That?s great! There is nothing more fun in my opinion than cutting. Oh, I like everything else, but cutting is the best.


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Knave said:


> That?s great! There is nothing more fun in my opinion than cutting. Oh, I like everything else, but cutting is the best.


IKR? Cutting is my absolute fav! I really hit the jackpot with Blue! I bought her cheap as an old, fat, lazy kid's pony, and ended up with what I actually would have bought if I had the finances... a wonderful, smart cow pony!


----------



## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

That?s awesome!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

It's been a while, but I'm updating this journal again!

If you've been following my filly, Heidi's, thread, you'll know that the horses have had the last month or two "off" from regular work, so all of them - but especially my favourite red devil - are back to being their insufferable selves. Actually, that's only Blue... the others are still sweet and well-behaved! 

We're going back into work slowly but steadily, starting at the point where the only way to catch her is to bribe her with oats until she's close, then hold on to her neck for dear life as you try to halter her. So, yeah... got a ways to go!

So I caught mah girl today, did some walking lunging, yielding and other such stuff, before I bridled her and got on up.

For all the cons there are to the awful amount of snow that fell during the last few days, there's one pro. The road is covered in a nice thick layer of snow - smoothed down by the grader. So now I can ride my tender-hooved mare along the road, which is perfectly awesome! It's not gonna last for long though, as the snow is melting quickly and I could already see gravel at some spots. While we're on the subject of my girl's tender hooves, my favourite Western Wear and Tack store has finally got the Cavallo boots... and they're way out of my budget. To be quite honest with you, my budget is in the negatives, but if the price was a little lower I might have convinced my mom to buy them for me; I'd pay her back when I got the money.

Anyhow, I went for an easy ride, never going over a trot and doing a lot of transitions. It's amazing how fast a horse can get screeching rusty! ;-)

I was happy with her, though, and she got some more oats when we were done. I finally got her to try my new Redmond Rock, and she loves it as much as the other horses do!


Forgot to mention. We had some trouble in the beginning when I was getting ready to ride and led her through the gate. I hadn't opened the gate far enough and she somehow managed to press the gates together with her in the middle like a sandwich. She bolted backwards and luckily made it out without any hassle.
That's one of her worst phobias; being stuck with no escape. I opened the gate wide and led her through a couple more times to make sure she'd be OK. When we came back and went back through, into her pasture, she seemed to have already forgotten.


Thanks to anyone who read this post 

Happy Trails


----------



## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I am glad she didn’t hurt herself! Gates are one of my phobias as my dad scolded and scolded me growing up about them. “Always open them away from the horse!” with a longer explanation of broken ribs and panicked horses.

I wish you could afford the boots! I have a set myself, and they were super expensive. I do like them a lot though and haven’t regretted the money yet. I only use them on long work days on Bones who can’t be shoed.


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Knave said:


> I am glad she didn’t hurt herself! Gates are one of my phobias as my dad scolded and scolded me growing up about them. “Always open them away from the horse!” with a longer explanation of broken ribs and panicked horses.


Yeah, in this case, it was impossible to open it away from my horse, due to ice and snow.



Knave said:


> I wish you could afford the boots! I have a set myself, and they were super expensive. I do like them a lot though and haven’t regretted the money yet. I only use them on long work days on Bones who can’t be shoed.


You have no idea how much I want/need these boots! I'm limited in where I can go with my mare since she's foundered and has very tender hooves. I'm sure I wouldn't regret them either!


----------



## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

Well, I convinced my husband to get them for me as a Christmas gift. If I remember you do not celebrate Christmas, but maybe a birthday gift if everyone went in together...


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Knave said:


> Well, I convinced my husband to get them for me as a Christmas gift. If I remember you do not celebrate Christmas, but maybe a birthday gift if everyone went in together...


