I havent forgotten you!!

Ive only just realised how long its been since ive posted on here!!

Right so, I'll update you on General first. He started being silly in canter again so we went back a step and are taking things slooooowwww. But his walk and trot are good, i think its just me really, i need to stop getting direct line and start following the level 2 freestyle stuff properly, i keep drifting off and trying things we're not ready for *slaps face*.
 But, we're hacking out sensibly now, he's had about 12 hacks now and they've been great. After the first 'OMG i'm FREEEEEEEEEEE' scenario, he settled down and i've been able to ride him out on a loose rein with no trouble :)
 Oh, and my reins snapped! I was leading him out to get on, and he put his head down to try some of the tasty grass and stepped on them, breaking the leather :( anyway, i was so thankful he can be ridden in just a halter, so many people would have panicked at this point lol!
On the ground, he's doing so well. We've built a pedestal, its not finished yet and not quite sturdy enough to hold all four feet, but 2 feet is fine :) general, and holly in fact, took to it straight away and love stepping up and down from it. His direction changes are AWESOME!! he'll turn right the way when i step back now, and in canter he's offered flying changes very regularly!
We've started liberty too! I built myself a round pen and got started, and he's sooooo good. He sticks to me so well, plays all seven games (sideways is a little sticky but he tries so hard!!) and does the figure 8 and direction changes patterns with ease. what a superstar!

Ok, Joey next. I spent all easter seeing him pretty much everyday, getting all the 7 games up to scratch and Karen (owner) started riding him! We've taught him to do lateral flexion and i taught her how to ride with fluidity and had a pushing passenger lesson. She's pretty proud of him and herself that she can ride her horse in just a halter!

I've got tickets to festival of the horse!! im soooo excited. its going to be awesome!
ooh, i got featured on parellitube too, heres the link! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPytalDgv6Y

and heres some pics of general on the pedestal :)

savvy smiles x

My horse is perfect! The weather.. not so much...

Last weekend we did lots of playing and riding, i did lots of work on his canter on sunday and he was great, he's really getting the hang of being guided just by my body and the stick. at one point i let go completely and put my arms out, cantering along the side of the hedge. it was beautiful!! thats one of my goals checked off the list :D

During the week i havent played at all. the weather has been so awful, its been lovely while im at school then rainy in the afternoons, so i cant play :( The one evening it WAS nice, i had a job interview so couldnt see him. GRR! anyway. thats a whole 'nother thing. Job! I had an interview at a supermarket, hopefully i'll get a job, it would really help out.

Easter soon! I'm due 2 weeks off starting next friday. thats a lot of playtime, if the weathers good. I have gypsy to look after too, and i'm going to be doing a LOT of training with Joey, try and get his foundation down and sorted so he's in a good position for his owner to get her confidence with him, hopefully so she can ride him soon. Also in easter i'm hoping to have a PP out to give me a lesson, cant wait!!

I really enjoyed this months SC dvd, direction changes. especially as it covered all 4 savvies. AWESOME! I played with direction changes online with general at the weekend, he even offered a couple of flying changes in canter so i was really pleased.

just a little update :)

savvy smiles x

And now we're cantering!

Ok, the last two nights have been so BRILLIANTLY, FANTASTICALLY OUT OF THIS WORLD!!
lol.

last night i played online and freestyle, his driving from zone 5 is getting so good, he will play all seven games (except circle) from there now.
freestyle he was being a star, i practiced driving him using the carrot stick rather than the reins and he was really good, and he felt so awesome i thought hmm... why not? so i literally shifted my weight and he took off into canter, he sort of waggled his legs around a bit at first as if getting into position, then settled into a nice canter. i only did a few strides, but i was soooo proud of him! and me lol, it was pretty nervewracking! (remember he hasnt cantered with me on his back for over 5 months!)

Anyway, i played tonight and he was great online and freestyle, i completely dropped my reins and just used the stick and my body to speed up, slow down and turn, he was in a very responsive, willing mood, and he learnt to move from pressure very quickly. we played with the weave and figure 8 pattern, then just circleing in a spiral in and out etc. then we had a canter (one handed agh!) and he was beautiful again both ways.

I am so proud of my man!! Big BIG hugs to him tonight.

I can see us really getting somewhere this summer now.

YEEHA!

savvy smiles x

WHAT A WEEK!

