Boggle- USA bound!

Usedtobehorsey said:
The best part of being back at my desk after a 3 week winter break from work was grabbing a coffee and settling in to read about your adventures! Glad the trip to AZ went well - the sunshine suits you both.
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Aww! Happy New Year! Well I will try and keep it vaguely interesting. I am in LA at the moment (I had to leave Tucson less than 24 hrs after I got there, gah!) for work but then I don't go anywhere for 10 days so lots of time to spend with Atlas and get going on some things with him.
 
Alright I probably need a bit of advice as I don’t really know what I’m doing and my horse looks like a banana. The angle of this photo doesn’t help as he’s kind of twisting to peer around the trailer but his bum seems to be continuing to grow at the moment. I’m not even going to think of backing/getting on him at the moment he just looks like such a baby.

But, should I even be doing anything whilst he’s like this!? I am doing the following and it’s no more than 20-30 mins in total 4 times a week. Or potentially 45 if I do the walk plus some ground work.

Either

- in hand walk around the ranch. I plan to bit him in the next month and start doing this on the long reins, or maybe even just use a halter rather than a bit.

- in hand ground work. Mix of stepping up and backing off a bridge. Backing up, turn on the forehand, lateral movements. Dropping up and down a step a few times (xc style), walking over a few poles, a little lunging but no more than 5 mins in total and really just to install voice commands which he mostly already knows. The area is like a massive playpen so I can kinda ask him to trot around a little in a circle and then switch to something else.

I’m particularly focused on the switching up because he is quite.. playful. So I am finding it useful to ask him to go out and trot a quiet circle, come back in and do something else then a circle again so that nothing is exciting or explosive- none of this let’s buck and leap when out on the lunge for the first time because I think if I let that kind of behavior be a thing it could translate under saddle, and he’s a horse that spends a lot of time leaping around in his spare time.

But shall I just literally leave him in the field for a bit and see if he levels out a little?

He looks.. interesting. WHEN WILL HIS BACK GROW?? 🤣🤣🤣🙏🙏🙏


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I think that the handwalking is fine. Mine likes to get out and about to look at things. Walking is good exercise, and I can't imagine short walks over good terrain (nothing crazy steep and whatnot) being bad.

Mine has gone through all sorts of growth phases and is still growing, as you know. I know many leave them be when they go through certain growth phases, but I keep on with the short handwalks and light groundwork. Mine is very interactive and intelligent so he seems to thrive off of doing things. So I try to find mentally stimulating activities that don't require much physical strain or anything strenuous.

I really don't see the harm in gentle exercise and interaction. Leaving him be would probably be fine too. Mine just gets more "creative" and downright annoying (not hard to handle or rude) when he's left for too long (even in a herd turned out 24/7).
 
I think what you are doing is fine, walking is what horses do so a wander around the yard isnt going to hurt and the groundwork isn't intense, and he gets good breaks when your busy with work etc.

Fingers crossed he gets a bit longer as the front levels up 😄
 
Id not be lunging in circles yet.
There is so much you can do.
De spooking . Set your self up a course balloons, umbrellas tarpaulins things like that. Yes walk I've a few poles etc
There is no reason why he can't get used to a saddle, and be working with it on ..
All of these things I've always found nit only get you both to now each other, but they are teaching respect manners and the way if going whilst learning boundaries. Which further down the line will pay off.

Always for short periods 15/20 minutes I'd be more inclined to do the same thing twice a day rather than one thing for 30 minutes

So say you've introduced him to something and he's not liked it. The moment he settles and gets it stop. But come back again a few hours later, and re do it whilst it's fresh. You have to remember baby concentration/attention span.
 
jhoward said:
Id not be lunging in circles yet.
There is so much you can do.
De spooking . Set your self up a course balloons, umbrellas tarpaulins things like that. Yes walk I've a few poles etc
There is no reason why he can't get used to a saddle, and be working with it on ..
All of these things I've always found nit only get you both to now each other, but they are teaching respect manners and the way if going whilst learning boundaries. Which further down the line will pay off.

Always for short periods 15/20 minutes I'd be more inclined to do the same thing twice a day rather than one thing for 30 minutes

So say you've introduced him to something and he's not liked it. The moment he settles and gets it stop. But come back again a few hours later, and re do it whilst it's fresh. You have to remember baby concentration/attention span.
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Yeah it's not really lunging in traditional small circles as such, because I'm in a huge open space and can kind of move with him to use the long sides, it's more doing a few transitions with voice commands once or twice and then move off to something else.

I can't do twice a day, he's an hours drive away :) so it's short sessions a few times a week.
 
I have no experience, but it sounds ok to me.
I agree 2x shorter sessions are ideal but I can see it’s not practical for you.
As long as you are reading him and looking for mental / physical tiredness then I think you’ll be fine.
Remember to schedule in ‘mental digestion’ time in your sessions so he has time to mull over what you’ve just done and have a little breather.
 
I would start long lining and then long line everywhere instead of in hand, teaching to stand at mounting blocks, having you lean over him from mounting block, getting him walking over tarps, lunging over poles in walk and trot for a few minutes, I would do some liberty jumping which you can do with a pole and wings but it’s really fun teaching them if they are food motivated so doesn’t actually need any pressure because it’s teaching them over a pole, liberty lunging, teaching lateral bend, teaching leg yield in hand.

