riding with new friends

We had a pleasant indoor ride yesterday, despite the cool dreary weather. Our trainer introduced us to some of her long time clients, a couple that are big into trail riding (the wife also shows). They regularly head out on the trail, including trailering to different states. That's one of our long-term goals, getting a live in trailer and exploring other States. Guess their trail ride was cancelled and knew we were scheduled to ride at Iron Horse, they've been wanting to meet us. How sweet is that? When they asked if they could could ride with us, Trainer Patty knew they would be more then welcome! 


After warming up, I learned Koda's new trick of the week. He is sticking his neck towards the inside, and nose towards the outside...no clue why he has to be so challenging, other then he is a horse. Patty asked me to correct him if he did it, by turning him right around into a tight circle. Sometimes it worked better then others. She said in general I do a lot of little corrections, while she does one big correction and gets longer results. In the past Koda has done his share of bracing, pulling, chomping etc. It all goes away, but seems to reappear in some form. Last year we switched bits. I wonder if it's time to try something different? She doesn't think so, stating new quirks are all part of the tune-up process. 


We all stopped riding to learn together, when a mini trail class course was set up - a rope gait, a box, and a pole. The idea was to lope into a square box (with poles as a border) and stop inside, then do a 360 turn without touching the poles, trot off, go over a single pole, to the gate, and open and close it. Sounds easy, right? Well, it wasn't. I haven't done any gait work in over a year, and stopping in a box - ha! - that was a new one. Koda & I stopped inside the box, but it was a sloppy mess after we lost our gait somewhere right before the poles start. Our 360 turn was great, the gate not so much. Koda started what I not so affectionatally call his "backing crap" aka "I don't want to do that" and it instantly frustrates me. It sends me back to a place I don't like to go. A place where I don't trust him, and want to hop off. I said it out loud. Patty was right by the gate, and just continued coaching me. I tried to get him to WHOA! and not to inadvertently pull back, eventually we managed the rope gait. I only tried the course once, we've got a lot to work on...


After Brad did the course, he hopped off Nemo and asked the new (to us) Assistant Trainer Stephanie to do the course riding Nemo. He wanted to watch. Patty coached her in Nemo's sticky areas as well, and it was helpful for Brad to hear and see at the same time. No one was a shining star, we all had our issues and joked about "no pressure". 


On the way home, Brad said he got a lot out of this ride. It wasn't one of my favorite, but they can't all be. Overall it was fun and the couple we rode with were great. We shared a few stories, talked about ACTHA and ended up exchanging emails. I'm pretty excited to have met such nice people with similar interests, and the trail it may lead us on!

weeks later

In just one short week, there was a noticeable difference in Koda & Nemo. Some of what we experienced may have been attributed to the warm 80 degree weather, the kind you want to bottle - and then open up during a cold or rainy stretch. Unlike some other horses at the trainers, ours were handling our early jump from winter to summer pretty well - winter coat and all. Spring serves a transitional purpose, we just didn't get one this year. In reality, another week of training and strengthening was showing it's effect. Some weeks it shows, and other not as much. Nemo was no longer "racey". Koda's collection response was back, and he continued to move out. It always helps to be able to ride in the large outdoor arena.

Fast forward to this weekend. We recently got some much needed rain, that stuck us back in the indoor yesterday. It's just not as much fun to ride inside for horse or human. Koda's forward go, pretty much got up and went. Repeated cues were needed on more then one occasion. He seemed bored, more then anything. I tried to change it up as much as I could. There were some cones set out, which added a structure to move around. Our trainer spent most of our ride helping Brad & Nemo work on softness, and their lope. It seems to be the initial training focus, where both horses need work. Speaking of work, I need to spend more time on my side passes and attempted spins, they felt pretty sloppy...and I really like doing them.

On a different note, Nemo's bladder biopsy had to be rescheduled. The specialized equipment was out of state, being used for a training. Waiting another week turned out to be a good thing. When he went into the vet hospital for his exploratory procedure, the preliminary ultrasound showed the mass in his bladder had started to break down on it's own - it was a clump of calcium. They didn't need to do the biopsy, instead they were able to finish breaking the mass down and flush the calcium out. He was happy to get back to his home-away-from-home. Our vet will continue looking into things that may be contributing to the build-up, starting by testing our hay. We are pretty happy with the news, and look forward to many years together with our big entertaining sweet guy!

Leftovers are good!
Nemo figured out if he flips the tire at home, just right, the grain that was wedged between the tire and pan from his messy eating brother (Koda) pops right out and lands in the pan.

she wasn't kidding

Last weekend we arrived at our trainers to find Nemo all about greeting us, and then there was Koda who glanced but wouldn't even turn around. Since he had an attitude, I went to love up Nemo instead. Eventually Koda decided to show some interest in our arrival, and then received a warm welcome. Somethings never change, you could flip a coin with that boy to see which one you've got that day.

As usual Brad was already riding Nemo by the time Koda & I entered the arena. 40 mile an hour winds were randomly blowing the new giant wall fan at the end of the arena open, slamming it shut, and creating weird loud creaking sounds. I thought a warm up lunge at that end of the arena would be a good idea. Remember the crazy lunging horse in the arena from a few rides ago? Well, that was us this time. Koda bucked, pulled, raced, and gave me dirty looks. Who's horse is this? I've only seen him act up like that once while lunging, when he first learned how as a yearling and was testing things out. That wasn't going to work this time either, and he quickly settled and chose to listen.

I didn't care much for the way Koda was acting, and opted not to hop on him right away. Instead we walked around and hung out down at the scary end of the arena, until our trainer came back from multi-tasking. I wanted her to ride him first, and see just what this new found behavior was all about. My horse was acting out of character, even for him. The winds had died down a fair amount, and of course Koda was perfect for her. I would expect nothing less.

I hopped on to find my sluggish boy was gone, and had changed into an energetic teenage version. Where repeated cues were needed in the past, it was one - and go. He didn't even try to quit until asked. Our trainer wasn't kidding when she said "Koda wants to go-go-go" and added "it's like they (Koda & Nemo) switched places". Fine with me, as long as Koda is listening - and he was, intently. I wonder if/how long it will last? I guess Koda has been this energetic since day one (two weeks ago) clearly happy to be back! Maybe he thought I was there to take him home, or more likely re-testing me. Nemo on the other hand seems like he could take Iron Horse, or leave it. He certainly doesn't dislike it, but I think he would rather be back in the pasture at home keeping track of his herd. Brad also found Nemo not to be his old ride, he was back to being a bit racey and high headed.

I had a good time riding Koda that day, he was different but fun. I really enjoyed his extended trot, didn't even know he had that cue...and I could even feel the gait was correct lol. It was obvious. I'm glad Brad asked about it, we missed trying their extended trot's before. Koda's lope was okay, somewhere along the way his cue for collecting got foggy. Our trainer agreed with me, and is working on it. He was still responding to the cue pretty well when we dropped him off, but in fixing other things he isn't anymore. I know it takes time to put it all back together. If only we could ride year round, there would be less to put back together.

