MiKael Meets Richard.........Updates on Vee

Part 1

MiKael Meets Richard......The Story Begins......... is the start of the journey with Vee and Richard. At that time the problem was identified and the "cure" decided. From there it was a matter of implementation.........but you know horses..........nothing can ever be as simple as that.

In the beginning it was all about going forward for Vee. We wanted her to using herself properly........and that was it. We didn't worry about speed........just the mare being totally underneath herself where she belonged. Once she got balanced the slower gait would come.

That part seemed to go well and we thought we were ready to move on. Richard and I agreed and he boxed her a few times. I rode her the first time afterwards and the difference in the horse was amazing. She actually loped a true lope for the first time. I think we were all elated.

Then the second time, I began having problems with her lead her bad way of going. Not really big problems, just more difficulty than I'd ever had before. By the third or fourth day, it was a mess. Getting Vee on the correction lead going to the left was next to impossible for me and for Richard.

Richard thought it was about weight. I weight 20 lbs more than Jessica and Richard is up from there. He was convinced that it was either one of us putting added weight on her shoulder causing the incorrect lead. That didn't account for the fact I had never had this problem with the mare and her leads in all the time I have been riding and my weight has been consistent but those were his thoughts.

For me I thought it had to do with the mare being an over achiever. By that I mean, the horse wants so badly to do the right thing she sometimes tries too hard. I think that Vee thought she knew what we wanted and she was trying to show off...........instead of listening to the cues she was giving us what she thought we wanted. The result was the wrong lead.

What we had going for us in solving this problem was on the ground in the round pen Vee was nailing her leads every time. It didn't matter whether it was lunging, long lining or boxing, the mare was rarely if ever picking up a wrong lead. She was listening closely to Richard for instructions.

So we took the mare back into the round pen with a rider on her back and Richard on the ground. The rider, Jessica, again did her usual and was just dead weight. She just sat there while Richard called the shots. As expected the mare got her leads right every time.

Since by this time, the mare was soaked in sweat, we decided to call it a day. But it was clear we needed to do work in the round pen with a rider on her back and Richard on the ground......at least for now.

After watching this my thoughts were we needed to have the rider integrate her cues along with Richard's. Then gradually wean the mare off of Richard's cues and into the rider's cues. If the mare was paying attention to cues she wouldn't have gone off on her own to show off how good she was getting it. Those were my thoughts anyway.

To be continued.........

More on Vee




Also I've received another award that I need to get posted before surgery(which happens to be tomorrow and not Thursday as I first thought) or every blog I read will have received it before I get back and there will be none of my wonderful blogging friends who haven't received it yet! This one is from Victoria at Teachings of the Horse and like most awards is to be posted with links to who gave it and where it's to go next. Also it always help to contact the new winners and let them know that they've been chosen.

These beautiful, colorful awards in this dreary winter really cheer a girl up. Thanks so much Victoria for thinking of me.

I'd love to pass this award along to some of my regular blog reads I think haven't received this award as yet. I so appreciate all of these great women for sharing their lives.
Donna at A Velvet Cage,
20 meter circle of life ,
kdwhorses at Blackjack Land & Cattle Company,
Dressage Mom,
Frazzled Farm Wife
Molly at HolaMole' and last but certainly not least to the woman who makes me giggle about hot flashes and other such age related things,
Midlife Mom at Home on the Range

Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY