Adventures with Ginger

[Skye'sDucks]

She sounds like an intelligent mare who anticipates what you're going to do and plans out how she's going to evade it! What you're doing with poles is a good idea - if she takes the correct lead (at least most of the time) over a pole, switch around where you put the pole so she can't anticipate it.
I wouldn't worry about her mane - trying to look at her shoulders to check your lead just encourages you to look down, which affects her balance. Try to train yourself to feel the lead - I know, not so easy to do when her leads are all over the place - just let her canter while you're looking up and towards the direction you want to go, keeping your weight centered. Cantering the whole arena like you've been doing, helps develop her fitness and keeps her from becoming sour, good job!

Here's another hint that has helped me, with my very own Mr. Grumpy who hates the wash rack and sometimes gets kicky when doing his flanks or rear legs: I grab his tail and pull it towards the side I'm on, so his weight is on the leg near me and he can't kick with that leg. He lets out a big sigh and gives up, LOL.

She really is smart, lol! One of the ladies at the barn has worked with Thoroughbreds before I believe and she said that Ginger is much smarter than most Thoroughbreds, ha.
I have noticed that since we mostly have been focusing on the pole and not other tricks to get her to pick up her lead, she's been less sour about cantering that direction, which is good! Yesterday I set up the pole the way my trainer had it on Wednesday and also the pole down a straight line to try both, and she did well. If she wasn't switching over one I put her over the other, although she was pretty stubborn about turning in a circle around half the ring so I didn't try that pole too much.

Oh yes, thank you for reminding me about her balance! I had forgotten about how looking down too much can effect her. It can actually be fairly easy to feel her lead--she feels very uncomfortable when she does pick up the right one and she often feels ready to stop. It's nice to check her shoulder to be certain I'm on the right one, but I'll work on only taking small, quick peeks to help me learn how they feel. I may still attempt to braid back her mane anyways so I'm not falling into that habit of staring at her shoulder when I'm uncertain about her lead, lol, and that way it's easier to take a fast glance if I need to. Even when there are tells like checking the shoulder or feeling her discomfort, I still feel insecure sometimes about if I'm right or not, aha. And I want to do everything I can to help us both!

And thank you for telling me about that trick with the wash rack! lol I think I have heard of it before but I'll have to keep it in mind in case she tries anything next time.

My goodness what a beautiful horse! She is just gorgeous

Thank you!!!

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I'll be riding Ginger less now that she's been leased out for a bit, just to not work her so much. I mostly was riding her 3x a week because she needed the work and they hadn't been using her a whole lot for lessons until more recently, but that's fine! I'm so grateful to have this chance to work with such a lovely horse, even if it's just a little less now. And hey, for a college student, being able to do this at all for pretty much free (despite paying for weekly lessons) is a pretty sweet deal!

I did have a funny story from Monday...Right now one of the posts in the wash racks is broken, so we can't tie the horses to it. Ginger has figured out she isn't 'secured' on one of them and can reach over and eat grass, (it's outside and not in the barn) so it's a bit frustrating when I put her there lol.

Anyways, yesterday I went into the feed room to grab a few things I needed for her (shampoo for her weekly mane/tail washing, iodine for her feet, the stuff I put on her wounds, which are looking great!) and by the time I came back out, in less than a minute, Ginger was standing right in front of the wash rack munching away at the grass She was standing sideways in front of the wash rack opening, and I barely picked up her trailing lead rope (from the side we can't tie on) then she just backed herself right back into the wash rack! It cracked me up because I knew that she knew she wasn't supposed to do that. I wasn't very mad at her, it's not her fault that she was being a horse. But it was just funny how fast she went right back into the wash rack and tried to act all innocent afterwards lol.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

So today I learned Ginger is lame. Sounds like it was just a freak accident: on Tuesday she ran into a jumping standard during a ride and my trainer thinks she stepped on it or something, since the back of her fetlock is bruised. She can walk on it but obviously can't be ridden for at least several days. We're just thankful it isn't something worse. Apparently there's little to no swelling and it isn't very hot, so hopefully it should heal soon.

I'll just care for her next Monday, maybe give her a bath and some extra love and pampering as well. And I'll probably get plenty of pictures to share!

