This is another one of my students new experience. Again, this is my version and I ask this student to blog her version! This student has been working with me for only a few weeks. She had 7 lessons with me before I invited her to attend her first event. She came to me with the goal of barrel racing. Although due to my many accidents I myself can no longer chase the cans. I was once very sucessful in this area of competeing and I have some very sucessful speed event students. So, I accepted her as a student (I will not accpet if I feel I cannot be of help in a particulare field). This student has worked on the barrel pattern in the past but it has been awhile and I don’t know how far she got but I do know she didn’t get to an event before last weekend. She took her lesson horse Chester, an AQHA. Chester is a retired reining horse. We introduced him to speed events but he took a break due to back problems. He is now ready to return full force. So, we met her at our saddle club (Blackwater Saddle Club) which BTW is now the largest group of its sort in the escambia and santa rosa area! We had 92 riders that night. The first event didn’t go too well. Chester started out too fast and therefore they didn’t have a clean pattern. I analized what was wrong in their first event and we fixed those issues between events. Next was the Texas barrel weave. It was a good, clean, pretty pattern so pretty in fact that they actually got a 2nd place time!! Then of course it was time for the higlight of the night. The reason we all go to these events….the barrel pattern.  So with the problems fixed, I provided some pre-run coaching, a little yelling from the sideline and crossed fingers!! They had a nice run BUT we noticed in practice that Chester has a problem with his second barrel, he decides it is time to leave once he rounds that barrel and when he did this at the competition, he tripped the timer by a hair!! That cost them a ‘Broken Pattern’ and prevented them from placing but she (my student) finished the run and had it counted, they would have gotten a 28! I was thrilled with a time of a 28 from a pair who were in this speed world for such a short time, then they both took a long break from it and then they both returned to it for only 7 lessons! Wow!! We had a lesson since that event and we really worked on riding aggersivlyon as well as that second barrel problem. We are excited to see the fruits of our labor at their next event, which I truely look forward to! What an up and coming pair!! Look out speeders cause these two are back and soon to be in full swing!! We’ll keep you posted!!

 ~~Jo

 No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.  ~Winston Churchill

Recently a couple of my students have gone outside their boundaries and have had some new experiences! I won’t put you on the spot by naming you but I will give my side of this experience and then ask you to add your side. Sound fair? I’ll start with my student who has owned a wonderful little quarter horse for; shall we say; a few years now. This student asked me to evaluate her mare which I happily did. Considering how long it has been since this mare has been under saddle and asked to move off leg, seat & aids, she did remarkable well! She only bulked a couple times and tried to buck once or twice. I was just thrilled with this mare so I suggested that next time we meet, we take her to a public arena and see how she responds. Again, it has been a few years since this mare has been outside her pasture and just as I thought, she was wonderful considering. She did her Alpha mare whale breaths (deep, loud blow outs to warn all the other horses in the area Queen Alpha Mare is here)! I walked her around on her lead and halter. She was nervous but nothing unmanageable at all! I then longed her and she responded well at first but then decided there was just too much to look at as well as try to figure out ( like why that flag that was flapping one moment and gone the next!) After about 20 minutes I rode her. She never hesitated under saddle & did as asked! After a few times around the arena, her owner got on and rode around for awhile and she again, was wonderful under saddle. People, this is amazing because this nice mare has gone a long time without being asked to do much. It has been even longer since she has been taken off her home turf! I will sustain from telling that portion (how long it’s been) because it is not mine to tell but the horses owner if she so chooses! I look forward to working with this horse and her person next week. This mare will progress quickly with the correct training. Look for these two in the western ring soon! Also, I invite all of you to share any new experiences you have had recently (or not so recent!)~~

 ~~Jo

One reason why birds and horses are happy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.  ~Dale Carnegie

 Hello! I invite you to visit my newly designed website www.thebalancedequestrian.com  It’s been up and running for awhile now but has just recently undergone an overhaul. Please let me know what you think of the new look. Also, make sure you check out my summer programs & see if anything appeals to you.  Your welcome to bring your horse to any of the programs or have fun on one of our lesson horses! Remember to post your comments, concerns, questions & thoughts about the new look and the new summer programs!  Adieu! Joanne