up date on Foxie.

Do to the fact my dogs ate my phone, I do not have the pictures I wanted to go along with this post.

I was told many things about Foxie when she first came to me, one of them was that she was too spooky and high strung to make  a trail horse. Here again, I keep trying to believe people are not that blind when it comes to an animal that they have owned for years so by impulse, I wanted to believe that there was foundation to the things she was telling me about the horse she had since Foxie was  9 months old.

Again I was proven wrong about assuming the best of people when it comes to their animals. I can say with out a doubt that Foxie is far more of a study mount for trails then my tried and true trail horse I have now. On a whim I took Foxie out for a ride at dusk, spooked up a deer and rode through the trees and under brush (all after a couple days off by the way) without so much of a side step through it all.

the next morning I took her out again for an hour ride through anything I could find to go through to the same results! Turning for home I even asked for the canter to see what she would do. Not only did she pick up the right lead but she never tried to pick up speed or grab the bit.

I keep looking for something wrong with her but as hard as I've been looking the only conclusion I can come up with is;
 A) I just got a really nice free horse
 B) People are very stupid when it comes to their horses!

the one that I couldn't save

I found this guy too late, he was owned by a kill buyer and on Sunday was sent off. With only a couple of hours I posted his pic on rescue sits but I ran out of time.

If you rescue horses you'll understand the obsession with the ones you can't save. To date I've saved, retrained and re-homed five horses. but it's this guy that will haunt me. He was only 4 or 5 years old and trained to ride and drive.

Dream horse

Everyone has a dream horse, mine is a Akal Teke. I've loved those horses since I was a little girl.

I always wanted to take off across open fields and through the woods just me and my Akal Teke. It's this type of day dream that has lead me to endurance riding. And to my surprise Foxie is turning out to be fit for the discipline! 

I look at pictures and adds of Akal Teke horses for sale and day dream about what I could do with a horse like that but this day dreaming about say... winning the Tevis Cup has reminded me of the most important part of any horse, their heart.

Foxie has a lot of heart, and willing to do the job. She's coming along and is a joy to ride so far I couldn't be happier with her!

Riding the wet noodle

     For a twelve year old, Foxie is far behind even where most three year old's are. With her, I've been taking the slow road because with older horses that have never been asked to do anything it's hard to get past that sometimes Lunging has become an important part of our daily routine. It helps reestablish that I am the boss mare and it also gives me a heads up on where she's at for the day.

     For the most part she is doing well under saddle. guiding can be an issue still, Sometimes it feels like I'm trying to push a wet noodle in a strait line,  but again she has the experience of a two year old. The rail gets to be helpful in building her confidence in what she is doing. Because of that, circles and changing directions off rail has also gotten easier. She is truly a wonderful horse that is trying her hardest to please.
I'm looking forward to posting more updates and pictures on Foxie, as she progresses.

 

Horses tell on them selves

     Horses are honest creatures. They will tell you when their about to act up and if your paying attention they will even tell you where. Foxie for instance is a good one for bowing her neck right where she is thinking about trying to quit on me. Over the last month or so she quit but if I miss a couple of days in a row, she doesn't seem to feel that she needs to go back to work.
     When I'm giving a lesson to a new student I almost always start off with lunging the horse,because first and for most it's a great way to see what the horse's mood is before you start and second the bast way to show someone the body language and movement of a horse is on the ground where they can see it for them selves.
     For reasons I don't understand the importance of ground work has gotten lost. For every discipline I've even have been involved  in grown work like long line, and lunging are always the foundation to a good start to building a good working communication with your horse. not to mention it's a great way to learn your horses tells.
     As for lessons I've found it makes it easier and quicker for the student to learn how to read a horse.

puppies

Alright I admit it, there is no reason for me to write this post outside I think these puppies are the cutest things ever! Enjoy.

Foxie

Back to Foxie. As in my earlier post about this mare she needs some work, however I do see a lot potential in her for improvement. The best direction for her seems to be dressage. she likes the routines and dose well with arena work.
She is an older horse (13 years old now) and retraining dose take longer when you start with a horse that is older and has had nothing done with her.

First step is working on her frame and build up her top-line as well as getting her use to indiscipline. she has a good mind on her but it's still slow work.
As I continue to work with her I'll be adding more up dates about her.