What to do... What to do...

Finally got to ride again yesterday! Before I hopped on, I ground drove Jet. He absolutely loveed it and it seemed to help him stretch out his muscles. This might become a regular thing actually! And this is why...

I ground drove him both directions at the walk and trot, and Mary-Kate did aswell. After, I rode him and he was the best he has ever been! I have no idea what it was! Maybe the time off? Maybe stretching him out by ground driving before? Maybe it was cooler out and at night? Who knows.. all I know is that I had a fantastic ride! He has ever felt better! Straight, slow, long and low! He was constantly on the bit and roudn throughout his BODY and not just his neck! He was stretching up underneath himself and engaging his hind end. Never ever has it come together so well. EVER! He was so straight and the quality of his trot was better than it has been. I was impressed for sure!

Mary-Kate hopped on him after me and he was the same for her as he was for me. I haven't had the pleasure to watch my horse be ridden by too many people. When he was going as well as he was for me, I was interested to see how he would do for Mary-Kate. He looked so great! He definitly tested her at the beginning to see what he could get away with but she knows how to ride and put him in his place. She figured him out pretty quickly. Loose contact, let him find where he is supposed to be, guide him if needed, then once he is going well and asks for the contact, pick it up little by little and push him forward to keep it with your legs and seat. She has been doing this type of work with her Standardbred so they worked together really well.

It was fantastic to see and I was so proud! Here is a crappy pic off of my phone of Mary-Kate and Jet. He was bending around a corner and was a little to the inside still but he was round liek this the whole time!

Today we went to Hobby Horse and rode in the ring. Jet was one sided and only wanted to bend one way at the trot. I think his left side it stiff and he is having trouble bending right because his left side is tight. We will do more suppling and stretching before for sure. We did a few short canters each direction, popped over a crossrail maybe 5 or 6 times, trotted over some ground poles, took him for a walk in the field, then cantered him in the big field. We had lots of walking breaks and he never got extremely hot. We cantered down the long side twice and I got a nice canter out of him! Not a gallop! After I let him loose and we went! I just wanted a fast trot but he broke into the canter. Once I kicked him a little harder than I should have and he let me know he was not happy by kicking out. I'm still worried that something is wrong. It isn't a happy-go-lucky buck like my Aunt guessed. His ears are pinned when we canter. He isn't happy. Something is wrong. Hopefully we will get the chiropractor out here soon.

That being said, we may skip Clover Valley for the groundpole jumpers this Monday and instead go to Flatlands Equestrian Center to do an Intro Test in September. Maybe both? Not sure yet...I will find out tomorrow!


-Emily and Jet

Apology for my Absence

Hello! Sorry I have been well...absent from the blog. A little catching up..

Haskins:
Jet was AMAZING! Straight, slow, and no head in the air! The class was HUGE (10 people and there are usually 6 or 7) and it was in the "scary ring". Last time we showed in this ring was in May and we had a tantrum every time we came near this corner. This time, he was PERFECT! I was able to get deep into all of the corners and then go straight down the rail.

The judge was very fair in the first two classes. I agreed with the placings and felt that everyone got what they deserved. We placed 4th in Equitation! (Surprising since I usually never place high since he is usually a dink). The people that placed above me were the ones that usually do plus a horse that was in the first show but not any others. They really deserved to be placed above me.

In pleasure we placed 5th! He was trotting and then dead stopped and pooped right in front of the judge...Oh Jet.. He was being so good too! That class was crazy.. three of the horses were cantering like crazy, one wouldn't trot, and then you had those that were perfect, and then Jet who was excellent besides his pooping. I was surprised when we got called for 5th!

In trail, he was amazing! Trotted over one pole, went through the backup with a bit of fuss but we did it, no problem with the bridge, didn't blink an eye at the mail box, and then there was the pin wheel. We had to trot around four poles in a pinwheel shape. Jet tried very hard for me and I was proud of him. We completely missed the third pole the first time but he was trying and that was all that counts! No sure how we placed...

Discipline rail was crazy. You would have thought that the judge would have remember the pleasure class and would go easy on us but no. One of the commands was, "Put you reins in your left hand, put your right hand behind your back, and trot." Are you crazy?! 10 GREEN horses, half of them cantered in the last class and you want us to do this? talk about dangerous! But Jet was PERFECT! We placed 5th in the class but both I and people on the rail agreed that I should have been placed in the top three but it's not about the ribbons. I was proud of him and we had a great day!

I gave Jet a few days off, then did a light ride on Tuesday I think. Thursday Natalie came over and we rode Jet. I worked on straight and just got him warmed up and then Natalie popped on him. They did really well! Jet definitely tested her at the beginning and tried to see what he could get away with. She started to teach him how to turn on the haunches and he responded really well! that is definitely something I will continue to work on! We then set up some ground poles and Natalie took him oer them at both the trot and the canter! Jet was really good. It took him a bit to figure out the striding but he got it! We took him for a walk around the street and ended it on that.

