Spring of 2014, I was finally getting some consistent work with Griffin under saddle with a bit in his mouth. While he would accept a bit, it took him a good while to be 100% okay with the pressure of it on his mouth. I outlined the issues in this post.
I introduced video screenshots in that post, but never actually shared the videos as I'd said I would.
Well, while perusing my YouTube uploads over the past few years, I was noting to myself the wealth of Griffin videos. There are so many! It's really fun to be able to look back on where he was so long ago. This January will mark 4 years together (!!).
Realizing my mistake in never uploading the videos from March 2014, I thought I'd share one now along with a comparison video of where Griffin's canter work is these days. He's changed so much in 20 months.
It's visible evidence like this that absolutely blows me away. He's come SO far. I've spent SO much time working with him to get him there, too.
And it isn't just his canter that has improved -- his jumping really has, too! Here's a 64 second video of a small 9 jump course I've recently strung together with him. Each cavaletti is 18", the skinny vertical is ~2'3" (yep, he's jumping a 4'-wide skinny with ease now!), and the standard verticals are at 2'6" -2'9".
I was realizing it for the first time in the post from March 2014, but the sentiment really rings true 20 months later: He's SO MUCH FUN. I really love working with and riding this grey horse.
Here are the videos of me riding Griffin, as promised.
Because these are some of the first true videos of me riding the little guy, and because they are truly some of the first riding done where there was some slight semblance of structure beyond moving down the trail, I plan to use them as a baseline to refer back to in months and years to come when he is bigger and better with all the things.
She's wet because this was filmed in the middle of a HUGE rain event
(rain for >24 hours); she's outside 24/7 and thus was in the elements.
(This was actually a day I found the horses shivering outside due to
the cold and wet. In the future, I plan to blanket them during such
instances to help them out.)
I have zero idea what the audio is like other than obnoxious because
of the rain. Jeremy was filming for me (yay!), and I did try to explain
some things to him here and there as he's never ever been around horses
in this capacity before I corrupted his time with them. I recommend
muting the sound.
Draw your own conclusions, ask questions if you have them, provide supportive suggestions where you see fit.
My take:
She's making progress. Truly, truly. She's working so hard to figure out those side reins. Every session produces better and better results.
She's really trying to figure out what I want under saddle with the contact, too. She adjusts her head up and down and up and down.
Its funny, but when she nails it and gets into that 'sweet spot' she becomes stretchy and really forward. She wants to break into a trot without any encouragement from me. Odd for her with any work off-trail. I'd like to take this as her enjoying the work we're doing?
(Please ignore the naming schema for the videos. I uploaded from my phone in bulk and am way too lazy to change them all now.)
Notes:
All videos are relatively short.
He's wet because this was filmed in the middle of a HUGE rain event
(rain for >24 hours); he's outside 24/7 and thus was in the elements.
(This was actually a day I found the horses shivering outside due to
the cold and wet. In the future I plan to blanket them during such
instances to help them out.)
I have zero idea what the audio is like other than obnoxious because
of the rain. Jeremy was filming for me (yay!), and I did try to explain
some things to him here and there as he's never ever been around horses
in this capacity before I corrupted his time with them. I recommend
muting the sound.
Draw your own conclusions, ask questions if you have them, provide supportive suggestions where you see fit.
My take on it all:
I'm really thrilled with the progress he's making (we're making). He's learning to use himself and he's learning that feeling contact on the bit is no reason to be concerned or upset.
His angsty fits are minimal now. They've become quite predictable, actually. On colder days or days when he's obviously "up" from shenanigans with his friends, he'll give me a little sass within the first 5 minutes of work. I can expect more sass from requests for canter work. I can expect further sass once the side reins have been engaged. Its like he's saying, "Damnit, this is actually taking effort. WHY do I have to? Ugh. FINE. I'll work." And every time, as the session continues, he calms and exudes great working behaviors and willingness.
His canter has become much more balanced and collected. In past cantering experiences in our tiny little indoor pen, he's been strung out and spastic about his movements. Not so now!
His transitions between all gaits are much improved. I even got him to do the 10-10-10 exercise (10 strides trot, 10 strides canter, 10 strides trot, etc.) quite successfully the other day! Such a good boy.
I'm proud of where we've come with training and where we're headed. He's such a wonderful little horse.
