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Logs for 2010 Training Horses

Austin

Logs after this point are written by Tracey.

7/7/10 - Austin is officially in "his" stall on the corner-woody-pet base will go in Saturday morning.  Tracey had a homework ride with him working on transitions and balance.  Austin was still tight for first 5-10 minutes, but softened and relaxed well.  We also did some lateral work on the wall, started with single steps and had a beautiful 4 step that we ended on and through a party for!  Austin got a mane-cut today!  Handsome man!

7/5/10 -  Lesson at Rockin-B focusing on techniques to utilize in the field/at the show/in the arena.  We choose a central point and worked on smooth gaited balanced transitions walk/trot and trot/canter. 

7/3/10 - Arena ride with Rhonda and Gracie, re-introducing ourselves to Rockin-B arena sights and smells.  Walked in hand to outdoor arena and had time in hand seeing and smelling and chilling.

Logs above here are written by Tracey

7/2/10 Trailered back to Rockin' B. Will keep working with Tracey and Austin weekly.

6/30/10 Another hack, more mileage, some moments of tension, but definitely getting the hange of it.

6/28/10 Out for a lone hack. Saw all sorts of things and he was unimpressed. Did very well.

6/24/10 Trail hack with Tracey. He was very good. In the evening the neighbor stopped in to tell us that our horses were out. Whoops, fogot to shut the back gate when we went out on the ride and then we put the horses back in the paddock. At some point during the day they just walked out. No harm no foul, we caught them as soon as we heard they were out.

6/22/10 Out for a hack. He did very well for the hacking part of it, but the bending while hacking was a challenge for him. It improved and we'll continue to work on it.

6/21/10 Worked in the dressage arena on relaxation in canter. Coming right along.

6/18/10 Out for a hack. Walked a mile or so, then turned west and saw the shelf cloud. Had a nice canter home. He was great the whole time.

6/10 canter work in the arena. Getting better all the time. Hooves trimmed.

6/7/10 Worked in the outdoor in all gaits, canter gets better and better. Did some jumping today, and he is entirely unimpressed with the small jumps in the outdoor. Other than some straightness issues, which we addressed, he did great.

6/1/10 Work on canter in the outdoor. Discussed straightness with much success.

5/31/10 Trail hack with Austin. He is very relaxed in walk and getting better in canter. Needs more experience to be comfortable trotting and cantering out by himself in the big world. Coming along, though.

5/27/10 Out for a hack. He did very well in walk and is coming along in trot and canter out in the big world. At the moment he is holding his breath in trot and canter, but with more experience that will get better...or he'll asphyxiate. <kidding>

5/26/10 Dressage lesson focusing on lateral work. Went very well.

5/24/10 Out for a solo hack. We had a lot of nice walk work, went past the scary seed wagon and then had a great canter at the end. Afterwards, I let him in the pasture for a few hours by himself. It was fairly clear that the resident horses were not too worried by him, so I introduced them to each other and then let him out in the pasture with them. No problem for any of them.

5/22/10 schooling show at Canterbrooke. A very successful day.

5/21/10 lesson with Tracey, practicing her test for tomorrow. Went well.

5/20/10 Some very nice relaxed work. Coming right along.

5/19/10 Morning trail ride with Katie riding Charlie. Austin was much more confident, enjoyed some open field canters, remained independent of the other horse and generally was much more delightful to ride. Evening outing at Margaret's with Tracey, which started out a little tight, but through her positive leadership improved. Excellent.

5/18/10 More canter work, more improvement.

5/17/10 Some very nice canter work after warmup. He is letting loose in his neck in canter more consistently.

5/13/10 Morning ride with much work in canter after a walk and trot warmup. Then some very nice canter work. Coming along. Tracey came out and rode in the evening and had a very successful ride, including canter. Yay!

5/10/10 A FedEx truck drove in the driveway and delivered a canter for Austin. Ha, no just kidding, but today was breakthrough day where he bought into letting go in his neck and relaxing. Everything slowed down. There were some moments of tightness, but several really good circles.

5/9/10 Walk warmup, some quite acceptable trot work and a breakthrough in canter. He is getting better all the time. Good man.

5/6/10 More work on relaxation in the poll and some improvement in canter.

