More ground driving

We worked on ground driving again today. She is quite calm in the round pen and for the minimal equipment I attach to her. I started with just a little lunging, then attaching the surcingle and long lines, piece by piece, until she had everything on, doing a circle or walking a little in between each step. I like doing a little work each time I add an element. I think it's just too much all at once if I slap on the surcingle, add a line to each side and off we go. If I do that, I have no chance to really see how she's feeling that day and how she's processing each step. So, we're always slow. We always make progress of some kind, but not always as fast as I think it should be. I need to get over it, realize she's a barely two-year-old filly and do the groundwork until it is done. And by done, I mean, she's got it all and knows what I want, before I climb aboard to ride.

I know there will come a point, where I just need to get on and go. We're not there yet. I continue to work with the saddle and laying over her, putting a foot in the stirrup, but that's not where all my concentration is now. The emphasis has to be on understanding. I feel like she's barely gotten a chance to be a "kid" and now I'm making her work. I don't mind that fact, but I don't want to push so hard that she hates it either. I hope (knock on wood) that I take each horses' personality into account before I even put on a halter, let alone ask them to do something for me.

So, ground driving; she caught on much quicker this time. She knew what I wanted and was showing me her stubborn side. I only drove her outside the round pen for a few minutes until she was in tune with me and listening well. We did a couple of things well and stopped. As Clinton Anderson says "Horse training is the opposite of sex...you stop when it feels good."

She's climbing the ladder.

Not necessarily of success, but that will come.

We are leasing/fostering a mare from a local rescue which has TONS of horses right now. I think about 80!!! Go to http://www.equineoutreach.com/ for information on how to lease or adopt a horse.

Back to Shelby...well, the leased horse is so submissive that Shelby has been forgotten in the rush to show the new mare who's boss. Shelby just stands quietly, hoping no one will see her and chase her around next.

New mare, Flame, is sweet and holding her own. Sadly, she took her repressed irritation out on the pony, Belle. Poor little Belle got her bootie kicked by the new horse. Just when I thought they were friends.

So, Shelby has climbed up a notch. Not sure what will happen there when the new horse finds it's forever home or we take her back.

New pictures.

Shelby, apparently, enjoyed being sprinkled on this hot day. No working with her in the past few days. Just pets in the pasture. She's getting better about not immediately walking away when she sees me coming, so that's good.

Ground driving

I ground drove Shelby a few days ago. We started in the round pen, just lunging on a long line. Then I put it through the stirrup. She thought that was very strange, but picked it right up and did fine. Then from the other side.

After that, I kept the long line through the stirrup, on the inside, and attached a lead rope to the outside stirrup and halter, wrapping the end of the lead rope up and out of the way, but with no real pressure on the halter.

Then, double long lines, through both stirrups. We got tangled up a few times, and apparently there is no "whoa" when she is being driven. After stopping (to the best of our current ability), turning, untangling a few times, we headed out to the pasture where there is more room. No horses there, but there were plenty about 50 yards away on the other side of the fence. You can guess to where she directly headed.

It took about 15 minutes to get her to understand the lines outside the round pen and then to agree to turning away from her buddies. We were eventually driving through a large gate and around the outside of the round pen. She had resigned herself to going away from her buddies and it was smooth sailing after that.