Adventures With Ember

Mom has had more time off at the same time as me during this time. So we have taken the time to put some work into Ember. Ember has redeemed himself since the bucking bronc impression. We started by opening up the arena so he had more room. Before each ride I lunged him, with a butt strap and with side reins. It was fun to watch him figure out how to carry himself.

Then I would ride him for about ten minutes. As he has improved and become more comfortable, I have been able to put the dressage saddle on him and attach the reins to the bit. He was quick to bulge out his shoulder, which made working on turns difficult. Finally one day my Mom told me to drop my inside rein. Well Ember had nothing to pull against and he actually stopped bulging. So he will teach me to let go of the inside rein. Our turns are getting better since we figured out that trick.
The only other change we have made is we put a straight happy full cheek on his bridle instead of the three piece. He seems to be happy in it and it is a little clearer to him.

We have expanded his riding to include another horse in the ring. First we did Rosemary, who keeps him honest out in the field. Ember quickly figured out that what grandma does, does not effect what he does. He was better about her moving quicker than he was and did not try to "play."

Comrade was the next to ride with Ember and that was a bit tougher for him. He really could not understand why he could not follow Comrade. Unfortunately Comrade was NQR, so we ended the ride pretty quick.

Ember has also branched out to the trail. He did a solo walk with Mom walking with us first. Surprisingly he was really brave until we came across some roots sticking up off a down tree. But he settled quickly and I hopped off while he was good. Next we followed Rosemary. Again Ember was great and having a horse did not change anything. Then we went with Comrade. Can you believe it was the 15yr old that was the problem child? Ember took the lead and did not tell me Comrade was doing anything behind us. I made sure to get off him earlier after he was really good. I looked up to see Comrade acting like he did as a 5yr old, jigging away. The closer we got to the hill leading to the barn the more wound up Comrade got. Mom had to turn him away and then we put him behind Ember so he would not pull his "buck n run" trick he used on Peggy way back.
Overall Ember has been improving with each ride. We still have not attempted canter again. I would like him to be less spooky about the jumps before I ask. Well on Tuesday he decided he would canter off down the long side. I finally stopped him after the curve of the short end. Once I got my breath back, I put him to work. We worked a little on opening and closing his trot. And I even got a little side step out of him at the walk.

So our adventures with Ember have only impressed us. He is just like Roscoe and such fun to watch grow. He is almost to the point where I can ride him alone. Not bad for the pony we thought would need a pro to start.

"911, What is your Emergency?"

Yeah, so that happened...

We made a trip to a huge wooded area that is a wildlife preserve and is used by riders and hikers alike. Mom, Peggy, my sister and I loaded up the stock trailer and headed out about 930. The girls were wearing some cute ear bonnets and we were armed with horse hair swishers. I had a pouch with my phone, a map of the area (such that it is) and treats. The plan was to ride for about and hour and head home.

Fancy one for Dottie

Blingy bead for Rosemary

The trail was a gravel road at first, which the horses were not thrilled with. So we veered right onto a grassier path. All the horses were great, even with the huge horse flies attacking. Dottie showed her hunt background, by taking the lead much to my sister's surprise. We had to tell her to not get too far ahead. They all seemed to think this was snack time too. Especially when we passed corn fields.

