Festive

It has been snowing and snowing and snowing! I have been so busy with school that Bodhi has been left out to pasture for the most part. Due to some requests of festive photos back home we decided to take some family photos. So even though I do not have any horse related to report her are some very festive photos!

fun on the flood way

(I just like the face I am making...)

So Bodhi is now at the edge of town right next to the "flood way" which is a series of ditches and banks around the Red River. It is the perfect place to go for a breeze, and it has some super inclines as well!

(not this wicked incline! Lucky we had our faithful sidekick to lead the way!)

I have never been much to hack out. I am not exactly sure why. Nothing horrible has ever happened to me on the trail. I think it is because I just have not done it enough as an adult rider (I loved the trails as a kid though!)

On Saturday I got up the courage to go ride out where last post I was walking. Bodhi and I went with Betsy and her mom. There were colorful moments to be sure. Bodhi did some head tossing and some minor pop ups when I told he had to stand while Betsy cantered. We had some pretty big spooks too (Betsy driven of course ;) ) Overall I was proud of my pony. We need more trail time though and Saturday taught me that I can handle it. Even when things get hairy!

Today I took him out alone (well not alone alone we had the sidekick and our photographer) to see how he'd be. He a Rock star!! I had so much fun cantering along the trail I can't stop smiling.

I see a similarity here don't you?

Ok.... just joking....

(A well deserved rest when we reached the top of the summit)


This is so much fun it makes me think could he possibly do low level eventing? Or how about endurance? Anyone who knows anything about endurance care to offer up an opinion?

zoom zoom!

EDIT: The photographer would like me to add the video he took. It showcases the crazy wind we were dealing with. He points out that the wind makes how calm Bodhi was more impressive... :)
Also check out the comparison photo I added to aid you in your opinions of Bodhi's future endurance career. Uncanny isn't it?

Graduate School is time consuming

Who knew? Since Bodhi's relocation I have only gone out to see him twice! It is going to be very difficult to be away from him for so long and I am already doubting my reasoning for bringing him up in the first place. Soon it will be winter which means no daylight and bitter cold. As for the summer I will probably be spending a good deal of it in Africa. For now though I am happy to spend every second I can steal with him.....

Here are some photos of last weekend when we went on a family walk across the flood plains. Hopefully this weekend we can do the same!

That strange plastic thing is a bag of cut up apples...

The Red River!

We are explorers!

So I got lazy....

The photographer! The best husband ever....

New digs

Now where did I leave off... Ah yes, at the craziest situation I have ever encountered in my life! (Update: I received a text message from the owner of the facility telling me the house was ready for me to live in.... too little too late I am afraid! I hope this means she is removing the manager who is not properly taking care of horses though!)

After I reached my quota of craziness I went barn hunting. I found a facility about 15 mins outside of town. The pros of Bodhi's new digs are

• No crazy drama ( Hopefully!)
• Property is owned by someone who lives on site.
• Property is immaculate
• Has lots and lots of grass!
• Provides constant yummy grass hat and oats (??) in the winter.
• Half the price

The cons?

• Farther away
• No indoor arena.

I am in mourning over the loss of the indoor. I have to keep reminding myself that pastures and herds are for horses and stalls and indoors are for people. Every time I visit the new facility I know I made the right decision.

I also had a close call in losing my precious dog Stella this weekend. My landlord left the door to my apartment open while testing the fire alarms in the building. Spooked by the alarms she must have ran out and gotten lost in the new neighborhood. He left a note but did not call me (??) so I came home from work on Friday to find her missing. I spent all night looking for her. It was the worst feeling in the universe! She is my world. I cry looking at other people's lost posters but making some of my own was just the worst .
On Saturday morning we went out looking again. While we were out the Winnipeg humane society called us to tell us that someone had found a dog matching our lost report! An amazing family had found her yesterday afternoon and reported it. They had kept her safe and sound and returned her without a scratch. People like these have completely restored my faith in humanity after my family's crummy luck as of late.



Look at that happy smile! I have my dog and I am hanging out in my immaculate heated tackroom!




Blurry but he is looking like such a fancy pony lately!

Rode in a bit for the first time in a month. First ride at the new facility and he was pretty saucy.
Stay tuned for my next post about how bits are the new meat... or something like that!

Contemplating Extinction

No not that extinction!
I am not really interested in the debate over what killed off the dinosaurs. (Last I heard we are back to asteroid bur my personal theory is Zombie virus.)


