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Winter is coming and at the moment at the end of November the ground is very hard and the horses can get sweaty if too much is done with them SO am taking it slowly with them although still trying to do ‘stuff’ with them to help keep the consistency of the CZT.

Today I played for a short while with Solly in the lowest round pen, this one is nearest the gate to the next field. We played with some gentle mind exercises to get us mentally connected first, things like sidepass a few steps then DHQ and halt for 5 seconds, then same on his other side. Then some backing up to connect me to his feet.

 

 

 

We connected very quickly so went on to circling in trot for relaxation (where he’s learned to blow out to relax his lungs and body) and to go long and low to stretch his topline and mind before trying a few strides of canter. I always check these to make sure the saddle is sitting well and to release any stiffness in his mind or body.

 

 

 

All went well so I did some work for the mounting block. Solly likes to ‘play’ a lot so when asking him to the mounting block he usually comes but not quite far enough, then he fiddles and chews his reins for a bit SO today we worked on getting this smoother with some treat training techniques. That went really well so the last time he came up to the mounting block nicely I mounted and rewarded him for willingness and nice behaviour.

 

 

 

 

Riding was short but good. As we could only do a bit I decided to do as much ‘without the reins’ as I could. I didn’t just ride with loose reins as Solly likes to have a ‘feel’ from his rider to keep connected, so with reins held we did turns from our focus/body/weight/leg aids and they went really really well….I was actually really happy with the results. Transitions from walk/trot and halt/backups were light and willing and we did some very subtle turns on the hq’s and  then the forehand which I was very impressed with….the whole ride was lovely. Progress 🙂

My thoughts are on riding in the next field so I  need to do more riding towards that area soon…before Winter sets in and the chance goes until next year!

 

• Shelley – HorseSavvy

 

 

Second Session:

 

Our 2nd session was an in-hand walk again, me and Solly with Mark and Stormy for company and this time we decide to go in the opposite direction from last time. This is mainly because soon the horses have to come home to the house paddocks for Winter so I thought it would be a good idea to walk that route as we have a new track in unfamiliar fields this year. SO…..off we went. This time too I made a small change with Solly as I asked him to wear/carry a horsey ‘backpack’ which he actually did very well for me. It was very handy to put my excess clothing in as I got warmer. Here are the pictures from our walk……

 

 

 

Out of the gate and down the first hill, keeping off the frozen section so that the horses didn’t slide. Along the flat field at the bottom wasn’t a worry at all, we used to have the herd in this field so they know it. I’m also better on this walk because we travel this route twice – three times a day when visiting and feeding the herd so I know what to expect along the way. Out of the 2nd field and we have to go up a pretty steep ‘new’ road that was put in this year for logging purposes. The horses have not seen this before and took it pretty well.

 

 

 

 

We went slowly as the track has stones on it and a steep fall to the left to the river. My heart was going slightly but because I knew the route I was able to keep calm and help Solly stay with me emotionally.

 

 

 

 

At the top of the hill Solly went much slower, his head low in a stance I usually take to mean he’s out of his CZ and a little introverted. We go really slowly for him and let him take his time to come back out of his shell. When I could feel him trying hard to come back to me I ask him to just do a couple of ‘games’ to test he’s connected tome and not disconnected and withdrawn.

 

 

 

 

The games I ask are: touch it with his nose to the log pile (to help him smell and touch his environment and to let me know if he’s frightened); move fh & hq’s to where he’s sidled up to the log pile (again to see if he’s frightened of it); back up away from the log pile (to allow his brain to reconnect with his feet and shows me he’s listening to me and back in the world).

 

 

 

 

 

The wood pile is HUGE so I was very pleased Solly walked by it so well.

 

 

 

 

 

Then we’re onto a small pretty piece of track that goes through a small wooded area and to the last gate for today.

 

 

 

 

 

We all take a rest and a good look around.

 

 

 

 

From here we can see the rest of the road and the uphill track that goes to our house, which is where the herd will be coming when the weather turns really nasty over winter.I feel very confident that they’ll know where they’re going when we do this walk later on and I felt very confident walking Solly to this gate today. Such a HUGE difference to me from a track where I know where I’m going to one where I have no idea, I’m sure the horses are the same so it was good to let Solly and Stormy have a ‘recce’ trip out today.

 

 

 

The whole trip back was pretty nice, some grazing for the boys and also Solly showed some curiosity over things he’d just walked ‘blindly’ past on the way up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curiosity shows he’s ‘awake and paying attention’ to the world around him, lack of curiosity for him means that he’s gone introverted
and not paying attention.

 

 

 

• Shelley – HorseSavvy
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First Session:

This is day 1 of my next ‘7 session unit’ of CZT with Solly. Knowing to make progress from the first week’s sessions I now have to take what we did and learned there to another area so we pushed out of the CZ of the field in the company of husband Mark and his horse Stormy and decided to do a circular walk across a few fields and onto a track back home.

Walking out in-hand allows you to control going into an unfamiliar area without the worry of riding, you can check out the track, make sure the ground is safe and that there is nothing going to make you or your horse jump and if it does then you have time to think about things and only carry on when you and/or your horse are relaxed and happy to continue.

Being with Mark and Stormy helps both Solly and I to be in good company in a situation that may worry us. It also helps from the perspective that I will walk further with Mark beside me on that first outing than I would do on my own so I can really stretch the CZ for me to then be able to do the same walk on my own with Solly and know it’s a safe walk.

We do really well through the first two fields, we’ve been here once before a few months ago so I know the area, the footing and where we’re going which helps us be confident.

At the end of the first two fields we had to go through a new gateway, which I’ve never been through before. There was some ‘blue’ plastic rubbish up on our left, the river really close off the right of the track and an incline up a hill. I ask Solly to follow Storm through the gateway, turn so that I can close the gate and then we walk up the incline together. A little bit of raised ‘energy’ as it’s all new to me but we get through okay.

 

 

At the top of the small hill I am faced with a sharp left turn and a similar hill down to the next field. We are now higher up looking down a sharp edge to the river on our right, Solly next to this with me on his left facing going down the hill. I get a little unconfident and have to stop and just  stand and wait while I get my focus and energy back on track. Mark stops too and waits patiently for me. If I was alone I would retreat back to the familiar place of the previous field as the energy in my mind and body could easily affect my horse, from there I could either (a) approach again and go forward or (b) retreat and try again in a bit, the next day, or when I can…today I re-focus and carry on.

The picture on the right shows Solly down the hill looking at the field, checking out the sheep, seeing if there is anything to worry about before carrying on.

 

 

Back on track we follow Mark and Storm through the field. Mark has been through the field before when riding out so I know he knows where the safe footing is.

All goes well and about half way through Solly raises his head and looks to the left, we see a couple of people coming down the track outside the field and then he looks to the right where a couple of kids and adult are playing ‘poo sticks’ at the bridge there. He was a bit high headed for a bit but we carried on and I think he soon realised that the track they were on was familiar to him as we’ve walked and ridden down this track to the village in the past.

 

 

 

Once on the track we were okay again, familiar terrain felt easy and comfortable and we all strode out heading back for home.

 

 

 

 

 

Nearly home and Solly started to look out for our other horse Tara who we’d left in the field, he also started just checking the track side grazing and herbage out which was good to see, his curiosity back. I was also very chilled out and happy to just walk along in Solly’s company. Soon we were back through the gate into the field and Tara was right there to greet us back home 🙂

 

• Shelley – HorseSavvy