5/3/10 Very nice lesson with Tracey.

 

5/2/10 Lesson on getting the horse to relax in the poll. Much success.

4/30/10 Started out with walk work, insisting that he stay between my leg and my hand and that he flat-footed walk, not hurry over his front end. That time seemed to be well spent as his canter work was improved yet again today.

4/28/10 Quite windy today, which seemed to unnerve him a bit. After walk and trot warmup, we worked in canter where he was tight and difficult. I decided to go back to walk and get that shored up. In all my reading on dressage, it has come up over and over again that the canter and walk are inter-related. So I spent about 20 minutes requiring him to be between my hand and my leg in walk and to be relaxed through his body. After we got that squared up, we went on to canter which was much improved. He was actually breathing and not racing. Well done.

4/27/10 More on the same topic. Coming right along.

4/24/10 Work on flexibility and relaxation in all gaits, with much canter work. Still tight, but coming along.

4/23/10 Trot serpentines were the order of the day after warmup. This was to help him with staying soft in his poll. It took a bit, but came around nicely. Then a fair bit of canter work, encouraging him to stay loose in his poll. This is difficult for him. He seems to indicate canter is hard for him to balance. It isn't unusual and it is improving.

4/22/10 Warmed up in walk and trot with much flexibility and balance work. Then on to canter work, some of which was quite good. He had some moments of relaxtion in canter. Yay.

4/20/10 Session in the outdoor. After a walk and trot warmup with a lot of work on yielding in his poll, we did a fair amount of canter work. Some improvement, but there remains a lot to be done. He's a good man.

4/19/10 Lesson at Canterbrooke with Tracey. Did their first jump together. Woohoo.

4/14/10 Worked in the outdoor on flexibility and rhythm in all gaits. Went well.

4/13/10 Out for a hack by himself. This time went along Highway 210 around 4:30 p.m., high traffic time. He was fine with all the trucks and cars going by. He was relaxed in the open area, but when we went by the dogs in the pen, he was tight in his poll and wanting to drop his back and run, so we had a discussion about that option. He got over it. Then we walked through meadows and fields and worked on halting softly, rather than tight and on his forehand. He got better and better and by the end he was walking on a long rein, stretching and not rushing. He didn't whinny once. Excellent.

4/12/10 Tacked up and out for a trail ride. We had several discussions in the first moments, about staying loose in his poll. We walked the entire time and focused only on that. He whinnied a few times, which I discouraged, also praising him when he walked in a relaxed manner with his neck down and calmly attentive to his surroundings. On the way home he put up a big whinny fit when he saw his mare Nacho, which I mentioned was not ideal. I opened and closed the gate from his back on the way home. He did quite well after he figured out that I really meant "One More Step Over" when I asked for it. Good man.

4/11/10 Out for a hack with Alison and Geordi. Austin did very well, except when he was asked to stay behind in trot and canter. He actually at one pont suggested he would run off with me, but we discussed the wisdom of that and came to an amicable solution of him cantering politely and in balance and at the pace desired. We stayed behind several times to practice and it improved. Very good.

4/9/10 Out for a hack with Tracey on Austin and me on Charlie. Lots of fun.

4/8/10 Tracey had a nice ride on him in the ring.

4/3/10 Austin arrived at Field Day.

3/30/10 Out for a road hack. He had only a few moments of poll tightness and one minor anxiety moment. By the end he was walking on the buckle, just swingin' along and breathing. Yay!

3/29/10 Groomed and tacked up. No problem with his foot etiquette. Your hoofpick technology needs an upgrade, which would make your life much easier. The equipment you have now is making the job much more difficult than it needs to be. Your life would also get easier if you went all beauty shop on the goat hairs underneath his chin. They are making it difficult to do the noseband. And, note from your very lovely bridle, which makes Austin look very handsome: Oil me! All that said, the ride went pretty well. He was very high and tight at first, and had a bit of a meltdown about the chickens, but came around nicely and by the end was stretching down and forward in his neck and walking on a loose rein with his ears at half-mast instead of scanning the horizon for indians. Fabulous.

3/25/10 Met Tracey and hacked down the road on Austin. He was pretty nervous at first, but got better and better. Well done.

