Posts Tagged ‘pony
Boomerang Training Update
As many of you know I have been training my now 7 year old Chincoteague Pony, Boomerang, to play mounted games since August of 2008. I’ve spent a long time working with him and we still have a long way to go. This year was the first year I stepped him up to compete in the masters level of Mounted Games, because I believed he was emotionally ready. And while he is emotionally ready, we still have a lot of specific skills I’d like to work on with him. Our training will never be finished as I believe there is always more we can learn together, but I do think with a few more specific skills he will be pretty polished.
On Sunday we had a clinic at the farm with Natural Horsemanship Trainer, Chris Carlile. I was able to take away a few things that I will start to implement into his training. I plan to do a full post and review on the clinic later – as I’m waiting to get some photos and videos back from my dad.
But in the meantime I do have a video from yesterday.
I was working with Boomer on teaching him to ride with speed to an object, settle into a nice square halt, and then ride off with speed when I gave him the signal. Obviously when we started out we began at a trot and have now worked up to a controlled canter, but the hope is to eventually be able to do this at a gallop. In mounted games, the best ponies are able to ride with bursts of speed, yet quickly transition to a solid halt so their riders can perform tasks like putting a flag into a chute, or placing a ring on a peg. If Boomer can master this skill in the heat of competition, then I will have a valuable “weapon” to use in wining a race.
I love watching this video because I can see Boomer really starting to push off of his hind end more. I’ve spent a long time teaching him to rock his weight back in order to propel himself forward. Boomer is naturally more on his forehand, and its been a challenge to teach him not to be, but this video proves that he’s definitely starting to get it, and build the muscle for it. I’m excited to see more improvement in the months to come.
Painting Pony Website Has New Look!
After months and months of hard work, mostly on my husband’s part, we have finally launched the new Painting Pony Website. The old website was outdated and drab, mostly because it was the product of my tinkering and teaching myself how to design a website on my own. And while I WAS thoroughly impressed with myself and my ability to at least create a functional website, it wasn’t a true representation of Painting Pony.
Painting Pony needed a brighter look that was playful and fun, just like the ponies. I also envisioned a beach-ier feel, after all the ponies do hail from an island, and I wanted the website to have more information about Misty of Chincoteague.
Enter my graphic designer husband. He unknowingly agreed to design me a new site, probably not realizing it would take up most of his free time for the next 6 months. He deserves a big pat on the back for putting up with all my changes and stipulations. I promised him the ponies would sell more paintings so I can take him out to dinner to celebrate!
So to help kick off the launch of the new website I’m offering a FREE 5×7 mini painting with EVERY purchase. Makes a great gift for your favorite horse lover, or simply keep it for yourself! Enter the coupon code NEWWEB in the notes to seller section during check out to get your free gift. This offer will expire on May 31, 2010.
Birthday Boy Turns 24
Nitro in 2000
Niatross aka Nitro is turning 24 on Sunday. Nitro is my retired Dressage horse whom I’ve had since I was 14 years old (thats 12 years for anyone counting). Nitro was probably my first real experience working with a troubled horse, and how I wish I had discovered clicker training when he first came to live with me.
For 12 years of his life Nitro lived at the same farm where he was bred. Family raised, in what I assume to be a loving home (I have talked to his previous owner/breeder before). After learning the basics Nitro spend the majority of his life in a pasture, shielded from the World, mostly because his owners were afraid of him. See Nitro was supposed to be a pony, or maybe a small horse. His mom was a small pony (Connemara/Welsh) and his dad was a Thoroughbred. Nitro must have inherited his dad’s lanky legs, because he stands 16.3 hands tall. His size can be intimidating.
Nitro in 2001
Anyway at the age of 12 Nitro was sent to a dealer to be sold, where I happened to find him. I had spent nearly a year looking for a Dressage horse, and when I saw Nitro I knew he was something different. I was told he had Evented, and been “around the block” – a safe horse to buy a 14 year old who had outgrown their childhood pony. He was quiet, and was big enough to take up my long legs. After vetting him I brought him home on trial.
