BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! YYYAAYYY!

Me in my birthday crown!

Today I turned 3!! I'm SUCH a big girl now omg! It has been such a busy weekend!

On Friday Mommy decided that she should get on my back for the first time...I mean like what the heck dude!

Getting on my back for the first time on FRIDAY
Um....what is happening Mommy?

It was really weird at first I was all like 

"Momma what...the...heck are you doing..." 

But (being the super adult and lady-like stang I am now) I didn't spook or bolt or buck, I just stood still and tried to figure out what was going on!

Mommy pulled softly on my right rein, I remembered that cue from long lining and shuffled to the right. Then she used the left rein, I moved to the left.

Moving to the right

About to move to the left

for the next 15 minutes we practiced this back and forth, the more we did it, the more Mommy started to cue me more with her legs and less with her reins. 


I was obedient and quiet so Mommy decided that that was a perfect way to end the first ride I'd ever had and dismounted, unsaddled, groomed and put me away.

That wasn't so bad.

Saturday was a bit more exciting, there were 30 mile an hour winds and all the other horses thought that was really scary. But being from the wild, wind normally doesn't bother me so Mommy made the decision to go ahead and give me my second ride in the wind.

Second time Mommy got on my back

Before she got on, she spent 20 minutes with a dressage whip on the ground, she taught me that when she touched it to my side I was supposed to move forward. 
I picked that up right away. 

But once she got on my back then I forgot. As a horse my natural instinct is to lean into pressure, so when you train one of us horsies, you have to teach us that when you use your legs that means go forward or else we just stand still.

So Mommy called her friend Lorraine over and had her stand in the middle of the round pen. She told her that whenever she saw Mommy squeeze her legs Lorraine was supposed to swing a lead rope and cluck which is how i was taught to free lunge. 
Well they did that twice and suddenly I understood what Mommy wanted! 

Squeeze with both legs = go forward
Squeeze with left leg = turn right
Squeeze with right leg = turn left
Squeeze with knees = halt


Light bulb moment! Both legs mean go forward!
Struttin round the round pen all cool cuz I got mad skills yo!

Well I got so excited because I love to get praise when I please Mom so I tried to show her that I could do everything at the trot too! But she said no, that was for Sundays lesson and got off.


                                
Fine...whatever...I'm still awesome!

Me standing at the tie rail after our ride, confident as heck! I was even smirking!



Sunday was just like Saturday except Mommy didn't have anyone help her, she trusted that I had learned what her legs meant and would try really hard...obviously I did! We did get to trot a little bit that felt funny but I rocked at it...so...you know...whatever.

Today I get a break from riding to process what I have learned (and also cuz its my birthday duh)! 

Now, you may have noticed that I am wearing my Dually halter, not a bridle.

I'm in my Dually see?


The reason for this is simple. When you first get on a baby horse, normally, you have to guide us more with your hands than you would a trained horse. 

Mommy didn't want me to get a hard mouth from all the "steering" and in case I bolted she didn't want to accidentally catch me in the mouth. 

The dually halter acts just like a side pull, bit-less bridle does so that's what we are using right now.

I can wear a bridle and don't mind it at all, once I am further along in my training Mommy will switch me from my dually into a bit and we will see how that goes!


I hope this post helps you guys understand a bit better how Mommy trains babies! See you guys next time!

Lots Of Kisses

-TigerLily



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