Bradley's Lesson Journal

3/15/2006 - Wednesday, 3:45 pm

• Learned how to lunge a horse in the round pen, and how to use hand signals and body language

• Learned how to wash a horse and how to use the hose effectively

• Learned to clean a saddle and how to rub a horse down after a bath

• Didn't ride because of wind and the fact that Prissy needed new shoes!! Did a great job and picked up on things very fast.

3/8/2006 - Wednesday, 3:45 pm

• Worked in outdoor arena, which is now longer and flatter!

• Did an excellent job not holding onto the saddle, instead focusing on using both hands to steer and control the horse

• Played new games....trotting from one end of the arena to the other to collect soda bottles and drop them in buckets in the middle, trotting down one side of the arena to hang horseshoes on a hook.

• New favorite game....seeing how long it takes to get from one end of the arena to the other to drop a flag into a bucket. Best time so far is 11.8 seconds. Yeah Bradley!!

• New developments in bravery and courage here...Bradley is doing an excellent job trying new things, and does his best no matter what.

2/1/2006 - Wednesday, 3:45 pm

• Worked in outdoor arena, with new English child's saddle and bridle.

• Warmed up at the walk, then trotted down one side

• Heels come up way too much at the trot...needs to sit down and relax instead of tensing up and gripping with the legs. Hold on with knees/thighs and use that for balance...not lower legs!

• Played Bucketball, throwing balls into bucket from behind a line about five feet away...made every shot!

• Incorporated a straight line shot into the bucket area, and added cones in to weave around later

• Removed cones from bucket line and trotted to bucket, stopped, and threw balls into bucket

• Weaved from side to side around arena, collecting cones from one side and putting them on the other side, trotting inbetween the two fences

• Excellent job overall, Bradley. You're getting better at the trot...if you ever get as confident trotting as you are walking (and I KNOW you will!), you'll be da bomb!! You'll be unstoppable!!

1/19/2006 - Thursday, 3:30 pm

• Worked in outdoor arena, English saddle and bridle

• Tacked up almost totally single-handedly

• Walked around arena a lot, did a great job keeping Prissy on the edge instead of cutting corners/ends

• Learned about aids/cues and how to use them

• Kept heels down at the walk the entire time....posture excellent and nothing to complain about

• Went solo on the posting trot; started out trotting only down one side of the arena, while focusing on sitting deep to keep heels from coming up

• Hung onto the saddle at first to post, but let go and did much better afterwards, keeping the rhythm and keeping Prissy trotting

• Cantered for the first time (accidentally) while trotting down one end

• Walked and trotted over crossrail jumps, actually jumped one twice; stayed in saddle very well and didn't panic

• Collected cones from arena fence and targeted them, dropping them onto other cones on cinder blocks in the center of the arena

• Courage and perseverance is what marks this kid so well....great job not panicking at the new things you tried, and being willing to try them, although it's totally unchartered waters!

11/2/2005 - Wednesday

• Worked in outdoor arena

• Went over goals/expectations for lessons and riding

• Rode English with martingale - knew the names of everything!

• Excellent posture/position! Kept heels down almost the whole time

• Leaned to count the steps and feel which leg is stepping without looking

• Learned what certain head positions mean

• Learned to tie a daisy chain knot

• Did an excellent job standing and sitting, and learned the emergency stop

• I'm very proud of your progress!!

10/24/2005 - Monday

• Rode in outdoor arena

• Cold and windy weather - learned how horses act in such weather

• Both did an excellent job - only walked this time, but learned to do good figure eights, sit well using the bareback pad, stop quietly, have soft hands, ask for walk, stop, and back up quietly, without excessive movement

• Played basketball with the bucket and yellow balls, worked on positioning Prissy precisely so that placement was easy

• Good job, Bradley - next time we'll work more on standing!

10/21/2005 - Friday

• More of a review lesson - rode in the round pen, using the English saddle, without a martingale

• Worked more on standing and holding the balance - needs more work, but off to a good start!

• Has trouble standing while moving, but has good position when sitting

• Work on not slumping in saddle, but sitting up straight, with heels down, and on hand position as well

• Went on a short trail ride at the end of the lesson

• Good, Bradley...Keep it up....and remember, don't be afraid! Reach for the stars!!

10/13/2005 - Thursday

• Learned what a right balance is by balancing over feet, standing in stirrups and adjusting entire leg to find stability

• Rode without martingale, with English saddle

• Tacked up almost entirely on own

• Maneuvered cones and obstacles while concentrating on standing/sitting at the halt and walk

• Focused on using soft, subtle signals instead of kicking - learned that pressure makes the horse move, not violence

• Fell off for the first time - did very well and was not hurt, got right back on

• I'm proud of you, Bradley!!

9/29/2005 - Thursday

• Rode using a bareback pad , in order to gain a more effective seat

• Walked on the lunge line without using reins, to focus exclusively on balance and how to move with the horse

• Leaned what it feels like to move with the rhythm of the horse's gait

• Walked and trotted bareback on the lunge line and off. Did better on lunge line than off, but stayed in control off the lunge

• Knocked over all the cones with the lunge whip....smarty pants.

9/20/2005 - Tuesday

• Went on a trail ride through the woods

• Learned to shift body weight forward going uphill and back going downhill

9/13/2005 - Tuesday

• Worked on walk/stop combos

• Learned to pull back quietly to stop, instead of yanking up hard

• Learned to get horse walking without kicking really hard

• Learned how to weave in and out of cones around the arena

• Learned how to balance and take balls from one end of the arena to the other

• Couldn't keep trotting and keep heels down at beginning of lesson

• Played the bucketball game and kept heels down really well because you weren't concentrating on your heels!

• Excellent job on keeping heels down, stopping, and starting

9/10/2005 - Saturday

• Learned how to saddle and bridle horse, how and where to brush, which side to lead, how to tighten girth and use a martingale

• In round pen: walked, learned how to balance, hold reins, neck rein, stop, and keep heels down

• Also trotted, worked on keeping a slow, steady trot without breaking gait

• In arena - worked on keeping horse on the fence, and from eating down at one end!!

• Worked on picking up cones from fence and dropping onto more cones, and also collecting all 6 cones and putting them in the tree

• Good job, Bradley! I'm impressed!

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