I knew enough to always have my possibly purchases vetted and brought home on trial. After childhood experiences of nearly buying blind ponies, ponies with positive coggins, and a horse that flipped over when girthed…..I knew its ALWAYS better safe than sorry. Only in this case, I didn’t expect to be lied to…..or to take a horse on trial with a 30 day tranquilizer on him.
Nitro in 2002
Live and learn, and never buy a horse from a dealer you don’t know. Needless to say after purchasing him my mom and I were finally able to track down his original owner, who told us he went to one show – and had a panic attack so they took him home. Fantastic. And after 30 days I was left with an explosive horse that had no ground manners, and couldn’t even leave the property without having a freakout. Not to mention he was deathly afraid of the cows that lived down the street and had panic attacks when in a “warm-up” ring situation.
Nitro in 2003
I later learned as a yearling he was viciously attacked by a group of geldings that had gotten into his field – the mark on his neck is the reminder he will always live with. This traumatizing event accounted for the fear of “group” riding. The cows – I have no idea what happened there. And his breakdowns when leaving home was due to his lack of experience in ANYTHING. All he knew was his safe pasture where he was born.
All I wanted was a nice horse to take me through the ranks of USPC in Dressage. Instead Luckily I got Nitro. Many trainers labeled him dangerous, and other pony club parents wondered what a 14 year old was doing with a horse like him. My mom feared I would get hurt, and asked me to consider finding him another home on numerous occasions. But I couldn’t sell him, I knew I could help him.
Nitro's first trick - discovered when he accidently sampled cat food
I spend YEARS helping him overcome his fears and gain confidence. I am proud to say by the time he retired he was a functioning member of horse society. No more nervous breakdowns in group settings, no more kicking fences out of fear and frustration, no more plowing me over just because he could. Nitro still has his quirks. He never COMPLETELY got over his cow fear (although he could now walk past them without panicking) and he still preferred not to be too close to strange horses he didn’t know (no pair class for us) and if put in the wrong situation, he’d probably still plow me over to get to a safe area. But the difference is I can trust him now, and he trusts me to make sure he is safe.
Nitro was never that perfect Dressage horse that won me first place ribbons and every kid wanted to borrow. He was a challenge, and its because of him that I am a better rider and a better trainer. I had to work every single second I was with him. I’m happy that he was able to find a home with me, its horses like him that end up in homes that don’t understand them and ultimately end up even more battered and bruised than they started out.
Nitro is one of those special horses that comes along to show you the way. Thank you Nitro for 12 years of excitement! Happy Birthday Pal!
Nitro 2004
Nitro 2005 Super Hero Pas De Deux - highest score of the day
Nitro 2006 Pas De Deux
2006 - Nitro passing a C-2 rating - one of our BIGGEST challenges
2008 Nitro and his mare, Jet
2009 Nitro at IHF
2010 Nitro with his "cushings disease" winter coat
May Paintings
On May 3rd the boys and I were able to paint again. Most of the new paintings created in April sold already, so it was due time to create some new works. I was even able to help Boomerang create two of his first paintings available on canvas. They turned out beautiful! Check out the new paintings below.
"Misty Dreams over Chincoteague by Chincoteague Minnow
"Spring Roundup" by Chesapeake Boomerang
"Waves of the Eastern Shore" by Chesapeake Lightning
"The Littlest Chincoteague" by Chesapeake Boomerang
So what do you think? Do you have a favorite? I think my favorite might have to be “Misty Dreams”, but I do love them all!
As always, don’t forget that we donate 10% of all canvas sales to the Chincoteague Pony Association to help care for the wild ponies on Assateague Island. Many don’t realize, but the volunteer fire department cares for the wild ponies all year round. Dropping hay on the island in the winter, giving inoculations and vet checks in the spring, and just generally making sure the Chincoteague Pony population survives on the island. Painting Pony is proud to support their efforts.
