3Beasties
Well-Known Member
A slightly late '2013' post but I've had a horrendous few weeks so haven't been around much!
I've got 3 Beasties as my name suggests but this thread is about just one of them as I feel that 2013 was a massive learning curve for both of us and we finally clicked.
I got Missi at the end of Summer 2012, a 5 year old ISH that I bought to get me into competing (I had not done any competing before) and to have fun with when my older fella was ready for a quieter life. Things didn't quite go to plan though as Missi quickly became very difficult to ride...
Jan 2013 started with me questioning my sanity and really considering selling Missi and giving up on the dream of having a horse I could compete. I kept her at home and had no access to a school so hacking was my only option. She was however extremely nappy and explosive. Every time I put my leg on or touched her with the whip she would buck, bronc, leap and spin. She would kick out, reverse into things (including towards moving vehicles!) and reacted violently to everything! I was really at my wits end. A good friend helped me out for weeks by walking out with me but the behaviour was still extreme and my friend came close to getting squashed or kicked on many occasions. The only thing that kept me going was that she was so nice to deal with on the ground and that I knew if I gave up on her, I would never get another horse.
As the next couple of months went on there was a very gradual improvement. I relied on my friend less (she still had to be there but didn't have to drag us along or risk her life in the process!) and I began to see a glimmer of hope that one day I may actually have a breakthrough with her.
I finally braved having a photo on her after one particularly good ride -
One day we had a photo-shoot in the field (which looked more like an all weather surface!) which made me see what I had saw in her and gave me a new boost to keep at it!
The aliens obviously liked what they saw too as they tried to abduct her!
April saw our first major breakthrough. With a new approach in use I manage my first ride out on my own without having to get off once! I was SO happy that day!! The ride took an hour and forty minutes instead of the usual 35 mins but I came out on top and it was the start of our good times together!
In May we moved to a small private yard that had more grazing, more hacking options and the space for me to school on grass. I thought the move would unsettle her/set her back but thankfully she didn't need to much time to adjust and we soon braved our first schooling session.
A month or so later I finally plucked up the courage to take her out in the lorry to a local equestrian centre to hire their school. It was a huge mile stone for me as I had not long passed my lorry test and it was my first ever outing with my own horse! I went with the plan of just seeing how she behaved; if she was too excited by the whole thing I as quite happy just to lunge her and then bring her home. I really had no idea about how she would behave.
Well I don't think I have ever smiled so much in my life, she was a complete superstar! We even managed our first teeny tiny jump together!
Shortly after I tested out our new jumps at home. I was so please by how brave and bold she was, she didn't look at anything and seemed to really enjoy it!
I finally plucked up the courage to go to a CR day at the local EC again. I felt a week wondering if it was the right thing to do, was completely crippled with nerves, felt sick for the week running up to it and looked for any excuse possible not to go before finally giving myself a kick up the backside and getting on with it.
Once again she was brilliant, didn't react to the other horses and jumped all the scary fillers first time. I was so proud of her! We went to the same place for the same reason a few time over the next month or so, getting braver each time.
I've got 3 Beasties as my name suggests but this thread is about just one of them as I feel that 2013 was a massive learning curve for both of us and we finally clicked.
I got Missi at the end of Summer 2012, a 5 year old ISH that I bought to get me into competing (I had not done any competing before) and to have fun with when my older fella was ready for a quieter life. Things didn't quite go to plan though as Missi quickly became very difficult to ride...
Jan 2013 started with me questioning my sanity and really considering selling Missi and giving up on the dream of having a horse I could compete. I kept her at home and had no access to a school so hacking was my only option. She was however extremely nappy and explosive. Every time I put my leg on or touched her with the whip she would buck, bronc, leap and spin. She would kick out, reverse into things (including towards moving vehicles!) and reacted violently to everything! I was really at my wits end. A good friend helped me out for weeks by walking out with me but the behaviour was still extreme and my friend came close to getting squashed or kicked on many occasions. The only thing that kept me going was that she was so nice to deal with on the ground and that I knew if I gave up on her, I would never get another horse.
As the next couple of months went on there was a very gradual improvement. I relied on my friend less (she still had to be there but didn't have to drag us along or risk her life in the process!) and I began to see a glimmer of hope that one day I may actually have a breakthrough with her.
I finally braved having a photo on her after one particularly good ride -
One day we had a photo-shoot in the field (which looked more like an all weather surface!) which made me see what I had saw in her and gave me a new boost to keep at it!
The aliens obviously liked what they saw too as they tried to abduct her!
April saw our first major breakthrough. With a new approach in use I manage my first ride out on my own without having to get off once! I was SO happy that day!! The ride took an hour and forty minutes instead of the usual 35 mins but I came out on top and it was the start of our good times together!
In May we moved to a small private yard that had more grazing, more hacking options and the space for me to school on grass. I thought the move would unsettle her/set her back but thankfully she didn't need to much time to adjust and we soon braved our first schooling session.
A month or so later I finally plucked up the courage to take her out in the lorry to a local equestrian centre to hire their school. It was a huge mile stone for me as I had not long passed my lorry test and it was my first ever outing with my own horse! I went with the plan of just seeing how she behaved; if she was too excited by the whole thing I as quite happy just to lunge her and then bring her home. I really had no idea about how she would behave.
Well I don't think I have ever smiled so much in my life, she was a complete superstar! We even managed our first teeny tiny jump together!
Shortly after I tested out our new jumps at home. I was so please by how brave and bold she was, she didn't look at anything and seemed to really enjoy it!
I finally plucked up the courage to go to a CR day at the local EC again. I felt a week wondering if it was the right thing to do, was completely crippled with nerves, felt sick for the week running up to it and looked for any excuse possible not to go before finally giving myself a kick up the backside and getting on with it.
Once again she was brilliant, didn't react to the other horses and jumped all the scary fillers first time. I was so proud of her! We went to the same place for the same reason a few time over the next month or so, getting braver each time.
pet hate of mine specially for dressage as you can't achieve a relaxed jaw and TMJ junction with a flash/grackle etc and just seems to be current fashion - what was her reason for suggestion it out of nosiness?