A Great Day to get Started!

Well, it has been months since my last posting and with everyone starting off the New Year with such enthusiasm, I'm motivated!

My nieces Cheri and Melissa stopped by yesterday to help me begin 2010 with some basic ground work before jumping back into the saddle.

Mac was our first candidate. He's a coming 4 year old and is Cheri's favorite (who she gently started under saddle last summer.) Between the snow and frozen gates, I wasn't able to lock the herd away from the round pen, so one of our mares, Kwis aks Wussy, was the first to come over to tease him.

This proved to be a perfect first lesson of the year, as Mac got a bit goofy at first and with a little reprimand quickly remembered who he was suppose to have his ears on! This lesson only got better as his now gelded sire (who still doesn't always realize after 4 years that he is gelded--no he's not proud gelded, simply takes his job as herd leader very seriously!:~) decided he was slacking in his responsibility to look after his favorite mare.


You can see how Mac softened and apologized to Cheri as if to say "I am soooo sorry! It has been quite awhile since I've been worked...this was simply a momentary lapse in memory! I am ready to work!"


We had him stand quietly until everyone lost interest in his presence. He needed occasional reminders to back out of our space...I think he was just getting bored (too bad) of standing so long as the herd filed by the round pen. So we switched it up a little with some give to pressure working on his crossovers. I was very proud of his get back to work curly attitude and memory. He hasn't been worked since my accident, a few days after labor day! He is such a great boy!

So it was back to business and without missing a beat he followed our commands to walk, trot, canter, change directions















and whoa....








Next Billy was up, but since he's not a curly, I will spare you the details other than to say he was his usual soft, supple and in your pocket pony!



When we brought out Cody, one of our geldings, Montana, who use to be his stall neighbor, was the first to come over for a visit. Just look at the butt on that boy! Talk about curly tough!







Next a few of the curly gals thought they had to check out this young stud....as chubby as he's gotten they didn't seem phased by his belly at all--more to love, I guess! We handled him a little differently and let him visit over the fence before making him go to work.



After getting reacquainted with all his buddies, Cody readily accepted the command to start walking. He was full of himself at this point though and although staying on the rail and following our instructions to the "t" he apparently felt the need to throw in a few bucks and airs above the ground and other gyrations....I believe to impress his growing audience of ladies.

He calmed and began working very well--better than I imagined he would. I know we didn't work him very much last year other than to do join up and an understanding of basic commands....and as a silly yearling he tended to act dumber than a box of rocks (I say that with pure affection for him!:~) Ya gotta love the differences in all their personalities. His demeanor is so much like his sire!

In typical curly fashion he picked up right where we left off. He will need more work with respecting space, giving to pressure and realizing who he is suppose to have his attention focused on!

Of course Cody found it necessary to end his session with a smile for the girls. What a ham he is!

Well, I still get extremely tired and this was quite the work out for me. If I have the energy to do it myself, I'll try getting his sire, Ahote, out for a tune up tomorrow....He hasn't been nice to Cody, so is spending his days pastured with 6 mini stallions and is missing the attention of Mac, so I think getting back to work is in order.

Tuesday's Mood Lifter

I have been pretty discouraged about the condition of the roads and trails -- and was almost convinced that this year was going to be a total riding loss... but -- thank goodness- Tuesday's ride proved me wrong. I should not have jumped to those depressing conclusions. Zoe and I weren't sure where we were headed when we saddled up but thought perhaps a combination of road and trail. As we trotted along the first section of back road - the horses were in great spirits and plugged themselves into a nice steady forward trot - and I remarked.. wow, it feels so GOOD to be moving- let's just stay on the roads and go :)

We passed by some great mountain views - which without the leaves on the trees look a little

bristly :)

I am not sure- but this mountaintop might be Hawk's Mountain - which you might remember from past posts, we have explored quite a bit .. it is in the correct general direction. When you are riding on the mountain, it surely does not seem so tall.

