Hey, all! I’m Krista and I’m from Freeland, Michigan. My mare, Chicka, is an OTT Quarter Horse who I’ve owned for 3 years. I’ve been involved with horses since I was in my mid-twenties, so for nearly 20 years.
Our (Chicka & I’s) first two years together went pretty smoothly, but last year was filled with challenges for Miss Chicka. Mostly medical, some mental as a result of the medical, but I believe we’ve addressed her issues and I’m hoping to ride much more this year than I have in several years. I’ve recently changed careers and am now working with a fantastic, positive group of people (Woot!) and have evenings and weekends off, which will free up the time that I need to be able to focus more on my riding (another Woot!).
Because of all of her behavioral issues, which I later learned were caused mostly by physical issues, I started trying to find a better way to work with my horse. She was “chargie” under saddle, which was getting worse with every ride. A friend of mine helped me learn how to slow her down without pulling on her mouth using tactics that she’d used when working with Western Pleasure colts. This helped a great deal, but things still weren’t shaping up quite right. She’d never loaded well into a trailer for me when alone and not much better with help. (Think 3 hours of fighting with nothing more than front feet stepping into the trailer.) I knew that I still needed to find a better way. I’d seen the movie, “Buck”, and had learned some things from watching the movie that I’d started applying on the ground with my mare. I could begin to see some differences in her respect and willingness during groundwork. I wanted to know more, so I attended a Buck Brannaman clinic, as an auditor, and was amazed at the genuine kindness towards horses and people that comes from Buck. During his clinic, I kept hearing him refer to the “reins” on his horse as “Bacardi”, or at least that’s what I thought that I was hearing. I later learned that he was actually saying “mecate”. This is where our team name, Bacardi Mecate, came from. As a result of what I’d learned at that clinic and the people that I’d met who have become great mentors, Chicka’s ground manners are now better than any horse that I’ve owned. She will now load into my trailer within 3 minutes, every time. We are still working on improving the trailer loading, but I am confident that we will continue to progress with every haul we make.
My next focus is to get in more quality riding time. And that is where the Distance Derby comes into play. I love that, while we are competing with other teams, we are also competing to achieve the goal for miles that we have set for ourselves. I’ve set a goal for us this year of 500 miles. I’m excited to find that the GLDD is filled with positive, supportive, optimistic people and am SO looking forward to the events that are being planned to test our skills and expand our knowledge.
Thank you for having us as part of this journey with you! It is an honor to be here.
Per rule #11: Please note that we have not logged any miles in nearly 60 consecutive days, but we intend to continue participating in the Derby. We are hoping to begin logging miles again within the next two weeks.
Per rule #11: Please note that we have not logged any miles in nearly 60 consecutive days, but we intend to continue participating in the Derby. We are hoping to begin logging miles again in the near future.
First time logging miles since March. Third time back in the saddle, but didn't log the first two rides because I knew they would be short. Had a nice ride tonight. Spent 47 minutes in the saddle. Excited to see how things move along from here.
Hey, all! I’m Krista and I’m from Freeland, Michigan. My mare, Chicka, is an OTT Quarter Horse who I’ve owned for 3 years. I’ve been involved with horses since I was in my mid-twenties, so for nearly 20 years.
ReplyDeleteOur (Chicka & I’s) first two years together went pretty smoothly, but last year was filled with challenges for Miss Chicka. Mostly medical, some mental as a result of the medical, but I believe we’ve addressed her issues and I’m hoping to ride much more this year than I have in several years. I’ve recently changed careers and am now working with a fantastic, positive group of people (Woot!) and have evenings and weekends off, which will free up the time that I need to be able to focus more on my riding (another Woot!).
Because of all of her behavioral issues, which I later learned were caused mostly by physical issues, I started trying to find a better way to work with my horse. She was “chargie” under saddle, which was getting worse with every ride. A friend of mine helped me learn how to slow her down without pulling on her mouth using tactics that she’d used when working with Western Pleasure colts. This helped a great deal, but things still weren’t shaping up quite right. She’d never loaded well into a trailer for me when alone and not much better with help. (Think 3 hours of fighting with nothing more than front feet stepping into the trailer.) I knew that I still needed to find a better way. I’d seen the movie, “Buck”, and had learned some things from watching the movie that I’d started applying on the ground with my mare. I could begin to see some differences in her respect and willingness during groundwork. I wanted to know more, so I attended a Buck Brannaman clinic, as an auditor, and was amazed at the genuine kindness towards horses and people that comes from Buck. During his clinic, I kept hearing him refer to the “reins” on his horse as “Bacardi”, or at least that’s what I thought that I was hearing. I later learned that he was actually saying “mecate”. This is where our team name, Bacardi Mecate, came from. As a result of what I’d learned at that clinic and the people that I’d met who have become great mentors, Chicka’s ground manners are now better than any horse that I’ve owned. She will now load into my trailer within 3 minutes, every time. We are still working on improving the trailer loading, but I am confident that we will continue to progress with every haul we make.
My next focus is to get in more quality riding time. And that is where the Distance Derby comes into play. I love that, while we are competing with other teams, we are also competing to achieve the goal for miles that we have set for ourselves. I’ve set a goal for us this year of 500 miles. I’m excited to find that the GLDD is filled with positive, supportive, optimistic people and am SO looking forward to the events that are being planned to test our skills and expand our knowledge.
Thank you for having us as part of this journey with you! It is an honor to be here.
Team 76: Bacardi Mecate – Krista & Chicka
January 1:
ReplyDelete2.27 miles today
2.27 miles YTD
January 2:
ReplyDelete1.23 miles today
3.50 miles YTD
Per rule #11: Please note that we have not logged any miles in nearly 60 consecutive days, but we intend to continue participating in the Derby. We are hoping to begin logging miles again within the next two weeks.
ReplyDeleteMarch 3:
ReplyDelete1.10 miles today
4.60 miles YTD
March 7:
ReplyDelete1.54 miles
6.14 miles YTD
March 12:
ReplyDelete2.01 miles
8.15 miles YTD
March 13:
ReplyDelete1.65 miles
9.8 miles YTD
March 17:
ReplyDelete0.88 miles
10.68 miles YTD
March 18:
ReplyDelete0.85 miles
11.53 miles YTD
March 19:
ReplyDelete0.73 miles
12.26 miles YTD
March 20:
ReplyDelete1.76 miles
14.02 miles YTD
March 22:
ReplyDelete3.12 miles
17.14 miles YTD
Per rule #11: Please note that we have not logged any miles in nearly 60 consecutive days, but we intend to continue participating in the Derby. We are hoping to begin logging miles again in the near future.
ReplyDeleteJune 17:
ReplyDelete2.83 miles
19.97 miles YTD
First time logging miles since March. Third time back in the saddle, but didn't log the first two rides because I knew they would be short. Had a nice ride tonight. Spent 47 minutes in the saddle. Excited to see how things move along from here.