# Progress Journal



## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

Well I've never done anything like this before but I thought I would try keeping a kind of journal on here to watch my progress with my two boys. Not that I'm not motivated but I often don't have much time so in a way this is to give me motivation to find more time so I can keep this going. So anyway I have Apache (chestnut) who I can't ride but I am working on his groundwork and I'm going to work on his muscles from the ground (if that makes sense). Then I have Sammy (palomino) he is my new boy who has apparently been out of work for 9 months when I got him. I am bringing him back into work now and also working on his general ground manners. 

1st March
Today I didn't get home with time to ride but I first worked with Apache. He was in one of his rare kind of hypo moods but he listened pretty well. I brushed him a little. Then I got him to flex his head in both directions which he is getting softer with. I then lunged him which was semi successful because I haven't worked with him for awhile and he wasn't the best at lungung to begin with. I managed to get him to walk and trot in both directions for a few circles (even though he was fighting me the whole way) but we ended on a positive note. 

I then caught sam and brushed him (though it was to breezy to hose the dried sweat off either of them). I then flexed him both ways which he is awesome at next I worked on him yielding from pressure. I have had to teach him to move off pressure on his hindquarters, forehand which he is still improving on. (All he did before was forward, backward & stop). I am now working on him moving sideways to later move under saddle to use for circle work. I then mucked around a bit and tried to lay across his back by jumping up from the ground (which I suck at) and all I can say is he's quite a forgiving boy.

I know this isn't the critiquing section but I'm open to any tips or comments throughout this as I don't have anyone horse savvy to help me at home at the moment. Sorry for it being so long I'll keep future ones shorter.

Here are some pics, one of Apache wet a couple of weeks ago, one of sam when I first got him and two of each of them from today. By the way I'm not sure what's with Apache in one pic he has no muscle but he isn't that skinny he must have been standing funny. Anyway enjoy


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

2nd March 
Ok so my plan was to ride sam and lunge apache this afternoon but that didn't quite happen. I caught Sam and had him tied up then I went to catch Pepper for my mum who was riding with me but she decided she didnt want to be caught today. This meant her and apache were running like mad and this was upsetting Sam so I was bit surprised that he was as calm as he was this afternoon. Once I finally had her caught, we had them both saddled and went into one of the smaller paddocks to do some walking and trotting. We walked a couple of laps in both directions of (big rectangle paddock) then we trotted. Sam did quite well though as usual he wasn't soft with his mouth whenever I trotted he would brace against my hands and he ends up ignoring me when I asked him to slow. He wasn't going very straight most of the time but I was more worried about him keeping a nice pace going which he did ok most of the time. He started to back up a couple of times without being asked this seems to be something he's decided to start doing the last couple of times I have ridden him. Otherwise he did quite since I haven't ridden him for about two weeks. I rode for about half an hour, he was quite sweaty by the time we finished. This meant I didn't have time to do Apache unless I wanted to feed the horses in the dark during a storm. 

So I tried what I was taught to do which was to wriggle my fingers to get him to drop his head (if that makes sense) so he wasn't running around like a giraffe but he just ignored that. I have to have quite a bit of contact with him otherwise he slowly build speed until he's going all out though it is partly the way he holds his head that makes the contact seem so much harder. Anyway I'll see how we go next time.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

3rd March
Three days in row is quite good for me since its been either really hot or raining lately yay. I rode sam bare back today for about half an hour at only a walk. He was quite good I worked on his stopping today and moving out to the edge of the yard by the fence which he is starting to get the hang of. He doesn't have the worst brakes ever but they need quite a bit of work I end up relying on my reins a lot more then I would like. Today I really concentrated on how well I was giving my cues to him and I said woah then stopped riding (if that makes sense) then used my reins if I had too at first he wasn't listening to my first two cues at all. By the end I got him almost coming to a stop before even the second cue he caught on quite quickly. The challange will be when I try at the faster gaits. 
I didn't get a chance to work with Apache as it started raining half way through my ride with Sam. 
I think I personally have to work on getting on a horse bareback its embarrassing how bad I am. I also didn't realize I relyed on my saddle I haven't ridden bareback in a long time and I almost lost my balance a number of times and I was only walking I'll have to work on my balance a bit more. 
See what happens next time.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

Hope I'll be able to update soon. I have been sick for the last four days. Fingers crossed I can work with my horses in the next day or two.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

9th March
So I did the same thing I did last time with Sammy again today. He was much better with his brakes from the get go. He was quite excited and wanted to go and so did I but I didn't have enough balance to go anything faster then a walk on him. I think if I had of gone any faster I would have just slid off and his big belly swinging from side to side wasn't helping me balance. I was then going to work with Apache but he was far down the paddock and I felt I hadn't done anything with Pepper in awhile so I thought I would have ago at riding her bareback too. I brushed her then got on (which felt really easy after getting on Sam). We walked around for awhile for her to warm up and then we trotted a bit which was good when she wasn't weaving because that took extra muscle that I forgot I had to stay on. I trotted on Pepper for about 15 minutes then walked around to cool her down. I then discovered she is loosing her summer coat because my jeans were covered in white hair when I got off. I think my legs are going to hurt A LOT tomorrow ... oh well. The farrier is also coming tomorrow for Sam and Pepper I hope I have time afterwards to ride Sam and work with Apache.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

10th March
The farrier came today and did Sam and Pepper's feet. On one of his back feet Sam decided about half way through he simply couldn't hold it up any longer and wanted it back. It was actually quite funny and we were both laughing. I then went for another bareback ride on Sam and he was very good walking and stoppng very well. He calmly walked down the other end of the paddock and didn't try to run back to where I had brushed him on a loose rein. I then worked on some circles and figure eights at a walk and he did very well. They weren't overly big but he was very soft most of the time and only became stiff a few times. The ground work has really paid off, he is still learning to move off my leg but is doing much better then when we started. I was very balanced and found myself sitting much better then the last ride at a walk so I decided we might try to trot. This was an interesting experience. He usually seems to have a very smooth trot but without my saddle I realised it was bouncier (not in a bad way though). We only did a few strides the first time and I bounced around a bit. The second time he wanted to go with more speed so it was good but I lost my balance and probably would have fallen off if he had not of stopped at the fence because I didn't turn him. It was a lot of fun though I didn't get to do anything with Apache again so I will have to make sure I do tomorrow.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

11th March 
I worked Apache today just left Sam my legs were to sore to go for a ride. I worked with mucking around with Apache's feet (because of his bad behaviour with the farrier). He did very well and let me do anything other then an initial kick out with his back feet. I then did some flexing and ground work with him which he was very soft with. I then tried to lunge him. I'm hoping it was just because I haven't worked with him for awhile. He reared once when he tried to turn away from me and I wouldn't let him. I got him to trot a couple of circles with him playing up the whole way. I then had a go at ground driving him which I haven't done in a long time with him. I got him to walk around for awhile (didn't have ago at trotting) he kept trying to turn to the fence and stop but would otherwise work quite well. I was using a rope halter instead of a bridle and he was doing quite well with it except when he attempted to speed up or turn further then asked. The halter would bring his nose to his chest so he had to do what I asked or have a lot of pressure on his nose which he was not liking. So we have a lot of work to do. If I'm not busy I will go for a ride tomorrow and hopefully work with Apache some more.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

15th March
Well I didn't get to work with either of the boys the last couple of days as planned. Today though I went for a ride on Sam with a saddle and it felt kind of weird after the bareback riding. We did a couple of laps around the paddock at a walk and just doing stopping and turns to get him listening. He then seemed to be focused so I asked for a trot and he got a bit excited and kept rushing it so I would bring him back and ask again until he settled down. I only did this on the straight so I could get him to do the pace I wanted without having to worry abut turning. He also had a bit of a hypo moment down the far end of the paddock I'm not quite sure what he did. It felt like he either did like a little rear before trying to bolt or did a little leap in the air whatever it was it took me by surprise. Luckily I didn't really loose control otherwise we would have been off down the paddock at top speed. I asked him to walk for awhile after that until he settled down again. I then tried doing some circles and bending with him at a walk and he was a bit better but he is still learning to move off the leg. I then did some more trotting which wasn't so rushed anymore. I tried encouraging him to do some long and low and he caught on pretty quick and was working very nicely. I was happy with this and had to stop so see what happens tomorrow. I have some photos with tack on. Its not my saddle but my stirrups need a bit of fixing so im using this one for the time being.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

17th March

Ok today I had a go at ground driving both Apache and Sam. I did Apache first. I walked and trotted him around the paddock and he did quite well. At one staged he went to rear because I wasn't letting him stop but he got over it quickly. He also tried to turn the opposite way to what I asked once but he eventually did as I asked. I then did some basic ground work like backing, moving off pressure, etc he was very responsive with this. 
I then had a go at ground driving with Sam. Its the first time I have tried this with him, I wasn't sure how he was going to react with the ropes down his side (he doesn't always like that sort of thing). He seemed a bit confused at first and kept trying to turn around and come back to me because I wasn't walking beside him. He soon got it though and I walked him around for a bit. He was quite responsive by the end. I don't think I'm going to be able to do anything tomorrow. 
In the pictures Apache had dried sweat from the hot day that I couldn't get off and I couldn't hose him off because it had cooled down when I got home.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

26th March
Well I haven't been able to do much riding lately. I got a chance to ride this afternoon with my friend who is over. We took Sam and Pepper out just for casual riding. She wanted to ride Sam and I didn't mind because even though he plays up she is the sort to stay calm and level-headed to sort it out. After about 10 or 15 minutes and he just kept taking off on her and not stopping and just generally getting all hypo and worked up. So we swapped horses so she could be on a bit more reliable horse and have more fun. When I got on him I was expecting him to be all hypo but them moment i got on he was pretty much good if anything he was being lazy. I just got him to walk and trot and he didn't offer to canter once. He had a few moments where he didn't want to completely stop. I was very happy at one point too because all I was worrying about was making sure he maitained the same gait I wasn't worrying about his head set or anything. Then of his own accord he just dropped his head vertical and was working in a very good outline for about two strides then he went back to his usual self. I was very happy though because he had never done that before I feel like we may really be getting somewhere yay!!


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

27th March
I went for another ride with my friend today but I got on Sam this time. He was raring to go and was fighting my quite a bit and nearly breaking into a canter but I managed to keep him in a steady trot. After about 10 minuters of walking and trotting he calmed down and listened. After awhile he was maintaining a steady trot quite well and was keeping soft for a few strides at a time which is very good for him. Since he seemed to have settled down my friend then got on and he just kept taking off on her so we switched back. The moment I got on he settled down again. My mum says he is a one person horse and I don't know but it may be true. He was still a little rushy but settled down a lot quicker and is becoming much more respnsive. I think he may be the sort of horse that needs a rider with quite a quiet leg or he is very much the sort to take any leg movement as a cue. He is quite good but I don't think he would be good enough for a beginner rider even if they were confident.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

29th March
Well I went for a ride on Sammy this afternoon after school. It was great fun he never tried to take off into a canter once and he only rushed the trot a couple of times. I'm not quite sure how long the ride was, it was somewhere between a half hour and an hour. I did a bit of walking to warm up then I did a lot of trotting around the paddock with little breakes of walking in between. I am very proud he stayed soft most of the time in fact there was almost a decent amount of slack in the reins. The contact I did have was very light. He also was very responsive with stopping most of the time. I got him to walk in straight lines up and down the paddock as well as across the diagonals. I soon discovered it is very hard to get Sam to walk straight and he also kept getting distracted the goober. I am very happy with the way we ended today. I also have a picture of before I got on I was going to take one when I finished riding but my phone died before I got off.
Oh and I have my first riding lesson after a few months tomorrow yay I am very excited and it will only be my second lesson on Sam.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

30th March
Ok so my lesson didn't end up happening today because it was apparently to wet to come out so hopefully it will happen tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain again. I ended up going out and doing some groundwork with him. I did some walking and stopping (he has been a little pushy lately). I then got him to turn his hindquarters and forehand from both sides until I almost didn't even have to touch him and he wasn't going forward at the same time. At one point when I asked him to turn his hindquarters he didn't he just leaned against me and he didn't seem to be paying attention to me so (I didn't have a crop with me or anything) I gave him a tap with the back of my hand and he kicked out a little then moved. I drove his butt away quickly. He didn't try it again and he payed closer attention after that. I was doing groundwork with him for about 15-30 minutes. I then thought I would get on for a bit I was walking him around at a brisk walk getting him to walk straight and stop and back up a bit. He was being very good, I did that for about 15 minutes then it started raining again and it was already pretty slippery so I decided to stop for the afternoon.
Its a bit blurry and he wouldn't sit still but here is the best picture of Sammy today after my little ride. Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

1st April 
Well I didn't get time to put an entry up after my lesson. 
Today it was raining when I got home so I didn't get to go out until about half an hour before I had to feed the horse. When I went out I had a go at lunging Sammy because we were trying to work with him on that yesterday. This is because Sammy doesn't lunge. We have discovered after yesterday that he would go out in the circle but after about half a circle he would cut across and practically run you over. So today I thought I would have a go by myself. At first he was very much the same so I gave up with the whip because I was finding it too awkward. I just used the end of the rope to hit him, so I was just getting him to move his hindquarters and then I had a go at moving his forehand away and he stood there for a good five minutes not moving and I was starting to hit him pretty hard by this stage. Then he moved off and I thought I would try and keep driving him forward and he kept going I was so happy we had a break through. I got him to do a whole circle without him trying to cut it off. I then got him to do it a couple more times walk (a little trot) each time I did it he would be less stubborn about it. I then had a go on his bad side. This direction was his worst where he would do a bit of a circle then come into the circle and try and barge you out of the way with his shoulder. I got him to change direction (to his bad side) after a bit of encouragment it took him a minute to work out that me hitting him on his shoulder and having my other hand out to guide him in the other direction was me telling him to turn. Once he figured it out he walked off when I asked then he tried to turn into me (I wasn't frustrated as such but quite sick of it by this stage because he had already done it to me quite a bit. He would just walk through whip/rope and barge past) I gave him a BIG whack on the shoulder and he kept going. He did two full circles on that side afterwards without trying to come into me. I then did a bit more on each side and he had a couple more goes at trying to come in but nowhere near as bad as before. Later when I fed him (he's normally very rude around food and tries to push me out of the way instead of waiting) today he didn't even try to come near me. He patiently waited until he knew I wasn't going back to his food before he walked over to it no fighting with me about waiting. Even when I went back to give him a piece of dropped hay he moved away instantly I didn't even have to ask my body language was obviously enough. I had to get in quite a submissive sort of form for him to allow me close because he seemed to think I kept wanting to push him away from his food. I felt I had a big break through with Sammy today because he is not mean but has no idea of personal space and today he really kept out of my space. I am quite happy.  
Now we just need to work on his brakes on the lunge.


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## equus717 (Aug 20, 2009)

That is awesome. You are doing a good job with your horses. I enjoyed reading what you are doing each day. Keep it up.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

Thank you very much. It's nice to know someone thinks I'm doing a good job.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

2nd March
I had my second lesson with my new trainer today yay. We had both Apache and Sammy so she could have a go at doing stuff with Apache while I worked with Sammy. We both started with lunging. I was with Sammy and after yesterdays work he only tried to come in at me twice today and they were both half hearted. I am very proud of him he did very well and my trainer said I did very well with him she said he looked like an old pro who had been doing it for years. I had him trotting in both directions for about 15-20 minutes i think it was. 
She was having a go with Apache this whole time who kept chucking a fit and saying he didin't want to do it. After she got him to do one successful circle she tied him up while we went and worked with Sammy a bit. We went out and I got on and trotted him around in both directions around my trainer for about half and hour or so. During this we were just working on him keeping his pace steady because he was speeding up or slowing down his trot a bit at times. Generally he was quite good and kept quite soft and responsive and only rushed a little bit . He was not keeping his circles very well but that wasn't what we were worrying about at the time. A couple of times he started to bend very nicely and hold himself very well. The worst thing he did was at one point he was just going at a trot then very suddenly did a very dirty shoulder drop and tried to turn in the other direction. The little turd. My trainer believes we seem to be very well suited for eachother and though he is big and sometimes tries to use this to his advantage. She thinks he is very sweet and generally very willing to please he just doesn't seem to have much training under him. He seems to have just a kind of cowboy break in then with the barrel racing he doesn't do a lot of what you would think to be very basic stuff but he seems to pick everything up very quickly. I am very happy after today and feel like I am really getting somewhere with Sammy.
Oh also while I cooled Sammy down my trainer went and got Apache and had another a go at lunging him and he went much better this time. She then got on and walked him around a little just to see what he would be like. She said she would have more of a go at riding him next time.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

3rd April (just realized I accidently wrote march in my last post)
Ok I am not happy with myself but I truely got frustrated with Sam this afternoon. I was not able to ride him this afternoon but I at least wanted to do some ground work with him. I had a go at lunging again since he did so well yesterday, well this is where it went bad. From the very start he wasn't listening to me but I thought he would calm down and start listening as usual. He would do about half a circle on both sides then he would either:
a) barge in at me and try to shove me out with his shoulder
b) stop and stare at me or 
c) try to go in the opposite direction I was asking him to go in

I would send him out then after about half a circle he would come barging in at me and try to barge me out with his shoulder he was going right through me hitting him. He nearly ran me over a few times. That was what he did most of the time. Then if he didn't do that he would occasionally turn and face me then not move or go in the other direction. Also if I had to resort to giving him a tap on the bum to get him moving he would kick out. I also found the more/harder I hit him on the shoulder (if he didn't respond to the cues before that) the faster he would try to barge into me. I felt I was getting nowhere and we were both getting more wound up so I thought we would take a second calm down then get on with something that we could both do. I then worked on his responsiveness to moving his hindquarters and forehand which he wasn't very excited about but by the end he was responding very well and not going forward or backward at the same time. I also worked on him standing still and his backing up. I then had another go at lunging which he was not much better at but I managed to get one full (not very good circle) so I stopped there on a relatively good note. Hopefully next time will be better.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