3/23/10 Rode at Rockin' B with Tracey present. He hadn't been worked in a while, of course, but Tracey had groomed him to within an inch of his life and he looks great. He is unfit, but at a nice weight. We kept it very simple tonight, starting out with walk halts, which were a bit inattentive at first, but got better and better. Then on to tro work, which was occasionally unbalanced, but usually quite good and then some canter work, which was the best he has done for me. I think the time off did him good and I look forward to getting back in the swing of working with him.

1/19/10 Rode at Rockin B with Tracey present. He was much improved in canter. All my horses are inside tonight due to an unexpected blizzard. They are safe and sound and I am loving the fact that I'm no longer a broadcast meteorologist tonight. <snort>. Prior log entries for Austin can be found here

Bino

8/15/10 Rode in the arena and pasture. He did very well.

7/21/10 Trail ride in the morning. Very good. Picked up the (negative) coggins test later in the day.

7/18/10 He was a good man for the vet, having blood drawn for a coggins test.

7/15/10 Rode in the pasture, continuing to work on canter in both leads. He improves all the time. Some pictures and video from today.

7/12/10 Hack with Bino. He is a very good trail horse, happy to go by himself and only looked briefly at the two separate incidents of dee flusing very near him.

7/10/10 Rode in the pasture with a lot of canter work. He is getting more relaxed on the left lead and doing more work on the right. We had some right lead success and he gets more confident all the time.

7/8/10 Wonder of wonders, I called them in for breakfast from a corner of the pasture this morning and Bino cantered at least 200 yards on his right lead without losing it once. I was amazed. I had been working him pretty hard in the last two days, so today I just did a long walk hack with a friend on another horse. I partly wanted to see how he would do with another horse and he did great. He definitely can make someone a very nice trail partner.

7/7/10 Morning hack in the pasture. Nice long walk warmup again, then some trot work. He is getting stronger in his trot work. Then on to canter. He is able to hold left lead canter for longer periods of time and usually around corners. I am not pushing his right lead canter directly, because I think the fundamental issue for that lead is his shoulder being stuck and his ribcage stuck right. These things are best addressed in trot and he is coming along there. We picked up right lead a few times, but I only asked him to maintain it briefly rather than until he lost it.

7/6/10 Rode in the pasture again with the long warmup, a fair amount of trot work (his length of stride is probably 50% improved of late). Canter work today was actually comfortable to ride and he had his ears up and seemed to be quite pleased with himself. Yay. He's such a good sort, it is nice to help him have success.

7/5/10 My former working student was out and watched me lunging Bino and she observed that he seems anxious on the lunge to the point that it gets in the way of his performance, which I concur with. I tacked him up and rode him in the pasture at a walk for 10 minutes for a warm up, then did some trot work, then on to canter. He got better and better to the point that he was relaxing and cantering and holding the left lead for the length of the pasture (9 acres). This was very good! I think the success is a combination of hiim becoming fitter, the chiropractic, the farrier and the training. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

7/2/10 Chiropractor/vet/acupuncturist McDaniel was out and examined him thoroughly. After much poking and prodding he said that the only thing he could find out of whack was his hips. He treated his hips, gave him a complete adjustment from head to hoof and treated his hips. I lunged him that evening and he seemed improved on the lunge because he could keep the lead in back for a longer period of time.

6/28/10 Farrier was out and after consideration and a long discussion, we agreed that front shoes would be appropriate. Later in the evening I lunged him in the arena and he was clearly more comfortable, but still cross cantering. It is clear to me that this is a physical issue, not a training one, due to the fact that he is smart and willing in all other aspects except cantering. Therefore, I will tail off on the training and focus on getting the chiropractor and possibly the vet scheduled. I am waiting for a call back from the chiropractor. He wil get back to me soon and I'll pass on details when I get them. Meanwhile, he is doing very well. He's acclimated to our small herd and is grazing in a large pasture and staying active with them. No worries.

6/26/10 Rode him in the arena. He was still foot sore, so kept it short..

6/25/10 Emailed my farrier last night to see if he could look at Bino today. He did, while I was away. He sent an email response. "Blk horse's hoof looked good on the outside but didn't pick them up as he ran away, sore." So he'll have the weekend off and my very good farrier will look at him on Monday.

