Edelweiss Training Journal

[HersheyMint]

All are so beautiful. Defiantly worth the wait to get them

 

[Edelweiss]

All are so beautiful. Defiantly worth the wait to get them

Thank you! Yes it definitely was!!

 

[Dragon Hill]

I can hardly wait to see how they do. I'm excited for you.

 

[Edelweiss]

I can hardly wait to see how they do. I'm excited for you.

Thank you!! I will probably wait until Fall and cooler weather to start the driving horses.

Sunday Funday today!!
Seeing double?? That's because there are two different pintos, bays, and palominos.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Those three with their heads together look as though they are plotting something!

 

[Edelweiss]

Those three with their heads together look as though they are plotting something!

I thought the same thing when I was looking through the pictures, but they were just meeting the pinto.

 

[Edelweiss]

Had a great ground driving session with Amigo tonight and started working with Fancy and Gaston. They are going to be in groundwork a long while! Very willing, but very, very, green and clueless lol. I am planning on starting them in harness in the Fall.
At least I know none of them mind water! Got a solid hour of heavy rain yesterday and they went right through the deep (6-8"+) puddles several times. Even played in them for a little while!

 

[Edelweiss]

Had a wonderful ground driving session with Amigo in the arena this morning. First time working in the arena as I just got the new footing down and it is lovely. Mostly worked on high school dressage which was a joy. He had been crosswiring a bit between his piaffe and levade so for the first time, I acknowledged his levade and gave him a separate cue for it. Also started working on pirouettes and a beautiful passage was not difficult to teach. In between I let him stretch, walk and do some extended and collecting trotting. I noticed that after the high school movements, contact was lighter than ever, even at a full out working trot, and that was just a dream to feel! I did not have any whip with me, so next time we do this, I'll bring one and try to work at some lateral movements.

 

[Edelweiss]

Thought I would share my newest addition to the show string.
Name TBD. Currently trying to choose between Sally and Pumpkin!

 

[HersheyMint]

Oh I love her eyes! So pretty. She looks so sweet. I know you didn.t ask for to help pick a name but I like Sally. Sweet Sally !

 

[Edelweiss]

Oh I love her eyes! So pretty. She looks so sweet. I know you didn.t ask for to help pick a name but I like Sally. Sweet Sally !

Yes! She has those Salsa eyes, like big deer eyes. I have always loved those.
And oh yes I would love some help. I thought she looked like a Sally too. But then she also looks like a little round pumpkin!

 

[Willow Flats]

So pretty! Love both names. Her coloring has a hint of pumpkin pie at least on my screen. Can't go wrong with either name!

 

[Edelweiss]

So pretty! Love both names. Her coloring has a hint of pumpkin pie at least on my screen. Can't go wrong with either name!

Yes! She does look like a little round pumpkin!

She is out of shape right now, but it will be fun to look back at these when she gets into condition! And she still looks pretty nice.

 

[MerMaeve]

That’s out of shape?? She looks like a Pumpkin to me, and it would be cute to look back once she is skinnier and not so pumpkin-y! . She is gorgeous with those big sweet eyes.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

I vote Sally, too.

I agree she has the sweetest eyes, and Sweet Salsa Sally would be a wonderful phrase to say while hugging her.

 

[Edelweiss]

That’s out of shape?? She looks like a Pumpkin to me, and it would be cute to look back once she is skinnier and not so pumpkin-y! . She is gorgeous with those big sweet eyes.

Yes! She has her weight in all the wrong places Lol. Needs muscle tone too.

I vote Sally, too.

I agree she has the sweetest eyes, and Sweet Salsa Sally would be a wonderful phrase to say while hugging her.

I'm thinking I will go with Sally! Maybe Pumpkin on occasion, but she won't always look like a Pumpkin. I hope!!

I guess I'll take you on her driving training journey since I am not starting the CDE pony yet.
The first night I got her, I just lunged her, first in the arena on a lead, then free lunge in the round pen to see how she moves on her own. Free lunging also teaches her whoa.
Yesterday, I started to get a feel for her by starting with 3 or 4 groundwork exercises. She is very responsive but rather timid, (she has had previous handling, so idk what happened then, could just be her nature and lack of recent handling.) Anyway, she did not like the whip and I noticed when I backed her that she was responding to the whip in my hand and not to me. So I worked on rubbing her down with it and letting her know it was ok to relax, while incorporating ground work exercises to tell her when to move and she picked up on them in a hurry. She learned the basics quickly and easily, started in hand collecting as well. Then lunged a bit to get her in shape. One of the things that will make her such an incredible driving horse is her ability to power off at a trot. She rarely canters, but she can absolutely eat up the groud at a trot.
She is very smart, very willing, and responsive, just needs a little desentizing that will come as she progresses and learns to read and trust me. I think she will probably spend 2-3 weeks on ground work, maybe less, before I start her in harness because of how good minded she is. Of course she will continue groundwork for about 6 months before I consider her finished, but 2-3 weeks should provide enough of a base for her to start in harness.
She is said to have been driven before, but since I don't know what or how she was trained, I am just starting over as if she never was. I do this with any horse that I get as that will fill any "holes" and bring out any issues that I might discover if I simply hitched her. Plus it also builds a bond between us and develops mutual trust which is crucial to a successful driving horse.

 

[Edelweiss]

More pictures from her first day here. She is already looking better. Day 3 of groundwork and she is advancing through basics. Moves off of me nicely, does not mind the whip, and I love how responsive yet quiet she is. Starting to soften as we get to know each other, but that will come as she has clearly come to trust me more.
Lunging for a few minutes after groundwork and starting to push her more as she develops stamina. She is great at powering off at a trot, but I need to make sure I can keep pushing without her breaking into a canter. Especially for roadster, she does not need to be allowed to canter in harness.

 

[Dragon Hill]

You are really going to enjoy this one! Her eyes just bowl me over.

 

[Edelweiss]

You are really going to enjoy this one! Her eyes just bowl me over.

Oh I already am! Those eyes are the first thing I noticed when I first saw a Salsa horse.
I love her more every time I work with her. She trusts me a lot more now.

Day 4 of Groundwork. She is advancing quickly through basic level. She is much softer, still a little neck stiff, but getting better in a hurry. I love how she reads my energy and responds appropriately. No longer lunging as she is doing enough work with groundwork as I push her more.

 

[kimbalina]

Thank you for posting… I’m really enjoying reading your thread (and looking at the pictures of your magnificent creatures). You have an amazing sensitivity to the animal’s energy and movement.