Saturday I took him for a lesson at my Aunt's house. We worked a lot at the trot and I was surprised with what he accomplished. She had us take a corner wide, then move him over with my outside leg, then take a corner short, and move him to the rail with my inside leg. It made him much more responsive to my leg when I asked him to move straight. She said that he thinks he knows what he is supposed to do, so he thinks ahead and does it. This makes him unresponsive to my aids because he think he is doing what I will ask. Doing things like this will supple him and make him listen to my aids more. After the lesson, he wasn't even hot so we went for a canter around her field. He was very good! He kicked out to the side once and it was because he wanted to go see Elsa who was walking away from him. Besides that, he was very good. I got two or three really nice canter strides out of him but I admit that the rest of it was basically a hand gallop. With time he will get better.

Yesterday and today has been non-stop rain. Uggh. We were going to do the Clover Valley Jumper show today but thankfully it got post-poned to next Monday. We are going to do ground pole jumpers! Ha ha. I just want to take him to new places and teach him that not every time we go out we will be doing the same thing. We will go nice and slow the first round then pick up the speed if I think he can handle it is we make it to the jump-off. There are only two classes so it won't be too much. I will post more often now!

I am adding new pictures to the picture page so check them out!!!

-Em and Jet

What is this? Listening?

Today was a...surprising day! Jet was actually...listening! What a change!

We started off on a loose rein just walking around. I then picked up the contact and made a circle spiral and we did it in and out in each direction. I moved on to the rail and had him go straight, bend around my inside leg on the corners, then straight again. I then asked him to move off the rail with my outside leg and he responded well to that aswell. We did some circles in the corners, figure eights, etc. to help him stretch all of his muscles.

We then worked at the trot and I focused on STRAIGHT and wait. Once I got him straight, I would half halt, gather him up, then ask him to step larger. If his beat changed, I would bring him back and pick him up again. Eventually we were going the same pace, with a bigger stride, going STRAIGHT all the way around the ring! Going his good direction he even got on the bit! He really surprised me for sure!

After going in each direction several times and being satisfied, I worked on turning on the forehand. We have played around with this before but only a step at a time. Today I asked him to go half way around each direction and he did so well! Doing this exercise is helping me figure out how he responds when I ask him to move his hind end. I am finally figuring out where he likes to be asked and where he responds the most, etc. Hopefully this will help for the show on Sunday!

Tomorrow is going to be hectic. So much going on and not just horse-related. I may not get aroudn to posting tomorrow but I'll definately post after the show!

-Emily and Jet

Update

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I have been up in Maine for the past few days so there was nothing really to update about. Anyways, now that I'm back...

I rode Jet yesterday at Mary-Kate's house. We did a lot of walking and trotting with a short canter in each direction. We then popped over a small crossrail a few times. He was really good! We had to stretch out a bit before I could really ask him to do anything. I was SO surprised at how straight he was going!! It was amazing! I didn't ask him for too much since he had been off for a while but I worked on going straight, then moving off my leg, circles, ect. He field is a small small hill so the slight incline helped him move underneath himself.

Our canter wasn't pretty at all and I am going to lay off of it for a while. I am going to try to have a massouse out here and take a loook at him. I think something, somewhere is btohering him. He only kicked once, but his ears were pinned the entire time. He was willing and kept going when I asked but he only did it because I am mommy.  It isn't typical of his tempermant for him to do things like kicking out so that is why it is bothering me. Hopefully we can schedule something with our friend who is a massouse and see what she thinks.

I am also questioning a few other things. Maybe the saddle isn't fitting quite right since he has been getting more muscled. I am going to try free lunging him and seeing if he still kicks out at the canter. Maybe his old suspensory injury is bothering him? Who knows... Hopefully it is an easy fix and nothing too serious.

I got a job! I am working for a woman in town at her barn to help with barn chores and maintenence. Today we picked paddocks and painted part of her ring fence. It wasn't too exciting but I got to work with Mary-Kate which was fun! She really helped me out and showed me the ropes. Hopefully if I work regularly for her, I will make about $450 a month. I would put $50 a month away for vet bills, farrier, emergency, etc. just so if money got tight or something came up, there would be money right there. I will also pay for all of my show fees, get a new show helmet, and put the rest into savings. The woman talked about us working for her next year so the job looks promising!

No ride today. It was to hot, then it rained. I will definately ride tomorrow, ride at my Aunt's house on Saturday, then go to the Haskins show on Sunday. More updates to come!