General has been doing so well this week, our riding is improving and we've started trotting again now, with no problems!! He is a lot more willing, he's offering more and more each time. Both of us are out of practice, for example when we are riding along I accidently switch off of my balance point, and he goes around with his nose in the air. We sort of have to remind each other, then its like oohhhhhh yeah, i remember now :)
Hoping to get him out off the yard for a hack this weekend, and maybe, just MAYBE attempt a little canter. It depends on how he and I are feeling ;)

Me, mum and Pam took the horses up into a different field off the yard this weekend, i was walking, other two riding. We all had an awesome time, It was a lovely open field with a big hill and mum and pam did some cantering then had a race up the hill - it was so funny! Holly and Robbie really enjoyed it, I dont think I've ever seen a LBI run so fast in my life!!
Poor general and I were a bit disapointed we couldnt join in, but hey, not long now :) We had a nice time playing on line, he was loving the new location and leaping around all over the place haha. He was very motivated and willing which was lovely.

I've been playing and riding pretty much everyday, last night he was a star again and even though a little less 'active' than usual, he was attentive and responsive, just had a lot more whoa than go. I have to praise that though, as it doesnt occur very often!!

Hope everyone is well! We've been having such fantastic weather, horses and people are all in much better moods!

Savvy Smiles x

What a great weekend!!

Saturday morning was awesome, i played online with general and he was brilliant, very focused and we had a great time. We played around with the circling game again some more mainly.
Then i took him for a walk down the road while mum was riding holly, and another lady came on her horse, considering he hasnt been out there since last summer, he was so good!! He stayed listening to me even though there were lots of exciting things to look at, he was quite excitable but hey who ca blame him?? lol.
When we got back i thought hmm... how about trying a short ride? My previous plan of leaving him be for a while went bums up as he seems to be improving on the ground very very quickly (not bucked AT ALL in almost a week now :D). So yeah, i hopped on and went for a walk. WHAT A SUPERSTAR HE WAS!! He even took a few steps back when i asked without throwing a wobbly :D

Sunday morning I played again, with different online patterns and made up some of my own, taught him to back up through cones when i turn away from him and wiggle my body (hehe looked quite funny), but anyway, he ended up backing up even when i dropped the rope and hardly wiggled at all :D Then we revisited our sideways over objects game, so i set up some water containers and got him to go over them away and towards me, he hasnt done that in a while but he did it first time very nicely :) I had another short ride and he was really good again :D

oooooooh and i made a new video, check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLrA0IgvRoA

heres some pics of the weekend (and to show how awesome our weather has been!)

savvy smiles x

We can start moving forwards again now

General has been given the thumbs up by specialist, he's ready to get started again :)

i've spent the last couple of days practicing mainly circling game, its got a bit messy recently so ive been being particular without being critical ;) i've gone back over maintaining gait, and ensuring we have 4 nice laps of canter (which means no bucking, twisting, dropping gait etc). he's done good! Ive also started teaching him to slow down a gait when i point the CS at his nose, he has started responding well from trot to walk, just need to work on canter to trot and walk to halt :D from walk to halt he tends to just disengage and walk to me *rolls eyes* bless him.

Ive spent a lot of undemanding time with him too, just lazing around in the field and stable, he's stayed with me so i'm pleased :) when i was in his stable the other night he came over and sniffed me, then pushed me over... i think that was a 'er, yeah mum, you've spent enough time staring at me now, just go get my dinner' xD

Weekend is here finally, hoping to get lots of play in and hopefully will get to see Joey at some stage.

savvy smiles x

PASSED LEVEL 2 ONLINE WOOOOO :D

I played with General on line wednesday afternoon, he was a good boy and we went through all the level 2 online tasks and got a big fat tick at the end, passed! ok, not an official one done by the proffesionals at parelli HQ, but i'm waiting for level 4 to get that done :) I'm proud of my little man!! Thanks to my Mum for calling out the tasks and being a stand-in-emergency cone after General demolished the real one O.O

PLAN riding wise equals this. I'm not going to! Well not yet anyway. I've figured out i'm pushing us too much to start riding again when its too soon, I'm gonna get as good as possible on the ground first. I've realised some things on line are a little iffy sometimes, such as his canter on a circle which can break gait and/or include a happy buck... so until thats gone and sorted i'll stay with 2 feet on the ground :) figured if he cant do it on his own he's gonna struggle with me on him right?

SAVVY TIMES ARRIVED AT LAST!! I've had some great reading! What a good magazine this time, loads of info and love the reviews on the celebration, oh i miss that weekend so much!! Theres some cool things to try too.
I sent my application video to parellitube but i havent been featured... YET. Haha. watch this space???

Hoping to get some playtime in this evening, and lots this weekend. Planning to go and see Joey tomorrow to play some more and see how he's getting on, i imagine very well!! Will keep you posted and try to get some pics over the weekend.

savvy smiles x