3rd April
Ok so I didn't really do any ground work with Sam before I got on today just jumped on. I walked him around for a bit then I got him to trot in a circle (which arn't very good but are improving) to the right for awhile. I couldn't really time it but I know it was for a good while and he was really blowing when I brought him back to a walk and let him rest while he walked around a little bit. Then I got him to trot in a circle to the left for awhile until he was blowing again. I have come to discover I think his left side is his 'bad' side. He doesn't stay out of a circle as well on that side and I think he is a bit stiffer on that side as well. After letting him walk around a bit to rest again I repeated the same, trotting in both directions. By the end my legs were like jelly and he was getting very soft in the mouth and barely rushed the trot at all. In fact by then it was actually quite slow and a couple of times he tried to stop. I checked afterwards and I had ridden him for just over half an hour. I was quite happy with him today. I then hosed him off because he was quite sweaty and let him out with his buddies and he ran off bucking to them.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

3rd April (again)

I just had another quick ride on Sammy this afternoon. I have a couple of pictures of his good moments I just thought I would share. Only walk and trot. Also he is dirty on his bum I just brushed where I needed to because my photographer wasn't feeling the best and wanted me to hurry up lol.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

10th April
Well I haven't ridden a lot lately, I have been a bit busy. Today I had another lesson. I rode Sammy while my trainer rode Apache during my lesson. First I had a go at lunging Sammy and he went fairly well. Then my trainer lunged him for awhile and he chucked a few hissy fits but otherwise went very well. Then while I held Sam and checked his tack, my trainer lunged Apache. He was good at a walk but did a few bucks and tried to be intimidating to avoid having to trot but trottted eventually. After lunging we both got on and walked around a bit to see how the two would act when ridden together. They were pretty good except Sammy kept practically trying to walk on on top of Apache. I had to keep making him move over. He didn't even learn his lesson when Apache went to bite him. They were pretty good, Apache was suprisingly well mannered about it. We did a lot of walking and trotting. Sam was soft and didn't brace against me once though he did try to rush a little. My trainer got me to work on some sitting trot. Now that took a lot of work. When Sam was keeping a steady pace my trainer said I was doing very well. When I got off later I nearly fell over because my legs were like jelly. My thighs and tummy lol were aching a lot. Anyway my trainer also said Apache was quite good if a little lazy about going. She said he was pretty easy to get going except for his one hissy fit down near our dam. We were just about to go around the dam when he started to back up and wouldn't go forward then did a little rear then a little pigroot. He soon found out this wasn't going to scare her and it just meant harder work then going forward so he walked on. He was good for the last few minutes of our ride and we will see how he goes next time. I am very happy about today's lesson.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

13th April
Ok I haven't been on for a few days. Well today I had another riding lesson. They just seem to fly, I have a lot of fun. My trainer lunged Apache before we got on and he was being a (hmm nice word) booga. He kept rearing and bucking/ kicking out after he did one full circle she stopped on the good note. We then got on for our ride. Sammy was very excited and forward for the whole ride. Apache was quite the opposite. Sammy kept trying to break into a trot if we were walking or a canter if we were trotting. He was listening but only just he seemed to be having one of his hypo days. He did quite well except for trying to break gait. This stopped when I got him to keep the gait up for more then a couple of strides then he wanted to slow hehe.

Apache on the other hand was being a right booga for the first half of the ride. Almost every couple of strides he was trying my trainer out to see if he could get out of it. pigrooted quite a bit, reared (small ones) a couple of times and I think he just bucked a couple of times. He soon realised she didn't care it just meant more work so he stopped trying it. She even cantered him around quite a bit. She commented that he has a very nice slow big strided rocking horse canter. Apparently it is much nicer then his trot haha. I wouldn't know because when I rode him I never got him past a trot. This is making me want to ride him much more now. I might get on him again soon. My trainer thinks he could be quite good and he will probably test her out everytime she gets on for a while but eventually he should settle down when it doesn't work. Yay! 
See what happens next time I suppose.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

18th April 

Ok I have been busy lately and today it was lightly raining all afternoon so annoying. This afternoon I still went out and worked with apache a little bit before feeding them. I took Apache out and lunged him a little on both sides at a trot. He was good for the most part but occassionally tried to run away from me. I then stopped and did some backing up and moving off pressure with him. He was very light about it all which I was quite suprised about when it came to backing up usually he is quite aeguementive about it. I then did a little more lunging with him on both sides again at just the trot. He was ok but had moments of laziness and tried to break into a canter and take off once. On his bad side he tried to avoid going faster then a walk but wasn't bad as usual when I made him do it. I have a few photos because my friend was there to take them. Just incase anyone is wondering why I'm wearing a helmet but not riding, he tends to kick out when he doesn't want to do something so I would rather have a bit of protection


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

19th April 
Well I had a pretty good afternoon although I feel bad for my poor Sammy. My friend is over again and she was riding little Pepper who was being a saint for her the little cutie. I was riding Sam who I lunged first and he was quite good on one side then on the other side he simply wouldn't move so I kept going until I got one full circle of walking out of him then let him stop on my terms. When I saddled Sammy he tried to all out bit me twice but I told him no and he didn't go any further. Usually he is a bit funny about his girth being done up only when tied up though. So I thought maybe he was just pushing it. Then when I got on I walked around for awhile and he was being quite forward. I asked him to trot and he rushed it straight out then tried to stop within a couple of strides. So I got him to walk around a heap more. I then asked him to trot some more. Whenever I asked him to trot he was very reluctant about it. He was being quite different. Normally especially lately he won't object light contact at all but this afternoon the moment I started to trot he would drop his nose right down to the ground almost pulling me out of the saddle several times. This isn't something he would normally do. He only started to do this when I was trotting not walking. Also I'm not sure why but he would do it more when I was posting rather then when I was sitting the trot. Eventually I stopped trotting and just walked him around a lot. When I got off I felt down his back (because I was suspicious) and he kind of sunk under my hand when I got to this one spot so now I feel really bad for riding him. I'm now going to get someone out to see him. 

Then I decided to do something with Apache. Whenever my trainer gets on him for a ride he walks off on her. So this afternoon I decided I would work with him on that since my friend was outside with me. (normally I'm by myself unless its a lesson) I saddled him up my friend just held on to him loosely with a leadrope otherwise I was kind off the only one holding him. He didn't try to move once when I got on the three times. The first time (I forgot how tall his is compared to the other two) he stood there then I got him to flex both ways. I then got off. When I got on the second time I just sat there for awhile then got off the "wrong" side just to see what he would do and he couldn't care less. I then led him to a different are and got on him again and he was good so we got a photo. I then got him to turn around and walk back to where I saddled him (with my friend walking beside him). He didn't chuck a hissy fit once, even though I know I wasn't asking much of him but it made me very happy. I haven't been on his back for at least 4 or 5 months. When I stopped riding him I was almost terrified to get on him, I dreaded riding lessons. Now when I got on today I didn't feel nervous at all, in fact I actually feel excited about the thought of riding him again. I know I didn't do a lot with him but I felt like this was big step for me  . 

Now for the picture my friend seems to have great timing. I had just been leaning over patting him and was talking to her when she took this. Had just kind of straightened up lol. Also this is from my phone so a little blurry.


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## equus717 (Aug 20, 2009)

That is awesome. Isn't it great when you get your confidence back. You are doing a great job.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

Yes it definitely is good to get my confidence back. I'm definitely still a nervous rider compared to some but I feel much more confident now. I feel I can thank Sammy and Pepper for that. Neither of them rear, buck or pigroot like Apache but they both do their own silly little things that make me confident when I get through them.


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## LucysMyGirl (Apr 10, 2011)

Welldone it is a great feeling to get your confidence back


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

Thank you


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## RedTree (Jan 20, 2010)

Love your horses


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

Thanks me too. I think your Buzz is gorgeous as well!


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

24th April 
I haven't been able to get anyone to come out and see Sam yet but I'm getting there. I got the confidence up to have a short ride on Apache. I think I was only riding him for about 15-20 minutes but I didn't want to push it for my first ride on him in over 4 months and I wanted to end on a good note. I took him out and lunged him a little bit on both sides. He was lazy and didn't want to go faster then a walk so I gave him a tap on the bum and he kicked out but was more willing to go forward. Afterwards I walked him down the other end of the paddock with my mum. I got my mum to hold on to the end of the leadrope loosely while I walked around for a little bit because I was a little nervous. Then she unclipped him and just held the leadrope. I walked him around a bit more and he was behaving quite well and his walk wasn't a lazy one. Then I felt a bit more confident so I asked for a trot and it took a bit of encouragement but he did one even if it was a very lazy trot. I walked him around more giving him heaps of encouragement because he was behaving. Then I asked for a trot again and it still took a lot of encouragement but this one was more lively and when we were facing the area where he was saddled (and the other horses were standing) he tried to go in that direction a little bit but otherwise listened to me. I then walked a bit more we got to the far corner of the paddock and I asked for a trot and as I upped the pressure (I wasnt using a whip) he decided to stop and start chucking his head up. He didn't go up but got very tense and took a step back when he stepped back I felt him start to hunch up so I disengaged his hindquarters and got him to quickly turn in some tight circles. I then went back to what I had been doing and he was a bit unwilling but otherwise went into a trot almost straight away. I got him to trot around quite lively and then came around the corner facing where the other horses were and he was trying to go towards them and I had his nose almost to my knee but he was still trotting towards them. So I brought him back to a walk turned him around and got him to trot the way he came. He wasn't happy about it but he did it. I then got him to walk around a bit more and he was becoming more willing to listen again. We then got to the corner where he played up last time and I asked him to trot and he reacted the same way as last time so I disengaged his hindquarters and made turn in small circles quickly again. I then asked him to trot again which he didn't seem pleased about doing but otherwise did it straight away. We walked around again . I asked him to trot one more time and he did so almost straight away he did a full 20m circle (probably more an oval lol) and I didn't have to keep encouraging him to keep up his pace I was very happy and so I stopped there. He wasn't paying much attention to me at first but by the end he was doing pretty well. My mum commented that he seemed to try to get away with not doing it but as soon as I made him work when he played up he seemed to a lot more willing to do as I asked. He is a very lazy boy and he will always find the easiest possible way to do something. I felt like I had a huge confidence boost after riding him today even though we didn't do a lot and he didn't really work up a sweat. It felt really weird to ride a horse that was quite lazy about going forward, I have gotten so used to horses that you are trying to stop taking off every so often lol. Anyway I have a picture of him after my short ride. I was also wondering if anyone had any tips on what to do with a horse can keep going in one direction while its face is facing another direction? I would just like some ideas until my next lesson. Thanks


