I Love Clicker Training

I Love Clicker Training 

I have continued riding Trifecta on short rides in the arena followed by riding him down the hill to the river and back.  He has been doing it pretty well, but he still gets so excited when we leave the barn.  He isn't worried about things--just excited he is going out and about.  He just loves it out in the big world.  Someday, he will be the most wonderful trail horse because of his eager attitude.  Right now, it makes things tough for me.

The biggest drawback to that is that he tends to go really fast.  I love a fast walk.  That's not the problem.  The problem is that there are two very short and steep slopes on our hill and gravity gets the better of him.  He tries to fly down them with his legs completely out of control.  Once, he started to trot when he was close to the bottom, and he was difficult to stop.

I have tried using walk/whoa transitions, and that helped a lot to keep him from getting too much momentum, but it was still a struggle.  He just couldn't understand that I needed him to slow down.

I have been on this road before.  Both Cruiser and Cole had a lot of trouble going down steep hills.  (Dante used to live in the mountains and never had a problem.)  Where I used to ride Cruiser in his early days, there were several very long, steep hills.  I ended up just riding up and down, over and over with him and he learned his lesson.

I did something similar with Cole, but I did it with clicker training and on a lead rope.  It took one lesson of up and down, over and over and he learned quite well.  

I tried that with Trifecta last fall, and he was just impossible.  I was never able to slow him down enough for him to earn a treat, and he just exhausted me.  I gave up.  He wasn't much better this summer when I was leading him before I began riding him.  I just struggled.

He did better once I started to ride him down the hill because I had more control from the saddle, but he never walked slow--just better.  That is, until last week.  I was riding him down the first slope and he broke into a trot.  While I was trying to stop him, he decided cantering was a better idea.  That wouldn't have been so bad, except he headed for the cliff.  I got him to turn back on the trail, but we got way, way too close.  He really scared me.

As scared as I was, I knew just what needed to be done.  We had to do it again and again until we got it right.  I was willing to spend all afternoon.  Eventually, he would get demoralized enough that he would slow down and get a click.  Ellen agreed.  To be on the safe side, she hooked the lead rope up to him.  I rode him back up the slope, turned him around to go down and he immediately walked slow.  Of course, I clicked him and gave him his treat.  We continued down the slope; clicking and treating the whole way.  He walked like a gentleman, and we were able to show him that that is what we wanted.  When we got to the bottom, we turned around and did it again.  This time, I had him walk a few more steps between clicks.

Did he offer to go slower because he was demoralized?  I really don't think so.  When we have turned him around to go back down the hill in the past, he would go slower, but not that much slower.  I think that he slowed down because the whole event scared him, too.  He didn't want to leave Ellen who was walking slowly next to him--and then came all the clicks and treats!

The next test was steep slope #2.  This one is longer and goes around a corner.  He always had a harder time with it, but since it was at the bottom of the hill, there was no cliff to go over.  On my very first request, he stepped down the hill at a slow speed.  I did multiple clicks and treats.  When we got to the bottom, I rewarded him by riding down the the end of the trail.  He did want to go to the river, but I made him pass up the exit ramp.

We turned around and went back to the slope.  We then practiced it 2 times, and he was perfect.  I increased the steps between clicks again.  We were going to practice slope #1 again, but there were a lot of vehicle noises coming from a nearby house that startled him.  I decided I would do better by leading him home through it, and I was right.  I didn't feel like remounting when I got to the slope, and we just went straight home.

The next day I rode him, I knew what I had to do.  We had to go back to the hill and try it again.  The weather is getting questionable, and I didn't know if I would have another day in the near future to reinforce his lesson.  I must confess, I was a little nervous about it--and Ellen was, too.  Still, it needed to be done whether we were nervous or not.

There was no reason to be nervous.  Trifecta is a genius.  He remembered his lesson and remembered it well.  He walked down both slopes like a gentleman.  I continued to click and treat him for it--I want him to remember it well.  Trifecta is a good boy.  If he knows what I want, he usually will try his best to do it.  My problem all along was that I couldn't find a way to show him what I wanted from him.  

We did just one trip down the hill without re-doing the steep slopes.  He was so good that he didn't need to practice them.  Now, if it rains for the next 2 weeks, I will feel confident that even if he doesn't remember what we want right away, it won't be that hard to remind him.

Willow Bend

Willow Bend

It was time to challenge Trifecta a little more.  We would ride to Willow Bend.  It is the name of a picnic area across the street from the bridle path and a perfect goal.  Round trip would be about 2 miles.  This time, we enlisted Kevin's help.  He would ride Starry with me.  Once we got across the river, Ellen would be on the other side to join us.

Before all of this, we took Cole and Dante out for their ride.  All along, I was noticing things that might worry Trifecta.  How would he be with the cars when we were close to the road?  What about over by Cougar Rock where the road and the paved bike trail is above us?  That bothered him in the past.  What if something noisy comes down the road?

When we got back from our ride, Kevin was there waiting for us.   I saddled up Trifecta and tested him out in the arena for a few minutes.  I don't need to lounge him before riding, but I do like to see how his mood is.  All seemed normal, so I told Kevin we were ready to go.

Kevin mounted Starry in the arena who then refused to go out the door.  He doesn't like to lead.  I led Trifecta, and Starry slowly followed.  This is Starry's slow time of year.  When there are a lot of bugs, he is a different horse, but after the frost, he likes to just meander.

I led Trifecta down the street, and Starry lagged behind us.  I pictured Trifecta following Starry to help with his confidence down the hill, since Ellen wouldn't be there, but we were basically on our own.  I mounted up and away we went.  Trifecta was so excited!  We had to keep stopping to let Starry catch up, but he might as well learn that lesson now.  When we got down to the river, he was a little worried about a loose dog and the man yelling for the dog to come back.  I was glad to see Ellen there to run interference.  Trifecta saw Ellen, and he flew across the river-- much too fast.  I tried to stop him, but he just ignored me.  

We waited for Starry to cross, and then Trifecta just marched down the trail.  Ellen was a little nervous, so she attached his lead rope and walked next to us.  The first part of the trail goes along a fence that is next to the paved bike trail which is next to the street.  I stopped him for each car that came by so he could watch it and see the leaves that the cars blew along the road.  Last year, he had a really bad spook caused by just that.  I am happy to say there was no spooking--just looking.

At that is basically the theme of the whole ride--looking.  He was fascinated by everything--particularly logs.  Oddly, there was a small log across the trail, and he wasn't fascinated by that at all.  He just stepped right over it without even pausing to sniff it.

Kevin would trot Starry up to us when he got too far behind--Trifecta was so excited that he was walking really fast and Starry didn't want to work that hard.  I don't know how Ellen kept up.  She kept the lead rope on just in case, but we didn't need it.  The Cougar Rock section of the trail was uneventful except for a newly cut log by the side of the trail.  He couldn't take his eyes off that, but he did pass it with no drama.

Finally, we made it to Willow Bend and turned around.  Starry came towards us, and Trifecta's head went way up in the air and his eyes got really big.  We think he forgot Kevin and Starry were behind us.  Starry passed us up so that he didn't have to lead, and we headed home.

