Yesterday Levi and I went on a trail ride...Levi was on Maggie and I was on Charlie. Charlie spooked slightly as I put the saddle on...but nothing major. Then, as we were riding down the lane past the goat pen, a piece of tin was flapping in the wind. He shied to the side...Bannie has spooked at that several times so that was no big surprise. We were heading for the front woods, when I heard a thud behind me. I looked back in time to see Maggie getting to her feet. She has stepped in a hole and gone down to her knees...I can't believe she didn't break a leg and Levi stayed on too!! She stood up calmly and continued walking as if nothing had happened. We rode into the woods and a squirrel jumped up beside us...Charlie jumped, but didn't shy away. We trotted alittle on the way home and he behaved well.
When we got back, we decided to go work in the round pen a little. Levi stayed outside so I could work Charlie for a few minutes. We trotted around a few times, then I asked him to lope. He moved off smoothly and everything seemed fine. Then suddenly he bucked. Not hard, just enough to let me know he didn't want to do what I was asking him to do. I corrected him, and cued
him to canter again. Half a round later, he exploded. Full out rodeo bucked and I couldn't get his head up. I grabbed for the horn...and quickly realized it was a losing battle. I leaned to the side and let myself fall. I landed on my side....the dirt was really loose so it was a soft landing, I'm not even sore. I scared Levi though...he kept yelling, "Are you alright, are you alright??" I jumped up, looked Charlie in the eye and said. "I'm fine and I'm winning this." Levi helped me take a couple panels out of the round pen and I set to
work. I untacked Charlie and turned him out in the round pen, then started doing the relationship training with him. The ultimate goal of this technique is to get them to turn their head toward you, an inside turn. It took me about an hour and a half to achieve this with him. Then I carefully climbed back on!! He was steady and after we walked and trotted a couple rounds, I asked him to lope and we went around twice with no problem so I got off and called it quits for the day. Today I round penned him and it only took two turns to get him to turn to the inside, then I rode him and he did fine. Later we all went out on a trail ride and I rode him....we just walked but he didn't spook at anything and did everything I asked. Dad and I talked and we both think he's not the horse we are looking for. He still has too much energy. So I'm going to work with him this summer and try him on sheep and cows and if he does good with that, we'll sell him at the fall cow horse sale.
I've got five more chapters to type on the second book. Here's a sneak peak at another part!!
Chapter 15: The Mysterious Stranger
Anders nudged Amy. "Looks like our friends are talkin' about somethin' serious. Evans looks mad."
"He's always mad." Amy said,
her eyes still on the little group.
As they passed out of sight of the four men, Clint asked. "How 'bout a bottle of soda?"
"It'll ruin our supper." Amy said practically.
"Come on, Amy. You're too much like a mother.' Anders complained. "One little bottle of soda isn't going to ruin our supper."
"I agree with Anders." Clint said. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Amy. You can deprive yourself if you wish."
Amy laughed. "I guess I'll have to go along with the crowd this time!"
"This must be the drugstore Mr. Johnson owns." Amy remarked as they got out of the car a few minutes later. "See? It says 'Johnson's Drugstore'."
"Brilliant, Amy!" Anders rolled his eyes. "It'd take a genius to figure that out!" "
Come on, Anders, that wasn't very nice." Rosanna chided him.
"I beg your pardon, my dears." Anders bowed to Amy and Rosanna.
"Forgiven and forgotten!" Amy laughed. "I knew he was kidding, Rosanna."
"So did I, but it still wasn't nice." Rosanna said.
"Rosanna's right." Clint told them. "It really wasn't
polite, Anders. Amy was merely observing."
"I'm sorry." Anders looked at Amy.
"I
forgive you." Amy told him.
"Whew!" Anders pretended to wipe the sweat off his forehead as he held the door open for her.
"Thanks Anders." she smiled as she
stepped past him. As her eyes adjusted to the inside light, she stopped short in surprise. "Looks like our friends beat us here." she murmured to Clint.
"Uh huh." Clint nodded.
As they seated themselves at a table, Amy noticed a man,
sitting by himself, reading a newspaper. She studied him as she sipped her soda.
He was wearing a dark suit and a tall black hat, but the think Amy noticed most about him was his eyes. They were dark and serious.
"What are you lookin' at?" Anders asked. He was sitting across from her, with his back to the man.
"There's a man sitting behind you." Amy told him.
"Yeah?" Anders raised his eyebrows.
"I feel funny about him." Amy said. "His eyes look like he's hiding
something. I don't like it."
"Oh, Amy!" Anders groaned. Then he grinned. "I bet
he'll be hiding in a dark corner on the way home and grab you and carry you off!"
"I wouldn't worry about the man, Amy." Clint had been listening to their conversation.
Amy frowned. "Okay, but I still don't like it."
Chapter 16: The Amazing Discovery
"Wait a minute, Rosanna." Amy stepped closer. "Leave it there
a minute."
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing. Just watch the candle." Amy replied. The others gathered around and everyone watched the candle intently.
"There!" Amy cried after a minute. "Did you see that? The flame flickered!"
Anders quickly put his hand down by the candle. "There's a draft coming from under the bookcase!" He leapt to his feet. "Come on." he beckoned to Tyler and Alan. "There's gotta be someway to move this thing."
All three pushed first on the side of the bookcase, expecting it to slid sideways. Nothing happened.
Anders looked puzzled. "Why didn't it move?" he muttered. "Lets try again."
The three pushed again with all their strength. Still nothing happened.
"Try the front." Hannah suggested.
"The front?" Anders echoed. "There's a solid wall
behind it. It can't move back."