I remember the mixed feeling of finding our horses different, in particular right after they start training. Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it - but in the end, it always proves to be.

a second ride

It was late morning when we arrived to ride Koda & Nemo for a second time this week. They are still at the trainers, which limits our rides for various reasons. The reality is summer is almost over, therefore we are being pro-active in getting in a second weekly ride. I am happy to say we accomplished that yesterday.

Koda slinking over to me, yep it's time to go to work.

I was happy Koda came to me in the pasture when I called him, albeit slowly. Can't really blame his slow-mo, it was really hot yesterday. We usually ride in the evenings when they are already back in their stalls, and it's starting to cool off. It was nice to ride midday, and have more time to groom. I got to condition and brush Koda's long beautiful mane & tail. I haven't figured out who enjoys it more. 

Of course that meant Brad & Nemo were well into their ride before we even got out to the arena. Not only do they move faster in general, but Brad isn't one to socialize until after they ride. I snapped a pic of them before I mounted. You'll notice Nemo's head is still pretty high, but he has really slowed down and is getting better overall.

Brad & Nemo loping

Altho I am making progress with Koda, we aren't there yet. I am still working on having the confidence to correct his naughty/disrespectful behavior before it grows. I got an earful yesterday, and while I fully understand what our trainer is saying - and why - it's still hard for me. Sigh. 

On a more positive note, our turns, spins and side passes are improving. Still a ways to go, but I love doing them! I don't think Koda minds them either. He continues to be fun to stop at a lope, and really gets his butt under him. Sometimes he ends up doing a little slide :) It would be fun to learn to slide, but it sounds like an ordeal with the boots, shoes etc. He would be good at it, maybe someday down the road.

The past couple rides I worked on learning to see & feel the correct lead at a lope. Something I've never been able to do. It gets old having to ask/be told. It doesn't help Koda's counter canter is pretty darn smooth. I intentionally cued a counter canter, and that helped me feel the difference when starting out. Earlier this week Trainer Patty suggested we do a fast stop on one. Koda's right leg swung out, that visual and uncomfortable feel made even more sense. It helped his front leg has a white pastern. When things are going smooth, I am trying to see by glancing down at his shoulders. The feel just isn't there yet, but I am trying. How do you tell if your horse is on the correct lead at a lope? 

flying lead changes

Last time we rode Koda & Nemo we could see, or in Brad's case feel, a significant change in Nemo. He was clearly using more of his rear muscles, and looked great. Brad had the smoothest ride he's ever had on Nemo.

Koda was already there the previous ride , and rode about the same. We had a bit more success on our spin work. I am still learning (and will be for a while) to feel it and put it together,. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself. I really need repetition for new things to sink into my thick skull, or at least more then 10 minutes of practice every not so often. Okay it's been twice, perhaps I should give it a few more times.

I got to thinking, how does Trainer Patty teach them to use their hind end anyways? She told me they do a lot of work with the wall, turning into it and actively backing up to strengthen those muscles. I would love to watch her train sometime, not a demo, but following the daily progression of a young horse - ideally one of ours. If only I didn't have to work...

Onto other news, our boys have started learning flying lead changes. I haven't done them in sooo long, I almost forget what it feels like to fly...almost. I love the feel of changing leads, and can't wait. I remember the progression. It's a longer learning process, and Koda is - well, proving to be Koda. I've watched him do lead changes at liberty, but if you've followed his training at all you know he doesn't just hand it over. Patty said "that darn Koda will change his front, and then draggg his back" it made us laugh. Not funny, but it's so Koda to provide a challenge. She said Nemo on the other hand seems to really enjoy them. No surprise there, he has always been more willing.

Patty also started to move our boys into a shank snaffle (with curb strap) by alternating them. I will be the first to admit, I don't know much about bits/hackmores.  Yes, I know there is gobs of controversy out there. My hubby gets frustrated, and tired of answering my repeated questions. He's a lot of great things, but teacher isn't one of them. A local book store is closing, and I've been eying up The Ultimate Book of Horse Bits by Emily Esterson. I bought it, it's always a good time to understand things better.

happy day

We went to visit Koda & Nemo today, and much to our surprise, we rode! We didn't have our tack with us, so we borrowed theirs - except for our bridles which stay with our horses. Our short lunge warm up felt a bit awkward to me, but then again it usually does. Once my butt hit that saddle it was smooth sailing, literally.

The four of us (Nemo & Brad and Koda & I) walked & trotted around, and got reacquainted while mounted. November felt like such a long time ago. Patty said I looked really good. I didn't think I was doing anything special, just riding in pure contentment. Maybe I don't give myself enough credit, or she was just being nice. Regardless, it caught me by surprise. Patty was super excited for me to lope Koda, so I did. I wasn't sure what to expect, but he effortlessly moved forward for me like a big boy. He felt really different. Koda was more level, riding smoother, and just seemed more confident and willing in his movement in general. My boy is growing up. She was very proud of him, and how well he moved out for me. Me too. Koda was amazing, it was SO much fun!

Brad had a good ride on Nemo, he was also moving out well in the lope. I stopped riding so I could watch them, and learn. I tried so hard to see when Nemo's frame was right, but it all looked the same to me. It's been explained to me before, but not the way Patty did. She made four footprints in the sand. With her body, she showed/explained how when the movement comes from behind, the back foot lands where the front foot was, and the body engages (somewhat lowered) powered from behind. I could see that, even in her human body. Then she planted her foot midway, to illustrate the difference of where they were last year. We talked about how that causes them to land, and the shoulder action. Now I could see their body movement is completely different. We all agreed the change is more significant on Koda. Wish I could have watched us too.

Trainer Patty also mentioned how the flow of energy that comes from behind, should come through the body, and effortlessly continue out their head. But without flowing movement, it gets blocked by their shoulder and the energy goes down, creating choppy moves. Whew, I'll have to keep working on the frame and looking for movement thing.

I also learned how to start a spin. Nemo & Brad made it look easy, it wasn't. I hopped off Koda, and Patty got on to show me what Koda was suppose to be doing, as well as what I was suppose to be doing. He wasn't being very cooperative, even for Patty, and I had it all wrong. I was bending him (old habits die hard) and didn't put the "stopping the forward movement, and turn cue" together at the right time.  We tried again, this time with a soft arc, making a circle smaller and smaller, stopped the movement forward, cued, started to spin - and walked off. At least I got the "rollback" feeling a couple times, and we called it good. The boys are still learning to spin, me too. First time I've ever tried.

We untacked, and went in to the heated barn to warm up and talk about some up coming shows, and trail trips to look forward to. I could tell Patty didn't want us to leave, we really enjoy each others company, but it was time for us to go. She had other clients waiting for her. Funny part was, I brought a video camera, my good camera, and my pocket camera - all ready to capture Koda & Nemo in action - and didn't take a single picture. I am happy to say I was living it, instead of watching it through a lens. 

