Calista

[sbutter]

Oh my goodness! This past weekend was amazing! I got to go and take lessons from Pinie Minto and I don't think I have ever learned so many different things at one time for such a long period of time. Calista practically transformed over the weekend and even my mom noticed how much she blossomed and improved over a span of a couple of days. We worked on so many things, so I hardly know where to begin. We got Calista going off into a lope way more relaxed and without trying to "cheat" by trotting faster. we also worked on hip and shoulder yields which was totally new for her, since she didn't know how to just isolate different body parts. Pinie said that she was truly a gentle mare and those are hard to come by. Calista picked up things super fast. She learned to plant her hind end and move her shoulders around. At first it was really messy, since she was trying to figure out what I was asking, but it started coming together by the end. She also had a big problem about being in the front on a trail ride. She would go very slow and cautious and wouldn't stay in a strait line. By the end, I could ride her way out in front or way behind and hardly touch the reins. I could keep her straight with just my leg cues. I could also control her hind end or her front end on the trail when we were walking. I also rode her out of sight of the other horses on the trail and she was fine. We also separated and took different routes and she did not dance, she just kept walking straight. We worked on lateral and vertical flexion. Lateral was obviously easier for her to do, but she caught on to the vertical. She saw wild pigs and several coyotes that ran in front of us, we kept a safe distance from the pigs. We also worked on backing up with head relaxed and without me asking her to back up with my reins, but with my feet. We did so much and road at least five hours every day! She was fresh every time I went to ride her, which amazed me, because I was dragging a little. So all in all, a great experience and I have a lot of homework to work on with her.

[dunbnwild]

Wow-- where do we sign up? SOunds like an amazing experience!

Can you tell those of us (or is just me?) who don't know who Pinie Minto is a little bit more about her?

[kigerfan]

I was going to ask the same thing

[sbutter]

I met Pinie Minto at Horsexpo and saw how amazing and well trained Ruby was. I think I posted pictures of them under a thread titled Horsexpo kigers and she is riding the dun mare Ruby. We got to talking and she invited me to come out sometime with Calista and she would help me put some more experience into her. She is an amazing trainer and she uses a lot of Clinton Anderson's techniques as well as other great horseman. I got to ride Ruby after I had ridden Calista, so I could see what the cues would feel like and what the right response was. I hardly had to touch Ruby to get her to do anything. She was so light and responsive and it really helped me to get a better feel. Pinie lives in Willows, California, which is about 2 hours from us. I think she had about seven kigers on her place and several of them are by Rowland's stallion Warrior (Kiger Cougar son).

[sbutter]

Here are some picts that I got of this weekend, I had handed off my camera to one of Pinie's friends.

We are practicing her transition into the canter and I was told to keep her on a loose rein and not control where she was to go. She had a tendency to stop and pivot right in front of the fence and take off again, so I held the saddle horn just in case she tried to scoot out from underneath me.


Working on leg cues without using the reins.


Pinie Minto herself


Getting to drop her head, this was just before I released the pressure.

[stlkigers]

WOW....

Sounds like an awesome experience for you both! Great job.....I'd give my eyeteeth for an experience like that!

Angela

[JoanMRK]

Way to go! You both look awesome and I'm envious of your time with Pinie. Sounds like it was well worth it! ;D BTW, do you know who she's riding and does she have a website?

[DianneC]

I am so impressed! Calista always used to have a little attitude about being asked to do things, and there she is looking really great and enjoying the process like a big grown-up girl. Congratulations to you!

[JoanMRK]

That's funny Dianne - Cali has that same attitude, though she is very willing... just don't make her mad. ;D Maleah's husband rode her a few weeks ago at a playday/gymkhana and Cali bucked him off. I could tell as soon as I sat in the saddle that she didn't like him and my lazy, mellow horse, tossed him! I had to laugh (after I knew he was okay) and had to tell him, "Never piss off a red head." LOL

[sbutter]

The only website that I know of hers is www.elkcreekbuckarettes.com/

The Cuba (or however she spells it) is the gelding that she was riding in that picture. I think Eli Ruonavaara went up and got a trailer full of kigers from Manfored Isley (that is what my brain is telling me right now)? Pinie picked one out of the bunch.