New Year, New Life

Long time, no post.  The big news is that baby O is here!  He was born on January 3rd, so between that and the holidays, things have been crazy. 

The pony is feral.  My sister-in-law came down to cook and play with O the other night.   She rode Max for a bit while I watched. She's a much better rider and way more confident than me. It's a good thing she did because now I know what I'm in for. The feral beast tried some evasion tactics which included bucking and bolting. My SIL handled it well, but seeing that did nothing for my confidence. It did, however, solidify my roundpen idea.  Once the ground thaws this spring, I'm going to put a simple one in. She did say that he was a good ride and was trying to be a good boy.

I made a post with my 2016 goals. It can be found here.  I don't think it was published in the feed, but is linked off to the side bar on my blog.

Max got an Uncle Jimmy's lik-it thingie from my mom for Christmas. I ended up having to move it because he got frustrated with not being able to get a hold of the thing.  But he loves it now.

I can taste it! 

But I can't bite it. Help! You do it!

2015 In Review

This year has been crazy.  We started off strong, then life happened and is ending with a feral yak beast.

Full beast mode engaged

 I feel like the year started out fairly well. The winter was very cold, so not a whole lot was done early.  We ran into some issues with spinning and bolting early on and this really affected my confidence.  Then in the spring I found out I was pregnant. The nausea and lack of confidence kept me out of the saddle for just about the rest of the year.

Some other highlights include:
-Did a CMO in May with my in-law's horse. This was a confidence boost, but couldn't outdo the nausea
-Got a new-to-me saddle that I still need to figure out if I want to keep. I sat in it once and Max hasn't had a saddle on since. Unfortunately, every time I think of this saddle I start to feel a little nausea from association.  Hoping this will go away once the kid is born. It needs a better fitting girth and longer stirrup leathers. I do remember that much.
-Built a teeter totter/bridge that has been a lot of fun. 
-Started doing carrot stretches with Max. I've since tapered off, but still do them occasionally. He loves them! (okay, really it's the treats he loves)
-I did putz around bareback on Max a few times in the paddock and he was still relatively good.

We teeter and we totter. We're a good boy!

Let's look at my goals written a year ago. 

We did go for rides! But not through icy water.

Goals for Max:
- Improve leg yields - Nope
- Get a decent turn on the forehand and haunches - Nope
- Work on some trail obstacles - technically we did this, just not as much

 

My human is crazy, but she feeds me so I try.

Goals for Me:
- Continue lessons in some fashion - this started off well enough, but then I had to stop due to life events
- Be able to sit the canter under saddle - we didn't work on this during lessons and I never got Max to the point where I could even think of sitting. 
- Build/set up some trail obstacles - Yes! I did not make as many as I had hoped, but I got a bridge/teeter toter made. I also made some poles colorful enough to see in the pasture and had that L thing set up for a while. I have more plans for the coming year
- Ride the pony with the goal of working on something, at least once per week* - This did not happen. It started, then it ended fairly quickly.
- Doing groundwork or lunging at least once per week** - Nope - At this point, the beast hasn't been handled all that much and has turned feral. He's getting pushy and needs some refreshing

We bow for treats!  Actually, we bow a lot, even without being cued. Gimme treats!

 
Other Goals:***  We did buy a trailer, right around the same time I found out I was pregnant
- Have at least one lesson on Max - Nope
- Take Max off property at least once for a trail ride - Nope



* By this, I mean more than just absentmindedly riding around the property. I want to ride with focus and a clear idea of what I want to accomplish during the ride.

**Again, this is more than just the basic stuff we do every time I'm around him.

***These are completely dependent on whether we are able to purchase a trailer this year. Have truck, need trailer...

The beginning of the easy life for me.

So, over all I'd say goals not met, but I don't feel too bad or guilty about that.  I mostly feel bad that I haven't been spending much time with the pony at all.

Revised Goals: 2015

Due to some medical conditions, I haven't been able to ride much this year.  So far, it's looking like this is going to be status quo for a while.  Between that, the weather, and life in general, I don't know what I will be able to do with Max (or myself) for the rest of this year. There's enough going on that I even stopped taking my weekly lessons.  Due to all of this, I've decided to revise my goals for the rest of the year.

Goals for Max:
-Try to do groundwork when possible with a focus on yielding to pressure.
-Go for walks, especially in the woods once the mosquitoes stop sucking us dry
-Don't let him get too fat

Goals for Me:
-Try to ride a few times, even if it's just walking in the paddock for 10 minutes.
-Continue to update the blog, but maybe step back to twice a week

 Other Goals:
-Continue making trail obstacles if/when the materials should magically appear.
-Survive the year with humans and animals in once piece.

What? You want me to leave all this for some grain?  Okay!

