Educating Princess Jewel-1st trailer ride :)

Played with Miss Jewel this afternoon and was so pleased with her and so was my friend!  She said she's amazed at how far Jewel has come in just 4 short sessions.  Kelly went with me today and Jewel was so good Kelly took over and I just talked her through lunging her.  There were even some little kids messing around on the next property behind the fence and she got over that and we got down to business.  She had maybe 4 small tantrums/balks, one good buck, tried to change direction a couple times and that's about it and we did whoa, walk and trot both directions several times.  She got a little fast once, slipped and went down on her haunches and that cooled her jets a little.  Once she got her energy out she was trotting around so relaxed and didn't even sweat this time so she's really getting what I expect now.  She's a beautiful mover, so balanced and light on her feet!  Gotta get pictures next time!!  Much more respectful when being led after being lunged.  Need to reknot the rope halter I got, doesn't seem to hit the right places, loose in the wrong places, etc......  So very happy w/ today's session

Gave Jewel "homework" to help with her fear of clippers, the plastic bag on the end of a stick.  My friend has been good about going out and messing w/ her with it, she's doing it w/ their other gelding too.  Today she texted me that Jewel was trying to eat the bag!  Guess it's going well   We're going on a camping trip so our goal is to work on trailering her and ponying her so she can go too!

Went over and worked with Jewel after work.  She did wonderfully going to the left at walk, trot, walk, whoa.  Going to the right is her more challenging side.  She still tries to turn in but I'm getting better at catching her and she's more half-hearted about it now and understands what I want her to do.  She was pretty stubborn about wanting to stop at the rail whenever my friend was standing there watching so we worked on that and she would tantrum some when caught trying to stop or slow down, did some bucking, rear-bounces but nothing too intense like before.  Did canter for the first time and at first she ran and ran but started to tire out before long and you can see the look in her eye change.  Did it both directions.  I'm just trying to keep changing things, giving her variety, only asking for 2 complete circles at the gait I choose and then she gets a break.  Did some lateral work and only one kick at the rope draped around her hocks.  My friend has been doing the stick w/ a grocery sack and we worked on her head some but much better.  Needed to worm her and she decided she didn't want that so she tried to walk over us, got a little exercise for that, then scratched her belly button and she was paralyzed in ecstacy and my friend was able to worm her with no issues   Silly girl.  Now that she's moving forward well on command it's time to try to trailer so we can take her places.  I think she's taller....... fattening her up a little as she was ribby and taking a while to loose her winter coat.  Today's show would have been perfect as it was so small and low key!  Next time

Went over and worked Jewel on Mother's Day.  Wanted to see what we're dealing with as far as trailering.  Backed the trailer up to the arena, lunged her in the round pen first, then brought her over, ran the lunge line up through the window and asked her to step up.  She panicked, reared and acted afraid. When she freaks out instead of going away from me, she turns into me so she gots my "stay out of my space" reaction.
 
My friend said she has only been in the trailer once, as a foal w/ her mother when they had to evacuate and it took them 3 days to wrestle her in coming home, so she doesn't have fond memories.  We worked on going calmly up to the trailer, standing for a moment, then retreating over and over.  She finally started sniffing and put a foot in, got to where she would put both feet in and stand there, munching carrots but still somewhat tense.  Once she was able to do that, we ended it on a good note for the day and will keep working on it.  Their trailer is a 2-horse slant with high stocktrailer type windows so it's dark and kind of claustrophobic.  I was thinking I might bring my 3-horse slant over, with a ramp, open all the windows so it looks more inviting. 
 
Lunging went well.  She knows she has to keep going past people on the rail but she really wants to stop and socialize so when she gets near them, she starts to hump her back and buck a little but keeps going!  Her canter is amazing!  Her back doesn't move.......  At the trot she reaches well under herself with her hind legs.

Trailer lesson #2 today.  Wish I had Trainer here to help!  My friend is very afraid of her which is why Jewel has learned to move into or over you when she doesn't want to do something!  It was easier to train Cody who was afraid...... I can only get over there once a week so hoping we can get trailering accomplished before the end of the month camping trip we're hoping to take her on!  Trying not to feel pressured or hurry her...... Hopefully after our last session she'll be a lot calmer.