Trifecta always settles down on the way home.  Whether it is because things aren't as novel or he is tired, I don't know.  At least it gave Ellen a break.  Starry still plodded along, and we stopped to let him catch up multiple times.  When we got to the river, Ellen unhooked us and let us go alone.  She did walk with us down the river bank.  He went a little fast, but I was able to stop him at the bottom.  I also made a point of stopping him as he was crossing the water.  That slowed him down, and he crossed much better than on the way out.  I thought he would rush up the river bank on the other side, but he walked halfway up and stopped when he didn't see Ellen.  I gently urged him to continue and we made it to the top and turned around to watch Starry.  I was concerned that his splashing might startle Trifecta--as it did with Cole on his early rides, but he was fine.

I was hoping that Starry would take the lead up the hill, but he refused, so Trifecta led on the way up, too.  He walked up the hill better than  he ever has--and I am sure this time it was because he was tired.  At the top, we met Ellen who had driven back to the barn and we went home all smiles.  For his first real trail ride, he was just wonderful!

Crossing the River

Crossing the River

I hadn't tried crossing the river with Trifecta since the day that he didn't want to go up the river bank.  We spent our time practicing the hill.  It has been really interesting doing the hill with him.  He wasn't very coordinated on the early rides.  I guess going up steep slopes with me on his back made him awkward.  For the most part, he would rush wherever it was steep.  

One day, Ellen, who has been walking with us, got the idea to tell him to put his head down when going up the steeper slopes.  He had been going up with his head way up in the air like an Alpaca.  As we walked up the hill, Ellen stooped over and pointed to the ground with both her hands.  My genius baby figured out right away what she wanted and put his head down.  I immediately felt him re-balance himself.  He went up slower and used his hindquarters--it was awesome!  Ellen continued to do that for the next few rides, and he followed her lead.  He now understands that it is an easier way to travel up a steep slope.  

We accidentally found out a way to slow him down when he goes downhill.  One ride, Ellen just started petting his neck, and he didn't want to walk fast and leave her.  We did that for several rides and it helped him learn to get control of his legs.  He can now walk down the steep sections on his own much better--though there is still room for improvement. 

We have added a new hill game that we call "Demoralization."  That is where we do more than one trip.  I don't think it demoralizes him at all, but the first time we did it, he was very confused.  He refused to go back down.  I didn't make a big deal about it.  I just kept gently asking him to walk.   When he did, I clicked and treated him.  I asked him again and he readily took some steps forward--and I clicked again.  After that, we just walked down the hill.  He did go slower and more relaxed on his second trip.  Each time we play this game, we go up the hill a little further before turning around.  

Finally, after demoralization, Ellen suggested I try crossing again.  Remember the last time when we crossed and he decided he didn't want to go up the river bank?  Well, since we had the time and he was doing so well, I decided to give it a try.  I would be solo since the water was too cold for Ellen to cross and there was no one on the other side to meet him.

I rode down to the river and let him look at the water.  He went to take a drink, but grabbed a fallen leaf instead.  After that, he just wanted to catch leaves.  (I have been having a lot of trouble with Cole trying to catch the leaves as they float down the river, too.)  I wouldn't let him put his head back down.  We just stood by the water's edge.  After about a minute, he decided to cross.  He carefully crossed to the other side.  I pointed him up the river bank--not knowing what he would do--and he walked right up.  I told him how wonderful he was, and we walked down the trail.  I could hear Ellen yelling to us to not go to far.  I sighed.  She was right.  We went a very short distance when I stopped him.  His head was way up in the air, and I could hear his breathing--he was very excited.  We turned around and headed back to the river.  He calmed down because he knew where he was going.

My biggest worry about the whole adventure was that he would rush down the river bank and charge into the water.  I used to have trouble with Cole in the early days.  I stopped him at the top to let him assess the situation.  I then asked him to walk down.  He did go on the faster side, but it wasn't bad.  When we got to the water, he stepped in calmly and we went right across.

I pointed him towards Ellen, and he got all happy!  These next photos show him going towards her while she was taking the pictures.

We are both smiling!

By the way, you can see the cool piece of tack on his neck.  Ellen got it for me for my birthday from our favorite tack supplier, Two Horse Tack.  It is a biothane lead rope that goes around his neck and hooks to his bridle.  If I need a lead rope, I can just unhook it from his neck.  She also got me an attachment for my bridle that goes from the throat latch to the nose band to convert it into a halter bridle--and that is where his lead rope hooks to.  

We continued up the hill.  Our last challenge was to pass a couple of friends with their horses.  My biggest problem with Trifecta is he is so friendly that he wants to visit all the people and horses he sees.  He did really well with that, too.  

He really has been such a joy.  Oh, and I measured him.  He has reached 14.2 and 1/2!  He is officially taller than Cole.

We Went Down to the River

We Went Down to the River

Trifecta and I have been doing a little arena work and a little trail work most of the days that I ride him.  Usually, I ride him in the arena while Ellen is cleaning Dante's stall.  When she finishes, I ride him down the hill to the river with her walking alongside.  In the beginning, I would lead down the hill and ride up.  After doing that for a while, I started to mount about halfway down.  Lately, I have mounted at the beginning of the trail.  He just keeps getting better and better.  He just loves his little trail rides.

On my way to the barn, I saw that our section of the park was closed--just the road; not the bridle trail. The weather was very warm, too.  It was the perfect day to ride across the river for the first time.

Ellen and I rode Dante and Cole, first.  When we got back, I saddled up Trifecta and worked in the arena for a bit.  He did very well, but he seemed a little lazy.  I'm sure it was due to the heat--perfect.  We headed for the trail.

I mounted at the beginning of the trail and headed down the hill with Ellen by my side.  Tri was very excited and Ellen could barely keep up with us.  I practiced multiple "whoas" with mixed results.  Sometimes he stopped well, and sometimes his brakes took a little time to engage.  He was definitely excited.

All I planned to do was to cross the river, ride a couple minutes on the other side, turn around and go home.

When we got to the bottom of the hill, he marched right down the bank and stopped at the river's edge.  He has crossed multiple times with me on foot.  Sometimes Ellen would go with us and walk on the other side.  More often, Kevin would meet us on the other side and we would walk with him.  He loves, loves, loves Kevin.  Sometimes, he would only have me to walk with, but he was never walking alone.  He always had one of his people.

This time, he was crossing by himself for the first time.  The water was too cold for Ellen to venture across.  

You never know how a horse will act the first time you try something new.  My plan was to let him stand there for a while and let him look at the water.  When he seemed very relaxed, I would ask him to step in it.  If he refused, we would wait for another day.  If he did go into the water but rushed, I would do a series of walk-whoa transitions.  The river can be slippery and the slate on the bottom has uneven spots.  Rushing  could turn into falling--my biggest worry.

As it was, he stood for 5 seconds and decided to cross on his own.  He walked carefully and an appropriate speed.  I was feeling so happy!  When we made it to the bottom of the river bank, I pointed him up the bank.  It is fairly steep and about 10 feet high.  I thought he might try to rush up it--as he did more than once when I led him up it.  Instead, he stopped, lifted his head way up in the air and looked around.  I thought he saw something that worried him--but I didn't see anything.  He just stood there.  I gently squeezed my legs, and he carefully turned right around and walked back across the river.  I was flabberghasted.  Of all the scenarios I had in my mind, this was the last thing I expected.  At one point, he stopped and tried to eat the leaves that were floating in the water.  Other than that, he walked slowly and carefully as if he crossed the river every day of his life.

We realized what he was looking for--Kevin!  He wanted his peeps.  If his peeps weren't there, he was going back to his peeps on the other side! We then rode on back home.  (You have no idea how much Trifecta adores people...)

