I know, eloquent post titles, lately. Pffft.
Wow what an excellent riding day I had. This little horse is just SO awesome. I’m too excited, so I have to make an effort to start at the beginning.
We started out with a quick lunge to ensure everything was in working order. He seems quite bored and sour with it, so I didn’t push for more than 3-5 minutes. We then moved on to some ground driving, establishing a softer whoa and back up, playing with the one-rein-stop. He was very calmly trying to do what I asked and driving very well around obstacles. I then tacked the boy up and mounted. Continued training my brain to hold my hands in correct English position, which translates the best to driving reins and something he better understands. I’ve got too much bastardised Western/trail hands, pulling out to the sides, which only elicits a tug of war. I upped the ante on my leg cues, backing up my hands with moving his hip over.
We opened both large doors of the arena to make use of a beautiful breeze. Max had not seen the door on the one end and was quite unsettled about it. We did a lot of walking by and around, working our way closer and closer each time. I then started some trot work down the sides, giving him lots of room and adding some rein cues to guide him, just as we were walking. After about 3 or 4 tries down the sides, we happened to be walking by the scary open door when a large gust of wind rattled the trees without. Max’s response was to pick up a trot in our direction of travel. I one-reined him and brought him back to the door at a walk, asking him to bend and circle there to continue on as we should have, initially. Then all was revealed!!! Another sweeping gust just as we were coming around and his bum was in prime impulsion position for that blast up the tail. He bolted. Tried the one-rein-stop with my right hand, but the shoulder is damaged and I lacked enough strength. Asked again with the left hand and he came back to me immediately, at only ½ way down the arena. The bolt wasn’t hard or particularly fast and I was waiting to feel any buck or humpiness. Never felt anything. My seat remained secure in my little dressage beater saddle ($400 Supra from Greenhawk – HIGHLY recommend it for the recreational rider) and enabled me to concentrate on bringing the head around and disengaging the engine with a leg on the side. I didn’t much like the 2 seconds of being a passenger, but was pleased to finally see what potential he had for reaction and that I could bring him around before serious issues. Also, I was pleased to note that almost immediately from stopping, his head lowered back to neutral and he easily walked right back to the site of intimidation to continue desensitisation. I was more keyed up than he was and had to work on my breathing.
Cue the hubby and son team, making their usual appearance. So calm was he 5 minutes after his spook, we had no issue mounting Kaleb up for his token 20 laps. Grinning, laughing and hugging Max all the way, the kid is LOVING it. The natural balance and movement these kiddies exhibit is truly enviable. Then the hubby mounted up. I’ve got to lower those stirrups more for him. Before I knew it, Max and Patrick were CANTERING down the long side. Max jumped into it, Patrick went with it and then turned it back on him, asking for 3 more encores. Watching this green horse canter is unbelievable!! Head tucked in, chest puffed up and right underneath himself!! If I wasn’t already in love with watching such a sexy silver beast move, let's have him look all baroque-like! Woo-ee! I WISH I had a picture for this post!!
Hence the bug was planted. As soon as my men departed, I remounted and gave it a whirl. Hubby is a natural rider, but lacks what I call “compassion with his seat”. He can occasionally just slam up and down between transitions. Due to an old back injury, I cannot afford any unnecessary percussion, so work to keep myself soft and pliant as much as possible. With my canter, I simply tried to stay out of his way and get a feel for his gait. Around the spooky corner, he walked very calmly and out of the corner I asked for the trot. Two positing strides and I applied more energy, finally backing it up with the long rein to bum on the second fast trot stride. He hopped up into my hands and powered down the side of that arena. His motion is very animated and wearing jeans instead of my fabulous stretchy pants and ½ chaps wasn’t the most comfortable, but it was glorious!! He came gently down and stopped gracefully right by the gate (of course). His energy upon stopping was such that you’d never know I’d asked for anything above a walk all day. Of course, I had to go again. Identical run, including the rein to bum, but both times he was never heavy on my hands, though of course I was trying to stay out of his way so didn’t have much input. The second time I did interfere enough to initiate his slow-down, asking for control through the corner and bringing him around to stop ½ way around on a nice 20m circle, bum to the gate. According to my riding companion (Hi Debbie!), he was just as collected and set back on his hinds as with the hubby. It was like riding a soft and sweet freight train!