But first: Between my INSANELY busy schedule (those of you who are friends with me on Facebook follow all my photos from this nonsense), work, travel, and lame internet - I am BEYOND behind on everyone's blogs. The internet issues keep me from commenting, and when I do even THAT becomes an issue (sorry for my multitude of duplicate comments, Funder, haha). So, while I've been silent in both my own writing and in response to the writing of many of you, I am lurking and reading! I think life may settle in November for me to be more regular about things and not have to schedule posts as I am doing now.
And now:
I love her. I love her. I love her.
Also, the turn away from jumps on first go was because my recovering dog was in front of the jump. Had he been in full health and not rehabbing from double ACL surgery I'd have jumped her anyway and expected him to move his ass or learn a lesson. Le sigh, Kenai.
- Chris skiing. I was trying to prove to him how high the rooster tail of snow off his skis is. Yes, the video is shaky, but tough. I was skiing at a nice clip behind him with camera in hand. It'll happen.
- Chris popping over King Cornice at A-Basin. Weee!
- One of the slides triggered by the avalauncher. Pretty sweet, eh?
- The super windy video of our skinning up the apron below Dragon's Tail in RMNP.
- And, finally, this gem. Not a gem because of my skiing skill - it was the first time I really made an effort to get in tele turns on a steep slope and I have a lot to improve, but that's why we make videos, to note error and help with forward progress! No, this is a gem because Chris has done it again with his epic video commentary. You may remember his former video from this post. Enjoy!
We got our rear boots in the mail yesterday. So logically I had to go get video of her showing them off!
** Don't forget the GIVEAWAY! The winner will be chosen tomorrow evening! Just comment on this post to be entered in my blog giveaway. You can choose a hand-tied halter in the color of your choice or a hand-knitted hat in color/yarn type/style of your choice! **
Look who, despite his jerking around, loves water deep down inside! He thinks fly spray and baths may be out to get him still, but when you give him the freedom to approach the hose on his own he tells you what he really thinks about water....its love <3 Only proper he should love it considering his two-legged momma is like a fish to water (I swam competitively for 10 years and held multiple local records).
He trots! Rough beginning of the clip as we adjusted speed for him so I could get a better video, but you can see how his feet are landing. We do this once or twice a week for two or three miles to help wear his tootsies a bit. He gets to see all the scary things of the world, too. He's very focused on his job most days. This was the hottest of all days he's done this thus far, we only did a mile this day due to it.
My puppy, despite his breeding, loves water, too. He was even frog hunting last week!! (He failed, by the way.) Our Sunday hike was hot, hot, hot. It was a good thing Kenai knows how to drink from a Camelbak hose!
: : : : :
By the way, Miss Q has successfully been moved to her new home. Photos/videos/updates on her to come this week!
Hot off the press! Was out there about 4 hours ago and now here's the edited video, what up productivity?!
Its a 3½ minute video that was consolidated out of a 20 minute video of our workout. The way I rigged up the camera to get this was beyond ghetto & super creative - I'm tooting my own horn here, but this is my blog so I think I'm entitled to that once in awhile ;-)
(Sorry the loping clip ended up in their twice... I'm not awesome at this editing thing yet.) We have a lot of work to do still, but watching this has helped me to learn SO much about what I'm doing and NOT doing. Its going to help me immensely. It also helps me to really fall for this little horse that much more. He's super stupendous with everything.
Accomplishments from today that weren't filmed:
- He nickered at me as soon as I got out of my car and started walking over. I reinforced this with a whistle or two just to hammer that in more.
- He walked through two people doors without balking. I've never asked him to do this before.
- He wore Orion's old frilly bonnet and didn't freak out. However, he did manage to look a little sheepish which was amusing (yes, I'm anthropomorphizing here, but - once again - my blog, I do wha' I wan').
- Let me rasp all four hooves. He previous wanted nothing to do with the rasp, it felt too funny or sounded too funny. But today was a different story. This probably had something to do with the fact that there were NO OTHER distractions and he had food to concentrate on.
- Wore hoof boots for the first time. Same first reaction as Orion - acted as if it were old hat and didn't care at all! Made him walk and trot out with them and he was mostly agitated that they were slightly large and made a funny noise. He's probably going to fit a double ott, but because the trimmer hasn't made it out yet and his feet are wonky in a couple places from flaring and because I didn't want to cram on boots and freak him out too much, I put him in a pair of size ones.
- He isn't afraid of a squawking flapping freaked-out bird in his face. Just flicked his ear.
Wait, what? A squawking flapping freaked-out bird in his face?! Where did I conjure that desensitizing measure? Oh, that's right, I caught a starling today with my bare hands.