After making plans for our next visit with Patty, I came around the corner and found Brad petting Koda...awwe, I whipped out my pocket camera and at least got a couple stall pictures to share. It was a happy day!!

Koda, after our training ride.
Wishing Brad would keep petting him.

Nemo, after our training ride.
Not the best picture of him, but I didn't want to leave the big guy out.

happy to be back

We recently spent about two hours visiting with Koda & Nemo, and of course trainer Patty. Our boys looked great! It felt so good to snuggle them. Wish I had brought my camera with me, especially when Nemo reached out to Patty and they were nose-to-nose exchanging conversation. He has so much personality.

They truly seem to be happy back in training, they sure look it. The boys are working on how they carry themselves, strengthening their top line etc They continue to progress, and haven't switched bits yet. She mentioned Koda was doing well holding the bit quietly and not bracing, but still has his days. I think Patty is trying to work through what's best for him. He can be a challenge, not necessarily naughty, making you think/work too. I can attest to that. Nemo on the other hand, in Patty's words "just does whatever we ask him to do". He has always been more willing. 

I was kinda bummed when I asked about riding, and she suggested we hold off a while longer. Sigh. It's okay tho, I know it will be better for them (and us) in the long run. It was fun to hear about the shows, and even a trail riding trip she is busy planning. Our boys will be included in the shows that fit them, and of course in the trail riding trip. It's going to be exciting!!

our last training ride

We had a slice of perfect weather, with no rain, for our last training ride at Iron Horse. The outdoor arena was still too wet to ride in, so we rode in the field again. I’m glad Brad & Nemo got a chance to experience it. It’s very different from outdoor arena riding in that there are no rails or obstacles to guide the horses. They really need to listen to their rider, and watch their footing. What a fun and free feeling, trotting and loping among the swaying grass and pretty scenery!
We changed it up and took a short trail ride on Patty’s property, and then headed out to the road. Along the way we did a little puddle work with the horses. Koda did good, of course the size was no comparison to what we faced last week – but I don’t care I’m walking through all the puddles I can. Patty wanted to see the geese that chased after some of her other horses earlier in the day. We never did see them, just the gawking llamas. I’m thinking it’s a good thing we didn’t have a run in with the geese, occasional cars were whizzing by at an arms length. Why the dipsticks don’t slow down and move over is beyond me. The only thing that gave the horses concern was the big black spooky mailbox wrapped in some strange white material straps. I’m not sure if the straps were holding it together, or decorating it, but all three horses would have rather not been walking right next to it. Of course they didn’t have a choice, but it did raise some ears. The only big scoot came from Nemo. They all did better the second time around. We headed back to the field to ride around some more – and as usual, several hours had flown by having fun. It was time to head in. I’m reeeally going to miss Iron Horse…it won't be our last training ride there forever, just for now.

you want me to cross what?

We finally made the anticipated trip up to Iron Horse for our second trail ride. With all the rain we’ve had, we weren’t sure we would be going anywhere but the indoor arena. I didn’t care, as long as we rode. It had been a whole week, but who’s counting…besides me.

We didn’t have enough riders to warrant taking two trailers, so keeping with our goal of seeing how Koda handled our trailer we loaded the boys, took them for a spin, and then unloaded them. You should have seen the look on their faces when they got out of the trailer and were back at Iron Horse lol. I’m happy to say Koda continues doing great. No time to waste, into the next trailer they went along with Sweetie. You may recall she went with us on our first trail ride. The six of us headed off to Ukarydee (also known as Castle Rock). It was a lot longer of a drive up then we expected, but well worth it. It rained most of the way and magically stopped shortly before we arrived. You gotta love it when that happens. All the way up I wondered what we were in store for. It’s one thing to ride in the rain at “home” where you can quit when you want to, yet another to be wet and cold out on a new trail. Of course we were the only ones riding in the park with the shifty weather, which actually was very serene. The wild flowers were in full bloom, what a variety! Bunnies and deer were scooting around. We were surrounded by quiet nature with pine plantations, open prairie areas, and oak forests. The trails were mostly sand, but as expected we ran into several muddy puddle areas. I quickly learned Koda doesn’t like crossing water/mud. Great.

This trail ride was a big step up from our previous ride for all three horses, and about as challenging as Patty suggests we get this season. I agree. We all switched around leading, following, riding in the middle – and yes, not wanting to go into the puddles. Thanks goodness Sweetie stepped up as the older puddle horse, or I’d still be there trying to get Koda to cross the water. Nemo had his puddle resisting moments too, but with Sweetie’s lead he crossed them all. Koda proved to be the real challenge. This seems to be a reoccurring theme. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?!

On my first attempt crossing a large puddle with Koda, I allowed him to walk on the edge vs right smack through the middle. It was about 6 feet to cross. I was feeling pretty good that I was successful in getting him to move forward. Of course I didn’t expect him to walk on the very edge, and then shy, which found my knee smacking against a tree. That felt more like pain then success. It only takes once to remind a person to not allow that to happened again! With that determination we made it across various other water puddles of different sizes shapes and lengths, much better - until they got larger. We got stuck on a larger puddle, about 10 feet to cross. That’s where we started the back-up “ I’m not going in there” routine. After many attempts to move him forward, Patty asked me to back him in. If he wants to back, then back him right in. So I did, and it worked – actually we turned around mid-puddle and walked forward through the rest. And then “dun-dun-duuuuun” (that’s the sounds of scary dooms-day stuff coming up) is it even safe to cross that HUGE no longer classifies as a puddle, ‘er body of water?? Six pairs of eyes got reeeal wide in a hurry. The river was behind us, in front of us looked to be an overflow flooded trail pass…so we decided it should be okay to cross. Our tall puddle horse went first. Even Sweetie didn’t like the feeling of the even gooshier edge, but mid-way she waded on through like she crossed bodies of water everyday. Nemo also eventually made it through with their help, however Koda and I didn’t. We got to the edge and out came the “you want me to cross what?”…I tried, and tried but Koda kept backing, jiggin’ and wiggling. I remembered an earlier arena ride when I tried to out stubborn Koda, this time when Patty offered to help – I accepted it right away. I knew by the way he was acting it was beyond me to get Koda across something that big. I could keep trying, but….between the slippery mud and tight area I just didn’t know how far I was willing to go. The only thing I hadn’t tried was dragging, I mean leading, Koda across. Wasn’t likely to work with the footing, depth, and his resistance combined. Not to mention I would have gotten sopping wet. So Patty and Sweetie came back across to help us, and we switched horses. Now, let me tell you what a difference that was. Sweetie has pent-up energy to spare, and has spent her life making her own decisions – and here we are together for the first time in a stressful situation. So we waded, checked out the path ahead, and stood still for 2 point 2 seconds before doing it all over again. She can’t stand still (Patty is re-training her). We would stand for a short while, but with nowhere to go, or even dismount, back across the water we went lol, several times. I felt better moving on her, then feeling her energy fuel while standing still. Besides, we needed Sweetie’s help to get Koda across.

