Dixie grew so fast that sometimes we referred to her as The Moose.
If she develops dapples when she gets older like her mom did, we may change
her nickname to The Giraffe; she already has the neck. Now that she's gotten
older and is under saddle, she has nicer nicknames like Princess, Dixie Chick,
and Bananahead.
We started doing ground work with Dixie the winter of 97-98. She didn't like when we put on or removed her bridle, but otherwise she didn't mind the bit. She also ignored her saddle. Her longeing lessons went quite well once she started to focus, even with several cats and kittens running around and playing with the whip. She wasn't sure about being long-lined at first, but she got the hang of it and even trotted.
We thought Dixie was too young to be ridden, so Fred concentrated on her ground training. Dixie learned to walk quietly on a loose shank, trots or walks on command, and halts with at least 2 legs square. At least she doesn't cross her legs the way her mom sometimes did. [Later correction: sometimes she crosses them in the aisle.]
In August of 98 we moved Sensei and Dixie to another farm. Shelley and Fred began working Dixie in the round pen to get her ready to be saddle broke. When Dixie went into the indoor ring for the first time, she ignored the lights (Sensei used to stare at them) and was only mildly interested in the mirrors. She saw a horse in the mirror, but all it did was stare at her and she got bored.
She did very well when she was longed, although it still makes Fred dizzy.
Sue and Fred put a saddle on her one night. They snapped the stirrup
leathers and pounded on the saddle and made all kinds of noise. Dixie just
stood there quietly. She didn't mind the stirrups banging around when she
trotted and even ignored the cat fight. We hope she is this relaxed when
she is ridden for the first time.
Well, no, she wasn't ;-) For a while she was very good. She didn't mind
someone leaning on her or standing in a stirrup, and she even walked
quietly with someone in the saddle. But then something spooked her and she
took off. She can run really, really fast!
Her new nickname is Silver Streak. We backed off and started doing saddle
work in her stall. She now walks quietly around her stall with a rider on
board, knows how to steer and stop, and even backs up. Pretty soon we'll
be taking her into the indoor arena again.
Once Dixie had become totally bored with being ridden in circles in her stall, we returned to the indoor. A handler led her and her rider (Jeannie) around for a few nights until she learned to remain calm and keep breathing. After she got used to the routine, we switched to just Dixie and her rider. She quickly learned to relax at the walk, although she would tense up when she trotted. About a month has passed since she started really being ridden. She has gotten over her fear of cantering, has learned to balance herself, and is doing very well. Her attention still tends to wander so we keep teaching her new things. She learns very quickly and then anticipates instead of waiting for the rider to tell her what to do.
Fred has ridden Sensei at the same time that Dixie was being worked, and Dixie didn't seem to care. In fact, Dixie has shared the indoor with a stallion and she did ok. She seems to like having an audience, and the more people who are watching her, the better she does.
After each lesson, we take Dixie to the wash stall to get her used to it. She wasn't sure about it at first, and she scared herself when she pawed at the hose and it moved. Each time we do a little bit more, like spraying water on her lower legs. Eventually she'll get a complete bath.
With the longer days and warmer weather, we've started riding Dixie in the outdoor ring. She was actually quieter the first time than we expected. Before long we'll be introducing her to the clippers and getting her used to being loaded into a trailer.
Dixie stood quietly while Jeannie trimmed her whiskers with the clippers. She has learned all about the wash stall and stands still while she's being hosed off. Pretty soon we'll be practicing loading her into a trailer. She's continuing to do well under saddle. We're throwing a lot of ideas at her to keep her focused on her work. Dixie is learning the cues as well as what she is supposed to do. Her current repetoire includes the sitting, extended, and collected trot, turn on the haunches, and leg yield. She canters very well in one direction, but wants to do flying changes in the other.
Loading Dixie into the trailer has been pretty easy so far. She doesn't mind getting in, and we've closed her in it briefly. One time she did her old wash stall routine with Jeannie. She reached way in the trailer for a treat, then backed out. Fred took the shank, Jeannie showed Dixie that she had the Magic Red Sweat Scraper™, and Dixie decided that it would be a good idea if she walked into the trailer.
She's still doing well with the clippers. She doesn't mind if we trim her muzzle, but she still gets upset if we get too close to her ears. For now we're trimming her bridle path with scissors, which she tolerates. One evening the power was out at the barn, so Fred put the shipping boots on Dixie and walked her in the indoor arena. She didn't care and ignored them.
Because of the extreme heat this summer, we haven't been able to work Dixie quite as much as we wanted to. Those evenings Jeannie just rides her in the paddock or the front field. She's also introduced her to jumping, which Dixie appears to enjoy. Sometimes Dixie's sloppy with smaller jumps; we think they aren't challenging enough for her. She learned very quickly to canter after she jumps, and she usually picks up the correct lead.
Dixie did fine at the 1999 Futurity. Her "uncle" Zipper, a Quarter Horse, went along so she wouldn't be alone in the trailer. She didn't like being in a stall, but she enjoyed cantering in the big fields and the dressage ring. During the At Liberty class she stood at the rail and watched the other horses perform. She won both her Walk/Trot class and the W/T/Canter class.
In October, Fred decided it was time for him to ride Dixie. One night he sat bareback on her and was led around. Since then he's ridden her for real and has begun taking lessons.
Nothing much happened during the winter. Jeannie continued to work Dixie and teach her new things like turn on the forehand. Fred and Dixie joined the IAHA recreational riding program, and he rides her a couple of times a week.
We also had a quiet summer, since we didn't take Dixie to any shows. Instead we concentrated on training her and Tish.
In February of 2001 Fred started teaching Dixie clicker training. The target they use is a white frisbee that used to be on Fred's office wall. Dixie soon learned that she would get a treat if she touched it with her nose. She also learned to touch it on the ground, although sometimes she'd stomp on it instead.
She progressed to picking it up and giving it to Fred, lifting either front hoof, and bowing. Usually they practice in her stall so there aren't as many distractions. They've gone into the indoor arena a couple of times, but Dixie doesn't always pay attention.
Dixie entered the dressage world in April of 2002 when she and Jeannie did two Training Level tests. They had good scores and enjoyed the show.
Jeannie and Fred continued with Dixie's training. In October Dixie had her first formal jumping lesson. She and Jeannie did very well, although Susan was worried when she saw a couple of the jumps. We think she could be a good eventer.
In December Fred had his first classical dressage lesson with Coach Michael. About every month or so he and Jeannie both have lessons.
We took all 3 of our horses to the BRAHA spring show in April of 2003. Fred warmed Dixie up and rode her in the Intro A (W/T) dressage test, then Jeannie rode her in two Training Level tests. Not only was this the first time Fred had ridden Dixie off of the farm, but it was the first time he rode her in a show. Dixie acted like she'd been showing her entire life. She and Fred scored 71% and won first place. Jeannie and Dixie got a first and second for their rides.
After the show, Fred started keeping an on-line riding journal.
Dixie and Fred did 5 MDA shows, while Dixie and Jeannie did 3. There were shows with high winds, flooded rings, rain, heat, and biting flies. Fred joked that Dixie wouldn't know what to do if they had good conditions.
The season ended well, with Fred and Dixie winning Reserve Champion Intro Level Senior Rider. They also got a gold medal because their average score was 67.257%.
On April 11, 2004 an article about Fred and Dixie was published in the Harford section of the Baltimore Sunday Sun.