Posts Tagged ‘training
Minnow’s Latest Trick
We are getting close to pony penning time! Which means it’s time for Minnow to start working on new tricks! Admittedly I tend to get so busy with other things I always seem to wait until July to start training Minnow new tricks for pony penning. Lucky for me he’s super smart and it doesn’t take him too long to master a new trick.
We’ve come up with a new act, that we’ll hopefully be able to debut at pony penning this year at the Chincoteague Pony Centre, so we’ve started working on some of the new tricks Minnow will need to know.
We’re going to keep our new performance under wraps for now, but we do have a new trick to show you.
Here’s a quick video of Minnow learning how to hold a rope and drag it to me. It may look like a pretty simple trick, but your horse also has to be very comfortable with ropes in and around their legs – you’d be surprised how scary that can be for some horse.
Hopefully you will be able to catch up with us at Pony Penning this year, so you can see all of Minnow’s new tricks in action!
More Spots
More spots. That’s what we think Blitz must have been thinking when he tried to paint his brother, Boomer, today.
Boomer was very tolerant of his brother’s need to give him more “chrome”. Had he actually had paint on the end of his brush it may have been a different story. 🙂
Minnow on the other hand took the opportunity to show the younger boys how you are “supposed” to pose for pictures with your trusty paint brush….
Always such the professional.
hardee har har.
Ammo the Painting Dachshund
We’ve secretly been working on a little project over at Painting Pony. I’m sure you’ve probably already guessed what it is by now. So without further adieu, I introduce to you….
AMMO THE DACHSHUND WATERCOLOR ARTIST!
That’s right, on June 10th, 2011 Ammo created his very first watercolor painting. We all knew it was coming someday, considering he spends enough of his time with his painting pony friends.
I guess you could say he was destined to follow in the family footsteps – although he has some mighty BIG shoes to fill.
Ammo's first painting "My Sunshine"
But, Ammo’s a pretty talented guy, and I have the feeling that the ponies are going to pretty jealous of him in no time! I actually could hardly believe my eyes when I saw his first masterpiece – it is quite stunning in person.
Ammo takes his painting talent pretty seriously, and he likes to take his time creating these beautiful paintings. So right now we only have one of his paintings available for sale. We will certainly have more in the future – and will be sure to let you know as they are created.
"Backyard Bliss" by Ammo the Dachshund
Ammo painted this on June 18th, 2011 and it is available for purchase in our shop. Every painting Ammo sells we donate 5% to some of his favorite charities like the Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue, The Mainline Animal Rescue, and the SPCA. After all, with great talent comes great responsibility, and helping those in need is always a noble cause.
And because it’s always fun to see Ammo in action, we’ve made a little video so everyone can see this little guy’s talented paws at work!
If you would like to see more pictures and hear about what Ammo thinks about his first few creations, be sure to head on over to his blog, AmmotheDachshund.com!
Swimming Chincoteague Ponies
On Sunday after the boy’s first Gymkhana Event we stopped at Marsh Creek State Park. The objective, take the ponies swimming (and have a father’s day picnic)!
My sister’s mare, Jet (the black horse), has been swimming several times – as has Minnow. So this time it was Blitz & Boomer’s turn to test out the water.
Both were a little skeptical at first, but on a nice hot day, it didn’t take them long to get in the water.
But after a few minutes and a little gentle coaxing, Boomer was swimming!
Even my parent’s dog, Trooper, joined in on the swimming fun.
The ponies were even introduced to their first kayaks. No one freaked out – even when it drifted awfully close to them. You have to love the mindset of a Chincoteague Pony.
Blitz never did actually swim, but he’s a bit more cautious than Boomer is. And my mom wanted to make it a pleasant experience for him so she opted not ask too much of him.
Little Ammo the Dachshund had to watch from the sidelines. But he is just too little to swim with the big boys. Sorry fella.
Treeless Saddles & Gymkhana Events
I’ve had the SAME english tack or saddle since I was about 14. That’s 13 years for anyone counting. Most people would have upgraded long ago, but since I’ve been riding ponies since I was 5 (and still do) the saddle was a good fit for them. For me though? Not so much.
My 13 year old english saddle
Only, I didn’t really notice how ill-fitting my saddle was until recently. I didn’t know that it could be better – for me & my ponies. The soreness in my legs after a weekend competing – mostly due to a saddle that was too small for my 5’10” frame.