I am thinking about the term extinction when used in the context of learning theory and behavior. Extinction refers to the withholding of reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior in order to eliminate that behavior*.

We have all heard the advise ignore it and it will go away. Sometimes we encourage behaviors we don't want in our horses accidentally. When we realize it we put the behavior "on extinction" or we consciously withhold our reinforcement. The reinforcer is usually our reaction to the behavior. This is a common treatment for attention seeking behaviors like vocalizations, pawing, nosing etc. I have also heard trainers recommend ignoring horses that spook or shy. Heather Blitz described a spook as a ripple in a pond of your schooling session or test. By reacting in anyway you are making a bigger disturbance in that water. Your objective as a rider and trainer is to keep the water flowing and still in your ride(I am paraphrasing).

If the behavior is not immediately endangering you or the horse I believe that putting the behavior on extinction by ignoring it or by replacing the behavior with a more desirable and incompatible behavior with the undesired one, are all you need in your tool box to reduce unwanted behaviors.

What about the other side of the coin though? How often do horses quit performing behaviors that we want because we have accidentally put them on extinction? Horses trained with negative reinforcement (which is to say almost all of them) usually become dull to aids or cues because of poor execution of negative reinforcement causing habituation. Negative reinforcement is an exact science and to err is human so all of our horses probably suffer at some level with habituation to our aids ( I know mine does). I wonder though if extinction has a role to play as well in the dull horse?

In the beginning of acquiring a new skill the rewards are big (or at least they should be). Think about how you approach teaching your horse something new. How do you show him he is doing well? A big release of the inside rein? A nice rub on the crest or whithers? A rest? A treat? Whichever form you decide to deliver your reinforcement you are providing feedback on what behaviors you want while simultaneous providing incentive to repeat the new behavior in the future.

So what about those tried and true behaviors or those "push-button" horses? What do we expect our horses to do automatically? Sometimes extremely well trained horses "forget" well formed behavior or offer a lack luster performance. In some instances I think this happens because we have stopped giving feedback. Just like people, horses require feedback even on tasks they perform with confidence in order to know the behavior is still what you want.
Additionally who would want to continue to preform a task with no reward or recognition?

I guess the take home message is this. If you are having issues with a horse not performing a well rehearsed behavior or motivation in your equine in general make sure you are providing consistent feedback so your horse knows when he is getting it right!

Enough contemplation back to what really matters.... Bodhi!
I got in a quick ride today right before a downpour. Bodhi.was.awesome. He was forward but listening to even the lightest aid of my seat, legs and reins. He felt amazing! It was definitely a ride to hold on to when problems will arise again. It only lasted ten minutes and during our 2nd canter the sky opened up. We made a B-line for the barn after that and waited for the rain to lighten up.
As Bodhi stood drying off by a fan I played with the barn manager's nervous Nancy TB and a boarder's TB on stall rest. They both love to play clicker games and I like to give both of those high energy high and intelligence horses something to do for a few minutes to elevate the boredom.
After the rain let up a bit Bodhi and I jogged together at liberty back to his pasture. Before I left him to graze I took the opportunity to work with him in some of the forming puddles. He was willing to walk and trot through them at liberty and finally even backed into a puddle! So proud as he is not a fan of water. What an idyllic day with my golden boy!

*=http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Extinction_%28learning%29

Duuuuude... Chill........

We interrupt this post to share two relevant links for my fellow bloggers.
Check out Behind the Bit's post about the new Horse blogger group she started

Check out the latest post from Dressage Mom about the contest she has entered. Support a fellow blogger and vote!
Ever wonder what Mr. Golden is up to? I convinced him to write my blog entry last night over at Ethical Eats.
It is June in the sunshine state. Temperatures in the mid 90's with the humidity bringing the heat index up to unspeakable numbers. Everything is sticky and simple tasks outside have now become trials. Why is it then, my fabulous followers,my rotund little golden pony has grown rocket boosters?

Bodhi has always had more whoa than go at the best of times. He is also not a fan of Florida summers, turning into an itching(allergies), sweating, groggy mess. One of my constant training challenges has always been to keep him "light". I would say he varies normally between average to very heavy and slow in his responsiveness. He can be slow as malasis on a hot day. I have ridden him with spur buds and a dressage whip (with my trainers insistence) before. I have been working lately on his responsiveness to my legs with clicker training as well.

