Cativa Cativa Cativa & Ferrary Enzo

[happilyeverafter]

the latest from Sandra



Hello Gillian,
Glad your are getting some quality lessons in. it is cool to do flying
changes. Cassey can do them, when I have her in regular work. Collina
could do them too but I have never tried. We have been pretty busy with the
young ones. Emilie who used to ride here a few years ago called me out of
the blue, and now she is out here 5 times/week. She is primarily working
with Gazella because she used to ride her mom. She is spending some good
time with her and helping her settle down. She takes bridle & saddle and
walks quietly in the ring. She started to work with rosa. She has been
fully tacked up 3x and walked in the arena. She is very smart and loves the
attention. She is doing a bit with kozi and she is warming up to the
attention. We are also working enzo who is looking great. I don't know if
I told you but all the girls & kandi are out in the big herd and it is going
really well but very difficult to feed the separately. Enzo is well except
he got another puncture wound under his chin on the boney part. We are
scrubbing 1x/day and he is doing well with the carrots. We are also tacking
him up and walking him around the arena. I have gotten on his back, just
belly, and no walking but without jaye and so far it is ok. He really likes
his good boy. Cativa is doing well. We just started to work with her
again. She has her moods when she decides to give her feet to Emily. Today
we walked around with me on her back and steered and stopped - yah. I am
hoping to do more soon I just want to start her slow. She is so smart.
Christina is away in Iceland. She will be getting back sometime this
Thursday. John has a problem with his hock. We had it injected and was
supposed to get better but did not. We were lucky to get the good old vet
and he thoroughly flexed and re-checked him and he discovered that he has a
big blister under his femur. So we put him on rest, not to play with
balzano because that is probably why he got hurt, and rubbed it rubafacient
(spelling). He was fine today as we turned him out and of course he was
playing with balzano but thankfully not running like a lunatic.
I have not ridden cassey or collina but they are calling my name. I am
trying to get all the horses worked and they are lacking.
Danza is going great. I was able to ride him 4x in a row. It was getting
better and better. He is really growing and filling out.
Well I guess that's all I have to say for a while. I am supposed to
download some more pictures. I will send you some when I get them.
p.s. I have someone working with lucci so he is getting worked regularly. I
will try to get you some recent pics of him.
Talk to you soon.
Sandra

[happilyeverafter]

Havent updated here in AGES!
So Sad.

Well, today I have an excerpt from Christina. She sent me a long email which was about all kinds of things so I'll only post the paragraph about Cativa and Enzo.

I laughed outloud about Cativa and her hooves...it probably wont be as funny to anyone else because you dont know her, but she's so hilarious.

anyway, here it is:


"Applehill news? Well: guess who I "rode"? !! Cativa!!! She is so much
like Grace. How did this come about? Sandra hoped to keep Cativa
going (and Enzo as much as possible, but going very slowly) so she
wouldn't forget all the good work you did with her. Emilie has been
doing a little bit but her focus is mainly on the three 2-yr-old
fillies; Cativa and Enzo know her and like her, but she hasn't enough
time for them all. Then Sandra hurt her back (badly enough that she's
going to see a doctor next week) boosting Emilie, who is no
lightweight. So Sandra asked me to start working with K and Enzo to
see if they would accept the mounting block the way John did. Enzo
was worried about everything in the arena the first time; by the
second time we had him feeling much more relaxed, happy to walk
alongside the block and stand quietly with me standing up tall beside
him, stamping, pushing, patting, bumping him, but talking to him and
praising him all the time. (Carrots work wonders! So far from being
scared Enzo actually threw a little mini temper tantrum when told he
couldn't have the whole bucket of carrot pieces. He had to do the
routine with NO carrots after that, and he did it fine.) By the third
day I could do a couple of belly-over's, stay for a short while and
hop back off onto the block! Kativa, however, was a pro from the
first. All cool. By the third session I did a couple a belly-over and
sit right up's, then a short walk about (Emilie leading, Sandra
elsewhere since Kativa worries if there are too many people around
her) with a couple of whoa's. Kativa is growing up and becoming more
and more beautiful in all ways. I've only been on Grace once, walking
only, but it feels to me like Kativa has the same big walk. She is a
bit of a diva, as you know. She will give me her feet (usually only
three out of four, but hey!) but not immediately; then she whips up
her hoof and boy, you'd better catch it or down it goes and you don't
get a second chance. It's almost a game, a contest of wills more than
not knowing what to do or being afraid. If she absolutely will NOT
give me the last back hoof, I'll ask for a front one again, just so
she doesn't always win. You're going to have fun with her next fall
and winter; she's ready to do more."



