hugs
Junior Member
Posts: 2,647 
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Post by hugs on Jul 11, 2014 2:49:54 GMT
I like that picture of your husband taking a picture. He's like in the round pen bleachers  I dunno, those pictures don't look all that blurry to me, seriously, if you hadn't said anything I wouldn't of noticed. Says something about my glasses and/or computer I guess. Anyway, I think its so wonderful that you two get to share horses together. I'm definitely happy for you and I'd be envious if I thought it would make any difference  |
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Jul 11, 2014 20:33:23 GMT
The only somewhat blurry picture I posted on here was the one of hubby riding. The others weren't blurry, so I think your eyes and glasses are fine. 
It does look kind of funny with hubby sitting in the "round pen bleachers". 
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Jul 18, 2014 20:18:29 GMT
I worked with and rode Zena again today. She did great! Today I trotted her for the first time. I was pretty excited about that! She did really well, and had a nice little trot going one direction, but going the other direction she wasn't as smooth and I couldn't seem to get her on the correct lead. Just one of the little fine-tuning details I'll need to have the trainer help us with when she comes out again.
Unfortunately the trainer and I had a slight miscommunication. She had emailed me about coming out, but I didn't see her email until today (after I finished riding Zena). When I read her email I thought she meant she could come out Saturday afternoon, but as it turns out she meant she could come out this afternoon. Looks like I messed that up.  Now we'll have to try to reschedule.
Anyway, back to today... Zena did not start out like a firecracker today, she was much calmer from the beginning, and took much less lunging before she was ready to ride. I had her drag a tarp today, which she did surprisingly well with. She rode nice and relaxed at a walk, and rode pretty well at the trot. Like I said, my only issue at the trot was getting her on the correct lead going one direction, but we'll get there with time and practice, I'm sure. I also got to give my youngest granddaughter, Kaci, her first ride on Zena today! Up until now I've only been willing to allow my granddaughters to ride Sis, because she is my go-to girl and I know she wont do anything stupid. Today, since Kaci was here, I was already on Zena, and Zena was doing so well, I decided to have her dad throw her up in the saddle with me for a short ride. She had a great time, and then immediately started asking me if she could ride Sis too! I think she takes after me... she's going to be a horsey girl that could spend the entire day in the saddle! 
My son was nice enough to take some pictures while he was waiting for his daughter's turn to ride, so here are some pictures from today. 
Nice and calm, relaxed, and level at the walk 
My first time ever trotting on Zena 
Such a good girl 
Giving Kaci her first ride on Zena 
Me & Zena 
Zena giving me kisses  
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Jul 18, 2014 20:33:09 GMT
That girl is just precious. Gorgeous, like a doll. And Zena is beautifull too. I wish I could gallop on her, she seams like a good runner, nice big horse.
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Jul 20, 2014 22:55:33 GMT
Thank you, Lipizzan. My granddaughter may look like a little doll, but she's a doll that wants to ride the horses all the time! (I can't blame her for that, though. She comes by it honestly. )
Thank you for your compliments on Zena, too.
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hugs
Junior Member
Posts: 2,647
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Post by hugs on Jul 23, 2014 23:35:14 GMT
A family of good looking and SMART women, two and four legged, just what the doctor ordered I like trotting, Buster had the choppiest trot ever, so when I could sit well at the trot bareback I felt like I had really accomplished something. I know someday I'll want to lope/canter but until then, a trot is enough excitement. |
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hugs
Junior Member
Posts: 2,647
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Post by hugs on Jul 23, 2014 23:35:56 GMT
Oh and don't feel bad about the miscommunication. Gerald had to go to OK for a doctor's appointment and he arrived a day early! Ooops!
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Jul 24, 2014 3:23:44 GMT
I'm with you, trotting is enough for me right now too. I haven't loped a horse in a very long time. My confidence is way up from where it was, but I'm still not ready to lope. Hopefully someday I'll get there again! In my younger days (back when I apparently thought I was indestructible ) I used to gallop my horse bareback and loved every second of it! Now a trot is just right.
Poor Gerald! That had to be frustrating showing up a day early.  I hope he found something fun to do with his extra time in OK.
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Post by lorddaxter on Jul 24, 2014 12:12:36 GMT
I'm with you, trotting is enough for me right now too. I haven't loped a horse in a very long time. My confidence is way up from where it was, but I'm still not ready to lope. Hopefully someday I'll get there again! In my younger days (back when I apparently thought I was indestructible (rofl)) I used to gallop my horse bareback and loved every second of it! Now a trot is just right. ;)
Poor Gerald! That had to be frustrating showing up a day early. :-/ I hope he found something fun to do with his extra time in OK.
I thought it was just me that hadn't loped in ages, I loped Dax last fall in the ditch but he had a major spook at some dirt and I nearly wiped out, funny how safe you get as you get older! |
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Aug 15, 2014 20:46:49 GMT
I had the trainer come out today to help me with some fine-tuning, both for Zena and for me. For example, last year I had Zena pivoting on the forehand beautifully, but this year I just can't get her to do it at all (she just wants to walk in circles) and I didn't know how to work on that issue. It was great spending time with the trainer again, and our session was a lot of fun, but I haven't ridden or worked with Zena for several weeks (Zena was doing so well, and I was missing riding Sis, so I had planned on starting to alternate between Zena and Sis each week, and I had gotten to ride Sis, but before I could ride Zena again we had a couple weeks of lousy weather ), so she was being a little difficult at times today (head tossing and stomping).