I’ll be doing the happy dance on this on for DAYS on this one!!
Maximus
Well, OK... 1/2 Norse. He's a Quarter Horse/Norwegian Fjord cross.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
YAY! YAY! YAY!
We had a phenomenal ride today!! He's already SO much lighter with the reins and I think I detect some response to leg and seat cues. I’m so impressed with his embracing attitude.
He’s still quite piggish on the ground, knocking into me or pulling me around several times in the handful of hours we play each Wednesday. Until this mosquito invasion subsides, I just can’t get out with him enough to reinforce our ground work.
Our greatest landmark in our ride today was some trotting! I felt comfortable enough with his mouth to simply point him down the length of the arena wall and encourage him to go. Voice, seat, legs and finally the long rein tap on the rump broke the increasingly fast walk, lol! I didn’t pester him with the mouth, just joined him with my posting seat. IT WAS SO COMFORTABLE!!! I saw it on video before purchasing him and am elated to finally feel it, myself. Very steady and rhythmic - just rose me up into a wonderful posting action instantly. He gave me 5-6 great strides before coming down to a walk and I just heaped on the praise. I did not sense a mili-second of insecurity in him, which I can still very easily find in my 8 year old paint gelding today. I was so delighted, I did two more trots just like this. His whoa is pretty fabulous already, too. He’s still very influenced by the presence of the other horses, but does seem to clue into my direction a little easier when he is distracted.
So, on the ground, I’m still working for respect. But in the saddle, he’s rapidly getting better.
I should also add that Patrick & Kaleb dropped in just as I was wrapping up my ride. It took my husband all of two seconds to ask for a try. He hopped on and rode Max without incident, even trotting him around, cool as two cukes. And lastly was Kaleb’s turn. He went for two rides with Dad walking right beside him as Mom lead. His third time on horseback in total, the kid is already hooked.
Oh, and contingent on a vet check, I think I have sold the paint!
He’s still quite piggish on the ground, knocking into me or pulling me around several times in the handful of hours we play each Wednesday. Until this mosquito invasion subsides, I just can’t get out with him enough to reinforce our ground work.
Our greatest landmark in our ride today was some trotting! I felt comfortable enough with his mouth to simply point him down the length of the arena wall and encourage him to go. Voice, seat, legs and finally the long rein tap on the rump broke the increasingly fast walk, lol! I didn’t pester him with the mouth, just joined him with my posting seat. IT WAS SO COMFORTABLE!!! I saw it on video before purchasing him and am elated to finally feel it, myself. Very steady and rhythmic - just rose me up into a wonderful posting action instantly. He gave me 5-6 great strides before coming down to a walk and I just heaped on the praise. I did not sense a mili-second of insecurity in him, which I can still very easily find in my 8 year old paint gelding today. I was so delighted, I did two more trots just like this. His whoa is pretty fabulous already, too. He’s still very influenced by the presence of the other horses, but does seem to clue into my direction a little easier when he is distracted.
So, on the ground, I’m still working for respect. But in the saddle, he’s rapidly getting better.
I should also add that Patrick & Kaleb dropped in just as I was wrapping up my ride. It took my husband all of two seconds to ask for a try. He hopped on and rode Max without incident, even trotting him around, cool as two cukes. And lastly was Kaleb’s turn. He went for two rides with Dad walking right beside him as Mom lead. His third time on horseback in total, the kid is already hooked.
Oh, and contingent on a vet check, I think I have sold the paint!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Yard Time
The perimeter of our property is completely fenced, including the two acres of yard around the house. These two acres are shaded by a smattering of old oak trees but remains open to 1 mile of open field off the west. Toss the chains up across the driveways, and this presents a great reprieve from unrelenting bugs and sun on windy days, but can be quite an exciting change of pace for our otherwise pasture-bound boys.