6/24/10 Rode him and more sure than ever that at least some of his difficulty is in his feet. Emailed the farrier to come out and evaluate and shoe if necessary.

6/22/10 Lunged him and then got on and rode him in my dressage saddle and a french link snaffle. He is very polite in walk and trot, in fact a little too light to the aids in trot. He interrupts his rhythm at the slightest request to gather himself. He tripped a few times in front and once in back. Not large stumbles, could be just due to lack of fitness for carrying a rider, but I don't know yet. I also would like to know his shoeing history. He is short-strided up front and I don't know if it is due to foot soreness or other, but I think it is somewhat shorter than his usual way of going. When I got on, I was not surprised to find that his ribcage is habitually swung right, which makes left lead canter easier than right for him. After I explained to him about moving his ribcage left, he was able to do it, though itis not easy for him, sort of like eating peas with your non-dominant hand.

6/21/10 Final day of lunging, hope to ride tomorrow. He is improving on the left lead, in fact, he can hold counter canter when going to the right quite easily. Though this isn't ideal, it is a definite improvement. I have another horse, Charlie, that had the same problem of losing the lead in the back that Bino has. It was a long road of figuring it out, but he is doing great now, holding the lead and jumping and foxhunting well. We will see when I ride Bino if some of the techniques I have learned from working with Charlie are applicable to Bino

6/18/10 I was traveling to the USEA ICP workshop all week, so Bino got some time off. Don't worry, we'll get back on it next week and will get a lot of training done. Also, please don't worry that I haven't gotten on him yet. If he can't canter without a rider, he sure can't canter with one. His longe work is improving and we are on the right track, no worries. He is better in left lead than right, but both are improving.

6/9/and 10 Lunging work. Much work in canter in an effort to get him fitter and give him a chance to practice his canter without the burden of a rider. He had about 2 steps of true canter each time on the 9th and a dramatic improvement to about 10 the next day. We'll keep after it.

6/7/10 Out of town there so had a little break. Today back to longeing which went well, he remembers our earlier discussions and is relaxing nicely. He does look a little tender on his feet to me, the same as he looked when I first saw him, no worse. In canter work, yes, there are problems. I wonder if it is feet or back or nervousness. It is like a mystery novel to figure out. Thursday the farrier will be out and I will ask him to check his feet, which I will also do before he comes, tomorrow. I'm in touch with the chiropractor to see when we can get that done. For now, getting him nearer his ideal weight and moving is a very good start.

6/1/10 Work in hand and on the lunge. We are making sure the basics are correct and reminding him who gets to decide about pace and position and where his attention is. Came around nicely.

5/31/10 Brought him in to get to know him. Did a thorough grooming. He is a little tense when picking up his back feet, but probably just out of practice. Trimmed his mane so that he looks like a polite member of horse society. I took him out and did some in hand work to continue with the theme we began yesterday. It is important not only for loading but for life in general. He got on board very quickly. We then did some trailer loading practice which went perfectly.

5/30/10 Went to Pat's place and met the lovely family. After jockeying the trailer for turnaround, Bino had a little moment about going forward onto the trailer when asked politely. A horse that will not load will not lead, so we had some re-explanation of proper leading procedure. I used the leadrope on his butt a few times which I don't really care to do, but it was required. He thought about running me over a few times and we discussed the intelligence of that choice. We came to an agreement and he decided to consider getting on the trailer. Once he considered it, it only took maybe three minutes for him to get on. It was actually a good start. I got to know him a little bit and he figured out that I can be tough, but that I prefer to be kind. He got lots of praise and petting and hay when he chose to get on. He hauled and offloaded fine and is in the paddock with Austin with plenty of piles of hay and they are doing fine.

Geordi

6/3/10 Geordi went to his new home, Irish Run, where I will continue to work with him and Alison occasionally. They looked great together at the Catalpa Corner Schooling show on the weekend too!

6/1/10 Out for a hack. He was quite relaxed the first half, but when we turned for home he got a little light on his feet. We had a discussion about that and came to an agreement. Very good.

5/27/10 Dressage school. Had some nice work over his back. We had some discussions about him allowing me to influence his body without him budging in his neck or rushing. Once we came to an understanding, he relaxed to my aids nicely and produced some quite good work. He had a pretty good scabby spot in his left ear where the bugs have been biting him, right on a vein. A supermask with ears...