May 2015 Goals Review

Let us see: 

Goals for Max:
- Improve leg yields - FAIL
- Get a decent turn on the forehand and haunches - FAIL
- Work on some trail obstacles - FAIL

Pony says "It's ok that you didn't work with me much. I don't mind. Just feed me grain and hay"

Goals for Me:
- Continue lessons in some fashion - Mostly did this. They keep getting delayed or canceled for the week for various reasons
- Be able to sit the canter under saddle - FAIL
- Build/set up some trail obstacles - Mostly Fail - I did start putting together a new one, but it's sitting half finished in my garage.
- Ride the pony with the goal of working on something, at least once per week - FAIL - rode once for 10 minutes to try a new saddle, and even that was a fail since I was too lazy to swap out the stirrup leathers that were too short
 - Doing groundwork or lunging at least once per week - FAIL

Other Goals:
 - Have at least one lesson on Max  - didn't happen
- Take Max off property at least once for a trail ride - Still didn't happen

There are reasons (excuses) for me not working with the boy. Right now he is mostly a pasture puff. 

April Goal Review

Riding:

I rode Max four times this month, though the last one was a short putz around the paddock mostly working on transitions.  My husband also rode him once and gave him a bit of a workout.  Not to bad for the month, but not quite meeting my riding goals.  We didn't really work much on yielding. I was more focused on getting him in shape.

Proof.

Groundwork:

We do stretches almost every day. I've been trying to take him for walks. We also did some desensitization work a couple of times.

No tarp? Use feed bags.

Obstacles:

I figured out how to set up a high line and started introducing him to it. I also started constructing a new obstacle, but haven't finished yet. 

Unamused.

Other stuff:

We bought a trailer!  So some of my other goals are now within reach.

Yea baby!

TOABH: Defining the Relationship

Defining the Relationship from The Owls Approve

Snookum-ukums, where do you see this going?  

Let's be realistic.  What's the plan with your pony?  Is it a five-year investment with a return, is it until you move up beyond the Kin's abilities, or is it forever?

 

My plan for Max is to turn him into a trail pony.  I might take him to some local show or competitions for fun, but it probably won't be often. 

Unless a horse is clearly not compatible with me or trail riding, they will have a forever home with me.  Or, I suppose, if something terrible happens and we are no longer able to afford them. Then I would do everything in my power to make sure they will have a good home.

Shaggy pony says. "Why'd you stop grooming? It felt good!"

February 2015 Review

Well, we didn't get all the rain we were supposed to get. That means that the snow didn't completely melt (and cause flooding), but it melted enough to make it icy and too dangerous to ride.  It's supposed to get up into the 40s this weekend and stay warm-ish next week, so hopefully it will melt. I can't even ride in the paddock because the stall doors are frozen open. I don't want him to try to run in and scrape me off.  

So how did I do in working towards my goals in February?  Not so good.

Goals for Max:
Leg Yields: I didn't really work on this at all
Turning/pivoting: We worked on this once but didn't really achieve anything. Small steps
Obstacles:  We worked with an umbrella from the ground. That's something.

Groundwork and an obstacle. It's a 2-for-1 deal.

Goals for Me:
Lessons: Still too cold
Cantering: Didn't even attempt because of poor ground/not riding/trippy pony
Trail obstacles: One step forward, one step back. My husband dismantled my L, but I did work with an umbrella
Ride once per week: Rode twice in February. The last one was just a quick pokey ride in the snow.
Groundwork once per week: I tried this twice. Once was dropping his head, but my fingers started to go numb pretty quickly. I would also consider the umbrella groundwork as well.

Other Goals: None achieved, but I wasn't planning on it. They're more summer activities

January 2015 Goals: How Did I Do?

So, how did I do with my 2015 goals in January? 

The short answer is not so good.

It's hard to get motivated when the snow is blowing around.

Goals for Max:
- Improve leg yields: We worked on this a little under saddle.
- Get a decent turn on the forehand and haunches: Worked on this mostly on the ground.
- Work on some trail obstacles: We went though brush and worked on backing an L

Goals for Me:
- Continue lessons in some fashion: No lessons. My instructor doesn't have an indoor, so lessons are on hold.
- Be able to sit the canter under saddle: I didn't work on this. I haven't been riding in a saddle lately.
- Build/set up some trail obstacles: Yes!  I set up an L. Then my husband deconstructed it without telling me. 
- Ride the pony with the goal of working on something, at least once per week*: I've only ridden him twice this year with a goal in mind.
- Doing groundwork or lunging at least once per week**: Did this once during the month. 

Snowy (and dirty) pony bubble butt.

 
Other Goals:***
- Have at least one lesson on Max
- Take Max off property at least once for a trail ride

No trailer, so no progress on the other goals. 

Goals for 2015

I'm terrible at setting goals, but I'm going to try for this year.

Oh how I wish it were spring.

Goals for Max:
- Improve leg yields
- Get a decent turn on the forehand and haunches
- Work on some trail obstacles

Goals for Me:
- Continue lessons in some fashion
- Be able to sit the canter under saddle
- Build/set up some trail obstacles
- Ride the pony with the goal of working on something, at least once per week*
- Doing groundwork or lunging at least once per week**

Other Goals:***
- Have at least one lesson on Max
- Take Max off property at least once for a trail ride

* By this, I mean more than just absentmindedly riding around the property. I want to ride with focus and a clear idea of what I want to accomplish during the ride.

**Again, this is more than just the basic stuff we do every time I'm around him.

***These are completely dependent on whether we are able to purchase a trailer this year. Have truck, need trailer...