Peter Leone's Systematic Approach to In-and-outs

 I hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving and time spent with family and friends. Here in New York the snow is falling and although Thanksgiving just passed us, Christmas is right around the corner. I have been trying for weeks to get this video made and posted. (if you follow my Instagram you know I posted a sneak peak saying I would have the complete video up about three weeks ago..... oops.) Anyways here we are and here is the latest exercise.

I received the October Issue of the Practical Horseman when I was in Harrisburg and had just gotten around to reading it following my last post. After reading Peter Leone's exercise "A Systematic Approach To Jumping In-And-Outs" I figured I would highlight this exercise in my next post.

 Here is the video of our ride through the 2 stride in-and-out.

 

I really enjoyed picking apart the last exercise and I was much more aware of the mistakes I was making the last time and trying to fix them this time. With these gymnastic exercises it gives me a chance to be more conscious of my equitation. Especially in this case, with a simple two strides your horse isn't given much time to get crooked and need correcting. This was a very good exercise with the "chute" poles on the side to encourage this green horse to stay straight through the exercise. I was very impressed with the improvement I saw with this horse in just a week. The variation of exercises, heights, and different fences is working well for this "lazy jumper". He is willing to try harder when his mind is engaged and he's thinking his way through the course, or exercise.

These next two videos are a two part session where Peter Leone talks about the exercise. He discusses the benefits, where you might find this type of in-and-out in competition and rides the exercise himself on a green horse as well as an experienced jumper. 

http://youtu.be/TmtPgVkZchY

                                                                         

                                                                    

I trust you are all busy as ever with Christmas only a week away! I know my last minuet shopping is starting to become more of a panic then something enjoyable. In the spirit of Christmas, I would like to do a short post on all things  Christmas, equestrian style! I know there are a lot of new horse things on the market this year and some of them have found there way onto my Christmas wish list! So whether you are in need of that last Christmas gift for you barn buddy, or you just want to check out the cool equestrian things I have found in 2014, keep your eye out for my next post!

Until then, Keep warm and enjoy your horses!

Back to School For Horse and Rider

We never stop learning. I think we all fall into a slum of thinking we know everything and that its much easier to makeup our own rules to play our way. I find myself easily falling into this grey area as a young trainer who spends a lot of hours riding young horses without critical eyes watching. I am grateful for the hours I spend under Dave Minteer who will correct me when I'm wrong, but I still desire to become a better horseman and with this new segment in my blog I hope to do just that! I just purchased Linda Allen's book 101 Jumping Exercises for Horse and Rider and I have decided to pull some exercises from this book and ride a horse through them. After my video review I will put together a critical section for both horse and rider highlighting what we can learn from the mistakes. So here you have our first video!

 

 This is a young horse I have in training currently who started jumping in March of 2014. He is a Percheron Thoroughbred cross. As I mentioned in the video his biggest struggle is to jump up and round. He has a very laid back personality that doesn't get excited over much. Being close to 17hh its also difficult for him to keep everything together. I chose this exercise specifically for him because he is such a "lazy" jumper in hopes to wake him up and put his hind end underneath himself. 

I am the rider in this video. (hopefully in the future I can have some guest riders!)  My biggest tenancy is to get ahead of my horse with my upper body when we start going over fences. This sends my lower leg back too far.In honor of no stirrups November

I have been working on dropping my stirrups to make a stronger base to hold my whole body from tipping too far ahead. 

Overall I think it was a great exercise for the both of us. After watching the video and the mistakes I made I will be much more aware of them when I ride next time. Back to School!

Let me know what you guys think of this type of post! I know for me it was good to see how the horse jumped and how I rode him in different situations. Again, I don't want this post to look like I know everything their is I will forever be a student in this vast world of equines!

Hope you all had a good weekend enjoying your horses! Here in upstate NY we might have to pull out the heavy's come the end of the week so stay warm and happy riding!

The Finals and the Future

As the dust has begun to settle and I am coming off of cloud 9, reality is beginning to set in. The days following the Equine Comeback Challenge were almost "pinch me" days. I wasn't sure if I...... young trainer starting out, new on the scene, first time competing at such a largely recognized show..... had just taken a horse in 90 days, broke him and found myself showing off his new skills.

