Today Mom & I ended our year with a good ride. We went to Coyote Run Arena in Mason, TN . I worked Grace on some basic stuff and then trotted her through the poles and barrels. The way she moved through the pole pattern had me baffled! It was like she knew how to weave them. I told mom "this is kinda scary, lol. It's like she knows what to do". I still can't explain how much she listens to my body, it just blows me away. So that makes me think a lot about if I am doing the same thing every time I ask for something, because repetition will form a habit and I want to make sure it's a good habit. After we got through riding inside I wanted to go outside in the open. This would be my first time to ride her outside of somewhere that had any kind of barriers. As we walked through the field she was looking all over and just checking things out. Then we got to a short trail that we decided to take which she handled pretty darn good. She navigated through trees and limbs on the ground great, however I may have gotten my head popped by a limb or two. We came up on a ditch and she just wasn't having any part of it and since we were kind of in a hurry at this point I said we will work on that next time. So up the small hill we went and there was a very, very small little trench about 4 inches wide that had just a little bit of water in it. We learned what fear #2 was, as you saw in my earlier blog Fear #1 was the roping steers. She would not get close enough to even try to attempt going over it. We tried and tried and tried. So I got on another horse and worked with him until he would cross it and we hoped that once I got back on her she would follow him across... still nothing! So I got off and started working her from the ground to get over it. About 5 minutes later she would finally cross it with me leading her. So I climbed back on her and there she went, right across. Although something you fear may seem so big to you, once you work your way through it you see just how small it really was to begin with. Don't let fear stop you on your journey, face it HEAD ON!
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We have a tree that we call the "Tree of Knowledge" out in front of our barn that we like to use a lot, especially for horses who aren't so patient. We have a big eye hook screwed into it that we hook a Blocker Tie Ring to. I LOVE using my tie ring for colts or for older horses just because you never know when they may spook or sit back. As you can see Grace doesn't have a lot of patience. That may be her biggest fault right now. Josie, our Aussie / Heeler mix, loves to stand guard in case she needs to remind them they shouldn't be pawing and should behave. Grace however doesn't have a ton of love for Josie or her bossiness. But Josie doesn't back down and gets her point across. You can find Blocker Tie Rings online. Stateline Tack has them for around $25! I can't sit here and honestly say I didn't have my hesitations about getting an OTTB { Off Track Thoroughbred }, because I did. When Brittany purchased her gelding, Seton Hall, back in the early part of 2015 I thought it may not have been the best choice for a barrel horse prospect. Keep in mind I had dealt with a few Off Track Quarter Horses and they weren't real good experiences. After watching her with Seton and seeing his progress I thought to myself, he must just be a fluke. There's no way "most" OTTB's are like him. I had dealt with the "craziness" that so many of us know. The freak out moments of being saddled, having a come apart at the trailer, trying to ride and just bracing yourself for that explosion that you knew was coming. So I understand the thoughts that may go through some of your heads. I was so afraid to even give the OTTB's a shot because of the stereotype I know. It took a lot of thinking and me putting my trust into what one of my best friends was telling me. Brittany has grown up with TB's and OTTB's most all of her life, and she assured me that almost every single one she had dealt with was just like what I saw with Seton. After pondering on it, I finally decided to give them a shot. I didn't have anything to lose, but with the choice I made I gained so much. With both of my girls, Hope & Grace, I have been thoroughly impressed. Neither of them have been the "typical" off the track horse I expected. Neither of them are "hot" and they had fairly decent handles on them when we got them. Of course they don't know all the buttons we like them to know but they were more advanced than what I would call "green broke". Both of them knew how to lunge and both could catch their right lead! <--- that was one of those things I thought horses off the track couldn't do since they always ran and worked to the left. Of course there is a lot for them to learn still, but they have taught me to learn for myself. Don't let a stereotype hold you back. If I would have I would not be learning what I am about these horses. They're super smart, they're very willing and they love having a job! I hope through my journey with these horses that even if I don't make the cut to get into the Retired Racehorse Project that I can help educate people on the OTTB's while I am learning myself. Remember they're more than just a stereotype :) Yes, you are reading that right! At least that is what Grace was thinking tonight at Triple P Open Arena. She has not been scared of anything yet, but the roping steers that were in a pen behind the 2nd barrel gave her the shakes! It took about 20 minutes, maybe longer, to get her over her fear. We had help from other people who would take their horses up there and sit, so it would show Grace they wouldn't eat us :) Once she finally got past the fear, we went back to riding. I thought why not take her through the pattern a time or two. This is the first time she has been taken through the actual barrel pattern. I was amazed at how well she listens to my body. When I sit down in the saddle, she slows down or stops. She doesn't really go on until I lean up and drive my hands forward. That tells me a lot about her already. I'm hoping she will listen that well when it comes time to run. We hope everyone had a great Christmas! Grace got lots of goodies! New Back on Track Quick Wraps & a Poll Pack from her "Granna", a new halter & lead rope from her "daddy", a new fleece cooler & new bell boots from her "momma". Not the least bit spoiled, at ALL!
To say that Grace likes the mud is a true understatement! She LOVES the mud! We have had so much rain this winter and the horses have been kept up a lot, but every chance we get we turn them out. It's a happy time for them but for me, it's not so fun! I finally came to the realization if I wanted to keep her clean I will have to keep a turn out sheet on her, otherwise she ends up like this...
First Barrel Race Jitters??? I may have had my concerns about Grace going to a barrel race to see the sights for the first time, but there were no jitters on her part! She looked like she has done this every weekend! I think she really enjoys seeing all the new things! Grace got to "go to town" as we call it tonight! We host weekly mini clinics in Mason, TN (about an hour from our barn). We help people from the beginner level to those who may need to tune up their horse or their own riding. We had a friend of ours, Clint Childress, ride Grace tonight since there were so many there and my mom & I both needed to work with students. This was the first time she had been hauled to an indoor arena and the first time she was in a crowd like this. I didn't know what to expect because normally when we haul young horses to an indoor pen they see a lot of scary things, and even get scared with all of the commotion. Grace however acted like she had been doing this all of her life! We took Grace to a nearby facility that has some jumps set up for her first Groundwork Session. I was blown away with how easy she was to "teach". She picked up sidepassing within 5 minutes or less. Can they get any smarter??? |
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