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

25th April 
Well I went for another ride on Apache today by myself (no one out in the paddock with me). He had his moments but otherwise went pretty good. I lunged him a little bit before I got on just to see his mood and he was a bit lazy but actually didn't offer to play up at all. I then took him down the far end of the paddock again(because there is no trees or anything to get in the way). It took me a couple of minutes to get on because he tried to walk off a couple of times but then stood still. Once I was on I got him to flex both ways before walking off. I was just walking around for awhile at first, he was being quite other then trying to go back to where he was saddled up. I then asked for a trot and he wouldn't so I upped the pressure until he stopped and started really chucking his head up and backing up so I disengaged his hindquarters and got him to do small circles which he tried to stop doing and when I made him continue he kicked out but did it. I then got on with asking for a trot and he did it. I worked on walking and trotting with heaps of turns. I then let him just lazily walk around a bit because he was being good. I then asked him to trot again and he again threatened to rear so I made him do small circles again. I then asked for a trot and he did so quite willingly. I trotted him straight for about 2 mintues. It was a bit lazy at first but he only tried to stop once when we turned to back to the far end of the paddock. By the end of the ride he was quite willing to go into a trot every time he actually almost seemed eager to do it. At the beginning of the ride he kept trying to go back to where he was saddled but by then end he had almost completely stopped trying. He also tripped twice while trotting (like almost down on his knees tripping). I admit he is due to see the farrier but he has a bad habit of being lazy and not picking his feet up properly. I was very happy by the end of my ride he was much more responsive and actually seemed eager to go. I was also very happy because before I stopped riding him I could barely get him to do half a 20m circle of trotting without constantly kicking him and today I got him to do a little more then 2 laps of a 20m circle and he only tried to stop once and a click of the tongue was enough ecnouragement to keep him going. I am actually looking forward to my next ride on him. I haven't had that feeling with him in a while. I also have a picture here of him afterwards, a couple of minutes after unsaddling him. It doesn't look like a lot but that is quite a bit of sweat for him hehe.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

27th April
Ok didn't get much of a ride today cause we got home a bit later then usual, it was also raining nearly allday so I thought I wasn't going to ride at all. Caught Apache who was half asleep twit. Then got him ready which didn't seem to wake him up anymore. Took him out to lunge before getting on and he was pretty good except when he kicked out in my direction once for making him continue lol. I had some trouble actually getting on, I think it took me nearly 5 minutes to get on because he kept trying to walk off. I flexed him both ways once I was on before walking off. I walked him around on a loose rein for awhile, then I trotted him around for a bit apart from tripping a couple of times he was pretty good with the trotting. He didn't test me anywhere near as much when I got on, the most he did was try to walk back to where he was saddled once. Whenever he did try to slow down simply clicking my tongue was enough, also whenever I asked him to go from a walk to a trot most times simply me preparing to go up a gait and clicking my tongue was enough for him to perk up and start to go when I lightly squeezed he was happy to go into a trot. I got him to stay in a trot with minimal squeezing for a few laps before I asked him to walk again. It was all going great until I noticed he had stopped listening to me and was watching something next door. Just my luck next doors two horses had decided to come calling, cantering and bucking down to us. This got Apache very excited and he was fighting me to go running to them. The only way I could keep him from running off or going up (from me holding him back) was to hold his head to my knee. I waited for him to calm down and then let him have his head again. I repeated this four times and every time I gave him his head back he got all excited and started prancing again. The horses next door were not helping this whole time they were running up and down the fence line like psychos. Eventually I felt like I was loosing control and I was starting to get nervous so I got off to work with him from the gorund. I started to take him for a work and trot in hand around the fence line which he still wasn't totally focused on me for. Then I stopped and started doing a bit of groundwork with him (moving hindquarters etc) fast, not his own dawdling pace. I found this brought his attention back to me and it stayed on me from then on. I then took him for a bit more of a walk around until he seemed totally calm again. I then went through the process of getting on again which he didn't really want to stand still for again but he eventually did. I then did a brisk walk again and got off. I also got a picture of him afterwards and a couple of others of his beautiful face.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

28th April
I wasn't home in time to do anything this afternoon but I was home this morning and I got a short chance to lunge both my boys. I'm not sure how long I lunged them either. I worked with Sam first who was almost perfect on one side I got him to do quite a few laps. I then tried his other side and he just wouldn't do it. He kept just standing there facing me and not moving out or starting then about half way round his first lap he would stop and face me. It seemed like forever but I eventually got him to do one whole lap without him trying to stop and we stopped when I said so. I then worked with Apache next who was actually quite good except when I accidently nicked his tail with the end of the rope which he didn't like he was quite unhappy about having to continue for awhile after that. I asked him to go on his other side and he was quite good other then tripping quite a bit on the very uneven ground. Thankfully the farrier is coming out tomorrow to see him, hopefully that will help him a bit.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

29th April
Well I didn't get to do much today? Apache got his feet done today and got some new shoes for his front which will hopefully help him stop tripping and help the angle of his foot. I had a go at lunging him a little bit before feeding them. I took him out and he walked around but wasn't willing to go into a trot. I got him into a trot eventually and he looked very good. He was actually picking his front feet up as he trotted normally he kind of drags them along the ground a bit. When I got him to go in the other direction he did it but not very willingly threatened to kick at me a couple of times when I was making him go but he eventually got over it and did what was asked of him. I think he just felt weird with the shoes since he has been barefoot for awhile now. OH and he did not trip once Yay have to see how he goes when I ride him next.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

2nd May

I went for a ride on Apache today. I got him ready and lunged him he was almost perfect on one side but I just about couldn't get him to move on the other side. He kept going but in the trot he kept crowhopping and chucking his head about because he kept wanting to go meet next doors horse. When I took him down the other down the other end of the paddock one of next doors horses was calling out and following us up and down the fence line cause its friend wasn't there at the time. I walked Apache around a bit on the ground and did some ground work with him just to make sure he was focusing on me. I then got on and he still wouldn't stand still straight away but he didn't take as long as usual. I walked around for awhile at first and he was being ok if a little lazy and tried to stop and go up once. He soon got over that though he kept wanting to go back to the gate. I trotted a bit which he was pretty good with once he was doing it. Once he tried to stop and back up but got in trouble and at one stage he tried to go into a trot when I didn't ask (his version of bolting lol). By the end of my ride I was riding around the whole empty 2/3 of the paddock. He did try to stop and back up twice when I was down near the gate but heading away from it but soon stopped, afterwards he tried to slow down but I kept asking him to move forward so he didn't actually stop which was good. At one point he was being a twit and and not listening to me and getting off the fence so my boot and stirrup nicked a fence post and made a tinging sound and Apache nearly pooped himself. Hehe one of his rare spooky moments. I eventually stopped when we had had a good trot and walked around a bit. He was pretty good with being forward but he kept wanting to go back to the gate. I'm yet to decide if its him wanting to go back to his buddies, napping, or being ring sour (though he isn't really in a ring just in a paddock). After getting his new shoes he only tripped twice when I was working with him today. Both were in the exact same spot when I was lunging so I think he was just not watching himself and standing in a hole. He didn't trip once when I was riding which is pretty good for him. I think he may have been in a bit of an uncooperative mood today but he was pretty good. Here are a few photos, they aren't great because they are from my phone I really have to charge the camera.


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## lildonkey8 (Dec 12, 2010)

wonderful journal...what a beauty!