Monday Louie woke up early, packed up and headed out on his longest trailer ride yet. We shipped down with fellow Trainer Shane Ogden and his Challenge horse Scarlet. Scarlet was another horse from Lollypop and actually was rescued from the same farm as Louie. So the "brother and sister" made our 6 hour trek together. Louie was excellent to load in the dark, on a new trailer, with a different horse whinnying to him inside..... He's such a trooper! We arrived around 1:00 and had the afternoon to explore the horse show.

Late Monday night after Louie had his afternoon nap we had a chance to school in the main arena for a few minuets. I have to say after watching many Grand Prix riders and top Equitation finals happen in that same arena it was a bit surreal riding around in there! Once I was able to get my head out of the clouds, Louie and I went to work. He was truly amazing taking the new place, arena, sounds, and riding with all the other challenge horses, in stride. Nothing fazed him in the slightest bit. This was my first chance to get a look at all the other horse trainer combinations I had been following. I was impressed with how well each of the horses trusted their trainers and how far they had all come. This was our evening to get to know one another and it was awesome to have the support and encouragement from the other trainers. You never know going into competition mode what ugly side of people may come out. In this group of trainers, there was no such thing! 


Tuesday began bright and early with sponsor pictures and interviews. This didn't give me much time to think and worry about the class later that evening which was probably for the best!

Below is the link to the A Home For Every Horse interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTixo83Wnew

Not only did the Equine Comeback Challenge sponsors lay out the red carpet for us so did the Pennsylvania National Horse Show sponsors! The horse show sponsors provided a competitors lounge with food and a tv that showed the USEF live stream of what was happening in the main arena.

 

 Louie had quite a few visitors at his stall asking questions about rescue horses and the program. He was a complete ham, loving the camera and all the attention everyone gave him.

We received the trail pattern for our class early and to my surprise it was much easier than anything we had practiced at home. We were able to school the horses a second time in the main arena with all the obstacles and people in the stands. Again Louie walked around as if this was his turf and he had done it 100 times.

For those who missed watching the class you can view it again on demand here:http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2014pennnational/   

In the end I decided to show Louie both English and Western. I wanted to show how versatile he is and I figured the tricks I had up my sleeve for the free style would be best ridden western. I also long lined Louie during our freestyle. He picked up on it so well in training  I wanted to show that off as well.

 

We showed off how quiet he is with all obstacles......

 

And the FINALE............

 

Louie and I finished Second behind Todd Feaser of Top Shelf Ranch. All of the trainers put down amazing rounds and I was honored to be apart of the top finishers.

Louie was adopted by Moriah farms and will be staying where I train and where he lived for the past 90 days! I told myself going into this that I wouldn't get attached and would have to sell this horse at the end of the journey so I am beyond blessed that although I had to "sell him" he won't be far from me! Louie is going to continue in training with me as well. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to this fairytale story which I am still shocked to say truly happened! I thank God for giving me the ability to train horses and for this opportunity to be in this competition. I have always dreamed of showing at the Pennsylvania National Horse show as a hunter or jumper. Never in a million years did I think I would be put in the spot light here and  have had the opportunity to show a horse that I trained! 

If the story couldn't get any better, while I was at the horse show, the editor of Practical Horseman Magazine asked if I would be willing to do an interview and write a small article for one of the magazines! I now have the opportunity to share my experience as a trainer in the challenge and my methods of training horses. I will be sure to make a post when the interview is online! 

So whats next? I really don't know! I'm excited to see what the next adventure is and where this road takes me. I truly could not have asked for a better partner and friend in Louie and I hope to teach others how to better understand their equine partners and what it takes to make a horse and rider team. I by NO means have it figured out, but I hope to share what I have learned and learn from others as well. If you have enjoyed my blog I hope you will continue to periodically check back for updates and training posts. I hope to make this into an informational blog where you can ask questions and hopefully get inspired to try some new things with your horse. Of course I will throw in a post here and there about the horse we have all fallen in love with over the past 90 days :)

I hope you've enjoyed watching this journey unfold as much as I have enjoyed telling you about it! 

LOVE........................................................... Courtney and Little Louie

The Homestretch

Week 11 and 12 have been crunch time for Little Louie. We've spent a lot of time perfecting each movement we will need to complete our Trail class as well as the freestyle. Louie worked hard during week 11 improving every day. Week 12 started off strong yet as the days press on, I can see Louie starting to hit the wall. 90 days of intense training takes a toll on both us as the trainers and these horses. When I stop and think of the things he has learned and experienced I can't ask anymore of him or be disappointed when he isn't giving me 100%. With 3 days left before we leave Louie and I will be taking things easy and doing some of our work out on the trails instead of in the arena. We both need a breath of fresh air!

