Arianna training log day 4 and 5 and a busy day at the ranch.

Practising with her back feet...

Leading practise... and then posing for the camera!

Farrier day at the ranch
On Wednesday I was at the ranch, which is always busy as it's farrier day but I feel between the staff, volunteers and Tommy the farrier, we've got the routine down now and everything went very smoothly.

I was super proud of little Gemma. It's obviously a team effort, gentling a willd yearling to the point when they can stand for the farrier, but I feel a little extra proud of her as I was the first to halter her and teach her to pick up her feet. Last week we trimmed the fronts which was pretty incredible as I'd only picked up her front feet twice before! This week we did fronts and backs and she was super behaved!! I felt like a proud Mum! I even had a little time to teach her to walk forward to a little pressure and before you knew it, we were leading all round the pens!!!

I also managed to fit in a little time to work with my friend Sarah's horse 'Little Fawn' and we took her up to the trailer for the first time. Little Fawn is such a character! In her pen, she's in your face and all over you like a rash! Last week we learned her leading skills left a lot to be desired when she nearly squashed Sarah a few times in the alleys and we consequently did a lot of work last week on personal space. This week she lead like a dream so it had obviously sunk in that running over people is not acceptable!

Little Fawn's first time in the trailer!

Trailer practise was divided in to 3 clear parts. Part 1 at the beginning when Little fawn was interested in the trailer, and was touching, sniffing and chewing. Part 2 where Little Fawn's attention had run out and she was now bored, so decided to make her own entertainment by trying to sneak round the side of the trailer, rearing up, spinning, stamping and generally having a paddy. Part 3, where little Fawn realised she would not get away with such behaviour and was much better off focussing on the trailer again! Lol! I do love her though, after she'd finished having her strop, she stepped up in to the trailer easily and was totally at ease in there. We loaded and unloaded once more and she looked positively chuffed with herself after!

All in all another great day at lifesavers wild horse rescue!
 
Arianna training day 4
I left Arianna to her own devices on Sunday (thank you Cythia for checking up on her for me) and on Monday I went back down to see her in the morning. It was very busy at the yard that day.

Horses were being ridden in the arena, horses were getting ready in the tie ups and some children had a made a ramp with chairs and a piece of wooden board and were playing with toys cars and trucks on it! This was a lot for Arianna to take in. So we spent quite a bit of time in the tie up area, just brushing her and chatting to people and every time she moved I politely asked her to step back to where I had left her. This is going to take a while I think as mentally she's in to everything all the time but I'd like to get her to where she will stand in the tie up area without being tied at all but stay where I left her.Then we went in to the round pen for the first time.

Arianna did a lot of snorting and blowing as we walked over there as it's kind of secluded and out of the way but thankfully most of it was in the shade in the morning.

I began as I normally do with the friendly game, rubbing her all over with the stick and string, but her head was up like a giraffe and her eyes were popping out her skull in this new place so we quickly moved on to something to get more of her attention.

We practised porcupine game to do quarter yields, forehand yields and backing up using just my hand or the stick. This definitely helped to get her attention back on me and then we were able to do quarter yields and backing up without actually touching her which I was pleased with.

We did a lot of practise of being able to stand still further away from me. At first as soon as I took off all the pressure and let the rope lie on the floor and looked away, Arianna would seem confused and would start to wander off to investigate somewhere else. I just kept correcting her with wiggles of the rope and asking her to yield her quarters and then taking off all the pressure again as soon as she stood still. She still seemed a little confused, but gradually she would stand and look at me, lower her head and lick and chew without moving, with the rope on the floor! Such a clever girl!

Next we played some yo-yo game and I love how Arianna is equally happy to back up on a light finger waggle as she is to draw back to me with just a smile and a soften of my body language. This is one of the things she finds easiest.

Now we came back to the friendly game and I encouraged her to drop her head and relax whilst I rubbed her body with the stick. This was probably the most relaxed I've had her in the friendly game and even managed to throw the rope around her neck and back without her flinching from both sides.

Then I gave her a scratch and stood on a little mounting block whilst doing so to get her used to me being higher than she is, ready for backing. She was a bit suspicious at first, but once she understood, she stood very relaxed with me at her wither, and let me wrap my arms across her back in a bear hug! What a clever girl!

Arianna Training Day 5
A couple of days later, Arianna and I continued our practise in the tie up area. It was much quieter on Thursday evening but she's still a bit of a fidget! We took our time and Chloe brushed one side whilst I brushed the other, which took Arianna by surprise at first! We brushed through her mane and tail and I put in a running braid in her mane to help keep her cool. This was Arianna's first time being plaited!

In the round pen Arianna wanted to move her feet so I let her move about with a bit of circle game in trot to let off a bit of her energy. Walk and trot circle game seem to come easily to her but she is far less inclined to canter in the round pen yet!! The quarter yields in the circle game are getting there but were not perfectly square on yet so this is something I'm definitely going work on more next time. She backs up nicely now and turns at the should either direction well.

It was very muggy and I was getting hot, so we practised some porcupine game and the forehand yields are getting not only lighter but slower and more controlled from day 4. Then we just had cuddles again whilst I stood on the mountain block and Chloe leaned over Arianna's back whilst I scratched her.

 After her short work out, we un-braided her mane to find she now had a perm! Joshua my son and Chloe gave her lots of kisses and said their goodbyes as they go back home on Saturday and it got me thinking.... I wonder what Arianna and I will be doing next time they come to visit.....?