I didn’t feel too bad about not getting him to cross. Patty had to get off Koda twice herself, and was having a lot of trouble too. It was a tough situation. He had stopped thinking and was about to get himself hurt. The water was around a bend, and there was such a small open path area that he couldn’t keep stepping back further and further. If he did, he would have hit a small decline that would have landed him into the real body of water behind us – a guaranteed disaster. How do you tell a horse that, when they aren’t thinking? Apparently he hadn’t noticed it, he was so focused on the water in front of him. She had to be kinda hard on him to get him to stop backing and reacting with random movement, that was anything but forward. She felt bad. We all did. But it could have gotten ugly. Koda needed to start using his brain so he didn’t get hurt, or hurt someone. Sweetie was calm (for her) as we stood in the scary body of water trying to give him reassurance the goopy mud wasn’t going to swallow him up. Patty doesn’t think Koda’s deal is a water depth thing, she thinks he doesn’t like the squishy feeling under his feet. Who knows. That over flow was about 30 feet to cross and forever long, not something you can go around. It was about 2 feet deep. Thankfully, Koda came to his senses and just plain ol’ gave in and plodded through the water for Patty – and every puddle thereafter.

We continued on the trail for a while before switching back to our original horses. Whew. Altho it was fun to be on a tall energetic horse for a while, I really don’t know Sweeties pent-up quirks and didn’t feel like flying today. I couldn’t believe how different the two horses felt underneath me. It was night and day. I was very happy to get back on my Koda! The rest of the ride was uneventful. We were all tired, and believe it or not relaxed. We had all experienced a beautiful ride with a high level of learning. We were very proud of our mounts, all of them. That was a challenging ride for our young horses.

I’d like to go back to Ukarydee, in dryer weather (surprise, surprise). Altho I hear the bugs get bad, but it must be absolutely gorgeous in the fall. Regardless, we’ll go back. In the interim, I’ll continue working on Koda crossing water!

what’s going on back there?

Before we rode last night, our vet Dave did an ultrasound of Nemo’s bladder to check things out. The ultrasound is done rectally. He wasn’t sure how Nemo would deal with the procedure. Amazingly he stood for the whole exam without fussing. Altho you could tell by the look on Nemo’s face he really wanted to see what was going on behind him. I think he found out, without looking.

We watched the ultrasound screen with Dave, and learned that Nemo doesn’t have any stones. It’s a good thing. Stones must be removed surgically. However he does have a build-up of crystals in his bladder. He shared every horse forms calcium carbonate crystals, but they usually go unnoticed and are deposited naturally. In Nemo’s case they are building up, and may have been for a while. As you can imagine complications can occur if the crystals are left to continue to build up. We didn’t get into those details, not sure I want to know. Dave recommended a funnel procedure to try and flush the crystals out. Hopefully it will work, and they won’t reoccur. Unfortunately the reality is that Nemo will be more susceptible to a reoccurrence. There is medicine to help control the build up, but we’ll stay away from that unless needed. It’s hard to pick up on the problem, and we are thankful to the Farrier at Iron Horse, and Assistant Trainer Shauna who noticed Nemo’s odd tinkling behavior on separate occasions.

It doesn’t seem to bother him, and he rode fine. Patty couldn’t be available for our ride, so Shauna took her place. She did a nice job. Brad got a few new pointers on working with Nemo, and helped me with my lope too. She’s awesome. At one point I was on the wrong lead. I couldn’t tell. If that was Koda’s wrong lead I’m in trouble, it was pretty smooth. Other then that, it went even better then last time. I think Fern Valley was right, perhaps we turned a corner.

rainy bliss

We had a great week and rode 3X in five days, with alternating days of arena, trail, arena work. A perfect schedule in my humble opinion. I really enjoy both trail & arena riding, most of the time. However that first arena ride was frustrating, at least that’s what my face told everyone. I wear my emotions on my face – without even knowing. I didn’t tell my face to say anything, what the heck! Perfect strangers have come up to me in the past, upon occasion and made (nice) comments about whatever my face was saying at the time. Like it’s got a mind of it’s own or something lol. Guess it wasn’t listening to me that day either. Truth be told, I was frustrated with Koda – or myself, or both. Not sure. I get tired of non-stop correcting him. That little booger makes me work hard! Some days you just want to get on and ride. I know, I know that’s not realistic with a young horse. They need us to help them do the right thing, all the time. We made it through with help from Patty’s coaching, and by the end of the ride he did what I asked. My face must of been screaming frustration, cuz I never said a word. But she knew. Patty reminded me a ball spur was an option, and would make things easier for me. I’m sure the day will come when it makes sense to put on the spurs, but not now. I don’t expect things to be easy, this isn’t just about me – it’s about us…I am determined we’ll get it right sooner, next time.

We’ve had 90 degree muggy weather all week. On our second arena ride, we opted for the outdoor in the rain - it felt plain ol’ refreshing. I’m pretty sure Nemo was the only one who didn’t think so, he prefers not getting wet. But sometimes you gotta ride in the rain, and in this case we all wanted to. We’ll almost all of us. Nemo got over it, he didn’t have a choice. Patty kept offering to move into the indoor arena, but no one wanted to give up the refreshing feeling that only water on a hot day can give you. Besides, I was having the best ride ever on Koda. There is something to be said for repetition. We had our moments, but it was a big huge improvement. Patty was really pleased. I think we all were. Koda’s broken strides were less frequent and he was listening to my cues. He was loping off right away. At one point I was laughing so hard we ran right over the top of a cone. Oops, bad driver - sorry Patty. She laughed too, and said they had been running them over all day. We tried it again, and this time I focused and decided sooner which direction we were going. Good idea, ya think?! Other riders came and went during the rain that ranged from sprinkles, to nothing, to a steady soaking rain, and back to nothing again. By the end we were wet, tired, and happy. I found out after the fact hubby told Patty it was almost like Koda & I were a different rider and a different horse – and she agreed. Whatever, we were just enjoying the rainy bliss!!

to the left to the left

SO, aren’t you all wondering – was I able to get Koda to lope to the left…or are stronger aides in our immediate future?? Say what? It wasn’t on your top ten things to worry about? Not a problem, I had it covered for all of us – and worry, I did.

My day was for crap at work, and that makes gearing up for a challenge a hard transition. But the “what if’s” slowly and surely melted away as my time with Koda progressed. He was patient tacking, and good during warm-up. Altho he did challenge me some in the saddle. I wanted so badly for things to go right, and by Koda’s reactions – so did he. With every thing that was done well, or fixed, came the answer I was looking for - done well.

By the middle of our ride, I found myself bumping him too frequently to keep him trotting. Patty asked me to try not using my legs for a while, to prove a point. Koda needs to hold his gait, without my constant reminder. If not, my leg pressure will soon become ineffective and I’ll have a hard-sided horse. Who wants that, not me. I loosened my reins, used no leg, and much to my surprise it worked. We were off the rail, actively working even around the cones – until I stopped.