I took the opportunity to ride Louie English some more during week 11 and he seemed to enjoy it! I think he will make a great English or Western horse. We even worked on teaching Louie to jump! I don't think he's our next Grand Prix hopeful but with some practice I think he would make a good little jumper.

Here is a video of our week!





I am feeling confident going into the finals! We will see if our hard work pays off in 5 days! We look forward to meeting you all and gaining some new horsey friends!

Enjoy what is left of this beautiful fall week!

Love......................................................... Courtney and Louie

Sunday Fun Day post :)

So  I decided to put up a little post to encourage you all to come out and check out theses facts about Louie in Harrisburg! Here are 5 fun facts about Little Louie!

1. Louie has a pet Percheron to play with ;)

0

2. Louie will only eat carrots and learned to eat carrots after sharing them with my Dad at lunch one day. (Thank you daddy for training Louie too ;)  )

3. Louie has the THICKEST mane and forelock I have ever seen. Especially for a smaller horse.

3b. I also never realized Louie had a white mark on his face until at least 24 hrs after we got him. :p

4. Louie "purrs" when he trots and canters. Purring in the horse world means that he snorts to the beat of his trot or canter. He is pretty loud about it if you look at any of our video's and listen closely you can hear him!

5. Lastly Louie has a droopy bottom lip that hardly ever goes tight! Funny enough his pet Percheron does the exact same thing! Both of them are destined for one another because they both already had droopy lips upon meeting each other! (This picture is a bit hard to tell.... Check it out in Harrisburg!)

So there you have it!  Louie wanted me to add that he recommends you test out the carrot theory and  give him some in Harrisburg ;)

Have a blessed Sunday!

Love....................... Courtney and Louie

13 Days and Counting

This past week Louie was put to the test in many area's with a full (really full!) schedule!

Thursday began by taking Louie to Willow Creek stables. I board my own horse here, and our friends from the barn were heading out to the GVRDC (Genesee Valley Riding and Driving Club) Trail Challenge this weekend. To make things easier, Louie stayed over for a few nights before we shipped to the event. On top of making trailering easier the morning of the trail challenge I knew this would be great practice before heading away from home to Harrisburg for a few days. Of course the smart little guy he is, he could care less about hopping on the trailer and heading to a new barn. We rode Thursday night and did a practice run of our freestyle. He did everything excellent. I need to work on trimming our freestyle down to 3 mins! (3 mins sounds like enough time until you time yourself and realize your at about 8 mins..... oops :p)

Friday we decided to pull out the English saddle and give that a go. No surprises awaited us with a new saddle and girth. Originally I didn't think Louie would make a very nice English horse although its very hard to tell when their this green. After Friday nights ride I have a very different opinion. We jumped a small cross rail much better than I anticipated and worked on the flat like a hunter. He is proving himself in every area and discipline I can think of. I hope to get some video of us riding English this upcoming week!

Saturday was Louie's starring debut with the Lollypop Humane Society interview. He worked in front of the camera like it wasn't there and fell asleep without his bridle on while I answered a few questions.

Sunday morning we packed up and headed to Scottsville for the Trail Challenge. Louie was excited to be in a new place with so many new horses and trailers around. After a few minuets of ground work he was back to his normal relaxed attitude. It was great for me to see the improvement hes made on how quickly he relaxed in the new environment. Louie stood tied to the trailer for the first time while I tacked him up and off we went. Even with trucks starting up, trailers coming in, whinnying horses, and others warming up, he took everything in stride.

A few of Louie's friends!

Louie completed all 12 of the obstacles with flying colors! There was nothing he said no to and even the never before seen obstacles were a breeze to him! After almost 3 hours he spent a lot of time bending on the trails and learning to stand while we waited for the other horses to complete the obstacles. After this event I truly feel like Louie and I are no longer a "smart horse, paired with a good rider". I feel like we have become a team built on trust and the confidence we have gained together.

Monday Louie headed back home. After our long ride the day before we were both a bit tired and did some light work. I decided to work on one of Louie's freestyle tricks and ended with a bareback ride. In the beginning Louie wasn't too sure about the lack of saddle and my boney butt! A few minuets later he figured it was alright and we did some work at the walk.  Here is a short video of our bareback ride.

 

Last but not least, Monday we were given the results of the Trail challenge on the weekend. Louie and I placed 10th out of 37 riders! I could not be any more proud of him! This upcoming week I hope to put some of the final touches on our freestyle and make it as if we could ride it in our sleep! (And try to ride it in 3 mins! lol) 

13 days and the clock is ticking. LETS DO THIS LOUIE!!! 

Love............................................ Courtney and Louie

Week 9 Update

I can't believe it has already been 9 weeks since I met Little Louie and I began retraining this guy. Man has he come a long way! When you think about the limited knowledge he had only a few weeks ago it truly shows how smart these animals are.

Louie spent week 9 at home working hard. I feel as though I have hit the wall this week although his happy greeting in the pasture makes me forget how tired I am and off to work we go. This week Louie spent a lot of time walking and trotting. Under saddle, long lining, on the rope, free, walking and trotting everywhere! Walking is one of the most important gaits that we all either take advantage of or overlook. If our horses won't do certain things at the walk, they won't at the trot, and the certainly wont at the canter. After we establish a good walk then comes trotting. Trotting is where we begin to build muscle. Many horses after returning from injuries will trot for months if not years before they pick up a canter again. In my opinion none of us spend enough time teaching our horses to walk and trot properly. My main emphasis this week was to establish a better walk, to give us a better quality of a trot. Some days Louie wants to walk off faster than he should, and trot like he's heading to the next town, so we spent a lot of time bending, and becoming softer in my hands. No pulling just giving to the bit. This takes repetition, repetition, repetition. Louie is a very fast learner and wants to please you. He comes out every day trying harder than the last and this makes my job much easier and more enjoyable!

We also took some time to set up a trail course of our own at home. I was very pleased with how well he flowed from each obstacle completing our homemade course with a lot less errors than I had expected. This week Louie will be traveling to another farm where I board my own horse and spending a few days there before we head to the trail challenge this weekend. I would like to set up another trail course there and see how well he does everything in a new place. He like to get excited off property and doesn't like to stand as nicely as he does at home. We will see what this week brings and try to work through those new place wiggles.

Here is a video I took of our trail course. I had to get creative seeings how I don't always have an extra set of hands around the barn, so enjoy a "ride" on Louie!

With less than 3 weeks to go I'm starting to get excited! We still have things to work on (who doesn't!) but I couldn't be happier with where he's at.

Upward and onward we look to week 10! :)





Love............................... Courtney and Louie

Little Louie Week 8 Update

Hello all, I hope you are enjoying the fall weather that has decided to grace us with its presence much earlier than expected! Yay for wild horses and cold hands and toes! Okay I'm being a bit extreme, but I am happy to report although all of my other horses seem to be kicking up their heels in this cooler weather, our superstar Louie could care less!

Week 8 brought another exciting adventure for the little man. We took a field trip over to Fat Chance Farm where they have held trail challenge events in the past. I was able to ride Louie around the arena and then take him out on the trails. There were a few obstacles that we could ride over and I was excited to see how he would do with the combination of being on the trails and seeing the obstacles. Eager to please, he gladly went over anything I asked and happily led the other two horses on our trail ride. Earlier on in the week was the first time we had ventured out on a real "trail ride" at home. He took a look at a few things like the monsters in the hedgerow but other than that he was happy to be outside. So As this was only his second time out on a real trail ride, I was impressed. I have entered Louie in the Genesee Valley Trail Trial event this following Sunday. We will put to test the things we've already accomplished and hopefully conquer some new obstacles. Here is the video of our adventures at Fat Chance Farm:

As for our work at home Louie and I decided on what we will be doing for the freestyle event in Harrisburg. I'm going to keep you all in suspense as our freestyle is going to be top secret until the event. :) We continued working on the basics. Walking from point to point teaching him to stay between my hands and legs. Louie's trot has improved TREMENDOUSLY. With the muscle that he has put on and the new skills he's learned he is becoming much more pleasurable to ride at the trot. We continued our canter work on the rope. I'm not to worried about cantering him under saddle at this point seeings how his trot still has room for improvement. One step at a time. 

This week I hope to set up a trail course similar to what we will see in Harrisburg. With all the pieces of the puzzle that we have I believe its time we put the puzzle together and see what area's still need the most work. Louie also struggled with two or three other horses going around the ring when we were off property. At home he is mostly worked alone with only him and I in the ring. I hope to find a few people willing to ride around him this week.

I think that's all the news for week 8! If any of you are planning on riding in the trail challenge Louie and I would love to meet you and answer any questions you might have. Enjoy your week and happy riding!

