Edelweiss Training Journal

[Crimson Rose]

Love it! Beautiful! Who is the large bay photo bomber?

 

[Edelweiss]

He carries himself so nicely I great pic

He really does and was really light that day. Hopefully we can be competitive in carriage next year.

Love it! Beautiful! Who is the large bay photo bomber?

Thank you!
The giraffe? That is one of my Arabs. Recently moved her into that pasture so she's never seen a mini driving up close before. She followed us around for awhile.

Getting ready for the cold here now. It will be back in the 60's next week though and I am hoping to introduce some horses to the cart.

 

[Edelweiss]

Merry Christmas!!

 

[Edelweiss]

 

[Edelweiss]

Stay tuned for some exciting news!!

In other more routine news, Gaston is making great progress in ground work and Sally is getting pretty advanced in obstacle. I think she is nearly ready to be started in hunter. Light, responsive and much more patient, she is finished in pivots, pull turns and backing. Nearly finished in sidepassing but she still needs to refine hind leg movement. Working on that now and soon enough it will be time for her to get acquainted with the dreaded raised poles!
Finished a stall sign for her too,

 

[HersheyMint]

Love the sign, Love Sally

 

[Edelweiss]

Love the sign, Love Sally

Thank you! I do too.

Finally got a picture of Sally ground driving the other evening. She has really come a long way. She is so light, I didn't realize what a nice headset she has developed. I have been focusing on impulsion, as you can see she doesn't track up and isn't using her hindquarters which is ok right now. That will come when she is in the cart and I can push her out more.
That isn't a finished head position either but it's great to see. A high head set starts out long and low, then as they learn to carry themselves and use their whole body, it will naturally come up.



Here is the exciting news! I was able to find and afford a Fox Lane marathon cart in small pony size! A friend of mine told me about them recently and I never thought I'd find one. But one popped up right in Texas and I was actually able to afford it. I've been cleaning out the tack room and selling off some of my mini tack, still have more to sell, but I am excited to get it! Fox Lanes haven't been made for a few years and this one is hardly ever used. Wet because they rinsed the dust off before taking pictures but otherwise it is pretty nice!

 

[Crimson Rose]

How beautiful Super congratulations I am so excited to read about all your driving adventures and shows this year!

 

[Edelweiss]

How beautiful Super congratulations I am so excited to read about all your driving adventures and shows this year!

Thank you! Our first event of the year is coming up soon, later this month in Ft Worth! It is a convention at a hotel which will be a nice change from shows.
I will be picking up the Fox Lane while I am there too.

I am especially looking forward to the talks on one handed driving and whip use. One handed driving is something I have wanted to master for a long time and those two talks are given by David Saunders, former head coachmen to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and one of the pioneers of CDE driving, among many other things.

https://davidesaunders.com/credenti...9QZQ-CIu1F6QMuJifi9TPtbBYkeY3OQbIvhUm1rXraT3k

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

I hope to do driving one day. It looks so fun. Also your horses are beautiful

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

Ok, I read all of this post again, and the extended trot is really fast? Like almost cantering because my little mini when I ask her to go faster on lead she trots then does ( what I called a jog) but is probably the extended trot, and then she canters.

 

[Edelweiss]

I hope to do driving one day. It looks so fun. Also your horses are beautiful

Thank you! It is a lot of fun.

Ok, I read all of this post again, and the extended trot is really fast? Like almost cantering because my little mini when I ask her to go faster on lead she trots then does ( what I called a jog) but is probably the extended trot, and then she canters.

No, a true extended trot is not fast, it is just that, extended. The horse lengthens its frame without a dramatic increase in speed.
Here are some pictures of the collected trot vs extended.
Note the "round" shape of this horse in this picture vs the longer shape in the next picture.


Sounds like your mare is getting closer to a working trot which is an increase in speed.

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

oh, it just does not look like a normal trot to me. Maybe it's just that her legs are moving so fast I can't tell.

 

[Dragon Hill]

thatcrazyhorsechick to get a better idea of gaits, you may want to watch some videos of big horses. Much easier to tell the difference on a non fuzzy non rolly polly horse with long legs! LOL

 

[thathorsecrazychick]

thatcrazyhorsechick to get a better idea of gaits, you may want to watch some videos of big horses. Much easier to tell the difference on a non fuzzy non rolly polly horse with long legs! LOL

I Will... It is very hard to tell with a horse who has tiny legs and is so fuzzy....

 

[Edelweiss]

Finally here and worth the wait! Tomas' beautiful HOY award!

Amigo continues to do well. Very happy with him!

 

[Edelweiss]

I may not be on here much soon, but I just wanted to say that if you ever get the chance, attending the CAA conference/convention is one of the most amazing experiences. It is such a wonderful group of people, all about safety and the well being of the horse. I am even more excited to compete in carriage shows this year now!
I may have some exciting announcements soon too!

 

[Edelweiss]

Off on an exciting new adventure!

 

[Crimson Rose]

Take lots of pictures to share!! Have fun!

 

[Edelweiss]

Arrived back home yesterday but here are a few pictures from the trip. It was absolutely amazing. Another day of clinics with David Saunders and two days with Boyd Exell.