While I was mentally getting ready to put my lope together, Koda decided to toss his head up while jerking on the reins. Patty didn’t like that at all. She said “that’s like your kid swearing at you”. He knows that’s not okay, and had me do a couple tight circles. He never did it again - all from a simple circle, at a key time.

I was reminded young horses need our help keeping their shoulder up at the lope, especially when starting off, by picking up the inside rein. She also explained to me why working the rhythm of the lope isn't helpful, and actually get’s in their way. That was news to me, and contrary to what I’ve learned in the past. I was taught it helped and encouraged them to keep going, although I’m sure I was over doing it in slow motion. I can’t remember what Patty called it, but she had a name for it. Add that and more to changing my lope cue to the outside, and I’ve got a fair amount of unlearning from years gone by to remember NOT to do.

Three things to remember TO do with a young horse: 1) never use/do more than you need 2) keep work fresh (same applies to correction) 3) end when it’s your idea. Hmmm, that could apply to a lot more than young horses!

Brad and Nemo spent a fair amount of their ride loping, or using the rail to turn into to get a better lift off at the lead. On a different note, we found out Nemo might have kidney stones. They called the vet to discuss symptoms, as long as he doesn’t seem to be in pain and everything remains normal, he wants to check a few things on him at his next visit . Apparently what prompted the call was unusual urination behavior (pee a little, walk around, pee more) in his stall the day before. Patty and staff are keeping an eye on him. Doesn’t help the poor guy got the cough Koda had, and was also put on penicillin to knock it out. Regardless he was a funny tired boy when we were done riding. Nemo made those silly yawning faces that make us all laugh, but still had enough playful energy to pick up the cones.

Oh yea, and I’m happy to say – Koda & I were indeed successful loping to the left, to the left!

the more I learn, the less I know

We had a great ride & lesson Wednesday night. I learned sooo much, my head was still spinning the next morning. I swear, the more I learn the less I know! Why is that?

The barn was busy as usual. We arrived to find our favorite tack fitter and friend Kathye, from Mounds. She checked how our tack was fitting our boys, and tried a new Billy Cook saddle on Nemo. Now that she has seen them in person and things fit well, we just need to make a final decision on the saddle. As you’ve likely read, we didn’t have much luck finding a used saddle locally. I know some folks get good saddle deals on ebay, but we don’t want to take the risk in this case. We reeeally need another saddle (and soon), it’s a necessity, not an extra.

We rode in the indoor arena, do to the string of crappy cold wet weather we’ve had. Warming the horses up was uneventful. It didn’t take long for me to warm-up either. Before hopping up on Koda, I slung my sweatshirt over the entrance banister. Nemo caught a glimpse of the odd black lump that wasn’t there before and found it kinda scary, but that didn’t last long. No obstacles or other riders in the arena for entertainment tonight, just the four of us working our gaits. Patty was please with how well Koda was listening. I agree, altho he was sluggish he was moving right off my leg at the trot. From what I saw, Brad and Nemo’s ride went well as usual.

With my first pending lope on Koda, Patty suggested I split my reins for more control. Not a big deal, I used to ride split reined. There is more positioning to be aware of, along with the added control. I mentioned to her that I may need her to help tell me if I’m on the wrong lead. It’s something I don’t think I ever got good at. Koda & Nemo are trained with a high (to me) outside leg roll cue, and a kiss. She also suggested a slightly shorter outside rein and to cue going into a bend, to help them get the correct lead. Pretty common. And so, we loped. First we loped to the right. Holy rocky horse, I thought I was on the wrong lead. I know it’s been a while, but it felt like an odd lope. Turns out I was on the correct lead (case in point). Patty said it probably felt awkward because Koda was going sooo slow, and the sand is really deep in her indoor. We tried again, and it was better. I choose to start loping in a half circle, and got reminded to turn Koda sooner if he wasn’t turning on his own. It’s important with the young ones. Oh ya, forgot that part - it comes back really quick when you almost run into a wall. We continued on, and I felt put together enough to go around the arena. It was fun!

Then we tried the left lead…and it all went down hill from there. You may recall one of the videos I posted where Patty mentions that Koda is very right sided, well she wasn’t kidding. He kept breaking his stride. Patty said (several times) I had to get after him or it’s going to get worse. We stopped, backed up, and got reminded to not pull on his face when backing up. Old habits die hard. I’ve figured out that Patty uses a lot more leg in her training then my previous trainer. I’m used to working the bit side-to-side on the horses I’ve ridden into collection, forward and back, along with leg pressure. You can’t do this with a young horse. It’s second nature, and I didn’t even realize I was doing it until she said something. Koda would start to listen, and then back to a broken stride…we started, we stopped, we backed, we started, we stopped, over and over. Patty offered to jump on him and show me how hard I needed to get after him, but I was determined. Things just got worse, eventually all I got was a trot. We were frustrated, both Koda and I. At that point it was all eyes on Aurora and Koda, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to out stubborn him and get a lope to the left. Man did I feel like an uncoordinated idiot. That’s a lot to put together all at once when things aren't going your way. Must have been hard for Patty to watch. She is so kind and never raised her voice, or made me feel bad. That’s a refreshing change. Patty truly wants the horse and rider to become partners, and that is why she includes owner training in her program. Brad thanked me later in the vehicle, he said by watching us he better understood some things. I’m glad my struggling was good for something. I eventually realized whatever I was doing wasn’t going to work. I was getting nowhere, tired, and it was long overdue that Koda did what was being asked. He wasn’t going to give me an inch. He was being naughty, and I let him get away with it. Patty got on him, and all she said was “Wow, I can feel his sluggish colty frustration. I’m glad you got off. The next thing coming would have been a buck”. Great. I’m glad I got off too. They have never offered to buck, and we want to keep it that way. Apparently that can manifest itself too. She showed me how she wants me to get after him. If the back-up doesn’t work, then a harder kick with more heel than I was using, and then if needed transferring short reins into the left hand and swatting his butt with the end of the reins, and lastly making him work for a break. It didn’t take but one kick, and one swat, and he stopped breaking his stride at the lope and held his trot for her. That's a good thing about Koda, he will test you but understands the correction. He is a smart boy, it usually only takes once. Koda was a sweaty guy when all was said and done.

We talked about all this, and more. I learned a person can’t out stubborn a young horse. It doesn’t work. She asked me if I was scared to get after Koda. I’m not. She has asked me similar before, when I've seen her need to get after other horses. I understand the difference between abuse and getting respect for safety’s sake, sometimes it takes a stronger hand. Patty isn’t one of those “in their face” trainers. She is very in-tune with the horses, and uses the least amount of pressure at key times and builds from there – but, she means business. How do I know she’s not a rough trainer? The horses love her, you can tell. Watch their reaction when “those” type of trainers walk by a horse. What I don’t know is what to expect after, and then there is the timing and coordination of it all. Now I know, and I hope I can mean business too. Time will tell. Patty’s take is this “ what a person should be scared of is what will happen if you don’t get after him right away and squash the bad behavior before it grows”. Good point. With all that said, we might move Koda into a curb type bit and me into a ball spur. I opted to try one more time before upping things. After all, it was my first time loping a young horse. I can do better. If it doesn’t work next time, we’ll go to plan B. The bottom line is I need to be able to make him listen, or all the training will be for nothing. He doesn’t deserve that, and neither do I. I’ve been processing all this and hope I can put it together…so, that is what we’ll work on next.