Keri's ears were up and curious the entire trip- we both reflected each other's good moods :)

She is enjoying the views as much as I am .

When we reached the mile hill - the horses were so ready to canter and race up .. They have been as discouraged and cranky as I have been I think - with the careful cautious ice walking. We did get on a small amount of trail - the snow is somewhat crispy - because it's been SO cold.

We had lots of happy chatter along the way too.. as I am far from a silent rider :)

It was very cold - and squalled snow the whole ride out but we didn't care- it was exactly what we all needed -

super ride - great views... now if we can get a nice SUNNY day - Zoe and I want to go back to Hawk's Mountain for winter photo's from the top.

Enjoy your day ~

First time blogging...ever!

Well, what a better way to introduce myself to blogging than to do it with friends!

Haven't made it on a horse yet this year...may just have to sit on one tonight though, lol. Working with them on the ground but so far this year...that's it. Plan on making up for it though when it's not -20C...The snow does look beautiful and it is awesome to see the horses running around in a fresh snow. Now to remember to take my camera out with me, especially when I let them out in the morning.

I am so excited about the year ahead! My family is supporting me 100%, gave me a beautiful calender titled "My Training Calendar" with all pictures of Takai, lol. My son made some wonderful "Duty Coupons" for me so I can take advantage of those when I need the stalls cleaned for when I'm busy training, lol. Some other boosts as well to help me on my journey to showing this year. Having the RAC to help support as well, I'm 1/2 way there!

I'll be sure to keep you all up to date on our progress! Thanks for the support!!!

Trish
Yanagi Stables

New England Weather

It takes a crazy horseperson to dig out a barn door from this much snow in order to ride on a snowy/sleety day. I'm sure you can all relate.

The wind blew in a crazy gale last night, and as you can see from the depth of snow on each Lab, the snow terrain varied greatly. AhD worked hard to slog through this very wet and heavy snow, and he did a spectacular job!

This picture is dedicated to Harold. 2009 RACers will know why. :)

I am "stuck" doing "Jason's Loop" in this weather (and with the dogs along), but it is so beautiful and peaceful out there, I certainly don't mind.

My camera lens got snow on it, so these pictures have quite a blur, but you can see how blessed I am to live in this area and have neighbors who allow riding on their land.My frisky Curly was sooo good on this ride. Twice, he started a spook, but then never even moved his feet! I praised him up and told him what a good boy he was! His attitude was of happiness and willingness. We crossed over some new deer tracks, and AhD bowed his head and breathed in their scent. I chatted with him about how nice he is to share this path with the deer, and he continued on without escalating into Full Alert mode. I am very proud of my Curly boy and look forward to the 2010 season on this handsome guy!

Hi All,
I am new to RAC, but looking forward to it! Haven't ridden any of my Curlies (yet) this year, but I did start working with my favorite boy *Sandman over the past couple of days. For a lot of reasons, I only rode him a couple of times last year, but I am "really" looking forward to lots of time on him this year! So we did some lunging and he was a good boy - cheeky, but that is to be expected as he is quite a "character" especially when I am just getting started again with him - so will update you all as we go along!
Shelly

Sleigh Bells and Winter Fun

Perfect day to get those sleigh bells out for Denise ! It's snowing and quite blustery but I had lots to do outside most of the day. Zoe came over with her children, so we decided as soon as I was finished with moving snow and doing a little more wood - we'll harness OYY Nimue with some bells. I have bells afixed on the old wooden shafts and we also took my bells off the front door and tied them to the harness back saddle. I wanted Denise to be very pleased. :)

The drifts and banks did not slow Nimue down. She's game for anything where she is pulling.

We all took turns trotting up and down the road and around in deep snow. Rena was cautious and just wanted to walk slowly with her Mom.

Here's Dominic being very brave, but secretly holding onto his Ya-ya. Just in case.