Yay ponies!
19 days till I go back to Ottawa!
I'll have pictures right away!

[happilyeverafter]

So in packing up to move things to Ottawa I decided to make a list of all the things I have acquired this summer for Cativa and Enzo (I know this is supposed to be a "training" log but for me its more just a journal about the two horses)


-Lancers CC Saddle
-Stubben Bridle with bridle charm
-2 purple/green patterned polos
-2 front leather boots
-purple personal fortiflex pail
-pink brush caddy
-Leather halter
-pink/blue halter
-purple/pink halter

And what I'm planning on buying over the course of this year:

-fleece half pad
-snaffle bit
-purple baby pad
-gel pad
-bell boots

[happilyeverafter]

A couple lines from Christina today... her email was mostly about her trip to Iceland but she did have this to say


"News: Cativa (today I think it's spelled with a "C") now comes up to
the block and I mount using stirrup. Progress! wish you were here. I
think you'll see a lot of change and growth over the summer. She is
beautiful!"

I'm so excited to go back to Ottawa

[happilyeverafter]

Short update from Sandra


Hello Gillian,
Glad to hear from you. Someone came to see cativa but she didn't like her so
she will still be here for you. She is missing the attention and really
needs to start trotting on her own. Enzo is doing ok but has not had too
much attention. Enzo needs to be walking more with someone on his back
without another horse for company.
It is no trouble for you to bring out your stuff. I don't mind if you use
my stuff - it is my horses. I will wash the saddle pads - it will be hard
to wash them at the university.
We are getting ready to do round bales tomorrow. It should go well.
Talk to you again soon.
Sandra

[happilyeverafter]

I saw Cativa and Enzo yesterday for the first time since last april.

Enzo is 16hh and has filled out so much, despite the bleached out coat, he is GORGEOUS. What a face, I tell you

Cativa is now 16.1hh and just as stunning as ever...

I went for a ride and she was awesome. My saddle fits her and everything...and her new stubben bridle looks gorgeous and just happens to match my saddle.

I have my own saddle rack and I'm moving into a BIG cubby, the ones reserved for owners! SO exciting!

pictures coming over the weekend....probably sunday or monday, once my parents get back in NL.

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY PONIES

[happilyeverafter]

Saw Cativa and Enzo this past sunday (a week ago almost)

Rode Cativa.. she was a little bit on edge in the arena. We think it was because it was SUPER cold that day and the horses were all a little funny. Cativa was a good girl and she is doing quite well.

Tacked Enzo up... he also wears my saddle. What a handsome boy I only walked Enzo around. He is more spooky/silly than Cativa and if Cativa was on edge Enzo would be as well. We walked while Lucci and Balzano were being ridden. Enzo was a good boy and only got nervous when Lucci cantered up behind him and he wasnt ready for it!

I am going to the barn for a few hours tomorrow. I will hopefully be riding both Cativa AND Enzo and maybe even Gazella as she has been a bit of a loser for Emilie.

To anyone who might be in the horse shopping vacinity--- Rosa is looking AWESOME and doing very well undersaddle. I saw her go last week and she is SO pro.

Also...
I was on Equestrian Connection and found a size 80 lilac waffle weave sheet for sale. I emailed the seller in hopes that s/he still has it. It was a really good price so if it is still available I'm going to get it for Cativa. Woo woo!

