Today I tacked Kai up and brought him to the indoor to do some pre ride checks. Tru was tied in the corner and I was proud of how Kai paid very little attention to her and was connected to me. Kai and I were playing with flying lead change prep at the trot at the opposite end of the arena to where Tru was. I playfully tagged Kai when he didn't do a good canter transition and Tru had a bit of a freak out. She was pulling back as hard as she could and she had a small panic attack. What was really neat was that Kai barely even flinched. I was happy to see that even though Tru pulled the tie out of the wall, Kai stayed put for me. This is what I would have wanted him to do if I was riding. It is good for him to practice staying calm even if another horse is not. Kai ground tied like a champ while I tied Tru back in the corner.

I played some more with Kai and we got some good canter transitions on a small circle. I then somehow felt that Kai needed a massage today. So I untacked him and did the bladder meridian and some leg work. Kai licked and chewed a lot and he yawned at the end. I then let him loose in the outdoor so that he could play a little and enjoy the spring weather. Kai was doing very funny kicks and bucks and he was having a wonderful time running around.

 Next I tacked him up again and did some pre ride checks. Kai offered soft flexion right away and off we went. I decided to canter and we had the best time because he was cantering in balance without help. I rode him around without using the reins at all. I then found the confidence to take the halter off and ride bridleless for the first time.

Kai was not offended by the stick and he was soft and responsive so we cantered bridleless for the first time ever. It was so much fun! Kai was getting a little tired from so much cantering so I cooled him out and then I decided to stand on him. I really wanted to stand on him for a while but it was too cold to take my boots and socks off.

Kai was perfectly still, while I was shakily standing up.

I gave him some molasses for being so amazing when I put him back in the paddock.

Today I tacked Kai up outside and then headed to the outdoor arena hoping to squeeze a short ride in before the rain ruined the footing. It was only the second ride in the outdoor this year and today was overcast and I could smell the rain in the air. I decided to ride in the bareback pad today because I am more comfortable and balanced that way. We did our pre ride checks and I stood on the fence and Kai came sideways towards me so nicely for me to mount. We started on the rail and did walk and trot arena exercises while working on vertical flexion. Then Kai and I just happily cantered around for a while, taking some walking breaks for him to catch his breath back. It has been all winter since we went for a good, happy canter and it felt just amazing to just GO. Kai was leaning a lot less and was more balanced.

I then checked that nobody was around and decided I could be a little silly. I set the reins on Kai’s neck and put my arms out like wings, and we just cantered around like that while it gently drizzled on us. It felt almost unreal, like a magic dream. This is what it really is about, when all the training pays off and you can have a moment of harmony with your horse. Nobody watching, just cantering bareback with my arms out and smiling while it softly rains on us.

Kai was feeling happy too. He loves it when I let him just get into a free rhythm like that. Then as I walked him around to cool him out it started raining super hard. I am not joking, it was pouring down so hard that there was an actual waterfall  down the side of the indoor arena. Kai and I gathered our ropes and ran for our lives to the indoor arena.  I tied him in the corner and ran through the rain to the tack shed to get his green cooler and my lunch. I let him loose so that he could roll in the fluffy shavings (his favorite thing to do)before I put his cooler on. I ate my sandwich as I watched Kai roll right over his back three times snorting with delight and kicking the shavings all over. He got up and had a nice shake before coming over to nose at my half eaten sandwich and look for his apple. I gave him his apple for giving me such a good ride and put his cooler on. I tied him back to the wall and went to get him some hay to munch while he dried off. When we were both done eating I set him loose again to play with the green ball. I taught him to push it back to me when I push it to him.

When he was dry I put him back in the paddock and put a handful of treats on the ground for him to clean up.

March has been a slow month for Kai and me. I spent a lot of the sessions hanging out with him and grooming.

One thing that stood out this month was my first group lesson with Kaila!
I was riding with Molly on her horse Ori. We worked on head set and having control of the shoulders. I asked Kai to go on a circle and I would bend his nosto the inside but not let him make the circle smaller.  It took me almost the whole lesson to understand and feel what I need Kai to do. But I was super excited when we finally got it. Kai responded to me because I understood the concept.

What bugs me sometimes about regular lessons is that I don't always get to do my "homework" with Kai. I feel after a lesson that we should practice what I learned before the next lesson and I don't always get the chance because of various reasons. It frustrates me a little because I like to have the first thing down pat so I can build on it next lesson. It is especially true with riding because Kai has been too wet to ride lately so I didn't get a chance to practice the bending since the lesson.

I am happy and excited that our zone 5 driving is going a bit better. I am more confident and Kai is less bracy.  I was right when I thought that we only needed practice with this!

