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