Trailer Loading-Carrot Stick Riding-Journey to Level 4

October 7, 2015Posted inCISCO, Missouri Fox Trotter, Parelli
Level 4 task is for the horse to load himself into a trailer at a trot or canter (at liberty). I have my 3 horse trailer at home for a while. Cisco and I went to load. With my 14' rope... This trailer is different and makes him nervous. So we had words for me to send him into the trailer...about 10 sentences. Then he panics, turns and runs out. About 5 times of this, he finds the bucket of grain and takes a mouthful before panicking and running out.…

Cisco and the Parelli Journey to Level 4!

October 6, 2015Posted inCISCO, Missouri Fox Trotter, Parelli
Surely everyone in the world knows that Velvet, Sage and I completed the Parelli Levels Journey from Level 1 to Level 3.  If you don't know that story, please buy the book and read about it!  Susan Fox Trotter.  The Level 3 pass occurred some many years ago, 2001.  I've been involved with a few horses since that amazing accomplishment, but the desire to return to the levels journey never came back. Until now. I blinked and the perfect horse appeared in my pasture.  Cisco, my raffle win, is the…

Winning Cowgirl of the Day Award

September 27, 2015Posted inCISCO, Missouri Fox Trotter
Missouri Fox Trotter World Celebration 2015 This is Cisco's third ever horse show and it's the big one.  We were planning on showing at the Spring Show in June, but he developed a coughing allergy at that show.  My diagnosis after some experimentation is allergic to moldy sawdust.  Sadly, the coughing continued from June till August.  No riding. No ground work.  Just cough medicine and cough supplements.  Finally, he was cured enough to ride.  Cured enough in August, about thirty days before the World Celebration.  I rode him and noticed…

Day 2 in Round Pen – Body Language is Loud and Clear

August 22, 2015Posted inLucky Star, Missouri Fox Trotter
I took all three horses into the round pen today.  We (they) got to run around the round pen according to the rules-of-round-pen.  Of course Lucky Star knows the rule of round pen, so when he asked to come into the middle with me three times, I let him.  The girls ran around for a while.  I stopped them and they were about 30' away from me.  I made the round-pen body language "sign" saying, "Come to me". One of these horses is a retired mare.  Her life from her…

Round Pen #1 with Lucky Star

August 19, 2015Posted inCountry Frank's Lucky Star, Missouri Fox Trotter
Long long ago, I discovered that a round pen was a must-have when you wanted to train a horse. I put that round pen up far away from anything that would give me shade. Being young (in my late 40's),I was out there in 90 degree heat with Sage, Velvet and the wild hackney ponies. I don't how I survived that heat in the summer time. Then the round pen became a corral backing up my barn while I traveled to stables with all the facilities, plus a covered, shady…

Lucky Star Pre-Horse Show Operating Instructions

July 24, 2015Posted inCountry Frank's Lucky Star, Missouri Fox Trotter
Pre Horse Show Advice for Lucky Star's Operating Official 1. Minimal Warm-up. Let him walk around the two arenas and return to trailer for rest.  He needs his rest! 2. Trail Class- Remember the hard part is a. Get him into arena and b. Get his start button to operate. Once he gets going, he will keep going. 3. Rail class operating guide Follow a gelding into the arena Ride as far away from the gate as possible when traveling on the rail Never look at the gate or anyone…