-Emily and Jet

Rehoboth Fair 2010

I had an awesome time at the fair yesterday! Mary-Kate ended up not going because Katie refused to get on the trailer for 3 hours. So I went all by myself but Mary-Kate came to watch. Jacqie and Kate brought Hunter and Bella and did the wtc division and games. Go to www.huntertobe.blogspot.com to see how they did!

Jet was a super star! The judge, however, was not a great one. Everyone complained about her, not just me. I wasn't in it for the ribbons but placing people that were on the wrong diagnol and breaking above people that were on the right diagnol and not breaking just because they were in proper show attire was unfair. The only required attired were boots with a heel and a helmet. Who knows... I got there at about 8:55am since Katie wouldn't load. I was afraid I would miss my first class but like always, the fair was running late and I had a 30 minute wait until it started.

Our first class was In-Hand. There were 14 people in the class and we ended up placing 3rd!! The flat classes were...horrible honestly. Jet was perfect but the geniuses running the fair combined Jr. walk trot with Jr. leadline so we only trotted around the ring halfway in each direction! Jet's walk isn't the best so we never really had our chance to shine. I was upset that they did that but what are you going to do..Jet has NEVER been as good in the show ring as he was yesterday!No nose in the air, slow, and straight! YAY! He wasn't too pleased with one side of the ring what was particularly deep so we stayed off the rail on that side. I was thrilled with him and his overall behavior at the show. It keeps getting better each time! Our of 9, we ended up placing 5th in Equitation (even my family, friends, and bystanders couldn't figure out this one...Jackets places above polos. I'm not upset about it, I just want to know what I did wrong), didn't place in Pleasure, 4th in Crossrails(FIRST CROSSRAIL CLASS EVER!), and 3rd in horsemenship! He was awesome in the crossrail! It was a simple one time around the ring with four jumps on the rail. In our warm up I got left behind on almost every jump because he jumped them huge so when I went to go into my class, I was expecting the jump and instead he trotted over the first three. So I looked like an idiot for getting into a jumping position. And the last jump he actually jumped and cantered away and I got left behind. Not bad for our first over fences class ever! I was SO proud of him! No refusuals or even looking at the jumps! (I have both the warm up and class on video)

The games were so much fun! We did Mint Julip, Barrel Race, Izzy Dizzy race, and Boots and Saddle race. There were about 15-20 people in Mint Julip. We had to walk and trot on the rail like a normal class. Whoever had the most water at the end of the class won. He was so much better than I expected him to be! When we practiced this, he was flying around the ring sideways everytime he got a drop of water on him. At the show he was slow and listening to my one-handed odd steering! I went into a half seat after my Mom suggested it after we trotted around once at the trot. All of the water I lost was during that trotting time. Once I got into the halfseat at the trot going the second direction, we didn't spill a drop! We placed 3rd! (I have a short video of this class)

There were atleast 20 people in the barrel race. This included real barrelers, jumpers with speed, and some good competition! I was in it for the fun and not to win so I was excited to see everyone racing around the barrels. To get his legs warmed up and his rear in gear, we galloped around a field. After that we went into the class. When I asked him to go, he gave me a super fast trot instead! So we trotted the first barrel and to the second barrel. He picked up the canter and made a wide turn around the second, broke from the canter, trotted to the third, and galloped home. If we would have trotted the whole thing until the final turn, we would have won. Our time was around 22 seconds. (I have a video too!) It was funny because his trot was faster than almost all of the other horses' gallops! We placed 3RD!! I was so surprised!

Next class was Izzy DIzzy. You had to gallop down to the opposite side of the ring, dismount(there was someone there to hold your horse), then you had to put your head on a baseball bat and spin around 5 times, then run back to the start. There was about 15-20 people in this. We watched most of the people go(it was HILARIOUS! Jacqie fell down, Kate ran in the wrong direction, and a few other people were pretty funny too!). I got him ready to go, then galloped down there, had some trouble getting off (overshot the person), eventually got off, then either had my head on the bat or the bat on the bucket(it was a short bat so it had to be on a bucket instead of the ground) but never both. I stood up, figured out where I was, then ran back as fast as I could. We won this class! (I have a video of it too)

The last class was the Boots and Saddle race. Everyone doing it(about 8 people) put their boots in a pile at one side of the ring. We then had to mount up in our socks and ride to the other side of the ring and wait for the go. Every person in the race had their own individual horse holder to hold their horse. We had to race (at the same time) to the pile of boots, dismount, find your own boots in the pile, put them on, then run back. My friend Ashlee and I challenged eachother so it was on! I was smart enough to pick a spot across from the pile of shoes so I wouldn't have to run over once I got off. They said go ann we galloped down there! I got off (was smart enough to use my paddock boots and not my tall boots for this) found them pretty easily, then put them halfway on before I saw other people just about to start running, then decided to run with them halfway on and we won! It was a fun time!

