shekaberry
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Post by shekaberry on Apr 28, 2010 15:13:13 GMT -5
We'll be hauling Annie up to Half Trak this weekend to have a lesson and pick up Sinatra so I am interested to see how being in a new environment affects her. Since she was unnerved at the show last summer I anticipate that she will be fine, but the indoor has mirrors and I don't know that she has seen those or if she will even care. Things you'd expect to bother her, she could care less about. Such a funny girl. She is still being ADD-ish on the ground, but has actually been getting better and I think I figured out why. When it's just me and her out there, or one other person, and it's quiet; she stands like an angel and will even doze while I groom her. If there is alot of stimulation and people moving about, she gets more excited and wants to look around and see what's happening. That's the pattern I picked up anyway, either that or she knows that I'm not fooled by her freakiness. In my lessons we have been working on keeping her straight and accepting light contact with the bit. She is doing great with accepting contact and not tucking her chin to her chest so we are concentrating on her crookedness. She is pretty crooked tracking right, that left shoulder is just so far out there and it's hard for her to go straight, especially at the walk, so we practice leg yields and some counter-flexion tracking right and left. Her canter is coming along great and when she settles into it it's like glass, incredibly smooth. I'm really hoping we can make it to some small dressage shows, I think she'd be great out there. This horse LOVES the spotlight
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Post by crazyperson1 on May 1, 2010 22:14:40 GMT -5
Ouch those feet hurt! How is she for jumping? I mean like is their anything that could hold her back from learning how to jump?
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Post by schwung on May 1, 2010 22:30:16 GMT -5
We haven't tried her jumping but I don't know there isn't anything holding her back other than she doesn't really have the ideal conformation for jumping.
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shekaberry
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Post by shekaberry on May 21, 2010 12:35:50 GMT -5
It's been a while since an Annie update and she is doing great.
The only things she really needs work on are her crookedness, over-flexion, transitions and tempo regulation. She has more moments of proper self-carriage than before, but still a ways to go. Her canter is coming along quite well, she knows her leads, doesn't rush and doesn't swap hardly at all anymore.
Her ground manners have improved enormously, she is much quieter while tying and hasn't pulled back in quite some time. She still gets sassy about her back feet, but a verbal reprimand settles her; and she still nips a bit but nowhere near as bad as she was. All in all, she is coming along quite well. She is actually pretty fun to have around once you get to know wher and her know you. I hope she finds her person soon as she will really shine with her own family.
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Post by Kea's Crest on Jun 7, 2010 8:39:26 GMT -5
She is such a beauty. Totally at the prime time of her life, ready to be put to work. I bet that would really make her shine; a "job." She's sassy; overflowing with pent up potential.
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shekaberry
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Post by shekaberry on Jun 7, 2010 16:36:30 GMT -5
I've been having a lot of fun with her We are incorporating trot poles into our training repertoire to help her stretch and pick up her back, I think she likes it tho she occasionally tries to avoid them She has these glue-on booties on her front hooves due to being a bit sore after a trim and she *really* got Saddlebred-y looking picking those feet up over the trot poles yesterday! I could see her knees in my peripheral vision so I know she was high-stepping!
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myhorsefaith
Junior BB Member
Run, baby, run... I miss you.
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Post by myhorsefaith on Jun 7, 2010 18:18:29 GMT -5
You guys looked great in your lesson yesterday- lots of fun to watch!! She was indeed very cute going over those poles.
You are doing an excellent job with her- Miss Annie is very lucky to have you working with her!
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Post by Kea's Crest on Jun 8, 2010 10:48:41 GMT -5
How lucky for Annie she is getting so much regular training. That is awesome. You mentioned her "aptitude" for hi stepping; it reminded me of the reading I'd done on the breeds origins. A little synopsis: Originally a cross between pacers and TB's in the 1700's, breeders jumped head on into the breed which proved the favored cavalry horse from the Revolutionary War thru the Civil War. Generals Grant, Lee, Sherman, Jackson, Morgan, and Forrest all famously rode American Saddlebreds. The strongest, most trainable, and most intelligent were the core of the breeding ranks. They became well known for being fearless in battle. Grueling marches, poor conditions; the survivors of the war were only the strongest. Today they are mostly associated with the well mannered world of top hats and jodhpurs; a cadillac of horses. I would more liken them to a hi end sport SUV; they can do it all and still give their owner a smooth ride. I think too often people think the only thing that can be done with them is put oversized shoes on them and rack them. I found were, in actuality, people are having excellent success with them in dressage, hunt, endurance, barrels,... etc. My girls love the trails. Just because they "can" learn gaits doesnt mean they "have" to. I've also seen where some breeders are crossing ASBs with large warm bloods to mix in the desirable traits. A good quote I found; "Perhaps the most unusual trait of the American Saddlebred is his temperament. While the ASBs are extremely alert and curious, they are highly intelligent, people oriented horses. Most ASBs are said to posses that indescribable quality - personality - which endears them to their owners and admirers." I think that is a great description from my experience. I also think they are one of the most beautiful. While my other horses (TBs and Arabs) are friendly, sometimes they just "cant be bothered." My ASB girls are always interested and ready to interact. Just my little two cent plug for the versatility of the Saddlebreds beyond the pigeon hole that I used to categorize them in because of their ability to learn smooth gaits. Thanks again for all the great work you all are doing for Annie.