As we crossed a water spot, we decided to head back to the trailer. Since we had made what we thought was a loop, it should have been easy to find our way back. Well, an hour or so later we still had no idea where we were at. At one point Dottie was adamant about going a certain way. We did not listen to her and looking back I seriously wonder if she knew the right way. After traveling one way and not finding anything but unending trees, we turned around and started back tracking. Peggy started to have issues with the heat and the worry in us all grew. Things could get really bad. At 100pm, she hit the wall and had to dismount. She laid on the ground in the shade, trying to cool down. It was clear she was not going to be able to get out of the woods on her own.
So I made the call to 911. Did not think I would hear that typical 911 response when I left home today. We had no water, two phones (mine on low battery) and no idea where we were. I was able to say that we were by the power lines just past a water crossing. This trail system had NO MARKERS. Seriously it was annoying. We were now in the waiting mode. Of course I lost connection with 911 and it half an hour to reconnect. The operator said "there are a lot of people looking for you." Oh yay, how embarrassing. Soon after that, we heard a truck. Rescue had arrived.
They were able to give Peggy water and pour it on her head to cool her down. Then fire station SUV arrived and an ATV. The horses just stared at all the people. Eventually, it was decided that Peggy would ride in the EMS vehicle and we would ride out. They gave us directions, which by the way, we were headed the right way. That also meant we had to pony Comrade and get back on the horses. My sister is shorter than all of us and she had to get on 16h Dottie. Peggy gave her a leg up, but it was an ugly process. Mom ended up using the truck to get back on DaVinci since her bad knee could not handle a ground mount. I was determined to get up on Rosemary, but needed someone to hold the off stirrup. I called a cute fireman over (that was a bonus factor to the whole episode), and asked him to hold the stirrup. Que the blank look. Oh, just hold the foot thing. He figured it out and I, whew, made the mount with tired legs.

I held Comrade and we headed out. Quickly I realized Comrade was going to be a pain to pony. He refused to travel by Rosemary's shoulder. With him behind her, he somehow managed to get the reins caught under her tail. I had to drop the reins. My sister was able to get them. Problem solved... or not. Dottie refused to walk with Comrade and my sister is not experienced enough to handle the drama. So Mom ended up with him. Again he was dragging. No way could we go the rest of the way with him like that. Mom was able to undo his reins and hook it to his noseband on one end and the other was eventually hooked to DaVinci's grab strap.
We found our way with tired ponies who were seriously over the gravel. As time ticked away we did not stop worrying until we finally saw some familiar sights. Never have I been happier to see a downed tree. An hour after Peggy left us, we saw her waiting at the gate with the firemen. Lights still flashing on their SUV. With the end in sight, we decided to get off and walk the horses the rest of the way.

Ah the good before the crazy time

Peggy said when she arrived there was 2 county police cars, 1 state police car, EMS, and the truck and trailer that carried the ATV. All their lights were flashing. She also said before they found us, they were 15 minutes away from calling in the helicopter. Fortunately, we stopped in the best location and the land manager knew how to get to us when I described where we were. Peggy chatted with someone who uses the trails often and he said without an app on his phone he would get lost. So at least we were not alone. The firemen who stayed with her kept asking whether we should have returned by now. I don't think they could understand just how long it takes to walk back with one horse being ponied.
We finally headed home just after 3pm. I think we were in the saddle for about 4 hours. The horses all got a liniment rub down and a meal. All the humans had to drink a ton of water. I have to say I can appreciate an event course even more now. I love directionals and clear maps. At least we all made it back in okay condition and the horses dealt with everything like pros. I think we will all feel it tomorrow though.

Baby got Bounce

I have had a few rides on Roscoe recently and he has given me an awesome trot. Since Mom and Peggy were riding at the same time, no one got video of it. The common factor each time was that there was a mare present. I needed to get him listening to me rather than paying attention to the mare. So I trotted and did circles. At one point I looked at Mom and said "Baby got bounce!" I normally sit lightly at first until he is steady then start posting. With this trot I could barely sit. Mom said he was sitting and pushing from behind. All those great Cob joints were bending and giving me that awesome trot.

My Pixel Pony

Today I put the dressage saddle on for the first time and gave Peggy my phone to take a video. Well since there was no mares and Comrade was just standing in the middle, Roscoe decided it was a lazy day. Instead of bounce, I got sloth pony. Ok that's an exaggeration, maybe more of a western jog. Plus he was Mister Distracted Tourist. Here is the video from today.
We went for a trail ride after that worked his butt off. He was a bit of a baby today. I told him he was allowed to have baby days especially when they are not too bad. It just meant we had to scale back the challenges. I do think we did a step of canter going up a hill today. Love this pony! At one point, Peggy  went off with Comrade after a break. Roscoe had been standing with a leg cocked. He just watched at they walked off, not moving until I asked him to move on.
Even with his tourist actions and biting Comrade's butt, the ride was great. He worked up a sweat on all those hills. Wonder if he will need a trace clip?