[happilyeverafter]

Alright, I was out to the barn this morning for just a couple hours. First off I mucked almost the entire barn. Emilie and I got it done SO fast it was ridiculous. Then we brought kids inside...

I groomed Cativa and tacked up. She looks so pretty in my navy blue saddle pad ♥. Took her out to the arena and walked out for a few minutes, then got on from the mounting block. Cativa is so pro, she just stands and waits for you to get on! Doll!

Walked around with Sandra a bit. Cativa didnt want to stay on the rail so we had to get firm and make her go over there. It was a little bit annoying but she was a pretty good girl about it all.

Cativa was SO forward...she started to trot all on her own a couple of times. Finally (after we changed the direction) we did some trotting. We trotted around 4 or 5 times. The steering is lacking greatly (Sandra has me holding on to some mane, not really sure why but thats how it is!)

Anyway, we're pretty close to being able to trot on our own. Sandra stood in the middle and we just circled around her (not quite on the track ) and Cativa did good.

I am going to the barn four days a week now, so we should be trotting (and steering) on our own in about 2 weeks...Cativa is just so smart like that.


On to Enzo!

Enzo was a good boy today. We were practising "belly on" from the block. I would lead Enzo over, christina would come hold him and then I would get up on my stomach across the saddle.

At first Enzo started to buck we walked away, so I hopped off. We kept on trying tho and eventually we were able to walk away from the block with him feeling fairly relaxed. The next week will be spent getting him used to having me get on from the block AND walking away with me on him.

..hoping to be able to mount normally in 2 weeks- Enzo is not as fast a learner as Cativa is...


More updates on Wednesday

[jessicab]

Gill, just wanted to warn you that by hopping off Enzo everytime he bucks, you are reinforcing the behavior. He learns that bucking = she gets off my back. I know hes a baby and you don't want to push him, and obviously if you are bellying him you can't stay on very well through a tantrum, just something to keep in mind. I also realise that you probably don't have alot of control over how he is trained

Same thing with spookiness. Alot of people pat their horses when they're spooky, trying to calm them down. What you are infact doing is telling them: "Yeees, good horse, you are right to be scared; continue jumping at every sound!" and are actually training them to be spooky. For spooky/nervous behaviour its actually best to just ignore it; same goes for bucking. Either correct it and then reinforce the good behaviour, or ignore the bad behaviour altogether.

So in short, if you're bellying him and he starts to jump around, hang on and just ignore it. Bail if need be and repeat, but make sure that whatever you do do not pet him or even talk to him in a soothing voice; he will think he is getting rewarded for the misbehaviour (whether it be from nerves or bad attitude is irrelevant; its the behaviour he will associate the reward with).

Make sense? Easier said than done but I've seen alot of people
"accidentally" reinforce behaviours that are undesired and I just want to make sure you are aware

[happilyeverafter]

Jess,
Enzo is definitley not rewarded for the bucking. He doesnt get a pat or a "good boy" I just get off and we walk around and go straight back to the block to try again. Getting off is not for him- under normal circumstances (getting on from the ground, not from the block) I sit through it and he settles pretty quick.

The problem with him bucking when I'm on my stomach is that it is most likely that if I'm going to fall it will be onto my head (When your hips are on the pommel the brunt of your weight is hanging on the "head/shoulders" side of the horse...even a sort of sharp turn gives quite a big lurch and can be dangerous for the person having their weight tossed too far to one side.) Its actually pretty nerve wracking to be facing the ground and have to deal with a bucking horse...it is MUCH harder to wait out and is pretty dangerous to do so.

Sandra makes us (there are three of us girls training horses right now) get off, in a situation like that, when we are doing belly on because there is too much of a risk of us falling onto our heads and doing some serious damage/killing ourselves.

If any of the horses has an attitude such that it becomes too dangerous to do the "belly on" method then the Cowboy gets the horse to start and does it his way.

