Benson, oct 19th

[htrimm08]

yesterday was show day! I am so proud of Benson, we competed in Green pleasure, equitation, Working cowhorse pattern, and pleasure, in which we got 2nd, 4th, 4th, and 3rd!

He behaved so much better than he did at the last show, but I guess all there is to see are improvements right? He actually did so much better in our pleasure class than he did in the green pleasure, he was pretty near perfect!

oh and this time when we went to go home, he decided that he was just going to walk right on the trailer, nbd.

[hjcayus]

glad he did well!!!

[htrimm08]

thanks!

[Ash]

Congrats!!!! Gracie also did really well going to her first show! We didn't actually compete in the show, she's barefoot and the pebblely arena was not agreeing with her feet (I'm afraid I see shoes in her future), but she was so chill there!!! At least I know when we are ready to compete it will not be a big deal to her!!! But enough about us, haha, so glad he is working out soo well for you! He sounds like an angel!!

[htrimm08]

yeah, maggie told me when i called her to update! thats unfortunate, but I don't think Benson would be too hot on Ruths footing either, if its still like I remember it, its pretty rocky.. oh well but if all goes as planned, he'll have to have sliders on in the future anyway!

[Sabrina]

That's excellent Heather! I'm glad he's doing so well, and the loading part - yay! It must've taken a load off your shoulders! Do you see any NB shows in your future ? Perhaps the Open Paint Show in Sussex... September? Let me know if you ever do, I'll for sure come watch!

[htrimm08]

oh defiantly in the future! But for this season we're keeping it local, we're only small fish yet lol

I was soo relieved when he just walked on, when we were walking toward the trailer I was giving him a little pep talk and begging him to go on, after the great show we had! I guess it worked lol

[htrimm08]

lovelovelove my boyy, we had a great ride tonight, started off working on collection at the walk and then moving on to the trot, hes very supple and likes to play with the bit. We would switch up directions, circles, and transition timing from just using my seat.

Then we moved on to switching it up with some loping, I am loving his lope lately! Its getting so nice, and he rarely makes a sloppy transition nowadays.. *knockonwood lol.

Then we moved on to working on his leg yeilding, we haven't done it in a while, so you can really tell when hes thinking about what he has to do, He moves forward and sideways easy enough, but oh its just soo much hard work for him to cross over his legss! lol.. he was getting it good enough by the end, then at the end of my ride I rode without my stirrups w/j/l and it was greatt, and then walked/joged around reinless.

[htrimm08]

Last two rides we've been working on the same things, getting everything perfected for our next lesson so we can move on

His leg yeilding is defiantly coming along, hes been using his back more at all gaits, and he now moves with more compulsion from his hind end, I can really see more muscle formation there. His transitions were great yesterday, we worked mostly on jog/lope/jog and moving on to walk/lope/walk.. he was good! We also worked on speed changes and simple lead transitions on a figure 8, besides that his Jog is more of a fast trot, which would be expected at this point, he picks up his leads easily.

[htrimm08]

our weather all week has been absolute dirt, so I haven't ridden since last post..

Today I couldn't do much, the arena hold a lot of water so it was disgusting.. we kept it at walk/jog and worked on collection/strengthening his back, at walk and jog, were at the point where he can hold himself for one whole side so I'd ask him collect for one side, then give him a break for another and so on.. at the jog he bobs his head sometimes instead of holding it in once place, but we will get there, its a lot of work for him.. to give him breaks from that I worked on his turn on the haunch in between.

We have our next lesson on Monday, I'm hoping to get out every day before then so we'll have his leg yeilding going well and work more on collection so that we'll have big results for Megan, though Reuben and I have a lesson tomorrow with Danica so that might be out of the question!

[htrimm08]

Had another lesson today! but I'll start with yesterdays ride

We worked mainly on getting him using his back/propelling from his hind, mixing up up with that and jog/lope and walk/lope transitions, I lovee the difference all the collection work we've been doing is making on his lope, its becoming soo nice, his transitions have been wonderful, his leg, seat and neck reining responses have been wonderful!!

in addition to that, his leg yielding and turn on the forehand are also coming along very well!

So today we basically worked on all that in our lesson today, but Megan had me be more consistent with trying to keep him using his back at walk and trot, and only soften my reins once he gave and as soon as he hollowed I'd pick back up the reins again, we mixed it up with trotting circles and on the rail.

Then she had me do our leg yielding a few times, just to make sure hes doing good! she also suggested that from now on whenever we are just walking/jogging on the rail that I should always try to keep him collected. after that she had me do our turn on the forehand, and she agreed that hes doing well! he goes a full turn around without falling out of step.. our next lesson we are going to work on turn on the haunch

[htrimm08]

Yesterday I brought my friend Sam out to visit with the po, so I didn't do a whole lot of actual work, just mostly farting around lol. But like Megan told me, I did try to keep him engaged while going around, did a little of leg yielding and tof... he seems to really like that, because he decided to keep spinning around anytime I applied the slightest extra pressure without any reins aids.. could be a gift or a curse? not sure yet lol.

Then she got on and paddled around on him for a bit and we were done.. I also trimmed his front tootsies, now they look super purdy.

[htrimm08]

SO, I went to ride today but that didnt go as planned, Apparently benson had a drained abscess underneath his jaw, and it is swollen on one side. It appeared to be drained, nothing would come out so we Just gave him some penicillin, put some stuff on the exit wound and gave him some stuff for swelling so it should go down.. other than that I just finished doing his back feet.

[htrimm08]

WELL THEN, i haven't written in this for a while, maybe that's because in the past three weeks I only got in a handful of rides? Well Bens abscess is gone and hes all ready to go now!

I rode him a couple of times the past three days, the first time he was a little of a pain, resisted to collecting at the lope but yesterdays ride was good!! he was very fluid and collected for the majority, we worked on keeping him collected again, speed, and his walk-lope, and everything else in between! its nice that hes the kind of horse that even after all that time off it only takes him 2 rides to get back to where we left off, what a little superstar!

I rode Reuben today, he was very good! his pulling habit has ceased, he does it maybe a couple times a ride now, his trot has gotten MUCH easier to control, his canter is the right pace maybe half the time, but we are getting there, overall he goes light in my hands and goes in a nice collection.. haha my calfs will never be the same!

[htrimm08]

Bensons continuing to do good, his walk lope transitions are becoming much nicer, though we had a major set back on his turn on the forehand, he was doing it so nicely, and enjoying it before his break, now he just will not plant his foot at all, soo we have another lesson on friday!