Jewel did very well on her lunging yesterday, has lots of energy, needs to be kept in a larger corral where she can get more exercise on a daily basis.  She's never been anywhere except a 24X24 and a round pen so she's going to love it when she gets out in our pastures and really can stretch out and run!  Did much better going to the right this time, actually got her to where she was just jogging around me being calm, not turning in/out or bucking.
 
Trailering started out fairly well, was able to walk her up and have her put her front feet in, stand there.  Ran the lunge line up through the side of the trailer and my friend took that while I encouraged her to step up from the side.  That was going well with giving her some release when she stepped forward and in with her fronts so we decided to see about getting her hind end in and she panicked and started flinging herself over toward me and backward and upward.  She sat herself down once, went all the way down another time and then just laid there nuzzling the grass and huffing and sweating....... such a baby, so we made her get up again, got her front end in as far as she could go w/out getting her hinds in and rewarded her while she calmed down and thought about things.  Had her stand there for about 10 minutes, bounced the trailer, banged the dividers some, got her to nibble some hay, then asked her to back out and we were done.  She's doing so well moving away from me on the ground but you put a trailer in front of her and she freaks out...... I want to take my trailer over and see how she does w/ a ramp and more open windows.

While she was here, Hunterseat and I went over and played with Jewel.  HS doesn't believe my stories about Jewel launching herself like a lipizzan because she was so calm......... She's really catching on to lunging and moving forward.  Still need to work on those ground manners.  For such a drama queen, she's much less responsive than Cody, my draft which is odd......,

She's gone from bucking, rearing, whirling, etc. to this

 


 

 
Pretty girl

 
Getting butt high again and she's already 15.2, just turned 2 the end of April!  At least I'm used to big horses and have Cody to pony her off of!!
 

I DO love the one of you both looking.  Those are beautiful pictures!  You must have had an excellent photographer! []

I know, you did a great job!!!  Thanks   Wish you could've stayed longer so we could have gone for a ride or two........ Cheryl got the impression you'd been my friend for a long time and was shocked when I said I'd just "met" you for the first time in person!!  You just fit in []

Awww..... What a great compliment!  I really want to come back that way.  We can all ride together, the girls, and Bonnie, too. 

When a couple of forum ladies were heading this way (with husbands, dogs, horse, and kids in tow) my son felt obliged to announce to all he saw "People my mom met on the INTERNET are coming to our house!" which raised a few eyebrows.  After you see someone online most every day for a couple of years - you pretty much know who they are.  If something's funny about them it will usually surface by then.  

You have a wonderful family - exactly as I suspected! []

Worked w/ Jewel tonight and she was really good on the lunge line, just felt really good and galloped all on her own for about 5 min. before she had expended enough energy to really have a brain!  This girl has a lot of endurance!!  Trotted her in hand for the first time and she was certainly puzzled, not sure what to do.  She tends to walk to fast in hand so I'm usually correcting her and slowing her down so she kind of looked like "what?  You want me to go faster?" then would start tucking her chin and looking like she thought we were playing side-by-side..... Discovered we need to work on backing over obstacles, very unsure of where her hind feet are.  Had her in the wash rack and usually they just turn her around (they are very wide) and walk her out but I figured it would be good practice for the trailer and she really did not want to back off the 6 inch edge!  She'd back a foot off and then spring forward, was sure I was sending her to her doom off the "cliff!"  We'll have to start with poles and such and go from there.

Her name really suits her.  What a Beauty Queen.
This is the first time I saw pics of her after hearing so much about her.  I thought maybe she was the horse you were riding under your ID pic and couldn't quite put two and two together.

Ahhh, thanks, Impdreams!!  My friend, Cheryl who bred her named her but it does suit her   The horse in my ID picture is my draft cross, Cody   She is a very spoiled princess but things are going better.  Once I bring her to my place, I'll get to work with her more often and we'll make more progress.  She'll also be turned out in a pasture with other horses so she'll get more exercise and some natural discipline

Do you think Cheryl would let you borrow corral panels until you get yours back?  (Are those yours being used for your boarders?)

Her whole barn is attached together..... that's OK though, we'll buy the panels and put together a corral for her.