Love...............................Courtney and Louie 

7 Weeks down 5 To go

Week 7 was a lighter week of work for Little Louie. Happy as a clam to have a few extra days off he did put in his hard work when it came down to it. We worked more on long lining at the trot. I was happy to see him improve a lot by the end of the week. I know I've talked about my love for long lining but this week was proof again. The work we put in on the ground was evident when we went under saddle. We also worked on cantering. Surprisingly cantering seems to come naturally to Louie. Although he is weak under saddle his canter is quite comfortable. In the upcoming weeks it will be exciting to watch both his trot and canter transform into a stronger gates.

Other than that there's not much new to report. A lot of repetition, and consistency to make Little Louie into a better horse. This week I hope to get him off on another adventure, hopefully with more people, confusion, and horses. There are also a few obstacle clinics and events in our area in the next few weeks, hopefully Louie will be visiting a few. If you will be attending any of the trail trials or horse shows in our area please let me know. Louie and I would love to meet you!

 

Louie thinks all this work is too hard! I can't get enough of this cutie! Such a handsome Little man and a pleasure to work with :) I wouldn't want to be going into this with any other partner. I'm excited to see what the future holds for this guy! 

Until next week, enjoy your horses and the beautiful weather were having!

Love.............. Courtney and Louie

Half Way There!

Little Louie has survived the intense life change and has reached the 6th week! He is exactly half way until The Pennsylvania National Horse show Finals. I feel confident in the things Louie has learned and has yet to learn before we make our trek to the Pennsylvania finals.

This week I taught Louie to long line. I have another (very out of date) personal blog that I started about training my own off the track Thoroughbred. In this post.................. :http://livetoridethroughbreds.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-pony-update.html
I talk about teaching my own horse to long line, and what long lining is.

 (if you chose to read through my other blog, I will preface you and say that I don't agree with some of my previous training suggestions. I was starting out training my own horse, and have changed some of my method's since then. Ex: I don't agree with lunging with side reins although my horse spent some time using them. As trainers I'm sure you have all done things unknowingly and learn better method's, later on. This is one of those situations. So please know this if you choose to read my other blog. And if you wonder why I no longer use side reins or other training devices, please ask! I would love to explain my take on these methods that are so commonly used in our sport today.) 

If you are one to get sick watching shaky video's I warn you don't watch this one! Taking your own long lining video proved to be more difficult than I intended. Although its rough I think you get a good idea of what's happening. This was the only training that Louie, may have had before he was seized and taken to Lollypop Humane Society.  As a harness horse hopeful, this is how they break horses to be driven in a cart. Louie acted as if this was foreign to him so I assume he was never broke to long line. Although this was new to him the smart guy picked up on it very quickly. This has really helped teach him where to put his feet at the trot and how to keep his outside shoulder, hip and neck in line. With this his trot has also improved under saddle. There are many other benefits to long lining other than the ones I have listed in both of my blogs. I encourage you to look up long lining and maybe give it a go with your own horse!



Louie also took his second outing to Wild Side Ranch again. We rode through most of the obstacles we will see at the finals as well as a few new ones. He is very willing to explore new obstacles and take on the challenge.

This upcoming week I hope to work more on Louie's walk and trot. He prefers to walk out at a faster pace than normal and his trot is the same. I will continue long lining him to help him figure out his feet! Other than that we will be logging more hours in the saddle in hopes to make a special guy to show off at finals! (He already is special and in his eyes he already shows off but we won't tell him he still has work to do ;))



Love................ Courtney and Louie

One Hoof infront of the Other

 I realize I am no good at keeping my promises... oops :) If you can forgive me, I am here to give you the Little man's update!

Week 5 was a big week with many good learning experiences. Louie spent a lot of time riding out and about around the farm. We were able to venture further and further with more confidence each day. When training young horses out on a trail or teaching them to go outside of the arena I will generally start on the ground. If my horses won't behave on the rope, They wont behave under saddle.  As I mentioned a few weeks ago this is what I did with Louie. I then, once the are under saddle, will gradually work my way out further and further from the barn. The barn for most horses is their comfort zone. By taking Louie out of his comfort zone in small steps we provide a good, safe experience for him building his confidence each time. When I was in South Carolina for the Young Jumper Trainers School one of the trainers there told us "never show a young horse what they can't do" and I love that saying. We have to build good experiences for these horses to be able to grow and flourish and gain confidence in themselves as well as in us as the leader.

