Classic K Miniatures thread. pics and updates on my mini's

[cassie]

Thanks girls,

Anna I just paint them as I feel like it lol, I haven't given any of them away except for Diane's Spotty, and Renee's Swan Song...

my friend said that she wanted me to paint one for her, but as she lived in SA it would be hard. sorry SA is South Australia.

so I do it just because I can

I suppose its nicer because if it doesn't turn out the way I wanted it to I don't stress that its going to someone if you know what I mean?

 

[LittleRibbie]

Cassie those pictures are great!! I love the tiger....they are my favorte of all the big cats. I think I may need to commission you to do some art work for the other foaling stall. Get your thinking cap on...what do you want to paint?

 

[cassie]

Hehehe oooh fun!!! I will

now give me some guidelines.... Obviously we need pink in there... landscape, animal...?

 

[cassie]

worked with Suzie yesterday afternoon

with her show halter

I'm having trouble getting her to trot... any suggestions?

here are some pics, and also some of our magnolia tree for Anna

the tree













Mum n Dad have left today for Thailand

wish we could have gone... they are going for 5 days so I'm looking after the boys again lol it will be ok

as always, click on the pic to see a bigger version

 

[Wings]

Love those trees! I reckon this is the first place we have lived were we don't have one!

Trotting issues have you tried a dressage whip? A little flick or tap can sometimes be enough to get them forward again.

 

[cassie]

thanks Bree, yeah we love it too, its the first year that it has really had a full bloom as such lol.

I have tried the end of the lead she didn't like it... I can maybe try my whip... she might just need time and work lol silly suzie!

 

[AnnaC]

Oh thank you for the pictures Cassie - that tree is really gorgeous. I hope to have a couple of them one day!

Regarding Suzie's reluctance to trot when asked - does she trot when in her normal headcollar? She needs to do this before you progressto her show halter. Make sure you are by her shoulder and not her head, keep your body facing forward, rope in your right hand, long dressage whip in your left hand down beside your body (as Bree says) - NEVER try to flap at her back end with the lead, makes you look so untidy (LOL!!) and anyway your body is giving out backward signals rather than 'move forward' ones. Look straight ahead and think FORWARD! Give Suzie the command to 'and TERR-ROT!!' firmly and in a 'lively' voice and take a 'running' stride forwards. Suzie probably wont respond at first, so gather yourself and try again (you can add one click with your tongue at the end of the trot word if it helps, one click only). At the third try reach your left hand behind you and tap her bottom at the top of her hind leg - not up too high on her back - but be careful not to turn your body and to lose your FORWARD thinking. If she trots on, keep going, with lots of excited 'YES SUZIE, GOOD GIRL, YES TERR-ROT', plus one or two clicks. Then stop with lots of praise and cuddles and repeat the whole thing!!

If you are really having difficulties, can you co-opt someone in to help you? Get them to stand behind Suzie and after your command to Suzie and the tap with the whip, get them to clap their hands really loudly - this often makes the horse jump forward!! Also do you have somewhere that Suzie really likes to be? Take her away from there and get her to trot back? And again, remember that any lessons are never very successful if you try doing them in the paddocks or pastures where the horse normally lives, you need to be away from their normal grazing/relaxing/do my own thing area.

Good luck - I'm sure she will get it in the end, but after years of teaching them to walk quietly on a lead, I think getting them to trot up beside you often takes a little while to 'sink in'!!

 

[cassie]

Thanks Anna I did another quick lesson this afternoon in her normal halter n was just walking a quick pace beside her n she was keeping up not trotting then I put

My right hand close to the clip put a little pressure n said trot suzie she did some real fast walking so I stopped n praised then started again she started jogging stopped n praised again n she trotted for me woohoo!! Good girl suz! So tomoorrow I'll work with her twice I think n she is learning that my wish means to stop lol I'll make a show pony out of her yet lol

Thanks for the advice

Oh isn't the tree lovely? I hope you get one it will look spectacular in your garden!!

 

[AnnaC]

Well done Cassie!! Suzie will soon catch on!

