Obstacle courses and more trail rides!

Since my last post, Candy participated in an obstacle competition! She was actually pretty willing to try all the obstacles, and any she didn't (like the cowboy curtain), we went back and worked on them after the show and completed them successfully. All obstacle course photos are courtesy of Bryan Pittman of Sliver of Time Photography.

Through the hay ring

Not wanting to walk through the cowboy curtain at first

Picking our way through the deadfall

Walking over the tire

Walking over the teeter-totter

We've also been on several trail rides and transitioned to riding in the bit full-time. She's now been to Pinnacle (Pilot Mountain, NC) twice (Ray cantered her on the trail today and was all smiles!), and Grayson Highlands/Mt. Rogers, where we encountered the feral ponies. It was a sweet moment when a young pony approached Candy and greeted her with the classic opening/closing of her mouth. Candy would have adopted her in a minute.

Feral ponies of Grayson Highlands

Candy meets "Brooke", a curious two-year-old

From a training perspective, Candy went through a little bit of a rebellious stage, which normal in a green horse. However, it's extremely important to get to "yes" (with confidence and without nagging) during this period, or you will end up with a horse that likes to argue and wants to be the primary decision-maker. I've also been working with Ray on his cues and timing while he is riding and he is learning a lot as well!

I cannot emphasize enough how important rhythm is to training horses. It is comforting as well as encouraging when encountering obstacles or working on gaits. I learned about the comfort of rhythm through my hoof care business (Nature's Path). Most horses actually seem sedated after I trim them (in fact, I've been falsely accused of sedating horses). I realized that the smooth, consistent, steady rhythm of the rasp is what comforts and calms them. Sudden or jerky movements in your hands, legs and the rest of your body will have the opposite effect when handling or riding horses.

Bridling Up!

We worked on the bridling issue today; it's now been a week since Candy had her wolf teeth pulled and teeth floated. It didn't take much (approach and retreat) and she was grabbing for the bit. I could barely touch the corner of her mouth initially, so we started there. It took about 15 minutes to have her bridling up nicely.

I used a Myler Comfort Snaffle (actually, it is Cherokee's bridle), which is actually much milder than the traditional snaffle bit in my opinion. She also quickly translated softness from the bosal to the bit. I hopped on, and she headed out of the driveway and down the road. I have never known a horse to NOT like going back to the hitching post and wanting to go on another trail ride instead. I mean, it's just so traumatizing to have to stand at a hitching post and get brushed, loved on, and eat cookies. ;)

Candy's Second Off-Site Trail Ride

Yesterday, Ray rode Candy on her second off-site trail ride for a total of around 15 miles around Pilot Mountain, NC (for those of you familiar with the area, we rode the Corridor Trail and then down to the river). The perpetual smile on Ray's face was unmistakable, and the best reward ever for me! She handled well for him and could easily be mistaken for an old trail veteran.

Candy confidently led most of the ride, and stopped to stare at a few things but never refused. There were also numerous creek crossings that were not an issue. I love that she likes to stop and study unfamiliar obstacles before passing or crossing them - you can almost see the wheels turning in her mind. I let him use my Billy Cook Wade saddle on her, and not only did it fit her (and Ray) extremely well, it looked amazing on her. She's also being ridden in a soft bosal, and remains extremely soft in the bridle.

If I am remembering correctly, this is Candy's eighth ride out of the arena.

One of many creek crossings

Spotted Wonder Butts

No caption needed!

Up, up, up

Candy taking the lead at Uwharrie

A lot has happened since our last update. Candy has been on three more trail rides. Her second ride was at home, but to areas she had never seen before. She went out with one of Ray's other horses, Sunny. However, Sunny is not much of a leader and Candy didn't mind forging ahead. It was a test to see if we could find anything that spooked or bothered her before the big 4-hour ride the next day. We went past the dog obstacle (four bouncing, barking border collies), down the side of a road and had a few vehicles pass, through deep mud, and even trotted and loped a little. She was amazing and it was as if she had already been there, done that. And she absolutely loved leading the ride. I really enjoyed watching her look around and take it all in, and her unique "chugga-chugga" walking style that you could ride all day.

Taking a break at the cabin

The next day, we rode in the Uwharrie Gamelands (near Denton, NC) with a total of seven riders. It was a large group for a green horse, but Candy was a superstar and at the front of the group almost the entire time. Several times, another rider would trot or canter up behind us, or trot off in front of us, and Candy just kept on chugging along. We took a break at a beautiful cabin and she stood tied for about an hour and rested. Afterwards, we chugged on back to our friend's house (taking a different route), and Candy led much of the way back. I think she would also have been okay in the back of the group, but her curiosity and desire to please was enough to allow her some leeway. She absolutely loves the trails!

