All the pretties

My person knows how to dress me well. When we started out, she put pink stuff on me. Not just pink, but hot pink, being a bright and in your face kind of pink. I didn't know she really didn't like the color, but she agreed it did look good on me.



This pad she admits- she didn't know what she was thinking when she bought it.  The black with pink stripes tones things down a bit and makes the pink not so Icky.



There was also the addition of bell boots and this is the darker colored saddle.

She quickly grew out of that and found me some other stuff that looks really good on me too....

Turquoise or aqua polo's and bell boots to match with my fancy hunter tack. 

Ribbed rubber bell boots in white...  because the pink ones started rubbing. The mediums are a little bit big on me. Also a new bridle in My size, just for ME! (Yay!!! Squeals)

This weird contraption she uses on me sometimes. 

A pad that doesn't quite match the wraps but goes well with them.

Darle gas! Wow look at me move! Hehe!

Black is my color too!

So is tan, including a lighter colored saddle too. But what color DOESN'T look good on me? Am I right?!?!

A simple one ear slip headstall because less is more and I should be the focus of attention, not my accessories. Lol 

My every day halter

I look so SASSY in a bosal!  

A little backstory

When my new person found me online for sale, she pretty much knew from the first pics that I would be hers. After 2 months of trying to figure out when and where she could meet me and bring me home, she finally just asked where to send the check. She was impressed with my pictures that much.

My person at the time was a little shocked that she didn't even want to come see me first, but what was there to see that wasn't in the photos already? Also I wasn't trained for anything yet. I hadn't had anyone get on me and I hadn't even seen a cart, let alone pulled one so what was she going to do?

I look pretty impressive don't I?

These were the photo's from the ad online.  Hello Beautiful!

From the pic's I'm a little downhill and my person noticed I'm a little longer looking in the right front pastern than the left, but maybe that's just her take on it. I am only 3 and still have some growing to do so no big deal, right? The second pic I'm standing on a bit of a slope so that doesn't help. Haha

Less than a week after my person started riding me and everyone at the barn was definitely taking notice, my person sends a text to the previous person I belonged to. She was asking if there are any more like me because everyone at the barn is super impressed with me. She might need a few more projects.... Lol

She kind of laughed it off because as she replied- "I'll send anything I get your way to look at. She was the only pony in a hoarding case. Everything else was really old and wild. When I got her, you couldn't touch her! She had been turned out her whole life and never touched."   Another text- "She really wanted to learn once she learned we weren't going to rope her down every time we went near her. She's come quite a long way...."

What's funny is that now when my person pulls in, I whinny to her from the barn or pasture, wherever I'm at. I also come running to the gate! You know, because most of the time she has COOKIES! Or we are going to do things and after I do my best and impress her- she will give me COOKIES! In case you couldn't tell, it's ALL about the COOKIES!  Hahahahaha

A month's difference

This was me the day I came to live at the new place I would call home.






This was me about a month later.

You should see me now. lol

My new person knows how to take care of me!  👍 💖 💝 Much love!

Moving out

After the first couple rides, my person kept getting on me and we would walk around in the round pen. I began to notice small things like her taking her legs off my sides and shifting her weight slightly. She would squeeze to get me to go so when I felt her take her legs off me- I stopped. Easy enough, right?

She would still work me in the lines and things were really starting to progress. I could feel that I was and am using my body differently. 

My stride began to lengthen and my body just had a natural swing to it. My steps even felt lighter like I had more hang time in the air between strides. It was and is, a really cool feeling.

A few times I even broke into a lope. It wasn't all that fast and even though I thought my person might try and slow me down, she didn't. Instead she made a different noise and when I loped, she made all the pretty sounds to let me know she approved. I'm really starting to get the hang of this. 

Vrrrrroooooommm

Picture me doing this with my person in the saddle. Yeah because I'm rockin it!

 

I'm striding out so much better every day.

First rides

It wasn't long after I came to his new place that my new person did something really strange. One day after she had worked me in the long lines and made me go around and around until she was happy, she took the lines off and snapped the reins back onto my headpiece or bridle.  Then she started to pat the saddle, wiggled the stirrups, bumped them into my sides and all the while I stood like a rock. I didn't know what she was doing or what she expected me to do so I stood very still.

Then she was standing next to me and started trying to climb on me. I turned my head to look at her and let her know I was really confused. She told me it was okay and that I was being a really good pony. I liked that a lot. A few times she put her foot into the stirrup and got up, leaning over my back. I never moved. Then she moved a little more and I felt her other foot in the stirrup on my other side. I still didn't move. She patted me and rubbed my neck, telling me how awesome I am and made all the pretty sounds that tell me I'm doing something right.