When Bodhi was up and charging forward on our conditioning ride in the big pasture I thought that was normal, but on Sunday during our ride in the ring he jumped three caveletties at once (!!!) and leaped into the canter at the slightest leg. Monday I decided to work on tempo regulation and only did trot work but he was super sensitive and as forward as forward can be! We are still in the learning stage of the new bridle but Monday I finally got his head and neck more relaxed and his back more rounded but I had to continually remind him to slow down!

Is this a real problem? I am not sure. If it is, it is a nice problem to have. I have no fear of getting run off with. He still stops on a dime. Yes the haffie power trot is a little exhausting to post, but to actually have a forward horse-- I'll take exuberance even if it is a bit over the top.

So causes of this sudden shift? Here is what I have so far...

• Bitless bridle a) he feels more free to move forward. I have heard that "lazy" horses can become more forward when you remove the bit? b)he does not like the new bridle and feels anxious about it and wants "to get it over with"
• He is in shape - we did a ton of rehab and he may be in better shape than he has ever been before.
• A Maturity thing -young horses go through phases, maybe he is feeling more confident with his better balance and muscle
• Flax seed=rocket fuel?? he is now on flax seed to help his skin allergy.
• My upper body= crap. He could be running forward because my upper body is a wet noodle lately.
• Clicker training; I have been rewarding exuberance and responsiveness lately, especially at the canter. Could this account for his new and improved work ethic? That is what it *feels* like to me. That he is trying really hard to get that click. Unfortunately he is trying too hard.

I am sure it is a combination of several of these things. He definitely feels like he is jumping to conclusions and rushing to answer questions I have not even asked yet. It feels wonderful to have such a enthusiastic student but my role as his teacher now is to ask him to just relax! My challenge will be to find balance in this new issue. Ask him to soften and balance his body off the forehand without loosing that exuberance. If we can shape this wave we will definitely be at a break through.

-- 

Yeehaw and an Eductaion

Wild ride:
Took Bodhi out to one of our larger pastures to canter around. My husband came along as well and we turned it into a husband/pony workout with him jogging next to Bodhi.

This makes Bodhi really excited for some reason... I think I may be missing some competitive undertones between the two. Maybe they have been trash talking each other when I go into the tack room for a curry?
Bodhi was very up and a little hard to control in our new bridle. I never felt afraid of losing him completely but there was a lot more pulling going on then I want their to be. I had a huge grin through it all because even if it's naughty an amped up haflinger is pretty much the cutest thing ever.
I remember a similar situation on our first ever trail ride where Bodhi went above the bit and turned me off and that was with a bit of course. So fear not I do not blame the bridle I blame the training. I obviously need to work more on tempo and transitions when he is in an "elevated" state. The problem of course is usually the "elevation" part.

Getting an Education:
I borrowed the DVD "Lesson 6: Shaping on a Point of Contact" By Alexandra Kurland. I have watched part 1 so far. I should probably watch it again. It is packed with information but the audio quality is poor. Here is the synopsis:
Physical balance has many benefits for your horse. He'll stay sounder longer. he'll have smoother, more beautiful gaits. And he'll be more focused and emotionally settled. How do you bring a horse into physical balance? By shaping on a point of contact so your horse becomes internally body aware and learns how to adjust his own balance. find out what that means and learn the skills to help your own horse achieve physical and emotional balance in this two hour DVD lesson.

One thing I have really gotten out of this DVD so far is how to use negative reinforcement correctly. This may be covered more extensively in other DVDs from her but I only have access to this one.
As she describes it all you need for "pressure" is to get to the point of contact with the horse and wait until you get your response. This is demonstrated with a horse on lead being asked to go forwards and backwards. Sliding your hand slowly up the rope lets the horse know you are about to cue then stopping your hand at the point you feel contact with the horse. No escalating the pressure from there. You immediately release as a -reward and if you add the clicker you get a + reward as well. Using a clicker to explain pressure and release during the acquisition phase makes a super soft horse without having to "up your pressure" (which I hate). She also explains body posture to help the handler stay soft but firm.
Started some work with Bodhi and he responded right away! He is a real slow poke on the lead too which is really frustrating. I am glad I have this tool now. Instead of playing the "how serious are you really about this?" game I can just reinforce when he responds to the level of pressure I want him to respond to. Perfect!

He's Back!

Last week the vet came to look at Bodhi along with updating his shots etc. She concluded that he is back to normal!

