Eventing- cross country helmet camera....

Look how happy this horse is! Ears forward the whole time!

the dreaded buck

Many of you have probably seen a little blog/facebook button that has two characters, one a horse and the other it's rider, up it the air. The horse is bucking and the caption is, "I do my own stunts"...


Well, I do.


As you people know, I haven't done much riding on Aravis yet... Indeed, I haven't even cantered her yet. Our online is Level 3 but the lack of riding has been due to what started as a respect issue, then weight, soundness.... and now saddle fit. :) 


So! She's been trying to buck me off... not very hard and not at all vigorously... just a left brain threat. How do I know? Well, mostly when a horse bucks with it's head down its left brain and when it bucks with it's head up it's right brain! :) 


So... I need to save for a properly fitting western saddle (more security) so I can get on and ride out the bucks.. :) I asked Linda Parelli on her ParelliConnect wall about this issue and presented all of the situation in the context of what kind of saddle I should buy/save for/ride in. 


My question: 


I have a saddle question. 

I have a 3 year old, appendix quarter horse, left brain extrovert, mare. She is my Levels horse. And she's having some issues (bucking). (She reminds me of allure sometimes.)
I'd eventually like to do eventing, be a parelli professional, etc... I'm saving for a Fluidity GP but since more issues with my young mare I thought it may be that it would be more secure and a bit smarter to save for a Natural Performer. I can only have one of them... it would take me a long time to save for two saddles (I'm 15). 
Is it easier for a young horse to launch you in a Fluidity saddle or in a Natural Performer? I know you rode allure in your fluidity and was fine... hmmm... 
I trust you to tell me which would be best.. I don't really have too much of a preference right now.... 
-Priscilla

PS. I wrote my instructor about the bucking... I'm getting help. :) I'll write you about it sometime. The bucking is left brained and not at all hard/big... not like allure.







Linda's answer:


"Great question Priscilla. I'll tell you what Pat said the first time he rode Allure. I asked him if he would like to use my English Saddle, and he said "No way! I've seen that horse buck and I need something that will help me stay with him!" Of course you don't want to have your horse bucking when riding, but when the horse is young, and especially LBE, the risk of this is rather high :)"

The horse Linda and I were referring to ('Allure') was a highly active, left brain extrovert, 17+ hand warmblood who probably had ADD. Hehe... Now he's so great and is competing in Eventing! 


So now I'm saving for a Parelli Natural Performer (basically a western all purpose saddle)! 


Aravis' bucking is dominant and dangerous and she tries to go higher if I ask her for more of whatever she's bucking about... Hmph! I DON'T intent to knock my brains out, I'm riding with a helmet and getting off when necessary. 


You guys should know how careful I am by now. :)


Talk later...


-Priscilla

100 steps (err... 45...)

This is something I started writing a long time ago... look where things lead.


So what does the Aravis path look like it's going? Where are my 100 steps leading to the goal?

1. Aravis's cut-CHECK
2. Start playing-CHECK
3. Introduce more patterns-CHECK
4. Get her Left Brain around the round pen-CHECK
5. Put more weight on Aravis-CHECK
6. Take a lesson every other week
7. Get her looked at by a massage therapist if she is still stiff in the hind quarters-UNESSISARY 
8. Do the old Level 1 for her starting foundation, etc-CHECK
9. Get our porcupine game good
10. Try some of Carolyn Resnicks ideas-CHECK
11. Do the patterns (figure 8s, weaves, green ball, touch it, tarps, etc) through Level 1-CHECK
12. Audition for Level 1- PASSED THOUGH SELF ASSESSMENT
13. To introduce her to Level 2, take a clinic with an instructor
14. Cavaletti
15. Buy barrels, jump barrels
16. Canter (freestyle
17. Use the old box Level 2
18. Do MORE patterns-CHECK
19. Self assess often-CHECK
20. Go to obstacle exposure and play dates
21. Overcome thresholds and separation anxiety
22. Take her on walks
23. Ride/play/walk with people
24. Begin Liberty 
25. Get her really comfortable with jumping, more than the usual Parelli horse
26. Take a Level 3/4 course at Pagosa Springs CO at the Parelli Campus
27. Pass Level 2 with her (before or after course)
28. Solidify patterns to a Level 2 standard 
29. Begin Level 3 (online)-CHECK
30. Take Clinic with instructor
31. Bridless riding
32. Refine games 
33. Play on 45' line... a LOT
34. Get online so good that our liberty looks like online
35. Ride with a tarp wrapped around my shoulders 
36. Get Level 3 self assessed
37. Take Fast track course at Pagosa Springs CO at the Parelli Campus
38. Pass Level 3 (before or after course)
39. Apply for Externship and Scholarship
40. Get scholarship for Externship
41. GO to Externship!! 
42. Buy some land and build my facilities... gradually
43. PROGRESS!!! 
44. ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!  
45. I HAVE MY WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF ME!! 

Divulgence

I haven't really written on here in a while. I've wanted to... just didn't. 


I've been doing a bit of school, a lot of work, some riding, a bit of writing, and a lot of general horse care and time. 


School has been going well, I'm slowly understanding it. The best thing for me is to take it slow but always be doing it. Coming back from any breaks is really hard, I try to avoid them. 


My employer has given me more work which is so wonderful. It means more money, more savings, and more life experience. So I'm doing feeding, scooping, grooming, exercising, dishes, laundry, and a few little maintenence things. 


Writing is going well. It's fun and I'm really getting into one of my stories more. 
Here's an expert: "

Brun jolted bolt upright in bed, a erie cat call was heard again, long and weird. Brun winced. Distracted from his already sporadic sleep, he tip-toed down the stairs. The floor creaked but Adrin and Cyra slept heavily. He slipped out the door, he was without shoes but didn’t care. The village was silent. Then he heard another call, he followed it, his response involuntary. There was no wind but he smelled a strong musk, it came from a close-by house. It smelled like an un-kept stable, only slightly worse but not strong. He rounded the corner and two men with small swords looked on him with toothy grins. Before he could stand for more than a moment, one had put his blade to his throat and turned him around.

“Calmly and quietly make your way back to your house, lad. There’s a boy.” The one with the blade to his throat said, breathing down his spine. Brun could smell that slight stench he had caught earlier on him. Brun took careful steps toward the house, the blade was surprisingly warm. It bumped against his neck every step or two and made him somewhat annoyed. To Brun’s own amazement, he didn’t feel scared. He had always thought he’d be nervous with a knife to his throat."

Aravis and Cricket are doing well. Cricket is her usual wonderful, obedient, and hardy self.

Aravis is well but not as well as I'd like. She was 1/5 (1 out of 5, five being the worst and 1 being barely at all) lame when I had the vet over. She has a "break over" which is a conformational defect which means her pasterns are not supporting the weight of her body as well as they should. So... *drum roll filled with mixed feelings*... she has shoes now. Yes, something I try to avoid. But... if you want to do what's best for the horse, you can't be to extreme. So, I did what I think must be best for her. I need her to be sound. Don't judge me. I tried to avoid this, I have nothing against shoes, I just think that horses function better with just their hooves.

I tried to leave her barefoot and still work her and ride her heavily, she got a bit worse. Besides, I know MANY equine athletes with shoes. Rene, Tina Giordano, and Linda Parelli's horses being some of them. Cricket is a hard working athlete, she just doesn't need shoes, she's hardy and that works for her.

To make something clear, this was not me giving in to "peer pressure". I can think independently just fine. I'm just a person trying to do what's best for her horse.

There, I'm done being defensive.

Keep calm and savvy on...

-Priscilla