A Fun Day in the Snow

Today, Allison and I had a great day outside with the horses!
We played with all the horses and I had Allison sit on Eddie while I played with him a little bit, because he was quite snarky when I tried to get on him. I played with Eddie with some more backwards circling game and it's just getting better and better! I love playing with him, there is always something to do and he never cease to amaze me! I love you Eddie!
I think I might also send in a video to Mr. David Lichman through his Hitching Post video coaching system. I'll just ride Eddie and do some things that we can do and things we can't do, and send it in and see what he says. We could use some help with our Freestyle.
But I'm super content with where we are and we're having fun, and that's all that matters!
Anyway, here are some pictures from today!!

Today was just a blast!

First I played with Diesel!

We went for a walk through all of our pine trees and grazed for a good 45 minutes. We went for another walk through the back yard and through the trees. He was so cute, and so silly! We trotted around for a little bit and went for a nice trail walk. :) I think I might take him for a walk down to the creek across the road. I think he would have fun with that. He loves trail walks!


Next was Eddie!
Eddie and I went out to the pasture and we played with a bunch of stuff. We did a lot of circling game and we started something new! I asked him to back up a half a circle with me just standing still in the middle. He did it!!! I was so happy!!!! And so proud of him! He had a bit of a hard time figuring it out, but he got it, and it looks like once we do the pattern for a while he will get it. We also did something that was in the February Savvy Times. I asked him to put one foot at a time over the log. He did it!!! He never ceases to amaze me!!! I made a ton of videos from the footage I took today. So I'll have the video at the bottom of the post.


Next was Scout!
Scout and I played out in the pasture and out in the track. First we did some fun circles and some sideways from zone 1. We rolled a few times, ;) and then played with a log. His circles were really, really good and he hardly broke gait. We did some zone 5 driving and some friendly game and sideways and circling from zone 5. He did great, and he is getting more confident with it every day! He had an accident when my sister was driving him once, and that seemed to really spook him. So I'm slowly re-introducing it to him. And he's doing REALLY well!
(falling asleep here....)
Here are the videos!










~Lea & Eddie~

Matthew 22;37-39

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Fun, fun, fun in the snow!!

Today was great! I got to play with our whole herd!


Mom and I did chores in the morning and then I played with Scout before lunch. He did really, really good. We can play in the pasture now, because the ice is mostly covered by thick, wet, packed snow. But it's still there, so of course, no cantering or anything where a lot of footwork is involved. We played with some zone 1 sideways and slow circles at the end of the 45 foot line. We got about halfway there, and then he would get distracted. So, I had to bring in some coils and keep the contact. But the whole time the belly of the rope was on the ground, so that was a huge +. We did some driving after that. He was pretty unconfident at first, but after we did some major friendly games and a few little challenges, he was awesome! A few of the things we did was: dropping all the lines and seeing if he would come back to me. He did and I was very proud of him! Getting tangled in the lines on purpose and seeing if we could untangle ourselves and then doing some really light transitions upwards and downwards. Then we did some precise maneuvers and that was pretty tricky, but we both got it quite fast. I had him back out of a narrow spot, and then back into it, go through it, and then back out again. A few times he got confused, but it was really cool to see him figure it out. :)

Next it was Eddie's turn!
We went out and played in the pasture. He was pretty sleepy, so we didn't do a lot of running around and plus the ice was there. So, I would send him out on the circle and he would go almost to the end of it. We were probably at 35-40 feet the whole time. That was at a walk too, and the line was dragging the whole time. Almost to the point where I had to take in 5 coils because he wanted to stay in with me the whole time. We jumped the tube and few times because it's in this huge drift. This thing (the tube) that used to be up to my knees, is right in the middle of my shin. That's how big the drift is. So there is no chance of hitting the ice that is underneath. But still, it feels like I have to walk on eggshells and whenever he jumps into a fast trot, I have to slow him down. But on the track we can rip!! We went out there and ran around because he had quite woken up. So we ran about 600 feet and I was at a sprint, in huge winter boots, in 5 inches of snow. Needless to say, I think we're both tired! So I was sprinting and he was doing his magnificent extended trot. I LOVE that trot! I can't wait until I can ride it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was really cool, at one moment we were both right next to each other and our feet were exactly in unison. It was SO SO SO SO SO pretty!!! I wish I had had a camera, but it was an amazing experience. I just love that moment when you're both thinking the same thing and your horse is just SO connected. Only a few times we've expierenced that. Once when we cantered a ton out in the pasture, this time, and one afternoon in the summer when we had a Level 4+ liberty session. Hooray for excellent play sessions!

~Lea & Eddie~

~~And now Scout~~

Proverbs 14:22

Do they not go astray who devise evil?
      But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
     

More Pics

Here are a few pictures from yesterday!

More Snow & More Fun

Well for the last couple of days, I've been playing with both Scout and Eddie. I took Eddie for multiple walks and lots of time to graze and the same with Scout. He has been really appreciative of the attention. :)

Eddie and I have been playing with some fun stuff. Mostly being out on the 22 foot line and keeping the connection. We finally got to play in the pasture today, but just at a walk, because there is still ice underfoot.

I took Scout out for a while today too and we played for quite a while. We did some zone 5 driving and played with our yoyos. We kept them really straight and they looked amazing!! I did the same with Eddie too, we played with yoyos. I asked him to jump over the tube, and then back up to it, keeping it straight. He did really good! He was only a little crooked.

Here are some pictures!

They did really good and I just love playing with Eddie and Scout. I could do it everyday! They are such pumpkins. :)

I also watched the Level 4 Online DVD. It was really, really good. We're playing with some of the things Mr. Parelli introduced, but most of the things he did, we've already done. But we still have a lot of things to play with. :)

Hooray for pony play days!