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shekaberry
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Post by shekaberry on Jul 2, 2010 10:39:26 GMT -5
Time for an Annie update I've been riding her pretty consistently three days a week with lessons every other week or so and she's coming along really well. Her ground manners have improved exponentially and she will stand in the corssties and snooze while I groom her, stand quietly while saddling and takes her bridle with no drama (most of the time, she is still a sass-a-frass when the mood strikes her). No lunging needed prior to hopping on and once I'm up she is ready for work. Her crookedness is nearly resolved at the trot so I have been working on keeping her straight in the canter, which can be a challenge because she will do flyling lead changes to keep from traveling straight! She is much more balanced in her canter and, aside from her auto-changes, quite easy to keep in a nice tempo. We still have occasional head tossing, but it is getting better and better each time. I think she has an extra vertebrae in that neck of hers and she is still looking for the "sweet spot' to put her head. I leave her face alone and let her figure it out. I am more concerned with her having and even, forward tempo that where her head is. I started teaching her walk-canter transistions, but feel like it was frazzling her a bit (see video on Facebook) so we will take it slower and have been cantering from a slow sitting trot. She has been 50/50 on beautiful/scary transitions but beauty is slowly winning. Last evening was the best slow trot/canter transitions yet. The plan is to show her in Intro and Training level at the SAFE show so everyone needs to come and see how this beautiful girl shines!
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Post by Sara on Aug 1, 2010 12:20:29 GMT -5
I was kicking myself yesterday for leaving my camera at home. I had the pleasure of observing Annie & Allison's lesson, after my own and WOW has this mare made some fantastic progress. She is really settling in and becoming quite relaxed under saddle.
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shekaberry
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Post by shekaberry on Aug 4, 2010 13:58:23 GMT -5
Annie will be in Halter for Rescue and Pleasure-type, Training level tests 2 and 3, in-hand Trails and Bribe-your-horse. She gets *very* excited about treats so bring your cameras and have the medics on speed-dial
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shekaberry
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Post by shekaberry on Aug 9, 2010 11:08:34 GMT -5
Darling Annie did very good at the show; no ribbons in either halter class, but she took a 4th in Training 2, tied with Goliath for 1st in Training 3 and placed 3rd in Trails in-hand. She was ADD-Annie in Bribe-your-horse, and I didn't know the pattern, so that didn't go so well; but she got a chance to show off her head-toss and prancing. She doesn't do well on gravel and I didn't want her to get sore so I didn't do any afternoon classes with her. Plus it was raining and I had not prepared for that at all. We all got pretty wet What a fan club this girl has! I took her for lots of walks around to meet people and she had lots of folks recognize her and come up to say Hi and that they had followed her story and really wanted to meet her. One family said they were going to put in an application after watching her Dressage tests in the morning. Fingers crossed that she will have her own people soon!
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Post by Kea's Crest on Aug 9, 2010 18:32:28 GMT -5
A dressage princess. That would be a great job for her. I'm sure her good looks would make her a real stand-out for that.
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Post by kdunham on Aug 10, 2010 14:25:25 GMT -5
Annie is such a pretty girl! I am definatly on of the many in her fan club! Was good to see her in action with Allison in the warm up ring. Just happened that the two western classes I was in were when she was showing dressage so didnt get to see her go. Did someone take a video?
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Post by Sara on Aug 15, 2010 11:54:56 GMT -5
I got a fantastic video of Annie and Allison yesterday that I'll post as soon as it's up. I also got the opportunity to hop on this fun mare for a few minutes and she is quite lovely to ride- very light in the bridle and such smooth gaits! Annie has really come an incredibly long way. Kudos to all those who helped make that happen. Whoever gets this girl is quite lucky indeed!
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