5/26/10 lesson on lateral work.

5/22/10 Geordi was improved, but still slightly lame in the stifle we suspect. Given bute (and much better later in the day).

5/21/10 Geordi was lame on his left back leg when Alison showed up for a lesson. She rode Eddie then for the rest of the lesson. We'll see how Geordi's status is tomorrow morning before we make a decision about the show.

5/19/10 XC school at Margaret's where Geordi expanded his jumping repetoire and added ditches to the mix, thanks to a lead from Alison on Sammy. Geordi did well, Sammy was a saint and Alison learned that ditches are easy and fun. Good deal.

5/13/10 School in the arena while Tracey rode Austin. Lots of work on transitions that got better and better. Some jumping and then by the end we were jumping the vertical and the oxer on a 20 m circle in very nice balance and confidently. Good man.

5/10/10 Out for a pasture hack. Walked out to the far side of the pasture and did some trot work to warm up. He was quite tight at first, but with more trot work he felt more relaxed in his body. He just needs to move his feet to become relaxed. Then some nice work in canter and some jumping over the small log and the log pile. Very good.

5/6/10 Flatwork warmup which went really well, then some jumping work in the arena. Very well done.

5/2/10 Lesson on flatwork, focusing on getting the horse to relax in the poll and allowing a elastic connection. Very good.

4/30/10 Out for a hack for more mileage out along. He did a very nice walk along the highway and the trot on the way out was a little tight, but acceptable. Then a canter which was also tight but acceptable. The walk after that was, predictably, tight but acceptable. Keep in mind that we are going past all sorts of new things (dogs, people, etc) so he is looking around. Then we had a 90% gallop for about a half a mile just to let some steam off. I kept it at 90% because I wasn't entirely sure he would come back, which he did. Next time we will get to gallop. Then trotted another half mile wherein he was having trouble staying within the confines of my aids, but he got better and better. Flat-footed walk (though not on a loose rein yet) for the last quarter mile home). Very good.

4/20/10 Lots of stretching work in walk and trot in the pasture in which he did very well. Then some canter work in 9 acre circles where he also did very well. Did some jumping over the log and log pile with some halting straight afterwards. He is coming along.

4/19/10 Lesson at Canterbrooke with Alison. Some very nice work, expecially in canter. Did their first jump together. Woohoo.

4/13/10 He was my last to work today, so I caught him and then let the other horses out to the pasture to graze. I thought how mean that must feel to him, so I handgrazed him for 10 minutes before we started. We went out to the far side of the pasture where we worked on him keeping soft in his poll and neck in all three gaits, which went quite well. Then we walked flat-footed back to the near side of the pasture, which was excellent. Then we schooled the small log jump a few times, which went well, then moved on to schooling the log pile, which went well. We finished with the small log, bending line to the log pile. Piece of cake.

3/30/10 I gave him his shots (EWT, rhino, flu, WNV, rabies) and attempted to do a sheath cleaning, but I think that will have to wait for the vet. Worked him in the arena and he was quite good.

3/29/10 Out for a hack. Had a nice walk warmup, then some trot work where we went past the downed corn bin that usually surprises horses, with no problem. Then a good canter around the big soybean field, a trot along the stream and through the next soybean field, over the culvert, no problem. He got a little jiggy on the way home and we had a discussion about being a little barn magnetized, but by the end he was quite good. Well done.

3/27/10 Hauled down and schooled at the Irish Run show. I warmed him up in the outdoor and he was amazingly unfazed by the kids playing on the woodpile, yelling, kicking a ball, whatever. Then we schooled all the jumps in the outdoor and the coop outside it and the coop on the way to the park. He was very good and seemed to enjoy it. Then we went in and did cross rails and courses up to 2'6" or so and he was very good. Some missed distances, but unflappable and willing. Good man.

3/25/10 Kind of a cool night. Blanket on.

3/21/10 Geordi is officially leased to Alison Ventling. This is wonderful news as they are a great match for each other!