Say "Aaaaaah"

Yesterday, the equine dentist was out and found two upper wolf teeth and some sharp hooks in Candy's mouth. The wolf teeth were pulled, so in about a week, we will start work with the bit. I plan to use a Myler Comfort Snaffle to start with. I like that these bits are not broken in the middle, so they won't pinch the tongue or point into the roof of the mouth. The sides, however, allow independent movement through a special joint in the enter of the mouthpiece, so you can be very precise if you want to just lift a shoulder without twisting the bit and interfering with the opposite side of the mouth. I hate to see a gaping mouth, even in a green horse, because that means they are fighting discomfort and probably not focused on what is being asked of them. Anyway, if I hadn't mentioned it before, Candy is afraid of leather bridles. Even my leather halter freaks her out a little when I try to put it on her (as opposed to a rope halter). I don't know where this comes from, but we have now eliminated any dental issues and can focus on the behavioral aspects.

Today, Ray took Candy on their first trail ride together. She was outstanding and I was tickled to see that she responded to him just as well as she responds to me. I have been teaching Ray the "buttons" I have installed, and he is doing extremely well with her. There were two other horses on this ride: Nellie (the original Spotted Wonder Horse), and Rio, a Tennessee Walking Horse. I noticed while we were riding that Candy was in heat. I guess that won't be a problem for her because her temperament remained as steady as it has always been!

Until next time... Happy trails!

Candy's First Trail Ride

Checking out the creek, which we then crossed quietly.

Yesterday, I cantered Candy for the first time in the arena. It took a little encouragement to get her out of the trot, but we finally got the canter and it was so smoooooooth! Now that I can move her head, shoulders, and hind end easily and softly, as well as back up and whoa, I felt today was the perfect time for her first trail ride.

With her buddy, Rio

Despite blustery wind, barking dogs, and a love affair with Rio, the Walking Horse that she was trotting to keep up with, the ride could not have gone any better. There was slight hesitation crossing the creek, but we crossed it twice (both ways) beautifully. There were lots of "monsters" on the trail as well, including concrete and metal pipes hiding in the woods, and she wanted to go investigate everything (even at the expense of leaving Rio for a moment).

Ray's first ride on Candy

You might be wondering why Candy isn't wearing a bit yet. I put one on her, with much difficulty and approach/retreat methods, a few weeks ago. While she tolerated it okay, she seemed more uncomfortable than I would have expected (especially bending to the right). The equine dentist (www.taylormadeteeth.com) is coming on Monday, so I decided to hold off on using a bit until we either know her teeth are okay, or after the problem is fixed. I have observed her eating and noticed she mostly chews on one side, which may indicate dental issues. So, rather than give her a potentially painful experience the first time she is expected to carry a bit and expect her to tolerate it and potentially become resentful, we'll just wait and see what Dr. Taylor says. I was told she had worn a snaffle before, but even a leather halter going on her head freaks her out a bit. She also didn't like the corners of her mouth touched, but we've worked on that and now she is tolerating it.

Overall, I continue to be very happy with Candy's progress! Ray seems pretty tickled, too. :)

More Riding and Creek Crossing

Bending and flexing: she is so soft!

Every time I work with Candy, she gets better. It sounds like such a simple statement, but many horses go through a regression/rebellious stage at some point in their training. This stage is valuable information and reminds us to back up and give a horse mental breaks. It's their way of letting us know that we might be getting a little too eager to progress too quickly.

A willing attitude

Understanding an individual horse's attention span and especially knowing when to stop, is paramount to maintaining a good relationship and not losing the horse's desire to learn and be with people. At the same time, you don't want to "tiptoe" around what might offend the horse. It's important to learn the subtle signs of mental fatigue early on, back up to a good stopping point, and remember these signs for future sessions. Repetitive mental fatigue can be just as damaging as running a horse into the ground until they are tired and will tolerate just about anything. A willing partner is much more desirable than a resentful slave. I vowed in the beginning to maintain Candy's willing attitude and I think I've been successful so far.

Clover party!

Today, we rode around the arena on a loose rein, practicing softness and isolating the hindquarters. We worked a little on the whoa and back-up, then took a walk to a field of lush clover as a reward. Candy is a workaholic, and didn't realize that we were there solely for her personal enjoyment at first, but she came around quickly and enjoyed a nice snack.

Playing in the creek

We then walked to the creek for the first time, and Ray pointed his finger and after one or two snorts, Candy crossed calmly. I am so proud of her! Finally, as we headed back to the barn, I hopped on and rode the rest of the way back. There were lots of things that many horses would spook at along this trail (a large sewer pipe with "legs", a pile of metal parts and pieces, and concrete pipes, to name a few). She walked calmly past all of these obstacles without as much as a raised eyebrow.

Candy Update

Since my last post, I've had a really good training session and a mediocre one.

The really good one was yesterday. We rode around the arena, wove in and out of cones, and developed a go forward cue. She was hyped up at the beginning of the session, but by the end, she was calm and responsive, and very soft bending and steering through the cones.

Today, things started out well but I think she lost interest about halfway through and got bored. There wasn't much riding due to some groundwork issues and some slight regression, but that is to be expected during the training process of a green horse. We all have good days and challenging days. I did end the session on a good note and she will get tomorrow off other than petting and brushing.

Interestingly, she's become the boss mare of the pasture as she was at her previous home. Boy, can she run and I am amazed at the athletic ability of this mare. I might just have to borrow her for an obstacle race or two!