Louie spent more time trotting under saddle this week. As a horse bred for harness racing, he isn't the most natural at trotting in a pleasure horse type of way. Just like some people have to work harder at math than others, Louie has to work harder to keep his legs in order :) and trot properly. We also worked on the standing patiently at the gate and side passing along the wall. All of these steps will eventually be combined together so he can open and close the gate smoothly, when asked.

Here is our week 5 video:

Seeings how I am a bit behind the game, I will list my goals for our weeks to come in the next post!

Happy Labor Day!


Love........... Courtney and Louie

Louie Week 4 Equine Comeback Challenge

Hello all!

Little Louie is moving on and learning more and more each week. This week Louie took his first off site adventure to Wild Side Ranch, home of Minteer Training. I work for Dave Minteer and he has taught me everything I know. I am beyond blessed to be able to learn from such a wealth of knowledge as Dave is. So of course, I had to bring the Little Louie over to get Dave's opinion on him. I was so impressed with Louie's relaxed manner away from home. He could care less about the different arena and his new surroundings. The arena at Wild Side is a coverall and is much louder than our arena at home. Even with the wind flapping the coverall (you can hear it in the video) he remained a cool customer. We did some ground work and hopped on. The video shows our first few steps of trot and the beginning stages of lateral work, side-passing off of each leg.

The week progressed and I was able to work Louie outside under saddle. I was very impressed that he took in his surroundings but was happy to walk forward where I asked. He showed me his first "spook" which was nothing more than an abrupt stop. A few minutes working past the scary object and on we went. I couldn't be happier that he is so willing to work through things and not lock up in a this-is-scary-I'm-going-to-check-my-brain-out attitude. I'm sure you have all been in that position and know there is nothing more frustrating. 

This week we also rounded August 14 which means we are only 2 months away from the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. (Check out the link for more information on the finals!) I here the words 2 months and my hands get clammy thinking of all the work we have to do before PA. I then think about how far this little horse has come in only 4 weeks. Four weeks ago he didn't know what a saddle or a rider even was. He was ruling his own life in his pasture having a grand ol' time with his buddy Neil. (Neil is another Equine Comeback Challenge horse. you can find his progress here:https://www.facebook.com/Neilscomebackchallenge) So despite the work we have yet to accomplish, I am blessed with a willing partner and a desire to give Louie the best start on life in my power.

We look forward to updating you again soon!

Love............. Louie

Third Week is the Charm

Hello all!

Week Three is down and Louie is again finishing with straight A's!

Unfortunately I don't have any video's for this week. :( My camera man (aka my mom) has been out of town all week.

I began this week in hopes to spend more and more time on Louie's back, as well as teach him to line drive outside. Our rides increased every day by 5 minuets. (give or take) With his lack of muscle and being on the thinner side of things, I don't want to push it too far and end up with an injury. Although walking for 10 min's at the beginning of the week seemed difficult, by Friday walking for 30 minuets was a piece of cake! It's always encouraging to see his improvements already. I was able to line drive him outside one day and he seemed to love working outdoors. (even I get bored within our arena walls so I'm just as glad to get out!) We don't have an outdoor arena but plenty of great spaces to work. That day after line driving him outside we went for our ride and towards the end I decided, What the heck. If he will stand long enough for me to manage to get the gate open, lets go for a ride outside! Sure enough, the smart little man he is, he stood perfectly while I pushed the gate off of the hook and out he went. He was as happy as a clam to walk wherever he pleased, ears forward and happy to go! I was trilled with his levelheadedness (if that wasn't a word, it is now ;)) about everything outside and his willingness to go.

We continued working over our obstacles but this week he did them under saddle. The tarp was no big deal and I had him drag the bag of can's from his back.

I was very pleased with Louie's progress this week. Looking forward, Little Louie is going to take a trip over to another barn this week. It will  be interesting to see how he does with that. I don't foresee any problems but, you never know! I again want to build on his bending and walking,and giving to the bit. I'm sure we will venture out of the ring more this week and possibly introduce a few steps of trot.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Love,
 Louie....................... and that person that give's me carrots :)

Louie's Second Week on the Job

I trust you all are excited to hear about what the handsome little man accomplished this week! I will not disappoint... Here is his update!