Today I had a group lesson again. I was pleasantly surprised that Kai's girth line was dry, so I only had to curry and then run a hard brush over it and he was clean. Kai was exceptionally connected to me right from the start (he usually needs to play for a little while before he gets connected). I mounted and he was giving very soft lateral flexion and softened right away. Kaila had  us trot on the rail while asking our horses for vertical flexion. Kai was getting the hang of giving to me vertically while trotting. He did his best during transitions and was soft on my leg. Then he offered a super smooth canter step so I softly slowed him down and kept trotting on the rail. At the end of the lesson Kaila asked M. to go in the middle of the arena and told me to keep Kai on the rail. She surprised me by having me ask Kai to canter. I have not cantered on Kai nearly all winter and I was not feeling that confident about it. But Kaila helped me feel more sure of myself and I asked Kai for a few canter steps at a time. Kai probably felt my uncertainty and he kept picking up the wrong lead. I think I was somehow screwing him up because I was a little nervous. At the end Kai cantered a little more than a lap around the arena (correct lead!!)

I was over the moon about having confidently cantered! I gave Kai an apple and cooled him out.

Judging by how last session went and the fact that it has been a while since I played with Kai I guessed that he would be dominant and testy today. It turns out that I was right.

I began our session by grooming Kai and braiding his mane because there was no space for us to play in the arena. When we finally had room in the arena I asked Kai to go on a circle at the walk and he jumped forward striking the air with his front legs and he gave a little crow hop. I backed him up hard and asked him again. Kai trotted instead of walking so I pushed him to canter in a very tight circle with lots of changes of direction. When he decided to connect I played some yoyo game and took him for a ride while he cooled out.

I was prepared for him to be bracy when I asked him for lateral flexion but he surprised me and was super soft. I tied my savvy string around his neck as a cordeo so that I could begin teaching him to be responsive to it. I asked him to yield his HQ and he walked forward so I corrected him and asked again. I persisted until he yielded on both sides lightly. Then we practiced his FQ yields and he got that almost right away. I asked him to back up and to yield his FQ with the neck rope and he did pretty well.

The goal of this ride was to be able to direct him with my legs only without him speeding up. I had my rein ready but completely neutral and we set off on the rail. I had to correct Kai in the beginning but soon I was able to steer him in a tight serpentine with my legs only and my reins hanging down. I slid of his bum when dismounting for fun. I asked him to bow before giving him his apple and putting him back in the paddock. It was a very good and productive session.

Kai and I are doing pretty well at the moment. We are ready to film our level 3 online audition and are now just waiting for the footing in the outdoor arena to be good. We have practiced our routine and I am very happy with what we have however, I still don't have a tape that I want to send in.

While we are waiting, we are playing with ground driving in preparation for our level 4 online audition. I feel we are a bit stuck with this task as Kai always starts out bracy and I am not always coordinated so it is a bit of a struggle.  I think that I just need to do it more and we will figure it out.


Kai's piaffe is progressing very well and he is offering diagonal steps nearly every time. He still swishes his tail when I ask him for more effort but I am sure he will stop when he understands what I want a bit better. I believe that as soon as he is more sure with moving his feet in place I need to move him out of the corner so he doesn't become dependent on it.


He has also been pretty sassy lately. He tosses his head and blocks me with his nose and is resistant. I am not sure why as I have not changed anything that I know of. I feel that I need to correct him very firmly every time he does something like that and move on. I will see how that works and change it if I feel it is necessary. I think he might be just testing me to see what he can get away with.


I knew that I should be asking more of him because I am satisfied with too little, but now I am beginning to understand that I should be a lot less tolerant and to correct faster and harder as Kai is taking advantage of the fact that I am more slow with him. I will definitely try it out and see if it helps him stop head tossing.


Our liberty is going well and I will be teaching him to canter on a circle at liberty and also flying lead changes for our level 4 liberty audition. He is staying connected for longer and I can ask for more things at once without him deciding to leave.

Today I decided to scrub Kai's legs to try to help his mud fever as it was a very warm day. Poor Kai was standing still most of the time as I applied the medicated shampoo and massage the yellow scabs away. He was not too tender when I started but after I let it sit for ten minutes and then washed it all away Kai got a lot more tender.


I brought him inside and put his cooler on to try to help him dry a little. The rain started coming down so hard that there was a small waterfall on the side of the arena and I was glad that Kai and I made it to the indoor arena in time. I groomed Kai for a while and massaged his back and braided his mane so that it wouldn't get dreadlocks because of the wind. I then left him tied in the corner for a while so that he will begin to learn how to relax when tied.