Overall it was a great show! I had a blast in the games, not to thrilled about the regular classes but it was a great experience for Jet. He has never done this many classes before and I was very proud of him! Pictures and videos up soon!

So in conclusion:
Rehoboth Fair Horse Show Results:
Open Horse or Pony In-Hand- 3rd out of 14
Jr. Walk-Trot Equitation- 5th out of 9
Jr. Walk-Trot Pleasure- Did not place
Jr. Walk-Trot Crossrails- 4th out of 7
Jr. Walk Trot Horsemanship- 3rd out of 9
Mint Julip Class- 3rd out of 15-20
Coverleaf Race- 3rd out of over 20
Izzy Dizzy Race- 1st out of about 15
Boots and Saddle Race- 1st out of 8


Yay!


-Em and Jet

Groundpoles, Hills, and Improvement

Yesterday while Mary-Kate was over, I set up some ground poles in the ring to work Jet over. We did our walking warm up and went into the trot. At first, he was super confused on how to get over them. He would jump them, try to avoid them, almost step on them, but by the fourth time around, he got it. He started trotting over them PERFECTLY! We did this in each direction for a while. He started asking for connection on the bit, and he was moving straighter than he normally was. I was thrilled with the ride so far and decided to ask for the canter. We trotted the first ground pole, picked up the canter over it, then cantered the second pole (it was set up as a bounce). He got the hang of this and thought it would be more fun to pick up the canter before the first one and just canter the poles so we did that a few times in each direction as well! I noticed that when we did this, it helped with his canter transitions and the quality of his canter aswell. It was a more distinct three beat. I think that he was more balanced and listening to my seat so I could help him more which resulted in a nicer canter. We then practiced for the Mint Julip Class which we will be in at the fair on Friday. This is when you hold a glass of water and go around at the walk and trot and the person who has the most water at the end of the class wins. It was... interesting. Once a bit of water fell on him, he thought the cup was the cup of doom and was trying to run away from it. I eventually ran out fo water but I kept the cup in my hand and practiced riding with it empty. He calmed down after a while so I called it quits. After our cup of water expedition, we went for a walk around the street. my street is a horse-shoe with hills on both sides of the U. So we went up and down the hills at a walk a few times to help develop his hind end. I hosed him off and let him have a bit of grass once he was cooled out for being such a good boy!
Today I wanted to accomplish a few things.
-Straight
-Getting underneath himself
-Me controlling the pace of the trot
- and Practice barrels for the barrel race this Friday

Let me tell you, he BLEW ME AWAY today. I don't think he has ever been so straight or round before. It was really really nice to ride but I felt like we weren't forward enough. I had him coiled, slow, and round, but I needed to take that and lengthen his stride more. I think he wa s abit behind my leg. Something to work on tomorrow.. Anyways, He was getting into the corners, listening to my leg and seat, and asking for connection to the bit again! We did alot of walking and trotting then practiced the barrels. I did it three times at the walk at first(sitting trot home). I think the more I do it, even at a walk, the more he will remember the pattern and he will know what to expect. We then did it at a slow sitting trot(posting trot home), then at a posting trot (canter home). after a few times, he knew that once I turned him into the fence then turned him around, it meant go time! his ears perked up and he was off! I gets excited when he has fun! We trotted the first one, cantered around the second one, trotted to the third, then galloped home. I did this once more then called it a day. We went for another walk around the street then I hopped on him bareback to help me feel how he moves. He was really good and did a longer trot than the last time we trotted bareback. He was such a good boy! I cooled him down, practiced a bit for in-hand, then let him eat some grass. Gotta love my boy! So, goals:
-Straight *Accomplished
-Getting underneath himself  *Somewhat accomplished
-Me controlling the pace of the trot  *We got the slow down, now need the forward (not fast, forward)
- and Practice barrels for the barrel race this Friday *Accomplished

Tomorrow I am not sure what we are going to do. I'll post after though!

-Em and Jet

Pics from Ride, Shots, Ride

Jet got his shots yesterday as well as the strangles vaccine and coggins. We had the vet do the shots in his bum instead of his neck to see if he has the same reaction. I woke up today and there was only a small bump (like a mosquito bite size) on his bum where they gave the shots! The vet suggested going for "a light hack" today so he doesn't get stiff and sore. It was a nice and cool day so Mom and I trucked the horses down to Hobby Horse for a trail ride. We went around in the ring a bit to get a feeling of how stiff the horses were. Elsa was very stiff in the neck, but Jet was just fine! I did maybe 3 or 4 laps of trot in each direction to see how he felt. The rest of the day was basically walking. We went all around the fields just letting the horses have a nice walk. We did a short trot here and there but nothing to work up a sweat. All in all, he was very good and I think it was nice to get him out and about just relaxing.