The trainer gave Zena a little refresher on pivoting, both from the ground and in the saddle, and then she taught me how to ask for it from the ground, and gave me a refresher on asking for it from the saddle. By the time we were done for the day we were pivoting again, although we are going to need a lot of practice to get back to where we were with it at the end of last year. Here is a series of pictures of us trying to pivot on the forehand (she kept trying to walk out of it, but we'll get there).
Notice Zena's forelock - yep, head tossing! (That is not something she normally does, so it was a little frustrating to have her acting up like that today.) 
The trainer also taught us something new today - sidepassing! She said she thought it was something she worked on with Zena last year, but if she did, I don't remember it. Sidepassing is something I've always wanted to learn how to do, so she taught us both, including asking for it from the ground and in the saddle. I'll tell you what, the times she did it right while I was in the saddle, it was amazing! I felt like we were gliding!! Here is a series of pictures of Zena and I learning to sidepass.
I'm so excited to continue to work with Zena, especially now that we have these 2 new skills to try to master together!
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Aug 16, 2014 8:33:49 GMT
You two look beautiful |
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Oct 27, 2015 0:45:07 GMT
Time for a long overdue update on Zena's training. It's been almost 2 full years since the trainer finished working with Zena. I have continued to work with Zena myself since then, but I must admit that I haven't worked with her as much this year as I did last year. (I've been a little lazy this year. When I've wanted to ride, I've just wanted to ride and not spend so much time training, so I've ridden Sis). Anyway, Zena continues to get better and better, but we've been continuing to do all of our riding in the round pen as that's where I've always felt safest with her (the one time the trainer had me ride Zena outside the round pen near the end of her training in 2013, I could feel Zena picking up speed the moment we stepped out of the gate and it made me nervous - Zena's got a huge motor and she knows how to use it!).
I rode Zena this past Friday and then again on Sunday. Friday she was a bit feisty at times, but nothing I couldn't handle. It was very windy out that day as we had a storm rolling in, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. Sunday Zena was much calmer, so I finally decided that I was sick of just riding her in the round pen all the time (I'm sure she's pretty sick of it, too) and I got up the nerve to ride her out into the pasture! Once we got out there I felt like such an idiot for waiting so long to do it, because she was an angel! The only thing she did was try to break into a trot as we were walking up the hill, but I asked her to slow back down to a walk and she did, no problem. I can't believe it took me almost 2 years to get her out of the round pen, but I'm so glad I finally did it!  Here are a few pictures from our very exciting day.
I've done tons of tarp work with Zena, but it's all been from the ground. This was the first time I'd ever tried riding her with the tarp draped over her butt. Even though it was flapping and crinkling in the breeze, she never even flinched. 
Here we go heading out into the pasture together for the first time! 
She stayed nice and relaxed throughout our entire ride (and after 2 years in the round pen, we rode around in the pasture for a while!) 
I feel like Sunday's ride really boosted my confidence. I'm so happy with my Zena girl. All our hard work has definitely paid off big time!
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Oct 27, 2015 14:35:28 GMT
She is a biggg horse. Congrats on your first ride on a pasture. You two look great and happy.
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Oct 27, 2015 16:02:00 GMT
That's fantastic! You both you like happy and relaxed out in the pasture. I hope you get out of the round pen more often with her now.
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Post by horselover4life on Oct 27, 2015 21:00:42 GMT
Hooray!!
Goodbye nerves!!
Now that you took your "freedom" step the round pen will feel so confining... mini-graphics-halloween-383136
Bet you do near no work in it anymore but enjoy the open spaces... 
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Post by horselady on Oct 28, 2015 0:00:28 GMT
Congrats to you and to Zena for coming this far and for accomplishing your dreams and goals. looken good i would say. |
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Oct 28, 2015 1:56:48 GMT
Thanks for all the nice comments.
Lipizzan - yes, Zena is definitely a BIG girl! I've gotten so used to riding Sis, who is only 14.1h and probably doesn't even weigh 1,000 pounds, so it's definitely a big change for me when I ride Zena. She is between 15.3h - 16h tall, and weighs in around 1,250 pounds! I think her size (and her power) is a lot of the reason why I've been too afraid to ride her outside of the round pen before now. I was afraid she might take off with me and I wouldn't be able to control her. I guess I should have given her and myself more credit for how far we've come together.
MM - I was so pleased with how relaxed Zena stayed out in the pasture. It definitely made me a very happy girl! I definitely plan to ride outside the round pen more often now, for sure!
hl4l - I think you hit the nail on the head... goodbye nerves, hello wide open spaces! The round pen was already feeling much too confining, so after Sunday's wonderful ride, I definitely plan to get Zena out into the wide open spaces more and more often! We'll still start off each ride with some ground work in the round pen, but I plan to get her out of that round pen as quickly as possible from here on out.
horselady - thanks! Zena and I have worked very hard together to get to where we are now. It's such a wonderful feeling to see all of our hard work paying off so well.
I thought I'd share a couple more pictures with you guys, just because.
This one is from our ride on Friday. I just love how this picture turned out! 
This one is from our ride out in the pasture on Sunday. Again, I just thought the picture turned out really nice. A big thanks to my hubby for being my photographer while I ride.  
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Post by carshon on Oct 28, 2015 13:58:33 GMT
She is a beauty. I ride a few times a week and could not ride my horse with a tarp on his butt!
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Now we'll have to try to reschedule.
I hope he found something fun to do with his extra time in OK.
Here are a few pictures from our very exciting day.