The look on Max's face when I opened the gate and walked away was priceless. Wish I'd had the camera at that moment! As it was, it took a good shove from Bill to get the blockage moving. Grass was awaitin'! While Max didn't make it two strides out of the gate before plugging his face in, the other two new there were sweater spots to be had and booked it.
It took him about 30 mins to realise this was no fleeting treat. He then relaxed enough to give in to curiosity, exploring these odd human contraptions.
Checkin' out the garage...
What's in the truck?
Checkin out the shit 'n everything else cart...
A co-conspirator...
What? Already time to go back in? We don't think so...
Friday, June 18, 2010
Max's Peeps
Thought I'd share shots of who Max hangs with all day...
Bill, my hubby's Percheron/Thoroughbred cross is about 16 years old and a PMU product. He's had a very busy life, training and competing up to 3rd level dressage. I imagine he became quite sour about the show life and/or had simply reached his own competition ceiling and was retired. Piecing things together, he then came to reside with some good 'ol boys, chasing cows & horses (moving herds) and doing trail work. He's a fantastic all-rounder who LOVES my hubby's point & ride style. No fussy micro-riding for him, thank you very much. Having been raised with a firm hand, if you don't present it when he asks for it he won't respect you. Wave a stick at him and he'll do anything. This horse will always have a home here. We can put the tiniest child on his back one minute and an old pro the next. This boy can canter on the spot (drool). His ONE hang-up: horse-drawn sleighs with bells.
Scotch (Echos HotScotch Man) is an 8 year old registered paint gelding. He was my 'rescue' case, so-to-speak. Not sure exaclty what happened during his first 5 years, but even my farrier thought he was a 2 year old when I first got him. I've spent the last 3 years working and playing with this engaging boy and he's come a long way. Somewhere along the line, his little brain was fractured by someone (I HOPE he wasn't born this fearful) and he really needs to trust his person to be happy. He's an extremely sweet and honest goofball who always wants to hang out and get into stuff. While Scotch would like to be lazy, he's much too senstive to be a slug. He's been so much fun for me and I can see a huge difference in his maturity - both physically and mentally, but he has a long way to go before he'll be safe to have around a toddler, if he ever will be. Hence the introduction of Max. I'm relieved to have Max here while faced with the proposition of finding Scotch the right home. He's been an exceptional buddy and I will be so sad to see him go.
Those are our boys! I'm surrounded by boys, in case you were wondering... horses, dogs, hubby... even had a son. Good thing they're all fabulous specimens!!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Mosquito PLAGUE
Clouds of tiny grey bodies rise up to completely engulf you as you step out the door. The constant hum in the air has me pinching my shoulder blades together in an automatic response. We're spraying the horses several times a day and have lit our first smudge in our 4 summers here. Every year we have a predominant insect set upon us.
My first year here, it was lady bugs. Mid-January they were still crawling up our walls in droves. Then we had the summer of crickets. We thought we would go crazy from their nightly serenades. Of course, we cannot forget last summer, the year of the house fly. I'd come home from a day at the hospital and THOUSANDS of them would have found their way into our home somehow and clustered at the ceiling/wall junction. I would vacuum them up only to have them replaced to the last little black body the next evening. Thankfully, we did finally install a storm door around our ill-fitting heavy door this past fall. I'm relieved to note that the mosquitoes are not able to breech our defenses.
Had another Ladies Ride today. I decided to take Max and Scotch, the paint gelding I'm trying to sell. I want to keep him fresh and somewhat fit for viewings.
It took me two seconds to determine that I needed to load Max first, even though it was only his 3rd load in the Sardine Can. Again, I had to hold him back while I secured the hardware. He climbed up and right on in. I LOVE having such an unphasable boy! Scotch, not to be outdone by the young punk (and thanks to some good training work this year) also hopped right in, though he still put his tail protector to good use, setting back as per usual - even on our 3 mile trip. I'm relieved that Max does not require this pesky little detail.
My work with Scotch entailed establishing a solid verbal cued walk/trot/canter on the lunge, with a LOT of transitions to really drive it home and make it all very boring. It was quite warm and he was relieved to take his turn at the wall. After playing with and riding Max, I tacked Scotch up and kept our riding work at a walk, working on bending, softening and reaching deeply with the hinds underneath himself. He required a hip adjustment about a month ago when he tried to turn himself around in a 5' wide standing stall. I fed him 6 days of MSM to tackle any inflamation issues and both treatments combined seemed to have done the trick! It feels good to have him going smoothly and pain-free again.