I had a hunch he was but it was great to hear it as an official prognosis! What a relief. We have been celebrating by doing canter work again. He is now getting both leads perfectly. He is also showing such improvement over fences. Today I tried him over a 1'3 to a 2' bounce and he did great.
I am so happy to have my horse back. I honestly think he is more athletic and balanced then he was before the injury. I think this is partly maturity and partly all the physical training I did with him. Since his left side was his weak side already it really paid off. My vet got a kick of my PT work that included leg lifts. :) I know I am ridiculous. Since the injury happened in March it took about 3 months to completely heal. Just as my vet predicted. That is why they pay her the big bucks!

Look out folks Bodhi and I are back to work!

Mollycoddling

I have been thinking about the subject of babying our horses lately. There are many ways we "baby" them. Can you think of times you think "man you are one spoiled pony"-- for your horses?
Watching them hang out indoors with their fans, and seeing sunscreen on their pink noses always makes me smile. Don't get me wrong they deserve it. They work hard for us and they are our family. They deserve the best feed, treats, and treatment that our stretched out budgets can provide-- it's just funny ain't it?

(Bodhi snoozing under a fan after his pedicure)

As Bodhi returns to his old self from his injury he also turns a year older. I think I have been a cautious trainer with him as the breed is slow to mature, and more recently cautious because of his injury. I try not to work him too long, jump him too often, bore him with drills, or ask him questions he is not ready to say yes to.

I am wondering if I baby him too much though? The answer is probably yes. I really want to make training fun for him and as stress free as possible. I also know that stress is what are muscles need in order to grown and what our brains need in order to learn.

I think maybe my plan so far has been a good one. I baby him because he is a baby. I am quick to reward and I have tried to instill a love of learning. Kindle the curiosity that usually dies in maturing horses. I think now that he is finally getting to the age where all green lights say "Go!" I am going to start work on more mental and emotional toughness. This means more repetition, longer rides, more difficult questions with maybe smaller rewards? Of course I am going to stick to positive reinfocement! I am thinking about shifting how much I expect and ask for though. I know he is not going to catch up overnight! I can't be upset if he still wants to be a baby. I just have to stay calm, correct and ask for a little bit more. I think he is ready. I think he can do it.

Happy Birthday Bodhi!

My life is currently turned upside down as a struggle to pack, plan the move, and finish the sale of my condo which includes vast amounts of home improvement crap. Nothing is happening fast enough but I do not have enough time in the day to get everything done! Bleh.

I hate moving.

Bodhi is great. HE IS 5 YEARS OLD NOW! Can I still call him a baby?
He gave three kids riding lessons this weekend and did great. He kept offering funny behaviors like spanish walk and side pass though. Nothing bad just fidgety. I really need to work on more "calming, and sustained " behaviors. When asked to just walk around and around calmly Bodhi is very Bored! He still acts 4. We have not settled into the year of 5 yet. Maybe the new older pony is waiting for us up in Canada. For now I can not blame Bodhi at all for feeling anxious and fidgety. I feel it too kid!

Maybe I will get some birthday photos soon. For now though here is a treasure. Look at my face. Bleh! This is a photo taken during Bodhi's first day under saddle. As you can tell from the photo he took it all in stride.

Baby photos

Bodhi is almost 5 years old. Who could believe it! It seems like only yesterday he was hopping of the trailer as a big headed, apple bottomed 2 year old.

I am on my husbands computer and looking through the photos he has taken of Bodhi and I. Here are some pictures I found as Bodhi as a 2 and 3 year old.

Here is the kid a few days after I got him. Look at that shiny new halter...

At least he has grown into his head (a little bit!)


Look at that butt! It was the same size then as it is now. He was 13 hands back then!

As a three year old... Getting better!

Halter is not so shiny anymore...

He still has a big butt...

Here is what we did a lot of when he was too young to ride or really work on the lunge for any significant amount of time... we played soccer, went on walks, wore tack etc. I was so hungry to spend time with him and he was such a fun baby to be around. Here he is wearing his tack and learning to kick his ball



What a good boy.

Negative

As in EPM Test negative!

