If there is one thing that I've taken from every person I've ever ridden with, and a piece of advice  that has been given to me repeatedly for this project, is to take it slow in order to make steady progress.   Ryker has been fantastic, working on aspects on the ground that translate to aspects undersaddle,  starting simply and adding pieces slowly . Like in lunging, for example; I started with a rope halter and long lead working on "whoa" on a straight line, and then progressed to doing so on a small circle.  From there came lunging with the rope halter, the addition on a surcingle, a bridle, side reins, long lines and a saddle - all before sitting on him.  Some may say I've gone a little too slow, but I want to be sure that Ryker has the building blocks to succeed when something new is being introduced.  

He has certainly settled into a routine, greeting me in the morning for our early ring time.  Another piece of advice I have been readily given, and take to heart regardless of the horse and situation - keep a routine.  Whether its gallop sets every 4 days  to prepare for a big Event or grooming and riding at the same time every day, there is a lot of merit to keeping a routine.  Steady progress can only be achieved by consistency (within a routine) , this does not mean I do the same thing every day with Ryker - My goal is not to bore him out of his mind, but to give him some sense of security while he is being mentally challenged.

 
And without further ado, 
 HUSTON WE HAVE LIFT OFF ;) 

Hooray!

Ryker has now been ridden twice, and has been as mellow as can be.  He is very willing and is quite mature (surprise, surprise, since he is 7...).  He has a very basic grasp of lateral aids and he responds very well to contact with a soft mouth. 

I can't wait to really get started now that we're working undersaddle.  So far he has taken to things very quickly - ex. lounging, longlines, poles (at walk and trot) - I can only hope that he will take to questions undersaddle just as quickly.  

 In other news, he got front shoes back on today! He's been a little footsore without front shoes and slightly long toes, especially since the ground has been so hard and unforgiving for turnout.  We'll see if anything changes about his attitude undersaddle. 

Day (I'm not sure any more!) assesment: Quite, Sensitive, and Intelligent. 

Go Ryker! 

Gotta love thoroughbred brains! Not only is Ryker a trickster, but he is a smart cookie.  Today and yesterday were all about learning "whoa" and just pushing buttons on the ground.  Ryker was fantastic, even though we pushed his limits a little. We worked on walking over a pole (which he figured out really quickly, and very calmly) and lounging, which was very interesting - you could see him working everything out on his face.  By the end of the day we were lounging walk, trot, and a little canter in both directions, as well as halting nearly immediately to "whoa".  Ryker's reaction to having his brain a little melted was to jump a little in the air and stop and look at me with the expression of "I DONT GET IT!... explain it to me again..." and would willingly try again and again. 

Finally back in Alfred!  Spent some quality stall time with Ryker today.  Just simply giving him a once over  and a good scratch.

He was very quiet and responsive in his stall, letting me pick up his feet, play with his nose, ears, tail, etc. just letting me push his buttons so to speak.  He was very cuddly, which I did not expect right off, more than willing to groom my shoulder for a whither scratch, and climb right into my pocket.  He was a little mouthy, albeit very polite about it - kinda like the cartoons where the horse tries to sneak in a nibble of the carrot in the back pocket - that's Ryker.  It was a game to him, and he was well aware that he shouldn't be playing it - needless to say, no hand treats - but he certainly isn't a biter, just a button pusher.   Speaking of button pushing, he also figured out how to get out of his stall and go gallivanting around the farm, his stall door is not only latched but was very well tied - to keep such a thing from happening.  Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a trickster! 

Day one assesment: Sweet, sensitive, and SMART

On another OTTB related note, the Retired Racehorse Training Project ( http://www.retiredracehorsetraining.org/ ) has picked horses! One of them is Solidify, he came from Fingerlakes and is now with the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue in Chesapeake City, MD. Solidify was one of our top picks for this project.  Great to know we have eyes for the good ones, and good luck to Solidify!


Tomorrow starts day two:  Starting ground work (pictures to follow)

It is with great excitement that I write this post to say, the countdown begins!  Not that I'm and in anyway calm or the countdown hasn't started since the minute we decided on Ryker... or even that I expect a storm - more like a few speed bumps, but its almost time to get to work!  I have it on good authority that Ryker is settling in very well to the off the track life and learning how to be a calm and happy horse - enjoying his turnout and his grain (huge "Thank you" shout-out to Tammy and Hoss! Without them expertly letting down the boys, this process would be much more complicated with finals and winter break in the mix). 

Since I am currently in the very cold state of VT, and way to many hours away to go visit, I can only sit and wonder what Ryker is up to now, and sketch a very broad idea of a re-training plan.  Since I've only met the horse twice, first on the track and second to give him a winter blanket, I only have a very small sense of his personality.  At this point my impression of him is sweet, sensitive and strong.  We'll see how that develops. :)

Fire For Effect aka RYKER (formerly Lake Butler) is a 2004 Chestnut gelding with a very long career at the track, sporting 53 starts with 11 wins, 11 seconds and 7 thirds, winning just under $150,000 in earnings. Tesla hopes that he will have a future in eventing, or  in the dressage ring. :)