After studying the bookcase and wall for a few more minutes, the boys agreed to give Hannah's suggestion a try. Tyler took one end, Alan took the other and Anders positioned himself in the middle.
"Ready…push!" he called.
Together the boys gave a mighty push.
To the delight of everyone watching, the bookcase moved, sliding into a hidden opening in the wall.
"Anders! Watch out!" Amy cried a moment later. Anders leapt back just in time to avoid disaster.
The seven stood speechless at what the bookcase had revealed.
That was just a teaser to wet your appetite!!
him to canter again. Half a round later, he exploded. Full out rodeo bucked and I couldn't get his head up. I grabbed for the horn...and quickly realized it was a losing battle. I leaned to the side and let myself fall. I landed on my side....the dirt was really loose so it was a soft landing, I'm not even sore. I scared Levi though...he kept yelling, "Are you alright, are you alright??" I jumped up, looked Charlie in the eye and said. "I'm fine and I'm winning this." Levi helped me take a couple panels out of the round pen and I set to
work. I untacked Charlie and turned him out in the round pen, then started doing the relationship training with him. The ultimate goal of this technique is to get them to turn their head toward you, an inside turn. It took me about an hour and a half to achieve this with him. Then I carefully climbed back on!! He was steady and after we walked and trotted a couple rounds, I asked him to lope and we went around twice with no problem so I got off and called it quits for the day. Today I round penned him and it only took two turns to get him to turn to the inside, then I rode him and he did fine. Later we all went out on a trail ride and I rode him....we just walked but he didn't spook at anything and did everything I asked. Dad and I talked and we both think he's not the horse we are looking for. He still has too much energy. So I'm going to work with him this summer and try him on sheep and cows and if he does good with that, we'll sell him at the fall cow horse sale.
I've got five more chapters to type on the second book. Here's a sneak peak at another part!!
Chapter 15: The Mysterious Stranger
Anders nudged Amy. "Looks like our friends are talkin' about somethin' serious. Evans looks mad."
"He's always mad." Amy said,
her eyes still on the little group.
As they passed out of sight of the four men, Clint asked. "How 'bout a bottle of soda?"
"It'll ruin our supper." Amy said practically.
"Come on, Amy. You're too much like a mother.' Anders complained. "One little bottle of soda isn't going to ruin our supper."
"I agree with Anders." Clint said. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Amy. You can deprive yourself if you wish."
Amy laughed. "I guess I'll have to go along with the crowd this time!"
"This must be the drugstore Mr. Johnson owns." Amy remarked as they got out of the car a few minutes later. "See? It says 'Johnson's Drugstore'."
"Brilliant, Amy!" Anders rolled his eyes. "It'd take a genius to figure that out!" "
Come on, Anders, that wasn't very nice." Rosanna chided him.
"I beg your pardon, my dears." Anders bowed to Amy and Rosanna.
"Forgiven and forgotten!" Amy laughed. "I knew he was kidding, Rosanna."
"So did I, but it still wasn't nice." Rosanna said.
"Rosanna's right." Clint told them. "It really wasn't
polite, Anders. Amy was merely observing."
"I'm sorry." Anders looked at Amy.
"I
forgive you." Amy told him.
"Whew!" Anders pretended to wipe the sweat off his forehead as he held the door open for her.
"Thanks Anders." she smiled as she
stepped past him. As her eyes adjusted to the inside light, she stopped short in surprise. "Looks like our friends beat us here." she murmured to Clint.
"Uh huh." Clint nodded.
As they seated themselves at a table, Amy noticed a man,
sitting by himself, reading a newspaper. She studied him as she sipped her soda.
He was wearing a dark suit and a tall black hat, but the think Amy noticed most about him was his eyes. They were dark and serious.
"What are you lookin' at?" Anders asked. He was sitting across from her, with his back to the man.
"There's a man sitting behind you." Amy told him.
"Yeah?" Anders raised his eyebrows.
"I feel funny about him." Amy said. "His eyes look like he's hiding
something. I don't like it."
"Oh, Amy!" Anders groaned. Then he grinned. "I bet
he'll be hiding in a dark corner on the way home and grab you and carry you off!"
"I wouldn't worry about the man, Amy." Clint had been listening to their conversation.
Amy frowned. "Okay, but I still don't like it."
Chapter 16: The Amazing Discovery
"Wait a minute, Rosanna." Amy stepped closer. "Leave it there
a minute."
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing. Just watch the candle." Amy replied. The others gathered around and everyone watched the candle intently.
"There!" Amy cried after a minute. "Did you see that? The flame flickered!"
Anders quickly put his hand down by the candle. "There's a draft coming from under the bookcase!" He leapt to his feet. "Come on." he beckoned to Tyler and Alan. "There's gotta be someway to move this thing."
All three pushed first on the side of the bookcase, expecting it to slid sideways. Nothing happened.
Anders looked puzzled. "Why didn't it move?" he muttered. "Lets try again."
The three pushed again with all their strength. Still nothing happened.
"Try the front." Hannah suggested.
"The front?" Anders echoed. "There's a solid wall
behind it. It can't move back."
After studying the bookcase and wall for a few more minutes, the boys agreed to give Hannah's suggestion a try. Tyler took one end, Alan took the other and Anders positioned himself in the middle.
"Ready…push!" he called.
Together the boys gave a mighty push.
To the delight of everyone watching, the bookcase moved, sliding into a hidden opening in the wall.
"Anders! Watch out!" Amy cried a moment later. Anders leapt back just in time to avoid disaster.
The seven stood speechless at what the bookcase had revealed.
That was just a teaser to wet your appetite!!