kteufel
08-16-2007, 04:07 AM
Hi all,
I don't post much here, but some of you may remember last winter when I got dumped off my mare when she spooked while I was riding bareback, and I injured my back pretty badly. I made the decision that she needed more finishing work for my own confidence and made arrangements for her to go to Vickie McQuinn's ranch in Clovis, CA (De Los Mejores ranch) for training this summer.
Nena left at the end of last June and she'd due to come back this weekend! Her "30 days" got extended due to the number of shows they had to go to, interrupting her training a bit. It has been an incredible experience and is the best money I have ever spent on my horse--I am so happy I decided to do it! I drove four hours every weekend I could to have lessons on my mare and/or go on trail rides. Vickie gave me lots of great tips on handling my mare and we went on several awesome trail rides, including one moonlight ride. They did an excellent job with her and Nena seemed very relaxed and happy, and much more responsive in general. I know it wasn't easy for her, since she had to be stalled during the training and she isn't used to that type of confinement, but she adjusted well. She was also very out of shape and at first couldn't go more than 30 minutes without huffing and puffing! Now she looks lovely and more muscled up.
I'm a dog trainer, so Vickie and I had some interesting conversations about the differences and similarities between horse training and dog training--mostly we were laughing about how damned similiar they are! It's all about consistency, of course... and *persistency*
I'm moving her to a new boarding place where I have friends to trail ride with. It's a bit farther away, but the fact that I'll have riding buddies will more than make up for the inconvenience of driving a bit farther.
AND--I have a BMSS endurance saddle ordered! Can't wait for it to arrive... I just hope it fits.
Yes, I'll take pictures when she arrives this weekend :)
I don't post much here, but some of you may remember last winter when I got dumped off my mare when she spooked while I was riding bareback, and I injured my back pretty badly. I made the decision that she needed more finishing work for my own confidence and made arrangements for her to go to Vickie McQuinn's ranch in Clovis, CA (De Los Mejores ranch) for training this summer.
Nena left at the end of last June and she'd due to come back this weekend! Her "30 days" got extended due to the number of shows they had to go to, interrupting her training a bit. It has been an incredible experience and is the best money I have ever spent on my horse--I am so happy I decided to do it! I drove four hours every weekend I could to have lessons on my mare and/or go on trail rides. Vickie gave me lots of great tips on handling my mare and we went on several awesome trail rides, including one moonlight ride. They did an excellent job with her and Nena seemed very relaxed and happy, and much more responsive in general. I know it wasn't easy for her, since she had to be stalled during the training and she isn't used to that type of confinement, but she adjusted well. She was also very out of shape and at first couldn't go more than 30 minutes without huffing and puffing! Now she looks lovely and more muscled up.
I'm a dog trainer, so Vickie and I had some interesting conversations about the differences and similarities between horse training and dog training--mostly we were laughing about how damned similiar they are! It's all about consistency, of course... and *persistency*
I'm moving her to a new boarding place where I have friends to trail ride with. It's a bit farther away, but the fact that I'll have riding buddies will more than make up for the inconvenience of driving a bit farther.
AND--I have a BMSS endurance saddle ordered! Can't wait for it to arrive... I just hope it fits.
Yes, I'll take pictures when she arrives this weekend :)