Teenage horse

Well since last posting I have been incredibly busy and by the time evening rolls around I am too tired to be able to form a decent thought. Welcome to summer where we don't eat supper most nights until after eight. The weather here has been fantastic and have been making the most of being able to be outside.

Sunday I saddled up Prettygirl and took her out for a bit. The last couple of times that I have ridden her she tries to buck me off. The first time I thought that maybe I had pinched her when cinching (hey that rhymes) so I loosened it, then re-tightend and it seemed like she was better so I thought I had that problem fixed. But the next time out she did the same thing and I had taken my time and made sure it wasn't pinching or wasn't too tight. I think she is going through the teenager stage as she is even challenging Mystery quite a bit. Everyone tells me this is normal in a green horse and to just keep with it.

I have been trying to learn the art of lunging. Let me say this, IT ISN'T AS EASY AS IT LOOKS! The first time I tried it with her I had her so confused and she was bolting away from me. Nothing organized and smooth at all with the way I was doing it. I couldn't seem to maneuver the lunge line so that it worked. Finally towards the end of the first session I had her moving around not at all smooth but moving all the same. I got so dizzy that I thought I was going to pass out so did a few circles in the opposite direction and called it a day.

The next time I saddled her up we tried the lunging thing again and she really seemed to catch on to what I was asking her to do. I had her in a much tighter circle as well. I finally figured out how to move the line between my hands so that I could signal her to go in one direction then switch and send her in the opposite direction. It got so that as soon as I would switch the line between my hands she would move in the direction I wanted her to go. I worked on backing her up and leading and reinforcing Whoah. Will just keep at it I guess and between us maybe we will muddle through it.

Today I brought the saddle out grabbed the halter to go catch her(she is amusing when she sees the saddle she turns away from me and wanders off), so I had just started walking towards her and my cell phone rang. It was Al and they were going to move some cattle and asked if I would come and help. It was funny to watch Prettygirls face when I took the saddle out of the corral and left, she stood there with a what's up face.

Moving cows is always fun and today it was just a matter of moving a small herd of new Moms with babes to a new pasture. Boy those calves are absolutely adorable and some of them have such personality. Once we got the main group moved they had to go back and get a few babies that had stayed behind. My job was to stay and watch the opening to make sure no one left the new pasture. There were two calves that kept sneaking up to the opening and I would chase them back and then walk away and sure enough when I looked back they were sneaking up to the opening again so I would have to go shoo them back in. I got a really good laugh out of how determined they were but they finally gave up and wandered off to find Mom.

When I got home from helping I went back out and it took me awhile to catch her, then had to catch Mystery as well. I spent some time grooming Mystery and talk about jumpy and tense.! I think the last hoof trimming session has set her back quite a few months. I guess I will just go slow and try to build up her confidence in me again.
I was the one to put the hood over her head before her back feet got trimmed and I think she is blaming me for it.

I then groomed Prettygirl and saddled her up and just worked at getting on her, then off, and repeated this until she stood still while getting on. I figure I will go to the basics with her so I made this session more about learning not to be so jumpy when getting saddled and to stand still while getting on and off. She had started a bad habit of moving out while I was trying to get on her. The session ended on a positive note.

Tomorrow I am going to saddle her up lunge her a bit then work in the small corral with her before getting on again. I think I need to do more ground work with her first.

I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning out the far end of the corral. I am embarrassed to say we haven't done the far end since spring last year so needless to say it was a three hour job. After the 20th wheel barrel I lost count, it is clean now so will have less obstacles to worry about while working with her in there.

Well I am going to go move my tired butt into my nice soft chair and rest these weary old bones. Probably won't be able to move in the morning.