I am so relieved. We still have a long road of rehab to go but our future is much more certain. I am still afraid that he won't heal up correctly but my fears are probably unfounded. So here's to a slow but complete recovery for Bohdzilla!
Rehab so far has gone like this...
Weds-Walk 10 mins
Friday-Walk 15 mins
Sat- Walk around the barn with lots of breaks 20 mins
Mon-work on the lunge at the walk and trot (me walking with him so the circles were giant!) 10 min
Thurs walk work (tried a trot not ready for it)
Sat 15 min lunge, 15 mins ride some clicker work. (He looked great!)
Sun(10 mins of riding only)

So far he has been really good. I am never sure if I am challenging him enough or pushing him too far. He has been 100% willing to do all of it and never seems very taxed. I guess it will take a while to find where the sweet spot is.

So obviously no more show season for us so I guess I should change our goals a bit. I want to work on...
Golden Goals

• Being lighter on the bit.
• Having more impulsion in upward transitions
• More responsive to all aids
• Working off my body and not my hands for turns and downward transitions- working towards bridleless
• Work on softness in the bitless bridle
• Work on lateral work on the ground
• Perfecting Liberty work

I need to work on

• giving very precise cues
  
• my delivery of both - and + reinforcement
• Being limber and loose (especially by lower back and hips)
  
• Core muscles
• Cardiovascular

So if you were forced back to square one what would YOU work on?

Sidelined

The vet came out and took a look at Bodhi on Monday. His left shoulder definitely is the culprit.

He has muscle degeneration along one band of muscle in his shoulder. She has two hunches for the root of the problem. One was a turn out injury where he banged that shoulder hard enough to hurt the nerve that runs along the muscle which then causes the muscle atrophy. Another is much more sinister (EPM). She drew blood and will have tests back in a week.

With either one Bodhi needs to go on a slow rehab of walking walking walking (then trot trot trotting etc) to regain the muscle back in his shoulder. She estimated that it will take around 3 months to heal.

With either diagnose she says that his case is very mild and she thinks he will recover 100%. I am trying not to cry, or despair, or anything until the tests come back. It is really difficult though. How can my jovial youthful little pony be so sick? How can life be this unfair?

Anyone have rehab advise? I know I will be re-reading Grey Horse Matters' post about it! Anyone dealt with muscle/nerve injuries or...

Mostly I am in denial. I really can't believe that this is happening.

I mean look at this face!

Change is in the wind.

I just got an email from my future graduate adviser-- I am accepted to graduate school at the University of Manitoba. Big changes are on their way for both Bodhi and me.

I have been struggling with what to do with Bodhi if and now when I move to Canada and I think I have decided to take him with me(My three options are sell, lease, or bring).

I just can not imagine being able to function without him. I bought him as a project re sell but he really is one of a kind to me. I know EVERYONE says that but come on how many horses can you ride on a trail ride, do a dressage test, pop over some fences, ride bridleless and play soccer with? At the age of four? I really feel like I would regret selling him if I did.

Of course I have to think about him too which makes things more complicated. what is best for him? Would he be happier as someone else's horse? Is shipping him all the way to Canada selfish? I bet he will love the cold but that is a long haul.

I have contacted a barn very close to the university that would be interested in using him in a lesson program for money off board. This would be ideal as I am going to be busy and poor.

So in light of all these changes I want to set some goals to accomplish before we leave in June. Whether I lease him out, sell him, or bring him I want him to have as many experiences as possible to prepare him for this new era in his life along with equip him with valuable skills he will need for his new job.

2010 Golden Goals
March 27- HITS show- taken him in baby green, or just some flat classes

April 24- Canterbury Spring Fling Schooling Dressage- try for training level!

March 6, 20-Go to a Play day with the North Central Florida Parelli Play Group

In General
More trail rides!
Work on canter duration and over fences.




Bodhi I am so proud of you! You have come so far! Above are some of his early days learning the basics at the age of three!

Golden Bloopers

Well I was on cloud 9 yesterday as I was trotting in the big geldings pasture with my head in the clouds the setting sun in my eyes and *blap* it happened--

my first fall off of my little darling pony!

In my defense I do not think the fall should count as a fall because he fell first dag nammit!

Yes that is right. My cute little golden pony did a face plant tripping on god knows what at the trot. Sometimes grace is not our strong suit. In his defense the pasture is really bumpy and stumpy.(though I saw no significant ground problems where WE landed!) I did a quick roll over his front as I have been crushed before so I don't like to hang around falling horses anymore.

We both sat there for a minute looking confused, Bodhi looked down right dumbfounded. I check my body, his body, tack etc and then climbed back on for a victory lap. I then called it a day. Sheesh

So what do you guys think? Should that count as my first fall? What's the verdict?

Isn't that cartoon funny? I found it on Dana's Doodles :)