3/10/10 Out for a hack with Jay and Elliot. Crossed through the still snow-filled ditch and walked along the highway for a bit, then on to the gravel road. He was bright and relaxed and thoroughly enjoying himself. Observed the barking dogs with no comment, crossed the bridge and trotted and cantered politely with Elliot. Led over the ditch and culvert with the rushing spring thaw going through. We both had lots of fun.

3/8/10 Out for a hack since the snow is not as deep. Had a lovely time.

3/7/10 Dressage work in the pasture. Some nice canter work.

3/5/10 Wormed with ivermectin.

3/2/10 Practiced trailer loading twice which went very well. He will now eat cookies on the trailer, a sign that he is becoming more relaxed. Then out for some work in the pasture. He hacked out beautifully and had some nice work in all gaits.

3/1/10 Worked on trailer loading without an assistant this time. He only balked a bit the first time, then walked on and off quietly 5 times. He gets a little nervous while standing alone on the trailer, but he is getting more relaxed all the time.

2/28/10 Worked on trailer loading. Loaded 5 times with much praise. He balked at first, but got better and better.

2/27/10 Hauled to Jester Park again and rode him and then a person interested in leasing him rode him. They got along very well and Geordi was very well behaved. He balked slightly at loading.

2/26/10 I hauled him to Jester Park and rode in the indoor. It was fabulous to ride on good footing and he was very good in the new environment. Jumped a little too.

1/25/10 All the horses are inside tonight due to an unexpected blizzard. They are safe and sound and I am loving the fact that I'm no longer a broadcast meteorologist tonight. <snort>. Prior log entries for Geordi can be found here

Nacho Dewell

5/22/10 Schooling show at Canterbrooke. The girls and Nacho did well!

Nicole and Nya

Caitlin and Nacho

 

5/21/10 Lesson with both girls. Nacho did well. Nacho went home.

5/20/10 Jumping after a nice warm up in walk and trot. More confident all the time.

5/19/10 More jumping over small objects. I think she is starting to breathe!

5/18/10 Jump school in the outdoor. She seems to be slightly improved on the footing. Jumping continues to improve.

5/17/10 She is a little tender-footed, so I worked her in the pasture on the soft grass. She was very good and I think enjoyed the change in venue. If she is going to continue in jumping work, she may need front shoes. You will have to see how she does.

5/13/10 Jump school. She always starts out a little frantic to the first jump, but with repetition, comes around nicely. By the end she was jumping in a relaxed manner and enjoying herself. Very good.

5/10/10 Mare can not live by jumping alone, so out for a walk hack down to the bridge. She was hesitant about crossing it, but she put on her big girl pants and bravely did it. Very good. Nice relaxing, bondingn time.

5/9/10 More work much like the last session. She is gaining confidence.

5/6/10 After a warmup, did two jumps on a 20 m circle. This helped her keep her rhythm. She did very well.

5/3/10 Jump school in the morning. She is going over the ramped oxer now. She is a better than fair jumper, we just need to keep working on the relaxation aspect of it. Coming along.

5/2/10 More jumping work. She is getting more relaxed all the time, though, to be clear, no one would call her relaxed. But on the way.

4/30/10 More flatwork and acclimation to jumping in rhythm. She is nervous at first, but starting to settle more quickly. She has a nice jumping style when she relaxes.

4/29/10 Some nice warm up in walk, trot is tight, but coming. Then lots of jumping over small objects, just helping her get repetition so that it becomes more relaxing for her. Much praise. Coming along.

4/28/10 Warmed up with walk trot and canter. Trot is still pretty tight at times, but coming along. Then jumped over the jumps I just brought out into the arena. I wanted to school her over them before the lesson with the girls in the afternoon. She did quite well, other than the tension, which is slowly fading. The girls and ponies did really well in their lesson.

4/27/10 Nice flat-footed walk warmup and reasonable stretching over her back in trot. Getting better ar breathing calmly rather than chuffing. Canter work was quite good, and jumping was a little tight at first, but improved quickly.

4/24/10 Right off the bat, she had some much improved walk work, relaxed with neck stretch forward. On to trot which is still a little tight, but coming in the right direction. Canter work was all around pretty good, but occasionally really good. We did some jumping over the small vertical where she kept the rhythm and even added a stride when she could have rushed and flung herself from a far distance. This is excellent. Long way to go, but coming along.