We only have one week left, and our 90 days are up. As far as Brad, he continues to feel Nemo taking the occasional extra step at the lope. Patty is going to show him some techniques to keep Nemo reaching. Maybe I'll get to watch? Nemo is a willing learner, and wants no part of anyone getting after him. Koda and Nemo are completely different in how they learn. We pretty much knew that from the days (and days) we went to look at them before deciding they were right for us. We are thankful we found someone who understands all horses are individuals. I have the harder horse to train initially, but in the end I know he will be a rock star. We will likely do a couple more weeks of training, for all of our sakes.

the wind is my friend

During one of the hardest times in my life, when I was a single divorced parent with a young child going to college and working two jobs, I ran 6 days a week – just to get through the stress. I ran through the heat, cold, exhaustion, pain – and yes, the wind. I hated the wind the most. I lived out in the country on a hill (and now live on a different hill, what’s up with that?) the wind would whip so hard some days it felt like I wasn’t even moving. After a while I learned to work it to my advantage. I used it to build strength. During the most difficult times, when the resistance was unreal (and I’m not talking just the wind) I would tell myself over and over again “the wind is my friend”…said to the beat of a runner’s pace. My windy encounters made me stronger physically and mentally. I couldn’t duplicate the resistance the wind added, if I tried. I know turbulent winds can do horrible things to people and places, but that’s not the point.

Just yesterday I found myself riding in strong winds, the kind that whips up sand storms. One of which we drove through while hauling our empty trailer up to Iron Horse. We were given the option to ride inside, or brave the wind outside. All three of us riders opted to give it a whirl (no pun intended) outside.

We started with the usual lunging. Koda listened well, but being his lazy self kept breaking his stride. Patty mentioned he was making me work way too hard. She said a horse like Koda does require more active movement from a person, but showed me a more effective approach holding the whip in a lower pressure position. If he wasn’t listening and I needed to whack him, to do so lower behind his legs where it will only take once. I didn’t see Brad and Nemo start out, but heard things went well.

I’m happy to say the boys were both good listeners even tho the wind whipped us and everything else. It was good desensitizing. They earned repeated praise from Patty. She said she was impressed with them and has old broke horses that wouldn’t listen as well, given the strong wind. Patty also thought it was my best ride yet on Koda, because “he looks like he’s really trying hard to do everything your asking him to do” and I agree. He was more focused on me. While riding with the wind, I was reminded of my running days. There is something about horseback riding that is so thought provoking. Both Brad and I rode the boys over the poles, around cones, all over the arena and even over the practice wooden bridge-type square. It was fun! The wind made for beautiful flowing manes, which switched directions at any given time – and yes, it added resistance and made us all stronger.

rolled into one

So much has happened this week, I’m not sure how to share it all - but I’ll try to roll the parts that have to do with Koda & Nemo all into one post.

The day before our ride, we took my saddle into our local saddle expert Kathye Dunn from Mounds to take a look at – and she promptly…ripped it apart! Understand my husband & Kathye go way back to 4H days, she doesn’t normally unassemble customers saddles in front of them. But we’re glad she did, we learned a lot from her about much more than saddles. The leather was bound up inside under the tree, causing my instant ankle discomfort. She fixed it, turned the stirrup-ups, cleaned and oiled it. My saddle now looks and feels like a dream! Kathye is amazing, people come from all over for her to solve their horse/saddle woes. She even makes her own magic leather cleaner/conditioner all rolled into one.

I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our anniversary than with Koda & Nemo, so we took the day off and spent a good couple hours riding outside in perfect weather! It was farrier day at Iron Horse, and the horses were a little wiggy. We knew it was going to be busy, and tried to stay out of the way while tacking up. We lunged outside, Brad and Nemo in a sandy circle area, Koda and I in the round pen, and Assistant Trainer Amanda with another horse in the outdoor area. Nemo was golden the entire afternoon, Brad loped him for the first time. Koda has had better days (or maybe it was me) so I opted to save my first lope for another time. He did plenty of great things, just a bit distracted. Lunging was uneventful, good thing since we had at it alone. While riding I learned how to correct a drunken walk (yes, horses do it too) and was reminded how important it is to keep their minds busy. We did circles, went around cones, over ground poles – anything to keep him focused.

We changed it up and went on our first ride out on a grassy field. That was fun, and went well. We are proud of our boys they did awesome on a couple occasions that could have easily been problematic for any horse, let alone a young one. Upon return the seasoned show horse Patty was riding spooked opening the arena gate that it's opened many times before (including when we left) and she rolled off. Brad nabbed the horse as he went by, and he calmed him down – Nemo didn’t flinch. I was nearby waiting to go in when all hell broke loose. We almost got run into several times while the horse figured out that the gate wasn't going to eat him. Koda could have easily gotten caught up in the air, but didn’t. They also did well when they changed turn-out in the nearby pastures, and the two fresh horses decided to run like crazy in side-by-side pastures. I know some rides will present much more of a challenge, but not today. All we got was a side-way spook out of Koda when we were at the woods edge, and that I can handle.

As we get closer to bringing our boys home, the discussion increases on what we should focus on. Iron Horse will continue working on their consistency with gate changes, departures, and open terrain riding. Hopefully the weather holds out on Saturday, so they can take that pending long trail ride. We will bring our trailer with us next week, and leave it up there so they can begin working with loading Koda. I’m hopeful he has the maturity now to understand what is being asked of him. We look forward to bringing them home, altho with mixed feelings, and riding more than once a week. In the interim, Brad needs a saddle and both horses need bridles and bits - let the tack search begin!

first outdoor ride

We arrived at Iron Horse to find our horses outside happily grazing together. Patty was working a horse in the outdoor arena, and her staff was playing musical stalls with the horses and power washing. Patty’s funny bunny was hopping around outside enjoying the weather, which apparently it does all day long, never leaving the area.

She helped us get the boys ready, the new pad we got at horse fair did the trick and now my saddle works well on Koda! Not as well for me, need to do some work with the stirrups again. My saddle has been sitting for longer than I care to think about.

I started by lunging Koda outside. We were doing good but he kept braking his stride to the left again, so Patty briefly took over demonstrating a shorter line and therefore more control. It worked for me too. I’ll just keep him on a shorter line, and let him ease out as long as he is listening.

