February 23, 2012
"What were we thinking?!!!!" That’s the question my husband, Bill, and I asked ourselves when we brought home Zelador and Zeloso, two weanling Lusitano colts, at the end of December in 2004. Our combined ages exceed 112 years and our other two horses were eight-years-old and seven when we bought them. We had never worked with youngsters, didn’t know how to work with youngsters and there we were...
To say that we are having the time of our lives would be an understatement. The two Z's led us to liberty training, Working Equitation, tricks (including the bow, the smile, mounting pedestals, pushing large balls) and with any luck, carriage driving. They will begin their jumping education this month and for the past two years have explored classical horsemanship (work in-hand, long reining and work under saddle).
Their adventures and misadventures are chronicled in this blog. I hope you enjoy watching how quickly these two are training us!
Tweaking the Performances
With “Family Day” creating a long weekend, Bill and I were able to work with both boys together at liberty for three days in a row. We placed the boys on their pedestals and worked on motions for “Knees Up
Zelador Amazes
Today after riding Zelador I took off his tack and turned him loose. He enjoyed a roll, then came to see what I was doing. I turned off the tape player. We played the piano, then I took him to
Going Through the Verses
The snow’s back on the ground…sniff. Due to some cold temperatures we were out of the saddle and back on the ground this past week. The tape playing machine in the arena does not like sub-zero temperatures. It’s quite painful
Twenty-one Months of Piaffe
I started teaching Zelador and Zeloso the piaffe in May 2010. We began in the stall with the horse raising one hind leg, holding it up for a short time, then putting it back down. Click/treat. Occasionally a month or
Zelador Does the Piaffe Under Saddle
Here’s Christi on Zelador. She doesn’t weigh very much…and I figured Zelador would appreciate my attempt to make his transition from learning the piaffe at liberty to under saddle a bit easier.
More Clicker Magic
Lately Zelador has decided that when travelling along the wall to the left he should place his head to the right…bummer. Today I used the clicker to help him flex to the left. I was in the saddle and we
Back to the Clicker
I introduced a new toy for the gang on the hill to hold. Teddy sniffed it. Duke sniffed it. Tilley didn’t faint. Georgie held it!!!! And, much to my surprise, Lulu sniffed it. I figured Lulu would hold it. I
The Boys Love to Play Ball
Zelador and Zeloso both LOVE the big horse balls. Zeloso’s been out-of-control with them from day one. Zelador, on the other hand, started out calmly, but over time he, too, morphed into this wildly enthusiastic leaping maniac whenever the ball
Discovering Temple Grandin
Just saw a DVD of the film “Temple Grandin”. It was amazing. In the Bonus Features she, the screenplay writer and the director comment on each scene as it’s played. Because of Temple I went to the Nobleton library. She’s
They’re Coming Right Along
This morning before I fetched the yearling, Marcus, from his stall I set up the arena. We have a wooden cut-out bull. I moved that from beside the piano to the south wall, between a low pedestal and the teeter-totter.