Events

Mondays
Jumping Fun Classes at Canterbrooke, (Ames)

Tuesdays
Riding Communication Classes at The Paddock (Truro) .

May 8-9
Clinic at Catalpa Corner

April 10 and 11
Clinic at Catalpa Corner.

June 4-6
Clinic and Schooling Show Catalpa Corner
(Iowa City)

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"Only way that horses will win is to sit there and spend time with them. Show 'em that you're trying to help 'em. Love 'em. Talk to 'em. Get to know 'em. Now that's what you gotta do. You love 'em and they'll love you, too. People might call me crazy, but that's the way it is."

-Eddie Sweat, groom for Riva Ridge and Secretariat

Training Log for Fanny Bennett

5/11/09 Fanny went home for her mom to work with her further.

5/6/09 Worked in the arena on more gentling. She is still reacting, but recovering much more quickly. We are seeing definite improvement.

5/5/09 Lots of work on gentling on the ground with Cindy's help. She started to really relax, but any little change is cause for alarm. After a while I got on and rode her around with Cindy leading. She jumped once when I just moved my legs to get centered. Then we were walking around and stopping with some relaxation but someone drove into the indoor arena with in a JD gator! She was alarmed and it probably didn't help that I had venomous thoughts in my head at the people who drove in so thoughtlessly. I managed to get off, but not without a few tense moments for us all. Addendum: I refrained from further comment to the gator driver. I earned a cookie for that.

5/4/09 More work on relaxing and staying calm while being touched. Then I walked her outside and she was much improved and relaxed. Hmmmm...

4/30/09 Worked with her on the ground in the indoor on staying still and relaxing. She did quite well.

4/29/09 Cindy got her out and groomed her and fed her cookies and was able to pick her feet out with little trouble. This is great news, considering that she started out difficult to catch, groom and lift her feet. We tacked up and went to the indoor. She was extremely upset about pulling down the stirrups and even about a person standing in the area where one would pull down the stirrups. We worked on that for a good 40 minutes until she accepted it standing still (though still not relaxed, but at least still). Then I mounted up and Cindy led me around the arena a few times. We trotted on the long sides twice. The first time she got a little upset and scooted, but Cindy got her to halt. The second time was better. We put a cooling sheet on her and gave her some hay to much while she cooled down in a stall. She ate the hay and then threw a moderate fit. We let her throw it for about 15 minutes, and when she had settled for a few minutes, put her back in her own paddock.

4/28/09 Groomed her up and picked up all her feet with little trouble. Getting better with balance. Then tacked her up and got on, with the help of Cindy. Fanny is still a little bit hysterical about the sound of the stirrups being pulled down, but she was mostly relaxed when I got on. She is has some fundamental balance issues, but they should come along.

4/24/09 Easy to catch, brought her out and groomed her and picked up her feet. She is getting better about her feet, but is still learning to balance and trust. She wants to lean back (not pull back) in the cross ties and I am working on getting her to stand on all four in a confident manner. Her in hand work was even better today. Coming along.

4/22/09 Caught her easily and brought her in to groom and putz in the cross ties. She was in the ties for about 20 minutes while I was in the area cleaning tack, whatever. She stood pretty well. Then I groomed her and picked up her feet, all the way around, twice. She is learning to balance on three legs, which does take some practice. Then out to the arena for more in hand work. It may seem like I am spending a lot of time on the ground and I am, but none of it is wasted. All the things we are discussing are the same things we would discuss with me in the tack, but they have to be in place before we will be able to discuss them under tack. When we do, all this prep work will make it easy for her and quick for me.

4/18/09 She actually walked up to me when I went out to catch her. This is a far cry from her trying to jump the fence to get away. I am pleased. I know the cookies had a lot to do with it, but I will take it, happily. Did a lot of work in cross ties today, purposefully putzing on other small projects near her so that she could see new things and deal with standing in the cross ties as well. During grooming did a lot of work on picking up her feet, which she is quite green with. I picked up all her feet and cleaned them and then picked each one up again. Many cookies. Then we worked in hand in the arena, where she did quite well. Go Fanny. Many cookies.

4/16/09 No real work today, but I caught her twice in between other horses and fed her cookies and loved on her. She is starting to warm up.

4/15/09 Easier to catch today. I worked on picking up her feet today, which was a bit of a trial, but eventually effective. Tacked up and out to the arena for some in hand work. She had some moderate fits today at my putting down the stirrup leathers and generally creating a ruckus, and I ignored her when she threw said fit. She came around quite nicely and eventually tolerated all my antics. Cookies. Very good.

4/14/09 She was slightly easier to catch today. She did well in the cross ties while I did a major grooming job. Had a fair amount of work in running up and taking down stirrups. She was again alarmed at first, but is figuring out that just keeping her feet still is the easy way out. I required her to stand still on a slack rope in her stall while I undid her saddle, and it was a bit of a challenge to her to stay still, but she mostly figured it out. She is coming around.

4/10/09 More of the same, getting used to strange sounds and sensations. She was actually quite the pill and it took an hour for her to settle down and accept my fooling around with the stirrup leathers. It isn't really about the stirrup leathers, it is about relaxation and trust. We just happen to be working with the stirrup leathers about it.

