Things are LOOKING UP

After getting my friend/trainer Kyle Hatfield to ride Chainsaw a few times while I watched from another horse things are def starting to look like Chainsaw will be staying at our place~~~~at least for now.  I have been riding him in between Kyle's visits, getting 2 to 4 rides in and we are getting along LOTS better these days.  The horse is learning how to chill out and lower his head and not be so paranoid over every little thing.  Kyle showed me different ways to "wiggle the worm" and Chainsaw has taken the bait.  He's still standing really nice to be saddled and is very patient with anyone getting on.  The BIG difference now is that during the ride he's found ways to relax and lower his head and seems to be enjoying life a whole lot more.  Am so glad I swallowed my pride and asked for help with this horse, as it was to the point where he was about to find a new zip code.  The horse is moving much better, not ducking off and diving anymore and has changed so much that if I had not seen it with my own eyes I would hardly believe it.  Is like lots of other things, the first part is where HUGE gains can be made and this horse has made those gains in the last month.  From here on out I am expecting things to get nothing but better.  Thanks again Kyle

New beginning

It has been a while since I posted about ol Chainsaw.  Did ride him some this spring and haven't been able to get the progress I'd like to see.  Was about to give up on him when I finally admitted that I am not the best trainer in the world and looked for some help.  Found a guy who said he'd get on him, and since the guy was in his early 30s I thought he'd bounce lots better than me so last night he came out with his saddle and we had a little session.  The jockey, Kyle Hatfield and Chainsaw both did a stellar job.  Kyle was more patient than me and did a great job of flexing and bending Chainsaw and keeping him in small circles.  They even cantered some at times.  I was on my 5yr old gelding Ruger in the arena with them all the time and was very impressed so I guess there is hope yet.  Kyle is planning on coming over to ride him a couple times a week and he will work with me as well as with the horse.  I am pretty sure both the horse and I have lots to learn.  That's the best part of the horses deal, is always more to learn.  Thanks to Kyle for probably saving Chainsaw's bacon.

End of the year

It's been quite a while since I have posted on ol Chainsaw so thought I'd put something down to end the year up.  Riding tapered off with the onset of winter and the days getting shorter.  Given the way he rides we need pretty decent footing to keep things in hand, so it has been a while since he's been ridden.  He came down with a weepy eye a few weeks ago, not real bad but you could tell it bothered him and he was blinking it quite a bit and always squinting.  I let it go a while thinking it would be better with each day but didn't see the progress in it so got ahold of a great horse vet.  The vet ran a tube up his nose and ran some saline thru his tear duct ( don't know how he got that little hose in there so slick) to make sure it was clear.  Gave his eye a good looking over and couldn't find anything in it.  Gave me some anti-biotic eye salve to put in it.  After a few days of application morning and night his eye cleared right up ( never did have any blue in it or anything that bad) and guess I'd have to declare it back to 100%. 
Stopped at an indoor arena down by Ankeny Iowa and gave it a look over on Dec 26th while they were having a team roping practice there.  Guess they have an open arena there on some Sundays.  Am considering loading Chainsaw up a time or two and taking him down to get him out into the world some to try and get him closer to the horse I need for the mounted shooting.  Don't want to put anybody else in harms way so it might just be lunging and whatever the first time or two but any way ya cut it, it would be good to get him out and about. 
Everyone have a Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!

Shorter days and less time

Chainsaw is so smart that now all I have to do when I have a halter on him is to point to his shoulder with an index finger and he will flex and touch that shoulder with his nose.  Our mounted shooting season is over so now there will be weekends to ride and get him a little further along before the ground freezes and things grind to a crawl riding wise.  Have the farrier coming out this Saturday to remove shoes from the horses with them and trim all four horses.  That way the snow that's not gonna fall won't pack under any shoes.

IN for the LONG HAUL

Has been a while since I have posted on Chainsaw.  We are going to Mounted Shoots every weekend now but that will be done after our event in Monticello Iowa on Oct 15-16.  So we leave on Fridays in the mid afternoon and return Sunday late.  I have been working with Chainsaw and he continues to improve.  We haven't even had any meltdowns or fits of bucking for quite a while now.  We have been doing lots of walk trot and one rein stops, etc.  He is loading into the trailer when asked now on the first try.  He's also calming down and getting less and less spooky.  He's learning to give to pressure.  In the past he'd hang up when being led from the barn and into the arena, needing to be pulled sideways to get his feet unstuck.  But now he seems to follow with little or no stopping so that's a good sign.  He's also giving to pressure and flexing from the saddle much better.  We have lots of walking, trotting and cantering circles ahead before I am going to intro him to much more like the gunfire and etc.    Good news is despite riding a slow horse all summer it looks like I will be the state high points for the mounted shooting once again~~~not in my class or etc but HIGH OVERALL points.  I am not the best or fastest, just pretty consistant and we did go to all of the events.

Back in the Saddle Again

After a few days of ground work I decided it was time to saddle up and ride ol Chainsaw some more.  Last night I did some lateral flexing from the ground, lunged him a little, a few more de-sensitizing exercises and stepped on for a little ride.  Not much had changed, he stands really well to be saddled and to let me get on.  We started flexing from the saddle where he's really stiff still and needs lots of bending in the future.  He still thinks the boogey man is gonna get him at the far end of the arena, esp on the side towards the timber.  Still we did lots of ORS ( one rein stops) and flexing and had no major incidents while walking lots and trotting a little.  While I really want to get this show on the road it is kinda nice not to have a sore nose/head at the end of a ride.  Will keep after him and see how things progress.

More Ground Work

Another night of ground work for Chainsaw.  Did the repeat of the lateral flexation from the ground, no problems.  Got the handy stick and string out and did some de-sensitizing which went well.  A little lunging, yaaaa, going great.  THEN did some spanking of the ground and found a hot button.  Almost lost him off the end of the long lead a couple times, but he quieted down within a minute or so and caught onto this game too and realized that it wasn't going to hurt him.  At first he thought it meant to go go go and he wanted to lunge around me as fast as he could go.  But wasn't long before he caught onto my body language and stood stock still, licking his brains and with a cocked leg.  After that we did another session of loading into the trailer, with the door closing behind and while he's not getting A's in that department he does load and stay in the trailer pretty good.  It had been over a week since his last trailer loading and he retained most of everything he did the last time.  Was tuff not to throw a saddle on and ride, but that will come in due time.