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

Thanks


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

10th May
I didn't get much chance to ride this week but the chiro came to see Sammy yesterday yay. He said sammy had the right side of his jaw out and the area below his withers and just behind his shoulder ( can't remember what he called it) on both sides had something wrong with it. He is all fixed now and I got to ride him straight away this afternoon as long as I take it slow and don't do fast work on him. I went for a short bareback ride today, I forgot how much more you have to work to stay on lol. Just some walking around in circlesish hehe. I was working on getting him to bend to the right and move out of the circle like the chiro told me to, to work on his jaw a bit. He responded much better then ususal with the bending but he was not responding to my leg a whole lot it took quite a bit of effort on my behalf for him to respond. He only moved a little bit but I was happy with the small effort he made. I then just walked around a bit doing random turns and stopping and backed up a bit. I then trotted just a little bit at three separate times. First time was good, second time I lost my balance a bit and told him to woah he decided to ignore it and actually ran into the fence and kind of scared himself twit. The last time I trotted him (everytime I trotted he was facing towards a fence, I wasn't directing him I was simply trying to stay balanced) I said woah a decent distance from the fence thinking he would ignore me again or just slow to a walk. I guess he learnt his lesson the last time the moment the word left my mouth he stopped on the spot lol from a lively trot to a dead stop. I wasn't expecting it but I laughed when it happened because I guessed what was probably going through his mind, thats the best stop I’ve had from him yet. I then got off and brushed him again. He had been a bit naughty and had tried to go to pepper a bit but he was pretty good considering I have done just about nothing with him for nearly three weeks. I am also going for a shortish hopefully relaxing trail ride tomorrow with my instructor down the road on my two boys. Here are a couple of pics from this afternoon after my ride. In the first one sam wouldn't stay where I left him he wanted to follow me then I have a headshot.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

11th May
I'm so happy. For the first time I can say I went for a trail ride on my horse hehe. We had to walk the boys down the side of the highway because I don't have a float. My trainer had Apache and I had Sam (who was being a bit pushy). We had trucks and motorbikes go past and they didn't bat an eyelid. We were walking them in hand just because we weren't sure how they would react to the traffic. We then crossed the road and went done what looked like a side road, there were horses on either side of the road going psycho. They were both good apart from Apache stopping occasionally and calling out to the other horses and at one point Sam got excited and tried to run off when another horse had a psycho fit. One of the ponies in the paddock was so cute just trotting around behind its buddy. We then went back to the highway (because we realised it was just a really long driveway) and went into another side road that had a gate. We avoided it the first time because we weren't sure if it was locked or if it was private. It wasn't locked and it didn't say anything about being private it just said close the gate behind you. So we had a look it ended up being like a lane with driveways coming off it. We got on and just walked this time because we didn't want to get them unnecessarily excited. We got on the boys and rode them down the road, they were both being good and alert but not spooky. Apache didn't offer to rear once in fact he was quite eager to get going. We had a few moments where birds or something would suddenly burst out of the long grass. Only once did Apache react and he just jumped a little and froze then was over it. That was when I big bird came out of the grass right near his feet. I have to admit suprisingly Sammy didn't spook at anything. He was quite good though he did get a bit excited when we came by some more horses. We reached the end of the lane and came across another gate that lead onto another kind of trail. We decided we would go through there and look some more another day when we had more light because it was getting late and we still had to get back. The trail we would have been going out onto is like a 4 wheel drive trail so its quite rough and you can't go fast but it would be fun. I was very happy with how both the boys behaved today. Considering sam hasn't been ridden in a few weeks (so he was kind of fresh) he was very good normally he would be very forward and not listen very well for the first ride or two. I hope to get some pictures next time.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

14th May 
It was left a bit late in the afternoon but I went for a short ride with my mum who was just walking around on Pepper who kept getting excited and wanting to take off. I rode Sammy and I lunged him first and he appeared quite hypo and naughty. He kept rushing in at me and throwing his head around. (looks like we have a bit of touching up to do since he has had a couple of weeks off) I'm not sure if he was just fresh or if he was just feeling good after having his back fixed a few days ago and having a different saddle on to usual, I think it was a bit of everything. Anyway I did a bit of ground work until he was focused on me and listening. I then got on and walked off with my mum. At first he kept flicking his tail and and slightly pinning his ears he also stopped for a second and hunched his back up a bit, I'm not really sure what he was doing but he got over it as quick as he started it. Mum thinks he was just being silly because I had only just got on. We walked around for awhile and he was being good though sometimes not paying a lot of attention to me so I had to get him to focus on me again. Next doors horses came running over and he looked but didn't get excited about it. We walked around a bit more and then I asked for a little trot and he chucked his head around a bit as he made the transition (he hasn't really done that in awhile) and tried to break into a canter but it didn't take much to keep him in a steady trot which was a bit suprising. He was also very easy to bring back to a walk considering he hasn't been ridden in awhile yay. I focused a lot on keeping my shoulders back and keeping my elbows by my sides and I think that really helped with his responsiveness, I have a bad habit of hunching forward which I am trying to fix. He trotted a bit more to catch up to pepper when she cut corners the twirp. We then walked around a bit more and got off because it was getting dark. I am quite happy with how he behaved today since he appeared to be a bit silly when I first started with him today.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

17th May 
Well today was interesting. I didn't get to go for a long ride but I went out and caught Sam. I put the other two out of the way and took him out to the big paddock to ride. I jumped on and didn't try to move at all whilst I mounted. I then flexed him. I walked him around the paddock for ages constantly turning and stopping. I was just focusing on keeping my position correct by keeping my shoulders and elbows back. I was trying to use my seat and legs to get him to do everything with minimal use of my hands. I did have to use my hands but not too much. He was listening enough to slow his trot down just by listening to my seat. I trotted a little bit randomly doing this so he wouldn't start doing it of his own accord in the one spot. He was doing very well and behaving himself very well. Then I was down near the dam simply getting him to walk in a circle and move out of the circle by moving off my inside leg whilst bending. It took him awhile to get it but he did eventually and the moment he did a couple of steps correctly I stopped asking. I then went to turn him in the other direction simply to walk back to the gate when the moment I started to turn him he bucked. I was completely taken by suprise, he has never offered to buck undersaddle before he rarely even does it out in the paddock. There was no warning either it just came and went the moment it was over he just acted like nothing had happened. It was a good all four feet off the ground one. I think the only reason I didn't end up on his neck was because I had been really concentrating on keeping my position correct, I was also lucky it was just the one otherwise I probably would have ended up on the ground. As it was I lost a stirrup and half landed on the ears at the front of my saddle. After it happened I fixed myself up and just continued on with my ride, some more walking and trotting then I got off. He didn't try to play up at all after that either. The only thing I could put it down to was he spooked at I don't know what or he was feeling fresh and happy and since he had just seen the chiro he felt good to buck. I'm not sure it was just so random I have never seen him do it before and his old owners said he never bucked. Oh well here are some photos of his face. 
Also he isn't tied to the fence if he had of pulled at all he would have come undone straight away. Sorry for the blurriness.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

18th May
Ahh today I got very frustrated and I'm not very happy with myself. I was going to go out and lunge both Sammy and Apache. I caught Sammy first and it turns out I had to work with him quite a bit so I didn't get time to lunge Apache. Sometimes Sam can have good days and be a perfect angel but today was one of his days where he just would not focus. I lunge Sam using just the end of of the lunge rope because I find the whip to awkward to use when he acts up. When Sam acts up on the lunge he speeds up and comes in at you. Normally once he starts showing signs of turning to either come in or simply stop and face me I hit him on the shoulder. At first he was working well with me but within 5 minutes max he wouldn't focus on me. He kept trying to go back to the other two who were standing quietly by the fence, he also kept moving us so we would end up to close to a tree. Eventually I got so frustrated I started yelling, it made it worse when I was having trouble with the rope because it kept just winding around my hand not actually getting Sam's attention so I don't think he was taking me seriously. He also kept making it harder by turning and trying to walk to his buddies then turning and looking like I attacked him because the halter put pressure on him when I didn't just let him walk off. It took awhile but I eventually got Sam to circle around me at a walk in both directions. Some of the time he was also turing his bum to me I couldn't believe he was being so disrespectful. It looks like he really needs some work with his lunging. He really seems to have no idea when it comes to bending whether it be on the ground or under saddle. He is very stiff and doesn't seem to bend a lot. I have gradually gotten him to bend a little bit but when riding him most times any sort of leg pressure to him just means go faster, he isn't as bad now but if he doesn't know how to respond to what your asking its almost like he just tries to run out from underneath you. I'll see how he goes tomorrow during my lesson and when my instructor is there to help me.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

27th May
Woops I forgot to add a couple of entries over the last few days. Not much was missed just a bit of work with Sammy.

Today was a bit of a bummer day all over. My instructor got there a little early and worked with Sam a little before I got there. The little turd behaved almost perfectly making me look like a liar, lucky she knows what he's like. I got there and lunged him for a bit and he played up a little but otherwise went very well. 

I then lunged Apache though that didn't go very well. (By this time my mum had gotten back from the vets where she had dropped off my dog who had been attcked by another dog. He didn't lose a lot of blood but they were pretty serious injuries, I hope he doesn't lose his leg and I hope my baby doesn't go into shock and not make it through the night. We thought it was our other dog but he doesn't have and scratches or anything and patch wouldn't have gone down without a fight. So we suspect maybe it was a neighbours dog because the vet said it was definitely a large dog that did it.) I was lunging Apache and it went ok at first but he picked up I wasn't fully concentrating and started playing up. I brought him back in to fix up something then when I went to send him back out he kicked out and just got me on the arm. I think I'll have a bit of a bruise tomorrow but it wasn't too bad. I worked with him a bit more after I caught him again but I was crying a lot by this stage embarrassing as it was. My instructor came over and said she would work with him while I calmed down and maybe I shouldn't ride today. I went and stood with my mum and Sammy and calmed down while she worked with Apache and he was very naughty bucking and pulling etc the whole time. Eventually once I had calmed down I said I would like to at least ride a little bit and she rode Sammy while I got on my little girl Pepper. Pepper was well behaved for me this afternoon and the ride made me feel a lot better. We walked, trotted and cantered a bit. For the last few minutes she rode pepper and I rode sammy while we coolled them down because Sammy seemed to be behaving himself for the ride. Hopefully next time will be better.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

2nd June

Today's lesson was great after last time and all the rain we have had since. We lunged the boys and they were both pretty good though they chucked some minor tantrums. I rode sam and my instructor rode apache as usual, she commented that the whole time (he didn't attempt to rear once from my knowledge) he was a bit lazy but would do as he was told. 

