Just riding

The last week has been basic riding outside, no arena work.  Sometimes Maria comes along and we alternate riding Maddie and Jordan.  A few days ago I had a really productive ride on Maddie by myself, working just a short distance from the stable on basic control.  Working near the tractor and the dump truck, I challenged her to keep her focus on me as we moved past these scary objects.  There was also a tarp someone had staked down over a manure pile.  This kind of thing is still very challenging to Maddie, especially when we are alone.  She will sidepass her way around these things and try to come to a halt.  But it is getting so much better.

In general I keep Maddie moving and her mind occupied.  I might ask her to stop for no reason, back up a few steps, maybe we roll back and canter, maybe we just trot forward.  When I ride with Maria, I like to separate from Jordan or take the lead.  Maddie is taking the lead much better now, although she will still protest a bit at first.  It's easiest for me if I keep her at the trot or canter when she is out front.  Maria rides her with much less intervention.   But during a quiet moment two days ago at the walk, Maddie gave Maria a giant buck out of nowhere.  Just one, and it was no big deal.  This is one reason why I don't give Maddie a lot of time to think when I am on her back.

If Maria is along, I always have to wait an extra ten minutes while she hangs out with the horses in the mud lot.  Maddie is just a giant puppy dog and will follow Maria around anywhere.  Jordan is attached to Maddie and will go anywhere she goes.

PS Did a little bit of groundwork in lieu of riding at the end of the day.  Introduced leading the trot, worked with the hula hoop, and asked her to sniff the dumpster.  As soon as she sniffed the dumpster, I would walk away with her.  I am trying some new ideas regarding spooking that my friend Byron suggested.  The idea is to reward her for approaching a scary object immediately after she does something positive, and to not give her time to soak and spook herself (which she will do if I force her to stand next to something spooky).  I think this approach will help move her forward.

Most exciting:  Maddie's feet look amazing!  When I got her in January, the toes were a little long, but main impression was that her soles were just flat, with zero concavity.  One hoof had the frog fused to the sole, and the bars on all 4 feet were folded over.  Maddie's hooves were weirdly upright, although the heels did not seem that long (max 1/4" past the sole).  It was not possible to see where the sole ended and the hoof wall began.  The white line was not discernible.  Everything was just packed together into one mass.  For the past 3 months, I have been trimming the hoof wall to the sole, rolling the entire hoof wall, trimming the bars even with the sole, and lightly trimming the frog.  I did not trim the sole at all.  Starting about 2 weeks ago, her sole started to suck in, and the white line is clearly visible.  There is beautiful concavity on all 4 hooves now.  Clearly, the coffin bone is lifting inside.  It's really dramatic to see this happening, exactly like the barefoot gurus say it should.