Monday, May 27, 2013

Week 7 and the start of 8

Okay. I don't want to jinx it, but i really think I've turned a corner with Baby Z. She's been such a champ with everything I've done with her. She now wears bell boots and a fly sheet with neck. She also can wear sub boots front and back, pick up her feet, lead, lunge, and wear a surcingle and bridle for all of that. She met saddle pads today and was so perfect. I really can't believe how relaxed she is. What a perfect baby.
I can see in her face that when something scares her, she looks for help. She wants pets and scratches while she figures it out. Much less freaking out. :) I'm so incredibly proud of her for the maturity she's showing. We play a few times a day and I really think she's starting to look forward to our sessions.
ALSO, shirts can be ordered now! Here's the link and info: http://campaign.customink.com/zonta
Please share the link if you can. :)



Her brand, so everyone can see.

Very first time with a saddle on to buck out. Crazy, wild girl. :)


Mustang who?

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Week 6

Z has been so good this past week. Things have been crazy trying to get things ready for my event with Mia. But Z has been so consistent. Just for fun, I played with her ears for a bit and then tried a bridle on. I put a happy mouth French link, the least harsh bit I could find, and she took it no problem. Tuesday, I lunged her with the bridle and a bit connector and she was so well behaved. A few overreactions, but settled right down. She's getting better with leading too. :) Today I went out to just play with her, no new things. We just hung out, played with her big ball, brushed her, picked up her feet. Such a good girl. She also met fly spray today, which was no big deal! It amazes me how easily she's taking things now. :) I'm looking forward to the coming weeks with her. :)






Friday, May 10, 2013

Day 35?

Who's the worst blogger ever? Me. I know, I'm sorry. I have excuses though. Legitimate ones.

So last Friday started so well. We practiced with putting my jacket all over her and letting me rub all the way down her legs. She was being an absolute angel. It was one of those rare perfect days that can come with backing a horse (especially a mare, lol). I tried again, to sit on her, and she actually let me sit here, move a little and kick her sides. All was great until she went to balance herself by taking a step forward. She felt my weight shift on her back, and that was it. She took off toward the fence, which i proceeded to fly into. :) Those mustang muscles have quite a bit of launch, I got right up, meaning I didn't pass out, but it hurt. After taking inventory of my injuries, I knew nothing was broken and Z was just chilling at the other side of the field, totally confused. She definitely had no idea it happened and totally didn't mean to hurt me. I had to change her to her turnout halter, so I was so glad she didn't want to run away. She just stood and let me switch it and take all our toys out of her field. I ended up going to the ER, for a couple of reasons. Turns out I had a brush burn roughly the size of my hand, two cuts on the back of my ear that had to be glued, along with lots of scratching and bruising. This pain, coupled with finals, kept me away fro Z nearly all week. But finals are done and i can finally see my four legged girlies. Finally. Stay tuned for some real updates.
Okay. Now for a bit of a PSA. This may alienate some people, but I've totally turned a corner. I'm going to honestly say I don't think I can ever get on another horse without a helmet. I firmly believe that if i wasn't wearing a helmet when I fell off Z, i would still be in the hospital. I can't get the sound of my helmet hitting the wood out of me head. Granted, my helmet was the reason my ear was cut, but it was also the reason I'm able to type this right now. Horses and falls are no joke. Think before you get on a horse next time, regardless of the level of experience your horse has. Courtney King-Dye will never be able to compete at the Grand Prix level the way she did before, all because of no helmet. I'm just saying. <3

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Day 26/27

I am so proud of my Z Baby. I got to sit on her today! No problem. I was way more nervous than she was. Silly girl was falling asleep! I didn't ask for any kind of riding, but I'm still so proud of her. It's such a huge step (though I know everyone else is already riding and such). So now, in terms of huge steps, we can pick out her feet, move away from some bodily pressure, stop fairly calmly, and hold up her feet forever. I really don't even know what to say because I'm so incredibly happy. Here are some pictures to make up for my lack of words: