Really short post :)

so i have finally narrowed down some names for Indies show name.

first: Taa Halona= seed of good fortune in Navajo (i think)

second: Nova Mika= smart raccoon chases butterfly's in Cherokee

third: Soyala= winter solstice in a native American language that escapes me at the moment

It would be super great if you guys could tell me which you like better, because i just can't decide :)

so please bear with my indecisiveness, i'll probably decide eventually :D

Witchy Pony

OK so on Saturday Bad Pony cocked an attitude, and basically went "SCREW YOU!!!"
what she was doing was flipping her head up then getting stiff to the point where i couldn't steer. My hand was behind my saddle and her neck hadn't even turned toward the direction she needed to go to avoid hitting said hard metal fence (i would know, I've been run into it on numerous occasions).
Seeing as it was getting dangerous i asked my trainer to get on, and she couldn't steer her either, that's when you know it's really bad. By this time she was literally running into the wall , so awesome trainer went and got some twine and we made some Vienna Reins.
Or sliding side reins, i have provided you guys with a model complete with indie colored horse.

Basically what they do is when her head is down she feels nothing, they could be on or off makes no difference, but when she flips her head up she gives herself a jerk in the mouth. She figured it out really quickly and i had control back!!
On Sunday when i rode her (still in vienna reins) she was a perfect angel, and we even went outside!! It's been so muddy here was no point in even going outside.
So the show in Sept. is tempararily back on!!
I'm still waiting to see what she feels like closer to time, i really don't want to go then have no control. that. would. suck.

The Give

So i have been seeing a lot of debates about getting the horse into a frame. First of all i HATE that word with a passion. That is what gets people into trouble, because it implys that the horse puts their head in one spot and never moves from that spot no matter what. It is impossible to do that while riding dressage, the horse has to move their head, it's essential.
What i was taught was to do the give, which is thousands of minute adjustments.
The give is by John Lyons, in his book Lyons on horses (hehe lions on horses :)
First you apply steady pressure on one rein. keep the pressure the same, don't increase or decrease. When the horse gives to the pressure, you should see a loop in the reins. Release the pressure IMMEDATLY, that part is really important, it has to be the second they give to pressure. Keep increasing how far they have to turn their head to release the pressure, do this until they give and almost touch your knee.
Now you can start the down part of the give. Put as much pressure as you did in the beginning on the inside rein and put a little less pressure on the outside rein.
In this situation the horse has two options A: hold on to the bit and not let go and keep the annoying pressure in his mouth or B: put his head down.The reason they have to put their head down is because the inside rein says give and the outside says don't turn your head, the only option is down. Some horses when they first start this go up, if they do just keep the pressure until they go down, then release all the pressure immediatly.

Don't expect them to keep it there in the sweet spot as we call it at my barn, really great riders might do the give or some form of it thousands of times in a ride, it's so small you don't see it. Thats where the myth of the frame came about, people saw the horses head seemingly not moving and assumed that the rider had taught the horse not to move his head.
This is also where Rolkur came from people struggling to get something that doesn't exist, so they just started pulling their horse's mouth. If your horse has a "frame" it's wrong

Totally Estactic!!!

Indie is such a good girl, she has been listening to me so well. And for the first time i let someone else besides the the three people i trust on her. Now it's not that i don't trust the human, it's the horse i'm worried about. Like last time, she took off and refused to stop. Not. A. Pretty. Day.

I let the resisdent western/dressage convertee who just started taking lessons from my trainer, on indie to feel what a dressage horse is supposed to feel like (she rides an exworking cowhorse/dressage horse convertee, that is as stiff as a board)

I got on Cocoa while she was on Indie, and tried to get her to give and relax and stretch, it was like she had swallowed a broomstick. We made some progress and then switched horses.

Indie was good for me too, and we kinda tweaked with her canter transitions, to get them more clear cut.

And we have officially (thats right its official) been told we can do training level with our eyes shut and first level with a little more difficulty, yea!!......can we do second yet?? Apparently not judging by trainers face when i asked.

I swear i need to get her one of those hats that says "the trainer has spoken"

It fits her perfectly

This same day i also got to ride Austa, a second level drop out, who has absolutly no muscle mass what so ever (or as K says "flabby Mcflabbers") But she was a cool ride, she remembers leg yield, and sorta kinda shoulder-in, she even cantered a little. Cantering was a big deal,because when i say no muscle mass what so ever, i mean theres none, i was feeling her when i groomed her, nothing. Absolutly nothing. It's like fat and bones, and thats it.

Big collective ewwws followed that discovery