We get two good rides in ! One down on the RR on the still frozen snow packed Rail way, Kizz is hyper and going down the pave (we can only go on the pave on the ridge, as the woods has sinky deep snow still ) and he spooks at every mail box.. fun fun! heeheh he even gives a little buck or two on the road, he's some frisky!!
Meeting Kaaren and Robyn on Tim's road before a ride on the RR
April 18/2014
Second ride we head down the pave to Kaaren's and meet Robyn, Kaaren and her daughter and ride on the RR down there a while. (the RR is clear down there!)
We have two pretty good rides ! Next up.. the clinic with Amanda! My very first clinic!! I'm so nervous!
I'm so nervous when the day finally comes to get ready to go! I have NEVER gone to a clinic, have NO IDEA what to expect! Have never had a man coach me before, nor had a coach I didn't know at all before...Haven't had much lessons or training period over the years!!
I'm excited but also worried I will end up looking foolish, I know I have a lot of faults for all that I have watched and tried to emulate on my own.. I get things done.. survived starting kizz and put over 200 miles on trails on him last year.. I feel GOOD about what we have done so far. Do I really want to go and feel BAD about my riding skills or Kizz's training so far??
The decision of course was easy... as sensitive & shy as I am, I know it is for the best. It will be a help to us surely. I figure even if I come away with ONE thing I can change or learn then that is worth it! PLUS, getting Kizz out to a new place and riding in a ring with PURPOSE will be good for him. It's not all about racing my love <3
Friday ----
The Day comes and I am all packed and ready to go.. I get Kizz all ready and waiting in the wash rack for his trailer ride
They arrive and I load Kizz up.. he gets right on like the good boy he is.. so proud of him. New trailer, new horse.. but he hops right on beside her. We get on our way and are there in under 2 hours.. We unload and get them settled in their stalls for the night..
It rained that first night and it was a little chilly camping out in Amanda's mom's van, but WAYYY better than it would have been tenting! We were the only ones who stayed on the grounds so It's good we were prepared to stay! the property was beautiful! a smaller warm up ring down by the barn, a beautiful large ring, showers and bathrooms, bleachers and announcers booth by the ring up top.. lots of beautiful grass to park on or camp on.. and fenced all the way around with a gate ! loved it!!
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Kizz warming himself up in the warm up ring lol
Saturday ---
The next morning when we got up it was drizzling still from the downpour the night before. But we tacked up at 8:50 to ride for 9am (after some Tim Hortons to warm up! )
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I at last minute remembered to take off my sheepskin cover... boy that would have been squishy to ride in the rain with! haha!!!
Mounted up and headed to the ring.. Kizz entered and was very excitable in the ring.. but we did lots of circles and walked all around and let him get used to the scary announcers booth.. haha
Soon Mitch put us to work walking around the ring and getting good positions , as well as working to get our horses moving with purpose and from behind. We moved on to trotting around and worked on the same things. He told me to put more leg on my horse and showed me where exactly. He also wanted me to tighten up my reins (which at first I completely didn't understand but later seen how it helped kizz and myself both balance better ) He quickly picked up a nicer better trot I could POST to! Not only slow and nice I could SIT to, but a nice good paced one that I could post to and get things done with! Nice !! so happy.
He reminded me over and over again about my hand position , legs ON, sit up better, and of course my worst LOOK up! Where I'm going. It was a full time job for him to keep reminding me to tighten my reins, at one point he even tied a knot in my reins and had me keep them THAT tight!! Finally we worked on some cantering, and he seen the first direction Kizz's goosiness jumping around.. but we got a half circle done. The transition was what he was looking for (thank goodness , since I the second time I cantered, it was on the wrong lead )
I notice as I am tacking up for our second ride that day, that Kizz is ultra sensitive to my touch... more than normal!! hmmmm...
makes me wonder if he needs a supplement or something of some kind.. something to think on for sure.
Kendra & Fluke, Amanda & Prime and myself & Kizz at the end of a rainy lesson
The second ride of the day Kizz was really picking up on this all! a smoother nice trot that I could really post to and work on my position at the same time, I was so amazed how quickly we were getting things done that I hadn't been able to do over the past 3 months by myself in the indoor!! At almost the end of the ride, I was asking for a canter and he jumped off sideways bucking.. I lost my seat and almost gained it back when he gave one last good buck and I went off the left side and rolled.. I laid flat for a bit to check everything.. everything seemed perfectly fine! phew! Got up and there was Kizz looking down at me, as if to say.. HOW DID YOU GET DOWN THERE MOM?!?! DARN horse!! Mitch helped me mount up again and we worked on some more getting a good trot. Quite a few times Mitch yelled out that he wouldn't CHANGE a thing! "YAHOOO!! what an accomplishment for me, with as much as I had to fix to get there!!! so proud! I was beaming everytime he said that. Great ride, I'm soooo happy I went!