I suppose I could have put up a fight and forced him to go up the bank, but my goal was just to cross the river safely.  We can save the rest for another day.  Trifecta is such a happy and willing horse--and I want to keep him that way.  Next time, he might go right up.  If that doesn't work, I can use clicker training to ask for a step, click and repeat.  I could also follow another horse up--or just have Kevin where he was supposed to be.  

I am so happy that he handled the river like a champ.  On our trails, not only do we have to cross the river to get into the main part of the park, but there are a number of other places to cross the river, too.  It is such an important skill for our horse--and there is nothing more frustrating than trying to cross a river on an unwilling horse.  I don't foresee Trifecta to ever be unwilling to cross a river after what this.  Getting him out of the river on the other side--that is a different story.

Trifecta's Third Trail Ride

Trifecta's Third Trail Ride

For our third ride, the river was a little high so I opted to stay on the hill.  My biggest problem has been leading a very excited horse down the hill, so Ellen suggested that I go back to my old system of leading a horse with a bridle with both hands.  Since I had been leading him with a halter bridle, I was just using a lead rope.

It was a wonderful idea. I spent months driving him, he really understands how reins work well.  Here is how I do it.  I put a rein in each hand and move my right hand under his head so it is on the opposite side of his body.  That way, I can steer him.  His worst behavior is trying to cut me off so he can get to the opposite side of the trail and try to grab a leaf off the tree.  I would respond by circling him around, and he never would get his leaf, but I would get exhausted and it took to long to get up and down the hill.

I started out with the lead rope so I had something to compare to--and then switched to leading with 2 hands.  I had an immediate improvement, and not only did he listen, but he calmed down, too.  The hardest part has always been the slope at the bottom of the hill which is particularly steep and goes around a corner.  By leading him down with 2 hands, I was able to guide him right around the corner without any trouble at all!  

At the bottom of the hill, he started walking faster because he wanted to cross the river.  When I got to the wide section, I once again lounged him at a walk in small circles until he calmed down.  I then led him for just a little while.  He did well, so I mounted.

Ellen still held on to the lead rope, and we walked back and forth at the bottom of the hill.  Only once did he try to go down to the river.  After he failed, he didn't try again.  I told Ellen to let the lead rope go when she felt it was safe.  I was ready, but I wanted her to be ready, too.  Before she was, she let the lead rope get longer and longer until I was completely guiding Trifecta and she was just an emergency break.  He did well with that, so she unhooked us.  He did great!

After about 15 minutes of riding, I decided it was time to go home.  This time, I was going to see what he did if I rode part of the way up the hill.

Back in Cole's early days, he was a disaster going up the hill on the way home.  For many months, I would have a perfect trail ride and everything would fall apart on the hill.  I ended up leading him most days for the longest time, and that wasn't easy, either.  (I led a lot with 2 hands.)  I wanted to train Trifecta the right way to avoid the problems I had with Cole.

Ellen put him on the lead rope.  My plan was to get up that steep slope--which he has been very bad with leading.  I told her we would have him walk a few steps, whoa, click and repeat.  It worked wonderfully.  I added a few steps each time.  I wanted calmness, a good stop and to chain walking quietly to the stop.  (Chaining is teaching a horse multiple behaviors for one click.)  Once we got on top of that little slope, I decided to ride him about a third of the way up the hill.  We continued with our plan, but the distances got longer and longer.  I was so happy it went so well.  I got off, and led him the rest of the way.  It was a great ride.

I have realized that I can work on a lot of my training on the hill and not necessarily cross the river.  It is much easier for Ellen, and I will be able to keep our lessons shorter.  Plus, come winter when we may not be able to cross the river, he will be a champion on the hill--unlike Cole that first year...

Trifecta's Second Trail Ride

Trifecta's Second Trail Ride

The day after the first trail ride, we decided to do it again.  

He was very hyper, once more.  I led him down the hill, and he did do better than the day before, but his excitement level was high.  Once we got to the bottom, he got even more excited.  I took him right over to out lounging spot and had him do about 5 revolutions at a walk.  That really helped.  I then went to walking him back and forth.  He did very well with that, but after a few times, he swerved over to the mounting block.  He was definitely trying to tell me something.  As I tried to position him, he decided it was him who was supposed to step on the mounting block.  That certainly was creative...

Since he wasn't very cooperative, I decided it was time for a new plan.  I mounted from the ground.  I have done it before with him a few times, and he was just fine.  For added safety, I had Ellen hold the opposite stirrup to keep the saddle from slipping.

We walked back and forth on the trail at the bottom of the hill, and he was very good.  I decided to head to the river.  Ellen started freaking out.  It hadn't rained in a couple weeks, and the slate bottom of the river was very slippery with algae.  She was sure he would rush across, slip and fall.  (This is something that happened with Dante in his early days, so her fear was realistic.)

I conceded, hopped off and led him across the river.  Kevin met us on the other side.  I mounted and we went on a little ride.  Kevin had the lead rope hooked to his halter bridle.   I told him he could unhook it since Kevin was having a hard time keeping up with Trifecta's fast walk, but he was too worried that something would go wrong.  To accommodate Kevin's slower walk, we would take a few steps, stop to let him catch up and repeat.  It worked out.  We didn't go far at all, turned around and headed back.  

I dismounted to ride him across the river, and he refused to go down the bank.  Then he bucked in place.  I really don't know what that was about.  Did he not want to go home?  Did he just not want to walk down the steep bank or was he reluctant to leave Kevin?  It did take him some coaxing to get him started down the bank--and then he went really fast.  He crossed the river with no problem and I led him home.

It really was too hot of an afternoon to do this.  Leading a fast walking horse up a hill was tough, and I kept having to stop and catch my breath.  I decided that I should wait for cooler weather for our next attempt.

The following day, I rode him in the outdoor arena, and we had our best ride ever!

Cole and I get into a "Situation"

Cole and I get into a "Situation"

Ellen, Kevin and I went out on an ordinary trail ride.  When we got to the second river crossing, Dante was giving her a hard time, so she told us to cross first.  Cole went right into the water and started to cross.  He is a very dependable river crosser, so imagine my surprise when he planted his feet and refused to step forward about one third of the way across.  

The way we usually cross is through an opening of large rocks.  The horses have to step down a little slope and then water gets deeper--but not that much deeper.  That is where Cole stalled out.  This was so unlike him.  I tried to get him to go forward, and he flat out refused.  Downstream a ways, where a tree leans over the water, Ellen had seen some fishing line hanging down.  This got me worried--were we tangled in some fishing line?  I couldn't see anything, but Cole was very serious about this.  Two year ago, we did get caught in some fishing line, Cole got cut and required stitches.  If there is one thing horses will remember is when they get hurt. 

He wouldn't go forward--and I didn't want him to at this point, so I thought I would try turning him upstream to walk along the pile of rocks.  He did turn parallel to the rocks--but stalled out and refused to do anything more.  We were in a "situation."  I didn't know what to do--and I was very worried.  If I asked him to do the wrong thing, it might result in him getting hurt.  We just stood there.

Ellen got off Dante and walked to the river's edge to see if she could see anything, but she couldn't.  I tried backing Cole up, but he refused that, too.  I was contemplating dismounting to see if there was anything in the water, but I would have to be very careful I didn't land on the rock pile.  It was possible, but tricky.  I asked Cole to back up again, and he did take one step--but no more.  I then tried forward.  He slowly stepped forward and I directed him over the pile of rocks to get back to where Ellen was.  She said he was lifting his hind legs very high.  I just trusted him as he carefully stepped his way through the rocks.  Once I got to dry land, I got off and inspected him.  I was so relieved that there were no injuries.  We then crossed the river via the ford and went on our merry way.