Today for my lesson I rode another horse called Vinny; he's one of the horses I rode a lot before Ginger came here. He's not an actual lesson horse but sometimes his owner cannot come out often, and he hates kids and can be a brat so they don't use him for lessons, lol. He hasn't been ridden in a long time so we kept it easy today, but it was nice! It was weird though because he's 14 hands and compared to Ginger he felt like a pony

 

[Skye'sDucks]

Had technically my first ride on Ginger in pretty much a week today, she was fine. It was a perfect mixture of her going lame, needing her feet done, and terrible terrible dry and deep sand in the rings as to why I haven't worked with her much. But now she's got her feet done, is sound, and we got some heavy rain over the weekend so the ring is perfect!

Last Monday I did ride her bareback, but because of those reasons above (and just becoming sound) it was a short ride and I mostly walked her around with a tiny bit of trotting, so it didn't count much toward helping her training, aha.

I can tell she's backtracked a bit, even with her leaser working with her, surprisingly. Guess it's just the different things we focus on working on, nothing against her. Ginger wasn't stopping great and didn't want to stand still when I stopped her, plus she had a lot of energy, but at least was listening pretty well to voice and rein...leg, however...we're going to be doing plentyyy of circles and bending exercises this week lol.

I'll be working with her Wed. and Fri. since my trainer is out of town at a big show all week. And I actually met Ginger's leaser last Thursday so that was really fun.

The thing I was happiest about with Ginger this evening was that she actually picked up her right lead and didn't try to immediately break: we went around for a bit and I was very proud of her. It probably helped to get a break from working.

I think after seeing how she went today, I'll be attempting to lunge her on Wednesday. I've actually never lunged before lol but my sister has so she'll help me out, and hopefully I can get Ginger listening and it actually helps her!

I still can't get over how shiny she looks: in reality she's pretty dusty and in need of a bath (but because our wash rack was broken for a bit I haven't been able to do so) but dang her coat is still looking awesome I believe her leaser uses coat conditioner, I don't know.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

It's been a while since I posted!

Ginger has been doing really good. She bounced right back to our training (in western, not english like she's been ridden more recently lol) and I couldn't be happier with her! She does have her little flaws and problems I am continually working on. The biggest being stopping and standing still.

Since her break, and being ridden english a lot more (because of her leaser) she actually has had a lot of energy and has been willing to go fast these last couple of rides. I'm glad because most people ride english here and she needed that nudge, although it's equally important for her to learn to go slow, because I want her to be as well rounded as possible. Plus, you know, I ride her western.

Tonight I rode her and it was one of those rides that I had to 'take a step back' and realize afterwards that Ginger is still young and learning. I kept getting frustrated because of the little things we are still working on, like speed control (particularly at circles--she has started to speed up in them again), and stopping and standing still like I mentioned. But even though she is super smart and works so hard for me, she's still green and learning it all.
It can definitely be hard not to get frustrated sometimes when she just doesn't seem to show progress in some areas, but I sometimes forget just how far she has come in nearly 5 months. She's really amazing at how much better she is both on the ground and under saddle. Working with a green horse like this has taught me so much, and even when I get down, I try remember how much we've both learned and that it just takes a loot of time!

Other than her under saddle training, Ginger has been doing great! Still likes to tug the ropes in the wash rack lol but she settles down after a bit.
Her feet themselves have thrush and haven't progressed much, although the peeling/chipping issue has been kept under control and her feet in that sense have been looking great. Ginger honestly has done SO well with picking her feet up--she hasn't kicked, tried to back out, or danced around in weeks. I can't say how she does for the farrier, LOL, but she's definitely improved!!

One last thing I was going to mention that was fun tonight was I messed around with dropping my reins a bit and tried to guide Ginger in a straight line with my legs during our ride. She's been doing really, really well about responding to leg pressure, and by dropping my reins I was working more on that, and she did really well.
The only thing is, she gets a little confused not having the reins held (even though I have no pressure on her mouth) and when I try to turn her in a circle she tries to trot. So I had to at least put my hands on the reins without using them or lifting them lol.

Even with our little bumps in the road, I couldn't be prouder of this mare, or any happier with how she is coming along. I love her so much

(Oh yeah, she did indeed get a new halter...she of course broke her other one while rolling in the pasture )

 

[littledog]

Her summer coat is looking really pretty. So golden and shiny!

 

[Skye'sDucks]

Her summer coat is looking really pretty. So golden and shiny!

Thank you!!

