Atz Update

Hello everyone!
I thought I would update you on Atz, since I know y'all are dying to see him. ;)

Atz is no longer a little puppy....he is a big puppy, almost triple his size from when we got him on January 18th.

Today

Day after we got him

He still barks at the cats, but the cats fully protect themselves. 

He has got bunches of energy, and he is going to be a fantastic guard dog when he grows up...his bark is already very deep and he doesn't like to leave the house unless the whole family is with him.

His eye's have a bunch of expression-he is kind of like a puppy version of a Appaloosa.

He also really enjoys the horses!

I love our little Atz. Sure, he steals socks, and runs around with cardboard boxes and can be a pain in the rear, but I love him, and he is going to be a great dog one day. :)

 ~CBL

IMEHA Superior Champion

Catty Little Snazz is now a IMEHA Superior Champion! She has a total of 1129 points right now, and has won Overall Grand Champion 3 times since I entered her in October. 

Bleau Angel is also a IMEHA Superior Champion! At 1366 points, she has been the Division Champion 2 times. 

Seeing these results made me excited, and so I went out today and took Harley D Zip's show picture. I may retake it... I am not sure yet, but I am going to show him in the IMEHA as well. 

I do not love the dark near his face...but he is a dark faced horse so it made be hard for me to get some light on it. I like the background..I have been taking photos in different places on our property to find the best place to do model photography. I may try out a few more places, but for now I am happy with the picture. :) 

~CBL 

Elska-Brick and Mortar Store Special

Hello, Everyone!!

I would like to introduce you to my new model, Elska.

Elska was the 2015 Brick and Mortar Store Special, with only 3000 models made, I have had Elska in my "want" list since I saw her, but I decided to wait. 

Two days ago I went to the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo, and I saw one of her available for sale in the early morning. I told myself that if she was still available when I was going to leave the Expo,  I would buy her. I spent the rest of the day watching clinics and Colt Starting and buying lots of food. After spending over 8 hours at the Expo it was time to leave, and so I walked buy the vendor that had her for sale and guess what!? the same model was there. 

You can guess what happened next. ;)

Bad picture but look at the dapples!!

This little mare is beautiful. She really is a small Traditional, being about the same height as the Flash mold. She has huge hooves, and a stunning mane and tail. 

One negative thing I have to say about this mold is that it has a poor, small hip. The neck in proportion to the hip does not quite match, but nonetheless it is still a photogenic model. 

The Elska I bought has two small flaws on it's mane and a little dark streak on it's hip. The dapples on this mare are beautiful, and I am very happy to see that Breyer's quality control has really improved. 

If you are interested in the Elska model, I highly suggest that you buy her. She is a very nice piece to add to the collection!

~CBL

Day 7: Riding: Getting Soft

GO SEE OLLIE'S BLOG OVER AT http://olliesbookoflife.blogspot.com/ TO FOLLOW HIS TRAINING!!

(I took this off of my other blog. I hope y'all enjoy it!)

Hello, Everyone!

Sorry I have not posted this past week, I just didn't have pictures, or even the time to write. But now I have some free time (and pictures!) so......

Day 7.

 Riding Ollie. 

Ollie is still getting back into the whole full training portion so I did not bring any new exercise to the table today, and I probably won't tomorrow either, but on Monday (weather permitting) I hope to introduce some new Intermediate Riding skills to him.

Backing up is very important for Ollie.  Being soft in the mouth, rounding the back, and backing willingly is often a challenge for horses. The key is ask the horse to back up, and have him back until he rounds his back and softens his mouth. As you can see in the photo below, as soon as Ollie got soft I released all pressure from the sides and his mouth. 

Ollie backs up with body language most of the time, but I wanted to ask for a few backups and get his mouth really soft, just for a reminder to him. When I ride Ollie I typically back him 15-25 times a ride.

Collected at the trot...still needs a lot of work, but improving! 

Not collected at the trot, but trotting smoothly and still with a smooth mouth. Notice the neck is level with his withers and he is relaxed .

I worked on a very small amount of collection with Ollie in the round pen as well. I want him to be much softer,  but that will come in time and more work. As the same with the backup, as soon as he softened his face to the bit I would release all pressure and as a reward he would trot about 10-15 steps before I asked him to collect again.

I then moved out to the front pasture. I always practice lateral flexion every time I mount, as shown above. Having a soft face and a soft mouth is very important, and so I will flex Ollie between 25-30 times on each side every time I ride him (when in training). 

Look at his tail!!!!!! It has grown a lot since August!!

We did some trotting on the fence line and in circles. Again, this is all about getting soft throughout the whole body. 

We also did some loping. I mostly did this for fun but we loped circles as well. 

Overall, I am very proud of Ollie today. I am excited to learn some new things with him! 

Atz Update: 11 Weeks

Hello Everyone!

Excited for the Superbowl?  I am so ready for it that I am blogging this to pass some time before the kickoff.

Is time usually this slow?!

Anyway, today marks three weeks of owning Atz. He is 11 weeks old now, and is a big, happy boy who has a bunch of energy. He is/was more playful than Risa was at this age, as well as smarter. Of course, being true to the Hovawart breed he sometimes acts ignorant.

"What!!? You said NOT to eat the shoe!!?"

Yes. No not eat the shoe.

*Atz drops the shoe and grabs a sock*

"ATTZZZ!!!"

"Whhaaaaaaaattttttttttttt???"

I just took a sock from him in this picture. 

Atz is also klutzy, sometimes forgetting where his feet are and tripping all over himself. It is very amusing to watch, and he does not seem to mind falling at all!

He sleeps in funky ways. :) 

Look at that face. He is going to be a very good guard dog one day!

Now, off to the couch to wait impatiently for the Superbowl!! #GoBroncos #UNITEDINORANGE
~CBL

Pep Talk With Ollie

"Ollie, I need to talk to you for a second. Look at me. "

*Stares into his eyes*

"You are gonna do great with your collection today, okay?  I am proud of you and how far you have come. You make me very happy and I love you."

*Gives Ollie a kiss*

*Ollie gives a kiss back*
I love you, buddy!!

~Alyssa