Hope that clears it up a little!!

[Emily C]

Hasn't he been lightly started under saddle for lose to a year now though??

[happilyeverafter]

He was off for six months [absolutely no work] because of an illness/injury so we have to retrace some steps...and now we're using the mounting block which is a whole different ballgame for his poor little mind.

haha oh Enzo.

[happilyeverafter]

Worked with both kids today... I was at the barn from 3:30 until 8!!! haha!

Anyway, brought them both in.
Cativa didnt eat hay and lay down right away...turns out she has a sore belly from the new change in grain. We gave her pepto bismol (3x60cc) over the course of 2 hours and she was perfect again. Sandra is going to get the old grain (straight oats as opposed to this new mixed stuff) just for Cativa and her sensitive tummy!

Anyway, we worked with Enzo first. He was a really good boy, did lots of mounting from the block and walking away and stuff. He was perfect! He was a little funny today- very mouthy which he usually isnt. We think he knew Cativa was not feeling very well... he was pawing at the wall seperating them.

Took Cativa out for about 15 minutes and just rode walk for a bit. She was really really happy to be out doing some work and we had a nice relaxing ride.

I think I am going to ask for a new pessoa bridle for christmas.... haha

[happilyeverafter]

Evidently I didnt update from Sunday....
Well, it was hot and we were all tired so I just worked with Enzo for a bit- for consistency and because he needs regular work a LOT more then Cativa does
either way, Enzo was a star. He was a really good boy and I think once Sandra gets back from Dressage@Devon on Monday we will be mounting like a normal horse from the block.


Today I went to the barn with Christina. Sandra is gone to Devon until Monday so Christina and I are helping out doing some feedings and what not over the weekend. When we got there we had to clean a puncture wound Rosa got, just above her knee.

We normally dont use cross ties at the barn, but Rosa stood on them like an angel while we cleaned and poked at her leg.

After that we brough our horses (Cativa Enzo John Jaye) in from the field.

I groomed both my kids and then tacked up Cativa.

Today I used our brand new purple shedrow saddle pad...she looked so cute in it. I managed to snap one quick picture as I was tacking up.

i22.tinypic.com/1toowo.jpg

haha she looks like a state but the saddle pad is pretty ♥
Love my diva.

anyway, today was fun times... got on and rode for about 25 minutes. All we did was walk cause it was wayyyyyyyyyyyy too warm, but we practised lots of steering and worked on circles. Cativa was a good girl. The first time we turned she stopped and did the "I cant turn and walk at the same time" thing. It was cute!

After that she was really good and did lots of nice turns. Have to work on staying straight tho because she likes to drift.... our centerlines werent very nice haha! She did do pretty good with circles tho. We've never really actually tried to make a nice circle before and she was trying really hard.

I was happy so I got off and then we finished feeding the horses and what not!

I'm going friday saturday and sunday...


oh and the neatest thing- Robyn Legrow is going to be riding at AppleHill with me. She will be riding Luccichio and maybe Rosso, and will hopefully be starting some of the horses (probably Balzano, Lucci and Blue) over fences! We're all very excited to have her around

[happilyeverafter]

Went to the barn again today - had an awesome .... afternoon/evening. We were there for ages!

Got to the barn around 2:45, we cleaned Rosa's puncture wound. She was SO good. I love Rosa. I honestly think if I wasnt going to buy Cativa I would probably take Rosa instead. She is a super star

Anyway, brought the horses in, groomed them both and then tacked Cativa up. We had a good ride today. We worked on steering of course, and did a LOT of work on our circles. Sandra is going to be impressed haha. We tried to do a figure 8 but Cativa was preoccupied by the scary open door--- she was actually quite nervous walking by one of the doors today. Thats pretty unusual for her but she listened nonetheless and didnt do anything bad.

I'm going out tomorrow afternoon. I'll bring my camera and take some pictures. Hoping Robyn will be out with us as well