Starling bomber. ..and my hand a month after I accidentally rasped it. I heal excessively slow
THE BIRD WAS NOT HARMED! Extremely agitated, yes, but harmed, NO.
Little back story: A couple days after I picked up Kenai we were walking and he managed (on a leash) to catch and kill a starling fledgling. Ever since he's had quite a fascination with birds. Today I couldn't help but re-introduce him to a starling sans killing it.
Holy laser-eyes, Batman!
Oooh, yew haz this bird for meez?
It haz pointy nose.
Iz yew shur yew izn't tricksing meez wif this?
Reery? No tricksing? I can haz bird?
Well okayz...
I takez bird.
But no, seriously, the bird was not harmed. Keeny knows when he can and can't have something. There is either YES or NO in that realm. And if it isn't a YES then it must be a NO. So he was pulling his whole If I openz mouf slowly and gentleez then I maybe getz this as mai ownz routine. (He also uses this routine to try and sneak away with things he shouldn't have to hide them in a corner [does anyone else think of Dirty Dancing whenever you hear "in a corner"? NOBODY puts Baby in a corner! ..no? Okay, I'm weird.]) I reprimanded his sneaky bite-grab immediately and he backed off. Bird was no worse for the wear and was released into the wild moments later. (I would like to point out my restraint at killing said invasive species during this encounter. My inner nature purest was squealing to kill it, but I subdued her and set the little thing free. It didn't even bite me - odd from my experience with starlings - so it deserved to live even more.)
Its been a great Friday so far. Here's to the weekend!!
I captured the following after a crap ton of snow fell off the roof of the barn landing on my shoulder/side and scaring -rightfully so - Griffin off. He was prancing around the barnyard (all fenced in) and I wanted to get some footage of him moving.
Oh, and there's a nice shot of Kenai chasing and being chased by the mini, Charlie (or as I call him, Chah-wee.)
I mentioned the Spanish looking horse at the barn a week or so back. Here are a couple videos of him. Any guesses as to who his grandfather is?
His grandfather is Hollywood Jac, none other than the sire of Hollywood Dun It. Go figure. Fun to have a horse with similar lines to one of the most famous quarter horses ever. I can't remember his immediate parents names off the top of my head, something with cow or cowboy or cattle or something. This guy is 4 years old and full of spunk. He's been saddled so far, but he still tests his trainer at the beginning of every session.
Does ANYONE remember when I said over the summer I'd have video footage of me riding/training that pushy little paint gelding? Here it is. (Please excuse my pale redheaded complexion despite the middle-of-summerness.) Better late than never, and I absolutely love it. Thanks, Matt.
**No, flip flops and no helmet on my head aren't proper or smart, but oh well. It was hot as STINK that day with humidity being just as high and awful (blech), honestly, I'd have been naked were it permissible!
This is a video from a couple weeks back, but finally here for your viewing pleasure. I'm out on the slopes today workin' on my tele skills! Have a great holiday, y'all.
I'm currently participating in my first team penning today. Its a fun event and other activities will likely occur other than the herding/chasing of cows. I hope to have more video and photos of it to post in upcoming days.
For now, here is a video from a week or so back of a snow ride. It was SUPER chilly [finally]. Please excuse the dirty horses. Numb fingers and lack of a barn (24/7 turnout - they have a shed to run in and that we keep tack and hay in, but no place out of the elements to tack up etc.) led to little want to groom areas that didn't need it (i.e. everywhere a saddle/bareback pad wasn't touching). This is my first [successful] video with the GoPro chest harness while riding. I've succeeded with it skiing (obviously) already, but I'm still trying to figure the best way to use it riding. So, needless to say, the footage is a little rough, especially for our little gallop jaunt uphill. I promise footage will be better as time rolls on! =) Enjoy.
In upcoming weeks this blog will begin to include a lot more videos! Exciting, no? My GoPro camera arrived with Christmas and I ordered a chest mount harness that should arrive this week. I hope the chest mount will provide more clarity to the images than if it were mounted on my helmet. As my dad pointed out, when guarding another player in basketball you should watch their belly button because they can't feign movement in one direction with that. They may lunge out with arms or legs, but the core will stay still. More still than one's head at any rate!
Riding, skiing, and maybe Kenai's view on the world shall be included in videos soon!
Oh, and some team penning may be in my future as well!! More updates on that as I figure them out.