Louie began his second week continuing on the things he learned in week one. We began desensitizing with new objects, and building on the ground work he learned in week one. He also spent more and more time under saddle as the week went on. I was happy to see his personality shine through this week. His expression seems to have changed from obeying me out of fear to obeying me because hes beginning to trust and explore the world! He is becoming more expressive about his work (not in a naughty way thankfully!) but eager to do what I've asked. We built on the round pen lessons from last week and he understood the next step of following me wherever I asked.

The first video is a general overview of what we did this week. The second video gives you a good taste of his stride and how he moves. Even while cross cantering and trotting quite strung out I think he will be a nice mover in the end. He has a HUGE stride for such a little horse, and carries himself like he's 15.3hh. He thinks he's king of the world.... (We'll let him live in his fantasy for now ;) )

      

This up coming week I hope to establish a bit more steering and bending with the bit. He likes to chew on the bit constantly right now, which I will expect for awhile until he's comfortable with it. As of right now I think we will spend awhile just walking. He is still building muscle and is quite weak when it comes to holding a rider. I also hope to get him outside some more, ground driving and working in open spaces, while still keeping his mind on his job. (We're easily distracted when it comes to butterflies, birds and the great outdoors.)

Please feel free to drop some comments! I would love to answer questions or take comments on what you would like to see on this blog!

Have a wonderful week! 

Love, 

Louie...... and Courtney too :)

 

Louie's First Week of Training

So my blog for some reason posted my last two updates out of order so if you haven't read:
 On to the Next Adventure 
you may be lost as you start reading this post. :)

We picked up Louie on Monday morning. I was very excited to meet this guy and get started with him. Louie was a case of neglect back in September of 2013. He has been at Lollypop Farm Humane Society of Rochester New York ever since. Louie was used as a stud at the farm where he was seized from and has only been gelded for a few weeks. He came to Lollypop extremely underweight but put on pounds quickly with proper feeding. I hope to continue putting weight on him. (I like them fat lol)

I was anxious to see if he had any stud like behavior. As a 4 year old horses can learn that behavior quickly and give it up hard, even after being gelded. I was please to find out he is a complete sweet heart without a care for mares!  The trailer loading was surprisingly uneventful. After a second or two to look things over up and on he went.

Tuesday Louie began work. I spent most of this week on groundwork and getting to know his personality. He seems to be a very bold and willing horse. Anything I asked of him (including going over the tarp) he would spend a second.... look the situation over... and proceed with my request. What trainer can complain with a horse like that!

Towards the end of the week we put the saddle on and took our first "ride". And by ride I mean sitting on his back. :p   

After completing week one I'm very excited to have him! He truly is a sweet guy ready for his second chance. I'm looking forward to the weeks to come! Here is a quick video I put together of week 1.

Lollypop Farm posted on Facebook about the  Equine Comeback Challenge. If your interested, (it's a super quick read) here is the link!
https://www.facebook.com/lollypopfarm
The post was on July 22

Day 6

The final day of school!

Sunday began by taking our Young Jumper Trainers School 2014 Picture with the Red Top Farm jump!

Our final lesson was again instructed by Linda Allen. If the whole week wasn't hot enough I think by Sunday my body was done with the southern heat. Hot or not we tacked up for our final ride. I rode a big bay who's favorite idea was to simply sleep and eat all day.  So needless to say on this hot Sunday morning I had the workout of a lifetime.

After lunch we had a quick discussion about the hopes for future Young Jumper Trainers School's and suggestions on how to make the week even better than it was. Jose instructed one of the students on a horse that was broke the first day and it was amazing to see how far the young mare had come in just 4 days. From un-rideable to ridden in the field with a student on her back it truly was the icing on the cake of an incredible week. I learned more than I could ever write to you in this blog. I still Here Linda, Jose and Kelly's voices in my head as I'm training my young ones at home. One of the most memorable sayings I heard came from Jose and he said: "I love riding young horses because they keep you honest. They will tell you when your wrong!" and that hit home for me. I would love to have a horse someday that can take me all the way to the top in this sport but I never want to give up training young horses and starting babies. I take a lot of joy in teaching the young ones the ropes and discovering their own special love for a certain discipline whether it be jumping, dressage, reining, trails, or even one who loves obstacles.

Overall I was beyond blessed to be able to attend this week, sprained wrist and all, I wouldn't have traded any part of it for the world.

On To the Next Adventure!

So I have decided to turn this into my information and training blog! I hope to post weekly (at least!) of my thoughts, exercises, and different topics that hopefully will help you in your riding or training.