Afer a few minutes of standing there, she started to press her legs against my sides, clucking and kissing to me and gently pulling my head from side to side. I wasn't sure what to do so I didn't do anything. I stood completely still and did not move. She kept pressing one leg on my side and turning me one way, then pressing with the other leg and turning my head the other way. I stood there and would not move. I didn't want to do anything wrong.

Soon one of her friends came into the pen with us, took my lead and started walking off. I followed her like a good pony should.  My person started telling me how good I am and making the happy sounds again. When I realized her friend had let go of me, I stopped and stood still.  My person tried to get me moving again, but I wouldn't budge. Her friend took my lead again and I followed her around some more, but she let go again so I stopped. We played this game for a while. She would take my lead, I would follow her and she would let go and keep walking, but I stopped and stood there watching her.

Pretty soon my person stepped down off my back. Only to get right back on, sit there for a few seconds and step down off the other side. Then she would pet me some more and get back on me, sit there and then step down from the other side. I was bored so I just stood there. This made her happy because she kept telling me how good I am and rubbing my neck.

The next day when my person did all of this again, I moved off on my own when she put her legs on me, while clucking and kissing. She made all of the happy noises again. So THIS was what she wanted?!?!?! Easy enough. We walked a little bit this way, stopped, and then walked around that way a few times. This was getting easier, now that I knew I could walk around and she made happy noises.

Soon she stepped down off me and got back on from that side. Here we go again with that. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, instead I think I will take a nap. I don't know if she could see me rolling my eyes. Shhhhh. Don't tell.... lol

Why western?

You might be wondering, why all of this western tack? I'm a pretty fancy looking pony and I should be better suited to prancing around in English tack and going over jumps as a Hunter Princess, am I right? The barn I was at before coming here to this new place- that was the plan. I was to be a Hunter/Jumper pony....

Then one day I was turned out with a couple of horses, a small mule and a Pony. At first we were getting to know each other and making introductions. 

Then we all started racing around, riping and tearing it up and my person was taking pic's of it all. 

This little guy is a Rock Star from what I'm told. He pulls a cart and competes in driving. He told me he really LUVS! the Cones part of it when he gets to run super fast! 

Since he was showing off a bit, I did too. That's when THIS happened->

LOOK. AT. ME!!!! 

That was Soooo Cool! I look like a Big horse. My person sent that to a lot of her friends and she got a Whole Bunch of compliments on both ME and the photo in general. 

My person? 

All she could think was REINING!!! 

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

My person has been working me a lot with the lines and I can feel my body starting to change.

I am getting stronger and it feels like I can work a little longer every time. I can also feel the way I move has changed too.

My body is lighter and my legs swing more freely. My stride has also become a little longer and I have a little more hang time in the air.

I'm also getting some really good food too. Lots of yummy goodness and I don't have to share. 

I'm in a stall by myself and I can take my time eating it. Heck I can even walk away and leave some for nibbling on later if I feel like it.

 I am really moving forward in my work and I like doing it.

Getting to work

When we were playing Dress Up and I got to try on all the pretty things, I made it clear to my new person that I had never worn a bridle thingy or had a bit in my mouth. She has always been kind about putting it on and taking it off, making sure to follow a routine of sorts and waiting for me to open my mouth to either put the bit in or take it out. This helps and I know what's coming so I don't get hit in the teeth by anything.

We had been going out to this round pen to work, rather I was the one working(!) and my person was putting these ropes thru the stirrups and up to the bit. Somehow she could stand in the middle and as I went around she would tug on one line or the other and get me to move differently. I could speed up, slow down and she even could make me stop or turn. Weird.

I began to notice the way I walked and trotted started to feel differently. There was more swing in my steps, my stride is getting longer and I am more relaxed in my work. Each time I do something a little differently, when it pleases my person I hear a lot of good sounds come from her. I like it when she tells me I'm such a Good Girl. If I don't do things right, she has me slow down a little, she asks a little differently and makes it easy to get things right, pleasing her and she makes the happy noises again. I hear those a lot and I'm really getting the hang of things. 

Also when she's putting saddles on me, she takes her time to place the pads, set the saddle on rather than flopping it down with a Thunk and snugs the girth up just enough to where I can feel it but not worry about anything. She always gives me a chance to sort thru things in my mind and figure out what to do.

Starting point

We went out to the round pen and I got to show my new person how fancy I am when I move. First I walked one direction, then trotted. Then she had me change directions and go the other way. 

At first I start out unsure and walking with short strides. I was a bit reserved. 

Then I started to loosen up and walk forward more freely. I heard a lot of good sounding, happy words for this. 

Trotting was much the same. I was a little reluctant to move out. My person encouraged me to go forward more, but I didn't quite move out much.  

I wasn't quite sure what she wanted or what she was looking for, but I did my best and she told me how good that was. It makes me want to try harder for her.