@Summer plans: Hmmm... For starters I'm trying to get a summer job to help out my financial situation(so far no luck, so I'm getting quite nervous) and then I have one summer course from school(most of it is online lectures/recordings). I'm pondering on picking up either beginner level Icelandic language course or some genetics/biochemistry stuff from summer university. But lot will depend on the job situation, as no job no money no extra studies or extra horse fun. :c On more horse related note, depending how things go with Heta and well, my money situation, I hope I could enter into one practice/training show. But there's lot of ifs involved in that plan. I also think I will be starting to ride Tý myself sometime during summer. Another big if is traveling. I may have applied as a camp supervisor for international youth camp, organised by FEIF(which is the main Icelandic horse association), in Belgium. It's been couple weeks already since the application period closed and I've yet to hear did I get the position or not... -__-
So basically my whole summer is still giant mess of ifs...
@Biminy: How I see things is that you need to figure out what is your goal with your riding and which horse can get you there, short and long termly thinking. If you want that C3-HB this summer, then you have probably better chance in getting there with T than you'd have with O. How ever if you plan on keeping O, I'd try get as much work done with her as you can before you are off to college. T is also getting on with the years, so long term thinking vise it's smart to start working with younger horse now before giving up the more experienced horse. Even if that means having to work two horses for year or two. But if you feel like you are too busy to fully work with two horses, then I'd maybe pick O over T, since she's your future horse and it won't do her any good to just loiter around unworked.
@Fortunea: Play with the inside rein a little, possibly use leading rein, sort of block him little with you inside leg, keep contact and support with the outer rein. Starting to teach him baby versions of lateral work probably wouldn't hurt either. If he's stiff and bending is new concept to him it might take him a while to pick it up, so patience is key as well. Concentration is tricky, usually I'd keep the horse's brain busy by changing up the tasks and not doing same patterns and repeating things at same spots. And don't demand too much for too long, young horses don't always have the best attention span and patience, and if you ask too much of them there's risk that things won't go nice.
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I had quite interesting day and I'm not sure exactly how long did I spend at the stable. lol
First I had to re-do Heta's mane. I removed the rubber bands last week, since apparently silicone bands have use life of about two weeks before they start to break appart, and then during this week most of Heta's mane had decided to return to the left side... Then long reined her and she was pretty good after she warmed up properly. Little difficulties in getting her actually honestly bending, since while riding I do need quite bit of inside leg to keep her in check, but she did well enough. She's been also getting used to the idea of cantering while long reined. It's far from perfect in almost every way, but at least she seems to pick correct lead almost everytime much to my surprise.
To right she's stays in canter okay and it's fairly easy to get her to pick it up, but to left it's definetly harder and I have to be happy if I manage to keep her in canter through 2 corners.
Then I got to ride a pony. Yes, an actual pony this time. I did ride him couple times last summer and now R said I'm free to ride him when ever I please if he's not coming to a lesson, since they hope to get him back into shape for summer camp season. He's tricky pony, but we worked quite fine last year, so I got on without too much concern. And boy was I wrong. Honestly even while I was tacking up I felt he was bit on the edge today and when I got on he was bit antsy when I tried to adjust my stirrups etc. Then while walking he started staring things and generally felt like I didn't have his attention. I rode him in walk for bit and did some circles and direction changes. Then I tried some trot and boy that did not work out. Lets just say everytime I tried trot he tried to rush off, bucked, ran off, you know the general naughty pony. Though I think he wasn't even trying to really get me off. I mean I know he can do that as he's quite known for getting people off when he wants to. The thing with him is, it's usually something about the rider that sets him off(he's quite sensitive and skilled pony really, so hard/unstable hand or very bouncy rider is a big no no to him) and as it had been quite long time since I last rode him, I suppose I didn't have his buttons quite right(or he just decided to test me out, he does that sometimes as well). Eventually I did figure out couple mistakes of my own(too much leg, too unstable seat) and I did lenghten my stirrups by one hole, after which suddenly things started to settle heck lot faster. So in the end I got him trotting nicely couple big circles and then after some walking called it quits as this pony hasn't been ridden much and I really didn't want to push my luck with him after such bad start. I guess lately I've been more used to riding Heta who's bit of a slowpoke and my recent work with her has required bit harder aids to get them through, but now I need to switch back to really soft ones when I'm riding that pony.
Feykja got to come out of paddock to be groomed and munch her extra feed(much to her dislike there was vitamin supplement in it, which she still doesn't like, so almost half was left uneaten...). She's been without her mommy now for two weeks I think, and I think they've both settled nice. Like today I didn't hear Feykja make any sound when I worked with Heta. She does apparently still hand around by the gate from where she can see into Heta's paddock, but that's about it now.
Tý also got to come out of the paddock. Poor boys have literally been iced in their paddock, since it's down a slope, which has been shaded enough with all the melting waters running down, making it very icy and slippery for past couple months. Even the front/gate area of the boys' paddock got iced really bad. So no safe way of getting barefooted young horse out of there really(unless L would have gotten ton of sand). :c But now that the ice is gone we can get the two out of there when needed. Tý's very much due a trim(as is Feykja), which I hope we can organise next week just before easter holiday starts. He has calmed down even more over the winter and only issue I really have with him is that he's so darn attatched to that best friend of his it's ear spliting to have them appart. Literally. Like I took Tý inside our lower stable, which is old and made of stone. He could still hear his friend calling him from their paddock and of course he had to answer, which could be then heard outside. I mean he was kinda cool when I was with him, but he did have to do two stress poops before he sort of settled.
I had him tied just in case, though he wasn't really that antsy, but the neighing I couldn't do much about... But he did let me mess with his mane nicely and I got is nicely divided(fingers crossed it stays without bands) and detangled. I honestly thought it would be a bigger mess that it was, so I guess my little effords here and there have helped out. The very tips of his forelock though were kinda hard to sort, since they reach about his nose now and he was fed psyllium during last week along with some linseed, so naturally he had dipped those forelock tips in that goo feed... -__- He's also the oddest of my three when it comes to shedding. Like just last week I though he had finally started to really shed, but today not much hair came off. Heck even Heta's shedding more than him I think, and generally she had less hair I think and I groom her lot more...
That's only half of his mane actually.
Oh, almost forgot. L's chickens had chicks this week and there's currently 9 of them and they are freakishly adorable little easter chicks.
And there will be puppies running around hopefully in June/July, which is bad since I love the planned the combination, but I have no hope on getting puppy anytime soon. ;__;
