More Mezza...

Mezza after backing out of the stall. "Whatever..."

Today I was out late, so Dawn got to watch most of the session with Miss Mezza. Mezza got stalked, then we worked on in-hand turns (fores, hinds), walking, trotting at side, backing with me facing her, backing with me at her side (backing with her).

After our "warm up" I went and got the infamous spray bottle, and we practiced with that. She still moves off initially, but is standing after a short while. I need to do this every few days now that the weather is warm.

After that I took Mezza into the barn and we first went into the stall with the higher step up and practiced stepping out front first. She bounced out the first time, walked out the second. Then we went to our second stall, with barely any step up and practiced backing out. Soooo much easier this time. We completed 3 nice backs in about 10 minutes!  Her confidence is really coming!

Show halters go especially well with a nice bit of hay.

I returned her to her pen, thinking we were done. However, the grand finale of the evening was trying on a show halter with plenty of bling!  She acted like it belonged on her--well, I guess one will, very soon. The next show is the 3rd week of June and we're planning to enter her in halter and showmanship. Much to do yet before then, but it's coming along. :)

A good Friday!

Mezza and I worked in the round pen on stalking today, walking and trotting in-hand, before going to the barn to work in the stall.

Today's stalking went really smoothly--Mezza circled me 3 or 4 times at an easy lope before she started to look at me. I had her continue on a couple laps, she can get high headed when I don't let her come in when she asks, but this time she simply tried to circle closer and I pushed her out and kept her going a few more laps and then stepped forward and back--she sucked right in and we stood facing each other and I pointed and wiggled the tip of the whip and she headed out in the correct direction. Asking for her to come in and turn with her left eye on me was no sweat, asking for her to step in and then turn from the right eye still takes two tries most of the time. After about 3 turns she is trotting, watching me, and she was really relaxed, except with the turns from the right, where she initially stops, doesn't turn in toward me when I step out and back, but tries to run past without turning, so I make her continue and try again. It was taking two tries, but the last one was really good, so I let her just stop and stand, and the she walked right in very calm.

We practiced our turns on hinds, fores, backing and then her walking and "whoaing" and trotting at side. This is all coming along pretty nicely.

After that we headed into the barn where Mezza and I walked in and out (forward) of the stall with the higher step several times before going to the stall with almost no step to practice backing. We still went in and out forward a couple of times, then worked on coming part way in, standing with the fronts in, then backing out. Finally we worked on coming in completely, standing (almost invariably she'd come in and as soon as her hinds were in she'd swing them! She therefore got a lot of practice with partial turns on the fores so she'd like up straight. I found it easier to practice asking for one or two steps back and then stop her when they were good backing steps so I could rub her. Then I'd ask her to step forward (towards me at the back of the stall) and we'd practice again. When the steps back got less crooked, then I stopped asking her to move forward and simply gave her a rest and a rub after one or two steps. We completed 3 backs out of the stall. It probably took us at least 20 minutes. I am really proud of her! That was all for her for the day.

Mezza and the stall

Working on entering and backing out of a stall as an aid in learning to step down from higher up and follow through with the hind feet.


Today was really busy out at the barn, with no turnout or round pens open. My initial idea of introducing the long lines got trashed quickly, as I wanted a round pen for that introduction. Since I didn't think Mezza had been out much that weekend, I decided that I would practice with her first with some in-hand work in her pen, and, if her focus was good, I'd then work on in-hand work and desensitization in the outdoor arena where there were already two other horses at work. She needs to get used to working around other horses if we are to show her in either showmanship or at halter, and she has been getting better about refocusing when she gets diverted.

The time went well. She never got jumpy, she simply paused from time to time to watch someone go by on horseback, or check out a horse in long lines. As for the desensitization, that work is progressing along with the dressage whip, which she is tolerating around her ears now, though she still doesn't like it.

Not so sure about this flippy wavy thing!

Hmmm, this really is not quite so bad!

What is even better is that we finished the day by working again with her in the stall, where she had to step up to get in and step down to get out. We worked on that a bit, and when she was stepping out and not hopping I took her to a stall with almost no step up and worked on the backing out.

Hopping out with the hinds initially

Mezza finally walking out nicely

Stepping out with the hinds!

Backing out was not as easy as I thought!  After I'd introduced her to this stall, and moved her around inside of it, I practiced walking her in and stopping her with just her front feet in, and then backing her out from that point. That went smoothly, so I brought her all the way in, with her back feet just in. It was not nearly as easy to back her straight!  I ended up staying at her front, and correcting (overcorrecting it seemed) each step backwards. She also scared herself once by stepping sideways right within the entrance of the doorway and hitting the door's edge. Backing straight really matters!

Possibly next time I work it, I will try for one step back, then bring her forward, then ask for two steps back, then bring her forward and really get more confidence into her backing. It will make all the difference in the world for a trailer!

Backing out of the stall is scary!

A little more...

Yeah!!!