Sammy on the other hand wasn't bad as such but was being a bit silly. Whenever I wanted to go faster he didn't, if I wanted to stop he wanted to go and if I wanted to go this way he wanted to go that way. He wasn't real naughty about it but did try. We walked a little at first but otherwise did a heap of trotting in circles (more like triangle cross oval for sam at the moment) Sam was ok with his speed he didn't try to break gait but he did keep either speeding up when apache went past or slowing right down when apache was behind. I wasn't too worried about the speeding up because he got a bit heavy on my hands but otherwise didn't break into a canter which is pretty good for him. We also attempted a large figure of eight just to see how the boys would go. Apache was good though lazy, sammy on the other hand was really trying to race ahead because he wanted to catch up to Apache. I can't even name the shape his figure of eight turned into lol. 

I also had a go at cantering Sam for the first time since falling off him when he took off at a canter. I have been so nervous about going faster then a trot on him but I felt very happy after having a little go this afternoon. I also know from past experience he doesn't always have the smoothest canter. The first attempt wasn't too bad though a bit uncomfortable because I think he was on the wrong lead and my instructor was behind me at the time so didn't see. The second time was pretty awful the moment he broke into a canter he was trying to really stretch out and run which I would have just sat back and let him do but I don't have room for that and he was going too fast to just turn and go down the the other long side of the paddock. (I was sitting there for awhile thinking you do know there is a fence at the end sammy that you can't really go through hehe ) It was ridiculously bumpy/jerky for me to sit to and I could feel myself bumping hard on his back argh. He eventually softened and and came to a nice stop a couple of metres from the fence, I was happy with that. When I went over to my instructor she said his front legs looked very stiff instead of the usual kind of curling up underneath him, so I'm not sure what happened there but anyway. I was very happy with my lesson other then a few minor things he was very well behaved after what he has been like recently. I can't wait until next time I get a lesson on my birthday which will hopefully turn into a big trail ride.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

4th June 
My ride wasn't long today because it got darker a bit sooner then I was expecting. It was still pretty good though. He lunged pretty well on his bad side he was a bit funny but otherwise good. 

Then my ride I only did walk and trot but it was fun, I only walked around a little bit. I then trotted him in the direction I was going and he was good about it only rushed a little bit in places otherwise was a bit lazy about it. Also the whole time whenever we went past the horse next door who was wstanding at the fence he would try to stop if I was paying attention but didn't really chuch a fuss about it. When I went in the other direction he really was rushing the trot a lot. I think because the new horses over the road were calling and he was doing it in their direction but I slowed him down with my seat. He did quite good and at a walk he was really getting the hang of bend and doing a nice circle. Hopefully monday I'll have more pictures and info.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

12th June
I know I haven't been here for awhile I have forgotten to add a few entries and I it has been raining a lot. I also started this journal about my two boys but (recently) has also started to be a bit about me too. 

Today has nothing to do with the boys, I just went for a ride on my little Pepper. She was good though she decided to chuck in a few barrel racer turns in the middle of the paddock and tried to run so close to the fence my leg would nearly get scraped off along the way. She is a little twirp like that. I like to ride her to work on my seat and legs etc without having to worry about my horse randomly bucking,rearing like the boys would :roll:. 

I just went for a bit of everything walk,trot and canter. She is an awesome horse for someone to learn on. She can be quite crumby if you don't ride properly and she can be very smooth and correct when you do ride properly. She is very fun to ride. She can also teach you a lot about balance, if you have bad balance you can fall off her quite quickly. She is quite sensitive to seat and leg aids so you can basicly direct her and everything with just them (though I have some trouble because my legs are a bit long for her). I worked a little bit on my 2-point. I have kind of taught myself how to do it. I think I am getting a bit better, though I'm not sure if I am leaning forward a bit too much. 

I had quite a bit of fun with the little twirp hehe. Here are a couple of picture of her little face afterwards. She was very interested in the horses across the road running around like psychos. (she has almost all her winter fuzzies)


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

15th June

Hopefully with the school holidays coming I will be able to write more down about riding the horses. All my exams will be finished and I hope the weather will be good. 

Anyway this afternoon was good and bad. First the bad, Sammy seems to have come up lame. He was all good yesterday when the farrier came. My instructor thinks maybe the farrier cut his feet a bit shorter than usual (it didn't seem any different to usual though) or something so we are going to leave him a day or two just to see if he comes good_._ I lunged him before getting on and he appeared to be off in one of his front legs but I wasn't sure because it kept coming and going and it was only slight. I got on and within the first few strides I knew he was lame so he was unsaddled and put out in the paddock. 

We resumed the lesson with just Apache. He was a bit lazy and I never got him to canter but it was good. We had taken the cones out and set them out in a rectangle. I was doing big ovals and figure of eights using that as a guide. We were trotting just about the whole time with a little walking. Apache only really tried to stop when we went passed the horse standing next to the fence or when we went passed my instructor. I managed to keep him going though. I tried to get him into a canter at one stage and he chucked a minor tantrum by kicking one leg out just as I was raised out of the saddle so that threw me forward a it. I'll have to work on getting him to canter but I did keep him going. He was pretty alert and forward most of the time which is pretty good for him. My instructor said he looked like a pretty little show pony tucking up and bending around the corners hehe. I am very with how my ride went with him this afternoon.

I forgot just how bouncy his trot is I hope to be able to sit to it eventually. It was also weird being on a horse who was very willing to stop and wasn't trying to take off every five seconds  . I also bought new boots last week that have very slippery soles, that made it very difficult to mount and my feet were sliding around in the stirrups a bit while I was trying to ride grr.

I have a few photos of them eating dinner afterwards. The boys after their ride and Pepper with her new hair cut.
Oh the thing poking out of peppers neck is my dog with the vet cone on his head sniffing the ground.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

30th June 

Wow oops I can't believe I forgot about this, I have missed quite a few sessions with my horses. 

I'll talk about my lesson today, I am a bit bummed because I didn't get any pictures. It was annoyingly windy but otherwise a nice day. Sammy was actually kind of lazy which was different and considering he normally gets hypo when its windy. We worked a bit on getting his circles looing more like circles at a trot and he was doing very well. Then we had a little go at jumping. My instructor had a go on him first just to see how he would be about it all and he was good other then the fact that he seemed to think it was ok to stop straight after the jump. I then got on to have a go and he was goo other then trying to avoid the jump a couple of times he was good. He stopped a few times after the jumps but I managed to eep him going after awhile. Then we worked a bit on just letting him walk calmly around on a loose rein and he was very good about it. I can't wait until my next ride.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

1st July

I was planning on going for a ride on Sammy this afternoon but it had rained a bit and due to other things I couldn't so I lunged him. He was very good at first he was doing an almost perfect circle just about the whole time. I was very proud of him. I then lunged him over the jump and he refused to jump it he simply trotted over it when he had only jumped it yesterday while I was riding. 

So I thought I would take the time to teach him to canter while lunging. He only walks and trots. I figured he seems to be doing well with the lunging we will work up. I was being very firm and would blow a kiss then hit the ground with the whip, then since he didn't react I would give him a tap on the butt. He was just doing a faster trot for awhile. I eventually got a couple of strides of a canter out of him. I then tried to ask one more time for a canter one more time and he was getting frustrated and he either kicked out or I did get one stride. 

Due to his frustration and because he had worked quite hard he suddenly decided he didn't want to do it anymore. He tried to tried run out of the pen but I stopped him, so he resorted to backing his butt up to me which I knew would easily end with me being kicked. We ended up having an arguement for awhile about that. He took awhile but eventually figured out it was better to face me then get a good whack on the butt with my whip. I won't be suprised if he tries it again though. I then did some other ground work with him. He was soon turning his haunches away from me very well. I also worked on the voice aids a bit. By the end I was very happy. We are still working on walk, trot, woah but he got back by the end of the session. I simply faced him took a step into him and said back. He did it for several steps without hesitating. I was very happy I didn't need to use pressure on the leadrope at all. So I ended it with that. 
Until next time


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

4th June

I had a bit of fun this afternoon. I went out and lunged Sammy. He behaved himself even with Pepper loose in the paddock. He lunged like an old pro, I was very happy he is becoming more consistent with that. 