 

[cassie]

Thanks Anna,

Suzie is doing really well at trotting on the lead now

just a little tension, and me saying trot Suz and she will trot quite happily beside me woohoo!! I worked with her three times over the weekend and we had lots of fun

I also worked with Penny and Finn, I just worked on lead training with Finn as I haven't done it for a while and he went really well, he even trotted a little for me (only when he wanted to of course lol brat!) but at least he has trot on the lead for me now

then I worked with Penny who had also had trouble trotting on the lead lol. I just went through the transitions with her several times, and by the end she was trotting by voice command no tension on the lead at all

I did some jumping on the lead with her too

so much fun, (I think that really helped with the trotting as she loves to jump now

)

we are up to 40 cm jumps

not that high in competition heights but we are getting there.

so overall an awesome weekend, I washed my car and she is now looking very very shiny yippee! except I must be allergic to the car wash stuff... darn excema came back saturday night

just after I had washed the car.... grrrr its not too bad but very irritating! lol.

Mum and Dad come back from Thailand on Wednesday afternoon which is exciting!

Have a great week everyone

 

[AnnaC]

Your trotting works seems to be coming on in leaps and bounds with all of them Cassie!

I'm so glad that Penny is enjoying her jumping - remember to have a lot of variety in the jumps, no need to go much higher for a while - most horses will jump that little bit higher than they are used to when the time comes, as long as the jump itself doesn't look 'strange' to them.

Naughty girl - did you not wear rubber gloves when washing the car? Hope the resulting 'nasties' fade away quickly for you my friend.

 

[Wings]

What did you use on the car? We only use sugar soap because of my own allergies. I also have to be careful about what I'm using on my own horses at bathtime! Might be something you have to watch for as well when you start showing

 

[cassie]

yeah I know, I totally didn't think of it

since quitting the vets my hands have been brilliant! I did use some stuff to clean the aluminium bumper bar on the front, so I don't know if it was that, because usually I'm ok if I just wash it with our stuff, the product we use is called "carma" to wash the cars and its meant to be environmentally friendly so I don't know LOL

yeah I think I will have to wear gloves from now on sucky!

yeah I'm going to have to be careful with washing the horses too I think, what do you use Bree?

Thanks for the tips with jumping Anna, I will set up some different things next time, (I'm going to get Russell out with his camera so you can see some piccies)

at the moment my jumps are different size and type of wood that we have and black or orange containers or bricks, I have put branches underneath them or over them and weeds... I'll experiment with that a bit more

I won't go higher again for a while I might set them up in a different spot too so she gets used to different environments as well

Sandy from across the road said I can go over and use their jumps anytime which would be cool as another different environment. Bree I know I have asked you before but what halter do you use for jumping again?

 

[Wings]

Halter wise I've swapped back to rope halters, both Drifter and Derby are very strong so I need the extra strength to gently correct them on course. When I get Spesh out I use a leather halter I found with no buckle on the noseband. I would kill for one of these! http://www.kingstons.net.au/products/USA-Tiffany-Western-Style-Halter.html

I can use Cowboy Magic but it dries my hands out big time, will experiment with a few other destaining washes this season to see what will work better for me. I use the Champion Tails shampoo, again I get dry hands but not as bad as with other products, and I've gone back to conditioning with Hi Shine Hot Oil which also seems to make my hands feel better after any shampooing/stain removing

Have also used Khonke's Own Kleen Sheen and haven't had a reaction.

 

[cassie]

cool

I use the champion tails and the Kleen sheen! I love both of them, and I haven't had reactions to them yet... thought my allergy doctor said that my hands will be more sensitive rather then less for sometime.

so we shall see lol.

ok I think I do have a rope halter around somewhere LOL.

Thanks for the advice

going to look at that halter now

oh I ordered Penny's show halter!! except they didn't have any in stock so I have to wait 2 weeks for it to come in, I have ordered a blue and when I get it I'll take some pics, if you girls don't think it suits I can return it for a different colour.

 

[cassie]

ok yeah WOW that halter is GORGEOUS Oh my goodness!! I can see why you want it!! lol

 

[Wings]

ok yeah WOW that halter is GORGEOUS Oh my goodness!! I can see why you want it!! lol

Isn't it just!

I just don't show western in the halter ring and since most of my guys are in rope halters I can't justify adding it to the halter collection! But it's soooooo pretty...

 

[cassie]

It is soooooo pretty omg wow!!

 

[AnnaC]

WOW!! Bree. That is a seriously super halter - very attractive!! But the price gets another WOW!! LOL!!

 

[cassie]

haha yeah it sure does!! very expensive! lol