Time is flying!

Where has the time gone? Daya is getting pretty big and her belly has started to gravitate downward a little. April 9th will roughly be day 300 for her and I've been told anything after that is fair game in the world of foaling. In all, honestly, I'm starting to get a tad bit nervous over the whole thing. Ive worked with mares and foals but have never been present for foaling. So many people have given me tips on their personal experience. My game plan so far is to let Daya handle the birthing on her own and only help if I start seeing signs of her struggling or becoming too fatigued.



My farrier came out yesterday and Daya was awesome. This was the first time she has ever let Mike put all 4 feet on his hoof stand to be rasped (she usually gets freaked out and refuses to rest her hooves on it). He was happy with her overall hoof growth. She had a lot of heel that had to be taken off which is what we have been looking for. He also did some ground work with her. She was sticky when asked to yield her hindquarters but warmed up quickly when she realized what we were asking. She is still jumpy around people make sudden movements around her face so I really need to step it up and work on desensitizing her everyday.



I was talking to Mike about saddle breaking her when the time came for it and he said he didn't think she was going to be that bad if we did our homework. To prove me wrong about my doubts he asked me to run and get a saddle and pad out of the barn. So I did, I had already desensitized her to the saddle blanket so I knew that wasn't going to be a big deal, but a 40lb saddle may be a different story. It wasn't! He did a little in hand work with her, let her smell and investigate the saddle, did some pressure and release exercises with it and set it on her back. She handled it like a pro! She walked around with it, stood quietly with it on and never bulked. Even though we didn't cinch her up, he gave me the reassurance I needed that with all the work Ive done with her she wasn't going to be explosive if I just kept up the baby steps. So now I have my work cut out for me. He said he was going to come out April 13th and help me work with her again. By then he wants me to slowly start cinching her up. Ive done so much work with straps under her belly that once I get her used to having a saddle on her back I don't think she will do bad at all. I feel so much more confident after he comes out to the barn. He lets me know that I'm doing things right and critiques me on things that need to be improved. That man has become my idol. He is a true teacher of natural horsemanship.



So I've talked with my vet about the training schedule with Daya and getting her used to the saddle. She told me as long and she wasn't worked into a lather, stressed to the point of being explosive during training, that I should go ahead and start light saddle training. My plans so far are to get her to the point where she will take a saddle being thrown on her back without flinching or getting spooked and jumpy. From there I will do more desensitizing with things being put under and tightened around her belly, start cinching her up and getting her used to the girth. Ive been challenged a lot so far and I have made a few personal goals with training Daya. My number 1 goal: Start a once abused horse with trust issues under saddle that has had so much training before hand that she never bucks or explodes under the pressure! Will I accomplish this goal? I think with the help I have received from Mike I will.

Quick update and help needed!

** First few paragraphs are an update on Daya. Please be sure to read the bottom paragraph about a gentleman by the name of Dr. Heuschmann who is trying to have RollKur (aka Hyperflexion) banned from the dressage arena's! If you don't know what this is, google it, and you will be appalled at what you see.** Thanks everyone

Update: There is so much snow on the ground here that I haven't been able to do much work with Daya. Just small in hand stuff around the barn. I have been getting her accustomed to the bosal though. I figured she is so sensitive to pressure that I may as well start her in a bosal and move to a bit later. She does so well in it. She follows her nose easily and is really learning to bend with the ground work Ive been doing. She does lateral bends (foundation for the one rein stop) with just my mecate rein sitting on one finger. Now if we can only have this foal and fast forward 8 months so I can wean him we will be back in business! I want to get this girl under saddle so bad that its about to drive me bonkers.

My husband hurt his knee pretty bad about a month ago and made his first trip to the barn with me Sunday since early January and couldn't believe the change in Daya. Her belly is really filling out! Ive had to loosen her turnout blanket 3 times in the past 4 weeks! lol She still has more than 4 months to go and I can only imagine what she is going to look like by her due date.



**Rollkur / Hyperflexion Ban **
I am a subscriber of fellow blogger Wolfie @ What Was I Thinking.......?. (She has a great blog about her life with horses and everyone should check her out and subscribe). Today she has a great post that needs every ones help. There is a link in her article to a help a man put an end to Hyperflexion in the dressage ring. If he succeeds this will be the beginning of a wonderful movement that will hopefully get through to the dressage world and stop the abuse the horses are receiving to "look" pretty. Just click on the Wolfie's link above for the article that explains why this is so important and sign the petition. All it takes is a name and email! Thanks everyone!