Tic Tac Toe, 3 Cobs in a Row

My Mom came home from FL yesterday and today was her last day before returning to work. So after our farrier visit, we went for a trail ride. By process of elimination (DaVinci worked yesterday, Dottie does not work after the farrier and Winston is a bit unpredictable) the 3 Cobs were chosen. This ride was going to be on near by trails, not Peggy's, and meant going on the roads. A first for Roscoe in addition to riding with a mare.
Just in case, I made sure I was on Roscoe before Mom brought Rosemary into the arena. He was aware of her right away, but he listened when I told him to focus on me. Then it was time to head out. We tried putting Rosemary first, Comrade next and Roscoe at the end. I was able to get a picture :)

1, 2, 3 Cobs YAY!

Soon we realized that Roscoe was out walking Comrade. Time for a switch, Mom circled Rosemary to move behind Comrade while I let Roscoe pass on the other side. He took the lead with only a little hesitation. When we reached the trail head he spooked a little at the shadows I think, but he kept going. Further along there was some roots sticking out of an edge and leaves fluttering with some eroded ground. He stopped, looked around, thought about it, realized it was not going to eat him and he walked on. Then he was off with a huge walk stride. I waved bye to Mom and Peggy.
His next challenge was a narrow crossing with more eroded ground. Roscoe stopped dead. I asked him to move forward, but he was not ready yet. This took more looking and assessing. Mom asked if Comrade should go first, but I felt Roscoe was nearly there. I asked again and he carefully walked across.
Occasionally he would startle at who knows what. The best thing was that he did not hold on to it, did not snowball. Nothing ate him so he let it go. Sometimes he got distracted by Rosemary getting close when he turned around. He never pulled toward her though, just slowed down. He handled lots of brush and stepped over branchy logs. Then at one point we got off trail and were finding our way when an ATV starts coming up behind us. Peggy yelled at the guys to slow down. All the horses did not care one bit about the intrusion. We continued the trail, finally finding our way back to the trail head. The ATV still rumbled around near by as we walked the road back to Peggy's. I decided to try Roscoe up the drive way and face the flag. That was no problem. Nor was her seasonal decor or Sonny trotting up to the fence.
What a great ride overall. Rosemary was her typical drama queen self and Comrade was steady. Both helped give Roscoe experience. Rosemary must have warned him not to walk on dark road patches because he avoided them all. These Cobs are so great!

Unleashed

Make sure to check out the CPEAP Contest to win an EIS shirt. Carly has kicked it off and needs some competition.

Growing up

Onto a progress report. My third ride on Roscoe went really well. I even got him to move off my leg at walk and trot for almost the whole circle before his brain kicked and said "Wait a minute, the wrong person told me what to do." He has some great brakes. I will take him stopping over bolting any day though. Since he was in a good working frame of mind, I looked at Peggy and asked "Ready to get on?" Her first response was "AH NO." Not too surprising. Then when I got off, she walked over and said "Okay." So she got on him and let Mom direct his movements. She had some issues with being a passenger, but they worked it out. The best part for me was that he did not fuss about going back to work after the change of rider and he adjusted to Peggy. He knew she was unsure and stayed closer to Mom than he ever has with me. When she was more comfortable, he moved out when Mom asked. Overall not too shabby.
Roscoe had 3 days off before I could get back on him. Mom was working so I figured I would see if I could get him moving without someone in the middle. I did give Peggy the whip to be my gas pedal if need be. Well, he moved off great walking around the little area. He evened trotted a bit. Then that smart ass brain kicked in and he just stopped. He said no way he was moving. Roscoe does a really impressive statue pose. I tried everything I could, but it was not working to get him to move. So Peggy stepped in to move him on. We did walk and trot both ways before ending.
I decided that Roscoe was getting bored. It is a curse that all smart horses deal with and it is something we owners have to stay ahead of. So after ending the arena work, I had Peggy open the gate. We were going for a stroll. I figured how far and how long would be determined by Roscoe as we went along. First we had to walk by the mare's turnout area. Not a problem. He was too busy looking around. Then he had to go down a small hill. Plus Peggy stopped to move a branch off the trail, putting him out front. Roscoe balanced himself well on that hill maintaining his pace. He slowed, cocking an ear towards Peggy, but I told him to walk on. He kept walking. Peggy said his tail had that nice relaxed swish to it as he moved. Although he looked around and tended to follow his nose, he felt great. I have been on older horses that don't know how to handle themselves on a trail. Roscoe went over logs and walked between trees happily. We got to a steeper hill and some green came through before he found his footing going down. This was not the day to continue onto the really big hill, so we turned around. Roscoe spotted Peggy at the top of the hill and trotted up to her. Both of us were so happy. We realized that Peggy left my phone back at the arena, which meant no way to take pictures. I ended walking Roscoe back over to the arena area so Peggy could take a picture. Rosemary was calling and trotting around. Roscoe just cocked a leg and waited.
The biggest revelation the trail ride gave us, was that this could be the way to unleash Roscoe from the ground person. He listened to me out there and that is a step in the right direction.