When I came back I decided I could play with teaching Kai to trot super slowly. The way I did this was by walking on the rail with a good rhythm and when Kai was relaxed and in sync I brought up the energy very slightly. If I catch him by surprise and don't give him enough warning he hollows his back and makes a tense transition. I gradually walked faster and faster until Kai did a few steps of very slow trot to catch up. I praised him and gave him a break and then continued to ask for more steps. Soon Kai could trot beside me down the entire long side of the arena. I asked him to do some canter circles and some trot circles making sure he stayed bent to the inside.

PIAFFE

I began by walking at stick to me and slowing and shortening the steps and then walking normal again. Soon Kai began to match my tempo and would slow down with me. We also did the same thing at the trot. Then Kaila suggested that I put him in a corner and ask him for a step forward and back until he got the idea of moving in one place. I modified it by standing in front of his driveline having him between me and the wall and putting energy behind him so he would think about moving his feet. We played with that for quite a while and worked through him resisting  and swishing his tail and kicking. Kai was freely moving his hind legs but he would plant his front ones.

I kept working on it until he got unstuck and offered a little step and we quit.

Kai was having a bad day today. He was doing what I asked but he was also not interested in having a conversation. I groomed him and tacked him up in the saddle so I could take pictures to share to a treeless saddle group to ask for advice. I sent him on the circle at a walk so he could feel the saddle and to work on transitions. Kai decided to trot so I asked him to slow to a walk again. Kai tried to trot a few more times and then he walked for two laps without breaking gait. I asked him to change directions and he walked on more circle.

I asked him lightly to make a trot transition and Kai started to crow hop. I tagged his bum and he stopped but he trotted in a very tense way. I thought we could work on flying lead change preparation so I quickly reviewed his FQ yield and then we worked on changes of direction. I brought him in until I had two eyes and then when I sent him the other way I made sure  his shoulders really moved away lightly. We did this at a walk and a trot and then we did some cantering circles. He was trying to get away instead of cantering on the circle so I kept asking him until he could relax cantering both directions. Then I asked him to canter and then I quickly brought him in making sure he maintained the canter for as long as he could. We did this in both directions to make a pattern for the lead changes preparation. Kai was all hot and sweaty by then so we did some walking stick to me to cool off.

But something felt wrong to me. He was off to me in general, he wasn't his bright, cheeky and happy self today.

I couldn't figure out why he was feeling like this. I asked myself if I was feeling off. No, I was feeling pretty happy, so he wasn’t mirroring me. I guess it was one of those days for Kai.

I tied him in the corner with his cooler on and we played with the bit because I know that he really likes to play with it. I let him wear it for a few minutes until he stopped fussing with it and then I took it out an gave him a piece of apple. I took his favourite soft rubber curry comb and rubbed his neck and forehead with it while Kai leaned into me with enjoyment. I also brushed out his mane and braided his forelock. When he was done cooling off I asked him to lie down before putting him back in the paddock. Kai lied down and then he started to rub his neck in the shavings to mess up his brushed mane. I gave him the last of the apple before ending the session.

Today was a beautiful day so my siblings came to the barn with me.
After grooming and tacking up, Kai and I did the pre ride checks and I rode him a little, working on bending so my sister could ride. Kai was doing wonderful lateral flexion and he was doing everything I asked him to do. I dismounted and helped my sister get on. I led her around the arena and reminded her to keep her legs relaxed and to not lean forward. I suggested that she sings a song so that she doesn't hold her breath. We kept on walking around while my sister sang and held her arms out to learn balance. Kai didn't look too impressed but he was behaving himself very well.

Later I took her for a little trot reminding her to sing so she stays relaxed. We also did some changes of direction at the walk without holding on. We were finishing up by waking on the rail and Kai nipped me, to my surprise. I flicked my finger on his muzzle but didn't correct him more because my sister was riding and I didn't want him to jump or become unsteady.

When she was done riding Kai yawned and yawned. I think he feels that she is unsure and it makes him feel a little unsettled.

Today I decided I would try to teach Kai to lie down when I asked him.
First, I asked him to put his head down as low as possible and then give him a treat while he was down. I did this six times to build a pattern and then I put my hands behind my back and turned a little away from him and watched him out of the corner of my eye. Kai then put his head down on his own and asked a question. I love moments when  horse thinks things through and is actively participating. I praised Kai and gave him a cookie while his head was down. We repeated this process, only this time while walking. When  Kai was consistently walking around with his head down I waited until he looked down with his eyes or started slowing down and focusing on the ground. I captured it with the word "yes!" and gave him a cookie. Kai then walked around for about 15 minutes with his head down before lying down. I praised him lots and gave him all the cookies. When he got up I put him back in the paddock.