To the Show (we did not go)

I arrived at the barn at 6:45am and gave Miss Mezza a partial flake of hay to eat before I put her in the round pen. It was still cool and nice, and we were preparing for her first halter and showmanship show. Things went as usual--stalking, some short longing, inhand work, and then a walk to the small field to practice walking and trotting at side around some of the big jumps out in the field.

Nothing seemed amiss. Dawn and Jennifer arrived with Dominique, an exchange student from Germany, who's been living with them for the past year, and Oliver, his Father. They gathered the other two horses, Luna (Mezza's dam) and Boo, Jennifer's horse. I walked Mezza up to the trailer, asked her to step up, and .... nothing. I asked a few more times, circled her, asked again... nothing.

Dawn and Jennifer tried offering food, treats, tapping her on the butt, picking up her front foot and placing it on the trailer floor--Mezza just approached the trailer each time and stopped right where she should have stepped up, or she pulled her hoof off if it was picked up. She was not upset. She seemed to have decided she was not going for a ride today. She had been on the trailer at least a half-dozen times before, and had ridden to the equestrian center twice before. She'd never refused to get on (only off!)  This was totally unexpected. So, Jennifer put Luna on the trailer first, then Boo, but Mezza could care less. Luna and Boo were taken off.  Mezza was indifferent.

Plan B.
Mezza got to trot circles. After several circles each direction I stopped and brought her to the trailer and asked her to load. Nothing. Repeat. Nothing.  By this time we'd worked about an hour!

Plan C.
Dawn and Jennifer moved the trailer and backed it up to the round pen. I re-stalked Mezza for about 5 min. in the round pen--a little canter, a little trot, and then at the walk back and forth in front of the open gate that led to the trailer. She paused and entered the "alleyway" we all wiggled things and encouraged her and... she decided to step right up and went to the end of the trailer and started eating like nothing had happened. We congratulated her, Jennifer closed everything up, and Dawn took her for a short ride around the barn. We opened up the trailer (she seemed content) rubbed on her again, unloaded her and walked her to cool her down before putting her away to eat her breakfast.

So that was the "Show that wasn't". Kudos to all as no one got upset, least of all Mezza.
Proves that even the best laid plans can never be set in stone!! Learning and practice are never over.

So we rode the other horses instead!

Oliver getting stirrups set

Oliver's first ride

Dominique on Boo

Dawn on Luna, and Jennifer on Boo

Hoss & Scout Time

Today Hoss got out for a ride, and Scout got a walk and some in-hand work.

HOSS
Hoss and I practiced a few "focus" circles around me in the small field at the walk, along with turns on the fores from the ground, and some in-hand backing to loosen up those hocks. He'd been great at the trailer, not wiggly, and he also stood like a rock while I wrapped his lead rope around the saddle horn.
We practiced going over the ground poles, the fake "bridge" the wagon-wheel "spokes" and then trotting off to the other end of the field before coming back to negotiate obstacles a second time. After getting a decent half pass each way, we headed out of the small field and practiced opening and closing the gate to the big field with a side pass to the right.

In the big field we practiced trotting out, half pass, walk to trot and trot to walk transitions and some backing and some "whoa" followed by standing with loose reins. He did a great job!

I think his legs are a bit stiff, he had trouble getting a really nice extension, even going in what I know was his favorite direction. So I made sure to put some liniment on his hocks when we finished, and bucket washed his sweat off.

He got rewarded later with some time to graze in the field!

SCOUT
For Scout, since his lower back has been sore (I rode him last week on April 28th, in a bareback pad, and only at the walk and trot) and it sored up despite having had both the chiropractor out 10 days earlier, and giving him only in-hand and light groundwork for 11 days after his hock injections.

So today I again took him on a walk in-hand to the little hills at the east end. We practiced going up, down, stopping halfway, did turns on fores and hinds at the top, and I also asked for some circles around me at the walk while I was at the base of one of the slopes. This meant that Scout had half his circle on a slope, and the other half on the  level. I wanted to see how he reacted.

Going left, he was much more comfortable, although turning and coming down the slope seemed more difficult. Going right his body seemed stiffer as he went up, and as he started to descend on the curve (this was not super steep)  he was very uncomfortable in his rear end/legs. So I only asked for two circles to the right, the second one I did not ask him to come down, I went up to him. I believe he is quite uncomfortable, and I need to get the pain and inflammation out of the lower back! We ended by watering down his lower back with cold water and putting on liniment and Sore No More.

At this point I wish we could figure out what is really going on in that back/pelvis of his! This problem has been continuing for a year now, and I believe that he needs to be evaluated above the stifle. A friend has suggested acupuncture, which I think could help. I also want to know what is at the root of the continuing pain!

Mezza "at side" work

May 2, 2012
This occurred yesterday, actually. I got home just in time to clean up and go off to a meeting, after which I was too ready for bed!
I put out the tack and everything in the barn, planning to tack her up in there after we spent a little focus time in the round pen. Being that there was another horse in the round pen, I looked after our two first, and when I came back to get Mezza it was later than planned, and I was plumb tired!  She was also a mess!

Thus, it was the perfect day to practice some stalking, and ground tying for grooming. She did well at this--she is learning that if I leave her to do her own thing for about 10 min., then come back, if she blows me off, I will stalk her and she'll have to move!  She is learning (and I am too) that if she can come in and stay with me, focus, and follow directions, I will quit sending her off!

Thus, we finished stalking (after a few initial tries, where I had to send her back out). Then she followed me to get her lead, and then after going back in the the center I asked her to "stand" and pulled gently down on the lead at the same time. I had to ask her to move twice when she lost attention and started to move herself off. Otherwise she cleaned up and picked up her feet very well :)

I was psyched, so we worked on the walk and trot by side--one both sides. She is a pro even at the trot in-hand when she's on my right, but the off side needs more work. Her backing at side when I back is getting real good, as are her turns on fores and hinds. I will try to get video soon! She was out for 40min.