Fanjee

[jessicab]

Well, we've had a couple rough rides lately that made me sit down and really rethink things.

After reading a couple of really good articles in a magazine, I've come to the conclusion that all the problems we're having are due to my inconsistency in training methods and my impatience. I know that I've been losing my patience with her really easily lately, and wasn't being the best mommy. I think that now that I realize this most of our problems will rectify themselves over time.

I had a really GREAT ride yesterday, not that we did anyhting great, but just that I didn't lose my patience with her and I could really see just what we need to work on. I have my mind made up as far as what my game plan is, and Im going to stick with it. And I'm going to remember that this is all supposed to be FUN, why am I serious about it? This isn't the worlds... its schooling with hopes of showing at a local level on a rock hahaha.

Gotta love horses and the life lessons they teach you.

[Emily C]

Jess, I had the same thing go on with Red and me. I was so mad at him, adn we didn't progress for a while, then I took a break, sat back and thought about it, and now we're doing awesome!!
Jus tstick with it

[jessicab]

Haha thanks for the pep talk Em.. honestly, Im gonna need it!

Well it turns out that Princess's saddle isn't fitting her as well as it used to, so I have 2 other saddles Im going to try on her tonight and see if they make any difference in her attitude! Wouldn't it be great... change her saddle and have all our issues just disapear?!

[Michelle]

It could be just as simple as that, Jess

[chels]

I know how you feel Jess, me and Rox haven't been getting along lately either. We have no patience for each other for the past few rides. And it's because I've been so inconsistant with her and my patience hasn't been great. She's being ridden by a number of people, and she's really confused. She's not the same horse anymore. It makes me sad. Not to mention, she's in heat. So yeah.
I feel your pain.

[jessicab]

Boourns neither saddle fit.

English it is! ;D

[anitaridemore]

I knew you would cross over .. haha. Just kidding Jess. But you took to english so easily! Is she ok in the english saddle?

[jessicab]

Yeah.. I kinda love english ;D Don't get me wrong, I will continue to ride Western, but I think me and my girl are ready to try something new. Especially with Sasha out here... I'm gonna call that girl this week!

I've ridden her with an english saddle probably 3-4 times, she was a superstar. I rode her in my new saddle (Julies black Imperial Derwent) and she seemed fine with it, but I guess only time will tell. I'm going to bring it out this weekend and take pictures of it on her, so I can get opinions on whether it fits or not. It looks great to me, but I don't really know much about english saddle fitting.

I've decided that another thing that is hindering us is that shes ring sour. Not that we can blame her , shes been exercised in that indoor pretty close on everyday since she was brought there in Jan. She gets outside like once a week for an hour or so, but its impossible to take her anywhere, because theres a mountain on one side, and a highway on the other. I'm sure shes just bored right out of her trees, and Im actually thinking about bringing her home and taking Fury out for the last month or so (which I already paid for haha). Im planning on giving her a week or two off completely, to just be a horse again, and Im hoping that when shes home, on 24/7 turnout, and we have fields, roads, etc to school on she'll be a little more happy with going for rides.

[Robyn]

Sasha is great! Fanjee is a really pretty mare, Jess

[jessicab]

Thanks Robyn! She knows it

So I've been riding her with Suzannes cc for the last few days, and I can honestly feel a difference in her. I'm not convinced the cc fits her as well as my ap, but it'll make due until next weekend.

We've just been doing lots of forward trotting, pushing her forward and getting some good old forward movement out of her. Darryl told me to use a running martingale and to carry a crop, incase she gets sticky (which does happen occasionally). She also told me to wear spurs, but I don't feel that my seat is secure enough yet to wear spurs.

I'll try to get pics sometime this week!

Today I walked my girl outside in the fresh air and let her graze; yes thats right, she snuffled around in the snow and ate brown grass-like material haha. I brought her in the indoor then for some playtime.. aka Fanjee runs around like a wild demented stallion and nearly kills herself numerous times. We both enjoy it though, its nice to see her letting loose (ya know, until she cripples herself or something).