The little skoot has been outdoors so it was covered in ice - when we went fast over drifts -- we were in danger of slipping off... that brought a few squeals from me and Dominic :)

When my children were younger, we used this little skoot/sleigh lots of time after school -- they tied their plastic sleds to the back of it and we trotted around fast. Right now it's so icy - we are limited to where we can go.. but we had fun !! :) You might notice the left shaft tip is broken off. That is because my Number 2 son - who used to hitch a horse to this skoot and feed every day - turned too close to one of the sheds one evening and clipped it off.

It was so cold - the batteries kept dying in the camera, so I hope we got enough sleigh bell footage for you Denise.

Enjoy ~

Maine Winter Wonderland Ride

Another WONDERFUL ride! It has been snowing on and off for several days now, making our wood trails a winter wonderland. It was oh so beautiful. It's snowing, and AhD was ACTUALLY IN A GOOD MOOD. Ripley's Believe It or Not...but I did my prep work first and am now almost daring to think...have I found the key to being a better leader for AhD??? Perhaps he has decided to turn a new leaf in 2010.
Ian accompanied us on Mister Man. Our horses ended up looking like bay Appaloosa's with blankets due to the snow-laded hemlock branches, and we looked like abomidable snowmen. We followed the same trail I took yesterday, keeping to roughly the same track to keep the trail open for more riding ~ hopefully tomorrow because I have made a riding date already! ;) Yesterday I didn't let AhD trot at all, but today we did some b-i-g snow trots and gallumphy snow canters. FUN! Oh, and I think the best part was that when Ian went on up ahead with Mister at a trot and I asked AhD to stay at a walk, OMG he did!!! Only one small fake spook today, and it was half-hearted at best. I quietly made him turn eight circles going both directions and that was the end of that. I am so pleased with my handsome and personable Curly boy!

Happy New Year's from VT!

So unfortunately I didn't see the announcement about the Ride With Me for yesterday until it was too late to change my plans. So while the rest of you were out braving the cold I was in a very crowded and warm yoga studio finding all these muscles I didn't know I had until I got home yesterday. :P

But as soon as I recover from that experience I will be out there torturing Sage with deep snow again. Until then I have to cheat a little and post pictures from our last ride of 2009. Here we are on Dec. 31st, it's in the 20's and plenty warm. (But Sage still feels he is working waaay too hard in these pictures.) Sorry for the lousy quality! It gets dark pdq these days!

New Years Day first ride on my new stud

This is my first year with RAC and as far as New Year's resolutions to get in shape...maybe lose a few pounds....what better way than by doing something I enjoy. I am so NOT a winter rider but as a lot of you know, I have a new stallion at my place. Jake is a white, gaited curly stallion that was broke to ride at one time but hasn't been used much in years. He has such a laid back temperament that I figured I may as well see how he would do under saddle. Boy was it cold out! I had tacked him up a few days earlier and did a little round penning and he was very receptive with the ground work. I played with him for about an hour this afternoon, mostly to work my own courage up I think. He was a little rusty but he was a good boy. I stayed in the round pen and kept it at a walk, I wanted to make sure it was a positive first ride. I am very happy with my decision to sneak this new boy home...and I think that my husband is warming up to him now too.

New Year's Day ride 2010 !

Zoe and I love our traditional New Year's Day ride. This year - we had intended to perhaps join others in their riding.. but I had wood to cut/split/stack in the morning and Zoe had other duties at the appointed time. And of course that was THE hour of sunshine !

By the time we saddled up it was heavy clouds and drifting an un-ending supply of big fat lazy flakes. Not that I am complaining really (I am though) as the fat flakes were pretty.. but gosh we have had SO little sun this past year.. the photo's are always so consistently dreary.

The ride was fun -- we trotted on the tar for awhile as we were anxious for fast -- we actually went out on the highway for a big trot and lots of canter... only place it's possible right now with the ice and snow. We ended up doing a big loop - up Pleasant Valley Road onto Breezy Hill Road and home on the trail. This was snowmobile trail and we had to step aside a few times for the snow machines. Technically we are not even supposed to be on their trail. So we try to be extra polite and stay out of their way.