After the ride, we all went to the river to investigate.  We couldn't find anything, but the fishing line that was in the tree was gone.  We will never know, but Cole was very serious when he said there was a problem, and I believe something was there.  He must have dislodged it.  We cleared out some of the rocks that were in our crossing path and called it a day.  

Trifecta's First Trail Ride

Trifecta's First Trail Ride

I have been riding Trifecta for about a month, and he has been doing really well.  I decided it was time to try him on the trail.  I picked a hot day with a low river when Ellen didn't have to go to work after the ride.  The last thing I wanted was to feel rushed.

Ellen was very nervous and balked when I said I might cross the river.  I wasn't nervous at all.  I knew I would only do what felt safe.  

I lounged him a little bit to test out his mood, and he was very calm.  I unsnapped the lounge line and attached the lead rope.  Ellen said she would carry the reins.  She took the reins and pretended to run off with them so I wouldn't be able to ride.  That gave me a good laugh, but I think she was serious.  I also think she wanted to have the reins so I wouldn't do anything stupid.

As soon as I stepped out onto the driveway, Trifecta transformed into a very hyper, energetic horse.  He had a little outburst before we even got to the street.  He hadn't been out on the trail for possibly several months since I was concentrating on getting him ready to ride and then our early riding training sessions--and he loves the trail!

He tried to trot ahead of me several times while I was leading him on the street.  My visions of riding him across the river started to dim...Once we started walking on the trail down the hill that leads to the river, he was basically dragging me.  My visions of riding him at all on the trail started to dim, too.

I kept asking him to stop and walk quietly, but at first he wasn't having it.  After many requests, he finally got it, and I was able to click him for good behavior.  After that, he was more sensible and I was able to click him more and more--and so he got better and better.  That all changed when we got to the bottom of the hill.  He became hyper, again.

The trail at the bottom of the hill is straight, flat and about a few hundred feet.  About two thirds of the way, there is the exit ramp for the river.  Tri loves going to the river, and he was in a big hurry to get there.  When I led him past it, he started to act up in protest.  That is when I realized my best path would be "demoralization."  That meant I would lead him back and forth on the trail until he settled down.

That wasn't easy.  He kept trying to go down the river bank.  He also reverted to his old, nippy self--grabbing the lead rope or even my arm a few times.  How long we went back and forth before I got my great revelation; I really don't know.  I do know I was getting pretty tired when I realized I could take the extra wide area of the trail and have him lounge around me.  As he walked circles and I rested, he suddenly settled down.  After that, I was able to walk to the end of the trail, turn around, go back to the wide area, lounge him at a walk for a bit and repeat.  He kept getting better and better.  I was starting to think I could do a short ride.

All this time,  Ellen was sitting on the mounting block.  She got up for some reason, and Trifecta did a curious thing.  He walked over to the mounting block--a mounting block I never used with him before--and just stood there.  I tried to lead him away, and he didn't budge.  Ellen and I both took that as a sign.  It was time to mount.  I positioned him by the mounting block, Ellen gave me my snap-on reins, and I mounted right up.

Instantly, Trifecta calmed right down.  It was the most amazing thing.  Ellen kept the lead rope attached to his halter/bridle, but it wasn't necessary.  We just walked back and forth and back and forth on the trail at the bottom of the hill.  We did click for good behavior--and we got a lot of it.  As a final reward, I asked him to walk down to the river where I dismounted, let him have a sip of water and he grabbed a fallen leaf.  All was good.  We had our first trail ride.

I led him back home, and he walked fast, but not as fast as he did on the way down the hill.  I think he was tired.  I know I sure was--I had to keep stopping on my way up the hill.  He didn't seem to mind taking little breaks.  Once we got home, I unsaddled him and let him eat his afternoon hay.  It was a very successful day.

The Rides Continue

The Rides Continue

I have been riding Trifecta a lot, and he is doing really well.  We are walking, stopping, turning and learning to walk along the wall.  My biggest problems is his reluctance to trot.

Trotting is my favorite gait.  I can trot all day and the smile will never leave my face.  I just love trotting.  It doesn't matter if it is a good trot to sit or a good trot to post.  All that matters is that it is a good trot.  Starry has a horrible trot.  He is cursed with a club foot that throws him all off balance.  Cole is great for posting.  Dante is great for sitting.  My old horse, Mingo, had a terrific sitting trot, and my old horse, Cruiser had an arena trot that was easy to sit and a great posting trail trot.

The question has been--what is Trifecta's trot like?  I was guessing it was very smooth from watching him, but that can fool you sometimes.  Starry's trot looks smooth, too.  I have been wondering about his trot for more than a year.  Finally, I am riding him--and he refuses to trot!  Oh, the suspense!  I think I started to ask him to trot around the fourth ride--and nothing.  The last thing I wanted to do was to ask him harshly.  I knew I could get it that way, but I want to do things gentle with him.  He is enjoying our rides, and I want it to stay that way.

I stopped ground driving him before his ride and switched back to lounging.  Everything we can practice with ground driving I can now do in the saddle.  What I wanted to practice with the lounging was trot transitions.  He knows the word, but I wanted him to know it so well that it would transfer to the saddle.

We were practicing the transitions a lot--reinforcing them with clicks and treats.  Then, I would get into the saddle, and he would act like he never heard the word before.  I was also adding a leg squeeze which he has learn to mean forward movement--but is it possible that he thinks it means forward at a walk only?

Each day, we would try again with the same results.  The good news is that everything else was going well.  One day, Ellen suggested teaching him to go faster with my legs.  With the help of clicker, that is what I did.  It didn't take long at all--I mean a matter of minutes--and he would walk faster when I asked him.  Yet, when he was walking fast and I asked for faster, he didn't trot.

All along, I felt that maybe it was that he didn't feel balanced enough with a rider to trot.

I decided he would like to walk over poles and around cones.  He always had fun doing things like that on a lead line and while driving, so I thought it would be great for riding.  It might help his balance, too.

The day we decided to do it, it was very chilly and quite windy.  When I lounged him, he was much more enthusiastic about his trot transitions.  All of our previous rides had been on very hot days--which was an advantage for the early rides, but it might have been a disadvantage for trotting.

He loved riding over the poles and all around the cones.  He did it very well, too.  We would ride through the obstacles Ellen set up, go do a circle and then go back to the obstacles.  One time, he was going towards the gate with a little extra oomph in his step, and I thought it might be a good time to trot.  Ellen thought the same thing, so it must have been a good idea.  I asked him--and he did!  I clicked him after just a few steps, he stopped and got his treat.  It was so exciting!

We circled around and went back to the same spot on the fence--I asked and he trotted--but then I made a mistake.  I got greedy and wanted a few more steps, and he stopped before I clicked him.  That made him confused because he thought he made a mistake and now he wasn't sure of what I wanted.  I tried a number of times after that with no success.  We went back to the obstacles. 

Towards the end, I suggested we just walk along the fence the full arena for a little bit.  We never did that before--actually, this was only the second time I rode him in the outdoor arena, and the first time was only for a couple of minutes.  The outdoor arena at our stables is quite large.  We went around, and when we got back towards the gate, Ellen said to try trotting.  I did--and he did!  I clicked him for it.  We walked another lap, and when we got to the trotting spot, I asked again with great success.  I clicked him for it.  I asked one more time and we went about 10 steps before I clicked.  This time, his head was lower and he was much more rhythmic.  He was figuring out how to trot with a rider on his back.  It was time to quit for the day.