We finished the day out with a yummy warm meal at a local truck stop.. oh was it GOOD! got the chores all done, horses settled for the night and tucked ourselves into the van for the 2nd night. It was early we were both super tired! We each had a cooler, and fell promptly to sleep!
Sunday ----
Sunday morning we wake up and the sun is shining!!! yahooo!!! We get up, get the horses done, go grab some Tim's and get ready for our first ride at 9 again.
We mount up separately and head up , as our ninny horses have decided they have to be together at all times haha
Kizz & bronwyn
The second day goes even better ,work more on my hands and position, reminds me leg on, look up and ahead.. and my outside rein to be down , tighten inside rein to turn and keep my hands in correct position!! I'm getting there !
As he notices things I am doing as I ask for the canter, we work on them.. I am "goosing" Kizz when I ask for the canter, He is sensitive and needs less bump and my leg is also too far back.. He shows me a better position for Kizz for asking the canter.. he also Works on me setting back , hands down and for me to still STEER while I ask for the canter!! We do a couple each way and I don't get dumped again lol
I have so much to work on !! phew! it's been such a great couple days though I'm super happy and excited about this! I got more accomplished in 4 lessons with him, than I did over 3 months riding in the indoor this winter !!! Wow! I'm SOLD :)
Amanda with her beautiful mare Bronwyn
Look at Kizz's position here.. never seen this before haha!
love this boy, so beautiful and super smart, Mitch got on him at the end of the first ride on the second day so I could see how good he moves, and He said a few times that Kizz was very smart and caught on to something he did with him after only 3 times! He also said he really liked him :) So glad my boy is so likable to someone other than his momma!
getting some one on one with Mitch!
I could go on for another hour about how happy I am about going to this clinic and how much I learned! but I will cut it off now. I really did have a great experience and can't wait to go do another clinic with Mitch! Never had someone explain things in such a way they made such sense and I seen immediate results! Thankful I went!
Was also happy to get home, get Kizz safely off the trailer, and put away ... and get hugs and love from my hubby and Kiddos!! It was mothers day!! Hubby bbq'd me lovely steaks and made me a lovely meal even including dessert! He finished my chicken coop While I was gone too.. feeling Very loved <3
Wish me luck I can use some of what I learned on the trail and not be a complete beginning again when I go to my next clinic :)
Our Accident :(
Kizz and I have our very first Accident (hopefully our only!) On our very next ride out after the clinic. I ride down the pave to meet up with Robyn. Her mare got spooked by a crazy chained up dog at the crossroads near her house , and ran into the field and cut her leg a bit on some wire in the field. As I ride onto her road I see her standing with her mare ! They are a little shook up but ok. So she mounts up and we go for a short ride on the RR. I ride back with her past the crazy chained dog (also across a wooden bridge on that road, Kizz has never seen before!) we take the outside and ride along by the dog. The horses are fine. Bambi is happy to have another horse along to comfort her I think!
We ride almost the whole way to Robyn's house, then turn.. On the way back Kizz is PERFECT. We go by the crazy dog and across the old Wooden bridge. Once we got onto the pave we decide to trot a bit. Kizz is still very hyper since he had a very short ride . He picks up a little canter on the pave and I stupidly let him :( As we go around a pot hole in the pave, he spooks a bit, (just that little stutter spook that you wouldn't normally notice!) and his front feet in the boots loose grip and we start to go down!! We slide along the pave for a ways!! I slide along my knee , calf and helmet a bit! When we are stopped I jump up and Kizz hops up! It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be going down!!! but then I see why.. poor kizz has taken the brunt of the fall and has road rash along his stifle area and on his left front elbow area.. he also has a little bit of chafing on his back hooves and fetlocks but not bad. He isn't dripping blood from the two wounds but they're bloody :(
I walk my poor guy home and access the damage. My husband comes out and gets me the garden hose going so I can hose it and see it better. Robyn arrives and helps me as well. We clean it and put some Wonder dust on them . I turn him out to pasture with his buddy and he gallops off! Guess nothing is too seriously hurt!! BUT over the next few days he does lay around in the grass alot and I think he's probably very stiff.. over 2 weeks his wounds heal and then we get back out for a little ride and he's back in the game!!
walking home after our accident
our first Conditioning ride back after the accident.
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