First Ride on Great Game!

OK—I know am jinxing myself—can feel it—am positive of it—but……

My girl has had a couple of very good days…..Sat brought her in and she was pretty tense and wound tacking her up but once she was outside and she trotted off a few of her nerves(she was under saddle) I hooked up the long reins and she was perfect—trotting circles and reverses–transitions from trot to walk with as much resistance—Sunday mucho mucho better—-I brought her in to tack her up—put the saddle on first as soon as had brushed it off and then after it was on went on with the rest of my brushing and petting and all that fussing around—just staying really relaxed and light with her—she never blinked when the saddle went on and when I was brushing her mane out and her tail out after she just dropped her head and almost went to sleep—she didn’t dance—didn’t even move—just stood totally relaxed almost dozing. She was so quiet that the stable owner actually came down and looked at her gums and nose to see if she looked sick!!!!! She wasn’t of course. We took her out and the ring was frozen hard—she hates the hardpack–drops her head and almost tiptoes over it—she could trot ok—short steps–not tender—but uncomfortable with the footing…but she was perfect—voice command for everything–no rushing–no charging—no repeating myself to get her to change gaits—and she just ambled in to me and stopped when we wanted to change direction…just perfect and soft and relaxed—-so I only kept her on that for a few min and figured lets go to long reins and see —-perfect—-walk—trot—reverses—-took her out to the track and worked her in circles and on the track and changes across the diagonal at walk and trot—called for the halt thru the reins from the trot and she just did it and set up square—and then trotted off from the halt—no pushing or overbearing needed—so I put Patrick back up in the saddle and she took the rein aids without any resistance to walk and halt only—she did crowd right in to stay right next to me despite Patrick making a very weak attempt to steer her out to a wider circle—but that was ok—she was dead calm and perfect.

Soooooooooo…..am thinking take advantage of the hardpack she doesn’t like and work with her a bit more today. She came in with a bit more energy—fussed slightly when the saddle went on—but calmed right down to doze with the patened mane and tail brush….and stayed alert but interested and interactive with me throughout the whole tack process—so didn’t know for sure how she was going to act……anyway—took her out on the lounge and just let her walk a bit–still hating the hardpack—but figured—lets test a bit and see if she is really learning—so without any lounging at anything but a walk which she did wonderful—we skipped the long reins and just went right to Patrick being up……her eyes got a bit larger and slightly tense along with her ears half cocked instead of totally relaxed—but she stayed good and listening—so I started to have Patrick take firmer hold on the reins and lead out out away from me whether she wanted to or not—-and she totally complied—-so then we went to walking thru some reverses and on the track and cirsle—all at the walk but all pretty far from me—and I kept her on the loounge—just in case—but Patrick really managed her….and she just went like a dream. Enuf of this am thinking—so had Patrick come into the middle of the ring and get off.

Great Game - First Ride!

Son Patrick got the first ride but then Chuck got on his horse – finally!

And I got up —-Finally!!!!———eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee haaaaa

She was still a bit tense with me being up instead of on the ground with her—and Patrick wasn’t really paying the closest of attn–just sort of ambling along—-so I didn’t ask for much—but got up—walked her around a bit–circles and halts and turns etc…..Lord but she is a big horse!!!!! after a few min of me being up and talking to her and patting her while we walked a bit she seemed to relax to the idea that I was up instead of beside her and was even better for me than Patrick. Patrick and I chatted a bit about how he was and he said he sort of zoned out while I was up and just kind of walked along without really paying to much attn to her—which if she chooses to get nervous leaves him way behind in helping me deal with her—and I don’t want to start fussing with her and control issues from her back—so I may be limited a bit as to how much I can get up—I can protect him from the ground but am sort of flying on my own if I am up….but it’s a start—-and was a LOT more fun than simply walking a horse should have been—lol lol. I have only been on one other horse with her combination of size and bulk and that was a stallion named Cabaret at HilltopĀ years ago—it was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy cool. So—I am still grinning—and probably have jinxed myself big—but she is doing exactly what I had hoped for—-so am crossing my fingers it keeps up…..Merrrrrrrrryyyyyyyy