Educating Princess Jewel-1st trailer ride :)

Jewel has learned that white PVC railing gives way rather easily....... Yesterday she decided she didn't want to be in the arena alone anymore and after running around bucking and kicking and doing sliding stops, she decided to jump the gate (2 rails, top one about 5' 3" or so....... the top rail snapped in two and she was free, the booger!!  Luckily, today we're completing the pole corral fencing on the last side of the pasture and she'll go in there for turn-out....... Her mind definitely works differently than the geldings..... after I got a halter on her I took her back in the arena, put the gates back up and spent some time in there with her until she calmed down, gave her some hay and she was fine..... goofy girl.  At least with the PVC no injuries!! 

Took Jewel on a hike while the kids rode and she did VERY well   She was calm, seemed to enjoy herself.  She can really walk, overstriding about 12+ inches and not even really striding out.  We checked out a big tractor tire, went over some logs, had a couple cars and a noisy dirt bike go past.  She was worried about the other horses getting too close to her, afraid they would chase her I guess but didn't spook at trash on the ground or anything like that.  We did some trotting in hand and she's getting better about that.  I'm going to start saddling her up just to get her used to it.  Measured her and she's currently 15.3 at the withers and around 16+ hds at the croup, butt high again

Since it was nice and cool yesterday afternoon, I got Jewel out, gave her a good brushing, worked on her holding her hind feet still when they are picked up instead of yanking and kicking..... got better when I would scratch her.
 
Took her in the arena to work on going over poles on the ground forward and backward.  I think part of her issue with trailering is that she is not comfortable with backing up so decided to work on that.  Just had her in a regular halter and every time she would bump the pole going backward, she would tuck her head and bound forward, dragging me along so we went and got the stud chain and a dressage whip, got her back in there and worked on her putting her feet where I wanted them to be and staying there.  Walked her front feet over, then stopped and had her back up from there, just continued to go back and forth and finally she managed to lift her feet and get them over the pole going backward and then she had it figured out and it was no problem   Also worked on her trotting in-hand.  Next time we'll back over several poles.  She seems even taller.

Since I had the trailer hitched up from my ride earlier in the day, I went out after lunch with Kelly and we did a trailering session with Jewel and we succeeded!
 
She was so much calmer than the previous time, didn't panic AND my work on getting her to back over obstacles paid off and she backed out very nicely!  We did the in and out thing several times in the 3rc stall so she didn't have far to go, giving her lots of goodies when she was in and scratches and praise for coming out well.  Then we closed the back door and she was fine so we took her out, and had her go in the middle stall and come out again a couple times, then closed the divider and she was fine so we closed up the trailer and took her for a little ride.  She pawed but was fine otherwise, no panicking and was resting her hind foot when I went to get her out!  Yay!!  Now we can go places   So excited. 
 
She was nice and tired because we put Tahoe in with her when we left for our ride and he felt good and run and bucked and so did she til she was puffing good.  She's getting so tall!!!!  I think her butt is 16.2.......

Yay!!  And having Kelly (and Shay) there is awesome!  Nice to have help.  Good job ladies!!!  (cool about hubby riding today, too!!)

Yep, all around good day.  I am so jazzed about being mobile with her now!  Need to get some updated pictures of her.  Watching her run around the other day was amazing.  She is so naturally balanced and graceful, flying lead changes all over the place, amazing extended trot   WOW....... I can really see how breeding makes a difference.

Went for a short trail ride this afternoon w/ my trail buddy and Kelly.  Jewel was whinnying so pitiously like "Take me!!!!!!  I wanna goooooo!" so I decided "what the heck," got her halter and had Kelly hand her to me once I was up on the mountain horse.  Good thing Cody is so big because she's about 16.1 or so now at 2 1/2 and I don't know who else would be able to pony her.  She did GREAT!!  Although she's afraid of the front end of the boys, she's fine following alongside, we just had to be careful when the others came up behind her.  It was kind of funny once I got everything under control but she kept bumping my foot and stirrup with her nose at the beginning of the ride and about 1/4 mi. down the road, she suddenly bit my stirrup iron and jerked her head in surprise when her teeth clanked on the metal which pulled it off my foot.  I clenched my foot into&nbspoor Cody's side and he spurted forward a little, then Tahoe came up behind Jewel and sent her darting forward, afraid he was after her!  Once I got Cody under control, my foot back in the stirrup, Jewel  reined back in, she walked alongside with her head hanging down, chewing and digesting what had happened.  She looked like "wow!  That wasn't very fun..... guess I won't do that again..."  On the way back, she was tired and kept wanting to drop behind Cody so I had to keep pulling her up or halting and getting her up next to me again.  Such a baby.  My friend was impressed with how well she did and also how nice she was to lead when we got back and she put her away for me   Progress.  Now that she trailers and we were successful in ponying her, we can haul her somewhere and go for a trailride!

That's fantastic!!  I can tell you from experience (and you probably know this all too well) those dominant ones can move the others with a flick of the ears.  She seems afraid of their front ends but Cody was probably giving her directions.

I was walking Bully and Zag once, retrieving them from an escape.  We walked three abreast.  Zag was in the middle.  We walked along for quite a ways, probably an eighth of a mile.  Suddenly Zag pulled up as we walked on and he put himself right at Bully's butt.  Zag listens well.  (to other horses)

Also, when Dani first arrived the 3 boys took the shelter and had her standing out in the pouring rain.  I stood in amazement as they watched her getting soaked.  Little head hanging down in the rain.  Then a flick of an ear and she would obediently walk 20 steps to the left and stand.   Then she'd back up.  Then go back where she was.  They were moving her all around in the rain, making her stand out there.  Maybe that's how she earned her stripes cuz they are all so crazy about her now.

yep, in the pasture all he has to do is swing his head her way and she moves very quickly!  When she would get past my leg, he would nip at her.  Didn't mind when she rubbed her head on his big rear.  I think she started to figure out they weren't out to get her when she let Tahoe come up and walk on the other side of the road so she was flanked by them.

Had an open slot in my trailer this morning when taking the kids to Pony Club lessons so I got Jewel out and decided to see if she remembered trailering.  Had to hold her back!  She wanted to get in.  One scary moment when she somehow turned her head and got it stuck behind the divider, with her head in the stall next to her!  Trailer started rocking as she stomped and panicked but then she stopped and figured out how to extricate her head and was OK.  She looked a little bug-eyed when I unloaded her up the hill (8 mile drive on windy roads) but did fine being in a new place.  Walked her around some and then tied her to the trailer with a haybag.  She proceeded to paw, whinny and sashay around, then decided she was going to pull back but wasn't panicking and when I would make a noise at her, she would stop.  She got good experience at being tied up for about 2 hours, was much happier when I put Spirit on the same side as her, got to see lots of people, horses and trailers moving around her and seemed to enjoy it for the most part.  When it was time to go home, I threw the leadrope over her shoulders and she just walked right in   So pleased with my girl   It was also my first time to get to show her off!!