Max got the same session as last time and his whoa is MUCH better. He's a tad lighter to steer and I really worked on using the tap of my long reins after my leg/seat/bridle cues rather than getting into a tug-of-war with him. I don't want him getting used to heavy aides... I want to make him lighter. We also worked on the one-rein-stop. This is slower to come, I think. Again, he was extremely well behaved around the new horses and even more relaxed in this environment than last week. I find myself impatient for poor Max to lighten, especially after riding the "you think it, I'll do it" ultra-sensitive paint. I have to keep reminding myself that it will come and this lack of over-response to anything is the best foundation to build upon. It is nice to not have to be constantly bringing a horse back from the brink of implosion.
Both horses were relieved to hang out in the cool arena away from the bugs.
My first year here, it was lady bugs. Mid-January they were still crawling up our walls in droves. Then we had the summer of crickets. We thought we would go crazy from their nightly serenades. Of course, we cannot forget last summer, the year of the house fly. I'd come home from a day at the hospital and THOUSANDS of them would have found their way into our home somehow and clustered at the ceiling/wall junction. I would vacuum them up only to have them replaced to the last little black body the next evening. Thankfully, we did finally install a storm door around our ill-fitting heavy door this past fall. I'm relieved to note that the mosquitoes are not able to breech our defenses.
Had another Ladies Ride today. I decided to take Max and Scotch, the paint gelding I'm trying to sell. I want to keep him fresh and somewhat fit for viewings.
It took me two seconds to determine that I needed to load Max first, even though it was only his 3rd load in the Sardine Can. Again, I had to hold him back while I secured the hardware. He climbed up and right on in. I LOVE having such an unphasable boy! Scotch, not to be outdone by the young punk (and thanks to some good training work this year) also hopped right in, though he still put his tail protector to good use, setting back as per usual - even on our 3 mile trip. I'm relieved that Max does not require this pesky little detail.
My work with Scotch entailed establishing a solid verbal cued walk/trot/canter on the lunge, with a LOT of transitions to really drive it home and make it all very boring. It was quite warm and he was relieved to take his turn at the wall. After playing with and riding Max, I tacked Scotch up and kept our riding work at a walk, working on bending, softening and reaching deeply with the hinds underneath himself. He required a hip adjustment about a month ago when he tried to turn himself around in a 5' wide standing stall. I fed him 6 days of MSM to tackle any inflamation issues and both treatments combined seemed to have done the trick! It feels good to have him going smoothly and pain-free again.
Max got the same session as last time and his whoa is MUCH better. He's a tad lighter to steer and I really worked on using the tap of my long reins after my leg/seat/bridle cues rather than getting into a tug-of-war with him. I don't want him getting used to heavy aides... I want to make him lighter. We also worked on the one-rein-stop. This is slower to come, I think. Again, he was extremely well behaved around the new horses and even more relaxed in this environment than last week. I find myself impatient for poor Max to lighten, especially after riding the "you think it, I'll do it" ultra-sensitive paint. I have to keep reminding myself that it will come and this lack of over-response to anything is the best foundation to build upon. It is nice to not have to be constantly bringing a horse back from the brink of implosion.
Both horses were relieved to hang out in the cool arena away from the bugs.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Intro
In my quest to discover as safe a trail mate as possible to join us on our toddler-inhabited homestead, I stumbled across an interesting bag-o-parts hailing from Saskatchewan. Certainly, he tickled my yearn for colour and that sweet face drew me right in. I quickly realised, upon speaking to the seller, that not only did he fit my desire for the unusual aesthetics but he was also exactly what I was looking for in regards to temperament!
Max was only 4 years old and with a mere 5 rides on him, but this steady boy had just the right lack of sensitivity and tendancy toward sweetness and laziness for building upon. I felt no hesitation what-so-ever when it came to climbing on his back to try him out, before purchase. I was able to get a good feel for personality and was delighted that this almost-blank canvas was rapidly checking off all the little boxes in my mind. He was quiet, curious, engaging and trying.
