Beside my yearling I got to bring my horse Sport for evaluation.
He was very flighty; also he would run through the bit and constantly try to run. Now getting to work with him and understanding some things like where the head position and body position to be I have been able to calm him down cause him to not be as flighty. I also was able to sack him out, and ride him into good head and body position at the trot. Also I was able to get him turning in with a straight body.
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Braydon’s,
Today’s devotionals all talk about how no matter what you do you can be healed by God’s Grace. It doesn’t matter what you have done God’s Grace will heal you and make everything better. Dennis’s, Every day we work in the barn we always take into consideration what the horse is going through, what is he feeling on the inside. How are the trials he’s going through affecting him? We are always ready to reward a right response with peace. Essentially we are telling the horse to focus all his attention on us and he will experience peace we are there for the horse to encourage Braydon’s, When the picture in your mind is clear you know when to release and when to apply pressure. On Saturday Missouri Ranch Horse Association had a one day clinic
in the Ashland. We used this opportunity to take all the mustangs out in public to get exposure. God was watching over us because when we first arrived I unloaded all the mustangs and saddled them and tied them to the fence. I went on to prepare the sound system and the cattle for the cattle clinic. My grandson Trenton went with us to this clinic and he came to me and said Papa we got a flat tire on the trailer. I am thankful it was there and not on the road somewhere after I finished the cattle clinic. Braydon and I changed the tire on the trailer and we started to work the mustangs. We took them one at a time into the cattle pens behind the bucking chutes. They were ideal for us to ride the horses in and get them some exposure to the sights and sounds of town. Braydon did manage to get stung in the eye by a wasp. Oh the joy of summer, but Cindy was there with some tea tree oil and quenched the sting with it and in no time Braydon had his eye open and it was back to normal. We worked the buckskin and the black. I then helped Braydon to work the bay horse it was an extremely good ride for him. We were in a pen approximately 20 by 40 but when you’re on top of a wild horse and it’s his second ride and his first ever in public that 20 by 40 pen looks like a 40 yard field. I helped Braydon get forward motion left and right the horse’s attitude was very good. As I handed the lead rope up to Braydon he looked at me as to say, “Are you sure?” At that very moment Braydon was faced with a life changing decision, Do I trust Dennis and this horse or do I trust this anxious feeling inside of me, But Braydon chose to listen to my small still voice saying it’s okay just keep looking right trust him put your right leg against his ribcage softly and that horse began to move forward and then I had Braydon toss the lead rope over his head to the other side and look back at that left hip and but his leg against his left side and he walked off quietly then I had him change sides while he walked forward a couple more times. Then I had Braydon dismount. After they finished the trail clinic I took the bay horse out in the arena and got him to step up onto the bridge they were using and after a little while he was going over and standing on it comfortably. On Sunday and Monday the horses had the day off. On Tuesday we took all the horses to church we had a cook out and an evening service where we used the bay gelding and Braydon helped me deliver the message with this horse. It was a fun day and everyone enjoyed watching the mustangs and it was good for them to gain more confidence around people. Today was a good day for the mustangs. Braydon rode the buckskin and sacked him out while he was riding with the bag, and was able to direct him wherever he wanted to go with the bag. We worked on getting the black horse to soften at the poll and move forward into the bridle. We also taught him to back up properly. These two horses are gaining more confidence and are pleasant to be around. The bay horse is also progressing. He will stand quietly to be saddled and is becoming more confident that we are not going to hurt him. He is wearing a bridle and carries the saddle around without any issues now. After lunch we will work Braydon’s filly on turning circles in front of us and things like that. Last week we had a Horse camp all week long. The mustangs were
exposed to some more people and we worked them one at a time around them having them clap and cheer until the horses accepted it. Then we had them stop which is the theory that we use in everything to make a horse comfortable when he’s doing the right thing. Of course when they stopped cheering and clapping it made the horse comfortable we were please with the horses responses to the people. We actually allowed the girls to walk by in a line and touch the mustangs. This was very helpful for Braydon’s filly. On Thursday Cindy had her heart of the horsewoman meeting Braydon got to practice public speaking while he demonstrated what he had been learning with his filly. He move her to the right and left, disengaged the hindquarters and allowed her to relax in front of the people in attendance. We also rode the black and the buckskin in that meeting and also worked the bay horse in front of them also. It was a productive week for them. This week we are asking these horses to mature emotionally we
have shown them over and over through these past weeks. We have been quietly building trust. It is now time for them to respond with less caution. They are all doing well each horse has his own personality and they will still be allowed to develop at their own pace however at this stage to act fearful of Braydon and I is unacceptable. We will work at helping them to have the confidence to trust us no matter what is going on around them. Saturday was a fun filled day. There were several supporting people and we had a lot of fun with the dessert auction and the Cindy’s Homemade Ice cream was outstanding. Braydon and I brought the Mustangs into the barn. Braydon rode two of them for the first time. Everything went well; the horses accepted it very well. Braydon did an outstanding job of listening to instruction and it was a lot of fun for the crowd to watch this take place. The bay horse is making progress as well. He has a stronger sense of self preservation than the others did. He is becoming more and more trusting and when he surrenders his trust to us he will be right on target as well. June 1, 2012
Thursday we were invited by the troy cowboy church to talk on mentorship. We took Braydon’s filly and one of the five year olds in. This was their first outing since we picked them up. This was a good experience the people enjoyed seeing the mustangs and we appreciated the warm welcome we received there. This church is very supported of Hope Givers with prayer, kindness, and a generous offering was taken for us there. This must be similar to when Paul visited the church Philippi. I spoke on mentorship and when we finished people applauded and these to mustangs got there first experience with a live crowd after the initial surprise. I asked the people to continue clapping until the horse accepted it and no longer became troubled by it. I think everyone enjoyed being a part of the journey with Braydon. Cool weather is a blessing right now for us and we thank God for it. |