Before the vet came yesterday, I lunged Jet since I didn't think I would have enough time to ride and because we haven't lunged in a while. I had to remind him that I was directing him where to go, he wasn't jsut going to gallop around. We did lots of walk and trot and a fair amount of canter too! I set up two ground poles so that he could trot in, pick up a cnater over the first one, then have a bounce to the second one. He handled it very well! I moved them closer at the end so he could trot over them so that he knew groundpoles didn't mean jump. It took him a few times to get the striding but he got it at the end and I was pleased!

Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day so we will go for a ride. Still not going to go full out but we are going to do more than today.

Here are pics from the ride with M-k and Abby:

He usually follows me to the mounting block but he stopped and I was trying to call him over. I failed!

Trotting

I love my horse!

Double Bareback!

Jet, 7/27/10

I got artistic! Katie is in the background

Jet with his friend

-Em and Jet

Long Ride

Yesterday Mary-Kate, Abby, and I rode at my house. We did a lot of ring work first. Probably a good hour or so. But most of the time it was just one person on the rail at a time and two people video taping/taking pictures so it really wasn't that much work. Abby and I went over the cross rail a few times and Mary-Kate did both of the jumps I set up. They all were really good! Elsa and Katie refused or almsot refused the crossrail a few times but Jet didn't. What a good boy! We ware done for jumping until probably next Wednesday when we will pop over a new crossrail (I took the other one down) to practice for the Rehoboth Fair (8 days left!!) Then Mary-Kate hopped on Jet and I hopped on Katie. M-k did a little bit of trotting and popped over the cross rail once. I did w/t/c with Katie and did both jumps. We then switched back and headed out for the trails!

We got back there, walked around for a while, then Mary-Kate and I decided to canter down the straightaway. Jet cantered down it nicely a few times, and then we galloped down it! He was FLYING! Then M-k and I had a race and I won even though I lost my stirrups! (: Josh, my little brother, walked out with us to take videos (my Mom did aswell) so he got blisters on his feet. He decided that he wanted to ride Jet back with me (he feels safest on Jet) so Mom offered to carry the saddle back if I let Josh ride bareback with me. Ofcourse that was fine so we untacked Jet and hopped on bareback. He was an angel with both of us on there! I love my horse!

We got back, hosed them off, I sponged Jet with linament, and then we turned Katie and Jet out together in the ring. We don't know when the last time Katie was turned out with other horses (she has goat friends at home) so we weren't sure how things were going to work out. Amazingly, they got along PERFECTLY! A few mare squeels at first but then they were basically attatched at the hip! It was adorable! I'll put pictures up later.

I'm planning on just hopping on Jet bareback today and walking him around to stretch out his muscles so he doesn't get stiff and sore. I'll post later!

-Em and Jet

Awesome Ride Today!

Trotting
Trotting some more!
Trotting Out Bad Direction
Jumping a Crossrail- Bad direction
He gets excited and sticks his nose in the air! A habit we will have to stop. You can also see our sometimes sideways-ness in this video
Jumping- Good direction
He cross-cantered after the first two times but after that he picked up the lead completely! We will have to work on balnce to the jump and his take off so the cross-cantering doesn't continue
Cantering the Crossrail!
His first time doing it in almost two months! And he has only done it a few times before anyways. I need to keep him out more but I was still proud that he cantered it (:

He was a very good boy all in all. TEN DAYS until the Rehoboth Fair!!

Tomorrow I am riding with Mary-kate and my sister in the early AM to beat the heat! We will tkaes pics and videos!

-Em and Jet

Haskins results

It was an interesting day at Haskins yesterday. It was HOT! I was sweating while I was tacking up! We got there early and I took him out for some grass, walked him all around, then let him look around while I brushed him. I tacked him up for a quick warmup in the outdoor arena (which was incredibly disguisting with mud since it has been raining on and off all week). He was really good in the warm up. I was thinking calm and he was calm! The first time we walked around he was a little spooky but I just worked through it. After a few laps of walking, I picked up the trot. He was being a superstar! Moving around several horses no problem, going through puddles, and going slow! I went each direction for a little bit. Then I felt that we had accomplished what I wanted for warm up so we went back to the trailer.

Our first class (equitation) was called and we went into the ring. Four horses entered and I felt that was a good number since the indoor is small. Then someone said, "We have another one coming!" and three more entered. It was a little crowded but not too bad. We had enough room for our own spot at the walk. He was great at the walk, not spooking, going straight, listening...but as soon as the trot was called...forget about it. "Straight? Waht do you mean Mom?" His nose was up in the air, his trot was a little fast (but not bad for him) so we had to move around a lot of horses. Then he broke....then he broke again...and again...and again...and then once more. Yep. He broke FIVE times in that class. I didn't have a crop, and I don't own spurs. The worst part was that he would go nice a fast so I would only have my leg on him to try to get him to stay straight inbetween them and then BAM! He would stop. Right infront of the judge every single time. Oh boy. There were 6 in that class so we placed 6th. (One person left in the middle of the class because she felt sick). The judge came up to me when we were exiting the ring and told me that if he hadn't broke, we would have placed high, but I worked through it well.

