So our last ride was another run away ride. We went out again with T., double trouble A. and A. and with Chase Dodd our resident trainer and ferrier. Chief was following again and well he was rather bad... But I kept to my guns keeping him back which led to lots of bucking but I held on and we made it through the ride. I got to take a few pointers by observation from Chase. He was on a two year old (who behaved better than Chief) that wanted to run up behind the horse in front of her too. Chase kept side passing her whenever she wanted to take off. What a great idea! He kept her feet moving and kept her mind off of the horse in front of her. It worked really well for him. Now, if only Chief and I could side pass... Something to work on right? So every time Chief saw the horses take off in front of him, I would hold him back and he would buck. And he was a bit more ripe than usual. But the good news was that you knew what to expect and when to expect it making it easier to hang on. By the end of the ride he had calmed down pretty well. Thankfully as I've mentioned before Chief lacks stamina. But it shouldn't have to be that in order to get a well behaved horse, you have to wear them out. So, next time I decide to do some training, we'll work on side passing. I can get him to cross over nicely in front, but not the back. I'll have to get Chase to show me how to teach Chief how to do that.
Chase Dodd is the mastermind behind SOS Horsemanship, check out his website: http://www.Soshorsemanship.com. So for those that have a trouble horse, young horse, or are interested in clinics, you'll have to check him out. He is also a great ferrier!
So sorry there are no pictures from this ride, my hands were rather busy the whole time. I plan to go out tomorrow though and I'll take some pictures for you then. It should be good weather!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Black Coyote
Well folks, I have to apologize I've been slacking on the blog posts. What can I say, is I've been busy. And busy does include riding which is always a good thing. Chief and I ventured out a couple of weeks ago on our own. After our recent "I don't like to follow" episode it was a nice relaxing ride. As we were leaving the barn there was some chatter about a black coyote. Most everyone had seen this coyote except for me. Well that is just no fun! So as I headed out, I hope I would see this elusive coyote.
It was an overcast day but rather warm if I remember correctly (this is the problem with not blogging often enough). I hadn't been out to the big pond in quite some time so I decided to go out that way. I took the creek trail up to pumpkin patch hill to the pumpkin patch. But instead of going straight through there is a little unnamed side trail that is nice and flat and fun to cater on. So we took it and then went to the pumpkin patch. Of course this time of year the fields are clear but I can't wait until the spring when the strawberries will start to come in at the adjacent field. We then took the gravel road down to the pond.
It was awful wet through here, but we kept going around the pond nonetheless.
You can tell the sun kept trying to peek out. And it was so warm and nice in that sunshine. But when the clouds came through and the wind blew, there was just a touch of cold. I imagine Chief was loving the breeze because he was getting hot with all his winter fur. We kept on around the pond and stirred up a little duck. Scared us both to death. But good 'ol Chief he jumped sideways but then kept on. Hey, I jumped too, can't blame the horse!
As you head up the hill toward the barn, Chief likes to go into an all out gallop, so we hauled A up the hill toward the peach trees. We then took the Rocky Top trail that connects to the Submarine trail. As we were heading down the Rocky Top Trail just before you get to Bowater, there he was... The black coyote. He was running away from us and I just caught a glimpse of him. But speak of the devil there he was. I definitely wasn't quick enough to take a picture of him, but that would have been great! So as I calmed down from my excitement, we kept on the trail to the Submarine trail. This area affords for some great cantering as well. Now, is a great time to mention too that Chief is getting much better about picking up the right lead. That has been something I've been half working on for some time, and we are just now getting better at it. It would help if I worked on it harder but I am out there for fun you know...
After the Submarine trail, we crossed the gravel road to the creek trail and played in them for just a bit. Chief was rather sweaty. As we meandered down, we ran into A. and A. as they were headed out. We said our hellos and headed back toward the barn. All in all it was a great ride. Til next time!
It was an overcast day but rather warm if I remember correctly (this is the problem with not blogging often enough). I hadn't been out to the big pond in quite some time so I decided to go out that way. I took the creek trail up to pumpkin patch hill to the pumpkin patch. But instead of going straight through there is a little unnamed side trail that is nice and flat and fun to cater on. So we took it and then went to the pumpkin patch. Of course this time of year the fields are clear but I can't wait until the spring when the strawberries will start to come in at the adjacent field. We then took the gravel road down to the pond.
As you head up the hill toward the barn, Chief likes to go into an all out gallop, so we hauled A up the hill toward the peach trees. We then took the Rocky Top trail that connects to the Submarine trail. As we were heading down the Rocky Top Trail just before you get to Bowater, there he was... The black coyote. He was running away from us and I just caught a glimpse of him. But speak of the devil there he was. I definitely wasn't quick enough to take a picture of him, but that would have been great! So as I calmed down from my excitement, we kept on the trail to the Submarine trail. This area affords for some great cantering as well. Now, is a great time to mention too that Chief is getting much better about picking up the right lead. That has been something I've been half working on for some time, and we are just now getting better at it. It would help if I worked on it harder but I am out there for fun you know...
After the Submarine trail, we crossed the gravel road to the creek trail and played in them for just a bit. Chief was rather sweaty. As we meandered down, we ran into A. and A. as they were headed out. We said our hellos and headed back toward the barn. All in all it was a great ride. Til next time!
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