Progressing nicely...

Just a quick note- we now have 5 rides under our belt, and she has done amazingly well! Her timing and balance are coming along wonderfully- Pixie figures things out very quickly. The funny thing is, I think she really enjoys being ridden. We are walking, trotting, "whoa" and standing, and backing both directions.

I didn't think breaking horses was supposed to be this enjoyable or easy...

Ride #2- Check!

Just a quick update- Pixie and I completed ride #2 this AM. She did very well today also-- we even worked up to trotting the entire straightaway today. She is so smart, I think my biggest challenge with working her will be to keep her entertained. Pixie really seems to enjoy new things... Anyways, just a quick note to say YAY she's doing well!

Pics from the first ride (Yes, I wore a helmet... I hate them but I was not going to be the brave, stupid one... I have to use this brain awhile haha):

(you can tell I was slightly nervous... I do not usually tilt that far forward!)

Officially BACKED!!!!!!!! :-D

Well, we did it.......



Today was the day. Actually, it didn't start out that way. I've been saying all week that Pixie is ready to ride, she is ready to ride. But the farrier is not able to come out until early next week, and I really did not want to wait that long to begin with Pixie under saddle. So this evening I headed down to do my usual evening routine: feed ponies, then cats, then goats, then pony in the far field, and then return to work with Pixie. I got out all my grooming accessories and my long-lining tack, caught Pixie (which has turned into a LOVELY game btw... need to research methods of catching a filly who delights in making you chase her for about five minutes, and then decides 'Okay, it's MY idea now, this sounds good' and walks right up to you very nonchalantly), and started work. I got Pixie all groomed up and Travis helped me. We got to talking about my game plan for Pixie, and I said, "Yeah, I think I'll ride her tomorrow or Saturday..." And he replied, "Why not tonight?" Well, why not tonight?


So, we did it tonight. I saddled Pixie up and spent about twenty minutes practicing getting on, laying over, and standing (on the arena gate) over Pixie's back. She's so smart, so after a few minutes of this her face literally said, "What the crap, this is nothing to stress over". Obviously, she was ready to ride. I got on her back with Travis working as my handler (and my mother taking pictures on her phone, LOL--which I'll get from her tomorrow and upload). He walked with us for a minute, but she did WONDERFUL and we were soon off the leadline and on our own. Primarily, we just walked around the arena at a very relaxed pace. I let her feel my weight move in the saddle as well as my legs at her sides. She did quite well-- we even trotted around half of the arena. She was unsure about moving forward very fast (which is TOTALLY preferable to the other extreme hahaha), so this trot was more of our long-lining "jog" pace, but I wasn't going to ask for more speed today. After about 15 minutes of riding time, I called it a successful day and dismounted.


I'm pretty darn impressed with Pixie. No funny business, no fussing, no nothing- she took today like a champ!!

Voila, a pony who can even do vacations!

So I went to Destin, FL with my younger sister last week for her post senior year trip. I was not sure exactly how Pixie was going to handle an entire week off (I've posted before about the attitude thing...), and I wasn't sure WHAT was going to occur when I returned. So today, exactly 9 days after the last time I worked her, we barely missed a beat! She lined like a champ, and we even achieved more relaxation for the most part today than we have ever had in the past! I was so so excited, because I have to admit... I had been somewhat dreading this first day back. And I tried very hard not to be, because I really think horses can sense that kind of apprehension and react accordingly. We did have more get-up-and-go today, which is to be expected with that long of a break... although she was out in her field, so it's not like she got no exercise. I had planned to ride her for the first time this week, but until Miss Priss gets her twinkle toes done--I'm not so sure. She's very due for a farrier visit, so hopefully I can get that lined up and maybe ride this weekend!?! I think she is ready... we have steering down absolutely pat, and our whoa-ing is 100% better than it was. As I mentioned, Pixie has gotten quite a bit of "go forward"... which is good, I suppose. She is getting increasingly game, so I've tried to keep everything very slow and relaxed---but I really believe this filly has show horse in her. Maybe by the end of next summer...... ;-)