S-I-X

So today we go out for more slow training work at Versailles.
Into the woods, into the silence, horse, hoof, tree, woman.
XYZ is the trail of the day, with Cree & hubby along for company.

We did twelve slow miles, and one killer hill. Also rode a little trail that is not part of the park trail, it wound along Laughery Creek and the blue bells were in bloom all over. Very pretty! We also scoped out the old cemetary in the park which dates 1820's-1860's. Phebes did well for the most part today, though she did have a few ridiculous spooks at little birds flitting around in the bushes. The one thing I was worried about was the little drop off water fall in the creek she needed to step down. That area is very mossy and slick, and if you go down, it will be on a sheet of rock. She surprised me though, just a couple taps with the crop and she stepped right off into the pool below.

Tomorrow I've got to get things organized, and pretty well packed for the ride. I won't have time on Thursday to do anything. Hoping the temps are nice enough Friday morning that I can get her bath, she is so DIRTY.

Hoping to see some of you ladies there. Michelle D. says she's going, Nicole is planning to attend and maybe volunteer, Chris Eickelberry is competing, Gwen Anrico is competing, Kari says she may come on down, it should be a fun time.

Kevin Wescott (Horse Trainer) called today Thank you Kevin, and thanks LiveryStable.com! He offered some training solutions to get Phebes to be more partnered, rather than wanting to do the driving herself at times. As to the wanting to run off ahead, he says let her, then before she starts to stall out (when she realizes she is actually alone and puts on the brakes) turn her around and make her trot back to the group. Repeating this process until it becomes work, rather than fun. That makes sense to me, so I will incorporate that into training rides in the future. When we are alone, that one is a little more difficult. The plan with that is to do pretty much what I have been doing the past two weeks, which is walk, trot, intervals. The difficulty is I need to be able to read her better, and make the change BEFORE the balk. The only way I can think to start this is to pick a short trail loop and just work at trotting sections of it. I might get me a clothespin and a ribbon and clip it to a branch, and once we've reached that point and she is consistent, I'll move it out a little farther until we can trot the entire loop alone. She is extremely sticky when we are alone. Sticky horses are not safe horses. Phebes only has a few months of trail riding (or riding at all) on her. I'll just keep working and reaching for bigger and better things.

~E.G.