Although that is my desire for the direction of this blog, The next 3 months this blog will be taken over by posts of my latest adventure. I am ecstatic to announce that I have been selected as one of 10 trainers to compete in the A Home For Ever Horse, Equine Comeback Challenge! 10 rescue horses have been placed with 10 different trainers for 90 days to be broke and trained to the best of our abilities. At the end of the 90 days we will all take our horses to the Pennsylvania National Horse Show and compete against one another to see who has the best horse! We are required to show the horses in a trail class. For those of you who don't know what that is, a trail class is class with all the obstacles a horse may face in the outdoors on a trail ride. The obstacles include tarps, bridges, mail boxes, gates, poles, cross rails, and a few other things. After our trail class is completed we have 3 minuets of freestyle to showcase other talents the horse has learned while in training.


I picked up my horse (Louie) on Monday and will be posting tomorrow about his first week of boot camp! 

I am so blessed to have an opportunity to do something like this. It is truly a dream come true. I'm still pinching myself to make sure I'm awake!

If you would like to follow Louie's facebook page I'm sure he would like that. :P I try my best to post as many pictures as possible there so everyone can watch his transformation!

https://www.facebook.com/ECClouieandcourtney

Day 5

Saturday morning my mom and I woke up bright and early to take a trip to the Aiken Training Track. Here the Thoroughbred horses that don't continue on the racing circuit up north train during the summer months. When the circuit returns south again in the fall, this track is also used for races. 

 

The tree in the infield is where the Aiken bred champion, Blue Peter is buried. Read more about Peter's legacy and the love the community has for him here: http://www.aikenstandard.com/article/20120313/AIK0303/303139996

So  beautiful in the morning!

 

 Once we arrived at the farm our day began with a lesson instructed by Linda Allen. I was excited to ride a big bay warmblood that reminded me of a horse I have in training at home. (big and sweet looking) Well needless to say this large sweet looking guy took advantage of his day off and his new rider. Upon bringing him out of the barn and picking up a trot he proceeded to buck, and buck, and buck some more! I came off and he took a lap around the property. After he was caught and quick flat session with Jose, I was back on and we continued in the lesson.

 

 

The afternoon continued with the horses Jose started earlier in the week. Here is the second video of the grey I posted from day one. He is being ridden by one of the girls (Anna) who attended the school. Anna did such an excellent job riding such a greenie!

Day 4

Day 4 was a day off the horses we had been working with and riding in lessons.

We had a morning presentation form Seminole Feeds. Beth Stelzleni, a certified equine nutritionist, talked us through how to properly feed the foals as well as the young performance horse. Beth's presentation was excellent and very informing. One of the things she highlighted was the age old myth that horses can colic if they drink to much water while still hot after a long work out. This is wrong. There is no evidence or tests proven that statement to be true. Horses actually loose a lot more water than we think while working and sweating on a hot day. After a ride is the most ideal time to give a horse water because this is when they want it the most!

After our morning presentations we went out on a tour around the farm to look at babies and mares. Red Top Farms has a fantastic breeding program with many top horses, producing quality sporthorses.  It was interesting to hear which of the babies and mares were related to some of the ones we had been riding through out the week. This peaked my interest in breeding. Up until this week I can't say I have ridden many horses that are bred to be Grand Prix hopeful's. To see the mares who have shown at Spruce Meadow's, have 5 year old babies ready to start out in the 1 10" jumpers I was impressed. I haven't been around such a caliber of horses, it was a great experience and gave me even more of a desire to rise to a higher level in this sport.

 

The baby in the bottom picture lost his mother and has a mini as a foster parent! They were so cute together!! 

Day 3

I am finally coming back to you with the final days of the Young Horse Trainers school. I apologize for the delay!

Day 3 began, continuing the young horses we started the day before in the jumping chute. All of the horses came out the next day ready and willing to continue with what they had learned yesterday. We started a new horse in the chute (the chestnut in the video). He was a two year old and took very well to the idea of the chute. We also brought out a four year old stud named Gizmo. (I though that was the CUTEST name ever!)  Gizmo is the small black horse in the video.

After free jumping the horses we began our afternoon lesson. Linda Allen instructed the lesson and worked on a simple grid with all the horses and riders. This grid was excellent to teach the rider to sit there and let the horse find its way through the grid and sometimes make their own mistakes.

                                       

Willow, Linda's adorable puppy and I sat ring side and watched the lesson on Thursday.

 Day 4, On the way!! :)