August 10, 2008 Thirty-third ride; Happy Birthday!

We rode pens with dad today and helped him to get out sick cattle. Bear doesn't look at the little calves as well as the 4 and 5 weights. Maybe he thinks they are my black lab, Queen. He isn't concerned about her at all. He did trail this little calf up to the chute pretty well, though. We hung around and watched and listened to the doctoring; the cattle going through the snake and the clanging and banging of the chute. Took the calves back to their pens and opened and closed the gates.
We rode down through one of the river pastures after riding pens. We practiced riding over logs and doing maneuvers over and around logs and did a lot of suppling in the thick tamarisk. Saw a lot of deer and even found a nice big tom-turkey feather!
I think Bear likes going through the river pastures. He is always attentive but seems real relaxed when we ride down there...even with the deer jumping out, Gabby running crazy-wild, coyotes, ducks and cranes and turkeys. I probably enjoy it more, too, especially all of the monster antler sheds we manage to find in our exploration!
I was really tired today; I worked last night, but Bear was great and what a great way to spend my birthday!

Springfield Ranch Rodeo July 31, 2008

Bright lights, little kids screaming and roping each other, ropers loping around us, trains rolling through with whistles blowing and tons of people, dogs, horses, pickups and trailers, cattle and sheep!

Bear was excited to go to his first public outing but responded nicely when cued and remembered all of his training and manners.

We got to the rodeo too late to ride around in the arena during warm up but spent a lot of time out back in the middle of everybody warming up to go in. Bear was attentive to everyone loping around and swinging their ropes, but didn't get nervous or act like he felt he needed to do the same. He waited calm and relaxed for my cues and did his maneuvers like the champ that he is. I was very happy with how the evening progressed.

Riding Pens

It rained 7/10s last night and the arena was a gigantic mud hole! We did some ground work and a little concentrated training south of the feedlot in the horse pasture and then rode through the pens.
Bear seems to really look at cattle and takes an interest in whatever particular one that I sort out. He doesn't mind them running around or running beside or behind him; as feedlot bunches sometimes do. I haven't had a steer come up and nose his tail yet, so we'll see.

We got in some first calf heifers earlier in the week that'd gotten into the neighbors and I was pleased with this gelding's willingness to work. The heifers were feeling pretty good and Bear just kept at it. It had been a heck of a long ride before that too, rode through all of the sandhills, but he did fine.

Checking cattle at the Prairie Pearl Ranch

We went down to the Prairie Pearl on Wednesday, checked the cattle and gave Bear the opportunity to experience some new things!
As you can tell, we haven't had any rain and it's looking like the dead of winter on the south west end of the ranch.
Bear got to climb up and down rocky canyons, check out big ol' scary mossy rocks, go over tons of big logs and go down into scary, narrow and deep creeks.

Bear's fifth ride

Rode a long ride out of the arena today and I think it did great things for Bear's mind. I can't imagine what it must be like to run wild and then be put into a 50' x50' pen. He has been doing well in the arena, but yesterday I felt like he wanted to stall-out all of the time in the canter. So today, out we went!
I started out with about 10 minutes of ground work; backing, yielding hindquarters and forequarters, and trot, pivot, turn, and then went for a ride with a friend on Cimarron.
We probably walked a half a mile before I asked him for the trot. He did great! Did tons of small turns and bending, yield the hindquarters and forequarters through and plenty of walk to trot and trot to walk transitions. After about three miles, I asked for the canter. He moved out without hesitation and settled into the canter quite nicely. We loped for probably 15 minutes or so and it did wonders for both of us! He has a real nice, smooth trot and lope and is easy riding.

Once again Gabby didn't disappoint for spook-proofing my mustang! The irrigation water had filled the bar-ditches and she romped and played with incredible gusto. Bear would look her way but that was about it. He didn't even seem to mind her running RIGHT up behind him and then zooming by. He simply laid the one ear back and kind of followed her with it. What a nice horse!
We also rode over our first obstacles today! The irrigation pipe was crossing the road and was set up on a tie block so it was approximately 2-2 1/2 foot high. Bear smelled it and then walked over it like he'd done it a million times! He wasn't the least bit afraid of the water gushing out of the end of the pipe into the ditch either. I think he wanted to get in!

All in all, it was a great ride and the perfect way to spend a July 4! Now it's off to work and a long night of, I hope, nothing serious!

Bear's First Ride!

Training is coming along quite well. Bear handled his first saddling without any problems and ponied like a pro.
We ponied a couple of days and, the first day, were in the round pen for a few minutes and then out in the arena; yeilding forequarters, hindquarters and trotting and loping out. Day before yesterday, Cimarron and I ponied Bear out in the pasture and by the feedlot. He has such a can-do attitude! I love it. We rode through some tall kochias; he is a little afraid of going into tall weeds, and up and down the tall banks of an old pond and over tons of fallen trees. I'm curious where he came from. Rocks, hills, bushes, what?

He certainly had plenty of desensitizing to something running up behind, to the side and UNDER him! My golden retriever is such a good helper! Ha! She is a crazy, crazy dog but will definitely break a horse in to spook factors! After the first couple of charges, Bear simply took Cimarron's lead and looked her way, "Oh. Just Gabby". He seems real interested in the feedlot cattle so I think it might be a possibility to do some cow work on him...we'll see!
Here we are yesterday, on the fourteenth day of training and Bear's first ride! With lots of groundwork behind us, the day went wonderfully. He still has that, "Okay. What next?" willingness and is just a joy to train. The walk, trot, canter and small turns were done without a hitch. He has a smooth trot and canter. I was wondering about that, because he looked so long- backed and tall when I first got him. He's starting to fill out a little and maybe he's not as long as I thought. He is tall, though, and feels EXCEPTIONALLY tall when I get on from the off side! Ha! I weight taped him last night and he is approximately 886# and 15.2 hh

Can't wait for today' training! Maybe next week I'll ride him at the ranch in Pritchett.