I then jumped on bareback, he didn't try to move once which I am very happy about. I then was just walking around for a bit doing nothing much. I then had a little go at trotting. It was great he was doing more of a slow jog than his usual rushed, slightly bouncy trot. I was riding in circles and on the right I didn't lose my balance once and he stayed in a relatively good circle. I am very happy with how that went. When I turned in the other direction. He kept cutting into the circle and rushing a bit which put me off balance a bit. I didn't have to slow him down or grab onto the reins to regain my balance though which I am happy about. So I think I have improved. I worked on trotting a little more, then walked around some more. Afterwards I walked him around in a circle in both directions and he did it perfectly both ways without trying to cut in or being stiff, I was very happy with him with that. It feels like it has taken forever to achieve that but I am glad to see some improvement . I then let him walk around on a loose rein for awhile then got off. I am so happy after todays ride. Can't wait until next time. I got a couple of photos of Sammy afterwards. I also got a picture of little T-bone who was chewing and playing with Apache's tail and rug. He is lucky Apache seemed to be in a good mood and didn't kick him hehe.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

7th July

Oops just realised I have been writing June instead of July.

Anyway today was great so happy with Sammy. I caught Apache first and I just lunged him a bit. He was a bit of a butthead at first but soon did as I asked. I then caught Sammy. I lunged him both ways and he did very well again.

I then started working on the voice aids again with Sammy, this is only about the 4th time but he is catching on quite quickly. Apart from a few iffy moments I had him walking, trotting and woahing completely by voice aids and body language. We are still working on backing up though. At first I did it while leading him on a loose line. I then tied the rope around his neck so I wasn't holding him at all. I had him also trot then imediately stop and he kind of slid to a stop a couple of times lol. I also got him straight into a trot from standing still. To me this is a great accomplishment. Before when leading he either wouldn't trot or when he did he was hard to stop. His shoulder stayed in line with my shoulder just about the whole time. I just need to start doing it in larger areas now. I'm so happy about it.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

11th July

Sorry this is going to be a very cut down post I am really tired. 

Both boys lunged very well. Apache was very good and quite eager to actually trot and canter today so that was good. My instructor also had a go at jumping him and he was a little lazy about it but otherwise great. 

I worked with sam a bit on his trotting. I was riding him around and decided not to work on walk/ trot transitions because that sometimes turns into fights and he was being quite rushy today. I just trotted him for awhile and did A LOT of turning. Heaps of circles constantly changing directions, going around cones set in a pattern and changing the direction I was going in. I also would turn him to go somewhere then within a few strides would just change direction to whatever popped in my head. After awhile he really started to slow down and listen to me. Near the end of it he was really starting to flex at the poll (sp?) which is a big step for him and working from behind. Ialso wasn't holding him that way, I had the reins quite loose, he was just holding himself like that. I was really happy. My instructor says he hardly looks like the same horse that she first saw who would simply race from one end of the paddock to the other. She said we have improved a lot. Well hopefully I'll have more to add tomorrow with pictures.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

22nd July

I have been forgeting to add updates to this. I will just say a couple of things for the 20th July because I had a lesson the other day. I rode my instructors horse who is a bit of a twirp. He bucks, nothing huge but they can get pretty decent when he feels like it. Well he intimidates me a little bit but whenever I finish riding him I feel a little bit more confident. The rest of my ride was pretty good but when we were walking out to the paddock we were going to ride in he bucked. I have no idea why but he did. I ride him in a western saddle because it's the only one that fits him. I land on the front of it so now I had bruised thighs. I then had a little ride on her daughters spunky little pony 'Paulie', it was great. 


Ok today I am getting the flu but it was the first time in over a week that I actually got to ride my horses because of weather and not being home. It was great I just went for a bareback ride on the two boys. I got on Sammy and did a heap of trotting with him, it was very comfortable to sit to. He is coming much more consistent with his trotting. It was awesome, he was very calm not lazy but not rushy/bracing either. I then got on Apache, this was the first time he has been ridden bareback since I got him, I was told he is good bareback though. I only walked on him because I wasn't in the mood to poosibly fall off because of his really bouncy trot and I also discovered he has a really boney back compared to Sammy. He was really lazy and kept trying to stop but was otherwise good. I did around the world on him while my mum held him (I had needed her help to get on him hehe), I also layed down on him. He was very calm about it all and mum said he had look on his face like what the hell are you doing up there hehe. Anyway I had a good afternoon, hopefully I will ride tomorrow and get pictures of a video as well.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

30th July

Well today was great it wasn't a super long ride but it was fun. I caught sammy from the far end of the paddock hehe he tried to run away. I then saddled him up and my sister got on. I lunged him with my sister on him just so if she did lose control I had him. Last time he took off on her. He was pretty good apart from he kept shaking his head around and pulling his head therefore pulling her forward. She trotted a little bit on him but got nervous because he has quite a forward trot. They walked around for a bit longer then I got on. I had cones set up so I could have something to direct me to keep him in a circle. I walked around a bit and trotted a bit in both directions. I just did that over and over, keeping him out of the circle which we had a couple of mild discussions about when he wanted to go into the middle. He was pretty good apart from shaking his head a fair bit. If he keeps it up I might call the dentist to see him early. I have a couple of pictures to share .


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

13th August 

I haven't been able to ride my horses for awhile because they have had a few problems. I did have a little bareback ride on both of the boys yesterday though.

Today however I had a ride on my riding instructor's daughter's pony. He is an adorable little pony she only has one horse and I only ride him occasionally because he intimidates me a little bit hehe. Anyway I now feel like jelly because I haven't had a good ride in a long time. We were just walking and trotting around for awhile. Then we started cantering and he is very smooth to ride but he does buck out of excitement sometimes. She said as long as you hold his head up he won't buck and he even try to buck once while I was riding him. Her daughter and Paulie (the pony) often have little arguements when they ride. 

His canter can get very fast but still smooth sometimes and he starts to ignore you a little bit when you ask him to stop. Simply giving him a little reminder was enough to slow him down and bring his attention back to you. The longer I was riding him the more consistent he became with his canter. 

I also had a little go at jumping him the was ... interesting hehe. First we just went a little log that I thought he was at most going to do a little hop over. Well I was mistaken, though my instructor did warn me. He massively overjumped and I got a bit left behind. This is only a 12-12.2hh pony. We went over a that log a couple more times and by the end I wasn't being left behind. We then went over a slightly bigger log once and he jumped like before, though I was expecting him to jump even bigger. It was great fun. I am really happy with today he is a chubby little pony and a lot of fun.I am really a bit tall for him but oh well I only ride him a little bit occassionally and he can take me for those little rides. 

I have a photo of his cute little face in the one of the paddocks we were riding in to share. He makes me sometimes wish I had gotten a pony but oh well I skipped straight to horses  .


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

17th August 

I wish I had gotten some pictures of today. I had a lesson on Sammy,he was being a bit naughty and kept opening his mouth and putting his nose to the ground. I'm not good at describing things. At first I thought I was using too much contact like in the picture above of me riding him but today I had completely loose reins, there was an obvious loop in the reins. 

My instructor said he was just testing to see what he could get away with because he has been checked recently and it wouldn't have been pain. I just let him no that wasn't appropriate and by the end of my ride he pretty much wasn't doing it anymore. 

We did a lot of trotting around in circles and figure eights. He was trying to cut in a bit to my instructor but otherwise kept a nice pace. He only occasionally sped up a little or tried to stop. I didn't have to use the reins to fix this at all my seat was enough which I am very happy about. Just about the whole time I had a slight loop in my reins which is a big step because any time I used to give sam his head at all he would just go racing off. 

He was even dropping his nose and collecting up by himself a bit which was awesome because I wasn't focusing on this at all it was simply a plus during the ride. I felt him working from behind and getting himself in a nice frame a few times, I wasn't pulling him into a frame because I didn't even really have contact with his mouth at all as there was a loop in the reins. 

We then went out into the larger paddock because he was being very calm and normally as the space to run grows the more excited he gets and the more he starts rushing. I was doing more circles around my instructor and he was doing almost perfect circles nearly the whole time which is a big thing for him. We were also doing figure eights around my instructor and pepper who was in the paddock. She kept looking at us like weirdos as we circled her lol. We then did some firgure eights around a couple of trees in an area of the paddock which has pretty uneven ground. 

It may not seem like much but I feel like we have really come a long way. I can feel the difference in us both when I ride him. The next step is working on his canter as he gets fitter. My instructor says we have changed a lot since she first met us. Originally we just went full speed from one end of the paddock to the other with me just sitting for the ride and him doing pretty much whatever he wanted. Now she said we are really working more like a team; I am actually riding instead of being a passanger and he is listening to me. I am so happy with how far we have come over the past year even if we still have a fair way to go.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

23rd August

Ok I went for a bit of a bareback ride on both of the boys this afternoon. 

First I got on Apache who at first was being lazy as usual. I had a surcingle(sp?) on him and was just mucking around then I thought what the hell. I thought I would have a go at trotting on him since I had a pad to soften his withers hehe and I had a bit of bailing twine to hold onto. I asked him and he gave a little crowhop then went to stop. I kept him walking but didn't ask him to trot because I didn't want to fall off because he has a bouncy trot and I was bareback. I walked around for awhile longer and worked on a bit of backing up. He was pretty good even getting quite forward with his walk which is good for him because he is normally lazy. 

I then had a ride on Sammy. I worked on circles a bit at a trot. I had a bit of an owie moment when he pulled me forward onto his withers sharply lol. He kept pulling his head down, I don't think he was enjoying the noseband etc on the bridle. After awhile he stopped doing it though. I trotted him around a bit in both directions which was fun. I had the bailing twine to hold onto when he got too bouncy which was a big help. It was a great ride. 

