My hope is that this spring and summer I will be able to get a regular riding routine down. Every time the weather starts to get warmer I start to think about all the things I will do. So I am hoping that it won't just be thoughts in my head but a reality.
I want to ride at least 3 times a week and try and work with my horses every week day. I hope I can do it.
How do you work riding into your busy schedule, especially when the days are short and cold? Between, school, church, keeping my home from falling apart, very cold weather and just plain tiredness from all the before mentioned, I find it a challenge to get out and ride as much as I should. I know-I know, real cowgirls just cowgirl up, but I, especially, am not found of the cold. It zappsthe motivation right out of me. Besides, as much as I wish I was as tough as a cowgirl, in reality I am a city girl who was blessed enough to escape to the country some 20 years ago. I've only owned horses for 10 years come this summer. So-well-cowgirl upping doesn't work for me.
Anyway, I would love to hear from everyone.I would really, really like to hear from my fellow equestrians in the cold states. Call me a wimp, but I am really tired of 30 degree weather. No amount of reminding myself that "its winter-get over it", is helping.
I guess I should have made this one of my goals for this year, cause I would really like to get over this hurdle.
You don't know how excited I am to hear that grannycowgirl was interested in taking the 30 minute a day challenge. My friend and I have been challenging eachother to work with our horses everyday (weekends optional) and record our progress in a horse journal since August of 2007. We haven't always been able to work with our horses but it's much easier to get back on track when we have someone doing it with you.
Every time we work with our horses we send eachother an email journal. I have been having a great time reading her emails and knowing that she is reading mine keeps me writing them.
So today will be the first time I am record my horse journal on the Horse Approved community. Sometimes my posts will be very boring and short but the point is to keep up with the challenge and hopefully encourage others to do the same.
Today will be one of the boring posts but I will try and make it as interesting as possible.
First a little background:
My horse is a 13 year old Standardbred that I got about 5 years ago from a friend. She was given to me and I is one of the best gifts I have ever received (besides my husband and children). She was a little bit a spoiled horse when I first got her but had a lot of potential for become a great partner.
One of the things I have had to work a lot on with her is not being so P-ed off all the time. She didn't like to be touched, cinched and hated other horses. After going to a Pat Parelli conference my entire training technique changed and we have both really benefited from it. She no longer pins her ears back when I touch her but actually enjoys it. She still doesn't like to be cinched but seems to be taking it better now and I found her and my gelding playfully bitting eachother on the withers not long ago.
Ok for the Horse Journal:
Today I had very little time and didn't think I was going to get my 30 minutes in. I had to got to the grocery store kind of late and thought I might not get home before dark but I did. I didn't have much light left so I had to work fast.
I gave her a quick groom down since she was muddy from the rain the night before. I then lunged her in the little circle I made during the summer. I use a rope halter for all training and sometimes riding. She responds very well to a rope halter.
There is a paved road that is parallel to my property and it has a decent hill. I sometime run up the hill with her. Well, we usually stop "trotting" about half way and walk the rest. It's a decent hill so we are both huffing and puffing at the top. Today when we got to the top of the hill we spotted a deer. That was a nice treat because I don't see many deer at the bottom of the hill where my house is.
We we got back down the hill I decided to ride her bareback. I often do this when I have a limited amount of time or to lazy to put on the saddle. Riding bareback has improved my seat a balance much more than I thought it would. I also have been able to use the rope halter as a bridle. She responds very well to a rope halter.
At this point I am not that conifent trotting or cantering bareback so I have been slowly working up to that. Each time I work on it I am a little better. The fact that I don't have an area good for riding as much to do with my lack of confidence. There are squirel holes and uneven ground I have to deal with when riding on my property. But I try anyway.
So that was about it and I think I just got my 30 minutes in. It was a good day!
Hi all,
Things are going well with the Horse Approved community. I posted about how I have a challenge to work with my horses for 30 minutes a day and journal about it. Here is the link to that post > 30 Minute a Day Challenge
I recieved some good response about this challenge so I decided to create a group for those interested in this challenge for themselves. Join the group and record what you did with your horse on your blog. Adding picutres would also be a great addition to your horse journal.
My friend and I usually title our journals "Horse Journal". We also include the dates we are jouranling about.
Ground tying is an important aspect in trailriding. That was the major thing I worked on today with my American Saddlebred, Chessy Reba. I'm not sure my method was correct, but she did quiet well. With halter and lead rope on, we went through some simple things she has known for years, walk, whoa, back, following my turns on a loose lead. Then I dropped the lead rope, said whoa, stand, and walked backwards a few feet. Each time I added a few more steps, and eventually made a big circle away from her. Does anyone have some more tips or another method?
I probably spent an hour and a half with Reba today, I couldn't stop with thirty minutes. I had planned to ride, but plans got changed. It was a beautiful day here in Mississippi. We also worked on refreshing her memory of turning on the haunches from the ground. She enjoyed the relaxing grooming between sessions. GREAT DAY!!!