On to Tuesday! Goodbye Monday!

~Lea & Eddie~

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Run Around Time

Yesterday we took all the horses out the track and the long piece we had sectioned off and just let them rip!
First it was Diesel and he just trotted around/cantered a little bit and didn't do much.
But then we let Eddie out and he was really having a good time. He was jumping and bucking and rearing and was generally having a good time. A few times he really dug in and just ran like crazy. It must have felt really good to be able to get all his energy out.
We let Scout loose next while Diesel and Eddie were on a line. Scout ran around quite a bit and really did some big 'pony express' runs. He even got to hyper, that he jumped over an upright barrel (which was out fence that we had put up to stop them from going to the ice.) So he jumped the barrels and just took off in the track. He eventually stopped in one of the corners that didn't have any ice, thank goodness. We got everyone settled down and went back inside.
They were so happy for the movement and exercise.
On to today!


~Lea & Eddie~

Today's Play Time

Today Mom and I had a lot of fun with the horses. We took everyone out to the track to have some run around time and just Diesel trotted around a little bit. We let them eat some snow, graze a little bit, trot around and just have some exercise.

Then I played with Eddie for a while out in the pasture where there wasn't any ice. Man, we have never had a winter like this where we just cannot play. There is ice everywhere! At least things are melting off and hopefully in a month we'll be able to get out and actually do some playing.

Eddie and I grazed for a little bit, did some circling game and ate more snow. ;)

My mom played with Scout for a little bit and just generally gave them some time outside.

I played with Diesel after mom played with Scout and he was just being so silly! Still no change since yesterday. He's still a silly little bugger. hehe!

I did his feet too and trimmed them up. They are just so tiny! I love doing them! Although you do have to bend over quite a bit. :) But he stand pretty good and lets me do that.

Now we're off to lock them up for the night and give them lots of hay that we sorted.

What a busy, but fun day!

Lea & Eddie

Deuteronomy 11:1

“Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always.

February 17th Play Day

Yesterday was so busy and so fun!
I played with Eddie twice, Scout once, Diesel once, groomed them all, Diesel got out and did a lot of chores with Dad. So I was very tired by the end of the day and spent the night watching American Idol & the Olympics to pass the time. ;) hehe!
But anyway, Eddie did so amazing and so did Scout!
In the morning I played with Eddie with some bowing and we played again in the afternoon out on the track. We played with some circles, weave, cavaletties and lots of other stuff. I grabbed the 4 cones that I was using for our weave, and put them together so Eddie would have to trot over them like cavaletties. He did super at that and he was really, really stretching into it. I think it must have felt good to use his back.
I played with Diesel in the morning too. We played with the 7 games and just using his brain. My mom and I were talking, and we're going to send in a video of me playing with him to Mr. David Lichman. Because he has a system where you pay him what the advice was worth and it's over the internet with videos and such. We're just finding it hard to connect with him. Eddie and Scout they look to us to ask "Oh! What are we doing next?" But Diesel wants nothing to do with our 'stupid games.' He challenges me - a LOT! I feel like a Level 1 student all over again because he is just SO SO SO smart! It will be interesting to see what Mr. Lichman says. I'm sure it will be amazing advice from a 5* instructor.
I played with Scout next. He did really well. We did some circles and just lots of trotting around out in the track. He was VERY happy for the excercise. But what we didn't expect was this:
I heard my Dad yell, "Diesel's loose!" and I just automatically went, "Oh BOY!" So Scout cantered while I sprinted to the round pen where Diesel was. I got the fence down to the track and he just went right into the track and started to roll. Silly hinny!!!!!! It was funny though, he looked just like a little oreo milkshake because he just covered in the thawing mud. ;) I just had to chuckle. We got him back into his pen after moving Eddie and Scout around and then Scout and I just went back to grazing beneath the trees by the track.
It was a very interesting day. ;)


I was also thinking about Eddie's and my 'tricks.' I refer to laying down, bowing and spanish walking. I came to a realization today that once it doesn't become fun, or it becomes too much of a challenge, then you have to stop doing it. I noticed I started saying, "Let's work on our bowing." Instead of, "Let's play with our bowing." Yesterday I also noticed that Eddie didn't look like he was having fun.
So, instead of 'working' on our 'tricks' we're going to start to play with our riding more. All those tricks look cool, but it's not for the benefit of the the horse.
Lately, I've really taken up the concept, "What's right for the horse?" It's not fair to do what we want and forget about the horse's dignity. And sadly, I think some Level 4 students fall into that. There's a fine line between tricks and relationship.
I've decided to play with our riding every day now and not get caught up on things that could trip us up.




Lea & Eddie

Romans 8:38-39

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bowing!

Well for the past few days I've taken up the role of barn manager. My sister is in St. Louis with her college horticulture program and my has had to work these past few days. My dad has all these days off though, so it's just me and him and the horses!

Yesterday I played with Eddie and his bowing, playing out in the track and I groomed all the horses. :) Eddie did really, really good out on the track. He was a little spooky because it was windy, but after he got out some of his jumping around and some of his energy, he was as happy as could be!

He did some excellent circles and we played with our sideways some more. We also did some weave and he was really, very light with it!

When we played with our bowing, he did great too. Here's a video of it! He almost layed down a few times, and maybe today we'll be able to get it. It just keeps getting better and better!

I'm hoping to play with Scout, Diesel and Eddie today. So that should be fun! Diesel and I are going to play with our bowing too. By special request from mom. ;) I will upload more video later!

~Lea