 

[Skye'sDucks]

Poor Ginger overheated over the weekend and has been sick. Thankfully she apparently has been doing much better today, and she did seem like her normal self. My trainer believes she isn't sweating properly, and she's heard the ranch next door who owned her previously had had trouble with her in the summer. Guess that is one thing that we now have to be cautious about in our terrible 100+ degree FL summers

A little bummed her training under saddle has been going so slow lately (At least my part--she has her leaser of course), but Ginger's needs come first...and she seems like she just attracts problems lol. She's been injured twice and now this in a span of three months...sigh... poor girl.

We had a fun evening together though: I walked her around bareback a bit and then I gave her a good hosing and washed her mane and tail. After caring for her we hung out for a bit while I hand-grazed her. I got some pretty photos too!

I added some filters for fun, although the one in the ring hasn't had anything done with it. She's just that stunning (to me at least lol) I love the wind blowing her tail and the reins.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I haven't posted in a while, wow! aha

Ginger has been doing well; I finally feel like we're settling into a routine...although that'll get changed once I start working the summer camps at my barn with my sister in two weeks.

I'm honestly considering buying myself a bareback pad since she's so uncomfy lol and I'll probably be taking her for some walks after camp on the days her leaser isn't there. We'll see! At least camp doesn't run on Mondays, which is the one day I get to work her now.

She sure does love to collect problems...On Wednesday she had some sort of allergic reaction in the sun, or rolled in something, because she had little welts all over her back. However, they were doing much better the next day, and we think it was the new fly spray her leaser bought her. She (her leaser) did a 'test patch' of spray on her shoulder so on Monday I'll learn if that was the cause or not.

Ginger has been great the last few rides though; one of the girls helped give out pointers on stopping and turning her hind and front end, so she's been doing pretty well in those areas once I kinda corrected myself. She still gets more confused moving her front end but I'm sure we'll get there!

For a while when I wasn't riding her much Ginger got super speedy too, once she got used to riding english, but thankfully she has slowed down now and goes nice for me.

Her feet are about due for the farrier too, aha, but other than that I'd say her thrush is actually looking pretty good. Still there, but doing much better. We seriously need rain but at the same time I'm thankful for this dry period for her feet....I'm just waiting for them to get worse once the rainy season hits tho....

I'm also adding a spam of pictures since I actually got a new phone last week! It has a muuuch nicer camera and I think I got some nice shots: Ginger was my guinea pig lol. Her forelock (which you can see in some of them) was braided and tied up for several days and so it gave her a very curly hairstyle...I was laughing so much at it

 

[Skye'sDucks]

Here's another monthly post!

Ginger has been such a trooper during camp! I'm so proud of her and thankfully she hasn't overheated and is sweating quite well. (I believe my trainer has had her on suppliments to try to help with that) We give her gatorade too and she really loves it lol. She turns into a little begging monster when she sees me get out the bucket aha.

The camp kids seem to love riding her, although she has a bit of a reputation on the ground with all her red mare-ness with nipping and some of them are kind of wary of her lol. I watch her like a hawk and make sure to tack her up so that isn't much of a problem. And she really only bites when being groomed or saddled.

She also has been doing really well for me; I've been pretty happy with how she's been going, despite being stubborn about her right lead at the canter at times. Her leaser has been having a lot of success, though, and suggested I should try having a dressage whip out there since that's the only newer thing she's been using; more the presence/pressure of it against her side rather than actually using it (she doesn't need a whip at all) so I may try that next time I ride her. Dunno, doesn't hurt to try.

The only other new thing is that I am going to start working on ground work with her! I've been watching training videos and am also probably gonna be asking my trainer for help, too. I think ground work will be very beneficial for Ginger and she honestly needs it. I introduced her to it on Monday and she did surprisingly well, although neither of us were perfect at it lol. But we'll get there I'm sure! She's a smart cookie.

Ginger's new favorite thing, too, is to throw a fit with her water bucket when I have her on cross ties in her stall...She likes to drink water after rides and sometimes before, she's pretty ridiculous about it sometimes. Like, I'll try to give her a chance to drink, she won't take it, or sometimes I don't let her drink at all if it's before a ride, and Ginger can juuuuust reach the edge of her water bucket (just not drink) and she will start flipping water all over the place--once she even twisted the bucket around lol. She's got the funniest personality.