I would start training but you don’t have to sit on them to put all the basics in place. None of this has to be for very long but 10-20 mins a few times a week will give you a solid citizen.

Maybe look at signing up to the Ben Atkinson method for a few months as will give you loads of things to do at Liberty at yet teach life skill.
 
I think there are lots of good suggestions here and I would certainly not just "leave him to grow". Even a growing body needs to learn how to move and handle itself and gently strengthen those growing areas while keeping supple. With his cheeky nature he also certainly needs to occupy his mind - and enjoy doing so - so I think the time you actually have available seems the perfect amount of time for his education at this stage of his life.
It all just needs to be fun - for both of you!!!
 
He just looks a bit weak through his core I would do some posture work like carrot stretches and thorasic sling stretch and some pole work should help strengthen and get his core a bit active.

Arabi looked very similar when he was young his still got quite a short back but as he got stronger it seemed to get better, he was in a 16.5 show saddle as a young horse but my dressage saddle is 17" which I bought when he was 12 his just under 15 hands and what I would call a compact little horse.
 
Michen said:
Yeah it's not really lunging in traditional small circles as such, because I'm in a huge open space and can kind of move with him to use the long sides, it's more doing a few transitions with voice commands once or twice and then move off to something else.

I can't do twice a day, he's an hours drive away :) so it's short sessions a few times a week.
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What you are doing is fine, its near enough what my sister did with her rising 4 yr old, though the ground work, TRT Method, was started at 3 as his brain was bored 🤯🙄.

And his brain and body gets good breaks when you are off doing work things to think about what they have done.
 
Thanks all appreciate the advice!

I stuck a saddle on him today and did whatever I could to see if there was any amount of discomfort but no amount of stirrups banging/snapping, me jumping around on the mounting block or putting my foot in the stirrup and leaning my weight onto him got a remotely bothered reaction lol. Gave him a few lunge laps walk trot canter with the stirrups down and nothing.

I mean I’ll carry on doing it but he didn’t really give me much to teach him today lol.

This is a 17 inch saddle. He’s obviously changed because when I put it on him a few months ago it wasn’t even vaguely acceptable for backing, there were gaps between him and the saddle all over the place. Now it actually doesn’t sit badly at all (to my inexperienced eye) and I think it would probably be ok for backing at least.

Not sure on length, I tried to do the last rib thing but can’t really figure it out.

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As in you don’t think it looks too long? If he could take a 17 inch that would make my life so much easier haha. Even better if he can start off with boggles saddle
 
Oh he looks adorable in a saddle bless him. I think, being super picky, I’d want to see a 16” on him or at least a 16” panel with a 17” seat if you could find one. Are saddle fitters a thing much out there?
 
Equi said:
Oh he looks adorable in a saddle bless him. I think, being super picky, I’d want to see a 16” on him or at least a 16” panel with a 17” seat if you could find one. Are saddle fitters a thing much out there?
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I just don’t know I’ll be able to get in one. I don’t think I’ve ridden in one since being an adult actually. It turns out I’m 5 8 (thought I was 5 7 lol) and I am pretty long in the leg. I’m about 9 stone and trying hard to stay that way so that I’m pretty much 15% with tack for him. But I ain’t short 🙈. Urgh!

They are but they tend to represent one brand. And cost a fortune as you buy new. The whole find a fitter to come to you with a bunch of saddles that are used, not such a thing.
 
I too suffer from long legs (I’m also 5,8) short horse syndrome. My boy has a 17” panel and cut back panel under the saddle flap, seat length is 17.5” and the saddle flaps are longer too so we all fit despite being awkward! (it’s a chunky monkey) the fitter did say some other brand that does this type of fit but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was 😖
 
Can you feel where the last rib is, it doesn't look easy to see from the pictures? The 3 saddle fitters I've had out recently, have all used feel not just looked at the horse, especially if there's quite a bit of hair and the horse is chunky. I have a short coupled horse about 16.1 but in size 6'3" rugs, 2 saddle fitters were happy a 17" saddle would fit (just not rideable now 😢). A much longer horse, 6'9" in rugs can not take a bigger saddle, the ribs finish earlier than you would expect from looking at him.
 
I don't think it looks too bad on him. It looks roughly where his last rib is at. I feel your pain with short backed horses, my mare fits a 17", just, but would be better in a 16.5". I fit in neither, being 5'10 with a 34" inside leg 🤣. Baby Atlas is looking very grown up suddenly
 
I think I'd be worrying it was a bit wide and sat to low on the withers
In all honesty whilst I'm don't suggest a massively badly fitting saddle at any point ..
But for what your doing ATM don't stress about it, the aim is it becomes second nature to him when he's working.

I did wonder when you said there was nothing to teach today....could he end up being to quiet for you?
 
I'm afraid I am not expert enough to say other than "not far off". I agree it would be helpful to have a full sideways picture without the pad or a chalk mark to show where his last rib is!! But then you still have to consider the gullet and the closeness of the fit over his shoulder. It's tricky as the last thing you want to do is make him uncomfortable at the start but that saddle looks reasonable for in-hand work. I would not want to put any weight on unless I knew it was a good fit for him.
 
He will fit a 17" saddle, but that one isn't ideal. Can you see how far the panels extend behind the seat? You want one with compact upswept panels. This isn't a good saddle or fit, just an example of the panels

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