Fanjee loveee

[becawilton]

aww jess! i cant wait to see Fanjee agian she's such a little cutie. sounds like you've been doing really good with her which is wikked anyways keep up the good work and hope to see you agian soon

[Lacey]

What a mental case. Deffinatly get some pictures of her wildness for me. <3
And woo! English!

[jessicab]

Rebecah: Next time you're out you should stop up for a visit! And like I said, you have to come out to Sville sometime and ride Fury

Lacey: I got a few shots, but they're super blurry. I'm gonna try some different settings on my camera!

Well I've been riding my girlie the last few days, and we've been doing a bit of cantering! Like I said on my last post, shes not as cinchy as she was, and shes better for mounting etc... pretty much just an allover attitude improvement since I changed the saddle. She still swishes her tail when I use leg, but its getting better.

Her left lead is awful haha, her right lead is good to go. She'll pick up her left most of the time, but I'd say 75% of the time she crossfires for a bit before I can get her to switch in the back. Which is super hard for me to sit to. Especially in that english saddle, I end up losing my stirrups, or she ends up breaking etc. I'm going to spend alot more time working her on a lungeline tracking left at a canter, probably with sidereins to try to set her up best to travel correctly. Undersaddle I'm only going to go large going on the left lead, but I think shes balanced enough at a canter to start doing some large circle work.

We'll get there someday haha.

[jessicab]

Well I rode her yesterday.

I decided that I'm just going to chill out on the mad training for awhile, until I get her home where she can detox for a bit (get turnout and have a horse buddy to play with).

I had tried my treeless on her, and decided that it didn't fit, but I asked some treeless people about it and they said its fine (if it was a treed saddle it wouldn't be, but treeless' are special haha). I'm going to order the special treeless pad to go with it, and that should fix the slightly 'off' fit.

Since we've been having some nose-flipping/pulling on the bit issues lately (which is NOT like her), I'm going to wait until I get her teeth done (2 weeks) before I use a bit again. In the meantime I decided to just ride her with a plain ol' rope halter, and be an all-natural wannabe (ya know, with my barefoot horse riding in my treeless saddle ).

She was great!

Stopping (which she does off voice and seat alone) certainly wasn't affective, her back-up was GREAT, AND, best of all... her leg-yielding improved tenfold. I'm using a heavy rope as reins, so I'm hoping this will help teach her neck-reining as well.

At this point I'm not seeing us showing western much in the future, so I'm game to continue using the rope halter for awhile until we get some things figured out. No reason why I can't use it while trail riding/ running barrels etc (wouldn't that be great?).

All in all, although nothing "special" happened persay, and there was still an intense amount of tail swishing whenever I applied leg, I felt it was a supremely productive ride and I can't wait to go up again tonight! ;D

Oh, and her canter work on the lungeline is improving immensely. I think shes getting a bit more fit now, so its becoming easier for her. I'm hoping it will transfer over to undersaddle work.

[jessicab]

Well I took the girl outside last night for the first time in over a week (it was a sheet of ice outside).

The snow is finally gone, so we did a bit of lunging in the parking lot.

Fanjee is going through an identity crisis. I saw the change in her... she was jogging around like a sensible horse and then all of the sudden... I saw her tail raise itself up. Flagged over her back. Her head came up as well, mimicking her tail. And then... she started to Passage her way around the yard. Every now and again she would stop for a little Piaffe. A coiled spring...

She believed she was an arabian stallion! I was like: Fanjee, no, you're a stupid old appaloosa. But she didn't believe me. She wanted to prove me wrong. So she randomly reared and bolted around on the line, leapt into the air and managed to get her leg over the line. Then she snorted and blowed a bit, again, to show me how studly she really is! I walked over to her to untangle her, and then lead her (while prancing along like a top level dressage horse alongside) to the snowy area so we could blow off some steam without anyone getting hurt haha.

Honestly guys, it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. I just couldn't believe my eyes... the suspension was just amazing. I wish I would have had a camera!

So I guess if I ever want to do dressage with her all I need to do is keep her pent up in a barn for a few weeks and then take her outside on a crisp spring day!

<3<3<3