4/23/10 She is getting better in maintaining a rhythm in walk and trot and even had some moments of back relaxation today. Canter work improving. Over the small jump many times today again, focusing on her keeping the same rhythm in canter to it. A few times she jumped it in relaxed rhythm. This is very good.

4/22/10 Warmed up with a lot of walk work, focusing on rhythm. She is improving, but needs a lot of help to remember that I am not going to gun her into gallop at any moment. Today I could rest my legs on her side and she would usually keep the rhythm. I realized I was actually holding my legs off to encourage her to slow down, but she has to learn to tolerate a resting leg against her side. Trot work was improved. We did a lot of reps over a low jump in all three gaits, focusing on relaxation, the most important part of dressage and jumping. Coming along.

4/20/10 Worked in the arena over a small jump after walk and trot warmup. She wants to move with her right hip in, as in haunches in when cantering to the right, and will throw a moderate fit if not allowed to. She was willing to jump but is pretty anxious about it. The haunches in and the anxiety make me think pain. I'd like to have this horse see a chiropractor.

4/19/20 Warmed up in walk and trot. Trot is getting loose and she is relaxing. On to canter work, jumping an 18" vertical on the circle in both directions. She was always willing to jump, but would rush afterwards. I just stayed the course, made sure she was getting enough release on the reins and she got better and better.

4/14/10 More of the same. She is still tight, but is becoming more relaxed.

4/13/10 Lots of walk work to begin. She wants to keep changing the rhythm of the gait, so we discuss that and she gets better and better. We did a lot of canter work after that (trot is really tight, and canter flows better for horses like this to help them develop relaxation, we'll get back to trot soon enough). The transition is pretty dramatic, but she is now starting to relax more quickly, which is delightful. Some of her canter work was quite good tonight. She also threw 2 moderate fits in canter, sort of a panic attack, but it passed without breaking gait even. Encouraging news is that tonight she came from canter to walk in a relaxed manner and continued in a flat footed walk immediately. This is very good.

4/12/10 Groomed, tacked up and out for work in the arena. Started out with walk and halt work, encouraging her to relax, which was improved. Then on to some trot work which was very tight at first, but improved. She is stretching over her topline nicely at times. In canter, she was very tense in the transitions, would produce some nice work and then tighten up for little apparent reason. Relaxation is the big challenge.

4/11/10 Groomed in the cross ties and worked in the arena. We started with walking and standing, which she finds difficult. She seems to be anticipating the things to come. Lots of steady work to help convince her that there is nothing coming that she needs to be anxious about. All this followed by nice work in trot and canter. Good.

4/9/10 Nacho and Austin are loving living together. I worked with her today and during brushing did some more work in getting her to tolerate having her teats touched so that we can get that cleaned out. She is getting better. Then I tacked up and mounted up and required her to stand still and just relax for a few minutes. It took some time for her to figure out that I just wanted her to stand there and relax, and she eventually did. Then on to walk work and some halting and standing and relaxing. She really follows the cue of the rider, in fact, when I took a long slow deep breath, it was never long until she followed suit, even when she was worried. Then on to some trot work which started out quite tight and improved moderately quickly, and then on to some canter work with some moments of balance and relaxation. Coming along.

4/8/10 In the morning I put her in the paddock with Austin, the paint draft cross. There was very little fanfare as they were more interested in breakfast than putting up a fuss. I watched them for a while and they were fine. They were dozing with their hips nearly touching when I checked them in the afternoon. In the evening, I brought Nacho in and played with her. She is a little hesitant to interact, even a little suspicious, but this will come with regular work. After I had done a throrough grooming, I checked her udder for buildup that mares often have and are relieved to be rid of. She objected to being touched on her udder, so I spent 15 minutes helping her relax about it and removed some of the buldup. She was lifting a leg to stomp, as if at a fly and never offered to kick me. I took it slow and removed about half the buildup and the rest can wait for another day, as she was trying to be obliging, just a little worried about it. When she relaxed, I backed off. Then I worked her in hand a bit and let her be done for the day. Good start.

4/7/10 Nacho arrived and settled into the outdoor, which was in clear sight of the other horses, just fine. Had some hay and started on Purina Enrich 32, a feed with all sorts of nutrients, but few calories.