We had three (four for a short while) happy horses and riders enjoying the absolutely gorgeous weather. Nemo and Koda were well behaved. I did get one slack response when I asked Koda to re-start trotting. Patty reminded me to change/increase how I ask if I don’t get the answer after a couple times. It’s especially important to not keep repeating the same request the same way and not get the right answer, when they are young and in training. Makes sense, and worked right away. Koda’s a dream to ride, I think we are a good match and I couldn’t be happier with my boy!

Brad and Nemo also had a good ride, and are equally as well matched. Nemo was a bit of a fuss-budget at the end of our ride, while we were talking and when dismounting. They were feeding inside, and he wanted to be done. Patty had Brad get back on Nemo so he could stand correctly while he dismounted, and he did. I have to say, what the boys are doing “wrong” is minor and the correction comes right away – a sign of good training. I’m glad they are picky at Iron Horse about their listening & ground manners, as we all know that's where it starts.

We chose to forgo our upcoming Saturday ride, to further their training. Patty & staff are planning a 3-ish hour long trail ride down the road and onto a trial, and our boys are ready for more training. I would love to watch, but it’s probably better if I don’t have that picture in my head lol. We’ll get our owner training on the trail, after they do the initial ride. Altho we would love nothing more than to ride again this week, they are ready to progress in their training – after all, that is what we are paying for. It’s very important they get solid trail training for our current scenario at home, as they’ll be ridden outside in unrestricted areas a lot.

a better ride

Today was our second ride, and I'm happy to say it was even better than the first! While the start of our visit wasn't ideal , it was all good in the end. I even bribed "the boy who doesn't want to ride horses" into coming along so we could get some photo/video, they are posted at the end of this novel.

We arrived to find the trainer was running behind, understandable & no big deal, stuff happens. We were asked to saddle and lunge our horses which we prefer to do ourselves anyways (after all, they are our horses). However, being brand new to the place presented it's challenges.

Brad started things off and lunged Nemo in half the arena, while the other half was being used. He came out and wanted me to go in, um...okay. I had my big girl pants on today, so off we went to lunge. I was at the far end of the arena, Brad & Nemo were back by the stalls, and Patty was in/out of the arena trying to help everyone. Koda did good, except he wasn't always paying attention to me. He did everything I asked, except lope to the left. He would take a couple strides, then his lazy butt would go back into a trot. I'm sure I looked silly trying to crack the whip (which I couldn't do with the one I had) and get after him. I tried everything I could think of, except smacking him. I thought about where I was positioned, what part of his body I was staring at, what cue I was giving verbally or otherwise - whew, I worked up a bigger sweat then Koda did lol. In reality, it was probably the best thing for me. I had no one to lean on but myself. At least he did everything I asked to the right, including lope. When hubby came back into the arena, we switched horses and he briefly took over lunging Koda (just like the old days) and of course the little shit did everything Brad asked right away both directions, go figure.

The earlier appointments eventually left, and the rest of the visit was nothing but great. She apologized profusely many times, we accept it and realize everything can't be perfect. Patty asked how things went with lunging, and I told her. Next visit she will work with me on lunging Koda again and said the same thing hubby did, I need to smack Koda on the butt and make him listen when he doesn't. My whole horse deal is the fear of doing something wrong, and not wanting to mess up my horse. We discussed this in length, as well as his need for me to be a strong leader especially at this stage of his life. Patty reminded me it's better to make the mistake and learn from it then to never make the mistake at all. I completely get it, but it won't be easy.....for me. The odd part is, I'm actually "a leader type" in other parts of my life - so I know I can do it, with practice. Brad's word of advise to me "treat him like you treat me" ha ha very funny. Patty briefly rode Koda first, she must have needed to know Koda was in a good frame of mind before I got on - and he was. Let the riding begin!















 
The boys did everything we asked at the walk & trot. No loping yet.


















Nemo is a hard worker, and he's smart. He is already off the martingale.




A short clip of Brad & Nemo in action.
















Koda continues to listen well but has not made much progress with his mouth/playing with the bit. He stops playing when he goes to work at the jog, but when walking/standing it's a nonstop chompfest. Therefore this past week they went to plan B with him, they leave the bridle loose (without reins) in his mouth all day. It sounded harsh to me. She showed me how/why they do it, to teach him to hold the bit in his mouth. It seems to work, he scoops the bit up and quietly holds it in his mouth. Koda has had his mouth checked at least twice and had work done on his teeth both times, including recently. We talked about the use of different bits, and possibly using a bosal with him.

The past couple visits he has had a dry cough likely unrelated to the bit issue and more likely to be allergies? They are watching him, everything is normal (eating, no fever, same goofball behavior etc) except for the occasional single dry cough. To be on the safe side I will be calling the vet on Monday morning to discuss his cough, and mentioning his bit play. The cough doesn't seem to be bothering Koda, but I want to make sure.
 


















Koda & I switching directions at a jog.



A short clip of Koda & I in action.


















Listening to Patty. I wish I had a tape recorder with me when we visit, she teaches us sooo many things I can't possibley remember them all.


















We had a good day. I'm happy-tired, and I love that feeling!! Even if this isn't the best picture of me, it says it all!

first ride

We had a great first ride, the beginning of good times to come! When we arrived, the boys were already saddled and tied patiently waiting for us with Patty nearby. She greeted us, and shared she had to do some shuffling of her plans (consequently no assistant trainer today) it was different as we usually help get the boys ready. The five of us went into the indoor arena, so she could watch and help us get started. I've done little lunging over the years, an area I'm not very comfortable with, therefore she started with Koda & I. He listened well, but briefly got confused when she walked away to help Brad. It wasn't pretty but I caught it in time, and we continued circling. Koda probably thought "I'm going with her, she knows what she's doing". I had myself pretty worked up inside by the time we were done lunging, for no reason, things were going fine.

Patty pointed out that Nemo was doing his choppy movement thing while lunging and needed to reach more. With little correction, Nemo changed his movement. They had started Nemo on a small martingale this past week, to help teach him to keep his head down. Patty was so, so proud that he had figured it out right away! It was as if he said "oh, you want my head down here? well, why didn't you just say so". She hopped on him quick, so we could both see how well he is doing. What a noticible change not only in his movement, but in him. He was a quieter Nemo, and moved so pretty. I did have my camera with me but with both of us handling the horses in the arena at the same time, I had no one to take any video/photos :(

Brad briefly did a walk/trot on a lunge line, and was sent off to work on their own. Patty had picked up on his many years of riding (everyone does) as it really shows. Nemo & Brad are matched up so well, wish I could have watched them more but Koda & I had to get back to work. The whole time we were watching he kept trying to put his bridle on, silly horse. First things first, Patty showed me her way of mounting without a block. Sounds lame, I know. I've had many others show/tell me, always try it, and never succeed. I've always had to find something raised or get a leg-up. For whatever reason, first try and - wait a minute, I'm up?!...then mounted. Sweet. Patty explains and shows things so well. We walked/trotted on the lunge line, she said our legs were great (both Brad & I, and added we are way ahead of the game) however I need to remember to sit back so my torso is behind my hips. Patty was ready to send me off on my own, but I wasn't so we spent more time on the lunge line. Guess I just needed to be more comfortable with Koda before heading off on my own. I'm pretty dissapointed that I wasn't braver. Then again, I've never ridden a young horse. Other than one spook, which earned me praise, Koda was solid and gave me no reason to worry. 3 of her reiner friends showed up for her next appointment, and joined us in the arena. They were very nice, I'm sure we'll be seeing more of them. I eventually went off on my own. We worked all the horses together, it was a nice calm ride with good coversation. Patty had me work on keeping Koda's attention, he was interested in socializing with the new horses.