As we trot up Breezy Hill Road - we get to the top..

And just across if you look carefully you can see the farm - I zoomed in with my camera to the indoor.

We hook onto a snowy route we use separate from snowmobiles, down some steep banks - cross the brook -- and head home. It's almost dark already -

Sorry we missed you guys on your rides out -- Happy New Year's !!

Enjoy ~

New Year's Day ride

We missed Denise's noon ride but went out for a short tour in the snowy fields near the house a little later in the afternoon. Pye had not been ridden since November but we were both really happy to get out - we walked a little up and down the road just to get her tuned in and then out into the fields to ride. I had forgotten how much fun it is to ride in the snow! I forgot the camera but will bring it next time. Happy new year to the RAC team!

Laurie and Pyewacket

No pictures from today- sorry- it was dusk when I finally got outside to ride.

I didn't ride for very long, but it was great to be on a horse again! I took Sunny for a bareback ride around the pasture, and we had a great time.
I was planning on riding Koko, but we ended up doing some groundwork instead. He was exploding with energy and spooking on the ground at little things. This wasn't because he was genuinely scared, but because he was in such high spirits. So we did some groundwork, lunging, shoulder ins, softening, yielding, etc. It was really nice, but the best part was riding. I came in freezing cold with a huge grin on my face. :)

I love the photos and stories that have been posted! Keep it up everyone!!

New Years Ride with Me

Although I had good intentions of riding with the rest of my Curly buddies, I managed to talk myself out of a ride. I have only sat on Lakota twice since we had a huge spook and fall back in April (15th, to be exact). My back still isn't at 100% and gives me fits from time to time, so the memory of that landing is still pretty close to the surface. My kids and husband are away snowmobiling for the long weekend, and won't be back until Sunday afternoon. All I could imagine was myself laying out in the freezing cold, unable to move, until Sunday. So that scrapped that idea. Go ahead, call me chicken ;-)

Anyway, since the day was gorgeous, about 30F and the sun shining, I visited my girls in the barn. I spent about a half hour scratching Lakota's substantial posterior as she managed to maneuver it repeatedly, so that I could scratch exactly the spot she wanted. I was with you all in spirit, spending time with my Curlies, albeit not on board.

What a Way to Start out the New Year!

A Ride With Me…what a perfect way to start the year! My ride was awesome. First of all, both AhD and Mister were saying, "Pick me! Pick me!" Is my Curly adorable or what? I started right out paying attention to behavior details to set the tone that I was the leader here. A little lunging, backing out of my space, hey - stand stock still when I put on that saddle! And I walked him first, making sure that he stayed behind me at all times. Easier said than done ~ but it worked. My daughter Nicole and our four Labs joined us for the first leg of this ride, and I was thrilled to have them along. The scenery was incredibly beautiful, with the snow sticking to the twigs. Speaking of twigs, eating them was a no-no (attention to detail), and I bet I took 10 twigs out of AhD’s mouth before he got the idea that I meant business. I was trying to remember to keep soft eyes and soft hands, but it wasn’t easy to do when I was squinting against the bright white snow and having to keep AhD off of the twigs AND off of Nicole’s heels. It took awhile, but we did get there. We went up and down some really steep hills. I had to dismount a time or two because of low, snow-laden branches. AhD’s outlook gradually eased into the responsive attitude that I was striving for by the time we had been trudging close to an hour and were back on home ground. I waved goodbye to Nicole and three of the dogs, and AhD, Grace and I headed back out again. I was feeling REALLY good and very satisfied with this ride! Denise gave me a jingle on my cell about 10 minutes after we had headed back out into the Maine woods, and AhD stopped and stood quietly while we chatted. What a good boy! He knows the phone routine! I mentioned how much this Curly network of experienced riders/trainers/owners has helped me with my journey on my spunky Curly. Apparently, we talked too long for AhD, though, because he nipped my coat to show his displeasure. Hey, you can’t conquer Rome in a day. On this second leg of our ride, I was able to work on my soft eyes and hands. We were moving along at a fast clip now, but he was staying at his power walk on a loose rein. JOY! The footing was good, even if the terrain was tricky. Grace stayed right on AhD’s heels, and he didn’t kick at her, not even once! Beautiful scenery, fresh air, thick snow lending quietness ~ an incredible experience! What a way to start out 2010!

