Fun with Skittles after 3 months off

It's taken me a while to clean all the dust off that's accumulated on this blog since I last added an entry, but here we go!

I spent about 3 hours at RafterXX with Skittles today.  I took Holly and a friend of hers and met Tamara there with Toby and Spy.  It's been about 2 1/2 months since I've done anything with my horses (besides playing/sitting on them in the pasture).  Time to get back in the saddle - literally!  But on the bright side, I've been spending time getting back into shape --- a long, arduous journey!

One very key lesson I learned from Johnathan Field last year is - when you are asking something of your horse - BE SPECIFIC.  Especially when they're learning. That was what I focused on with Skittles today.  After letting her explore and sniff all the poo and obstacles and things, I decided to ask her to jump a barrel. I've asked her to jump 2 barrels lying on the ground (end to end) before, and that's never been a problem.  Today I just laid one barrel down and asked her to jump it.  It actually took about 15 minutes because it was way easier for her to dart around rather than over, so there was lots of stopping, backing up, and re-aligning her in front of the barrel.  She finally did jump over it and I let her stand there on the other side for quite a while to think about it.  The second attempt did not take as long.

After that, I worked on sideways (without the wall)... she's amazing at that, then did some circling.  By this time Tamara had arrived with Toby and Spy.  My daughter and her friend were with me, so they immediately started playing with Toby.  Tamara helped me out a bit with softening Skittles on the circle.  She doesn't have much flexion around the bend at all and virtually none at her poll (she turns at the shoulder).  So Tamara suggested trying some of Jonathan's shaping circle with her.  She had a tough time with that, but we did get a couple good bends and I left it at that.  I asked Tamara to watch me ask Skittles into the canter on the circle because I've been having trouble with keeping her in the canter (as soon as I stop asking, she stops cantering).  However, today she actually cantered fairly easily and actually cantered a few strides after I stopped asking before breaking to a trot.  Tamara just told me to keep up doing what I was doing and ask her to stop after a quarter of a lap, then a half a lap, then  a full lap etc until she can maintain the canter until I ask her to stop... which was what I was trying to do, but before she'd always stop before I asked, so I had to keep after her to maintain the canter.  Anyway... hopefully she'll be able to keep it up.  It's the same problem I have with Gypsy -- although Gypsy's problem is more about being ABLE to canter in a circle (i.e. balance issues).

OK, I started typing this on Friday, and it's now Monday.... I need to stay focused!

After all that, I tried practicing mounting from the ground (asking her to lower her head, jump on her neck and swing up on her back).  She was very patient, but I have virtually no vertical and every time I managed to jump on her neck, she'd swing her head away from me and I'd slide off.  So I gave up for now (maybe I should practice my vertical before attempting it with my horse -- spare her from my flailing around on her neck!).  Instead I stood up on the cavaletti and hopped on her back that way.  I tied a savvy string around her neck to see if she'd listen to that pressure to turn and stop. I still had the  halter and lead to correct her if she didn't listen too.  She did respond correctly a few times, but then she didn't just as many other times, and I had to use the lead to correct her.  It was a good start though... I think I'll keep trying with that.  I think I'll use the bridle next time since it'll be a quicker correction that the lead (i.e. I don't have to worry about flipping it to another side before correcting). 

I put the saddle on shortly after for a short riding session.  Tried to get a soft, round circle at the trot.  It was mostly soft - except on the side closest to the door where she tended to drift and constantly needed correcting. She corrected well enough, but I never did get a full circle without the correction.  She was starting to warm up at this point and since it was so cool outside, I didn't want her working up a sweat.  So I left it at that and worked on sideways over a cavaletti.  Last year she's was very claustrophobic with anything under her (she wouldn't stand quietly with something under her.... she had to move away).  On Friday though, she stood perfectly fine with the cavaletti under her and then moved very nicely sideways off of it.  Initially I started with her stepping over the cavaletti, then moving sideways off it.  Then I tried asking her to start sideways beside it - then over it.  She had a fair bit of trouble with that at first, but we stuck with it and she figured it.  Once she understood what I was asking she settled right down and did it flawlessly! 

I was very proud of her and all the try she gave me Friday.  After riding her I asked her to put her front foot inside a hoola-hoop.  She didn't have much trouble with that, but when I asked her to put a hind foot in the hoop, she did have trouble with that.  Lots of forward/back/sideways to get her to put a hind foot in there.  After about 10 minutes or so though, she managed to get it.  Then it was the tarp.  She still really struggles with tarps and probably will for a while - so I have to keep at it until it's no more scary than grass.  I had brought the tarp into the middle of the arena right after we arrived, but ignored it most of the time -- it was just there to move over or around as she felt she needed.  I didn't avoid it, but I didn't ask her not to either - it was just there.  Anyway, at the end I did ask her to step on it.  It took a few minutes, but she did step her front feet on it.  Back feet - again - were an issue, but with patience and persistence she did manage to step her back feet on as well.  And we left it at that.  It was a pretty successful day considering I haven't done anything with her since probably Oct/Nov last year!