Trailer Loading and Tarp pictures!

Hey everyone! It has been awhile, but I just wanted to post an update! Next Saturday will be ride #30 for Miss Sophie, and then.....my goal will be complete! 3 months, 30 rides and she's feeling more broke and relaxed every day- Next week I will be posting a video covering what I accomplished with her including- picking up her feet, trailer loading, sacking out with a tarp, accepting a saddle, obstacles, rotating around her front end, rotating around her hind end, stopping, backing, going at all 3 gaits....etc! It has been an exciting journey and I am glad I could share it with you! Thanks for reading!

Here we go! I start by asking her in from the ground

I taught her to wait in the trailer- not rushing out backwards- not freaking out and trying to turn around- but to wait for me and my cue for her to come out

It took awhile and a lot of repetition to get her to where she accepted a) being in there b) the sounds and feeling of the trailer ! c) what was expected of her (to stand still and relax and wait on me)

Closing the doors- she has her leg cocked, which is a good sign!

Ta-da!

And I cue her to back out..

So we can do it on the left side! It was a big deal to do it on BOTH sides of the trailer. This got her used to seeing different things out of both eyes, and you never really know what side you are going to have to be in anyways

The tarp has been a fun exercise, and really beneficial to Sophie- especially for tying. In my opinion, getting over something REALLY spooky helps their general view of everything. It gives them some perspective.

Also, it's good practice for if I ever had to blanket her

Silly Pony!

I would also like to mention that the trailer and the tarp were HUGE hurdles for Sophie and I am very happy with her progress. I worked every day with the tarp for weeks, I kid you not.

And the trailer? About a week straight. Sure, I had her going in and out of the trailer at an early stage but there is a difference between getting them in the trailer and having them accept it. If I were to have loaded her up, slammed the door and drove off on day one sure I would have gotten there, but she would be covered in sweat and a nervous wreck. And loading the next time? I know from experience that that would not have been a walk in the park.

I happen to have one of the spookiest trailers on the planet, and I figure if I can get them confident going back and forth with my *cave on wheels* then any other trailer in the world probably won't be a big deal. I would also like to mention that Sophie had a huge fear of trailers going into this whole thing. When I first got her, she had slipped and fell and injured above her eye. I don't know how much easier it would have been without this happening, but regardless it was still a challenge (everything with horses is a challenge though, right!)

Happy Trails everyone!

9th and 10th ride-34 TTD

So the last couple of days have been exciting out on the trail. We started off going down the fence line and I kept her attention by doing lots of changes of directions and one rein stops. She was scared of the tumbleweeds in the neighbors yard, and one particular tractor tire that probably was going to eat her alive (HA!) And we just took it in stride. I got her relaxed and using the thinking side of her brain and then we could lope along with no problems.

Today was pretty much the same except I went down a different fence in the pasture and got her used to even more spooky things. One particular puddle was a problem. I had to laugh when she went to drink the nasty soupy mix- I think she was trying to also perceive how deep it was with her muzzle. After getting a mouthful of mud she finally got the confidence she needed to try it out. Then we repeat 10 more times...
Loping along the backstretch there was a section of fence with tall sagebrush on one side and tall weeds on the other that made her nervous. So guess what we did? We went back and forth baack and forth until she gives me that heavy sigh and I can feel her muscles relax a bit. Then we move on.

It'll probably be a pretty boring blog from here on out because it's hard for me to drag my camera people out on location (aka my husband and or mother-in-law). I'll try to post weekly now unless something really cool pops up.

A few more things I want to get accomplished this month before I put her up for sale include-

a) putting as many trail miles on her as I can
b) roping the dummy and
c) dragging logs

If I can get all these done - I think we'll both be happy campers and I will feel confident selling her as a green broke horse. I kind of feel sad about it now...because she is a pretty nice girl. I just hope I can find her a wonderful home that will keep going with her.