I also got the answer to my question.  He gave me a lovely smooth and rather slow trot.  There is an odd sense of softness, too.  That is a great place to start.  Trifecta is going to be a comfortable riding horse; at least in the arena.  Like Cruiser, the excitement of the trail might change things.

Just as with his walk, he reminded me of Legs, the first horse I ever rode when I was just 5 years old.  Ellen and I both rode him later in our lower teens. It amazes me that I can remember how a horse felt to ride so many years ago, but Ellen remembers how he felt, too.  

Trifecta and Me out for a Little Ride

 

The Time has Come...

The Time has Come...

Trifecta's training has been moving right along.  He learned to drive, became accustomed to wearing a saddle and a bridle, switched from driving in a Sidepull hackamore to a bridle with a bit and has been doing wonderfully on his walks in the park.  We were ready to move on to the next step.

After our driving lessons, we started heading over to the mounting block.  I would just ask him to stand as I walked up and down it--clicking him for good manners.  On the first day that I planned to introduce some body weight, Kevin volunteered to do it.  I held Trifecta while Kevin stood on the mounting block and leaned into him.  Of course, he got clicks for that.

The next day, I was the one doing the leaning, and I did it from both sides.  Sometimes he would take a step, but I just got off the mounting block, didn't give him a click and treat and did it again.  Tri soon figured out what I wanted.

Over time, I just kept adding more and more.  I flopped my body over the saddle and touched his opposite side as far as my hands could reach.  That turned into putting my full weight in the stirrup.  The next thing I knew, I was lifting my leg up to his back and rubbing his side with my foot.  I figured I might as well get him used to a sloppy mount--as it will happen whether I want it or not.

This all happened over a period of a couple of weeks.  I am in absolutely no hurry with Trifecta.  We got to the point where the next step would be to mount.  I was waiting for the right day.  I wanted it to be quiet at the barn, and I wanted Trifecta to be in a good place, mentally.

I had one day picked out.  It looked like rain, so I thought the barn would be quiet.  I rode Cole first, and we got soaked.  After that, I just wasn't feeling it.

The next day, Ellen, Kevin and I went for our ride.  When we got back, the barn was deserted.  I knew it couldn't get better.  I tacked him up, and we did some driving.  I could see that his brain was in the right place for it.  Truthfully, he is such a level-headed horse that his brain usually is in a good place.

We took him to the mounting block.  Ellen got this neat attachment to put on his bridle that connects his throatlatch to his noseband and it has a ring on it just like a halter.  She attached the lead rope to the halter piece, and I had reins attached to the bit.  I reviewed everything we had been working on, and he was perfect.  I then took a deep breath and told Ellen I was going to do it.  I carefully lifted my leg over to the other side and leaned forward on his neck.  I then slowly sat up.  It all felt so wonderful--but at the same time, it didn't feel real at all.  It is hard to explain.  I felt him shift his weight a little, but otherwise he stood still--just as I taught him.

I was clicking and Ellen was giving him good treats.  Instead of trying to ride him, I had decided to just work on mounting and dismounting,  After about a minute in the saddle, I dismounted.  It had gone so well!  I mounted him 2 more times.  Finally, I asked him to walk.  He didn't understand what I wanted, but Ellen gave him a clue by stepping forward.  He then took a really big walk step.  I clicked him, so he stopped for his treat and we called it a day.  And it was a good day, too.

Day 2

On our next training session, we started with a drive.  Once again, his mood was good.  I mounted twice while Ellen held the lead rope.  He was great.  I asked him to walk, and once again, I had to wait until he followed Ellen.  I did click him for it.  He stopped for his treat and after that he was more attentive to the walk command.  I love clicker training!  Ellen kept him on the lead rope, though we weren't worried at this point.  We started adding some "whoas," too.  For the most part, it seemed like he was following whatever Ellen was doing, so she told me that I should try without her doing anything.  He started listening to me.  At one point, I felt his walk get really steady, and he dropped his head down into a relaxed position.  All of us, including Kevin, knew what a terrific sign that was.  I got off, and we all gave him lots of praise and pets.  He was so happy that when I tried to lead him out of the arena to go back to his stall, he refused.  He wanted to stay for more cuddles.  The whole ride was probably just 5 minutes.

Day 3

After our drive, we went to the mounting block.  This time, I only mounted once since he has been doing so well with it. When I asked him to walk, he readily went forward.  I don't think he was listening to my legs, since he knows the verbal command so well.  We practiced walking and stopping, and I added a little bit of turning.  Ellen was still holding the lead rope, but she was interfering as little as she could.  He was figuring out what I wanted--and that is when I realized how much he learned from all the ground driving.  It was definitely time well spent.  As Ellen was walking next to us, I saw her unsnap the lead rope and we were free!  He walked a little and we called it quits.  I think we rode about 10 minutes.

Day 4

By now, I was feeling quite confident on Trifecta.  We stayed on the lead rope, but we practiced much more turning and stopping.  He was getting clicks for it, but as he learned new things, I cut back the clicks for the old things.  Since I was feeling so good, we let Bridget watch.  She was very interested in seeing us--but I told her she must remain quiet--a huge challenge for Bridget.  I didn't want Trifecta to be distracted--as he just loves people.  I was chuckling quietly to myself as Bridget was exclaiming her praise in a very loud whisper.  Trifecta stayed focused on me, and he earned all that praise.

Day 5

This day didn't go as well.  It was in the afternoon, so my assistant was Kevin instead of Ellen.  Tri just loves Kevin more than anyone in the world.  Most of my training problems that I have had over the last year have been caused by Trifecta trying to visit Kevin.  I didn't know how he would do if Kevin was right next to him.  Another thing that made this ride tougher was that it was close to feeding time--never a good time for Trifecta.  We started out all right, but after a couple of minutes, Trifecta was twitching wildly and acting fidgety.  I asked Kevin if he saw a bug, but he didn't see anything.  I decided to call it quits--thinking it might be equipment related.  I hopped off and checked the saddle. That is when I saw a couple of flies.  I decided to end it there.  I think that ride was a whole 3 minutes.

Day 6

I decided to ride despite there being a number of boarders at the barn.  Of course, I drove him first.  We opted to stay on the lead rope with Ellen, but she didn't do anything but follow along wherever I wanted to go.  We turned to the left, turned to the right, stopped, started, went straight and it all went well. This was the first time I felt like I was really riding him instead of being a passenger.  He was willing and truly trying to understand what I wanted.  Once again, I felt very satisfied with all that he learned while we were driving.  It was a wonderful ride.  I think we went 15 minutes.  Next time, I am going solo...

A New Adventure

 Day 1

Meet my new cat, Fairy Floss.

Yesterday when I brought her home, I put her in the cat guest room.  Kevin and I both thought she would hide, as we were told she was a shy cat, but she didn’t.  We watched her for an hour; exploring every nook and cranny.  She did start to get crabby and tried to swipe Kevin.  At that point, we decided she was tired, and we left her so she could nap.

Oh, I guess I should go back to the very beginning.  I tragically lost Thunder, but I won’t get into that.  Let me just say that the cat who was supposed to live weeks after he was diagnosed with a fast moving, stage 4 kidney disease lived for just over 7 months.  My heart is completely broken.  He was my best buddy for more than 17 years, and I don’t expect to ever have a 

relationship with a cat that is as special as the one we had.  There is a huge hole in my heart.

