But with some help from Pearl, who Steve's been using to help Paloma, Paloma can now be blow dried!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Paloma meets the leaf blower
Steve sent photos and described Paloma's first week or so at reform school. Here are pictures from her encounter with the leaf blower, which she did NOT like,
But with some help from Pearl, who Steve's been using to help Paloma, Paloma can now be blow dried!
But with some help from Pearl, who Steve's been using to help Paloma, Paloma can now be blow dried!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Video of Steve and Paloma
I finally finished the video of Steve working with Paloma. Then I lost my laptop (a long sad story) but I saved it to my gallery and you can watch it here:
http://www.me.com/gallery/#100015
http://www.me.com/gallery/#100015
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Reform School Begins
Paloma was a star yesterday for stage 2 of her trip to Bauhr Ranch. She loaded easily, traveled pretty well (although we could feel her moving around a lot in the back, as she was loose), and waited patiently to get out of the trailer when we arrived. It was 100 miles to La Grange from Wilton, not a bad trip.
Steve put her to work in the round corral, doing a project with another horse. Paloma was the horse to make the other one go, and the two had to get together as a team. She had to learn when it was that Steve was directing the other horse, and not to take off at a run. She figured it out after a few loops; she's a quick study and she'll learn patience eventually.
then Steve introduced the guaracha pole - I'll have to look up the spelling. That's the pole used in a traditional Spanish or Portugese riding where the rider plants the pole and the horse pivots around it. I have dreams of riding her, no hands, doing flying changes around the pole, doing figure 8s...
And Steve rode her, she was good until the canter, and then showed him where the project is, particularly going right. But I'm confident that with consistent work and going back to some of the basics, she'll learn how to do it and give up all her protesting.
Steve put her to work in the round corral, doing a project with another horse. Paloma was the horse to make the other one go, and the two had to get together as a team. She had to learn when it was that Steve was directing the other horse, and not to take off at a run. She figured it out after a few loops; she's a quick study and she'll learn patience eventually.
then Steve introduced the guaracha pole - I'll have to look up the spelling. That's the pole used in a traditional Spanish or Portugese riding where the rider plants the pole and the horse pivots around it. I have dreams of riding her, no hands, doing flying changes around the pole, doing figure 8s...
And Steve rode her, she was good until the canter, and then showed him where the project is, particularly going right. But I'm confident that with consistent work and going back to some of the basics, she'll learn how to do it and give up all her protesting.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Stage one of the trip
Tonight, we took Paloma from Somerset to Wilton for the first part of her journey to "camp."
Paloma was very good. She got right into the trailer, wearing her new shipping boots (a real fashion statement in navy) She traveled well, and got out nicely and patiently at Barbara's in Wilton. She looked around, very alert, but her feet stayed put and then she ate some grass. She's in a big stall in Barbara's barn with a little paddock, so she can go in and out all night. There are 2 other horses in the barn, across the aisle. She was whinnying a little bit but she's OK. She's eating her hay between pacing in and out. At least she won't stock up!
We'll leave by 9 tomorrow for the 2 hour drive to La Grange.
Paloma was very good. She got right into the trailer, wearing her new shipping boots (a real fashion statement in navy) She traveled well, and got out nicely and patiently at Barbara's in Wilton. She looked around, very alert, but her feet stayed put and then she ate some grass. She's in a big stall in Barbara's barn with a little paddock, so she can go in and out all night. There are 2 other horses in the barn, across the aisle. She was whinnying a little bit but she's OK. She's eating her hay between pacing in and out. At least she won't stock up!
We'll leave by 9 tomorrow for the 2 hour drive to La Grange.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Off to Reform School
Paloma leaves next Thursday, for an overnight at Barbara Washburn's in Wilton, then on Friday the 15th, we load her up and take her to Steve Bauhr's, AKA reform school. She won't have to wear a uniform, but she will have to show up on time and behave herself every day. It will be good for her. I'm sure she will learn a lot, and I bet Steve and Carolyn fall in love with her (everyone does) because she is so pretty. And if she is as good for Steve as I think she'll be, then she will make a lot of progress.
How long will she be gone? Everyone wants to know. I say "as long as it takes." maybe a month, maybe 2, maybe 3.
Of course, since my Epiphany (see December post), I've been having a good time with Paloma, and will be sad to see her go. She will look at me with those big brown eyes and... well, I'll feel like a jerk for sending her away. But, back to paragraph 1, it will be good for her. I've been riding her and working on managing her feet. She seems to be a lot happier and I am pleased to say we have very few blow ups. Sometimes something outside the arena scares her, and I don't feel it coming, and she gets away from me with a few leaps, but I quickly shut her down. In fact, she's kind of shutting herself down these days. We get back to whatever we were doing, and life goes on. Sometimes we make a project of just getting on and off and not going anywhere. Sometimes we walk around the parking lot, and there is always something that gets her going so that she wants to stir things up. All I do is turn turn turn, redirect her and get her to relax, then we sit and visit, or we go on, or I get off. No big deal.
Here is the link to the 15 minute video of Steve working with Paloma.
http://gallery.me.com/jenniferruffolo#100015
I think it's very clear that he will be able to help her out. One of my favorite moments in the video is when he says "I'd guess she's pretty sensitive to the leg?"
And when he says she needs to learn some patience for us humans.
Yup.
How long will she be gone? Everyone wants to know. I say "as long as it takes." maybe a month, maybe 2, maybe 3.
Of course, since my Epiphany (see December post), I've been having a good time with Paloma, and will be sad to see her go. She will look at me with those big brown eyes and... well, I'll feel like a jerk for sending her away. But, back to paragraph 1, it will be good for her. I've been riding her and working on managing her feet. She seems to be a lot happier and I am pleased to say we have very few blow ups. Sometimes something outside the arena scares her, and I don't feel it coming, and she gets away from me with a few leaps, but I quickly shut her down. In fact, she's kind of shutting herself down these days. We get back to whatever we were doing, and life goes on. Sometimes we make a project of just getting on and off and not going anywhere. Sometimes we walk around the parking lot, and there is always something that gets her going so that she wants to stir things up. All I do is turn turn turn, redirect her and get her to relax, then we sit and visit, or we go on, or I get off. No big deal.
Here is the link to the 15 minute video of Steve working with Paloma.
http://gallery.me.com/jenniferruffolo#100015
I think it's very clear that he will be able to help her out. One of my favorite moments in the video is when he says "I'd guess she's pretty sensitive to the leg?"
And when he says she needs to learn some patience for us humans.
Yup.
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