A training break: Accessories time!

Every girl loves her accessories and Nenya being the girly-mare that she is, she's no exception. So I thought this week I'd divert from the training to talk about some of the best little "accessories" Nenya has in her pink toolbox.

Best brush evah: The Nuzzler

I don't know why this wasn't one of the first things I bought her. The teeth on this curry comb are a hard plastic and shaped like a massage brush. Which is exactly what it is. Nenya has the pink heart-shaped one (again, I know you're shocked) and it is very comfortable to hold. When I go over her with this brush she has pooky lip and head bobbing the whole time. When I'm done she looks at me like "Why did you stop?!" Before I bought the Nuzzler, I tried it out on my good friend Laura (her back) and she had a pooky lip and bobbed her head too. And then she too asked why I stopped.

The best mane in the barn: Cowboy Magic Detangler

Wowza! This is such a must-have. Although Nenya has very a fine-textured Arabian mane and tail, she has a lot of it and after bathing her or even a few days of her playing out in the pasture, the tangles set in. The tiniest bit of this product--we're talking dime-sized--applied to her forelock, mane and tail, and the brush just goes through like butter. It works just as well on dry hair as wet--and it smells good too! I think I'm going to use it on my own hair.

Best smelly stuff: EQyss Mega-Tek Coat Rebuilder

I went on vacation for a week earlier this summer and came back to find Nenya had rubbed bare a part of her tail. She also somehow  managed to get a crescent-shaped bare mark on her right flank. That second one is still a mystery to me. I asked her and she just sighed and ignored me. I get that a lot. I digress...This product is fantastic for rebuilding coats and hair. It helps with dried skin and split ends too. It can also be used on Coupe's paw pads--I love the multi-pet uses! I've been faithful of putting it on Nenya's little bare spots I described above 3 times a week and both have the hair almost completely grown back. Best of all, it smells like coconut. Every girl likes to smell a bit tropical!

Best clean face: Oster ESC Face Finishing Brush

Everyone encounters a dirty face every now and then so why not sweep it clean? This brush from Oster has a nice grip handle and the bristles are super soft. Nenya LOVES this brush. She shoves her face into it as I'm sweeping away the dirt and she even tries to nibble on it. She's a freak. Anyways, I like how it's round and it's easy to get around the contours of her face and the compactness of the bristles gets a lot of dirt off quickly and easily. And I'm sure you're all dying to know, Nenya has the pink one.

From the ground we get movement

I am going into my fourth month of Princess Nenya ownership and only now have the chance to create and update this Blog so bear with me while I try to recap all the training and work I've done and from there take us forward. I promise it will hurt much less than a flu-shot.

Having been around Arabians before--and Nenya being mostly Arabian (mentally and psychologically for sure)--they become very bonded to their "person." They need a gentile but firm hand and most of all someone who very much is aware of them. Nen was missing this and I wanted this to be an all-around positive and productive experience for us both. My first month goals were to establish a positive bond and also start conditioning her on the ground.

Coming off the winter--here in Washington we still seem to be in winter--Nenya really wasn't worked or ridden. I knew going into her purchase that she had very "low miles" on her. In other words, lightly ridden. But she had good ground manners which is oh so important. I watched her former owner work her offline calling out commands and then it was my turn. Poor confused Princess couldn't understand why two people were making her work.

I called to her to make her move and I'm not sure if it was me or because Mara was there she reluctantly worked.

The real test came a few weeks later when we moved her to the barn where she lives now. I was so excited that I couldn't wait to start working with her and bonding. My husband and parents came to welcome Nen home. I wanted to show them all how talented she was and how smart she was that I could lunge her offline. As you can see that really didn't go according to plan.

So Step One: purchase lunge line (in pink of course).
Step Two: establish bond
Step Three: spend every day at barn with Princess Nenya for a couple of hours.

Fast forward a month and we are moving like a team and I can work her offline and online! Hurray--there was much applause.



And then came the complete poneh meltdown and she realized that this isn't fun anymore and she refused to move. No forward, backward, anything. Now those of you who have experienced this, it is infuriating. I liken it to a toddler having a temper tantrum in the mall and everyone is looking at you like a bad parent and you have no clue how to resolve the situation. So what does one do? Consult friends with experience and the interwebs.

I pulled out Clinton Anderson's "From the Ground Up" series and it gave me some great advice. But it was something my my good friend CeCe gave me--a copy of some of John Lyons' ground training and how to get movement that really gave me the most positive and successful results with my stubborn Princess Poneh.

Lyons' "Go Forward Cue--Talk to the Hip!" article was exactly what we needed. I found in that applying a small amount of pressure or tapping on Nenya's hip she moved forward. At first I asked once and as soon as she responded by moving forward I stopped her and gave praise. After a few forward steps the next time I asked she was stopped and praised again. And then a few more steps and then more praise and so on. I repeated this the start of every day for two weeks and now I've found that I don't even need the crop for this exercise. The minute I point to her hip she moves forward. And there was much rejoicing.



I know that this all seems trivial, but a horse who will not take commands from the ground is likely not to take commands from the saddle. Although it was a set back, I realized that I was moving Nenya too quickly and she was overloaded in a short amount of time...or else her Arab brain just had to be rebooted again. Or maybe both. Taking the time I did to do some research has actually strengthened our bond and her understanding of my expectations.

The Beginning...a tad late

A few months ago I had the opportunity of a lifetime...well my lifetime anyways. I became the owner of a beautiful pinto National Show Horse mare. It wasn't because I needed more responsibility or an excuse to spend money. It was more that there was something missing in my life. That missing link I wasn't actually on the search for, but Craigslist is an evil tool and before I knew it, Nenya came prancing into my life.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I realized that I'm actually not only an owner but also becoming a trainer with the opportunity to shape and mold this beautiful companion into being a successful, all around horse. And then I realized that everyone is giving me so much advise and links and videos and directions that my head was swimming. Thus the start of this blog.

Nenya is a prissy, princess mare with a huge heart, unconditional loyalty and a willingness to learn. She is my horsey soul-mate that I didn't know I was missing.

So follow along with us on adventures and I recap the growth we both share, on a journey that has already changed my life.