Starting Status Finesse

HMMM...good question. I know what I know, and I know what my horses know. At the moment it is way more than we can DO. I have been "in the saddle" once in the last year.....MAYBE twice. Before the car accident, Rose and I were finally making progress and starting to canter a few strides before she would buck. It took me almost a year with Rose to get over the confidence issues I created in myself when starting Jueli the bucking horse. Rose being a LBE, and VERY defensive about saddling when I bought her back, we just needed lots of time together for us both to get over our issues. Of course the parelli program was instrumental in overcoming those issues. I may just pay to have someone ride her a couple of times in canter to get thru it. I havn't made up my mind on that one yet. Baby steps for now. Of course I can do all this stuff (knowledge wise) with Snookie. The biggest hurdles with her will be a bit, I have not ridden her in a bit for about 4yrs. She never liked them but tolerated them. No money for a cradle bridle yet. And also the flying lead changes. Her hip and hock issues may keep her from being able to do them. Together we are a the equivalent to a nursing home. Not the stuff dreams are made of. BUT.....and this is a big BUT....Snookie was my first horse of my very own (apricot really was but I only hima year before he passed away) A Young dumb teenager, I bought her off the track. She is an EXTREME RBE. She has taught me alot over the years, and originally I didn't want to use her for my assessments because I felt it was cheating the NH experience. I wanted my assesments to be from a horse that I started from the beginning naturally. Well now that she is getting on in years, and starting to have her senior moments, I was thinking that it would only be fair to her to be a big part in my passing level 4 PNH. Why not? Regardless of how I taught her what she knows, it was still me who taught it to her. No one else. It is still my knowledge and skills. So I am planning to pass my finesse with her. I would hate for her to pass away and not be a part of PNH journey "officially". I used to ride her bridless before PNH. She wore a bridle, I just didn't use it. So my first step I have planned for my Finesse is to get us both in shape. I have started hill therapy with her, why not, I live on a hill! And I am trying to get a theraflex pad for her. Her withers are so high I don't know if my gel pad will be enough anymore. So I will post as we start to progress.