Watching his Mama

A couple days later I rode him again. This time I only moved him a little at the end of the lead line while Mom took down a section of the barrier. Then I got on and walked him into the bigger side of the arena. He was so excited he broke into a trot. When I flexed him, he tried to bite my legs. Yep not quite in the working frame of mind yet. I asked him to walk on and he did. The other new thing I did for this ride was pick up a dressage whip. From all the in hand work and breed shows, he knows that means move. I figured it would not hurt and it is easily dropped if he overreacts. Mom stayed on the other side of the barrier waiting to see if I would need her. Roscoe kept moving and it seemed I would not need help. I asked him to trot. He picked it up but the combination of me posting, going around a turn and him being distracted by the mares caused him to lose focus. So he did a baby buck and slammed on the brakes. No big deal. I flexed him, focused and asked him to move on. He was a bit stuck. The dressage whip and some kissing worked great at moving him on. After that he really did not have any big issues. He walk, trotted both ways and even went over a pole. I think Roscoe is finally unleashed.
I ended my ride and handed the reins to Mom. She needed to feel his awesomeness. Roscoe tested her and she pushed him, before they both settled and enjoyed the work. With time running short we took him out for a loop on trail. Literally we walked down the first hill and then looped around to the other path to come back up. I swear Roscoe stopped as if saying "Uh, no way. We went further the last time." He did not want to end his ride. Sorry buddy we have to go make money to pay for your food.
Just what we need another work a holic horse. I will say the other horses have not been giving me the "I want to work too," eyes. Mom thinks they like how much calmer Roscoe has been since he has started under saddle work.

"Say What???"

Next I want to try another horse in the ring with us to see how he handle that distraction. Then maybe we can use another horse to help him learn canter. He also needs to work on his long lining to prep for driving. For that matter so does Comrade. Those Cob boys have no idea the fun coming in the future. I am looking forward to actually being able to ride this winter especially since that means Roscoe can get the time he needs to develop.

The Fabulous Red Boy

This will be a short brag. Roscoe and I went for a walk/jog on trail. He was super. He walked over all the jumps that I led him over and he even went over ones I did not expect him to. At one point I was standing on the downed tree, rubbing him when he decided he could go over that log too. When I asked him to trot next to me while I jogged, Roscoe stayed with my SLOW pace. Mom worried about him acting up and hurting my hand since he has been questionable in the arena, but they were no problems. And to cap it off, he even went over the blue barrels. His split legged look was funny and I figured he would back off of it. Instead he rounded and popped right over. I guess the little man needed a change of scenery.
Here is a video of him trimming trees. He also enjoys battling prickers to get to raspberry leaves. Not sure I love the scratched nose look though.

And for those thinking the Red Boy was Comrade, he is doing great as well. Contact and Connection work is coming back to him with the addition of being more forward after all our pace work. I still can't do long rides, but I have seem improvement in my hand since I have been really conservative. Hopefully it is healed by the Welsh show next month.