Then we went over to get our trail done. It was a simple course but I didn't study it long enough. We weaved around 3 cones, then had to circle around the last one, trot over 4 ground poles, back through the modified-L, the halt on the raised platform for 5 seconds. That is what I remembered. What I didn't remember is how to get to each of them. grr! We went around the cones just fine (Honestly, I was surprised about that) then we made a bigger circle than other people were doing but he didn't break from the trot with is what I was most proud about. Out past experiences with the poles and trotting was always bolt off to the side, then when we went back for a second try, he would trot the first, walk the second, trot the third, and hop over the fourth. This time it was a bit different. He didn't refuse them at all (YAY!) but he jumped the first two xD Gotta love him. Then he didn't know where his feet were and I didn't want him to hurt himself (he has stepped on poles several times and almost hit himself with thatm) so I pulled him out of the last two since he was already towards one side of them. Then we walked over to the back-through, I lined him up and asked him to back. It was a fight for a while to get him to take one step. So once he tooka  step, I rewarded him. Then He got the idea and listened. We did the rest of the back through easily (only took one step out of it I think, but it was my fault.) Then he was standing there and I couldn't remember what I was supposed to do next. I knew it was the raised platform, but I had no idea how to get there. So I walked back through the back-through then walked on the platform sideways, tried to halt him on it (ofcourse he couldn't, it was too skinny) so I took him off, and went the right way and he had no problem. He went on no problem and got all four feet on and halted for the 5 seconds. I hadn't seen any other horse do it so far so I was proud (: I walked out and looked at the course again and saw that I was supposed to keep backing out of the back through the just  walk over the platform. Woops. Oh well. I was still proud and the judge told me I did a great job! We placed 5th out of 7.

We took him back to the trailer after ever class, untacked him, sponged him off, gave him some water, then cooled him out by walking him around. We put him on the trailer when there were long periods between classes to let him chill there and he was happy to relax.

Pleasure was crowded! 8 people! I had a crop this time and I was determined not to let him break. So what does he do? He breaks. Right infront of the judge again. So I tapped him with the crop and for the rest of the class, he was pretty speedy. But, he broke again! I was not a happy camper. It wasn't because we didn't place, it was because he completely ignored all of my aids. Seat, legs, hands, everything! We forgot how to turn, go straight, and keep going. So after that class, I took him to an empty ring and let him know that I was the boss, not him. I did a lot fo transitions to get his focus. Trot, walk, halt, trot, etc. He broke and I gave him a tap behind my leg this time and he bolted. He was on the virge of cantering. I worked through it, and kept working on the transitions. He bolted a few more times from the halt to trot but we eventually got to the point where he would halt, then pick up the trot without bolting or racing into it. By the end of our five or so minute fight, he was going on the bit for a few steps at a time. We brought him back to the trailer (which was right next to this ring) and did the cool down.

Discipline rail was next. There was an unexpected lunch break the class before ours so I was already tacked up and up by the ring. It was empty so I went in there to work him a bit and make sure that he would not break in there either. I only trotted a bit, then worked on the transitions, then brought him back to the trailer for water. By then, there was only 10 minutes left in the lunch break so I just walked him around. We finally went in for our class and he was perfect! I think all the sudden and frequent transitions kept him focused on me. We didn't break at all in this class! YAY! There were seven people in this class so it was a bit crowded. His transitions were perfect. He never took a bad step or moved form the halt when he wasn't supposed to, or get ansy, or anything. I pretended that we were the only ones in the ring and nobody was watching. It was just me and him. And it paid off! We WON that class! I was so proud!! He got spoiled with treats, got another sponge down, and off we went back home.

So...goals.
-Get there early and let him calm down. Don't rush anything

                     Achieved. Got there around 8:10 and kept it slow and steady.

-In the classes, don't worry about getting him round. That will come with more experience.
                     Definately achieved. I was more focused on keeping him going! lol
-Get him straight in the classes
                    Not achieved. That will come with time.
-Keep my hands UP!
                    Hmm...not really sure. Again, I was more focused on him than me.
-Go through the trail course without any problems
                    Besides me forgetting the course, then him jumping the ground pole, then me pulling him out, achieved!
-Place third or higher in one class
                   Achieved! We won the discipline rail class!

Haskins Show tomorrow!