I decided that the best way to fill it was to get another cat–one that needed someone to take care of her.  Thunder gave so much to me that I wanted to give it back to a needy cat as a tribute to him.

I was watching a cat on the Cleveland Animal Protective League website for a long time.  No one was adopting her–in spite of her singular beauty.  A couple weeks ago, they featured her on their Facebook website, and I found out why.  She was recovering from a bad case of Dermatitis.  Fairy Floss had a problem that no one wanted to take on.

Dermatitis isn’t fatal–but a condition to manage–and it can be difficult.  She needed me.  I needed someone to help with my emptiness.  She was also older–6 years old–and they said she was a little shy.  No one wanted her.  

When I went into the cat room at the APL, they asked if I was interested in a particular cat.  When I told the woman I wanted to see Fairy Floss, she seemed very enthusiastic.  She brought me to the cage, and the first thing I saw was a warning on it saying she could be sassy.  Well, I can deal with a little snarkiness in cats, so that didn’t bother me. I opened the cage and gave her some pets.  She seemed receptive until I rubbed under her chin, and she smacked me.  I tried again, and she repeated the smack.  That is when I noticed her chin was red and probably sore.  She was just telling me.

I took the card from her cage and started to leave the room.  Another employee saw me and asked if I needed help.  I told her I had decided to adopt Fairy Floss, and she seemed very surprised and happy.  I then went up front to talk customer service.  The gentleman opened her file and read me a long list of items.  She was surrendered back on February 2.  Her family had a baby, and she didn’t handle it well.  Apparently she became depressed and started having litter box problems.  She also had ear mites, blood in her urine and was so difficult that they had to put her on medication to calm her down for further diagnostics.  They couldn’t find the cause of her bad urine but did give her an antibiotic shot.  She also had the dermatitis–itchy skin.

She did find a home, but they returned her when her new owners realized they couldn’t afford to help her with her problems.  So after about a month, she was back in the cage–and it sounds like her dermatitis was much worse.  They gave her antibiotic shots and put her on steroids.  She improved, but no one was adopting her.  

When Thunder passed away, I was so distraught–not necessarily the best time to make big decisions.  I found myself sitting in the customer service area listening to all of poor Fairy Floss’ problems.  She was definitely a project cat–she needed me.  Was I making a mistake?  Maybe, but she needed me.

I told them I would take her, and that is when I was informed that there would be no fee.  She qualified for a special program.  Not only that, but they would pay $250.00 towards her vet bill.  

They took away my carrier to get her for me, but the man soon came back because he couldn’t figure out how to work it.  I went back there to get her.  They didn’t take her out of her cage like they did when Kevin got his cat.  Instead they told me to.  Okay, I am going to reach into a cage and pull out an unknown snarky cat.  I took a deep breath and did it.  She just melted in my arms.  They took my picture with her, and I loaded her into her carrier.  I started blathering about how I just lost my cat to kidney disease and he was only supposed to live weeks, but he lived 7 months and I just wanted to help a cat who needed someone.  I looked up and there was about 5 people there standing around, watching me without saying a word.  Then I said that Fairy Floss meant Cotton Candy, and I hoped that she was sweet and not named that in an ironic way.  They still stared.  Were they happy she was getting a home or did they think I was nuts for taking this on?  I’ll never know.  I just walked out saying, “I just got a cat.”

I brought her home and put her in the guest room.  I thought she would hide, but she explored and finally decided to take a nap.  I let her rest the rest of the day and just peeked in now and then.  Later in the evening, I decided to watch a DVD with her.  She was sleeping on a chair by the window, and I just let her be.  After a long while, she walked up to me, meowed, bowed and laid down next to me.  As I petted her, she started to purr.  She decided that she is my friend.

The next day, she acted like we’ve known each other forever.  

The rest is history.  She has turned into a wonderful companion.  I couldn’t ask for a sweeter cat–the name Fairy Floss is so appropriate.  She is as sweet as cotton candy.

I took her to my vet, and she was so well behaved.  I opted to get some blood work done that should show us what she is allergic to, and then we will work up a management plan.  

I unexpectedly hit the jackpot with Fairy Floss.

We are Getting Closer

We are Getting Closer

I have been very busy with Trifecta lately.  One thing that we have been doing a lot of is going for walks in the park.  There have been a few mishaps, but they have been my fault.  One day, I tripped on his leg and fell to my knees.  I wrenched my shoulder on the lead rope and skinned both knees.  A few weeks later, after my knees healed up, Tri stepped on my foot while crossing the river.  I fell on only one knee that time, but I did skin it up pretty badly.

Both times I fell, Trifecta just stood there and watched me.  After the second fall, I realized that I wasn't insisting that he stay away from me--it was his closeness that caused me to fall.  After that, I added that to our training.  With the help of clicker training, he started to understand what I wanted in the first lesson.  He still tends to crowd a little on the river, but at least I am very aware of my feet when we are crossing.

One day, he really impressed me.  We were walking along, and he stopped to look across the river.  Something really caught his attention. I looked and didn't see a thing.  He started to move on, but I insisted that we continue looking to satisfy my curiosity.  On the opposite side of the river, there is a lot of dense foliage.  As I stared at it, I was finally able to make out the partial outlines of what appeared to be a brown dog.  Since there was no one around--and there isn't even a trail over there--I decided it must have been a coyote.

I just loved the fact that he was alerted that something was there, observed without fear and just decided on his own that it was no big deal.  He truly has a good head on his shoulder.

The spooks have been few and far between.  We spend a lot of time along a fence on the trail.  Immediately on the other side of the fence is the paved all purpose trail and the road.  He is getting exposed to all sorts of traffic, bikes, pedestrians, dog walkers and motorcycles.  He did spook one day at a person riding an electric scooter--but that was forgivable.  Those scooters really look weird because the rider is moving while standing still.

Another day, he spooked at a motorcycle, but it was one of those odd situations.  (This has happened with Dante and Cole, too.)  We ride very close to the airport, and when there is a plane coming over, we can't hear anything else.  Well, a loud motorcycle was coming our way, and we didn't know it.  When the plane passed by--suddenly there was a roaring motorcycle!  He spun around me, but settled down right away.  What is cool is that he didn't try to pull away at all.  It was evident he wanted to stay with me--but at the same time he didn't crowd me as some young horses will.  He is such a good boy.

There is one part of the trail that confuses him a little.  The trail is still next to the all purpose trail and the street, but our trail is lower than they are.  He sees the cars, bikes and pedestrians above him.  It just causes him to worry.  Each time we go there, he gets better.  I allow him to stand and look at things.

When Ellen and Kevin are walking with us on the trail, he gets so excited to be with his friends!  Sometimes I have trouble keeping him ahead of them.  If we follow them, he wants to cuddle and play.  This is just the kind of problems you have to deal with when you have a horse that loves people--and he loves people.

Other lessons we are adding to his training include standing at the mounting block while I walk up it and lean on his back.  That is going well.  I have also just started introducing a bit.

At first, I just held a bit in front of him and when he put it in his mouth, I clicked and treated him.  We did that over and over.  Then, I put it on a bridle, clicked him for bridling and took it off.  When he was good with that, I left it on and tossed treats in his feed dish.  I would leave him bridled for the time that I was saddling up Cole for his ride.  I did that a number of times.

Finally, one day I bridled him, placed a halter over top of it, led him around and did a little lounging.  He fussed a little, but he didn't keep it up long.