Of course, with that lack of sensitivity comes a heavy invasion of personal space but a few groundwork sessions quickly established that I don't want him to stand on me and that I'd like him to move off without a freight train pushing him. I'm delighted to have him already picking up his feeet with a reasonable amount of persuasion and moving out on the lunge with the lightest suggestion. I'm also relieved to note that this increased awareness of working together hasn't elevated his reaction/response to overall stimuli.
We had our first trailer outing on Wednesday of last week. I presented his open side of the trailer once I'd loaded our herd leader, my hubby's gelding. It took Max all of 2 minutes to decide the sardine-can of a straight-load wouldn't be detrimental to his health. In fact, that handful of complete feed was downright distracting!! He didn't even notice we were moving until I had to break at the cusp of the driveway. And the promise of another handful upon loading to come home had me holding him back so I could secure his lead rope around his neck! Learning to back out took a few minutes, but he's learning where/how to place his hind feet coming out.
His behaviour in a new place with new (mares!) was unbelievable! He playfully and rowdily inspected every obstacle in the arena and politely stood tied while not being worked with. We even brought him into his first standing stall to see what he thought of that... he licked the floor and cocked a hind foot. Again, learning to back out smoothly is going to take some practice, but he's not bothered at all by his own clumsiness.
I did climb on him for my first true ride. For 30 minutes, I worked on simply establishing good forward movement, some direct reining reinforced by light taps on the neck with the end of my long reins in order to reduce pressure on his mouth, a lighter whoa and a few backward steps. In this short time, he really became SO much lighter! I certainly am a long way from a one-rein-stop... something I won't trail ride without, but we're going in the right direction! I hope to send him to a trainer within the next two months in order to put a balanced walk/trot/canter and some solid trail miles on him.
Tonight Max and I made our first venture off the property on foot. I took him on a lunge line to give us room to work with each other and carried a carrot stick for effect*. I carried the excess line over my shoulder and just casually held him on a loose line. He eagerly stepped out, almost marching ahead of me. I wanted to encourage a brave and independent mindset, so I left the lessons of following MY leadership for another time. He wasn't rowdy or pushy, just eager. He scooted a tad when a mini van crawled by us, but we were in a slight squeeze zone with livestock making noises behind bushes on both sides of the road, so I have to accept it as a case of excess-stimulus. Overall, his reaction at this point was totally acceptable and he easily came back to me with simple verbal reassurance. Next came a herd of about 20 horses. He perked right up as they came trotting over to investigate and politely introduced himself. Within 4 minutes he was utterly bored of them and wanted to move on. As we did so, they struck up a thundering chase and he responded by stopping and looking back. Again, I waited until he was bored and we moved on (who wouldn't take an opportunity to watch horses run!). As we came to the herd of cattle in the bushes on the way back home, he hesitated, calling out to them a few times. He gradually moved on when met with their disintered silence, and my determination that he not stay with those two herds and return home to his own. Gentle requests on my part were all that were ever required to get his feet moving.
Every time I work with this boy, I'm absolutely delighted with his mind! And that's caught us up to this point.
*I am using the carrot stick rather than dressage whip right now for the sturdy strength of the fiberglass shaft for times I need to match his brute ignorance, but also for the ultra-light influence of the string. I find the almost-menacing motion of the string can tap into their prey instinct and affect response with much less weight/pressure from me. Once he's truly light and responsive to me, I'll revert back to my oh-so-light-for-my-own-wrists dressage whip. I should add that I've simply gotten into the habit of using this kind of tool while working on the ground and have enjoyed success in getting and keeping my horses light. It's simply an extension of my arm. Tiny taps and pokes are much more effective than leaning in with a heavy hand, losing the influence of my body language up front as I'd have to move back without the stick to say, move the hinds over and my stubby fingers aren't nearly as annoying as a crop handle!
