I rode Cash, in the arena

And he was fantastic! Due to the off and on rain/snow we've been getting the round pen has been quite muddy and rather unusable... so the arena was the only option.  I lunged him last Tuesday but didn't ride, then yesterday I finally got out again and lunged him, and he was being incredibly lazy and very very good.  No spooking, no craziness, just nice n' easy.  So, I decided to get on.  We walked and trotted a bit, did some figure 8s, transitions, rein backs, and just had a real positive ride. Today I did the repeat, and again Cash was GREAT.  I got on, rode around (in which today he was stiff to the right whereas yesterday he was still to the left... ok) and then decided why not, lets canter.  So we did.  And whaddya know, he was fantastic! The best...

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Cash Gets a SmartPak!

Well, to date I have tried just about every training method I can think of to get Cash over his fear of the far end of the arena.  And the results?  Well, we can end the day on a great note with him totally relaxed... but the next day he is back to snorting and throwing a fit about it. The only thing I haven't done is have his eyesight examined, it is a shady part of the arena, and should he have issues with his eyesight (i.e. an enlarged corpora nigra) this would help explain things.  Though... I've dealt with a horse who did have an enlarged corpora nigra (and actually had little cysts growing on the bottom part of his pupil) and it was not the same behavior--it's hard to explain, you'll have to take my word on it.  Also, I've worked with him at all times of the...

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Making progress!

For the first time in awhile I'm actually feeling like I'm getting somewhere with Cash instead of taking steps backwards.  I'm continuing to ride him in a stock saddle -- which I gotta ask, how is it that it's so much easier to sit the trot in one of those versus my dressage saddle??  It's not fair.  I've also started riding him in a rope halter, I decided either it'd be crazy or it would work, and so far it's working!  It's definitely forcing the both of us to rely more on leg/seat cues.  Also, the roundpen is continuing to be very beneficial in teaching Cash to bend around the circle and stand up and respect my inside...

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In which Cash pulls his shoe off

Yep, third time this summer.  I dunno what the gig is, this farrier is just as nice and tight and tidy with his shoes (if not more so) than the farrier I was using last summer, yet Cash has pulled a shoe off out of all but one set.  Maybe it's the shoe itself?  The shoes this farrier uses are heavier than those used by my last farrier.  Weird. This video is taken probably about two laps after he pulled it (the man was being a klutz over those poles!!)... it's pretty self explanatory! Just waiting to hear back from the farrier now as far as when we can find time to slap the thing back on. Update: About 20 minutes after I posted this the farrier called and said he just so happened to be down the road and could swing by and put the shoe on. Hopefully he keeps it on.  The...

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Mmmm fall is here!

I love this time of year... until it rains on my day off! I've made the executive decision to start riding Cash in a stock saddle... having that little bit extra to hang on to really helps when all of a sudden he is going the other direction in an astonishingly quick fashion.  So I'm borrowing a barrel saddle (not my first pick, I'd prefer a ranch/roping style saddle) from Rosemary to use on him.  I'm kinda wishing I hadn't sold that stock saddle, but how was I to know I'd  end up using it again! Ah well, it was probably too wide for Cash anyhow. Sooo... I'm poking around on Craigslist and Ebay looking for a saddle to get....

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