Driving, Riding, Eating... PARTY

We decided  while sitting around for hours at the Welsh show last month that we, my family and Peggy and Larry, would do a cook out to celebrate a year with Roscoe. So this Saturday, instead of going to the Eastern National Welsh show, we hauled Rosemary and Dottie (yes Roscoe did not get to go to his own party) over to Peggy's for what turned out to be an awesome weekend.
When we arrived, the girls went out in one of Peggy's turn outs. Rosemary delighted in showing Dottie where the trough was and the run in and the boys.
We went about getting the food ready and waiting for Dad and my sister to show up. The dogs provided entertainment. Little Griffyn vs Large Shadow,

Shadow lays down to give Griffyn a chance.



Play stopped when Dad came and he and Larry went to grill the meat. Dog noses followed the meat tray.

Male bonding. Fire, meat conversation

When the food was finally ready, the dogs tried really hard to say they were starving.

Nothing better than a good meal with friends and family. Well maybe driving and riding with friends.
After the meal, while the men talked the ladies headed to hook up Rosemary for Peggy to drive. We used her headstall and Peggy's brown harness. Rosemary was a superstar. She was able to trot and make the turns in the arena. Three weeks ago she could barely trot in the same arena. Peggy had a lot of fun driving.

Shadow and Griffyn decided they wanted a ride.

As Peggy and I were unhooking Rosemary from the cart, we could not figure out why we had to work so hard to push the cart off her. The answer...

We all just laughed.

After a lovely desert of coconut cake, chocolate cake and pudding pie with a wine toast the four girls went for a ride. This would be my sisters first trail ride. Unfortunately she was a bit nervous since earlier in the week Dottie bucked with her college girl. Since it was later, the light was going and the pictures did not come out well. We did a short ride to give my sister a taste. Once we got the right order, Rosemary then Dottie then Comrade followed by Addie, the ride smoothed out. All our ponies were great.
We were all having fun and did not want to leave, so we decided the girls could spend the night and go home on Sunday. Dogs, people I think we were all exhausted.

Sunday dawned another beautiful day. We met Peggy in the morning. The girls survived the night and did not work over Larry too much. He is a sucker for mares.
Again we tacked the ponies and went for a longer trail ride. With out my sister we could go on a more difficult path. Comrade took care of Peggy, Rosemary worked her butt off and Dottie was in heaven. The unplanned overnighter turned out to be a great idea. And we got a better picture.

Left: Mom and Rosemary, Peggy and Comrade, Me and Dottie

DaVinci did scold us for not telling him the girls were staying out all night. He had sleepy eyes today, so I think he was waiting for them to come home.
Tomorrow weather permitting, Dottie's college girl will be trying to ride him. Their first attempt did not go well so she backed off and waited for us to be there. Should be interesting.

A Special Moment

For a while now, Peggy and I have been trying to get together and ride. Weather, work, and lost shoes have all impeded that goal. Yesterday we finally managed a ride. We tacked up Comrade and Addie (her cob mare) and went for a trail ride. Comrade and I tried out a few new jumps she had built while Addie watched. Typical male, Comrade always tries to show off when Addie is around. So we had a short, but great ride in the woods. We did not do much since Addie is out of shape. As we walked back to the arena, Comrade was jigging underneath me and posturing. Did I mention he is a show off?
Any way once in the arena, I had Peggy ride Comrade. She has not ridden him in a while so it was great to see her on him. Comrade likes me, but Peggy is his person and the only opinion he really cares about. As I stood watching them both, I felt a moment of pride that the work I did with him was transferring to Peggy. She mainly walked, but at the walk she asked him to do quarter turns on the forehand and haunches. Comrade did as she asked while maintaining a soft contact. When she did ask him to trot, the jigging pony from my ride, felt her hesitation and did a quiet jog. Happy pony and happy owner.
Comrade did remember that I had sugar in my pocket and made sure after Peggy praised him that I gave him his due.
On facebook this morning one of my friends shared this picture. The saying says it all. Enjoy :)