4/9 Worked in hand in the indoor where she did reasonably well with the flag, the stirrups and in yielding in general. We are getting close to riding...

4/8/09 Brushing and tack up. She did better in the cross ties today. We spend the whole time today getting used to putting the stirrups down and up. She was quite frazzled about it, but by the end she tolerated me putting them down and up quite haphazardly and kept her feet still. All part of the relaxation/desnsitization process that will pay off down the road.

4/7/09 Groomed her and trimmed her mane and tail. Tacked up and went to get my helmet. During that short space of time, she managed to turn around in the cross ties and panic a little. She did not completely melt down. I unfastened her and turned her around and refastened her. I had hoped to ride today, but when I ran the stirrups down, the noise really unsettled her, so I worked her in hand with the stirrups bumping her sides which she over-reacted to for quite a while. When she accepted that, we called it a day.

4/6/09 She is getting a little easier to catch, though I had to chastise her today for turning her butt to me when I approached. I realize it is a defense mechanism, but at this point it is also rude. She got over it. We worked in hand today and with the flag. She had only one or two moments of resistance. Tomorrow, if she warms up this well, I will ride.

4/2/09 Day two of the FOHT. She is still pretty sure I am going to swat her with it, but she is getting more confident and relaxed all the time. Now I can rub her face and she closes her eyes and relaxes and can touch her all over with the flag. However, any sudden movement are met with alarm and she over-reacts to a clucking noise and we need to get that mitigated. Coming along. I won't be able to work with her this weekend due to the horse fair, but Emma will be working with her, just catching and cookying and petting, this weekend. That will only do Fanny good. We have to help her get over that suspicion.

4/1/09 After a review of what we did yesterday and her doing well, I got out the Flag of Horse Terror which she thought lived aptly up to its name. She ran around me in circles while I waved it quietly but unceasingly in no particular direction. Eventually, she allowed me to rub it all over her body, but it took a while and she was still a little suspicious after that. I do wonder if someone raised a hand to her at some point because she does react very quickly to any sudden movement and she moves off very rapidly to a cluck. I like the idea of the response, but not the intensity of it. She is coming around, though.

3/31/09 She is getting easier to catch, though she stands back as far as she can and reaches forward for the cookie she knows I will have. Eventually, I want her to volunteer to be in the space. We did a lot of work in hand today with much emphasis on yeilding and backing. She earned much praise and did very well, though she is over-reactive. Tomorrow I will get out the natural horsemanship Flag of Horse Terror. :-)

3/30/09 She was still dubious, but somewhat easier to catch today. Worked in the indoor and did a lot of backing in hand and just various drills to get her used to taking direction in a relaxed manner. She had a few moments of resistance, but ended quite well.

3/24/09 Getting easier to halter, but still quite worried about any quick movement. We worked more on yielding in the arena in hand and also some desensitizing by lightly swatting her all over with my jacket, which she was not terribly fond of, but learned to stand for it. She is getting much better about her head and ears and today actually enjoyed it a little. Yay.

3/20/09 Easy to halter today and did very well in hand. Just a few moments of resistance until she remembered that it is far more fun and easier to relax and comply. Very good. Cookies.

3/19/09 Partly due to the past cookies and the expectation of more, she was quite easy to halter today. We worked in the arena, where at first she was quite resistance and light in front. However, after about 20 minutes of work she started to relax quite nicely and by the end she was walking with her neck down without prompting from me, breahing and licking and chewing. Excellent. Much praise and cookies.

3/18/09 She was better about being caught today, but I am still glad she is in a relatively small enclosure, as she is wary, despite the fact that I always have cookies and talk kindly and pet her. She was better leading to the arena with her neck down for the most part. We worked in hand for a good while, working on yielding to halter pressure and on just relaxing in general. We also worked on handling her ears, which she objects to, especially the right one. She also is not a fan of being working from the right side. When asked to put her neck down, several times she reared, which was met with a quick snap on the nose every time, which she was not a fan of, but then, that makes two of us, as I am not a fan of pulling back, and even less of rearing. So we came to an agreement about that. Once we got through that she started to yield fairly well and earned praise for every small step in that direction. A dramatic, but good, day.

3/17/09 She came up to me and ate cookies out of my hand, but didn't want to let me catch her at first. She was not allowed to turn her butt to me, so did relent and let me catch her. I am grateful that she is not in the 6 acre pasture. I took off her regular halter and put on a rope one and we went out and did much the same as yesterday. She is quite unclear about "whoa" and will occasionally rear if she would like not to comply with a request. She's a bit of a wild child, but she is clearly coming around and considering a life of polite horseness.

3/16/09 She arrived and we put her in a box stall with a run. She was annoyed, a bit. Emma was walking back in from the pasture and saw her throw herself down in the stall twice, much to Emma's alarm. Jada and I were unmoved as she had not injured herself in any way. She was having a bit of a temper tantrum and we dutifully ignored it. A bit later I brought her out and put a rope halter on her. When I went to catch her she turned her butt to me and promptly was forced to move by me. She is not to turn her butt to people purposefully. I caught her, reassured her and brought her into the indoor for some basic polite horse clues. We discussed the appropriateness of whinnying to other horses when she has a halter on, personal space issues, letting go in her neck and moving forward and halting in a calm manner. She did fine.

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