Today I made my commitment to RAC 2010 start off with a bang (thankfully only figuratively) rather than a whimper. I have not ridden since I came off a horse in August 2008 and badly dislocated a finger. I have allowed many things to get in my way – starting a new full-time job, marriage of one daughter, birth of a grand-daughter, and then breaking one & spraining the other ankle. When I am so long off a horse my fear increases, as I’m sure is the same for everyone. There is only one cure for it, and that is to break everything down into short bits, be with someone you trust, and take it little by little. Physically, Chuck went with me, as I need his quietness, his support right now. I selected *Walker, who is his lady because I knew that if she didn’t listen to me, she would listen to him, and seek him out if my fears got the better of her. But emotionally and spiritually, I knew I had a whole passel of other Curly riders out there at the same time!

Once down in our field of snow, I mounted and discovered that the sprained ankle hurt far more than I had anticipated. We spent about 10 minutes with me in the saddle doing a bit of “Chuck back up, and call to *Walker (or I ask her) to go to him”. That was all my confidence could manage, but it was 10 minutes more than yesterday. Of course, I will need to keep going to do better, but it is a start.

Happy New Year from Texas

I was so thrilled that Denise put out the call for a ride with me on New Years' Day as I most likely would not have been prepared. The weather has been dismal this winter.....not like many of you with ice and snow.....but wet and grey and temps in the 30's and 40's will cut to the bone all the same.

As I looked out this morning I questioned my sanity. Suddenly about 10:15 Texas time (about 30 minutes prior to the golden hour) the sun came out. I got my saddle and took out a young mare that I started myself last summer. Blossom was a little dirty and hadn't had the saddle on in over a month and has lost a little weight.....a good thing for my full figured girl. We warmed up a little in the arena and headed out.

Things are very wet so I chose a trail I thought would be perfect for a little first time out in a while.
Hmmmm......think again. There was water along the trail and I expected it to be soft so chose to avoid that when suddenly Blossom was down. I stepped off and water went over the top of my boot.....think very squishy and cold. Blossom just laid there on her side....kinda looking around and surveying the situation. She finally heaved herself up and I lengthened her lead so she didn't lunge on top of me. We scrapped the idea of a true trail ride for the day. Since she seemed fine I climbed back aboard and placed a call to our fearless leader to inquire of any specialty points for riding a young horse into a bog and surviving with nary a scratch.
Gotta love these Curlies......how many other breed horses could be this calm.

New Year's Day, Ride w/ Me - COLD!

Hi all ---

Well unfortunately, I am the first back in from the group. Here in upper Michigan it is -10 wind chill (f) and 7 (f).....I didn't last but 30 min. Brrr.....It was such a hoot talking to Susan L, Diane R and Carrie W!!! You go girls! I texted Heather, but not sure she had service. Can't wait to hear their report of their rides!

Reese and I rode around our yard, arena and round pen today....bareback w/ halter. We worked on some simple halting square, pivots, shoulder in and lateral work. Ruby was bouncing all over and around us like a little jack rabbit! Little stinker...but Reese was calm, tuned in and SO darn good. Ziggy was in an uproar too the whole time, whinnying...what's with that...silly boy. We hardly went out of sight! Anyway -- sun was shining and it was delightful to get out.

Let's do this again! Did anyone else make it out? Betsy and Zoe? Betsy, I would have called you but I didn't have your number programmed into my cell! =]