Max was only 4 years old and with a mere 5 rides on him, but this steady boy had just the right lack of sensitivity and tendancy toward sweetness and laziness for building upon. I felt no hesitation what-so-ever when it came to climbing on his back to try him out, before purchase. I was able to get a good feel for personality and was delighted that this almost-blank canvas was rapidly checking off all the little boxes in my mind. He was quiet, curious, engaging and trying.
Of course, with that lack of sensitivity comes a heavy invasion of personal space but a few groundwork sessions quickly established that I don't want him to stand on me and that I'd like him to move off without a freight train pushing him. I'm delighted to have him already picking up his feeet with a reasonable amount of persuasion and moving out on the lunge with the lightest suggestion. I'm also relieved to note that this increased awareness of working together hasn't elevated his reaction/response to overall stimuli.
~~~~~
We had our first trailer outing on Wednesday of last week. I presented his open side of the trailer once I'd loaded our herd leader, my hubby's gelding. It took Max all of 2 minutes to decide the sardine-can of a straight-load wouldn't be detrimental to his health. In fact, that handful of complete feed was downright distracting!! He didn't even notice we were moving until I had to break at the cusp of the driveway. And the promise of another handful upon loading to come home had me holding him back so I could secure his lead rope around his neck! Learning to back out took a few minutes, but he's learning where/how to place his hind feet coming out.
His behaviour in a new place with new (mares!) was unbelievable! He playfully and rowdily inspected every obstacle in the arena and politely stood tied while not being worked with. We even brought him into his first standing stall to see what he thought of that... he licked the floor and cocked a hind foot. Again, learning to back out smoothly is going to take some practice, but he's not bothered at all by his own clumsiness.
I did climb on him for my first true ride. For 30 minutes, I worked on simply establishing good forward movement, some direct reining reinforced by light taps on the neck with the end of my long reins in order to reduce pressure on his mouth, a lighter whoa and a few backward steps. In this short time, he really became SO much lighter! I certainly am a long way from a one-rein-stop... something I won't trail ride without, but we're going in the right direction! I hope to send him to a trainer within the next two months in order to put a balanced walk/trot/canter and some solid trail miles on him.
.
~~~~~
Tonight Max and I made our first venture off the property on foot. I took him on a lunge line to give us room to work with each other and carried a carrot stick for effect*. I carried the excess line over my shoulder and just casually held him on a loose line. He eagerly stepped out, almost marching ahead of me. I wanted to encourage a brave and independent mindset, so I left the lessons of following MY leadership for another time. He wasn't rowdy or pushy, just eager. He scooted a tad when a mini van crawled by us, but we were in a slight squeeze zone with livestock making noises behind bushes on both sides of the road, so I have to accept it as a case of excess-stimulus. Overall, his reaction at this point was totally acceptable and he easily came back to me with simple verbal reassurance. Next came a herd of about 20 horses. He perked right up as they came trotting over to investigate and politely introduced himself. Within 4 minutes he was utterly bored of them and wanted to move on. As we did so, they struck up a thundering chase and he responded by stopping and looking back. Again, I waited until he was bored and we moved on (who wouldn't take an opportunity to watch horses run!). As we came to the herd of cattle in the bushes on the way back home, he hesitated, calling out to them a few times. He gradually moved on when met with their disintered silence, and my determination that he not stay with those two herds and return home to his own. Gentle requests on my part were all that were ever required to get his feet moving.
Every time I work with this boy, I'm absolutely delighted with his mind! And that's caught us up to this point.
*I am using the carrot stick rather than dressage whip right now for the sturdy strength of the fiberglass shaft for times I need to match his brute ignorance, but also for the ultra-light influence of the string. I find the almost-menacing motion of the string can tap into their prey instinct and affect response with much less weight/pressure from me. Once he's truly light and responsive to me, I'll revert back to my oh-so-light-for-my-own-wrists dressage whip. I should add that I've simply gotten into the habit of using this kind of tool while working on the ground and have enjoyed success in getting and keeping my horses light. It's simply an extension of my arm. Tiny taps and pokes are much more effective than leaning in with a heavy hand, losing the influence of my body language up front as I'd have to move back without the stick to say, move the hinds over and my stubby fingers aren't nearly as annoying as a crop handle!
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