Other updates: Both boys did great getting their bridle path clipped. She said they didn't even flinch. I found out they are getting daily water baths. They began working outdoors a few weeks back and get sweaty/dirty, they get washed every few days. Makes sense, it's been regularly getting up into the 70's. No wonder the boys are so clean, and silky smooth. Brad told me later he checked on Nemo's cinch sores, two little minor spots. Didn't seem to bother him, he rode awesome. We are scheduled again for next Saturday. Hopefully I'll have my game face on. We really look forward to future rides, shows, comaraderie and learning from Midwest's best kept training secret - Iron Patty. It was a day to remember. I leave you with a photo of a rainbow I took standing in our yard after we got back. It came out of no where, and vibrantly bounced off the closest unplowed field while I ran into the house to grab the camera and capture what remained. It receded back into the horizon, but was still a sight. Thanks for sharing this special journey with me.

training progress - week 5

We went to Iron Horse to watch Nemo & Koda's training session yesterday. It had only been a week since we last observed, but even my untrained eyes could notice a difference. They were quieter in general. I've uploaded a couple short clips of their training, you'll see both Koda & Nemo in all the clips.

They worked both of them outside all week, but it was just a bit too windy & cool to be outside yesterday morning as planned. Patty had Koda go first this time, she lunged him, and then hopped on without anyone holding him. He didn't budge. As you'll see in the video below, he was more like himself. Koda fussed a lot less with the bit, and was a more willing riding partner in general, as she could turn him with ease. She said he did stop playing with the bit all together for a while last week. I can see he is progressing. His favorite word continues to be whoa, that horse stops on a dime! Koda is also learning that taking a break doesn't necessarily mean your done working. Incase you haven't picked up on it, my boy is on the lazy side. We had a nice discussion last week about flipping that trait, I didn't know that could be done. Looks like he's making progress with that too.

Koda starting out, and acting more like himself. Nemo is lunging at the far end of the arena.

Koda loping. Nemo starting out.

Amanda (Assistant Trainer) handled Nemo the whole time yesterday, as they have added working the boys (some days) together. Patty mentioned she feels it's important for a pair of horses to learn to work together, as well as apart. Amanda let us know Nemo has the start of a cinch sore, it didn't surprise us as he has lighter hair and thinner skin. Nothing visible, he saddled and rode fine, it's just tender - something to be aware of and watch. Amanda lunged him, and hopped right on without him being held. She also didn't do the up, down, lean over, wiggle saddle thing with him. They did mention while training outside during the week, Nemo was the more sensitive (aka aware) of the two and gets a little more fired up. Yep, that's our Nemo - nothing new there.

Nemo loping. Koda continues working at the far end of the arena.

Nemo loping the other direction, with Koda in the middle.

I like that Iron Horse changes up how they train the horses on a regular basis, they keep it fresh. They will begin to work on softening their faces. Nemo's head needs to come down (he is very high headed), and Koda needs to be softer in general. We talked about clipping bridle paths, which we have done with both boys - altho you still have to take it slow, especially with Nemo. She also asked if/how we want their manes cut, gasp! Brad busted out laughing, as we've had many related discussions. I don't want Koda's gorgeous mane cut, ever. Maybe someday I'll consider it, if it really needs to be cut for a special show. Thank goodness Patty asked (I guess she always does). He will remain with the "natural cow horse look". Brad is cutting what mane Nemo has, to what I think she called a flat top cut. It's the same cut Harmony sports when she is actively being shown. It will look good on him.

We are going up to Iron Horse again next Saturday, and Patty thinks they'll be ready for us....TO RIDE ??!! It will be right around the 45 day training mark. They will begin to adjust some of our horse's training, according to what they observe. Basically we'll begin the owner training part of her program! I am soooo excited, I can't even tell you. I've been waiting my whole life to ride my own horse...my eyes well-up just thinking about getting started. Saturday is now officially my favorite day of the week :)

30 day training update

We really enjoyed seeing our boys 30 day progress in action this morning! It was their first time in the indoor all week, when the weather is so gorgeous they train outside. Guess they did some pretty good snorting the first day out, enhanced by visiting cranes. Both of our boys were very aware of exactly where we were while they were being worked, but other than some brief hesitation at the gate (especially Koda) they listened well to the trainer. Patty said Nemo was exceptionally well behaved, and calmer then usual. Guess at times he still humps-up his back when they are riding him. Koda on the other hand wasn't having his best day. He never stopped adjusting and fussing with the bit the entire time they worked him. Patty said he usually settles into it better, but does still have a way to go. Nothing to worry about. Can't really see it in the video. They start the young horses with a smooth fat baby snaffle bit, pretty standard. Both Koda & Nemo required extra time working on "giving to the bit", Koda just takes longer to figure things out but when he does he is rock solid. Both boys are about where she expects them to be at 30 days. It was pretty funny when we were done and she said Nemo made her look reeeally good, but Koda sure could have helped her out more lol - she's a great lady with a huge heart, and boatloads of experience. We are happy with their progress, and physically they look great!

It was amazing to see them calmly walk, trot and lope (yes they both had young moments, but they were brief). Patty said the key is they don't make a big deal out of wrong answers. At their age, they really just want them safe and moving freely in a slow controlled manner so they think it's fun to go to work and want to learn more. I was thrilled to see Koda does indeed have a very smooth trot and lope with a rider on him, Nemo not so much. I was so curious to see if they had turned out to be different in action than we thought, but that wasn't the case. They behave and move the same for them as they do us and their personalities haven't changed a bit, altho they are maturing. It was so fun to listen and learn what Patty had to say about our boys and other training in general, she explains everything really well - which is rare. If you ask her a question, she whole-heartedly answers it. Everybody seems to really like Nemo & Koda at Iron Horse, they are very well cared for (all the horses are) we really lucked out!! Enjoy the clips/pics - and I apologize in advance for the "whoops..." quality of the video!

Nemo being warmed-up by Amanda, one of Patty's assistants.

Nemo & Amanda

Nemo & Patty

Patty loping Nemo
Patty & Nemo, job well done.

Koda being warmed-up by Amanda, he looks so short in these pictures.
She never did ride him, probably just timing or maybe he doesn't need as much warm-up?

Patty loping Koda left

Patty loping Koda right

Patty & Koda, job well done.