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All caught up everyone! I'm hoping to head out this evening. Undecided if I'm going to take Clementine or Candace. Excited to be starting them as a team this fall once I can get some help hitching and whatnot from my dad after the horses go down south. I'll feel much better with an extra pair of hands and a "groom" along in case it all goes pear shaped.
 
Thank you MajorClementine!

Zorro and I had a VERY fun drive around the driving track today. We were ZOOMING! He was galloping and taking the corners very fast. There are rocks and a few dips out there so I was flying, literally!! I was laughing so hard and also VERY grateful for the Hyperbike. It was sliding around the corners and handling the rocks and bumps perfectly. In any other cart it's likely I would have been ejected.

Sometimes it's fun to just let it all go and be a kid again!
zorronose.jpg
40 minutes of bombing around!!
 
Dapper Dan was hitched for at least 2 hours today and harnessed for 4. According to the odometer on the sulky, Dapper Dan was driven 1.62 miles. I don't know how to count the time as I was not driving him the whole time. It was a grueling morning.
 
Marsha Cassada said:
Dapper Dan was hitched for at least 2 hours today and harnessed for 4. According to the odometer on the sulky, Dapper Dan was driven 1.62 miles. I don't know how to count the time as I was not driving him the whole time. It was a grueling morning.
Click to expand...
Was he being naughty? I understand days like that... Sigh.

I drove Zorro in the bike yesterday and then we did some ground driving, while hitched to the bike. He really needs to start being more responsive to the bit. When I take up contact he will open his mouth, push the bit as far back into his mouth as he can and CHOMP it incessantly. It's so annoying and very difficult to communicate with him when he does this. I am starting to believe this is a learned behavior as it seems he thinks that the appropriate response to contact. I hold until he either moves his feet or softens in the mouth but yesterday this was taking 10-15 minutes! At which point I truly felt he didn't understand the release at all. It was exhausting for both of us as mental lessons typically are. I hope we can get to the bottom of this soon.

We also tried out the newest collar and hames. It's smaller and lighter and so far I am loving it! I wouldn't typically use a collar and hames with my bike but the sled isn't fun to pull without snow, so the bike it is!

Edited to add my time: I forgot to put how long we worked! LOL! 60 minutes of solid mental torture...
new14collarandbike.jpg
 
Zorro looks nice in his new collar.
I hate fitting harnesses! Just had to get that of my chest.:mad:. My new harness saddle seems to be uncomfortable for Peanut :-( . I have noticed he has been going "hollow" lately so I was checking everything over and the saddle seems to have pressure points. I went back to my old cheap harness with no tree and he was instantly more comfortable. I'm going to stick with the old harness for him from now on.
Marsha, The Fair sounds like it must've been a lot of hot work. I hope everyone appreciated you and DD!

25 minutes for Peanut today
30 minutes for Cappy, both hitched.
Thanks MC! :)
 
Yes my ponies are not fans of the treed saddle. That is definitely NOT a one size fits all kind of thing. BUT most of those treed saddles are a spring tree which means you can bend them without breaking them. So for my mare, I bent the crap out of my saddle and bought a longer pad and she is comfortable in that saddle now.

Today Zorro and I did 60 minutes ground driving in the surcingle and worked on being responsive and having a quiet mouth. Today's session went much better than yesterday but if our past lessons tell me anything, it's that he can't hang onto what he is learning about the bit for more than two sessions in a row. Sigh. We will just keep on keeping on!
 
Zorro will come along with his mouth. One day it will just click. Cappy does somehing similar and he has improved a lot. And the improvement was sudden. He was fussy forever and I was about!to give up but one day he seemed to "get it" and started to carry the bit better. He still has a lot to learn but he's trying.

I just ordered a harness from Big Dee's exactly like my old one that Peanut and I love so much and I am going to keep it for best and give the other harness minus the bridle to Cappy. The bridle fits Peanut great so he can keep it. I'll probably by a bridle for Cappy that matches. Then maybe everyone will be happy. I surely hope so.
 
Zorro was a rock star tonight. He didn't chew the bit as much but did play with the roller, which at this point I prefer over chomping the bit!

We did 40 minutes of ground driving on the driving track. Mixing it up with some long lining in the little arena and working on transitions and changes of direction all while NOT chomping the bit. He did awesome!

zorroonthetracktonight.jpg

zorroonthetrackintheevening.jpg

zorrostretching.jpg
 
At least 60 minutes ground driving Midnight today. Didn't have a watch for exact time. A cool front came through and we were (at last) able to get a good work out in. Very pleased with the butterfly arch bit for her. We passed cows twice and she handled it well. A little silliness being away from home but over all a very good outing. When we returned home we did the boulder obstacle also, mainly just so she wouldn't think that getting back to the barn meant instant finish of work.
 
:) x 2!

Marsha Cassada said:
At least 60 minutes ground driving Midnight today. Didn't have a watch for exact time. A cool front came through and we were (at last) able to get a good work out in. Very pleased with the butterfly arch bit for her. We passed cows twice and she handled it well. A little silliness being away from home but over all a very good outing. When we returned home we did the boulder obstacle also, mainly just so she wouldn't think that getting back to the barn meant instant finish of work.
Click to expand...
 
Zorro and I did 30 minutes in the cart tonight. He was so wonderful! We worked on being responsive and he was very good. We did one walking lap, then two trotting laps in one direction and then turned around and did one walking lap and two trotting laps the other direction and then went and did a cool out walk on the small driving track. We are working being responsive AND weight loss. LOL!
 
30 minutes driving Cappy yesterday and 20 minutes for Peanut
25 minutes for Peanut today and then I drove Cappy for 15 minutes after Dan had walked him and warmed him up.
Today was a perfect summer day. Not a cloud in the sky and a nice breeze and NO BUGS!
 
Ug it was so hot today but we went out anyway! 88 degrees here is hot especially in September!

Zorro and I drove for 60 minutes. He did great today. He has lost quite a bit of weight. I had to tighten his girth TWO holes on each side in the last month! Whoot! And he almost has withers :) It's the little things...
 
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