I honestly never really thought much about upgrading my current saddle until after the Extreme Cowboy race competition with Boomerang this winter. Since we had begun doing more western type maneuvers I began to really notice how much my current english saddle was throwing me forward. I felt the need to sit deeper (to stay on through Boomer’s super spins), but when we broke to the canter my saddle pushed me into a two-point position.
I didn’t really want a western saddle, because although what I do is more akin to western speed sports, I still like to occasionally do dressage, or some jumping. And I later learned that Boomerang is too short backed to take an adult sized western saddle anyway. Getting another (larger) english saddle would work, but I would still be thrown forward.
Freeform Classic BTF Treeless Saddle from Saddle Up
But I learned there was another option. Treeless. I actually would have never known what a treeless saddle was if it wasn’t for my facebook friend, Kali from Pony Pros. She runs a program in Oregon for kids and adults where all of the horses are ridden bitless and in treeless saddles.
If you are unfamiliar with treeless saddles they are basically the same as an english (or western) saddle but they do not have a rigid tree inside of them. I did a lot of research into them before hand. I learned about the importance of making sure the treeless saddles do not rest on the horses’ spine, I looked at tons of different manufacturers, I even drove Boomerang to Delaware to test out the closest treeless saddle I could find. Treeless saddles are big with endurance riders as they are not only comfortable for the rider, but they also free up the horses’ movement – but in my area many tack shops didn’t even know what I was talking about when I asked if they carried treeless saddles.
I finally narrowed down my search to an online shop located in Virginia (about as close as I could get to Pennsylvania). For the next few weeks I emailed back and forth with Paulita Neff from Saddle Up about what I was looking for, the features I needed, and the issue I had with my short backed pony, and my extremely tall self (I’m really too tall to be riding these 13 hand ponies).
I finally decided on the Freeform Classic BTF.
When it arrived a few weeks later, admittedly I had some doubts. Is a treeless saddle really going to stay on my pony’s back when I lean to pick objects off the ground during a mounted games competition? Am I going to like it? Is it really worth spending that much money on a saddle?
Boomerang competeing in his new treeless saddle
The interesting thing about the Freeform saddles is that not only can you change the actual seat position, but you can also change where the stirrups hang from – so you can make the entire seat totally customizable to you. It took me a few days of riding in the saddle and making adjustments to the position of things to get it to the right fit to me. I ultimately ended up putting my seat as far back as I could (I’d actually prefer it a little further back, so the saddle would fit my leg better – but because my pony is so short backed I can’t do this, the perils of riding a pony when you are tall), and I placed my stirrups a little more forward to have a more “western” seat in the saddle.
Boomerang if very happy in his new treeless saddle
After a few rides, and many adjustments, I was hooked. I felt like I was riding on a pillow. Transitioning back to my old english saddle made me feel like I was riding on a board – I couldn’t believe I had actually spent 13 years in that thing. And after ordering a pony sized dressage girth for Boomerang (the smaller the girth the more stable it makes the saddle), leaning off to pick objects off the ground was no problem. And I had no slipping of my saddle.
Comfort Dressage Girth from Just for Ponies
I also picked up a new pair of stirrups, as the leathers are somewhat wider and didn’t fit my conventional safety stirrups (a must for a saddle that doesn’t have stirrup bars). These from HorseLoverz fit perfectly, and I love the fact that they sit at a better position to easily find them at a flat out gallop (after vaulting onto your pony at a games competition of course).
Coronet Double Safety Irons from HorseLoverz
One of the best parts about the new saddle is that Boomerang’s spins have gotten quicker and faster. The treeless saddle has freed up his shoulders and he is much more agile. My mom even tried it out on Blitz and he began picking up his once sticky right lead immediately (because his shoulder had freer movement).
Over the weekend we took the ponies to their very first gymkhana event. Here’s a short little video to show how it went:
The ponies were fantastic and I felt really secure in my new saddle. And after a day of being in my saddle I didn’t have a single sore muscle or sore spot anywhere – due to my super comfy new saddle.
I’m excited to test it out in the mounted games arena as well as on the trail too (although we have practiced some gaming in it at home). Here’s a few shots from our day at the gymkhana…
Boomerang was very well behaved considering all the commotion around, and the fact that the horse flies were eating him alive. It’s great to be able to expose the ponies to so many different things, it makes them so versatile.
Stay tuned, because Sunday was a day of firsts for Boomerang and Blitz, as we also took them swimming for the first time! Pictures are coming soon!
Special thanks to Paulita from Saddle Up for being so patient with me as I asked a million questions about treeless saddles!