The next training session, I did the same but added the driving reins.  I have been driving him in a sidepull hackamore.  This time, I drove him with the halter.  Towards the end of the session, we switched the reins to his bridle.  At first, he fussed about--but it only lasted about 30 seconds.  We did some walks and whoas.  I started to click him for good behavior--just as I did when I was first teaching him to drive.  For the most part, I have faded off the clicking during driving unless he does something exceptional.  Since we were doing something very new, I added it back in.  

He needed to learn to turn, so we turned and clicked about 4 times in each direction.  When he seemed to understand what I wanted, I did a zigzag followed by a halt and ended for the day.  It was a great first session driving with a bit.

I've not been doing anything fast, but we are still rapidly approaching the big day.  I will not hurry.  I have no deadline.  When he is ready, I will know it--and then wait a few more sessions to be sure...

Trifecta Moves on to the Next Phase

 Trifecta Moves on to the Next Phase

As you can see in the photo, Trifecta now wears a saddle.  It was the easiest thing with the help of clicker training.  He decided that saddling is a fun game.

Ellen had an old saddle with a girth--I added Cole's old plaid saddle blanket.  It is my favorite one, but we used it so much that it has several rips and it was time to retire it.  His whole ensemble is perfect for touching, biting and chewing.

I kept him in his stall for the first saddling.  He was already familiar with the feel of a saddle pad, but I reviewed it with him just the same.  I flopped it on a few times.  He didn't care in the least.

I then brought the saddle to him.  First I showed it to him.  It only took 2 seconds before he started to nibble it.  He also sniffed it all over.  As I gently set it on his back, I clicked and treated.  I lifted it up and put it down a number of times--clicking each time.  He didn't care at all--he just wanted his treats.  I tried hooking the girth up.  Since I was unfamiliar with the whole set up, it took a while of me fumbling around, but he didn't mind.  Finally I got it hooked up.  I clicked him for his good behavior.  Since I have been ground driving him with a surcingle, it was a familiar feeling for him.

Then, I was time to go on a walk about.  He acted like he wore a saddle every day of his life.  We then did a little lounging at a walk and trot so he could get the feel of that, too--no problem.  Trifecta didn't let me down.  This is how I expected this lesson to go from the beginning.  With his good attitude and the help of clicker, I couldn't imagine it going wrong.

Driving Mr. Cole

Driving Mr. Cole

I was planning to wait until winter to teach Cole to drive, but I decided I couldn't wait that long.  It was his day off, and he said he wanted to do tricks.  I thought he might like to learn a whole new trick--ground driving.

I got Trifecta's equipment out.  Cole wasn't worried at all about the surcingle because he is used to a girth.  He did seem a little puzzled when I hooked up the driving reins, but he stood for it.  I knew it would be easier for Cole to learn it than Trifecta since Cole knows his vocal commands and how reins work very well.

I stepped behind him and asked him to "walk."  He decided to back up.  After a few steps, I repeated the command and he repeated to back up a few steps.  This happened a few times and then noticed an opportunity.  We were getting awfully close to the wall in the arena.  I stepped aside, asked him to "walk" and he stepped into the wall.  He stopped.  I asked him again, and he took a step forward.  I clicked and treated him.  I repeated and he took 2 steps. I clicked and treated.  Next time, it was 5 steps before I clicked.  After that, I just told him how good he was.

After walking around a few laps and just turning in the corners, I decided it was time to turn him away from the wall.  He was a little confused at first and tried to do a side pass.  I asked him again and he got it, so I clicked.  We did it a few times more with clicks--each time I would wait for him to do more steps.

I switched to the other side, and again there was a little confusion.  I watched as Cole did a lovely turn on the haunches.  When that didn't work he just turned and I clicked him--but both his side pass and his turn on the haunches gave me the idea of potential things we can train for in the future.

Before I knew it, we were doing zigzags at a walk.  I didn't ask for the trot at all.  We could save that for another day.  In 15 minutes, he was better than Trifecta was after 2 weeks--but that was only because he already knows the very things I was using ground driving to teach to Trifecta.  It was a lot of fun, and we will be doing it again.  Cole seemed to enjoy it--he loves learning and getting treats.  I really do think it will be a wonderful project for those chilly days next winter.

We Went Down to the River...

We Went Down to the River...

Last summer, I walked Trifecta down to the river and let him play in the water at least a half a dozen times.  We would just walk in the water right along the edge.  He did well with it, but then it got cold and I no longer wanted to get wet.  I was in no hurry to get him in the water in the spring for the same reason.

Finally, the weather was warm enough and the river was low enough to take him down the hill to play in the water. 

Recently, our friend's champion racehorse turned broodmare started a new career at the age of 20.  She became a trail horse. We saw her out on her first day across the river.  I was reminded of Cole's first time.  The day he was willing to cross to the other side, when we turned around to go back home, he was afraid to go back into the water.  I told the Thoroughbred rider about that, and maybe I put a curse on her because when we got back to the river on the way home, we saw her perched on the river bank--refusing to cross.  In the end, someone had to pony her across.  She has been fine ever since, but it was a reminder to me about Cole's first time.  He wasn't comfortable enough in the water to cross that day.  I wanted to make sure Trifecta was.

So that meant that I made multiple trips down to the water.  We gradually went further out until we reached the halfway point. I probably didn't have to do all this.  At no time, did he seem worried about the river.

The day came when I felt we should give it a try.  I didn't tell Ellen--or at least I didn't think that I did.  She said that when I told her I was going to take him down to the river that I did say "cross the river."  That was a Freudian slip!

Anyway, I led him to the river's edge, and instead of letting him meander about, I asked him to step right in.  He paused and then took the step.  I did click him for that.  We continued to walk around and around--getting closer to the center.  I could see that he was very willing so I straightened him out and asked him to go across.  Of course he did--that was no surprise. The surprise was his reaction on the other side. He got so excited!  His head was up--he looked down the trail to the left and down the trail to the right.  He wasn't afraid but I felt like he was going to do the "happy dance" at the end of the lead rope.  He thought it was great fun.

I led him a little way down the trail to where there is a fence on one side of it.  On the other side of the fence, there is the paved all purpose trail and on the other side of that is the street.  We call it "The Fence."  I feel it is a perfect place to expose horses to just about everything they will find on our very busy bridle trails.

We only stayed a few minutes, but in those minutes we saw 4 cars, a bike and a motorcycle.  He just watched with his eyes big and his head way up like a Saddlebred--unafraid but very curious.  It is as if he discovered that there is a big world out there that he had no clue existed.  

We turned back to go home.  There was Ellen on the other side of the river; waiting for us.  Tri crossed like a champ and we went back up the hill.  Trifecta is so funny.  He loves going out in the park so much that he walks incredibly fast on the way out--but then he walks much slower on the way home.  I am glad since the way home is uphill!  

We will keep crossing on foot until it is time to ride.

Improving My Mount

Improving My Mount

Some of you may recall that I broke my wrist a year and a half ago.  After the operation to add 2 plates and 10 screws and several months of physical therapy, it healed up beautifully.  It never hurts and works as good as ever.

Since I had a weight limit on it long after the splint was removed, whenever I rode, I had to mount with a mounting block.  I was really worried that I would have trouble mounting from the ground, but I was still able to do it.  It just wasn't as easy as it was in the past. 

A lot of people frown on mounting from the ground--as it puts pressure on the back--and I get it.  Mounting using a mounting block makes more sense--it is easier and better for the horse--but what if you are out on the trail with nothing you can use for a mounting block?  I feel it is an important skill for a trail rider.  Since I am the only one in my group of riders that can do it, I am able to help everyone when they drop something--I can pick it up.  It happens fairly often.  

