Monday, February 1, 2010

Awwww

It's Izzy's one year-anniversary of being with me. We kind of celebrated yesterday; the weather was super crappy (snowing and mud, yay!) so we tried out some new stuff. I introduced her to side reins on the lunge line. We just did a little walk/trot stuff with the reins as loose as they would go. I don't plan to use them regularly, but I figured she might as well know what they are. She was completely unphased by them, which was nice.

Then we switched it up a bit. That's right folks: we tried ground driving together. It was very interesting. I knew it would be challenging, but I had an almost-impossible time keeping the lines more or less the same length. Thankfully, Izzy was quiet and responsive, even if I couldn't really get her to talk a straight line. She wasn't even slightly bothered when the lines rubbed her rump or anything. What a good girl! I figure this is something we can keep working on when it's too messy to ride.

I wish I had something sweet and wonderful to say, but I don't really. I love my pony, and I think she's great. I love her temperament and her cute face and her silly personality. She gorgeous and athletic, and I can't wait to show her off this summer. She's come a really long ways in a year; one year ago we were working on things like leading that had been overlooked in her elementary years.

Today, I was able to take her to the Doom Bubble by herself, lunging quietly, work her through her spooks under saddle, and walk, trot, and canter both ways with minimal resistance. Lovely girl.

I do have some pictures from yesterday. Look for them later this week.

7 comments:

  1. You've made an enormous amount of progress with her in the year! When I ground drive, I let the lines drag behind me on either side - it makes it easier to shorten and lengthen, as you don't have to worry about loops.

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  2. You know, sometimes, just being content is the best relationship possible. Having a quiet and confident relationship with your horse takes a long time to develop. Every moment together will not be magic, but over time, your perception of magic will change and you will realize it's there absolutely every moment of the time you spend with your incredible partner.

    Happy anniversary!

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  3. I think that long lining takes a lot of practice. Not so much because they're difficult but more because we expect them to be. Once that trepidation about using them goes, the whole process seems to get much better.

    They can be such a great tool. It's well worth the effort put into learning to use them correctly.

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  4. Happy Anniversary!
    I find that if I pretend that I am riding the horse when I long line, it helps me keep everything together. If I concentrate on keeping my back straight, elbows at my sides and thumbs on top, everything else sort of falls into place. And don't forget to keep it fun, laughing at yourself when you mess up keeps you from transferring your frustrations to the horse. It makes people think you're crazy......but at least you're crazy and having fun!

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  5. Aww..happy one year! :)
    Looking forward to more pictures. Long lining..jesus haven't even attempted that yet, but sure it's in store for us. I get tangled in my longe line, lol!

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  6. Wow, you two have come a long way in a year! Congrats. :-D
    And long-lining -- wow, good on ya for giving it a go. I would most likely end up an entangled ball of lines being dragged behind a galloping pony!

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  7. Congrats girl. You and Izzy should be proud of yourselves and your partnership.

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