Hey, thanks for remembering  Yeah, I might be able to borrow something like em from a friend before too long, so I'll make due 


Blue is still pretty gloomy; kinda hurts me to see her like that; she's so different than Heidi! I had the farrier out a couple days ago to do her hooves and it was a perfect nightmare; she's never been any good when it came to handling her hooves. I'm working on that now though, with clicker training. Actually, it's not exactly 'clicker' training. You see, I was getting her used to the concept with some 'targeting', and the 'click' seemed to scare her. She's not very food motivated, so before too long she didn't touch the object just to avoid the sound. She obviously knew what I meant, but she decided that the scary click wasn't worth it. So I put the clicker away and used a vocal 'yay' instead. It worked! ...Or at least: it worked some better  I still have the problem of her not being very motivated to do anything, but I hope she's going to get over it before too long - I do know she likes the treats, after all!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

I came in about half an hour ago from moving Heidi and Paso to a different pasture. Things with Blue haven't been going so awesome, so I decided that I had to do some one-on-one stuff with her, without Heidi and Paso distracting both of us. So now they're separated. Blue seemed really agitated and wanted very badly to follow us - which made me feel bad - but, after reading back in this journal about how this type of thing had helped last summer, I decided I had to do it again. BTW, I went back and read this whole journal, before, and I can now see where keeping a journal can really help! My mind is refreshed on what type of things work with mah grumpy girl, and other stuff like that. 

So now I'm going to be working with her regularly; every day, if possible. Simple stuff; a short bareback ride, groundwork, or 'yay' training (clicker training with 'yay' instead of the click). I'm gone all day tomorrow from early morning to late evening, so I'll unfortunately not be able to work with her Monday. But I'll make up for that with one or two sessions on Tuesday... I just remembered; my mom is hosting a party Tuesday for some friends, so I'm gonna be busy, but I'll fit it in somehow. Maybe one short session before the company gets here, and again afterwards. My idea is that I have to work with her often, for short sessions; keep her interested and active, while also spending a lot of time with her, in general, to make up for the temporary loss of her herd.

Wish me luck! *crossedfingers*


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

So... I got some work done with my girl but not as much as I'd like to. I'm going to try harder!

I had them separate for a while then I put them all together again separated em again. Yeah, they've been moving around quite a lot! I had Heidi and Paso in a good-sized pasture and Blue in the smaller winter pasture. Then circumstances forced me to get Heidi and Paso out one late evening (Our bulls got to fighting and one nearly broke his leg, so we gave them more space by getting the heifers out of the adjoining pen. They had to go into the pasture that the horses were in so I had to move them. ...And that made no sense...). Anyway, they were now beside Blue and Paso slipped under the rope that serves as a gate to join her. He's always doing stuff like that. Now they're all together again. :lol:

So I did some liberty type work today. I'd say it went pretty good and I got some foundations down for future work. It's discouraging and kinda heartbreaking, though, how down she is. She never wants to do anything and always looks soo sad. Blue has some serious winter blues!


I'll let y'all know if things get better and look into getting some pictures!


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

No pics yet.

I just spent some time chilling (quite literally) with Heidi and Paso while Blue stood a couple meters off, wearing her signature face and pose. Everything about her said utter misery... She can be so moody sometimes and then she'll jump right back to where we used to be. This has happened before!

So I just sat against the bale trying not to freeze and playing with Heidi. I taught her two tricks in the time I sat there. Blue finally gave in and walked over to the bale and got to eating on the other side of the bale. I stayed there for a bit but then I got too cold and since I'd sorta gotten the end effect I wanted, I left. Before I went I offered her a treat which she coldly refused by leaving. Oh, well, not what I wanted to end on but "was solls" (German meaning something like 'whatever')

I'm done with treating her like this though; it's only adding to her depression. Tomorrow I'm going to lunge her then take her for a good long ride. That's always been the only way to get her past this; firm, steady, and some work.


----------



## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I’m sorry she’s down. I’m sure you are right and some work will make her feel like herself again.


----------



## JoBlueQuarter (Jan 20, 2017)

Knave said:


> I’m sorry she’s down. I’m sure you are right and some work will make her feel like herself again.


It did, she's doing a lot better. She never ceases to astound me with her personality!


----------