It seems that I have been struggling to mount lately, and I was thinking that maybe it was time to give up.  I have been using my hand on Cole's withers way too much to pull myself up.  What happened to my spring?  Has age caught up with me?  What to do?

I started to experiment.  At first, I thought if I increased my hops before hopping up, I would strengthen my ankle and be able to mount lighter.  That didn't seem to help that much.  After 4 or 5 hops, my ankle would be too tired to give me a good hop.  

Then, one day by accident, I sunk down too low on my last hop--and flew up into the air and landed lightly in the saddle.  Now what did I just do?

The next day, I bent my knee before I hopped, and it happened again.  That is when I realized my mistake all along was thinking I could hop up from my ankle.  Duh...I needed to use my whole leg.  My ankles might not be that strong, but with all this riding, my legs sure are.  It seemed like a miracle.   Maybe my body forgot about it when I was only using a mounting block during my wrist recuperation--or maybe I used to have much springier ankles in the past.  I am not sure.

I told Ellen about it.  She needs to use a mounting block, or I will hole her stirrup on the other side when she mounts from the ground.  She is a much better mounter than she thinks because I barely feel a tug on the stirrup when she mounts.  Well, she tried it that day when she mounted after leading Dante across the ford--and she said it was much easier.  She also used it when she used the mounting block, and she said it helped her then, too.

I told Kevin all about it.  He never noticed my mounting was getting bad.  He never noticed my extra hopping.  He was clueless.  Then next time we rode together, he came over to watch--and I completely flubbed up and caused the saddle to slip!  I must have over thought it.  

Since then, I have continued to improve.  So if you are mounting from the ground or a mounting block, bend your knee a bit and use that to help push off.  It is a lovely feeling to fly up into the saddle like I did back when I was a teenager...

Continuing with Baby Driver

 Continuing with Baby Driver

Why didn't anyone tell me that ground driving was so fun?  Now that we got through the initial introduction to it, he seldom has any big misbehaviors.  In fact, he had one really bad day where he tried everything in his bad horse arsenal, and I just patiently worked through it and ended on a good note.  Well, that was it.  He has been super ever since.  (This is something that has happened in other parts of his training, too.  He has a really bad day right before he gets really good.)

I really enjoy ground driving, and Trifecta seems to, also.  When we are walking, he gives me such a lovely, free flowing, forward walk.  He is usually very attentive to me, too.  His mind seldom wanders away like it used to when we were lounging.  We sometimes have troubles in the indoor arena with him wanting to visit the horses in the stalls along the perimeter of it.  He usually does better in the outdoor arena. The only real trouble I have out there is that he can be distracted by the horses in the turnout areas--but the distraction usually doesn't last that long.

We walk all sorts of figures.  I have to coordinate myself to switch sides when we switch directions--he pays very close attention to where my body is.  

Lately, we have added in some trotting.  That is more challenging, of course, but mostly for me.  I have to be quicker on my feet to stay in the correct position.  He doesn't have a really fast trot when we are working, and that is an advantage for me.  Just the same, when we trot, we do very few straight lines.  Instead, we do circles, half circles, serpentines and figure eights.  We also do walk, whoa, walk trot transitions.  It is just so fun.  I feel like I am riding because these are all things I would be doing if I was riding him.

I am driving him with a surcingle and a side pull hackamore, and it is working very well.  Eventually, I will switch to a bit, but there is no hurry.  Riding is still a long way in the future, so the saddle and bridle can wait for a while.  

He is just learning so much from this.  He is getting used to having a girth around his belly--and standing still while I put it on.  (Clicker training is very useful for that.)  He is learning how reins work, extending out his attention span, working with distractions, standing still when we attach the reins, standing still when he gets tangled in the reins, standing still when we untangle him from the reins and having me work with him from behind which is very similar to working with me above him. 

This has been so worthwhile!

I am teaching Cole to ground drive next winter...

Tri-zilla

Tri-zilla

I took Trifecta out to the outdoor arena for a driving session. Ellen thought she would give me some extra challenges by setting up some poles and cones.  I led him around a bit, and we practiced a little on the poles.  When he first saw them, he got really excited and jumped up in the air.  I brought him over, and he immediately trotted over them.  He remembered all our pole sessions from earlier in the year.

I affixed the long reins and drove him around the perimeter for a bit.  He did very well.  When we got to the poles, he willingly walked across them, but when he got to the last one, he reached down to look at it--and then tried to pick it up.  The next time, he was satisfied with just pushing it around with his nose.  

We then tried the cones.  I wanted to weave in and out of them.  When he got to the first cone, he wanted to sniff it.  I let him, but then he picked it up and flopped it down on the ground.  Sigh.  Ellen fixed it, and we tried again.  We were able to do some weaving, but he kept grabbing at the cones--trying--and often succeeding in knocking them down.

As I glanced at the carnage, that is when Ellen called him Tri-zilla.

The rest of the session was even more challenging.  He kept trying to back up.  Sometimes, he stopped and refused to go forward, and for a while we were stuck at the gate.  That is when I realized I had been going at least a half hour, and I probably pushed him beyond his limit. I insisted that he drive nicely for a few minutes before quitting, and then we did.

The interesting thing is that the same thing happened to us when we were training in the indoor arena.  He had a few really good sessions--and then he had a troublesome session.  The following session there was perfect, and he has been consistently good ever since.  Maybe this is his learning pattern.  I will know the next time I try to drive him in the outdoor arena.

Our next goal, now that the weather has gotten so warm, is to start working on the street and the hill.

 My camera lens was smudged--and I ended up with some strange and kinda cool results.

Baby Driver

Baby Driver

Ellen, Kevin and I just watched the movie "Baby Driver."  Kevin and I had already seen it, but we thought Ellen would like it, too.  She did.

Anyway, I have my own "Baby Driver."  I have been ground driving Trifecta a couple times a week in the indoor arena, and he keeps getting better. Kevin and Ellen have also driven him.  I decided it was time to take him out to the large outdoor arena.

The outdoor arena at the stables where we keep our horses is very large, and there is lots of space for a baby to get in trouble.  There are 2 turnout areas close by, too, and on this day there were horses out in both.  I knew that could add distractions, but I have been trying to work him with distractions to teach him to pay attention to me.

I started out by lounging him a little inside, and he seemed like he was in a good mood for learning, so we took him out. He did tell me that he wanted to be turned out to play with the other horses, but I was able to lead him by without any big tantrums.  It is so nice that he is improving with that.

Once we got into the big arena, Ellen closed the gate and we hooked him up.  At first, I let him follow Ellen around to help him out, but soon Ellen stepped away and we were on our own.  He did really well.  In fact, the only difficulty I had was keeping him from going to see Ellen.  Trifecta really likes his people...

I didn't drive him long because I just wanted to leave the whole experience positive, so we unhooked him and turned him out to play for a while.  

I was just thrilled about how well he did.

I didn't drive him for a few more days.  We were in the indoor arena because it was a rainy day.  I was asking for figure eights and serpentines--and he was doing really well.  After about 15 minutes, Ellen and I both had the same idea at the same time--I should just drive him out the door.  So I did.

We have a very small loop that I drove him around and then we went over to the big arena again.  He was wonderful.  At no time did he get worried, rebellious, confused or unwilling.  He really seemed to be enjoying himself, too.

I love my "Baby Driver."