Here a some pictures of the boys afterwards.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

22nd September

Oh my gosh I can't believe how lazy I have gotten, it has been over a month since I last wrote in here. I have been riding a lot especially this week.

I am only going to talk about this afternoon though. Just about all of this week I have been riding Sammy bareback; walk and trot stuff. It has been fun. This afternoon I was really working on my balance while trotting. I was having a bit of trouble just because sam kept changing his pace in one direction and cutting corners, etc. I did manage to get a few good walking circles and one trotting circle in that particular direction which made me happy. In the opposite direction he behaved really well. We then went for a walk down the other end of the paddock where it is more open and did some figure eights. He was pretty much not cutting at all and was almost completely working off my legs. I am having to use the reins much less. This was all at a walk and I am very happy with him. When I first started riding him he would not do circles. His stops are also getting much better and a lot more consistent. 

I also had a couple of barrels set up and logs for us to walk through and around. I wasn't expecting him to play up and he didn't which was good. I backed him up between the sticks too just about perfectly straight which is great for us. Tomorrow I have a lesson which I am riding Apache in I hope that goes well.  I also have a picture from yesterday of Sammy in his new bridle.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

23rd September

I really wish I had photos of my ride today. It was really good aside from the fact that I was riding with a sore twisted ankle. It made it really hard to get on and off the heap of times that I had to and trotting hurt after awhile. 

I lunged Apache beforehand just to see his mood and he behaved really well. We then mounted and road along the road which was freaky with apache not speeding up when we had to cross the road and a car came quicker then i thought. Almost the whole ride we were either dawdling along way behind sammy or trotting to catch up. It was fun but he loves to talk to the horses we go past so kept loosing concentration and falling behind.

We also rode past the shooting range which was great it was super loud but neither of the boys played up. They were alert but that was all. I am very proud of them. We kept walking and trotting along and Apache kept talking to all the horses/ponies we rode past. We the ngot back out of the road to go back to my house and we went past a couple of stallions. 

That was interesting because the stallions didn't do anything but Apache got really angry and was prancing around snaking is head up. I thought he was going to have a go at one of them through the fence but I yelled at him and he settled down enough to walk past without doing anything. 

We got just about all the way home when he kept playing up and because we were next to the road and I have a sore ankle we swapped horses so that I coudld ride sammy the last few hundred metres. 

When we got home we went into the paddock and I cantered on Apache for the first time ever and it was fun!!! I am so happy  he didn't do anything wrong he was just lazy about it as always and it was really comfortable like a rocking chair it was awesome. I can't wait to do it again. 

I am on a high now hehe. I can't wait for my next ride on him with cantering. I hope to get pictures too. I can feel my confidence growing yay!!!!!


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

24th September

Just a quick update. The boys took my two younger siblings for a ride. They were led around on them. Even though I expect them to behave all the time, I was very happy with them today. Even though the littlies were running around and told to keep put of the horses way, the few times they did get a bit close the boys stayed as still as a rock and behaved excellently. 

I then went for a short ride on them both walking and trotting and they were both very good. It was not a very long or hard ride but they were both sweating a bit afterwards. It was a pretty hot day. 

Here is a photo someone else took of me on Sammy.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

30th September

Ok I didn't write about my ride yesterday but I will say one thing. I think for a couple of strides of the trot Sammy was rounded up and using himself properly. It felt really different to usual and not in a bad way. 

As for today I had a great ride on Sammy. After awhile I had him trotting around in good circles on both sides at a consistent pace. It was great and I was almost completely controlling his pace with my seat alone. 

I used my dressage cones to set up some patterns to work on using my legs alone to control where he was going. We did good at that. I also set them up in a circleish shape, so I could use the cones as points to aim for with my transitions. He was just about perfect with his transitions from walk to trot. He got a bit silly with his transition coming out of the canter.

I did a bit of cantering on Sammy for the first time in a long time and I was fairly confident at doing it even if he was pretty hard to ride. Some of the cantering was really good especially if it was along a straight bit. Some of it though was awful, most of those bits he was really really heavy on the forehand often kept changing direction, ignoring me and throwing me a bit off balance. 

I feel like other than the few bad bits we had a rather good ride and we ended on a good note.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

7th October

Yay I had a riding lesson today. I haven't been able to ride all week because I haven't had the time and it felt great. I walked around a little bit to warm up then we trotted in circles a bit. I was working on keeping Sammy out of the circle because of cutting corners problem. He even barged into Apache a few times lucky Apache is pretty tolerant. I was really having a bit of trouble. We did figure of eights to change directions and worked on keeping him out of the circle. By the end he was doing it with just about no cutting at all. 

We also had a problem with speeding up to the point of cantering one side and slowing right down to just about walking on the other side. It took a lot of effort but I eventually got him to keep a constant pace that suited me. My legs got a really good work out today my calves were burning by the end of that part of the ride. 

We then worked on just going around the edge of the whole paddock instead of circles. We were constantly changing from walk to trot to canter and back down again. My instructor wanted to see me canter on him as it has taken me nearly a whole year to feel comfortable cantering on him since my fall. 

We went out into the big paddock and went for a bit of walk and trot around. Then we did some cantering to let the boys stretch out and run well sammy anyway lol. He had a ball just with me just letting him run even though I was holding him back a bit. I plan to go for a ride tomorrow if it isn't raining.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

1st November

Ok so I haven't written anything in quite awhile, because I have barely had any time to ride let alone write stuff on here. Now I am getting more time to myself though so yay.

I went for a short ride today. I got Apache first and I was trying a different saddle on the boys, one that has been loaned to me. I lunged Apache for awhile he went pretty good. I then went to hop on for a little walk around but he kept moving so I couldn't get on. I responded by making him move his feet fast and he did not like that idea so quickly decided sitting still was easier. I then got on and walked around a bit after just sitting there for awhile. After a few small laps though he decided he didn't like it and either tried to do a little rear or pigroot I'm not sure which though because I stoppped it before it actually happened. I continued riding him awhile longer then got off. I checked while I was on and I don't think the saddle gave him enough space around his wither (sp?), so he was probably uncomfortable. I only rode him a little longer at a walk so he didn't think playing up got him out of being ridden then I got off. 

I then got on Sammy who the saddle fits better. I walked and trotted on him in circles. I felt we were both doing pretty well except for on one side when we were trotting. I just kept losing my balance which was annoying me. On that side Sammy also kept cutting in or slowing and speeding up. I forgot how much more you have to work to stay on and balanced when riding in an english saddle compared to my stock saddle which kind of holds you in more. 

I have a few pictures I am going to share. I also have a lesson on Thursday and we are going to be working on balance some more then.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

3rd November

I forgot to write something yesterday but I will today. I had a riding lesson which was great, I really feel like I am slowly getting my confidence back with Apache. I am feeling less nervous when Apache plays up and just calmly dealing with the situation. Though he didn't play up today he was actually very well behaved. 

We lunged both of the boys and I rode Sammy first for a little while my instructor was lungning him. She kept him moving while I just concentrated on my position and I really felt like I felt some improvement.

We then moved onto Apache. Both my instructor and I had a go at lunging him because he appeared to be a bit full of himself and he really looked like he was going to through in a few bucks at any moment but he never did. I then got on him while my instructor lunged him and I walked him around just to calm him down a bit as he was actually trying to speed up most of the time though it was very easy to stop him from going faster. We kept up a great consistent forward trot for quite awhile in both directions which is very different for Apache. It felt great. I can't wait to ride them next. Hopefully I'll get some pictures next time.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

Post for yesterday

5th November

I went for a ride on Sammy after work in the afternoon because I felt like going for a ride and because I wanted to take his mind off my other two horses not being here. He had been calling out to them all afternoon and he called a couple of times when I was riding when we were just standing around or walking. 

First I was just doing a lot of circles of walk and trot with him. First in the house yard then out in the big paddock down near the dam. Then while in the big paddock I took him for a canter. I was kind of surprised but really happy because he didn't just jump into it like usual he smoothly went from a trot to a canter and he didn't just try to take off he actually really soft and came back to a trot really easy. 

After that I went up to the top paddock and they have little sheds that they can go in for shelter and I rode him in one (when I first got him he would freak out if you tried to take him in there) he went in calmly and stood there for a minute then we rode back out. I then did some more cantering in circles up the paddock and his canter wasn't as good as before but it was still ok. 

Then I went back and felt like just doing silly stuff to see if he would do it. I got him to go back in the shed. After that I took him down to our little pens that are about 2m by 2m and he walked straight in turned around tightly and walked out. Then I took him down to the dam just to walk around it. 

When we got around it we got to a little stream that connects to the dam. I have tried to take him through a puddle on a trail before and he wouldn't do it so I thought we could practise here. I got him to walk over the narrowest bit. He stepped over it. Then we moved to a slightly wider bit (about half a meter) and I was laughing the whole time because of they way he reacted. He kept kind of dancing in front of the water then deciding he would go over it but he had to jump it. It would take him about 5 minutes to decide each time it was fun so I got him to do that a few times. 

Then we went up to the house yard and I got him to go into a few little spaces etc and he was a little iffy about it but he did it eventually.

Now Pepper and Apache weren't home because they have gone to my instructor's house (pepper to stay awhile/apache overnight) so that I can go for a trail ride at her place tomorrow. This will be intersting and I will write in here as to how it goes.


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