Mid-Atlantic #1 with Boomerang
This week has been crazy busy, so I’m just now finally getting around to posting about what has been going on. Last weekend I traveled to Upper Marlboro, Maryland (and the Prince George Equestrian Center) with Boomerang, the Dachshund, and my husband. The purpose, to take Boomer to his very first mounted games competition in the Masters division. I spent two days competing and camping with my little crew.
What I love about Boomer is his ability to adapt to almost anything. After 3 plus hours of travel Boomer walked off the trailer in pitch black darkness in a strange place. He glanced around, took a deep breath and looked at me like “ok, whats next”? No calling for his friends, no worrying, just a calm relaxed pony.
I pretty much knew that’s how Boomer would be, he’s been like that since he came to live with me in the Summer of 2008 (probably attributable to his great upbringing at 1000 Welcomes Farm in NC). What I wasn’t sure about was how he’d be competing in the Masters Division. For the past 2 years I’ve been training him for this, working on control and the races, and eventually working up to more speed. In my equine sport, this is rare. If you can equate mounted games with anything, its horse racing. Fast, Fast, Fast, all the time. Ponies are thrust into competition and taught to go, go, go. As a result I’ve seen many ponies have meltdowns. Refusing to cross the start line, exploding with aggression during competition. I didn’t want to train Boomer this way. I wanted him to LOVE mounted games as much as I do.
Naturally I’m a more cautious rider, I prefer to have a pony that I KNOW will stop when I want him to, but is also willing to GO FAST when I want him to. I knew what would happen if I just threw Boomer into top-level competition too soon. I’d be faced with a pony that fed off the adrenaline of the other ponies, jumping and rearing on the start, then flying out of control through the races. Boomer needed to learn self-control first. So instead of rushing him, I spent 2 years training him with clicker training. I taught him an amazing stop (in a bitless bridle I might add), I taught him to move off my leg, I taught him to balance his body better (he could barely walk down a hill without tripping over his 5 year old body when I got him), and I taught him to spin properly with the power coming from his hind end (not such an easy task when you have a pony that’s naturally on their forehand) among many other things.
So this was it, my two years of work with him culminating to this moment. As I stood on the start line with him I could feel Boomer’s excitement rising. He felt the energy of the other ponies, riders, and me. No matter how hard I tried to make myself relax, Boomer could still feel my excitement. I could think calm all I wanted, but my body language still said “its racing time”!
Boomer let out a few initial low rears on the start, which is certainly understandable for this newly turned 7 year old – its the nature of the beast. But what I didn’t expect was his off like lightning speed, after spending 5 years as a hunter show pony he was still overcoming his need to keep a steady rhythmic pace. So with the excitement of the day his desire to run kicked in, he kept up with his much speedier competition yet still had himself under control. His halts were amazing as he slowed just to my voice commands for the most part. Boomer even had himself rocked back onto his hind end for our spins. My teammates commented on how they loved how Boomer used his back end to propel himself into the turns and how light he was on his front end. My Boomer? This is not something I ever equated him with. After 2 years I was still struggling to get him to rock back around a tight spin, but somehow this day it all clicked for him.
I was extremely pleased with Boomerang’s performance over the weekend. We had a few issues with him scooting away during hand-offs (because he was scared), but that is certainly understandable since I haven’t had anyone to ride or practice with in nearly 6 months. Luckily one of my teammates was able to help me work on handoffs a little as I clicked Boomer for keeping his feet stationary and not shying away. We will definitely have to work on this more in the coming months.
Boomer was as magnificent as I pictured him to be. Slowly we are forming a relationship and an understanding of each other. – something I have been longing for since I had to retire my one true horse love, Minnow. Nothing will ever compare to the connection that Minnow and I share, but I hope to one day come close with Boomerang. I’m very much looking forward to this mounted games season, and excited to see how much more Boomer will progress. This is only the beginning.