We didn't thinkl we would be able to go to this show since his coggins reached the year mark at the end of May. However, I contacted the show commitee and they said that since it isn't too outdated, I can still show! So we did some balancing and flexing work today. The ride was maybe 30 min long. It was short, nice, and he was perfect! Which means tomorrow probably won't be good since after he is perfect, he usually bombs for a day or two. Tomorrow I have some goals I want to accomplish:
-Get there early and let him calm down. Don't rush anything
-In the classes, don't worry about getting him round. That will come with more experience.
-Get him straight in the classes
-Keep my hands UP!
-Go through the trail course without any problems
-Place third or higher in one class

I may think of some more and I'll add them to the list tomorrow when I tell you how we did.

The man is all braided and tomorrow I will hose off his legs since he is heel high in mud right now. I'll probably have to redo some of his braids tomorrow morning since he always rubs a few out. 6:00am wake up call!

Wish us luck!

-Em and Jet

100th post! Updates..

This is officially my 100th post! yay!

Yesterday I rode at home and worked on what I did during my lesson on Monday. It is hard to remember to keep my left hand up when nobody is there reminding me. Overall, good ride. He listened, had more wait than go but he tried. I was proud of him and ended it on a good note.

"Jet! Put your ears up!!"

Today I went to Mary-Kate's house to ride (her blog is http://www.doyleskatiet.blogspot.com/!). When we were tacking up, Jet saw the horse-eatting chickens. He didn't spook but he made sure he knew where they were at all times. After we tacked up, we started off in the ring. We did a lot of walking and some trotting. Enough to get them all warmed up and ready to go. I really worked on keeping him straight, keeping his chin centered and keeping an even, slow pace.

Going straight!

Going round for a little bit

Then we  went out to her field (right next to the ring) to do some more trotting, a bit of cantering, and jumping! We set up one crossrail, a half crossrail, and she already set up a haybale jump. I did the crossrail twice in each direction and then the half crossrail three times. He was such a good boy! His ears were up the entire time and he was having fun! I didn't want to over do it so I was happy with the little we did. I got him to trot in and canter out instead of his usually trot over then stop! Yay!

Ears up, knees tucked! He was loving it!

Again, I was so proud!

Katie and Mary-Kate over the crossrail!

My awesome photgraphy skills! Over the haybale!

We then went for a ride around the cranberry bogs. We got toa  straightaway of grass and decided that Mary-Kate and Katie would gallop down first, stop halfway, then I would catch up with them on Jet. as soon as they took off, Jet got all upset and wanted to go. So we went but we had a nice slow canter going behind them! Katie then got scared that Jet was right behind her and took off! I have never seen her gallop so fast! I was waiting for them to slow down to slow Jet down and Mary-Kate was waiting for me to slow down so Katie could slow down. Neither of us knew this because I jsut thought they were galloping so I followed. We ended up going all the way down the straightaway, down a gravel path, then Marykate turned Katie into the tree and we both stopped. We walked them out and went back to her house. We set up some cones as "barrels" and practiced the pattern for the barrel race at Rehoboth Fair. I walked the course once or twice then trotted them and cantered home a few times. He is getting it more and more each time we do it. I really have to balance him around the turns and really slow him down before them to pick him up. It will get better with time. Exacly two weeks until the Rehoboth Fair! I can't wait!

-Em and Jet

Two very different rides

Yesterday, Mom and I went to HHF for a ride. We only went in two of the fields since it was getting dark and the bugs were out. We did a lot of "ring work" in the first field...circles, bending, moving off my leg, half halts, etc. He kept the trot really well and kept a nice tempo. He usually starts off slow, breaks, the goes fast, and so on for the majority of our ride. He actually listened to my seat and legs better than usual. After a while, we went to the seond field and picked up a canter. It was a nice surprise when he kept it the entire long side of the field and most of the way up the hill! We are getting closer and closer to the top of the hill each time we go! We cantered a bit in each direction then did a bit more trot work. He was sweaty so we had a nice gentle walk to cool him out.

Today was my lesson with my aunt. It was really an eye-opener. We worked on lengthening his stride and keeping him straight. I never realized how crooked he moved until he was actually going straight! He leans a lot on my left rein and I, unknowingkly, encourage it and support it by lowering my hand and making it dead weight for him to lean on when he gets unbalanced. This explains why he falls through his corners and turns his head to the outside going to the right. I really have to focus on lifting my left hand and keeping it even with my right hand so I can give him even pressure on both sides of my body. We worked on half-halts and having him wait for my cues. We brought him down to nearly a walk and then pushed his hind end to the front of his body and making him stretch more undreneath himself. This lengthened his stride. Now I have to put it all together at once! We did A LOT of trotting. Pretty much non-stop for 20-30 minutes! He was definately sweating so I cooled him out by walking him around the street then hosing him down. He was sucha  good boy!

Tomorrow the family and I are going to water country! I want to hop on him for a quick ride when we get back so he doesn't get stiff after a hard workout.

