It's been raining and flooding here! The pastures are super wet and when I went to get Drifter, she took one look at me and headed the other way. After walking across the wet, muddy, boot stealing field I went up to her and slipped on the halter, She was a good girl and followed me back in.
I took her right to the wash stall to hose off her muddy legs, feet and blanket. Luckily I remembered to bring along a clean and dry blanket for her last week. She was a good girl and stood to be hosed off. She almost seemed to be happy to be getting cleaned up. I worry about all the mud making her feet soft and her getting another stone bruise.
I gave her a really good grooming to removed the wet spots. I only groomed her above the knees, because she was wet from her mini-bath. She was good for tacking up and is starting to lower her head for bridling.
I rode with two other horses in the ring today. It was super windy and it felt like the roof would be blown off the indoor. Drifter was forward, light and happy. It was a great ride. She was back to her November attitude without reluctance to go forward. This could be because:
- the foal was sleeping and not kicking ehr
- it wasn't feeding time
- she wasn't wearing a quarter sheet (maybe the static shocks her)
- it was windy, maybe this is her "up" mood
We worked on lateral work (leg yield) at walk and trot and walk/trot transitions. She was very willing and listening to my leg aids. I kept noticing how she was trying to cut into the left and bending a bit to the right. Then I noticed that my right leg was internally rotated and my knee was pinching into her. When I consciously changed my leg position to be even, she went straight. I was accidentally bending her and moving her off my right leg. She is so finely tuned into me that I notice these little things. When I rode my gelding, Fritz, after riding her I kept my right leg externally rotated and he also went much better. He maintained his roundness and didn't lose his balance at the canter. This mare teaches me so much.
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I purchased a young mare named Drifter in May of 2008. She is a cremello Quarter Horse mare. She was started under saddle in the fall of 2008 and delivered a healthy filly April 11, 2009. Since she came to me with no formal training I am blogging to explore the process of horsemanship, non-traditional training methods and holistic training with this beautiful mare.
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