-Em and Jet

Back In Work

On Friday, Jet's neck was finally looking almost back to normal. I poked it and he wasn't flinching so I decided to hop on for a ride. I basically got what I expected.

We started out with lots of walking, moving off my leg, and re-establishing what we worked on before. He wanted more rein than usual so I let him stretch out a few more laps than we would do on a normal day. We did lots of circles and changing of directions so we could stretch out both sides of his body. I tightened up my rein and he fought me for a little bit. I would have him connected through the bit for a while but we'd lose it often. I completely exppected this since it was his first ride in a week and his neck was probably still a bit sore. As time went on, he offered to take up more contact and keep it for longer.

Once I was satisfied with the walk, we trotted. It was another fight to get him to trot. He would pick it up, then break, pick it up, then break, and it went on until I got serious with him. It was hot, and he was an idiot when we turned him out earlier, so I knew he wasn't going to be energetic. To the left, he picked it up more easily and collected more. To the right....it was a battle the entire time. He was counterbending, not listening to my aids, and he kept breaking. After a 10 minute battle, we went around the ring a few times when he was actually listening and on the bit. I walked him out and ended it on that. Now that he is going to be ridden regularly again, hopefully these battles will become few and far apart or even nonexistant.

Mom and I are going for a trail ride today at Hobby Horse. I'll probably write more tomorrow!

-Emily and Jet

Ride 7/10/10

On Saturday, Mom and I went for a ride. We tacked up quickly to try to beat the rain. We got on and headed out into the jumping field when we heard thunder. Uggh. So we worked in the jumping field for a while. We did circles, serpetines, etc. He was doing REALLY well! The thunder stopped so we continued onto the trails. We only went in the fields and not out into the woods incase it did start to thunder again (so that way we could just canter back). We did lots of trotting! Elsa was sweaty and Jet was jsut a little warm. We went back to the first field and Mom called it quits. She stood in the middle on Elsa while I cantered around. His canter was AMAZING! We picked it up on a turn but did most of it down the long side of the field. He was sooo good! He was even in a frame! I am not sure how or why but I just let him be where he was most comfortable (I was just happy he was cantering lol!). We went a little bit in each direction before I walked him a bit and gave him lots and lots of praise. Then it happened. The skys opened up on us and the rain came. Oh joy..."Mom, let's go back now." "No! It is fun to ride in the rain!" So we stayed out in the rain and got SOAKED! We did a little bit more cantering then finally went back to the barn, soaking wet. Mom took Elsa in the barn to wash her off. I wanted to see if I could still have Jet focus on me if Elsa left him so I continued to ride. We did a lot of walking, then a little trotting, and then I asked for a canter. Going the the left, he would NOT pick it up. So going the right, his good direction, I told him that if he did a few strides, he would be all done and he would get cookies! He must have understood me because after I said that (we had a few failed attempts before) he picked it up! Was the transition pretty? No. Did we keep it for long? No. But was I proud? You betcha!

Lesson tomorrow! Can't wait to finally get one on him :D

-Emily and Jet

Amazing Day

Today we had an amazing ride! Yesterday too!

Let's start with yesterday...we did A LOT of walking work. I got him to the point where he was collected, round, and moving off my leg for a few strides at a time. I was really proud that we got that since we were doing a lot of trail and hill work and very little work on this recently. We moved up to the trot and I got the same results for a few strides at a time. I had set up a cross rail before and I had promised myself and Jet that if I wanted to jump it, I would have my Mom watch at all times and if she said that something was wrong, I would stop. I called her out and had her watch a few minutes of flat work and then I asked if I could jump. She said, "Sure, I don't see why not!" We popped over it three times in each direction then went on a walk around the street.

Today was even better! We did a lot of walking and circle work again. I think this really helps him get into the grove of things. We wrok for a few minutes then have a break of loose rein stretching, then more work, etc. so he has a breather inbetween. We got going really well today at the trot especially after we....cantered! We went around about twce in each direction and he wanted to go more! He was just so unbalanced that I needed to bring him back. He got all hyped up after the cantering so I had to really bring him back down. He enjoyed it and was a good boy but man...he was really unbalanced. My ring is tiny so he has a hard time in there... I will just stick with bigger rings and trails for cantering right now until he can balance himself. And.... we jumped once each direction over the crossrail. We actually trotted over it like a cavaletti but I wanted him to wait and not rush towards it then throw himself over it. I was very pleased (: We went for another walk around the street then I hosed him off. GREAT day!

Hopefulyl riding with my aunt tomorrow. I'm going to give her a call tomorrow morning and ask if she can help me. *fingers crossed*

I'll post tomorrow after my ride!

-Emily and Jet

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day everyone!

Be safe and have fun!

I will post later about my amazing ride earlier today!

After Pics!

Front Hooves Before

They are different shapes and sizes =/

Front Hooves, side view, before. He has no heel and too much toe!